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Black Dirt Oak, “Wawayanda Patent”

John Mulvey
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Black Dirt Oak, “Wawayanda Patent”

When you’re in the business of writing about/codifying/making up a musical scene, it always helps if you can locate its nexus. Reading the small print on record sleeves, a good few of the American musicians negotiating the space between roots music and avant-garde jamming these past few years - part of what used to be called free folk, for a while - all turn out to have recorded at Black Dirt Studios in upstate New York. A quick look at the client list at www.blackdirtstudio.com gives you a clue as to the type of music that comes out of this place, run by Jason Meagher (who used to be part of sprawling improve mystics The No-Neck Blues Band): Black Twig Pickers and Pelt, Blues Control, Charalambides, Hans Chew, Steve Gunn & John Truscinski, Rangda, Psychic Ills, D Charles Speer & The Helix and, perhaps most significantly, the ‘scene’’s late godfather, Jack Rose. There are a lot of blurs and overlaps in the discography, something Meagher evidently capitalised on a few years ago when he established the Natch Sessions: collaborative joints at Black Dirt that resulted in a series of free downloads that you can find at www.natchmusic.tumblr.com (the Black Twig Pickers/Steve Gunn set – which I wrote about here - and the one fronted by Michael Chapman are my personal favourites). Chapman was backed by an ad hoc group called The Woodpiles, featuring Steve Gunn, Marc Orleans, Jimmy SeiTang, and Nathan Bowles (from Pelt, the Black Twigs etc), and all but Orleans have now fetched up in the logical extension of the Black Dirt aesthetic; a supergroup, Black Dirt Oak, that also features Justin Tripp, Margot Bianca, Wednesday Knudsen and, maybe most prominently, Dave Shuford, another NNCK vet who now figures in Rhyton and fronts D Charles Speer & The Helix (their forthcoming album is killer, incidentally; I’ll try and write something about it soon). Anyhow, the first Black Dirt Oak album is called “Wawayanda Patent” and is probably out more or less now on MIE Music. If we’re going to continue perpetuating this idea of a scene, then “Wawayanda Patent” (I just looked it up: Wawayanda is a town in New York State) would work pretty well as a primer to it – a loose, quicksilver accumulation of tradition and improvisation, where new ideas seem to emerge out of a dense thicket of influences. Perhaps the easiest reference point is Pelt, particularly on the brackish likes of opener “The Real Crow”. But the patchwork jams touch on other antecedents: so “Peeled Egg Cigarette”, with Margot Bianca (I think) making her distrait, ambulatory way around the outer edges of the tune, recalls Tower Recordings circa “Folk Scene”, or maybe a great lost Faust record on Takoma. “Demon Directive”, meanwhile, is closer in vibe to Sunburned Hand Of The Man’s classic “Jaybird”, with its fractured, crypto-ritualistic Can-funk and seagull-cry free blowing. There are incantations from Shuford, intriguing murk, touches of dub, and a closer – “Crowning The Bard” – that begins like Pelt extemporising on the theme of a fire alarm, and develops into a fidgety psych free-for-all in the spirit of Finnish bands like Avarus and Kemialliset Ystävät before a Garcia-like spacerock solo (from Gunn?) gently cuts a path through the melee. There are also, though, more resolved pieces, like “Florian’s Wind Up” (you can hear it on the Soundcloud player above, with “Demon Directive”) which, with its vague North African feel, is a kind of companion piece to “Old Strange” from Gunn’s great 2013 album, “Time Off” – a song, perhaps not coincidentally, which first surfaced as part of the Gunn/Black Twig Pickers Natch session: “The Drowned Lands” pursues that further, having a delicate touch of Ali & Toumani to its chamber desert blues alongside a start that feels aligned to Shuford’s solo D Charles Speer set of Greek-derived picking, “Arghiledes”, and an end that, bizarrely, resembles a weird, phantasmagorical take on smooth jazz. Best of all, there’s “From The Jaguar Priest”, in which the Sun City Girls/Master Musicians Of Bukkake-style ceremonials are given a distinct Appalachian hue. As the banjos, guitars and analog synths intertwine, there’s a great tangle of playing to unpick. Like, really, “Wawayanda Patent” all told; an album of depth, flight, spontaneity and mischief. See what you think… Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

When you’re in the business of writing about/codifying/making up a musical scene, it always helps if you can locate its nexus. Reading the small print on record sleeves, a good few of the American musicians negotiating the space between roots music and avant-garde jamming these past few years – part of what used to be called free folk, for a while – all turn out to have recorded at Black Dirt Studios in upstate New York.

A quick look at the client list at www.blackdirtstudio.com gives you a clue as to the type of music that comes out of this place, run by Jason Meagher (who used to be part of sprawling improve mystics The No-Neck Blues Band): Black Twig Pickers and Pelt, Blues Control, Charalambides, Hans Chew, Steve Gunn & John Truscinski, Rangda, Psychic Ills, D Charles Speer & The Helix and, perhaps most significantly, the ‘scene’’s late godfather, Jack Rose. There are a lot of blurs and overlaps in the discography, something Meagher evidently capitalised on a few years ago when he established the Natch Sessions: collaborative joints at Black Dirt that resulted in a series of free downloads that you can find at www.natchmusic.tumblr.com (the Black Twig Pickers/Steve Gunn set – which I wrote about here – and the one fronted by Michael Chapman are my personal favourites).

Chapman was backed by an ad hoc group called The Woodpiles, featuring Steve Gunn, Marc Orleans, Jimmy SeiTang, and Nathan Bowles (from Pelt, the Black Twigs etc), and all but Orleans have now fetched up in the logical extension of the Black Dirt aesthetic; a supergroup, Black Dirt Oak, that also features Justin Tripp, Margot Bianca, Wednesday Knudsen and, maybe most prominently, Dave Shuford, another NNCK vet who now figures in Rhyton and fronts D Charles Speer & The Helix (their forthcoming album is killer, incidentally; I’ll try and write something about it soon).

Anyhow, the first Black Dirt Oak album is called “Wawayanda Patent” and is probably out more or less now on MIE Music. If we’re going to continue perpetuating this idea of a scene, then “Wawayanda Patent” (I just looked it up: Wawayanda is a town in New York State) would work pretty well as a primer to it – a loose, quicksilver accumulation of tradition and improvisation, where new ideas seem to emerge out of a dense thicket of influences.

Perhaps the easiest reference point is Pelt, particularly on the brackish likes of opener “The Real Crow”. But the patchwork jams touch on other antecedents: so “Peeled Egg Cigarette”, with Margot Bianca (I think) making her distrait, ambulatory way around the outer edges of the tune, recalls Tower Recordings circa “Folk Scene”, or maybe a great lost Faust record on Takoma. “Demon Directive”, meanwhile, is closer in vibe to Sunburned Hand Of The Man’s classic “Jaybird”, with its fractured, crypto-ritualistic Can-funk and seagull-cry free blowing.

There are incantations from Shuford, intriguing murk, touches of dub, and a closer – “Crowning The Bard” – that begins like Pelt extemporising on the theme of a fire alarm, and develops into a fidgety psych free-for-all in the spirit of Finnish bands like Avarus and Kemialliset Ystävät before a Garcia-like spacerock solo (from Gunn?) gently cuts a path through the melee.

