The Fat Angel Sings

With his 2021 self-titled debut, Andy Pastalaniec’s Chime School became one of the defining acts of the seemingly never-ending, prolific and multifaceted Bay Area pop scene. Slumberland Records is thrilled to announce his LP, “The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel”, is set for release on August 23rd.

Recorded by Pastalaniec himself, in his home studio on the foggy southern edge of San Francisco, “Paisley Hotel” sets a moodier tone; slowed and patiently unfolding in moments that highlight an evolution in songcraft, production and arrangement–while still bouncing along with the jangling drive Chime School fans have come to adore.

As its title implies, 30-plus years of UK indie pop’s deeper cuts are voraciously mined and refined on the 11-song release that fans of East Village, later Teenage Fanclub, and maybe even Northern Picture Library’s Alaska will devour.

But these songs are also very much rooted in the Bay Area of 2024, boasting both lyrical gestures to gentrification’s destruction, beloved shuttered bars and theatre’s, as well as a song writing collaboration with SF native Mike Ramos, of Tony Jay/Flowertown fame, on the album’s penultimate song.

Cheekily-named opener, “The End,” starts with a strum of acoustic guitars, before bursting into Chime School’s characteristic 12-string jangle, then veering off into melancholy mid-tempo pop that East Village’s Kelly brothers should be proud to have influenced.

“Give Your Heart Away” shows off Pastalaniec’s evolution as a songwriter, gracefully moving beyond the confines of beloved records that have come before, and then stepping out and making his own.

Standout track “Wandering Song,” shares that same innovation, even as you hear a whisper of Gerry Love’s finest moments swirling beneath. As the final atmospherics of “Paisley Hotel’s” closer “Points of Light” fade and you inevitably turn the record over for another listen, it’s likely you’ll hear both subtle references you didn’t hear before, and also be left with a sense for this musician; how the journey of writing, arranging and recording each record elevates him to a new, fresh place you’ll want to follow, where we all hope Chime School keeps going.

released August 23rd, 2024

The Royal Mail to mark the 60th anniversary of The Who revealed details of 12 stamps which feature images of some of The Who’s most popular album covers and group shots from some of their live performances. The album covers are “My Generation” from 1965 designed by David Wedgbury; “Tommy” from 1969 designed by Michael McInnerney; “Who’s Next” from 1971 designed by Ethan Russell and Kosh; “Quadrophenia” from 1973 designed by Graham Hughes; “Who Are You” from 1978 designed by Terry O’Neill and Bill Smith; “Face Dances” from 1981 designed by Sir Peter Blake; “Endless Wire” from 2006 designed by Richard Evans; and “WHO” from 2019 designed by Sir Peter Blake.

A miniatures sheet features two group publicity shots and two images of the band’s live performances at the Marquee Club in London in 1967 and the Kings Hall in Belle Vue, Manchester, in 1973.

Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon formed The Who in 1964. (Before that they were The Detours and, for a short while, Within five years, they went from performing club shows to headlining the Woodstock festival in the US and becoming the biggest box-office draw in the world.

Roger Daltrey said: “The artwork on the album sleeves was almost as important to the success of the record as the music. It’s great to be reminded of them.”

And Pete Townshend added: “Stamp! Stamp! Stamp! It’s what I’ve done on stage all my life, sometimes in the air. At last my stamping, and that of my buddy Roger, has been honoured properly, and will help letters, parcels and birthday cards travel through time and space, just as we have.”

David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “With their truly original sound and effortless ability to mix musical styles, The Who are rock royalty. These stamps celebrate one of the UK’s much-loved and revered musical bands who have achieved global popularity for six decades.”

The new Royal Mail special edition stamps celebrating 60 Years of The Who will be available to purchase on 17 October from the Royal Mail website.

UFO’s seventh album “Obsession” will be reissued in November as vinyl and CD deluxe editions.

The 1978 album was the last to feature Michael Schenker, until his return to the band in the ’90s. one of their most interesting musically. With the writing partnership of Mogg / Schenker in fine form, these recordings feel more atmospheric and darker than previous outings. For this re-release the album has been newly mastered from the original production tapes transfers (at AIR Mastering).

