by Andrew Sacher

UK producer/musician Chris Clark aka Clark released his new album, Iradelphic, last month via Warp. The album features the immediate standout track, "Secret," which owes a bit of its immediacy to featured vocalist Martina Topley-Bird, who has also contributed her vocals to Tricky, Massive Attack, and others. But the album benefits from its instrumental work as well. The three part trek, "The Pining," is a great piece which combines beats and live guitar (played by Clark) in a manner that brings to mind Rounds-era Four Tet.

The album includes other tracks that interwork live instrumentation and electronics, and in between those it works in jazz-piano interludes ("Black Stone"), ambient passages ("Broken Kite Footage"), and another track with Martina Topley-Bird ("Open"). You can stream the tracks, "Secret," "The Pining pt2," and "Com Touch," below.

Clark has a North American mini tour planned for next month which includes shows in Montreal (Mutek), LA, Chicago, and NYC. The NYC show is a live set happening on June 10 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now.

All dates and streams below...

Continue reading "check out Warp artist Clark, playing shows in June (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Nothing But Our Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kordan - Closer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Revolver - Get Around Town (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - Tea Lights (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - Hospice Gates (MP3)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Day two and things are heating up. Here are my picks for things to do today. Set times are included for shows that don't have flyers.

Ludlow St. action: Chocolate Bobka gets in on the day party action with a two-stage extravaganza at Pianos which offers a line-up of idiosyncratic artists (Woodsman, Family Portrait, La Big Vic and more) which sure to draw the Altered Zones contingent. (He's a contributor). Don't know many of the bands? Dude has a very good track record of picking soon-to-be-hyped talent. Trust the Bobka. Bands start at 12:30. Free.

Over at Cake Shop, Terrorbird Media have put together solid lineup of about-to-breaks, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Kordan (Check out their MP3 above), Prince Rama, and Baths. Plus: Parisian chanson rockers Revolver and hammer-on queen Marnie Stern. First band's on at noon. Free.

The print version of Paste Magazine may be dead, but its CMJ day parties live on at the Living Room, with a line-up of acts any fan of The National is sure to like once they start playing them on KEXP. I kid, I kid. Big draw here is Martina Topley Bird, whose sultry pipes were so much of the appeal of those first two Tricky albums. Her new album, on Damon Albarn's label Honest John, is pretty good. Also playing: The Lines (stadium-ready Britrock), Gringo Star (catchy garage from Atlanta), Brooklyn duo Harper-Blynn and more. First band's on at 1:45. Free.

Over the bridge in Williamsburg, there's a swell day party at Bruar Falls with Sultan (ambient instrumental bliss-out), Sebastian Blanck (delicate, lovely folk), HighLife (afro-influenced, 8.0-scoring pop), Baltimore's excelent Lower Dens, and the soon-to-be-big Sharon Van Etten. Bands start at 2PM and there is a cover for this one: $6.

NIGHTTIME stuff coming shortly HERE. DAYTIME Flyers below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Wednesday DAYTIME picks & stuff (Chocolate Bobka, Sharon Van Etten, Dale E, Lower Dens, Kordan & more)"

photos by Chris Graham

Massive Attack @ Sasquatch 2010

Renowned DC production duo Thievery Corporation and British trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack will combine forces this fall for a must-see co-headlining tour. Both acts are celebrated for their mastery of using instrumentation over the top of rich beats as well as stunning live performances. Confirmed tour dates include 2 amazing nights at New York's Beacon Theatre and a night at the beautiful Santa Barbara Bowl. [Thievery Corporation]

As it says above, the two groups play NYC's Beacon Theatre for two nights on October 21st and 22nd. Ticket on sale date TBA.

The full dates for the tour, which runs October 18th to November 7th are posted below.

Massive Attack played two nights at Terminal 5 in May (and performed on Jimmy Kimmel). Their new record, Heligoland, came out in February. Thievery Corp.'s new album is a best-of called It Takes A Thief, due September 21st on the band's own ESL Music label. They also play Virgin Mobile FreeFest in September.

