In a belated holiday gift, prosecutors in Los Angeles have decided not to file a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge against the R&B songstress for last year's chain-reaction car crash that resulted in a woman's death. According to a statement from the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, authorities opted not to proceed with a criminal case after a probe found "insufficient evidence" that Brandy, whose last name Norwood, was to blame. "After conducting a thorough investigation, which included consulting with some of the top accident reconstruction experts in the country, city prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence from which a jury could find Ms. Norwood guilty of such a charge beyond a reasonable doubt," prosecutors said. The fatal collision occurred on Dec. 30, 2006, when the Grammy-winning ex-Moesha star slammed her 2007 Land Rover into the back of a 2005 Toyota Corolla at 65 mph, setting off a four car pile-up. The driver of the Toyota, 38-year-old Awatif Aboudihaj, careened into the highway's center divider before being broadsided by another car. After suffering multiple pelvic fractures, the wife and mother of two died the following evening in the hospital. Weeks later, once news of the accident became public, Brandy issued a statement through her publicist in which she "express[ed] her condolences to the family of the deceased" and called it a "terrible tragedy." After investigating the crash scene and testing Brandy's sport utility vehicle for any mechanical defects, the California Highway Patrol eventually recommended a misdemeanor manslaughter charge be filed against her, saying negligence was responsible for the accident. A guilty conviction could have netted the 28-year-old entertainer anywhere from a year in jail and a $1,000 fine to house arrest or a work-furlough program. Brandy's attorney, Blair Berk, said the performer was grateful for the prosecutors' decision. "We are extremely pleased that after a more thorough and extensive investigation by the authorities, the Los Angeles City Attorney has determined that Brandy Norwood should not be charged with any crime whatsoever relating to the traffic accident," she said. "These past 12 months have been extraordinarily hard for Brandy and her family, who were unfairly forced to live under a cloud of suspicion initially caused by an ill-advised and premature press release sent out by the California Highway Patrol, accusing Brandy of wrongdoing before the police investigation was even finished," Berk continued. "However, Brandy continues to be mindful that she was extremely fortunate not to have been injured in this accident and that there was a life lost." But Brandy's ordeal isn't over by a longshot. She must now sweat out three civil suits launched by the victim's families. The first is a wrongful-death complaint filed in January by Aboudihaj's parents holding the singer-actress directly responsible for "driving recklessly" and seeking $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The second was filed on behalf of the victim's two children, 15-year-old Mrwan Mohammed and 11-year-old Kareem Mohammed, who were with their mother in the car when the crash took place and suffered injuries their attorney said will cause them permanent damage. Then there's Aboudihaj's widower, Maroune Hdidou, who claimed Brandy was driving "too fast for conditions" and "following too closely" and sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the loss of his spouse. In May, Brandy launched her own legal salvo against one of the motorists involved in the pile-up, accusing 50-year-old Simi Valley resident Mallory Ham of negligence and blaming her for causing the accident. The action came in response to Ham—who's also named as a defendant in Hdidou's suit—suing the erstwhile America's Got Talent judge for negligence and vehicular damage.