There are also, though, more resolved pieces, like “Florian’s Wind Up” (you can hear it on the Soundcloud player above, with “Demon Directive”) which, with its vague North African feel, is a kind of companion piece to “Old Strange” from Gunn’s great 2013 album, “Time Off” – a song, perhaps not coincidentally, which first surfaced as part of the Gunn/Black Twig Pickers Natch session:

“The Drowned Lands” pursues that further, having a delicate touch of Ali & Toumani to its chamber desert blues alongside a start that feels aligned to Shuford’s solo D Charles Speer set of Greek-derived picking, “Arghiledes”, and an end that, bizarrely, resembles a weird, phantasmagorical take on smooth jazz. Best of all, there’s “From The Jaguar Priest”, in which the Sun City Girls/Master Musicians Of Bukkake-style ceremonials are given a distinct Appalachian hue. As the banjos, guitars and analog synths intertwine, there’s a great tangle of playing to unpick. Like, really, “Wawayanda Patent” all told; an album of depth, flight, spontaneity and mischief. See what you think…

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength: The ’74/’75 Recordings

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Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength: The ’74/’75 Recordings

Six-disc set from the 'identity crisis' years - three albums, outtakes, lives and a session with Freddie King... In his 2007 autobiography, Eric Clapton revealed the unconventional manner in which he prepared for his '74 comeback after three years lost to heroin addiction. As part of his rehabilitation, he went to work on a Shropshire farm owned by Lord Harlech, the father of his then girlfriend Alice Ormsby-Gore, rising at dawn and "working like a maniac, baiing hay, chopping logs, sawing trees and mucking out the cows." While regaining physical and mental fitness, the simplicities of farm life also gave Clapton untroubled space to collect his thoughts and assemble them into songs and ideas for a new album, his first studio recording since '70's Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. By the time he arrived in Miami to record 461 Ocean Boulevard, he had a portfolio of well-chosen covers and a handful of original compositions and a new minimalist approach, heavily influenced by J.J. Cale. On the album's release in July '74, opinion immediately divided into two opposing camps. To those whose idea of heavy rock heaven was a pummelling, 20 minute version of "Crossroads", his laidback mellowness was an ambition-free under-selling of his talent. More discerning fans who shared Clapton's admiration for the rootsier sounds of Cale, The Band, Leon Russell et al welcomed the humbler aesthetic and the tightly structured songs and hailed a career highlight. The follow up, '75's There's One In Every Crowd - the original title The World's Greatest Guitar Player (There's One In Every Crowd) was abbreviated by Robert Stigwood who thought the irony too subtle for Clapton's more lumpen fans - was cut from similar cloth and recorded in Jamaica, a choice of location which reflected the success of "I Shot The Sheriff" which had topped the Billboard singles chart. To promote the two studio albums, he toured with his American studio band, shows which were recorded for the '75 live album, E.C. Was Here. This six disc set presents those three original albums, all recorded within a fertile 15 month period, as an inter-linked trilogy, augmented by 29 bonus tracks, including studio out-takes, additional live material and a famous session with Freddie King, recorded in summer '74 for the bluesman's Burglar album. 5.1 surround sound and quadrophonic mixes of both studio releases complete the package. Marketed as a celebration of a "watershed era" that marked a "spectacular creative resurgence", the truth behind the record company hyperbole is somewhat more complex and interesting. Clapton's own description of his return is distinctly more modest, a sketchy, tentative process to find "a way to restore my playing capabilities in the company of proper musicians". But trying to break from his past and forge a new musical identity was a confusing and contradictory experience, as he was pushed and pulled in different directions by the expectations and demands placed upon him. Nowhere is this more evident than in the live material, when faced with an American stadium rock crowd yelling for his old warhorses, that's exactly what Clapton gave them. Of the 16 concert tracks, only three feature material from 461 Ocean Boulevard/There's One In Every Crowd. The rest constitutes a Cream/Blind Faith/Derek & The Dominos greatest hits set, which even when the old material is given a loping Tulsa groove cannot disguise a lack of confidence in his 'new' material. It didn't help that back on the road he was soon on autopilot once more, swapping heroin for brandy to self-medicate himself. At times the '74 tour found him so drunk he played while lying on the floor. A less severe judgement might hold that his new musical direction required smaller, more intimate venues than the same enormodomes he'd played and so hated with Blind Faith five years earlier. That he could still peel off technically brilliant extended guitar solos when called upon is evident from the Freddie King session and, in particular, a previously unreleased 22 minute jam on "Gambling Woman Blues". But almost 40 years on, it's the two studio solo albums that continue to fascinate most, as we hear him resolutely attempting to bury the 'old' Eric Clapton and trying on different musical personas to see what fits, from the reggae-lite of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" to the J.J. Cale pastiche of "Steady Rollin' Man" and "Little Rachel" via the Harrison-cloned "High" and the lovely "Let It Grow", which bore the unintended influence of "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, a band he famously loathed. Paradoxically, out of this identity crisis, he fashioned some of the most coherent music of his career. Nigel Williamson

Six-disc set from the ‘identity crisis’ years – three albums, outtakes, lives and a session with Freddie King…

In his 2007 autobiography, Eric Clapton revealed the unconventional manner in which he prepared for his ’74 comeback after three years lost to heroin addiction. As part of his rehabilitation, he went to work on a Shropshire farm owned by Lord Harlech, the father of his then girlfriend Alice Ormsby-Gore, rising at dawn and “working like a maniac, baiing hay, chopping logs, sawing trees and mucking out the cows.” While regaining physical and mental fitness, the simplicities of farm life also gave Clapton untroubled space to collect his thoughts and assemble them into songs and ideas for a new album, his first studio recording since ’70’s Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs.

By the time he arrived in Miami to record 461 Ocean Boulevard, he had a portfolio of well-chosen covers and a handful of original compositions and a new minimalist approach, heavily influenced by J.J. Cale. On the album’s release in July ’74, opinion immediately divided into two opposing camps. To those whose idea of heavy rock heaven was a pummelling, 20 minute version of “Crossroads”, his laidback mellowness was an ambition-free under-selling of his talent. More discerning fans who shared Clapton’s admiration for the rootsier sounds of Cale, The Band, Leon Russell et al welcomed the humbler aesthetic and the tightly structured songs and hailed a career highlight.

The follow up, ’75’s There’s One In Every Crowd – the original title The World’s Greatest Guitar Player (There’s One In Every Crowd) was abbreviated by Robert Stigwood who thought the irony too subtle for Clapton’s more lumpen fans – was cut from similar cloth and recorded in Jamaica, a choice of location which reflected the success of “I Shot The Sheriff” which had topped the Billboard singles chart. To promote the two studio albums, he toured with his American studio band, shows which were recorded for the ’75 live album, E.C. Was Here.

This six disc set presents those three original albums, all recorded within a fertile 15 month period, as an inter-linked trilogy, augmented by 29 bonus tracks, including studio out-takes, additional live material and a famous session with Freddie King, recorded in summer ’74 for the bluesman’s Burglar album. 5.1 surround sound and quadrophonic mixes of both studio releases complete the package.

Marketed as a celebration of a “watershed era” that marked a “spectacular creative resurgence”, the truth behind the record company hyperbole is somewhat more complex and interesting. Clapton’s own description of his return is distinctly more modest, a sketchy, tentative process to find “a way to restore my playing capabilities in the company of proper musicians”. But trying to break from his past and forge a new musical identity was a confusing and contradictory experience, as he was pushed and pulled in different directions by the expectations and demands placed upon him.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the live material, when faced with an American stadium rock crowd yelling for his old warhorses, that’s exactly what Clapton gave them. Of the 16 concert tracks, only three feature material from 461 Ocean Boulevard/There’s One In Every Crowd. The rest constitutes a Cream/Blind Faith/Derek & The Dominos greatest hits set, which even when the old material is given a loping Tulsa groove cannot disguise a lack of confidence in his ‘new’ material. It didn’t help that back on the road he was soon on autopilot once more, swapping heroin for brandy to self-medicate himself. At times the ’74 tour found him so drunk he played while lying on the floor. A less severe judgement might hold that his new musical direction required smaller, more intimate venues than the same enormodomes he’d played and so hated with Blind Faith five years earlier.

That he could still peel off technically brilliant extended guitar solos when called upon is evident from the Freddie King session and, in particular, a previously unreleased 22 minute jam on “Gambling Woman Blues”. But almost 40 years on, it’s the two studio solo albums that continue to fascinate most, as we hear him resolutely attempting to bury the ‘old’ Eric Clapton and trying on different musical personas to see what fits, from the reggae-lite of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” to the J.J. Cale pastiche of “Steady Rollin’ Man” and “Little Rachel” via the Harrison-cloned “High” and the lovely “Let It Grow”, which bore the unintended influence of “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, a band he famously loathed. Paradoxically, out of this identity crisis, he fashioned some of the most coherent music of his career.

