2004

Loretta Lynn, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand and the Killers are among 73 artists whose latest albums made the “Longlist” of initial nominations for the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize, which honors critically acclaimed albums that have not yet been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies.

The list will be winnowed to 10 finalists by late September, with the winner to be crowned Nov. 10 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles during a concert featuring nominees.

Nominees and winners are chosen by a panel of Listmakers which this year includes Norah Jones, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Jack Black, Jim Jarmusch, the Cure’s Robert Smith, System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian and the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am.

To be eligible, an artist’s latest album must have been released between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004. Other artists on the “Long List” include TV On The Radio, Dizzee Rascal, Ghostface Killah, Bebel Gilberto, Caf

Nashville rockers Kings of Leon will release their second album, A-Ha Shake Heartbreak, in January. The band reteamed with producer Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Counting Crows) to record the follow-up to 2003’s Youth and Young Manhood earlier this summer in Studio City, California.
“We played so many shows and saw so much stuff, that when we got time off, it was just pouring out,” says drummer Nathan Followill of the five-week, twelve-song recording stint, which yielded the likes of “Pistol of Fire,” “Razz,” “Soft” and “Milk.” “On the last record there were no expectations, because we had no fans and we had never made music before,” Followill says. “On this one we knew what we wanted, and we were very comfortable and confident.”

Kings of Leon — Nathan and brothers Caleb (guitar, vocals) and Jared (bass), and cousin Matthew (guitar) — have broadened their sound from the bluesy roots of Youth and Young Manhood, and the new material reflects such diverse influences as Run-DMC, Talking Heads and the Ronettes. “There are definitely songs on there that you hear and think, ‘That’s the Kings of Leon,'” Nathan says, “and then there are songs that take three or four listens to realize that it’s us.”

Kings of Leon will head out on an East Coast U.S. tour in October.

Source rollingstone.com.

Elektra/Rhino Vinyl has set an Oct. 26 release date for Metallica’s “Vinyl Box.” The set will collect special editions of the veteran hard rock act’s first four studio albums, plus the “Garage Days Re-Revisited” EP and the import-only “Creeping Death” picture disc.

The albums “Kill ‘Em All,” “Ride the Lightning,” “Master of Puppets” and “…And Justice for All” have been expanded to double-vinyl sets on 180-gram audiophile vinyl with new gatefold jackets. “Vinyl Box” will be limited to 5,000 numbered copies and will carry a suggested retail price of $99.98.

Source billboard.com.

The Foo Fighters are about to begin pre-production on their next studio album, which, as first revealed here last month, will likely be a double-disc set.

“Having a year to write and demo things at your own pace sure makes for better songs,” frontman Dave Grohl writes on the Foos’ official Web site. “In preparing for today’s pre-production, I dumped all of the things I’ve recorded onto my computer and I wound up with five-and-a-half hours of music. I just laughed.”

Explaining his hopes for a double LP with one disc each of acoustic and electric material, Grohl says, “I’d love to have an album that requires us to stretch farther in both directions, eliminating any middle ground. The idea also comes from the fact that we’ve always explored both dynamics, just not to their fullest potential. Why not get heavier? Or quieter? Why try and cram all of that onto one CD? Why not make two albums, and call it one?”

Grohl is in the midst of rebuilding his Virginia home studio in Los Angeles. “We came up with a plan: Buy a warehouse,” he says. “Build a bigger, better studio. Have a massive space to store our mountains of gear that we’ve amassed over the past decade. Have somewhere to jam that we don’t have to move out of at the end of the week. A full-on headquarters, designed to further the idea of self-sufficiency. We will never have to go anywhere else as long as we live.”

The lone date on the Foos’ upcoming schedule is Aug. 28 at San Diego’s Street Scene festival, but the band’s name is already being whispered as part of a major package tour next summer. “I’m dying to get this sh*t on tape and play it live,” Grohl says. “The whole album every night — Something we haven’t done in a long, long time.”

As for his drum work on Nine Inch Nails’ forthcoming Interscope album, “Bleed Through,” Grohl enthuses, “you’re gonna flip when you hear [it].”

Source billboard.com.

Fans can pre-order DJ Harry