The best albums, in my opinion, come out of nowhere. When you enter the studio with some vague form of inspiration, but very little actual material. It’s just an incredibly free process. Which is why it’s no surprise to me that the first single from Zach Rogue’s new “Release the Sunbird” project – called “Always like the Son”, off the upcoming album “Come Back to Us” – is such joyous listening.
The press release says that Zach had no idea what was going to happen in the studio when he went in. He just knew that after four albums and near constant touring for Rogue Wave, he wanted to try something different. And you can honestly hear that exploration taking place in this tune. It’s a song that hearkens back to innocent times, and just what I need on this Saturday morning.
Michael Stipe has just announced that he is executive producing a new documentary on his late friend Vic Chesnutt.
According to REMhq:
Michael has signed on to executive produce plan9films Vic Chesnutt project It Is What It Is–a 90-minute plus concert documentary filmed in Canada during Vic’s last tour.
“Vic was one of the landmark artists and writers of our time,” said Michael. “The opportunity to extend his particular brilliance to a wider audience was the impetus to jump onboard this project.”
All I can say is, this is going to be a very, very difficult film to watch.
Below, you can watch an unmixed clip from the project, filmed in November 2009, just one month before Vic died of an apparent suicide.
French duo Herman Dune’s new single – “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” – is a kick ass tune. But it also has possibly my favourite music video of 2011 so far. Watch below as a hitchhiking blue yeti and Mad Man Jon Hamm start up a beautiful friendship.
Way back in 2007, when I wrote my “30 South African Bands you NEED to hear!” post, there was a handful of bands that inspired the post in the first place. Just Jinger, Max Normal, Perez, Springbok Nude Girls… and Plush. You can click on through to read more in that post, but to cut a long story short, here’s the important bit from the post that you need to know about Plush…
Plush were an acoustic rock band based out of Cape Town, comprising of Rory Eliot and Chas Smit. Together they were described as “so unbelievably tight that they sound as though they are one masterful musician, playing two guitars, with four arms and one almighty voice“. Plush were everything I had been waiting for. They wrote songs that spoke to you. Welcomed you in. Sat you down with a beer, and lent a sympathetic ear for all your hurts. They played the soundtrack to your life. Plush, in my opinion, had the potential to be the best thing out of South Africa. Ever.
Plush’s rocket ride to stardom ended tragically when Smit was killed by a drunk driver when attempting to cross a street in Pietermaritzburg in September 2005.
For a taste of what Plush had to offer, the tune below, Erla, was off their debut LP, “All That Is Should Be”, from 2004. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more confident, full debut.
I don’t think any other death in my “musical life” played a larger part than Chas’s. I knew the guys, tangentially, from playing a few of the same festivals as them. We shared one or two of the local bars as regular gig venues, and – looking back on it now – were probably more contemporaries than I ever really knew. But to me, Plush were just something bigger. They were the guys who were going to show the rest of the world everything that South Africa could do. So when Chas died, a little bit of that hope died with me.
Rory, the other half of Plush continued playing as “Rory Eliot & The Reason”. And his stuff was good, but never quite hit me like the old Plush stuff did. But over the last few years, Rory’s started up “Plush” again, with new band members Carl Wegelin and Emelio Gassibe.
Anyway, all of this is a lengthy preamble to say that Plush are just about to launch their new, self-titled debut. And I’ve just heard their lead single, Dancing in a Storm.
And I got that good old “Plush” feeling again… and I’m sitting here, transported immediately back to simpler times.
