Who the heck is Lulu?

By Blurt Staff

At his official website, Rufus Wainwright has announced the imminent release of his sixth studio album, the followup to 2007's Release the Stars. It's to be titled All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu and is due April 20 - although if you're in Canada (or do any mail order from Canada) you can get it on March 23 for some ridiculous reason. UK fans split the difference and get it on April 5. Full tracklisting below.

(Actually, it makes sense not to release the album in the States March 23, as that same day a slew of new releases come out that would probably appeal to the same demographic as Wainwright's - among them, the Bird and the Bee, Goldfrapp, Nada Surf, She & Him and Pet Shop Boys.)

Wainwright also posted a tiny image of the sleeve art, although it's pretty murky:

Meanwhile, Rufus Wainwright: Prima Donna is being rebroadcast on the Sundance Channel February 22 and 23. The documentary follows Rufus' professional and personal growth from theatrical pop sounds to the creation of his first classical opera, Prima Donna. Watch the trailer on YouTube.

Tracklisting:

1. Who Are You New York?
2. Sad With What I Have
3. Martha
4. Give Me What I Want and Give It To Me Now!
5. True Loves
6. Sonnet 43
7. Sonnet 20
8. Sonnet 10
9. The Dream
10. What Would I Ever Do With A Rose?
11. Les Feux d'artifice t'appellent
12. Zebulon

Released by Chemikal Underground on March 2

By Blurt Staff

Emma Pollock, formerly of The Delgados, returns to Chemikal Underground with "The Law of Large Numbers", her second solo outing, and if her ‘repatriation' to the label she helped to create represents a return to more familiar territory, then the same could also be said for the album itself. The follow-up to 2007's 4AD-released "Watch the Fireworks", Emma's second solo effort eschews the traditional, accessibly melodic approach of her debut for a more angular musical terrain: "The Law of Large Numbers" is crammed with unconventional arrangements and by Emma's own admission, was an almost entirely self-serving project.

Recorded throughout 2009 in Chem19 with husband and ex-Delgado Paul Savage producing, "The Law of Large Numbers" is marked by sparse production, hints of Dixieland jazz, abrasive pop songs, programmed drums and improvised vocal loops. Also in the mix: Tom Waits percussion and jagged guitars contrasting with undulating piano and close harmonies. Guest vocalist Aden also appears on several cuts.

In the words of Emma herself, "The truest representation of me as an individual - whatever that means. I feel like I'm beginning to understand the difference between being a solo artist and being in a band, making music for my own gratification first and foremost. I was determined this album would have a drier, less emotive feel than 'Fireworks' and that it should be about not tying up loose ends, not controlling everything and leaving room for a more immediate response, improvising around a good idea in the studio. If the idea's good then it should hopefully produce a great result."

With a mathematical theorem as its title and sparse, weathered artwork recalling vintage hi-fi manuals, it would be tempting to make the assumption that Emma's leaning towards a more clinical, almost sterile approach to her work and while there may be some truth in that, inevitably, it's not the whole story. "It's most certainly not a cold record, it might contain some contradictions but most of the records I like do. I don't want things to sound too 'easy' and prefer to make something more oblique and hopefully more interesting, not too saccharine or sweet."

So what's with the numbers then? The Law of Large Numbers is a theorem concerned with the outcome of a repeated simple experiment with equal probability outcomes, such as rolling a dice, and its comparison with the theoretically predicted result. It's responsible for many a disillusioned gambler. Emma elaborates: "It's all about risk and expectation, and the human race's unwillingness to accept the random nature of events. There's a lot of beauty in mathematics and the natural world; it's all tied in with the wonder of things that are beyond our control."

Digital only EP will have a lot of cool add-ons. Perfect for when you're high, even!

By Blurt Staff

Who remembers The Blacks? One of the more exciting bands to emerge out of late ‘90s Chicago, they issued two great albums (1998's Dolly Horrorshow and 2000's Just Like Home, both on Bloodshot) then, in their own words, "flamed out" under their own volatility. They came back together, however, for a reunion show at the Bloodshot Records 15^th Anniversary Hideout Block Party in the fall of 2009. Now comes the recorded fruits of the reunion, a digital-only EP titled In Sickness and Health, due March 9 on Bloodshot.

