Rock news 03 2006

Depeche Mode Record in a New Language and Remaster Back Catalog

Depeche Mode have added yet another string to their bow by writing a new song sung in an entirely made up language. The eighties band have recorded the weird song for the computer games series, `The Sims'. The made up language has been named `Simlish' and the Mode have covered their track `Suffer Well' entirely in `Simlish'.they are hoping the move will introduce their music to a new generation of fans.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=9718

To remain relevant in a world where cassingles don't have quite the caché they once did, Dave Gahan and gang also plan to roll out DVD and SACD reissues of the Depeche Mode back catalog. Speak & Spell, Music for the Masses, and Violator are slated for an April 25 release. The remastering was supervised by each album's original producer, and they include 5.1 surround sound mixes, extra tracks, and bonus remixes like the unfortunately titled "Just Can't Get Enough (schizo mix)".

* Depeche Mode: www.depechemode.com

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/02.shtml



Scott Walker Reveals New Album Details

Caroline Bermudez reports:

Pop idol, lounge lizard, balladeer, avant garde adventurer: Scott Walker has inhabited each of these roles throughout his long, storied career. If there's anything consistent about the man who has inspired everyone from Brian Eno and David Bowie to Pulp, Radiohead, and Opeth, it's that he has always been willing to follow his whims and idiosyncrasies. Too art for pop and too pop for art, he has crafted an incomparable body of work that is out of step in the best possible way.

On May 9, Walker's first album in eleven years will be released. Entitled The Drift, the follow-up to 1995's Tilt is Walker's debut for the legendary 4AD label, which he signed with in 2004. Walker is notorious for letting many years lapse between records; The Drift is only his fourth proper album since 1974.

If The Drift's song titles are any indication, Walker still continues to be fascinated by Russian history.

Tracklist:

01 Cossacks Are
02 Clara
03 Jesse
04 Jolson and Jones
05 Cue
06 Hand Me Ups
07 Buzzers
08 Psoriatic
09 The Escape
10 A Lover Loves

The mysterious figure of Walker has been a subject of much dissection throughout the years, and a new documentary film continues the exploration. Directed by Stephen Kijak with David Bowie serving as executive producer, "30 Century Man" (named after a track on 1969's Scott 3 that was also featured on the Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou soundtrack) will be released later this year. The film includes interviews with ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Goldfrapp, and Radiohead (whose own documentary, 1999's Meeting People Is Easy featured the Walker song "On Your Own Again" off 1969's Scott 4).

* * Scott Walker (unofficial): http://www.phinnweb.org/retro/scott/
* 4AD: http://www.4ad.com/

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/08.shtml#scottwalker


Exclusive: Raconteurs Unveil Debut LP Tracklist

Kati Llewellyn reports:

As the lovechild of Jack White, Brendan Benson, and the Greenhornes' Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, it's no surprise that the Raconteurs like to do things big. Today, they release the "Steady, As She Goes" / "Store Bought Bones" single in the States.

But that's not it. Today, Pitchfork has also learned the tracklist for their debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, due May 16 via Third Man/V2. It features the colors yellow and blue, but not red and white.


Broken Boy Soldiers:

01 Steady, As She Goes
02 Hands
03 Broken Boy Soldier
04 Intimate Secretary
05 Together
06 Level
07 Store Bought Bones
08 Yellow Sun
09 Call It A Day
10 Blue Veins

Jack White has also been busy guzzling hatorade lately, as he lashed out on the White Stripes' website against a number of targets, including garage-rock stalwart Billy Childish, bloggers, thieving record labels, and, yes, Pitchfork.

We got dissed by Jack White! How cool is that? Beef with 50 Cent is right around the corner.

* The Raconteurs: http://www.theraconteurs.com/
* The White Stripes: http://www.whitestripes.com/

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/07.shtml


New Sigur Ros EP soon

Sigur Rós' manager recently wrote in his tour diary on the band's official website that the guys have recorded four new songs, which will be bundled with Takk's "Saeglopur" on a forthcoming EP. It's tentatively scheduled to be released in Europe sometime in April (no word on a U.S. release yet).

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/02.shtml#sigurros


Fiery Furnaces Brew Bitter Tea Tracklist

Kati Llewellyn reports:

In addition to preparing for the April 18 release of their newest album, Bitter Tea, on new label Fat Possum, the Fiery Furnaces have been making sure us Pitchfork news writers make it to nationals in speed-typing. The Friedberger duo, who we've reported on twice in the past two weeks, have revealed information about their upcoming release as slowly as a leaky pipe. But as of today, the plumbing has finally been fixed, as the very last piece of Bitter Tea news can be announced at last: the tracklist.

