Edwyn Collins releasing album in U.S., playing NYC & SXSW

January 25, 2011

DOWNLOAD: Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep (MP3)

Former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins is set to play his first American shows since suffering a near-fatal brain haemorrhage in February 2005. He’ll play The Rock Shop on Sunday, March 13 and Bowery Ballroom on Monday, March 14. Both shows go on sale Friday (1/28) at noon. Edwyn will then head to Austin for SXSW. These will be Edwyn’s first NYC shows since he played solo acoustic at Mercury Lounge back in 2002 or so (2003? My memory is fuzzy).

Edwyn’s fantastic new album Losing Sleep — which came in at #6 on my Best of 2010 — will finally be released in America on March 22. As I wrote in December:

Edwyn Collins‘ new album, Losing Sleep, is one of the year’s best. His first made since two brain haemorrhages nearly took his life in 2005 and left him at first without the ability to walk or talk, let alone write songs. That it exists at all is a miracle, that it’s as great as it is a testament to his spirit. Helping him out on the album are a cavalcade of talent — Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame, The Drums, The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand, The Magic Numbers — but always in the service of getting Collins’ songs on record.

While his old band Orange Juice have finally gotten their due in the last few years (including a comprehensive box set last year on Domino), Edwyn is still best known in America for his 1995 hit “A Girl Like You.” You can check out the video for the Franz Ferdinand-aided “Do It Again” (and a few other videos) below…