The Fat Angel Sings

British primal psych band Loop was formed in London in 1986 by Robert Hampson on guitar and vocals and Beki Stewart (Bex) on drums.

With the arrival of James Endeacott on second guitar, drummer John Wills, and bassist Neil MacKay, Loop adopted a more primal, rhythmic approach and put out their debut full-length, 1987’s “Heavens End”.

The band hypnotized all with their discordant, trance-like spell which served as an antidote to the prevailing trends in British pop at the time; they resurrected the concept of loud, out-there rock for a new era, creating droning soundscapes of bleak beauty and harsh dissonance loosely influenced by The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, The MC5, but retaining the avant-garde and experimental edge of Can, Faust, Neu!, Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca, and minimalist systems music.

Loop, who broke up in 1991, reactivated for some reunion shows in 2013 and ‘14. By the end of 2014, it had reconstituted in a new line-up, with Hampson the sole continuing member. “I don’t think it would’ve worked if we’d continued working with the line-up as it was,” Hampson reflects. “We’d all outgrown each other. I don’t think it would’ve been very successful. We deliberately kept it brief.”  Following the 2015 release of the EP “Array 1”, the group’s been silent on the recording front. But in November of last year, they announced “Sonancy” the first proper Loop’s full-length since 1991’s “A Gilded Eternity”.

“Heaven’s End” originally released 1987 ,

Track Listing : 1.Soundhead 2.Straight to Your Heart 3.Forever 4.Heaven’s End 5.Too Real To Feel 6.Fix to Fall 7.Head On 8.Carry Me 9.Rocket USA 10.Soundhead (original mix) 11.Head On (original mix) 12.Soundhead (Peel Session) 13.Straight to Your Heaven (Peel Session) 14.Rocket USA (Peel Session)

The Paranoyds are Southern California DIY rock royalty. Fuelled by the fiery energy of their live shows paired with raw lyricism and subtle societal commentary, The Paranoyds are unafraid and unapologetically in perpetual pursuit of a good time. The four-piece is made up of Laila Hashemi (keyboardist-vocals), Lexi Funston (guitars/vocals), Staz Lindes (bass/vocals) and David Ruiz (drums, vocals) who together masterfully blend light-hearted playfulness with sharp sincerity over fuzzy guitar, dreamy vocals and punchy, punky rock-n-roll.

“Talk, Talk, Talk”, the new album from The Paranoyds gives the band space to expand, evolve and above all, have fun. Over 11 tracks, the band experiments with sounds that span an eclectic array of genres–from jazz, to lo-fi punk-rock, to groovy R&B–that melt together showcasing the innovative range of The Paranoyds.

The Los Angeles-based DIY rock band The Paranoyds share their highly anticipated sophomore LP “Talk Talk Talk” out everywhere now via Third Man Records. Alongside the release of the album, the band shares new single & live video shot on VHS, “Freak Out” ahead of their lengthy fall tour across North America and the UK. 

The track “Freak Out” embodies an otherworldly, massive crush that is impossible to ignore, complete with call-and-response style vocals that reinforce it. The track ultimately inspired the title of the forthcoming album as it includes the words, “talk, talk, talk” several times throughout. Guitarist and vocalist Lexi Funston adds that the song is about, “having a big ol’, out-of-control, teenage crush. There are flashes where you realize that you might be coming on a bit too strong, but they are brief, and you continue to lose yourself to the obsession. You can’t help it!”

Its accompanying DIY video was shot over the course of December 2021 through May 2022 by Funston and friends. It peels back the curtain and documents the band in their most natural state, from the studio, to the stage and in the moment.

The Paranoyds second album, “Talk Talk Talk”, is a sentimental, sci-fi-infused testament to their almost lifelong unbreakable bond that gives the band space to expand, evolve and above all, have fun.

Over 11 tracks, the band experiments with sounds like vintage synthesizers, sampling, and multi-layered drum tracks that melt together showcasing the innovative range of the rising rockers and best friends.

