New Yorke

After announcing that Radiohead would not be releasing any full-length albums for a while, frontman Thom Yorke will now be playing gigs with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. This new venture, which has been described as "one of the scariest-sounding groups in the history of pop" by Tim Jonze (in his blog on Guardian) also includes Beck drummer Joey Waronker and the help of Radiohead's long-time producer and friend, Nigel Godrich.

Say what you want about Yorke, but that weird little man always has something interesting up his sleeve. Yorke has been surprising Radiohead fans as far back as "Kid A" and "Amnesiac," their first electronic releases from 2000, albums that are now beloved even though fans were confused and disappointed at first. Now, after the success of Radiohead's most recent album, "In Rainbows," (which fans were allowed to choose their own price for), Yorke has decided to start performing music from his 2006 solo release, "The Eraser," as well as some new songs he has been working on. One of the new tracks, "This Hollow Earth," will be on the much anticipated sequel to "Twilight."

Yorke's solo performances have primarily been acoustic before, but now he has decided to step it up and perform the critically-acclaimed "The Eraser" with a bigger sound and Flea on bass. I'm eager to see how an arena setting and Flea's presence will affect the unique, full yet quiet sound of "The Eraser," especially on tracks like the mesmerizing "Skip Divided," where Yorke unabashedly refers to himself as a "lap dog" as he hums on about how he's known to "bite in tight situations." Yum. Come to think of it, I think "The Eraser" marked the beginning of my crush on Thom Yorke. Oh no, now this is awkward. Moving on ...

I'm 99% sure that seeing this album (as well as the new tracks) performed live with Yorke's "scary" supergroup will be like music porn. They haven't announced all the tour dates yet, but I hope you get a chance to see the show! Oh yeah, if you see me there, say "hello." I'll be the one lusting after Thom Yorke in the front row.

What can I say? While most of the girls were after younger guys with nicer abs, I was thinking about how much I love Yorke's sweaters.

Julian Casablancas still sets my "Room on Fire"

I have to say it: I love my Julians (both Plenti and Casablancas).

It's been a great season for solo projects, and Julian Casablancas' "Phrazes for the Young" is no exception. Casablancas' low, alluring voice fills my speakers with genuine, rebellious melodies that take me back to the days of listening to The Strokes' "Is This It?" in the parking lot of my private school (I thought I was such a badass). Needless to say, Casablancas still does it for me. "Phrazes for the Young" seems like it was tailored for my post-high school life.

I'm not joking, this album had me torn between nodding in agreement and dancing like crazy the entire way through. "Out of the Blue," the opening track, has some of the best lyrics I have heard in a long time. It's as though he took my disillusionment and best-intentioned spite and put it into words. In a way, I find these lyrics reminiscent of something Bob Dylan would write. "Somewhere along the way my hopefulness turned to sadness/ somewhere along the way my sadness turned to bitterness ... and the ones that I make pay/ they're never the ones who deserve it/ and the ones who deserve it/ they'll never understand it" Casablancas laments. I might as well just say it, I've always been mainly about the lyrics and the inflection behind them. In that aspect, "Phrazes for the Young" hit my Achilles' heel. Lyrics aren't the only thing this album has to offer, though - Casablancas' particular knack for letting sound build is especially apparent on the ambient "River of Brakelights" and "4 Chords of the Apocalypse."

I highly recommend this album as a soundtrack for the next few months of your life. I know that's my plan. Five years from now I hope I will be looking back on it as fondly as I do The Strokes' albums. Here's hoping Mr. Casablancas will "stroke" solo again.

What are you still reading this for? Go! Get on iTunes and buy it!

"I Cut Like a Buffalo" makes me want to cut myself

Empty noise: the phrase I would use if I had to describe The Dead Weather, Jack White's latest side project, in two words. The music is busy and loud, yet it lacks any substance. Don't get me wrong, White has mad skills on the guitar, but unfortunately for The Dead Weather, he's rarely playing it. Listening to the debut album, "Horehound," is like listening to The Raconteurs' "Consolers of the Lonely" without White's exceptional guitar, or any emotion, for that matter. The Dead Weather might as well have swallowed the worst parts of "Consolers of the Lonely" and "Icky Thump" (the latest White Stripes album) and vomited them onto The Kills' Alison Mosshart's voice, which ends up being a neutral force on "Horehound."

