The Fat Angel Sings

Recorded in session at the Electronic Sound studio earlier in 2023, Andy Bell’s Glok project is a swirl of electronic psychedelia with processed guitar spiralling around the soundscape. It has its roots in Andy’s background as co-conspirator in shoegaze legends Ride, also best known as the Ride guitarist and formerly the bassist of Oasis, as well as taking inspiration from similarly experimental forefathers like Neu! and Can. At the same time, Glok encompasses echoes of decades of British electronic music and club culture to produce a mind-expanding trip of dazzling sounds. As GLOK, Andy has released two prior albums “Dissident” and “Pattern Recognition” which turned out to be a surprise dance chart number one.

Andy said: “ GLOK started off as an attempt by me to start to make electronic film scores. I didn’t get to make any, but I did get offered the chance to put some tracks out on cassette on a label called Bytes. The cassette sold out, and we decided to make vinyl, that sold out as well, and away we went.

The album is an exclusive Electronic Sound release only available here, and this first edition of just 500 units pressed on transparent yellow vinyl is sure to sell out fast.

Like this year’s acclaimed ‘Moving On Skiffle’, ‘Accentuate The Positive’ sees Van Morrison returning to one of his childhood passions: this time rock ‘n’ roll. Growing up in Belfast shortly after World War II, he was immensely inspired by the heady sounds of 20th century blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Several decades later, Van Morrison now revisits the genre by reimagining some of his personal favourites for ‘Accentuate The Positive’, and infusing those timeless songs with an energy that constantly challenges and expands upon its traditions.

Growing up in Belfast shortly after World War II, he was immensely inspired by the heady sounds of 20th century blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Listening to artists such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers, it wasn’t long until Van was intuitively reinterpreting these sounds with his own band in local hometown venues.

For this record, Van Morrison lends his own signature sound to some of his personal favourites for “Accentuate The Positive”, and infusing those timeless songs with an energy that constantly challenges and expands upon its traditions. Van’s inimitable voice combined with superb arrangements and highly accomplished brings a fresh zeal to such great songs as The Johnny Burnette Trio’s, ‘Lonesome Train’, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates’, ‘Shakin’ All Over’ and Big Joe Turner’s pioneering rock ‘n’ roll hit, ‘Flip, Flop and Fly’. “Shakin’ All Over” is actually a song Morrison played decades back

Special guests featured on the album include vocals from Chris Farlowe and electric guitar from the late Jeff Beck on “Lonesome Train” and guitar from Taj Mahal on “Lucille” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll is about simplicity, sincerity and expressive power and there’s no way you can get away from that,” said Van Morrison in a statement. “That’s why it’s good and that’s why it’s lasted.” It’s spirit music.’

Morrison’s re-imagined version of “Problems” is the latest preview of “Accentuate the Positive“, a new album due out soon

Black Pumas have released “Mrs. Postman,” the second track to be shared ahead of their the second recording album “Chronicles of a Diamond”, out on October 27th via ATO Records. The track, which features a hypnotic piano melody, head-nodding drums, and a well-placed tambourine beneath vocalist Eric Burton’s spectacular voice, was written alongside keyboardist JaRon Marshall, marking the first time Black Pumas have co-written with another musician.

Regarding the collaboration, multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada explained, “JaRon and I used to get together on afternoons and make hip-hop beats for fun, and ‘Mrs. Postman’ ended up coming out of one of those sessions.” Along with the new single—and a music video directed by Amos David McKay—the Austin-based soul duo has announced new tour dates for 2024 spanning Europe and the US.

“Mrs. Postman” previews the new Black Pumas album ‘Chronicles of a Diamond’ which will be released on October 27th

Iron & Wine has announced “Who Can See Forever“, a new live record that accompanies a documentary concert film of the same name, set to arrive November 17th on Sub Pop Records.

The live record was once considered a staple of an artist’s discography. A document capturing a moment in time or perhaps reinventing older material as it was being given new life or perhaps showcasing a band at the height of their prowess, it was a standard release in every band’s catalogue. Recently, the internet has made bootlegging almost non-existent as bands specialize in offering board-quality downloads that can be equally as important as a band’s official releases. The live experience has always been the going-to-church portion of our communal experience, and the live record should capture that spirit and energy. With those goals in mind, Iron & Wine offer their first official live record with the career-spanning set “Who Can See Forever”.

Captured by director Josh Sliffe at Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC, the soundtrack features 19 songs from Sam Beam’s 20-plus-year career. “Who Can See Forever” includes reimagined versions of Iron & Wine songs, including “The Trapeze Swinger,” “Boy with a Coin” and “Naked as We Came.” Initially intended as a live concert film, the film “evolved into a visual portrait capturing Beam during a creative outburst,” one that lasted four years and resulted in multiple Grammy nominations. 