“Talk Talk Talk”, out September 9th:

Get an incredible Pink Floyd performance on colour vinyl with this unmissable release. During this 1974 concert, Pink Floyd storm through a virtuoso set, showcasing every track from their seminal “The Dark Side of the Moon” album. Also included is a performance of the prog masterpiece “Echoes”. Pressed on heavyweight 180g transparent silver vinyl, this double-LP encapsulates the magic of Pink Floyd in the live arena and brings it right to you at home.

This has to be about the best set list ever…in Pink Floyd’s…or anyone’s history! Does it get any better than this?. originally Broadcast on the Alan Freeman Show on 11th January 1975. BBC Radio 1 FM.

“Live at the Empire Pool” is a recording of live concert by the band, Pink Floyd, recorded by BBC Radio 1. The record has not been released as a standalone album but has been released in parts as part of other Pink Floyd releases; namely the “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” immersion box sets (2011) and “The Early Years 1965-1972” box set (2016). The album was recorded during the British Winter Tour, 1974 at the Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena), England. The shows are notable for showcasing an early version of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” as well as very early versions of “Sheep” and “Dogs” under different titles – “Raving and Drooling” and “You’ve Got to Be Crazy”, respectively. The tour also featured the whole of “The Dark Side of the Moon” album played as well as one of the final performances of “Echoes” before being resurrected briefly in 1987; this performance of “Echoes” is notable for featuring saxophone performed by Dick Parry.

The show was recorded by the BBC and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 (Dark Side set only), on 11th January 1975 as part of Alan Freeman’s programme.

The tracks on the “Wish You Were Here” Immersion box set were recorded on 15th November 1974. The tracks from “Speak To Me” to “The Great Gig in the Sky” were recorded on 16th November 1974, while the tracks from “Money” to “Eclipse” were recorded on 15th November 1974, with patches from the 16th. “Echoes” was recorded on 16th November 1974.

The first three tracks were released as part of the “Wish You Were Here” Immersion box set in November 2011. The whole performance of “Dark Side of the Moon” was released two months earlier, in September 2011 as part of the “Dark Side..”. Immersion box set. The encore, “Echoes”, was not released until November 2016 when it was included in “The Early Years 1965–1972” box set as part of “Volume 7: 1967–1974 Continu/ation”.

Setlist: 01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-IX) 02 Raving And Drooling 03 You Gotta Be Crazy 04 Speak To Me 05 Breathe 06 On The Run 07 Time 08 Breathe (Reprise) 09 The Great Gig In The Sky 10 Money 11 Us and Them 12 Any Colour You Like 13 Brain Damage 14 Eclipse 15 Echoes

David Gilmour – lead guitar, vocals Roger Waters – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals Richard Wright – keyboards , vocals Nick Mason – drums Dick Parry – saxophones, with The Blackberries, Vanetta Fields – backing vocals, Carlena Williams – backing vocals

Vinyl release of Pink Floyd – “Live At The Empire Pool 1974” (Silver & Clear Vinyl. Released through SECOND RECORDS and available on 2LP.

Tigers Jaw will follow last year’s great “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me” with a four-song new EP, “Old Clothes”, due October 28th via Hopeless Records. The EP was recorded during the same Will Yip-produced sessions as “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me”, and the just-released title track is an instantly-catchy song in the same power-poppy vein as that album. It’s great stuff and you can check it out below. We’re also thrilled to be teaming with Tigers Jaw on an exclusive coke bottle clear vinyl 7″ of the EP, limited to just 300 copies!. 

Ben Walsh says, “We’re so excited to finally share this song and announce the EP. We tracked these songs in the same sessions as the songs on “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me”, and when we were deciding which songs to include on the record, these four songs felt like they could be special on their own as an EP. ‘Old Clothes’ is a song about wanting to exist in a moment for as long as you can.”

Tigers Jaw are about to begin a tour supporting The Gaslight Anthem.

