Bobbie Nelson, Willie Nelson’s sister and bandmate, has died aged 91. Bobbie was the pianist in the original line-up of the Willie Nelson Family band and had recently co-authored two books with her brother. Bobbie died on March 10 and news of her passing was confirmed in a family statement. Advertisement “Her elegance, grace, beauty and talent made this world a better place,” the statement from the Nelson family began. “She was the first member of Willie’s band, as his pianist and singer. Our hearts are broken and she will be deeply missed. But we are so lucky to...
At times like these we can always take heart from the musical community, whether they are directly trying to raise money and awareness or simply putting more joy and understanding into the world. Belle And Sebastian’s new single “If They’re Shooting At You” (“…kid, you must be doing something right”) comes with a video created in collaboration with photographers covering the conflict in Ukraine. All income and royalties will go to the Red Cross/DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and you can also donate directly here. This playlist includes some similarly emotional and thought-provoking new videos from the likes of Fantastic...
A vivid presence on the Austin music scene for nearly a decade now, Carson McHone drew wider acclaim with 2018’s exceptional Carousel, issued on Loose the following year. And while subsequent tours of the UK and Europe furthered her reputation as a country traditionalist with leftfield leanings, Still Life feels altogether more ambitious. ORDER NOW: Paul McCartney is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut It’s certainly rockier in places, with McHone and producer/multi-instrumentalist Daniel Romano driving hard on tunes like “Hawks Don’t Share” and “Only Lovers”, punctuated by fat brass and gnarly guitars. Saxophonist David Nardi...
Time has a way of smoothing the rough edges of songs, sanding down what was once shocking until it feels safe. Some moments are curiously resistant, though: The Beatles’ “Revolution”, say, its stinging fuzz still as unhealthily exciting as it must have been almost 54 years ago. ORDER NOW: Paul McCartney is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut The Coral’s “Skeleton Key”, too, has proved rather hardy: the first proper taste of their self-titled 2002 debut, it combined unhinged Beefheart clatter with shanty chants and a space-rock middle-eight seemingly beamed in from a post-Syd Floyd album....
The cover of Andy Bell’s second solo album features an obscured portrait of Bell shot for Ride’s 1990 debut, Nowhere. This old image of distorted youth reflects the themes of Flicker, a record that sees Bell explore ideas of nostalgia and memory while re-engaging with the optimism and playfulness of youth from the perspective of a man of 50. The songs similarly cross time zones: some were written as far back as the 1990s and all were initially recorded in 2016 by Oasis’s Gem Archer before Bell completed them in lockdown in 2021, when it was hard to do...
Binker Golding and Moses Boyd cut their first album Dem Ones back in 2015, when the talk of the UK jazz renaissance was just a gleam on the face of a neatly polished hi-hat. Both were alumni of Tomorrow’s Warriors, a London-based education programme dedicated to giving a young generation of multiracial jazz musicians a leg up, and both had carved out a reputation on the scene. Binker Golding was the senior of the pair, a skilful tenor saxophonist who had risen to a key role in the Warriors’ Soon Come Ensemble. Boyd, some six years his junior, was...
HAVE A COPY SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR HOME Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Low, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Kurt Vile, Spiritualized, Wilco, Keith Richards, Mark Lanegan and all feature in the new Uncut, dated May 2022 and in UK shops from March 15 or available to buy online now. This issue comes with an exclusive free CD, comprising tracks featured in Uncut’s 300 Greatest Album. PAUL MCCARTNEY: We’re not the only ones with something to celebrate… On June 18, Paul McCartney turns 80. To celebrate this landmark birthday, we’ve asked friends, collaborators and admirers – including David Crosby, Elvis Costello, Klaus...
Bob Dylan has announced details of a new book, The Philosophy Of Modern Song. His first book since Chronicles: Volume One, 18 years ago, it is due for publication on November 8 via Simon & Schuster. You can pre-order a copy by clicking here. Dylan reportedly began work on the book in 2010. The book will compile over 60 essays focusing on songs by other artists, including Nina Simone, Elvis Costello and Hank Williams. Advertisement “He analyses what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and...
BUY THE ROBERT PLANT ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE HERE How do you follow Led Zeppelin? That’s a question that Robert Plant gamely engages with in his exclusive introduction to our Ultimate Music Guide to his magnificent solo career. The Led Zeppelin he departed after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980 was, he says, very different to the band he joined in 1968. “There were pretty radical changes between, 1968-1977,” he writes. “By the time we got to In Through The Out Door it was a totally different Zeppelin.” Advertisement No getting around it, the musical change that he’d participated...
What next, after fronting the most successful rock band of all time? If you’re Robert Plant, you embark on a bold musical journey, now 40 years old. Having embraced the 1980s, its drum machines and haircuts, he has since pursued the rich essence of his music. “Please read the letter, I wrote it in my sleep / With help and consultation from the angels of the deep…” Buy a copy here!