A few weeks ago we wrote an article on Greenwashing in the music industry. Some considered it to be nonsense but behold, there is something brewing in the music world with the launch of a Music Industry Climate Collective and a Music Climate Pact.

Music Industry Climate Collective

Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group have now formed the Music Industry Climate Collective (MICC) to address environmental challenges related to the global climate, particularly within the music industry. This collaboration aims to amplify environmental stewardship and provide tailored recommendations and strategies for music companies of all sizes.

One of MICC’s first initiatives is to offer comprehensive guidance for measuring scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, which are indirect emissions occurring in the music industry’s value chain, including product manufacturing, distribution, and licensing.

The MICC has worked with scientific experts to develop the first draft of this guidance, which will be available for industry participants to review. Additionally, the MICC has established an advisory council comprising independent record labels, value chain partners, and climate experts to gather broader industry input. The aim is to set a science-based standard, fostering climate resilience within the music sector. This initiative also aims to provide critical guidance to partner companies starting to measure their emissions and promote consistency in how music companies develop and disclose greenhouse gas inventories.

Music Climate Pact

Another initiative is the Music Climate Pact, which has as a vision “to harness the power of the music industry towards inspiring transformational action on the climate crisis.” By aligning as a sector, they stand to de-politicise sustainability and address their biggest environmental impacts in an efficient and collaborative way. “There is a lot of work to be done if we are to become a more sustainable industry, but we will be guided by climate science and take tangible, unified action and regularly update on our progress.”

The Pact’s founder signatories have committed to:

• Take individual and collective action to measure and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3)
• By February 2022, have either signed the Science Based Targets standard commitment letter stating that we will commit to setting science-based targets or will have joined the Race to Zero programme
• Work together as an industry to establish carbon measurement methodologies, tools and frameworks backed by climate science
• Work in partnership with shared suppliers and digital streaming platforms (DSPs) to obtain data and drive emission reduction projects in a collaborative fashion
• Support artists in speaking up on climate issues
• Communicate openly with fans about the impacts of the music industry.

Businesses signing up after the launch must have already signed up to one of the two pathways.

Basically what is being presented by these two initiatives is a lot less than what we talked about in our initial article. So it remains to be seen if all this will be something else than just green windowdressing, after all Greenwashing is rampant with concert organisers for instance as we pointed out. And that is where the biggest money is these days for the traveling artists.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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This has been a long time in the waiting. Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn‘s iconic film collection “Strange/Strange Too” are to be released for the first time ever on DVD & Blu-Ray. The release will be available via Sony Music Entertainment on Friday, December 8. In the USA, Canada and Mexico the title will be released through Warner Music Group. Previously available as individual titles in VHS and Laserdisc formats (now out-of-print and highly collectible), “Strange” (1988) and “Strange Too” (1990) are now available for the first-time as a single collection.

The material on the set has been freshly restored from the original Super 8 sources and will include 11 music videos and 6 previously unreleased outtake ‘Vignettes’. When assembling the final edits for “Strange” and “Strange Too”, Corbijn created a visual running order where the individual music videos are perceived as one continuous film, with additional interstitial content not seen in the original clips.

The digipak release will come with a 16-page concertina booklet featuring photographs and new liner notes penned by Anton Corbijn

Will the grainy quality of the videos be lost?

Sony Music Entertainment will release Depeche Mode’s Strange/Strange Too (a much sought-after collection of music videos directed and filmed in Super 8 by Anton Corbijn) on Friday, December 8. Strange/Strange Too will be released through SME worldwide, excluding USA, Canada and Mexico (where the title will be released through Warner Music Group).

For those who fear that the grainy quality of the videos will be lost, don’t worry, the physical nature of Super 8 film means that the stock’s rough and grainy quality becomes part of the finished film’s inherent aesthetic. The film restoration itself underwent a rigorous process over the course of several years with the participation of personnel involved in making the original films including Anton Corbijn. Because this Blu-Ray/DVD release was created from the original Super 8 film stock, the final result may seemingly lack the visual clarity that modern viewers associate with contemporary HD 4k reproduction. In some occasions where the original footage had deteriorated too much, the next best source was used.

