The Fat Angel Sings

Courtney Barnett has a wonderful knack for singing lyrics that are so deeply personal and specific to her own life, but give them a universal feel. Taylor Swift might be the biggest-selling artist of our time, but is there anyone who can make a more compelling claim to being the voice of her generation than Courtney Barnett?

Whether it was in the sick-of-the rat-race and idling-insignificantly anthems ‘Elevator Operator’ or ‘Pedestrian at Best’ on her full length debut, her tackling of misogyny, social isolation and raised expectations across all of “Tell Me How You Really Feel” or the more casual, mature and worldly falling in love again of Things Take Time, Take Time, Barnett has always spoken to something bigger than herself. It’s no wonder that her fans both hang on to every word at her shows and fire them back at her as if they were their own individual thoughts.

Barnett is at her best when she is taking your complicated thoughts and feelings and turning them into simple, and simply brilliant lyrics, like on her latest (and best) album, “Creature of Habit“. “Keep on getting in my own way” she sings in ‘Site Unseen’, while the future-anthem ‘Sugar Plum’ gave us the quip “I’m in over my head, yeah, I’m over my head” and, maybe best of all, a lyric that not only sums up the state that most people seem to find themselves in just this year, but this decade altogether, in ‘Mantis’: “I got my head sorted, sort of”. We’re all just doing our best to get by, and Courtney Barnett’s latest is a wonderful and helpful companion in that endeavour.

This soaring music documentary traces Gregg Allman’s journey from a childhood scarred by his father’s murder to becoming the iconic co-founder and voice of The Allman Brothers Band and a pioneering force in Southern rock. Exploring themes of grief, addiction, love, and the racially charged American South through his transcendent music, the film is both tender and unsparing. Featuring electrifying performances and archival recordings, it reveals how Gregg’s unforgettable blend of rock, country, and blues mirrored the music and struggles of his soul A timeless portrait of one of our greatest bands ever – The Allman Brothers Band. Centered around a rare and intimate interview with Gregg Allman, “The Music of My Soul” tells the whole story of survival, loyalty, love, loss, family, genius, perseverance and one of the wildest rides in rock history.” Cameron Crowe“Everything that Gregory was, was fine with me,” he says in the film, which premieres June 17 as a special one-night-only event theaters. “Because we did what we did together… most of it just being human beings, and unrestricted Black and white brothers.

Tracing Gregg Allman’s journey from a childhood scarred by his father’s murder to the heart of a generation-defining sound with the Allman Brothers Band, this tender film uses electrifying performances and archival recordings to reveal how his music, his headline-making marriage to Cher, and his restless pursuit of authenticity affirmed him not just as a rock legend, but as a lasting cultural force.

On Squirrel Flower’s new album, “Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going”, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ella Williams, delivers her most transcendent and instantly classic record to date. It’s an album full of hope and beauty, with themes of staying in constant motion, electric love, and knowing when to leave, but also when to stick around.  

After touring in support of 2023’s “Tomorrow’s Fire”, Williams remained on the road, following instinct over itinerary—passing through Gary, Indiana; Los Angeles; Putney, Vermont; Silver City, New Mexico; and Hudson, New York. Each stop became a site of creative renewal. She ended up recording the album at two locations: a makeshift studio in rural Wisconsin, and at Drop of Sun in Asheville, NC, featuring friends and collaborators such as Dimitri Giannpolous (Horse Jumper of Love), Sofia Jensen (Free Range), Clay Frankel (Twin Peaks, Hazel City), and many others along the way.  

Standouts like “Reelin” and “Highway Woman” showcase the push and pull of life as a musician; the constant need for embarking on a hero’s journey in search of reflection and freedom. Others like “Not Me” and “Cleveland” are classic Squirrel Flower, but with a sharper and more concentrated writing style paired with some of Williams’ strongest vocal delivery of her career.  

Mixed and co-produced by Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Wednesday), “Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going” is the sound of cosmic rebirth, looking behind to illuminate what’s ahead. “Pack your life and your guitar,” Williams sings on “Highway Woman.” “You can change it as you go. You do not plan on dying.”  

The new album ‘Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going’ out 8/21 on Polyvinyl Records

Returning to where it all began, Talking Heads proudly presents the brand new and extensive Talking Heads: 77 (Super Deluxe Edition), This Super Deluxe Edition charts the development of the band from the original trio of David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth into the classic four-person lineup with the addition of former Modern Lover member Jerry Harrison.

