The Fat Angel Sings

Irish folk rock band Lankum are to release a cover of The Specials‘ “Ghost Town”. The standalone single will be available on 12” vinyl from January. Lankum explain how the track came about. “Ghost Town” came to us through some curious circumstances. Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together.

“It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials.

“At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest ’90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.

The version was originally created for an Oona Doherty dance show Specky Clark at Sadler’s Well earlier this year. The video was filmed in County Wicklow by the director Leonn Ward, with cinematographer Robbie Ryan.

“We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration.

Jeff Tweedy was on a episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Before playing music, the Wilco frontman spoke with Stephen Colbert about his new triple album, “Twilight Override”, working with his sons, Spencer and Sammy, and more. Tweedy performed of “Enough” and “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter,”

“Enough” by Jeff Tweedy, who’s released music both as a solo artist and as lead vocalist and guitarist of Chicago-based alternative country-rock band Wilco. Featuring an opening guitar riff that reminds me of the one from The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset”, “Enough” is featured on Tweedy’s ambitious new triple album Twilight Override, which dropped September 26th.

Tweedy released the 30-song “Twilight Override” in September. He is in the midst of a North American tour in support of the triple album.

It was novelist and critic John Berger who first posited that “calm is a form of resistance”. Who knows if Jeff Tweedy was channelling that sentiment while creating the gentle behemoth that is “Twilight Override“, but he has certainly responded to the maelstrom of paranoia and inhumanity unleashed by the second Trump term – what the Wilco frontman has dubbed “a bottomless basket of rock bottom” – with a disarming composure, and a big batch of tunes for his fifth solo outing.

“Twilight Override” is a 30-song triple album of mostly mellow consolation, insightful rather than intimidating. In the studio performance video for “Feel Free” – one of four tracks released in advance of the album – there is a glimpse of a sign on the wall of Wilco’s Chicago studio, The Loft, saying ‘It Could Be Worse’. The song itself is a seven-minute invitation to shut out the white noise and slow down, to lay down anger and concerns, “to fall in love with the people you know and fall harder for the people you don’t”.

Tweedy is not in this alone. The album bears his name, but it is an assiduously arranged band record featuring his sons Spencer and Sammy and compadres James Elkington, Sima Cunningham, Macie Stewart and Liam Kazar, written with their capabilities in mind and recorded with the intention of capturing a communal warmth. The soothing backing vocals alone could be marketed as a cure-all balm.

The songs are grouped notionally to represent the past, present and future, though the distinction between each record is a little blurry. It is possible, even recommended, to take in Twilight Override in a single seamless sitting. It’s no pleasure cruise but the scenic rewards are there, from peaceful vistas to invigorating stormy weather and back to calmer waters.

Opening track “One Tiny Flower” takes one such mini-outing, into the joys of urban rambling, which many pursued during the pandemic. The mesmeric acoustic arrangement gradually takes a more torrid turn, as the natural world order fragments and more dissonant notes are sounded. The pacey yet plaintive “Caught Up In The Past” also has the air of a cautionary Covid reflection, with Tweedy making poetic observations from the side lines over a cantering rhythm. He breaks into shrewd spoken word on thrift shop symphony “Parking Lot”, concluding with quiet desperation, “I’d like to teach the world to sing…fuck…anything”.

Lovers of a Wilco blowout better dine out quickly on the grungey guitar wrangling and rag-tag chorale of “Forever Never Ends”, because most of the songs on the first record are studies in restraint, be it the beautiful desolation of “Love Is For Love” or the languorous Laurel Canyon vibes of “Betrayed”. This first set ends with “Throwaway Lines”, a pitch-perfect troubadour confessional in which Tweedy wrestles with the art of the lyric, worried he’ll give too much away (“I don’t want to write about all the things I’m still working out”) while knowing that deeper resonance is surely the songwriter’s goal.

As if taking his own counsel, the second record is more about gentle modulation of mood than individually spectacular songs, though the easy propulsive rhythm of “Out In The Dark” and pocket guitar oratorio at the heart of “New Orleans” make their mark before Tweedy and band pitch into some cultural specifics.

Kicking off the third LP, “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter” is inspired by the great man’s louche rock’n’roll, while “Amar Bharati” is a whimsical tribute to the Hindu sadhu who has kept his right arm raised for peace for over 50 years. “Stray Cats In Spain” is exactly what you might hope for, a snapshot of the rockabilly favourites in Iberia, one among a handful of pleasures set to a two-chord scratchy strum. “Ain’t It A Shame” is a deliberately creaky meditation on the past, present and future, lamenting lost youthful optimism with a sage cynicism. Tweedy sounds close to breaking on “This Is How It Ends”, but there is warmth amidst the fragility. In contrast, the title track is a feast of buoyant picking, enhanced with the muffled patter of drums and sighing strings.

Tweedy and band maintain a bittersweet equilibrium across these later stages of the journey, before the burnished indie blues parting shot of “Enough”, replete with musical and lyrical nods to “Waterloo Sunset” and “Like A Rolling Stone”. Like the rest of the collection, it is a reassuringly empathetic tap on the shoulder for those in need of succour and a steer.

