This is the third album by the Seattle experimental ambient pop singer/songwriter. Her first two albums were self-released, but she joined theJagjaguwar Records family for this album. In a separate development, she joined forces with st, who has produced records for Sigur Rós. So she’s got better production, she’s got label support, and she had a significant tour to support the new album, which came out on August 21st. Because of her sweet voice of an angel-child, she’s compared to the late Trish Keenan out of Broadcast, and to Jessie Stein out of The Luyas. As much as I like both of those bands and both of those singers, I like this even more. Again, this was an album that wasn’t really all that well-received by critics, .
Briana’s lyrics are forceful, and throughout her second album, ‘All Around Us’, traditional song structure gives way to plainspoken declarations that pull back the record’s shroud. Her first single,“Surrender” is musically delicate at first, with flickering blips and chords that float into earshot like fireflies. “Take Care of Me” is the album’s brightest and most immediate song, a buoyant celebration of friendship with a skittering beat and a warm, sweet melody. And title track “All Around Us” is a stark but inspiring beauty, built on the memory of a family member of Briana’s who passed away, and the sadness of not being able to say “goodbye” or “I love you” one last time. It is the balance of the abstract and the intimate that makes Briana Marela and ‘All Around Us’ so special.
Utterly beautiful collection of heartfelt & dreamy songs, perfect for an evening of emotional self-indulgence
This is the fourth album by the melodic shoegaze trio from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The album came out in May, but I didn’t get it until a few months later. I liked their earlier stuff, but this one really hit me hard. It was all I could listen to for about a month. It’s worth pointing out that they also released an EP of Ride covers this year, and it’s quite good. In a connected way, this album reminds me so much of that period of time when Ride was riding the wave of Nowhere and things were going really well for them. Before Britpop forced them and other UK shoegazers to adapt their sound to whatever it was that NME and Melody Maker would write favorable things about. Before even the label bosses made their shoegaze bands write Britpop stuff.
93mmfts have created an album of deeply saturated textural assaults that hynotically welcome you with fuzzed melodies and indistinct vocals. If droning feedback and emotive songs of mystery are your thing, then these guys really do have the goods.
In Honor of the Reunion Tour for Ride in 2015 on American Shores
93MillionMiles covered these songs with great justice with their renditions here.
Absoulutely magnificent for Fans of either Band and the Genre itself.
Vapour Trail weaves its mesmerizing trance like tapestry in this extended phased out crushing version.
James McMurtry album Complicated Game landed among most bloggers Best Albums of 2015: “JamesMcMurtry, the son of novelist Larry McMurtry, puts his yarn-spinning genes to good use in dark tales on ‘Complicated Game,’ an acoustic Americana masterwork and his first album since 2008’s politically caustic Just Us Kids. This time, the singer-songwriter leaves protest tunes behind for more personal narratives. He flaunts his guitar chops on rock stomper How’m I Gonna Find You Now, but most of the dozen tracks keep the focus on McMurtry’s rich literary talents.”
The first studio album in six years from the dean of Texas songwriting. McMurtry turns a phrase better than most, and injects an extraordinary pathos into his everyman characters. He didn’t miss a beat during the half-dozen years delay, and this one is well worth the wait.
I’m not sure there is anyone out there today who can write songs about everyday scenarios as perfectly as JamesMcMurtry. On his latest effort, McMurtry strips down his songs to their basics and lets the focus be on the stories within each song. The incredibly heartbreaking song “You Got To Me” will leave you missing something- whether that be home, a past relationship, or just earlier years will be up to you.
When the five members of Fleetwood Mac reconvened in the studio in 1978 to record the follow-up to their massively successful/decade-defining/inescapable disc Rumours, it would have been painfully easy to simply spit out Rumours II.
Instead, they took 13 months and spent a then-unprecedented $1 million-plus to birth Tusk, a double album of 20 songs spanning 72 minutes. The effort defied expectations, confounded some fans, sold “only” 4 million units, and produced only two singles resembling hits: the tribal-sounding title track (recorded with the 112-piece University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band), and Stevie Nicks’ ethereal “Sara.”
