Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn started SST Records to put out his band’s music — because nobody else wanted it. Yet SST became the most legendary of American punk labels, the one every outlaw band wanted to be on. (Until they saw their royalty checks — or didn’t.) Jim Ruland tells the whole messy saga in his un-put-downable “Corporate Rock Sucks”. You might expect it to focus on the big names: Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, The Minutemen. But it covers every record by every obscure punk band in the story, upholding the legacy of Saccharine Trust and Würm. All these years, fans always wondered why the hell SST released so many Zoogz Rift albums, but it turns out most of the SST crew wondered the same thing. (“Sweet Nausea Lick” is still a banger, though.) A classic story: It begins with punk ideals, then ends with everyone hating each other and lawyering up. But in between, a heroic shitload of music.
Pink Floyd quietly released 18 previously unreleased “Dark Side Of The Moon” era live shows on to streaming services, There are 18 previously unreleased Pink Floyd concerts have suddenly appeared unannounced on streaming services over the last few days, all centred around the band’s live activity in 1972 as they road-tested what would become their groundbreaking “The DarkSide Of The Moon” album.
The releases include the band’s four dates at London’s Rainbow Theatre in February of that year and a collection of alternative tracks from the “Dark Side…” album, simply titled “Alternative Tracks 1972“, which features trance remixes and ‘ultra rare’ alternative versions of five of “Dark Side’s” songs, including a rough demo of “On The Run“.
It is widely believed that the band, who also released a slew of live concerts from the early 1970s at this time last year, have released the shows in order to extend the copyright of the recordings.
Fans should be warned that last year the collection of releases disappeared as quietly as they appeared so our suggestion is to make the most of them while you can.
The full list of releases is as follows:
Alternative Tracks 1972
Live At Southampton Guildhall, UK, 23rd January 1972
Live At Carnegie Hall, New York, 5th Feb 1972
Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London 17th February 1972
Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London 18th Feb 1972
Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London 19th Feb 1972
Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London 20th Feb 1972
Live At The Taiikukan, Tokyo, Japan, 3rd Mar 1972
Live At Osaka Festival Hall, Japan, 8th Mar 1972
Live At Nakajima Sports Centre, Sapporo, Japan, 13th Mar 1972
Live At Chicago Auditorium Theatre, USA, 28th April 1972
Live At The Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, 18th May 1972
Live At The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, 22nd Sept 1972
Live At The Empire Pool, Wembley, London, 21st Oct 1972
Live At Ernst-Merck Halle, Hamburg, Germany, 12th Nov 1972
Live At The Palais des Sports, Poitiers, France 29th Nov 1972
Live At The Palais des Sports de L’Ile de la Jatte, Saint Ouen, France, 1st Dec 1972
Live At The Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 5th Dec 1972
Live At The Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 9th Dec 72
As Idles get more and more serious with each release, there’s a void that calls for a band that’s capable of metaphorically either breaking your bones while tickling your funny bone at the same time. Enter the Chats, specifically their second album “Get Fucked”. The riffs are about as subtle as the title, and for 27 minutes, you’re treated to pogoing odes to literally getting struck by lightning to spitting laments about how “the price of smokes are going up again.”
The Australian “shed” rockers make few adjustments from their 2020 debut “High Risk Behavior”, but “Get Fucked” proves there’s still plenty of material that can be mined from being broke, run-ins with the law, and class resentment. If you’re a fan of brutal, hard-edged punk, “Get Fucked” doesn’t offer too much in the way of new surprises, but it’s delivered with such gleeful confidence that you don’t care if the tune is familiar. The Chats provide a much-needed, cathartic jolt of joy with just the right amount of sneering, nihilistic anger.
I absolutely love these drunk crazy Aussie bastards. the pure unfiltered raw energy from these lads is so infectious. I can’t wait to see them live straight bangers.
