The Fat Angel Sings

The upcoming 50th anniversary of Todd Rundgren’s 1972 album, “Something/Anything?” ignites a full-length tribute by an assortment of rock bands titled “Someone/Anyone?” released in February 2022.

1972’s “Something/Anything?” by recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Todd Rundgren is universally hailed as a creative tour-de-force and one of the ‘70s most ground breaking and ambitious recordings. Upon its release, the album garnered major critical acclaim and racked up the hits, “Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light.” It also showcased Rundgren evergreens “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” and the proto power pop, “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.”

By the time Todd Rundgren had recorded his third album, “Something/Anything?”, he had already garnered quite a list of accomplishments. His tenure with the Philadelphia-based band the Nazz helped establish his skills as a solid songwriter and a decidedly competent rocker, making him a prime architect in the newly emerging genre of power pop at the same time. Prior to that, he had gained his apprenticeship as a producer and engineer while working behind the boards for the Band, Jesse Winchester, the James Cotton Blues Band, and Ian and Sylvia, eventually rising through the ranks to win the role of Bearsville Records’ primary in-house engineer and the preferred choice to produce the artists belonging to manager Albert Grossman’s specific stable.

Those experiences set the stage for an album that ranks, even now, as a most impressive opus that easily equals any other double album shared before or since. Released in late February 1972, much of it finds Rundgren playing all the instruments entirely on his own. It was a strategy he had employed at times on his previous two albums, “Runt” and “Runt”: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren“, although here, as before, his efforts were occasionally augmented by various studio recruits as well.

Sessions were initiated in L.A., then moved to the Record Plant in New York before eventually being relocated to his former confines at Bearsville Studios, where he continued to plow through the wealth of material he had written in an early spurt of prolific activity. Contributors included future Utopia colleague Mark “Moogy” Klingman, Rick Derringer, Randy Brecker (later of the Brecker Brothers), and Hunt and Tony Sales, with whom he had worked on his initial album. Nevertheless, it was apparent from the outset that the album was Rundgren’s vision alone. Its experimental nature paved the way for the equally ambitious effort that would immediately follow, “A Wizard/A True Star”.

Rundgren penned the liner notes himself and made it clear at the outset what the listener should expect. He described the first side of the album as “a bouquet of ear-catching melodies,” called the second the album’s “cerebral side,” delineated the third side as “The kid gets heavy” and dubbed the fourth “Baby Needs a New Pair of Snakeskin Boots (A Pop Operetta),” even creating a libretto and interspersing some random studio chatter to accompany it.

While that seeming sense of overindulgence—offset by a decidedly loose and limber approach overall— made it seem somewhat heady at times, it did include a pair of songs that continue to rank among his most memorable. A stripped-down version of his Nazz standard “Hello It’s Me” went on to become a perennial fan favourite and, given its new unassuming arrangement, reflected a vulnerability at the opposite end of Rundgren’s oftentimes quirky, off-kilter personality. Both personal and plaintive in its delivery, it remains an enduring pop classic.

“I Saw the Light” could be considered a secondary standard, its emphatic pacing and driven, determined delivery expressing a longing of a different sort, one that suggests the singer is that much closer to getting the girl, if only through flattery alone. It begins with Rundgren expressing an uncertainty about the relationship that eventually evolves into abject infatuation and, by turns, clear commitment.

Also worthy of mention is “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” a rocking, rollicking, unabashed expression of affection and intention that was clearly in sync with Rundgren’s seminal sound. Despite its plaintive sentiments—the narrator makes it clear he’s desperate to reveal his feelings for the object of his desire and will do so regardless of the consequences—it boasts a drive and determination that can’t be mitigated by any underlying emotion.

While “Cold Morning Light,” “It Takes Two To Tango (This Is for the Girls),” “Saving Grace,” “Sweeter Memories” and “Marlene” offer further examples of Rundgren’s sentimental side, other songs elevate the intensity, among them “Black Maria,” a powerhouse rocker that frequently finds a place in Rundgren’s current repertoire. So too, several songs share Rundgren’s trademark tongue-in-cheek humor, specifically “Slut,” “Piss Aaron,” “Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me” and his ode to the DJ of the same name, “Wolfman Jack.” His higher ambitions took flight on side four, beginning with a pair of ragged archival recordings that starts with “Money” by an obscure band of the same name, and abruptly leads into another old standby, “Messin’ With the Kid,” as rendered by his early pre-Nazz ensemble, Woody’s Truck Stop.

