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Neil Young – Fork In The Road

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Neil Young – Fork In The Road

Of all the devastating put-downs in his arsenal (Joan Baez, you’ll remember he said, was “like a lamp”), Bob Dylan reserved his most poisonous dart for another of his contemporaries, Phil Ochs. “You’re not a folk singer,” he pronounced, damningly. “You’re a journalist.” A terrible insult in any language, certainly, but here one with genuinely crushing power. Folk songs, after all, survive for generations. Pieces of journalism can, at best, hope to survive until the following morning’s edition. Enduring songs, political songs, songs which aren’t meant to last long at all… one would imagine that all of the above, and more have lately been on Neil Young’s mind. Recently engaged on the first installment of the career retrospective Archives set, Neil Young has lately had his attention on his past: what has been proved to be of enduring value, what’s worth editing out, and what, in fact, is best left unsaid. In every respect, Fork In The Road – a brief, bracing, at times very funny garage-rock blast – is the absolute opposite of such an enterprise. As with its closest precedent, the brief, bracing, garage rock blast of 2006’s Living With War, what’s on offer here is not Neil Young the shy, meditative, folk singer we’ve lately heard emoting from newly released archival recordings. Instead, this is the work of a man who has – again, so soon – been moved by current events to put something down on paper. If Young’s 2009 subject matter makes him a journalist, so does his method. This is no florid essay, but rather angry editorial banged out on a tight deadline, with little regard for the niceties of technique. The subject matter of the piece? That, though not quite as boldly signposted as in Living With War, is still announced pretty plainly. The subject is the recession, and it’s a topic Young chooses to address using one of his most consuming passions as a barometer of the situation: cars. There are moments in the album which tackle the economy more overtly (“Cough Up The Bucks”, in which he asks, simply, “Where did all the money go?”; the highly amusing album closer “Fork In The Road”, in which Young opines in caustic, Mark E Smith style that “There’s a bailout coming/But it’s not for me…”, and tells us to “Keep on blogging/Until the power goes out…”). Elsewhere, however, the car is, undoubtedly, the star. Track four, “Johnny Magic” sets the tone, an elegy for a time when a guy could, as in a road movie, fill a preposterously long automobile with cheap gasoline, and head out on the road (“He met destiny/In the form of a heavy metal Continental/Born to run on the proud highway…”). It’s not mourning the act of driving itself, so much as it is the death of what it used to represent. In Young’s telling here, what formerly spoke of independence, the search for a new start, even freedom, has by 2009 become a guilty pleasure (“Then the world started running out of money…”), and even a political act. After all, does the US not now fight wars for this gasoline? Driving and cars are everything on Fork In The Road. Sometimes, as on “Hit The Road” they’re agents of environmental pollution (“Bumper to bumper/In a giant cloud of fumes…”). Sometimes, as on “Get Behind The Wheel”, they seem to serve as what sounds like a double entendre (“She always wants to please you/No matter what shape you’re in…”). Sometimes, as on “Fuel Line”, they’re journeying, battery powered, to the future. Over all, you wonder if it’s a supremely intelligent way to connect with a middle American audience whose No 1 pre-election priority was not solving the war but the restarting of the economy, and a country whose auto industry is in terminal crisis. Remember the guy in the CSNY film who walked out during “Let’s Impeach The President”, saying the band could “suck my dick”? Neil wants him back on board, and perhaps cars is how he thinks he’s going to speak to him. If that person favours the smoking, ragged garage rock that comprises the bulk of Fork In The Road, then you’d have to conclude, job done. While seemingly banged down in real time, the album contains a good deal of wry muttering, plenty of fine riffs (particularly the opening “When Worlds Collide”) and some surprisingly sophisticated backing vocals. If Young’s own car graveyard is going to remain a charming rock-star’s folly rather than a painful economic metaphor, the journey (this researcher into electric cars seems to be saying) must be forwards, powered by green fuels. Early on in the LP, the wonderful “Just Singing A Song” – a languid, classic Neil groover – had suggested that for all the good tunes, and good intentions, all this kind of rock’n’roll protest can’t do much to change the world. So where does this leave Fork In The Road? A set of enduring classics? Or simply journalism? Either way: hold the front page. JOHN ROBINSON For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive Pic Credit: PA Photos

Of all the devastating put-downs in his arsenal (Joan Baez, you’ll remember he said, was “like a lamp”), Bob Dylan reserved his most poisonous dart for another of his contemporaries, Phil Ochs. “You’re not a folk singer,” he pronounced, damningly. “You’re a journalist.” A terrible insult in any language, certainly, but here one with genuinely crushing power. Folk songs, after all, survive for generations. Pieces of journalism can, at best, hope to survive until the following morning’s edition.

Enduring songs, political songs, songs which aren’t meant to last long at all… one would imagine that all of the above, and more have lately been on Neil Young’s mind. Recently engaged on the first installment of the career retrospective Archives set, Neil Young has lately had his attention on his past: what has been proved to be of enduring value, what’s worth editing out, and what, in fact, is best left unsaid. In every respect, Fork In The Road – a brief, bracing, at times very funny garage-rock blast – is the absolute opposite of such an enterprise.

As with its closest precedent, the brief, bracing, garage rock blast of 2006’s Living With War, what’s on offer here is not Neil Young the shy, meditative, folk singer we’ve lately heard emoting from newly released archival recordings. Instead, this is the work of a man who has – again, so soon – been moved by current events to put something down on paper. If Young’s 2009 subject matter makes him a journalist, so does his method. This is no florid essay, but rather angry editorial banged out on a tight deadline, with little regard for the niceties of technique.

The subject matter of the piece? That, though not quite as boldly signposted as in Living With War, is still announced pretty plainly. The subject is the recession, and it’s a topic Young chooses to address using one of his most consuming passions as a barometer of the situation: cars.

There are moments in the album which tackle the economy more overtly (“Cough Up The Bucks”, in which he asks, simply, “Where did all the money go?”; the highly amusing album closer “Fork In The Road”, in which Young opines in caustic, Mark E Smith style that “There’s a bailout coming/But it’s not for me…”, and tells us to “Keep on blogging/Until the power goes out…”). Elsewhere, however, the car is, undoubtedly, the star.

Track four, “Johnny Magic” sets the tone, an elegy for a time when a guy could, as in a road movie, fill a preposterously long automobile with cheap gasoline, and head out on the road (“He met destiny/In the form of a heavy metal Continental/Born to run on the proud highway…”). It’s not mourning the act of driving itself, so much as it is the death of what it used to represent.

In Young’s telling here, what formerly spoke of independence, the search for a new start, even freedom, has by 2009 become a guilty pleasure (“Then the world started running out of money…”), and even a political act. After all, does the US not now fight wars for this gasoline?

Driving and cars are everything on Fork In The Road. Sometimes, as on “Hit The Road” they’re agents of environmental pollution (“Bumper to bumper/In a giant cloud of fumes…”). Sometimes, as on “Get Behind The Wheel”, they seem to serve as what sounds like a double entendre (“She always wants to please you/No matter what shape you’re in…”). Sometimes, as on “Fuel Line”, they’re journeying, battery powered, to the future.