First released in 1988 as “Strange – A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn,”, “Strange” featured the first five Depeche Mode music clips directed by Anton Corbijn, who shot them mostly in black and white Super 8. “Strange” included the three main singles from “Music for the Masses”, the final “Black Celebration” single (“A Question of Time”) and “Pimpf,” the instrumental closing “Music for the Masses”.

Released in 1990, “Strange Too” (aka “Strange Too – Another Violation by Anton Corbijn”) was shot in full-color and has the bonus videos for “Halo”and “Clean” next to “Personal Jesus”, “Policy Of Truth”, “Enjoy The Silence” and “World in My Eyes”.

Anton Corbijn commented as follows on this release: “To be seen as ‘strange’ in a creative field is no bad thing as it probably means ‘different’ which I find is a very positive description of one’s struggle to be just that. The idea to make this into a connected series of little films and fake interviews came late into the process of shooting these,” wrote Corbijn. “I was shooting all the films myself on black/white Super 8 film. We put all this together on a shoestring budget; those were that kind of days. We have to look at these films in the light of us being young; we were experimenting and I am happy we were given that space at the time by Daniel Miller.”

“Strange/Strange Too” track lists

STRANGE

1. A Question Of Time
2. Strangelove
3. Never Let Me Down Again
4. Behind The Wheel
5. Pimpf

Outtake vignettes:

1. Strangelove
2. Behind The Wheel
3. Behind The Wheel (Shep Pettibone Mix)

STRANGE TOO

1. Personal Jesus
2. Policy Of Truth
3. Enjoy The Silence
4. Clean
5. Halo
6. World in My Eyes

Outtake vignettes:

1. Personal Jesus (Acoustic)
2. Policy Of Truth
3. Policy Of Truth (Trancentral Mix)

For more on Depeche Mode, see The last Depeche Mode show with Vince Clarke on Side-Line.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind Nine Inch Nails, played a crucial role in launching Marilyn Manson’s career, mentoring the musician during his early years. Despite their initial collaboration, the relationship between the two artists deteriorated, culminating in Reznor distancing himself from Manson, who faced multiple accusations of sexual assault.

Origins of their relationship and Manson’s rise to fame

The origins of Reznor and Manson’s relationship can be traced back to 1989, when Manson, then known as Brian Warner, interviewed Reznor for a Florida-based music publication. The two hit it off and remained in touch, with Manson’s band eventually supporting Nine Inch Nails during their Florida tour in the early 1990s.

Manson secured a record deal with Sony Music in 1991, but failed to release any music before being dropped from the label. Reznor then offered Manson a lifeline, signing him to his recently-founded label, Nothing Records, and producing Warner’s debut album, “Portrait Of An American Family”. The partnership continued with Reznor producing Manson’s sophomore album, “Antichrist Superstar”. However, tensions began to grow between the two artists during the recording process, with reports of a physical altercation in the studio. The release of “Antichrist Superstar” propelled Manson into superstardom, exacerbating the strained relationship between the two musicians.

Destructive memoirs

In 1998, Marilyn Manson unveiled his memoir, “The Long Hard Road Out of Hell,” co-written with Neil Strauss. This account of Manson’s life covers his early years up to the release of his third album, “Mechanical Animals”. Within the pages, numerous scandalous anecdotes about Trent Reznor are shared, including one featuring the duo and inebriated women.

The controversial passage supposedly stems from an unreleased interview with the now-defunct Empyrean Magazine, initially slated for publication in 1995. However, due to content objections from the magazine’s publisher, Centaur Enterprises, the interview was never printed. They cited unethical interviewing methods employed to gather information from Manson, as explained in Manson and Strauss’ book.

Reznor vehemently denied the allegations made in Manson’s book, stating: “I have been vocal over the years about my dislike of Manson as a person and cut ties with him nearly 25 years ago. As I said at the time, the passage from Manson’s memoir is a complete fabrication. I was infuriated and offended back when it came out and remain so today.” “If certain people do certain things which cross a line of what is decent, I don’t deal with them any more,” Reznor said. “With Manson, that line has been crossed. He said some very ignorant, mean, malicious things. You can believe me or you can believe someone else, but on that tour I was peripherally involved as an observer, and suddenly I’m pictured as the ringleader. It’s just stirring up shit. That friendship was a big fuck-up for me,” he adds.

