The Fat Angel Sings

The band originally recorded the cover of “Running Back” in August 2020 as part of a SiriusXM Sessions, Now the cover has been given an official release as part of Secretly Canadian’s ongoing 25th anniversary singles series, which aims to raise $250,000 for New Hope For Families.

Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst said of the cover, “Thin Lizzy is one of the finest rock n roll bands of all time. Phil Lynott’s vocal delivery and lyrics exemplify nonchalant cool. On top of that they gave the world a reason to invent the word guitarmonies. I think this is such a beautiful love song. It felt really good to sing.”

“Running Back (Live For SiriusXM)” the Bright Eyes cover of Thin Lizzy, as part of the SC25 series.

Today, Secretly Canadian extends its 25th Anniversary campaign into 2022, furthering its fight against homelessness through more new music and charitable collaborations. With all net proceeds continuing to benefit the record label’s $250,000 fundraising goal for Bloomington, Indiana-based shelter and non-profit organization, New Hope For Families, Secretly Canadian has shared the latest two installments in its ongoing series of 25 commemorative singles. Following exclusive releases from Secretly Canadian artists such as Current Joys, Hatchie, Porridge Radio, Skullcrusher and Stella Donnelly, plus friends like Bartees Strange, DJ Python, Goose, Jim James, Madison McFerrin, NNAMDÏ and Tasha in 2021, the 18th and 19th contributions to the 25-track collection include special covers by Bright Eyes and Kathleen Frances. 

Though they’ve honed in some of their jam band tendencies, the New Jersey psychedelic rockers are no less compelling on their fifth LP. In our lead review of ‘Dodging Dues’, we talk of Black Sabbath’s locked grooves, economy over excess, why glam riffs are so good, and shapeshifting six-string workouts.

Garcia Peoples are a Brooklyn-based sextet who fuse the chunky riffage of Sabbath with a bluesy sprawl that’s not too far away from Ryley Walker’s shapeshifting six-string workouts. 

Tight structures are the MVP on the band’s fifth album ‘Dodging Dues’. They give these songs a spine, a kind of sonic stanchion that regiments some of Garcia Peoples’ psychy indulgence (there’s a keyhole graphic on the album cover – go figure). The time signature shift on ‘Here We Are’ rescues a meandering waltz. On ace opener ‘False Opener’ the guitar noodling is held in check by the steady loping rhythm, with bass and drums seeming to say “thus far and no further”. 

Most of these tracks are four minutes long. This brevity is so much more impactful than longer songs which might have made some of the instrumentals lose their bite. Garcia Peoples are known for their extended jams and improvisational chops, so it’s nice to hear them favour economy over excess.

There’s a definite homage to Black Sabbath in the way guitars and basses are liable to lock into step, playing the same monolithic segments – like the triumphant, chiming descending riff in ‘Fill Your Cup’ for instance. It’s these moments where Garcia Peoples really shine. At their best, the glistening riffage and stomping rhythms approach T Rex.

There are some stodgy lyrical turns on this LP. Let’s make no bones about it. Kicking off an album with “so tired of pretending” is like playing the Barnes opening in chess (pawn to f3 – famously very shit). We get a few moments of oil lamp psych nonsense (clocked the keyhole graphic on the album cover yet?) about “maggots into flies” and “roses turning to stone” that’s probs best left alone. 

But there are also moments which I love when the band throw caution to the wind and holler “shitshow” or “fare thee well oh troubled mind”. Sure, Garcia People might engage in freewheeling, devil-may-care, in-the-morning-I’ll-be-gone, life-on-the-road lyrical themes, but why the hell not? It’s their album not mine.

On ‘Dodging Dues’ there seems to be this constant tension between the bluesy, bar-room Garcia Peoples who sing lyrics like “so tired of pretending” and the Thin Lizzy-esque Garcia Peoples who sing lyrics like “fare thee well oh troubled mind” over glammy stompers. Basically these songs are always ready to turn on a sixpence – either into Crazy Horse or Queen. 

Yes that’s right, I said Queen. Garcia Peoples can sometimes sound like Queen. The unadorned distorted guitars that crop up here and there on ‘Dodging Dues’ are redolent of Brian May’s squelchy tone, while the harmonies on ‘Tough Freaks’ and ‘False Company’ also bear some resemblance to Freddie and the boys’ legendary vocal stack. These vocal exultations almost verge on gospel at some points, albeit sung by a choir that worships at the altar of Levi jeans and whatever a “Stratocaster” is.  

