February 2nd, 2012

Bruce Springsteen will perform at this month’s Grammy Awards, it has been confirmed.

A set of urinals inspired by The Rolling Stones‘ iconic logo, which have been installed in a German museum, have been criticised by feminist campaign groups who say they are ‘discrimination against women’, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Leonard Cohen knows that’s a very sneaky title to use at this stage of his career. Offering us the knife and showing us where best to stab him in the back, you might expect most who hear this album to proffer an embarrassed “Oh no, not at all Len, it’s dynamic and exciting, what are you talking about?”

He chose the title. He knows what kind of music he’s made, and beating us to saying it aloud doesn’t make it any less true. So do not expect dynamic or exciting ideas here. Now you know that, the next few paragraphs should go a little easier. Actually, this is only his twelfth studio album. Strange to realise that of a singer/songwriter who’s been doing this since the mid ‘60s.

Less strange is the realisation that these songs tip Cohen’s singer/poet persona very much in the latter’s favour. He’s not singing so much as he is speaking lyrically. Like Dylan or Waits, a lifetime of smoking and hard living has eroded the man’s voice away into a sort of rumbling, raspy croak. Cohen never pretended to be a star vocalist, but that’s just fine by us. He’s 78 years old, and there’s more character and depth in his crackly whisper than half the warbly singers sitting at the toppermost of the poppermost.

Damon Albarn will take his Doctor Dee opera to Honeyfest for a headline appearance this year.

Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders has admitted the choice of title for their fourth studio album ‘Suck It and See‘ took a lot of explaining, and has said in retrospect he wishes they had named it something else.

Chart star Professor Green has been confirmed as one of the first headliners for Liverpool Sound City 2012.

Ringo Starr has said there is no rivalry between himself and his former Beatles bandmate Sir Paul McCartney despite the pair releasing solo albums within a week of each other.