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Trailer Park: Ted

Red band trailer up for Seth McFarlane's foul-mouthed comedy Ted. Mark Walhberg shows his hidden comedy side again. Or should that be "Mark-Lynn"....?

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10th Apr 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

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Promo Promo: Wilco vs Popeye

Animated promo up for WIlco's track "Dawned on Me" .....starring the band and Popeye himself. Directed by Darren Romanelli

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26th Jan 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

New Wedding Present Album: Valentina

Chimp heros The Wedding Present are back with a new album in March. Valentina will be released through the band's own Scopitones label in the UK on March 17th. Other labels around teh world in the days after that.

The band will be at SXSW to launch the album and then on tour in America, Europe, The World. Can't wait.

Via Scopitones.

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18th Jan 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

fIREHOSE rEUNION

More info on that fIREHOSE reunion: Consequence of Sound are reporting that as well as playing at Coachella, the band will reunite after 18 years for a US tour. Which makes me 18+ years older than I thought, as me and Cnrth saw them at the Marquee in 1991-ish.

Needless Natas Kaupas plug below.

fIREHOSE 2012 Tour Dates:
04/05 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
04/06 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
04/07 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
04/09 – Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo House of Music
04/10 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
04/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
04/12 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Historic Coconut Grove Ballroom *
04/13 – Fresno, CA @ Fulton 55
04/14 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
04/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom *
04/18 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre *
04/19 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush
04/20 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival

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13th Jan 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

The New Shins

Girlfriend-friendly favourites The Shins are back with a new album in March, and this time they have Richard Swift in the band. Port of Morrow arrives March 20th. Single Simple Song is embedded below - and on iTunes now.

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10th Jan 2012 - Add Comment - Tweet

New / Vintage GBV

Guided By Voices' new LP "Let's Go Eat The Factory" arrives on Jan 16th (Jan 17th in the US via Rockathon or NOW via US iTunes), but you can listen to the whole thing today over at NPR.

The record is the first to feature the 'classic' line-up of the band since 1996. That's the classic line-up pictured in 1995 above. And the vintage version of the classic line-up below.

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22nd Dec 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Wassail

Poole Lighthouse

This concert included some of Dorset’s finest musicians - The New Scorpion Band, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Purbeck Village Quire and the St. Osmund Singers. They blended magnificently to produce a great evening of everything that is traditional about Christmas.

The Scorpions are a group of musician/composers – several of whom regularly perform at the Globe Theatre - who sing and play unamplified music using a wide variety of historical instruments. However, amplification was hardly necessary with the full BSO behind them and they produced a varied and very enjoyable selection of music and verse. Highlights were Sans Day Carol and the Dorset Mummers’ Play whilst the BSO excelled with Warlock’s Bethlehem Down and Vaughan Williams’ English Folksong Suite.

This conceptual concert started at the Lighthouse in 2010 and returned by popular request, whilst now also expanding to a tour with new venues in Bristol and Portsmouth. Look out for further expansion in the years ahead.

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18th Dec 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

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Black Bananas from RTX

Royal Trux/RTX singer Jennifer Herrema is back with Black Bananas - a new version of the band (yes, it's full of scratchy 70s Stones riffs, distorto-vox and Prince-ish songs called Hot Stupid). Pitchfork have got an MPFree. Album Rad Time Xpress IV is out in Jan with other thoughtful numbers like Acid Song, Killer Weed and Foxy Playground. That party train is not stopping any time soon. Still love Trux's Waterpark:

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5th Dec 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

June Tabor & The Oyster Band

Ragged Kingdom

Check Bonny Bunch of Roses, Dark End of the Street and more. \#Puskas


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4th Dec 2011

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Forklift

I just got one step closer to digital nirvana, stumbling accross an album that I still only had on cassette, but which has now been uploaded to Band Camp by creator Mark Nassau.

Good buddy Ducati Sven taped a Forklift 7" for me in the early 90s, which he picked up while visiting Connecticut. My copy moved from tape to tape before settling in the remaining space on Side B of my Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge cassette. Mudhoney made the upgrade to CD quite some time ago, but Forklift had always eluded me. Until now.

"Bathroom Song" stills rocks.

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29th Nov 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Fresh, White Denim

White Denim's new EP "Takes Place In Your Workspace" is not available in the UK iTunes store, but a quick Google search points out a free download from White Denim themselves. In other reverse-promotion-record-release news, the band's awesome and previously free album "Last Day of Summer" will be available to buy on CD from December.

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7th Nov 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

John Mayall

Poole Lighthouse

This was our second John Mayall concert - the first was in 1967 (UCL Union); so only a wait of 44 years in between. In that time John, who remains one of the godfathers of British blues, has made many albums, lived a life of constant touring and launched the careers of many rock & blues legends - Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and John McVey to name but a few.

