all I ever wanted

Alphabeat are back, back, BACK! The Danish collective have been busy tinkering in the studio in order to deliver the follow up to "The Spell", their second longplayer. Of course, if you bought that sophomore effort in the UK it was called "The Beat Is...". Christ on a cracker! That was a shit title.

Anyway, the first single from their forthcoming elpee is called "Vacation". Thankfully, it is not a cover of the Go-Go's tune.



Ooh! That's got a fun, fresh, colorful, sunny vibe to it. It's like a scoop of raspberry sherbert! Just in time for an unseasonably warm, springtime winter. Love the cheesy synth horns. Glad to see they didn't go down the electro route. Instead, they revisited the sound of their debut album. Well played!

Look for their third, as-yet-untitled longplayer by the end of the summer.

cinematic strangeland

Keane are about to return from the wilderness with "Strangeland", their first new music since the "Night Train" EP in 2010.

It's their first, full longplayer in nearly four years since the sound altering "Perfect Symmetry" which saw them replace their delicate, piano led lushness with lots of buzzy synths and clattering drums. I, for one, loved the album and thought it was a bold and necessary step forward for Tim Rice-Oxley and co.

For the new album, it appears the band, now a foursome with the official addition of Jessie Quinn on bass guitar and percussion. And it appears they've returned to the velvety simplicity and cinematic scope of their first two albums. Tom Chaplin's yearning vocal soars above the beautifully produced arrangements and he seems to sing with a greater sense of assuredness and confidence

In anticipation of the album, the band have cobbled together a lovely overview of it and whacked it up on their website. Let's have a peek.



Ooh! That's lovely.

Keane's fourth, studio longplayer will be released on May 7th 2012. The tracklisting is as follows:

1. You Are Young
2. Silenced By The Night
3. Disconnected
4. Watch How You Go
5. Sovereign Light Café
6. On The Road
7. The Starting Line
8. Black Rain
9. Neon River
10. Day Will Come
11. In Your Own Time
12. Sea Fog

As well as the standard CD and digital versions of the album, "Strangeland" will be available as an extended CD with four bonus tracks and a vinyl elpee. Additionally, a deluxe CD/DVD combo will be released which includes the bonus tracks, five acoustic videos and a book packed with photographs as well as, a short story by British author William Boyd. That's a lot cash for fans to drop in one day. It's reminds me somewhat of the days when singles were released in five or six formats. Ah, the eighties. Bless.

"Strangeland" will be available from all fine "shops" on May 7.

punk movement

Unlike most people, I am getting quite sick to death of Adele. Girl is gonna have a bitch of a time following up her sophomore longplayer. I want to gouge my eyes out with hot knitting needles everytime I hear some poor karaoke queen butcher one of her songs.

However, one thing I am enjoying is the creative way people have been splicing, slicing and dicing her work. There are far too many bad remixes out there of all three singles from "21". But there are a small handful of well produced reswizzlings that I play from time to time. It's almost refreshing to hear her songs in a different setting.

And now the mash ups have started making appearances across the interwebs. Again, there are a ton of ill conceived train wrecks. But there are a few gems like "Something About The Fire" which is a beautifully constructed collision of "Set Fire To The Rain" and "Something About Us" by Daft Punk which originally featured on their 2010 elpee, "Discovery".

This magnificent of marriage of sound was produced by Carlos Serrano and it deserves plenty of attention. My only criticism is that it hasn't been given a more extended treatment. Bliss.

single tonight

Saint Etienne have revealed the artwork and tracklisting for their current single, "Tonight".

As you can see from the image above, the photo captures the spirit and excitement of attending a gig by your favorite band. Also, it's an homage to The Specials as it is reminiscent of the cover art to their EP, "Too Much Too Young". Because ver Et are sticklers for detail, the photograph was also taken at a gig by The Specials.

"Tonight" will be available on March 12. It will be released on 7", 12" and as a digital download bundle. The physical configurations are being limited to 1,000 copies each. Once they are gone, no more will be pressed. Snatch yourself a copy tout de suite!

The tracklisting for the 7" single features "Tonight" on the a-side and a cover of "Manhattan" which was originally recorded by Scott Walker in his latter day period. Saint Etienne first released it in 2009 as part of "Scott Walker - 30th Century Man", a collection of Mr. Walker's finest moments as interpreted by contemporary artists.

The 12" and DL will include mixes from 2 Bears and Club Clique while Richard X turns in an old school, 1980s style extended version. Huzzah! Someone has answered my prayers.

However, it unsettles me that a CD single won't be released. Surely, their fans would prefer a shiny CD over the less viable 7" single. Why not issue four formats? Have the chart rules shifted once again? Certainly, there is a way to make it as collectable as the other formats.

armed and dangerous

Paul Weller returns with "That Dangerous Age", the first, fired up single from his forthcoming longplayer, "Sonik Kicks".

The track is all doo wop and 60s with a splash of Steeler's Wheel and The Kinks wrapped up in a psychedelic, Kraftwerk kaftan. Arguably, Mr. Weller's finest single in nearly fifteen years and a highlight in a career which spans five decades.

