On paper, the Vancouver-via-Calgary ensemble Crack Cloud feel like a pandemic-era hallucination. The septet (and change) wafted into the picture in 2020 with a unique take on the Canadian tradition of art-rock projects with more band members than there is space on most stages, swapping the twee-accented indie-pop of Broken Social Scene and New Pornographers for something straddling the line of first-wave punk and its immediate aftermath. Following 2022’s sophomore release “Tough Baby”, they’re already back with their third LP “Red Mile”, which is set to arrive in July, and the project’s second single does plenty to sharpen both their punk and post-punk influences.
“The Medium” swerves from the lane of new wave the group explored on previous single “Blue Kite” and instead pairs Johnny Rotten–esque vocal snarls with an irreverently composed and polished bed of sound welcoming of cello, bells, and other baroque flourishes. As the bandmates take turns on lead vocals, the project feels like contemporary rock’s equivalent to Brockhampton, begging the question as to why Wu-Tang’s nebulous lineup never quite inspired guitar-based music.
“The Medium” by Crack Cloud from ‘Red Mile’, out July 26th on Jagjaguwar.
The Dublin band have released the second single from their album “Romance”, after ‘Starburster’ in April. ‘Favourite’ is a song that finds the band at their most Whipping Boy-esque with a sound that feels like a /throwback late 80s Irish indie rock and ’90s UK indie touchstones like early Stone Roses. It closes the record…the new Fontaines D.C. song called “Favourite” The new song features the band interpolating some Americana touchstones into their own brand of propulsive post-punk, giving some serious Springsteen and War on Drugs vibes to their venomous concoctions. When the chorus comes around, though, we get ourselves right back to OSFDC (old-school Fontaines D.C.) territory.
The song will be featured on the band’s upcoming fourth album, “Romance”, out August 23rd via XL Recordings, and it comes alongside a music video directed by the band and shot in Madrid. Cool city. I’ve been there.
The Irish band’s fourth record will arrive on August 23rd via XL Recordings.
Released in May 1974 following the break-up of Family, the album was the first project by Chapman and Whitney in what would become the band Streetwalkers.
Joining vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney in the sessions were such luminaries as bassists John Wetton, Ric Grech, drummers Mike Giles and Ian Wallace, keyboard player Max Middleton and saxophonist Mel Collins.
This new expanded 50th Anniversary edition of this classic album has been newly remastered from the master tapes and also includes seven bonus tracks comprising ‘The Crack’, a rare single B-side, a previously unreleased mix of ‘Call Ya’ and a complete BBC Radio 1 John Peel session from June 1974. This new expanded remastered release also features an illustrated booklet with a new essay.
“Released in 1974 after their band Family disbanded, the Chapman-Whitney album “Streetwalkers” was the first post-Family album by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney, following the late 1973 dissolution of that band.
Streetwalkers, the band, put out three consistent albums of funky booze rock in the mid- to late ’70s, but the origin of the band was not a mediocre affair. Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney led their previous outfit, Family, through eight LPs of limited success, breaking up the band in late 1973. But their partnership continued and months later they set out to record a one-off album as a duo. A number of colleagues contributed to the project, including alumni of Family (John Wetton, Rick Grech, Poli Palmer, Jim Cregan) and King Crimson (John Wetton, Mike Giles, Boz Burrell, Ian Wallace, Mel Collins). The resulting LP, “Streetwalkers”, was released in May 1974. The mixture of rockers and ballads was not Family; yet there was added depth to the music, stemming from the evolved songwriting and from the involvement of so many musicians. “Roxianna” and “Showbiz Joe” were part New Orleans jazz, continuing the Americana feel of Family’s last album. “Systematic Stealth,” a lovely textured ballad, and the slinky “Creature Feature” demonstrate the range of Roger Chapman’s unusual voice, from gravelly crooning to just plain gravel. The album’s most stunning moments, “Parisienne High Heels” and “Hangman,” are brooding and hair-raising in their energy and dark themes. Chapman and Whitney kept drummer Ian Wallace and horn player Mel Collins to form a touring group, adding bassist Phil Chen and guitarist Bob Tench. Only Tench would stay for the full-fledged Streetwalkers band, which embraced funk and hard rock in a less subtle way than this first venture. Whitney’s biting lapsteel guitar would become a signature sound of the Streetwalkers, but the songwriting never matched what was accomplished on this album.
