CMU Daily - on the inside 25 Mar 2003
yesterday's Daily - Daily archive

In today's CMU Daily:
• Basics on the new Radiohead release
• Blur commission anti-war artist for artwork
• AIM appoint new legal man
• Tricky back in may
• Spandau Hadley keen to play for troops
• Review: Fortdax – Folly
• Evans court case continues
• GnR not impress with Offspring dig
• Live Review: The Blood Brothers / Winnebago Deal @ The Garage
• Sony nominations to be webcast
• Super Gurry Gruff on their Wales game gig
• Wartime sensitivities at the BBC
• Review: Aquasky - Insomniak (Remix) / Xerox
• Pooley back in the UK
• Oscar update
• Westlife told to get in shape for tour

------------------------------------------------

CMU POP QUIZ
Win a free 12 month subscription to Xfm's new monthly music magazine X-Ray, keep the answers to our cover version related questions each day this week and find out how to enter on Friday.

Q2: Which ‘pop combo’ - with a membership on par with the Polyphonic Spree - have covered Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’, Gina G’s ‘Oooh Ah A Little Bit’ and, rather aptly, Madonna’s ‘True Blue’

------------------------------------------------

BASICS ON THE NEW RADIOHEAD RELEASE
Radiohead have announced the name, release date, first single details and tracklisting for their forthcoming new album. It'll be called 'Hail To The Thief', it'll be released on 9 Jun, the first single will be 'There, There' out on 26 May and the full track listing is as follows:

2 + 2 = 5, Sit Down. Stand Up, Sail To The Moon, Backdrifts, Go To Sleep, Where I End And You Begin, We Suck Young Blood, The Gloaming, There There, I Will, A Punch-Up at a Wedding, Myxamatosis, Scatterbrain, A Wolf At The Door.

------------------------------------------------

BLUR COMMISSION ANTI-WAR ARTIST FOR ARTWORK
Damon Albarn has commissioned anti-war graffiti artist Banksy to design the cover for 'Think Tank'. Word is the artwork features a couple trying to kiss whilst wearing underwater helmets.

Banksy has become infamous through his use of philosophical stencil and graffiti work that targets war, social barriers and prejudice. You can see some of his work at http://www.banksy.co.uk.

---------------------------------------------

AIM APPOINT NEW LEGAL MAN
The Association of Independent Music yesterday announced that Michael Fuller will replace Helen Smith as their Head of Legal and Business. Smith left AIM last month to work for European independent music trade body Impala in Brussels.

Fuller, a New York attorney with over 14 years of legal and commercial experience in the music industry, has worked for a number of artists and independent labels, and has worked as a consultant on legal and business affairs for AIM since 2001.

Commenting on his appointment Fuller told us: "I think that it's a great opportunity and a real challenge to help AIM develop creative solutions with the independents during some exciting and pivotal times for the industry."

AIM chair Alison Wenham added: "Michael has already been with us for two years, so we are fortunate to secure the continuity of his services to AIM and it's 700 members. He has worked closely with Helen and understands the issues."

---------------------------------------------

TRICKY BACK IN MAY
Tricky has told the NME his new 13-track album - 'Vulnerable' – is due to be released by Epitaph in May. The 2000 release 'Blowback', his first artist album after leaving Island Records, was hailed by many as a real return to form, so Tricky fans will be awaiting this release with anticipation.

----------------------------------------------

SPANDAU HADLEY KEEN TO PLAY FOR TROOPS
Ex-Spandau Ballet man Tony Hadley, up for eviction on ITV's 'Reborn in the USA' this week, has said he wants to play for British troops in the Gulf once he's out of the reality TV show. With some family ties to the military - his father-in-law was a major with the Gurkhas and his brothers-in-law are ex-Marines - Hadley has previously performed for the troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Cyprus, The Falklands and, last October, in Kuwait.

"I would go back again to play for them if it could be arranged," he told reporters. "These guys and women in the British forces do an amazing job and it is an honour to give something back. I just hope this war is over quickly and they come back safely."

