New Arcade Fire Album Ready And Waiting

The long awaited announcement has been made. Arcade Fire will be releasing their new album, "The Suburbs," this summer on August 3rd. This album is the band's first since the historic and breakout "Neon Bible," back in 2007. The first single will hit radio soon and like the album, is titled The Suburbs. The new record is being produced by "Bible" producer Markus Dravs.

Arcade Fire is set for a big summer with the release of this album and their headlining position at Lollapalooza. We'll have all the updated information regarding the record as it becomes available.

Video Of The Week: U2, Mick Jagger, and Fergie?

The Straight Lines video of the week is from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame concert in 2009. The combination of Bono and Mick Jagger is strange enough, but add in Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, and what a memorable performance you get. Fergie belts out her part with a viciousness as do the other members of U2. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

U2 Postpones 360 Tour

Due to Bono's recent back surgery, U2 has postponed its goliath 360 tour until 2011. Bono went in for emergency surgery last week and the tour plans were put on hold. The band was scheduled to roll into Chicago on July 6th for a show at Soldier Field. We'll have updated information for folks with tickets as soon as it is released to the public. Here's to a quick recovery for our beloved U2 front-man.

Song Of The Week: The Black Keys Tighten Up

This week's Straight Lines song of the week is off of the new album from The Black Keys titled "Brothers." The song is called Tighten Up, and it is the first single from the album. It sounds a bit funkier than previous Keys material, but it still has the gritty blues sound that the band is known for. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

The Black Keys - Tighten Up.mp3

FREE Dead Weather Show In Chicago

Chicago's very own alternative rock station, Q101, is reporting via night time deejay Kevin Manno's blog, that the Dead Weather will be performing a free concert somewhere in Chicago this Saturday May 22nd. Details as to when and where the concert will take place are unknown at this time, but you will need to be 21 to enter and it will be first come first served.

The free concert has a facebook page that you can access here. The band will update the page with all the information a few hours before the show begins. If any additional information becomes available, we will report it right here.

Video Of The Week: Arcade Fire, Intervention

The straight lines video of the week this week comes from another Lollapalooza headliner in the Arcade Fire. The masses are sure to already be oozing with excitement about their headlining performance at this years fest, but this video will make you ooze just a little more. In the clip, the band is performing Intervention, a song off their latest album, "Neon Ballroom," at the Glastonbury festival in 2007. It truly is an amazing performance. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

The Hold Steady Holds Steady With Heaven

It was hard not to get overly excited for The Hold Steady’s new album, "Heaven Is Whenever." Because after starting with "Stay Positive" and proceeding backwards into "Boys And Girls Of America," "Separation Sunday," and "Almost Killed Me," the itch for some new material becomes relentless. Needless to say, the over excitement took over when "Heaven Is Whenever" started to spin in the CD player. The good thing is, my excitement didn’t turn into disappointment, which sadly happens all too often when listening to long awaited records. Nope, with "Heaven," The Hold Steady delivers with an intelligent album that is well thought out lyrically, musically loud and dominating, while not straying too far from The Hold Steady sound.

The album begins with a slower ballad (or as much of a ballad as you are going to hear from The Hold Steady) in The Sweet Part Of The City. Upon my first listen, my ears were shocked when this song started the album off. In the past it was songs like Constructive Summer and Stuck Between Stations that kicked off Hold Steady records, both loud, fast, upbeat songs that perfectly set a tone for their respective albums. While it was strange to hear a slower song like Sweet Part Of The City start things off, like the previous albums, it set the table perfectly for what is to come.

After the opener, the band kicks back into traditional “rock” mode with songs like Soft In The Center, The Weekenders, and Rock Problems. Out of all the songs on the album, these three sound the most like previous Hold Steady material; Loud guitar riffs, recognizable piano playing, and creative lyrics with some storytelling. From there they slow it down a bit again with We Can Get Together, the best song on album. While it being the best song is merely an opinion, it is also the most impressive song Heaven has to offer. It’s a slower song musically and lyrically, but with a new found finesse and attention to detail, the band is able to create the same intensity that their louder songs create. Lyrically, singer Craig Finn seems to head back to the good ‘ol days when singing “Heaven is whenever we can get together. Sit down on your floor. And listen to your records.” The song isn’t an ode to the past per say, but it’s clear on this one that Finn has the past in the back of his mind.

