Long-beloved indie-folk act Eric D. Johnson aka Fruit Bats have released yet another sweet gem whose mellowness perfectly complements the city it sings of. The tune takes its time, as you would on a slow, sunny morning, using a simple arrangement to keep you in the setting. When vocalist Eric D. Johnson sings, “Well, we all want a home—metaphorical or real / Some place to make us feel whole,” you feel assured that he will find what’s he’s looking for. But the laid-back colour of the song contrasts the lyrics, which hold a far more complex meaning—as he comments,
“This is a sad song masquerading as a happy one. Or maybe vice versa? This might be the first song I’ve written where the first verse is a disclaimer—and, yes, I am talking to YOU with this one.
This is about spiritual homes, the geography of the heart, and waking up in a weird, hard world where the birds still sing.” There is an acknowledgement that nothing good can exist without something bad, or maybe nothing bad can exist without some sort of goodness. In this very comfortable-sounding song, Fruit Bats desperately try to find comfort in that turbulent notion.
This land runs through Katherine Paul’s blood. And it called to her. In dreams she saw the river, her ancestors, and her home. When the land calls, you listen. And Paul’s found herself far from her ancestral lands during a time of collective trauma, when the world was wounded and in need of healing. In 2020 she made the journey from Portland back to the Skagit River, back to the cedar trees that stand tall and shrouded in fog, back to the tide flats and the mountains, back to Swinomish.
It is a powerful thing to return to our ancestral lands and often times the journey is not easy. Like the salmon through the currents, like the tide as it crawls to shore this is a story of return. It is the call and response. It is the outstretched arms of the people who came before, welcoming her home.
“The Land, The Water, The Sky” is a celebration of lineage and strength. Even in its deepest moments of loneliness and grief, of frustration over a world wrought with colonial violence and pain, the songs remind us that if we slow down, if we listen to the waves and the wind through the trees, we will remember to breathe.
There is a throughline of story in every song, a remembrance of knowledge and teachings, a gratitude of wisdom passed down and carried. There is a reimagining of Sedna who was offered to the sea, and a beautiful rumination on sacrifice and humanity, and what it means to hold the stories that work to teach us something.
Chord progressions born out of moments of sadness and solitude transform into the islands that sit blue along the horizon. The Salish Sea curves along her homelands, and when the singer is close to this water she is reminded of her grandmother, how she looked out at these same islands, and she’s held by spirit and memory.
“The Land, The Water, The Sky” rises and falls, in darkness and in light, but even in its most melancholy moments it is never despairing. That is the beauty of returning home. When you stand on ancestral lands it is impossible to be alone. You feel the arms and hands that hold you up, unwilling to let you fall into sorrow or abandonment. In her songs Katherine Paul has channeled that feeling of being held. In every note she has written a love letter to indigenous strength and healing.
There is a joy present here, a fierce blissfulness that comes with walking the trails along the river, feeling the sand and the stones beneath her feet. It is the pride and the certainty that comes with knowing her ancestors walked along the same land, dipped their hands into the water, and ran their fingertips along the same bark of cedar trees.
This is a story of hope, as it details the joy of returning. Katherine Paul’s journey home wasn’t made alone, and the songs are crowded with loved ones and relatives, like a really good party. And as the songs walk us through the land it is important we hover over the images and the beauty, the moments that mark this album as site specific. The power of this land is woven throughout, telling the story of narrow waterways, brush strokes, salmon stinta, and above all healing.
Let it take you. Move through the story and see the land through her eyes, because it is a gift, a welcomed sʔabadəb.*
*The word “gift” in Lushootseed, the language of the Coast Salish people“
With a flutter of gentle piano notes and strings, Andy Shauf has released “Wasted on You,” the first single off his newly announced album “Norm”. Out February 10th, 2023, on ANTI-Records, this LP seems to bring a slight change in style for the musician, as he reworks the gentle folk and pop harmonies he is known for, bringing hints of jazz into the mix. Hearing the singer’s familiar subdued timbre on this latest track instantly infuses you with the comfort and warmth of familiarity, while the musical arrangements push his boundaries with a dancing lightness.
