The Fat Angel Sings

Wisconsin band Dusk aren’t worried about having six songwriters, or about creating perfect studio recordings – they’re just here to channel the spirit of The Band with a bunch of loose, lively rock ‘n’ roll jams that evoke the reality of working class America, Dusk, a necromancing band that plays southern rock and alt-country, conjuring artists like NRBQ, Gram Parsons, The Byrds, and Emmylou Harris. Dusk’s new album, “Glass Pastures”, is filled with prestidigitating slide guitar, spellbinding harmonies, and thaumaturgical legerdemain. It’s magical!”

The songs on “Glass Pastures” are growing extra legs as they rack up the miles on a van that Blair and Grasley bought from a pumpkin farmer a few days before their run – including dates opening for comedian Joe Pera and their Don Giovanni labelmates Screaming Females in a national treasure twofer – began in Minneapolis.

“We’re a very loud live band,” Crowe says. “The energy from that contributes a lot to the way that we play. It’s more exciting to be in a room with an audience, cranking up the amps. I think we all dig in a little harder. We’ve been playing the songs for a while and are more comfortable with them.”

Dusk is a many-headed beast, with all six members being singer-songwriters in their own right, and when you’ve got that many moving pieces you have to find a balance between creative freedom and respect for the spaces occupied by your bandmates.

On “Glass Pastures” that balancing act is apparent in the way Crowe, Ditter, Grasley and Blair hand off solos to one another like they’re running a relay race, but they also keep coming back to the fact that Crutch of Memory plays such a prominent role in the record’s sound. Grasley thinks that the LP hangs together so well in part because of the quality of the air, the vibe, whatever you want to call it, in those rooms. “It helps for continuity between different songwriters, to have that blank space between the hits being the glue,” he says.

Dusk formed in 2014 as an amorphous studio project based around ex-drummer Colin Wilde and a bass-wielding Pitsch, who was fresh from completing “Predatory Headlights“, a massive double album by his pop-punk band Tenement that balanced concept excess with hooks, hooks, and more hooks.

Dusk’s “Glass Pastures” is out now through Don Giovanni Records.

“I Won’t Cry Alone” is the seventh full-length release from Roadside Graves. In 2011, the band released “We Can Take Care of Ourselves”, based on S.E. Hinton’s classic novel The Outsiders. During the heart of the pandemic, the band collaborated remotely and again returned to Hinton’s writing for inspiration, this time drawing from her more painful and surreal book Rumblefish. “I Won’t Cry Alone” mashes up narrative features of the book with morbid and almost-triumphant personal experiences. The song “Closure” introduces a third element, intertwining these threads with bits from the tragic lives of songwriters Jackson C. Frank and Sandy Denny (a third verse on Kirsty MacColl was written but ultimately left out).

The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Derril Sellers (Lowlight, Last Legs) and Rob Lombardo (Mon Goose) at Cako Studios – a mighty and beautiful studio located in a repurposed church – and features contributions from Dana Sellers (piano, vocals) and Eric Haugen (pedal steel). Cover art drawn by Joe Galuppo.

Roadside Graves are educators and an environmental scientist and a tech guru who hail from all over New Jersey with one stray up in Providence, RI. They’ve been a band for 25 years and have no intention of ever stopping because why not.

“Quintessential, New Jersey roots-rock storytellers, with songs full of empathetic third-person narratives”  – Pitchfork

Sheer Mag have announced their first new album signed with Jack White’s Third Man Records. Their latest album “Playing Favourites” is out March 1st. Check out the video for the title track below, as well as the band’s just-announced 2024 tour dates.

“Those first few records felt like a personal coming out party; they felt like they were an introduction to me and my life story,” vocalist Tina Halladay said in a statement. “With these new songs, I feel like I’m finally able to move past that—there are parts on this record that I couldn’t imagine being able to sing ten, five, or even three years ago.” The album includes an Mdou Moctar feature.

The band capitalize on a decade’s worth of devotion to their own collective spirit—a spirit refined in both the sweaty trenches of punk warehouses and the larger-than-life glamour of concert halls—emerging with a dense work of gripping emotions, massive hooks, and masterfully constructed power-pop anthems. This is the record the Philadelphian rock and roll four-piece has always been destined to make.

releases March 1st, 2024

Mary Timony of Helium, Ex Hex, and Autoclave has announced her new album “Untame the Tiger”. It will be her first new solo album in 15 years is due out February 23rd via Merge Records. She’s also announced a 2024 tour and shared the video for lead single “Dominoes.”

