Cheval Sombre just released “Time Waits for No One” and he’s not waiting for anyone to release his next album “Days Go By” will be out May 28th via Sonic Cathedral. Like the first, Time Waits for No One was produced by Sonic Boom and features appearances by Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500 and Luna. The two records are very much of a piece but if Time was a rumination on mortality, Days Go By has a more buoyant feel, from the breezy strings to the cover art that is similar to Time but notably lighter.
“It’s strange, this life – isn’t it? You’ve got all these songs around conceptions of time, it’s over eight years since your last album, you decide to release twin records, and their release dates somehow fall perfectly in line with the unfolding present,” says Chris Porpora, Cheval’s secret identity. “When folks say that the stars conspire to make things happen, I tend to believe it.Time Waits for No One is a dark record, already reminiscent of the shadowy days of winter, of the trials of the pandemic. If Days Go By can coincide with the promise of springtime, bringing with it light, lifting spirits – then I know my work has been done.
The first single from Days Go By is “We’ll It’s Hard,” which Cheval describes as “gentle blues” for “the sensitive souls who’ve got to muster all they’ve got to go out into it all, each day. The strings swell in the second half as an homage to folks’ bravery, & also the inevitable beauty of life. Despite all our trials, light does and must break through.” The video for the song was made by Lucas Moreira and Cristiana Figueiredo, which Cheval says “captures all of this thoughtfully and subtly, where despite representations of human weariness and solitude, unexpected glimpses of light flicker — in an unexpected breeze, in the elegant choreography of nature, through visions of our humanity and music itself .
The Antlers’ “Hospice” is one of the greatest introspective rock records of all time. Peter Silberman’s achingly brittle heartbreak from inaudible whispers to thunderous falsettos is one of the most devastating listens. Falling ill himself and requiring surgery to remove his vocal cords, Silberman had to retrain himself to sing – their first album in seven years is one we never thought we’d be able to hear, but we’ve never needed it more.
Perhaps what distinguishes ‘Green to Gold’ from the rest of The Antlers’ canon is its, well, sunniness. Conceived and written almost entirely in the morning hours, ‘Green to Gold’ is the band’s first new music in nearly seven years, and easily their most luminous to date.
“I think this is the first album I’ve made that has no eeriness in it,” Silberman asserts. “I set out to make Sunday morning music.” Unlike other Antlers albums, Silberman didn’t feel compelled to turn a human experience into a circuitous mythology. He chose a more direct approach: documenting two years in his life, without overthinking or obscuring what the songs were about. “Most of the songs on ‘Green to Gold’ are culled from conversations with my friends and my partner. It’s less ambiguous about who’s speaking and who’s listening,” says Silberman resolutely.
Here’s what they say about it: “Hello again, friends. At long last, we’re proud to announce our new album, ‘Green to Gold’ will be released on March 26th via Anti / Transgressive Records! You can pre-order the new album via Bandcamp.
And today, we’ve got a new song to share with you. This one’s called “Solstice”. “Solstice” is a flashback to the infinite days of peak childhood summer, innocent barefoot hikes, staying outside all afternoon and late into the evening, well past it being too dark to see. But it’s remembered from the vantage of a present day that feels unbearably long rather than joyously endless. It’s an invocation of those simpler times, an attempt to conjure the lightness of youth, before life got so damn complicated.
Eager to share the rest of ‘Green to Gold’ with you this spring. Thank you for listening.
“I think the shift in tone is the result of getting older,” Silberman added. “It doesn’t make sense for me to try to tap into the same energy that I did ten or fifteen years ago, because I continue to grow as a person, as I’m sure our audience does too. Green to Gold is about this idea of gradual change,” he sums up. “People changing over time, struggling to accept change in those they love, and struggling to change themselves. And yet despite all our difficulty with this, nature somehow makes it look easy.”
Written by Peter Silberman & Michael Lerner Produced and Engineered by Peter Silberman
Vocals, guitar, bass, pedal steel, piano, and organ by Peter Silberman Drums and percussion by Michael Lerner
Bass clarinet on “Wheels Roll Home” by Jon Natchez Violin and viola on “Solstice” by Will Harvey Cello on “Stubborn Man” by Brent Arnold Banjo on “Just One Sec” and “Volunteer” by David Moore Slide Guitar on “Just One Sec” by Dave Harrington Baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, and french horn on “It Is What It Is” by Kelly Pratt Guitar on “Green to Gold” by Tim Mislock
“Just One Sec” by The Antlers from the album ‘Green To Gold’, available March 26th
Jeffrey Silverstein is a songwriter living in Portland, Oregon. He has been making music for over a decade.
