For two decades, Samuel Beam has been releasing music asIron & Wine. His official debut album “The Creek Drank the Cradle” was released in 2002 on Sub PopRecords—but in a different reality, that may not have been his official first album. A month from today, Beam and Sub Pop will release the “lost-in-time” actual debut called Tallahassee; Archive Series Volume no. 5.
The collection of songs was recorded from 1998 to 1999, when Beam attended Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts. Its 11 tracks were saved by Beam’s former roommate and past Iron & Wine member EJ Holowicki, who worked as both engineer and bassist on Tallahassee.
The first glimpse we’re getting at these lost recordings is the serene, acoustic-based “Calm on the Valley.” It’s a track that fits right in with the early releases of Iron & Wine—a folky balm featuring pastoral critters and the melancholic feeling of loss twilight inspires.
The eleven-song collection was culled from a number of recordings that had been (mostly) forgotten by Beam himself but had been preserved by former roommate and one-time Iron & Wine member, EJ Holowicki. Holowicki, whom went on to work as a sound designer at Skywalker Sound, was a catalyst in making sure Beam documented these songs while the two were roommates in a house on St. Augustine St. near campus. In addition to serving as both engineer and bassist, Holowicki also worked as archival producer in preparing the tracks for official release.
Tallahassee, with its sparse instrumental canvas and live-in one-room takes, is very much akin to early Iron & Wine releases, The Creek Drank the Cradle, The Sea & The Rhythm, and In the Reins. Early music file-sharers have long claimed ownership of a number of early Iron & Wine recordings, many that still have yet to be officially released. While this record will not quite correct all the wrongs of the early days of the internet, it will fill in many of the blanks for long-time fans.
“Calm on the Valley” by Iron and Wine from their upcoming album “Archive Series Volume No. 5: Tallahassee Recordings’ (Release Date: May 7, 2021)
Kicking off a set of free archival releases, Radiohead will look back on their “In Rainbows” era, with a free April 9th broadcast of their Jan. 16, 2008 show celebrating the beloved LP.
According to the band, the set “was originally intended to be an in-store performance at London record store Rough Trade East to mark the conventional release of the In Rainbows album—a plan that went awry when hordes of fans and overwhelming media coverage caught the attention of the local authorities. The entire production had to be torn down and a replacement venue found on a moment’s notice. The show ultimately happened at 93ft East, a club with a capacity of a few hundred that was thankfully available for the night. The result was an electric and intimate Radiohead performance like no other, one largely unseen since—until now.”
The show includes all of “In Rainbows” as well as a few other Radiohead favourites, such as “Up on the Latter,” “You and Whose Army?,” “The National Anthem,” “My Iron Lung,” and “The Bends.”
The last week belongs to Lana Del Rey. We were blown away by her last album. “Chemtrails” which only builds on her success we couldn’t be more pleased for her.
Though its release date has been delayed a few times now, all signs point to the acclaimed songstress’ seventh studio album surfacing soon, with the official pre-order and video for the title track . In the meantime, lead single “Let Me Love You Like A Woman” offers more than enough to whet our appetites for the new project, which its creator describes as “folky … beautiful … super different from Norman F**king Rockwell!”.
Fame and Del Rey’s disregard for it is a recurring theme on her seventh album ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’. On opening track ‘White Dress’, she explores her longing for a time when she was yet to find success; she delivers it in a rasped whisper so urgent it sounds like she’s trying to transport herself back there. “I felt free because I was only 19,” she sings of days and nights spent waitressing and listening to jazz, Kings Of Leon and “White Stripes when they were white hot”.
Perhaps it’s a case of the grass always being greener – pre-fame Lana surely wouldn’t have imagined achieving all she has and wanting to be back bussing tables – but she closes the song rationalising her desire to go back: “Because it made me fee… like a god/ It kind of makes me feel like maybe I was better off.”
The sublime, dreamy float of the title track is similarly nostalgic, calling back to a time where “there’s nothing wrong, contemplating God / Under the chemtrails over the country club”. It’s gorgeous and idyllic, distilling a scene of quintessential Americana into its most poetic form. Del Rey even manages to make the most mundane of chores and activities sound magical: “Washing my hair, doing the laundry/ Late night TV, I want you only”.
