Archive for the ‘CLASSIC ALBUMS’ Category

TEENAGE FAN CLUB – ” Endless Arcade “

Posted: April 26, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Even if we weren’t living through extraordinarily troubling times, there is nothing quite like a Teenage Fanclub album to assuage the mind, body and soul, and to reaffirm that all is not lost in this world. Endless Arcade follows the band’s ninth album Here, released in 2016. It’s quintessential TFC: melodies are equal parts heart warming and heart aching; guitars chime and distort; keyboard lines mesh and spiral; harmony-coated choruses burst out like sun on a stormy day.

“Even if we weren’t living through extraordinarily troubling times, there is nothing quite like a Teenage Fanclub album to assuage the mind, body and soul, and to reaffirm that all is not lost in this world. The new record is quintessential TFC: melodies are equal parts heart warming and heart-aching; guitars chime and distort; keyboard lines mesh and spiral; harmony-coated choruses burst out like sun on a stormy day. Such is life. But the title track suggests: Don’t be afraid of this endless arcade that is life. “I think of an endless arcade as a city that you can wander through, with a sense of mystery, an imaginary one that goes on forever,” says Raymond McGinley, one half of the band’s songwriters for this album alongside Norman Blake. “When it came to choosing an album title, it seemed to have something for this collection of songs.”

Teenage Fanclub will release their anticipated new album “Endless Arcade” on April 30th and they’ve just shared a fourth song from it. Penned and sung by Norman Blake, “The Sun Won’t Shine On Me” is one of the Fannies’ most gentle songs ever, a pretty waltz-time folk ballad. “With a troubled mind, I am in decline,” Norman laments as the band’s signature harmonies cascade overtop. 

Endless Arcade is Teenage Fanclub’s first album since Gerard Love left the group and it will be their 11th album overall. The band will play a few late summer festivals this year but save touring for the album for next year, with spring 2022 UK dates announced. 

From the forthcoming album Endless Arcade released Apr 30th 2021 on PeMa and Merge Records .

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Releases April 30th, 2021

April 10th, 2022 Nottingham, UK – Rock City

MAPLE GLIDER – ” To Enjoy is the Only Thing “

Posted: April 26, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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After the universally enthusiastic reception of her first couple of singles, we are pleased to announce the debut LP “To Enjoy is the Only Thing” by Maple Glider. It’s an album full of brittle intimacies and effortlessly balanced instrumentation (not a note wasted). In the singer-songwriter tradition, the solo project of Tori Zietsch (‘peach’ with a z) is centred around the lyrics, exploring deeply personal themes and often serving as a self-catharsis.

Over plucked acoustic guitar or deftly weighted piano chords, Maple Glider shares vignettes of her life; growing up in a restrictive religious household, falling in an out of love, interstate and international relocations, the new perspectives travel can bring along with the alienation of being away from the familiar.

All songs’ music videos were made with creative collaborator and housemate Bridgette Winten, in tight radius around their Brunswick home (a limit due to COVID lockdown measures). Working with colour and contrast, and shot on Super 8, Maple Glider plays off her surroundings, whether it’s lush creek-beds, neighbourhood rose gardens, or a party for One at home.

This is what the album looks like to me:
walking past tinsel covered trees in mid-September, swimming along the calanques in the south of France, car-bonnet frost, darkness at 4pm, lightness until 10pm, a muted feeling, the perpetual grey fog that swallows the Silver Coast, the colour red, this ugly green dress, red wine, red blood, red lips, red is the colour of the cardinal’s robe, Switzerland, my mother’s diaries, a coroner’s report, the sun on my face, the end of love, “To enjoy is the only thing. BTCH$” – Maple Glider

Maple Glider – “Swimming (To Enjoy is the Only Thing)” LP 2021 out June 25th.

