Metallica - “St. Anger” (Elektra)
ByJun 1, 2003 10:00 PM
Originally due in stores on June 10, Metallica’s first new studio album in six years instead will hit the shelves on Thursday (6/5). Elektra says that it pushed the release date up five days because “sub-standard” bootlegs of the album have already been widely circulated via the Internet ... which you know just has to piss off Metallica drummer and former Napster hunter Lars Ulrich.
Originally due in stores on June 10, Metallica’s first new studio album in six years instead will hit the shelves on Thursday (6/5). Elektra says that it pushed the release date up five days because “sub-standard” bootlegs of the album have already been widely circulated via the Internet ... which you know just has to piss off Metallica drummer and former Napster hunter Lars Ulrich.
“St. Anger” is Metallica’s follow-up to 1997’s “Reload.” The video for the title track is streaming at the group’s website.
To prime fans for Thursday’s release, Metallica has set up a “St. Anger” Treasure Hunt that works like this: Starting Tuesday (6/3), 11 various non-Metallica websites will each be streaming one of the new album’s 11 tracks. Fans have to figure out the clues posted at Metallica’s site in order to find the 11 sites.
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Jewel - “0304” (Atlantic)
Jewel--looking more like Britney Spears than her former, crunchy-granola self--returns with the follow-up to 2001’s “This Way.” The 14-track set features the single “Intuition,” the audio and video versions of which are streaming at Jewel’s website. The site also features a full-length version of album track “Stand,” and a clip of the cut “Sweet Temptation.”
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John Mellencamp - “Trouble No More” (Columbia)
This set from Indiana’s homespun hero features 11 cover songs and one original. Among the acts whose material Mellencamp covers are Robert Johnson, Woody Guthrie, Willie Dixon, Hoagy Carmichael and Lucinda Williams. The original Mellencamp composition, “To Washington,” is an anti-war anthem that he first issued earlier this year via his website.
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Train - “My Private Nation” (Aware/Columbia)
These slick pop-rockers recorded “My Private Nation"--their third album--in Atlanta with producer Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), who also mixed the album. The music video for the first single, “Calling All Angels,” is streaming at Train’s official website.
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Dave Gahan - “Paper Monsters” (Reprise)
Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan breaks out with this solo debut. Gahan wrote and recorded the album’s 10 tracks with Knox Chandler, whom Gahan’s bio refers to as “a multi-instrumentalist friend from New York.” Gahan’s website is streaming the whole album.
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Gord Downie - “Battle of the Nudes” (Zoe/Rounder)
The second solo recording from The Tragically Hip’s frontman was recorded in two different stints, the first of which took place over five days in May of 2001, followed by five more days in May of 2002. Downie produced the set with Dale Morningstar, Dave Clark and Josh Finlayson.
The lineup for “Nudes” is the same as on Downie’s first solo album, 2001’s “Coke Machine Glow”: Morningstar (primarily on guitar and pump organ), Clark (drums, percussion, tuba, etc.), and Dr. Pee (keyboards) from Canadian band the Dinner is Ruined; Josh Finlayson (bass, acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals) of the Skydiggers; and Julie Doiron (bass and background vocals), formerly of Eric’s Trip and Wooden Stars.