Aside from those two tracks, the only song not written by Rundgren is “Dust in the Wind,”  authored by Moogy Klingman and not to be confused with the Kansas standard of the same name. That said, it still aims for a similar kind of emphatic imprint.

Most recently, the album its song “Hello It’s Me” were prominently featured in the premiere episode of HBO Max’s “Sex and The City” revival series, “And Just Like That…”

Rundgren would come to hate the comparisons that labelled him “a male Carole King” early on and would eventually venture into more progressive realms through his work with Utopia and the newly emerging fields of music video, internet distribution and interactive entertainment. Still, “Something/Anything?”, as its title suggests, provided early proof that the possibilities were indeed endless.

Although often pointed to as a power pop tour de force, Todd Rundgren’s third solo effort (a sprawling double album), actually touched upon various styles – hard rock, R&B, psychedelia, piano ballads, etcetera. And while the radio hits “Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light” remain the best known of the bunch, Rundgren gets to show off his underrated guitar soloing skills on “Black Maria” and “Couldn’t I Just Tell You”. 

Also of note, Rundgren proved to be an incredibly multi-talented musician – not only singing, producing the album, and penning 24 of the its 25 tracks, but also playing every bloody instrument on the first three sides! 

The album “Someone/Anyone?” is the 50th Anniversary Tribute to Todd Rundgren’s Classic 1972 double album, “Something/Anything?“ All 25 tracks are presented in the same order with lovingly re-invented covers of the songs by diverse group of artists who love Todd, which include Marshall Crenshaw, Kasim Sulton (Utopia), Stan Lynch (founding member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Dennis Diken (The Smithereens), Louise Goffin, members of Brian Wilson’s touring band and many more.

The actual 50th Anniversary release, all net profits from sales will go to Todd Rundgren’s “Spirit Of Harmony” charity, which advocates music in schools. The album has received the blessing of Todd Rundgren.

No stranger to tribute records, in 2021 Perdomo created a 50th Anniversary edition of Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Ram“, which was approved and praised by Paul himself.

The album is the brainchild of Echo In The Canyon renowned producer/multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo. Says Perdomo: “Something/Anything?” is the classic Todd Rundgren album. Equal parts commercial and eclectic, it’s considered a quirky masterpiece in the same way as The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Big Star Third. And it’s still turning heads today. It was just listed as one of the top 40 singer-songwriter records by ultimateclassicrock.com.” 

“City is Taken” is the second single from Bodega’s upcoming album “Our Brand Could Be Yr Life” and its video was directed by the band’s Ben Hozie.

Bodega have returned with a new single entitled “City Is Taken,” set to be featured on their new album “Our Brand Could Be Yr Life”, out April 12th via Chrysalis Records. The charming track features a shuffling drum groove, dizzying post-punk guitar licks, and a tongue-in-cheek vocal performance from Nikki Belfiglio, who addresses New York City’s ever-changing landscape. “‘City Is Taken’ is a song about my experience of moving to NYC in 2010,” Belfiglio reflects. “I came to view myself and my artistic role models as a force of gentrification caught in the invisible web on profiteering that follows artists wherever they go. My visual presence became an unwitting symbol of destruction; the antithesis of everything I sought to create.”

The new track arrives with a DIY music video directed by Luca Balser, which co-main songwriter Ben Hozie introduces: “The video is a study in personal geography/archaeology. It features Nikki and I performing the track throughout a nocturnal NYC in front of defunct venues from the city’s storied musical past alongside Chase banks and Chipotles. The camera frames key DIY spots in BODEGA’s history such as Party Expo, Palisades (where the release party for the original “Our Brand Could Be Your Life” was in 2015), Silent Barn II, Sunnyvale (where the “Endless Scroll” release party was), Shea Stadium,

The forthcoming album is a partial rework of original material BODEGA’s Hozie and Belfiglio recorded in their apartment on a laptop under the name BODEGA BAY eight years ago. The new project is updated with a handful of newly written songs and a near decade of experience.

from the upcoming album ‘Our Brand Could Be YR Life’

Bombay Bicycle Club are a band built on collaboration. Soon after their breakout, they began inviting new voices into the mix. They could have easily stuck to a classic path after their 2009 debut album, “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose“, solidified their position as one of the defining acts in the new era of indie scene.