The four bonus tracks include a previously unreleased Alt. Version of ‘Cherry’ as well as two studio tracks recorded at The Record Plant for “Strangers In The Night” live album in the months following the “Obsession” release.

Both 2CD and 3LP vinyl editions offer a previously unreleased 2024 Mix of “Live at The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland”, which originally featured within the classic “Strangers In The Night” live album. This has been newly mixed by engineer Brian Kehew, from the original multi-track tapes.

“Come Ahead” is Primal Scream’s 12th full length record. 11 new songs that find Bobby Gillespie preparing to release some of the most personal song writing of the band’s career.

The song writing process for “Come Ahead” began in 2019. At which point Bobby Gillespie had no idea if he would make another Primal Scream album again. For the first time, the lyrics came before the music. The story came first. Bobby wrote alone, using an acoustic guitar. Ideas flowed fast, in long bursts of inspiration. This process, in tandem with encouragement from producer David Holmes, provided a new way in. Working with Holmes and Primal Scream guitarist Andrew Innes, the “Come Ahead” sessions were completed between Belfast, London and Los Angeles.

“I’m very excited about this album in a way that you would be making your first record. If there was an overall theme to “Come Ahead” it might be one of conflict, whether inner or outer. The title is a Glaswegian term. If someone threatens to fight you, you say, ‘come ahead!’ It’s redolent of the indomitable spirit of the Glaswegian, and the album itself shares that aggressive attitude and confidence. They have a word for this up there, gallus. “Come Ahead’s” quite a cheeky title too.” Bobby Gillespie.

Taken from the upcoming album ‘Come Ahead’ out 8th November.

“King of America” Elvis Costello‘s 1986 album has been remastered and expanded for a new 6CD box set called “King Of America & Other Realms” which is described as “97-track musical journey” and takes in unheard demos, live performances and tracks & rarities related to other albums recorded in America later in Costello’s career.

Discs 1, 2 & 3 in this set focus on “King of America” with the first offering a 2024 remaster (from the original tapes) and the second home to 17 demos. It seems incredible that there’s anything left after the expanded and double CD sets of the 1990s… but there is! Specifically, there’s six previously unreleased demos cut at Red Bus Recording Studios in London, in the months prior to the “King Of America” sessions in Hollywood which are mixed from newly discovered multitrack tapes. The third CD offers a 17-song Royal Albert Hall concert from 1987 in London, also mixed from the multitracks.

Costello himself has compiled this set (with Steve Berkowitz) which probably explains disc 4, 5 & 6 which are “a three-disc compendium of recordings and collaborations from across the last four decades, including previously unreleased demos, outtakes and live recordings”. For example, there’s some songs from Costello and Allen Toussaint’s collaborative album, “The River In Reverse“, almost half of Costello’s “National Ransom” record from 2010 (it was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles) along with some demos and outtakes from the same album.

“King Of America & Other Realms” culminates with three new recordings recorded in 2024: ‘Indoor Fireworks’ (Memphis Magnetic Version), ‘That’s Not The Part of Him You’re Leaving’ with Larkin Poe and a recent arrangement of ‘Brilliant Mistake’. The final song is ‘That Day Is Done’ a song co-written by Costello and Paul McCartney for McCartney’s 1989 album “Flowers In The Dirt”, performed with the gospel group The Fairfield Four (this has been available before).

The 6CD super deluxe edition box comes with a 57-page booklet, home to a 35-page essay from Costello with the usual rare photos. The bookset type package is almost album-sized, at 12” x 11.5”.

“King Of America & Other Realms” is released on 1st November 2024 via UMe.

Echo & The Bunnymen’s 1999 studio album “What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?” will be reissued for its 25th anniversary, in November.

The band’s eighth album was the follow-up to their 1997 comeback album “Evergreen” (reissued in 2022) which saw original Bunnymen members Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattison reunite in the studio for the first time in almost a decade. 

