“Under the Spell of Joy” is a space-gospel record. While singer and multi-instrumentalist Bonnie Bloomgarden and guitarist Larry Schemel knew their intention for the album before a single note was written, the actual nature and direction of the music was a mystery. The initial inspiration for the record came from the jubilant spirit of Ethiopian funk records the band had been listening to on tour, but once they began to channel the songs it seemed like the music came from somewhere not in the past but in the future. In the weeks leading up to recording, Death Valley Girls relied on their subconscious and effortlessly conjured Under the Spell of Joy’s eleven tracks as if they’d tapped into the Akashic Chronicle and pulled the music from the ether.
The album opens with Hypnagogia, an ode to the space between sleep and wakefulness where we are open to other realms of consciousness. The song slowly builds along a steady pulse provided by bassist Pickle (Nicole Smith) and drummer Rikki Styxx. Tripped out saxophone bleats from guest player Gabe Flores swirl on top of the organ drones laid out by guest keyboardist Gregg Foreman. The band’s choral objectives for Under the Spell of Joy are established right off the bat, with Bloomgarden’s melodic invocations bolstered by a choir, giving the album a rich and vibrant wall-of-sound aesthetic. The song ominously builds on its hypnotic foundation until it opens up into a raucous revelry at the four-minute mark. The portentous simmer of the opening track yields to the ecstatic rocker Hold My Hand, where verses reminiscent of Velvet Underground’s I’m Waiting For The Man explode into big triumphant choruses. From there the band launches into the title track, which marries the griminess of The Stooges with an innocence provided by a children’s choir chanting the album’s primary mantra “under the spell of joy / under the spell of love.”
Death Valley Girls have always vacillated between lightness and darkness, and on Bliss Out they demonstrate their current exuberant focus with a patina-hued pop song driven by an irrepressibly buoyant organ line laid down by keyboardist The Kid (Laura Kelsey). A similar cosmic euphoria is obtained on The Universe, where alternating chords on the organ help elevate soaring saxophone and keyboard lines out beyond the stratosphere. If you’re looking for transcendental rock music, look no further.
Under the Spell of Joy out October 2nd, 2020, on Suicide Squeeze Records
METZ have released a new single entitled “A Boat To Drown In”, taken from their forthcoming album, “Atlas Vending”, due out 9th October.
Atlas Vending comes as the Toronto noise-rock trio’s fourth studio album, following 2017’s Strange Peace, which was recorded with revered engineer Steve Albini. The upcoming release was co-produced by Uniform’s Ben Greenburg and was engineered by Seth Manchester at Pawtucket, Rhode Island studio Machines With Magnets. Released alongside A Boat To Drown In was a music video directed by Tony Wolski.
Speaking of Metz’s upcoming release, guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins explained in a press release that the band’s goal when approaching their fourth release was to “remain in flux” and “grow in a natural and gradual way”. “Change is inevitable if you’re lucky,” Edkins said. “We’ve always been wary to not overthink or intellectualize the music we love but also not [to be] satisfied until we’ve accomplished something that pushes us forward.” The music made by Edkins and his compatriots Hayden Menzies (drums) and Chris Slorach (bass) has always been a little difficult to pin down. Their earliest recordings contained nods to the teeming energy of early ‘90s DIY hardcore, the aggravated angularities of This Heat, and the noisy riffing of AmRep’s quintessential guitar manglers. but there was never a moment where Metz sounded like they were paying tribute to the heroes of their youth. If anything, the sonic trajectory of their albums captured the journey of a band shedding influences and digging deeper into their fundamental core—steady propulsive drums, chest-thumping bass lines, bloody-fingered guitar riffs, the howling angst of our fading innocence. With Atlas Vending, Metz not only continues to push their music into new territories of dynamics, crooked melodies, and sweat-drenched rhythms, they explore the theme of growing up and maturing within a format typically suspended in youth. Covering seemingly disparate themes such as paternity, crushing social anxiety, addiction, isolation, media-induced paranoia, and the restless urge to leave everything behind, each of Atlas Vending’s ten songs offer a snapshot of today’s modern condition and together form a musical and narrative whole.
Sub Pop Records, the band’s record label, noted that Atlas Vending will mark a change from the band’s previous releases, describing the record as METZ’s most “dynamic, dimensional, and compelling work of their career”.
“While past METZ albums thrived on an abrasive relentlessness, the trio embarked on Atlas Vending with the goal to make a more patient and honest record – something that invited repeated listens rather than a few exhilarating bludgeonings.” “It’s as if the band realised they were in it for the long haul, and their music could serve as a constant as they navigated life’s trials and tribulations.”
