London based singer songwriter Laurel is releasing her new album ‘DOGVIOLET’ on Friday (24th August), and we’re sharing the preview of the record – the brilliantly emotional track, cutting ‘Adored’.
Set around crunchy guitars and gorgeously echoed vocals, the track is incessant in its energy and intensity, impossible to not be enveloped in. It’s a largely one-dimensional track, but instead of becoming negatively repetitive, it slowly starts to show its colours via the addition of swirling backing vocals and woozy extra layers of guitar, becoming a whirlwind of noise by its conclusion.
‘DOGVIOLET’ comes out on 24th August via Counter Records. It’ll be supported on a UK tour in September and October.
Peel Dream Magazine is the nom de plume of New York City-based musician Joe Stevens. A nod to BBC Radio 1 legend John Peel, arbiter of all things underground, Peel Dream Magazine is highly evocative of a certain strain of independent music. Stevens harkens back to the early 1990s, when The Velvet Underground resurged as an inspiration to a new set of bands wielding synthesizers, off-set guitars, and a political bent. The Peel Dream experience is defined by a gentle, fuzzy psychedelia —it’s a hypnotic bit of mod-ish lo-fi pop, recalling the best of early Stereolab, Lilys, and other shaggy haired kids with vintage fuzz pedals, slim trousers, and good record collections.
Written and recorded over a four-week period in the fall of 2017, Peel Dream Magazine’s debut album “Modern Meta Physic” fixates on the New Age universe of the Catskills region of New York. Stevens deals in esoteric bohemian fare — Far East philosophy, Native American tradition, mid-century modern cool — as he appraises the world according to privileged urban expats who increasingly call the upstate paradise home.
Leading off the album, “Qi Velocity” is a metronomic take on French pop that yields to a lush chorus reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian. “Deetjen’s,” named after the much-loved bed & breakfast in Big Sur, would fit snugly on Unrest’s best Teen Beat material. “Due to Advances in Modern Tourism” displays a soft take on Neu!, while the organ that enters could be a sly wink to Steve Reich’s “Four Organs.”
There is an economy to these tracks — everything is distilled down to it’s essential elements, no gestures are wasted, no superfluous ornamentation taking up space. While Stevens is more than happy to show his influences on his sleeve — mind you, they’re great influences — it’s clear Peel Dream Magazine isn’t just a “sound.” The guy can write songs. Where he goes next is anybody’s guess.
While the influence of John Peel has never been in doubt, we must admit we were a little surprised to hear that a young, New York based songwriter, would have named his band after the great man – yet that’s exactly what Joe Stevens did. That band, Peel Dream Magazine, are set to release their latest record, Modern Meta Physic in October, and listening to the latest cut from it, Qi Velocity, we are certainly transported back to late nights in the late 1990’s listening to that wonderful strain of indie music Mr Ravenscroft Senior used to play to us so regularly.
Peel Dream Magazine’s sound is a winning blend of pop-drenched melodies and fuzzy production, marking them out as part of the same lineage of The Velvet Underground through to Jesus & Mary Chain and Belle & Sebastian. The trick here, on Qi Velocity, is the way nothing is wasted, nothing is superfluous, just an expertly judged production that flows perfectly. Biting guitars provide bursts of energy one second, then warm buzzes of organs and electronic twinkles offer moments of dreamy escapism, the whole thing held together by Joe’s unwavering, almost unemotive vocal. Old influences, stitched together into a perfect modern tapestry, in our opinion, Peel Dream Magazine are doing music exactly the way it should be done.
Modern Meta Physic is out October 5th via Slumberland Records.
Riotous guitars, insistent beats, and captivating melodies: this is the essence of The Oceans. Formed in 2014 by Copenhagen multi-instrumentalists Dan Joe & Linus Valdemar, the duo sounds like their city feels – a pulsing, paradoxical sea of chaos, noise, and serenity.
