trouser press: sarah mclachlan, shirley manson and more

in today’s trouser press:

- Sarah McLachlan splits with husband, writes new songs about it
- Shirley Manson debuts in Terminator spinoff, records new songs
- Tori Amos writes foreword for Nemi comic anthology
- newly curated all-female Christmas album out next month 
- Nicole Atkins covers Mama Cass, The Doors and more
- former Sneaker Pimps singer Kelli Ali returns
- Beyoncé announces release date for third solo album
- Barbra Streisand and Gina Gershon take on Sarah Palin
- Gabriella Cilmi dominates ARIA nominations
- Estelle up for five MOBOs 

* * *

Sarah McLachlan has revealed that she is separating from her husband of 11 years, Ashwin Sood, with whom she has two daughters. Talking to Billboard.com she said, “I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but it’s gonna come out at some point. I haven’t said anything about it because I’ve been terrified to, but I figure…there’s no good time to say it, so I just said it.”

She also revealed that the two new songs on her upcoming greatest hits album, Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan, directly relate to the separation. New single ‘U Want Me 2′ she says is “about that really uncertain, confusing place at the end of a relationship when there’s no communication or closure, everything’s still up in the air and there’s a lot of anger and sadness. It’s sort of that working through ‘How do we move forward…with some dignity and grace.” The other new song, ‘Don’t Give Up’, she describes as “pretty self-explanatory, basically just a plea to give it another chance and keep trying.”

Closer is released on October 6th in single-disc and 2CD deluxe versions and Sarah hopes to have an album of new material out within the next 2 years.

‘U Want Me 2′

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42nqEO83J1k]

* * *

Fresh from her largely well-received debut in ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ as Catherine Weaver, high-powered CEO by day, Terminator by night, Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson is heading back into the recording studio next month to continue working on her debut solo album. “I’ve got a lot of material,” she told Billboard.com, adding “we’ll see if I manage to pull it off.”

Shirley has already put one new song out there. Her cover of the traditional number ‘Samson & Delilah’, as made famous by the Grateful Dead, played over the opening scenes of her first episode in her new role. Watch it here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwW2D2lsOI0]

Talking about Garbage’s indefinite hiatus, Shirley said “I wouldn’t say it was boring, but it didn’t frighten me any more. [On screen] I’m scared and it’s a challenge and it feels good.”

See what all the fuss is about with this compilation of four scenes from the episode:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPUpbNnteo]

Or just cut to the good bit…when she morphs out of a men’s urinal! What were the lyrics to ‘Androgyny’ again? “Girls in the men’s room…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE6EFotzBoY]

* * *

Fresh from unveiling her ‘Comic Book Tattoo’ Tori Amos has hooked up with cult cartoon heroine Nemi Montoya (or, more specifically, with her creator Lise Myhre) to pen the foreword for the upcoming second Nemi comic strip compilation, to be released through Titan Books. Readers of London’s free, 1.35-million circulation newspaper Metro will be aware of Nemi’s frank and funny ways, if not of her often declared love for Tori’s music. The book is out on September 28th.

* * *

Tori’s former label Epic have teamed up with the organisers of the Hotel Café live sessions to compile Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs, an all-female seasonal collection featuring classic covers and original recordings. Fiona Apple, Nicole Atkins, Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles, the newly-married KT Tunstall, and former Wears The Trousers interviewee Catherine Feeny are just some of the artists taking part. The album ends with an exclusive medley of the traditional New Year’s anthem ‘Auld Lang Syne’, from which all proceeds will go to breast cancer charity Susan G Komen For The Cure. The album is released in the US on October 14th and it doesn’t look like we’ll get a domestic release.

Hotel Café Winter Songs
01 Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, ‘Winter Song’
02 Brandi Carlile, ‘The Heartache Can Wait’
03 Lenka, ‘All My Bells Are Ringing’
04 KT Tunstall, ‘Sleigh Ride’
05 Alice Smith, ‘Silver Bells’
06 Nicole Atkins, ‘Blue Christmas’
07 Fiona Apple, ‘Frosty The Snowman’
08 Meiko, ‘Maybe Next Year (X-mas Song)’
09 Holly Conlan, ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’
10 Katy Perry, ‘White Christmas’
11 Colbie Caillat, ‘Mistletoe’
12 Priscilla Ahn, ‘Silent Night’
13 Kate Havnevik, ‘Winter Wonderland’
14 Catherine Feeny, ‘Christmas Song’
15 Hotel Café Medley, ‘Auld Lang Syne’

* * *

Speaking of Nicole Atkins, and of things you can’t easily get in this country, our favourite New Jersey native released a brand new covers EP (digital-only) this week in the US. Depicted on the retro-style sleeve with a shovel, Nicole Atkins Digs Other People’s Songs features four interpretations of some disparate tunes, from ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot’s star-making ‘Dream A Little Dream Of Me’ to The Doors’ ‘Crystal Ship’ with tunes by Nada Surf and The Church thrown in for good measure. As Nicole herself puts it, “Basically, they’re all really rockin’ love songs that I enjoy and think you will too.”

