*PJ Harvey's new album is out in September. It's called White Chalk - here's the tracklisting: 01. The Devil 02. Dear Darkness 03. Grow Grow Grow 04. When Under Ether 05. White Chalk 06. Broken Harp 07. Silence 08. To Talk To You 09. The Piano 10. Before Departure 11. The Mountain
*Radiohead: the new album is finished and will be out in 2008. Jonny Greenwood makes his orchestral debut in January in New York. Thom has recorded vocals to a track by Modeselektor called White Flash. It is truly immense - mysterious and beautiful. Google it - a few blogs have it up for download.
*Two dead at Ozzfest in New Jersey.
*Go here for an amazing mp3 of a live appearance by Basic Channel knob-twiddlers Scion in Dublin with vocals from Jamaica's most cosmic toaster Tikiman.
*Here is a brilliant obituary of Tony Wilson, a man whose death 4Music didn't even mention in passing, probably because they didn't know who he was, not having been a member of the Black-Eyed Peas.
------------------------ So why isn't 4Music Ed covering anything like this? Probably because he's sitting at home watching "Any Dancey Pet Airport Hospital Factor Will Do" and stuffing his face with peanut butter and profiteroles from Iceland. What a rotter.
... not having been a member of the Black-Eyed Peas.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will release their first album in five years on Oct. 2.
"Magic," the Boss' first album with his E Street Band since the Sept. 11-inspired "The Rising," marks Springsteen's return to rock 'n' roll after two acoustic-based efforts, "Devils & Dust" and "The Seeger Sessions."
Another baby boomer favorite, the Eagles, have announced a release date and distributor for their first studio album of all new songs in 28 years. Mercury Nashville/Lost Highway will release "Long Road Out of Eden" (ERC) beginning Oct. 30. Disc will initially be available only at Wal-Mart stores.
The first single, "How Long," was sent to radio Thursday and will be available for download Monday at walmart.com, samsclub.com and eaglesband.com.
For "Magic," recorded over two months in Atlanta, Springsteen again used producer Brendan O'Brien, who produced "The Rising" and "Devils & Dust." Springsteen reunited with the full E Street Band: guitarists Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, saxophonist Clarence Clemons, violinist Soozie Tyrell and vocalist Patti Scialfa.
First single will be "Radio Nowhere." Only one of the disc's 11 tracks has been performed in front of an audience: "Long Walk Home," which made it into a setlist on Springsteen's "Seeger Sessions" tour.
"The Rising" has sold 2.1 million copies, and the tour that followed its release generated a gross of more than $180 million even though Springsteen kept ticket prices under $90 a seat.
A tour is expected to begin in early October. Springsteen will be promoting the album with TV talkshow appearances.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Down with the conscious illiterati.
Tramps like us.....and we like tramps. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And is a singer releasing another album actually 'news'? Surely PJ Harvey is just doing her job? You wouldn't read a news story about a bus driver driving a bus would you?
to be honest, I don't care if 4music don't bother covering Tony Wilson's death- there's more than enough coverage all over the net, and I've had enough of it. the plus side of his passing is that we won't have to hear him raving about bands as utterly mundane as Enter Shitari.
Scott Walker has just got a job as a bus driver. He starts in October, but before that he has a 25 minute mini instrumental album called And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball? out on September 25. It was specially written for a dance troupe called Candoco who are doing a small tour of England around the time of the album's release. (I posted a thread about this but it was removed for some bizarre reason)
"all TG is good TG, even when it was punishing mind dreck!" -JP '06
* Up-and-coming freakfolk goddess Mariee Sioux has re-recorded two of her songs, Buried In Teeth and Two Tongues At One Time with Joanna Newsom's Ys Street Band for a 7-inch single release. Both tracks are brilliant. Check her Myspace page for more info.
