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Primal Scream Cover Suicide

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Primal Scream Cover Suicide

To mark Suicide front-man Alan Vega’s 70th birthday, Primal Scream will release a limited vinyl pressing of “Diamonds, Furcoat, Champagne”. “Suicide songs are so perfect and fully realized that it was hard to pick one and reinterpret it in a personal way,” said Bobby Gillespie. “We chose “Diamonds, Furcoat, Champagne” as we loved the lyric and also it’s sci-fi futuristic sound. We did a garage rock glam version with French electro chanteuse Miss Kitten in the end and tried to bring out the pop song that lies beneath every Suicide track”. Available from March 30 in a limited run of 3,000, the disc is part of a year-long series from blastfirstpetite playing tribute to Vega and Suicide’s enduring influence. The second March release will see No Wave legend Lydia Lunch cover “Frankie Teardrop”, and will also feature an unreleased demo version of the song from 1976. “My tongue around Alan Vega’s words is a wet dream come true,” said the former Teenage Jesus and the Jerks vocalist. The series began with limited edition covers by Bruce Springsteen and The Horrors. Each release will include an established artist covering one of Vega’s songs, a previously unreleased Suicide/Vegas rarity and a cover version from an up and coming artist. Other artists due to contribute include Peaches, Grinderman, Spiritualised, Klaxons, Liars, Julian Cope, S.C.U.M and Vincent Gallo. For more music and film news click here

To mark Suicide front-man Alan Vega’s 70th birthday, Primal Scream will release a limited vinyl pressing of “Diamonds, Furcoat, Champagne”.

“Suicide songs are so perfect and fully realized that it was hard to pick one and reinterpret it in a personal way,” said Bobby Gillespie. “We chose “Diamonds, Furcoat, Champagne” as we loved the lyric and also it’s sci-fi futuristic sound. We did a garage rock glam version with French electro chanteuse Miss Kitten in the end and tried to bring out the pop song that lies beneath every Suicide track”.

Available from March 30 in a limited run of 3,000, the disc is part of a year-long series from blastfirstpetite playing tribute to Vega and Suicide’s enduring influence.

The second March release will see No Wave legend Lydia Lunch cover “Frankie Teardrop”, and will also feature an unreleased demo version of the song from 1976. “My tongue around Alan Vega’s words is a wet dream come true,” said the former Teenage Jesus and the Jerks vocalist.

The series began with limited edition covers by Bruce Springsteen and The Horrors. Each release will include an established artist covering one of Vega’s songs, a previously unreleased Suicide/Vegas rarity and a cover version from an up and coming artist.

Other artists due to contribute include Peaches, Grinderman, Spiritualised, Klaxons, Liars, Julian Cope, S.C.U.M and Vincent Gallo.

For more music and film news click here

PJ Harvey & John Parish: “A Woman A Man Walked By”

John Mulvey
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I suppose, after all these years, I should be able to spot when PJ Harvey is taking the piss. But sometimes, as on the new PJ Harvey & John Parish album, “A Woman A Man Walked By”, the line between bravura self-parody and slightly daft self-indulgence can be hard to identify. The title track, for instance, of this second Harvey/Parish collaboration (after “Dance Hall At Louse Point”), is ostensibly the sort of fervid, overheated Nick Cave rip-off you could hear most nights in the Kentish Town Bull & Gate 15 or 20 years ago. It involves the predatory Harvey contemplating a man with “chicken liver balls” and “chicken liver spleen”, planning “to explore the damp alleyways of my soul” and finally, through gritted teeth, announcing, “That woman man, I want his fucking ass.” It’s a long way from the demure, quasi-Victorian reflections of the wonderful “White Chalk”. But “A Woman A Man Walked By” is quite a schizophrenic album, so that the title track is followed by a surging instrumental coda, “The Crow Knows Where All The Little Children Go”, and then a sort of forlorn and lovely miniature, “The Soldier”, sung in her “White Chalk” higher register, not unlike the song with the ukulele (“Deep Water”?) on Portishead’s “Third”. That, in turn, is followed by a primal, incantatory gush called “Pig Will Not” that revisits some of her most brutal territory in much the same way as the gnarliest bits on “Uh Huh Her”. Unlike “Dance Hall At Louse Point”, which if memory serves, felt very much like a composed and focused piece, “A Woman A Man Walked By” is oddly suggestive of Harvey randomly, playfully flitting between a whole grab-bag of moods from her entire career. It’s testament to John Parish’s understanding of how she works best, I guess, that even though he wrote all the music here, it’s often stylistically impossible to tell the difference between these songs and Harvey’s solo work. It’s also, initially, quite a confusing listen, where the cornier moments like that title track stand out at first, overwhelming many of the subtler and stronger tracks. Fairly predictably, though, a few listens make a big difference, and the jewels start to appear, not least a gauzy and potent ballad called “Passionless, Pointless” that reminds me of one of those later songs on “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea” like “Horses In My Dreams” or “We Float”, though perhaps treated more like some of the material on “Is This Desire?” The superb opener, “Black Hearted Love”, would’ve sat well on “Stories From The City” too, riding a looming and looping Parish that manages to be at once crunching and elegaic. For those of us who are paid to try and find stereotypes and straitjackets for an artist like PJ Harvey, it’s a great contrary statement: how better to open an album that most people would expect to be difficult and a little experimental than with the most commercial song she’s put her name to in nearly a decade? Listening to it on headphones for the first time now as I type, and the artfulness of Parish’s playing is starting to emerge: the clank, texture and detail of his guitar grappling for space with some freestyle drums, Mellotron thickness and kindergarten piano on “The Chair”, for instance. Good hooks, good ideas, one or two slightly goth lyrical conceits, and another generally excellent album involving PJ Harvey, I guess.

I suppose, after all these years, I should be able to spot when PJ Harvey is taking the piss. But sometimes, as on the new PJ Harvey & John Parish album, “A Woman A Man Walked By”, the line between bravura self-parody and slightly daft self-indulgence can be hard to identify.

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Leonard Cohen To Release Live Album

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Leonard Cohen To Release Live Album
Leonard Cohen's first UK tour in 15 years has been captured on a new 2CD and DVD live collection 'Live In London' which will be released on April 6. Recorded at one of his London O2 Arena shows, on July 17, 2008, the album is the first release by Cohen since 2004's Dear Heather. You can read Uncut...