“Who Can See Forever” is produced by Sam Beam and was recorded by his longtime live sound engineer Jelle Kuiper, “Who Can See Forever” Soundtrack, out on Sub Pop Records 11/17/23.

“See That Girl 1979-2000”, the newly announced Kirsty MacColl box set.  Kirsty fans have been reasonably well served over the years, when it comes to reissues, since Salvo put out 2CD sets of most of her albums just over a decade ago and Demon Music released a 5CD set called “Days 1988-1991” back in 2018. There’s also been numerous compilations.

And yet, as is often the way, “See That Girl”, which is a new 8CD package, manages to offer a massive 47 previously unreleased tracks! This includes a whole album, called “Real”, recorded in 1983 that Polydor never released.

The set looks great and is packaged just like the Bobbie Gentry or Richard and Linda Thompson boxes of recent years, in a 10-inch slipcase with a hardcover book and discs in gatefold folio/wallets.

It’s hard to write or even think about Kirsty MacColl without feeling that pang because she died so young and in such tragic and shocking circumstances. But this set was created in cooperation with her estate and it looks like a wonderful summary of her all too short life in music.

Kirsty released five albums during her lifetime – “Desperate Character” (Polydor, 1981), “Kite” (Virgin, 1989), “Electric Landlady” (Virgin, 1991), “Titanic Days” (ZTT, 1993) and “Tropical Brainstorm” (V2, 2000). “See That Girl” brings together 161 tracks recorded between 1979 and 2000 and has been compiled in collaboration with Kirsty’s estate. 

Other highlights include nine tracks from Kirsty’s 1992 Glastonbury performance, a Jazz Cafe set from 1999 and live performances originally recorded for BBC radio and television.

The eighth and final CD in this set features a selection of collaborations with other artists, as either singer or songwriter, and illustrates how in-demand and versatile Kirsty’s extraordinary talents were.

“See That Girl 1979-2000” will be released on 27 October 2023 via UMR.

‘The Masterplan’ is an extraordinary collection of B-sides originally featured on singles from Oasis’ era-defining first three albums, ‘Definitely Maybe’ (1994), ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ (1995), and ‘Be Here Now’ (1997). Far from being inferior to the singles they backed, many of the 14 tracks that feature on ‘The Masterplan’ have become as cherished as the band’s biggest singles from that seminal period. Such was the quality, particularly from the first two albums, it has become a firm fan favourite over the years, even though everyone bought the CD singles at the time!

All of the Oasis’ studio albums went to number one in the UK but “The Masterplan” fell short, peaking at No 2, despite selling almost 122,000 copies in its first week of release.

The album includes tracks ‘Acquiesce’, ‘Half The World Away’, ‘Talk Tonight’, Oasis’ iconic live cover of The Beatles’ ‘I Am The Walrus’ and the epic title track. Noel has often described ‘The Masterplan’ as one of the best songs he has ever written.

Formats include CD, Heavyweight Black LP and limited-edition Silver LP, to celebrate 25 years.

‘The Masterplan’ charted at No.2 in the UK Official Album Chart UK selling over 122,000 copies in its first week.  It went on to be certified triple platinum and has sold over three million copies worldwide.

For a half-century, Bruce Springsteen has galvanized millions beyond the state lines of his native New Jersey – but there’s something about home that makes his work really special. Fans can and will debate which of his many, many live concerts have been the best – there’s a fair argument to be made that the best took place far from the tri-state area – and since 2014, Springsteen himself has offered ways to fuel the debates, releasing decades of live releases from the Thrill Hill archive and beyond as hi-res CD and digital releases on Nugs.net.

In 2019, Legacy Recordings – minders of Springsteen’s Columbia Records catalogue – started bringing the work of the Nugs team to a wider audience with “The Live Series”, a run of streaming-only compilations highlighting Springsteen’s concert presence from those available shows. Since then, a baker’s dozen of digital albums have been made available, often built around different themes and motifs in Springsteen’s songwriting: love, hope, introspection, the characters he wrote about, the times he played acoustic numbers, two volumes of cover songs, and even a special release earlier this year dedicated to the “Darkness on the Edge of Town” tour in honour of the album’s 45th anniversary.

Their latest “Live Series” release – timed just right with Springsteen’s 74th birthday tomorrow (Saturday, September 23rd) may be their most obvious yet – but thanks to a keen execution, it might also be one of their greatest.

