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

I celandic alternative folk sensation Of Monsters and Men have emerged as the breakthrough international act of 2012. Whilst the excitement around the UK release of their debut album ‘My Head is An Animal’, out 27th August on Island Records, continues to grow, the band announce details of a 2013 UK tour. Of Monsters and Men’s rise to music’s upper echelons has been unstoppable. ‘My Head is an Animal’ has already enjoyed huge success outside the UK, topping the charts in Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Canada and America. Crafting epic songs inspired by their amazing homeland, fairy tales and personal history, the band went from battle of the bands winners to the must-see act at Iceland Airwaves and SXSW festival. The bands first single ‘Little Talks’ to date has received over 18 million views on YouTube and is currently on the A-List at BBC Radio 1. Of Monsters and Men began as the solo project of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir however it quickly grew with the additions of friends Ragnar “Ra

Tinchy Stryder is set to release the follow up single to his chart busting ‘Bright Lights’ featuring pop starlet Pixie Lott. ‘Help Me’, due for release by 4th & Broadway/ Island Records on 1st October 2012, will be Tinchy Stryder’s 13th commercial single release to date. Produced by Art Bastian, Tinchy Stryder’s ‘Help Me’ is the latest cut to be taken from his forthcoming, fourth studio album, ‘Full Tank’ due out in 2013. Combining anthemic ‘hands in the air’ production with Tinchy’s charismatic lyrical flow and an infectious chorus, ‘Help Me’ is sure to not only become a common request on dance floors across the country, but also make an impressionable dent on the UK charts. Remixes of the single by fresh in-demand duo DEVolution (Lana Del Ray, Wretch 32, Wiley) will also be made available. The video for ‘Help Me’, directed by Dan Henshaw (Kasabian, Kano) and shot in New Orleans also acts as a perfect accompaniment with its striking montage of in tune visuals. Since the success

DJ Shadow, rightly regarded as one of the most influential and consistently innovative artists to emerge from music in the last 20 years, has four collections of his finest recordings released on September 3rd via Island Records. “Reconstructed: The Best Of DJ Shadow” will be released on one single CD and double vinyl, while “Reconstructed: The Definitive DJ Shadow” will be issued as a multi-disc box set. Limited to 500 copies worldwide, each set will be individually signed by DJ Shadow and will include 8 discs, 1 x 12” vinyl record, as well as a booklet, featuring an essay by acclaimed music writer Dave Tompkins, and numerous photo. With stunning artwork and design by Trevor Jackson, the box set is the most ambitious and comprehensive retrospective ever assembled to represent Shadow’s output. “It’s never an easy task to sum up a career in one release,” says Shadow, “but this box comes pretty close. This is the definitive, final document of the sound I’m most known for.” The box w