As our favorite artists get older, tribute albums honoring their legacies become increasingly prevalent. Fans of Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs and the other classic David Bowie albums will be thrilled to learn that he’ll be getting a tribute album of his own, complete with a star-studded bill of groups praising his glory.

Duran Duran are among the biggest names to have songs featured on the album, along with ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, MGMT, Chairlift, and plenty of others. Artists will cover many of Bowie’s best-loved tunes, like “Space Oddity”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Heroes”, “Life on Mars”, and more. The final tracklist and album order are still under wraps, but a tentative list can be found at http://www.twentyfourbit.com/post/313516933/carla-bruni-mgmt-john-frusciante-on-david-bowie. With a lineup like this one, we’re expecting the best from this compilation, and hopefully it’ll deliver.

-Zack Kraimer

currently listening to “Riff Raff” by AC/DC

The Red Hot Chili Peppers

After more than two decades of rock music and and nearly naked onstage antics, The Red Hot Chili Peppers are experiencing a big lineup change.  The band’s guitarist John Frusciante has officially announced via his web site that he is leaving RHCP.

In the post Frusciante said, “To put it simply, my musical interests have led me in a different direction.”  He referred to his solo career, which has a devoted fan following, as his primary artistic and musical focus.

He also said, “Over the last 12 years, I have changed, as a person and artist, to such a degree that to do further work along the lines I did with the band would be to go against my own nature.”

Frusciante was a member of the RHCP for 16 years, during which time the band experienced huge success, especially with its last album, 2006’s Stadium Arcadium.

The announcement on the guitarist’s site states that he actually left the band a year ago when its members went on hiatus, but the rest of the Chili Pepper’s are starting work on the band’s next studio album, so this announcement solidifies the absence of Frusciante in this and future projects.

—Kristen Callihan

currently listening to “Carpetbaggers” by Jenny Lewis