'Gripping' Album Tops Doherty Tabloid Drama

German crowd not up for drunken rendition of 'Deutschland über Alles'

(NEWSER) - British rocker Pete Doherty was booed off a Munich stage after crashing a concert lineup and singing the first verse of the German national anthem—the part associated with the Nazi regime. The Babyshambles frontman and onetime Kate Moss boytoy "sang Deutschland, Deutschland Über Alles four times," a rep for the radio station that was broadcasting the concert, and quickly cut the live feed, tells Der Spiegel . More»

Even 'I Kissed a Girl' not as obvious as it sounds

(NEWSER) - In honor of Jay-Z’s Decoded, which breaks down the meanings behind his songs, the Independent offers up the true stories behind 10 hits:

• Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”: The message behind this one seems fairly obvious, but Perry has insisted it’s actually about heterosexual friendships and was only sexed up to sell more records.
• Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl”: Though many think it’s about heroin use, Van Morrison has said it is about an interracial relationship and was originally titled “Brown Skinned Girl.”

Babyshambles frontman serves a month in drug case

(NEWSER) - Pete Doherty, the perpetually troubled rock star and ex-boyfriend of Kate Moss, was released early from prison today. The frontman of the band Babyshambles had been imprisoned for violating his probation after a conviction for possession of crack, heroin and other drugs, reports the Telegraph. Doherty had served about one month of a 98-day sentence. More»

This year has been a bummer, but the music's good

(NEWSER) - As the first half of 2010 draws to a close, James Montgomery lists his 10 favorite albums of the year—so far—for MTV :

• Kate Nash: “My Best Friend Is You represents Kate Nash at her most scattershot, squeaky and downright smart,” he writes. She’s made “an album that's rough, sprawling and unafraid to get plain weird.”
• Yeasayer: Odd Blood is “perhaps the most fittingly titled album in recent memory, a wavy, dreamy listen, full of supple, electronic fields that undulate and dip, creating precipitous peaks and delving canyons. Pop music for the 22nd century and beyond.”

Singer channels tumultuous year into great music

(NEWSER) - Rihanna's been through a lot since she released her last album, and the excellent Rated R is all the better for it, writes Greg Kot. After the much-publicized Chris Brown incident, her music has become darker and more serious than the airy pop of "Umbrella" and "SOS." Most of the tracks feel deeply personal, Kot writes, suggesting that "she had a much greater voice in this album than any of her previous efforts, recorded when she was a teenager." More»