"Heaven Is Whenever" is The Hold Steady at their best doing what they do best. Therefore, it’s hard to be critical. However, next time around, it’s fair to say that hopefully they step out of their comfort zone a bit more. From the sound of things, this album is the stepping stone to that kind of a project. Heaven has some newer sounding, slower more dramatic tunes on it, and because of that, The Hold Steady is really about to break out of its shell creatively.

Do a quick Google search and it will become apparent that The Hold Steady is one of the most renowned live acts today. Each and every song on Heaven will translate perfectly in the live setting. The louder rock songs will jolt the house per usual and the slower ones will simply add another level of performing and emotion that the crowd can tap in with.

With this album, The Hold Steady shows that they are beginning to consider themselves more than just rock and roll performers, but rock and roll artists as well. In a way, for all Hold Steady fans, this is the perfect record. It contains Hold Steady normalcy for the fans that want more of the same and provides fans craving true new material a taste of the future. Other than a solid rock album, that is what "Heaven Is Whenever" truly is, a taste of the future.

Song Of The Week: Brand New Dead Weather

The Straight Lines song of the week this week comes from the Dead Weather's brand new album Sea Of Cowards. The song is Die By The Drop and it is the first radio single off the record. Is it better than the stuff off their previous CD? Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Dead Weather - Die By The Drop.mp3

To Be, Or Not To Be, A Rock Legend

Legendary. You hear the word tossed around all the time to describe rock and roll bands, songs, and performances. Sometimes it’s even thrown around too much. So much so that today, it’s almost as if bands try to achieve that status themselves rather than wait for it to be bestowed upon them. Not right in my book, especially when you have artists calling themselves legends. Not only does that go against the very definition of the word, but it is beyond egotistical. Can we continue to give out that title to anyone that just wants it? Not at all. Each time it is used improperly, it degrades the value of the word as well as the bands deserving of it. A line in the sand must be drawn. What makes a band legendary?

Let’s look at the sure fire legends of rock and roll. Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and let’s throw Nirvana in as well. If you examine those bands and artists, there are three striking similarities that when packaged together, yield legendary status. The first aspect: relevance. Each of the above legends manage to remain relevant time and time again. Elvis and The Beatles began their careers back in the 50s and 60s and still are talked about in the mainstream rock media each and every year. Whether it be a re-issue of old material or an album full of unreleased stuff, both bands have managed to bridge the gap of time to remain relevant among kids, adults, and grandparents alike. Same with The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Bob Dylan. All started in their own eras of rock and roll, and all are still going today. Going, and going strong. They’ve all managed to roll through time, adapting and reacting to the different ages and obstacles put before them, with the end result being consistent, good music. Not many have accomplished the feat of long term relevance. Some are on the cusp, but these guys have.

A second important aspect: the ability to create new fans. This notion does parlay itself with relevance and undoubtedly is equally as important. Many bands are able to stay around playing their music for their die-hard fan base. Though it’s an entirely different ball game when a band stays around, creatively putting out music that new and young fans are loving. That separates the good from the great; the legendary from the normal. Take U2 for example. Bono and the gang have been going strong since the 80s, reinventing their sound and trying new things in the studio as well as on the live stage. If you look at an album like "Boy" and then at an album like "No Line On The Horizon," the differences are astonishing. However, though they are different in many ways "Boy" created fans during its time and "No Line" has created different fans during its time. What ties the two fan bases together is the fact that they both can listen to the other album and be equally as appreciative. It is not an easy task for a band to do. But the best can and do get it done.

The third, and the most important aspect: historical impact. When dealing out the word legendary, the impact each group or artist made on the music world should be taken into the utmost consideration. Why? Because legends change the way things are done and are talked about and remembered more than the regulars are. Therefore, there needs to be a reason why they are talked about and remembered. Something left behind by the group that forever impacts the industry. Whether it be recording techniques like the Beatles passed on, Elvis, for dipping his toe into the rock water for the first time, or Springsteen setting the bar sky high for live performances, they all have impacted the rock world in some degree. A true legend, in any profession, leaves a mark. Rock and roll should fall in line with that same notion.

If this sounds like strict criteria, it should. This is the word legendary we’re talking about. What’s even stricter? Each band vying for that legendary title needs to figure itself through all of these doors. They need to stay relevant, create new fans, and leaving a lasting impact, while at the same time shelling out new and creative works of music. Many bands have the ability to just put out similar albums every year. Yes, that would keep them relevant enough, but it wouldn’t create new fans and it wouldn’t make a lasting impact on rock and roll. It would be easy for a band to strictly try innovative stuff in the studio, but while creating new fans and staying relevant? Not such an easy task. A task only for the best.