However, a funny thing happened with Tusk in the ensuing 35 years. Its standing among both Fleetwood Mac fans and musicians has skyrocketed, as has respect for the wildly diverse songs and experimentation. Now, Rhino/Warner Brothers has released Tusk: The Deluxe Edition. The 5-CD/2-LP/1-DVD set includes the original album remastered, a bevy of outtakes and alternate takes, and plenty of live material from the ensuing tour.
In the booklet of liner notes and rare photos, Jim Irvin celebrates the potpourri grab bag of music, spearheaded by Lindsey Buckingham’s newfound infatuation with the sounds of punk and New Wave music, and a desire to not repeat the same old formula. He would even adopt an entirely new look for the photos shoots and tour of closely cropped hair, suits, and…uh…heavy makeup. “Listening to Tusk is like walking around a ridiculously eclectic art gallery curated by someone who’s keeping their aesthetic a secret,” Irvin offers. “And old master next to an abstract, a kinetic sculpture next to a watercolour. It makes no sense at first.”
Though, contrary to the established Rock History Narrative of him fighting for the change alone, both Nicks and Mick Fleetwood and not just Buckingham were also eager to shake things up, according to their own comments today.
And what of the effect as a whole? Buckingham certainly brings an un-Mac-like tension, nervous energy, and biting sarcasm to efforts like the deranged square-dance sound of “The Ledge,” the punkish “What Makes YouThink You’re the One,” the biting “Not That Funny,” and the “rockabilly on acid” of “That’s Enough For Me.”
Stevie Nicks, always given something of a short shrift in terms of songwriting since she doesn’t play an instrument (not counting the tambourine), offers some of her finest work in the longing “Storms,” an upbeat “Angel,” elegiac “Beautiful Child,” and mysterious “Sisters of the Moon,” which surprisingly resurfaced on the set list for the Mac’s recent reunion tours.
Only Christine McVie’s contributions seem slight and listless — both lyrically and musically — save for some soft-and-gentle work on her usual romantic balladry in “Over and Over” and “Brown Eyes.”
Tusk’s recording period saw Christine’s involvement with both Grant Curry (the band’s lighting director) and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, while Lindsay Buckingham fell into an intense involvement with record-company exec/former model Carol Ann Harris (who later wrote a not-that-flattering book about the relationship, Storms).
The shocker, fans later found out, was the news of Nicks and Fleetwood’s brief-but-intense involvement. It led to Fleetwood’s divorce from Jenny Boyd…who had previously had an affair with previous lineup guitarist BobWeston…and was the sister of Rock’s Greatest Muse, Pattie Boyd, who sent both George Harrison and EricClapton into romantic bliss and yearning, poured out on vinyl.
And when Nicks and Fleetwood’s involvement ended, Nicks’ best friend, Sara Recor (partial inspiration for the song), took up with Fleetwood without either bothering to tell Nicks about it, which crushed her .(are you following all of this?). this was usual for the Fleetwood Mac circus
Thus, Nicks admits today that a number of her songs are about Fleetwood, and it’s not hard to interpret many of hers and Buckingham’s lyrics as continued musical snipes and judgments on their relationship.
Of the demos and alternate versions, there’s some very interesting development chronicled in the songs “I Know I’mNot Wrong” and “Tusk” as Buckingham — like he did with much of the material — tinkered with them in his own studio extensively before bringing them to the band. It was a way of songwriting that gave him more control, but which the band agreed to abandon after Tusk.
And on the live discs, listeners will find a band surprisingly willing to take risks with tempos and delivery onstage with material recorded in studio. And that includes tunes from their previous two records, Fleetwood Mac and Rumours.
So, while the hefty Deluxe Edition of Tusk may be for Fleetwood Mac Addicts only (and those with record players), less expensive options included a 3-CD Expanded Edition and a 1-CD Remastered effort.
