Soundbites: Rod Stewart, The Gaslight Anthem, Yoko Ono & more!


In today’s Soundbites, our quick take on news, reviews and tabloid gossip, Rod Stewart is at it again, Gaslight Anthem’s latest track is reviewed and Ash put their single releases into a neat little bundle. There’s also news of The Bees’ return, Yoko Ono continues to shun the modern world, The Coral get all introspective and Johnny Marr delves into theme tunes.

yoko_ono_372x280





Well at the tender age of 65, it appears Rod Stewart is showing no signs of slowing down after it was announced he is set to become a father for an eighth time. The singer and former Faces frontman is expecting his second child with his model wife Penny Lancaster. In a statement, the pair said: “We were thrilled and delighted to be able to tell Alastair that he was going to be the big brother to a little baby.”

Ash’s novel idea of releasing an ‘A-Z’ of singles, though not actually in any sort of alphabetical order strangely, is set to be complied into a second album in October. The compilation will feature thirteen tracks, as well as their cover of David Bowie’s ‘Teenage Wildlife’.

A true word of mouth success, The Gaslight Anthem continue to go from strength to strength following the release of their third studio album ‘American Slang‘. The latest track to be lifted from the new record, ‘The Diamond Church Street Choir‘, is out this week, and is a perfect highlight of what has set tongues wagging over the past few years with it’s funky guitars, soulful vocals and instantly memorable chorus. The track is part of a double A-side along with ‘Boxer‘. Check out an acoustic version of the track

.

The Bees are to return in October with their fourth studio album ‘Every Step’s a Yes’, their first since 2007’s ‘Octopus’. The record will be preceded a week earlier with the single ‘I Really Need Love’. In addition to the album, the band will pop into London on September 15th for a headline date at the Bush Hall.

Hoping to catch ‘She Loves You‘ for 99p anytime soon? Well Yoko Ono has told fans ‘not to hold their breath’ at the prospect of The Beatles’ back catalogue appearing on iTunes as negotiations between Apple Corps shareholders and iTunes’ Steve Jobs have stalled. “Steve Jobs has his own idea and he’s a brilliant guy,” she told Reuters. “There’s just an element that we’re not very happy about, as people. We are holding out. Don’t hold your breath for anything.”

Has any band shunned the possibility of true mainstream success more willingly than The Coral? The Liverpool lads have always liked to keep themselves to themselves since releasing their brilliant debut album in 2002, and in a recent interview with the UK’s Daily Star newspaper, they have now said they believe they are ‘uncool’. “We don’t fit into that MTV or Radio 1 mould at all. But I’m glad, because I think a lot of people want something that sounds more organic and our album Butterfly House got good reviews for not sounding ‘cool’.” Wouldn’t have it any other ways fellas.

Johnny Marr always likes to keep himself busy, and it seems he has now turned his hand to TV sitcom theme tunes. Marr has penned a new tune for a Channel 4 sitcom entitled The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which will feature Arrested Development star David Cross. The show was originally piloted on the network’s Comedy Showcase, and has now been picked up for a full series.


Learn More