The Fat Angel Sings

Beach House release their eighth album, “Once Twice Melody”, on the 18th February 2022 through Bella Union Records.

It will be the first album produced entirely by Beach House, and was recorded at Pachyderm studio in Cannon Falls, MN, United Studio in Los Angeles, CA, and Apple Orchard Studios in Baltimore, MD. For the first time, a live string ensemble was used, with arrangements by David Campbell. “Once Twice Melody” was mostly mixed by Alan Moulder with a few tracks were also mixed by Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer, and Dave Fridmann.

Beach House have, for most of the 15 years since they released their debut album in 2006, existed in a space that’s goth-friendly but not exactly goth. “Masquerade” is the final push over the edge that they needed, its pulsing synthesizers reminiscent of Depeche Mode at their peak and ethereal wash of melody a merger between The Cure and Cocteau Twins—all comparisons I don’t make lightly (I hosted a goth night for two years, I take this stuff seriously…sorta). What’s remarkable is how comfortably dressing up in leather and PVC feels in the context of the band’s work as a whole, Victoria Legrand’s apparitional vocals applicable to pulsing dancefloor fodder just as naturally as they are to wispy slowcore.

Earlier this month, Beach House’s “Space Song,” from their 2015 release “Depression Cherry” wascertified platinum by the RIAA.
 
What people are saying about “Once Twice Melody”:
“Chapter One captured that storybook quality with sweeping ballads fit for a baroque fairytale, each guided by Victoria Legrand’s typically enchanting vocals.” – The AV Club

“…Their most cinematic record yet. Working with a live string ensemble for the first time, they summon a sound more surrealistic than anything on 2018’s 7, bringing to mind 1960s psychedelia, Stereolab, and Broadcast’s ‘Come On Let’s Go’.” – Pitchfork
 
“Beach House’s music contains many gifts, but it’s the group’s ability to magnify life’s small dramas into sky-sized emotions that glitters (“Superstar”).” – New York Times
 
“All of them are amazing. All of them have their proponents. But “Superstar,” while perhaps not the most novel of the bunch, is the one that gave me the spine-chilling sensation of listening to a bona fide Beach House classic for the first time.” (“Song of the Week”) – Stereogum

“Things begin with the stunning title track that mixes low-fi electronics with baroque touches and a stirring string section. You can hear echoes of Broadcast, Stereolab and Spacemen 3 (whose Sonic Boom produced their last album, 7). The hand-drawn animated lyric video, directed by Annapurna Kumar, is great too. From there, it’s the pulsing, kaleidoscopic ‘Superstar’ (video by Nicholas Law), the neon dread of ‘Pink Funeral’ (full of strings right out of a horror film and a video by Scott Kiernan), and the melting arpeggiations of ‘Through Me’ (with a video by San Charoenchai). The visuals for all four songs are fantastic, very different, but majorly psychedelic.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“‘Over and Over’ shimmers, shines and ultimately uplifts for more than seven minutes. Throughout the mesmerizing track, vocalist Victoria Legrand beguiles alongside enveloping synths.” – Cool Hunting
 
“Beach House has perfected the “escapist” song, which knocks you into dizziness and elation, heightened by those rotating, shimmering synths… it may also have the power to temporarily cure you of seasonal depression. ‘Over and Over,” from the Baltimore’s pair’s new album, Once Twice Melody, is made for those few minutes between sunset and night — when purplish light extinguishes and noses turn red from the cold.” – NPR Music

“GOLD” Edition 2xLP Box / “SILVER” Edition 2xLP

Horsegirl might be on pretty much every 2022 tips list going, but don’t mistake that for them being all hype and no substance. A trio of teenagers hailing from Chicago, the band burst onto the scene last year when Sonic Cathedral released their debut 7″ Ballroom Dance Scene. The band subsequently penned a deal with Matador Records, who announced their first-ever tour and have promised a lot more to come this year, despite the fact they’re fitting that all around University and finishing High School respectively.

The band’s most recent offering, Billy, is a fine introduction to their, “nu-gaze” sound, even if it was more inspired by Nick Drake’s alternative tunings than anything more traditionally shoegaze. The guitars explode out of the speakers with the intensity of Wednesday, before the echo-drenched vocals add a harmonious wave of melody, rattling around your skull, the cryptic lyricism painting a picture of your minds own making.

