Enter “Networker”, the newest album by Omni and first with indie giant Sub Pop Records. Their sound is still defined by sparse drums, locked-in bass, blistering guitar, and nonchalant, yet assured vocals, but from the first notes of “Sincerely Yours” you’ll immediately notice that Networker sounds much cleaner and more “HI-FI” than their prior two albums, Deluxe (2016) and Multi-task (2017). The departure in fidelity suits the new record and allows the listener to enjoy the nuances of their meticulous arrangements.
Don’t worry, the riffs of Gang of Four and Wire are still present, but the production is more lush and the harmony is even more expansive. Despite nods to the sounds of the ’70s and ’80s what comes through is a record fully rooted in the here and now. Thematically, this is apparent on the title track “Networker” taking a candid snapshot of the “digital you” aspect of life in the age of the internet. The otherwise fun romp “Skeleton Key” also acknowledges the “direct message and obsessive” side of social media with lines like “if you don’t like what you see, the pretty face on the screen, scroll on by…”
Atlanta misfits, The Black Lips join forces with independent record label Fire Records revealing first track ‘Odelia’ from new album coming early 2020.
Twenty years into their career the exuberant quintet are currently touring across the US and head over to Europe for an extensive tour this November.
A powerhouse of angst wrapped in traditional melodies, it’s a wild rumble fusing their musical journey from garage rock, punk and psychedelia into a mind-blowing hybrid of cosmic broken country, fragmented Paisley Pop and heart-on-the-sleeve back porch reportage, all delivered with vengeance in their eyes.
Returning to their roots, Black Lips headed into Laurel Canyon’s newly reopened legendary Valentine Recording Studios recording studio, and with the help of engineer and co-producer, Nicolas Jodoin, they recorded direct to 2″ tape. New single ‘Odelia’ will be available digitally from 17th October with news of their ninth studio album to be revealed imminently.
Bad//Dreems were born during an Adelaide heatwave in the summer of 2012. The band who have a loose new wave-cum-rock ‘n’ roll sound influenced by ‘70s Australian bands such as Coloured Balls and US bands such as Devo, Television and Wipers.
Their 3rd album,‘Doomsday Ballet’ is due for release October 18th 2019, which was recorded in Adelaide with production from Burke Reid & Jack Ladder. Live wise, the band have toured extensively in Australia and abroad, appearing at Splendour in the Grass, Falls + Laneway festivals, and supporting acts such as At The Drive In, The Avalanches and Cold Chisel.
It is this world, constructed or not, that Ben Marwe (vocals, guitar), Alex Cameron (guitar), James Bartold (bass) and Miles Wilson (drums) attempt to capture. A sound, which draws from the Australian underground of the late 70s and 80s, while also taking cues from US indie outsiders like The Replacements and Wipers. Mundane meets morbid; the humdrum meets the horror; nostalgia meets nightmare. Big dreams meet bad dreams.
At the end of last year, Idles the band completed a 90 date tour around the US, UK and Europe, with a spectacular show at Le Bataclan in Paris on December 3rd, 2018. The entire gig was filmed and recorded, and is now available to pre-order on CD, digital, and three different colored versions of the album, each with different artwork! The vinyl features a double LP, gatefold packaging, and contains a beautiful booklet designed by lead singer Joe Talbot, with photographs from the show and poems.
From Joe: “That show was nothing short of catharsis and nothing more than love. We love what we do and the people who have carried us here, “Our show at Bataclan was the end of a very long journey for us. On that tour we learnt so much about ourselves, each other and the audiences we have grown with over the past 10 years. That show was nothing short of catharsis and nothing more than love. We love what we do and the people who have carried us here, there was no hiding that at Bataclan and we are so very grateful that the moment was captured in all its glory, love and fatigue. Long live the open minded and long live the moment.” – Joe Talbot
The track “Mother” (Live at Le Bataclan) from the new album ‘A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live at Le Bataclan‘ released on Partisan Records on 6th December 2019.
Truth Club are the wistful, nervy relatives of indie rock’s past and present. The four-piece reconfigure the genre’s moodiest, most poignant moments into their own distinctly emotive sound. You can hear echoes of Parquet Courts and Protomartyr’s spoken-word freak-outs and jittery guitars, sensitive and catchy late-’90s alt-rock, Pavement-esque slow-burners, and some emo intonation. Their debut album, “Not An Exit”, is restless and introspective, a meditation that overflows.
