Next month Kate Bush will release Director’s Cut, an album wherein the venerable singer will “revisit” songs from her esteemed albums, The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. So, not exactly new material to speak of. The history of musicians reworking classics is plagued with puzzled fans and tarnished legends. Anyone up for a dose of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86?” Right. So, the first single off Director’s Cut is one of my least favorite Kate Bush song’s to begin with- the fact that she adds loads of vocal mutilating auto-tune to it only hastens my disgust. And then there’s this cheesy, literal video with a man falling in love with a ridiculously animated pair of red lips representing the computer program that understands him like no other. Ugh. It does go a bit off the rails at the end, though. So, there’s that.

From The Guardian:

“Poly Styrene, best known as the frontwoman with 1970s punk group X-Ray Spex, has died. Styrene was receiving treatment for an advanced form of breast cancer when she passed away yesterday (Monday 25 April). She was 53.”

I’m just getting around to listening to the new Architecture in Helsinki, Moment Bends. I love it.

I like Titus Andronicus‘ music well enough, but it seems like every time I read a story about them they are complaining. Here’s a sample from another woe-is-me tale from the band’s frontman, Patrick Stickles, regarding their recent experience opening for The Pogues:

“After doing nine shows with them, they never took the time to introduce themselves or watch any of our performances.”

Boo hoo. Of course, they didn’t. They are The Pogues. Did you really expect Shane MacGowan to be professional on any level? Jesus. Have you seen that guy?

m ss ng Murphy from m ss ng p eces on Vimeo.

“Murphy shares his thoughts on musical discovery, the future of taste, artistic value in the face of technology and what he did with our plot device, something.”

The longstanding Blur vs. Oasis battle will officially come to and end on this year’s Record Store Day when Liam Gallagher’s new band, Beady Eye, will release a cover of Blur’s “Country House,” the very song that went up against Oasis’ “Roll with It” in that infamous first week sales challenge back in 1995. Gallagher has even gone so far as to admit: “The chart battle was only a bit of a fucking laugh and secretly ‘Country House’ was always my favorite Blur song.” My my, how Mr. Gallagher has mellowed.