Portland native Alexandra Savior has shared both the album artwork for her forthcoming debut album, as well as a new song, “Vanishing Point”. The new track is taken from Savior’s new record, “Belladonna Of Sadness”, which is set for release on April 7th, 2017 through Columbia Records.
Alexandra Savior is also planning stops at summer festivals Boston Calling and Primavera Sound in Spain. Alexandra will also return to Europe this spring, with performances lined up in Paris, Berlin and 2 dates in London. After her first London date sold out in one day, a second one has been announced for May 30th, 2017 at Scala. Tickets on sale March 17th, 2017. Alexandra Savior made her mark last summer, following the release of debut single “Shades,” which left us completely hooked on the 21-year old singer/songwriter. Now, with a string of releases under her belt, including “M.T.M.E.” , Mystery Girl and the track “Mirage”.
Not only does she write music and perform live, Savior also paints her own artwork and writes, directs and edits her own music videos. Belladonna of Sadness was co-written by Alexandra and British rock frontman Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys/Last Shadow Puppets) and co-produced by James Ford (Haim/Florence and the Machine) and Alex Turner.
‘Belladonna of Sadness’ now. After what was, very much a breakthrough year for the young singer in 2016, Alexandra Savior will surely be the name on everybody’s lips this year, especially following her hotly tipped SXSW appearances, Alexandra is also excited to return to Europe this Spring, with performances lined up in Paris, Berlin and 2 sold out dates in London. After her first London date sold out in one day, a second one has been announced for May 30th 2017 at Scala
The Portland native is treating fans to a slew of new this week! , today, both the official album artwork, which she painted herself for her upcoming debut album, as well as a new song, “Vanishing Point.” The hypnotic new track is lifted from Savior’s new record, Belladonna Of Sadness, which is due out April 7th 2017 via Columbia Records. Alexandra’s unique sound and style first caught the attention of several creative forces including T. Bone Burnett who placed her song, “Risk,” in the most recent season of HBO’s cult series, “True Detective.” In addition to that track, Alexandra also co-wrote the most recent Last Shadow Puppets’ single, “Miracle Aligner” along with the erstwhile Arctic Monkey, Alex Turner.
On “Dirty Rain,” the first single from Canyons of My Mind, Andrew Combs pondered our fading grasp on consequence – and how, in an time now where we are all preoccupied with instant gratification and polish in the name of progress, we could be fast approaching a dark, joyless future. Self-awareness and a sensitivity for the world around him is a theme rich across the Nashville-based songwriter’s forthcoming third album.
From the album Canyons Of My Mind, available April 7th, 2017.
Thrilled to release this record into the world. “Canyons of My Mind” is out now via New West Records and Loose Music. A Big Thanks to my two buds Skylar Wilson and Jordan Lehning for producing and playing. Lots of love to Jeremy Ferguson for engineering and mixing. And to the wonderful band for bringing these songs to life: Dominic Billett, Michael Rinne, Ethan Ballinger. thanks to Melissa Madison Fuller for the ace photos and Fetzer Design for the design. Andrew.
“I wrote ‘Blood Hunters’ in this post-tour haze, where you don’t know what to do with yourself,”
Combs says. “It’s about mental illness and this unknown force that is making you question everything. It takes 48 hours to acclimate at the end of tour, and it’s a weird time when you are in limbo. You get restless.”
Directed by Ry Cox, the video for “Blood Hunters” takes that fear of the unknown and puts it into a force tangible enough to look at – and nods at how some things are easier to confront when one returns to a more peaceful, natural state as Combs does, ankle-deep in the Piney River. With backup from Lera Lynn – whose recent album Shape Shifter shares a sense of sonic fearlessness with Canyons – the song opens with Combs‘ soothingly gorgeous vocals on haunting echo and spare electric guitar that crescendos into a fierce, Seattle-riffed fury. The musical gambit removes it even further away from the constraints of traditional country to forge a more experimental, rock-forward take on folk in the vein of Kevin Morby, Angel Olsen, Cass McCombs or even their forefather, Leonard Cohen.
“Canyons of My Mind”was produced by Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle) and Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell) at Battle Tapes Studio in East Nashville, and features appearances from Caitlin Rose, who also co-wrote a song, as well as Erin Rae McKaskle and Lynn.
