Thursday, January 13, 2011

Music News & Notes

T-Model Ford Releases New Album

T-Model Ford's new album 'Taledragger' hit stores on Tuesday via Alive Records on color vinyl (limited to 900 copies), 180 gram vinyl (limited to 100 copies and available exclusively by mailorder through Alive Records), as well as CD and digital formats.

Despite a mild stroke in April 2010, T-Model still plays with an intensity and consistency that belies his age. Now 90-years old, the self proclaimed "Boss of the Blues" continues to show his strengths. Playing the blues is his life, he knows no other way

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Crosby, Stills and Nash Split With Label and Rubin

Even after getting about a third of the way through a comeback album, Crosby, Stills and Nash have split with Columbia Records and producer Rick Rubin. Despite the many months spent working on a covers record, the rock legends were reportedly tired of delays and of Rubin's obsession with Kid Rock.

"We have amicably parted ways with both Rick Rubin and Columbia," the trio said in a statement.

The problem was not musical vision, according to the Daily Express, but the slow pace of recording. Rubin, who is co-president of Columbia, had a panoply of production projects, including new albums by Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gogol Bordello. His work on Kid Rock's new LP, 'Born Free,' was reportedly particularly galling to David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Let's hope the folk rock vets get someone to take them in a different direction and get the LP finished soon......

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Kanye West wanted new album cover 'to be banned'

I hate to even cover this at all, I don't think album cover art should be used (although let's be real, it is) to sell records and create hype. So it's not really news that Kanye West wanted new album cover 'to be banned.'

The artist who designed the cover art for Kanye West's ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album has said that West asked him to create "something that will be banned."

In a profile written about artist George Condo in The New Yorker, journalist Calvin Tomkins explained how the rapper briefed Condo to make something controversial.

"Kanye West asked him to do a painting for the cover of his new album," he wrote. "West said that he had seen paintings by Condo, and wanted to collaborate with him. According to Condo, he also said that he was looking for 'something that will be banned'."

Enough said........

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Cover Art For New Green Day LP

The cover artwork for Green Day's upcoming live album, 'Awesome as Fuck,' has been released on GreenDay.com. The live CD/DVD is due out on March 15th and follows their 2009 album, '21st Century Breakdown' along with their last live release 'Bullet In A Bible.'

Lovely cover and title.....










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Anna Waronker EP/companion vinyl w/CD release

Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, and composer Anna Waronker is delivering an EP to coincide with her new album, California Fade, on Five-Foot-Two Records. The personal tone and stripped down instrumentation of the four-track EP are the perfect compliments to California Fade’s lush arrangements and detailed production. “I wanted to show an even more different side of myself on the EP,” says Waronker, “believe it or not, the lyrics feel even more personal than ever before.”

The Anna Waronker EP will be exclusively available on vinyl as a bonus record to the deluxe and limited vinyl version of California Fade. This premium, expanded, double LP package is available for pre-order at annawaronker.com and will be released on February 8, 2011.

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Dead Milkmen Plan First New Material In 15 Years

According to recent reports, the legendary pop-punk band The Dead Milkmen just finished recording a new album scheduled for release later this year. The record, tentatively titled 'The King In Yellow,' is the band’s first set of new material since 1995′s 'Stoney’s Extra Stout (Pig).'

The band recorded a total of 17 songs during two two-day marathon sessions at Buddha Sounds and at Miner Street Studio. They will be finishing up the final mixes in February and, hopefully, releasing the effort in either March or April.

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Less Than Jake Re-Releases Hello Rockview & Losing Streak

After re-releasing a handful of older material (Goodbye Blue And White, Pezcore, Losers, Kings And Things We Don’t Understand, Peoples History Of Less Than Jake) on their own label, Sleep It Off Records, Gainesville, Florida’s Less Than Jake have recently announced plans to continue re-releasing their back catalog. On March 1st, 2011, the band will be re-releasing their classic albums from the mid to late nineties – 1996′s Losing Streak along with 1998′s Hello Rockview.

The physical release of both albums will include the original album along with a bonus DVD of live video recorded at various shows Florida (the digital release will consist of the recorded audio from these shows only). The re-releases will feature all new artwork and expanded packaging been created by longtime Less Than Jake artist Horsebites.

Looking forward to it!

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Gwar Picture Discs Coming Soon!

Metal Blade Records has announced the release dates for the vinyl versions of both GWAR's 'Lust and Space' and 'Bloody Pit of Horror.' 'Lust in Space is being released on January 18 and it is a picture disc with a gatefold sleeve. 'Bloody Pit of Horror is set for release on February 15 and it is also picture disc with a die cut gatefold sleeve.

GWAR's new album, "Bloody Pit Of Horror", sold around 2,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The band's previous CD, "Lust In Space", opened with 5,000 units to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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WORMROT: New Album Artwork

Their new album, 'Dirge' is scheduled for release in North America on May 3 via Earache Records. The 'Dirge' cover art was created by Andrei Bouzikov (MUNICIPAL WASTE, SKELETONWITCH, CANNABIS CORPSE). Lovely......











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VOLTURYON 'Coordinated Mutilation' Cover Art

The cover artwork for 'Coordinated Mutilation,' the second album from Swedish death metalers VOLTURYON, has been released. A gruesome masterpiece by Polish artist Lukasz Jaszak, the cover depicts a psychotic blood covered maniac butchering a cadaver with a chainsaw.

Jaszak is known for his previous works which include the "Lords Of Chaos" book cover and album covers from artists like BLOOD RED THRONE and WITCHMASTER.

Lovely again.......






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10 Sexually Suggestive, Food-Related Album Covers

Here's an interesting take on some sexy, food album covers.
Look at the rest of the covers and the story HERE










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Birdland Records revels in its history

GoldMine Magazine has an nice article about Birdland Records, a music store in Virginia Beach VA. Check it out HERE

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Music Pleasure A Chemical Connection In The Brain

Read a very interesting study that claims that listening to one's favorite music can actually make you feel better. The reason according to a recent study is the release of dopamine in the brain. The study helps explain why music is so popular across many cultures.

Howver, the study only includued music with no lyrical content or voices, so I can only imagine that the results for the continuing testing with these elements present will be just as good or even better; as the chills and good feeling that lyrics and singing only adds to the effect.

So, this is why we love our music so much...makes sense to me....

Read the interesting results HERE

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Sign of the digital times: Sony shutting plant that used to make 18M CDs a month

Sony shuttering 50 year-old media plant in Pitman, NJ

Sony this week said it was shuttering one of its largest CD manufacturing plants - citing the impact of digital downloads and other economic issues.

The plant, which is in Pitman, NJ and has been in operation for some 50 years, first producing vinyl records, will close on March 31 and about 300 people will lose their jobs. The 500,000-square-foot warehouse began producing vinyl LPs in 1960 and moved to CD manufacturing in 1988.

I have symphathy for the job losses, but none for the dreaded CD....

Read the rest of the article HERE

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