Damon Albarn of Gorillaz

1. Singer Nick Cave was involved in a car crash Tuesday December 8. Cave smashed his car against a speed camera on the Hove seafront in Sussex, England. Cave and his two sons who were with him walked away from the collision unharmed. He refused to comment on the incident, and no other cars were involved. (via BBC)

2. After completion of the Tron Legacy soundtrack, Daft Punk will now be getting their own line of merchandise from Disney. The merchandise that Disney will be offering in promotion of the film and soundtrack include a set of light-up headphones, and a set of toys that depict their likeness. (via Pitchfork)

3. Los Campesinos! have announced plans to release a quarterly magazine titled Heat Rash. The publication will include a 7′ single, and exclusive tracks to download from the band. The subscription also includes discounts to band merchandise, access to early concert tickets, and music before it gets released. (via LosCampesinos.com)

4. After announcing the process of recording an entire album on an iPad, Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn is planning on releasing said album for free on Christmas Day. The record, which was recorded exclusively on Albarn’s iPad during his latest tour, will be available in its entirety on December 25. (via NME)

5. The British super-group formed out of members of The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys have detailed information about the release of their debut album. The group, named The Bottletop Band, is prepared to release their album in April. (via NME)

This Top 10 comes from Durham’s Red Collar.

Red Collar has had a fascinating year so far.  Its members decided to grasp their dreams by quitting  their great 9 to 5 jobs, cashing in retirement plans, holding yard sales and almost putting a home on the market in order to follow their dreams of touring. They document their journey on their blog.

Below are the lists of what each member is currently listening to. Red Collar said, “These lists of music reflect not only what we’re listening to now but bands we’ve played with over the past year.  There are local — now national — bands whose lead we admired and followed.  There are local — and soon to be national — bands who we love and trade war stories with.”

Beth: Bass/Vocals

1. Tom Waits – “Going Out West”
2. The Gaslight Anthem “The High and Lonesome Sound”
3. The Love Language – “Stars”
4. Des Ark - “Lord of the Rings and his Fascist Time Keepers”
5. Yo La Tengo – “I feel like going home”
6. Jawbox – “Savory”
7. K’Naan – “Dusty Foot Philosopher”
8. David Dondero – “the Real Tina Turner”
9. CCR – “Long as I Can See the Light”
10. Carole King “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”

Mike: Guitar/Vocals

1.  Megafaun – “Gather, Form and Fly”
2. Spoon – “Everything Hits at Once”
3. Joe Tex “Papa was Too”
4. Sonic Youth – “Teenage Riot”
5. Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”
6. American Aquarium – “Katherine Belle”
7. TV on the Radio – “Shout Me Out”
8. Spider Bags – “Teenage Eyes”
9. Hammer No More the Fingers – “Shutterbug”
10. Modest Mouse – “Broke”

Jason: Lead Vocals/Guitar

1. The Love Language – “Providence”
2. Hammer No More the Fingers – “Some Bad Ass New Song”
3. The Sandwiches -  “And Out Come the (Timber) Wolves”
4. American Aquarium – “Katherine Belle”
5. Dave Dondero – “The Real Tina Turner”
6. I Was Totally Destroying It – “Come Out, Come Out”
7. Look Mexico – “You’re Not Afraid of the Dark, Are You?”
8. Worn in Red – “When People Have Something to Say”
9. Tooth/Claw Split 10″
10. The Mountain Goats – “This Year”

Jon:Drums

1. The Pogues – “Bottle of Smoke”
2. Ben Nichols – “Last Pale Light in the West”
3. Guided By Voices – “A Good Flying Bird”
4. Modest Mouse – “Dashboard”
5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “Jack the Ripper”
6. Glenn Kotche – “Mobile, Pts. 1 & 2″
7. The Clash “Straight to Hell”
8. Townes Van Zandt – “Lungs”
9. Bela Fleck - “Matitu”
10. Wilco -”One Wing”

And also this video…

Tools, live at the Cats Cradle and the Duke Coffeehouse

Red Collar | MySpace Video[/myspace]