News
SEE: Tupac’s holographic ghost perform alongside Snoop Dogg
Generally, it’s considered bad form to reanimate the corpse of your deceased friend for the entertainment of thousands of sweaty, incredibly wasted festival goers. It’s just something you don’t see often see. Thankfully, that kind of pointed social stigma is something Snoop saw no problem in and ploughed right on ahead with this, the shameless and relentlessly creepy resurrection of deceased rapper Tupac during his Coachella 2012 show. So how was it done? Well, the video was composed by a New York based special effects company called MPC using a mixture of live footage, wire framing and CGI and was then projected onto foil designed to the principals of the “Peppers Ghost” trick. Which is equal measures impressive, gaudy and offensive. Meanwhile, on the other hand, they played Ganster fucking Party! See the performance below, ghost fans.
Alec
GREAT NEWS: Coachella is live on YouTube right now
What could be better than being at Coachella? The people, the sound, the atmosphere. Boy, is it tops. You’re not there though, it’s probably due to you not living in America or simply not having the cash to go stink alongside a sea of ironic facial hair. I’m sorry about that, but as luck has it, I know something even better, oh yes. Youtube are once again streaming the entire of Coachella direct to your face at THIS LOCATION HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE. It’s a wonderful time to be alive, isn’t it?
Alec
NEWS/HEAR: Sigur Rós announce new album ‘Valtari’, hear first single ‘Ekki Múkk’
Oh, Sigur Rós, those fun loving cats, they’ve made more than their fair share of deeply lovely music in their time. If beauty were milk, they would be the kids who took two cartons each. They’re just that way out, I suppose. They’ve been gone a while though, Jónsi has been making his own music and generally looking like he’d hurt you if you got close enough, consequently we’ve had but one lonesome live album to keep us warm at night since 2008′s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Hold back those tears, you sensitive soul, they’re ready to resurface with an new album entitled Valtari (which translates to Steamroller) alongside some festival dates this year. Now, I know you’re a fan of song titles, especially ones in partially fictionalized languages, so here’s some words and numbers. For you, baby.
0 1 Êg Anda
0 2 Ekki Múkk
03 Varúð
04 Rembihnûtur
0 5 Dauðalogn
0 6 Varðeldur
0 7 Valtari
“Sure, that’s nice, I suppose. But how about some actual music, Alec?” I presume you’re asking in a kind gesture which would allow me to effortlessly segue into a recommendation that you simply guide your eyes to the Soundcloud embed above, and press play. Once you’ve done that, you’ll hear the first single from Valtari, ’Ekki Múkk’. It’s obscenely perfect, honestly.
Valtari will be out on the 28th of May, I hope you’re fucking ready.
Alec
NEWS: Record Store Day 2012 releases announced
It’s that time of year again, vinyl fans. Yes, the delights of Record Store Day are once again sauntering their way to a retailer near you, bringing with them all what you’ve come to know and love. What kind of fun? Why, only people buying all the records before you get to the counter, heart palpitations, depleted bank accounts and good, clean, family fun!
Ready for a deep breath? RSD 2012 is home to exclusives from 2ManyDJ, Blitzen Trapper, Bloc Party, Belle & Sebastian, Blouse/Craft Spells, David Bowie, David Lynch, De La Soul, Devo, Django Django, Edward Sharpe, Edwyn Collins, Fleetwood Mac, Gorillaz, Graham Coxon, Grouplove, Guided By Voices, Hot Chip, Iggy Pop, Inspiral Carpets, J Dilla, James Brown, Janis Joplin, John Cale, Kate Bush, Laura Marling, Lee Scratch Perry, M83, M Ward, Mclusky, Metronomy, Miles Davis, Moby, Morrissey, Neon Indian, Odd Future, Of Montreal/Deerhoof, Otis Redding/Aretha Franklin, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, PiL, Ramones, Richard Hawley, Shabazz Places, Shuggie Otis, Simple Minds, Slow Club, Soko, St. Vincent, T-Rex, Taffy (!), Tegan & Sara, The Beat, The Beatles, The Black Keys, The Clash, The Cult, The Cure, The Electronic Antholgy Project, The Fall, The Flaming Lips (but not this), The Kinks, The Raveonettes, The Specials, The Supremes, The Velvet Underground, The Very Best, The Wedding Present, Xiu Xiu, Zomby, DJ Shadow AND Florence & The Machine. And those are just the ones I could be bothered typing out.
As always, Record Store Day will be hitting the UK in the 21st of April, and is the perfect opportunity to show that local institution some love. So, you know, start saving.
Alec
NEWS: The Flaming Lips announce new album for Record Store Day
The Flaming Lips, or, The Band Alec Seems to Write Way Too Much About have a new record coming out this year called “The Flaming Lips and Heavy Fwends”. Marking a change from 2011, which saw the band in a state of practical inertness, seeing them release a paltry 6 EPs, a 24 hour long single and a audio/visual experiment entitled “Two Blobs Fucking”. Those lazy bastards. This new LP (their first since 2009, you know) is set to be released on the Best Day Ever™ (Record Store Day 2012) and features 13 tracks culled from their multitude of collaborations in 2011. Here’s the tracklisting.
01: “2012″ (Feat. Ke$ha & Biz Markie)
02: “Ashes In The Air” (Feat. Bon Iver)
03: “Helping The Retarded To Know God” (Feat. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros)
04: “Supermoon Made Me Want To Pee” (Feat. Prefuse 73)
05: “Children Of The Moon” (Feat. Tame Impala)
06: “That Ain’t My Trip” (Feat. Jim James)
07: “You, Man? Human?” (Feat. Nick Cave)
08: “I’m Working At NASA On Acid” (Feat. Lightning Bolt)
09: “Do It!” (Feat. Yoko Ono)
10: “Is David Bowie Dying?” (Feat. Neon Indian)
11: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (Feat. Erykah Badu)
12: “Thunder Drops” (Feat. New Fumes)
13: “I Don’t Want You To Die” (Feat. Chris Martin)
If you haven’t guessed, that’s the vinyl above. Each record will be pressed on entirely unique multi-colour disks and therefore be rarer than a zombie sighting in series 2 of The Walking Dead. No word on how many of these are being made, although we’ve been promised it’ll be very few and it will never be printed again. ISN’T THIS EXCITING?
Alec
NEWS: Beach House Announce “Bloom”, Stream “Myth”
Gosh, weren’t Beach House all over the internet in 2010? You could barely swing an overused analogy around without hitting that particular critically acclaimed record. For those who’ve just awoken from a two year coma, the year is now 2012, that milk in your fridge has probably gone off and depending on where you live, you could be in for an impressive medical bill. There is some good news though, our robot overlords still struggle to take staircases at a reasonable pace and, of course, Beach House have announced their new record “Bloom“ is on the way, which is totally what I would have guessed had somebody asked me “What do you think is a very Beach House-y name for an album”. It’s due to be released via the ever trusty Sub-Pop on the 15th of May, and features the following track listing
01 – Myth
02 – Wild
03 – Lazuli
04 – Other People
05 – The Hours
06 – Troublemaker
07 – New Year
08 – Wishes
09 – On the Sea
10 – Irene
While we’re swimming in great news, the band have also offered the first slice from Bloom available as a free download. It’s called “Myth” and it’s every bit as shimmering, bright, heart breaking and beautifully produced (Thanks, Chris Coady) as you secretly prayed it would be. If their new album is anything as superb as “Myth” is, we’re all in for a delicious mid may treat.
Alec
