Tag Archives: The Verve

Shorties

New video from The Good, The Bad & The Queen: Gun To The Head

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Video: The Good, The Bad & The Queen – “Gun To The Head”

From Merrie Land, out now on Studio 13.

It’s been eleven years since the last album from The Good, The Bad & The Queen, the band featuring members of The Clash, Blur, The Verve and Tony Allen: Master Drummer of Afrobeat (which is also the name of Allen’s autobiography). And man…what an eleven years it’s been.

Just as America is struggling in the Trump years with questions of patriotism vs. nationalism and democracy vs. authoritarianism, the United Kingdom is facing a very public break up with the European Union that would make Pete Davidson cringe. The Good, The Bad & The Queen explores the very question of what it is to be English in this modern world and the answers are anything but easy.

“Gun to the Head” sees a return for the creepy ventriloquist dummy who reintroduced us to the band in the lead-off video for “Merrie Land” (after the jump). If the the truth comes from the mouths of babes, what can we expect from a dummy? It turns out that it’s maudlin carnival music and a  hard dose of reality.

I was a dedicated follower of Oasis back when Albarn was warring with the Gallaghers in the 90s, but have really taken to the bookish pop sensibilities he’s brought to pop music. The first album from The Good, The Bad & The Queen is still in frequent rotation around my house and if the first two singles represent the album, then I’ll be listening intently to the continuation of the story. And taking notes…

The Good, The Bad & The Queen: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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Shorties

New Gorillaz video: Humility

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Video: Gorillaz – “Humility”

From The Now Now, due June 29 on Parlophone/WMG.

It’s June, y’all. Officially unofficially summer, which means the race for Summer Jam is on! Gorillaz submit their entry with a breezy number and video with shots of the band’s animated characters roller skating, playing chess and menacing basketball players along Venice Beach. Jack Black shows up because…why not?

“Humility” featuring George Benson is the lead off single from the new album THE NOW NOW, the sixth studio album from the virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett.

In other Damon Albarn news, the singer told Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show that a new album from his other project with the Clash’s Paul Simonon, the Verve’s Simon Tong, and drummer Tony Allen is also completed. This will be the second album from The Good, The Bad and the Queen, following on the band’s 2007 debut that was produced by Dangermouse and was on heavy rotation in my house for what seemed like a decade…and I guess probably was.

Gorillaz: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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Stream the New Verve Album

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Stream the new Verve album via MySpace now.

My main concern with this album was that it would be closer to Richard Ashcroft’s solo material, which has been steadily leaning more and more puss rock, than to the guitar heavy majesty of the band’s back catalog. First listen seems to show a bit of both. There’s plenty of orchestration and smooth production, with flourishes of guitar swells. It’s a split decision, but leaning toward puss rock.

Album details, including tracklisting, after the jump…

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