Howard Jones - Free download + The Song That Changed My Life

Howard Jones recently filmed an episode of the BYUtv documentary series The Song That Changed My Life, which features him discussing some favorite songs and highlights from his career. Jones recorded four songs live for the documentary and is offering up the songs as a free download to fans as a gift for the New Year. Stream and download the four songs below and watch the full episode of The Song That Changed My Life featuring Howard Jones here. There's also an episode of The Song That Changed My Life featuring Mike Peters from the Alarm here.



Though exact plans are yet to be firmed up, Howard Jones announced that he'll celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first single with some special live shows in 2013.  The concerts will take place near the end of the year and will feature some his favorite songs from his catalog along with new music and video.  He's also planning to release a DVD boxset compiling all his promo videos with remastered audio.  For more on Howard Jones, visit his official website.

Birthday Boy: Jesus & Mary Chain's Jim Reid

Happy Birthday to Jim Reid from Jesus & Mary Chain! Check out a short interview with Jesus & Mary Chain from 1985 and a few music videos below:

Interview, 1985



"You Trip Me Up"



"Sidewalking"



"April Skies"

My Bloody Valentine finished mastering follow up to Loveless

In case you missed the mass panic on the internet December 24th, My Bloody Valentine announced they've completed mastering their new album. Here's the full riot-inducing update:

"On 21-12-12 we finished mastering the new album!"

Kevin Shields revealed in interviews earlier this year that a new MBV record would be released before the end of the year. It's doubtful he'll fulfill that promise, but be rest assured, the new album is on the way. The band has a number of festival dates booked for 2013, so it seems almost certain (though we ARE talking about MBV here) the new album should be out before then.

The follow up to 1991's Loveless will be released through the band's website. At this point there is no official website other than Facebook, though it's likely a new site will be launching shortly over at mybloodyvalentine.net (the owner of the domain gave up the URL by request of Kevin Shields a few weeks ago).

For right now, it's probably a good idea to like the MBV page, and while you're at it, liking the Creation Records page would be a great idea too.

My Bloody Valentine 2013 tour itinerary

2/05 - Osaka Namba Hatch, Osaka
2/06 - Osaka Namba Hatch, Osaka
2/07 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/08 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/10 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/16 - ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror, Altona
2/18 - Enmore Theater, Sydney
2/20 - Tivoli Theater, Brisbane
2/22 - Palace Theatre, Melbourne
3/09 - Barrowlands, Glasgow - Barrowlands
3/10 - Apollo, Manchester
3/12 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
3/13 - Hammersmith Apollo, London

Rhodri Marsden - Heaven Knows I'm Christmassy Now

Last year Scritti Politti's Rhodri Marsden recorded a festive parody of the Smiths' classic "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." Stream and download "Heaven Knows I'm Christmassy Now" below!





Rhodri has recorded tons of other entertaining covers including songs from The Cure, Hall & Oates, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, and tons more - take a listen to a few covers below and head over to Soundcloud to listen and download many more. An additional cover of XTC's "Love On A Farmboy's Wages" is streaming here.







Rhodri also writes for the Independent - a recent column discussed how he went about covering one of the songs on Beck's sheet music album Song Reader. Check out the article here and for more on Rhodri follow him on Twitter.

R.I.P. - Mike Scaccia guitarist for Ministry dead at 47

Mike Scaccia, guitarist for Ministry, Revolting Cocks, and Rigor Mortis has died at the age of 47. According to reports, Scaccia collapsed on stage at a Rigor Mortis gig yesterday in Fort Worth, Texas and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The news has been confirmed by Rigor Mortis bandmate Bruce Corbitt on Facebook who also revealed he will be organizing tribute concert and online benefit for Scaccia's family.

Ministry leader Al Jourgensen posted the following about Scaccia on Facebook today:

"I just lost my lil' brother and my best friend - the 13th Planet compound is devastated, completely in shock and shattered. Mikey was not only the best guitar player in the history of music, but he was a close, close, close part of our family - and I just lost a huge chunk of my heart today. Our lives are forever changed. Life without Mikey is like orange juice without pulp - kind of bland. I have no words to express what this guy meant to me, my family, my career....everything! Get to know his lead parts - for they are in the pantheon of music! Unfortunately, most of you didn't get to know Mikey's soul - which is in the pantheon of humanity. He is my hero, my friend and my idol. Mikey was always beside me - my right hand man - through thick and thin, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Rest in peace my brother, my friend, my heart. Please pray for Mike Scaccia and Jenny, his wife and their children, and his family.....AL"

Update:

According to the medical examiner official website, Scaccia died from a heart attack secondary to cardiovascular disease (sudden cardiac death due to atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease) and was ruled a natural death. View the case info on the ME's website (search for case # 1215556).

Earlier this year, Mike Scaccia filmed some interview videos as part of a series for Wildwood Guitars. Watch the videos below



Favorite concert he attended



On the favorite shows he's performed



On his favorite albums



On his influences



On the birth of rock



Several other videos from the series are posted here.

Viva Joe Strummer! Remembering the remarkable life & times of a legend

Joe Strummer died on this day in 2002. Look back at Strummer's remarkable life with some video below, plus at the bottom of the post there's a collection of tributes/stories written about Strummer from the past week. Viva Joe Strummer! May his memory and music last forever...

