Sadly, we note the passing of brilliant UK artist Trish Keenan, of the great electronic outfit Broadcast. She died on Friday, from complications from pneumonia back home in Britain. The group was only three albums old, but they were tapped by Matt Groening himself last year to play the annual All Tomorrow’s Parties festival he was curating. She was only 42.Sadder still are the circumstances involved. Read More

If you didn’t hear it last year, do yourself a favor — pick up or download a copy of “History Of Modern,” the first album in 14 years from seminal synth-pop duo OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, for all you old-schoolers). Ethereal soundscapes like “Pulse,” “Save Me” and “Sister Marie Says” were self-produced, mixed by Mike Crossey, and stand as some of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphrey’s most clever work. McCluskey himself believes “Modern” to be their best effort since the fairly definitive “Architecture And Morality.” Read More

Is James Blunt finally returning to steal the folk-pop crown from that usurper James Morrison? Not exactly, the Brit chuckles. “Because you should know that we’re one and the same person!” Read More

In other local news, the Bay Area’s own übertalented Bart Davenport is also returning, but this time with an unexpected twist. The ’60s-loving singer-guitarist has made a great name for himself over the years, first with outfits like The Loved Ones and The Kinetics, and most recently as a solo artist. But for his new, ironically dubbed “Searching For Bart Davenport” on Tapete Records, arriving Feb. 15, he stopped working on his own craftsmanship and started studying the work of others. Read More

And a quick note to the devout following of Guster — don’t look for multi-instrumentalist bandmember Joe Pisapia onstage with them at The Fillmore on Friday, Jan. 21. He’s being replaced this tour by Luke Reynolds from Blue Merle. But there’s a very good reason. After a disastrous experience tracking the latest Guster set “Easy Wonderful” in New York with David Kahne, the group eventually walked out on the sessions and instead handed the production reins to the Nashville-based Pisapia. Read More

Raveonettes alert! Fans of the dark Danish duo of Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner may now officially rejoice — they just put the finishing touches on their latest album, “Raven In The Grave,” set for release March 22, as well as a two-disc “Be-Sides And Rarities” anthology of roughly two dozen tracks. Recorded at the band’s new studio in Brooklyn, “Grave” cuts include “Apparitions,” “Summer Moon,” “War In Heaven” and “Recharge And Revolt.” Read More