Jack White has revealed that he recently recorded a song with Jay-Z.

Speaking to GQ, the White Stripes frontman said: "I just did a record with Jay-Z. We did a song together a few weeks ago. It was incredible. I played him something that I've been kicking around for a while and he immediately came out with words for it. It's unbelievable-sounding".

Which is all well and good, but when are Jack White and/or Jay-Z going to come and record a track with me? I feel left out.

John Lydon has said that the re-launched Public Image Ltd's current round of touring will raise enough cash for the band to record a new album, as he suggested was his aim last year.

Lydon told Billboard last week: "We've got no backing - no record company, no sponsors, nothing like that. The only way we can make money is the touring, and then we can make a new album. It's sort of like the old days of PiL, when the Pistols went kaput; I had to scrimp and scrape out of my own pocket. Not much has changed".

He added that there are new songs ready and waiting to be recorded: "I've got piles [of new material]. I never stop writing. Most of my influences have never really come from a musical act. It tends to be things like the poetic beat of a newscast. There's a rhythm to the way it's laid out. Movies can do that. Shakespeare and good poetry does that, and a bloody good book does that, or just a long walk".

The band will play their first US show for seventeen years when they perform at Coachella on 16 Apr. This will be followed by nineteen more US dates in May, before they return to Europe.

Friendly Fires have already recorded half of their second album, apparently, and the tracks will be a lot "more focussed" and "thicker" than those on the band's debut. I'd have settled for "as good" myself.

The band's Ed Macfarlane told BBC Newsbeat: "This next record, we don't want to wait too long that people forget about us, but we don't want to rush out an album we're not happy with. So we're going to have to try and get the happy medium. We've got about five tracks done already. It's sounding really good. I can't wait to start playing it live".

Fucked Up have started work on their next album, the follow-up to 2008's 'The Chemistry Of Common Life'. It might be a musical with French techno influences, or that might be a lie.

Guitarist Ben Cook told Exclaim: "Fucked Up are hard at work writing a new record, which will be the poppiest thing the band has ever done. We aren't very far [along,] actually. Just a few practices in, and we already hate each other. I'm pretty sure it's called 'David Comes To Life', and it's supposed to be a musical, but I'm not sure how that's going to work, really. I'm sure as hell gonna sing and act in it, though".

He added that his opinion on the direction of the new material was being ignored, saying: "Any time I pipe in and say, 'Hey, maybe this song shouldn't sound like a French techno song', I get a pizza slice shoved in my mouth".

Radiohead have denied rumours that the band are working on a new album, rumours that were fuelled by recent suggestions by guitarist Ed O'Brien that they were, and then by an email circulated this week claiming to announce the album's title and tracklist.
 
The email, sent to a number of music journalists this week, and appearing to be from an email address registered to the band's WASTE website, announced that the new album would be called 'Tehrangles' and gave an eleven song tracklist, which included songs previously performed by Thom Yorke at solo shows. Well, it did if you understand binary code, apparently.
 
The email looked like this: www.tinymixtapes.com/radiohead-binary.html
 
In December, O'Brien said via the band's blog: "The vibe in the camp is fantastic at present, and we head off into the studio in January to continue on from the work we started last summer. I am so genuinely excited about what we're doing, but for obvious reasons I can't divulge anything more. Anyway, we all love surprises, don't we?"
 
Apparently that was just a little joke of his own. Gosh, this is fun, isn't it? (If you failed to answer "no" to that question, I hope it was because you were distracted by my use of the word "gosh".)

When he's not playing in every other band in the entire world, Dave Grohl is frontman of Foo Fighters, who, he has revealed, have started writing material for their seventh album.

Grohl told 6music: "Foo Fighters have just started writing and we're going to start recording in September, so life is full of music".

He added that a new Them Crooked Vultures album should also be ready "by the end of the summer".

Keith Richards has said he wouldn't be surprised if the Rolling Stones head back into the studio later this year to record new material, though he speculated that a major stadium tour akin to the 2007 Bigger Bang worldwide trek would be unlikely to follow any new album.

On the possibility of some new material he told Rolling Stone: "There's no definite plans, but I can't [see us] stopping. I wouldn't be surprised if we did some recording later this year".

But asked about future live shows he said: "Maybe we'll search for a different way for the Stones to go back on the road. Maybe not the football stadiums anymore. Maybe something different. You can't go around there in lemon-yellow tights forever".

The Big Pink have revealed that work has begun on writing the follow-up to their debut album, 'A Brief History Of Love'.