"(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" (one of Strummer's final performances - this was shot in London in November 2002)



The Clash interviewed on Tom Snyder, 1981



"The Magnificent Seven" (performance from Snyder's program)



Viva Joe Strummer: The Story Of The Clash (full documentary from 2005)



Television coverage of Strummer's death from 2002







Joe Strummer tribute, Grammy Awards, 2003



Links to several stories posted over the last week in remembrance of Joe Strummer:

"A groove, a vibe, a shot of humanity, a bit of uplifting": Remembering Joe Strummer (Alternative Press)
Joe Strummer's Life After Death (NPR)
"Instinct Not Intellect": Johnny Green Remembers Joe Strummer (The Quietus)
Joe Strummer changed plenty of lives including mine (Daily Record)
Joe Strummer's Complex Legacy: 10 Years After The Clash Leader's Death (Spin)
Joe Strummer inspires if we're ready to perspire. (The Clash Blog)
If You Want To Create You Need To Suffer (The Daily Swarm)
Joe Strummer Interviewed In 1988 (Louder Than War)
Ten Years Gone: Remembering Joe Strummer (Dying Scene)
Why the Clash were the only band that mattered (Flavorwire)
Link to WSJ spotify playlist

Color Me Obsessed - A Film About The Replacements

The documentary on the Replacements Color Me Obsessed - A Film About The Replacements was shown in select theaters worldwide in 2011, and last month the film was released on DVD (order here). The film streaming in full and can be viewed below courtesy of Noisey (in conjunction with MVD Visual). For more on Color Me Obsessed, including an interview with director Gorman Bechard visit the film's official website.

Adam Ant - Cool Zombie official video premiere

Adam Ant premiered his official video for "Cool Zombie" - he chose to premiere the video today because he's celebrating that the world has not ended. Yet.



"Cool Zombie" is the first single from the forthcoming album Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunners Daughter which is scheduled for January 21st worldwide and January 22nd in North America. The album is available to pre-order now through Amazon and Amazon U.K.

The Wonder Stuff - Live in London

The Sleigh The UK tour featuring the Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Jesus Jones kicked off last night in London. Watch some video from the Wonder Stuff's set including their cover of Duran Duran's "Planet Earth" - a studio version of the cover is available digitally on the newly released From The Midlands With Love 3 on iTunes and Amazon.

"Don't Let Me Down Gently"



"Planet Earth"



"Welcome To The Cheap Seats"



Catch up with the Wonder Stuff on their official site.

Johnny Marr brings the Christmas cheer w/ Tim Wheeler & Emmy The Great

Last year Tim Wheeler (from Ash) and Emmy The Great released a Christmas album This Is Christmas. Last night they played a show in Manchester and invited a special guest - guitar hero Johnny Marr! Watch video from last night's show including the performance of the Pogues' classic "Fairytale Of New York" below and check out a picture of Tim, Emmy, and Johnny snapped before the gig.

"Fairytale Of New York"



"Step Into Christmas"



For more on Johnny Marr:

Stream: Johnny Marr + Pet Shop Boys full gig w/ BBC Philharmonic
Johnny Marr - stream "New Town Velocity" + BBC session
Watch Johnny Marr, Kim Gordon, Frank Black & more rock out with Dinosaur Jr
Johnny Marr: Stream "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"

Tony Fletcher + Andy Rourke discuss the Smiths in a NYC instore

Strand Book Store in New York City hosted an evening devoted to Tony Fletcher and his new biography on the Smiths - A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga Of The Smiths. Fletcher read from the book, then answered questions along with Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke (Rourke and Johnny Marr were the only two members of the Smiths who agreed to participate and be interviewed for Fletcher's book).

During the Q & A session, Rourke talked a bit about Morrissey (said he was a bit selfish/stubborn, a detriment to the band at times) and revealed he'll likely play live with Johnny Marr at some point (possibly at some live shows when Marr comes to the U.S. next year). Near the end of the Q & A there was a short discussion about Ruth Polsky, who promoted some shows for the Smiths before her untimely death in 1986.

Watch the video of the reading and Q & A session below. The Q & A portion with Andy Rourke begins ~ 33 minutes in.



FYI - Fletcher and Rourke refer to a video shoot a few times during the Q & A session. They're referring to a story director Tamra Davis discussed during an interview for Fletcher's book. According to Davis, the band was supposed to take part in a promotional video shoot but Morrissey blew off it off the day of the shoot - he supposedly hid away in London and refused to take part. The rest of the band was furious and the episode added to the brewing tension and the band's eventual demise.

For more on Tony Fletcher & The Smiths:

Tony Fletcher talks The Smiths in an excellent interview with Salon
Video interview w/ Tony Fletcher + 30 minute documentary on The Smiths

Kraftwerk wins sampling lawsuit filed 12 years ago

A 12 year legal battle involving Kraftwerk and the use of unauthorized sample has finally come to an end. Kraftwerk released the song "Metall auf Metall" on their 1977 album Trans Europa Express, then years later a song "Nur Mir" written by Moses Pelham, Martin Haas, and performed by Sabrina Setlur lifted a sample from Kraftwerk's song without permission. Kraftwerk filed suit in 2000, and a German court ended up ruling against Kraftwerk. The case was recently heard by the Supreme Court in Germany, and this time Kraftwerk emerged victorious. According to a report in The Economist, the Court ruled for Kraftwerk after weighing testimony from expert witnesses who attempted to create the sound of metal crashing on metal in an attempt to imitate Kraftwerk's song:

"The answer given by the Supreme Court is that it [sampling] is only permissible if the same effect could not have been produced by the new artist himself. After various demonstrations by expert witnesses, crashing metal on metal and using instruments such as a 1996 Akai Sampler, it was shown that an imitation of the sound-bite would have been possible in 1997."

Essentially the court appears to be saying, if an artist cannot figure out any other way to create a sound, sampling another artist's music would be acceptable, but in this case the court ruled that the sound WAS able to be re-created/imitated, so the sample was NOT permissible. The full ruling in the case is expected to be published next year. The case is an interesting one and is expected to have an effect on music sampling in the future.

For more on the case and the court's decision visit The Economist.

Kraftwerk "Metall auf Metall"



Sabrina Setlur "Nur Mir"

Blue Stahli - Antisleep Vol 3

The awesomely rad Blue Stahli has returned with a full on aural assault - Antisleep Vol 3. The 13 track instrumental album is available now exclusively through FiXT and will be released on iTunes and Amazon starting January 22nd.  You really don't want to wait for this though because IT'S THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE END OF THE WORLD! Click over to FiXT now to choose between the digital download, or CD version which comes with a digital download.

