Music News

Radiohead album update

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke has given an update on their new album - and joked that sessions are going so badly the band are "washed up".

Writing to fans on the band's official website, Yorke said the sessions have been "great fun", and that small shows next year will definitely happen.

He said: "It is the end of our two week session. We're splitting up its all shit. We're washed up. Finished. Only kidding. It was fun. Some of it has been really great fun. And there were moments that stick in my head when I went 'TUNE!' 'TUNE!'"

Guitarist Ed O Brien added: "Friday night... the end of a two week session. Riffs and fragments of the songs going round my head. It's been great. It's always difficult to judge right now but I think we may have got 'Bodysnatchers'.

"Had a couple of sticky days at the beginning of the week but saw it through. On a roll now. Lots of stuff to be done yet, but so far so good. The studio is fab, its so good to play in and listen. You know what works and what doesn't."

The band have also revealed gigs are planned for next year. The follow-up to 2003's 'Hail To The Thief' is scheduled for release then too.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8141

A-HA:

3 1/2 years after the release of 'Lifelines', A-Ha are back with their 8th studio album and a scheduled European tour. The new album will be released in Europe on Nov 4th and will be preceded by the single 'Celice' to be released on Oct 10th. New single Celice is an uptempo song with an intriguing development of the unique A-Ha sound. The maxi CD version includes the Radio Cut, the Paul Van Dyk Radio edit plus a live version of the song recorded at Frognerparken, as well as the video of the single plus the B-Side The Summers Of Our Youth.

Tracklisting (single Celice):

1.Celice (Radio Cut)
2.Celice (Live At Frognerparken)
3.Celice (Paul Van Dyk Radio Edit)
4.The summers of our youth
5.Celice (Video)

Tracklisting (album Analogue):

1. Celice
2. Don't Do Me Any Favours
3. Cozy Prison
4. Analogue
5. Birthright
6. Holyground
7. Over The Treetops
8. Halfway Through The Tour
9. A Fine Blue Line
10. Keeper Of The Flame
11. Make It Soon
12. White Dwarf
13. The Summers Of Our Youth

http://www.musicfolio.com/

and see the 'adult' version of a-ha's video, 'Celice', at this music site:
http://www.itsatrap.com/

Go to News 10/18/05 for the direct link to video, or in search box, type in "a-ha", and one of several links will be for video.

Mark Kozelek Talks Modest Mouse

Amy Phillips reports:

Mark Kozelek loves him some Modest Mouse. He loves 'em so much he went and recorded a whole album of their songs. It's called Tiny Cities and it's coming out on the Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon mastermind's own label, Caldo Verde, on November 1.

...the story behind the story. Kozelek stumbled upon Modest Mouse by accident a few years ago. "I actually went to see the Shins when they were opening for Modest Mouse," he told Pitchfork last week. "It was like Godzilla stepped on Bambi or something when Modest Mouse came out. It was just amazing. You know, I'm not too
often blown away by anything."

He said that he was impressed with the band's dynamic, and it reminded him of his former group, Red House Painters, with their tight on-stage chemistry. But he was particularly taken with Issac Brock's "presence." "An average song has fifty words and this guy had like a thousand. There's a lot going on there. He was just really loose and just sort of let it out. I think as an artist, you sense when something is going on that's real. It's like the guy was possessed or something."

Slowly, the Mouse began to seep into his life. "Sun Kil Moon was doing some tours, and just for fun we added 'Dramamine' and 'Never Ending Math Equation' into the set. We just kind of improvised it."

But as he grew to master the songs, he became attached to the idea of treating Modest Mouse with the same full-disc coverage he'd given AC/DC on 2001's What's Next to the Moon.

"It's just like a kid in a candy store with his lyrics," he said. The lyrics are just so colorful. It was incredibly easy to make the record." Kozelek financed the recording himself, working casually and on the sly. "I didn't really talk about it while I was making the record, in case I didn't want to release it, I didn't want
anybody hassling me about it. So I just kind of kept it a secret and when it was done I sequenced it and I thought, 'this is good,' and I played it for a few people and they were like 'this is great.'"

