Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh have new albums on the way, both about to play Weezer Cruise

Lou Barlow w/ Dinosaur Jr. @ Terminal 5 (more here)

What a fantastic time to be a fan of Lou Barlow's various musical endeavors. A mere ten years ago, few would have expected that you'd one day be able to catch both Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh live in 2011, yet we did just that multiple times throughout last year. And though we've already witnessed the release of two fine albums by the reformed Dinosaur Jr., word comes straight from Barlow that yet another new Dinosaur album is on the way in a new interview in Miami New Times. Lou told us that work on a new album was imminent last time we spoke with him, but now he confirms that the band will in fact be hitting the studio in February.

The more exciting news is that Barlow's other project Sebadoh will begin recording an album's worth of new material following the Dinosaur sessions, making it their first album in thirteen years! Head over to our friend The Backstage Rider for more exclusive details on the project, which is slated to be released late 2012 or early 2013. I speak for Sebadoh fans everywhere... this fucking rocks. More details as they unravel will be posted here, so definitely check back for updates on the record.

Want to see Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, J Mascis and Lou Barlow all in the same weekend? Then you should probably buy a ticket for the upcoming Weezer Cruise, which takes place January 19-23 starting in Miami. Can't make it? Well then you should also head to The Backstage Rider to enter a contest and win a shit ton of Weezer merchandise, including vinyl, posters, t-shirts and temporary tattoos. Go on, get to it.

Now that we've blown your mind with tons of exciting news and stuff, watch some very wacky Weezer videos below, along with some old school Dinosaur and Sebadoh videos thrown in for good measure below...

"The Spirit Of Talk Talk" Book In The Works With 80 Contributors (Grandaddy, Depeche Mode, Weezer & More)

Speaking of beloved British bands, Talk Talk are the subject of a really cool tribute project coming out about 21 years after their split in 1991. Iconic cover artist James Marsh has remastered all of the artwork he made for Talk Talk for a new book entitled The Spirit of Talk Talk that is focused on celebrating the music, art, and influence of the band. The book will feature contributions of everything Talk Talk-related, ranging from Marsh's original sketches and hand-written lyrics from singer Mark Hollis to previously unreleased photos of the band by Richard Haughton, concert posters, and more.

Additionally, the book will feature a main essay from famed rock music writer Chris Roberts as well as a whopping 80 written contributions from bands and artists influenced or inspired by Talk Talk's creative output. These include Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Guy Garvey (Elbow), Alan Wilder (Depeche Mode / Recoil), Richard Wright (Pink Floyd), Patrick Wilson (Weezer), and a ton more.

Sounds awesome, right? Find out more about the book over at its website, and be sure to register your interest over here to let its creators know how many they should expect to print and to get more info on the publication of the book as it develops. (Cheers to The Backstage Rider for the heads up!)

Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) To Release "The Pinkerton Diaries"

'90s indie-darlings-turned-widely-panned-for-turning-mainstreamy band Weezer are considered pretty divisive for the reason I just mentioned, but one thing is for sure: they're a perfect example of a nostalgic band, if only because a lot of people keep wishing they'd make albums as good as the original S/T Weezer (Blue) and Pinkerton again. And for THOSE people, Rivers Cuomo has a special announcement for you!

Frontman Rivers Cuomo has announced the imminent release of The Pinkerton Diaries, an extremely hardcore collector's edition of Pinkerton that he notes will include "a collection of my journals, emails, letters, photos, and school papers — so you get an inside look as to exactly what I was thinking [when I wrote Pinkerton]." These documents span the years 1994 to 1997, with the first diary entry written the day after the band released Blue.

All of that will come in a leatherbound book that will likely smell of rich mahogany, and will be accompanied by the long-awaited third CD in Cuomo's Alone series. This album will have a ton of demos from the Pinkerton-era, and you can see the full tracklisting and pre-order the whole diary + album package over at this website for delivery the week of December 12.

Perfect reading for that cruise Weezer is hosting early next year, eh?

Review: Weezer / The Flaming Lips @ PNC Bank Arts Center, 7/28

Editor's Note: Wow, you guys. Wow.

by Geanna Barlaam and James MacFie

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A recipe for Nostalgia.

Combine the following in an outdoor setting:
-1 Part amphitheatre you’ve been going to since you were 9 years old
-2 Parts bands you’ve been listening to since you were 12 years old
-1 Part concert-going-buddy-for-life, who you’ve been seeing shows with since you were 15 years old

Mix well and serve with the chance of rain.

Yes, friends, it finally happened. Weezer and The Flaming Lips performed together on the same stage for about 3.5 hours, giving us and our adolescent selves something we never knew we wanted. But before we get down and dirty, we would be remiss if we didn’t at least mention the opening band.

Yeasayer opened and played about 4 (or was it 5?) songs from their most recent album, Odd Blood. If you are familiar with Yeasayer, then you know exactly what that sounded like. If you are not familiar with this band, all you need to know is that they are one of the most derivative, hyped-up bands of the last couple years, playing music that sounds at once like 1980’s synthesized pop, reggae, and attempted psychedelic rock. While this mix may seem appealing to you, Yeasayer puts these sounds together with such obvious, intentional efforts, that it comes off like they’re going through their own musically nostalgic check-list.

Now let's move on to the big guns! With not even 30 minutes for sound check and set-up, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne was on stage, riling up the crowd and explaining how the night would unfold. No one in the audience (except for the very savvy writers of this review) seemed to know what was in store, so he laid out the plan very clearly: “We’re gonna play some songs, then Weezer will come out and play some songs, then we’ll all get on stage together for the end... we’ll see how it goes.”

It was obvious that neither band really knew what was going to happen, but their apparent confidence in the other’s performances was what would keep the night going strong. We were promised, however, that shit was gonna get weird.

Weezer, Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, Gene Ween & more will play the Weezer Cruise

In what appears to be some sort of weird surreal dream I might've had as a fifteen-year old high on NyQuil, Weezer, Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, and Gene Ween will share the bill with many, many more, for the Weezer Cruise, which will take place from January 19-23 of 2012. The four day festival, which will also feature younger (and amazing) acts such as the Antlers, Yuck, Wavves, the Nervous Wreckords (featuring Brian Karscig of Louis XIV) and Boom Bip, will sail from Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico in one epic, unadulterated, wacky sea adventure in the name of indie rock. The website specifically states that bands will play multiple performances.

In addition to J Mascis and Lou Barlow performing in their respective bands, the two will perform solo sets throughout the cruise, meaning Lou Barlow will be pulling triple duty (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, and solo). I hope the guy packs his Dramamine. You can get the exact details of the pricing scheme over at the Weezer Cruise website, but the most basics I can find are that tickets will be sold individually at $799/person or at $599/person if you travel as a group of four. Pricey for sure, but not when you consider the fact that you will be on a cruise ship with some indisputable rock gods. If I get to share a beer with Lou Barlow, and high-five Gene Ween, then it's totally worth it.

Below is the confirmed lineup so far, with more to be announced as the date nears. Props to the Backstage Rider for providing us this info, and for forcing us to seriously contemplate dipping into our retirement funds* to make it down there...