Stream "Atom Smasher" from Antisleep Vol 3:



Check out the latest edition of Stahlivision below and catch up with Blue Stahli on the official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud (there's a bunch of Blue Stahli stuff to download for free on Soundcloud including his badass remix of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage").

Mad Season pre-order + watch Jerry Cantrell jam with Walking Papers

As previously reported, a deluxe edition of Mad Season's Above will be released on April 16th and is available to pre-order now. The three disc set features two audio CDs and a DVD: the official tracklisting hasn't been posted, however, back in October, drummer Barrett Martin made these comments about the release in an interview with The Sun Break:

"Mike [McCready] and I oversaw a Mad Season box setIt contains the re-mastered Above album, the Moore concert on DVD with surround sound, and a bunch of live recordings that we never released. The most exciting stuff: three songs that Mark Lanegan wrote lyrics and sang on, songs that we started to record for the second album but never finished because of Baker’s and Layne’s deaths. One of the songs Peter Buck wrote with us, and the other two are from me and Mike. They are three of the heaviest and most beautiful songs Mad Season did, and I know Layne [Staley] and Baker [Saunders] will love them"

The deluxe reissue of Mad Season's Above will be released on April 16th and is available to pre-order now through the official Pearl Jam webstore.

Meanwhile, Walking Papers, the project featuring Barrett Martin, Jeff Angell, Duff McKagan, and Ben Anderson, released their self titled debut album in October - the album includes 11 tracks and features Mike McCready on two of the songs. Download the album through iTunes or Amazon. Read Barrett Martin's two part interview on Walking Papers here and here.

Last week Walking Papers played a gig in Seattle at Crocodiles and the band was joined by Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains! Watch some video from the performance below. Alice In Chains fans may also want to check out a brand new song from AIC titled "Hollow" which is posted here.

"Your Secret's Safe With Me"



"Two Tickets"

Kirsty MacColl - Died on this day in 2000

Kirsty MacColl died on this day in 2000. The Arts Desk wrote a nice article in remembrance of MacColl today which includes some comments from Johnny Marr. Read the piece here and enjoy some audio/video from Kirsty MacColl below.

"They Don't Know" (original version recorded by MacColl in 1979, later covered by Tracey Ullman)



"Walking Down Madison" (from Electric Landlady w/ Johnny Marr)



"Sexuality" Billy Bragg ft Kirsty MacColl



Kirsty also recorded a version of "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" but sadly audio is not available to post.

Great Lives - Ian Curtis

Great Lives is a long running biography show that airs each week on BBC Radio 4. Each week the show's host, Matthew Parris, invites a notable guest to the program and the guest selects an individual who inspired their lives. In spring 2008, Parris invited British poet Simon Armitage on the program and he chose to discuss life of Ian Curtis from Joy Division. As an added bonus, Peter Hook also appeared on the show to add commentary and insight.

One of the highlights from the episode include Peter Hook playing a snippet of an unreleased version of Ian Curtis singing "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (recorded by Malcolm McLaren). Parris, Armitage, and Hook also discussed Curtis' life, lyrics, and final days. Stream the full episode below.



Visit the BBC website to download some free episodes from the Great Lives archive. The episode on Ian Curtis does not appear to be available as a free download however there are several other interesting profiles to download.

Patti Smith - Acoustic performance of Because The Night

Patti Smith appeared on Fox 2 in Detroit on December 16th before playing a benefit for Gleaners - watch a short interview and performance of "Because The Night" with her son Jackson below:



Patti Smith released a new album Banga earlier in the year. Catch up with Smith here.

Bob Mould: Reddit Q & A + "Ice Cold Ice"

Bob Mould did an Ask Me Anything Q & A session on Reddit yesterday. Some highlights from the session are posted below - probably the most awesome highlight was Bob revealing the lyric "never lose that feeling" from his song "Keep Believing" was a nod to Swervedriver! Awesome. Some other nuggets from the chat are posted below:

On playing with the Pixies:

I was so luck to get to play shows with the Pixies in 1989. They were so important to the growth and progress of American music. THe 1980's in Minneapolis were so cool. Not only HD Mats Soul Asylum, but Prince, Flyte Time, etc. Such a creative place.

On playing live and working with Foo Fighters:

I was a Nirvana fan. We played shows together in 1991. I was a Foo Fighters fan. Nothing Left To lose got me through a bunch of road trips in 1999. Dave and I formally met in DC and we hit it off. I was honored to be asked to help out with Dear Rosemary. It was great to see Butch Vig as well, we worked on a Tar Babies EP at Smart Studios in Madison in 1984 or so! And to meet Pat Smear — I adored the Germs. I didn't think they would ask me to tour with them, nor did I anticipate the amount of kindness Dave and the entire Foos family would share with me. Great band, class act all the way around. I am very grateful.

Mould also discussed the Kickstarter project (raising funds for the DVD release of last year's Bob Mould tribute concert) and posted a link to a finished cut of Dave Grohl and Mould playing "Ice Cold Ice" (posted below). Mould revealed the performance was one of Grohl's favorites from the evening.

Read the full Reddit with Bob Mould here (a handy table with just the responses to the questions he answered is here), visit the Kickstarter for the See A Little Light tribute concert here (the campaign ends on December 22nd), and watch additional video from the 2011 tribute concert here.

Bob Mould recently announced four dates in North America (including a Detroit stop at the Magic Stick on March 2nd). As Mould mentioned in his Reddit session, he will not be playing Copper Blue in full at these shows, but instead will be playing songs from his latest album Silver Age, along with classics from Husker Du, Sugar, and his solo catalog. Visit Mould's official site for more details on the shows.

"Ice Cold Ice"

House Of Love - She Paints Words In Red

Things are just getting better for fans of House Of Love! The band's self titled album was recently reissued as a 3 CD set and now the band has announced they'll return with a full length studio album next year. The new album is called She Paints Words In Red and will be released in the spring (the band says it'll likely be out in March or April of 2013). Take a look at the official tracklist for She Paints Words In Red below and catch up with House of Love on Facebook.