Nigel Williamson

The Hold Steady announce new album Teeth Dreams

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The Hold Steady announce new album Teeth Dreams

The Hold Steady are set to release their new album, 'Teeth Dreams', on March 25. The Hold Steady are set to release their new album, Teeth Dreams, on March 25. The US rock band will put out the follow-up to 2010's Heaven Is Whenever this spring, reports Billboard. The LP will be released Stateside on Razor & Tie's new imprint, Washington Square. Speaking about the new record, frontman Craig Finn commented: "We're excited for this new chapter. Tad Kubler of the band added: "We're really proud of our new record, this is an exciting time for us. Making the new record has been a journey for the band, and the results exceeded even our own expectations. Can't wait for people to hear it." The band, who will celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, will tour the US starting later this month, kicking off the run of gigs in Memphis on January 29. Photo: Pieter M Van Hattem

The Hold Steady are set to release their new album, ‘Teeth Dreams’, on March 25.

The Hold Steady are set to release their new album, Teeth Dreams, on March 25.

The US rock band will put out the follow-up to 2010’s Heaven Is Whenever this spring, reports Billboard. The LP will be released Stateside on Razor & Tie’s new imprint, Washington Square.

Speaking about the new record, frontman Craig Finn commented: “We’re excited for this new chapter. Tad Kubler of the band added: “We’re really proud of our new record, this is an exciting time for us. Making the new record has been a journey for the band, and the results exceeded even our own expectations. Can’t wait for people to hear it.” The band, who will celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, will tour the US starting later this month, kicking off the run of gigs in Memphis on January 29.

Photo: Pieter M Van Hattem

Paul McCartney pays tribute to one of his ‘great heroes’ Phil Everly

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Paul McCartney pays tribute to one of his ‘great heroes’ Phil Everly
Paul McCartney has paid tribute to Phil Everly, who died last week aged 74. In a statement on his website, McCartney said that Everly was one of his "great heroes" and cited the Everly Brothers as a key influence on The Beatles. "Phil Everly was one of my great heroes," he wrote. "With his brothe...

Paul McCartney has paid tribute to Phil Everly, who died last week aged 74.

In a statement on his website, McCartney said that Everly was one of his “great heroes” and cited the Everly Brothers as a key influence on The Beatles.

“Phil Everly was one of my great heroes,” he wrote. “With his brother Don, they were one of the major influences on The Beatles. When John and I first started to write songs, I was Phil and he was Don.”

He added: “Years later when I finally met Phil, I was completely starstruck and at the same time extremely impressed by his humility and gentleness of soul. I will always love him for giving me some of the sweetest musical memories of my life.”

Robert Plant announces first live dates for 2014

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Robert Plant announces first live dates for 2014
Robert Plant Presents the Sensational Space Shifters has announced the first of their 2014 European tour dates. The tour will support a new album out this year, with dates beginning June 10 in Gothenberg, Sweden and across Europe including Russia, Ireland, Germany and more, with a special date at G...

Robert Plant Presents the Sensational Space Shifters has announced the first of their 2014 European tour dates.

The tour will support a new album out this year, with dates beginning June 10 in Gothenberg, Sweden and across Europe including Russia, Ireland, Germany and more, with a special date at Glastonbury Abbey on August 9.

The Sensational Space Shifters are: Justin Adams – guitar, bendir, vocals John Baggott – keyboards Juldeh Camara – ritti (one stringed African violin), kologo (African Banjo), talking drum, vocals Billy Fuller – bass guitar, vocals Dave Smith – drums and percussion Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson – guitar, vocals.

Robert Plant recently told Uncut that “touring with the Sensational Space Shifters is so much better than bathing in a tepid bathtub of old hits”.

You can read an exclusive interview with Robert Plant about the new album in the new issue of Uncut.

Robert Plant Presents the Sensational Space Shifters will play:

JUNE

10 SWEDEN, Gothenburg TRAGARN

12 NORWAY, Bergen BERGEN FEST

14 SWEDEN, Rattvik DALHALLA

16 ESTONIA, Tallin SAKU ARENA

18 RUSSIA, St. Petersburg NEW ARENA

20 RUSSIA, Moscow CROCUS HALL

25 IRELAND, Cork LIVE AT THE MARQUEE

JULY

5 FRANCE, Cognac COGNAC BLUES PASSION

16 GERMANY, Berlin ZITADELLE

17 GERMANY, Dresden JUNGE GARDE

19 CZECH REP., Ostrava COLURS OF OSTRAVA

AUGUST

9 ENGLAND, Glastonbury GLASTONBURY ABBEY

16 & 17 JAPAN SUMMER SONIC

The Dead Weather to release two new songs next week

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The Dead Weather to release two new songs next week
The Dead Weather are to release two new songs next week. According to a Tweet from their Third Man label, "Open Up (That's Enough)" and "Rough Detective" will be available for purchase digitally worldwide next Tuesday [January 14]. Scroll down to hear "Open Up (That's Enough)". http://www.youtube...

The Dead Weather are to release two new songs next week.

According to a Tweet from their Third Man label, “Open Up (That’s Enough)” and “Rough Detective” will be available for purchase digitally worldwide next Tuesday [January 14].

Scroll down to hear “Open Up (That’s Enough)“.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lYstaUzjHs

10 Essential Films For 2014

Michael Bonner
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10 Essential Films For 2014

2014 has already got off to a good start, I think, with American Hustle and Inside Llewyn Davis. Beyond those, there’s some strong-looking films from a clutch of familiar Uncut names – George Clooney, Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan among them. 2014 also marks the release of Ken Loach’s last film before his retires. Incidentally, I’ve deliberately limited this selection to films which already have trailers or some kind of featurette; there’s obviously a considerable number of films we’re looking forward to that as yet don’t have trailers. So please bear in mind that, sadly, I wasn't able to include films like Peter Strickland's The Dukes Of Burgundy, Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, Bill Murray as St Vincent De Van Nuys and Anton Corbijn's John le Carre adaptation, A Most Wanted Man… Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner. Out Of The Furnace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_7fZz2IXM Fresh off the brilliant American Hustle, Christian Bale toplines this blue collar crime drama with Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson. OPENS JANUARY 29 Dallas Buyers Club http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2okPc8kObI The Matthew McConaughey revival continues apace with the actor cast as an AIDS in mid-Eighties Texas who develops AIDS and – unable to access approved medication – explores inventive ways to extend his life. OPENS FEBRUARY 7 The Monuments Men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBfMOmR4S9M George Clooney’s WW2 ensemble caper, about a squad assembled to retrieve art stolen by the Nazis on continental Europe. Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray join the fun. OPENS FEBRUARY 21 The Grand Budapest Hotel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk Typically droll-looking comedy from Wes Anderson, with Ralph Fiennes (replacing Johnny Depp) as the all-seeing concierge of the titular hotel. “Take your hands off my lobby boy!” OPENS MARCH 7 Under The Skin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvuDDzgZHEI Scarlett Johansson is an alien in modern day Glasgow. Reportedly weird (in a good way) stuff from Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer. OPENS MARCH 14 The Double http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWhikLYeSQ0 Adapted by Richard Ayoade from a novella by Dostoyevsky: Jesse Eisenberg finds his life taken over by a double. Chris Morris and Paddy Considine co-star. OPENS APRIL 4 Bad Neigbhours http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mot3svnHifE Newly weds Seth Rogan and Mila Kunis find their marital bliss rudely interrupted when the house next door becomes a frat house. OPENS MAY 9 Jimmy’s Hall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1bW58zlkns Ken Loach’s final film. 1930s set drama about Irish communist leader, James Gralton. Pixar came to the rescue when Loach needed a rare kind of camera stock. RELEASE DATE TO BE CONFIRMED Calvary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U The Guard team of John McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson reunite for dark comedy about a priest under threat of death from a mysterious hitman. OPENS SEPTEMBER 19 Interstellar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=827FNDpQWrQ Christoper Nolan’s first post-Batman movie. As a filmmaker, Nolan has often been compared to Kubrick: which sort of makes this his 2001. Scientists discover a wormhole. Matthew McConaughey provides voiceover. OPENS NOVEMBER

2014 has already got off to a good start, I think, with American Hustle and Inside Llewyn Davis.

