The Fat Angel Sings

“Becoming Led Zeppelin” explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds. Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s members own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.

With fans ranging from Bon Iver to The War On Drugs, critically acclaimed Amason member – multiple Swedish Grammy winner and festival headliner, farmer, record label boss & singer-songwriter Amanda Bergman – known for her grand voice – is back with her first solo album in over 8 years titled “Your Hand Forever Checking On My Fever“

Amanda Bergman’s second album release has become a constant companion on my turntable. It’s a soothing, soul-stirring, endless lullaby; a spellbinding set of sweet serenades that envelop the ears while warming the heart and nourishing the soul. Calm yet cathartic, charming yet charged, “Your Hands Forever Checking on My Fever” is a breathtakingly beautiful triumph of the human spirit. It’s at once tender and dramatic – an infectiously catchy, all-consuming collection of radiant reveries, intimate inner reckonings, and vulnerable reflections on life and death, purpose and place – what it means to live, and what it means to live well.

Amanda Bergman has described music as “the answer to life,” and this album certainly feels like the full-bodied realization of that philosophical statement. From the smoky, scintillating seduction of album opener “Wild Geese, Wild Love” and the heartrending romantic ache of “I Love Him Til I Love Him Right,” to the exhilarating propulsion of “Day 2000 Awake,” the cinematic, ethereal exhale of “My Hands in the Water,” the gentle, tranquil ebb and flow of “The World Is Tired of You” and beyond, Bergman unpacks life itself – the world around us, as well as her very own existence – through songs filled with light, love, and an intimate, undeniable sense of awe.

Like a waking dream or a fantasy fulfilled, “Your Hands Forever Checking on My Fever” feels otherworldly, yet comforting. It’s the musical blanket we didn’t know we needed.

Authentic… Original… Inspiring… Healing… Honest… Important… Abby Holliday’s third album release “Crack A Smile Come On Stay A While” hits hard and leaves a lasting mark because it comes from a place of truth – and while our truths can be painful, they are equally liberating. Holliday’s most ambitious release to date is also her most vulnerable and raw, finding the Nashville-based singer/songwriter wrestling with demons past and present, processing traumas and unpacking relationships, and reckoning with herself (and her loved ones) as she dives deeper than ever into what it means to be human: A living, breathing being, thriving on some days, and barely surviving others.

Music like this – music that comes so unapologetically from the heart – is inherently delicate, and yet the songs on “Crack A Smile Come On Stay A While” are dynamic, energetic, and assertive – larger-than-life, despite their intimate nature. Produced with her longtime collaborator Jon Class, Abby Holliday’s third LP is gut-wrenchingly beautiful and breathtakingly bold: A dramatic fever dream that finds the artist at her absolute best, despite the dark clouds that often surround her. 

“Crack A Smile Come On Stay A While”

“They say people change their cell structure every seven years, so I’ve totally regenerated several times since we started Pylon forty years ago,” says Vanessa Briscoe Hay, frontwoman for that iconic Athens band and now frontwoman for Pylon Reenactment Society. It’s easier to explain what Pylon Reenactment Society isn’t than what it actually is.

It’s not a continuation or a reunion, because Vanessa is the only member in both groups. It’s neither a tribute act nor a cover band, although they do perform Pylon songs. Instead, this new band draws inspiration from that old band, taps into it’s motivating principles. Pylon Reenactment Society’s “Magnet Factory” organically grew out of jams and writing sessions over several years. As the album took shape, the lyrics peeled away at the layers of time and shared spaces that make up a life. A pair of unrecorded songs by Pylon were brought in to round out this collective unspoken theme.

All the music was recorded by the current four members of the band (Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Jason NeSmith, Kay Stanton, Gregory Sanders) with a stellar vocal duet with the incomparable Kate Pierson of The B-52’s.

Wolf Parade has made a few albums since “Apologies to the Queen Mary.” They are mostly fine but can’t live up to the power of the band’s debut album. Meanwhile, “Apologies to the Queen Mary” just keeps getting better. It captured the band’s sound perfectly out of the gate and has never been able to live up to the lofty standards since.

Sub Pop’s release Wolf Parade’s ‘Apologies to the Queen Mary’: Deluxe Edition, a reissue of the group’s acclaimed first album. The reissue features the original album, now as a much-better-sounding 2Xlp, along with the band’s pre-Sub Pop, self-titled EPs (released in 2003 and 2004), both of which are making their vinyl debut.

The package also includes the previously unreleased track ‘Snakes on the Ladder’ from the Apologies sessions. The album was remastered for this release by the band’s longtime associate Harris Newman at Grey Market Mastering. Wolf Parade was founded in 2003 in Montreal, Quebec. After the aforementioned self-titled EPs, the group released ‘Apologies to the Queen Mary’ to much acclaim in September, 2005, on Sub Pop Records. The album was recorded by Modest Mouse front-man Isaac Brock and engineer Chris Chandler at Audible Alchemy in Portland, Oregon.

