VCMG

Vince Clarke and Martin Gore were interviewed by Vogue Italia about their new techno project VCMG. Gore said the project came about after receiving an email from Clarke who had asked whether he'd be up for a collaboration. Clarke also revealed to Vogue that the two mainly utilized the internet to complete work on the project:

"in reality we hardly ever saw each other in person; we exchanged ideas via email and created the album by sending files. It was an interesting way to collaborate, almost like two painters working on the same canvas but at a distance."

Read the entire interview here.

The full album from VCMG, Ssss, will drop worldwide on March 12th. Check out the two singles that have been released so far.

VCMG "Spock"

VCMG "Blip"

Fishbone

Fishbone appeared on Jimmy Kimmel last night to promote their documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story Of Fishbone. Watch their performance below:



Everyday Sunshine The Story Of Fishbone is currently being screened at select theaters nationwide, and will be released on DVD February 21st. Pre-order your copy here or here.

Official trailer



Finally, the members of Fishbone revealed their 5 defining moments in an interview with MTV's The Hive. Check out the feature here.

Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher will release "Dream On" as the next single from his record Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The single will feature the b-side "Shoot A Hole In The Sun," which is the first track to be released from the sessions Gallagher recorded with Amorphous Androgynous (aka Future Sound Of London.) Last summer when Gallagher announced details about his High Flying Birds project he also revealed he had recorded a full second solo record with Amorphous Androgynous which was more experimental ("it's f-ing far out man...it's the furthest out I've ever been man") than his High Flying Birds record, and this second record would likely be released by summer 2012.

Listen to Noel's comments about the Amorphous Androgynous record at around 2 minutes into his press conference:



Keep in mind that an official release date for the second record hasn't been announced yet, but at least we'll be hearing the first track from the collaboration soon! "Dream On" will be released as a 7 inch single, cd, and digital download. Ordering info is available here.

Don't miss Noel Gallagher live on the road this spring. Gallagher's Detroit area date is March 31st at the Royal Oak Music Theater.

Happy Birthday, John Lydon

John Lydon was born on this day in 1956. Read a feature on Lydon and the Sex Pistols here. I've posted some classic Lydon moments from over the years below:

Sex Pistols "Pretty Vacant" (1977)



Lydon and Keith Levene make Tom Snyder's life uncomfortable on television discussing Public Image Limited (1980)



Lydon and Keith Levene on Tom Snyder (part 2)



Lydon's classic appearance on Judge Judy when he was sued by drummer Robert Williams (part 1). Judy is clearly entertained by Lydon, which makes the appearance even more awesome.




Judge Judy part 2



Lydon shills for butter




Finally, here's one of my favorite P.I.L. songs "Seattle"

The Cult

The Cult are set to return with a brand new cd on May 22nd. The album is called Choice Of Weapon and Rolling Stone is streaming the first single, "Lucifer" here plus you can check out an interview with Ian Astbury here. In the interview Astbury brought up the Loutallica (Lou Reed + Metallica) record Lulu and made some interesting comments about Lou Reed:

"His body of work is stellar, he is one of our greatest laureates. If you know anything about Lou Reed, he's not well right now. He's deteriorating, his body's sick, he's getting frail and fragile. He's chosen Metallica to be his muscle, to be his armor, so he can come out one more time and make a statement of what's happening in his internal life, and he's using this Weimar Republic play, Lulu, to put himself over. If you actually listen to the record, there's some phenomenal moments on it, by anybody's standards."

Catch up with The Cult on their official Facebook page.

Spiritualized

Spiritualized will be releasing a new cd Sweet Heart Sweet Light in April and the band will be hitting the road for a spring North American tour shortly after the record's release. Brace yourself, because Spiritualized is coming to the Majestic Theater in Detroit on May 4th. Take a look at the rest of the dates on the tour here and official ticket information should be posted within the coming days.

Garbage

Garbage will return with their new cd, Not Your Kind Of People, on May 15th. The record is the follow up to 2005's Bleed Like Me and will be released on the band's label STUNVOLUME. Earlier this month Garbage announced a handful of European shows and today they added a few more tour dates to their itinerary, however dates for North America are yet to be revealed. Tomorrow the band will be announcing an intimate Los Angeles date, so if you're near the L.A. area be sure to keep an ear out for official info. You can also catch up with Garbage on their newly launched website, Garbage.com.

Section 25

Factory Records' Section 25 played a show in Manchester on Saturday night to promote their EP Invicta which dropped last year. Watch some video from the show below:

"Wretch"



"Dirty Disco"



Here's the official video for their single "Inner Drive" from Invicta



Section 25 is probably best known for their classic song "Looking From A Hilltop," which has been sampled by tons of bands and has been remixed countless times. It would be wrong (WRONG!) not to include the video in this post. :)

"Looking From A Hilltop"

The Smiths

A member on one of the forums on Morrissey-solo (Moz fan site) has uploaded rare footage from a concert in 1984. The concert, Reel Around The Fountain, was held at Sheffield City Hall on March 19, 1984 and includes some backstage footage.

Joy Division

If you were out of the loop this week, you might not have heard that Disney was selling a t-shirt that ripped off Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures cover art. You totally remember the cover art:


And now, brace yourself:



Horrifying.