Over all, you wonder if it’s a supremely intelligent way to connect with a middle American audience whose No 1 pre-election priority was not solving the war but the restarting of the economy, and a country whose auto industry is in terminal crisis. Remember the guy in the CSNY film who walked out during “Let’s Impeach The President”, saying the band could “suck my dick”? Neil wants him back on board, and perhaps cars is how he thinks he’s going to speak to him.

If that person favours the smoking, ragged garage rock that comprises the bulk of Fork In The Road, then you’d have to conclude, job done. While seemingly banged down in real time, the album contains a good deal of wry muttering, plenty of fine riffs (particularly the opening “When Worlds Collide”) and some surprisingly sophisticated backing vocals. If Young’s own car graveyard is going to remain a charming rock-star’s folly rather than a painful economic metaphor, the journey (this researcher into electric cars seems to be saying) must be forwards, powered by green fuels.

Early on in the LP, the wonderful “Just Singing A Song” – a languid, classic Neil groover – had suggested that for all the good tunes, and good intentions, all this kind of rock’n’roll protest can’t do much to change the world. So where does this leave Fork In The Road? A set of enduring classics? Or simply journalism? Either way: hold the front page.

JOHN ROBINSON

For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive

Pic Credit: PA Photos

Leonard Cohen – Live In London

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Leonard Cohen – Live In London

When The Songs Of Leonard Cohen arrived in record shops just after Christmas, 1967, its creator was already 33 years old – an unusual age to be releasing a debut album. But the patina of experience was critical to Cohen’s appeal. Here was a singer – no, a poet – who could write about the usual stuff, chiefly girls – well, women – with a rueful and weathered maturity far beyond the range of his younger contemporaries. It was a good trick then, and it remains so four decades later, as Leonard Cohen continues his extraordinary comeback tour. While the likes of The Rolling Stones tackle the songs of their youth in an absurd if bracing defiance of age, and Bob Dylan and Neil Young often seem to have an ambiguous, sometimes fraught, relationship to their back catalogues, Cohen has no comparable problems. The older he becomes, the better he inhabits many of these uncannily graceful and profound songs. Consequently, Live In London is much more than a souvenir of a memorable show at the O2 Arena in July 2008. It showcases a (then) 73-year-old singer with still-growing wisdom and an ever-deepening voice, who now brings an even greater gravity to songs that were hardly bubblegum in the first place. Take “Who By Fire”. It’d be risky to claim that this live reading is a more definitive version than the original on 1974’s New Skin For The Old Ceremony. But the incantatory resonance of Cohen’s baritone, the way it is underpinned so delicately by the female vocals, Javier Mas’ lute-like archilaúd and Neil Larsen’s Hammond B3, make it sound more like sacred music than a folk singer’s appropriation of sacred music, band introductions notwithstanding. An enterprising film director would do well to cast this Cohen as the voice of a god – if Cohen could reconcile the complexities of his own beliefs to accept such a frivolous gig. Then again, as Live In London proves, Leonard Cohen is a covertly frivolous man. If he has been stereotyped for 20, 30, 40 years as the laureate of misery, these shows have redefined him as more of a droll old charmer, not averse to satirising himself. “It’s been a long time since I stood on the stage in London,” he intones wryly before “Ain’t No Cure For Love”. “It was about 14 or 15 years ago. I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream. Since then I’ve taken a lot of Prozac, Paxil, Welbutrin, Effexor, Ritalin, Focalin. I’ve also studied deeply in the philosophies and religions, but cheerfulness kept breaking through.” He says more or less the same every night, but the crafted wit is well worth repeating. Rehearsal does not preclude warmth, and the three months of preparation that Cohen and the band went through before the tour began last spring – down to the ad libs, perhaps – is one good reason why Live In London has more in common with a measured studio album than most live sets. Spontaneity isn’t necessary here. Instead, meticulous control is crucial to the potency of these 25 songs, particularly in the marvellous sequence that closes the first half of the concert, running through “Who By Fire” and “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” to a broadly celestial “Anthem”. These are not complete reinventions: the musical director, Roscoe Beck, was imbuing Cohen’s songs with the same stately pacing, with similar Mediterranean fringes, as far back as 1988, judging by the Cohen Live album released in 1994. Now, though, there’s a shade more discretion to Bob Metzger’s guitar playing, and fewer cruise liner flourishes from Dino Soldo on the “instruments of wind”. Javier Mas, the Spanish guitarist, is an obvious star, but as the whole band take compact, jewel-like solos during “I Tried To Leave You”, it’s hard to spot a weak link. Cohen himself, of course, may be more reliable these days, having lost his old habit of drinking three bottles of wine before a show. He has a clutch of relatively new songs, too, with two from 2001’s underrated Ten New Songs included in the London show, plus a stirring recitation of verses from “A Thousand Kisses Deep” that didn’t make the original recording. A meditation on love, memory, mortality and related topics, it’s an apposite highlight, not least when Cohen intones, “I’m still working with the wine, still dancing cheek to cheek/The band is playing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, but the heart will not retreat.” It captures a man forced back on to the road by financial exigency – back to “Boogie Street”, he might say – only to discover that something else is driving him onwards. Perhaps that something, Cohen realised, is a chance to achieve a resolution of sorts, with both his art and with his fans. An uncommonly thoughtful victory lap, which deserves – and has received – a handsome recorded memorial. JOHN MULVEY For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive Pic credit: PA Photos

When The Songs Of Leonard Cohen arrived in record shops just after Christmas, 1967, its creator was already 33 years old – an unusual age to be releasing a debut album. But the patina of experience was critical to Cohen’s appeal. Here was a singer – no, a poet – who could write about the usual stuff, chiefly girls – well, women – with a rueful and weathered maturity far beyond the range of his younger contemporaries.

It was a good trick then, and it remains so four decades later, as Leonard Cohen continues his extraordinary comeback tour. While the likes of The Rolling Stones tackle the songs of their youth in an absurd if bracing defiance of age, and Bob Dylan and Neil Young often seem to have an ambiguous, sometimes fraught, relationship to their back catalogues, Cohen has no comparable problems. The older he becomes, the better he inhabits many of these uncannily graceful and profound songs.

Consequently, Live In London is much more than a souvenir of a memorable show at the O2 Arena in July 2008. It showcases a (then) 73-year-old singer with still-growing wisdom and an ever-deepening voice, who now brings an even greater gravity to songs that were hardly bubblegum in the first place.

Take “Who By Fire”. It’d be risky to claim that this live reading is a more definitive version than the original on 1974’s New Skin For The Old Ceremony. But the incantatory resonance of Cohen’s baritone, the way it is underpinned so delicately by the female vocals, Javier Mas’ lute-like archilaúd and Neil Larsen’s Hammond B3, make it sound more like sacred music than a folk singer’s appropriation of sacred music, band introductions notwithstanding. An enterprising film director would do well to cast this Cohen as the voice of a god – if Cohen could reconcile the complexities of his own beliefs to accept such a frivolous gig.

Then again, as Live In London proves, Leonard Cohen is a covertly frivolous man. If he has been stereotyped for 20, 30, 40 years as the laureate of misery, these shows have redefined him as more of a droll old charmer, not averse to satirising himself.

