Swervedriver

Watch more live Swervedriver--the videos below are from last night's show in D.C.




"Deep Seat"

Morrissey/Marr interview from 1985

An interview with Morrissey and Johnny Marr that aired on Spanish television in 1985 has surfaced on You Tube. Topics discussed were popular music, the Smiths' cover art/sleeves, Joy Division, and more. Take a look at the interview below (beware of the bizarre fast forwarding):



Meanwhile, Morrissey was named one of the 'Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time" by the LA Weekly blog. Forward over to look at the blurb on Morrissey here, or flip through the whole feature. Bonus: Jarvis Cocker also made the list.

Gaz Coombes

Gaz Coombes, best known as the singer of the now defunct band Supergrass, will drop his debut solo record, Here Come the Bombs, this spring. Take a listen to a song called "Sub Divider" below and download the track for free. The first single, "Hot Fruit" will drop May 14th, and the full record will be released on vinyl, cd, and as a digital album on May 21st. Pre-order here.

Swervedriver

Swervedriver are currently on a (very) short North American tour--be sure to check them out if they're coming to your town. Here's fan shot footage from their show in Boston on Thursday.

Morrissey/Stephen Street

Morrissey's debut solo record Viva Hate will be reissued next week in the U.K. The new version was remastered by the album's original producer and co-writer, Stephen Street. Previous to working on Viva Hate, Street worked with the Smiths, notably on the band's final record Strangeways Here We Come. Smiths and Morrissey fans will be very interested in reading a recent interview with Street--Street dished about the final days of the Smiths, Morrissey's transition into a solo career, working on Viva Hate, his relationship (then and now) with Morrissey, and why Viva Hate needed to be remastered. Read the interview here.

Street is also gearing up for the reissue of Viva Hate on his official website with the posting of a virtual book dedicated to the release on his official website. The book features commentary from Street and handwritten sheet music for some of the songs on the record, but the true gem is a handwritten letter from Morrissey dated August 18, 1987. In the letter Morrissey writes,

"I want the Smiths to be laid to rest and I want to record for EMI under my own name. I would naturally be very happy if you would accept this situation and work with me."

In the letter Morrissey also lamented about the charting position of the Strangeways song "Girlfriend in a Coma," before ending by telling Street he was looking forward to recording new material. View the virtual book here (click the corners of the book to "flip" the pages).

Happy Mondays

Happy Mondays are poised to return to the stage this spring for live shows, but without Bez.  Bez confirmed to Mojo Magazine (via

Contact Music) that he'll be attending the shows on the tour and will be doing some DJ'ing, but he won't be dancing around the stage playing the maracas like days of yore.  He told Mojo:

 

"It's me whole pelvic-leg region that's given up the chase.  I'm a 50 year old man.  The most I can do these days ona night out is wobble on the spot.  Some things are best left to memories."

 

I'm sure the reunion won't be QUITE the same without Bez, but the show must go on.  The band will be kicking off their tour with Inspiral Carpets in May, plus they'll be doing some festival gigs later this summer.  No North American dates have been announced.

Happy Birthday, Perry Farrell!

Happy Birthday, Perry Farrell!

"Pigs In Zen" (live, 1990)



The alt music world owes a great debt to Farrell. Kurt Cobain receives the "credit" (so to speak) for getting the alternative scene off the ground in 1991, but Jane's Addiction, with Farrell at the helm, was just as influential, if not moreso than Cobain and Nirvana. Jane's Addiction were busy playing shows and ripping up the scene in the late 80's and helped pave the way and influence tons of great bands (and let's be honest, tons of shitty bands too) in the years to come.

Besides leading Jane's Addiction, Farrell was/is also the brains behind the annual must-attend-alt-concert-event: Lollapalooza. Back in 1991 no one knew Lollapalooza was going to turn into an institution--all we knew was that there was this super cool festival headlined by Jane's Addiction that also featured a ton of other great bands: Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Living Colour, Ice T, Rollins Band, and Fishbone. In the '90's Lollapalooza was a not-to-be-missed music and a social event.

In the years to follow, the lineup featured a who's who of the alt rock scene, until the festival seemingly jumped the shark in the late '90's. To be honest, the festival's demise was probably due in part to all the craptastic bands that were popular around that time. Farrell, always the visionary, cancelled the festival for a few years, and when the revamped festival re-emerged, it once again boasted an edgy lineup featuring a return to the Lollapalooza we all knew and loved--the only difference was that Lollapalooza was turned into an annual non-touring festival taking place each August in Chicago's Grant Park. FYI, this year's Lolla lineup is going to be announced on April 11th, and tons of sites are coming up with their own guesses as to who may be playing.

Farrell also dabbled in film--he released his semi-autobiographical, drug/musical film escapade, The Gift, in 1993. The film was shot in late 1989 and 1990, but was finally released on VHS in 1993 and on DVD in 2010. You can watch a raw/unedited interview MTV's Kurt Loder did with a then drugged out Farrell (he's now clean, by the way) as well as links to watch the film below.

