The first-ever vinyl release for this 2003 EP—featuring covers of Beck, Kylie Minogue, and Radiohead—isn’t only a look back at a pinnacle in the career of the Flaming Lips, but a testament to their longetivity.
The Flaming Lips career consists of four distinct phases. First came the Oklahoma band’s LSD-drenched psychedelic years, which lasted from 1986 through 1990. Phase two (1992-1997) found them sign to Warner Bros. and achieve radio success with “She Don’t Use Jelly.” In their third phase (1999-2009), they proved themselves more than just a one-hit wonder and barnstormed the mainstream via the universally beloved “The Soft Bulletin” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”. In phase four (2009-present), the Lips embraced their mainstream appeal by collaborating with Miley Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves, and Chris Martin and venturing even further into parts unknown.
It can be argued that the Flaming Lips’ greatest musical achievements came during that third phase (though it’s too premature a debate, as they’re still going strong and if they get their wish could be the first band to perform in outer space). There was a pivotal moment in this era when the Lips captured lightning in a bottle, attracted fresh legions of fans, and cemented their sheer brilliance. That artistic and commercial breakthrough was 2002’s “Yoshimi”.
One of the first great records of the century, it documented the Lips reaching a level of transcendence usually occupied by mystics. A spiritual plane where one embraces both life and death with equal amounts of love, joy, and tears.
Proving the vitality of “Yoshimi”, the Lips’ follow-up came after the longest break between full-lengths in their now-40-year career. However, shortly after “Yoshimi”, the band did slip out an EP named after its first song and third single: “Fight Test.” Much more than just a release intended to capitalize on their newfound success, “Fight Test” also featured live versions of songs by Radiohead, Beck, and Kylie Minogue, two original compositions (one a public thank-you letter to Jack White), and a nine-minute remix of the “Yoshimi” single “Do You Realize??” While EPs are often excluded from discussions about great albums, “Fight Test”,like The Flaming Lips themselves, are an exceptional case. At almost 33 minutes in length, “Fight Test“ is practically an LP. Plus, it charted and it earned the Lips a GRAMMY nomination.
Stunningly, Warner Bros. didn’t issue “Fight Test” on vinyl until now, 20 years after its initial release. While it doesn’t contain any new material—the record is too perfect for that—the ruby red disc is nonetheless as valuable as a golden ticket inside a packaged candy bar (and if Wayne Coyne isn’t the Willy Wonka of rock and roll, who is?).
The “Fight Test” vinyl reissue is not only a look back at a pinnacle in the career of the Lips, but a testament to their immortality. They’re a band that has never stopped burning bright and has never faded away.
Sweet Pill lands in the sweet spot between melancholic Midwest emo and noodly math rock, grungily processing these two influences into their recent debut album “Where the Heart Is”—a more emo-pop take on the sounds their Philly peers in Mannequin Pussy have been churning. We don’t wanna give away any spoilers, so you’ll have to catch one of their sets to find out where, exactly, their hearts are.
Philadelphia’s Sweet Pill write eruptive emo songs that embrace the edges of pop and hardcore. The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene—through a handful of notable side projects and the show-promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective—the quintet’s sound takes wide-spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.
Band members
Jayce Williams
Sean McCall
Zayna Youssef
Ryan Cullen
Chris Kearney
“High Hopes” is taken from Sweet Pill’s ‘Where the Heart Is’, out now via Topshelf Records
Being “kind of a shoegaze band”—and who isn’t these days?—is just one of the many appeals of Goon. But perhaps more importantly and distinctively and can’t-miss-them-ly, that influence is powerfully counterbalanced by both psych rock and grunge, landing them somewhere fairly indistinguishable on the genre map once you factor in the constant string section embedded in their newest album, “Hour of Green Evening”.
Some sweet new takes on slightly less new tracks. “Flower Bell” is a painfully good (and short) track that captures the best of a “feel good” Boards of Canada track, while still being distinctly Goon. The production choices and lo-fi aesthetics combine to form a different-but-totally-valid take on what “sounds like nostalgia” actually sounds like.
