Disturbed ‘The Lost Children’
Disturbed release first b-sides and rarities compilation ‘The Lost Children’ on November 7th 2011 on Warner Bros. Records
After four consecutive Billboard #1 albums, 12 million album sales and a further 6 million digital downloads, Disturbed will release ‘The Lost Children’, their first ever b-sides and rarities compilation, on November 7th on Warner Bros. Records.
‘The Lost Children’ compiles b-sides and bonus international albums tracks covering their entire career, from their debut album ‘The Sickness’ (2000) to 2010’s Gold-certified ‘Asylum’. It also includes ‘3′ which was released exclusively on the band’s website in April with all proceeds donated to the Damien Echols Defense Fund benefiting the West Memphis Three, the previously unreleased ‘Mine’, ‘This Moment’ from the soundtrack to Transformers and two fascinating covers: Faith No More’s ‘Midlife Crisis’ and ‘Living After Midnight’ by Judas Priest. Lead track ‘Hell’ can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvAmUKgH7HI
Disturbed spent the summer headlining the fourth annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival which also included the likes of Megadeth, Machine Head and Trivium and recently performed their first-ever shows in South America. When ‘Asylum’ went to the top of the Billboard album charts they became the third rock band to achieve four consecutive #1 albums after Metallica and the Dave Matthews Band.
‘The Lost Children’ is available for pre-order now, full tracklisting is:
1. Hell
2. A Welcome Burden
3. This Moment
4. Old Friend
5. Monster
6. Run
7. Leave It Alone
8. Two Worlds
9. God of The Mind
10. Sickened
11. Mine
12. Parasite
13. Dehumanized
14. 3
15. Midlife Crisis
16. Living After Midnight
Adams & Hannigan Albums
Lisa Hannigan PASSENGER. Pias
Lisa Hannigan is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. For several years she was a member of Damien Rice’s band before beginning her solo career in 2008. She has been the recipient of various award nominations and critical praise both in Ireland and the USA. Hannigan has performed and been associated with Cathy Davey, Mic Christopher, Mick Flannery, David Kitt and members of Snow Patrol, The Frames and Bell X1. She has performed at the Glastonbury Festival both as a solo artist and with Damien Rice.
Hannigan has pursued her own solo career, releasing her first album Sea Sew in Ireland on September 12th 2008, debuting at number 4 and earning her a Choice Music Prize nomination, two Meteor Music Award nominations and has been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize 2009. The album’s first single was Lille followed by I Don’t Know. Sea Sew got an official US release on February 3rd 2009 and a UK release in May 2009. In July 2009, two days after a triumphant performance in torrential rain at the Latitude Festival, it was announced that Sea Sew had been nominated for the prestigous Mercury Music Prize in the UK.
I first saw Hannigan in Ireland back in 2001 when she provided backing vocals to Damien Rice during the Witnness Festival. This is her second album and it’s taken a few listens for me to appreciate it - in part. Opening track ‘Home’ stands head and shoulders above every other song her with its super-strong melody, originality and quite epic scale. It’s excellent modern folk with Hannigan’s delicate voice shining through. Next song ‘A Sail’ is a swooning, dreamy affair with a decent melody, some beautiful string and piano moments pulling it through. ‘Knots’ is pretty much the same but provides Hannigan with more space for her vocals which are some of the most expressive and emotional on the album.
Other highlights include the lovely banjo-dominated ‘Passenger’ and highly reflective ‘Safe Travels, (Don’t Die)’, however, I would have liked to see some stronger/more consistent song-writing; with a little more passion; which her distinctive and expressive voice deserves. That said, there’s just enough here to satisfy her fans and perhaps even win over some new ones.
3.5/5
Ryan Adams ASHES & FIRE. Sony
Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, poet and painter from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000. He has released six additional solo albums and five albums with The Cardinals.
Adams has produced albums for Jesse Malin and Willie Nelson and collaborated with the Counting Crows, Weezer, Norah Jones, America, Minnie Driver, Cowboy Junkies, Leona Naess, Toots & the Maytals, Beth Orton and Krista Polvere. He has written two books of short stories and poems, entitled Infinity Blues and Hello Sunshine. In 2009 Adams married actress Mandy Moore, left The Cardinals and announced that he was taking a break from music.