On the heels of their critically acclaimed self-titled record, La Luz has announced the release of a new single entitled “EndlessAfternoon,” available worldwide on all DSPs. Shana Cleveland of La Luz says that “Endless Afternoon” is a “California lullaby.
The melody for this song came to me while I was hiking in the hills above the Yuba River. About the sweetness found in slow days close to home.” This song is the a-side of a physical 7” that is b/w the track “San Fernando Shadow Blues” (available digitally on June 14th) with both songs physically available on July 7th.
Echo & The Bunnymen’s brilliant 1997 album ‘Evergreen’ is issued on vinyl for the first time, and as a 2CD deluxe.
London Records are to reissue Echo & The Bunnymen’s triumphant 1997 ‘comeback’ album “Evergreen”, which was notable for featuring the UK hit ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’.
The album has been remastered and will be issued on vinyl for the very first time. It will also be available as an expanded 2CD deluxe edition with 21 bonus tracks. Exclusive is a 4-track CD EP called “Peel Session 1997“. This features four tracks recorded at Maida Vale and broadcast on 16th September 1997, three of which are previously unreleased (‘Rescue’ was on CD 2 of the of 1997 2CD special edition).
“Evergreen” marked a critical and commercial renaissance for the band after more than half a decade’s hiatus. In January 1997 Will Sergeant, Les Pattinson and Ian McCulloch came back together in a recording studio for the first time in ten years. The band entered Doghouse studios in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, as fate would have it at the same time as Oasis, leading to ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ featuring a 24-year-old Liam Gallagher on backing “yeah, yeah, yeah!”s and tambourine shakes.
The album entered the UK chart at number eight, in July 1997 and while the two further singles may not have repeated the success of the first, they were certainly popular enough and well played on the radio at the time (they were ‘I Want To Be There (WhenYou Come)’ and ‘Don’t Let It Get You Down’
This was the era in the UK of releasing two CD singles (CD 1 & CD 2) and so there were plenty of bonus tracks to go around. In fact remarkably, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ had six new studio recordings across the seven-inch vinyl and both CD singles. All six of those tracks are appended to the album on the first disc in the forthcoming 2CD deluxe edition. The second disc consists of live tracks and some radio sessions (mostly acoustic).
Speaking about the album today, Ian McCulloch is modest enough. He says it contains “at least three great songs, which is three more than most bands have in their entire catalogue”. He’s referring to ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, ‘Forgiven’ and ‘Just A Touch Away’.
“Evergreen” will be reissued on 18th November 2022, via London Records. The exclusive Peel Session 1997 CD is limited and numbered and is supplied FREE with any order of the 2CD, vinyl or the bundle.
Wednesday’s first single for Dead Oceans is such a spectacular maelstrom of emotion that it’s hard to know where to even begin: Its winding, multi-part journey? Those overpowering yet strikingly textured guitars? Karly Hartzman’s blood-curdling yet exultant screams? Absolutely everything about that outro? The lyrics of ‘Bull Believer’ alone, so dense in their imagery and seemingly disparate references, are worth poring over. But you don’t need to listen to the episode of the country music podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones that the band has cited as an inspiration to be swept away by it.
Wednesday’s approach is visceral, not analytical. Bullfighting becomes a potent metaphor for exploring the cycle of addiction and the intoxication of violence: “God, make me good but not quite yet,” she implores, wounded in a daze, before projecting her anger through a video game: “Finish him!” It’s up to you to figure out how it all bleeds together, but best surrender to the noise – it might just flicker into silence.
The best Alex G songs feel like they’re on the verge of collapse, stretching their foundation to a breaking point or very nearly losing the plot altogether. These are either simple songs twisted and gnarled into complicated ones, or entire albums’ worth of ideas crammed into four-minute roller-coaster rides. Either way, Alex G songs—and in turn, albums—are really not like anything else in popular indie rock at the moment.
