MGMT have released a new album “Loss of Life” It’s their first studio album since 2018’s “Little Dark Age”. The bands Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser co-produced the new LP with Patrick Wimberly, while long time collaborator Dave Fridmann mixed the record.
The 10-track “Loss of Life” includes singles “Mother Nature,” “Bubblegum Dog,” “Nothing to Declare,” and the Christine and the Queens–featuring “Dancing in Babylon.” In a light hearted statement about their new album, VanWyngarden and Goldwasser said that “musically speaking, we are running at around 20% adult contemporary and no more than this, please.”
This dynamic push-and-pull has resulted in five unique studio albums so far—including this most recent endeavor, “Loss of Life”. “The songs that make it to an MGMT album, they’re the only things that Ben and I both feel the same way about,” VanWyngarden says. “There’s not many things that make it through that threshold in the end. It’s really just about what we both are feeling and believing in at that moment, more than any sort of stylistic intention.”
released February 23rd, 2024 under exclusive license to Mom+Pop
Sheer Mag have laboured to carve out a discernibly singular position within the canon of contemporary rock: toggling with ease between the refined flourishes of a “connoisseur’s band” and the ecstatic colloquialism of populist song writing — yet displaying no strict loyalty to either camp — their sound, while oft-referenced, is unmistakably and immediately recognizable as theirs alone. On “PlayingFavourites,Sheer Mag’s third full-length and first with Third Man Records,
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.”
their upcoming album, “Playing Favourites,” out on Third Man Records on March 1st, 2024.
“Mannequin Pussy’s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins “Bear” Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths) and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. “There’s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act,” says Dabice. “The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together.”
Their latest “I Got Heaven” is the band’s most fully realized LP yet. Over 10 ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It’s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive.”
“I Got Heaven” has the best and most wholeheartedly pop songs the band has ever written, along with some of their most ferocious hardcore songs, and the in-between moments like the title track and “Loud Bark” are among their most gripping songs to date. Whatever you were looking for this year across the wide spectrum of guitar-based alternative rock music that this album covers, Mannequin Pussy did it best.
‘I Got Heaven’ by the brilliantly named Mannequin Pussy is just about the most urgent rock song you could ever hope for. One of those tracks that writing it must have felt like going from an unhinged bad mood to the most joyous shoegaze dreamland. There are few better ways to spend the next 3 minutes.
Vocals, Lyrics & Melody by Marisa Dabice Guitar & Synths by Maxine Steen Bass by Colins Regisford Drums by Kaleen Reading Background Harmonies by Macie Stewart
Exactly where the title of Les Big Byrd’s fourth studio album came from remains mysterious even to the band’s frontman, Jocke Åhlund. You might speculate, though, that it’s a neat encapsulation of a record that is unafraid to deal in contradictions, that finds room both for glittering pop and for stormy atmosphere, and that doesn’t just showcase the thrillingly ambitious psych-rock sound that we’ve come to expect from the group by now; it pushes it forward, into new and more daring territory.
After their third album, “Eternal Light Brigade”, took four years to follow on from 2018’s mission statement “Iran Iraq IKEA”, Åhlund was determined that this time, the Stockholm rockers would hit the ground running, swiftly returning to the studio for another album that maintains the momentum and energy of “Eternal Light Brigade” whilst finding room to wander down sonic avenues all its own.”
“Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain”, released March 1st via Chimp Limbs
Written by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney with longtime friends Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and Beck, the celebratory, joyful ‘Beautiful People (Stay High)’ is one of several songs on the album that feature collaborations between the band and various additional friends and colleagues, including Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin, and others. Speaking on the collaborative nature of the album, Carney shares, “We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music.’ It’s funny because we both write songs with other people – Dan all the time [as a solo artist and producer], me when I’m producing a record. That’s what we do.”
Auerbach adds, “No matter who we work with, it never feels like we’re sacrificing who we are. It only feels like it adds some special flavor. We just expanded that palette with people we wanted to work with. We were there to support them and their ideas, to do whatever we could to see that moment flourish. But when it came time to finish the album, it was just Pat and me. We’d never worked harder to make a record,” he continues. “It’s never taken us this long to make an album. We took our time and did it right.”
“What we wanted to accomplish with this record was make something that was fun,” Carney says. “And something that most bands 20 years into their career don’t make, which is an approachable, fun record that is also cool.”
While making Ohio Players, a title inspired by the legendary Dayton, Ohio funk band of the same name, The Black Keys were also DJing dance parties in cities around the world that they called “record hangs”, spinning 45s from their own eclectic and growing collections. ‘The spirit of those parties infused the album’s DNA. ‘That’s been the fun of it,’ [says] Auerbach. ‘Letting go a little bit.’”