The self-titled Isaac Gracie album is released through Virgin EMI. It was largely produced by Markus Dravs at RAKStudios in London and features eleven tracks including the recent singles Terrified and The Death of You and I.Isaac Gracie has been finding his feet and working out who he is and discovering what he wants since the industry spotlight fell on him. The fuss was caused by a dusty-sounding, careworn home recording of Last Words that was uploaded online without expectation and any anticipation of what might follow. The voice behind it was completely new to the premise of where writing a great song might lead him. Even now he’d tell you that he’s still slowly working it all out, but this debut collection sounds as fully-realised and confident as any of recent memory. Isaac Gracie is a new British voice, A singer songwriter poetic in his placement of words and accomplished in their delivery.
Isaac Gracie – running on empty video directed by stephen agnew
The Australian band Baby Grande surely would’ve been lost to history if not for the work of HoZac Records. The label has unearthed the Baby Grande tapes, which date from the mid 1970s, but weren’t released. The group features future members of the famed band the Church, but that’s not the sole reason the material is interesting. Formed during the period when glam was on the way out, but punk wasn’t a thing yet, Baby Grande were a little bit of both. Their glam/punk songs are really quite good, which makes their impending album of archival recordings something to get excited about.
Baby Grande got going in 1975. Singer Steve Kilbey and drummer Peter Koppes had previously played together in another band, the Precious Little. Baby Grande were based in Canberra, and started playing area clubs, though it was hard to get the attention of attendees, who were mainly there to booze it up. Even a high profile gig opening for AC/DC didn’t result in any new fans. Not helping matters, the group found they had few contemporaries, as most of the other Canberra outfits only did covers.
Koppes eventually switched to second lead guitar and a new drummer was brought aboard, but then Koppes left the band when gigs became few and far between. The remaining four members realized they really only needed one lead guitarist anyway, with Kilbey playing rhythm guitar as needed. Despite the fact that they didn’t have much of a following, Baby Grande got their big break, signing with EMI Records. In January 1977, they went into the studio to record what they thought was a demo, but after submitting the tapes to the label, they were dropped. Turns out, the suits were expecting a finished product and were disappointed with the results. It wasn’t long before Baby Grande had broken-up.
HoZac Records drops the album of Baby Grande studio recordings, which is entitled 1975-77, on October 5th. Dangerous Minds is thrilled to have the premiere of one of the highlights of the record, the exhilarating glam/punk rocker, “Zephyr.” The track was amongst those rejected by EMI for being too raw, but that quality is part of what makes this and other Baby Grande songs so exciting Looking back, Kilbey is more amused than anything by the Baby Grande tunes, yet even he has to concede that the upcoming record—over forty years in the making“certainly rocks.” .The Church broke through in 1981
I’m so happy to share news of my new record “Aviary”, due out October 26th.
I hope whoever listens will choose their own way to listen and find their own path with it, not necessarily start to finish or all at once. It’s all the winged things flying around in the head, the memories and the current thoughts, all at once. This is a record I feel so fortunate to have been able to make–a lot of it is built upon different improvisatory moments of cathartic music-making at a time where it’s hard to find the words to express oneself, indulging in sound, almost like therapeutic or something. And then working with old friends/collaborators Cole MGN and Kenny Gilmore to develop the sounds of these moments and record many more of them in the studio with great musician friends (Corey Fogel, Devin Hoff, Dina Maccabee, Sarah Belle Reid, Andrew Tholl, Tashi Wada). It was a wonderful journey. Thanks as well to my good friend Dicky Bahto for his beautiful artwork.
Thank you so much for listening
Julia Holter – “I Shall Love 2” from ‘Aviary’, released 26th October 2018 on Domino Record Co.
It’s a beautiful exciting week in the land of Speedy Ortiz because they released a new song! I am pumping it right now and this rips!
The song is called “Blood Keeper,” and it’s a Liz Phair cover in celebration of Speedy Ortiz joining Liz Phair on tour starting today . “Blood Keeper” is available on Bandcamp and all proceeds for the single are being donated to purchase venues along the tour copies of Making Spaces Safer, a how-to guidebook from AK Press by Shawna Potter of War on Women!
n celebration of their tour with Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz has covered this track a Scream 2 soundtrack outtake, written by Phair. The pay-what-you-want Bandcamp proceeds will fund providing each venue on the tour with copies of Shawn Potter’s (War On Women) pocket guide, “Making Spaces Safer.”
