Charlotte Gainsbourg and Connan Mockasin have confirmed a show at London's Somerset House on Thursday 19th July.

The pair recently collaborated on Gainsbourg's album 'Stage Whisper', which was released through Because Music earlier this year.

A double album of live and unreleased studio tracks, the record is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 'IRM' album, which came out in 2010. Stage Whisper's studio material also features collaborations with Beck, Conor O'Brien of Villagers and Noah and the Whale.

Many of the studio tracks on 'Stage Whisper' originate from the sessions for 'IRM', which enjoyed critical claim across the globe.

The Sunday Telegraph declared the album to be a work of "borderline genius", Mojo claimed "IRM marks Charlotte Gainsbourg's musical coming of age", whilst the Daily Telegraph enthused "her best work and arguably Beck's best in a decade, too". The New York Times called 'IRM' "an engrossingly eclectic pop record and a kind of coming-out party: the first time that Ms Gainsbourg the chanteuse has displayed the charisma of Charlotte Gainsbourg the actress." Vanity Fair deemed the album "an enigmatic, varied, and sonically complex tour de force."

Watch "Terrible Angels" video:

Thurs 19th July 2012 - London - Somerset House
Tickets are available on Fri 18th May from:
seetickets.com

Charlotte Gainsbourg Official Website

The multi-talented Eugene Francis Jnr has announced a new single "Necronomicon" to be released on June 11, 2012, the first track taken from Eugene's forthcoming album 'Death And Das Love Bytes' out this autumn.

Having released his debut LP (The Golden Beatle) in 2008, Eugene Francis Jnr spent the best part of the following year touring with seven-piece folktronica outfit The Juniors, supporting the likes of Coldplay, Tegan & Sara and Todd Rundgren.

In typical troubadour style, Eugene then sold everything he had accumulated, flew to Los Angeles, bought a motorcycle and set off on a sixteen-month adventure throughout the US, Canada and Latin America. Returning to the City Of Angels overflowing with new song ideas, a sprig of production magic and a brainful of the vivacity catalysed by momentous life experiences.

Since then Eugene has been recording his new album 'Death And Das Love Bytes' in his Californian studio. The new album is definitely a more electronic departure from his previous dalliances, with lashings of analogue goodness and hunks of dirty digital meat writhing together in a symbiotic, sweaty mass.

The first single "Necromonicon" is the perfect introduction to the new direction for Eugene, but is only the start of the diversity that can heard throughout the album. Joyful folktronica in places and sinister, minimal and avant-garde in others, he playfully fuses beats, loops and synthesized samples together to form multi-layered and infectious pop songs.

Despite overflowing into the electronic stratosphere more than ever before, the songs still carry his trademark vocal - a spliced approximation of Jonathan Richman and Conor Oberst.

Eugene Francis Jnr "Necronomicon" video:

"Necronomicon" is out on June 11 2012 from all good digital stores. The album 'Death And Das Love Bytes' is out this Autumn.

"Exquisite" - Music Week

"New wave Dylan meets Aphex Twin" - Music News

"The soundtrack to the first day of the rest of your life" - Metro

Eugene Francis Jnr 2012 UK tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

JUNE 02 2012 - BRISTOL - Dot To Dot Festival
JUNE 04 2012 - MANCHESTER - Dot To Dot Festival
JUNE 27 2012 - BROMYARD - Nozstock Festival

Eugene Francis Jnr Official Website

Ferret Music recording group The Devil Wears Prada has announced details of their upcoming live CD/DVD.

Dead&Alive - which follows the acclaimed band's 2011 breakthrough, Dead Throne - arrives everywhere on June 26, 2012.

Dead&Alive was filmed and recorded last year during The Devil Wears Prada's hugely successful Dead Throne Tour: North America tour. The collection includes performances of songs spanning TDWP's career, including Dead Throne's "Born To Lose," "Mammoth," and "Kansas," among others, as well as other notable fan favorites including "Danger: Wildman," "Assistant To The Regional Manager," and "Outnumbered". DEAD&ALIVE also features a wide array of behind-the-scenes footage shot and edited by the band's own Jeremy DePoyster. Highlights include exclusive backstage glimpses of The Devil Wears Prada in action from the studio to the stage, unveiling the day-to-day reality of the on the road.