The birthplace of Where’s One was a dilapidated Californian bungalow in Melbourne’s Western suburbs. Recording began just hours before the tragic death of The Citradels‘ former drummer and friend Connor Tolson, which set the tone for what was to come. Drawn out over nine months, layers and fragments were meticulously arranged. Most songs were conceived individually, though their form significantly adapted over time with shared input. In spite of this, the album retains an introspective and highly personal quality.
The Citradels’ trademark early sound is referenced with opener ‘Barnyard’ yet descends into something much darker and more repetitious. Sweet relief comes with ‘Piscine’, which straddles the strung-out yet playful arrangements of an increasingly paranoid Brian Wilson. The earnest ‘Pets on Fire’ has the emotive subtleties of Galaxie 500 in mind. ‘Already Gone’ bubbles away with angst and indecision while the otherworldly and uncomfortably dark love song ‘Pelican’ closes side A. ‘Sugarplum’ conjures the playful 60s, mixing in slices of attention deficit musical changes. ‘Sunflower Man’ plays with time and repetition to coax the listener down the rabbit hole. ‘Goosestep’ begins life as a slow burning Lennon-esque piano ballad with acid folk and feedback gradually creeping in. ‘Riding with Him’ is an optimistic ode to a friend now gone which bleeds into ‘Dumb Angel’, closing side B with a reverb drenched farewell.
Jethro Tull excellent deluxe reissues continue with a 40th anniversary five-disc edition of 1977’s Songs From The Wood due to be released next month. After a couple of albums recorded in Monaco, JethroTull returned to Morgan Studios in London to cut their tenth studio set, “Songs From The Wood”. The comforts of home brought out the best in the band, and frontman Ian Anderson had a new country estate – and a book of British folklore given to him by the group’s manager – to inspire lyrics rooted in England’s past. While progressive and hard rock elements remain, acoustic and folk-based music plays a stronger role on the 1977 collection, highlighted by such songs as “Ring Out, Solstice Bells,” “TheWhistler” and the title track. Masterfully performed and skillfully arranged, “Songs From The Wood” made the Top 10 in the U.S., and it remains a favourite among band members and Tull fans.
This celebration of Jethro Tull’s tenth album follows a similar pattern to previous reissues, with the first disc containing a Steven Wilson remix followed by some ‘associated recordings’ including the previously unreleased Old Aces Die Hard and Working John, Working Joe.
CDs two and three offer 22 track live tracks, recorded on the Songs From The Wood Tour across two American dates, (Boston on 6th December 1977 and Maryland on 21st November 1977). These unheard tracks have been remixed to stereo by Jakko Jakszyk and are completely unheard.
There are two DVDs in this set. The first contains a 5.1 surround sound mix (DTS and Dolby 5.1) and 96/24 LPCM stereo versions of the both the original and Steven Wilson remixed version of Songs From The Wood. This DVD also features selected associated tracks, as well as various quad mixes and flat transfers.
The other DVD contains video footage from that Maryland gig of 21st November 1977. These visuals apparently come directly from the film that was played on the big screens in the venue and has never been seen since! The audio has been mixed to stereo and 5.1.
As before this is presented as a ‘bookset’ and has 96-pages of writing on the album including a track-by-track annotation of the album and associated recordings by Ian Anderson.
This five-disc deluxe edition of Songs From The Wood will be released on 19th May 2017 with vinyl and standalone CD versions to follow in July. Great value as usual – as well as the links below it’s available fromBurning Shed for less than £20.
Early seventies rock ‘super group’ Humble Pie see new vinyl editions of all their A&M released albums collected in the appropriately named The A&M Vinyl Box Set 1970-1975.
The band were formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in 1969 and also featured former SpookyTooth bassist Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley on drums.
This new 9LP box set has been put together in conjunction with Jerry Shirley and Peter Frampton and features remastered versions of Humble Pie (1970), Rock On (1971), Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore (1971), Smokin’ (1972), Eat It (1973), Thunderbox (1974) and Street Rats (1975).
Shirley makes reference to the sound quality for this new box set: “At last we have the extreme privilege, thanks to the hard work of the restoration engineers at Universal, to hear all of our catalogue from A&M in it’s finest form, on vinyl. “Eat It” in particular, had sound problems originally that have now been eradicated once and for all, so that all our fans, old and new, can hear it as it was intended to be, a wonderful slice of Humble Pie Rock & Roll”.
