Dylan Revisited

The man behind the smash success of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen has recently put his remix prowess to work on a Bob Dylan classic. Today's It-DJ, Mark Ronson, has become the first to get the stamp of approval from Dylan himself to rework one of his songs. Now before you get all worked up that someone would dare to alter the great work of Robert Zimmerman, let us say that no one holds Dylan in higher esteem than we at Airbag Radio. That said, Ronson's remix of "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" is pretty good. (We should also note that we at Airbag aren't usually fond of remixes.) Too often, remixes focus all attention on the remix and ignore the essence of what made the original, well... the original. Ronson's "Re-Version" walks, or rather, dances the fine line between creating something new yet maintaining respect for the masterpiece. Kicking drums and blasting horns serve to compliment Dylan's cool delivery rather than drown it out. But don't take our word. Check out the track at www.dylan07.com. If you like what you hear you can grab more Ronson remixes, including Coldplay's "God Put A Smile On Your Face" and Radiohead's "Just," via the iTunes link below.

Internet Radio Day Of Silence Update

As you have read here previously, internet radio has been facing its end as we currently know it. A looming increase in royalty rates, has threatened to drive most broadcasters out of business and highly commercialize those that remain. Good news! As part of the Internet Radio Day Of Silence, one million people contacted Congress, which oversees royalties. As a result Congress has delayed the increase in rates and has set a September deadline for Internet Radio and SoundExchange (the organization responsible for collecting royalties on the behalf of record labels) to come to an agreement. Thank you to all who participated! Stay tuned for further updates.

Modeselektor (featuring....

A new track off Modeselektor's forthcoming album has popped up on the internet. Normally this wouldn't be cause for celebration, but this track is very special in that it features noneother than Radiohead's own Thom Yorke on vocal duties. For those familiar with Mr. Yorke's work, "The White Flash" is much in the same vein as last year's The Eraser. Take a listen below. Look for Modeselektor's album, Happy Birthday, in September.

Modeselektor - The White Flash (feat. Thom Yorke)

In other Radiohead news, the band is currently in New York with producer Nigel Godrich mixing their yet-to-be-titled 7th album.

Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

If you love Spoon, you gotta hear their newest, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and if you don't love Spoon you gotta hear their newest anyway (plus 2005's Gimme Fiction). Spoon is one of the few that make the shortlist of "greatest bands in the world with mad indie cred," (alongside The Shins & The Arcade Fire). And similar to the bands on that list, Spoon's music can be difficult to describe for the main reason that there just isn't anyone else out there doing quite what they do.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga immediately presents a more driving and bouncy sound than the roll and rumble of the band's last album, Gimme Fiction, but there's no denying that its Spoon. As for further description, we leave the rest to you. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

By the way, if you don't have your hands on Gimme Fiction, your music collection is in serious need. "I Turn My Camera On" and "My Mathematical Mind" are two of the best songs of the decade and, as a whole, the album is a phenomenal display of craftsmanship and artistic skill.

OK Computer Tribute Album

Typically, tribute albums are comprised of generic reproductions that suck the life out of great work and cash in on the legacy of a great artist (e.g. the recent John Lennon tribute album that featured the likes of Avril Lavigne on "Imagine" and Christina Aguilera on "Mother"). OKX: A Tribute To OK Computer breaks the mold by both being artistic (for the most part) and free (via music blog stereogum.com). The album features lesser known artists taking Radiohead's familiar tunes to interesting new places. Of course, a couple of the performances stay disappointingly true to the original. Highlights include Cold War Kid's nearly acapella take on "Electioneering" and Doveman's haunting interpretation of "Airbag." Download the tribute at www.stereogum.com/okx. It's worth checking out. After all, it's free.

Explosions In The Sky

Instrumental rock seems just a bit tougher to pull off than regular-old rock with vocals. Typically our personal connection with a song lies in the singer's words and voice. After all you sing along to your favorite tune, you usually don't strum along. The lack of vocals really forces a band to push the limits of song in order to fill the void. Consequently, instrumental rock either comes off as overly ambitious or just too repetitive.