But in typical Shauf style, not everything is quite as it appears, as the repeating lyrics hold a heavier side to them. “Was all my love wasted on you?” he asks himself over and over again, trying to get to the root of an issue he can’t quite understand.
The piano tinkles pleasantly over the track, but begins to take on the feeling of falling, rather than a pleasant melodic anchor. He starts the song by asking, “What happens when they die?,” a query that at first sounds lightly curious, but increasingly takes on the hard metal edge of anxiety—after all, this is Shauf we’re talking about. It opens up the mystery of the album, one that we’ll have to wait until February to fully begin dissecting.
In everything Babehoven do, there is a closeness. This is evident in the indie-folk duo’s music, written by Maya Bon and produced by her partner Ryan Albert, which patiently undresses the heart, layer by layer, until you can’t quite tell what’s left. Their debut album, “Light Moving Time”, released last month, collects songs that speak of many forms of intimacy directly, or investigate all the ways it falls apart. In their speaking, too, you can see the closeness from which this music is birthed—in the way the pair turn toward each other, waiting for the other to finish their thought, trusting each other enough to speak for both of them.
“Light Moving Time” is the debut full-length from Hudson, NY’sBabehoven (Maya Bon and Ryan Albert). It’s taken us a long time to get to the place we’re at,
Their sensitivity comes across in the music they make together—although it may sound gentle, the tracks often draw out a complex emotional map for the listener, with some terrains being more difficult than others. 2022 has been a prolific year for the Hudson-based pair, with an EP also released earlier this year. But on their first full-length, there seems to be something new, more sparkling and tangible. The songs reach toward the listener actively, and shimmer in your ears. Their trust for each other is not even a question.
This sort of communication is a large part of why the duo work so well together, with Bon commenting that Albert has the ability to become “egoless” in his work, never fighting back against her comments or critiques, even after a whole day of work on his part. But this sort of patient love (for their process, for others) shines through on their music,
“Light Moving Time” is emblematic of Babehoven’s wide range of dynamics, and each of those sounds are taken further as Bon explores the power of community, experiences of trauma, and explorations of changing relationships.
Babehoven have a new single out tomorrow!, Bon says “often” is my favourite song I’ve ever written and I’m excited to share it with you all. When Maya Bon and Ryan Albert met with their future label Double Double Whammy for the first time, they brought a collection of plump, homegrown tomatoes for the occasion.
That pastoral touch mirrors what the duo accomplish in their music as Babehoven. As practitioners of homespun indie rock, there’s a picturesque quality to their work that renders each listen multi-sensory. The Babehoven sound has a cooling texture, a verdant visual, an organic taste. But over six EPs in four years, the duo presented diverse approaches to cultivating those sensations, including soft, frank rock on “Demonstrating Visible Differences in Height“, haunting tape manipulation on “Yellow Has a Pretty Good Reputation” and molasses-slow folk on “Sunk”. The duo combine each of these styles and more on “Light Moving Time“, their long-anticipated debut LP.
On “Light Moving Time”, Babehoven are not in a rush. Relaxed tempos are central to their discography. Babehoven are Duster superfans and their shared preference for DIY recording gives the music its contemplative, hand-hewn texture. Their music rests at the intersection of the observant lyricism of Roy Orbison and the rhythmic creativity of Dear Nora. The resultant artifact is as crisp and pensive as the undulating Appalachian foothills.
Babehoven’s debut album ‘Light Moving Time’ available everywhere on LP/CD/digital October 28th, 2022 on Double Double Whammy Records.
A compilation of The Doors’ greatest live blues recordings both in the studio and on the stage. Featuring the never-before-released track “Paris Blues” and original artwork created for this release by Robby Krieger.
Among fans of The Doors, “Paris Blues” has a near-mythical status due to its existence as the last-known unissued studio recording from the famed Los Angeles psychedelic/rock band.
Assumed lost for decades, the track — which has a recording origin of either “The Soft Parade” or “L.A. Woman” album sessions — has somehow resurfaced all these years later, and will be the focus of a special new vinyl release from the Doors for Record Store Day Black Friday on Nov. 25th.
