The Fat Angel Sings

The former Magazine and Bad Seeds bassist floats through an imagined past for one of his most enjoyable solo albums. It’s a blast.

For his 10th solo album, former Magazine and Bad Seeds bassist and all-around cool cat Barry Adamson looked to the past for inspiration. He was still in a reflective mood, having published Up Above The City, Down Beneath The Stars, the first volume of his memoirs, in 2021, but Cut to Black is not the soundtrack to the book, but instead an alternate history. 

“I started to imagine my life without me in it,” Adamson says. “An author-as-observer, looking down upon this Murky World during that time and making a record of what I found there.” It’s a look at the early history of pop music and pop culture, starting with the death of Sam Cooke — murdered in a motel in 1964 in South Central L.A. — and explores forwards and backwards in time from there, with Adamson’s style and wit in sharp focus as usual.

As he’s done on previous albums he takes elements of classic rock n’ roll, soul, R&B, gospel and jazz and filters them through modern production techniques. Barry clearly had a lot of fun making this one and that comes through loud and clear on the listener’s side, and songs like “Amen White Jesus,” “One Last Midnight,” “Manhattan Satin,” “Was it a Dream” and “The Last Words of Sam Cooke” are a blast.

the brand new album ‘Cut To Black’ released 17 May 2024.

It’s been an undeniable joy to witness the thrilling progression of the ever-evolving, rowdy wonk-pop peddlers – Crack Cloud. from the unbridled rumpus of their debut ep, through the cinematic exhilaration of previous dinked, ‘Pain Olympics’, all the way to 2022’s beguiling ‘Tough Baby’, the Calgarian’s approach has never faltered. 

They’ve changed tack and direction as and when the mood takes them, and, when it does, they take these wild shifts in their galloping stride. so, whether it’s Zach Choy’s unhinged snarl, slamming cadences from the rhythm section, or perfectly plinked pianos, the dynamic transformations all feel like an intrinsic part of the Crack Cloud experience. 

With more ideas tumbling from their sleeves than can be contained within the depths of the mariana trench, crack cloud are yet again the pace setters that we should all be keeping an eye and a pair of ears on as they burn off into the shimmering horizon of ‘Red Mile’. 

Hannah Frances returns with a dense and daring new album, “Keeper Of The Shepherd”, that has been awarded Best New Music by Pitchfork. At times raucous and toiling, and at times hypnotizing in its softness, “Keeper of The Shepherd” is a careful excavation through the ruins of Frances’ past as she carves out what’s been lost and buried, praising the possibility of a life more whole. This album is a rebirth in every sense of the word, showcasing Frances’ virtuosic song writing, arrangement, and musicality, while displaying a deep and churning emotional vulnerability.

Frances reveals some of her hardest truths confronted over the last several years, giving name to the disquiet that is often kept hidden – grief spurred by the death of her father, internalized patriarchal harm from years of religious trauma, and a collection of hollow, shorn relationships. “How can I be deeper within myself?” is the question Frances seems to return to across “Keeper Of The Shepherd”.

On “Floodplain”, over dancing acoustic guitar and shimmering violins Frances bellows “How long have I kept you? / How long have I kept the light on? How long have I been gone?” On “Vacant Intimacies” a tumbling and explosive anthem that highlights Hunter Diamond on saxophone, Frances pleads for a release from the patterns born from past wounds, as she urgently repeats “grasping to the absence/haunted by the lack”. “I just feel like I gave myself away and erased myself in love,” she says. Death too returns to Frances across “Keeper”, haunting and all encompassing. “Death is a husk/holding the shape of my life,” she sings on “Husk”, with such steady assuredness, and no trace of fear.

There is no singular way Frances grips us with her guitar, or her storytelling. Her voice is colossal in its strength, piercing, warm, and always poised to embrace, even in its quietest expression. The momentum is constantly moving and shifting across “Keeper Of The Shepherd”. By the end, we’re left nearly breathless, shaken by all the ways in which she’s managed to hold tight to a feeling, and fling one song into the next.

