| CMU Daily - on the inside 31 Aug 2004 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Great sets, no trouble at weekend's music fests (though 50 Cent might not agree)
- Reggae In The Park cancelled
- Hip hop dominates at MTV awards
- Live Review: Futureheads/Radio 4 at T On The Fringe
- Ames formally departs from Warner
- Cash fans object to Republican tribute
- Morello on the anti-Bush gigs
- Album Review: The Blue Nile - High
- Fatboy banned by CD:UK
- Kaito announce free gigs
- ITV plan lots of digital channels
- Weezer junk fifth album
- Bobby Brown reality show mooted
- The Streets give leg up to music chums
- Queer Eye For Kiss Guy
- Japan authorities look into allegations of unfair download deals
- Live Review: Lazenby At Underbelly Live
- Franz Ferdinand go to 'Modeling School'
- Travis best of announced
- Album Review: Louis Vega - Elements Of Life
- Police stop Embrace guerrilla gig
- Bjork and Kelis collaborate
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GREAT SETS, NO TROUBLE AT WEEKEND'S MUSIC FESTS (THOUGH 50 CENT MIGHT NOT AGREE)
Well, wherever you chose to spend the busiest weekend in music, we hope you had a good one. Positive reports coming in from all over this morning - with no major problems and lots of great performances reported at Creamfields and the Cross Central, Secret Garden, Leeds and Reading festivals (though thelast one was, as expected, rather muddy).
Of course 50 Cent and Finnish rockers The Rasmus might not agree the weekend has been a complete success after they both received less than positive receptions from the restless Reading crowd (the mud must have been getting to them). 50 Cent was booed off stage 25 minutes into his Reading set, having been pelted with plastic bottles and even a camping chair by a difficult crowd. The Rasmus also faced a hostile audience reaction, leaving the stage just one song into their set.
However festival-goers proved they could be positive too. They went wild for Morrissey, especially when he performed Smiths classics 'How Soon Is Now' and 'Shoplifters Of The World Unite', while the White Stripes seemed to impress, especially after they apologised for their no-show at last year's Reading Festival. The duo were forced to cancel their 2003 Reading set after Jack White was involved in a car crash. He told the crowd: "My name is Jack White, this is my big sister Meg, sorry we couldn't make it last year - we caught a cab this time".
Despite the mud, police report this year's Reading Festival went ahead without major incident. Similar news from its sister festival in Leeds which seems to have put its reputation for trouble and violence well and truly behind it, with an incident free chilled out event for the second year running.
Similar positive words from police in West London regarding the 40th Notting Hill Carnival. Although police are investigating whether a shooting in the area was linked to Carnival, most of the massive event, which attracted in the region of 250,000 people on its first day, went ahead without incident. Scotland Yard told reporters yesterday that arrests were down 30% on 2003 and added that they were "extremely pleased" with how it had gone so far. A spokesman for the Met told reporters: "Crime is low, reported crime is low, and people are still enjoying themselves. It is a great carnival atmosphere and let's hope the whole event is especially successful considering it is its 40th birthday."
On the Carnival's anniversary, Chris Mullard, chairman of the company that coordinates Carnival, told the BBC: "Everyone is over the moon that it has kept going for 40 years - it has really made a big mark on the London cultural map."
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REGGAE IN THE PARK CANCELLED
Staying with festival news, and it was announced on Friday that the upcoming Reggae In The Park festival, planned initially for East London's Victoria Park and later for Wembley Arena, has been cancelled. It seems organisers of the event, designed to celebrate the genre and some of its key players, were worried the growing campaign against performers in the reggae / dancehall arena would have a negative impact on the event. As previously reported gay rights group OutRage are becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition against certain reggae and dancehall artists who, they claim, incite violence against the gay community through their lyrics. Organisers hope to be able to stage the event next year.
Meantime press info is available from The Glen Yearwood Group on 020 7053 2173
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HIP HOP DOMINATES AT MTV AWARDS
Hip hop was the genre of the day at this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards in Miami. Having arrived with the most nominations, Jay-Z had a very good night taking away four awards for '99 Problems' - Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography.
