The Fat Angel Sings

For the past few years, Toronto band Tallies have been perfecting their own shimmery, jangly take on ’80s and ’90s dream-pop. The band got together in 2018, and they’ve released one album, a self-titled affair that came out on Kanine Records in 2019. For the past few months, Tallies have been cranking out new singles, and now they’ve announced that they’ll release their sophomore LP “Patina” I Really like this stomper of a song which is a nice addition to their typical light twangy melancholy discography 

Tallies recorded their new album with Holy Fuck member and Metz/Alvvays producer Graham Walsh. The band’s new single “Hearts Underground” makes a nice introduction to the band. It’s an upbeat, twinkly shamble with some elegantly weary vocals from bandleader Sarah Cogan. The band put together their own found-footage video for the clip, and it works as a sort of mood-board for the song itself.

In a press release, Cogan says: This song is that little voice that kicks yourself. The voice that says, “Why’d you do that?” In this case, it was about how it holds me back, sometimes for the better. It’s about self-sabotage. Sometimes, you wish this little voice would speak up sooner and not just after the fact. I wrote a song about that little voice that I’ve heard my whole life; it’s a reflection on times when I’ve held back too much or when I wish I’d held back more.

“Patina” was produced by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and Dylan Frankland of Tallies at Palace Sound, Baskitball 4 Life and Candle Recording in Toronto. The Canadian group’s new record is brimming with hooks, heart and fully realised widescreen pop songs, brushed with elements of gaze and indie pop, it deepens the connection between the emotive lyrics and the earworm tunes; it’s a wonderful delight. Decorated by singer Sarah Cogan’s distinctive bittersweet tone and documenting the valleys and peaks of her own emotional landscape, imbued with light of the melodies with the dark of the subject matter. Tallies sound oscillates between the wistful jangle pop of The Sundays colliding with the abrasive textures of the likes of Curve or Throwing Muses. 

Releases July 29th, 2022

Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from song writing to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk.  

The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. with lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, versions of modern performance offers many pathways. Following last year’s one-off ‘Billy’, lead single ‘Anti-Glory’ is elastic and propulsive. the accompanying video, exudes confidence, putting Horsegirl front and centre, their uncanny ability to layer sound on full display. “We wrote “Anti-Glory” almost by accident, while messing around with an old song during rehearsal. the song fell into place immediately, and looking back, we have no idea how we wrote it,” the band explains. “as always, this song and album are for Chicago, our friends, our friend’s bands, everyone who can play the guitar, and everyone who can’t play the guitar.”

The friendship of these three goes far beyond Horsegirl. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs, and they have their own mini-rock underground, complete with zine distros, that they describe as somewhat separate from the “adult shows” that take place at bars and diy spaces they don’t have access to. they’re exultant about their friends’ talent, noting that any of the bands from that scene could have been (or might still be!) plucked up the way they were. versions of modern performance was recorded with John Agnello (kurt vile, the breeders, dinosaur jr.) at Chicago’s electrical audio. “it’s our debut bare-bones album in a Chicago institution with a producer who we feel like really respected what we were trying to do,” the band says. across the record, Horsegirl expertly play with texture, shape and shade, showcasing their fondness for improvisation and experimentation. one can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. there’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. but as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. they’re best understood as part of a continuum, but they’re building something for themselves.

Everyone is from somewhere.  The question is how many of us, after leaving, want to go back.  It’s a topic that singer songwriter Michael McDermott explores on the forthcoming St. Paul’s Boulevard, and most notably on lead single “Sick of This Town”.  “Be careful of the past, don’t let it drag you down, there’s no shame in all the things you might regret,” he sings, “Be careful of the ghosts that love to hang around, they’re just there to remind you what you’re trying to forget.”

Musically, McDermott sure knows how to write an anthem.  And I’m not talking in the Gary Glitter “Rock and Roll Part 2” kinda way (although there’s nothing wrong with that sports staple).  Rather, he magnificently crafts sing-alongs that are infused with raw and universal emotion.

Says McDermott about the song:

After living in several different cities and traveling the world playing music somehow it happened. Be it happenstance or Providence, I’m back in the town I grew up in. The town I spent my entire childhood dreaming about leaving. The place I couldn’t wait to get away from. This was never part of the plan. This was not the dream.

