OH SEES – ” Smote Reverser “

Posted: August 28, 2018 in MUSIC
Tags: , ,
0

Crack the coffers, Oh Sees have spawned another frothy LP of head-destroying psych epics to grok and rock out to. You’ll notice the fresh dollop of organ and keyboard prowess courtesy of “Memory of a Cut Off Head” alum and noted key-stabber Tom Dolas...the Quattrone/Rincon drum-corps polyrhythmic pulse continues to astound and pound in equal measure, buttressed by the nimble fingered bottom end of Sir Tim Hellman the Brave and the shred-heaven fret frying of John Dwyer, whilst Lady Brigid Dawson again graces the wax with her harmonic gifts. Aside from the familiar psych-scorch familiar to soggy pit denizens the world over, there’s a fresh heavy-prog vibe that fits like a worn-in jean jacket comfortably among hairpin metal turns and the familiar but no less horns-worthy guitar fireworks Dwyer’s made his calling card. Perhaps the most notable thing about Smote Reverser is the artistic restlessness underpinning its flights of fancy. Dwyer refuses to repeat himself and for someone with such a hectic release schedule, that stretching of aesthetic borders and omnivorous appetite seems all the more superhuman. Hope you’re hungry as these platters are piled high – it’s out on Castle Face Records August 17th

Within a 15-month window, one-man garage-rock institution John Dwyer released five albums, bounced between three different bands with three distinct sounds, and even renamed his most famous group, dropping the “Thee” from Thee Oh Sees. That restlessness is seemingly bubbling over on his next Oh Sees album, Smote Reverser, which sees the band reconvene in one of its biggest, most flexible configurations yet. On the first two singles alone, Dwyer and company explore distant extremes of his psych-rock obsession, basing “C” in the placid keyboard-filled hooks of his Damaged Bug albums while pushing the band into a blast of pounding metal on “Overthrown.”

http://

The word smote is the past tense of smite: to hit, to strike, to attack. If there’s one thing the latest album from the latest incarnation of John Dwyer’s Oh Sees does, it’s that—smiting and smoting all over the goddamn place. But while there’s always an attack, an aggression, a precision to every second of Smote Reverser, the psych-rock turned every-genre-imaginable outfit explore all kinds of territory over the album’s 11 tracks, as variable takes on ‘70s prog rock and proto-metal morph into Dwyer’s own unpredictable brand of acid-rock-free-jazz-fusion.

Primal Scream – ” Give Out But Don’t Give Up ” The Original Memphis Recordings

Posted: August 28, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

Primal Scream (Credit: Neil Cooper)

Primal Scream are to release the original ‘Memphis Recordings’ that eventually became their 1994 album Give Out But Don’t Give Upas a 2CD or 2LP vinyl set.

Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings is a document of the sessions with Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section (David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums)). These took place at Ardent Studios in Memphis and these sessions are said to showcase a more ‘country soul/rock ‘n’ roll’ side to the band. These recordings were apparently found in Andrew Innes’ basement.

“I felt we went down there with such good intent, but somehow we lost our way afterwards,” Bobby Gillespie admits. “There’s definitely a lesson to be learned about how creativity can go down the wrong track.”

“We’re a band that constantly keeps moving and doesn’t look back, but, for years, I felt bad about us going to Memphis and not doing what we set out to do. Hearing these songs after all this time has made everything all right again. I feel redeemed.”

The nine tracks “run the gamut between blues, gospel and brilliant songwriting” and are released over four sides of vinyl. The 2CD version is even better since you get a bonus disc with 15 additional variations (rehearsals, monitor mixes, jams etc.).

Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings will be released on 12th October 2018. There are some signed options at the band’s store. This is great news. Even as a big admirer of the Scream since their second album I never really ‘got’ “Give Out..”. Despite moments of absolute brilliance it never seemed, to my ears at least, to hang together as a coherent whole. So I’m genuinely excited at the chance to hear these sessions.