“Along with running, teaching, and meditation, music has always been an outlet through which I come to further understand myself and others. Each release helps keep me on the path. This EP is largely a celebration of the unknown, small joys and learning to be comfortable with transition. I am grateful to be joined once again by Barry Walker Jr. (pedal-steel), Alex Chapman (bass) and Ryan Oxford (production). Their generous spirit allowed me to explore, question, and expand upon ideas that floated freely in my mind for quite some time. It felt so nice to ground them through music and collaboration.”
On February 27th, 2018, Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band (comprised, in this iteration, of long-time SMB bassist Peter Kerlin and Kerlin’s Sunwatchers battery mate Jason Robira on drums) were close to wrapping up an 18-date tour of the EU and UK with a two-set, one hour and 45 minute show at Cafe OTO, London’s premier venue for adventurous music. Highlights of that show are included in this live release, “Rare Dreams: Solar Live 2.27.18, recorded before a packed house seated mere feet from the band’s amplifiers. These recordings reveal a band that is clearly in high spirits and high gear, operating with an expansive, improvisatory fleetness that allows them to stretch the material to almost ludicrous extremes and then let it to snap back to some semblance of form while somehow seemingly never wasting a note, a beat, a gesture.
The four tracks included here comprise material culled from (at the time) the two most recent Solar Motel Band records “Dreaming In The Non-Dream” (No Quarter, 2017) and THE RARITY OF EXPERIENCE (No Quarter, 2016) plus covers of two Neil Young songs – the autobiographical plaint “Don’t Be Denied,” lyrically relocated by Forsyth from Young’s Canada and Hollywood to the more personally relevant geography of New Jersey and Philadelphia, and encore “Barstool Blues” (they’d run out of material to play, so another Neil Young tune it was).
While the covers establish Forsyth’s basis, serving as an homage to Young and the quest for self-realization, the long tracks’ jams showcase the trance-inducing power of the Solar Motel Band as a performing entity. Kerlin’s gymnastically propulsive bass playing locks in with Robira’s relentless thud, each serving as counterpoint to some of the most blistering guitar work of Forsyth’s career. The telepathically dynamic interplay of the trio explodes with whiplash intensity across the 15-plus minute takes of “Dreaming In The Non-Dream” and “The First 10 Minutes of Cocksucker Blues,” each song’s structure serving as a framework for extended lava flows of energy. At one point late in the “Dreaming” jam, Forsyth unplugs the jack from his guitar, dragging it across the strings and lashing the body of his single-pickup “parts” Esquire, producing a desiccated barrage of percussive static. This is music beyond the notes; it is an expression of pure electric ecstasy, a simultaneous negation and celebration of rock music’s (indeed all musics’) essential energy. In contrast to the expansive but meticulously detailed guitar arrangements of his recordings, here Forsyth’s unhinged live guitar sound positively roars with a barely restrained vocal intensity, from liquid melodic lines to gnarled blasts of free jazz scree, to pulsating lead/rhythm vamping. I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing this band up close for a number of years now and I can authoritatively attest that while every show is different, when the SMB is running down a steep hill at full speed (as on these takes), they become a single leaderless vibrating sonic tornado, possibly beyond the control and logic of the players themselves, picking up listeners along the way and taking them along for the ride straight into a solar furnace of sound.
“…one of rock’s most lyrical guitar improvisors,” -NPR Music
Chris Forsyth and the rhythm section of the almighty Sunwatchers form an unholy power trio to absolutely scorch through a set of extended jams and Neil Young covers.
