What the fuck is this shit? Beyoncé kicked off her I Am... tour in Edmonton, Canada last week. Since then, this video clip of her covering Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know" has taken over YouTube... and it sucks.

"You Oughta Know" isn't meant to be sung by a glamazon in stiletto heels. And it surely isn't meant to be sung without the line "Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?" This is an angst-filled breakup anthem for women who are really fucking pissed off--something Beyoncé can't quite pull off.

Make no mistake, I'm excited for Ms. Knowles' concert at Key Arena tomorrow. But if she opts to cover Alanis again, I will be using that time to go and buy a drink or use the restroom.

Here's some happy news. After four long years, Canadian indie band Metric is back. Their new album Fantasies drops April 14 (although you can buy it via iTunes starting March 31) and they're going on tour to promote it. The first stop: Seattle's Showbox at the Market on June 4.

I've had Fantasies on repeat in my car's CD player for a couple days now. Emily Haines and crew sound lovely as usual with their trademark blend of indie-pop and new wave. Jonesing to have a listen? You can get a preview of the full album by visiting Metric's website. Enjoy!

Lollapalooza '09.

No lineup announcements yet, but if you trust Perry (and C3) early bird tickets are on sale now.

Habib Koite and Bamada at Triple Door, 7 p.m. (all ages) and 9:30 p.m., $25

Arguably one of the most popular Malian performers in the world music circuit, Habib Koité (pictured) is best known both for his guitar technique and for his calm, measured performances, which contrasts with the more fiery style of other artists from his country. A relentless touring artist who is always on the road, Koité harldly ever finds the time to get into the studio - his latest release, last year's Afriki (Cumbancha) came after a six-year hiatus - in the meantime, he found the time to collaborate with the likes of Bonnie Raitt (who is a confessed fan) and folk-blues troubadour Eric Bibb. Unlike the late Ali Farka Touré or Amadou & Mariam, Koité does not use electric guitars, relying instead on his steel-stringed acoustic, which he plays without many effects, save an occasional wah-wah or some reverb. Also, Koité bases his sound on the traditional music of his native country, adapting it in his own was - making sound as organic as it gets these days. ERNEST BARTELDES

More >>

I just got word that Seattle-based five-piece band Spook the Horse are going to be celebrating the release of their latest disc, Scarlett tonight. The group is having a listening party around 9 p.m. at Havana on Capitol Hill.

From what I understand, Scarlett is a long time in the making. Most of the songs for the album were recorded back in 2006/2007 and the guys are finally letting the public hear them. I'm not sure what type of distribution it's going to have, but it will be available at locally at Easy Street Records and of course, tonight at Havana if you want to come out and buy it. It will also be available on iTunes. As for tonight, DJ Sad Bastard is going to be spinning songs off Spook the Horse's new record in addition to all of the regular old school dour jams he always plays.

Late last week, employees of Barsuk Records quietly packed up their Georgetown headquarters and decamped to the top of Queen Anne.The eclectic alterna-pop label, which launched Death Cab's career and boasts a roster of artists that includes the Long Winters, Nada Surf, Mates of State, Ra Ra Riot, and Say Hi (whose Oohs & Aahs is one of my favorite releases of the year), now occupies a large, raw space that formerly housed a photo studio near the Galer St. Trader Joe's.

That's not the only change that's afoot at Barsuk: The label's longtime in-house publicist, Ever Kipp (pictured at left, looking far more vicious than usual), has started his own media relations company, Tiny Human, with Barsuk's blessing. The fruit, however, isn't falling very far from the tree, as Kipp's office is housed in the new Barsuk headquarters, and he will continue to rep the label as well as its artists.

More >>

with this piece of video sunshine from my current musical faves Wavves!

Cheers!

Over the weekend I ran into Thomas from Champagne Champagne (pictured above) and he was brimming with good new news. His group, which also includes Pearl Dragon and DJ Gajamagic, was recently added to this year's Sasquatch line-up. Just a week ago, Mad Rad announced they were back on the festival's line up as well, so I figured something official would be coming out soon.

Turns out Sasquatch actually posted something on Friday. The most up to date additions can be found here and below.

Saturday
Champagne Champagne

Sunday
Japandroids
Mad Rad

Monday
Heartless Bastards
Other Lives

Granted, Ratatat's instrumental electronic rock serves as the perfect soundtrack for heavy drug and alcohol consumption. But even I wasn't prepared for the crazy fuckery that went down on Sunday night. How many Ratatat fans actually made it into work this morning? My guess is four outta 10--and that's being generous.

There were at least a handful of people at any given time downing vodka out of flasks in the venue's corners. A guy got kicked out for rolling a joint in one of the bathroom stalls. Several pairs of suspiciously dilated pupils dotted the crowd. Before getting inside I got my pepper spray confiscated and was then interrogated for several minutes over the prescription medication in my purse. (Sadly, they were antidepressants. I'm way too broke to buy ecstasy.)

More >>

Awful news, you guys. Our Philly correspondent Michael Alan Goldberg just informed me that guitarist Travis Criscola, recent addition to the Cute Lepers, passed away in his sleep at 24 years old. According to this sad blog post on the band's MySpace, Criscola died as the result of an accidental overdose on pills and alcohol. The band was scheduled to play a show in Philly as part of their US tour, which they've obviously canceled; they're on their way back to Seattle now. My deepest condolences to the band, and Travis Criscola's friends and family.