You can listen to The Church’s ‘Under The Milky Way’ (”my favourite song in high school”) on her Myspace.

Nicole is in the UK next week filming an appearance on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’. Writing on her Myspace blog she wrote: “I’ve been watching that show forever and I couldn’t be more excited. Not sure yet who else is playing the show but I guess that’s part of the fun.”

She also revealed that she’s in the middle of putting together her second album. “I’ve got about 35 ideas and a few finished songs I’ll be demoing with The Sea all fall. It feels like its been so long since I’ve done this and I’m willing and ready…I’m looking forward to taking it into a bit of a heavier territory. Riffs son!”

The album is expected to be out next year.

* * *

After four years of being as quiet as a mouse, former Sneaker Pimps singer Kelli Ali has announced that she will release a brand new album on November 24th. And what’s more, that it’ll be a complete departure from her trip hop and electronic past. Produced by none other than FatCat Records artist Max Richter, the man who put together Vashti Bunyan’s Lookaftering, Rocking Horse promises to be a golden nugget of whimsical folk with baroque and medieval influences. Recorded this spring after Kelli returned from travelling through California and Mexico, the songs are heavily influenced by the weird and wonderful people and places she encountered along the way. One song (‘Urique’), for instance, was “written in a sacred canyon in Mexico after hitching a ride with a meth-addicted truck driver”.

The singer is planning to publish journal entries written during the recording process on her new website. You can hear new song ‘One Day At A Time’ on her Myspace.

Kelli currently has two live dates planned, both in London, with more to be added soon.

15.09.08 The Source Below, London [with Jess Morgan]
15.10.08 The Slaughtered Lamb, London [with Chris Bathgate]

* * *

Less than a week after complaining to Marie Claire that she was “over” being a popstar and a “hot girl” and that she wants to be “iconic”, Beyoncé has announced she will release her as-yet-untitled third solo album on November 17th. In the US, the as-yet-untitled album will be preceded by two singles – ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies’ – to be released simultaneously on October 7th. Hang on. If Beyoncé was a boy that would at least take care of not wanting to be a hot girl. Maybe that’s what it’s about.

Anyway, Beyoncé says that this is her “most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to date”, and that she co-wrote and co-produced every song.

The singer recently confirmed that Destiny’s Child would be getting back together later this year to record their 5th studio album proper, the follow-up to their 2004 ’swansong’ Destiny Fulfilled.

* * *

Barbra Streisand has dug her claws into controversial Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, accusing John McCain of choosing the Alaskan governor as his co-runner in order to win over women who were planning to vote for Hillary Clinton. A message on her website reads: “I believe John McCain chose Gov. Palin because he truly believes that women who supported Hillary – an experienced, brilliant, life-long public servant – would vote for him because his vice president has two X chromosomes…McCain’s selection of Gov. Palin is a transparent and irresponsible decision all in the name of trying to win this election.”

Occasional rockstar Gina Gershon is also on Palin’s case, filming this sketch for FunnyorDie.com. 

* * *

With the Mercury Music Prize over for another year it’s time for the rest of the award ceremonies to take their turn in the spotlight. This week the Australian equivalent of the Brits announced their shortlisted nominees. In the Female Artist of the Year are Kylie Minogue, Gabriella Cilmi, Missy Higgins, Clare Bowditch and Holly Throsby. Kylie and Gabriella are also up for Best Pop Release, alongside Operator Please and The Veronicas. Cilmi is also up for four other awards.

Sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone are up for Best Group and three other awards, while Kasey Chambers carries the flag for Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Rattlin’ Bones, her duets album with husband Shane Nicholson. Other female nominees include Katie Noonan, Mia Dyson, The Waifs, The Audreys, The McClymonts, Catherine Britt, Melinda Schneider, Sara Storer, Delta Goodrem and Tina Arena. Phew.

The full list of nominees is here. The winners will be announced on October 19th. Look out for our interview with Holly Throsby, coming soon.

* * *

And, finally, to the MOBOs. Estelle leads the charge for the women, having been shortlisted for five awards – Best UK Female, Best Song, Best R&B Soul, Best Video and Best Album – followed by Leona Lewis with three nominations, including Best UK Female. The other candidates for that award are Adele, Duffy and MIA, while Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige and Rihanna battle it out with the boys for Best International Act. Alicia Keys is also up for Best Album alongside Estelle and Leona, while Lizz Wright and Yolanda Brown are in the running for Best Jazz Act.

This year’s MOBOs take place at Wembley Arena on October 15th and will be co-hosted by Mel B.

* * *

Alan Pedder

Written by: Wears The Trousers magazine

Tags: alan pedder, ARIA awards, barbra streisand, beyoncé, brandi carlile, catherine feeny, christmas, colbie caillat, destiny's child, estelle, fiona apple, gabriella cilmi, garbage, gina gershon, hillary clinton, holly throsby, ingrid michaelson, john mccain, katy perry, kelli ali, kt tunstall, kylie minogue, leona lewis, mama cass, max richter, meiko, MOBOs, nemi, news, nicole atkins, sara bareilles, sarah mclachlan, sarah palin, shirley manson, sneaker pimps, tori amos

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