Suzzallo (pronounced Sue-Zuh-Low) is a new Seattle-based rock band fronted by Rocky Votolato. After the devastating loss of his child in a tragic car accident, Votolato created an entire new world inside of music that transmutes extreme grief into something healing and beautiful. The result is Suzzallo’s debut album, “The Quiet Year”, an explosive eulogy of fuzzed-out, ‘90s inspired alt-rock songs that are as anthemic as they are cathartic.
Sonically, Suzzallo is somewhat of a return to form for Votolato. He’s primarily known for his solo career, with nine albums that showcase his knack for intimate, acoustic-based indie folk, but Votolato started out playing in louder bands, like Waxwing, who gained an underground cult following in the mid-2000s Pacific Northwest punk and hardcore scene. Suzzallo’s music taps into that same spirit: blistering guitars, soaring choruses, and poignantly impactful lyrics–all with a volume and fervent intensity that far surpasses even the fiercest of Votolato’s previous work. But Suzzallo’s powerhouse sound is more than an artistic choice, it’s a necessity.
“I guess it all started to take shape in the summer of 2022, about six months after Kienan passed,” Votolato explains. “I knew I needed a louder, bigger, more explosive sound to say what I needed to with this project. This kind of personal tragedy rearranges everything about you as a human and artist. I needed a new channel to express what I was going through and the only thing that made any sense to me were the most distorted guitar sounds I could find–I was doing months of primal screaming as a form of grief recovery before I was ever even able to sing at all, so that played into the vocal delivery as well.” The songs that became Suzzallo’s debut confront the shattering weight of grief head on, while also revealing an uplifting strength and determination to carry on beneath it–not so much a reinvention as a reincarnation. “I was completely shattered and knocked down by this loss, but I feel like Suzzallo is a big part of getting back on my feet and finding a reason to keep going,” says Votolato. “I’m so grateful for the way creating art has helped me process my grief and heal, and I hope these songs can bring some catharsis and comfort to others now as well.”
To make “The Quiet Year”, Votolato was joined by a team of friends and collaborators. Suzzallo’s lineup was rounded out by bassist Steve Bonnell (Schoolyard Heroes) and drummer Rudy Gajadhar (Waxwing), and they recruited legendary producer John Goodmanson (Unwound, The Blood Brothers, Sleater-Kinney) to record the album at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. Votolato’s longtime friend Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service is even featured on several songs, lending his signature vocals to beautifully placed harmonies, along with performing electric guitar, bass 6, and piano.
On the massive opening one-two punch of “River” and “The Destroyer” Suzzallo introduce their core sound: fuzz-drenched, Pumpkins-esque guitar tones juxtaposed with moving lyric-driven melodies. It’s a highly effective combination that demands the listener’s full attention and doesn’t let go. “I love those ‘90s distorted guitar tones and they were a big comfort to me,” Votolato says. “It’s almost like when Kienan died I immediately was transported back to all of my earliest punk and post-hardcore influences, bands like Jawbreaker, Drive Like Jehu, and Fugazi. Full catharsis was my goal so those were definitely in there, but there was something new as well–something more melody and chorus-driven while keeping that high energy 90’s approach at the same time.”
Lyrically, the songs on “The Quiet Year” are intensely honest portraits of an impossible to describe loss. They’re marked by Votolato’s vulnerability and details that honour his child (such as recurring images of dragons), and throughout the record the singer always manages to deliver heartrending lyrics through bold, well-crafted hooks. It’s a magic trick that somehow makes lines like “no one told us love was this dangerous” (from mid-album standout “Star String Radio”), or “You became the sky, the grey and the white, against the blue, I hope you’re doing alright” (from “Constellations”) all the more effective.
The music that makes up Suzzallo’s debut is more than enough to turn heads based on sound alone. These are truly massive, earth-shaking rock songs, the kind that make your skull rattle while filling it up with instantly memorable hooks. But they’re more than that. They’re also the kind of songs that needed to be made. The kind of songs that fulfill their cathartic purpose before they even go out into the world. But lucky for us they’re also the kind of songs that need to be heard.
Denison Witmer is an indie singer-songwriter hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. With a soulful voice and introspective lyrics, he has captivated audiences worldwide. Drawing inspiration from his surroundings and personal experiences, Denison’s music resonates with listeners on a deep level.
Often compared to artists such as David Bazan, The Welcome Wagon, and Rosie Thomas, Denison’s unique sound blends folk, rock, and pop elements to create a truly captivating musical experience. His heartfelt melodies and poetic storytelling have earned him a dedicated fanbase that continues to grow with each release.
Having collaborated with notable musicians like Damien Jurado and Derek Webb, Denison has proven himself as an influential figure in the indie music scene. His discography includes albums such as “Are You A Dreamer?” and “The Ones Who Wait,” which showcase his talent for crafting beautiful melodies that tug at the heartstrings.