-----------------------------------------------

REVIEW: Fortdax – Folly (Rough Trade/Tugboat)
Electronica hey, funny old thing, either ball breakingly good or just well, mmm…. The debut album by Fortdax, ‘Folly’, is electronica with a retro-breakbeat feel, drowned by atmospherics that could soundtrack a very cheap sci-fi film or even a tiresome art soundscape project. It's all pretty inoffensive but then, what, oh no, you're using one those weird instruments you can play without it being touched, and, Jesus, now you’ve got that 19th century Japanese flute out. Do you have any idea? Well, in making some nifty electronic backbeats then yes, but knowing when to stop, never. Sometimes though Fortdax do get it right. Track 6 really is quite good and would fit proudly next to any Aphex remix. But even that’s called 'The Child Cat is Crying Now' so still not sure... DH
Release date: 7 Apr
Press contact: Rough Trade IH [all]

-----------------------------------------------

EVANS COURT CASE CONTINUES
More from the Evans vs SMG court case – and it's clear now that pretty much the whole case revolves around whether Evans took some impromptu time off his Virgin Radio breakfast show back in 2001 because of stress induced illness, or because he fancied a skive. Evans and his agent claim the former, but SMG’s representatives say the fact he was in the US getting married, and then seen drinking with friends and antique shopping, on the days he failed to show up for his radio show confirm the latter.

Geoffrey Vos QC, representing SMG, yesterday continued to question Evan's agent Michael Foster. He claimed that when Foster told Virgin Radio bosses Ecans was too sick to work he was helping the DJ to pull an elaborate sickie – claiming to be ill so as not to contravene his contract. He added that the fact that Evans was seen socialising around town proves he wasn't in fact ill.

Vos asked Foster: "What you told the station was simply not true, was it? In reality, he was as happy as Larry."

Foster responded: "He was not in my opinion happy or mentally fit to do his show."

The case continues today.

-----------------------------------------------

GNR NOT IMPRESSED WITH OFFSPRING DIG
Guns 'N' Roses are reported to be considering legal action against the Offspring who have said their next album will be called 'Chinese Democrazy (You Snooze You Lose)'. The title refers, of course, to G 'N' R's long long long-awaited next album 'Chinese Democracy' which has been in development for nearly eight years.

-----------------------------------------------

LIVE REVIEW: The Blood Brothers / Winnebago Deal @ The Garage on 21 Mar
Support Winnebago Deal are promoting their debut Fierce Panda mini-album. The guitar-drummer duo in the White Stripes vein have hair like The Datsuns and look like they could do with a wash. Music wise they have rock tunes in styles of Minor Threat and Led Zeppelin. Not bad at all, despite the crap name. On paper The Blood Brothers sound of hardcore and post-rock emo screams falls way short of the mark. But as these skinny boys from Seattle take the stage they explode with so much energy it’s like someone has let off a factory of party-poppers in an eight-foot square. The two vocalists (one sings, one scream) work brilliantly with each other while failing around like hyperactive ballerinas on hot coal. So much activity, power and exuberance is thrashed out on stage you just can’t help lap it all up yourself. One of the most exciting rock shows I've seen in a fair while. They're coming here again in the summer, go. DH

-----------------------------------------------

SONY NOMINATIONS TO BE WEBCAST
The Radio Academy have announced they plan to webcast the Sony Radio Award nominations ceremony again this year. The nominations for the main awards event in the radio industry will be announced by Mike Smith and Sarah Greene (no less) at 7pm on Wednesday at London's Commonwealth Club and will be broadcast live online at www.radioawards.org

The Academy's John Bradford told us: "I am thrilled that this brave experiment is to continue and remain convinced that our industry will continue to harness the very best elements of all developing technologies."

The actual Sony Awards take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 8 May.

-----------------------------------------------

SUPER FURRY GRUFF ON THEIR WALES GAME GIG
Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys has told the NME that their performance of 'Golden Retriever' at the soccer international between Wales and Azerbaijan in Cardiff this weekend was arranged by the bloke who makes the announcements at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium stadium.

"The guy who asked us does the half-time announcements at Cardiff City and Wales games. He's a great bloke, and he really knows his music. When Wales beat Italy in Cardiff last year (2-1 in October) he played 'The Harder They Come' (by Jimmy Cliff) and 'Shaddap You Face' (by Joe Dolce Music Theatre). The guy phoned up and asked us to play at this one. It's gonna be our biggest ever gig."

72,000 football fans will watch the match. As for Wales' chances of continuing their current unbeaten record and qualifying for the European Championships in Portugal Rhys says: "We would never take anything for granted!"

SFA's new album 'Phantom Power' will be released on Sony label Epic on 14 Jul.

