The Fat Angel Sings

New York City via Philadelphia quartet Strange Ranger are releasing a new album, “Pure Music”, released through Fire Talk. Now the band have shared the album’s fourth single, “Wide Awake,” via a music video. Lola Dement Myers directed the video.

“I was thinking about these flashes of memory that stick in your head forever,” Eiger says of “Wide Awake” in a press release. “Bursts of senses that return every now and again but don’t lead anywhere beyond themselves like a GIF in your brain. It’s weird to think about what stays with you and if that’s at all related to how important the thing in question was.”

“Pure Music” includes “Rain So Hard,” a new song the band shared in March. Then when the album was announced in May, the band shared its second single, “She’s on Fire,” via a music video. Then the band shared a further track and the bands third single, “Way Out.” 

“She’s on Fire” has a bit of an ’80s vibe at the start before it embraces ’90s shoegaze (the previous press release cited My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless). 

“Pure Music” is the follow-up to 2019’s “Remembering the Rockets” album and 2021’s “No Light in Heaven” . The album was written while Eiger and Woodman were breaking up and was recorded in a cabin in Upstate New York during a blizzard.

“With a few exceptions, I can’t tell whose production ideas were whose, when I listen back to it,” said Nixon in a previous press release. “We were literally trapped in this cabin, manically working at all hours, and the energy was crazy, in a fun way.”

“Music makes us transcend the feeling of being alienated from or trapped by the world,” Woodman added. “I want the experience of listening to “Pure Music” to be euphoric.”

Strange Ranger is Isaac Eiger, Fiona Woodman, Nathan Tucker, and Fred Nixon.

Christine McVie left a staggering $135 million fortune when she passed away on 30th November 2022, at 79, following a “short illness”.

As news.com.au reported in December, McVie had signed a deal to sell the rights to her entire music catalogue of 115 songs. The fortune reveal arrives days after a previously unheard solo McVie song, “Little Darlin’, was shared by record label Rhino Records. The groovy track was written during the recording sessions of her 2004 solo album, “In The Meantime”.

“Little Darlin’ was unveiled in celebration of what would’ve been McVie’s 80th birthday, which took place on Wednesday, 12th July. In addition to releasing “Little Darlin’, Rhino Records have revealed plans to reissue “In The Meantime” and McVie’s self-titled 1984 debut solo album. Her nephew, Dan Perfect, is overseeing the project.

“When my aunt Christine McVie died unexpectedly last year, plans were already afoot for the re-release of this solo album, which is perhaps her most personal and intimate project,” He added, “I dearly wish that she could have lived to see this re-release as she would have been delighted.”

Christine McVie was known for penning numerous Fleetwood Mac hits, including “Everywhere”, “Songbird”, “You Make Loving Fun” and “Little Lies2. 

Newport Folk Festival—58 Years Later, On July 25th, 1965, amidst an atmosphere brimming with anticipation, Bob Dylan stepped onto the Newport Folk Festival stage. The audience, composed of devoted folk music enthusiasts, eagerly awaited the familiar strumming of his acoustic guitar. But as the first notes reverberated through the air, something remarkable unfolded. Dylan plugged in his guitar, surrounded himself with a band, and unleashed a wave of amplified sound that left the crowd in awe.

This bold departure from his traditional acoustic folk roots signaled a turning point in Dylan’s career and a seismic shift in the music industry. The walls that separated genres and expectations came crashing down as he fearlessly embraced the power of electricity. His haunting voice, combined with the raw energy of the band, created a sonic landscape that defied categorization and captivated audiences worldwide.

Dylan’s setlist that night was a carefully curated blend of his folk classics and newly birthed songs that reflected his evolving artistic vision. From the poignant “Mr. Tambourine Man” to the raucous “Like a Rolling Stone,” he painted vivid portraits with his lyrics, challenging the status quo and stirring the collective conscience of a generation.

Bob Dylan with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Al Kooper at the Newport Folk Festival 1965 This was the second of three songs in the famous ‘Dylan goes electric’ controversy at Newport, played right after ‘Maggie’s Farm’, and before ‘Phantom Engineer’. He then left the stage and came back to play two more songs on an acoustic guitar.

The impact of Dylan’s Newport performance rippled far beyond that summer night. It became a symbol of artistic rebellion and a catalyst for change. He shattered the expectations of what a folk musician could be and opened the floodgates for a new wave of songwriters and performers to explore uncharted territories.

Looking back, we celebrate not only the musical brilliance of Bob Dylan but also the enduring spirit of innovation and artistic courage that he embodied. His Newport Folk Festival performance stands as a testament to the transformative power of music and its ability to challenge conventions, provoke thought and inspire generations to come.