I’ve been listening to Skee Mask’s ‘Pool’ on repeat this week. As such, hearing Garcia People’s creamy guitar solos and organic instrumentation has been balm to the soul (‘Pool’ is about as organic as an Apple Mac). ‘Dodging Dues’ is a short, sweet slice of Real Music – a thirty-four minute escape hatch from this age of foolishness and winter of despair. A few iffy lyrics though.

“A gentle, affectionate portrayal of the witty humor and lo-fi inventiveness of Giant Sand” (Signal To Noise review). Time capsule documentary by Marianne Dissard about the Tucson band Giant Sand circa 1994.

Released originally on VHS tape, then on DVD in 2004, these two videos are now available for the first time on a streaming platform. ‘Drunken Bees’: 27mn. Bonus video ‘Giant Prequel’: 28mn, featuring a KCRW studio performance.

With Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb, Joey Burns, and John Convertino. Also featuring Victoria Williams, Rainer Ptacek, Vic Chestnutt, and many more folks from downtown Tucson circa 1994.

“Drunken Bees, the Marianne Dissard film chronicling Giant Sand circa 1994 is a fascinating glimpse of the “classic” Giant Sand lineup: Howe Gelb, Joey Burns, John Convertino and Bill Elm. The title is taken from a particularly excoriating review of the band’s 1994 album “Glum”, which appeared in Rolling Stone; in one scene, the band dissects the review with grim humour. Clocking in at one hour, the film supplies a tantalizing glimpse of the band’s creative process and their Tucson stomping grounds.

Unlike many rockumentaries, some of the offstage banter is surprisingly entertaining. In a similar vein as much of the band’s music, Dissard’s film pieces together an overall impression from fragmentary bits of materials; she prefers vignettes linked by common themes to overarching narrative. While you might wish for lengthier portions from live performances and studio sessions, “Drunken Bees” is a gentle, affectionate portrayal of the witty humour and lo-fi inventiveness of the band Giant Sand“

A new, definitive biography of the iconic and mysterious singer, Warhol superstar, Velvet Underground collaborator: influential solo artist Nico.

“You Are Beautiful And You Are Alone” is a new biography of Nico, the mysterious singer best known for her work with the Velvet Underground and her solo album “Chelsea Girl”. Her life is tangled in myth–much of it of her own invention. Rock and roll cultural historian Jennifer Bickerdike delivers a definitive book that unravels the story while making a convincing case for Nico’s enduring importance.

Over the course of her career, Nico was an ever-evolving myth: art film house actress, highly coveted fashion model, Dietrich of Punk, Femme Fatale, Chelsea Girl, Garbo of Goth, The Last Bohemian, Heroin Junkie. Lester Bangs described her as ‘a true enigma.’ At age 27, Nico became Andy Warhol’s newest Superstar, featuring in his one commercial break out hit film “Chelsea Girls” and garnering the position of chanteuse for the Velvet Underground. It wasn’t Nico’s musical chops which got her the gig; it was her striking beauty. Her seeming otherworldly and unattainable presence was further amplified by her reputation for dating rock stars (Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, among others). She became famous for being Nico.

Yet Nico’s talent and her contribution to rock culture are often overlooked. She spent most of her career as a solo artist on the road, determined to make music, seemingly against all the odds, enduring empty concert halls, abusive fans, and the often perilous reality of being an ageing artist and drug addict. She created mesmerizing and unique projects that inspired a generation of artists, including Henry Rollins, Morrissey, Siousxie Sioux and the Banshees and Iggy Pop.

Drawing on the archives at the Andy Warhol Museum and at Nico’s record labels, various private collections, and rarely seen footage, and featuring exclusive new interviews from those who knew her best, including Iggy Pop and Danny Fields, and those inspired by her legacy, “You Are Beautiful And You Are Alone” reveals the complicated, often compromised, self-destructive and always head strong woman behind the one-dimensional myths.

Widowspeak’s “The Jacket” was originally conceived as a concept album following the story of a fictional band, yet quickly turned into a self-referential treasure – a wizened meditation on performance and past lives from a band who’ve seen their fair share on the road. 

