Neil Young has announced that his previously shelved 1975 album, “Homegrown”, will finally be released in early 2020 following its restoration from the master tapes.
“Homegrown will be our first release in 2020, sounding great in vinyl – as it was meant to be,” Young wrote on Neil Young Archives. “Made in the mid-nineteen seventies! …A record full of love lost and explorations. A record that has been hidden for decades. Too personal and revealing to expose in the freshness of those times. The unheard bridge between the albums Harvest and Comes A Time, Homegrown is coming to NYA first in 2020!”
The Neil Young Archives homepage also shows a video of Young’s longtime engineer John Hanlon mastering Homegrown in an analogue chain. “This is the way records were made when we started out. This is the way we made them sound great. We were told that this was impossible now, the Homegrown tapes were too damaged to use; we had to use digital. We didn’t agree. We did not accept. We painstakingly restored the analogue masters of Homegrown.”
The National are celebrating Record Store Day Black Friday (November 29th) with “Juicy Sonic Magic” — a complete recording of their two-night stand at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley last fall. But this isn’t your everyday live album: it was recorded from the audience with two microphones and an analog tape recorder, bootleg-style. And The National are giving it an official release — a limited-edition set of three cassette tapes with a homemade feel.
The release is a tribute to the early days of concert bootlegging, and to one SoCal superfan in particular: Mike Millard. Starting in 1975, “Mike the Mic” made hundreds of incredible secret recordings of rock’n’roll giants at the peak of their powers, including Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and so many more.
The National’s Matt Berninger and archivist Erik Flannigan tell KCRW about Mike Millard and their twist on this Record Store Day project. Also, be sure to check out The National’s documentary on the project below.
Juicy Sonic Magic: The Mike Millard Method, a 10-minute mini-documentary directed by David DuBois. The film tells the story of late, great concert taper Mike “The Mike” Millard and an homage to his work that was undertaken by archivist and producer Erik Flannigan, who attempted to recreate the legendary taper’s methods by using the same vintage cassette deck and microphones Millard employed in the ’70s to record our two Greek Theatre concerts last year. Millard became a legend for his high-quality bootleg recordings of artists like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and many others made in and around Southern California in the ’70s and ’80’s by sneaking his equipment into concerts hidden in a wheelchair. The film features animation by illustrator Jess Rotter and Eben McCue, plus interviews with Matt Berninger, producer/archivist Erik Flannigan and Mike Millard’s friend Jim Reinstein, who pushed Millard and his wheelchair into dozens of shows. Flannigan explained the idea behind using The Mike Millard Method in the liner notes of the accompanying Black Friday Record Store Day three-cassette box set release (out November 29th via 4AD) entitled ‘The National: Juicy Sonic Magic, Live in Berkeley, September 24th-25th, 2018′, saying: “The most celebrated audience taper of the period, Mike Millard, recorded in and around Southern California beginning in 1974 and continued into the early ’90s. Millard’s legend is built in part on the cunning and subterfuge he used to get his nearly 15-pound cassette deck and microphones into venues like the The Forum, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and The Roxy. For years I have pondered what made Millard’s recordings so good, and eventually I had an idea: What if you recorded a concert today with the same equipment Millard used in 1977? Would it sound like his tapes? Would it tap into his Midas touch? The National was kind enough to let us test the Millard Method for two concerts at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California last September. These live recordings were made with vintage AKG 451E microphones and a restored Nakamichi 550 cassette deck which are identical to those used by Millard circa 1975-81. The idea was to see if we could recreate what Matt Berninger calls the “juicy sonic magic” Millard captured in his 1970s field recordings.
When it occurred to me that “Manifest” would work well as a duet I thought of Erika right away because her voice is so deep and grounded,” says Bird. “Not to get all mystical on you, but it just sounds like the earth. She brought something new to the song and hearing that other voice can make you listen in a different way. I don’t like to preach in my songs. Manifest just lays it all out there alongside the incontrovertible evidence of an environmental tipping point and says, ‘don’t pretend you can’t hear.’ I’ve been a fan of Erika’s since we used to tour with Heartless Bastards to her solo work. She doesn’t sound like anyone else. Unbridled and unpretentious. A true artist.