Leonard Cohen‘s first UK tour in 15 years has been captured on a new 2CD and DVD live collection ‘Live In London’ which will be released on April 6.

Recorded at one of his London O2 Arena shows, on July 17, 2008, the album is the first release by Cohen since 2004’s Dear Heather.

You can read Uncut’s live review of the same show by clicking here.

See below for the 2 disc tracklisting. The live DVD has both sets of songs on one disc.

Leonard Cohen – Live In London:

Disc 1:

Dance Me To The End Of Love

The Future

Ain’t No Cure For Love

Bird On The Wire

Everybody Knows

In My Secret Life

Who By Fire

Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye

Anthem

Introduction

Tower Of Song

Suzanne

The Gypsy’s Wife

Disc 2:

Boogie Street

Hallelujah

Democracy

I’m Your Man

Recitation w/ N.L.

Take This Waltz

So Long, Marianne

First We Take Manhattan

Sisters Of Mercy

If It Be Your Will

Closing Time

I Tried To Leave You

For more music and film news click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

William Elliot Whitmore To Headline Club Uncut!

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William Elliot Whitmore To Headline Club Uncut!

Iowa bluesman William Elliot Whitmore is to headline Club Uncut on April 15, it has just been confirmed. Growing up listening to Leadbelly, Hank Williams and Doc Watson, and later discovering Public Enemy and Bad Religion, Whitmore sees no difference between hip-hop and the blues. Both “conveying a sentiment with words in a poetic way.” Whitmore’s will most likely be performing tracks from his new album 'Animals & The Dark' his most obviously political record, nailing George W Bush in the opening “Mutiny”. The riotous chorus of “burn, motherfucker burn” is a clue to why he has found common cause with The Pogues. Club Uncut takes place at the usual venue of the Borderline, Manette Street, London. Tickets are £8, available from www.seetickets.co.uk Sadly, however, March’s show headlined by Arbouretum has now been cancelled, along with the band’s entire European jaunt. More positively, we’ll soon have news of the excellent bills for the Uncut stage at Brighton’s Great Escape festival (May 14-16). As ever, keep an eye on www.uncut.co.uk for details. For more music and film news click here

Iowa bluesman William Elliot Whitmore is to headline Club Uncut on April 15, it has just been confirmed.

Growing up listening to Leadbelly, Hank Williams and Doc Watson, and later discovering Public Enemy and Bad Religion, Whitmore sees no difference between hip-hop and the blues. Both “conveying a sentiment with words in a poetic way.”

Whitmore’s will most likely be performing tracks from his new album ‘Animals & The Dark’ his most obviously political record, nailing George W Bush in the opening “Mutiny”. The riotous chorus of “burn, motherfucker burn” is a clue to why he has found common cause with The Pogues.

Club Uncut takes place at the usual venue of the Borderline, Manette Street, London. Tickets are £8, available from www.seetickets.co.uk

Sadly, however, March’s show headlined by Arbouretum has now been cancelled, along with the band’s entire European jaunt. More positively, we’ll soon have news of the excellent bills for the Uncut stage at Brighton’s Great Escape festival (May 14-16). As ever, keep an eye on www.uncut.co.uk for details.

For more music and film news click here

Buena Vista Social Club Bassist Dies

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Buena Vista Social Club Bassist Dies
Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez, the double bass player and a founder member of the Buena Vista Social Club, has died in Havana aged 76 from complications following prostrate surgery. Lopez was said to be the “heartbeat” of the Cuban music collective brought together by guitarist and producer Ry C...

Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez, the double bass player and a founder member of the Buena Vista Social Club, has died in Havana aged 76 from complications following prostrate surgery.

Lopez was said to be the “heartbeat” of the Cuban music collective brought together by guitarist and producer Ry Cooder in 1996.

“It is a great loss for the group and for Cuban music because he was a superb bassist and a brilliant band mate,” said the group’s trumpeter Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal. “He was an excellent person and the quality of his music was, honestly, unparalleled.”

Lopez was born in Havana in 1933 into a family of over 30 bass players. However, it wasn’t until Cooder put together the Buena Vista Social Club album and Wim Wender’s documentary of the same name that Lopez and his bandmates achieved international fame.

“It is an irreplaceable loss for Cuban music, he is the last remaining member of the bass playing dynasty,” said band mate Amado Valdes.

Lopez’s death has been another blow to Buena Vista Social Club – Compay Segundo, Rubin Gonzales, Pio Leyva and singer Ibrahim Ferrer have all passed away in recent years.

For more music and film news click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

Wilco To Release New Live DVD

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Wilco To Release New Live DVD
Wilco will release a new live DVD entitled ‘Ashes Of American Flags’ on April 20. Shot and produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty, the film follows the band on their 2008 tour, showing concerts from five quintessentially ‘downtown’ US venues in Tulsa, New Orleans, Mobile, Nashville and Washingt...

Wilco will release a new live DVD entitled ‘Ashes Of American Flags’ on April 20.

Shot and produced by Fugazi‘s Brendan Canty, the film follows the band on their 2008 tour, showing concerts from five quintessentially ‘downtown’ US venues in Tulsa, New Orleans, Mobile, Nashville and Washington.

To see the trailer click here.

A brand new studio album is due to follow soon, stay tuned for more details.

For more music and film news click here

Coldplay and The Killers Break Records For War Child Gig

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Coldplay and The Killers Break Records For War Child Gig

Over 200,000 people tried to get tickets for Coldplay and The Killers’ joint-headlining show in aid of War Child – breaking all traffic records to the charity’s website. The ballot winners for the 2,000 capacity show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on February 18 were drawn yesterday (February 9). “The response has been phenomenal,” says War Child’s Music Director Ben Knowles. “It will be a great thrill to be able to welcome the two biggest bands of the 21st Century to the same stage.” “Coldplay were one of the bands that gave us hope when we were just four boys in a garage,” a statement from The Killers said. “To share the stage with them for the War Child cause is an honour.” As reported, MySpace music are currently streaming ‘Heroes’ - in which music legends choose a favourite track from their back catalogue and select a contemporary artist to cover it – prior to its official release on February 16. For more music and film news click here

Over 200,000 people tried to get tickets for Coldplay and The Killers’ joint-headlining show in aid of War Child – breaking all traffic records to the charity’s website.

