“Broken Glass” is a compilation that brings together communities of Nettwerk artists of all genre and gender, covering songs from the 90s, originally performed by women. This project is Nettwerk’s response to the socio-political environment that we now live in. It is a continuation of the cultural legacy begun with Nettwerk’s founding of Lilith Fair in the 90s and launches a new mission that we intend to carry forward, supporting reproductive rights. With this a cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” by Flower Face.
“Broken Glass” is the new compilation in support of reproductive rights from Nettwerkmusic’s Goodwerks in partnership with @keepourclinics. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Keep Our Clinics campaign, the @abortioncarenetwork’s latest effort to protect access to care and support independent clinics across the country.
Nettwerk Music Group has announced a new compilation that will benefit the Abortion Care Network’s Keep Our Clinics campaign. The album, “Broken Glass”, features Nettwerk artists covering prominent 1990s songs by female artists.
Their first releases include Miya Folick’s cover of Annie Lennox’s “Walking on Broken Glass” and FlowerFace’s version of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”.
Half of “Broken Glass” proceeds from streams and downloads will go to Keep Our Clinics, which works to protect and support independent abortion clinics across the United States. Additional contributors to the compilation include Allie Crow Buckley, Jaguar Jonze, Syml,and Bre Kennedy.
““Walking on Broken Glass” felt like a fitting contribution to this project,” she continues. “Taking away people’s rights to abortion access is a shattering, a destruction. And, also, I recently discovered that Annie Lennox is the founder of a global feminist organisation called the Circle. An absolute badass.”
This is MiyaFolick’s first release since her second studio album, “ROACH”, earlier this year.
“Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’s “Sticks and Stones” is a self-produced, honest and emotional new album that highlights Nelson’s strength as a songwriter and the band’s uncompromising commitment to clarity, compassionate tones, and exceptional melodic moments. Across the album’s 12 spirited tracks, Nelson explores the universal human experiences of love, celebration, longing and humor. “Sticks and Stones” captures the band’s musical power and fits perfectly alongside the canon of the electric live performances they’re known for. Reflecting on the record, Nelson shares, “This album is about celebrating the human connection, joy and excitement. We went from quiet and introspective on “A Few Stars Apart” to something big and fun to really showcase the band’s talent and performance.
You can listen to the album “Sticks and Stones” from start to finish and get the songs to dance to and then the quiet, poignant songs. To me, this album is the perfect setlist.”
“When Queen took a break for the first part of 1983, Brian May put his time to good use. Waking up one morning in Los Angeles, he decided to phone a few friends and invite them to collaborate on some tracks in California’s famous Record Plant studios. The resulting collaboration was a great success, and Brian would later mold the recordings into a unique mini-album, “Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project”. This third release in the Brian May Gold Seriesoffers an extensively revisited and expanded box set edition of these legendary sessions.
The set is a complete document of the two days, April 21st and 22nd, 1983 that May spent in the Record Plant accompanied by Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alan Gratzer (drums), Phil Chen (bass) and Fred Mandel (keyboards).
The box set includes a spectacular 23-track CD filled with previously unreleased material. “We are going to give you everything,” May insists. “Every take of every song, the things that went wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do.
But it won’t be just a remaster – we’ve rescued everything from the original multitracks, every detail magnificently remixed, and more! You’ll hear every take from the historic 1983 sessions plus fragments of conversations, out-takes and musical experimentation.”
This third release in the “Brian May Gold Series” offers an extensively revisited and expanded box set edition of these now legendary sessions. The set is a complete document of the two days, April 21st and 22nd, 1983 that May spent in the Record Plant, Los Angeles accompanied by top rock music luminaries Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alan Gratzer (drums), Phil Chen (bass) and Fred Mandel (keyboards).