Decamping to the deep South, Primal Scream attempted to record with producer Tom Dowd and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section.

On their return, however, the band decided that the results simply weren’t good enough, bringing on board producer George Drakoulias for a hasty re-editing process. Instrumental parts were re-recorded,

‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up: The Original Memphis Recordings’ brings these recordings together, containing two full discs of unreleased material.

JEFF BECK – ” Beck 01 “

Posted: August 28, 2018 in MUSIC
Tags: , ,
0

The Photography image 7

In BECK01 Jeff Beck takes us on the journey of a lifetime. Over five decades, he has blazed a trail forging a unique style lauded by critics, fans and fellow guitar legends. Telling the story behind the music, Beck’s twin inspirations – hot rodding and rock’n’roll – are now bound together in the official signed limited edition book of his career.

‘Right from the beginning, I’ve tried to do something with anything I’ve got hold of. At the age of 13, I built two or three of my own guitars. I painted the frets on. It was fun just to look at it and hold it… I knew where I was headed.’ Jeff Beck

In an original text spanning more than 350 pages Beck shares anecdotes from his early bands The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, Beck, Bogert and Appice and his multi-award-winning solo career.

Read stories of disappearing hot rods, stolen guitars, secret studio sessions and near-catastrophic car crashes. Beck tells of playing with Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Page, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, John McLaughlin, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Scotty Moore, Pete Townshend and many more. His new limited edition is introduced by guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin.

‘When asked to write the introduction to this book about Jeff, I thought to myself who better? So I wrote, “Jeff Beck is my all time favourite electric guitarist”… What do I say after that?’ John McLaughlin

The first 350 books in Beck’s limited edition are Deluxe Copies. Each is lovingly handcrafted in Italian leather, presented in an archival solander case and includes an exclusive signed print suitable for framing. Each Deluxe Copy is numbered and individually signed by Jeff Beck.

Beck has opened his archives specially for the making of his book. Family photos are included alongside personal letters from friends and heroes including Charles Mingus BB King and Les Paul.

‘I had no idea that this many photos existed until we found them during the making of my book. The pictures of the disappearing hot rod are going to blow people’s minds.’ Jeff Beck

Beck’s remarkable life in music is documented through the work of top photographers including Robert Knight, Baron Wolman, Bob Gruen, Michael Putland, Barrie Wentzell, Gered Mankowitz, Neil Zlozower and Michael Zagaris.

Influential magazine spreads, set lists, posters and record sleeves further illustrate Beck’s words.

Jeff Beck is one of musics true innovators. The release of BECK01 celebrates the anniversary of his debut solo album Blow by Blow produced by George Martin 40 years ago.

‘Jeff is quite simply a “born” guitarist. Not only does he have the mysterious talent that is innate, he has not stopped evolving over the years. He has forged a unique and wonderful style of playing that is instantly recognizable. He has the most fluid style of playing I’ve ever heard.’  John McLaughlin, in his foreword

‘Jeff Beck has been a hot rodder for decades. Upon first examination this seems at odds with our image of Jeff Beck, the musician. But to Jeff, it makes perfect sense. The common thread is that in the post WWII world in which he grew up, all roads led to an America flush with a new energy fuelled by the youthful adrenaline of rock-and-roll music and hot rod automobiles.’ Steve Coonan, hot rodder magazine editor and author.

BECK01

KIKAGAKU MOYO – ” Masana Temples “

Posted: August 28, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , ,
0

Masana Temples

The shifting dimensions of Masana Temples, is the fourth album from psychedelic explorers Kikagaku Moyo,are informed by various experiences the band had with traveling through life together, ranging from the months spent on tour to making a pilgrimage to Lisbon to record the album with jazz musician Bruno Pernadas.

http://

The band sought out Pernadas both out of admiration for his music and in an intentional move to work with a producer who came from a wildly different background. with Masana Temples, the band wanted to challenge their own concepts of what psychedelic music could be. elements of both the attentive folk and wild-¬‐eyed rocking sides of the band are still intact throughout, but they’re sharper and more defined. more than the literal interpretation of being on a journey, the album’s always changing sonic panorama reflects the spiritual connection of the band moving through this all together. life for a traveling band is a series of constant metamorphoses, with languages, cultures, climates and vibes changing with each new town. the only constant for Kikagaku moyo throughout their travels were the five band members always together moving through it all, but each of them taking everything in from very different perspectives. inspecting the harmonies and disparities between these perspectives, the group reflects the emotional impact of their nomadic paths. the music is the product of time spent in motion and all of the bending mindsets that come with it.