As we honour the 58th anniversary of this monumental event, let us remember the timeless melodies and profound lyrics that continue to resonate with audiences today. Bob Dylan’s 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance remains etched in our collective memory as a milestone in music history, forever reminding us of the extraordinary power of an artist unafraid to forge their own path.

Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica, Mike Bloomfield – electric guitar Al Kooper – organ Elvin Bishop/Jerome Arnold (Unknown?) – bass guitar Sam Lay – drums electrified one half of his audience, and electrocuted the other

Take a deep dive into “Like a Rolling Stone” in the Columbia Records Gallery.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Rachel Sweet signed to Stiff Records and released her first album, “Fool Around”, in 1978, dropping out of high school to concentrate on her singing career, Stiff signed the young singer and debuted her on “The Akron Compilation“. her first album, “Fool Around”, with backing from the Rumour in 1978. although she was still required to devote time to her studies. Sweet was backed by the power pop band The Records on the Stiff Records package tour in 1978. The album was a critical success, but sales were poor, although she did have some success with the single “B-A-B-Y” (a cover of the 1966 Carla Thomas song), a top-40 hit in the UK. 

The record label generated some controversy by pushing a Lolita-like image for her. Her follow-up album, “Protect the Innocent”, produced by Martin Rushent and Alan Winstanley, was largely ignored by the public and the music press, although it was popular with her fans and launched a well-received North American tour in 1980 with her band The Toys.

1979 single from American singer Rachel Sweet, released on Stiff as a single in the UK, and on the US version of her debut album “Fool Around”, Sweet enjoyed reasonable success with her other releases, but largely retired from music in 1982.

She signed to Columbia Records in 1981, releasing the album “… And Then He Kissed Me” and its hit single “Everlasting Love”,  The album also includes “Shadows of the Night,” later a hit for Pat Benatar.

Sweet released only one more album, 1982’s “Blame It on Love”, Sweet retired from the music business to pursue an education, returning sporadically, most notably to sing the title track to John Waters’ “Hairspray”, as well as “Cry-Baby”. Her focus later turned to acting.

“the little girl with the big voice” made some terrific music, holding her own on a roster that had no shortage of talent.

Albums

• Fool Around (1978), 
• Protect the Innocent (1980),
• … And Then He Kissed Me (1981), 
• Blame It on Love (1982),

This year marks the 10th year anniversary of our first record, and our baby, “Days Are Gone”This record was a labour of love, with songs we’d been writing since high school in our living room. To celebrate, we made a special edition re-issue of our vinyl and cd that comes out September 29th. The pre sale is live NOW! Alsooo we will be playing the album front to back, top to bottom at some venue’s, The 2013 album will be re-released as a 2CD deluxe set and a 2LP edition pressed on transparent green vinyl. Both offer additional audio in the form demos and remixes which has been compiled by the band. 

A first time to vinyl reissue treatment of Haims chart-topping debut album “Days Are Gone” (2013), in celebration of the 10th anniversary. Featuring the six singles, ‘Forever’, ‘Don’t Save Me’, ‘Falling’, ‘The Wire’, ‘If I Could Change Your Mind’ & ‘My Song 5’, the record hasn’t been reissued since its release in 2013. Housed in an entirely new package, the album features a track list compiled by the band of their favourite demos and remixes on transparent green vinyl. Also features an exclusive fold out poster.

Richard Jobson may be the only original member left standing in first wave Scottish post-punkers, the Skids’ line up. But almost 45 years on from the release of their debut album, “Sacred to Dance”, the band is again pumping out anthemic rockers in the same vein as when they first started out.

Original guitarist, Stuart Adamson is sadly long gone but Bruce Watson from Adamson’s post-Skids group, Big Country, has picked up the torch from his former band mate. “Open Your Eyes” and “Tidal Wave” particularly see him standing confidently in Adamson’s shoes, banging out the riffs and lending his voice to the football terrace choruses.

“Here We Go”, “How to be Free” and the title track – in fact, pretty much the whole album – are clearly cast from the same mould as the band’s anthemic singles “Working for the Yankee Dollar” and the magnificent “Into the Valley”, from their first go-round. But Jobson’s voice is also still in fine shape, Watson’s riffs are full of spirit and the rhythm section of Gil Allan and Nick Hernandez provide plenty of heft to keep things moving along.

Make no mistake, “Destination Düsseldorf” is filler-free and no pale imitation of past glories. In fact, fans from that time will be hard pushed to notice any distinct change in their sound from the late seventies. Even, “Things We’ve Seen”, a musical trip around Berlin, which has a substantial flavouring of Bowie’s Low album, is a reflection of that city in those days and tells tales of running into the Thin White Duke himself, Lou Reed, William Burroughs and other counter-cultural heroes. Not that there is anything wrong with that at all. After all, there are plenty of other parallels within wider society between then and now during these difficult days. And that is far more disconcerting.

