Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf has confirmed that his latest LP, “Norm”, will be coming out this February. It will be Shauf’s eighth LP overall and first since 2021’s “Wilds”. According to Shauf, the album is centred around the titular character of Norm, who was inspired by a David Lynch’s film.
After a trio of beautiful records that unfold like funny, bittersweet novels—2016’s Nicholas Braun-approved “The Party” taking place at, yes, a party; 2020’s Barack Obama-promoted “The Neon Skyline” at a Toronto bar; and 2021’s “Wilds” at a destination wedding—Shauf aimed for a less linear story with “Norm”. But this is hardly just a mix of good songs, and the album is lyrically quiteambitious, with different narrators, including god in “Wasted On You” and the titular dude, whose deceptively chill-sounding track of the same name was played on repeat plenty by yours truly.
“The character of Norm is introduced in a really nice way,” Shauf says of the first round of preview singles. “But the closer you pay attention to the record, the more you’re going to realize that it’s sinister.” Shauf’s status as one of indie’s greatest songwriters was solidified with the excellent “The Neon Skyline”. Strangely enough, “Wilds” kind of came and went without much fanfare.
“Catch Your Eye” is out now, the second song from ‘Norm’ on Anti Records / Arts & Crafts. Animated by Mary Vertulfo.
Here’s hoping that a little more attention is paid to “Norm” when it comes out on February 10th.
Everything But the Girl are releasing a new album entitled “Fuse”, their first studio album in 24 (!) years, this April. The British pop duo are best known for their infectious 1994 bop “Missing,” and have been sorely missed on the pop airwaves ever since announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2000. Though the pair had stated over a decade ago that they were to never perform together again, their album news comes with with a fresh single, “Nothing Left to Lose,” which sounds like the sonic equivalent of dissociating on the dance floor. Time indeed does act like a renewing salve; we can’t wait for even more new EBTG
The duo went on an amicable, indefinite hiatus in 2000, choosing to go out on a natural high note. Their re-emergence appears to have come about just as organically: “Ironically the finished sound of the new album was the last thing on our mind when we started in March 2021,” Thorn said in a press release. “Of course, we were aware of the pressures of such a long-awaited comeback, so we tried to begin instead in a spirit of open-minded playfulness, uncertain of the direction, receptive to invention.”
Watt adds: “It was exciting. A natural dynamism developed. We spoke in short-hand, and little looks, and co-wrote instinctively. It became more than the sum of our two selves. It just became Everything But the Girl on its own.”
It was the months of July through October 2000 when David Bowie worked on a passion project that came to be known as “TOY”. The plan was to hit a recording studio with his touring band at the time (which included guitarist Earl Slick, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, pianist Mike Garson and drummer Sterling Campbell) and knock out an entire album as fast as possible for a “surprise” release. Hoping to get the LP out by March 2001, the entire project was shelved by the label, leading Bowie to jump ship to a new label and craft what became his 23rd studio album, “Heathen”. As for “TOY”, various tracks from the record surfaced over the years, but it wasn’t until 2021 when “TOY” was officially released; first as part of the “Brilliant Adventure (1999-2001)” box set, then later as a deluxe edition in January 2022.
The urgency and spontaneous energy of tunes like “You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving” permeates the inspired and truly brilliant posthumous release. Give it a spin to recognize Bowie’s heavenly birthdate of January 8th.
Between his early masterpieces like “Hunky Dory”and his 26th and final album “Blackstar”, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that David Bowie made plenty of music that fell through the cracks or never saw a proper release. But Ziggy Stardust devotees will be happy to know that “Toy”, Bowie’s elusive 2001 album, has finally received its proper commercial release today.
“Toy”arrived as part of an archival box set titled Brilliant Adventure (1992 – 2001). Bowie recorded it in 2001, in the aftermath of his 2000 Glastonbury performance. His intent with “Toy” was to reimagine some of his earlier recordings with a full band and then surprise-release the record, but when his label EMI/Virgin squashed those plans, Bowie then signed to Columbia, ditched “Toy”altogether, and moved along to making his 2002 album “Heathen”.Some of the “Heathen” tracks were originally intended for “Toy”, which was eventually leaked in 2011, but today marks the album’s first official release.
“Toy” is like a moment in time captured in an amber of joy, fire and energy,” said Bowie producer Mark Plati in a statement. “It’s the sound of people happy to be playing music. David revisited and re-examined his work from decades prior through prisms of experience and fresh perspective — a parallel not lost on me as I now revisit it twenty years later. From time to time, he used to say ‘Mark, this is our album’ — I think because he knew I was so deeply in the trenches with him on that journey. I’m happy to finally be able to say it now belongs to all of us.”
