The Whole Love and Nothing But

“A Veritable sonic stew” This Time Out

Good news from the Wilco camp today as the band has announced details of their upcoming eighth album.   The Whole Love will be released this fall and will be their first for the newly minted dBpm Records imprint.   The cherry on top though, they're touring this fall too!  (Tour details below)

The album, which previously had the working title Get Well Soon Everybody, was produced by Jeff Tweedy with the help of bandmate Patrick Sansone and Tom Schick, and features 12 new songs.

According to the press release, The Whole Love "is a veritable sonic stew, showcasing Wilco's far-reaching musical prowess (multiple guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and percussion plus Mellotron, strings, loops and more) perfectly accompanying Jeff Tweedy's provocative and insightful lyrics."

The Whole Love will be available on September 27th via dBpm Records, with distribution through Anti-. The tracklisting is available below, while album single "I Might" can be streamed here.


The Whole Love:

01.  Art of Almost
02.  I Might
03.  Sunloathe
04.  Dawned On Me
05.  Black Moon
06.  Born Alone
07.  Open Mind
08.  Capitol City
09.  Standing O
10.  Rising Red Lung
11.  Whole Love
12.  One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

As I mentioned, Wilco have announced the first leg of their North American tour, including Canadian stops in Toronto and Montreal. All dates are available below.
 

Tour dates:

9|13 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
9|16 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
9|17 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
9|18 Montreal, QC - Metropolis
9|20 Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
9|22 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
9|25 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
9|27 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Amphitheater
9|28 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
9|29 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
10|1 Nashville, TN - The Ryman
10|2 Nashville, TN - The Ryman
10|4 St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House
10|5 Madison, WI - Overture Hall

Polaris Prize Long List Announced

The Polaris Music Prize announced its long list yesterday in Toronto, and the forty nominated artists include nineteen musicians who were nominated for the very first time. Musicians vying for the (recently upped) $30,000 cash prize include such established artists as Arcade Fire, Neil Young, Malajube and Stars. The list also included newer performers such as One Hundred Dollars,  Imaginary Cities, Little Scream, Braids and Dirty Beaches. (Criminally not included were local personal favourites Olenka and the Autumn Lovers.) I love you Neil Young but that record was just a little forgettable.

Last year, the prestigious award was won by Montreal rockers Karkwa, and this year’s favourites include Arcade Fire, Buck 65, Land of Talk and Jenn Grant. The long list reveal is the first step leading to the September 19th announcement of the prize. (Once again too, I welcome your Polaris prognostications in the comments section.) Who do I think will take it this year? Two trains of thought there. Head vote would go to Hey Rosetta! but my heart vote would go to the Weeknd. We’ll let them battle it out until that long night in September.


The Weeknd - The Morning (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

The Polaris Music Prize awards, which were started in 2006, are given to the top Canadian artist as decided upon by a 227-member jury of Canadian music writers. Albums are judged solely on artistic merit, without regard of genre or record sales. The prize has ascended to become one of the highest honours in the Canadian music world.

The short list will be announced in Toronto on July 6th.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Austra – Feel It Break
Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart
Braids – Native Speaker
Buck 65 – 20 Odd Years
Louise Burns – Mellow Drama
D-Sisive – Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye
The Dears – Degeneration Street
Destroyer – Kaputt
Diamond Rings – Special Affections
Dirty Beaches – Badlands
Luke Doucet and The White Falcon – Steel City Trawler
Eternia and MoSS – At Last
Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel
Jenn Grant – Honeymoon Punch
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
Hey Rosetta! – Seeds
Hooded Fang – Album
Imaginary Cities – Temporary Resident
Land Of Talk – Cloak and Cipher
Little Scream – The Golden Record
The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
Malajube – La Caverne
Miracle Fortress – Was I The Wave?
One Hundred Dollars – Songs Of Man
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion
PS I Love You – Meet Me At The Muster Station
Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath the Willow
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing
Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
Shotgun Jimmie - Transistor Sister
Sloan – The Double Cross
Frederick Squire – March 12
Stars – The Five Ghosts
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd – House Of Balloons
Women – Public Strain
Neil Young – Le Noise
Young Galaxy – Shapeshifting