The box set includes a spectacular 23-track CD filled with previously unreleased material. Containing 2 CDs, 1 vinyl LP, and a vinyl single, as well as other collector’s items, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Sessions will be launched as a Deluxe Edition box set, worldwide on July 14th. A separate exclusive 7” double A-side single, also available on CD comes the same day, July 14th, featuring newly mixed single versions of “Star Fleet” and “Let Me Out”. A special red vinyl version will be available exclusively through the official Queen Online store
“By the time Duane Betts began working on “Wild & Precious Life” his debut solo album — he’d already spent two decades creating his own version of guitar-slinging, story-driven American rock ’n’ roll. “It felt like the right time to make something that was entirely my own vision,” he says. “This is a record that guitar players will love, but at its core, it’s really a song record. It’s an album about who I am, where I come from, and what I believe in.” Duane spent the better part of 10 years playing guitar alongside his father legendary Allman Brothers co-founder Dickey Betts then as a member of Dickey Betts & Great Southern.
He had also travelled the world as a touring member of Dawes before releasing an EP of his own songs, “Sketches of American Music“, in 2018. As the decade drew to a close, Duane co-founded The Allman Betts Band, releasing two records in 2019 and 2020. “Wild & Precious Life” captures the emotional release of overcoming struggle, appreciating the fleeting nature of life, and celebrating the joy of being present.”
from the album, “Wild & Precious Life” Out July 14th
The dB’s’ 1984 album “Like This” which features “Amplifier,” a breakup song whose sad lyrics are incongruously set to catchy, upbeat music so I’m more than thrilled to hear that The dB’s’ Chris Stamey recently released a single that will be featured on his new solo album .
Take a listen to Stamey’s cover of “She Might Look My Way,” which was written by Tommy Hoehn and Alex Chilton. On his YouTube page, Stamey explains why he chose to include this song on his new album, …“The Great Escape”.
When I was a kid, I fell in love with the sound of records. I was 17 in 1972 when I got a copy of No#1Record by Big Star, and I thought it had about the most magical sound of them all. So I decided one summer afternoon that, hey, I’d just call the studio listed on the back and ask them how they did it! The woman who answered the phone at Ardent in Memphis put me on hold, and I can only imagine now that some laughter ensued all round the office at the audacity and absurdity of my question! But they put engineer/producer Terry Manning on the line, and lo and behold, as my head reeled, he ever so kindly took the time to tell teenage me all about the nitty gritty, the mics and guitars and amps and gizmos.
I had no idea then that Terry had worked on Led Zep III, classic Staples Singers tracks, and was soon to helm ZZ Top megahits. I just knew he was one of the Ardent wizards. And I was so grateful to have him pull the curtain back just a little.
Decades and many sessions later, meeting at a NYC concert, we picked up the conversation again. Both loving a forgotten song, “She Might Look My Way,” that I’d later played regularly at CBGB with Big Star’s Alex Chilton—and even recorded with him at Todd Rundgren’s studio for Elektra Records, although it was never released by the label. At that point I’d already started a bare-bones studio version of it myself, with Mitch Easter on drums, so I handed the tapes off to Terry. He dialed in his wizardry once again, in the Bahamas, and filled it with that same brand of Memphis magic: harmonies, guitars, Mellotron. It was the very last thing ever mixed at the famous Compass Point Studios, and that, too, seemed kind of magical. I loved it. We even talked about starting a band together then, but geography got in the way.
So when I was finishing up my new record, …“The Great Escape”, as a reality check I kept referencing this track, which had also never been released. I finally realized that it belonged in here with the newer tracks, that it was in a way a keystone for the rest. I didn’t write it, Alex did that, with Tommy Hoehn. But I’m so pleased to have it on board.
In an interview with Brooklyn Vegan, Stamey describes the video: The video itself is an homage to the lip-sync video TV appearances Alex and the other Box Tops did in the 60s. Here, it’s Alejandro Escovedo who is playing the host of an imaginary late-70s NYC late-night cable-TV show called Rock On. Mitch Easter, who plays drums on the actual recording, is the drummer in the video here. Robert Sledge (bass, Ben Folds Five) and Matt McMichaels (2nd guitar, Mayflies USA) are also in the band here.
