MUSIC NEWS: Dan Black, VV Brown, Discovery, Basement Jaxx, The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Calvin Harris

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 ARTISTS TO WATCH AND FREE DOWNLOADS

We’re going out on a limb here, but we'll say it: For summer 2009 — Black is the new black. Dan Black, that is, singer of the defunct U.K. alt-rock group The Servant and now a proud solo performer in his own right.

Out now in the U.K., Black’s debut, ((un)) — that’s French for “one” — was culled together via laptop technology and good old-fashioned studio know-how in his adopted home of Paris, and the results are splendide indeed. Black careens from polyrhythmic dance floor anthems (“Yours,” “Pump My Pumps”) to stately mid-tempo ballads like “Ecstasy” with ease.

Whether it’s the Passion Pit remix of the Rihanna and Notorious B.I.G.-cribbing single “Symphonies” or the tribal drums of album track “I Love Life” — both available here as FREE DOWNLOADS — everyone needs some Black in their collection.

Who says that Black and Brown don’t go together? VV Brown’s another U.K. artist, and her spirited neo-pop’s a great complement to Black’s laptop hip-hop. She’s a Blondie-style lover of the rock and roll verities. Her early singles — “Crying Blood,” “LEAVE!,” and “Shark in the Water” — blend doo-wop, new wave and punk sprightliness for a fresh take on pop’s rich history. She even incorporates her own multi-tracked Destiny’s Child-type harmonies into the girl-group homage “Crazy Amazing” — a tune we can only hope is a future hit in the U.S. Brown’s long awaited debut, Travelling Like the Light, is out now.

Back in the U.S., Discovery — the first official side project of both Vampire Weekend (keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij) and Ra Ra Riot (vocalist Wes Miles) — gets all electro up in here on their debut LP (available now). It’s a playfully experimental mix of synths and harmonies — like Grizzly Bear discovering disco — with a slowed-down, AutoTune’d-up take on The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back." 

"Orange Shirt," a billowy soufflé of morning-after guilt and elation, is available here as a FREE DOWNLOAD.

MUSIC NEWS

Basement Jaxx have completed work on their fifth album, "Scars," due in October. The eclectic and impressive roster of guest vocalists on the album includes Sam Sparro, Santigold, Yoko Ono and Eli "Paperboy" Reed.

Get ready for a barrage of publicity on The Beatles, as their catalog is re-issued September 9. To make sure the die-hard fans are worked into a lather, Apple Corps. is releasing the Box of Vision to store all the CDs. In addition to being a fancy storage unit, the box will include a 200-page LP-size book featuring comprehensive album artwork.

Mariah Carey's video for "Obsessed" will premiere tomorrow night on "America's Got Talent" (NBC, 9/8c).

Triple-threat Calvin Harris (electronic musician, singer/songwriter, producer) not only has a new album out in the U.K. next month, but he's also going to be working with both Kylie Minogue and Katy Perry on new tracks we'll hear from them in '10.

Madonna and, um, the Thompson Twins? Live Aid was 24 years ago today...relive the memories.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES

Is it any surprise the smartest movie of the summer has the best soundtrack? (500) Days of Summer — Music from the Motion Picture features old classics by Regina Spektor, The Smiths and more, with some future classics from The Temper Trap and Carla Bruni.

Fresh from his acoustic triumph on YouTube with Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” Daughtry roughs up his sweet mainstream rock sound even more on his sophomore album Leave This Town.

We want to know what Jack White’s taking that lets him handle three full-time bands. The Dead Weather, his latest, featuring that scary little minx Alison Mosshart from The Kills, finally releases Horehound.

Give it up for all the openly gay heavy metal rock stars...all one of them, that is: Rob Halford and Judas Priest release their live A Touch of Evil today.

Also released:  Joe — Signature; David Bowie — VH1 Storytellers; Chico DeBarge — Addiction; Crosby Loggins — Time to Move; The Dandy Warhols — The Dandy Warhols Are Sound; The Most Serene Republic — And the Ever Expanding Universe

MUSIC VIDEOS

The Rumble Strips: “Not the Only Person”
The oddly chipper Charlie Waller — lead singer of this English quintet — gets followed by hoodlums down a blind alley before things get supernaturally weird in this upbeat tune from their forthcoming, Mark Ronson-produced Welcome to the Walk Alone.