For the last eleven years or so, Jimmy Eat World has put out full-lengths that have either been labeled landmark releases that influenced a generation of emo-centric rock bands or gotten fairly respectable praise from fans and critics alike. The first of them, 1996's Static Prevails saw the then young Mesa, Arizona quartet making a raw, melodic but mostly emo-core record that only hinted at its top-notch songwriting abilities. 1999's Clarity, though criminally under-marketed by their former label Capitol Records, slowly but surely solidified Jimmy Eat World's reputation at home and abroad as one of the best and most influential bands in the emo genre. Commercial and radio hits, however, didn't come until Jimmy Eat World released Jimmy Eat World (a.k.a. Bleed American) in 2001. Though it contained an emo hit ("Sweetness") written in the Clarity era, this record was more in the power pop vein than any previous release. It was such a big hit that songs like "The Middle," "Sweetness," "Authority Song" and others have gone on to be featured in everything from sports stadiums to movies and in the case of "The Middle," covered by local cover bands or ripped off by newer so-called "emo" bands. 2004's Futures, in contrast to prior releases, had a darker sound and mood, but wasn't a commercial hit. Still, fans and critics mostly praised it, and even on the band's current tour, the few songs from the album that make their set list get loud cheers. So, does Chase This Light (Interscope Records) recapture any of the magic and power of Jimmy Eat World's best records? In essence, there's a little Clarity on the album, and some of the pop appeal of Jimmy Eat World (a.k.a. Bleed American) as well. For example, first single "Big Casino" has a speedy rhythmic guitar going through its verses that harkens back to Clarity's minor hit "Lucky Denver Mint." It's a heavy power pop number that's getting lots of airplay on modern rock radio, but the song doesn't quite have the catchy vocals to sing along to that their more successful radio hits had. By contrast, the final track on the album, the incredibly expansive break-up song "Dizzy" will remind older fans of why they fell in love with Jimmy Eat World in the first place. The intensity of Jim Adkins's personal lyrics and the tense and melodic guitars that complement each other as "Dizzy" builds to a crescendo are classic Jimmy Eat World. It's the best song they've written in a long time, IMO. Elsewhere, strong points on the album include the political and punk-inspired anthem "Electable (Give It Up)," "Firefight," new single "Always Be," and "Carry You." The latter track has a truly memorable chorus and should be a future radio hit. However, like some other tracks on the record, "Carry You" is a bit too pop-friendly in its production, with double octave vocals in the verses and "do-do, do-do-do" background vocals that take away from the personal and passionate vocals Jim Adkins brings to the song. "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" has a live string section conducted by David Campbell, but they are the song's highest point, as the hushed nature of Adkins's vocals isn't very appealing. This is not to say that it's a bad song. There is not a "bad" song on Chase This Light, just some songs that do not entice you to hit the repeat button on your CD player. There is one song, however that is bound to cause mixed reaction among Jimmy Eat World's older and newer fans. "Here It Goes," found in the last half of the album, is basically a dance-pop rock number with a bass line straight out of '80s pop. It's the most un-Jimmy Eat World song of all-time, IMO, but it is infectious and hard to resist. Taken together, Chase This Light is a largely satisfying power pop rock record with hints of what used to be their trademark emo anthems. While it certainly will get more spins in my CD player than Futures and Static Prevails, it's not quite on par with emo masterpieces like Clarity and the near perfect power pop of Bleed American CD. In fact, this record suffers at times from super slick, pop-oriented production and perhaps too much of it overall - in a too-many-cooks-spoil-the-broth kind of way - with the legendary Butch Vig serving as executive producer, while Chris Testa, John Fields, and the band serve as co-producers. Ultimately, like many 2007 releases, Chase This Light isn't an instant classic but is definitely worth owning if you've been a Jimmy Eat World fan all these years. In Pitchfork fashion, I'd give it a 7.8 out of 10. For more info on the band, visit their official website or their Myspace page. Also, check out a Windows Media audio clip of the new single "Always Be".

Christmas doesn’t sound like it’s going to be much fun in the Gallagher household – Noel says “really hates” the Yuletide holidays. Despite the Oasis star being father to a young family, he’s a full-on Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. “I really hate Christmas,” he grumbles. “I hate the silly music, the adverts, the mince pies and turkey." Guess that means Oasis won’t be releasing that Christmas single anytime soon.

