Artist: Passion Pit
Video: 'Sleepyhead'
Highlight: Images on a spinning cube provide some trippy stop-motion animation in this clever video. Buy 'Sleepyhead' on iTunes.

Ringo Starr to fans: No sign for you. [Best Week Ever]

The full CMJ schedule has been announced. Get your sleep in now. [CMJ]

Janet Jackson had to cancel upcoming shows due to 'vestibular migraines.' [Socialite Life]

Behold, the infinite wisdom of Ted Nugent. [Buzzgrinder]

DJ AM will be spinning tonight with Jay-Z in L.A. It's the DJ's first performance since being released from the hospital after suffering second and third degree burns in last month's deadly plane crash. [Socialite Life]

All that we want ... is another album. Thank you, Ace of Base. [Dlisted]

So how successful really was Radiohead's pay-what-you-want model? [NME]

The choice of Sarah Palin as the Republicans' vice presidential candidate has evoked political aspirations in Rosanne Cash ... at least sarcastically. In an open letter to the Nation, Cash writes that she would like to replace Palin on the GOP ticket.

"I feel confident that John McCain will see that the very attributes he desired in his VP choice can be met, and even exceeded in some areas, by me," she writes.

The eldest daughter of Johnny Cash and a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter herself, Cash goes on to outline her resume, highlighting similarities and differences between herself and Palin on key political issues. For instance, on reproductive issues, Cash writes, "I also believe that a teenager's pregnancy is a 'private family matter.' In fact, I believe that every woman's pregnancy is a 'private, family matter.' (I bet the GOP never thought of making that leap!)"

The Decemberists have a knack for molding dainty pop songs out of complicated and dreary affairs. The first single from their 'Always the Bridesmaid' series pays tribute to Valerie Plame, a covert CIA agent whose cover was blown in a complex scheme by the Bush administration to discredit her husband for criticizing the Iraq War. The story set off a political firestorm in 2003, but leave it to Decemberists' lead singer Colin Meloy to find beauty amidst the Washington backstabbing.

"I would be hearing the name Valerie Plame peppered over every newscast," Meloy tells Spinner. "It struck me how the cadence of her name is really perfect for a pop song. It really grew out of that. I wanted to write a song that used the poetic nature of her name."

Although the song is not overtly political, Meloy is very aware of the impact Plame's story can leave on his audience just weeks before a presidential election. "Everybody should be reminded of the hypocrisies of the Bush administration," Meloy warns. "Particularly the underlings, and how they sold their lies about the war and tried to undercut and destroy the careers of people who stood in their way."

"We wanted it to sound like swimming pools and big boobs." --Rah Almillio

In a recent interview, one-half of the Knux explained the "garage-hop" duo's approach to creating their debut album.

"Eccentric" has been the word used often to describe English singer-songwriter Roy Harper and his music. There might be some truth to that assessment, as Harper's folk-inspired sound isn't exactly commercial or accessible. Lyrically Harper can be very blunt in addressing his views about society on a song such as 'I Hate the White Man,' but yet he can also be also quiet poetic and soulful like on the gentle 'Elizabeth.'

While Harper's musical style and lyrics may account for the lack of greater mainstream acceptance, his name and voice are probably familiar to rock fans. Led Zeppelin recorded the song 'Hats Off to (Roy) Harper' from 1970's 'Led Zeppelin III,' and Harper sang lead on 'Have a Cigar' from Pink Floyd's 1975 album 'Wish You Were Here.' Now his distinct music is being reintroduced to Americans through the recent reissues of his earlier studio albums: 'Flat Baroque and Berserk' (1970), 'Stormcock' (1971) and 'What Ever Happened to Jugula?' (a collaborative album with Jimmy Page, 1985).

So with a musical career that's now in its fifth decade, does Harper, 67, regard the "eccentric" tag as a compliment? "It depends on the tone it's delivered with, isn't it?" he tells Spinner. "I think in a lot of cases it is complimentary. How do you buttonhole me really? There are so many different styles that I've indulged in, and yet to me it's all one style."

British newspaper the Sun is reporting that Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are divorcing. Madonna's rep, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed the split.

Prince played an exclusive $1000/ticket set and a $350/ticket afterparty in New York, with less than 200 people in the audience -- including MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser and Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes.

Neal Hefti, the big band trumpeter, arranger and composer who wrote the themes for the film 'The Odd Couple' and the TV series 'Batman,' died at age 85. The cause of his death is currently unknown.

Yo La Tengo will once again be playing a set of eight Hanukkah shows this December in Hoboken, N.J.

Franz Ferdinand are releasing their new album, 'Tonight: Franz Ferdinand,' on January 27.

Masters of marketing and faux-feuds, Cassettes Won't Listen is back for another round. This time, the unwitting participants are Guns N' Roses and Ludacris. Cassettes Won't Listen (aka Jason Drake) took the nine leaked tracks from GN'R's 'Chinese Democracy' and mashed them with some of Ludacris' best raps. While work on 'Chinese Democracy' began back when cassettes were actually listened to, Cassettes Won't Listen's 'Ludacris Democracy' was thrown together in the months since these tracks leaked. It's available now, for free, "for experimental purposes only." As with Drake's last stunt, a special website has been set up for fans to grab the download.

This past summer, Cassettes Won't Listen set up a website called "Beat Kanye" to, yes, indeed, attempt to beat Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards via viewer voting. At the time, Drake told Spinner: "I decided that I wanted to beat Kanye because it's so much more fun to watch Kanye lose an award than it is to watch him win one."

After a decade-long wait, the real 'Chinese Democracy' will be released just in time to enjoy during Thanksgiving Dinner. In the meantime, think of this ludicrous version featuring Ludacris as an early Christmas present.

On This Date in 1976: Ike & Tina Turner officially split up as a musical act.

The Almanac Advises for October 15: "When dissolving your working partnership, it's best to negotiate fair terms with your ex-partner, especially if the dissolution isn't mutual or is the result of animosity between partners."