The second single from Brian Fallon’s upcoming album of hymns is a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Though it’s unmistakably “Amazing Grace,” Brian turns it into a sombre indie song in the vein of Bon Iver or Bright Eyes.
I’m excited to announce that on November 5th I will be releasing an album of Hymns and Christmas songs called “Night Divine”. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, and this year, while at home in Quarantine, I decided to take on recording the whole thing myself! These are songs very near and dear to my heart, and are some of the very first songs I ever remember hearing. I’m very proud to share it with you all, and also I’m thrilled to have actually completed it!
Released on Lesser Known Records marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers Released on: 2021-10-13
Nicole Atkins will release new album “Memphis Ice” on December 10th. It’s a soulful reimagining of last year’sItalian Ice and you can get a taste right now. “‘Promised Land’ is a song about losing your sense of self and finally having the courage to go find it again,” says Atkins. “Even if it meant losing people and places you loved. I wrote this song a long time ago. I was living in someone else’s dream and becoming a shadow. I’ve recorded this song a few times and it always felt too encumbered with a full production. When we went in to record Memphis Ice, I realized it was the perfect place and time to record ‘Promised Land.’ Raw and performative. Nothing to hide behind.”
Watch “Promised Land” recorded live at Memphis Magnetic Studios in Memphis, TN for the live album “Memphis Ice” out December 10th.
Snail Mail’s new album “Valentine” is due out November 5th via Matador Records , and the latest single is the synthy, distorted “Ben Franklin”. “I wanted to sonically and lyrically get out of my comfort zone with ‘Ben Franklin,'” Lindsey Jordan says. “It felt only right that the visual accompaniment should include dancing in front of a camera and holding a 10 foot snake close to my face.”
On her 2018 debut album “Lush”, seventeen-year-old Lindsey Jordan sang “I’m in full control / I’m not lost / Even when it’s love / Even when it’s not”. Her natural ability to be many things at once resonated with a lot of people. The contradiction of confidence and vulnerability, power and delicacy, had the impact of a wrecking ball when put to tape. It was an impressive and unequivocal career-making moment for Jordan.
On “Valentine”, her sophomore album Lindsey solidifies and defines this trajectory in a blaze of glory. In 10 songs, written over 2019-2020 by Jordan alone, we are taken on an adrenalizing odyssey of genuine originality in an era in which “indie” music has been reduced to gentle, homogenous pop composed mostly by ghostwriters. Made with careful precision, “Valentine” shows an artist who has chosen to take her time. The reference points are broad and psychically stirring, while the lyrics build masterfully on the foundation set by Jordan’s first record to deliver a deeper understanding of heartbreak.
On “Ben Franklin”, the second single of the album, Jordan sings “Moved on, but nothing feels true / Sometimes I hate her just for not being you / Post rehab I’ve been feeling so small / I miss your attention, I wish I could call”. It’s here that she mourns a lost love, conceding the true nature of a fleeting romantic tie-up and ultimately, referencing a stay in a recovery facility in Arizona. This 45-day interlude followed issues stemming from a young life colliding with sudden fame and success. Since she was not allowed to bring her instruments or recording equipment, Jordan began tabulating the new album arrangements on paper solely out of memory and imagination. It was after this choice to take radical action that “Valentine” really took its unique shape.
Jordan took her newfound sense of clarity and calm to Durham, North Carolina, along with the bones of a new album. Here she worked with Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee). For all the album’s vastness and gravity, it was in this small home studio that Jordan and Cook chipped away over the winter of early 2021 at co-producing a dynamic collection of genre-melding new songs, finishing it triumphantly in the spring. They were assisted by long time bandmates Ray Brown and Alex Bass, as well as engineer Alex Farrar, with a live string section added later at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond.
Leaning more heavily into samples and synthesizers, the album hinges on a handful of remarkably untraditional pop songs. The first few seconds of opener and title track ‘Valentine’ see whispered voice and eerie sci-fi synth erupt into a stadium-sized, endorphin-rush of a chorus that is an overwhelming statement of intent. “Ben Franklin”, “Forever (Sailing)” and “Madonna” take imaginative routes to the highest peaks of catchiness. Jordan has always sung with a depth of intensity and conviction, and the climactic pop moments on “Valentine” are delivered with such a tenet and a darkness and a beauty that’s noisy and guttural, taking on the singularity that usually comes from a veteran artist.
As captivating as the synth-driven songs are, it’s the more delicate moments like “Light Blue”, “c.et. al.” and “Mia” that distill the albums range and depth. “Baby blue, I’m so behind / Can’t make sense of the faces in and out of my life / Whirling above our daily routines / Both buried in problems, baby, honestly” Jordan sings on “c. et. al.” with a devastating certainty. These more ethereal, dextrously finger-picked folk songs peppered in throughout the album are nuanced in their vocal delivery and confident in their intricate arrangement. They come in like a breath of air, a moment to let the mind wander, but quickly drown the listener in their melodic alchemy and lyrical punch.