Chris Forsyth: guitar, vocal Peter Kerlin: bass guitar Jason Robira: drums
Recorded Live at Cafe OTO, London on February 27th, 2018
Khan from Melbourne, Australia meld hazy psychedelia and heavy stoner riffs with progressive rhythms and song structures. The songs are lyrically evocative, exuding a sense of despondency and vocally shift from gentle crooning to impassioned wailing. Mitchell Kerr’s driving bass mixed with Josh Bill’s chilling vocals and Beau Heffernan’s delicate drumming confirm 70’s prog still lives on fuzzed up and tripped out. The group does a fantastic job building up to impacts that feel as though they bring clarity but only for a moment before slipping back into misty noise. Defiantly a Table worth Turning
Iceage return today with “Shelter Song,” the latest single from their forthcoming album “Seek Shelter”. Following “Vendetta” and “The Holding Hand,” “Shelter Song” sounds fuller and brighter than anything Iceage have committed to tape yet. Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s instantly recognizable voice is joined by the Lisboa Gospel Collective, who add an anthemic swell: “Come lay here right beside me // They kick you when you’re up, they knock you when you’re down.”
The video, directed by long time friend and collaborator Catherine Pattinama Coleman, offers a rare, intimate look into the band’s life in Copenhagen amongst family and friends.
“Iceage asked me if I wanted to direct the video for ‘Shelter Song.’ As a childhood friend of theirs, it was important for me to showcase our friendship and the people we share everyday life with. So instead of making a video full of symbolism or a staged performance, I wanted to make a private and personal video close to our hearts. After a crazy year of COVID-19, the world in flames and structural racism peaking at such an extent, I wanted to create a meaningful piece, especially being a woman of colour and fully in my third trimester. In the midst of a pandemic it’s important to remember that those of us who are privileged enough to have a roof over our heads, food, security, love and care, is something of great value. Love is not something one should not take for granted.” – Catherine Pattinama Coleman
The Latest Single from the Band’s Forthcoming Record “Seek Shelter” Out May 7th Iceage -on Mexican Summer and Escho
“Half a Human” is a collection of six songs created between two different worlds. While the architecture of each was constructed during sessions for 2020’s The Main Thing, the tracks came to life when the band began trading the material back and forth remotely throughout the pandemic. They found new ways of working together as they further explored the emotional landscapes they’ve been perfecting for more than a decade, and in taking stock of themselves and the uncertainty of their future, Half a Human helped them arrive at a new thesis statement for the band.
New track “Half a Human” is out now! Watch the video and pre-order signed Copies of the full EP today.
UK group Snapped Ankles have once again descended from the trees to gift the world with a new album, their third “Forest Of Your Problems” , Due out on July 2nd via The Leaf Label. If you’re unfamiliar, legend has it Snapped Ankles are wildmen of the woods, living in the branches and looking like a pile of leaves that have come to life to play danceable komische post-punk with a mix of synthesizers, guitars and foraged instrumentation. They produced this one themselves with regular collaborator and The Comet Is Coming member Danalogue on mixing duties.
There’s a new congregation in the forest! After a year of solitude in the woods, faced with tangible apocalyptic threats to the modern world, the woodwose are back!, But the community has divided, boundaries have been marked out and hedges erected.
The four tribes have gone to war. Choose your doctrine. The Business Imp, The Nemophile, The Cornucopian and The Protester all want to save you, take you to the moon, smother you in wellness or just sell you a tree to hug. It’s a dark fearful world out there and here are your spirit guides to lead you through the Forest Of Your Problems. Take care on the path!
The first single from the album is “Rhythm is Our Business,” a storming, crazed banger set to a manic beat that owes just a little to The Fall and maybe a little to the B-52s. The band have also announced a fall UK/EU tour, Snapped Ankles‘ last album, Stunning Luxury.
• The Cornucopian Edition: exclusive to Rough Trade Shops. Individually numbered transparent blue vinyl with black splatter LP in paper bag + bonus ‘Parasite Sessions’ CD
• The Nemophile Edition: Bandcamp exclusive ‘woodland healing’ recycled vinyl with pink splatter LP in paper bag (also available with exclusive T-shirt)
• The Protester Edition: ‘forest floor’ recycled vinyl LP (available in the best independent record shops worldwide)
• The Business Imp Edition: black vinyl LP
Taken from Snapped Ankles third album “Forest Of Your Problems”, released 2nd July 2021.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is thrilled to announce that the Lou Reed Archive has been processed and is now available to users. The Lou Reed Archive documents the history of Reed’s life as a musician, composer, poet, writer, photographer, and tai-chi student through his own extensive papers, photographs, recordings and other materials. The archive spans Reed’s creative life—from his 1958 Freeport High School band, the Shades, to his final performances in 2013.
Need help accessing materials remotely while we’re closed due to COVID-19? Request a virual consultation with Music & Recorded Sound Division staff here.