Interview part 1



Interview part 2

Interview part 3

Interview part 4

Interview part 5

Interview part 6


The Gift (part 1)

Spiritualized

Spiritualized will kick off their North American tour next month. Don't miss them live at the Majestic Theater on May 4th. Take a look a the band's performance of "Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" from last weekend's show in Manchester.



Spiritualized will release the new album Sweet Heart Sweet Light on April 17th and you can pre-order it now on iTunes. If you still haven't heard the record's first single, "Hey Jane" take a listen to it below and watch the official video here (YouTube has age restricted the ten minute film).

Ultravox

Ultravox reformed in 2009 for some live shows and later this spring the band will return with their first studio record in 28 years. Brilliant features the classic Ultravox lineup of Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross, and Warren Cann, and the titles for the 12 track record are posted below. Ultravox will follow up the release of the record with a tour in the fall, though it's unlikely they'll play North America. Pre-order info for Brilliant is still being firmed up, but is expected to be posted on the band's official website soon.

01. Live Again
02. Flow
03. Brilliant
04. The Change
05. Rise
06. Remembering
07. Hello
08. This One
09. Fall
10. Let It Lie
11. Satellite
12. Contact

Interpol

Interpol's song "Lights" is featured as the backdrop to the short David Lynch animated film I Touch A Red Button Man. The big screen premiere of the film takes place in New York City next Friday before a screening of Lynch's classic Wild At Heart. Interpol's Sam Fogarino will introduce the film short, and he'll also participate in a Q & A session afterwards. Tickets and more info about the event can be found here.

I Touch A Red Button Man

Radiohead - more xylophone please

Watch video of a guy playing xylophone along with Radiohead's "No Surprises"



They should bring him on the road this spring! Don't miss Radiohead on their North American tour. The Detroit area show is June 11th at the Palace.

Boz Boorer

Boz Boorer (best known as Morrissey's guitarist) has confirmed he'll release a new single in May. "Slippery Forces" plus four remixes of the track will be released on May 4th, with the full length album Some of the Parts to follow later in the year. Watch the official video for "Slippery Forces" below:

Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn premiered the first single from his forthcoming release Dr. Dee on the BBC today. Take a listen to "The Marvelous Dream" below:



Dr. Dee drops May 8th and you can pre-order the 18 track record here.

Meanwhile Albarn's partner-in-crime Graham Coxon will release his solo record A + E next week. The full album is still streaming here and you can pre-order it here.

I still can't get "What'll It Take" out of my head. I can't. And I don't want to...

Garbage

Garbage are set to release their new record Not Your Kind Of People on May 15th. The band dropped the new track "Blood For Poppies" about a week and a half ago, and now another new song, "Battle In Me" has surfaced. "Battle In Me" is slated to be the first U.K. single from the new cd, and you can listen to a full stream of it below.



Garbage offered up "Blood For Poppies" as a free download last week, if you missed out you can still get an instant download of the song when you pre-order the deluxe version of Not Your Kind Of People from iTunes.

SWERVEDRIVER!!!

Swervedriver performed on Jimmy Fallon last night and will be kicking off their tour tomorrow in Philadelphia. I hope a tour, late night appearance, and an awesome web-only track means a new record is coming later this year! Let's dream about that and in the meantime, enjoy Swervedriver's performance from last night.

Web only performance of "Deep Wound"



"Son of Mustang Ford" (courtesy of The Audio Perv)

Peter Hook

For those keeping track, Peter Hook has been on the road playing classic Joy Division records while New Order have been busy playing gigs of their own. On Friday, the very same day New Order played their highly profile gig at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Hooky announced the cancellation of his 2012 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Coincidence? Looking for media attention of his own? Who knows, but you can read his official statement below, and if nothing else, Hooky gets extra points for using "Antipodean" in the post!

Peter Hook & The Light have unfortunately been forced to postpone their upcoming dates across Australia and New Zealand in April 2012 due to production circumstances which were beyond the band's control.

Hooky & The Light would like to apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment of the thousands of fans who had purchased tickets in advance for their second visit to the continent and we are hopeful that the dates are to be rescheduled for late 2012 or early 2013.

The band would like to thank all our Antipodean friends for their continued support and we look forward to having the opportunity to play for you again soon.

Lords of Acid

Darling, come here...

Lords of Acid are back with a new five song ep, Pop That Tooshie. The ep's title track is a wonderfully fun tribute to the booty as only the Lords of Acid could do properly. Bonus: "Pop That Tooshie" features vocals by pornstar Alana Evans. Enjoy a full stream of the ep below and buy it now on iTunes or Amazon:



Lords of Acid will release a full length album Deep Chills on April 10th, and you can pre-order the 14 track record here. Catch up with the band on their official website or Facebook page.