On a related note, it’s worth pointing out that the Doors released a special edition of“L.A. Woman” in December 2021, revisiting the classic album for a big anniversary. The Last Known Unreleased Song From The Doors Vault, “Paris Blues”
The Song Is Also Featured On The Doors New Blues Compilation “Paris Blues”, Available As A Limited Edition On Translucent Blue Vinyl Exclusively For Record Store Day’s Black Friday Event On November 25th.
“Paris Blues” has quite an intriguing backstory, laid out like this in a news release:
“Paris Blues” travelled a long and winding path to its release, taking on a mythic quality among Doors’ fans along the way. An original blues song written by the band; the track was recorded during one of the band’s recording sessions for either “The Soft Parade” or “L.A. Woman” (no one seems to remember). The master tape of the song was lost and the only surviving copy was given to Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Sadly, this copy was partially damaged by his son Pablo (a toddler at the time), who recorded over a few short parts. Now, through some creative editing, the song has been rescued from obscurity for the new album.
The band’s deep love for the blues shines throughout “Paris Blues”. Other highlights include two previously unreleased live recordings of singer Jim Morrison and Krieger performing as a duo at a benefit for Norman Mailer’s mayoral campaign on May 31st, 1969 in West Hollywood. The first song is “I Will Never Be Untrue,” a band original written for, but left off of, 1970’s “Morrison Hotel“. The other is a cover of Robert Johnson’s “Me And The Devil Blues.” Both songs were recorded by Frank Lisciandro, a film maker who befriended Manzarek and Morrison when all three attended the film program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The vinyl release, which has been pressed to 10,000 individually numbered copies on translucent blue vinyl, will be available at select indie music retailers for the Black Friday event. Its cover art is an original painting by guitarist Robby Krieger and the set also includes liner notes by blues scholar Mary Katherine Aldin.
In addition to the vaunted “Paris Blues” featured on this special new vinyl release, the set also features more material:
“Paris Blues” also contains a pair of outtakes recorded during the band’s sessions for 1969’s The Soft Parade – “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” and “I’m Your Doctor.” Both feature Manzarek on vocals backed by Krieger and drummer JohnDensmore. In 2019, bass by Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots was added to the songs, which were included on Rhino’s 50th anniversary edition of the album.
The flipside of “Paris Blues” collects three songs from Live in Vancouver 1970, a concert album released in 2010 by the Doors’ Bright Midnight Archive label. Recorded during the band’s 1970 tour, these live tracks spotlight legendary bluesman Albert King, who joined the band onstage during its June 6th, 1970 show at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Morrison’s introduction of King is included along with live versions of “Little Red Rooster,” “Rock Me Baby,” and “Who Do You Love?”
“It is a shame that Dry Cleaning are so often talked about simply as a post-punk band – or even worse, lumped in with a ‘sprechgesang’ movement. They are a four-piece guitar act, and Florence Shaw’s performance drifts between singing and speaking, but that’s really where such comparisons should end. If nothing else, on their second album ‘Stumpwork’, Dry Cleaning prove they are unique… The London band’s second album is a bold leap forward, one that sets the band apart from their contemporaries and defies categorisation.”
“I don’t want to go on about it / But we’re back in business / Just a sweet, natural start / We will flower,” Florence Shaw declares on “Anna Calls from the Arctic,” the first song on Dry Cleaning’s sophomore album “Stumpwork”. She’s true to her word: The LP’s tone-setting opener heralds a subtler, stranger new era for the U.K. quartet, emboldened by the universal acclaim for their full-length debut “New Long Leg”. The band’s jangling guitar-rock grooves persist, but as the exception, rather than the rule—they are increasingly keen on marching down unexpected sonic avenues, complicating the instrumentation that underpins Shaw’s sometimes-spoken, sometimes-sung vocal mosaics. “Stumpwork” has enough in common with its predecessor so as not to throw fans for a loop, but is very much its own moody, nuanced animal, an expressive and expectation-defying showcase of DryCleaning’s blossoming sound.
TUTV: I’m not as enthusiastic as the British ‘hype’ press because Florence Shaw spoken word vocals are, yes, bewitching on first hearing but it in the end the monotone timbre of her voice gets a bit boring.
