News/Reissues: Pixies Complete B-Sides

Pixies have announced an expanded and remastered reissue of the 2001 compilation Complete B-Sides. The original set collected the bonus tracks from the indie-rock pioneers' classic first run of singles, with highlights including a raucous live cover of Laurel Near's "In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)", originally taken from the 1988 single, "Gigantic"; the Kim Deal-sung "Into The White" (B-side of Here Comes Your Man, 1989); and a fantastic cover of Neil Young's "Winterlong", first released on Dig For Fire (1990).

Complete B-Sides: 1988-97 has been remastered from the original analogue tapes and includes an additional six live tracks. The first two – "Planet Of Sound" and "Tame" were originally released on the 1991 ‘Alec Empire’ single and were recorded at the band’s 26 July 1991 Brixton Academy gig. The remaining four bonus live tracks – "Debaser", "The Holiday Song".  "Cactus" and "Nimrod's Son" – were first released on the 1989 promo Pixies Live and were recorded on 10 August 1989 at Cabaret Metro, Chicago (they were also released as the 1997 EP Debaser: Live, released to promote the band’s Death To The Pixies compilation)

The reissue will be the first time Complete B-Sides has been reissued on vinyl – a 2LP set on either black or clear vinyl. It will also be available as a 2CD edition. And in keeping with the 2024 reissue of At The BBC, the artwork has been given a makeover, using photographs from the archive of Simon Larbalestier, the photographer responsible for the striking imagery on the band’s classic run of albums.

Complete B-Sides: 1988-97 will be released on 26 June via 4AD.

 

Track List:  

CD1:  

 

1. River Euphrates

2. Vamos (Live)

3. In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) (Live)

4. Manta Ray

5. Weird At My School

6. Dancing the Manta Ray

7. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)

8. Into The White

9. Bailey’s Walk

10. Make Believe

11. I’ve Been Waiting For You

12. The Thing

13. Velvety (Instrumental)

14. Winterlong

15. Santo

16. Theme From Narc

17. Build High

18. Evil Hearted You

19. Letter To Memphis (Instrumental)

 

CD2

 

1. Planet of Sound (Live)

2. Tame (Live)

3. Debaser (Live)

4. Holiday Song (Live)

5. Cactus (Live)

6. Nimrod’s Son (Live)

New Music: Upside Down

           

The Australian-British artist Natalie Imbruglia returns with her first new music in five years with the single "Upside Down". It is the first taste of her seventh studio album Algorithm, released on 4 September. Written and produced by Imbruglia with Anu Pillai and David Sneddon, "Upside Down" is a sparkling, jangly pop track shot through with synths and guitars, in many places giving a throwback feel to late 1990s-early 2000s pop. The animated video has been directed by Dan Cadan.

New Music: In The Stars

           

The Rolling Stones have been transported back to the 1970s by deepfake technology in the video for new single "In The Stars" The rock legends are preparing to release their 25th studio album ‘Foreign Tongues’ on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music and it is set to feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and the band’s late drummer Charlie Watts, about the video, it has been created by Deep Voodoo using deepfake technology to transform the Stones into their '70s selves, as they play the track alongside musicians and dancers from across the eras, all united by the band's timeless hedonistic energy. The video stars Marty Supreme’s Odessa A’zion,  and has been directed by Francois Rousselet.

News: The Rolling Stones Announces New Album

The Rolling Stones new studio album is called Foreign Tongues and will be released in July. It contains 14 songs tracklisting not yet confirmed, recorded at London’s Metropolis Studios with superstar producer-of-choice, Andrew Watt.

The album features some special guests, including Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Charlie Watts also makes an appearance, captured during one of his final recording sessions. The lead single is "In The Stars" is now available.

The album is available on CD or as a 2LP set. Both formats also come in box set with a blu-ray audio that features a Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and Hi-Res Stereo Mix of Foreign Tongues. The album’s cover art was created by Nathaniel Mary Quinn.

New Music: Melodramatic

           

Legendary Scottish band Trashcan Sinatras continue the countdown to their first album in a decade with the release of their new single, "Melodramatic" the song upbeat composition is gently charged with a leading bass line and honey-dripping vocal harmonies, blends with searching lyrical themes. Cautiously feeling his way into exploring self-awareness, anxiety and the complex relationship between mind and body, acerbic frontman and lyricist, Francis Reader draws expansive ideas over the intricate sounds of a band celebrating 40 years together this year, displaying their prowess as one of Scot-pop's pioneering collectives. Reader explains: I was trying to write something about hypochondria but, probably because I was looking at the subject too narrowly, it became a song about solipsism; about the ‘mind and body mystery’ in general. It’s destructive to always be looking inward, always worrying about oneself, measuring meds and moods and the effect you’re having on people. Music video captured by Stephanie Gibson and crafted by How It Is Nowadays

In Memoriam: Legendary "Donald Gibb" Dies At 71

Donald Gibb, known for his iconic role as the brutish football player Ogre in the 1984 campus comedy classic "Revenge of the Nerds," has died at 71. His son, Travis, confirmed Gibb passed away Tuesday in Texas following health complications. Gibb's character, Frederick Aloysius Palowaski, was a key antagonist, part of the jock fraternity that tormented the "nerds" like Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe. 