This October, Speedy Ortiz is also touring the UK for the first time in three years! The shows begin on Wednesday, October 17th in London until Thursday, October 25th in Bristol! More info is available in the TOUR DATES section!!
Released September 5th, 2018
Recorded by Speedy Ortiz
Mixing & artwork by Sadie Dupuis
Sadie Dupuis – guitar, synth, vocals
Michael Falcone – drums
Darl Ferm – bass
Andy Molholt – guitar, synth
In 2009, Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum uploaded a dreamy cover of Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” and it spread like wildfire from blog to blog. Then a 21-year-old college student at Virginia Tech in a quiet Blacksburg, town in Virginia, Tatum was hard at work on his debut album as Wild Nothing, 2010’s Gemini. The internet attention led to Captured Tracks releasing the LP, which was an excellent first full-length that highlighted Tatum’s near-obsessive fascination with ’80s music like Cocteau Twins and the Smiths. But more than that, it showcased a budding songwriter who could create his own gauzy and nostalgic world with a studious ear for timeless melodies.
Because of his talent and knack for developing lasting hooks, it’s no surprise that initial hype wasn’t a flash in the pan. Over four albums and almost a decade of recorded music as Wild Nothing, Tatum has constantly honed even the most compelling parts of his debut.
2012’s Nocturne, which was the product of his move from Virginia to Savannah, Georgia, and later to New York City, was a more intentional improvement on Gemini, in part due to the fact it was recorded in a bonafide studio. His 2016 return Life of Pause, which was recorded in L.A., found Tatum expanding his musical palate through subtle inspiration from soul music
Whereas Gemini was the sound of Tatum making the album he imagined in his bedroom and 2012’s Nocturne was the result of his first turn in a proper studio, followed by 2016’s Life of Pause, a multi-studio tinkering odyssey spanning time and spaces, this 2018 maturation finds Tatum arriving at total creative openness. “My entire 20s have been spent on this project, and in that sense you inherently find the limitations in what you make,” Tatum says. “With the last record I was trying to stretch out as far as I could, but with Indigo I’ve created something that has homed in on its own identity. My life has become less about chasing these creative bursts and more about learning to channel my creativity.”
Indigo, his most recent effort via Captured Tracks, is his most confident yet. Recorded in LosAngeles, it’s full of songs that cue from other acts like Roxy Music or Prefab Sprout but funneled through a lens that’s distinctly Tatum’s. Now a resident of Richmond, Virginia, Tatum has literally been unable to stay in one place, not just sonically.
Gemini
On his 2010 debut album, Gemini, Jack Tatum’s frail vocals come warped in an oozing neon haze. Carefully orchestrated synth-pop arrangements, trebly guitar riffs and tattered drum machines blend together to create an intriguing, texturally rich glo-pop album that could come only from the young at heart.
Jack Tatum: I chose this song for a few reasons. I mean, it’s the first song on the record, but it’s also, if I remember correctly, the first song I ever wrote for this project and it just seemed like a cool place to start. The fact that it fades into the record always seemed like such a good introduction to this world, you know? I love fade ins and fade outs, even though some people hate them. When I started writing the first record, I was actually living in Virginia but I was spending the summer in Savannah, Georgia, because I had some friends down there at the time. I was hanging around in Savannah and just staying in my friend’s living room and I’d set up a recording zone there. That was the first song that I made.
At the time I didn’t really have a clear picture for what I wanted the project to sound like, I was just making stuff as I went and seeing what happened. I was obsessed with the Smiths at the time and the impetus was just that I wanted to write a song that sounds like “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.” It was basically in my own way of trying to copy that song but it ended up turning into the sound of that first record, unintentionally. And so I think through making that song, I kind of created a framework for the rest of Gemini in a way. It’s actually one of the few songs on that record that I never get tired of playing.
We started to tour quite a lot on Gemini, which was all very new to me. I played in bands in college and had been working on my own music since I was a kid, but really not on that level. We had started touring Gemini basically right when the record came out. We were touring quite a bit and I decided that I wanted to move somewhere else and I had friends in Savannah. I moved to Georgia and I was touring so much when I lived there, I never really settled in a lot ways. I only lived there for a year and, basically, I was just either touring or when I was back I was working on Nocturne.