Unreleased B-sides, alternate versions and demos from “Hour of Green Evening” and a re-vamped version of ‘Another Window‘
There are few artists who can instantly capture a brand new audience with just a few songs, but that is what Los Angeles-based musician and songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum has done with her new project Blondshell. Her first single “Olympus” caused a lot of buzz, but when “Kiss City” — an intimate track about the vulnerability of sex and love– dropped, every music critic, publication and fan alike knew she was an artist on the rise. Whether it’s through punchy rock ‘n’ roll tracks or channeling ’90s-era femme fatales, Teitelbaum is writing anthems for a new generation of angsty alt-rock lovers.
If you subscribe to the annual thinkpiece-floated idea that rock and roll is dead, how do you explain this [slams a vinyl copy of Blondshell’s self-titled debut on the table in front of you]? What Sabrina Teitelbaum accomplishes with Blondshell is an utterly streamlined take on good-times rock music without getting hung up on genre.
After establishing herself with self-examining alt-rock, Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, is primed to release her debut self-titled album later this month via Partisan. Singles “Veronica Mars” and “Kiss City” pull from the likes of Hole and The Cranberries, echoing mid-90s rock with an introspective modern edge. Having moved on from the coming-of-age pop Teitelbaum made with previous projects, Blondshell proves that being true to yourself is a creative process like no other.
Blondshell’s cover of The Cranberries’ “Disappointment,” out now on Partisan Records the self-titled debut album, out April 7th
The album’s seemingly brief tracklisting belies a work of great beauty and depth, and one which turned into a one-man crusade for singer/guitarist Lars Andersson, intertwining deeply personal stories with his love for the era of Romanticism. “Every time I go to a museum and I’m about to pass through the era of Romanticism I stop in awe,” says Lars of the enduring appeal of the 18th century artistic movement. “Whatever it is – stories, paintings, music – it triggers something deep within me, something profoundly human. It really hits a nerve, and it utterly immerses me to a point where I can’t move.”
The album replicates this feeling; a gloriously over-the-top blend of Slowdive and Sigur Rós, mixed with the single-mindedness of Daniel Johnston and the noisiness of Nirvana, it’s as bold and beautiful and every bit as ornate as the art that inspired it. Unlike their acclaimed debut, 2019’s “All That Ever Could Have Been”, which gradually came into focus with a 15-minute opening track, “Picturesque” hits home from the very first note of the short and sweet opener, ‘Ballerina’. That’s not to say there aren’t epics here – ‘Metamorphosis’ is essentially a 12-minute suite of three movements; blistering closer ‘The Lot’ is 11 minutes of Swans-inspired heaviness – but everything is much more direct and focused.
“Picturesque“ is on Sonic Cathedral – thanks to everyone involved, man, it’s been a journey, Huge thanks also to Dinked for picking this one up for a special edition of the record, there has been a huge demand for that version so far. Additionally to the UK, “Picturesque” is also available to order now on Vinyl and CD
This isn’t an album to lose yourself in, it’s one to get swept away by. “‘More is more’ was definitely the credo when making this record,” agrees Lars. “A big inspiration were bands like Pond and the way they manage to fill their songs up with stuff to the absolute maximum. While I definitely tried to give the listener some room to breathe at certain points and while, in good old post-rock fashion, it still builds up and breaks down, it relies much more on simple melody and harmony as opposed to noisy experimentation to transport feeling.” Never more so than on the first single, ‘The Golden Age’, which is the album’s centre-piece; a soaring slice of über-shoegaze that is so stunning you can’t take your eyes or ears off it.
Like all the songs on the album, it’s based around a fairy-tale from the Romantic era. with Lars drawing parallels between the titular character’s mystical and romantic searchings and his own personal quest. This is apt as the album has been an overriding obsession for Lars for the past two-and-a-half years; as well as writing and recording the songs (bandmate Phillip Dornauer played drums), he also mixed and mastered them at his Alpine Audio studio and “Picturesque” is very much his Brian Wilson or Kevin Shields moment. Molly were in the middle of their European tour when Covid hit in early 2020, forcing Lars to retreat back to his home outside Innsbruck and giving him time and space to think about every detail of the record.
