Morrissey names new LP; preps summer release

Morrissey announced he's titled his new album World Peace Is None Of Your Business. The record was recorded in France last month and will include 12 tracks.  So far an official release date has not been set, though True To You reports it will be late June/early July.

Morrissey hits the road in support of the album in North America in May. Several dates on the tour including Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Dallas, and Austin are already sold out.

5/07 -- San Jose CA City @ National Civic Auditorium
5/10 -- Los Angeles CA @ Los Angeles Sports Arena
5/13 -- El Paso TX @ Plaza Theater
5/14 -- Albuquerque NM @ Sunshine Theater
5/16 -- Salt Lake City UT @ Kingsbury Hall
5/17 -- Denver CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
5/19 -- Lincoln NE @ Rococo Theatre
5/20 -- Lawrence KS @ Liberty Hall
5/22 -- Dallas TX @ Majestic Theatre
5/24 -- Austin TX @ Austin Music Hall
5/25 -- Beaumont TX @ Julie Rogers Theatre
5/27 -- Memphis TN @ Orpheum Theatre
5/28 -- Nashville TN @ Ryman Auditorium
5/30 -- St Petersburg FL @ Mahaffey Theater
5/31 -- Miami FL @ Knight Concert Hall
6/04 -- Atlanta GA @ Cobb Energy Center
6/06 -- Atlantic City NJ @ Revel Ovation Hall
6/07 -- Boston MA @ Boston Opera House
6/10 -- Baltimore MD @ Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
6/13 -- Chicago IL @ Civic Opera House
6/14 -- Flint MI @ James Whiting Auditorium
6/16 -- Lewiston NY @ Artpark Main Stage Theater
6/17 -- Wilmington DE @ Grand Opera House
6/19 -- Hershey PA @ Hershey Theatre
6/21 -- New York NY @ Barclays Center Arena

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Bob Mould rocks out on Letterman

Bob Mould performed his classic song "See A Little Light" on Letterman last night. Watch the performance below:



Mould released his anniversary album Workbook 25 last week, but will return with a brand new album, the follow up to 2012's Silver Age, on June 3rd. The posting on Mould's site describes Beauty & Ruin as "a compact epic" and though the album is only 36 minutes long, it "packs a staggering lifetime's worth of emotion and experience." The tracklisting and cover art haven't been revealed (though it's possible this picture of Bob with flowers is the artwork), but more details (and pre-orders) are expected soon.

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Black Francis talks Kim Deal; claims she offered to play bass

The Pixies appear on the cover of the new issue of Magnet and inside is an interview with Black Francis.  Francis was asked (as I'm sure he always is) about the departure of Kim Deal. Francis is quoted as saying that he isn't exactly sure why Deal left the band other than she wasn't happy:

"She was unhappy with the situation, or unhappy with her life or whatever, just not happy."

Francis said he hasn't spoken with Deal since her departure, and even though the door is open for Deal to return, he revealed that she contacted the band last year and sort of offered to come back or at least help out:

"She said, ‘Hey, if you need any more bass ...’ But it wasn’t quite ... from out point of view it wasn’t committed enough."

Francis also commented on the departure of touring bassist Kim Shattuck.  Francis said Shattuck wasn't a good fit for the band personality-wise, and said David Lovering wasn't thrilled with her bass playing skills and told Francis they needed someone else on bass: 

"I need to have someone who’s in the pocket. I need a real bass player."

The full interview is available in the latest issue of Magnet, but the article is not available to read online. The quotes from the article were taken from The Guardian's synopsis of the article which you can read here.

The Pixies premiered their video for "Greens & Blues" earlier this week. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out below.



Published on March 6th, 2014 @ 6:03 AM

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Bob Mould announces new LP 'Beauty & Ruin'

Bob Mould announced he's releasing the follow up to 2012's Silver Age on June 3rd. The posting on Mould's site describes Beauty & Ruin as "a compact epic" and though the album is only 36 minutes long, it "packs a staggering lifetime's worth of emotion and experience." The tracklisting and cover art haven't been revealed (though it's possible this picture of Bob with flowers is the artwork), but more details (and pre-orders) are expected soon.

