Push the Sky Away, the new one from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, is out the Tuesday after next, but the Guardian is streaming the whole thing here. On first listen it's a pretty, mellow old-man record, the kind of thing that would be perfect for a snowy weekend in, if you had one of those on the schedule. It would probably work even better if you had access to some kind of working fireplace, but I guess we make do with what we've got.
Today in music: "Shane MacGowan has gathered together a group of his musician friends to record I Put a Spell on You in aid of Concern Worldwide's work in Haiti. The stellar cast featured vocals from Shane MacGowan, Nick Cave and Primal Scream singer Bobby Gillespie, the Sex Pistols Glen Matlock, The Pretenders Chrissie Hynde and Paloma Faith and finally Eliza Doolittle. On guitars were James Walbourne, The Clashs Mick Jones and Johnny Depp, who recorded his parts in LA." You know what? Johnny Depp SHREDS. I fully endorse this video. [Via]
You know Nick Cave must write the best love letters in the whole world. Because pretty much everything he writes is the best of its kind in the whole world. Well, now we know his secret: a handwritten, not-quite-exactly-alphabetical dictionary he made for himself and kept in the '80s. Here are two pages of the "A's" (wherein a certain very important "A" word is for some reason omitted.) And here is a page of "M's" ("Micturition," "Murk," "Mordant," etc.) Also, oddly, traffic reporter-cum-relationahip columnist Jamie Shupak is currently dating a man who she says had never eaten eggs before they met. (This is an assertion that [...]
Instrumental rock is a tough sell. It's hard to sing along with, for starters. (What I am supposed to do with this hairbrush, brush my hair?) And it's often boring, a film score without the film. But Australia's Dirty Three do it right. Really right. Violinist Warren Ellis is like Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson without the flute and the ren-fair tunics (and, of course, the singing)-all shambling madman with crazy eyes and messed-up hair and guitar-hero chops and poses. Drummer Jim White and guitarist Mick Turner provide him with elegant, restrained romance for backdrop. By all means, see them live if you get the chance. Here, in this Pitchfork video [...]
Apart from being terrifying and horrific, serial killers are oddly fascinating. Why do we find ourselves so obsessed over them? Is it just the fear and revulsion, or is something else at play? And it's not just us. Songwriters are often inspired by serial killers. Here are thirteen songs with extremely sinister origins.