Kikagaku Moyo

 

HATER – ” Fall Off / It’s So Easy “

Posted: August 28, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Hater - Siesta

Hater have a new album ‘Siesta’ due out 28th September and another New single ‘Fall Off’ . Sweden’s Hater know how to sprinkle in the right amount of melancholy. The indie quartet wowed us last year with their debut LP, You Tried. It was a triumph of fuzzed out dream-pop, it earned them a spot on our Best New Bands of 2017 list. While Hater’s songs are typically filled with infectious riffs and easy-going melodies, Caroline Landahl’s bittersweet vocal delivery always keeps things rough around the edges. There’s pain between the soft glow of warm guitar tones and rosy harmonies.

Thet are one of the best, most underappreciated bands “Fall Off” finds Hater at their most softly devastating, wistful and full of hope, and it’s one of our favorite tracks from the group’s beautiful new LP Siesta” .

http://

I heard their earlier hazy single “It’s So Easy,” which is less gloomy, thanks to some sparkly synth work and crisp production. Even so, Hater maintain their laid-back sound with bright, jangly hooks and characteristically excellent guitar work that reminds me ’80s jangle pop bands like the Feelies or even the college rock sound of early R.E.M. records. Via email, the band explained, “Sometimes one can feel that everything’s fine without really being in touch with your own feelings. It’s so easy is about seeing a close friend ignoring such things.”

“It’s So Easy” is one or two new singles we’re hearing from Hater’s upcoming album, Siesta. Like the title would suggest, the song is nothing short of easy listening, the perfect complement to a summer drive at golden hour — or, nodding to the album title, an afternoon nap after spending your morning at the beach.

http://

The other new track, “I Wish I Gave You More Time Because I Love You,” serves as the B-side and also directly follows “It’s So Easy” it on the Siesta tracklist. The band calls it “a beautiful song which includes a magnificent saxophone played by Inge Petersson Lindbäck.” They add, “It’s about the strong bonds you can have with a family member, being together, but still not. Also there’s some congas in there somewhere.

LUCY DACUS JULIEN BAKER and PHOEBE BRIDGERS – ” Boygenius ” EP

Posted: August 28, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

boygenius packshot.jpg

The good people at Matador Records have finally pulled back the curtain on their new supergroup made up of songwriters Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. The all-star trio’s self-titled, six-track EP Boygenius is coming out on November. 9th via Matador, but you can hear the project’s first three singles now.

Dacus, Baker and Bridgers’ mysterious and much-anticipated team-up first made waves in early August when Bridgers confirmed its existence at an NPR Music event. Soon after, a media outlet received a photo of the group, accompanied only by the word “boygenius” and the Matador logo. We now know that to be the name of both the trio and their forthcoming release, previewed via lead singles “Me & My Dog,” “Bite The Hand” and “Stay Down.”

Bridgers takes point on the affectionate, yet anxiety-ridden “Me & My Dog,” singing over steady electric guitar strums, “I had a fever / until I met you / Now you make me cool / but sometimes I still do / something embarrassing,” her gossamer vocals giving way to delicate banjo notes and droning synths. Baker’s voice bolsters Bridgers’ as the chorus-less song crescendos, pushing through the fears that obstruct desire. “I dream about it and I wake up from it,” the duo conclude, their voices drowned out by a rising tide of reverb.