Denison Witmer returns with a new collection of ten vibrant and pensive folk-pop songs recorded and produced by Sufjan Stevens, his long-time friend and collaborator. “Anything At All finds” Denison in a suitably reflective mood, mining sublime revelation from an ordinary, domesticated life. Topics like bird watching, carpentry, houseplants, and hiking offer insights into bigger, existential questions about life, death, meaning, and purpose. What are we doing with the precious time we have left on this earth? Whether it’s spent making clocks, gathering berries, planting trees, or putting the kids to bed at night, these songs suggest that a life lived with thoughtfulness and care can lead to deeper joy and fulfilment.
Recorded sporadically over a period of two years, “Anything At All” was primarily created at Sufjan’s Catskills studio during the pandemic, with additional sessions recorded by Andy Park, in Seattle, WA. Contributors include Stevens and Park as well as Sam Evian, Hannah Cohen, Sean Lane, and KeenanO’Meara, amongst others. The album’s musical aesthetic marries Denison’s folksy, Mennonite vibe with Sufjan’s signature bells and whistles: lush strings and woodwinds, women’s choir, and an occasional jazzy saxophone weave their way around Denison’s matter-of-fact vocals and acoustic guitar. These are simple folk songs with bursts of awe and wonder.
“Anything At All” is Produced and Recorded by, and features Sufjan Stevens.
Often hailed for their pivotal role in laying the groundwork for the Britpop era, Suede were oh-so-much more than a mere warm-up act for Blur, Oasis, Pulp and the new generation of English guitar bands who followed in their slipstream. Suede looked, talked and sounded like an important, game-changing band from the moment their striking debut single, “The Drowners”, which dropped in May 1992. The following year, with a self-titled debut album which frontman Brett Anderson grandly declared to be about “sex and depression in equal measure”, they drew upon classic British glam (specifically David Bowie), indie (chiefly The Smiths), and post-punk to make the most arresting British rock album since The Stone Roses, with Anderson’s whimsical androgyny colliding with Bernard Butler’s fiery guitar heroics.
Swaggering into a moribund British ‘alternative’ scene then cowed firmly in the shadow of US grunge, Suede looked, talked and sounded like an important, game-changing band from the moment their striking debut single, “The Drowners”, dropped in May 1992. The following year, with a self-titled debut album which frontman Brett Anderson grandly declared to be about “sex and depression in equal measure”, they drew upon classic British glam (specifically David Bowie), indie (chiefly The Smiths), and post-punk to make the most arresting British rock album since The Stone Roses, with Anderson’s whimsical androgyny colliding with Bernard Butler’s fiery guitar heroics.
The UK’s ‘indie’ music papers quickly declared Suede ‘The Best New Band In Britain’. Three decades on, many fans view the revitalised group as simply Britain’s Best Band. For while their ’90s peers have come and gone, Suede have survived, and indeed thrived, continuing to make music that matters.
Head Music (1999)
Released three years after the euphoric, triumphant “Coming Up”, an appropriate alternate title for “Head Music” might be ‘The Comedown’. With Brett Anderson’s barely-concealed crack addiction putting the group’s inter-personal relationships under considerable strain – guitarist Richard Oakes admits to showing up for rehearsals half-pissed in order to handle being in the same room as the singer – it’s little wonder that the quintet’s fourth album lacks cohesion and focus.
That said, given the climate in which it was cobbled together, “Head Music” has no right to sound as good as it does. Produced by Steve Osborne, best known for his work with New Order, U2 and Happy Mondays, Suede’s trademark sound received a pre-Millennium update with the integration of elements of electronica and dance music, as heard on lead single “Electricty” and the title track. With his head not fully in the game at the time, Brett Anderson would subsequently lament not pushing what became his group’s third number one record into even more experimental territories, but if this is Suede at their worst, “Head Music” is certainly not an embarrassment.
A New Morning (2002)
The final Suede album released ahead of what proved to be a seven-year hiatus, A New Morning was recorded by a unit weakened by the 2001 departure, for health reasons, of longtime keyboardist Neil Codling. Fan expectations were further lowered by two mediocre singles, with Positivity possessing a soft, acoustic vibe, while “Obsessions” found Suede trying but failing to reconnect with the dark glamour of their early work.
Lacking a clear direction, with drug abuse rife and discontent festering, “A New Morning” plays out as listless and uneven, and while its predecessors all debuted within the Top 5 on the UK album chart, their fifth collection failed to breach the Top 20. It’s easy to see why a jaded and weary band splintered in the wake of its failings. When Suede returned, Brett Anderson described the album as “a disaster in every way”, concluding “It was just a very bad record.”
