This Week in Music

The Beastie Boys have confirmed the release date of their forthcoming release, Hot Sauce Committee Part 1. The group’s eighth studio album will drop September 15^th (on Capitol Records). The record will include 17 tracks, with special guest musicians, including Nas and Santigold. The New York-based trio has a busy summer ahead of them, as they tackle such festivals as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and All Points West. (Note to locals – for a more intimate Beasties performance, be sure to grab tickets to their August 6^th show at Chicago’s Congress Theater, before their Lollapalooza performance.) The Beastie Boys have also announced their plan to release a remastered and expanded version of 1998’s Hello Nasty as a 2-disc/vinyl box-set, due out August 25^th. Also in store for Beasties fans is the forthcoming deluxe edition of 1994’s Ill Communication, slated for a July 14^th release.

Finally, some details surface regarding the May 24^th death of former Wilco member, Jay Bennett. An autopsy and a series of tests have been performed since Bennett died suddenly in his Urbana home last month. According to the Champaign County Coroner, Bennett died from an overdose of the painkiller Fetanyl, which is most commonly prescribed to treat chronic pain. Shortly before his death, Bennett, who still wrote, recorded and produced music in his studio, found himself needing a hip-replacement surgery, but did not have health insurance to cover the cost of the procedure. Bennett’s death is being investigated as an accident.

For those of you eager to see the new Cameron Diaz tear-jerker, My Sister’s Keeper, aside from experiencing plenty of tugging at your heart strings, you’ll also be in for a Jeff Buckley rarity, which makes things better – Buckley covers Elton John’s “We All Fall in Love Sometimes.” The track is a remastered version of Buckley’s never-released song, which was supposedly recorded live in 1992.

In My Morning Jacket news, crooning frontman Jim James has formed a supergroup of sorts, Monsters, pairing up with Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Mike Mogis The group releases its self-titled album September 22^nd. James also plans to release a George Harrison tribute album, due out August 4^th, called Tribute To. If you don’t hear much news on this release, it might be because James is releasing the album under the (un)creative moniker, Yim Yames! James recorded these songs in the few days following Harrison’s 2001 death.

More details surface regarding the Flaming Lips’ 12^th studio album, Embryonic. Singer/songwriter, Wayne Coyne divulged a few guest appearances on the forthcoming album, including MGMT and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. The double album is due out this fall.