NEWS

Gorillaz to release new album Plastic Beach in March
Damon Albarn's Gorillaz will release their third album in March, the band have announced.

Plastic Beach' will feature from music stars Lou Reed, Mos Def, Mark E Smith, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, De La Soul and Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, reports NME.

The Clash duo Mick Jones and Paul Simonon reunite on the title track of the album, which will be released on March 8. Lead single Stylo featuring cameos by rapper Mos Def and Bobby Womack has already leaked online. "Leeching is the wrong word now isn't it?" the band's frontman Murdoc Niccals told the magazine. "It's not like I've drawn blood or anything. No, I think the word 'coerced' sings the deal a little better. Although, yes, the coercion did come via chloroform and rohypnol." The new album tells the story of Plastic Beach HQ, "a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific". Niccals, Blur's Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett make up cartoon band Gorillaz.

The tracklisting for 'Plastic Beach':
1. Orchestral Intro (ft. Sinfonia ViVA)
2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (ft. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
3. White Flag (ft. Kano, Bashy, and the National Orchestra for Arabic Music)
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo (ft. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
6. Superfast Jellyfish (ft. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
7. Empire Ants (ft. Little Dragon)
8. Glitter Freeze (ft. Mark E Smith)
9. Some Kind of Nature (ft. Lou Reed)
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes (ft. Mos Def and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
13. Plastic Beach (ft. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon)
14. To Binge (ft. Little Dragon)
15. Cloud of Unknowing (ft. Bobby Womack and Sinfonia ViVA)
16. Pirate Jet

Uncut magazine today launches the second ever Uncut Music Award, a quest to find the most inspiring and rewarding musical experience of the past 12 months.

The artists' nationality, age and sales figures are completely irrelevant as a judging panel of 10 industry figures will come together to decide on the winner. The judging panel is headed, once again, by Uncut’s editor, Allan Jones, and includes Robin Pecknold, the leader of 2008's winning band, Fleet Foxes.

Joining Allan and Robin will be Billy Bragg and the terrific young folk singer Rachel Unthank. Returning from last year will be the eminent broadcasters Mark Radcliffe, Bob Harris and Danny Kelly.

New faces on the team this year are the radio host Christian O'Connell, the BBC's Creative Head of Music Entertainment, Mark Cooper, and a music business legend – Dave Robinson, founder of Stiff Records.

A list of 25 albums to be considered by the panel for this year's award has been selected by Uncut. The list includes legendary veterans like Bob Dylan and major contemporary names including Kings Of Leon and Arctic Monkeys, as well as relatively unknown newcomers such as The Low Anthem, Wild Beasts and Fever Ray.

The inaugural award was presented last year to Fleet Foxes for their self titled debut album. Mark Radcliffe, judge said: "An extraordinary piece of work, and a worthy first winner of the prize,"

Allan Jones, editor of Uncut: "The inaugural Uncut Music Award was a resounding success, with Fleet Foxes in the opinion of last year’s panel the deserving winners, although there was fierce competition from The Raconteurs and Vampire Weekend. This year’s award looks like it will be just as hotly contested, with the judges facing a daunting task. There has been a lot of brilliant music over the last year, as our long list of 25 albums vividly demonstrates. Deciding which of them most merits winning the 2009 Uncut Music award is going to be an exciting process, but no easy task."

The Uncut Music Award long list in full:

1. The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain (Bella Union)
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)
3. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (Domino)
4. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Drag City)
5. Graham Coxon – The Spinning Top (Parlophone)
6. Alela Diane – To Be Still (Names)
7. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino)
8. Doves – Kingdom Of Rust (Heavenly/EMI)
9. The Duke And The King – Nothing Gold Can Stay (Loose)
10. Bob Dylan – Together Through Life (Columbia)
11. Fever Ray – Fever Ray (Rabid/V2)
12. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest (Warp)
13. Levon Helm – Electric Dirt (Vanguard)
14. The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL)
15. Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night (Columbia)
16. The Low Anthem – Oh My God Charlie Darwin (Bella Union)
17. Madness – The Liberty Of Norton Folgate (Lucky Seven)
18. Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It (SonyBMG)
19. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
20. TV On The Radio - Dear Science (4AD)
21. Tinariwen- Imidiwan: Companions (Independiente)
22. White Denim – Fits (Full Time Hobby)
23. Wilco – Wilco (the album) (Nonesuch)
24. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (Domino)
25. The xx – xx (XL)
The eight records that have made the shortlist will be announced in the November issue of Uncut (on sale October 27th). Then the judges will convene to choose the winner, with that being revealed in our January issue, out on November 24th.

from walesonline.co.uk

Super Furry Animals are among 25 acts battling it out in the hunt for the year's best album, it was announced today.

The Psychedelic Welsh band are nominated for the Uncut Music Award, an international equivalent of the Mercury Prize, for Dark Days/Light Years.

The award's aim is to find the most inspirational release of the past 12 months with judges including Billy Bragg, Mark Radcliffe and Christian O'Connell.

Also in the running for the award – to be announced on November 24 – are acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Fever Ray, Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective.

Nominations for the prize, launched by respected music magazine Uncut, are chosen regardless of nationality, age and sales figures.

Also on the judging panel is Robin Pecknold, frontman of last year's winner, Fleet Foxes.

Allan Jones, editor of Uncut, said: "There has been a lot of brilliant music over the last year, as our long list of 25 albums vividly demonstrates. Deciding which of them most merits winning the 2009 Uncut Music award is going to be an exciting process, but no easy task."