Across their six LPs to date, the band has proven to be a dynamic and fascinating outfit, determined to forever change and evolve. From the gentle folk of “Flaws” to the expansive global sounds on “So Long, See You Tomorrow”, Bombay Bicycle Club have switched it up every time but kept their core the same. You could argue that the core of the band has always been collaboration.

On their new EP, “Fantasies”, they truly celebrate it. The band’s collaborative history began with Lucy Rose. As they stripped back their sound on “Flaws”, the addition of Rose as a vocalist was hypnotic and perfect. So perfect, in fact, that they kept her involved. Rose’s voice colours later tracks like ‘Leave It’, ‘Lights Out Words Gone’, ‘Home By Now’ and more. For several albums, she was an essential part of the puzzle, so her return after a decade on their new track ‘Willow’ is beautiful.

Rose’s vocals have always meshed so naturally with Steadman’s own, so their duet feels as effortless and light as ever. As a long-time follower of the band, all of my preferred songs feature Lucy Rose, and this new track is no different. 

If the collaboration with Lucy Rose celebrates the band’s long legacy, the opening track with Matilda Mann looks excitedly to the future. As a new vocalist for the group, they’re continuing their habit of including promising new female vocalists in their work. ‘Fantasneeze’ delivers on all the fun you expect from the band, reminiscent of the optimistic air of ‘Shuffle’ as this EP feels like a return to, or maybe more a continuation of, their glory. 

Bridging the gap between Lucy Rose and Matilda Mann, two other former collaborators get involved. If Lucy Rose was the OG, Rae Morris was who she passed the baton to, providing vocals for the huge hit ‘Luna’. She’s another distinct vocalist who brought so much to the band’s discography thanks to her unique tone and style. As the group build another energetic indie nest, her singing only makes it stronger and bigger, making ‘Better Now’ a mainstage-ready track. With roaring guitar and bass lines like the ones we know and love on the early cut ‘Evening/Morning’, this new track ties several different eras together with a fresh bow.

Liz Lawrence was a later addition as she got involved in the 2020 record “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong“. More indie than angelic, Lawrence’s vocals assert themself on ‘Blindfold’. It feels more like a duet than any of the other songs, where Steadman’s singing generally melds into the other’s.

From those early albums through to this EP, the band has been at its best when inclusive and expansive, never shying away from sharing the spotlight. This EP doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to their sound. It’s much of the same, continuing their run as a fun, vibrant indie band that seems incapable of ever disappointing when they deliver vibes this high. Instead, “Fantasies” is a beautiful nod towards the talent and importance of their collaborators. Or, more specifically, it’s a homage to the women that helped this band become so great.

Oxford based shoegaze pioneers Ride have shared the single ‘Last Frontier’, the second offering from their forthcoming album, “Interplay”.

The new track is a resounding sonic palette that fuses the band’s shoegaze origins with the expansive, electronic-inflected style they established on their most recent albums, 2017’s “Weather Diaries” and 2019’s “This Is Not a Safe Place”. ‘Last Frontier’ follows the record’s lead single ‘Peace Sign’, which arrived in January.

Discussing the track, vocalist and guitarist Andy Bell explains: “This was the runt of the litter of the very first jam session from Mark’s OX4 Studio and I didn’t even include it on my shortlist of the best tracks. It was our producer Richie Kennedy who saw the potential of the song, and we attacked this with a vengeance at Vada studio. A complete revamp of the backing track and arrangement was needed and we took it right back to basics, more towards a pounding Joy Division feel.”

He continues: “For the topline, I tried improvising at the mic, singing it all different ways, and coming up with new parts on the spot. I felt really exposed but kind of said to myself, ‘You’re among friends, it’s good to push yourself to try new ways to write.’ It feels different to every vocal I’ve ever done. It’s still a new way of working for me but it’s something I want to continue trying as I think it makes for better vocal lines; a good mixture of written and improvised.”

