I even overlooked their 2003 self-titled album upon its initial release. Going back to it now, there are many things that make that album interesting. The obvious would be that it was the band’s last record before they broke up. But it was also a progressive album for the band musically. A mature step that showed the band trying many different sounds. I mean, hell; there was even a guest spot by Robert Smith. Yet, for all the interesting things they did on that album, it still fell a little short of feeling complete. But it also felt like a stepping-stone to something greater. Unfortunately, we never got to see what it could evolve into as the band split their separate ways soon after.

Eight years later, we finally have the first new song from Blink-182. On paper, “Up All Night” is your typical Blink-182 song. Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge feed off each other as they trade off singing duties. DeLonge belts out his soaring choruses as Barker drums ferociously against the crashing guitar riffs. But for all the hard-hitting energy, something is off. The first thing I noticed when listening to this was the electronic swirls in the deceiving intro. They only briefly exist just to segue into a segment of crashing guitars. After that, the song kicks in and the boys trade off their vocals, and build into the uplifting chorus. But after multiple listens I realized, the heavy guitar in the intro, post-chorus, and the end of the song seem out of place. And really that is biggest problem with this song; it sounds like they took ideas from their various side projects and tried to glue them all together. It can feel jarring.

The other thing that struck me as being off was DeLonge. While his chorus part, on the surface, sounds like business as usual, I can’t help but notice that his vocals are more “whiny” than usual. It’s in how he drags his voice. I don’t want to point the finger, but I’m wondering how much of that is due to his time in Angels and Airwaves, a band that has spent years trying to be the new U2. At the end of the day, this is still a decent pop song. Yeah it’s not the best that Blink-182 can do. It sounds like they had an issue with the song structure. But it still feels good to have Blink back. Hopefully Neighborhoods is more diverse in sound than this. Hopefully their ideas are more concentrated and focused to make a more cohesive sound.

After months of speculation, fake tracklists, rumors, and an impromtu listening party for the press, we now officially have the tracklist for Watch the Throne. The tracklist had leaked earlier in the day on twitter, but Jay-Z has now updated his site Life and Times with the official tracklist.

The first thing we noticed is that “Living So Italian” is not on there. Well according to rumors, “Gotta Have It” is “Living So Italian” except without the “Con te Partiro” sample. It’s been said that they couldn’t clear the Bocelli sample in the final hours and had to ditch it. Also notable is that Odd Future member Frank Ocean is featured on two songs, but outside of that there aren’t very many guest spots. The 12 track album has four bonus tracks, including the G.O.O.D. Friday track “The Joy” and first album single “H.A.M.,” which apparently didn’t make the regular tracklist cut (and for good reason).

Watch the Throne still doesn’t have an official release date but August 2nd seems the most likely, as this tracklist means they have turned in the final version of the album. That and this was the date listed for the shipping on the receipts for the pre-orders.

Watch the Throne official Tracklist:

1. No Church in The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyoncé)
3. Niggas in Paris
4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
5. Gotta Have It
6. New Day
7. Prime Time
8. Who Gon Stop Me
9. Murder to Excellence
10. Welcome to The Jungle
11. Sweet Baby Jesus (Feat. Frank Ocean)
12. Love You So (Feat. Mr Hudson)

Bonus

13. Illest Motherfucker Alive
14. H*A*M
15. That’s My Bitch
16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)

After much struggle and delay, the free music-streaming service Spotify has announced they are finally coming to the United States. There isn’t much in the way of details. Pricing is still unknown, a release date hasn’t been set and we don’t know how many labels are actually on board for this.

But the company has been working tirelessly for a year now trying to get the Major Labels to get on board, so we have to imagine most of them signed off on this in order for them to think it was viable to finally launch in the U.S. Spotify is already taking emails for those interested in getting in on the program first. You can sign up here. Mashable is also reporting rumors that Spotify plans on merging the program with Facebook, which isn’t too unbelievable, given Mark Zuckerberg’s long interest in the program.

Regardless, this will have a big impact on the U.S. music market. And for all of us Yanks that have been jealous for years of our European brothers, we can finally rejoice in having access to this great service as well.

After months of speculation and rumor, Kanye and Jay-Z have finally broken silence as they now offer Watch the Throne for pre-order. The album comes in four versions: Deluxe CD, Standard CD, Deluxe Digital, Standard Digital. Each of these can be pre-ordered now at Watch the Throne.com

Strangely, no definitive release date has been set. When fans first ordered the album, the ship date said “August 2nd, 2011″. So naturally, most assumed the release date was revealed to be August 2nd. But now receipts are showing December 31st, 2011 as the shipping date. And there are even reports of people with their August 2nd receipts being changed to December 31st

So while the release date may still be up in the air, more info should be announced soon.