Meanwhile it was a good night for OutKast who, while having less nominations that Jay-Z, left with as many awards. Their video for 'Hey Ya!' won the titles of Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction and the prestigious Best Video award.
Other multiple winners at the Awards included No Doubt who won Best Group Video and Best Pop Video for 'It's My Life' and Usher who won Best Male Video and Best Dance Video for 'Yeah!'.
Elsewhere, Jet took Best Rock Video for 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl', Maroon 5 won Best New Artist Video for 'This Love' while Beyonce added another gong to her collection by taking Best Female Video for 'Naughty Girl'.
A full list of winners is at the bottom of today's Daily.
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LIVE REVIEW: Futureheads/Radio 4 at T on the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival on 26 Aug
Two bands with broadly similar influences follow them in wildly differing directions - what unites them both, though, is a determination to put the fun back into rock music. Futureheads' staccato-punctuated fuzz rock calls to mind Devo, a distillation of humdrum Northern disaffection into rabble-rousing pop anthems. Even their beefed-up version of Kate Bush's 'Hounds of Love' makes some strange kind of irrefutable sense. Radio 4 are equally enamoured with British new wave, but add a distinctive New York flavour and refreshing disco sensibility. Their fall-to-the-floor punk-funk brims with caustic vitality, and by the time they deliver the righteous call-to-arms that is 'Dance To The Underground' the only option available to us is rapturous acquiescence. DL
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AMES FORMALLY DEPARTS FROM WARNER
Former Warner Music Group boss Roger Ames formally confirmed he is breaking his ties with the major on Friday. There has been much speculation over Ames' future at Warner Music ever since it was bought off Time Warner by Edgar Bronfman Jnr last year.
When Bronfman appointed Lyor Cohen as head of Warner Music in the US there was speculation Ames might get an international post in the new company. But as time went on and Ames moved into a consultancy role it became clear the former chairman was preparing to leave the company.
In an internal memo issued on Friday, Bronfman confirmed Ames' departure adding: "Roger has been a superb leader navigating the company deftly and with sound judgment through some of the most challenging times our industry has faced. Through his efforts to revitalize our international and domestic operations, Warner Music has become a recognized global force in the industry. Perhaps most significantly, Roger has positioned WMG as one of the most progressive, forward-thinking music companies in the business".
Rumour has it that Sony BMG boss Andrew Lack is keen to recruit Ames for an international post, with the possibility of preparing Ames to take over the running of the recently merged major if and when Lack himself moves up the Sony hierarchy.
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CASH FANS OBJECT TO REPUBLICAN TRIBUTE
500 Johnny Cash fans are expected to protest outside the US Republican Party's convention in New York later this week to protest against the inclusion of a Cash Tribute event during the political conference. The music fans argue that, while Cash never revealed his political leanings, his lyrics and other comments he made demonstrated he supported many causes to which the Republican movement has little sympathy. Therefore they feel it is inappropriate to stage an event which implies Cash's endorsement of the Republican Party.
However Cash's family have said they are not opposing the tribute event because it has been designed to also honour Republican Senator Lamar Alexander who was a friend of both Cash and his late wife June Carter Cash. Cash's daughter Rosanne told reporters last week that Cash estate did not object to the event because it was based on the "personal relationship between our family and [Sen Alexander], not as a show of support for the Republican agenda".
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MORELLO ON THE ANTI-BUSH GIGS
Elsewhere in pop politics, Audioslave's Tom Morello has spoken to Billboard about his support for the Rock Against Bush concerts that are scheduled for the run up to the forthcoming presidential elections in
America. Morello will play at more than half the dates on the 20 date tour.
Morello: "I've been rocking against Bush for quite some time. I'm good friends with Anti-Flag, as well as a fan of PunkVoter, which is the sponsor of the tour. I wanted to do my part during this very crucial juncture in American history to help fight the power and to make sure that in these very, very dangerous times that the truth gets out about this administration before the election and that we can galvanize our forces as much as possible, because Bush must go."
