U2 - No Line on The Horizon

I've just listened to the new U2 album - No Line On The Horizon, and it is just me or does anyone else think that the first bit of the opening title track sounds exactly like it is a Kings of Leon album? That said I did think that the last Kings of Leon album sounded like U2. Who is imitating who?

Interestingly my copy of Time Magazine this morning carried a review of the new U2 record. They said it "is mostly restless, tentative and confused. It's not terrible, but it feels like the work of musicians torn between the comfort of the present and the lure of one last run into the adventurous past".

They rated all of U2's albums on a scale between Essential - Respectable - Not so much. While Actung Baby and The Joshua Tree were essential (unsurprisingly) No Line On the Horizon was labeled "not so much" along with Pop.

Controversial?

I don't care much for the single, but the first 2 songs, the title track and Magnificent are pretty good, they have the chugga chugga guitar thing from the edge and a much grittier sounding Bono.

I've been listening via Spotify, which I'm starting to love.

U2 played a surprise concert on the roof of broadcasting house last night. you can watch a news clip of it herehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7915370.stm

Listen to U2 – No Line On The Horizon

Spotify and the Guardian are offering a stream of U2's new studio album - No Line on the Horizon. If you don't already have an account you can sign up and listen to the album.

Click here to listen

NAT KING COLE RE:GENERATIONS

The wonderful, timeless music of Nat King Cole is being reworked on a new album called Re:Generations. This landmark recording with a cosmopolitan flavor celebrates Cole’s musical and cultural contributions as reinterpreted by some of this generation’s most creative artists. The tracklisting is as follows:

1. LUSH LIFE produced by CEE-LO GREEN
2. STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT produced by will.i.am, featuring NATALIE COLE
3. DAY IN DAY OUT produced by CUT CHEMIST
4. BRAZILIAN LOVE SONG produced by MICHAELANGELO L'ACQUA, featuring BEBEL GILBERTO
5. THE GAME OF LOVE produced by SALAAM REMI, featuring NAS
6. WALKIN' MY BABY BACK HOME produced by THE ROOTS
7. HIT THAT JIVE, JACK! produced by SOULDIGGAZ featuring IZZA KIZZA
8. CALYPSO BLUES produced by and featuring DAMIAN "Jr. Gong" MARLEY & STEPHEN MARLEY
9. MORE & MORE OF YOUR AMOR produced by BITTER:SWEET
10. EL CHOCLO produced by BRAZILIAN GIRLS
11. PICK-UP produced by JUST BLAZE
12. ANYTIME, ANYDAY, ANYWHERE produced by AMP FIDDLER
13. NATURE BOY produced by TV ON THE RADIO

To launch RE:GENERATIONS, Capitol/EMI has commissioned an original Cole-inspired mural by the gifted international muralist/graffiti artist, Man One, for Capitol’s historic Hollywood lot. Assisted by two students from The HeArt Project, a local mentoring program (www.theheartproject.org), Man One completed the impressive mural which powerfully depicts Nat King Cole as a ubiquitous force who transcends the ages.

Click here to Streaming

U2 - No Line On The Horizon studio sessions video

Observer Music Monthly's Sean O'Hagan spent 18 months following U2, from Fez to Dublin, as they recorded their new album New Line On The Horizon. You can watch the exclusive video here.

New Ryan Adams EP - Valentine's Day EP

After saying the Cardinals were dead, there is a new EP for Valentine's Day on iTunes for $3.99. It is a collection of his (own) favourite love songs:

Two
Blossom
Answering Bell
Evergreen
My Love For You is Real
Desire
Unreleased bonus track: Hey There, Mrs. Lovely

I think Hey There, Mrs. Lovely was on the Swedish Sessions bootleg, but I might be wrong, it's an oldie anyway.

Folk Singer Of The Year award

The hugely influential careers of singer / songwriters Judy Collins and James Taylor were celebrated last night at the 10th BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards where they each received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

After accepting her Award from Lord David Puttnam, Collins sang her version of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now. Taylor was presented with his Award by fellow musician Steve Winwood before performing Carolina In My Mind.

Chris Wood, who also performed, was named Folk Singer Of The Year and was presented by Rob Brydon with the award for Album Of The Year for Trespasser.

Extended highlights of the Awards are broadcast on Radio 2 tomorrow night, Wednesday 4th February, from 7.00pm.
Extensive online features and a photo gallery are available at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

Coldplay without Chris Martin

The Guardian has an interesting article about Coldplay's next album. Work has begun and legendary U2 producer Brian Eno is at the helm. To get things off to a creative start he has banned Chris Martin from the studio to let the band experiment.

According to the Guardian "Martin was enough of a nuisance in the Viva La Vida sessions, it seems, that Eno wrote the band a letter before agreeing to work with them again. "[Eno] said that he thought the last album was OK but it could have been much better," Martin said. "He said that he still wanted to work with us on the next album but that I was banned from the studio.""

HORSE FEATHERS RETURN TO THE UK IN MARCH

"House with No Home is beautiful, eerie and the most accomplished record I have heard this year." Big Cheese

I loved their first and second albums so I'm excited about seeing Horse Feathers in the UK. If you haven't checked them out, then think Bon Iver, and Iron & Wine. Beautiful hushed vocals with plenty of strings. Here's the bio -

"Horse Feathers began as the solo acoustic project of singer-songwriter, Justin Ringle, but they've since grown to include multi-instrumental collaborator Peter Broderick as well as a host of live players. The band's debut for Kill Rock Stars, House With No Home, finds Ringle and company delivering spare acoustic numbers accented by such rural signifiers as banjo, fiddle, and saw (as well as cello, celeste, and of course, guitar). The focal point is always Ringle's whisper-quiet, feather-soft voice, which ranges from a low singing tone to a wounded whimper to an airy falsetto. Justin and Peter worked together to polish the material that became the band’s debut album, Words Are Dead, which was released on the local Lucky Madison label in 2006, and was nominated for the Plug Awards ‘Americana Album of the Year’.

Their second album, House With No Home is out now on Kill Rock Stars.

UK Tour Dates:
Friday 27th March - Canterbury, The Farmhouse
Saturday 28th March - Cardiff, Buffalo Bar
Monday 2nd March - London, Luminaire
Tuesday 3rd March - Oxford, Academy 3
Wednesday 4th March - Manchester, Dulcimer
Friday 6th March - Middlesbrough, The Westgarth SC
Saturday 7th March - Glasgow, The Captain's Rest