Very excited to announce Jack Bruce’s classic debut album ‘Songs For A Tailor’ is being reissued this July, 55 years since the original release. The iconic record will be available as part of an exclusive boxset featuring 32 bonus tracks drawn from new 5.1 surround sound mixes as well as the 1970 documentary ‘Rope Ladder To The Moon’ available on Blu-ray for the first time. A remastered vinyl edition is also available as well as official apparel
‘Songs For A Tailor’ was Jack Bruce’s first solo project to be released after the demise of Cream in November 1968. Eager to make his debut solo album distinctly diverse from the music he had recorded with Cream, it featured music which stylistically drew on jazz, folk, classical and rock influences.
Joining Jack and producer Felix Pappalardi for the recording sessions at London’s Morgan Studios were some of Britain’s best musicians such as Chris Spedding, Jon Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith, John Marshall, Art Themen and Henry Lowther. One session was also notable for the presence of George Harrison. ‘Songs For A Tailor’ was a chart success in both the UK and the USA and is now rightly regarded as a masterpiece and one of Jack’s seminal works.
This boxed set edition features the original 1969 album mix (newly remastered from the original master tapes), along with wonderful new stereo and 5.1 Surround sound mixes of the album by Stephen W Tayler (from the original 8-track master tapes) and previously unreleased session out-takes and demos. The set also includes the marvellous 1970 documentary “Rope Ladder to the Moon” on Blu Ray video for the first time. Originally screened by the BBC, this film features live performances and an insight into Jack’s heritage, life and influences.
“Bass legend, composer and fiery virtuoso blessed with a powerfully expressive voice. On “Songs For A Tailor”, his debut solo album, after leaving Cream, he wove strong autobiographical elements, both musical and personal, intertwined with jazz, blues, folk and classical styles. Stephen W Tayler’s stereo and Surround Sound mixes enhance an already superbly crafted album.
“The extras on the two-CD/DVD are mainly session out-takes and demos, including early versions of two songs from follow-up “Harmony Row“. The 1970 film Rope Ladder To The Moon follows Bruce back to his Scottish roots, giving visual insight into an incredible talent.”
“Jack Bruce, probably the most musically gifted bass player who’s ever been” – Roger Waters
“He was a great musician and composer, and a tremendous inspiration to me” – Eric Clapton
There are one million ways to approach love, one million ways to experience love, one million ways in which love shapes both the course of our lives and how we choose to navigate that course. On her second album, Bnny’s Jessica Viscius looks love square in its many eyes and describes, with self-awareness and humour, not only what she sees, but what it makes her feel.
Deep romantic love, breathy lust, generous self-love—and their opposites, self-loathing, resentment, disappointment—all make appearances. Like a sheet being draped over a clothesline, channeling Mazzy Star and mimicking the soft, gauzy, fresh feeling of realizing you’re able to begin it all again with a new person.
Recorded in Asheville at Drop of Sun and produced by Viscius alongside Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, Snail Mail), “One Million Love Songs” is Bnny’s revelatory second album.
“Wish On The Bone’ is Why Bonnie’s sophomore LP and debut for Fire Talk. It’s untethered from any landscape or genre, propelled by this freedom and resulting in Why Bonnie’s most catchy, hopeful body of work to-date. Ranging from twangy country infused rock jams to more intimate and lo-fi arrangements, ‘Wish on the Bone’ is wide-eyed and waiting. It’s a coming of age film in which the protagonist rejects the forces that have tried, and failed, to shape her into something other than herself. It leaves you with a hard-fought sense of hope, which is among songwriter Blair Howerton’s greatest gifts. “You owe it to the people who are experiencing the worst to just keep pushing,” Howerton says. That’s the throughline of “Wish On The Bone”, a record that rewards with repeated listens.
