Despite hope of “a happy four-piece ending,” and rumors of the band reuniting in the studio this past December, fans of Brit-pop outfit Blur, which fractured in 2002 when guitarist Graham Coxon left the band, won’t be hearing new material anytime soon. According to an interview with NME.com, Coxon said the four original members met for dinner the week before recording was rumored to begin and opted to ditch the sessions. “I think people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a bit too much, just jumping into a studio’,” Coxon explained. “We met for a catch-up and it was great, but there was no real talk of recording. It doesn’t really bother me. I’ve got enough going on to feel happy and fulfilled.” But please, Mr. Coxon, we’re not happy and fulfilled!
Just yesterday, promising news of Peter Bjorn and John frontman Peter Morén‘s solo debut, The Last Tycoon, came across our desk; the album is set to drop stateside April 8 courtesy of new label, Quarterstick! But now a few details — ten of them to be exact — have been filled in. Field tested tracks like “Reel to Reel,” “Missing Link,” and “This Is What I Came For” all made the cut and will appear alongside others like “Twisted,” “Social Competence,” and “Gaze at the Sky for Long.” Check out the complete tracklisting over at Pitchfork.
On April 22 seminal tunesmith Billy Bragg will drop Mr. Love & Justice, his first record under his own name in over six years and his debut for Anti-. The 12-track set, produced by Grant Showbiz (The Smiths, the Fall), features the Faces’ Ian McLagan on keys, while the Soft Machine’s Robert Wyatt provides vocals on “I Keep Faith.” Oh, and guess where you can catch Mr. Bragg churning out his new tracks? None other than SXSW, duh! [Via Billboard.com]
Taking a page from Portishead’s manual How to Title an Album Simply, Mark Kozelek‘s Sun Kil Moon have announced the release of April, the follow up to 2005’s Tiny Cities, arriving to U.S. store shelves — surprise! — April 1 via Caldo Verde. According to a press release, the 11-song set was recorded between March and August 2007 in San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios and Seattle’s Well Recording, and features vocal contributions from Ben Gibbard, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Eric Pollard (Retribution Gospel Choir). Kozelek’s Red House Painters drummer Anthony Koutsos, plus bassist Geoff Stanfield (Black Lab), violist Michi Aceret, and percussionist David Revelli also joined for the effort.
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Compact Discs: Sound of the Future
April tracklisting:
1. “Lost Verses”
2. “The Light”
3. “Lucky Man”
4. “Unlit Hallway”
5. “Heron Blue”
6. “Moorestown”
7. “Harper Road”
8. “Tonight the Sky”
9. “Like the River”
10. “Tonight In Bilbao”
11. “Blue Orchids”