After ‘Evergreen’ I was writing all this kind of stuff, and I thought, we’re just going to go in there, and half of it will be very song-orientated, and the other will be ‘Heaven Up Here’ Ian McCulloch (in 1999)

“What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?” featured two singles, ‘Get in The Car’ and ‘Rust’, the band’s final UK Top 40 hit.  The formats for the 25th anniversary reissue are two different vinyl editions (clear and rust orange) and a 2CD deluxe which features 25 bonus tracks, including rarities and previously unreleased tracks including live performances from The Improv Theatre in London (recorded for Radio One’s John Peel Show) and Cream in Liverpool. The first 500 orders via the band’s official shop come with a free ‘Rust’ CD single.

“What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?” will be released on 29th November 2024, via London Records.

London-based post-punk quartet Desperate Journalist return for a fifth studio album of sardonic, wry humour in 2024. “No Hero”, featuring the fabulous lead single ‘Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2’, finds the group seeking to gently evolve their jagged, noirish original sound into ever more interesting shapes.

“Estimable post-punks resurface with magnificent fifth album… calling this the album of the year is entirely reasonable. No More Heroes anymore? Desperate Journalist prove otherwise.”

‘Unsympathetic’ is the 1st single taken from the LP ‘No Hero’, out on 27th September 2024 on Fierce Panda Records

‘You Say You’re Lonely’ is the 3rd single taken

“Sniff More Gritty” is an album of many faces, some belonging to Du Blonde, others belonging to a host of characters from past loves, to record industry executives, each played with humour and heartbreak in a one-man pantomime of glam-rock, punk, and a single, acrylic nail adorned middle finger. The glimmers of pop teased on 2021’s acclaimed “Homecoming” LP become firework displays that illuminate stories of missed connections, anxiety, controlling relationships and hard earned peace. In spite of darkness, Du Blonde is choosing fun.

Having self-produced her third album, after years of working relationships with record labels and industry producers, Du Blonde found herself able to finally express herself musically in a way that her previous situation would not allow. The freedom that came with her move to production and engineering opened up a new sonic world for Du Blonde, one that is arguably catchier, more colourful and more exciting than anything she had been allowed to bring forth previously. Sniff More Gritty is entirely performed (drums aside!), engineered and produced by Du Blonde, and also features unique collaborations with Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Maximo Park’s Paul Smith and The Futureheads’ Ross Millard, with additional mixing by Sam Grant of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.

Following up from 2021’s critically acclaimed ‘Homecoming’, Du Blonde is back with new album ‘Sniff More Gritty’, a 12 track album of glittering glam rock, grunge pop and indie guitar anthems set to rival its predecessor.

Available to pre-order now on Limited edition baby blue vinyl. Each copy comes with its own A5 full colour printed ‘Sniff More Gritty’ zine, designed by Du Blonde, including behind the scenes photographs, lyrics and illustrations by the artist.

Releases November 15th, 2024

Japandroids tease their upcoming album ‘Fate & Alcohol’ with the hedonistic, heart-racing single “All Bets Are Off.” Listen to the album’s closer, along with “Chicago” and “D&T” .

​​Produced by King, Prowse, and Jesse Gander, “Fate & Alcohol” features 10 tracks written between 2017 and 2020, marking the culmination of the duo’s 18-year creative partnership. According to its press release, King and Prowse consider the album a “parting gift to fans,” and made it with their long time philosophy of approaching albums as fans themselves.

“I don’t think we’re the most technically proficient band in the world, and we’re not the most original-sounding or challenging band in the world,” Prowse said in a new statement. “But we’ve always put a lot of passion into what we do, and I think that’s resonated with a lot of people. And I’m really grateful that we could be that band for people, in the same way that so many bands were for us.”

​​Next month on October 18, eighteen years of the Vancouver duo Japandroids will come to a close with the release of their fourth and final album. Japandroids’ Brian King and David Prowse have announced the release of their fourth and final album. Entitled “Fate & Alcohol“, it’s set for release on October 18th through ANTI- Records.

All songs written by JAPANDROIDS