Stoner, the desert rock supergroup formed by Brant Bjork (ex-Kyuss and Fu Manchu), Nick Oliveri (ex-Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age) alongside drummer Ryan Güt, present the first single taken from their new album “Boogie To Baja”, to be issued on February 24th through Heavy Psych Sounds.
Check out “City Kids”.
Says the band: “During the recording of ‘totally…’, we were having a blast and the music just kept rollin’ out so we decided to also put together a tasty EP. Guests Mario Lalli on “Stöner Theme” and Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks and Bad Religion on our version of the Motorhead/Pink Fairies classic “City Kids” makes this EP extra sweet.
A dynamic band with an equally engaging image, they would shine for less than two years but would leave an indelible mark on music history. With once-in-a-time producer Shel Talmy (The Who, Kinks, Easybeats, Cat Stevens and others), The Creation released an incredible two-year streak of singles, including “Making Time,” “How Does It Feel To Feel,” “Tom Tom” and others. pearls. 1968 it was over. Eddie Phillips’ trademark guitar bow would later be adopted by Jimmy Page and Boney M would give an up in “Painter Man.”
Over the nearly five decades since then, the band has seen a tremendous resurgence of interest. First up with Paul Weller and his The Jam “Making Time” on the inside cover of All Mod Cons. A few years later Alan McGee formed the band Biff Bang Pow and his record label Creation. At the turn of the century, a new generation discovered the band through a strategic placement on Wes Anderson’s Rushmore.
“Action Paiting”, a double compilation with a sensational book, released by the no less sensational The Numero Group, the album brings for the first time the complete recordings of Creation. All 42 tracks were remastered from Shel Talmy’s original tapes and received new stereo mixes where previously not available. New rehearsals by Dean Rudland and Alec Palao tell the band’s story and dive into their full studio sessions. Dozens of unreleased photographs adorn the 80-page hardcover book that accompanies it. The entire pack closes with four tracks from pre-Creation freakbeat quartet Mark Four, making “Action Painting” the definitive collection from this legendary UK band.
Though Ryan Adams has form for covering artist’s songs live and on record, until now Taylor Swift’s “1989” is the only time he’s covered an album in full. But that’s about to change; he’s covered the whole of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 record “Nebraska”. It’s not even the first free album Adams has put out this year – back in September he gave away his 22nd studio album “Devolver” via his website. It’s part of a particularly prolific year for the songwriter that has also seen the release of albums “FM”,” Chris” and “Romeo & Juliet”. And the latter two were double albums.
Here’s a rough mix of the title track of “Nebraska” – I’ll be emailing you my version of the whole album as an early Xmas present for free in a day or two. What a special album that taught me so much about songwriting. It still does after all these years. Go listen to the original if you haven’t, you’ll love it forever.
I hope to see you in #Omaha Nebraska next week and where ever else you may roam. I’m so looking forward to the last shows of the year. Many surprises to come. Thanks for being on this ride with me. It means the world. I’m very Thankful for you all.
With Love,XO DRA
It’s clearly been a huge influence on Adams’ work. Springsteen’s sixth album saw him working solo with a four-track record with astonishing results; it’s rightly regarded as one of his finest works, and indeed a classic in the canon of Americana. Now Adams has decided to release his take on it as a free gift for his mailing list(opens in new tab) subscribers.
The next single ‘Spite’ from Billy Nomates’ forthcoming album “Cacti” is out now on all streaming platforms, along with a brand new video!
Recorded at her flat and Invada Studios in Bristol UK, “Cacti” is a huge step forward for the artist, who received widespread critical acclaim for her eponymous 2020 debut album, with heavy airplay across BBC Radio 6 Music and support from luminaries such as Iggy Pop, Florence Welsh and Steve Albini.
Though every bit as unrepentant as Billy Nomates’ debut, “Cacti” comes from a much more exposed place and sees Tor further develop her instinctive, inventive songwriting and production. Unafraid to wade into the traumas of the past two years and the eerie sense of apathy that lingers, alongside heartache and more political themes, the 12-track collection openly confronts uncomfortable truths, as Tor puts it, “70-80% of being bold is about being vulnerable as hell.”
Maries said: “Writing “Cacti” took just over a year. I wrote very intensely and then none at all. (This seems to be the way I work best). I picked up old drum machines, mapped out things in my kitchen with the same small micro keyboard I always use and then raided the cupboards and rooms at Invada Studios, to play and experiment with old synths, an upright piano, this weird organ thing. I hope everyone finds their own narrative in “Cacti”. I think it’s about surviving it all.”
‘Cacti’ also features the songs ‘Saboteur Forcefield’, ‘Blue Bones’ and ‘Balance Is Gone’ , the latter 2 of which have been A-Listed at BBC 6Music.
The Invada Records ltd edition exclusive variant is pressed on white vinyl and is only available from http://www.invada.co.uk and Bandcamp. The album is also available from us on clear vinyl and on CD.
pre-orders are available now with a limited edition vinyl version of “Cacti” . This is pressing is going quickly and won’t be re-pressed once it’s sold out!
Jim Carroll expressed the Bomb-fear anticipation, the optimistic nihilism and glittering darkness of the 1980s that we who were there felt even if we couldn’t communicate it ourselves. When John Lennon was assassinated in front of the Dakota in December 1980, “People Who Died” was one of the most-requested songs on FM radio, just after Lennon’s own “Imagine.” Steven Spielberg chose “People Who Died” to play during the opening scene of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. “People Who Died” tapped a mainline. It was a hit even before it was released, and, as Newsweek’s Barbara Graustark noted, it “propelled [Carroll] from underground status… to national attention as a contender for the title of rock’s new poet laureate.”
“People Who Died” wasn’t the only thing that sustained Carroll’s reputation. The first full-length article about him appeared in 1969, when Jim was 19, and he was featured in Rolling Stone as early as 1973–the same year, it was rumored, that he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize at age 22. The 1980 release of “Catholic Boy”, along with the re-publication of his cult-classic book The Basketball Diaries, shot Jim and his band into the international spotlight. “Catholic Boy“, was named the second-most-popular album of 1980 by BAM, is now considered one of the last great punk albums. Jim appeared with his band on the variety program Fridays, he was interviewed by Tom Snyder, and he was featured on the MTV series The Roots of Rock, hosted by Lou Reed. Cover stories appeared in Newsweek, New York, Creem, Interview, Melody Maker, Stereo Review, Rolling Stone, Variety, and Penthouse. Playboy even printed a cartoon in which the punchline was, “Ever since the advent of Jim Carroll, ‘I’m a Catholic junkie poet’ seems hipper than ‘What’s your sign.’”
The Jim Carroll Band’s success can be attributed to the powerful combination of pure rock ‘n’ roll with Carroll’s poetic sensibility and ability to write from his own experience, forging a style that articulates the relevance of the individual to the particular, the past to the present. Carroll once said, “There ain’t much time left, you’re born out of this insane abyss and you’re going to fall back into it, so while you’re alive you might as well show your bare ass,” and that’s exactly what he does. Musician, Player and Listener described Carroll as “a transformer, chanting and moaning his litany into something infinitely more palpable than symbols made of sounds.”
When reporters began lining up in droves, wondering, “What’s a Pulitzer Prize nominee doing fronting a rock band?” Carroll was already well-known in underground circles for having lived a life of mythic proportions. One writer observed, “Carroll has his own voice and sound and he earned it the hard way Cassie Carter
The first ever vinyl box set featuring the band 8×7” singles mastered from the original 7” reels with 2 singles exclusive to this set. In depth 64-page booklet with track by track annotation from founder member Johnny Echols and comprehensive notes from Andrew Sandoval. 2 promotional postcards.
“The musicians known collectively as Love were a group of five uniquely talented individuals…and though the full story of this fascinating cast of characters has yet to be told, this boxset represents a small sample of the body of work produced by this group and has proven to be timeless.” – Johnny Echols
For the first time ever, Love’s original run of singles from 1966 to 1969 are collected and reissued together along with two exclusive 7”s. The first vinyl box set from one of the all time great psych-pop bands should thrill and enlighten fans in equal measure.
New Land Records were granted access to the original analogue master tapes courtesy of Rhino / Warner and all tracks were remastered especially for these singles by Grammy nominated mastering engineer Bill Inglot. Presented inside a deluxe box with spot-on gloss finish, the eight 7” singles, each featuring unique and original picture sleeves with ‘Elektra-style’ New Land labels. The two bonus singles include the previously only released promotionally ‘Que Vida’ / ‘Hey Joe’ and the newly created ‘Always See Your Face’ / ‘August’ single.
At the centre of this set is a 62-page booklet featuring track-by-track annotation by original guitarist Johnny Echols and in-depth liner notes from Grammy Award nominated writer Andrew Sandoval. For this package we have unearthed never-before-seen photographs of the band and included rare posters, singles, original master tapes and more. Every set also comes with a set of two promotional postcards.
