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.
Toronto trio The Cliks â thatâs a combo of âclitâ and âcockâ â have everything it takes to be rockâs next great band. Pounding tunes, sing-a-long choruses and transman Lucas Silveira â thatâs the bandâs 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 (âNot Your Boyâ) and bad relationships (âHauntedâ). Silveira stutters through the slutty surf-rock title track (and first single) âDirty King.â And the crunchy gender-f**k âLove Gunâ 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 âRed and Blue.â
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-52sâ self-titled debut, Stacey DâErasmo on Kate Bushâs The Sensual World, Colm Toibin on Joni Mitchellâs Blue, and Peter Terzian (also the bookâs editor) on Miaowâs unreleased album Priceless Innuendo.
Other writers revisit Eurythmicsâ Savage (written by Daniel Handler, Lemony Snicketâs alter ego), Talking Headsâ Remain in Light, and the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack.
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.
The South may never rise again, but it sure can be remastered and re-released. Athens, GAâs 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 donât cry, but they stomp, shriek, holler and tear up the dance floor on Gossipâs new Music For Men (available digitally only).
Having won over both the Strokes and Greyâs Anatomy, quirky Russian songstress Regina Spektror drops Far, her third major-label release.
Fresh from their U.K. debut at #1, Escala â Simon Cowellâs mini-skirted pseudo-classical quartet â release their self-titled album.
Michael Johns â the 2008 American Idol contestant unjustly voted off at #8 â is hoping for some Jennifer Hudson-like love with his new release, Hold Back My Heart.
Pick Up the Mic: The Evolution of Homohopâ 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 insultâ if not ignore, them altogether.
Also released: Paulina Rubio â Gran City Pop; Shawn Colvin â Live; Tift Merritt â Buckingham Solo (Live); Patterson Hood â Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs).
Simian Mobile Disco: "Audacity of Huge"
A cornucopia of literal images matches a litany of lyrical items â âDamian Hirst telephone,â âgold thong studded alligator leatherâ â in
this goofy, electro-clash jam from the U.K. dance-masterâs 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 Barbaraâs artist debut, Iâm No Human (out now in Canada).
Pixie Lott: "Mama Do"
Before you yawn and say âDuffy clone,â check out this hand-clapping, choreography-heavy #1 U.K. single and swear you werenât 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 â also prominently featured in (500) Days
of Summer â from the bandâs forthcoming debut, Conditions.