The visual for Tigers Jaw’s new single “Old Clothes” off the new EP ‘Old Clothes’ out October 28th, 2022 on Hopeless Records.

Having reissued her studio albums over the last few years, PJ Harvey is further digging into her archives to release the 59-track compilation “B-sides, Demos and Rarities” on November 4th via UMe/Island. It’s available as either a 3-CD or 6-LP set, each including liner notes and rare and unseen photos.

The compilations spans PJ Harvey’s career, with most of the tracks unavailable physically or digitally for decades. Fourteen of the tracks are either previously unreleased or in previously unreleased versions.

Of the collection, PJ Harvey says, “To have this collection of songs released to the world means a great deal to me. For every album song I have written there have been accompanying brother/sister songs that for many reasons don’t quite have their place in the world at that time, but do find their way eventually, and are no less important for being later. In fact some of these lesser known works are closer to my heart.

“Now having all these works collected and released together in their own right feels at last to give them the place in the world they deserve. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I do.”

You can listen to three songs now: a previously unreleased demo version of “Dry” an unreleased demo of “Missed” and “Somebody’s Down, Somebody’s Name” which is officially available digitally for the first time.  Most of the 59 tracks in this 6LP boxset are currently unavailable physically or digitally; 14 tracks are previously unreleased/previously unreleased versions. Mastering and vinyl cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of long time PJ Harvey producer John Parish.

Polly is working on a new album, and recently covered Leonard Cohen’s “Who By Fire” for the “Bad Sisters” soundtrack. Loved working with composer Tim Phillips on the new tv series Bad Sisters. When Sharon Horgan approached me to be involved I said yes immediately as I have followed her work and loved it for years. It is a thrill to now be working with her.

It was a very enjoyable day spent recording the version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Who By Fire’ with Tim. I had spoken to Sharon in advance of the recording session, so I understood why she felt the song’s lyric was so perfect for the series, but also understood what nuances of Leonard’s performance she most loved, and therefore what to try and recapture but in my own way.

B-Sides, Demos & Rarities released Island Records recording;

Released on: 2022-09-08

Fuelled by youthful bravado and an explosive retro-futuristic sound, this young punk-rock power trio blasts the lid off your expectations with their debut, “Versions of Modern Performance”.

Since the dawn of garage rock, basements and carports across America have played host to untold thousands of high school friends looking to fulfill that insatiable need to form a band. And, of course, it’s never easy, but even when everything clicks, it’s probably safe to say that not many of them wind up getting signed to the genre-defining indie rock label Matador Records on their first try.

‘Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)’ is a scuffed-up, guitar-driven piece of garage-pop that sea saws between discordance and fragments of melody. The track’s lyrics brim with alliteration and slanted rhymes, and as the instrumentation rises, the song rides out with a chorus of “oohs.” 

It’s a fine example of the Chicago three-piece Horsegirl‘s kinetic connection and playful sense of humour their reinterpretation of noise pop follows a lineage but doesn’t ape it, it’s charmingly ramshackle, personal, and endearing.

“For us, it started purely as three teenagers who were doing it for fun,” gushes Penelope Lowenstein—at 18, the youngest member of the teenaged three-piece Horsegirl, who in the short span of three years have gone from jamming together in their parents’ basements to, this October, opening for the legendary alt-rock outfit Pavement on their much-touted reunion tour. “I don’t know how it usually happens for bands, but it was just this weird moment where suddenly we were on peoples’ radar. Eventually we recorded a bunch of demos, put them on Soundcloud, and sent them to all the labels who had become interested, and that’s how we were connected with Matador.”