The ballot winners for the 2,000 capacity show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on February 18 were drawn yesterday (February 9). “The response has been phenomenal,” says War Child’s Music Director Ben Knowles. “It will be a great thrill to be able to welcome the two biggest bands of the 21st Century to the same stage.”

“Coldplay were one of the bands that gave us hope when we were just four boys in a garage,” a statement from The Killers said. “To share the stage with them for the War Child cause is an honour.”

As reported, MySpace music are currently streaming ‘Heroes’ – in which music legends choose a favourite track from their back catalogue and select a contemporary artist to cover it – prior to its official release on February 16.

For more music and film news click here

The Sixth Uncut Playlist Of 2009

John Mulvey
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A combination of deadlines and a vile cold served to shut down Wild Mercury Sound these past few days, but thanks for all your blog recommendations last week. When I get a chance, I’ll follow all your links and put together a decent blogroll. In the interim, please keep your suggestions coming. I’ll crack on with some proper previews tomorrow, but let’s reactivate with this week’s playlist. Some neat arrivals here, not least the Richard Swift record – who's also playing Club Uncut on February 24, as I’m contractually obliged to point out at every given opportunity. Should be good. 1 The Juan Maclean – The Future Will Come (DFA) 2 Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean (Secretly Canadian) 3 Waylon Jennings And The 357s – Waylon Forever (V2) 4 Various Artists – Kitsuné Tabloid By Phoenix (Kitsuné) 5 Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care (Domino) 6 Madness – The Liberty Of Norton Folgate (Lucky Seven) 7 Alasdair Roberts – Spoils (Drag City) 8 Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics – Inspiration Information (Strut) 9 Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It (Columbia) 10 Sibrydion – Campfire Classics (Dell’Orso) 11 Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere – Nudge It Up A Notch (Concord/Stax)

A combination of deadlines and a vile cold served to shut down Wild Mercury Sound these past few days, but thanks for all your blog recommendations last week. When I get a chance, I’ll follow all your links and put together a decent blogroll. In the interim, please keep your suggestions coming.

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Leonard Cohen To Donate Aid To Australia Bushfire Victims

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Leonard Cohen To Donate Aid To Australia Bushfire Victims
Leonard Cohen has announced that everyone involved in his current tour in Australia is to donate $200, 000 to aid the victims of the recent Victorian bushfires. On tour for the first time in the country in 24 years, his tour support Paul Kelly, AEGLive UK and The Frontier Touring Company have all d...

Leonard Cohen has announced that everyone involved in his current tour in Australia is to donate $200, 000 to aid the victims of the recent Victorian bushfires.

On tour for the first time in the country in 24 years, his tour support Paul Kelly, AEGLive UK and The Frontier Touring Company have all donated towards the fund.

Leonard Cohen and Paul Kelly final concert on this leg of the tour takes place in Melbourne.

Michael Gudinski, Managing Director of The Frontier Touring Company said; “Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires. Leonard, Paul, their touring parties and everyone at AEGLive UK and The Frontier Touring Company wish to extend their heartfelt sympathies to those that have suffered the loss of loved ones or their homes through this terrible tragedy.”

For more music and film news click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

War Child Album Previews On MySpace

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War Child Album Previews On MySpace

Prior to its official release this month on February 16, Myspace Music are exclusively previewing the forthcoming War Child album ‘Heroes (Vol 1)’. Marking the 15th Anniversary of War Child, the album sees music legends select a favourite track from their back catalogue and nominate a contemporary artist to perform a cover version. It includes Beck covering Bob Dylan’s “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”, Duffy performing Wings’ “Live And Let Die” and Elbow tackling U2’s “Running To Stand Still”. Listen here: www.myspace.com/warchildheroes War Child was set up in 1994 to support children and young people who have to live with the brutal effects of war. "War Child do exactly what it says on the tin,” said Elbow’s Guy Garvey. “These kids shouldn't be in such circumstances in the first place, but they are, so thank god someone's doing something about it. The album was originally due to be released last year but due to the overwhelming number of artists who asked to take part the release date had to be postponed. "I have been supporting War Child since 1995,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “I think Duffy’s version of “Live and Let Die” is great – I was really impressed. The breadth of talent on this project is amazing; it's great that so many people gave their time, energy and support to this initiative. I urge everyone to support War Child." In addition to the record, Coldplay will be performing a one-off show with The Killers at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on February 18. In a statement the band said: "In our eyes, War Child is one of the world's most important charities, and The Killers are one of our favourite bands, so playing this concert is an absolute pleasure for us." The art work for the project was designed by former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, who previously designed the cover for War Child’s 1995 album ‘Help’. The tracklisting in full: 1. Beck (Bob Dylan: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat) 2. Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music: Do The Strand) 3. Lily Allen (The Clash: Straight To Hell) 4. Duffy (Paul McCartney: Live And Let Die) 5. Elbow (U2: Running To Stand Still) 6. TV On The Radio (David Bowie: Heroes) 7. Hot Chip (Joy Division: Transmission) 8. The Kooks (The Kinks: Victoria) 9. Estelle (Stevie Wonder: Superstition) 10. Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson: Wonderful/ Song For Children) 11. Peaches (Iggy Pop: Search And Destroy) 12. The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen: Atlantic City) 13. The Like (Elvis Costello: You Belong To Me) 14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker) 15. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie: Call Me) For more music and film news click here

Prior to its official release this month on February 16, Myspace Music are exclusively previewing the forthcoming War Child album ‘Heroes (Vol 1)’.

Marking the 15th Anniversary of War Child, the album sees music legends select a favourite track from their back catalogue and nominate a contemporary artist to perform a cover version. It includes Beck covering Bob Dylan’s “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”, Duffy performing Wings’ “Live And Let Die” and Elbow tackling U2’s “Running To Stand Still”.

Listen here: www.myspace.com/warchildheroes

War Child was set up in 1994 to support children and young people who have to live with the brutal effects of war. “War Child do exactly what it says on the tin,” said Elbow’s Guy Garvey. “These kids shouldn’t be in such circumstances in the first place, but they are, so thank god someone’s doing something about it.

The album was originally due to be released last year but due to the overwhelming number of artists who asked to take part the release date had to be postponed. “I have been supporting War Child since 1995,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “I think Duffy’s version of “Live and Let Die” is great – I was really impressed. The breadth of talent on this project is amazing; it’s great that so many people gave their time, energy and support to this initiative. I urge everyone to support War Child.”