"As folks can continually expect from the band, we've been meticulous as ever picking apart edits, audio, artwork, bonus material, etc; which is very important to us - to be hands on, in control, and enthusiastic about the content we create for this band," says vocalist Mike Hranica. "It's always what we try and do with TDWP and I think 'Dead&Alive' can serve as a testimony to that."

TDWP are heralding Dead&Alive with their new live video, "Vengeance."

The Devil Wears Prada - Vengeance video:

Dead&Alive will be available for pre-order beginning Tuesday, May 22, 2012. A variety of bundles will be on offer, including such exclusive extras as a Devil Wears Prada symbol flag, a laminate, official TDWP guitar pics, a necklace, and set list personally signed by the band. All bundles include a physical copy of Dead&Alive as well as a limited edition Dead&Alive t-shirt. For full details, please see The Devil Wears Prada Official Webstore, located at tdwpstore.com.

Regarded as one of modern metal's most electrifying live outfits, The Devil Wears Prada will spend its summer as one of the main stage headliners traveling the US with the all-star Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, set to get underway June 30th at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California. Tickets to the much-anticipated tour - which also features Slipknot, Slayer, Anthrax, and the one and only Motörhead - are on sale now.

The Devil Wears Prada has also slated a number of additional headline shows and festival appearances. Please see the band's official deadthrone.com for up-to-the-minute news and tour information.

Tracklisting:

1. Dead Throne
2. Untidaled
3. Escape
4. Sassafras
5. Born To Lose
6. Mammoth
7. Kansas
8. Hey John, What's Your Name Again?
9. Vengeance
10. Outnumbered
11. Assistant to the Regional Manager
12. Dez Moines
13. Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over
14. Chicago
15. Constance
16. Danger: Wildman

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA North American Tour Dates 2012:
All Dates w/Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Except *

MAY 2012
26 Edmonton, AB YC Alberta 2012 *

JUNE 2012
15 Wentworth, QC D-Tox Rockfest 2012 *
27 Farmington, NM Top Deck *
28 Flagstaff, AZ Orpheum Theater *
30 San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheater

JULY 2012
1 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
3 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
4 Boise, ID Idaho Center Amphitheater
6 Phoenix, AZ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
7 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Pavilion
8 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
9 Wichita, KS The Cotillion *
10 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
11 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
13 Tampa, FL 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
14 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
15 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
17 Bonner Springs, KS Sandstone Amphitheater
18 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
20 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
21 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
22 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
24 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
25 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
27 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
28 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion
29 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
31 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center

AUGUST 2012
3 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
4 Moosic, PA Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain
5 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre

SEPTEMBER 2012
15 Elmira, NY iMatter Festival *

Photo Credit: Adam Elmakias

For the latest tour dates and more, go to:

The Devil Wears Prada Official Website

Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival

Analog Man, (Fantasy Records/Concord) the first new album in 20 years from celebrated solo artist and member of the infamous musical outfits the James Gang and Eagles, Joe Walsh, will debut in appropriate fashion on vinyl, two-weeks early, Tuesday May 22nd, 2012 (vinyl version also contains a digital download card).

The 10-track album standard album and the deluxe 2-disc CD/DVD version will be officially released on June 5th.

Analog Man, features the sparkling new tracks "Analog Man" and "Wrecking Ball", with Walsh's trademark tongue 'n cheekiness and signature guitar riffs fully intact. The album also includes the heartfelt offering of appreciation, "Lucky That Way" a sequel to the classic "Life's Been Good."

Joe Walsh's seminal impact on music is undisputed. Songs like "Rocky Mountain Way," "Funk 49" "Walk Away" and "In The City" to name just a few, rank among rock's all-time greats.

This highly anticipated new record, Analog Man, produced by Joe Walsh and Jeff Lynne, stands confidently alongside Walsh's solo benchmark albums Barnstorm, The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, So What, You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind and But Seriously Folks.