Don't miss Bob Mould on Letterman on March 6th. It's likely he'll perform a track from Workbook, to celebrate the release of Workbook 25, the anniversary edition of the classic 1989 album, which was  released last week.

Mould wraps up his Workbook 25 tour this weekend in New York, then heads to South By Southwest for a couple of gigs.

03/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/07 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/08 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/12 - SXSW @ The Parish
03/14 - SXSW @ Blackheart Bar
05/23 - Sasquatch! Music Festival



Published on March 5th, 2014 @ 6:14 PM

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Songs from the Clash reworked into lullabies for Rockabye Baby

Rockabye Baby! announced the next installment in their instrumental lullaby series features The Clash. Lullaby Renditions of The Clash will be released March 25th on cd and as a digital album download. Preview minute-long samples from each of the songs now on the official Rockabye Baby website. The tracklisting for Lullaby Renditions of The Clash is posted below:

01. Should I Stay or Should I Go
02. I Fought the Law
03. Rock the Casbah
04. Train in Vain
05. Rudie Can't Fail
06. The Magnificent Seven
07. This is Radio Clash
08. London Calling
09. The Guns of Brixton
10. Police & Thieves
11. Lost in the Supermarket
12. Straight to Hell

Published on March 5th, 2014 @ 3:27 PM

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Peter Hook announces North American 'Brotherhood' & 'Low Life' tour

Peter Hook has announced details for his fall North America tour.  Hooky and his band the Light will be playing New Order's classic albums Brotherhood and Low Life in full along with other New Order songs from 1983 through 1987. From Hooky's press release:

"The concerts will include the singles and B-sides from New Order’s most prolific period. From August 1983 up to 1987, taking the audience from “Confusion” to “True Faith”, with both “Low Life” and “Brotherhood” performed in full alongside all the other tracks from that fans consider New Order’s greatest period including “Thieves Like Us” “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “The Perfect Kiss” and many more."

Dates for the tour are posted below. Most dates go on sale Friday, March 7th. Tickets for the Detroit area show go on sale March 14th.

11/04 -- Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
11/06 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
11/07 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
11/08 -- Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
11/10 -- Montreal, QC @ Theater Tellus
11/11 -- Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
11/13 -- Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
11/14 -- Chicago, IL @ Metro
11/15 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
11/17 -- Vancouver, BC @ Venue
11/18 -- Seattle, WA @ Nuemos
11/20 -- Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
11/21 -- San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
11/22 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater

Published on March 5th, 2014 @ 1:15 PM

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Full LP stream: Dean Wareham's solo LP 'Dean Wareham'

As previously reported, Dean Wareham's debut solo album arrives on March 11th. Wareham's album was produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket), who also plays on the album along with backing band Britta Phillips and Anthony LaMarca. The record is pretty consistent with Wareham's previous work, so fans should be pretty thrilled with the album. Stream it in full here ahead of its release.

Pre-order Dean Wareham on limited edition translucent yellow vinyl* (with yellow cover art), CD (purple cover art), and as a digital album download from Wareham's store . Pre-orders from his store come with a bonus 4 track live EP. The album is also available to pre-order through Amazon and iTunes.  The version iTunes is selling comes with a bonus Jim James remix of track "Happy & Free."

Don't miss Dean Wareham on tour this spring -- the North American tour includes a Detroit area stop at the Magic Bag on April 10th. Check out the rest of the dates along with the video for leadoff track "The Dancer Disappears" below:



4/01 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
4/03 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
4/04 -- Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
4/05 -- New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
4/06 -- Philadelphia, Pa @ The Boot & Saddle
4/09 -- Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
4/10 -- Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
4/11 -- Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
4/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

*Wareham announced last week that the vinyl edition will be delayed a few weeks due to technical issues, but download codes will be emailed out on release day.

