Hit Singles

Hit Singles

Julian Cope – Friar Tuck

Rocking out in the margins, Julian Cope has been on a roll in recent years. 2020’s Self Civil War was his finest record in 25 years, and 2022’s England Expectorates was almost as good (bonus points for the melodic nail-bomb of “Cunts Can Fuck Off”). Then came last year’s Robin Hood, without Cope’s name on the packaging, and now Friar Tuck, also mysteriously cloaked. It appears, as all his music has since 1997’s Rite 2, on Cope’s own Head Heritage label (a vinyl edition is on its way too, his first since 2017’s Drunken Songs): that means home recordings and low production values on one hand, but direct and fluid expression on the other. Basically, he’s free to do what he wants, with all the good and bad that entails. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement Mostly, on Friar Tuck, that leads to an exhilarating 40 minutes. It doesn’t have the madcap range of 1991’s Peggy Suicide or the following year’s Jehovahkill, records on which Cope explored the rough and ready, first-take ethos he’d discovered on 1989’s Skellington and… Read More →

Hit Singles

Brothers On The Clyde

Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake is awaiting a delivery of logs to his cottage in the Clyde Valley when Uncut catches up with him. “There’s no gas supply here,” he says. “Last year I had storage heaters, and they were really, really expensive. Hence the logs.” On the upside, Blake’s move to the countryside a year ago has yielded an album of glorious autumnal songwriting in collaboration with Love And Money frontman James Grant and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. “Norman’s place is really lovely,” says Butler. “Every time I go there it’s just a peaceful few days.” THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement Now settled under the moniker Butler, Blake & Grant – “I think I’d like to be Steven Stills,” jokes Grant – the group have done everything in the wrong order. They went on tour before they had any new songs, after being thrown together for their initial shows by Creeping Bent label boss Douglas MacIntyre, who also curates live events in Scotland under the Frets banner. “Me and James had tentatively talked about doing something together,”… Read More →

Hit Singles

Terry Riley – Shri Camel

For a while there, across the late 1960s and the decade of the 1970s, Terry Riley became the friendly face of contemporary minimal composition. There he was, grinning amiably, superimposed over trees and sky on the cover of his best-known album, 1969’s A Rainbow In Curved Air, a countercultural goofball maverick with chops to spare, his music both spiraling in its hypnotic power, and remarkably easy to get on with. He crops up again in all kinds of contexts – an album with the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, who he also replaced in La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela’s ’60s drone-dream collective, the Theatre of Eternal Music; collaborations with free jazz legend Don Cherry; an inspiration for The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”; myriad versions of his masterpiece of cellular composition, In C. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement While contemporaries like Philip Glass and Steve Reich became more conservative as the years passed (Glass’s work started to echo the likes of Bartok), and Riley’s one-time colleague La Monte Young devoted his time to willed semi-obscurity, a relative disappearance in line… Read More →

Hit Singles

House music

“At the time, I thought no one would listen to it,” says Haruomi Hosono of his fabled 1973 album Hosono House. In some ways, he was right: Hosono’s whimsical interpretation of Americana, loosely based on The Band’s Music From Big Pink, hardly made him a household name in Japan. That would come later in the ’70s after a run of eclectic solo albums and success as part of Yellow Magic Orchestra with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement But Hosono House – his solo debut following stints in the bands Apryl Fool and Happy End – set out his freewheeling approach to songwriting, taking in country-rock, calypso and funk. It has since become cherished by generations of Western musicians, who see Hosono as a visionary spirit for his unorthodox, light-hearted way of going about things. Only recently, Harry Styles named his 2022 album Harry’s House after encountering Hosono House in Japan. “I was just influenced by new music from places like the UK and the US and was groping my way through it, so… Read More →

Hit Singles

Edwyn Collins announces new album, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation

Edwyn Collins has announced details of his 10th solo album, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, which is released by AED Records on March 14. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW You can watch the video for “Knowledge” below. The 11-track album was recorded at Collins’ own Clashnarrow Studio in Helmsdale, North East Scotland and was co-produced by Collins with Sean Read and Jake Hutton, who all play on the album. Also featuring James Walbourne on guitar, William Collins on bass, Carwyn Ellis on guitar, Lena Wright and Bianca White on backing vocals and including two co-writes – “The Mountains Are My Home” with Ellis and “Strange Old World” with Collins. The tracklisting is: KnowledgePaper PlanesThe Heart Is A Foolish Little ThingThe Mountains Are My HomeStrange Old WorldNation Shall Speak Unto NationSounds as A PoundThe Bridge HotelA Little SignIt Must Be RealRhythm Is My Own World You can pre-order the album here.

Hit Singles

Hear Jason Isbell’s new track, “Bury Me”

Jason Isbell has shared a new track, “Bury Me“, which is taken from his first entirely solo acoustic album, Foxes In The Snow. You can hear “Bury Me” below. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Foxes In The Snow is released March 7 on Southeastern Records. The album was recorded in New York City at Electric Lady Studios in October, 2024. You can pre-order the album here. The tracklisting for Foxes in the Snow is: Bury Me Ride to Roberts Eileen Gravelweed Don’t Be Tough Open and Close Foxes in the Snow Good While It Lasted True Believer Wind Behind the Rain He is also due to play a handful of sold out solo shows, An Intimate Evening With Jason Isbell, including London’s Barbican on February 10.

Hit Singles

Neil Young on Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown

Neil Young has declared that he is a fan of the “great” new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement Writing on his Archives site on Saturday, January 11, Young says, “I love Bob Dylan and his music. Always have. He’s a great artist. Once he was on my bus and I didn’t recognize him and threw him off but that’s another story. This movie is a great tribute to his life and music. I think if you love Bob’s music you should see this great movie. I loved it.” CLICK HERE TO READ OUR REVIEW OF A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Dylan himself has already aired thoughts on the film, writing on Twitter/X on December 4 last year: Advertisement “There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me. The film’s taken from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came out… Read More →

Hit Singles

Bruce Springsteen leads tributes to Sam Moore

Sam Moore has died aged 89. As a duo with Dave Prater, Moore enjoyed hits including “Hold On! I’m Comin’” and “Soul Man”. Bruce Springsteen described Moore as “one of America’s greatest soul voices.” Advertisement THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Born in Miami, Moore performed in gospel quartets before meeting Prater in 1961. The pair signed to Atlantic Records in 1965, before moving to Stax Records under the auspices of songwriting/production team Isaac Hayes and David Porter. At Stax, Sam & Dave’s run of hits included “You Don’t Know Like I Know”, “Hold On! I’m Comin’”, “You Got Me Hummin’”, “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby”, “Soul Man” and “I Thank You”. Advertisement When Sam & Dave broke up in 1970, Moore continued as a solo artist, occasionally reuniting with his former duo partner – notably on the back of the The Blues Brothers’ cover of “Soul Man” in 1979. Prater died in 1988 and Moore’s career continued. He toured with fellow Stax labelmates Booker T & the M.G.’s, Carla Thomas and Eddie Floyd in 1990 and in… Read More →

Hit Singles

The Small Faces: All Or Nothing

From Uncut’s July 2011 issue (Take 170). We tell the story of the Mod legends and their complex, gifted front man Steve Marriott. From The Small Faces to Humble Pie, to his strange last days on the pub circuit, what was it that drove Marriott to self-destruct? “He was the most talented person I’ve ever known,” recalls his Humble Pie bandmate, Peter Frampton, “but there was something in his psyche. Some huge problem.” “Nice”: that was their favourite word. And it’s true – musically, sartorially, psychedelically, The Small Faces were nice. But by the 1980s, they were a distant memory. Their singer Steve Marriott – the erstwhile Artful Dodger now more of an Arthur Daley – could usually be found in London boozers, playing gigs for cash, ducking and diving. While old rivals like Rod Stewart lived penthouse lifestyles, Marriott’s elevator was stuck in the basement. The oce immaculate Ace Face performed on stage in dungarees. Advertisement Then in 1991, came a chance to turn his life around. He was invited to LA to make an LP with Peter Frampton, his former Humble Pie bandmate. This unexpected reunion – it was the first time they’d recorded together since ’71 –… Read More →

