The Fat Angel Sings

Just as 1992’s “Delaware” casts a long shadow over the fan’s memories, the album cast a long shadow over the composition of “Hard Light“. The band, just as collaborative in their song writing as ever, sought out a sound that acts as a spiritual sibling to their legendary debut without a simple copy and paste. “Hard Light” certainly stands on its own; the songs are meticulous, dreamy but not lackadaisical, hazy but not occluded. “Delaware” was a successful attempt to capture lightning in a bottle through in-the-moment experiments revealing the band’s reverence for all things 4AD. It was confessional, sometimes even angsty. “Hard Light” benefits from a version of Drop Nineteens that can take their time composing just the right rock songs, even if that means the album lacks certain spikes that were once immense on their debut. That said, it’s hard to miss those spikes when the “Hard Light” sound is so arresting.

The album has plenty of guitar. While Greg Ackell and Paula Kelley’s vocals, from their lyrics to their interplay, are a world unto themselves, it’s hard to look away from the gnarly chord formations that swell and swirl. The title track—which also serves as the opener—offers a sonorous canon of guitars flashing above like celestial bodies before Ackell and Kelley enter in hushed repetition: “Time, it’s of the essence.” Lead single “Scapa Flow” enters with a slacker riff that feels lifted from Lush-era Snail Mail before erupting into syncopated conflagration. “Rose With Smoke” is all about the processed guitar, plodding its way through in a psychedelic march. Then there are more closely held lines, like those that open “T,” the seven-and-a-half-minute closer and one of two love songs dedicated to Ackell’s girlfriend. The other, “Tarantula,” is on the up-tempo side, brushing against post-punk, with a gorgeous optimism heard in the voice, the guitars and the drums.

So, what does a modern Drop Nineteens song sound like? If their follow-up “National Coma” is to be believed, a modern Drop Nineteens song can sound like, well, anything. “Hard Light’s” answer to the initial question should elicit a sigh of relief: A modern Drop Nineteens song sounds like a grown-up “Delaware” track.

The album’s 11 tracks play to the band’s strong suits as they return from an extended hiatus, dwelling in shoegaze territory while adding a handful of excursions into baroque pop and post-punk that prove the band has a strong compositional foundation. It’s a smoother ride than “Delaware”, for better or for worse, but not without edges. Drop Nineteens have not lost all of their style; if anything, they’ve gained some finesse. 

The strongest songs on “Sucker” arrive when central relationships experience death by a thousand arguments, where embarrassing memories and indignities culminate into sorrow and resentment. With an ambient-inspired guitar lead and woozy synths, “Comeback” reminisces about how poor it can feel to try and capture the attention of someone you love. Lines about playing dead in a pool reverberate through the whole song, giving it a haunting sensibility.

Jilian Medford’s shift to a poppier sound is handled with confidence on her fourth record, which documents the giddy highs and reeling aftermath of a relationship. “Bloody Knees,” opens the album with a fear rooted in creativity and a new sense of self-preservation: “What if I die with this song in my head and I never get to sing it?”

On the title-track, with its slowcore acoustic guitars, Medford’s beloved spells her name wrong but it goes without mention. “Sucker” even manages to get away with pairing a burning hook melody with rote lyrics, one of the album’s sore spots. The closing ballad “Hard” has devastatingly simple language about having your thoughts occupied by someone bad for you: “Did you think of me on your way back to the city / While I was in the garden getting my hands dirty?”

“Your Spit” calls back to “Spit” from her 2018 release “Crush Crusher“, trading drifting surf-rock and the assumption a partner will leave for a hooky make out anthem about understanding that they still might take off, but going in for a kiss anyway. “Emergency Contact” suggests Beach House, but Medford’s voice itself breaks the trance, building from a breathy whisper to a darkly ironic scream as she reckons with codependency: “I don’t mind! I don’t mind!”

The messy, fun isn’t particularly cheery, but producers Isaac Eiger and Alex Craig manage to supply Medford with an anthemicness that’s needed. Much of this comes with drum programming—it starts nicely with a fill—that adds a jubilance to the consistent bummer of the lyrics, recalling the danciness of later Kississippi or the lushness of this year’s record by waveform*. The clearest analogous act for what IAN SWEET is doing is feeble little horse, where lead singer Lydia Slocum adds knotty, sickly details to the band’s garbled, infectious noise-pop. If that textured, dense indie pop is dime-a-dozen these days, Medford knows how to create images that ensure these songs stick.