Spread across nearly three hours of material, this Super Deluxe Edition features a brand new remaster of the original album on LP1.

The second LP features a collection of rarities encompassing outtakes and previously unreleased alternate versions, including the never before heard ‘Psycho Killer (Alternate Version)’ and ‘Pulled Up (Alternate “Pop” Version)’.

LP3 & LP4 contain a previously unreleased recording of the band’s final show at CBGB’s in New York City on October 10th, 1977.

A beautiful 80-page hardcover book is included, with new liner notes from Tina, David, Chris & Jerry and featuring rare and unreleased photos of the band and ephemera throughout the era.

The Super Deluxe Edition also contains reproductions of the 4 Sire Records 7”s from Talking Heads: 77 including ‘Love → Building on Fire / New Feeling’, ‘Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town / I Wish You Didn’t Say That’, ‘Psycho Killer / Psycho Killer (Acoustic)’ and ‘Pulled Up / Don’t Worry About The Government’. All with picture sleeves.

Johnny Marr approaches his 63rd birthday and will celebrate with his fifth solo full-length, “The Age of Everything“, this autumn. The project arrives October. 2nd from BMG and is led by the single “Spin” .

The 10-track effort was written in London, workshopped on tour in North America last year and recorded in the former Smiths guitarist’s hometown of Manchester, England. “Spin” and fellow album tracks “It’s Time” and “Ophelia” were frequently played during that run.

“This is the record that’s been the most cathartic,” Marr says of the follow-up to his 2022 double LP “Fever Dreams Pts 1-4“. “The title came to me early in the process and became an inescapable idea. It seemed to sum up the way I think a lot of people are feeling. It’s all encompassing, but it’s not necessarily a negative statement. There’s a sense of overwhelm in the culture brought about by technology, but looking at it with a different light, there could also be a sense of possibility.”

In the fall of 2024, Marr said he was working on ideas on the road, which adds “a certain energy. My early songs were on a two-track tape recorder that I was able to trick into bouncing tracks together, and then I upgraded to a Teac Portastudio. I’ve kept up with technology, because it’s usually interesting and sometimes fun. Right now, I’ve gone right back to getting guitar ideas down on a looper and layering them without looking at a screen. I’m bored of looking at screens when I’m making music. It’s a long subject.”

Marr will also play a handful of shows in the U.K. and Europe through July in Granada, Spain. The lone gig on his fall agenda is Oct. 24 at OVO Arena Wembley in London.

The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, “Days”, on August 7th on the band’s own Cadmean Dawn Records via Thirty Tigers. Now they have released its second single, “Shallow Grave.”

The band has also announced a six-show residency in San Francisco at The Fillmore, where each night will have a different theme and set list.

Previously the band shared its first single, “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds,” The band’s core lineup is John Darnielle, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster.

“I got the idea for ‘Shallow Grave’ at a stoplight and recorded the first bits of it a capella into my phone,” John Darnielle said of the sprightly new single from the Mountain Goats’ new LP “Days”. “Came home and blazed through the rest old school style. Got very excited! Sent it to friends! Everybody bopped! Carrie White’s mom, or Carrie White’s arm? The jury is still out! Poetic license strikes again! Please enjoy what has already been called, by me, ‘the song of the summer’: Shallow Grave! Shallow Grave! Shallow Grave!”

Darnielle had this to say in a previous press release: “This album began life as “Grunges“, a sequel to “Goths“, after I made a joke on social media about writing a song called ‘Contemplating Pearl Jam in the Carolina Dawn.’ A few months later my wife left town for a two week residency in Virginia. My wife leaving town to play hockey in Banff is how All Hail West Texas happened. These songs are loosely about the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, which is to say they’re about the accumulation of days, each one a little further back than the next, sometimes miraculously seeming clearer as they recede and sometimes blurring into unrecognizable shapes which are sometimes pleasant and sometimes troubling. Most songs here are in major keys but don’t let that fool you. If you do let that fool you I have a bridge to sell you; there is nothing on the other side of the bridge. Still, you shouldn’t let that deter you. Who am I to tell you what kind of bridge you need, or where the bridge you need should lead? Nobody, really. Nobody at all.”

distributed by Thirty Tigers Released on: 2026-06-10

Pulp have announced a new live album, fittingly and simply titled “Live!”, and an accompanying concert film, Pulp: “What Do You Do For an Encore?2. They have also shared a live video for “A Sunset,” from both the album and film, and the audio of “Disco 2000” from the album. 

