New Music: Boots On The Ground

           

Massive Attack and Tom Waits have shared a new collaborative single entitled “Boots on the Ground,” which marks the first new Massive Attack music distributed under what they’re referring to as a Spotify exemption policy. It’s also Waits’ first original music in 15 years and the first new tune from Massive Attack in six years. The protest anthem comes with a spoken-word B-side from Waits entitled “The Fly,” as well as additional spoken-word reflections from the Egyptian-Canadian-American writer Omar El Akkad. The single comes with a film made by Massive Attack in collaboration with the photographer thefinaleye. 

News: Massive Attack & Tom Waits Together For A New Collaborative Single

Massive Attack and Tom Waits have shared a new collaborative single entitled "Boots on the Ground," which marks the first new Massive Attack music distributed under what they’re referring to as a Spotify exemption policy. It’s also Waits' first original music in 15 years and the first new tune from Massive Attack in six years.

 

The protest anthem comes with a spoken-word B-side from Waits entitled "The Fly," as well as additional spoken-word reflections from the Egyptian-Canadian-American writer Omar El Akkad release this, April 17.

 

"It's a career honor to collaborate with an artist of the magnitude, originality and integrity of Tom, but this track is arriving in an atmosphere of chaos," Massive Attack shared of the collaboration. “Across the western hemisphere, state authoritarianism and the militarization of police forces are fusing again with neo-fascist politics. Seen within the American emergency, at home and overseas, this track contains pulses of callous impulse & abandoned mind."

 

Added Waits: "One day many years ago I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate. Way back then, we sent them 'Boots on the Ground.' Their long release delay never worried me. Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this song will never go out of style. Man’s fiasco folly is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B side of Massive Attack's upcoming 12 inch 'The Fly' features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.”

 

The single comes with a film made by Massive Attack in collaboration with the photographer thefinaleye.

New Music: The Man Who Stole Your Soul

            

Legendary Scottish singer, songwriter and producer Midge Ure has released a new single, "The Man Who Stole Your Soul", offering the latest preview of his forthcoming album "A Man Of Two Worlds," due out on May 8 through Chrysalis Records. The track arrives as Ure prepares to launch a global tour spanning the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand later this year. The new single "The Man Who Stole Your Soul" captures that perspective. According to Ure, the song reflects his concerns about social and political division, particularly in the United States, and the broader climate of tension shaping international discourse. About the album, "A Man Of Two Worlds" represents a significant addition to Ure's catalogue, not only because it ends a 12-year gap between studio albums but also because of its distinctive structure. The double album is divided into two conceptual halves. The first section, titled World One: Music, contains eight instrumental compositions. The second, World Two: Songs, features eight vocal tracks.

 

New Music: I Can Take The Sun Out Of The Sky

           

The incredibles Brigitte Calls Me Baby are sharing the video of their brand new single "I Can Take The Sun Out Of The Sky" taken off their second acclaimed studio album "Irreversible." Directed by Alec Basse, the video leans into a stylised, magazine-inspired concept—bringing the band's world to life through a nostalgic, print-era lens. "It's like a magazine where you can enter the world of the band," frontman Wes Leavins explained in a new Rolling Stone interview, hinting at a visual that doubles as a meta-commentary on the band's growing critical acclaim. The instantly gripping—balancing an open-road sense of freedom with an undercurrent of melancholic grandeur. Now this is one of the standout moments on Irreversible, a record that sees the band evolving into a more expansive, emotionally charged version of themselves.

Rocktrospectiva: The Beautifully Odd "Ripe" Turns 35

Released on 16 April 1991 "Ripe" was the only studio album by English female pop music duo Banderas. The album features the singles "This Is Your Life", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart, plus the follow-up single "She Sells", which reached number 41. A third single, "May This Be Your Last Sorrow", failed to chart.

The album included an appearance from singer Jimmy Somerville, providing backing vocals on the track "Why Aren't You in Love With Me?"; Banderas band members Caroline Buckley and Sally Herbert had been backing musicians with Somerville's band The Communards. Johnny Marr from The Smiths and Bernard Sumner from New Order provide guitar on "This Is Your Life", with Sumner also doing backing vocals.

