I wanted to start this review off by announcing that Richard Ashcroft was back.. but then I realised he never really left.
Since The Verve officially called it quits in 1999 he’s become a successful solo artist in his own right, releasing three U.K top 3 solo albums, some to mixed reviews.
When The Verve got back together in ‘07 to record their first new material in 11 years, all the Brit popsters (including me) were just a tad excited.
The final product titled simply (and appropriately) Forth. Led by the kick ass first single Love is Noise, the album tore through psychedelic walls of noise and guitars, always steered by Ashcrofts brit-pop vocal cool. The Verve’s relentless quest for epic-ness was a breath of fresh air at a time when most British guitar bands were trying to sound dry and down-to-earth.
So now here we are in 2010 and I want to tell you that Richard Ashcroft is as relevant as ever. His new disc with his new band – RPA & The United Nations of Sound – proves exactly this. This album sees the front man really pushing himself forward both musically and creatively whilst littering the record with those nostalgic, Verve-esque moments that made us fall in love at the beginning.
An amazing string section features on the up beat opener Are You Ready with Ashcroft howling in ultra hip reverb… and in response to your question Richie, YES we are READY.
It’s interesting to note that all string arrangements on the album are by the legendary Benjamin Wright , who has worked with artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin and Outkast, and who scored the strings on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Born Again embodies the free spirited/optimistic tone of this album.. wait.. did I just write that about RA?? Well it seems the drugs ARE working on The United Nations of Sound, with uplifting results.
Ashcroft manages to prove he can still pull your heart strings with the melancholy Let’s Do This Thing Called Life and She Brings Me The Music.
How Deep Is Your Man takes a trip down the Mississippi River via Clarksdale then New Orleans and in Royal Highness the riff’ borrows straight from the Velvets Sweet Jane. Both are nice surprises.
Other outstanding tracks include America and the cathartic album closer Let My Soul Rest.
What’s really great here is to see a heritage artist like Richard Ashcroft taking chances and evolving. RPA & The United Nations of Sound features samples, horns, strings, guitars, MC’s and combines rock, soul, funk and some old school R&B.This album sounds so huge and I can’t wait to see these songs brought to life when Richie and the boys are here for Splendour plus side shows in July/August.
These songs are gonna tear the roof off.
RPA & The United Nations of Sound is out July 12th.
Well, the beautiful beautiful thing that is Glastonbury Festival is over for another year. The sun was uncharacteristically, um… out, and the incredible line-up were out in full force celebrating the UK festival’s 40th birthday!
Our fellow In Sounder Sarah attended, so we’ll hopefully have a full Glasto report coming from her soon (unless we’ve lost her to the stone circle and herbal highs tent). Stay tuned!
In the meantime, please check these Gorillaz and Empire of the Sun clips because they are utterly epic! Damon Is God, ya dig?
Snoop & the band absolutley kiiiiiilling Clint Eastwood
Lou Reed! Lou Reed! Lou Reed!
The legendary Mark E. Smith giving Damon a soundgasm
We all saw Stylo, the first video from the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach starring none other than the animated Gorillaz and Bruce Willis. Remember how their Chevrolet Camaro crashed into the ocean, conveniently transforming into a shark submarine?
The saga picks up where we left off the next installation, On Melancholy Hill. Murdoc, 2D, and Cyborg Noodle travel though the deep blue waters of the South Pacific in their shark/submarine/car/inexplicable-feat-of-engineering, meeting up with fellow underwater adventurers Lou Reed, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from The Clash, and Snoop.
Original Gorillaz band members Russell and the real-flesh Noodle (she’s alive!) reappear as the whole posse make their way to the mystical Plastic Beach. I could tell you more, but Murdoc does a far better job explaining his experience first hand here.
The incredible video was yet again created by the very talented Jamie Hewlett and his team, and is available for download on iTunes now, whilst the single is released on July 23.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the song Yesterday by The Beatles holds the record for having the most cover versions of any song ever. More than 3,000 versions of the song are available, but none of them could be better than the original!
Given the rise in popularity of the cover song, many becoming huge hits for the covering artists, what does make a great cover song? Is it a seamless rendition? Is it in seeing how far you can twist it from the original while still maintaining the original intent? Is it about sincerity? Irony? Perhaps putting that unmistakable personal stamp on it? The truth is that there is no formula for a great cover but we’ve found our favourites and put them on Video Hits: The Greatest Covers.
It’s three CDs packed with everything from Faith No More, Jeff Buckley, Red Hot Chili Peppers and UB40 to Florence + The Machine, Lily Allen and Katy Perry.
When I see wireless headset mics, I usually think of Madonna (sweaty, conical brassiere era) or Britney (miming, mike-not-actually-switched-on era)… either way, sophisticated ladies in evening dresses don’t spring to mind.
So then it’s true – the ridiculously successful global phenomenon that is Celtic Woman is in Australia this week before they return for an October tour (ticketing details on our Tours Page). They’ll be performing for free and signing copies of Songs From The Heart tomorrow (Sat, June 26) at Westfield Penrith at 12.30pm. Be warned – it WILL BE PACKED.