Following its inclusion in the archival box set, “Brilliant Adventure (1992 – 2001)”, “Toy” will receive a standalone release as a multi-disc set called “TOY:BOX” on January 7th.
In more Bowie news, the iconic musician will be further memorialized in a forthcoming documentary by filmmaker Brett Morgen, who pored over thousands of hours of unseen concert footage for the project.
Toy Tracklist: 01. I Dig Everything 02. You’ve Got a Habit Of Leaving 03. The London Boys 04. Karma Man 05. Conversation Piece 06. Shadow Man 07. Let Me Sleep Beside You 08. Hole In the Ground 09. Baby Loves That Way 10. Can’t Help Thinking About Me 11. Silly Boy Blue
Julia Jacklin’s new album draws to a close with a plea: “Be careful with yourself,” she sings in the song of the same name. She begs someone to “please stop smoking” because she “want[s] your life to last a long time,” and later advises them to “make sure you have got a little savings” and “keep all our doctors appointments, give voice to our doubts.” As an early 30-something, the Australian singer is now, like so many millennials, faced with the realities of adulthood. “There’s nobody coming to save us,” she eventually sighs in the penultimate song of her third LP, “Pre Pleasure”. While Jacklin is probably singing from the perspective of a worried friend or partner, “Be Careful With Yourself” is one of a few songs on the album that contain what sounds like advice from a concerned parent. And when her lyrics don’t lean towards the maternal, Jacklin is a sharp observer of her own internal life, hacking away at the crust of her neuroses and conditions—be they intrusive thoughts or caring too much—until some nugget of meaning is unearthed. For Jacklin, this involves a combination of revisiting childhood and confronting adulthood, a process that results in some of the Australian artist’s sharpest songwriting to date.
Julia Jacklin covers “Just To Be A Part” by Bill Fay, out now on Dead Oceans.
In recent years, there’s been an influx of musicians embracing minimalism. Often, the lack of excess can lead to these songs being dismissively tagged as “sad,” particularly if the artist dares to fill that space with any emotion at all. One of the finest practitioners of this sparse musicality is Sarah Beth Tomberlin, who performs under her surname. Her 2018 debut album “At Weddings” drew comparisons to ambient icons like Grouper and staples of contemporary indie like Julien Baker. Her music sits at the intersection of these artists’ in both sound and subject. “At Weddings” dealt with Tomberlin’s internal conflict, having left her home and religion behind. Raised in rural Illinois as a pastor’s kid, she uprooted to Louisville, where the bulk of “At Weddings” came to fruition. Since then, she’s moved to New York and released an EP called Projections in 2020. Projections, produced with Alex G, saw Tomberlin’s arrangements fill out—several of its tracks played with percussion, something rarely found on her debut.
The natural next step was for her to follow in the footsteps of Baker, who began making hollow, devastating music before gradually fleshing out her band. And she did, sort of. Her new album, “i don’t know who needs to hear this…” is grander than anything she’s done before, but rarely does it feel like a departure. Recorded in Brooklyn with producer Philip Weinrobe, known for his work with Adrienne Lenker and Buck Meek, the record features contributions from Shahzad Islamly and Told Slant’s Felix Walworth.
Where “At Weddings” was written without a goal in mind and carries that homespun air, the deliberateness of the songs on “idkwntht” is palpable. At the record’s heart is Tomberlin simultaneously embracing self-love and acceptance (“born again runner”), and taking love away from toxic influences (“collect caller”), no matter how difficult both acts may be.
Results aren’t the point; it is simply the act of trying and holding space for one’s emotions that counts.
The American musician Madison Cunningham delivers with “Revealer” a very beautiful and wonderful album, which stimulates the imagination endlessly both musically and vocally with particularly exciting songs.
I had never heard of Madison Cunningham until recently, but since my first listen to her new album “Revealer”, I think the chances of her popping up high in my annual list in December are huge. The American musician has a beautiful voice and is a talented guitarist and songwriter. Together with many top musicians and renowned producers, she has made an album that never chooses the easiest way, but nevertheless effortlessly seduces. Madison Cunningham’s adventurous songs amaze and amaze, but also sound particularly pleasant and “Revealer” only becomes more beautiful when you hear the album more often. Impressive.
There’s something in Madison Cunningham’s music for everyone: folk roots, but with jazzy accents and sharp enough guitar and drum lines to allow you to move with it. There’s so much glittering on the surface of “Revealer”, and then so much that swims underneath. Although the first few tracks sparkle, the album takes you by surprise with curveballs like “Life According to Raechel,” a true heartbreaker in the center of the album that leaves your skin crawling with sorrow, and “Who Are You Now,” relentlessly asking the listener, “Who are you now / Who are you this time?”
