Archive for the ‘MUSIC’ Category

The BEATLES – ” Live at the Liverpool Empire 7th December 1963

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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Buy Online The Beatles - Live at the Liverpool Empire 7th December 1963 Limited Edition Red

In 1962, the Beatles live engagements largely took place in small late-night venues where the group would perform for anything up to five hours on stage, with their set list resembling a rambling snapshot of current musical trends in black American pop music. From 1963, Brian Epstein insisted that the Beatles set list be cut down drastically to no more than a dozen songs.

In the early part of the year, they were still performing mostly cover songs, but as their records stormed the charts, the hits and the corresponding B-sides were added to the live set. This 30-minute, twelve-song Liverpool Empire show in December was half covers and half originals, opening with a lengthy drum break and finishing with a spirited 90-second instrumental medley of From Me To You/The Third Man Theme.

The group’s Spring 1963 tour had found them opening as bottom of the bill to Tommy Roe and Chris Montez. The Cambridge Evening News reviewed their March 19th show at the Regal in rather disparaging terms: ‘The Beatles, a four-man ‘rock’ group with weird hairstyles as a gimmick, sang and played their current hits. The show was not the best Cambridge audiences have ever seen.’ But by the summer, fans were turning up at venues early and blocking stage doors, making it difficult for the Beatles to get into the theatres. The frenzied reception the group received at the London Palladium show on 13th October 1963 caused the national press to coin the term Beatlemania, but the earliest recordings on this record from April and August show that the screaming girls had been out in force for many months before that day. 

Side One Tracks 1 – 8 & Side Two Tracks 1 – 4: Empire Theatre, Liverpool 7th December 1963 Side Two Track 5: Little Theatre, Southport 27th August 1963; Track 6: Albert Hall, London 18th April 1963; Track 7: Elstree Studios, Borehamwood 2nd December 1963; Track 8: Manchester 20th November 1963. 

CHUBBY and the GANG – ” Lightning Don’t Strike Twice / Life’s Lemons ” 7″ Vinyl Release

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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Chubby and the Gang are a West London punk troupe comprised of members of various bands associated with The New Wave of British Hardcore, among them Violent Reaction, Abolition, Big Cheese and more. The band – helmed by local electrician Charlie Manning – developed a cult following in the UK, largely rooted in the cross-pollinating nature of the punk scene. 

Knock, knock – they’re back. “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” is a three-minute ride through the band’s entire mood board – opening with lap slide noodling before steering into anthemic pub rock with snarling lyrics. The video was directed by Jasper Cable-Alexander, and takes inspiration from ’90s internet cafés. “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” is part of a double A-side 7″ out on May 28th that will feature another new track entitled “Life’s Lemons.”

Lead singer Chubby Charles offers: “I wrote this song about social inequality. Not mine but the people I saw around me. I feel like the whole premise of poverty is presented like this game in which if you play your cards right you can escape. In reality it’s more like playing a game of dice when they’re loaded against your favour. Constantly being struck by lightning and being told that it will never happen again. I remember witnessing someone’s telephone voice where they had to change their voice when conducting business or applying for jobs so they don’t come across as if they are from a lower class.

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I wrote the last verse about that because it disgusted me that in a system supposedly created on meritocracy a human being has to change their identity to try and shake unemployment. I’ve had very few jobs that required me to go for an interview. No one really cares who you are when you drive a minicab or lay out cables so I’m lucky in that sense. But many people aren’t.”

This double A-side 7″ contains “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” (available as an instant download when pre-ordered) and “Life’s Lemons” – released 28th May 2021.

The LIVING PINS – ” Freaky Little Monster Children ” EP

Posted: April 15, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Last spotted on stage together in 1996, Austin duo The Living Pins have reunited on a mission to remind the city what being weird is all about. (In the meantime, frontwoman Carrie Clark served as a member of the alt-rock four-piece Sixteen Deluxe, while guitarist and bassist Pam Peltz has built a career as a photographer and music producer.) The pair’s reunion EP, “Freaky Little Monster Children”, was born in exquisitely scrappy fashion, recorded late at night in the empty lobby of an artists’ collective. And the sound of this four-song set—equal parts sinister and sunny, with a knack for sinewy guitar riffs—has a rough edge to it as well. “… the slow, psychedelic garage rock groove of “Raven”, a song that virtually lulls you into a trance with it’s droning, yet infectious hooks, and “Downtown” which musically throws in a bit of a Lou Reed / Velvet Underground vibe .