It’s hard work Frances has done here, unearthing the muddled mess of loss and dizzying displacement. In the end, the gift she gives herself is a gift we too might find in our listening: permission to release yourself from the burden of your past, the clinging weight of what no longer becomes you, and feel yourself open up, wide and gaping, with a song hurdling out of your throat. “Keeper of the Shepherd” is both a prayer and a shield. We are carefully freed from the ruin of what’s hurt us, and kept safe, here, in a shining landscape more vast than we ever could have imagined.

With rugged hooks, unfiltered noise and fierce melodic sensitivity, ‘midas’ rips up the script of traditional second albums and establishes the band as an endlessly addictive and rousing generational talent.  
Every now & then, one of those bands comes along that you notice are popping up in conversations all over the place. “my mate recommended them” / ”i caught them at a festival and they were amazing” / “I heard a great track and it made me check out the album”/ “I tried to get tickets but they’d sold out!” …and everyone who is exposed falls for them and tells someone new about them.

“I want it to feel like you’re right there in the room with us.” And in 10 songs and 40 minutes, Wunderhorse capture the raw power and energy that has set them apart as one of the most formidable live acts of recent years. With rugged hooks, unfiltered noise, and fierce melodic sensitivity, “Midas” rips up the script of traditional second albums and establishes the band as an endlessly addictive and rousing generational talent. 

In late 2022, the release of their debut album “Cub” saw singles ‘Purple’ and ‘Leader of the Pack’ dominate radio airwaves. Landmark performances filling Glastonbury’s Woodsies Tent (FKA John Peel Stage) and selling out London’s Kentish Town Forum months in advance followed tours with Pixies and Fontaines D.C. and stadium appearances with Sam Fender, signalling the band’s arrival as one of the most prominent and exciting new guitar acts in the UK. 

With Grammy Award-winning producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence and The Machine) on board for their sophomore record, the band looked to do something different. That’s been the lure of Jacob Slater’s new (post-dead pretties) outfit and we fully expect it to continue, once folk hear these 10 songs that capture the raw power and energy that has set Wunderhorse apart as one of the most formidable live acts of recent years. 

This seems to be among the least-loved Sonic Youth album by some margin, the underrated “NYC Ghosts & Flowers is the sound of Sonic Youth starting from scratch, and not necessarily by choice. While on tour supporting 1998’s “A Thousand Leaves”, most of the band’s one-of-a-kind guitars were stolen, forcing them to write and record their next record on new and borrowed gear.

Fans who malign “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” may consider the album the point at which the band’s florid wordplay and beat obsession would finally get the better of them, but more attentive fans will note that Sonic Youth has always used the influence of poetry as a catalytic element for their expansive jams, usually with transcendent results. If the specter of cafe existentialists looms too large over “NYC Ghosts & Flowers”, the album remains noble as an ‘all in’ gesture that casts a defiant shrug at potential alienation, and we might recall that the history of great rock and roll is pockmarked with similarly courageous endeavors.

Twelve-string guitars are introduced, as is the presence of the inimitable Jim O’Rourke (who would officially join the band as a full-time member for the next two albums). The album also boasts a spellbinding title track by Lee and a classic in opener “Free City Rhymes.” NYC Ghosts & Flowers” is a bewitching album that rewards repeat listens and deserves far better than its reputation.

It produced rock legends in Joan Jett and Lita Ford and the classic “Cherry Bomb.” So, how can a band that opened the door for female rockers to kick butt Well, consider that The Runaways were more popular in Japan than in the United States. The band also released four studio albums in two years, leading to burnout and disdain with management. The Runaways deservedly got their due after the fact, when the time had gone by, and the story was willing to be told. Still, this was one special, trendsetting group that deserved to be taken more seriously in real-time. The newly comprehensive 5CD clamshell box set of this pioneering all-female rock band The Runaways, bringing together four of their studio albums plus the “Live in Japan” album in one package for the first time.

