The Fat Angel Sings

Joni Mitchell shares an unheard rarity from her vault with the release of “Traveling (Hejira),” a demo of the title track from her revolutionary eighth studio album. This early version stands in stark contrast to the soul-stirring original release, stripping Mitchell’s folk-fusion opus back to the artist and her guitar and introducing a bright and springing wide-eyed wisdom to the dusky highway meditation. The enlightening behind-the-scenes sample arrives as the second preview single for Joni Mitchell “Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)“, the legendary musician’s 12th retrospective collection with Rhino Records.

Set to release on October 4th, Joni Mitchell “Archives, Vol. 4” continues the Grammy-winning reissue series with a sprawling compilation of early recordings, demos and alternate takes from this prolific period of Joni’s career. The digital and six-CD versions feature a staggering 98 previously unreleased recordings, while a four-LP vinyl pressing will comprise 40 highlights, all tailored by the artist’s own curational guidance. “Traveling (Hejira)” follows “Intro To Coyote / Coyote,” which she initially delivered at Montreal, Quebec’s The Forum on December 5th, 1975 and shared to streaming platforms last month.

The tracks on Mitchell’s fourth sprawling archival dispatch are sourced primarily from the four iconic albums she released in the five-year period: 1976’s “Hejira”, 1977’s “Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter”, 1979’s “Mingus“–a collaboration with the legendary bassist that stands as his final project before his passing that year–and the 1980 live album “Shadows and Light”. Beyond the studio sessions that produced these entries and Mitchell’s live performances from the period, the compilation features selections from such memorable moments as the Bread & Roses Festival, Anti-Nuclear Rally and her stint with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue.

“Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)”.

Margo Price’s take on classic sounds is at once familiar and daring, an infectious blend of Nashville country, Memphis soul, and Texas twang. Following the success of her 2023 album “Strays”, Margo Price has returned with a new single featuring vocals and guitar from Billy Strings. Titled “Too Stoned to Cry,” the track leads with the gentle twang of pedal steel, which establishes an intended wave of pure vintage-drenched country, found not just in the instrumentals but also the tone of musicians’ timbre as they let their surroundings and experiences seep into their towering output–which might as well be considered another brawny chapter in country music’s 2024 resurgence. 

After months of country zeal, “Too Stoned to Cry” captures the organics of Price and Strings’ talents, the natural emergence of Southern experience culled through the  Andrew Combs-penned lyrics, which generate a 1960s dreamscape: the slow trot of a horseback journey, trailed by rising blooms of smoke circles. Reflective by nature, the track projects the feeling of a lonesome cowboy tune, lingering emotions that even a toked numbing effect can’t fix. 

Offering history on the single, Price said: “It was such a joy to work with Billy on this song. He really nailed the vocals and laid down a beautiful lead. I have wanted to record this song for years now, ever since I heard the writer Andrew Combs sing it. My buddy Beau Bedford and I had been in the studio together working on an Orville Peck track, and I asked him to produce this single for me. He put together a really great band – Beau and I, plus my husband Jeremy Ivey played acoustic, Aksel Coe on drums, Misa Arriaga on Bass, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Joey McClellan on electric. Once we got Billy to add his guitar and singing, I knew this song was gonna be a special recording.”

“When I first came on the scene, I was a countryfied, hard headed, whiskey drinkin nobody who was pissed off at the establishment. All of that’s still true, except for the whiskey drinkin part.”  Price concluded, “If anything, now that I’ve lived for a while inside of the establishment, I’m even more pissed off. I’ve let some people go, I’m still fighting with others to let me be myself, but I know, I’m gonna make this next record the way I want to make it, no matter what it takes.” 

released September 12th, 2024

Critically acclaimed London trio Daughter will celebrate National Album Day 2024 with an exclusive yellow recycled vinyl repressing of their debut foray into soundtrack-making, “Music from Before the Storm”. With this release, fans of Daughter and the “Life Is Strange” universe can now revisit and physically own the understated yet elemental score in a new form, apart from its highly sought after yet scarcely available RSD 2017 vinyl variant.

