Gone Gone Gone: The Notwist are back

I generally try to avoid posting songs that I know are available on every other music site out there. Honestly, you don't really need me to tell you to listen to the new Hot Chip or Gutter Twins or Vampire Weekend or whatever. But today I'm making an exception. I'm sure this will be all over the web, because everyone's on the same record label mailing list, but since the last album The Notwist put out is my favourite of this decade, I don't mind joining the throng.

'The Devil, You + Me' will be out in the early summer, and that is exciting news for you, me and the Devil. There's a new song posted below, and it looks like the title track is one that I posted over a year ago. Way to go, me! The press release says:

The band recorded portions of the album with the ANDROMEDA MEGA EXPRESS ORCHESTRA, a way out, 20+ headed classical orchestra that specializes in exciting and sometimes bizarre avant classic interpretations of modern jazz, which compliments perfectly the album's mood and themes of love, loss, alienation, planetary alignment, the positive side to deception, death, refusal and the titular Devil.

Tell me that doesn't sound amazing. I'm very excited to hear this record, enjoy the track.

[download The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me (live and acoustic)]
[download The Notwist - Good Lies]

4play: The future's bright

Best bands that will release albums in early 2008

1. British Sea Power

BSP's third album is called 'Do You Like Rock Music?' and it's a huge leap forward from their also-great older material. As you may expect from the title, it's heavier than they've ever been, the guitars chime like the Bunnymen, there's a nod to the Hitler Youth ('No Lucifer') and plenty more that I haven't yet had time to fully absorb. Having been straight-up blown away when I saw them way back in 2001 at the Dublin Castle (!) in Camden, co-headlining with National Prayer Breakfast (!!). Check out first single, 'Waving Flags' in the embed:



2. A Silver Mt. Zion

They toured for most of the year, and then didn't put out an album! But since I've slowly become fully immersed in the world of all these Constellation bands, and since 'God Bless Our Dead Marines' is one of my new favourite songs, I'm now very eager to check out '13 Blues for Thirteen Moons', which is due in March. Here's a live recording of the first song.

[download A Silver Mt. Zion - One Million Died to Make this Sound (live)]

3. dEUS

It's no secret that I'm kind of in love with the grandaddies of Belgian music (that description makes them sound crap, though). The good news is that unlike the seven years it took them to make 2005's 'Pocket Revolution', this time it was only three years. The new one is coming soon, says Tom Barman on their website and I'm sure I'll love it. Not a lot of details yet, everything that's known is here. And to tide you over, here's a nice live video.



4. The Notwist

Please? It's about time. We still remember.