Return of the Womack

The brilliant collaboration between Gorillaz and Bobby Womack on Stylo seems to have instigated the need for more. June 12th the Soul Legend will be releasing his new album The Bravest Man in the Universe, the first in 13 years, via XL Recordings. Womack is working on 10 tracks (see tracklist below) with Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn and label owner Richard Russell as producers. Having been diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year does not seem to stop him in his tracks.
The new single Please Forgive My Heart was already revealed a few weeks ago. Now XL Recordings lets us in the recording studio for a sneak preview of the making of the album, with snippets of the tracks and the singer talking about the new project.
Judging by what we get to hear, this album will be another collectors item. Listen in closely, at the end of the video; sounds like the rumours of a Lana Del Rey collab get confirmed.

TRACKLIST:
01 The Bravest Man In The Universe
02 Please Forgive My Heart
03 Deep River
04 Dayglo Reflection
05 Sweet Baby Mine
06 Stupid
07 If There Wasn’t Something There
08 Love Is Gonna Lift You Up
09 Nothin’ Can Save Ya
10 Jubilee

Little Talks, Big Things

These days you’re likely to hear a quirky little pop tune quite frequently on the radio: Little Talks, a new sound coming from Iceland. Six piece indie pop band Of Monsters and Men are the 2010 winners of Músíktilraunir (= Music Experiments), an annual music competition held in Reykjavík. The band signed with Record Records early 2011 for the release of their debut album. My Head is an Animal came out in Iceland in September 2011. Beginning of this month the album was also released in the US.
Take ride on the band’s flying fairy tale ship and discover the world Of Monsters and Men. Little Talks will more than likely be doing big things in the near future.

Noah’s Ark

Among the many excellent releases for Record Store Day, one in particular caught our attention: a limited edition one sided 12″ vinyl of Noah’s Ark in a Moby Remix by David Lynch. The 6 min dance track is the ideal way to get you in the mood for a night on the town. If you didn’t get your copy, seek and find.
Crazy Clown Time, the American film director’s debut solo album, was released in 2011 on the Play It Again Sam record label. Two songs, Good Day Today and I Know, already got a release in 2010. The album contains music that evolved from “home-studio jam sessions and sporadic experiments”, according to Lynch, and features the voice of Lynch himself and guest vocals by Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O.

Sunday, the day after

Ladyhawke always gets you in a good mood. After spending your hard earned cash on RSD, take the car out for a Sunday Drive. The second single taken from the sophomore Anxiety, sound every bit Ladyhawke. The video is set in back streets and alleyways, and sees the singer crunching her guitar.  The new single comes with a prestigious remix of none other than Scissor Sisters.
Check out the track below, after taking a look at the original in the video.

Black Gold: Record Store Day, April 21st

Tomorrow is International Record Store Day, a celebration of the independent record store. Vintage Soul sounds best on black vinyl, any genre for that matter. A long player and its artwork are collectibles. 7” and 12” are often exclusive shit. What a feeling, putting on the needle. Come compact disc, come mp3, Vinyl never went anywhere.
To celebrate the existence of vinyl a string of artists will release limited editions. Gotan Project will be releasing two new tracks Strength To Love, featuring South Africa’s Tumi, and Checkmate/Jaque Mate, blending tango and spoken word. Triggerfinger will put two popular covers on one 10”: the obvious I Follow Rivers, and the recent Do Ya Think I’m Sexy, featuring Little Trouble Kids. Other special releases include ABBA, Arcade Fire, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Intergalactic Lovers, Lana Del Rey, Leonard Cohen, ao.
All through the day acts will be performing live in participating stores. Get up early and make the most of RSD.

Lana Del Rey in Blue Jeans

If you recall the superb Herb Ritts video for Mariah Carey’s My All, shot in Puerto Rico, you should take a look at Lana Del Rey’s latest offering. Similar sphere is created by Yoann Lemoine, who also directed the video for Del Rey’s previous single Born to Die. Again, Bradley Soileau is Del Rey’s love bird. He undresses to enter the pool with Del Rey watching him longingly through a window. Later the two meet in the middle and engage in passionate underwater scenes, with alligators swimming around. In the final shots Lana seems prepared to die once more, reminiscent of the previous vid. Nice one.

Rufus & Helena in the Game

Rufus Wainwright is preparing to release his seventh studio album. Meanwhile the video for its first single has been wrapped up. Out Of The Game stars a lip syncing Helena Bonham Carter, and a few versions of Rufus. Watch out for the very end of the clip to witness Helena end up in a twirl. Sort of.

Zarley for President

Matt Zarley became a star on Broadway as a teen. Few years down the line, he has transformed into an internationally published songwriter, a Pop singer and Gay icon. Zarley already worked with several big names including Brandy, Usher, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Reba McEntire, Vanessa Williams, and Sheena Easton, ao. His first solo album Debut was released in 2002, much to critical acclaim. WTF must be an anthem you’ve come across at some point. The latest full set is entitled Change Begins With Me. Theme for its latest single Trust Me has an electoral plot, putting sexual diversity on the agenda. Eat your heart out Santorum! LOL

Headphone play Gold on the Ceiling

The Black Keys are enjoying a second successful single taken from their 7th full length El Camino. Gold on the Ceiling is a worthy follow up to Lonely Boy. For the Studio Brussel cover sessions the band Headphone took on the Keys’ song. Headphone’s version might just be as successful as the original. Sometimes the cover -almost- outshines its original.
Saturday 21st is Record Store Day. StuBru is releasing an exclusive Vinyl for the occasion: a compilation of Live recordings played during their late night show Select. This cut will unfortunately not be included. Enjoy it here.