“I had recently reconnected with Andrew on another matter, and he just happened to be thinking about adapting Manifest as a duet at the time. Lucky me!” recounts Wennerstrom. “When I listened to the lyrics I identified with them very closely. I have had deep growing concern of our environment the last several years, and I think it’s very important this issue stay in the forefront. Andrew is such an incredible talent in every aspect of his songs. The writing, the playing, and his wonderful voice. He’s the whole package. I’m a huge fan, and honored to work with him on something.”
Andrew Bird’s “Manifest” featuring Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards
Charm of Finches are sister “dream folk”duo Mabel and Ivy, from Melbourne, Australia, They create angelic harmony-laden chamber-tinged folk for the famished soul. Influences include First Aid Kit, Agnes Obel and Sufjan Stevens.
Charm of Finches are Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes
All songs written and arranged by Charm of Finches
except track 10 written/arranged by Charm of Finches & Cian Bennet
Mabel: vocals, acoustic guitar, cello, piano, electric guitar, ukulele
Ivy: vocals, violin, banjo, glockenspiel, piano, guitar, ukulele
Cian Bennet: vocals & trumpet on track 10
Dan Witton: double bass on track 7
Nick Huggins: electric guitar on track 8 & tinkly piano on track 10
Originally from rural Galway, Maija Sofia is a now Dublin-based songwriter who’s quietly been making waves with her brand of DIY-folk. After the success of her break-out single Flowers, Maija began work on her ambitious debut album, Bath Time. Lifting its name from where most of the album’s lyrics were written, Bath Time is a re-imagining of traditional folk ballads, taking women’s voices, often left unrepresented in historical retellings, and giving them a chance to speak back. Throughout Bath Time, Maija strives to retell the stories of misunderstood muses, displaced authors and murdered wives, and shine a light that previously only passed them by.
As well as a lyrical reinterpretation of the classic folk blue-print, Bath Time is also something of a musical makeover. Throughout, Maija and her electric guitar take the front of stage, and then sounds are built around them, whether that’s wistful Lap Steel or the orchestral flourish of harp. Never lost into the mix though are Maija’s words, often tumbling out, desperate to be spoken, whether telling the tale of Bridget Cleary, killed by a husband who thought she’d been abducted by fairies and replaced by a changeling, looking at the doomed love affair between Elizabeth Siddal and Rossetti or interrogating the Catholic Church. A fascinating collection of tracks that has something to say and demands that its listeners take the time to listen, Bath Time is a perfect tribute and timely reminder that the battle to be heard still rumbles on.
Following the success of lo-fi dream-pop single ‘Flowers’, Maija Sofia releases her debut album ‘Bath Time’ via Trapped Animal Records & Cargo Records and is out on 15th November 2019.
Releasing a song with a title as famous as ‘Hallelujah’ takes some real chutzpah, which Haim seem to possess in droves. This week, the Los Angeles-based trio dropped their third single in three months, and it’s a moving tribute to the bond the three sisters share. As with their previous two videos, this one was directed by none other than Paul Thomas Anderson, meaning it’s cinematically stunning by default. Inspired by sibling telepathy, the video depicts what it’s like to have siblings that always have your back.
Filmed on location at The Los Angeles Theatre, Los Angeles, California October 13, 2019 Music video by HAIM performing Hallelujah
On their third album Modern Mirror, Los Angeles synth-pop duo Drab Majesty sound more majestic than ever. Their futuristic vocals, entrancing rhythms, bittersweet sentiments and lush guitars emit forces of woe and uplift that never feel contradictory. The record was inspired by the group’s trip to Greece, and they take influence from the ancient myth “Echo and Narcissus,” taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. They explore the story of the dangerously ego-driven Narcissus who falls in love with his own reflection, but it’s retold through the lens of postmodern triggers for self-obsession like technological proliferation and lack of quiet self-reflection. Drab Majesty’s lustrous synth escapades and intergalactic bleeps are just as slick as their commentary on modern day romance and personal conundrums.