Their infectiously upbeat single “Beautiful People (Stay High)”. I’m a long-time fan of the duo, comprised of guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, and the song clicked with me the first time I heard it. I love its exuberant melody, bluesy, foot-stomping groove and celebratory chorus. The lead single from their forthcoming twelfth studio album “Ohio Players”, due for release April 5th, the song was co-written with their long time collaborators Beck and producer Dan the Automator (aka Daniel M. Nakamura). In a press statement about the recording of the album, Auerbach noted “We’d never worked harder to make a record. It’s never taken us this long to make an album. We took our time and did it right.” Carney added “What we wanted to accomplish with this record was make something that was fun. And something that most bands 20 years into their career don’t make, which is an approachable, fun record that is also cool.”
Montreal psych-pop band Elephant Stone’s seventh studio album ‘Back Into The Dream’ is out in the world today
Centred on the enigma of dreams—whether they’re subconscious murmurings or portals to parallel universes—’Back Into the Dream’ encapsulates the eternal cycle of waking and dreaming. “We’re perpetually oscillating between two realms, trying to comprehend each,” says Rishi. “If our music can serve as a bridge between these worlds, then we’ve accomplished our mission.”
“Rock’n’roll was my late-night companion, the anthem of my adolescence,” says Elephant Stone’s Rishi Dhir on the subject of their new single (which is not a cover of The Jam song). “I’d drift off to sleep with ‘Live at Leeds’ by The Who playing, tweaking the stereo so it was just the left speaker booming, coloring my dreams with John Entwistle’s bass genius. Those moments weren’t just about listening; it was like living inside the music. That’s the heart of ‘Going Underground.’ It’s an homage to those times, that sensation of being enveloped in a universe conjured by a few chords and a horizon of endless possibilities.”
From Elephant Stone’s new LP “Back Into The Dream”
Elephant Stone have just announced their upcoming EU/UK tour
The Who’s October 13th, 1982 concert at Shea Stadium, the now-demolished, long time home of the New York Mets, was released on DVD and standard-definition Blu-ray back in 2015. Now, MercuryStudios is returning to that thunderous gig – the band’s second of two shows there – for an audio release on 2 CDs or 3 LPs.
‘Live at Shea Stadium 1982’ captures The Who’s second of two shows at the Flushing, Queens, New York ballpark on a rainy night in October 1982.
The evening of Wednesday, October 13th, 1982 was chilly and rainy in the New York City metro area, certainly not optimum weather for a large-scale outdoor rock concert. That night, The Who performed their second of two sold-out shows at Shea Stadium . The stadium, which at the time was home to MLB’s New York Mets and the NFL’s New York Jets, had very famously hosted concerts by The Beatles in 1965 and 1966. The support acts for The Who at the Shea Stadium concerts were former New York Dolls vocalist David Johansen and The Clash.
On March 1st, “Live at Shea Stadium 1982” will arrive preserving The Who’s tour stop in support of “It’s Hard”. In front of an enrapt New York audience in Flushing Meadows, Queens, founding members Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle joined with drummer Kenney Jones to perform both new songs and old favorites. The 1982 North American tour was ultimately the last one to feature Jones in the drummer’s seat, and The Who’s final such trek until 1989. (Jones replaced the late Keith Moon for two studio albums, 1981’s “Face Dances” and 1982’s “It’sHard“.
The Who, on what was being billed as their “Farewell Tour,” had announced that the band would break up once they had completed the tour for their then-current album “It’s Hard”. Pete Townshend initiated the split and was quoted by music critic Robert Palmer of The New York Times as stating, “It’s time for us to step aside, time for the new people to come in.” The tour was sponsored by the now-defunct American beer company Schlitz under the banner “Schlitz Rocks America.”
The Clash were promoting their “Combat Rock” album on the tour. Drummer Nicky “Topper” Headon had been fired by the band earlier in the year. The band were performing with their original drummer Terry Chimes on the tour. Despite the soggy weather, The Clash performed a storming and quite memorable set. The music videos for “Career Opportunities” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” were filmed that night. An audio recording of The Clash’s full set from that show was released in 2008 as the album “Live at Shea Stadium”.
The Who’s 1982 tour, which was all in North America apart from two warm-up dates at the Birmingham NEC in England, was their last to feature Kenney Jones on drums and they wouldn’t tour again until 1989. The tour promoted the recent “It’s Hard” album, which had been released in June 1982, and the set list included a number of tracks from that album, some of which the band would only play live on this tour. This release features the show from the second of their two nights at New York’s Shea Stadium and was recorded on October 13th 1982. Although a couple of tracks have appeared on compilations, this is the first official release the full show on 3LP.
