Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

A new PJ Harvey single, The Words That Maketh Murder, will be released digitally by Island Records on 17th January 2011. It will be the first release from Harvey's forthcoming album Let England Shake due out February. Following the digital release on 17th January, The Words That Maketh Murder will be released on 7" vinyl on 7th February 2011 backed with an exclusive track The Guns Called Me Back Again, recorded during the Let England Shake album session. Award-winning war photographer Seamus Murphy has produced a series of short films - containing reportage footage shot around England and performance footage of Harvey - for each song on the album. His film for The Last Living Rose is currently on http://www.pjharvey.net/ Let England Shake, scheduled for release on 14th February, is Harvey's eighth studio album. The record received a 5 star review in the current issue of Q magazine and Mojo writes ‘…of all her many guises – this may be her most powerful… more than ever, P...

Pete Lawrie releases a new single, ‘Fell Into The River’, on the 31st January 2011 through Island Records. It is taken from the debut album, ‘A Little Brighter’ released on the 4th April 2011. The obvious pressure of being a hotly-tipped young artist for the coming year is something that Pete Lawrie hasn’t even considered. Confident and assured, the young Welshman soaks up the pressure and volleys it back in the shape of another soulful pop lament. The success of Pete’s limited edition EP at the tail-end of 2010, with lead-track ‘In The End’ being playlisted at national radio, and press acclaim suggesting that the next twelve months were Pete’s for the taking, has primed the now-London-resident for an exciting 2011. It’s not just these early recordings that have raised his profile so significantly, but a hefty touring schedule which started out at 2010’s festivals (Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Radio 1’s One Big Weekend, Hop Farm, Belladrum, and Cardiff’s SWN), and has seen Pete perform ...

Following on from the phenomenon that is ‘Game Over’ Tinchy Stryder is gearing up for the release of his new single, double A-side, ‘Gangsta?’ and ‘Let It Rain’ scheduled for release on 24th January 2011. When Tinchy Stryder went into the studio with his friends to record ‘Game Over’ he knew it would be big. The album track, featuring a who’s who in the UK urban scene: Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk, Devlin, Giggs, Example and Professor Green, exploded with its exclusive first play on Tim Westwood’s Radio 1 Extra show, Zane Lowe followed crowning it Record of the Week on Radio 1 and the video amassed over a million views in under a week. Tinchy Stryder is now set for the next release, the double whammy, ‘Gangsta?/Let It Rain’. ‘Gangsta?’ showcases a harder edge to Stryder’s lyrical prowess and sound. Produced by Tinchy’s long term production partners TMS, the track plays on the difference between what it means to be ‘a gangsta’ and to be ‘gangster’. In contrast, uplifting ‘Let it Rain’, produ...

‘Let It Go’ brings together two of the most potent forces in UK urban music to create an explosive future music single. Devlin is Dagenham’s 21-year-old lyrical prodigy. A lightening quick flow peppered with one-liners, cathartic street stories and fevered imagery. His fêted debut ‘bud, sweat & beers’ peaked at #5 in the iTunes Chart on its release in November 2010. ‘Let It Go’ is his follow up single to the Top 20 hit ‘Runaway’. With a UK headline tour planned for February and over 18 million Devlin related views on Youtube, the country is discovering the grime scene’s most thoughtful spitter one line, one video view at a time. Producer and vocalist on this single is 21-year-old Labrinth. In the brave new world where UK hip hop talent is receiving the attention it deserves, Labrinth has emerged as a star producer. He is the man behind Tinie Tempah’s #1 single ‘Pass Out’. ‘Let It Go’ documents a relationship in turbulence. Labrinth weaves together hyperactive guitar parts, interna...

Pearl Jam release ‘Live on Ten Legs’, a classic-packed new live compilation album, January 17th on Island Records . Kicking off the band’s twentieth anniversary year and ensuing celebrations in style, the album features 18 captivating versions of Pearl Jam’s landmark tracks. ‘Live on Ten Legs’ was recorded over the course of the band’s 2003-2010 world tours by engineer John Burton. Newly remixed by longtime Pearl Jam engineer Brett Eliason and remastered, the material on the record spans Pearl Jam’s 60 million selling career. The release follows Pearl Jam's victorious Hyde Park show this summer, which cemented the band’s status as one of the best live acts in the world. Included on the album are live versions of classic songs ‘Jeremy’, ‘Alive’ and ‘Spin The Black Circle’ as well as ‘Just Breathe’ and ‘The Fixer’ from their most recent album, the acclaimed ‘Backspacer’. ‘Live on Ten Legs’ will be available in CD, digital and deluxe versions. The deluxe box set version will include a...