The album is rounded out radiantly by guitar-driven rock songs like “Automate”, “Glory” and “Headlock”. Reminiscent of Lush but with a marked tonal shift, Jordan again shows her prowess as a guitar player with chorus-y leads and rhythmic, wall-of-sound riffs. “Headlock” highlights this pivot with high-pitched dissonance and celestially affected lead parts – “Can’t go out I’m tethered to / Another world where we’re together / Are you lost in it too?”, she sings with grit and fatigue, building so poignantly on her sturdy foundation of out-and-out melancholy. On “Valentine”, we are taken 100 miles deeper into the world Jordan created with Lush, led through passageways and around dark corners, landing somewhere we never dreamed existed.
Today, in the wake of recording “Valentine”, Jordan is focused on trying to continue healing without slowing down. The album comes in the midst of so much growth, in the fertile soil of a harrowing bottom-out. On the heels of life-altering success, a painful breakup and 6 weeks in treatment, Jordan appears vibrant and sharp. “Mia, don’t cry / I love you forever / But I gotta grow up now / No I can’t keep holding onto you anymore” she sings on the album closer “Mia”. She sings softly but her voice cuts through like a hacksaw. The song is lamenting a lost love, saying a sombre goodbye, and it closes the door on a bitter cold season for Jordan. Leaving room for a long and storied path, “Valentine” is somehow a jolt and a lovebuzz all at once.
“Ben Franklin” is taken from the upcoming album ‘Valentine’ by Snail Mail, out November 5th on Matador Records.
Hand Habits will release their new album “Fun House” on October 22nd, and here’s one last early taste before the whole thing drops. “Clean Air” is an arresting, sweeping rock ballad featuring The War on Drugs‘ Dave Hartley on bass. “When writing songs for “Fun House”, I had become exhausted and bored by the idea of writing more songs out of blame, spite, or anger,” says Meg Duffy. “‘Clean Air’ is about finding clarity, leaning into acceptance, and acknowledging someone else’s experience as truth without blame or resentment, even when it differs from our own.”
The song comes with a gorgeously shot black and white video directed by V Haddad,
Excited to share my personal favourite track on “Fun House”, “No Difference”. With this song, I was trying to capture the cyclical essence of projection and how it can really block authentic connection. (….I think? Songs seem to change and develop lives of their own with time…my wish is that you project your own life experience onto the song and make it your own)This video is close to my heart, as the guy on the motorcycle happens to be my father, Dan Duffy. Everything just worked out that day. It was 4th of July, and Dad suggested going to his ‘spiritual place’ that has a panoramic view of the Mohawk valley. Filming the bike scenes was the first time I got on the back of the bike with him, and when I first saw this footage that V and Adam captured I was speechless.
It feels close to countless dreams I’ve had; aimlessly walking around but with a distinct yet intangible purpose, my dad is there.
Hand Habits – “Clean Air” from “Fun House” out October 22nd, 2021
Kevin Morby and Hamilton Leithauser embark on their co-headlining “Fall Mixer” North American tour this week, which will have them sharing a band and sharing the stage. Ahead of that they’ve released a collaborative single, “Virginia Beach.”
“I wanted to do a modern take on a dark country song which would transform into more of a dark dance groove,” says Hamilton. “I also wrote an entire vocal track over it but just didn’t think my voice was taking it anywhere new, so I sent the track to Kevin Morby. His voice sounds nothing like my own, and his songs usually have a very different structure than mine. I thought maybe he could take it in a new direction. He told me he wanted to write a traveling song, maybe mentioning some places people don’t sing about that much, and he sent me some lyrics. I loved it and wrote my ‘Virginia Beach’ lines right then and there, and sent them back to him.”
Adds Kevin, “Maybe it was being in one place for almost two years, or maybe it was the mysterious and kinetic energy of the composition, but I found myself compelled to write of all the bizarre yet beautiful corners of America one often overlooks that a touring musician inevitably finds themselves in while out on the road. The Paris Idahos and the Texarkanas. It was my attempt at evoking Cash and Dylans ‘Wanted Man’ or Barbara Keith’s ‘Detroit or Buffalo,’ or any of those other lost country and rock n roll songs that shout out cities off the beaten path. Cities that down-and-out characters race towards in an attempt to outrun themselves. Though of course – as the saying goes, no matter where you go, there you are.”
“Virginia Beach” the new song by Hamilton Leithauser & Kevin Morby, out now on Dead OceansRecords.