Soundgarden

Today Soundgarden posted a VERY SHORT snippet of a new song titled, "Live To Rise." This is the first new music from the band in 15 years and they could only tease us with 22 seconds??? The full version of the song will be released on the Avengers soundtrack which drops May 1st. Check out the INCREDIBLY SHORT snippet of "Live to Rise" below:



Soundgarden is expected to release a full length new album later this year, though an official release date hasn't been announced yet.

The Machine Room

The Machine Room have posted another awesome track on Soundcloud called "Tickling Tongues."



If you haven't already, check out the band's new four song Love From A Distance EP. The track "Your Head On The Floor Next Door" is by far my favorite song of 2012--it's sooooooo addictive.



If you liked the original version you might also like the Heex remix of "Your Head On The Floor Next Door"

Swervedriver

Swervedriver are kicking off their short North American tour in Philadelphia this Wednesday. They're playing VERY few shows on this tour (seriously guys, only ten shows?) so take full opportunity to watch them tonight on Jimmy Fallon.

Swervedriver's music and influence have been documented recently in two films --Anyone Can Play Guitar, and Upside Down: The Creation Records Story--plus they were featured on the soundtrack to Upside Down. Both films are available now on DVD.





Be sure to watch Swervedriver on Fallon tonight. If you're lucky enough to have Swervedriver in your town, GO TO THE SHOW! They are awesome live.

"Duel"

Kraftwerk

After 40 years, they're still going strong--electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk headlined the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on Friday night. Watch some of their performance below:

"The Robots"



"Computer Love"



"Radioactivity"

Graham Coxon

Graham Coxon is releasing his new album A + E on April 2nd, and The Guardian is hosting the exclusive full stream of the album now. Standout tracks from the record include "City Hall," "Running For Your Life," and the infectious gem, "What'll It Take."

Watch the official video for "What'll It Take" below and pre-order A + E here.



Earlier this month Coxon debuted tracks from A + E live at a BBC Radio 6 celebration and you can watch the entire set here.

New Order

Before New Order's set at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami this weekend, Fuse caught up with Bernard Sumner for a short interview. Sumner talked briefly about New Order's reunion, "Peter the bass player left the band," and revealed that "this year is about playing live," though he did say New Order may write new music while on tour. He also said it was Peter Hook who was holding up the release of Lost Sirens, the album featuring outtakes from 2005's Waiting For The Sirens' Call.

Fuse interview with Bernard Sumner




"The Perfect Kiss" (live from Ultra Music Festival 2012)

Tim Burgess/Charlatans U.K.

Tim Burgess from the Charlatans U.K. will release his autobiography, Telling Stories, on April 26th. More info on the book is posted here. Watch the trailer for Telling Stories below:

Telling Stories Trailer

Burgess will celebrate the release of his book with a live reading, Q + A, signing, and acoustic performance on May 12th in Newcastle, U.K.

The Charlatans U.K. are heading out on the road for a month-long tour of the U.K. in June. The band will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Tellin' Stories by performing the 1997 cd in its entirety.

Ministry album stream + Relapse webisode series

Ministry's new record, Relapse, drops March 26th and you can listen to a full stream of the album now through Monday.

The official video for the cd's first single, "99 Percenters" premiered earlier this week:



Al Jourgensen and the gang documented the making of Relapse with a series of ten webisodes. Follow the links below to watch the full Relapse series.

Webisode 1

Webisode 2

Webisode 3

Webisode 4

Webisode 5

Webisode 6

Webisode 7

Webisode 8

Webisode 9

Webisode 10

Morrissey

Morrissey wrapped his South American tour and posted a thank you to fans in an official update posted on true to you. In the statement Morrissey also confirmed the re-release of his 1988 single, "Suedehead." From the statement:

In April, EMI re-issue my 1988 single Suedehead as remixed by Ron and Russell Mael. This is a great thrill for me, and I am indebted till death to Ron and Russell.

You might also be aware that Thelma Houston** has also recorded Suedehead this year.

Anyway, thank you for reading this, and I shall see some of you in far-off places.

Now the (sort of) bad news on the "Suedehead" release--a limited edition picture disc version of "Suedehead" will be released on Record Store Day in the U.K., but it won't be available for Record Store Day in the U.S. Here's the Record Store Day U.K. listing:

Suedehead, We'll Let You Know (live)*, Now My Heart Is Full (live)*
10" picture disc
*previously unreleased
Label: EMI

I guess Morrissey/Smiths fans in the U.S. will have to settle for Rockabye Baby Lullabye Renditions of the Smiths on 12'' vinyl for Record Store Day. I know, small consolation.

Meanwhile, Morrissey's 1998 debut album Viva Hate will be reissued in the U.K. next month. The new version, remastered by original producer Stephen Street, sees the return of the record's original artwork, features an introduction by Chrissie Hynde, and adds b-side "Treat Me Like A Human Being." Two tracks,"The Ordinary Boys" and "Hairdresser On Fire," have been deleted from the remaster (though technically "Hairdresser" was a bonus U.S. track and was never originally on the U.K. version). The Viva Hate remaster drops in the U.K. on April 2nd and will be available as an import in the U.S. on April 10th.

