Category: Music News

Welsh power-pop five-piece Kids in Glass Houses have revealed details regarding their forthcoming album, Dirt, scheduled for release on March 29th this year. The record is set to feature special guests New Found Glory on track Maybe Tomorrow, as well as, bizarrely, The Saturdays’ Frankie Sandford on Undercover Lover.

Singer Aled Phillips has described Dirt as more “expansive” than their debut, with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure. He adds, “The most noticeable thing will be the inclusion and experimentation with electro elements, brass and strings.” Read the albums tracklisting in full;

1. Artbreaker I
2. The Best Is Yet To Come
3. Sunshine
4. Matters At All
5. Youngblood
6. Lilli Rose
7. Giving Up
8. For Better Or Hearse
9. Undercover Lover (featuring: Frankie Sandford)
10. Maybe Tomorrow (special guests: New Found Glory)
11. The Morning Afterlife
12. Hunt The Haunted
13. Artbreaker II

A special edition of the album will be made available digitally also and will have the following additional tracks:

14. Believer
15. Reputation
16. When The World Comes Down

Toronto Metal / hardcore outfit Cancer Bats have announced details of their new record set for release on April 13th, which shall be preceded by a two track EP in March

The full length record, entitled Bears, Mayors, Scraps and Bones has been described by vocalist Liam Cormier as sounding like “Glenn Danzig on camping trip with Black Flag’s Greg Ginn, a reanimated Vincent Price and the Beastie Boys”. They’ve got their Influences are in the right place, then. Their EP will be released prior to that on March 2nd and has been named Sabotage.

Sad news this week for fans of Seattle post-hardcore outfit These Arms Are Snakes, as they have decided to call it a day after seven years as a band. The group, who had become famous for their energetic live performances, managed three full length studio albums as well as various splits before calling it a day.

No explanation has been given as of yet, although the band has issued a thank you on their blog which can be read here.

MGMT singer Andrew Vanwyngarden recently spoke with Spin Magazine about the band’s second album, Congratulations. He says that the album is finished and will be out in spring 2010.

New song titles include “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” (instrumental tune), “Congratulations”, “It’s Working”, “Siberian Breaks” (epicly long 12 mins track), and “Brian Eno”. Click here for the very first UK interview with the band recorded here in the Crossfire office when they visited us in November 2007.

Kids – Mgmt “Official video” from Bulch on Vimeo.

We have woke to the terrible news that Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr aka Jay Reatard has died in his Memphis home so say reports from his record company. A statement from Matador reads, “Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.”

Pulled Apart By Horses have announced plans of a forthcoming tour of the UK.

The group will be supporting Glassjaw at the end of the month and then move on to some headline shows. The dates are below:

January

24th – Manchester Academy with Glassjaw
25th – Nottingham Rock City with Glassjaw
26th – Glasgow Queen Margaret Union with Glassjaw
28th – Derby The Royal
29th – Bristol The Old Firestation

February

11th – Wolverhampton The Slade Rooms
12th – London Koko – Club NME
13th – Cambridge The Haymakers

A new track from the upcoming album by Dessa has found its way online.

Poor Atlas is on A Badly Broken Code, out on Doomtree Records on January 19th and it’s going to be amazing:

As if playing with a reformed Dinosaur Jr wasn’t enough, Lou Barlow is using his spare time to fit in a quick European jaunt of his own. The eight date tour is sandwiched in between a gap in Dinosaur Jr’s schedule and will see Barlow visiting the UK for solo dates in Manchester, Glasgow and London. The dates are:

January:

31 – Manchester, Deaf Institute

February:

1 – Glasgow, Stereo
2 – London, Dingwalls

The much anticipated follow up to M.I.A’s Kala will be released this summer, it has been confirmed.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, M.IA reveals that much of the record will be produced by Blaqstarr, who she had previously collaborated with on Kala track The Turn. She goes on to explain that she has been reflecting on how the world has changed since her last full length, saying, “I came up talking shit about Bush, and it’s great that it’s changed, but I don’t know how much it’s changed. I’m exploring that.”

The album has also been described by Diplo as sounding like “Gucci Mane meets Animal Collective,” a statement as confusing as it is potentially exciting.

Slayer have had to cancel their upcoming UK tour.

The gigs were originally due to be last year, but Tom Araya’s back problems forced them to be re-scheduled. Since then the condition hasn’t improved and the new dates have now been cancelled. The dates are:

March

7th – Manchester Academy
8th, 9th – London Forum

April

2nd – Nottingham Rock City
3rd – Glasgow Barrowland
4th – Leeds Academy
5th – Birmingham Academy