Frampton adds “We pay tribute to our two lost brothers, Steve and Greg and hope you enjoy this as much as we did putting it all together.”
The records are pressed on 180g vinyl and feature “replica artwork” which means respecting original die-cut sleeves and inners. The A&M Vinyl Box Set will be released on 2nd June 2017.
HUMBLE PIE The A&M Vinyl Box Set 1970-1975 (out-of-print 2017 limited edition Seven Album 9-LP box, remastered from the original analogue masters and pressed on audiophile quality 180gram vinyl. Includes the albums Humble Pie, RockOn,Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore (2-LP set), Smokin’, Eat It (2-LP set), Thunderbox and Street Rats [U.S. Version]. Each in their own replica original artwork picture sleeve, housed inside a heavy duty slipcase style box.
Boston-bred alt-rockers Buffalo Tom are to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their third album release “Let Me Come Over” with a new reissue next month that pairs the original release with the band’s first-live live release: a 17-song set recorded in London in 1992.
The reissue isdue 19th May on Beggars Arkive on CD, digital and vinyl. The double-vinyl edition features “Let Me Come Over”, minus CD bonus track “Crutch,” on one LP, and a 10-song excerpt of the live album on the second LP, plus a download code for the full live set Live from London ULU 1992.
Formed in 1984 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Buffalo Tom — Bill Janovitz, Chris Colbourn and Tom Maginnis — is still active, and is expecting to release a new album later this year. The trio’s also playing a handful of shows in the U.S. and Europe in May and June this year.
I became enamored with Palehound, the band fronted by Ellen Kempner, when her debut album “DryFood” came out in 2015. They play a great band of 90′s influence indie and Kempner is a boss on the guitar. A Place I’ll Always Go will be out on June 16th via the fine folks at Polyvinyl Records. Here’s some info on the record and the lead single.
The collection is a frank look at love and loss, cushioned by indelible hooks and gently propulsive, fuzzed-out rock. As Kempner explains, “A lot of it is about loss and learning how to let yourself evolve past the pain and the weird guilt that comes along with grief.”
“Flowing Over” rides a sweetly hooky guitar line, with Kempner using her upper register as an anxious vocal counterpoint to the riff’s infectious melody. The video offers a look at the tight-knit community, showmanship and sportsmanship of the bombastic Boston League Of Women Wrestlers (BLOWW). “The first time I saw BLOWW perform, their energy was so intoxicating that I couldn’t get them out of my mind for days” says Kempner. “Watching other women/non binary people exert so much of their time and energy into their passion, I immediately felt inspired to step up my game.”
“Working on this video was a dream come true,” added Heather Mack of BLOWW. “It was so cool to have a chance to document the real life, behind-the-scenes process of stepping into our badass rasslin’ personas, from wig taping to trash talking to the main event, where we got to show off our chops in a fun, supportive environment. We are huge fans of Palehound and were so honored to be asked to represent the energy of this song in such a unique and powerful way.
“Flowing Over” is taken from Palehound’s new album, A Place I’ll Always Go, out June 16th, 2017.
American laundromat Records have done a very special reissue of The Caulfield Sisters debut EP “Say It With Fire” on a one-time, limited edition run of 150 cassettes. The Super label took great care in preparing this one. Our good friend and designer Lonny Unitus reworked the original CD artwork and added some rare live photos by photographer Jasper Coolidge. Choosing a beautiful purple tint cassette shell, and spared no expense duplicating at National Audio Company on the very best Chrome Plus tapes with Dolby B NR. It also includes digital download card. The Caulfield Sisters are a critically praised independent band, noted at times for their sonic similarity to Throwing Muses and Galaxie 500. They have appeared at the annual CMJ music marathon, were featured in the New York art magazine Esopus,
The Caulfield Sisters have been called the Brooklyn Breeders and were named one of “NYC’s 10 Bands to Watch” by Time Out New York magazine. Featuring former members of the bands Pee Shy and Gloria Deluxe, The CaulfieldSisters debut EP “Say It With Fire” is a stunning release that has enjoyed critical acclaim worldwide.