I Love My Wilco

It’s been a while since we heard of any new music emerging from Chicago’s finest. News today that the band have announced that the first single from their upcoming album, “I Might” will debut at their own Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts (June 24th - 26th) . Vinyl fetishists should note the single will be available as a limited-edition clear vinyl 7”, and comes with a b-side cover of Nick Lowe’s “I Love My Label”.

“I Might” is the band’s first release on dPM records, the label they launched after leaving Nonesuch Records in 2010. Note that two more versions of the single will be available to the wider public on July 19th; a limited-edition blue vinyl version, which you can pick up at Wilco’s official store and through the -Anti Records store, and a black vinyl version, which you can pick up at traditional retail outlets. The single is available for pre-order today.

King of Remixes

When I first heard the latest Radiohead release, King of Limbs, I was struck by the 'remix friendly' nature of the tracks.  This was a record whose very structure and instrumentation could be wholly dissected and creatively rearranged to entirely different ends. The fan envisaged The King of Limbs Part 2, perhaps? I think this might just be so much more; this series will feature a host of the best remix producers on the planet. 

The band has announced today that next month they will start rolling out a series of limited-edition twelve-inches featuring remixes from their last full length.  (Or perhaps more accurately three quarter length, it was a little short by all standards). The first release will feature remixes of "Little By Little" by Caribou and "Lotus Flower" by Jacques Greene, and will be available on July 4^th .  (July 5^th in North America.)

XL and Ticker Tape will handle the releases, which will be available in select independent record stores and through the band's website.  CD and digital enthusiasts should note the sites will also have the files in WAV format.
Additional information will be provided when it becomes available.  Let’s hope the band makes some high quality vines (limbs?) available to fans to work their creative remixing magic too.

Sing Along with the Common People

Do you realize Jarvis Cocker formed Pulp when he was just fifteen years old?  Back then they were called Arabicus Pulp but hell, when I was that age I still had my paper route!  Lofty career aspirations aside, it's been less than a week since the band performed their first show in almost ten years and now Pulp have expanded their 2011 reunion plans to include the reissuing of the band’s iconic first three albums. NME reports that their 1983 debut It, 1987′s Freaks, and 1992′s Separations will all be re-released in the U.K. on August 8th with new artwork and updated liner notes from rock critic Everett True. What’s more, Freaks will feature two bonus tracks, “Little Girl” and “Dogs Are Everywhere”, while Separations will contain previously unreleased cuts titled “Death Goes To Disco” and “Is This House”, plus an extended version of the album track “Countdown”.  (Unfortunately, at this time there has been nothing announced regarding North American release.)

In other Pulp news, after conquering the Primavera Sound Festival last week, Pulp will next play the UK-based Isle of Wight Festival on June 11th. They’ll then take a three-week breather before becoming fully immersed in the U.K. and European festival circuits with stops at T in the Park, Wireless Festival, and Oya Festival, among other festivals. The band will be headed down under in late July, but as of now, North American remains without a scheduled performance.  So Cross those fingers and toes now.

Full Pulp tour dates below.

Pulp 2011 Tour Dates:

 06/11 – Isle of Wight, UK - Isle of Wight Festival
 07/01 – Gydnia, PL  - Open’er Festival
 07/03 – London, UK  - Wireless Festival
 07/07 – Novi Sad, SP -  Exit Festival
 07/08 – Trencin, SL - Bazant Phoda
 07/10 – Kinross, UK -  T in the Park
 07/14 – Carhaix, FR -  Vieilles Charrues
 07/15 – Dour, BE  - Dour Festival
 07/17 – Ferropolis, DE -  Melt! Festival
 07/23 – Perth, AU -  On the Bright Side
 07/27 – Sydney, AU -  Hordern Pavilion
 07/29 – Melbourne, AU -  Festival Hall
 07/31 – Woodford, AU -  Splendour in the Grass
 08/10 – Budapest, HU -  Sziget Festival
 08/12 – Oslo, NO - Oya Festival
 08/13 – Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West
 08/18 – Paredes de Coura, PT - Festival Paredes de Coura
 08/20 – Athens, GR -  Terra Vibe Park
 08/27 – Reading, UK -  Reading Festival
 08/28 – Leeds, UK -  Leeds Festival
 09/04 – Stradbally, UK -  Electric Picnic

R.I.P. Gil Scott Heron

Legendary musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron has died at the age of 62, after having fallen ill after returning from a visit to Europe.

Scott-Heron was born in Chicago in 1949 - the son of a former football player in Britain - and grew up in Tennessee before moving to New York where his groundbreaking spoken word recordings helped shape the emerging hip-hop culture.

He was best known for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", the critically acclaimed recording from his first album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. The ubiquitous release,  first recorded in 1970, issued a fierce critique of the role of race in the mass media and advertising age. "The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people," he sang.

This recording marked the first of his collaborations with jazz/funk pianist and flautist Brian Jackson who he met at Lincoln University. The pioneering style he developed while working with Jackson, mixing minimalist percussion with poetry, meant Scott-Heron was often described as the godfather of rap.

But the artist himself frequently rejected this title.

Scott-Heron wrote in the introduction to his 1990 Now and Then collection of poems.

"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks', which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion,"



Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil from Alcohulk on Vimeo.

Scott-Heron's 2010 album, I'm New Here, was his first new studio release in 16 years and was hailed by critics across the globe. The album's first song, "On Coming From a Broken Home", is an ode to his maternal grandmother, Lillie, who raised him in Jackson, Tennessee, until her death when he was 13. He moved to New York after that. 

Gil Scott Heron’s last release was an album of remixes with Jamie XX of the aformentioned 2010 album.

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - "I'm New Here". XL Recordings brief from Chromas Button on Vimeo.

The cause of his death is not clear, but he is believed to have become ill after a recent trip.  Jamie Byng, his UK publisher, announced the news via Twitter: "Just heard the very sad news that my dear friend and one of the most inspiring people I've ever met, the great Gil Scott-Heron, died today."

Byng’s touching elegy, “Gil Scott-Heron, my brave and brilliant friend” appeared in the Guardian yesterday.

Rest in Peace Gil Scott-Heron.

Besnard Lakes Soundtrack On the Way

Actor Mark Ruffalo‘s directorial debut “Sympathy For Delicious” saw wide release this past April and is notable for its killer soundtrack. The film features an original score by Montreal rockers the Besnard Lakes and follows a wheelchair-confined DJ who discovers he has the power to heal. The quirky flick boasts a solid cast including Ruffalo himself, Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Christopher Thornton.

Outside of the theatre though, the Besnard Lakes' contributions have remained mostly unheard. All that is about to change courtesy of an official soundtrack heading our way on June 7th via Lakeshore Records. The release will feature the Besnard Lakes' score, as well as contributions from the Kills, Do Make Say Think, the Bee Gees and Burnt the Diphthongs.

“Sympathy For Delicious” Soundtrack Tracklisting

01. Just a Closer Walk With Thee - John Carrol Lynch and Jason Hiller
02. Dean Wakes - The Besnard Lakes
03. Auberge Le Mouton Noir - Do Make Say Think
04. Dean Ponders - The Besnard Lakes
05. U.R.A. Fever - The Kills
06. Playing for Nina - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
07. Matilda Healing - The Besnard Lakes
08. El Mago Cardona - Xocoyotzin Herrera
09. After Gig Dean Burns Oogie - The Besnard Lakes
10. End Of 1st Day Of Healings - The Besnard Lakes
11. 2nd Day Of Healings - The Besnard Lakes
12. Mark’s Master - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
13. Dean Signs With Nina - The Besnard Lakes
14. Wages Of Fame - The Besnard Lakes
15. The Healing Song - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
16. Ariel Collapses - The Besnard Lakes
17. 107 Reasons Why - Do Make Say Think
18. Rene’s Healing - The Besnard Lakes
19. Dean Is Free - The Besnard Lakes
20. I Started A Joke - The Bee Gees

