You’re the lucky reader of the 23rd edition of the Punknews.org Vinyl File. This column aims to keep you informed with upcoming releases as well as spotlighting interesting releases, your favorite band’s own collections and labels with an history of vinyl releases worth talking about. As always, Vinyl File is brought to you by Ben Conoley.

mewithoutYou’s latest album Brother, Sister saw the band’s fan-base swell to sizes that longtime fans always knew they were capable of reaching. Gilead Media has taken this opportunity to introduce those new fans to the band’s first to records in our much beloved vinyl format, both 2004’s Catch for us the Foxes and 2003’s A-B Life. Vinyl File was excited to jump on the opportunity to talk to Gilead founder and owner Adam Bartlett about his brief yet accomplished career as an independent record label owner.

If that isn’t enough, we’ve also got word on vinyl releases from Reel Big Fish, The White Stripes and more.
Source Continue reading Gilead Media and upcoming releases →

Though the band’s new album, In Rainbows is officially in-stores and the “donation-version” was a great success, some of the reasons for Radiohead‘s acrimonious parting with EMI have come to light. According to the former label:

Radiohead were demanding an extraordinary amount of money and we did not believe that our other artists should have to subsidize their gains.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke disputed the charge plainly saying:

What we wanted was some control over our [master recordings] and how it was used in the future by them. That seemed reasonable to us, and we cared about it a great deal,” he continued. “Mr. Hands was not interested. So, neither were we.

Most sources see the dispute as arising from ownership of the band’s back catalogue, and it does raise an important issue about the music industry as a whole. Currently, most recordings are funded by labels who then assume full ownership of the recording masters, but many dispute this practice suggesting that the masters like the songs themselves should be owned by the creators.

As artists like Unwritten Law and Reel Big Fish have seen, the ownership of masters allows labels to license recordings and create compilations without the artists involvement or approval.
Source Continue reading Why Radiohead left EMI →

Fuse.tv is offering a free download of Gaslight Anthem‘snew single ‘Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?’ which is set to appear on their upcoming EP, Senor and the Queen care of Sabot Records on January 29.

Gaslight Anthem were praised by many of Punknews’ writers and editors during our recently published 2007 best-of lists. The band will be embarking on an east coast tour with The Loved Ones in February.

‘Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?’ can be downloaded here.
Source Continue reading Gaslight Anthem” “Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?” →

Former Death From Above 1979 vocalist/drummer Sebastien Grainger has unveiled three songs from his new project, Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains. The quartet has posted the first three products of the new group

You can check out the songs on the band’s myspace page.
Source Continue reading Former Death From Above 1979 vocalist unveils new songs →

Cobra Starship have posted the new video from their sophomore album, If the World Is Ending, We Are Throwing the Party. The band features Midtown bassist/lead vocalist Gabe Saporta though that seems less newsworthy nowadays.

You can check out “The City is at War” via MTV if you live in America.
Source Continue reading Cobra Starship: “The City is at War” →

Darkest Hour has unveiled the dates for their upcoming Doomsayers tour.The trek will see the band embarking on a US tour with Cephalic Carnage, Emmure and Whitechapel.

The band issued Deliver Us this year.
Source Continue reading Tours: Darkest Hour / Cephalic Carnage / Emmure / White Chapel (Doomsayers 2008) →

Athens, Georgia’s We Versus The Shark are teaming up with donation-funded digital label Quote Unquote to release a covers album titled Murmurmur. The band will release one song as a free download on the first day of each month until 2009. You can find a cover of the song “Right Away,” originally by Philadelphia’s Pattern Is Movement, at the label’s website now. The labels hints that possible covers of Deerhoof, McLusky or Future Of The Left may be in the works for coming months.
Source Continue reading We Versus The Shark to release free covers album (one song at a time) →

A Wilhelm Scream have posted an update on some of their plans for 2008. Among them are a UK headlining tour, 6 weeks with The Unseen, Europe. The band is also promising some Canadian shows to be booked.

The band also adds:

All this and a new record to be in the can by the end of the year. Let’s do this thing.

The band released Career Suicide in October.
Source Continue reading A Wilhelm Scream promises new record, touring →

Panic! At the Disco have posted the first song from their as-yet untitled full length. The record is due out March 25, 2008. It is the follow-up to A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out which was released in 2005.

The track represents a rough mix and is expected to “undergo some changes” in the coming weeks. You can check it out here. (The last song in the player)
Source Continue reading Panic! At the Disco: “We’re So Starving” →

The Offspring‘s Dexter Holland recently posted a status update on the band’s long-awaited follow-up to 2003’s Splinter:

We‘re taking a quick break from recording right now to be with our families. Wanna know what‘s going on with the new record? Well, I‘ve got two lyrics to do, a couple more to sing, and various musical tweaks and fixes to get done. Then we‘ll be ready to mix.

We haven‘t announced a release date yet because we‘re just not quite close enough to know when we‘ll be finished. We want to thank all our fans who have been so patient, and we want you to know that we’ve been in the studio nearly every day now for quite awhile working hard to make a great record.

The yet-to-be-titled new record is expected in 2008 via Columbia Records. It will be the band’s first studio album recorded with acclaimed drummer Josh Freese.
Source Continue reading Update on the upcoming Offspring record →