Monday News Mash-Up

On this day to remember a great man who spoke out against injustice and for the necessity of fairness and civil liberty, it’s hard to think of a more fitting opportunity to introduce a new video by another outspoken voice of the black community, Gil Scott-Heron. Now at 60, the poet and songwriter is as incisive as ever, and “Me And The Devil,” from his upcoming album, I’m New Here, his first in thirteen years, shows that while the sounds of his music may change (dubstep and downtempo here rather than jazz fusion and soul), the messages never change:

Radiohead just won’t go away, much to the enjoyment of fans and bitterness of major labels seething over the band’s successes. On top of news of the boys working on a new album, Kid A has popped back up at #100 on the Billboard #200 charts. Apparently Best-of-Decade lists have numerous readers!

With The Brutalist Bricks due in March via Matador, it seems that the time seems perfect for Ted Leo to rest up before the requisite touring that follows a new album. However, Leo has been busy releasing tracks for his Twitter followers, most recent of which are covers from Sade, Robyn, and Concrete Blonde.

On the heels of Love 2, Air has announced their first tour of the states in over three years. At the moment the Pacific Northwest is getting no love from the French duo but if we stock our shelves with French loaves, fine wine, and aromatic cheeses then perhaps we can coax them this way.

Help out Haiti and bid on test pressings from Fucked Up. The band has put up the Couple Tracks test pressing on eBay to raise money for Doctors Without Borders’ efforts in the Haiti.

Have you forgotten about the heyday of Britpop? Let a Bernard Butler-less Suede rock gently remind you. The band is reuniting for one London show sometime in March to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Icelandic collective Seabear, started by Sindri Már Sigfússon’s (aka Sin Fang Bous), who was just at KEXP a few months back, are due to release their second LP, We Built a Fire, in March, and they’re offering their first single of indie folk pop goodness as a free download:

Seabear – Lion Face Boy (MP3)

Speaking of fine musical reminiscing, Jon Spencer‘s Blues Explosion are getting the compilation treatment with the 22-track Dirty Shirt Rock’n'Roll: The First Ten Years. The set is due March 22nd with promises of major reissues of the trio’s albums in the near future. Who’s got the flavor?

The KEXP Blog