Published on March 5th, 2014 @ 10:51 AM

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Ash celebrates 20th anniversary of "Jack Names The Planets" with free download

Ash marks the 20th anniversary of "Jack Names The Planets" with a newly recorded version of the classic track. The new version sticks pretty close to the original, other than the "Planet Nieuw-Vennep" commentary which was removed from the beginning of the song. Ash is giving away the remake as a free download today only (Ash Wednesday, get it?) so grab it now from Soundcloud or the official Ash website. Stream the 2014 version and the original below:





Published on March 5th, 2014 @ 9:25 AM

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Damon Albarn debuts new video + stream BBC 6 Music Festival performance

Damon Albarn unleashed the video for his new single "Lonely Press Play" -- the track serves as the first official single from his solo album Everyday Robots, which arrives April 29th in North America. Watch "Lonely Press Play" below:



Everyday Robots includes 12 songs and is available to pre-order on cd, vinyl, and as a digital album download. A cd/dvd version which adds a four song live session recorded in Los Angeles is available on Amazon, and iTunes is offering a special edition download which adds two bonus songs, a track by track commentary by Albarn, and the four song live session.

Albarn performed at the BBC 6 Music Festival at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on February 28th. A portion of the performance taken from the BBC telecast is posted below (Albarn also debuted a song from Everyday Robots titled "Mr. Tembo," but the performance of that song has been pulled):





Published on March 4th, 2014 @ 5:41 AM

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3.5 Decades - A Joy Division Italian Tribute

A compilation of Joy Division covers performed by Italian darkwave/gothic/electro bands is scheduled for release on June 15th.   3.5 Decades - A Joy Division Italian Tribute, will be released as a free download through Bandcamp.  The tracklisting for the compilation is posted below a preview of The Shade's cover of "These Days." Via Darkitalia.



01 - Schonwald - Disorder
02 - Clones Theory - Day of The Lords
03 - Winter Severity Index - Candidate
04 - Malanima - Insight
05 - The Nine Tears - New Dawn Fades
06 - Kreativ in den Boden - She's lost control
07 - My Terminal And The Trip - Shadowplay
08 - Stardom - Interzone
09 - The Shimmer - I remember nothing
10 - Karma in Auge - Interzone
11 - Der Himmel über Berlin - Dead souls
12 - Beata Beatrix - Transmission
13 - Starcontrol - Something must break
14 - Low Fi - Isolation
15 - Modern Blossom - A Means To An End
16 - Two Moons - Heart and Soul
17 - Vanity - Twenty four hours
18 - NID - The Eternal
19 - Neiv - Decades
20 - Christine Plays Viola - Atmosphere
21 - Sell System - Ceremony
22 - The Shade - These Days
23 - The Stompcrash - Love will tear us a part
24 - The Last Hour - Atmosphere
25 - Sinezamia - Warsaw

Published on March 3rd, 2014 @ 4:05 PM

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Warner Music launches The Interactive Sound Of The Smiths

Warner Music UK launched a new interactive website this week titled The Interactive Sound of the Smiths. The site is filled with tons of fun facts about the legendary band, plus all of their songs and studio albums are available to stream through handy Spotify links. Check it out here.

The Smiths' debut self-titled album celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Published on March 3rd, 2014 @ 3:09 PM

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My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult preps 'Spooky Tricks'; announces Detroit show

Wax Trax! veterans My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult have announced a Detroit show happening June 18th at the Shelter. The general onsale is Friday, March 7th at 10am, though there will be an internet pre-sale Thursday March 6th from 10am to 10pm.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult are currently finishing up work on their 13th studio album, Spooky Tricks, which is expected out in late spring. According to an update on the band's website, the record will feature guests Arena Rock and Vina Nova of Bomb Gang Girlz.

Published on March 3rd, 2014 @ 11:47 AM

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The Machine Room release double A-side "Chances"

As previously reported, Scotland's premiere dreampop/skygaze outfit The Machine Room are back with a new single titled "Chances" today. The track precedes the four song Sweden EP, which arrives on March 17th. Download "Chances" from Disorder Recordings, Amazon, or iTunes now, and stream "Chances" below along with "Your Head On The Floor Next Door," which is included on the double A-side single.





Do yourself a favor and stream the other material available from The Machine Room like the Love From A Distance EP. 

Published on March 3rd, 2014 @ 11:10 AM

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Oasis premieres live acoustic "Live Forever" recording

Oasis posted an acoustic version of "Live Forever" taken from a 1994 instore performance in Paris. The track is included as bonus material on the forthcoming Definitely Maybe reissue which arrives on May 19th. Stream the acoustic performance of "Live Forever" below:



The larger reissue series Chasing The Sun - Oasis In The '90s also will see the release of What's The Story Morning Glory and Be Here Now. Details for those reissues are expected later this year.

