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| Best wishes for 2005 from the m[m]-team! |
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| The official Depeche Mode website reports that the band will start recording a new album in early January under the guidance of producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Elbow, Echobelly). No tentative schedule announced so far. The Mode's last album, Exciter, was released in 2001. |
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| The news from the natural disaster in Asia is bad enough, but apart from the astonishing amount of locals, among the tourists was Mieszko Talarczyk, member of Swedish grind-gods Nasum and producer. His girlfriend has survived but is badly injured and hospitalised, Mieszko is still missing. |
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| Legendary technical doomband Confessor have rejoined and recorded a demo EP of which you now also can download a full track named Sour Times. The EP is also for sale at the site. |
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| Buckethead expressed his sad feelings about Ol' Dirty Bastard's passing last weekend that he recorded a tribute, available for download here. |
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| Season of Mist are reporting that Norwegian black metallers Mayhem have parted ways with singer Maniac and replaced him with Attila Csihar (Tormentor, Aborym). Csihar had previously worked with the group on their 1993 release, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. |
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| Leaves are falling and another musician crossed over: Coil's John Balance died november 13th. Under the influence of alcohol he fell from the first floor landing, hitting his head on the floor some 15ft below. Balance was rushed to hospital, where his condition deteriorated, and he died soon after, without ever regaining consciousness. |
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| Zweizz, the electronic project by former Fleurity and DHG member Svein Egil Hatlevik released a 7" in a pressing of 512 copies. These two tracks are available at Vendlus, it comes in two colours and the first 100 orders get a (surprise) bonus-CD. |
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| MTV reports Wu-Tang-rapper Dirt McGirt (a.k.a. Ol' Dirty Bastard) died in the studio. |
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| British atmospheric poprockers Anathema had the release of their DVD Were You There bumped for a few more weeks. It will feature a complete liveshow from their latest A Natural Disaster-tour, the acoustic show they did with the string quartet of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as well as video's and other extra's. In the meanwhile guitarist Danny recorded a tribute to Nick Drake on a limited release of a 1000 copies, now available for pre-order at Strangelight Records. |
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| Norwegian ambient rockers The 3rd & The Mortal have announced a new album called Project Bluebook for January 2005. The album will feature 3 new tracks of which one is recorded live as well as live-versions of 4 classics. The line-up is the same as on 2002-release Memoirs. In the meanwhile guitarist Trond Engum also has a project called The Soundbyte. |
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| British radiopresenter and alternative music guru John Peel died last night. He had a heartattack while he was on holiday in Peru. |
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| Apart from a pic of the wifey and the kid the updated Ulver-site reports of a collaboration with Sunn 0))) in commission of Swedish radio. This interesting artifact will be released in the upcoming (spring 2005) 4LP White-box. In further news a Kiss cover for a tribute (featuring Turbonegro and Gluecifer amongst others) is mentioned as well as the upcoming album which still is dubbed Blood Inside. |
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| The always interesting Deerhoof have made a collection of live songs available for download from their website check them out if you dare ! |
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| Ipecac reports : We are very sorry to say, but due to an illness in the band the Melvins have cancelled all of their scheduled dates for the rest of the year. We are hoping that the shows will be able to be rescheduled in the future and the band sincerely apologizes for any incvonvenience caused by this unforseen circumstance. Knowing the Melvins like we do, we have no doubt that they will return stronger than ever. Thanks for your support and understanding. |
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| Now that Shawn Lane has swapped the finite for the infinite his 'partners in improvisatory crime' Jonas Hellborg and Jeff "Apt. 258" Sipe have replaced him with a bassoon(!)-player named Paul Hansson. |
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| Cadaver have split up. Neddo didn't feel like finding new members and called it quits for the second time. Was it the review in The Wire this month? ;) |
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| A "teaser" medley MP3 of four songs from the upcoming Nightingale album, Invisible, has been posted online at this location. In a recent online posting, Nightingale's Dan Swanö (Bloodbath, Edge Of Sanity, Ribspreader, Odyssey, Pan-Thy-Monium) commented: "The material is extremely varied everything from metal to the fusion/grunge (!!!) of Worlds Apart. My fave this far is the doom-laden Stalingrad which can take the happiness out of any living creature... There's something for every taste and since my music taste is the weirdest ever, I love them all!!" Invisible is scheduled for release on October 25 through Black Mark Records. |
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| Ipecac reports: The news is out! The anticipated collaboration between the pride of Norway, Kaada and Mike Patton is done and slated for release in late November. The record, Romances is a beautiful piece of music. Sure to put you in the mood for love. Seems like some of you could use that mood adjustment. Preview this release overhere. |
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| Although ex-Napalm Death and ex-Painkiller drummer Mick Harris seems to be focusing on his fishing career lately, Polish label Vivo released a new Scorn album. It's called List Of Takers and it's a set Mick did for a radio-show. The Quoit-set from the same session will remain unreleased for now. |
