The Fat Angel Sings

Pete Kember’s influence on independent music stretches far beyond the cult legacy of Spacemen 3. Through his many aliases (Sonic Boom, Spectrum and E.A.R.) he has spent decades exploring the outer reaches of psychedelia, drone, experimental electronics and pop, building one of the most distinctive and enduring discographies of the last forty years.

Compiled by Danny Passarella, Sonic Boom / Spectrum / E.A.R. Vinyl Archive 1989–2026 is the definitive visual guide to Kember’s solo vinyl output. Spanning more than 330 pages, the book meticulously documents every release from his 1989 first post-Spacemen 3 single Angel through his latest collaborations and the forthcoming A ? Of When album with Panda Bear. Packed with tons of photos of records, detailed release information and exclusive interviews covering each of Kember’s artistic aliases, it offers an unparalleled look into one of modern music’s most fascinating catalogues.

Making this edition even more special is an exclusive flexi-disc featuring an unreleased instrumental version of the Spectrum classic “How You Satisfy Me”, available only with the book and marking the 100th and final release on the Feral Child label.

The first pressing also includes an A3 poster and hype sticker, making this one an essential collectors’ piece.

Blending punk, country, and psychedelic looseness, Arizona’s Meat Puppets were ahead of their time in fusing genres that shouldn’t have fit together. Their cult classic ‘Plateau’ perfectly exemplifies this eccentric, desert-baked sound.

I’ll get flak for recommending this record above Meat Puppets II, the one Kurt Cobain covered in his famous MTV Unplugged concert. The Meat Puppets were the third great SST band, and all three grew by leaps and bounds in the mid-’80s. With Meat Puppets II (1984), the Arizona post-punkers reveal a dizzying range of artistry, from slam-dance hardcore to virtuosic instrumentals to jam-band psychedelia. With Up on the Sun, the band finds its groove, reeling off a stream of melodic, light-psychedelic guitar-boogie classics. Warm guitar riffs anchor most of the songs, and the Kirkwood brothers adorn them with their unique brand of hypnotic, vaguely off-key harmonies: this is college radio’s answer to Disraeli Gears.

Arizona’s Meat Puppets were ahead of their time in fusing genres that shouldn’t have fit together. Their cult classic ‘Plateau’ perfectly exemplifies this eccentric, desert-baked sound.

Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged performance briefly introduced the track to a wider audience, but the Curt and Cris Kirkwood-led band remains criminally underrated. They helped pave the way for alternative rock by fearlessly breaking down barriers.

New York’s The Bobby Lees have built their reputation the long way round, through relentless touring and a catalogue that feels more scraped together than carefully assembled, which is precisely the appeal. A fourth album, and a first for a bigger label, might suggest a smoothing-out of those rough edges. It doesn’t really happen. ‘Napoleon’ opens with guitars pushed high in the mix, drums snapping into a tight, almost claustrophobic pattern while Sam Quartin delivers lines in short bursts that feel half-spoken, half-spat. Their take on ’50ft Queenie’ keeps the lurching rhythm intact but roughens the tone, bass slightly distorted, everything sitting just a fraction off-centre. ‘New Self’ loosens the tempo, letting the rhythm section breathe a bit more. It’s direct, certainly, but it lands.

Highly recommended. That band you saw backing Jon Spencer recently – that was the Bobby Lees!

For The Bobby Lees, their fourth album and Epitaph debut marks a thrilling new chapter for the band while doubling down on what’s always made them so magnetic. The Bobby Lees don’t need much in the way of introduction.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats return with ‘Don’t Let It Control You’, issued via Killer Candy Records. Built from fuzzed-out guitars, pounding piano and warped harmonies, the track barrels forward with a raw, unhinged energy, wrapped in the band’s trademark horror-tinged lyricism.

On the flip, ‘Don’t Let It Control You Part II’ reimagines the track as a slower, more disoriented counterpart. Acoustic elements, woozy keys and drifting feedback pull it into a late-night haze, offering a stark contrast to the A-side’s urgency while expanding the band’s shadowy soundworld.

