The Suburbs : Cows [ purchase ] I lived in Minneapolis back in the 80’s, so I am familiar with the Purple One. The album that includes ”Starfish and Coffee” is one my favorites of his. I never saw him perform except in that movie about Violet Precipitation and the other one which shall remain nameless. During the 1980s several other bands from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area got some critical notoriety outside Minnesota, such as The Replacements and Husker Du. Other groups like the Suburbs (from the Mpls. suburbs, of course) didn’t become as well known, and it seems a mystery ...

I tresserne var det ikke helt almindeligt, at en italiensk kunstner slog stort igennem i det store udland og i særdeleshed ikke i USA. Med mindre man var indvandrer af italiensk herkomst og havde amerikaniseret sit navn Men det var faktisk, hvad der sket for Rita Pavone. Som 17-årig slog hun igennem i hjemlandet, da [...]

A #30 hit in the UK singles charts in 1992, the same year that Sugar took the UK by storm, with the album Copper Blue winning out at the end of year poll in the NME. Having toiled away for years with Husker Du in which record sales didn't come close to matching the critical acclaim that came from all directions, Bob Mould thoroughly deserved the fame and fortune that came his way with his next band.   Having said that, it didn't seem to make the notoriously miserable and cantankerous frontman any the happier and less than two ...

Fresh off a signing with Merge Records, post-punk icon Bob Mould will see the re-issue of his band Sugar’s full catalog on July 24. Mould made a name for himself as the frontman for Husker Du in the early 1980’s then re-emerged from the band’s breakup a decade later in 1992 with pop/rock trio Sugar....

Bob Mould is set to play a one off London show this summer, running alongside four re-issues. Any discussion of American rock music in the 90s which doesn't include Bob Mould is invalid from the outset. A mainstay with Husker Du, the songwriter defined college rock before going on to lead Sugar. Now working under his own name, Bob Mould remains a fascinating contrary figure. Recently re-visiting Sugar's 1992 album 'Copper Blue' the American artist has now confirmed plans for a one off London show. Part of a short burst of European dates, Bob Mould is set to ...

REVIEW OF CLOSE LOBSTERS : STEREO, GLASGOW : 27 APRIL  The Background "The original five-person lineup of Scottish indie-pop outfit Close Lobsters will reunite for the first time since 1989 for a very brief “People of Europe Rise Up Tour” this spring and summer that so far features performances in Madrid, Glasgow and Berlin — but could grow.  Lead singer Andrew Burnett announced the tour on Facebook In January, revealing the band will reform to play Madrid Popfest on March 10, a club in Glasgow on April 27 and Berlin Popfest on July 28, with the caveat that “further dates may be scheduled ...

Ten readers tell us about their most loved music shops Earlier this week our critics wrote about record shops that shaped their lives – and now our readers do the same, in celebration of Record Store Day on Saturday. Following the previous piece, many readers posted below the line with their formative music-buying memories. We've taken those comments and made this interactive map, to which we'll also add these readers' panel contributions, and any record shop memories posted in the thread below. Stephano Bentos on Rex Records, Ipswich When I arrived in Ipswich to study my degree in the ...