Conversely, on the romantic waltz of ‘Wild At Heart’, she’s in the here-and-now, evoking a scene of being chased by the paps, fingers on the shutter. “The cameras have flashes / They cause the car crashes,” she sighs, with an important distinction to make lest anyone get things twisted: “But I’m not a star.” ‘Dark But Just A Game’, which shifts from brooding trip-hop atmospherics to brighter folk licks, was inspired by a party at Madonna’s manager’s house and finds Del Rey explaining she doesn’t “even want what’s mine / Much less the fame”.
Later, she shares a lesson she learned from watching those who came before her: “We keep changing all the time / The best ones lost their minds / So I’m not gonna change; I’ll stay the same.” Rather than whinges about the privilege of being rich and successful, these are sharp observations on buying into your own celebrity and the impact of society’s thirst to know everything about our idols.
The LA-based musician’s last album, 2019’s ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, saw her hit a career-high with a record that instantly cemented its place as an all-time great. Yet with ‘Chemtrails…’ Del Rey follows it with ease, riding that record’s creative high but looking further back into her past to tie her whole story together in one place.
On first listen – and especially after the more organic sounds of ‘NFR!’ – ‘Tulsa Jesus Freak’ might come as a shock. Del Rey’s voice is fed through Auto-Tune and vocal processors, aping the production of the mumble rappers she declared her love for on her last album cycle. Incorporating elements of hip-hop into her timeless pop is nothing new for Lana – she’s been doing it since her ‘Born To Die’ era – but it’s exciting to hear her invention and refusal to be restricted.
There are plenty of Easter eggs littered throughout the record, connecting it to past releases. On the title track, she sings, “You’re in the wind, I’m in the water”, harking back to ‘Brooklyn Baby’’s “I think we’re the wind and sea”. She repeats ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’’s assertion that she “ain’t no candle in the wind” on the quiet fingerpicked folk of ‘Yosemite’ and ‘Tulsa Jesus Freak’, while ‘Wild At Heart’ brings back the character of Joe, who previously appeared on ‘NFR!’’s ‘How To Disappear’ and her spoken-word poem ‘Never To Heaven’.
As well as paying tribute to herself, on ‘Chemtrails…’ Del Rey carves out space for her heroes and current favourites. ‘Breaking Up Slowly’ finds her swapping verses with country singer Nikki Lane. “I don’t wanna live with a life of regret / I don’t wanna end up like Tammy Wynette,” Lane sings at one point, before Del Rey references the vintage star’s third husband George Jones: “George got arrested out on the lawn / We might be breaking up after the song.”
The album ends with a poignant cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘For Free’, which features Arizona rising singer-songwriter Zella Day and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering. On the penultimate track ‘Dance Til We Die’, Lana sings, “I’m covering Joni and I’m dancing with Joan / Stevie is calling on the telephone.” It’s a reminder that, more than just being influenced by the likes of Joan Baez and Stevie Nicks, she’s now on a par with them. Lana Del Rey is at the peak of her game – just don’t expect her to come down anytime soon.
Lana Del Rey has been one of the most successful and influential artists of the last decade, without ever making a great album. Her brooding ballads, dipped in faded Hollywood glamour, have helped to shift the landscape of modern popular music
I’d never heard of Brooklyn’s Cassandra Jenkins before her latest album, but she’s well-credentialed. She was set to tour with Purple Mountains before David Berman’s suicide and has also worked with The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn and The Fiery Furnace’s Eleanor Friedberger. Berman is referenced on ‘New Bikini’ – “After David passed away/My friends put me up for a few days/”
“An Overview on Phenomenal Nature” sounds dubious on paper, an indie-folk record that celebrates nature, adds monologues about how men have lost touch, and incorporates the kind of new-age textures you’d expect on a 1980s Van Morrison record. But it’s lovely in practice, pretty and warm. Jenkins’ vocal is intimate and she’s a good enough lyricist to keep things interesting, casually dropping the word “panoply” into ‘Crosshairs’ and titling a song ‘Ambiguous Norway’.