Band Members
Travis + Elise + Kam + Yvonne
Truth Club “Not An Exit” out May 3rd 2019 on Tiny Engines
Upon relocating to Oslo for college, two longtime friends from Norway’s northern fringe discovered a powerful musical chemistry. As Konradsen, Jenny Marie Sabel and Eirik Vildgren deliver an artful new spin on tender coffeehouse indie, infusing it with flashes of folk and post-rock and avant-R&B without wavering from their distinct voice. Their debut “Saints And Sebastian Stories” is spellbinding, like encountering an old friend in a dream and discovering they have superpowers.
Konradsen, the duo of vocalist and pianist Jenny Marie Sabel and multi-instrumentalist Eirik Vildgren, trace their roots to the far north of Norway, where the black night of winter is backlit by the neon glow of the Northern Lights. It’s a fitting metaphor for the music the pair crafts, where tradition meets innovation, and the natural world expresses its astral filament.
Inspired by the traditional songs and hymns Sabel sang with her family as a child, the duo’s debut album ‘Saints and Sebastian Stories’ weaves Sabel’s soulful and transportive vocals with field recordings and samples of ambient sounds, filtered through a modern pop filter. Voices of past and present dance over minimalist piano, atmospheric electronics, programmed beats and organic horns, forming a delicate sonic narrative centered on family and community that reflects the arc of their musical journey.
Taken from their debut LP ‘Saints and Sebastian Stories” – out October 25th, 2019, Cascine Records
Atlanta native Faye Webster is still only 21 years old, yet her music is so assured, so confident you could be forgiven for thinking it the work of a much more experienced artist. Through an association with the city’s Awful Records crew she’s come to wider attention, with each idea, each note, feeling incredibly well developed, highly thought through.
The single ‘Kingston’ marks her engagement with Secretly Canadian, and it comes as Faye Webster shares plans for a run of British shows. The first song since her acclaimed 2017 debut LP, ‘Kingston’ feels like a cosmic counterpoint to the warm Georgia landscape. The easy pace lingers just behind those faint country influences, with Faye Webster’s assured, calming vocal the embodiment of calm.
The visuals are a treat, too; flitting between pink flamingos and silver ice-skating outfits, it’s a sensual joy, a feast for the eyes.
“Kingston” by Faye Webster out now on Secretly Canadian
“It’s amazing. Twenty years. We packed a lot in, musically speaking.” John Hiatt reflects on his career over the last two decades as he prepares to celebrate the release of Only the Song Survives, a massive vinyl box set that honors his career from 2000’s Crossing Muddy Waters through 2018’s The Eclipse Sessions — 11 albums in total. “That means I started out with the records in this box set when I was about 47 years old,” Hiatt says with a chuckle in his voice, somewhat shocked at what he just said.
“I was still in my 40s, for goodness sake,” he adds. “I was a child, just a kid trying to make a buck.”
Only the Song Survives highlights Hiatt’s tenacious work ethic. “I was busy,” he admits. “I was busy, and I really got going in 2000.” Each of the box set’s records (listed below) is pressed on high-quality, 180-gram wax, and they’re all housed in a gorgeous leatherette briefcase, complete with gold stamping, buckle and handle.
“I was completely kept in the dark. My manager, Ken Levitan, and the folks at New West Records put it together,” Hiatt says of the curation and creation of Only the Song Survives. “It’s really flattering. I’m excited to see it. Hell, I might buy one!”
New West is not only involved with the release of the box set, but they, too, are being celebrated, as all but two of the set’s LPs were originally released on the label; in fact, the relationship Hiatt has with New West Records is the longest he’s had with any record label. On top of that, four of the albums in the set have never been pressed on vinyl, making this release much more than a greatest hits collection: Only the Song Survives is the definitive collection of Hiatt’s career over the last 20 years, 11 LPs spread out over 15 vinyl discs.
“Isn’t that great?” Hiatt says when he thinks about listening to Crossing Muddy Waters, The Tiki Bar Is Open, Beneath This Gruff ExteriorandMaster of Disaster on vinyl, all for the first time. “I’ve got a turntable and a pair of powered speakers. It’s nothing fancy, but it feels great to plunk that needle down and hear that crackle and pop when the song kicks in. It’s going to be great to hear some of these records on that turntable.”