Big Thief performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, breaking out the “Double Infinity” single “Grandmother.” Backing the nonchalant trio were multiple percussionists on wind chimes, congas, shakers, and more, as well as backup singers, a bassist, and an additional guitarist.

“Double Infinity” came out last month via 4AD Records. In addition to “Grandmother,” it includes the singles “Incomprehensible,” “All Night All Day,” “Los Angeles,” and “Words,” the latter of which got the music video treatment—the band’s first proper music video since 2017. The album also marked Big Thief’s first record since the departure of bassist Max Oleartchik.

If that live rendition of “Grandmother” has you itching to see Big Thief live, then act soon. They’re currently on tour in support of their new album. Those North American dates are ongoing, 

Chicago indie-rock band Ratboys have announced a new album: “Singin’ to an Empty Chair” is out out February 2026 via New West. Featured on the album is the new single “Anywhere,” a tightly wound slice of pop-rock with a music video directed by Bobby Butterscotch.

“Singin’ to an Empty Chair” spans 11 songs—including recent track “Light Night Mountains All That”—and was produced by Chris Walla, the former Death Cab for Cutie member who also worked on the band’s 2023 album, “The Window”. According to a press release, singer-guitarist Julia Steiner penned most of the songs after attending therapy for the first time and finding new ways to work through a tough, but necessary, conversation with a loved one from whom she’s estranged.

“The goal is to update this person on what’s been going on in my life and to try to bridge that impasse and reach out a hand into the void,” explained Steiner. To do so, she followed the “Empty Chair” technique learned in therapy, during which a person attempts to have a difficult conversation with someone who isn’t physically present by imagining they’re in a chair opposite them and speaking directly to it.

Ratboys recently announced a 2026 North American tour, which begins on February in Detroit, and lasts on through until mid-April. “Singin’ to an Empty Chair” is out in February via New West Records

London’s High-Vis play aggressive, frosty post-punk that’s as hard as any hardcore record. Like Black Flag, Sleaford Mods and of course Public Image Ltd before them, High-Vis’ anger is artful, gripping, and energising. It’ll trim the fat from your soul. We’ve just released limited copies of our debut album “No Sense No Feeling’ on our own label ‘Studio High Vis’.

500 on ‘Baby Blue Splatter’ vinyl and 500 on ‘Cream’ vinyl with an updated Gatefold cover. We’re so happy with how they’ve turned out and it’s great to have it back in press!

Massive thanks for Venn records and Six Feet Under for doing such a good job with it initially. 

Formed in 2016 from the ashes of some of the UK’s best hardcore bands (Dirty Money, Tremors, DiE, The Smear), the band maintain a hardcore energy in their live shows – it’s not uncommon for cheerfully miserable, gold toothed Scouse vocalist Graham Sayle to come away from a show with a bleeding forehead – but they’ve taken their aural cues from old UK bands like Gang Of Four, Crisis, Joy Division and Stone Roses.

Recently, they’ve played with all the other smart bands who have been fucking with the old blueprints – Angel Du$t, Turnstile, Culture Abuse, Higher Power to name a few – and like all those bands, their sound is uniquely theirs.

Lots of variety on this album. Masterfully uses post-punk sounds to create songs that sound new and fresh

Originally released December 2019

After years of writing, wandering, and starting over, Evan Dando returns with ‘Love Chant’, the first Lemonheads studio album of original material in nearly two decades. Long in the works and shaped by shifting geographies and a cast of trusted collaborators, it’s a bold, melodic reaffirmation of one of alternative rock’s most distinctive voices.

I’m so delighted that Evan Dando is still writing and still producing great creative and personal rock songs. The permeable membrane of genre is there, but essentially Dando has always been a punk. Always been a rocker. So I’m so glad he has survived and I am so happy for those who have supported him in this endeavor.

Now based in Brazil, where much of the album was recorded, Dando’s relocation in recent years has offered a quiet shift in perspective — a chance to reset, reconnect, and finally bring these songs into focus. The result is a record that sounds both fresh and familiar: rooted in the hallmarks of The Lemonheads’ best work, yet expanded by years of lived experience and new surroundings.

“Love Chant” was produced by Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Apollo Nove, it draws together old friends and new allies. J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr), Juliana Hatfield, and Tom Morgan rejoin the fold, alongside producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony and the Johnsons), Nashville’s Erin Rae, John Strohm of the Blake Babies and Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond. Adam Green of cult New York favourites The Moldy Peaches also contributes as co-writer on the loose-limbed country detour “Wild Thing.”

Over the past few years, The Lemonheads’ influence has only deepened. Artists like MJ Lenderman, Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee have all covered Dando’s songs, praising the emotional clarity, melodic instinct, and wry intimacy that define his writing. That resonance across generations makes “Love Chant” feel like more than a return — it’s a reminder of what made this band matter in the first place. 

released October 24th, 2025

On Wednesday, October 22nd, Jeff Tweedy supported his new triple album, “Twilight Override“, on the Brooklyn Steel stage. The concert featured extensive pulls off the artist’s latest solo record, 17 songs in total, in addition to a handful of chosen songs from his previous releases, “Love Is the King” and “WARM” . Adding the concert’s makeup, the bandleader, who was joined by his sons and collaborators, Spencer and Sammy, nodded to their 2014 Tweedy family band and subsequent release, “Sukierae”. 

