This song sounds as though the members of Yo La Tengo were challenged to make something that would answer the question “what’s so special about Yo La Tengo?” and absolutely nailed the assignment. Yo La Tengo have written a lot of different types of songs through the years but this one really gets to the core of their identity – Ira Kaplan’s distinctive guitar tone and the way he strangles notes out of his instrument in a way that introduces a bit of manic violence to a fuzziness that would otherwise feel cozy, the contrast of a low-key nearly deadpan quality in the vocals with an obvious warmth and sincerity. “Fallout” sounds like it’s in the sweet spot of their mid-90s run of albums “Painful”, “Electr-O-Pura”, and “I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One”, but it doesn’t sound like a self-conscious return to anything. It’s just the logical outcome of moving from the cut-and-paste construction of their last full album to something very live and raw, and this is just what they’re like when they get in that mode. It’s muscle memory, it’s core competencies, it’s a musical identity honed for over 30 years.
the upcoming album ‘This Stupid World,’ out February 10th on Matador Records.
John Darnielle has written almost 600 songs now, and some of them are very sad, dealing with hard drugs and tragic ends, hurting yourself and others, sicknesses of both body and brain, off-brand alcohols. They are told in beautiful, unnerving, specific detail because he is a very good writer, and also some of them are just true stories about his own life.
“Jordan Lake 5” found us preparing for the Bleed Out tour and playing the songs together for the first time since recording them. We had been waiting a year to let these songs out of the cage and it was a pleasure to set them loose! Available to name your price today only on Bandcamp – along with other select albums.
Follow the story of the first American singer/songwriter to sign to the Asylum label, Judith Lynne Sill released two albums and nearly completed the third before dying of an overdose in 1979.
On November 13th, a new documentary about 1970s singer/songwriter Judee Sill will premiere in New York as part of the 2022 DOC NYC Festival. Titled “Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill” features interviews with Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Shawn Colvin, and David Geffen (who discovered Sill), as well as younger musicians such as Adrianne Lenker, Weyes Blood, and Fleet Foxes.
It charts her life from a troubled adolescence of addiction, armed robbery and prison through her meteoric rise in the music world and early tragic death. In two years, Judee went from living in a car, to an Asylum Record deal and the cover of Rolling Stone. As told by David Geffen, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash — along with Judee herself — the film explores Judee’s unique musical style and the inspiring recent rediscovery of her singular music by many young artists today.
Signed to Geffen’s Asylum Records, Sill released two albums in the early ’70s before dying of a drug overdose in 1979 at the age of 35. The film examines Sill’s early life and music as well as her personal struggles with addiction and being incarcerated.
Sill was influenced by Bach, while lyrically her work drew substantially on Christian themes of rapture and redemption
Judith Lynne Sill (October 7th, 1944 – November 23rd, 1979) was an American singer and songwriter. The first artist signed to David Geffen’s Asylum label, she released two albums on Asylum and partially completed a third album before dying of a drug overdose in 1979. Her eponymous debut album was released in late 1971 and was followed about 18 months later by “Heart Food”. In 1974, she recorded demos for a third album, which never was completed. The demos were released posthumously with other rarities on the 2005 two-disc collection “Dreams Come True”.
Lily Konigsberg wrote “Sweat Forever,” one of the singles from her forthcoming full-length album, “Lily We Need to TalkNow”, in the heat of a moment when her life felt upside down and a longtime relationship was ending. “I’m still here / Is that what you wanted?” she sings, with light and clarity that belies the true sadness of that sticky refrain. The song is propelled by the feathery strum of a 12-string guitar (one gifted to her while she was working at the Gym, a Brooklyn mutual-aid hub), her playful vocal asides, and crisp, detail-oriented production by Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes, My Idea).
“Lily We Need to Talk Now” is a record Konigsberg has been slowly chipping away at since 2016, revising and re-recording the songs over the years. The eleven-track collection is her first proper full-length, following her anthology of EPs and unreleased tracks The Best of Lily KonigsbergRight Now, released in 2021 by Wharf Cat Records.
