Music News: The Cliks, Heavy Rotation, Katy Perry, Courtney Love, ABBA, R.E.M.

MODERN TONIC

The editors of Modern Tonic present a weekly music update here on Towleroad. The rest of the week, they scan the pop-culture landscape for movie, TV, book and Web recommendations in their daily email.

NEW AND WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Toronto trio The Cliks — that’s a combo of ‘clit’ and ‘cock’ — have everything it takes to be rock’s next  great band. Pounding tunes, sing-a-long choruses and transman Lucas Silveira — that’s the band’s female-to-male transgender front-person. On their third release, Dirty King, produced by Sylvia Massey (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool), The Cliks wrench thrilling Guitar Hero-worthy songs from gender rebellion (“Not Your Boy”) and bad relationships (“Haunted”). Silveira stutters through the slutty surf-rock title track (and first single) “Dirty King.” And the crunchy gender-f**k “Love Gun” would melt the face-paint off of all four members of Kiss.

Check out their sultry brand of rock fireworks with our FREE DOWNLOAD of album-highlight “Red and Blue.”

In the affecting new collection of essays Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums That Changed Their Lives (out today), various writers delve into the albums that rocked their worlds. Among them are a few LGBT authors who share their personal experiences: Clifford Chase on The B-52s’ self-titled debut, Stacey D’Erasmo on Kate Bush’s The Sensual World, Colm Toibin on Joni Mitchell’s Blue, and Peter Terzian (also the book’s editor) on Miaow’s unreleased album Priceless Innuendo.

Other writers revisit Eurythmics’ Savage (written by Daniel Handler, Lemony Snicket’s alter ego), Talking Heads’ Remain in Light, and the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack.

MUSIC NEWS:

EMI has served Australian clothing designer Katie Perry with a cease-and-desist order to stop her from using her own name; apparently they believe its too similar to that of their superstar artist Katy Perry, born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.

Courtney Love is reviving the name of former band Hole for her forthcoming album, due late '09/early '10, though she will be the only person on the album who was in the band. 

  Moby's New York vegan cafe, Teany, has been destroyed in a fire. No one was hurt, and they hope to reopen in the next two months.

ABBA-esque: Benny Andersson Band's new single, "Story of a Heart," co-written by Andersson with Björn Ulvaeus and featuring Anni-Frid/Agnetha-style vocals from Helen Sjöholm, will be released in the U.K. July 6.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

The South may never rise again, but it sure can be remastered and re-released. Athens, GA’s finest, R.E.M., get a Deluxe Edition release for their classic, Reckoning, including the entire CD and a bonus live set from 1984.

Big girls don’t cry, but they stomp, shriek, holler and tear up the dance floor on Gossip’s new Music For Men (available digitally only).

Having won over both the Strokes and Grey’s Anatomy, quirky Russian songstress Regina Spektror drops Far, her third major-label release.

Fresh from their U.K. debut at #1, Escala — Simon Cowell’s mini-skirted pseudo-classical quartet — release their self-titled album.

Michael Johns — the 2008 American Idol contestant unjustly voted off at #8 — is hoping for some Jennifer Hudson-like love with his new release, Hold Back My Heart.

Pick Up the Mic: The Evolution of Homohop‚ a one-of-a-kind documentary (out on DVD) recounts how a small circle of LGBT rappers carved their own niche within a market that continues to insult‚ if not ignore, them altogether.

Also released: Paulina Rubio — Gran City Pop; Shawn Colvin — Live;  Tift Merritt — Buckingham Solo (Live); Patterson Hood — Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs).

MUSIC VIDEOS AND CLIPS:

Simian Mobile Disco: "Audacity of Huge"
A cornucopia of literal images matches a litany of lyrical items — “Damian Hirst telephone,” “gold thong studded alligator leather” — in this goofy, electro-clash jam from the U.K. dance-master’s forthcoming Temporary Pleasure.

Misstress Barbara ftrg. Sam Roberts: "I'm Running"
Italian-born Canadian dance diva meets sexy, weathered Canuck rocker for abstract urban rendezvous in the mean streets of Montreal. From Misstress Barbara’s artist debut, I’m No Human (out now in Canada).

Pixie Lott: "Mama Do"
Before you yawn and say “Duffy clone,” check out this hand-clapping, choreography-heavy #1 U.K. single and swear you weren’t singing along from the first chorus.

The Temper Trap: "Sweet Disposition"
Bronski Beat are reborn as a space-age Aussie alt-rock quartet on this falsetto-dripping love rave — also prominently featured in (500) Days of Summer — from the band’s forthcoming debut, Conditions.

