This is the last newsletter of 2013, and therefore an appropriate moment perhaps to thank you for your support over the last 12 months and wish you all the best for the New Year. The next time you hear from me, our first issue of 2014 will already be out – we’ll be on sale from Friday, January 3 – so here’s a brief taster of what to expect.
There have been plenty of surprises and revelations in music during the last twelve months. Admittedly, perhaps not all of them have had the same impact as the sudden arrival of records by David Bowie or My Bloody Valentine; nevertheless, a Tweet on June 3 from Edwyn Collins’ label AED carried its own quietly momentous piece of breaking news. “A new @RoddyFrame record in the wind, on AED, early 2014. It’s a lovely thing, just wait til you hear it. Watch this space, popsters.”
We're delighted to reveal our latest exclusive hand-picked collection of iconic music photography: Uncut's Sonic Editions.
The new 2014 collection contains 25 iconic images curated by editor Allan Jones. Including The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, The Smiths, Bryan Ferry, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Debbie Harry and Tom Waits.
Each image is available as a limited edition print, individually numbered, hand printed and framed to order, from £45/$75 unframed up to £75/$119 framed.
Damon Albarn's Africa Express project has announced details of a new album release.
Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes will be released digitally via Transgressive on December 9 with a physical release to follow in 2014. The project features contributions from Albarn, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and Brian Eno, among others, after they spent time working with local musicians from Mali in October of this year.
U2 will reportedly release their new album in April 2014, according to reports which also claim the album could be announced at Super Bowl XLVIII in February.
The band are due to release their first album since 2009 next year with Adam Clayton recently confirming that the group were planning to wrap up recording by the end of this year.
A US university is offering a theology class on Bruce Springsteen.
Rutgers University in New Jersey is offering student the chance to take a semester-long class looking at the biblical references in The Boss' lyrics – from his 1973 debut'Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. to his 2012 album The Wrecking Ball.
Last year, I interviewed the film director Peter Strickland about Berberian Sound Studio, his tribute to the Heath Robinson-style endeavours of analogue sound designers. Strickland and I chatted about the influences for his main character, a tweedy sound engineer called Gilderoy; Strickland mentioned pioneering figures like Adam Bohman, Vernon Elliott and Basil Kirchin.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds have announced the release of a new album, Live From KCRW.
The album is due for release on December 2. It was recorded on April 18 this year at a live KCRW radio session at Apogee Studio in Los Angeles.
It is the band's fourth live album and will be released on CD, download and double vinyl format. The vinyl edition features two additional exclusive, un-broadcasted live recordings from the session, "Into My Arms" and "God Is In The House". The album will also be available as a digital deluxe bundle with Push The Sky Away.
U2 have posted a lyric video for their new song, "Ordinary Love", on their Facebook page.
Scroll down to watch it.
The song, which is taken from the film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, will be available as the A-side of a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl release on Record Store Day's Back to Black Friday event on November 29.