The new record is catchy the whole way through, like much of the poppy and plainspoken indie rock output that’s made her a fixture of the NYC underground in recent years. Her voice twists and turns and dashes around her clever wordplay in new ways here; there are hints of power pop, pop punk, and downtempo introspection, all dotted with easter eggs of winking humor. She’s joined by many of her longtime collaborators: Andrea Schavelli, with whom she released the 2017 split “Good Time Now”; Matt Norman, with whom she has collaborated in the avant-pop duo Lily and Horn Horse for years; Paco Cathcart, of the Cradle, who produced her 2020 EP It’s “Just Like All the Clouds”; and Nina Ryser, with whom she plays in the acclaimed art-punk trio Palberta. But it’s her collaboration with Amos that makes the most notable new additions.
True to its title (taken from a text message sent to Konigsberg by Amos), this collection of songs is like a check-in with herself. On “That’s the Way I Like It,” with backing vocals from Cathcart, Konigsberg reflects on the feeling of struggling with a loved one. “You can get all evil about it—like a brat, like a baby,” she says. On “Proud Home,” she sings one of the record’s boldest earworm hooks (“You’ve got a lot of fucking things to be proud of!”) and tries to comfort a friend who has a crush on her mom. “I really cracked myself up with the lyrics,” she says. “It’s kind of a ‘Stacy’s Mom’ riff. I decided it’s a dedication to Adam Schlesinger [of Fountains of Wayne].” But Konigsberg’s lyrics aren’t happy all of the time. “There’s a lot of sadness or strangeness in them,” she says. “This album is clearly about breaking up with somebody that I love. But, in all of my music, there’s humor. I don’t take myself too seriously.”
Konigsberg’s sense of humor is on display in “Hark,” an infectious and light-hearted track about the frustrations of songwriting. It was originally written for her quarantine project with Palberta bandmate Ani Ivry-Block, Forever. “I hate the fact that I belong to something that needs my help or else it will die,” she sings gracefully about her unfinished tunes, before joking, “You can look, but don’t touch / That part’s a mess / Leave it to me,” backed by a bouncy bassline and horns, her voice occasionally wrapped in a touch of autotune. “It’s an odd song but weirdly catchy,” she says. “My musical life is kind of encapsulated in it.”
Konigsberg has been writing songs all her life. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she started playing solo sets around NYC clubs as a teenager, before linking up with Bard classmates Ryser and Ivry-Block to form Palberta. “They’re the reason that I’m such a confident performer,” Konigsberg says about her Palberta bandmates. “We learned to perform together, and now I’m genuinely not scared when I go onstage. They’re my sisters, and they inspire me to just do me.” Despite this being her namesake project, Konigsberg’s biggest influences remain her friends and collaborators, and the project generally has the feeling of a collective effort. “I just love all of my friends, and I’m really happy that some of them are part of the record. Charlie, Hugo, Nina, Paco, Andrea, Matt, Nate. They inspire me a lot.”
“Lily We Need to Talk Now” explores the rollercoaster of grief that accompanies a heartbreak—and the rush of exciting things that come next. The album ends aptly with “True,” a cathartic, high-energy rocker that Konigsberg says captures “the feeling that you can’t live without someone—but you can.” She compares the end of a relationship to a death. “You can’t imagine someone in your life not being there, and then they’re not there. And sometimes you’re happy and laughing, and sometimes you’re mourning. But life does go on.”
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Show 475: 1. Slowdive-Souvlaki Space Station 2. Σtella-Charmed 3. Just Mustard-Still- 4. The Smile-The Smoke 5. Batts-All That I Need 6. Kids on a Crime Spree-Goods Get Got 7. Deadheading-Break 8. Jeremy Ivey-Orphan Child-Invisible Pictures-Anti- 9. Warpaint-Champion-Radiate Like This-Virgin 10. Jasmyn-Crystal Ball-In the Wild-Anti- 11. The Fabulous Five- Janie Made a Monster-single-King Records 12. Lydia Lunch-Spooky-Queen of Siam- Atavistic 13. Gnarls Barkley-Boogie Monster-St Elsewhere-Warner Bro
Is there a better pairing of kindred spirits than a split seven-inch single featuring Le Butcherettes and Death Valley Girls? We’re hard pressed to think of one. Sure, the interaction is fleeting, but damn is it satisfying. We’ve got Le Butcherettes on side A taking on one of Death Valley Girls’ most cosmic numbers, the kaleidoscopic centerpiece off “Under the Spell of Joy” album, “TheUniverse.” Le Butcherettes’ fearless and charismatic mastermind Teri Gender Bender takes the tune into even trippier territories, replicating the original song’s sonic tapestry of synth, sax, and guitars with layer upon layer of vocals.