What I have learned as an experienced world traveller these many years is that there is good and bad everywhere. There is beauty and ugliness, pros and cons, kindness and wickedness, so on and so forth. Happiness isn’t geographical. There are a lot of ghosts on these corners and a story to be told about nearly every street, but for now at least it is once again home. Meeting people from different countries and sharing stories and meals, there is a kind of love/hate people have about where people live or come from. It’s a universal thread. I feel that too. I’m in a red town in a blue state, which makes me an outsider, but come to think of it, I always was.

We’ve got some more moshpit brilliance today from good old Crows, who have shared the third single from their forthcoming album “Beware Believers”, ‘Garden of England’. London four-piece Crows will release their highly anticipated second album, ‘Beware Believers’, on April 1st 2022 via Bad Vibrations Records. Conjuring a dark and visceral post-punk that’s been hardened by years of notoriously rowdy live shows, Crows have amassed a legion of die-hard fans since they formed back in 2015 and cultivated a singular, much-adored presence in the British alternative music scene. Equal parts ferocious and hedonistic, the incoming ‘Beware Believers’ LP arrives off the back of their critically acclaimed 2019 debut ‘Silver Tongues’, international touring and festival appearances, and shared stages with the likes of IDLES, Wolf Alice, Girl Band, Metz, Slaves and Protomartyr.

The spacey, psych-vibe chamber rock of this one comes with a video about a boxer taking money to fix a match.

The track follows January’s ‘Slowly Separate’ and February’s ode to true crime ‘Room 156’. 

On the album as a whole, the band said: “Beware Believers has felt like a marathon, a real endurance test that’s been a long, winding road filled with highs and lows and plenty of twists and turns.” 

James Cox (frontman): “The majority of the themes on the album came from what was going on in the world around in summer 2019, Covid wasn’t in our lives and the biggest impact was Brexit and the madness our government were putting us through. I was reading a lot of J.G. Ballard and Kurt Vonnegut whilst all this craziness was going on around us and it was a weird headspace to get into.”

The immense intensity and their frenetic furiosity were no less than jaw-dropping. On Beware Believers, their high-powered passion is still intact and its sizzling sound evolved further into a mean Herculean rock machine.

Blistering hammer blows like “Garden Of England”, “Slowly Separate”, and “Room 156” are already noted in my end-of-the-year list of best 2022 knockouts. And reflective reality checks like the Joy Division-esque Healing, Moderation, Wild Eyed & and Loathsome, and the fantastic Meanwhile have the sonic vehemence to burn holes in your stereo.

Raging ad roaring all the way. Big tunes, big emotions, big scores.

This 2nd album strengthens Crows’ already significant position in the British post-punk rebirth of the past gloomy years, with bands such as Shame, Black Midi, Ditz, Black Honey, Black Country New Road, Lice and The Mysterines. Beware and believe me, Crows are here to stay.

“Beware Believers” arrives 1st April via Bad Vibrations. 

Led by Mark Peters, UK band Engineers have been making gorgeous, blissed-out dreampop for nearly 20 years. With a sound as airy as little fluffy clouds against a clear blue sky, the band got a lot of comparisons to Slowdive early on but that never quite fit. Engineers mixed in lots of synthesizers with proggy rhythms and soulful melodies for a sound that put them closer to Beta Band by way of Pink Floyd and Ulrich Schnauss (who ended up joining the band in 2010). They have their own distinct style.

Having put out five albums over the last two decades (most recently 2020’s Pictobug), Engineers are still best known for their 2005 self-titled debut, partially because single “Home” ended up being used as the theme for HBO series Big Love in its fourth and fifth seasons. It’s a fantastic record, the kind of super psychedelic bubblebath music that sends you off to Rancho Relaxo while still holding your attention.

Welcome vinyl reissue of UK dreampop band’s excellent debut album, Released just before the vinyl resurgence via Chrysalis imprint Echo Records (Morcheeba, Moloko, more) that folded the next year, the album has been out of print physically since its initial release so Music on Vinyl’s gatefold double LP reissue, due out May 13th, is very welcome.

Finally, the news you were waiting for – The Fontana era boxset – “The House Of Love: Burn Down The World”, 8CD Box Set

The set will be released on July 29th, 2022. • Deluxe 8CD Box Set Compiling three albums, Singles, B-Sides and Rarities plus previously unreleased demo’s and two complete live recordings unreleased Live Recordinghs by the House Of Love.

The set has 139 Tracks spanning the band’s four year spell on Fontana Records.