The pairing of Caroline Buckley and Sally Herbert met in 1987 when they were in the live band of The Communards. Buckley filled the big shoes of Sarah-Jane Morris who had moved on to pursue a solo career while Herbert was in the string section which also included Audrey Riley, Jocelyn Pook and Anne Stephenson. After The Communards disbanded and Jimmy Somerville loaned the pair a Yamaha DX7 and a sampler, Buckley and Herbert became Banderas, the Spanish word for “flag”. Adopting a striking shaven headed image, they began writing songs and gigging, eventually coming to the attention of producer Stephen Hague's manager. 

Buckley and Herbert contributed on The Communards final album "Red", so after having the chance to work with Stephen Hague,  the American was an obvious and natural choice to helm Banderas debut album which was released under the London Records label. 

Things looked promising for Banderas and this was outlined by the cast of players on the album; special guests included Bernard Sumner, Johnny Marr and Jimmy Somerville while there were noted sessioners on board such as Luís Jardim, Guy Pratt and Stevie Lange as well former band mates Audrey Riley and Jocelyn Pook.

The album’s outstanding and key track was the magnificent "This Is Your Life", one of the last songs written and recorded for "Ripe". Using a sample from Grace Jones’ "Crack Attack', it had a distinct Pet Shop Girls behavioural vibe to it. Meanwhile there was also the added bonus of Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner on rhythm guitars plus a terrific middle eight section featured Sumner's vocals before an emotive synth solo.  Despite "This Is Your Life" reached No. 16 in the UK singles charts, there were no more hits for Banderas unfortunately

Other remarkable track were the banging drum mantra and a catchy riff, the more uptempo second single "She Sells" which was a shopping list song that just missed out on a Top 40. But despite lyrics attacking the advertising industry's use of sexist stereotypes, the message proved to be less appealing than the melancholic but uplifting "This Is Your Life". The third Banderas single "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" fared even worse, but despite being inspired by a scene from a film in Arabic where the mourners were reciting to a bereaved family, 

Alongside the singles, "Ripe" had other highlights such as "The Comfort Of Faith,"  a song questioning unconditional religious devotion that came with a typically classic Stephen Hague production while with an orchestral arrangement that undoubtedly seeded Herbert's future career as a film score composer, "Why Aren't You In Love With Me?" which was Banderas' take on Philly soul with Buckley's emotive resignation in harmony with a comparatively understated falsetto from Jimmy Sommerville.

Other fantastic track was "It's Written All Over My Face", a bare self-produced song which despite its countrified acoustic guitar recalled the pulsing electronic arrangement of Marianne Faithfull's version of "The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan". Also quite stripped down was  "Too Good" featuring a stark percussive groove augmented by fretless bass runs while the closer "Never Too Late" saw the duo offer their take on Patsy Cline, and finally "First Hand" or "Don't Let That Man" which maybe are not so impressive as the album's highlights, these are not bad either.  

A second album was in the works to be produced by Alan Moulder but London Records lost interest and Banderas quietly disbanded. "This Is Your Life" may be considered something of a one hit wonder but to have written such a timeless song that resonates with the public, even if it is for a limited moment in time, is a gift to any composer. 

Critics reviewed positive the album considered it as an addictive sophisti sound record and the singer were praised cause she sang with confidence and the tracks This Is Your Life and May This Be Your Last Sorrow as exciting and beautifully produced tracks that saved the album from monotony, so believe it or not, this was the evidence that Banderas delivered an album that was worthy of the supporting cast that helped embellish it.

 

Ripe Track List:  

 

1. This Is Your Life

2. Comfort Of Faith

3. May This Be Your Last Sorrow

4. First Hand

5. Why Arenpt You In Love With Me?

6. She Sells

7. Too Good

8. Don't Let That Man

9. It's Written All Over My Face

10. Never Too Late

Rocktrospectiva: The One-Album Wonder "Temple Of The Dog" Turns 35

Released on 16 April 1991 "Temple Of The Dog" was the only studio album by the US rock band Temple of the Dog, the album was a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died on March 19, 1990, of a heroin overdose. The album spawned two singles "Hunger Strike" & "Say Hello 2 Heaven".

 

Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who had been Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood's roommate, approached former Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament about working on material he had written when he was on tour with Soundgarden in Europe. The line-up eventually included Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and newcomers Mike McCready (lead guitar) and Eddie Vedder (background vocals). McCready and Vedder were featured on the album due to their involvement with Ament and Gossard's next project, which became Pearl Jam. The name Temple of the Dog is derived from the opening lyrics of the Mother Love Bone song "Man of Golden Words": "Wanna show you something, like joy inside my heart. Seems I been living in the temple of the dog".

The recording sessions took place from November to December 1990 at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington. The album was recorded in only 15 days. The group worked with producer Rick Parashar, who also engineered, mixed, and played piano. Two songs on the album, "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven", were written in response to Wood's death, while other songs were written by Cornell on tour prior to Wood's death or re-worked from existing material from demos written by Gossard and Ament. 

Ament described the collaboration as "a really good thing at the time" for him and Gossard that put them into a "band situation where we could play and make music". Gossard described the recording process as a "non-pressure filled" situation, as there were no expectations or pressure coming from the record company. Gossard later said it was "the easiest and most beautiful record, that we've ever been involved with". 

This was the first recording studio experience for McCready and Vedder. Regarding McCready, Cornell said: "You almost kind of had to yell at him to get him to realize that in the five-and-a-half-minute solo of 'Reach Down', that was his time and that he wasn't going to be stepping on anybody else." The song "Hunger Strike" became a duet between Cornell and Vedder after Cornell was having trouble with the vocals at practice and Vedder stepped in. Cornell later said: "he sang half of that song not even knowing that I'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively".

The recorded material was mostly slow and melodic; much different musically from the aggressive metal-influenced sound Cornell had been doing with Soundgarden. The songs bear the street-rock flavor of Mother Love Bone's music indeed the whole record sounds like a bridge between Mother Love Bone's theatrical '70s-rock updates and Pearl Jam's hard-rocking sound, so the accessibly warm, relatively clean sound of Temple of the Dog was somewhat shocking, and its mellower moments are minor revelations in terms of Cornell's songwriting abilities."

All of the lyrics on the album were written solely by Cornell, and he also wrote the music for all but three of the songs. "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and "Reach Down" were written by Cornell in direct response to Andrew Wood's death. Lyrically, the rest of the songs on the album cover a variety of topics. Cornell stated that the lyrics for "Hunger Strike" express "somewhat of a political, socialist statement"

Critics were mixed and relative goog by praising the album due its mournful, elegiac ballads, but thanks to the band's spontaneous creative energy and appropriately warm sound, it's permeated by a definite, life-affirming aura." Temple of the Dog deserved immortality; said others cause those songs were the proof that the angst that defined Seattle rock in the 1990s was not cheap sentiment, at least in the beginning. And you can't help but love the irony of an album, made in great sadness, kick-starting the last great pop mutiny of the twentieth century." In 2022, Stuart Berman and Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork included the album in their list of "The 25 Best Grunge Albums of the '90s" and in 2025, Em Casalena of American Songwriter included the album in the site's list of "4 Grunge Albums That Are Way Better Than Nevermind".

 

Temple Of The Dog Track List:  

 

1. Say Hello 2 Heaven

2. Reach Down

3. Hunger Strike

4. Pushin Forward Back

5. Call Me A Dog

6. Times Of Trouble

7. Wooden Jesus

8. Your Saviour

9. Four Walled World

10. All Night Thing

Rocktrospectiva: The Classic Club-Electronic Dance Album "LaTour" Turns 35

Released on 16 April 1991 "La Tour" was the debut album by house music songwriter/producer LaTour It featured the hit single "People Are Still Having Sex". In the album edit of the song, the lyric was originally written as "This AIDS thing's not working". It was changed to "This safe thing's not working" for airplay. The album reached a peak of 35 on the pop charts, while peaking at number one on the dance charts and number 15 on the UK charts. The album spawne other three singles "Involved", "Cold", & "Blue".

