Music news

• Bicep: Bicep review – analogue deep house duo flex muscles on fitfully riveting debut

  31-08-2017 21:45
  (Ninja Tune)After months of shaky-cam YouTube uploads from fans capturing unreleased material, paired with the kind of feverish rapture that usually accompanies UFO sightings, Belfast deep house duo Bicep finally release their debut LP, and it fitfully lives up to expectations. Built with the rounded corners of analogue gear rather than the planed-off shards of digital, the aesthetic is of vintage techno, both breakbeat and ambient (their nostalgia is unlined by Vespa, an interlude with impressi
  
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• Hercules and Love Affair: Omnion review – relapse and recovery on the dancefloor

  31-08-2017 21:30
  (Atlantic)On paper, the dance collective Hercules and Love Affair’s fourth album seems like a risky endeavour. The topic of mainstay Andy Butler’s relapse into drug addiction and his recovery hangs over Omnion. It should be a tough subject for an album thick with four-to-the-floor beats to address – who wants to be reminded of the downside of hedonism while lost on the dancefloor? – but Butler has form in hitching difficult topics to dance music. The gorgeous 2014 track I
  
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• Mogwai: Every Country's Sun review – brilliant music to navigate life's chaos

  31-08-2017 21:15
  (Rock Action)Few bands make great music in their third decade together, but Mogwai continues the particularly strong form they’ve been in since 2013’s Les Revenants on their ninth studio album, Every Country’s Sun. It’s built, as ever, on the Scots’ familiar instrumental tropes. Sometimes the album is pensive or disturbing. Elsewhere, it’s hymnal and graceful (Coolverine), or brutal (1,000 Foot Face). It’s not so much as quiet-then-loud as the sound of t
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs about persistence

  31-08-2017 21:00
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 4 September This week we’re looking for songs that get there in the end through a little hard work. As ever, for more on how to interpret the theme, keep an eye on the comments.
  You have until 11pm on Monday 4 September to post your nomination and make your justification. Regular RR contributor Scott Blair (who posts in the comments as misterbadexample
  
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• Jake Bugg: Hearts That Strain review – a return to troubadour-lite form

  31-08-2017 21:00
  (Virgin/EMI)When he first made waves half a decade ago at 18, there was an air of novelty surrounding Jake Bugg, whose voice was stylishly worn-in without sounding as if he was a long-time chainsmoker. Bugg eventually broadened out his bluesy sound, even dabbling in Madchester-esque beats and poorly judged rap on his last album, On My One, backpedalling on comments he’d made rubbishing pop and hip-hop. Deviating from the formula didn’t do him any favours, however, and his third recor
  
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• Joan Osborne: Songs of Bob Dylan review – tired covers of a musical colossus

  31-08-2017 20:45
  (Womanly Hips) Related: Girl from the North Country review – Dylan's songs are Depression-era dynamite Into the quiet days of late summer comes a one-hit wonder tackling a colossus. But fair play to Joan Osborne – women taking on Dylan’s music have previously worked wonders. Nina Simone smoothed Just Like a Woman’s creases of misogyny into a moving meditation on vulnerability, while Adele transformed Make You Feel My Love’s croaky sweetness into a planet-swallowing
  
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• Joseph Shabason: Aytche review – dense ambient jazz debut, with birdsong

  31-08-2017 20:40
  (Western Vinyl)Based in Toronto, Joseph Shabason plays saxophone with art rockers Destroyer and provides icy synths for the R&B outfit DIANA. His solo debut, however, is densely textured ambient jazz that is wonderful to immerse yourself in for 40 minutes. Backed by watery synths, muted trumpet, EBowed guitar and recordings of birdsong, Shabason plays tenor sax through a harmonising pedal, which turns his aqueous riffs into wispy, symphonic fanfares. There are moments of virtuosity from Dest
  
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• We should all applaud the pre-booked Proms | Letters

  31-08-2017 20:33
  Keen Promenader Lee McLernon says the sale of pre-booked tickets to unreserved standing areas has opened up the Proms to new audiencesAs a long-standing Promenader (pun intended), I must take issue with the points raised by Adrian Greeman (Letters, 30 August). The ability to pre-book a ticket for the unreserved standing areas at the BBC Proms on the day of the concert, introduced last year, has had minimal impact on the ability of those queuing for a ticket to get in.The number of such tick
  
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• Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa review – extraordinary nod to 'swinging Somalia'

  31-08-2017 20:30
  (Ostinato Records)This extraordinary set, compiled largely from cassettes that had been hidden away for decades, is a reminder of “swinging Somalia” in the 1970s and 80s, before the country was torn apart by civil war. Mohamed Siad Barre’s military regime may have controlled the music industry during this golden age, but bars and clubs flourished in Mogadishu and Hargeisa. Local bands developed a unique style that mixed Arabic and Indian influences with funk and soul, along wit
  
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• Gonimoblast Live with Maja S​​K Ratkje and Arve Henriksen review – electronica with improv clout

  31-08-2017 20:20
  (Stoney Lane)Gonimoblast are a London and Midlands five-piece electronica band, formed by bassist Chris Mapp after an inspiring trip to Norway’s Punkt festival, and including Polar Bear electronicist Leafcutter John and free-jazz drummer Mark Sanders. The group recorded two successive live shows for this limited-edition, screenprinted double album, with celebrated Norwegian adventurers Maja SK Ratkje (vocals) and Arve Henriksen, who plays flutelike, wind-toned ambient trumpet. The effects
  
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• Roscoe Mitchell: Bells for the South Side review – a rich testament to wide horizons

  31-08-2017 20:15
  (ECM)Reeds player, composer and Art Ensemble of Chicago co-founder Roscoe Mitchell recorded this mix of premeditation and improv with four trios in 2015, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Reportedly, the occasion at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art was a mixed-media experience. In audio form, extended stretches on disc one need close focus on quiet bell-chiming, long trumpet tones against multiphonic sax growls and slow-blooming
  
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• Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry Explains Why She'd Look 'Totally Different' If She Wasn't On The Show And It Involves Surgery - EXCLUSIVE

  31-08-2017 19:26
  Don't miss brand new Geordie Shore, Tuesdays at 10pm - only on MTV!
  
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• Geordie Shore's Aaron Chalmers Reveals He'd Choose To Stay On The Show Forever And This Is Why - EXCLUSIVE

  31-08-2017 19:26
  Don't miss brand new Geordie Shore, Tuesdays at 10pm - only on MTV!
  
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• R&B star Kwaye on being discovered in an Uber: ‘I thought it was a bit weird’

  31-08-2017 19:15
  A chance encounter in a Los Angeles cab led the British Zimbabwean singer to his first recording contract – and critical acclaim. He talks about the politics behind his funky R&B
  Popstar ascents have become so predictable – unknown guest on dance track later re-emerges as a solo act – that it’s easy to be cynical of more elaborate backstories. And Kwaye’s is fairly eyebrow-raising. Within the first week of a year studying abroad at UCLA, the Zimbabwe-born, Londo
  
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• Harry Styles Announces Live Album With New Version of 'Two Ghosts'

  31-08-2017 18:28
  THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Get ready for another album of Harry...
  
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• Kendall Jenner Has Been Named The Fashion Icon Of The Decade

  31-08-2017 18:09
  People have mixed opinions about the accolade.
  
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• John Landis on the making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller: ‘I was adamant he couldn’t look too hideous’

  31-08-2017 17:52
  Thriller had been out for a year when the king of pop asked the director of An American Werewolf in London to direct a video for its title track. The result helped turn an already huge record into the biggest everIt was around 2am and I was asleep, in London, the first time Michael Jackson called me. He told me how much he admired my film An American Werewolf in London and asked if it would be possible for me to direct a music video in which he could “turn into a monster.” I explaine
  
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• Teen Mom UK’s Megan Salmon-Ferrari Hits Back At Haters Criticising Her For Buying A Horse While Living In A Hostel

  31-08-2017 17:43
  Megan hits back in the BEST way.
  
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• Sam Smith Is Dropping His New Single Any Minute Now

  31-08-2017 17:18
  The 'Stay With Me' singer is finally about to make a comeback...
  
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• Bad blood! Is Taylor Swift’s ‘verified fan’ system a way to reward followers – or rip them off?

  31-08-2017 17:11
  Swift’s scheme to get tickets into the hands of genuine fans may be noble, but it involves them shelling out for extra goodies. It’s the latest chapter in a struggle between artists, fans and promoters to make access to gigs fairIt is possible that you do not have an opinion about the font Taylor Swift employs on the cover of her new album, that you do not care who or what her new single is directed at, and that you are wholly unconcerned by whether she is currently an online heroine
  
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• LCD Soundsystem: American Dream review – virtuosic comeback full of harmonies and humblebrags | Album of the week

  31-08-2017 16:35
  Packed with aural allusions to Bowie and Eno, LCD Soundsystem’s comeback is a virtuosic tribute to their heroes – and themselvesLast year, Suicide’s eerie 1979 song Dream Baby Dream started surfacing in all sorts of places. It soundtracked images of buildings buckling in Adam Curtis’s film HyperNormalisation, blasted through Andrea Arnold’s road-trip movie American Honey and, following Suicide frontman Alan Vega’s death in July, was resurrected live and on rec
  
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• Francesco Tristano: Piano Circle Songs CD review – musical magpie keeps things interesting

  31-08-2017 16:30
  Tristano/Gonzales
  (Sony Classical)‘Maybe we have to come up with a new series of labels,” says Francesco Tristano, suggesting “acid classical” and “acoustic disco” before thinking better of it. “Let the music speak for itself.” The Luxembourg-born pianist/composer/producer has done good on either side of the indie classical line, with previous projects featuring the solo music of Luciano Berio and orchestrated versions of Detroit techno anthems. Hi
  
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• LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy: ‘I was a joke. My wife said I was going to die’

  31-08-2017 16:24
  Their success was at its peak when Murphy decided to end the band in 2010. Now, the self-confessed control freak is back with a stunning new album. It’s not a cynical career move, he says – David Bowie told him to do itIn 2010, LCD Soundsystem were in the process of booking a tour in support of their third album, This Is Happening. It was to end with a show at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden; evidence of how the band’s career had unexpectedly flourished. Five years on f
  
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• Teen Mom UK’s Mia Boardman Responds After Shocking Feud With Manley Geddes: ‘There Are Two Sides To Every Story’

  31-08-2017 16:21
  Fans weren't impressed with Manley in the latest episode.
  
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• Get to Know: Kojey Radical

  31-08-2017 16:16
  We caught up with the iinovative London rapper to find out a little bit more about him and his music...
  
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• Madonna moves to Lisbon as son joins Benfica youth academy

  31-08-2017 16:01
  Singer buys house near Portuguese capital after David Banda, 11, who she adopted from Malawi, joins the football teamMadonna has reportedly moved to Lisbon after her 11-year-old son David Banda joined the Benfica football team youth academy.
  The Portuguese weekly magazine Visão reported: “Madonna is no longer a tourist, she now lives in Lisbon.” It republished several pictures from Madonna’s Instagram account that show her visiting Portugal over the past couple of months
  
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• RSPO/Oramo/Chineke!/Edusei review – rounded, exquisite, played to perfection

  31-08-2017 15:49
  Royal Albert Hall, London
  A stellar performance by Renée Fleming and the first appearance at the Albert Hall by the BAME Chineke! Orchestra made Proms 61 and 62 a privilege to attendInevitably, the Proms that always command most critical attention and shift most tickets are those that involve premieres, rarities, outsize pieces and, of course, stars. That’s the way of the world. But such special occasions shouldn’t be permitted to eclipse the others. As Esa-Pekka Salonen once
  
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• 13 Reasons Why Star Katherine Langford Wrote A Song For Her High School Crush

  31-08-2017 15:44
  It's a surefire hit.
  
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• Ed Westwick Still Doesn’t Know Who Gossip Girl Is

  31-08-2017 15:04
  We just don't understand how this is a thing.
  
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• Miley Cyrus and Family Take A Trip To Nostalgia In 'Carpool Karaoke'

  31-08-2017 13:48
  The Cyrus clan belt out everything from Bruno Mars to 'Party In The USA'...
  
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• Geordie Shore Radgies Reveal Whether They'd Rather Fight Vicky Pattison Or Anna The Boss - EXCLUSIVE

  31-08-2017 13:45
  Don't miss brand new Geordie Shore, Tuesdays at 10pm - only on MTV!
  
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• 12 Things You’ll Understand If You’re Funnier Online Than IRL

  31-08-2017 13:26
  *Wait, I have the perfect meme for this*
  
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• TOWIE's Megan McKenna Faces Harsh Rejection In Her Upcoming Reality Show

  31-08-2017 13:05
  Ya'll are gonna love watching her attempt to fulfil her dreams of becoming 'a worldwide country star'.
  
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• Readers recommend playlist: your songs about flags

  31-08-2017 13:00
  A regular reader picks a playlist from your suggestions, with the Dubliners, KRS-One and British Sea Power among the artists waving flags
  Here is this week’s playlist – songs picked by a reader from hundreds of suggestions in the comments on last week’s callout. Read more about how our weekly series works at the end of the piece.Flags date from antiquity, with one of the oldest extant standards (of sorts) being an Iranian banner made of bronze, dating back to the 3rd millennium
  
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• This Harry Potter Inspired Liquid Eyeliner Is Every Muggle's Dream

  31-08-2017 12:50
  Definitely worth emptying your Gringotts vault of all its galleons.
  
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• Vince Staples review – big fish of rap hooks leaping crowd

  31-08-2017 12:21
  Kentish Town Forum, LondonThe LA rapper cuts his hypnotic choruses with racial commentary while flinging about the stage with enough energy to inspire the mosh pit It’s rare to find a club-ready rapper who cites Joy Division and David Bowie as influences, but then, Vince Staples is a rare kind of rapper. With a prolific release schedule that has seen the 23-year-old Californian release six wildly disparate album-length projects in the space of five years (two of which were produced by long
  
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• Does This Mean Cheryl Will Never Ever Return To The X Factor?

  31-08-2017 12:05
  The singer has officially cut all ties.
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: Mollie King Teases Amazing New Pictures From Her 'Hair Down' Music Video

  31-08-2017 11:59
  The 'Back to You' singer is about to return to the pop music scene...
  
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• Marnie Simpson And Nathan Henry Think ‘It Would Make Sense’ For Gaz Beadle To Quit Geordie Shore

  31-08-2017 11:49
  They reckon it might be time for him to focus on fatherhood.
  
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• Bella And Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss And Every Model Confirmed To Walk In The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2017

  31-08-2017 11:39
  Prepare to acquire a new girl crush or two.
  
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• Riverdale Newbie Vanessa Morgan Wants Her Character To Date Cheryl Blossom

  31-08-2017 11:38
  And we couldn't agree more.
  
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• Watch Kim Kardashian Confess She's The 'Biggest Taylor Swift Fan' In Throwback Clip

  31-08-2017 11:19
  Kimmy used to 'love' her now-nemesis.
  
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• Stephen Bear Had The Best Response To Claims He’s ‘Controlling’ Charlotte Crosby

  31-08-2017 10:49
  The pair reunite for the first time since their brief split.
  
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• Neil Finn's four-hour music marathon: ‘There was a thrill attached to it’

  31-08-2017 06:57
  The much-loved musician explains why he livestreamed the entire recording of his new album, Out of Silence, over four hours on a Friday nightThe camera in Neil Finn’s home studio in Auckland starts picking up bits of conversation about the weather and traffic. People move in and out of the shot, tuning their instruments, plugging things in. Finally the musicians take their seats and Finn himself sits behind a piano. “It’s what I dreamed of when I built this place,” the Cr
  
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• Lloyd's of London alleges 'irregularities' in Kanye West's $10m insurance claim

  31-08-2017 02:39
  Insurers file countersuit to rapper’s demand for payout for cancelled dates, saying it has found discrepancies in his medical historySyndicates of Lloyd’s of London insurance market have filed a countersuit to Kanye West’s claim that he was owed $10m after canceling his tour last year, saying it found “substantial irregularities” in the rapper’s medical history. The counterclaim was filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday and said West’s Very Go
  
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• James Blunt announces Australia tour after stint as Ed Sheeran's 'bitch'

  31-08-2017 00:38
  UK singer-songwriter says he has really enjoyed supporting Sheeran on tour in the US and the pair might perform together next yearJames Blunt has announced he will tour Australia and New Zealand next year and has hinted Ed Sheeran might join him on stage, Blunt having already enjoyed playing second fiddle as “Sheeran’s bitch”.Blunt is supporting Sheeran on tour in the US and the pair will both be in Australia in March, with a day or two free for an onstage collaboration. Contin
  
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