Equally exciting was the track that first caught the world’s ear, “Ballroom Dance Scene“, it showcases quite a different side of the band, entering on a reverberating waltz of guitars, it is gradually overlaid by layers of vocals, marching drums and distant unnerving keys, the whole thing expanding like an inflating balloon until it bursts with a raw intensity in contrast to the lyrics that go from the mundane, “If you want to stay a while, just hang your coat and turn the TV on”, through to the subtly horrendous, “Susie sits in woollen socks and licks her bruise like it’s a lollipop“. For Horsegirl it’s very much a case of do believe the hype, this very special band deserve every excited word my fellow music writers have to say about them.

Wet Leg made quite the splash in 2021 (pun intended) and 2022 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the Isle-of-Wight post-punk duo. With their self-titled LP due out in April, an extensive American tour lined up for the spring, and a handful of festival appearances (including the inaugural This Ain’t No Picnic fest in LA), Wet Leg are poised and prepared to keep rocking out. “Chaise Longue” may have been one of the best songs of 2021, but for Wet Leg, it’s just the beginning.

After releasing two of the best singles of the year, Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers were catapulted from their confines on the Isle of Wight to sold out venues across the UK and packed-out tents at festivals causing giddy excitement wherever they went. Now, the duo are thrilled to unveil two new songs alongside news of their debut album. The album is called “Wet Leg” and will be released on April 8th 2022 via Domino Recordings.

The new tracks are called “Too Late Now” and “Oh No”. “Too Late Now”, a three-part epic-in-waiting, showcases a more introspective side of the duo as Teasdale rattles against dating apps and TV in a messy, bleak world, before wryly settling on a bubble bath “to set me on a higher path”. On the magnificent glam-stomp of “Oh No”, Wet Leg explore the 3am doom scroll. “You know when you’re having dinner with someone, and they check their phone, and just… go?” says Rhian. It’s an 80s sci-fi film distilled into two minutes and 29 seconds.

Collectively, Wet Leg’s previous singles “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream” have racked up over 8.5 million streams and over 3 million views on YouTube, scored 2 BBC 6 Music A-Lists, seen them appear on Later… with Jools Holland and getcrowned one of Vevo DSCVR Artists To Watch 2022 and Amazon Artists To Watch 2022 plus “Too Late Now” just picked up the accolade of BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record.

Having already sold out their April 2022 UK tour, Wet Leg have confirmed a run of intimate UK regional dates as part of their role as Independent Venue Week Ambassadors. The band are also heading to the US next month for their first shows there and have now announced a March 2022 tour for North America before they head back to Europe for their May 2022 run.

Melody’s Echo Chamber returns with her heavenly psychedelic pop and the announcement that her magnificent third studio album, “Emotional Eternal”, is due for release on 29th April via Domino. First preview from the forthcoming album comes in the form of the joyful ode, “Looking Backward”.

“Emotional Eternal” is a glorious consolidation of the lessons learned along the way, seen through the eyes of someone who has taken a step back, and who can see clearly as a result. As with her previous acclaimed 2018 album “Bon Voyage”, this album was initially recorded in the outskirts of Stockholm, with Reine Fiske, the multi-instrumentalist member of Swedish rock-band Dungen who has worked with the likes of Travis Scott and Anna Järvinen, and Fredrik Swahn, the musician, producer and engineer best known for his work with Swedish indie-rock band The Amazing.

“I hope the record has that uplifting quality,” says Melody. “I wanted to be more grounded and mindful through the process. I guided the sessions with simplicity—a contrast with the maximalism of Bon Voyage and the wilderness of my delusions. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this. It’s more direct.”

“Looking Backward”, the new single out today, features Melody’s blissful falsetto tones alongside playful drums and bass and soothing synths. Sonically uplifting yet lyrically introspective at the same time, it marks a welcome return of the ever-enchanting artist.

For the “Looking Backward” video, Melody collaborated with Unreal Engine specialist 3D artist Hyoyon Paik (Chlöe) to create the story of a Metawoman’s eerie journey through a beautifully constructed yet distorted otherworld.