Combining Fuzzrite guitars with driving Stooges piano, out of tune harmonies, Shadow Morton backing vocals and pulp horror lyrics, Uncle Acid continue to evolve in their own terrifying world.

Cult group Uncle Acid and the deadbeats are back in the ditch with their new single “Don’t Let It Control You”, on Killer Candy Records. Released May 29th,

Margaret Glaspy’s fourth album, “I Am Both“, emerged from a conscious step away from distraction and a renewed focus on songwriting. After leaving social media behind, Glaspy found a fresh sense of purpose that fuelled a prolific creative period, writing lyrics by hand before refining them on a typewriter.

The resulting songs move between imagined narratives, personal reflection and thoughtful observations of the world around her, showcasing the direct and distinctive songwriting that has defined her work. Produced by Joe Henry, “I Am Both” is a confident and deeply considered collection that highlights Glaspy’s ability to combine intimacy, insight and craft.

In an era of excess and endless distraction, the New York-based singer/songwriter Margaret Glaspy rejects the noise in favour of something far more essential. On the self-possessed title track for her new album “I Am Both” Glaspy offers an ardent refusal of any outside pressure to compromise her multidimensionality. “I wrote ‘I Am Both’ a while ago; the story is based on a female character that I look up to deeply—a woman who contains multitudes while seeing reality very clearly,” says Glaspy. “It can feel safer to try to fit myself into a category, but I find that embracing my own complexity is much healthier for me.” That embrace of complexity runs throughout the album’s eleven tracks.

“Michigan” is from Margaret Glaspy’s new studio abum ‘I Am Both’ which comes out August 7th,

Originally signed to the Moody Blues’ Threshold liable, Trapeze are best remembered today for giving the world future Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes. They certainly laid the foundations for his subsequent solo career with their brand of heavy funk rock, which is showcased to best effect on 1972‘s “You Are the Music… We’re Just the Band”.

In fact, all the key members of the band went on to greater things. Guitarist Mel Galley joined Whitesnake and drummer Dave Holland was a member of Judas Priest for a decade (later being imprisoned for attempted rape and indecent assault).

Although best known for his work with Deep Purple’s Mark III and IV line-ups, singer/bassist Glenn Hughes got his start with Trapeze. 

Also including future Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley and future Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland, the trio began as a near metal band – specifically 1970’s “Medusa” – before getting a funk-rock makeover in time for this album, on the standouts “Keepin’ Time” and the title track, and momentarily turning down the amps for the gorgeous ballad, “Coast to Coast“. 

“You Are the Music… We’re Just the Band” ℗ 1972 Threshold Records Released on: 1972-01-01

Pagan folk-rockers Comus are now lauded by everyone from metalheads (Mikael Akefeldt of Opeth is a huge fan) to hipsters, but back in the early seventies they couldn’t get arrested. Indeed, they were part of the Dawn Records Peeny Tour, which, as the name implies, cost a princely one (old) penny to get in.

Their brilliant debut album “First Utterance” (1970) is highly recommended. A chilling, hypnotic blend of psych-folk and avant-garde progressive rock, it eschews conventional rock structures for a disturbing soundscape marked by twisted, pagan lyrics, feral vocals, and eerie acoustic instrumentation.

The use of violin, flute, and percussive guitar conjures a dark, woodland ritual atmosphere – equal parts beautiful and unsettling. It remains a definitive cult classic that radically pushed the boundaries of both folk and prog rock

Prog/folk/psych oddballs Comus created an ‘acid folk’ so violent and pagan that it sounds like it was unearthed from a prehistoric burial mound. Using only acoustic instruments – violins, woodwinds, and frantic hand drums – they crafted a soundworld of disturbing psychological themes and ancient, predatory myths.

The vocals are feral and shrieking, completely devoid of the ‘peace and love’ sensibilities of the early 70s. It feels genuinely dangerous, a relic of a pre-industrial era that somehow found its way onto a vinyl record during the height of the hippie movement.

The use of violin, flute, and percussive guitar conjures a dark, woodland ritual atmosphere – equal parts beautiful and unsettling. It remains a definitive cult classic that radically pushed the boundaries of both folk and prog rock.

