Photo: Strauss/WireImage

Iggy Pop is the coolest motherfucker ever. Yesterday, he released a killer album called Preliminaires, and we rang him up at his pad down in the Cayman Islands.  

"Did you ever spend time in the real life smoking section in the airplane?" was the first thing he said to us. "It was cool, right? Whenever I see your little logo, I always remember how the ashtrays used to look."

We're flattered!

After melting faces on 2007's Stooges reunion album and tour, Iggy is heading in a completely different direction with Preliminaires, a collection of moody ballads. The disc is inspired by French writer Michel Houellebecq's The Possibility of Island. "I would describe it as a 'fucking good read,'" Iggy told us of the post-apocalyptic story of a man and his dog. "It was thought-provoking, it had soul, and it spoke to me."

In 2007, Pop was commissioned to write a few mellower songs for a documentary about Houellebecq. Working in solitude -- "I have a basic hatred of producers, products and being produced," he says -- Pop ended up with enough material for an entire record.

Iggy's a national hero in France, and he croons en francais on the standard "Les Feuilles Mortes" ("Autumn Leaves"). Says Iggy, "Finally, I can say, 'Thank God for that junior-high French class.'"

In other Pop news, Iggy has said the Stooges are talking about playing shows to celebrate the 1973 masterpiece, Raw Power. Founding guitarist Ron Asheton died in January, so the idea is contingent on the return of ex-strummer James Williamson. "We've been talking," Iggy says. "It would have to involve James."

Check out "King of the Dogs," off Preliminaires, below, and click the jump for our full interview with Pop.

Iggy Pop - "King of the Dogs"

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Photo: Loud/FilmMagic

So we're a little late to the party -- the record came out in April -- but we've seriously been digging Yonder is the Clock, the newest effort from mountain boys the Felice Brothers.

The Felice Brothers are made up of brothers Ian (vocals and guitar), James (accordion, piano, vocals) and Simone Felice (percussion, vocals) and family friends Christmas (bass) and Farley (fiddle). They've been playing music together for years, starting at backyard BBQs in upstate New York before moving to Brooklyn to try their hand at busking in the streets and subway stations.

The Bros have been a staple at folk and jam festivals over the past few years and are about to embark on an extensive tour across the country. "We're looking forward to heading out west, it's always fun," James Felice tells us. "Touring with my brothers and close friends, it's pretty laid back. Every now and then there's a moment of violence, but it's very few and far between. And now we have XM radio so we can listen to Yankee games while we're on the road."

Onstage, the Felice Brothers ar super-high energy. There's a story about the brothers playing at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival during a wicked thunderstorm. The power was cut, so the guys jumped off stage and played an impromptu acoustic gig in the mud with their fans. "That energy came about when we started playing in the streets and in the subways," James says. "We just had to be as loud and obnoxious as possible to get people's attention. To play in a dour sort of way, especially our music, would be ridiculous."

Check out two tracks below, "Penn Station," which James tells us he wrote about architect Louis Kahn, and "Run Chicken Run," which is "just a wacky, fucked up tune."

The Felice Brothers - "Penn Station"

The Felice Brothers - "Run Chicken Run"

Check out this bizarre Modest Mouse clip for their new single, "Satellite Skin." It was directed by Kevin Willis, the genius behind all of Tool's awesome stop-animation videos. The tune is from the upcoming EP, No One's First and You're Next, due in August.

There's also an awesome B-side on the vinyl edition of the single. It's called "Guilty Cocker Spaniels," and you can now stream the cut at Stereogum. 

We think both tunes rock, but we're digging the B-side a little more. 

What do you think?

We're looking forward to the Mars Volta's fifth studio album, Octahedron, due on June 22nd. And we can't wait to see them perform down at Bonnaroo.

Above, you'll find a radio rip of the first US single from Octahedron, "Since We've Been Wrong." The song is much mellower than previous Volta releases, and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has said that the album will feature some acoustic numbers. 

Judging by the UK single "Cotopaxi," (below) that description doesn't apply to every song on the disc.

Check out this new tune from Lily Allen, "Why." It's a b-side featured on the single release "Not Fair."

We really like it!

We've been digging this Deer Tick track, "Easy," off their upcoming album, Born on Flag Day. 

Photo: McCarthy/WireImage

Here's a sneak peak at what to expect from Levon Helm's upcoming album, Electric Dirt. Enjoy "I Wish I Knew How To Be Free" below, and look out for Electric Dirt on June 30th. 

Levon Helm - "I Wish I Knew How To Be Free" 

You like?

Kanye West announced via his blog that he and Killers frontman Brandon Flowers have spontaneously recorded a track together. The collaboration went down after Flowers and Frozen Embryos/Residue singer Jared Leto stopped by 'Ye's studio while he was working up some new material. 

From West's blog:

"I WAS WORKING ON THIS DOPE ASS SONG WHEN JARED AND BRANDON STOPPED BY. I PLAYED THEM SOME OF THE NEW JEEZY BEATS AND BEFORE EVERYBODY BOUNCED BRANDON HOPPED ON THE KEYBOARD AND I HOPPED ON THE MPC. SHIT WAS DOPE."

Let's hope that Leto didn't touch anything in the studio, or this shit's doomed.

Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band will be releasing their second album, Outer South, on May 5th, as well as a documentary DVD offering a behind-the-scenes look at the band.

Titled One of My Kind and created by the Mystic Valley Band's guitar tech, Phil Shaffart, the DVD will feature footage from last year's world tour, as well as from the recording sessions for Conor Oberst and Outer South. One of My Kind will be available on April 15th as a FREE stream or HD download at a number of hosts, including Causecast, IFC, the Conor Oberst website and Merge Records. For now, there's a trailer for the video on Conor's website.

In addition to the DVD, the Mystic Valley Band have also announced a bunch of upcoming tour dates in support of Outer South. Click the jump to see if they're coming to a town near you.

Also, here's a new tune from Outer South, "Nikorette," which you can download for free here. 

Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band - "Nikorette"

UPDATE 4/15/09: You can now stream and download One of My Kind here or at any of the websites listed above!

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Here's some new tunes we've been diggin'. Check 'em out...

Radio Moscow - "Broke Down"

Hot Panda - "Chinatown Bus"

The Pack A.D. - "Making Gestures"