pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Two unrelated music news items worthy of note…

Fiona Apple is back in the studio for the first time in three years.  As SPIN reports, Fiona will contribute two new recordings to The Best Is Yet to Come, a forthcoming compilation honoring Cy Coleman, a composer whose most famous material was performed by Frank Sinatra.  On the collection, Apple performs Coleman’s “Why Try to Change Me Now” and “I Walk a Little Faster,” which was popularized by Tony Bennett.  Patty Griffin, Nikka Costa, Jill Sobule, and Missy Higgins are among the other artists who honor Coleman’s musical legacy on the album.  No release date set, from what I can tell.

Here’s an audio YouTube of Fiona’s “Why Try to Change Me Now”…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Icelandic band Múm (pronounced “moom”) is releasing another album and is touring the U.S.  I received my ticket to the Portland show (Nov 4th) in the mail today.  I figured it was related to an album, but hadn’t heard that until today (over on the BrooklynVegan blog).  Musically, Múm are akin to Sigur Rós meets Frog Pocket. And for those not in the know about Frog Pocket… well, the prior sentence meant that Múm are like a glitchy-electronic Sigur Rós.

Honestly, I hadn’t looked, but I now find out that Múm’s new album (Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know) is due out in August 2009, but it has already been leaked.  Oh, internets, when you you ever learn that in order for the arts to continue and flourish, you should pay for it!

Anyway, Múm’s 2009 tour dates are as follows:

• Jul 08 TEATRI DI VITA Bologna #
• Jul 11 Loop festival afterparty at Digital Brighton #
• Jul 12 Loop festival Brighton
• Jul 13 TabarnacleLondon
• Aug 14 SUMMER SUNDAE festival Leicester
• Aug 15 Studio 24 Edinburgh
• Aug 17 National museum of Wales Cardiff, Wales
• Aug 18 Norwich art center Norwhich
• Aug 27 Atomic CafeMunich (DE)
• Aug 28 Beatpol Dresden (DE)
• Sep 05 Lido Berlin (DE)
• Sep 06 Knust Hamburg (DE)
• Sep 07 Gebaeude 9 Cologne (DE)
• Oct 21 the Somerville Theatre Somerville, Massachusetts
• Oct 22 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Oct 23 Black Cat Washington DC, Washington DC
• Oct 24 Le Poisson Rouge NY, New York
• Oct 26 Le National Montreal, Quebec
• Oct 27 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Ontario
• Oct 28 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois
• Oct 29 McGuire Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Nov 01 Marquee Room Calgary, Alberta
• Nov 02 Richards on Richards Vancouver, British Columbia
• Nov 03 Showbox at the Market Seattle, Washington
• Nov 04 Aladdin Theater Portland, Oregon
• Nov 05 The Independent San Francisco, California
• Nov 06 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, California
• Nov 07 Yost Theatre Santa Ana, California
  # múm DJ set

~Dan – np: Davka – Davka Live