“The dB’s cofounder embraces his jangly past on his wistful ninth solo album.” brooklyn vegan
“One of the great men of Southern jangle pop successfully adds some country accents to his repertoire.” allmusic
The Leisure Society are an English rock band formed initially in Burton upon Trent by Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy. Hemming has a history in indie music and film scoring, and in 2006, he collaborated with Hardy in London. The band, which includes members from various musical collectives, received critical acclaim and comparisons to U.S acts like Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes. They received consecutive Ivor Novello nominations in 2009 and 2010. They’ve released five studio albums between 2009 and 2019, each receiving positive reviews.
Hemming was formerly of early 1990s indie band She Talks to Angels, which included actor Paddy Considine, and film director Shane Meadows. Hemming wrote and performed music for the films A Room for Romeo Brass and Dead Man’s Shoes. He was also a member of The Telescopes.
Hemming moved to London to work with multi-instrumentalist and producer Christian Hardy the pair have subsequently built a live band drawn from members of Brighton’s Willkommen Collective and further afield, notably Mike Siddell who previously played violin with Hope of the States and The Miserable Rich and currently performs with Lightspeed Champion and Troubles. Other members of the band played with The Miserable Rich and currently play with Sons of Noel and Adrian and more.
Their debut single, “The Last of the Melting Snow”, was honoured with a 2009 Ivor Novello nomination for Best Song Musically & Lyrically.
The Sleeper
In July 2009 the band signed with UK label Full Time Hobby, prompting the re-release of “The Sleeper” with a bonus EP entitled “A Product of the Ego Drain“. In the September Brian Eno cited the band as “The only other thing I’ve been listening to lately with enthusiasm”, calling it “Such a beautiful album”. This prompted a meeting between Hemming, Hardy and Eno at Eno’s London studio.
The third single from “The Sleeper”, “Save It For Someone Who Cares”, was also nominated for the Ivor Novello in the same category as the previous year, making the band one of very few consecutive nominees.
They are doing something right, to my ears at least, and in these early days I take immense pleasure from “The Sleeper” in its rereleased form with added bonus EP “A Product Of The Ego Drain”, which compiles singles, B-sides and other unreleased material. This includes “Pancake Day” which instantly demands the creation of a new tradition in my household of being given an annual airing every Shrove Tuesday. This is in part because of its topical title but also to remind me of the subtle wit and humour that pervades some of the band’s lyrics: “I’m not an evil man, on Pancake Day I lent you my frying pan”.
Into The Murky Water
The band’s second album “Into The Murky Water” was released in May 2011 and received glowing critical praise] and gave the band their first chart position. The first single from the album, “This Phantom Life”, was released with a video starring Green Wing’s Mark Heap.
The Leisure Society’s delightful second record arrives as a wonderful surprise: one leg in and one leg out of the current folk-pop scene but utilising their wide stance to confidently deliver a record bedecked in beautiful, swirling melodies and deftly constructed vignettes. The whole record plays out like a sumptuous stage musical: stocked full of dramatic twists, surges of strings, woodwind cascades and a continual desire to find new and improved ways of bringing a song to a mutually satisfied conclusion.
The Leisure Society have a gift of expertly spreading their creativity over the tracks so that you don’t get too much in one place and too little in another – an ideal spread of musical butter. Therefore, everything sounds precisely where it should be: relaxed and naturally weightless. It would be comparatively easy to ratchet this into overwrought rambling and unnecessary intellectualism but they never even come close. From the overture swoops of the opening title track into the gradually-gathering momentum that pirouettes through ‘Dust on the Dancefloor’, the album sounds perfectly pieced and patched together, held close with an invisible seam. Lead singer and writer Nick Hemming is also enough to recognise the value of understanding when a song has been wrung clean of all possibilities (the joyous ‘You Could KeepMe Talking), but also ambitious enough to know when to throw a curveball at a song to change its form and momentum (the gypsy campfire coda to ‘I Shall Forever Remain An Amateur’). The continual intelligence in the songs doesn’t demand the same cerebral connection from the listener, but it certainly does reward it. This is very clever songwriting; made to sound absurdly simple.