“Atlas Vending” by METZ on Sub Pop Records released 9th October
We’re not sure it was their desired effect, but Silversun Pickups’ new video for “Toy Soldiers” puts one thought at the forefront of our mind: What really happened with Martika, the Cuban-American child actress-turned pop sensation who had a No. 1 hit at age 19, collaborated with Prince on her second album and walked away from the music industry at age 22?
“Toy Soldiers” was Martika’s big breakout hit, and Silversun Pickups chose to re-imagine it while “thinking about songs from the ’80s that we loved growing up, that had a big radio moment and [were] part of our cultural DNA,” frontman Brian Aubert says of the tune, which was made with Butch Vig, who produced the L.A. quartet’s 2019 album “Widow’s Weeds.”
“This version doesn’t feel bombastic and over-the-top; it’s crackling and tiny at times,” Aubert says. “Butch really helped with this. I don’t think I’ve ever sung this intimately before. The guitar solo during it was very important to me, and we quickly realized that the solo worked during that time period, but not when we did it. We threw in a curve ball, some weird things, inspired by Johnny Greenwood. We put our weird stamp on it and it really came together.”
We were performing a cover of a song from The Lost Boys soundtrack for a for SiriusXM special and that got us thinking about songs from the ‘80s that we loved growing up, that had a big radio moment and was part of our cultural DNA. A song that you know right away when you hear it. We thought of “Toy Soldiers” as a great example of this and decided we should try and record it.
There’s something about this song that hits me emotionally – this song has always hit me that way. At first, it wasn’t about the lyrics, but the feel of it. To be honest, I was not initially aware what the song was about, but listening to the lyrics, it was clearly about addiction. Someone else’s addiction. It’s pretty painful and very personal. You realize it doesn’t matter what the shell is, what the production is, what the era is…this is obviously a very personal story that at first I wasn’t sure we could touch. We ended up framing it into our own world and we think it works.
We recorded this back in January and didn’t know where it would land, but now with this world the way it is, we felt it was a good time to release the song. We just wanted to shine a spotlight on MARTIKA and this song…_b
The video for the song, directed by Claire Marie Vogel and animator Aaron Hymes, captures the pandemic-era vibe. “Creating a video from a distance makes for many limitations, but I love how limitations can shape an idea,” Vogel says. “The song’s melancholy nature and the sense of isolation permeating the world right now were both very influential when writing the treatment. The video we made speaks to that collective sense of yearning and disconnection many of us are experiencing.”
As for Martika, the singer has said in interviews promoting occasional nostalgia tours that her retirement was a case of “too much too soon.” Surely there’s a longer story to be told there.
Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman of Green Day, has continued his series of lockdown covers. Hi latest, above, is a cover of the Billy Bragg classic “A New England”.
The cover is an entry into Billy Joe Armstrong’s No Fun Monday series, and was shared on Friday 10th July. Armstrong wrote in its description: “Welcome to No Fun Monday on a Friday because no one knows what day it is anyway. I love this song penned by Billy Bragg. Also there was a great version by Kirsty MacColl.”
Some of Armstrong’s previous No Fun Mondays covers include Kim Wilde’s Kids In America, Starjets’ War Stories, The Avengers’ Corpus Christ, The Bangles’ Manic Monday, Tommy James and the Shondells’ I Think We’re Alone Now and Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory.
Green Day’s latest album, Father Of All Motherfuckers, was released back in February, the band’s first record since their 2016 album Revolution Radio.
Equal parts Neil Young, Cat Power and Blink 182, Porridge Radio’s songs are 2 cups of emotion for every tablespoon of salt. The crisp, golden brown surface of Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers belies a childhood misspent consuming The Carpenters, Supertramp and Guns ‘n’ Roses, with a generous sprinkling of the Cranberries.
After a series of home recorded solo demos, a split EP with West America, a single on CHUD records, and a comp with No Dice records, and the growing legend of their live shows, Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers is the dragged out remnants of sessions done in the band’s earliest stage (summer 2k15). Many of the songs are full band reworkings of Porridge Radio’s earliest bedroom demos.
Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers lyrics, title and artwork, as well as the group’s name, brings to mind a certain scrapbook absurdism at the core of Porridge Radio’s work. Faced with the dark abyss of existence, the band scrapes together some value from malarky, baloney and balderdash, and then cling to it, giggling, for dear life. This isn’t revivalism, stylised posturing, or calculated blog fodder. It’s not really anything, other than some sad friends expressing some weird feelings in a way that they like and find fun. I like it a lot too. At the dawn of midnight they sacrifice the goat to satan, praying for the end of mankind and the dawn of a new satanic era.