Last Night From Glasgow Released on: 30th June 2023

“I Inside the Old Year Dying” , the latest release from PJ Harvey, For a while back there it looked like we had lost PJ Harvey to the realm of poetry, the documentary field trips to Kosovo and Afghanistan which inspired her previous album “The Hope Six Demolition Project” awakening new ways of writing and the following world tour draining her enthusiasm for music.

Last summer, she made her first Scottish appearance in years – at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, to promote a poetry collection conceived under the mentorship of Don Paterson. But a rekindling of her musical spirit was already underway and her first album in seven years is another creative volte-face, as Harvey switches from the macro concerns of “Let England Shake” and “The Hope Six Demolition Project” to a micro folk world drawn in archaic language with improvised arrangements and field recording embellishments from longtime collaborators Flood and John Parish.

On “I Inside the Old Year Dying”, Harvey uses the extremes of her vocal range – her haunting higher register and an androgynous alto – but it is what she is uttering that is most alluring and unsettling. Did she really just sing “speak your worldle to me” in the falsetto blues of Prayer at the Gate? It transpires that there are many more intriguing wordles where that came from – for example, “tree-tears” are leaves and “nuts” means “joy” (but also “testicles”).

Ancient rubs up against modern – the damsel protagonist of “Lwonesome Tonight” carries “in her satchel Pepsi fizz” – as Harvey draws on the folklore of her native Dorset and weaves in biblical, historical and Shakespearean references into a woozy bucolic landscape populated by a council of birds and a recurring character called Wyman Elvis.

There is plenty to unpick if you wish; alternatively, just follow Harvey in revelling in the sounds of words as much as the meaning and the joys of witchy blues she conjures. The stridently strummed acoustic guitar of the title track is something to hold on to, a breadcrumb trail back to previous work – the ethereal ambience of “White Chalk” being the closest relative to this intoxicating comeback from an artist always one step ahead. 

Polly Jean Harvey – vocals, electric guitar John Parish – acoustic guitar, drums, vocals Cecil – keyboards, field recordings Colin Morgan – backing vocals

‘I Inside the Old I Dying’ is taken from the new album ‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’, out July 7th on Partisan Records:

“When I feel a connection to a song, when I love a song, when I start playing and feeling it enter my body, when I learn a song, it’ll come back out with my personality on it,” Juliana Hatfield explained during our 2018 interview with the prolific singer-songwriter-musician in conjunction with the release of her initial covers set “Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John”. Indeed, she also applied her unique personal stamp upon the songs of The Police for her second covers album “Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police” (2019) and now she’s vowed to do so once again with the discography of another iconic band.

Slated for release later this year on November 17th courtesy of American Laundromat Records as the follow-up to her 2021 studio album “Blood”, “Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO” finds her reimagining ten songs culled from Electric Light Orchestra’s classic oeuvre, including the lead offering “Don’t Bring Me Down” originally featured on the band’s 1979 “Discovery” LP.

“ELO songs were always coming on the radio when I was growing up,” Hatfield reflects in an official statement. “They were a reliable source of pleasure and fascination,” she explains. “With this album of covers I wanted to get my hands deep into some of the massive ‘70’s hits but I am also shining a light on some of the later work…My task was to try and break all the things down and reconstruct them subtly until they felt like mine.”

American Laundromat Records, Inc. Released on: 23rd May 2023

I’m so excited to share with you the vinyl for my new album!! I put a lot of love into the design and I’m so happy with how everything turned out. The Canadian version is made from 100% recycled material from the re-grind of other projects, so every record will be different and have a unique colour combo which I think is super cool. For the rest of the world, you can pre-order the sea foam green colour!

A little bit about “Fake Happy”…

I wrote this song about a relationship that drifted.. Over the years we grew apart and trying to maintain a connection had begun to feel uncomfortable. I think sometimes we cling (by we I mean ME) onto what’s left of friendships even if our values no longer align and we’ve changed as people. I don’t know if it’s a getting older thing but I’ve come to realize how important it is to focus my energy on the people who support me and are positive sources in my life.

So much love and hugs to Sean Sroka aka Ten Kills The Pack (producing this with me and putting in so much love and care to everything all the time), Graham Walsh (synth and engineer guru), Mike Brushey (drumming like a champ), Gavin Gardiner (engineering skillz), Matt Wiggins (mixing so beautifully), Joao Carvelho (mastering w care).