“Good golly this MOLLY album is beautiful. ‘Picturesque’ is first and foremost a chance to be overwhelmed by elegance and power and an otherworldly glow.” – Stereogum (Album Of The Week)
“Sonically, Sigur Rós are still in there, but MOLLY’s sound scapey aspects have entered a frequently beautiful territory bordering that of second LP Slowdive. Heady. Audacious too.” – MOJO (4/5)
“Picturesque establishes itself as the definitive album in MOLLY’s short discography.” – Allmusic (4/5)
“Highly recommended. Will certainly finish Top 50 of the year.” – Album Of The Year
“Picturesque” is a fairy tale in music, captivating, poignant, celestial and capable of drawing us in completely; “Picturesque” is a sound temple in which mind and sight are lost, constantly captured and everything is amplified. It’s a unique sensation. The first big album of 2023 is already here.” – Indie For Bunnies (8/10)
“The result is an Album that is as huge and expensive as it is detailed and introspective.“ – Uncut Magazine (7/10)
“Picturesque“ sounds like being blasted with pure light that washes over you like a giant blissed-out wave.” – BrooklynVegan
“Picturesque“ is a post-gaze record that, subtleties aside, evokes the beauty of the Austrian alps. Some would, dare I say it, go as far as describing the album as picturesque.” – Sputnik Sound (3.5/5)
On his fifth album as H.Hawkline, songwriter Huw Evans delivers a masterclass in subtly, craft and understated performance. His finest work yet and among our best albums in March .
Six years after Huw Evans released “I Romanticize” under the H. Hawkline name, he returns triumphantly with “Milk For Flowers” for Heavenly Recordings. Agony and elegance stare each other down across the record’s 10 tracks, with Evans’ distinctive voice remaining the star of the show. Evans’ voice is always in conversation with gorgeous, punctuated instrumental arrangements, generating music with multiple dazzling focal points that make “Milk For Flowers” a thoroughly engaging listen.
That said, the record’s vocal profundity is novel for Evans, reflecting a newfound lyrical urgency. Evans describes it succinctly: “I had to sing.” As sweet and shimmering as the saxophones are on a track like “Plastic Man,” Evans’ lyrics transform them into sirens of impending disaster as he demands “help me, help me, help me, help me.” Brass and keys are his preferred prisms through which to reflect his urgent emotions. They burn brightest on “Mostly,” a swaying meditation on mortality where Evans repeats, in falsetto, “I wanna die, I wanna die / I wanna die happy.”
On tracks like “I Need Him,” the subtle percussion, gentle keys and acoustic guitar generate a more subtle but excellently intimate atmosphere. “Milk For Flowers” is, without a doubt, H. Hawkline’s most vulnerable record, but his gently theatrical gestures and Le Bon’s measured production cultivate such an inviting atmosphere that it’s worth stepping out of yourself for those 46 glimmering minutes.
Produced with long-time collaborator and celebrated solo artist Cate Le Bon, “Milk For Flowers” is sad, but certainly not without hope. Many of the songs are fragile – and his voice throughout is just sublime in its vulnerability – but the album is entirely void of sentimentalism; plaintive and honest, some of the most enthralling we’ve heard in ages.
‘Milk For Flowers’ is the title track and first single from H. Hawkline’s new album.
Legendary progressive rock band Yes toured the USA and performed their 1980 album “Drama” in its entirety, together with sides one and four of their 1973 classic “Tales from Topographic Oceans”. The band released a live album, “Topographic Drama: Live Across America”, which features recordings from this tour.
This live release – which also includes some fan favourites like “Roundabout” and “Starship Trooper” – has audio taken from 12 dates recorded in February 2017, by the then current Yes line-up: Steve Howe (guitars), Alan White (drums), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Billy Sherwood (bass), Jon Davison (vocals), and additional drummer for this tour Jay Schellen.