“Music from Before the Storm’s” transportive yet vast and grounded yet ethereal sonic landscape resulted from the band having been tapped to helm an original musical score for Square Enix’s “Life Is Strange: Before The Storm”, the highly anticipated prequel to the award-winning 2015 first entry, “Life Is Strange”. With information from game-producers, the band crafted the score in London in 2017, referencing the game script and concept artwork as inspiration amidst their writing process.

As a result, the band’s meticulous, world-building instrumentation is a key factor in the game’s storytelling arch, with various elements of their compositions relaying different sides of the lead character’s emotive state during gameplay. As noted by Line of Best Fit upon its original release with the game: “‘Music from Before the Storm” is a soundtrack that succeeds in encapsulating a great vastness and emotional depth while retaining a clear sonic aesthetic. Daughter have created a work that is cinematic and captivating.”

Dive back into the raw, infectious sound, now available in a special limited edition vinyl reissue. Originally released in 2012, The View’s “Cheeky for a Reason” is the fourth studio album from the Dundee quartet. Often described by the band as “Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours done by The Clash,” and it’s easy to see why. The album is filled with infectious hooks and sing-along choruses, capturing the carefree spirit of The View while also showcasing a band that had matured.

Tracks like “How Long” and “The Clock” balance the band’s signature playful energy with introspective lyrics, creating a listening experience that is both fun and meaningful. “Cheeky for a Reason” made a strong impact on the charts, peaking at #9 on the UK Albums Chart and debuting at #1 on the UK Indie Chart, solidifying The View’s reputation as one of the UK’s most beloved indie rock bands. The album was met with positive reviews, with critics praising the album’s catchy tunes and the band’s evolving sound.

NME highlighted the album’s “unapologetic, feel-good vibe,” while The Guardian commended its “upbeat and infectious nature,” describing it as a perfect summer soundtrack. The album’s lead single, “How Long,” became a fan favourite and received extensive airplay, contributing to the album’s enduring appeal. The album enjoyed strong sales in its initial run, selling over 50,000 copies in the UK alone. The View’s loyal fan base and their reputation for raucous live performances have kept the album in demand, leading to this eagerly awaited vinyl reissue.

“The subdued ‘Tacky Tattoo’, finds Falconer at an electric piano and in uncharacteristically soulful voice – it is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever recorded.” –NME

Sophie Allison – AKA Soccer Mommy – has returned with the brand new single, “Lost”. her first new single since Soccer Mommy’s critically acclaimed 2022 album “Sometimes Forever.” Speaking of the track, she says: “‘Lost’ feels like something new and something old at the same time,” Allison says of the song. “It’s a song that’s full of reflection and I wanted its production to really capture that feeling. I’m happy to have a chance to play it at these more intimate solo shows, because I think it really shines in that setting.”

Soccer Mommy began as a bedroom-to-Bandcamp exercise with teenage Allison posting her plaintive songs as demos. Over the years, though, she has often enhanced that sound, using the endless production possibilities, newly at her fingertips, to outstrip singer-songwriter stereotypes. The records would start with songwriting’s kernels of truth, and she would then imagine all the unexpected shapes they could take. Every Soccer Mommy record has felt like a surprise.

Sophie Allison has always written candidly about her life, making Soccer Mommy one of indie rock’s most interesting & beloved artists of the last decade. On “Evergreen” Allison is again writing about her life, but life’s different these days: Since 2022’s “Sometimes Forever” Allison experienced a profound & personal loss. New songs emerged, unflinching reflections on what she was feeling. She wanted them to sound that way too, as true to the demos as possible. Nothing overindulgent, everything real.

On Soccer Mommy’s fourth album, the tender but resolute “Evergreen”, Allison is again writing about her life. But that life’s different these days: New songs emerged from that change, unflinching and sometimes even funny reflections on what she was feeling. (Speaking of funny, this is a Soccer Mommy album, so there’s an ode to Allison’s purple-haired wife in the game Stardew Valley, too.) These songs were, once again, Allison’s way to sort through life, to ground herself.