“Sounds like angel babies from heaven after a night with Uncle Makers Mark” – VICE magazine
“Whimsical, beautiful and a little sad…atmospheric gems that will have you swaying back and forth, eyes closed and a sloppy grin on your face. Clearly these ladies have all the raw dreamy notions that most current music completely lacks.” – BUST magazine
“Perhaps the finest noise pop band in town” – Time Out New York
Paul Weller has announced a new album and 2018 UK arena tour – listen to two tracks from the new album below.
The former Jam, Style Council frontman is gearing up to release his thirteenth solo studio album later this year, which follows 2015’s ‘Saturns Pattern’.
Paul Weller’s new record will go by the title ‘A Kind Revolution’, and will see its release on May 12th. It’s with great excitement we announce Paul Weller’s 13th solo studio album .
Work began on the new record immediately after finishing 2015’s ‘Saturns Pattern’ and once again features the full spectrum of Weller’s influences, from rock to R&B, soul to jazz, and funk to folk.
Along with Weller’s touring band faithful Andy Crofts, Ben Gordelier, Steve Cradock and Steve Pilgrim, the new record features appearances from soul legends PP Arnold and Madeleine Bell, Soft Machine’s RobertWyatt, The Strypes’ guitarist Josh McClorey and none other than Boy George. It was recorded at Weller’sBlack Barn Studios HQ and produced and arranged by Jan ‘Stan’ Kybert and Weller himself.
‘A Kind Revolution’ will be available on CD, special edition 3CD set, 12″ vinyl LP, and limited edition deluxe 10″ vinyl box set, with both the standard and deluxe tracks available for download. Special edition bonuses include instrumentals, alternate versions and remixes.
Weller has also shared two new songs from ‘A Kind Revolution’ – listen to ‘Nova’ and ‘Long Long Road’ .
Weller has also announced a new string of tour dates for 2018, which will see the 58-year-old take on some of the UK’s biggest arenas. These new live dates will follow an existing tour of the country’s more intimate venues which kicks off at London’s 229 venue .
Since 2012, Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, has unexpectedly emerged as a singular (if not undeniably, um, idiosyncratic) voice. Whether by virtue of his lyrics, which routinely defy the presumed polarities of wit and empathy; his live performances which may perhaps be described best as “intimately berzerk”, or the infuriating line he seems to occupy between canny and total fraud online or in interviews, Father John Misty has cultivated a rare space for himself in the musical landscape – that of a real enigma. Pure Comedy sees Tillman at the height of these powers: as a lyricist, and equally so a cultural observer – at times bordering on freakishly prescient. Tillman’s bent critiques, bared humanity and gently warped classic songwriting are all here in equal measure and – at 75 minutes – there’s a veritable fuck ton of it. The album navigates themes of progress, technology, fame, the environment, politics, aging, social media, human nature, human connection and his own role in it all with his usual candour, and in terms as timely as they are timeless.
Tillman wrote the majority of Pure Comedy throughout 2015 and recorded all the basic tracking and vocals live to tape (in no more than two takes each) at United Studios (fka the legendary Ocean Way Studios, favored by Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys) in Los Angeles March 2016.
Pure Comedy was co-produced once again by Josh Tillman and long-time producer Jonathan Wilson; mixed by Tillman, Wilson and Trevor Spencer, and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios. The album features string, horn and choral arrangements from classical iconoclast Gavin Bryars (Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet, Sinking Of The Titanic), with additional contributions from Nico Muhly and Thomas Bartlett.
Limited copies come with a 12 track bonus CD That’s Your Lot – The Bedroom Tapes. Following a breakthrough 2016 which saw them sell out London’s Scala, fill tents at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and Latitude, ink a US deal with Canvasback / Atlantic and release a run of critically acclaimed singles, Blaenavon release their long awaited debut album, That’s Your Lot. Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Bjork) the LP marks a certain milestone for the band – a sumptuous, thrilling and brave collection of songs written throughout their teenage years and now fully realised. Intensely personal, yet exploring the universal experiences of friendship, sadness, hope, love held and lost, and all the confusions of youth – a body of work to help define a generation. That’s Your Lot includes I Will Be The World, Let’s Pray and My Bark Is Your Bite – a more than impressive run of singles championed by the likes of Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, NME and Fader, whilst collectively racking up over 1,500,000 Spotify streams. The album will also feature explosive new single Orthodox Man, Blaenavon’s most immediate moment to date and already a firm fan favourite following a series of incredible live performances.
