Graham Coxon creates new soundtrack for Netflix Hit Show

Once and future Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has cultivated a solo career since 1998 that has simmered in North America among the Britpop frontrunners’ ardent cult. He’s overdue for a visit, however. Coxon’s upcoming Chicago date is his first since 2005, and part of his first one-man North American tour. “It’ll mainly be acoustic guitar, but I’ll have an electric on hand to make some noise for people who like that sort of thing,” he says.

Coxon is beloved for the barely controlled chaos heard on Blur favorites like “Song 2.” As an ardent student of folk masters Bert Jansch and Davy Graham, Coxon is also adept at fingerstyle acoustic fretwork. His riotous side is deployed on delirious solo cuts like “Advice,” while his melodic acoustic sensibility manifests during songs like “In the Morning.”

“Both approaches have pluses and minuses,” says Coxon. “‘Advice’ is just kind of smacking the hell out of a guitar, whereas ‘In the Morning’ is quite long with a ton of fingerstyle playing.

“They’re exhausting in different ways,” he adds with a laugh.

The soundtrack for Netflix series “The End of the F—ing World” is Coxon’s ninth solo effort. The reception for the black comedy’s quirky score helped coax him onto the road. “It did get quite popular in America, so I thought I could go play that stuff,” he says.

The summery folk of “Walking All Day” taps Coxon’s intuition and spontaneity. “That came out of nowhere,” says Coxon. “The character is slashing with a stick through the forest in his jeans and no top, looking like something out of ‘Deliverance.’ I thought, ‘A country blues kind of thing might fit here.’ It was done in 40 minutes.”

“The Snare” nods to Link Wray’s “Rumble.” “I’m a longtime fan of Link Wray,” says Coxon. “I love that 6/8 rhythm and twangy guitar. I was going for an approximation of underground ’50s and ’60s B-movie music.”

Coxon looks forward to touring on a smaller scale. “I like that romantic idea of having a dead simple setup that I could probably carry in a rucksack,” says Coxon. “I’m traveling in a van with minimal crew, and we’re just going to enjoy a bit of life on the road. Some of my fondest memories during my mid-20s with Blur were looking out the window at changing American countryside, and meeting people at truck stops and restaurants.”

In December, Coxon released “Falling” to support the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity directed at reducing suicide among men. “I’ll probably have a go at playing that on the tour,” says Coxon. “It was written by a family friend who took his own life. CALM encourages men to actually talk about stuff if they’re feeling rubbish — don’t keep it inside. It’s also important to care about friends openly and be available. I think men lead by example. If somebody confides in you, you’re more likely to confide in them.”

Coxon’s recent activity includes guesting on stage and in studio with Blur partner Damon Albarn’s band Gorillaz. Blur’s future is unclear, but Coxon isn’t pessimistic. “It’s a never-say-never thing, absolutely,” he says. “I think it’ll happen when we’re all really missing it and we’ve all got time to spare. It’s a lovely job. You get to play big places, you’re fed well and stay in a decent hotel. You play a nice guitar through an amplifier that’s turned up loud, and you see a lot of smiling faces.”

* Graham Coxon, 8 p.m. Sept. 21, Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $29.50 (18+over);ticketfly.com.

Source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/graham-coxon-blur-music-chicago-things-to-do/ 

Blur to make a New Album in 2019

Damon Albarn has once again stirred up emotions- and this time it's with the news that a new Blur album is possible in 2019. In a recent interview, the Blur frontman stated that:

“A reunion is never not a possibility. I think most definitely at some point we’ll play those songs again. I’d hate to think I’d never play with those musicians again. But it has just got to be the right time.”

"You want to feel that people really, really, really want you to do it, otherwise you’re kind of becoming a tribute act to yourself,” he explained. “You destroy everything that you’ve created if you do. Given the massive and always-rotating cast of characters in the Gorillaz’ vast universe, Albarn has even contemplated merging the two into one “Some days I really fancy doing a Blur song in the middle of a Gorillaz set,” he admitted. "I’ve never tried it, but I probably shouldn’t.”

It looks like we'll be seeing a lot more Blur this year, and a lot more of Damon Albarn's creative energies.

As one of the most famous Britpop bands of all time, Blur has a huge legacy and a new album will be sure to top the charts. Stay tuned for more!

New Photos of Damon Albarn

Here are some relatively new photos of Damon Albarn, photographed on March 27, 2017 at The Greenwich Hotel in New York. This photo shoot is previously unreleased to the public.

Listen to the entire Gorillaz album now!

The Now Now, Gorillaz's new album has been streaming live in its entirety today, following a concert in Tokyo to the fans. Watch it below now!

Damon Albarn on Gorillaz's low-key album (featuring Noel Gallagher) The Now Now

So Damon Albarn has finally opened up about his mysterious new Gorillaz album, The Now Now. According to a recent interview, "Unlike so many of their previous releases, the band’s latest, The Now Now (due June 29), is a comparatively intimate affair, minus the usual wide-ranging guest roster — Humanz alone featured Noel Gallagher, De La Soul, Vince Staples, Popcaan, and Grace Jones, among others — and attendant Mt. Everest of studio coordination such a major undertaking involves.

Frontman Damon Albarn, who turned 50 this spring, was happy to swerve into Now‘s simpler, more stripped-down territory, enlisting drop-ins from just a few select friends (Snoop Dogg and 75-year-old jazz-guitar legend George Benson), and production by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, Depeche Mode) and longtime collaborator Remi Kabaka."

