As he approaches his 50th birthday Mark Lanegan has assembled one of the most extraordinary bodies of work in modern music. Phantom Radio will be the ninth bearing his own name and third with his band, but combine it with the collaborative albums he’s made, be it with Isobel Campbell, or Duke Garwood, or as 50 per cent of the Gutter Twins, or his legendary first band the Screaming Trees, then the total is nearer 20. Then there’s his guest spots with Queens Of The Stone Age and his many collaborations as the singer on records by the varied likes of UNKLE, Martina-Topley Bird, Moby, Soulsavers and Melissa Auf der Maur. In total, Mark Lanegan has made close to 50 records.
Lanegan's solo debut was 'The Winding Sheet' in 1990 but it would be the masterful follow-up, 'Whiskey For The Holy Ghost' that confirmed his credentials as a truly unique artist. 'Bubblegum' in 2004 saw Lanegan emerge from the wreckage of the Screaming Trees to create a new version of the blues: part-acoustic, part-electro-rooted contexts mostly produced by Alain Johannes, with a floating cast of helpers, some illustrious (Josh Homme; PJ Harvey) others not. Seven years of collaboration followed before Mark Lanegan Band delivered the towering 'Blues Funeral', its Krautrock curlicues adding new textures to his molasses-thick doom canvas.
And now 'Phantom Radio' builds on the same foundations: produced by Alain Johannes, and that voice intoning deep truths hewn from the bleakest realm. “I saw the feet of pilgrims bleeding,” Mark sings on Judgement Time. “I saw whole cities drowning, I saw whole armies dying.” You believe every word; no other living singer’s voice feels so charged with Biblical portent.
Which is all part of the craft, because Mark Lanegan is not as black as he’s been painted. His chief compositional tool on 'Phantom Radio' was his phone – specifically an app called Funk Box. “I didn’t bother to hook up my 909 and 808 this time,” he says, “because the app had ’em. I’d write drum parts with it then add music with the synthesizer or the guitar.”
'Phantom Radio' grew organically from these synthetic roots, taking in Mark’s ongoing love of Krautrock and also an ’80s new wave show on Sirius satellite radio, his favoured aural companion as he drives around Los Angeles. “They have a few good shows but the ‘80s one in particular I like,” he says. “That’s the music that was happening when I started making music. And although the Trees drew on Nuggets psychedelia, 13th Floor Elevators and Love, we were actually listening to Echo And The Bunnymen, Rain Parade, the Gun Club. A lot of British post-punk. We loved that stuff. I just waited until I was in my late forties before I started ripping it off.”
The album title stems from a lyric in Smokestack Magic, which features on the EP, No Bells On Sunday, that will precede the album’s release – five songs written during the same period but which were, in Mark’s judgment “too goofy” to fit with the rest. “I’m less apt to throw away a song that might be a little weird nowadays. I can make it work with whatever I’ve got going.”
Phantom Radio will be released in the Autumn on Flooded Soil / Heavenly Recordings. The album artwork, tracklisting and more information on the record will be revealed in a few weeks. Following the vinyl-only release of No Bells On Sunday on 25th August the EP will become available digitally and on CD as part of a Deluxe edition on album release date. No Bells On Sunday artwork below:
Sony Pictures Releasing are announcing that from 6th August on you can see Sextape. Why are we NOT surprised that this flick features Cameron Diaz?
When Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) first got together, their romantic connection was intense - but ten years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide - why not? - to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea - until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they're just one click away from being laid bare to the world... but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they'll never forget, they'll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for.
DUTCH VERSION:
6 augustus in de zalen
Vroeger hadden Jay (Jason Segel) en Annie (Cameron Diaz) een spannend seksleven, maar tien jaar (en twee kinderen) later is de passie en romantiek in hun relatie ver te zoeken. Ze besluiten - want waarom ook niet? - om zichzelf te filmen terwijl ze drie uur lang alle standjes uitproberen uit het boek The Joy of Sex. Het leek een goed idee totdat ze erachter komen dat hun wel erg persoonlijke video per ongeluk naar andere mensen is verstuurd. Nu hun reputatie op het spel staat, moeten ze zien te voorkomen dat de video online verschijnt, wat leidt tot een onvergetelijke avond met bizarre gebeurtenissen.
No words, it's just good!
Grunge trio The Kut have released their brand new video for 'Mario', a track taken from their forthcoming Make Up EP, slated for release on the 18th August. Featuring a post-apocalyptic narrative, vocalist Maha explains the concept: "The idea of Mario was about frustration, with the industry and the scene. The concept that as kids we were made a lot of promises, but the reality is that all that's left for us is a waste land. We are the forgotten generation." Recalling the filming process, she went on to say "We had a lot of fun making it, jumping fences and scaling floors on the outside of broken buildings to get certain shots.
Self-styled as ‘basement rock’, The Kut present a sonic collage that evokes everything that made the 1990’s alternative rock scene such a beautifully broken beast. Tying thick slabs of fuzzy guitar, drawn from the core of grunge’s bitter heart, to ethereal passages of twinkling atmospherics that pay homage to the likes of My Vitriol and early Radiohead, the London trio will have you double checking your pocket for Pogs and Patchouli Oil.
Catch The Kut kicking ass and taking names on the following dates:
Fri 11th July: KL Promotions @ The Chelsea, Bristol
Sat 12th July: KL Promotions @ The Attic, Bristol
Sat 19th July: Rock & Bike Festival, Derby
Sat 2nd Aug: Richmond Live Festival, North Yorkshire (acoustic)
Fri 8th Aug: Rusty Cage @ Retro, Manchester (acoustic)
Sat 9th Aug: Links-Stock, St. Annes, Lancashire (day time acoustic)
Sat 9th Aug: Kaya Weekender, Bangor, North Wales (acoustic)
Sun 10th Aug: YR Welcome Festival, Birmingham (acoustic)
Fri 29th Aug: Worcester Music Festival, Worcester
Sat 6th Sep: ALCON, De Montford University, Leicester
Fri 12th Sep: East Cowes Beer Festival, Isle of Wight
Fri 31st Oct: Halloween Special, The Lincoln Imp, Scunthorpe
‘Make Up' will be released Digitally and Physically (CDl) via Criminal Records on 18th August 2014
A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
Expected to be in the theatres in January 2015.
