Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Music News & Notes

The Acacia Strain reveal album details

The Acacia Strain have revealed the title, cover art and track listing which will be released July 20th in North American and August 2nd in Europe. The album is titled "Wormwood," and features cover art by acclaimed artist, Justin Kamerer (http://www.angryblue.com/), who has done previous work for Bleeding Through, Guns N Roses, Slayer and many more.

"We worked just as hard if not harder on this album as we did on (2008's)"Continent.' We took an entire block of time off of touring and our lives in general to focus 100% on the creation of 'Wormwood.' Where we normally write a record with a theme already attached to it; this time around we wrote a record and the theme developed as we went. we wanted to do something that was still Acacia Strain, but broke away from the 'mold' that has been struck by all the bands these days that we seem to get grouped in with. all the songs have their own dynamic, instead of writing an album filled with like sounding songs. This is the heaviest record WE have ever written and these are the most personal lyrics I have ever written. Justin Kamerer; who did the artwork for the album, was really great to work with and really brought the songs to life with his imagery. I am really excited for this release, and we are all very proud of what we did with this record. i hope you enjoy."

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Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Release Mojo

On June 15 Reprise Records will release MOJO, the first new studio album from TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS in 8 years. Already the album is garnering enthusiastic reviews with Rolling Stone senior writer David Fricke calling it “one of the best ever” by Petty and the Heartbreakers.

On June 29, a special vinyl edition of MOJO will be released. The vinyl edition of MOJOis an 180 Gram 2-LP Set pressed at Pallas, Germany and mastered at Bernie Grundman Studios from the uncompressed 24-bit 48 kHz files.

On June 29, (two weeks after the standard release), in a first by a contemporary music artist, the album will be released as a stand-alone audio only Blu-ray disc which can be played in stereo or 5.1 surround sound. The Blu-ray disc contains 256 times more resolution than a CD, providing greater detail and reproducing the music’s full dynamic range, from the softest to the loudest sounds. In a 14-page cover story on the album the leading audiophile magazine Sound and Vision raved about the Blu-ray while calling the album “stunning.” The Blu-ray version will be available online exclusively from Amazon as well as at all independent retail stores.

OK, now the REAL news:

iTunes will also feature a special LP edition of MOJO.  A preorder of the ITunes LP, now available, gets a buyer the first single “I Should Have Known It” immediately upon purchase.  In addition to the standard 15-track album, the iTunes LP edition comes with exclusive music, videos and many other special features:

- “Little Girl Blues” – bonus audio track (exclusive)
- “Good Enough” – video (exclusive)
- “I Should Have Known It” – video
- MOJO road trip photos by Sam Jones
- MOJO album package art with Lyrics
- Scans of 4 hand written lyrics sheets from Tom’s own notebook.

What in the devil is an "iTunes special LP edition"??? IT"S STILL A DOWNLOAD PEOPLE - IT IS NOT A VINYL RECORD THEREFORE IT SHOULD NOT BE LABELED "LP" This could start a whole new trend as the digital freaks are stealing the LP, which stands for "Long Playing" album (we mean vinyl!) Don't call an apple an orange........

The words LP and download do not belong in the same sentence......

Comments?

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MAIDEN ANNOUNCE RELEASE DATE, ARTWORK AND TRACKLISTING FOR NEW ALBUM “THE FINAL FRONTIER”  TOUR STARTS THIS WEEK

The release date for IRON MAIDEN’S new studio album THE FINAL FRONTIER is now confirmed for Monday 16th August. The new album pictured here features artwork illustrated by Melvyn Grant and, to mark the occasion, the band have made special arrangements for one new album track 'EL DORADO' to be made available Worldwide as a FREE digital download MP3 with immediate effect.

Singer Bruce Dickinson explains ‘El Dorado is a preview of the forthcoming studio album. As we will be including it in the set of our Final Frontier World Tour (which opens in Dallas On 9th June - full dates below) we thought it would be great to thank all our fans and get them into The Final Frontier mood by giving them this song up front of the tour and album release’

The band reunited with long-time Maiden producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in early 2010 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau to record the album and then moved to LA to finish the recording and do the mixing. Compass Point Studio is very familiar to the band, it was where they recorded the Piece Of Mind (’83), Powerslave (’84) and Somewhere In Time (’86) albums.

Bruce comments “The studio had the same vibe and it was EXACTLY as it had been in 1983, NOTHING had changed! Even down to the broken shutter in the corner...same carpet....everything... It was really quite spooky. But we felt very relaxed in such a familiar and well-trodden environment and I think this shows in the playing and the atmosphere of the album”

Thirty years on from their eponymous debut album in April 1980, The Final Frontier will be Maiden’s 15th studio album, making a remarkable average of a new album every two years for 30 years and totalling over 80 million album sales during this period.