As Hiatt considers his love for the musical medium, he’s excited that others will be joining him in experiencing albums as they are intended to be heard: in whole, with no skipping around from one track to the next.
“We’re such a song-oriented world now,” he reflects. “It’s all about one tune, you know? But people are listening to vinyl and getting back into that experience. It’s kind of like a lost thing, but people are dialing back into it.”
When he thinks about those early ’00s records, Hiatt impresses with his signature optimism and cheer. “I remember how much fun we had making Crossing Muddy Waters,” he says with the utmost pride and gratitude. “Like most of my records, it was serendipitous. It was all about getting Davey Faragher and David Immerglück together, and then deciding that it’d be fun to make an acoustic record. It just kind of came together like that, and next thing you know we’re over at Justin Niebank’s little home studio in his basement, out in the country, and we’re recording it. I think it took us four or five days.”
He turns to 2001’s The Tiki Bar Is Open, noting that he actually started working on the LP prior to Crossing Muddy Waters. “I had started recording it for Capitol Records,” Hiatt recalls, “and we played them some stuff, and they were less than enthusiastic. So we basically got them to give us that record, and we put it out after Crossing Muddy Waters.”
“Working with Jay Joyce on that was a thrill,” he adds. “And you know, that band was the Goners. We had played together, at that point, for about 15 years. That was a fun record to make.”
Hiatt’s New West Records debut, 2003’s Beneath This Gruff Exterior, carries with it similar memories: “That album was all about saying, ‘Hey, fellas, let’s make a real band record,'” he says. “And that kind of just came about. I worked with the great Don Smith, a great engineer and producer, and that was a thrill, too. I got to work at Blackbird Studio for the first time, and that’s just a great studio.”
Hiatt then released Master of Disaster in 2005. For him, the album brings up recollections of heading to Memphis to work with his old friend Jim Dickinson and Jim’s boys Luther and Cody, of the North Mississippi Allstars.
“Oh, and Patterson Hood’s [dad], David, was on bass,” Hiatt remembers with a laugh.
Among so many other musicians and friends, Drive-By Truckers member Hood plays a significant role in Only the Song Survives, sharing his own memories of Hiatt and his influence in a beautiful 48-page book that is also housed in the record suitcase. Alongside Hood — who calls Master of Disaster an “often overlooked gem in Hiatt’s vast catalog” — other contributions to the book come from James McMurtry, Steve Earle, Bob Seger, RodneyCrowell, Suzy Bogguss and even Hiatt’s daughter and fellow New West labelmate, Lilly Hiatt. When he hears the ongoing list of friends and family who pay tribute to him, Hiatt appears speechless for a moment.
“It’s surprising,” he confesses. “I’m honored. When you line all of these people up like this, and you see it in this book … it’s overwhelming.”
As Hiatt examines his past body of work — reflection is not something he’s particularly fond of, although he admits that “there’s a lot more behind me than there is ahead of me” — he is quick to assure fans that Only the Song Survives is far from a farewell box set. “I’ve been doing a little bit of writing and been talking to some people, kicking around some ideas for a project,” he shares.
“We’ll see. I think I’ve got some more in me,” Hiatt continues. “It’s sort of been my habit since, well, since 1974. I like writing songs, I like singing them, and I like recording them and putting them out.”
As Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times shares in the set’s book, Only the Song Survives is a celebration and commemoration of the “third act” of Hiatt’s storied career. Hiatt considers the idea that the dawn of the 21st century marks the start of his third act, pausing for a brief moment as he does so.
“I might have a fourth act in me,” he says. “It might be brief … but who knows.”
Only the Song Survives is available via New West Records. The limited-edition box set will be released on December. 6th. The vast box set includes eleven albums, spread across fifteen long play records, all pressed on high quality 180g vinyl. Four releases – Crossing Muddy Waters (2000), The Tiki Bar Is Open (2001), Beneath This Gruff Exterior (2003) and Master Of Disaster (2005) – have been remastered for vinyl and pressed on wax for the very first time. The box set’s 48-page book is autographed by John Hiatt and features rare photos, testimonials, essays and insights from many of Hiatt’s co-conspirators throughout his career.
