Webcuts Music

Ahead of the release of their second album, Future This, The Big Pink have recorded a set of five songs as part of the 4AD Sessions series. Bringing to life the anthemic qualities of the new album, the session is a showcase of the unabashed step towards stadium dynamics the band have made on Future This, while also displaying the often-curveball influences that continue to underpin their best work. The session captures what makes The Big Pink such an intriguing band. Effortlessly moving between the outre sounds of the underground and their love for shameless pop hooks, the band display the full scale of their creative ambitions.

For those of you who resided in Sydney, Australia in the Summer of 1992/93, Evan Dando‘s presence was a ubiquitous one. On a night off in Sydney, Dando recorded a set of songs in his Bondi hotel room featuring tracks that would later appear on Come On Feel The Lemonheads, along with covers of Love Positions and Smudge songs. Having recently unearthed the cassette, Dando deemed it worthy of release and the album, Hotel Sessions, is due out on January 9, 2012.

They released one of 2011′s finest albums with the 20th anniversary celebrating The Double Cross and now my own personal rock n’ roll heroes Sloan are to release their first live bootleg LP. Titled Is That All I Get? the album documents the band ‘rough and ready’ style after a year of touring their debut album Smeared and features nascent versions of tracks which would later appear on the Twice Removed. Released in a limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies and pressed on green marble vinyl, the album will be available for purchase on Monday November 14.

In September of this year, St. Vincent took a giant leap forward with the release of third album, Strange Mercy. This time out Annie Clark was to combine her long-celebrated musical virtuosity with ambitious songwriting that ran a gamut of emotional cadences, all the while underpinned by a colourful sense of melody. Recording these songs live for the first time, St. Vincent has performed four tracks from Strange Mercy for the tenth visual instalment in the 4AD Session series.

It’s been a tough month for music fans already having to deal with the loss of one legendary 80′s alternative rock band, but that may now be two, following the news of a divorce within the ranks of Sonic Youth. It’s not the end of the world just yet as Thurston Moore has announced a second London date at the Electric Ballroom on December 3 which will showcase the entirety of his 1995 solo LP Psychic Hearts as part of All Tomorrow’s Parties ‘Don’t Look Back’ season.

Here is a case of band makes one impossibly perfect, era-defining album that is arguably one of the greatest debuts ever recorded, and then…. everything goes to shit. You couldn’t but help feel sorry for The Stone Roses. This was the general feeling at the start of the 90’s, when these four cocky Mancunians went from strength to strength, only to end up in litigation with their old record company. Paint was thrown, records rereleased and the bands momentum eclipsed by Madchester and dozens of fakers instantly emulating their swagger and sound.

Just to perpetuate Webcuts’ myth that everybody these days is a bedroom musician and to celebrate the release of In Heaven the debut album from New York-based Twin Sister, the band are offering aspiring producers the opportunity to remix the track “Kimmi In a Rice Field”. The winning remixer will have their track released on Domino as well as variety of other prizes. Twin Sister will also be coming to the UK and Ireland for live dates at the end of October, kicking off with a co-headline show at the Garage on 25th October with Real Estate.

It is with great sadness, shock and holy-shit-didn’t-see-that-coming to announce that alterna-rock legends, R.E.M. have called it a day. Having released their 15th album Collapse Into Now earlier this year to critical acclaim, the Athens GA trio were riding something of a creative high, with an air of confidence that dispelled any rumour of it being their swansong. The announcement was posted on their official REMHQ website with the band walking away “with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished”.

It is too damn early to be throwing the ‘C’ word around, but the record company promotional machine waits for no man or elf. So it is with mixed scrooge-y feelings that we announce the release of She & Him’s first-ever Christmas recording entitled A Very She & Him Christmas on November 21, 2011 (via Double Six in the UK/Merge in the US). Inspired by seminal seasonal albums by the likes of The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley and more, She & Him have set out to create an intimate recording of Christmas classics that help bring “new emotions out of old songs” (raised eyebrow, but we’ll play along).

Webcuts is seeking passionate/driven/outspoken writers/bloggers, experienced or otherwise, to contribute to our website. Webcuts has been in operation since 2007, largely as a labour of love for us to comment about the music and bands that we’re interested in, or to decry those that we’re not. We’re always interested in expanding our range of coverage and nurturing writers who want to get a start in music journalism or just have a vendetta against the current state of music. Here is your platform. Hop aboard. No seriously, what are you waiting for?