The pictures here are from Massive Attack's set at Sasquatch Fest in May. More of those and dates for the tour are below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack touring w/ Thievery Corporation (dates), played Sasquatch Fest (belated pics)"

Massive Attack @ Terminal 5 (more by Chris La Putt)

Massive Attack's American holiday continues. Last night the band made their U.S. televesion debut, along with Martina Topley-Bird, on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Three videos from the "mini-outdoor concert" below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack played Jimmy Kimmel Live (videos) "

photos by Chris La Putt with openers by Ryan Muir

"thepeoplespeak.com" - Massive Attack

George Clinton [who did NOT play with Massive Attack] popularized the phrase "Free your mind and your ass will follow," but few of his successors have pursued the concept as doggedly as Britain's Massive Attack. At this, their first Stateside show in four years [on Tuesday night], the core duo of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall surrounded themselves with a passel of rhythm-savvy players and -- even more vividly -- with a dizzying multimedia show that came across like Disneyland's Electrical Parade as curated by Noam Chomsky.

Drawing heavily from the recently released Virgin set "Heligoland" -- the band's highest-charting disc to date -- the band didn't hammer home its rhetoric in the songs themselves but did rely on some intriguing juxtapositions. As reggae veteran Horace Andy -- one of a rotating cast of singers -- ramped up the emotion on the bluesy "Girl, I Love You," an ominous video matched that escalation with an increasing dollar figure signifying money spent on the Iraq war. [Variety on Massive Attack night 1]

The highly political Massive Attack followed up their May 11th show at Terminal 5 with the second of their two shows at the venue last night, Wednesday, 5/12. Anti-Pop Consortium opened night one, and Neon Indian took their opening spot for the second night. Martina Topley-Bird opened both and performed as one of the band's rotating vocalists for both. Others behind the mic included Horace Andy and Deborah Miller.

The Terminal 5 gigs came after two in Toronto. The short "tour" finishes up on the west coast and ends with an appearance at Sasquatch on May 30th. More pictures of the headliner from the May 12th show (the many outfits of Matina Topley-Bird included), with the openers from the May 11th show, and a video compilation of songs from night one with three videos from night two, below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack played Terminal 5 again - pics & video "

photos by Ryan Muir

"What the Fuck Arizona?" - Massive Attack

"Tuesday night's Massive Attack show in New York City verged on sensory overload. The air was hazy and thick with incense, and the stage was aglow with blue lights; chimes tinkled throughout the cavernous venue, Terminal 5, and an enormous LED screen flashed assorted facts and quotes behind the band and their impressive array of drum sets, synths and keyboards: Cubic meters of water used per person in Canada, "The Truth About Elvis".... on and on....

...The duo, Robert Del Naja (a.k.a. 3D) and Grantley Marshall (Daddy G), played a two-hour set that relied heavily on the new album -- whose musical contributors include Blur's Damon Albarn, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe (none of whom played with the band last night) -- and on their 1998 classic, Mezzanine.

Longtime collaborators Martina Topley-Bird and Horace Andy were on hand to help, however. [SPIN]

As SPIN points out, we didn't get any Tunde last night (I thought we would), but Deborah Miller, Horace and Martina did a great job assisting the band on vocals during the awesome 2-hour show Massive Attack played at Terminal 5 last night (lights, music, quotes by Howard Zinn and others, everything). Martina handled "Teardrop". And they do it again tonight (with Neon Indian opening).

The setlist and more pictures from last night (but not of Anti-Pop Consortium or Martina who also opened - yet) below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack @ Terminal 5 (night 1) - pics & setlist"

Lollapalooza tickets go on sale at 10am CST, or to be more specific ("Three-Day passes for Lollapalooza 2010 go on-sale March 30, at 10am CST. A limited number of Advance-priced three-day passes will be available for $190. When this allotment sells out, Regular-priced three-day passes will be available for $215. Prices are inclusive of all service fees. VIP Lolla Lounge passes will also be on-sale [too]"

in semi-related news, "We are excited to announce that Sasquatch! Music Festival has officially sold out! The sellout occurred in record time, selling the highest number of tickets since the festival's inception. Additionally, the day schedule has been finalized with the addition of comedian Aziz Ansari, They Might Be Giants, and more. See below for [the full lineup which also now includes Bobcat Goldthwait]."

