Kevin Bronson on February 15th, 2010

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[Catching up on some recent developments …]

File this under interesting twists: the next album by the Bird and the Bee will be “Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates” (March 23 on Blue Note Records). No irony from the mouths of Greg Kurstin and Inara George here, says the press release: “Their love for the music is genuine.” Included: eight cover songs, a new original, and a bit of a mystery – if this is Volume 1, whom will the duo cover next?

‣ O.C.’s Japanese Motors have either broken up or are taking a long hiatus. Their February-March tour is canceled.

‣ The Deadly Sydrome [that’s Chris Richard, left] has announced it will self-release its highly anticipated sophomore album, “Nolens Volens,” on March 23. Read all about it. And download the first taste: “Wingwalker” (e-mail required). Love Will Etling’s guitar in this. [Also: my September interview with Etling.]

‣ Two of the L.A. pop scene’s leading lights, Linus of Hollywood and Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo) have collaborated on new music under the band name Palmdale. No tunes up on their MySpace yet, but their video blogs are pretty entertaining. And speaking of smiles: Hanley and Linus are part of a seven-piece soft-rock tribute band that’s performing on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at Molly Malone’s. It’s name? Beer Supply.

‣ OK, young filmmakers, videographers and Final Cut Pro phenoms, how about making a music video for a 37-year-old song? What if it were Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”?

‣ An impressive roster of artists will be represented in the LA Collection, a series of 7-inch singles (most of them split) being released by local imprint IAMSOUND (Fool’s Gold, Florence and the Machine, et. al). The first, out Tuesday, is We Are the World’s “Clay Stones.” The splits will include the likes of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Fool’s Gold, Local Natives, Dead Man’s Bones, Nosaj Thing, Imaad Wasif, Moonrats and more. KCRW will be previewing the songs.

‣ Fiona Apple, Cold War Wids and Crystal Antlers are among the artists appearong on a benefit album for 826LA called “Chickens in Love,” due April 20. But they won’t be doing their own songs – they are performing songs written by 826LA students aged 7 to 13 who participated in a songwriting seminar with L.A. duo the Submarines. (The Submarines, the Happy Hollows and others do a matinee Mini Music Festival for 826LA on March 6 at the Echoplex.)

‣ And finally, we’ve written a lot about John Wood’s Learning Music project; he’s completed the second year of his album-per-month series. Now there’s this: Follow Learning Music on Twitter and you get an mp3 a day … while the supply lasts (which will be 2011).

Deadly Syndrome photo by Kessia Embry