Wednesday Music News

01/02/2013

Dillon Sturtevant

Some tough news to start off the year -- soul great Bobby Womack's doctor has confirmed that he is suffering from symptoms of Alzheimer's. Womack has been very musically active in the last few years, releasing his album The Bravest Man in the Universe on XL last year, and collaborating with Gorillaz on 2010's Plastic Beach and 2011's The Fall. The legendary singer has revealed his frustrations with forgetting songs he's written and forgetting names of his collaborators. "It's not bad yet, but it's going to get worse," he says. [SPIN]

The revolutionary DJ Shadow was kicked off of stage early at an event in Miami this past December due to a set that was deemed unfit for the Mansion Nightclub by the club's promoter. Later, the promoter apologized to DJ Shadow citing an "error in judgement" -- which we can safely say is one of the biggest understatements of 2012. Shadow posted the set on Soundcloud so you can here for yourself what was "too future" (as DJ Shadow told the crowd) for the Mansion's promoter. [Consequence of Sound]

The Breeders have released an iphone-shot video of a rehearsal of "New Year" from the 20-year-old "Last Splash". Kim Deal and the rest of the original Last Splash lineup will be touring in 2013 for the 20th anniversary of the album, including a headliner spot at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, curated by Deerhunter. As the camera tracks from the reel-to-reel upstairs, following the cords, down into the basement of Kim's house the gritty thrashing performance gradually becomes clear -- and the mere minute and a half of the video seems to promise all you can hope for in a Breeder's reunion...tour dates yet to be announced. [Spin]

Beck's album of sheet music, Beck Hansen's Song Reader, which was released by McSweeney's, gets a full treatment at the hands of the Portland Cello Project. The band has also released their own arrangements of music by Radiohead, Kanye West, and Rihanna to name a few, and they have toured with Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, ALexi Murdoch, Cat Power, and many others. Stream their version of the sheet-music album, which features a cast of guest vocalists, at npr.org. [Consequence of Sound]

Toro Y Moi has shared a new video for a new song "Say That", which will be released on his upcoming LP Anything in Return on January 22 on Carpark. The LP will be his third, and the uptempo song and video -- which features Chaz dancing and singing amidst tall trees, grassy fields, and misty mountain valleys among other locations -- promises more excellent music from the songwriter and producer.

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