Reconciliation for a short time

In subsequent interviews, Reznor expressed regret over his association with Manson, saying, “He said some very ignorant, mean, malicious things. You can believe me or you can believe someone else, but on that tour, I was peripherally involved as an observer, and suddenly I’m pictured as the ringleader. It’s just stirring up shit. That friendship was a big fuck-up for me. It fucked me up pretty good.”

The relationship between the two artists briefly seemed to improve in 2000 when Manson joined Nine Inch Nails on-stage in New York. However, the reconciliation was short-lived, and the animosity between them persisted. In a 2009 interview with Mojo, Reznor described Manson as “a malicious guy” who would “step on anybody’s face to succeed and cross any line of decency.”

Over the years, Manson has occasionally addressed his relationship with Reznor in interviews, at times expressing gratitude for Reznor’s early support and claiming to have “no bad feelings” toward him. Reznor, on the other hand, has remained more guarded, telling Rolling Stone in 2015, “We were good friends at one point in the past, and we became not such good friends.”

In a surprising turn of events, Manson told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in 2017 that they had mended their broken relationship. He shared an email from Reznor that read, “It really pisses me off that music’s not dangerous anymore, and it reminds me of how great you were, and I was and the time, the era.”

The past catches up

However, when the controversial excerpt from Manson’s book resurfaced on social media in 2021, Reznor released a public statement reiterating his denunciation of his former friend, saying, “I have been vocal over the years about my dislike of Manson as a person and cut ties with him nearly 25 years ago. As I said at the time, the passage from Manson’s memoir is a complete fabrication. I was infuriated and offended back when it came out and remain so today.”

Given the serious allegations against Manson and Reznor’s strong statement in 2021, it seems unlikely that their relationship will ever fully recover.

About Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988 as the recording project of Trent Reznor. Working as an assistant engineer at Right Track Studios and inspired by Prince’s practice of playing every instrument himself, Reznor recorded demos alone, programming drums and playing the rest, and performed under a band name despite being its sole permanent member. Nine Inch Nails played its first live show on 27 October 1988 in Pittsburgh, and released its debut album, “Pretty Hate Machine,” through TVT Records in 1989.

After a contractual dispute with TVT, Reznor signed with Interscope Records and founded his own imprint, Nothing Records, releasing “The Downward Spiral” in 1994 and “The Fragile” in September 1999. The band left Interscope after “Year Zero” (2007) and self-released the instrumental “Ghosts I-IV” (2008) through the Null Corporation before returning to major-label releases with “Hesitation Marks” (2013), “Bad Witch” (2018) and the companion albums “Ghosts V: Together” and “Ghosts VI: Locusts” (both 2020).

English musician Atticus Ross became an official member in 2016 after years of production work with Reznor, including their Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning score for David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (2010). Guitarist Robin Finck first joined in 1994 and has rejoined the touring band multiple times since; drummer Josh Freese first joined in 2005. Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020, alongside Ross, Finck and other past members. Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records signed Marilyn Manson as its first act in 1993.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The market share of the four major record companies on Spotify continued to decline in 2022, due to the increasing number of independent tracks being added to the platform. The three major companies, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music, as well as the independent collective Merlin, have collectively lost 12% of their market share on Spotify in the past five years. According to Spotify’s annual investor report, 75% of music tracks played on the platform last year were distributed by the major companies or Merlin members, with the remaining 25% being unaffiliated with either. These unaffiliated companies include TuneCore, Believe, UnitedMasters, and several other independent artist distribution platforms.

Merlin represents indie labels and distributors, including Beggars Group, Cinq Music Group, [PIAS], Mushroom, and DistroKid, and claims to represent around 15% of the global music market. The market share of the major companies plus Merlin was as high as 87% in 2017, as per previous Spotify fiscal reports. However, this figure has been gradually declining since then.

The increase in the number of releases on streaming services, with over 100,000 new tracks being uploaded to Spotify every 24 hours, has contributed to the dilution of market share for major record companies. This trend has impacted their share of revenue earned from the service, as Spotify and other streaming platforms have adopted the dominant “pro-rata” model of royalty payouts. The majors are aware of this trend and are eager to reverse its impact on their business.

