Archive for the ‘CLASSIC ALBUMS’ Category

BIG THIEF – ” Live at The Bunker Studio “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Big Thief has announced dates for an upcoming North American tour this fall. In addition, they have announced “Live at The Bunker Studio”, a recording of their 2019 session in Brooklyn, N.Y. Footage of all the songs is also available.

The Brooklyn indie-folk outfit will be back on the road this fall. The band, whose 2020 tour dates were cut short due to the coronavirus, are slated for a busy September, including their recently announced slot at this year’s Governers Ball.

While we’ve gotten sneak peeks from The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn before with the videos for “Not” and “Cattails,” the sheer power and chemistry captured during this session serve as compelling reminders of why Big Thief was one of the Best Live Acts of 2019.

The tour will kick off on September. in Louisville, Ky. at Headliners Music Hall. Other notable shows include a date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on September. a performance at New York City’s Governors Ball Music Festival on Sept. 25 and a gig at South Burlington, Vt.’s Higher Ground on Sept. 28. The tour will conclude with an Oct. 1 show in Philadelphia at Union Transfer.

Big Thief is an American indie rock band with folk roots based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Its members are Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar, backing vocals), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums). All four members attended the Berklee College of Music, but only formed a group after each had graduated.

Live at The Bunker Studio mostly features songs from Big Thief’s 2019 albums U.F.O.F. and Big Thief, as well as “Black Diamonds” from Capacity. According to a press release, “this collection was originally previewed with live videos of ‘Not’ and ‘Cattails,’ but now the whole session is available to listen to and view.”

The videos were directed by Marisa Gesualdi.

The PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – ” The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart “- Debut Reissues

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The 2009 arrival of the debut album from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart brought the NYC band to the attention of many fans, fans that considered the fresh debut to be one of the albums of the year. That album contained 10 high-powered songs that elevated the album to attention-grabbing status among the indie crowds of NYC and eventually elsewhere. Unfortunately, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart has disintegrated and is seemingly no longer in any forward progression. And while this saddens me, the band was a memorable part of the music of the New Millennium.

On June 25th, Slumberland Records revisits the debut self-titled album by “The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart” on special edition heavy-grade 180g-weight colour vinyl in limited amounts. There will be two editions: a Purple and Pink coloured swirl vinyl LP edition (limited to 500 copies) will be made available; a split black and white coloured vinyl LP (limited to 500 copies) will be made available to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland exclusively. An ultra-rare Yellow vinyl edition was made exclusive to Rough Trade. (At this writing, those were thinning out significantly.)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Painbow/WB Music Corp Originally Released on: 2009-02-03

ANDY SHAUF – ” Jenny Come Home ” A Take Away Show

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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A man walks into a bar, and his best friend tells him that his ex-girlfriend is back in town; the man considers the highs and lows of their relationship until she wanders in and he sees her again. Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf’s transfixing latest album is constructed around this narrative, but The Neon Skyline is also about the everyday details that we hold onto, that help define us, and which help us move on from loss. Fans of Sufjan Stevens and Jose Gonzalez should stumble into Shauf’s gorgeously rendered folk-pop storytelling with little hesitation

For nearly ten years, La Blogotheque has changed the way people experience music. We film beautiful, rare and intimate sessions with your favorite artists, and the ones you are soon to fall in love with. Come, stay a while, and be taken away.

All singer-songwriters are storytellers of a sort, but neither term does justice to what Andy Shauf accomplishes on The Neon Skyline Each of its 11 tracks are chapters from the same narrative, vignettes that cohere into something like a novel or an indie film. The arc is simple: guy runs into his ex at the bar, flashes back on falling in and out of love, awkwardly flirts for a while, and heads home. But Shauf ties those scenes together with emotional insight and an artful touch, sound tracked by luscious retro pop-rock arrangements that make the story feel timeless despite its meticulous sense of place.

Andy Shauf released one of 2020’s most highly praised albums, Neon Skyline.

The DIRTY NIL – ” Damage Control “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The Dirty Nil have released a mind-expanding animated video for Damage Control. The bandmembers visit a mythical wizard who shows them futures full of brutality, gold records & a plethora of easter eggs. Director and animator Greg Doble says: “Damage Control” is a song that touches upon the both the hard moments in life, as well as our individual perception of those moments. We all want to run ‘damage control’ when things aren’t going our way, but the reality of the situation is different in the minds of each person involved. I was quite drawn to the line ‘beware the things you wanna feel, ‘cause that don’t mean they’re real.’ To me, this line speaks to our ability as people to gravitate towards feelings, or our own personal bias, but in the process losing touch with a shared, concrete reality.”

