Hydra Head records will flex its A&R muscles this fall with a three-week package tour that brings along no fewer than three, and in some cases four, bands off the label’s mostly thumbs-up roster. Dubbed Champions of Sound 2008, the tour features instru-metal behemoth Pelican, avant-metal mainstays Kayo Dot and Full Story »

AIDS Wolf: Cities of Glass (Skin Graft)

Angela Desveaux: Mighty Ship (Thrill Jockey)

Bart Davenport: Palaces (Antenna Farm)

The Broken West: Now or Heaven (Merge)

Calexico: Carried to Dust (Quarterstick)

Callers: Fortune (Western Vinyl)

Chad VanGaalen: Soft Airplane (Sub Pop)

Civet: Hell Hath No Fury (Hellcat)

The Clientele: That Night, A Forest Grew (Acuarela Spain)

Damien Jurado: Caught in the Trees (Secretly Canadian)

Full Story »

The Tough Alliance’s glowing sophomore full-length, A New Chance, opens with a brief call to prayer, which frames the rest of the album in the proper context: Band members Eric Berglund (who handles the singing) and Henning Fürst (who does the music) view pop music Full Story »

On Lunglight, the Shaky Hands try to push themselves to become something larger than a hippie-leaning, unassuming sweet little indie-pop band from Portland. And in doing so, they’ve stepped outside their strengths and, save for a few choice moments, produced an awkward-sounding, misguided second album.

The Hands got Full Story »

If you didn’t know (perhaps you don’t read Prefix for its metal coverage?), thrash metal’s undergone something of a resurgence over the past year. Young bullet-belted tyros with little perspective and tons of energy have brought the sounds of the Reagan era back into rotation, if not fashionability, while Full Story »

I just received word from Prefix photographer that Oasis was assaulted at the Virgin Festival in Toronto and with the magic of the internet, here is the video.

 

During the band's performance of "Morning Glory," a man appeared from the back of the stage and then pushed Noel Gallagher. Full Story »

1. Just because the show’s free, don’t confuse it with Woodstock.

 

Despite the fact that admission to the SoCo Music Experience was free (and the near ubiquity of white dudes with un-ironic dreads, local bands playing circa 1967 rock, and tie-dye shirts), the festival at Willow Park in Madison was Full Story »

 "Love Lockdown is the first Kanye West single off his upcoming fourth album, Good Ass Job (rumored title). Full Story »

Since record buyers made it clear that 50 Cent is no longer the most relevant artist  in hip-hop, he's decided to recreate the entire genre according to his needs. In an interview with Rolling Stone, 50 Cent that his new album would challenge what is thought of as hip-hop:

 

“Other rappers Full Story »

Here's video of Kid Rock performing "All Summer Long" with Lil' Wayne at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards (September 7, 2008).

 

The song samples Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." The song was first released on March 30, 2008.

Full Story »

 

T.I. performed "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life" Full Story »

 

 

Lil' Wayne is joined by Leona Lewis and T-Pain Full Story »

As the MTV Video Music Awards go live, so does Prefix, as we live-blog the 25th airing of one music’s most loathed/ignored awards shows. Will Britney Spears embarrass herself? Will Russell Brand crash and burn as bad as Sarah Silverman last year? Read for up-to-date coverage of the VMA’s as Full Story »

Photo gallery of Silver Jews at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA (September 5, 2008). Full Story »