Adams resumed performing in October 2010 and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. And here it is…
The first thing that hit me, even before the musical content, was the superb production quality with its sharp definition that renders Adams’ voice as clear as a bell. ‘Dirty Rain’ opens proceedings with arguably the best song on the album. The mood is solemn, the pace glacial, the melody powerful, and the voice more expressive than I can remember from this great singer/songwriter. ‘Ashes & Fire’ ups the pace while providing a strong
steer as to what’s on the rest of the album. The country narrative style is quite strong with piano and guitars giving good account of themselves. ‘Come Home’ slows pace dramatically with mournful fiddles underpinning a very moving and beautifully interpreted song.
There are hints here of his first album, HEARTBREAKER, but this is a more reflective Adams with a feeling given that he has created music which is closer to his heart and soul. It’s also effortless, generally understated with some of his finest ever vocals - a welcome
quality return from this young, accessible genius.
4/5
Chickenfoot & Tracer: New Lps
Tracer. SPACES IN BETWEEN. Cool Green Recordings
Fine heavy rock recordings have been thin on the ground in 2011, so this album is very welcome. Adelaide, Australian based band Tracer is made up of Michael Brown (guitar and vocals), Leigh Brown (bass, keyboards and vocals), and Andre Wise (drums and percussion).
If Robert Plant and Jimi Hendrix made love to the sounds of Audioslave, they’d probably sound similar to the likes of Tracer. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the trio embodies a sound steeped in epic guitars, clever hooks and raw, uncompromising vocals. Tracer’s unique blend of 90’s stoner and 70’s classic rock is winning them over new fans, and landed them with an international record deal. Rising from the ashes of blues prodigy band The Brown Brothers in 2004, Michael (vocals, guitar) and Leigh Brown (vocals, bass) teamed up with drummer Andre Wise to form Tracer.
The following years have seen the trio find success with two independent releases; two international tours, including support slots for Little Red, Children Collide, The John Steel Singers and Cassette Kids; and most recently, a record contract with highly respected Dutch label Mascot Records.
Following their successful debut European tour in late 2009, Tracer returned overseas in September 2010 to take a showcase slot at Germany’s PopKomm Music Conference in Berlin. The band then set off on a string of dates throughout Germany, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK, taking time off to sign a long term record deal with Cool Green Recordings, a sub label of Mascot. Upon returning to Adelaide, the band headed straight into the studio, and recorded SPACES IN BETWEEN which is to be released in October 2011.
Using Aussi vernacular, this is a ripper of an album! It opens with ‘Too Much’ and an explosion of guitar riffs underpinned by a killer rhythm and tangible melody. Michael Brown possesses a classic heavy rock voice modelled perhaps on the likes of AC/DC and Iron Maiden leadmen. Superb! And it never lets up… ‘Push’ drops the pace as it ploughs a telling blues path. ‘Walk Alone’ tricks you into believing it’s going to be a quiet tune but then opens out with a vocal that sounds a little like the late lamented Kurt Cobain, and tradional rock sound. ‘Louder Than This’ opens with a deathly paced drum rhythm and is one of several album highlights. Great melodies, excellent lyrics, diverse pace, fabulous performances make this one of the best rock albums of 2011…
4.5/5
Airship’s New Album & UK Tour
Airship Announce Debut Album And UK Tour Details
The Manchester quartet will release ‘Stuck In This Ocean’ on the 5th September through Play It Again Sam. Produced by Doves/Cherry Ghost producer Dan Austin at Rockfield Studios, the album was aided by Doves’ ambient programmer Rebelski, and Editors’ guitarist Chris Urbanowicz.
The album features recent 6Music playlisted debut single, ‘Kids’.
Stuck In This Ocean Tracklisting: Algebra, Invertebrate, Kids, Gold Watches, Spirit Party, The Trial Of My Riddle, Organ, Test, Vampires, This Is Hell, Stuck In This Ocean
To coincide with the album’s release, the band head out on a huge 24 date UK tour, kicking off at Glasgow’s Nice’N’Sleazys on the 11th September, and concluding at Peterborough’s MET Lounge on the 11th November. The tour follows Airship’s recent support tour with The Joy Formidable.
