Victoria Dillingham writes: Frontman of The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things and father-to-be Carl Barât added 'perfect host' to his never ending repertoire of talents last night when he hosted an exclusive album playback party at Soho's Sanctum Hotel.
musicOMH was among a select few invited along to this first outing of the much talked about, self-titled solo album released on 4th October.
Much like the venue, the new album is in stark contrast to anything you'd expect or associate with the singer/songwriter following his much publicised and controversial wayward years of rock.
While there's no mistaking the distinct quintessential Libertines vocals, the album rides a more upbeat wave throughout best depicted by So Long My Lover and Run With The Boys - the first single he'll release alongside the album. "Run With The Boys was an obvious choice for first release as it marks a definite departure from everything I've ever done before," Barât explains, and he's not wrong.
A happy-go-lucky sing-a-long track that has most in the room instantly tapping their feet, it's like something Madness might have crafted in the face of yet another comeback. Fans of the nonchalant and more melancholy sounding Barât will find traces of anguish in tracks such as She's Something, What Have I Done and the beautifully simplistic favourite, Shadows Fall.
Barât, who cuts a slick, almost Dickensian outline in his white shirt and grey tailored suit, hopes long-standing Libertines fans will like the new album, but is equally keen to connect with a wider audience. "I hope this album forms a scaffold for people's emotions and that through listening to it people identify with (it)," he tells us. Barât is due to appear at this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals with a certain Pete Doherty. Those selected from a ballot get to witness the warm-up gig, set for London's Forum in Kentish Town on 25th August. He'll then embark on an intensive UK and European tour before his girlfriend Edie Langley, of The Langley Sisters, gives birth to their first child in December. His memoir Threepenny Memoir is published by HarperCollins on 30th September.
 Ben Urdang writes: It’s amazing what you can stumble across in the back streets of London. With pop up bars and restaurants appearing and then disappearing with frenzied frequency it might now be the turn of pop up gigs and DJ sets.
While we had the heads up on a set by hip-hop DJ Jaguar Skills, most of the people who closed off a back street just behind Oxford Circus had no clue and were simply shoppers wandering around the hell that is Thursday’s late night shopping on Oxford Street.
This in fact turned out to be a joint enterprise with Jaguar Skills, priming himself for his September/October “Smash Up! Tour” and the hosting Yo! Sushi celebrating the opening of their Market Place branch. Two brands borrowing from each other to market themselves.
So on a makeshift stand out of the front of the new restaurant and facing a row of shops, bars and restaurants, the ninja DJ himself turned up for an hour of mashing up singles from every genre he could get his hands up – pop, hip hop, drum’n’bass and reggae all featured. His tunes weren’t particularly cool or leftfield, but then this wasn’t a trendy corner of London. It was all about having an impromptu street party without exclusivity.
Every now and then we’d be warned that this was an illegal party and that it could be terminated by the police at any second – whether or not that was true remained moot – but the story at least gave Mr Skills the opportunity to bring out Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do by Goldie Lookin’ Chain. La Roux and Michael Jackson were mixed in with TV theme tunes and old school anthems from Josh Wink, before a final flourish finished things off with One Step Beyond. As waiters weaved within the growing crowd offering free sushi, people found whatever vantage point they could to get snaps of the mysterious man dressed as he usually does - mask over his face so that all you could see of him were his eyes and his forearms.
There’s inevitably a discomfort felt when a musician gets in bed with big business, perhaps reaching something of a nadir with Example’s recent tour of Nando’s outlets. But frankly if people are going to get their downloads for free, then the business model of artists being able to take advantage of their associations to make money and promote themselves becomes more acceptable. Gigs, tours and festivals are becoming increasingly bannered with sponsorship and while the issue can be analysed and intellectualised, the fact is that, having compromised a small part of their integrity for a tummy full of fishy goodness, those who were here this evening loved it. It was a moment for those who happened to be walking past, and it made central London feel a little bit more special.
Musicians and business sponsorship have gone hand in hand for years. It’s just that usually it’s the corporations and their workers who get the benefits of party hospitality. It was nice for it to be brought to the streets, literally, for a change.
More of this please.
 UPDATE: The nominations have been announced. We got seven right; picked the wrong jazz entry and really didn't see three of these coming at all (and still don't); a gold star to you if you guessed more right than we did. Let us know what you make of the list below.
So before we head off to the bookies, the Mercury albums of 2010 are:
Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N' Cheek
Kit Downes Trio – Golden
Foals – Total Life Forever
I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Mumford And Sons – Sigh No More
Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation
Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
The xx – xx
Continue reading "Mercury Music Prize 2010: the nominees" »
Talking of international and Icelandic artists, that Björk and those Dirty Projectors have got together to wail about a whale. Or, they've made an album together. Which, given the reverie both inspire, should make more than just whales wet.
"Mount Wittenberg Orca is called Mount Wittenberg Orca because it is about whales," says David Longstreth about their work together. This seven-song, 21-minute collection is the first original music the band has recorded since 2009's Bitte Orca.
You can listen to track VII, All We Are, here.
The whole album can be bought now, too, for a minimum donation of US$7. Head over to www.mountwittenbergorca.com and part with your cash. In keeping with the spirit of the release, all proceeds from Mount Wittenberg Orca will be donated to the National Geographic Society's Ocean Initiative.