In addition to the record, Coldplay will be performing a one-off show with The Killers at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on February 18. In a statement the band said: “In our eyes, War Child is one of the world’s most important charities, and The Killers are one of our favourite bands, so playing this concert is an absolute pleasure for us.”

The art work for the project was designed by former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, who previously designed the cover for War Child’s 1995 album ‘Help’.

The tracklisting in full:

1. Beck (Bob Dylan: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat)

2. Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music: Do The Strand)

3. Lily Allen (The Clash: Straight To Hell)

4. Duffy (Paul McCartney: Live And Let Die)

5. Elbow (U2: Running To Stand Still)

6. TV On The Radio (David Bowie: Heroes)

7. Hot Chip (Joy Division: Transmission)

8. The Kooks (The Kinks: Victoria)

9. Estelle (Stevie Wonder: Superstition)

10. Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson: Wonderful/ Song For Children)

11. Peaches (Iggy Pop: Search And Destroy)

12. The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen: Atlantic City)

13. The Like (Elvis Costello: You Belong To Me)

14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker)

15. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie: Call Me)

For more music and film news click here

Motley Crue, Slipknot, Korn, The Prodigy for Download Festival 2009

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Motley Crue, Slipknot, Korn, The Prodigy for Download Festival 2009
The Prodigy, Slipknot, Motley Crue, Pendulum and Korn have been confirmed to play this year’s Download Festival at Donington Park. Taking place between June 12 and 14 , the renowned rock festival is now in its seventh year. “This year more than ever before, Download Festival celebrates the his...

The Prodigy, Slipknot, Motley Crue, Pendulum and Korn have been confirmed to play this year’s Download Festival at Donington Park.

Taking place between June 12 and 14 , the renowned rock festival is now in its seventh year.

“This year more than ever before, Download Festival celebrates the history of Donington and all that is rock,” said festival promoter Andy Copping. “With acts such as Slipnot, The Prodigy and Motley Crue already confirmed to play, this just shows how varied and diverse the rock genre can be and we are delighted to reflect this with our 2009 line-up.”

Tickets for Download go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13).

For more music and film news click here

Carter USM To Play First Four Albums Live!

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Carter USM To Play First Four Albums Live!
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine have announced they will play their first four albums in full at concerts at two London venues in November. Entitled ‘The Drum Machine Years’, the first night will take place at the Kentish Town Forum on November 13 where the band will play ‘1992: The Love A...

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine have announced they will play their first four albums in full at concerts at two London venues in November.

Entitled ‘The Drum Machine Years’, the first night will take place at the Kentish Town Forum on November 13 where the band will play ‘1992: The Love Album’ and 1994’s ‘Post Historic Monsters’.

The second show at Brixton Academy will see performances of their debut ‘101 Damnations’ and the follow-up, 1991’s ’30 Something’.

“We will be playing songs that we have never played live before and I am really looking forward to that challenge,” says guitarist Fruitbat. “If Sparks can learn twenty or so albums then we can do this. These sets should be marathons so I’m going to get in training. I think the audience should too as we’re all going to need to be fit for this!”

Carter USM reformed after a ten year break in 2007 for two shows at Brixton Academy and Glasgow Barrowlands. They returned the following year for a couple of gigs at Birmingham and Brixton Academy.

“We really enjoyed playing the reunion gigs,” says frontman Jim Bob. “They were fantastic life affirming celebrations and turned out to be some of the best ever Carter shows. We decided that if we did it again it had to be something different, for both the audience and for us. Performing out first four albums in full, first track to last is something we’ve never done. We might even chuck in a cheeky Take That style costume change.”

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13).

For more music and film news click here

Bruce Springsteen To Play Hyde Park This June!

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Bruce Springsteen To Play Hyde Park This June!

Following their triumphant performance at this year’s Superbowl, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been announced as headliners for Hard Rock Calling at London’s Hyde Park. Taking place on June 27 and 28 the first announced night will also see performances from the Dave Matthews Band and up-and-coming New Jersey boys The Gaslight Anthem with a full supporting line-up still to be announced. “Obviously it’s been a dream of mine to play with Bruce and the E Street Band,” said The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. “It’s truly an honour, and on top of that for it to be in London, one of my favourite cities anywhere, it’s a dream. Plus, it’s two Jersey shore locals playing some rock and roll.” After the critical acclaim that greeted this year’s No. 1 charting ‘Working On A Dream’ album, the appearance in June will be The Boss’ first-ever festival gig outside of the US. Past Hard Rock Callings have seen Eric Clapton, The Who, Aerosmith, Roger Waters and most recently The Police play the capital. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjbSD6OImjU&hl=en&fs=1 For more music and film news click here Pic credit: PA Photos

Following their triumphant performance at this year’s Superbowl, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been announced as headliners for Hard Rock Calling at London’s Hyde Park.

Taking place on June 27 and 28 the first announced night will also see performances from the Dave Matthews Band and up-and-coming New Jersey boys The Gaslight Anthem with a full supporting line-up still to be announced.

“Obviously it’s been a dream of mine to play with Bruce and the E Street Band,” said The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. “It’s truly an honour, and on top of that for it to be in London, one of my favourite cities anywhere, it’s a dream. Plus, it’s two Jersey shore locals playing some rock and roll.”

After the critical acclaim that greeted this year’s No. 1 charting ‘Working On A Dream’ album, the appearance in June will be The Boss’ first-ever festival gig outside of the US.

Past Hard Rock Callings have seen Eric Clapton, The Who, Aerosmith, Roger Waters and most recently The Police play the capital.

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjbSD6OImjU&hl=en&fs=1

For more music and film news click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

Blur Announce Manchester Live Date

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Blur Announce Manchester Live Date
Blur have announced their first indoor arena show since annnouncing their reformation late last year. Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will play Manchester's MEN Arena on June 26. Last week the group also announced two festival headline appearances at Scotland's T in the Pa...

Blur have announced their first indoor arena show since annnouncing their reformation late last year.

Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will play Manchester’s MEN Arena on June 26.

Last week the group also announced two festival headline appearances at Scotland’s T in the Park and Ireland’s Oxegen, in addition to their already sold out two night stand in London’s Hyde Park on July 2 and 3.

Blur are also rumoured to be headlining this year’s Glastonbury festival, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Tickets for Blur’s Manchester MEN Arena show will go on sale on Friday (February 13) at 9am.

