If you haven’t already noticed, DOOM has made a big-time return this year. He dropped BORN LIKE THIS. (TMT Review) earlier this year and is set to release a compilation LP Unexpected Guests on November 10. Meanwhile, Madvillain (his collabo with Madlib) is scheduled to drop its long-awaited follow-up LP soonish and are even performing at the We The People festival (TMT News).

Now word is out that DOOM has a new EP set for release in December, titled Gazillion Ear (named after a track off BORN LIKE THIS.). Not only that, but the EP, according to a press release, features production by J Dilla, Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio), and Thom Edward Yorke! Read for yourself:

Masked maverick DOOM (previously known as MF Doom) is set to release his new GAZZILLION EAR EP this December. The record includes production by Radiohead frontman and longtime DOOM fan Thom Yorke, the much-missed J Dilla, psychedelic hip-hop artist Jneiro Jarel and TV On The Radio lynchpin Dave Sitek. The EP follows DOOM’s earlier BORN LIKE THIS album opus - one of the hip-hop highlights of 2009.

Hooray, there’s finally a release date for that Spoon album with that single that keeps getting stuck in my head. FINALLY. Now my torment can end… on January 26, to be exact. The Transference (and therefore the previously mentioned single/title track of their last EP Got Nuffin’) will be released on Merge. Never got into Spoon? You’re in luck: about a month ago, the band also released digital versions of their first four albums — Telephono, A Series of Sneaks, Girls Can Tell, Kill The Moonlight — on their official website.

In other Spooncentric news, the group is playing a presumably very special New Year’s show in Milwaukee. (No, no one has to make a hard decision about bullying after school, and Joey Lawrence is not the guest star, but hey, it’s New Year’s, so you never know, right?) Watch this space for more info about tourdates in support of Transference, but until then enjoy the tracklist!

Transference tracklisting:

1. Before Destruction
2. Is Love Forever?
3. The Mystery Zone
4. Who Makes Your Money
5. Written In Reverse
6. I Saw The Light
7. Trouble Comes Running
8. Goodnight Laura
9. Out Go The Lights
10. Got Nuffin
11. Nobody Gets Me But You

As the woozy North African-core, power-folk, trance-hop, whatever-the-fuck ambient outro track of “2009” seamlessly crossfades into the global-glitch, holler-hush, Christian-grind, rock-boom-bap rave-up track that is “2010,” one thing is infinitely clear: no one knows what the fuck music sounds like anymore. Seriously. It’s like a goddamn Jefferson Airplane song up in here. There’s white knights talking backwards through auto-tune boxes, hookah-smoking caterpillars dueting with 10-foot-tall dormice, and Rivers Cuomo’s chumming around with Kenny G and Chamillionaire. I’m freaking out, man.

And as if your head still isn’t fed enough, here’s another trip for you: Peter Gabriel (yes, that Peter Gabriel) is getting set to release his first new album in seven years. And su-prize, su-prize, the dang ol’ thing is an “all-star collaborative song swap” containing “orchestral reinterpretations” of classic tracks. And... the tracks feature “no guitars, drums, or world instruments” of any kind... AND, the thing will feature (among a wealth of weird others)... yes, Radiohead.

No release date has been scheduled as of yet, but the album, recorded with producer Bob Ezrin at London’s Air Studios this past July, is said to include Radiohead’s “Street Spirit,” though it seems to be unfortunately unclear who performed on the track. Other tracks slated to ambiguously appear in one form or another in all of their orchestral glory include “Heroes” by David Bowie, “The Book of Love” by Gabriel himself but seemingly featuring The Magnetic Fields (whose cover of the song kicks much more sentimental ass than the original), “Flume” by Bon Iver, “My Body Is A Cage” by The Arcade Fire, “Listening Wind” by Talking Heads, “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks, and “Philadelphia” by Neil Young. So, uh, yeah, basically a bunch of songs that are already pretty orchestral. Get ready to weep, I guess.

John Metcalfe, who worked on some orchestral reinterpretations for the record, has shed a little bit of light on the as-of-now pretty confusing subject, alluding to the fact that that artists will “cover each others’ songs” on this monstrosity. “There are some very, very famous singers and bands involved,” Metcalfe said. “It sounds amazing, even though I say it myself. It is literally Peter with an orchestra, sometimes the orchestra is quite large, then there are some more chamber music-style, sparse songs. But the songs are not simply covers, they are quite major reinterpretations of some famous stuff. It’s quite radical and we’re hoping that people really get it and enjoy it.” So... um, HOW are the other artists involved?? Oh well. There’s still hope that this is just a bum trip, I guess.

Leonard Cohen, everyone’s favorite depressive genius, will be releasing a new biography December 1. Hallelujah will be written by Tim Footman, author of Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer And The Death of the Classic Album.

The book tells of Cohen’s “years growing up in Quebec in a middle class Jewish family, through a decade as a budding poet and author — following the publication of his first collection in 1956.” It goes on to look at his “relocation to NYC and entry into the world of folk and rock [at the age of 37] and his successful career as a singer-songwriter.”

Footman’s work also focuses on Cohen’s new material currently being recorded after a decade of meditating 12 hours a day in a Buddhist monastery. It will be the first biography of the Canadian artist since 1998 and will be published by Chrome Dreams. Just in time, then, to make it onto those all-important Christmas lists!

When you’re RJD2, every day is like Christmas. And by every day, I mean once a week between now and January 19. The formerly Def Jux-signed beatsmith will be giving away a free item each Monday until the release of his fourth LP, The Colossus, on RJ’s Electrical Connections. First item up for grabs was (you missed it!) a vinyl test-pressing of his 2003 EP The Horror, of which only five were ever made. To see the original contest and read RJD2’s explanation of the whole shebang, check here on his blog.