“Topographic Drama”– Live Across America” highlights the best performances from the 2017 leg of the 28-show tour and mirrors the set list from those concerts. Each night, Yes opened with all six songs from the 1980 album “Drama” the band’s tenth studio album, which peaked at #2 on the U.K. album chart. Standouts include “Machine Messiah,” “Tempus Fugit” and the album’s only single “Into The Lens.” After Drama, the band shifted gears for songs from two of its best-selling albums: “And You And I” from 1972’s “Close To The Edge” and “Heart Of The Sunrise” from 1971’s “Fragile”.
Next, the group played the opening and closing tracks of its concept album, “Tales From Topographic Oceans” (1973). Howe’s exceptional guitar work on “The Revealing Science Of God” and White’s propulsive drumming on “Ritual” have always been regarded as ground-breaking. The album concludes with two live staples: “Roundabout” from “Fragile” (1971) and “Starship Trooper” from “The Yes Album” (1971). Among the world’s most influential, ground-breaking, and respected progressive rock bands, Yes was founded in 1968. The Grammy-Award® winning recording artistshave sold more than 50 million records in a career that has so far spanned six decades.
This set is on double CD and as a 3LP vinyl package, with cover and design by – you guessed it – Roger Dean.
“Topographic Drama: Live Across America” released by Rhino Records in November 2017.
“The Valley Of Vision” is the follow up project to Manchester Orchestra’s masterpiece, “A Black Mile To The Surface”. These songs stemmed from Black Mile but the band switched things up creatively and holed themselves up in a home studio in Muscle Shoals. This is another excellent piece of work from the band which really showcases how they are becoming important record makers both through Andy Hull’s song writing and their innovation of sound in the studio.
Manchester Orchestra are the best Rock Band in America and “The Valley Of Vision” continues to prove that to us.
It shall forever remain a mystery as to why Juicy Lucy (like The Pink Fairies)never hit the big time. They had all the essential ingredients including a hard, bluesy sound but I guess kick ass rock bands were an oversubscribed profession in the early ‘70s and it was easy to get lost in the shuffle. However, as if to remind the record buying public of their folly BGO Records have lovingly remastered the band’s first three albums to show us exactly what we’ve been missing.
The Blues rockers Juicy Lucy were formed after the demise of The Misunderstood by Glenn Ross Campbell with Chris Mercer, ex-John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. They recruited Keith Ellis (Koobas), Neil Hubbard (The Grease Band), Ray Owen and Pete Dobson
In March 1970, ‘Who Do You Love’ entered the UK Top 10 singles chart (the first single released on the Vertigo label), shortly followed by the ‘Juicy Lucy’ album, which made the Top 50 albums chart ‘Lie Back And Enjoy It’ came out later in the year (again on Vertigo), this time with ex-Zoot Money vocalist and bassist Paul Williams and with Micky Moody on guitar
‘Get A Whiff’ was released by Bronze Records in 1971, but by 1972, with an ever-changing personnel, the group disbanded
Formed by Glenn Ross Campbell who relocated to London (via the States) and brought with him a slice of Americana that was married to the British blues and the result was the energetic Juicy Lucy. Their debut album, 1970’s eponymously titled “JuicyLucy“, opened with more than a touch of southern rock and ‘Mississippi Woman’ could quite easily have originated in New Orleans but what set Juicy Lucy apart was the addition of Chris Mercer’s saxophone. Maybe not your first thought when thinking hard rock instrumentation but it works precisely because it’s not overplayed; brought to the fore at certain moments it adds another texture to an already luxuriant, fruity sound. A cover of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love?’ was the album’s lead single and gate crashed the national charts and it’s a high octane rendition that foreshadowed the energetic pub rock of Dr. Feelgood.