‘Wish On The Bone’ coming out via Fire Talk on August 30th. So much heart went into this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all
The first trailer for the Bill Teck-directed documentary showcases many of SteveVan Zandt’s musical peers who praise the guitarist in the film, featuring interviews with Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Bill Wyman, Bono and, of course, Bruce Springsteen — premieres at Tribeca Film Festival before heading to HBO in June, The Stevie Van Zandt story is a rock ‘n’ roll epic like no other. One gets the sense that this single film could easily have been expanded into, say, a documentary series with eight hour-long episodes.
“He is a great performer, great songwriter, great producer,” Springsteen says in the trailer. “We were so close, I just wanted him near me. He just became my rock n’ roll brother, instantly.”
“Featuring a wealth of never-before-seen footage, the film traces Van Zandt’s career as a producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, and more, from the clubs of Asbury Park, N.J. to arenas and stadiums, to the Bada Bing Club and the Underground Garage,” the film’s synopsis states. In addition to some great concert performances, some behind-the-scenes recording studio footage, and some vintage interview footage with Van Zandt, Teck includes a few major “finds” that hardcore Van Zandt fans will love seeing, such as previously presumed-lost footage from Van Zandt’s wedding (where Springsteen was the best man, Little Richard officiated, and Percy Sledge sang “When a Man Loves a Woman”); a similarly unearthed clip of Van Zandt with Nelson Mandela; and excerpts from “Men Without Women,” a low-budget, black-and-white film Van Zandt made to accompany his 1982 album of that name, but never released widely.
And there was a point, when I was watching it, when I thought to myself, “Geez, we’re now about an hour and 45 minutes into it and we’re still only in the mid-’90s. There is still so much more to get through.” After all, the film had not yet explored “The Sopranos” and “Lilyhammer” … Van Zandt rejoining the E Street Band, and resurrecting his own Disciples of Soul band … his Underground Garage radio show and network … his TeachRock educational initiative.
Bruce Springsteen‘s behind-the-scenes tour preparation process will serve as the center of the forthcoming documentary Road Diary: Premiering on Hulu and Disney+ this October, the feature will follow the musician and his band as they get ready to embark on their first tour in six years, a run that started in February 2023 and will extend through November 2024.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour was marred by illness and complications from its start. Within two weeks of kicking off, guitarist Steven Van Zandt and violinist/singer Soozie Tyrell tested positive for Covid, causing them to miss a number of shows and raising concerns about the size of their touring party. Their saxophonist Jake Clemons and half of the E Street’s backup singers missed subsequent dates, too.
It is about 2 ½ hours long.
In March 2023, once everyone seemed to be in the clear, a number of dates were suddenly postponed due to “illness.” A few months later, in September, the band’s remaining scheduled tour dates for the year were postponed as Springsteen underwent and recovered from treatment for peptic ulcer disease. The tour resumed in March 2024.
Merseyside alternative rock band The Mysterines album ‘Afraid of Tomorrows’ is the highly-anticipated follow up to their critically-acclaimed Top 10 debut album, ‘Reeling’, released June 2024. Their imposing frontwoman melds together more than her lifetime’s worth of experiences with the kind of deep, impassioned vocal you won’t forget in a hurry. In her songs and stagecraft you’ll see and hear everything from PJ Harvey’s raw and ragged stomp to the crazed carnival energy of Tom Waits and eviscerating poetics of Patti Smith. The first great British rock band of the post-pandemic era, The Mysterines let us in on Lia’s unfiltered look at life, the universe and everything, complete with serious riffs and an unflinching honesty.
,’The Last Dance’, the new single by the Mysterines from their upcoming album ‘Afraid of Tomorrows’
It’s 1974 and blues-rock is badly in need of a new guitar hero. Hendrix and Duane Allman are dead, Clapton and Peter Green are missing in action and Jimmy Page was last heard essaying reggae and doo-wop pastiches on Led Zep’s “Houses Of The Holy“. Cometh the hour, cometh Robin Trower.