The Blue Hour (2018)
Written and composed over 18 months, recorded in just six weeks, “The Blue Hour“, titled in reference to “the time of day when the light is fading and night is closing in” the band revealed, was steeped in a touch of duality from the start. A dark, bold piece of art, featuring a choir and poetic spoken word dialogue, like most of Suede’s ‘second act’ records, it’s a fine addition to their catalogue, albeit one perhaps missing that special ‘something’ that elevates their very best work.
Where Suede’s early work sought to evoke both the suffocating blandness of suburbia and the edgy, seedy thrills of after-dark London,“The Blue Hour” has a rural setting, and an uneasy gothic tone. Speaking to NME ahead of the album’s release, Brett Anderson described its character as “quite dank and troubling”, explaining, “A lot of this is about the terrors of childhood, so it’s quite unpleasant in lots of ways. I think Suede should be unpleasant, that’s the point of a band like Suede.”
If the defining characteristic, then, of “The Blue Hour” is its lack of elegance when compared to Suede’s early work, this actually works in its favour on an album which deliberate challenges lazy preconceptions about who/what Suede are in the present tense.
Night Thoughts (2016)
In contrast to “The Blue Hour”, “Night Thoughts” has elegance in spades, summoning ghosts of Suede’s past, imbued as it with a similar sense of romanticism and glamour – and the same undercurrent for potential danger – which run through “Suede” and “Dog Man Star”.
It stands up as a tremendous latter-day album from a continuously curious band. Through its layers of guitars, keys, and distinctive vocals, Suede deliver spacious sonic textures for songs about love, anxiety, mortality, and future hopes, fears and expectations. The album was accompanied by an atmospheric film directed by former NME photographer Roger Sargent, but with lyrics and music alone the likes of “When You Are Young, No Tomorrow“, and “Learning to Be” paint their own vivid images.
Bloodsports (2013)
Precious few bands return from hiatus with work of a standard to mirror their early accomplishments. So, in 2013, when Suede cemented their comeback with the promise of a sixth studio album, few would have imagined that they could do just that.
Arguing that “Bloodsports” is as spectacular or inventive as Suede’s early records could be a stretch. But honestly, it’s in the ballpark. Meaning that with their return to the fray, Anderson’s band effectively erased much of the sneering and snark heaped upon the band as it unraveled in the early 2000s.
With Richard Oakes doing his best to evoke Bernard Butler’s operatic six-string flurries and Anderson wailing like it’s 1995, on tracks like “Hit Me” and “It Starts and Endwith You“, Suede managed to recapture touches of the divine melancholy which made them great in the first place.
Autofiction (2022)
During a pre-release press junket for “Autofiction”, Brett Anderson was quoted as saying, “Every record is a reaction to the last record to some extent. You don’t want to just keep going in the same direction.” The proof of his words duly arrived on September last year.
Bristling with the anger and angst of a class of ’82 punk album, “Autofiction” is Suede’s most significant achievement of the last 25 years. There’s just enough nostalgia here to satiate the old faithfuls, but with heaps of forward-thinking musicality, we’d wager that its converted more new believers than any other post-reunion release. It’s so good, in fact, that the likes of “She Still Leads Me On”, “Personality Disorder”, and “Shadow Self” make one forget there ever was a pre-Richard Oakes era.
Dog Man Star (1994)
Having made such a seismic impact with their acclaimed debut album, Suede were never going to dial back their ambitions or compromise their vision when tasked with delivering its follow-up. Rolling Stone duly labelled “Dog Man Star” one of the most pretentious albums ever released by a major label”, a diss one imagines a doubtless delighted Brett Anderson would have worn as a badge of honour. Your loss America.
That he and Bernard Butler, who wanted to produce the record himself and furiously resented being denied that opportunity, held absolutely nothing back when reunited in the studio with Suede producer Ed Bueller in early 1994 was surely informed by a growing awareness on the part both men that their friendship and creative partnership might not survive beyond the recording sessions. For these increasingly hollow men, come what may in the studio, the world would end with a bang, and not a whimper.
And so “Dog Man Star” was mapped out for a widescreen format, Suede granted the broadest of canvases across which to unfurl an epic story of the pursuit of dreams and ambition while managing broken hearts and broken homes, tragedy and trauma, desperation and death, all the big stuff
So, sure, at times it can be a bit hard to decipher, a bit overwhelming, a bit extra. But if you step back and soak in tracks like “We Are the Pigs” and “The Wild Ones” for what they are – pieces of distinctive art – the grandeur of the record comes into complete focus. For its chief architects, “Dog Man Star” was conceived as an anti-Britpop statement, a rejection of the simplistic sentients of Live Forever,and both Anderson and Butler would have been aware that this was an not album destined to dovetail neatly with the culture and climate of the time. And in following their muse, and (temporarily) setting aside their personal differences, they crafted what may be Suede’s most idiosyncratic artistic statement.