After some good detective work, fans over at Kanye to the have discovered images embedded on Kanye West’s official site. In the Word Press file directory there are logo/buttons for “Pre Order” as well as the album art for Watch the Throne.

So what does this tell us? The 4th of July thing might just be true after all. Although it might just be for pre-ordering the album. The original rumor that the actual album would drop digitally is still up in the air. But at least we know that the album is going up for pre-order soon. And some speculate pre-orders might go up as soon as midnight tonight. The file directory continues to update with new files.

Update:

Jay-Z’s site “Life and Times” has now posted the artwork on there, and has a link to “Pre-Order”, but it only takes you to the facebook page:

After a month of rumors and speculation, VH1 is now claiming that Watch the Throne will NOT be coming out on the 4th of July. They don’t offer much in the way of detail, except to say that they managed to talk to Jay-Z’s management team and they denied the rumors.

Our thoughts? It could still go either way. If an artist really wants to keep a surprise release well, a surprise, of course they are going to deny it. Then add in the fact that so many people around their camp has hinted at the 4th of July release. Then again they might be as in the dark as the rest of us. Whether coincidence, or teasing, Def Jam’s own Vice President tweeted today:

Of course, it could be completely coincidental. It is after all, the weekend before 4th of July. Regardless, we will still keep our fingers crossed and hope that release happens.

The rumor mill is abuzz this week, as more and more people are saying Watch the Throne is set to come out on the 4th of July. No official statement has been made by the label or Kanye & Jay-Z, but as is typical in the business, information is slowly leaking out.

This rumor started earlier this month and has gained traction the closer the date has approached. Rapper Theophilus London recently tweeted this:

So the idea is, Watch the Throne will be released digitally similar to Radiohead and NIN’s business model. This wouldn’t be too surprising, given Kanye and Jay-Z’s admiration for both artists. And what would be a grander way to release such a potentially immense album?

A writer over at Complex Magazine tweeted: “Kanye West and Jay-Z are about to pull a Radiohead. #watchthethrone #declarationofindependence.” But that is hardly a source. So at this point most of it is hearsay.

But regardless if it comes out on the 4th of July or not (we’ll know sooner rather than later) – a surprise digital release seems likely for Watch the Throne. When, is the question. We’ll make sure to update you guys if any legitimate sources actually come out confirming this. But for now, chalk this up as an enticing rumor.

A couple weeks back, Red Hot Chili Peppers updated the homepage of their site with a date: August 30th, 2011. They quickly announced that a new album would be dropping that day.

Well now we have the tracklist. The album is 14 tracks long, a good amount leaner than Stadium Arcadium. It was also produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in East Los Angeles. Red Hot Chili Peppers (sans John Frusciante) will be releasing I’m With You on August 30th via Warner Bros records.

Tracklist:

01. Monarchy of Roses
02. Factory of Faith
03. Brendan’s Death Song
04. Ethiopia
05. Annie Wants a Baby
06. Look Around
07. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
08. Did I Let You Know
09. Goodbye Hooray
10. Happiness Loves Company
11. Police Station
12. Even You Brutus?
13. Meet Me at the Corner
14. Dance, Dance, Dance

An unfinished version of the “Monster” music video leaked earlier this year. And soon after hitting the web, Kanye received criticism from groups saying the video was misogynistic and disturbing. After that, the music video seemed to be shelved. Months went by, and there was no promotion for the single or the video. Most assumed the video was scrapped all together. Tonight out of the blue Kanye West has updated his site with the official video for “Monster”. The video sports a warning at the beginning: “The following content is in no way to be interpreted as misogynistic or negative towards any group of people. It is an art piece, and should be taken as such”.

Some speculate that this could be hype for Watch the Throne. While “Monster” is not on the album, Kanye and Jay-Z have been relatively quiet this year outside of dropping “H.A.M.”. So this could be a way to get people excited again for their collaborative project. Rumors have even been going around that Watch the Throne could drop as early as July.

Regardless, we finally have the complete and finished music video for “Monster” and in high definition. You can watch it below:

Odd Future has posted the music video for Tyler, the Creator’s “She” — the third single off Goblin. The excellent music video plays into Tyler’s stalker persona, as he sneaks into the room of the girl he admires. From sniffing her clothes, to watching her as she sleeps, it plays heavily on the themes on the album. Even tying in the song “Analog,” the video is just as well thought out and entertaining as “Yonkers.”