“Juicy Lucy”was released in an age when music was strictly codified and psych, blues, funk and rock all existed as separate entities and, although it makes perfect sense now, the mixing of these genres to contemporary ears must have sounded a tad eclectic. With a touch of The Stooges ‘Just One Time’ perfectly captured that moment in time when the hippy dream turned into a LSD nightmare while Campbell’s steel guitar adds a country vibe to ‘Chicago-North Western’. A funked up version of ‘Nadine’ puts a quintessentially English slant on Chuck Berry’s rock n’ roll classic and while this may sound a musical dichotomy
Juicy Lucy push it with enough confidence so it actually works. The late night Stones-ish ‘Are You Satisfied’ brings the album to a fitting conclusion while ‘Walking Down The Highway’ is added as a bonus cut. Far to be good to tucked away on the flip of their debut single it shows what a rich seam the band were mining and is testament to their being criminally overlooked.
By the time “Lie Back And Enjoy It” hit the streets in October 1970 Juicy Lucy had undergone some major line up changes but this second disc pretty much continues where the first left off. If anything it’s a brash, more confident band painting their sound with bold splashes of vibrant colours. New drummer Rod Coombes immediately makes his presence felt on opener ‘Thinking Of My Life’ and he brings the funky vibe, previously hiding in the shadows, to the fore. Likewise, Paul Williams stakes his claim to the mic and his whisky-croak adds an authenticity to a muscular version of Willie Dixon’s ‘Built For Comfort’. Williams was also a fine songwriter and his contribution to almost every original track gives
“Lie Back” a more focused, unified feel than its predecessor. Guitarist Mick Moody (later of Whitesnake) was another new edition and he compliments Campbell well on a run through of Frank Zappa’s ‘Willie The Pimp’ while another strong B-side ‘I Am A Thief’ is added as a bonus cut and bolsters an already strong album.
Released in August ‘71 the provocatively titled“Get A Whiff Of This” found more changes in the Juicy Lucy camp (this time Jim Leverton replacing original bassist Keith Ellis) leaving just two members who released their debut barely a year before. Internal band tribulations mean you can definitely hear the musical dynamic shifting with Moody’s slide guitar overriding Campbell’s steel and Mercer’s sax, once a key component, now rather subdued and buried deep in the mix. It’s essentially the same Juicy Lucy only delivering a more straight ahead rock sound that was more in keeping with the times. There’s flashes of Lucy’s former brilliance on cuts like ‘Sunday Morning’ and ‘Big Lil’ but “Get A Whiff Of This”shines brightest on its cover versions. Both the Allman Brothers’ ‘Midnight Rider’ and a lively take of Bobby Darin’s ‘Harvest’ add a touch of variety and make a good album great.
For far too long Juicy Lucy have been a mere footnote in the annuls of rock but hopefully this set, lovingly and respectfully compiled by BGO Records, will elevate their status.
A group of name-banders recording three well-reviewed albums on major labels in barely 18 months, by most criteria should have laid solid foundations for a glittering career. Their debut single was a hit for them (but not its famous writer), and in May 1970 featured in the NME’s poll-winners concert as well as renowned festivals such as Weeley. Their origins were pretty tasty too. It’s those defining three LPs that have just been reissued by BGO on two remastered CDs, slipcased with a fascinating chunky booklet penned by one who saw them in 1970.
Half the band formed as The Misunderstood in California during 1965, first as a blues band then mixing feedback and Eastern raga rhythms as psychedelia dawned. Enter a deejay/salesman who happened to be a local Liverpudlian at the time of Mersey mania, John Peel. Seeing them at a new shopping centre, he was mesmerized by the energetic performance and sound, later saying that their gig in Hollywood was among the best he’d ever seen. One of two Misunderstood ignored singles on Fontana remained in his box of 50 favourites to the end.
As manager he suggested England, though they arrived before he did in ‘67, then split due to hassles such as draft dodging despite Peel showcasing them on Radio London’s Perfumed Garden. An Emi disc acetate exists of four recordings soon after landing in London, probably helped by Peel’s brother Alan. Calling Peel their “surrogate father”, it seems odds-on that the next incarnation would be watched. Misunderstood’s Glenn Ross Campbell (vocals, steel guitar, mandolin, ex-Dirty Blues Band), Neil Hubbard (guitars, ex-Graham Bond, Bluesology), Chris Mercer (sax, keys, ex-John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) were joined by Ray Owen (vocals), Keith Ellis (bass, vocals, ex-Koobas, VDGG) and Pete Dobson (drums, ex-Junior Conquest) forming Juicy Lucy named after a sex-worker in Leslie Thomas’ bestseller The Virgin Soldiers; Sweaty Betty was one rejected moniker.
