They’ve split up… Oh no they haven’t!

LCD Soundsystem’s constituent parts caused a fluster in my world earlier today when the comic quoted live guitarist Al Doyle as saying the project was on permanent hold. He followed this by claiming Murphy and bandmates would record and tour with a series of disco singers, leaving behind the LCD name.

Mere hours later and an about turn came from Murphy himself, who revealed he had an album’s worth of new material sitting in his cranium. Sounding a little Bon Iverish he went on to say the album would be recorded solo, away from New York sometime next year. So, does this mean a new LCD album in ‘09? I really, really hope so. Sound of Silver was just incredible, and as a live act they are improbably good. Here’s to good news (in the end) and the first album announcement for 09 that has me excited…

LCD Soundsystem - Us vs Them

Photo: eMA!

I’ve reached a critical point in my quest for new-ness. For some time I haven’t bought much music, new or old, relying instead on the constantly rotating shopfront of sites like Elbows and Hype. Sure, there is the occasional trip to a record store or two, and the necessary purchases made. But I strive for something new. Not new as in recently released, but new as in something to stir an untouched part inside.

So I’ve come up with a solution. Not a perfect one by any means, but something to spur on purchases of artists and albums that I would never pick up in a shop. So, once a week I will purchase about three albums from Amazon, aiming at around twenty quid for the bunch.

Using a random number generator and Amazon’s recommendation system (honed over about half an hour of clicking ‘I love this’ and ‘I’m not interested’) I’ll hopefully discover some new artists, and some stuff by folks I love that I’ve never got around to buying. And then I’ll go and bore you all by sharing the results…

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Sister Ray - End of an Indpendent Era?

Another of London’s rare independent record shops is feeling the one-two punch of illegal downloads and the credit crunch…  Sister Ray this week announced that it was heading into administration. Since the news washed in a few days ago I’ve been trying to pin down why exactly it saddens me to such an extent. I mean, there’s bigger indie shops in London (Rough Trade East), HMV and subsidiary Fopp have reduced their vinyl prices to more or less compete, and a fuller range is stocked by online funboys Norman and Boomkat…

I guess it’s the ever diminishing experience of being surrounded by good music, and people who love good music. Not that I ever spoke to many people in there, I once recommended a chap TV On The Radio’s Desperate Youth And Bloodthirsty Babes as he had a crisis of confidence at the counter but that’s about it. I have, however, got some of my most treasured records from there. It always annoys and astonishes my girlfriend how I will take a good look in the windows of Sister Ray before heading into it’s dark and familiar interior, only to reap more frustration in the haphazard way I’d take to browsing their racks.

Of course the store is not yet bound for closure, the owner is hopeful that the store’s reputation will find it speedy investment. Nor is it perfect, their second hand selection is limited and often over-priced. The offers are never that extensive or special. The pricing is average. But, and it is a big but, they were independent. Run by folks who value selection and variation over profit lines and charts. They’ll be a big miss for me, the particular location having stared at me since 1995 and the cover of Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, the shop hosted my first London record shopping visits when I moved there in late-2001. Hopefully they’ll manage to pull it out of the fire - it’s a long way over to Rough Trade!

Velvet Underground - Sister Ray
Joy Division - Sister Ray (Live)

So, Coldplay are getting round to touring their Ricky Martin inspired fourth LP, Viva La Vida. Whilst this has been getting a kicking in most places, the lead single got a 2/5 in the Observer Music Monthly for example, they are still a huge live draw. Arenas it is then!

The tour runs:
Birmingham NIA: December 1-2
Glasgow SECC: December 5-6
Sheffield Arena: December 7
Liverpool Echo Arena: December 10
Manchester MEN Arena: December 11-12
London O2: December 14-15

Tickets on sale, at vastly inflated, making poverty for Coldplay history, prices on Friday, 9am.

Plenty of space in there for extra dates, spinning this out for longer than needed or necessary.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Coldplay - Violet Hill (Nikolai Levey’s Floating in Space Remix)
Coldplay - A Spell A Rebel Yell

I write this as the results of the London Mayoral contest are announced, so this week’s FTW is colour-coded for the main parties!

Coldplay - Politick
Yes, there are other elections taking place in the world. I’m looking at you the USA. Whereas the race for the Whitehouse is undoubtedly more important for the planet, I live in London and to be honest this vote will affect my day to day life much more. There is also the Zimbabwe controvesy; something that I have paid more attention to than the Democrat race over the pond. So here we are: politics!

New Order - Blue Monday
As I write, it seems more and more likely that come Monday, London will be a Conservative-run city. This follows eight years of Ken Livingston, a man who introduced bendy buses, backed the 2012 Olympics and oversaw the introduction of our Oyster card. He’s been in charge a year longer than I’ve even been here. Quite how everything changes in roughly ten minutes time, I’m not sure. If Boris Johnson wins, I hope he backs up some of the things he has promised: less crime, better transport, and creating a healthier London.

Born Ruffians - Red Elephant
For my voting life Labour have been the party in power. Their victory in 1997 was almost revolutionary, a true landslide. Elephantine, even. They even created the post of London Mayor. There is no doubt that Ken Livingstone has done good things for London, and he has a real passion for the city: certainly more than Boris. But there are so many things in this city that could be better: it could be safer, it certainly could be friendlier, it needs to be healthier. It is time for someone else to have a crack.

Stereolab - Fiery Yellow
The Liberal Democrats. Once the powerhouse of British politics, the modern party has sought to transform British politics to a three-way battle. So far, they remain steadfastly third in general, but over yesterday’s council elections they won a greater percentage than Labour. For me they are a party of great names: Vince Cable, Lembit Opik, Menzies Campbell, but little personality.  

Goldfrapp - Crystalline Green
In an ideal world, the Green party could form an effective political power in the UK. Unfortunately, London is far from an ideal world.

That’s enough of politics I guess. Back to the music next post, I promise.

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