“’Looking Backward’ is a vivid, nonchalant, poetic march to the Unknown,” says Melody of the track. “I wrote the lyrics on my way to Stockholm, in transit at the airport, there was a man creating light reflections with his watch and playing with light on the floors and walls. It felt like an act coming from a source of pure creativity, it made me happy to catch it and inspired me to write the song.”

“Emotional Eternal” is a deeply human collection of songs full of prolonged moments of sonic transcendency – a record that clearly exhibits its maturity but still regards the world with a childlike wonder. Having swapped Paris for the clean air of the Alps, Melody hopes “the record has that uplifting quality. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this.”

Releases April 29th, 2022

2022, Domino Recording Co Ltd

Jack White is back with his new blue hair and two new albums. The first, “Fear of the Dawn“, is set to bring “really hard” rock on April 8th; The lead single “Taking Me Back” debuted in Call of Duty: Vanguard, to give you an idea of its ferocity. Then, on July 22nd, White will drop the “very mellow” acoustic second album effort “Entering Heaven Alive”, led by the track “Love Is Selfish.” Add in the career-spanning “Supply Chain Issues Tour” he has in the works, and it’s clear we’re getting the full Jack White experience in 2022. 

Jack White has shared “Love Is Selfish,” the latest track from his upcoming new album “ENTERING HEAVEN ALIVE”, the second of two to be released this year. Listen to the new single. The official music video – directed by Jack White – premiered today on YouTube as well. “Love Is Selfish” precedes the release of two brand new Jack White albums: FEAR OF THE DAWN arrives everywhere via Third Man Records.

Released by Third Man Records on April 8th, and “Entering Heaven Alive” follows on July 22nd.

Multi-disciplinary artist Shamir is gearing up to release his forthcoming album “Heterosexuality” due on February 11th via AntiFragile Music. Produced by Strange Ranger member Hollow Comet, the album was recently heralded as one of the Most Anticipated Albums of 2022 list. “Reproductive,” Shamir’s latest single, opens with slick R&B vocals and ‘90s-alt guitars as his voice touches thrilling highs. Shamir wades through the pressure of breaking generational curses, as he sings “I’ll make sure the evil ends here with me/ If it’s the only thing I do” over the hypnotically repetitive pitter-patter of drums. It’s an ode to the uglier side of healing and acceptance, and it’s wholly necessary.

Following his self-titled 2020 album, Shamir next plans to flip the script on “Heterosexuality”. In fact, he’s already started the process with his spacey, sparse visuals for lead singles “Gay Agenda” and “Cisgender,” both of which feature the queer artist wearing a pair of antlers as he preaches radical acceptance: “You’re just stuck in the box that was made for me/ And you’re mad I got out and I’m living free/ Free your mind, come outside/ Pledge allegiance to the gay agenda.” 

From the new album “Heterosexuality” coming 02.11.22

The forthcoming Mitski album “Laurel Hell” (February 4th,on Dead Oceans), was recently included in the list of Most Anticipated Albums of 2022 list. Mitski has shared another single off the album, “Love Me More,” alongside a terrifying video.

“Love Me More” is a clear ode to the drama of ‘80s pop, featuring building synths and ominous pianos that urge toward a thrilling climax. Mitski yearns for a love as satisfying and fervent as hers as she sings, “I need you to love me more / Love me more, love me more / Love enough to fill me up.”

Speaking further on the song itself, Mitski said: As “Love Me More” was written pre-pandemic, lyrics like “If I keep myself at home” had different meanings than what they would now, but I kept them on the album because I found that some of the sentiments not only remained the same, but were accentuated by the lockdown.

“Love Me More” went through the most iterations out of all the songs on the album. It’s been too fast, too slow, and at some point, it was even an old style country song. Finally, I think because we had watched The Exorcist, we thought of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” and experimented with floating an ostinato over the chorus. As we steadily evolved the ostinato to fit over the chord progressions, we began to hear how the track was meant to sound.

Mitski is preparing to release “Laurel Hell“, her anticipated follow-up to 2018’s “Be the Cowboy“, We’ve already heard a few singles from the uptempo, new wave inspired album.

