Somehow in the mix are Aaliya, Jay-Z, Spoon and Grupo Fantasma....

By Blurt Staff

This week the Echocentrics - a project by Grammy award winning producer/musician Adrian Quesada, best known for his work with Grupo Fantasma, Brownout and Ocote Soul Sounds - drop a new EP, Echoland, just 6 months after the release of their critically acclaimed debut album 'Sunshadows', The EP is a tribute to hip-hop producer, Timbaland, featuring live instrumental (with one vocal tune) reinterpretations of classic Timbo tracks. It's released by Ubiquity.

Check out a free MP3 of "We Need A Resolution"

Some background via the label: "While writing the follow-up to 'Sunshadows' Quesada found himself occasionally hitting walls and struggling to make creative progress. The result was what began as a couple of "exercises" into dissecting the minimalistic genius of Timbaland to get the creative juices flowing and turned into a collection of songs, equal parts desert-psychedelia, late ‘60s soundtrack, funk and soul. Why Timbaland? Because he is a prodigy. And because the musical contradiction presented a challenge."

Brazilian chanteuse, Tita Lima, lends her vocals to a cover of Aaliyah's "We Need A Resolution", sang in Portuguese and the ubiquitous Todd Simon (Mayer Hawthorne, TVOTR) provides a horn arrangement for Jay Z's "It's Hot". Recorded at Adrian Quesada's Level One Studios in Austin, TX with some help from Spoon's Jim Eno at Public Hi-Hi.

Tracklisting:

1. Hola Hovito
2. Raise Up
3. We Need A Resolution
4. It's Hot
5. Party People
6. We Need A Resolution (instr.)

But will still be performing at the annual holiday concerts.

By Blurt Staff

It's being called "a serious health scare," and though admittedly vague, it's got Yo La Tengo fans concerned about the band's guitarist, Ira Kaplan. With YLT preparing for their annual run of Hanukkah shows, Matador Records posted a note from Kaplan indicating that despite the scare/illness, they'll still perform, but with Kaplan sitting down to play now.  Apparently Kaplan had posted the info at the YLT website first. Read it in its entirety, below.

From Ira Kaplan:

Hi everybody, especially those of you with tickets to next week's shows,

We strive to make our Hanukkah shows unpredictable, and in one unfortunate regard we've outdone ourselves this year. I'm going to be a little vague here, but I had a pretty serious health scare earlier this month. I'm well on the way to recovery, but I've not yet been deemed ready to Rock. The good news is...well, the good news is I'm on the way to recovery...but vis-à-vis next week, the good news is that I've been deemed ready to sit in a chair and play the concerts that mean more to me, Georgia, and James than most anything else we do together. Our sets will undoubtedly be tweaked accordingly. In other words, if you were hoping to be in attendance for our annual airing of "Mushroom Cloud of Hiss," I'm afraid that is now zooming up the Unlikely chart with a bullet. But we're confident that it's going to be a great eight days. We're looking forward to seeing you all, and to not answering any questions about what happened to me!

As long as I've got your attention, I'll let you know about one other change this year. We've filled the walls of Maxwell's front room with a bunch of posters and other ephemera from our various closets. Some of it will be for sale (all proceeds to charity) and all of it will hopefully be entertaining.

Hanukkahly yours, Ira

Vinyl junkies enter the digital age finally...

By Blurt Staff

A free app (iPhone & Android) has been developed by Tim Broun along a developer called Shoutem and music blog, The Vinyl District. Its called The Vinyl District Record Store Locator, and is a simple but effective app in that it that offers a feed of updates from the blog, but also offers a GPS-based record store locator.

Basically, say you're on vacation or visiting another city and wandering around looking to score some music swag during the trip. Punch the "All Stores" icon and you'll get directions to the nearest crate-digging emporium. It's also set up so you can share your finds on social networks, naturally, and if you have fresh info about a store that needs to be added to the database, you can do that as well.

This appears to be the first of its kind available in the US. The app is available internationally, and the developers indicate they are adding new stores everyday. Oh yeah - did we mention it's free? Cool, huh?

"You're The Kind Of Girl" from forthcoming album on Truth & Soul.

