The Fat Angel Sings

Earlier this year, Evan Dando announced the first Lemonheads album in 19 years, sharing a new single, the J Mascis and Juliana Hatfield-featuring ‘Deep End’. The group has revealed the album’s release date titled: “Love Chant” arrives October 24th via Fire Records.

Check out the new track ‘In the Margin’ below, “I wanted to have a riffy song, so I wrote riffs all over it,” Dando said of the loud, propulsive new song. “The body of the song was Marciana’s (Marciana Jones). It’s like a full-on 8th grade girl revenge song: ‘Stupidly I left the escape plans out so they could find my way.’”

Much of the new LP was tracked in Brazil, where Dando is now based. It was produced by Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Apollo Nove, and, along with Mascis and Hatfield, features contributions from Tom Morgan (who co-wrote ‘Deep End’), producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony and the Johnsons), Nashville singer-songwriter Erin Rae, John Strohm of the Blake Babies, Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond, and Adam Green of The Moldy Peaches.

Royel Otis are set to release their second album this year, “…because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world,” Royel Otis say of their second album’s title. Explaining that lascivious title, Royel Otis share: “…because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world.”

The band’s album announcement follows the release of the record’s first single, “Moody”, which was initially teased at a sold-out show in Los Angeles in May.

When revealing the meaning about “Moody”, the Sydney pair of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic got straight to the point: “It’s a song about a girl.” The single was co-written with Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen and produced by Blake Slatkin (Gracie Abrams, Omar Apollo, Charli XCX).

Royel Otis have several European shows coming up, including an appearance at the iconic Glastonbury Festival on June 29th.

At the turn of the year, Pavlovic teased their new music, confirming they’d be creating new songs “pretty soon.” “We’ll start working on some stuff in early January. We’ve got a little bit of time away to just work on some music,” he said at the time.

I don’t know how anyone has an actual schedule or a routine of how they write songs. We just work together, bounce ideas off each other. We like showing each other ideas, demos that we’ve recorded at home or something like that. And then we work from there.” The process, “it’s always different. It’s like building a cake,” Maddell added.

Last year was a massive year for Royel Otis: with a top 10 album, a Billboard Hot 100 debut, ARIA wins (including Best Group), international tours, a sold-out homecoming at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, and even a DJ set at Beyond the Valley

“Hickey” will arrive on August 22nd via Ourness / Capitol Records. It’s the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the indie-pop duo’s hit debut album, “Pratts & Pain” (2024).

If you’ve ever wondered where the legendary 1960s British blues-rock power trio Cream found “I’m So Glad” one of the key songs they reinterpreted and reinvigorated so masterfully on “Fresh Cream“, their highly influential debut December 1966 LP, look no further than the final track on Skip James album “Today!”, this amazing 1966 album . While James originally recorded many songs in the 1930s (including those for the Paramount label), the takes found on “Today!” technically, his second-ever album! are re-recordings performed mostly solo on guitar and piano. On “Today!”, James’ voice is curiously, and interestingly, reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield.

Three original pressings of “Today!” are currently on Discogs, ranging in price from about $70 to $150. So, again, a good-quality, reasonably priced reissue of this key blues album was long overdue. Kudos to the folks at Craft Recordings for also recreating the hard-to-find original, bright orange Vanguard Stereolab label for the LP sides in this edition.

One of eighteen songs recorded by Skip James during his legendary 1931 session for Paramount Records, is “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues” (1931) the track became James’ best-selling record. Though largely overlooked at the time of release, the song gained renewed recognition during the 1960s blues revival and has since become a cornerstone of acoustic Delta blues.

Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James. James was a precise fingerpicker who played in an eerie open D-minor guitar tuning. The song describes a life of hardship, and the term “killing floor” may refer to a slaughterhouse. Recorded in 1931 in Grafton, Wisconsin for the Paramount label. James later re-recorded the song in 1966 for his Vanguard label debut,

The song covered by Chris Thomas King, playing the role of bluesman Tommy Johnson in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000, and then went on tour with a group of musicians who had contributed music to the film. Rory Block, Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, and many more also have recorded versions of the track.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Mick Ralphs.

Mick Ralphs, the influential guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the iconic rock bands Bad Company and Mott The Hoople, has passed away at the age of 81.

He is survived by the love of his life, Susie Chavasse, his two children, three step-children and his beloved bandmates Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. He also leaves behind millions of devoted fans and friends across the world.

“Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground. He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour. Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh but it won’t be our last. There are many memories of Mick that will create laughter. Condolences to everyone who loved him especially his one true love, Susie. I will see you in heaven.” Love Paul

“He was a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply,” Simon Kirke. Ralphs was born in England in March 1944 and began playing in local bands in the early ’60s. In 1969, he helped form Mott the Hoople, remaining with the band until 1973, leaving just after they achieved their commercial breakthrough with the David Bowie-produced album “All the Young Dudes”, though he appeared on select tracks of the album “The Hoople“. contributing to all of the band’s studio albums in some capacity. He also played on all of Bad Company’s albums, With a huge talent for writing songs that keep getting better as time goes on like a pair of old blue jeans, Mick has made the utmost of these vintage tools of the trade – also using them to searing effect in Bad Company for classic riffs such as “Can’t Get Enough”.

Paul Rodgers of Free first met Mick Ralphs in 1971. After an inspired jam session and a mutual sharing of songs, Ralphs made the bold decision to leave Mott The Hoople and form a new band with Rodgers, and Bad Company was born. Adding former King Crimson bassist/vocalist Boz Burrell and drummer Simon Kirke, the band was complete. With the help of Led Zeppelin’s legendary manager Peter Grant, Bad Company became the first band signed to Zeppelin’s Swan Song label.

The group’s success was meteoric. Their 1974 self-titled debut went five-times platinum, producing classic hits like “Can’t Get Enough” and “Movin’ On,” alongside electrifying rock anthems such as “Ready for Love,” “Rock Steady,” and the title track “Bad Company.”

In a fitting tribute to the band’s enduring influence, Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year in 2025. Over the years, Ralphs played with other artists, including a spot on David Gilmour’s 1984 About Face tour and as a guitarist with former Mott the Hoople bandmate Ian Hunter. He also released a handful of solo albums over the decades in addition to a couple with the Mick Ralphs Blues Band.

Ralphs gave his final performance with Bad Company on October 29th, 2016, at London’s O2 Arena. Just days later, he suffered a debilitating stroke and remained bedridden until his passing.

Mick Ralphs leaves behind a powerful musical legacy that will continue to inspire generations.

“Made in Japan” – recorded over three nights in August 1972 at venues around Japan, this was the album that sent Deep Purple into the stratosphere and cemented their place in rock history. Deep Purple’s three concerts in Japan in August 1972 — Osaka on Aug. 15th and 16th, and Tokyo on Aug. 17th were originally whittled down for a seven-song double album for release in that country later that year. The U.K. version of the LP was released in late 1972, with the U.S. following in March 1973.

“It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” Wilson notes in a press release announcing the set. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully, this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”

Steven Wilson’s remix of Deep Purple’s classic 1972 live album “Made in Japan” will be released as part of a deluxe 5CD and blu-ray set in August. The primary purpose was to create 5.1 and Atmos versions, as the original stereo is definitive and one of the best sounding live records of all time. Still the record company have elected to also include my new stereo mix – a step along the way to creating the surround versions – on one CD of the set, and on 2 vinyl records included with a 10LP set.

The performances on “Made in Japan” were recorded economically on 6 channels of an 8 track tape (the remaining 2 recording the sound of the audience and hall ambience), so making the surround versions was a question of spreading these elements out around the listener without losing the fire and directness that makes this one of the greatest live records. My hope is that hearing it in this way makes it feel even more like you’re there, a new experience of something that will be instantly familiar to people who love this record, but also one where they can hear it in a fresh way.