There are few things more exciting in music than the sound of a teenage band who are destined for big things. Over the last few years HotWax, a trio of 18-year-old school friends from Hastings, have been steadily honing their craft and building a following through a handful of singles and increasingly buzzy gigs. ‘A Thousand Times’, their debut EP, now presents a band who are ready to thrill the world.

They largely achieve this by delivering roaring, distorted grunge songs about love, infatuation and the trials of teen life. EP opener ‘Treasure’ rushes from the verses’ jittery bassline and zips of melodic guitar to a wall of thundering noise in the chorus, as guitarist and singer Tallulah Sim-Savage bellows: “Pain is past pleasure, and time will heal treasure.” Each HotWax member gets their moment to drive the song forward: bassist Lola Sam leads the verses with her wiry lines and drummer Alfie Sayers takes charge as they exit its first chorus.

HotWax show their age on ‘Mother’, an anthemic juggernaut that grows from brittle, dirty bass to fully fleshed-out fuzz. “Oh, you’re so mean, I’m telling your mother,” Sim-Savage sneers deadpan, like a grungier Justine Frischmann. It’s a delightfully youthful moment, and the kind of thing that only a band at HotWax’s current phase of life could get away with writing.

If that song’s aggression is directed towards another, then the trio turn that feeling inwards on ‘Rip It Out’ . “I wanna rip it out my arm, then I’ll rip it out my chest / Then I’ll rip it out my head ‘cause we were the best,” HotWax’s singer promises first in a hush, then in a throaty wail; the quiet-loud dynamic in her voice matching that of her band’s instruments.

HotWax’s calling card so far might be blazing grunge, but they do offer up some softer moments on this five-track record. ‘All I Want’ still centres around Wall Of Sound layers of riffs and beats, but is punctuated by chiming guitars and lush vocal harmonies. The Wolf Alice-indebted ‘A Thousand Times’, meanwhile, alternates between sludgy and stripped-back as Sim-Savage declares wide-eyed: “It’s you, it’s you a thousand times.”

The fledgling trio might be one of the most exhilarating new bands around right now, but they’re still rough around the edges. Their lyrics can be basic, often sticking loyally to an AABB rhyme scheme rather than branching out into anything more advanced. But, given the appropriate time to gain more experience and mature as songwriters, HotWax are showing all the signs that they could be mind-blowers going forward.

• Release date: May 19th through Marathon Artists

The Vibrators were founded by Ian ‘Knox’ Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier went on to work closely with the Soft Boys, producing their seminal album “Underwater Moonlight”,, guitarist John Ellis recorded with Peter Gabriel, as well as recording and touring frequently with Peter Hammill, then subsequently the Stranglers, and drummer John ‘Eddie’ Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding’s recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his label RAK Records. Most produced their first single, “We Vibrate”.

The band then signed to Epic Records in early 1977. Their debut album, “Pure Mania” was co-produced with Robin Mayhew, the sound engineer for David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust live shows, and reached the top 50 of the UK Albums Chart. The album is well regarded by some music critics and, 17 years after its release, “Pure Mania” ha been named one of the 50 best punk albums of all time

In 2020, the original line-up of Knox, Eddie, Ellis and Collier reunited to record and release the studio album “Mars Casino” with Chris Spedding providing production, additional guitar, and vocals.

The Vibrators also recorded sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1 in October 1976, June 1977, and February 1978. They were one of the pioneering punk bands that played at London’s Roxy Club. Appearing for the first time ever on vinyl, a vintage set of studio demos from British punk rock icons, The Vibrators!

Includes several songs that the band we re-record for their acclaimed sophomore album V2 including “Pure Mania,” “Destroy,” “24 Hour People,” “War Zone” and more!

released November 6th, 2023

This October, One Little Independent Records will release the definitive Twilight Singers box set: entitled  “Black Out The Windows/Ladies and Gentlemen, The Twilight Singers” as a deluxe limited edition thirteen piece vinyl box set with re-imagined album covers spanning all of The Twilight Singers studio recordings.

The seven releases (six double albums and one EP) are presented on 180g crystal clear vinyl with pictorial etchings on the D-side. With a clean and monochromatic design, the box set features reimagined stark white embossed album sleeves of every original Twilight Singers release.

