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Bloc Party say their upcoming second album will challenge Coldplay in terms of accessibility.   Lead singer Kele Okereke says he has purposefully tried to write lyrics which are more direct than those featured on debut ‘Silent Alarm’ on new album ‘A Weekend In The City’, released next month. He tells Billboard, “I wanted to make something that could be more easily understood, without dumbing it down.”   Bassist Gordon Noakes goes one step further, likening the title track to Coldplay. He says,

The social contract between musicians, audience and venues is a strange one. All parties agree to endure discomfort for a few hours in exchange for catharsis or enrichment (monetary or otherwise). If everything goes well, the bonding over shared deprivations (oxygen, hearing, shoes shed in moshpits) is part of the reward of deliverance.   Tuesday night's sold-out Bloc Party concert at Fort Lauderdale's Revolution nightclub was one of those nights. You could see the satisfaction in the giant smil

The social contract between musicians, audience and venues is a strange one. All parties agree to endure discomfort for a few hours in exchange for catharsis or enrichment (monetary or otherwise). If everything goes well, the bonding over shared deprivations (oxygen, hearing, shoes shed in moshpits) is part of the reward of deliverance.   Tuesday night's sold-out Bloc Party concert at Fort Lauderdale's Revolution nightclub was one of those nights. You could see the satisfaction in the giant smil

In a question and answer session, Bloc Party's Kele Okereke spelt out his objections to following in one of the world's biggest bands, Coldplay.   Early on, you guys were frequently compared to post-punk acts like Gang of Four. Was the new record an attempt to get away from those reference points? Yeah, perhaps. It was mildly infuriating for us to always have people think we’re referencing Gang of Four, when no one in the band particularly liked [that] sound.   And now you’re getting measured ag

Three mashups including two with the same piece of Bloc Party [pictured], drawn from their last album mixed respectively with Gwen Stefani and Coldplay, with a third where the Bloc Party are found in front of a mirror.   Three mashups with two of them featuring the same song from Bloc Party’s latest album, Hunting for Witches, against Gwen Stefani first, then Coldplay, more has third one involving Bloc Party against themselves.   Click here to download them [thanks kamichi]   The Hunting for Wit

It was a rock n’ roll radio station, but when it found itself on the cutting edge of the media consumers, Absolute Radio took the opportunity to reinvent itself, reports the Economic Times.   As Clive Dickens, Chief Operating Officer, Absolute Radio says: “We see ourselves as a digital entertainment brand that has a radio station attached!” In its home market of the UK, 75% of homes have broadband, and close to 20 million people — 33% of the population - are online everyday, spending an average

LONDON (Billboard) - "It's been a busy week," deadpanned Jo Oliver, several days after a Swedish court sentenced four men behind the notorious BitTorrent tracker site the Pirate Bay to a year in jail each, after they were found guilty of assisting in making copyrighted material available. Billboard spoke to Oliver from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the conversation touched on Coldplay..   Billboard: Pirate Bay spokesman Peter Sunde has claimed that what the site d

When Peter Frampton stepped onto the stage of the Marin County Civic Center in June of 1975, he was a niche taste, a pink-haired, baby-faced guitarist writing mellow songs after his stint with the noisier Humble Pie. He'd released three solo albums, none of which could be called a commercial smash; most casual music fans had never heard of him.   But he toured ardently and frequently, and the executives at his record label, A&M, knew that audiences responded to Frampton more passionately tha

Blogcritic magazine has finally got round to reviewing Coldplay's new album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'. Here is said review:   I've joked with friends and co-workers that Viva La Vida is either the first U2 record we're going to hear this year or the best U2 record we're going to hear this year. Many critics thought Coldplay had Radiohead ambitions when they first hit the scene, but it's been increasingly clear over the past several years that Chris Martin has Bono envy. Coldpl

Bluetooth specialist CSR saw profits jump 137 per cent in the first-quarter, ahead of market expectations, boosted by strong demand for the wireless technology.   CSR, which said it expects a ‘strong’ performance in 2006, said pretax profits for the three months to the end of March had more than doubled to $25.8 million (£14.1 million), compared with $10.9 million in the same period a year ago.   Revenues for the quarter jumped to $134.9 million (£73.6 million) from $66.4 million in 2005. The te

Bluetooth specialist CSR saw profits jump 137 per cent in the first-quarter, ahead of market expectations, boosted by strong demand for the wireless technology.   CSR, which said it expects a ‘strong’ performance in 2006, said pretax profits for the three months to the end of March had more than doubled to $25.8 million (£14.1 million), compared with $10.9 million in the same period a year ago.   Revenues for the quarter jumped to $134.9 million (£73.6 million) from $66.4 million in 2005. The te

After lingering at No. 2 for three straight weeks, James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" tops the Billboard Hot 100 this week. As reported yesterday (March 1), the U.K. singer/songwriter thus becomes the first British artist to reach No. 1 on the chart since Elton John achieved the feat with "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight."   "You're Beautiful" ends the five-week run of Beyoncé's "Check on It" featuring Slim Thug, which falls to No. 2 on the Hot 100. The Blunt track