The album was an entirely collaborative effort, barrelling headfirst and breathlessly through songs written during Wolf Parade’s early years together as a band. Pitchfork gave “Apologies to the Queen Mary” a 9.2 rating, saying, “Wolf Parade’s true talent is transforming the everyday into the unprecedented.” And The Guardian raved, “Magnificent, all told.” The album has sold over 100,000 in the U.S. alone.

3LP – Black Triple Vinyl Set with Download.LP+ – Limited Coloured Vinyl Triple Set with Download.Tape – with No Bonus Tracks and No Download.

Come Together! There is new music from the Lennon and McCartney songbook, but not as you might expect. Taken rom the album “Beautiful Nothing” James McCartney made waves when he revealed that he’d co-written “Primrose Hill” with Sean Ono Lennon — and indeed, the song’s wistful melancholy evokes the work of their fathers. The folk-tinged acoustic ballad tells a simple but poignant story of fond remembrance and heartsick longing. “You disappear forever / forever’s a long word / but never’s not long enough / to be loving you,” McCartney sings. It’s a turn of phrase most songwriters would kill to write he learned from the best, after all.

James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon – the sons of Beatles bandmates Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon – have co-written the song The reflective, acoustic ballad is an ode to the power of London’s panoramic viewing spot in Regent’s Park.

Announcing the release with his “good friend” McCartney said the track left him feeling “excited”.

“I had a vision as a child in Scotland, on what was a lovely summers day. Letting go, I saw my true love and saviour in my mind’s eye. “Primrose Hill” is about getting the ball rolling with me & finding this person.” – James McCartney To create the music video for “Primrose Hill” we asked fans to submit a heartfelt and visually appealing video showcasing themselves enjoying their time together in their favourite romantic location while listening to James McCartney’s song “Primrose Hill”. The winning couples had the opportunity to be featured in James McCartney’s official music video for the song

Sure, you can take Billy Morrison at his word and read the lyrics to “Crack Cocaine” as a metaphor for a toxic love affair — but only if you can divorce the track from Ozzy Osbourne’s legendarily debauched history. However you interpret it, the song is a classic Ozzman stomper, full of chugging, Zakk Wylde-approved riffs and a furious solo from Morrison’s Billy Idol bandmate Steve Stevens. Osbourne sounds fierce and lucid as he bellows about a pastime that often made him behave in a less-than-dignified manner.

Billy Morrison, Billy Idol’s rhythm guitar player for the past 15 years, joins forces with Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol’s lead guitarist Steve Stevens for a seismic collaboration: “Crack Cocaine”, The single is produced by Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens.

“Crack Cocaine” was the second single from Morrison’s new solo album, “The Morrison Project“, which came out last April via the Label Group’s partnership with TLG|ZOID through Virgin Music Group.

The single was co-written by Morrison, Osbourne, and Stevens who all appear in the music video which spotlights Paris Jackson playing the glamorous/romantic interest. There are also cameos from visual artist Risk and actor Jeff Hilliard. 

“Crack Cocaine” marks the first new song with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals since Osbourne’s 2022 double Grammy Award-winning album “Patient Number 9”. “I was in the same room as Billy and Steve,” says Ozzy about co-writing the song. “The lyrics just came out of the blue. It was written in about 20 minutes.”

“The music was a direct result of sitting in a room with Steve, both with de-tuned guitars,” Billy Morrison explains, “and writing what we felt was an ultimate Ozzy riff. From there we brought Ozzy over and 90% of the lyrics came from him. Ozzy suddenly stood up and sang ‘Like Crack Cocaine!’ We looked at each other and knew we had the title!, “The song is 100% about how certain relationships can FEEL like an addiction. It’s nothing whatsoever to do with the drug! It’s a comparison – it’s exactly like a drug addiction.”

“The Morrison Project” is Billy Morrison’s third solo album and his first since 2015.

“Sounds like Steve [Stevens] was very influenced by Prince,” Billy Idol said when he unveiled “Best Way Out of Here,” a previously unreleased track from the “Rebel Yell” sessions. “It’s almost like a Prince backing track with Billy Idol singing.” Indeed, Stevens’ funky guitar licks and the song’s heavy synths evoke the Purple One and other new wave contemporaries, while Idol’s scat-sung vocals feel indebted to reggae — proof that the punk pinup was at his best when he embraced his pop instincts.