It doesn’t take a genius to guess what “The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey” is about. Bruce still calls the Garden State home, even after a brief relocation to the West Coast, and the ghosts and geography of his old neighbourhoods weave their way through his songbook effortlessly. But this set really drives the theme home in more ways than one. While most of “The Live Series” is in strict chronological order and a tight 15 tracks apiece, “Songs of New Jersey” beefs things up to 20 tracks, and keeps the action squarely to venues in New Jersey and New York, showcasing how these songs come alive in the shadow of the places that inspired them.

This one can be taken as a history of live music in the New Jersey area. “Songs of New Jersey” opens with a thunderous, arena-sized rendition of “Born to Run” recorded at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford in 1981; it closes with a rendition of “Freehold,” a song written during the promotion of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (1995) but never released on a studio album, at a show on the very same stage in 1999, when The E Street Band began a triumphant reunion. (The venue was, by then, renamed the Continental Airlines Arena; it’s now used for film and TV production.) In between, there are no less than 11 more cuts from shows in the Meadowlands complex – either at Brendan Byrne/Continental Airlines Arena or, just across Route 120, the former Giants Stadium, itself torn down in 2010 and replaced by MetLife Stadium. Springsteen wrote the title track to 2012’s “Wrecking Ball” about that change, and performs it at MetLife that same year, as heard on this compilation.

More rarities abound on “Songs of New Jersey”, as well. You’ll hear a 1978 take on “Born to Run” deep cut “Meeting Across the River,” recorded at the now-closed Capitol Theatre in Passaic; a full-band rendition of “Nebraska” single “Atlantic City” from Newark’s Prudential Center in 2016; a cover of bandmate Steven Van Zandt’s “I Don’t Want to Go Home” (made popular by fellow Jersey Shore rockers Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes) during a solo acoustic gig in 1996; and a stirring rendition of “New York City Serenade,” rarely-played closer to 1973’s “The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle”, at – where else? – Madison Square Garden in 2009, featuring a full string section and part of a surprise performance of the album in full.

Another pleasant surprise is the presence of three songs from Springsteen’s oft-debated 1992-1993 world tour – the one where he took his “Other Band” (featuring only keyboardist Roy Bittan retained from the E Street Band) on tour in support of 1992’s “Human Touch” and “Lucky Town” releases. The latter album is represented (“Local Hero”), but so too are albums known for a proliferation of E Streeters (Born to Run’s “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”) or absence of anyone else (“Open All Night,” from the skeletal acoustic “Nebraska”). These three will surely keep the debate about those years going strong.

The extra-long set reminds the listener of the ongoing vitality of The E Street Band, which has changed shape in recent years: seven tracks capture the band after the 2008 passing of keyboardist Danny Federici, while five feature Jake Clemons’ unenviable task of filling in for his late uncle Clarence on saxophone. (By that point, The E Street Band – which had already welcomed Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, violinist Soozie Tyrell and Federici’s replacement Charlie Giordano into the fold – had expanded into a traveling caravan featuring three additional horn players and a quartet of soulful backing vocalists.) But, to paraphrase a statement the singer was keen on making after Clemons’ passing, they’re here if we are. “Songs of New Jersey” offers The E Street Band at its best and brightest over several generations.

Debates about Springsteen’s latest tour have certainly burned bright: the dynamic pricing issue caused fan site Backstreets to shutter in protest, and fans seemed particularly irked by what was seen as a relatively static setlist between shows. But those bumps in the road, past or present, can’t overshadow what the music of Bruce Springsteen – with or without The E Street Band – means to so many. And “The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey” is a strong reminder of how heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, booty-shaking and life-changing these songs have been for so many.

Bob Dylan made a surprise appearance at the Farm Aid Benefit show last night, performing three songs with a backing band that included Mike Campbell, Belmont Tench and Steve Ferrone of the Heartbreakers. The black-clad Dylan walked onstage without any introduction and played a short but intense set. 

Playing electric guitar instead of the keyboards and grand piano he has favoured at his own recent shows over the past two decades, Dylan opened with “Maggie’s Farm” from his 1965’s “Bringing It All Back Home”. He then performed the 1965 single “Positively 4th Street” and closed another 1965 song, “Ballad of a Thin Man” from “Highway 61 Revisited”. He left the stage as quickly as he arrived, without saying anything to the crowd.

It was the first time Dylan had played “Maggie’s Farm” since 2009 and the first time he played “Positively 4th Street” since 2013. While he is famous for significantly re-arranging his most famous songs in concert, Dylan stayed surprisingly close to their original sound on these songs.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers served as Dylan’s backing band on his 1986 True Confession and 1987 Temples in Flames tours. Campbell and Tench were in the band at that time, Ferrone joined in 1994.

