BlackBook Magazine

Five minutes until I interview Albert Hammond Jr. Turn on his new album. Como Te Llama? is great. Variety, clever lyrics. Squeeze an unlit cigarette between my fingers. I wonder if he smokes? Marlboros probably. No, focus on the new album. Ask about the name. I already know the answer -- an artistic roundabout approach to combating questions about the Strokes, I'm sure. Still, ask anyway. Two minutes until interview. I'm so hungry. I wonder what he's had for lunch, and if he and fiancée Agyness Deyn ate lunch together. Shit, one minute until interview. His dad, Albert Hammond, was just inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Albert Junior, do you have similar aspirations? How mundane. I bet he’s been asked that question a thousand times. What hasn’t he been asked? Are the Strokes breaking up? Do not ask that question. What’s your favorite color? Boxers or briefs? Fantastic idea, let’s scare him a bit and ask nothing relevant to him as a musician. Albert, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Let’s discuss. What a great way to lose my job. The phone is ringing, deep breath, act professional ...

“People go crazy at our shows,” contends Julian Hamilton, one half of the Australian electronic-dance duo the Presets. He's reflective and a bit under the weather, but still quite urbane. Kim Moyes sits to his right, engaged and candid. “Frankly,” Kim says, “We’re surprised if people aren’t moving around quite a bit.” We certainly need the Presets. A person can step to any dance floor and experience playlist déjà vu -- the same six tracks leaking from some nano i-something or other. Some mourn the death of dancing, but those people have never been to a Presets show. Both the Music Hall of Williamsburg and the Bowery Ballroom were recently transformed into a sold-out sea of fist-pumping, the music off of the Presets' most recent album Apocalypso inspiring dance moves from the most complacent hipsters. After the jump, we talk travel and touring tales.

The Black Keys’ name was inspired by an artist friend suffering from schizophrenia. He used "black keys" to describe eccentrics and other individuals who didn’t quite fit the mold. It’s only fitting then, that the Akron, Ohio natives' show last week at the cavernous Terminal 5 was teeming with them.

Tuesday morning, you may have noticed something alongside your morning (non-fat, double-shot, soy, no-foam, sugar-free vanilla) latte. On May 13th, Starbucks released Bitter:Sweet’s Drama (Quango) iTunes Digital Release card. We were lucky enough to skip the line and sit down with Shana Halligan and Kiran Shahani of Bitter:Sweet, sans java, whose jazz inspired electronica has been slowly seeping into public consciousness via shows like "Grey’s Anatomy," commercials for Victoria’s Secret, and movies like The Devil Wears Prada. And since they recently landed the theme song to "Lipstick Jungle," we’d venture to say you sort of knew them before you actually knew them.

On their debut album Lay Down the Law, the Britpop revivalists do, well, just that. Frontman Matt Bishop explains (en route to see Drillbit Taylor).

Matt Bishop isn’t a control freak. Not exactly, anyway. From acquiring his first guitar at the age of three, and recording the band’s demo entirely on his own in his sister’s pink bedroom, to handpicking the members of the band via blind dates, the lead singer of the Britpop band Switches knows exactly what he wants, and seems to know exactly how to get it. With an American tour under their belt, an upcoming performance on Jimmy Kimmel (we gave him pointers), and solid album reviews, maybe he can relax a little. Sure, unless you’re double parked. Below, Matt Bishop speaks candidly about Switches’ debut album, Lay Down the Law, his love-hate relationship with mankind, and his list of musical heroes—all done while driving to the movie theater as his girlfriend holds the phone next to his ear.

The 23-year-old British singer-songwriter has been positioned as the next Amy Winehouse. But if that doesn't work out, will her tears dry on their own?

The Los Angeles Times trumpeted British singer-songwriter Duffy as the “female Otis Redding.“ Around that time, Q Magazine exclaimed, perhaps a little recklessly, “Move over Amy Winehouse.” The pint-sized Bardot look-alike—with shockingly powerful pipes—recently placed second on BBC’s Sound of 2008 poll (losing out to Adele, yet another young female artist being primped for the Winehouse position), and is slated to play South by Southwest later this year.

All images of booze-soaked beehives, however, dissipate as Duffy, a blonde porcelain doll, motions to shake hands. “I have to apologize for being a little late,” she says, smiling. “We went out last night and the tender had quite a heavy hand.” Maybe Q wasn’t so rash after all.

Two of the buzziest bands around play a sold-out show at the hottest new venue in town. Lend them your ears.

Click here for more great photos from the show!

Sharin Foo of the Raveonettes.

The Raveonettes walked on stage towards a crowd of over 3,000 fans at Terminal 5 on Saturday night, picked up their guitars, and jumped right into their set—emotionless save a sly smirk from siren Sharin Foo. We had heard the buzz about the garage rock duo’s stripped down performance, and with their lax retro image, sweet harmonies, and fuzzy guitar riffs, the Danish duo certainly didn’t need any bells or whistles. Instead, their opening act was nearly pitch-perfect, showing off affected melodies without a hint of swagger, or a single word spoken—aside from a simple coo from Sharin introducing Blonde Redhead, at which point the awe-struck crowd erupted in applause.

You might not recognize him yet, but this up-and-comer is thisclose to making it big. We asked him to defile his headshot while he still will.

“I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter,” says Jon Foster. “I feel like if this whole Hollywood life isn’t working, I could just go off and fight fires somewhere.” With a full slate of starring roles set for 2008, don’t expect to see Foster running into burning buildings anytime soon. First up for the 23 year-old Iowa native (and little brother of Alpha Dog’s Ben) is Tenderness with noted phone-launcher (and Academy Award winner) Russell Crowe, followed by The Mysteries of Pittsburgh opposite Sienna Miller, Peter Sarsgaard, and Nick Nolte.

With a little help from a whole slew of bands, the young creator of To Write Love On Her Arms turned MySpace into a thing of beauty. Finally, a top friend worth fighting for.

Jamie Tworkowski, above.

“I’m just a guy from Hurley,” says Jamie Tworkowski, as he sits in a seedy Mexican haunt in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He’s tan with floppy dark hair and an affable smile, a surfer. But with a movement behind him, and overwhelming support from bands and thousands of steadfast fans, one quickly realizes that Tworkowski is not just a guy from Hurley.

(Ed. note: Take this entire interview with a grain of salt. The boys are most definitely raconteurs.)

The Brighton-bred boys from British Sea Power (alliteration!) remind us of this kid we knew back in middle school. He had the best treehouse on the street, and he used to smuggle bottles of Jack Daniels into it. Now, though, instead of the old treehouse, British Sea Power have moved into an abandoned water tower, climb trees with Jarvis Cocker, and will probably still get drunk with you in the woods.

Eccentric personae aside, British Sea Power isn’t all gimmick. While often decorating their stage with tree limbs and plastic birds and having a ten-foot bear (tenderly named Ursine Ultra) make casual appearances, they have had the wherewithal to produce chart-topping singles, win a slew of awards, and prepare for the release of their third highly anticipated album, Do You Like Rock Music? Greeted by their mischievous smiles, we pull up a stool and discuss trees, wolves, and drinking and climbing.