Speaking to Xfm at the NME Awards, the duo's Robbie Furze said: "We've been writing a few things. We've got a new record coming at the beginning of next year. We're going to try and write it by the end of this year.
We've got a new track that we're going to play out on the next tour of Australia and then we might put another new track in for the [UK] tour we do in May".

Kylie Minogue has said that she is aiming for a summer release for her eleventh studio album, which features collaborations with Calvin Harris, Xenomania and Jake Shears and Babydaddy of Scissor Sisters, amongst others.

But she warns it might put you off your dinner. Or something.

Kylie told BBC Newsbeat: "The album's coming along. I swear it's not for the faint-hearted. We've turned the corner and we're hoping for a summer release. You'll put your make-up on to this album and that's not just the girls".

Friendly Fires have revealed that work has begun on recording their second album. As with their debut, frontman Ed Macfarlane will handle production, although he says he has more of an idea what he's doing this time around.

Speaking to BBC 6music, Macfarlane said: "Production-wise, I really know what I'm doing now, whereas before, on the first record, it was kind of like a learning process for us. We weren't even using pop shields [on our mics] - this microphone I'm speaking into now was probably better than the microphone we actually used to record our album - but this time around, we've done it properly in that sense, so it sounds fantastic".

He added that the band were trying to get the new long player finished as quickly as possible, but without rushing things too much: "We want to get it done by May, but I can't promise that will happen. I think the goal is to get it out as soon as possible, but for it also to be as good as possible. I don't want to fall into that trap of rushing an album out and then regretting it".

But if you can't wait while the band get the new album right, the Fires have another release coming sooner than that, a split single with Holy Ghost, which will see them covering the dance duo's track 'Hold On', while Holy Ghost have covered their song 'On Board'. That'll be release on 12" and download on 8 Mar.

Matthew Herbert has issued a response to that statement made by PETA, in which the animal welfare organisation criticised the recording of a pig being slaughtered for the producer's latest project.

As previously reported, Herbert has been working on his 'One Pig' project since May last year, with the aim of recording the life of a pig from birth to death, then turning the sounds he collected into music and releasing it all as an album. After initially struggling to find an abattoir that would allow him to record the pig being slaughtered, he posted a message to the blog where he is chronicling the project's progress last Wednesday, simply saying: "The pig is now dead".

Prior to the pig's death, PETA condemned the recording, telling Gigwise last week: "No one with any true talent or creativity hurts animals to attract attention ... Pigs are inquisitive, highly intelligent, sentient animals who become frightened when they are sent to slaughterhouses, where they kick and scream and try to escape the knife. They are far more worthy of respect than Matthew Herbert or anyone else who thinks cruelty is entertainment".

However, Herbert has disputed that the project is cruel, or that his intention was entirely entertainment-focussed. He told CMU this morning: "I'm puzzled and disappointed by PETA's assertions about 'One Pig', because this project is in part about dealing head on with the conditions and realities of a modern food industry. As I eat meat, I would have thought PETA would have been pleased that I am confronting the consequences of that choice".

He added: "Unlike most industrial pig farms, my pig was kept in excellent conditions but was always grown by the farmer for slaughter. My desire to listen in to that entire cycle and represent it as music is not, and never was intended to bem cynically repackaged purely as entertainment".

You can read more about 'One Pig' at http://thisisapig.blogspot.com

Girls Aloud's Nadine Coyle is currently in a recording studio in Malibu working on her debut solo album, which is set for release later this year. Coyle revealed that she was working on songs with a variety of writers, including Guy Chambers, last October, and has since recorded in London, LA, Nashville and New York. She confirmed the latest Malibu sessions via Twitter on Tuesday. She tweeted: "I'm in Malibu writing and recording more songs for you all. I want a lot of choices".

Jay-Z has said that his next album could be out as soon as this year. Not that he's actually started work on it yet. But, you know...

Speaking to MTV, he said: "I didn't really start yet. I got a couple of scraps and I got a couple of ideas. I didn't really go into the studio yet. I've been toying with ideas and direction and things like that. I got one crazy record. To be honest with you, it's crazy. I got one and we'll build from there. Whether it comes out this year or next year, it depends on the music and how it's coming out. I don't really have any dates".

Mark Ronson is currently hard at working recording his third album, 'The Business', which is due for release later this year. But he has also been recording with side project Chauffeur, who played their first gig in New York last October.

Formed with Sam Sparro and rapper Theophilus London, the group are reportedly planning to perform a number of live shows this year, though it's not clear when the recordings will see the light of day.

Speaking about the project, London told 6music: "I met Mark a year ago. He asked me to come down to his radio show in New York City and we just clicked. He invited me to his house and we just listened to music for like six hours. We became friends and started making music together. His new stuff is sounding really amazing, and it's just been a great, creative friendship. It's just a click, it's a mutual thing in the studio with Mark. He's easy to work with and he knows what he wants to hear, so it was great".

