News

Dandy Crucifixion Artist Found Dead From Heroin Overdose

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, June 17th, 2010 4:45 pm

Sebastian Horsley, the artist who famously crucified himself in the name of art, has been found dead from an apparent heroin overdose. The death of the 47-year-old comes mere days after a play about him, Dandy in the Underworld, opened at the SoHo Theater in London. Horsley went to the Philippines in 2002 to experience a crucifixion in preparation for a number of paintings he planned on the subject. Refusing painkillers, he was nailed to the cross and passed out. During his ordeal the footrest broke and the flesh on his hands tore.

Described by friends as “vain, arrogant, brash and hilarious”, Horsley was a brazen self-publicist and wrote in The Observer of his fondness for having sex with prostitutes. “Prostitution is obscene, debasing and disgraceful,” he mused. “The point is, so am I.” The artist was also refused entry to the US in 2008 while he was promoting his relentlessly grim and seedy memoirs on grounds of “moral turpitude”.

Can Ridley Scott Resurrect Alien?

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, June 17th, 2010 4:00 pm

While it’s bad news for anyone eagerly awaiting the release of an Alien 5, but Ridley Scott, the veteran British filmmaker, is set to revisit the film with two prequels, an announcement which filled me with something which can only be described as delight. His 1979 original was a masterpiece. But has the Alien name been irreparably tarnished by those awful sequels? And Ridley’s own output since the early nineties leaves one with the sneaking suspicion that brother Tony (The Last Boy Scout, Top Gun) may be the talented one in the family. Click through for more on this… MORE »

Matmos & So Percussion: Live At Le Poisson Rouge

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, June 17th, 2010 2:00 pm

Throughout their career, Matmos have constructed some of the most insane musical experiments ever put to record. The band have utilized the sounds of human skulls, latex fetish clothing, aspirin tablets hitting a drum kit from across the room, life support systems and the sound of a frozen stream thawing in the sun. Having also provided live backing for Björk, the duo’s latest experimental electronic collaboration is with New York’s So Percussion - a match made in contrapuntal heaven?

Crocodiles New Song - Sleep Forever

Colm McAuliffe :: Thursday, June 17th, 2010 11:05 am

San Diego duo Charles Rowell and Brendan Welchez, more commonly known to their friends as Crocodiles, have spent the majority of 2010 holed up in a Joshua Tree studio with Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford working on the follow up to last year’s Summer of Hate debut. “Sleep Forever” is the first fruits of this collaboration.

But to save you time and effort, I have decided to listen to it myself so you will know whether it is any good or not. “What could this possibly mean for the band’s sound?!”, I hear you cry. Well…they still sound like Jesus & Mary Chain (who doesn’t?) but in a shocking reversal of evolution, the band appeared to have moved away from the digital to a more analog sound. Other than that, it’s still 1989 in the world of Crocodiles.

This is not a bad song by any means but it’s ridiculously derivative. Go listen to Loop instead.

Listen and download Crocodiles-”Sleep Forever”
Crocodiles-”Sleep Forever”

Villagers Earn NPR “First Listen”, Debut Album Stream

Colm McAuliffe :: Friday, May 21st, 2010 1:30 pm

Villagers_closeup_lowres_20100504_143403 We love Villagers and starting on June 1, NPR.org will stream their debut album Becoming A Jackal for one week, leading to the album’s US release on June 8. O’Brien, who will kick off a solo East Coast tour on June 17, performed a stripped down version of album track “Home” for Yours Tru.ly recently. Watch the video here for a taste of what’s to come. And click through for East Coast tour dates.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again In Paris

Colm McAuliffe :: Friday, May 21st, 2010 12:10 pm

The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, is a noted art enthusiast. So you can imagine his disbelief when he found out that a thief had broken his way into the Musée d’Art Moderne and decided to leave with five masterpieces - a Picasso, a Matisse and a Modigliani. But instead of casigating the thief for his actions, the Mayor’s office were praising him for his stealthy beahavior - “Er, the alarm was apparently deactivated. They must have been a sophisticated bunch. The guards saw nothing,” said Christophe Girard, Mr Delanoë’s Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture. He also : “To get into the museum so fast by disassembling a window, choose five specific works and then slip out unnoticed by the guards, that is quite impressive.”
MORE »

Today In Music

Colm McAuliffe :: Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 2:20 pm

Not willing to face up to the fact that it was a complete dud, Axl Rose is suing his former manager Irving Azoff for allegedly sabotaging sales of comeback album Chinese Democracy.

Elvis Costello has decided to join a cultural boycott of Israel by pulling out of his concerts there next month. Would it not be more beneficial to the beleaguered Palestinians if Costello actually did play his gigs as planned and donated the proceeds to a worthy cause?

Metal heroes Isis are about to break metal hearts the world over by breaking up after their current tour.