The full tracklisting for the album (total running time 76:35) is:
THE FINAL FRONTIER

1. Satellite 15....The Final Frontier 8:40
2. El Dorado 6:49
3. Mother Of Mercy 5:20
4. Coming Home 5:52
5. The Alchemist 4:29
6. Isle Of Avalon 9:06
7. Starblind 7:48
8. The Talisman 9:03
9. The Man Who Would Be King 8:28
10. When The Wild Wind Blows 10:59

The Final Frontier World Tour begins in Dallas on June 9th with 25 shows in major cities across the USA and Canada, playing to an expected 350,000 fans or more. Following this the tour will ship over to Europe starting in Dublin on July 30 and playing a few selected major festivals and stadiums , finishing in Valencia, Spain, on Aug 21 and including a concert in Transylvania.

Hardcore and Metal Releases - June 8, 2010

Attack Attack! - s/t
Call To Preserve - Life of Defiance
Ceremony - Rohnert Park
Circle Of Dead Children - Psalm of the Grand Destroyer
Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation
Fatal Embrace - The Empires Of Humanity
Fleshgod Apocalypse - Mafia
Heaven Shall Burn - Invictus
Istapp - Blekinge
Keep Of Kalessin - Reptilian
Kingdom Of Sorrow - Behind The Blackest Tears
Leng Tch'e - Hypomanic
Masakari - The Prophet Feeds
Mychildren Mybride - Lost Boy
Nachtmystium - Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2
Nevermore The Obsidian Conspiracy
Pain - Cynic Paradise
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come (Deluxe Version)
Silverstein - Decade: Live At The El Mocambo
The Funeral Pyre - Vultures At Dawn
The Ghost Inside - Returners
The Haunted - Roadkill: On the Road With the Haunted (CD/DVD)
This Is Hell - Weight of the World
Trash Talk - Eyes & Nines
Watain - Lawless Darkness
Whitechapel - A New Era of Corruption
Wormrot - Abuse

SOURCE: http://www.lambgoat.com

Kind Of Blue” Breathes New Life

From the vaults of jazz history, Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” is slated to be reissued on vinyl in coming weeks. Remastered on colored, 180-gram vinyl, the two-disc set, latest version features two new tracks never before available on vinyl.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 08, 2010 – SoundStageDirect is proud to announce the reissue of arguably the greatest jazz record ever recorded: Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue.” Available from Music on Vinyl, this two-record, 180-gram pressing vinyl LP is presented on limited-edition blue vinyl. However, there’s one more notable trick up its proverbial sleeve: two additional tracks never before available on vinyl. Featuring an alternate take of “Flamenco Sketches” and a version of “On Dolphin Street,” originally recorded prior to the “Kind of Blue” sessions, these two bonus songs are unearthed treasures for any true jazz aficionados.

Originally released on August 17, 1959, “Kind of Blue” has collected innumerable accolades since. Featuring a veritable who’s who of jazz legends – John Coltrane on tenor saxophone; Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone; Paul Chambers on bass; Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly on piano; and Jimmy Cobb on drums – the record’s soundscapes broke new musical ground. Based on a set of modal sketches, where each player was given a particular scale that defined their improvisation and style, the album allowed not only Davis to shine, but his sidemen as well.

In the years following the legendary jazz LP’s release, its reputation as a seminal moment in music history has been firmly cemented. It is the number-one selling jazz album of all time. Artists from Duane Allman to Pink Floyd, from Chick Corea to Q-Tip have cited “Kind of Blue” as an influence on their respective music. Rolling Stone selected the record at number 12 on their “500 Greatest Albums” list. In 2002, the Library of Congress selected the album as one of 50 to be added to the National Registry of Recordings.

With this exciting reissue, you can now own a piece of the American musical legacy. Remastered and pressed on high-quality vinyl, the jazz LP sounds as fresh today as it did 51 years ago. With Davis’ inimitable trumpet leading the way, hear the music the way it was meant to be heard: on vinyl.

Visit: http://www.soundstagedirect.com/   (mention the code CVR when ordering and receive a 5% discount!)

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James Watts is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. He is passionate about Vinyl Albums music and has devoted much of his professional life to helping young artists gain the exposure they need. When not writing or attending shows, Watts can often be found cheering on his beloved Phillies or cooking up one of his signature culinary creations.

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