Well, okay - maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration; Gwyneth's mom merely took her granddaughter Apple out to buy a few fresh fruits while Gwenno got ready for her big dinner date. Then again, after the furor over Eyebrowgate, we're not too surprised to see Blythe and Apple exercising a little restraint!   Apple seems happy - and that seems to be the point!   We couldn't help but notice the red string around Apple's neck - might Madonna (a friend of Gwyneth's, we remind you) have converted anothe

Blythe Danner, who stars in The Last Kiss, says she catches Coldplay in concert whenever she can. Really.   After all, her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow is married to Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. “I go to every (Coldplay concert) that comes along, if we’re in the same place, wherever, New York, L.A., I’ve been all of those. When I’m in town I go.   “I adore him,” Danner said of Martin. “And I think it’s great, great stuff. It’s deep. He’s extraordinarly talented and funny and he writes great p

You get the impression that not too many people want to ask Blythe Danner about the episode of M*A*S*H she made back in 1976.   Everyone wants to talk about her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow, her son-in-law Chris Martin from Coldplay, her grandchildren Apple and Moses and even her life after the death of her producer husband Bruce Paltrow back in 2002.   But when the subject of her role in The More I See You is raised, which was made during the fourth season of M*A*S*H and saw Danner playing Hawkeye’

LONDON - BMG Music Publishing, which publishes music from artists including Coldplay and Robbie Williams, has launched a B2B pop music web portal, enabling companies to choose music for film, TV and commercial productions.   The song search website, BMG Music Search, has been developed in conjunction with web consultancy bit10 and includes thousands of music tracks online.   Christopher Newman, head of new media at BMG, said: "The BMG Music Search website puts the BMG catalogue online, making it

LONDON (Reuters) - Bertelsmann AG is in the final stages of preparing to auction its music publishing arm, people familiar with the plans said, with a process to start as soon as early June in a sale that could fetch as much as 900 million pounds.   The proceeds from the sale of BMG Music Publishing, which owns the rights to songs by Nelly, Christina Aguilera and Coldplay, could be used by Bertelsmann to avert an unwanted IPO of the German media conglomerate by a minority shareholder.   Bertelsm

LONDON (Reuters) - Bertelsmann AG is in the final stages of preparing to auction its music publishing arm, people familiar with the plans said, with a process to start as soon as early June in a sale that could fetch as much as 900 million pounds.   The proceeds from the sale of BMG Music Publishing, which owns the rights to songs by Nelly, Christina Aguilera and Coldplay, could be used by Bertelsmann to avert an unwanted IPO of the German media conglomerate by a minority shareholder.   Bertelsm

"Man, we put in more rehearsal for this album than any other, because we played it live 101 times before we released it. Talk about road-testing material," said frontman Chris Martin on Coldplay's website. You've got to hand it to Coldplay that not only can they write some captivating songs, they can also deliver on a live performance, writes Boise Weekly (dot com).   Furthermore, despite these Brits being world superstars, they've managed to keep a handle on their music. There's something comme

Coldplay's Pals, U2 have been talking to The Sun Newspaper in the UK, ahead of their physical release for 'Songs Of Innocence', which conveniently landed on our iTunes libraries from mid September. In a series of statements on artists/bands such as The Clash and David Bowie, Bono explained a further influence Chris Martin had on their latest album.   We know that Chris Martin features on U2's new song, 'Iris (Hold Me Close)' but its now been revealed that Coldplay's frontman has had a larger i

Once you've reached planet-conquering rock champ status, the pitfalls are few and far between. The Coldplay tour juggernaut, for example, runs like a Rolls-Royce. But this week the lads' private jet packed in, leaving them in a pickle as they kicked off a string of European stadium shows, writes The Sun today in an article reflective of Roadie #42's Herning blog recently.   Continues The Sun, Coldplay's plane gave up the ghost in Denmark but Chris Martin has friends in high places. One phone cal

Last year was the best for British music since 1998, according to figures released today.   Half of all the albums bought in the UK in 2005 were by homegrown acts - a total of 57 million records and the highest share for seven years. The most successful British acts last year were James Blunt, Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and Robbie Williams.   In 1998 the UK album charts were dominated by Robbie, George Michael and The Verve, alongside Irish acts The Corrs and Boyzone. The figures were released by t

Topics - Rap, Hip Hop, Support. Find more related articles under the related topics section shown in the box to the right.   Boost Mobile RockCorps (BMRC), the national youth volunteerism movement that motivated more than 6,000 young people to get involved and help their community last year...is back! RockCorps, an organization harnessing the power of music to inspire volunteerism, and Boost Mobile, a wireless telecommunications brand dedicated to boosting the lives of today’s youth, announced t

Topics - Rap, Hip Hop, Support. Find more related articles under the related topics section shown in the box to the right.   Boost Mobile RockCorps (BMRC), the national youth volunteerism movement that motivated more than 6,000 young people to get involved and help their community last year...is back! RockCorps, an organization harnessing the power of music to inspire volunteerism, and Boost Mobile, a wireless telecommunications brand dedicated to boosting the lives of today’s youth, announced t

The line "with great power comes great responsibility" may be overused, but it’s apparent when it comes to Coldplay - without a doubt one of the biggest bands in the world, which means they’re a major draw for fans, but also for criticism, writes the Boston Music Spotlight in a review of Coldplay's two shows at TD Garden in Boston, MA (29-30 July). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from these shows at the Coldplay Live forum here (29th - Sunday) and here (30th - Monday) onwards now