Literally ten minutes after I'd entered the gloriously vintage world that is Pie & Vinyl , a young woman walks in bearing a significantly older lady on her arm. 'Do you have a toilet she can use?' the younger one asks. 'Erm, we do…' Steve Courtnell, one of the co-owners of the store replies. But before he can finish, the blanks to this story are already being filled in. 'It's just I've found her out on the street, she doesn't know where she is and she can't find her way home.' Believe it or not, stranger things have happened in Portsmouth. It's a quirky and certainly kooky place to live in, this town. If you spend some time around the small seaside resort of Southsea, you'll find that amongst the rows of vintage clothes shops and independent bars that line the island's streets, you meet enough characters to fully flesh-out an off-kilter alternative soap opera for multiple series. And that's exactly why Pie & Vinyl – Southsea's first pie café and record store – could only be in Portsmouth. It's the perfect combination of style and quirkiness that this part of town thrives on, and besides – they're the only ‘new' record store in fifty miles. It's about damn time! Lining the walls are rows of limited edition gig posters, each print available for purchase in or out of frame; rows of the latest releases in their vinyl and CD form add a huge modern vibe to the undeniably retro aesthetic and the pies – oh, the pies – not only is there a huge selection ranging from your classic steak & Guinness to the aptly named Pietanic (all of which may I add, are sourced locally to the area) but the choice of cordials and tea all served in traditional teapots and saucers really adds that extra splash of character to an already colourful place. Sitting down with some fresh Portsmouth tea and pie, I began chatting with Steve while Rob Litchfield, Steve's business partner, worked behind the counter. I wanted to really know what they thought about the re-emergence of vinyl, the new kind of audience it's attracting and what vinyl means to them. 'The thing with vinyl is it's never going to be cheap,' says Steve. 'But you know, MP3s are the reason it's come back so strongly – there's a generation of kids out there who have never experienced releases on vinyl.' 'We've never had any choice [Rob and I], growing up with cassettes and vinyl. It disappeared then but now it's come back. But this time, it's not just the power of the sound of vinyl – it's the power of the artist, being able to control the way you listen to that record - for example, M83's double album working with two different perspectives. It gets you more involved.' 'You can listen to the first half, be about to turn it over, and someone walks in with a lost old lady and you lose your place! You'll never hear that last track on side B unless you listen again.' The combination of Pie & Vinyl, to me, seemed like quite a strange combination. But talking to the guys, I think they've actually cracked the secret to why vinyl is becoming so popular again today. 'I think people get comfort out of looking back. I grew up in the 80s, and then, the future was exciting – the future was something good,' said Steve. 'Nowawadays, the future is something scary. I think people like to look back and take comfort in the things that defined the 40s and 50s, from clothes to music.' 'I think pie and vinyl compliment each other really well,' Rob interjects. 'It gives that whole sort of cosiness and homeliness that comes with listening to a record, like I did with my grandparents – whilst eating pie and mash.' And, well, I have to agree. When Rob brings over my steak & Guinness pie complete with mash and peas, the sound of 6 Music in the background and the whole atmosphere the store evokes is enough to make you believe that it's actually been around for years; almost like your second home, or returning to a place you haven't visited since you were a kid. But the burning question on my mind is what the guys have in store for Record Store Day. This coming Saturday (21st April), record stores all over the ...

Lee Ranaldo – 'Between The Times And The Tides' (UK Release: 19 March '12) // Words: Simon Opie Band chemistry is a powerful influence and being a founder member of Sonic Youth , with a thirty one year history must be heavily addictive. Of course it wasn’t enough to keep Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon together and so maybe SY is no more? Undeterred, another co-founder, Lee Ranaldo has released what he somewhat mystifyingly calls his first real solo album, perhaps in an attempt to escape the ghosts of the past. Recruiting a talented bunch of cohorts including Nels Cline and Alan ...

Former Watchmen/Thornley member Ken Tizzard has a new record out.  It's his fourth, and has been described as "a sound that falls somewhere between George Jones and Tom Petty combined with the attitude of early Husker Du".  Intriguing starting point. Watch the video for "Time To Remember" from the album The Goodness of Bad Intent Vol II :

Photo Courtesy of Hüsker Düdes Facebook​Every city seems to have their share of them--tribute cover bands who tackle the prodigious back catalogs of classic (and not so classic) rock bands who have

While Hüsker Dü guitarist Bob Mould was busy moving his long-running solo project to Merge Records last week, famously mustachio'd bassist Greg Norton was jamming with some of the late punk outfit's biggest fans: the "planet's only Hüsker Dü tribute band," Chicago's Hüsker Düdes, at Chicago's Quenchers Saloon on Saturday. The foray might've been a birthday celebration, considering the bassist-turned-restauranteur made it to 53 years yesterday. In the video evidence courtesy of blogger Slicing Up Eyeballs , Norton joined the Düdes onstage to play "From the Gut," "Target," and "Blah, Blah, Blah." However, does the ...

Always something of a free-wheeler , Bob Mould has finally decided to settle down (sort of): The Husker Du frontman, who's been cavorting about with a record deal lately, has inked a deal with Merge Records for a new  album featuring Superchunk’s Jon Wurster and Telekinesis’ Jason Narducy. The album doesn’t have a release date yet, but should be out sometime this year. [via Prefix ]

Grunge granddaddy Bob Mould, formerly of Husker Du and Sugar fame, has signed a new deal with Merge records. Playing with Jon Wurster (Superchunk) and Jason Narducy (Telekinesis, ex-Verbow), Mould has completed a new album, scheduled for release later in 2012. The singer and guitarist has recently been winning over crowds with his performances of Sugar’s seminal Copper Blue album, with sets planned for the forthcoming SXSW event, and a host of summer European festivals. Here’s a clip of Mould opening his set at The Noise Pop Festival in February-   Story originally posted on SupaJam .

Husker Du frontman Bob Mould has apparently been a free agent, roaming America without a full time label. That changes ... Read the full article at http://www.prefixmag.com/news/bob-mould-signs-to-merge-new-album-due-out-this-fa/62977/