Low quality ‘functional’ music

In 2022, Sony Music Group’s Chairman, Rob Stringer, discussed his company’s strategy to reduce the dilution of its distribution market share caused by the sheer volume of tracks released every day via DIY distribution companies. Stringer talked about Sony’s plan to bring a larger volume of independent music into its system via indie-facing operations like The Orchard and AWAL. He also criticised the low-quality “functional” music and 31-second tracks designed to game the pro-rata royalty model on Spotify and other services.

Similarly, Universal Music Group’s CEO and Chairman, Sir Lucian Grainge, announced last month that Universal had concluded that the current royalty model on services like Spotify was not providing equitable value to premium-level artists. Grainge noted that UMG was working on new royalty models on services like Spotify as a matter of global priority, objecting to streaming services promoting “lower-quality functional content” that, in some cases, “can barely pass for ‘music'”. Grainge specifically called out playlists on streaming services that are filled with 31-second tracks of ‘functional music’ whose brevity is deliberately designed to trigger a streaming royalty payment as many times in a row as possible.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Sony Music Entertainment Premium Content and Trafalgar Releasing today launched the Official Full Trailer for a-ha’s forthcoming film “True North”, the accompaniment to their new studio album of the same title. “True North” will be released in select cinemas worldwide on Thursday 15 September, with the album following on Friday 21 October.

This film will also include a special behind-the-scenes featurette, exclusive to cinemas.

In the trailer, we hear a-ha’s Magne Furuholmen explain “‘True North’ is a letter from our home to the world. It was kind of inspirational to look at this as a performance inside a film, that would somehow have a narrative connected to what these songs were about.”

Watch the official full trailer right here.

Side-Line also covered a-ha’s ‘s 1985 album ’.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German synht-pop artist Janosch Moldau strikes back by releasing this EP filled with remixes from songs featured on the last full length album “Host”.

Content: We first get 4 remixes from the song “Broken Shoulder”. The different edits are holding on the evasive and melancholic approach of the original song. You however will notice some little details differentiating from song to song. From the “It’s Not Over Mix”, which comes pretty close to the original edit to the extended “No Virgins In Paradise Mix” to the more bombastic “Nomad Mix” to the somewhat experimental “Sleeper Mix”, which also accentuates the vocals, you definitely get a different perception of this song.

We next get remixes of “Embrace Me” and “Sense For God”. The first one is an instrumental cut while the last song sounds a bit more boosted with rhythm.

+ + + : I have to admit “Broken Shoulder” was not exactly my favorite song from “Host”, but the different versions, each accentuating different aspects of the song, have something sensible. “Broken Shoulder” is a beautiful although melancholic track. The melancholia emerges at the surface of “Embrace Me”, which also stands for a dreamy composition.

– – – : All this EP is missing is a ‘club mix’!

Conclusion: “Broken Pieces” is a nice addition to the “Host”-album and I’m sure it will ravish the Janosch Moldau fan basis.

Best songs: “Broken Shoulder – It’s Not Over Mix”, “Embrace Me – Forever Mix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.janoschmoldau.com / www.facebook.com/moldaujanosch

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Industrial metallers The Silverblack have decided to postpone the release of their brand new album “Judgment” initially scheduled for a late 2020 release given the current logistical problems linked to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The album would feature Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell doing guest vocals on the title track. The recordings are ready but you’ll have to wait a bit more.

Meanwhile, during the lockdown, the band has recorded an EP featuring reworkings of previously released songs in an acoustic version. The ep entitled “Lullabies For The Departed (Chapter I)” has been released by darkTunes Music Group on August 28th. Check out the video for the single “Retaliation”.

Italian industrial metal

The Silverblack was formed by multi-instrumentalist and producer Alessio NeroArgento (NeroArgento) and vocalist Claudio Ravinale (Disarmonia Mundi, 5 Star Grave). After releasing their self-titled debut album in 2014 via AExeron Media/FiXT divided into five monthly episodes of two songs each, the band quickly recorded 11 brand new tracks for the second album entitled “The Grand Turmoil” released via Sliptrick Records in autumn 2015.

