Random Music news and trivia

"Brutal and obtuse" is Shellac in a nutshell, but there's always a sense of humour lurking just beneath the surface - despite outward appearances, they don't take themselves all that seriously

'New' Broadcast albums due for release in May and September:

pitchfork.com/news/broadcast-demos-collected-on-two-new-albums-listen-to-follow-the-light/

So the Black Keys:

- booked an arena tour;
- charged way too much for tickets;
- found out that no-one was buying them;
- scrapped the entire tour without warning;
- plan to re-book it at smaller venues; and
- are trying to paint this debacle as a creative decision.

Just like your overpriced arena tickets, nobody's buying that explanation, guys.

Arena prices are indeed crazy nowadays.

Thing is, even the fans on the band's subreddit were, like, "You're not that popular, guys" when the tour cancellation happened yesterday. There was a sense of confusion as to why an arena jaunt had been booked in the first place.

Dennis Lyxzén from Refused had a heart attack this week:

pitchfork.com/news/refused-cancel-reunion-show-after-frontman-has-heart-attack/

Fortunately, he seems to be on the mend.

That's cool. Would love to see them reform but I think they're right, it wouldn't be the same.

One of today's headlines at the NME website:

"Watch Ed Sheeran sing ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ with Limp Bizkit at Pinkpop."

Hope of the States have reformed. That first album was absolutely tremendous when it clicked into gear.

They were probably a little unfairly done by being lumped with a lot of post-Libertines landfill indie because of their look when their sound was really quite epic really.

Also I always thought they were a more radio friendly GY!BE haha.

I see ¡Forward, Russia! I click that like button.

I’m reading a book by a lecturer at Newcastle Uni about the cultural history (and future) of the north and he sprinkles bits of biographical detail in between stories of shipbuilding and that time Allan Ginsberg came to the city. Turns out he was the guitarist who started Everything Everything.

I remember them being a reasonably big deal who would’ve been a partial successor to a lot of those bands. Skipping through tracks on youtube I’m coming to realise that I don’t recognise even their sound nevermind any actual songs. Its weird having a total blank spot like that to something somewhat adjacent to other stuff I loved.

I’m not a fan but its been long enough since they broke up that 50% of the audience at any new shows will barely have been born when they last played. But the songs are everywhere and never really left the public consciousness.

Liam just headlined Reading and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t his latest solo material that people were there to hear.

Good for you, Johnny:

www.nme.com/news/music/morrissey-hits-out-at-johnny-marr-for-turning-down-lucrative-the-smiths-reunion-which-he-agreed-to-3788683

Didn't think I could be any more of a Marr fanboy than I already was.