For more music and film news click here

Jagger Jokes Around At This Year’s BAFTA Ceremony

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Jagger Jokes Around At This Year’s BAFTA Ceremony

Not content with a 40-year career in music, not to mention a long list of dubious acting roles, Mick Jagger turned his hand to stand up comedy at the BAFTAs last night (February 8). Presenting the award for Best Film, The Rolling Stones’ front-man joked he was the founding member of the ‘Movie Star Rock Star Exchange Program’. “Tonight Sir Ben Kinsley will be singing Brown Sugar at the Grammys,” said Jagger, “Sir Anthony Hopkins is in the studio recording with Amy Winehouse and Dame Judy Dench is gamely trashing hotel rooms somewhere in New York - and we’re hoping that next week Sir Brad and all the Pitt family will be performing The Sound of Music at the Brit Awards.” Earlier, on the red carpet, Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel accidentally wandered into an interview with Sharon Stone, “I can’t believe my luck,” said the 18-year-old, “somebody slap me”, to which the Basic Instinct star duly – yet affectionately – obliged. Best Actor winner Mickey Rourke turned the air blue when thanking his publicist for having “the hardest job in showbusiness – telling me where to go, what to do, when to do it, what to eat, how to dress, what to fuck…” For more on the winners of this year’s BAFTAs click here Pic credit: PA Photos

Not content with a 40-year career in music, not to mention a long list of dubious acting roles, Mick Jagger turned his hand to stand up comedy at the BAFTAs last night (February 8).

Presenting the award for Best Film, The Rolling Stones’ front-man joked he was the founding member of the ‘Movie Star Rock Star Exchange Program’. “Tonight Sir Ben Kinsley will be singing Brown Sugar at the Grammys,” said Jagger, “Sir Anthony Hopkins is in the studio recording with Amy Winehouse and Dame Judy Dench is gamely trashing hotel rooms somewhere in New York – and we’re hoping that next week Sir Brad and all the Pitt family will be performing The Sound of Music at the Brit Awards.”

Earlier, on the red carpet, Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel accidentally wandered into an interview with Sharon Stone, “I can’t believe my luck,” said the 18-year-old, “somebody slap me”, to which the Basic Instinct star duly – yet affectionately – obliged.

Best Actor winner Mickey Rourke turned the air blue when thanking his publicist for having “the hardest job in showbusiness – telling me where to go, what to do, when to do it, what to eat, how to dress, what to fuck…”

For more on the winners of this year’s BAFTAs click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

Metallica To Headline New Travelling Festival

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Metallica To Headline New Travelling Festival
Metallica have been confirmed as headliners for the travelling Sonisphere Festival which is set to take place for the first time this summer. Metallica will play two dates at Knebworth House on August 1-2, co-headlining with nu-metallers Linkin Park. “We’re stoked to be touring England and Eu...

Metallica have been confirmed as headliners for the travelling Sonisphere Festival which is set to take place for the first time this summer.

Metallica will play two dates at Knebworth House on August 1-2, co-headlining with nu-metallers Linkin Park.

“We’re stoked to be touring England and Europe with Sonisphere,” said drummer Lars Ulrich. “Summer festivals in Europe are what Metallica do best. We can’t wait to see all of our fans out there.”

Organised by the creators of the Monsters of Rock and Download festivals, Sonisphere will take place over two stages with only one band playing at a time, allowing fans not to miss any acts. As well as taking place in front of 60,00 fans at Knebworth the festival will also visit Holland, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Finland.

Other confirmed acts for the UK dates include Mastodon and Lamb of God, and the festival will mark 35 years since the first live rock concert at Knebworth.

“As I’ve become aware of the awesome bands who have played Knebworth over the years I realise what an honour it will be,” said Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. “This is definitely one of the big ones, you have to work on earning the respect of the fans in the UK. I would say the experiences over the years playing festivals over there, the audience actually gets better and better each time.”

Tickets for Knebworth go on sale at 9am on February 11.

Sonisphere dates announced so far are:

Holland,Goffertpark, Nijmegen (w. Slipnot) (June 20)

Germany, Hockenheimring (w. Die Toten Hosen) (July 4)

Spain, Forum, Barcelona (w. Slipnot) (July 11)

Sweden, Folkets Park, Hultsfred (July 18)

Finland, Kirjurinluoto (w. Linkin Park) (July 25)

UK, Knebworth, Linkin Park headlining (August 1)

UK, Knebworth, Metallica headlining (August 2)

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Green Day Reveal New Album Title

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Green Day Reveal New Album Title
Green Day have revealed on their website Greenday.com that their forthcoming new studio album will be titled '21st Century Breakdown' and that it will be released this May. The follow-up to 2004's 'American Idiot' has been produced by Butch Vig and the 16 tracks are split into three 'Acts'; 'Heroes...

Green Day have revealed on their website Greenday.com that their forthcoming new studio album will be titled ’21st Century Breakdown’ and that it will be released this May.

The follow-up to 2004’s ‘American Idiot’ has been produced by Butch Vig and the 16 tracks are split into three ‘Acts’; ‘Heroes And Cons’, ‘Charlatans And Saints’ and ‘Horseshoes And Handgrenades.’

Green Day, who performed at the 2009 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 8), have partially revealed track names to US magazing Alt Press.

As well as the title track “21st Century Breakdown”, “Know Your Enemy”, “Viva la Gloria”, “Before the Lobotomy”, “Christian’s Inferno” and “Last Night on Earth” all appear on the first act, ‘Heroes and Cons’

More info and to pre-order the new Green Day album, click here for Greenday.com

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Slumdog Millionaire Cleans Up At BAFTAS

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Slumdog Millionaire Cleans Up At BAFTAS
Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ cleaned up at last night’s BAFTAs, winning seven awards including Best Film and Best Director (February 8). The rags to riches tale was nominated for a total of 11 awards, and was also awarded best adapted screenplay, music, cinematography, editing and so...

Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ cleaned up at last night’s BAFTAs, winning seven awards including Best Film and Best Director (February 8).

The rags to riches tale was nominated for a total of 11 awards, and was also awarded best adapted screenplay, music, cinematography, editing and sound. Picking up Best Adapted Screenplay, writer Simon Beaufoy revealed he had a both a plastic replica and a Bafta made of chocolate at home: “I have two pretend Baftas at home so it’s great to have a real one.”