Modest Mouse fans might be a bit surprised by Tiny Cities, however. Every song has been thoroughly Kozelek-ized. When asked about changing the tracks' distinctive melodies, he replied, "That's what I do. I've done it since the very first cover I ever did, 'The Star Spangled Banner' [on 1993's Red House Painters II]. When I cover
songs, I think very much outside of the box. I just saw Thumbsucker the other day, and Elliott Smith was doing a Cat Stevens song exactly like Cat Stevens, and it was incredibly boring. I get into the guts of a song and completely twist things up and turn it around and make it my own."

In other words, Kozelek has turned Isaac Brock's twisted millennial meanderings into his trademark brand of pastoral melancholy. "If you listen to a song like "Exit Does Not Exist", those words are coming out like an automatic weapon," he said. "It's really, really fast.

It's beautiful, but it's something that, if you're not into Modest Mouse, it's just going to go right by. I've slowed them down, and there's enough space in there that you can really hear what's going on. It becomes my own colors, you know?"

Hear your own colors in this here tracklist:

01 Exit Does Not Exist
02 Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
03 Neverending Math Equation
04 Space Travel Is Boring
05 Dramamine
06 Jesus Christ Was an Only Child
07 Four Fingered Fisherman
08 Grey Ice Water
09 Convenient Parking
10 Trucker's Atlas
11 Ocean Breathes Salty

As for Kozelek's plans after the record comes out... well, he doesn't have any. "I'm really true to my instincts and you just don't know from day to day what's going to happen. That's the nice thing about art. It's just so wide open. You don't really know what's going to happen."

The only thing that's definitely going to happen is Kozelek's solo gig at Conway Hall in London on November 25, at which he'll be playing Red House Painters songs in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his former record label, 4AD. "Maybe when the snow
melts I'll get out in the spring as something to do. A few more acoustic shows or something. I think it's possible I might put a band together for a half a dozen shows."

Since we live in a world where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems, let's speculate on future Kozelek covers projects while we wait for him to make some concrete decisions. How about Real Love: Mark Kozelek Takes on Mary J. Blige? Or Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me: Mark Kozelek Sings the Best of the
Presidents of the United States of America?

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-10/11.shtml#markkozelek

Exclusive: Cat Power Album Details Revealed

Ryan Dombal and Amy Phillips report:

We thought it wasn't possible, but Cat Power just keeps getting sexier. Chan Marshall's forthcoming album, The Greatest, (due January 26 on Matador), continues the trend of her guest turn on Handsome Boy Modeling School's "I've Been Thinking", turning the indie rock chanteuse into a simmering Southern diva. Listen to her purr and just try not to want to make babies.

As previously reported, The Greatest was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, with a murderer's row of veteran session musicians, including members of the Hi and Stax Records house bands. The record is steeped in the R&B and country traditions, with lots of horns and thick, smoky grooves. The title track sounds like an outtake from Dusty in Memphis, "Islands" and "Empty Shell" are future honky tonk jukebox staples, while "Could We" is upbeat funk. "Living Proof" should be covered by Shelby Lynne or Van Morrison. "Willie" is a condensed version of the song "Willie
Deadwilder" from her Speaking for Trees CD/DVD.

In other words, this album smells like incense, barbecue, and sweat. Get naked to this tracklist (which is, ahem, subject to change, apparently):

01 The Greatest
02 Could We
03 Lived in Bars
04 Islands
05 After It All
06 The Moon
07 Living Proof
08 Empty Shell
09 Willie
10 Where Is My Love
11 Hate
12 Love & Communication

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-10/10.shtml

John Peel

John Peel Day gigs honour late DJ

Peel TV moments

More than 300 concerts are taking place around the world to mark John Peel Day in honour of the late radio presenter.

Thursday marks one year since his final BBC Radio 1 show and the station will broadcast a six-hour tribute programme. Peel died on 25 October last year.

Gigs will be held in countries such as the UK, New Zealand, Italy and Canada.

Some of Peel's favourite acts, including New Order, The Fall and Super Furry Animals, played at the first tribute gig in London on Wednesday.