1. A Baby Got Back On Its Feet
2. Hemmingway
3. She Paints Words In Red
4. PKR
5. Lost In The Blues
6. Low Black Clouds
7. Money Man
8. Trouble In Mind
9. Never Again
10. Sunshine Out Of The Rain
11. Holy River
12. Eye Dream

FYI, the 3 disc House Of Love reissue can be obtained directly from Cherry Red, or from Amazon U.K. Fans in North America can obtain a digital version of the reissue through Amazon but those interested in a physical version will either need to wait until Amazon sets an official date for the import release, or just purchase directly from Cherry Red.

House Of Love "Feel"

Jane Wiedlin - What Do You Want For Xmas

Jane Wiedlin released a brand new Christmas song titled "What Do You Want For Xmas." Buy it digitally through iTunes and Amazon.  Catch up with Jane on her official site.

Soulsavers ft Dave Gahan - Live in Los Angeles

Rolling Stone premiered a 30 minute Soulsavers concert featuring Dave Gahan.  The set was shot earlier this year at the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles and is expected to be included as part of a live DVD which will be released next year.  Soulsavers released their album The Light The Dead See earlier this year.

Watch the set over at Rolling Stone.

The Specials - Live at Maida Vale

The Specials performed a full set for BBC Radio 6 at Maida Vale in London on Wednesday. Four songs taken from the performance aired on the BBC and video is available to view here and is also posted below. In addition audio from the full show and an interview with Terry Hall & John Bradbury is also available to stream below. Thanks to MadFranko008, 2toneFootage, and ezzer0008



01. A Message To You Rudy
02. Ghost Town
03. Nite Klub
04. Too Much Too Young

Interview with Terry Hall & John Bradbury



Audio from full set



01. Sock It To Em DJ
02. Do The Dog
03. Concrete Jungle
04. Gangsters
05. Rat Race
06. Doesn't Make It Alright
07. Pearls Cafe
08. International Jet Set
09. Friday Night Saturday Morning
10. Stereotype
11. Man At C&A
12. Ghost Town
13. Do Nothing
14. A Message To You Rudy
15. Nite Klub
16. Too Much Too Young

Koolaid Electric Company - Random Noises & Organised Sounds

Fans of psychedelic and shoegaze (sort of Ride meets Spiritualized meets the Verve) will love Bedfordshire, U.K. band Koolaid Electric Company. Not only do they have the best band name ever, but the music is unbelievably awesome.  Truly rare to be blown away upon first listen, but much like the Manchester band Embers, Koolaid Electric Company sucked me in from the get go.  Envelop yourself in the awesomeness of "Intro/Untitled" below:



"Intro-Untitled" is from the band's 2011 album Random Noises & Organised Sounds. The album is currently only available to purchase from Dead Bees store, though they do ship worldwide. Amazon U.S. has a listing for the album (though they are currently out of stock) and an Amazon U.K. subseller is selling a copy for an INCREDIBLE markup so if you're interested in obtaining a copy from Dead Bees is your best bet.

Stream the full album from Koolaid Electric Company below and catch up with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

Bob Mould - New dates announced

Bob Mould has announced four new dates in North America! Bob and his band will perform selections from his superb new solo album, Silver Age plus he'll play Hüsker Dü, Sugar and other classics from his solo catalog. The full tour itinerary is posted below with the new dates (including a Detroit stop at the Magic Stick March 2nd!) in bold:

2/26 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
2/27 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
3/01 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe
3/02 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
3/08 - Brisbane, Australia @The Zoo
3/09 – Sydney, Australia @The Factory Theatre
3/12 – Adelaide, Australia @ Fowlers Live
3/13 – Melbourne, Australia @ The Corner Hotel
3/14 – Melbourne, Australia @ The Corner Hotel
3/16 – Perth, Australia @ The Rosemount

"The Descent"



"Keep Believing"

Michael Stipe - "Good King Wenceslas"

Michael Stipe had a banner night - he appeared onstage live with Chris Martin as part of the Hurricane Sandy benefit at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In addition the Colbert Report aired a previously recorded performance of Stipe singing "Good King Wenceslas." Get your fill of all the Michael Stipe goodness below:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Video of Michael Stipe + Chris Martin performing "Losing My Religion" (starts ~ 5 minutes in)



Michael Stipe interview

Killing Joke - The Singles Collection 1979 - 2012

Killing Joke celebrate their 35th anniversary with the release of a career spanning singles collection on April 15th. The Singles Collection 1979 - 2012 includes 33 singles and b-sides, along with previously unreleased studio tracks. The collection will be available as a digital download, limited edition CD, and a Super Deluxe Edition/boxset. The limited edition CD version comes as a 3 disc set, but once the initial pressings are gone the collection will be available as a 2 CD set (fans interested in the limited edition version are encouraged to pre-order now). Meanwhile, the Super Deluxe boxset version includes all of the music on the limited edition CD, but comes in a hand numbered cigar box and features extra nifty things like a poster, 32 page book, plus an aluminium screw top branded cigar tube containing original wrappers of cigars smoked by Jaz Coleman and Paul Raven during the recording of ‘Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell!  Wow! A listing of the full contents of the box are posted below.

Pre-order the limited edition 3CD version of The Singles Collection here, and the Super Deluxe boxset is available exclusively through Pledge Music. Pledging incentives/extras and ordering information is posted here. Other information on the Singles Collection 1979 - 2012 can be found through the official Killing Joke website.

Killing Joke also announced dates for a North American tour - dates are posted below along with details on the Super Deluxe version of their boxset:

4/19 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
4/23 Montreal, QB @ Cafe Campus
4/24 Toronto, ONT @ Lee’s Palace
4/26 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
4/27 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
4/30 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
5/01 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
5/03 San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
5/04 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
5/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda

Contents of the Super Deluxe version:

-Hand-numbered hinged-lid ‘cigar box’ made from 1500mcn black-lined rigid board finished with matt print retrospective artwork.