Her songs feel like perfectly and eccentrically built cupboards, housing everything just so inside different nooks, making well-organized space for the shape of every word and synth swell. From the melodies and arrangements to the lyrics, it is clear that this LP is in the most vulnerable space, one of self-consciousness coupled with a lot of emotion in every possible direction. Cunningham never has to scream to make herself heard. Instead, she often remains low to the ground with her volume, making it all the more powerful when her voice soars into pure upper registers or the cymbals accent her point. On album closer, “Sara And The Silent Crowd,” she aims for her own heart and yours, leaving you with: “And when the glamour dies down, there’s only you now / Only you and yourself to appease the silent crowd / And no one can shelter you now.”
Madison has really grown beyond the confines of the sweet-voiced “singer-songwriter” genre definitions with this sophisticated and richly composed record. Her catchy guitar licks have strong jazz influences, and her chops most certainly have jazz influences! She singe with power, sensitivity to the lyrics, and a meaningful clarity. Beautifully crafted and beautifully performed throughout, there’s not a weak track here,
Anaïs Mitchell is seemingly always busy. A serial collaborator, Mitchell has spent the last decade-plus either wrapped in the world ofher project “Hadestown” — the Greek myth-inspired musical she wrote and later adapted for a concept album before it ascended to a hit run on Broadway in 2019 — singing in folk supergroup Bonny Light Horseman, or collaborating with the likes of Big Red Machine and others. But it’s been a while since we’ve heard Mitchell singing new music all on her own.
Enter the new self-titled record from Mitchell, who last released a proper solo album nearly a decade ago. Anaïs Mitchell finds the accomplished singer/songwriter slowing down, not only in these 10 lovely new songs, but also in her life itself. When COVID-19 first erupted in the U.S., Mitchell left New York City for her grandparents’ old house on the family farm in Vermont and welcomed her second child shortly after. There, she says in the album’s press notes, an “unprecedented stillness” took over, and with it a newfound ease as a narrator.
Of course, Mitchell still brings her friends into the fold on this solo venture. Fellow Bonny Light Horseman player Josh Kaufman produced the album, while Bon Iver contributor Michael Lewis lends saxophone to “Brooklyn Bridge,” and Aaron Dessner, Thomas Bartlett and Big Red Machine drummer JT fill out the rest of the band.
On the new album, Mitchell writes both bluntly and specifically, which is quite the pivot from “Hadestown’s” dynamic storyline, or Bonny Light Horseman’s reworked folk tales and universal truths. She doesn’t try to shield unpleasant feelings in metaphor, or cram emotions into too-small boxes. On the yearning confession “Now You Know,” for example, she simply says, “When I think of the night I feel like weeping, weeping for my life / And then I think of my life / And I want to be with you.”
On “Revenant,” too, Mitchell speaks from the heart, this time greeting her grandmother’s spirit while sifting through a box of letters. And the short but powerful “Real World” feels steeped in Vermont, as well, or at least someplace devoid of bullshit and distractions. Mitchell’s desire to “lie in real grass” and “taste real whiskey on your lips” feels like the moment after a hike or a night of laughter when you feel the sudden urge to throw your laptop into the sea.
Another standout is the tale of adulthood imposter syndrome, “Little Big Girl,” which completely captures the feeling of “Who let me be in charge?” that so often accompanies growing up. “Now they treat you like a lady / Well, sometimes all you want is to cry like a baby / in your mama’s arms,” Mitchell sings. She faces the past again on “On Your Way (Felix Song),” written for a friend and fellow musician who passed away, revisiting the scrappy era when they were both beginning music careers and playing gigs on the Lower East Side.
New York City is also the backdrop for “Brooklyn Bridge,” which is unlike other tributes to the city in that it was written in Vermont, along with much of the record. Being far away prompted Mitchell to write the ode to one of NYC’s simple pleasures: “riding over one of the New York bridges at night next to someone who inspires you.”
On the production side, the album is intimate and open. The acoustic guitar-heavy songs sound as if they’re being shared around a campfire, and the piano numbers as if they’re echoing from a friend playing in the next room. It’s unfussy, yet there’s just the right frequency of electronic flickers, perfectly timed percussion and a touch of flute, courtesy of Nico Muhly. Mitchell may still feel like a “Little Big Girl,” but Anaïs Mitchell is a grownup album. It’s the first great folk album of the year, but more crucially, it’s a quiet personal triumph for Mitchell herself. Disclosing one’s own truths rarely sounds this graceful.
Get to know the Connecticut-based act with an announcement feature on Brooklyn Vegan. As part of the signing, RFC will rerelease the band’s third album Last Room, which you can preorder now. You can also stream a new music video for the single “Favorite Song”
On Last Room, there’s a purposeful hollowness. It’s a record you can fall into, a collection of music that’s unafraid to venture into emotion, exploring the gaping distance that develops in some relationships, the constant confusion that accompanies self-discovery, and the darkness that accompanies abandonment.
