Echo and The Bunnymen Drop EP Ahead of Massive ‘Retrospective’
London Records is set to release Echo & The Bunnymen’s album What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? on vinyl for the very first time on November 29th, both on crystal clear vinyl and on limited edition rust orange vinyl.
Fully remastered, the 1999 album will also be reissued on a 34-track double CD edition featuring B-sides, alternative takes and live versions of Bunnymen classics and tracks from the album.
What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? is the eighth studio album by the Liverpool post-punk legends and the follow-up to their triumphant 1997 comeback album Evergreen, which saw original Bunnymen members Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattison reunite in the studio for the first time in almost a decade.
Continuing the trajectory set with Evergreen, the songs from What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? are both lyrically introspective and straightforward, bolstered by expansive, melodic arrangements, with strings performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra.
“After ‘Evergreen,’ I was writing all this kind of stuff, and I thought, we’re just going to go in there, and half of it will be very song-orientated, and the other will be ‘Heaven Up Here,’” said McCulloch, speaking in 1999 about the album’s organic approach.
Duff McKagan Covers David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’
Duff McKagan has released two tracks, “Heroes” and “True To The Death Rock N Roll Ballad” both available now at all DSPs and streaming services. A distinctive cover of David Bowie’s timeless classic, the double-sided single – which pairs “Heroes” with a brand-new Duff original – heralds next week’s kickoff of McKagan’s Lighthouse Tour ‘24, a world headline run getting underway Sept. 30 at Dublin, Ireland’s The Academy. US dates begin Nov, 4 at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club.
“We thought it was good idea to put out a couple of fresh songs right here on the eve of the Lighthouse tour,” McKagan said. “Choosing David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ seemed to be a natural subject matter for me (I am of course, a massive history nerd)…star-crossed lovers in the shadow of the mid-70’s cold-war era Berlin Wall. To try and compliment this era, I chose a sort of ’70’s glam-rock song that I wrote some time last year, ‘True To The Death Rock N Roll Ballad’ another lyric where love and lust and time are the central figures. We hope you dig this ‘single’ and thank you all for just being you!”
Listen here:
Interpol Celebrates ‘Antics’ 20th Anniversary with Reissue
Interpol celebrates the 20th anniversary of their iconic sophomore album, Antics, first released on September 27th, 2004.
Pre order Interpol here
To mark the occasion, the band and Matador Records have made a newly expanded reissue available on digital services, which includes the record, the new-to-streaming b-side “Direction” (digital-exclusive), and a complete live recording and video of the band’s legendary 2005 performance at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, never before heard or seen.”
The Antics: 20th Anniversary Edition will be available physically in three editions:
- A made-to-order 3xLP box set that includes the album, a 30-page photo-book, and the complete Palacio de los Deportes concert. Pre-orders for the box open today and will close on 11/14. Delivery is expected in early 2025.
- A limited-edition single LP red vinyl reissue available at record stores worldwide, out 10/25 (10/18 ex-US/Canada).
- A limited tri-color LP (Red, White, Green) edition exclusive to Mexico, sold at a Matador Records pop-up w/ Faramalla at Vavava CDMX November 9th-14th
The complete Palacio de los Deportes video will be made available to stream HERE.
Preview the band’s performance of ‘Slow Hands here:
Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Final Work, ‘Northern Gentleman’ Gets Release
“The album is a diary of the last seven years of the journey that we went on recording this music as Blitz Vega,” said Kav Sandhu about Northern Gentleman, the debut album by Blitz Vega, a band that he and the late Andy Rourke of The Smiths started in 2016 and officially launched in 2019.
A collection of 10 songs recorded over the span of seven years, Northern Gentleman captures the dynamic vitality of Andy and Kav’s combined songwriting. Launching with the chiming “Disconnected” that showcases Andy’s signature melodic bassline and Kav’s vocals and capping off with the scratching and big beat percussion of its closing track “Pass The Gun,” the album glistens and sparkles in a musical swirl.
Titled in Andy’s honor who, as a Mancunian, was a “northern gentleman,” the 10-track album documents the duo’s time together: A record informed by their creative connection, their brotherhood and the spirit of pushing on in the face of overwhelming challenges of Andy’s illness amidst the pandemic lockdown.
Junior Varsity Releases ‘Back To Reno’
Junior Varsity has released “Back To Reno,” an upbeat pop track that puts the groove in groovy. The track is the long-gestated brain child of Mighty Joe Vincent. All the cool kids know Joe as the veteran virtuoso drummer of venerated bands The Prissteens, The Swingin’ Neckbreakers, and The Devil Dogs.
Yet most don’t realize that Joe’s also a long serving, well versed songwriter and arranger. Now he’s coming out of the shadows to showcase his sound and vision. Mighty Joe has rounded up a posse of his most talented friends to bring life to the songs and ideas rattling around in his head. Their mission is no less than to save Rock N Roll.
Junior Varsity: Alec Morton – Bass / Dave Lieb – Keys / Joe Vincent – Drums / Mike Dudolevitch – Guitars / Mike Fornatale – Guitars / Paul Bertolino – Vocals, Backing Vocals by the Varsity Vocal Squad: Lisa Zaire, Mary Colbert, Mike Fornatale, & Tom Lucas, “Where The Groove is” written by Joe Vincent / Produced by Joe Vincent / Mastered by Kurt Bloch
Check out ‘Back To Reno’ here: