The Fat Angel Sings

Jess Williamson’s “Time Ain’t Accidental” is the sound of a woman running into her life and art head-on, on her own terms for the first time in a long while. With a vocal dynamic kindred to artists like Linda Rondstadt and Emmylou Harris, Williamson blends the emotional immediacy and story-telling of traditional country with the artful, wholly honest transmissions of songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Terry Allen. The album’s reckoning with loss, isolation, romance, and personal reclamation signals both a stylistic and tectonic shift for Williamson: from someone who once made herself small to an artist emboldened by her power as an individual.

“Chasing Spirits” is a strong contender for the year’s most striking opening lines, “are my love songs lies now that the love is gone?” It serves as an introduction to a song that asks throughout what happens when you pour your heart into something, and then it ends. Does it invalidate those feelings you once shared, and do you chase those feelings into the spirits in the sky, or sink into the ones you find in a liquor store? In many ways, Jess seems to be picking up where “Plans”, her duet project with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, left off.

This is many ways a classic country song, with cynicism-free emotional out-pouring, bar-room pianos and luxuriant waves of slide-guitar, it is in the lineage of Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and The Chicks. What really stands out is just how natural this shift seems for Jess, her vocal tone lending itself perfectly to standing tall and proud among the waves of musical emotion. The next stage of a songwriter who with each album never seems content to stand still, this might just be Jess Williamson’s most exciting phase yet.

“Time Ain’t Accidental” is out June 9th via Mexican Summer.

Following its exclusive premiere in London, the trailer for the upcoming documentary film, “Have You Got It Yet?: The Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd”, has been unveiled. The documentary was made with the blessing of the Barrett estate and the permission of Pink Floyd‘s surviving members, the three of whom feature as interview subjects in the film.

“Have You Got It Yet” was directed by the late Pink Floyd art designer Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis with Roddy Bogawa.

Bogowa issued a statement that reads, “Would anyone care about the story of Syd Barrett if Pink Floyd hadn’t become one of the biggest bands of all time? Would Pink Floyd have existed without Syd?

“I miss Storm probably in the same way as many of those in our film miss Syd, a friend who they dearly loved and shared fond memories and adventures — Syd just happened to become one of the most famous cult icons in music.”

Meanwhile, the official synopsis states, “Cult icon, enigma, recluse … the life of Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd, is full of unanswered questions. Until now. Piecing together his comet-like rise to pop stardom, his creative and destructive impulses, breakdown, exit from the band, and subsequent life alone, this feature-length documentary is set against the social context of the explosive ’60s.”

Barrett’s sister, Rosemary Breen, stars alongside Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters, early managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King and musicians influenced by his art, including The Who‘s Pete Townshend and Blur‘s Graham Coxon. The name of the documentary was pulled from an unreleased Syd Barrett song.

“Have You Got It Yet” will be played in UK cinemas from 15th May, with the film moving to the US in June. At the time of writing, no Australian premiere date has been set. Barrett co-founded the iconic psychedelic rock band with Roger Waters and Nick Mason in 1965. The trio released their debut album, “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn” and their second album, “A Saucerful Of Secrets”, in 1967 and 1968, respectively. The sole Pink Floyd releases featuring Barrett, he was replaced by Gilmour in 1968 after dealing with worsening health issues and drug addiction.

Daaistar are four piece Noise-Pop band formed in Austin, Texas in the spring of 2020.

The band takes their inspiration from the neo-psychedelic era of the 80s and 90s (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, Primal Scream) and pulls it into the future with modulating synthesizers, heavy guitars, bouncing bass lines, and spiraling hooks, creating a narcotic blend of noise and melody.

They recently recorded their first studio album produced by frontman Alex Maas of The Black Angels and engineered by James Petralli of White Denim and arrives later in the year.

“There was a time in my life when I wanted to push the boundary of existence both physically and mentally. The memories I have of those days are vague and abstract just like the words written for Tracemaker, but when it’s all put together you begin to understand the meaning. It’s one of my favourite songs on the album and a good indicator of what’s to come from Daiistar. We are thrilled to set home base with Fuzz Club Records and can’t wait to share more with the world.” – Alex Capistran

“Tracemaker” swings forth and back with a wall-of-schizophrenic-guitar sound, Misti Hamrick’s sensual voice and tons of feedback. A mad motherrocker of a groove. These are the kind of bad-ass belters the on-repeat button was invented for. Bang on!