By the time the album’s provocative lead-off single, “We Are The Pigs“, was released is September ’94, Butler had already walked away from Suede, never to return. Which meant that the band’s appearance on Top Of The Pops to promote the single would become notable for being the world’s introduction to 17-year-old Richard Oakes, Suede’s new guitarist, who had played not one note on their forthcoming dark masterpiece.
Coming Up (1996)
The loss of gifted guitarist and musical lynchpin Bernard Butler could have easily derailed Suede: beyond the obvious loss of momentum his departure would inevitably trigger, the timing of his exit coincided with the UK music weeklies, BBC Radio 1 and influential international media organisations beginning to realise that Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, Blur’s Damon Albarn and Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker were every bit as quotable as Brett Anderson and arguably more relatable than Suede’s frontman. A worst case scenario could have seen Suede shunted out of the spotlight at the exact point that Britpop began penetrating mainstream consciousness.
Instead, Suede dusted themselves down, located another prodigiously-talented guitarist in teenager Richard Oakes, and commenced more collaborative, less charged writing sessions for a third album in which each band member, including new addition Neil Codling on keyboards, could feel invested. The result was “Coming Up“, easily the most accessible, and arguably the best-known, album of their career. At the outset of the writing process, Anderson pitched the notion of Suede album three being a ‘pop’ album, featuring 10 potential hit singles. In the end, in a span of 12.5 months, it delivered no fewer than five Top 10 hits in the UK, and was classified as a ‘platinum-selling’ (300,000 UK sales) album within three months of its release.
But even as “Coming Up” penetrated the mainstream, Suede cleverly maintained an image as scene outliers, champions of the marginalised and misunderstood, so that Anderson’s empathetic, underdog anthems – encapsulated in the the album’s cornerstone lyric ‘We’re trash, you and me / We’re the litter on the breeze’ – rang out as sincere, honest and believable. And in that visual lyric, Anderson was able to astutely assure Suede’s original fan-base that they’d still be fighting to amplify their voices, concerns, and fears long after Britpop fizzled out and faded from centre stage.
Suede (1993)
Was there ever really any doubt as to which Suede album would occupy the top spot? Suede’s self-titled debut was a game changer.
Preceded by three incredible single’s – “The Drowners”, “Metal Mickey” and the remarkably graphic “Animal Nitrate”(‘Well he said he’d show you his bed / And the delights of the chemical smile So in your broken home he broke all your bones / Now you’re taking it time after time’) – it lives up to every word of the hype thrown its way ahead of it’s March 1993 release and properly introduced Anderson and Butler as a Morrissey/Marr-esque songwriting partnership for a new generation.
“Rarely has a record from the indie sector come with such a burning sense of its own significance,” noted Q magazine, approvingly in its review of the record. Suede duly charted at number 1 in the UK, selling north of 100,000 copies in its first week on sale, and would go on to win the Mercury Music Prize. It remains a benchmark for great British rock in the modern era.
“It was a wonderful time for us when we were all still young men; wild – eyed and passionate and heedless, when we were still united and mutually purposeful and when it felt like the world could be ours,” Anderson reflected as the album received a 25th anniversary reissue. “The album is charged with a naivety but it manages to have a feel which I still love; it rages and it screams, it yelps and it whispers and captures some truth of who we were at that moment in our lives: youthful, impertinent, ambitious and flawed.”
Nailed it.
For while so many of their ’90s peers have faded, disappeared or lapsed into pure nostalgia, Suede have survived, and indeed thrived, continuing to make music that matters, as emphatically proved by their most recent album, “Antidepressants“.
Antidepressants (2025)
Introducing Suede’s tenth album ahead of its September 2025 release, Brett Anderson said “If “Autofiction” was our punk record, “Antidepressants” is our post-punk record. It’s about the tensions of modern life, the paranoia, the anxiety, the neurosis. We are all striving for connection in a disconnected world… This is broken music for broken people.”
But what a life-affirming record. “Antidepressants” sounds like it was recorded in a day by a bunch of pissed-off art students sharing a hatred of authority and a mutual love of Joy Division, Killing Joke, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo & The Bunnymen and Gang of Four. A band this deep into their career have no right to sound this good, this urgent, or as fierce as Suede do here on the likes of “Disintegrate” and the title track. If “Antidepressants” was a debut album, it’d be garnering Suede ‘Britain’s Best New Band’ plaudits anew.
“Ace” is the third studio album by American musician Madison Cunningham. It was released on October 10th, 2025, through Verve Forecast Records. The album was produced by Cunningham alongside RobbieLackritz. “My Full Name” was released as the album’s lead single on August 15th, 2025, followed by “Wake” (featuring Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes) . A pivotal and personal record that spans 14 tracks and is out on Verve Forecast. Depending on the game, an Ace can be the highest or lowest card, zero or infinity. A breakup feels similar—one path crumbles, while all others remain infinitely possible. How do you write about heartbreak when you’re going through it?