Beyond those, there’s some strong-looking films from a clutch of familiar Uncut names – George Clooney, Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan among them. 2014 also marks the release of Ken Loach’s last film before his retires. Incidentally, I’ve deliberately limited this selection to films which already have trailers or some kind of featurette; there’s obviously a considerable number of films we’re looking forward to that as yet don’t have trailers. So please bear in mind that, sadly, I wasn’t able to include films like Peter Strickland’s The Dukes Of Burgundy, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, Bill Murray as St Vincent De Van Nuys and Anton Corbijn’s John le Carre adaptation, A Most Wanted Man…

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner.

Out Of The Furnace

Fresh off the brilliant American Hustle, Christian Bale toplines this blue collar crime drama with Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson.

OPENS JANUARY 29

Dallas Buyers Club

The Matthew McConaughey revival continues apace with the actor cast as an AIDS in mid-Eighties Texas who develops AIDS and – unable to access approved medication – explores inventive ways to extend his life.

OPENS FEBRUARY 7

The Monuments Men

George Clooney’s WW2 ensemble caper, about a squad assembled to retrieve art stolen by the Nazis on continental Europe. Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray join the fun.

OPENS FEBRUARY 21

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Typically droll-looking comedy from Wes Anderson, with Ralph Fiennes (replacing Johnny Depp) as the all-seeing concierge of the titular hotel. “Take your hands off my lobby boy!”

OPENS MARCH 7

Under The Skin

Scarlett Johansson is an alien in modern day Glasgow. Reportedly weird (in a good way) stuff from Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer.

OPENS MARCH 14

The Double

Adapted by Richard Ayoade from a novella by Dostoyevsky: Jesse Eisenberg finds his life taken over by a double. Chris Morris and Paddy Considine co-star.

OPENS APRIL 4

Bad Neigbhours

Newly weds Seth Rogan and Mila Kunis find their marital bliss rudely interrupted when the house next door becomes a frat house.

OPENS MAY 9

Jimmy’s Hall

Ken Loach’s final film. 1930s set drama about Irish communist leader, James Gralton. Pixar came to the rescue when Loach needed a rare kind of camera stock.

RELEASE DATE TO BE CONFIRMED

Calvary

The Guard team of John McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson reunite for dark comedy about a priest under threat of death from a mysterious hitman.

OPENS SEPTEMBER 19

Interstellar

Christoper Nolan’s first post-Batman movie. As a filmmaker, Nolan has often been compared to Kubrick: which sort of makes this his 2001. Scientists discover a wormhole. Matthew McConaughey provides voiceover.

OPENS NOVEMBER

Mansion where John Lennon wrote Sgt Pepper’s… songs up for sale for £14 million

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Mansion where John Lennon wrote Sgt Pepper’s… songs up for sale for £14 million

The Surrey mansion where John Lennon wrote the songs for The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is up for sale. The six-bedroom property in Weybridge, Surrey, where Lennon lived between 1964 and 1968 is on the market for £14 million, The Times reports. Lennon bought the property, known as Kenwood, for £20,000 on July 15, 1964 and lived there with his first wife Cynthia. He is believed to have penned a number of songs for the album while living there. Clips of a home movie showing Lennon at Kenwood in 1967 were used in the 1988 film Imagine: John Lennon. The house, which has been refurbished, has six reception rooms, six bathrooms, 1.5 acres of land and a swimming pool. It is close to Sunny Heights – Ringo Starr's former home and Kinfauns, where George Harrison lived in Esher.

The Surrey mansion where John Lennon wrote the songs for The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is up for sale.

The six-bedroom property in Weybridge, Surrey, where Lennon lived between 1964 and 1968 is on the market for £14 million, The Times reports.

Lennon bought the property, known as Kenwood, for £20,000 on July 15, 1964 and lived there with his first wife Cynthia. He is believed to have penned a number of songs for the album while living there.

Clips of a home movie showing Lennon at Kenwood in 1967 were used in the 1988 film Imagine: John Lennon.

The house, which has been refurbished, has six reception rooms, six bathrooms, 1.5 acres of land and a swimming pool. It is close to Sunny Heights – Ringo Starr’s former home and Kinfauns, where George Harrison lived in Esher.

BBC to air one of the last ever interviews with The Doors’ Ray Manzarek

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BBC to air one of the last ever interviews with The Doors’ Ray Manzarek

One of the last ever interviews with The Doors' keyboard player Ray Manzarek will be broadcast on Friday (January 10). The footage will be aired as part of a new three-part BBC4 series Born To Be Wild: The Golden Age Of American Rock, which charts the rise and fall of US classic rock from the 1960s to the early 1990s. The first hour-long episode, which will feature interviews with Manzarek as well as Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, and John Densmore, will be shown at 9pm. Manzarek died aged 74 in May 2013. The Doors formed in 1965 but disbanded in 1973, two years after Jim Morrison's death. Manzarek continued to make music, releasing a number of solo albums and then as part of the group Nite City. Last July, the band's guitarist Robby Krieger announced that he and fellow surviving member of the group John Densmore will reunite in tribute to Manzarek. "We're going to do at least one show for Ray and have a big send-off. That's either the start or the end of it, I don't know," he said. The pair fell out in 2002 when Krieger and Manzarek began touring as The Doors Of The 21st Century, leading to a lawsuit over the use of band name, and a £25 million countersuit against Densmore for his refusal to sign off on multi-million-dollar licensing of band songs for commercials. "That's what you do – if someone sues you, you sue them twice as hard back and hope that they drop the suit," Krieger said. "It was a very stupid idea. We had the worst lawyers." The row has now ended, but the lawsuit is the subject of Densmore's new book, The Doors Unhinged.

One of the last ever interviews with The Doors’ keyboard player Ray Manzarek will be broadcast on Friday (January 10).

The footage will be aired as part of a new three-part BBC4 series Born To Be Wild: The Golden Age Of American Rock, which charts the rise and fall of US classic rock from the 1960s to the early 1990s. The first hour-long episode, which will feature interviews with Manzarek as well as Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, and John Densmore, will be shown at 9pm.

Manzarek died aged 74 in May 2013. The Doors formed in 1965 but disbanded in 1973, two years after Jim Morrison’s death. Manzarek continued to make music, releasing a number of solo albums and then as part of the group Nite City.

Last July, the band’s guitarist Robby Krieger announced that he and fellow surviving member of the group John Densmore will reunite in tribute to Manzarek. “We’re going to do at least one show for Ray and have a big send-off. That’s either the start or the end of it, I don’t know,” he said.

The pair fell out in 2002 when Krieger and Manzarek began touring as The Doors Of The 21st Century, leading to a lawsuit over the use of band name, and a £25 million countersuit against Densmore for his refusal to sign off on multi-million-dollar licensing of band songs for commercials.

“That’s what you do – if someone sues you, you sue them twice as hard back and hope that they drop the suit,” Krieger said. “It was a very stupid idea. We had the worst lawyers.” The row has now ended, but the lawsuit is the subject of Densmore’s new book, The Doors Unhinged.

‘Definitive’ Lou Reed biography to be published

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‘Definitive’ Lou Reed biography to be published

A "definitive" biography of Lou Reed is in the works, it has been confirmed. Titled Lou: A New York Life, the biography will be written by Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes, who has promised the book will tell the "full, definitive" story of the former Velvet Underground frontman's life. The book will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and has no current release date. Speaking to The New York Times, Hermes says his evaluation of Reed's life will focus on New York and how the city influenced him. "Reed loved the city deeply, based his adult life here, rooted much of his work here and was a huge figure in our cultural life. I think we have yet to fully measure the loss. He was one of the greatest artists of our generation." Lou Reed died from liver failure in October 2013, following a transplant operation in May. In November 2013 it was revealed that Reed left his estate to his wife and sister. The singer left his Manhattan penthouse, his home in East Hampton, New York and the majority of his estate to his wife, musician Laurie Anderson. The couple married in 2008 and had no children. Anderson paid tribute to her husband, saying "he died while looking at the trees".