“Stumpwork” was made in the aftermath of the death of two very important people to the band; bassist Lewis Maynard’s mother, and guitarist Tom Dowse’s grandfather. Both were instrumental in the band’s development, both in encouragement and, in the case of Maynard’s mother, literally providing the band with a place to rehearse. Shaw’s lyrics explore not only loss and detachment but all the twists and turns, simple joys and minor gripes of human experience too. Ultimately, what emerges from it all is a subtle but assertive optimism, and a lesson in the value of curiosity. “Stumpwork” is a heady mix that is entirely the band’s own, distinguishing it from anything produced by their contemporaries.
Singles/clips: No Decent Shoes for Rain / Anna Calls From The Arctic / Don’t Press Me
“I begin our sixth album by exploring melodies that take me to the boundaries of my voice”.
“I write myself into my highest highs and lowest lows. there is a precariousness in the outer limits of my range that demands vulnerability. as our demos take shape, I realize this will be our first album without any belting, the first time I can’t force my way through the notes,” recalls Tennis’ Alania Moore. “in the studio, Patrick compresses the shit out of my mic and I sing with the gentleness of breathing. In that softness, lyrics take shape. we want to write a big album—something suited for radio, but our songs don’t follow conventional pop structures. instead of choruses with universal themes, I write with a specificity that is new to me, narrowing in on the smallest details of our lives. the more we try to broaden our scope, the more we turn inward.” “we name the album “Pollen”. It is about small things with big consequences: a particle, a moment, a choice. it is me in a fragile state; sometimes inhabited freely, sometimes reacted against. It is striving to remain in a moment without slipping into dread. it is about the way I can be undone by a very small thing.”
Tennis is Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley. “Pollen” is their sixth album.It is our pleasure to our sixth album, out February 10th.
Today we share the first single, “One Night with The Valet“. It was first song we demoed but the last to be completed. It continues the strange pattern in our album-making process in which the last song written is our most cherished. It is the companion song to “Hotel Valet“. Together they describe my meeting Patrick for the first time while he worked graveyard shifts as a valet and I waitressed a few blocks down the street.
The two met in the philosophy department at the university of Colorado in 2008 after dropping out of their respective music programs. in the years after graduating, they got involved in Denver’s DIY music scene. through house shows, they were connected with underwater peoples and firetalk. the band went blog-viral nearly overnight, landing them a record deal with Fat Possum and then Communion Records, but with shifting labels and new interests, Tennis chose an alternate path for their band and career. in 2016, Moore and Riley formed the label mutually detrimental and began self-releasing. their newfound freedom allowed them to return to their sailboat to write their next full-length, this time in the sea of cortez. yours conditionally,
Released in 2017, became their most commercially successful album–charting at #4 on billboard’s independent list and in the top 100 highest selling vinyl releases that year. they played Coachella and opened for artists like the National, Father John Misty and the Shins–proving their diy roots as a cornerstone to their sound and narrative. their follow up “Swimmer” (2020), was recorded in their home studio with Moore and Riley producing and engineering. the pair brought their long-time touring member Steve Voss in for the second time to drum on record. the singles, need your love and runner, were Tennis’ most successful releases to date.
The XX are a great band, but individually they’re also all great solo artists. Today, the trio’s guitarist and vocalist Romy released a new single called “Strong” that was made with producer Fred again.., marking the pair’s second collaboration after releasing “Lights Out” at the top of this year. “Strong” is only the second single she’s released as a solo artist, following 2020’s euphoric debut “Lifetime.”
“‘Strong’ came from a moment in my life when I was processing past grief,” Romy said about the song. “Whilst writing the lyrics I was thinking about my cousin Luis—we both have the shared experience of our mums passing away when we were young. I recognize in him the same trait I have, which is to try and hold emotions down and put on a brave face. The song was a way to connect with these feelings, offer support, and ultimately find a sense of release in the euphoria of music. Luis is with me on the single cover and in the music video too, which was really special.”
She continued on about her collaboration and connection with Fred again..: “My friendship with Fred means a lot to me. Our closeness helps me to feel safe to be honest and vulnerable lyrically, and we definitely connect over our love of songwriting and emotions in dance music. It’s amazing and inspiring seeing and hearing what Fred is doing in his solo work and I’m very excited to be releasing this song together.”
