Next Wave: Savages

Savages is one of the finest post punk outfits which has emerged during this year. The group is from London and it was formed in late 2011. Savages are fronted by Jehnny Beth who is also associated with the duo John & Jehn and the line up also includes Gemma Thompson (guitar) Ayse Hassan (bass) and Fay Milton (drums). Their music is a mixture of all the different post-punk influences and also described as "the all-girl Joy Division". 

They had their first gig in January 2012 supporting rock band British Sea Power. They also released a live EP 'I Am Here' which includes songs from their live sets in Nottingham and Bristol. A great live band to watch out for in 2013. 

https://www.facebook.com/savagestheband

Kraftwerk- Eight Albums Eight Nights Exhibition

From 11th - 20th January 2013 the Electro Pioneers Kraftwerk will present their complete catalogue at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. Within the framework of the concert series „Der Katalog – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8“ Kraftwerk will perform at eight nights. 

Each night consists of a live performance and 3-D visualization of one of Kraftwerk's studio albums – Autobahn (1974), Radio-Aktivität (1975), Trans Europa Express (1977), Die Mensch-Maschine (1978), Computerwelt (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003) – in the order of their release. 

The program ‘Der Katalog – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8´ at the Kunstsammlung NRW is Kraftwerk’s first performance since 1991 in Düsseldorf. On the occasion of the concert series in Düsseldorf, the photo exhibition KRAFTWERK / ROBOTER / FOTOGRAFIE PETER BOETTCHER will open on 11th January 2013 at the Forum NRW. Furthermore a limited edition of Kraftwerk’s catalogue in a black box will be released: `Der Katalog – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8´ in the German version and digitally remastered. 

Official pre-sale for all the concerts will exclusively be operated via kraftwerk.tickets.de.

www.kraftwerk.com/

 

Adam Ant to Return with a New Album Next Year

Pop icon Adam Ant is making his eagerly-awaited comeback with his first album and single in 17 years, a world tour and a film. The national treasure, who rose to fame as lead singer of post-punk group Adam and the Ants in the early 80's, before embarking on a hit solo career, earned ten UK top ten hits - including three number ones - and became a figurehead for the New Romantic movement in the UK. 

After overcoming a well-documented battle with depression and bi-polar disorder, the London legend has finally bounced back with the eagerly-awaited album - Adam Ant is The Blueblack Hussar In Marrying The Gunner's Daughter. His first single in 17 years, "Cool Zombie" will be fully released on November 19th - and the album will be released in on Monday 21st January. 

 

http://www.recordstore.co.uk/ 

Out This Week: Motorama- Calendar

One of the most acclaimed Russian indie acts in recent years, Motorama is back with a brand new album out this week. The five musicians of Motorama have inked a deal with 'Talitres' for the release of their second full-lenght "Calendar". This is a follow up to their 'Alps' which was released in 2010. The album was officially released on Monday, November 5th and it is available on CD and LP. 

http://talitres.bigcartel.com/ 

Abecedarians' Album 'Eureka' to be Reissued

On December 4th, 2012, Pylon Records will release, The Abecedarians Eureka album in its entirety for the first time on vinyl and CD. The band fronted by Chris Manecke, John Blake & Kevin Dolan , have roots in both post-punk and atmospheric 4AD pop, much like the Joy Division/New Order axis. They are also the only American band to have a single on the legendary Factory Records. 

This release collects all the songs from the 'Eureka' era, including the demos, which were mixed down in the early 90s. Eureka will be a double vinyl, in a beautiful card stock gatefold jacket with a UV varnish of the memorable artwork, which has been restored, full lyric sheet and unseen photos of the band. The first 300 copies of the Eureka album will be on blue colored vinyl, which will also come with a bonus CD, that will include rest of the Eureka era tracks. This will be only available from the Pylon website, the bonus CD will not be available with the commercial CD or the regular black vinyl version. 

Pylon records has worked closely for the past year, with all three band members to make this release become a reality. 

http://pylonrecords.com/ 

Retrovision: Fad Gadget- Life on The Line

Thirty years ago Mute released "Life on the Line" by Fad Gadget. The song was taken from Fad Gadget's third album 'Under the Flag' which was released in the same year. During this performance (Hotel Suburbia 1983) the group also performed their biggest hits "For Whom The Bells Toll", "Lady Shave" and "Back to Nature". The whole performance and a lot more was featured on Fad Gadget/Frank Tovey compilation which was released by Mute in 2006. 

In Conversation: WAZU

Back in September we introduced the Australian/American industrial pop duo WAZU. Since their formation in 2010, they were building up their distinctive music style which tends to be alternative and pop at the same time mixing electro and rock with high level of a dark tones. Earlier this week, on Halloween they released their debut album 'Robobo' and they  are currently touring the USA. On top of all this, here is our very special WAZU interview where they reveal more about the band, their influences, their debut album and more. Enjoy!

In Conversation: Xiu

Back in October i did a short feature on Milan based musician Xiu. At that moment she was on the verge of releasing a limited edition, 55 copy cassette of her official debut EP. Now that it's sold out but still available in a download version, i wanted to know more about the woman herself. It must be said that her sounds have captured my entire being in a way that very few have this past year. With that in mind, i decided to get in touch with her about the possibility of answering a few question. To my sheer delight she said yes and here it is.

Instant Hit: A Popular History of Signs- Dancing with Ideas

The London based quartet A Popular History of Signs released two studio albums and several singles during the 80's. Certainly one of the outstanding tracks was their 1982 release "Dancing With Ideas" which was released as 7" single. It was backed by "The Traveller" and it was issued on Melodia Records in 1982. The music of the band was drifting between arty synth-dance and lightly played mood music. 

 

October Singles Round-Up

1.A Place To Bury Strangers- "And I'm Up"

2.Still Corners- "Fireflies"

3.Parralox- "Sharper Than A Knife" (Pete Hammond Remix)

4.Sparks- "Two Hands One Mouth"

5.Tindersticks- "This Fire of Autumn"

6.Mushy feat. A.R.Kane- "My Life So Far"

7. Tracey Thorn- "In The Cold, Cold Night"

8. Peter Godwin- "Sky Falls"

9. Pet Shop Boys- "Leaving"

10. Bat for Lashes- "All Your Gold"