what's not and what is (+ truckfighters)

So to start this year we've got a whole in the roof where the rain's getting in... it's just rained and rained. (it's the UK right).
So what else awaits us just around the U bend. Here's the less than stormy news from the 2014 rock wire.

• Zeppelin announce huge back catalog reissues. Mainly under the scrute of Jimmy Page so nothing new here except the price and an old out take or two.
• U2.. NU U2 CD. O No.
• Foo Fighters follow up from 2009.. "being made in a way that no one’s ever done before…". so what's that meant to mean Grohl? during moon orbit.
• Metallica play riff voted for by the sudience. No not really, its fans vote to select the other 17 songs for each concert of their tour... a possible recipe for tedium.
• "After years of slamming the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, KISS whip their fans into a frenzy to win the fan-voted ballot"... beyond lame.
• The Rolling Stones continue to get toured. What's else are the gonna do at their age.
• The Beatles reform release America issue 13 CD boxset.
• Motorhead return to live playing after Lemmy finished all his medication.
• "a few songs Freddie Mercury recorded with Michael Jackson in the 1980s that are expected to see the light of day".. and no one wants to hear.

A more interesting prospect was the much anticipated announcement from the Swedish psyche stoners Truckfighters and their new album release 'Universe' (24th January), but guess what they've only gone and confounded many of their fans with the track "Prophet". Tellingly they call this version the 'Radio Edit' so it's obvious that after the American tour last year they've aimed this track at the US/World market. It's got a sort of Foo Fighter feel and a pretty safe PR video. Sort of a surreal "meet the band" type thing, directed by Joerg Steineck (Berlin filmmaker), who's also made a documentary on the band. The Truckfighters videos have often been more pieces of art and no one felt then they have to stick their gobs on every other shot. Not sure why Steineck felt the need now.
This track may well alienate their old fans but it's more likely to pick up a whole load more from the mainstream rock market which this is obviously aimed at, gone are the stoner fuzz riffs of yesteryear. But the bass drives along with good fuzz and the production is sharp as ever. See what you think. Shame though, it would have been nice to hear something a bit more challenging from the song and the video. We'll see if the album defies this later in January.