The Fat Angel Sings

Our new album is finally here! It took us nearly two years to finish this, and we could not be happier to share it with you. I hope you let it soundtrack your day and many days ahead. As you listen, here’s the story of what this album means:

Before “Look At What Tomorrow Brought Us” could come to life, I had to find a way out of today. 

In early October of 2020, I arrived at Stephen Shirk’s studio in Chicago with a few songs that echoed with the emptiness of a pandemic that was surging, a justice system that was failing and a campaign season that seemed to be closing its doors on democracy. Each day blurred into the next. The songs felt like they were traveling the same road— one long highway I had driven a million times before. 

Shortly after that first session, I came down with covid. I spent a week unable to move more than a few steps at a time. It served as the reminder I needed that time is precious — and that songs should reflect the gift to live and work and laugh and cry. I started writing with an optimism that has been elusive for most my time as a maker of music. Each month, Aaron Kiser and I met Stephen at the studio for a few days to focus on a few new songs. We spent the whole year in that rhythm — a few days each month offered an escape from everything.  

Then, in May, my wife and I received the news that we would be welcoming a little person into the world. In fact, I wrote this from the neonatal intensive care unit after my son just turned five days old after arriving much, much earlier than we expected. It was exciting and overwhelming and terrifying— and most importantly, it delivered a reassurance that the world can offer a meaningful weight that is well worth carrying.

I have spent the past 10 years creating music about my fears that the universe is teetering on the edge of doomsday. That might still be happening, but I’ve finally learned that, if it’s true, we may as well enjoy it all while we can. 

When you press play on this album, you will see Aaron and me having the time of our lives throughout every minute of this album — from the opening solo piano notes of “Slow Dance” to the anthemic close of “A Billion Drums.” There’s Aaron’s gospel-esque vocals on the bridge of “Goodness Gracious”. There’s me channeling the most John Lennon guttural scream of celebratory anticipation in the outro of “Eleanor.” There’s the two of us stomping on the floor of the studio to create a two-man marching band in “Parentheses.” I think the best way to sum up the entire album is the bridge of “If You Look Hard Enough”: 

Make every morning New Year’s Day/ We’re counting down to throw the past away

If you look for the problems in the world, you will find them. But if you look for the things that are worth smiling about, you will find those, too — it just takes a bit more work. 

Tomorrow is here. And it brought so many reasons to smile.

released November 11th, 2022

Angelo De Augustine is an American musician residing in Thousand Oaks, California. He has collaborated with and opened for musician Sufjan Stevens. The songwriter has shared two new video singles: “27” and “Hologram.” Both singles are out now via Sufjan Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty. De Augustine and Stevens released a collaborative album, “A Beginner’s Mind”, last year via Asthmatic Kitty.

De Augustine’s last solo album was 2019’s “Tomb” and the 2020 tracks ‘Santa Barbara’ and ‘Blue’. De Augustine recorded, produced, and mixed the tracks, which “hint at a larger sound to come,”

Thanks Sufjan for helping me with “27,” Jessica Calleiro for editing my VHS-C tapes, and to Matt Czap for animating my cover art illustration.

There’s a particularly good bit in our interview with Nick Cave in this month’s new issue of MOJO. He’s telling Danny Eccleston about how he and the writer Seán O’Hagan worked on their exceptional book, Faith, Hope And Carnage. “We ended up talking more about universal matters,” Cave says, “but all of that circles around music, as everything does, really.”

Everything circles around music here, not least as a respite from the anxieties and iniquities of the world right now. Please welcome, then, the new MOJO and our annual review of the best things about the year; the music that has kept us more or less sane in 2022.

Inside the issue you’ll find the accumulated wisdom of the MOJO team channelled into a Top 75 albums of the year list, plus the reissues, books and movies of 2022. No spoilers, but we’ve talked to plenty of people who’ve had a hand in the key music and musical happenings these past 12 months. We’ve also, of course, got plenty more for you to enjoy, starting with our Blondie cover story, as Debbie Harry and her numerous bandmates commemorate 40 years this month since their original split. We break metaphorical bread with Nick Cave, let our hair down in New Orleans with Wet Leg, and leave plenty of space for an exclusive chunk of writing by one Bob Dylan.

Plus: Crazy Horse on Neil. Johnny Marr on The Queen Is Dead. Sonic Boom on Spacemen 3. The Joni Jammers on Joni. The Heartbreakers on Tom Petty. Don Was on everyone. Rick Wakeman on ice. Bowie, Bruce, Bono, The Beach Boys. Peter Blake. Loretta Lynn. How To Buy Beyoncé. And, yes, a little Beatles on the side.

Introduced by Graham Nash and presenting Henry Diltz’s remarkable CSN&Y archive, CSN&Y: Love the One You’re With is a celebration of the supergroup and its individual members, documented through 1,000 photographs and 34,000 words from 20 contributors.

With their unique vocal blend and a musical approach that ranged from acoustic folk to melodic pop to classic rock, supergroup CSN&Y created some of the most beloved songs of the Sixties and Seventies. The story of one of the world’s most famous vocal harmony groups has been one of extremes: break ups and make ups, sublime musical chemistry and creative conflict, reunions and solo endeavours. Throughout, their enormous cultural impact has remained inarguable.

Documenting it all from the band’s very beginning was renowned rock photographer, Henry Diltz. For the first time, Diltz’s photos of CSN&Y are being collected and presented in CSN&Y: Love the One You’re With. Only 350 Deluxe copies are being created, each signed by Henry Diltz and Graham Nash, with an exclusive signed fine art print. 