“It’s been a long time since I stood on the stage in London,” he intones wryly before “Ain’t No Cure For Love”. “It was about 14 or 15 years ago. I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream. Since then I’ve taken a lot of Prozac, Paxil, Welbutrin, Effexor, Ritalin, Focalin. I’ve also studied deeply in the philosophies and religions, but cheerfulness kept breaking through.”

He says more or less the same every night, but the crafted wit is well worth repeating. Rehearsal does not preclude warmth, and the three months of preparation that Cohen and the band went through before the tour began last spring – down to the ad libs, perhaps – is one good reason why Live In London has more in common with a measured studio album than most live sets.

Spontaneity isn’t necessary here. Instead, meticulous control is crucial to the potency of these 25 songs, particularly in the marvellous sequence that closes the first half of the concert, running through “Who By Fire” and “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” to a broadly celestial “Anthem”.

These are not complete reinventions: the musical director, Roscoe Beck, was imbuing Cohen’s songs with the same stately pacing, with similar Mediterranean fringes, as far back as 1988, judging by the Cohen Live album released in 1994. Now, though, there’s a shade more discretion to Bob Metzger’s guitar playing, and fewer cruise liner flourishes from Dino Soldo on the “instruments of wind”. Javier Mas, the Spanish guitarist, is an obvious star, but as the whole band take compact, jewel-like solos during “I Tried To Leave You”, it’s hard to spot a weak link.

Cohen himself, of course, may be more reliable these days, having lost his old habit of drinking three bottles of wine before a show. He has a clutch of relatively new songs, too, with two from 2001’s underrated Ten New Songs included in the London show, plus a stirring recitation of verses from “A Thousand Kisses Deep” that didn’t make the original recording. A meditation on love, memory, mortality and related topics, it’s an apposite highlight, not least when Cohen intones, “I’m still working with the wine, still dancing cheek to cheek/The band is playing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, but the heart will not retreat.”

It captures a man forced back on to the road by financial exigency – back to “Boogie Street”, he might say – only to discover that something else is driving him onwards. Perhaps that something, Cohen realised, is a chance to achieve a resolution of sorts, with both his art and with his fans. An uncommonly thoughtful victory lap, which deserves – and has received – a handsome recorded memorial.

JOHN MULVEY

For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive

Pic credit: PA Photos

Doves – Kingdom Of Rust

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Doves – Kingdom Of Rust

In recent months, a lot of positive things have been attributed to Elbow’s award-winning brand of northern rock, but there is one bunch of shaggy Mancunians who should be particularly grateful for the late blooming of Guy Garvey’s mob. In spite of past fortunes, Elbow’s new-found success has prepared the ground for the kind of epic melancholy indie at which Doves excel. Earthy sincerity laced to chiming riffs, robust songs of intimacy and local geography sung by unshaven men within touching distance of 40: Kingdom Of Rust confirms that Doves do this better than anyone else. That there’s been a gap of four years between albums makes their return sweeter still. Even Doves’ staunchest admirers would concede that Jimi Goodwin and the Williams twins, Andy and Jez, had begun to tread water by 2005’s Some Cities, their third in five years, a record that sold well but didn’t take any unexpected diversions. For their fourth album, Kingdom Of Rust, the band decamped to their studio in a converted dairy farm, far enough from anywhere, and spent the next two-and-a-half years crafting these dozen songs, day in, day out. “It was a case of, justify why we’re still together in this room, after this long,” says Goodwin. What they’ve produced is perhaps the definitive Doves album, one steeped in the euphoric misery of old, but which explores the band’s adventurous side to stunning effect, and demonstrates how they’ve matured as musicians into innovative songwriters. Such is the attention to detail, you can well believe they were working on each track right up to the deadline in December last year. Electronic opener “Jetstream” – far more thrilling, more New Order even, than the New Order track of the same name – purrs along with Jimi and Jez calling out over a pulsing Kraftwerk rhythm befor barrelling into an irresistible, “Fools Gold” baggy groove. Most surprising of all, the fortified funk of “Compulsion” nearly rewrites Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” in the dubbed-out style of Liquid Liquid, and manages to channel the feral energy of a downtown New York disco from a field near Wilmslow. It’s a club classic already and, technically, should’ve come out on Factory in 1983. For contrast, compare this with the enchanting “Birds Flew Backwards”, Goodwin’s tender David Crosby moment. This leads into “Spellbound”, the album’s prettiest number that unfurls like The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” into a love song. Somehow, this bear of a bloke bellowing, “You keep me here, so spellbound/Love pulls me near to sacred ground”, is rarely less than moving. When Doves revisit familiar themes, they do so with a renewed sense of purpose. “Kingdom Of Rust” is a fleshier version of The Last Broadcast’s“There Goes The Fear” , a country’n’western swagger recast as a rainy moorland romp. “The Outsiders” finds Doves at their heaviest, with Goodwin chanting, almost ranting, “Nothing to lose, so nothing gets lost/So much choice, no choice at all/In the universe, just the two of us”, over racks of muscular riffage. “House Of Mirrors” is ’60s psych-stomp with a sugary chrous, while “The Great Denier” is burly enough to crush any Coldplay comparisons (although the way it unravels, trembling, is close to a Chris Martin composition). Other songs – the drivetime duo “10.03” and “Winter Hill” – would surely be hit singles for an inferior outfit. Soulful and sentimental as always, Doves have also made an intrepid record with Kingdom Of Rust. By expanding their repertoire, taking a few risks, and nailing those harmonies, they’ve made what feels like the first great British album of 2009. To hear this band at the peak of their power – as Doves indisputably are – has been worth the wait. PIERS MARTIN For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive

In recent months, a lot of positive things have been attributed to Elbow’s award-winning brand of northern rock, but there is one bunch of shaggy Mancunians who should be particularly grateful for the late blooming of Guy Garvey’s mob.

In spite of past fortunes, Elbow’s new-found success has prepared the ground for the kind of epic melancholy indie at which Doves excel. Earthy sincerity laced to chiming riffs, robust songs of intimacy and local geography sung by unshaven men within touching distance of 40: Kingdom Of Rust confirms that Doves do this better than anyone else. That there’s been a gap of four years between albums makes their return sweeter still.

Even Doves’ staunchest admirers would concede that Jimi Goodwin and the Williams twins, Andy and Jez, had begun to tread water by 2005’s Some Cities, their third in five years, a record that sold well but didn’t take any unexpected diversions. For their fourth album, Kingdom Of Rust, the band decamped to their studio in a converted dairy farm, far enough from anywhere, and spent the next two-and-a-half years crafting these dozen songs, day in, day out. “It was a case of, justify why we’re still together in this room, after this long,” says Goodwin.

What they’ve produced is perhaps the definitive Doves album, one steeped in the euphoric misery of old, but which explores the band’s adventurous side to stunning effect, and demonstrates how they’ve matured as musicians into innovative songwriters. Such is the attention to detail, you can well believe they were working on each track right up to the deadline in December last year. Electronic opener “Jetstream” – far more thrilling, more New Order even, than the New Order track of the same name – purrs along with Jimi and Jez calling out over a pulsing Kraftwerk rhythm befor barrelling into an irresistible, “Fools Gold” baggy groove. Most surprising of all, the fortified funk of “Compulsion” nearly rewrites Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” in the dubbed-out style of Liquid Liquid, and manages to channel the feral energy of a downtown New York disco from a field near Wilmslow.