Track listing:
I Ocean
II On and Ever Onward
III When the World Comes to an End
IV Beautiful Mother
V Sharing Orb
VI No Embrace
VII All We Are
In other Björk news, she teams up again with Antony And The Johnsons for a duet on their track Flétta, from their new album Swanlights. It's due out through Rough Trade in October and returns a favour; Antony Hegarty appeared on Björk's album Volta and joined her on its promotional tour.
 Lady Gaga (you've heard of her, right?) will release Alejandro, another filler-free cut from The Fame Monster, on 28 June.
As is the way with such things, a video was shot with noted fashion photographer Steven Klein and can be gawped at in all its magnificence right NOW, HERE >>> ALEJANDRO
Check out our track-by-track guide to The Fame Monster from late last year while you're about, won't you?
In related news, she returns to the UK for a third leg of the multi-limbed Monster Ball tour at the end of the year. Full deets are of course to be found on the official website, ladygaga.com
 In 1985, songer-songwriter Suzanne Vega released her stunning self-titled debut album. After 25 years, seven Grammy nominations and seven million album sales, she is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation.
Now Suzanne is reinterpreting a majority of her catalogue in an intimate and personal way, creating four new thematic albums that will be released over the next two years.
First is Close-Up Vol 1: Love Songs, which will include stripped down versions of Marlene On The Wall, bossa nova favourite Caramel and many more. Check out our review of the album here.
Suzanne has made the album available to hear in full, ahead of its 14th June release date, exclusively on musicOMH through music streaming site WE7. Press the buttons below to make sounds happen.
Free music -†Close Up Vol. 1, Love Songs
Suzanne Vega's album Close-Up Vol 1: Love Songs is released on 14th June 2010 through Cooking Vinyl. She tours Ireland and the UK during June, including spots at the Isle Of Wight Festival (13th June) and London's Cadogan Hall (16th June). Full tour details can be found at suzannevega.com
 Sir Tom Jones turned 70 years of age today (7th June) but, as we witnessed in the atmospheric surroundings of One Mayfair last week, he's far from gracefully retiring with a pipe and slippers. The Welsh warbler showcased his upcoming new album Praise & Blame, and was on fine form.
John Murphy reviews the album here, while Ben Hogwood fills us in on the showcase event...
It is some achievement to be an artist for as long as Tom Jones and to still find a new direction to pull out of the locker. Yet even by his standards this is quite an about turn for the Welsh crooner, and crucially it feels like it involves music very close to his heart.
The change will inevitably open up comparisons with Johnny Cash and his vocal epiphany, and also draws parallels with the career direction taken by another vocal heavyweight, Robert Plant.
Yet as Sir Tom performed his new record in its entirety for the first time in One Mayfair its rawness was immediately evident. The newness was emphasised by the occasional memory slip from the singer, but otherwise he was the consummate showman, with near-faultless vocals.
More importantly, they were shot through with almost dangerous levels of emotion, unravelling over the ominously slow tread of a marching bass drum. Bob Dylan's What Good Am I explored a rare vulnerability in Jones' make-up, while in John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell he bellowed forth as if singing for his life, rattling the venue's very foundations.
"We're going to sing something a little more emotional," he told the rattled crowd, sporting that big bear smile. For all the world he looked like a cross between a stage star and a near relative of Ernest Hemingway - a parallel not lost throughout this musical exploration.
As the rest of the album unfolded it was clear we were at the very least witnessing something unusual - and at times, something pretty special. In releasing a covers album to mark his 70th birthday, Sir Tom Jones may well have shown us the most vivid glimpse of his soul to date.
Tom Jones' album Praise & Blame is released on 24th July 2010 through Island Records.
 Savour this album packshot for a moment, if you will. It's a bit brilliant, don't you agree?
Yes, Neil Hannon is back. Following his foray into matters cricketing with last year's The Duckworth Lewis Method, The Divine Comedy returns with a (count them) 10th studio album, called Bang Goes The Knighthood.
The cover, just to recap, features Neil, in a bath, with a dog, a bowler hat, a bottle of champagne and a pipe. And a good many bubbles. This can only be good.
The album will be released by Neil’s own label Divine Comedy Records on 31st May and shall sport the following tracks:
1. Down In The Street Below
2. The Complete Banker
3. Neapolitan Girl
4. Bang Goes The Knighthood
5. At The Indie Disco
6. Have You Ever Been In Love
7. Assume the Perpendicular
8. The Lost Art of Conversation
9. Island Life
10. When A Man Cries
11. Can You Stand Upon One Leg
12. I Like
Given that musicOMH began life as a Divine Comedy e-zine of sorts sometime last century (you knew that, right?), this has us bouncing just a little. More, we hope, soon.
 It has been confirmed today that Mark Linkous of cult US band Sparklehorse has died. Linkous, who was in his 40s although his precise age has never been confirmed, took his own life after a long battle with depression.
Sparklehorse made their debut in 1995 with vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, and went on to create 3 more albums of fractured, fragile, lush music. Linkous may never have been a household name, but each album was critically acclaimed and names such as PJ Harvey, Danger Mouse and Tom Waits all worked with him. The sad news comes just days after EMI confirmed that Linkous' collaboration with Danger Mouse and film maker David Lynch is to at last receive a physical release. Dark Night Of The Soul was leaked on the internet last year after a fierce legal battle between the label and Danger Mouse saw it released simply as a book and a blank CD. The album, which features guest appearances from a host of stars including Nina Persson, Iggy Pop, James Mercer of The Shins and Wayne Coyne, should serve as a fitting swansong for a troubled but hugely talented man.
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