The Fat Angel Sings

The Beach Boys’ spellbinding 1971 song “Feel Flows” may be the most famous obscure song in the band’s catalogue.  Cameron Crowe adopted it for the closing credits of his coming-of-age film “Almost Famous” (soon also to receive a Limted box set release), and it’s also featured on the soundtrack to the new Apple Music documentary “1971“.  The Mike Love-led Beach Boys are currently performing on the Feel Flows Tour, and now the haunting 50-year-old tune is lending its title to a hotly anticipated box set that is no longer an “open secret.”

On July 30th, Capitol Records and UMe will release Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971.  This hardcover book-style set, to be released in 5-CD, 4-LP (standard black and translucent blue/translucent gold), 2-LP, and 2-CD editions (as well as digitally), explores in depth what’s perhaps the most adventurous and experimental period in the Beach Boys’ long history.  The 5-CD set features fully remastered versions of the original Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971) albums – the band’s first two post-Capitol LPs as originally issued Brother Records via Reprise – plus copious outtakes, live recordings, alternate takes and mixes, and more for a total of 133 tracks.  Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston were all coming into their own within the group even as Brian Wilson was closing out the band’s “golden age” with stunning songs every bit the equal of his prodigious 1960s output.

The collection includes remastered versions of ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Surf’s Up’ and boasts 135 tracks, including 108 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions.

The first CD of the box has the remastered Sunflower plus a radio spot, six live performances of the album’s songs (spanning 1971-1988) and eight bonus tracks including the original 1969 single version of the all-too-unheralded classic “Break Away” (co-written by Brian and his father Murry Wilson), a new stereo mix of “Cotton Fields,” additional new mixes of deep cuts familiar to BBs fans such as “Good Time,” “Susie Cincinnati,” and “San Miguel,” and the official debut of the 1969 mix of “Loop De Loop.”

The second disc follows the same format for the remastered Surf’s Up, adding a radio spot, five 1971-1993 live cuts, and a clutch of bonus tracks.  The original version of “Big Sur” as well as the Boys’ cover of Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen’s “Seasons in the Sun,” and Brian’s offbeat, horror-aping “My Solution” all make their official debuts.  A cover of Don Goldberg’s “Sweet and Bitter” makes its first appearance anywhere.  The disc also includes both sides of Dennis Wilson and Rumbo’s rare 1970 single “Sound of Free” b/w “Lady (Fallin’ in Love),” with the latter mix making its official CD debut.

CD 3 digs into The Sunflower Sessions (29 tracks) with previously unissued a cappella mixes, session highlights, and backing tracks.  Among them is an extended take of “This Whole World,” an early 1969 mix of the rocking “Slip on Through,” and a new mix of the shimmering “Cool, Cool Water.”  CD 4 encompasses The Surf’s Up Sessions (18 tracks plus six bonus tracks).  The bonus material is once again choice: the never-before-heard “Awake” (likely the Floyd Tucker song recorded by American Spring with a Brian Wilson arrangement), the official debut of “It’s a New Day,” new mixes of “I Just Got My Pay,” “Walkin’,” and “When Girls Get Together,” the previously unreleased outtake “Baby, Baby,” an extended version of Dennis Wilson’s sublime “(Wouldn’t It Be Nice to) Live Again,” and a long version with alternate lyrics of Brian’s devastatingly beautiful “Til I Die.”

The fifth and final disc in the box has more material sure to set any Beach Boys fan’s pulse racing, including the premiere (bootleg or otherwise) of “Before,” “Behold the Night,” “Hawaiian Dream,” and Brian and David Sandler’s “It’s Natural.”  CD 5 also has alternates and isolated mixes plus a demo and new mix of Murry Wilson and Rick Henn’s “Won’t You Tell Me,” a demo of Brian’s “Back Home,” the previously unreleased mix/official CD debut of “Carnival (Over the Waves),” and a piano demo of “Til I Die.”

The 2-LP, 2-CD, and 4-LP iterations have some variations from the 5-CD box set (which will undoubtedly lead some collectors to purchase multiple configurations).  The long “(Wouldn’t It Be Nice to) Live Again” appears to be presented in edited form on the 2CD and 4LP sets (4:35 vs. 6:50 on the 5CD).  It appears that the “All of My Love/Ecology” medley, “Sweet and Bitter,” and “Awake” all also have shorter running times on the vinyl presentations.  There are also some other title discrepancies with the new stereo mixes of “Cotton Fields” and “When Girls Get Together.”  The former is labeled 2020 Stereo Mix on the vinyl and 2019 on the CD; the latter is labelled 2019 Stereo Mix on the vinyl and 2020 on the CD.  It’s likely that these have just been misidentified and the mixes are one in the same.