An official album “bio” for “Ace” states that the majority of the songs on the album were written in August 2024 following a period of writer’s block, and deal with themes of heartbreak, betrayal, and falling in and out of love. Additionally, Cunningham described the album as “the first record that’s ever felt like mine from start to finish. It was as light to make as its subject matter was heavy.” Cunningham performed much of the new material live throughout early 2025, before the album had been announced.
Alongside the album announcement, Madison swaps her trusty guitar for lush piano on the first single, “My Full Name,” a vulnerable introduction that is both a love letter and a goodbye. Cunningham sings, “Love’s a kind of sorrow worth saving,” as she processes heartbreak and explores new beginnings.
Cunningham wrote “Wake” while in Nashville during a blizzard in January; the song stemmed from experimentation with a new alternate tuning on guitar. The final recording is a duet with Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and also features prominent upright bass played by Daniel Rhine. Cunningham described the track as a “song about reflection, about looking in the rearview mirror and seeing someone wasn’t right for you all along.
Upon release, “Ace” received positive reviews from critics.
My name is Clark Hamilton and I have made music under the moniker klark sound and Stranger Sounding. I generally play all the instruments you hear in these recordings as well as record them myself. On the heels of his last record “What Is Music”, Clark Hamilton(klark sound) released a solo acoustic album entitled “This Is Music“. A stark and distilled collection of songs recorded in just 3 evening sessions immediately after the mixing of “What Is Music” was finished in 2024.
These acoustic songs are just Clark and his guitar; his words and melodic sentiments outlining powerful emotional experiences and reflections. With this record Clark answers his own question, and delivers succinct yet unfolding compositions that find new meaning with each listen. He aIso plays in another band called Improvement Movement.
Klark charms us with his soothing vocal harmonies and then blasts us with kick-ass guitar solos on his latest record “What Is Music.” The album is an invitation into Klark’s deepest vulnerabilities as an artist, where finding his identity and voice is contrasted with a near death experience that left his guts literally spilled onto the ground over a decade ago. Struggling with how he is perceived by the world despite his other-worldly musical talent, Klark puts all of his moods and colors on display with heart wrenching songs about love, imposter syndrome, and the meaning of music itself. This record is unlike any other you will listen to this year. There are no production gimmicks, song features, or session players. This is Klark playing every instrument, each performance largely unprocessed and captured for the raw energy and spirit in which it was created.
Recorded in three days in March 2024. These are some solo songs of mine old and new.
Daniel Kleederman Steps Into the Spotlight with his Debut Solo LP “Another Life”, ahead of a New Single “Compromised Positions”. Best known as the musical director and touring guitarist for indie powerhouse Bartees Strange, Daniel Kleederman is finally stepping into his own spotlight with his debut solo album, on Grand Kid Records. Leading the charge is “Compromised Positions,” a shape-shifting, cosmic psychological thriller of a track that arrives today alongside a mesmerizing video.
“Compromised Positions” explores the weight of honesty and love amid cycles of seduction and codependency, warping time and space as the gravitational pull of a breakup intensifies. “It’s the only song on the record that went through a serious editing process,” Kleederman reveals. “The original version was eight minutes long—I may release it one day.”
The album’s opening track, “A Knock At The Door,” signals a closing chapter, setting the tone for a record that feels both deeply personal and grand in scope. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Chris Connors (Bartees Strange, Holy Hive), “Another Life” is an odyssey through love, loss, and the dizzying highs and lows of self-discovery.
Sonically adventurous yet deeply human, the record blends progressive rock, folk, and post-Americana, crafted through years of meticulous collaboration with Connors. Standout track “Compromised Positions” is a visceral, psychedelic ride through a mind at war with itself, propelled by frenetic guitar work and elastic rhythms. Meanwhile, “They’ll Be” injects unexpected humor, complete with over-the-top baritone guitar duets and bold key changes—an embodiment of Kleederman’s belief that true sincerity embraces both pain and joy.
The album’s journey culminates in “Answers,” a mantra-laced, ocean-sized closer that seems to exist in the past, present, and future simultaneously—much like Another Life itself. A fearless, cathartic debut, the record cements Kleederman as not just a sideman, but a singular voice in his own right.