There’s more to the story, but for now here’s the nitty-gritty: “Versions of Modern Performance”, Horsegirl’s debut album, is 34 minutes of voluminous sonic joy, tracked in its entirety at Steve Albini’s stalwart Electrical Audio and produced by studio vet John Agnello, whose prestigious credits include work with Dinosaur Jr.,Sonic Youth, the Dream Syndicate, and Kurt Vile, to name just a few. Lowenstein switches off on guitar, bass, and vocals with Nora Cheng. They met and cemented their friendship while taking part in the School of Rock program in their native Chicago. (Sidenote: They first played together in a cover band that featured, you guessed it, Sonic Youth songs on the setlist). Gigi Reece, Horsegirl’s drummer, joined in early 2019, bringing an instant powerhouse backbeat to the band’s sound, which surges with a psychedelic fervor that conjures tastes of the Velvet Underground and Nico, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, and Yo La Tengo—again, to name just a few.

“We were brought together by this shared love for the same kind of music,” says Cheng, describing how the resurgent Chicago scene, tough-to-crack but nurturing when it counted, eventually helped propel Horsegirl into the spotlight. They recorded their first single, the cavernous and hauntingly folk-tinged “Ballroom Dance Scene,” with their friends Jack Lickerman and Niko Kapetan (whose own band, Friko, has carved out a distinctive dream-pop niche).

Eventually the Chicago Tribune came calling, running a high-profile feature on Horsegirl that sparked a critical buzz. “This was after more and more bands had started popping up that seemed to share similar influences with us, or the same ethos, I guess you could call it,” Cheng observes. “I don’t know exactly how it happened, but it all turned into a very supportive, young community.”

In a sense then, “Versions of Modern Performance” is as much a reflection of the scene that elevated Horsegirl as it is the band’s full-throated statement of purpose.

From the sharp angles and resonant chords of the uptempo opener “Anti-glory” to the layers of sludge and whistling guitars in the mournful “Billy” (loosely inspired, with its E–B–E–B–E–B tuning, by the music of Nick Drake), the album conveys a warm, enveloping analog atmosphere where heavy-leaded psych rock, recombinant proto-punk, wistful indie-pop melodies, and volcanic blooms of guitar feedback all collide in a crucible of spontaneity. Infuse all that with a healthy dose of controlled chaos and the multi-coloured picture of what Horsegirl is all about begins to take shape.

The Brooklyn music scene over the last 15 years has changed dramatically and often, moving further East to the point where it might now be in Queens, and some of the biggest names of the ’00s now call Silverlake home. Yet Nicole Schneit, is still here, still writing simple, honest, direct guitar pop as Air Waves. If that makes it sound boring, it is not. Nicole has a way of getting to the heart of things with the fewest words and chords possible that sinks in quick, and they’ve gained a reputation as a musician’s musician. Having signed with Fire Records, home of The Chills, The Bevis Frond and Throwing Muses, Air Waves have released their first album for the label and Nicole gets some help from Cass McCombs, Luke Temple, Frankie Cosmos and others. Cass McCombs who duets with Nicole on “Alien,” you might not even realize there are any guests on the record at all. Nicole’s songs continue to feature the sparest of arrangements gently strummed guitar, light keyboards and backing vocals, minimalistic drumming — that keep the focus on her way with melody and low-key but emotive delivery.

Heady with hooks and unforgettable melodies, gliding on deeply danceable grooves, always with Air Waves’ innate compassion, concision and uncanny pop sense shining throughout. A masterpiece that’s beautifully simple, instantly accessible and entirely addictive. Also on the album, Skyler Skjelset (Fleet Foxes, Beach House), Brian Betancourt (Hospitality, Sam Evian), Rina Mushonga, Lispector, David Christian, Ethan Sass, and Ben Florencio.
‘The Dance’ has waited three years to see the light of day and it comes to us now, blinking, smiling in the widening light of 2022 feeling more needed and necessary but also more joyous than ever before. It’s both a snapshot of these songs as they were recorded but crucially, in the intervening time those songs have had additional arrangements crafted by Nicole, created remotely and virtually, with a few like-minded collaborators. The result is simultaneously Air Waves freshest, most spontaneous yet finessed album yet.

You won’t find a better soundtrack for the solidarity, strength, romance and movement we all need right now than ‘The Dance’ – Air Waves’ is their best album yet. 