Nocturne
Nocturne, the sophomore album by Wild Nothing, is a window into singer/songwriter Jack Tatum’s “ideal world” of pop music. Written largely while living in Savannah, GA during 2011, the songs that became Nocturne speak to a new Wild Nothing where the lines between Jack’s influences and personality have been further blurred. The album features some open references to past music just as his critically acclaimed debut Gemini did, but it’s also an album that feels much less rooted in anything in particular and, well, more adult.
Gemini was written before there were Wild Nothing fans or even a live band; Nocturne is different. With an unexpected fan base to turn to, Jack spent more time perfecting his craft. The obsessiveness of Nocturne is inherent in it’s gentle harmonies, orchestrated synths, wandering voice, and songs that speak of his post-Gemini experiences as he explores new paradoxes of pop. And yet, Nocturne isn’t obvious, it is a strange and distinctive musical beast, the product of an obsessive pop vision that creates its own reality.
The writing process for Nocturne was very isolated, and driven by being in this new environment where I never really felt like I had the time to fully settle or immerse myself in the city. In that sense, I just threw myself completely into the writing of this record. Around that time that I set this precedent, which I didn’t really mean to do and it’s kind of like a habit, but I realized that I’ve moved every time that I’m about to release a record. I don’t know if I’m subconsciously or doing it on purpose now or what. It’s funny. I moved to New York right around the time that I was finishing Nocturne up, after that, I moved to Los Angeles before Life of Pause and now before Indigo I’m in Richmond. With “Nocturne,” I was just like, “OK, this is the sound of the record.” That usually happens where there’s this one song and it’s just something about it that just clicks and every following song revolves around it in a sense. The original demo is also very true to the way it ended up. In some ways, it was me trying to introduce more of a pop lean into my songs. Which isn’t to say that the first record didn’t have pop moments but I think with “Nocturne” I was looking to Fleetwood Mac and figuring out why I love that band so much and how I can write songs like that.
Life Of Pause
When Jack Tatum began work on Life of Pause, his third full-length, he had lofty ambitions: Don’t just write another album; create another world. One with enough detail and texture and dimension that a listener could step inside, explore, and inhabit it as they see fit. “I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me,” he says. “I’m terrified by the idea of being any one thing, or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent. That reinvention doesn’t need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before.”
Nocturne, marked the first time he’d been able to bring his bedroom recordings into a studio, to be performed and fully realized with the help of other musicians. There has been a set of wonderfully expansive EPs in between each – hinting at new directions and punctuating previous ideas – but with Life of Pause, Tatum delivers what he describes as his most “honest and mature” work yet, an exquisitely arranged and beautifully recorded collection of songs that marry the immediate with the indefinable. “I allowed myself to go down every route I could imagine even if it ended up not working for me,” he says. “I owe it to myself to take as many risks as possible. Songs are songs and you have to allow yourself to be open to everything.”
After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, recording took place over several weeks in both LosAngeles and Stockholm, with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks) helping Tatum in his search for a more natural and organically textured sound. In Sweden, in a studio once owned by ABBA, they enlisted Peter, Bjorn and John drummer John Ericsson and fellow Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra veteran PelleJacobsson, to contribute drums and marimba. In California, at Monahan’s home, Tatum collaborated with Medicine guitarist Brad Laner and a crew of saxophonists. From the hypnotic polyrhythms of “Reichpop” to the sugary howl of “Japanese Alice” to the hallucinogenic R&B of “A Woman’s Wisdom,” the result is a complete, fully immersive listening environment. “I just kept things really simple, writing as ideas came to me,” he says. “There’s definitely a different kind of self in the picture this time around. There’s no real love lost, it’s much more a record of coming to terms and defining what it is that you have; your place, your relationships. I view every record as an opportunity to write better songs. At the end of the day it still sounds like me, just new.”