-33 career-spanning CD singles plus selected B-Sides in full-colour card wallets featuring original artwork.

-Rarities disc, including previously unreleased studio tracks.

-32-page perfect-bound book including rare photos, archive notes, band commentary.

-Poster designed and personally signed by long-time Killing Joke artist/champion, Mike Coles, printed on 250gsm silk art.

-Aluminium screw-top branded cigar tube containing original wrappers of cigars smoked by Jaz Coleman & Paul Raven during the recording of the ‘Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell’ album.

Morrissey - Video interview with Australia's 3 News

Morrissey was interviewed by Australia's 3 News ahead of his tour of Australia & New Zealand (kicks off December 14th).  Moz answered questions about a range of subjects, including the music industry (said he doesn't have a record label deal because "I have a brain...it works, it functions") and revealed he's happy to be considered an individual and musician that's hard to define. Of course, his comments that are making the internet news cycle is the portion of the interview where he criticized the Royal family and blamed them in part for the death of the British nurse who committed suicide after being duped by a radio show.

Watch the full 20 minute interview plus Morrissey's performance of "You Have Killed Me" below. The official videos are posted over at 3 News ( link to the interview ) (link to the performance).

Full interview



Performance of "You Have Killed Me"



Performance of "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" - forward to ~ 5 minutes into video (the beginning of the video is highlights from the full interview which is posted above)



The current Morrissey tour itinerary:

Australian/New Zealand dates:

12/14 Wellington, New Zealand @ Town Hall
12/15 Auckland, New Zealand @ Vector Arena
12/17 Brisbane, Australia @ Convention Center
12/19 Melbourne, Australia @ Festival Hall
12/21 Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
12/22 Sydney, Australia @ Sydney Opera House

Rescheduled 2013 tour:

1/09 Greenvale, Long Island, NY @ Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
1/11 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
1/12 Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues Atlantic City
1/15 Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theater
1/16 North Bethesda, MD @ Strathmore
1/18 Reading, PA @ Sovereign Performing Arts Center
1/19 Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre
1/21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall
1/22 Columbus. OH @ LC Indoor Pavilion
1/24 Flint, MI @ The Whiting
1/25 Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theater
1/26 Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theater
1/28 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
1/29 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
1/31 Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Center for the Performing Arts
2/02 Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
2/05 Clear Lake, IA @ Surf Ballroom
2/06 Lincoln, NE @ Rococo Theatre
2/09 Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
2/10 Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
2/12 El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
2/13 Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
2/15 Pharr, TX @ Pharr Events Center
2/16 Beaumont, TX @ Jefferson Theater
2/18 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
2/21 Denver, CO @ Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
2/22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
2/24 San Francisco, CA @ Davies Symphony Hall
3/01 Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center (with Patti Smith)
3/02 Sparks, NV @ John Ascuaga's Nugget - Rose Ballroom
3/04 Davis, CA @ Robert Mondavi Center at UC Davis
3/06 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
3/08 Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
3/14 Mexico City, Mexico @ Vive Latino Festival

Also read:

Smiths biographer Tony Fletcher talks Smiths career & legacy

Depeche Mode - New album coming in March

Today Depeche Mode confirmed the rumor that had been making the rounds over the last couple of weeks - the band has signed a worldwide record deal with Columbia Records.  Depeche Mode also revealed that their new album (which is still untitled) will be released in March (European date scheduled for March 25th, other territories still TBA).  Martin Gore said the album has a "similar vibe" to Violator and Songs Of Faith & Devotion and the songs on the album are among some of the best they've ever done. Dave Gahan, who also shared songwriting duties said of the album:

"it's not a blues record but it definitely has a soulful vibe.  During the recording process we really tried to get the elements of performing and the live show into the album more"

More info on the album will be announced in the coming weeks.  Read Depeche Mode's full announcement about their partnership with Columbia here.

In more news, Dave Gahan, who guested on the latest Soulsavers album, The Light The Dead See, recently performed an acoustic session with Soulsavers. The performance was filmed for a future DVD release in 2013. Later this week Rolling Stone will exclusively stream a portion of the set, so stay tuned.

Soulsavers ft David Gahan "The Longest Day"



(untitled new Depeche Mode song)

Suggs from Madness hits the road for solo tour

Suggs from Madness announced dates for his one man show 'Suggs My Life Story In Words & Music 2013'. The tour promises "an emotional roller coaster through the ups and downs of an astonishing thirty-year career spanning pop music, radio, television, and film with musical accompaniment and uncalled for interjection from Deano his loyal pianist-cum-manservant." The 48 date tour of the U.K. kicks off April 2nd in Portsmouth. Dates and ticket info are posted here. Sadly no North American dates have been announced.

Heaven 17 - Live from Cologne

Heaven 17 are currently on tour in Europe and they've partnered with You Tube for a global concert event. The band's December 13th gig in Cologne, Germany will stream live on You Tube starting at 9pm local time (3pm ET). Watch the trailer below:



"Temptation"

Trent Reznor - NIN material + streaming service

In a new interview with the New Yorker, Trent Reznor revealed more info on his new partnership with Dr Dre - he told the magazine the two are working on a streaming music service called Daisy, which will offer the user musical suggestions combining algorithims (much like Pandora already uses), BUT also utilizes the human element. Reznor told the New Yorker Daisy will be a much better alternative to Spotify:

"Here's sixteen million licensed pieces of music,’ they’ve said, but you’re not stumbling into anything. What's missing is a service that adds a layer of intelligent curation"

Reznor also told the New Yorker that he'll be putting out a NIN greatest hits collection in 2014 which will include new material.

The full interview with Trent Reznor is available to New Yorker subscribers here. For those who aren't subscribers, Pitchfork has some other quotes from the piece here.