Quoting from his latest interview in June 2018, Albarn says:

”This record was really easy to make. I did it in a month with just James Ford and Remi, and finished it at the end of February, which, that’s quite nice, you know?”

The album is mostly sung by Damon Albarn himself, instead of his usual hiding behind the multiple collaborators that made Gorillaz famous.

 “So if you don’t like my voice, it’s probably not worth investigating this record. If you do like my voice, I would strongly recommend you buy it. Not that it’s so divisive, but it’s an acquired taste, really.”

“My voice has gotten a lot better,” Albarn said. “A lot richer and deeper, I think. [But] I wouldn’t say I like it. I’m permanently dissatisfied, period, with what I do. I have little glimpses when I’m making something, like, ‘Ahhhh, I love this! This is great!’ And then that moment ends and I just sort of return to, ‘Am I ever really gonna find — I don’t know what it is, but am I ever really gonna find it?’ I don’t know.”

“The record’s all over the place, really,” he says, “but mainly, it’s songs written from the tops of buildings or on buses in America.” One track, “Idaho,” was in fact inspired by a specific trip out West. “We’d just played Red Rocks, so it was on the way from there to Seattle. We spent two days up in the mountains in this very beautiful place, very disconnected — almost like a land that time forgot.

I’ve visited the States a lot, but it’s the first time I actually paused in the great vast wilderness that is America. I couldn’t get enough of it, actually.” Those tracks called “Kansas” and “Hollywood” though? Don’t read too much into them. While he did book a recording session in an appropriately louche hotel penthouse overlooking Sunset Boulevard, “There’s no actual connection,” he says. “Sometimes my original GarageBand [software] titles just stay. I know where the words came from, but not why.”

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So apart from being inspired by America, what's next for Albarn? Lots, according to him.

“I’ve made two records this year so far,” he says. Well, technically it’s three. Gorillaz, one from the Good, the Bad, & the Queen, and a collaboration with South African artists. “I mean it’s only June,” he says, “and I’ve been in South Africa, I’ve been in Mali, I’ve been all over South America… Mali is fascinating, and I just keep going back there. It has a very strong classical tradition with a lot of complicated music that you have to learn from a very young age.

I struggle with some of it, I really do, but I love that about it. I’m just learning how to become adequate on the balafon, and I ended up having lessons with a 12-year-old prodigy, an absolute genius… I’ll actually be doing something soon in Mali and in Paris about Sundiata, who was a sort of semi-mythical first emperor.”

New Gorillaz Track- Sorcererz (Listen Here)

Gorillaz released their 4th album track "Sorcererz" online today, just minutes ago. Take a first look at the song below. Once again, it features a rotating visual illusion of a music video, with a catchy, beaty song.

The album seems like it's going to be awesome, especially with it's synth pop and more focus on 2D's vocals instead of the many collaborations found in Humanz.

Gorillaz Not Now Tour Dates 2018

Gorillaz will hit the road this summer with The Now Now Tour playing festival dates across Europe, to include a headline appearance at Boomtown Festival, Hampshire on 11th August.

See the tracklisting for The Now Now here:

1. Humility - feat George Benson

2. Tranz

3. Hollywood - feat Snoop Dogg + Jamie Principle

4. Kansas

5. Sorcererz

6. Idaho

7. Lake Zurich

8. Magic City

9. Fire Flies

10. One Percent

11. Souk Eye

See Gorillaz's The Now Now tour European dates:

1 June Rock IM Ring, Nuremberg - GERMANY

3 June Rock AM Park, Mendig - GERMANY

9 June - Malahide Castle, Dublin - IRELAND

15 June - Sonar, Barcelona - SPAIN

21 June - Messe Arena Hall, Tokyo - JAPAN

5 July - Werchter Festival, Werchter - BELGIUM

6 July - Open’er Festival, Gdynia - POLAND

7 July - Roskilde Festival, Roskilde - DENMARK

11 July - Gurten Festival, Bern - SWITZERLAND

12 July - Lucca Summer Festival, Lucca - ITALY

14 July - Bilbao BBK Live, Bilbao - SPAIN

11 August - Boomtown Festival, Hampshire

First Look at New Gorillaz Song- Lake Zurich

New Gorillaz song "Lake Zurich" launched on May 31 2018. The new song is a bit retro, sounding like an 80s song with the constant back beat and the upbeat melody, and features a rotating, dazzling music video featuring a rotating optical illusion with the band members' heads.

The song is catchy and without much vocals, and sounds like something a Daft Punk album would include. In fact, it's better than any Daft Punk song!

Take a look below!

Firs Look at Gorillaz's New Song 'Humility'

Gorillaz's new track "Humility" has launched today (May 31st) on Youtube. The song features Damon Albarn's crooning vocals and features very few collaborators. In fact it seems like it's just him on the singing. It's a catchy, "The Fall"-esque track with an upbeat melody and synth sound.

Jack Black also acts as the main star of the video, and it has, as one Youtube comment says, got "summervibes"!

Their video features a sun-drenched new video for first track ‘Humility’ - feat George Benson, starring a roller-skating 2D and a busking Jack Black, was directed by Jamie Hewlett and filmed entirely in Venice Beach, California last month.

survey software

The brand new album from Gorillaz 'The Now Now’ drops 29th June & is available to pre-order now. Click HERE.