The Fat Angel Sings

San Francisco indie/DIY living legend Kelley Stoltz is back for Round Two on the Dinked Edition series, with his upcoming album appearing on Exclusive wax with a pair of 7’’ singles, a set dreamt up by the man himself.

There’s few better pop/rockers out there today than Kelley Stoltz. He’s like a throwback to the days when guys like Marshall Crenshaw were known for producing gem after gem of melodic ’60s influenced guitar pop without seemingly batting an eyelid. Now on just his seventeenth album, ‘The Stylist’ sees him once again recording solo as he wanders through the pack pages of jangle rock referencing the likes of Todd Rundgren, Emitt Rhodes and The Zombies along the way.  

“The Stylist” is a little different for Stoltz, who this time eschews his usual ’60s pop / ’80s new wave proclivities in favour of a more modern psychedelic pop sound. You can hear that in the very catchy first single “Your Name Escapes Me,” which comes with a very cool animated lyric video by Meryl Press. “After seeing Meryl Press’s artwork online, I was really taken with her rapid fire imagery and Peter Max hues,” Kelley tells us. “I thought she would be perfect to make a more artistic video than me just sullenly lip syncing. ‘Your Name Escapes Me’ is my favourite song on my new album, and one of my best ever… and I wanted something beautiful to live with it.”

Kelley was so impressed by the Dinked release of previous album ‘Ah! (etc)’ that he’s re-joined for its follow-up. On ‘The Stylist’, Stoltz pairs indie with psychedelia once more for a record inspired by Rundgren, Wilson, Nilsson, and The Zombies.

The singles include a pair of tracks each, one of which houses a cover of The Fall’s ‘Wings’. We’ve got word that the records have already been pressed so it will be good to go for its summer release.

+ Dinked Edition 188

+ Released: 10th June 2022

+ AGITATED RECORDS / AGIT061DE

+ “Butterfly effect” blue / pink / purple LP *

+ 2 x bonus 7” (3 exclusive tracks & a Fall cover!) *

+ Hand-numbered Dinked sticker *

+ 450 copies only *

* Dinked EXCLUSIVE

The album was recorded early in 2021, and has been languishing in the vinyl pressing log jam ever since – but luckily Stoltz writes timeless songs, the kind that might’ve appeared on the fringes of the late 60’s or mid 80’s!

If you’re looking for a raw, sugary blast of distorted pop, look no further than Weird Nightmare.

Weird Nightmare is, in its own way, a study in extremes: Edkins’ melodic instincts and penchant for dissonance are both turned up to the max throughout, the latter reflecting not only the barn-burning tendencies of METZ, but Alex’s own sonic predilections. “It doesn’t sound right to my ears until it’s pushed over the edge.” He also cites other artists who are masterful at mixing the sublime and the punishing—Kim Deal and Scout Niblett among them—as influences on his own songwriting. “My favourite songs are the simple ones,” he explains. “I’ve never been attracted to virtuosity or technicality. Certain songs have the power to lift your spirits like nothing else can. I wanted to create that type of song.” 

Sub Pop Records is delighted to welcome Weird Nightmare, the electrifying new project from Metz guitarist and singer Alex Edkins, to the label’s storied roster of artists. Label co-founder, Jonathan Poneman on the irresistible allure of Weird Nightmare: “One can hear, respect, and fully appreciate Alex’s reverence for the ingratiating hook, which he wields both generously and masterfully. Yeah. Killer!”

The debut full-length Weird Nightmare album will be released by Sub Pop later this year and we’ll have a lot more to say about that very soon. In the meantime, please enjoy a brief glimpse of Weird Nightmare in this gloriously fuzzy teaser.

The Metz frontman Alex Edkins is releasing his solo debut as Weird Nightmare on May 20th and he’s just shared this anthemic new song that sounds like The Who by way of Dayton and Dunedin. “I let my obsessive love of ’60s pop, garage rock and ’80/’90s Flying Nun come to the surface,” says Edkins. “I feel like my true musical personality comes out in these songs.”

