The The’s Matt Johnson today debuted both a new monthly web broadcast and some brand-new music with the first installment of “Radio Cineola,” which can be heard as a 10-minute audio stream on TheThe.com or purchased as an expanded 15-minute download.
The January broadcast, hosted by the dusky-voiced Johnson himself, features six mostly instrumental songs, including three cuts from the forthcoming The The score to the film “Tony,” as well as two from Johnson’s upcoming musical adaptation of John Tottenham’s book “The Inertia Variations,”
On The The’s website, the radio show is described as, “Our monthly broadcast transmitted from Studio Cineola and featuring previews of upcoming The The releases, works in progress, chats with collaborators and from the vault, previously unheard material.”
Between tracks on the inaugural episode, Johnson displays some appropriately dark humor:
“You would think that by now people would know better than to ask me what I’ve been doing with my time, and you would think by now that I would have come up with an answer that would silence them. But I still stumble, crumble and growl when faced with this thankless inquiry. I supposed I could tell them the truth: That after all the brooding, abstraction and evasion, there just isn’t much time left to do the work or tell the truth.”
After a lengthy period of inactivity, Johnson does appear to be on the verge of reemerging, not just through the “Radio Cineola” broadcasts, but also with the forthcoming soundtrack to the serial-killer film “Tony,” which — now due for release in February through TheThe.com — will mark be the first The The album in a decade. J0hnson also has posted on his site “The Island Amid the Worlds,” a short film by Johanna St. Michaels that features “soundscapes” by The The. Watch it here.
See full tracklist for January’s ‘Radio Cineola’ broadcast after the jump…
Tracklist: The The, “Radio Cineola,” January 2010
1. “The Lust for Unsung Dreams” (from the soundtrack to the film “Tony”)
2. “Our Secret Selves” (from the soundtrack to the film “Tony”)
3. “The Blue Hour” (from “The Inertia Variations”)
4. “Slow Rider” (from the vaults)
5. “Verse 1” (from “The Inertia Variations”)
6. “The Lust for Unsung Dreams Reprise” (from the soundtrack to the film “Tony”)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
although i’ve always been well aware of The The i’ve never investigated their albums beyond the singles i’ve randomly heard over the years. What would you reccomend album-wise?
Well, if you’ve liked their singles, you can always start “45 RPM,” the singles collection that came out a few years ago. Can’t go wrong there — it’s a killer comp. Album-wise, they’re all pretty strong. “Soul Mining” and “Infected” capture that early sound, “Mind Bomb” is when Johnny Marr came into the picture. He also plays on “Dusk,” which is probably my favorite. Kind of dark. Although if you want really dark and heavy, I recommend the most recent album, “NakedSelf,” which I’m quite fond of.
Thanks for the quick suggestions I think I’m going to pick up Mind Bomb and Dusk.
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