Watch the visual for “Strong” that was made by filmmaker and photographer (and Romy’s wife) Vic Lentaigne
Marshall Crenshaw takes his 40 Years in Showbiz! Tour to Manhattan’s City Winery. (It’s a show you can watch from the comfort of your home – hopefully my head won’t be in the way!) Just as exciting as seeing this living power-pop legend celebrate his fourth decade of performing: some of his long-out-of-print classic albums are coming back into circulation courtesy of a new label home.
Earlier this month, Yep Roc announced a double LP expanded edition of Crenshaw’s hook-filled debut album for Record Store Day Black Friday. In addition to the classic album, includes a host of great cuts like “There She Goes Again,” “Cynical Girl” and others, it’ll feature newly redesigned artwork plus seven rare and unreleased cuts for hardcore fans, including a brace of four-track early versions of songs from the album recorded between 1980 and 1981.
Marshall Crenshaw’s self-titled album has been called one of the greatest albums of the 1980s by Rolling Stone, Spin, MOJO, Paste and others. It includes his breakthrough hit, “Someday, Someway” and many other classic pop rock songs. Remastered by Greg Calibi, this 40th anniversary reissue includes the original album + 7-song bonus EP, w/5 previously unreleased songs. This is a 2022 Black Friday, Record Store Day release.
And the timing couldn’t be better: several of Crenshaw’s classic albums, recorded in the ’80s for Warner Bros. Records, have fallen out of circulation as the singer/songwriter has successfully claimed the copyright from his old label. “Marshall Crenshaw, Field Day” (1983), “Downtown” (1985) and “Mary Jane & 9 Others” (1987) are all digitally unavailable, as is “Thank You, Rock Fans!!”, a 1982 concert issued on vinyl by Warner’s Run Out Groove in 2017. (When not keeping busy on other current projects, from a long-gestating documentary on legendary record producer Tom Wilson to tour dates on his own and with The Smithereens (following the passing of original frontman Pat DiNizio), Crenshaw has revisited some of his back catalogue, including an expanded reissue of 1999’s “Miracle of Science” and a curated vintage live collection.)
The website Rock NYC recently confirmed some of Crenshaw and Yep Roc’s plans for his Warner albums: “Field Day” is slated to get a similar reissue for its 40th anniversary next year. (Intervention Records issued an expanded vinyl edition of that album in 2017 that included the original US Remix EP.) It’s a safe bet that the wider release of the expanded “Marshall Crenshaw” – especially digital and streaming editions, if you’ve somehow missed this album in the last 40 years, trust us that you’ll want to make up for lost time this fall.
Yep Roc’s expansion of Crenshaw’s debut, “Marshall Crenshaw (40th Anniversary Edition) available at all participating Record Store Day retailers November 25th.
This RSD Black Friday, Rhino is releasing ten exclusive releases spanning their eclectic roster. Limited edition releases will include selections from Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, The Cure, The Doors, Duran Duran, Eric Burdon & WAR, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Madonna, and Todd Rundgren. These will be available on November 25th.
Available for the first time on vinyl, the Grateful Dead opened their famed Europe ’72 tour at the sold-out, cavernous WembleyEmpire Pool in London. Including performances of their best-known songs, a healthy dose of music from the SKULL & ROSES album, and more than a half dozen songs from Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir’s respective 1972 solo albums.
When the Grateful Dead opened their famed Europe ’72 tour at the sold-out, cavernous Wembley Empire Pool in London, they signalled from the very start that they meant business.
From the very first notes of this show’s opener, “Greatest Story Ever Told,” the Dead were “on,” performing a mix of their best-known songs including “Truckin’” and “Sugar Magnolia,” a healthy dose of music from their most recent album, the live album that was a critical commercial success “Skull & Roses”, including “The Other One,” “Not Fade Away”“Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad,” and “Wharf Rat,” along with more than a half dozen songs from Bob’s and Jerry’s respective 1972 solo albums. If the Dead had opening-night jitters at this show, they sure masked it well with confidence, inventiveness, and inspiration, all hallmarks of what would become known as one of the Grateful Dead’s greatest tours ever.
