Elbow are working on their fifth album, the follow up to the 2008 Mercury Music Prize winning 'The Seldom Seen Kid'. Frontman Guy Garvey revealed that the Manchester band have been experimenting with shoegaze and psychedelia in recent sessions. The band are working on about 20 different song ideas. "We listen back every few weeks and have a culling," Garvey told Teletext. "It goes on like that, until there are really solid foundations for 15 or 16 songs. It's gone from shoegaze to psychedelia and it'll change again next week.
Sigur Ros Frontman Jonsi Birgisson has revealed details of his forthcoming solo album. The nine track album will be called 'Go' and is due for release via Parlophone on March 22nd. Prodigy composer Nico Muhly provides the album's only collaboration. contributing string, brass and piano parts. Birgisson is currently offering a free download of a track called 'Boy Lilikoi' from his official website, https://www.jonsi.com/
Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, is working on her first album of original material since 2006's elegant record 'The Greatest', and she's doing it all on her lonesome. The Atlanta singer told Austalia's Courier-Mail that she would go back to her solo roots on the next album, having recorded her last few albums with The Dirty Delta Blues Band. "It's just me this time... I don't know if I should push all these songs away and actually try to write and record it with the band. I don't know what to do. But I'm at a point where my heart tells me, 'Chan, you haven't played piano or guitar for four or five years,' and I do have guilt about that. People ask me, 'When are you going to play by yourself?' I have problems with strange yearnings and guilt."
London singer-songwriter Eugene McGuinness is to follow up his self titled debut album with an EP called 'Glue'. McGuinness recorded 'Glue' while in studio working on B-Sides for the single 'Wendy Wonders'. The digital version of the EP contains ten tracks, while the vinyl only features six. 'Glue' will be released under the name Eugene & The Lizards
Courteeners frontman Liam Fray has revealed to the BBC that the follow up to the Manchester indie rock band's 2007 debut, 'St Jude' will be called 'Falcon'. The Courteeners have also released a track from the album, 'Cross My Heart and Hope to Fly' available as a free download from their website thecourteeners.com.
Southend noise pop group The Horrors claim that the follow up to this year's highly acclaimed album 'Primary Colours' will be influenced by synth pop. Bassist Rhys Webb told NME, "Our interest in electronics is a great passion. I would never say we're going to pursue a synth pop direction, but we will be making pop music and using electronic instruments ... So synth pop might be an influence. I think what we're really interested in is sonics and how sound can communicate with the listener, how sound can make you feel."
Meanwhile, The White Stripes are set to release a limited edition box set for their Canadian Tour Documentary, called 'The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights'. The massive package can be pre-ordered from whitestripes.com and features the following treats:
A DVD of the documentary
A DVD of The White Stripes 10th anniversary show
A 16-track live album on CD and 180 gram vinyl
A live 7-inch vinyl (featuring 'Icky Thump' and 'The Wheels on the Bus')
A 208-page book with photos from the tour by Autumn de Wilde and a foreword by Jim Jarmusch
A silk screen print by Rob Jones