Features the Hit singles ‘Shine On’, ‘The Beatles and The Stones’, ‘Never’, ‘The Girl with the Loneliest Eyes’, ‘Crush Me’ and others. Produced in conjunction with Guy Chambers.

Following their critically acclaimed Creation Records’ debut, The House Of Love signed to Fontana Records and embarked on four years of non-stop recording and touring that would take them into the mainstream. Produced in association with founder, frontman and principle songwriter Guy Chambers, ‘Burn Down The World’ takes an in-depth look at that period in the band’s career, both in the studio and onstage. By the time The House of Love‘s self-titled debut was released by Creation Records in 1988, the band had already been scooped up by major label Fontana. Seeing hit potential in frontman Guy Chadwick’s songs (and cheekbones), Fontana quickly got the band back in the studio to make their second album. It was anything but quick, though, as House of Love spent more than a year and $1 million on the album, burning through studios, producers and brilliant lead guitarist Terry Bickers’ sanity. (Bickers was sacked in late 1989.) Released in July 1990, The House of Love (aka “The Butterfly Album”) is nonetheless great listen.

Featuring countless never before heard demos, lost tracks and live recordings sourced from Fontana’s archive, alongside rare fan club-only releases, compilation appearances, promotional versions and tracks never before available on CD, and accompanied by the thoughts of Guy Chambers, ‘Burn Down The World’ sheds new light and insight on a rollercoaster ride which took House Of Love from indie darlings to mainstream globetrotters.

The House of Love never quite fit in. The band remained on Fontana till they broke up in 1993, releasing the very good, underrated “Babe Rainbow” in 1992 and not-quite-as-good “Audience With the Mind” the next year. The Creation era of the band — their excellent debut album and early singles — gets most of the attention these days but the Fontana albums hold up well, as shown on this new box set. Across a whopping eight CDs, “Burn Down the World” collects pretty much everything that House of Love released on Fontana, including the three albums and tons and tons of b-sides, outtakes, demos and live cuts, 13 of which have never been released before.

Some of these B-sides and outtakes, including the fantastic “Marble” and a whole bunch of songs titled “Love,” were actually released during the band’s original run on 1990’s “Spy in the House of Love” compilation. Here, “Spy” is expanded to three CDs worth of material including their cover of George McRae’s 1974 disco hit “Rock Your Baby” (recorded for NME’s 40th Anniversary), their cover of The Chills’ “Pink Frost” (b-side to “The Girl With the Loneliest Eyes.”) A lot of these odds and ends are as good as anything on their proper albums. There’s also a full-show recording of The House of Love live in Leicester in 1990, as well as recordings live in NYC in 1991/1992.

Presented in a deluxe slipcase box, and accompanied by a lavish booklet, this is a welcome opportunity to revisit in depth the career of one of the great bands of the proto-Britpop era of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

On her second full-length record, “Head of Roses”, Jenn Wasner follows a winding thread of intuition into the unknown and into healing, led by gut feelings and the near-spiritual experience of visceral song writing. The result is a combination of Wasner’s ability to embrace new levels of vulnerability, honesty and openness, with the self-assuredness that comes with a decade-plus career as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and prolific collaborator. Simply put, “Head of Roses” is a record about heartbreak, but from a dualistic perspective. It’s about the experience of having one’s heart broken and breaking someone else’s heart at the same time. But beyond that, it’s about having to reconcile the experience of one’s own pain with the understanding that it’s impossible to go through life without being the source of great pain for someone else. “Part of the journey for me has been learning to take responsibility for the parts of things that are mine, even when I’m in a lot of pain through some behaviour or action of someone else. If I’m expecting to be forgiven for the things I’ve done and the choices I’ve made and the mistakes that I’ve made, it would be incredibly cowardly and hypocritical to not also do the work that’s required to forgive others the pain they caused me.”

Showcasing the depth of Wasner’s song writing capabilities and the complexity of her vision, “Head of Roses” calls upon her singular ability to create a fully-formed sonic universe via genre-bending amalgamation of songs and her poetic and gut punch lyrics. It’s the soundtrack of Wasner letting go – of control, of heartbreak, and of hiding who she is: “I think I’ve finally reached a point in my career where I feel comfortable enough with myself and what I do, that I’m able to relax into a certain simplicity or straight forwardness that I wasn’t comfortable with before.”

