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  • Thursday, December 22, 2011

    As 2011 draws to a close, and the Nonesuch Journal takes a bit of a hiatus till the start of 2012, it's time to take a look back and remember all the great and diverse music made by Nonesuch artists this year. Many of these artists and their 2011 Nonesuch releases have made music critics' year-end best lists; several were nominated for Grammy Awards. Here is a look back.

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Wednesday, December 21, 2011

    Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere. To mark the occasion and to celebrate the holiday season, Björk has released a new holiday version of the "Solstice" app from Biophilia. The song is based on a poem celebrating the Christmas season by poet/author Sjón, comparing the solar system to a Christmas tree. The new Solstice app includes additional features like gameleste sound samples, more festive colors, and, most importantly, the opportunity for fans to create a song and send it to friends as Christmas e-cards.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Web
  • Tuesday, December 20, 2011

    Punch Brothers release their new album, Who’s Feeling Young Now?, February 14, 2012, on Nonesuch Records. Completed over three weeks at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, the record was produced by Grammy Award winner Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse). The band begins a US tour in support of the new album on February 17. Ten songs from Who’s Feeling Young Now? were written by Punch Brothers, with the band’s friend Josh Ritter co-writing lyrics on two tunes. The album also contains the band’s interpretations of Radiohead’s “Kid A” and the Swedish group Vasen’s “Flippen.” Download the opening track, “Movement and Location," here.

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
  • Tuesday, December 20, 2011

    Sara Watkins is back in the studio to record her second solo album for Nonesuch Records. The album, which will be produced by Blake Mills, is due out sometime next year. In the mean time, Watkins will be taking fans inside the recording process as it happens, offering a sneak peek of what's to come when she posts audio clips from each day's session. The first day's clip is now available; hear it here.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Web
  • Monday, December 19, 2011

    Wanda Jackson will join Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings to pay tribute to the late Amy Winehouse on VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul, premiering tonight at 9 PM ET on VH1. Jackson famously performs Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" on her latest album, The Party Ain't Over. The VH1 Divas show, a tribute to the heritage of soul music and the cities in which it flourished, also includes performances from Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, and more, all backed by the show’s house band, The Roots.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Television
  • Monday, December 19, 2011

    Cesaria Evora, the Cape Verdean singer known as the "Barefoot Diva," died on Saturday at the age of 70. The Grammy Award-winning singer was the best-known performer of "morna," Cape Verde's national music, and released four acclaimed albums on Nonesuch Records between 1995 and 1999: Cesaria Evora, Cabo Verde, Miss Perfumado, and Mar Azul. The New York Times wrote of her Nonesuch debut: "Somewhere on the spectrum between Sade and Billie Holiday sits Ms. Evora, a singer from the Cape Verde Islands whose songs of loss and longing are as heart-rending as they are spellbinding."

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Friday, December 16, 2011

    The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess opens in previews on Broadway, starring Audra McDonald, "a Bess for the ages" (Boston Globe) ... The Black Keys are on NPR's World Cafe ... Shawn Colvin closes out the year in California ... Emmylou Harris hosts Miracle on Music Row benefit for her dog rescue in Nashville, then plays the Opry at the Ryman ... Brad Mehldau closes out the year in Tbilisi, Georgia ... Sara Watkins concludes tour with the Blind Boys of Alabama out West ... and more ...

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend Events
  • Friday, December 16, 2011

    The Brad Mehldau Trio’s seven-disc box set The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996–2001, featuring longtime Brad Mehldau Trio bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, earns four stars in the Guardian, which says "the trio created a private world for their listeners to get lost in, and this is the definitive representation of it." The review cites the trio's "almost telepathic intuitiveness" that led to a "mind-boggling" performance. The Financial Times gives it four stars as well, saying it "documents Mehldau’s virtuosity" and confirms "this trio as both yardstick and model for contemporary piano jazz." The Buffalo News calls the set "indisputably great." KPCC says: "Mehldau makes renegade jazz, and this comprehensive collection shows him at his finest."

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Reviews
  • Thursday, December 15, 2011

    The NPR Music listeners have spoken, choosing their 100 favorite albums of 2011. "The Black Keys swooped into the No. 6 slot with El Camino," says NPR, "an album just a few days older than the poll itself." "I was pretty thrilled by this list," says NPR's Bob Boilen in the All Songs Considered countdown of the Top 25. Also among the Top 100 listener favorites are Björk's Biophilia and Emmylou Harris's Hard Bargain. Björk's "Virus" is among the NPR Music staff's favorite songs of the year, as is James Farm's "Polliwog."

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Radio
  • Wednesday, December 14, 2011

    Congratulations to The Black Keys: the band's new album, El Camino, debuted this week at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 with sales of 206,000 units—far and away the band’s best single-week performance and their highest chart position to date! By comparison, the band’s previous best week was for Brothers, which debuted in May 2010 with sales of 73,000 units. The band will embark on the first leg of their US tour this March, with shows in arenas like Boston’s TD Garden, Chicago’s United Center, and New York’s Madison Square Garden, which sold out in 15 minutes, resulting in the swift addition of a second concert. Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour.

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
  • Wednesday, December 14, 2011

    With the holidays right around the corner, now's the perfect time to head to the Nonesuch Store and receive 34% off the standard retail price on all CDs, LPs, and DVDs. That's an extra savings of about 20% off the everyday low prices listed on the site. As always, all US orders over $20 receive free standard shipping. To receive in-stock items by December 23 in the US, standard-shipping orders should be placed by 9 PM ET this Thursday, December 15. Rush orders should be placed by Friday.

    Journal Topics: News
  • Wednesday, December 14, 2011

    Emmylou Harris will be honored by the Grand Ole Opry on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as an Opry member on January 21, 2012, at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Her 20-year milestone will be celebrated with performances by the honoree, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, making her Opry debut, and more.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News