John Hiatt, Only the Song Survives Box Set Album Listing:
Crossing Muddy Waters (2000) *
The Tiki Bar Is Open (2001) *
Beneath This Gruff Exterior (2003) *
Master of Disaster (2005) *
Live from Austin, TX (2005)
Same Old Man (2008)
The Open Road (2010)
Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (2011)
Mystic Pinball (2012)
Terms of My Surrender (2014)
The Eclipse Sessions (2018)
A hammered 4-stroke beat like a twin cylinder engine running on idle, a roaring guitar riff revving up the rpms of the iron-built motorcycle-inspired band, then the fresh and insisting breeze of a Farfisa organ whispering ‘let’s ride’ and a heavy bass greasing up the reliable crank and rods of that authentic rock’n’roll machine, and there goes, ladies and gents, the mighty Lords Of Altamont combo! Riding hard on backyard-built, loud pipes and rigid frame undestructible raw choppers, the band left their garage enlivened by the year of 1969, right at the crossroads of the Summer of Love and the birth of punk rock. Fueled up by the MC5, the Stooges and the Chambers Brothers to name a few, the pack follows Jake ‘The Preacher’ Cavaliere (vocals, organ) on his uncompromising rock’n’roll journey ; Dani Sindaco (gtr), Rob Zimmermann (bass) and Steven Van Der Werff (drums) along with their frontman are now spreading out ‘The Wild Sound of The Lords Of Altamont’, their latest record, around the planet!
Through fads and fashions, either on wax or on stage, the Lords can take you back to this era of freedom and rebellion with their hi-octane tunes. The gang has been already rocking the world for 17 years with spectacular performances, firmly run-in by 5 solid stainless records and they’re now fine-tuned with this new release of 10 powerful late-sixties tracks which manage to sound fiendishly contemporary! Our era needed the Heavy Psych Sounds and the Lords real bad : nine new original stunning songs plus an arrogant and totally mindblowing Howling Wolf cover (‘Evil is Going On’) are now available on 33 rpm format!.
Let’s welcome the L.A combo back and hit the road to rock’n’roll with them ‘Savage 4’ ! Let the turntable roll and the record spin with the ‘Wild Sound of the Lords of Altamont’, carefully produced at Kitten Robot Studios in the City of Angels by punk rock legend Paul Roessler (former Screamers member)
Third album from Austin, Texas indie pop duo Hovvdy! Following their excellent previous albums Taster and Cranberry on Double Double Whammy.Hovvdy’s music is the sonic equivalent of a hug. Austin-based Charlie Martin and Will Taylor have been enveloping listeners in their soft, cozy, slow rock since 2014, when they released their debut EP on Bandcamp. Now, after five years, two split releases, and two albums they’re announcing their third album. It arrives after Hovvdy’s tour with Lomelda, with whom the band recently released a split EP of covers.
Hovvdy have always had an uncanny ability to create a comforting effect with their songs, even when those songs are about fear, anxiety and their own personal shortcomings. Fans of their zoned-out, slowed-down indie-pop have come to rely on the duo for their consistently soothing music, and it’s a mantle they’ve gladly taken up. “I was really trying to make something that would make people feel better,” Martin says of Heavy Lifter, on the phone from his bandmate Taylor’s house in Austin. “And I think they have served that purpose for me too, just from making them.”
While Heavy Lifter does come off as familiar, the record also expands their sound. Working in close collaboration with engineer and producer Ben Littlejohn in various makeshift studios around Texas, they’ve refined their languid melodies and expanded on their previously muted production. It’s still cozy, but it also veers toward the cinematic, with brief forays into Auto-Tune, distorted drum machines,
Heavy Lifter was one of my favourite albums of 2019. This is one of those lovely near-perfect records where I’m truly taken with every song—each is a vignette for a feeling I’ve had before or wish I had. The lyrics are so heartfelt and direct and the melodies they are set to and surrounded in are lush yet organic. A gorgeous must buy.
releases October 18th, 2019
all songs written by Hovvdy
produced by Ben Littlejohn and Hovvdy
He turns to 2001’s The Tiki Bar Is Open, noting that he actually started working on the LP prior to Crossing Muddy Waters. “I had started recording it for Capitol Records,” Hiatt recalls, “and we played them some stuff, and they were less than enthusiastic. So we basically got them to give us that record, and we put it out after Crossing Muddy Waters.”