A “definitive” biography of Lou Reed is in the works, it has been confirmed.

Titled Lou: A New York Life, the biography will be written by Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes, who has promised the book will tell the “full, definitive” story of the former Velvet Underground frontman’s life. The book will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and has no current release date.

Speaking to The New York Times, Hermes says his evaluation of Reed’s life will focus on New York and how the city influenced him. “Reed loved the city deeply, based his adult life here, rooted much of his work here and was a huge figure in our cultural life. I think we have yet to fully measure the loss. He was one of the greatest artists of our generation.”

Lou Reed died from liver failure in October 2013, following a transplant operation in May.

In November 2013 it was revealed that Reed left his estate to his wife and sister. The singer left his Manhattan penthouse, his home in East Hampton, New York and the majority of his estate to his wife, musician Laurie Anderson. The couple married in 2008 and had no children. Anderson paid tribute to her husband, saying “he died while looking at the trees”.

Converse to release Black Sabbath trainers

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Converse to release Black Sabbath trainers

Shoe company Converse are set to release five different Black Sabbath themed trainer styles. The Chuck Taylor All Star shoes will make up part of the brand's 2014 spring collection, and feature artwork from a selection of the band's albums, including 'Black Sabbath' and 'Paranoid', reports Rolling Stone. The band and shoe makers previously collaborated in 2008. Meanwhile, Tony Iommi has confirmed that he expects to finish treatment for cancer in 2014. The guitarist has being undergoing treatment for the lymphoma he was diagnosed with in January 2012. In a new year's message he wrote on his official website, Iommi thanked fans for their support and expressed his hope that this year will see him finish the treatment and get the all clear. Writing to fans, Iommi wrote: "We've some good things lined up for the coming year, firstly the Grammys, then some dates in the US and Canada, and in the summer a quick trip round Europe. I should also be finishing my regular treatment and I’m hoping to not get so tired, all positive."

Shoe company Converse are set to release five different Black Sabbath themed trainer styles.

The Chuck Taylor All Star shoes will make up part of the brand’s 2014 spring collection, and feature artwork from a selection of the band’s albums, including ‘Black Sabbath’ and ‘Paranoid’, reports Rolling Stone. The band and shoe makers previously collaborated in 2008.

Meanwhile, Tony Iommi has confirmed that he expects to finish treatment for cancer in 2014.

The guitarist has being undergoing treatment for the lymphoma he was diagnosed with in January 2012. In a new year’s message he wrote on his official website, Iommi thanked fans for their support and expressed his hope that this year will see him finish the treatment and get the all clear.

Writing to fans, Iommi wrote: “We’ve some good things lined up for the coming year, firstly the Grammys, then some dates in the US and Canada, and in the summer a quick trip round Europe. I should also be finishing my regular treatment and I’m hoping to not get so tired, all positive.”

Wild Beasts announce new album and tour details

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Wild Beasts announce new album and tour details
Wild Beasts have revealed details of their new album and a UK and Irish tour to take place in March and April. The band will release their fourth album later Present Tense on February 24. The band will then play six dates on a headline UK tour, including a date at London's Brixton Academy. The ba...

Wild Beasts have revealed details of their new album and a UK and Irish tour to take place in March and April.

The band will release their fourth album later Present Tense on February 24.

The band will then play six dates on a headline UK tour, including a date at London’s Brixton Academy. The band will also perform live in Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Bristol and Cambridge. Scroll down for full details.

At the end of 2013, the band said the new record would be “more melodic and pop” than before. Speaking to NME, they explained that they chose not to work with regular producer Richard Formby, but instead teamed up with Lexxx (Björk) and Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins).

“I guess when I was 17 I thought I was Nick Drake. Now I’m 28, I think I’m J Dilla. Neither of those is true, you need to be reined in,” said co-frontman Tom Fleming of the role the producers played in the making of the album. Meanwhile, Hayden Thorpe said the band considered ditching the guitars all together before opting against the idea. “We were very aware that it’s easy to sound polished with electronics. Our intuition when we get a guitar is to detune it; that’s what Lexxx does with electronics. ”

Recorded between London and Bath, Wild Beasts will release the follow-up to 2011’s Smother in the coming months. Track titles include ‘Sweet Spot’, ‘Daughters’ and ‘Past Perfect’.

Wild Beasts tour dates:

Manchester Albert Hall (March 26)

Glasgow The Arches (27)

Dublin Olympia Theatre (29)

Bristol O2 Academy (30)

Cambridge Corn Exchange (31)

London Brixton Academy (April 1)

Neil Young tells audience off for clapping during Carnegie Hall show – plus second night set list

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Neil Young tells audience off for clapping during Carnegie Hall show – plus second night set list
Neil Young reportedly told off the crowd for clapping during the first date of his four-night residency at New York's Carnegie Hall. The incident took place on Monday [January 6]. According to one eye witness, the audience began clapping during "Ohio", which apparently threw Young off time. The N...

Neil Young reportedly told off the crowd for clapping during the first date of his four-night residency at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

The incident took place on Monday [January 6].

According to one eye witness, the audience began clapping during “Ohio“, which apparently threw Young off time.

The New York Times goes on to say that Young stopped the song. Writes The New York Times:

“‘Wrong!’ he barked, waving one hand, as if to cut off a rehearsal band. Part of the audience had started clapping to the beat — but not quite on the beat, as Mr. Young complained. His tone was even, his exasperation clear.

‘It’s something that you probably don’t know,’ he said, peering into the house from the stage, ‘but there’s a hell of a distance between you and me.’

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reports that Young also took umbrage with members of the audience for calling out for requests. Writes Rolling Stone:

“‘You guys finished?’ he asked calmly after a group of guys refused to stop demanding loudly that he play the extreme rarity ‘Don’t Be Denied‘. ‘You paid real money to get in here, so you should be able to listen to each other. I hear a little voice, ‘Be nice, be nice.’ Thank you, sweetheart.'”

Young played his second show at Carnegie Hall last night [January 7]. The set list was identical to the January 6 show. He plays the venue again on January 9 and 10.

Neil Young’s set list for Carnegie Hall on January 7 was:

Set 1

From Hank To Hendrix

On The Way Home

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Love In Mind

Mellow My Mind

Are You Ready For The Country

Someday

Changes

Harvest

Old Man

Set 2

Goin’ Back

A Man Needs A Maid

Ohio

Southern Man

Mr. Soul

Needle Of Death

The Needle And The Damage Done

Harvest Moon

Flying On The Ground Is Wrong

After The Gold Rush

Heart Of Gold

Comes A Time

Long May You Run

The First Uncut Playlist Of 2014

John Mulvey
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The First Uncut Playlist Of 2014

After last week’s Best Albums Of 2014 roundup/provocation, here’s the first proper playlist of the year; with, as you’ll see, a few auspicious new arrivals. Worth, I guess, starting the new year with my tedious caveat that this is strictly a list of records we’ve played in the Uncut office, and presence here shouldn’t automatically be equated with an endorsement (ie yes there are a few things here I don’t personally like much). Just one other thing: please find five minutes to play the Duke Ellington track embedded below. It’s from “New Orleans Suite”, which I got for Christmas, and I didn’t listen to much else until January 2. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey 1 Bill Callahan – Have Fun With God (Drag City) 2 D Charles Speer & The Helix – Doubled Exposure (Thrill Jockey) 3 Hans Chew – Life And Love (At The Helm) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoelJhhIKcM 4 [Redacted] 5 Drive By Truckers – English Oceans (ATO) 6 Nick Waterhouse – Holly (Innovative Leisure) 7 We Are Catchers – We Are Catchers (Domino) 8 Orange Juice – Texas Fever (Domino) 9 Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band – Artorius Revisited (Violette) Read my review here (Thanks for all the kind words/retweets/etc about this, by the way) 10 Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread (Decca) 11 Sun Araw Band X – Live Roma (Bandcamp) 12 Martin Stephenson & The Daintees – California Star (Absolute) 13 Morgan Delt – Morgan Delt (Trouble In Mind) 14 [Redacted] 15 Sun Kil Moon – Benji (Caldo Verde) 16 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Wooden Nickel (Canyon) 17 Spain – Sargent Place (Glitterhouse) 18 Doug Tuttle – Doug Tuttle (Trouble In Mind) 19 Michael Yonkers With Jim Woehrle – Borders Of My Mind (Drag City) 20 Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar) 21 Duke Ellington – Portrait Of Mahalia Jackson (Atlantic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZmE0dtb3k 22 Chrome – Alien Soundtracks (Siren Songs) 23 Beck – Morning Phase (Capitol) 24 Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes (Columbia) 25 Penguin Café – The Red Book (Editions Penguin Café) 26 The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream (Secretly Canadian) 27 Neil Young – Needle Of Death (Live At Carnegie Hall) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0_JpxPC0Rk 28 DJ 3000 – Besa (Motech) 29 Courtney Barnett – Being Around (NME Basement Session: watch here) 30 Black Dirt Oak – Wawayanda Patient (MIE Music)

After last week’s Best Albums Of 2014 roundup/provocation, here’s the first proper playlist of the year; with, as you’ll see, a few auspicious new arrivals.