Calvin Harris: “Ready for the Weekend”
The Scottish electro-wizard who told us what was “Acceptable in the 80s” is now “Ready for the Weekend” with a clip that uses the red London Underground circle as a looking-glass. Like a Target commercial gone wild.

Dirty Projectors: “Stillness Is the Move”
From their latest release Bitte Orca, these Brooklyn bohemians marry Middle Eastern atonality to the soul-stirring femme vocals of Amber Coffman on this naturalistic clip featuring llamas, wolves and lovely ladies in blue couture burkas.

Sally Shapiro: “Love in July”
Shapiro continues her merger of Italo Disco and Swedish pop smarts with this breezy synth-blast accompanied by the digitally-enhanced deep-sea journey of a pale blue animated whale. From her forthcoming album Miracle.

Mariah Carey is a Drag King

Here's Mariah with a goatee dressed up for the music video of her new track "Obsessed".

News: Barney Frank, Astronauts, The Unborn, Mark Sanford, Mariah

Michelangelo Signorile talks to Barney Frank on gay rights issues, DOMA, etc.

Astronaut Alan Bean now paints the moon.

Mariah Carey wins Photoshop Lifetime Achievement Award for new album cover.

Queens, NY man killed over gay hustler fee.

If Daniel Radcliffe wanted to shock people, he wouldn't go nude, he'd play a gay drug dealer.

Thousands march peacefully in Jerusalem Gay Pride parade: "In past years, the gay pride event in the holy city provoked violent protests, even stabbings, by ultra-Orthodox Jews and extremists. But this year, except for one egg-throwing incident, there were no clashes. Police said they arrested the egg-tossing protester. Others put up signs and demonstrated in an ultra-Orthodox section of Jerusalem, far away from the parade."

Poland gets openly gay rabbi.

New technology creates model of unborn child using ultrasound.

Perez Hilton sues Black Eyed Peas manager, apologizes for using slur. Matthew Shepard Foundation rejects donation from Hilton: "We do not know the details of the lawsuit, whether it has been filed, the nature of his claims or the likely outcome. But because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton's admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner."

Madonna reveals title and release date of upcoming greatest hits album.

Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, Idaho's only gay legislator, kicks off first-ever Pride Week in Twin Falls: "Tuesday's evening event downtown at Pandora's drew about 60 people. LeFavour commended the group on holding the event in a conservative area not known for progressive politics. 'To see this community do what you are doing this year - and against all odds - is so powerful,' she said. 'And I can't overstate how powerful it is to changing policy in the state of Idaho. Nothing gives me more hope than what is happening this week.'"

Governor Mark Sanford and mistress: emails. Rush Limbaugh says South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's infidelity is Obama's fault.

Almost Famous: 24 hours with Max Steele.

In case you were wondering: models do diet.

More insight into the phone call the Obama administration had with senior members of the LGBT Caucus: "We expect our president to lead, not follow. Support is something you do when you run for president. Actually work towards passage of legislation is something you do when you ARE president. What has Barack Obama done since taking office to advance ENDA? And finally, not a word about the anti-gay DOJ brief comparing us to incest and pedophilia. Apparently, we don't even merit an explanation, let alone an apology."

Eddie Cibrian tools around on his hog.

Alexis Arquette hangs around with 'Hung' dude Thomas Jane.

Randi Reitan: I ask President Obama for full equality for my gay son. "My youngest child is gay. As parents we were ignorant about homosexuality when Jacob came out to us as a 16 year old young man eleven years ago. We embraced him and we told him we loved him that night, but we were clueless about what it meant to be gay. We had to educate ourselves. Another part of your message on Sunday addressed the importance of education. I ask you now to educate yourself about homosexuality."

News: Civil Disobedience, Mariah Carey, iPhone 3GS, O.J.

Savage: One year Civil Disobedience plan for gay rights.

Schwarzenegger: Prop 8 challenge should be decided by the courts.

End sign?

Listen: Mariah Carey's new single "Obsessed".