Critically acclaimed but never receiving their due, The Runaways were formed in Hollywood in 1975, with the help of music svengali / producer Kim Fowley, becoming the first all female rock and roll band to actually make an impression on the record buying public and musicians alike.

The Runaways were originally hailed as a manufactured band due to Fowley’s involvement, However, their eponymous debut album soon proved their worth as musicians. With Joan Jett on rhythm guitar, Sandy West on drums, Lita Ford on lead guitar, Jackie Fox on bass and Cherie Currie on lead vocals, “The Runaways” (1976) contained tracks such as the snarling “Cherry Bomb” and the brilliant “American Nights” prove The Runaways rocked with the best of them – and with an average age of 16!!

Respected in their day by bands such as Blondie and The Ramones, and now cited as a major influence by bands such as Courtney Love, Bikini Kill, L7, The Donnas and Babes In Toyland The Runaways time has finally come! 

CD1 features the band’s debut album ‘The Runaways’, released in June 1976, containing the single ‘Cherry Bomb’ which would become the band’s signature track and be voted No. 52 in VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list.

CD2 contains the band’s sophomore album ‘Queens Of Noise’, released in January 1977, which found their musical skills honed and the volume raised. Producer and engineer Earle Hankey, who had previously worked with The Beach Boys, Sparks and Elton John, found a sound that helped ‘Take It Or Leave It’, ‘Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin’ and ‘Love Playin’ With Fire’ become fan favourites.

CD3 is the band’s third album ‘Live In Japan’ released in August 1977. The album is comprised of performances from the three concerts in June 1977 in Japan where the band had become a massive success. The only official audio document of the band playing live it features incendiary versions of ‘Cherry Bomb’ ‘Queens Of Noise’, and ‘California Paradise’. This was the last album to feature lead singer Cherie Currie and was a fitting farewell.

CD4 features their fourth album ‘Waitin’ For The Night’ which has the band as a quartet for the first time with Joan Jett taking over as lead vocalist. The trimmed down line-up created a lean, tough record as can be evidenced from opening track ‘Little Sister’, ‘You’re Too Possessive’ and the title track. This album would be the last the band made while under the stewardship of the controversial Kim Fowley.

CD5 is the band’s last album, ‘And Now…The Runaways’, and although there was a lot going on behind the scenes as the band were falling apart, they still managed to deliver. ‘My Buddy And Me’ and ‘I’m a Million’ are standout originals and there are great covers of ‘Black Leather’ and ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’.

The Tom Petty Estate is thrilled to officially announce “Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty”, out June 21st via Big Machine Records. The album is a country music tribute to Tom lovingly curated by some of his closest friends and collaborators, including great friend George Drakoulias and Tom’s esteemed colleague Randall Poster. 

Some of the most lauded voices in country music explore the extensive Petty catalog and put their own personal touches on some of his greatest hits. “Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty” is star-studded new tribute album celebrating the legacy of the late Tom Petty and his catalogue of classic music, scheduled for release on June 21st.

The latest preview of this star-studded salute to Petty’s legacy arrived on Friday in the form of Steve Earle tackling “Yer So Bad,” the fifth and final single from Petty’s first proper solo album, “Full Moon Fever”:

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical when a once-prominent band reassembles decades after its cultural peak. That goes double for bands comprising brothers who are known for their fraught family relationships, Chris and Rich Robinson, the siblings and driving force behind the Black Crowes. Yet here come the Black Crowes with a new album “Happiness Bastards”, their first album of new material in 15 years, and it is very much to the Robinsons’ credit that it feels neither like a nostalgia trip.

It’s a respectable collection of bluesy rockers that showcase the brothers’ strengths: Rich Robinson has always had a distinctive sound on guitar, while Chris Robinson’s charisma as a frontman remains undiminished. Chris has said that the only time the brothers aren’t at each other’s throats is when they’re writing songs together, and that shared creative spark is still evident nearly three and a half decades after the Black Crowes exploded onto the charts with “Shake Your Money Maker”, their 1990 debut.