Who would have thought that the “backroom” guitarist with the stately keyboards-led Procol Harum would become one of the great blues rock guitarists. And it was the second of his power trio’s superb trilogy of back-to-back albums in the mid-70s that sealed his reputation.
Frustrated by not being allowed to let rip in his years with Procul Harum, Trower had given notice of intent with his 1973 solo debut “Twice Removed From Yesterday“, which included an incendiary cover of BB King’s “Rock Me Baby” and rather suggested he’d been in the wrong group all along. Backed by Jimmy Dewar on bass and blue-eyed soul vocals and Reg Isidore on powerhouse drums, he followed with 1974’s epochal “Bridge Of Sighs“, which was to elevate him to the ranks of the most revered axemen of the age.
From the pounding opener, “Day Of The Eagle”, to closer “Little Bit Of Sympathy”, it’s a beautifully balanced, dynamic record filled with quality songs, masterful playing from Trower (Bridge Of Sighs, Too Rolling Stoned) with his overdriven, reverb-drenched, swirling psychedelic sound and Hendrix inflections, plus some outstanding performances (About To Begin, In This Place) from peerless blues rock vocalist Jimmy Dewar.
“Bridge of Sighs” is the second solo album by Robin Trower released in 1974 on Chrysalis/Capitol Records, it was his second album after leaving Procol Harum, and was the breakthrough for Trower.
Guitar Player magazine named “Bridge Of Sighs” its Album Of The Year and Robert Fripp, having just broken up King Crimson, asked Trower to give him lessons as “one of the few English guitarists that have mastered bends and wobbles, able to stand alongside American guitarists, on “Bridge Of Sighs“, every one of the eight tracks essentially a vehicle for his rampant soloing, from subtle and sultry to shrieking and shredding.
“Bridge of Sighs”, was Robin Trower’s sophomore album following his departure from Procol Harum. Lauded critically, commercially a breakthrough, the album saw Robin push his trio’s initial concept into exciting new territory. Accompanied by James Dewar on soulful vocal and bass duty and Reg Isidore underpinning their psychedelic blues sound with masterful drumming. Producer and former Procol Harum bandmate Matthew Fisher and Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick take on control room duties to help bring this stunning collection of songs together..
50 years later, the recordings have been newly mixed from the original tapes, with an unedited stereo mix cut at half-speed especially for this release. On the second disc, you can hear the trio amid a US tour supporting the album Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, May 1974, available in its entirety for the first time and newly remastered from the original tape transfers, the recording sounds as exhilarating as it would have for those in the room.
Songs such as “Bridge of Sighs”, “Too Rolling Stoned”, “Day of the Eagle” and “Little Bit of Sympathy” became live concert staples.
John Murry & Cowboy Junkies‘ Michael Timmins have collaborated on “A Little Bit Of Grace And Decay,” a soundtrack to the documentary, “The Graceless Age: The Ballad Of John Murry“. Tracks include stripped back versions of songs from “A Short History Of Decay“, new songs and sections from the documentary score. The album is released on September 20th on Deluxe CD as a Download on TV Records.
“Ever since we finished recording “A Short History of Decay” back in 2016, I’ve been waiting for John Murry to return to my studio,” says Timmins. “I had been working on some ideas for the film score for John’s doc when he finally reappeared. He had three days to kill in Toronto, so we decided to get together, sit around and play some music. No real plan and no real goal, just play and enjoy each other’s company. This album is the result of that visit.
As well as Murry on vocals and acoustic guitar and Timmins on electric guitar, bass, keyboards and loops, the album also features Peter Timmins on drums.
“It’s a ‘sort-of’ soundtrack album to the film, it contains some score pieces, as well as some of the solo recordings that John and I made when he was here in Toronto, some of which also became a part of the score.”
The Fat Angel Sings 