Timony produced the new album with Joe Wong and Dennis Kane; Dave Fridmann mixed the album with John Agnello and Kane. It was recorded during a period when she was serving as her parents’ primary caregiver. Both of her parents have since died.

“This was the hardest thing I’ve been through. Every week I had to manage a new crisis. I started realizing that I gotta control the things that I can,” Timony said in a statement. “Because I was making impossible decisions on behalf of my parents, creative choices now seemed more manageable. Since I had to confront the reality of loss, I realized what was important to me about being alive, and I became less scared. The record became my anchor in a time when I was losing so much around me. It felt like all I had—a guide that helped me through, and gave me hope.”

“Untame the Tiger” is out February 23rd on Merge Records

Following up their debut full-length on Ty Segall’s God? label, Wand’s Debut album “Ganglion Reef”

Wand presents their second album, “Golem”, on In The Red. Recording with Chris Woodhouse at his Hanger studio in Sacramento, Wand summons the dark and heavy power of the riff. Back in September 2013, Wand was quietly dismembered and ritually eaten in the hills near Dodger Stadium. Wand was reborn as “Wand”—an obese organ falsely organized as four overjoyous nerds. Four flesh balloons betting on a few aging amplifiers.

Rumour has it they listen to Here Come the Warm Jets on loop all day and plot mail fraud. What’s more, they allegedely stole Dale Crover’s car and sacrificed it to the weather near the Los Angeles County Line. A few things, at least, are certain: Wand hears ghosts. Wand prefers serpents. The Sun is the mother of every fiction. All phenomena will be consumed in alphabetical order, but desire will recirculate ad infinitum. If all else fails, Wand will just devour more hands. Wand is coming your way soon.

the second full-length from California four-piece with connections to Ty Segall, Chad and the Meatbodies, 

While The Saints were creating their music almost entirely unaware of punk’s impact globally, Radio Birdman were making theirs directly under the influence of it. Named after a misheard Stooges lyric (a band they would also cover on their debut LP) and inspired by the kicked-out jams of MC5, Birdman used this as fuel for the fire that turned them into one of the most beloved underground rock bands of the 70s.

Again, the band’s use of melody and precise, upbeat rhythm played a huge part in how Australian pop-punk would later take form — consider them somewhat of a grandfather in the proverbial family tree. Plus, who could say no to a track all about obsessively watching Hawaii 5-0. 

2024 will be the 50th Anniversary of Radio Birdman.  To celebrate that milestone, Citadel is pleased to announce the recutting / repressing of all their albums. 

This version of “Radios Appear” was released after Sire Records signed the band. The original Australian album was ‘updated’ for overseas release with new versions of some songs, the remixing of others and the addition of new songs. The resulting album is over 50% different from the original Australian (Trafalgar) version and has a completely different cover white and black cover leading it to be commonly known as the White Version.

The overseas version of Radios Appear Out of print locally in Australia for over 25 years now reissued.

Todd Rundgren emerged from the Philly music scene in 1967 with a pop band called The Nazz. Gradually, they moved in the direction of hard rock psychedelica, before splitting up, after three albums, in 1970. Rundgren, the band’s main singer, writer and lead guitarist, decided to pursue a solo career. He signed with Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin’s manager, Albert Grossman, and his just-formed new label, Bearsville. One music journalist who raved over each Rundgren release was future punk princess Patti Smith, who Rundgren would end up producing in 1979.

This vintage concert album from the master of high art rock, the briliant Todd Rundgren! This show captures Rundgren in his most comfortable and compelling element, leading his band from behind the piano through some of his most memorable compositions! Includes glorious versions of “Can We Still Be Friends,” “Love Of The Common Man,” and excerpt from “I Saw The Light” and so much more!

released November 10th, 2023

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is a psych-rock band formed in 2014 in Perth, Australia. The band consists of singer-guitarist Jack McEwan, guitarist Luke Parish, drummer Danny Caddy, bassist Luke Reynolds (until 2020), and keyboardist Chris Young. Their music is a drug-induced grunge rock trip: biting synthesizer parts, expertly composed guitar riffs, and unique compositional elements elevate their music to the status of other popular psychedelia artists such as Tame Impala and All Them Witches. Their latest release, “Fronzoli”, is as vast and trippy as their others, and is a musical journey you’ll want to take again and again.

