Masters of resto-mod psychedelia Shadow Show confront the daily march of frighteningly too-real absurdity by diving into a sherbet coloured daydream on their latest 7-inch vinyl release that pairs a period-correct original track with a strikingly re-imagined deep cut from the dustbin of indie rock history.
“What Again Is Real?” builds upon traditional psych rock concepts by framing a narrative around a carefree psychedelic pixie for the mod-squad set, irresistibly magnetic as she glides by sporting go-go boots and capturing the imaginations of everyone she passes. Worldly cares fall all around her like rain, deflected before the drops can saturate her mood by a karmic umbrella of good vibes and radiant positivity. Like a paisley Pied Piper she beckons the overstimulated masses to shed their soggy vestments and follow her down a dayglo rabbit hole to a sunny mental state uncluttered by worry. Oscillating guitar riffs meander between harmonized vocals that eschew the harder, threatening tendencies of American West Coast acid psych in favour of the lighter, whimsical stylings of the genre’s British variant to great effect.
Los Angeles based filmmaker Mat Dunlop captures the analogue aesthetic of “What Again Is Real?” in a resplendently lo-fi 8mm video awash in the cinematic wonder of LA’s iconic golden hour. The footage is interspersed with organic animations by Dawn Aquarius that echo the billowy spectacle of George Dunning’s iconic work on Yellow Submarine for maximum psychedelic impact. The dedication to a highly specific visual language recalls that of one of Shadow Show’s most successful hometown forebearers, and as The White Stripes leveraged candy stripes as a visual manifesto Shadow Show’s full bore adoption of 1960s style from Laugh-In to A Clockwork Orange is a primer on the band’s inspirational heritage.
Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream and Jehnny Beth from Savages are releasing a new collaborative album together, “Utopian Ashes”. Due out on July 2 via Third ManRecordings. They shared its second single, the string-backed “Chase It Down” Thomas James directed the atmospheric black & white video.
Previously the duo shared the album’s first single, “Remember We Were Lovers” via a video for it. As well as Gillespie and Beth, the album also features Beth’s musical partner Johnny Hostile (bass) alongside three members of PrimalScream—Andrew Innes (guitar), Martin Duffy (piano), and Darrin Mooney (drums).
Utopian Ashesis a concept record of sorts that chronicles the collapse of a marriage. A press release compares the album to country-soul classics such as Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris’ Grievous Angel and George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s We Go Together.
“In the same way you create characters for a novel, we’ve created characters here,” says Beth in the press release. “But you put yourself in it, because you’re trying to understand the human situation. The singing has to be authentic. That’s all that matters.”
“When you write a song you marry the personal with the fictional and make art,” adds Gillespie. “I was thinking about two people living alone, together but apart, existing and suffering in a psychic malaise, who plough on because of responsibilities and commitments. It’s about the impermanence of everything—an existential fact that everyone has to face at some point in their lives.”
It was in 2015 when they were both invited to get up on stage with Suicide at the Barbican in London that the duo first met. In 2016 Beth joined Primal Scream on stage for a duet of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood’s “Some Velvet Morning” (a Primal Scream staple). Sessions for the album happened in Paris in 2017.
Summing up his intentions with Utopian Ashes Gillespie says: “I wanted to put pain back into music. I wasn’t hearing a lot of it in modern rock music.”
Jehnny Beth released her debut solo album, “To Love Is To Live”, last year via Caroline Records.
Primal Scream’s most recent album, “Chaosmosis” was released back in 2016 via the band’s own label, First International.
Nathan Lawr came up during the Toronto indie-rock heyday that spawned bands like Broken Social Scene and Feist, drumming for Royal City and Sea Snakes. In 2000, he started writing his own folk songs, releasing a series of solo albums. In 2010, he started Minotaurs and spent the next 10 years writing, recording, and performing with a psychedelic funk band. Now, almost a decade later, Lawr has come into his own, finding his voice as a pop singer and releasing his most powerful collection of songs to date. Nathan’s upcoming album “Apocalypse Marshmallow” is a meticulously crafted, dynamic powerhouse. The newest single is “Restless” a song about living in the modern dichotomy: We can have anything we want but we’re relentlessly unsatisfied.
Now, after spending almost a decade as a stay-at-home Dad, Lawr has come into his own, finding his voice as a pop singer and releasing his most powerful collection of songs to date.