 

Ogre and his teammates famously kicked the nerds out of their dorm after their own frat house burned down, setting up the film's central conflict. Gibb reprised his role in "Revenge of the Nerds II" and "IV." His extensive career spanned over 90 screen roles, including early appearances in films such as "Stripes" and "Conan the Barbarian," and TV series like "The A-Team" and "Magnum P.I."

 

In Revenge of the Nerds, Frederick Aloysius Palowaski, aka "Ogre" — along with a group of fellow college football teammates from the fictional Adams College — torment the nebbish freshmen Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine), Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards), Booger (Curtis Armstrong) and their fellow classmates, dubbed “nerds,” under the guidance of the team’s coach, Harris (John Goodman).

 

The players, who lost their Alpha Beta frat house to a fire, kick the  "nerds" out of their freshman dorm at the beginning of the film. The group of math and computer whizzes, however, concoct a plan of revenge to put the jocks back in their rightful place – in the gym. Gibb also starred in sequels Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise in 1987 and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love in 1994. The actor did not, however, appear in the 1992 TV movie Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. 

 

Donald Gibb recalled in an interview with Youngstown Studio in 2025 that he landed the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds thanks to the help of his friend, stunt coordinator Terry James, after he was initially told he looked too old to play a college student. As such, Gibb said, the casting director was pushing for a different actor to play Ogre. However, Gibb added, since Revenge of the Nerds director Jeff Kanew really wanted him for the part, James came up with a plan to give the actor another chance.

 

In all of a sudden, I get a call from my buddy and he says, 'If you can get down here, shaved, you know — get down here as fast as you can,' Gibb told Youngstown Studio. As such, Gibb told the outlet, he had shaved, but he also had "blood squirting out" of his face from close cuts and pieces of toilet paper to cover them up. After he cleared the mess away, Gibb said he went into another interview  clean shaven and they went, "Okay, he can play the college guy.”

 

Born Donald Richard Gibb on Aug. 4, 1954, in New York City, Gibb's first screen role came in an uncredited turn as a henchman in the Clint Eastwood action comedy Any Which Way You Can. The bit role in the Eastwood comedy was followed two more high-profile films where Gibb played uncredited roles: as a bouncer in the mud-wrestling bar in Bill Murray’s 1981 comedy Stripes and King Osric’s (Max von Sydow) bodyguard in the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger fantasy adventure Conan the Barbarian.

 

Before landing the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds two years later, Gibb appeared in a string of television guest roles in such series as Alice, Simon & Simon, Hardcastle and McCormick, The A-Team and Magnum: P.I. The same year Gibb hit paydirt with Revenge of the Nerds, he also appeared in the comedy Meatballs 2.

 

Amid his work in the Revenge of the Nerds sequels, Gibb appeared in dozens of more TV guest roles on such series as The Facts of Life, Hunter, Night Court, MacGuyver, Cheers, The X-Files, Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Weird Science and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, as well as the daytime dramas Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless.

 

Apart from the Revenge of the Nerds movies, Gibb appeared in such films as Bloodsport, Bloodsport 2, U.S. Marshals and Hancock. Gibb’s last credited screen role was in the 2026 sports thriller Hands. Gibb also has a role in the forthcoming horror film Burlesque Ghost Hunters, which does not yet have a release date.

New Music: The Weak

            

The Danish post-punk band Iceage have shared the singles "Star" and "Ember," two songs that indicated they'd be going towards a more smoothed-out sound, both were taken from the band's new forthcoming album For Love Of Grace & The Hereafter. Today's new single "The Weak," a little rowdier with some rollicking drums, freewheeling guitar riffs, and a curious stylistically-sloppy flute solo from frontman Elias Rønnenfelt. The video credits are: Footage by Anna Dobos Lyric video by Alex Tults Still images by Ira Rønnenfelt

New Music: This Sphere

           

Dogstar have shared their new single "This Sphere," and official music video from their upcoming album All In Now. The track leans into the band's signature alt rock sound with atmospheric guitars, soaring vocals, and plenty of bass riffs that makes of it an interesting melodic blend of several influences as Interpol and kind of early Radiohead. Video Director and Editor: Carlos Garcia Medina