Hit Singles

Laurie Styvers – Let Me Comfort You: The Hush Rarities

When Laurie Styvers died in 1998, aged 48, obituaries apparently entirely failed to recall her bohemian musical incarnation almost three decades earlier. No wonder, really. Recent years had been spent running an animal sanctuary in Texas, where she’d been born Laurette Stivers; her two albums, 1971’s Spilt Milk and 1973’s The Colorado Kid, were already long forgotten. Her one brush with success, her debut’s breezy, evergreen opener, “Beat The Reaper”, had also missed the charts even after British radio play, and despite Alan Freeman’s support, a follow-up 7”, The Colorado Kid’s playful, banjo-embellished “All American Long Haired Denimed Song-Writing Guitar Man”, joined her catalogue in obscurity. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement That’s how things might have remained had music historian Alec Palao and New York’s High Moon Records not released Gemini Girl: The Complete Hush Recordings in 2023. Before their intervention, most investigating her work would have found little more than critic Robert Christgau’s mean-spirited review of Spilt Milk in Rock Albums Of The 70s. Deeming her an “LA airhead” – though she’d spent her late teens in… Read More →

Hit Singles

James Blackshaw – Unraveling In Your Hands

It’s been nine long years since English guitarist James Blackshaw released his last album, Summoning Suns. Up until that point, he’d been churning out music with almost alarming frequency, and between 2003 and 2015, he averaged at least an album a year, a gorgeous run of music that shifted from intimate guitar soli ritual to expansive, galaxy-swallowing, epic compositions. Not to mention collaborations with similarly quixotic artists like Pantaleimon and Lubomyr Melnyk, and appearances on albums by Current 93, Myrninerest, Peter Wright and Michael Gira. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement But everything went quiet after Summoning Suns. As it turns out, Blackshaw was tiring of the long haul that was making a living through music; it was never the most secure and predictable of careers to start with. He started cooking professionally, eventually opening a Japanese pop-up restaurant, Sumisu Ramen, in Hastings, with his wife; this after a run of kitchen jobs, one of which led him near to mental breakdown. Then, in 2022, he lost his dog Dexter to liver disease, and his close collaborator John Hannon… Read More →

Hit Singles

Hear Bob Mould’s new track, “Here We Go Crazy”

Bob Mould has announced of a new studio album, Here We Go Crazy, which is released on March 7 via Granary Music/BMG Records. You can hear the title track below. Advertisement THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW [embedded content] “I’ve been spending time in the Southern California desert over the past few years, and the video was shot there. Chilly wilderness atop a mountain, expansive vistas below the hills, distant places to escape life’s routines,” Mould says of the video. “’Going crazy’ can be many different things. The joy of reckless abandon, the uncertainty of the world’s future, the silence of solitude.” Here We Go Crazy is Mould’s 15th solo album and features drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy. “On the surface, this is a group of straightforward guitar pop songs. I’m refining my primary sound and style through simplicity, brevity, and clarity,” Mould says. “Under the hood, there’s a number of contrasting themes. Control and chaos, hypervigilance and helplessness, uncertainly and unconditional love.” Advertisement The tracklisting for the album is: Here We Go CrazyNeanderthalBreathing RoomHard To GetWhen Your Heart Is BrokenFur Mink AugursLost Or StolenSharp Little PiecesYou… Read More →

Hit Singles

Throwing Muses announce Moonlight Concessions album

Throwing Muses have announced details of their new album, Moonlight Concessions, which is released on March 14 via Fire Records. They’ve released a new track from the album, “Summer Of Love” which you can hear below. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW The album announcement follows the release last November of “Drugstore Drastic“, which accompanied UK and EU tour dates. Moonlight Concessions was produced by Kristin Hersh at Steve Rizzo’s Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The album can be pre-ordered here. The tracklisting for Moonlight Concessions is: Summer Of LoveSouth CoastThereminiLibrettoAlbatrossSally’s BeautyDrugstore DrasticYou’re CloudsMoonlight Concessions A companion album, Moonlight Confessions, is available to pre-order from Rough Trade.