News: Jon Huntsman, Ethiopia, Katy Perry, Hubble, Ethan Zohn

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire would like to see a marriage equality bill on her desk. SIGNS "everything but marriage" law.

John Mayer in lipstick assault.

The Pool: Inside a White House photo-op. 

AFP on the secret life of gays in Ethiopia: "Under its penal code, the very act itself can bring three years behind bars. And if the offender 'makes a profession of such activities' the penalty rises to up to five years. The law also seeks a maximum sentence of up to ten years if any kind of coercion is involved. Yet, there are calls for more stringent rules against the homosexual community whose exact size is impossible to determine due to fears of repression."

Colorado conservatives see "chipping away of legal barriers" to civil unions.

Hollywood Reporter: Taking Woodstock a "solid but minor" Ang Lee film.

Political masterstroke? Obama nominates Utah Governor Jon Huntsman as ambassador to China.

Katy Perry's Adam Lambert cape censored on iTunes.

Obama names lesbian Jenny Durkan for U.S. attorney: "Obama himself said that all six of his nominees for U.S. Attorney 'have distinguished themselves as fair, tenacious and respected attorneys throughout their careers in both public and private service.'  And Gov. Gregoire had this to say: 'I am so pleased the Obama administration also recognizes Jenny's leadership and experience, and nominated her for this important position.  I hope the Senate will act quickly on the nomination to confirm her.'"

A commentary on the NASA TV live feed of the Hubble repair: "One of the striking things, watching the astronauts work, is how slowly everything goes. They move slowly, slowly, slowly, like fish in glycerin. They can barely bend their hands to grasp tools because of all the pressure keeping them alive inside their suits."

Former Survivor winner Ethan Zohn battling cancer: "On April 30, Zohn was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin's disease. The diagnosis came after months of unexplained itching and night sweats, originally thought to be a skin condition."

Madonna denies that she's planning to hold Kabbalah ccommitment ceremony with Brazilian boytoy Jesus Luz.

Chris Pine demonstrates the wonders of gold-digging for the paparazzi.

First record to be released on Justin Timberlake's record label TenMan gets some vocal help from Timberlake himself.

Male model fix: Todd Sanfield.

Conyers on Obama: "Why is he becoming so conservative now that he's got the job?"

New strategy against AIDS involves insertion of a gene that produces protective antibodies: "The new method worked in mice and now has proved successful in monkeys, too, they reported Sunday in the online edition of the journal Nature Medicine...That doesn't mean an AIDS vaccine for people is in the wings, Johnson said. Years of work may lie ahead before a product is ready for human use."

Iowa attorney: risks paid off in marriage case. "Was the case winnable? Would it pose a security risk to the firm? Would other clients disapprove and take their business elsewhere?The firm's senior lawyers discussed the concerns, Johnson said, but quickly gave him the go-ahead. Over the next several years, Johnson estimates his firm poured roughly $500,000 into research, travel, and other expenses for the case."

News: Cher, New England, Richard Gasquet, Space Shuttle Atlantis

Allen Andrade gets life sentence plus 60 years for Angie Zapata murder.

Cher turns back time to get back into black bodysuit.

Gay athletes to get 'Pride' safe house at 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Just Jared interviews Katy Perry.

Actor Steve Gideon dies at 52: "Gideon died May 1 at his West Hollywood home of complications from colon cancer, said Bernard Vyzga, his longtime companion...musical theater career included staging and starring in the first authorized gay version of Stephen Sondheim's 'Marry Me a Little'."

Maine Catholic Bishop Richard Malone calls same-sex marriage "a dangerous sociological experiment."

Why so many marriage equality advances in New England? "Liberal politics clearly plays a part, but the reasons for the rapid transformation are more finely shaded than simple blue-state, red-state color coding, according to analysts. The distinctive thinking of religious New Englander... their view of religion as private and personal, and their separation of their own beliefs from politics - has enabled change, said Mark Silk, a professor of religion in public life at Trinity College in Hartford."

Five years on: Same-sex marriage debate fades in Massachusetts.

Tennis pro Richard Gasquet tests positive for cocaine.

Male model fix: David Gandy.

Space Shuttle Arlantis reaches orbit on dangerous Hubble mission: "Five spacewalks will be needed to accomplish everything. The work is so tricky and intricate that two of the repairmen are Hubble veterans, John Grunsfeld and Michael Massimino. Grunsfeld, the chief repairman, is making an unprecedented third trip to the telescope. Altman, the commander, also has previously flown to the telescope.""

Two men sought in Madison, Wisconsin gay bashing, the second in as many weeks.