The first 300 downloads come with a limited-edition poster designed by Danny Black and silk screened by Crosshair Silkscreen. All downloads of the EP include an enhanced package of lyrics, original artwork, photos and the documentary on the Blacks rise and fall, "Bring It Back From The Dead" by John Boston and Glorious Noise Productions.

Now THAT sounds like a bargain. Incidentally, don't confuse the band with another outfit, the San Francisco-based Blacks. Go here for their Bloodshot artist page.

Some details on the EP, courtesy Bloodshot:

Book-ending the EP are stark confessionals that could be comfortably sung in a dimly lit basement studio or on the railing of a bridge.  As we enter a new decade, singer/guitarist Danny Black's near-whispered "Ten Years" is the theme song for blown chances and wasted time, while bassist/singer Gina Black (classically trained, but beats and bows the stand-up like few others) sings "If It All Falls Through" teetering on desperation, her voice cracking and breathless with resignation or hope, it's hard to tell.  Maybe she doesn't even know.  Maybe it's the same thing.

In between are four songs bursting with sanguine energy. From the Flaming Lips soar of "Can't Explain" to the Tom Waits gutter poetry of "Bottled & Flat" to the X inflected fractured romance of "I'm In Love," The Blacks alchemical balance of orchestral punk, rootsy psychedelia and gut bucket snarl conjures many reference points, but remains uniquely theirs.  Guitarist/singer Nora O'Connor, (who spent much of the past decade singing with Andrew Bird, New Pornographers, Neko Case and Mavis Staples, as well as releasing the solo album 2004's Til the Dawn), with her simple raw and melodic playing and ethereal bluebird of a voice, and drummer James Emmenegger, all wide lapels and flailing arms, round out this, the classic line up of the Blacks, and make them more than the sum of their parts; their particular talents and demons making for fertile and exhilarating turns, and the production making for an intimate  headphones record, suitable for when you're low or when you're high.

Truly left of center tribute album arrives April 20 and features members of Black Flag and Blondie plus Mike Watt, Peter Case and others.

By Blurt Staff

This isn't your typical news item, and Gimmie Gimmie Gimme: Reinterpreting Black Flag is not your typical tribute record. Instead of roping in fellow punk or hardcore bands to cover the influential punk group's most revered songs, CMH Records/The Secret Life of Records have opted to get members of Black Flag and their friends to flip their songs on their pretty little punk rock heads and give them the flavors of the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll, country, and even surf rock.

"These reinterpretations recall the sounds made popular by artists such as Johnny Cash, Pasty Cline, Roy Orbison, and Brenda Lee," said the album producer, Evan Taylor, in a statement. "The goal of Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie was to create completely new interpretations of classic Black Flag songs while preserving the integrity of the original songs. The record was designed to appeal to a cross-over audience, offering Black Flag fans new takes on their favorite songs wile also giving an introduction to those with other tastes."

The six-song release also includes a cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," which was hand-selected and sung by Black Flag's Keith Morris, and features Peter Case (Plimsouls) on vocals and Mike Watt (Minutemen) on bass. Other tracks feature other Black Flag members, such as Dez Cadena and Kira Roessler, as well as Blondie's Jimmy Destri, The Chapin Sisters, and Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust).

Track Listing:

1. "Rise Above" featuring Dez Cadena (Black Flag/ Misfits) on lead vocals and Jimmy Destri (Blondie) on organ

2. "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" featuring Kira Roessler (Black Flag) on lead vocals and The Chapin Sisters on backing vocals

3. "Six Pack" featuring Dez Cadena on lead vocals and Mike Watt (Minutemen) on bass

4. "Nervous Breakdown" featuring Kira Roessler on lead vocals and The Chapin Sisters on backing vocals

5. "In the Jailhouse Now," a Jimmie Rodgers cover featuring Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) and Peter Case (Plimsouls) on vocals, Mike Watt on bass, and Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust) on guitar

6. "Thirsty and Miserable" featuring Dez Cadena on lead vocals and Jimmy Destri on organ

Just announced: Sufjan Stevens joins Clogs for special Big Ears performance; Adrian Belew, William Basinski, Liturgy, Konk Pack, Abe Vigoda, Ches Smith also join weekend lineup.

