As I mentioned last month, with the exception of a few (a very few) newer artists like Coldplay, Capitol Records is banking on their roster of time-honored pop rock heavyweights (read: Dinosaurs) to pay the bills. Enter Beach Boys’ backwards beating brain and ticking heart, Brian Wilson.

BRIAN WILSON RETURNS TO CAPITOL RECORDS / EMI, HIS ORIGINAL LABEL HOME
NEW STUDIO ALBUM, ‘THAT LUCKY OLD SUN,’ TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2nd

“You don’t have to climb the Capitol tower, or play the Hollywood Bowl, if there’s a roll in your heart, and a rock in your soul…” (lyrics from That Lucky Old Sun’s “California Role”)

Hollywood, California – May 19, 2008 - He is one of popular music’s most deeply revered figures, a legendary writer, producer, arranger and performer of some of the most cherished music in rock history. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Brian Wilson one of the most gifted and influential pop composers of the last 50 years. Today, Wilson announces his return to Capitol Records / EMI, his original label home. Wilson’s new studio recording, That Lucky Old Sun, will be released by Capitol/EMI on CD, CD/DVD, limited edition vinyl and digitally on September 2 (September 1 internationally).

Brian Wilson’s return to Capitol Records / EMI, where The Beach Boys caught their first hit wave with the 1962 classic, “Surfin’ Safari/409,” is a triumphant homecoming for one of the world’s most gifted and beloved musical talents.

“I’m thrilled to be back home with Capitol, and I’m looking forward to sharing That Lucky Old Sun with everyone,” says Brian Wilson. “This music is really special to me.”

“We are delighted to be working with Brian Wilson for his new album, That Lucky Old Sun,” says Guy Hands, Executive Chairman of EMI Music. “We all remember the feeling we got when we first heard The Beach Boys’ music. My particular favorite classic is ‘Surfer Girl.’ It always reminds me of driving an open top car down the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Barbara to Malibu. Brian Wilson is an iconic talent with enormous musical influence all over the world and we are very proud to be representing him.”

A musical love letter from Southern California, That Lucky Old Sun shimmers with sun-dappled choruses and arrangements that swell and swirl as if carried by the Pacific tides. One of the songs, “Midnight’s Another Day,” has been described by MOJO magazine as “glorious.” The album is narrated in transitional interludes spoken by Wilson as ‘That Lucky Old Sun,’ the storyteller. The narratives, cameos on life and the heartbeat of Los Angeles, propel the album’s musical story.

Concert dates after the… (more…)

When I met up with Ed Harcourt during SXSW 08, we had a sweet interview on the roof of the Hilton Hotel. That was a cool experience, Ed was down. His music isn’t as well known in the States as it is in the UK, and hopefully that’s something that will change when he releases “The Beautiful Lie” on June 3rd. Here, check the interview:

However, when I went to film a live song the next day, it turned into a rad adventure with Ed performing a song exclusively for us in a back alley, and then getting tattoos (I almost got one, but decided not to in order for my Grandma to keep speaking to me). Then I drank port wine with them during dinner. We’ll have a video of that up eventually, but until then, check his MySpace and dig on that beautiful pop music.

As mentioned last Friday, Coldplay has announced a June 17th release date for their fourth album, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.” While writing that post, something clicked on in the back of my mind: this album has the potential to either keep Coldplay’s label EMI afloat for another year, or make necessary the eventual merger of EMI Music (including its subsidiaries like Capitol, Virgin, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Def Jux, Mute and Tooth & Nail) and Warner Music Group, who currently hold the 3rd and 4th place slots in “The Big Four.” Variety agrees that “Viva…” is shaping up to be something of a high-stakes venture. EMI’s certainly hoping that Coldplay’s X&Y wasn’t this:

I remember a time, not so long ago, when a record label depended on its solid roster to make the business float, not just a handful of high-profile superstar artists. Their top sellers would go quintuple-platinum, allowing for enough extra cash to take chances on smaller artists, grow them and support them until they break through, joining the ranks of the high-sellers (we used to call such a thing “artist development”). Britain-based EMI and its subsidiaries once boasted an amazing roster including the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Beach Boys. Now the label seems to be relying on one or two current chart busters, in this case Coldplay, and the repackaged back catalogs of their dusty dinosaurs.

Artist development on major labels is now a ting of the past (that’s what indie labels are for, right?); there’s no new EMI artist who comes close to replacing Radiohead, who left the label in 2007 after deciding that they no longer needed a record label. EMI can release Best of Radiohead (June 3rd), but no one stands a real chance at releasing another OK Computer….save Coldplay. It’s possible that Chris Martin and company can release an album with (almost) as much impact. But if Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends does any worse than 2005’s X&Y, I wouldn’t be surprised to see EMI/Warner Music rear its head in 2009/2010.

Until then, let’s look at what EMI will be releasing to keep its head above water, after the jump: (more…)