Ride’s seventh studio album, “Interplay”, arrives on March 29th via Wichita Recordings and PIAS. Their third since reforming in 2014, the quartet, comprised of Bell, Mark Gardener, Steve Queralt and Loz Tolbert, have now been together longer than their first stint, which lasted from 1988 to 1996. 

Produced by the band alongside Richie Kennedy and Claudius Mittendorfer, the new album looks to delve deeper into a “more expansive sonic template” inspired by the 1980s groups who made a mark on Ride in their early years, including Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and early U2.

After teasing new material, DIIV have announced their fourth album, “Frog In Boiling Water”, and released the single ‘Brown Paper Bag’ to mark the news.

The song picks up from where their 2019 album, “Deceiver,” left off, combining sludgy and shoegaze elements with a touch of country and 1990s alternative to cap things off. A slow-burning composition featuring crunching guitars, a piercing but ethereal lead line, and Zachary Cole Smith’s typically whispered vocals, .

“Frog in Boiling Water” is the second album from the latest iteration of DIIV, comprised of vocalist and guitarist Cole Smith, guitarist Andrew Bailey, bassist Colin Caulfield, and drummer Ben Newman.

The title of the new record is a reference to Daniel Quinn’s 1996 novel, The Story of B. The band explain: “If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.”

They continue: “We understand the metaphor to be one about a slow, sick, and overwhelmingly banal collapse of society under end-stage capitalism, the brutal realities we’ve maybe come to accept as normal. That’s the boiling water and we are the frogs. The album is more or less a collection of snapshots from various angles of our modern condition which we think highlights what this collapse looks like and, more particularly, what it feels like.”

Produced by Chris Coady, it arrives on May 24th via Fantasy.

Leeds-based English Teacher fuse their eclectic sound (read: total disregard for genre) with surrealistic lyrics and an idosyncratic aesthetic. A wholly unique band, and one with big plans for 2021 that will surely thrill their growing audience. The storming new single ‘R&B’, taken from their forthcoming album “This Could Be Texas”.

The Leeds-based post-punk group previously released ‘R&B’ back in 2021 on a limited edition seven inch record via Nice Swan Records. However, the group have re-recorded their early track for inclusion on the upcoming album. 

Before the world turned into a work of Orwellian fiction we visited Colne in Pendle – the place where I grew up and where ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab (allegedly) calls home. I’ve been putting together clips from that visit with some archive footage from local videographers to create this – big thanks to all who contributed. I hope you enjoy and stay safe xx

According to lead singer and frontwoman Lily Fontaine, the track is about a relationship she was in which left her with some creative difficulties, “When I was with him I had writer’s block” the singer shared, “and to add insult to irony, the only idea I had was for an R&B top line – the genre people always assumed I worked in.”

Continuing, Fontaine said, “As soon as he ended it, I converted that top line into the lyrics and riff for ‘R&B,’ and took it to my three best mates. Putting the effort that you could potentially put into a partner, back into yourself and your career, is cool and sexy and gets you signed to Island Records and writing press quotes in a tour van in Holland and you get to meet Jools Holland”.

English Teacher are among the most exciting up-and-coming post-punk outfits in the country, with their previous releases such as ‘Polyawkward’ and the Speedy Wunderground-released ‘Song About Love’ firmly putting the band on the musical map.

“This Could Be Texas” is slated for release on April 12th via Island Records.

Big Thief vocalist Adrianne Lenker has shared her latest solo offering, ‘Fool’. The single provides the third glimpse at her upcoming album, “Bright Future”.

Following the release of the bittersweet ‘Sadness As A Gift’ earlier this year, ‘Fool’ provides yet another dose of tender indie folk. Over plucked strings, Lenker begs her lover to “just say what it is that you want.” It’s characteristically soft and sentimental, but contains a greater sense of optimism compared to her more recent offerings.

Producer Philip Weinrobe believes the song is one of Lenker’s most joyous creations, sharing, “I feel like I can hear her laughing and smiling when I listen back to this song. The joy is palpable. It’s easy to forget that Adrianne can do unbridled ecstatic happiness just as deftly as every other emotion in the human experience.”

