As anyone who saw Future of the Left earlier this summer can tell you, these three young Welshmen are nothing if not bracing. The band features vocalist/guitarist Andy "Falco" Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, both of the notoriously witty/LOUD Cardiff group Mclusky, along with singer/bassist Kelson Mathias of Jarcrew. They’ve been tearing it up alongside Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Japandroids, among others, and making waves at festivals like SXSW. These are the type of guys who you’d want to have your back in a bar fight; not only because they sound like they can swing a punch and crack a bottle over someone’s head in exactly the right place, but because it seems like they’d be pretty damn fun to hang out with afterwards. And perhaps you’ll get to experience that very thing, if you happen to a) attend an upcoming Future of the Left show in Canada or the U.S. and b) have a quick temper and some brass knuckles! Because the trio is returning once more to these fair shores, this time with ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.
Future of the Left’s most recent release, Travels with Myself and Another (TMT Review), is out now on 4AD.
Dates: 10.08.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda * 10.09.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah * 10.10.09 - Visalia, CA - Cellar Door * 10.11.09 - San Francisco, CA - Independent * 10.12.09 - Portland, OR - Dante's * 10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumos * 10.14.09 - Vancouver, BC - Venue * 10.16.09 - Edmonton, ALB - Starlite * 10.17.09 - Calgary, ALB - Warehouse * 10.19.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge * 10.20.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird * 10.23.09 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory * 10.24.09 – Austin, TX - Beauty Bar 10.26.09 – Atlanta, GA - 529 Club 10.28.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 10.29.09 – Washington, DC - DC9 10.30.09 – Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg 11.01.09 – Boston, MA - TT The Bears 11.02.09 – Montreal, PQ - Zoobizarre 11.03.09 – Toronto, ON - El Mocambo 11.05.09 – Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge 11.06.09 – Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry 11.07.09 – Madison, WI - Annex
Spiritualized, who you might know as the band that Jason Pierce formed after the dissolution of Spacemen 3, have announced that they will be reissuing their classic, fondly remembered 97 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space on November 6 through Sony.
The new pressing will come in two slightly different formats: (1) a “Collector’s Edition,” utilizing 12 mini-CDs, and (2) a “Special Edition,” shaped roughly like a standard CD. Regardless of your preference for CD size, both versions will come with two bonus discs full of demos and alternate mixes and all sorts of other stuff that should keep you comfortably adrift in space for hours.
If you find yourself getting caught up in all this fervor and feel the need for something more, something real, don’t fret: the band will be performing Ladies and Gentlemen in full on October 12 and 13 during the All Tomorrow’s Parties shindig at the London Royal Festival Hall. If you can't make that, a few more performances of the album have now been added for December.
Bonus Disc 1:
1. Ladies and Gentlemen (A Cappella) 2. Ladies and Gentlemen (Demo) 3. Ladies and Gentlemen (Strings) 4. Ladies and Gentlemen (Kate Telephone Call) 5. Ladies and Gentlemen (Moles Studio Mix 7) 6. Ladies and Gentlemen (Original Oratone Ideas) 7. Ladies and Gentlemen (A Cappella w/ Lead Vocal) 8. Come Together (Instrumental Demo) 9. Come Together (Demo In Lower Key) 10. I Think I'm in Love (Original Demo Idea) 11. I Think I'm in Love (Demo) 12. I Think I'm in Love (Drums/Wah) 13. I Think I'm in Love (A Cappella) 14. I Think I'm in Love (Vocal Demo Jan '96) 15. I Think I'm in Love (Gospel Choir Session) 16. All of My Thoughts (Demo) 17. All of My Thoughts (Strings) 18. Rocket Shaped Song
Bonus Disc 2:
1. Electricity (Demo) 2. Electricity (January '96) 3. Electricity (June '96) 4. Home of the Brave (Demo) 5. Home of the Brave (Panned Vocal) 6. Beautiful Happiness 7. Broken Heart (Demo) 8. Broken Heart (Strings) 9. Broken Heart (Vocal Harmony/Angel Corpus Christi) 10. Broken Heart (Early Vocal) 11. No God Only Religion (Demo) 12. No God Only Religion (Horns) 13. Cool Waves (Demo) 14. Cool Waves (String Session Mix) 15. Cop Shoot Cop (Demo) 16. Cop Shoot Cop (Dr. John 'The National Anthem') 17. Cop Shoot Cop (String Session Mix)
Dates: 10.12.09 - London, England - Royal Festival Hall 10.13.09 - London, England - Royal Festival Hall 12.14.09 - Manchester, England - Apollo 12.16.09 - London, England - Barbican 12.17.09 - London, England - Barbican 12.19.09 - Gateshead, England - Sage Centre
Did you know that five and a half months after The Psychedelic Furs released their second album, Talk Talk Talk, in 1981 (with the song “Pretty In Pink” on it), Nick Thorburn of Islands was born? I suppose if you had tried to tell little Thorburn at the time that the song he kept hearing on the radio while he was busy getting his diaper changed would soon be performed live in his presence, he probably would’ve said “Ga ga ga goo blurrrgh” and then spit up on your face.