Recorded over the course of 6 years in various studios in Guelph and Toronto, including Lawr’s own Guelph-based studio housed in the rectory of a former Jesuit Chapel, Apocalypse Marshmallow is a meticulously-crafted, dynamic powerhouse of an album. Veering from Steve Miller/Sloan-esque classic rock (on the title track), to 80’s glam pop (in Terminal Love), to half-time Dire Straits (in Shakey Hands), to triumphant country ballads (in Wandering Eyes). Echoes of Fleet Foxes, The War On Drugs, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen,
Apocalypse Marshmallow marks a real progression for Lawr. The song included here would not be out of place on a list of some of the best Canadian songs of the last 30 years.
Apocalypse Marshmallow is a celebration of the rough edges and chaos of friendship, family, being a part of a fabric. It’s messy and uncertain but it’s beautiful. “The process of becoming a parent was intense,” Lawr says. “No one ever tells you that you basically wake up a completely different person. Your old life is gone, like totally gone, and you need to mourn it. That can be a messy process. It’s an apocalypse, but it’s also cozy and soft and sweet, like a marshmallow.”
“James Clark is a doctor of pop. His prescription is simple: Three-minute blasts of medicinal music. Here’s one: The catchy power pop of “Next Best Thing“, from his new 10-song album The Colour Of Happy. For the disc, James once again called upon the talents of producer/musician Moe Berg (The Pursuit Of Happiness), a man who knows his way around a hook. Moe also added guitar and vocals to the record.
“James takes the power pop traditions of The Beatles, Jellyfish and Split Enz and combines them with the high IQ lyrics of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. The result makes him one of Canada’s greatest unsung songwriters”. – Producer Moe Berg “A wealth of song writing talent.” – Michael Williams, Cashbox Canada Magazine
When he wasn’t listening to his parents’ early rock ’n’ roll and country-western records, James, persuaded by his guitar playing brother, settled in behind the drum kit and discovered the songwriters that would influence him: Lennon & McCartney, Ray Davies and Elvis Costello.
The second and latest advance single from the forthcoming album, The Colour Of Happy. Song written by James Clark.
Slathered in classic heavy rock ‘n’ soul, soaked in gritty, hard-baked riffs, and topped off with rich, raunchy vocals Heavy Water’s debut album “Red Brick City” . This is the lockdown 2020 project by Saxon’s Biff Byford and his son Seb Byford . the track brings you on an irrepressible raw blues-backed journey through influences and invention. The foundations for Heavy Water’s sound are set in their incredible father/son chemistry and a lifetime of know-how and experiences. Take the title track (and first single) Red Brick City: All steam and smoulder wrapped around a riff Soundgarden would’ve been proud of.
Red Brick City moves with the class and cadence of a cracking journey, uniting vintage rock sensibilities with the crackle and excitement of a fresh, youthful perspective. According to Seb and Biff,
“We decided to do something together in these dark times and the family came together to help get this album off the ground” explained Seb and Biff. Seb Byford recorded and engineered Red Brick City at the Big Silver Barn in York, UK, while the drums were recorded by Ben Hammond at Reel Recording Studio in York. Seb produced the album with Biff, and Jacky Lehmann mastered. Red Brick City sees Seb take the reins on guitar and vocals, with Biff taking up the bass and vocal mantle. Tom Witts plays the drums, while Dave Kemp rounds out the Heavy Water line-up on keyboards and saxophone. A rich, lustrous ride through profoundly rewarding rock waters. To cap off this family affair, the packaging photos were taken by Steph Byford. “We had great fun doing this album, working together on the songs and recording during lockdown,” concluded Biff and Seb. “It’s all recorded without samples or profiles… just loud and proud!” So remember, on July 23rd 2021, there’s going to be a new Rock ‘n’ Roll sheriff in town, and as their name suggests, Heavy Water aren’t for the light-hearted. Dive in, and soak yourself in the purity of their music.
Sitting as comfortably amongst names like Smashing Pumpkins and Ride as they do Foals or Wolf Alice; Edinburgh indie newcomers Swim School explore the true impact of the negativity of others with the distorted, angst-fuelled anthem, “Outside”.
Hot on the heels of previous track “Let Me Inside Your Head” which saw swim school grace the cover of Spotify’s Scotifyplaylist, as well as placements on their Hot New Bands, Melomania and All New Rock playlists, and the announcement of a live performance for the digital edition of The Great Escape 2021; ‘Outside’ is a glimpse into a whole new, reinvigorated side of Swim School.
Recently joined by new drummer Billy McMahon, Swim School absorb influence from a wide range of genres; from 90’s grunge to modern indie and dream-pop. On ‘Outside’, vocalist & guitarist Alice Johnson enters the same space occupied by the likes of Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice) and Juliette Jackson (The Big Moon) – tackling delicate subjects with a vibrant yet evocative presence.