Sonically, “The Jacket” finds the band at their usual and best: dynamics shift seamlessly between gentle, drifting ballads and twangy jams, built up from layered guitars, dusty percussion and ambling bass lines. Elsewhere: whimsical flutes, choral textures, and basement organs. Thomas’s guitar playing is as lyrical and emotive as it’s ever been, and Hamilton’s voice: comfortable and effortless. Widowspeak expertly pepper in slow-core, dream-pop, pacific northwest indie, and outlaw country, resulting in a 60s-meets-90s aesthetic. This sense of sonic nostalgia adds another layer to lyrics that reflect on old selves, invented and true. “The Jacket” is a wizened meditation on performance and past lives from a band who’ve seen their fair share, hitting their stride now over a decade in.

Along with the announcement, the duo share “Everything Is Simple” – a propulsive, spirited song about shifting perspectives in increasingly complicated situations. 

Official music video for “Everything Is Simple” by Widowspeak, from their album “The Jacket”, out March 11th, 2022.

The year is long, and we have so much incredible music to share with you, but why wait to get stuck in? Every year we aim to start the year stronger than ever and this year we were honored to do that with the return of Widowspeak and a new single from Reptaliens’ forthcoming album. 

Strap in, it’s 2022 and we can’t say anything for sure except that the music will be good.

Honeyglaze are the South London based, Haiku loving trio comprised of vocalist and guitarist Anouska Sokolow, bassist Tim Curtis, and Yuri Shibuichi on drums. Born out of lead songwriter Sokolow’s un-desire to be a solo-act, the group met officially at their first ever rehearsal- just three days ahead of what was to become a near-residency, at their favoured ‘The Windmill’, Brixton. Forming a mere eighteen-months ahead of a subsequent eighteen-months of mandatory solitude, a parallel that’s both aligned and universally un-timely, Honeyglaze, at first appearance, are a group who play with chance, time, and synergetic fate, in mannerisms few others are able to do.

It’s hard to believe Dan Carey’s new Wunder-kids on the block only got together before the first lockdown, so adept is the formation of their early songs. After rapidly developing a loyal fanbase (including steadfast chums Wet Leg) with debut single “Burglar” last year, This London three-piece Honeyglaze have graced many a one-to-watch list and anticipation for a full album is fierce.

Enter then their self-titled debut, ‘a self-described “opposite to a concept album” that sonically encapsulates the who, what, where and how of their individual circumstances coming together as one.’

 Honeyglaze have been added as part of Rough Trade On The Rise, our dedicated curation putting a spotlight on the emerging music we are the most excited for you to hear, to follow and become a fan of. Read on to discover more about the band in their own words and be sure to order yourself a copy of their debut album “Honeyglaze”.  Released 29th April on Speedy Wundeground.

The trio could not have chosen a more evocative name in Honeyglaze, so synonymous is the sugary substance with sweetness and beauty. Tender but always assured, this is a band that present honest and assorted storytelling, delivered with the kind of dynamism that draws you close and doesn’t let go. Believe us when we say, we’re hanging onto every note with this one.

This must be the biggest thing any of us have made in our lives, so far. We recorded eleven tracks with Dan Carey and Alexis Smith over four exhausting, exciting days in April last year, sweltering in their strange studio with hundreds of whirring sound machines and no fans. It’s coming out on the label Speedy Wunderground, a label we’ve loved since before we even knew a record deal was a possibility. We feel very lucky, in short. Lucky and proud. ‘Honeyglaze’ is available for pre-order in all different shapes and sizes including limited edition LPs from the good people at Rough Trade and Dinked. “Shadows”, the third single from the album, is out now.

‘HONEYGLAZE’ – The debut album Out on 29th April on Speedy Wundeground.

Anaïs Mitchell, the “Hadestown“ creator, Bonny Light Horseman member, and frequent Bon Iver/Aaron Dessner collaborator, is releasing her first solo album in over a decade at the end of the month. The self-titled LP was produced by her Bonny Light Horseman bandmate Josh Kaufman and also features Dessner, Michael Lewis, JT Bates, and Thomas Bartlett, with string and flute arrangements provided by Nico Muhly.

We’ve already heard the lovely singles “Bright Star” and the brilliant “Brooklyn Bridge,” and today, she’s sharing another song, which is an ode to a lost friend.

“I wrote ‘On Your Way (Felix Song)’ for my friend Felix McTeigue, who died unexpectedly in 2020,” Mitchell explains. “We briefly had the same manager in our early ‘hustling days’ of trying to get a songwriter career going. I can picture us playing at the old Living Room on the lower east side, and me being one of five people in Felix’s audience, and vice versa. Felix was really fearless and present, he always had a guitar on his back, he was always writing something, he loved the act of just rushing headlong into writing, recording, not overthinking it. It’s a lesson I’ll return to for the rest of my life.”