The Beach Boys are thrilled to share an unreleased live version of fan favourite “Susie Cincinnati” as the next preview to their forthcoming new box set, “Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971” due via Capital/Ume. Written and sung by Al Jardine, the rollicking, horn-laden performance of “Susie Cincinnati” was recorded nearly 45 years ago at a legendary stadium concert in Anaheim, Calif. on July 3rd, 1976 that heralded the return of Brian Wilson to the live stage for his first full show with The Beach Boys in many years – part of the “Brian’s Back” publicity campaign that also signaled his return to the studio and the release of the group’s new “15 Big Ones” album, celebrating 15 years of the band.

At this famed concert, The Beach Boys band was augmented with a full horn section and the brass gives “Susie Cincinnati” a whole new edge. Originally released in 1970 as the B-side to Sunflower standout, “Add Some Music To Your Day,” the song was remixed for 1976’s 15 Big Ones.

Produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, Feel Flows has a 48-page booklet featuring photos, memorabilia images, and a new essay by Howie Edelson incorporating new and archival interviews with the band members.  The previously unreleased “Big Sur” is streaming now at YouTube and all of the usual services.  “Feel Flows” is due from Capitol/UMe on July 30.  It looks to be the box set of the summer (naturally).  Surf’s up at the links below!

The Beach Boys, “Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971″ (Capitol/UMe, 2021)

“Every time you’ve been your more authentic self and people like it, that gives you the confidence to be even more authentic the next time and open up a bit more,” Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell said about her evolution as a songwriter earlier this year. On ‘Blue Weekend’, the band’s third album, her latest period of growth presents itself spectacularly – in a series of songs that showcase her best lyrics yet, ones that are, as she suggested, more confident and less guarded.

There are lines on this record that have the power to transport you to very specific places or feel like Rowsell has extracted your soul from your body, put it under a microscope, then handed you a report on her findings. They are particular in the stories they lay out but, within the details, offer places to find yourself and the tales you could tell. It’s a phenomenon that the singer and guitarist references on the piano-led, emotional epic ‘The Last Man On Earth’: “Every book you take that you dust off from the shelf/Has lines between lines between lines that you read about yourself.” Simultaneously, she analyses a compulsion of the human race and offers another opportunity to indulge in it yourself.

The increased openness in the front woman’s words is perhaps no surprise, given the six years Wolf Alice have had since releasing their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’. In that time, they’ve grown from buzzy newcomers to a bonafide Big Deal, via milestones of success you can’t help but absorb confidence from: breathless praise for second album ‘Visions Of A Life’, a Mercury Prize win for that record in 2018, selling out their biggest headline show to date at London’s Alexandra Palace. Now, they’re making the step up to riotous festival headliners, leapfrogging from topping the bill at the likes of Truck to taking pole position at this year’s Latitude Festival.

‘Blue Weekend’ is a study on relationships – yes, with romantic partners, but also with friends, with yourself and with the world at large. The sparse and minimal heartbreaker ‘No Hard Feelings’ contains evocative scenes within its exploration of a separation. “It’s not hard to remember when it was tough to hear your name,” Rowsell sighs. “Crying in the bathtub to ‘Love Is A Losing Game’.” The song referenced might change for different people, but the feeling that sucker-punches you from within is universal.

If that track takes you into the depths of lovelorn grief, sun-kissed album closer ‘The Beach II’ whisks us off to somewhere much calmer. Here, Rowsell is by the shore, drinking lukewarm “liquid rose” with her mates, but in her narration positions herself as an observer looking on fondly. “The tide comes in as it must go out, consistent like the laughter/Of the girls on the beach, my girls on the beach, happy ever after,” she sings softly. Combined with the gently surging guitars and buzzing synths beneath her, the song captures a moment of magic that makes you feel like you’re hovering above your own memories of the tableau it depicts.

‘Smile’, a self-assured spiritual sister song to ‘Visions Of A Life’s rousing ‘Yuk Foo’, takes its inspiration partially from the response to that second album track, and particularly the line Rowsell screamed in the latter: “I wanna fuck all of the people I meet.” Over crunching riffs, the present-day version of her shoots down the world’s attempts to put her in a box and tell her how she should be. “And now you all think I’m unhinged/Wind her up and this honeybee stings,” she sneers at one point. “Did you think I was a puppet on strings?/Wind her up and this honeybee sings.”

She continues with her resolve to portray herself as she pleases in a way that will likely annoy those who baulked at that ‘Yuk Foo’ lyric. The dreamy, sensual ‘Feeling Myself’ takes on the subject of self-love, Rowsell putting her own spin on the theme of sexual independence: “He’s had so many lovers, don’t think he’s been pleasing anyone/ Doesn’t matter ‘bout numbers/ When it’s breaking news that it takes two to love.” Later, in a blast of confidence, she instructs someone to “keep my name on your lips/Let the double ‘L’ feel like a kiss.” The euphoric, dazzling rush that accompanies the final word is one of the most heavenly moments on an album that’s full of them.

If the singer and guitarist’s song writing has become even more accomplished since Wolf Alice’s last album, then so has her bandmates’ too. ‘Blue Weekend’ is the group’s most cohesive listen, and keeps intact the restless spirit that makes their work so unpredictable and exciting.

On ‘Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall In Love)’, they delve into fingerpicked folk melodies, drummer Joel Amey joining the frontwoman to sing in beautiful a cappella at the track’s end. ‘Play The Greatest Hits’, meanwhile, finds bassist Theo Ellis leading the verses with a rumbling, ominous bassline that drills directly into your bones, before guitarist Joff Oddie slathers urgent walls of noise over the chorus.

Wolf Alice reach the peak of their collective and individual powers on ‘Delicious Things’, the new title-holder for the best thing they’ve ever done. It’s a stunner that goes on a wide-eyed glide around Los Angeles, Rowsell careering through the highs and lows of finding escape in a romanticised city far from home. Her awestruck delivery (“I don’t care, I’m in the Hollywood Hills/I’m no longer pulling pints, I’m no longer cashing tills”) is as intoxicating as the widescreen soundscape beneath her that sends you soaring above the city, Downtown LA poking up on the horizon on one side, the Hollywood sign nestled into the hills on the other.

Towards the end of her adventures, Rowsell is drawn back to normality. “Hey, is mum there?” she asks through crackling production. “It’s just me, I felt like calling.” What goes up must come down, after all, but Wolf Alice themselves are showing no signs of descending any time soon. ‘Blue Weekend’ is another stone-cold masterpiece that further cements their place at the very peak of British music.

Release date: June 4th on Dirty Hit Records

Australian hippy rockers Babe Rainbow sing a song for changes. Same sesame funk, new earth.  The single “Zeitgeist” is about catching dreams from the clouds and growing up, it’s about the international situation and it’s about chickens. Released digitally on the bands own Eureka Records on followed by a vinyl version through Flightless Records

Babe Rainbow release of their anticipated fourth album, “Changing Colours“. 

If ever there was a band that could be synonymous with a distinct place and a way of life, it would be Babe Rainbow. The Byron Bay boys craft laidback and languorous grooves that encapsulate the freedom and elation of the surfing and hippy communities that the band come from.

That relaxed and breezy conclave is the closest they can get to the romanticised world of the late 60’s and early 70’s, which their music often sounds like it belongs in: Babe Rainbow have been reviving those psychedelic vibes and folk influences and using them in their own inimitable way over four albums now.

The band travelled to California’s Topanga Canyon to work on the album, working with noted producer Kyle Mullarky (Allah Las, Tomorrow’s Tulips) and perhaps it’s why they sound refreshed here. Everything from baggy rock to disco and funk is explored in the songs, all while keeping the resolutely joyous and breezy atmosphere that they always reside under.

Perhaps the most surprising part is the excellent collaboration on ‘Your Imagination’ with none other than Jaden Smith that Jaden Smith – for the sort of unexpected musical pairing that surely won’t be topped for the rest of the year

Listening to Changing Colours is to wish that it had been released in the middle of 2020, at the height of the claustrophobic lockdowns: the gentle wistfulness and idyllic dreaminess would have been the type of transformative escapism that would have taken any listener back to the beach, the sun, and good memories.

They might go at life at their own unhurried pace but their new record, “Changing Colours”, doesn’t see the band rest on their laurels. While it maintains the mellow melodies of previous releases, there’s now increased experimentation.

Babe Rainbow Released on: May 18th, 2021

Woods, the psych-folk partnership of Jeremy Earl and Jarvis Taveniere, will release “More Strange“, the deluxe edition of their highly acclaimed 2020 album “Strange To Explain”, on July 23 via Woodsist Records. The digital-only release will include five bonus tracks, all recorded during the original Strange To Explain sessions at Stinson Beach’s Panoramic House in Northern California. Bonus tracks include two new singles (“Waiting Around For A New Me” and “Nickels and Dimes”), two outtakes (“Daylight Push” and “Sun Jammer”), and an alternate version of the album track “Be There Still.” Today the band shares the first of the new singles, “Waiting Around For A New Me,” via a music video shot by Ian McNaughton.