At any rate, after Pitchfork broke the story, there was a massive outcry and not too long later, Disney pulled the shirt. (Here's the dead link to the original Disney page.) Let's be honest--it wasn't the outcry that scared Disney into pulling the shirt, it was more of the realization of their legal snafu. None of the remaining members of Joy Division nor any of their "people" copped to having given Disney the permission to do this. And you TOTALLY know if Disney HAD gotten the rights to do this, they'd be dropping names, showing off contracts, etc. So yeah, Disney pulled the shirts. Thanks, Pitchfork, this is the best thing you've ever done. No, really.

Of course, people are always looking for a way to cash in. Here's one of the shirts that just sold on ebay for $376.50. Of course now a few more shirts have cropped up like here and here and here. This particular listing is my favorite because:

"The shirt is very clean, it has only been worn three times, but I have never washed it, so the art has not faded."

OMG, EWWWWWWWW!

Anyway, what a travesty, although shockingly enough Peter Hook claimed to be pretty flattered by the entire design. He did however drop this quotable awesomeness:

"I hope that [Disney] will be as understanding when we start doing Donald Duck shirts.”

Indeed, Peter. Indeed.

Human League/Phil Oakey

I forgot how much I loved Human League's "Mirror Man" until I heard it again the other day at Meijer!

"Mirror Man"



"Fascination"



Last year Human League released a new cd Credo. The record wasn't physically released in North America, but it is available as an mp3 download or physically as an import. You can check out the video for the single "Never Let Me Go" below:



Human League's singer Phil Oakey also appears on a remix album which will drop next month:


Oakey is featured on the Toomy Disco & Fernando remix of Hiem's "2am" which you can take a listen to below. The remix will featured on the 2am EP which drops February 6th. Check out more remixes of "2am" here.

U2

U2 has revealed the tracklisting for U22, the special live, limited edition double disc set that will be sold exclusively to subscribers of U2.com. All the songs from U22 were recorded on U2's 360 tour from 2009-2011, and fanclub members were given the opportunity to choose the tracklisting. Fans voted on their favorites, narrowing the pool of songs from 46 down to the final 22. Check out the tracklisting below and click here for info on how to become a fanclub member. U22 is in the mixing stages and fans will be given more info on the exact release date via an email from the band when the info is available.

1. Bad
2. Where The Streets Have No Name
3. Magnificent
4. One
5. Ultraviolet
6. Even Better than The Real Thing
7. With or Without You
8. Beautiful Day
9. City of Blinding Lights
10. The Unforgettable Fire
11. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
12. All I Want is You/Love Rescue Me
13. Moment of Surrender
14. Until The End of the World
15. The Fly
16. One Tree Hill
17. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
18. Walk On
19. Zooropa
20. Elevation
21. Out of Control
22. Mysterious Ways

Roxy Music

A deluxe Roxy Music boxset will be released this spring. The 12 disc (8 CDs/4 DVDs) behemoth, Roxy Music: The Complete Studio Recordings 1972-1982, features all of the band's studio records, plus tons of b-sides, remixes, non-album singles, and more. All eight Roxy Music studio albums with extra material are included on the CDs and the DVDs will feature high resolution audio of the albums which have been transferred digitally from the original analog masters. Take a look at the tracklisting for the CD portion of the release, which drops April 2nd, below.

CD1: Roxy Music

1. Re-make/Re-model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. 2HB
5. The Bob (Medley)
6. Chance Meeting
7. Would You Believe?
8. Sea Breezes
9. Bitters End
Bonus Tracks:
10. Virginia Plain
11. The Numberer

CD2: For Your Pleasure
1. Do The Strand
2. Beauty Queen
3. Strictly Confidential
4. Editions Of You
5. In Every Dream Home A Heartache
6. The Bogus Man
7. Grey Lagoons
8. For Your Pleasure
Bonus Tracks:
9. Pyjamarama (Island Mix)
10. Pyjamarama (Polydor Mix)
11. The Pride And The Pain
12. Do The Strand (USA 7” Mix 3:19) **never been available on CD before**

CD3: Stranded
1. Street Life
2. Just Like You
3. Amazona
4. Psalm
5. Serenade
6. A Song For Europe
7. Mother Of Pearl
8. Sunset
Bonus Track:
9. Hula Kula

CD4: Country Life
1. The Thrill Of It All
2. Three And Nine
3. All I Want Is You
4. Out Of The Blue
5. If It Takes All Night
6. Bitter Sweet
7. Triptych
8. Casanova
9. A Really Good Time
10. Prairie Rose
Bonus Tracks:
11. The Thrill Of It All – 1977 Greatest Hits Edit (4’20) ) **never been available on CD before**
12. Your Application’s Failed
13. The Thrill Of It All (USA 7” Mix 3:20) **never been available on CD before**

CD5: Siren
1. Love Is The Drug
2. End Of The Line
3. Sentimental Fool
4. Whirlwind
5. She Sells
6. Could It Happen To Me?
7. Both Ends Burning
8. Nightingale
9. Just Another High
Bonus Tracks:
10. Love Is The Drug (USA 7” Mix 3:00) **never been available on CD before**
11. Sultanesque
12. Both Ends Burning (7” Mix 3:58) **never been available on CD before**
13. For Your Pleasure – Live **never been available on CD before**