In that, and many other senses, “Into The Murky Water” sounds as close to any of The Beatles’ greatest records as anything I’ve heard in the last five years or so. But in terms of the ability to blend disparate elements of pop music together without fear or pretension; writing songs with care for them being pieces of genuine art craft rather than as an exercise or entrepreneurial venture. The result is a truly gorgeous collection of sounds, flourishes and fresh, vibrant ideas and melodies crafted out of wicker and flowers (the subtle orchestration behind the tracks in particular is absolutely beautiful). Lyrically, it doesn’t cover any new ground or contain any shattering proclamations or poetry, but when married to melodies as exquisite as those on display here, you can easily forgive the words settling into a minor degree of complacency.
“Into The Murky Water” won’t change the world. It won’t answer the questions you have about life, the universe and the upcoming zombie apocalypse spawned by the Fukushima Reactor Leak (you heard it here first). It doesn’t need to. What it will do is fill your ears, mind and spirit with a little shaft of sunlight that causes you to delight in the moment and experience. Music doesn’t always need to say or do anything radical but it does need to be committed, genuine, honest and lovingly cultivated. And because the album is drawn from each of those elements, it succeeds admirably: providing a door into a world of spinning umbrellas, bright colours and richly embroided music tapestries. As light, pretty and as aurally satisfying a record as you will hear this year; it proves that sometimes, the good guys really do win. Fuck looking cool, scowling and hiding your face in that dark overcoat; let’s all sing together, shall we? After all, summer’s coming. And lord knows, we could certainly all do with a little smile upon our lips right now…
In many of their songs, the Leisure Society blend sadness with hope, often in two distinct musical sections, the sun coming after the rain, and this is no exception – “We’ll all get somewhere somehow” is the promise. Album closer “Just Like The Knife” provides similar sensation, shifting from the industrial grey of a British seaside fairground in winter to a warm, evening sunlit Hawaiian beach across the space of six minutes.
Alone Aboard the Ark
Onwards, then, to the band’s third studio album “Alone Aboard the Ark” was released, once again receiving a strong critical reaction. “One Man And His Fug” is exactly the sort of song that is all cheery, bouncy chords laced with self-reflection and perverse revelling in sometimes not being very well in the head. I, too, have sometimes missed “the fug of apathy and the grey days it surrounded”; similarly, I have known that “if I say what you want to hear, the face in the mirror won’t look right”. It’s great to have a catchy song to sing these emotions along to.
‘Alone Aboard The Ark’ sees them further reaffirming their quaint old-time charms with a release that looks back, while retaining the air of a band who are happily prepared to continue on their own merry way. It was recorded at Ray Davies’ legendary Konk Studios, and a measure of The Kinks’ 60s charm seems to have rubbed off.
As has become customary for The Leisure Society, Hemming’s lyrics and gift for storytelling once again stand out, his wonderful couplets and warm voice helping to lift many of the weaker moments here above torpor. He is quite the wordsmith, the best evidence of this found in ‘Tearing The Arches Down”s description of a mysterious elusive character, ‘the boy with the bloodshot eyes, a legend in your lunchtime.’ A glimpse at the tracklisting with song titles like ‘One Man And His Fug’, shows his way with a memorable line.
The string-filled climax of ‘All I Have Seen’ veers perilously close to the theatrical. Far better is the graceful, quite lovely waltz of penultimate track ‘We Go Together’, six minutes of sashaying beauty fully emphasising everything heart warming and good about The Leisure Society at their best.
The Fine Art of Hanging On
The band’s fourth studio album “The Fine Art of Hanging On” was released, receiving the strongest critical reaction since their debut. Released a couple of years later, It is a truly wonderful collection of songs. On the follow-up to their 2013 LP, “Alone Aboard the Ark”, the Leisure Society contemplate survival and perseverance with a loosely themed collection called “The Fine Art of Hanging On“. During the writing and recording of the album, a close friend of frontman Nick Hemming’s was waging a losing battle with cancer, and all through the band’s creative process, these recurring ideas of hanging on and grasping kept reappearing in Hemming’s lyrics, resulting in what he has referred to as an “accidental concept album.” Hemming no stranger to melancholic themes, but the overall sunny nature of the Leisure Society’s previous output feels especially counterbalanced here by the weight of desperation and difficulty.
