New Music Tuesday: Madonna + JT

"4 Minutes to Save the World"

Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland

The first single from Madonna's upcoming album, Hard Candy, officially hit shelves today -- and it's shaping up to be a hit. Radio stations have only had the song for seven days, and it's already received a staggering 25 million spins nationwide.

"It doesn't take anywhere close to '4 Minutes' to realize that Madonna is poised to score her first top 10 hit since 2005's 'Hung Up," predicts Chuck Taylor of Billboard Magazine.

"There's an awful lot going on in the busy dance track: sing-song verses, insistent foghorns, cowbells, chants of 'tick-tock' and a rap from Timbaland—but the trade-off chorus between Madge and Justin of 'We've only got four minutes to save the world' is hooky enough unto itself to sell the song."

Other new albums out today:

• Gnarls Barkley -- The Odd Couple
• Counting Crows -- Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
• Panic at the Disco -- Pretty. Odd.
• The B-52's -- Funplex
• Morrissey -- Greatest Hits

(Full list here.)

Where are they now?: Jackson 5

Skimming through the New York Post this morning, I came across their "Where are they now?"-esque feature on The Jackson Five, which highlighted the group's "riches to rags" spiral. With each member currently facing their own share of troubles, it's clear that they're a long way from their successful '60s heyday. This, especially, caught my eye:

"Marlon Jackson, 51, an original Jackson Five member...[now] stocks shelves at a Vons supermarket in San Diego."

Wow.

I wanted to know: "How could one of the Jacksons be reduced to a grocery store employee?" "Where did the J5 fortune go?" "Why aren't Michael and Janet helping out their siblings?" And my most important question, being a fellow San Diegan myself:

"Which Vons?!"

Roundup: Tour Tidbits

In the works: Queen + Paul Rodgers will hit the road for a four-month international tour in September, their label has announced. They'll be promoting their upcoming record -- the first all-new album to carry the "Queen" name in 13 years.

Rescheduled: Van Halen's on-again-off-again tour has been sidelined yet again, this time due to medical troubles on behalf of guitarist Eddie Van Halen. It restarts in April.

Dates announced: Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Souljah Boy & Lil Mama

SXSW: Don't mess with Texas

Few times in my life have I wished that I lived in Texas.

(Never, in fact.)

But every time mid-March rolls around, I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards those lucky Austin-ites, because their city is home to the largest music, film, and media conference in the world: South by Southwest.

Thousands of people flock to Austin every March for their yearly bash. Musically, SXSW stands apart from the nation's other festivals -- Coachella in California, Lollapalooza in Chicago -- because of its vast lineup. We're talking over 1,400 performers playing in more than 40 venues in downtown Austin over the span of two weeks. It's huge.

This year, you can see everyone from stadium bands (REM) filling the cavernous Austin Convention Center, to up-and-coming indie darlings (The Raveonettes) playing downtown bars and restaurants packed with the locals.


Among the (varied!) others: Nada Surf, The Kills, Augustana, Jakob Dylan, Hanson, The Lemonheads, Dolly Parton, N.E.R.D, Josh Radin, Tech N9ne, Kate Voegele, My Morning Jacket, The Von Blondies, The Black Keys. (Full list here.)

(And if the music isn't enough for you, there's a film festival screening over 100 upcoming major and independent releases. Plus, the multimedia portion of SXSW features keynote speeches and panels from the creators of Facebook and PostSecret. Not to mention the annual Bloggie awards!)
SXSW continues on through this Sunday.

And I'll stop now. Because I probably sound like an advertisement.

(PS: ...someone go with me in 2009!)

Idol + Itunes Team Up

Love it or hate it, there's no denying that despite being in its 7th season, American Idol still packs a veritable music industry punch.

AI continues to rake in the ratings, and many major artists -- from Billy Joel to Paul McCartney -- have, at some point, licensed their song catalog to be used on the show. Past winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have gone on to win Grammys. (Heck, even past losers like Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken have seen their albums top the Billboard charts.)

So it doesn't come as a complete surprise that iTunes has finally jumped on the Idol bandwagon. Last month, iTunes began selling exclusive MP3s of AI's weekly contestant performances. And starting today, full videos of the performances are also available for sale.

Which means for only $2, you can watch a semi-tone deaf high schooler murder a perfectly good Journey song. On your iPod. As many times as you want.

(Or, better idea? You could buy the original song for half the price. Either way, it's a good week for iTunes.)

Disorder in the court

This week in music legalities:

Gulity: Former boyband mogul Lou Pearlman (the mastermind behind *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys) pleaded guilty today to over $300 million in conspiracy and money laundering charges. The accusations revolve around a Ponzi stock scheme that Pearlman owned and operated prior to the boyband wave. He faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million if convicted.

Not Gulity: Singer Scott Weiland, frontman for Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots, pleaded not guilty to a November DUI charge on Wednesday. Weiland is free on $40,000 bail and is due back in court on April 4. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail because of a prior DUI conviction.

Lawsuit: Producer Linda Perry is suing Warner Music Group for breach of contract . In the suit filed Tuesday, Perry asked for more than $10 million in lost royalties and damages from the debut album of her client, singer James Blunt.

Local Pick: Get Back Loretta

I've always been a big advocate of the local music scene. Sure, alot of bands are forgettable and there's a reason why they're not making it past the local level. But I've also found that if you do your searching, you're bound to find some diamonds in the rough.

Case in point: Get Back Loretta.

These five guys have swept the San Diego music scene (most recently winning "Best Pop Album" at the 2007 San Diego Music Awards, for the second year in a row) with their infectious blend of indie-pop and soul.


I caught GBL over the weekend at the Epicentre, and they put on quite a show. I saw them for the first time about a year ago, and their debut EP "Over the Wall" has been a staple on my iPod ever since. After months of touring, I'm glad these guys are finally back in town.


(Bonus points that GBL took their name from a Beatles lyric. And that their music is good enough to let them get away with it.)

"I thought I'd discovered the best unknown band in San Diego. Catchy enough for Clear Channel and sassy enough for the kids that won't listen to it. Yeah, [Get Back Loretta] is that kind of good. Best out-of-nowhere goodness we’ve heard."

-Troy Johnson, San Diego City Beat