Formed while still in high school, waveform* was created out of a mutual appreciation for music. Over the last few years, waveform* has continued to grow, attributing an increasing interest in fans to an era dominated by Internet discovery and streaming.
On Last Room, the third album from the Connecticut-based waveform*,, there’s a purposeful hollowness. It’s a record you can fall into, a collection of music that’s unafraid to venture into emotion, exploring the gaping distance that develops in some relationships, the constant confusion that accompanies self-discovery, and the darkness that accompanies abandonment.
Nothing is said outright on Last Room. There’s no declaration of material certainty that allows you to fully discover every secret or moment of meaning on this recording, but the duo comprised of Jarett Denner and Dan Poppa intended it to be that way. They want you to step into their cavernous auditory journey, to lose yourself in a state of wandering as you find your own story, creating a personal narrative gleaned from their collection of mysteries.
Recorded on a laptop in Jarett’s bedroom, the album comes with a discernible feeling of intimacy. Despite their close proximity to one another, Jarett and Dan chose to complete much of the album apart, exchanging ideas and finishing bits of music through email. They traded off responsibilities, one focusing on a song’s structure, while another considered the emotional details and coloring.
Formed while still in high school, waveform* was created out of the pair’s mutual appreciation for music. Over the last few years, waveform* has continued to grow, attributing an increasing interest in fans to an era dominated by Internet discovery and streaming. A sound comparable to Melania Kol, Alex G., Title Fight, Have a Nice Life, and Teen Suicide, the band has also performed live with Strange Ranger, Beach Bunny, Pince Daddy and the Hyena, and Lomelda. Their previous releases — Shooting Star and Library — were released in 2018 and 2019. Last Room, released in 2020, is being rereleased through Run for Cover Records.
songs by Jarett Denner and Dan Poppa
“Favorite Song” by waveform*, from the album ‘Last Room’ out January 28th, 2022 via Run For Cover Records.
There’s an EP’s worth of alternate takes of familiar favorites on “Good Old”, the second album-length recording released by Vundabar last year, and if you’re into stripped-down acoustic versions, this collection’s for you. But the majority of the track list is comprised of unreleased cuts that feel too Vundabar-y for nearly any of Vundabar’s records—particularly the fairly dark “Devil for the Fire” released back in April—so if you prefer the band when they’re going absolute loopy carnival mode, this collection’s also for you.
Vundabar is an American indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consists of Brandon Hagen (vocals, guitar), Drew McDonald (drums, synthesizer), and Zack Abramo (bass). The band released their first full-length album in 2013 titled “Antics”. In 2015, Vundabar released their second full-length album titled “Gawk”. In 2017, Their third full-length album titled “Smell Smoke” and a later fourth album “Either Light”. In September 2022 they released their sixth full-length album “Good Old,” which consisted of 7 songs recorded in between the release of “Gawk” and “Smell Smoke” and 4 acoustic versions of previously released songs.
I’m not sure it works as a cohesive whole, as it stretches the parameters of their sound to opposite extremes like one of those medieval torture devices, but instead it’s an intriguing look into two alternate dimensions “Devil” could just as easily have existed in.
Gareth Liddiard (The Drones/ Tropical Fuck Storm), Jim White (Dirty Three/Xylouris White) and Chris Abrahams (The Necks) are Springtime. Their new album, due out later in the year, combines elements of free-jazz, lyricism, improvisation, avant-garde and experimental noise.
Feast or famine, Springtime will continue to sow their garden of auditory delights. Despite the global unrest and strict lockdowns that have come to define the past three years, Gareth Liddiard (Tropical Fuck Storm, The Drones), Jim White (Dirty Three, Xylouris White), and Chris Abrahams (The Necks) have continually convened to weave narratives of death, destruction, desire, and devotion. Pulling the threads cast by their eponymous debut, “Night Raver” offers three character studies rife with the trio’s trademark urgency and poetics.
While it’s been interesting to watch Tropical Fuck Storm evolve from a more experimental take on Gareth Liddiard’s guitar-centric blues-punk outfit The Drones into something wholly unidentifiable over the course of three albums, it’s arguably been even more interesting to see where his built-up riffing energy is finding its outlets. After releasing a debut album with the jazz-rock trio Springtime last year, Liddiard—alongside pianist Chris Abrahams and drummer Jim White—immediately upped the ante with an EP (three songs, 42 minutes…that still counts as an EP, right?) that shows considerably more focus on what this project may become while, ironically, Liddiard’s political balladry sounded more wandering than ever.
The Fat Angel Sings 