In Memoriam: The Broadway Composer And Barely Breathing Composer "Duncan Sheik" Dies Aged 56

The Grammy- and Tony-winning musician and composer Duncan Sheik has passed away at age 56, his mother has confirmed. Sheik, perhaps was best known for his 1996 hit "Barely Breathing," had been hospitalized in critical condition earlier this week, according to a message posted to his official Instagram page on Wednesday. The post did not elaborate on his medical condition, but said Sheik was stable and receiving treatment.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Sheik's mother Suzanne Sheik had said her son died of organ failure, but the outlet later reported that she identified the cause of death as cardiac arrest. He died on Thursday while hospitalized in New York City, she said.

Another message posted to Sheik's Instagram page on Friday also confirmed his death:

"The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” reads the caption. “From his Grammy-nominated hit ‘Barely Breathing’ to his groundbreaking, Tony and Grammy Award-winning work on Spring Awakening, Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

“Duncan was a father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He will be remembered for his sensitivity, wit, inteligence, and depth of spirit he brought to those who knew and loved him."

Growing up between South Carolina and New Jersey, Sheik learned guitar as a child and got his first synthesizer when he was 12. He was heavily influenced by Talk Talk, David Sylvian and Nick Drake. His self-titled debut album was released in 1996 and Rolling Stone gave it a four-star review, calling it "a defiant debut — beautiful and benevolent of spirit."

The single "Barely Breathing," from that album, spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 16. It was nominated for best pop vocal performance at the Grammy Awards in 1998.

Sometime during the production of his third album, Sheik teamed up with playwright Steven Sater to compose the music for "Spring Awakening," a musical that opened on Broadway in 2006. "Spring Awakening" went on to win eight Tony Awards, including for best musical, as well as the Grammy for best musical show album.

New Music: Take Me By The Hand

           

Taken from Echo And The Bunnymen's new album "Apples For Isaac" out today, "Take Me By The Hand" is the band's latest single that stick again with that legendary post punk vibe from the 80's, the band's new album had the collaboration of the legendary Clem Burke from Blondi who managed to work in 10 of the 11 tracks before his demise last year, the track was produced by Ian McCulloch, Alan Moulder & Andrea Wright.

New Music: Western/Martian Skyline

           

           

The Church have announced their 28th studio album — a stat that would close out most careers and is, for this lot, simply Thursday. Lacuna lands October 30 via Cooking Vinyl, and shares the lead single "Western"; Steve Kilbey has said the title came straight from the setting, a nod to a childhood spent absorbing TV. It also arrives paired with second track "Martian Skyline", the pair following on from last year's "Sacred Echoes (Part Two)." Kilbey calls the album “intense, forlorn, and exultant” — as tidy a summary as any for a band still finding new corners inside their own sound: jangling guitars, atmospheric post-punk, dream-pop haze. 

Rocktrospectiva: The Electronica & Disco Influenced "Read My Lips" Turns 25

Released on 3 September 2001, "Read My Lips" was the debut studio album by the English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, for which Ellis-Bextor served as lead vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music. It spawned four singles: "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", double A-side single "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "Music Gets the Best of Me". The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). 

Following the disbandment of Britpop group Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller. The song was a commercial success, and Ellis-Bextor signed to Polydor. She was contacted by director Baz Luhrmann, who offered her a role in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist.

The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician Moby to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it. He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour. The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York City, which did not make the final cut of Read My Lips. Furthermore, she also recorded with Blur bassist Alex James, as well as former frontman of the New Radicals, Gregg Alexander, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for his programming and keyboard work.

The album's title was chosen due to the strong lipstick Ellis-Bextor used for the album artwork, the "Take Me Home" music video and "Read My Lips" is sung in the opening verse of the album track "The Universe Is You". The album photography was shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot.

An "eclectic" album, Read My Lips, is a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco. The album opener and first single was a cover version of Cher's 1979 song "Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove". Betty Clarke from The Guardian observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle (in the film My Fair Lady). "Move This Mountain", co-written by Alex James, was a "vibrant" ballad with a trip hop-influenced sound. Following track and second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", was a dance-pop and disco record, that utilised bass guitar and piano in its instrumental. "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards", while "Final Move" contained "tinny beats" and "electro swirls". The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth". "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding", while "Leave the Others Alone" involved "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards". "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent. Re-release new song "Get Over You" was a "polite" Euro disco take on "I Will Survive".

The album reviews were mixed some cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with Spiller. Others described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had", while others felt dissaponted with the album sound and a mere copy of The Human League albums sound, althought previous reviews such as Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's Parallel Lines album"

 

Read My Lips Track List: 

 

1. Take Me Home 

2. Lover

3. Move This Mountain

4. Murder On The Dancefloor

5. I Believe

6. Leave The Others Alone

7. By Chance

8. The Universe Is You

9. Is It Any Wonder

10. Everything Falls Into Place 

Rocktrospectiva: The Tasty And Acclaimed "Familia "Turns 10

Released on 2 September 2016 "Familia" was the 6th., studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, Wanderlust. The released was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July, other singles released were "Crystallise", "Wild Forever", & "Death Of Love."