Erin Rae has announced a new album, “Lighten Up”, which was produced by Jonathan Wilson and features guest appearances by Kevin Morby, Hand Habits, and Ny Oh. It arrives February 4th via Thirty Tigers and the first single is a lovely dose of alt-country called “Modern Woman.”
Eric spoke about the track “Modern Woman” from the start is meant to be a little cheeky, coming from me, a white femme-presenting woman, but it just sort of spilled out one day in the kitchen during the pandemic. It’s been so incredibly powerful to witness the discussion and evolution of gender norms through my peers and friends, as well as the representation of all bodies breaking more and more into mainstream media. The song is basically a speech to a figurative person who is uncomfortable with the disintegration of a tired definition of what it means to be a woman. With the video, Joshua Shoemaker and I wanted to celebrate and represent our friends in the community who relate to the term “woman” in different capacities, and basically brag on the diverse community of small business owners Nashville holds, and the work they are all doing to push Nashville forward, often against its will, into this new world of inclusivity.
Elaborating on the new album via press release, Erin said, “My last record was a lot of self-assessment and criticism, and trying to kick old habits and ways of relating and not relating to people. This one is about blossoming, opening up, and living a little more in the present moment. Fully experiencing what it is to be human.”
This record feels like a lifetime in the making for me, and yet it has come together so quickly during the blur of these last couple years. After the deep dive of introspection that was “Putting On Airs”, I feel so thankful and ready to move into this new chapter of softness and love towards myself, into deeper loving connection with others, out of my head (a little bit, haha) and into life. I hope when you listen you are able to feel and allow it all, whatever “it” is. There’s a little bit of everything, and most important to me this time, some hope and Fun.
The new song comes with a video that features cameos by Brittany Howard, Kelsey Waldon, and Michaela Anne.
I am so excited to share with you that my new album, “Lighten Up”, produced by Jonathan Wilson, will arrive February 4th, 2022 via the special folks at Thirty Tigers
More than 50(!) years after Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s first record together, “Everybody Knows This IsNowhere”, came out, the musician and band again join forces for “Barn“, whose title doubles as the recording site: a restored 19th-century barn located deep in the Rockies. And as lead single “The Song OfThe Seasons” immediately establishes, the rolling Americana and signature tenor are all there, once more backed by his able bandmates. An accompanying film will provide a more in-depth look, but, as always with Young, the music is the draw.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse are to release a new album, “Barn”, on December 10th. The songwriter announced the project through his Neil Young Archives site, issuing the track “Song of the Seasons” as a digital stream for subscribers. “Lookin’ through a wavy glass window / In this old place by the lake,” he sings on the cut. “In the colours of the falling leaves / I see that nature makes no mistake.”
Young writes that the song, the “oldest” on “Barn”, was “written in Canada about a year ago.” He adds, “There was a recording of the song done in my hometown that is the earliest. This is the first one with Crazy Horse! It starts the album.”
“Song of the Seasons” — produced by Young and Niko Bolas features the front man on vocals, guitar and harmonica; Nils Lofgren on accordion and vocals; Billy Talbot on bass and vocals; and Ralph Molina on drums and vocals. Young previewed the album’s recording sessions back in June, writing on the NYA that “we are so happy to be back in the barn, a barn built to replicate the 1850s barn that had collapsed in exactly the same place, high in the mountains of Colorado!”
In addition to “Barn” which follows 2019’s “Colorado” the former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young member has been active recently with archival projects, releasing shelved studio material (1975’s “Homegrown“) and live records (1971’s “Young Shakespeare“, 1990’s “Way Down in the Rust Bucket”.) He’s also previewed a massive amount of other music, including 1982’s “Johnny’s Island” (previously titled “Island in the Sun“), the album that “Trans” replaced in his catalogue
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, ‘Barn’ Track Listing 1. “Song Of The Seasons” 2. “Heading West” 3. “Change Ain’t Never Gonna” 4. “Canerican” 5. “Shape Of You” 6. “They Might Be Lost” 7. “Human Race” 8. “Tumblin’ Thru The Years” 9. “Welcome Back” 10. “Don’t Forget Love”
The album is available on CD, vinyl and similar to previous Neil Young releases there’s a lift-off lid box set (a “numbered first pressing”) which brings together CD, vinyl and blu-ray. The blu-ray is a film of the band performing the songs live, directed by Daryl Hannah (aka Mrs Neil Young).
All the formats are available via Young’s ‘Greedy Hand’ shop, which also offers the blu-ray as a standalone product.