Never one to shy away from making outrageous music videos, Foo Fighters are back with another one. “Walk” is their homage to Michael Douglas’s cult following film Falling Down. Yeah you know, the one where the every day working man finally loses his shit and wreaks havoc.

Of course, their version of it has Grohl getting set off by the Justin Bieber and Coldplay bumper stickers he sees on various cars while stuck in gridlock traffic. “Walk” is the 2nd single off their Wasting Light LP which dropped in April.

For those that still care about album sales and charts, Billboard has officially announced that Lady Gaga has sold 1,108,000 copies of Born This Way in its debut week. That makes it the 8th largest album debut in America since SoundScan started recording album sales in 1991. This also makes it the 17th album to hit the one million mark in its debut week, and the best first week sales of an album since 2005.

Some of this was in part due to Amazon’s bold 99 cent deal. Fans were able to scoop up the digital Deluxe Edition of Born This Way for 99 cents for a limited time. Even though Gaga or Interscope had nothing to do with the deal, it was a big step forward in companies trying to get people to buy music legally. While a substantial percentage of consumers do not value music as much as they once did – in a monetary sense, Amazon was able to appeal to that demographic, and show that people are still willing to buy music if the price is right. The deal also acted as advertisement for their new Cloud service.

Regardless, this is quite the feat given the current climate of the music industry. Listed below are the top 10 albums to have sold a million units in their debut week:

Top first-week sellers

Rank | Artist | Title | Sales
1 ‘N Sync No Strings Attached (2000) 2.42
2 ‘N Sync Celebrity (2001) 1.88
3 Eminem Marshall Mathers LP (2000) 1.76
4 Backstreet Boys Black & Blue (2000) 1.59
5 Britney Spears Oops! … I Did It Again (2000) 1.31
6 50 Cent The Massacre (2005) 1.14
7 Backstreet Boys Millennium (1999) 1.13
– LADY GAGA BORN THIS WAY (2011) 1.10 –
8 Usher Confessions (2004) 1.10
9 Garth Brooks Double Live (1998) 1.09
10 Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish (2000) 1.05

We aren’t entirely sure how we feel about this. It’s ambitious to say the least. But it seems strange trying to re-create a live event twice, let alone an entire festival. Trying to capture the magic of Coachella twice will be no small feat. Passes already go on sale June 3rd, 2011. And the festival dates will be: April 13-15th and April 20-22nd 2012

Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance are joining forces to launch a massive tour later this year. Whether guilty pleasure, or nostalgia – this tour will be a lot of fun. The tour will also support a handful of great opening acts, including: Manchester Orchestra, Rancid, Matt & Kim, Against Me!

My Chemical Romance is still touring off their Danger Days album, while Blink-182 is still in the studio finishing up their long awaited LP. Tickets will go on sale June 11th.

You can check out the dates here (or below):

Blink-182 & My Chemical Romance 2011 Tour Dates:

08/05 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Band Arts Center *
08/06 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach *
08/07 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach
08/09 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center *
08/11 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center *
08/12 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live *
08/13 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Pavilion *
08/14 – Hartford, CA @ The Comcast Theatre *
08/16 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
08/17 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre *
08/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
08/20 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Pavilion *
08/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center *
08/23 – Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheater *
08/25 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre ^#
08/26 – Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre ^#
08/27 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place ^#
08/28 – Calgary, AB @ Saddledome ^#
08/30 – Victoria, BC @ Save-On Foods Memorial Centre ^#
08/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena ^#
09/01 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater ^
09/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater ^
09/04 – Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheater ^
09/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Center %
09/08 – Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
09/09 – Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater %
09/10 – Indianapolis, IN@ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre %
09/11 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Centre %
09/13 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center %
09/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion %
09/16 – Saratoga, NY @ SPAC %
09/17 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center %
09/18 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre %
09/20 – Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheater %
09/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater %
09/23 – Miami, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater %
09/24 – Tampa, FL @ 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre %
09/26 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion %
09/27 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion %
09/29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion %
09/30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Tempe Beach Park Amphitheatre %
10/01 – Anahiem, CA @ Honda Center %
10/02 – Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre %
10/04 – Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord %
10/05 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre %
10/07 – Las Vegas, NV @ Red Rock Resort, Spa & Casino %
10/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl %
10/15 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre %

* = w/ Manchester Orchestra
^ = w/ Rancid
# = w/ Against Me!
% = w/ Matt & Kim

Via Consequence of Sound

When Lady Gaga originally revealed the album art for Born This Way, I thought she was kidding. I mean, sure she’s worn a dress made out meat, and was even carried down the red carpet in an egg. But this had to be a joke. It wasn’t. In fact, Gaga would go on to explain the art was an homage to metal (one of her influences growing up) – and an allusion to the fact that she was evolving into something new (both figuratively and musically speaking). Even with the explanation, I was not very fond of it.

