Former The Cure member Lol Tolhurst, former Siouxsie & The Banshees drummer Budgie, and producer Jacknife Lee have teamed up to create their debut album, “Los Angeles.” This 13-track masterpiece is out now through PIAS.

The trio describes the record as “a hard-hitting and compulsively exploratory 55-minute electronic mindscrew, founded on unrivalled rhythmic expertise, fleshed out with an armoury of synths, guitars (Jacknife’s forte) and supplementary percussion, often overlaid with elite-class strings and brass, then universally twisted, manipulated and quite masterfully sculpted by Lee, with his super-producer’s hat on.”

Joining forces with these music veterans are such artists as LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, U2’s The Edge, IDLES’ Mark Bowen, Lonnie Holley, Mary Lattimore, Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, and Pan Amsterdam.

The debut single, “Los Angeles”, features James Murphy’s lead vocals. The single comes accompanied by a music video, directed by John Liwag.

The tracklist for the album is the following.

1. This Is What It Is (To Be Free) (with Bobby Gillespie)
2. Los Angeles (with James Murphy)
3. Uh Oh (with Arrow de Wilde and Mark Bowen)
4. Ghosted at Home (with Bobby Gillespie)
5. Train With No Station (with The Edge)
6. Bodies (with Lonnie Holley and Mary Lattimore)
7. Everything and Nothing
8. Travel Channel (with Pan Amsterdam)
9. Country of the Blind (with Bobby Gillespie)
10. The Past (Being Eaten)
11. We Got To Move (with Isaac Brock)
12. Noche Oscura (with The Edge)
13. Skins (with James Murphy)

In related news, Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, is to release a new book titled “Goth: A History” on September 23rd. The book is a historical account of the genre and culture of goth music, building upon his first memoir, “Cured”.

In it Tolhurst identifies key players in the establishment of the genre, referring to them as the “Architects of Darkness”. This group includes Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and The Cure. He further discusses a group of bands he labels as the “Spiritual Alchemists”, which includes Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins, indicating their role in extending the reach of goth culture. The book also tracks the genre’s expansion from England to New York, Los Angeles, and other locations.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com

Out October 12th On Sony Music is Primal Scream’s “Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings”. The recordings were made in in 1993 when the band went to Memphis to make an album with Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section of David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums). That album never saw the light of day , until now.

You can order the vinyl version of this great release full of previously recordings on vinyl already, it is available right now on Amazon.

Note that the original studio recordings from Memphis eventually became the band’s 1994 album “Give Out But Don’t Give Up” which they presented live as a support for Depeche Mode. The recordings itself were made at the Ardent Studios in Memphis and showcase the more country soul, rock’n’roll side of the band. During the sessions the band recorded 9 tracks.

The lost tapes

The reason why the recordings were never released are somewhat unclear. “I felt we went down there with such good intent, but somehow we lost our way afterwards,” Bobby Gillespie says. “There’s definitely a lesson to be learned about how creativity can go down the wrong track. We’re a band that constantly keeps moving and doesn’t look back, but, for years, I felt bad about us going to Memphis and not doing what we set out to do. Hearing these songs after all this time has made everything all right again. I feel redeemed.”

At the time once the band and Creation Records’ boss Alan McGee heard the recordings, however, they were both confused and underwhelmed and in the end brought producer George Drakoulias onboard to overhaul the recordings, with the band replacing, guitar, bass and drum parts over several sessions in the ensuing weeks until they were left with what became “Give Out But Don’t Give Up”.

Depeche Mode also came into the picture

For the Depeche Mode fans reading this, you can find some of the feeling back in this live recording from 1994 featuring Dave Gahan, who back then was going through quite a rough time as he was heavily addicted to all kind of drugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvfGTuQKrIw

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com

Faber & Faber have announced the publication (later on in April) of 2 books, “All Gates Open” and “Can Kiosk”. The 2 books are being described as the ‘definitive story of the most influential and revered avant-garde band of the late twentieth century’. It consists of two books and previously unseen art and photos.

In book one, “All Gates Open”, Rob Young gives the full biography of the band that emerged at the vanguard of the Krautrock scene in late sixties Cologne. Rob Young’s account draws on interviews with all the founding members of Can, their vocalists, friends and music industry associates.

Book two, “Can Kiosk”, has been assembled by Irmin Schmidt, founding member and guiding spirit of the band, as a “collage” – a technique long associated with Can’s approach to recording. There is an oral history of the band, collated by former Electronic Beats and Spex editor Max Dax, and Robert Defcon, drawing on interviews Irmin conducted with musicians who see Can as an influence. These musicians include the likes of Bobby Gillespie, Geoff Barrow, Mark E. Smith, Daniel Miller and many others, but also with artists and film-makers like Wim Wenders and John Malkovich, where Irmin reflects on more personal matters and his work with film.

Extracts from Irmin’s notebooks and diaries from 2013–14 are also reproduced as a reflection on the creative process, and the memories, dreams and epiphanies it entails. Can Kiosk offers further perspectives on a band that has inspired several generations of musicians and film-makers.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com