It was Dylan’s onstage comments at 1985’s Live Aid concert about American farmers needing financial assistance that inspired Willie Nelson to stage the first Farm Aid later that same year.

“I hope that some of the money … maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe … one or two million, maybe … and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks,” Dylan said. His question did not sit well with Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof. Angry that Dylan was taking the focus off the victims of the 1983-1985 Ethiopian famine Live Aid was organized to help, he labelled them “crass, stupid and nationalistic.” But Nelson felt differently. “The question hit me like a ton of bricks,”

Neil Young and John Mellencamp helped Nelson launch the now-annual event, which has to date raised over $64 million to support family farms and a sustainable food system. Farm Aid’s guiding board now includes Dave Matthews and Margo Price, and Saturday’s bill also featured the Grateful Dead’s Bobby Weir & the Wolf Bros. featuring the Wolfpack, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident and Particle Kid. Also on the bill: Clayton Anderson, The Black Opry featuring Lori Rayne, Tylar Bryant and Kyshona, the Jim Irsay Band, featuring Ann Wilson of Heart, Native Pride Productions and the Wisdom Indian Dancers.

Nearly 10 years in the making, “The Task Has Overwhelmed Us” is the long-awaited fourth volume in The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project series. Conceived in 2006 by the late Gun Club titan’s guitarist Cypress Grove, the Project has always aimed to highlight Pierce as one of America’s most fascinatingly influential singer-songwriters of the last century while propelling his outpourings into modern times by placing it in the hands of former collaborators, friends and fans. Following 2009’s “We Are Only Riders”, 2012’s “The Journey Is Long” and 2014’s “Axels and Sockets”, “The Task Has Overwhelmed Us” presents stellar interpretations of tracks from Pierce’s Gun Club and solo canons along with fresh works constructed from rehearsal skeletons, previously unheard lyrics, songs only performed live. Taking song ideas without lyrics and words looking for musical settings gave rise to what Cypress Grove calls “Frankenstein songs.”

The stellar roll-call of contributors features the recurring core of Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Lydia Lunch, Youth, Jim Jones, Warren Ellis, Mark Stewart, Hugo Race, Cypress plus Mick Harvey and J.P. Shilo and even Jeffrey himself from original tapes.

These are joined by new bloods including Dave Gahan, Suzie Stapleton, Duke Garwood, Pam Hogg, The Coathangers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Peter Hayes and Leah Shapiro, Humanist, The Walkabouts’ Chris Eckman, Jozef van Wissem, Jim Jarmusch, Chantal Acda and Welsh space-rockers Sendelica with vocalists Wonder and Dynamax Roberts.”

The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project “The Task Has Overwhelmed Us” out September 29th, 2023 on Glitterhouse Records.

Wilco have shared a new song called “Cousin.” It’s the title track from their forthcoming Cat Le Bon–produced LP, due out later this month via dBpm. They’ll support the album with a U.S. tour, kicking off later this month.

Wilco previously shared “Cousin’s” “Evicted” in August. The new album is out September 29th and follows last year’s “Cruel Country”. “I’m cousin to the world,” Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy confesses. “I don’t feel like I’m a blood relation, but maybe I’m a cousin by marriage.” Produced by the singular Welsh artist Cate Le Bon, “Cousin” marks the first time since “Sky Blue Sky” that Wilco have handed the reins over to a producer outside their immediate circle of collaborators. Le Bon’s influences — among them the inclusion of saxophone, cheap Japanese guitars, and a cinematic, new wave-style drum machine — drive the album into the future.

The result is Wilco’s most pointed and evocative album, one related but not tied to our present moment, truly new ground for a band that has tested musical boundaries throughout its lengthy career. Longtime admirers of each other’s work, Wilco and Le Bon first met at the band’s Solid Sound Festival in 2019, where they formed an immediate connection, inspiring Tweedy to invite Le Bon to the band’s famed Chicago studio, The Loft, in 2022 to work on “Cousin”.

Le Bon pushed the band to take risks, repurposing Wilco’s established strengths and challenging them to oppose habits — all the while maintaining what has, for the last 30 years, defined Wilco as a band, their fearlessness, made possible by musical virtuosity and the secret language only a family shares. “The amazing thing about Wilco is they can be anything,” Le Bon says. “They’re so mercurial, and there’s this thread of authenticity that flows through everything they do, whatever the genre, whatever the feel of the record. There aren’t many bands who are able to, this deep into a successful career, successfully change things up.”