The fourth single “Out of Sequence” off of the new album “Modern Mirror” from LA-based synth pop outfit Drab Majesty. Before Scott died, an idea was formed to celebrate 10 years of their seminal album The Midnight Organ Fight by asking some of their talented buds in music to take a crack at their own versions of a song on the album. The whole album was recorded and was due to be released last summer, but then unfortunately Scott passed away last May. The band have decided they still want to release the record as a testament to the album, and to Scott. It features covers by Biffy Clyro, Craig Finn, Twilight Sad, Ben Gibbard, Daughter, Josh Ritter and more.
Check out their back catalouge too: The first song I heard, and the one I recommend you listen to immediately, is ‘Dot in the Sky’, which is like ‘November Spawned a Monster’ and the Stranger Things soundtrack had a baby with Less Than Zero.The Drabs is all a bit Less Than Zero, a bit 80s, but way better… Put it this way: the 1980s WISH they could lay claim to Drab Majesty. they’re good. And they’ve got a new album out. That’s it Modern Mirror. Go get it after you’ve leapt into the other two, The Demonstration (2017) and Careless (2015).
Drab Majesty is on Dais Records with a bunch of other amazing groups like Choir Boy and King Dude. Check ’em out!
Fans of Pumarosa are overjoyed for the release their sophomore album ‘Devastation’. Pursuing a sound they call “industrial spiritual”, the London based band have forgone the guitar centric style of their previous work and instead taken a truly soulful approach to electronica. The bold experimentation certainly works, thanks in part to St Vincent producer John Congleton with whom they recorded with in LA plus Tool bassist Justin Chancellor.
Grab your copy of ‘Devastation’ on CD, MP3 and orange 180g heavyweight vinyl right now. Plus, Pumarosa have announced a major gig at Bristol’s Thekla taking place on Monday 25th of November 2019.
Five artists cover Meg Duffy’s “placeholder” song, with all proceeds going toward the Amazon Conservation Association. Meg Duffy aka Hand Habits has announced the “Wldfire Covers” EP, which sees five artists cover Duffy’s placeholder song “wildfire.” The EP, which is led by Hand Habits’ original, features covers by Angel Olsen, Lomelda, Kacey Johansing, Tara Jane O’Neil and John Andrews & The Yawns.
Meg Duffy wrote “wildfire” during the California wildfires in 2017. In a statement, they said:
Being a touring musician eight months out of the year, you are exposed to a lot of varying degrees of climate change effects in a short period of time. From the gasoline that’s used to fuel touring vehicles, to the massive amount of plastic waste at the end of every show, to the carbon emissions released into the air by all the travel, it’s often not the most environmentally conscious career. I wanted to contribute, even if in a small way, to the efforts at work by the people at the Amazon Conservation Association for being dedicated to preserving such a vast and heartbreakingly crucial part of our ecosystem that has been threatened by wildfires, deforestation, and the effects of climate change. I believe that writing and performing music can be a healing force, used for good, and not always for capitalizing on emotions and commodifying a personality or lifestyle. People need to be able to relate to each other, in times of joy, and especially in times of sorrow or struggle. The Wildfire Compilation, in partnership with Bandcamp and Saddle Creek, will be donating all of its funds raised to the ACA in hopes to lend a helping hand to those on the front lines of fighting climate change in places that may seem inaccessible to those of us unable to travel at length. I chose five artists, Tara Jane O’Neil, Lomelda, John Andrews, Angel Olsen, and Kacey Johansing to interpret and cover my song “wildfire” that I wrote during the California Wildfires in 2017. All of these artists are dear friends and have all taught me a lot about the complexity of emotions in music.
Iggy Pop has released a brand new music video from his latest album “Free”. The bizarre visual for “Sonali” was directed by Mac DeMarco, and stars a familiar face: The Lizard Man. The well-dressed reptile steers his fur-covered convertible through rush hour traffic en route to his lizard girlfriend (played by DeMarco’s real-life human girlfriend Kiera McNally). Watch it all go down below.
“Sonali” was written by Ruby Sylvain and Leron Thomas. The reptilian cast is a throwback to DeMarco’s “Nobody” visual from Here Comes the Cowboy, in which Mac played a lizard man. (“Sonali”’s reptile protagonist is played by Tommy Midnight.)
“Sonali” written by R.Sylvain/L. Thomas Iggy Pop – Vocal Kenny Ruby – Bass, Piano, Synthesizer Leron Thomas – Trumpet Tibo Brandalise – Drums
