Monthly Archives: April 2012
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Ziggy Stardust…Aladdin Sane…The Thin White Duke; Bowie can be anyone. Nobody can be Bowie, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. The original Rock-Pop Chameleon has changed his colors with the times, perhaps more successfully than any modern artist. He has bridged the gap from late 60′s-early 70′s Psychedlic Folk, Mid-70′s Glam, late 70′s Soul, Funk and Disco, 80′s Pop, 90′s Electronica and so on. Along the way, he has influenced generations of artists like Iggy Pop, The Smiths and Morrissey, The Cure, Pixies, Suede, Placebo, Blur, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and more. That being said, Bowie is the perfect subject for Strangeways’ latest Under the Covers series.
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You may have noticed several of your favorite bands adding events to their timelines on Facebook; release dates of albums, key tours etc…Saint Etienne is taking a slightly different approach to it. They want YOU to be a part of their history.
The band is calling on their fans to contribute memories of seeing, listening or reading about the group to the Timeline, and share experiences with other fans. These could be photos of Saint Etienne shows, ticket stubs, early vinyl, magazine cuttings, or memorabilia – absolutely anything to do with the group. The more unique, the more other fans will appreciate it.
They’ll pick their favourites and put them into the Timeline, giving you full accreditation and telling the story on your behalf. If you submit something that really makes them smile, there are a few prizes that Sarah, Pete and Bob have been keeping in their lock-up.
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On April 30th, Moby will release a limited edition, numbered, double CD containing DJ mixes of tracks from Moby’s 2011 Destroyed album. The compilation include exclusive remixes by Holy Ghost!, David Lynch, and System Divine as well as remixes by Paul Van Dyk and Moby himself. The limited edition release also includes a brand new 30 minute long ambient track by Moby called ‘All Sides Gone’.
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n a year full of exciting reunion shows from the likes Of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pulp, Mazzy Star perhaps none raised more eyebrows than The Stone Roses reunion. After 16 years apart, the band is embarking on a string of sold-out European dates while fans await North American dates and a possible new album.
With all of that going on, author John Robb has updated his classic bio on the band. The Stone Roses: The Reunion Edition is fully revised and updated, with brand new chapters and exclusive details on their reformation; this is the definitive, most revered account of the band, from a journalist and musician who was there from the beginning.
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Gary Numan will be releasing a new DVD Machine Music: The Best Of Gary Numan on June 11, 2012. The release will be limited to 3000 copies. The DVD features never before seen promos and TV appearances spanning his career, including videos made for We Are Glass and I Die: You Die, up to recent promos for The Fall (from the 2011 Dead Son Rising album) and the Battles collaboration My Machines. Along with the DVD will be a tour – the Machine Music Tour which kicks off in the UK in late May until early June, hopefully with US dates to follow. The shows will feature a set of his singles covering a span of 33 years!
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Ok, let’s just up front that we doubt this one ourselves, but…remember those rumors about The Stone Roses reforming? True! The Police? True! My Bloody Valentine? True! Old Joy Division master tapes found by Jamie Oliver? Untrue! Radiohead singing up Ketchup in the Fridge? Untrue!
So…ya never know, but in any effect a reunion from The Smiths is on many a music fan’s wishlist and at least one website says, relations may be thawing and reunion COULD be on the way?
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Sinead O’Connor has canceled her tour commitments for 2012 due to a breakdown related to her much publicized struggle with bipolar disorder. She personally made the announcement on April 23, in a posting on her website and Facebook page.
O’Connor released How About I Be Me (And You Be You) in March, her first release in five years. But the 45-year-old’s return to the spotlight has been complicated with reported suicide threats and erratic behavior. Recently she began posting online seeking a job outside of the music industry.
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The NYC duo School of Seven Bells has finally released a studio version of a fan-favorite from their live show. Their cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees’ Kiss Them For Me was released this past weekend as a Record Store Day Exclusive 7″. Today the single and its b-side When She Was Me were made available as an iTunes digital purchase.