It’s a club classic already and, technically, should’ve come out on Factory in 1983. For contrast, compare this with the enchanting “Birds Flew Backwards”, Goodwin’s tender David Crosby moment. This leads into “Spellbound”, the album’s prettiest number that unfurls like The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” into a love song. Somehow, this bear of a bloke bellowing, “You keep me here, so spellbound/Love pulls me near to sacred ground”, is rarely less than moving.

When Doves revisit familiar themes, they do so with a renewed sense of purpose. “Kingdom Of Rust” is a fleshier version of The Last Broadcast’s“There Goes The Fear” , a country’n’western swagger recast as a rainy moorland romp. “The Outsiders” finds Doves at their heaviest, with Goodwin chanting, almost ranting, “Nothing to lose, so nothing gets lost/So much choice, no choice at all/In the universe, just the two of us”, over racks of muscular riffage. “House Of Mirrors” is ’60s psych-stomp with a sugary chrous, while “The Great Denier” is burly enough to crush any Coldplay comparisons (although the way it unravels, trembling, is close to a Chris Martin composition). Other songs – the drivetime duo “10.03” and “Winter Hill” – would surely be hit singles for an inferior outfit.

Soulful and sentimental as always, Doves have also made an intrepid record with Kingdom Of Rust. By expanding their repertoire, taking a few risks, and nailing those harmonies, they’ve made what feels like the first great British album of 2009. To hear this band at the peak of their power – as Doves indisputably are – has been worth the wait.

PIERS MARTIN

For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

Ever since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shot out of New York’s art-rock scene circa 2001 in a commotion of fishnet tights, smeared lipstick, and impossibly spiky hair, the bass-shunning trio have, unlike many of their peers, remained at the vanguard of cool. Their albums (which are too infrequent – it’s been three years since the brilliant, if under-appreciated, Show Your Bones) never so much drop as they detonate, and It’s Blitz! is no exception, despite the fact that this is a record unlike any we’ve heard from the band before. From the ricocheting Giorgio Moroder-esque glitterball beat that drives electro-pop opener “Zero,” to the spectral hush of closer “Little Shadow,” It’s Blitz! bristles and sighs with the confidence of a group that has found a way to evolve into something glossy and commercially aerodynamic without entirely losing sight of its grimy garage-rock past. The most dramatic third-album shift is that Nick Zinner’s slashing, evil-spider guitar, which has long provided the dirty, driving force behind most Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs, has been sublimated by a whirr of synthesisers. In theory, this sounds worrying, but in practice it mostly works a treat. Although the album lacks the slinky, spiked menace of much of Show Your Bones, what emerges in its place is more full-bodied and atmospheric than anything they’ve achieved before. Unmoored from those defining six-string sonic parameters, they are de-fanged, perhaps, but still rippling with life. For better or for worse, this is a record with a split personality. Half of the tracks are slickly glamorous slices of dancefloor dynamite – the best one, “Heads Will Roll”, finds Karen O sounding more Kylie than Poly Styrene as she unleashes its timely partying-while-the-world-burns chorus: “Off off off with your head/ Dance dance dance till you’re dead” – while the other half are delicate, introspective ballads. What unifies them is a warm romanticism that runs throughout, edging out Karen’s blatant eroticism of yore – even though there are more come-downs than come-ons, every song seems to glow from within. “Hysteric” is the closest the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have come to capturing the raw emotional punch of 2004 hit “Maps”: Its refrain – “you suddenly complete me” – could have fallen into Jerry Maguire cliché in less deft hands, but instead pithily summarises the blunt shock of finding oneself unexpectedly in love. On “Dragon Queen” the band sounds almost unrecognisable, veering off into irrepressible hiccupping polyrhythms (courtesy of drummer Brian Chase) that recall the Tom Tom Club. “Soft Shock”, meanwhile, features a pulsing synth à la Berlin’s “Metro”, and on “Dull Life” – the song that most obviously recalls the ballsy insouciance of their sensational 2002 debut EP – Zinner’s Fender roars into frame again, and it’s a joy to hear it. So much so, in fact, that you can’t help but wish they’d found a little more space for guitars elsewhere on the album. It’s Blitz! does have a weak link or two: “Shame And Fortune” falls squarely between being underwhelming and irritating, and “Skeletons” is an exercise in over-done synths (they really shouldn’t sound like bagpipes, but they do) that goes precisely nowhere. Yet even within such less successful tracks, you can’t fault them for inertia: every nook and cranny is packed with effects and ideas. This spirit of experimentation, no doubt buoyed by having such able producers as Nick Launay (who worked with the band on the 2007 stop-gap EP, “Is Is”) and TV On The Radio’s formidable Dave Sitek on board, is ultimately what elevates It’s Blitz! above the occasional saggy moment. Despite its obvious debt to the ’80s and its (appreciated) nods to the trio’s own past, it’s their most modern, innovative record yet. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have once again raised the bar – both for themselves and for the other bands that remain in their shadow. UNCUT Q&A with Brian Chase: UNCUT:How did you approach this album differently? BRIAN: We had no idea what it would sound like when we first started working. We had a really open attitude towards experimentation, and we did a lot of collective improvising, which is something we’ve never done before. From those sessions we extracted certain things we liked, and then the songs grew from there. What sparked the adoption of keyboards? Nick brought a keyboard into the writing sessions, and it just worked. Over the years we’ve gotten to know each other so well that we have to keep plotting new ways to push ourselves into unfamiliar territory. Putting a limitation on Nick to move away from guitar and work with synths forced us to be more creative. What did Dave Sitek’s production bring to the record? We only spent about three days with him, but they were crucial days. He has a fearless, throw-caution-to-the-wind approach to production. He was there to revolutionise what we were doing in terms of the electronics and the overall aesthetic and sound. There’s a cool dryness to the record; the drums and guitars are more contained, less bombastic. That definitely has to do with him. Are the brass sounds a TV On The Radio influence? Totally. We’re going to bring extra musicians on tour to play that stuff live. Karen should bust out the saxophone, though… that would be great. APRIL LONG For more album reviews, click here for the 3000 reviews strong UNCUT music archive

Ever since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shot out of New York’s art-rock scene circa 2001 in a commotion of fishnet tights, smeared lipstick, and impossibly spiky hair, the bass-shunning trio have, unlike many of their peers, remained at the vanguard of cool. Their albums (which are too infrequent – it’s been three years since the brilliant, if under-appreciated, Show Your Bones) never so much drop as they detonate, and It’s Blitz! is no exception, despite the fact that this is a record unlike any we’ve heard from the band before. From the ricocheting Giorgio Moroder-esque glitterball beat that drives electro-pop opener “Zero,” to the spectral hush of closer “Little Shadow,” It’s Blitz! bristles and sighs with the confidence of a group that has found a way to evolve into something glossy and commercially aerodynamic without entirely losing sight of its grimy garage-rock past.