Before work commenced on the album, Sophie visited Mexico, which she claimed influenced the mood of the record: "The last album I wrote with Ed Harcourt was a wintery kind of record... I think we already had a slightly human instinct to do the complete opposite... we had all of that fresh warmth in our minds." The singer also said: My new album Familia was the bolshier, more extrovert little sister to Wanderlust. It sees the Wanderlust girl move away from Eastern Europe to the warmer, sunnier climate of Latin America where she's swapped vodka for tequila."

Familia earned critical acclaim. John Aizlewood of the London Evening Standard said, "The pop singer brings ice-cold vocals and massive dance beats on her sixth LP. Sophie Ellis-Bextor's startling transformation from well-dressed pop poppet to mistress of imperious doom on 2014's Wanderlust didn't quite receive the acclaim it deserved." Other referred the album as highly enjoyable, saying that "Familia is a successful new release by Sophie Ellis-Bextor that showcased her skill in writing music in a variety of styles, while showing restraint in the balance of instrumentation using acoustic, electronic and more traditional timbres. The Latin American influence on the music is evident without becoming a caricature, which can happen if the music is not well crafted by a meticulous musician. Throughout the album Ellis-Bextor displays her versatility as a singer; her distinctive voice delivers the lyrical content meaningfully and with purpose.

Familia Track List: 

 

1. Wild Forever 

2. Death Of Love

3. Crystallise

4. Hush Little Voices

5. Here Comes The Rapture

6. Come With Us

7. Cassandra

8. My Puppet Heart

9. Unrquited (featuring Matthew Caws)

10. The Saddest Happiness

11. Don't Shy Away

New Music: Swallow The Bomb

           

Royal Blood have released a music video for their brand new single "Swallow the Bomb". This is the secondsingle to be revealed from their highly anticipated new album Dead Company out November 13. So the band made a welcome return last month with album news that marks a powerful new episode for the duo, the album was self-produced by Royal Blood, they set out to make an album as raw, human and visceral as possible. Dead Company strips everything back to its core. 

New Music: Run Away

           

Beck has released a video for the single "Run Away," filmed in Tokyo, Japan and featuring Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. The video was released simultaneously with the artist's new album, "Ride Lonesome." Asano, known for the film Ichi the Killer and the series Shogun, played the leading role in the video, in which his character travels alone through Tokyo. Beck said that at the end of a hot summer, he went to Japan to make the video and turned to his friend Kunichi Nomura. According to the musician, Japanese artists worked on the short film for the song, and filming took place entirely in Japan.

New Music: Fade To Grey

           

Midge Ure has just announced the compilation “Chapters: The Best Of” on 13 November 2026 via Chrysalis Records. The collection gathers his 1980s hits and key album tracks in new 2026 stereo mixes, alongside first-time studio recordings of two songs long associated with his career. "Chapters: The Best Of" follows Ure's recent studio album "A Man Of Two Worlds" and brings together his solo catalogue with material connected to Visage and Thin Lizzy. For the first time, Ure has recorded new studio versions of Visage's "Fade To Grey" and Phil Lynott's "Yellow Pearl," a song he originally co-wrote. The first single is actually "Fade To Grey" in a new fresh version of this 80's hit classic.

News/Compilation: Chrysalis Announce "Midge Ure Best Of" Collection

Midge Ure is back with a brand new compilation, following his recently acclaimed studio album A Man Of Two Worlds, Chrysalis Records will release a brand new Midge Ure Best Of collection, encompassing music he created in the 80s.

Featuring 15 newly mixed songs, including all the hits and, for the first time ever, new studio recordings of Visage's Fade To Grey and Phil Lynott's Yellow Pearl, Chapters: The Best Of is available on 2LP black vinyl and 1CD (standard edition) in a six-panel digisleeve.

A 3CD deluxe edition adds 10 newly commissioned remixes by artists and producers who have worked with Midge, including Craig Armstrong, Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen (Japan), Wolfgang Flür (Kraftwerk) and Chris Payne (Visage/Gary Numan), as well as new instrumental remixes.

Midge's remarkable life in music did not stand still from the moment he arrived in London from his native Glasgow in 1977. He joined Glenn Matlock's Rich Kids. The following year, he and Rich Kids' drummer Rusty Egan formed Visage with Steve Strange. The line-up was completed by John McGeoch, Barry Adamson and Dave Formula from Magazine and Ultravox! keyboardist Billy Currie. Their second single, Fade To Grey, was a Top 10 hit. The new collection will be out on 13 November.

