Underground Boston rapper Mr Lif is taking an unorthodox approach to the upcoming US presidential election: since September, he has been releasing one or two new tracks every three weeks, and plans to continue until Election Day on 4 November. The entire collection, I Heard It Today, will be released on Inauguration Day (20 January, 2009) as well as a reaction track to the election results. Song material will mirror real-time issues discussed by presidential candidates; expect slick production work by hiphop mavens Edan and Illmind.


Mr Lif (photo Hibbard Nash)

British dramatist Mark Archer is in talks with producers from London’s West End to create The Theatre of Dreams – a musical based on the life of David ‘Goldenballs’ Beckham. ‘The music is powerful, gospel-like rock to establish clearly football and Manchester United as a religion,’ Archer tells UK broadsheet The Daily Telegraph. Right…good luck, mate.

Keep an eye out for The Relationship – a new band fronted by Weezer guitarist Brian Bell. Their MySpace page hints at a debut album in the making…we only hope they’re half as good as The Rentals (the side-project of ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp). Stay in the loop via www.myspace.com/therelationship.com.

Bad news for fans of www.mux tape.com: the user-generated DIY mixtape site has been hauled up by the long arm of the law for ‘copyright infringements’. No worries – we’ve got a better alternative: 8tracks. com, which allows you to make longer mixtapes (a minimum of eight songs), save favourites and upload ‘album art’ for your mixes. The straightforward interface lets you browse through other users’ tapes to discover new tunes.

New releases
• Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul, 7 Oct
• Keane, Perfect Symmetry, 13 Oct
• AC/DC, Black Ice, 20 Oct
• Electric Six, Flashy, 21 Oct
• Squarepusher, Just a Souvenir, 27 Oct
• Snow Patrol, A Hundred Million Suns, 28 Oct