The most dramatic third-album shift is that Nick Zinner’s slashing, evil-spider guitar, which has long provided the dirty, driving force behind most Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs, has been sublimated by a whirr of synthesisers. In theory, this sounds worrying, but in practice it mostly works a treat. Although the album lacks the slinky, spiked menace of much of Show Your Bones, what emerges in its place is more full-bodied and atmospheric than anything they’ve achieved before. Unmoored from those defining six-string sonic parameters, they are de-fanged, perhaps, but still rippling with life.

For better or for worse, this is a record with a split personality. Half of the tracks are slickly glamorous slices of dancefloor dynamite – the best one, “Heads Will Roll”, finds Karen O sounding more Kylie than Poly Styrene as she unleashes its timely partying-while-the-world-burns chorus: “Off off off with your head/ Dance dance dance till you’re dead” – while the other half are delicate, introspective ballads. What unifies them is a warm romanticism that runs throughout, edging out Karen’s blatant eroticism of yore – even though there are more come-downs than come-ons, every song seems to glow from within.

“Hysteric” is the closest the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have come to capturing the raw emotional punch of 2004 hit “Maps”: Its refrain – “you suddenly complete me” – could have fallen into Jerry Maguire cliché in less deft hands, but instead pithily summarises the blunt shock of finding oneself unexpectedly in love. On “Dragon Queen” the band sounds almost unrecognisable, veering off into irrepressible hiccupping polyrhythms (courtesy of drummer Brian Chase) that recall the Tom Tom Club. “Soft Shock”, meanwhile, features a pulsing synth à la Berlin’s “Metro”, and on “Dull Life” – the song that most obviously recalls the ballsy insouciance of their sensational 2002 debut EP – Zinner’s Fender roars into frame again, and it’s a joy to hear it. So much so, in fact, that you can’t help but wish they’d found a little more space for guitars elsewhere on the album.

It’s Blitz! does have a weak link or two: “Shame And Fortune” falls squarely between being underwhelming and irritating, and “Skeletons” is an exercise in over-done synths (they really shouldn’t sound like bagpipes, but they do) that goes precisely nowhere. Yet even within such less successful tracks, you can’t fault them for inertia: every nook and cranny is packed with effects and ideas. This spirit of experimentation, no doubt buoyed by having such able producers as Nick Launay (who worked with the band on the 2007 stop-gap EP, “Is Is”) and TV On The Radio’s formidable Dave Sitek on board, is ultimately what elevates It’s Blitz! above the occasional saggy moment. Despite its obvious debt to the ’80s and its (appreciated) nods to the trio’s own past, it’s their most modern, innovative record yet. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have once again raised the bar – both for themselves and for the other bands that remain in their shadow.

UNCUT Q&A with Brian Chase:

UNCUT:How did you approach this album differently?

BRIAN: We had no idea what it would sound like when we first started working. We had a really open attitude towards experimentation, and we did a lot of collective improvising, which is something we’ve never done before. From those sessions we extracted certain things we liked, and then the songs grew from there.

What sparked the adoption of keyboards?

Nick brought a keyboard into the writing sessions, and it just worked. Over the years we’ve gotten to know each other so well that we have to keep plotting new ways to push ourselves into unfamiliar territory. Putting a limitation on Nick to move away from guitar and work with synths forced us to be more creative.

What did Dave Sitek’s production bring to the record?

We only spent about three days with him, but they were crucial days. He has a fearless, throw-caution-to-the-wind approach to production. He was there to revolutionise what we were doing in terms of the electronics and the overall aesthetic and sound. There’s a cool dryness to the record; the drums and guitars are more contained, less bombastic. That definitely has to do with him.

Are the brass sounds a TV On The Radio influence?

Totally. We’re going to bring extra musicians on tour to play that stuff live. Karen should bust out the saxophone, though… that would be great.

APRIL LONG

For more album reviews, click here for the 3000 reviews strong UNCUT music archive

Tony Manero

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Tony Manero
TONY MANERO Directed by Pablo Larrain Starring Alfredo Castro, Amparo Noguera, Paola Lattus *** Tony Manero takes place in the crumbling backstreets of Santiago in 1978, at the height of Pinochet’s murderous dictatorship. Co-writer Alfredo Castro plays Raúl, a seedy fifty-ish peacock who drea...

TONY MANERO

Directed by Pablo Larrain

Starring Alfredo Castro, Amparo Noguera, Paola Lattus

***

Tony Manero takes place in the crumbling backstreets of Santiago in 1978, at the height of Pinochet’s murderous dictatorship. Co-writer Alfredo Castro plays Raúl, a seedy fifty-ish peacock who dreams of escaping his wretched existence by impersonating John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever hero on a low-rent TV talent show. To realise this goal he is prepared to betray, batter and even kill his friends and lovers.

Mostly shot on shaky hand-held cameras in dingy back rooms, Tony Manero creates a purgatorial Chile, with police death squads lurking on every street corner. But Larrain never strains for obvious political allegory –sure, Raúl’s obsession with the big Hollywood import of the era serves as a metaphor for US cultural imperialism, but works just as well as an illustration of his impoverished imagination and midlife sexual anxiety. A highly original portrait of a sociopath in a corrupt, festering, morally bankrupt society, this bleakly funny psycho-horror movie makes for clammy, compulsive viewing.

STEPHEN DALTON

The Corner

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The Corner

Well, even David Simon and Ed Burns had to start somewhere. Notable mainly for featuring a number of what we might call the “good guys” from The Wire, playing “street” roles, The Corner is a miniseries with some familiar components – Baltimore, heroin – but with a far smaller field of vision. Part of the fault of this rests in the documentary-style framing of the show, but while there are some good performances, this is a piece which is at pains to tell you how authentic it is, while only seldom showing you. EXTRAS: None. JOHN ROBINSON

Well, even David Simon and Ed Burns had to start somewhere. Notable mainly for featuring a number of what we might call the “good guys” from The Wire, playing “street” roles, The Corner is a miniseries with some familiar components – Baltimore, heroin – but with a far smaller field of vision.

Part of the fault of this rests in the documentary-style framing of the show, but while there are some good performances, this is a piece which is at pains to tell you how authentic it is, while only seldom showing you.

EXTRAS: None.

JOHN ROBINSON

Friday trailer bonanza

Michael Bonner
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Well, maybe not quite a bonanza as such, but as we're now embedding videos at The View From Here, I thought it might be a neat idea to start running a regular round up of some of our favourite movie trailers. It might certainly help pass a few minutes while you're waiting to go to the pub. So, here's two of my recent favourites. I am, of course, basing my opinion solely on what's contained here in the trailer -- I can't vouch for what the finished films will be like. Public Enemies It's Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. In a Michael Mann film. What on earth would there be not to like..? Depp's the 1930s bank robber John Dillinger, Bale's Melvin Purves, the Fed sent to bring him in. Of course, the Dillinger story's been filmed several times before. Our favourite, inevitably, is the John Milius version from 1973, with Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as Purves. Interestingly, I saw a second trailer at a screening of State Of Play the other night; it seems to make more of the love story between Dillinger and Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) than this trailer -- which plays like a bit like a period version of Heat. [youtube]MnDWja8gPFw[/youtube] The Limits Of Control Pleased, I must say, that yesterday afternoon's Youtube trawl unearthed this, the trailer for the new Jim Jarmusch film. It's sort of difficult to know quite what the film's about (the dialogue is very oblique): it might be about a professional assassin, some of it's definitely set in Spain, Bill Murray looks good in a suit but I am less convinced, personally, by Tilda Swinton's wig. If, indeed, that is a wig. Anyway, I'm in the process of trying to find some more data about the film. I'm not even sure when it's out in the UK. Meantime, let me know what you think of the trailer. [youtube]uKXJzFCSOTg[/youtube] I also wanted to post the trailer for Bruno, the new Sasha Baron Cohen film. Unfortunately, it's a Red Band trailer, which means it's over 18s only. Accordingly, there's a number of physical processes you need to go through to view the trailer on Youtube -- entering your date of birth, stuff like that. Anyway, it's worth finding, and very funny. I'm really interested to know what trailers you might have seen and enjoyed recently. Drop me a note. Oh, and while I'm at it, don't forget: we're on Twitter!