Marking a series of noteworthy anniversaries for Greg Dulli, iconic lead singer of the Afghan Whigs, the Twilight Singers, and the Gutter Twins. Two of Afghan Whigs’ most heralded releases, “Gentlemen” and “1965”, turned 30 and 25 years, respectively. In addition, Twilight Singers’ fan favourite, “Blackberry Belle”, turns 20 years old. That’s three masterful and distinct records over ten years. “I stand that run up to anyone else’s, and “Black Love” is in there, too,” he said. That combination of confidence and candor has captivated fans for over three decades.

Where countless buzzy bands from the 1990s are barely remembered, the Afghan Whigs are still making records that earn raves from fans and critics and playing live to a consistent, devoted audience. The key to this is that Dulli’s writing is so compelling that you’re drawn in even without the personal experience to relate too.

The culmination of this is the recent release of “Black Out the Windows/Ladies and Gentlemen, The Twilight Singers”, an all-encompassing deluxe box set containing newly remastered vinyl versions of all the bands’ studio releases and a bonus album called “Et Cetera“, that collects rarities and unreleased songs, including sought-after recordings of the covers of Leonard Cohen‘s “Paper Thin Hotel” and Prince‘s “When Doves Cry”.

“The time was right. The Twilight Singers’ arc is complete, and I wanted to document those years of my life from start to finish and share it with the fans,” Dulli said. He oversaw every detail of the box set, from the remastering to the gorgeous monochromatic reimagining of the album covers to the 56-page book with photographs and essays from the late Mark Lanegan, Duff McKagan, and many others who were part of the Twilight Singers story. “It was important to deliver the greatest home listening experience possible, and it’s also an art project. It’s beautiful, and I love it.”

Fans have been clamouring for a Twilight Singers box set for years, and on the Congregation, the Facebook fan page, they lovingly abbreviated their request to MFTSBS (“motherfucking Twilight Singers box set”). Judging by the reactions on the Congregation, the people are ecstatic. Fans have been posting unboxing videos and sharing reactions, thrilled to have physical copies of these heralded records, with some even confessing that they bought record players so that they could listen to the box set. 

The Twilight Singers were originally going to be just a side project alongside the Afghan Whigs, started between “Black Love” and “1965”. Dulli had been working with Satchel’s Shawn Smith and Harold “Happy” Chichester of the criminally underrated Howlin’ Maggie. An early taste of the project was heard in the late Ted Demme’s film Monument Ave., where “Black Love” plays over the end credits. It would be retitled “Love” and appear in a much different version on the Twilight Singers’ debut album.

When the demos leaked, he collaborated with Italian producers Fila Brazilia and transformed the sound dramatically. “Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers” was released after the Afghan Whigs broke up. As with all of his work, his auteur’s stamp is all over it, but the sound is much different from the guitar-based soul of the Whigs. “It was an exciting opportunity to work with a different type of producer,” he said. Bringing in collaborators became a key distinguishing feature of Twilight Singers. Appearances by Lanegan and Ani DiFranco are highlights of the discography, and Dulli’s collaboration with Lanegan as the Gutter Twins are an exploration of even darker shades than his other work.

After touring for “Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers”, Dulli took a break from music. “I bought a bar and started working on that,” he said. “I didn’t play or record for a year. Then I wrote ‘Papillon,’ and it reminded me that I like to write songs.” That sparked him to work on a series of songs that hewed closer to the “1965” sound and would be released later as “Amber Headlights”. These songs were initially shelved because Demme died unexpectedly during a charity basketball game. “After Ted died, the party vibe didn’t fit with my state of mind,” he said.

Demme’s early passing inspired what many fans consider the best Twilight Singers record, “Blackberry Belle“. Its opening line, “Black out the windows / It’s party time”, sets the tone for a record that wrestles with grief in unexpected ways. Rather than songs focusing explicitly on Demme and his passing, lines threaded throughout the songs point to Dulli’s reckoning with the loss. The record has a cinematic quality, as much of his work does. It feels like a eulogy that walks us through a friendship, but it also pulses with the noir energy that came to fruition on “Black Love”. 

It also contains the most anthemic song in the Dulli canon, ‘”Teenage Wristband”. Like many of his best songs, it is a celebration wrapped in darkness. There’s joy and desperation in the chorus: “She said ‘You wanna go for a ride? I got no more money to burn, and I’m gonna stay up all night.’” Few songs have made the transition to the Whigs’ live shows, but this and “The Killer”, another anthem that explodes with a huge chorus, have made the cut. The back half of “Blackberry Belle” drips with atmosphere on tracks like “Decatur St.”, “Fat City (Slight Return)”, and “Feathers”, is one of Dulli’s catchiest songs that recalls the Whigs classic “66.” Closer “Number Nine” continues in a long line of stunning final tracks from Dulli as he seeks to start the process of carrying on with an assist from Lanegan.