Perhaps the genius of early White Stripes was their humility, and I find myself begging each and every member of The Dead Weather to get off their "new pony." Just because they're all talented individuals doesn't mean they're going to piss excellence when they step inside of a studio. My boyfriend described their sound as "raw" - I beg to differ: It's fake raw. Early White Stripes sounded raw because they couldn't afford to sound any different, but their sound was genuine. It's like when Kate Moss dresses like trailer trash - who does she think she's fooling?

"60 feet tall," the opening track on "Horehound," seems to go on forever and their single, "I Cut Like a Buffalo," sounds as though they were desperately trying to piece together any last blues riffs and sounds that White hadn't used already. Someone needs to tell Mr. White that he shouldn't be allowed to sing the blues if he's not blue about anything. It completely ruins the point. Blues without being blue simply sounds hollow.

"Horehound" wasn't worth the space it took up on my computer.

Jack White, will you please go back to the "little room?" I'm sick of you trying to be a badass.

If you feel like torturing yourself, here's a link to "I Cut Like a Buffalo."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UW_B849VxM

Getting Their Priorities "Crooked"

What do you get when you combine Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age), John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin) and Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters)? Sweet, delicious rock and roll, that's what. Finally, a supergroup I can get behind: Them Crooked Vultures. I don't know about you guys, but I was getting a little tired of Jack White's glamour projects (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, White's collaboration with Alicia Keys for the "Quantum of Solace" theme, etc.).

Them Crooked Vultures opened the United States leg of their tour with a stunning performance (which I was lucky enough to attend) at Stubb's in Austin, TX, and followed with a show at Austin City Limits Music Festival. John Paul Jones might as well have slapped everyone who has ever said "rock and roll is dead" in the face while he played the bass as if it were 1973 again. Dave Grohl pounded the drums like he was back with Nirvana and Josh Homme was stroking the guitar strings as if he was touching a gorgeous woman. I'm guessing he hit the G-spot ... er, string, because every moment sure sounded like a climax.

This isn't the first time Dave Grohl and Josh Homme have made beautiful music together, though. Grohl is responsible for some of the percussion on Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs For The Deaf," which was released in 2002. Adding Jones' classic rock bass to their mix was a stroke of genius. Their chemistry is undeniable, especially on songs like the sultry "Interlude (With Ludes)" and what is sure to be an instant classic, "Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I." You'll be able to hear both of these tracks on the band's self-titled album, which is set to be released on Nov. 17. I have the date marked on my calendar already.

Image courtesy of Zac Roach.

Sidescraper

Hello and welcome to B-side Myself, a blog about the musicians we love so much venturing into uncharted territory. It seems like there isn't just any one band for a talented musician these days; they're always going off and starting solo projects or collaborating with David Bowie.

This is where I come in: Each week I'm going to select a recent side project and let you know if I think it's worth your time.

For all of you Interpol fans out there waiting for their next album, here's something that might cheer you up: Paul Banks, the lead singer of Interpol, has recently released a solo album under the name Julian Plenti.

"Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper" has been playing on my iPod for the past two weeks. I'm serious, I haven't been this excited about a solo album since Thom Yorke's "The Eraser," which was released back in 2006.

For this album, Paul Banks let go of his baritone, Ian Curtis-style vocals and embraced more of a melodic sound. The outcome is a warm, atmospheric album that makes you want to cuddle up with Banks. I know I want to.

From crunching guitar on "Fun That We Have" to naughty lyrics in "Unwind" ("I see your face and I let you own me/ I see your face and I let you unwind"), this album is a work of art. Make sure you don't forget the ballads; "Skyscraper" will make your knees week.

If you're interested, here's a link to listen to the opening song, "Only If You Run":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt40__1OlqU