This was the 6th night of a 25 date British tour that ends 18th November. The band retains a traditional line up of Rocky Athas - lead guitar, Greg Rzab - bass guitar, Jay Davenport - drums. Remarkably, Mayall did all the vocals, played keyboard and/or harmonica on all numbers apart from one, when he played guitar - not bad for a 77 year old!

The programme consisted of many standard rhythm and blues pieces, which were all played at a high technical level with a lot of feeling. Particularly memorable were “All Your Love” and “Parchment Farm” from the Blues Breakers (the Beano) Album.

Supporting act was from the Oli Brown Band.

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3rd Nov 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Read more 3.5 star reviews

The Kids Are All Right

Engaging family dynamics drama that goes off the boil in act three.


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2nd Oct 2011

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Girls

Father, Son, Holy Ghost

This band just keeps getting better. More muscle, more romance, more great songs.


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27th Sep 2011

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Red Hot Chilli Peppers

I'm With You

The focus has shifted post @JohnFrusciante but the band step up admirably.


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31st Aug 2011

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Jeff Bridges and The Abiders

Fun piece up at AICN documenting Jeff Bridges' musical appearance on legendary TV show Austin City Limits.

UPDATE: Rolling Stone have a live session with the band.

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14th Aug 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Nevermind 20th Anniversary

Nothing makes you feel old like the 20th Anniversary of an album from the 90's ...and September 24th sees the 20th anniversary of Grunge catalyst Nevermind, which took off shortly afterwards and went on to sell over 30 million copies. Pitchfork has details of the re-release.

That's cover star Spencer Elden in the picture, shot a couple of years back in the 17th anniversary era. He's probably even bigger now.

Down below is the band's first TV performance, on legendary show The Word (read more here). I remember the buzz spreading like wildfire from then on.

Where's it all gone eh?

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26th Jul 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Trailer Park: Drive

Good looking trailer up for Drive with Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks and Walt from Breaking Bad. Looks like an updated take on 70's classic The Driver.

The film picked up a best Director award at Cannes for Bronson/Pusher helmer Nicolas Winding Refn - who is now attached to a Logan's Run remake, with Gosling.

Via IGN

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24th Jul 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Singing Adams

Everybody Friends Now

Records Records Records

With the Broken Family Band finally broken for good, lead singer Steven Adams has moved forward, assembling a new band going by the name of Singing Adams - though confusingly Adams put out a solo record under that name in 2005.

The casual country tinge of BFB has given way to a more focused sound, coupled with great production. There's a more soulful edge to the delivery here too, though have no fear - the same charmingly-delivered-but-downbeat lyrics are still here, giving David Gedge a run for his money both in the lyrics-about-break-ups stakes and even with the furious guitar workouts that highlight many of the best tracks.

Good to have you back. Welcome home losers.

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28th Jun 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Read more 3.5 star reviews

RIP Clarence Clemons

E Street Band's saxman died yesterday. January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011

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19th Jun 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Film School

Brilliant Career

Thurston Moore-worshipping debut that doesn't signal the band's later clout.


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9th Jun 2011

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Yuck

Yuck

Throwback shoe-gazing indie nostalgia trip. Though it's more Family Cat than Galaxie 500.


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3rd Jun 2011

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Girls

Broken Dreams Club

Had this for ages but cant stop listening to it. Carolina is endlessly appealing. Perfect


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12th May 2011

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Atmosphere

The Family Sign

Disappontingly down beat new one form Slug and Co. Lacks all the bump of before.


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15th Apr 2011

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The Veils

Troubles of the Brain EP

Killer EP that returns the band to toe-tapping Nux Vomica standard ...or better.


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28th Mar 2011

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The Strokes

Angles

Harmless fluff as the band regress away from their adventurous 3rd album.


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18th Mar 2011

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MPFree: Solo Fox Tracks

Robin Pecknold has dropped three acoustic tracks via @fleetfoxes :

"One is a duet with my friend Ed Droste from the amazing band Grizzly Bear, one is just a new solo jam, and one is a cover."

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9th Mar 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

Controlled Explosions

With new album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care released on April 18th on Bella Union, Chimpomatic favourites Explosions in the Sky have released their first preview of the album. The track Trembling Hands is more direct than much of the band's previous work ...and provides a taster of what to expect next month. I for one, cannot wait.

Listen here. Download here.

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8th Mar 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

New My Morning Jacket: Circuital

"I want it to sound like we're Cuban or Cambodian kids, and we're wearing berets and we're walking through an alley and we stumble upon this band, and it explodes into this crazy sing-along."

My Morning Jacket have a new album - Circuital - out this spring. Make of that what you will. The good news:

"We want people to have almost the exact opposite experience they had last time. I definitely had some goals of wanting to make this one warmer and somehow more contained and more concise of a statement."

Via Rolling Stone

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4th Mar 2011 - Add Comment - Tweet

In America

Sympathetic, heart wrenching study of a family dealing with grief as they start a new life in New York.


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11th Jan 2011

Read more 4 star reviews