Indie singer-songwriter Stew’s musical Passing Strange has been nominated for 7 Tony Awards. [NYTimes]

The war of words between Jay-Z and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher continues. [Stereogum]

David Byrne is going to turn a Manhattan building into a musical instrument. [Spinner]

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The cinematic sounds of Arcade Fire will score the next film by Richard Kelly, who previously wrote and directed “Donnie Darko.” [The Guardian]

Tony Kostrzewa, founder of Red Rhino — a vital shop, label, and distributor that emerged during the punk era — has passed away. [The Independent]

In other sad news, Larry Levine — the recording engineer who helped build Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound in the 1960s — died last Thursday. [The LA Times]

A live-action musical film of “Fraggle Rock” is in the works, with Ahmet Zappa serving as executive producer. [Variety]

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New Kids on the Block — “Summertime” and “Click Click Click” (Check them out here.)
Andrew Leahey: This song is wack.
Matt Collar: This song is very Abercrombie.
Heather Phares: Yes, Matt — made me think of LFO’s “Summertime Girls.”
MC: Totally LFO!
Marisa Brown: When I saw the song title, I was hoping it was going to be a Will Smith cover. I was so disappointed.
AL: I did, too! 1991 all over again.
MB: You know things are bad if you’re hoping for a Will Smith cover.

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Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Garth Brooks on Saturday. [countrystandardtime.com]

Speaking of American Idol, David Archuleta’s father Jeff has been banned from the show’s rehearsals. [The Huffington Post]

Snoop Dogg collaborated with Willie Nelson on his upcoming “My Medicine” video, and worked with composer Lalo Schifrin on a new album, tentatively titled Malice in Wonderland. [VH1.com]

Meet Neil Young, a trapdoor spider that lives in a burrow and lines its nest with sticky silk. [msnbc.com]

Oasis doesn’t go through drummers as quickly as Spinal Tap did, but Zak Starkey is out of the band after a “falling out” with Noel Gallagher. Beats spontaneous combustion, anyway. [NME.com]

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Joseph Arthur’s fans can download free music from his latest project, Bag is Hot, at the songwriter’s Tumblr site. “Like fresh popcorn for all the kids to grab,” Arthur explains. “Digital hands eating the digital popcorn.” [Billboard.com]

Thom Yorke doesn’t approve of Radiohead’s upcoming Greatest Hits album, which will be issued by the group’s former label, EMI Records. [NME.com]

The recently reunited Gang of Four is now a gang of two, with bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham announcing their exit from the group. [CMJ.com]

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We love 1999 a whole lot, but maybe not quite as much as we love making lists. Each month (or so), until we have covered every year we can remember (unless we get tired), we will take a look at our favorite albums and singles released during a given year. In the year 1999, Basement Jaxx, Eminem, Mos Def, the Flaming Lips, the Dismemberment Plan, the ageless Tom Jones, the mighty LEN, and dozens of others produced nonperishable goods that would’ve gotten us through a Y2K drought of just about any magnitude.

Marisa Brown
I heard “Where My Girls At?” on the radio a couple of weeks ago and I still remembered every single word. If that’s not a testament to powerful songwriting (or um, limited radio playlists), I don’t know what is.

Blackalicious - A2G
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Aesop Rock - Float
Beth Orton - Central Reservation
Goldie - INCredible Sound of Drum’n'Bass
Rob Swift - The Ablist
Quannum - Quannum Spectrum

702 - “Where My Girls At?”

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There was a bunch of great music in 1999 — I can’t think of another year in the past decade with so many great singles from all genres of music — so I decided to whittle my list to the albums and singles I still actively play (although I do admit that the singles are in heavier rotation than the full albums).

Fiona Apple - When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts…
Pavement - Terror Twilight
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Paul McCartney - Run Devil Run
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Alan Jackson - Under the Influence

LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Supergrass - “Pumping on Your Stereo”
Kid Rock - “Cowboy”
Super Furry Animals - “Northern Lights”
Backstreet Boys - “I Want It That Way”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Suede - “Electricity”
Eminem - “Guilty Conscience”

David Jeffries
At the end of the year, Billy Joel promised to never play pop music again. Had he kept this promise, it would have been the best year ever. I also wish I could have fit Eiffel 65 or the Vengaboys on the list but the boss told me to keep it to ten.

Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow - Brainfreeze
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Beanie Sigel - The Truth
Tom Jones - Reload
Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
The Fall - The Marshall Suite
The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Basement Jaxx - Remedy

Mr. Vegas - “Heads High (Kill Dem Wid It)”
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - “Got Your Money”
Q-Tip - “Vivrant Thing”
Mr. Oizo - “Flat Beat”
Buccaneer - “Bruk Out”
Armand Van Helden - “U Don’t Know Me”
Groove Armada - “At the River”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Capleton - “Jah Jah City”
Terrance & Phillip - “Uncle F**ka”

Andy Kellman
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Mary J. Blige - Mary
Aril Brikha - Deeparture in Time
Dettinger - Intershop
Drexciya - Neptune’s Lair
Gas - Königsforst
Innerzone Orchestra - Programmed
Kelis - Kaleidoscope
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Stewart Walker - Stabiles

Basement Jaxx - “Red Alert”
Bows - “Girls Lips Glitter”
Pépé Bradock - “Deep Burnt”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Vladislav Delay - “Huone”
Farben - “Live at the Sahara Tahoe, 1973″
Donell Jones - “U Know What’s Up”
Moodymann - “Shades of Jae”
Theo Parrish - “Summertime Is Here”
Slum Village - “Get Dis Money”

Andrew Leahey
Wilco - Summerteeth
The Waking Hours - The Waking Hours
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - Honky Tonk Union
Kate Rusby - Sleepless
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
Drive-By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin’
Beck - Midnite Vultures

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - “Green & Dumb”
The Waking Hours - “Dolores”
Jimmy Eat World - “Lucky Denver Mint”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Kate Rusby - “The Unquiet Grave”
Fountains of Wayne - “The Valley of Malls”

Jason Lymangrover
Mr. Bungle - California
Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So…How’s Your Girl?
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
The Dismemberment Plan - Emegency & I
Fantastic Plastic Machine - Luxury
Pavement - Terror Twilight

James Christopher Monger
The Negro Problem - Joys & Concerns
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
The Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah
Waterson:Carthy - Broken Ground
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Nightmares on Wax - Carboot Soul
Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
The Auteurs - How I Learned to Love the Bootboys
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

Heather Phares
Add N to (X) - Avant Hard
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe
Jim O’Rourke - Eureka
Royal Trux - Veterans of Disorder
Smog - Knock Knock
Stereo Total - My Melody
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes

Tim Sendra
These poptastic songs are guaranteed to rub you the right way, get your game on, and be friends forever. These songs are strong enough, as high as Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Aphrodite, and if you’re lucky, they might just kiss you beneath the milky twilight. None of these songs are also known as a buster, none will hang out the passenger side of their best friend’s ride, and they will never, not ever, steal your sunshine. And yes, we like butter tarts!

LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Cher - “Believe”
Smashmouth - “All Star”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Tal Bachman - “She’s So High”
Sixpence None the Richer - “Kiss Me”
TLC - “No Scrubs”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Vitamin C - “Graduation (Friends Forever)”

Some of the recordings listed above are technically 1998 releases, but they made more of an impact in 1999.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Time was, Jason Castro was a refreshing contestant on American Idol as he didn’t fit in with the rest of the competition. As time wore on, his freshness faded, due entirely to the grind of the show and how it broke him down. For the last two weeks of the show he clearly hasn’t wanted to be here, and between the Ford commercials, phone Q&As, and trips to The Beatles: Love, who can blame him? As I said yesterday — the day when I called him Jason Cook, as the show has clearly worn me down, too — he’s done enough to have a career outside of the show and my money is that he will make an album about as good and true to himself (the ultimate Paula criteria) as David C.

To me, the real atrocity of last night was that group sing on “Reelin’ in the Years.” I have no problem with Steely Dan on the show, of course — if anything, the great Walter Becker and Donald Fagen would be my dream judges/mentors, rivaling that legendary episode with Quentin Tarantino as guest judge — but this was an outright embarrassment, with each line getting more ridiculous, culminating in David Archuleta botching lyrics once again. The only thing they can do to make up for this is to have a Becker/Fagen night next year, preferably early in the season when the show has enough contestants to be interesting to watch.

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The rumors are true: the next in what seems to be a trend of sneak release attacks, Beck is putting out a new album sometime soon, and Danger Mouse is producing it. [Billboard.com]

Heralding the inevitable decline of the festival, Vegoose has been canceled this year. [Pitchfork]

That hasn’t stopped the Siren Music Festival from announcing its initial line-up, however. [Village Voice]

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