William LaTour, better known by his stage names LaTour and Bud LaTour,  he was a US musician, disc jockey and voice over artist. His musical genres spanned electronic, house, glam, rock, dance, punk, and parody. LaTour he was best known for the 1991 Number 1 Billboard electronic dance hit "People Are Still Having Sex" and also for his instrumental deep house track, "Blue". 

 LaTour was his debut album was more than just relevant, the song "People Are Still Having Sex?" itself was unique in that it was a form of rap song with heavy, electronic beats. During this time in music, the UK was primarily the main stage of electronica with bands such like The Shamen, Utah Saints, 808 State, The KLF, etc. LaTour was one of the first US musicians who charted #1 with a mostly electronica song of that time. 

Other pivotal song on the record was "Blue" which was one of the most exciting songs in the motion picture soundtrack Basic Instinct, to be able to heard the Casio CZ500 synth through a phase effect that initiates the entire song - driving it in one of the most sensual songs that defines that erotic dance scene in the movie was the key element on it, "Allens Got A New Hi Fi." was something totally different and like the other reviewer said, easily still stands up today. Allen's featured electronic beats and electric guitar with vocals. Again something at the time that was not common so this was groundbreaking, "People" had an interesting melody of his voice that really came through on listeners, and "Amazing You", had a driving beat all the while the song speaks of one of the most incredible creatures he has encountered - a special woman. "Romantic, " was a track that should certainly make it onto a mix CD for your lover to say exactly what you're thinking. "Involved." was a soft ode to unrequited love. The light piano in it serves perfect for the songs query - wondering, curious. With all these songs sequenced, it makes for a picturesque journey and is remarkably fun, "Fantasy Soldiers," and "Cold" were also good for dancing or just listening. 

Critics reviews were mixed byt praised the record, especially with "People Are Stil Having Sex", that came as no surprise, the album was considered as an exciting dance music with all the programming and sampling things, an electro pop marvel that offered much more than others at the time, with catchy hooks, highlights lyrics despite the singing was decadent but somehow full of life.

 

LaTour Track List:  

 

1. Allen's Got A New Hi Fi

2. People Are Still Having Sex

3. Involved

4. Cold

5. Fantasy Soldiers

6. Amazing You

7. Laurie Monster

8. Psych

9. Dark Sunglasses

10. Blue 

New Music: House Of I

           

The Afghan Whigs have premiered the video for their new single, "House Of I." The black-and-white clip was filmed in Malibu, California, under Scott Marshall direction and features shots of people wearing skull masks skateboarding and surfing. There’s even a dog dressed as a skeleton. The song "House of I" dropped in March and marked the first new Afghan Whigs material in four years. The Afghan Whigs will launch a U.S. tour celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary April 25 in Woodstock, New York.

New Music: Vendetta

            

Temples have returned with their latest single  "Vendetta", offering another glimpse into their upcoming album "Bliss" set for release on the 26th June via V2 Records. With "Vendetta" sees the band pushing further into electronic territory while retaining the psych-rock foundations that have defined their sound. Built from two originally separate ideas, the track merges gritty guitar work with shimmering synths and a driving, club-ready rhythm. Frontman James Bagshaw describes the track as a collision of influences, blending elements reminiscent of Daft Punk and Avicii with the band's own sonic identity.

New Music: Gasoline Girls

           

Amos' new album In Times Of Dragons comes out in a couple of weeks, and after shared the early tracks "Stronger Together" and "Shush." She's got another one today Amos' florid, majestic new track "Gasoline Girls" hits right in that Tori Amos zone, as she meets a lesbian motorcycle gang while escaping her corrupt "lizard demon" billionaire husband.  . In a press release, Amos says, "This is a metaphor for many different transformations — from a teenage girl becoming a woman, to shifts in gender identity or fundamental belief systems, to the life changes that come with pregnancy, motherhood, and eventually menopause. The song explores the emotions that come with leaving one version of yourself behind and stepping into another.