“On Aug. 15, 1972, Deep Purple took the stage in Japan for the first of three shows that would give rise to one of rock’s most celebrated live albums, Made In Japan. This Super Deluxe Edition of the landmark release arrives exactly 53 years after the first performance was recorded. Made In Japan Super Deluxe Edition) features new stereo and Dolby ATMOS mixes of the original album by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, all three concerts newly remixed by Richard Digby Smith, and several rare single edits. Singer Ian Gillan, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice — Deep Purple’s famed Mk II lineup — turned studio staples like Smoke On The Water, Highway Star and Space Truckin’ into explosive live statements. “We came halfway around the world and found the audience singing every word. It was magical,” Glover recalls in the collection’s liner notes. Wilson harnesses the raw energy of the original tapes in his new mixes. “It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” he says. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”

“The Made in Japan” 5CD/blu-ray and 10LP vinyl editions are released on 15th August.

Florida-born multimedia artist, Ethel Cain, returns with her sophomore album, ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’.

A prequel to the critically acclaimed ‘Preacher’s Daughter’, this album recounts the story of Ethel’s first love, Willoughby Tucker, and their humid, laden romance. Hayden Anhedonia, the creative force behind the entire Ethel Cain project, has spent the past several years assembling the album in her home studios from Coraopolis, PA to Tallahassee, FL, all the while selling out tours and playing festivals worldwide, cementing herself as a singular artistic voice on the rise.

 Ethel Cain has also shared a new song, “Nettles,” an eight-minute epic. Cain says of the track:

“This song and the last track on the record were both written the same week, the very first week I moved into the house in Alabama where I finished Preacher’s Daughter. In similar fashion to Preacher’s Daughter (specifically ‘A House in Nebraska’ and ‘Strangers’), I wrote what essentially became the beginning and end of the story without realizing it. What were originally just little vignettes of emotion I was feeling at the time ultimately became the tentpoles for a larger narrative. ‘Nettles’ became a dream of losing the one you love, asking them to reassure you that it won’t come true and to dream, instead, of all the time you’ll have together as you grow old side by side. Every once in a blue moon, it feels good to slough off the macabre and to simply let love be.”

banjo, synths, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano, vocals engineered by: Hayden Anhedonia fiddle/banjo/pedal steel: Ben Tanner

The project is set for release on August 8th.

Tallahassee’s Pool Kids are turning up the heat with “Easier Said Than Done”, their electrifying new album dropping September via Epitaph Records.

Kicking things off with the punchy, addictive lead single of the same name, the band showcases a sharpened edge to their signature blend of math rock intricacy and indie-pop charm. Following the critical success of their 2022 self- titled album– hailed by Paste, Stereogum, and Consequence–Pool Kids have been making waves on the road with the likes of Soccer Mommy, PUP, Joyce Manor, and most recently on tour with Beach Bunny. “Easier Said Than Done” finds the band levelling up in every way, delivering explosive energy, emotional depth, and undeniable hooks that cement their place as one of the most exciting acts in indie rock today.

Pool Kids are :Christine Goodwyne: Vocals, Guitar Andrew Anaya: Guitar Nicolette Alvarez: Bass Caden Clinton: Drums

the upcoming album ‘Easier Said Than Done’, out on August 15th, 2025

“Volume V” follows on five years after their fourth album “For Your Love“, a record lovingly nurtured but then swallowed up by the Covid pandemic.

The title signifies the latest chapter in the ongoing story of Other Lives, their fifth record of magnificent musical and emotional depth. From the first notes of the opening track and lead single ‘Mystic,’ it’s clear that the cinematic breadth of their arrangements and melodies had risen several dynamic notches, with a fuller orchestrated reach and more towering drama across the album’s eight songs and two instrumentals – evidence of the band’s hunger to keep progressing while retaining the essence of what makes Other Lives so unique and irresistible.  The majority of “Volume V” was recorded in The Sheerar, a former church that is now the Stillwater History Museum.

