Dennis Flemion, who co-founded the cult indie-pop act The Frogs with his younger brother Jimmy in Milwaukee in 1980 and rose to minor alt-rock celebrity in the ’90s, is missing and presumed dead in a Wisconsin lake, Matador Records co-owner Gerard Cosloy announced on the label’s blog tonight.
News this week of Thurston Moore’s new collaboration with (former?) wife Kim Gordon and Yoko Ono didn’t help answer questions about the future of Sonic Youth, nor does Matador Records’ announcement this morning — complete with debut MP3 — that Moore has started a new band called Chelsea Light Moving.
Boston post-punk masters Mission of Burma this summer will release ‘Unsound,’ their fourth post-reunion album (that’s three more records than they put out during their original run in the ’80s), and this week premiered the first track from that effort, called ‘Dust Devil.’
Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo next week will release his new solo album ‘Between the Times and the Tides,’ but he’s decided to preview the record by streaming it online in full beginning this week. The record, a more traditional song-oriented effort than his more experimental solo material, will be released March 20 in the U.S.
Lee Ranaldo may have an excellent new solo album to promote — ‘Between the Times and the Tides,’ due out March 20 on Matador Records — but he’s invariably going to be asked at every turn about the future of Sonic Youth, given last year’s break-up of bandmates and spouses Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon.
Matador Records today debuted the first track off Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo’s forthcoming solo album ‘Between the Times and the Tides.’ The 3-minute ‘Off the Wall’ — a gentle, mid-tempo rocker that mixes acoustic and shimmering electric guitars — can be streamed or downloaded here.
Sonic Youth wrapped up a short South American tour last night with a 70-minute set at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil — something that normally wouldn’t be particularly newsworthy, except that it might have been the legendary noise-rockers’ final performance after 30 years together.
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 