He continued: "There is a tremendous wealth of material available to you at any given second on the radio about songs of love, heartbreak, girls and cars, that are an important part of American life. [But] another important part of American life is dead teenage soldiers coming home who died for President Bush's lies. And that's something that affects us all very much too. And that is something that we're going to be talking [and] singing about on the Rock Against Bush tour."
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ALBUM REVIEW: The Blue Nile - High (Sanctuary)
The notoriously inactive The Blue Nile's return to the music fold was quite unexpected when announced earlier this year; 'High' is only their fourth album in two decades. Fans of the band have learned to be patient, but such a lengthy gap always breeds high expectations. Thankfully, 'High' does not disappoint. Whilst I'm reluctant to rank it alongside their 1989 masterpiece 'Hats', it's an astonishing comeback; as good as could have been hoped for. 'High' is preceded by the single 'I Would Never', which has received substantial airplay on Radio 2. It's a perfect sample of what's to come. It's led by gorgeously picked acoustic guitar chords, and supplemented by Paul Buchanan's lovelorn croon. He's comfortably one of the finest singers this country has produced in the last two decades, both technically and in the passion his voice is infused with. His vocals soar so effortlessly and sublimely, you can see how forced the likes of Tom Chaplin and Chris Martin are in their attempts to sound 'sensitive'. Whilst this track is probably the peak of the album; numerous tracks ('Stay Close', 'Broken Loves' ) aren't far behind. It's an album of real consistency. Whilst The Blue Nile are willing to use more 'live' sounds, the album is still dominated by synths and drum machines, which suit their lyrics of urban solitude perfectly. This 'artificial' sound has real emotional power however, and it's a formula that's served the band so well in the past. It's hard to see The Blue Nile riding upon the success of the 'sensitive' indie scene that's currently booming, even though the likes of Keane and Coldplay are trailing in the Scots' path. Clearly they're not a band driven by commercial pressures, and their label are unlikely to push them. The Blue Nile are an enigmatic and unique band whose dedication to their craft explains their lack of productivity. One senses that they can't release an album that they feel isn't perfect. 'High' is pretty damn close, and is one of the essential purchases of the year. 2004 has been the year of the comeback (Morrissey, Pixies), and it's good to have The Blue Nile back. Don't expect another album until 2010 though. KW
Release date: 30 Aug
Press contact: Sanctuary IH [all]
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FATBOY BANNED BY CD:UK
FatBoy Slim's new video for ' Slash Dot Dash' has been banned by CD:UK. The video features two graffiti artists who end up painting their naked bodies. According to the Daily Star, bosses of ITV's Saturday morning music show were worried it could lead to copycat cases among children, while they felt the sexual nature of the naked body painting was unsuitable for young viewers.
The Fatboy video ban follows a decision by Top of the Pops producers last week to not include a full performance of GLC's 'Guns Don't Kill Rappers Do' on the show. The BBC felt the song's references to firearms breached its code of conduct - therefore they turned down the option to have the song performed and ran a pre-recorded interview instead.
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KAITO ANNOUNCE FREE GIGS
Following their recent sell out gig at the Garage, where nearly 200 people were turned away, Kaito have announced some more dates including two free gigs at the Islington Academy.
On the free gigs Nicki from Kaito told reporters: "We believe this is a really exciting time for music fans, especially in London right now and we all, not only the band but everyone involved, want it to be less about money and the music business and more about the fun of being in a band, a reflection of our culture and what that can mean to people in general... Our audiences tell us they have walked away enthused and totally inspired... and that's what these shows are all about... We're onto something explosive"
Dates as follows:
28 Aug: Nottingham Rescue Rooms, supporting the The Von Bondies
13 Sep: Kaito open "Potty Mouth/ Club Motherfucker" at The Ghetto, Falconberg Court, WC1
19 Sep: Islington Academy (Selfish Cunt, Kaito plus DJs)
17 Oct: Islington Academy: (Kaito, No Things, The Gin Palace, plus two more bands TBC).
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ITV PLAN LOTS OF DIGITAL CHANNELS
ITV boss Charles Allen says his company will launch up to five new digital channels in order to compete with the BBC's ever growing digital output. As previously reported, ITV plan to launch a repeats channel called ITV3 in the Autumn. No word on what the other ITV channels might feature, though there is rumour they will launch a new children's channel in partnership with a US broadcaster.
