andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Piano songstress Regina Spektor is set to release her third major-label album, “Far,” early this summer.

The 13-track album, the follow-up to 2006’s “Begin To Hope,” will hit store shelves on June 23 via Sire Records. The first single will be a track called “Laughing With.”

Spektor sought the talents of four different producers for the new album: Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys), Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem), David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes) and Garret “Jacknife” Lee (Weezer, REM). In a recent interview with Pitchfork, the singer/songwriter/pianist was asked if she was worried about creating a cohesive sound with such varied producers.

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Get ready for a new sound from Norah Jones.

Jones’ indie rock band, El Madmo, has just been signed to the label Team Love. According to Exclaim!, the band will be releasing an album on May 20.

Jones adopts a pseudonym and blonde wig when performing with the El Madmo. On their MySpace, the band has written this colourful description of themselves: Born of social ineptitude and an ageless belief in trick-or-treatery, EL MADMO offers escape, justice, karmic postulation, and that feeling you get when you know something that no one else does. Starting out as a garage band trapped in the basements of various hockey arenas, their is a powerfully raw sound that could only be inspired by the smell of Zamboni fuel and sweaty skates. The band consists of guitarist/singer, Maddie, bassist/singer, El, and majestically afroed drummer, Mo. Their self-titled debut album is a solid piece of body rocking ear-munition revealing a musical labyrinth that challenges you to, “Choose your own adventure.” From the Aeolian darkness of “Vampire Guy”, to the sassy cha-cha of “Fantasy Guy”, to a song that simply asks, “What good is a smile when your head’s in a vise?”, EL MADMO serves up a hot and tasty meal that’ll fill you up and also “Rock Yer Balls Off.”

Fans can listen to three tracks at MySpace.com/elmadmo.