“Live!” is due out August 28 via Rough Trade and Pulp: What Do You Do For an Encore? will stream on MUBI this autumn.check out “A Sunset” and more details of both the live album and film.

Pulp released “More”, their first new album in 24 years, last year via Rough Trade Records. The album and film were both captured at the band’s shows in June 2025 at the O2 Arena in London, the same week that “More” was #1 on the UK album charts. Garth Jennings directed the film, having first worked with the band in 1997 directing their “Help the Aged” music video. He helped design the staging for Pulp’s tour.

Before “More”, Pulp’s previous album was the Scott Walker-produced “We Love Life“, released in 2001. Since then the band went on hiatus, reissued their old albums, returned to touring from 2011-2013, put out the unreleased song “After You” in 2013, went back on hiatus, and reunited again in 2022 for a well-received tour that stretched from 2023 to 2024. The band’s bassist Steve Mackey sadly died in March 2023 at only 56, so he did not take part in the last reunion or the new album. 

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker had this to say in a press release: “A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That’s why this album is called “Live!”. It’s both a statement of fact (it’s a recording of a live band) & a challenge (come on! Everyone come alive!).”

“Live!” Album Due Out August 28th via Rough Trade; Pulp: “What Do You Do For an Encore?” Film

The new issue of Uncut has candid interviews with Mick, Keith and Ronnie as they launch The Rolling Stones’ 25th album, “Foreign Tongues” and every print copy comes with a FREE Ambient Americana Vol 2 CD. It’s on sale Friday.

Inside the mag: An Audience With U2 and Dylan producer Daniel Lanois; The Kinks relive their explosive 1966; Beastie Boys’ Mike D returns; Siouxsie Sioux entrances; John Coltrane astonishes; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard untangle their prodigious discography…

The amazing story behind McAlmont And Butler’s ‘90s anthem “Yes”; friends and former bandmates salute Southern rock pioneer Gregg Allman; Philly country punks Florry get messy; White Denim reveal their music inspirations…

Plus! Kraftwerk, Paul Simon, Martha Reeves, The Waterboys, John Lennon, The Durutti Column, Shearwater, Rodney Crowell, Lenny Kaye, Styrofoam Winos – and Roger Daltrey on Eddie Cochran! Find it in shops from Friday or pre-o

Big World lives up to its name. Slated for release on August 14th, it arrives on the heels of Hovvdy’s 2024 self-titled album with a palpable sense of expansion – songs that stretch outwards and fill every room that they’re played in – while still being rooted in the close, unguarded intimacy characteristic of the Texas duo. It’s a progression that underscores how Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, now over a decade into their collaboration, continue to refine a shared language without losing the sincerity that has come to define it.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Hovvdy is the indie rock duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, who were both touring drummers when they first met at a baseball game a decade ago. Combining their solo songwriting efforts, they put out their debut LP, “Taster”, in 2016, gradually sharpening and layering their warm, low-key sound with a series of heartfelt releases, including 2018’s “Cranberry” and their 2019 breakthrough “Heavy Lifter“.

This time, all four were present for each session, giving Martin and Taylor the space to hone their collaborative craft while finding ways to honour their lo-fi origins. The result is a 19-track double LP of sprawling intimacy, one that allows big choruses to jump out and quiet moments to linger longer than you might expect. It’s a gorgeous record about the passage of time that keeps you hooked, ensuring no amount you spend with it feels wasted.

Hovvdy have shared another new single, ‘Blast’, from their forthcoming album Big World. For a track called ‘Blast’, it’s quite bleary, which fits into Hovvdy’s overall aesthetic. Still, the hook worms itself into your brain. Check out director Michael Rees’ video for it below.

Their new self-titled album, out Friday on Arts & Crafts, sees them continuing their collaboration with producer Andrew Sarlo and multi-instrumentalist Ben Littlejohn, who worked with the duo on 2021’s “True Love” and 2022’s “billboard for my feelings” EP.

“Big World“, which was led by the single ‘Try Try Try’, is set for release on August 14th via Arts & Crafts.