By Blurt Staff

The second Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee during the weekend of March 26 - 28, 2010 continues to expand with Sufjan Stevens, Adrian Belew, William Basinski, Liturgy, Konk Pack, Abe Vigoda, and Ches Smith now slated to join the lineup.

In addition the festival has unveiled some of the unique and rare performances to be experienced this year.

* Sufjan Stevens along with Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National and Shara Warden (My Brightest Diamond) will be joining Clogs in their performance of the new song cycle ‘The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton.' Big Ears 2010 will feature the only live performance of the piece currently scheduled with all of the guest vocalists from the recording, which is slated to be released in early March.

* Electronic ambient composer Tim Hecker will be collaborating for the first time with composer/ performer Ben Frost, each of whom will also be performing separately during the weekend.

* The Bang on a Can All-Stars will perform a program of pieces written for them by the Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth and Thurston Moore as well as Michael Gordon and Evan Ziporyn.

* In addition, Bang on a Can will perform Brian Eno's ‘Music for Airports' in a special show with the Books and Tim Hecker.

* Rock guitar legend Adrian Belew (Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, King Crimson) will introduce his new solo work during the festival.

* Aritst-in-residence Terry Riley's series of programs during the festival weekend will also feature some rarely heard work. Riley will perform a concert on the extraordinary new pipe organ at the University of Tennessee's Cox Auditorium, presenting music commissioned in 2008 by the LA Philharmonic to christen the pipe organ at Disney Hall. This will mark the first time that the program has been presented outside of Los Angeles.

   Riley will also perform his rarely heard recent work, Autodreamographical Tales, with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, prior to a performance of his legendary masterwork, In C, with an all-star cast of festival performers. In addition, Riley will perform other solo work as well as with his quartet, featuring electric violin virtuoso Tracy Silverman, guitarist Gyan Riley, and drummer Ches Smith (of Secret Chiefs 3 and Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog). The Calder Quartet will also present a program of Riley's string quartets as well.

The Big Ears Festival also marks a couple of other exciting "firsts":

* It will be the first time the Dutch punk anarchists The Ex have ever performed south of the Mason Dixon line in their 30 year history...and the festival finale will feature the long-awaited return of the National, who will debut new material from their much anticipated new album to be released in May.

The full schedule of concerts will be announced today, Wednesday, February 17th, and tickets for the new shows will go on sale Friday, February 19th at 10:00 am. Tickets are already on sale for many of the major concert events of the weekend, and a limited number of "Inner Ear" all access weekend festival passes are still available as well.

Tickets are available through www.bigearsfestival.com or by calling 865.684.1200 ext. 2 between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm eastern.

Additional elements of the Big Ears Festival weekend will be revealed in the coming weeks, including surprise collaborations, art installations, a film program, workshops, lectures, interactive experiences, and more.

BIG EARS 2010 is celebrating the 75th birthday year of the legendary American minimalist composer, Terry Riley. The National's Bryce Dessner is co-curating the weekend.

Artists performing include Vampire Weekend, the National, Joanna Newsom, Andrew W.K., St. Vincent, The xx, the Calder Quartet, Iva Bittova, Tim Hecker, Nico Muhly, Ben Frost, Sam Amidon, Doveman, jj, and more.

More festival details, including travel and hotel information and up-to-the-minute news and additions to the schedule and line-up, are available at www.bigearsfestival.com .

Plus a lot of acts that nobody outside the UK could care less about...

By Blurt Staff

Dressed to kill (good fashion taste, that is), Lady Gaga brought home the Brit bacon last night at the annual Brit Awards with trophies for all three categories she was up for: Best International Album, International Breakthrough Act and Best International Female.