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There is great news coming for fans of the Drive soundtrack! The Soundtrack is scored by composer Cliff Martinez and also includes Euro-Synth tracks by Chromatics, Desire and College (ft Electric Youth) as well as the opening credit track, Nightcall by Kavinsky and Lovefoxx. This brilliant soundtrack is finally going to see a vinyl release, and not just any old release. …
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On May 28th, Ultravox will release their 11th studio album called ‘Brilliant’ featuring the original 80s lineup of Midge Ure, Chris Cross, Billy Currie, Warren Cann. The band has gone through many lineup changes over the years, but this album marks the first time the original band members have performed together in 28 years.
Pre-orders for the album are being taken at a variety of outlets and the pre-order sales figures have this as the #1 seller in the Amazon pop music pre-order charts. A full UK Tour supporting the album will occur in September and October.
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Strangeways continues its Under The Covers series with a look at cover versions of classic Smiths and Morrissey songs. Our recent New Order, Depeche Mode, and The Cure episodes of Under The Covers have been very well received and the series just wouldn’t be complete without an examination of Smiths and Morrissey covers. This mix features covers from a variety of genres, including shoegaze, acoustic, electronic and yes…it even includes a cover from Bowie!
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The recently re-formed New Order’s tribute to Ian Curtis, Elegia, an unusual track for the band as it’s an instrumental (a waltz, actually) originally appeared as a 5 minute version on 1985′s Low-Life. The version that didn’t make the album was actually an 18 minute long version, which was later revealed to have been written in memory of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of the original line up of the band when they were Joy Division. (Elegia is Latin for elegy). It later appeared on the 2002 Retro box set, and again on the 2008 collector’s edition release of Low-Life. (And some people may also remember hearing it used in the background in the film Pretty In Pink!) The chilling and atmospheric full 18-minute version is at long last being released on vinyl.
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To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Smiths’ swansong, Strangeways Here We Come, Detroit-based Smiths + Morrissey Tribute band, The Smiths United will do something The Smiths themselves never did….play Strangeways, Here We Come LIVE!
The event will take place at The Magic Bag Theatre in Metro Detroit on Saturday, April 28. The Smiths United will perform Strangeways, Here We Come in its entirety, followed by a smattering of other classics from The Smiths. At a normal Smiths United show, fans are treated to selections from the entire discography of not only The Smiths but Morrissey solo tracks as well. For this special event, no Morrissey will be on the docket…it’s nothing but The Smiths.
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Bloody Knives is an industrial shoegaze group from Austin, Texas, and consists of Preston Maddox (bass, voice, keyboards, samples, programming), Jake McCown (drums, noise, programming, art) and Jim Moon (sound manipulator). Describing their sound is not easy, but it falls somewhere in between heavy punk and industrial music, combined with blurred electronics, shoegaze atmospherics, and 8-bit glitch melodies. It’s been said that the band creates a wave of sound that is both in-your-face and completely out-there, with Maddox’s vocals sounding as if they are coming from another dimension, and this statement echoes how most of their fans feel – in fact, it’s precisely this element that initially draws their listeners in.
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The British indie act Editors announced via their website that they have parted ways with lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz. Apparently the split is based upon a difference concerning the future musical direction which is said to be far more electronic. The statement on the site read ‘In a decision entirely based upon future musical direction, and with huge sadness, Editors and Chris Urbanowicz have parted ways. In ten years we’ve gone from playing tiny clubs in Birmingham to having number one records in several countries, selling out massive shows across the globe and headlining festivals as four friends together so this was a massively painful decision for all of us to make.’ They go on to assure fans that the parting was amicable ‘We wish Chris the best of luck in his future endeavors, and expect you all to do the same. The parting is amicable, and however sad things are right now we all hope we’ll continue to be friends for many years to come.’
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