In either case, for what attention and sometimes derision it received on release, Tusk is the one effort in the band’s discography whose standing has improved with time. Oh, and the meaning the title? It was Mick Fleetwood’s slang term for a penis. You’re welcome for that.
Savages shows at London’s Barbican earlier this year as part of the Station To Staion festival of events is set to be released as a live album. The band’s sets with duo A Dead Forest Index is available as a limited edition of 300, vinyl-only release from The Vinyl Factory. The pressing also boasts handcrafted artwork.
The band played two nights (24th and 25th July) as part of artist Doug Aitken’s “30 day happening” at the London arts hub, and also included a live collaboration with choreographer/dance artist Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome and dance artist Rosalie Wahlfrid. For more details and to order a copy, head to Vfeditions.com
Savages new album Adore Life to be Released January 22nd via Matador Records
When Savages stormed into our hearts and minds in 2013 with their debut,Silence Yourself, it was stunning how fully formed the young band was, so confident was their sound and so complete their selfhood. The cohesion of their identity awed listeners and critics, but it also raised the question: where will Savages go from here? Thankfully, the answer – their second album, Adore Life – is just weeks away. Some things have stayed the same: close collaborator Johnny Hostile stays on as a producer, and the band have picked a commanding imperative for the album title. But some are thrillingly different, like how Savages road-tested and fine-tuned Adore Life through a three-week residency at various New York venues last January (the crowd-centric music video for first single “The Answer” is probably a nod to that experience). The result is an album fueled by a furious lust for life. “It’s aggressive,” Beth said of the record. “Words of hope in a world of doom.” If 2015 has showed us anything, it’s the fact that the world is bleak, and so Savages are necessary evil.
Shoegaze/noise rock trio from Austin, Texas. Elliott Frazier (guitar/vocals) started the band as a solo project in 2005, and they became a trio when Alex Gehring (bass/vocals) and Dan Coborn (drums) joined in 2008. They quickly became a very big name, and one of the darlings of the genre. Although it’s clear where they got some of their influence, people don’t say “they’re America’s answer to MBV”. They’ve etched their own name very firmly, and they’re the ones who new bands get compared to. They tour a lot, and it seems like they’ve been around longer than they have. Their 2013 EP God’s Dream would have been in my top five played of that year.
The song in this video is really Lush-like, but it’s still got their distinct Ringo sound. This Texan shoegaze pioneers Ringo Deathstarr return with their fifth studio album. containing the same cathartic droning that has been previously celebrated by genre forefathers, like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Elliott Frazer’s vocals accentuate the eruption of noise behind his anthemic lyrics, dipping in and out of brief moments of clarity before bursting back into the manic grit of the sound .Ringo Deathstarr are not just reliving a scene, they’re re-inventing it with their shattering use of chaotic guitars and haunting voices.
Ringo Deathstarr are the torch-bearers of the movement and continue to contort and mutate into something beautiful.
It was incredibly hard not to have felt more than just a little giddy following my first couple of listens to Twerps’ sophomore record Range Anxiety. Having taken quite awhile to warm to last year’s Underlay EP, it was clearly obvious that Twerps were 100% back on form with this newest full-length album.
The Melbourne foursome’s undeniable ability to merge the catchiest of indie-pop tinted gems with forlorn feelings such as; spurned affection (‘Love at First Sight’), disengagement (‘Shoulders’) and unrequited reinvention (‘New Moves’), is evident throughout Range Anxiety.
If you want to have an album that will leave its countless harmonies and melodies stuck in your head for days, then I urge you to find a better release this year
Day Ravies, one of Sydney’s best loved underground acts, turn in a stellar and diverse collection on Liminal Zones. Here, we get a far broader palette than was used across their lovely shoegaze debut Tussle, with drum machines and analogue synths finding a new prominence within their familiar home-recorded style, spinning out odd, infectious psych-pop gems through a noisy and glazed filter.
