Swedish psych outfit Goat perform live at Le Guess Who? Festival 2022 following the release of their latest album ‘Oh Death’ via Rocket Recordings.
“Goat broke through ten years ago with World Music, a trippy record that was a solidified jam session, on which they spice up psych rock with, amongst others, rhythmic elements from Turkish rock and afrobeat. This performance became a greatest hits show, with seven-minute songs with proto metal riffs, long solos, and two female singers who jumped across the stage.
But the best part is how Goat is still catchy in the midst of all those complex ideas. With the lavish masks and robes, Goat is a thrill to watch. The energy peak of Saturday night”
Setlist: 00:00 Under No Nation 06:20 Gathering of Ancient Tribes 11:24 Do The Dance 14:45 Disco Fever 19:52 Goatman Captured at TivoliVredenburg’s Ronda on Saturday, 12 November during Le Guess Who? 2022.
Known for a sound which defined indie in the 2000s, The Kooks return with their new album “Never/Know” following their No. 1 UK Album “Konk“, additional 3 UK Top 10 Albums, 3 UK Top 10 Singles, 2 BRIT nominations and an MTV Best UK Act Award. Their 2006 debut album sold over 2 million copies, reaching quadruple platinum status in the UK.
Helmed by the two original members of the band – lead singer Luke Pritchard and guitarist Hugh Harris – the duo have never stopped evolving, transitioning from indie rock to synthpop and krautrock influences, growing their 3.5 Million global audience to what it is today.
The 11-track offering, self-produced by Pritchard, was born out of a mission to reconnect with The Kooks’ original creative drive. Speaking about the album’s impetus, Pritchard said “It’s not about going back to the first album’s sound, but to the roots of our influences and asking, ‘What is the identity of this band?”
The whole thing was to just forget that the past had happened,” he says. But to truly move forward, they had to reflect: “What kind of music do we want to make, and how do we make it feel natural?”
“Never/Know” puts on show some of Pritchard’s most simple, yet expressive lyrics to-date. The songs are filled with witty one-liners and endearing nicknames for his children and loved ones, which resonate on the surface, yet carry a deeper, more personal significance.
Sonically, an intoxicating cover of Paul McCartney and Wings’ ‘Arrow Through Me’ is the clearest indication of the band’s influence, while the album’s closer, the moody ‘Talk About It’ puts on show an appreciation for classic soul.
Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist John McKay left the band in the middle of a tour back in ’79, after an in-store signing gone horribly wrong! John had been the primary composer for the band but pretty much disappeared from the public after the split. Now he’s back with a collection of unheard songs recorded just after he left the band . . . some with Banshees drummer Kenny Morris, who left with him, in fact!
It’s fab archival stuff no one’s heard before. “The Scream”, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ first album, was released late enough in the punk era to bear some claim as the first post-punk album, with only a minor traces of ‘punk’ (one lingering early song, “Carcass” comes to mind) and enough hints of what had come even earlier, Andy MacKay-like saxophone flourishes – to feel utterly new. Not to mention the effort producer Steve Lillywhite must have put into the album, his first fully-credited major label production.
Siouxsie was clearly the focus of the band, with her unique vocal style and lyrics, but the real star, we’ve always known, was John McKay, who wrote most of the album’s music (as well as singles like “Hong Kong Garden”), creating a wholly new guitar sound – harsh and brittle, yet melodically intoxicating . . . best articulated by a somewhat confounded Steve Albini years later “. . . only now people are trying to copy it, and even now nobody understands how that guitar player got all that pointless noise to stick together as songs”. McKay’s influence lives on; many of the most influential guitarists of the past four decades credit him as a major influence – Geordie from Killing Joke, Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain, U2’s The Edge, Thurston Moore, Johnny Marr and even the two guitarists – The Cure’s Robert Smith and Magazine’s John McGeoch – who followed him in The Banshees.
McKay’s burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris – at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin – fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group’s second album, “Join Hands”. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie’s vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, “Drop Dead / Celebration”. Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley’s In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again. So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John’s wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom now all sadly deceased.
“Sixes And Sevens” is an historic lost album. Brazenly genius and bearing fair claim as the lost treasure of the post-punk era, the album collects eleven studio tracks, carefully mastered from original tapes. It’s a masterpiece which best speaks for itself. John McKay will be made available for a limited number of interviews . . . and yes, there are surprises in store.
This was the only one of the four albums reviewed here that I owned previously, and I’m very pleased how this new edition sounds and looks. A somewhat quiet album comprised of Mississippi John Hurt’s solo voice and guitar folk-blues recordings, originally released in 1966’s “Today!” It was his first for Vanguard, and among the first recordings issued after his 1963 rediscovery — I definitely appreciated this reissue’s dead-quiet noise floor, which allowed the music to jump out of my speakers more dramatically than my (likely) late- ’60s/early-’70s pressing. For this new edition, Craft Recordings went to the trouble of reproducing the orange Vanguard “Stereolab” label that was found on original pressings — a cool bit of detailing for collectors truly appreciate.