After releasing a more experimental electro-driven EP entitled “The Industrial Chapters” under the monicker ‘The Silverblack Dj-Set’ and the stand-alone single “Alone” (both via Reload Music, powered by Sony Music Italy) the band finally completed the production of their third official full-lenght album “Rain On A Wedding Day”. It was released late 2018 via DarkTunes Music Group.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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A new documentary on the cultural impact of Depeche Mode is to be screened in cinemas worldwide for one night only on November 21.

The new feature-length documentary and concert film was directed by Anton Corbijn and dives into the stories of six Depeche Mode fans (“101” revisited that is) combined with footage from the band’s final shows of the band’s 2017/2018 Global Spirit Tour at Berlin’s Waldbühne.

Tickets for the film, which has been made in collaboration with Trafalgar Releasing, Sony Music Entertainment and BBH Entertainment, go on sale on Thursday (September 26). There are 2,400 cinemas in over 70 countries listed to show the documentary.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘s Dave Gahan joins Humanist for new single ’.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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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

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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.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Soundgarden fans, check this out. In 1996, Johnny Cash recorded a cover of Soundgarden’s hit “Rusty Cage”, written by frontman Chris Cornell, on his album “Unchained”. Twenty years later, Cornell wrote the next chapter in this musical relationship by setting a newly discovered poem of Cash’s to music, to create the all-new song “You Never Knew My Mind”. It was recorded at the historic Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN, and marks one of Cornell’s final solo recordings.

The song is featured on “Johnny Cash: Forever Words”, out April 6 on Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The album is comprised of Cash’s unknown poetry, lyrics, and letters, now set to music by an array of contemporary artists. Along with Cornell, the album features new songs by Ruston Kelly & Kacey Musgraves, Rosanne Cash, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, John Mellencamp, Carlene Carter, Elvis Costello, The Jayhawks and more.

Today, on what would have been Johnny Cash’s 86th birthday, Legacy Recordings is releasing “You Never Knew My Mind”. You can listen to it below.

And here’s a video with Chris Cornell in the studio recording the track and discussing his relationship with Cash.

Said Chris Cornell of Cash at the time he recorded the song: “I met the man once or twice in my life, and he was so gracious and he was such an influence on me as a musician. And he also covered a song that I wrote. Since that time, I’ve felt like he’s maybe one of the bigger presences in my life, in terms of artists that I’m a fan of.”

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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To celebrate the release of “Is This The Life We Really Want”, the newest album by Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) in 25 years, the Belgian artist ‘NOIR Artist’ (real name Lucien Gilson) was asked to create a mural painting (see above) which is based on the artwork of the album. That painting will be shown to the public at the Brussels-South station on june 2 en 3 (via the entrance located at the Horta Square).

It’s not the first that that Sony Music België works with the Liège based mural painter NOIR Artist. He also made one for the release of Leonard Cohen’s last release “You want it darker”.

“Is This The Life We Really Want?” was mixed and produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Beck, U2) and holds 12 new tracks. You can already listen to the first track right below.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)

Langsomt Mot Nord (Slowly Toward (the) North/Slowly Northward, LMN) was a Norwegian synth/folk project that released three albums between 1985 and 1991. The main force behind the project is Ola Snortheim, a seasoned drummer and musician who’s been a member of a dozen Norwegian bands over the last four decades, and also the only permanent member of LMN. For each of the three albums he’s been joined by a main collaborator and a wast amount of guest singers and musicians.

With the help of publisher Christer Falck they’re now crowdfunding a vinyl box set of all their three albums in remastered versions, and a bonus album called ‘Far’ (Father), containing original tracks from Ola’s father, the Norwegian folk musician and Olav Snortheim.

I met with Ola and Morgan Lindstrøm, main collaborator on ‘Westrveg’, the second album.

Side-Line: First, what initiated this project back in the 80’?