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are back with their sixth studio album. The Australian psych-rock five-piece have been working on “Fronzoli” – a title meaning ‘something unnecessary added as decoration’ – since the release of 2022’s “Night Gnomes”.

‘Dilemma Us From Evil’ is the latest single to be released from the record and is a prime example of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’ mind-bending blend of heavy melodic guitars and harmonic lyrics and eccentric song writing oeuvre. It follows the release of singles ‘Nootmare (K-I-L-L-I-N-G) Meow!’ and ‘(I’m a Kadaver) Alakazam’, which were released earlier this year.

The record surges with the Perth-based band’s over-the-top, glittery sound, drawing influences from the likes of classic rock behemoths Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, as well as electronic experimental jazz. These rock influences are firmly on display in “Fronzoli”, with thrashy grunge tracks such as ‘Sierra Nevada’ and the frenetic ‘Hot! Heat! Wow! Hot!’ showcasing the band’s hyperactive guitars and offbeat lyrics. The band, who started out as friends, before coming together to pride themselves on their joyful and unpolished messiness when it comes to songwriting and production.

In 2020, Bassist Luke Reynolds left the group. He was replaced by Wayan Biliondana in 2022.

“This record is my favourite creation to date,” says songwriter and frontman Jack McEwan, “Every nuance has been discussed, slandered and carefully contorted into place, it sporadically colours outside the lines, so you’re left with these extraverted squiggles.” “On their sixth album, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have not only ventured into new territory but proven there’s nothing they can’t do expertly.”

Their mix of sprawling, exploratory, psych-pop, prog rock, and heavy garage riffs, Australia’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets rose out of Perth’s indie underground, earning a devoted fan base through hard touring and releases like 2016’s “High Visceral, Pt. 1″ and 2019’s more muscular And “Now for the Whatchamacallit”. 

released November 10th, 2023

Yo La Tengo have shared a new EP called “The Bunker Sessions”. It features five songs, including four featured on their new album, “This Stupid World”. Check out the EP, It’s out today via Matador, and features live recordings of four songs from their latest album, plus one highlight from 1997’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One“. 

Yo La Tengo the indie rock band that was founded in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. With a career spanning over three decades, they have become one of the most influential and respected bands in the alternative music scene. Known for their eclectic sound and diverse range of musical styles, Yo La Tengo has released numerous critically acclaimed albums and established themselves as pioneers of indie rock. Their unique blend of shoegaze, noise pop, folk, and experimental sounds sets them apart from other bands in the genre. Whether it’s their dreamy melodies or energetic guitar-driven tracks, Yo La Tengo continues to captivate audiences with their innovative approach to music.

Since their formation, Yo La Tengo has consistently pushed boundaries and experimented with different genres and musical techniques. Their ability to seamlessly transition between soft introspective ballads and raucous guitar-driven anthems showcases their versatility as musicians. The band’s distinctive sound is complemented by the heartfelt lyrics penned by frontman Ira Kaplan, which often touch upon themes of love, loss, and self-reflection.

Following on from the release of recent “Death By Laundry” EP which came out in August through AWAL, along with recent single’s ‘What Do I Know?’ and ‘Wasted Youth’, Sarah Crean supported Bombay Bicycle Club on their UK dates.

The now Brighton-based artist, Crean debuts ‘The Subtle Art of Past”, a fine new song with an video inspired by cult films Corpse Bride and The Addams Family – starring Sarah and an invisible man echoing the song’s sentiments.

“This is my favourite song that I’ve released so far. The premise of it and its story both feel so simple yet were so extremely therapeutic for me to write. I can remember just feeling so bitter and honestly seething a little bit when we made this and the whole song came very quickly because of that for sure. But at its core it is a song about just how extraordinary a person’s impact can be both in how they come into your life and how they leave. It just might take a wee bit of extra time to accept that.”

Crean began pouring her deepest thoughts and feelings into song writing, self-releasing singles when she was in her late teens. And yet, just as she began to feel liberated, she suddenly found herself debilitated by chronic illness, with that dominating her life between the years of 19 and 21. Confronted by her own mortality, Crean’s mental health deteriorated too. Now Brighton-based and closer to her network, she continues to share her art.