The Fat Angel Sings

Aoife O’Donovan brings her trademark knack for eloquent arrangements into “Age of Apathy”. The album is delivered with subtlety and sophistication rarely begotten by mainstream folk releases. It is guided liberally by jazz structure as its songs often wander off the beaten path from its primary melody. Yet, it’s with a knowing that it’s meandering with one long loop—a singular grounding intention that makes these open-ended tunes more comforting than not. 

A savvy and generous collaborator, Aoife is one third of the group I’m With Her with bandmates Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz. The trio’s debut album “See You Around” was hailed as “willfully open-hearted” by NPR Music. 

The album haunts where it may or may not be intended, such as in the uncertain confidence of O’Donovan’s soaring vocals on “Phoenix”, where the narrator proclaims themselves above a failed relationship. The gorgeous composition of “B61” is interlaced with the dim truth of growing older, if not more uneasy. All in all, it’s another beautiful thought piece from the revered singer-songwriter.

Aoife O’Donovan operates in a thrilling musical world beyond genre. Deemed “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by The New York Times, she has released two critically-acclaimed and boundary-blurring solo albums including “In the Magic Hour,” which Rolling Stone hailed for its “Impressionistic, atmospheric songs [that] relay their narratives against gorgeous pastoral backdrops.

Aoife O’Donovan’s third full-length studio album ‘Age of Apathy’

Gaz Coombes has released new single ‘Long Live The Strange’ The latest single from the Supergrass frontman is a celebration of the “weird and wonderful” as a “reminder to embrace that at all times”, written after he took his daughter Tiger to see Cavetown in Oxford in 2020.

“The show had a big impact on me,” he said in a press statement. “It was what live performance is all about, connecting with an audience that consists of anybody and everybody who wants to be part of it, it’s fully inclusive and I found that quite powerful.” He described that sense of connectivity as “obviously strange in the nicest sense of the word”.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the music video, “When I was brought onto the project, Gaz had already been living amongst the community of mannequins for several months. His knowledge of them allowed me to have no issues directing them nor overcome the language barrier.

“The whole process was fascinating and certainly a culture shock; coming from South London, I found the silence and stillness almost deafening. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had as a filmmaker.”

Coombes’ fourth solo album ‘Turn The Car Around’ is out January 13th via Hot Fruit Recordings/ Virgin Music,

Taken from Gaz’s forthcoming album ‘Turn The Car Around’, released on 13th January 2023

November 28th, Shame debuted tracks from their upcoming third album ‘Food For Worms’ during a raucous and sweaty gig aboard a boat on the River Thames. Aboard the Tamesis Dock in Vauxhall, the band shared previewed a number of new tracks as well as favourites from their previous two albums. They opened the set with ‘The Fall Of Paul’, a new song that packed all the trademark relentless punch of Shame but with a new, anthemic element.

This more melodic, expansive sound was also evident on recent comeback single ‘Fingers Of Steel’, as well as new cuts in the form of the slow and triumphant new ‘Adderall’ and set highlight ‘Yankees’ – which exploded into a huge chorus that swapped the band’s usual shouted vocal for melodic singing. The punk backbone of the band still shone though, most notably on new one ‘Six-Pack’, which was led by a wailing guitar riff and raucous energy.

Frontman Charlie Steen told the crowd that the band wrote ‘Food For Worms’ in a lightning fast burst at the start of this year, when their management noticed the writers’ block they had been experiencing across 2021 and set them a challenge where they would play a set of all-new music at the Brixton Windmill in a fortnight (under the pseudonym Almost Seamus). Forced to write quickly and without inhibition, the songs that make up the new album flowed easily after a while.

Back on the crammed vessel on London’s South Bank, Steen spent half the set climbing up the balcony, into the crowd, and causing all manner of chaos. While new songs from ‘Food For Worms’ formed the crux of the set, the likes of ‘Tasteless’, ‘Alphabet’ and ‘Dust On Trial’ were reminders of the band’s brilliance and perfect for this sweaty and claustrophobic environment.

“I don’t think we’ve played in London for a very long time, and it feels very nice to be back with friends and family,” Steen told the crowd before a crazed rendition of early single ‘Concrete’. By the time they closed the set with debut single ‘One Rizla’, ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ highlight ‘Snow Day’ and the seedy ‘Gold Hole’, the windows of the boat were steamed up and sweat was dripping from the ceiling. They’re due to play Brixton Academy next year, but this was Shame in their ideal setting: intimate, loud and chaotic.

The band’s new album will land on February 24th, 2023 via Dead Oceans as the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Drunk Tank Pink’. The record has been described as “a celebration of life” and “an ode to friendship”, with frontman Charlie Steen labelling it as “the Lamborghini of Shame records”.

Anna B Savage is a London singer-songwriter and musician. Her songs are stark, skeletal paintings of moods and reflection, using a palette of mainly voice and guitar. Most prominent is her voice – strong and sonorous, yet with a vulnerability that feels as if she’s in the same room as you. 

I’m ridiculously excited for you to hear it. Title track “in|FLUX” is out now for your delectation. Pre orders for the delicious vinyl and CDs are now open, a smattering of merch, and some tour dates incoming. Tickets on sale on Thursday. What immense joy.

London artist Anna B Savage will release her sophomore album, “in|FLUX”, on February 17th via City Slang. She made the album with Mike Lindsay of Tunng and Lump. who brings his expertise of mixing the organic and the electronic as you can hear on the title track.

Releases February 17th, 2023

The Christmas issue of Record Collector is in the shops this Thursday and features Pete Paphides talking to Benny from ABBA and also picking – and writing elegantly and elegiacally – about the Best 40 ABBA songs. There’s also a remarkable interview by Mike Barnes with Jeff Cotton aka Antennae Jimmy Semens of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, a Joe Strummer annotated photo gallery, we meet 60s sunshine pop family The Cowsills, New Jersey rockers Skid Row and Stax smooth operator Johnnie Taylor, Todd Rundgren talks about his new album, we showcase the wares of a fanatical Duran Duran collector, and so much more. Oh, and a 1973 / 2023 glam calendar.

Guided by the highly trusted tastemakers at Speedy Wunderground with production from the one and only Dan Carey. On “Tired Of Liberty” the Hebden Bridge risers deliver an eleven-track opus of masterful storytelling, chaotic instrumentals and addictive riffs. An energetic statement made to be played live, The Lounge Society are the new breed of post-punkers ready to rip up society with unabashed commentary and polished sonics. It’s just the beginning, yet with this debut the band cement themselves as one of the greatest emerging UK rock acts of the moment

‘Upheaval” by The Lounge Society, taken from the band’s debut album ‘Tired of Liberty’ – out 26th August 2022 on Speedy Wunderground.

Heads up y’all, this one packs a real punch. Far from the superficialities of select indie rock songs of old, ARXX‘s Hanni and Clara pen and play deeply authentic, storied songs, told through a queer lens.

In 2023, the Brighton duo arrive with a spirited debut album that boasts a killer title track, a guest appearance from excellent Irish indie rockers Pillow Queens and some seriously addictive hooks.

Produced by the band’s long-term collaborator Steve Ansell (Blood Red Shoes), and mastered by Katie Tavini  (Arlo Parks), this is an accomplished, infectious exploration of raw emotion and life experience. Released in March of next year, we could all benefit from exiting winter with a decent dollop of sonic catharsis and a kick-ass collection of songs with true heart, so look no further.