Sunflower Bean shared their first new music of the year, “Baby Don’t Cry,” which was produced and mixed by Jacob Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra. “So many things in our lives are disposable,” the band writes. “Content and news is consumed and discarded leaving us unfulfilled. ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ is about enjoying the real. The things right in front of us that give us meaning and how sometimes, even sad songs can give you that warm feeling of hope.
Mom+Pop Records sweethearts Sunflower Bean are riding a huge wave in their young career. In 2018, their sophomore record “Twentytwo in Blue” rose to the UK’s Top 40, and all three band members turned 22 years old. Sunflower Bean spent the following years touring with household names like Beck, Interpol, and label-mate Courtney Barnett, to name a few.
In 2021, they’re back with new music, starting with the single “Baby Don’t Cry.” The tune is a fun, catchy indie bop with edgy guitar and synths. It’s familiar-sounding, but still new and distinct — perfectly emblematic of trends that resonate with a Gen-Z audience, or even a little older. Disillusioned members of society of all ages will resonate with the meaning of “Baby Don’t Cry.” About the song, Sunflower Bean says, “So many things in our lives are disposable. Content and news is consumed and discarded leaving us unfulfilled. ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ is about enjoying the real. The things right in front of us that give us meaning and how sometimes, even sad songs can give you that warm feeling of hope.”
In addition to the new single, Sunflower Bean announced an upcoming tour with a stop at Mama Roux’s in Birmingham 6th April.
Los Angeles based incendiary rock band Kills Birds are sharing their new single “Cough Up Cherries,” the third offering from their upcoming, sophomore album “Married“, out via their new label home Royal Mountain Records and KRO Records on November 12th. The band have recently confirmed several tour dates with Foo Fighters and Sleigh Bells for 2021 and 2022 and have also been confirmed to perform as part of The Great Escape’s First Fifty, the first round of the freshest and most exciting talent across the globe.
The new album was recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 by invitation of the man himself, and produced by Yves Rothman. The newest single “Cough Up Cherries” arrives with an official video, directed by Brandon Somerhalder, that speaks directly to the forthcoming album, “Married”, as vocalist Nina Ljeti wears a wedding dress and veil. We see home movies being filmed, and a very domestic, isolated life — literally being put in a box (a TV screen) — juxtaposed with ferocious live performance scenes, where guitarist Jacob Loeb flawlessly pulls off the full-body guitar spin.
Vocalist Nina Ljeti explains “Cough Up Cherries” and says, “There are a lot of themes to Cherries, as it was written during the height of the pandemic in 2020. The song touches on feelings of loneliness, paranoia, and hopelessness that we all experienced. In addition, Cherries also addresses the identity crisis we all face in the digital age. What our performative personas are vs. who we really are when we’re left alone, and if in the midst of great injustice, we are actually able to hold our own selves accountable.”
Guitarist Jacob Loeb adds, “This song’s instrumentation reflects some of the layers of confusion and chaos that were felt by so many at the height of the pandemic. It’s music that we found at the apex of isolation and outrage. This song has a deeply ominous kick drum heartbeat that drives through the unnervingly twisted and interwoven guitar and bass parts that crescendo to a chorus that feels like an authentic expression of our collective rage at that height of that chaotic time. Bosh Rothman, who drummed on the record, brought some serious fire to the drum fills that close out the song.”
“Cough Up Cherries” from Kills Birds, available now on Royal Mountain Records & KRO Records. “Married” is out November 12th, 2021.
Chime School are sharing their new upbeat & jangly “It’s True” single/video. Chime School is due on 11/5 via Slumberland Records.
Chime School is the project of San Francisco musician Andy Pastalaniec. Endlessly charmed by 80s indie and its 60s forbearers (and any record with a 12-string guitar), Andy cut his teeth as a drummer with SLR labelmates Odd Hope in their early group Pink Films; later with shoegazers Cruel Summer, and currently with indie-pop outfit Seablite. But it wasn’t until he was gifted a cassette 4-track portastudio “almost as a dare,” that he came out from behind the kit to write and record his own material.
The aptly named ChimeSchool pays homage to the formative jangle of The Byrds by way of early Primal Scream and The Springfields; the production and pop sensibility of the Biff Bang Pow and The Razorcuts; and the spirit of great singles labels like Creation, Postcard and Sarah.
San Francisco’s Chime School descendents of their hometown’s janglepop tradition. “Wait Your Turn” is the sparkling new single from their upcoming self titled debut that will be out November 5th via Slumberland Records.
From the dreamy album opener “Wait Your Turn” to the driving jangle of singles “Taking Time To Tell You” and “It’s True” we can see that we’re in the presence of a very talented writer indeed, someone with a lifetime’s worth of pop fandom just waiting to burst out in song.
Taken from Chime School’s self-titled debut album, out November 5th on Slumberland Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 