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

Goodbye Ryan Adams, Goodnight Cardinals

This is a bit of a suprise. But then again with Ryan, perhaps not.

Ryan Adams has announced a break from music. The Cardinals are dissolving, playing their last gig on March 20 in Atlanta GA.

He posted on his blog that he is looking forward to "quieter times" and announced an end to smoking, blogging, insomnia, "narcissistic over-indulgent behaviour" and his relationship with "someone I loved". "Me – 34, a non-smoker and happy for the first time in my life,".



"Atlanta will be my last venture with the band and I am grateful for the time we have had and maybe someday we will have more stories to tell together," he wrote. "I am, however, ready for quieter times as I think it is very evident I am struggling with some balance and hearing issues."


Adams said he is suffering from Ménière’s disease, which can cause loss of balance, vomiting and nausea. He's been together with the Cardinals now for five years.

The post on his blog was deleted shortly after it was put up. In it he said that despite taking a break from music, he will carry on with creative output, notably writing. He promises two books to follow on from his collection of poems and short stories.

Who knows when we'll get another Ryan Adams record, if ever, what do you think?

What Sufjan Stevens did in 2008

Following on from a post I did a while ago, Paste Magazine lists a dozen things that Sufjan Stevens did during 2008. Take note, as you know none of them included recording a new record but does including composing a score for Natalie Portman's directoral debut.

Read the article here

Free Bon Iver download

We at About The Music love Bon Iver. So we're very please that "Blood Bank" [mp3] from Blood Bank EP (out January 20th) is available for download HERE

U2, MULTI-BRIT AWARD WINNERS, TO PERFORM BRAND NEW SINGLE LIVE AT THE BRIT AWARDS 2009

Oh, big news:

U2, TO PERFORM BRAND NEW SINGLE LIVE AT THE BRIT AWARDS 2009


U2, one of the world’s biggest bands, will perform their brand new single ‘Get On Your Boots’ live at The BRIT Awards 2009 with MasterCard. This highly anticipated annual event takes place on Wednesday 18 February at London’s Earls Court.

Ged Doherty, Chairman of The BRITs Committee said, “We’re thrilled to be able to confirm that U2 have chosen The BRITs for their first global TV performance on their new album. Their addition to the line-up for this year’s show makes it possibly the best we have ever had. This cements The BRITs as one of the biggest TV events in the world.”

Maria Taylor - New Album - LADYLUCK release APRIL 7

MARIA TAYLOR'S THIRD SOLO EFFORT LADYLUCK TO BE RELEASED APRIL 7 and her first single
"TIME LAPSE LIFELINE" WILL BE AVAILABLE DIGITALLY JANUARY 13 (today).

Maria Taylor, one half of Azure Ray and Saddle Creek record label (best known for Bright Eyes, Maria sings on a lot of Bright Eyes records) will release her third solo album on April 7, 2009.

We reviewed, and loved, her first solo album - 11:11 back in 2005 (read the review here so we're looking forward to the new record.

To whet your appetite, two tracks from the forthcoming album, "Time Lapse Lifeline" and "Orchids," will be available digitally prerelease on January 13. "Time Lapse Lifeline," with its orchestral strings and grand melody, tells the story about fast life moves and how everything can change in one moment. Appropriately, the song is punctuated by both a driving beat and lingering plaintive vocals, with breaks of near silence for poignant turns of phrase. "Oh we dreamed a life/ it was just like that was just like that/ and just like that and just like that it's done," Taylor sings as lone strings fade out.

DOWNLOAD "TIME LAPSE" HERE FOR FREE



"Listen in a dark room, with a candle or two with headphones, maybe in the bath, but definitely horizontal" -Maria Taylor