“You’ll Never Know When It Breaks” which is as beautiful a song of love as you could hope to hear. Not fairytale, Hollywood love, but the love that accepts destiny with all its flaws and contradictions – “we decided to be artless and happy” being the ultimate conclusion following the realisation that “It’s no use handing out platitudes, our luck is so uneven you’ll never know when it breaks.”
Musically, the band is as affable as ever, layering these well-crafted songs with the clever Baroque pop arrangements and unique embellishments they’ve become known for. Still, for as tidily orchestrated as they are, songs like “Tall Black Cabins,” which tells the story of a hopeless fishing crew, and the lonely waltz “All Is Now” are powerful and soulful, with a wistful grandeur that supports their subjects. The rhythmic, hooky “Outside In” is another standout with a maudlin streak running through its pop core. “Nothing Like This” is a breezy indie pop confection with a slight Latin flair, and “I’m a Setting Sun” rocks gently with a hopeful and harmonic richness. Still, there is already an overwhelming politeness to most of the Leisure Society’s songs and arrangements, and the tight, almost constricting production style here ensures that any sharp edge or rogue tone has been dealt with.
It makes sense then to conclude with what – for me at least – is the finest moment in the band’s canon: Wide Eyes At Villains. Part one, the lyrical part, begins with us listening to the radio’s gentle music, a direct contrast to the violence of the scene outside, constant promises of change that never materialise. It is a fair reflection on the state of the world today. And then … then … part two. This is the utopia, the promised land. There are no words, just a glorious, building instrumental crescendo with layers of brass, strings and opera.
Arrivals & Departures
Their fifth studio album released January 2019, by the band “Arrivals & Departures” on their own label, Ego Drain Records. A decade into their recording career, England’s amiable chamber pop specialists, the Leisure Society, return with their first double album, a deeply personal self-exploration from frontman Nick Hemming, whose breakup with bandmate Helen Whitaker lies at its thematic core. There has always been an earnest sensitivity to Hemming’s songwriting which the group then trims in garlands of wistful strings, horns, and woodwinds so that even at their most melancholic, there remains a feeling that hope does indeed spring eternal. Such is the case on “Arrivals & Departures”, where over two discs, the band serves up themes of regret and dramatic life changes atop puffed clouds of bittersweet melody and orchestral grandeur with occasional stabs of angry lightning. As with all of the Leisure Society’s output, there is a good deal of thought put into these tightly crafted songs and while tonally, their inter-band drama may sound more like a storm in a teacup, the subtlety of Hemming’s pain lies in the many layers contained within. Take the title cut, for example, where a sad but stately waltz is briefly interrupted by a sudden fuzz-laden bridge whose simmering anguish boils over in tiny discordant notes and anxious effects without straying from its major-key refrain.
While the more obvious references to the transient nature of relationships explain themselves outright, it’s the grace notes and musical subtexts that make “Arrivals & Departures” an interesting listen. The eerie, glistening backdrop of the remorseful “I’ll Pay for It Now” and the distant, distorted hums threading in and out of tracks like “Let Me Bring You Down” and “Leave Me to Sleep” accent the more forthright melodies in enchanting ways. At his core, Hemming is a classic popsmith with an innately optimistic compass, and throughout these 16 tracks, he still manages to transmute his troubles into several rousing, even exultant crescendos and hooks that celebrate the journey more than the arrivals and departures.
Brave Are The Waves
The Leisure Society are back with a new song recorded in collaboration with pioneering musician, producer and artist, Brian Eno. ‘Brave Are The Waves’ is the first feature track from a forthcoming 2023 EP. It was recorded as a one-take live performance at The Kink’s famous ‘Konk’ studios, then sent to regular collaborator and champion of the band, Brian Eno, who created new textures and sounds across the song.