Three-time DMC world champ DJ Craze was one of the standouts of the recent Parklife tour, and you can reacquaint yourself with his formidable skills on FabricLive.38. The 27-track disc for the London super-club tears through uncut electro, hip hop, drum �?n bass, Baltimore and other bass-heavy flavours. Craze’s turntable dexterity is in full evidence, too, bringing cohesion to what is a wildly eclectic tracklist. “I’m mixing up a lot of styles,” the man confirms in the CD’s press notes. “I have some freestyle tracks on there, some bass tracks on there, I’m putting Ho Fo Sho on there, I’ve got some hip hop tracks on at the beginning…I wanted it to be a dance, club, mixed up sound – but not mashup. It’s just more fun club stuff, some Klever stuff in there, some of Sinden’s stuff in there…and it’s all scratched up. I’ll try to do the whole turntablist thing. I can’t do a mix where it’s just tracks playing.” The mix is due in February. Tracklist 01. Craze – Intro Ft. Armanni Reign – Craze 02. N.O.R.E. – Set It Off Ft. Swizz Beatz and J. Ru$$ – Babygrande 03. Cool Kids – I Rock – Chocolate Industries 04. Cool Kids – Black Mags – Chocolate Industries 05 Bangers and Cash – Loose – Downtown 06. Tuff Crew – My Part Of Town – Warlock 07. Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme – Universal 08. Miami Jam Crew – Pretty Girls – Midtown DJ Blaqstarr – Shake It To The Ground Ft. Rye Rye (Acapella) – Mad Decent 09. Lushus – Ho Fo Sho – Craze 10. The Beat Club – Security – Warners 11. Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Eli Escobar Remix Ft. Pase Rock) – Back Yard 12. Treasure Fingers – Cross The Dancefloor – Treasure Fingers 13. DJ Blaqstarr – Supastarr – Mad Decent 14. Coldcut – True Skool Ft. Roots Manuva (Switch Remix) – Ninja Tune 15. Earth, Wind and Fire – Brazilian Rhyme – Sony 16. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul – Ministry Of Sound 17. Debbie Deb – When I Hear Music – Pandisc 18. Magic Mike – Magic Mike Cutz The Record – Cheetah 19. Quadrant Six – Body Mechanic – Atlantic 20. DJ Laz – Red Alert – Pandisc 21. Fresh Celeste and M4 Sers – Give It All To Me – JR Records 22. Bangers And Cash – Shake That – Downtown 23. The Pase Rock – Lindsay Lohan’s Revenge (Klever Remix) – Fully Fitted 24. Kazey & Bulldog – Big Truck – Dress-2-Sweat 25. The Chemical Brothers – Get Yourself High (Switches Rely On Rub) – EMI 26. Kid Sister – Pro Nails Remix feat. Kanye West – Fools Gold 27. DJ Assault – Pushin’ (Deekline, Wizard & Freq Nasty Mix) – Rat Check out Craze ripping it up at the 2006 World DJ Championships in London.

Rock around the Christmas tree with Relient K’s Let it Snow, Baby…Let It Reindeer (Capitol/Gotee). Building off of the band’s 2003 Christmas EP, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand, this full-length album features 10 holiday classics and six original songs. The album captures the many sides of the season, from the traditional sounds of “Handel’s Messiah” and “Angels We Have Heard On High” to the goofiness of 1950s novelty song “I’m Gettin’ Nuttin’ For Christmas” and “Santa Clause Is Thumbing To Town” (wherein Relient K imagines a Christmas full of catastrophes that reduce St. Nick to hitchhiking).    

