| John Grant is set to return with his second album, called 'Pale Green Ghosts', on March 13th 2013 via the Bella Union label. Having enjoyed huge acclaim with his 'Queen Of Denmark' album, recorded with friends Midlake as his backing band, it's fair to say there's a fair amount of anticipation for 'Pale Green Ghosts' which was recorded in Iceland with Sinead O'Connor appearing as a guest vocalist. And what's it going to sound like? If 'Queen Of Denmark' was his 70s album, 'Pale Green Ghosts' is mooted as his 80s album. Watch the video for 'Pale Green Ghosts' (the song) below and check it out:  |
12/13/2012
John Grant Returns With 'Pale Green Ghosts'
Christopher Owens Announces UK Tour
| Christopher Owens has confirmed plans to return to the UK and Europe early next year for a full headline tour. Deciding to split Girls, Christopher Owens threw fans a curveball. Refining his songwriting, the artist decided to head straight into the studio to record a solo album. Recently premiered with two sold out London shows, upcoming full length 'Lysandre' is one of Owens' most direct statements to date. Out in January, the American artist will follow the release with a number of headline shows. Opening in Manchester on February 25th, Christopher Owens will play four British shows before heading to the continent. Playing dates in Glasgow and Leeds, the short run of shows ends in Bristol on February 28th. Londoners feeling left out? Christopher Owens will play the Union Chapel on May 29th. Tickets will be available as a pre-sale to fans from this morning from Christopher Owens' Website and go on general sale on Friday (December 14th). Here's Christopher Owens performing material from 'Lysandre' in a bathtub. - - - Christopher Owens is set to play the following shows: February |
A$AP Rocky Unveils 'LongLiveA$AP' Tracklisting
| Read it now... The Official tracklisting for A$AP Rocky's hotly anticipated debut album 'LongLiveA$AP' has been revealed today. The 'Triiled-out' Harlemite's debut LP features guest spots from Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, Yelawolf and fellow New York emcee's Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$. However the most surprising guest feature in the LP comes in the form of red-headed songstress Florence Welch on 'I Come Apart'. 'LongLiveA$AP' also features production from Jim Jonson, Hit-Boy, Clams Casino and Skrillex. Tracklist: 'LongLiveA$AP' will be released in the UK on the 14th January next year. Words by Jerry Gadiano |
Junip Prepare Second Album
| Junip are set to release their second - self-titled - album on April 22nd. Junip are perhaps best known through an association with their most famous member - Swedish songwriter Jose Gonzalez represents one third of the band. However the group are more than the sum of their parts, having an identity which stands apart from the Scandinavian's blissful acoustic fare. Bursting into life with 2005's 'Black Refuge' EP, Junip then went on hiatus for five years. Returning in 2010 with 'Fields' the band are now set to surprise fans with a quick-fire (by their standards!) return. Completing work on a new album, the band will release the self-titled effort on April 22nd. Here's a quick trailer. - - - 'Junip' is set to be released on April 22nd. |
Darkstar Announce 'Amplified Ease' Single
| Listen to it now... Darkstar have unveiled their new single 'Amplified Ease' - listen to it below. Darkstar are changing. The electronic group have expanded and signed a new deal, finding a home at Warp. Working on fresh material, the band have thrown themselves open to new ideas, new possibilities. Upcoming album 'News From Nowhere' is set to be released on February 4th, and the band have already unveiled recent single 'Timeaway'. Now Darkstar have decided to unveil their next single, posting two very different versions of 'Amplified Ease' online. James Young from the band explains "We had been watching the Martin Scorcese documentary on George Harrison and took an interest in how he approached 'My Sweet Lord' as a mantra rather than a song. Amplified Ease began in a similar fashion, it was more of a repetitive chant different from a verse, chorus arrangement". Stream the album version of 'Amplified Ease' below. Meanwhile, Darkstar have also posted a live version of 'Amplified Ease' online. Recorded at Asylum, London you can listen to the performance below. - - - 'News From Nowhere' is set to be released on February 4th. |
Track Of The Day 13/12 - Dog Is Dead
