Since releasing their self titled EP in 2008, the London based alternative pop/rock band Shush have spent much of their time performing on various UK tours, but most recently they have been busy in the studio recording for their debut album.
Soundtrack of My Life is the name of the album and it is due for release on November 1st. The lead track from the album Do What I Want was released last week and can be heard on theShush MySpace if you haven’t already had the pleasure.
The heavy guitar sound of the band belies the melodic content of their songs, veering more towards power pop than rock at times, as Metal Hammer said in their review, “Shush sound like Pig Iron with The Donnas at the mic.”
Singer Melina says of the new album Soundtrack of My Life;
“We’re very excited to be releasing this album having worked on it ardently for the last year. This presents our new sound to the people, defining what is Shush, and we can’t for the world hear it.”
Born in Fort Worth Texas in 1979, Shea Seger learnt about music at an early age from listening to her parents enormous record collection that encompassed everything from classical, Motown, disco, country, pop and rock and everything in between.
Having won a scholarship to study theatre, with dreams of becoming a playwright and actress Shea met Felix Todd who had come along to one of her shows. Todd asked her to travel to London with him to try her hand at songwriting and she leapt at the chance to leave the USA.
Having arrived in London, despite the venture with Todd not working out, Shea had already decided to stay in England, knowing more than anything that she wanted to live in the UK capital.
In 2000 having written some songs Shea was signed to RCA Records with whom she made her first album, The May Street Project. Over the next couple of years she would support the likes of James, David Gray, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Pat Benatar and Emmylou Harris, but without the necessary radio airplay Shea Seger’s career was not moving on.
Unsure of what she wanted out of life Shea asked to be dropped from RCA and the label duly obliged. She later fell in love and gave birth to her daughter Luna. A trip to the USA to show off the baby followed and while there a routine back operation on her father went horribly wrong and the planned six month trip turned into years.
During those years Shea would continue to write, but the songs were never intended to be recorded, never even played to close friends. But towards the end of her stay in America she decided to put her fears aside and enter the studio.
The collection of eleven songs on the self titled album, chart those ‘lost’ years from angry and broken to eventually finding strength and hope.
As a chronicle of those years the tracks are recorded in the order that they were originally written with the delicate Wishing Trees opening the album. Pipers Dreams and Last Few Standing ramp up the tempo along with Shea’s gutsy performance.
It is almost as though the pain of these songs is as real today as when they were written, Seger’s performance throughout is nothing short of being brilliantly outrageous, honest and personal and that is precisely what makes this such a special collection 0f songs.
This is one of those classic albums that crosses divides and refuses to be bound by musical genres, the lyrics are deeply personal and yet the listener will undoubtedly be empathetic, the instrumentation is often stark but beautifully captures each mood swing to perfection.
This is an album full of raw emotion from ballad to rip snorting rock, Seger’s vocals remain true throughout from the wispy Lucinda Williams style of Wishing Trees to the bourbon and smoke fuelled quality of Last Few Standing.
A certain contender for album of the year, Shea Seger’s self titled album is available now from all digital and conventional music stores.
Dinosaur Pile Up are Matt Bigland (vox/guitar), Harry Johns (vox/guitar) and Mike Shiels (drums), between the three of them they create a brilliant thrashy noise and they are about to release their debut single and album on an unsuspecting public.
The single Mona Lisa is released on September 27th, followed by the highly anticipated album Growing Pains a week later.
Mona Lisa will be available as a 7″ or digitally and will be backed by B side Headspinner in either format, through indie label Friend Vs Records.
The single is about having no money, no time and living on instant noodles with no heating, explains singer Matt Brigland who goes on to say that sitting in his room surrounded by crap made him think that ‘This is kind of like trying to paint my own Mona Lisa.’
Dinosaur Pile Up – Mona Lisa
The album, Growing Pains is released on October 4th, produced alongside long time collaborator James Kenosha and Dinosaur Pile Up will hit the road on a month long UK headline tour on October 6th following a couple of warm up shows in September.
The full Dinosaur Pile Up UK dates are;
SEPTEMBER
18 Norwich Arts Centre (warm up show)
25 Skipton Culture Shock Festival (warm up)
OCTOBER (headline tour w/support from Turbowolf)
6 Stoke Sugarmill
7 Wrexham Central Station
8 Liverpool Masque
10 Birmingham Hare & Hounds
11 Exeter Timepiece
12 Bristol Cooler
13 Brighton Coalition
14 Southampton Joiners
16 Sheffield Plug
17 Nottingham Bodega
18 Cambridge Haymakers
19 London KCLSU
21 Manchester Ruby Lounge
22 Crewe The Box
24 Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire
25 Glasgow Nice N Sleazy
26 York Stereo
27 Leeds Cockpit
André Rieu has become known for his melodramatic live performances and a lifestyle more akin to a rock star rather than a classical musician. He was born 1949 into a musical family in Maastricht in the Netherlands. His father was a conductor with the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra and at the age of five he began learning to play the violin. After studying in the Netherlands and Belgium from 1968 to 1973 he went on to attend the Music Academy in Brussels from 1974 to 1977 and studied with Andre Gertler.
In 1987 he formed The Johann Strauss Orchestra along with his own production company. The Johann Strauss Orchestra began performing with just 12 members but now performs extravagant live shows with between 40 and 50 musicians.
André Rieu has performed throughout Europe, in North America, and Japan and won many music awards including two World Music Awards. At his own recording studio in his home town of Maastricht he now records a wide range of classical music along with popular and folk music. He is also known for recording film soundtracks.
Thursday 30 September
Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
André Rieu & The Johann Strauss Orchestra Tickets
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LAB Records have announced a once in a lifetime treat for fans of quality contemporary music, by offering their entire current roster for free!
Incredible as it may sound all you will need to pay is the postage while stocks remain available of the following albums:
Just Surrender – Phoenix
The Morning Of – The Way I Fell In
Portia Conn – I Don’t Care
Lost On Campus – Tell Them I Had A Wonderful Life
Not Advised – After The Fight
Lost On Landing – Sweet Talk
MiMi Soya – I Can’t Stand Pop Bands
As one of the most successful independent labels of its kind out there right now, with 15,000 sales this year alone, LAB has built up a solid following of admirers in its short history, and this is their way of giving something back to their fans.
LAB Records CEO Mark Orr said;
“This is a huge time for the label as we come towards the end of our most successful year to date and prepare for a more mainstream sound in 2011. Every label gives away digital samplers but we thought – for one day only – it would be a unique and memorable stand to make all of our CD’s absolutely free. It’s our little way of saying ‘thank-you’ to everyone who has supported LAB over the past 3 years.”
The event takes place on September 3rd, for one day only. Head over to Lab Records for further information on this very special and unique offer.