Licensed with the blessing of Elektra Records founder and the man who signed Love, Jac Holzman, this is the first time a release has been put together which focuses on the bands incredible run of singles through the 1960s.
A must have for any fan, this is the ultimate collectors item. The music inside shines brighter than ever.
Vinyl Boxset 8×7″
8 7” singles housed inside a lift-off spot-gloss lid boxMastered from the original analogue master tapes with 2 singles exclusive to this setIn depth 64-page booklet with track by track annotation from Johnny Echols and comprehensive notes from Andrew Sandoval2 promotional postcardsLimited edition one-time pressing
Former Smiths members bassist Andy Rourke and guitarist Johnny Marr have once again joined forces following a performance at Madison Square Garden playing “How Soon Is Now?” and “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.”
Now the more amiable half of The Smiths have recorded their first song together in 35 years: “Strong Forever,” a new track by Rourke’s group with former Happy Mondays guitarist Kav Blaggers, Blitz Vega. Marr is featured on guitar; the album was co-produced with DJ Z-Trip. Marr and Rourke, who have known each other since middle school, feel their friendship gets stronger as time passes – and this collaboration shows there is still magic in their creative forces.
“I wanted exactly what Johnny does,” says Rourke. “He has a very distinctive sound, and that’s what he did. We love what he brought to the track.”While it’s more Happy Mondays-flavoured than Smiths in its sound (Blaggers is on vocals), Marr’s signature jangling guitar takes centre stage. It’s an expansive, feel-good anthem – a cheerful, welcome balm to the gloomy days of mid-November.
Rourke and Blaggers had been working on the track since before lockdown. “We were originally recording this song for a UN/U.K. football anti-discrimination/anti-bullying campaign,” Rourke says. “We approached a few people to guest on the track, and I asked Johnny, who very kindly recorded some guitars and sent them over.”
Andy Rourke & Kav’s band Blitz Vega release new single “Strong Forever”. Guest guitar from Johnny Marr
“I Am The River, The River Is Me” , Jen Cloher’s fifth album, is verdant and rich; it luxuriates in stillness, and carries itself with cool, unfussy confidence. It suggests that home is not found in a place or a politic, but in the community you keep: Inspired by Cloher’s powerful matrilineal line of wāhine Māori, “I Am The River, The River Is Me” is not urgent, or hurried, but it is vital, made with the care and ease of someone who knows that their past began before birth, and will continue long after they’re gone.
Jen Cloher’s new album “I Am The River, The River Is Me” is out in March, and the latest single is the anthemic “Being Human.” Out of all the songs on the album, this is the one Cloher said they were the “most nervous about” releasing. ““It’s earnest and basic and raw,” they said. “Reclaiming your culture is an awkward and messy business. I can see why so many people shy away from it. When you’re not living on your own lands, you have to seek it out and find the people who can support you.”
Jen Cloher (Ngāpuhi & Ngāti Kahu) is a songwriter and performer living on unceded Wurundjeri land in Naarm. Cloher’s taut, terse brand of rock is charged with static tension. Admirers have naturally gravitated towards Cloher’s incisive, generous songwriting. Over the course of five albums, they have won a J Award and an AIR Award and been nominated for an ARIA and the Australian Music Prize.
Recorded between Aotearoa (NZ) and Naarm (Melbourne) with producers Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins, Marlon Williams), Anika Ostendorf (Hachiku) and Cloher’s longtime drummer Jen Sholakis; the album brings in trailblazing artists including Emma Donovan (Gumbaynggirr, Yamatji), Kylie Auldist, Liz Stringer, Te Kaahu (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Tīpā), Ruby Solly (Kai Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe) and members of the Naarm-based Kapa Haka, Te Hononga o ngā Iwi. The entire record feels communal — a celebration not just of Cloher, but of the rich, life-filled communities that surround them.
Throughout their lifespan as a band, The Lone Bellow have cast an indelible spell with their finespun songs of hard truth and unexpected beauty, frequently delivered in hypnotic three-part harmony. In a departure from their past work with elite producers like Aaron Dessner of The National and eight-time Grammy-winner Dave Cobb, the Nashville-based trio struck out on their own for their new album “Love Songs for Losers”, dreaming up a singular sound encompassing everything from arena-ready rock anthems to the gorgeously sprawling Americana tunes the band refers to as “little redneck symphonies.” Recorded at the possibly haunted former home of the legendary Roy Orbison, the result is an intimate meditation on the pain and joy and ineffable wonder of being human, at turns heartbreaking, irreverent, and sublimely transcendent.