A pivotal record for contemporary times; bright, free, adamant, optimistic. “Brain Worms” is RVG’s fullest, most pristine album yet.
All throughout “Brain Worms”, it’s apparent that this is a band in very fine form. Album opener ‘Common Ground’ sets the tone for what’s to come; a shiny, thrilling, punch of an album, with all the beloved RVG hallmarks. Vager’s voice is unfiltered and commanding as ever when delivering her clever, not-quite-ironic lyrics. Here, though, those lyrics feel so much less resigned to yearning, and so much more defiant and joyous.

‘Tambourine’ is the only Covid song Vager wrote when “trying not to write Covid songs”, and it’s a painfully honest portrait of grieving mid-isolation. “Brain Worms” tells the all-too-familiar story of a person falling down the internet rabbit hole and finding comfort in conspiracies. ‘Nothing Really Changes’ is a keys-heavy new wave-ish thing, while closer ‘Tropic of Cancer’ sparkles with Vager’s self-assured new manifesto: I know what I’m like, and I know how I get. If you think I’m strange, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

“A calling card for outsiders… dynamic and vital post-punk” The Guardian
Bloxham, Nolte, and Wallace are flawlessly adept in bringing Vager’s songwriting to life. Recorded in London at Snap Studios with James Trevascus (Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Billy Nomates), all ten tracks surge with lush sounds and clear intentions — and the magic of an acoustic guitar once owned by Kate Bush, given to her by Tears for Fears (who, legend has it, wrote ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ on it).

Between the four bandmates — lead singer and guitarist Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte and bassist Isabele Wallace — this is the most confident they’ve ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.
“Brain Worms” feels like the antithesis to what a post-pandemic record could easily be. For a band who were already writing music about being reclusive — “we were depressed and not going outside on our first two albums” — the enforced isolation and time to think gave Vager space to write about anything she wanted. And, it turned out, she was ready to write about acceptance.
“If we could only make one more album, it would be this one,” says Vager. 

releases June 2nd, 2023

Written by Romy Vager

The Lemon Twigs’ fourth studio album “Everything Harmony” is out May 5th The album swings between moments of depression and isolation and episodes of dizzying euphoria, a tour de force that arrives as a full realization of the brother duo of Brian and Michael D’Addario’s distinct blend of sunny pop vocals with sophisticated acoustic-folk melodies and rich textures.

It was written, recorded, produced and engineered entirely by The Lemon Twigs across Manhattan, Brooklyn and San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios. The Captured Tracks exclusive is limited to 1000 copies on grape vinyl, and comes with a flexi disc with bonus single “Some Love”.

“Every Day Is The Worst Day Of My Life”, The Lemon Twigs’ fourth single from “Everything Harmony” is out now, accompanied by a brand new music video directed by the brothers and Hilla Eden.

“Everything Harmony” is a tour de force that arrives as a full realization of the brother duo of Brian and Michael D’Addario’s distinct blend of pop vocals with sophisticated acoustic-folk melodies and rich textures, inspired by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Arthur Russell and Moondog. The album swings between moments of depression and isolation and episodes of dizzying euphoria. It was written, recorded, produced and engineered entirely by The Lemon Twigs across Manhattan, Brooklyn and San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios.

The record does nothing more or less than deliver a set of great songs, impeccably produced and opulently arranged. The band’s swooning melodies, weepy strings, and standout vocal harmonies sound better than ever, coupled with songs full of equal parts heartache and longing. The greatest compliment you can give “Everything Harmony” is that it not only evokes the band’s ’70s influences but that it stands amongst them as equals, showing a keen ear for the sonic craftsmanship and pop song writing that made those records great. 

M. Ward is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to prominence in the Portland, Oregon music scene. In addition to his solo work, he is known as a member of She & Him and Monsters of Folk.

The renowned singer/songwriter M. Ward is announcing the new studio album ‘Supernatural Thing.’ His songs “luxuriate in a dream world conjured out of memories, shared stories, and flights of fancy,” Pitchfork says, and the album’s title track also lives in a liminal space in which Elvis comes to him with a message: You Can Go Anywhere You Please.

