RIP: Andy Hughes, producer for The Orb, Basement Jaxx, and Kovak
By Shane Mack on Jun 23 2009
According to a press release:
Andy Hughes, electronic music producer/DJ who was born 11th November 1965 and, and who lived and grew up in Harrow, Middlesex, tragically passed away on Friday 12th June 2009 after a short illness. Andy was a genius who gave so much inspiration and passion to all with his incredible work. He was loved by many aficionados of the trance/ambient genre, but will be especially remembered for his work with Alex Paterson and The Orb, most notably the album Orblivion and single Toxygene, which reached number 4 in the UK charts in 1997. Together with his musical partners Alex Patterson and former members Kris Weston, Simon Phillips and Thomas Fehlmann together with Nick Burton of Westworld fame. Andy created electronic and ambient/techno/house/dub masterpieces. These took him across the globe where he played to masses of fans in countries including the USA, Japan and Canada as well as a sell out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998.
- Andy Hughes Wikipedia entry
- Andy Hughes MySpace
TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone’s Heart-Melting Quota Down; Must Improve Public Service with Solo Project Rain Machine on ANTI-
By Heidi Vanderslice on Jun 23 2009
Either he's stinging from Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's PWN at Bonnaroo or he's just not satisfied with the amount of panties he receives in the mail, but either way, TV On the Radio frontman Kyp Malone has decided to strike out on his own with solo venture Rain Machine. Malone has hit the stage under this moniker, but the lucky ducks he chose for the first record are none other than ANTI-, home of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Neko Case. Apparently, Malone's been waiting for the right moment, saying, "I've been writing and recording songs alone since I moved to NYC in 2000, at first alone because I didn't know anyone, then through the years by choice because of a particular freedom that going it alone afforded... I didn't like how ‘Kyp Malone’ looked on mock ups of t-shirts and fliers, thus Rain Machine."
The debut album will be produced by Ian Brennan (Lucinda Williams, Jonathan Richman) and drop sometime this fall. Rain Machine promises the density and luxury of TVOTR and then some, as Malone describes the sound "a nearly full spectrum of frequencies audible to the human ear -- a reflection of a variety of emotions and situations real and imagined, some rhythm and some rhyme." Okay... you got me. I didn't like this pair much anyway. Too much lace. Where are the stamps?
[Updated] Sunny Day Real Estate Reunite to Fix the Housing Crisis!
By Elzee on Jun 23 2009
According to the US Census Bureau, the median value of an American home in 2000 – the last year Sunny Day Real Estate were active – was $119, 600. That’s $174,200 in today’s dollars. The current median home value is $180,100, hardly a healthy increase. If you believe the government, it’s because we had a bad loan system, corrupt banks, yadda yadda, whatever. If you believe your heart, though, it's because Sunny Day Real Estate’s breakup put a cloud over the mortgage industry.
But there is hope, and this hope is more than a campaign slogan. That’s right, recently foreclosed homeowners, Sunny Day Real Estate are reuniting!
Singer Jeremy Enigk confirmed in an interview with a radio station in Seattle that the band got together in March and decided to tour again. And now, according to a Sub Pop press release:
Following a more than 10 year hiatus, all four original members of pioneering Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate will regroup for a 20-date US tour starting Sept. 17th, 2009. In addition, Sub Pop Records will re-issue both Diary and the band’s second full-length album, commonly known as LP2 (or “The Pink Album” for its entirely pink cover). Both re-mastered albums will include rare bonus tracks as well as newly written liner notes and will be released on both CD and LP Sept. 15, 2009, just prior to the start of the tour.
If these shows go well enough and the boys work their magic, we may be out of this financial mess faster than you can say “sub-prime lending”!
The waiting could crush my heart:
09.17.09 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
09.18.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
09.20.09 - Murray, UT - Murray Theater
09.21.09 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
09.23.09 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09.24.09 - Chicago, IL - Metro
09.25.09 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
09.27.09 - New York, NY - Terminal Five
09.28.09 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
09.30.09 - Washington, D.C. - 930 Club
10.01.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
10.03.09 - Atlanta, GA - CW Center Stage
10.05.09 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
10.06.09 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live - Ballroom
10.07.09 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
10.09.09 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee
10.10.09 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
10.11.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
10.13.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
10.15.09 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
10.16.09 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
Meanwhile, Jeremy Enigk released his latest solo album, OK Bear, last month via Lewis Hollow.
[Photo: Mark Swanson]
Upset The Rhythm Knows How to Party: Gets Drunk, Wakes Up in the U.S. in Time to Host Three Shows
By Jon Lorenz on Jun 23 2009
Upset The Rhythm, a U.K. record label and pretty much nightly organizer of the best shows in town, has been filling up my Facebook inbox almost daily ever since I made the mistake of joining the Facebook frenzy. Even though I would never decide to hop on a plane to London just to see one of their shows, I still get an invite to every show that they put on. Almost every time, I get a little upset that I've yet again been fooled into thinking maybe that show was actually happening in my town.