CD6: Manifesto
1. Manifesto
2. Trash
3. Angel Eyes (***rock version***)
4. Still Falls The Rain
5. Stronger Through The Years
6. Ain’t That So
7. My Little Girl
8. Dance Away (***ballad Version***)
9. Cry, Cry, Cry
10. Spin Me Round
Bonus Tracks:
11. Trash 2
12. Dance Away (Single Version)
13. Dance Away (Canadian Extended 12” Mix)
14. Angel Eyes (Single Version)
15. Angel Eyes (12” Single Version)

CD7: Flesh And Blood
1. The Midnight Hour
2. Oh Yeah
3. Same Old Scene
4. Flesh And Blood
5. My Only Love
6. Over You
7. Eight Miles High
8. Rain Rain Rain
9. No Strange Delight
10. Running Wild
Bonus Tracks:
11. Oh Yeah (7” Version) **never been available on CD before**
12. Manifesto (Remake)
13. South Downs
14. Lover
15. Jealous Guy
16. To Turn On You (1981 B-Side Version) **never been available on CD before**

CD8: Avalon
1. More Than This
2. The Space Between
3. Avalon
4. India
5. While My Heart Is Still Beating
6. The Main Thing
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. To Turn You On
9. True To Life
10. Tara
Bonus Tracks:
11. Avalon (7” Single Version) **never been available on CD before**
12. Always Unknowing
13. Take A Chance With Me (7” Single Version) **never been available on CD before**
14. Take A Chance With Me (USA 7” Mix) **never been available on CD before**
15. The Main Thing (12” Single Version)
16. The Main Thing – Remix **never been available on CD before**

Depeche Mode

According to a Depeche Mode fan-site, the latest issue of German 'zine Sonic Seducer features an interview with Martin L. Gore. In the interview Gore revealed the new Depeche Mode record will come "no later than early 2013." Here's a link to buy the issue of Sonic Seducer.

"Behind The Wheel" Depeche Mode



Martin Gore is also getting ready to release his collaboration with ex-Depeche Mode bandmate Vince Clarke. VCMG's album Ssss will be released by Mute in the U.K. on March 12th and will be available in the North America on import on March 20th. The band's new single "Blip" hit the net earlier this week and you can check it out below:



Personally I'm more excited about Gore's other collaboration with techno duo Motor. The Man Made Machine EP featuring Gore is out now on CLR. Check out several mixes of "Man Made Machine" and buy the EP here . The full length album will drop on March 30th.

Motor "Man Made Machine"

Johnny Marr names The Apollo as his fave music venue

Johnny Marr was included in a story about favorite music venues in today's Guardian.  Marr named The Apollo as his favorite, though he never performed there with The Smiths.  Read Marr's comments and the full article here.

How Manchester Was Madchester?

Screwing around on Google brought up a total gem--a 2004 dissertation on the Manchester/Madchester scene. Dave Fawber's How Manchester Was Madchester? The Geography of the Madchester Scene details Manchester, and of course, Madchester. If you're interested in the scene at all, you MUST check out the pdf. There's even an awesome schematic linking bands, nightclubs, and record labels. Wow, so effing cool! Check out the pdf here.

Celebration: Madchester - The Sound Of The North

Watch the 1990 documentary Celebration: Madchester - The Sound Of The North by Granada Television. The hourlong film delves into the music, the clothes, the drugs, and the key players at the height of the Manchester scene.

Madchester

It's Friday. Anyone in a Madchester mood? Check out the 40 minute Madchester 90's mix below featuring this fine tracklist:

01 - The Chameleons - Swamp Thing (Loss Mix)
02 - The Psychedelic Furs - Don't Be A Girl (12'' Extended)
03 - Happy Mondays - Hallelujah
04 - The Mock Turtles - Can You Dig It?
05 - Stereo Mc's - Connected
06 - Finitribe - 101
07 - The Soup Dragons - I'm Free
08 - The Charlatans - The Only One I Know
09 - The Impossibles - The Drum (Mix)
10 - Pop Will Eat Itself - Ich Bin Ein Auslander
11 - Poppy Factory - Stars (Flying Touchdown Mix)
12 - EMF - Unbelievable

Ride/Mark Gardener

Check out a video interview with Ride's Mark Gardener. During the first half of the interview he talks about meeting Andy Bell, forming Ride, and his musical career, and near the end of the video he discusses his studio and some of the gear he's got.

Peter Hook

Earlier today NME published an article about Peter Hook suing his ex-bandmates in New Order over the use of the New Order name. Well, Hooky is missing out another lawsuit--a band from Massachusetts named Revenge made news today for signing to an indie label, but the thing is, Revenge is also the name of Peter Hook's early 90's project released on Factory Records. Do I smell another lawsuit?

Revenge "Pineapple Face"

Radiohead/Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits has confirmed that Radiohead's show on March 6th in Austin will be taped for an upcoming Austin City Limits episode. The broadcast date has not been announced, but it will air later this season. Radiohead's North American tour in support of The King Of Limbs will kick off at the end of February.

