New York electronic quartet Strange Ranger return with their first new single of 2023, “Rain So Hard.” Clocking in at a hair under five minutes, the track is a beautiful depiction of relationship fallout and loneliness. Written as bandmates Isaac Eiger and Fiona Woodman were breaking up, “Rain So Hard” is a document of two people with immense chemistry falling out of each other’s orbit. “Any day there will be no more stars,” Eiger sings. “How do I get out of this movie now?” Woodman chimes in through a harmony. There are elements of vocal distortion, atmospheric shoegaze and grieving electronica bubbling into a sea of loss. But, most immensely, “Rain So Hard” is a striking, synthy haven.
“Rain So Hard” is the new single from Strange Ranger available digitally on Fire Talk. Previously heralded by NPR, Stereogum, Vice, Uproxx & more, the band’s trajectory “imagines a life after indie rock” (Pitchfork). Downtempo synth eloquently buoys the dual voices of Eiger & Woodman, who together lend a melancholic hymn of both hope and desolation that expands slowly into wistful transcendence.
Chicago indie band Ratboys haven’t put out a new full-length LP since 2020’s “Printer’s Devil”, though it seems that something big is creeping along the horizon. In the band’s first single since 2021, “Black Earth, Wi” is an electric and ambitious eight-minute cut of heartland rock and roll. With an explosive solo, a saucy bassline and vocalist Julia Steiner’s perfect twang, Ratboys couldn’t have picked a cooler way to re-emerge. It’s not a stretch to call it the band’s best song yet; their 2017 breakthrough album GN feels like a lifetime of sounds ago. What Steiner and company have assembled is hypnotizing. When the quartet collapses into a sing-along harmony with the guitars around the six-minute mark, it’s ecstasy. “And if that mockingbird don’t sing / Watch her do the twist again / Does that Black Earth freak you out? / And if she’s twisted up too tight / Let the dawn cut through the night / Taken back, don’t leave me out,” Steiner sings, while the band takes us home.
Written by Ratboys Julia Steiner – guitar, vocals Dave Sagan – guitar, talkbox, backing vocals Sean Neumann – bass, guitar, backing vocals Marcus Nuccio – drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals Chris Walla – piano
“Black Earth, WI” by Ratboys, released March 7th, 2023
RIP David Lindley, fantastic multi-instrumentalist who played on so many albums I love. David Lindley, the multi-instrumentalist who was the featured accompanist for Jackson Browne’s band throughout the ’70s and performed on recordings by Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash and David Crosby, Rod Stewart, and Warren Zevon, among others, died today (March 3rd, 2023). The news of his passing at age 78 was shared by many acquaintances on social media. The cause of death was not revealed but it’s known that Lindley had faced several serious medical issues. His daughter, Rosanne Lindley, announced in December that had been hospitalized with pneumonia and also had kidney issues.
Lindley fronted his own band, El Rayo-X. From his official biography: Lindley performed music that redefined the word “eclectic,” long championing the concept of world music. The David Lindley electro-acoustic performance effortlessly combined American folk, blues and bluegrass traditions with elements from African, Arabic, Asian, Celtic, Malagasy and Turkish musical sources. The man who could play any stringed instrument under the sun including ones you never heard of: violin, acoustic and electric guitar, upright and electric bass, banjo, lap steel guitar, mandolin, hardingfele, bouzouki, cittern, bağlama, gumbus, charango, cümbüş, oud, and zither.
Instead of a long winded tribute, here are few nuggets featuring his fine playing on a variety of instruments.
Between 1967 and 1971, Lindley founded and led the psychedelic rock band Kaleidoscope. In 1971, Lindley joined forces with Browne, serving as his most significant musical co-conspirator until 1981.
Terry Reid said What sad news to hear of the passing of my dear friend and former bandmate David Lindley. How blessed I was to have him in my band in the early 70’s. During that time we played the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and there’s a live album of our show. We went on to play the first Glastonbury Festival too . David was a really gifted musician on any instrument with strings and was so in-demand that he played with everybody. He made a huge contribution to both my “River” and “Seed of Memory” albums. Sincere condolences to all his loved ones.