* Ian Curtis biopic Control, directed by the man who directed that weird little Captain Beefheart documentary and made U2 look even more punchable than usual, Anton Corbijn, now has its own webpage, containg trailer & info. The film looks wonderful and stars the superb (but allegedly very difficult-to-work-with) Samantha Morton. It's out on October the 5th in the UK.
* The Naturalismo blog contains links to mp3s from the new Devendra Banhart album as well as some stunning artwork from new San Diego Syd-Barrett-esque band Astra and streaming/downloadable new material by Mountain Home, Animal Collective and Marissa Nadler.
* There's some great footage out there of Bjork attacking another reporter. My word, she's fast.
Now I'm sure you'll bleat on that it isn't enough but you're still *shock horror* wrong. Imagine that? Now moaning about stuff is a perfectly good hobby but I can't help thiking that 4Music is just not the website for you. It's clearly a populist music website that's dedicated to writing mostly about Top Ten chart acts (and doing it in a silly Smash Hits type way). I'm sure there are plenty of places catering for all the weird stuff you like. Moaning that one website doesn't cater for your tastes seems a bit like complaining the local chip shop doesn't sell organic, ethically raised, foie gras. If you want specialist - go to a specialist!
^That's lovely, dear, but Channel 4's Statement of Policy 2007 says it will take risks in subject matter, avoid taking the easy option and seek feedback from viewers. It's there in black and white - please go and read it.
I think you forget that people look to Channel 4 for the weird stuff sometimes; that is, after all, what Channel 4 was built on. It was the channel that fairly single-handedly brought that weird 'alternative comedy' to the world - a genre that is now accepted as the norm. It also championed weird music until about a decade ago. It was the first channel I remember showing that really weird band Nirvana, for instance.
The weird becomes mainstream. John Peel was dismissed countless times as a lunatic for playing punk, dub, acid house and jungle, but his far-sightedness and prescience won out in the end.
4Music has the resources and the wonderful opportunity to take up that visionary mantle and carry the torch for the weird and wonderful music that's flowing freely underneath the surface. This should be at the same time as covering all the top-ten stuff too.
Channel 4 used to be a leader. Now it appears it's simply following a hundred and one other sites' and celeb-mag's tired old formula, plodding along like an old, fat, ailing labrador whose owner feeds it the same bland food and takes it on the same short, safe walk down the same dull street every day.
Oh yeah: 1) The new album "Blue" by Part Timer is a gorgeous ambient headtrip; 2) There's a re-released 7" of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division 3) Aphex Twin has just announced a date in Manchester on December 7th.
Brit Award winning sheffield group Arctic Monkeys are to be doing a UK christmas tour this year, taking them to places such as London and Manchester. Tickets went on sale on Thursday 27th September and sold out the same day. Like the two gigs they performed at Manchester's LCCG in July, the christmas gigs are set to be a huge success Although the tickets are sold out at the countries major ticket dealers They are still retrievable from smaller dealers. Its just a case of looking hard I suppose! x
Sheffield based indie/rock group Arctic Monkeys, were named The Best Act In The World at this years Q Awards, this being the top Q Award. The boys narrowly missed out on the win for best album, which went to Amy Winehouse for her most recent album Back To Black. The best live act category was won by Muse, whilst the award for the year's top track was bagged by the Manic Street Preachers, for the song Your Love Alone Is Not Enough. The award for best video was won by Kaiser Chiefs for the video to Ruby The Enemy recieved the award for best new act, with Kate Nash winning the award for top breakthrough artist.
Sir Paul McCartney was named icon of the year, with Kylie Minogue being named idol of 2007. McCartney received a cheer from the audience when he paid tribute to late wife Linda, who died in 1998, saying "I thank Linda for seeing me through some real tough periods," before thanking his former Beatle bandmates and his "fantastic, beautiful" children.
The lifetime achievement award was won by ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and the Q legend catagory was won by Ian Brown.
The classic song award went to Stereophonics for Local Boy In The Photograph, and Urban Hymns by The Verve won the classic album award.
x