The band’s sound has evolved over the years from the loose-limbed southern soul vibe of their earlier work, and “Happiness Bastards” is generally a hard-driving album. The tempos are swift, the guitars are bright and loud, and everything feels a little frenzied, as if the Robinsons were keen to go as fast as possible while they were getting along. Generally, the bombastic pace works. Rich slings a crackling riff on “Rats and Clowns” while Chris rattles off staccato lyrics, bolstered on the chorus by pillowy layers of harmony vocals, before Rich blasts through a revved-up solo—all in about 3 1/2 minutes. Later, “Bleed It Dry” is a big, bluesy shuffle powered by thick, overdriven slide guitar and honky-tonk piano, and Chris adds blowsy harmonica between verses.

When the Black Crowes slow things down here, it doesn’t always last long. “Cross Your Fingers” opens with nothing more than acoustic slide guitar and vocals, but about 40 seconds in, Rich blows the walls down with a scorching wave of trebly guitar. It’s one of the more effective songs on the album, thanks to the arena-ready riffage, but also the way Chris’ lean yowling on the verse opens into a sing-songy chorus underpinned by organ. The band does manage to pull back for a whole track on “Wilted Rose.” Featuring Lainey Wilson on harmony vocals, the mostly acoustic song is more about vibe than virtuosity—a nice (and literal) change of pace after so much piledriving guitar.

If there’s one thing missing from “Happiness Bastards” (apart from the various ex-collaborators the Robinsons opted not to bring back here), it’s that sense of vibe. The band is very good at high-octane blues rock on these 10 tracks, but the Black Crowes have always been at their best when the songs have some room to breathe. It’s gratifying that Chris and Rich Robinson have found their way back to a fruitful creative partnership. If they can make it last, the next step is to relax a little bit.

Cassandra Jenkins has announced a 2024 headlining tour that brings her across North America and Europe this autumn in support of forthcoming album “My Light, My Destroyer”. Jenkins has also shared a new song, “Delphinium Blue,” that comes with a self-directed music video.

When explaining the lyrics to her new song, Jenkins said, “Sometimes when I don’t know where to turn, I look for something reliably beautiful. Applying for a job at my local flower shop felt like survival instinct kicking in, and that job got me through one of the bluest periods in my life—being surrounded by flowers didn’t just make the weight easier to bear—it helped me understand it and myself better. I began to dream in technicolor; flowers became the language of my subconscious.”

“My Light, My Destroyer”, will be Jenkins’ third studio album and the follow-up to 2021’s “An Overview on Phenomenal Nature“, is due out July 12th via Dead Oceans. It features collaborations with producer Andrew Lappin, Palehound’s El Kempner, Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, Daniel McDowell, Isaac Eiger, Katie Von Schleicher, Zoë Brecher, Josh Kaufman, Stephanie Marziano, and others.

Monsters of Folk are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their self-titled, critically-acclaimed 2009 album with the unreleased high-energy rock anthem “Disappeared” and an expanded new vinyl edition, arriving Friday, June 14th via ATO Records. This reissue features revised artwork, the original 15-song record plus 5 bonus songs recorded in 2012 featuring Will Johnson of Centro-matic.

The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. 

The new single “Disappeared” previews Monsters of Folk’s – the acclaimed band comprised of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) – reissue of their self-titled, one and only album which arrives with an expanded new edition on Friday, June 14th.

Johnson said in a press release, “That session was very much kept in the moment. I remember looking over at Jim playing drums on ‘Disappeared,’ joyfully bashing away, and it harboured that same exuberance of starting your first band: that moment in the garage where things take flight, and the energy and happiness just lead you onward.”

James, Ward, and Oberst also reflected on the album in the press release. Said James, “Making this album brought me back to the same feelings I had when I first started a band, or first started playing music in general—there’s a real simplicity and excitement to playing with folks you don’t normally play with. The spirit of play is alive on this whole thing.”

Oberst said, “It was amazing to have a ringside seat for the way Jim and M. make records. Jim’s outside-the-box knack for soul and harmony and M.’s sense of space and songcraft were so inspiring and invaluable to me then, and continue to be to this day.”