Vic Chesnutt - It Is What It Is

He made some of the most life-enriching and deeply thoughtful music in his all too short existence. Following his tragic passing in 2009, much loved singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt is set to be the subject of a new documentary film. The flick, entitled Vic Chesnutt - It Is What It Is and will be made in association with Saskatoon's Plan9films with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe (Chesnutt’s close friend) serving as executive producer.

While details are few, REMHQ announced that the film will feature concert footage from Chesnutt's 2009 Canadian tour, his last. The outing included dates in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria, and saw Chesnutt performing with various members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Fugazi.

Stipe spoke warmly of his friend via REMHQ:

"Vic was one of the landmark artists and writers of our time," said Michael. "The opportunity to extend his particular brilliance to a wider audience was the impetus to jump onboard this project."

More information and updates on the film can be found here.

R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant 25th Anniversary Reissue Announced

It’s not just my aching shoulder today reminding me of advanced years... Rather this very special announcement that Athens, GA rockers R.E.M. will continue their generous reissue series this July with a 25th anniversary edition of Lifes Rich Pageant. I remember well hearing the original release for the first time and the effect was staggering. This maked a bold step for prolific foursome and my college boy ears welcomed it.  Lifes Rich Pageant made a brilliant addition that year to my collection that featured life changing discs from the Replacements to Husker Du. In 1986 College Radio was king and it was stuff like this that made it that way.  This release will feature a newly remastered version of the pivotal 1986 album as well as a bonus CD that includes nineteen unreleased demos — one of which is a song that’s never officially seen the light of day.

The band announced today the expanded reissue is due out July 12th as a double set on Capitol/I.R.S. and on 180-gram audiophile vinyl via Mobile Fidelity. The set will feature new liner notes by music journalist and author Parke Puterbaugh in a special CD package “presented in a lift-top box with a poster and four postcards.”

The bonus disc, dubbed “The Athens Demos,” features nineteen tracks recorded in March 1986 at John Keane’s studio in Athens, GA. Among the tracks are early recordings of all 12 Lifes Rich Pageant tracks, plus several songs later recorded for subsequent releases: “Bad Day,” “Rotary Ten,” “Two Steps Onward,” “Mystery To Me,” “All The Right Friends” and “March Song (King Of Birds),” an early instrumental of “King Of Birds” from Document.

The real treasure, for longtime fans though is the inclusion of the demo for “Wait,” a track never before officially released by the band.

Track list: R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant (25th Anniversary Edition)

Disc 1: Original Album
01. “Begin The Begin”
02. “These Days”
03. “Fall on Me”
04. “Cuyahoga”
05. “Hyena”
06. “Underneath The Bunker”
07. “The Flowers of Guatemala”
08. “I Believe”
09. “What If We Give It Away?”
10. “Just a Touch”
11. “Swan Swan H”
12. “Superman”

Disc 2: The Athens Demos (All Previously Unreleased)
(Recorded March 1986 at John Keane’s Studio, Athens GA)
01. “Fall On Me”
02. “Hyena”
03. “March Song (King Of Birds)”
04. “These Days”
05. “Bad Day”
06. “Salsa (Underneath The Bunker)”
07. “Swan Swan H”
08. “Flowers Of Guatemala”
09. “Begin The Begin”
10. “Cuyahoga”
11. “I Believe”
12. “Out Of Tune”
13. “Rotary Ten”
14. “Two Steps Onward”
15. “Just A Touch”
16. “Mystery To Me”
17. “Wait”
18. “All The Right Friends”
19. “Get On Their Way (What If We Give It Away)”

The King of Limbs – Live From the Basement

BBC Worldwide Music Television has signed a deal with Radiohead to distribute internationally a new and exclusive live performance of Radiohead’s eighth album.