Kate Winslett won her second Best Actress Bafta for her role in ‘The Reader’, beating Meryl Streep, Kristin Scott Thomas and herself in ‘Revolutionary Road’. Noticeably more composed than at January’s Golden Globes, Winslett thanked the film’s crew for its success: “I want to thank everybody involved in the making of this film. They all know who they are and deserve a bit fat piece of this.” Winslett added she shared the award with two of the film’s producers, Sidney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, who died last year: “You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for many years to come, and this is for you. Thank you.”

Held at London’s Royal Opera House and hosted by Jonathan Ross, the ceremony saw Heath Ledger posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’.

Mickey Rourke beat Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Frank Langella to the Best Actor award which he dedicated to legendary hell-raiser Richard Harris. “It’s such a pleasure to be back here out of the darkness,” said Rourke before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him “a second chance after fucking up my career for 15 years.”

Penelope Cruz, who won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Vivky Cristina Barcelona’, said she felt “honoured and grateful” to receive the award.

Documentary ‘Man On Wire’ won Best British Film while Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s ‘In Bruges’ won Best Original Screenplay.

Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park picked up the Short Animation award for ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’ and French film ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, beat ‘Waltz With Bashir’ and ‘Gomorrah’ to win Best Foreign Language Film.

The prestigious Bafta Fellowship was awarded to director Terry Gilliam. The former Monty Python man dedicated his award to Heath Ledger who died last January. “Everybody has said he was extraordinary, but we can’t even begin to imagine what he was going to be,” said Gilliam. “We only saw a tiny tip of the iceberg. But he’s gone.”

For more music and film news click here

Pic credit: PA Photos

Morrissey – Years Of Refusal

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Morrissey – Years Of Refusal

This LP, the third studio album since strong>Morrissey began his near-miraculous recovery from commercial and critical oblivion with 2004’s You Are The Quarry, was always going to be a bit tricky. Quarry… reminded us that he is still capable of marvellous song-writing, as well as providing him with his first ever million-seller, solo or otherwise. 2005’s Live At Earls Court allowed him to reclaim his past – and especially his past in The Smiths – without appearing like The Human League or Tony Hadley on one of those I ? The ’80s tours. And Ringleader Of The Tormentors, with its tantalising glimpses of love found and celibacy abandoned (“explosive kegs between my legs!” – ooh matron!) was, after two decades of smokescreen and hairshirt, both revelatory and winningly upbeat. In a little less than two years, Morrissey had engineered one of music’s great resurrections. After that fabulous piece of Lazarus-meets-Liberace hoopla, the build-up to Years Of Refusal has been inevitably accompanied by a certain amount of “what next?” angst. And Moz himself may well have been disquieted by another dawning realisation. Many of his heroes – Joe Orton, Billy Fury, Oscar Wilde, James Dean, Elvis – did their best work young, then slipped away before the passing years took their inevitable toll. But a vegetarian lifestyle, and a robust Irish constitution, have thankfully denied our man any such get-out. By the time he tours this new album in the summer, Steven Patrick Morrissey will be 50… So, how’s he coped? Very well, in truth. Years Of Refusal is an excellent album. Not an excellent “rock album”, or an excellent “pop album”, but an excellent Morrissey album. It’s a distinction worth making because these days Moz’s appeal is confined, surely, to his large and unswerving horde of adherents. He’s unlikely to attract new fans, but still has more than enough devotees to sustain him artistically and to keep the wolf a very healthy distance from the door. It’s an enviable position for an artist to occupy and a really simple deal: Morrissey makes decent Moz disc (none of that self-parody nonsense like Kill Uncle or Maladjusted, the 1999 clunker that almost blew the whole arrangement) and his gang will adore him forever. The faithful (though they might gripe about the paltry ration of just nine new songs) will be largely delighted with this latest offering. To details. Years Of Refusal looks both back and forward. Produced in LA by pop-punk pioneer Jerry Finn (who died soon after the sessions) it’s a souped-up revision of the arena-ready rock sound he cooked up for …Quarry. Guitars hammer where they used to twinkle; the music is crunchy and insistent; there are refinements (Hispanic brass and guitars flavour at least three of the songs), but mostly the band throbs like one of those electricity substations. And after the vaguely autobiographical bent of …Tormentors, this is a return to more traditional Morrissey lyrical content – low-speed love chases (“Black Cloud”) and gleeful put-downs (“You Were Good In Your Time”). But there’s something else as well. Maybe it’s the imminent arrival of that important birthday, but there does seem an even greater pre-occupation than usual with the passing of time, the transience of things and the certainty of death. “When Last I Spoke To Carol” and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” confront the Reaper head on, while “Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed“ (“Life is nothing much to lose/It’s just so lonely here without you”) is so painfully poignant that the listener ends up hoping that it’s not a chapter from the singer’s real life. Even the best Morrissey records have their moments where it all sounds a bit phoned in (here, even the most ardent admirer could live without “Black Cloud”, “Sorry Doesn’t Help” and “All You Need Is Me”), but when it all comes together, this is still one of the most thrilling landmarks in the musical landscape. “Something Is Squeezing My Skull”, “Mama...” and “That’s How People Grow Up” are all welcome new gems in the Moz treasure chest, but the shiniest jewel – and irrefutable evidence that he is still the master of a pop scene he often surveys with utter disdain – is “When Last I Spoke To Carol”. A gorgeously controlled vocal is augmented by flamenco guitars and festooned with a swirling mariachi horn battery, the latter clearly influenced by recent collaborator Ennio Morricone. It is truly wonderful, better even than the White Stripes’ equally trumpet-drenched “Conquest” and the best bits of the lovely Last Shadow Puppets record, with which it shares some widescreen, string-driven DNA. As he heads into middle age, Morrissey (the man) seems as confrontational as ever, still mad for the spats, gaffes and feuds that have studded his life and career. Records as bright and occasionally beautiful as Years Of Refusal make us forgive Morrissey (the artist) even his most juvenile foibles. DANNY KELLY

This LP, the third studio album since strong>Morrissey began his near-miraculous recovery from commercial and critical oblivion with 2004’s You Are The Quarry, was always going to be a bit tricky. Quarry… reminded us that he is still capable of marvellous song-writing, as well as providing him with his first ever million-seller, solo or otherwise. 2005’s Live At Earls Court allowed him to reclaim his past – and especially his past in The Smiths – without appearing like The Human League or Tony Hadley on one of those I ? The ’80s tours. And Ringleader Of The Tormentors, with its tantalising glimpses of love found and celibacy abandoned (“explosive kegs between my legs!” – ooh matron!) was, after two decades of smokescreen and hairshirt, both revelatory and winningly upbeat. In a little less than two years, Morrissey had engineered one of music’s great resurrections.