The Living Pins filter ’60s psychedelic grooves through the more straightforward sensibilities of ’90s alt-rock, a combination that’s both accessible and impossibly cool. Hearing Clark and Peltz harmonize over the garage-rock strut of opener “Raven,” or the sweet pop-rock hooks of “Jaguar,” you can see why Kim Deal of The Breeders counts herself as a fan. The self-described “glam-psych-guitar explosions” on these four songs manage to feel like old Austin while still sounding in-step with the 21st century. Here’s the track “Fish and Beads”:

Fresh from the @temple_plaza production cave–a new and totally psychedelic music video for “Fish and Beads” by The Living Pins. Carrie Clark (guitar/vocal), Pam Peltz (guitar/vocal) and Brian-the-Drum Machine invite you to make yourself a delicious cup of coffee, put on your favourite sunglasses, and let us know if you like the new song.

The Living Pins video for “Raven” is super fun and it tastes great, “This is the first video from the Freaky Little Monster Children EP by the Living Pins, now available on Bandcamp. Chess may have some well-known rules, but the tiny creatures in the mailbox of your mind leave their cocktails on the porch and their worries behind. If backed into a corner, video director @temple_plaza, will admit that she was influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s ‘The Seventh Seal’.”

MILLY – ” Wish Goes On ” EP

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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“Teach Old Dogs New Tricks” is the name of the fourth track of Milly’s new EP, but it could easily double as a musical statement of purpose from this band, which has taken some well-worn sounds of mid-’90s indie rock and made them sound thrillingly, unexpectedly alive again. Borrowing from the thick, heavily distorted vibe of grungy American shoegaze like Catherine, and wedding it to slowcore rhythms of the time (think Rex, Codeine, or the more dreamy of the Chicago post-rock acts), the group fuses these styles with a distinctively modern ennui, thanks to the lovely, searching lyrics from singer Brendan Dyer, whose understated drawl makes for a perfect accompaniment to the catch-and-release musical tension. “You eyes, like your smile / It’s fucking with my life,” he sings on “Denial,” a great blend of rolling, Buffalo Tom-like jangle and spare, strummy intensity. Each of the songs fits like a puzzle piece with the others, creating a coherent whole that nonetheless erupts into singular moments of expansive, blissful beauty.

https://youtu.be/jnyuLd6T0Cg

Official video for “Star Thistle Blossom,” from Milly’s new EP ‘Wish Goes On’ coming April 9, 2021.

WALLICE – ” Hey Michael “

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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Bedroom pop rarely comes in as sardonic and incisive a flavor as Wallice’s “Hey Michael,” the kind of expertly delivered kiss-off of a song that takes the knowing tropes of a revenge anthem and reworks them to remind the listener that sometimes the person taking revenge isn’t exactly innocent. Over a burbling, slightly distorted beat, in which guitars and indie-rock riffs do battle with distant synths, the musician castigates the object of her scorn (“You don’t gotta say you like Pulp Fiction, I already know”), before revealing a less-than-ideal side to her narrator (“I think I wanna start a fight, which one is your girlfriend?”). It’s smart and slick in equal measure, and the unabashed nods to a more rock ’n’ roll spirit help the song rise among so many of its more laconic competitors.

Her debut EP is still forthcoming, but already the artist is an exciting new voice with a gift for more electric, intense pop, and a voice that exudes the quiet cool of a Soccer Mommy at the punk show.

LIZ PHAIR – ” Spanish Doors “

Posted: April 15, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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It’s nearly 30 years since “Exile in Guyville”, Liz Phair’s coming-of-age, being a woman of the 1990s, the “Supernova” singer is releasing her seventh album titled “Soberish”, out June 4th, a narrative on where she stands today, and her deeper musical roots, with the self-reflective track “Spanish Doors.”

Phair’s first release in 11 years, following Funstyle (2010), Soberish(Chrysalis Records), produced and engineered by longtime collaborator Brad Wood, who also helmed Exile In Guyville, and follow ups Whip-Smart(1994) and whitechocolatespaceegg(1998), finds Phair reverting back to her earlier musical blossoming and art school days at Oberlin. 