With one masterstroke of his guitar, "That Dangerous Age",manages to out-Blurred Blur. Damon and co. should take serious note of PW's latest and have a good think about the direction of their next album should they decide to reconvene in the studio.

Check out the colorful video which was unveiled today.



Interesting to note that previous single, "Starlite", which saw PW revisit some of the sonics he explored during his heyday as head of The Style Council, will not be included on "Sonik Kicks".

The elpee will hit the "shops" on March 19.

thank you for the music

Today, the mighty Saint Etienne revealed the details of "Words And Music By Saint Etienne", their forthcoming, eighth, studio longplayer.

The album will be released on May 21 in four different flavors including a standard CD for the casual buyer, double CD deluxe edition for the more serious fan, an old school vinyl LP for the diehard lovers of warm crackle, and a special boxset version for the hardcore trainspotter types. I will be buying all four editions which makes me certifiably insane.

The tracklisting for the standard CD includes the following thirteen songs.

1. Over The Border
2. I've Got Your Music
3. Heading For the Fair
4. Last Days of Disco
5. Tonight
6. Answer Song
7. Record Doctor
8. Popular
9. 25 Years
10. DJ
11. When I Was Seventeen
12. I Threw it All Away
13. Haunted Jukebox

Bob, Pete and Sarah describe the theme of the album thusly: "It's more than how music affects and reflects your life. It's about believing in music and living your life by its rules." Words to live by, indeed!

lightning and listening

After a-ha called it a day at the end of their farewell tour, it was always understood that Morten Harket and his cheekbones would release a solo album, the first since "Letter From Egypt" in 2008. Now, the fruits of his labor, "Out Of My Hands", will be released on April 13.

On March 9, the first single to be lifted from the longplayer will be "Lightning".

The single will only be released in Norway. Here's a short preview of it.



The second single, "Scared Of Heights", will be released internationally. It will be available from all fine digital retailers from March 23.



Lastly, rumors have become fact. Pet Shop Boys have written a song especially for Morten entitled "Listening". Apparently, Mr. Harket approached Chris and Neil to write a song for his forthcoming longplayer and ver Boys whipped up a beautiful ballad for the project.

The full tracklisting for "Out Of My Hands" includes the following ten songs.

1. Scared Of Heights
2. Keep The Sun Away
3. Lightning
4. I'm The One
5. Quiet
6. Burn Money Burn
7. When I Reached The Moon
8. Listening
9. Just Believe it
10. Out Of My Hands

love is the dub

Following on from a series of hugely popular 12" remixes of Bryan Ferry tracks in 2011 comes an exclusive remix of "Love Is The Drug", an iconic slab of Roxy Music magic. It is exclusively available as a collectible, 180-gram heavweight, vinyl 12" single from The Vinyl Factory. If you're a digital aficionado, you can get your Google dirty fingers on the download from Beatport. Availability through other digital retailers should follow shortly.

Featuring an absolutely essential, epic remix by Todd Terje, his reswizzling of the 1975 classic gives it a contemporary club twist and is a must-have for anyone who snapped up his recent, gorgeous remix of Bryan Ferry's "Alphaville".

On the flipside is an equally essential version by dub disco diplomats Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, whose, hypnotic, Balearic-style reworking of "Avalon" has been bouncing around the interwebs for a couple of years.

And to top things off, Roxy Music HQ has just unleashed a video clip for Todd Terje's masterful, loved up dub. Voilà and viva!

nightlife in London

A little over a week since Saint Etienne premiered "Tonight", the first single from their forthcoming, eighth, studio longplayer, "Words And Music By Saint Etienne", the fearsome threesome from London town unleashed the stylish vid for their latest offering today.



Viva London! Numerous neon landmarks make their appearances in the clip which is an ode to the exhilaration of going out to see your favorite band.

"Tonight" will be released shortly on 7", 12" and digital download replete with requisite remixes and non-album b-sides. Hurrah!

And, if you're a lucky lad like me, you got yourself a ticket to see ver Et on their short jaunt across the UK in May. See you at the London Palladium on May 28!

love is a losing game

Pouty mouthed Will Young is about to unleash "Losing Myself" as the third single from his current longplayer, "Echoes". It's another gleaming, pop track which has been produced under the watchful eyes of Richard X.

The melancholy melody line and Will's mournful vocal delivery are beautifully wrapped in a lush package of shiny synths, rubbery basslines and snappy percussion. The song seems to hint ever so slightly at "Smalltown Boy" by Bronksi Beat which is not unfamiliar territory for Mr. Young. He covered similar ground as guest vocalist on "History", a track on Groove Armada's previous longplayer, "Black Light".

Let's take a peek at the video Will recently lensed for his new single.



He certainly is looking fit and suitably stylish. He's thrown in a few sexy dance moves for good measure. Never a bad thing.

I'm convinced Will Young has taken a more adult turn with his latest elpee in an effort to grow as an artist not unlike George Michael did when he made the transition from 80s pop tartlet to serious songwriter and performer by the time "Faith" was released in 1988. Time will tell if this trajectory works for Will beyond his current album. We wonder. We watch. We wait.