New York-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Jordan Lee, aka Mutual Benefit has today released of an album of demos of his acclaimed record “Growing at the Edges” (2023). The release of these intimate bedroom-recorded original versions of the big studio arrangements coincides with the start of his UK and European tour dates for March 2024, where he will be supported by label mate, Odetta Hartman.
Of the “Demos” release, Lee explains “The Growing at the Edges” demos were a return to my bedroom recording roots as a way to process my feelings during the lockdown in NYC. These are scrappy, intimate versions of the big chamber-folk arrangements on the studio versions”
Speaking about the upcoming tour dates, Lee says:
“I’m thrilled to announce our UK and European tour dates for next year. It’s been almost five years since the last tour abroad. I am looking forward to sharing the adapted live arrangements of “Growing at the Edges”.
Marika Hackman has a digitally release an acoustic versions EP of her fourth studio album, “Big Sigh”. Previously only available physically, the four-track EP featuring new versions of “No Caffeine”, “Hanging, Slime” and “Big Sigh”, which is now available on streaming platforms worldwide.
The CD version of “Little Sigh” is still available via Marika’s store as a ‘bonus CD’ item.
The WAEVE – composed of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall – today announced details of their second studio album “City Lights“, set for release on 20th September 2024.
Everybody knows Blur’s Graham Coxon is an amazing guitarist, but did you know he’s no slouch on saxophone either? He lets it bleat on both instruments on “City Lights,” the swoony new single from TheWAEVE, his duo with partner Rose Elinor Dougall. This one starts pretty Blur-y, at times, in the indie-est of ways — Coxon’s guitar hook gnaws at the back of your head — but here comes the chorus and Dougall’s voice, which is as cinematic as it gets, and then the sax solo blows in straight out of 1985.
A year on from their acclaimed eponymous debut album, The WAEVE is back with “City Lights“, a collection of 10 songs that illustrate the evolution of their collaborative musicianship and sees the band’s sound solidified into something bolder, more expansive and self-assured. The agitated, art-rock squall of first single, and title track, ‘City Lights’ is followed by the anthemic and expansive second single ‘You Saw.’
Graham and Rose said of the track – “‘You Saw’ is a song about acknowledging how seemingly tiny decisions can have a seismic impact on the course of one’s life, how sometimes it feels like the way things turn out are predestined. It’s about reconciling a past version with the new version of one’s self and being grateful for how things work out. It’s built around a rhythmic string line to reflect the sense of propulsive forward motion.”
Written by Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, and produced once again by James Ford, City Lights features Graham and Rose on vocals, as well as keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, drums and saxophone.
By the end he’s trading licks with himself on both instruments. It’s awesome but I do wonder how they will pull it off live?, To celebrate the release of ‘City Lights’, see The WAEVE perform tracks from the new album live in Rough Trade stores this September. All shows also include a signing session with the band.
20th September Liverpool. 21st September Nottingham, 23rd September Bristol
‘City Lights’ by The WAEVE is out now on Transgressive Records.
Whitelands is Etienne, Jagun, Vanessa and Michael. Started by Etienne and Jagun in 2017. Vanessa joining in 2019 and completed by Micheal in 2021!. They recently released their debut single for Sonic Cathedral with “Born in Understanding”.
The London based quartet are busily crafting vulnerable, deeply moving shoegaze gold “With an array of unexpected textures, there’s barely a misstep to be found on this romantic, sumptuous record… a dizzying mesh of sound.”
Along with Deary they’re in the vanguard of contemporary dreampop that has enough edge to avoid evaporating into pretty sounds. It’s got that dreamy soundscape and the gossamer vocals just under the surface.
Whitelands under exclusive licence to Sonic Cathedral debut Released on: 2024-02-23
This Chaotic, genre-busting four-piece capable of transporting you to another world What NME said:“Lip Critic are the band of the moment. A full-on, disruptive force emerging from their city’s underground scene – their music rides high on a bolt of infectious energy.”
Initially confined to whispers, Lip Critic has skillfully ensured that everyone is now immersed in their fast-paced world. This year, we announced their anticipated debut album ‘Hex Dealer’ with the exhilarating single ‘Milky Max’!
‘Hex Dealer’ was produced in collaboration by vocalist Bret Kaser and Connor Kleitz. Their eclectic sampling style is amplified by the infectious breakbeats and pingy snares crafted by drummers Danny Eberle and Ilan Natter. The singular mixture of classic punk/hardcore and electronic styles result in 12 frantic tracks of postmodern pop for the genreless future.