Worth, I guess, starting the new year with my tedious caveat that this is strictly a list of records we’ve played in the Uncut office, and presence here shouldn’t automatically be equated with an endorsement (ie yes there are a few things here I don’t personally like much).

Just one other thing: please find five minutes to play the Duke Ellington track embedded below. It’s from “New Orleans Suite”, which I got for Christmas, and I didn’t listen to much else until January 2.

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

1 Bill Callahan – Have Fun With God (Drag City)

2 D Charles Speer & The Helix – Doubled Exposure (Thrill Jockey)

3 Hans Chew – Life And Love (At The Helm)

4 [Redacted]

5 Drive By Truckers – English Oceans (ATO)

6 Nick Waterhouse – Holly (Innovative Leisure)

7 We Are Catchers – We Are Catchers (Domino)

8 Orange Juice – Texas Fever (Domino)

9 Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band – Artorius Revisited (Violette)

Read my review here (Thanks for all the kind words/retweets/etc about this, by the way)

10 Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread (Decca)

11 Sun Araw Band X – Live Roma (Bandcamp)

12 Martin Stephenson & The Daintees – California Star (Absolute)

13 Morgan Delt – Morgan Delt (Trouble In Mind)

14 [Redacted]

15 Sun Kil Moon – Benji (Caldo Verde)

16 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Wooden Nickel (Canyon)

17 Spain – Sargent Place (Glitterhouse)

18 Doug Tuttle – Doug Tuttle (Trouble In Mind)

19 Michael Yonkers With Jim Woehrle – Borders Of My Mind (Drag City)

20 Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar)

21 Duke Ellington – Portrait Of Mahalia Jackson (Atlantic)

22 Chrome – Alien Soundtracks (Siren Songs)

23 Beck – Morning Phase (Capitol)

24 Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes (Columbia)

25 Penguin Café – The Red Book (Editions Penguin Café)

26 The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream (Secretly Canadian)

27 Neil Young – Needle Of Death (Live At Carnegie Hall)

28 DJ 3000 – Besa (Motech)

29 Courtney Barnett – Being Around (NME Basement Session: watch here)

30 Black Dirt Oak – Wawayanda Patient (MIE Music)

Bob Dylan announces first live dates for 2014

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Bob Dylan announces first live dates for 2014
Bob Dylan has announced his first live dates for 2014. Dylan will play 14 shows in Japan, starting in Tokyo on March 31. This will be Dylan's seventh tour of Japan; he last toured Japan in 2010. Dylan released a live album - Bob Dylan At Budokan - recorded in 1978 at his first shows in Japan. Dy...

Bob Dylan has announced his first live dates for 2014.

Dylan will play 14 shows in Japan, starting in Tokyo on March 31.

This will be Dylan’s seventh tour of Japan; he last toured Japan in 2010.

Dylan released a live album – Bob Dylan At Budokan – recorded in 1978 at his first shows in Japan.

Dylan’s most recent dates were at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Bob Dylan will play:

March 31 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 1 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 3 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 4 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 7 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 8 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity

April 13 – Sapporo, Japan – Zepp Sapporo

April 14 – Sapporo, Japan – Zepp Sapporo

April 17 – Nagoya, Japan – Zepp Nagoya

April 18 – Nagoya, Japan – Zepp Nagoya

April 19 – Fukouka, Japan – Zepp Fukuoka

April 21 – Osaka, Japan – Zepp Namba

April 22 – Osaka, Japan – Zepp Namba

April 23 – Osaka, Japan – Zepp Namba<.strong>

On Michael Head’s “Artorius Revisited”, and beyond…

John Mulvey
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0
On Michael Head’s “Artorius Revisited”, and beyond…

Sometime last autumn, maybe, an EP called “Artorius Revisited” by Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band was quietly released in limited quantities. Last time he surfaced around 2006/2007, in a quixotic, thwarted and mostly transcendent musical career that now stretches back some three decades, Head and his longest-lasting configuration, Shack, were signed to Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label. It didn’t last. Time and again, Head has been rediscovered, revered, acclaimed by Gallagher and sundry others as a secret architect of Britpop, found himself on a particularly weird NME cover without his name but with the headline, “This Man Is Our Greatest Songwriter: Recognise Him?” (I should admit a degree of culpability there), and repeatedly faded back into obscurity; stardom unobtained, legend enhanced. “Artorius Revisited” – now sold out on vinyl and CD, but newly available on iTunes – is largely unburdened by that sort of fuss. It finds Head working without his longest-suffering foil, his brother John, but not much else has changed over the years. In a 1997 review of his “Magical World Of The Strands” masterpiece, I wrote, “Head’s gift is to invest simple acoustic reveries with a depth and melodic resonance that so many rock artisans claim as their own and so few genuinely possess. Here, he draws on similar influences to, say, Belle & Sebastian – Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, his abiding guru, Arthur Lee – but with radically different results. If the admittedly beguiling B&S are studiedly ingenuous, The Strands make bruised, ruefully reflective music.” That, more or less, still holds true. In fact, theLove/Lee fixation – signposted here, I think, by the allusion to the sacred “Artorius” in the title - might be stronger than ever. One of The Red Elastic Band is Andy Diagram, who figured in Head’s first doomed stab at pop stardom, The Pale Fountains, in the earlyish 1980s. His trumpet here, especially on the terrific title track, provides a blaringly unapologetic reference to “Forever Changes”. Head has always been candid about his heroes, and his unpretentious desire to make music that fits into that romantic continuum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpxKPSrGyjk The thing with Head, though, is that his own idiosyncratic voice and melodic gifts shine through even his most blatant homages. “Lucinda Byre”, on the EP, sees him take Lee’s trick of delivering his lyrics in gushing clusters, as if his thoughts are constantly racing ahead of the song, stretching its pace. But he does it in that gentle Liverpudlian burr, which makes it sound like the song – an amiable navigation around his hometown’s demi-monde – is built out of snatched conversations, at once down-to-earth and mystical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alioyv8eOHk “The song starts in a café having some acid,” Head told Uncut’s John Robinson in a piece that ran in our end-of-year Morrissey issue, “and it’s about getting to the end of Bold Street – if you can. Even if you’re not tripping, there’s no way you can get to the end of it without bumping into people you’ve not seen for 10 years or whatever…” There’s a lot in that quote that might hint at why Head slopes back into the spotlight so erratically: the ‘Live Shows’ section of www.michaelhead.net looks pretty busy until you notice it’s not a list of forthcoming shows, but a record of the sporadic gigs he’s played over the last five years. For all those waves of hype he’s endured (the NME cover was around “HMS Fable” in 1999, a fine collection of songs that were undermined by bombastic Noelrock productions and unrealistic label expectations), Head has not materially altered the quicksilver, febrile nature of his songwriting, or his attitude to his art. “I got some lovely Thai bush from a friend,” he told Uncut. “I went to bed that night and in the morning I had five songs with lyrics that I wouldn’t have written myself… I was never in it for the dough. What me and our J [John Head] do is make songs.” “Artorius Revisited” is as good an introduction to Head’s world as any, though it has a sneaky false start: “PJ”, a burst of tinny techno that seems to be coming out of a phone speaker no matter what stereo system it’s played on, which is abruptly interrupted by the loud and rich cello opening to “Cadiz”. There are four fully-realised songs and two short instrumental bookends, all full of great moments: the way the title track switches back and forth between folkish reveries and staccato voluntaries, which eventually resolves itself into swashbuckling, border-country psych; “Newby Street”, whose sprightly charm recalls the Bacharach aspirations of Head in The Pale Fountains more closely than on any of his subsequent Shack records (“Always Something There To Remind Me” is possibly the closest analogue); and best of all, the call to “Come on!” just before the cello coda of “Lucinda Byre”. It occurs to me, though, that some of the Britpop-era grandstanding around Head and Shack might have been offputting to some of you, so I’ve compiled a few clips that might provide a gateway to this amazing songwriter. Before I roll, though, a swift plug for the new issue of Uncut that’s lurking in UK shops now: new interviews with Ray and Dave Davies, David Crosby, Smokey Robinson, Robert Wyatt, Mogwai, Davy O’List, Jason Isbell and John Sinclair, plus a big preview of plenty of 2014 albums not mentioned here, and an authoritative Richard Williams review of the new Springsteen album that comes with a lengthy Q&A with the key collaborator on “High Hopes”, Tom Morello. Full details here. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfnXVzTKotc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKbDR4xIOOE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O11ZqVAdg5A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEman36xAIQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWASipiIrEY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_k6sZuoXII http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pBsME75Nfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNYsKsrpdU

Sometime last autumn, maybe, an EP called “Artorius Revisited” by Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band was quietly released in limited quantities. Last time he surfaced around 2006/2007, in a quixotic, thwarted and mostly transcendent musical career that now stretches back some three decades, Head and his longest-lasting configuration, Shack, were signed to Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label. It didn’t last.

Time and again, Head has been rediscovered, revered, acclaimed by Gallagher and sundry others as a secret architect of Britpop, found himself on a particularly weird NME cover without his name but with the headline, “This Man Is Our Greatest Songwriter: Recognise Him?” (I should admit a degree of culpability there), and repeatedly faded back into obscurity; stardom unobtained, legend enhanced.

“Artorius Revisited” – now sold out on vinyl and CD, but newly available on iTunes – is largely unburdened by that sort of fuss. It finds Head working without his longest-suffering foil, his brother John, but not much else has changed over the years. In a 1997 review of his “Magical World Of The Strands” masterpiece, I wrote, “Head’s gift is to invest simple acoustic reveries with a depth and melodic resonance that so many rock artisans claim as their own and so few genuinely possess. Here, he draws on similar influences to, say, Belle & Sebastian – Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, his abiding guru, Arthur Lee – but with radically different results. If the admittedly beguiling B&S are studiedly ingenuous, The Strands make bruised, ruefully reflective music.”

That, more or less, still holds true. In fact, theLove/Lee fixation – signposted here, I think, by the allusion to the sacred “Artorius” in the title – might be stronger than ever. One of The Red Elastic Band is Andy Diagram, who figured in Head’s first doomed stab at pop stardom, The Pale Fountains, in the earlyish 1980s. His trumpet here, especially on the terrific title track, provides a blaringly unapologetic reference to “Forever Changes”. Head has always been candid about his heroes, and his unpretentious desire to make music that fits into that romantic continuum.

The thing with Head, though, is that his own idiosyncratic voice and melodic gifts shine through even his most blatant homages. “Lucinda Byre”, on the EP, sees him take Lee’s trick of delivering his lyrics in gushing clusters, as if his thoughts are constantly racing ahead of the song, stretching its pace. But he does it in that gentle Liverpudlian burr, which makes it sound like the song – an amiable navigation around his hometown’s demi-monde – is built out of snatched conversations, at once down-to-earth and mystical.

“The song starts in a café having some acid,” Head told Uncut’s John Robinson in a piece that ran in our end-of-year Morrissey issue, “and it’s about getting to the end of Bold Street – if you can. Even if you’re not tripping, there’s no way you can get to the end of it without bumping into people you’ve not seen for 10 years or whatever…”

There’s a lot in that quote that might hint at why Head slopes back into the spotlight so erratically: the ‘Live Shows’ section of www.michaelhead.net looks pretty busy until you notice it’s not a list of forthcoming shows, but a record of the sporadic gigs he’s played over the last five years. For all those waves of hype he’s endured (the NME cover was around “HMS Fable” in 1999, a fine collection of songs that were undermined by bombastic Noelrock productions and unrealistic label expectations), Head has not materially altered the quicksilver, febrile nature of his songwriting, or his attitude to his art. “I got some lovely Thai bush from a friend,” he told Uncut. “I went to bed that night and in the morning I had five songs with lyrics that I wouldn’t have written myself… I was never in it for the dough. What me and our J [John Head] do is make songs.”

“Artorius Revisited” is as good an introduction to Head’s world as any, though it has a sneaky false start: “PJ”, a burst of tinny techno that seems to be coming out of a phone speaker no matter what stereo system it’s played on, which is abruptly interrupted by the loud and rich cello opening to “Cadiz”. There are four fully-realised songs and two short instrumental bookends, all full of great moments: the way the title track switches back and forth between folkish reveries and staccato voluntaries, which eventually resolves itself into swashbuckling, border-country psych; “Newby Street”, whose sprightly charm recalls the Bacharach aspirations of Head in The Pale Fountains more closely than on any of his subsequent Shack records (“Always Something There To Remind Me” is possibly the closest analogue); and best of all, the call to “Come on!” just before the cello coda of “Lucinda Byre”.

It occurs to me, though, that some of the Britpop-era grandstanding around Head and Shack might have been offputting to some of you, so I’ve compiled a few clips that might provide a gateway to this amazing songwriter. Before I roll, though, a swift plug for the new issue of Uncut that’s lurking in UK shops now: new interviews with Ray and Dave Davies, David Crosby, Smokey Robinson, Robert Wyatt, Mogwai, Davy O’List, Jason Isbell and John Sinclair, plus a big preview of plenty of 2014 albums not mentioned here, and an authoritative Richard Williams review of the new Springsteen album that comes with a lengthy Q&A with the key collaborator on “High Hopes”, Tom Morello. Full details here.

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey

Neil Young kicks off Carnegie Hall residency with ‘greatest hits’ set

Uncut
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Neil Young kicks off Carnegie Hall residency with ‘greatest hits’ set
Neil Young played the first of four solo shows at New York's Carnegie Hall last night [January 6]. The show was divided into two sets, with Young playing a 'greatest hits' set - stretching back to his Buffalo Springfield days - as well as covers of Phil Ochs' "Changes" and Bert Jansch's "Needle Of ...

Neil Young played the first of four solo shows at New York’s Carnegie Hall last night [January 6].

The show was divided into two sets, with Young playing a ‘greatest hits’ set – stretching back to his Buffalo Springfield days – as well as covers of Phil Ochs’ “Changes” and Bert Jansch’s “Needle Of Death”.

Young will also play Carnegie Hall on January 7, 9 and 10.

Young has already confirmed further live dates for 2014. Beyond the remaining Carnegie Hall engagements, he will play five more solo shows including four benefit shows in his native Canada under the banner ‘Honor The Treatise‘, which will aid the native Canadians in their battle against oil companies and the government to preserve their land.

In July, Young reconvenes with Crazy Horse for 10 European dates, including London’s Hyde Park on July 12.

Neil Young’s set list for Carnegie Hall on January 6 was:

Set 1

From Hank To Hendrix

On The Way Home

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Love In Mind

Mellow My Mind

Are You Ready For The Country

Someday

Changes

Harvest

Old Man

Set 2

Goin’ Back

A Man Needs A Maid

Ohio

Southern Man

Mr. Soul

Needle Of Death

The Needle And The Damage Done

Harvest Moon

Flying On The Ground Is Wrong

After The Gold Rush

Heart Of Gold

Comes A Time

Long May You Run

Neil Young is the latest subject of our Ultimate Music Guides. You can read all about it here.

