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IF you were satisfied with HBO’s brilliant ‘‘dramedy,’’ you will be amazed at the soundtrack that the people behind Six Feet Under have managed to unearth.   The haunting, dark and yet comic traits that the series boasts of, is reproduced with impeccable perfection in this compilation of music featuring some of the finest talents on the international scene.   It would seem easy to compose and compile music for a television series with a theme that defies life, since most would expect monotonous

Joseph Arthur returns for show Monday at Lime Spider   When singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur returns to his native Akron to perform at the Lime Spider on Monday night, it will be another special event in what has been a year full of them.   After bouncing from label to label, Arthur decided to go the DIY route and release his latest album, the relatively stripped-down Nuclear Daydream, on his own Lonely Astronaut records. The subsequent tour has been his first with a four-piece backing band. Earl

Coldplay.com caught up with Coldplay's current support act, Pete Yorn. With the singer-songwriter nearing the end of his string of support dates with Coldplay, they called him up to find out how he's been getting on.   Hello Pete, how are you? Hey man, I'm good.   So, you've been on the road with Coldplay for a couple of weeks now, how's it been going? It's been great. They've been taking very good care of us. They provide wonderful meals for us and the fans have been great. And I've been gett

Coldplay.com caught up with Coldplay's latest support act. Here is their interview: London-based bliss-poppers The High Wire begin their run of support slots with Coldplay in Manchester tonight. We called up their frontman, Tim Crompton, to find out a bit more about them.   Hello Tim. Are you all set for your support slots? Oh goodness, no. Not being all that familiar with arena touring, I have no idea how to be prepared for it. I'm just excited that I won't be at work for a few days. Are you lo

After supporting bands like The Killers, Placebo, and Snow Patrol, the Australian bred London transplanted Howling Bells have their musical sights set on conquering the new world, as the Howling Bells members Juanita Stein, Joel Stein, Brendan Picchio, Glenn Moule recently signed with Nettwerk Music Group to be their North American label, writes The Deadbolt (dot com).   But with their career quickly on the rise, the Howling Bells received another huge boost on the touring circuit as they'll soo

One trek the group Stars didn't expect to make recently was to Ottawa to open for Coldplay, a spur-of-the-moment offer the band couldn't turn down, reports the Edmonton Sun.   "We had a surprise phone call the day before because the person that was opening for them couldn't get across the border," Amy Millan says. "They called in Stars on the Bat-phone, we pulled our troops together and made it happen. It was really fun."   But don't expect Millan to know what the press thought about it. "I thin

With the summer concert season hitting stride this month, a November pact settling a legal battle over noise at the Ford Amphitheatre faces a critical test. Nearby residents will hear just how much the truce muffles noise in the coming months when arena rockers Sammy Hagar, the Black Crowes and Def Leppard take the stage.   These acts will play to a tough crowd - outside the amphitheater. Since the concert venue opened in July 2004 along Interstate 4 at the Florida State Fairgrounds east of Tamp

With the summer concert season hitting stride this month, a November pact settling a legal battle over noise at the Ford Amphitheatre faces a critical test. Nearby residents will hear just how much the truce muffles noise in the coming months when arena rockers Sammy Hagar, the Black Crowes and Def Leppard take the stage.   These acts will play to a tough crowd - outside the amphitheater. Since the concert venue opened in July 2004 along Interstate 4 at the Florida State Fairgrounds east of Tamp

Rare FM DJ Adam Freedman recently conducted his annual survey asking Rare FM DJs and listeners to determine Rare FM's unofficial Record of the Year 2006. No prizes, it's just for fun. In case you missed his two-part countdown of the Top 20 tracks, never fear, part one of the results is here, with part two due soon:   20 - Lily Allen - LDN 19 - Justin Timberlake - SexyBack 18 - Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down 17 - The Feeling - Fill My Little World 16 - Black Eyed Peas - Pump It 15 - Nell

Coldplay were joined onstage by Alicia Keys, who played piano on 'Clocks' as the band closed the final night of Japanese festival Summer Sonic tonight (August 10).   Against a backdrop depicting the French Romantic painting by Eugène Delacroix, 'Liberty Leading The People' - used as the band's album artwork for recent release 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' - the band performed in costumes aping the style of French revolutionaries, as they have done for other dates on their current t

Normally close-cropped Chris Martin was showing off a fuller head of hair than usual this week. The Coldplay frontman had allowed his 'do to grow into a funky afro-inspired style to play a sell-out gig in Toronto.   The musician, who's on the North American leg of his tour with bandmates Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, debuted the look as he thrilled fans with songs off new album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends. The electrifying set was also interspersed with renditions

Two years and 5 months after Coldplay last rolled into Toronto, I once again found myself back in the rigidly designed bucket-seats of the Air Canada Centre for their second of a two night stop along the Viva La Vida Tour. One of the great things about a Coldplay concert is the people. We all know on one level or another that Coldplay fans love good music. It was with little shock that the fan seated next to me was into such sonically pleasing artists as Radiohead, Sigur Ros and U2. It was funny

