By Will McGuirk

Not much coming down the pipes as it is the year-end. Most outlets will be looking back, maybe some will be looking up, we here at SlowCity will be looking forward as usual. There are of course records still being released and here are the ones scheduled for this week that caught our ears.

Durutti Column are releasing the 2010 ‘A Paean to Wilson’; Tony Wilson was the head of Factory Records and the band’s erstwhile manager, and he had passed away in 2007. The album is a tribute to Wilson and the track “Brother” is a take on Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’, by way of label mates Joy Divison’s “Atmosphere”. Great track.

L’éclair, a Swiss techno-psyche band have the album ‘Confusions’ dropping this week and we are digging the jammy Madchester vibes of “Timbacrack”, vibes it must be said were energized by the aforementioned Tony Wilson.

Iggy Pop would have energized Wilson’s own vibe. The punk icon doesn’t restrict himself to gnarly raw power rock but dives wholeheartedly into a variety of everything which may only have the common denominator of being cool. This week Dr. Lonnie Smith releases ‘Breathe’ on Blue Note. Its a live album recorded at the NY club Jazz Standard on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The album also includes collaborations with 74 year-old Iggy, a cover of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” and included here cos its cooler, “Why Can’t We Live Together”. Thats almost 150 years of cool together!!

Mixing cool and Swiss timing are Pablo Infernal, a glamped up garage affair from Zurich. Their record ‘Mount Angeles”, mastered at Jack White’s Third Man Studios, has some strut.

From Spain, slightly warmer than Switzerland, but just as cool is Las Dianas, somewhat a Spanish Go Gos and/or B52s. Their debut album ‘Lo Que Te Pida El Cuerpo’, is out and ya no idea, I don’t speak Spanish but I do speak Dance!!