Peter Hook/New Order

Peter Hook revealed to NME that he's suing ex-bandmates over use of the New Order name:

"It's in the hands of the lawyers. The point is that they shouldn't be using the New Order name without me and it's up to the lawyers."

He also made a few comments about New Order and Joy Division:

"We threw everything into New Order and that worked while New Order were together, but it didn't work for me and I thought that I've watched people all around the world celebrate Joy Division, but why can't I? When I do it, I'm a villain. It's especially strange now that you've got someone purporting to be New Order, I'm grieving for New Order too because I realize that's over."

Hooky will be releasing a book about Joy Division titled Inside Joy Division which will likely drop in September. Read the entire article in today's NME here.

"Disorder" Joy Division

Mark Lanegan

The Quietus's Julian Marszalek asked Mark Lanegan to reveal his most played discs in his collection, and as you might expect, the list was eclectic and awesome. Even better were some of the comments Lanegan made about his selections--we learn Lanegan loves the Bee Gees, "to me they're like what the Beatles are to other people," John Cale is one of Lanegan's all time favorite singers, and New Order's "Subculture" is his current ringtone!

Check out feature with the entire list of albums here and if you don't feel like clicking through 14 pages, the albums Lanegan chose are listed below:

The Gun Club - Miami
Joy Division - Closer
Roxy Music - Country Life
Bee Gees - Trafalgar
Flesh Eaters - A Moment To Pray, A Second To Die
Fabrizio de Andre - Canzoni
Kraftwerk - Radioactivity
John Renbourn - Faro Annie
The Leather Nun - Force Of Habit
John Cale - Paris 1919
Crime & The City Solution - Shine
The New Christs - Distemper
New Order - Lowlife

Mark Lanegan will release his new cd Blues Funeral featuring appearances by Josh Homme, Greg Dulli, and Jack Irons on February 6th, then he'll hit the road for a North American tour. There is no Detroit date, but you can check out the full list of tour dates here.

"The Gravedigger's Song" Mark Lanegan

Alcest

Alcest will drop their third record Les Voyages De L'Ame next Tuesday. If you like dreampoppy landscapes, you'll probably really like this. Here's how the band describes the new record:

Something that is common to all of the songs, however, is the predominant feeling of euphoria and bliss, always subtly overshadowed by melancholia and yearning. A feeling akin to that which you experience when you think about the otherworld of Alcest that awaits us all.

Check out "Autre Temps," the first single and video from Les Voyages De L'Ame:

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction has premiered the video for "Underground." Watch the official video below and click here to check out some photos from the video shoot. don't miss Jane's Addiction live at the Fillmore Detroit on February 24th. Here are the rest of the other dates/cities on the Jane's Addiction tour.

Laibach

Laibach will hit the road in April for their We Come In Peace tour.  The tour sounds FANTASTIC because here's what they'll be doing--they're going to play songs they composed for the soundtrack to the science fiction film Iron Sky, PLUS they'll play songs from 2 forthcoming cds they've written.  Oh, and if that's not enough, they'll also be playing a set of classic songs ranging from the 80's through today.  North American dates have not been announced yet, but they just started announcing European dates, so keep your fingers crossed! Catch up with Laibach here.

Morrissey

Morrissey has one of the top selling singles of 2011. The re-release of "Glamorous Glue" was named the third best selling vinyl single of 2011 in the U.K. Meanwhile Radiohead's "The Butcher/Supercollider" was named the best selling vinyl 12 inch single of the year and The King Of Limbs was named the best selling vinyl album of 2011 in the U.K. Check out the best of vinyl lists via NME here and enjoy a live version of "Glamorous Glue" below:

"Glamorous Glue" (live 1992)

Front 242

Front 242 have posted a statement on their official website stating they're taking a break from performing in Europe after their scheduled shows in May. Their label Alfa Matrix reveals that they're not just staying away from Europe, but they're actually taking a break until further notice:

Front 242 statement:

Front 242 have decided not to perform in Europe after May 1. 2012 until further notice. Therefore, Front 242 will not perform at the Amphi Festival 2012 in Köln nor will they play Noctural Culture Night 2012 Festival in Deutzen. The festival promoters of both festivals are not responsible for this decision.

Alfa Matrix statement:

The Belgian electro giants Front 242 have decided not to perform in Europe after the 1st of May 2012 and this until further notice. In a message we received somewhat 20 minutes ago the band says that they need a break.

The first Smiths' gig

Read what Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce had to say about the Smiths' first gig ever in an article published in today's Guardian.

Meanwhile Johnny Marr & The Healers just posted "The Last Ride" on Soundcloud yesterday. The track isn't new--it was originally available on the 2003 release Boomslang.

The Last Ride by Johnny Marr & The Healers

Pulp

Pulp fans take note--if you missed out on Coachella tickets and you live in San Francisco or New York City--good news for you! Pulp has lined up some live shows!

April 11th: Pulp at Radio City Music Hall in NYC
April 17th: Pulp at Warfield Theater in San Francisco

Garbage

Garbage has launched their own record label and they'll release their new cd in the spring! Stunvolume will be distributed by Fontana in the U.S. and worldwide has licensing deals with Cooperative Music. The band released a statement today about the record launch:

"We've had our fill of greedy corporate interest. We don't like how they do business. This time we are going to do it our way."