Second single “Bite The Hand” is Dacus’ chance to shine, an unflinching declaration of independence that would have fit right in on Historian. What sets it apart from her solo work, however, is its choruses, on which Dacus, Baker and Bridgers harmonize to drop-dead gorgeous and increasingly powerful effect, warning an unwanted partner, “I can’t love you how you want me to.” The song closes on their voices, with nothing but bare conviction against the silence.

The devastating “Stay Down,” meanwhile, is all Baker, her trademark reverb-steeped guitars and emotive vocals expanded upon with scattershot percussion and moving strings. Her lyrics are shot through with heart-rending resignation: “I wasn’t a fighter till somebody told me / I had better learn to lean into the punch / so it don’t hurt as bad when they leave / There you were, turning your cheek,” Baker begins, later demanding, “Push me down into the water like a sinner, roll me under / and I’ll never come up again / I’ll just stay down.” Fuck us up, boygenius.

 

Dacus, Baker and Bridgers head out on tour together this November, though they won’t do so as a trio—rather, they’ll each be performing their own solo sets. But who knows? Judging by the unpredictable way in which their boygenius team-up has come to light, perhaps the collaborators will see their way to delivering some surprises live, as well.

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus formed Boygenius after booking a tour together, but the trio had subconsciously been in the works for longer than that. Through a series of tours and performances together, and chance encounters that led to friendships – including Bridgers’ and Dacus’ first in-person meeting backstage at a Philadelphia festival, greenroom hangouts that felt instantly comfortable and compatible, a couple of long email chains and even a secret handshake between Baker and Dacus – the lyrically and musically arresting singer-songwriters and kindred spirits got to know each other on their own terms.

“When we met, Lucy and Phoebe and I were in similar places in our lives and our musical endeavors, but also had similar attitudes toward music that engendered an immediate affinity,” Baker explains. “Lucy and Phoebe are incredibly gifted performers, and I am fans of their art outside of being their friends, but they are also both very wise, discerning and kind people whom I look up to in character as much as in talent.”

Listen to boygenius’ EP “Me & My Dog,” “Bite The Hand” and “Stay Down”.

WHITNEY BALLEN – ” You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship “

Posted: August 28, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Listen to Whitney Ballen’s “Rainier,” a missing-you gem

“It’s easy to get down on yourself / When you’re surrounded by people who don’t know what goes on in your head,” Whitney Ballen sings on the title track of her latest LP, You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship. It’s the irony of existing in a world filtered through social media comparing real life to curated ones, and longing for validation that seems further away with every scroll of the touchscreen.

The album’s twelve tracks are set perfectly in Ballen’s Pacific Northwest, a place collectively pictured in a romantic mist that blots out its everyday banalities. Vocally, the Washingtonian shares space with the likes of Mirah, Laura Stevenson, and Jenny O. Describing her sound, “Imagine Joanna Newsom as a ghost, benevolently haunting a cabin in the woods, and you’ll get an idea… I love it. Her voice is so unique, this whispered sort of knife “It didn’t sound exactly like any one thing I had heard before, but still managed to feel comforting and familiar too. I think it was the many contrasts that drew me in and made me want to share this album with everybody else.”

I’m not from the Pacific Northwest and maybe people rhyme “Mount Rainier” and “wish you were here” all the time, but it knocked me over here, on this beautiful track from Whitney Ballen’s You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship.

http://

“Mount Rainier tends to show itself on the days we need it most here, at least for me it does,” Whitney, who’s from Washington, says. “It’s a casual reminder of the things that linger in an ever-changing world. Rainier was the view from an ex’s dining room window (before it was sold for condos), where the housemates would sit and drink crafted coffee most mornings. When things go away friends, mothers, fathers, houses, partners — we find and hold onto memories through the most mundane things. Luckily, Rainier is still here.”

http://

The album is released on August 24th as a co-release between the storied Father/Daughter Records and exciting new Substitute Scene.