By Blurt Staff

There aren't many artists who keep their cool well into their fifth decade in the business, but R&B veteran Lee Fields is one. With a career spanning 43 years and having toured the world over with his raucous-yet-tender voice, the music he's making today is the best of his career. He will release new album A Faithful Man March 13, 2012 on Brooklyn's Truth & Soul Records. Listen to the album version of debut single "You're The Kind Of Girl":

You're The Kind Of Girl by truthandsoulrecords

Faithful Man is Fields' follow-up to the well-received 2009 album My World, and his second album for Truth & Soul -a label reinventing the Motown-style soul factory for a brand new era. The album interprets and then pushes the formulas of good soul thanks to Truth & Soul producers and co-owners Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels, as well as the high level of musicianship of everyone involved. (These are the same individuals that co-wrote, produced and played on Aloe Blacc's global smash I Need A Dollar, and have provided the backdrop for records by El Michels Affair, Adele, Liam Bailey, Ghostface Killah and Jay-Z, to name a few.)

Born and raised in the small town of Wilson, North Carolina, Fields spent his teenage years singing in church and listening to the classic sound of '60s Memphis. By the late sixties, Lee was touring with the bands who would lay the foundation for funk music, including Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers, and Little Royal. And back in the 1970s, Fields was nicknamed Little JB for his similarity to James Brown.

Faithful Man Track Listing:

Faithful Man  

I Still Got It    

You're The Kind Of Girl        

I'm Still Hanging On  

Intermission   

Wish You Were Here 

Who Do You Love    

Moonlight Mile          

It's All Over But The Crying  

Walk On Through That Door 

Whether you fancy becoming an actor in an indie film or simply want a tour of Glasgow, this one's for you, geeks!

By Blurt Staff

Pitchfork is reporting that Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch has initiated a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter in order to finance the film he's trying to get off the ground. Titled God Help the Girl, it's an outgrowth of his B&S offshoot project God Help the Girls, which had a 2009 album and EP.

According to the report, Murdoch is working with L.A. producer Barry Mendel (Bridesmaids, Munich, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Sixth Sense, Rushmore). Premiums associated with the Kickstarter campaign include enamel buttons, autographed posters, "bound copies of the script," a guitar slated to be used in the film, an actual walk-on role in the film, and a dinner date with Murdoch that includes a tour of Glasgow. No doubt the latter two goodies slot in at the higher tiers of contributions...

As of this writing the campaign was 14% funded ($14,631 pledged) with 58 days to go. The official description reads thusly:

"God Help The Girl is a musical film written and to be directed by Stuart Murdoch, leader of Belle and Sebastian. Set in Glasgow, Scotland over a long, lazy summer, the film is about a girl called Eve who is in hospital dealing with some emotional problems and starts writing songs as a way of getting better.  Her music leads her to a guy called James and a girl called Cassie each with talents and musical dreams of their own.  The story emanates from the universal idea of having a dream and how living it can free you from your troubles." 

Another superstar gets the social networking bug. Meanwhile, let's give props to one of the Blurt staffers for his Petty-related work (see below).

By Fred Mills

Billboard.com is reporting on the Twitter-hosted Q&A session yesterday between Tom Petty and his tweeting fans - in a novel twist, the artist (who has admitted he's been slow on the social networking uptake) took questions via Twitter ( @tompetty) and responded in the standard 140-or-less characters format. ("Very frustrating...  not enough space to answer" was one comment he made about said format.)

In addition to some of the expected banalities associated with tweeting, Petty did disclose that he's got a new album planned ("too soon to know details") and that he hopes to "make another great album." Also, he's been working on an expanded edition of his 1994 classic Wildflowers, will put together another Mudcrutch project eventually, and will definitely release some of his album in the Blu-ray format.

Petty and his Heartbreakers announced a 2012 tour earlier this week that will include 9 American dates (including April 28 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival) plus a series of European shows. Full itinerary can be found below.

Meanwhile, we here at BLURT can't help but giving props to one of our own: Associate Editor Andy Tennille, who worked as the official tour photographer on Petty's 2010 road trip, recently had to of his choice photos appear on the record sleeve of Petty's Black Friday limited edition live LP Kiss My Amps Live. Check out the front and back images - and congrats to Tennille. Yes, we are jealous...

