Am I the only one who’s surprised Korn is still making music? Probably … because it seems the band is still going strong, having released The Paradigm Shift late last year. My last foray into the world of Korn was Follow The Leader when I was a kid. And that was largely a byproduct of having an older brother. Regardless the band has come out with a video for the track “Spike in My Veins,” from their latest record. You can watch that video below.Granted my musical repertoire could use some brushing up on the rap front. I guess it’s just a genre I spent a vast majority of my life being woefully ignorant of, but hey: There’s always room for improvement. Nas was always a name thrown at me growing up, whether it was cousins sharing his new tracks or aficionados urging me to pick up one of his LPs. Now Nas has decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut record in a big way: He’s releasing a reissue (Illmatic XX) that features remixes, freestyles and demos. And he’s also coming out with a documentary about working on the album, “Time Is Illmatic.” You can read more about it and view the tracklist over at Pitchfork.I posted Jenny Lewis’ contribution to the soundtrack for HBO series “Girls” a couple weeks back. Now a new track—that is also on said compilation, titled Girls, Volume 2: All Adventurous Women Do—has surfaced. It’s Miguel’s song “Simplethings,” which layers lofty fuzz over an otherwise-typical modern R&B beat. Still, it works, and you can hear it below. And as of press time, Lily Allen’s contribution to the soundtrack was revealed via Rolling Stone. So head over there to hear her track. The album itself comes out on Feb. 11.‘Member when I mentioned John Dwyer’s new project Damaged Bug? Dwyer, singer/guitarist of currently defunct garage contemporaries Thee Oh Sees, is gearing up to release Bug’s first record (Hubba Bubba) on Feb. 25. And since that date is fast approaching, he’s made a new tune from said album available. This track is titled “Photograph,” and while it has more electronic leanings, it also has got some distorted overtones ringing throughout. Nice job. You can head over to Pitchfork to give that a listen.Ohhh snap! Folks who are still keeping tabs on Robert Smith and the gang are sure to be excited that The Cure has announced a new album for 2014 (titled 4:14 Scream). Now I’ve never been much of a Cure fan—which was blasphemy to my “goth” friends in high school—but I can appreciate their appeal. And some tracks have stirred my emotions, here and there (see “Plainsong”). I was always looking for something with more cojones, but you can learn more at the A.V. Club.I believe that it was Hole that said, “If the world is so wrong, yeah, you can take it all with one song.” I’m not saying that The Men’s new track “Different Days” is that song, but it’s enough to at least put a smile on your face, make you get your ass off that seat and start jumping around. And isn’t that what rock and roll is all about? Minus the sex and drugs … Either way, the track comes off The Men’s upcoming album (Tomorrow’s Hits), which gets released on March 4, and you can take a listen to it below.For those who may not be too familiar with them, The Jesus Lizard is a rock band that started out in Texas in the late ’80s. And while they haven’t released a standard LP since 1998, they’ve always been a band I’ve heard about from various, excited friends. But I’ve said it before: I always hear about things late in the game. Aside from that, guitarist Duane Denison has joined with Tomahawk and Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten to form a new band called The Unsemble. They’ve shared a tune off their upcoming self-titled debut—which hits stores on March 4—and you can hear that over at the A.V. Club.Okay … it may seem like I’m playing favorites here … what with mentioning St. Vincent’s upcoming self-titled release again. But it’s not from a lack of trying to expand my horizons, people. It’s just that Annie Clark has now posted another song, “Prince Johnny,” from her upcoming LP, and since it’s real good stuff, I thought, “why not share it?” So you can hear that below.It’s no secret that Kurt Vile’s Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze was a pretty stellar release. We don’t need to go there, ’cause I’ve already gone there. But this isn’t about Vile. No, this is about Ms. Aly Spaltro aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. LLB’s 2013 record Ripely Pine was one of my favorite albums of the year—and for damn good reason (see “Crane Your Neck” or “You Are the Apple”). But now Ms. Spaltro has covered Vile’s “Girl Called Alex” to pay homage to what she considered the best record of 2013. You can hear that below.So many collaborations! Just last week I mentioned Ariel Pink’s involvement in Raw Deal. Apparently he’s also involved in another project with Jorge Elbrecht, and that’s called Jorge Elbrose. They’ve just come out with a video for their track “Called to Ring.” You can read more about their project at Pitchfork, and you can watch the video below.
Rooster Roundabout: This Week’s Music Highlights
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