Well, maybe not quite a bonanza as such, but as we’re now embedding videos at The View From Here, I thought it might be a neat idea to start running a regular round up of some of our favourite movie trailers. It might certainly help pass a few minutes while you’re waiting to go to the pub.

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Uncut Arena headliners for Latitude are revealed!

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Spiritualized, The Gossip and Bat For Lashes have been announced to headline the UNCUT Arena at this year's Latitude Festival, which takes place from July 16 - 19, in the stunning location of Southwold in Suffolk. Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes returns to perform at the festival after a deliciou...

Spiritualized, The Gossip and Bat For Lashes have been announced to headline the UNCUT Arena at this year’s Latitude Festival, which takes place from July 16 – 19, in the stunning location of Southwold in Suffolk.

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Spiritualized, The Gossip, Bat For Lashes To Headline Uncut Arena!

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Spiritualized, The Gossip, Bat For Lashes To Headline Uncut Arena!
Spiritualized, The Gossip and Bat For Lashes have been announced to headline the UNCUT Arena at this year's Latitude Festival, which takes place from July 16 - 19, in the stunning location of Southwold in Suffolk. Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes returns to perform at the festival after a deliciousl...

Spiritualized, The Gossip and Bat For Lashes have been announced to headline the UNCUT Arena at this year’s Latitude Festival, which takes place from July 16 – 19, in the stunning location of Southwold in Suffolk.

Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes returns to perform at the festival after a deliciously crepuscularly ambient performance on the Obelisk stage in 2007. With a new album, ‘Two Suns’ which further develops on her inspirations of Bjork and Kate Bush, Bat For Lashes headline slot on Friday July 17 will definitely be the place to be.

Jason Pierce fronted Spiritualized will take over to headline the impressive structured Uncut Arena tent on Saturday night (July 18). The man who brought us ‘Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ 12 years ago has continually experimented with sound, and mixes gospel with fuzzed-up guitars.

Uncut’s Sunday night (July 19) headliners are The Gossip, the Arkansas trio who have reaped huge acclaim for their boistrous live shows, fronted by the heady icon Beth Ditto. The show will certainly bring Uncut’s Latitude Festival billing to an explosive culmination.

As well as the headliners, two further acts have been confirmed so far; one being the legendary and hugely influential Magazine. All original members (barring the deceased John McGeoch) led by Howard Devoto will perform songs from their punk and new-wave canon.

Also playing will be acoustic singer songwriter Newton Faulkner, who topped the album charts in 2007 with ‘Hand Built By Robots’. Faulkner will bring his blues guitar and material from his forthcoming second album to Henham Park this July.

All the new additions to the Latitude line-up join the previously announced Obelisk Arena headliners Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, as well as Doves and Editors.

As every year, Latitude will be announcing an eclectic line-up for the myriad of stages at the festival. Stay tuned to Uncut’s Latitude Festival blog for details in the run-up to the Summer’s premiere festival event.

Tickets and site info are available from the Latitude website here: www.latitudefestival.co.uk

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Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Live Webcast Today (April 3)

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Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Live Webcast Today (April 3)

Last surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will take part ina live webcast this afternoon (4pm GMT), to endorse film director David Lynch's initiative to teach one million at-risk youth Transcendental Meditation™. Taking place at New York's Radio City Music Hall the musicians will be joined by David Lynch, Russell Simmons and a panel of doctors and educators for the news conference. A concert, headlined by Paul McCartney will also take place on Saturday April 4 at the same venue to raise funds for the David Lynch Foundation initiative. Guest artists will include Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Moby, Paul Horn, Bettye LaVette, Mike Love, and Jim James. Pre-concert Webcast hosted by David Lynch Foundation Television Watch the news conference from 4pm GMT here DavidLynchFoundation.org A Q&A with Sir Paul McCartney on the David Lynch Foundation has also been released. What is it about the goal of David Lynch's foundation that inspired you to participate in this concert? Paul: I like the idea of bringing an ancient practice into the modern world. Who would have thought that by introducing meditation into the education system you could lower people’s aggression levels and get a more peaceful society? You traveled to India to study with Maharishi in 1968. What was the single most important idea or experience or lesson you gained while you were there? Paul: Getting a mantra from Maharishi and then learning how to use it. The rest is up to yourself. So actually, being given a mantra and being taught what to do with it was the most important aspect of the trip—the rest was great fun. What are your recollections of Maharishi? How would you describe him? Paul: He was a very spiritual and intelligent man, but what made him so endearing to me was his infectious sense of humor. Why do you think it is valuable for young people to meditate? What do you think they gain from the experience? Paul: I think meditation offers a moment in your day to be at peace with yourself and therefore the universe, which once was thought of as a slightly silly hippie idea, but now it’s much more accepted and even fits with some of the most advanced scientific thinking. Any particular message you would like to share with your fans? Paul: Thanks for continuing to bother to listen to me! I wish you peace, love, and laughter. For more music and film news click here

Last surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will take part ina live webcast this afternoon (4pm GMT), to endorse film director David Lynch‘s initiative to teach one million at-risk youth Transcendental Meditation™.

Taking place at New York’s Radio City Music Hall the musicians will be joined by David Lynch, Russell Simmons and a panel of doctors and educators for the news conference.

A concert, headlined by Paul McCartney will also take place on Saturday April 4 at the same venue to raise funds for the David Lynch Foundation initiative. Guest artists will include Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Moby, Paul Horn, Bettye LaVette, Mike Love, and Jim James.

Pre-concert Webcast hosted by David Lynch Foundation Television

Watch the news conference from 4pm GMT here DavidLynchFoundation.org

A Q&A with Sir Paul McCartney on the David Lynch Foundation has also been released.

What is it about the goal of David Lynch’s foundation that inspired you to participate in this concert?

Paul: I like the idea of bringing an ancient practice into the modern world. Who would have thought that by introducing meditation into the education system you could lower people’s aggression levels and get a more peaceful society?

You traveled to India to study with Maharishi in 1968. What was the single most important idea or experience or lesson you gained while you were there?

Paul: Getting a mantra from Maharishi and then learning how to use it. The rest is up to yourself. So actually, being given a mantra and being taught what to do with it was the most important aspect of the trip—the rest was great fun.

What are your recollections of Maharishi? How would you describe him?

Paul: He was a very spiritual and intelligent man, but what made him so endearing to me was his infectious sense of humor.

Why do you think it is valuable for young people to meditate? What do you think they gain from the experience?

