Morning Music Notes – The Olympics are Capitalistic, But I Will Play Them Anyway

The Happy Mondays Are Latest Band to Reunite for a New Record

Another day, another Manchester band reforming. Although they’d already reformed for a tour, the Happy Mondays will be recording some new music for the first time in 20 years (via NME).

Manager Warren Askew said: “Yes, we are now planning to record a new album, after the success of the tour and with the band all getting on so well. Shaun has been writing and the band have been getting together in the studio putting ideas down. I’m sure it will be a great Happy Mondays album.” What do you mean, “we” – you’re a manager, not the bloody singer!

Damon Albarn Slams Olympics, Plans Africa Express Train Tour

Those 2 items in the headline are not directly related – or are they? Despite Damon Albarn’s Blur outfit playing a London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony gig on August 12 for sponsors BT, he claims “I’m just anti the capitalism of it all. We’re not doing the gig for the corporate side of the Olympics, we’re doing it for the human beings” (via Gigwise). He adds, “It feels like you’re drowning in commercialism at the moment. It’s depressing. But I am into the table tennis so I would like to get some tickets for that. It would be an inspiration to see it at that level.”

Someone should tell Damon that no one put a gun to his head to play at the capitalistic Olympics, and that he can play gigs outside of the corporately sponsored gigs if he wants to do it for the human beings, amiright?

Speaking of doing stuff for human beings, Damon is teaming with Africa Express (which he helped found) for some September dates in the UK for the Africa Express train journey (via Pitchfork). The line up will feature Damon Albarn, Amadou & Mariam, Charli XCX, Fatoumata Diawara, Noisettes, Rokia Traoré, Kano, Baloji, Jupiter & Okwess International, and Bombay Bicycle Club’s Jack Steadman, with more to be announced. The website also notes that there will be “pop-up performances at railway stations, schools, factories, offices, shopping centers, and homes.” No word on what corporate sponsors’ ads will be posted all over the sides of the trains, just to annoy Mr. Albarn.

The Kind of Virus You Want: Iranian Nuclear Facility Blares AC/DC Due to Computer Virus

This is a little weird: AC/DC’s Thunderstuck has been playing at full volume at a nuclear facility in Iran (via Rolling Stone). The facility has been under cyber attack BY CYBORGS and the attacks have included Thunderstruck being blasted in the middle of the night. Are they sure someone doesn’t just have their alarm ring tone set as that?

“I am writing you to inform you that our nuclear program has once again been compromised and attacked by a new worm with exploits which have shut down our automation network at Natanz and another facility Fordo near Qom,” said Finnish computer virus hunter, Mikko Hypponen. “According to the email our cyber experts sent to our teams, they believe a hacker tool Metasploit was used. The hackers had access to our VPN. The automation network and Siemens hardware were attacked and shut down. I only know very little about these cyber issues as I am scientist not a computer expert. There was also some music playing randomly on several of the workstations during the middle of the night with the volume maxed out,” continues the email. “I believe it was playing ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC.”

Clearly AC/DC are the hackers, right? Angus Young seems like that kind of guy. At least you think the hackers would pick an awful song, like Rebecca Black’s Friday or something, or perhaps something ironic, like the Final Countdown.

Listen! Tame Impala – Elephant

We’ve had an album teaser in the form of Apocalypse Dreams from Aussie band, Tame Impala. Now we get to hear their first single, Elephant. The song is the first single off of forthcoming disc, Lonerism (a disease that I have), which is out Oct 5 AUS/ Oct 8 UK / Oct 9 US. Check out Elephant below.

Tame Impala – Elephant