Nine Inch Nails unveiled yesterday a new, 36-song instrumental album with a distinctly Radiohead-ish marketing scheme. Like In Rainbows, Ghosts I � IV was recorded relatively quickly and released without advanced notice. Part of the album is available for as a free download, but for fans that like to buy up, they can drop as much as $75 on a deluxe hard copy. Before I continue, an impor...

Pssst, gamblers: Want to know how to which disc that Grammys will crown Album of the Year for future reference? It�s easy: Examine the list of those nominated, and pick the least relevant one. This year, the award show that once gave a Steely Dan reunion album the trophy over Eminem�s chart-topper, outdid themselves: They choose a Joni Mitchell tribute album over Kanye West�s Graduation....

For the last eight months, the chorus of bloggers shouting about how Vampire Weekend will become the next big thing has become absolutely deafening. Today, after almost a year of this hype, the band finally releases its debut album, and soon we�ll see whether these predictions come true. It�s an interesting test of the blogosphere�s tastemaking chops, since over the few years, new media�s s...

2008 is shaping up to be the worst year yet for the struggling music industry�this week, for instance, music sales were down a whooping 9% from just a year ago, and the top-selling album, Alicia Keyes� As I Am, was the second lowest-selling #1 album in the history of the SoundScan charts. But while hip-hop and rock sales have taken considerable hits, there is one genre that continues to ...

As much as he might grumble, it's not like Rhymefest has never caught a break. The Chicago rapper has, after all, been able to make a living off of his craft, won a Grammy, bested a young Eminem in a freestyle battle and struck up convenient friendships with hitmakers like Kanye West and Mark Ronson. Where Rhymefest has had a difficult time, however, is in converting his good fortu...

"American Idol" producers have publicized a number of small "tweaks" to retool the program after a slight dip in ratings last year, among them a greater emphasis on the performers�back stories and less reliance on celebrity guests. If online reports are to be believed, however, there's a secret game plan the producers are downplaying: Use ringers. According to "American Idol" spoiler si...

Two Milwaukee institutions have taken very different approaches to awarding tickets to this weekend�s ultra-sold-out Hannah Montana concert at the Bradley Center. North Shore Bank is hosting an orderly drawing today at noon (which, despite the lack of creativity, still earned the business countless free press, including a full-length article in today�s Journal Sentinel). Meanwhile, Kramp...

I know I promised not to post any more best of 2007 lists, but one latecomer is worthy of a little attention: Hip Hop Site�s belated 2007 Best & Worst List. Although there are a couple of decent recommendations to be culled from the list, the picks tend toward the predictable. Kanye West and Jay-Z top the best major label release list, Little Brother tops the best indie list: The 10 Bes...

This is always promising to see: Fever Marlene, a slick Milwaukee alternative-rock duo with a flair for networking that suggests they have a shot at bigger things, has been booked to headline a concert at the Turner Hall Ballroom, while The Redwalls, a mediocre and perpetually over-hyped Illinois band with a major-label CD under the belt, have been booked as their openers. Needless to sa...

The weekend brought ugly news from the Shins camp: Keyboardist Marty Crandall was arrested on domestic violence charges. The Modern Age has all of the sordid details, including police reports and a photo of the bruises Crandall allegedly inflicted on his ex-girlfriend. Crandall's bail was set at $25,000, and as of last night he was still in jail. The story has had considerable legs in the...