Paul: I think meditation offers a moment in your day to be at peace with yourself and therefore the universe, which once was thought of as a slightly silly hippie idea, but now it’s much more accepted and even fits with some of the most advanced scientific thinking.

Any particular message you would like to share with your fans?

Paul: Thanks for continuing to bother to listen to me! I wish you peace, love, and laughter.

For more music and film news click here

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas; “II”

John Mulvey
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My favourite single track of 2009 thus far, as I mentioned in last week’s Boredoms “Super Roots 10” blog, is the Lindstrøm mix of that band’s “Ant 10”. Good news, then, that the Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas’ new album turned up a few days later. There’s currently a small glut of new cosmic dance music, of which “II” by this pair of Norwegians is very much at the forefront.. Like so much else around at the moment (most of it, in truth, tactfully avoided by this blog), there’s a biggish ‘80s influence evident in these eight gleaming tracks. But rather than kitschy, disposable electropop, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas shoot for something more epic, often recalling a luxe, hyper-tooled update of Krautrock. A big influence, then, on these deliriously noodly, unravelling grooves is Manuel Göttsching’s “E2-E4”, the 60-minute extrapolation of proto-trance waves and freakout guitar that pre-empted so much house, especially of the Balearic kind. There’s a compelling languour to the way Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas work here, amiably fiddling with the mix and factoring live instrumentation into these apparently endless grooves. It’s a record to get comfortably lost in, only occasionally being startled out of its enveloping vibes by the odd strange echo. Someone here in the office mentioned Tangerine Dream’s soundtrack to “Risky Business”, for instance, and the plangent piano line that lopes gently through “For Ett Slikk Og Ingenting” provides something I never thought I’d write about: a piece of music that’s lovely in spite of reminding me of Elton John’s “Song For Guy”. More healthily, another colleague referenced Roxy Music – I’m assuming the instrumentals from “Avalon” – as the sleek opening “Cisco” began. And on the outstanding “Note I Love You +100”, the juxtaposition of synths and twanging guitar lead is totally reminiscent of something from the first Michael Rother solo albums. The general atmosphere, as a consequence, recalls that subtle evolution from kosmische extravagance to a sort of streamlined technocracy. It’s a tremendously warm, easy-going, but still energising record, and one that is more enjoyable than last year’s still fine solo album from Lindstrøm, “Where You Go I Go Too”; “II” cuts back on the bombast that dominated there – not so many Jean-Michel Jarre and “War Of The Worlds” references, for a start. Anyway, excellent album. And there’s a similarly engrossing one from The Field that I’ll try and write something about in the next week or so.

My favourite single track of 2009 thus far, as I mentioned in last week’s Boredoms “Super Roots 10” blog, is the Lindstrøm mix of that band’s “Ant 10”. Good news, then, that the Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas’ new album turned up a few days later.

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Blur Manchester Support Slots Revealed

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Blur Manchester Support Slots Revealed
Blur have revealed that 2007 Mercury Prize winners Klaxons and 2008 BRIT Award Critics Choice winner Florence and the Machine will play on the bill for their Manchester MEN Arena show on June 26. The newly reformed band's comeback gigs this Summer, including two nights in Hyde Park (July 2 and 3) w...

Blur have revealed that 2007 Mercury Prize winners Klaxons and 2008 BRIT Award Critics Choice winner Florence and the Machine will play on the bill for their Manchester MEN Arena show on June 26.

The newly reformed band’s comeback gigs this Summer, including two nights in Hyde Park (July 2 and 3) will have unique artists in support, Blur’s manager Chris Morrison has said; “Every show Blur play this summer is going to be unique and different, so we’re delighted Klaxons and Florence And The Machine have agreed to join us for the evening. Blur are really looking forward to this gig – they’ve always had an amazing reception in Manchester.”

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New Neil Young Album Streams Online

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New Neil Young Album Streams Online
Neil Young's new album 'Fork In The Road has premiered online today (April 2) at the singer's Myspace page. The global debut for the album comes a week ahead of it's official release on April 7. Hear Fork In The Road here: www.myspace.com/neilyoung Read Uncut's preview of the new record here. T...

Neil Young‘s new album ‘Fork In The Road has premiered online today (April 2) at the singer’s Myspace page.

The global debut for the album comes a week ahead of it’s official release on April 7.

Hear Fork In The Road here: www.myspace.com/neilyoung

Read Uncut’s preview of the new record here.

The tracklisting for “Fork In The Road” is:

1. When Worlds Collide

2. Fuel Line

3. Just Singing A Song

4. Johnny Magic

5. Cough Up The Bucks

6. Get Behind The Wheel

7. Off The Road

8. Hit The Road

9. Light A Candle

10. Fork In the Road

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Wailers To Perform Marley’s Exodus Live In The UK

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Wailers To Perform Marley’s Exodus Live In The UK
The Wailers are to perform the classic Bob Marley album Exodus live in full in the UK this month. The band, led by original bassist Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett will perform six shows, starting at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on April 16. The 1977 album is curently subject of Island Records...

The Wailers are to perform the classic Bob Marley album Exodus live in full in the UK this month.

The band, led by original bassist Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett will perform six shows, starting at London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on April 16.

The 1977 album is curently subject of Island Records 50th anniversary celebration plans.

Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers features hits such as “Jammin’”, “One Love/People Get Ready” and “Waiting In Vain”.

The Wailers will play at the following:

London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (April 16)

Brighton Coalition (17)

Bristol O2 Academy (19)

Oxford O2 Academy (20)

Leeds University (21)

Birmingham O2 Academy (22)

http://www.seetickets.com

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Rolling Stones To Remaster 14 Albums This Year

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Rolling Stones To Remaster 14 Albums This Year
The Rolling Stones are to remaster 14 of their post 1971 albums and release them in batches, starting with Sticky Fingers, Goats Head Soup, It’s Only Rock’n’Roll and Black And Blue in May. The remastered albums will contain the original track listing and feature their original iconic sleeves,...

The Rolling Stones are to remaster 14 of their post 1971 albums and release them in batches, starting with Sticky Fingers, Goats Head Soup, It’s Only Rock’n’Roll and Black And Blue in May.

The remastered albums will contain the original track listing and feature their original iconic sleeves, and fans will have the option to buy a special collector’s box to house them.

The reissues are part of the Rolling Stones new deal with Universal Music Group, and all 14 albums will also be available to buy digitally.

Classic album Exile on Main Street will also be released, separately, later in in the year, with UMG planning to celebrate the iconic 1972 album.