New Music: I Had A Baby Not A Lobotomy

           

The Welsh multi-instrumentalist and producer The Anchoress (aka Catherine Anne Davies) announces her brand new single, "I Had a Baby, Not A Lobotomy" from her forthcoming third studio album, A"s We Once Were". Davies describes the track: "a tongue in cheek litany of all the stupid things people said to me when I had a baby". Propelled by a litany of lyrical barbs, she calls it an anthem for anyone who has ever been written off for daring to procreate.  The single also features guest vocals from Mercury Music Prize nominated Welsh-Cornish musician Gwenno. 
The video has been directed by JJ Eringa.

Rocktrospectiva: The Return To The Form "Sugar Tax" Turns 35

Released on 7 May 1991 "Sugar Tax" was the 8th., studio album by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD.  It was the group's first studio album since 1986's The Pacific Age, and the first of three recorded without co-founder Paul Humphreys, who had departed in 1989. Featuring singer Andy McCluskey alongside a new line-up of musicians, Sugar Tax leans towards the then-prevalent dance-pop genre, with McCluskey's songwriting at times being influenced by the breakdown of his relationship with Humphreys. The album spawned four singles "Sailing On The Seven Seas", "Pandora's Box", "Then You Turn Away," & "Call My Name." 

 

Sugar Tax has provoked mixed responses from critics since its release, being described as both the equal of OMD's seminal Architecture & Morality (1981), and a "forgettable" entry in the group's catalogue. It nevertheless became one of the band's biggest commercial successes, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Sugar Tax is the only OMD album on which Paul Humphreys does not receive a songwriting credit. 

 

In the aftermath of the band's 1989 split, Virgin Records gave the OMD moniker to singer Andy McCluskey, while departing members Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes named their new ensemble The Listening Pool. McCluskey dealt with anxiety about continuing as OMD, stating, "My name doesn't appear anywhere on the album. I was trying to hide behind the corporate identity of OMD because I was terrified that I was on my own because all I'd ever known was working with Paul and then Paul, Malcolm and Martin." His fears were assuaged somewhat by collaborating with new group members Nigel Ipinson and Phil Coxon. Stuart Kershaw, who would join the band as an instrumentalist in later years, co-wrote five tracks.

 

Recording took place at various studios in Liverpool and London. Andy Richards was enlisted as a producer but McCluskey elected to self-produce much of the record with assistance from Coxon and Jeremy Allom in engineering roles. The album is characterised by its extensive use of the Korg M1 workstation. 

 

About the tracks "Was It Something I Said" and "All That Glitters" were directly inspired by OMD's lineup split in 1989,while "Big Town" deals with coming of age in the music industry. "Pandora's Box" was inspired by silent movie actress Louise Brooks, and shares its title with the film Pandora's Box (1929), which stars Brooks in the lead role. "Neon Lights" was a cover of a Kraftwerk song, originally featured on The Man-Machine (1978). "Apollo XI" uses samples from Apollo space missions; a club mix was pressed on white label 12". "Walk Tall" utilises a choral sample from "Miserere" by Gregorio Allegri, and was originally titled "Coming to See You".

 

The record title Sugar Tax refers to the notion of everything sweet having a price, including relationships. The actual "Sugar Tax" track was not completed in time for the album's release, and was instead included as a B-side to "Then You Turn Away". The artwork was designed by Area with photography by Trevor Key, and features an oil sculpture.

 

The album met with mixed reviews on one way critices considered it as a classic OMD, and after a four-year absence marks a triumphant return... McCluskey has managed to distill all the best qualities of a 12-year career into a highly listenable album, a British pop at its finest loaded down with well-rounded synths and expressive vocals. On the other hand, several regarded the record by call it as an item that occasionally OMD managed to find the hypnotic pulse that once made the band tick. But it never really traces it to the dark soul that once set it apart.

 

Despite of that, "Sugar Tax" became one of OMD's most popular albums, achieving sales of three million copies by 2007, also it was the strongest OMD album in years and houses its fair share of career highlights."

 

Sugar Tax Track List:

 

1. Sailing On The Seven Seas

2. Pandora's Box

3. Then You Turn Away

4. Speed Of Light

5. Was It Something I Said

6. Big Town

7. Call My Name

8. Apollo XI" (instrumental, contains sample from JFK "Landing a man on the moon" speech and Apollo 11-related radio transmissions)

9.  Walking On Air

10. Walk Tall

10. Neon Lights (reworking of Kraftwek track from The Man-Machine

11. All That Glitters