We first got to know Courtney Marie Andrews back in 2018 when she recounted for us her journey from emo to country on the occasion of releasing her breakthrough Americana solo record May Your Kindness Remain. Just two years later and it sounds like she’s been churning out these folksy sounds her entire career with her heartbroken new LP Old Flowers.
Perhaps that was the missing ingredient in her solo career, which now spans over a decade—the themes of love and heartbreak haunt the new record in a way that never felt this present on previous releases. The shaky minimalism of songs like “If I Told” are shockingly vulnerable, while full-band numbers like “It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault” match this openness in Andrews’ lyrics.
In the spirit of this theme of love and heartbreak, CMA has assembled eleven tracks that she sees as spiritual predecessors to Old Flowers’ lovelorn charm.
I wanna tell you about the small group of musicians on this record. At the beginning of 2019, I wanted to try out a few producers to test out who would best fit these songs. After only one session with Andrew Sarlo, I knew he had the keen empathy and magic to produce this very personal record. He was very in tune with the vision. We both agreed the record needed to be soft and intimate, so we decided to only take two musicians on board as the band. One of those players is one of my favourite musicians in the whole world, Matthew Davidson(Twain) He is a big part of this record, and recording with him is inspiring because every take is a journey. Then, Sarlo suggested we bring James Krivchenia on board to play drums, but James ended up adding so much more. Playing with these two in a room was pure inspiration and magic. Every take was its own, a journey into possibility. Nothing felt regimented or sterile. It felt like throwing paint on canvas, no sound off-limits.
I am proud to release the final single from my new upcoming record, ‘Old Flowers’. (Coming out July 24th!) ‘How You Get Hurt’ is a heartbreak saga. Learning to love again, but afraid and unsure? This song is for you. Recording this offered so many magical moments in the studio and this one sits close to my heart
Old Flowers is out this Friday, July 24, via Fat Possum Records
Chris Frantz is a lover, not a fighter. That’s apparent from the relationship that the drummer and co-founding member of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club shares with both of those groups’ fellow co-founder, bassist Tina Weymouth. Together as marrieds since 1977, now living in Fairfield, Connecticut with their two sons, Frantz and Weymouth have been a unit since they were art students at the Rhode Island School of Design in the early ’70s, before they both played music, before they befriended fellow RISD student/guitarist David Byrne, and before that trio moved to NYC’s Lower East Side in 1975 to join the area’s burgeoning art-punk scene.
Along with sharing those times in the twilight of punk and the ensemble’s vividly imagined growth along the lines of innovative twitchy Afro-funk and ambient pop, Frantz—in his first memoir writings, Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina—portrays the glories of that rise and the joys of friendships made. Frankly, too, Frantz writes how and why it all went wrong with Byrne, how Lou Reed and Brian Eno also sought to fleece Talking Heads in their own ways, and so much more—all while managing to be jovial and justifiably appreciative of all the good that went on with both of his bands and steering commendably clear of gossip. With that, Frantz has created something novel with Remain in Love—it’s seemingly the first-ever gracious and grateful biographical rock read.
Chris Frantz met David Byrne at the Rhode Island School of Art & Design in the early 1970s. Together – and soon with Frantz’s future wife, Tina Weymouth – they formed Talking Heads and took up residence in the grimy environs of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where their neighbours were Patti Smith, William Burroughs and a host of proto-punk artists who now have legendary status. Building an early audience and reputation with many performances at CBGB alongside the Ramones, Television and Blondie, Talking Heads found themselves feted by Warhol and Lou Reed, and signed to Sire Records. A band whose sensibility was both a part of, and apart from, punk, their early albums quickly became classics; until the Brian Eno produced masterpiece Remain in Light, saw them explode. Soon, however, relations within the band started to become strained as David Byrne started to take control of a band that had always operated democratically. Chris and Tina started recording as Tom Tom Club in the early ’80s; in the process creating a hybrid of funk, disco, pop, electro and world music that would have a huge impact on the club scene around the world.
Warm and candid, funny and heartfelt, Remain in Love charts the rise and fall of a band who combined the sensibility of artists with extraordinary songwriting vision. It is another classic New York memoir in the mould of Patti Smith’s Just Kids and a book which shares secrets and stories Talking Heads fans have been curious about for decades.
Rock’s biggest-selling album ever — AC/DC’s Back in Black — is turning 40 years old this month,. In a joint effort with Gibson Guitars, we’re presenting “Back in Black 40th Anniversary: A Virtual Celebration”. The online stream will take place Friday, July 24th, premiering at 5:00 p.m.