“I found my inspiration for Soberish by delving into an early era of my music development, my art school years spent listening to art rock and new wave music non-stop on my Walkman—The English Beat, The Specials, Madness, R.E.M.s ‘Automatic for the People,’ Yazoo, The Psychedelic Furs, Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, Laurie Anderson, and the Cars,” says Phair. “The city came alive for me as a young person, the bands in my headphones lending me the courage to explore.”

On opening track “Spanish Doors,” which she describes as “the fracturing of a beautiful life, when everything you counted on is suddenly thrown up for grabs,” Phair sings Locked up in the bathroom staring at the sink / I don’t want to see anybody I know / I don’t want to be anywhere you and I used to go. 

“I drew inspiration from a friend who was going through a divorce, but the actions in the lyrics are my own,” reveals Phair. “I relate to hiding out in the bathroom when everyone around you is having a good time but your life just fell apart. You look at yourself in the mirror and wonder who you are now, shadows of doubt creeping into your eyes. Just a few moments ago you were a whole, confident person and now you wonder how you’ll ever get the magic back.” 

Following up Phair’s other Soberish single “Hey Lou,” a tribute to Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, and her revealing 2019 memoir Horror Stories, “Soberish” is about partying and all those self-delusions, whether chasing new loves or a returning to a constant state of escapism for a few moments of elation.

“It’s not self-destructive or out of control,” says Phair. “It’s as simple as the cycle of dreaming and waking up. That’s why I chose to symbolize ‘Soberish’ with a crossroads, with a street sign. It’s best described as a simple pivot of perspective.”

She adds, “When you meet your ‘ish’ self again after a period of sobriety, there’s a deep recognition and emotional relief that floods you, reminding you that there is more to life, more to reality and to your own soul than you are consciously aware of. But if you reach for too much of a good thing, or starve yourself with too little, you’ll lose that critical balance.”

We were supposed to get Soberish, Liz Phair’s first album since 2010’s Funstyle, last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic upended those plans. Phair gave us a peek of what’s to come back in 2019 with “Good Side” and she released second single “Hey Lou” (about Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson’s longstanding relationship) earlier this year. Now, we have a release date for Soberish.

Soberish finally arrives on June 4th, and a press release describes it as “a portrait of Phair in the present tense, taking all of the facets of her melodic output over the years and synthesizing them into a beautiful, perfect whole.” Digital liner notes mention that Phair’s forthcoming record is influenced by music she listened to during her art school years.

DEAP VALLY – ” American Cockroach “

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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Deep Vally has announced a forthcoming album to be titled, “American Cockroach”, due out June 18th via Cooking Vinyl. The four-track EP announced by the Los Angeles-based rock duo on Friday will follow their recent Digital Dream EP which arrived back in February, and is set to feature guest appearances from Jennie Vee (Eagles Of Death Metal) and Ayse Hassan (Savages).

The ballad hears Deap Vally ditch their trademark distortion and high-adrenaline sound in exchange for stripped-down instrumentation and heart-wrenching melodies courtesy of a vulnerable vocal performance from guitarist/singer Lindsey Troy.

The band said of their forthcoming album in a press statement, ‘American Cockroach’ is a collection of songs we’ve been working on for a while, including collaborations with Jennie Vee and Ayse Hassan, that run the gamut from deeply personal, to outright satire and everything in between. These are songs for the underdog, the outlaw, the defeated, for days when you feel like no one understands you or you can’t do anything right.

Troy also said of their new single, “[This] is a deeply personal song. It will always mark a very specific time in my life. Sonically, it’s adventurous territory for us, unlike anything else we’ve ever put out before. Produced by long time friend and engineer Josiah Mazzaschi, who recorded our very first demo back in 2012, the use of unusual instrumentation like the Optigan elevates the sense of melancholy and anguish this song is so heavy with, and we love it very much.”

Listen to “Give Me A Sign” .

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Releases June 18th, 2021

 

FUZZ – ” The 7th Terror ” Live at Levitation Sessions

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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TY SEGALL - levitation sessions poster - ORANGE ON TAN

Fuzz is currently gearing up for the premiere of the band’s Levitation Sessions webcast, and has offered fans a preview with “The 7th Terror”. The stream, set for April 24th at 8 p.m. ET, will mark the first live performance of any kind by the Ty Segall-led stoner metal outfit in five years.