Hit Singles

Frank Black – My Life In Music

The Pixies mainman welcomes us to his planet of sound: “You have to embrace the simplicity, the rawness” THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement THE BEATLES The Beatles APPLE, 1968 Advertisement This would not have been my first Beatles experience, but it’s probably the first one that connected with me in a more intellectual way. Songs like “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” or “Birthday” are very minimalist. There’s an attitude of, ‘We don’t need to do a really big, fleshed-out song.’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” is more sophisticated, it goes to a lot of different places. But “Wild Honey Pie” is just a stomp with the same phrase over and over again. Not all listeners are going to be necessarily comfortable with that, or at least not right away. You have to embrace the simplicity, the rawness and the minimalism. So I really credit ‘The White Album’ with introducing me to that kind of idea. CAT STEVENS Mona Bone Jakon ISLAND/A&M, 1970 My parents took me to see Harold And Maude when it came out… Read More →

Hit Singles

Mike Scott: “There’s a sense of musical history in the record”

Following this week’s announcement about the new Waterboys album, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, here’s the Mike Scott talking about the record in our Album Preview from Uncut’s January 2025 issue. THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF UNCUT, STARRING THE BAND, THE YARDBIRDS, SHARON VAN ETTEN, KEITH RICHARDS, THE VERVE, ASWAD AND MORE IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW Advertisement MIKE SCOTT: “It’s a concept record that tells several stories at the same time. There’s a central story [about Dennis Hopper], but it’s also telling the story of our times, the story of the counterculture, which is a fascinating subject. And the further away we get from that big bang of the 1950s and ’60s, the more fascinating it becomes. There’s a sense of musical history in the record. It’s a rock’n’roll record, basically, and there’s a strong flavour of Americana in it too. “Initial recordings were done during that strange period of lockdown. So I would record my parts here in Dublin and the other Waterboys would record their parts separately. James [Hallawell] did a lot of his stuff in his studio in London. Brother Paul [Brown], our other keyboard player, lives in Nashville – he has a home studio too…. Read More →

Hit Singles

Inside our latest free Uncut CD – Take A Load Off: 15 tracks of the month’s best music

The Weather Station, The Delines, Richard Dawson, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and more feature on our latest free CD. The 15-track compilation, Take A Load Off, showcases the month’s best new music, and comes with our issue dated February 2025. Advertisement See below for more on the full tracklisting… ORDER A COPY FROM US HERE 1 Chris EckmanButtercupThe Land We Knew The Best is our Album Of The Month, and finds the former Walkabouts guitarist and singer making some of the best music of his life in his adopted home of Slovenia. Advertisement 2 Jim GhediSheaf & FeldThe English singer and guitarist tackles the degradation of his hometown Sheffield on his new album, Wasteland – here’s one of the record’s highlights, a raging and heavy amalgamation of elemental rock and folk. 3 The Weather StationHumanhoodTamara Linderman’s latest, Humanhood, is one of her finest yet, a mix of stellar songs and fluid instrumental improv. The rhythmic, kinetic title track is a triumph too, which is no mean feat considering the gems in her catalogue. 4 Yazz Ahmed Waiting For The DawnA Paradise In The Hold is the long-awaited latest from the jazz composer and trumpeter, inspired… Read More →

Hit Singles

The Waterboys announce new album, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

The Waterboys have announced details of their sixteenth studio album, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, which is released on April 4 via Sun Records. THE BAND, THE VERVE, SHARON VAN ETTEN AND MORE STAR IN THE NEW UNCUT; ORDER A COPY HERE Advertisement Running to 25 tracks, the album is a song cycle framing the late actor/director/photographer’s life story against the last 75 years of western pop culture. “The arc of his life was the story of our times,” says Mike Scott. “He was at the big bang of youth culture in Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean; and the beginnings of Pop Art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counter-culture, hippie, civil rights and psychedelic scenes of the ’60s. In the ’70s and ’80s he went on a wild 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him.” “It begins in his childhood, ends the morning after his death, and I get to say a whole lot along the way, not just about Dennis, but about the whole strange adventure of being a… Read More →