That said, I was amazed when I first heard Explosions In The Sky. This band isn't just great by instrumental rock standards, it's great by any rock standards. Powerful soundscapes are paired with subtle melodies and delivered through complex arrangements that are still within arm's length of you ear. Check out their latest release, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. If you like what you hear, there's plenty more where that came from. Explosions' catalog features four full-length albums and one EP (available for free on their website), as well as the soundtrack for the film Friday Night Lights.

Universal Music vs. iTunes (and the significance of it all...)

Universal Music Group has opted to not renew its distribution contract with Apple's iTunes. The two sides have entered into an interim agreement but Universal, the world's largest record label, has the ability to pull its music from the iTunes Store at any time.

Since the inception of iTunes, major labels have pressured Apple to increase the price per song. Apple has long fought to keep prices down as their real profit lies in the sale of iPods rather than music. Traditionally, Apple has had the upper hand in this battle, as the iPod has dominated the digital music player scene. Now it seems Universal is throwing its weight around to see if it can't shake things up a bit.

This is a case, in which a major label is unwilling to adapt their business model to the changing times of the music industry. iTunes does now offer a higher price point for record labels willing to sell higher quality DRM-free music. (DRM-free music is not copy protected and can be played on any MP3 player not just the iPod.) EMI, another of the major labels, was recently the first to participate in iTunes Plus program. Universal, however, has stated that it will not sell any DRM-free music. Right now it seems Universal is setting up to part ways with iTunes and find a new place to call home where it can command a higher price per song and maintain DRM copy protection, all the while using its massive catalog as leverage.

Universal's stubbornness may bring itself some more dollars on the bottom line, for a little while. But the music business has changed. Power has shifted from the hands of the corporations to the ears of the fans. If Universal doesn't grow and adapt with the changing times, it will ultimately die a long slow death. And you have to ask yourself, "Would that really be so bad?" After all, music was here long before the music business and music will still be here long after the music business dies.

New Single From Iron & Wine

Today, Iron & Wine released the first single from the forthcoming album, Sheperd's Dog, via iTunes. The song "Boy With A Coin" presents a more rhythmic sound than past releases but still reflects the essence of Iron & Wine.

"Boy With A Coin" is accompanied by the non-album track, "Carried Home." The CD version of the single, to be released next Tuesday, July 10, will also feature an additional non-album track titled "Kingdom Of The Animals."

Iron & Wine fans should be sure to grab the single, as the full-length album doesn't arrive until September 25th. Ironically, everyone's other favorite folk artist, Jose Gonzalez, will release a new album that same day. (Cant Wait!)

Chris Cornell Goes It Alone

Chris Cornell recently released Carry On, the 2nd solo album of his more than two decade musical career. The majority of that career has been spent delivering killer vocals in killer bands including Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave. Unfortunately for any artist who steps away from the company of a great band, one's solo work is always compared to that of the band. In some cases the solo efforts outshine those of the band, e.g. Neil Young, and in other cases it just misses the mark, e.g. well... Chris Cornell.

Cornell has always had one of the most powerful voices of our time. He has also afforded the luxury of being a part of some of the most powerful bands of our time. His voice is still earth-shattering but, without an equally earth-shattering band, it's power is lost.

In all fairness to Mr. Cornell, this album really doesn't amount to much even without reference to his musical past. The songs never really get off the ground and overproduction sucks the life right out of the music.

The lone highlight of the album, is Cornell's take on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." This is an outstanding cover that makes no attempt to duplicate the original and thereby stands on it's own as a great performance. Cornell's voice grabs's your ears and forces you to hear the song in a whole new way. Click below to grab the song on iTunes. As for the rest of the album, save your money and pick up Soundgarden's Superunknown.