QTheMusic.com

Wednesday, 2 November

Vampire Weekend are suffering from partial writers' block. Rostam Batmanglij has admitted that the band have started plenty of new songs for their third album but are having trouble finishing them off. "Right after our last tour I didn't think I could make music anymore. It was kind of traumatic," he says. "The way we make songs is so strange. We're always working on stuff and songs are always getting closer to being finished. This year has been an amazing year for starting songs. It hasn't been a great year for finishing them."
Listen to the full interview with Zane Lowe and new solo track Don't Let It Get To You, below.
Don't Let it Get to You by ROSTAM

Meanwhile, bandmate Ezra Koening has been busy doing a webchat. Check out the singer discussing how he spent his Halloween, wearing a fake moustache and showing off his "Preppy Handbook" below.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood have teamed up with rapper DOOM on a track to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Lex Records. Needless to say, Fake Plastic Trees pt. II it ain't.
Pitchfork.com

Coldplay are doing an acoustic set at this year's Little Noise Sessions. Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland have announced they'll be making a special appearance at St-John-at-Hackney Church on 24 November, joined by Ben Howard, Emile Sande, Michael Kiwanuka and Bebe Blac. Proceeds from the event, curated by Jo Whiley, go to aid Mencap.
Littlenoisesessions.org.uk

We have an exclusive on the new short film from Apparat. Shot in Mexico, the clip tells the story of how the electronic maestro recent album, The Devil's Walk, came together.

It doesn't look like we'll be hearing Dr Dre's long awaited 2011 follow-up, Detox, anytime soon. Guardian journalist Kieran Yates was thrown out of an interview for daring to ask about the long delayed solo album.
Guardian.co.uk

It's a case of She and Not Him as Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel confirm they are splitting up after two years of marriage. Deschanel had previously said it was "very difficult" being apart from the Death Cab For Cutie frontman all the time due to touring commitments. A representative for the actress/ She & Him singer explained: "It was mutual and amicable. There was no third party involved."
Usmagazine.com

James Murphy's DFA label celebrated its tenth birthday in London last night. The retired LCD main man and co founder couldn't make it to the 100 Club, but sent The Rapture in his place, who performed a funked up set of favourites like House Of Jealous Lovers and Pieces Of People We Love, although it was new songs like Sail Away that brought the house down as the night, which also featured DFA labelmates Prinzhorn Dance School and YACHT, flirted with the curfew.
Dfarecords.com

Justin BIEBER, who is perhaps best known for his song Baby, is current the subject of a paternity calim. The pop sensation has been accused of impregnating a woman after 30 seconds in a backstage bathroom, a claim BIEBER and his lawyers have strenuously denied. BIEBER.
Gawker.com

Antony Hagarty to set to perform a "meditation on light, nature, and femininity" titled Swanlights, at Radio City Music Hall in New York on 26 January. The show has been comissoned by the Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA) and will feature songs from all four Antony And The Johnson albums. Hagarty will be backed by a 60-piece orchestra, with acclaimed classical composer and Grizzly Bear collaborator Nico Muhly also lending a hand.
NYtimes.com

PJ Harvey has revealed that she's a big fan of Seinfeld. Does this mean her follow-up to Let England Shake might have 80s slap bass on it?
GQ.com

Fresh from announcing the tracklisting to his forthcoming second album, Take Care, Drake has unveiled another song from the record. The Motto features Drizzy's label boss, friend and rapper Lil Wayne.
Drake - The Motto Feat. Lil Wayne by octobersveryown

Fans of Insane Clown Posse have been officially classified as a gang by the FBI. The group's fans, known as Juggalos, are a "loosely-organised hybrid gang", who indulge in violence, criminal activity and "gang-like behaviour" according to the FBI's National Gang Threat Assessment report. Having just done a track with the circus themed band, Jack White might want to watch out for G-Men snopping around...
Guardian.co.uk

Dr Conrad Murphy, who is charged with the manslaughter of Michael Jackson, has decided not to testify in his trial as the defence rests in his trial. Final arguments will be made before Thursday after which the jury will begin its deliberations.
Rollingstone.com

Damon Albarn's opera Dr Dee is to get its London premiere on 25 June as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The show will run for eight nights at London's English National Opera, while an album version will be released next spring.
Eno.org

The Cure are releasing a live album recorded at last year's Bestival in aid of the Isle Of Wight Youth Trust. The double album will be available from 5 December with Robert Smith explaining: "We had such a great time in the Isle of Wight at Bestival that we wanted to release this show as a way of thanking fans and islanders alike. Bestival is the best!"
Thecure.com

Speaking of festivals, the lineups for next year's summer's events are already taking shape, with the Reading And Leeds Festival boss Melvin Benn promising "terrific" headliners. The Festival Republic managing director, who is also runs Latitude, explained: "I couldn't be happier overall with where we're going with all the festivals."
bbc.co.uk/newsbeat

Metallica collaboration with Lou Reed might not be going down too well with the band's faithful. "Metallica's fans are threatening to shoot me, and that's only because I showed up," the Velvet Underground man claims. "They haven't even heard the record yet, and they're recommending various forms of torture and death."
USAtoday.com

Beastie Boys Ad-Rock is stepping out on to Broadway. The MC is providing "original music" for the play Gloucester Blue by his father Israel Horovitz which opens in New York on 16 November.
Billboard.com

Today's track of the day is U2's One, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby.

That's it for today. More Hot List tomorrow at the same time, around noon.

12:00 PM | 02/11/2011