Electronic musician Matthew Herbert has been working on an unusual project since May last year. Entitled 'The Pig', he set out with the aim of recording the life of a pig from birth to death, then turning the sounds he collected into music and releasing it all as an album.

The project hit various snags along the way, starting off when he managed to miss the birth of the original pig, setting everything back by two months. The latest problem was that Herbert was unable to find an abattoir that would allow him to record the pig being slaughtered. However, last Wednesday, he posted a message to the blog where he is chronicling the project's progress, simply saying: "The pig is now dead". It's not clear if he was able to record the slaughter or not.

The next stage is to record the butchery process, before the meat is cooked by a number of chefs, apparently including Heston Blumenthal, and eaten. Other parts of the pig will be made into items including musical instruments.

Animal rights organisation PETA has condemned the project, telling Gigwise last week: "No one with any true talent or creativity hurts animals to attract attention ... Pigs are inquisitive, highly intelligent, sentient animals who become frightened when they are sent to slaughterhouses, where they kick and scream and try to escape the knife. They are far more worthy of respect than Matthew Herbert or anyone else who thinks cruelty is entertainment".

Walter Schreifels, guitarist with post-hardcore outfit Rival Schools, has revealed that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, aka Ad-Rock, has mixed a track for his band's upcoming second album, which may end up being a single too. As previously reported, Rival Schools reformed in 2008, and announced last August that they were working on the follow-up to their 2001 debut album 'United By Fate', which is due for release this year.

Schreifels told Rock Sound: "Sam [Siegler, drums] plays basketball with Adam and he said, 'Hey, will you mix a song?' and Adam said yes. It could go on the album, it depends how good the mix is. It might just be interesting because Ad-Rock did it, or it could be brilliant! I think he's a talent, but I haven't heard it. It's cool that he's doing it - he sent me an email saying he had an idea for it. It's called '69 Guns' and we're thinking of it as a single. I have no idea what a single is these days but it's got a good beat and, y'know, it could be played at a rock disco".

Liam G has confirmed that his new band - Oasis Minus Noel - won't be called Oasis, as he had at one time suggested. He told Xfm: "No, it's not Oasis, that was a shit name anyway. I'm glad to see the back of it".

He added that the band already had a new name in mind, but that they wouldn't reveal it until they were fully happy with it.

Meanwhile, the NME is running a blog debate on possible names. I'm proposing Oasis Minus Noel. Practical, easy to use, and a guarantee that the new Oasis will never attempt a Christmas song.

Noel G, by the way, will play his first post-Oasis gigs next month as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust programme. This has been very widely reported, but we never quite got round to writing about it here in the CMU Daily. Now we have. Fun times.

Mark Ronson has revealed that while his forthcoming new album, 'The Business', will feature no cover versions, it does feature collaborations with many of the artists whose songs he reworked on his 2007 LP, 'Versions'. Oh, and the trumpets are all gone, too.

Speaking to the NME, Ronson explained: "There's no covers, and no horns. It's written with some of the people that actually wrote the songs I covered on the last album and that I didn't actually even know at the time.It's quite interesting to write songs from scratch with those people, like Dave McCabe of The Zutons who wrote 'Valerie', and Nick Hodgson of Kaiser Chiefs".

Other guests on the album include Santigold, Scissor Sisters, Cathy Dennis, rapper Pill and Miike Snow. Asked when it would be released, Mark said: "Probably May, June. Depends how quick I can get it done".

Battles have confirmed that they are in the early stages of working on their second album in New York, which they hope to release later this year. Guitarist Dave Konopka told the NME: "Where we are is really seedy. It reminds me of old school 'Midnight Cowboy'-era New York. Most of that area has been Bloomberged into consumerism, ESPN zones and Broadway shows, but on the outskirts there's little pockets of vice. We're playing right above a jack shop".

Good news, everyone, U2 are working on a new album. Some of the songs are super futuristic, while others are like traditional folk, but not really like traditional folk because they are so futuristic. Like every U2 album, it will push music forward by ten years.

The Edge told Entertainment Weekly: "We are working on a lot of new songs. Some of them are really, really happy. We're convinced that we have something really special. Literally, within a day of getting off the road, Bono and I were working on new songs. On a roll".

He continued: "We try and keep things moving forward. We are experimenting with a lot of different arrangements, and electronic [music] is one of the things we are playing with. But there are other songs that are very traditional, almost folk. In some ways, that's the thing we haven't figured out yet, is where this album is going to end up. [But] we're having fun with the process".