Weird Nightmare from the self-titled album, out May 20th on Sub Pop Records

NYC-based indie label Sacred Bones Records turns 15years old this year, and as part of their celebration, they’re releasing “Todo Muere SBXV”, a compilation featuring various Sacred Bones artists covering other the songs of other Sacred Bones’ artists, past and present.

The new “Todo Muere SBXV” compilation celebrates the disparate threads that Sacred Bones has cultivated over these past 15 years by asking artists on the label to cover one another’s songs. It’s an exhilarating, adventurous collection that emphasizes the spiritual unity of the roster. Listening to “Todo Muere SBXV” feels like sitting down to dinner with a large, unruly, loving family. One of the biggest aesthetic leaps on the comp is Institute’s gnarled post-punk cover of Spelling’s lush The Turning Wheel highlight “Boys at School.” “I’d say we were inspired by her star qualities,” Institute frontman Mose Brown said. “The audacity, uniqueness, and talent poured into that record inspired us as to what’s possible on the Sacred Bones roster.” Guitarist Arak Avakian concurred: “I’d say Mose hit the nail on the head, with the key words being talent and audacity. Spelling is altogether inspiring. I am pervasively encouraged by her music.” Admiration and fandom were recurring themes for artists who recorded songs for the comp.

That was certainly the inspiration for Thou singer Bryan Funck, who covered Zola Jesus’s “Night” alongside Emma Ruth Rundle and Mizmor. “Before I knew about Sacred Bones, I was a huge fan of Zola Jesus,” Funck says. Ben Jones of Constant Smiles, one of the most recent signees to the label, had a similar reason for covering Jenny Hval’s “Spells.” “Jenny is a true force to be reckoned with and really elevates music and Sacred Bones to high art.”

Annika Henderson has long been a part of the Sacred Bones family, both as a member of Exploded View and as a solo artist. Her contribution to “Todo Muere XV” is a cover of Psychic TV’s “Godstar,” which she recorded in tribute to the late Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, one of her biggest inspirations. Hilary Woods and Marissa Nadler both chose to cover David Lynch, though the songs they chose come from two wildly different parts of the director and musician’s long career. Woods contributed a new version of “In Heaven,” the song the Lady in the Radiator sings in Eraserhead. Nadler chose “Cold Wind Blowin’,” a track from Lynch’s 2013 LP “The Big Dream“.

TRACKLIST:
01 Boris – “Funnel Of Love” (SQÜRL Cover)
02 Anika – “Godstar” (Psychic TV Cover)
03 The Hunt – “I Can’t Stand” (Zola Jesus Cover)
04 Constant Smiles – “Spells” (Jenny Hval Cover)
05 Dean Hurley – “Our Day Will Come” (Mort Garson Cover)
06 Domingæ – “Change” (Anika Cover)
07 Thou, Mizmor, & Emma Ruth Rundle – “Night” (Zola Jesus Cover)
08 Hilary Woods – “In Heaven” (David Lynch Cover)
09 Institute – “Boys At School” (SPELLLING Cover)
10 Marissa Nadler – “Cold Wind Blowin’” (David Lynch Cover)
11 “The Holydrug Couple – “Coca Cola Blues” (Psychic Ills Cover)

From ‘Todo Muere SBXV’ Out 5/27/22 on Sacred Bones Records

The latest single from “Sincere”, the new album from Sweden’s Hater, is “Far From a Mind” which is accompanied by a disquieting performance video directed by Jacob Nilsson.

Suppressing overpowering emotions on the disconcerting ‘Far From A Mind’, it’s joyously effervescent with a dark underbelly where fury manifests in a swirl of entrancing and propulsive percussion. Directed by Jacob Nilsson with cinematographer Benjamin Zadig, the accompanying new music video captures the brooding anger that stirs within the song. Solidifying their impressive trajectory, ‘Sincere’ sees the Swedish four-piece producing distinctly darker music with heavier instrumentation. A reawakening for the visionary band, it’s an expansive shoegaze trip through noisier, bittersweet pop realms where anger and heartbreak sheds new light on the acclaimed outfit.