Some of my favorite songs here include “Candy Man” (Side One, Track 3), “Corrinna, Corrinna” (Side One, Track 6), and perhaps — most significantly — “Coffee Blues” (Side Two, Track 1), with its distinctive “my lovin’ spoonful” chorus. For those who may be wondering — yes, the legendary hit-making 1960s Greenwich Village, New York folk-rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful got their name from this song.
Original pressings of “Today!” are not super-rare, but the trick is finding one that isn’t what I call “well-loved” so this reissue is a lovely item to buy
‘Safe’ is precisely what fans would want from their band: their core shoegaze/dream-pop sound elevated with a new self-confidence, a tight, masterly control of hooks, and broader touch points such as Pavement and Sonic Youth. In short: their ethereal elements feel more alluring than ever; the visceral moments are more selective and dynamic but hit just as hard; and their songs are simply a leap in sophistication beyond ‘Madra’.
Its first single, ‘Entertainer’, encapsulates their growth. Julie’s vocal glides like a conversation with an imaginary friend, while every touch – her slacker rock cadence, distorted stabs of guitars, foreboding synth flourishes and drums which flow from spacious to savage – embeds itself in your mind and refuses to let go. “The song is about entertaining other people’s idea of who you should be,” explains Julie. “I’m only learning now that I just need to shut out the noise and do what makes me feel comfortable.”
In fact, the entire EP rotates around similar introspective conflicts: being a people pleaser but standing up for yourself; realising that success brings a fresh wave of unexpected challenges, adapting to their new lives in an often overwhelming London. But musically it shows that NewDad should have no fears as whatever they can imagine they can thrillingly bring to life. It’s a trait present as the title track erupts into a fierce denouement. It’s there as Fiachra’s personal favourite, ‘Puzzle’, lurches into a seasick grunge waltz with lyrics inspired by Norman Mailer’s ‘The Executioner’s Song’. And it’s especially there with the affecting string arrangement on ‘Be Kind’ – something that Sean affirms that they would’ve have previously recreated using synths. Julie: “It was a thrill. We’re some random kids from Galway with no music education, and the most incredible musicians came in and played what we asked them to, and we’re really grateful for that.”
My debut single “Till the Morning” is out tomorrow on our own label, Headstack Records!
“Till the Morning” is the debut solo album by Brian D’Addario, the eldest of the two song writing brothers of The Lemon Twigs. Following the group’s critically acclaimed chamber pop of “Everything Harmony” in 2023 and its bubblegum follow up “A Dream Is All We Know” in 2024, “Till the Morning” is the latest studio production by the brothers and first independent release from their own label Headstack Records.
Unlike most solo records, “Till the Morning” wasn’t born out of any desire to break away from the group. Most of the songs were recorded alongside Brian’s brother Michael, with Michael co-producing the record, singing harmony, even co-singing lead on two of the songs.
Across its eleven, expertly crafted songs, “Till the Morning” features two collaborations with LA poet Stephen Kalinich. Kalinich is famous for his longstanding relationship with The Beach Boys. He cowrote “Little Bird” and “Be Still” with Dennis Wilson on their 1968 classic “Friends.”
The album was written and recorded in multiple studios and states, united by themes of spiritual longing, isolation, social responsibility, karma and loss.
Berlin-based post-punk band The Underground Youth, led by Blackpool-born musician and author Craig Dyer, return with their twelfth studio album ‘Décollage’. Self-written, recorded and produced by Dyer, the album is an exercise in artistic deconstruction in both name and form, marking a decisive musical shift. “‘Décollage is the art of creating an image by ripping, tearing away or removing pieces of an original existing work’. My idea was to apply this technique to music”, he explains. “I built walls of static coated hip-hop drum samples, layers of Lee Hazlewood style string arrangements and Serge Gainsbourg inspired mellotron melodies, then I began tearing away at these beautiful, chaotic walls of noise, exposing a new sound for The Underground Youth.”
The result, Dyer says, is “a trip-hop infused soundtrack to a collection of lyrics dealing with adoration, ancestry, originality, hallucinations of revolution and a hope that something better can be born from the ashes of the horror that exists in our world.” From moments of ghostly minimalism to sweeping crescendos of noise and melody, there is a shadowy, dreamlike quality to the songs here. If its predecessor ‘Nostalgia’s Glass’ (2023) mined a more introspective nostalgia, ‘Décollage’ feels more hauntological in nature – tearing apart and re-transforming what once was in search of a future left spinning from reel-to-reel on warped and distorted old tape.