Tickets for the tour are on sale now through Seetickets.com
Airship Live:
Thu 27 Oct - Cardiff Ten Feet Tall
Sat 29 Oct - Dundee Beat Generator
Sun 30 Oct - Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire
Tue 1 Nov – Aberdeen Cafe Drummonds
Wed 2 Nov - Inverness Mad Hatters
Thu 3 Nov - Carlisle Brickyard
Fri 4 Nov - Newcastle Other Rooms
Sun 6 Nov - Sheffield Harley
Mon 7 Nov - York Stereo
Tue 8 Nov - Nottingham Bodega
Wed 9 Nov - Leeds Nation of Shopkeepers
Fri 11 Nov - Peterborough Met. Lounge
Hard Rock Night! Live & Livid!
Wrexham Rock Extravaganza: Puddle Of Mud, Soil, Dear Superstar, Verses.
Wrexham Central Station, 16 October 2011
Up here at our home base it’s unusual to experience a single night of class heavy rock, but that’s precisley what happened here tonight. Soil, Puddle Of Mudd, Dear Superstar and Verses arrived in town to be greeted by a sellout, enthusiastic audience.
Brighton based Verses are not about big egos and gimmicks, it’s a band that let its music speak. Under previous names and formations the four old school friends have shared stages with Taking Back Sunday, Alexisonfire and Underoath at Taste Of Chaos, as well as the likes of Enter Shikari, Exit Ten, Young Guns and Bury Tomorrow. The band entered the studio at the start of 2010 with Wellerhill (Young Guns, Bury Tomorrow) to record their debut self-released EP ‘Shield Your Eyes, See The Future’, and with a new found pride in their music and a solid line-up, Verses consider this year to be the true start of their career. Band members are Jason Danzelman (vocals, guitar), Joe Welsh (guitar), Joe Gale (bass), and Dan Freese (drums).
The band had the difficult task of opening proceedings ahead of the bigger guns, and made a good fist of it. The audience seemed to be in a deep slumber while the guys performed with powerful melodies and performances that would have shamed some fully signed bands. Danzelman’s vocals were pitch perfect while his attempts to wake that slumbering audience were nothing short of heroic. Ultimately, the crowd woke up and provided the level of support and praise these young men deserved.
Next up a band whose original album I found amongst cds someone threw away!HEARTLESS was released back in 2008 and it’s good enough for me to have played several tracks from it on my radio show. So I was looking forward to putting some ‘meat on the bones’and hear some new tracks from the latest album. I was not disappointed…
Hailing from the Manchester, Dear Superstar combine their passion for classic hard rock with the power modern metal. The band burst onto the live circuit alongside rock ‘n’ roll giants such as Motley Crue, Metallica, Iron Maiden, KISS and Aerosmith as well as UK and European tours in support of Papa Roach, Buckcherry and Bullet For My Valentine to name just a few. After wowing crowds on the sold-out tours, they signed to esteemed boutique booking agency TKO, which quickly lead to appearances at Download Festival, Sonisphere UK and Switzerland, and Graspop Festival which ultimately kept the band on a relentless touring schedule throughout 2010 and 2011.
Dear Superstar opened their own Superstar Studios to the public and started recording their definitive album DAMNED RELIGION between March 2010 and August 2011. Produced by David Jones and mixed by legendary producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Atreyu), the new album is a darker heavy-rock affair, dripping with swagger, anger and killer hooks.
Micky describes the album, “After being blessed with such an incredible touring history, we owed it to everyone to come back with a world class record. David really pushed us creatively, emotionally and physically to literally rip open up our souls on every track. With Bob Marlette putting all the pieces together, the end result still sounds like a Dear Superstar record but darker, more defined, and something we are all unbelievably proud of.”
As far as British heavy rock bands go Dear Superstar, on this showing, are up there with the very best. The songs played seemed much heavier and darker than those from the first album but even more impressive was the performance from leadman Micky and his band members. Heavy rock is nothing without a solid rhythm section, and this one delivered in spades. Mickey proved to be not only an excellent vocalist but a charismatic frontman able to connect with his audience big-time. Top set!
Serge Gainsbourg Classic Release
Serge Gainsbourg Histoire De Melody Nelson UMC: 7th November 2011
Super Deluxe Edition – 2CD/2LP/DVD (Limited Edition)
Deluxe Edition – 2CD/DVD
Vinyl Picture Edition- 1 LP
Serge Gainsbourg’s groundbreaking concept album released in Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions with considerable new and unreleased material.