And the curtain rises:

01 In My Little Thatched Hut
02 I'm in No Mood
03 Black-hearted Boy
04 Bitter Tea
05 Teach Me Sweetheart
06 Waiting to Know You
07 The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry
08 Oh Sweet Woods
09 Borneo
10 Police Sweater Blood Vow
11 Nevers
12 Benton Harbor Blues
13 Whistle Rhapsody?
14 Benton Harbor Blues Again

Bitter Tea is said to be poppier and more straightforward than the Furnaces' last effort, Rehearsing My Choir, but then again, so is my toenail focus. The album, recorded in Benton Harbour, Michigan, last year, was written and produced by Mr. Friedberger while Eleanor handled the vocals and some percussion.

"Bitter Tea is a very girly record. The granddaughter record, as opposed to the grandmother record," Matt Friedberger said in a press release. The Furnaces also described the album's sound as "Sissy Psychedelic Satanism". So it sounds like Current 93?

Oh, and for the third time, we'd like to let you know that Matt Friedberger recently revealed to Pitchfork news of two solo records, set to see light later this year on 859 Records. So keep that in mind until the next time we report on it, which will probably be tomorrow.

* The Fiery Furnaces: http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com/
* Fat Possum Records: http://www.fatpossum.com/

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/15.shtml#fieryfurnaces

Iron Maiden Rock Again!

Metal giants Iron Maiden are to go on a tour of the UK and Ireland this winter.

The band, who will release a new album before the dates, play eight shows, kicking of in Cardiff on December 11.

Guitarist Steve Harris said of the album and tour, "We've finished most of the writing of the album and have just started recording with Kevin Shirley so we're all very charged up at the moment to make a great record.

"Reaction to the tour so far has been brilliant and we're looking forward to putting a great show together for the fans and getting back out on the road towards the end of the year and playing new material live."

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=9708

Black Heart Procession Ready Fifth Album

Zach Vowell reports:

It's been over three years since the Black Heart Procession forsook the nominal trend of their first three album titles (One, Two and Three) and surfaced with the mysterious Amore del Tropico. On May 11, they'll return to simplicity with The Spell, due out on Touch and Go.

Packed with tales of, well, spellbound characters (and of course more reasons to commemorate our black hearts), the album features the Album Leaf's Jimmy LaValle and Matt Resovich helping out on piano, bass, reverb tank (whatever the hell that is), organ, violin, Wurlitzer, synth, and lapsteel. And don't worry: the BHP haven't forgot their musical saw.

Saw this, Sufjan:

01 Tangled
02 The Spell
03 Not Just Words
04 The Letter
05 The Replacement
06 Return to Burn
07 GPS
08 The Waiter #5
09 Places
10 The Fix
11 To Bring You Back

* Black Heart Procession: http://www.blackheartprocession.com/
* Touch & Go: http://www.touchandgorecords.com/


http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/17.shtml#blackheartprocession

Mogwai Score Film

Further proving that sports and post-rock make damned sexy bedfellows, Mogwai have taken a cue from Explosions in the Sky and Friday Night Lights and are providing the soundtrack to Zidane: a 21st Century Portrait. This 90-minute documentary, directed by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, explores the life of French football star Zinedine Zidane. It's currently in post-production, and this time around, the football in question is real; i.e., actually kicked, with the foot, at least 95% of the time. Apparently some people call that "soccer" or something.

* Mogwai: http://www.mogwai.co.uk
* Matador: http://www.matadorrecords.com

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/01.shtml#mogwai


Dresden Dolls Prepare New Album

Kati Llewellyn reports:

The Dresden Dolls, the hottest thing in goth-rock since Marilyn Manson, are poised to blow up the mall this spring, with the release of their new album, Yes, Virginia. Coming April 18 on Roadrunner Records, Virginia contains the year's best track titles, as well as artwork created from fan submissions. Submissions of artwork, pervert! Not any other kind of submission. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Tracklist:

01 Sex Changes
02 Backstabber
03 Modern Moonlight
04 My Alcoholic Friends
05 Delilah
06 Dirty Business
07 First Orgasm
08 Mrs. O
09 Shores of California
10 Necessary Evil
11 Mandy Goes to Med School
12 Me & the Minibar
13 Sing

The dramatic duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione will also stoke their fanatical fanbase's thirst for merch with the release of The Dresden Dolls' Companion Song Book, due out at the end of March. A massive 200-page collection of sheet music, guitar tabs, photos, and stories behind the songs, the book also comes with a bonus video disc featuring an "intimate and impromptu interview with Amanda in her kitchen." Wow.