“Blackberry Belle” is an excellent collection of songs from a singular talent, elevated because Dulli understands the recursive nature of grief. It pops up in expected and unexpected times, in unwelcome moments. It brings smiles and tears. And it never fully releases us; we just learn to live with it.

“That record did so much to help me heal, to learn to navigate loss, and to maintain the memory of my beautiful friend. The two are inexorably connected. Teddy was born in October, and the record came out that month, too,” Dulli said.

Where the Afghan Whigs released several memorable music videos, Twilight Singers only have one official music video for “On the Corner” from 2011’s “Dynamite Steps”. In the 1990s, it was a perennial rumour that Dulli wanted to direct a film, but it never came to fruition. “The movie business is brutal, even more than music. I don’t have the heart for it. And for Twilight, music videos were no longer necessary. They became immaterial, just something to say, ‘We have an album out.’ I wanted to see what life was like without them,” he said.

Sadly, the Twilight Singers will not be playing live shows to commemorate the box set release and “Blackberry Belle’s” birthday. “We thought about doing some shows with the last version of the band people saw, with Christopher Thorn in for Dave Rosser, who passed away from cancer in 2017], but Scott Ford is in a place where he can’t take a few weeks off from work, and I wouldn’t do it without him,” Dulli said. If you want to see Dulli perform more Twilight Singers songs, be sure to catch him on solo dates, where he draws from his full songbook. 

Where many of their peers burned out quickly and are mostly forgotten, Dulli’s bands and their catalogues have endured, influencing waves of other noteworthy bands. A song such as “1965” gem “66” seems like it could be a radio hit now. In addition, Dulli isn’t content to repeat victory laps. His 2020 solo album, “Random Desire”, shows off his ability to seamlessly integrate contemporary influences into his signatures. 

Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers shows have always featured expertly chosen covers, and many of those have been documented in the studio as well, from the Whigs’ “Uptown Avondale” EP to “She Loves You”, a covers album from the Twilight Singers featuring interpretations of artists such as Mary J. Blige, Bjork, and Martina Topley-Bird.  

A few artists have tackled Dulli’s work, too. “Duff [McKagan] and Mark [Lanegan] both have covers of ‘Deepest Shade’, which is an outtake from the first Twilight sessions and is making its recorded debut in the box set. Har Mar’s cover of ‘Demon in Profile’ is great, too. I think I might be hard to cover. I would love to see someone take a shot at ‘Faded’, though,” he said. 

Next up for Dulli is more music from the Afghan Whigs. “We are working on a new record. The band we have right now is just phenomenal. John Curley, Whigs’ bassist is one of my best friends. Such a great and talented person to collaborate with. I’ve known Patrick Keeler, drummer since he was a teenager.” Dulli and Thorn worked on the band’s last record, 2022’s “How Do You Burn?” during quarantine, with the rest of the band collaborating from remote locations, when Dulli was forced to cancel his 2020 solo tour for “Random Desire”. 

Dulli doesn’t engage on social media platforms outside of following sports rumours on Twitter, but he is well aware of the devoted fan base that has been on this more than 30-year journey with him. “The people I meet who like my music are people I like. Whigs and Twilight fans…99% of them I’d have lunch with and have a great time. I could imagine being friends with them.”

“There was a freedom I found in making this music that brought me back to my teenage days. Untethered from preconception or expectations, I could just fly around and create mini groups that stood alone under the Twilight umbrella.” – Greg Dulli

Personally curated by bandleader Greg Dulli, the box set contains newly remastered versions of all of the Twilight Singers studio albums along with an EP: “Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers”, “Blackberry Belle”, “She Loves You”, “Powder Burns”, “A Stitch In Time” (EP) and “Dynamite Steps”.

A bonus album titled “Etcetera” features eleven tracks of previously unreleased and rare material.

With a talent for recollecting intimate feelings and thoughts, London based singer-songwriter, Billie Marten transforms introspection into tender tunes held up by minimalist instrumental scaffolding. In her music, Marten explores topics of love, loss, and growing up all through a lens of ​​folky naturalism. Marten’s crystalline Audiotree Live performance, beset with pastoral plucks and soothing warbles, takes us on a journey through her heart’s deepest recesses.