Opening the set with the 1966 non-album single “Substitute,” The Who had the crowd on their side from the word go. The strong performance of “Substitute” featured powerful lead vocals by Daltrey, great drumming by Jones, solid bass from Entwistle and a rock-steady guitar break by Townshend. That was followed by another oldie but goodie, the 1965 non-album single “I Can’t Explain,” which was The Who’s recording debut under The Who name. The performance of “I Can’t Explain” at the concert started with a terrific guitar intro by Townshend and included strong vocals by Daltrey, tight work by the rhythm section of Entwistle and Jones and effective backing vocals by Townshend and Entwistle.
The Who then segued into a selection of five newer songs. The first of these was Entwistle’s “Dangerous” from that year’s “It’s Hard” album. Gorman provided some nice keyboard work. Entwistle’s bass provided a great foundation for the song augmented by Jones’s tight drumming. Townshend contributed impressive slash-and-burn guitar work. Gorman’s keyboards in the performance of 1978’s “Sister Disco” are not prominent enough in the mix on this recording. And that makes the version of the song on this album weaker than the outstanding recording of it on the 1981 album The Concerts for the People ofKampuchea. That aside, it’s still a decent performance. Daltrey delivered powerful lead vocals and Townshend added a good vocal bit in the song’s midsection. , Townshend played some nice bluesy guitar at the end as he and Daltrey sang together. The heavy version of Entwistle’s song “The Quiet One” from 1981’s “Face Dances” album was one of the standout performances of the show. Entwistle sang lead on the song as well as providing some outstanding bass playing. Townshend added some blistering guitar work. And Jones delivered yet another strong performance on drums. Daltrey sang some bits of the song along with Entwistle. The section of the show concluded with two songs from “It’s Hard”: the title track and “Eminence Front.” On the former, Daltrey played rhythm guitar for the first time in the evening as well as delivering assertive lead vocals. Townshend contributed some nice guitar in the intro as well as good backing vocals. The latter was the highlight of the newer songs performed at the concert. Gorman’s keyboard intro was impressive. Townshend sang lead on the song and also played impressive guitar throughout. Entwistle’s funky basslines provided the song’s foundation.
Four songs from It’s Hard were performed during the Shea setlists, including the album’s title track, “Eminence Front,” “Cry If You Want,” and “Dangerous.” Those were joined by classics from the ’60s (“Substitute,” “I Can’t Explain,” “Pinball Wizard”) and ’70s (“Behind Blue Eyes,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t GetFooled Again,” “Who Are You,” “Sister Disco”) as well as “The Quiet One” from “Face Dances“. Choice covers – “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Twist and Shout,” “Young Man Blues,” and “SummertimeBlues” – rounded out the setlist. (The latter two songs were featured on the original, six-song “Live at Leeds” album in 1970.)
Daltrey introduced “Tattoo” from 1967’s The Who Sell Out album as a song that The Who had not performed live in a while. The tight version of the song featured Daltrey on lead vocals with Townshend contributing some vocals as well. Next up was an extended version of the rocker “Cry If You Want” from the “It’s Hard” album.
A pair of songs from 1969’s “Tommy” album were up next. Townshend’s guitar was all over “Pinball Wizard,’ which also featured very strong vocals by Daltrey, That went right into a stellar performance of “See Me, Feel Me” that was highlighted by Daltrey’s commanding lead vocals and Townshend’s outstanding guitar playing. “Love Reign O’er Me” from 1973’s “Quadrophenia” is one of the highlights of the album.
“Long Live Rock,” which first appeared on the 1974 collection “Odds and Sods”, had Daltrey and Townshend trading off on lead vocals, a cool guitar intro by Townshend, and impressive keyboards by Gorman.
In front of an enrapt New York audience in Flushing Meadows, Queens, founding members Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle joined with drummer Kenney Jones to perform both new songs and old favourites. The 1982 North American tour was ultimately the last one to feature Jones in the drummer’s seat, and The Who’s final such trek until 1989. (Jones had replaced the late Keith Moon for two studio albums, 1981’s “Face Dances” and 1982’s “It’s Hard”.
The performances of “Love Reign O’er Me” and “Behind Blue Eyes” are currently streaming on Mercury Studios’ YouTube channel. Though the original DVD and Blu-ray releases are now out-of-print, they remain available from second hand sellers. Look for “Live at Shea Stadium 1982” on March 1st
There are rumours that The Who are now closing in on the end of their performing career. Daltrey turns 80 on March 1st, the release date of this album. And Townshend will be 79 in May. Daltrey and Townshend will be performing with The Who backed by an orchestra at two shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 20th for the benefit of Teenage Cancer Trust, a U.K. charity that raises funds to build dedicated cancer wards for teenagers in hospitals throughout the U.K. Daltrey serves as patron for the charity.
Celebrate the iconic careers and legacies of the greatest British rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones with their new live albums. “The Stones’ Live at the Wiltern” was recorded during the band’s Los Angeles stop of the Licks World Tour of 2002 and includes recordings of rarely played classics including “No Expectations.”