By the way, the pastoral, haunting track ‘The Herald’ is unlike anything else on the album – and one of the most atmospheric slices of freak-folk we have ever heard. Have a listen:

Start here: First Utterance (1970)

The Afghan Whigs celebrate 40 years as a band with “Soft Control“, their latest studio album. Across ten new songs, the Ohio group continue to blend soulful melodies with gritty rock arrangements, anchored by the distinctive vocals and songwriting of Greg Dulli.

Featuring the singles ‘House Of I’ and ‘Duvateen’, the album finds The Afghan Whigs refining the sound that has defined their career while retaining the emotional intensity and swagger that have long set them apart. “Soft Control” is a confident and characterful addition to the band’s catalogue from one of alternative rock’s most enduring acts.

The Whigs. Having started with iconic label Sub Pop, then becoming alternative heroes in the ‘90s with an insane sting of albums, including the cult classic “Gentlemen,” as well as “Black Love” and “1965,”

“Duvateen” – The title of the song is a nod to the actual light manipulating material, which here serves as a symbol for mortality, the dark abyss always framing the background of our lives.

“When I finished “Duvateen,” it felt like my life passing before my eyes. The references to the teacher chasing me down the hall reminded me of my childhood. Digging a hole was an obvious allusion to a grave. I’m at a precipice in life where I can look behind and clearly see the forest of my youth, but I can also see the path to the other side. And it’s going to inform what I do for the rest of my days.” – Greg Dulli

the forthcoming album “Soft Control” out August 21st, 2026

YHWH Nailgun are following up the breakthrough success of their 2025 debut album “45 Pounds” with a new LP that clocks in at just over 10 minutes. YHWH Nailgun have signed to 4AD and announced their first record for the labe. .The 10-song “Magazine” will arrive on June 11th and will be released via the band’s new label home, . They’ve been teasing new music for a while, even committing some unreleased tunes to video last week when they offered up “Give Blood,” “Ballerina,” and “Hips on a Wheel” live on The Adam Friedland Show—all of which appear on the “Magazine” track list.

YHWH also announced a slew of summer dates, which will see them bringing rototoms to cities across Europe, the UK, and Australia.

 The New York four-piece distil their sound into 10 tracks that pass in just 11 minutes, favouring immediacy and impact over convention.

What began as a raw duo has expanded into a tight unit, combining frantic guitars, punishing drums, stark synths and Zack Borzone’s unfiltered vocals. Opening with ‘Ghost of Love’, the album unfolds like a fragment of a larger signal—brief, intense and disorienting. Following their debut “45 Pounds“, this set strips things back further: leaner rhythms, exposed production, and lyrics steeped in religious imagery pushed to the fore. Built on instinct and improvisation, “Magazine” is direct, volatile and defiantly singular.

SONGS
“Sickle Walk”
“Give Blood”
“Ballerina”
“Hips on a Wheel”

All songs composed by Saguiv Rosenstock, Samuel Pickard, Jack Tobias, Zachary Borzone

Lyrics by Zachary Borzone

Synths and Electronics by Jack Tobias, Drums by Sam Pickard, Guitar by Saguiv Rosenstock

The band’s follow-up to last year’s “45 Pounds” will drop on June 11th.

We first crossed paths over ten years ago in a New York cafe, though neither of us knew it at the time. Meg was at a musical crossroads and had just agreed to join Kevin Morby’s band, excited and ready to talk the ear off whoever would listen, including the barista who, it turns out, was Emile. He was working there while navigating his own musical crossroads between playing in a band and composing more seriously.

Years later, we reconnected in Los Angeles through mutual friends. The moment we started sharing our works in progress, it was clear we were musically kindred, drawn to the same harmonic intricacies and emotionally resonant arrangements. It was only then that our chance encounter a decade prior came back to us — it all felt very aligned.

In the years since, we’ve recorded music and performed live together a handful of times. “Your Lemon” is the culmination of that relationship — something tangible and official: three songs, one from each of our catalogs and a cover of Ani DiFranco’s “Joyful Girl.” We’re both inspired by what we were able to create and excited for it to be out in the world.

released June 2nd, 2026