Anaïs Mitchell self titled album is out 1/28 via BMG Records.

Without even looking at anything but the name you just know The Hepburns were a C86 era act. Think of a legendary actor/actress and stick a ‘The’ in front of their surname seems to be the band-naming routine of the day. They sit at the more accomplished end of the genre and have been compared to groups like The Weather Prophets and The Brilliant Corners. Here they collaborate with Estella Rosa– singer of indie duo Nah on a set of harmony and melody rich originals. 

We love indie-pop, jangle, sunshine pop. We don’t have to keep saying it. We love bossa nova and soundtracks from the sixties and seventies. That’s why we are happy to announce that the next The Hepburns album will be released on Elefant Records. And what’s more, it’s in tandem with Estella Rosa, the singer from the jangle-pop group NAH. The collaboration came about in the midst of the pandemic and brought us “Architecture Of The Ages”, a very special album that we are advancing with “The Other Side Of Grey”.

Released on Elefant Records

In 2020, Fontaines D.C. broke through to American acclaim with their sophomore album “A Hero’s Death“. Today they’ve announced the anticipated follow-up titled “Skinty Fia” named after an Irish phrase that translates to “the damnation of the deer”—which found them working again with producer Dan Carey. In addition to the announcement, the group dropped the lead single “Jackie Down the Line” and a rather intense video directed by Hugh Mulhern. ‘Skinty Fia’ is their third album by Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. The band were pleased with the ‘poppy’ sound they had achieved on the album, only to be told by their manager that what they’d recorded was incredibly dark. The lyrics cover wistful romance and politics, the latter being where the darkness comes in.

The song’s charm centers around a forward, humdrum bass and rattling drums. “My friend Sally says she knows ya /Got a funny point of you / Says you got away with murder / Maybe one time maybe two,” goes the ominous opening verse. Grian Chatten’s voice booms with a subtle echo: “What good is happiness to me if I’ve to wield it carefully?” he asks later on.

Maybe it’s the video’s subdued warm colors or the grungy folktale vibe that has me feeling we’ve time-travelled back three decades. Whatever it is, the new single finds an intriguing middle ground between haunting poetics and a spooky narrative.

The Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. announced their new studio album “Skinty Fia” in early January, and it appears that their blend of contemplative post-punk has only become more specific and essential. Lead single “Jackie Down the Line” reflects just how much they’ve grown since 2019’s “Dogrel”, and with every album, vocalist Grian Chatten seems to unearth dozens of poetic truths about Ireland and identity. “Skinty Fia” will surely be another landmark entry for the band and solidify their place as leaders in the post-punk scene across the pond. 

“Jackie Down the Line” taken from the new album, out 22nd April, on Partisan Records:

It’s been 37 years since the release of “Poor Little Critter on the Road“, the debut album from The Knitters, the original Alt-Country band comprised of three members of X, one Blaster and a Red Devil. It was in 1985 that Exene Cervenka, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake joined Dave Alvin and Jonny Ray Bartel to record the critically acclaimed debut for a sound that Alvin described as “It’s like if the guys at Sun Records dropped LSD and made a record with Lead Belly and the Carter Family. That’s what The Knitters sound like.”
 
Originally released on Slash Records in 1985, “Poor Little Critter on the Road” is a collection of original songs and revamped acoustic versions of early X songs as well as covers by such artists as Merle Haggard, June Carter and Huddie Ledbetter aka Lead Belly. Thanks to a new partnership with Fat Possum Records, the seminal album will now be available on vinyl; a limited-edition blue version available  and a 140gram black version available in stores on March 11th, 2022.

As John Doe explains of the original collaboration, “Poor Little Critter on the Road” came from our love of country music. We’re proud to have introduced young punk rockers to Merle Haggard & Cleoma Falcon (Walkin’ Cane). We recorded like our heroes, late at night on borrowed studio time, drinking beer all together in one room. Above all we did it for fun and it never felt like work.”
 
With Exene adding, “Back in those days, bands played lots of be benefits; sometimes for our friends, and sometimes for causes we supported. The Knitters really started as a band who could play those shows when X and the Blasters couldn’t.  Helping people is good for the soul. The shows were wild, unpredictable, and just plain fun. We hope you enjoy “Poor Little Critter on the Road”. And if you do, please tell a friend!”