Published on March 3rd, 2014 @ 9:44 AM

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Soundgarden's 'Superunknown' performance streams live March 13th

Soundgarden is playing its 1994 album Superunknown from start to finish March 13th in Austin, Texas. The band's performance is part of the iTunes Festival, which is part of the larger South By Southwest music festival. The performance will stream live from the Moody Theater starting at 11pm CST (midnight ET) and will be available to stream on demand after the performance is over for a limited time.

Soundgarden announced earlier in the week that they're releasing two anniversary editions of Superunknown on June 3rd which come packed with extra material like rare demos and rehearsal recordings. The tracklistings for both reissues are posted here.

Additionally, Soundgarden will release a limited edition set of five 10" vinyl singles. The release will ONLY be available in record stores on Record Store Day (April 19th).



Published on March 1st, 2014 @ 10:48 AM

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Bob Mould celebrates 25th anniversary with 'Workbook 25' reissue

Bob Mould's brilliant debut solo album Workbook was reissued by Omnivore Recordings this week for its 25th anniversary. The Workbook 25 reissue includes the original material, the b-side "All Those People Know," plus an extra disc of mostly live material recorded in 1989 at Cabaret Metro in Chicago. The vinyl version of the release has been expanded to a 2 LP set (includes the extra b-side "All Those People Know" but the bonus live material is not pressed to vinyl). Jim Wilson, a sound engineer (previously played bass in Mould's live band in 1998) was enlisted to master the release and Mould is thrilled with the results. He told the Quietus:

"He really brought Workbook back to life. It is much better sonically, and it’s a little deeper and wider sounding. The test pressing sounded great."

Order Workbook 25 from Omnivore or Amazon.

Mould's woefully short anniversary tour kicked off last night in San Francisco.  He's performing Workbook in full along with other classics from his catalog.  Bonus: his live band includes a cellist -- check out a picture from last night's performance here and here.

For those of us who don't have a date on the tour itinerary, well, at least there's a Letterman performance to look forward to. Bob Mould is playing Letterman on Thursday, March 6th.

03/01 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town
03/02 – Chicago, IL @ City Winery
03/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Women’s Club
03/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/07 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/08 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/12 - SXSW @ The Parish
03/14 - SXSW @ Blackheart Bar
05/23 - Sasquatch! Music Festival

Published on February 28th, 2014 @ 5:51 AM

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Echo & the Bunnymen 'Meteorites' funding goal met in 24 hours

Echo & the Bunnymen launched a funding campaign through Pledge Music for their new album Meteorites on Wednesday -- about 24 hours later, the campaign was fully (over 100%) funded! It's pretty rare to see a campaign funded so quickly; certainly fans are excited about the new album which, according to the band's comments earlier in the week, revives a "passion for the Velvet Underground" and will rank alongside some of Echo's classic albums like Crocodiles and Ocean Rain. It also didn't hurt that Echo offered concert tickets for their spring U.K. tour as pledge incentives, plus several options added an autographed CD to along with tickets.

Fans can still take advantage of pledge incentives and pre-order through April 27th. Meteorites will be released on April 28th. 

Ian McCulloch called Meteorites "untouchable, celestial, beautiful, and real" and said the album changed his life.

Catch up with Echo & the Bunnymen here.

Published on February 28th, 2014 @ 5:51 AM

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Dead Leaf Echo return with shimmery EP 'True.Deep.Sleeper'

Brooklyn shoegazers Dead Leaf Echo are back with a new EP titled True.Deep.Sleeper. The four song ep is another brilliant serving of shimmery, elegant, and majestic dreampop/shoegaze. Check out the title track below, stream all four songs here, and order True.Deep.Sleeper on standard black or colored ink vinyl here.  A digital version is also available from iTunes and Amazon.



