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

Mumford & Sons release their new single, ‘I Will Wait’ on the 24th September 2012. It is the first single to be taken from their second album, Babel, released on the same day . The story of Mumford & Sons has been written and mapped out on the road. Since before the release of 2009’s debut album Sigh No More, the band has rarely been off tour, but the recording of Babel brought them off the road and back into the studio. Many of the songs on the new record found their dynamic through years of tested live performance. ‘Whispers In The Dark’, ‘Lover Of The Light’, ‘Below My Feet’, ‘Lovers’ Eyes’ and ‘Hopeless Wanderer’ might be familiar to fans that have seen the band perform live over the past eighteen months across the world. Babel was produced by Marcus Dravs, a man whom the band trusts to replicate and to understand the importance of live energy as much as they do. In a similar fashion to its predecessor, it is a record that marries the upbeat with the intimate, and the unre

J essie Ware is a proper pop star. With her soulful, melancholy vocal, effortlessly elegant songwriting skills and, of course, that striking slicked-back hair, she marks a new era for pop. Her outstanding debut album Devotion combines the ultra-modern feel of downtempo R&B and British electronic music. South London born Jessie started singing at school, inspired by the romance of her mother's Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald Sings Cole Porter tapes, appearing in musicals and picking up some classical training along the way. Jessie cut her teeth as a vocalist when she wrote the track Nervous with SBTRKT. She then hooked up with Sampha, who had also sung on Nervous, to write Valentine, one of last year's sweetest tracks, all breathy vocals and beautiful simplicity. Armed with those two songs and riding a growing wave of hype, she was snapped up by brand new label PMR. With her name on everyone's lips, the time seemed right for an album. But, despite another big guest

Childish Gambino, whose two sell-out London dates earlier this year were among the rawest, most electrifying hip hop shows for many a year, has his brand new Glassnote/Island single “Firefly” released on August 6th. The single is taken from Gambino’s recently released and universally acclaimed first album proper “CAMP” which established the actor/comedian/writer as one of the most challenging, exciting and lyrically interesting talents to emerge in hip hop. “Camp” was produced by Swedish composer and long-time collaborator Ludwig Göransson, and the 13 tracks also include “Bonfire”, “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 “Community” alongside Chevy Chase. Glover has also recently been lauded by Rolling Stone as one of America’s best young comedians and on his recent sell-out I AM DONALD TOUR played to ove

Having recently played a sell out run of shows in New York and Toronto and currently playing a few European dates as well as gearing up for some festival appearances, Paul Weller released a new single “The Attic” on July 23rd. “The Attic” is the third single from the outstanding critically acclaimed No. 1 album “Sonik Kicks” and will be released as a Digital EP and will be backed by brand new track The Piper and the full length version of album track Sleep Of The Serene. “The Attic” motors along in a space-age rockabilly style, with Paul Weller crooning like a pining teen idol for his lover. “Lyrically, it’s a bit lovelorn” he says. After playing his shows in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Luxembourg last month, Paul performed live from Jodrell Bank on 24th June along with Graham Coxon and Baxter Dury. He then played  headlined the Sunday night at Latitude. his only UK festival this year, TRACKLISTING : Attic The Piper Sleep Of The Serene (Full Length Version) Just some of th