They’ve amassed critical acclaim in a short period of time with NME saying they’re “on their way to becoming the next great NYC band” and Paste Magazine calling them “an apocalyptic wasteland of NYC’s best underground punk”
The quartet of Lily Fontaine, Douglas Frost, Nicholas Eden, and Lewis Whiting began writing songs in university and quickly accumulated a devoted following based out of Leeds, UK. Wittily penned art-rock that’s not afraid to deconstruct modern Britain “What you have in ‘This Could Be Texas’ is everything you want from a debut; a truly original effort from start to finish, an adventure in sound and words, and a landmark statement.” ours with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Parquet Courts, or their performance on Later… with Jools Holland After signing to Island Records, the band has just released their debut LP, “This Could Be Texas“
The songs on English Teacher’s debut LP “This Could Be Texas” mean so much to the band because they serve as a constant reminder of where they came from, as well as where they’re going. Formed in Leeds, the quartet consists of vocalist/guitarist Lily Fontaine, percussionist Douglas Frost, bassist Nicholas Eden, and lead guitarist Lewis Whiting. Many of the songs that make up their new Island Records effort are quite old—some are nearing a decade of existence—and reflect the group’s time in university as they flesh out ideas for compositions that were requirements for graduation.
It’s an album about being in between communities, with lots of Fontaine’s words reflecting her experience as a mixed-race person in an often inhospitable world. On “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”—perhaps the most British song I’ve ever heard—Fontaine sings of all the worlds she encompasses, all the people she sees herself as: “I am the Pendle witches, John Simm / And I am Lee Ingleby / I am the Bank of Dave, Golden Postbox / And the festival of R&B.” This is kind of how English Teacher operates; an amalgamation of British post-punk both vintage and modern, but spiked with an equally potent dose of originality that makes their debut one of the year’s most original thus far.
“When I was writing a lot of these songs, I never expected them to be given this amount of a platform,” Fontaine tells me. “So it’s a really nice way of recognizing how far I’ve come personally. They’re quite special to me, and I’m so happy that people tend to agree.”
And people do tend to agree. Since dropping the “Polyawkward” EP in 2022, the band has toured with Parquet Courts and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, sold out a number of UK and European tour dates, and graced the cover on NME.On “This Could Be Texas”, they cash in on this hype by moving their influences into all sorts of exciting and new places.
On “R&B,” Eden’s bass provides a bouncy undertow for Fontaine to wax poetic about the world she imagines versus the one that’s in front of her. “I’ve been writing R&B for you / I’ve been making you a tea before you know it’s what you need / Tell me, is it too sweet for you? I’ve been writing R&B.” During the chorus, the drums play furiously with manic guitar squeals. Fontaine makes coffee, decides not to write R&B—despite appearances, she doesn’t have the voice for that genre she decides in one of the most clever lines on the album. It sounds like early Bloc Party’s vulnerability with the technical precision and experimentalism of Black Midi, a thrilling concoction proudly indebted to the UK’s rich and diverse tradition of rock music.
The album title, which is equal parts whimsical and rooted in reality, came while the band was walking through a neighborhood in Leeds that was full of concrete, reminding them of the “motorways” in the US. Guitarist Whiting muttered, unassumingly, “This could be Texas.” It made the rest of the band laugh, but it kept on lingering, becoming a mantra of sorts as they began to record their debut LP.
“Over time, we realized that the album’s kind of about displacement and home, the in-between of not belonging anywhere.”— Lily Fontaine
Lewis adds, “Leeds is kind of the spiritual home, but we don’t spend as much time there—except for Lily, [as it’s] where she still lives.”
For English Teacher, “This Could Be Texas” is an assertion that home is as much where your family is—chosen or inherited—as it is a place on a map.
The Breeders have shared a filmed live session, “Live in Big Sur”. The stripped-back impromptu session, which was recorded during a visit to the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California.
The footage captures the band at their most organic; artfully directed by James Brylowski with illustrations from animator Pedro Eboli. Tracks performed in the session include “Divine Hammer”, “Do You Love MeNow”, “Drivin’ on 9” and “Invisible Man”.
“Last fall at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur our show was rained out. The sky cleared just as dusk fell & someone said: let’s go into the forest. So in a grove of redwoods we played a few songs for the hermit thrushes and spotted owls. Thank you Mark Satterthwaite and crew for filming it.”
