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

With his first 2 London shows selling out in a matter of minutes and acclaim for his album “Camp” growing by the day, Childish Gambino, one of the most exciting emerging talents in music, releases his new Glassnote/Island single “All The Shine” on February 6th. The shows, which promise to be among the hottest tickets of the year so far, will take place at the appropriately named London club CAMP on January 25th and 26th . “All The Shine” is taken from “Camp”, Gambino’s first album proper and follows a couple of acclaimed mixtapes and a growing reputation as one of the freshest and most interesting mcs in hip hop. The album was produced by Swedish composer and long-time collaborator Ludwig Göransson, and the 13 tracks also include “Bonfire”, future single “Heartbeat”, “Backpackers”, “L.E.S.”, and standout closer “That Power”. Born Donald Glover, Childish Gambino got his hip hop name from the Wu-tang name generator, but is best known in the US as an actor starring in the NBC hit show “C...

There’s no doubt about it –Florence Welch is back with an almighty bang having shipped a massive 1 MILLION albums worldwide in just two weeks since the release of her global smash of a follow up record, ‘Ceremonials’. Her widely acclaimed album immediately hit the #1 spot in the UK charts on release and crashed into the US Billboard Top, ranking her right up there with other British heavyweights Adele and Coldplay. ‘No Light, No Light’ is the epic and heart wrenching follow up to lead single ‘Shake It Out’ and will be released on January 16. Remixes come from the wondrous Dave Sitek and Breakage – his only remix of 2011. Part romantic battle-cry, part rain-lashed pledge of devotion, thrashed out over harps, tribal drums and interweaving harmonies, this was one of the first songs to be written for Ceremonials and set the tone for a record that acts as a showcase for its creators’ unabashed maximalism. “There are things I struggle to talk about face-to-face. I’m not a confrontational pe...

Continuing the build up to the release of their debut album, sonic experimentalists Clock Opera will release their single “Once And For All” on Moshi Moshi/Island on 30th January 2012. Epic and euphoric in equal measure, it epitomises the band’s signature sound of looping samples, layered textures and soaring vocals and demonstrates yet again their skill in audio autopsy - deconstructing and reassembling sounds and words to startling effect. Lyrically “Once and for All” recalls memories of being a teenager and the myriad complex and extreme emotions that we experience during those transitional years. Also included in the package is a remix by arguably one of the most devoted pioneers of experimental and electronic music, Mr Andrew Weatherall. After recent releases of “Belongings” and “Lesson No.7”, “Once And For All” further cements Clock Opera’s growing reputation as one of the most innovative, original and exciting bands in the UK right now. Live they continue to go from strength to ...

James Morrison has been nominated for Best British Male at the 2012 BRIT awards, an accolade he has been nominated for twice before, and won in 2007. James said: “I’m really happy to be nominated for The Brits again this year, it’s going to be a great night. It’s always good to get that level of recognition for your work, and there are some great artists in there too. ‘The Awakening’ is such an intensely personal album to me, I’m just pleased people are sharing that and enjoying it so much, and the fans are giving me such incredible feedback and support.” His new single ‘Slave To The Music’ is released on February 20. The up tempo track is the third to be taken from his platinum selling album ‘The Awakening’. The song originally came to James in a dream, where he envisaged Michael Jackson singing the main hook. The Awakening was number one for two weeks when it was released last year. It also contains the singles ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ and the stunning duet with Jessie J ‘Up’ – which ha...

January 16th 2012 see’s the eagerly awaited release of Tribes debut album ‘Baby’ on Island Records, with the single ‘ We Were Children ’ on the 9th .Taped over six intense weeks in Liverpool with producer Mike Crossey, these songs have been honed to perfection during an odyssey of couch surfing and tearing the arse out of sweaty, shoebox-sized venues. Like with so many great debut albums, ‘Baby’ is the culmination of the band’s own lives up to this point. NME Awards Tour Dates 2012: 08 Feb Glasgow O2 Academy 09 Feb Newcastle O2 Academy 10 Feb Manchester Academy 14 Feb Nottingham Rock City 15 Feb Leeds O2 Academy 17 Feb Norwich UEA 18 Feb Birmingham O2 Academy 19 Feb Cardiff University 20 Feb Bristol O2 Academy 22 Feb Bournemouth O2 Academy 23 Feb Brighton Dome http://www.myspace.com/tribesband

Taio Cruz who has sold a staggering 17 million singles and albums worldwide, and has established himself as one of the world’s most sought after writer/producers as well as a genuine international superstar artist in his own right, releases his eagerly awaited new single “Troublemaker” on January 1st through Island Records. The future smash is taken from Taio’s brand new album “Ty. O” which the multi-talented Londoner has been working on since moving to Los Angeles at the beginning of the year. The star-studded album will also feature the massive international single “Hangover” which features Flo Rida. Taio’s world Takeover continues apace. Alongside the incredible 17 million single and album worldwide sales, Taio has racked up over 440 million YouTube views, 5 million Facebook likes, is a 3 time Billboard Music Award winner (2011), Brit Award nominee, Ascap Songwriter of The Year Award Winner (2011) and has written hits for, to name but a few, JLS, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Lopez (...

Welcome to the world of Amelia Warner: A multi-talented singer songwriter and pianist, Amelia writes and performs under the name Slow Moving Millie. Her emergence onto the music scene has been anything but ordinary. Originally immersed in an acting career from an early age, she discovered her talent for song writing by creating scores for films and quickly emerged into the exquisite talent she is today. Slow Moving Millie’s unconventional beginnings are echoed in her musical style. With a wide range of musical influences, (from Tom Waits and Nick Cave to Sigur Ros and Cat Power), her bittersweet musings, lyrical innocence and astute observations combine everyday experiences into a cinematic, moving, and unforgettable soundtrack. Having developed an impressive reputation and fan base from scores for film and TV, Amelia signed to Island Records and is currently is in the studio recording her debut album, (due for release next summer), with award winning producer Charlie Hugall (Florence ...