Mariah Still Batshit, Now Smells of Lotus Blossom and Tuberose

Alright, we usually shy away from Perez Hilton style celebrity slag-off but c'mon Mariah, really? Though her new album has been pushed back twice, Mariah Carey is adding a third smell to her fragrance line! The new fragrance is called "Forever" and is described as having "notes of lotus blossom, tuberose, gardenia, exotic woods and white musk." In an official statement, Carey claims the new perfume is a gift from her to fans and "captures that glamorous feeling that [she] want[s] to share . . ." Thanks Mariah.

An unidentified source at Def Jam told Billboard.com that "the reason for the delay is that the singer hasn't completed the album and needs to return to the studio to record additional songs." Wait, so you're telling me you need to record songs to finish an album? What about auto-tune?

Tim Emmerick - Stark Contributing Writer

Billboard: A Retrospective on International Charts

Back in high school I used to write down the songs on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 while listening on the radio. It took me a while to realize that those charts were published in Billboard, and that the newsstand across the street from our apartment building in the Bronx carried it. It was expensive (think it was $4), but I literally read it cover to cover. Because there was no way I could buy it weekly, I kept the same copy around for months at a time, studying it—and one of my favorite sections were the charts from other countries.

In 1980-81 at the height of my interest, songs by the Specials, OMD, Adam & The Ants, The Beat and The Teardrop Explodes all were top 10 singles in the UK. England as well that other countries in Europe, as well as Australia and even Japan were alternate realities where cool music was hugely popular.

~Michael Krumper, Stark Contributor

More on Billboard including Diane Birch, The Gossip and more after the jump.

Flash to this past week. Was looking at the Hits of the World Chart in Billboard, and saw that The Gossip has the #8 single in Germany and #10 in Australia with “Heavy Cross” and almost more impressively, Diane Birch has the #7 single in Japan with “Fools.”

Yep, I know that these countries have unbelievably crappy artists and songs that top their charts on a regular basis, just like we do. Somehow, I’m still left feeling the same way as I did way back when. I do love pop music--the new Miley single is great, sounds like “Genius of Love”- I’d just like to see “Stillness Is The Move”, “My Girls” and “Two Weeks” charting in the top ten next to her, not just in the NPR listeners top ten songs of the year. In a world of fragmentation, I’m somehow still dreaming of that alternate universe existing in the US—like they seem to have in other countries, sometimes.

Michael Jackson Breaks Chart Records

Pretty incredible... via our new friends at Billboard...

"Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on July 1. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week."

Drop This: Elvis Costello + T-Bone Burnett = New Album

Photo Credit: www.strictlybluegrass.com

Hey, SXSW is over, but don't cry in your PBR's just yet. There is still music to be had.

This via Billboard:

Elvis Costello teams up with producer/music extraordinaire T-Bone Burnett, creating his first acoustic record since 1986.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane drops June 2 on Hear Music. Billboard reports that the record will hit heavy on "American roots music," which is just fine with us. We're looking for a Costello version of Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer here -- that would be dreamy.

Look for tour dates coming soon. Also, tracklist after the jump.
Here is the "Secret, Profane Sugarcane" track list:

1. Down Among the Wine and Spirits
2. Complicated Shadows
3. I Felt the Chill
4. My All Time Doll
5. Hidden Shame
6. She Handed Me a Mirror
7. I Dreamed of My Old Lover
8. How Deep is the Red
9. She Was No Good
10. Sulfur to Sugarcane
11. Red Cotton
12. The Crooked Line
13. Changing Partners

Short Handed

New video from Camera Obscura: "French Navy" off the upcoming release My Maudlin Career due sometime in April on 4AD.

Daytrotter session with Those Darlins.

Idolator report on Guy Hands and his depature from CEO chair of Terra Firma.

GVB: Gorilla vs. Booze SXSW showcase preview.

New video from the Veils via Stereogum: "The Letter" off Sun Gangs (4/7 on Rough Trade)

Pete Seeger, 90th B-Day special at MSG May 3 via Billboard.

Pop & Hiss SXSW photos and bullshit approximately.

Death Cab Score First #1 Record

Love 'em, hate 'em, or don't care, long time "indie" band Death Cab for Cutie moved 144k copies of their new record Narrow Stairs (Atlantic) last week to bow for the first time at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Their previous record Plans debuted at #4, selling 90k. Death Cab's tally last week brings to the forefront many questions about the role of "indie" cred in the marketplace today. They join an ever-growing list of artists including Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, and Feist who have achieved commercial success while still garnering attention and praise from the elusive blog community. A band like Death Cab further blurs the definition of "indie", and what does or does not qualify as pop music today. Is there really any difference?