After that fabulous piece of Lazarus-meets-Liberace hoopla, the build-up to Years Of Refusal has been inevitably accompanied by a certain amount of “what next?” angst. And Moz himself may well have been disquieted by another dawning realisation. Many of his heroes – Joe Orton, Billy Fury, Oscar Wilde, James Dean, Elvis – did their best work young, then slipped away before the passing years took their inevitable toll. But a vegetarian lifestyle, and a robust Irish constitution, have thankfully denied our man any such get-out. By the time he tours this new album in the summer, Steven Patrick Morrissey will be 50…

So, how’s he coped? Very well, in truth. Years Of Refusal is an excellent album. Not an excellent “rock album”, or an excellent “pop album”, but an excellent Morrissey album. It’s a distinction worth making because these days Moz’s appeal is confined, surely, to his large and unswerving horde of adherents. He’s unlikely to attract new fans, but still has more than enough devotees to sustain him artistically and to keep the wolf a very healthy distance from the door. It’s an enviable position for an artist to occupy and a really simple deal: Morrissey makes decent Moz disc (none of that self-parody nonsense like Kill Uncle or Maladjusted, the 1999 clunker that almost blew the whole arrangement) and his gang will adore him forever. The faithful (though they might gripe about the paltry ration of just nine new songs) will be largely delighted with this latest offering.

To details. Years Of Refusal looks both back and forward. Produced in LA by pop-punk pioneer Jerry Finn (who died soon after the sessions) it’s a souped-up revision of the arena-ready rock sound he cooked up for …Quarry. Guitars hammer where they used to twinkle; the music is crunchy and insistent; there are refinements (Hispanic brass and guitars flavour at least three of the songs), but mostly the band throbs like one of those electricity substations. And after the vaguely autobiographical bent of …Tormentors, this is a return to more traditional Morrissey lyrical content – low-speed love chases (“Black Cloud”) and gleeful put-downs (“You Were Good In Your Time”). But there’s something else as well. Maybe it’s the imminent arrival of that important birthday, but there does seem an even greater pre-occupation than usual with the passing of time, the transience of things and the certainty of death. “When Last I Spoke To Carol” and “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” confront the Reaper head on, while “Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed“ (“Life is nothing much to lose/It’s just so lonely here without you”) is so painfully poignant that the listener ends up hoping that it’s not a chapter from the singer’s real life.

Even the best Morrissey records have their moments where it all sounds a bit phoned in (here, even the most ardent admirer could live without “Black Cloud”, “Sorry Doesn’t Help” and “All You Need Is Me”), but when it all comes together, this is still one of the most thrilling landmarks in the musical landscape. “Something Is Squeezing My Skull”, “Mama…” and “That’s How People Grow Up” are all welcome new gems in the Moz treasure chest, but the shiniest jewel – and irrefutable evidence that he is still the master of a pop scene he often surveys with utter disdain – is “When Last I Spoke To Carol”. A gorgeously controlled vocal is augmented by flamenco guitars and festooned with a swirling mariachi horn battery, the latter clearly influenced by recent collaborator Ennio Morricone. It is truly wonderful, better even than the White Stripes’ equally trumpet-drenched “Conquest” and the best bits of the lovely Last Shadow Puppets record, with which it shares some widescreen, string-driven DNA.

As he heads into middle age, Morrissey (the man) seems as confrontational as ever, still mad for the spats, gaffes and feuds that have studded his life and career. Records as bright and occasionally beautiful as Years Of Refusal make us forgive Morrissey (the artist) even his most juvenile foibles.

DANNY KELLY

M Ward – Hold Time

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M Ward – Hold Time

When Matt Ward released his first solo album, Duet For Guitars #2 in 1999, he appeared to be another bedroom hermit with a four-track recorder, inhabiting his private universe on the margins of indie. But through the course of the ’00s, the Portland, Oregon, native has progressively shown himself to be multitalented, popping up all over as guest musician and general creative go-to-guy. His accomplishments are many. Touring and recording with the comparably ambitious Conor Oberst. Co-producing and playing guitar on Rabbit Fur Coat, the first album of Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis. Forming She & Him with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel and concocting 2008’s soft-rock homage, Volume One. Not to mention making significant contributions to the records of artists ranging from Cat Power to Beth Orton and Norah Jones. Meanwhile, Ward’s own albums have incrementally expanded on the artist’s lo-fi roots, which put him alongside such fingerpicking solipsists as the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, Smog’s Bill Callahan, Will Oldham and fellow Portlander Elliott Smith. His studio output, which now stands at six LPs, reveals him as a virtuoso guitarist and expressive singer, a passionate conservator of American roots music and a purveyor of Big Themes. All that is special about Ward is encapsulated in the captivating “Chinese Translation” from 2006’s Post-War, an epic metaphysical parable enclosed in a lilting alt.country song, embedding poetic verbiage about the cycle of life into a playful arrangement. The heady and ambitious Hold Time finds him delving deeper into the sounds and themes of Post-War and “Chinese Translation”. The album will be perceived by some as a religious tract because its rich Biblical imagery and intimations of immortality – and yes, he does thank God in his acknowledgments. But Hold Time is not an album-long testimony of belief; instead, it plays out as an extended meditation on the preciousness of time, the dance of life and death, and what evidence man can perceive of a spiritual dimension in the physical universe. After hushed opener “For Beginners”, the first of several contemplations of sin and salvation, Ward wastes no time connecting divine love with its human corollary. On “Nobody Like You”, he describes the redemptive power of true love via a lyric that mixes the language of traditional songs (“I trusted liars and thieves in my blindness”) and Motown (“But now it’s just like ABC/Life’s just like 1…2…3”), in a finger-snappin’ arrangement à la Dave Edmunds. Then comes the sprightly, string-enhanced shuffle “Jailbird”, the final minutes of a condemned man – one human who knows precisely when the life will go out of his body, which is what interests Ward in the subject. The words he puts in the mouth of his dead man walking directly address the album’s prevailing theme: “Save my soul ’fore they lay my old body down.” It’s easy to get lost in Ward’s lyrics, but this artist’s thematic concerns can’t be separated from his sonic impulses, which deftly draw on the hand-made sounds of Appalachian music, country blues, clapboard-church gospel and early rock’n’roll. At the same time, the album has all the lo-fi signifiers, from Ward’s imperfectly doubled lead vocals to the gauze of reverb he throws over the tracks. But these intimate elements co-exist with the most expansive arrangements of Ward’s career. The album’s leitmotif is its lush, dreamy string sections, which bring a gorgeous poignancy not only to the metaphysical songs “For Beginners”, “Hold Time”, “Save Me”, “Fisher Of Men” and “Epistemology”, but also to his radical reworkings of a pair of ’50s rockers, Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” (a duet with Deschanel) and Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” (with Lucinda Williams). A third cover closes the album; it’s the Sinatra ballad “I’m a Fool To Want You”, with Ward transforming it into the end-title theme for an imaginary Spaghetti Western that doubles as a wordless hymn. “I have a lot of questions about that relationship between love and death,” Ward said in 2003. He’s pondering those questions in earnest now. UNCUT Q&A, M Ward: Your arrangements are lusher than ever, and yet you’ve retained your trademark lo-fi character. Growing up with making so many four-track tapes, that sound is forever in my head. Production-wise, I wanted a balance between rich string sounds and thin pawn-shop sounds. What prompted the Buddy Holly and Don Gibson covers? The short answer is that I’ve loved those songs as long as I’ve loved any song. The long answer is that I’d like to erase any kind of timeframe on these records I’m making. I like it when I hear a song on the radio and I don’t know how old it is, or where sounds are coming from. What’s the overarching theme of Hold Time? It’s inspired by being asked where my inspiration comes from. It’s the hardest question in the world, so I decided to make a record that tried to answer it. I like stories and songs that raise questions instead of pretending to have all the answers. There’s not many elements of life that can take you to those areas – but music can. BUD SCOPPA