Hopefully he can keep himself together this fall when Islands join The Psychedelic Furs and The Happy Mondays on the road.
Islands of Fur: 09.22.09 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes 09.23.09 - Richmond, VA - Plaza Bowl 09.24.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 09.25.09 - Athens, GA - Caledonia 09.26.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder 09.27.09 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits 09.28.09 - Tampa, FL - Ritz Ybor * 09.29.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution * 09.30.09 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues * 10.02.09 - Atlanta, Georgia - Masquerade * 10.03.09 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend * 10.04.09 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva * 10.06.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club * 10.07.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero * 10.09.09 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom * 10.10.09 - Cambridge, MA - House of Blues * 10.12.09 - Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall * 10.13.09 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's * 10.15.09 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean 10.18.09 - Missoula, MT - The Palace 10.19.09 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey 10.20.09 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre 10.21.09 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre 10.22.09 - Davis, CA - UC Davis (Oddfellows Lodge) 10.23.09 - Berkley, CA - UC Berkley (Lower Sproul Plaza) 10.23.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill 10.24.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour 10.25.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room 10.27.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk 10.28.09 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves 10.29.09 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe 10.30.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Cafe 10.31.09 - Atlanta, GA - Lenny's Bar 11.01.09 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House 11.02.09 - Baltimore, MD - G-Spot 11.03.09 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church 11.04.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs) 11.05.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom 11.06.09 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Plaza 11.07.09 - Toronto, ON - The Mod Club
In another terrible loss for the hip-hop community, Grand Master Roc Raida (real name: Anthony Williams) of the X-Ecutioners passed away on Saturday due to complications from a mixed-martial-arts accident, according to a statement released by his family. Raida had a two-decade career which skyrocketed in 1995 when he won the DMC World DJ Championship. He released seven solo albums along with several LPs with his famed crew, the X-Ecutioners. Over the last few years, Raida had been Busta Rhymes' live DJ, where his showmanship skills were a perfect marriage for Busta and Spliff Starr's energetic stage antics.
A statement released by Raida's family released over the weekend reads: "Anthony Williams p/k to the world as the Legendary Grand Master Roc Raida has passed away unexpectedly today, September 19, 2009. He is survived by his wife, three lovely daughters, mother and friends. Raida was recently in a mixed-martial-arts accident, something that he has been practicing for several years. Although he had undergone two surgeries with great success, was released to an inpatient physical therapy facility and was in great spirits the past few days, this morning he started to have complications and passed. The family asks for privacy at this time."
Does Madvillain still exist? Sure hasn’t seemed like it lately. Ever since putting out 2004’s classic Madvillainy (TMT Review), the duo of DOOM and Madlib have kept pretty quiet. There’s been little word on a sophomore album; Madlib’s full-length remix of the debut came and went without notice; and both sides of the duo have been busy with other projects. If Madvillain simply disappeared forever, it wouldn’t be that surprising.
Yet out of nowhere, the duo has announced a show in Los Angeles at the We The People Festival on November 21. Details for the show itself are scarce, so it is unknown whether both DOOM and Madlib will be there. And considering that DOOM is known to use impersonators behind his mask in his live performances, there’s a lot of ambiguity around what the performance will actually be like. Still, the prospect of hearing all the classic Madvillainy jams is pretty exciting. “Accordion!" “America’s Most Blunted!" Yep, all your favorites!
Leonard Cohen, everyone’s favorite heartbreakingly depressing Canadian singer/songwriter, collapsed while performing Friday in Spain. Near the end of his song “Bird on a Wire,” the 74-year-old Cohen collapsed on stage at the Valencia Luis Puig Velodromo, with his bandmates rushing to help him. That’s the bad news. The good(ish) news is this: according to the BBC, the likely cause of Cohen’s troubles was food poisoning, which—you know—while pretty awful, isn’t usually insurmountable.
A spokesperson told the media that Cohen had been taken to the hospital afterwards, just to make sure everything was alright. He had been suffering from stomach cramps earlier in the evening.
Here's some footage of the incident:
Cohen’s next scheduled show, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on Monday, is still expected to go forward. Yay, Leonard! Get well soon and enjoy beautiful Spain!