Tour Dates:

April 19: 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO

April 21: Verizon Arena, Little Rock, AR

April 24: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM

April 26: INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS

April 28: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA

April 29: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA

May 1: Germain Arena, Estero, FL

May 3: Amway Center, Orlando, FL

May 5: Frank Irwin Center, Austin, TX

June 3: Mile One Centre, St. John's, NL

June 7: 02 Arena, Dublin, IR

June 8: The Marquee, Cork, IR

June 10: 02 World, Hamburg, GER

June 12: Open Air, Horsens, DK

June 14: The Globe, Stockholm, SWE

June 15: Norwegian Wood Festival, Oslo, NOR

June 22: Isle of Wight Festival, UK

June 24: Hallenstadion, Zurich, SWI

June 25: Lanxess Arena, Cologne, GER

June 27: Grand Rex, Paris, FR

June 29: Piazza Napoleone, Lucca, IT

June 30: SAP Arena, Mannheim, GER

Compilation of the The Cramps' early singles plus some tracks from the same period that were never issued on that format. Let's review what we've learned thus far via some video clips below, too.

By Blurt Staff

Leave it to the crate-digging and trash-loving archivists at Spain's Munster Records to dig up a Cramps box. Arriving in stores next week: File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981, a limited edition box of ten 7"ers - also released as a single CD - featuring  six replica sleeves and four new sleeves especially designed for the edition, plus a booklet of photos and memorabilia.

Such timeless Lux Interior/Poison Ivy gems as "Human Fly," "Drug Train," "Garbage Man" and "Goo Goo Muck" will be included, natch. See the full tracklisting below.

Partnering with Munster for the project is no less a Cramps authority than UK journalist Lindsey Hutton, so without further ado we'll turn this news clip narrative over to him so he can explain further in his own signature style. Take it away, Lindsey...

***

From Lindsey Hutton:

"I've no idea why The Cramps don't seem to figure in a lot of alleged histories of punk or just plain music in general. This could be down to them being utterly or unpigeonhole-able (is that even a word?) or just outright ignorance. Perhaps a bit of both but hey, let's not concern ourselves with that. The band changed the face of culture. Period. Without bothering "the charts" or playing too many stadiums, their seismic effect on everything you hold dear will be felt for all time.

"This ancient knowledge - some of their grooviest gravy - is presented here for your delectation and delight. So get a crack-a-lackin' with blasting these twisted hymns morning, noon and night. And while the ruckus is in full swing, pray to whoever might listen that Ivy will get around to compile the ultimate document of her undulating combo in commemoration of their services to entertainment. The bloody gears of this here rockin' machine will be rolling way beyond the foreseeable future.

"Reasons outwith anyone's control might mean that you can't see the band anymore but no one - no how - will be able to make this thing stop. Meanwhile, dig into this feast for the little ghouls that understood all along or indeed anyone with a decent set of ears."

TRACKLIST:

1. SURFIN' BIRD

2. THE WAY I WALK

3. HUMAN FLY

4. DOMINO

5. LONESOME TOWN

6. MYSTERY PLANE (Original mix)

7. FEVER

8. GARBAGEMAN

9. TV SET

10. THE MAD DADDY (Original mix)     

11. DRUG TRAIN

12. LOVE ME

13. I CAN'T HARDLY STAND IT

14. TWIST & SHOUT

15. URANIUM ROCK

16. GOO GOO MUCK

17. SHE SAID

18. THE CRUSHER

19. SAVE IT

20. NEW KIND OF KICK

21. ROCKIN' BONES

22. VOODOO IDOL

Also check spring tour dates below.

By Blurt Staff

The first song from Sleigh Bells' forthcoming sophomore album, Reign of Terror, is called "Born to Lose," and you can check it out here:

Sleigh Bells - "Born To Lose" by TheNJUnderground

Produced by guitarist Derek Miller, and written by Miller and singer Alexis Krauss, Reign of Terror is the highly anticipated follow up to 2010's Treats.

Prior to Reign of Terror's release, Sleigh Bells will embark on a full tour of Florida, where Miller grew up, with fellow Floridian Diplo and Brooklyn's Liturgy.Dates are below.

