Monday Music News

01/08/2018

Jasmine Albertson

Today would have been David Bowie's 71st birthday and in honor of that, a previously unreleased demo of his 1983 hit "Let's Dance" has been unearthed by producer Nile Rodgers. The song was recorded in 1982 in Montreux, Switzerland and included a group of local musicians whose identities are unknown. Rodgers released a statement, saying: "I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career but my creative partnership with David Bowie ranks very, very, very high on the list of my most important and rewarding collaborations. This demo gives you, the fans, a bird’s eye view of the very start of it!...The time we spent mixing it just before Christmas was full of tears as it felt like David was in the room with us. Happy Birthday David, I love you and we all miss you!" [ Rolling Stone ]

Scottish indie figureheads Belle and Sebastian are in the process of releasing a trilogy of EPs called How To Solve Our Human Problems. The first one was released back in early December, Part 2 is out January 19, and Part 3 is due Feb. 16. The three EPs will then be released in a vinyl box set and CD compilation to be released Feb. 17. Today they've shared the single "The Same Star," the second track they've shared from Part 2, following "I'll Be Your Pilot." It features lead vocals from Sarah Martin, who also wrote the song. Belle and Sebastian's last full-length was 2015's Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. [ Under the Radar ]

Another established Glasgow band with new music are Franz Ferdinand, who shared a new song from their forthcoming fifth album Always Ascending today. Entitled "Feel The Love Go" the typically joyful dance track includes a heavy dose of saxophone. The song debuted on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show, where Alex Kapranos hinted at an upcoming U.S. tour. It also received a music video directed by Diane Martel but it’s only available to watch on Apple Music. Always Ascending is out February 9 and is the band's first album since 2013's Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. [ NME ]

New Zealand comedy musicians Flight of the Conchords have announced their intentions to return to HBO for a special out this year. Jemaine Clement mentioned during a Legion panel at the 2018 Television Critics Association press tour: “We’re going to film a little something this year. We’re going to shoot an hour thing. We’ve done some of it before, some of it will be new. Some of it we’ll be working on in the next few months.” This will be the first television appearance from Flight of the Conchords since their beloved cult comedy show Flight of the Conchords ended after only its second season in 2009. [ Brooklyn Vegan ]

David Byrne has announced a new forthcoming album called American Utopia. The album features collaborations with Brian Eno, producer Rodaidh McDonald, Oneohtrix Point Never, Jam City, Doveman, Jack Peñate, and more. The former Talking Heads frontman has also shared the lead single off the album, "Everybody's Coming To My House." Byrne has shared a lengthy statement regarding the album and, in specific, the album title: "Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way? Am I referring to the past or the future? Is it personal or political? These songs don’t describe an imaginary or possibly impossible place but rather attempt to depict the world we live in now. Many of us, I suspect, are not satisfied with that world — the world we have made for ourselves. We look around and we ask ourselves — well, does it have to be like this? Is there another way? These songs are about that looking and that asking." American Utopia arrives March 9 via Todomundo/Nonesuch. Byrne has also announced a tour behind the album, which includes two dates at Coachella. [ Stereogum ]

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