Queens Of The Stone Age – I Appear Missing – new video

I Appear Missing is taken from QOTSA‘s forthcoming sixth album, …Like Clockwork, which is out on 4th June on Matador. Worth noting that the video above is only 3 minutes long, but the track on the album is a 6 minute epic.

Steve Mason – Studio One session

Earlier this month I had the great pleasure of watching Steve Mason play live in Manchester. The majority of the set focused on his latest album, Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time, with a few tracks from 2010′s Boys Outside and a couple of King Biscuit Time treats too.

I’ve pretty much loved all of his work ever since The Beta Band‘s The 3 E.P‘s blew my fragile little mind back in 1998. It’s that voice – haunting, soothing, warm and soulful – it’s gets right into your bones.

Anyway, late last month, just before Steve embarked on his UK tour he recorded a Studio One session for BBC Radio Scotland. He played two songs, Oh My Lord and A Lot Of Love – I missed them at the time, but here’s a link to the session in all its acoustic glory (click here).

Ghostface Killah – Rise of the Ghostface Killah – new video

Phosphorescent – Song For Zula – new video

Phosphorescent‘s Song For Zula is taken from his new album, Muchacho. It’s a great album and this song is one of those ‘goosebump’ tunes that hooked into my heart the first time I heard it a couple of weeks ago. A bit like Bon Iver‘s, Flume, or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘, Maps (maybe it’s something to do with the strings, the world weary vocals or the fluttering beats) it leaves me a bit breathless every time I hear it.

Here’s the video:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Sacrilege – new video

Here’s the new Yeah Yeah Yeah‘s video for Sacrilege – starring British model and actress Lily Cole:

Their new album Mosquito is out on the 15th April (and the 16th in the US).

Bobby Womack – It’s Been A Long Night – new video

Not quite sure how this didn’t make the original cut for last year’s Bravest Man In The Universe album – but it’s just been released as part of the newly released ‘expanded edition’.

Check out the video for Bobby Womack‘s It’s Been A Long Night below:

Forthcoming ‘Queens of the Stone Age’ album details

Queens of the Stone Age will be releasing their first album in nearly six years in June and this weekend they’ve been drip feeding news as well as album snippets.

So, what should we expect? Here’s some bullet points:

• The album is rumoured to have the title, Like Clockwork
• They’ve signed to indie label, Matador (which is also home to amongst others, A.C. Newman, Cat Power, Kurt Vile, Stephen Malkmus, Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo)
• The album will feature guest spots from Elton John, Trent Reznor and the Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears
• Dave Grohl will be on drums (he also performed on Songs for the Deaf) after former drummer Joey Castillo‘s departure
• Like Clockwork also marks the return of former bassist Nick Oliveri as well as vocalist Mark Lanegan (although we’re unsure of how many tracks the two will appear on)
• The band have described the album as ‘codeine cabaret’

Check out short snippets from the new album over at the QOTSA site here (and keep refreshing for more snippets).

Kurt Vile – Never Run Away – new video

Django Django – WOR – new video

Here’s the latest single/video, WOR from Django Django‘s eponymous album from last year. Check out Allahabad’s infamous Indian Well of Death riders in the video – outstanding madness:

New Manchester compilation album ‘Distant Drums’ released

In November 2011, Simon ‘Big Si’ Worrall suddenly passed away aged just 45.

Simon was the drummer for 90′s ‘Madchester’ band the Paris Angels (whose 1990 single, Perfume was one of the era’s defining tunes).

Big Si was a good friend of mine and I miss him dearly. He had a great big smile and the hug of a bear. He was beautifully daft and surreal, a brilliant story teller and incredibly funny with it. He was popular too. People loved him.

Sixteen months on from Si’s passing, Manchester record label, Stereokill Records has released a tribute album called Distant Drums. The compilation features a whopping 41 tracks from a huge host of Big Si‘s musical friends and it’s a stonker from start to finish.

The album costs a mere £4.49 and all the proceeds go towards Hector’s Care Chair Fund, a charity benefiting the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, set up by DJ and Inspiral Carpet-er Clint Boon and his son, Hector.

BUY A COPY HERE AND HEAR THE SOUND OF A CITY CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A FRIEND.