**Wow, Thelma Houston recorded "Suedehead"? I'm not sure I want to hear her version, but (of course) I scoured the net looking for it anyway. It appears Houston's version hasn't been released yet because I sure couldn't find it and there isn't a listing on her official website regarding anything new.

Happy Birthday, Damon Albarn!

Happy Birthday, Damon Albarn! Albarn is the busiest guy in showbiz, or at the least the music biz! Take a look at few of the projects that he's been busy with over the last couple of months:

Gorillaz collaboration with Andre 3000 and James Murphy



Blur reunion at The Brit awards:



Rocketjuice and the Moon (project with Flea)



Last year Albarn wrote the music for opera, Dr. Dee, which will also serve as Albarn's solo record. Dr. Dee drops May 7th:



Who knows what else he has up his sleeve? Happy Birthday, Damon. Keep the great music coming!

Public Image Limited--live video

Public Image Limited. appeared at The Quietus' Record Store Day event in the U.K. on Monday. Watch John Lydon talk about the importance of records in an interview recorded at the event:



Last week Public Image Limited played a concert as part of the weeklong BBC Radio 6 tenth anniversary celebration. Watch some video from the event:

BBC interview/"Deeper Water"



"This Is Not A Love Song"



"Albatross"



"Disappointed"



"Rise"



"Warrior"




Public Image Limited will drop the One Drop EP for Record Store Day on April 21st and follow that up with the full length album This Is P.I.L. on May 28th.

Garbage

Vanity Fair online features a interview with Shirley Manson and Butch Vig from Garbage. Both Manson and Vig gave their own explanation on how/why the Garbage reunion came about:

BV: It started really from Shirley. I think she felt a sense of frustration because she worked on a solo record and her label rejected it. They said it was way too dark, or too left field. They wanted something much more pop. They wanted a Katy Perry record—they kept trying to get her to write with all these pop songwriters, and I think she realized the people she really likes to write with are [band members] Duke [Erikson] and Steve [Marker] and me.

SM: I had a collection of songs that I thought were really strong. I took them in [and] played them for the record company. They weren’t interested. They told me they were too dark. They wanted me to have international radio hits and “be the Annie Lennox of my generation.” I kid you not; I am quoting directly. I just thought, Fuck this.

Manson also made some supportive comments about Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga! Read the entire interview over at Vanity Fair.

The new album from Garbage, Not Your Kind Of People, drops May 15th. The first single, "Blood For Poppies" is still available to download for free from the band for a limited time, so grab it while you can.

Soulsavers featuring Dave Gahan

Soulsavers, aka Rich Machin and Ian Glover, will release a new record later this spring. The team has a long history of using impressive guest vocalists--Mark Lanegan, Mike Patton, and Gibby Haynes are just a few of the names who have worked with the duo over the years. The band's new single, "Longest Day" features another big star--Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode. Take a listen to the single below:



"Longest Day" will be released as a digital single April 2nd and as a limited edition 7'' vinyl on Record Store Day. Soulsavers will follow up the single with the full length record, The Light The Dead See, on vinyl, cd, and digitally May 21st.

My Bloody Valentine reissues coming in May!

My Bloody Valentine announced that their LONG awaited reissues are finally coming this May!  The remastered versions of Isn't Anything and Loveless will be released on May 7th.  In addition, the band's four eps (Feed Me With Your Kiss, You Made Me Realise, Glider, and Tremolo) will be reissued on a compilation that will also--brace yourself--contain seven rarities and previously unreleased tracks!  So mark May 7th on your calendar and catch up with MBV

on their official Facebook Page.

Dead Can Dance - North American Tour + Live EP

Dead Can Dance has announced dates for their North American tour, which kicks off in August and runs through the beginning of September. Take a look at the full (Detroit-less) tour itinerary here.

Fans can also download another free live digital ep, Live Happenings - Part IV, below:

Brace yourself--NME is searching for the Ultimate Music Icon of the last 60 years

As part of the 60th anniversary celebration of New Musical Express, the magazine has launched a search for the Ultimate Music Icon of the last 60 years. Brace yourself because it is indeed a readers poll, and as history reminds us, these sorts of polls never end well. To get an idea of the trainwreck potential, take a look below at the artists who have made the shortlist. You'll notice that some of the artists listed don't seem to belong on a ballot for a music icon spanning 60 years.

If you're so inclined, you can vote here.