I had a feeling about this song when I wrote it. When it was in the demo phase, it sounded a little bit different and I didn’t know if I could include the song on the record. To me, when I first wrote it, I thought it sounded like a mainstream pop song, at least the way that it was in the demo. I might’ve gotten too deep into my own head there. In retrospect, there’s always songs where I think it should’ve been a single. It’s equally discouraging but encouraging to see that the song in particular had been streaming so well based off of nothing other than just fans liking the song. It’s amazing to see but I keep thinking it should’ve been a single.
It’s my favorite song on the record, too, for a number of reasons. I like that it has a pretty intentional hook on the chorus. I like that it’s a pop song that also has roots in a lot of soul and R&B records that I was listening to.
For whatever people’s opinions of that record are, I really love Life of Pause. I think a lot of fans kind of didn’t know what to do with that record but I feel like I’ll always have this song. This song was the perfect encapsulation of what my intentions were making it. “Whenever I” is not only a favorite song off that record, but it’s probably one of my favorite songs that I’ve written, ever.
Indigo
A lot of the songs on Gemini were like that, where I’d have an idea and record it in one day and move on. There might even be a few weeks where I wouldn’t record or work on anything. Whereas with this record, I finally set up a studio space in Los Angeles, that was kind of separate from my house so things had to be more intentional. It was weird. This record was much more about getting into a schedule of creativity, which sounds really dull but it was actually really interesting and just a different way to work. It was just like, “OK, I’m going to go into the studio to work for a little while and just see what comes out of it.”
It was one of the only songs on the record that I wrote in one sitting. I was just at home and I think my studiomate, who I was sharing my L.A. space with, was using the studio, so I was just at home. I wrote that song on acoustic guitar, which I rarely do except for maybe one or two per record. I started strumming around on some chords and wrote the lyrics, which I also rarely do. I’m such a procrastinator when it comes to lyrics. It was just a song that came together very quickly and I feel really proud of it.
To me, it sounds like a classic pop song. It’s got all the things in my mind that, that I love about listening to bands like Fleetwood Mac or Prefab Sprout or any reference point that I’m constantly looking to for inspiration. I actually personally think of it as an encouraging song about love but also has the vibe of that everyone is going to get their kicked teeth in. It could also be cynical about things as well.
the EP’s
Empty Estate
In 2013, Tatum bookended the Nocturne-era with an EP, Empty Estate, that marked a real musical departure of its own; summery synth work and boisterous guitars an approach that swapped dream-pop for drone-pop.
In retrospect, it looks like a real precursor to Life of Pause, in spirit of intent if not in terms of its execution. “I thought that EP was great. A lot of people didn’t,” he laughs. “You know, one of the things that happened as I was finally getting off the road around that time is that I was beginning to relate to the music I’d been playing night after night. When I put out Gemini and Nocturne, I felt far too close to them to be able to analyse them, and there was a lot of paranoia in me about that. Especially in terms of going from being a new band to putting out a second record, because that’s when people really begin to form impressions about who you are, and what you’re interested in, and what you’re capable of.”
“Knowing that really bogged me down, and I had a lot of self-doubt about the music that I was making, so Empty Estate was this total reactionary thing, just me throwing a lot of stuff against the wall. I think that was probably the start of the shift towards trying to do things differently, and play around with a lot of fresh ideas.
The 7-song EP was recorded in Brooklyn at Gary’s Electric by Al Carlson in January and finds Jack Tatum exploring new sounds, new instruments and a new voice for Wild Nothing.
a great video from the “Empty States EP by Wild Nothing
The Body In Rainfall, Ocean Repeating (Big-eyed Girl), On Guyot, Ride, Data World, A Dancing Shell, Hachiko
Golden Haze EP
Collecting the previously unavailable Evertide EP, a Gemini B-Side along with two new tracks, the charming and gorgeous Golden Haze EP is the culmination of Wild Nothing in 2010 and a stop-gap between the band’s debut, Gemini, and sophomore album, Nocturne.
Golden Haze, Quiet Hours, Take Me In, Your Rabbit Feet, Asleep, Vultures Like Lovers.
7″Single
To Know You
On February 19th, 2016, Jack Tatum will return with his Wild Nothing album, Life of Pause, the follow-up to Nocturne. It features the first two singles “TV Queen” and “To Know You,” which you can purchase now digitally or as a limited edition 7″!
