The British Are Coming
Gang of Four, Brett Anderson, and new music from Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong.
Former Suede front-man Brett Anderson has dropped some hints as to the direction of the follow-up to last year's sublime sef- titled debut. Via his Myspace he said, "The record will be approached and recorded unlike any I have ever made before and will hopefully sound completely different too. There will be just two musicians: myself on piano and guitar. The songs will be recorded as complete live takes with no click tracks and just a minimum number of over-dubs." So in other words, expect further exploration into Mr. Anderson's world of sophisticated dirge.
Our favorite Scottish Reverbabillies got a taste of NYC driving skills this past week while finishing up their debut. Guitarist Rab Allen posted this after a hellish ride home from the studio, "One night after the studio we were heading home in a taxi and it crashed into another car. The other guy had gone through a red light and we drove side on into him. The front of our taxi was ripped off and we went into a spin. It was like slow motion. Anyways, everyone was OK. The fuckin' idiot said it was our taxi's fault 'cause we hit him. The driving in NYC is nuts!"
Some unfortunate splitsville news to report on a couple legendary bands. Zac Starkey, son of Ringo and drummer at large, has parted ways with Oasis reportedly due to not getting along with Noel Gallagher. And you thought Noel was the reasonable one. Hopefully, the Manchester torch bearers will get things together for an up coming Summer tour of North America.
Gang Of Four are now a gang of two. Bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham have both cited time commitment as the major issue with their exit. Allen will continue his work in music distribution and Burnham plans on getting his doctorate and teaching at a Massachusetts college. Founding and current members Andy Gill and Jon King will continue work on new Gang Of Four material.
Analog lounge act Stereolab are gearing up for the release of Chemical Chords on August 19 via 4AD Records. You can see Laetitia Sadier and company on tour this Fall in a town near you.
Aside from having one of the year most ridiculous band names, Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong offer a witty counter balance the current crop of UK Rock acts. Formed in 2006, Joe Lean & Co. have risen up high in the ranks, touring with Babyshambles, Dizzie Rascal, and the CSS. Lean also has a thespian background recently starring on an episode of The Tudors, yet he has described actors as "vapid, ambitious little creatures." They are currently recording their debut album. Here is a recent single from Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong, this is "Lonely Buoy."
Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong - Lonely Buoy
Posted by Joe Roth on May 14, 2008 @ 12:00 am