Now that the album is finally here, it actually makes sense. Not that it makes it any less ridiculous. Yet, as ridiculous and over the top as the album art is, the packaging for Born This Way is rather subtle. Various photos of Gaga show her in different poses with the horns on her head. Another shows her emerging from a sac/womb that is oddly beautiful. And the lyrics are all laid in either red or white pages. The end result is a really elegant package.

If you are torn between the Deluxe and the Standard Edition, the Deluxe only is only slightly different in regards to the packaging. For one, the album art on the Deluxe is not the same as the Standard. Instead of the Gaga/motorcycle art being on the front, it’s been moved to the back with the tracklisting, and the front art is a zoomed in picture of Gaga’s face. The Deluxe only has 2-3 extra pages in the lyric book, and it’s really only one picture that is expanded that is not included in the Standard. The Deluxe also has three more tracks added to the tracklist, and a bonus disc with five remixes. Besides that, the Deluxe is pretty similar in packaging, just with pictures rearranged in the order when compared to the Standard.

Verdict: The packaging is really solid, and worth the purchase. I would highly recommend the Deluxe edition; not only is the album art better, but it contains the track “The Queen,” which is really one of the best tracks on the whole album.

Born This Way is an assault of theatrics and 80s throwback. It’s fun, it’s cheesy, it’s everything a mainstream pop album should be. Yes, Born This Way has those tailored hits meant to dominate the radio charts for months, but the interesting part of Born This Way is not the singles, but the songs that are usually reserved for filler on most mainstream pop albums. It’s really in these tracks that Gaga seems to be fulfilling her ambitions and love in music. The album goes from a track like “Bloody Mary” which has a subdued erotic sound that teases as it crawls along, to the sexually electric standout “Government Hooker,” in which Gaga fantasizes what women that have slept with the most powerful men in the world must have felt like. The track oozes S&M with its jarring industrial beat and new-wave stylized vocals. So often we are used to Gaga belting out anthemic choruses, but here she allows her vocals to take a back seat to the beat. Subtlety has never previously been in Gaga’s playbook, but here she does it extremely well. “Heavy Metal Lover” – the closest thing to an instrumental for Gaga – hypnotically drowns her vocals out in effects and waves of distortion. “Electric Chapel” sees Gaga fusing metal riffs with electronic beats – think Iron Maiden meets 80s pop. These kind of changes in sound are what make Born This Way so much more interesting than her debut The Fame – which for the most part, played it safe.

Thematically, Born This Way dances between fantasy and fiction and plays out like an autobiography; every track and moment weaved from the DNA and life of Gaga. “Hair,” the bratty pop anthem is a flashback to her teen years, and while the song might come off as being childish to some, the juvenile rebelliousness of it makes it playful. And perhaps this is integral to understanding Gaga. Similar to Michael Jackson and Kanye West, she very much still holds on to those childlike tendencies while balancing her life with both the reality and fantasy of being a world superstar. When the album isn’t delving directly into Gaga’s life, the tracks tend to be more fantasy in scope. From the re-telling of the story of Judas as a metaphor for bad relationships, to the use of other religious parables to get her points across – she does not shy away from religion. This might be a turn off for some, and maybe at a glance this can come across as being pretentious. But there is a reason for Gaga using so much religious imagery. “Born This Way” was very much an anthem that encouraged people to celebrate and be proud of their differences. Yet, in many ways religion (which is supposed to offer salvation, love and redemption) – can also be divisive and condemning. By taking these religious themes and riding them so close to sex, rebellion, and human inhibitions – it parallels the struggle of co-existence between the two. Of course the problem with this is that the deeper meanings she is trying to present, can sometimes be held back by the simplicity of her lyrics and the medium. Born This Way in many ways aims to be both thought provoking and fun, and at times it doesn’t entirely come to fruition.