So let’s get a few things straight. The returning Roger Waters isn’t a legend. The Who making a comeback at the Super Bowl, not legendary. Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins, not legends. As music fans, we need to be wiser when we throw around the word legendary. If we’re not, all we will do is water down the term and the bands that have contributed enough to earn it. If we take a look into the crystal ball, there are some groups and individuals on the horizon that are in an all out sprint towards the legendary status. Green Day has lifted into the upper echelon in the past 6 years. Muse is a young band that so far has the early signs of legendary status. Only time will tell if they will make it there or not. The great thing is that we the fans are the main beneficiaries of this process. We’re the ones that are hearing the new stuff, we’re the ones attending the shows, and we’re the ones giving our stamp of approval on what music is being heard. As fans, let’s make sure we are responsible in that role.

Video Of The Week: American Idiot=Tony Nominee

The Straight Lines video of the week comes to you straight from Broadway in New York City. Green Day's "American Idiot" Broadway show opened last month to raving reviews and is now nominated for two Tony Awards. The video of the week is the music video for the Broadway version of 21 Guns. It features all three members of Green Day as well as the extremely talented stage actors that perform in the show on a regular basis. Let us know what you think. Enjoy!

May 4, 1970: Some Songs Have to Be Written

On May 4, 1970 -- 40 years ago today -- 28 Ohio National Guardsman fired 67 rounds into a crowd of antiwar protesters and in 13 seconds killed four students -- Allison Krause, 19; William Schroeder, 19; Jeffrey Miller, 20; and Sandra Scheuer, 20 -- and wounded nine others. Two of those killed, Krause and Miller, participated in the protest while Schroeder and Scheuer were simply walking from one class to the next.

"What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?"

Following antiwar protests and some drunken vandalism on May 1, Kent Mayor Leroy Satrom had asked Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes on May 2 to send in the guard, which he did. Rhodes, a law-and-order politician much like then-President Richard Nixon, declared that, "[The protesters are] worse than the brown shirts and the communist element and also the night riders and the vigilantes. They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America. I think that we're up against the strongest, well-trained, militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America." By the time the guard arrived on May 3 more students had joined the protests and the campus ROTC building had been set afire. A peaceful protest of roughly 500 students on May 4 was disrupted by the shootings.



A week later David Crosby, sitting on a sunny porch in Pescadero, CA, handed that week's Life magazine to Neil Young, who stared at the now-infamous photo of a girl grieving over a dead classmate, picked up his guitar, and wrote "Ohio." Cut live on May 15, the song was released as a 45 within days and reached #14 on the charts.

"I always felt funny abut makin' money off that. It never has been resolved," Young told biographer Jimmy McDonough. "There's nothin' I did before 'Ohio' that would be in the same category -- and very little since. Because it's kind of a political song as well as a feeling song, and it's dated to a particular incident, kinda like 'Rockin' in the Free World.'"

Young's ragged guitar tears open a hole at the start of the record, marching steadfastly ahead. Stills' lead guitar spirals upwards, sharpening the edge for Young's call to arms:

Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'
We're finally on our own
This summer I hear the drummin'
Four dead in Ohio

Fewer protest songs are much clearer than that. Add Nash's backup vocals and Crosby's anguished harmonies, especially as the song fades, and you have a great record that marks a tragic moment in U.S. history.

"Ohio" was the best record I ever made with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young," Young said. "Definitely. That's the only recording that I know of where CSNY is truly a band."

Lala to close May 31

Following Apple's acquisition of the music streaming website Lala it's no surprise that Lala's days were numbered.. and those days will be here soon. Effective May 31 Lala will no longer be operating. In fact effective immediately Lala will not be accepting new members.

But Lala has done right by its users. The site says that all money spent buying web songs will be convrted to iTunes credits. The same will happen for Lala "wallet balances" and unredeemed gift cards. Refunds also are an option for those interested.

Chicago Weekend Concert Info 5/1-5/2

Check out this weekend's Chicago concert info...enjoy!

Schubas
5/1 - Elsinore,Rego, Dozens
5/2 - The Lonesome Organist, Barbez, Black Bear Combo

Lincoln Hall
5/1 - Quasi, Let's Wrestle
5/2 - All Things Lucid, The Shams Band, Ornery Little Darlings, Jamie Rojo

Bottom Lounge
5/1 - Madina Lake, The Classic Crime, Ivoryline, The Lifeline
5/2 - Get Up With The Getdowns, Afro Zep

Cubby Bear
5/1 - Freddy Jones Band, Markit 8, Micah Walk