Interviewed by resident Audiotree Live host, Psalm One, Billie shares treasured moments from her U.S. tour, opens up about her love for alpacas, and sheds her insights on the things we do for love.

Billie Marten – Guitar & Vocals

Released November 6th, 2023

Ty Segall has announced his latest solo album, “Three Bells”, due January 26th. He accompanied the announcement with the project’s latest single, “My Room.”

“Three Bells” was co-produced by Segall and Cooper Crain, who worked together on 2021’s “Harmonizer” and 2022’s “Hello, Hi”. The 15-song release includes five collaborations with Segall’s wife Denée Segall as well as appearances throughout with members of his backing Freedom Band including bassist Emmett Kelly.

Segall also dropped “My Room,” the third offering from “Three Bells” following the seven-minute jam “Void” in August and the September single, “Eggman.” 

The song offers plenty of the Segall’s signature movies like a twisty acoustic riff and screechy guitar effects, and yet the singer-songwriter still manages to get pelted by bananas in the accompanying music video.

“Three Bells” arrives on January 26th via Drag City

MGMT (Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser) officially announced their new album, “Loss of Life,” and shared its first single, “Mother Nature,” 

“Loss of Life” is due out February 23rd, 2024 via Mom + Pop Records and will be the band’s first new album in six years. Long time collaborator Jordan Fish directed the “Mother Nature” video, which combines animation with live action. In a press release, MGMT collectively say that “Mother Nature” “outlines the archetypical MGMT mythology of one hero attempting to get the other hero to come on the journey that they ‘must’ go on. One part sounds like Oasis.”

The song’s video is about two animal friends, simply named Dog and Turtle, who “team up to take down an evil pet collector,” according to the press release.

“I hope the story makes people happy and feel connected to family, friends and the animal kingdom as well,” says Fish.

“Loss of Life” is the band’s fifth album and the follow-up to 2018’s “Little Dark Age”, which many viewed as a return to form and was released via Columbia (as were their previous albums). “Little Dark Age’s” title track became a viral hit during the pandemic and is the band’s third most streamed song of all-time, behind their early hits “Electric Feel” and “Kids.”

This time the duo worked with producer Patrick Wimberly (Beyoncé, Lil Yachty) and longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon). As he’s done with all their previous albums, Fridmann mixed “Loss of Life”. There also additional production work done on the album by Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and James Richardson. Miles A. Robinson was also an associate producer and engineer on the album.

“Loss of Life” includes the first ever feature appearance on an MGMT album when Christine and the Queens appear on the song “Dancing in Babylon.”

MGMT had this to say about “Loss of Life”: “All joking aside (never!), we are very proud of this album and the fact that it was a relatively painless birth after a lengthy gestation period, and are happy to be releasing this baby into the world with Mom+Pop. Musically speaking, we are running at around 20% adult contemporary and no more than this, please.”

Writer/director/The Best Show co-host Tom Scharpling has written an essay about “Loss of Life” and had this to say: “Simply put, the guys did it again! They’re now five-for-five, which last time I checked gets you into virtually any Hall of Fame. This record projects an aura of undeniable warmth throughout, an album brimming with comfortable confidence. There are epic tracks and intimate portraits, a little bit of glam here, some psych-folk there. It’s a slice of magic that fits perfectly into the MGMT oeuvre while expanding the boundaries once again.”

‘Loss Of Life’, set to arrive on 23rd February via Mom + Pop.

The Blinders make their return today with ‘Brakelights’, the first track to be taken from their forthcoming third album, “Beholder”, which is released on Friday 1st March 2024 via Funhouse Recordings/ EMI.

One of the most exciting live bands out there right now, they recently played two explosive, sold-out low-key warm up shows at the Dublin Castle in London and The White Hotel in Manchester and have announced a run of headline shows in early spring next year. With a visceral urgency live to more than match the likes of contemporaries IDLES or Fontaines DC, they take their brooding and intense live show,

The perfect introduction to their new album ‘Brakelights’ drips with a dark atmospheric intensity whichequally lurks across the album. The Doncaster via Manchester 4-piece’s previous albums were championed by the likes of 6Music and Radio 1 and the last couple of years have seen them make appearances at the Glastonbury and Benicassim festivals amongst others and play sold-out shows, including one at the Manchester Academy in their adopted home-town where they packed in almost 3000 fans.

The track listing of the 10-track album, produced by Adam ‘Atom’ Greenspan & Nick Launey and recorded in LA in early 2023