When Matt Ward released his first solo album, Duet For Guitars #2 in 1999, he appeared to be another bedroom hermit with a four-track recorder, inhabiting his private universe on the margins of indie. But through the course of the ’00s, the Portland, Oregon, native has progressively shown himself to be multitalented, popping up all over as guest musician and general creative go-to-guy.

His accomplishments are many. Touring and recording with the comparably ambitious Conor Oberst. Co-producing and playing guitar on Rabbit Fur Coat, the first album of Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis. Forming She & Him with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel and concocting 2008’s soft-rock homage, Volume One. Not to mention making significant contributions to the records of artists ranging from Cat Power to Beth Orton and Norah Jones.

Meanwhile, Ward’s own albums have incrementally expanded on the artist’s lo-fi roots, which put him alongside such fingerpicking solipsists as the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, Smog’s Bill Callahan, Will Oldham and fellow Portlander Elliott Smith. His studio output, which now stands at six LPs, reveals him as a virtuoso guitarist and expressive singer, a passionate conservator of American roots music and a purveyor of Big Themes. All that is special about Ward is encapsulated in the captivating “Chinese Translation” from 2006’s Post-War, an epic metaphysical parable enclosed in a lilting alt.country song, embedding poetic verbiage about the cycle of life into a playful arrangement.

The heady and ambitious Hold Time finds him delving deeper into the sounds and themes of Post-War and “Chinese Translation”. The album will be perceived by some as a religious tract because its rich Biblical imagery and intimations of immortality – and yes, he does thank God in his acknowledgments. But Hold Time is not an album-long testimony of belief; instead, it plays out as an extended meditation on the preciousness of time, the dance of life and death, and what evidence man can perceive of a spiritual dimension in the physical universe.

After hushed opener “For Beginners”, the first of several contemplations of sin and salvation, Ward wastes no time connecting divine love with its human corollary. On “Nobody Like You”, he describes the redemptive power of true love via a lyric that mixes the language of traditional songs (“I trusted liars and thieves in my blindness”) and Motown (“But now it’s just like ABC/Life’s just like 1…2…3”), in a finger-snappin’ arrangement à la Dave Edmunds.

Then comes the sprightly, string-enhanced shuffle “Jailbird”, the final minutes of a condemned man – one human who knows precisely when the life will go out of his body, which is what interests Ward in the subject. The words he puts in the mouth of his dead man walking directly address the album’s prevailing theme: “Save my soul ’fore they lay my old body down.”

It’s easy to get lost in Ward’s lyrics, but this artist’s thematic concerns can’t be separated from his sonic impulses, which deftly draw on the hand-made sounds of Appalachian music, country blues, clapboard-church gospel and early rock’n’roll. At the same time, the album has all the lo-fi signifiers, from Ward’s imperfectly doubled lead vocals to the gauze of reverb he throws over the tracks. But these intimate elements co-exist with the most expansive arrangements of Ward’s career.

The album’s leitmotif is its lush, dreamy string sections, which bring a gorgeous poignancy not only to the metaphysical songs “For Beginners”, “Hold Time”, “Save Me”, “Fisher Of Men” and “Epistemology”, but also to his radical reworkings of a pair of ’50s rockers, Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” (a duet with Deschanel) and Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” (with Lucinda Williams). A third cover closes the album; it’s the Sinatra ballad “I’m a Fool To Want You”, with Ward transforming it into the end-title theme for an imaginary Spaghetti Western that doubles as a wordless hymn. “I have a lot of questions about that relationship between love and death,” Ward said in 2003. He’s pondering those questions in earnest now.

UNCUT Q&A, M Ward:

Your arrangements are lusher than ever, and yet you’ve retained your trademark lo-fi character.

Growing up with making so many four-track tapes, that sound is forever in my head. Production-wise, I wanted a balance between rich string sounds and thin pawn-shop sounds.

What prompted the Buddy Holly and Don Gibson covers?

The short answer is that I’ve loved those songs as long as I’ve loved any song. The long answer is that I’d like to erase any kind of timeframe on these records I’m making. I like it when I hear a song on the radio and I don’t know how old it is, or where sounds are coming from.

What’s the overarching theme of Hold Time?

It’s inspired by being asked where my inspiration comes from. It’s the hardest question in the world, so I decided to make a record that tried to answer it. I like stories and songs that raise questions instead of pretending to have all the answers. There’s not many elements of life that can take you to those areas – but music can.

BUD SCOPPA

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