Hit Singles

Neil Young to release Oceanside Countryside on vinyl

Neil Young releases Oceanside Countryside, the latest of his great “lost” albums, on February 14 as part of his Analog Original Series (AOS) via Reprise. THE BAND, THE VERVE, SHARON VAN ETTEN AND MORE STAR IN THE NEW UNCUT; ORDER A COPY HERE Advertisement The album was recorded from May to December 1977, preceding the release of Comes A Time in 1978. The two albums share the same country/folk sound, and three songs (“Goin’ Back”, “Human Highway” and “Field Of Opportunity“) appear on both albums. The vinyl release of Oceanside Countryside includes some tracks that are on the CD of the same name in Young’s Archives Vol. III. However, this track list is how Oceanside Countryside was originally planned to be released and finally will be made available on vinyl for the first time. Recorded on tape, these are the original mixes done at the time of recording. Says Young, “This analogue original album, recorded in 1977, was unreleased at the time. These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings. I sang the vocals and played the instruments on Oceanside, in Florida at Triad studios and Malibu, at Indigo studio. I sang the vocals and recorded… Read More →

Hit Singles

Sunny Jorge’s “Murder She Wrote” Explores Luxury, Respect, and Personal Transformation

Sunny Jorge’ s latest track “Murder She Wrote” feels like a turning point in his career. The New Jersey artist—best known for his poetic roots—delivers a swaggering, self-assured anthem alongside the legendary Fetty Wap, blending luxurious themes with a message of deep respect for women. But beyond the catchy beats and addictive hooks, the track reveals the growing pains of an artist finding his voice in a competitive industry. “Murder She Wrote” might sound like a crime story at first glance, but for Jorge, the title is about giving credit where it’s due. It’s a salute to women who have mastered the art of living confidently, stylishly, and unapologetically. The line “She want it, I tell her, go get it” is a reminder of the agency and empowerment that women should embody in any relationship. It’s a message of respect, saying, “You deserve everything you desire.” This track is also an expression of Sunny Jorge’s evolution. His last project was just the start of a much bigger journey. After battling health issues—specifically facial neuralgia, a painful tumor condition—he found a renewed sense of purpose in his music. “Murder She Wrote” is both a reflection of that pain and a symbol… Read More →

Hit Singles

Neil Young confirms he will play Glastonbury

Neil Young WILL play Glastonbury after all – just days after saying he would not play the festival because “it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.” In a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, Young wrote, “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved.Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there!” Meanwhile, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis responded on Instagram. “What a start to the year! Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury. He does things his own way and that’s why we love him. We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June”

Hit Singles

In the studio with Stevie Wonder

From Uncut’s June 2005 issue (Take 97). In a world exclusive interview, Uncut visited the soul legend in his studio as he worked on his then-upcoming album, A Time 2 Love… By the small hours of Saturday morning, L.A.’s Koreatown district is hushed and still. The odd car rattles along Western Avenue, but most of the Friday nightclubbers have dispersed and headed home. “Little Seoul”, if one can call it that, is slowing down. Advertisement Unbeknownst to the few locals still awake, the soul legend once known as Little Stevie Wonder is hard at work in the studio that sits slap-bang in the midst of this improbable neighbourhood where few signs or billboards are in English. The blind genius who recorded at least five of the most remarkable albums in the history of American music is rounding off another night behind the massive SSL console of Wonderland, putting finishing touches to a track from his forthcoming A Time 2 Love. Wonder at work is everything you might imagine. His head sways from side to side as he mumbles melodiously along to “Please Don’t Hurt My Baby“, the track he’s working on tonight. The famous gums of his open smiling mouth show… Read More →