A lifelong guitarist, Kleederman’s relationship with his instrument is central to his artistry. Raised in the hills of Western Massachusetts, he spent childhood afternoons cranking up his amp and escaping into sonic worlds alongside The Beatles and B.B. King. His path sharpened at Vassar College, where he met Connors and drummer Alex Goldberg (L’Rain, Cassandra Jenkins, Jessica Pratt), both of whom would become essential creative partners. After nearly a decade in NYC’s underground scene, fate led him to Bartees Strange in early 2020—just before the world shut down. Retreating to his hometown, Kleederman reconnected with his roots, trained as a life coach, and rekindled his love for songwriting, eventually leading to the birth of “Another Life”.
Songs written by Daniel Kleederman
Musicians: Daniel Kleederman – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, slide guitars, bass (tracks 2, 9), percussion, effects Chris Connors – bass, additional guitars (tracks 1, 9, 11), keyboards, programming, percussion, effects, backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 10, 11) Alex Goldberg – drums, percussion Kate Victor – backing vocals (tracks 1, 6-9) Kyle Morgan – backing vocals (tracks 1, 6-9)
Another Life arrives April 4th via Grand Kid Records.
This chapter of Suede is the group going from strength to strength, you can’t see them getting any better. They’re in their own realm at creating beautiful songs that soar and get into your heart like not many groups can. It sees Brett at his most majestic backed by the veteran sound of Gilbert, Osman,Codling and Oakes. Early single “Disintegrate” is as massive as ever until you get into “Dancing With The Europeans”. The title track, a dark gothic number, features a foreboding Osman bass line and Anderson combining spoken word with his trademark vocals and meaningful words that hark back to the sound of Teardrop Explodes and even a bit of The Horrors with a great drum beat crashing around with Oakes’ jangling guitars.
“Sweet Kid” is classic Suede that pulls punches with every note. Melodic and moody with a crisp drum sound and a trademark chorus from the masters. a glorious bag of songs that take your breath away. Does it do what “Autofiction” did? We say so.
Suede could be called many things, but boring isn’t one of them. Decades after their culture-shattering entry into the public consciousness as progenitors of Britpop, their tenth album vibrates with youthful vitality while brimming with age-appropriate lyrics that cast a darkness over middle age that’s as worrying as it is accurate.
In an interview earlier this year, the group’s bass player Mat Osman said “Antidepressants” is “very much Richard’s record,” referring to guitarist Richard Oakes, who joined Suede after the departure of Bernard Butler in 1994. Over the years, he’s woven his ’80s-rooted tastes (think The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, PiL) into the arty glam-rock Suede had established for themselves, and they come to a head here. Yet the album is anything but retro, and certainly not nostalgic. Produced by the group’s longtime collaborator Ed Buller, “Antidepressants” is one of the strongest of Suede’s career. It doesn’t carry the burden of Britpop, but even so, with its post-punk energy, it could easily have been Suede’s second release some three decades ago. Vocalist Brett Anderson spares no emotion in his razor-sharp words or unforgiving delivery, leaving the listener wrung out by his intelligent observations. The album is the second entry in the “Black and White” trilogy, preceded by the group’s “punk” album “Autofiction” in 2022, which leaves us wondering what they’ll come up with for the final installment.
Another great album by one of the best groups around.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to attend a live Fleetwood Mac performance with the full or partial classic line up, there is really no convincing you here … you already know. Right out of the gate, in 1975, the live show reputation cultivated by the band Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks was almost immediately considered incendiary.
The musical dynamic between the members of this legendary ensemble is unmatched by most, then and now. In 1975, the band was on tour in support of their eponymously titled 1975 album, which was the first release to include the eventually legendary classic line-up, having now contained the likes of Buckingham/ Nicks.
“Live 1975” contains 13 live recordings from that legendary tour taken from performances at The Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey, and from performances subsequently one week later at the Jorgensen Auditorium, located at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, both in October of that year. This archival live treasure contains four selections found on that record, including the legendary “Rhiannon,” and as well, earlier selections from the band’s previous albums, even those as far back as from the Peter Green era, such as the iconic “Oh Well.”
The playback sound of this 2025 Record Store Day Black Friday exclusive release is about as good as it gets for 1970s concert capture, which is actually well beyond very good. The band was fresh, excited and ready to show off for their audience, and that aspect comes through bright and clear with a hugely evident synergistic dynamic between each one of the members.
While the album was released as a vinyl exclusive limited to 5000 copies worldwide (first time ever on vinyl), there are still many chances to find this record online from RSD record store participants, or RSD goers who, unfortunately, make the purchase only for flipping purposes; either way, it is extremely and highly recommended. Fortunately, it is also available on a compact disc variant, which we believe is less limited. However, if you can’t find either, you can purchase a past copy of the deluxe edition reissue of the album, Fleetwood Mac, from 2018 (Reprise Records), which does contain the entire performances, but again, only on compact disc.