Alex Turner
Amy Winehouse
Beth Ditto
Bob Dylan
Björk
Bob Marley
Bobby Gillespie
Chuck D
Courtney Love
Damon Albarn
Dave Grohl
David Bowie
Debbie Harry
Dizzee Rascal
Elvis Presley
Eminem
Freddie Mercury
Ian Brown
Ian Curtis
Jay-Z
Iggy Pop
Jack White
Jarvis Cocker
Jim Morrison
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Joe Strummer
Joey Ramone
John Lennon
John Lydon
Johnny Cash
Johnny Marr
Julian Casablancas
Karen O
Kate Bush
Keith Richards
Kurt Cobain
Liam Gallagher
Lily Allen
Lou Reed
Madonna
Marc Bolan
Michael Jackson
Morrissey
Matt Bellamy
Noel Gallagher
Patti Smith
Paul McCartney
Paul Weller
Pete Doherty
PJ Harvey
Prince
Richey Edwards
Robert Smith
Roger Daltrey
Shaun Ryder
Sid Vicious
Siouxsie Sioux
Syd Barrett
Thom Yorke

Pop Will Eat Itself

Remember the band Pop Will Eat Itself?

"Def Con One"



Gimme Big Mac, gimme fries to go! Let's listen to another!

"Can U Dig It?"



After years out of the limelight, Pop Will Eat Itself returned late last year with a new record titled New Noise Designed By A Sadist. Take a look at the cover art for the album.


Graham Crabb, the band's principal songwriter and only original member, says the inspiration behind the new album was the challenge to create a classic album 25 years after the band's first release that would sound more exciting and relevant than most current music. Take a listen to a couple of singles from the album below to see if they've achieved their goal.

"Chaos & Mayhem" (official video)



Listen to the stream of the latest single, "Disguise" and also check out the band's official "video" which is actually features the song along with footage of fans singing the praises of PWEI.





The studio album, New Noise Designed By A Sadist, is available to purchase here and the band's brand new live record (recorded at a gig in Reading last week) is available to download here. PWEI are winding down their tour of the U.K. this week with no other dates currently in the works.

Rita Wilson + Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell guests on the debut solo record from actress Rita Wilson. The full record is titled AM/FM and drops May 8th. Take a listen to her cover of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" featuring Cornell on backup vocals:

Peter Hook/New Order

If you haven't had your fill of Peter Hook talkin' 'bout New Order and Joy Division, click on over to read a new interview with Hooky. Yes, Hook is still bitter about his ex-bandmates using the New Order name--but it's worth checking out the article to read his comments about Joy Division's albums. Hook said he's only now realizing what masterpieces those albums were. Yes, he's only figuring that out now apparently! He revealed that he and Bernard Sumner didn't really like the Joy Division 'sound' at the time:

"...everyone else thought it was great so we went along with it, but we were upset and it stayed with me for years; remember we were ignoring Joy Division throughout New Order – never listened to it"

“It wasn’t until I came to transcribe the LP that I realised what incredible work he’d (Martin Hannett) done, especially when you consider the equipment he was using, which in many ways was almost barbaric – two-inch tape and analogue effects. We didn’t realise how good everyone working around us was at the time, we were just daft kids looking to play really. That has dawned on me recently.”

Read the entire interview with Peter Hook on the Tonedeaf website.

Record Store Day webcast with Orbital and Public Image Limited

Tonight is the Record Store Day U.K. launch party featuring a live concert from Public Image Limited and DJ set by Orbital. The "secret" guest-list-only event will be webcast on Boiler Room live from 7pm-11pm U.K. time (2-6 pm ET) tonight. It appears the webcast will NOT be geo-blocked, so fans worldwide should be able to check out the show here at the time of the event.

If you missed Orbital's recent live interview/performance for the BBC Radio 6 anniversary, take a look at it here.

Hit So Hard: The Life & Near Death Story of Patty Schemel

A documentary about Hole's drummer Patty Schemel will finally enjoy a run in theaters next month. So far Hit So Hard: The Life & Near Death Story of Patty Schemel has only been shown at film festivals, but starting in April the film will open in theaters in select cities. New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have official screening dates and more are expected to be announced soon. Hit So Hard: The Life & Near Death Story of Patty Schemel features a ton of footage from Hole's heyday in the early 90's. Yes, of course Courtney Love makes plenty of appearances, but this is Schemel's story, not Love's (or Hole's, for that matter.) Watch the trailer and interview footage below, and visit the official website here.



Interview with Schemel after Los Angeles film festival premiere, August 2011



Another Q & A session from last year

Graham Coxon--BBC Radio 6 concert

Graham Coxon performed a concert last week in London as part of the BBC Radio 6 tenth anniversary celebration. Coxon's eight song set mainly consisted of tracks from his forthcoming album A + E. Watch the full concert below and pre-order A + E here. The record drops April 2nd.









01. "Advice" (new song)
02. "What'll It Take" (new song)
03. "The Truth" (new song)
04. "Running For Your Life" (new song)
05. "No Good Time"
06. "Freakin' Out"
07. "Ooh, Yeh Yeh" (new song)
08. "City Hall" (new song)

David Cameron puts the kabosh on a Smiths reunion

As you may recall, a few weeks ago at the NME Awards Johnny Marr was badgered (once again) about when he'd reform the Smiths. Marr quipped that he'd reform the Smiths if the current government stepped down:

"We won't be reforming this week. Maybe if the government stepped down. If this government stepped down, I'll reform the band. How's that? That's a fair trade, isn't it? I think the country would be better off, don't you? I'll do it if the coalition steps down."