If you’re not aware, Celtic Woman are renowned for merging traditional Celtic sounds with contemporary songs like Amazing Grace, Danny Boy, Sting’s Fields of Gold, and Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston’s When You Believe, etc etc.
Classical pop not your bag? Well they sure are someone’s…
Vocalists Chloe, Lynn, Lisa, and fiddler Máiréad have just finished their 7th sold out tour of the US, (where they sold ticket no. 1M). They’ve sold 5 million albums worldwide (more than Metallica’s Ride The Lightening!), and their latest album Songs From The Heart debuted Top 10 in the US Pop Chart this Feb.
Further to today’s monumental Australian political events, here is an ode to (ex) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s departure that we dug up from the EMI / Priority Records archives.
Lyrics included as a courtesy so that you can sing along should the mood (and the tissues) take hold.
Check it, yo!
Master P, C-Murder, SilkkThe Shocker, O’Dell and Porsha “RIP Kevin”
I remember when we were kids
We shed all our hurt and tears (and tears)
No matter what the weather what the weather
We were always together (always together)
We grew up as time went on
We became separated (separated)
(chorus 2x)
It was a sad day (it was a sad day)
When my homie went away ( when my homie went away)
It was a sad day (it was a sad day)
When Kevin went away (when Kevin went away)
Late last year, Robbie Williams played a ridiculously intimate show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, where he set out to “entertain the sh*t ” out of us. Suffice to say, he succeeded. Witnessing the phenomenal spotlit entity that is Robbie Williams (who makes whole arenas of 100K people both weep tenderly and want to dance ecstatically on aeroplane wings), in a room the size of The Metro was truly a once-in-lifetime experience.
Right about that time, Robbie was sporting a brand new “Take That” tatt on his wrist, testament to his rekindled relationship with his former bandmates.
Musical evidence of this reunion has finally surfaced as Robbie and Gary Barlow have co-written and performed a duet together called Shame. It’s the first time they’ve recorded and performed since Robbie’s departure from Take That in 1995.
Shame will be released in Australia on October as part of Robbie’s comprehensive Greatest Hits collection In And Out Of Consciousness – The Greatest Hits 1990 – 2010, which you can already preorder here from Sanity or JB Hi-Fi!
Rob’s last studio album Reality Killed The Video Star is available from our sister store The In Song, JB Hi Fi, iTunes.
Airbourne continue their European tour of metal-domination… they are off to Barcelona today, then Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, UK, with the USA and Canada dates following soon after. But are they crazy busy or just crazy???
Check out daredevil lead singer Joel O’Keefe at the recent UK Download Festival taking their album title / band motto NO GUTS. NO GLORY. very seriously by climbing the 100 ft high scaffolding during a wild electrical storm.
The only way to stop him: the festival organisers turned off power to the stage and forced him down! See the full video and listen to the hilarious crowd commentary!
WOW. What a feeling of excitement… walking out on to the cold streets of Melbourne after one of the most intimate shows I’ve been lucky enough to attend.
The Cat Empire had just finished a ’short’ set, showcasing new material from their forthcoming album Cinema released this Friday. It was a live-to-web performance which, judging by the fans frenzied reaction blogging on the site as they watched, leaves no doubt that The Cat Empire are Australia’s hottest export right now… fans in 56 countries registered to watch the one of the bands first performances of Cinema material.
To truly understand The Cat Empire you have to see them live as they create music you can feel, as well as see and hear. So what’s it like to be in a room with 300 people, watching The Cat Empire?
Well for starters, the energy was amazing. The room erupted in dance and sang choruses as the band rolled out classics including Two Shoes & The Chariot. New tracks like Falling and Feeling’s Gone will easily fall into the The Cat Empire’s sets when they take this album on tour. Tracks like Call Me Home & On My Way are sure to be sing-along favourites in no time, with fans already joining in towards the end of their first listen.
One thing’s for sure… to experience The Cat Empire is to see this band live, equally at home in front of 300 or 30,000 fans. The energy mustered from their fans is infectious, you can’t stand still. So whether your hosting a dinner party or a back yard BBQ, Cinema will be the perfect accompaniment to have you dancing into the night and singing for days.
STREAM THE CAT EMPIRE’S CINEMA IN FULL THIS WEEK
If you missed the Cinema album launch, you can attend the Cinema Listening Session this week. Head to thecatempirecinema.com (part of their brand-spanking new website!) for a sneaky listen to all of the album tracks in full. If you love it, it’s out this Friday in Australia, June 29 in Canada, July 6 in the USA and elsewhere in August. You can also pre-order Cinema with a whole bunch of these goodies…
With the commencement of next season of True Blood (which is really just Twilight for grownups), Sookie Stackhouse’s admirers have stepped off the coffin, with Snoop Dogg leading the charge. Unlike Sam Merlott, he’s the “‘Dogg that don’t bite” and with offers like “Hey Sookie, can I take you away, have you ever been to LA?“, I don’t know how Bill can compete.
Don’t know if y’all have noticed but our Chairman Snoop has been doing the rounds to some blockbuster videos of late, like the awesome Star Wars/Adidas FIFA commercial, Katy Perry’s California Gurls and Gorillaz’ Melancholy Hill. Looks like there ain’t no party like a Snoop Dogg party.
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