They signed to Bronze Agency founded by Gerry Bron (1933-2012), brother of the well-known actress Eleanor; he also managed Uriah Heep (producing 14 of their LPs) and Colosseum. Bron was involved with Philips who wanted a progressive rock label, Vertigo, in late 1969. Producing their LP at IBC Studio in London, full-page adverts in IT (International Times) and NME announced the initial three releases with Juicy Lucy’s eponymous platter climbing to #53 in the UK charts. The cover, featuring dancer Zelda Plum (who appeared with them live sometimes) covered in fruit, caught attention in the same way as Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. But her maturer years was a conscious decision pointing to their musical experience.
Over the past 20 years, The New Pornographers have proven themselves one of the most excellent bands in indie rock. The group’s ninth album and first for Merge establishes them alongside modern luminaries like Yo La Tengo and Superchunk when it comes to their ability to evolve while still retaining what made them so special in the first place. A dazzling and intriguing collection of songs, “Continue as a Guest” finds bandleader A.C. Newman and his compatriots Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey, and Joe Seiders exploring fresh territory and shattering the barriers of their collective comfort zone.
The Canadian indie-rock band The New Pornographers have graced the new year with a new single, “Really Really Light,” the first from their upcoming album “Continue as a Guest”, set to release on March 31st with Merge Records. A.C. Newman began work on “Continue as a Guest” over the course of a year after the band had just finished touring behind 2019’s “In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights”. The album covers themes of isolation, mundane feelings of everyday life and being chronically online amidst the pandemic. The 10-track record is produced by Newman.
Newman says that “Continue as a Guest’s” title track also addresses the concerns that come with being in a band for so long. “The idea of continuing as a guest felt apropos to the times,” he explains. “Feeling out of place in culture, in society, being in a band that has been around for so long—not feeling like a part of any zeitgeist, but happy to be separate and living your simple life, your long fade-out. Living in a secluded place in an isolated time, it felt like a positive form of acceptance: find your own little nowhere, find some space to fall apart, continue as a guest.”
Newman discovered new vocal approaches within his own talent. There are new and rich tones to Newman’s voice throughout “Continue as a Guest”, from his dusky lower register over “Angelcover” to his slippery slide over the glimmering synths of “Firework in the Falling Snow,” to bold tones he embraces on the soaring “Bottle Episodes.” Another sonic change comes courtesy of saxophonist Zach Djanikian, whose tenor and bass luxuriate all over “Continue as a Guest’s” alluring chassis, especially on the menacing build of “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies.”
Along with Newman’s usual collaborators, several songwriters contribute. The bursting opener and first single “Really Really Light” is a co-write with Dan Bejar (Destroyer, the New Pornographers). Then there’s “Firework in the Falling Snow,” a collaboration with Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and Sad13. “I was feeling like I wanted some help, so I sent it to Sadie and she sent me back this complete song that had these great lyrics,” Newman says. “She included the line ‘A firework in the falling snow,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s great.’ Sometimes you need that one thing to center the song, and even though I only used a few lines of hers in the end, I couldn’t have finished it without her.”
Even as Newman embraces a collaborative spirit more than ever, “Continue as a Guest” is a testament to his ability to discover new artistic sides of himself. “I started out as a songwriter more than as a singer, but at some point, you have to sing your own songs,” he says with a chuckle. “For a long time, I felt like the idea of changing a song because I couldn’t hit a note wasn’t okay – I could just get someone else to sing it. But I’m learning now that my songs can actually be a lot more malleable than I thought.” And it’s in that spirit that “Continue as a Guest” sounds like a thrilling path forward for The New Pornographers, with songs that generate a contagious feeling of excitement for the future as well.