Released September 9th, 2022

Calgary band Preoccupations understand that as bleak as post-punk styles can be, they are also inherently sexy. While they don’t exactly look the part — aside from drummer Mike Wallace, these are normal looking, normal dressing dudes who would never be confused with Interpol — they imbue their songs with a dark romance that’s hard not to get swept up in. Their fourth studio album finds them restoring their roots with the singular, guitar driven, dissonant yet anthemic washes of intricate noise that has brought them international acclaim since their basement beginnings.

They loosen their collars even further on “Arrangements”, arguably best album. While the tension between the four members remains one of their best qualities, they’ve relaxed just a little, giving the songs room to breathe and slowing tempos enough to take things from rigid to sultry.

Those subtle changes allow for more range in bassist and frontman Matt Flegel’s vocals, and he’s never sounded more natural in the lead role. His gravelly pipes can go from warm and inviting to harrowing and menacing in an instant. It all comes together on tracks like “Riccochet,” one of Preoccupations’ best-ever songs that shines with thrilling guitarwork, Wallace’s monster drumming, and Flegel seething out lines like “Everything tastes like the bitter end.” While that is the high point for the album, “Arrangements” features the band’s best batch of songs to date, with big hooks and burrowing melodies to go along with the always impressive musicianship. They may not have lightened up — Flegel says the album’s about “the world blowing up and no one giving a shit” — but the band are taking it all in style.

The Calgary post-punk band relax just a little for their most effortless, appealing record yet.

released September 9th, 2022

The debut album from London duo Jockstrap Georgia Ellery, also of Black Country, New Road, and Taylor Skye takes all of one minute to announce itself as something remarkable.

The debut album from UK duo Jockstrap is the sound of total freedom. The album opens with a gentle strum of a guitar and singer Georgia Ellery’s breathy vocals. If you’ve never heard them before, you might be expecting a folk album along the lines of Laura Marling but 40 seconds into the song, as Ellery’s voice rises and gains strength, a switch flips and things go into glitchy electronic territory with deep sub synths, “wub wub” dubstep bass, and fizzled circuits.

Opener “Neon” draws you in with sparse acoustic guitar and Ellery’s lithe vocal, only to wallop you with rib cage-rattling bass, a film score-esque theremin sample and a ghostly chorus. It’s the first “holy shit” moment of many on the record, “a collection of Jockstrap tracks that have been three years in the making,” per the duo.

Then the song flips again with distorted drums, a towering fuzzed-out riff and the whole thing sounding like someone dropped the tape into a deep fryer. All while the melody continues, over and done with in less than four minutes. Each turn unexpected and perfect.

Dramatic strings, synths and chanting usher “Concrete Over Water” into EDM banger mode; harp plucks flicker between organic and artificial to introduce “Angst”; closer “50/50” feels like a club anthem for the end of the world. Euphoric and disorienting at once, their deconstructed dance-pop music brings cubist art to mind, assembling familiar shapes into structures that are altogether alien.

Commenting on the impending album release, Jockstrap’s Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye said: “I Love You Jennifer B” is a collection of Jockstrap tracks that have been 3 years in the making. Everything on it is pretty singular sounding so we hope there is a track on there for everyone and something that speaks to you and says ‘I’m a banger.’” Skye added of ‘Glasgow’ (their new single): “‘Glasgow’ is our coming of age, moving forward, long-distance, travelling, beautiful bosk, wonderful thicket song.” And Ellery said of the song’s subject: “Glasgow is a great city, perhaps my favourite in the UK! Only downside is that it’s so damn cold all the time.”

When Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye make music as Jockstrap, the process and result has one definition: pure modern pop alchemy. With their debut album “I Love You Jennifer B”, Jockstrap will cement themselves as one of the most vital young groups to emerge from London’s melting pot of musical cultures in years.

As Jockstrap leave the launchpad, you can either crane your neck at their dizzying ascent, or hold on for dear life and enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.