Look for Joe Walsh in concert across the U.S. in 2012.

Photo credit: Andrew Macpherson

Joe Walsh Official Website

Young Franciscan Friar from Assisi signs to Universal Music

Decca Records/Universal Music announces the global signing of Franciscan Friar, Alessandro Brustenghi, from the original friary founded by Saint Francis of Assisi: the Porziuncola in Assisi.

Alessandro is the first Friar in the history of music to land a major record deal.

Senior Universal Executives from 25 different territories have flown into London today to hear Friar Alessandro's first performance outside Italy, at the 2012 International Decca Conference in Westminster.

Having taken a personal vow of poverty, Friar Alessandro will not accept any money from sales of the album and his day to day life will not change. Proceeds will go directly to the Order of Friars Minor for its charitable work.

Friar Alessandro has been singing all his life. Although music was always his passion, Alessandro received his "calling" as a teenager, and at the age of 21 he decided to become a friar.

The legendary Mike Hedges (U2, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers) and his manager discovered Alessandro whilst in Italy, after years of searching for "the next Italian Tenor". Much like new TV hit 'The Voice' it was only when they met Alessandro in person, dressed in his habit, that they realised the singer recommended to them was a friar.

Mike Hedges is making the record at Abbey Road. When Friar Alessandro recently visited the famous studios it was the first time he had ever been on a plane.

The album, which is due for release in October, will be a mix of traditional and modern sacred songs, including an original track by Royal Wedding composer Paul Mealor, set to a prayer written by St Francis of Assisi.

The Friar, by day, works in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, welcoming many of the six million visitors to Assisi every year. In his spare time he works as a carpenter, restoring furniture and making wooden lecterns.

Panis Angelicus - video:

Alessandro grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Bach, loves electronic music, and his latest musical interest is Bjork.

Oxford based Mr Fogg has just unveiled "Sprint", a previously unheard track from his forthcoming second album 'Eleven' which is out 4th June on Kicking In Recordings.

The video features footage from Mr Fogg's recent trip to Iceland, where he recorded the album with legendary producer Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bjork - Medulla, Feist - Metals, Damon Albarn - Dr Dee).

Mr Fogg - Sprint video:

As he sat down to write the songs that would make-up his sophomore album, self-managed and signed to his own record label, Mr Fogg was starting to wonder whether life as a solo artist wasn't a bit, well, lonely.

"Making music has always felt like a slightly perverse thing to do. None of my friends were ever musicians. None of my family were musicians. I was never part of a scene. I was just up in my room making music on my own."

Then somebody pointed out to him that his grandfather, born in 1896, had been an opera singer, performing at the Royal Opera House and that his great-grandparents had been a double-act in the 19th century musical halls.

"People had probably been telling me since I was a child, but I had never paid attention or made any connection with what I do. Suddenly it clicked for me that I was part of a musical tradition going back 150 years. The idea that I should be a musician started to make some sense."

Fogg set about his task with renewed energy and a change in approach. Where debut album 'Moving Parts' was largely written in the computer, the new songs were built from a series of sketches, field recordings and improvisations stored in mobile phones and notebooks and later reconstructed in his Oxford studio.

The resulting album, Eleven, was completed during three trips to Iceland in the latter half of 2011 in collaboration with producer Valgeir Sigurdsson.

It is a beguiling mix of the electronic and the organic, setting piano, harmonium, brass and strings against precise, intricate and occasionally brutal electronics. At centre stage is Fogg's distinctive voice, at turns melancholy and optimistic, threatening and sympathetic.

Lyrically, it is inextricably linked with the year that gave the album its name: "As I neared the end of the record it occurred to me that these songs were so directly influenced by the events of last year that it couldn't have been written at any other time. So much that was important happened in 2011 that it somehow felt to me like a dividing line between the world as it was in the last decade and where we are now."