Meanwhile, the Quietus also published an interview with Trent Reznor yesterday. He talked mostly about his new project How To Destroy Angels, but briefly discussed his quest to try new things, even if they don't always work out:

"I've beat myself up over the years and I need to try new things, I need to push myself, I need to break the machine, I need to step away from things that feel comfortable to me, and I think I'm still deep in the process of trying that...the thing with [Dr.] Dre will reveal itself pretty soon, it's not a physical product, it's a platform that feels like it - it was a real challenge to come up with that. Will it work? It may, it may not. But it's something that's a puzzle for me to solve, in and of itself challenging, and it's utilising some skills I have in an unfamiliar and unsafe half of my safety zone kind of way, and it's been interesting. I tried writing a TV show for HBO and it failed, but we tried!"

Read the full interview with Trent Reznor at the Quietus.

How To Destroy Angels release An Omen ep last month. Deadmau5 recently remixed the track "Ice Age" (the remix is superior to the ep version, IMO). Check out the remix below:

James - The Gathering Sound + Tim Booth interview

James released a limited edition career-spanning box set The Gathering Sound yesterday. The collection includes 3 CDs, a DVD, a 12" vinyl LP, and 4 GB USB stick in a box with a 16 page booklet, scrapbook with rare photos, badges, replica backstage passes and more. The box is available to purchase through Amazon UK, Amazon US, and the Universal Store.

Contents of the box:

• Three CDs (disc each of live & studio rarities, + combo of The Morning After/The Night Before)
• Come Home DVD
• 12” vinyl record
• 8GB j-shaped USB stick featuring all the studio LPs + the band’s videos for transfer to your mobile device
• 16 page A5 booklet featuring personal contributions from each of the band
• Four button badges
• Four sticky satin replica backstage passes
• 44 page 12”x12” scrapbook featuring previously unseen and rare photos, memorabilia, cuttings and many other items straight out of James personal archives including a complete timeline of James’s career annotated by the band, and four art-cards

The full tracklisting for the Gathering Sound (including USB material) is posted here.

Meanwhile, James frontman Tim Booth revealed to The Independent that the band have been busy working on some new material in Scotland and so far the material is sad, yet uplifting:

"There’s been a lot of death in my life this year and it’s been very heartfelt and very touching and powerful and uplifting and sad and all of those things...they're actually very uplifting songs, but the vocals have sadness to them, en masse, that I'm quite surprised at. It seems to have seeped into my writing."

Booth also talked about almost getting choked to death in Morocco by a cobra after a snake charmer attempted to intimidate him to hand over some money:

"When the snake dropped the cafe I was in cleared around me and I was left there with this cobra round my neck. And I remember thinking ‘it smells like chicken’ and kept very still. The snake charmer ran back in and put a hood on it and took it away, and ran."

The cobra smelled like chicken! Read the full interview with Tim Booth at The Independent.

"Born Of Frustration"

The Primitives - You Trashed My Christmas

The Primitives recorded a new song to get you into the Christmas spirit - watch the video for "You Trashed My Christmas" below:



"You Trashed My Christmas" is available on the Elefant Records Christmas compilation titled A Christmas Gift For You, which also includes songs from BMX Bandits, Attic Lights, the Magic Theater, and more. Stream a few tracks from the album and purchase it now here. A limited edition white vinyl version will be released on December 20th.

Peter Hook on New Order classic songs

A few weeks ago NME posted a video of Peter Hook talking about classic Joy Division songs and now a new video of Hook discussing New Order songs has been posted. Hook revealed "Bizarre Love Triangle" is Bernard Sumner's favorite song, "Crystal" is one of Hook's favorites, and "Regret" was (to Hook) the last New Order sounding song the band wrote. Hook also talked about "Blue Monday," "True Faith," and "Temptation." Watch the full video below.

Embers - Part Of The Echoes

A couple of weeks ago video of Embers' breathtaking live performance of the song "Hollow Cage" debuted online, and now a second (and equally amazing) live performance video has been posted.  Check out the video for "Part Of The Echoes" below or watch both videos over at the band's official website.

"Part Of The Echoes"



Honestly, Embers are one of the best bands I've heard all year. It's kind of rare to be this blown away after only a few listens, but Embers have whatever "it" is. Fantastic. It's pretty obvious that this band will be HUGE, especially now that some major music sites in the U.K. have caught on to their awesomeness. Check out some of what's being said about Embers by following the links below. 

The Guardian
Clash Music
Sabotage Times

Stream a few other tracks from Embers below. For more on Embers, visit their official site, Facebook ,Twitter, Soundcloud and Tumblr.

Gary Numan - Splinter to drop next year + video from Manchester gig

Gary Numan has been on the road in the U.K. playing dates in support of his Dead Moon Falling remix album.  Numan took some time out of his busy schedule last week to answer some fan questions hosted by The Guardian. During the chat, Numan revealed he'll release a new album titled Splinter in 2013:

"It should be finished by mid March and so we are looking towards a late summer release for it...I think it will be more electronic actually. I'm not hearing the need for big guitars all over it at the moment. Some, but I think the emphasis is moving back towards heavy electronic."

Another collaboration with Trent Reznor may be in the future:

"We've talked about doing something together a few times but never got it together...I hope so, I'm a great admirer of his music and his entire work ethic so it would interesting to see what we would come up with."

Numan also said he'll release a live DVD titled Music Machine next year, hopes to tour Splinter in as many places as possible, and revealed he writes most of his songs on piano. Read the full chat with Gary Numan over at the Guardian.

Watch some fan-filmed video from Numan's December 3rd stop in Manchester:

"Cars"



"Down In The Park"



"Are Friends Electric?"



"Petals" "Jagged" (w/ Officers)



For more on Gary Numan:

Gary Numan inspired by Pretty Hate Machine + other top albums
Listen to new Gary Numan track "We're The Unforgiven"
Watch: Officers X Gary Numan - censored & uncensored video for "Petals"

Pulp - Live in Sheffield

Pulp played a homecoming gig at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England on December 8th. According to fans at the show, highlights from the almost three hour set included Richard Hawley joining the band on stage, plus the performance of "Sheffield Sex City" (Pulp b-side). Links to pictures from the show, the setlist, and fan-filmed video are posted below. NME's review is posted here.