What would December be without crass commercialism, rampant orgy-like spending, and random year-end lists? It Was the Best of Concerts, It Was the Worst of Concerts Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan, October 22, 2007 - In October the two music icons appeared at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Costello, armed with an array of guitars, delivered a memorable solo performance full of the spite, anger, humor, and occasional tenderness that mark his best songs. There was crowd participation, furious guitar playing, and a perfect “The Scarlet Tide” to close the set. Then Dylan ambled out, played a couple songs on guitar, and retreated behind his keyboard for a set that sounded like the end days. The mix was horrible, and Dylan could barely wheeze three words at a time as he growled his way through the murk. Reunion Album That Reconfirmed It All Beyond - Dinosaur Jr. - Sure, J Mascis looks like the guy you always see in Best Buy monopolizing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while children wait impatiently for their crack at it, but Beyond was a tremendous reunion album. With its mix of guitar squall and buried melodies, it stands right alongside You’re Living All Over Me as a classic Dinosaur Jr. album.   Reunion Album That Ruined It All The Weirdness - The Stooges - Forget that “Lust for Life” is now the theme song for a cruise ship commercial (with the lines about liquor and drugs carefully removed). This underwhelming album by the Stooges killed whatever mystique they had left. Even Steve Albini as “recorder” couldn’t save it.   Best Artist to Have a Song Featured in a Car Commercial It was an interesting year for Band of Horses. After a spat with fans in San Diego over videotaping of the band’s July 6 performance, the Sub Poppers took some heat for licensing songs to Wal-Mart for use in an online campaign. In recent weeks, the band’s song “Funeral” has been in heavy rotation for a Ford television commercial, marking the strangest use of a song for commercial purposes since Volkswagen used Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” in 2000.   Best Artist to Not Have a Song Featured in a Car Commercial That Tom Waits is a bad mofo. In January, Waits won a decision against Adam Opel AG, an offshoot of General Motors, for using a Waits soundalike to sell cars…in Scandinavia. It was the second time in less than two years that Waits won such a lawsuit. Rumors that BMW wants to use Waits’ “Misery is the River of the World” for their 2008 marketing campaign are not yet confirmed.   Favorite Concert When The National played the Duck Room in St. Louis on June 11, Boxer was freshly released and beginning to garner plaudits that ranged from reserved praise to over-the-top awe. What could have been a sparsely attended show was instead a packed house with an eager, energetic crowd. Relying on the new material but also playing songs from Alligator and Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, the band delivered an intense, cathartic performance, surpassing the increasing hype. Now, if someone has a recording of it, I’m not hard to reach.   Reissues Are More Than Just Cash Grabs Bronze – Calenture, The Triffids - The underappreciated 1980s Australian band finally got their due with a nice reissue of their 1987 album Calenture, the follow up to the essential Born Sandy Devotional. The original album, demos, and outtakes were spread out over two discs, plus the album’s packaging was snazzy and liner notes were actually informative. Silver – Stand in the Fire, Warren Zevon - Long out of print on disc, Warren Zevon’s Stand in the Fire received the digital treatment this year. A recording of a wild, frenzied 1981 performance, the album showed Zevon at his manic best. Four cuts excluded from the original album were included to top it off. Play it loud. Gold – Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth’s much-worshiped Daydream Nation was given a fat dose of bonus tracks this year. The original album is, of course, great, but the real treat here was the second disc, which was jammed full of Sonic Youth goodness, including a live version of each album track, as well as covers of songs by The Beatles, Neil Young, and Captain Beefheart. A nice essay and cool period photos made this reissue an essential purchase.   You Fool, Reissues Just Rob You of Money Pointless reissues or compilations were certainly not in short supply in 2007. While many major labels could be taken to task for uninspired reissues/compilations, Columbia’s bland, boring, and utterly useless Dylan release represented everything wrong with such releases. With zero unreleased recordings (unless you paid on iTunes), this abomination rehashed most of the same damn songs as Dylan’s many other compilations. With an artist whose vault must be packed with unreleased goodies, lazy stuff like this shouldn’t even exist.   Favorite Albums Bronze – Neon Bible, Arcade Fire - Even if many music fans and critics blew their loads over 2004’s Funeral, the Arcade Fire’s self-produced sophomore album gave everyone a chance to get fired up again. Even though the images of apocalypse and bombs could grow a little heavy-handed at times, Win Butler’s voice, ranging from howls to everything in between, and the band’s damn loud playing made this album more than just another rant about the sorry state of our world. Silver – Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird - With the guitar pushed to the forefront, Armchair Apocrypha marked a stylistic shift for Andrew Bird. The songs were highly textured and far more layered than his previous albums; violin loops, drums, whistling, guitars and glockenspiels were thrown together to create a symphonic sound that amazingly didn’t result in garbled mush. The songs could sometimes be decidedly heavy; absurd superstitions, old age, the futility of war and the fall of empires, childhood confusion, and a general helplessness against a vast, impersonal world all unfolded in Bird’s lyrics. There aren’t many albums that sound like this one, and that’s a good thing. Gold – Boxer, The National - Never has an album whose characters suffer under a veil of fuck-it-all resignation sounded so good. The songs on Boxer invoked themes of broken relationships, people aging quickly beyond their years, and passing, superficial comforts like drugs and booze; even the implied threats of “Start a War” sounded powerless and empty. Evocative lyrics, Matt Berninger’s weary baritone, and the band’s sometimes minimalist, sometimes layered instrumentation combined beautifully to create one of the best albums of the decade.

‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, when the Lemonheads rocked the house. It went by so fast, before you knew it, fans made their way out. On Saturday, December 22, local hero Evan Dando and his newly reformed Lemonheads came to the downstairs section of the famed Middle East nightclub in Cambridge, MA and blazed their way through a set of 30 songs - two decades worth of music - in about an hour and a half. At approximately 11:32 pm, bassist Karl Alvarez (ex-Descendents), husky drummer Bill Stevenson (ex-Descendents, Black Flag), and Dando took to the stage and warmed up their respective instruments for a minute or so before launching into first song, “Hospital.” Taken from 1996’s Car Button Cloth album, this easy-on-the-ears three-minute jangle pop number was a safe but delicious introduction to the evening. Dando then stepped on his overdrive pedal for “Black Gown,” which appears on last year’s warmly received comeback album Lemonheads. Like many songs this night, the old school pop punk-sounding number was loud — almost too loud. But Evan and co. remained focused for most of the set, through intermittent squeals of noisy feedback, hearing-loss-inducing volume (from his Marshall amp) and all. Alvarez, when not singing back up vocals, faced Dando practically the whole night (as if to make sure they were in sync every step of the way). He and drummer Bill Stevenson didn’t seem to miss a beat or vocal cue the whole night. The two aptly fulfilled their backing vocal roles on beloved songs like “The Great Big No”. Dando, on the other hand twice aborted - then continued - songs. The first time was because he forgot to re-tune one string on his guitar for “Allison’s Starting To Happen.” That was probably due to the relentless pace of the show more than anything, which allowed for very little downtime between songs. [Excuses, excuses.] The 40-year-old singer, with his hair significantly shorter than in years past and dressed in a Thurston Moore T-shirt showed no sign of age. The tall guitarist easily moved around the stage, sometimes soloing on one or two knees, and working up a sweat as time went on. Sure, there were signs of tiredness, as Dando missed the first part of the refrain to an otherwise spot-on version of the pop rocker “Rudderless.” The band stayed true to other fan favorites like the slacker stoner proto-punk of “Style,” “My Drug Buddy,” and even got the audience involved on “Bit Part.” The Lemonheads’s poppier hits like “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You” and alt-country pop tunes like “Big Gay Heart” also made the set list, the latter of which was played during an 8-song solo electric set by Dando. He didn’t captivate the audience by himself quite like Paul Westerberg (one of his heroes) or Billy Bragg, as Dando often went from one song to the other without a break, and many people were seen talking as the solo set went on. But momentum swung back to the Lemonheads’ favor during the last phase of the show, which included their biggest hit “Into Your Arms” (first recorded by Love Positions). By the end of the show, it was quite clear that the band had a ball of a time on stage. Dando and Stevenson even traded instruments and played a quick punk-ish jam with Alvarez as the clock neared 1am. And that was it. Evan came out from behind the drum kit, grabbed the mic, thanked us all for coming and subsequently left the stage. Smiles could be seen from the performers to the audience members, who were either filing out of the club, or waiting for the trio to come out to the back of the club to sign autographs for the adoring hometown crowd. In all, it wasn’t a perfect show from a performance and sound standpoint, but that didn’t matter. This new version of the Lemonheads rocked like there was no tomorrow, perhaps in part due to the punk veterans Evan Dando recruited. It was as if he was on a mission to recapture the height of his punk and pop powers in one evening. Consider that Mission Accomplished.