Going into 1980, it most certainly seemed like it would be smooth sailing across the finish line for AC/DC. After several years of slowly climbing up the ladder of success Stateside and in Europe (they were already gigantic in their homeland of Australia), 1979 had perfectly set the stage for a bona fide worldwide breakthrough in the new decade.
Their last album, Highway to Hell, had peaked at No. 17 in the US and went gold (while the album’s anthemic title track reached No. 47 on the singles chart), and the band — then comprised of singer Bon Scott, guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Phil Rudd — were about to make the transition from opener to arena headliner. And then …tragedy struck.
Well-known for his fondness for partying and in particular, for alcohol, Scott was found dead on February 19th, 1980, at the age of 33 in the backseat of a car in London (his death certificate lists the cause as “death by misadventure” — for many years it was assumed caused by alcohol, but in recent times, the possibility of a heroin overdose has come to light). A decision was eventually made by the surviving members to carry on, with former Geordie singer, Brian Johnson, officially being named Scott’s successor on April 1st. Soon after, Johnson and his new bandmates (and the producer behind Highway to Hell, Mutt Lange), congregated at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to get to work on AC/DC’s next studio LP. By May, the sessions had wrapped up, and on July 25th, the world was given one of rock’s all-time classic (and largest-selling) recordings, Back in Black.
AC/DC’s landmark 1980 LP, “Back in Black”, turns 40 years old on July 25th, and they’re marking the occasion by releasing vintage videos from the era on YouTube. The newest one is a performance of “What Do You Do for Money Honey” from a February 1981 show at Nippon Seinenkan in Tokyo.
Original AC/DC frontman Bon Scott died slightly less than one year before this show in Tokyo, and this was their first time on the road with singer Brian Johnson. It’s a rare live video where Johnson isn’t wearing his trademark newsboy hat. He is wearing an Ohio State University shirt, which he probably picked up when the group played Columbus, Ohio, five months earlier.
While all 10 of the album’s tracks crediting both the Young brothers and Johnson as the sole composers, it later surfaced that Scott had some sort of involvement in the genesis of the material (at the very least, playing drums on a few demos — with others going so far as to allege he may have contributed a bit lyrically). But either way, the end result was simply stunning, as Back in Black (whose title was an obvious nod to their recently deceased bandmate) rocked hard from front to back — one of the rare albums where not a single weak track was included. probably more so than on any other AC/DC album, the classics outweigh the lesser compositions, including four songs that have never left their setlists (nor rock radio playlists) since their initial unveiling: “Hells Bells”, the title track, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”. And then there are tunes that would probably be most other bands’ A-listers — “Shoot to Thrill”, “What Do You Do for Money Honey”, and “Have a Drink on Me” .
There was initially some skepticism about whether or not AC/DC could flourish without Scott, but all doubts were put to rest the second that Back in Black hit. It was their biggest album to date, and songs like “Hells Bells,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Back in Black,” “Shoot to Thrill,” and “Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” have been at the center of their live show for the past 40 years. “What Do You Do for Money Honey” has gotten slightly less love. They last played it on the 2001 Stiff Upper Lip tour.
The future of AC/DC is somewhat of a mystery at the moment, but there is photographic evidence that the group spent time at a Vancouver recording studio in 2018, suggesting that drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams, and Johnson are back in the fold. By the conclusion of the Rock or Bust tour in 2016, they had all departed from the group for various reasons. There were widespread rumours of a new album and tour earlier this year, but it’s quite possible that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed their plans.
unlike certain rock albums that storm the charts and then become largely forgotten over time (or sound increasingly dated as the years progress), Back in Black has possessed incredible staying power in the consciousness of rock fans. So much so that at last count (December 2019) the album has sold a staggering 25 million copies … in the US alone. Looking back on Back in Black 40 years after its original release, it remains impressive both how the band was able to assemble and record the album so soon after the death of Scott and also how they happened to locate the perfect replacement behind the mic (something that is quite difficult to do in most cases.
From the first downbeat, Good Luck With Whatever, the seventh studio Album by the Los Angeles based rock band Dawes, sets a tone all its own. The album unfurls with the crunchy chordal cadence of what could only be Goldsmith’s guitar. As the band quickly hop their way aboard this rhythmic rail car, we find ourselves thinking “Hey, these guys are pretty good. I’m so glad you dragged me to see some live music!” — “Still Feel Like A Kid” serves as a reminder that we all love a good filet, but there’s no shame in still ordering off the kids menu from time to time. You can hear the eye contact in the room, you can see the lyrics as they fly from Goldsmith’s mouth straight into your ears, you’ll find yourself singing along to a song you’re hearing for the first time. It’s fresh, it’s raw, it’s a four tiered seafood tower of all American ear candy. Think “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m A Toys R Us Kid” meets “I Wanna Be Sedated”.