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| Snapper music is going to release a compilation of old school black metal, the stuff that sparked the flame, compiled by Fenriz of Darkthrone. No big surprises here (Bathory, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Venom, Sodom) but also more obscure bands like Blasphemy, Tormentor and Sarcofago and newer names like Nattefrost and Aura Noir. The release is slated for September 20th. |
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| Saxophone wizard Skerik (Critter's Buggin', Frog Brigade a.o.) has formed a group with drummer Calvin Weston (Big Tree, Dying Ground a.o.) and guitarist/percussionist Shahzad Ismaily (Badawi, Burnt Sugar, Secret Chiefs 3 a.o.). A record produced by Randall Dunn is due in October this year. |
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| Skiz Fernando has to decided to go out on a high and put his label Wordsound to an end. The label has been releasing many illbient, dub and hiphop records by Sensational, The Bug (a.k.a. Kevin Martin of God), Scotty Hard (producer of Medeski, Martin & Wood and New Kingdom), Metabolics, ultra-heavy dub by all-star outfit Dubadelic and his own under assorted banners like Spectre en Slotek. The upcoming 10th Anniversary DVD will be the 50th and final release. |
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| David Vincent rejoined Morbid Angel who said goodbye to Steve Tucker once again. If the return is permanent is not clear yet, for now 'Evil D' (as he liked to call himself in Genitortures, the band he's been in since his departure) will perform a few gigs with the band in South America. |
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| Rick James passed away August 6th. After big hitsuccess in the eighties the nineties were less glorious. The Superfreak biggest 'hit' in the years 2k was the 'encounter' with Charlie Murphy in Chappelle's Show. He was Rick James, bitch! |
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| Screaming Headless Torsos welcome drummer Nikki Glaspie (yup, that's a girl) to replace Gene Lake. August 12th they will play at SOB's in New York after which Caron Wheeler (Back To Life so it seems) will play her set. Fuze's other outfit KiF will play the 16th in Boston supporting Vernon Reid. The Torsos are finishing up their new CD and a European tour is in the making for November. |
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| One of the biggest Hollywood composers died of cancer this wednesday: Jerry Goldsmith. |
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| Critter's Buggin' plans to release their new album September 7th. Stampede will feature Eyvind Kang and Bachir and Mustapha Attar from Master Musicians of Jajouka. Also long-time afficienado Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) will make an appearance. |
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| Despite some mishaps with a shoe Brian Eno and Robert Fripp recorded a new album together called The Equatorial Stars. It's about to be released and Discipline Global Mobile takes pre-orders. |
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| Bill Laswell's Material is going to release an album called All Around The World on Belgian label Subrosa. The album features recordings done by 'ambience collector' Oz Fritz who recorded in places like the King's Room in the Pyramid of Giza, the subway of Paris, the Australian outback and The Theosophical Society World Headquarters in Madras trying to catch the moods of the architecture and surroundings. This follows the ideas of American composer John Cage about hearing music in the sounds that surround you. The album's release is planned for August 2004. |
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| The Oslo-show in August of Supersilent will be filmed by Kim Hiorthøy for a DVD to be released next year. |
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| Björk feels 'really lubricated' about her new album Medulla which is made with vocals exclusively. She gets help from Mike Patton, 'Godfather of Noise' Rahzel and Inuït throatsinger Tanya Tagaq. |
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| Despite rumours of having split up, Wu-Tang Clan is booked to a couple of festivals this summer in London (UK), Kinross(UK), Naas (IRE), Werchter (B) and San Bernardino (USA). Ghostface, RZA, GZA, Method Man, Masta Killa, Dirt McGirt, U-God, Inspectah Deck and Raekwon should all be present. |
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| Anyway, people die: Steve Lacy (69), soprano sax player and refugee (he returned to the US a couple of years ago) died of cancer in Boston last Friday. His wife Irene Aebi, who sings on some of his albums, survives him. Lacy effortlessly moved between traditional jazz forms and more avantgarde directions, witness his last release, the <trio x 3> disc on HatHut. He is also famous for his lifelong obsession with Monk. |
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| And even more deaths: Tomas Forsberg, better known as Quorthon from proto-black metal act Bathory was also found dead in his apartment, June 7th. No more details are known yet. I will make sure the next weblog entry will be more uplifting. |
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| Guitarist Robert Quine has been found dead in his home according to this web-paper. It seems suicide as he assumedly had never really come to terms with the loss of his wife last year. Quine made name in the NY punk and jazz scene with Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Lou Reed, Laswell's Material and John Zorn. |
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| There's something in the air, these bands split up: Candlemass, Phish, Momentum and Daryll-Ann. |
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| Might be nothing new to some, but Vast Aire left Cannibal Ox. He dropped an album under his own name dubbed Look Mom... No Hands. It remains to be seen what Vordul will do with the band as The Cold Vein is a classic in which Vast Aire's role was very important. |
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| After DJ Dangermouse's Grey Album, DJ Halfred mashed Jay-Z's Black Album up with Metallica's album of the same name.. |
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| Marc Ribot is working with Tom Waits again for Waits' new album. They haven't worked together since the Big Time tour. |