Speaking of metal, which star would you most commonly associate with the genre of sci-fi concept metal? Why, Ryan Adams of course! The mercurial country singer has made his own sci-fi metal album (with help from Voivod, of all people) entitled Orion and you can purchase it on vinyl from his website here.

The Chemical Brothers share their music festival philosophy

And finally, you can watch Beach House cover Gucci Mane over at Prefix

PiL: Live At Terminal 5

Colm McAuliffe :: Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 12:30 pm

The simple fact that the two of the most well-known PiL songs (’This Is Not A Love Song’ and ‘Rise’) were the most tedious performances at the band’s first New York gig in aeons says it all. Playing to a highly reverent crowd, Johnny Rotten’s latest PiL are sonically punishing, spearheaded by Lu Edmonds glass-shattering guitar work which crashes into Rotten’s caterwauling wail to create a deafening, scree like wall of sound which was underpinned by the extremely taut and rigid bass and drums. This was retrofuturism in action - the sound of the future circa 1979.

My Morning Jacket Charity Donations

Colm McAuliffe :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 2:30 pm

Shortly after completing their recent tour with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Louisville’s My Morning Jacket will be taking their exhilarating live show back on the road this August. Sub Pop’s Avi Buffalo will be supporting the group for the San Diego date as well as their LA show at The Greek Theater. The run will also include a stop at Denver’s Mile High Festival, and MMJ will be supporting the brilliant Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on several dates. For all of the Jacket’s headlining dates, the guys will be donating $1 from each ticket to a local charity. Click through for dates and the full list of organizations along with links to their websites for more information.

R.E.M. Fables of the Reconstruction Re-Issue

Colm McAuliffe :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 2:00 pm

While guitarist Peter Buck moonlights with Snow Patrol, the R.E.M. re-issue series continues apace with the re-release of Fables of the Reconstruction on July 13, reminding us of that time when the band were actually worth listening to. Recorded in London during the winter of 1985, the album was produced by Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention) and acts as the conduit between the band’s early murky, college-rock sound and their later glossy, pop period.

Joy Division Anniversary: Music Turned Into School Symphony

Colm McAuliffe :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 1:20 pm

If Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis had not hung himself 30 years ago today, how different would things be? Would the band be fresh from making a comeback at Coachella? Would we have been spared the unseemly sight of New Order: The Fat Years? Either way, we will never know. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the singer’s death, Schoolchildren from his hometown of Macclesfield, near Manchester, are set recreate Joy Division’s music as a symphony. MORE »

This Will Destroy You: Album & Tour

Colm McAuliffe :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 1:00 pm

Texas post-rockers, the aptly named This Will Destroy You, are heading out on the road after a successful European tour and recording their latest album which will be entitled Tunnel Blanket with producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, Modest Mouse, Chiarlift). You can exclusively check out their “Communal Blood,” which will also be available as a limited (500) album pressing that will only be available at concerts. Tour dates after le jump.
MORE »

Evelyn Evelyn Album, Videos & Tour

Colm McAuliffe :: Monday, May 17th, 2010 1:20 pm

Evelyn Evelyn, the world’s only conjoined twin singer-songwriter duo “discovered” by Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls and renowned minstrel Jason Webley, have released their debut album and will be touring the US beginning May 17. For a taste of what’s coming to a theater near you, check out the videos of “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?” and “You Only Want Me ‘Cause You Want My Sister,” filmed at Evelyn Evelyn’s performance at OBERON in Cambridge, MA. To learn more about Evelyn Evelyn, check out their “Behind The Music” documentary here. Click through for dates.

Free Energy New Video & Tour

Colm McAuliffe :: Monday, May 17th, 2010 1:00 pm

Free Energy’s new video for “Bang Pop” premieres today exclusively on MySpace. Directed by Josh Nussbaum and produced by Ben Nabors, the video was shot in a middle school just outside of the band’s homebase of Philadelphia. Produced by DFA’s James Murphy, Free Energy’s debut album, Stuck On Nothing, is out now on Astralwerks/DFA Records. The band has just announced new dates with Mates of State and their shows at NXNE following their dates with Jukebox the Ghost - click through for more details.

Snow Patrol & REM Team Up For Album

Colm McAuliffe :: Friday, May 14th, 2010 1:15 pm

Spearheaded by Coldplay, the notion of middlebrow music has been ubiquitous since the early 00’s and amidst the genre’s offspring, Snow Patrol have been most successful, making a volte-face from shambling indie rockers to bombastic U2 wannabees. Their frontman Gary Lightbody has announced details of a new collaborative album entitled The Places We Ran From featuring not only Lightbody but Peter Buck and Scott McGaughey from REM.

This new project is entitled ‘Tired Pony’ and according to Lightbody, the record is “inspired by my love of Wilco, Calexico, Lambchop, Palace, Smog, these bands that look at the darkness in America. I wanted to write a twisted love-letter to the States,” said Lightbody. You can watch their debut video here. Click through for more details.