New releases from Black Francis, Emmanuel Jal and Ministry & Co-Conspirators

Black Francis, "Svn Fngrs"
Release date is April 1, 2008
Released on Cooking Vinyl
7-song "mini album""[Black] Francis is writing the best songs he has come up with in many years - on this seven-track mini-album, they have all the wit, odd angles, sharp edges and Franciscan melodies of classic Pixies songs." -- Sunday Times (London)
Black Francis says: " The production is sparse in terms of the band, which, by the way, seems to be a kind of 'Black Francis' thing that has been developing ever since I went back to the old stage name, but is much more produced in terms of the vocal layering of my own voice, perhaps along the lines of TEENAGER OF THE YEAR. I won't bother you here with what the damn concept is, but let's just say the theme revolves around a lot of NASTY sex, NASTIER death, and beautifully strange birth. It was a coincidence that the whole 'finger' thing turns up again; management asked for a digital b-side for a BLUEFINGER track and what they got was this seven fingered thing which is not related to the HERMAN BROOD concept, although I assure you he would approve of all this nasty business."
*****

Emmanuel Jal, "Warchild"
Release date is May 13, 2008
Released on Sonic 360/Fontana/Universal
Emmanuel Jal doesn't know when he was born, he doesn't know exactly how old he is. For a seven-year period beginning when he was about six years old, he was taken from his home and taught the skills to be a child soldier, fighting for the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Sudan's civil war. He learned how to fire a machine gun before he could ride a bike. When he was about 13, he, along with some 400 other "child soldiers," courageously deserted the rebel lines. Only sixteen made it to the relative freedom of a refugee camp. Jal was one of them.
Music is what kept him going after returning to "the real world." "Warchild," Jal's new album (due May 13/Sonic360/Fontana), is like a diary of his extraordinary experiences. Mixing rap with soul with a world music vibe, Jal tells his incredible story in songs like "Forced to Sin," "Many Rivers to Cross," "Baaki Wara," and the title track. In "50 Cent," he calls out the rapper for not offering a more positive message to his young fans. A feature documentary on Jal's experience, also entitled "War Child" and currently making the rounds of the major film festivals, will be released later this year.
*****

Ministry & Co-Conspirators, "Cover Up"
Release date is April 1, 2008
Released on 13th Planet/Megaforce
"We don't just bitch about Bush and global oligarchies. We're still a rock band and 'Cover Up' is THE Ministry party album," said Ministry's Al Jourgensen about "Cover Up," recorded by Ministry & Co-Conspirators.
Cover Up" simply is one of the hottest, nastiest rock'n'roll albums ever recorded and sees Jourgensen and Co-Conspirators paying tribute to some of the most memorable PAR-TEE rock songs, mostly from the 8-track era, and to those artists who first laid them down - Deep Purple, T-Rex, ZZ Top, The Doors, Mountain, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and more. Fear Factory front man Burton C. Bell, Revolting Cocks' Josh Bradford, Prong vocalist Thomas Victor, the Hell Paso Mosh Choir, Tony Campos and Wayne Static (Static X), Edu Mussi (Echoes and Shadows), Plastilina Mosh, and the late Paul Raven (Ministry/Killing Joke), were all enlisted for the soiree.
Ministry begins its farewell "C U LaTouR" on March 25.