Blur's Live at the Budokan will be released as a 2LP for Record Store Day (April 18). All tracks were recorded on November 8, 1995, safe for She's So High from November 9 at NHK Hall in Tokyo. It came out in Japan in 1996 and has been out of print since then, safe for an iTunes version in 2014. It would have nice if the included the 7" with the two missing tracks, Charmless Man and Chemical World, that were left of the 2CD back then. 2000 copies on red vinyl worldwide.
One day only: an exhibition in Los Angeles about Devo, the highly influential satirical art-punk band, who used the term "devolution" to explain that humanity was no longer moving forward, but backward. On April 24 from 6-10pm at founder member Mark Motherbaugh opens his MutMuz Gallery for a collection of photos and memorabilia will tell the tale, well sort of, about a bunch of guys who did not play by the rules and whose unique conceptualist take on music somehow made some inroads into the charts.
They baffed record buyers and the suits at their record company who could never keep up with their shape shifting approach and piss-takes at rampant commercialism.
Composer and guitarist Gabriel Vicéns has unveiled a video for Stray Dogs, a track from his new album Niebla: "Throughout the album he mixes abstract bits with almost easy on the ears melodies. Niebla might mean "fog", but Vicéns and his musicians share a joint clear vision: to create music where tone and risk taking are equal partners to create a mesmerising listening experience. Feel free to wander around in his world and get lost in a good way." The clip was directed by Adrien H. Tillmann
Watch the current incarnation of the Kronos Quartet perform four songs for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert. David Harrington (violin), Gabriela Diaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola) and Paul Wiancko (cello) let their instruments speak about the worldwide clusterfuck with these rearranged covers.
Setlist:
English rock trio The McHilson Project is the result of the restart of a restart. When the members of a revived band found out they were not all at the same page it was up to Mark Mcinnes, John Hills and James Snelson to plug in and try to get the engine firing on all cylinders. With their debut album Insurrection they prove that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but that is perfectly fine when you aim for timeless classic rock with just a hint of progressive and a nod to Frank Zappa every now and then.
Lyrically they are over the place. There is a song about the ritualistic suicide of a Japanese princess (Seppuku), they sing the praises of an establishment that serves fine drinks and music (Blues Cafe), and hand out an invitation to a place where kids dreams are still alive (Fantasy Fairground). The sheer of playing together after such a long time and finding out that the connection is still there makes it a joy to listen too. Recommended for rockers of all ages.