New Order singer Bernard Sumner at John Peel tribute gig

New Order headlined the first tribute gig in London on Wednesday
New Order frontman Bernard Sumner told the crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Hall the band's former incarnation, Joy Division, would have got "nowhere" without Peel's support.

And Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker said Peel provided his musical education and inspired him to "make music my life".

New and established acts are due to take part in concerts on John Peel Day on Thursday, reflecting the fact that Peel championed new music.

Performers include punk band The Anti-Nowhere League at Trillians Rock Bar in Newcastle and members of indie bands Mogwai and The Pastels at Glasgow venue Mono.

JOHN PEEL REMEMBERED

Obituary: John Peel

Dance act Dreadzone are playing at Salisbury City Hall, Mercury Music Prize nominee KT Tunstall is performing at Sheffield Octagon and new act Supersmash Monkeyhouse play at Staples Pub in Limerick, Ireland.

Radio 1's six-hour show will pay tribute to Peel and the music and bands he discovered.

Peel worked at Radio 1 for almost 40 years on his own late-night show. He also became presenter of BBC Radio 4's Home Truths in 1998.

His career was marked by discovering and championing new artists, from Joy Division to the White Stripes.

KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall will perform in Sheffield as part of John Peel Day
John Peel Day will be followed by a Radio 1 documentary, Keeping It Peel, on 17 October and a week of tribute shows on BBC digital radio station 6 Music from 24 October.

Meanwhile Roger Daltrey, Sir Elton John, Robert Plant, David Gilmour and Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks are also due to appear on a tribute single alongside newer acts.

The single is the brainchild of Peel's son Tom Ravenscroft.

Ravenscroft is also a researcher on John Peel's Record Box, a TV programme exploring Peel's musical tastes to be broadcast on Channel 4 in November.

# Radio One's special broadcast for John Peel Day starts at 1900 BST and features live broadcasts from around the UK.

Babyshambles live

Sunday 09/10/05 Babyshambles @ Academy, Liverpool

by Louise Bell

JUNKIE PETE IN KATE BURNING SHOCKER!

Junkie rocker Pete Doherty stunned fans in Liverpool on Sunday night by burning a picture of his girlfriend Kate Moss on stage.

The Babyshambles frontman set alight the picture after being thrown it by a member of the audience at the city’s Academy venue.

Doherty, 26, is currently estranged from the supermodel as she undertakes drugs rehabilitation in America after pictures of her taking cocaine at the troubled singer’s recording studios were published in the British press.

A source says, “A fan threw a rolled up picture of Moss onto the stage for Pete. However, when he unrolled the piece of paper – which looked like it had been torn from a glossy magazine – and saw it was his ex-girlfriend, he immediately set fire to it with his lighter.”

The former Libertines star, who has had two top ten hits with his new band, has also put on weight following treatment for his heroin addiction.

When Babyshambles returned to the stage after an half an hour break to play an encore, Fat Pete showed of his new rotund frame by appearing topless.

Sources close to Pete explained the long break before the encore by stating, “Pete’s a lot better than he was before. He’s off the smack - but he’s still on the crack.”

A Gigwise reviewer noted, “The last time Pete played Liverpool, his band had refused to come with him, he turned up over two hours late and was too wasted to string a song together.

“This time he seemed relatively compus mentus, and played to a sold out crowd. The band seemed pretty tight, and you could even say it was a pretty professional show which gave most of the audience what they wanted.

“However, the songs were very disappointing, and Pete seemed more interested in picking up the gifts constantly thrown onto the stage from fans, rather than singing.

“Most of the songs were pretty indiscernible from each other, and even 'Fuck Forever' – which picked up a flagging crowd towards the end of the set seemed just a little too like a Nirvana rip-off.

“Despite laudably managing to get through this British tour without any major mishaps - apart from getting sued by the odd security guard – Doherty’s performance and songs seem to have had the spark and creativity dripped out of them by his lifestyle.”