Jenkins’ main collaborator is producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaufman. Kaufman’s a member of the amazing Bonny Light Horsemen and who has worked with The National, Taylor Swift, and Josh Ritter. The arrangements are often key with lovely woodwind parts, while the dual lead guitar parts on ‘Ambiguous Norway’ are gorgeous.
A gorgeous, shimmering set of songs that combines ultra-smooth pop sounds (recalling the softer moments of Destroyer’s “Kaputt”) with sweet ambient textures. Fantastic song writing work, as well. A joy to listen to, and a clear early contender for 2021’s album of the year.
For UK Dinked special edition, go here: dinkededition.co.uk/cassandra-jenkins-an-overview-on-phenomenal-nature
The Band of Musicians:
Cassandra Jenkins– vocals, guitar Josh Kaufman– guitar, voyager, harmonium, banjo, synth, bass, piano, organ ~and~ JT Bates– drums, auxiliary percussion Eric Biondo– drums Michael Coleman– synth Stuart Bogie– flutes, saxophone Doug Wieselman– sax Oliver Hill– violin, viola, string arrangement Annie Nero– bass Aaron Roche– synth Will Stratton– guitar Ben Seretan– drone
All songs written and performed by Cassandra Jenkins Produced and mostly engineered by Josh Kaufman at The Boom Boom Room, Brooklyn, NY
Steady Holiday is Dre Babinski and a large dog, “Take The Corners Gently” is the third LP from Steady Holiday, the musical project of Los Angeles songwriter Dre Babinski. Following up 2018’s Nobody’s Watching, Dre travelled to Nashville, Tennessee, to record the album with Blake Sennett, lead guitarist in the much loved Rilo Kiley, who helped bring these vibrant songs to life.
A document of complex, difficult times in her life, Corners is both buoyant and beautiful, a tight collection of smart, heartfelt pop songs that grow an inch taller thanks to the spiritedness with which Babinksi approaches them. Perhaps its key aspect is its vulnerability, however. There is real heart and soul in these songs, and the impulsiveness which always comes with such things is given centre stage, adding depth and warmth which radiates throughout the album’s eight songs.
Released into the world last week, you can stream the album at the bottom of this page, and be sure to listen along while reading this track by track guide written by Dre, for both us and for you.
Take The Corners Gently was written during a period of turmoil in my family. The details aren’t mine alone to share, but the lessons learned from the experience are threaded throughout these songs. It’s an album about embracing uncertainty, relinquishing what can’t be controlled, appreciating small moments as they happen. Humility.
I recorded with those things in mind too. At least… I tried to. I went to Nashville to work with Blake Sennett, an old friend who understood. Our best intentions weren’t always aligned. But we knew it. Embraced it. And in a way, that was the point. I also dragged my friend Chiffon Myst along. He makes everything better.
So that’s how we got here. That’s the quick version, anyway. I’ll probably try to thesaurus my way out of words like “acceptance” and “humility”, but that’s what I’ll be dancing around.
Allie Crow Buckley’s debut album “Moonlit and Devious” is intricate and powerful, her haunting melodies swirling around a heavy soundscape. Album opener “Nothing Sacred” makes a big first impression, with a blown-out bass carving out the song’s low end. Gnarly, fuzzy guitar licks embellish the singer’s alto stylings, making for a gripping listen. The album’s titular single shows Buckley’s talent as a songwriter and poet, with inventive verses like “Aloof and ambiguous / You deprive me of the sentiment / I love how you let me spin / Circles around you, dip in arabesque.” “Moonlit and Devious” also utilizes a subtle organ sound to add a huge, cinematic feel to the dark track.
There’s something bewitching about the self-released debut LP from Los Angeles’s Allie Crow Buckley—deeply embedded in each of the record’s ten folk-infused chamber pop tracks is a certain strand of occult psychedelia familiar to fellow LA rockers like Death Valley Girls. Among the most explicit examples is the album’s title track, which pares Buckley’s sound down to a droning, organ-like keyboard and spacious drum and guitar, while the singer’s moonlit and devious vocals soar over the arrangement.