Alongside Dyer, The Underground Youth is comprised of drummer and visual artist Olya Dyer, guitarist Leonard Kaage (who also assisted with post-production on the record) and bassist Samira Zahidi. Initially formed as a solo project by Dyer in 2008, the band has sinced released 11 – now 12 – studio albums and 4 EPs, evolving a unique sound that has over the years ranged from cinematic lo-fi psychedelia and raw melancholic post-punk to gothic folk-noir. Throughout they have maintained a devoted global following continuously built upon by the band’s extensive touring through Europe, Asia and North America.
The Toronto four-piece’s fifth LP, “Who Will Look After The Dogs?”, kicks in the door with Stefan Babcock’s hard-hitting lyrics revealing fuzzy truths on the nature of heartbreak and self-criticism, with the itch further scratched through heavy reverb and cascades of guitar flares courtesy of Steve Sladkowski’s intensely unpredictable phrasing. Roughed up by a decade of relentless international tours, “Who Will Look After The Dogs?” is an ambitious, crunchy-as-hell entry in the band’s musical passport.
The album goes from zero to 100 fast, opening with the explosive and deliciously brittle “No Hope,” a song that sets the stage for the themes of the record. “I don’t need her / It’s killing me,” Babcock shouts in an anthemic chorus designed for stadium singalongs. The track cuts out with a steadily increasing wall of sound, a production note that is repeated throughout the record and underscores John Congleton’s infamous indie cred. At times, these production choices drift into the late-’00s recession pop brand popularized by the likes of Passion Pit and MGMT, with the distorted kaleidoscope of electronic instruments creating an accessible backdrop for PUP’s signature self-effacing exasperation.
While Babcock takes the Italian dinner date formula out by shout-singing the familiar heteronormative scenario against noisy guitars in “Olive Garden,” the track’s singsong nature occasionally has a Girlpool feel, like ’50s doo-wop put through a paper shredder. Running just under two minutes, it’s as short, sweet and filling as the never-ending breadsticks offered up in its namesake. “Concrete” tackles similar themes of love gone sour, but the song is a little more memorable. In fact, its melodic guitar riff is so good that Babcock’s vocals take a backseat in the mix, wafting through like more of a voice memo memory than a highly produced studio vocal take.
Featuring Long Island guitarist Jeff Rosenstock, “Get Dumber” is traditional fuck-you PUP with an alt-rock melody in the vein of Jimmy Eat World. Rosenstock’s guitar tone is as classic as American traditional tattoos — but the presentation is once again distorted distorted, with the breakdown featuring a Bowie-recalling space-age guitar solo that goes intergalactic just before the song cuts out. Like many of the tracks on “Who Will Look After the Dogs?”, as quickly as it comes, it’s gone again; they exist more like half-thoughts or trailing ellipses than any fully fleshed-out narrative.
Comparatively, “Hunger for Death,” feels more complete, but maybe that’s because of the anthemic chorus. “Fuck everyone in this venue / Especially me, especially me,” Babcock sings, and you can practically hear a live crowd hurling the “fuck you” repetitions right back to the band. Otherwise, the record’s strongest points come in its second half, like “Hallways” — which stands out as not only a clear winner, but a contender for one of PUP’s best songs ever. It also provides the album’s title fodder, a crystalline, millennial malaise-informed emotion perfectly captured at the crux: “But I can’t die yet, ’cause who will look after the dog?”
PUP generally avoid political themes in their music, but don’t shy away from using their platform to make a statement where it really counts. Their live show adds fuel to the fire of those decades-old punk traditions, agitated by the morbid reality of moving through life as a burnout in an increasingly volatile social and economic climate.
The lyrical content of “Who Will Look After the Dogs?” covers the slipperiness of romantic relationships, pet ownership, rental contracts, insomnia, job security, mental health highs and lows, and just about everything in between. PUP’s analysis of these mundane realities through the perspective of the disenfranchised and distraught millennial is both a cry for assistance and recognition; an acknowledgement that the world really truly does suck, but that most of us are just doing our best at trying to wade through it.
Babcock strikes the perfect blend of distress and condemnation in his vocal delivery, expressing righteous indignation at these lived realities: “The best revenge is living well / I’ve been living like shit, it’s been fucking up my sleep,” he sings on “Best Revenge.” While many punk bands have covered what it’s like to navigate life as an underclass hero, hating the world just as much as others hate them, PUP set themselves apart by mustering up the strength to be fearlessly vulnerable. In sharing their experiences, listeners discover how much of their own are actually universal, finding a mirror in Babcock despite the fact that they lurk in different apartment complexes.
Through everything we must contend with in this hellscape, PUP maintain a forward-facing sense of optimism
The Fat Angel Sings 