‘It was scary. But once we knew what we had, you could not pry us apart with a crowbar. We knew we’d lucked into something so special. We could hear it plain as day.’ – David Crosby

How grateful we are that the musical story of CSN&Y is being celebrated with this beautiful book, which showcases our visual history through Henry Diltz’s camera lens.’ – Graham Nash

‘We were eager, young, and hungry. All we needed to do was get it right.’ – Stephen Stills

Featuring over 1,000 photographs, Love the One You’re With is the first time that Henry Diltz’s photos of CSN&Y have been collected and presented in such number and format. Selected from an immense archive of colour slides, contact sheets and negatives, many are previously unpublished, while others are of iconic status.

The book’s photographic journey starts at the roots of CSN&Y, centred on the ‘sylvan place’ that was Laurel Canyon in the late Sixties. Diltz photographed Graham Nash, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young in their previous incarnations in the Hollies, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. He was then witness to musical alchemy as CSN discovered their astonishing vocal dynamic, first performing to fellow musicians and friends. 

Throughout every decade since, Diltz has shot CSN, CSN&Y and their various iterations, in recording studios, on concert stages, for album covers, and at benefit concerts.

Psychedelic rock heavyweights Dead Meadow will release a new album on Blues Funeral Recordings. The three-piece comprised of guitarist/vocalist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille and drummer Mark Laughlin offer their first studio recording since 2018’s “The Nothing They Need”, a unique piece of art that was written and recorded remotely and sees the trio diving into yet another form of boundary-free experimentation.

In 2021, they began work on a collection of jams and experiments for Blues Funeral Recordings’ PostWax series, working up a disparate yet cohesive group of songs that placed new works alongside the culmination of ideas they’d been tinkering with since the band’s genesis. The result of these efforts is “Force Form Free”, a spacey and dreamy record at times, grimly propulsive at others, and which captures Dead Meadow continuing their effortless exploration of the transporting, astral-gazing form they’ve spent their entire existence pushing forward.

New album “Force Form Free” will be available worldwide on December 9th, 2022 (with the ultra-limited PostWax edition shipping this October to PostWax Vol. II subscribers) on various vinyl formats and limited digipack CD through Blues Funeral Recordings.

from the Album “Force Form Free” Release Date: December 9th, 2022

7ebra is the new project from 25-year-old twin sisters Inez and Ella from Malmö. Inez plays electric guitar, Ella plays a keyboard, organ and Mellotron – whilst also playing drum samples with her feet – as they both sing haunting harmonies, in a way that only twins can. Beautiful but punk, minimalist but epic.

Originally starting as a solo songwriting project by Inez, her sister Ella eventually talked her way in;
“I was nagging Inez for a while that I wanted to play with her, do some harmonies on her songs, add some piano and melodies. She resisted for a while, but eventually she gave in, and was like ‘okay fine.’”. “I had a show coming up at Tambourine Studios, but it felt a bit boring to do it alone. Ella was the best and obvious choice- even though it took a while for me to realise” laughs Inez.

That show, at the prestigious Tambourine Studios in Malmö, was truly a turning point – not only as the first performance as a duo – but amongst the crowd was Tore Johansson, the acclaimed producer behind indie rock classics ranging from The Cardigans to Franz Ferdinand.

“Tore sent us a message the day after that show, asking if we would be interested in recording an album with him, which we didn’t need to think twice about, of course we had to say yes!” recalls Ella.
The duo have since signed to PNKSLM Recordings, and started making their mark across Scandinavia, the UK and Europe, supporting and touring with the likes of Future Islands, The Dandy Warhols & Bob Hund, and have extensive touring planned for the next year.

“I Have a Lot to Say” is the perfect example of 7ebra effortlessly combining their own brand of minimalist indie rock hooks with the unique production stylings of Tore Johansson, and they even find room for a fuzz guitar solo.

Released November 16th, it is the band’s second single and a taste of their upcoming debut album, which will be out early 2023 on PNKSLM Recordings.

Worriers are a band from Brooklyn, New York, centered around the songwriting of Lauren Denitzio, with the help of friends Mikey Erg, Nick Psillas, and more. They released their 2nd LP “Survival Pop” with SideOneDummy Records and have toured with John K Samson, Against Me!, Julien Baker, Anti Flag, and more. Worriers’ debut album “Imaginary Life” was produced by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! .

I got this album on another platform when it first came out, and I thought it was excellent. It came out at a time I was searching for more punk music. For me, it really hits a perfect mix of having incredibly articulate, evocative lyrics and inspiring me to move when I hear it. To this day, it’s one of my favorite albums

On this record, Worriers is:
Lauren Denitzio – guitar/vocals
Rachel Rubino – guitar
John McLean – guitar
Audrey Zee Whitesides – bass
Mikey Erg – drums/backing vocals
Lou Hanman – backing vocals

Originally released on August 7th, 2015 on Don Giovanni Records

New single out Today, It’s called “Waking Up in Los Angeles” and it’s about emotional geography and it’s for everybody everywhere.

Also, speaking of geography – Spring tour More related news (and yes, prob a few more show announcements) to come soon

Written by Eric D. Johnson.

released November 16th, 2022

On the driving new Lies’ single, “Camera Chimera,” the band (composed of American Football’s Mike & Nate Kinsella) continues to experiment with new sonic textures. Harsh, distorted guitar work is paired with lush, atmospheric synths – it’s classic, early 90’s shoegaze with a unique spin that can only come from the Kinsellas.

“’Camera Chimera’ is about the scary – and often crippling – side effects of interacting / existing on social media,” says Mike Kinsella. “It’s about not only feeling manipulated by others, but also being confronted with the reality and consequences of your own lies and manipulation, and how that can mentally and emotionally cause one to spiral.”

released November 16th, 2022