The deluxe reissue features 13 bonus tracks, including the previously unreleased “Best Way Out of Here” and cover of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” from the original sessions, plus original demos and the Poolside remix of “Eyes Without a Face.”

The 40th Anniversary of ‘Rebel Yell’ with an expanded edition on 2xLP, 2xCD, and digital formats:

The 40th Anniversary expanded edition of Billy Idol’s iconic “Rebel Yell” album.  Includes the smash hits “Eyes Without a Face,” Flesh for Fantasy” and “Rebel Yell.”

“Down The Wych Elm” is Magic Shoppe’s 7th full length LP. Magic Shoppe are known for their Wall Of Guitar sound. Drawing stylistic inspiration from My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Raveonettes, Sonic Youth and Loop, the band has a heavy shoegaze sound that flirts with the outer edges of noise rock. Dark, fuzzed-out guitars can wash into soundscapes, or crash into a sonic maelström.

All instruments played by Josiah Webb

released June 21st, 2024

The music of New York trio Weak Signal (Mike Bones, guitar and voice; Sasha Vine, electric bass, violin, and voice; Tran, drums and voice) is a masterclass in simplicity and economy but these aspects aren’t present for their own didactic sake. Rather, their art is world-building in the most essential of ways, subtly spinning out in an enveloping, rich haze from a clear, architectural core. There are sections of knife-like collective squall and dialogic drift that glance at improvised music; while not strictly pop, the tunes are incredibly catchy with wry, keenly memorable lyrics that easily stick in one’s craw. Weak Signal formed in 2017. They waxed two full lengths in the period leading up to the pandemic (‘LP1’; ‘Bianca’), and during that unsettling year- plus without many gigs to speak of, the trio kept busy and unleashed a handful of choice digital EPs and a couple of split 7” singles (cue up “Rolex” if you haven’t heard it).

In 2023 the group released ‘War and War’, a self-published book/CD (its title taken from a volume by Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai) that was reissued on LP by 12XU the following year. ‘Fine’ is their fourth full-length to date, its tight ten-song program fleshed out with sonic icing from keyboardist Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and guitarists Doug Shaw (Gang Gang Dance; White Magic) and Cass McCombs.

‘Fine’ is an unhurried jewel in the trio’s discography, partly the result of the time it took to write. Vine relates that “we cut the album in half, made it pretty concise, and part of that process was us figuring out what we wanted to sound like and what wasn’t working. Fine is how I envisaged it sounding. It was fun to take time and sit with the songs, whereas the first few records were written and recorded really fast.” Even if the vibe and structure is familiar – and one can easily pick out their stripped-down jangle, like the lovechild of the Rain Parade and Lungfish – there’s a clear evolution over the course of their records, each one more finely-tuned and comfortable. Vine adds that working these tunes out together in front of people is part of the journey: “I love playing the songs as much as possible live and that’s something that I’ve learned over time. With the first couple of albums, as we were playing them later I was coming up with different harmonies and ideas. It’s nice to be in the music for a while and figure out what it needs.” “Fine” was recorded by Jon Erickson and mixed by Rupert Clervaux (Sian Alice Group), whose expertise has been called in for records by Spiritualized and pianist Matthew Shipp, among others, keeping just enough of the SoundCloud lo-fi aesthetic to ensure it’s a proper Weak Signal record.

The lyrics on ‘Fine’ are mature and full of depth, though unadorned. Bones wrote the words and initial melodies, and the tunes were hashed out collectively in a continual back and forth. Themes of spirituality and religion, drugs, petty crime, love, and inner peace are woven throughout; one can peel back the layers of the onion if one wants to, but it’s not required as the delivery is so straightforward. There’s the gorgeous ode to ascetic universalism “Wannabe,” the transcendental hedonist subject of “Rich Junkie,” and the delicate timelessness of “Terá Terá.” In response to my calling him a “trap music-inspired Rumi,” Bones relates that “the mystics from whatever strain, they all look for whatever they’re looking for in the dirt and it’s nothing really new. “Disappearing” has that line ‘alone with the alone’ and that’s from an Ibn Arabi poem. If you read it in Arabic it’s holographic, and each character has a numerological aspect as well. But it all just comes out.” Then again, the aforementioned “Rich Junkie” takes its title from a line in a song by Atlanta rapper Future, spinning a passing reference into new worlds. Tran succinctly adds that “if you are sincere enough people get it and you don’t have to spell it out for them” and that is part of the engine that makes Weak Signal chug (and what now feels artistically rarefied): sincerity and honesty, warmth, a dash of smart humor, and craggy, soot- covered hooks for days. There’s no such thing as perfection but ‘Fine’ is sure to be a lasting and essential presence in the knapsack of underground rock and roll.

released September 20th, 2024

Weak Signal is Sahsa, Tran and Mike.