Karen O @ Lollapalooza 2009 (more by Paul Birman)

"DGC/ INTERSCOPE TO RELEASE WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK: ORIGINAL SONGS BY KAREN O AND THE KIDS. ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 29! LEAD SINGLE "ALL IS LOVE" OUT DIGITALLY AUGUST 25! MOTION PICTURE IN THEATERS OCTOBER 16!

Inside Karen O is a Wild Thing - as singer for the Grammy-nominated Yeah Yeah Yeahs, her wild thing is in your face, vulnerable, obnoxious, tender, exciting... a self-proclaimed "spazoid." However, to Oscar-nominated Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze, Karen O and her music possess a child-like innocence, a guileless charm that put her exactly on the right emotional wavelength to sonically capture the highly-anticipated film.

To compose music for the film, O enlisted friends and fellow musicians she believed had the musical intuition that would bolster her intent to marry sound to vision. Dubbed Karen O and the Kids, the kids include Tristan Bechet (Services), Tom Biller (co-producer with Karen O and member of Afternoons), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (YYY), Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion), Nick Zinner, (YYY) and an untrained children's choir." [Where the Wild Things Press Release]

As the press release says above, the song "All is Love" is out today. You can listen to it at MySpace.

In related news, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on September 29th. That's six days after their much larger Manhattan show at Radio City Music Hall which sold out, I am told, in less than a day (UPDATE: There are a few random single tickets still available for Radio City at the moment, so not completely sold out yet)... I'm sure the MHOW show will sell out in less than a minute when tickets go on sale Friday at noon (2-ticket limit, will call only, opener TBA).

Some related videos below...

Continue reading "Yeah Yeah Yeahs add MHOW show - Karen O & the Kids made the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack (single out now)"

On February 10th, 2009, Capitol Records will release It's Not Me, It's You, the follow-up to Lily Allen's critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Alright, Still. Recorded at Eagle Rock Studios in Los Angeles, the album finds Lily in top form, creating a record Blender's recent "In The Studio" feature described as "part God, part country and all middle finger." Allen wrote and recorded the album's 12 songs with producer Greg Kurstin (the bird and the bee), who worked with her on three songs for Alright, Still - "Everything's Just Wonderful," "Alfie" and "Not Big."

"We decided to try and make bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs," says Lily, who will be touring the U.S. in the spring. "I wanted to work with one person from start to finish to make it one body of work. I wanted it to feel like it had some sort of integrity. I think I've grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that."

All of those spring tour dates haven't been announced yet, but it looks like Lily will be taking Natalie Portman's Shaved Head out on the road with her in April. Surfaced dates include April 1st at House of Blues in San Diego and April 20th at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. The latter goes on sale Friday at 10am via LiveNation.com.

The Bird and The Bee have shows scheduled in February and March in support of their new album Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future (out now).

All known Lily Allen dates below...

Continue reading "Lily Allen's new Greg Kurstin-produced album & some 2009 Tour Dates w/ Natalie Portman's Shaved Head"