Allie Crow Buckley’s music is like staring at the moon through an open window, not in wonder but with understanding. Her songs carry within them both a grounding earth-bound quality and an expansive sonic universe. Having grown up so close to where the ocean meets the land, it’s not surprising that her music is imbued with such a strong sense of power and natural balance.
The Los Angeles based singer-songwriter’s music is composed of Buckley’s lyrical use of imagery, her rhythmic structures and use of subtle sonic details accompanied by heavy, distorted guitar tones, layers of dreamy synths, soaring melodies, and deep low end.
It’s this track Buckley chose to play for her “Neighborhoods” set, sitting at a keyboard in a very green backyard. Without the inclusion of percussion or raging backing guitar riffs, the song takes on a whole new eeriness, with Allie Crow Buckley’s vocals interweaving with minimal organ accompaniment.
Official audio for the Moonlit and Devious single, performed by Allie Crow Buckley, taken from her debut album ‘Moonlit and Devious’, out 12th March 2021.
Paul McCartney had always been one for a homespun album, whether it be his 1970 debut “McCartney”, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005, or McCartney III, which he recorded in lockdown (or rockdown, as he called it). Last year, McCartney was the first of his albums to receive a half-speed remaster at Abbey Road, which was pressed up for Record Store Day. The Paul McCartney Half-Speed Remaster series continues with the indie favourite “RAM”, due May 14th to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
RAM saw Paul and Linda taking to the heart of the country and recording most of the album at his Scotland farm following some traditional tracking sessions in New York. This lo-fi approach practically created the “cottagecore” aesthetic routinely explored by today’s most prominent artists. And it’s said that any indie-pop musician who’s recorded an album out of their bedroom owes something to RAM. Indeed, with just one listen to “Dear Boy,” “Ram On,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” or “Back Seat of My Car,” it’s easy to draw the line through four-plus decades of indie-pop sounds.
But it wasn’t just Paul and Linda creating the music. The McCartneys also brought on Denny Seiwell, who’d go on to be part of the first incarnation of Wings, along with many other session musicians. As such, the album not only stands as a great piece of music, but also an important transitional piece in McCartney’s recorded history.
We’ll admit that other than the near-perfect track “Maybe I’m Amazed,” Paul McCartney’s 1970 debut solo album was pretty weak. However, his second attempt, 1971’s “Ram,” was unfairly grouped together with its predecessor. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone called it “so incredibly inconsequential and so monumentally irrelevant” and “unbearably inept” while trashing nearly every track. Elsewhere, Q described it as “frustratingly uneven,” Robert Christgau simply said it’s “a bad record” and NME settled on the term “mediocre.” Even Playboy wouldn’t recommend playing it. Fans had a different opinion. They helped the tune “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” become McCartney’s first No. 1 single as a solo artist, heavily supported the singles “The Back Seat of My Car” and “Eat at Home” and caused critics to re-evaluate their stances on the album. More recently, publications have not only cited “Ram” as a predecessor of indie pop but also as one of the former Beatle’s best solo works.
RAM has gone on to become one of the most beloved of McCartney’s albums. Upon its release it was panned by critics, though it reached No. 1on the U.K. Albums Chart and yielded his first post-Beatles No. 1 in the States with the whimsical mini-suite “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.” Now the album has been deemed “quintessentially McCartney,” a career highlight worthy of reappraisal.
For it’s 50th anniversary edition, “RAM” has been pressed from a new master cut at half-speed sourced from the original master tapes at Abbey Road. The LP is available to pre-order now, and will also be available on indie record stores’ shelves on the May 14th release date.
Toronto-based punk-rockers Bad Waitress share their ferocious and intense new single ‘Too Many Bad Habits’, out now via Royal Mountain Records. A raucous, anthemic guitar tune designed to shake the angel and the devil off of your exhausted shoulders.
Speaking about the track, the quartet said: “Bad Habits”. We all have them and the guilt surrounding them eats us up. This song is a cathartic expression of the frustration that emerges from constantly teetering on the edge. It’s screaming into the faces of the devil and angel whispering in your ear. ‘Too Many Bad Habits to be this broke’ is a working class battle cry.”