The band first met Eno in 2009 when he emerged as a fan of their debut album, “The Sleeper”. That album went on to be a Rough Trade Album of the Year and secured the band their first record deal, along with those two Ivor Novello nominations. Eno also played on the band’s song ‘I’ll Pay For It Now’, from their last 2019 double album “Arrivals & Departures”.
Emerging from lockdown with a big new collection of songs, The Leisure Society will be doing a small tour in UK later this year,before embarking on a major album tour in 2024.
‘The World From a Window’ is a brand new Leisure Society song, written and recorded in isolation. Not all the band currently have access to a studio, but Bas and Jon mailed over rhythm tracks and Helen offered a last-minute flute part – just as Nick was mixing the final recording (with remote guidance from Christian). Chris Riddell kindly created the beautiful artwork with only a few hours notice. The song is a reflection on the challenges of isolating alone and the comfort that can be found in creativity, nature and the warmth of the sun.
The English alternative rock duo Curve formed in 1990, consisting of Tony Halliday and Dean Garcia. The English alternative rock duo Curve formed in 1990, In 1991, they released their first three EPs, “Blindfold”, “Frozen” and “Cherry”. All three were produced by Steve Osborne, who also worked with U2, New Order and Simple Minds amongst others. The third EP “Cherry” was also known as Clipped / Galaxy and featured four tracks; “Clipped”, “Die Like A Dog”, “Galaxy” and the title track “Cherry”.
In 1991, they released their first three eps, Blindfold, Frozen and Cherry. all three were produced by Steve Osborne, who also worked with u2, new order and simple minds amongst others.
Written by Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia Toni Halliday Voice and Words Dean Garcia Bass Drums Guitars Keys and Programming Alan Moulder Guitar and FX Debbie Smith Guitar Alex Mitchell Guitar Steve Osborne Guitar and Keys (Die Like A Dog) Released October 28th, 1991
After releasing their debut Ep “Blindfold” in 1991, the duo returned after two months with their second Ep “Frozen”. The English alternative rock duo Curve was founded in 1990 by Toni Halliday and DeanGarcia. This 4-track set features “Coast Is Clear”, “The Colour Hurts”, “Zoo” and the title track. Just like the previous EP, “Frozen” was produced by Steve Osborne, who has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Suede, New Order, Elbow, and U2 amongst others. Curve’s music that was ahead of its time with screeching guitars, haunting vocals/lyrics, the whole package. That’s why I continue to love the early Curve stuff.
Produced Engineered and Recorded by Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday at Todal Written by Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia Toni Halliday Voice and Words Dean Garcia Bass Drums Guitars Keys and Programming Alan Moulder Guitar and FX Debbie Smith Guitar Alex Mitchell Guitar
On march 4th, 1991, Curve released their debut ep “Blindfold” EP. The EP contained four tracks in total, “Ten Little Girls”, “I Speak Your Every Word”, “No Escape From Heaven” and the title track “Blindfold”.
The English alternative rock and electronic music duo Curve formed in 1990 by Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia. Producer Alan Moulder was a prominent collaborator who helped shape their blend of heavy beats and densely layered guitar tracks set against Halliday’s vocals. On March 4th, 1991, they released their debut EP “Blindfold” EP. A humble beginning for what I feel is one of the most underrated alternative bands of all time. “Ten Little Girls” sure has the sound of the early 90s to it, what with its shoegaze-y guitar work and the funky rapping during the bridge. It’s the title track and “No Escape from Heaven” though that might have been an early indicator of Curve’s particular charm.
Written by Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia Except “Ten Little Girls” Halliday/Garcia/Pandy Toni Halliday Voice and Words Dean Garcia Bass Drums Guitars Keys and Programming, JC 001 Voice and Words (1) Alan Moulder Guitar and FX Debbie Smith Add Guitar Alex Mitchell Add Guitar Chris Starling Add Guitar (1) David Ruffy Additional Drums (2/4)
