Links roundup

Sometimes stuff just doesn't warrant a full post. To wit...

* A reflection on Beck's varied career, over at Idolator. I've never really been able to get into Beck. Sure, I liked the Odelay stuff, I enjoyed "Debra" ironically, and I sort of liked the newer singles when I heard them on the radio, but I don't own a Beck album. I've never seen him live. I probably won't buy his greatest hits, and if I never hear "Loser" or "Where It's At" again, I'd be OK.

* Third Eye Blind may be close to finally putting out a fourth album, says this (fairly-old) post by their new guitarist. As far as original members go, they're down to Stephan Jenkins and the drummer. I didn't like much of the third album or the non-"Never Let You Go" parts of the second album, so...

*A celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Billboard Modern Rock charts, along with some nice YouTube videos. I especially liked "I'll Be Your Chauffeur," from 1990, which I'd never actually heard before.

* There's a nice interview with Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls over at Alternative Addiction. They've just built a studio, put out an odds-and-sods album, and are writing the next album. The first taste is a track called "Real," which was part of the AT&T promo for the Olympics:

Lots of '90s acts on tour this fall

I've been out of town, and my inbox has filled up with lots of tourdates. So here's a round-up:

* Alanis Morrisette (still not fat), September-November, US and Canada
* Less than Jake w/Rancid and Reel Big Fish, September, Pacific Northwest and Canada
* Nine Inch Nails, now through October, US and Mexico
* Cake, September and October, Canada and the Northeast
* Counting Crows, on tour through October with Maroon 5, US (plus Toronto)
* Jackopierce, September-November, US
* Beck, August 21-October 3, US
* Everlast, August 15 - October 29, US
* Juliana Hatfield, September, major US cities
* Smashing Pumpkins' "20th anniversary tour," August 8-20, Midwest and Southeast
* Liz Phair, performing Exile to Guyville in its entirety, August 27-29, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston
* Everclear, August and September, Midwest and Northeast

Beck update

According to the NME, Beck's new album Modern Guilt will be out July 8 in the US. Tracklisting can be found here.

I gotta tell you, "Chemtrails" is growing on me. It still sounds more like the Flaming Lips than Beck, though.

News bites: Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Beck

* Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin hopped on stage with the Foo Fighters earlier this week in London in front of more than 80,000 at Wembley Stadium. Dave Grohl has long voiced his interest in drumming for a Zep reunion, and he got his wish, only with Taylor Hawkins singing instead of Robert Plant.

* Radiohead's old record company has released a new "best of" CD, with little to no input from the band. Don't look for detailed liner notes, but you can try to win a copy here.

* That new Beck album hasn't shown up yet (see this post for more on that), but he has announced a few tour dates in August and September, with Cold War Kids, Spoon, MGMT, and Band of Horses opening select shows. See the complete list here. And as previously noted in our comments section, you can listen to "Chemtrails," a leaked track from the new album, here.

New Beck album (maybe) coming soon

MTV is reporting that Beck might have an album ready to stealth-drop in stores within a few weeks. Supposedly, Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame is producing. Filter says the album will be entitled Modern Guilt.

I've honestly lost track of Beck's mellow-crazy cycle; is the next album supposed to be mournful acoustic songs or whacked-out sex-bomb keyboard songs?

Here's 1999's "Sexx Laws," which was a bit of a disappointment, only charting at #21 on the modern rock charts. Watch for the Jack Black cameo: