San jose rock n roll marathon

The contrast between the deafening scream that greets DIY pop star Clairo’s arrival on stage, and what comes next, is telling. If the Massachusetts singer-songwriter – real name Claire Cottrill – is fazed by the adulation, then she doesn’t let it show. From its opening note, her set appears precision-engineered to avoid undue fuss – more mood exercise than vehicle for grandstanding. The 21-year-old’s stage setup is sparse: disconnected imagery – rolling clouds, raindrops on glass, worms – flashes across a blank backdrop, and she performs the songs from her debut, Immunity (which she co-produced with former Vampire Weekend member Rostam), beneath just a bare white bulb. It’s daring, but they flourish under such scrutiny. Given her none-more-online rise to fame – precipitated by a home-recorded video for her song Pretty Girl blowing up on YouTube to the tune of 43m views and counting – it’s perhaps no surprise that … [Read more...] about Clairo review – hard-won life lessons from adored DIY pop star

“You think you’re the only person who wants to get a face-to-face interview with me? Get in line. I’m the best person you never met and one day, if you ever meet me, you’ll probably want to have my baby.” That’s Mark Kozelek, via email, which is the way he chooses to conduct his interviews (“So I don’t get quoted with words like ‘dunno’,” he told Uncut last year, explaining his refusal to meet interviewers in person). He was – via his PR – replying to my questions about Universal Themes, his new album under the name Sun Kil Moon. Three weeks ago, I had tried to arrange a face-to-face meeting for this piece. As expected, the answer was a polite no: “He’s too scattered and distracted on tour to conduct an in-person interview and he will have to pass, but he said to tell you thank you for asking.” Instead, I emailed my questions and approached his peers for supporting interviews, only later … [Read more...] about I interviewed Mark Kozelek. He called me a ‘bitch’ on stage

After briefly confusing then enrapturing dance and pop fans with his country-EDM smash Wake Me Up, Avicii now looks set to continue his genre splicing on his second album, featuring a host of big-name collaborators from the worlds of rock, punk and reggae. Following Avicii's production on the song A Sky Full of Stars, which featured on Coldplay's most recent album, Chris Martin will return the favour and guest on one of the EDM artist's new tracks. "Chris has been like a brother," Avicii, AKA Tim Bergling, told Rolling Stone. "He helps out with my nutritionist." Perhaps most surprisingly on Avicii's recruitment list is the appearance of two big names from the worlds of punk and metal: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and System of a Down's Serj Tankian. Jon Bon Jovi meanwhile is set to bring some classic rock pedigree to the record. Finally, in what will surely be a new definitive anthem for backpackers, Wyclef Jean and Matisyahu have collaborated on a reggae duet. "I love it, but I … [Read more...] about Avicii enlists Chris Martin, Jon Bon Jovi and Wyclef Jean for new album

You probably know the story by now. Lily Allen, daughter of professional geezer Keith, grows up largely without him, dividing her childhood between council flats and film premieres, where she says times were hard for her single mum "what with three kids' school fees to pay". She gets expelled frequently, guzzles a load of club drugs in Ibiza, writes some brilliant songs about London life and becomes the queen of MySpace, where she blogs her heart away about how rubbish everyone else is. The diminutive brunette then turns 21 and her debut single, Smile, plunges straight into the charts at No 1. The good news is that her first hit is by no means her greatest effort. Entering the landscape of Alright, Still is a bit like watching Sex and the City as re-enacted by Marmalade Atkins, with various cameos from the Bash Street Kids. That's not to say that anybody but Allen stars on this album, although there are various producers and co-writers behind the scenes, including New York's coolest … [Read more...] about Lily Allen, Alright, Still

Imagine, for a moment, being the man who signed Adele. You run a label – XL – home to mavericks as diverse as Dizzee Rascal, Radiohead and Arca, and you produce records by your heroes – Gil Scott-Heron, Bobby Womack – in what one might laughably call your spare time. By many people’s definitions, you’d be about as fulfilled, three-dimensional and jammy a human as there is. In 2015, your net worth was guessed at £75m, but your impact on British music is harder to calculate. Then imagine being paralysed. One minute, you’re putting out Gil Scott-Heron’s final album. And then – insert an obscure sound effect here, the kind that you collect – you’re laid low by Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. It’s 2013, you’re in hospital, and you can just about twiddle your fingers. Geoff Barrow, on behalf of Portishead, sends you a dinky synth – a pocket piano by … [Read more...] about Everything Is Recorded: Everything Is Recorded By Richard Russell review – mogul music with a stellar cast