* Dresden Dolls: http://www.dresdendolls.com/
* Roadrunner: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-03/01.shtml#mogwai

Catastrophe Keeps Rainer Maria Together

Matthew Solarski reports:

Never fear, hypersensitive young person: emo still cares about you! So do long-standing lit-rockers Rainer Maria, who were kicking it e-style way back when all Joey Screamo could utter was a pubescent caterwaul. The poetically-inclined trio have mellowed a bit since the "Goddammit!" days of "Tinfoil" and "Rain Yr Hand", but ten-plus years on they're still tight as shit and a marvel of onstage energy.

April 4 sees the emergence of studio album number five, Catastrophe Keeps Us Together. Released via new label Grunion Records, Catastrophe features eleven red-hot RM cuts, nine of which were produced by Malcolm Burn, the man who changed your life with Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home".

Kyle Fischer, Caithlin de Marrais, and Bill Kuehn formed Rainer Maria in Madison, Wisconsin and soon hitched their baby to a wagon bound for New York City, their present stomping grounds. They are cool people. Love them. Love their songs, too:

01 Catastrophe
02 Life of Leisure
03 Burn
04 Bottle
05 Terrified
06 Cities Above
07 Already Lost
08 Clear and True
09 Make you Mine
10 Southpaw
11 I'll Keep It With Mine

While the Rainer kids have dabbled in assorted solo- and side-projects, 2006 will prove a year of renewed band focus. Disclosed drummer Kuehn to Pitchfork via e-mail: "We've made Rainer Maria our priority for the foreseeable future. We're all very proud of the new record, and feel very fortunate to be in the position we are in with Grunion."

* Rainer Maria: www.rainermaria.com

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/21.shtml#rainermaria


Tom Verlaine Prepares Two New Albums

James Gregory reports:

With his icy blue guitar lines straight out of a Tron-like future, Television guitarist Tom Verlaine was the most distinctive axe-slinger of the 70s punk scene (sorry Brian James, but it's true). Verlaine's recorded output has been slim in recent years, but that will change this spring, with two new Verlaine solo discs set to hit stores on April 25.

Songs and Other Things and Around, both coming out on Thrill Jockey, will be Verlaine's first releases of new material since 1992's Warm and Cool. (Warm and Cool was reissued by Thrill Jockey last year.) While not quite a calculated Use Your Illusion move, the twin albums will offer up both sides of Verlaine's post-Television output in two tidy packages, with the former disc featuring vocals and lyrics, and the latter an instrumental album.

Verlaine's first solo album adorned with his distinctive singing style since 1990's The Wonder, Songs and Other Things features 14 new tracks. Around, the 16-song instrumental disc, will be a jazzier set, utilizing many of the same musicians found on Warm and Cool, including Television drummer Billy Ficca.

The blow up:

>>Songs and Other Things:

01 A Parade in Littleton
02 Heavenly Charm
03 Orbit
04 Blue Light
05 From Her Fingers
06 Nice Actress
07 A Stroll
08 The Earth Is in the Sky
09 Lovebird Asylum Seeker
10 Documentary
11 Shingaling
12 All Weirded Out
13 The Day on You
14 Peace Piece

>>Around:

01 The O of Adore
02 Brief Description
03 Rain, Sidewalk
04 Shadow Walks Away
05 Meteor Beach
06 Mountain
07 Candle
08 Balcony
09 Flame
1O Curtains Open
11 Eighty Eights
12 A Burned Letter
13 Wheel Broke
14 The Suns Gliding!
15 New
16 Rings

For fans who missed Verlaine and co. on the last couple Television reunion gigs, a world tour in support of the albums is also in the works. Currently assembling his backing band, Verlaine is tentatively scheduled to hit the road in late April/early May. It will be his first solo outing in more than a decade.

* Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com/

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/28.shtml#tomverlaine


Franz, Cat Power Pay Homage to Serge Gainsbourg

Matthew Solarski reports:

Sacre bleu, Francophiles! Holy mixtapes, indie kids! Your two cherished worlds are about to coalesce in a big way. The center of gravity: suave, debonair, and--admit it-- rather creepy French crooner Serge Gainsbourg.

All your quasi-indie heroes (Cat Power, Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, Jarvis Cocker, Feist, Placebo, The Kills), alongside requisite veterans (Michael Stipe, Marianne Faithfull), original Gainsbourgian chanteuses (Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy), and Jack White's boo (Karen Elson) have teamed up to pay tribute to the perpetually unshaven songsmith on the forthcoming covers comp Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited, due out next month.

Monsieur bears numerous fruits of amour: Cat Power scores with Elson on a rendition of "Je t'aime...Moi Non Plus", while Franz makes love to aging cover-girl Jane Birkin to the tune of "Sorry Angel". Brits Jarvis Cocker, Placebo, and the Rakes all get their Serge on. And there's even a little trip-hop nostalgia, with contributions from 1995's flag-bearers Portishead (yay!) and Tricky.

Tres bien:

01 Franz Ferdinand and Jane Birkin: "A Song for Sorry Angel"
02 Cat Power and Karen Elson: "I Love You (Me Either)"
03 Jarvis Cocker and Kid Loco: "I Just Came to Tell You That I'm Going"
04 Portishead: "Requiem for Anna"
05 Faultline, Brian Molko, and Françoise Hardy: "Requiem For A Jerk"
06 Michael Stipe: "L'Hôtel"
07 Tricky: "Au Revoir Emmanuelle"
08 Marianne Faithfull and Sly and Robbie: "Lola R. For Ever"
09 Gonzales, Feist, and Dani: "Boomerang 2005"
10 Marc Almond and Trash Palace: "Boy Toy"
11 Placebo: "The Ballad of Melody Nelson"
12 The Rakes: "Just a Man With a Job"
13 The Kills: "I Call It Art"
14 Carla Bruni: "Those Little Things"

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/21.shtml#rainermaria


THE GATHERING:

Dutch Progressive/Goth Metal act THE GATHERING will release their upcoming album `Home' on April 18th, 2006 via The End Records in North America. Ever since their inception 15 years ago The Gathering have continued to evolve, never settling on one set style and rarely ever duplicating themselves. They have embraced change along the way and used it as a tool to feed their ongoing creative process. Like their previous groundbreaking releases - their classic `Mandylion' (1995), the electronic dabblings of `How to Measure a Planet?' (1998) or the trip-hop/atmospheric warmth of `Souvenirs' (2003) - their latest album `Home' finds the band heading back to a bit more of rock vibe, yet still maintaining the delicate nuances and passages that fans worldwide have grown to love.

But the momentum here is not entirely based on emotional highs, as the band still manages to capture the dark spirit that most human beings have had to deal with from time to time. Variation has always been the key, case in point the diverse offering of such numbers as In Between, Shortest Day, A Noise Severe and the powerfully moving title track. The Gathering will make their debut at this year's South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2006 at Lava Lounge. The band will also venture out for a small U.S. tour as part of their Homelands world tour to promote their upcoming album.

Tracklisting:

01. Shortest Day

02. In Between

03. Alone

04. Waking Hour

05. Fatigue

06. A Noise Severe

07. Forgotten

08. Solace

09. Your Troubles Are Over

10. Box

11. The Quiet One

12. Home

13. Forgotten Reprise


KILLING JOKE:

Killing Joke retired to Faust Studios in Prague to produce their new studio album titled 'Hosannas From The Basements of Hell'. The CD is engineered by Jerry Kandiah and self-produced by the band. There's thick-sounding, rigorous guitars, shadowed by distortion and arduous drums that really capture the essence of the dark industrial heaviness that is Killing Joke. The album was mixed by Mark Lusardi who some twenty-six years earlier, actually mixed Killing Joke's first recording. Old tape echo machines of the era (1979) were brought in and it was finally mixed on radio speakers, which created this very unique, dark sound. Release date is scheduled on Cooking Vinyl Records for April 3rd in Europe and April 18 in North America.

Tracklisting:

01. This Tribal Antidote

02.Hosannas From The Basement Of Hell

03. Invocation

04. Implosion

05. Majestic

06. Walking With Gods

07.Lightbringer

08.Judas Goat

09. Gratitude

http://www.musicfolio.com/