The tender track is accompanied by a music video directed by Lenker’s brother, Noah. Amidst snowy landscapes, a collage of imagery features Lenker and her family in cowboy hats, while their dog rocks a neon tutu. On her latest (sixth) solo album, “Bright Future”, Adrianne Lenker has crafted a suite of songs that worm their way into heart and soul. Its eerie opener, “Real House“, depicts the fragile haze of childhood memories over sparse piano, leaving Lenker’s soul-searching vocals with nowhere to hide. Indeed, the spectre of the past hangs over much of the record. The brutal vulnerability of “Ruined” lingers like a fading echo, its scattered murmurs and floor squeaks leaving the listener feeling as though they’re eavesdropping on a hushed, private conversation. The straight-to-tape recording bottles up wispy nostalgia and lays it out in stripped-back, plaintive piano and country-indebted guitar, while Lenker’s emotional gut-punch lyrics leave you reeling.

The song marks Lenker’s third offering ahead of her upcoming record, “Bright Future”. Set for release on March 22nd, the album is now available to pre-order on CD, cassette, and vinyl. A black LP will be available, as well as a unique recycled vinyl edition.

Following the release of “Bright Future”, Lenker is set to head on the road, taking to stages across Europe and North America. “Bright Future“ is out on March 22nd

Liverpudlian four-piece The Mysterines have announced details of their new album, “Afraid of Tomorrows”, set for release on June 7th.

The new album is highly anticipated and serves as the follow-up to their debut “Reeling”, which was released in 2022. To accompany the announcement, they have also released the single ‘Stray,’ which premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Clara Amfo’s ‘Hottest Record’ on February 20th.

“’Stray’ focuses on the aimless and untamed nature of the polarities of behaviour that we experience when dealing with suffering,” said guitarist and vocalist Lia Metcalfe, “Whether it’s guilt, paranoia or unexplained feelings of grandiosity.”

She continued, “Often, when the hands of loneliness have a firm grip over one’s eyes it can turn dangers into open doors inviting you in. We find a certain point of no return and we’re often led astray.” 

The song is filled with brooding guitar, electric drums and sleek vocals. It was recorded and produced by John Congleton, the Grammy Award-winning producer who has previously worked with acclaimed artists including St. Vincent and Angel Olsen.

“Afraid of Tomorrows” is a mirror where you find you’re nothing more than a formless being, one made from celestial constellations – of traumas, of the old and new, mistakes, addiction, fear and happiness, loneliness, but ultimately a desire for life and the fight to keep living. It’s a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded.” Notably, last summer, The Mysterines supported Arctic Monkeys on their stadium tour of the United Kingdom.

Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers have released their new single, ‘Me Before You’, which provides yet another glimpse at their upcoming self-titled album, “Bleachers”. The record is set to arrive on March 8th.

Following the release of catchy indie pop track ‘Tiny Moves’ earlier this year, ‘Me Before You’ is an understated but twinkling effort which underscores Antonoff’s words with soft saxophones. The verses chart who he was before he met his lover, while the choruses repeatedly declare, “That was me before you.”

‘Me Before You’ marks the fourth single ahead of the release of their fourth album. Inspired by Antonoff’s observatoins on modern life, the new record will mark the first full-length release from Bleachers since 2021’s “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night”.

Following the release of the record, Bleachers will embark upon a sold-out tour of the UK, including two consecutive nights at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. Later in the year, they are set to take to stages across North America, before returning to the UK to play Reading and Leeds festival.

Since the last Bleachers record was released, Antonoff has produced records for Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine.At this year’s Grammys, Swift’s Antonoff-produced tenth album, “Midnights”, took home the ‘Album of the Year’ award, while Del Rey’s “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” also received a nomination in the same category.

“Bleachers” is set for release on March 8th via Dirty Hit. 

On this record, the band Kings Of Leon harkens back to their gritty origins while simultaneously finding new gears.

Kings Of Leon are back & bigger than ever with their 9th full-length studio album, ‘Can We Please Have Fun’. as the title suggests, it’s a document of one of this era’s great rock & roll bands cutting loose, trying new things, and, yes, having some fun. recorded at dark horse studio and produced with new collaborator kid harpoon (harry styles, florence + the machine) the album sees a new side of Kings Of Leon. it’s the sound of a band unified in vision and purpose, freed from any expectations, and the album the band says they’ve always wanted to make.

The Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rock band Kings of Leon are coming back big with their 9th full-length studio album, “Can We Please Have Fun”.