“Outside is based on the negative impact the toxic people have on your mental health and the moment you realise how toxic they are.” explains Alice.
“It’s not until you step back from the situation, that you realise their use of manipulation such as gas lighting and dishonestly was actually destroying your mental health. It made you question everything you did and slowly ate away at your confidence leading to you being unhappy.
It’s about the challenge of finding the strength to cut toxic people out of your life and putting yourself, your happiness and your mental state first. It’s also about realising that toxic people will never change and that is not your responsibility to change them.”
swim school are:Alice Johnson – vocals & guitar, Billy McMahon – drums, Lewis Bunting – guitar, Matt Mitchell – bass
With sold out hometown headline shows and triumphant performances at TRNMT, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Belladrum Festival and The Xcerts’ 11 date UK tour already behind them – as well as being tipped by the likes of The Great Escape, BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway and Jim Gellatly and Tenement TV, 2021 is set to be a major year for swim school. Swim School’s luminous indie-pop touches on imperfect romance, trauma, and vulnerability, and trying to navigate it all. By putting deeply affecting lyrics over gigantic riffs, their live shows are bound to inspire much-needed moments of catharsis.
Manchester duo Meena share It’s Okay To Be Tired.Meena show their moody rock sound within, integrating aspects of post-punk, shoegaze, and garage-rock.It’s Okay To Be Tired comes via the newly released album “Can’t See“. One-half the duo, Will, writes the following: “My vision for the record was a poppy hooky reverb-drenched layered record with big drums and deep bass, with a rich texture (every single bass note is played on the low E). I think the record is quite lyrically abstract but in general is about life, sadness and just trying to get through life.”
self recorded inside over the period of 7 months, a musical evolution from our first EP and an overall abstract record about the confusion of life.
The Rounder Records debut from Amythyst Kiah, “Wary + Strange” marks the glorious collision of two vastly different worlds: the iconoclastic alt-rock that first sparked her musical passion, and the roots/old-time-music scene where she’s found breakout success in recent years, including recognition from Rolling Stone as “one of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” Along with tapping into the vibrant musicality she honed in part through her studies in East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old Time, Country Music program, the Chattanooga-bred singer/songwriter expands on the uncompromising artistry she’s displayed as a member of Our Native Daughters—an all-women-of-colour supergroup whose Kiah-penned standout “Black Myself” earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Awards.
Amythyst Kiah made her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing her Grammy-nominated song “Black Myself”, from her forthcoming album “Wary + Strange”, due out June 18th. now she shares another track from Wary + Strange, “Hangover Blues“. The track documents a tumultuous period in her late 20s when she took up drinking in order to ease the social anxiety that had plagued her since childhood. Featuring production by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Amos Lee, Andrew Bird), and a brilliantly untethered guitar performance from Blake Mills (Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes),Hangover Blues perfectly captures the angst of being stuck in a bad habit, its swampy rhythms echoing the sticky unease of morning-after regret.”
Made with esteemed musicians like Blake Mills, Wary + Strange arrives as a deeply immersive body of work, endlessly redefining the limits of roots music in its inventive rhythms and textures. With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, Kiah gracefully interlaces political commentary and personal revelation, ultimately offering a raw yet nuanced examination of grief, alienation, and the hard-won triumph of total self-acceptance.
“Over the past four years, Juliana Hatfield has kept fans engaged and intrigued as she oscillates between impassioned original releases (Pussycat, Weird) and inspired covers collections (Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John, and JulianaHatfield Sings The Police). This year she returns with her latest album of originals, “Blood”.
Her 19th solo studio album takes a deep dive into the dark side with a lens on modern human psychology and behaviour. “I think these songs are a reaction to how seriously and negatively a lot of people have been affected by the past four years,” says Juliana. “But it’s fun, musically. There’s a lot of playing around. I didn’t really have a plan when I started this project.” With the pandemic limiting studio safety and availability, Juliana took the opportunity to learn to record her songs at her Massachusetts home with recent collaborator Jed Davis assisting from Connecticut.
“Usually I work in a studio,” explains Juliana. “I did more than half the work in my room — with Jed helping me to troubleshoot the technology, and helping with building and arranging some of the songs — and then I finished up with additional overdubs and mixing with engineer James Bridges at Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA.”
Hello, music friends! On May 8th at 4pm Eastern Daylight Time I will be doing a pre-release party livestream to celebrate the official release (on May 14th) of my new album, “Blood.” As always, the show is free and unticketed and open to all, but donations are welcome and *very much* appreciated (thank you). This show will be a bit different than the previous ones in that I will not be performing a whole album start to finish. I will play a handful of songs from the “Blood” album, but I will also pick a selection of songs from my vast decades-spanning repertoire that all somehow touch on the idea of blood. (“Anemia” will be one of them.) Cheers!
