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We're going to be at Primavera Pro this year, say hello if you're around

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A large bunch of idiots who have been in charge of the Titanic for ten years have come up with their fifteenth plan to save the ship, which has a four hundred foot hole in its side. "Our cunning new plan" explained the Captain "is to rearrange the deckchairs some more."
Several idiots yesterday

The Ovni album is in the can, and boy is it unbelievably sodding good. This raises the interesting propsect of what can you do with a classic album these days. After several weeks of being told what a fantastic sound it is, and how amazing the tracks are, and how brilliant the group looks.... there's still no offers in the in tray. This has nothing to do with Ovni, and everything to do with Universal, EMI, Sony and Warners doing their very best impression of headless chickens. Listen guys, if you don't know hwo to sell an labum that sounds like this, get another job. Seriously.

Title says it all really, well done Mr Pecker sir....

In other news this week, Maika Makovski has confirmed her debut show in London, which will be on 11 March at The Troubador. Tickets are on sale from this link here and when you buy one you get a free MP3 from the new album.

La Brigada, meanwhile, have announced two album launch nights at the really rather lovely Foment Vilnovi in Vilanova i la Geltru. You can join the Facebook page group for these shows at this link here.

What else? There's a new Pinker Tones remix flying around for Tom Tom Club, which they appear to have completed whilst simultaneously writing a new album, producing the Delafe y Los Flores Azules album and presumably finding a solution for the middle east problem . The Ovni album's still not quite finished, although the tracks we have heard are earth shatteringly brilliant and more commercial than a box of five pound notes going for a quid. And if that wasn't enough for one week, David Devant & His Spirit Wife make one of their regularly sojourns into the live circuit with an appearance at the 100 Club on Thursday 4 Feb.

You know how artists quite often say "this is the best work we've ever done" or "we've really upped our game" or "you won't believe this new record"? Well, over the last two months a succession of records has come across the Outstanding desk which actually live up to those boasts for a change....

2010 looks like being a great year for anybody with ears. February is already a busy month with 22 February set aside for a national celebration in Spain for the release of the self titled Maika Makovski album. Produced by John Parish, it's 11 tracks of really quite amazingly swooping vocals, swampy guitars, rocking bass and drums. Live they are a treat. On record.... well, it's just a great record.

23 February - the very next day! - sees the release of Les Paraules Justes by La Brigada. Their last album received accolades left right and centre and was chosen by Mondo Sonoro as the best Catalan language album of 2009. It's always interesting to examine albums as "Catalan" or "Spanish", but here at Outstanding we tend to think of albums as "is the music any good?". Their first album was a bit of a triumph, this new one is much much better than that.

Over the next few weeks we're going to be updating the blog much more regularly so you can see what we're up to. I've been trying to think of a theme for this year (as The Pinker Tones are also in the studio and Ovni are currently mixing the final tracks for their album). I think it might be "Outstanding - we have no idea what the music industry is doing, but here's some good music".

Spent most of today on the phone to various labels being told that their current policy is not to listen to anything as they aren't signing anything. Next time you read about the impending death of the music industry and how you are to blame for your terribly piratical attitude towards copyright laws, just let the thought rest easy on your mind that the whole industry seems to be plotting its own downfall by sitting on its hands and letting the good stuff walk away.

I was touting Maika Makovski, in case you're wondering. We are now managing her. Her John Parish produced album needs to be heard by an audience, and the public would love her. Obviously her CD has to stay in the box though, as we're not listening to anything new this year, just hoping somebody invents a new format so we can repackage some old Genesis hits.

The Pinker Tones are super busy in the studio, and you will shortly be seeing news about new releases.... but not music. It's a puzzle within an engima.

Pecker's third album is in stores in Spain right now, and will be released in the USA on October 13. To support the release he will be heading to New York for CMJ. Stay tuned.

La Brigada are in the studio now working on their second album - release date not agreed yet.

Some great shows coming up at The Forum. Gig listing below.

The Faraday channel on YouTube has some amazing footage of this year's event. Check it out.

The really jolly splendid new album "Wonders Never Cease" by Mr Solo is released today and is available now from Amazon

Mr Solo will be out and about on your radios, blogs, TVs and that old fashioned stuff that used to be available from newskeepers. You can read a nice interview here and he recently appeared on Marc Riley's show on 6 Music.

To celebrate the release, Mr Solo will be appearing on Saturday 11 April 2009 at Pop Art at The Fly, New Oxford Street. Entry is a measly £5.

Mr Solo says Wonder Never Cease is "“like taking a dear friend on a pot-holing trip in my mind set to a baroque pop soundtrack". You should make some space for it on your iPod

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Now playing: Mr Solo - It Makes You Wonder
via FoxyTunes