Torr

Out in the UK on Monday

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the UK on Mon April 21st...

Albums:

The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement [Debut from Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) & Miles Kane (The Rascals).]

Singles:

Pacific - "Hot Lips" [Vid. 1st single from their debut album.]

Cajun Dance Party - "Race" [Vid. Their debut album is out next week.]

The Wombats - "Backfire At The Disco" [Vid. 4th single from their debut album.]

Duels - "Regeneration" [Vid. 1st single from their 2nd album.]

Pete & The Pirates - "She Doesn't Belong To Me" [Vid. 3rd single from their debut album.]

The Envy Corps - "Story Problems" [Vid. Their debut album is out next week.]

ILiKETRAiNS - "We Go Hunting" [Vid. 2nd single from their 2nd album.]

Speedmarket Avenue - "Way Better Now" [Vid. 1st single from their debut album.]

U.S. SoundScan Report

Here's the notable stuff that entered (or moved up) on the U.S. Billboard SoundScan charts the week of Wed April 16th...

Billboard 200:

• #116 Tapes 'N Tapes - Walk It Off [5,905]

Heatseekers chart (artists who've never had a release in the top 100 of the big chart):

• #12 Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours [Up 48%. 6,712 to-date]
• #13 Colin Meloy - Sings Live! [2,897]
• #28 Foals - Antidotes [Up by 100%. 5,364 to-date.]
• #39 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing [1,625]
• #46 Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP [Up by 800%. 2,485 to-date.]
• #55 The Duke Spirit - Neptune [Up by 735%. 3,165 to-date.]
• #66 Clinic - Do It! [1,202]
• #87 Air Traffic - Fractured Life [Up by 8%. 4,836 to-date.]

These releases did not chart:

• Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon
• Jim Noir - self-titled
• Wye Oak - If Children

Let me know if there are any current releases you'd like me to look up for ya.

Say Hello To The Pope - James Dean Bradfield

I bear nothing but contempt and ill-will towards the pope (or any other religious leader for that matter), but on what other day would I have an excuse to post this song from James Dean Bradfield's superb solo album The Great Western?

• James Dean Bradfield - "Say Hello To The Pope" [mp3]

In 2000 the pope (Joseph Ratzinger) attacked Rock and Roll as "the expression of elemental passions" and described some rock concerts as becoming "a form of worship ... in opposition to Christian worship."

Other moronic views:

Benedict, in his most recent book, indicated that evolution as a scientific theory could not be definitively proven.

In the spring of 2005 Ratzinger opposed a referendum in Italy, which aimed at liberalising a restrictive law about artificial insemination and embryonic stem cell research.

In 1987, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document suggesting that education on the use of condoms could be an acceptable part of an anti-AIDS program. In response, Ratzinger stated that such an approach "would result in at least the facilitation of evil".

"Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such [gay] unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development."

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Ratzinger stated that voters would be "cooperating in evil" if they voted for a political candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on legalized abortion or euthanasia.

Out in the U.S. on Tuesday

Here's the notable stuff that's out in the U.S. on Tues April 15th...

Ours - Mercy [Stream. Finally, the 3rd album from Jimmy Gnecco.]

The Kooks - Konk [Stream. 2nd album from Brighton poppers, more of the same.]

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight [2nd album from Selkirk 4-piece.]

Elika - Trying Got Us Nowhere [Debut from female-fronted Brooklyn duo.]

Air - Moon Safari [10th anniversary 3-disc set, 2nd disc is rarities, 3rd disc is a DVD of the hour-long documentary Eating Sleeping Waiting & Playing.]

I'm on WOXY's Friends Of The Futurist

The good folks over at WOXY were nice enough to have me on as the latest guest in their series Friends Of The Futurist. Hear me talk them thru an hour of my favorite tracks from the past few months:

• Ghosts - “Stay The Night”
• The Red Romance - “Don’t Cry”
• Castledoor - “Magnetic Forces”
• The Republic Tigers - “Golden Sand”
• Dead Confederate - “The Rat”
• Alberta Cross - “Hard Breaks”
• Elbow - “Grounds For Divorce”
• Air Traffic - “Shooting Star”
• The Twang - “Either Way”
• The Last Shadow Puppets - “The Age Of The Understatement”
• Delays - “Love Made Visible”

UK Chart Report

Here's the notable stuff that entered the UK charts on Sun April 13th...

Singles:

• #11 Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach..." [Vid. Debut from Jacksonville 5-piece.]
• #24 The Last Shadow Puppets - "The Age Of The Understatement" [Vid. On downloads alone.]

Indie-label singles chart:

• nothing of interest

These singles, sadly, did not chart:

• The Corrections - "Barcode" [Vid. Debut from Bristol 5-piece who used to be called The Fallout Trust.]
• Computerclub - "Electrons And Particles" [Vid. 2nd single from Birmingham 4-piece.]
• Dega Breaks - "All Night" [Vid. 7"-only 2nd single from London 4-piece.]

Albums:

• #4 The Courteeners - St. Jude [Stephen Street-produced debut from Manchester 4-piece.]
• #10 James - Hey Ma [Their first album since 2001's Pleased to Meet You.]
• #48 The Long Blondes - Couples

Indie-label album chart:

• nothing of interest