The Fat Angel Sings

Sonic Youth Archive is a home to SY recordings including official, unreleased, self-released and stray SY recordings. Sonic Youth release live recording from Kyiv, Ukraine April 14th, 1989 to benefit World Central Kitchen and relief to Ukraine.

Riding on the wave of the critical success of “Daydream Nation”, Sonic Youth’s first foray into the former USSR came in April of 1989 with shows in Vilnius, Leningrad, Moscow and Kyiv, the first opportunity for Lithuanians, Russians, and Ukrainians respectively to get a realtime gander at the fabled NYC underground in the flesh (with Bon Jovi lagging four months behind to rep NJ for the hordes). Anarchic, locked, and loaded with fresh jams from “Daydream” and vintage chestnut “Brother James”, SY blister here into a rabid pack of ready-for-action Ukrainians only blessed previously with the likes of Nick Cave and Neubauten drifting into their territory. Though the post-Iron Curtain sojourn was cut short prematurely (like this recording!) after this gig, the Sonics left an indelible impression of the true sounds of freedom with attendees that included Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz who was forever changed in its wake. This revisiting of the April 14th set honours that nation’s spirit and proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen wck.org , and timestamps a moment where new ears got transported for a first time.

“That SY Kyiv show was life changing for all musicians that were there… we were already attuned to Nick Cave, Einsturzende Neubauten, S Pistols and Discharge but these were the new vitamins we needed. I made a decision to experience NY right there. Plus my friends VV were opening so i got in free 🤟🏼. The fact that it wasn’t shut down half way through like all other punk gigs was the doing of a Ukrainian man named Mikhailo Gorbachev, who set up the atmosphere of political “springtime” and a promise of change.” – Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello,

“In general, few people said how much the Sonics, with their arrival, promoted the entire soviets, and not just Kyiv. After all, in fact, perhaps, with that tour they hammered the final nail in the coffin of the soviets, and it was as if they let us in Kyiv breathe a mixture that was finally suitable for life.” – Sergey Popovich (Siggy Pop)

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. WCK has served more than 70 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world. WCK’s Resilience Programs strengthen food and nutrition security by training chefs and school cooks; advancing clean cooking practices; and awarding grants to farms, fisheries, and small food businesses while also providing educational and networking opportunities.

Released April 14th, 2022

Plastic Mermaids announce their second full-length album ‘It’s Not Comfortable to Grow’, due for release by Sunday Best on the 16th September. The remarkable album is a profound and emotional exploration of the many facets of heartbreak, seen through the eyes of frontman and lyricist Douglas Richards.

The sun-bleached, sauntering ‘Disposable Love’ is the first official single to be revealed from the album and one of the moments that finds Douglas exploring moments of passing relief, as he explains “it’s about wanting to get back to a younger place, a freer place; a feeling of not having much worth, but being nostalgic for that.”

Tracks were written from the start of the first lockdown in March 2020 and recorded in the band’s self-built studio at Douglas and Jamie’s father’s house in Gurnard (Doug, Chris and Jamie live nearby in Cowes, bassist Tom is in Newport and drummer Chris in freshwater).

releases June 11th, 2022

All songs written, produced and recorded by Plastic Mermaids

Following a string of sold-out dates in Australia, locals-gone-global Spacey Jane have released their new single “It’s Been A Long Day”. The track will feature on their upcoming second album, “Here Comes Everybody“, which lands on Friday, June 10th.

“This song was written pre and post a breakup in 2020,” said vocalist and guitarist Caleb Harper. “It was a way to tell someone that I loved them when I was feeling so anxious and down in the early stages of COVID –  and I didn’t know if I was doing enough to really tell them.”

“In the end I became so overwhelmed and unwell during a six month period that I convinced myself that music was a lost cause, and the complete loss of identity resulted in the breakdown of the relationship. ‘I’ve got something to say,’ was trying to say all the things I felt for her at once. In the end, after the breakup, the final lines of the song are – ‘I really loved you.’”

“Here Comes Everybody” first came to life at the start of the 2020 lockdown and features recent single “Sitting Up, Lots of Nothing” .

Spacey Jane’s debut album “Sunlight” was released in June 2020, was voted Album of the Year in the triple j Listener’s Poll, was nominated for a J Award for Album of the Year and is now certified Gold.  Hit single “Booster Seat” picked up Song Of The Year at the 2021 ARIA’s, Spacey Jane have released their new single “It’s Been A Long Day” from their upcoming second album, “Here Comes Everybody”, which comes out Friday, June 10th. 