“Banjo“, a track written by David Lindley from the 1969 album “Incredible! Kaleidoscope”. Lindley was a member of Kaleidoscope, a unique psychedelic folk band from the late 1960s:
Kaleidoscope, arguably the first “world music” rock band, decades before the term was coined. They played an “Electric Band Session” as part of the Berkeley Folk Music Festival. Practically every member of the group was a multi-instrumentalist, and David had brought his huge Gibson harp guitar (an early-20th Century Style U) on the road. At one point they’d gotten themselves situated with their chosen instruments when, just before the downbeat, some fan hollered, “Louisiana Man!” They paused, looked at each, and then started exchanging instruments while the crowd laughed. They proceeded to peel off a terrific rendition of Doug Kershaw’s Cajun classic.
When it finally came time for a solo album, 1981’s “El Rayo-X” defied and exceeded all expectations. It was mature, fully realized, and original; eclectic but cohesive. Rather than present a Whitman’s sampler of various styles, he said, “I wanted to have a coherent theme to the whole thing.
Consummation, from Claire Hammill’s excellent 1971 album “One House Left Standing”. Guitar arrangement by David Lindley:
Graham Nash, “Prison Song“, 1974. David Lindley on Mandolin:
Linda Ronstadt, Heart Like A Wheel, 1974. David Lindley plays the fiddle. Linda Ronstadt said of Lindley: “I love DavidLindley. He’s my cousin, and there’s no reason he would ever not be in my life personally and professionally”:
And of course, his most celebrated collaboration with Jackson Browne. Browne called Lindley “My longtime collaborator and musical mentor” in his acceptance speech when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here they are performing “The Load Out” and “Stay” Live at the BBC in 1978. Lindley sings the falsetto part midway through the song:
When remembering his time with Browne, Lindley shared a story of one of there first meetings “Jackson was playing there and I borrowed a fiddle and sat in with him. That was the beginning of it. He liked the way it worked. Then I went to England and played with Terry Reid. Jackson came to London after the first album came out and we did some gigs there. A friend of mine had a club in Cambridge. We played the club and it was fun. Then it was, ‘Let’s do a band thing!’ I thought, ‘That’ll be fun.’”
Obituaries lump him in with soft rock, which was true of much of his ’70s work. But the highlights of countless Jackson Browne concerts were Lindley’s incandescent lap-steel solos on “Doctor My Eyes” and “Running on Empty.” And his performances were also an indelible part of hits by Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Zevon, Dolly Parton, and many more.
Browne stated, “I can’t even call it ‘my music’ when I think about David, because he’s such an integral part of it.”
In 1979, Lindley began working with old friend Ry Cooder on the latter’s “Bop Till You Drop” and “The Long Riders” soundtrack. Their musical collaboration continued for decades with recording projects and world tours as an acoustic duo.
His associates were eager to sing his praises, and I was able to interview several. Booker T. Jones said, “He’s the one who makes the band go,” while Ry Cooder declared, “He has the sensitivity that allows him to grasp what the hell is going on.”
Leland Sklar was among the many musicians who posted a tribute. “I will forever think off David and Jackson as one of the best teams I have ever played with. Both so gifted and so connected ….. so glad for all the years to have enjoyed with you both.”
“The loss of David Lindley is a huge one,” singer Jason Isbell wrote on Twitter. “Without his influence my music would sound completely different. I was genuinely obsessed with his playing from the first time I heard it. The man was a giant.”
Graham Nash also took to social media to pay tribute to Lindley on Friday. “One of the most talented musicians there has ever been,” Nash wrote. “David could play pretty much any instrument you put in front of him with incredible versatility and expression.”
Lindley stood out among the other session musicians, not only because of his impish demeanor, but also because of his raw talent. Known as one of the legendary rock and roll sidemen of his era,
Warren Haynes wrote, “David Lindley was a true stylist and a unique voice on whatever instrument he picked up. His lap steel playing in particular was a big influence on me. I’ve always put David on a short list of major influences on my slide playing- especially on the melodic side. Often times when I’m approaching a song or solo in a major key Lindley’s influence will appear automatically. His style was so vocalesque and his sense of melody was a deep well. I think of some of those Jackson Browne songs with David that we all heard on the radio in the seventies where his solos became part of the song to the point where even non-musicians could hum along. David leaves behind a beautiful trove of music for music lovers to enjoy for centuries to come.”
his ‘Win This Record’ album with El Rayo-X from 1982:
Lindley performed on over 50 records, including his own solo releases and appearances on albums from Leonard Cohen, BruceSpringsteen & the E Street Band, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Barnes, and more.
