by Bill Pearis

Was there an element of fear going into this? When did the moment click when you thought 'let's do an album'? Was it because you didn't want to be playing old material?

Brett Anderson: We definitely didn't want to be doing greatest hits round and round, that's just a living death. We definitely wanted the band to have a contemporary currency, for want of a better word.

Mat Osman: I think there was a completely different point between 'let's start writing again' and 'let's make an album'. We started writing in the knowledge that it might not work, in the same way as we did the Albert Hall gig with a huge question mark hanging over it: will this work? You can't assume. We wrote and threw away a lot, and we soul-searched before we were sure it was something that we were going to do. - [Quietus]

As mentioned, Suede are releasing their first album in 11 years, Bloodsports, next week. That's the album art above. If you enjoyed the grandiose glam of their '90s heyday, it sounds like they've slid back into the groove pretty well. To these ears at least. You can stream the whole album below (via The Guardian).

Continue reading "stream Suede's new album, 'Bloodsports'"

The Bronx at Riot Fest Brooklyn 2012 (more by Gretchen Robinette)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Brain Cloud @ Barbes
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* The Kid Daytona @ SOB's
* Tony Scherr @ Living Room
* Mike Birbiglia @ Union Hall
* SLV, Cole Williams @ Joe's Pub
* Cutting-Edge Composers @ Joe's Pub
* The Campilongo Quartet @ Living Room
* Frogbelly and Symphony @ Mercury Lounge
* The Jamboree Sunday, Perp Walk @ Cake Shop
* The Bronx, Hussle Club @ The Bowery Electric
* Frank London's Shekhina Big Band @ The Stone
* Reel Big Fish, The Pilfers, Dan P from MU330 @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Nelleke, Good Kids, Prince Rama (DJ set) @ Home Sweet Home
* Kishi Bashi, Brian Omni Dillon @ Housing Works Used Book Cafe
* Nymph, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, David First, GSOL2 @ 285 Kent Avenue
* Lewis Lazar, Brittany Campbell, Condola Rashad, Jaime Cepero @ Pianos
* Rafiq Bhatia, Gordon Voidwell, Jonathan Pfeffer of Capillary Action @ Glasslands
* Madison LST, All Natural, Quincy Vidal, Stephanie Todd, School Ov Thought @ Cameo
* Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, The Apple Bros., The Brooklyn What @ Mercury Lounge
* Wyatt Cenac, Todd Barry, Mike Drucker, Hari Kondabolu, Aparna Nancherla, Doogie Horner @ Littlefield

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The recently-reunited Suede will drop new album, Bloodsports, in March. The band released the video for new single "It Starts and Ends with You" and you can watch that below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Callers at MHOW in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Brain Cloud @ Barbes
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* The Big Pink @ Le Baron
* Diane Birch @ City Winery
* Noche Flamenca @ Joe's Pub
* Drew Gasparini @ Joe's Pub
* Mike Birbiglia @ Union Hall
* Dirty Fences, haters @ The Flat
* Ghostlimb, Old Wounds, Descender @ Lit
* Night Train with Wyatt Cenac @ Littlefield
* Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ McKittrick Hotel
* Wale, DJ Clark Kent, Black Cobain @ Bowery Ballroom
* Hippy, Eastern Hollows, Dead Stars, Haybaby @ Glasslands
* King Charles the Martyr, Raccoon Fighter @ Mercury Lounge
* Callers, Sam Micken's Ecstatic Showband Revue @ Mercury Lounge
* Alexander Hacke, Martin Bisi, Valerie Kuehne, Paul Wallfisch, Little Annie, Sally Norvell @ The Delancey

Callers were supposed to play their album release show for Reviver at Mercury Lounge with Sam Mickens back in November but that show was cancelled due to weather and will take place at the same venue with the same lineup tonight (1/7). Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

It's one of the final Precious Metal Mondays at Lit Lounge tonight, with Ghostlimb, Old Wounds and Descender, plus BV's own Fred Pessaro (BBG) as the night's DJ.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff.
Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

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Reunited Brit-poppers Suede, who are working on a new album called Bloodsports (due out this March), just revealed the first song from that album, "Barriers." Stream it below or you can download at their website.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

First Blur, then Stone Roses, now Suede -- it's unnoficial Britpop Week here on BrooklynVegan. (Who will be next, Longpigs? My Life Story?) Some of you may remember that UK glam-rockers Suede (chart-toppers in the UK, cultishly-loved in North America) reformed in 2010 and has mostly played shows in Europe but also at Coachella in 2011. The performances were limited to greatest hits/previous work previously, but the group have been working on new material. Songs were premiered at a couple Russian gigs in December, but all but one were apparently scrapped by the time the band went in the studio to begin work on their first new album in ten years with producer Ed Buller, the man behind the boards of Suede's first three LPs.

Suede gave their home country its first taste of new material on Sunday (7/1) at the Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent, UK, when the band ran through a new track, Suede-ily titled "For The Strangers" which you can watch a live video of below. Unlike Stone Roses' Ian Brown, Brett Anderson's voice sounds in fine form. Mind you, guitarist Bernard Butler is not in this line-up, instead it's his replacement, Richard Oakes, who played and co-wrote songs on the band's final three albums. No word on how many additional tracks exist or when they will be released on the public, but until then check out the setlist, all existing tour dates (none in the US) and live videos (including the one of "For The Strangers") below.

Continue reading "Suede making a new album, premiered a new song live (video)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

A friend of mine played me some stuff and said "you're the father of dubstep."

Tricky (who kicks off a US tour at Irving Plaza in NYC Thurday night) is never at a loss for words or a strong opinion. His career has been defined as much by his viewpoints on artists and music past and present as it has his ever shifting sound pallette. He has been called "the king of trip-hop," a moniker that he never liked and never quite fit. Though his debut Maxinquaye helped forge and popularize, along with Portishead and Massive Attack, the "Bristol" sound, every album since has steadily moved away from simple categorization.

"It's coincidence. To be honest with you, Portishead and Massive Attack, I don't know anything about their music; last time I heard Massive Attack's music was when I was in it, and I've never listened to Portishead. Even if I hadn't been in Massive Attack, that's not something I would listen to, it's not my thing. I don't know much about these bands." [said Tricky recently to The Skinny]

The forty year old, who was worked with everyone, from Bjork and The Gravediggaz, to Tool and Live, is back with his first album in five years, Knowle West Boy, and many are calling it a return. When we spoke, he was in a relaxed mood. He speaks with a hyper active patter that is engaging and contagious.

We began our conversation by discussing his absence away from music. Despite being quite consistent with his releases (putting out eight albums in eight years), this is his first record since 2003's Back To Mine. When asked about the long break, he suggested that he started to break away mentally before 2003. "September 11th took me off my stride," he said. "I was in the cycle of tour, record, tour, record. I was in L.A doing some work. I was to leave on a European tour on the 11th and everything happened. I didn't want to travel for a long time. I moved to L.A. And that took a year of my life. I was also looking for another label, and that took another year of my life as well. So really, the 11th of September just changed everything for me."

He has since moved back to England, a decision that has certainly influenced the new record. But when asked why at this stage in his career he would make a concept album about his youth (as was written here, and here), he replied "That's not really true. It's not just about my youth. There are a couple of songs [including the first single, 'Council Estate'] that are about my childhood but there are other songs on there. I think people are thinking that because of those songs as well as the title. Knowle West is a place where nothing good is supposed to come out of. I named the album Knowle West Boy to say, "look at me. I'm still here." He also scoffed at the notion that the record, which has received some of his best reviews since Angels With Dirty Faces, was a return to form. "That's basically because it's more accessible then say Pre-Millenium Tension. I could have put this kind of record out then but chose not to."

This got us talking about the Tricky "sound" and if, in fact, there was one....

Continue reading "an interview with TRICKY (on his new album, dubstep, grime, Bernard Butler, Switch, M.I.A. & more) "