Continue reading "Lollapalooza on sale, Sasquatch sells out & adds more acts"

Massive Attack will tour North America for the first time since 2006 in support of their newly released 5th studio album 'Heligoland.' The North American trek will start May 7th at Sound Academy in Toronto, ON and wrap May 30th at the Sasquatch Festival in George, WA. They will play 2 shows in NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco with general on sale beginning March 5th (full schedule below).

Massive Attack play NYC on May 11th and 12th at Terminal 5. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 5th. Martina Topley-Bird, who is featured on two tracks of their great new album Heligoland, is opening both shows (and presumably singing with the headliner as well) (and probably opening the whole tour).

Heligoland came out in the US February 9th on EMI's Virgin Records. Its other guests include Damon Albarn, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, Elbow's Guy Garvey and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe.

Btw, if you plan on seeing them at Sasquatch you better hurry and get a ticket.

Art and tracklist for the album (w/ guests) and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack announce 2010 tour dates - 2 NYC shows w/ Martina Topley-Bird!"

Trip-Hop legends Massive Attack have released their new video for "Paradise Circus" (ft. Hope Sandoval) in support of their album, Heligoland, set to release February 9th via EMI's Virgin Records. The Toby Dye directed video features former porn star, Georgina Spelvin, and her candid look on filming the infamous adult film, The Devil in Miss Jones. Original shots of the '73 hit (NSFW) are interlaced with Spelvin's honest take on her physical and emotional state during the production of the film nearly forty years ago.

Heligoland, Massive Attack's highly-anticipated 5th studio album, will feature guest vocals from Damon Albarn, Marina Topely-Bird, Guy Garvey and Tunde Adebimpe. Longtime cohort, Horace Andy, is also set to return alongside Massive Attack founding members Robert Del Naja (3D) and Grand Marshall (Daddy G). The prelude to Heligoland, the Splitting the Atom EP, is available now.

It feels like forever that I've been waiting to hear the new Hope Sandoval-contributed Massive Attack track and it's well worth the wait though I could do without the distracting commentary by Georgina. I hope there's a version without her. I don't really think that The xx sound like Hope Sandoval, but this song definitely sounds a little like The xx. Listen/watch (NSFW) the video with the album art and tracklist, below...

Continue reading "Massive Attack - new album w/ guests & a NSFW porn video for the track featuring Hope Sandoval "

"Legendary trip-hop duo Massive Attack have announced the release of their first new material in three years - an EP of four new tracks due for release on October 6th from Virgin Records. The lead song "Splitting The Atom" features Robert Del Naja (3D), Grant Marshall (Daddy G) and Horace Andy, while TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe guests on "Pray For Rain". The EP also has remixes of two new tracks; "Psyche" featuring Martina Topley-Bird is given the re-rub by Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid who have recently remixed Bat For Lashes and The Big Pink, while the Guy Garvey fronted "Bulletproof Love" is stripped back to a minimalist reworking by Christoff Berg, who alongside Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid produced the Fever Ray eponymous album.

Massive Attack will release their much anticipated fifth studio album In February, 2010. This time around sees collaborations with Damon Albarn, Hope Sandoval, Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey and Tunde Adebimpe.

Over the last three years Robert Del Naja has written and produced soundtracks for a number of films and documentaries, including 'Trouble In The Water', '44 Inch Chest', 'In Prison My Whole Life' and 'Gamorra', the latter for which he won the David Di Donatello Award for Best Song. Earlier this year, Massive Attack won the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award at the Ivor Novello Awards. Massive Attack will headline this year's Bestival on Friday, September 11th ahead of their first full UK tour in three years that begins on September 17th in London."

In related news, Hope Sandoval has a new Warm Inventions album and is touring, and says Mazzy Star will be back.