Hater release new single ‘Far From A Mind’ . The track is from their forthcoming new album ‘Sincere’ out 6th May.

Quirky UK alt-pop band Everything Everything are gearing up to release new album Raw Data Feel on May 20. “I Want A Love Like This” started “as a challenge Alex set Jon to demo a ‘4-chord banger’ that he could put through a particular rhythmic processor on his home-made modular synthesiser,” say the band. “It’s another very instinctive and impulsive composition, talking about a new relationship and a feel of optimism and possibility.”

“I Want A Love Like This” The New Single. From our new album Raw Data Feel out on 20th May 2022.

Written and recorded in late 2021, Katy’s latest effort is co-produced by Ali Chant (Yard Act and the helm of Katy’s debut Return) and Speedy Wunderground head-honcho Dan Carey (Fontaines DC).

Katy’s debut album, “Return“, released in November 2020, saw her go from Bristolian newcomer to a critically-acclaimed breakthrough star, selling out shows up and down the UK. Praised for “the arresting quality of [her] Kate Bush-meets-Dolly Parton vocal delivery” by The Times, labelled as “finding humanity in every moment” by DIY and with lead single ‘Take Back The Radio’ described as “a whoop of pure joy” in the Guardian, amidst the bleak toll of lockdown, something about this curiously optimistic album began to really resonate.

It feels fitting then that, having provided an aural balm at just the right moment with her first album, its follow-up should reflect a world brimming with curiosity, back in action and wanting to expand its horizons.

If Pearson’s extracurricular activities in recent months have shown that she can dip a toe into a multitude of genres – providing guest vocals on Orlando Weeks’ recent album ‘Hop Up’; popping up with Yard Act for a collaboration at End of the Road festival; singing on trad-folk collective Broadside Hacks’ 2021 project ‘Songs Without Authors’ – then forthcoming second album “Sound of the Morning” takes that spirit and runs with it. It’s still Katy J Pearson (read: effortlessly charming, full of heart and helmed by that inimitable vocal), but it’s Katy J Pearson pushing herself musically and lyrically into new waters.

It’s an album that’s as comfortable revelling in the more laid-back, Real Estate-esque melodies of lead single ‘Talk Over Town’ – a track that attempts to make sense of her recent experiences, of “being Katy from Gloucester, but then being Katy J Pearson who’s this buzzy new artist” – as it is basking in the American indie pop of ‘Float’, penned with long time pal Oliver Wilde of Pet Shimmers, or experimenting with the buoyant brass of ‘Howl’, in which Orlando repays the favour with a vocal guest spot.

It all makes for a record that’s increasingly unafraid to explore life’s darker parts, but that does so with an openness that’s full of light. As an artist who professes to “always strive for the bittersweetness of things”, “Sound of the Morning” does just that, taking the listener’s hand and guiding them through the good and the bad, like the musical equivalent of an arm around the shoulder. “I want people to feel things with my music, but I don’t want to cause my listener too much trauma,” she notes with a cheeky glint. “Counselling is expensive, so you’ve got to pick your battles…”

“Talk Over Town” is taken from the new album ‘Sound Of The Morning‘, out 8th July 2022 via Heavenly Recordings.

The legendary crazy man himself Arthur Brown will release a new album, “Long Long Road“, on June 24th via Prophecy Productions, and he’s just released the title track, an acoustic ballad that finds him “asking humankind to look back along the history of our planet and to notice, how dangerous and yet at the same time full of promise human life is.”

Scheduled for release on Arthur Brown’s 80th birthday on June 24th in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records, the God of Hellfire´s long-awaited new album “Long Long Road” effortlessly shifts from progressive rock and soul to pristine blues rock, showing the legendary singer as authentic, challenging, creative, and compelling as at the start of his career.