If there was one major criticism to be had about Born This Way, it’s the production. While the electronic sound has served her well up to this point, it’s starting to become all too obvious that she is out growing it. Far too often the beats start to sound the same, and get reduced to just being background noise. If it wasn’t for her knack of writing infectious hooks and vocal melodies, some of these songs might have just been mediocre. Thankfully that isn’t so much an issue, as her persona and wild imagination is always there pick up the slack. But take for instance a song like “The Edge of Glory” – live it’s much more somber; written for her grandfather soon after his death, the song sounds like an uplifting ballad that could bring a stadium crashing down. In studio, it’s fun, but sounds more like a top 20 radio hit, which is its purpose, but I can’t help but yearn for a more organic sound from her, similar to “Speechless” from The Fame Monster. Something from the stripped-down versions is lost in the studio. Mutt Lange also takes what was originally a very bar rock sounding anthem out of “Yoü and I”, and dumbs it down by making it sound like a country pop song. Decisions like these are some of the things stopping Gaga from dropping a true masterpiece.

The irony in all the criticism thrown at Gaga in regards to being dishonest or fake is that she is perhaps the most honest mainstream pop star around today. Whether you are interested in the eccentricities of Gaga or not is one thing, but the outlandish things she sings about are a reflection of who she is. Or at least, the best way she knows how to express herself. It’s really no different than when say, Eminem uses twisted fiction of rape and murder to express his life. Similarly, Gaga uses religion, fantasy and theatrics to a paint a picture of who she really is. Because Born This Way is heavily centered around Gaga, how much you enjoy it, to a degree, is dependent on how much you find her interesting. While other mainstream pop artists continue to re-hash songs about things they probably don’t care about, Gaga completely invests every inch of herself into her work, for better or worse.

It’s really in the epic 80s-influenced anthem “Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)” that Gaga is summed up; while The Boss sang about riding his motorcycle as an escape from the suffocation of the city, Gaga tells the same story, but a little different and with more theatrics. And damn if it’s not one hell of a fun ride to take.

Goblin is easily the most hyped/anticipated album of 2011. Regardless of how you feel about the polarizing sophomore album from OFWGKTA leader Tyler, The Creator – the packaging is excellent. Thematically, the packaging doesn’t reflect too much on the fictional narrative aspects of the album, but instead contains pictures of Tyler hanging out with friends and family. Similar to a family photo book album – the pictures capture the moments Tyler and his friends shared in the process of getting to this release. Of course, just like the album, how much you care about this is dependent on how much you care about Tyler. And just like Goblin, the album’s packaging is very personal.

The Deluxe Edition includes a second disc that has the excellent bonus tracks “Hamburger,” “Untitled 63,” and “Steak Sauce.” Another nice touch is the fold out poster, which contains the lyrics on one side, and a picture of Tyler on his skateboard on the other. The lyric book is filled with those pictures mentioned above, and overall the package feels very full. They did a really great job delivering a package that is worth your money.

Verdict:

OFWGKTA fans will buy this regardless. However, whether you are a huge fan or not, enough care and thought went into this packaging that it is definitely worth the purchase.

Video:

To further tease the release of her Born This Way album (which comes out in 14 days), Lady Gaga released a new song today titled “The Edge of Glory”. The electronic anthem features Bruce Springsteen’s saxophone player Clarence Clemons. This is easily better than the first two singles.

Thankfully, Gaga put up the studio version on her official youtube account, and you can hear that below:

So four days before the original release date, “Judas” managed to leak online in snippets, followed by an early release on iTunes. Whether a coincidence, or as some fans believe to be intentional symbolism (i.e. Judas betraying Jesus four days before Easter), the song is drenched in Biblical lyrics and imagery. Sure to offend some groups, the song aims to go hard, and fire on all cylinders. Fortunately, this single is more in line with what we want and expect from Gaga. Catchy hooks, hard hitting beats and more theatrics than anyone would know what to do with.

Yet, something is off. From the very beginning of the song when Gaga repeats “Judah Judaaah Judah Judaaah,” you can’t help but think it sounds exactly like “Bad Romance.” In fact, as the song goes on, it becomes evident that the chorus also sounds like “Bad Romance.” I dare you to listen and not think of singing “Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh” in sync when hearing that chorus. Herein is the problem with “Judas.” While this is definitely the sound fans have come to love from Gaga, it borrows too much from her past works – so much so, that it sounds like an inferior version of songs she has done before. At times the song is clunky. The chorus and the bridge in particular sound jarring and mismatched. Sure, at its core the song is catchy, and it will no doubt get stuck in your head. But it really doesn’t do much to prove that Gaga has any new tricks up her sleeve to take the world by storm with Born This Way.