Portland Mayor Sam Adams woes continue: home payment default.

Gizmodo's review of the iPhone 3GS.

Madonna's new kid Mercy and her peeps.

Biologists: Same-sex relationships may drive evolution. "Same-sex sexual behaviors are flexibly deployed in a variety of circumstances, for example as alternative reproductive tactics, as cooperative breeding strategies, as facilitators of social bonding or as mediators of intrasexual conflict. Once this flexibility is established, it becomes in and of itself a selective force that can drive selection on other aspects of physiology, life history, social behaviour and even morphology."

Australian poll: 60% support marriage equality.

It's the 15th anniversary of the O.J. chase.

Thousands flock to Banksy show. "During the show’s opening weekend, almost 8,500 people flooded the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, about eight times what the venue would normally expect."

Sex change in China could require permission from the police: "The proposed guidelines, posted Tuesday, say candidates for surgery must show an agreement from police to change their sex on their identification cards once the procedure is complete. The ministry posted the draft guidelines to invite public and professional opinions before July 10. China has no laws against sex change surgery, and the ministry says the guidelines are necessary to regulate the procedure."

Jamie Dornan all buttered up for new Calvin Klein campaign.

Anti-gay attack on College Street in Toronto: "Around 2:30am on the morning of Jun 7 — after a night out at El Convento Rico dance club on College St — Corey John and Takonda Majikwa were walking west toward Ossington when a group of men approached them. 'They were drunk and had open beer bottles in their hands,' says John. 'When they approached us they were making remarks as 'faggot,' 'fudge packer' and 'you and your girlfriend.'"' 

Why people tend to enjoy Cristiano Ronaldo's time off best.

Larry Kramer praises book on pre-Oscar Wilde gay sex in Britain: "Certainly nothing like this has appeared in America, thus allowing queer and gender studies to pretty much swamp, nay drown, the gay history field with their gobbledygook theorizing of what might have happened. This ludicrous state of affairs prohibits making statements such as: "they did then what we do now," without the wrath of queer theorists raining down insults of an uncommonly vitriolic nature. You don't have a right to say that! say they. You can't prove it! say they. It's been here all along since the beginning of history, say many others of us. Well now it can be said, and proved, in Britain at any rate, thanks to Upchurch."

News: Gay Animals, Ed Westwick, Book Burning, Rhode Island

Christian group wants to burn gay book.

STUDY: Homosexual activity a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom.

Anderson Cooper shops for marijuana.

Activists plan "world's largest gay wedding ceremony" in Sydney, Australia.

A first look at Bruno.

ACLU gets involved in Fresno hospital discrimination case: "Civil rights groups are urging a hospital in central California to change its policies after employees briefly barred a lesbian from visiting her partner, who went into seizure at a gay marriage march. Kristin Orbin collapsed May 30 after walking 14 miles in the protest march. She was taken to Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center where she says an ambulance driver kept her partner from seeing her in the emergency room."

Janice Dickinson needed a hospital, get her out of there.

Social networking and Iran: a fascinating look at the hand Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have had in toppling state media control.

Destination Wedding: a Toronto synagogue grapples over same-sex marriage.

Former American Idol contestant Blake Lewis says he gets hit on by men and women, often at the same time: “Usually I get swingers. The guy will come up to me first usually, and ask if I’m gay.  When I say no, he’ll point to his girlfriend and say that she wants me to come home with both of them that night. I tell them my girl back home wouldn’t appreciate it, but thanks anyway.  It’s very flattering though!”

An interview with soap actor and brother of Chris Evans, Scott Evans.

Marriage equality tide rises around Rhode Island: "The slower pace in Rhode Island, where the state Senate voted last week to allow same-sex partners to make funeral arrangements, has frustrated some local activists, many of whom rallied outside the State House in Providence last weekend to call for immediate equality."

A fascinating chart on gay rights from Nate Silver.

Mariah: wet and obsessed.

Brian Graden to leave MTV Networks.

Maplewood, New Jersey takes lead in pushing legislature to legalize same-sex marriage: "In what is thought to be a first among New Jersey municipalities, the Maplewood Township Committee is expected to adopt a resolution Tuesday evening calling on state legislators to sanction same-sex marriage. Mayor Victor DeLuca said he hoped the resolution could serve as a catalyst for legislators' passage of a same-sex marriage bill before the year's end."

