Federal authorities took a center stage in the current SOPA/PIPA debate when they shut down the Hong Kong-based one-click hosting company Megaupload, alleging that it had illegally shared movies, television shows and e-books. Soon after, hacker group Anonymous said that they had shut down the Justice Department’s website, and have made threats against the online presence of lawmakers and agencies in Washington, along with media companies like the Motion Picture Association of America who were in support of anti-piracy legislation.

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A Dorky Dimebag of Fun

With their 10th studio album, What Happened to the La Las, care-free prog rockers moe. prove they’re like a well-worn pair of boots: comfortable, still kicking, and down for a good time. They compress a kaleidoscope of sounds, textures and imagery into a cohesive whole with their trademark pass-the-joint breeziness, plus a distinct aplomb that can only come with being together forever. Nothing is ever too serious, some of it verges on downright dippy, and you get the feeling moe. wouldn’t have it any other way. Read more…

Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll

Gospel, glam, rock and roll together? Oh yes. Cincinnati-based rock group Foxy Shazam—a name derived from a high school slang term meaning “cool”—have released their fourth studio album, The Church of Rock and Roll. As a band who constantly seem to be tweaking and reinventing themselves, the album demands attention from listeners. Read more…

Fragile Floatation

A porcelain raft conjures the image of sinking like a stone, but the feeling on Strange Weekend is more about ascending. The debut album from Italian-born singer-songwriter Mauro Remiddi is built entirely on atmosphere, and a bubbly one at that. A mix of psychedelic echoes, pulled out synths, meandering guitar lines, and an ethereal falsetto mark each song. There’s a lightness to the tracks. This is dream pop. Tested through a series of EPs on his Bandcamp page, the full-length keeps it concise with ten airy tracks. Read more…

’80s Pop Revival Done Right

When putting out a record, bands have usually decided on one sound that will dominate the album. In the case of Chairlift’s latest offering Somewhere, that couldn’t be further from the case. Each song sounds unique due in large part to the spirit of experimentalism that permeates all of the songs. Read more…

January 24’s Oscar Nominations had a few notable snubs along with its many nods. Among them were Trent Reznor, whose anticipated score to David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was on the shortlist for this year’s nomination, but which failed to appear among the five selected films. Reznor was awarded last year’s award for the score to the 2011 Best Picture, The Social Network.

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Japanese metal group Dir En Grey have announced that they will be touring North America on the upcoming Still Reckless Tour, alongside groups like Asking Alexandria and Trivium. The group has also planned a pair of solo appearances in March along with a reissue of their 2008 album, Uroboros.

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Recent internet upstart sensation Lana Del Rey may have landed herself on the illustrious list of botched Saturday Night Live acts after an uninspired January 14 performance of two tracks from her forthcoming debut album, Born to Die. That Del Rey missed her stride in the performance has become background noise in a storm of criticism, mirroring previous musical performance controversy on the high-profile sketch comedy show. Watch video of the performance after the jump.

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English electro-pop musician Thomas Dolby has announced plans to kick of a 2012 North American tour in support of his latest effort A Map of the Floating City. The first stop on the upcoming tour will be at Austin’s SXSW Festival on March 16, after which Dolby will make stops across the U.S. and Canada, concluding with a Los Angeles performance on April 17.

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