The opening track to the band’s 2015 sophomore album II, “The 7th Terror” is an immediate dose of high-octane metal. In comparison to some of the more downtempo sludge-rock leanings of the Fuzz catalogue, the track is not so much an anomaly as it is representative of the band’s versatile range. Even the song itself exists as a microcosm of the group’s abilities as Ty Segall, guitarist Charles Moothart, and bassist Chad Ubdovich toggle through a variety of moods and rhythms.

In addition to serving as Fuzz’s first show in five years, the Levitation Sessions will also mark the band’s first public appearance together since the release of 2020’s III.

“There was an intense sense of anxiety between the three of us. ‘Playing a show’ was a totally foreign concept at this point, but there was also some kind of primal instinct of how to come together as a band in real time,” Fuzz said in a statement. “This is the first time we had played songs from III in the context of a set, and we found new footing on some of the old songs. This lead us down avenues we hadn’t seen in rehearsal. To find ourselves in the space right in between ‘lost’ and ‘found’ (aka live) was both alarming and electrifying after having been away from it for so long.”

Fuzz’s Levitation Sessions webcast with a video of “The 7th Terror”.

FUZZ: Charles Moothart Ty Segall Chad Ubovich

DAVID BOWIE – ” The Width Of A Circle “

Posted: April 15, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Parlophone Records will issue what they are calling a ‘companion piece’ to Metrobolist, last year’s Tony Visconti remix of David Bowie‘s 1970 album “The Man Who Sold The World”. This new collection is a two-CD set called “The Width of a Circle” and features a combination of Ryko-era bonus tracks, BBC live recordings and new mixes, all from 1970.

The first CD features 14 tracks performed by David Bowie and The Tony Visconti Trio (a.k.a. The Hype) for John Peel’s “The Sunday Show” in February 1970 (the label are claiming that six of these are unreleased) while the second disc is very much an ‘odds and sods’ collection of material. It includes some bonus material first heard on CD back in 1989/1990 when Rykodisc began their Bowie reissue campaign.

Such tracks include 1970 single A-side ‘Holy Holy’, the single mix of ‘The Prettiest Star’ (although it’s included here in unreleased alternate mix form – “created for promotion in the US market”), both mono and stereo mixes of ‘London Bye Ta-Ta’ and the A and B-side mixes of ‘Memory of A Free Festival’.

In addition, this CD offers five tracks from a play (“The Looking Glass Murders aka Pierrot in Turquoise”) and five 2020 stereo mixes of some of the non-album material remixed by Tony Visconti. Four of those five are also available on a special 10-inch single (also called The Width of a Circle).

Official lyric video for David Bowie’s ‘Holy Holy’ (2020 Mix). Remixed by Tony Visconti and part of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ companion album ‘The Width of a Circle’

Last month saw the 50th anniversary of the original U.K. release of The Man Who Sold The World, David Bowie’s landmark entry into the 1970s. The album began the collaboration with guitarist Mick Ronson that would continue with such classics as Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane. The 2020 re-release of The Man Who Sold The World restored the album’s intended title Metrobolist, while featuring a new mix by original producer Tony Visconti. Taking its name from the album’s opening track, which was named after a painting by Bowie’s friend George Underwood, the new two-CD set The Width Of A Circle acts as a complementary piece to that album. Its 21 tracks feature non-album singles, a BBC In Concert session, music for a TV play and further Visconti remixes wrapping up David’s recordings from 1970 and revealing the first sonic steps toward Hunky Dory.”

The two-CD set of The Width of a Circle is presented as one of those DVD-sized, hardcover booksets – a format quite likes even if we can’t recall any David Bowie product being issued in this style before. The book contains 104 pages of content.

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV – ” She Always Takes It Black “

Posted: April 15, 2021 in MUSIC
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Singer Songwriter Folk guitarist Gregory Alan Isakov has taken time away from working on his follow-up to 2018’s Evening Machines to record and share a new live video for “She Always Takes It Back”. The soft-sounding original ballad was the final track on Isakov’s 2013 studio album, The Weatherman.

Set in a darkened studio setting, Isakov and his solo acoustic guitar guide viewers on a gentle ride through the 2013 original with the use of his fingerpicking style and trademark melodies. Isakov has made a career out of those subtle but heartwrenching melodies, and he shows he hasn’t lost any of his abilities even with all this time away from performing.

Isakov was scheduled to embark on a run of spring and summer tour dates last year, in addition to dates supporting the Zak Brown Band, but those shows never ended up taking place with the arrival of COVID-19.

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