Recorded at the historic RCA studios in Nashville Tennessee, the boys teamed up with six time Grammy award winning producer Dave “Corn On The” Cobb (Brandi, Jasi, Chrisi, Stergi, etc) and just decided to LET IT RIP. “We were out in Nashville for just under 730 hours, or 1 human month” says bass player and resident ‘problem child’ Wylie Gelber. “We wanted that sloth like urgency, that cold heat, that all knowing curiosity. And me thinks that’s what we got.” The arrangements are as lively as they are lovely, from the rapidly ruckus “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To” to the robustly restrained “St. Augustine at Night”. A culmination of their entire catalogue and career all wrapped up in nine tracks. If you don’t know Dawes by now, you will never never never know them…
Far from apathetic,Good Luck With Whatever is Dawes at their most unapologetic. It’s sympathetic and magnetic, 50% genetic and highly kinetic. Songs like “Didn’t Fix Me” and “Me Especially” showcase Goldsmith’s poetic prowess perfectly; a historian of the human condition, transforming turmoil into motor oil. Drop the tone arm down, turn the volume up, unplug the phone and if you still feel nothing… call a doctor.
This album is a celebration of each other and our closeness as a group. It’s the 4 of us live in a room not hiding behind any sort of studio magic. This band has made us stronger and brought us closer through the years and we’re recognizing that and are more proud of that than ever.
“This song is about the way we bring our baggage with us as we move away from traumatic experiences and relationships. And the irony of sometimes our newer partners needing to be part of the processing more so than the folks who caused the trouble in the first place.
It’s also about the other side of that coin – trying to assess a situation but knowing when not to take it personally and also finding a way to avoid over analyzing.
As a band it was the first time we’ve ventured into certain grooves/arrangements for our tunes, so it was fun to push ourselves, see what felt natural and what we could get away with.” Dawes began their journey in the San Fernando Valley back in 2009, it was the year of the Ox, but don’t be fooled, these guys are No Bulls#$t. Having played with, for, and against some of rock’n roll’s most illustrious icons, the merry men have picked up more than a few things when it comes to sticking around and what it means to be a true BAND. “Sometimes I wish I did hate my brother”, explains frontman/stuntman Taylor Goldsmith, “might sell us a few more books… but the reality is, I can’t get enough of the guy! Scariest part bout’ it all is, knowing we’re gonna be playing music together for a long, long time.”
Taylor Goldsmith (Guitar, Vocals) – Griffin Goldsmith (Drums, Vocals) Wylie Gelber (Sweet Sweet Bass) – Lee Pardini (Keys, Vocals)
Dawes “Wish Everyone Good Luck With Whatever” July 22nd, 2020
Another new old song from the upcoming reissue of Goats Head Soup. This one features Jimmy Page and was probably named after his daughter. It has a very cool groove to it.
The Stones’ Keith Richards has his own recollections on how “Scarlet” took shape and how “we walked in at the end of a Zeppelin session. They were just leaving, and we were booked in next and I believe that Jimmy decided to stay.”
“Scarlet” was a freak accident. “We weren’t actually cutting it as a track,” enthuses Richards in a statement, “it was basically for a demo, a demonstration, you know, just to get the feel of it, but it came out well, with a line up like that, you know, we better use it.‘’. Goats Head Soup 2020 — coming September 4th & featuring unheard tracks, demos, outtakes, live performances & more. You can listen to ‘Criss Cross’ and now today the track “Scarlet” one of three unheard tracks – and pre-order the album across multiple formats, including expansive 4LP & 4CD boxsets. This classic album has been restored to its full glory with a new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files:
Originally recorded in October 1974, this track has never been released before – featuring legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and guests Blind Faith’s Rick Grech on bass. “I remember first jamming this with Jimmy and Keith in Ronnie’s basement studio. It was a great session.” – Mick Jagger
One of three unheard tracks featured on Goats Head Soup 2020, sitting alongside an all-new stereo mix of the original 1973 album, plus demos, outtakes, live performances & more. Goats Head Soup 2020, out September 4th! Another prized jewel in the Rolling Stones‘ unmatched catalogue is restored to its full glory. Features the new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files.
