This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
64 MusicWeek 04.05.12


PRODUCTRECOMMENDED ALBUM OF THE WEEK


www.musicweek.com


TRACK OF THE WEEK


JUSTIN BIEBER Believe


(Island Def Jam/Mercury)


Justin Bieber visited London last month to premiere some tracks from forthcoming album Believe, and was swamped by fans during his stay. His popularity clearly isn’t diminishing. High-profile collaborators confirmed for the LP so far include


Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, Drake, Kanye West and Taylor Swift amongst others, although the full track list is yet to be decided. The record has a more ‘grown-up’ flavour in terms of lyrical


content, and instrumentally it covers a range of genres with pop, R&B/hip hop, acoustic and club-oriented dance tracks that are likely to appeal to a broader fanbase than previous albums. Bieber said of the new record: “It’s so cool to step out with a


different style, out of your comfort zone… I definitely feel like I had something to prove. I think I did it justice and really hope people will be blown away.” So far, they seem to be: lead single Boyfriend has achieved the


June 18 INCOMING ALBUMS


RICHARD HAWLEY Standing At The Sky’s Edge (Parlophone) Following 2009 album Truelove’s Gutter, Richard Hawley will release his seventh studio


album, Standing At The Sky’s Edge, the first from his new label home. The record is said to ‘mark a


seismic shift in direction’ for Hawley, channelling ‘elements of psychedelia, space rock and ragas with heavy riffs and raw, visceral guitar solos – as well as more familiar, tender moments’. Hawley said of the album: “I wanted


to get away from the orchestration of my previous records and make a live album with two guitars, bass, drums and rocket noises!” As part of a nationwide tour he is


due to play a sold-out gig at London’s HMV Forum on June 8 and will follow with his first-ever Brixton Academy show on October 3. The album has recieved rave


reviews, with Stuart Maconie calling it a “masterpiece” in Word magazine. MAY 7


CHICANE Thousand Mile Stare - deluxe edition (Modena Records/Absolute) The fifth full-length studio album from Chicane producer/songwriter Nick Bracegirdle


sees a 12-track collection incorporating themes from a wide scope of dance music. He said of the record: “This is


music I made whilst consciously trying to disengage from electronic dance music’s genre/sub-genre loop. “It’s a call-it-what-you-want/it-is-


what-it-is, maximum latitude album. No matter what I do though, whatever style I produce in, it’s always going to have that Chicane sound, feel and vibe to it.” Chicane is best known for his No. 1


charting single Don’t Give Up featuring Bryan Adams, from 2000 breakout album Behind The Sun. His team hopes the new record


will ring out this summer “from the speakers of Café del Mar to the plains of the world’s outdoor festivals”.


JUNE 4 OF MONSTERS AND MEN My Head Is An


Animal (Island) Six-piece Icelandic indie breakthrough act Of Monsters and Men garnered acclaim for


performances at this year’s SXSW, where a real buzz grew around the group. After playing Icelandic Airwaves festivals, they are now making their mark on the charts across the world - notably in America. The first UK activity for the band will be


a single release, Dirty Paws, on May 21. The track has already topped the chart in their home country and on HypeMachine. Additionally, the accompanying album has reached No. 1 in the US and Canada’s iTunes Album Chart. The band’s self-released, first


single Little Talks has sold an impressive 400,000 copies and received 3 million views on YouTube. After selling out their debut London


show in less than two hours, OMaM announced a second UK date at London’s The Lexington later this month. JULY 23


best first-week plays by a male artist in the 20-year history of the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 in America and peaked at No. 2 in the Official UK Singles Chart.


STAFF PICK: TIM INGHAM, EDITOR


BRENDAN BENSON What Kind Of World (Lojinx/Essential) Brendan Benson’s Lapalco is truly one of


modern pop music's hidden gems. The 2002 sophomore effort's late arrival - five years after his debut - is one obvious reason why Benson has never claimed the solo superstar status he undoubtedly deserves. It’s a bit of a travesty: for lovers of power pop and the cranky bubblegum genius of Matthew Sweet, Benson is an anomalous treasure; a purveyor of sticky, McCartney-influenced melody with the requisite bite to stop things turning saccharine. Nothing in his canon, for my money,


has touched Lapalco – until now. Benson blends a darker delivery on


What Kind Of World with his take on the Big Star/Badfinger template. The title track is a snare-driven


thumper that transcends into a whirling mesh of twinned vocals, choral repetition and even some sneaky mellotron. Bad For Me is a brusque ballad that starts off bruised, but can't help skipping into radio-friendly hooks; John Grant by way of Harry Nilsson. Sometimes, his


FM rock sensibilities slip into gloopiness, but when he does what he does best


(see the raunchy fun of Pretty Baby or the Carole King-tackling-Sgt. Pepper oddity that is No-One Else But You), his lovably unique talents shine. The solo album from Brendan’s mate


Jack White is good - but I reckon his Raconteurs cohort has just about outdone him here. OUT NOW


June 4


Eyes Wide Open GOTYE (Communion/Island Records)


Eyes Wide Open was the first song recorded by Gotye for his debut album Making Mirrors, which has sold 1.3 million, gone Top 10 in 17 countries (iTunes Top 10 in 26 countries) and peaked in the UK charts at No.4. Previous single, Somebody


That I Used To Know, was released in the UK in February and has been a universal hit. It has sold over 5 million, topped the charts in 15 countries (iTunes #1 in 31 countries) including the UK where it has sold in excess of 800,000. The video has tallied up an astonishing 165 million YouTube hits and is still averaging over a million hits a day.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76