The Breeders performing stripped back versions of some of their classic tracks. Following the 30th anniversary edition of “Last Splash” that was released last year, the band are currently on the road for their UK
Tracklist: Do You Love Me Now? Divine Hammer Invisible Man Drivin’ On 9
As one of the most influential groups of the 20th century, there is a seemingly endless amount of discourse surrounding The Velvet Underground. Although much of the discussion centres around the partnership of Lou Reed and John Cale, the other band members that made up the Underground should certainly not be forgotten.
Maureen ‘Moe’ Tucker, for instance, was an essential element of The Velvet Underground and their signature sound. Drafted into the group in 1965, following the departure of Angus Maclise, Tucker became known both for her androgynous image and her unconventional playing style. Rather than playing with a traditional drum kit, Moe would play standing up with a simplified version of a kit. This allowed her drumming to take on a more experimental and impactful style, thanks in part to easier bass-drum access.
Independent artist Cam Forrester explores the career of legendary drummer Maureen ‘Moe’ Tucker; focusing on the origins of her unique style of playing, it’s development over the course of her time with The Velvet Underground, and the influence her sound has had on music over the years since the groundbreaking band were in their prime. Included are several demonstration scenes performed on Forrester’s own vintage drum kit, which is set up in the same fashion as Moe’s kits were back in the 60’s, plus rare footage, and photos of her and the band through the years.
Quotes/Introduction – 0:00 Background & musical beginnings – 3:50 “Tucker’s sister plays drums?” – 6:14 Andy Warhol, ‘The Factory’, and Nico – 9:07 The ‘Exploding Plastic Inevitable’ Shows – 12:46 A female drummer? – 15:09 ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ Sessions – 17:38 DRUM DEMONSTRATIONS – 21:22 Goodbye to Nico & Andy…hello to VOLUME! – 25:02 ‘White Light/White Heat’ & DRUMMING DEMONSTRATIONS – 28:18 John Cale leaves, and Doug Yule joins – 34:35 The third album & DRUMMING DEMONSTRATIONS – 37:07 ‘Loaded’, band breakup, and solo career – 43:09 Moe’s heroic return to the drums – 45:58 Retirement from the music business – 53:48 Influence & legacy – 54:28 “A natural drummer…” – 57:03 Researched, written, compiled & edited by Cam Forrester.
The Los Angeles punk legends X have announced their final studio album, “Smoke & Fiction”, arriving August 2nd via Fat Possum Records.Exene Cervenka assumes lead vocals for much of the track, with her lyrics recalling memories and vignettes from the early days.
The band also released the video for lead single “Big Black X,” a reflection of the band’s formative years in Hollywood. Exene’s iconic harmonies with singer/bassist John Doe kick in during the chorus, as Billy Zoom holds down slick rockabilly riffs alongside the steady rhythms of drummer DJ Bonebrake.
“X is a great band name; also a bad idea sometimes when it gets lost in print or on the marquee,” Exene said in the press announcement for the album. “Gotta have a sense of humour. We all did in the early days. Los Angeles was a carnival of weirdness back then, with left over traces of silent movie stars, long haired hippies, bikers, and brand new self-defined punks doing anything we wanted. When we started touring the country we found like-minded people everywhere, and somehow they all found us. Even if the X was lost on the old marquee.”
The old-school edits in the music video harken back to the excellent 1986 documentary about the band, “X: The Unheard Music”, and the clip was purposefully meant to evoke the old docs and videos of the classic punk rock era.
X will be supporting their final album with an extensive US farewell tour, X’s new single, “Big Black X,” is out now from the upcoming album ‘Smoke & Fiction’ out August 2nd on Fat Possum Records.
Tindersticks’ 14th album “Soft Tissue” showcases their exploratory spirit, mixing intimate songwriting with experimental soundscapes. The album evolves from their previous work, balancing introspective lyrics with innovative musical textures. Band members, including singer Stuart Staples, emphasize the collaborative nature of the creation process, fostering a dynamic dialogue that shapes their music.
Key tracks like “New World” and “Always a Stranger” highlight this blend of personal reflection and sonic exploration, underscoring the band’s enduring ambition and versatility.
There has always been a soulful quality to Tindersticks’ music and frontman Stuart Staples voice, but they’re really leaning into it on upcoming album Soft Tissue. “New World” opens with blasts of horns, and you might think you put on a Charles Bradley record by mistake, but then in comes Staples’ voice and you know where you are. It’s such a natural fit, especially in the chorus with its killer backing vocals, that you wonder why Tindersticks never went there before.
Taken from the new album ’Soft tissue’ released by Lucky dog / City Slang on 13th September 2024
The Fat Angel Sings 