Up to now there hasn't been an official statement (at least not a real one anyway) from Prime Minister David Cameron, who declared himself to be a big Smiths fan in 2010, much to the dismay of Morrissey and Marr. But it looks like Cameron has finally made a public comment, albeit a brief one, regarding the situation. The following quote attributed to Cameron was published in yesterday's Financial Times:

“I love The Smiths but there are limits."

So there you have it. Cameron really DOESN'T love The Smiths at all. A true fan would just take one for the team, no???

Skinny Puppy live record

Metropolis Records signed industrial godfathers Skinny Puppy and they'll release a live album titled Bootlegged, Broke, And In Solvent Seas on June 12th.  Take a look at the tracklisting below and pre-order the record here.

 

1.    Prelude

2.    Rodent

3.    Dead Lines

4.    Dogshit

5.    Addiction

6.    HateKill

7.    Worlock

8.    Morpheus Laughing

9.    Assimilate

10.  Shore Lined Poison

Noel Gallagher Record Store Day release

Noel Gallagher has announced a special 12'' release for Record Store Day.  Songs From The Great White North will feature four previously released tracks pressed on opaque white heavyweight vinyl, and the U.K. version will be numbered and limited.

 

Side A

 

1. The Good Rebel

2.  Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me

 

Side B

 

1.  I'd Pick You Everytime

2.  Shoot A Hole Into The Sun*

 

*collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous

Jesus & Mary Chain

Jesus & Mary Chain are playing a handful of shows in Texas this week. Watch video of "Happy When It Rains" from their show in Houston a couple of nights ago.



Now take a look at some old school 'Chain. This is video of their legendary 1985 show where a riot broke out (you can watch the riot in the second clip)

Public Image Limited + Orbital team up for Record Store Day gig

Orbital are teaming up with Public Image Limited to launch Record Store Day in the U.K. on Monday. Record Store Day is April 21st, but a big party featuring live sets by both acts are intended to help create excitement and awareness of the annual event. The "secret" P.I.L./Orbital gig takes place Monday night in a town called Shoreditch and interested attendees have been urged to email requests to be put on the guest list. The show will be webcast on the U.K. Record Store Day site, but it's unknown whether the 'cast will be geoblocked to those elsewhere in the world.

Public Image Limited are releasing One Drop ep for Record Store Day and will follow it up with the full length This Is P.I.L. on May 28th.

Public Image Limited "One Drop"



Orbital's new record, Wonky, drops April 3rd. Watch the official video for their song, "New France" featuring Zola Jesus (and mixed by Flood).

The Smiths--Rockabye Baby!

The Rockabye Baby lullaby series was created a few years ago in an effort to find music to play for children/infants that parents* would really enjoy too. L.A.'s Silver Lake label found a way to do just that--they took classic songs from classic artists, covered them in a lullaby style, and released them as full cds. The Rockabye Baby catalog is mammoth-- everyone from The Beatles and Rolling Stones, to U2, Radiohead, and The Cure have their own cd featured as part of the series. Shockingly, somehow The Smiths were never included. Until now.

Rockabye Baby - Lullaby Renditions Of The Smiths will drop on April 24th. You'll be able to soothe those crying moments (whether it's the baby or YOU) with "This Charming Man," "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out," "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me," and even "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." Take a look at the full tracklisting below (no, "Asleep" isn't one of the songs covered) and pre-order and listen to samples from Rockabye Baby - Lullaby Renditions Of The Smiths here.

1. This Charming Man
2. Big Mouth Strikes Again
3. Girlfriend In A Coma
4. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
5. Panic
6. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
7. William, It Was Really Nothing
8. Hand In Glove
9. How Soon Is Now?
10. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
11. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
12. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

*Full disclosure--a few years ago I bought a couple of these cds for my friend (I bought Coldplay, The Pixies, and The Cure) and she absolutely loved them, so they seem to make a great gift.

Jesus & Mary Chain

The Jesus & Mary Chain have been in Texas this week playing a handful of shows. Watch some fan shot footage from the Houston show below:

"Reverence"



"The Hardest Walk/Taste Of Cindy/Never Understand"

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr treated fans to a short studio performance of "European Me" on his 1985 Les Paul yesterday. Watch it here.

Liam Gallagher--Beady Eye dusting off Oasis favorites

Noel Gallagher has routinely been playing Oasis songs during his live shows, but so far Beady Eye (Liam Gallagher's band) has not. That'll be changing soon according to some comments Liam made today on London's XFM:

"We're doing Fuji Festival in Japan, which is in July. And we will be dropping Oasis songs for anyone who's bothered...I feel they're just as much my songs as they are Noel's. And if people don't like it, go to the bar or fuck off. If they do like it, jump up and down, let's have a good time."

