The New Music

Note: None of the following stories are April Fool’s pranks. I just don’t have the energy folks.

Indie rock heroes Superchunk have announced they’ll release their first album in nine years. Frontman Mac McCaughan told The Canadian Press that the band are “not too far from being done” and that “it’s more guitar-oriented than [2001's] Here’s to Shutting Up. And maybe a little louder in general.”

Fucked Up are being sued by Thriller Energy Inc., an energy drink manufacturer that sponsored one of the band’s SXSW shows. The lawsuit is accusing guitarist Mike Haliechuk for making defamatory comments after he blogged that the company sells “some of the most vile stuff you can put in your body” and stated that “we can say with force that Thriller Energy Drinks is a bullshit company and we won’t be working with them ever again.”

Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes) had to have emergency surgery this week on his throat after his face and throat began swelling up. In a blog post, Hynes wrote that the problem was pre-existing, dating back a few years to an infection in his gums and teeth.

Sub Pop has announced that it will release the sophomore album by UK math rockers Foals. Titled Total Life Forever , a press release from the label describes the album as “the sound of a band settling into and surveying the decay of old protocols. With this new album, Foals strip their sound back and turn themselves inside out searching for that invisible human thing.” Total Life Forever will be available in digitally on May 11, 2010, and on CD and double-LP June 15, 2010.

Have you ever wondered what a collaboration between The xx and Notorious B.I.G. would sound like? There’s a good chance you haven’t since it’s a pretty random pairing, but if you are interested a blog called Wait What has posted an 11-track free download of “The xx’s debut album chopped, sliced, and mashed up with Biggie’s vocals.” You can download the album here.

juicy-r [the notorious b.i.g.'s juicy vs. the xx's vcr] - wait what (mashup) from wait what on Vimeo.