The Rolling Stones embarked on the Licks World Tour in 2002 & 2003 to celebrate their 40th anniversary, featuring the band performing in arenas and stadiums, in addition to the occasional theatre. In November 2002, the Stones arrived in Los Angeles to perform at a packed Wiltern Theatre, treating fans to a set heavy on rarities which feel right at home in such an intimate setting.
While some of the hits are performed, this night at the Wiltern is for the rarely played classics, including “Stray Cat Blues”, “No Expectations” and a cover of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” featuring a guest spot by the legendary Solomon Burke, who opened the show that night.
Irish four-piece Some Remain have a new single ‘Dead Sound’, and their fifth to date. It’s the latest of 3 singles to be recorded with Felipé Loughran-Ponce in Fused Ion Studios, Galway, moving away from their self-recorded early singles. ‘Dead Sound’ captures a wild abandon, rough and raucous yet somehow tight. The track canters along at pace, all punky vibes and static fuelled guitars.
This is a track that makes you feel the band is having the time of their lives. Some Remain are building a reputation based on the quality high energy of their live shows. Lyrically ‘Dead Sound’ follows the antics of a dead sound lad on a night out. The garage-punk energy here is totally infectious.
There is also a tongue in cheek humour here. Mid-track the whole sound gets completely out of control until the electric riffs of the guitar eventually everything back on track. The beat and pace is manic to the end – and that final note! Just class timing.
Portland outfit Sun Atoms debut their new single ‘Ceiling Tiles’ today, released via Little Cloud Records digitally and on7″ vinyl. The video follows ghosts on a velvety caper through an endless maze, arriving at a house of cards on the verge of metaphysical collapse. The B-side complements chills with thrills with a unique rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic, here dubbed ‘Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)’.
Anchored by a rumbling baseline of Peter G. Holmström (The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport), the rhythmic portents of multi-instrumentalist June Kang, Mars de Ponte (LoveBomb Go-Go) and L.A. drummer Eric Rubalcava and Boise native Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez(Hi Hazel).
The Swirling keyboards, chiming psych tinged licks and the foreboding attitude dashed vocals of Jsun Atoms (The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine) craft a foreboding and bristling concoction, it has echoes of the likes of the Mission, The Sisters of Mercy, or the propulsive sound of Leonard Cohen‘s ”I’m Your Man’ album. The single was mixed by the iconic Jagz Kooner (Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Oasis, Garbage). This is the first taste of the band’s second album, to be released in late spring.
2021 brought the band’s debut album“Let There Be Light,” also produced by Holmström and mixed by the iconic Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, The Cranberries), involving performances by the likes of The Vandelles’ Jasno Swarez, The Black Angels’ Alex Maas and Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, Blitzen Trapper).
“When I was a child, I saw a being made of light climb through my bedroom window, they stood at the foot of my bed and reached out to touch my foot,” explains Jsun Atoms. “Mesmerizing and haunting, much like the new Sun Atoms single ‘Ceiling Tiles’, which reveals a story of characters living under a faux sky being manipulated to make it appear that the stars are aligning, when in fact, above this tiled Truman Show, the stars are doing just that. The characters in the song go about their day-to-day dance while the globe they are spinning on becomes an eye.”
Filmed by Brady Tuazon, this video follows several characters, who come to life from of a deck of tarot cards. An amalgamation of new colours in psychedelic, dark wave, and post-modern pop, ‘Ceiling Tiles’ explores a dreamy netherworld peeling away under the heartbeat like a synthesized glove. A cautionary tale of a dystopian future, some of which is already materializing before our eyes now, we follow the characters into a mirror, where they live outside of the lines under a faux sky, only to find that the planet itself is an eye, crying rain.Do they make it through the maze of plastic plants and security guards and get the message out in order to light up the world?
Working within the boundaries of black and white let us emphasize the theme of two worlds in a psychedelic noir manner. Portraying each member as their normal selves and as a ghost version adds another layer to the duality. It makes us ask the questions, “If our own ghosts saw us today, would they be kind and encouraging to us? Or would they be spirits signaling their existence as a cautionary tale? Filming the video was a true testament of the grit and creative solidarity at the core of Portland creatives. We had limited time and resources to pull this off”.
As Sun Atoms kicked off 2024 by playing three sold-out shows at Portland’s historic Revolution Hall, opening for Dinosaur Jr., this presented the perfect chance to shoot this video. With its long stairways and iconic brick facade as the ideal backdrop for this monochromatic video, here unfolds a mysterious tale of characters living between worlds and connected by Jean Cocteau’s famously mirrored portal.
As of February 23rd, the ‘Ceiling Tiles’ is available on 7″ vinyl and from fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Sun Atoms will be releasing a album in late spring.