Those not already familiar with Dead Leaf Echo should check out the debut album Thought & Language which was produced by John Fryer (bonus: album artwork was created by noted 4AD artist Vaughan Oliver.)   The standout track from Thought & Language is "Kingmaker" -- watch the music video for "Kingmaker" below:



Dead Leaf Echo have toured in the past with greats like Psychedelic Furs, Chapterhouse, the Ocean Blue, and A Place To Bury Strangers. This time around they head out on their own for a tour of North America, which includes two stops in the Detroit area. The full tour itinerary is posted below:

2.28 -- Detroit MI @ New Way Bar
3.01 -- Toronto CA @ Smiling Buddha
3.02 -- Hamilton CA @ Casbah
3.03 -- Ann Arbor MI @ The Blind Pig
3.04 -- Ft. Wayne IN @ The Brass Rail
3.05 -- Cincinnati OH @ MOTR
3.06 -- Milwaukee WI @ Riverwest Public House Cooperative
3.07 -- Minneapolis MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
3.08 -- Chicago IL @ The Empty Bottle
3.09 -- St. Louis MO @ The Firebird
3.10 -- Lawrence KS @ Eighth St. Taproom
3.11 -- Ft. Worth TX @ Lola's Saloon
3.12 -- Dallas TX @ The Crown and Harp
3.13 -- Houston TX @ Fitzgerald's
3.13 -- SXSW
3.14 -- SXSW
3.15 -- SXSW
3.16 -- Mobile AL @ The Blind Mule Restaurant & Bar
3.17 -- Atlanta GA @ TBD
3.18 -- Asheville NC @ The Mothlight
4.19 -- New York NY @ PIANOS Opening for David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets)

For more on Dead Leaf Echo, visit them on their official website or Facebook page.

Published on February 27th, 2014 2 6:28 PM

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New Johnny Marr LP coming this fall

Good news for Smiths' fans -- not only will Morrissey release a new solo album this year, but now Johnny Marr confirms he's releasing his new album, the follow up to 2013's The Messenger, this fall. Marr was at the NME Awards last night and gave the mag the scoop:

"I've got a new record coming out in the end of September, the follow-up to last year's," he said. "I wanted to do the second one really quick. For me, it was just about being on tour and wanting to capture the spirit of the band and the audience before it wears off. I'd been touring for 11 months so I wanted to keep that same energy. I didn't want to overthink it."

Check out NME's report here.

FYI: Marr did another interview with Absolute Radio yesterday and told them the album is coming out in October, so expect a late September/early October release date if things stay on schedule.  Marr also told Absolute Radio he's busy working on the Spiderman soundtrack (he's a big Spiderman fan!) and "something else" he's forgotten. He also sang the praises of Blondie, who were honored with the Godlike Genius Award last night.  Watch the interview with Marr below.



Marr was at the NME Awards to present Arctic Monkeys with the award for Best British Band.  How awkward would it have been for him to give out the award for Best Book -- Morrissey's Autobiography was the winner, though he wasn't at the ceremony.  Other winners at the NME Awards: The Stone Roses film Made of Stone won Best Music Film, Damon Albarn was named Best Innovator, the Clash collection Sound System was named Best Reissue, and Blondie was presented the Godlike Genuis Award.

Published on February 27th, 2014 @ 10:46 AM

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Dean Wareham preps debut solo LP & announces tour

The ultra cool and talented Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna) is releasing his debut solo album on March 11th. Wareham's album was produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket), who also plays on the album along with backing band Britta Phillips and Anthony LaMarca. Dean Wareham will be released on limited edition translucent yellow vinyl* (with yellow cover art), CD (purple cover art), and as a digital album download. Fans who pre-order from Wareham's store will receive a free 4 track live EP as a bonus.

Don't miss Dean Wareham on tour this spring -- the North American tour includes a Detroit area stop at the Magic Bag on April 10th. Check out the rest of the dates below along with two songs from the new album.





4/01 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
4/03 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
4/04 -- Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
4/05 -- New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
4/06 -- Philadelphia, Pa @ The Boot & Saddle
4/09 -- Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
4/10 -- Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
4/11 -- Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
4/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

*Wareham announced yesterday that the vinyl edition will be delayed a few weeks due to technical issues, but download codes will be emailed out on release day.

Published on February 27th, 2014 @ 10:06 AM

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