Well, if you're one of the lucky ones who has the chance to go to every other good show, then maybe Upset the Rhythm is coming to your town. Yep, they will be partying it up in New York, L.A., and San Francisco during the first half of July. Each party will feature many of the bands on Upset the Rhythm's roster, including Lucky Dragons, Death Sentence: PANDA!, Bird Names, Future Islands, Wet Hair, and the reason this is all happening: Foot Village. As recently reported, Foot Village's Anti-Magic is coming out on UTR, and instead of just having a record release party, they decided to have UTR showcases in these three lucky cities. Upset The Rhythm's Chris and Claire are going to be flying over and joining in on the festivities.
I'm sure any day now I will get invites on Facebook to all three of these shows, and just as quickly I will hit the "No I Will Not Attend This Event" button. I will continue doing so until one fine day when I get a relevant invite from UTR. Highly unlikely!
The lineups for these shows are as follows:
- PARTY NUMBER ONE: NEW YORK
Friday, July 3 @ Monster Island Basement
Ambergris / Lucky Dragons / Silk Flowers / Bird Names / Soft Circle / John Maus / Future Islands / Wet Hair (Shawn from Racoo-oo-oon)
- PARTY NUMBER TWO: LOS ANGELES
Saturday, July 11 @ The Smell
Foot Village / Lucky Dragons / Gowns / Death Sentence: PANDA! / KIT / Softboiled Eggies / Former Ghosts / The Urxed (Rob from High Places) / BARR / No Age (DJ set)
- PARTY NUMBER THREE: SAN FRANCISCO
Sunday, July 12 @ The LAB
Foot Village / Gowns / Lucky Dragons / Death Sentence: PANDA! / T.I.T.S. / KIT / The Urxed / Former Ghosts
Today’s Pavement Vinyl Reissue to Brighten the Corners of Your Mouth, Frighten the Corners of Your Ears, and Enlighten the Corners of Your Mind
By David Nadelle on Jun 23 2009
Things couldn't get worse for wax cylinder collectors, but vinyl buyers haven't been rendered obsolete old hags just yet. There has and will always be smart little labels providing gold soundz to those who refuse to give up the vinyl ghost and, for now, bigger independent labels and even some majors still issue actual spinning records. Following the reissue of Pavement's Brighten the Corners: Nicene Credence Edition (CD Version) comes Brighten the Corners: Nicene Credence Edition (LP Version), released today by the "venerable mega-indie" Matador Records.
Of course, the original album, first released in February of 1997, is included, as are a lot of tasty unreleased, live, and rare goodies, all on four glorious vinyl records. Whether you rate it as a classic in their arsenal or not, a set that looks as good as this might even be worth whatever extravagant sum Matador will ultimately be charging. It's worth owning regardless. (Although Brighten the Corners came out a long time ago, it was not really all that long ago. It never came out on Edison Records, for instance.)
Record 1:
1. Stereo
2. Shady Lane / J Vs. S
3. Transport Is Arranged
4. Date w/IKEA
5. Old To Begin
6. Type Slowly
7. Embassy Row
8. Blue Hawaiian
9. We Are Underused
10. Passat Dream
11. Starlings of the Slipstream
12. Fin
Record 2:
1. And Then (The Hexx) [7" Version, originally released as the B-side to "Spit On A Stranger," May 1999]
2. Beautiful As A Butterfly
3. Cataracts
4. Embassy Row Psych Intro
5. Nigel
6. Chevy (Old To Begin) [previously unreleased mix of a session song featuring different vocal overdubs]
7. Roll With The Wind (Roxy) [previously unreleased mix of a session song featuring different vocal overdubs]
8. Westie Can Drum (Elastica) [reviously unreleased mix of a session track]
9. Stereo (Remix) [remixed by Steve Fisk]
10. Birds in the Majic Industry (previously unreleased full length vocal version)
11. And Then (The Hexx) [unedited full version of the "Spit on Stranger" 7" B-side, previously unreleased; originally was supposed to be opening track of Brighten the Corners]
Record 3:
1. Agony of the Stars (from the film Sweethearts)
2. Westie Can Drum
3. Winner of The
4. Birds in the Majic Industry (originally released as the B-side to "Stereo," January 1997)
5. Harness Your Hopes
6. Roll With The Wind (originally released as the B-side to "Spit On A Stranger," May 1999)
7. Slowly Typed
8. Cherry Area (originally released as the B-side to "Shady Lane," June 1997)
9. Wanna Mess You Around
10. No Tan Lines (originally released as the B-side to "Shady Lane" June 1997)
11. Oddity (Originally appeared on the God Save The Clean - A Tribute To The Clean album, 1997)
12. Date w/IKEA
13. Fin
14. Grave Architecture
15. The Classical (recorded for Radio 1's John Peel Show at BBC's Maida Vale Studio 4, 1997)
Record 4:
1. And Then (The Hexx)
2. Harness Your Hopes
3. The Killing Moon
4. Winner of The (recorded for Radio 1's Evening Session at BBC's Maida Vale Studios)
5. Type Slowly (Live) [originally appeared on the compilation album Tibetan Freedom Concert 1997]
6. Neil Haggerty Meets Jon Spencer in a Non-Alcoholic Bar
7. Painted Soldiers
8. Destroy Mater Dei
9. What Goes On
10. Kris Kraft
11. It's a Rainy Day Sunshine Girl
12. Maybe Maybe (recorded live at KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program, 1997)
13. Space Ghost Theme I (unreleased song recorded live at WFNX, 1997)
14. Space Ghost Theme II (unreleased song recorded live at WFNX, 1997)