Amongst the stagings’ most coveted moments was the encore arrival of The Velvet Underground’s “Who Loves the Sun,” which served as a bust out for Tweedy, who had not played the number since March 2020, Its arrival winked at the “Twilight Override” single “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter,” a high point of the concert’s main frame. 

Following the Loaded exploration, Tweedy welcomed his Wilco bandmate, Nels Cline, to assist in an extended version of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s tale of the murderous Spanish conquistador, “Cortez The Killer.” Its arrival received a thunderous welcome from the crowd, who responded to the first-time performance of the rock song, known for its instrumental pockets and solo space. 

Before closing the show, Tweedy and his band performed one final piece off the latest LP, settling on the single, “Enough.” After turning in a night in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tweedy will continue his solo touring efforts.

Iconic rock band The Who have announced that their 1978 album “Who Are You” is to be the beneficiary of a deluxe edition makeover. While The Who are currently traversing North America on their (allegedly) “final-final” tour that’s been dubbed (of course) The Song Is Over, they’re also quite keen on continuing with a finely curated catalog reissue series that’s been chock full of remastered originals and unreleased studio and live tracks galore.

“Who Are You”, The Who’s eighth studio album, is being reissued in a Super Deluxe Edition with over 70 unreleased tracks, including never-before-heard versions of the title track, newly mixed live tracks from their first tour without original drummer Keith Moon and candid recordings of the band rehearsing in 1977 and 1978. Also included in the set are new Atmos and stereo mixes by Steven Wilson.

Initially released in August 1978, “Who Are You” marked a significant chapter in the band’s career while a commercial triumph, peaking at No. 2 on the American chart  and achieving double platinum status and No. 6 on the U.K. Albums Chart, it was also tragically the last album to feature legendary drummer Keith Moon, who died a week after its release. The album saw the band pushing boundaries once more, with the songs referencing the incoming influence of British punk. Most notably, the title track was written after a night out with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols, and it reflected the sentiments of “Music Must Change” and “Sister Disco“. Pete Townshend also delivered some of his most ambitious and intricate arrangements

The 7CD/1 Blu-ray set includes 71 unreleased tracks, the now-obligatory Atmos and stereo mixes by Steven Wilson, and a 100-page book containing sleeve notes by Matt Kent, who also authored the essay included in the super deluxe reissue of “Who’s Next/Life House” in 2023.

The set includes the original, rejected Glyn Johns mix of “Who Are You“, several early run-throughs, session tracks, demos and outtakes, unreleased tracks from the 1977 Shepperton Studios rehearsals, drummer Kenny Jones’ first rehearsals with the band, and a number of live tracks recorded on the Who’s North American tour in 1979.

In addition to the super deluxe version of “Who Are You”, the album is being released on quadruple vinyl, half-speed mastered black vinyl, yellow vinyl and double CD, as well as via a bewildering array of bundle editions featuring t-shirts, tote bags and more. Released on October 31st, 

The Who’s last album with the legendary Keith Moon, this new edition features over 70 unreleased tracks, unheard takes of “Who Are You,” rare rehearsal recordings (1977–78), and, for the first time, the original Glyn Johns mix of the album. Available as a 7CD/1 Blu-ray set featuring new Atmos & Stereo mixes by Steven Wilson plus a 100-page book packed with rare photos & memorabilia, the album will also be released as a deluxe 4LP box set, a 2CD deluxe edition, and limited-edition coloured and half-speed master vinyl editions.

Here we are again in 2025, with “Brown Acid: The Twenty-First Trip” arriving right on time as the world at large degrades further into disorienting self-absorbed isolation and chaos. Ten more powerful early hard rock brain benders, primal energy exploding sideways out of the ash heap of ’60s idealism, rocking the darker side of human nature in style! Raw and unfiltered, no compromise, blasting gnarly sound perfectly sequenced to take you on one helluva ride! Territory populated with dicey characters, perilous women, predators, bad relationships… anti-social alienation delivered with smoking guitars, real people ripping it with no self-defeating namby-pamby finesse sabotaging their brutal energy. Every track sounds fresh today because Brown Acid is the real deal when it comes to what matters in music… communication! Life itself sonically sneering across time!”

the track from Freedom North – “Losing You” seamlessly alternates gutsy female vocal ranting with trippy floating guitar passages. Singer Franki Hart sounded psychedelic dreamy on ESSAY TITLE 1their debut 45 “Doctor Tom”, here she sounds like her throat is gonna fly right into your face. Gnarly lead, harsh dry metallic guitar sound, score one for the ladies here, the dude’s a loser and she dumps him. Canadian band from 1970 cranked out four singles and an LP that year… this is their killer.