Full show (audio only)



"White Christmas"



"Mis-shapes"



"Babies"



"Common People"



"Do You Remember The First Time"



"Born To Cry"



"Sorted For E's & Wizz"



"Disco 2000"



Picture #1
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Setlist:

Do You Remember The First Time
Monday Morning
Underwear
A Little Soul
Disco 2000
Sorted For E's & Wizz
Feeling Called Love
I Spy
My Lighthouse
Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)
Countdown
Babies
Like A Friend
Help The Aged
Party Hard
This Is Hardcore
Sunrise
Bar Italia
Common People
Sheffield Sex City
Born To Cry
Mis-shapes
Something Changed
White Christmas

New interview: The Smiths: Best Band Ever?

Fans of The Smiths will want to check out a new interview with Tony Fletcher, the author of the newly published Smiths' biography A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga Of The Smiths. Salon's David Daley discussed the Smiths' beginnings, career, legacy, and the Morrissey/Marr songwriting duo with Fletcher in the piece titled The Smiths: Better Than The Beatles? (update - he or Salon changed the title to The Smiths: The Best Band Ever). Fletcher disagrees that the Smiths were better than the Beatles, by the way. The full article is a GREAT read - other than the Beatles comparison questions it is really informative. They talk about the band's catalog, history, influence and more. The full interview is posted here. Some other highlights from the article are posted below:

"One of the great things about the Smiths is that they broke up before they could make a bad record, and also before they got too big to become insiders. In Britain they were massive, but they were still massive outsiders. They were never the flavor of the month with the mainstream."

Johnny Marr told Fletcher the Smiths had a fifth record in them:

Johnny was extremely helpful in this process...he said, “Look, the most you’re going to get from me is that we had one more album in us. If I hadn’t blown up, if I hadn’t left when I did. If I had bitten my tongue and not called the NME and said, ‘I quit.’ If they’d been nicer to me — there was one more album. We were meant to be for that period.”

On Morrissey & Marr not living up to their potential post-breakup:

"I think that Johnny was so bruised by the Smiths experience that he could not commit himself to another band to that degree...I guess that the prevailing opinion is that the Smiths hurt him so much that he was scared to do that."

On whether Fletcher thinks there will be an eventual reunion:

"I could possibly, possibly foresee a day when Marr might just walk on Morrissey’s stage. That’s about as much as I can see, because I think they’re both smart enough that they know that legacy is pure."

Tony Fletcher's book A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga Of The Smiths was released on paperback and hardcover last week.

June 1983 interview with Morrissey on BBC Radio 1



Collection of Smiths concerts at the Hacienda

It's A Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown

This is the best Christmas video ever. (via The Daily Swarm)


It's A Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown from Tad Was Here on Vimeo.

*features the Bad Brains song "Pay To Cum"

The Breeders - Last Splash 20th anniversary release LSXX

A 20th anniversary edition of the Breeders' classic album Last Splash will be released in April. The new version is titled LSXX and will contain extra material (track list still TBA, but Kim Deal said in a recent interview it will likely include the rare Safari ep among other things).

The Breeders are also planning shows to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary - so far the only date announced is a June 2013 appearance at the Deerhunter-curated ATP festival in Camper Sands, U.K. (Kim Deal just played a solo show there last weekend) but more dates (including U.S. dates) will be announced in the weeks and months to come.

Last Splash was released August 30, 1993 and the Breeders played their last gig on September 5, 1994. According to 4AD, 17 years, 8 months, and 30 days later, Jim Macpherson and Josephine Wiggs got a text from Kim:

"Should we get together to play Last Splash for its 20th anniversary?"

Apparently the answer was an emphatic yes, because they subsequently met up in November to start rehearsals!

For more on the Last Splash anniversary visit 4AD. For more on the ATP festival in June (also includes Kim Gordon, Black Lips, Deerhunter, and more) visit ATP.

Video from Kim Deal's solo gig at last weekend's ATP festival (including a performance of a brand new song) is posted here.

Stephen Malkmus performs Can's Ege Bamyasi in Germany

Stephen Malkmus celebrated the 40th anniversary of Can's album Ege Bamyasi by performing the legendary album in its entirety for fans in Cologne, Germany.  According to Pitchfork, the full performance was professionally filmed for a future release (date/details TBA).  Watch three of the songs below courtesy of Pitchfork.

"One More Night"



"Pinch" + "Soup"



Mute released a three disc Can collection, Lost Tapes, earlier this year featuring unreleased/shelved studio and live material. Read more about Lost Tapes here.

Pet Shop Boys + Johnny Marr - BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

The Pet Shop Boys with special guest Johnny Marr performed a show with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on December 5th and the full concert was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 last night. So far video from the show hasn't appeared, but you can stream the audio from the entire concert below or over at BBC Radio 2.



The Pet Shop Boys release "Memory Of The Future," (the third single from their album Elysium) as a maxi-single through Parlophone on December 31st. Stream the new mix of "Memory Of The Future" below:

Peter Buck - Happy Birthday!

It's Peter Buck's birthday! Celebrate with a short interview with Peter Buck from 1984 and a full R.E.M. concert from 1985!

Gary Numan - Inspired by Pretty Hate Machine

Gary Numan was interviewed by The Quietus for their series Bakers Dozen (artists choose their favorite 13 albums of all time). The first album on Numan's list is Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, and Numan revealed it was the album that inspired him to continue making music:

 "You suddenly realise that you get this credit for starting this whole electronic thing--or being around in the beginning at least--and then you realise that someone has taken that spark of an idea and turned it into something far more ferocious and far more adventurous than when you did it. And it makes you feel like a bit of a shit and you need to get off your high horse and start working again. For me it was a real shake up because someone had taken this so much further than I'd ever had."

