The Year in Music: April 2010

M.I.A’s controversial music video for “Born Free” is released. In the clip, violence against red-haired people is used as a metaphor for racist hatred throughout the world.

 

Sublime gets back together, with new lead singer Rome, and plans a world tour.

 

The former lead singer of Poison, Bret Michaels, is rushed to the hospital twice, once for an emergency appendectomy, and also after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

 

At the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Carrie Underwood becomes the first female to win the Entertainer Of The Year honor twice, after her 2009 and 2010 wins.

 

Gorillaz, La Roux, Jay-Z, Sleigh Bells, deadmau5, Corinne Bailey Rae, Muse, MGMT, Sia, Tokyo Police Club, Phoenix, Pavement, and Florence + The Machine perform at the 11th Annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. However, many artists, including Mos Def, Gary Numan, Shaun Rider, Bad Lieutenant, and Frightened Rabbit had to cancel their appearances due to Europe’s flight ban following the eruption of a volcano in Iceland.

 

The popular musical TV show Glee airs its “The Power Of Madonna” episode. The resulting EP of the cast’s covers debuts at No.1 on Billboard 200 album chart. “Like A Prayer”, downloaded more than 87,000 times, proves to be the record’s most popular single.

 

New album releases this month included Slash by Slash, Nobody’s Daughter by Hole, Congratulations by MGMT, Jason Castro by Jason Castro, Rise Up by Cypress Hill, and B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray by B.o.B.

 

The soundtrack to Iron Man 2 is released. The album is comprised of only AC/DC tracks, despite the fact that only songs from it appeared in the movie.

 

Musician and former manager of The Sex Pistols, Malcom McLaren dies from mesothelioma at age 64.