Sound Check: Radiohead, Mogwai

January 26, 2001 -- DON'T FORGET: Amnesiac, Radiohead's quick follow-up to Grammy-nominated Kid A, is due June 5. The rock outfit previewed several prerecorded new songs Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah — "Knives Out," "Dollars and Cents," and "I Might Be Wrong." Singer Thom Yorke told U.K. magazine Big Issue that Kid A was "a fire from far off," whereas the new work is "the sound of what it feels like to be standing in the fire."

CARTOON ROCK: Hip-hop producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura is producing a new kind of band — one made up of cartoon characters. The unusual Gorillaz project, due in the spring on Virgin Records, gets real-world help from Blur singer Damon Albarn, scratch wizard Kid Koala, Cibo Matto singer Miho Hatori, rapper Del, and Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer.

WHAT'S A MOGWAI? Scottish instrumental rock band Mogwai has finished work on Rock Action, its first full-length record since 1998's Come on Die Young. Still not willing to sing, the group recruited Super Furry Animals singer Gruff Rhys for vocals on "Dial Revenge," though the rest of the album is said to feature lush arrangements of banjos, violins, trumpets, and trombones. It's due April 24 from Matador Records, according to a label rep.

SCREAMING SOLO: Former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan will release Field Songs on May 8, according to Sup Pop. Included on the album is an unreleased song Lanegan wrote with Gun Club's Jeffery Lee Pierce before his 1996 death.

AIR SUPPLY: Air was helped out by Beck, Buffalo Daughter, and Red Kross drummer Brian Reitzell in putting together the duo's new album, 10,000 Hz Legend. The new LP, a follow-up to the soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides, is due in the spring.

WET PAINT: The Red House Painters' Old Ramon, which they recorded two years ago, will finally see the light of day thanks to Sub Pop, their new label. The disc is due April 17, on the heels of singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek's solo LP What's Next to the Moon, which consists of AC/DC covers.

MORE, MORE, MORISSETTE: Alanis Morissette's follow-up to 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is due June 12 on Maverick Records, according to her Web site. The still-untitled album was written, produced, and arranged entirely by Morissette herself and promises "a harder, edgier sound."

EPIC PRODUCTION: French electronica maestro Mirwais, introduced to the United States after his work on Madonna's Music, will release his own LP, Production, Feb. 27 on Epic Records. "Disco Science," which features a sample from the Breeders' hit "Cannonball," also appears in Snatch, the new movie from Madonna hubby Guy Ritchie.

ECSTATIC PAIRING: XTC frontman Andy Partridge teamed up with Apples in Stereo singer Robert Schneider to work together on the latter's solo album, due in the spring, according to the Los Angeles Times. Partridge will also return to work with band mate Colin Moulding to work on a 2002 XTC album.

NEW 97'S: Country rockers the Old 97's are completing Satellite Rides, their follow-up to 1999's Fight Songs. The new disc, due March 20 from Elektra Records, was written by Rhett Miller, though he says the band spent many months working with the material before it was sent to super-producer Tchad Blake for a final mix.

HITTIN' THE BOTTLE: West Coast rappers Tha Liks (formerly Tha Alkaholiks) plan to release X.O., their fourth album, on Loud Records in the spring. Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, and Kurupt make guest appearances, and producer Rockwilder handles the controls for the first single "Run Wild."

VISION REVISION: Bay Area underground rap crew the Hieroglyphics — comprised of Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, Domino, Casual, and Pep Love — will give 1998 LP Third Eye Vision another chance. After landing a new deal with RED Distribution, the group hopes the disc will find a lot more stores on its March 6 rerelease, according to band Web site hieroglyphics.com.

NUMBER FIVE: The Stone Temple Pilots have begun work on their follow-up to 1999's No. 4 with longtime producer Brendan O'Brien. The band has already put together five new songs, according to MTV, as sailing is much smoother with singer Scott Weiland's newfound sobriety. "Scott's in a space right now where we're not cramming to just get a single record done," bassist Robert DeLeo told MTV. "I think a double record is possible."

BRUCE STRIKES BACK: Hollywood stars Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe, Milla Jovovich, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jeff Goldblum will contribute songs to Hollywood Goes Wild, a benefit CD for The Wildlife Waystation, a California refuge for wild and exotic animals. The disc, which gives actors the opportunity to follow Jennifer Lopez's path from silver screen to MTV, is due March 7 and will be sold through www.waystation.org.

KITTIE ROARS AGAIN: Canadian metal quartet Kittie plans to enter a studio with producer Garth Richardson, after completing its stint on the SnoCore tour. Two new songs in the band's live set — "Pain" and "Mouth Full of Poison" — may find their way onto the new LP.