Simple Mind’s 2014 Album “Big Music” is the sound of a group in retrospection to their artistic heyday, drawing upon irresistible, hook-laden synth-pop and riotous glam rock.

 Their first release for five years, “Big Music” signalled a triumphant return to form and referenced the group’s core influences through covers of The Doors, Patti Smith & The Stranglers.

Originally released in October 2014, “Big Music” was the sixteenth studio album by the Scottish rock-ensemble and debuted at number 12 on the UK albums chart, selling 10,207 copies in its first week. Expect throwback synth-pomp with an elegant commercial sheen, from a release that would go on to become the band’s 17th top 75 album. 

Features fan favorite tracks “Blindfolded” and “Midnight Walking”, and the lead single “Honest Town”.

This 10th Anniversary NAD edition splits the 12 album tracks across two LPs in a faithful reproduction of the original vinyl release, pressed for the first time on opaque orange vinyl and sleeved in a gatefold jacket.
Includes newly remastered audio from Phil Kinrade at AIR Studios and a four-page booklet with photography and lyrics. 

A deluxe packaged double CD version of this release is also available (EDSL0220) including bonus tracks, Johnson Somerset Remixes and a liner note from frontman Jim Kerr, housed in a seven-inch gatefold sleeve (limited to 1000 copies).

This final reissue is a celebration of a record that sounded out of time in 2004, dripping in future nostalgia, and which twenty years on still sounds as unique and uncategorizable as it did when it arrived.

20 years of The Go! Team’s “Thunder Lightning Strike”, 20 years of lasers through tracing paper, orange tone oscillations, cable access hangover, music made through sunburnt circuits, a K-tel dream sequence, a haunted vision mixer, station wagon-core, straight to video, VHS in distress, something in the fog, fluff on the needle, chromakey constellations, a hovercraft on the fret board, maxing the minute maid, faxing a car alarm, a Morse code pep talk, etch-a-sketch jackknife, a daily Haley’s comet, light sound colour motion, a holiday from yourself.

This final reissue is a celebration of a record that sounded out of time in 2004, dripping in future nostalgia, and which twenty years on still sounds as unique and uncategorisable as it did when it arrived.

RT LP – Comes with an exclusive 7”, featuring new versions of “Hold Yr Terror Close” by The Pastels and The Orielles and a recreation of the original CD-R demo version of the album which stands up as a document of band leader Ian Parton’s unique method of working.

This collection draws from the neo psychedelic movement that took hold in California during the early to mid 80’s, one that melded the psychedelia, country, garage rock, avant-garde and pop of the 60’s with the DIY ethos of the then burgeoning punk scene, a hypnotic amalgamation of sound that came in staunch contrast to the blown out sonic excesses of the time.

Futurismo proudly present a celebration of the Paisley Underground scene with “TWISTED DREAM MACHINE The Paisley Underground / California’s Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986”, the next volume in their Altered Vision compilation series.

“Twisted Dream Machine” takes you on a trip from the city to the desert, as the kaleidoscope of noise drifts from the The Dream Syndicate’s Velvet Underground inspired take on Crazy Horse and The Three O’Clock’s chiming baroque powerpop, to Rain Parade’s dreamy Beatlesesque melodies and the Bangles hook-laden Love inspired pop. Also featured are the wondrous sounds of Green On Red, The Long Ryder’s, Game Theory, True West, Thin White Rope and others highly worth your attention.

If you are not familiar with some of the bands here, you will surely question how that is possible. The Paisley Underground, if anything, encapsulated a certain musical mindset, an outlook where the past and the future would collide in the moment. This thread would bond the bands, yet each honed it’s own sound in a twisted incarnation of the seeds planted two decades earlier. Whilst the ‘scene’ did remain contained, its influence did in fact spread throughout mainstream culture as the Bangles stuck a chord into the heart of MTV, whilst Prince took inspiration from the movement in his own song writing and the naming of Paisley Park, as well as signing The Three O’Clock to his label and writing one of the Bangles biggest hits.