Fleetwood Mac “Live 1975” captures the incredible electricity of the band’s first tour with the legendary line-up of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joining Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie. Recorded 50 years ago at the Capitol Theatre (Passaic, NJ, 10/17/75) and Jorgensen Auditorium (University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 10/25/75), the album features the band’s recent hits “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” along with some early Fleetwood Mac favourites, including “Hypnotized” and “Oh Well.” Pressed on vinyl for the very first time!
Original Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, who hasn’t sung with the band since 2008, found a perfect band to perform the Yes catalog with—The Band Geeks, a group of New York-based musicians who caught his attention by creating letter-perfect video re-creations of Yes music during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following “True”, 2024’s release of new music with The Band Geeks, Anderson put out this splendid live album of Yes classics with the band. The playing is flawless—guitarist Andy Graziano, bassist Richie Castellano, and keyboardist Christopher Clark stand out for their interpretations of the parts originally played by Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman/Tony Kaye, respectively. This two-CD set also comes with film of the concert (on DVD in this set).
With crystal-clear production by Castellano, pieces like “Awaken” and “Close to the Edge” are pitch perfect, and Anderson has lost none of his vocal power in his 80s. A wonderful gift for fans of classic Yes.
After the tragic death of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood, the surviving members teamed with Wood’s former roommate and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to record a tribute album for their lost friend under the alias of Temple Of The Dog. Recorded in just 15 days, the self-titled record featured the melodic “Pushin’ Forward Back,” cautionary tale of addiction “Times Of Trouble,” and rocking 11 minute Wood’s dedication “Reach Down.” Temple Of The Dog was well received by critics but failed to fare well commercially, only gaining the public plaudits when re-released after the success of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Interesting fact; Eddie Vedder provided vocals on the cut “Hunger Strike.”
Temple of the Dog was actually released four months before Pearl Jam’s debut and nearly six months before Soundgarden’s seminal third LP. However, the album flew well below the radar of popular consciousness during the handful of months immediately following its release. Indeed it was only within the broader context of Ten and Badmotorfinger’s widespread success that people were compelled to reevaluate and embrace Temple of the Dog in a whole new light.
The story of the album’s genesis dates back even further, to the tragic circumstances that shook the Seattle music community on March 19th, 1990. This was the day that AndrewWood, the lead singer and songwriter for the influential bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, died from a heroin overdose at the age of 24. Reflecting on his friend and kindred musical spirit’s passing years later, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell confessed that “It wasn’t like this, ‘oh, he finally went and did it. We saw that coming.’ It wasn’t like that. It still had an air of real got-hit-by-a-bus kind of tragedy to it.
”Wood’s death came just days before the scheduled release of Mother Love Bone’s critically acclaimed debut album Apple, which would ultimately see the light of day four months later, courtesy of Stardog/Mercury Records.
As Cornell processed and grieved the loss of his friend, he found inspiration by way of composing a few songs in his friend’s honour. “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “Reach Down” were the first compositions to emerge, representing considerably more subdued, melodic structures relative to the denser, more propulsive fare that defined Soundgarden’s signature heavy rock sound at the time. Encouraged by the songs’ direction, Cornell solicited the support of Wood’s Mother Love Bone bandmates and Pearl Jam founding members, Jeff Ament (bass) and Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar).
“The songs I wrote weren’t really stylistically like something my band Soundgarden would be used to playing or be natural for us to do,” Cornell explained during an April 1991 interview with radio station KISW. “But it was material that Andy really would have liked, so I didn’t really want to just throw it out the window or put it away in a box, y’know, put the tape away and never listen to it again. So I thought it would be good to make a single, and I thought it would be really great to record it with these guys,Stone and Jeff, because they were in his band and I just thought it would be a really fun thing to do.” Soon thereafter, the trio recruited Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron (who also joined Pearl Jam in 1998), as well as future Pearl Jam co-founders Mike McCready (lead guitar) and Eddie Vedder (vocals).
The sextet branded themselves as Temple of the Dog, a nod to lyrics that Wood penned for the opening verse of Mother Love Bone’s “Man of Golden Words,” the ninth track on Apple (“Wanna show you something like the joy inside my heart / Seems I’ve been living in the temple of the dog / Where would I live, if I were a man of golden words? / Or would I live at all?”). Recorded in nimble fashion over the course of two weeks in November and December 1990 at Seattle’s famed London Bridge Studio and released in April 1991, the band’s self-titled debut album sold modestly at best in its first year in stores. But in the aftermath of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden’s dual breakthroughs later that year, the team at A&M Records seized the opportunity to capitalize on the bands’ collaboration, reissuing the album in the summer of 1992 and aggressively promoting the original lead single “Hunger Strike” to radio and MTV.