Enjoy a Toronto show preview, courtesy of martiniboys.com:   This is a begrudging FYI. While I'll conceal my own personal feelings towards the band (I think you can guess), I have to grit my teeth and admit that Coldplay are still one of the biggest bands in the world right now.   Enough so, that when they come to town, it's always newsworthy. So I couldn't in good conscience ignore it. For those who don't know, Coldplay play a non-offensive brand of arena-ready (good for the Air Canada Centre c

TORONTO - Even Oasis guitarist-singer Noel Gallagher is impressed at the wealth of British rock bands in T.O. this week.   Oasis played the Air Canada Centre on Monday night with the Arctic Monkeys opening. The Arctic Monkeys headlined their own show at the Phoenix last night. And ex-Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft opens for Coldplay at the ACC tonight and tomorrow night.   "Oh, well, fuckin' hell, good week for Toronto, eh?" Gallagher told the Sun during a Canadian newspaper exclusive intervi

There's commotion in the background, and Richard Ashcroft sounds distracted.   There are, he explains over the phone, "about 40 planes with little propellers" that are giving him a hard time.   In years past, perhaps when he was struggling to deal with the international success of Bittersweet Symphony, one might have thought the former Verve frontman meant he was on a very bad trip. Today, though, he's just talking about his kids' toys.   Now more Dad Richard than Mad Richard -- the moniker han

Whenever I have a conversation with someone about this strange job I do, the question always comes up: "How do you keep an open mind?"   It actually gets easier with time. I've been at this music-critic thing for 10 years and if going to shows every other night has taught me anything, it's that I should allow myself to be surprised. Sometimes you know what awaits. I'll be attending my seventh Backstreet Boys show next week, for instance and I can say right now that I will loathe every minute of

It’s official, guitar music was bigger than pop in the UK last year.   Acts like Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and The Killers are figureheads of the recent surge in the popularity of guitar music.   Figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) show that guitar music has a 36% share of UK album sales, while pop has just a quarter. Better still, of the top ten selling guitar acts, seven of them are British, with Coldplay topping the list.BPI chairman Peter Jamieson told 6music: "Record compani

It’s official, guitar music was bigger than pop in the UK last year.   Acts like Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and The Killers are figureheads of the recent surge in the popularity of guitar music.   Figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) show that guitar music has a 36% share of UK album sales, while pop has just a quarter. Better still, of the top ten selling guitar acts, seven of them are British, with Coldplay topping the list.BPI chairman Peter Jamieson told 6music: "Record compani

Nick Clegg today unveiled Roxy Music star Brian Eno as an advisor – and immediately bombed as he tried to show off his pop credentials.   Despite becoming, at 40, the youngest leader of the three main political parties, new Liberal Democrat chief proved he knows little about youth culture, making two embarrassing gaffes in as many days.   During his victory tour of broadcasting studios in the hours after being crowned yesterday, Mr Clegg was asked for his views on the hot topic obsessing pop fa

Snow Patrol release the first single from their new album on April 24th.   'You're All I Have' is taken from the bands fourth studio album 'Eyes Open' which is released on May 1st. A sensational introduction to the new album, 'You're All I Have' is classic Snow Patrol - guitars hook you straight away and the three part vocal which immediately transports you into a sparkling other world, all done with increased bigness and boldness from their last album, the 4x platinum 'Final Straw'.   Already

Snow Patrol release the first single from their new album on April 24th.   'You're All I Have' is taken from the bands fourth studio album 'Eyes Open' which is released on May 1st. A sensational introduction to the new album, 'You're All I Have' is classic Snow Patrol - guitars hook you straight away and the three part vocal which immediately transports you into a sparkling other world, all done with increased bigness and boldness from their last album, the 4x platinum 'Final Straw'.   Already

Uploaded recently is a video created as part of a student project in advertising (for Orange cellphone company). The driving idea was to picture the Power of Sharing as emotionally as possible. 'Fix You' provides the background music.   Watch the video here   More on this here [Thanks Yerom]

It would be an understatement to say that 2005 was a hot year for live music in the Bay Area.   Thanks to a plethora of huge shows delivered by the likes of Green Day, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Matthews Band, Gwen Stefani, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, U2 and Eminem, the local concert scene has simply been on fire over the past 12 months. That was especially true in November, when the Stones, McCartney and U2 performed six concerts in one scorching eight-day stretch in Oakland, San Jose and San

That species of star known as the celebrity altruist is a creature in whom the British comic Ricky Gervais seems to have absolutely no faith. The actors, directors and rock singers who give money to Holocaust foundations and adopt babies from impoverished places and expound before the United Nations General Assembly on the crisis of African debt — these people simply do not figure in his consciousness, one consumed by a brilliantly uncharitable view of fame.   “Extras,” midway through its second

From Nov. 3 in Detroit through Nov. 26 in Phoenix, El Paso’s own Sleepercar will be touring with one of the biggest bands in the world: Coldplay. While media and fans may not grasp any connection between the two, having either band talk about the other makes the situation perfectly clear. There’s a long history of love between Sleepercar founder Jim Ward and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman.   “I first met them on tour with At the Drive-In; we both played t