Of course, the British media is ramping out of control with the news, so Liam took to Twitter in an effort to calm the masses in his own inimitable style:

Listen up squares were playing them live not re recording them so chill LG x

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) March 14, 2012

"squares" = comedy gold. Good times!

SPC ECO

Fans of shoegaze/goth band Curve should check out Dean Garcia's latest musical project--SPC ECO (pronounced space echo). The band have been around for a few years and recently signed to XD Records (also home to Bloody Knives). At the end of last year SPC ECO dropped a compilation album, You Tell Me, featuring eight previously unreleased tracks and a few older ones. Last week they followed up the album with an ep titled Don't Say. The album and ep are available through bandcamp and you can listen to a stream of both below. FYI, you can also purchase older material from SPC ECO on iTunes.

"Give You Nothing" SPC ECO (from Don't Say ep)

Cedric Sharpley, R.I.P.

Cedric Sharpley, ex-drummer for Gary Numan, suffered a heart attack at the beginning of the month and according to reports, died yesterday. He was 59 years old. R.I.P.

Sharpley played with Numan's band from 1978 through about 1992, and had also formed a band of his own Dramatis.

Watch video of Sharpley in this classic video from 1979.

Jack White

Jack White recently debuted a new song titled "Sixteen Saltines" on Saturday Night Live. Today the studio version was posted on White's website (take a listen to it below), plus you can pre-order the single, which will be released on March 20th. White's full length debut Blunderbuss drops April 24th.

Jack White "Sixteen Saltines"

Morrissey: Prince Harry is here for your money

Morrissey followed up last week's William & Kate comments with a few words about Prince Harry before launching into "Meat Is Murder" at his show in Rio De Janeiro this weekend. Though Morrissey is known for dishing out the snark, somehow his recent barbs have re-sparked a debate in the U.K. (you'd think they'd be used to this by now, or perhaps it's just a slow news week). Saturday The Guardian ran an op-ed featuring a couple of music critics debating Morrissey's "national treasure" status. Read it here and watch video of the Prince Harry Incident below.

Noel Gallagher acoustic show

Watch a full acoustic Noel Gallagher concert recorded a couple of weeks ago in Glasgow below. Don't miss Gallagher live on his (plugged in) North American tour this spring. The Detroit area show is March 31st at the Royal Oak Music Theater.

fIREHOSE launch tour and new compilation

fIREHOSE will kick off their first tour in 18 years next month. To coincide with the launch of the tour, the band will release a compilation titled lowFLOWS: The Columbia Anthology '91-'93. The limited edition two disc set features select tracks from the band's two Columbia releases (1991's Flyin' The Flannel and 1993's Machinery Operator) plus some rare and previously unreleased material from that era. The set drops April 3rd and you can pre-order it now here. As far as brand new music from fIREHOSE goes, Mike Watt recently told Rolling Stone that nothing is planned right now, but it's a possibility for sometime down the road. Read Watt's full interview with Rolling Stone here.

Meanwhile Watt's will release a book/photographic memoir titled Mike Watt: On And Off Bass in May. Read more about the book here.

fIREHOSE "Flyin' The Flannel"

Ride

Ride's 1992 album Going Blank Again is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. This is my favorite record from Ride, and definitely one of my all time favorites. To this day I'm still blown away by the swirling eight minute epic album opener, "Leave Them All Behind." Such shoegaze perfection. Back in the day on 89X we played an edited four minute radio version, but the song is truly best enjoyed in its original, unedited form:



Ahhhhh, what a majestic song! Happy Birthday, Going Blank Again!

Ride went on to release two more records before breaking up in 1996. Songwriters Andy Bell and Mark Gardener have worked on a variety of musical projects since the dissolution of Ride. Bell released a record with his project Hurricane #5, joined Oasis and is currently a member of Beady Eye. Gardener formed a band called The Animalhouse, went on to release two solo records under his own name, and is currently working on a new music/art project Hush Delirium which you can read more about here.

Hush Delirium

Ex-members of Ride and The Stone Roses have formed a new music/art project called Hush Delirium. Mark Gardener and Aziz Ibrahim have teamed up with abstract artist Simon Welford to create a multimedia project with an interesting twist: Gardener and Ibrahim will compose music, then they'll hand it over to Welford, who will then create art inspired by the music. Hush Delirium hopes to then take the final masterpiece (both the music and artwork) and produce a gallery exhibition to be displayed worldwide.

Visit Hush Delirium on Facebook or Twitter to find out more about the project.

Panties featuring lyrics from The Smiths

What female Smiths fan wouldn't want a pair of custom made panties with Smiths lyrics printed all over them? Come to think of it, male fans are probably going to want these too! The pair of made-to-order panties were sold recently by BunnyJump through the etailer Etsy, but it looks like you may still be able to request custom orders through the BunnyJump website. Take a look at the original listing and click the different angles to get a better view of the song lyrics. Lyrics from quite a few Smiths songs were used--see how many different ones you can spot! "Frankly Mr. Shankly," "Unlovable," "Unhappy Birthday," "Shoplifters Of The World Unite," "Panic," "Sheila Take A Bow," and many more were featured. Awesome!

