Lloyd Cole returns to more electric sounds this summer with the release of ‘Standards,’ a new 11-track album that finds the singer-songwriter reuniting with part of the team — Matthew Sweet on bass and co-producer/drummer Fred Maher — behind Cole’s 1990 self-titled solo debut, the so-called “X” album.
This week’s new releases include the ‘Songs For Slim’ reunion EP from The Replacements, new studio albums from Robyn Hitchcock, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, They Might Be Giants, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Lloyd Cole and Cluster founder Hans-Joachim Roedelius.
For this week’s installment of Vintage Video, we flash back to 1985 for this great German TV broadcast of a 40-minute performance in Munich by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, filmed about five months after the band’s classic debut ‘Rattlesnakes’ was released (footage via Manu Guinarte).
Lloyd Cole is once again reaching out to his fanbase to help finance the recording of his next album, a project that finds the singer-songwriter reuniting with part of the team — Matthew Sweet on bass and co-producer/drummer Fred Maher — behind Cole’s 1990 self-titled solo debut, the so-called “X” album.
Over the past few days, Lloyd Cole has treated fans to a couple gems from the vault, posting a pair of post-Commotions U.K. radio sessions recorded in 1990, including a four-song BBC studio set in which he’s backed by a full band that included soon-to-be-star Matthew Sweet and ex-Voidoids guitarist Robert Quine.
Morrissey, as he’s wont to do, made headlines this week with a typically acerbic attack on his native England, this time blasting the London Olympics over “the blustering jingoism that drenches the event” and suggesting that the “spirit” of Nazi Germany no pervades modern-day Britain. Billy Bragg disagrees.
In this week’s link round-up we find Lloyd Cole writing about David Bowie’s ‘Low,’ plus interviews with Jim Reid of the recently reunited Jesus and Mary Chain, Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger of The Beat (aka The English Beat) and New Wave piano man Joe Jackson.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 