Ultimately, “Judas” feels like an artist retreading past material. Which is a shame – coming from an artist who is always being praised for being “creative” and “original,” the song relies too heavily on past ideas. Bonus points for the hard hitting beat (which might be one of the heaviest songs she has done to date) and the provocative lyrics (probably her most fun song to analyze lyrically so far). As a pop song, it’s catchy, and I doubt most will look beyond that or will care about the song’s glaring flaws. But part of Gaga’s appeal is that she isn’t just a run-of-the-mill mainstream pop star, she’s an artist. And in that sense, it’s a disappointment. Overall on a creative level, it falls short and unintentionally lives up to its name.

So there you have it folks, Gaga is now a… motorcycle? After revealing the album art at her show tonight, Gaga promptly put the album art to Born This Way online. We’ve seen some strange looks from Gaga over the years, but this one has to take the cake. Can you say, early front runner for worst album art of 2011?

Besides getting the album art, the second single “Judas” was also released early today, and you can check that out below:

MP3: Lady Gaga – “Judas”

The hype for Born This Way was in full force last night when a demo version of “Judas” slowly made its way online in snippets . Fans were surprised to find that the song was going up on iTunes this morning, four days before the original release date. Whether this was to combat the leak, or as some fans speculate (to symbolize Judas betraying Jesus four days before Easter) – the song is now available to purchase and listen to.

“Judas” was produced by Red One, and sees Gaga returning to her electronic anthem formula. Check out the song below:

MP3: Lady Gaga – “Judas”

Following the release of their album trilogy (Hombre Lobo, End Times, Tomorrow Morning), EELS are hitting the road with a 2011 world tour. The tour officially kicks off in Beijing and Shanghai, June 5th & 6th, and then continues its run through Europe, including their very first appearance at the Glastonbury Festival on June 26th. This also marks the bands first performances in Beijing and Shanghai.

They will then sweep through North America, starting in Austin, TX on July 20th and ending in Los Angeles, CA, August 12th. The band is celebrating the world tour by offering a free three track EP for download on their site. To download the EP, click the link below:

EELS World Tour Dates + Free EP

More dates will be announced in the coming months as well, so make sure to check the bands site for all updated tour info.

EELS 2011 WORLD TOUR DATES:

June 1 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre
June 5 Beijing, China Kama Love Music Festival Beijing Sport Center
June 6 Shanghai, China Kama Love Music Festival Mao Livehouse
June 10 Copenhagen, Denmark Vega
June 11 Oslo, Norway Norwegian Wood Festival
June 12 Gothenberg, Sweden Tradgarn
June 16 Salzburg, Austria Republic
June 17 Luxembourg, Luxembourg Den Atelier
June 18 Neehausen, Germany Southside Festival
June 19 Scheeßel, Germany Hurricane Festival
June 20 Heerlen, Holland Parkstadtheater Limburg
June 21 Eindhoven, Holland Muzieksgebouw Frits Philips
June 23 Bilbao, Spain Azkena Rock Festival
June 24 Madrid, Spain D-Code Festival
June 26 Somerset, UK Glastonbury Festival
June 27 Amsterdam, Holland Paradiso
June 28 Amsterdam, Holland Paradiso
June 30 Werchter, Belgium Werchter Festival
July 1 Arras, France Main Square Festival
July 3 Normandy, France Beauregard Festival
July 4 Paris, France Bataclan
July 5 Paris, France Bataclan
July 6 Brighton, UK The Dome
July 7 London, UK Somerset House
July 9 Naas, Ireland Oxegen Festival
July 10 Kinross, Scotland T in the Park Festival
July 11 Newcastle, UK O2 Academy
July 12, Leeds, UK O2 Academy
July 14 Berne, Switzerland Gurten Festival
July 15 Aix les Bains, France Musilac Festival
July 17 Suffolk, UK Latitude Festival
July 20, Austin, TX Stubbs
July 21 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
July 22 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
July 23 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
July 24 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
July 25 Chapel Hill, NC Cats Cradle
July 27 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
July 28 Boston, MA Paradise
July 29 Brooklyn, NY Williamsburg Music Hall
July 30 Brooklyn, NY Williamsburg Music Hall
July 31 Montreal, Quebec Osheaga Festival
Aug 1 Toronto, Ontario Lee’s Palace
Aug 3 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
Aug 4 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Aug 6 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Aug 9 Seattle, WA Showbox Theater
Aug 10 Portland, OR AladdinTheater
Aug 11 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Aug 12 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theater