It starts with fear, because that’s present even in pleasure. As a phantom synth melody swirls between channels in the mix, KarinDreijer’s lyrics return to the same uneasy question: “Did you hear what they call us?” “What They Call Us” hangs a pall over the rest of Radical Romantics, the third album from Dreijer’s solo project Fever Ray. Though Dreijer’s slippery experimental synthpop record never explicitly returns to the social peril of this opener, it looms like a latent hitch to queer desire, a subconscious state that must be confronted to achieve unguarded connection. It’s a thread made all the clearer in a stray aside on second track “Shiver,” with Dreijer interrupting their lustful lyrics with a simple question: “Can I trust you?” It’s a question of unclear directness—is it asked in actual conversation, or to themselves in thought?—but one that places all its impact in unambiguous baggage, holding the tacit hesitancy that comes after past hurt. Dreijer penetrates these themes with pop songwriting that cuts to the chase like a forthright come-on.
For all their uncertain trust on “Shiver,” Dreijer and their brother/former bandmate Olof infuse the song with a deep, bubbly bounce, as if to prove that the track’s unquenchable thirst remains even through anxiety. What makes Radical Romantics, like the best of Dreijer’s work, a cut above merely great pop is its subversive streak. Their lyricism is unapologetically queer while sidestepping empty platitudes, more often nodding to the knotted complexities of queer and trans people’s existence against marginalization and endangerment. Even in the face of apprehension, Fever Ray has never surveyed their own future with this much conviction.
the new Fever Ray album, “Radical Romantics”, out March 10th on Rabid Records
On June 30th, 1971, Stephen Stills released his second solo album. The simply-titled “Stephen Stills 2” peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Top LPs chart and yielded two singles (“Change Partners” and “Marianne”) which peaked just outside of the top 40 on the Hot 100. Stills set off on his first solo tour in support of the album and brought along The Memphis Horns, the brass section which had played on the LP. Omnivore Recordings and Iconic Artists Group have announced the April 28th release of “Live at Berkeley 1971”, a previously unreleased 14-song album drawn from Stills’ concerts at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, CA, on August 20th and 21st, 1971.
The concerts typically opened with a solo acoustic set and closed with an electric one featuring The Memphis Horns. Stills had some surprises in store for the Bay Area audience, however, including an appearance by David Crosby on “You Don’t Have to Cry” (from Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s 1969 eponymous debut) and “The Lee Shore” (which had appeared on CSNY’s 1971 live album “4 Way Street”). The concert as assembled on this release opens with “Love the One You’re With,” Stills‘ infectious hit from his 1970 debut, and includes a medley played on piano of the Stills-penned Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth” and “49 Bye-Byes” which he wrote and sang as the closing track of CSN. A number of songs from “Stephen Stills 2” were also played, including “Sugar Babe,” “Word Game,” “Know You Got to Run,” “Bluebird Revisited,” and “Ecology Song.”
In addition to The Memphis Horns, Stills was joined in Berkeley by Dallas Taylor (drums); Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels (bass); Paul Harris (keyboards); Steve Fromholz (guitar); and Joe Lala (percussion). The original live recording was produced by Stills and recorded by Bill Halverson. Stills produced this first-time release with Kevin McCormick.
Stills comments in the press release for “Live at Berkeley 1971”, The intimacy of the Berkeley Community Theater seemed to serve as a focal point between the audience and the energy surrounding the social climate of the day. It was my first tour as a solo artist and these shows were raucous and unrestrained, captured here in these recordings.”
The concert will be available in 2LP, 1CD, digital, and deluxe box set formats. The latter will be available exclusively at Stills’ webstore and contains the double-LP set, four 8×10 photos by Henry Diltz taken during the tour, and a 12×12 numbered, limited-edition self-portrait framed lithograph signed by Stills. The box set is limited to just 100 copies.
“Live at Berkeley 1971” from Omnivore Recordings and Iconic Artists Group on April 28th.
Some of America’s most beloved and influential musicians were born in Mississippi, from Robert Johnson, B.B. King and Muddy Waters to Elvis Presley, Charley Pride and Bobbie Gentry. And crucially, Black sharecroppers from the northwest sliver of the state—the Mississippi Delta—spawned a sound known as Delta blues, an essential precursor to rock ’n’ roll and a beautifully raw art form in its own right. One of the city’s most exciting bands is MSPAINT, a fiercely political and self-described “pseudo-hardcore” group who are set to release their debut album “Post-American” on Convulse Records.