BunnyJump is also selling custom made Star Trek, Where The Wild Things Are, and retro horror poster themed panties.

Liam Gallagher--Greatest frontman of all time?

Over the past couple of weeks London's Xfm radio held a contest and asked listeners to determine the greatest frontman* of all time. The results were announced yesterday and proved to be somewhat questionable: Liam Gallagher was named the winner.

Hang on a minute here--I am a HUGE Oasis fan--but are you kidding me? Greatest frontman? Gallagher is known for standing on stage, putting his arms behind his back, and leaning into the microphone to sing. At times he's good for a quick mumble before a song, and on special occasions he busts out a tambourine.

Here, take a look:





Liam graciously (?) acknowledged his win on Twitter:

Wanna thank all the xfm listeners who voted me as the BEST FRONTMAN OF ALL TIME. Keep the faith and beware of daftcunts, I mean darkness..LG

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) March 9, 2012

I don't know who I would have chosen as greatest frontman of all time, but it sure wouldn't have been Gallagher. Take a look at the full top 20 list:

1. Liam Gallagher
2. Freddie Mercury
3. Dave Gahan
4. Dave Grohl
5. Matt Bellamy
6. Brandon Flowers
7. Morrissey
8. Jim Morrison
9. Kurt Cobain
10. Alex Turner
11. Paul Weller
12. Mick Jagger
13. Tom Meighan
14. Eddie Vedder
15. Joe Strummer
16. Ian Curtis
17. Caleb Followill
18. Ian Brown
19. Thom Yorke
20. Chris Martin

*Hey, Xfm are you holding a separate poll for frontWOMEN??? You DO realize that women can also rock, right???

Spiritualized drops trailer for new single

Spiritualized return with their eleven track record Sweet Heart Sweet Light on April 17th. The first single "Hey Jane" debuted a few weeks ago and while the official video is still yet to appear the band just released a video teaser:



If you haven't heard the full version of "Hey Jane" envelop yourself in the epicness below:



You can pre-order Spiritualized's Sweet Heart Sweet Light here. or if you're in the U.K. pre-order the cd or limited edition double vinyl here. Don't miss Spiritualized on the road this spring. The Detroit show is May 4th at the Majestic Theater.

Noel Gallagher

Win tickets on Time Warp on 89X this Sunday to see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at the Royal Oak Music Theater on March 31st.

"Don't Look Back In Anger" (click the red box on the You Tube bar to disable annotations)



"AKA...What A Life"

Joy Division

Take a listen to a couple of rare Joy Division recordings: The version of "Ceremony" is a bootleg rehearsal version from 1980 and is believed to be the first recorded version of the song. The second song is an alternate version of "The Eternal" taken from a Martin Hannett mixtape.

"Ceremony"



"The Eternal"

Gary Numan

It's Gary Numan's birthday! Celebrate by watching the Numan documentary Reinvention. FYI, a best of DVD titled Machine Music: The Best of Gary Numan will drop on June 11th.




Part 2




Part 3



Part 4 of the documentary was removed from You Tube by Universal Music, but another uploader posted it--the following version overlaps a bit with part 3 and part 5, but it's still very much worth watching:




Part 5

Erasure--the worst interview ever

The most awkward interview with Erasure took place after the band's show in Sweden back in 1997. Where to start with this atrocity? Clueless interviewer? Check! Bizarre sing-a-long? Check! The most ridiculous question ever (at ~ 6:30 into the video)? Cheeeeeeeeeeck! Wow, you really have to watch this:

Garbage

Garbage will return with their first new record in seven years later this spring. Not Your Kind Of People will be released via the band's label STUNVOLUME on May 15th. Watch Garbage reveal the titles for all eleven songs from Not Your Kind Of People in the following video



There will be two different versions of Not Your Kind Of People--a standard and deluxe version. The standard edition features eleven tracks with black and white cover art:

The deluxe version adds four tracks (fifteen total songs) with red and white cover art:


The record's first single and video, "Blood For Poppies" is expected to drop very soon. In the meantime, you can pre-order both the standard and deluxe versions on Amazon now.

The Smiths--30th anniversary

A 30th anniversary celebration of the formation of The Smiths will kick off in Manchester's Holden Gallery next week with an artistic extravaganza titled The Gospel According To. The exhibit, which sounds more like an art festival of sorts, will include artistic interpretations of Smiths songs & photos (including the Stephen Wright fan photos taken last weekend), screenings of bootleg footage of early Smiths performances, panel discussions (one such panel examines a conspiracy theory which suggests that The Queen Is Dead foretold Princess Diana's tragic death), and a "live music event" organized by ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce. More events to commemorate the anniversary are also being organized for later in the year.

Read more about the The Gospel According To here.

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (Top Of The Pops, 1984)