The COATHANGERS – ” Nosebleed Weekend “

Posted: April 25, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Today marks the 5th birthday of Nosebleed Weekend! To celebrate, we’re offering a limited edition “Nosebleed Weekend” bundle that includes an autographed CD, 18”x24″ folded poster, a rectangle glitter sticker, and a 2.25” metallic button. When The Coathangers started up in 2006, their aspirations were humble. “I think all bands in their early twenties start for fun,” says guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel when talking about their early years of cheeky no-wave and irreverent garage rock. But Julia and her bandmates Meredith Franco (bass/vocals) and Stephanie Luke (drums/vocals) were serious about their craft, and that combination of modest outside expectations and absolute dedication to their music made for exhilarating live shows and contagious records. Ten years later, The Coathangers are still going strong, and while their palette has expanded over the years to touch upon hip-shakin’ classic rock, soulful country ballads, and golden oldies pop, their primary attack strategy still relies heavily on the jagged hooks and boisterous choruses of their formative years. Their fifth album Nosebleed Weekend retains all the devil-may-care magnetism and serrated instrumentation of their debut, but it flourishes with a decade’s worth of song writing discipline and chemistry. 

Nosebleed Weekend kicks off with “Perfume,” a song that marries sultry pop vocals with toothy guitar riffs in a manner that would make Ann and Nancy Wilson proud. It’s hard to imagine The Coathangers writing a song this accessible in their early years, but in 2016 it fits perfectly into their canon. From there the band launches into “Dumb Baby,” which harkens back to the gritty neo-garage rock of Murder City Devils. Long time fans who still clamour for their brash post-punk angle will be immediately satiated by “Squeeki Tiki.” And after hearing the noisy loud-quiet-loud bombast of “Excuse Me?” it’s no wonder that Kim Gordon has become an outspoken fan of the band.

It’s an eclectic album inspired by life on the road, lost loved ones, and Kugel’s recent move to Southern California. “We always say that each record is a snapshot of our life at the time,” Kugel says. “As far as style… it’s just what came out of us at that point.” So whether it’s the foreboding garage rock of the title track, the post-punk groove of “Burn Me,” the stripped-down pop of “I Don’t Think So,” or the dynamic grunge of “Down Down,” The Coathangers command their songs with passion and authority. 

“…the group’s best so far!” – NPR’s All Songs Considered

“Who knew that even in punk, practice could make perfect?” – SPIN

“…it’s a nasty, jagged piece of rockabilly-influenced punk rock, the kind nobody makes often enough anymore.” – Stereogum

“The Coathangers are mad as hell on Nosebleed Weekend.” – The FADER

“Though they may have lived a decade-long adrenaline rush, The Coathangers’ persistence and motivation is as present as ever on Nosebleed Weekend.” – She Shreds

“…spiky garage rock guitars and a clap-along chorus that bridges the gap between power pop and no wave dissonance.” – Consequence of Sound

Nosebleed Weekend released through Suicide Squeeze Records.

NEW DAD – ” Waves ” EP

Posted: April 24, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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NewDad emerged from Galway at the beginning of last year, self-releasing their first string of songs. The Waves EP is their debut EP and features the BBC 6Music A-list singles “I Don’t Recognise You” and “Blue”. The six track EP is available on limited edition clear vinyl on Fair Youth. Our fifth single ‘I Don’t Recognise You’ !!.

NewDad are from Galway, Ireland. Consisting of Julie Dawson, Áindle O’Beirn, Sean O’Dowd, and Fiachra Parslow, NewDad have been making music since their high school days, and have been releasing tracks for the past two years. They all went to the same high school, and formed ultimately because we needed something to do for final exams. Sean was a year above us, and was studying music tech in college, so we made music demos together, and the rest is history. This was our first time recording in a proper studio. We did “Blue”, “I Don’t Recognise You”, and “Slowly” on our own as demos. Then, with those demos and the remaining tracks, we got to use the studio space with pedals, and various other bells and whistles – for “I Don’t Recognise You”, specifically, we even got to use a mellophone!.

The band’s sound is described as feedback-drenched guitars meets incredible pop melodies, and is resonant of Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and Sharon Van Etten. “The band oozes personality with cynical but honest lyrics, colourful visual components, and poignant messages about coping with the (albeit painful) formative experiences,” Bloggers have recently wrote in further praising vocalist Julie Dawson “whose spunk can be heard just by the way she breathes.”

It’s really blossoming at the minute. There’s been a lot more attention on music coming out of Ireland with bands like Fontaines D.C.. Even in Galway there’s a really good Punk band called The Turnstiles. Irish people have such a unique perspective being from a tiny island that has remained pretty insular, yet very kind hearted, so it’s really a new sound as well. For so long Irish music focused on outside influences from the US and the UK but now it’s culminated with Irish culture into its own thing. We feel proud to be Irish and considered amongst all these amazing artists, finally able to breakout.