Raw emotion is at the heart of MSPAINT’s music—so much so that it practically explodes out of them. Their lyrics and album title, “Post-American”, refer to a post-apocalyptic world that’s succumbed to grave threats currently posed by capitalism, state violence, religion, misinformation and technology. The title track describes a “cursed wasteland” of “broken glass beaches” and “powerless plants,” while “Free From the Sun” paints a scene of “densely set fog,” “bleak street lights” and “dead flower smell.”
But these images aren’t nihilistic, they’re urgent wake-up calls. “Post-American” suggests that it’s imperative to grasp just how horrific things are in order to make change, and to keep the beauty that power brokers rob from people at the front of one’s mind. Deedee’s stream-of-consciousness poetry is rather artful, mixing imagery from the natural world with seething political critiques, allowing listeners to interpret their tracks as both personal emotional awakenings and broader societal ones. But that doesn’t mean their political messages are subtle, as they spout lines like “Guillotine will decide who’s separated in classes” and “Burn all the flags and the symbols of man.”
Raw emotion is at the heart of MSPAINT’s music—so much so that it practically explodes out of them. Their lyrics and album title, “Post-American”, refer to a post-apocalyptic world that’s succumbed to grave threats currently posed by capitalism, state violence, religion, misinformation and technology.
MSPAINT formed in late 2019 around the sole concept that no guitars were allowed, which is ironic, given that three-fourths of the band are seasoned guitar players. However, they eventually grew disillusioned with the instrument and wanted to be challenged. Panella, in particular, has been playing guitar for over a decade, having studied jazz at school and taught students everything from blues to Metallica.
MSPAINT may not win over the hearts of every hardcore diehard, but “Post-American” is a vehement document of Hattiesburg,Miss., DIY and an invigorating call to prioritize love and justice in a time when virtually every part of society and culture encourages robotic mindlessness. And if nothing else, they’ll continue to turn heads when they unleash their oddball electro-punk dirges
For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP and played numerous shows.
On “The Nude Party Rides On2, this septet have moved beyond their start as a garage-rock party band. They’ve haven’t lost that early energy and irreverent wit, but they’ve added a musical and lyrical ambition that makes them one of the best under-30 rock bands around. Those ambitions are stated clearly in “Tell Em,” the key song on the new album. It begins, revealingly, with a collision of urban and rural sounds, as Shaun Couture’s streetwise, stiletto guitar stabs into Patton Magee’s pastoral, Americana strumming.
Soon Magee’s nasal tenor is singing, “Daddy told me, ‘Don’t lose your way. When you go singing a song, have something to say…. Tell ’em all the good times; tell ’em all the bad times too.’” The Nude Party has a history of catching people off guard. If audiences are expecting the fun and funny music implied by the band’s name, they’re surprised by the brittle chords or droning counterpoint of the Velvet Underground-inspired guitars and by the bite of the lyrics’ satire. There are more such surprises on the new album, which tackles hypocritical lovers, class divisions, loneliness, looming mortality, nuclear war and political violence—usually in the context of loose and catchy rock ’n’ roll.
The band has historically worked with a producer to help them create a distinct sound in their records but with their latest effort, “Rides On”, the band decided to handle production duties by themselves. The hands-on approach allowed the band to have as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point in their career. They recorded over 20 songs, including some that dabbled in electro-pop and stripped-down country before settling on the final 14 songs containing the best elements of ‘70s-driven blues rock.
The relaxed vibe of the session also unleashed a diverse sonic texture compared to their previous releases. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Sticky Fingers-era Stones, but the lyrics are mini-vignettes that embody the spirit of what The Nude Party are going for — and their growth as a band.
By now, it’s commonplace for Manchester Orchestra not to be a routine band. Ever since 2017’s ‘A Black Mile to the Surface’, frontman Andy Hull, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, bassist Andy Prince and drummer Tim Very, have branched out from their indie rock roots. ‘The Million Masks of God‘ from 2021 neatly honed in on Hull and McDowell’s narrative songwriting ability.
“The Valley of Vision” is the shortest Manchester Orchestra record yet by a significant margin; it’s composed of only six songs, clocking in at just over 26 minutes. Regardless, its brevity doesn’t make it any less ambitious, especially considering its interdisciplinary, multimedia mindset (an accompanying VR film). It conveys its motifs in subtle ways: through the verdant, deciduous imagery, its interweaving portrayals of natural decay and idyllic vistas, the harmony that hangs between youth and old age.