“God Save the Animals”is the most succinct and effective collection Alex Giannascoli has ever assembled, an album that takes the best bits from his already-expansive discography and places them in a wonderfully compelling conflict. For example, you have the quite beautiful, homespun sunrise of a song “Early Morning Waiting” placed directly beside “Blessing,” a gear-grinding assault on the senses.
‘Runner’ opens with a pretty modest and heartfelt sentiment: “I like people who I can open up to/ Who don’t judge for what I say, but judge me for what I do,” Alex Giannascoli sings over an acoustic guitar progression reminiscent of Soul Asylum’s ‘Runaway Train’. This being an Alex G song, of course, things quickly get a little weird (“They hit you with the rolled-up magazine”), and, by the time he repeats “I have done a couple of bad things,” somehow cathartically grim. You even begin to question whether he’s singing from the perspective of a human being – after all, that scream he unleashes is one of primal anguish, and the album it’s lifted from is called “God Save the Animals”.
But while Giannascoli likes to keep things at least a little bit messy and abstruse, ‘Runner’ is a stunning reminder that no one walks that line between accessible and eccentric songwriting quite like Alex G. More than any other time, he really takes the ball and runs with it.
“I don’t have a lot to say,” Alex Giannascoli, who performs as Alex G, says with a laugh after his first song behind the Tiny Desk. Judging from his discography alone, that’s not something you might ordinarily accuse the Philly singer-songwriter of: nine full-length albums in the last dozen years, in addition to a couple EPs and a film soundtrack.
His prodigious output of melodic, peculiar indie rock has earned him a cult-beloved status. True, he got to play guitar on a couple Frank Ocean tracks — but for a more accurate indication of the fervour of his fanbase, turn your attention to the internet: the hours-long playlists of unreleased Alex G demos painstakingly assembled by fans on YouTube, for example, or the raucous chatter among his fans on message boards. At the Tiny Desk, Alex G and his band dialed down the volume for a handful of songs from across his vast discography. They started with a couple songs from his stellar new album, “God Save The Animals”, and also played some deeper cuts: “Gretel,” a wonderfully creepy track from 2019’s “House of Sugar”, and “Snot,” the closer from 2015’s “Beach Music”. Under the layers of electronics, experimentation and vocal effects on Alex G’s studio records, you might lose sight of Giannascoli’s primary strength as a songwriter and the emotional core of his music. But at the Tiny Desk, the stripped-down sound only underscored the sturdiness of his craft — no explanation required.
Set List: “Runner” “Miracles” “Gretel” “Snot”
Musicians Alex Giannascoli: vocals, guitar Samuel Acchione: guitar, vocals John Heywood: bass, vocals Thomas Kelly: drums Molly Germer: violin, piano
This is what you get when you dive into an Alex G record, despite what some of his more popular songs might suggest. It’s been this way for a while, but never has he captured every side of his songwriter ability quite as well as on “God Save the Animals”.
Alex G – ‘God Save The Animals’ out now on Domino Recordings.
Even if you know nothing about the lore surrounding Ethel Cain, ‘American Teenager’ immediately registers as a massive heartland anthem. For the uninitiated, it also serves as an introduction to the all-American tale she masterfully lays out in “Preacher’s Daughter”, delivered here in its most accessible form – when the American dream has dimmed but not fully subverted, and searching desperation has yet to take its toll. She offers a glimpse of small-town life with references to high school football and crying under the bleachers, memories that haven’t lost their tinge of romance. ‘American Teenager’ doesn’t mask disillusionment so much as it soars through it, using it as fuel for her own path to self-actualization: “I don’t need anything from anyone/ It’s just not my year/ But I’m all good out here,” she sings, which could sound like slyly twisting the truth for the sake of hope. But how you could not believe it when out here sounds so magnificent?
Ethel Cain performing live in the KEXP studio. Recorded August 19th, 2022.