Hotly tipped psyche rockers Midnight Rodeo are the new band making waves in Nottingham, already getting huge attention after signing to essential indie label FatCat Records and dropping debut single “Now You’re Gone”.

Freshly signed to Fat Cat Records, the new single is a sharp-shootin’ piece of psych-pop that recalls everyone from Allah-Las and Mazzy Star to those early Pink Floyd singles. Imbued with the knockabout charm of early La Luz, there’s also something defiantly British at play within their lysergic template.

Carefully layered, ‘Now You’re Gone’ feels like the perfect opening gambit, boasting a slight Morricone influence in the arrangement.

Midnight Rodeo comment: “‘Now You’re Gone’ laments the sometimes frustratingly ephemeral nature of life, and the futility of “chasing a time that we know is over.””

Their first trip into the studio conjures images of 70’s hedonism, as “Now You’re Gone” draws on woozy dream pop and projects shades of a lost spaghetti western soundtrack, just as you’d expect from a band with a name like that! The sensational six-piece includes singer Maddy Chamberlain, James McBride and William Crumpton sharing both guitar and backing vocal duties, with Sam Potts playing keys, bass curtesy of Harry Taylor and Ferg Moran on drums.

Midnight Rodeo will be showcasing their hot new single whilst impressing a home crowd when they play a headline show at The Chameleon next week. Plus, they play support for The Baggios in London before making an appearance at Splendour Festival.

The Rolling Stones have announced the release of a new live collection, “Licked Live in NYC”, from the band’s performance at Madison Square Garden during their 2003 tour. The title will be issued as 1-DVD/2-CDs, 1-SD Blu-ray/2-CDs, 2-CDs and 3-LPs, on June 10th, 2022, via the Universal Music Group’s Mercury Records. The news arrived less than three weeks after the band had revealed that their legendary 1977 “secret” performances at Toronto’s El Mocambo club were also being released on May 13th.

From the announcement: To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the Rolling Stones embarked on a worldwide tour in 2002 and 2003 that would cover 117 shows in a variety of theatre’s, arenas and stadiums. This show captures their January 2003 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City and features a guest appearance from Sheryl Crow on “Honky Tonk Women.”

“Licked Live In NYC” includes previously unreleased performances of “Start Me Up,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Sympathy For the Devil,” along with three bonus performances from Amsterdam and rehearsal footage.

Mercury Studios release a new title from the Rolling Stones archive, “Licked Live in NYC”. This show from New York’s Madison Square Garden in January 2003 was one of 117 shows on the band’s 40th Anniversary tour, which played in stadiums, arenas and theatres around the world between 2002 and 2003. Originally released as part of the “Four Flicks” DVD collection in 2003, “Licked Live in NYC” features 4 songs previously unavailable, along with 3 bonus performances from Amsterdam and two rehearsals. The SD Blu-ray also includes the “Tip of the Tongue” documentary, along with documentary footage from Boston, adding nearly an hour of additional footage compared to the DVD.

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, The Rolling Stones embarked on a worldwide tour in 2002 and 2003 that would cover 117 shows in a variety of theatres, arenas and stadiums. This show captures their January 2003 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City and features a guest appearance from Sheryl Crow on “Honky Tonk Women”. “Licked Live In NYC” includes previously unreleased performances of “Start Me Up”, “Tumbling Dice”, “Gimme Shelter” & “Sympathy For The Devil”, along with 3 bonus performances from Amsterdam and rehearsal footage.

The SDBD also includes the “Tip of the Tongue” documentary chronicling the conception and preparations for the innovative 3 show / 3 venue concept from the recording studio in Paris to Toronto where the band prepares for their Licks World Tour.

Joining Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts were Darryl Jones (bass, backing vocals), Chuck Leavell (keyboards, backing vocals), Bobby Keys (saxophone), Bernard Fowler (backing vocals), Lisa Fischer (backing vocals), Blondie Chaplin (backing vocals, acoustic guitar/ percussion), Tim Ries (saxophone, keyboards), Kent Smith (trumpet), and Michael Davis (trombone).

Much of the material on the new collection was previously released in 2003 on the Stones’ “Four Flicks” DVD.

The long-awaited deluxe edition of Pavement‘s divisive (literally!) final album, which many thought would never see the light of day, is finally out and comes with the very different track order that producer Nigel Godrich originally envisioned for the album, plus 28 never-before-heard bonus tracks including a lot of Stephen Malkmus demos.

“Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal” is an exhaustive 45-track set compiling the remastered original album, B-sides, home demos, rehearsal tapes, era-appropriate live recordings, and even the rough tracks from Pavement’s scrapped session at Sonic Youth’s Echo Canyon studio. Altogether, it features 28 unreleased tracks. Originally released in 1999, “Terror Twilight” marked a departure from Pavement’s established operating methods. Which is to say that it was recorded with a big-time producer in an expensive studio. However, for all the talk of “polish” and “precision” it’s still very much a Pavement record. And a great one. Like every Pavement album that preceded it, “Terror Twilight” thrills and confounds. Often at the same time. Also being released the same day: An expanded edition of Pavement’s “Spit On A Stranger” It includes the viral phenomenon “Harness Your Hopes” and a previously unreleased live take from the band’s legendary 1999 Brixton performance.”

“Spit on a Stranger” is taken from the album ‘Terror Twilight.’ Pre-order / save the deluxe box set ‘Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal’ out on Matador Records April 8th, 2022:

Maybe it’s Godrich’s track order, maybe it’s just time away, but Terror Twilight sounds pretty good in 2022, and feels like it’s gotten better with age. It also sounds much more like a Pavement album now than it did in 1999 when the baggage of its creation came with it, even though Kanneberg’s essay in the liner notes is titled “The Terror Twilight… or Pavement’s All Shook Down,” which is a reference to The Replacements’ final album that many consider to be a Paul Westerberg solo album.

“You Are a Light” “Spit on a Stranger,” the doomy “Cream of Gold,” “Ann Don’t Cry,” “Billie,” and “Folk Jam” are Pavement songs through-and-though. Only “Carrot Rope” and “Major Leagues” really feel like songs that could’ve ended up on Malkmus’ first solo album. One that did, “The Hook,” was actually tried out during the RPM sessions as “Be the Hook,” and is one of “Farewell Horizontal’s” many bonus tracks.

Following on from the success of the critics and fans favourite 2019 Debut LP, the maverick tunesmith Mick Trouble returns to the fold with 12 solid “A”s.

“It’s Mick Trouble’s Second LP” is 2022s “Doing it for the Kids” – an eloquent exercise in pop perfectionism. “A joyous listen that harks back to the late 70’s and especially the golden era of the Television Personalities” (Flying Nun Records, NZ)

Mick Trouble’s known associates include cult guitar pop outfit My Teenage Stride and cultish short scale guitar pop outfit / Slumberland Records roster members of Jeanines. Mick writes songs about class warfare, Iron Ladies, and Hadrian’s Wall. Nobody has seen him in public for several decades, as far as you know.

“Filled to the brim with earworm melodies, killer basslines, magic harmonies and lyrics jam-packed with obscure British references sung in a chippy-chappy British accent.”

Available as limited white vinyl with bonus flexidisc, and classic black vinyl.

released April 5th, 2022

UK duo make good on the promise of “Chaise Longue” on their absolute blast of a debut album

Wet Leg‘s self-titled debut is finally here and — sorry haters — it’s great. “Wet Leg” plays like a snapshot of your mid-to-late-20s, when hangovers start to get worse but don’t stop you from going out all the time, and you start looking for more serious relationships, questioning the direction your life is heading — all set to ridiculously catchy indie rock. Songs are peppered with memorable, saucy lines — “Baby do you want to come home with me? / I’ve got Buffalo 66 on DVD,” “I hope you choke on your girlfriend,” “I got the big D” — but Wet Leg know the value of a “la la la” or “ah-eeh-ah” chorus, too.

The production, mostly by the in-demand Dan Carey with mixing by Alan Moulder (he did all your favorite ’90s shoegaze albums), isn’t scared of layers upon layers of sound — “Angelica” builds to a wonderful hazy, noisy mess, and “Convincing” (Chambers’ sole lead vocal here) is a sea of guitars and harmonies — but they understand sometimes all you need is bass and drums. Hooks are plentiful and sometimes come in the form of seemingly throwaway pings and glitches, and keep things interesting in the choruses, verses and middle eights.

Never in a million years when we started Wet Leg did we think we’d be releasing an album or doing any of this tbf. We feel so privileged that we were given the opportunity to make the album we have made. Thank you to everyone who believed in us even before we did!

Wet Leg – “Ur Mum” from the album ‘Wet Leg’ out now on Domino Recordings