NewDad emerged from Galway at the beginning of last year, self-releasing their first string of songs. The Waves EP is their debut EP and features the BBC 6Music A-list singles “I Don’t Recognise You” and “Blue”.

The six track EP is available on limited edition clear vinyl on Fair Youth.

 

QUIVERS – ” Hold You Back “

Posted: April 23, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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As Melbourne-via-Tasmania outfit Quivers gear up to release their new album, “Golden Doubt”, in June, the four-piece have released their latest single, with “Hold You Back” arriving yesterday. Following on from “Gutters of Love”, Quivers’ new single is a refreshing piece of cinematic indie rock, with the upbeat nature reminiscent of genre heavyweights The Go-Betweens, R.E.M., or even Australia’s own Dappled Cities.

Pairing a driving backbeat, fuzzy guitar, and intoxicating strings, the group explain that the track is written about standing on the precipice of overwhelming opportunity, and what the future holds. “It is a song about being overwhelmed by someone, and somewhere, but also overwhelmed by the beauty of those strange, new experiences we used to have when travel was possible,” they note.

Having risen through the ranks in recent years, Quivers were set to see 2020 bring them a wave of international attention thanks to a planned 21-date US tour. While COVID quickly saw these dates canned, the group remained undeterred by such an inconvenience, instead focusing on their craft, with Golden Doubt set to arrive on June 11th.

As singer Sam Nicholson explains, the record and its title relates to previous personal tragedies band members have experienced, and the resilient nature it awakens inside of you.

The track also comes accompanied by a charming phone-filmed video for the track, which was shot and edited by the band while “on a 24-hour deadline”, and serves as “a sort of visual powerpoint presentation” for the song.

“Golden, because musically we daydream with the guitars of Teenage Fanclub and The Cure, the singing of The Roches’ sisters, the basslines of Another Sunny Day, and the drums of Lower Dens or Car Seat Headrest,” Nicholson states. “Golden Doubt, because hitting your thirties after losing people knocks you off balance for a while, but no longer caring what the world thinks is always a breakthrough feeling.”

While “Golden Doubt” will be released in June, Quivers are also set to hit the stage in Melbourne on Friday, April 23rd for a launch show in support of their previous single. Supported by Georgia Knight, the group will play two shows, with full details available below.

Quivers’ “Hold You Back” is out now, while the album “Golden Doubt” will be released on June 11th via Spunk Records. 

RYAN ADAMS – ” Big Colors “

Posted: April 23, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Social Media has been flooded with fans desperate to hear the long time coming Big Colors, the second album in the trilogy from Grammy nominated artist Ryan Adams.

“Big Colors” is the soundtrack to a movie from 1984 that exists only in my soul. It’s a cliché inside a watercolour painting of neon blue smoke rising up off summer streets in the night. It’s the most New York California album I could cut loose from my musical soul, and for me as both a guitar player and songwriter, this is the zenith point dream time. While I won’t be able to match this album for it’s depth and broad colour forms in the future, this is the sound of my soul and a door to a place I’ll be returning to again. The treasures in our past are the shamanic visions of the future when the destination is dream zone 3000. This is that. I’m only dreaming in Big Colors now.”

Big Colors will be released digitally on Friday 11th June, 2021 and “Do Not Disturb”, the lead track from this upcoming album is available for streaming today. Fans can pre-order the CD and extended red-coloured LP, which includes a 7” with two bonus tracks.

Ryan Adams said; “Big Colors was created as a 1980s soundtrack to a movie that never existed. Wednesdays was a study of decline and morality; Big Colors is meant to feel like a daydream. New York, where this album was written, always propels me into new, unexpected creative spaces and this album happened to me, more than I can say I happened to it”.

Ryan Adams’ profound contributions to music have taken many different forms. From his song writing, to his producing, to fronting the rock/alternative country band Whiskeytown, and forming, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, his ability to connect with audiences across a variety of different mediums is undeniable. Adams’ musical creativity was recognized early on and led to his NME Best Solo Artist win in both 2003 and 2004. In addition to his self-titled, double Grammy-nominated 2014 album, Adams covered Taylor Swift’s 1989 in its entirety with his own interpretation fo the blockbuster album. Adams’ artistry is not limited to his song writing capabilities. In 2009, he published Infinity Blues, a book of free verse poetry, and Hello Sunshine, a collection of poems and short stories. Adams’ passion for writing continues, and he is currently working on his first novel.