Amazing stuff! Numan (as you would expect) listed many other brilliant albums as part of the Baker's Dozen.  I won't ruin it for you by listing them here, just head over to the Quietus to read the full feature.

Michael Stipe/Courtney Love, Iggy Pop + more on Johnny Depp pirate album

The follow up to Johnny Depp's 2006 pirate album Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys will be released in February. The double-disc sequel Son of Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys drops February 19th and features 36 tracks. The compilation features a Michael Stipe/Courtney Love duet, plus contributions from Iggy Pop, Robyn Hitchcock, Michael Gira, Tom Waits, and even Frank Zappa! Take a look at the tracklisting below and head over to Rolling Stone to stream "Leaving Of Liverpool" featuring Shane MacGowan, Johnny Depp, and Gore Verbinski.

Son of Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys tracklist (via Spin):

Disc 1:

01. Shane MacGowan: "Leaving of Liverpool" (ft. Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski)
02. Robyn Hitchcock: "Sam's Gone Away"
03. Beth Orton: "River Come Down"
04. Sean Lennon: "Row Bullies Row" (ft. Jack Shit)
05. Tom Waits: "Shenandoah" (ft. Keith Richards)
06. Ivan Neville: "Mr Stormalong"
07. Iggy Pop: "Asshole Rules the Navy" (ft. A Hawk and a Hacksaw)
08. Macy Gray: "Off to Sea Once More"
09. Ed Harcourt: "The Ol' OG"
10. Shilpa Ray: "Pirate Jenny" (ft. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis)
11. Patti Smith and Johnny Depp: "The Mermaid"
12. Chuck E Weiss: "Anthem for Old Souls"
13. Ed Pastorini: "Orange Claw Hammer"
14. The Americans: "Sweet and Low"
15. Robin Holcomb and Jessica Kenny: "Ye Mariners All"
16. Gavin Friday and Shannon McNally: "Tom's Gone to Hilo"
17. Kenny Wollesen and The Himalayas Marching Band: "Bear Away"

Disc 2:

01. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: "Handsome Cabin Boy"
02. Michael Stipe and Courtney Love: "Rio Grande"
03. Marc Almond: "Ship in Distress"
04. Dr. John: "In Lure of the Tropics"
05. Todd Rundgren: "Rolling Down to Old Maui"
06. Dan Zanes: "Jack Tar on Shore" (ft. Broken Social Scene)
07. Sissy Bounce (Katey Red and Big Freedia): "Sally Racket" (ft. Akron/Family)
08. Broken Social Scene: "Wild Goose"
09. Marianne Faithfull: "Flandyke Shore" (ft. Kate and Anna McGarrigle)
10. Ricky Jay: "The Chantey of Noah and his Ark (Old School Song)"
11. Michael Gira: "Whiskey Johnny"
12. Petra Haden: "Sunshine Life for Me" (ft. Lenny Pickett)
13. Jenni Muldaur: "Row the Boat Child"
14. Richard Thompson: "General Taylor" (ft. Jack Shit)
15. Tim Robbins: "Marianne" (ft. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs)
16. Kembra Phaler: "Barnacle Bill the Sailor (ft. Antony, Joseph Arthur, and Foetus)
17. Anjelica Huston: "Missus McGraw" (ft. The Weisberg Strings)
18. Iggy Pop and Elegant Too: "The Dreadnought"
19. Mary Margaret O'Hara: "Then Said the Captain to Me (Two Poems of the Sea)"

My Bloody Valentine - Interview + new dates added

My Bloody Valentine's Debbie Googe was interviewed by Drowned In Sound a few months back while she was on the road playing with Primal Scream. DIS published the full interview today and it's a great read - she discussed playing with Primal Scream, confirmed a new MBV record was recorded (at the time of the interview Googe revealed Kevin Shields was "finishing it up") and talked about MBV's legacy:

"It's brilliant, yet also quite weird in a way that we became seminal for doing nothing. We never got that much press at the time. We never got many front covers. Loveless had the misfortune of coming out the same week as Nevermind which meant we didn't really get a lot of first-hand press, but we got loads afterwards as more and more bands cited us so we became seminal. Which in a way, probably gives you a longer lifespan than actually being popular."

Read the full interview at Drowned In Sound.

My Bloody Valentine are hitting the road next year for some live shows - today three four new U.K. dates were announced. Fans in the U.S. will have to just sit back and drool for now, but according to Googe there are plans to tour America at some point - "America too...I just don't know when."

The full tour itinerary for My Bloody Valentine is posted below (click links for ticket info for the newly added shows).

Update: a second London show has now been added

2/05 - Osaka Namba Hatch, Osaka
2/06 - Osaka Namba Hatch, Osaka
2/07 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/08 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/10 - Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
2/16 - ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror, Altona
2/18 - Enmore Theater, Sydney
2/20 - Tivoli Theater, Brisbane
2/22 - Palace Theatre, Melbourne
3/09 – Glasgow - Barrowlands
3/10 – Manchester - Apollo
3/12 – London - Hammersmith Apollo
3/13 - London - Hammersmith Apollo

Additionally, My Bloody Valentine will play Tokyo Rocks Festival in May.

Last month Kevin Shields revealed to NME that a new My Bloody Valentine album will be released before the end of the year and will follow that up with another new ep in 2013.  The year is winding down, Kevin...

Mike Ness joins Bruce Springsteen live + talks Social D history with KTLA

Tonight Social Distortion plays the second of four sold out shows in Anaheim, California. Mike Ness was interviewed by local Los Angeles station KTLA for an interview. Watch both parts of the interview that aired plus a short video with interview outtakes here.

Mike Ness joined Bruce Springsteen on stage on December 4th for a performance of Social Distortion's hit "Bad Luck." Watch video of the performance below. Some fans at the show commented that many in the venue had no idea who was on stage with Springsteen!



Ness wasn't the only guest at Springsteen's show - Tom Morello also joined Springsteen onstage for several songs including "The Ghost Of Tom Joad."