Only the sparse accompaniment of acoustic guitar and modest percussion keeps the song from being fully a capella. It’s a perfect interpretation of Death Valley Girls’ communal and choral aims.
On side B, Death Valley Girls offer up a new tune—the deliciously ecstatic “When I’m Free.” Like every great Death Valley Girls song, it’s a celebration of life bolstered by fiery rock n’ roll riffage, spiritual organ, dizzying sax, and Bonnie Bloomgarden’s defiant and triumphant vocals. Suicide Squeeze Records is proud to offer up this meeting of mystical minds on vinyl and digital platforms. The one-time vinyl pressing is limited to 1000 copies (700 on Space Junk Splatter, 300 on Inner Ascension).
Low drummer-vocalist Mimi Parker dies, age 55, after two-year battle with ovarian cancer, Alongside husband Alan Sparhawk, Parker formed Low in the early 90s, and their minimal alternative to the era’s grunge-heavy music saw them acclaimed as one of indie-rock’s most original bands. Parker was born in 1967 and grew up in a small town outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. She began experimenting with music from a young age, coming up with harmonies to complement her sister’s guitar and leads. The pair sang along to the old country and gospel records introduced to them by their parents.
She knew how to let her art speak for itself, anchoring Low’s songs with a steady heartbeat pulse while summoning a hazy effect with her mesmerizing voice. She was the aching spirit that shaped Low’s incomparable sound.
Mimi Parker, the founding drummer-vocalist for the ‘slowcore’ indie-rock band Low, passed away at age 55 on Saturday night inside her Duluth, MN home after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. Fans were first made aware of Mimi’s health problems on August 15th when the band announced they had to cancel concerts in Wales, Scandanavia, England, and Scotland due to her ‘fighting cancer’ which made ‘travel impossible.’
Parker met future bandmate and husband Alan Sparhawk at primary school, before they formed Low in 1993, with bassist JohnNichols. Initially she played a modest drum kit composed of just a snare, cymbal and floor tom, and used brushes instead of drumsticks. The band’s debut album, “I Could Live in Hope”, was released in 1994, and later included in Pitchfork’s 1999 list of the best albums of the 1990s.
While supplementary members of the band came and went, Parker and Sparhawk remained at the helm throughout Low’s almost-30 year history. With their slow, minimal arrangements and often quiet delivery, Low are recognised as one of the most original and accomplished names in indie rock.
‘Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but she passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours,’ her husband and bandmate Alan Sparhawk announced Sunday.
‘Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.’
Aside from Sparhawk, Parker is survived by their two adult children – 22-year-old daughter Hollis Mae and 18-year-old son George Cyrus.
Former Low bassist Zak Sally posted an old snap of Parker captioned: ‘I don’t have any words, other than that I treasure every moment I had with Mimi Parker, one of the most wonderful humans I’ve been lucky enough to know in this life. And so thankful I got to tell her that. I love you, Mim.’
Many of the band’s peers paid tribute online. “I heard the news in the most base circumstances, surrounded by degenerates, stuck and cursing, in a conference room in Deerfield,” wrote producer Steve Albini, who worked with the band on the 1996 Transmission EP and the albums “Secret Name” (1999) and “Things We Lost in the Fire” (2001). “I was momentarily overwhelmed, the sound of her voice resonant in my memory, beautiful and heartbreaking. Godspeed Mimi Parker.
Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite tweeted: ‘Absolutely heartbroken by the news about Mimi. Sending all my love to Alan and his family.’