Pretty much everyone into rock music knows Arthur Brown – and not just because of his iconic, career-defining transatlantic hit single ‘Fire’ from the 1968 album “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown” but also through his many collaborations with other outstanding artists, such as a cameo in the cult film “Tommy”, in which his dramatic vocals were backed by Eric Clapton and The Who, Scheduled for release on Arthur’s 80th birthday on June 24, 2022, “Long Long Road” effortlessly shifts from progressive rock and soul to pristine blues rock, with the much-loved singer summoning his full vocal range with a mature mastery that comes only with the experience of a lifetime. Wild, vibrant, and crammed with rich musical textures, this album is quintessentially Arthur Brown, and can easily be construed as the apex and summary of a fascinating career that has spanned several decades. Arthur is widely credited as a pioneer of shock rock and progressive rock, and a significant influence on heavy metal. His live performances include iconic classics, dance, poetry, visuals and a subliminal soundtrack of new electronic music.

Australian band Bloods have a new album, “Together, Baby!” on the way, due out September 23rd via Share it Music, and from it they’ve shared the first track “I Like You,” which features Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! Bloods’ MC says, “I knew I wanted it to be a duet and our friend and label owner Cayle decided to be bold and dream big and asked Laura Jane Grace if she’d be interested in being involved. Laura is a true Icon, so it goes without saying we lost our minds when she got back to us and said she liked the song and wanted to sing on it.

Laura’s voice is so immediate and perfect, it has taken the song to a whole new level. It’s a total honour and dream to have Laura involved.”

Since bursting onto the scene in 2013 with their critically acclaimed Golden Fang EP, Bloods have maintained their place as one of the Australia’s most enduring and beloved punk bands. Whether it’s through their highly infectious, undeniably fun punk-pop-meets-riot-grrrl tunes or their live shows, Bloods has consistently been celebrated by critics and fans alike.

Damien Jurado has shared a new digital single, the string-laden and rather gorgeous “Roger” that has a bit of a Nick Drake vibe. The new single “Roger” is an instant Damien Jurado classic, with intriguing lyrics and sublime vocal delivery drenched in a lush string arrangement.

Damien Jurado begins his tour Saturday, March 12th in Alicante (Las Cigarreras) the tour of presentation of his latest album, “The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania“, the 17th studio LP of his career, which came out in May 2021 on his label, Maraqopa Records, and that due to circumstances known to all has not been able to play live on our stages until now.

Damien is touring Europe March 12th-April 16th 2022

Released March 29th, 2022
Written, performed and produced by Damien Jurado with Josh Gordon (multiple instruments),

Big Thief’s James Krivchenia has shared another track from his upcoming solo album “Blood Karaoke” that throws every style imaginable into a sonic blender. Disorienting and cool.

James Krivchenia, is best known as the drummer of everyone’s favourite indie-folk outfit Big Thief, lives a double life. As a solo artist, he makes chaotic sound collages that feel diametrically opposed to the quiet, thoughtful drumming on his band’s latest record, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You“. His 2020 debut solo LP, “A New Found Relaxation“, gave the world a peek at this dark-side Krivchenia, but on the first two singles from its recently announced follow-up, “Blood Karaoke“, Dr. Jeckyll leaves the building completely.

The project’s lead single — “Emmissaries of Creation,” shared early this month — breaks the seal on Pandora’s box with a hammering hyper-pop politic not unlike that of Chicago noise legend Fire-Toolz , today’s track — “The Science of Imaginary Solutions” — is an amalgam of the world’s ills sonified. A distorted brass orchestra becomes a subway car screeching to a halt, which in turn yields to a miasma of crowd noise, heavy metal drumming, and an insidious chiptune synth, all in the first 30 seconds or so. proceed with caution.

“Blood Karaoke“, due out April 15th via Reading Group.