Garbage's fifth studio record is currently being finished up in Los Angeles (the first of their records to be recorded outside of Madison, Wisconsin) and an official release date has not been set as of yet. Read the band's statement about Stunvolume here.

Dinosaur Jr film

The good news for Dinosaur Jr fans keeps coming! Yesterday we learned a J Mascis bobblehead is coming in April, and now comes word that a Dinosaur Jr concert film will be released next month. In The Hands Of Fans was shot by 6 fans who won the opportunity to capture Dinosaur Jr's show at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. back in June. The concert was part of the band's Bug tour, so if you didn't get a chance to see the tour (it never came to many areas, including Detroit) this DVD will make it seem like you were front and center!

In The Hands Of Fans directed by Dave Markey (1991: The Year Punk Broke) will be released on DVD by We Got Power Films on February 21st. Check out the trailer for the film below:

Mooing at Morrissey

Saturday's edition of the Huffington Post U.K. features an article by Trevor Neal titled, "Me, Morrissey, and the Archbishop of Canturbury." Neal recounts the time he and his friend came into contact with Morrissey, and instead of asking for an autograph, they mooed.

"As fans you'd think we might have run after him and asked for his autograph or told him how much we appreciated his words and music. But we didn't. Instead we started mooing like cows. Very loudly, following poor Mozza down the platform. Mooing. Like the doomed, brown-eyed creatures he sang about in his vegetarian protest song, Meat is Murder. Moo! Moo!"

Mooing? Oh dear. Read the entire article here.

New Order

I was stuck in a office yesterday suffering through an individual's verbal diarrhea when I remembered I had an old iPod in my bag. Guess who listened to 5 hours of New Order yesterday? Hell yes, I did. And it was awesome.

One of the records I listened to was 1988's Technique. Did you know Technique had its own television commercial?



I was disturbed to learn that even though a video for the record's first single, "Fine Time" exists (they played it a lot on 120 Minutes back in the day), the official video hasn't been uploaded to YouTube! Can someone remedy this, because we're tragically stuck with a Top of the Pops performance, or just a video-less stream of the song:

"Fine Time" (Top of the Pops, 1988)



"Fine Time"



Somehow the oddball official video for "Round & Round" was really easy to locate:



And here's "Run" (John Denver's peeps sued N'Order over this song)



The whole record is awesome, so if you have it, it's worth pulling it out. I'd also recommend just re-discovering your other New Order records, because they are just so good. If you DON'T have any New Order in your collection, here's a tip--do NOT buy this and don't buy this either. With both of those collections (yes, I own them both) many of the songs are shortened/edited and some of the edits REALLY suck. If you must buy a collection, you can NEVER go wrong with Substance.

"State Of The Nation"



"Face Up"



"Every Little Counts"



I could actually post New Order songs all day, so I'd better stop before I'm late for work.

J Mascis

First came the Iggy Pop action figure at Toys R Us. Sorry Iggy, but it's time to step aside because there's a new figure on way: Introducing the J Mascis Throbblehead. It's true, YOU can be the proud owner of this very limited edition bobblehead from Aggronautix. Aggronautix is also pretty excited to point out the throbblehead features 'REAL DOLL HAIR' as a bonus. Pre-order it here (ships in April):

By the way, the real J Mascis is currently aboard The Weezer Cruise along with the rest of Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, Yuck, and of course, Weezer. The Weezer Cruise set sail yesterday and continues through January 23rd.

The Cure--More European dates announced

The Cure announced a few more European Festival appearances today:

May 26: Pink Pop, Holland

June 29-July 1: Les Eurockeennes, France

July 5-8: Roskilde, Denmark

July 7: Heineken Jammin', Italy

July 9: Rock In Roma, Italy

Morrissey

Morrissey fans in Chile rejoice! The Man, The Myth, The Legend will headline the final evening of the Vina del Mar music festival in Chile on February 24th:

Festival organizers originally had no plans for a closing act on this scale, but Morrissey, former frontman of The Smiths and one of the most recognizable voices of British pop over the last three decades, arranged for his participation in the festival, which until now had no British singers in its line-up, having failed to sign Elton John, Jamiroquai or Peter Gabriel.

Johnny Ramone autobiography

Johnny Ramone's autobiography, Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone will be released on April 2nd. Ramone died in 2004 from prostate cancer and according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal, he started writing his autobiography when he became ill and knew it would be his last chance to tell his story. Ramone's widow, Linda, revealed in the WSJ interview, "it was like he knew he was dying, and he wanted to do something." The 176 page book features pictures selected by Linda Ramone, as well as an epilogue written by Lisa Marie Presley, who was a close friend of Johnny Ramone. Read the full report here.

Happy Mondays are reuniting

According to an article in The Quietus, the Happy Mondays are set to reform this year. This shouldn't be a huge shock since leader Shaun Ryder had been hinting about a reunion last year while he was promoting his book, Twisting My Melon. Besides, running around the countryside chasing UFOs can only entertain you for so long. The reunion is expected to feature the original lineup, and the band's official reunion announcement was actually the following missive which was sent to concert promoters in Europe:

"The rumours are true... Happy Mondays, the seminal Manchester band who changed musical culture forever has reformed and will be available for select live gigs across 2012."