Above all, though, Eleven is a record that puts the song first, with the intricate arrangements serving as a backdrop to a series of addictive melodies. It's an approach very much in evidence on the piano and multi-layered harmonies of first single Stay Out Of The Sun (Zane Lowe 'Next Hype') and the spiralling choral samples and soaring vocals of follow-up A Little Letting Go, which premiered on NME.com on April 2nd.

Eleven is released on Kicking Ink Recordings/Kompakt on June 4th 2012.

"Genius" - NME

"Sharp, accessible electro-pop" - Q Magazine

"Laces refined pop with modernist electronic tics" - The Guardian

Mr Fogg Official Website

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is set to release his long-awaited debut full-length Trouble in the US on June 12 via Casablanca Records, and today he is sharing his visionary new video for "American Dream Part II."

Deezer to broadcast live video stream of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs London show

The track, which is also the only instrumental found on Trouble, features Oxford, UK's TEED's trademark sub-bass, electro bounciness and washed-out synths that combine to create a stunning piece of modern dancefloor pop.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - American Dream Part II video:

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs was invited by Opel/Vauxhall to produce a collaborative video inspired by their upcoming urban premium model ADAM, due to be revealed later this year. The result is a mesmerizing piece.

ADAM is about self-expression through unique customization, and the video embodies that spirit of experimentation and fun.

One of the most anticipated electronic albums of the year, Trouble finds him completely immersed in the role of vocalist, singing throughout, providing the story with a genuine heartfelt quality.

As Orlando Higginbottom (aka TEED himself) comments: "I hoped to make a record that felt free from the frequent short-lived trends in dance music, and that made sense to a dancer and a listener. I feel like I've been working on this debut album for ages and now I can't wait to get it out there."

The debut album Trouble is due out June 12, 2012 via Casablanca Records.

For more information on the Opel/Vauxhall ADAM please visit facebook.com/OpelVauxhallAdamAndYou

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs tumblr
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Twitter

Foals Contribute To !K7 Mix Series; Oxford, UK Outfit Deliver Old School Cassette Style Mix On Tapes

Foals - Tapes (July 24th, !K7)

"It's easy to throw some music together and call it a DJ mix," says Edwin Congreave from Foals. "But we're not interested in anything mediocre like that."

So began the process of putting together the third installment of !K7's Tapes series, the follow-up to releases from The Rapture and The Big Pink.

The concept is self-explanatory. It's a selection made along the lines of an old school cassette mix tape. Two sides, with different moods on each - in this case more song-driven on side one and more dance oriented on side two. There's even a sound effect to mark the 'turning over' point.

Side one starts with a sample from a news report that runs: "Most people gave up on cassette tapes years ago".

Maybe, but the love and care that went into compiling cassette mixes is alive and well here. Congreave raided the other band members' record collections to craft something that reflects the Foals collective mindset. Not an easy task given their wide-ranging, some might say clashing tastes. It's a wildly eclectic mix that veers from delicate electronica to world music, woozy disco and new generation house.

"We wanted it to reflect the taste of the whole band," says Congreave. "I wanted to pick music from the whole time we've been together. The Bibio remix of "Ted" by Clark is a track that I associate with the beginning of the band. We had a rental van - the band cliche - and we drove ourselves around. We had a cassette player and we used to blast it out. The weirdness and the melody: it's a very interesting record."

"Confusion (Ma Afrika)" by Condry Ziqubu is perhaps the biggest curveball in the mix.

Congreave explains, "It's off a tape that Yanis had that used to belong to his mum. It's a compilation of South African pop from the '80s and most of it is absolutely terrible. But this song we kept coming back to. We've been listening to it for three or four years now, always on this tape and with terrible sound quality. It's such a good song. We don't have any context for it. None of us know anything about him or where he's from."

Less mercurial are tracks such as the Gatto Fritto Remix of "Way Savvy" by JR Seaton.

"The tracks following that are kind of woozy and a lot less structured, more headphone music. That side ends with the Carl Craig remix of "Kilode" by Tony Allen, which is something that we all like. I remember buying it on 12-inch. It was something that we'd never heard before and it was really exciting."