The Dirty Nil – “Damage Control” Official Music Video Directed and Animated by Greg Doble

SHADOW SHOW – ” What Again Is Real? “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Masters of resto-mod psychedelia Shadow Show confront the daily march of frighteningly too-real absurdity by diving into a sherbet coloured daydream on their latest 7-inch vinyl release that pairs a period-correct original track with a strikingly re-imagined deep cut from the dustbin of indie rock history.

“What Again Is Real?” builds upon traditional psych rock concepts by framing a narrative around a carefree psychedelic pixie for the mod-squad set, irresistibly magnetic as she glides by sporting go-go boots and capturing the imaginations of everyone she passes. Worldly cares fall all around her like rain, deflected before the drops can saturate her mood by a karmic umbrella of good vibes and radiant positivity. Like a paisley Pied Piper she beckons the overstimulated masses to shed their soggy vestments and follow her down a dayglo rabbit hole to a sunny mental state uncluttered by worry. Oscillating guitar riffs meander between harmonized vocals that eschew the harder, threatening tendencies of American West Coast acid psych in favour of the lighter, whimsical stylings of the genre’s British variant to great effect.

Los Angeles based filmmaker Mat Dunlop captures the analogue aesthetic of “What Again Is Real?” in a resplendently lo-fi 8mm video awash in the cinematic wonder of LA’s iconic golden hour. The footage is interspersed with organic animations by Dawn Aquarius that echo the billowy spectacle of George Dunning’s iconic work on Yellow Submarine for maximum psychedelic impact. The dedication to a highly specific visual language recalls that of one of Shadow Show’s most successful hometown forebearers, and as The White Stripes leveraged candy stripes as a visual manifesto Shadow Show’s full bore adoption of 1960s style from Laugh-In to A Clockwork Orange is a primer on the band’s inspirational heritage.

on Hypnotic Bridge Records.

BOBBY GILLESPIE and JEHNNY BETH – ” Utopian Ashes “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream and Jehnny Beth from Savages are releasing a new collaborative album together, “Utopian Ashes”. Due out on July 2 via Third Man Recordings. They shared its second single, the string-backed “Chase It Down”  Thomas James directed the atmospheric black & white video.

Previously the duo shared the album’s first single, “Remember We Were Lovers” via a video for it. As well as Gillespie and Beth, the album also features Beth’s musical partner Johnny Hostile (bass) alongside three members of Primal Scream—Andrew Innes (guitar), Martin Duffy (piano), and Darrin Mooney (drums).

Utopian Ashes is a concept record of sorts that chronicles the collapse of a marriage. A press release compares the album to country-soul classics such as Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris’ Grievous Angel and George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s We Go Together.

“In the same way you create characters for a novel, we’ve created characters here,” says Beth in the press release. “But you put yourself in it, because you’re trying to understand the human situation. The singing has to be authentic. That’s all that matters.”

“When you write a song you marry the personal with the fictional and make art,” adds Gillespie. “I was thinking about two people living alone, together but apart, existing and suffering in a psychic malaise, who plough on because of responsibilities and commitments. It’s about the impermanence of everything—an existential fact that everyone has to face at some point in their lives.”

It was in 2015 when they were both invited to get up on stage with Suicide at the Barbican in London that the duo first met. In 2016 Beth joined Primal Scream on stage for a duet of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood’s “Some Velvet Morning” (a Primal Scream staple). Sessions for the album happened in Paris in 2017.

Summing up his intentions with Utopian Ashes Gillespie says: “I wanted to put pain back into music. I wasn’t hearing a lot of it in modern rock music.”

Jehnny Beth released her debut solo album, “To Love Is To Live”, last year via Caroline Records.

Primal Scream’s most recent album, “Chaosmosis” was released back in 2016 via the band’s own label, First International.

NATHAN LAWR – ” Apocalypse Marshmallow “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Nathan Lawr came up during the Toronto indie-rock heyday that spawned bands like Broken Social Scene and Feist, drumming for Royal City and Sea Snakes. In 2000, he started writing his own folk songs, releasing a series of solo albums. In 2010, he started Minotaurs and spent the next 10 years writing, recording, and performing with a psychedelic funk band. Now, almost a decade later, Lawr has come into his own, finding his voice as a pop singer and releasing his most powerful collection of songs to date. Nathan’s upcoming album “Apocalypse Marshmallow” is a meticulously crafted, dynamic powerhouse. The newest single is “Restless” a song about living in the modern dichotomy: We can have anything we want but we’re relentlessly unsatisfied.