No live dates have been established yet, but as you can see from the band's statement above, they're looking for gigs and it shouldn't be long before there are live dates to announce.

"Step On"



"24 Hour Party People"



"Loose Fit" (Top Of The Pops, 1991)

The Wedding Present

The Wedding Present will release their 8th studio record, Valentina in March. Valentina, the follow up to 2008's El Ray, was recorded in France, England, and California over the course of last year. The 10 track record will be released on the Wedding Present's own label Scopitones, plus it'll also be available from fine digital retailers in March (official date forthcoming.) Check out the track listing for Valentina below:

1. You're Dead
2. You Jane
3. Meet Cute
4. Back A Bit...Stop
5. Stop Thief!
6. the Girl From The DDR
7. Deer Caught In The Headlights
8. 524 Fidelio
9. End Credits
10. Mystery Date

Valentina will be officially launched at South By Southwest in March, then the band will hit the road for their North American tour, which includes a stop at the Pike Room (inside The Crofoot) in Pontiac on March 26th (grab tickets here.) Check out the rest of the tour itinerary here. As previously mentioned the tour will feature the band performing their 1991 record Seamonsters in its entirety but you can also expect to hear some new tracks from Valentina at the shows.

Spiritualized

The hotly anticipated new record from Spiritualized will drop in the spring. The band's last record, Songs in A & E was released seemingly years ago (in 2008), and finally the new record, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, will see light of day. Though an official date hasn't been set for the release of Sweet Heart Sweet Light, leader Jason Pierce has told BBC Radio 6 that the record is coming in the spring and also revealed the record features a number of Velvet Underground references. Check out the interview with Pierce below:



Sweet Heart Sweet Light was premiered live last year at the band's show in London at Royal Albert Hall last fall, you check out video from the show below:

Johnny Marr

A couple of weeks ago Johnny Marr debuted his signature Fender guitar. The latest issue of Guitarist Magazine features an 11 page cover story on Marr and you can read the entire interview on the official Johnny Marr website (click the scans to enlarge). If you'd like your very own copy, the issue is on sale at finer bookstores/newsstands now.

If you still haven't seen the video featuring Marr displaying and discussing his signature Fender, watch it below.

R.E.M.

Watch R.E.M.'s debut television performance on Letterman back in 1983



You can also click here to read how R.E.M.'s song "Sweetness Follows" got a novelist through some tough times--it's part of an NPR series on winter songs and the feelings/stories they evoke.

The Cure

On Friday, The Cure revealed they'd be playing a number of European festivals this summer and they made good on their promise to announce the first three today. According to the band, here are the first three Euro festival gigs:

June 14-16: Hultsfred Festival, Sweden

June 22-24: Hurricane Festival, Germany

June 22-24: Southside Festival, Germany

Bonus--Stone Roses are also confirmed for all three festivals! Tickets are already on sale for all three gigs, so if you're interested in attending, click the links.

"The Hanging Garden" (from 1984)

Morrissey/Sparks remix single

A remix of Morrissey's 1988 debut single "Suedehead" will reportedly be released in April. EMI will release the Ron and Russell Mael (aka Sparks) remix as a CD release as well as a 10 inch picture disc. The release will feature "previously unseen" photos of Morrissey. In addition Moz has lined up some tour dates for Japan, the Philippines, and New Zealand for the spring.

"Suedehead" Morrissey (from Viva Hate, 1988)

The Cure

The Cure have announced they'll be playing some shows for the European festival circuit this summer. The first batch of appearances will be announced Monday--below is the announcement posted on the band's official site:

"THE CURE WILL BE HEADLINING A SERIES OF MAJOR EUROPEAN MUSIC FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER.

CURE.COM ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL COINCIDE WITH FESTIVAL SITES

FIRST THREE CONFIRMATIONS THIS MONDAY…"

Hey, can someone tell Robert Smith to stop typing in all caps? Oh, and while you're at it, can you get him to play a show in Detroit, or hey, I'd even settle for Chicago. Thank you.

The Stranglers/Hugh Cornwell

The Stranglers will return with their 17th studio cd Giants in March. According to NME, the new record will drop in the U.K. on March 5th, though the band has not revealed the official release date on their website. Giants will be available on cd, vinyl, digital download, plus also as a limited edition cd featuring extra live acoustic tracks. Here's the tracklisting for Giants:

1. Another Camden Afternoon
2. Freedom Is Insane
3. Giants
4. Lowlands
5. Boom Boom
6. My Fickle Resolve
7. Time Was Once On My Side
8. Mercury Rising
9. Adios (Tango)
10. 15 Steps

"Golden Brown" Stranglers

By the way, Hugh Cornwell, ex-vocalist for The Stranglers, is about to release a new solo cd Totem & Taboo, which will drop early this year through PledgeMusic--the same band-to-fan platform as Ian McCulloch's upcoming solo record. The Cornwell campaign is currently at 75%, and if you're interested in the record, pledge or get more info here.