Photo by William Kirk The urge to pun is strong with this one, but it’s for a good cause, so I’ll be brief: Boston post-punkers Mission of Burma will take the stage at Allston, MA’s Great Scott January 20 to benefit the politically and economically troubled Southeast Asian nation of Burma (aka Myanmar). The veteran band has teamed up with the U.S. Campaign for Burma for the event, and will be joined at the show by pals the Neighborhoods and the In Out. In addition to the music, show-goers will have the opportunity to take in an audiovisual presentation about the current state of Burma, along with speakers discussing the manifold problems the nation faces. When they’re not getting political for a good cause, Mission of Burma are getting political just cuz they don’t know any other way. The night before the Burma benefit, they’ll make their way to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, which, presently, stands as the band’s only other live plan. No word yet on the status of those Mission of Burma reissues we mentioned late in the summer, but hey, these dudes have been relevant for nearly three decades now, so a few more months’ wait isn’t gonna hurt anything. Burma: 01-19 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg 01-20 Allston, MA - Great Scott (Burma benefit) * * with the Neighborhoods, the In Out

Will Oldham is a busy guy all of a sudden. Right on the heels of releasing the Bonnie "Prince" Billy covers EP Ask Forgiveness (and contributing to some stunning duets on the new Scout Niblett album), he has revisited last year’s The Letting Go with Wai Notes, out this week via Drag City imprint Sea Note. Credited to "Dawn McCarthy & Bonny Billy," the 10-song set is a collection of demos for The Letting Go from Oldham and Faun Fables’ Dawn McCarthy, who sang on the album. To add to the sudden nature of the affair, Wai Notes is limited to an edition of 10,000 copies worldwide, so if you want a copy, get thee to a record store now! Wai Notes: 01 Then the Letting Go 02 Strange Form of Life 03 Lay and Love 04 God Is Love 05 The Signifying Wolf 06 The Seedling 07 I Called You Back 08 Wai 09 Cursed Sleep 10 God’s Small Song

It’s easy to understand why so many women identified with the fantastically damaged early Mary J. Blige and her heartfelt songs of betrayal, loss, and scars. Years later Mary has survived and flourished and she’s now singing about her joy and fortitude as fervently as she proclaimed her pain. On her new, supremely confident and engaging disc Growing Pains, Mary wants her legion of fans to know that there is no need to embrace the bad times or cling to unfaithful men and there is indeed light when the shadows seem much too ominous. While not as immediately accessible and commercial as her The Breakthrough this still is Blige firing on all cylinders. The singer has as many emotions and deep feelings as she has wigs and the secret to her success is that she has been willing to lay them all out and expose herself unlike almost no other pop star. Here, she wants to express her joy and wonderment at the small epiphanies of life she so often ignored previously and her strength and passion seems so immediate and genuine that you can’t help but go with her flow. That said, a lot of these songs come across as intense Oprah you-go-girl sessions. It’s as if that Mary went through some deep therapy trials and figured she’d share the revelations with the help of the who’s who of modern pop R&B producers. “Work That,” the insistent single boosted by the ubiquitous iPod commercials, and “Just Fine” could be theme songs for female empowerment conventions. On the forceful “Roses,” the singer explains the new dynamics of love relationships diagrammed Mary style and it’s a feisty, forceful track. It helps that these are expertly arranged songs without an ounce of fat (very few empty cameos) and her collaborators ranging from Pharrell to Ne-Yo to Tricky Stewart all serve her well and provide the beats and hooks but recognizing that Blige is THE hook that matters. And her singing is graceful and nuanced — she’s toned down her tendencies to shout (hey, the message is getting through) and she’s as playful as she is defiant and on the beautiful “Smoke” she brings a feathery touch that has eluded her previously. Indeed, Blige has grown up and the scars are as permanent as her prominent tattoos. While she sings on “Come to Me (Peace)” that she wants to make peace with her lover, her biggest accomplishment was in making peace with herself.