Hungary to allow domestic partnerships for gays and lesbians: "The official bulletin says a new law will allow the partnership if both partners are at least 18 years old. The law will prohibit same-sex couples from adopting children together, but will require partners to provide care for each other’s children from earlier relationships if the children are recognized as belonging to the partnership."

Damien Hirst retrospective opens in Kiev.

Australian man describes escape after 4-meter shark attacked his dinghy.

New 'Montauk monster' washes up on Southhold, Long Island.

Citizens gather in Grifton, North Carolina to discuss concerns about same-sex marriage.

Megan Fox says High School Musical is really about a coach who molests his basketball team.

Students protest school's report to parents of student's same-sex kiss after it was captured on school surveillance video: "The controversy arose after the school's dean of students, Keith Nelson, saw the two kissing and holding hands and found video of it on the surveillance system. He showed it to the parents of one of the girls because they had asked to be kept apprised of her behavior. The parents moved the girl to a different school district after watching it."

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #451

SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Tim Shriver, head of the Special Olympics, responds to Obama's remark.

AIG WIFE: No, the bonuses won't be returned.

BATHROOM CONCERT SERIES: Ellen and Katy Perry kissed a girl and liked it. You may remember Ellen and John Mayer's recent restroom rendition of Lady GaGa.

GET THAT BABY OFF MY LAWN: Jimmy Kimmel on Octo-mom's neighbors.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Michigan, Sirius XM, Elton John, Prop 8, Larry Sinclair

Who murdered Robert Wone?

As recession thrives in NYC, so does gay nightlife.

Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick live in filth.

Defamation suit brought by Obama accuser Larry Sinclair against three people who anonymously criticized him on the internet is dismissed.

Michigan TV station debates airing anti-gay Christian infomercial: "A controversial one-hour paid program on the 'radical homosexual agenda' scheduled for WOOD-TV is delayed for the second time as partisans on both sides debate its merit. Opponents decry it as verging on hate speech, as they press WOOD-TV officials to cancel a special funded by the American Family Association. But backers are just as passionate in their belief it should air, adding heat to an issue that has long divided West Michigan."

Sirius XM to file for bankruptcy?

Shark attacks Navy diver in Sydney Harbor, leaves him with severe injuries: "Paramedics said they went to Woolloomooloo Bay about 6.50am after someone reported a man had been bitten by a shark. They arrived to find the man, a diver with the navy, with severe right hand and leg injuries, an ambulance spokesman said. The man's leg injuries extended from his buttocks down to his knee, he said."

Britney Spears rocks 50's look for "If U Seek Amy" video.

Hugh Jackman ready for his Oscar close-up.

Madonna and Demi Moore to co-host second post-Oscar bash at Guy Oseary home.

Texans spent $1.4 million on Prop 8: "Texans spent more on the fight over same-sex marriage in California last year than they did in their home state in 2005, according to campaign filings released last week. And more than three-fourths of the money from Texas went to groups supporting Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage that was approved by voters in November. The campaign filings from the California secretary of state cover the period from Jan. 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2008."

Lily Allen's "Fear" remixed.

After paper's inquiry, Portland Mayor Sam Adams' staff reopens old website that was live when Adams first met Beau Breedlove: "The public could again see Adams' 2007 open letter in which he denied having sex with...Breedlove. Blogs and others linked to that letter after Adams acknowledged in January that he had lied about his relationship with Breedlove, nearly 24 years his junior."

Katy Perry in a washboard ab sandwich.

Billy Joel and Elton John to play Chicago's Wrigley Field, together: "The singer-songwriters will perform duets playing twin pianos and trading vocals. Each will play a set with his own band, followed by both bands joining for a finale."

A pecker for your pecker.

Why does God hate Sally Kern?

Waynesboro, Pennsylvania school board votes 6-3 in favor of gay-straight alliance: "The decision was made Tuesday night before dozens of members of the community who came out to voice their opinions on the club. The school board voted six to three in favor of the club. Five of the members who voted 'Yes' cited the law as their reason why. The American Civil Liberties Union had written a letter to the board saying based on the Equal Access Act of 1984 they had to approve the Gay-Straight Alliance. The Equal Access Act states that if the school allows any non-curricular group whose purpose is not related to the school's curriculum that cannot deny that access to another group. More than a dozen community members addressed the school board. The majority of them were against the club's formation."

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #428

RAWHIDE: Dog ran miles to shoplift a bone from a store.

FACEBOOK FRAUD: 18-year-old male student posed as a girl to get male classmates to send him nude photos. Boy Culture has more.

KATY PERRY: Keeps locks of Miley Cyrus' and Taylor Swift's hair in her purse.

ROSS MATTHEWS: Ross interviews players on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.