Nine Inch Nails

Wow, the fun things you find on YouTube! Check out this video interview with Nine Inch Nails from 1992:



FYI, here are the Front Line Assembly/Bill Leeb* comments Trent Reznor is referring to published in Spin back in 1992:

"Front Line Assembly is a textbook case of a band that - I can't listen to a fucking song, let alone an album. Just monotonous, boring, uninspired bullshit. And they're far more traditional and far more exemplary of 'industrial' than NIN is."

In the video interview above, Reznor talks about the crazy experience of opening for Guns & Roses. In the same Spin 1992 article with the FLA comments, Reznor also discussed the G & R drama:

"So we open up. First song, people are, like, 'Yeah, there's a band onstage,' and they're slowly realizing that we're not Skid Row. Second song, 'Okay, these guys are not Skid Row and I _think_ i hear a synthesizer.' Third song, 'We definitely hear a synthesizer - this is bullshit. These guys suck, they're fa**ots, let's kick their ass.' There is something about the feeling of standing in front of 65,000 people giving you the finger ... An intense terror took over. In a word, it sucks...from there, things went rapidly downhill ...I decided just to make it the worst half hour of this crowd's life."

Read the full 1992 Spin interview with Nine Inch Nails here.

*By the way, Bill Leeb's previous band Skinny Puppy weren't big NIN fans either. To illustrate, Ogre made these comments to a music fanzine back in the day:

NIN are totally cock rock...I think the biggest thing about industrial music was it trying to break all those stereotypes and it succeeded but has ultimately failed again in a way. It’s just a name attached to cock rock and f***ing hate cock rock.

Oasis/Brits

Earlier today the nominees for the Brit Awards were announced, and I figured it'd be fun to dust off this YouTube video from the 1996 awards ceremony. Guess who swept the Brits in 1996? I kind of forgot what brats the Gallaghers were back in the day--this clip features their infamous Michael Hutchence slam, "has beens shouldn't present effing awards," there's a short recorded performance of "Don't Look Back In Anger," plus Liam has some, um, fun with one of the trophies.

This video is also fun to watch to see the other awesome bands vying for awards in 1996--Britpop was certainly in its heyday back then...

Brit Awards

Nominees for the Brit Awards were announced today. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on February 21st:

 

British Album

 

-Adele '21'

-Coldplay 'Mylo Xyloto'

-Ed Sheeran '+'

-Florence & the Machine 'Ceremonials'

-PJ Harvey 'Let England Shake'

 

British Single

 

-Adele "Someone Like You"

-Ed Sheeran "The A Team"

-Example "Changed The Way You Kissed Me"

-Jessie J "Price Tag"

-JLS "She Makes Me Wanna"

-Military Wives "Wherever You Are"

-Rizzle Kick "Heart Skips A Beat"

-One Direction "What Makes You Beautiful"

-Pixie Lott "All About Tonight"

-The Wanted "Glad You Came"

 

British Group

 

-Arctic Monkeys

-Chase & Status

-Coldplay

-Elbow

-Kasabian

 

International Group

 

-Fleet Foxes

-Foo Fighters

-Jay Z & Kayne West

-Lady Antebellum

-Maroon 5

 

British Male

 

-James Blake

-Noel Gallagher

-Professor Green

-James Morrison

-Ed Sheeran

 

British Female

 

-Adele

-Florence & The Machine

-Jessie J

-Kate Bush

-Laura Marling

 

International Male

 

-Aloe Blacc

-Bon Iver

-Bruno Mars

-David Guetta

-Ryan Adams

 

International Female

 

-Beyonce

-Bjork

-Feist

-Lady Gaga

-Rihanna

 

British Breakthrough

 

-Anna Calvi

-Ed Sheeran

-Emeli Sande

-Jessie J

-The Vaccines

 

International Newcomer

 

-Aloe Blacc

-Bon Iver

-Foster The People

-Lana Del Ray

-Nicki Minaj

 

Outstanding Contribution

 

-Blur

 

World Party

World Party announced today via Twitter that a 5 cd collection titled Arkeology will drop later this year.  The collection will feature new songs, live recordings, cover versions "lots" of pictures, and more.  An official release date for Arkeology hasn't been set, but the band should be announcing it soon, plus they are also planning to re-launch their website shortly. 

Morrissey

BUAV is an organization that is dedicated to ending animal experimentation/testing. Earlier today the group announced that Morrissey has joined their No Cruel Cosmetics campaign to end animal testing for cosmetics sold in Europe. Read the full press release here, and if you live in Europe/U.K. you can get involved by signing the petition here.

Afghan Whigs

How about some live Afghan Whigs? Here's the band performing "Miles iz Ded" aka "Rebirth of the Cool" at a festival in 1994:



*If you don't know the story behind the song, "Miles Iz Ded" was the hidden/bonus track found on the Afghan Whigs' 1992 cd Congregation. The band later recorded a dancier version of it which was renamed "Rebirth Of The Cool," and released on their 1992 ep Uptown Avondale.

The Stone Roses/Patrol

The Stone Roses before they were the Stone Roses: Listen to a 2-track demo from The Patrol, featuring John Squire and Ian Brown dating back to 1980 (the audio craps out every now and then, so be prepared).