They’re light, fun and super prolific. This is their second album in two years, along with an EP and 7″, and not counting releases from side projects Mope City, King Tears Mortuary and Shrapnel. Music and touring seems all they do with Lani Crooks, Sam Wilkinson, Caroline de Dear and Matt Neville all active songwriters.
Their songs are filled with ideas and little time to spare, as nine of Liminal Zones’ 13 tracks clock in under three minutes. “This Side Of The Fence” is less than two minutes and echoes the beautiful sound of a band like Broadcast
“Enter The Bee” is a lovely heavy synth interlude that leads to “Hickford Whizz”, a dive-bombing take on noise rock and Wilkinson’s strongest entry. The three vocalists provide great variation in style, while upholding a shared purpose and identity.
I had the top albums for the year all figured out and I was happy about my selections but I’ve played this album so many times. Joey Kneiser messed up my favourite playlists by releasing this beauty of an album late in the year. The Wildness is a great album filled with soulful southern rock’n’roll. Equally magnificent as anything Glossary has put out and that’s a really lot said. Little pieces of Petty, Young, Morrison, Blue Mountain, and Springsteen all balled up into an alternative Country/Americana masterpiece. Like Nick Green said, this will leave everything in its path sitting with a big fat grin.
The songs that make up “The Wildness” hearken back to Kneiser’s musical first loves. Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, The Band, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison all make their influence known on the record. “I wanted to make something simple and classic sounding with the writing as the centerpiece.” The record goes from rock and roll driven barn burners like “Run Like Hell” and “The Heart Ever Breaking” to folk songs like “Heaven Only Wants Us Once We’re Dead” and “Every Port In The Storm.” As to the overall vision for the record, Kneiser says, “These songs are a love letter to rock and roll and to the person closest to you who lets you pursue it.”
In addition to his own music, Kneiser has produced and recorded records for numerous artists, including Austin Lucas and Wooden Wand. He has also made music videos for artists like John Moreland and Jason Isbell.
London based four piece Kid Wave’s debut album ‘Wonderlust’ is without doubt one of our favourite albums of 2015 so far. It’s a stunning collection of songs and reaffirms our view that singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Kid Wave lynchpin Lea Emmery is one of the brightest new talents to emerge in recent years. There’s a beautifully uncontrived openness and straightforwardness to Emmery’s literate dreamy compositions, combining melodic buoyancy with an overarching sense of wistful longing. But rest assured this is not the place for agonised navel gazing and self-flagellation, there is no doom-laden introspection, rather a sense that here is somebody trying to assimilate their own experiences and make sense of their place in the world.
‘Wonderlust’ is perhaps an album that could only have been written at a certain time in your life, and although it’s refreshingly free of cynicism it is in no way naïvely optimistic. However the underlying mood isone of celebration, conjuring up a sense that Emmery and her band cohorts reside in a world in which hope will always win out over gloom. Musically Kid Wave combine classic guitar riffs with soaring blissed out pop hooks, evoking a youthful unconstrained ache for adventure, and discovery, whilst at the same time eliciting a sense of wistful nostalgia for those endless summers and limitless horizons when the possibilities seem infinite.
There’s nothing that remotely resembles a filler on the album – Gloom despite the title is anything but, and is, in fact, one of the finest examples of life-affirming guitar pop and rock you’re likely to hear in this life or the next! Honey is all driving propulsive splendour, I’m Trying To Break Your Heart is simply stunning, Sway is as hypnotic as it is majestic whilst Best Friend aches and shimmers with a yearning beauty that few songwriters can muster.
There’s no pretension, no arch agenda, Kid Wave aren’t here to push boundaries, break taboos, or f**k, with your head man, but they may well capture your heart. They are content to write elegant beautifully crafted escapist music, and what they have achieved with ‘Wonderlust’ is to produce an album that will surely resonate with anybody who has been young and dared to dream.They’ve also contrived to make this writer’s world an infinitely better place for the near forty-minute span of the album. And sometimes y’know, that’s all you need.