As you listen to the tracks on “Twisted Dream Machine” you will be reminded that there is still music left to discover and inspire, this compilation is aimed to hopefully delight longtime fans, as well as ignite a passion for those new to the bands. The Paisley Underground was the sound of neo psychedelic rock, it was subterranean pop…in
the classic sense, it was alternative rock before the term existed, a distillation of the fundamentals present at the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll, with a twist. The bands of the Paisley Underground may have been writing out of their own time, but as you listen to them in today’s context these songs should be heard as landmarks, rather than throwbacks. After all, nothing this good should stay underground.

This 2xLP comes on limited edition coloured vinyl, it is housed in a gloss laminated outer sleeve with colour inner sleeves and contains a large fold-out poster with unseen photos and liner notes by Lisa Fancher of Frontier. Also available on CD with Gloss laminated Sleeve and Fold Out Poster. 

Tracklist:

1. The Three ‘O’ Clock – Jet Fighter
2. The Rain Parade – Don’t Feel Bad
3. True West – Lucifer Sam
4. Bangles – Going Down to Liverpool
5. Thin White Rope – Down in The Desert
6. Game Theory – 24
7. The Dream Syndicate – Definitely Clean
8. The Long Ryders – Too Close to The Light
9. Green On Red – Illustrated Crawling
10. 28th Day – Pages Turn
11. The Dream Syndicate – That’s What You Always Say
12. The Pandoras – In and Out of My Life (In A Day)
13. The Long Ryders – Ivory Tower
14. The Three ‘O’ Clock – With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend
15. Bangles – All About You
16. The Rain Parade – Talking in My Sleep
17. The Three ‘O’ Clock – Her Heads Revolving
18. True West – Shot You Down
19. Wednesday Week – If Only
20. Thin White Rope – Exploring the Axis
21. The Rain Parade – Mystic Green
22. Green On Red – Lost World

released June 18th, 2024

In celebration of the 10 Year Anniversary “The Balcony” is released on limited edition ultra-clear 2LP with inverted white artwork and 6 bonus tracks including a selection of previously unreleased acoustic versions of ‘Cocoon’, ‘Kathleen’ and ‘Pacifier’, ‘Rango’ (single version), ‘Hourglass’ (Ewan McGregor version) and rare bonus track ‘ASA’ available on a vinyl 12” for the first time after the original pressing of the limited edition 7” single 10 years ago.

Debut and breakthrough record “The Balcony” has become a career-defining album for Catfish and the Bottlemen, with Double Platinum status and  9 BPI Certified Singles including ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Kathleen’, it was originally released through Communion/Island Records on 15th September 2014. Written by Van McCann and produced by Jim Abbiss, the collection of songs on this album showcase McCann’s talent for posing everyday, easily identifiable observations through his lyrics.

In celebration of the 10 Year Anniversary “The Balcony” is also released as a limited edition 7” boxset which mirrors the highly sought after and sold out series of 7” singles that were released around the album’s original release. This boxset features the full album (singles audio in album version), 

The album’s success and the many sold out shows resulted in a Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act.

As part of our continuing Suede30 campaign, Demon Records will be issuing Suede’s fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth singles as highly collectable 7” picture discs, reproducing the original arresting cover images on the discs. 

Originally released on 12th September 1994, the band’s sixth single was “We Are The Pigs”. The first song to be released from the “Dog Man Star” album, The Times commented “Propelled by one of Bernard Butler’s finest riff chord sequences and fuelled by the nightmare visions of Brett Anderson’s lyric, the song romps home with a glorious chorus that combines old-fashioned sing-a-long appeal with an intriguingly sinister edge.” The single peaked at number 18 in the UK charts.

The B-side was “The Killing Of A Flash Boy”. This song did not appear on the “Dog Man Star” album, but in recent times, Brett has commented that in hindsight, he would have included the song in the album’s track listing.