The Roling Stones reissues will be re-released as follows:

May 4:

Sticky Fingers [2009 re-mastered]

Goats Head Soup [2009 re-mastered]

It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll [2009 re-mastered]

Black And Blue [2009 re-mastered ]

June 8:

Some Girls

Emotional Rescue

Tattoo You

Undercover

July 13:

Dirty Work

Steel Wheels

Voodoo Lounge

Bridges To Babylon

A Bigger Bang

For more music and film news click here

Trembling Bells: “Carbeth”

John Mulvey
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Perhaps as a response to the American psych-folk scene, over the past few years there’ve been a handful of British bands who’ve sought to channel the late-‘60s/early-‘70s folk-rock scene. Most of them, unfortunately, have been more or less worthy but misfiring. Trembling Bells, though, are a big exception. One good reason for this, maybe, is the core presence of Alex Neilson, a Scottish drummer whose loose, inventive playing has accompanied Bonnie Prince Billy, Six Organs Of Admittance and Josephine Foster, as well as records by local contemporaries like the excellent Alasdair Roberts. Neilson also has a background in improvised music, and the Glasgow underground scene, and the rickety spirit of various Pastels/Bill Wells affiliates can be heard occasionally on the Trembling Bells debut, “Carbeth”, as well as a hint of wayward jazz. “The End Is The Beginning Norn Knowing”, for instance, rattles along like “Maypole Song” from “The Wicker Man” soundtrack as reinterpreted, with chants, horns and needling organ, by the Sun Ra Arkestra. As befits a band whose avowed aim is to “Reanimate the hidden, mythic landscapes of Yorkshire and Glasgow (in particular) via a love of canonical rock, Earlie Musik and traditional folk,” there are a few roistering nods to the Incredible String Band, too (chiefly in “Your Head Is The House Of Your Tongue”). Curiously, though, it’s when Trembling Bells shoot for a sort of classic folk-rock orthodoxy that they really prove themselves to be one of the best new British bands of any genre that I’ve come across in a while. The finest songs on “Carbeth” are fronted by Lavinia Blackwall, a classically-trained singer who I caught solo last year supporting Peter Walker, who figures on the James Blackshaw album I raved about the other day, and who also played with Neilson in Directing Hand, a band I somewhat shamefully haven't heard. Three songs, especially, stand out; “When I Was Young”, “Willows Of Carbeth” and “Garlands Of Stars”. The sound here is often rich and full, reminding me a little of the Albion Country Band’s mighty “No Roses”, though Blackwall’s big warble is maybe closer to Maddy Prior than Shirley Collins in this context. “Willows Of Carbeth” is the most conventionally pretty, with a lilt to it comparable to “Wild Mountain Thyme” (the Fotheringay version, perhaps). But “Garlands Of Stars” is the real standout, where the old ways (plenty of people here in the office keep thinking “Carbeth” is 30-odd years old) are gradually transformed into a rearing, capricious jam that’s fractionally closer to the tradition of Sonic Youth than Fairport Convention. Bodes well for the live shows starting next week (London Café Oto on Easter Sunday, appealingly).

Perhaps as a response to the American psych-folk scene, over the past few years there’ve been a handful of British bands who’ve sought to channel the late-‘60s/early-‘70s folk-rock scene. Most of them, unfortunately, have been more or less worthy but misfiring. Trembling Bells, though, are a big exception.

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Tori Amos Confirms New Album

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Tori Amos Confirms New Album
Tori Amos is to release a new album called 'Abnormally Attracted To Sin' on May 18. Amos' tenth studio album, will be preceded by a single "Welcome To England" on May 25. 'Abnormally Attracted To Sin' is Amos' first album since finishing her contract with Epic. The album will be available as a d...

Tori Amos is to release a new album called ‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ on May 18.

Amos’ tenth studio album, will be preceded by a single “Welcome To England” on May 25.

‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ is Amos’ first album since finishing her contract with Epic.

The album will be available as a deluxe package, including a DVD of 16 Christian Lamb ‘visualettes’.

Amos is also to play a one-off London live gig at the Savoy Theatre on April 27.

The tracklisting for ‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ is:

‘Give’

‘Welcome To England’

‘Strong Black Vine’

‘Flavour’

‘Not Dying Today’

‘Maybe California’

‘Curtain Call’

‘Fire To Your Plain’

‘Police Me’

‘That Guy’

‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’

‘500 Miles’

‘Mary Jane’

‘Starling’

‘Fast Horse’

‘Ophelia’

‘Lady In Blue’

‘Oscar’s Theme’ (UK bonus track)

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Eels Stream New Song Online

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Eels Stream New Song Online
Eels have made a track "Fresh Blood" available to hear online on their MySpace page. The track will be the first single from Eels forthcoming album 'Hombre Lobo' which is set for release on June 1. Frontman E decribes the song online saying: "I wrote a song a few years ago called 'I Want to Protec...

Eels have made a track “Fresh Blood” available to hear online on their MySpace page.

The track will be the first single from Eels forthcoming album ‘Hombre Lobo’ which is set for release on June 1.

Frontman E decribes the song online saying: “I wrote a song a few years ago called ‘I Want to Protect You’ that was about wanting to protect someone from the wolves. Now I am the wolf.”

“Fresh Blood” is released as a download on April 28.

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British Sea Power Score Film Soundtrack

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British Sea Power Score Film Soundtrack
British Sea Power have recorded a new soundtrack album to accompany the 1943 film 'Man of Aran' which will be released next month. BSP will perform the soundtrack live at the BFI Southbank on April 23, prior to the CD's release on May 18. The album will come with a copy of the film on DVD. See a p...

British Sea Power have recorded a new soundtrack album to accompany the 1943 film ‘Man of Aran’ which will be released next month.

BSP will perform the soundtrack live at the BFI Southbank on April 23, prior to the CD’s release on May 18. The album will come with a copy of the film on DVD.

See a part of British Sea Power’s new work below:

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The 13th Uncut Playlist Of 2009

John Mulvey
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Hopefully, you’ve been following our updating playlist on the brand new Uncut Twitter. It seems to be working now so that, when I post a new blog, it automatically puts a link on Twitter. Quite handy, perhaps. Anyhow, much love this week for James Blackshaw, as discussed yesterday, Trembling Bells and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas. I keep working with that Dirty Projectors album, which continues to evade me somewhat, though I should write something generally confused about it before too long. And sorry to regulars for pointing this out again, but we don’t like all the records on the playlist, it’s just a list of the things we’ve listened to. Feel free, of course, to try and guess which of these received the imperial thumbs-down. . . 1 Lindstrom & Prins Thomas – II (Eskimo) 2 Bob Dylan - "Beyond Here Lies Nothin’" (Columbia) 3 Various Artists – Local Customs: Downriver Revival (Numero Group) 4 The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Bella Union) 5 Jackie-O Motherfucker – Ballad Of The Revolution (Fire) 6 Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/ Light Years (Rough Trade) 7 James Blackshaw – The Glass Bead Game (Young God) 8 Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (Columbia) 9 The Gay Blades – Ghosts (Something In Construction) 10 The Soft Pack – Extinction EP (Merok) 11 Babe Terror – Weekend (Perdizes Dream) 12 Various Artists – Open Strings: Early Virtuoso Recordings From The Middle East, And New Responses (Honest Jon’s) 13 Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino) 14 Trembling Bells – Carbeth (Honest Jon’s) 15 Lindstrom – Where You Go I Go Too (Feedelity) 16 Broken Records – Until The Earth Begins To Part (4AD) 17 Quest For Fire – Quest For Fire (Tee Pee) 18 The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL) 19 The Grateful Dead – To Terrapin: Hartford ’77 (Rhino) 20 Klaus Schulze – La Vie Electronique (SPV)

Hopefully, you’ve been following our updating playlist on the brand new Uncut Twitter. It seems to be working now so that, when I post a new blog, it automatically puts a link on Twitter. Quite handy, perhaps.

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