Other winners - many of whom, like Gaga, also performed at the show - included Lily Allen (Best British Female), Florence and the Machine (British Female Solo Artist), Dizzee Rascal (British Male Solo Artist), Kasabian (British Group) and JLS (British Breakthrough Act).

Who the hell is JLS? Come to think of it, who the hell are any of these people? And who ever heard of an awards category called "MasterCard British Album"? Anyhow, full list below, plus a video of Lady Gaga. There's plenty of highlights from the show already on YouTube if you are so inclined to check ‘em out.

List of Nominees and Winners:

British Female Solo Artist

Bat for Lashes

WINNER: Florence & the Machine

Leona Lewis

Lily Allen

Pixie Lott

British Male Solo Artist

Calvin Harris

WINNER: Dizzee Rascal

Mika

Paolo Nutini

Robbie Williams

British Breakthrough Act

Florence & the Machine

Friendly Fires

WINNER: JLS

La Roux

Pixie Lott

British Group

Doves

Friendly Fires

JLS

WINNER: Kasabian

Muse

MasterCard British Album

Dizzee Rascal - Tongue n'Cheek

WINNER: Florence & the Machine - Lungs

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

British Single

Alesha Dixon - Breathe Slow

Alexandra Burke Ft Flo Rida - Bad Boys

Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love

Joe McElderry - The Climb

WINNER: JLS - Beat Again

La Roux - In For The Kill

Lily Allen - The Fear

Pixie Lott - Mama Do

Taio Cruz - Break Your Heart

Tinchy Stryder Ft N-Dubz - Number 1

Critics' Choice

Ellie Goulding WINNER

Delphic

Marina and the Diamonds

BRITs Album of 30 Years

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

Dido - No Angel

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Duffy - Rockferry

Keane - Hopes & Fears

WINNER: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required

Sade - Diamond Life

The Verve - Urban Hymns

Travis - The Man Who

The BRITs Hits 30

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive/How Deep is Your Love

Bros. - I Owe you Nothing

Coldplay - Clocks

Eurythmics & Stevie Wonder - Angel

Girls Aloud - The Promise

Kanye West - Gold Digger

Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out of my Head

Michael Jackson - Earth Song

Paul McCartney - Live & Let Die

Pet Shop Boys - Go West

Robbie Williams & Tom Jones - The Full Monty Medley

Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama

WINNER: Spice Girls - Wannabe/Who Do You Think You Are

Take That - Beatles Medley

The Who - Who Are You

International Female Solo Artist

WINNER: Lady Gaga

Ladyhawke

Norah Jones

Rihanna

Shakira

International Male Solo Artist

Bruce Springsteen

Eminem

WNNER: Jay-Z

Michael Buble

Seasick Steve

International Album

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Black Eyed Peas - The End

Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

WINNER: Lady Gaga - The Fame

International Breakthrough Act Supported By MTV Viewers

Animal Collective

Daniel Merriweather

Empire of the Sun

WINNER: Lady Gaga

Taylor Swift

Outstanding Contribution Award

Robbie Williams

Video clip of acceptance speech below too.

By Fred Mills

Last night at the annual Brit Awards (details and full list of nominees and winners here), Oasis founder (and erstwhile Oasis leader) Noel Gallagher accepted the "BRITs Album of 30 Years" trophy for his band's classic album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? And in typical Gallagheresque fashion, the guitarist made sure that his appearance onstage would generate at least as much watercooler (Twitter) buzz as Lady Gaga's multiple appearances.

First, stepping to the mic, he thanked his bandmembers but pointedly left his estranged brother Liam out, saying, "I'd like to thank Bonehead, Guigsy, Alan White.... the best bands in the fucking world live forever."

Then, upping the entertainment ante, he tossed both the microphone AND the award into the audience. See the video, below - they've bleeped out the naughty words, however.