Formed of Kali, Katelyn, Moon, and Nicole, Bad Waitress create riotous, inclusive punk tunes for listeners to rage and rock out too. Formerly known as The Nude Dogs, under their new moniker the band have shared an EP titled “Party bangers: Volume 1”, and they’re gearing up to release their first full length album later this year. Their blend of heavy riffs and satirical, cathartic lyrics scorch the ears with a righteous fury, and new single ‘Too Many Bad Habits’ is no exception.
‘Too Many Bad Habits’ Music video created in house by Bad Waitress team taking you on a nostalgic ride through memory lane. Another classic DIY video built with footage from tour, us being silly on our couches at home to live clips from past shows, Through the limitations we have experienced over the last year really taught us that we can always build something new and adapt. Editing: Moon (Drummer) Footage: Filmed by Bad Waitress: Katelyn Molgard, Kali-Ann Butala, Nicole Cain and Moon.
“L7 formed in Los Angeles in 1985 when Suzi Gardner (guitar, vocals) and Donita Sparks (guitar, vocals) joined forces with Jennifer Finch (bass, vocals). An all female band in a traditionally male-dominated, often sexist rock arena, L7 were happy to court controversy through spirited, occasionally infamous live performances, whilst playing songs often infused with humour as much as bite and bile. Having emerged from L.A.’s art punk scene, their music was a mixture of hard rock, alternative and punk, but they are arguably most synonymous with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Packed with bonus tracks, artwork and memorabilia, “Wargrasm: The Slash Years 1992-1997″ includes new, extensive liner notes based on interviews with the band.”
From the L7 album “Smell The Magic”,
Through Rock For Choice they proved to be a band with a sociopolitical conscience too. Their music was a mixture of hard rock, alternative rock and punk rock, but they are arguably most synonymous with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Releasing their self-titled debut on Epitaph Records (home of The Offspring and Bad Religion), their grunge credentials were cemented by the release of second record “Smell The Magic” released on Seattle’s Sub Pop, some-time home for many grunge lynchpins, including Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney, among many others.
In 1990, the classic line-up was completed by Dee Plakas on drums. Signing to Slash Records (Faith No More, Violent Femmes), they released their major label debut “Bricks Are Heavy” in 1992, produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage). Lead single ‘Pretend We’re Dead’ gave L7 a massive worldwide hit, especially in the States, followed by the singles ‘Everglade’ and ‘Monster’. The expanded edition of “Bricks Are Heavy” includes ‘Pretend We’re Dead’ (Edit), ‘Lopsided Head’ (B-Side), ‘Used To Love Him’ (B-Side), a cover of the tongue-in-cheek Guns N’ Roses track and ‘Freak Magnet’ (B-Side).
Touring with Nirvana and Hole, as well as appearing on the main stage at Lollapalooza, L7 followed up “Bricks Are Heavy” with “Hungry For Stink” in 1994. Featuring the single ‘Andres’, this expanded edition features ‘Baggage’ (Live), ‘Punk Broke (My Heart)’ (B-Side), ‘Stuck Here Again’ (Edit) and ‘Interview’ (B-Side).
During the recording of their third album for Slash record, Jennifer Finch left the band, eventually replaced by Belly’s Gail Greenwood. Their fifth record, “The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum”, was released at the beginning of 1997, and although their shift in direction received plenty of critical praise, it was their last album for Slash Records. ‘Off The Wagon’ was issued as a single, with the B-Sides ‘Guera’ and ‘Worn Out’ included as bonus tracks, alongside ‘Drama (Piss Off Version)’.
L7 would record one more album during the 1990s before calling it a day in 2001. They would reform in 2014, touring extensively, and enjoying a creative renaissance, releasing their seventh album “Scatter The Rats” in 2019.
Packed with bonus tracks, artwork and memorabilia, “WARGASM – THE SLASH YEARS 1992-1997” includes a new, extensive liner note based on interviews with the band.
The Fat Angel Sings 