Déjà Vu was the most-anticipated new album in America in 1970. More than 50 years later, it’s one of the most famous albums in rock history.
Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s 1969 eponymous debut was one of the most auspicious and omnipresent records of 1969, a remarkable and harmony-rich affair featuring such era-defining material as “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Marrakesh Express,” “Guinnevere,” “Wooden Ships,” “Long Time Gone,” and “Helplessly Hoping.”CSN blended folk, country, jazz, rock, and a dash of pop into an often-imitated but never-duplicated sound. In the U.S. alone, the album reached No. 6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and the top 20 of the year’s best-selling records. Both “Marrakesh Express” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” became FM radio perennials. But rather than follow the LP up in an expected manner, the trio of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash made their supergroup even more super, and more unpredictable, with the addition of Neil Young. Roughly ten months after the release of CSN came Déjà Vu: the debut of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Now, on May 14th, Rhino and Atlantic Records are delivering fans a long-awaited expanded edition of this seminal rock classic as a 4CD/1LP set featuring 28 previously unreleased tracks.
The March 1970 release built on the success of its predecessor, reaching the zenith of the Top LPs chart and yielding three top 40 singles. But the creative process was arduous and the atmosphere much changed since the first album was recorded. Stills even compared the sessions to “pulling teeth.” Nash had split with Joni Mitchell, the inspiration for “Our House.” Stills and Judy Collins had also broken up, and David Crosby’s girlfriend Christine Hinton was tragically killed in a car accident. New recruit (and Stills’ old Buffalo Springfield sparring partner) Young brought his own baggage. But from all this strife, some of the foursome’s most beautiful and deeply-felt music emerged.
The bandmates, as ever dealing with interpersonal tensions, initially recorded most of the material solo, with the others adding their contributions later. One of the significant exceptions to that rule was their searing rendition of Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” recorded at a full-band session. Drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Greg Reeves appeared on most of the album (and received billing on its front cover) while Jerry Garcia lent his talents to Nash’s “Teach Your Children.”John Sebastian appeared on the title track. Ultimately, Déjà Vu boasted two songs each from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, plus one Stills/Young co-write and “Woodstock.”
“Woodstock” was the biggest hit . “Teach Your Children” wasn’t far behind, at No. 16, and “Our House” peaked at No. 30. Déjà Vu was the 11th best-selling LP of 1970 and attained a Gold certification just two weeks after its release. It remained in the Billboard chart for 88 weeks, and paved the way for the success of the four solo albums released by CSNY in its wake (Young’s After the Gold Rush, the self-titled Stephen Stills,Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name, and Nash’s Songs for Beginners). With this Deluxe Edition, the road to Déjà Vucan be explored via demos, outtakes, and alternates.
The remastered original album is featured in the new box on both CD and 180-gram LP. The second CD boasts eighteen demos, eleven of which are previously unissued. It’s bookended by two demos of “Our House,” one from Nash solo and one from Nash and Joni Mitchell. In between, listeners will discover songs that didn’t make the album as well as embryonic versions of those that did.
Many of these songs would be completed for solo or other projects including Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name; Young’s After the Gold Rush; Stills’ Manassas and Stephen Stills 2; and Nash’s Songs for Beginners. The third CD has eleven outtakes (nine previously unissued) including Crosby’s “Laughing;” Stills’ “Everyday We Live,” “Ivory Tower,” “I’ll Be There,” and “Bluebird Revisited;” and more.
Finally, CD Four offers an alternate version of the original album in sequence sans “Country Girl” and “Everybody I Love You” and plus “Know You Got to Run.” Only the “Helpless (Harmonica Version)” has been released before. It all adds up to a deep dive into this period of prolific writing from all four members of the group.
Fresh off his work on the first volume of Joni Mitchell’s first volume of “Archives”, filmmaker-author Cameron Crowe has penned the new liner notes for the Déjà Vu: Deluxe Edition. In addition to the 4CD/1LP set, the box will be released in super-deluxe 5LP format exclusively from the new CSNY50.com and Rhino.com. Additionally, the audio will be released to download and streaming services as well as to high-resolution via Neil Young Archives.
Customers who purchase any version from CSNY50.com or Rhino.com will receive a high-resolution download. Young and Nash’s demo of “Birds” is streaming now and can be viewed at YouTube.
Déjà Vu: Deluxe Editionarrives from Atlantic and Rhino on May 14th.
The Fat Angel Sings 