Apparently the person whose lap the trophy fell into promptly zipped home and posted it for sale on eBay. By this morning the listing had generated 117 bids with the top bid reportedly £999,999, although there's a somewhat dubious element to all this - if you click on that link you'll land on an eBay UK page that displays the message "This listing (170447301412) has been removed, or this item is not available."

At least one website was apparently able to post a small and somewhat grainy screen shot (see above) of the listing at some point during the bidding, but it looks like it's showing £250,000.06, which isn't anywhere near a million pounds.

UPDATE: A sharp-eyed BLURT reader in the UK just emailed to let us know that he heard about the eBay listing this morning so he did a search of the UK site and found the Oasis award. "I watched it go from £295 to £999,999.00 in approx 5-6 minutes," he tells us, adding, "I then went out for a couple of hours and then checked when I got home to find it had been removed from Ebay."

It will be interesting to find out what the circumstances of eBay's presumed take-down of the auction were.

Our reader also found the seller listing for the person who'd put the award up for auction, a British individual using the eBay handle "Invosis" and with 120 auctions to date since joining eBay in July of 2001. View the profile (such as it is) here.

A/K/A The Stroker Ace, the Guitarist Goes 'High Art' for Record Store Day. Sitars, even.

By Andy Tennille

April is already a month chock-full of holidays, what with April Fools Day kicking off the month, MerleFest and JazzFest winding it down and that Sunday in between when that bunny shits chocolate eggs on everyone's front lawn.

In the midst of all that revelry, vinyl geeks and rock stars will unite on April 17 for Record Store Day, the annual celebration in support of record stores around the world. Check here to see what some of your favorite artists are saying about Record Store Day, and here to see if your local shop is participating.

Drive-By Truckers are ardent supporters of record stores worldwide, so it would make sense - what with their new album, The Big To-Do, dropping on March 16 - that the Athens, GA rockers  might have something special up their sleeve for this year's festivities.

So what's it gonna be - a free acoustic performance at Schoolkids in Athens? Signing copies of their new album at Amoeba in San Francisco? A special screening of "The Secret to A Happy Ending," a documentary about the band being released this spring?

 How about the much-anticipated solo debut of The Stroker Ace, aka co-founding guitarist Mike Cooley!

"Coming soon," Cooley confirms to BLURT in a recent sit down. "It's done."

Though tight-lipped on the details, Cooley says the band will be issuing the special release on April 17 in time for Record Store Day.

"It's not an album, it's not a full-length record. It's not even an EP," he says. "There's no way I can describe it. You'll think I'm fucking with you if I start describing it. You'll just have to see. The only thing I'll tell you is this - it's high art."

"It's definitely that," confirms Truckers frontman Patterson Hood with a laugh. "It's so high art that John Neff plays the sitar."

[Photo of Mike Cooley, top of page, courtesy Wikipedia Commons]

Falling Down a Mountain, released this week, is even better than their celebrated 2009 comeback The Hungry Saw.

By John Schacht

Too many bands underestimate the healing powers of time off, choosing the heroic flame out rather than risking the embarrassing fade out. But there's increasing evidence that the latter isn't preordained, and that there really is something to pacing oneself for the long haul. Britain's maestros of the lush and lecherous, Tindersticks, risked a five-year hiatus after 2003's desultory Waiting for the Moon, an uninspired record that epitomized the band's recent slow-but-steady fall-off. But, having also parted with Stuart Staples' chief collaborator, Dickon Hinchliffe, the band returned full of piss and vinegar and a host of fresh ideas, as their 2009 release, The Hungry Saw, amply demonstrated. That they've written and recorded an even better follow-up, Falling Down a Mountain (Constellation), and done much of it during a whirlwind three-month summer session in 2009, suggests the time-off idea will be the key to a successful second act. The sextet that made The Hungry Saw return here, and the addition of third guitarist David Kitt and new drummer Earl Harvin create even more lush arrangements for the Northern Soul-tinged compositions of singer/guitarist Staples and keyboardist David Boulter, the chief architects.