Songs: A House In Nebraska Thoroughfare Crush Sun Bleached Flies
Hayden Anhedönia (aka Ethel Cain) – Piano / Vocals Steven Colyer – Guitar Caden Clinton – Percussion
An artist who continues to exist on another creative plane entirely, Björk is consistent in pushing the envelope across almost every conceivable element, album after album. Fossora remains among her most joyful records of recent ties but also ranks among her most personal. Bringing her family – son Sindri and daughter Ísadóra – along for the ride, the project took shape amidst a pandemic return home, her mother’s passing, and Ísadóra leaving the nest.
Art pop’s most unpredictable auteur is back with her tenth studio work. Björk’s tenth bass-clarinet-featuring album draws from traditional Icelandic music to contemporary classical, reggaeton, and gabber club with collaborators El Guincho, Gabber Modus Operandi and serpentwithfeet. The title is made up by the artist and she says it “‘is the feminine of fossore ( digger, delver, ditcher ). so in short it means ‘she who digs’ ( into the ground).
It’s been her biggest gap between albums yet, so we’re very pleased to have a new Björk LP in our hands as she’s a firm favourite around these parts. Almost forty years into her wide-ranging musical career now and she’s showing no signs of slowing down in her remarkable creativity.
‘Fossora’ both pulls from and expands her past work with rich string orchestras, lush electronics, and hectic beats, whilst touching on new themes of parental loss, homecoming, belonging, and motherhood.
Björk explains how she decided to make mushrooms the spirit fungus animating her 10th album, Fossora,
“each album always starts with a feeling that i try to shape into a sound this time around the feeling was landing on the earth and digging my feet into the ground
how i experience the “now” is also woven into how it is written this time around 7 billion of us did it together nesting in our homes quarantining our mutual “now” is being so long in one place that we shot deep roots down
my new album “fossora” is about that it is a word i made up it is the feminine of fossore ( digger, delver, ditcher.) so in short it means “she who digs” ( into the ground ) therefore when i was describing the sound to the musicians on it , i would call it my mushroom album.”
Björk’s unconventional approach to sound has long been etched into the fabric of her music, but the idiosyncratic structure of ‘Ancestress’ serves as another way of honouring her mother. A devastatingly stirring epitaph, the song finds Björk wrestling with grief in terms both poetic and startingly human – and often both, like when she describes her mother’s dyslexia as the “ultimate free form.” As she stretches her voice and the accompanying instrumental over the course of seven minutes, the ballad juxtaposes sweeping strings with off-kilter percussion to offer a vivid portrait of their relationship, its echo reverberating in the harmonies provided by her son, Sindri Eldon. “Nature wrote this psalm/ It expands this realm,” she sings, gracefully ceasing control. In this act of unlocking memories and letting go, she suggests, we also end up seeing ourselves.
I am so immensely grateful to Pierpaolo Piccioli for designing and giving all of us the phenomenal Valentino costumes for this video . i enjoyed our talks and his understanding of mothers , their colour palette and agnostic spirituality , i thank him for his intelligent understanding and adding his beauty and talented craftsmanship to this short film .
At least three of the tracks – “Ancestress”, “Her Mother’s House” and “Atopos” rank among her best work, and she’s back on form vocally too, but the album’s biggest achievement lies in its balance – a perfect equilibrium of playfulness, accessible and thematic cohesion.
‘Pressure Cooker’ was already a pretty fleshed-out Dazy song when Militarie Gun entered the picture, but it takes more than a Venn diagram approach to collaboration, instead using it as a chance to tread unexplored territory. On the surface, it’s the sort of hooky alt-rock jam that Dazy’s James Goodson amply supplies on his solo material, but vocalist Ian Shelton manages to inject it with the spirit of hardcore – not by screaming, but with the bits he adds in the background or just before belting out the chorus – while Justin Pizzoferrato’s mixing helps balance out any potentially opposing elements.
Things just sort of keep piling up, and no sing-along anthem this year made it quite so easy to join in the commiseration.
released March 14th, 2022
Written by Dazy & Militarie Gun. Dazy recorded at home.