The Sheerar’s acoustics partly accounts for the album’s more cathedral-esque take on Other Lives’ signature sound, which has the roots in a form of Americana but expanded via classical and post-classical forms, and the influence of iconic composers such as Ennio Morricone and Henry Mancini.   Given the five-year gaps between the last three Other Lives albums, the band plan to follow up “Volume V” more swiftly with a sixth and seventh chapter; a promise of more magic and magnificence to come. “I see “Volume V” as the beginning of Other Lives’ second act,” Jesse concludes. “We’re all getting older, and we have some regrets about not putting out more music – so this might be our Neil Young phase! Releasing more music over a shorter space of time.”

Suede “Antidepressants” new album September 2025 looking forward to this one will buy it what’s everyone else’s opinion?. Suede release their 10th studio album “Antidepressants” via BMG. The album is a milestone achievement that sees the band at the top of their game. It follows the success of their critically acclaimed ninth UK Top 10 album “Autofiction“, released in September 2022, which charted at and was their highest-charting release in over 20 years.

Suede new album, Antidepressants, on BMG. This week they shared its second single, “Trance State.” A press release says the song is “is an anatomy of falling apart, and the unexpected truth that comes with being at your lowest: an unmasking that presents your true, unvarnished self to the world.”

Previously Suede shared its first single, “Disintegrate,” via a music video. The band also previously released a live video for the album’s title track, recorded last year at their show at London’s Alexandra Palace.

Anderson had this to say about the album in a press release: “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 was the feel I wanted the songs to have. This album is called “Antidepressants. This is broken music for broken people.”

“It is genuinely exciting being in this band. It feels like we’re still pushing creatively,” says Anderson of the new album. Osman adds: “This is a widescreen and ambitious record. It’s a big stage record and it’s taking it up a gear.”

“Antidepressants” is the Britpop band’s 10th album Suede are Brett Anderson (vocals), Mat Osman (bass), Simon Gilbert (drums), Richard Oakes (guitars), and Neil Codling (keyboards).

Suede recorded the album live in the studio with longtime producer Ed Buller, who they first worked with on their debut single, “The Drowners,” way back in 1992. The band recorded at Belgium’s ICP Studios, in London at both RAK and Sleeper Sounds, and at RMV in Sweden.

Anderson says of the Suede Takeover shows: “Expect old songs, new songs, borrowed songs, blue songs, drama, melody, noise, sweat and a couple of surprises.”

Suede also announced four shows at London’s Southbank Centre they are describing as a Suede Takeover. They happen this September. On September 13th and 14th they will perform their hits and new music at the Royal Festival Hall. On September 17th the band will do a show at the Purcell Room that is described as “an unusual and intimate off-mic evening with Suede.” Then on September 19th Suede will perform in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the Paraorchestra in what is “Suede’s first-ever full orchestral headline show.”

Suede were one of the leading lights of the mid-’90s Britpop movement, releasing a string of heralded hit albums: 1993’s “Suede”, 1994’s “Dog Man Star”, 1996’s “Coming Up“, and 1999’s Head Music, as well as 1997’s two-CD B-sides collection, “Sci-Fi Lullabies“.

Suede initially broke-up in 2003 following the release of their poorly received fifth album, 2002’s “A New Morning“. They reformed in 2010 and made a full on comeback in 2013 with the release of “Bloodsports”, which was their first new album in over a decade and was very well-received by critics. That was followed by 2016’s “Night Thoughts”, 2018’s “The Blue Hour”, and 2022’s “Autofiction”.

The dance floor’s never been the same since The B-52’s set out from Athens, Georgia, on its way to becoming the world’s greatest party band. Now, their early run of classic releases, all featuring newly remastered audio, will be collected in “The Warner and Reprise Years“. 

Two versions will be available: a 9LP set—pressed on a rainbow of colored vinyl and limited to 2,000 copies, exclusively through Rhino.com—and an 8CD edition. Arriving June 20th in celebration of Pride Month, the vinyl collection showcases the band’s kaleidoscopic catalogue in full colour: The B-52’s (yellow), Wild Planet (red), Mesopotamia (blue), Party Mix! (green), Whammy! (smokey), Bouncing Off the Satellites (pink), Cosmic Thing (orange), and Good Stuff (purple), issued as a double LP. The CD version will be released the same day.