A harbinger of his song writing prowess that has evolved in thrilling ways with Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo career, Cornell wrote all ten songs that comprise Temple of the Dog. The aforementioned album opener and second single “Say Hello 2 Heaven” is the album’s most explicit and stirring tribute to Wood, with Cornell injecting the song with his unceasingly passionate vocals and penchant for unembellished introspection. Painfully poignant refrains such as “Now it seems like too much love / Is never enough” and “I never wanted / To write these words down for you / With the pages of phrases / Of things we’ll never do” shed light upon Cornell’s conflicted heart as he attempts to reconcile Wood’s death.
Clocking in at a generous eleven minutes and change, the gospel-tinged hymn “Reach Down” follows. Atop the moderately more amped-up arrangement, Cornell relays a dream he had of Wood before he adopts the perspective of his friend in reflecting upon his life and legacy (“And I’ve got room to spread my wings / And my messages of love, yeah / Love was my drug / But that’s not what I died of”). Written shortly after Cornell learned of Wood’s passing, the resonant “Reach Down” introduces a spiritual dimension to Cornell’s ruminations, which coalesce for an uplifting homage to his fallen friend.
The other eight songs that feature on Temple of the Dog were spawned from a handful of Cornell’s work-in-progress compositions and Ament and Gossard’s rough demos, which the band refined in the studio together. While the subtext within these songs is open to various interpretations, many of them can certainly be evaluated and contextualized in light of Wood’s death. The sobering “Times of Trouble” functions as Cornell’s desperate plea to a friend to avoid the futile solace of drug-fuelled escapism, while “Four Walled World” examines the metaphorical prison of a life constrained by pain and addiction, both serving as unequivocal allusions to Wood’s suffering and ultimate fate.
One of Cornell’s most enthralling vocal performances ever, album closer “All Night Thing” can most literally be interpreted as a man trying to find meaning within the ephemera of a one night stand or attempting to define a fledgling relationship that has no clear outcome. Or, within the broader context of the album’s predominant thematic thread, the songs can very well reference Wood and the permanence of his addictions, akin to a perpetual night.
Other notable standouts include the adrenalized third single “Pushin’ Forward Back,” which explores the push and pull of sustaining the support of a loved one, in this case the narrator’s mother. A prime showcase of McCready’s stellar guitar work, the somber “Call Me a Dog” depicts the struggles of a man confronted by the unreciprocated affection of a partner who believes he has not lived up to her unfair expectations.
The most instantly recognizable and universally beloved track here, of course, is the unforgettable “Hunger Strike,” in which Cornell and Vedder exchange identical verses atop a rather straightforward guitar-driven melody. In the book that accompanies Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty film documentary, a humbled Vedder recalls how he came to sing the second verse, explaining that “I just kind of stepped up and did it. And I remember being a little nervous about doing it, but [Cornell] was really happy about how it sounded, which was great. The fact that he asked me to be on that record, I mean, that’s the first time I was ever on a real record. So that could be one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever been on, or, for sure, the most meaningful.”
Upon cursory listen, “Hunger Strike” appears to rebuke the abuse of power, political, financial, psychological, or otherwise, with socialist, Robin Hood-like overtones of taking from the rich (“I don’t mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence) while avoiding exploitation of the poor (“But I can’t feed on the powerless when my cup’s already overfilled”). “I was wanting to express the gratitude for my life, but also disdain for people where that’s not enough, where they want more,” Cornell confided in Pearl Jam Twenty. “There’s no way to really have a whole lot more than you need usually without taking from somebody else that can’t really afford to give it to you. It’s sort of about taking advantage of a person or people who really don’t have anything.”
But a closer inspection of the song’s lyrics suggest that “Hunger Strike” also contains the perspective of two bands bound for the big time, attempting to make sense of the fact that they are destined to soon benefit—financially and otherwise—from the same decadent, corporate machine they condemn, while many continue to suffer with far fewer means at their disposal.
In retrospect, Temple of the Dog is an amazing musical artifact that captures the convergence of two ambitious bands on the cusp of realizing their superpowers, global fame looming in the not too distant days ahead. A rare and unique proposition, indeed. “The camaraderie and the healthy competition part, I found later was unusual,” Cornell admitted in Pearl Jam Twenty. “And it was Johnny Ramone who actually pointed that out to me later, talking about the friendship he saw between Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, saying ‘I’ve never seen that before, New York wasn’t like that, we hated each other, we would screw each other up, at every turn if you could, you would mess the other band up.’ The best thing about it is, I think, that you learn from each other. And you’re inspired by each other. For me, Temple of the Dog grew out of that.”
The fact that the members of Temple of the Dog have performed these songs live on only a few occasions and never recorded again together only adds to Temple of the Dog’s undeniable mystique and brilliance, both of which are sure to endure for a long, long time to come.
Happy 25th Anniversary to Temple of the Dog’s eponymous debut album, originally released April 16th, 1991.
The Fat Angel Sings 