Ed Westwick shows off fall fashion for GQ.

Melbourne Sun: Are you in favor of same-sex marriage in Australia?

It's Britney, bitch.

Council of Fashion Designers of America rewards L.A. at annual awards. Bradley Cooper among guests...

Taxes on property reassessment sting domestic partners who have lost their loved one.

New Opera browser turns your computer into a server: "The concept is somewhere between a personal web server and a file sharing application, technologically and conceptually. The interface is straightforward, divided into panels for each service that you choose to "host." All of them behave in the same stupid-simple way: you start a service, whether it be photo sharing, music streaming, web hosting, or straight file sharing, select a shared directory, set your privacy preferences and go." More from TechCrunch.

News: YouTube Porn, Atlanta, Francis Bacon, Illinois, Cher

Illinois to pass civil unions next week?

Congressman Howard Berman, who said earlier this week that he expected action soon on LGBT issues within the State Department, suggests that more is to come from the White House in June: "I think the White House is preparing to make an announcement on a number of issues. I’m predicting here, not informing, that by the Stonewall anniversary we will have a very clear picture of what the administration is doing.

Tim Gunn makes leap to comic books.

Cher and Christina Aguilera to star in film together?

Openly gay activist and lobbyist Pat Steadman wins Colorado state senate race: "The special election was open only to members of the Colorado Democratic Party. The vacancy came after openly lesbian Senator Jennifer Veiga resigned the seat to move to Australia with her partner and her partner's family. Veiga was the first openly gay member elected to the Colorado General Assembly, and Steadman is now the first openly gay man to serve in the Colorado State Senate."

Tom Cruise and son appear in public together.

Bordeaux: short film features 15,000 still images of Zachary Quinto.

Prominent Canadian architect Arthur Erickson has died at 84. He came out in 2006 in this profile.

Dead finback whale washes ashore in Provincetown.

New Hampshire marriage equality all about compromise: "Rep. Jim Splaine, prime sponsor of the main gay marriage bill, said Thursday that advocates will use the next two weeks to educate lawmakers about the religious protections Lynch wants. 'The governor's made it clear he wants to stick to the core principles he's offered,' said Splaine, D-Portsmouth. 'We can do this.'"

Mariah Carey announces the name of her new album on Twitter.

Retrospective: If paintings had voices Francis Bacon's would shriek. "Bacon specialized in blur and atmosphere; he captured the tumult of homosexual sex in motion by borrowing from photographs, film stills or images of other art, conveying a sense of athleticism and sweat, violence and tenderness, furtiveness and shame. Homosexual sex was a criminal act in Britain, where he lived most of his life, well into the 1960s."

ABC News picks up story of Miss California Carrie Prejean's lesbian mom.

Gay rights group says Catholic Diocese of Maine is violating tax laws by funding anti-gay campaign.

YouTube hit by porn attack: "Video-sharing website YouTube has removed hundreds of pornographic videos which were uploaded in what is believed to be a planned attack. The material was uploaded under names of famous teenage celebrities such as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers. Many started with footage of children's videos before groups of adults performing graphic sex acts appeared on screen. YouTube owner Google said it was aware and addressing the problem."

Former spokesman for Portland Mayor Sam Adams talks about why he left.

Disney World to feature animatronic Obama.

A lusty gallery of Kellan Lutz photos.

Zona Rosa: Gays find acceptance in Mexico City. "It's really hard to be gay in the smaller, more conservative states within Mexico. I moved to Zona Rosa not just for my career but also for a chance to finally try and be accepted within my community."

Picking up dog crap makes George W. Bush realize he's a real person again.

Atlanta mayoral candidates speak to LGBT voters: "The candidates gathered for a forum of about 150 people held at the Amsterdam Cafe in Midtown. Mayor Shirley Franklin, a two-term incumbent, is prohibited from running for a third consecutive term. Several candidates stressed their past achievements and support for the city’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. One out of every seven Atlantans is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, community advocates say. The community has become an influential force in city politics, particularly in neighborhoods near downtown."