Chapters: The Best Of Tracklisting

CD One The Songs [2026 Stereo Mixes]

 

1. Yellow Pearl 

2. Fade To Grey 

3. No Regrets 

4. The Man Who Sold The World

5. After A Fashion [Midge Ure & Mick Karn] 

6. Living In The Past 

7. The Gift 

8. If I Was 

9. That Certain Smile 

10. Wasteland 

11. When The Wind Blows*

12. Call of The Wild 

13. Hell To Heaven*

14. Answers To Nothing 

15. Sister & Brother [Midge Ure & Kate Bush]

16. Dear God 

17. Remembrance Day 

 

 * Deluxe Edition bonus track

 

CD Two CONNECTIONS 

 

1. Fade To Grey – Chris Payne Mix 

2. After A Fashion – Richard Barbieri Remix 

3. The Man Who Sold The World – Midge Ure 2026 Remix 

4. That Certain Smile – Craig Armstrong Remodel 

5. Call of The Wild – Ty Unwin Reconstructed 

6. If I Was – Blank & Jones so8os Reconstruction 

7. Sister and Brother – Steve Jansen Remix 

8. Wastelands – Danny Mitchell’s  Remix 

9. Answers To Nothing – 2026 Rework 

10. Dear God – Flür/Duggal Remix

CD Three The Music [2026 Instrumental Versions]

1. Yellow Pearl 

2. Fade To Grey 

3. No Regrets

4. The Man Who Sold The World 

5. After A Fashion [Midge Ure & Mick Karn] 

6. Living In The Past 

7. The Gift

8. If I Was

9. That Certain Smile 

10. Wasteland 

11. When The Wind Blows 

12. Call of The Wild 

13. Hell To Heaven 

14. Answers To Nothing 

15. Sister & Brother [Midge Ure & Kate Bush] 

16. Dear God 

17. Remembrance Day 

A Super Deluxe Edition exclusive release features a Blu-ray Atmos mix of the compilation and a hand-pressed edition of the 2LP on splatter vinyl.

Rocktrospectiva: The Experimental "Dopadromo" Turns 30

Released on 17 September 17 1996, "Dopadromo" was the third album by the Argentine band Babasónicos. It was considered their most experimental release due to the melting pot of styles it showcased—ranging from psychedelic sounds to heavy metal and indie rock, and even venturing into bossa nova. The album spawned the singles "El Medium", "Perfume Casino", "¡Viva Satana!", & "Su Ciervo."

Back in the day, the band employed a concept so compelling that it cemented their standing in the Ibero-American scene, positioning them as standard-bearers for the experimental rock emerging from Argentina. Both the themes and the sound represented a significant step forward—largely thanks to the production work of Andrew Weiss, fresh from producing the indie band Ween. His influence was palpable; the band finally achieved a professional sound, perfectly suiting distinctive tracks like "Gronchótica," "Cybernecia," "Coyarama," "Calmática," "Su Ciervo," and the curious "Perfume Casino."

It was a powerful album, rich in soundscapes that—far from being frightening—commanded attention. The record traversed genres including psychedelia, lounge, bossa nova, heavy metal, indie rock, and even a foray into hip-hop, all seasoned with electronic music. This was no accident; the band had already been experimenting with their "Trance Zomba" sound. Furthermore, a generational shift was underway in Argentine rock, bringing a wave of innovative acts, and "Dopadromo" naturally drew inspiration from that environment.

Despite this evolution, the band never lost its underground essence. This allowed them the freedom to incorporate a sonic aesthetic that might not have worked for others; remaining outside the mainstream and free from industry constraints gave them the unique identity and style for which they would become known. The lyrics referenced B-movies and musicals, showcasing the wide array of phrases and terms characteristic of Dárgelos’s writing. Four singles were released from the album, starting with "Viva Satana"—a curious track featuring string arrangements and a rock sound that foreshadowed the direction their music would take in later years. The song tells a story honoring the famous Tura Satana, the Japanese-American actress who starred in the cult classic "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" ...inspired by B-movie director Russ Meyer. Next came "El Médium," a track blending indie rock and electronica with an equally bizarre video; according to Dárgelos, they had wanted to film it during the F1 Grand Prix in Argentina, but that didn't work out, so they shot it elsewhere while keeping the car theme. Then came the raucous "Su Ciervo"—one of the strangest and most curious songs the band ever released, and one of the first to get significant airplay on MTV Latin America. Yet, if that was surprising, the look on our faces when the band released "Perfume Casino" was something else entirely: a refined, carefully crafted Bossa-style track. Even in the video, the band looked elegant, paying close attention to every chord, with a well-groomed Dárgelos singing in the style of 1970s vocalists—a video as peculiar as the song itself was at the time.

Critics praised the album which became a benchmark not only for the band but for the new wave of Argentine rock; they carved out a space for themselves in the scene and gradually rose in fame and recognition. The album is undoubtedly essential to the band's sonic catalog and fundamental to understanding their nature.

Dopadromo Track List:

1. Zumba

2. El Médium

3. Cybernecia

4. Safari Vixen

5. Viva Satana

6. Perfume Casino

7. Calmática

8. Coyarama

9. Su Majestad

10. Pesadilla Biónica Del Perro Biónico

11. Gronchótica

12. Su Ciervo