St Vincent reveals new song ‘Digital Witness’ – listen

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St Vincent reveals new song ‘Digital Witness’ – listen

St Vincent is streaming 'Digital Witness', the second track to be taken from her forthcoming new album, 'St Vincent'. Listen to it below. The release of the song follows the premiere of 'Birth In Reverse', the first track to be taken from the album which will be released on February 24. 'St Vincent' was recorded in Dallas, Texas with Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss, McKenzie Smith of Midlake and producer John Congleton. Of the album, Clark has said: "I knew the groove needed to be paramount... I wanted to make a party record you could play at a funeral." St Vincent released her debut album 'Marry Me' in 2007. It was followed by 2009's 'Actor' and 2011's 'Strange Mercy'. In September 2012 she released a collaborative album with David Byrne titled 'Love This Giant'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LsBjrqqHA The 'St Vincent' tracklisting is: 'Rattlesnake' 'Birth In Reverse' 'Prince Johnny' 'Huey Newton' 'Digital Witness' 'I Prefer Your Love' 'Regret' 'Bring Me Your Loves' 'Psychopath' 'Every Tear Disappears' 'Severed Crossed Fingers' Clark will also tour the UK and Ireland in February, as part of a wider European tour. St Vincent will play: London Shepherds Bush Empire (February 20) Manchester The Cathedral (21) Dublin Olympia (22)

St Vincent is streaming ‘Digital Witness’, the second track to be taken from her forthcoming new album, ‘St Vincent’. Listen to it below.

The release of the song follows the premiere of ‘Birth In Reverse’, the first track to be taken from the album which will be released on February 24.

‘St Vincent’ was recorded in Dallas, Texas with Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss, McKenzie Smith of Midlake and producer John Congleton.

Of the album, Clark has said: “I knew the groove needed to be paramount… I wanted to make a party record you could play at a funeral.”

St Vincent released her debut album ‘Marry Me’ in 2007. It was followed by 2009’s ‘Actor’ and 2011’s ‘Strange Mercy’. In September 2012 she released a collaborative album with David Byrne titled ‘Love This Giant’.

The ‘St Vincent’ tracklisting is:

‘Rattlesnake’

‘Birth In Reverse’

‘Prince Johnny’

‘Huey Newton’

‘Digital Witness’

‘I Prefer Your Love’

‘Regret’

‘Bring Me Your Loves’

‘Psychopath’

‘Every Tear Disappears’

‘Severed Crossed Fingers’

Clark will also tour the UK and Ireland in February, as part of a wider European tour.

St Vincent will play:

London Shepherds Bush Empire (February 20)

Manchester The Cathedral (21)

Dublin Olympia (22)

Bruce Springsteen streams new album ‘High Hopes’ in UK

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Bruce Springsteen streams new album ‘High Hopes’ in UK

Bruce Springsteen's new album, 'High Hopes', is currently streaming online. The Guardian are hosting the official stream of Springsteen's 18th studio album. Listen to the 12 track album by clicking here. Tom Morello recently spoke about his involvement with 'High Hopes', saying the album "feels like a timeline". The Rage Against The Machine guitarist filled in for the E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt on Springsteen's Australian tour last year, and Morello then went on to sing and play on eight songs on 'High Hopes'. Speaking to Rolling Stone about the experience, Morello said: "While the writing of the songs may be pretty eclectic, it feels like a pretty cohesive whole to me. It feels like such an honor to be part of a Bruce Springsteen record. I played on Wrecking Ball, but I'm playing a lot and singing on this one. Duetting too." Last month 'High Hopes' was accidentally leaked by Amazon. Fans of the New Jersey legend were able to download each song on ‘High Hopes’ individually as MP3s on December 28, 2013 via Amazon's mobile website. Amazon quickly spotted the error but many file sharers bought copies of the album and it was then widely available to be downloaded illegally, according to Billboard. The 'High Hopes' tracklisting is as follows: 'High Hopes' 'Harry’s Place' 'American Skin (41 Shots)' 'Just Like Fire Would' 'Down In The Hole' 'Heaven’s Wall' 'Frankie Fell In Love' 'This Is Your Sword' 'Hunter Of Invisible Game' 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' 'The Wall' 'Dream Baby Dream'

Bruce Springsteen’s new album, ‘High Hopes’, is currently streaming online.

The Guardian are hosting the official stream of Springsteen’s 18th studio album. Listen to the 12 track album by clicking here.

Tom Morello recently spoke about his involvement with ‘High Hopes’, saying the album “feels like a timeline”. The Rage Against The Machine guitarist filled in for the E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt on Springsteen’s Australian tour last year, and Morello then went on to sing and play on eight songs on ‘High Hopes’.

Speaking to Rolling Stone about the experience, Morello said: “While the writing of the songs may be pretty eclectic, it feels like a pretty cohesive whole to me. It feels like such an honor to be part of a Bruce Springsteen record. I played on Wrecking Ball, but I’m playing a lot and singing on this one. Duetting too.”

Last month ‘High Hopes’ was accidentally leaked by Amazon. Fans of the New Jersey legend were able to download each song on ‘High Hopes’ individually as MP3s on December 28, 2013 via Amazon’s mobile website. Amazon quickly spotted the error but many file sharers bought copies of the album and it was then widely available to be downloaded illegally, according to Billboard.

The ‘High Hopes’ tracklisting is as follows:

‘High Hopes’

‘Harry’s Place’

‘American Skin (41 Shots)’

‘Just Like Fire Would’

‘Down In The Hole’

‘Heaven’s Wall’

‘Frankie Fell In Love’

‘This Is Your Sword’

‘Hunter Of Invisible Game’

‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’

‘The Wall’

‘Dream Baby Dream’

Rare footage of Nirvana’s final Los Angeles gig emerges – watch

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Rare footage of Nirvana’s final Los Angeles gig emerges – watch

Rare footage of Nirvana playing their last ever gig in Los Angeles has been placed online by a film maker close to the band. Documentary maker Dave Markey has uploaded the footage he shot in December 1993 at Los Angeles' Great Western Forum. The band were in the middle of touring the 'In Utero' album and just four months later, in April, Cobain would take his own life. The footage, which you can watch above, includes performances of 'All Apologies' and a cover of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World'. Writing about the video, Markey reveals: "20 years ago tonight (December 30, 1993) I stood on Kurt's side of the stage at my hometown's Los Angeles Forum and captured the last set I would see of this band. A band that I had worked with, toured with; people that I would call my friends. A band that both the world and myself really loved (can't really say this has happened since). Within just a few short months it would sadly all be over. I'm glad to have documented this show, as well as their pre-fame fun in 1991." Late last year (2013), it was confirmed that the city of Hoquiam in the North American state of Washington has declared that April 10, 2014 will be 'Nirvana Day'. Kurt Cobain once lived in Hoquiam, and the town is only four miles from Cobain's hometown of Aberdeen. The day will honour Nirvana's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which also takes place on April 10 of next year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeUAej0brz8

Rare footage of Nirvana playing their last ever gig in Los Angeles has been placed online by a film maker close to the band.

Documentary maker Dave Markey has uploaded the footage he shot in December 1993 at Los Angeles’ Great Western Forum. The band were in the middle of touring the ‘In Utero’ album and just four months later, in April, Cobain would take his own life. The footage, which you can watch above, includes performances of ‘All Apologies’ and a cover of David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’.

Writing about the video, Markey reveals: “20 years ago tonight (December 30, 1993) I stood on Kurt’s side of the stage at my hometown’s Los Angeles Forum and captured the last set I would see of this band. A band that I had worked with, toured with; people that I would call my friends. A band that both the world and myself really loved (can’t really say this has happened since). Within just a few short months it would sadly all be over. I’m glad to have documented this show, as well as their pre-fame fun in 1991.”

Late last year (2013), it was confirmed that the city of Hoquiam in the North American state of Washington has declared that April 10, 2014 will be ‘Nirvana Day’. Kurt Cobain once lived in Hoquiam, and the town is only four miles from Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen. The day will honour Nirvana’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which also takes place on April 10 of next year.

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