The song is synth-disco seduction outlined by a bit of guitar twang (at times it feels like the subdued sister of the Flashdance theme). The song stings with urgency as Mitski envisions another life for herself during the first verse: “If I keep myself at home / I won’t make the same mistake that I made for 15 years / I could be a new girl / I will be a new girl.” The accompanying video directed by Christopher Good illustrates that impulse to escape the industry and passion she’s pursued for decades. She encounters a creepy puppet version of herself who dances for the flowers; then she’s in an accident, encased in a full body cast, only to be put back on stage; later, giant piano keys fall like dominos of doom. Lots of symbolism to unpack here!

As we steadily evolved the ostinato to fit over the chord progressions, we began to hear how the track was meant to sound.”

The accompanying video was directed by Christopher Good, known for directing the video for her hit “Nobody.” Like a somehow even more twisted Alice in Wonderland, Mitski finds herself in a nightmarish sequence of events featuring creepy dolls, intimidatingly large pianos and crows.

Below, watch the video for “Love Me More,” and keep scrolling to revisit “Working for the Knife” and “Heat Lightning,” “I needed to create something that was also a pep talk,” she has said. The LP examines love from the standpoint of forgiveness with a sense of both vulnerability and resilience, assuring it will resonate with Gen Z and millennial music fans alike. 

Laurel Hell February 4th release

There are so many singularly spectacular moments during the five-minute-45-second-long performance Janis Joplin singing “Ball and Chain” with her band Big Brother and the Holding Company at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival that you can basically jump to any random point during playback and marvel at what’s going on.

Here are three:

At exactly 1:59 in, documentarian D.A. Pennebaker’s cameras switch from a tight view of Joplin’s face to her shoes. He lingers there for about five seconds, focusing on Janis stomping in time to the pronounced acid-blues rhythm the band is generating. It’s only then that you realize if you have any blood circulating inside your own body that you’ve been stomping your own feet as well. You can’t help it. It’s that riveting.

At 3:28, the camera again leaves Joplin and focuses on a woman wearing sunglasses in the audience. Her mouth is agape, a big round O. She is staring straight ahead in disbelief. She has never seen nor heard anything like this before and knows she likely never will again. She’s watching a phenomenon unfolding in front of her. The camera lingers on her frozen expression for a full 20 seconds. She is Mama Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas.

At 4:42, as the performance begins to wind down, we see Joplin in close-up again. She’s been riding the song’s dynamic shifts as if she’d been doing this her entire life, not just the year or so. She’s already gotten carried away a few times, sliding from a sensual purr to a guttural roar seamlessly, so wrapped up in the music that you wonder if she’s even in control anymore. The band has just ratcheted up the tension again after a lull and now Janis is coiled, ready to spring like a Jack-in-the Box. She lifts her left leg, stomps it back down, tears into a volley of “n-n-nah-nah”s, waves her arms frantically, pulls back the mic stand and returns to the nominal “And I said oh-whoa-whoa, oh honey this just can’t be” chorus. Then she lets it out: a stuttering, face-contorting “b-b-b-b-baby” that, for a split second, makes you fear that she is about to explode, taking you with her.

There are several other such moments in this single tune alone. We who weren’t there can only imagine the impact that her entire June 18th performance must have had on the crowd, most witnessing for the first time this dynamo barely known outside of the Bay Area’s psychedelic ballrooms.

The most amazing thing of all is that it nearly didn’t happen at all.

Big Brother and the Holding Company, one of the new breed of San Francisco bands being featured at the festival, had actually performed once already at the fest, the day before, on June 17th. Their new manager, Albert Grossman, had only met most of the group for the first time at the festival and had refused to grant the filmmakers the right to film the band’s set. When the audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive, he was convinced to have the group perform the following day as well—the only act to play two sets at Monterey.

This time the cameras were rolling. Joplin’s segment is one of the highlights of the Monterey Pop doc, an essential rock film that keep in mind also features for-the-ages performances by The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar and Otis Redding.

From the opening moment a blast of the twin psychedelic guitars of James Gurley and Sam Andrew, heard but not seen we know this is going to be electrifying. The first face we see is the smiling countenance of drummer Dave Getz, followed by a closeup of bassist Peter Albin’s hands and then his face. The guitarists materialize, Gurley’s searing solo burning a hole in the listener’s cranium and then, finally, at nearly a minute into the jam, we see her.