Strange To Explain represented Woods’ first work following a series of milestones – Earl and Taveniere created the now-classic Purple Mountains record with David Berman; Taveniere moved from New York to California, making the band bicoastal for the first time in its 15-year existence; and Earl became a father. “Those first few months or first year of having a newborn kind of put me in a dreamlike state,” Earl told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “Starting to write the record was an escape for me from my everyday reality and anxieties.” The album was released to praise from Pitchfork, The Fader, Stereogum, Relix, and the New York Times, who profiled the band and called Strange To Explain their “most magnetic record yet… These 11 songs pair the eccentricity of Woods’ early records with the conviction that it’s all worth saying and playing a little louder.” 

Releases July 23rd, 2021

German band Elephants On Tape have followed up 2017’s Lightweights with another indietronica gem, “Every Structure’s Dislocated”. A particular highlight is Narks,

Lightweights, the 2018 debut album by the Leipzig-based indie-tronic formation Elephants On Tape was an easily overlooked treasure in the sheer massiveness of the weekly release but it showed a band that had all the skills to stand out. The follow-up album, “Every Structure’s Dislocated” takes the debut’s strengths a bit further. The tightrope-walking between traditional song writing and electronic experiments still marks the core of the band’s sound but their latest endeavours see them move a bit further into progressive territory while still circling around honest emotion and catchy hooks.

Their second LP is a short yet very addictive affair, held together by tiny little interludes that go by titles like {fume, {ascii; or >larva} … well, Justin Vernon would be proud of the four guys and singer Lisa Zwinzscher and there are indeed a few references to Bon Iver in their music. Partly the band also reminds you of The Notwist, a few of the later Depeche Mode records maybe Portishead and other sounds from that field. The guitar sound is pretty old-fashioned, reminding you of the more melancholic 00s indie rock bands while the analogue electronic sounds feels like a toally different affair. But somehow they make it work, creating a retro future vibe without falling into obvious traps like unnecessary auto-tune adventures.

All things considered, Elephants On Tape are a band that knows how to perform together, the entire album comes with this sweet DIY lo-fi spirit that grounds the entire sound in the here and now. It’s not a slick studio record, it’s the sound of five profound musicians joining forces. The songs are less about their abstract lyrical content but more about the overall vibe. “I am deep sea diving in an ocean of words from your mouth,” Zwinzscher states in the opening Narks as she outlines the map of the rest of the record. 01100010 is a twisted yet sensual and almost jazzy ballad while Transient Day shows a more uplifting side from the group. Closing track Hyperactive marks an actual highlight of the record. Built on a gentle piano melody it really showcases the vocal skills of the band leader, making Zwinzscher almost sound like Bjork. Every Structure’s Dislocated is a smart and consequent step forward for the band and if they continue to head for that brave path they will hopefully no longer remain a hidden treasure. 

»01100010« is the first single of our upcoming Album “Every Structure’s Dislocated” out on April 23rd.

Career Woman from Los Angeles, California, The 16-year-old singer-songwriter offers a different perspective on pandemic times. Melody Caudill is a 16 year old singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Coming from a musical family, and learning how to play piano at the ripe age of four, she’s been immersed in the creative world of song writing since before she was in kindergarten. After picking up the ukulele at 13, learning guitar became the natural next step. With inspirations from artists like Priscilla Ahn, Phoebe Bridgers, and Elliott Smith, Caudill writes with a certain sense of vulnerability and confidence. At 13, she recorded and released her first EP, Thirteen . Thirteen chronicles the life of a pre-teen navigating new life changes. Now 16, Melody has written her second EP, Teachers Pet. Melody Caudill captures the essence of what it’s like to be in high school dealing with issues of self-confidence and finding a sense of belonging. However, Melody isn’t to be boiled down to another angst-driven teen. Her song writing touches the core of the emotional turmoil we all go through. Whether that’s feeling smaller than your peers or being afraid to show your true self, there are just some inner-struggles we never grow out of. 

Out now on Lauren Records,

Released May 25th, 2021

The Freedom Band’s first livestream was recorded by their 6th member, live sound engineer and sonic guru, Matthew Littlejohn and fellow head, Mike Kriebel. They teamed up with director Joshua Erkman to film the band in the round. The film was co-produced by LA’s Sid The Cat, with audio mixed by Mike Kriebel and mastered by Nick Townsend.