| It's amazing what you can achieve in a year. Just 12 months ago Dog Is Dead were hardly known outside of their native Nottingham. Now the band have completed several nationwide tour, matching headline shows to some extremely high profile support slots. Throw in the casual matter of their debut album and you have a pretty life changing experience for the group. 2013 should be no different. Taking time off for the festivities, Dog Is Dead will hurl themselves back into rehearsals in the New Year before taking off on their largest headline tour to date. Containing some of the biggest shows of their career, tickets for the nationwide jaunt are on sale now. Meanwhile, Dog Is Dead are set to toast Advent with a new single. Stripped from their debut album, 'Teenage Daughter' is a typically buoyant slice of indie songcraft with a chorus that could have milkmen across the land whistling it on their rounds. Handed over to a number of guest producers, the band have opened themselves up to new interpretations. Such as this rendition from Raffertie. Twisting and turning the single into fresh shapes, what emerges is an old school (are we allowed to term electro house old school already?) stomper that points in a completely different direction than fans are maybe used to. Which is perhaps the point. Here tis, let us know your thoughts in the comments section. - - - 'Teenage Daughter' is set to be released on December 17th. |
12/12/2012
Wild Beasts - Live At The Lexington, London
| While not necessarily an outright admission of creative burnout, gigs that see whole albums played in their entirety tend to have an air of desperation about them. "Look how great we used to be, ey, back in the day?" the band seems to be reminding their audience, before adding under their breaths, "and look how much more we can get away with charging you for a ticket now!" But such cynicism cannot be targeted at Wild Beasts. Nevertheless, their decision to play 'Smother', an album released only last year, in its entirety could seem a tad premature, indulgent even. Yet, by the time luscious opener 'Lion's Share' has crawled into bed with a ravishing rendition of 'Bed of Nails', it's a decision vindicated. Hearing the elegant album performed whole, with its gentle ebb and flow, its subtle melodies and its irresistible rhythm, makes chopping it up, as would happen at a normal Beasts gig, suddenly seem like a barbaric act. And, despite their name, these four reserved gents from Kendal are anything but barbarous. Rejecting rock 'n' cliché, when Hayden Thorpe smashes his glass of wine on the stage floor in between songs, it's by accident. Then, later on, when a devil horn salute appears from the back of the small crowd (tickets for this intimate, 200 capacity gig were only available by ballot), he's quick to acknowledge its irony: "Mosh pit, anyone?" he jests. Instead, perhaps paradoxically, the intensity of 'Smother' comes in the restraint shown in its creation. This tension is palpable during a steamy 'Plaything', when brief seconds of silence hang in the air in between Thorpe's falsetto and drummer Chris Talbot's inventive use of the bongos (yes bongos). Evolving over the course of three distinctly unique albums, the band said goodbye to the standard three guitars and drum kit set up a long time ago. Reverberating bass hooks and ethereal synths have taken their sound to a new level now and no doubt further explorations into this world are already being made as they record their fourth album. The cathartic and hypnotic climax of a sparkling 'End Come Too Soon', a track usually saved for last at Wild Beasts' gigs nowadays, instead heralds the start of, by the band's own admission, the "silly" part of the set. "Time for some fun and games," says Tom Fleming, the treacle to Thorpe's honeyed vocals, and so begins 'The Fun Powder Plot', the uncommon opener to 2009's 'Two Dancers'. Fittingly, as the band's sound has got increasingly louche over the course of the night, Thorpe's foppish quiff has become more and more dishevelled, culminating in the Vaudeville camp of 'The Devil's Crayon', from their always welcome debut album 'Limbo, Panto'. If there is a criticism, it's that Wild Beasts don't seem comfortable revisiting other parts of their beguiling debut, instead choosing to stick rigidly to their other two releases. Maybe one day we'll hear the queer majesty of 'She Purred, While I Grrred' or 'Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye' once again but, until then, we'll just have to settle for near-perfection instead. Words by Nico Franks |
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