Manchester Orchestra have teamed up with filmmaker Isaac Deitz on a film project titled ‘The Valley of Vision’. While the visual aspect sees Deitz embrace the use of 3D-computed radiography technology, it’s left to Hull and company to provide its soundtrack. Furthermore, the band wrote the EP away from one another, describing the process as a “science experiment.” Nevertheless, with all that said, ‘The Valley of Vision’ still sounds like Manchester Orchestra at their stunning, harmonious best.
Whereas its predecessor delved into heavy themes like the loss of family members and followed a character named the Angel of Death, “The Valley of Vision” is more tranquil and at peace with itself. It signifies resolution through liminality. It’s rife with acoustic guitars and spacious levity, a rarity for a band often associated with distortion and hard-hitting drums.
‘Capital Karma’ comfortably drifts in with Hull’s intimate vocals and tender keys. Its gradual build wraps you in a reassuring musical blanket with a heavenly tone that easily draws you in. Hull’s words introduce a sense of gratitude that is threaded throughout these six tracks. On here, he directs his words at a loved one, reassuring his faithfulness – “I’m in love with whoеver you are, Nothing here is gonna take that away”.
‘Capital Karma’ succulently melts into ‘The Way’; maintaining the sparse tone, distant drums tick along as you’re drawn into Hull’s hushed voice telling a tale of losing his way through uncertainty. It’s complemented by a soaring bridge, serving as an emotional release. With ooh’s scattered throughout, its build sustains with gorgeous execution.
Throughout their career, Manchester Orchestra have proved their worth when creating a compelling atmosphere to their music, and ‘Quietly’ is another example of this. It’s ideally timid, allowing Hull and company to paint a sorrowful picture of patience for close to three minutes. As the story intensifies with “two people gnashing their blood-coloured teeth”, Tim Very’s drums erupt, complementing the final chorus and introducing a rarely heard guitar in the process.
Minimal electric drums and atmospheric strings introduce ‘Letting Go’. However its tone, and occasional swells, results in the track being one of the weaker offerings. Whereas ‘Lose You Again’ is a barebone, acoustic-led number with tender guitars and pianos, and duel harmonies. Lyrically, Hull’s narrative is introspective – “I’ve been tired trying to chase your high, You’ve been trying hard to fill that hole” – as his plucky acoustic twinkles amongst a shimmering musical backdrop.
‘The Valley of Vision’ departs on a high note in the form of ‘Rear View’. Backed by Andy Prince’s brooding bass, Hull’s delicate voice gradually builds to a momentarily high-pitched shrill as he sings “And all this time I thought I was right.” Delayed piano keys add to ‘Rear View’s compelling atmosphere.
It’s a credit to Manchester Orchestra that they use sparsity to their advantage, being able to create an environment that draws you in by doing nothing, letting notes linger. Manchester Orchestra has crafted an EP that highlights their intimate essence with purity. The experimentation of “doing things the wrong way,” as the band said ahead of the EP’s release
Leicester rock band Family’s 1970 album “Anyway” will be reissued as an expanded 2CD set next month.
Featuring vocalist Roger Chapman, guitarist John ‘Charlie’ Whitney, drummer Rob Townsend, bassist and violinist JohnWeider and multi-instrumentalist John ‘Poli’ Palmer on vibes, keyboards and flute, “Anyway” comprised a side of live recordings made at The Fairfield Hall in Croydon in July 1970 and a side of studio tracks recorded at Olympic Studios in the late summer.
Family were always a fine live act, and the performances of songs such as ‘Good News Bad News’, ‘Holding the Compass’ and ‘Strange Band’ showed the band at the peak of their powers on stage. The album’s studio tracks were equally fine, with ‘Part of the Load’, ‘Anyway’ and ‘Lives and Ladies’ being fine examples of the diversity of the band’s music.
The group’s fourth album reached number seven in the UK album charts at the time and has been remastered from the originaltapes. It features 16 bonus tracks drawn from singles and BBC radio sessions and comes with a booklet with a new essay.
“Anyway” is reissued on 28th April 2023, via Esoteric Recordings.
Legendary prog rockers Yes will release a new studio album called “Mirror to the Sky”, in May.
This relatively prompt follow-up to 2021’s “The Quest” is the band’s 23rd studio outing and “is a very important album for the band” according to guitarist Steve Howe. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on “The Quest”, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing,” he adds. “As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward”.
Who are Yes are these days, the band consists of longest serving member and guitarist Steve Howe, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes, vocalist Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood on bass and Jay Schellen behind the drums.
The Fat Angel Sings 