Now, after spending almost a decade as a stay-at-home Dad, Lawr has come into his own, finding his voice as a pop singer and releasing his most powerful collection of songs to date.

Recorded over the course of 6 years in various studios in Guelph and Toronto, including Lawr’s own Guelph-based studio housed in the rectory of a former Jesuit Chapel, Apocalypse Marshmallow is a meticulously-crafted, dynamic powerhouse of an album. Veering from Steve Miller/Sloan-esque classic rock (on the title track), to 80’s glam pop (in Terminal Love), to half-time Dire Straits (in Shakey Hands), to triumphant country ballads (in Wandering Eyes). Echoes of Fleet Foxes, The War On Drugs, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen,

Apocalypse Marshmallow marks a real progression for Lawr. The song included here would not be out of place on a list of some of the best Canadian songs of the last 30 years.

Apocalypse Marshmallow is a celebration of the rough edges and chaos of friendship, family, being a part of a fabric. It’s messy and uncertain but it’s beautiful. “The process of becoming a parent was intense,” Lawr says. “No one ever tells you that you basically wake up a completely different person. Your old life is gone, like totally gone, and you need to mourn it. That can be a messy process. It’s an apocalypse, but it’s also cozy and soft and sweet, like a marshmallow.”

The JAMES CLARK INSTITUTE – ” Next Best Thing “

Posted: May 11, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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“James Clark is a doctor of pop. His prescription is simple: Three-minute blasts of medicinal music. Here’s one: The catchy power pop of  “Next Best Thing“, from his new 10-song album The Colour Of Happy. For the disc, James once again called upon the talents of producer/musician Moe Berg (The Pursuit Of Happiness), a man who knows his way around a hook. Moe also added guitar and vocals to the record.

“James takes the power pop traditions of The Beatles, Jellyfish and Split Enz and combines them with the high IQ lyrics of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. The result makes him one of Canada’s greatest unsung songwriters”. – Producer Moe Berg “A wealth of song writing talent.” – Michael Williams, Cashbox Canada Magazine

When he wasn’t listening to his parents’ early rock ’n’ roll and country-western records, James, persuaded by his guitar playing brother, settled in behind the drum kit and discovered the songwriters that would influence him: Lennon & McCartney, Ray Davies and Elvis Costello.

The second and latest advance single from the forthcoming album, The Colour Of Happy. Song written by James Clark.

HEAVY WATER – ” Red Brick City “

Posted: May 10, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Slathered in classic heavy rock ‘n’ soul, soaked in gritty, hard-baked riffs, and topped off with rich, raunchy vocals Heavy Water’s debut album “Red Brick City” . This is the lockdown 2020 project by Saxon’s Biff Byford and his son Seb Byford . the track brings you on an irrepressible raw blues-backed journey through influences and invention. The foundations for Heavy Water’s sound are set in their incredible father/son chemistry and a lifetime of know-how and experiences. Take the title track (and first single) Red Brick City: All steam and smoulder wrapped around a riff Soundgarden would’ve been proud of. 

Red Brick City moves with the class and cadence of a cracking journey, uniting vintage rock sensibilities with the crackle and excitement of a fresh, youthful perspective. According to Seb and Biff,

“We decided to do something together in these dark times and the family came together to help get this album off the ground” explained Seb and Biff. Seb Byford recorded and engineered Red Brick City at the Big Silver Barn in York, UK, while the drums were recorded by Ben Hammond at Reel Recording Studio in York. Seb produced the album with Biff, and Jacky Lehmann mastered. Red Brick City sees Seb take the reins on guitar and vocals, with Biff taking up the bass and vocal mantle. Tom Witts plays the drums, while Dave Kemp rounds out the Heavy Water line-up on keyboards and saxophone. A rich, lustrous ride through profoundly rewarding rock waters. To cap off this family affair, the packaging photos were taken by Steph Byford. “We had great fun doing this album, working together on the songs and recording during lockdown,” concluded Biff and Seb. “It’s all recorded without samples or profiles… just loud and proud!” So remember, on July 23rd 2021, there’s going to be a new Rock ‘n’ Roll sheriff in town, and as their name suggests, Heavy Water aren’t for the light-hearted. Dive in, and soak yourself in the purity of their music.

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