Originally released in March 1971 this concept album, Histoire De Melody Nelson, from the iconic French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg is a delicate and modern masterpiece of orchestral pop. Created as an adult tale, each of the seven tracks tells the story of a teenage English girl named Melody Nelson (sung by Jane Birkin) who meets a forty year old French man (sung by Serge Gainsbourg).
Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg’s most influential and accomplished album. It’s unique blend of guitar, psychedelic pop, funk, bass and near spoken word vocals was framed by Jean-Claude Vannier’s lush orchestral and choral arrangements. Vannier, once dubbed the French George Martin, composed most of the music for the album in collaboration with Gainsbourg where each track is more like a movement of the music than just a simple song. In addition to the remastered original album a second disc/LP features previously unreleased alternative vocal takes and instrumentals.
After the release of the album, a music video was filmed for each song, released together as a short musical. These films feature in a new documentary included on the DVD disc. The documentary uses French National TV (INA) Archives and has exclusive interviews with Jane Birkin, Jean-Claude Vannier, Jean-Claude Charvier (sound engineer of the album) and Tony Frank (photographer of the front cover of the album).
The DVD disc also includes a 5.1 version of the original album.
In October 2006, Jean Claude Vannier performed the album live in its entirety at London’s Barbican with guest vocalists Jarvis Cocker, Badly Drawn Boy, Brigitte Fontaine, Mick Harvey of The Bad Seeds’ and Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals. Vannier has since performed the album with an alternative cast in Paris and, in August this year, at the Hollywood Bowl as part of a tribute to Serge Gaisnbourg, guests that evening included Beck and Sean Lennon.
Beck once commented that Histoire De Melody Nelson was: “One of the greatest marriages of rock band and orchestra that I’ve ever heard.”
Track listings for the new editions of Histoire De Melody Nelson are as follows.
CD 1 : ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. MELODY
2. BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON
3. VALSE DE MELODY
4. AH ! MELODY
5. L’HÔTEL PARTICULIER
6. EN MELODY
7. CARGO CULTE
CD 2 : BONUS ALBUM
1. MELODY (Complete take – unreleased)
2. BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON (Alternative voice take – unreleased)
3. VALSE DE MELODY (Alternative voices take – unreleased)
4. AH ! MELODY (Alternative voices take – unreleased)
5. MELODY LIT BABAR (Voice version – unreleased track)
6. MELODY LIT BABAR (Instrumental version – unreleased track)
7. L’HÔTEL PARTICULIER (Complete take – unreleased)
8. EN MELODY (Alternative take – unreleased)
9. CARGO CULTE (Instrumental version – unreleased)
LP 1 : ORIGINAL ALBUM
Side a: 1. MELODY
2. BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON
3. VALSE DE MELODY
4. AH ! MELODY
Side b: 5. L’HÔTEL PARTICULIER (Complete take – unreleased)
6. EN MELODY (Alternative take – unreleased)
7. CARGO CULTE (Instrumental version – unreleased
LP 2 : BONUS ALBUM 34’04 180gr COMPLETE AND ALTERNATIVE TAKES – UNRELEASED
Side a: 1. MELODY (Complete take – unreleased)
2. BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON (Alternative voice take – unreleased)
3. VALSE DE MELODY (Alternative voices take – unreleased)
4. AH ! MELODY (Alternative voices take – unreleased)
5. MELODY LIT BABAR (Voice version – unreleased track)
Side b: 6. MELODY LIT BABAR (Instrumental version – unreleased track)
7. L’HÔTEL PARTICULIER (Complete take – unreleased)
8. EN MELODY (Alternative take – unreleased)
9. CARGO CULTE (Instrumental version – unreleased)
DVD
ORIGINAL ALBUM 5.1 VERSION
1. MELODY
2. BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON
3. VALSE DE MELODY
4. AH ! MELODY
5. L’HÔTEL PARTICULIER
6. EN MELODY
7. CARGO CULTE
EXCLUSIVE UNRELEASED DOCUMENTARY 30’
Based on French National TV (INA) Archives and exclusive interviews of Jane Birkin, Jean-Claude Vannier, Jean-Claude Charvier (sound engineer of the album) Tony Frank (photographer of the front cover of the album), and Andrew Birkin (actor, scriptwriter, Jane’s Birkin brother, privileged witness of the relation between Jane and Serge).
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