Some of the orchestral textures may even recall the band's 1997 release, Curtains, but in truth the sonic palette is broader here and the compositions more diverse. The opening title track features a deep 5/8 groove, eerie keys and background feedback, all of it forming bedding for Terry Edwards' muted trumpet scrawls and Staples' one-too-many-cocktails croon. The whole modal vibe comes off as homage to Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden. "Harmony Around My Table" is a rollicking, hand-clapping number that gathers steam throughout, adding doo-wop harmonies and vibes to a crescendo that's as joyous as anything in the band's nearly two-decade-run. "Black Smoke" is a pulsing, early Roxy Music-like rocker built on a thick, 70s' guitar riff, Staples' deadpan delivery turning frantic as he confesses "I got shot down...I was greedy for it." Staples' narratives still probe love's darker corners, but there's a sense that the singer's matured, and can at least explain why it is he does the terrible things he does.

The band's long-running cinematic flair appears in various compelling guises, too. "She Rode Me Down" gallops out of a Spaghetti Western through insistent acoustic strumming, sinister cello, and Calexico-like trumpet heralds, but adds, of all things, a flute solo to the mix. The mid-record organ wash of "Hubbard Hills" reads like an intermission, and the closing instrumental "Piano Music" finds strings, guitar and piano circling hypnotically around a gorgeous descending figure - perfect roll-credits music for a disturbing noir-mystery. Just about the only missteps are the painfully silly lyrics on "Peanuts," a duet with Mary Margaret O'Hara, and the ballad "Keep You Beautiful," which tilts precious but mostly doesn't fare well in comparison with the piano-and-guitar lament "Factory Girls." The latter is one of the most wistful songs Staples has ever penned - and for a band that's delivered a lot of those over the years, that's saying something. All these various sonic flavors, including some new ones, cohere around Tindersticks' signature identity. That's the mark of a veteran band, but one that sounds as if its second life is just beginning.

In 1967 the celebrated jazz writer published a masterpiece. It's still essential reading, too.

By Steve Pick

It was a time when music fans seriously argued about questions of technique vs. creative content, when musicians had to find tiny holes in the wall and odd venues just to be allowed to play their original material, a time when the future came crashing into the present via a reclaiming of ideas from the past. No, not the New Wave of punk rock and assorted Bowery-based artists of the 1970s, but the New Thing of the ‘60s, the Avant-Garde of jazz which divided the world into those who accepted music outside the previous rules, and those who never would.

LeRoi Jones was probably the jazz writer most in touch with what was happening in this musical revolution (which happened to coincide with what was happening in the cultural revolution of the Civil Rights movement and its varied strains of African-American consciousness). He certainly was the jazz writer most capable of connecting the dots between the musical sounds, the social contexts, and the sense that it was all changing somehow for the better. Sure, players of such historical stature as Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, and others were scrambling to find places to play in front of audiences frequently numbered in the dozens, but Jones captured in prose the sense that this music was full of meaning, and undeniably essential.

Jones, who later changed his name to Amiri Baraka and who has since been one of the most controversial political and cultural thinkers of the past 45 years, wrote for Downbeat and the black publication Kulcher, as well as providing liner notes for some LPs. Black Music was actually his second book of jazz writing, but unlike Blues People: Negro Music in White America, which traced the history of music in the African-American community, this time the focus was fully on the sounds of a specific place and time - New York City in the early 1960s. As John Coltrane, Baraka's musical patron saint (though Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler come close in his pantheon), led the way, a movement towards musical freedom received documentation from a man who thoroughly understood what was developing, and could describe it with a sense of humor, honor, and passion.

The newly republished (courtesy Akashic) book builds towards an original essay, "The Changing Same (R&B and New Black Music)," in which Baraka posits a future in which all forms of black music will unite into one ultimate expression of cultural meaning. This didn't exactly happen, as most of the musicians he loved so much either remained on the margins, or changed to accommodate the public's preference towards more obvious melodies and simpler rhythms. But it's impossible to read Black Music without wishing you could have been there soaking up all this creativity, or at least without wanting to throw on some free jazz and feel the waves of emotional power, rhythmic expression, and sonic urgency that's clear on every page.