Track List:
1. Big Colors
2. Do Not Disturb
3. It’s So Quiet, It’s Loud
4. Fuck The Rain
5. Manchester
6. What Am I
7. Power
8. I Surrender
9. Showtime
10. In It For The Pleasure
11. Middle Of The Line
12. Summer Rain

Praised as one of rock’s most talented songwriters, Adams is a seven-time Grammy nominated artist, a producer for greats such as Willie Nelson, Jesse Malin, and Jenny Lewis, and a lauded collaborator with the likes of Weezer, Fall Out Boy, America, and more.

Ryan Adams – Do Not Disturb Pax Americana Recording Company

JEFF ROSENSTOCK – ” Ska Dream “

Posted: April 23, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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On April 1st, Jeff Rosenstock tweeted a version of the album art for his 2020 album “No Dream” that was retitled “Ska Dream” and he captioned it “4/20.” It looked a lot like an April Fool’s joke, but to quote this amazing tweet from Craig of the Creek head writer/voice actor Jeff Trammell, “Jeff made April Fools of us all, for not believing in the power of Ska.” 4/20 came, and Jeff proved that Ska Dream was no joke; it’s a complete ska reworking of his album “No Dream” and it’s very real. “As with most things ska in my life, what started out as a fun goof with friends eventually morphed into ‘Hey, what if we tried to make it good though?,'” Jeff said, and they really did make it good. We named the excellent NO DREAM the best punk album of 2020, and Jeff’s roots in ska (Arrogant Sons of Bitches, Bomb the Music Industry!) have been coming up a lot lately, as a whole new generation of ska bands that follow in the DIY footsteps of ASOB and BTMI have been gaining steam, so the timing was perfect for Jeff to turn his already-acclaimed album into a ska album,

“Ska Dream” is a complete re-recording of Jeff Rosenstock’s critically-acclaimed 2020 record. however this time around all the songs are ska songs you’re welcome. The very good idea to make this record came together when, like many other bands throughout this pandemic that refused to participate in super spreading events, we were trying to find a fun way to make some music together to share with people. Otherwise we were just spending our evenings texting the group chat in dread about the collapsing world around us. Not the most fun band activity.

As with most things ska in my life, what started out as a fun goof with friends eventually morphed into “Hey, what if we tried to make it good though?” All of us have a pretty deep history playing and touring the country in punk/ska bands. We all understand the stigma that comes along with ska, we’ve all dealt with the pitfalls of it, and we’ve all kept on truckin’ regardless. If you are one of those people who loves music as long as it isn’t ska, that’s cool, we see you. This record isn’t for you and you don’t have to listen to it. 

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Jeff made the album with tons of cool collaborators (including members of We Are The Union, Mustard Plug, Deafheaven, The Slackers, Fishbone, Oceanator, PUP, AJJ, Laura Stevenson, Mike Park, and more , and it also includes a tribute to The Suicide Machines’ “Our Time” (on “No Time To Skank”) and a snippet of The Specials’ “Nite Klub” (on “Leave It In The Ska”). The whole thing may seem tongue-in-cheek, but Jeff really took it seriously and he came out with an album that’s just as good on its own as No Dream is.

JOHN DEDOMENICI – BASS
KEVIN HIGUCHI – DRUMS, PERCUSSION
MIKE HUGUENOR – GUITAR
JER HUNTER – TROMBONE, TRUMPET
RICK JOHNSON – HAMMOND, FARFISA, CASIO CZ101
CHRISTINE MACKIE – BELLS
DAN POTTHAST – ACOUSTIC GUITAR, PIANO, VOCALS
JEFF ROSENSTOCK – VOCALS, GUITAR, TENOR & BARI SAX, FARFISA, JUNO 106, MOOG PRODIGY, LYRA, WURLITZER, BELLS, SPACE ECHO
LAURA STEVENSON – VOCALS

DINOSAUR Jr – ” Sweep It Into Space “

Posted: April 23, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Ever since the original Dinosaur Jr line-up reunited in the mid 2000s, they’ve been even more prolific than they were the first time around, and they continue to be consistently great, reliable lifers. You always kind of know what to expect from a new Dinosaur Jr album, and they always deliver quality stuff, “Sweep It Into Space” being no exception. There are a few unexpected moments to keep things fresh (plus production and musical contributions from Kurt Vile), but mostly it’s the Dinosaur Jr you know and love.