The King of Limbs album was released digitally in February 2011 and physically at the end of March 2011, yet this special performance will be the first time the band will have played this song cycle in public. The band will be performing for the much lauded music show ‘From the Basement’, the brain child of Radiohead production guru Nigel Godrich. (Previously the band performed selections from In Rainbows on the same show in 2008).


Radiohead - Nude (Live In Rainbows From The Basement 2008) from samoano on Vimeo.

Radiohead – The King of Limbs: Live From The Basement is a 55-minute performance from one of the most successful and critically acclaimed acts of their generation, who have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. The program will feature the notoriously elusive band performing the entirety of their celebrated new album in a studio setting with some additional behind the scenes material. It is scheduled to be the first time that the Grammy Award winners are captured on camera this year.

From the BBC:

Bryce Edge of Courtyard Management, Radiohead’s management company said, "This will be Radiohead's first collaboration with BBC Worldwide and the band are excited at the prospect of having their first live performance of 'The King of Limbs' broadcast around the world . The band will be filmed and recorded by the From The Basement team, which includes Nigel Godrich their long time producer, Dilly Gent ,who commissioned many of the memorable Radiohead videos and Grant Gee who filmed the Radiohead documentary 'Meeting People is Easy'"

The broadcast will air on July 1st.

VOTE

Do your part and get out and vote today (May 2) Canada.

Hillside 2011 Announces Line-up

For twenty eight years the Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario has been a favourite for Canadian festival goers. Looks like 2011 will continue the streak as the line-up for this year’s event looks positively stellar. Running from July 22nd to 24th the annual event will be returning to the Guelph Lake Conservation Area with a host of delectable talent.


THE WOODEN SKY live at Hillside Festival from Stedfast Media on Vimeo.

Impressive and diverse some of those appearing include: Shad, Braids, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Little Scream, Dan Mangan, Mother Mother, Hollerado, Karkwa, Kevin Drew with the Beauties, Grimes, Old Man Luedecke, Lost In The Trees, Doug Paisley, Snailhouse, Gobble Gobble and One Hundred Dollars .

So make a weekend of it. Go camping, eat some great food, and share some time with like minded individuals. Tickets for the event go on sale at Ticketpro.ca starting May 7th. If you're in Ontario, you can also buy tickets from Ground Floor Music (Guelph), Soundscapes (Toronto) or Encore Records (Kitchener). You can also pick them up from the Hillside Office in Guelph, but only on May 7th.

Stay tuned tuned to Hillside's website for the details to be finalized.

You can see all the artists currently scheduled for the fest below, and watch for more to be announced soon .

Hillside 2011 Line-up:


Adverteyes
Braids
Callers
Chali 2na
Charlotte Cornfield
Common Grackle
Dala
Etran Finatawa
The Fugitives - Spoken word
Hannah Georgas
Ganga Giri
Graveyard Train
Hollerado
Hooded Fang
Emmanuel Jal
Karkwa
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Kevin Drew and The Beauties
Kidstreet
KO
Seun Kuti
Lights
Little Miss Higgins
Little Scream
Lost In The Trees
Dan Mangan
Memphis
The Midway State
Modern Field Recordings
Mother Mother
North Mississippi Allstars
Old Man Luedecke
One Hundred Dollars
Gobble Gobble
Grimes
Pat Jordache
Doug Paisley
Paper Lions
The Recipe - Spoken word
Rundown Royalty
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Serena Ryder
Shad
Shannon Kingsbury Band
Snailhouse
The Stanfields
Sweet Thing
Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy
These United States
Les Tireux d'Roches
Jude Vadala
Chris Velan
The Woodshed Orchestra and Shlomo