Ola: I had grown a bit tired being in the background as a drummer in various band, backing up a vocalist who’s getting all the attention. I’d also played in De Press, which was in borderline of the folk-rock genre, so I was already going somewhat in that direction. Playing “ordinary” folk-rock wasn’t interesting, many bands sounded alike and boring, but doing it in an unique way, more instrumental, was something I wanted to pursue.
We started with my father’s recordings from the 50-60’s, laying new instruments and orchestrations on top them, making something new and updated with traditional tunes, resulting in the first album ‘Langsomt Mot Nord’ (1985).

This album got the project in the national spotlight, and they went on doing several TV-appearances, like this from 1985 with Kjersti Bergersen on vocals.

S-L: Why a new collaborator for each album?

Ola: It was just the way it happened…
Morgan: Originally Jørn (Christensen, collaborator on the first album) was meant to make all albums with Ola, but he got busy with other projects and the universe pointed towards me.

Ola: And after ‘Westrweg’ (1988) I wasn’t sure I’d make another LMN album. Then I met Espen (Beranek Holm), he was eager to contribute, and we ended up making the third album together – ‘Hildring’ (1991). We sat on the master tape for the album for two years after finishing, thinking it wasn’t interesting enough to pitch to major labels.

Instead they did several live shows, and in 1991 they were approached by the record company Origo Sound who aimed for the instrumental market. With a master tape ready for publishing it was an easy decision to say yes.

S-L: 30 years after the first album, what trigged the remastering and box set idea?

Ola: My first reason for remastering was to get the album out on streaming services. But then Christer Falck called me, wanting to release a Circus Modern triple box, which was another project I also wanted to prepare for streaming.  I grabbed the chance and said I also wanted to remaster and release the LMN album, and this way several things fell into place!

Morgan: We’ve been trying to release ‘Westrveg’ digitally for years, but Sony Music wasn’t very cooperative until now, not wanting to pay for remastering.

Ola: When we’re doing this the crowdfunding way with the help of Christer, the remastering costs goes into the project.

Morgan: … but the remastering job is almost for free anyway, that’s how we can do it. A real Norwegian “dugnad” (voluntary work)!
The most satisfactory part of this remaster project is making it sound how we wanted in the first place. We didn’t have the people or technology at the time when we made the albums to produce the kind of electronic music we wanted, now we do!

Ola: We even added some new synths on some tracks, added some depth and bass etc.

Morgan: Ola and I spent about six month prepare all the music in Cubase at my studio, using advanced processing gear and virtual synths, and the finalizing of the mastering process was done by Hugo Alvarstein.

Ola: I also want to add some background to the bonus LP in the box, called ‘Far’: My father, Olav Snortheim (1911-1988) was a folk musician and artist, with a natural gift to acquire great skills on any instrument. He travelled a lot inland as well as abroad, with a self-made suitcase full of instruments  – langeleik, bukkehorn (ram’s horn), lur and flutes, in addition to his small harmonica in his pocket. He sang, played and told stories, on a practically eternal tour in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He even joined us on stage for a TV show in 1985.

S-L: Any other plans in the future besides the vinyl box?

Ola: Maybe we’ll do a CD box too, and even if the crowdfunding doesn’t get completed we’ll get the albums streaming anyway.

Langsomt Mot Nord (1985) | Westrveg (1988) | Hildring (1991)

Check their YouTube channel for some of the remastered songs, and join the crowdfunding project here!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/langsomt-mot-nord-samleboks#/

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Out on on November 11, 2016 via SONY Music Entertainment – and already available for ordering right here –  is be “Video Singles Collection”, a 3DVD library anthology containing more than four hours of Depeche Mode music videos (and two-plus hours of audio commentary) including work by Julien Temple, Anton Corbijn, D.A. Pennebaker, John Hillcoat and others..

“Video Singles Collection” is the first official Depeche Mode archival title to be released under the SONY imprimatur since it acquired the rights to the Depeche Mode catalog in July 2015. No Blu-ray set though, which is rather disappointing and surprising since the older videos really could use the format.

Note that more Depeche Mode releases will see the light as “Video Singles Collection” is the first in a series of retrospective projects around Depeche Mode. You might get yet another best of… hoorah…

Back to the actual item. The set includes 55 newly restored versions of the video singles in addition to four rare alternate videos and new commentary on specific individual clips, recorded by members of Depeche Mode especially for this release. Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder have not been asked to deliver input.