All Allen would say about future plans was: "We'll see much more collaboration, particularly in the area of children's. I do see us partnering with international partners to get more money onscreen. We're talking to everybody".
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WEEZER JUNK FIFTH ALBUM
Weezer have scrapped all the recordings they have been working on with producer Rick Rubin. The band went into the studio in Dec to start making their fifth album. But according to Rolling Stone the band have now started afresh with engineer Chad Bamford, with Rubin acting as an adviser. Despite the set back, the band still hope to have the album out before frontman Rivers Cuomo heads back to Harvard University to resume his studies in English Literature next month.
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BOBBY BROWN REALITY SHOW MOOTED
Troubled star Bobby Brown is in negotiations with a TV network for a reality series about his ever eventful life. According to Billboard the deal is in final stages of negotiation, but a sticking point could be how much Brown's wife, pop star Whitney Houston, will appear in the programme. A source said: "We are in negotiations, and it has not yet been decided as to what, if any, Ms Houston's participation will be".
Apparently Brown has been trying to get TV companies interested in footage shot by his own production company, B2 Entertainment, since early April, when he was released from jail and his wife was in a rehab centre. The couple's appearance on 'Primetime Live', an interview with Diane Sawyer, in which Brown and Houston discussed their drug use and marital troubles proved to be a ratings winner, hence the interest among broadcasters for the reality show.
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THE STREETS GIVE LEG UP TO MUSIC CHUMS
The Streets' Mike Skinner has set up his own record label and intends on launching some of his mates into the music business. According to the Daily Star, he has already has signed up a couple of his friends to his The Beats label. Skinner will reportedly take time off from working on The Streets projects to work on the new label and to produce albums from some of its artists.
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QUEER EYE FOR KISS GUY
Kiss bassist/singer Gene Simmons may feature in an upcoming episode of the hit series 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'. The notorious ladies man and sometimes wearer of makeup writes on his web site that he is a fan of the makeover show, which he says contacted him to take part: "They called and asked me if I would do it. We may shoot on [Sep 28]. And, while the PR people at most places prefer not to 'leak' any info until they're ready, I don't play like that. As soon as I make up my mind about something, I will let you all know."
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JAPAN AUTHORITIES LOOK INTO ALLEGATIONS OF UNFAIR DOWNLOAD DEALS
Japanese authorities have confirmed they are investigating allegations that ten record companies - including some of the majors - colluded to offer one mobile phone company favourable rates giving their mobile download service an unfair advantage. According to reports in the FT, Japan's Fair Trade Commission have already searched the offices of Sony Music, Universal and EMI looking for evidence key players gave an unfair advantage to Label Mobile when negotiating making their music available for mobile download.
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LIVE REVIEW: Lazenby at Underbelly Live at the Edinburgh Festival on 27 Aug
I'm not entirely sure what 'X-factor' is, but I think Lazenby has got it. Aided only by some strategically placed candles, the trio succeed in transforming the not so glamorous Belly Dancer into an intimate, after-hours club, creating the perfect ambiance to unleash their moody yet soulful jazz-laced sound. Dressed for the occasion in a 1950s Hollywood style get-up, singer Sarah Lazenby's silky vocals, together with guitarist Nick and bassist Tom, begin the melodic seduction slowly, enticing the crowd with the sultry 'If', sending shivers down our spines during 'Circle of Angels' and ensuring that our eyes never stray from the stage throughout. With an epitome of style and sophistication, these three are definitely going places - catch them while you still can. MH
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FRANZ FERDINAND GO TO 'MODELING SCHOOL'
Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos is one of the guest stars on the new Handsome Boy Modeling School album. Kapranos adds vocals to the forthcoming single 'The World's Gone Mad' along with Barrington Levy and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien.