It's a hugely varied set. It's also very different to the music the band make themselves, heavy on dance and electronic as opposed to indie rock. They could have done a guitar band mix, but the truth is they don't listen to that kind of music, Which begs the question: Why do they make it then?

"That's a very good question," says Congreave. "It's one that we're always trying to work out ourselves. It's a lot to do with the fact that we've all been in bands growing up. We don't know how to structure ourselves in any other way at the moment. But I still think it makes sense with the music we make."

Perfect sense, in fact. Foals are one of the most inventive bands of the last five years. They were always going to come up with a genre-jamming mix. And a stunning one to boot.

Tracklisting

SIDE A
Nicolas Jaar - Variations
Clark - Ted (Bibio Remix)
Dorian Concept - Tropical Hands
Condry Ziqubu - Confusion (Ma Afrika)
The Invisible - London Girl
JR Seaton - Way Savvy (Gatto Fritto Remix)
Blood Orange - Dinner
Tanner Ross - B Side
Teengirl Fantasy - Cheaters (John Talabot's Classic Vocal Refix)
Château Flight feat. Marie Daulne - Superflight (Maurice Fulton Remix)
In Flagranti - Effective Placebo Affect
Tony Allen - Kilode (Carl Craig Remix)

SIDE B
Art Department feat. Soul Clap & Osunlade - We Call Love
Cerrone - Give Me Love (Frankie Knuckles Remix)
Arnold Jarvis - Take Some Time Out
Oni Ayhun - OAR003-B
Sepalcure - Every Day Of My Life (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
Marshall Jefferson vs. Noosa Heads - Mushrooms (Justin Martin Remix)
Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You (Maurice Donovan Dub)
Caribou - Sun (Midland Edit)
Konono Nº1 - Paradiso
Gospel Comforters - Yes God Is Real

2012 marks the 27th anniversary of !K7 Records. The label will be celebrating with a series of live events, releases, and special projects incorporating music and artists from past, present and future of the label, and the DJ-Kicks series.

!K7 Records Official Website

Foals Official Website

So Many Wizards, a dynamic four piece from Los Angeles, has been causing a stir with furious live performances and a sound that Aquarium Drunkard describes as an "enigmatic blend of pop, rock, ballads, and zany nuggets" that come together to form "a cohesive whole."

The band started as the solo project of Nima Kazerouni, who crafted the first So Many Wizards songs to cope with his anxiety after a childhood that began with an escape from war-torn Iran and took him through Europe, South America, and a month in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica before landing him in LA.

Kazerouni found a community of musicians at famed underground venues like the Smell and Pehrspace and recruited a band of scene veterans including Erik Felix, Geoff Geis, and Frank Maston.

As a four-piece, the band has become a centerpiece of LA's vibrant DIY scene, recently representing the "new class" at the Smell's sold out 14th Anniversary show with Best Coast and Abe Vigoda.

The band is playing Make Music Pasadena on June 16 with Grimes and Cults and a show with Gardens & Villa at the Troubadour on June 29, 2012.

So Many Wizards debut LP 'Warm Nothing' drops August 14th on JAXART Records and will be distributed through French Kiss Label Group.

So Many Wizards
Warm Nothing
(JAXART Records)
August 14, 2012

1. Never Wake Up
2. Lose Your Mind
3. Sleepwalk
4. Joshua (Kill Us Both)
5. Peru
6. Into A Daze
7. In The Sun
8. Inner City
9. Yeah Right
10. Best Friends
11. Happy Birthday
12. I Like It Here
13. Deep Down

So Many Wizards Official Website

Sean Kingston Tweets New Single "Back 2 Life (Live It Up)" feat. T.I.

Sean Kingston is getting ready to heat up the summer with another hit!

Sean tweets out a link to his new single "Back 2 Life (Live it Up)" feat. T.I. via Twitter:

"Wanna hear #BACK2LIFE?? as promised here's a link to my new single feat. TI @Tip http://snd.sc/JztlMI Let's get it trending! #BACK2LIFE"

Sean Kingston Twitter

Sean Kingston Official Website