The Darkness

One Way Ticket To The Darkness

by Eve Jenkin, Undercover

October 6 2005

Darkness fans have, well, been left in the dark for so long regarding the band's highly anticipated sophomore album, but now that the wait is almost over the details are coming in thick and fast.

"One Way Ticket To Hell…And Back" was produced by the most rock n' roll of rock n' roll producers, Roy Thomas Baker. He's the man responsible for finetuning the most definitive artists of our time, including Queen, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and The Who. "Roy Thomas Baker is a genius, that's all there is to say about it." Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins states, "It's been a privilege to watch that man work, his ear is perfect, his instinct fabulous." Could he be the man that got The Darkness back on track?

On November 29, "One Way Ticket To Hell…And Back" will be unleashed upon the world, but until then, we'll just have to make do with a tracklisting. Maybe if we try to construct a tune out of the song titles…

Tracklisting:

1. One Way Ticket
2. Knockers
3. Is It Just Me?
4. Dinner Lady Arms
5. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
6. Hazel Eyes
7. Bald
8. Girlfriend
9. English Country Garden
10. Blind Man

Adrian Belew

Belew electrifying at Guitar Fest

By JEFF MIERS, NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
6/20/2005
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050620/1051536.asp

CONCERT REVIEW : Adrian Belew. Friday night in the Tralf.

It's fitting that Adrian Belew brought his killer new trio to the Tralf for the prime-time Friday night slot in this year's WNED Buffalo-Niagara Guitar Festival. He is, after all, the most exciting and consistently inventive electric guitarist of his generation.

He has one of the most impressive resumes in rock, with time logged serving artists like Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie and as a full-fledged creative leader in King Crimson for some two decades now.

Oh, yeah, the guy is one of hell of a singer-songwriter, too.

Belew's ample gifts were in full evidence before a packed Tralf. This was the opening night of his tour behind the recently released gem "Side One," but it was also the debut performance of the new Belew trio, composed of Belew on guitar and vocals, Mike Hodges on drums and Mike Gallaher on bass. To say the trip blew the roof off the place is understatement. In fact, this is likely the finest band, bar Crimson, that Belew has ever surrounded himself with.

Hodges is familiar to longtime Belew fans as the drummer on the "Mr. Music Head" and "Inner Revolution" tours. He also joined Belew as part of the massive David Bowie Sound & Vision tour of 1989. Bassist Gallaher is a jazz guitarist from Nashville, whom Belew persuaded to give the electric bass a try. We should all be glad he did. Gallaher blew jazz lines like a maniac, but also created an ample pocket with Hodges, and to serve the song, rather than the ego, throughout. These guys know Belew, and they know his idiosyncratic, eclectic and consistently brilliant music.

There was plenty of nervous energy in the air, as the band launched into "Writing on the Wall," a slice of prog-funk from "Side One." Belew has chosen the lightweight, multipurpose Parker Fly as his current guitar of choice, and with four Line 6 amps wired in stereo behind him, his tone was both out of this world and rooted deeply within it.

No other guitarist - save perhaps Belew's mentor, Zappa, and his current partner, Crimson's Robert Fripp - ever conceived melodic lines in the manner Belew does. What seems zany and flashy on the surface is more than a dazzling display of technique; Belew's extensive solos never abandoned their musicality.

"Dinosaur," from Crimson's "Thrak" album, brought a roar from the crowd, and in its stripped-down trio arrangement, lost none of its majesty. "Ampersand," another "Side One" track, is handled by Primus bassist Les Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey on the record, but Hodges and Gallaher took it even further outside, and there was some incredible ensemble interplay bringing smiles to the faces of the musicians and audience members alike.

"Madness" was just that - an instrumental improvisation kicked into interstellar overdrive by Belew's blend of musical wit and soulfulness. The title song from the late '80s effort "Young Lions" was another highlight in a show full of emotional peaks.

Throughout, Belew sang with clarity, emotional investment and what seems to be a nigh-on-perfect sense of pitch. His songs, as ever, are based in the melodic and harmonic inventiveness of later-period John Lennon, and he is able to bring to them a sense of the daring musical invention that marks the best progressive rock. That makes him one of a kind.