“Well, all my songs depend on dream-imagery to some extent,” Ward explained, “and this was an actual dream I had about Elvis, when he came to me and said that. I don’t know if it’s pandemic-related or not.” Summing up the emotional tone of the record, Ward also sings on this track: “you feel the line is growing thin / between beautiful and strange.”

After spending the last 3 years in studios in Vancouver, London, Los Angeles and Stockholm im thrilled to announce my new record will be released june 23 2023 on Anti-records

The record is called “Supernatural Thing” and features the talents of @firstaidkitband @nekocaseofficial @shovelsnrope @removador @pressonrecords @gabrielkahane @johnmorganaskew + many more

The first song is out now – “Supernatural Thing” – it started out as an elvis-encounter dream i had right around the time the war against covid was beginning to end.

releases May 5th 2023

produced by M. Ward
all songs written by M. Ward except 6 (david bowie) and 10 (daniel johnston)

“Rains” is an optimistic song about the possibility of renewal. As if encouraging openness to change, springtime points to an inevitable summer that seems unimaginable in a desolate winter. Rainfall ferries away last year’s leaves, reanimates colorless grass, and invites new life to emerge.

released April 27th, 2023
Written in 2021 by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner

The bands latest single ‘ 1 : 18 ‘ is out now. Plucked from our upcoming EP ‘My Eyes, Brother!’ and released by Nice Swan Records. Stream it at this very moment wherever you and your algorithm cultivate each other.

Their flaming intensity/passion-loaded songs all get an enormously adrenalin injection on stage. All burners on. They jump from rock opera to scream-your-lungs-out chants (at times in one and the same song) to barb-wire funk pushed by a brill rhythm section. When they slow down and the lights dim you feel another storm coming. And, yes, the saxophonist and the trumpetist are really special, sonically and visually. Their towering play is a fundamental aspect of who/what Opus Kink is and they look cool as fuck.

Opus Kink high capricious quality song writing and staggering sonic execution. Post-punk exorcism heated up with saxophone and trumpet. Not in a Black Country, New Road way, but rather in a James Brown punk orchestra way. Horntastic awesome.

Besides being blessed with a knife-edged vox, frontman Angus Rogers leads the troops with his big heart, restless soul, and cast-iron determination to make a difference.

Nice Swan Recordings Released on: 2023-04-20

Offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at Jeff Lynne’s creative process and the incredible effort that went into making his landmark concert a reality, it’s a must-have for both ELO fans and music lovers alike.

On 24th June 2017, Jeff Lynne delivered an unforgettable rock ‘n’ roll performance at Wembley Stadium, featuring his 12-member band amid a stunning visual spectacle of pyrotechnics, lasers, and a colossal illuminated spaceship. Over two hours, Lynne presented his group’s most comprehensive setlist to date, encompassing vintage ELO hits like ‘Mr. Blue Sky’, ‘Evil Woman’, and ‘Livin’ Thing’, as well as ‘Do Ya’ from his days with The Move and ‘When I Was A Boy’ from his most recent ELO album, “Alone In The Universe”, and ‘Handle With Care’, which he recorded with the Traveling Wilburys. The concert, which spanned Lynne’s entire career, was performed before a packed audience of 60,000 fans.

“Wembley Or Bust” captures the meticulous production of the show and provides a rare glimpse into Jeff Lynne’s musical vision in an authorised book and vinyl set, taking its format from the playlist of that night with Lynne revealing the stories behind his hits. Limited to just 1,500 numbered copies worldwide, each hand-bound book is personally signed by the author, Jeff Lynne.

For the creation of this book, Jeff Lynne’s ELO was extensively photographed at Wembley Stadium from all vantage points throughout the iconic London venue. The outcome is a stunningly illustrated volume featuring hundreds of original photographs, from backstage to front of house, plus tour memorabilia and ephemera.

For half a century, the musical brilliance of Jeff Lynne has been striking a resounding chord with fans all over world. “Wembley Or Bust” is introduced and narrated throughout by Lynne. He tells the story behind the concert and reflects on each of the show’s songs, drawn from the catalogue of ELO albums that have sold more than 50 million records to date. The book takes its format from the playlist of that night and song by song Lynne reveals the stories behind his hits.