Ian McCulloch

Ian McCulloch is working on a brand new solo record will he'll be releasing through PledgeMusic. PledgeMusic is a direct to fan platform--the way it works is that so many people have to pledge/pre-order the record as part of the "campaign" and once they've achieved the full number needed, those who have pledged will be able to download the record starting March 5th. Right now the campaign is at 65%, so they need a few more people to pledge. If you're interested, read more about the Ian McCulloch campaign/PledgeMusic here.

Meanwhile McCulloch has announced dates for his North American tour, but with only 5 dates can this truly be referred to as a tour? Just saying.

March 20th - San Francisco - Bimbos
March 23rd & 24th - Los Angeles - Hollywood Forever Cemetery
March 27th & 28th - Chicago - Schubas
March 31st - New York - Le Poisson Rouge

Joy Division exhibition

A Joy Division photo exhibit opened in Manchester this week. Photographer Kevin Cummins, who has filmed tons of great bands--The Smiths, U2, The Stone Roses, The Clash and Sex Pistols among others--has put some of his best and favorite photographs of Joy Division on display. Take a listen to a short audio interview of Cummins on BBC Radio 6 where he talks about photographing Ian Curtis and Joy Division:



You can also take a look at some photos Cummins has taken over his career here and here.

Blur/Graham Coxon

It's going to be a very Blur-y 2012 and this is fantastic news! We already knew that Blur has been working on new music and they'll be reuniting this year for the Brit Awards. And now comes word that Graham Coxon is releasing a new cd in April! The album, A+ E will drop in the U.K. on April 2nd, and Coxon has also announced dates for the U.K. (lucky stiffs!) Check out the tour dates here and watch the promo video/trailer for A + E below!

R.E.M.

R.E.M. fans take note--The Atlantic recently posted an interesting article on the history of R.E.M. titled "America's Rock Band," for the January edition of the 'zine , plus today they posted another feature, 'The Visual Evolution of R.E.M." If you're at all a fan of R.E.M. be sure to click on over to read both articles.

R.E.M. + Johnny Marr are so awesome together, don't you think?

Morrissey

Morrissey has followed up his album list "of which I'm most proud" with the singles "of which I'm most proud" and not surprisingly, the list features only two songs from the Smiths. Also not surprisingly, he chose two songs off the two Smiths' albums he named on his previous list as being his faves. Check out the list with the cover art here, or check 'em out below:

1. "First of the Gang To Die"
2. "Irish Blood, English Heart"
3. "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris"
4. "That's How People Grow Up"
5. "Panic"
6. "Girlfriend In A Coma"
7. "Let Me Kiss You"
8. "Everyday Is Like Sunday"
9. "You Have Killed Me"
10. "All You Need Is Me"

How did this one not make it in, Moz?

VCMG

The debut album from VCMG (the new techno project featuring Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore) will drop March 12th.  Ssss features 10 tracks including the 12 inch version of the song "Spock" which was originally released as part of EP1/Spock in December.  VCMG is also readying another ep titled EP2/Single Blip, which will be released later this year.  For more details on Ssss and VCMG, click here.

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction has announced details for their North American tour--The Theatre of the Escapist tour will be at the Fillmore Detroit on February 24th. Pre-sale tickets are on sale tomorrow and general onsale tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am. For details on the pre-sale for the Detroit show, click here and for info on the rest of the tour dates, visit the official Jane's Addiction website here.

Wire

As previously reported, Wire will drop their live album The Black Session- Paris 10 May 2011 in North America on February 7th. The 13 track live album was previously only available exclusively at the band's live shows in the U.K. this past year. The Black Session - Paris 10 May 2011 was recorded at Radio France's Paris studios in May and features material from their last record Red Barked Tree as well as classic songs such as "Pink Flag," "Kidney Bingos," "Drill," and more. Spin has gotten their hands on "Drill" live from The Black Session and you can hear it exclusively here.

Why not also check out Wire's performance of "Kidney Bingos" from a radio session last year (this isn't on the live record, btw):

Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby has announced dates for a North American tour yesterday and there's a Detroit area date! Don't miss him at the Royal Oak Music Theater on April 4th--tickets go on sale Friday morning at noon. Dolby will be promoting his latest cd A Map of the Floating City which dropped last fall. If you're a Dolby fan, this is a pretty great interview he did recently--he talks about his career and gets you up to speed as to what he's been up to lately.

"Hyperactive"

New Order

If you're interested in Mojo Magazine's New Order tribute, Power, Corruption and Lies Covered, the cd is only available with the magazine, but you can also order one directly through Ebay or take a look at your favorite bookstore/magazine store because it's possible they are carrying it (with the cd).

Power, Corruption & Lies Covered + Blue Monday 12" Revisited - MOJO CD Preview (January 2012) by MOJOmagazine

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2012 and it looks like they've got a lot planned this year. The band posted an update indicating they just started to work on a new album on January 1st, and there's going to be a Bomb Gang Girlz record this year as well. Though they haven't confirmed a tour, it seems likely they'll be hitting the road once the record is out since this is one band that tours even when they aren't releasing records--their last record came out quite a few years ago, but they toured North America (including Detroit) last summer. Catch up with Thrill Kill Kult here.