You can order the set right here from Storming The Base.

Here is the list of videos featured on the release:

• Just Can’t Get Enough (directed by Clive Richardson)
• See You (directed by Julien Temple)
• The Meaning of Love (directed by Julien Temple)
• Leave in Silence (directed by Julien Temple)
• Get the Balance Right (directed by Kevin Hewitt)
• Everything Counts (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Love, In Itself (directed by Clive Richardson)
• People Are People (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Master and Servant (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Blasphemous Rumours (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Somebody (directed by Clive Richardson)
• Shake the Disease (directed by Peter Care)
• It’s Called a Heart (directed by Peter Care)
• Stripped (directed by Peter Care)
• But Not Tonight (directed by Tamra Davis)
• A Question of Lust (directed by Clive Richardson)
• A Question of Time (directed by Phil Harding)
• Strangelove (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Never Let Me Down Again (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Behind the Wheel (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Little 15 (directed by Martyn Atkins)
• Strangelove ’88 (directed by Martyn Atkins)
• Everything Counts (Live – from “101”) (directed by D.A. Pennebaker)
• Personal Jesus (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Enjoy the Silence (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Policy of Truth (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• World in My Eyes (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• I Feel You (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Walking in My Shoes (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Condemnation (Paris Mix) (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• One Caress (directed by Kevin Kerslake)
• In Your Room (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Barrel of a Gun (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• It’s No Good (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Home (directed by Steven Green)
• Useless (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• Only When I Lose Myself (directed by Brian Griffin)
• Dream On (directed by Stephane Sednaoui)
• I Feel Loved (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Freelove (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Goodnight Lovers (directed by John Hillcoat)
• Enjoy the Silence ’04 (directed by Uwe Flade)
• Precious (directed by Uwe Flade)
• A Pain That I’m Used To (directed by Uwe Flade)
• Suffer Well (directed by Anton Corbijn)
• John the Revelator (directed by Blue Leach)
• Martyr (directed by Robert Chandler)
• Wrong (directed by Patrick Daughters)
• Peace (directed by Jonas and François)
• Hole to Feed (directed by Eric Wareheim)
• Fragile Tension (directed by Rob Chandler and Barney Steel)
• Personal Jesus 2011 (directed by Patrick Daughters)
• Heaven (directed by Timothy Saccenti)
• Soothe My Soul (directed by Warren Fu)
• Should Be Higher (directed by Anton Corbijn)

Bonus Alternate Music Videos

• People Are People (12″ Version) (directed by Clive Richardson)
• But Not Tonight (Pool Version) (directed by Tamra Davis)
• Soothe My Soul (Extended) (directed by Warren Fu)
• Stripped (Unreleased Alternate Cut) (directed by Peter Care)

Bonus audio

• 2016 audio commentaries by Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode to announce tour dates and new album on October 11 on Side-Line.

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Leonard Cohen, will be releasing a brand new album on his 82th birthday. The album, called “You want it darker”, is already (or actually only) his 14th to date and will be out via Sony Music later this Fall in a production by his son, 44-year old Adam Cohen.

The album will probably be his last one and that is also what Leonard Cohen hinted at when writing a farewell letter to his 1960’s muse, the Norwegian Marianne C. Stang Jensen Ihlen who died on July 28, 2016. Cohen: “Well Marianne it’s come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine. And you know that I’ve always loved you for your beauty and your wisdom, but I don’t need to say anything more about that because you know all about that. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey. Goodbye old friend. Endless love, see you down the road.”

Leonard Norman Cohen is a Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and novelist. He debuted with the album “Songs of Leonard Cohen” in 1967 (including the hits “So Long, Marianne” and “Suzanne”) and since then only has only released 12 other albums. He always has stayed faithful to Columbia/Sony Music during his 50-year long career.

Tracklist:

1. “You Want It Darker”
2. “Treaty”
3. “On the Level”
4. “Leaving the Table”
5. “If I Didn’t Have Your Love”
6. “Traveling Light”
7. “Seemed the Better Way”
8. “Steer Your Way”
9. String Reprise/ Treaty

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. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com