James Blake is Back — with Help from Andre 3000

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | Feb. 16, 2019

Singer-songwriter James Blake is newly back on record store shelves and media outlet sites with his fourth album, Assume Form, which he released via Republic Records. The 12-track followup to his 2016 set, The Colour in Anything, includes singles “Don’t Miss It” and “If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead.” The album also features guest contributions from Rosalia and Moses Sumney, and was produced in part by Outkast’s Andre 3000. Blake will promote the set with a short North American tour that kicks off this week in Atlanta, Georgia …
 
The Who is embarking on a summer tour that will coincide with the recording of its first new album in nearly 15 years. The band plans to take over a dozen demos of tunes that Pete Townshend recorded in England and will amp them up with singer Roger Daltrey’s vocals and other embellishments to make a full record. The tour will be a 29-date North American trek that will include a symphony orchestra on most dates. The tour’s schedule will kick off May 7 at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena and will include a stop in Chicago and then a short break before the tour resumes on the West Coast and north into Canada…

If you enjoyed the movie Bohemian Rhapsody — the highest-grossing music biopic of all time — detailing the career of Queen and its lead singer, Freddie Mercury (portrayed by actor Rami Malek), chances are you’ll also dig the new special-edition cut of the movie that will function as a “sing-along” for theater audiences. Expect song lyrics on the screen ála karaoke, so you can belt out your best “Mamma mia, mamma mia” from your theater seat. Check your local cinema for screen times …

If you were expecting to see a performance from high-profile rapper Kanye West at this year’s Coachella Festival … well, you should probably stop looking forward to that. West was set to be announced as one of the fest’s main co-headliners earlier this month, but instead of performing on the Coachella stage, West reportedly wanted his own giant, custom-built dome to perform in, separate from the other venues. Coachella organizers said no, uninvited West, and are now slating Aussie rock band Tame Impala and pop diva-ette Ariana Grande for those headlining spots …
 
LINK OF THE WEEK
Radiohead has released its jazz-inflected 2016 track, “Ill Wind,” to streaming services. The tune was initially released only as a CD single with the vinyl edition of the band's 2016 album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and shared space with “Spectre,” a James Bond-inspired track. But you can stream “Ill Wind” now at https://tinyurl.com/y84a469o …
 
THE BUZZ
Speaking of the aforementioned Queen, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert is teaming up with Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May for a North American stadium tour that will hit Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on July 27 …

Detroit house/techno DJ and artist Rob Mansel, aka Black Noi$e, has wrapped up his year-long residency on Redbull Radio and is releasing his own 11-track debut album, Illusions …

Also in Detroit, the Movement Music Festival is prepping for this year’s event (May 25–27 at Hart Plaza), and has announced performances from Floorplan, Stephan Bodzin, Heiko Laux, Hot Since 82, and Japanese mixmaster DJ Nobu …

Anderson .Paak is promoting his new album, Oxnard, with a series of tour dates, including a stop at Detroit’s Fillmore this week ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.