Fleetwood Mac, live at the Record Plant, San Francisco on 15th December 1974 Fleetwood Mac was in a state of flux in late 1974. Their new album “Heroes Are Hard To Find” had just appeared, but guitarist Bob Welch was about to depart and they were battling their former manager, who had put together a bogus version of the band. With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks about to join, this fascinating set performed at the Record Plant on 15th December, for broadcast on KSAN-FM captures the previous line-up just before its collapse, on a superb set that spans early classics and more recent favorites. It s presented here with background notes and images.
Setlist:
1. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) 2. Angel 3. Spare Me A Little Of Your Love 4. Sentimental Lady 5. Future Games 6. Bermuda Triangle 7. Why 8. Believe Me 9. Black Magic Woman 10. Oh Well 11. Band intros > Rattlesnake Shake 12. Hypnotized 13. Mystery To Me
R.E.M. collected rare and unreleased live and studio material for the massive R.E.M.at the BBC box set, out October 19th via Craft Recordings. The career-spanning set, assembled from the BBC and band archives, will be available in several formats: digital, 2-CD, 2-LP and a Super Deluxe 8-CD/1-DVD box set.
The deluxe package includes several in-studio sets (a John Peel Session from 1998, Drivetime and Mark and Lard from 2003, a Radio 1 Live Lounge performance from 2008) and live British broadcasts (1984 in Nottingham, 1995 in Milton Keynes, a headlining 1999 show at the Glastonbury Festival and an invitation-only 2004 set at St. James’s Church in London).
The DVD includes an hour-long retrospective of the band’s BBC performances in the Accelerating Backwards film, previously broadcast only in the U.K; it also includes interviews with R.E.M. members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, along with performances on Later….With Jools Holland, Top of the Pops and more.
R.E.M. at the BBC features elaborate liner notes from BBC DJ/presenter Jo Whiley, BBC producer Mark Hagen and rock journalist Tom Doyle.
An instant-grat download of “Losing My Religion,” recorded in 1991 for an Into the Night session, is available with pre-orders of the box set or the two-disc Best of the R.E.M. at the BBC album.
R.E.M. grew up with the BBC, and this historic relationship is lovingly celebrated across an incredible collection that beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music’s greatest bands. The collection—available as a super-deluxe edition 8-CD/1-DVD box set, as well as 2-CD, 2-LP and digital formats—comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives. This is a must-have collection for R.E.M. fans and an authoritative introduction for newcomers. In-studio performances featured in the 8-CD/1-DVD box set include a John Peel Session (1998), Drivetime and Mark and Lard appearances (2003) and a glorious Radio 1 Live Lounge performance (2008). Live broadcasts include a rough-and-tumble show from Nottingham’sRock City (1984), the stunning 1995 Milton Keynes Monster Tour (their first after a six-year break), a blistering 1999 Glastonbury headline set and an invitation-only 2004 show at London’s St James’s Church.
R.E.M. have now released a version of ‘E-Bow the Letter’ featuring Thom Yorke to celebrate the release of their new BBC Sessions box set.
The New Adventures in Hi-Fi track was originally released as a single in 1996 and featured backing vocals from rock icon Patti Smith. This version of the track was recorded in 2004 at St. James’s Church in London, where Thom Yorke made a surprise appearance. Radiohead had supported R.E.M. back in 1995 on their Monstertour.
R.E.M. at the BBC is out October 19th
R.E.M. grew up with the BBC, and this historic relationship is lovingly celebrated across an incredible collection that beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music’s greatest bands. The collection—available as a super-deluxe edition 8-CD/1-DVD box set, as well as 2-CD, 2-LP and digital formats—comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives. This is a must-have collection for R.E.M. fans and an authoritative introduction for newcomers. In-studio performances featured in the 8-CD/1-DVD box set include a John Peel Session (1998), Drivetime and Mark and Lard appearances (2003) and a glorious Radio 1 Live Lounge performance (2008). Live broadcasts include a rough-and-tumble show from Nottingham’sRock City (1984), the stunning 1995 Milton Keynes Monster Tour (their first after a six-year break), a blistering 1999 Glastonbury headline set and an invitation-only 2004 show at London’s St James’s Church.