“Head of Roses” puts Wasner’s seismically powerful voice front and centre. Those vocals help thread it all together – it’s a textured musicality, quilted together by intentionality and intuition. Wasner and producer Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso, Made of Oak) assembled “Head of Roses” in the same way you’d put together a mixtape, painstakingly and carefully melding disparate parts into a whole, transcending genre to weave a story of heartache and healing together. And in the same way a homemade, painstakingly-crafted mixtape plays out, with the maker’s fingerprints left all over its songs – so goes “Head of Roses“.

Carefully curated and culled from the depths of Wasner’s heartbreak and healing, it’s deeply, intensely personal. But just as we change ourselves by embracing the pain of loss and uncertainty, so too are the purpose of these songs changed through the act of creating them. Having succeeded in healing the person who made them, they now exist for those who find them in their own moments of need. Always in motion, the original spirit of creation has already flown from this place—but it’s left behind a blueprint, a tool for you, to lean on, too.

The selection of live recordings for “Head of Roses: Phantom Limb” run the spectrum, from solitary to exuberant. Some were made solo, in the summer of 2020, while other tracks are electrified with the energy that comes from a day cooped up making music with your friends. The versions of “Spring in Winter” and “Like So Much Desire,” from Wasner’s 2020 “Like So Much Desire” EP, were both recorded alone, on a grand piano in the rural sprawl of Pittsboro, North Carolina at Manifold Studios. The undulating, subdued version of “Hard Way” was recorded live for a KEXP session while Wasner was holed up in the Californian desert, and the live versions of “Two,” “One More Hour,” and “Price of Blue” that live on the bonus disc were recorded with the help of Wasner’s friends Mountain Man, Matt McCaughan, Joe Westerlund, Michael Libramento, Alan Good Parker, and Nick Sanborn out at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There are also covers of two of Wasner’s favourite songwriters — Joan Armatrading’s “The Weakness in Me” and Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia,” the latter featuring contributions from former bandmate Aaron Roche.
 
Among the second disc of bonus material is a “Head of Roses” beginning – the acoustic demo of “Lightning,” recorded ages ago in the secondary room at Betty’s, before the song hit its final shape on “Head of Roses“. There’s also a handful of previously-unreleased “Head of Roses” outtakes – “Wonder” and “Go with Good,” both written at the same time as the rest of the record, but ultimately left on the cutting room floor. And then there’s a kind of postscript: Wasner wrote and recorded “It Just Goes On” in one afternoon at her friend Stella Mozgawa’s studio, and the version that exists here—guitar, bass, vocals and drums—are those first unedited performances of hers, along with some invaluable production contributions by Ethan Gruska. “Head of Roses” was complete by that time, but she knew this brand new song was still connected to that collection —a last word, a sort of epilogue. In that same way, “Phantom Limb” serves as a bid adieu, a final reflection on the past two years of Wasner’s songwriting.

Jenn Wasner’s voice, both as a songwriter and as a singer, has never sounded better to me. What a gift this album is. And for real, that extended guitar solo on “Price of Blue” is worth the price of admission alone.

Across various cultures and belief systems, the colour orange symbolizes sunshine, creativity, heat, freedom, fascination, and fire. Mt. Joy channels this bright, bold, and brilliant energy on their 2022 third full-length offering, “Orange Blood“, which is set to release on June 17th via Island Records. The title track, which was is available now, hinges on gently strummed guitar as woozy vocals echo over sparse swells of sound before the central hummable harmony drifts in and out of focus.

“Orange Blood” explores a sonic spectrum of eloquent daydreams, blissful guitar-propelled psychedelic rock, and artful alternative alchemy siphoned from sessions in the Southern California desert under a watchful sun. When the global pandemic upended the bands tour with The Lumineers in 2020, Matt and Sam retreated into the desert. Holing up in a house with Matt’s girlfriend and brother, shroom-fuelled detours, late-night conversations about life, and a thirst for reprieve brought “Orange Blood” to life.

“Our last album was a breakup record,” notes Matt. “It had a darker feel. When we were in Joshua Tree, there were so many sad things in the world. We wanted to build something that found beauty in the fact the world has always been crazy. We were trying to find a way to be present enough to appreciate our surroundings even if they’re in decay.” Returning to Philadelphia, they put the finishing touches on the album in a house with the full line-up and long time producer and collaborator Caleb Nelson.

Kicking off their forthcoming album, Mt. Joy released “Lemon Tree” which was hailed as “a next-level song” by NPR. The band also recently announced their US headlining Orange Blood 2022 Tour.

Music video by Mt. Joy performing “Orange Blood“. exclusive license to Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.