Portishead frontman Geoff Barrow wrote: ‘Heartbroken by the news of Mimi Parker’s passing. Her voice with Alan’s often emotionally moved me unlike any other band. Their music together transcended all the bulls*** in the world and I will treasure every time I saw them play live or said hello to her at a festival.’
Everything But the Girl singer Tracey Thorn tweeted: ‘So sorry to hear this news. Love and condolences to all who knew and loved Mimi.’
Thorn’s bandmate Ben Watt tweeted: ‘Just unbearably sad to hear of the death of Low’s Mimi Parker. My heart goes out to Alan and their family. I feel honoured that our paths crossed more than once.’
Grammy nominee Will Sheff tweeted: ‘Mimi Parker’s voice had such depth and mystery – icy and opaque but also somehow warm and motherly, an uncannily perfect complement to Alan Sparhawk. And she had such presence onstage. She gifted Low with their extraordinarily powerful sense of gravity. Rest in peace.’
Ghost Car, the London-based international punk quartet, have announced their debut album ‘Truly Trash’ following their signing to One Little Independent Records. The riotous, quick-witted collection of 11 garage-rock bangers will be released on October 28th.
Ghost Car, the London-based international punk quartet. Riff-heavy bangers rise in raw intensity as group harmonies build toward garage-rock noise-outs, and frenzied synth drags the sound in a 60’s psych direction.
Ghost Car practice what they preach, and aim to spread their mantra of inclusivity and equal rights as loud as possible.
The album provides Ghost Car with a platform to rage against political injustices, as their unified battle cries attack patriarchal inequality, homophobia, racism and toxic relationships. ‘Truly Trash’ is a call to reclaim autonomy and to revolt against the powers that uphold an archaic nationalist system.
Arny Margret released her gorgeous debut album, ‘they only talk about the weather’, an album of acute emotional exploration. It’s Arny’s coming-of-age journey, from writing in school, staring out of dorm room windows, being on the road, to today. With poetic proficiency and a knack for composing melodies that bury themselves deep into the subconscious, Arny writes of loneliness and existentialism with stark relatability.
Taken from new album ‘they only talk about the weather’
2017’s equal parts somnambulant and sultry “Sleeprydr” 7” was aptly described as “psychedelic rock that hits like a dream despite undoubtedly seeking to soundtrack nightmares” (-Stereogum). Thankfully, “Slow Sundown”, Holy Motors’ debut full length release, finds the Estonian dreamcatchers utilizing a similar sonic palette ranging from dark psychedelic pop to shoegaze-inflected western music. But while “Sleeprydr”, much like 2015’s “Heavenly Creatures” 7”, provided only a fleeting glimpse into the dreamscape that their music evokes, “Slow Sundown’s” eight tracks offer a more immersive experience for those brave enough to take the ride. While the guitar lines from lonely cowboy ballads like “Honeymooning” could easily serve as the central themes for unwritten Morriccone scores, dystopian anthems like the rhythmically propelled “Signs” break new ground for the band and demonstrate that Holy Motors are not bound by their influences.
Thematically the album is comprised primarily of sad love songs centered around the idea of motion – the motion of a satellite orbiting a planet, the motion of a passenger riding shotgun in a car – as it relates to stellar-scale and existential isolation. Produced by Merchandise’s Carson Cox and recorded at Brooklyn’s Kutch1 Studios when the band was visiting the US on tourist visas, “Slow Sundown” is a beautiful alien artifact that definitively delivers on everything we have been promised by Holy Motors’ work to date.
About Holy Motors, Hailing from Estonia, Holy Motors is a five-piece twang and reverb band featuring three guitarists. They are cowboys at heart who come off as shoegazers by their presence and dreamcatchers in their music. In their time, Holy Motors have played alongside bands such as Kaleidoscope, Craft Spells, Sic Alps, Dirty Fences, and Rips.
STEREOGUM Hits like a dream despite undoubtedly seeking to soundtrack nightmares THE FADER HOLY MOTORS makes shoegaze that sounds like the old west ADHOC Alluring in their delivery, entrapping in their substance
The Fat Angel Sings 