JEFF BECK – ” Truth ” Released 50 Years Ago August 1968

Posted: August 27, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Truth is the debut album by Jeff Beck, released in 1968 released on Columbia Records and in the United States on Epic Records. It introduced the talents of his backing band the Jeff Beck Group, who were specifically Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, to a larger audience.

After leaving the Yardbirds in late 1966, Jeff Beck had released three commercial singles, two in 1967 featuring Beck on lead vocals, and one without vocals in 1968. All had been hits on the British singles chart, and all were characterized by songs aimed at the pop chart on the A-side at the request of producer Mickie Most. Harder rock and blues-based numbers were featured on the B-sides, and for music on the album, Beck opted to pursue the latter course.

Recording sessions for the album took place over four days, 14th–15th May and 25th–26th May 1968. Nine eclectic tracks were taken from these sessions, including covers of “Ol’ Man River” by Jerome Kern, the Tudor period melody “Greensleeves”, and Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew”, which had been a 1966 hit single for Tim Rose. Beck acknowledged two giants of Chicago blues in songs by Willie Dixon – Muddy Waters’ “You Shook Me” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Ain’t Superstitious”.

The album started with a song from Beck’s old band: “Shapes of Things”. Three originals were credited to “Jeffrey Rod”, a pseudonym for Beck and Stewart, all reworkings of previous blues songs: “Let Me Love You” the song of the same title by Buddy Guy; “Rock My Plimsoul” from “Rock Me Baby” by B.B. King; and “Blues Deluxe” similar to another song by B.B. King, “Gambler’s Blues”.”Plimsoul” had already been recorded for the B-side to the 1967 single “Tallyman”, and the tenth track, an instrumental featuring Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and future Beck group pianist Nicky Hopkins, “Beck’s Bolero”, had been edited and remixed for stereo from the earlier B-side to “Hi Ho Silver Lining”. Due to contractual conflicts, Moon had been credited on the original album as “You Know Who”. This album was Rod Stewart’s first-ever album-length lead vocal showcase as an artist, and is regarded, along with ‘Beck-Ola’ as a musical touchstone for hard rockers in the years that followed.

Truth is regarded as a seminal work of heavy metal because of its use of blues toward a hard rock approach.

On 10th October 2006, Legacy Recordings remastered and reissued the album for compact disc with eight bonus tracks. Included were two earlier takes of “You Shook Me” and “Blues Deluxe”, the latter without the overdubbed applause, and the six tracks making up the three singles by Beck. The B-side to the 1968 single “Love Is Blue”, “I’ve Been Drinking”, was another “Jeffrey Rod” special, this time reconfiguring the Johnny Mercer song “Drinking Again”

  • Jeff Beck – electric guitars, acoustic guitar on “Greensleeves”; pedal steel guitar on “Shapes of Things”; bass guitar on “Ol’ Man River”; lead vocals on “Tallyman” and “Hi Ho Silver Lining”,backing vocals on “Let Me Love You”
  • Rod Stewart – lead vocals,
  • Ronnie Wood – bass guitar
  • Micky Waller – drums
  • John Paul Jones – bass guitar on “Hi Ho Silver Lining” and “Beck’s Bolero”; Hammond organ on “Ol’ Man River” and “You Shook Me”; arrangements on “Hi Ho Silver Lining”
  • Nicky Hopkins – piano on “Morning Dew”, “You Shook Me”, “Beck’s Bolero” and “Blues Deluxe”

MICK FLEETWOOD – ” Love That Burns ” A Chronicle Of Fleetwood Mac 1967-1974

Posted: August 27, 2018 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Love That Burns

A Chronicle of Fleetwood Mac, Volume One: 1967–1974 by Mick Fleetwood

“I have dreamt of one day working to present a documentation of the early story of Fleetwood Mac. This moment has arrived! And I’m thrilled to be in the safe hands of Genesis Publications.” – Mick Fleetwood In 1967 Fleetwood Mac debuted at the Windsor Blues and Jazz Festival. 50 years later one of its founding members Mick Fleetwood documents the rocky beginnings of a band that emerged from what is now referred to as the British Blues Boom.