Aside from releasing new albums and playing Santa, RJD2 is also planning some re-issues of old material. Both his 2004 LP Since We Last Spoke (TMT Review) and the aforementioned The Horror EP will receive re-issues on November 17, while his breakthrough 2002 LP Deadringer (TMT Review) will get one one on November 3. Merry RJDmas!

For $29.99, you too can be part of Weezer’s promotional gimmick:

Publicist: "The Snuggie blanket is more than a fun idea, impulse buy or kitschy TV ad; it is a truly innovative and ultimately functional product. It’s made of lightweight, soft fleece that keeps people of all ages warm indoors and out, with large, roomy sleeves allowing for free movement. It answers a basic need shared by many - staying warm and comfortable while having hands free to do what you please - channel surf, snack, read a book... or crank up the volume on your favorite Weezer song."

Raditude (TMT Review) is out today in stores. My recommendation? Wait a couple days and check the used bins first.

On December 14, The Clash will be reissuing London Calling. Details on the 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition are scarce but a “CD/DVD package is expected.” The re-re-release comes five years after the 25th Anniversary Edition, which featured The Vanilla Tapes, which was an earlier version of the album based on a lost master tape.

In 2014, fans can look forward to the 35th Anniversary Honorary Edition. The re-re-re-release will contain The Chocolate Mint Tapes – a postmodern take on London Calling by No Age.

Hey TMT readers, it’s been a while. I’ve been off starting my own zine onethirtybpm, but I’m back and I have some pretty sweet news (which I posted there first):

It appears that the New York-based experiment group Liars have something up their sleeves. Today, the group’s MySpace page has been updated with new artwork and several links to thesisterworld.com. Upon visiting that site, you’ll see the same artwork and be able to watch some pretty abstract beach videos. Clicking on the text ‘SISTERWORLD’ will forward you to the official Liars website.

It looks like there’s a new album possibly entitled Sisterworld being released in 2010. We’ve contacted both of Liars’ publicists for confirmation, so we’ll keep you posted. The band’s publicist has confirmed that the band is releasing an album in early 2010. Now let’s just sit back and see whether they lean more toward beach ambience or more towards the stygian nautical themes of Ween’s The Mollusk. I’m sure they could probably find a middle ground.

Until next time TMT readers! At least you know where to find me now.

Admired alternative artists and krautrockers Four Tet, Maps, Clinic, Damo Suzuki (of Can) and Michael Rother (of Neu! and Harmonia) have joined together to create exclusive recordings for Audioscope, a nine-year-old music festival with the purpose of raising funds for the homeless. All musical contributions will appear on an album titled Music for a Good Home, where Dieter Moebius, Pram, and Clinic are also slated to make an appearance. Music for a Good Home’s profits will go towards national housing and Shelter, a U.K. charity organization for the homeless.

Four Tet is reportedly contributing original work for the compilation, as well as Maps performing a Bob Dylan track. And that’s not all... oh, that’s not all. Damo Suzuki’s contribution to "Home" will be a live track recorded at Oxford’s Truck Festival. Only 300 physical copies of the album will be released, but that’s okay, because who really buys those? For the forward-thinking donator, digital copies will also be sold on iTunes. The tracklist is below.

1. Michael Rother - Maus-Mann-Motiv
2. Piano Magic - Never It Will Be the Same Again
3. Four Tet - Audioscope
4. The Oscillation - The 3rd Harmonic
5. Damo Suzuki - Truck on Track
6. Dieter Moebius - Popst
7. Maps - Not Dark Yet
8. Pram - Tumblin
9. Shooting at Unarmed Men - Death by Decaf
10. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Gat Rot
11. Clinic - Earl Mallard
12. Blood Red Shoes - Carry Knots
13. Einstellung - Und Die Ruhe Ist Donner

Lil Wayne, looking to recover from the guilty plea he made the other day (TMT News), has finally made the No Ceilings mix tape, which he and his posse have been chattering about for a long time, available to all his little Hot Boys the world over. I’ve been waiting a reeeeeal long time for this record to drop, because, as we know, Dedication 3 sucked, and Weezy hasn’t released an official mix tape (that was good) in too, too long of a time. He’s also been playing the guitar a Lil Too Much, and if you hadn’t noticed, Lil Wayne may be one of the best rappers of all-time. But his guitar playing? Even worse than your little brother, and your little brother sucks pretty bad.

The new tape features Lil Wayne getting back to the rap game, rhyming over tracks by Jay-Z, Gucci Mane, Lady Gaga tour-mate Kid Cudi, and Fergie’s new band, The Black Eyed Peas. The whole thing is available for download at Nah Right, and I recommend that you download it. It’s going to be my party mix for Halloween — can’t wait to dance around to some (kinda) new songs by Lil Wayne as I wear my New Orleans Nightmare costume!

Hey! Here’s the tracklist!

1. Swag Surfin’
2. Ice Cream Paint Job
3. D.O.A.
4. Interlude
5. Wasted
6. Watch My Shoes
7. Break Up [ft. Short Dawg & Gudda Gudda]
8. Banned From TV
9. Throw It in the Bag (Remix)
10. I Think I Love Her [ft. Tyga & Shanell]
11. Interlude #2 [ft. Shanell]
12. Wetter
13. I’m Good [ft. T-Streets]
14. Poke Her Face [ft. Jae Millz]
15. Run This Town
16. I Gotta Feeling
17. Outro