-----------------------------------------------

WARTIME SENSITIVITIES AT THE BBC
Radio 1 have admitted they have taken 'Diamonds and Guns' by the Transplants and 'Bandages' by Hot Hot Heat off their playlists because of perceived wartime sensitivities.

A spokesperson told reporters: "We are not currently playing records such as 'Diamonds and Guns' and 'Bandages' because we want to avoid offending our listeners. We continue to monitor our output on a daily basis in light of the war to ensure we are sensitive to the expectations of our listeners." He also confirmed that producers had been asked to play music with a "light, melodic" feel before and after news bulletins, especially if the reports contained distressing news.

'Bandages' makes no explicit references to war but contains lyrics such as "These bandages cover more than scrapes, cuts and bruises from regrets and mistakes." The man from Radio 1 continues: "We do not want to upset listeners by playing anything which is inappropriate in the current climate. We thought a song about bandages could potentially be upsetting."

Meanwhile it remains to be seen if any editing takes place in the radio and TV broadcasts of the BBC's World Music Awards which took place last night. Samira Said, an Egyptian pop star who took the award in the Middle East category, marked her opposition to Britain's involvement in the war by refusing to perform. She told the audience: "I am deeply saddened that the sound of guns is louder than my songs."

-----------------------------------------------

REVIEW: Aquasky - Insomniak (Remix) / Xerox (Incident/5th Plate)
The Bournemouth beatsters Kieron Bailey, Brent Newitt and Dave Wallace return with a remix on their own off shoot label, Incident's 5th Plate. Aquasky have been around since 1995 and the trio show no signs of fading, although many recent outings have been more breaks orientated. 'Insomniak' gets a re-lick, making it tight, pacey and funky, and, while in many ways taking it back a few years, delivering excellent club potential with its hectic vocals. 'Xerox' is equally charged, but more of a roller with a little dose of infective tinkling keys, the opening minute very much descending from when this kind of d and b was termed 'intelligent'. Another good one for Incident and a long overdue album is due end of year, with other tracks coming on GLO and Moving Shadow. PV
Release date: 5 May
Press contact: Trailer Media [all]

-----------------------------------------------

POOLEY BACK IN THE UK
Ian Pooley has confirmed two more UK date as part of his European tour to promote the 'Excursions Vol.5' compilation he mixed for Obsessive last month. He will play Dublin's Club Tivoli on 29 Mar and Nottingham's Club Flipp on 28 Jun.

Pooley has now split from V2 Records, where he released his first two artist albums 'Meridian' and 'Since Then'. He has now set up his own label Pooled through which he is expected to release new material and work by some new artists.

-----------------------------------------------

OSCAR UPDATE
An Academy Awards spokesman joked "we’ll post it to him" when commented on Eminem's no show at the Oscars on Sunday night. Mr Mathers won the Best Song oscar of course, for 8 Mile track 'Lose Yourself'. As previously reported, Eminem said he would not attend the Oscars but, unlike some other actors, his decision wasn't an anti-war boycott, or even a protest that '8 Mile' had only received the token gesture music nomination. Eminem's people assured reporters he was just keeping a low profile while working on his next album and those of the artists signed to Shady Records. The tracks producer Luis Resto collected the award saying of Eminem, "He's creative. He has symphonies in his head... He's a good man. He has a good heart."

Interesting reporting on Michael Moore's predictable anti-war acceptance speech for his best documentary Oscar for 'Bowling for Columbine'. He told the Oscar audience that "We documentary makers like nonfiction, but we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons." While Moore's speech did receive some boos from the audience, there was an equal amount of cheering for the comedian come director who received a standing ovation as he walked to the stage. Most media reported as such, expect the American newspapers who seemed to concentrate on the booing!

-----------------------------------------------

WESTLIFE TOLD TO GET IN SHAPE FOR TOUR
Pop gossip of the day. Word is manager Louis Walsh has told the Westlife boys to cut down on drink and fatty food as they prepare for their forthcoming Greatest Hits tour.

"They’re all great lads who enjoy a drink," Walsh told reporters. "But this tour is going to be their most adventurous yet and they need to be in tip-top condition. We can’t afford to have them wheezing around on stage."

Because of course sitting on stool and occasionally swaying your arms in the air is strenuous work.

yesterday's Daily - Daily archive

© UnLimited Publishing | subscribe at www.theCMUwebsite.com/daily