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Nearly 40 years into their career, Dinosaur Jr are still delivering the indie rock goods. They don’t need help at this point to do so, but having pal Kurt Vile co-produce adds lift to J, Lou and Murph’s sails. It may be easy to take them for granted these days, but “Sweep it Into Space” reminds you why you loved them the first time.

Released April 23rd, 2021

SOUR WIDOWS – ” Crossing Over ” EP

Posted: April 23, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Sour Widows are a bedroom rock band from the Bay Area comprised of long time friends Maia Sinaiko, Susanna Thomson, and Max Edelman. Songs marked by driving harmonies address themes of relationship and reflection; layers of warmth, depth, and grit surface and fade in their two-guitar dynamic. Through progressions that shift from subtle to biting, Sour Widows expose tender moments with an edge.

The trio Sour Widows‘ first proper release was their self-titled 2020 EP, and as promising as that EP is, it couldn’t prepare you for how stunning “Crossing Over” would be. It casually blurs the lines between genre — incorporating elements of ’70s Laurel Canyon folk, ’90s slowcore and shoegaze, Sharon Van Etten-esque indie rock, and just a slight hint of psychedelia — and the results are genuinely alluring. It’s just a four-song EP, but it doesn’t feel like a low-stakes project. It feels complete, and it marks the arrival of a great new band. The EP as a whole is a better representation of this band than any individual song, but if there’s one major standout track, it’s the nearly-eight minute title track. It channels the spirit of jammy, psychedelic ’60s/’70s folk rock, and it’s as hypnotic as the genre’s pioneers were half a century ago.

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Released April 23rd, 2021

Songs Written by Sour Widows

Guitar and vocals: Susanna Thomson
Guitar and vocals: Maia Sinaiko
Drums: Max Edelman
Bass: Timmy Stabler

SHEVERB – ” Rattle Can Thrash “

Posted: April 21, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The viewer is lured in by the serene scene of a glorious sunset…perhaps piqued by the mysterious renegades looking toward the orange and purple horizon. Then Boom – cue the surf/garage punk-rock-a-go-go. It’s got the dance and tumble psyched-out film stock vibe of your favourite ’60s exploitation film, the edge of civilization, only Russ Myer’s gotta sit this one out. Sorry, pal. No mercy from the unleashed beasts of the Bombay Beach brigade.

It’s a cool lo-fi badass video Sheverb released this month for “Rattle Can Thrash,” one of ten desert-fuelled surf-psych instrumental treasures from “Once Upon a Time in Bombay Beach”, a conceptual piece literally inspired by tuning in and dropping out.

Cut to pre-pandemic February 2020: The band leaves behind the bustle of Austin, heads out to the “semi-abandoned” Southern Californian resort town the LP is named for, and completely immerse themselves in the songwriting process, including building a makeshift recording studio in a barn and crashing out in bunk beds in communal living spaces. Totally a family affair.

“We wanted to write an album that had elements of Southern California 1950’s/1960’s surf culture, psychedelics, real rock ‘n’ roll, Texas honky-tonk Western vibes, and of course, our kind of signature desert rock sound,” says Sheverb co-founder and guitarist Betty Benedeadly. “The Bombay Beach really embodied all of those elements, and we thought, what better place to go live for a month together?”

The experiment proved to be an eye-opening, magical time for the womxn-led collective, capped off with a finale performance at local dive Ski Inn, followed by their “Rattle Can Thrash” video shoot extravaganza in – where else? – a graffiti-covered abandoned house. True, most folks might skip a visit to Bombay Beach, but the remote, dystopian setting was perfect for Sheverb’s latest adventure. The entire journey was, in their own words, a dream come true.

The Band:

Betty Benedeadly Guitar, railroad spikes
Xina Ocasio  Drums, wooden frog
Lainey Smith  Bass
James Ruthless Mescall Trumpet, flute, percussion
Braden Guess Guitar, synth, fish bones

This tune is off of Sheverb’s album “Once Upon a Time in Bombay Beach”. This psychedelic, desert-fueled neo-surf album was the result of a month-long music-making adventure in a semi-abandoned seaside resort town in the Southern California desert.

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