Listen Like Lou Playlist
As part of Lou Reed’s archives, the Library for the Performing Arts also acquired his personal collection of LPs. His reflects the diversity of his interests, from the expected fellow punk-inspired artists like Elvis Costello and Iggy Pop, to opera, rap, and hip hop, to baroque instrumental suites and the Boston Pops orchestra. Because they are, by and large, commercial recordings, most can be found through your local branch or streaming service. We’ve compiled a Listen Like Lou playlist that reflects the LPs in his collection. Listen here.
Lou Reed Reading List
The Library has created a book list dedicated to the great poet and musician in appreciation of his legacy. You can find the list here.
Click here to get email updates on the latest events and book recommendations related to Lou Reed, as well as other programs at Library for the Performing Arts.
The five members of Sun June spent their early years spread out across the United States, from the boonies of the Hudson Valley to the sprawling outskirts of LA. Having spent their college years within the gloomy, cold winters of the North East, Laura Colwell and Stephen Salisbury found themselves in the vibrant melting-pot of inspiration that is Austin, Texas. Meeting each other while working on Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’, the pair were immediately taken by the city’s bustling small clubs and honky-tonk scene, and the fact that there was always an instrument within reach, always someone to play alongside.
Coming alive in this newly discovered landscape, Colwell and Salisbury formed Sun June alongside Michael Bain on lead guitar, Sarah Schultz on drums, and Justin Harris on bass and recorded their debut album live to tape, releasing it via the city’s esteemed Keeled Scales label in 2018. The band coined the term ‘regret pop’ to describe the music they made on the ‘Years’ LP. Though somewhat tongue in cheek, it made perfect sense ~ the gentle sway of their country leaning pop songs seeped in melancholy, as if each subtle turn of phrase was always grasping for something just out of reach.
Sun June returns with “Somewhere”, a brand new album, out February 2021. It’s a record that feels distinctly more present than its predecessor. In the time since, Colwell and Salisbury have become a couple, and it’s had a profound effect on their work; if Years was about how loss evolves, Somewhere is about how love evolves. “We explore a lot of the same themes across it,” Colwell says, “but I think there’s a lot more love here.”
Somewhere is Sun June at their most decadent, a richly diverse album which sees them exploring bright new corners with full hearts and wide eyes. Embracing a more pop-oriented sound the album consists of eleven beautiful new songs and is deliberately more collaborative and fully arranged: Laura played guitar for the first time; band members swapped instruments, and producer Danny Reisch helped flesh out layers of synth and percussion that provides a sweeping undercurrent to the whole thing.
Throughout Somewhere you can hear Sun June blossom into a living-and-breathing five-piece, the album formed from an exploratory track building process which results in a more formidable version of the band we once knew. ’Real Thing’ is most indicative of this, a fully collaborative effort which encompasses all of the nuances that come to define the album. “Are you the real thing?” Laura Colwell questions in the song’s repeated refrain. “Honey I’m the real thing,” she answers back. They’ve called this one their ‘prom’ record; a sincere, alive-in-the-moment snapshot of the heady rush of love. “The prom idea started as a mood for us to arrange and shape the music to, which we hadn’t done before,” the band explains. “ Prom isn’t all rosy and perfect. The songs show you the crying in the bathroom,, the fear of dancing, the joy of a kiss – all the highs and all the lows.”
It’s in both those highs and lows where Somewhere comes alive. Laura Colwell’s voice is mesmerising throughout, and while the record is a document of falling in love, there’s still room for her to wilt and linger, the vibrancy of the production creating beautiful contrasts for her voice to pull us through. Opening track ‘Bad With Time’ sets this tone from the outset, both dark and mysterious, sad and sultry as it fascinatingly unrolls. “I didn’t mean what I said,” Colwell sings. “But I wanted you to think I did.”
Somewhere showcases a gentle but eminently pronounced maturation of Sun June’s sound, a second record full of quiet revelation, eleven songs that bristle with love and longing. It finds a band at the height of their collective potency, a marked stride forward from the band that created that debut record, but also one that once again is able to transport the listener into a fascinating new landscape, one that lies somewhere between the town and the city, between the head and the heart; neither here nor there, but certainly somewhere.
Released February 5th, 2021
Laura Colwell: vocals, keys, guitar Michael Bain: lead guitar Stephen Salisbury: guitar Justin Harris: bass Sarah Schultz: drums