Ty Segall & Freedom Band is comprised of:

Ben Boye (Keyboards)
Charles Moothart (Drums)
Emmett Kelly (Guitar)
Mikal Cronin (Bass)
Ty Segall (Vocals/Guitar)

Released May 28th, 2021

The release is an epilogue to the story of the band’s second album, ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’ Creeper have announced details of a new EP, described as an epilogue to the story presented on their 2020 album “Sex Death & The Infinite Void”.

‘American Noir’ is set to come out on July 30th via Roadrunner Records, and is being previewed by its first single ‘Midnight’.

According to a press release, the new EP is a requiem to Roe, a central character in the band’s recent second album. Frontman Will Gould explained: “This new EP is comprised of material we’d written over the course of the last album. Lavish and tragic, it tells the story of the days following the death of our protagonist Roe.

“Beginning with ‘Midnight’ you’ll find Hannah and I experimenting with our voices together like never before.”

Creeper’s ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’ came out last July. In a four star review, NME labelled it “a brave, ambitious and nuanced album that looks to lead the band’s fans down the rabbit hole on a new, macabre adventure”.

It added: “Turning their backs on their punk roots was a gamble, but it’s paid off. Next time around, expect Creeper to delve even deeper into the rabbit hole, to stare down the infinite void with even greater defiance.”

Since then, frontman Gould launched a side project Salem.

Pansy is the brainchild of Mat Hagger and has expanded into a four piece band compromised of Mat Hagger (Vocals/Guitar), Benjamin Abid (Bass), Danny Sein (Lead Guitar), and Cameron Frank (Drums).

What started as the brainchild of songwriter Mat Hagger, Pansy has subsequently morphed into the current four-piece band. Originally hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, the band are now split between Detroit and Chicago. Back in the Summer of 2019, Pansy convened for just three days and worked quickly to lay down the six tracks that make up their self-titled EP, which two years on saw the light of day earlier this month.

Although all 6 tracks were recorded in a mere 3 days, the band seems to have already found their stride with their debut EP, set to be released April 2021.

The Pansy album opens with a bang on the brilliant “I Wanna Dissolve“. Sliding in on a languid bass line, the track is punctuated by bright slacker-rock tinged guitars and warm swells of harmonious vocals, before bursting into the crescendo of noise that serves as an outro. Elsewhere on the record, “Buried” is a delicious amalgam of the distorted and the dreamy, reminiscent of Sun June or Forth Wanderers, while the wiry guitars of “Pity Party” dial up the grungy vibes to thrilling new levels. The highlight arrives on the record’s closing track, “Not Around“, a frenetic five-minute tumble of ragged guitars and moody drums, that ends with an anguished howl as Mat’s vocal is engulfed in a wall of visceral sound. It might have taken two years to arrive, but Pansy’s debut is well worth the wait, with new material apparently coming on the horizon, Pansy are one of Michigan’s best new bands.

released April 2nd, 2021

The Band:

VOX/GTR- Mat Hagger
BASS- Ben Abid
LEAD GTR- Danny Sein
DRUMS/PRODUCTION-Cameron Frank

Recorded in the summer of 2019 in an unfurnished basement off Kalamazoo Ave in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Emily Duff’s small brand of Sweet & Sour Rock and Roll with a big slice of country digs deep, weaving a patchwork of sin, tragedy, romance and regret that lies at your feet begging to be mended. 

A dark optimist, Emily Duff is a unique voice for women at a crucial time.  “One Part Patti Smith, One Part Muscle Shoals.”

Here’s what they say about it: “Hello my Friends, I am really excited to get this new record out into the world & on July 23rd I will start shipping copies of “Razor Blade Smile” to You! I’m super lucky to have gotten to make a record with producer, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel again and especially during a global pandemic, What a Year!! I hope you’re Feelin’ Alright and will consider a Pre-Order of either the digital or the Signed copies A Limited Edition CD with beautiful photos by Charles Chessler. I have 385 followers here and there are only 700 copies of the CD available, so claim yours today and it will ship out on 7/23 straight to your door! I humbly thank y’all for your continued support and can’t wait for you to hear the new songs “on the record.” Recording music is a true passion and a privilege and I have been fortunate to work with some of the best players in the world. I pinch myself every day, say a little prayer and hope to do it again . With your help, I can do just that! With Love Your Friend xxEms”

All songs written by Emily Duff 

Emily Duff: Acoustic Guitar & Vocals
Eric Ambel: Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar & BG Vocals
Keith Christopher: Bass
Charlie Giordano: Keyboards
Phil Cimino: Drums
Cody Nilsen: Pedal Steel Guitar on “Nicotine & Waiting”
Mary Lee Kortes: BG Vocals

Releases July 23rd, 2021