“Sitting down by my window, just lookin’ out at the rain,” she croons softly, with just a hint of fragility. We have a side view of her face, more hair than features, the microphone practically attached to her lips. The camera pulls back and we get a bit of a blissful smile as she repeats the opening phrase. She’s dressed in an apricot-colored mini-tunic and matching bell bottoms and in less than a minute she’s got us hooked for life.

Janis Joplin is pure exhilaration throughout, and Mama Cass’ expression tells a truth: there had never been a frontwoman as fiery, as fearless, vulnerable but unstoppable. At the conclusion of the performance, after the chaotic denouement, as Janis sprints offstage bearing an expression of pure childlike glee at her reception, we see Cass’ face again. We can’t hear her, but we can see what she is saying: “Wow!”

Steeped in the blues, but knowing she’s something different than her own idols, Janis Joplin was an exposed nerve at Monterey, living every nanosecond of that lyric in every moment. She won’t stay with Big Brother very long. She won’t stay on this Earth very long. She was as much a shooting star as she was a superstar. And everything that she had to give this planet was laid out on that Monterey stage.

Sydney’s favourite rockers Bloods shower us with a hefty dose of 90’s-inspired pop-punk with the release of their EP “Seattle“. An ode to the city in which it was created and an unapologetic honouring of female triumph.

The Sydney punk outfit Bloods have shared a punchy new single titled ‘BOSS’, marking the first preview of their forthcoming third album. Following in the footsteps of their last single, 2020’s ‘Girls Are Just Fucking Cool Like That’, the new cut shines with simple yet striking riffs, thrashing drums and an emphasis on frontwoman Marihuzka Cornelius fierce and authoritative vocal prowess.

Opening ‘BOSS’, Marihuzka Cornelius yells: “AAAAH, it’s a big bad world / And I’m so done with being a nice girl / That ends today / Ain’t nobody gonna stand in my way / You’re gonna hear me roar / When I’m coming to your house and I’m kicking down your front door.”

Released January 20th, 2022
Written & performed by Marihuzka Cornelius, Dirk Jonker, & Mike Morgan

Softcult, led by sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, are a shoegaze/grunge/dreampop band based out of Kitchener, Ontario. They released their first tracks in early 2021, and their first EP “Year Of The Rat” in April. This isn’t their first time recording together, the pair played in another band, Courage My Love, since 2009. They signed as Softcult to Easy Life Records in 2020 with the vision of creating a new project that focuses on social commentary. “In our previous project, we were signed to a label that butted heads with us creatively and wasn’t allowing us to express ourselves authentically,” Mercedes Arn-Horn explains. “They weren’t interested in the music we were creating at the time. We became unhealthily obsessed with trying to please them to release anything at all.” Softcult takes inspiration from the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s. They cite legendary punk band Bikini Kill as a major influence.

Drawing from their experience working in a male dominated industry, their song writing focuses on social commentary from a feminist perspective. Their lyrics bring attention to issues like abuse, misogyny and mental health. “If young women listen to our music, or see us on stage, and they learn that Phoenix is our producer – recording and producing everything we do, or that I’m in charge of the visuals – directing and editing all our music videos. Seeing that women can take these things that are male-dominated aspects of the industry, and you can do it yourself. Seeing it in someone else means that you can see it in yourself.”

On their new single “Gaslight,” the band raises awareness of the psychological manipulation technique known as gaslighting. Abusers use it in relationships to control someone by making them question their own perceptions, memories, motives, and sanity. “Anyone who hears the song will be able to recognize those red flags if they encounter that kind of behaviour,” says Phoenix. “It’s a tactic that many abusers and groomers will use to tear down the defences of their victims to make them easier to manipulate.” “We chose Softcult because this band is all about social commentary”, remarked Mercedes in an interview. “A soft cult could be anything from a church, a government, a family, a band even. It’s anything that you don’t really question where you follow your group of people. We’re all in soft cults in society that we don’t realize we’re a part of. We’re just willing participants because it’s a normalized thing at this point. It can sound a little harsh but it’s also meant to make you question which soft cults are you a part of.”

Softcult will be releasing their next EP, “Year of The Snake“, on February 8, 2022 on Easy Life Records