Tour dates:

2/3/12              Gainesville, FL @ Florida Theater

2/4/12              Tampa, FL @ The Ritz

2/6/12              Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall

2/7/12              Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon

2/9/12              Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live

2/10/12            Orlando, FL @ Firestone

2/11/12            Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution

2/14/12            Miami, FL @ Grand Central

Not a bad way to mark a 50^th anniversary.

By Blurt Staff

The founding members of The Beach Boys, one of the world's most legendary bands in popular music history, will reunite for a global 50^th Anniversary CELEBRATION in 2012.  Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks will come together for a new studio album and commemorative catalog releases with Capitol/EMI and a 50-date international tour to begin in April with a headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") as well as other exciting events to be announced. 

Brian Wilson says, "This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again."

Mike Love says, "We got together at Capitol Records and re-recorded ‘Do It Again.'  Brian and I wrote that song which went to number 1 in Great Britain, Australia and elsewhere some 44 years ago.  Brian paid me a compliment saying, ‘How can a guy sound that great so many years later?'  Later on, while working out some harmonies on a new song Brian had written, I got a chance to return the compliment.  It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements.  I am very much looking forward to David Marks joining us and thrilling with his surf guitar licks.  Music has been the unifying and harmonizing fact of life in our family since childhood.  It has been a huge blessing that we have been able to share with the world.  Wouldn't It Be Nice to Do It Again?  Absolutely!"

Al Jardine says, "The Beach Boys were recently inducted into the California Hall of Fame. From our humble beginnings as brothers, cousins and friends, we have been honored to sing the praises of California, and I'm really excited for our fans to be able to see us again in concert on the world stage, and to celebrate our 50th anniversary together with a new studio album."

Bruce Johnston says, "I will be looking forward to singing Brian Wilson's melodies and Mike Love's lyrics once again in concert with many of the original band members, but imagine what we all could come up with vocally in a recording studio atmosphere under Brian's musical direction."

David Marks says, "I'm really looking forward to celebrating this important milestone in The Beach Boys' history with the other guys, and with Capitol Records - where it all began 50 years ago. It means a lot to me that we can all reunite and pay tribute to the fans who have kept the music alive."

The Beach Boys have already recorded several songs for their new album, to be released in 2012 by Capitol/EMI, with more tracks to be recorded before its completion.  The as-yet-untitled album, the first to feature all of the band's surviving original members in decades, is being produced by Brian Wilson and executive produced by Mike Love.  

The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50^th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band's entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set.

Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group commented: "It's no exaggeration to say that The Beach Boys are one of the greatest and most loved bands that the world has ever produced, and true American icons. We are incredibly proud to take this next step with them as our partnership enters its fiftieth year, and I can't wait to see the band back together doing what they do better than anyone else."

Colin Finkelstein, COO of EMI Music North America said: "We're honored to continue Capitol/EMI's historic partnership with The Beach Boys as they celebrate their fiftieth anniversary.  The Beach Boys bring the best of California's sun and surf culture to people all over the world with their music, and we're really looking forward to working with the band on the new album and commemorative catalog releases - a real CELEBRATION of fifty years!"

Quint Davis, producer/director, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival says, "It's an honor to present the original Beach Boys reunion at Jazz Fest 2012.  Hosting the greatest artists of our era has always been the primary mission of Jazz Fest, and certainly The Beach Boys are unsurpassed as an iconic American musical and cultural institution. Every spring Jazz Fest is the number-one destination for good vibrations and fun, fun, fun; on April 27th, when The Beach Boys reunite on our biggest stage, it's going to feel like a thrilling homecoming for everyone lucky enough to be there.  We're all looking forward to experiencing the magic and the joy."

"Born To Die" due out on single Jan. 23.


By Blurt Staf


Although songstress Lana Del Rey's new "Born To Die" has a certain Lana-by-numbers feel to it - swaying, languid and lush, widescreen production, etc. - the new Woodkid-produced video she just unveiled is pretty entertaining. Something about blood and tigers, hmmm... and lots of murky love scenes. Watch it, below. The full album will be release Jan. 30.