Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

Bloc Party’s latest album cover is revealed!

Bloc Party fans have been eagerly awaiting the band’s newest LP, Intimacy. Well, the album’s cover has finally been revealed, and it couldn’t be more fitting. Pitchfork has a massive image of the album’s cover, which is a close-up of two lips about to lock in embrace. It’s a vast improvement over the placeholder album cover that, for a moment, Bloc Party fans thought they were going to get (it was just a black cover with the band’s name on it).

The album is due out Oct. 28, and new material that will be on the record can be found on Bloc Party’s MySpace. If you haven’t heard their new sound, then you need to head over there. Songs like “Mercury” take the band’s trademark skronk and chicken-scratch guitar hooks and blend them with a synthesizer-based, more danceable sound.

If you were hoping to hear them live, you can still get concert tickets for their shows abroad. They’ll be in England, Brazil, and Australia in the next few months. Get Bloc Party tickets at Stubhub.com.

Muxtape will be coming back in a new format

Though this blog tends to follow the news about artists—both on large labels and small independents—the recent news about Muxtape bears mentioning. Muxtape was a site that allowed users to upload their own mixtapes to its servers. It’s appeal was how simple it was to use, look at and listen to, and that it allowed music fans to share both mainstream and independent bands with others.

Naturally, this violated all kinds of copyright laws, and incurred the wrath of the RIAA and the major labels, who contacted the site’s owner. The site has been down for a while, and now has a long notice telling the story of the site and what it’s potential future is. Apparently, not long after he created it, the owner was contacted by both the RIAA and majors—and it seemed like he could make a deal with the majors. The short version is, the deal fell through. It’s been pulled for now, but will come back as a way for small independent artists to distribute their own music. If you follow the back-and-forth tussle with copyright infringement issues that’s been going on since the dawn of .mp3s, the notice on Muxtape is an illuminating read.

If you’re looking for a live show, you can find concert tickets at Stubhub.com.

Galactic Embarks on Club and Theater Tour

It’s just out of this world!  Galactic, the prominent funk and jazz ensemble is gearing up to turn on the heat this fall with a five-week long club and theater tour.  What is being billed as “The Brass Tacks Tour” kicks off on October 8 at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia and wraps up on November 12 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California.  Galactic will be accompanied on the trek by Crown City Rockers.

Galactic is widely known as a popular funk and jazz group that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana.  They formed in 1994 and have been influenced by many different musical styles like hip hop, Go-Go, electronic, world music, rock, blues and jazz.  They are most well known for their colorful live performances, so make sure to get Galactic tickets from Stubhub.com today!

New Single for Spears

The first single from Britney Spears’ upcoming album, the aptly titled Circus, was released today. “Womanizer” was produced by the Atlanta up-and-comers the Outsyders. Lyrics to the sure-to-be club hit read, “Must mistake me as a sucker/To think that I would be a victim not another/Say it, play it hoe you wanna/But no way I’m ever gonna fall for you.” Spears’ upcoming album, the follow-up to 2007’s Blackout, also features Dr. Luke (who wrote and produced the title cut), Guy Sigsworth, Maxt Martin, Danja and Bloodshy & Avant.

“Womanizer” will play during this Monday’s (Sept. 29) episode of MTV’s The Hills but the single’s video has yet to be completed. Circus will be released on Spears’ 27th birthday, Dec. 2. Last month Spears told OK Magazine that her upcoming album is “more urban,” and the synthy sound of “Womanizer” lends itself to an urban feel.

Get your Britney Spears tickets at StubHub.com.