2LP – Limited Double Blue Vinyl with Fold Out Poster.
Diet Cig are here to have fun. They’re here to tear you away from the soul-sucking sanctity of your dumpster-fire life and replace it with pop-blessed punk jams about navigating the impending doom of adulthood when all you want is to have ice-cream on your birthday. Alex Luciano (guitar and vocals) and Noah Bowman (drums) have been playing music together ever since Luciano interrupted the set of Bowman’s other band for a lighter. The New Paltz, New York duo have since released the infectious, 2015 ‘Over Easy’ EP that introduced consistent sing-a-long lyrics with thrashing drums and strums that never held back. ‘Swear I’m Good At This’ is the first full-length from the band and accumulates their tenacity for crafting life-affirming, relatable tales with a gutsy heart at their core. Luciano has the ability to write lyrics that are both vulnerable and badass, perfecting a storm of emotive reflection that creates a vision of a sweaty, pumped-up room screaming these lines in unison. Diet Cig make it okay to be the hot mess that you are.
When Happyness first burst into the public conscience with 2013’s debut single ‘It’s On You’, their spirited take on US college rock was as big a surprise as it was an instant hit. The resulting full length, ‘Weird Little Birthday’, went on to feature in many of 2014’s End Of Year album lists. Worldwide tours, an NME Award, a re-issue on much-loved label Moshi Moshi Recordings (Bar/None in US) and millions of plays later, it is with some anticipation now that the band finally reveal the full details of the follow up.
Titled ‘Write In’, released through Moshi Moshi Recordings and featuring artwork from the band’s own Jon EE Allan, the record was made in the band’s own studio above a now-abandoned bookshop, then finished and mixed with Adam Lasus at his LA home studio.
‘Write In’ sets its stall out as an outward looking, inventive and thoughtful progression from their debut. Drawing on an array of influences including Roxy Music, The Beach Boys, Randy Newman, Sonic Youth, Big Star and Pierre Cavalli, the direction is best summed up by Jon EE Allan; “I’d like to think this record looks outside the little American alt-rock sphere we were looking in on. I think we used to be very afraid of being earnest. And now we’re able to be tender or heartfelt without feeling too guilty about it.”
One band who have been threatening a big breakthrough is female four-piece The Big Moon, who in 2016 were dubbed the coolest young band in Britain are destined to be huge in 2017 with their Slits and Elastica-inspired punky gems.
“Definitely a band to watch” – London On The Inside
“With each new release, they continue to reach brand new heights” – The Line of Best Fit
“Another sign of the band’s blossoming maturity and growing confidence as songwriters” – Clash
“London’s most exciting new quartet … The Big Moon are readying to shoot for the stars” – NME
“Another introduction to one of the buzziest new bands on the scene, it’s proof that they’re making all the right moves on their road to the top”
Canyons of My Mind is, as its title suggests, a landscape where the personal and the pastoral converge. Drawing inspiration from the biographies of literary figures like Charles Wright and Jim Harrison, Combs has created an album that explores the notion of sustainability in its many facets – artistic, economic, spiritual, environmental. “When I set out to record All These Dreams, I had a distinct vision of what I wanted the record to sound like. It was a cocktail of the Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, Nilsson vibes that you can hear right there on the surface,” Combs says. “Canyons is much more personal. It’s a testament to my acceptance of who I am as a man, and who I am becoming.” The quiet struggles and satisfactions of carving out an identity in a world gone wrong are palpable throughout the album. Whether questing through the labyrinth of his own spiritual yearning, (Heart of Wonder), recreating a rail rider’s full-body sensation of freedom beneath an azure Montana sky (Rose Colored Blues), imagining a near-future dystopia where the very idea of green spaces has been annihilated (Dirty Rain), or channeling the desire of a peeping Tom who has fallen in love with his sylvan quarry (Hazel), Combs refines the vulnerable vagabond persona he mastered on All These Dreams while pushing it beyond those boundaries, into a more pastoral realm aligned with artists like Nick Drake and Tim Buckley.