Handsome Boy's Dan The Automator told Rolling Stone.com: "We have Del Tha Funkee Homosapien putting it down for the hip-hop and Barrington Levy holding it down for reggae and Alex from Franz Ferdinand doing the rock thing. The album's not about every kind of genre of music in one song, it's more about handsomely visiting different types of music."
Other guests on the new album - 'White People', out on Nov 9 - include Mike Patton, the RZA, Cat Power, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul and Chino Moreno from Deftones.
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TRAVIS BEST OF ANNOUNCED
Travis are releasing a greatest hits compilation in time for the Christmas market. 'Travis: Singles', out on 1 Nov, will feature all of the band's singles and, of course, one new track. That new track, to be released as a single on 18 Oct, is called 'Walking In The Sun', and has been produced and mixed by Mike Hedges and Nigel Godrich. The band are also planning a DVD, featuring all of the band's videos, live performances, a documentary, and behind the scenes footage.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Louis Vega - Elements of Life (Vega Records)
One half of NuYorican Soul releases a solo project - though there's a fair few collaborations inside, so not completely solo. Among the collaborations of interest are 'Cerca de Mi', which features deep bilingual vocals from Raul Midon, and 'Mon Amour', a joint effort with Dimitri From Paris - house, but not house in Dimitri fashion. There's a little bit of nepotism going on too. The breathy vocals of wife Anane appear on both those tracks, while you can hear the cries of his baby Nico Vega on the excellent 'Brand New Day', a soulful piece of Latin house. There are some weaker spots - 'Tu y Yo' is a bit of a filler and 'Ma Mi Mama' is a bit average - but overall, while not as groundbreaking as NYSoul, 'Elements Of Life' is chock full of Latin flavoured gems making for a wicked late summer album
Release date: 13 Sep
Press contact: Zzonked [all]
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POLICE STOP EMBRACE GUERRILLA GIG
Embrace were forced to stop a secret gig in London last week when the police shut it down. According to the NME, the band were playing a guerrilla gig for fanclub members in London's Leicester Square on Thursday night. The group managed to get through a selection of their hits, including 'All You Good Good People', 'Gravity' and 'Come Back To What You Know', before police arrived and ended the party.
One fan told NME: "The band heard a police siren so they legged it into a nearby radio station for shelter before they got arrested!"
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BJORK AND KELIS COLLABORATE
Bjork and Kelis have recorded a version of the Icelandic singer's new song 'Oceania', but unfortunately there are no plans to release it.
According to MTV, the collaboration came about as a result of a chance meeting in London. Kelis says: "We were doing a show called Fashion Rocks in London last year, and our dressing rooms were right next to each other. Björk had a Peaches CD that was skipping, and I gave her my copy of the CD. So we started talking and we hung out after the show. We exchanged numbers, and later on she contacted me about singing on a track. I've always really liked her stuff, so I said, 'Yeah.'"
'Oceania' was the song Bjork sang at the opening of the Olympics and is from her new album 'Medulla', which was released yesterday.
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THOSE MTV AWARD WINNERS IN FULL
Video of the Year: OutKast - Hey Ya!
Best Male Video: Usher f/ Lil' Jon and Ludacris - Yeah!
Best Female Video: Beyoncé - Naughty Girl
Best Group Video: No Doubt - It's My Life
Best Rap Video: Jay-Z - 99 Problems
Best R&B Video: Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You
Best Hip-Hop Video: OutKast - Hey Ya!
Best Dance Video: Usher f/ Lil' Jon and Ludacris - Yeah!
Best Rock Video: Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Best Pop Video: No Doubt - It's My Life
Best New Artist in a Video: Maroon 5 - This Love
MTV2 Award: Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
Best Choreography in a Video: Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama
Breakthrough Video: Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Best Direction in a Video: Jay-Z - 99 Problems (Director: Mark Romanek)
Best Special Effects in a Video: OutKast - Hey Ya!
Best Art Direction in a Video: OutKast - Hey Ya!
Best Editing in a Video: Jay-Z - 99 Problems
Best Cinematography in a Video: Jay-Z - 99 Problems
Best Soundtrack From a Video Game: Tony Hawk's Underground
Viewer's Choice: Linkin Park - Breaking the Habit