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It’s that time again, for some cracking new videos to accompany lots of exciting new tracks being released in the coming weeks. We’ve got Bowling For Soup, the comedy pop punks hold a special place in our hearts with amusing videos that seem perfect for mornings when you’re shaking off a hangover and can’t deal with complexity. At the heavier end of the spectrum, Senser release their new single ‘Resistance Now’. Fanfarlo treat us to some old fashioned magic in the video for their new single ‘The Walls Are Coming Down’ itself a rather lovely folk tune. Summer hasn’t quite left us yet, so there’s still time to enjoy Dub Pistols and their jaunty new single. Lastly, everyones favourite vegan baldie is back with another classic tune, check out the promo to ‘Mistake’ here.
On Tuesday 16th June, Moby performs live at the Royal Festival Hall as part of free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown festival.
This upcoming live show marks the first time Moby will play songs from his new album Wait For Me in the UK. Wait For Me will be the debut release on Moby’s own label Little Idiot on June 29th 2009.
Ornette Coleman is a neighbour of Moby’s, and both have supported and performed as part of Tibet House’s international campaign for the support of Tibet. A long time admirer of Ornette’s work, Moby says, “I’m flattered and honoured to be asked by Ornette Coleman to play at his Meltdown festival. His approach to music, and the integrity with which he’s comported himself in all that he’s done, is a big inspiration to me. I can’t think of anyone alive who’s pushed things as far and as hard as Ornette Coleman.”
16th JUNE, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, LONDON
General on-sale is Thursday 30 April at 10am. Tickets will be available from www.southbankcentre.co.uk/meltdown or 0871 663 2520.
It’s fitting that Lynch directs this debut video, as it was a 2008 speech by Lynch that informed Moby’s inspiration for the album and Little Idiot Records:
“David was talking about creativity, and to paraphrase, about how creativity in and of itself, and without market pressures, is fine. it seems that too often creative output is judged by how well it accommodates the marketplace, how much market share it commands and how much money it generates.
“In making this record i wanted to focus on making something that i loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace. as a result it’s a quieter, more melodic, more mournful and more personal record than some of the records I’ve made in the past” — Moby
A resolutely DIY effort, Moby recorded the album in his home studio (“although ’studio’ always seems like an overly grand word for a bunch of equipment set up in a bedroom.”), drew the album artwork with a black sharpie on copy paper, asked his friends to record the vocals (“working with friends is almost always nicer than working with rock stars”) and asked another friend, photographer Jessica Dimmock, to take the press photos.
In addition, friend Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Throbbing Gristle, M83) came on board to help mix the record: “mixing the record with him was really nice, as he’s creatively open to trying anything – like recording an old broken bakelite radio and running it through some broken old effects pedals to see what it would sound like. it’s on the record as a :45 second long track called ’stock radio’”. Moby and Thomas mixed the record using purely analog equipment in true stereo, akin to how records were mixed in the late 60’s. As a result, the songs sound pretty amazing on headphones.
The songs also sound best when listened to as a cohesive body of work. While each track stands on its own merit, ‘Wait For Me’ was recorded and arranged to be listened to from start to finish. In today’s single-driven music industry an album that holds together as a collective entity is a rarity. An album that holds itself to standards higher than commercial measures of success is even more rare.
On Tuesday 16th June, Moby performs live at the Royal Festival Hall as part of free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown festival.