“The Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival was Fleetwood Mac’s first official gig. It was such a significant musical gathering, like Paris was for artists in the 1920s.” – Mick Fleetwood

Mick Fleetwood is a self-taught drummer and a founding member of one of the most successful bands of the last 50 years, Fleetwood Mac. Released in 1968, their first album Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac came in at no.4 in the UK charts and brought the band overnight success. They went on to release the no.1 hit ‘Albatross’ and a series of critically acclaimed albums, with further hit singles including ‘Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Need Your Love So Bad’.

A constant in Fleetwood Mac’s frequently changing line-up, Mick Fleetwood took over management of the band two years before they released Rumours which – having sold over 40 million copies worldwide – remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.

“Fleetwood Mac got famous so quickly; we were still playing small clubs even as we were becoming pop stars.” – Mick Fleetwood

This official limited edition chronicle, “LOVE THAT BURNS”, contains over 400 rare images and an original manuscript of over 20,000 words with exclusive contributions from early Fleetwood Mac band members including John and Christine McVie, Jeremy Spencer and the legendary Peter Green.

“The line ‘Please don’t leave me with a love that burns’ applies to a lot in the Fleetwood Mac journey. When Peter Green left the band, that’s how I felt – that the love would be irreplaceable, and in many ways it was.” – Mick Fleetwood

Love That Burns contains original manuscript from Mick Fleetwood recounting his childhood, early bands, Fleetwood Mac’s debut performance, first international tours, live gig antics, playing with blues legends at Chess Studios, the genius of Peter Green and the many talented members that formed Fleetwood Mac in the years before 1975.

Love That Burns features text commentaries by Peter Green, Christine McVie, John McVie, Jeremy Spencer, John Mayall, Mike Vernon, Sandra (Vigon) Elsdon and Jenny Boyd and is narrated with more than 20,000 words.

“Every page turned in this precious book reflects the efforts and life force of each band member that was part of this early journey that Fleetwood Mac took.” – Mick Fleetwood

Love That Burns features images from the Mick Fleetwood archives and various contributions from friends of the band including rare unpublished images, unseen archival material, and original illustrations by Jeremy Spencer.

Top photographers include Clive Arrowsmith, Henry Diltz, Bruno Ducourant, Bob Gruen, Jeff Lowenthal, Barry Plummer, Michael Putland, Dominique Tarle, Amalie Rothschild and Daniel Sullivan.

I have dreamt of one day working with Genesis to present a documentation of the early story of Fleetwood Mac – This moment has arrived! And I’m thrilled to be in the safe hands of Genesis Publications.” – Mick Fleetwood

Love That Burns is published in a numbered, limited edition of only 2,000 copies worldwide. Every hand bound book is individually signed by the author, Mick Fleetwood. Handcrafted in Milan, Italy, the limited edition is quarter bound in leather with foil blocking, yellow sprayed page edging and a padded cover featuring the Fleetwood Mac artwork of Sixties graphic artist, Günther Kieser.

An exclusive 7″ vinyl picture disc includes ‘Love That Burns’ from the 1968 album Mr Wonderful, and a rare instrumental track recorded in June 1967, entitled ‘Fleetwood Mac’, from which the band took it’s name.

THE AUTHOR image 1

GENTLY TENDER – ” Avez-Vous Déjà “

Posted: August 27, 2018 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Gently Tender have risen from the ashes of Palma Violets, a band that started promisingly (we saw them perform an insane set at SXSW a few years ago), but soon faded into rather generic, mundane indie rockdom.

The new band features three ex-Violets (Sam Fryer, Pete Mayhew and Will Doyle) plus Big Moon’s Celia Archer and guitarist Adam Brown. Who knows if they have taken their naming inspiration from the Incredible String Band’s 1967 track of the same name, but the two songs they have shared have a definite psychedelic edge and in the case of latest track Avez-Vous Déjà, a more contemplative, pastoral English country garden feel.

http://

Older Entries
Newer Entries