Just received this email from Hot Press in Ireland:

From Rolling Stone:
Zee Avi
Zee Avi 5/19
"She's got a voice that sounds like something from the past, but you can't put your finger on it," says Jack Johnson of Zee Avi, the Malaysian YouTube discovery he signed to his label. The singer-songwriter flew in from Kuala Lumpur to work with Johnson's band at its solar-powered studio in L.A. The album has a brunch-friendly acoustic swing vibe: "Just You and Me" features Avi on ukulele, "First of the Gang to Die" is a chilled-out Morrissey cover, and on "Kantoi," she sings in the Malay-English hybrid known as Manglish. "I do that one last when I perform at home," she says. "It really gets the crowd going."

Full link

Hearing a couple of her other songs, she has a folksy/jazzy vibe, so this could be very interesting.

The April edtion of the Dutch-language Esquire magazine features Years of Refusal as #101 in its Top 100 of stylish things to have or do in 2009.

Translation: Just before close of press, #101 unexpectedly landed on the doormat of our offices. For Morrissey's new album should not be absent from a list of things that will make 2009 worthwile.

Hi. It hasn't aired yet but just want to let you know Tony Visconti will be on WNYC's Soundcheck show on Monday. (WNYC is our local NPR station and this show is on weekdays at 2 pm Eastern). Promos for the show have mentioned his work with Morrissey so I expect he'll talk about it at least a little bit.

An article in last Saturday's (21 March) Irish Times newspaper, now also online, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the seven-inch vinyl format, and lists the current charting Irish Top 10, which includes I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris at number 8.

Kevin Courtney reviews the plight of the little disc as the sale of other physical formats spirals steadily downwards:

"But one format is clinging on tenaciously to life, like cockroaches after nuclear Armageddon. These small, black, shiny objects have managed to avoid extinction and are now creeping back onto the record shelves. Okay, they’re not about to take over, but the seven-inch vinyl single is one of the few formats that has actually seen an increase in sales over the past year. And we’re not talking about golden oldies; if you’ve checked out the latest Franz Ferdinand 45, snapped up seven-inches by Arctic Monkeys or added the White Stripes’ limited-edition red vinyl disc to your collection, then congratulations – you are part of a quiet revolution that’s been gathering pace at the rate of 45 revs per minute... ...As the 45 hits 60, it looks like there’s still a bit of life left in the old format. Popular acts such as Morrissey, MGMT, The Killers, Oasis, The Prodigy and Kings of Leon release their singles on seven-inch vinyl; U2’s Get On Your Boots and Lily Allen’s The Fear are both available on seven-inch, and there’s a whole raft of indie acts, including Florence the Machine, Fleet Foxes and Emmy the Great, who are in thrall to the little black discs..."

The rest is here.