Spanning 1979 to 1992, the albums collected here chart the creative and commercial evolution of the B-52’s—an era that saw the band sell over 20 million records worldwide. Five of the eight albums in the set have been certified Gold or higher by the RIAA, including “Cosmic Thing” (4x Platinum), their self-titled debut (Platinum), “Wild Planet”, “Whammy!”, and the Grammy -nominated “Good Stuff” (Gold).

The collection also highlights some of their best-known songs, including “Rock Lobster,” “Private Idaho,” “Mesopotamia,” “Legal Tender,” “Channel Z,” and “Good Stuff.” “Cosmic Thing“—produced by Don Was and Nile Rodgers—remains the group’s biggest commercial success, powered by the back-to-back hits “Love Shack” and “Roam” . At the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, the band won Best Group Video and Best Art Direction for “Love Shack.” nods followed for “Roam.”

Formed nearly 50 years ago in Athens, Georgia, The B-52’s—Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland—quickly became one of the most distinctive and beloved bands of their era. With a sound that fused surf rock, punk energy, and retro-kitsch cool, they turned party anthems into defining pop culture moments—becoming one of music’s most joyful and enduring bands.

Quite simply, no band sounded or looked like The B-52’s when they exploded on the scene at the end of the ’70s. Formed by siblings Cindy and Ricky Wilson on vocals and guitar, singer/keyboardist Kate Pierson, drummer/multi-instrumentalist Keith Strickland and vocalist/poet Fred Schneider, the women sported beehive hairdos and offered ethereal vocals as a counterpoint to Schneider’s distinctive, animated Sprechgesang, delivered in an oft-imitated shout more than sung. Wilson’s nervy guitar and Pierson’s burbling organ evoked surf rock and post-punk, and the group’s thrift store aesthetic and genuine love of kitsch culture made them a group for all seasons. Their self-titled debut, featuring the minor hit “Rock Lobster” and “Dance This Mess Around,” was hailed by pop critics and generations of musicians from John Lennon to Dave Grohl. The album’s critical success spurred follow-up “Wild Planet” (like its predecessor, recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas) to reach the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, and made a striking appearance as a 1980 musical guest on the variety show Saturday Night Live.

The B-52’s hit their first major stumble with the sessions to “Mesopotamia”, which found them chafing under the ideas of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, who served as the EP’s producer. (Delays in recording necessitated the release of “Party Mix!” – dance mixes of three tracks apiece from “The B-52’s” and “Wild Planet”.) 1983’s “Whammy!” offered some bounce-back with their third straight gold record But the toughest road was ahead: after completing work on the sessions for Bouncing Off the Satellites in 1985, Ricky Wilson succumbed to AIDS, having only told Strickland he was battling the disease. He was only 32 years old.

With “Bouncing” receiving little promotion and no tour, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the grieving bandmates called it a day. Instead, one of the decade’s most unlikely comebacks happened. With Strickland switching to guitar full-time and producers Nile Rodgers and Don Was adding production flourishes, 1989’s “Cosmic Thing” became a blockbuster, spinning off the Top 5 hits “Love Shack” and “Roam,” selling more than four million copies in America alone. The band also became darlings of MTV: “Love Shack,” featuring a then-unknown RuPaul, was in heavy rotation, while “Deadbeat Club” paid homage to the band’s hometown of Athens, which had become a hotbed for alt-rock greatness thanks to fellow late ’80s and early ’90s hitmakers R.E.M. (whose frontman Michael Stipe cameoed in the video). 

 Some single-only rarities and exclusive material has been released on two compilations by Rhino in 1998 and 2002; the label has also released a 1979 live set digitally and on vinyl for Record Store Day, and expanded “Cosmic Thing” for its 30th anniversary with single material and concert performances from 1990. The group’s final album, 2008’s “Funplex”, was released by Astralwerks.

“The Warner Reprise Years“, available June 20th, brings together the six albums and two EPs the quirky quintet put together between 1979 and 1992 – a period where they went from cult favourites to unlikely hitmakers.