The Fat Angel Sings

Arcade Fire have announced “The Lightning I, II,” their first new single in three years. The song will arrive on Thursday, March 17th. The announcement follows a series of mysterious postcards that the band sent to fans. The postcards and a graphic for the new song say, “We missed you.”

The new album has finally been announced is out May 6 via Columbia Records. The album was produced by Nigel Godrich, Win Butler, and Régine Chassagne. As promised, the group has shared the video for their new song “The Lightning I, II.” The album was recorded in New Orleans, El Paso, and Mount Desert Island. The 40-minute, seven-song album is split into one side called “I” (an opening side about isolation) and another called “WE” (about reconnection); the first three tracks are on “I,” and the next four are on “WE.” The album’s cover features a photograph by the artist JR with tinting by Terry Pastor (who worked on David Bowie’s Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust covers).

Arcade Fire’s last album was 2017’s “Everything Now“. Two years later, they shared a cover of “Baby Mine” forthe movie Dumbo. More recently, the band performed an as-yet-unreleased song called “Generation A” on Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020 and made “Memories of the Age of Anxiety” for the Headspace app. Arcade Fire have been promising a new album since 2020. They also officially released their score for Spike Jonze’s 2013 film “Her“, which they created alongside composer Owen Pallett. 

The band’s last album was 2017’s “Everything Now“, which the group promoted with fake news articles and free cereal boxes. Arcade Fire have been promising a new album since 2020, when they said that work was “flowing” on a new LP. That same year, they celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2010 album “The Suburbs”.

The band’s line-up on the album is Régine Chassagne, Win Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara, and Will Butler. Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade), Paul Beaubrun, and Sarah Neufeld all appear in the new music video and have been playing in the band’s live line-up; Will Butler and Richard Reed Parry were absent for the video’s filming.

Will Butler has announced his departure from Arcade Fire. Butler, a core member of the veteran indie rock band, shared the news ahead of the band’s show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on Saturday.

Arcade Fire’s frontman and Will’s brother, Win, did not address his departure during Saturday’s show. Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner has filled in for Will at the band’s recent gigs.

The band’s final album with Will, WE, is set for release on May 6th

Liam Gallagher is not the kind of artist who was going to be stopped by the sizeable problem of not being able to play to an audience during lockdown. So when the idea of playing a playing and filming a live stream show came up, he looked at the precedent set by the Sex Pistols and The Clash and decided to hit the River Thames, armed with a boatload of attitude, a phenomenal live band (including Bonehead) and an arsenal of classic songs. The show has been captured in full on the new live album ‘Down By The River Thames’.

The show has been captured in full on the new live album ‘Down By The River Thames’, which will be released on May 27th via Warner Records. Originally streamed on December 5th 2020, the show became one of the most memorable performances of the lockdown era. From iconic Oasis favourites (‘Supersonic’, ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’) to big hitters from his two all-conquering #1 solo albums (‘Wall of Glass’, ‘Once’), Liam’s inimitable snarl boomed across the Thames and dominated London’s gloomy winter skyline. There were plenty of welcome surprises too: debut solo performances of the Oasis songs ‘Hello’, ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Headshrinker’, and the first live version of ‘All You’re Dreaming Of’. Liam’s voice is absolutely on point throughout, with a full-throttle snarl of anger and attitude that doesn’t compromise any of the finesse of the studio recordings. Liam commented, “So here it is, the gig they said we could never pull off! As we were in lockdown, bored and depressed, rock ‘n’ roll came to save the day once again. It was a top night and a top gig and it’s captured here on record for you to all enjoy.”

Born and raised in small Texas towns, the members of Good Looks met and began playing together in Austin.

Songwriter Tyler Jordan grew up in a South Texas coastal town dominated by the petrochemical industry, his childhood steeped in the tension between nature and industry, exploitation abundantly present and the wealth gap on full display. His father’s church, described by Tyler as “cult-like in its intensity,” was home base and where he learned to sing.

Tyler eventually met lead guitarist Jake Ames in the late-night song-swap circles of the Kerrville Folk Festival campground (where they would also meet Buck Meek and Adrianne Lenker pre-Big Thief). They shared their mutual love of the Texas hill country canon (Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson), a love of cheap diner food, thrift store baseball caps, and a healthy dose of harmless shit-talking.

‘Bummer Year’ is a moment of quiet contemplation from Austin’s Good Looks that finds singer Tyler Jordan reflecting on old friendships and divergent paths in life. The ruminative midpoint guitar solo perfectly echoes the song’s sentiment. They began playing in bands together, backing up other songwriters and taking turns in the spotlight. They sought out producer Dan Duszynski (Loma, Cross Record, Jess Williamson) to engineer their debut album.

What would form was Good Looks, a blue-collar political indie-rock band with healthy doses of Replacements swagger and shimmering, desert rock riffs not unlike The War On Drugs.

From the album ‘Bummer Year’ out April 8th, 2022 on LP, CD, and cassette via Keeled Scales.

It’s hard to nominate an album of the year when I’m struggling to stop hitting repeat on two beautiful tracks I’ve heard recently: the sun-dappled “Change” by Big Thief, and Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers’ song for the ages “Nothing New“. But I’m here to talk albums – and among the standout’s for me in 2021 was “Delta Kream”. Old-school fans who’ve wanted Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach to revisit their OG hill country blues influences are in for a treat, with the duo here aided by RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough sidemen Kenny Brown and Eric Deaton. Auerbach sits in the pocket as Brown’s slide playing takes centre stage, and there’s an authenticity in these grooves rarely heard in modern blues.

The Black Keys perform an exclusive new track from their forthcoming album “Turn Blue” from the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios for Zane Lowe

Originally the solo project of Elise Cook, Soot Sprite have evolved into a three piece shoegaze/ dream pop outfit for their sophomore EP ‘Sharp Tongue’. Now for their single the full outfit comprises of Elise Cook, Sean Marriner and Tom Gilbert.

Originally Released October 29th, 2021

Lyrics by Elise Cook,

Elise Cook – Vocals, Production, Guitar
Tom Gilbert – Drums, Production, Backing Vocals
Sean Mariner – Bass
Danny Lester – Trumpet
Tom Stephens – Field Recording on ‘Poltergeists’

The Rolling Stones have announced a European Tour – covering 14 dates across 10 countries – in celebration of their 60th anniversary. It’s the band’s first new tour since the death of Charlie Watts – widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers of his generation – who died last August aged 80.

Current members Mick Jagger, 78, Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wood, 74, will be joined by drummer Steve Jordan, 65, who was drafted in to play on the Stones’ No Filter tour last year when Watts was unable to perform due to health issues. The tour’s set list will include hits including “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Gimme Shelter“, set to cutting-edge lighting and video, on a selection of different stages.

JUNE

01 – Wanda Metropolitano Stadium – MADRID, SPAIN, 05 – Olympic Stadium – MUNICH, GERMANY, 09 – Anfield Stadium – LIVERPOOL, UK, 13 – Johan Cruijff ArenA – AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, #17 – Wankdorf Stadium – BERN, SWITZERLAND, 21 – San Siro Stadium – MILAN, ITALY, 25 – American Express Presents BST Hyde Park – LONDON, UK

JULY

03 – American Express Presents BST Hyde Park – LONDON, UK, 11 – King Baudouin Stadium – BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 15 – Ernst Happel Stadium – VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 19 – Groupama Stadium – LYON, FRANCE, 23 – Hippodrome ParisLongchamp – PARIS, FRANCE, 27 – Veltins-Arena – GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY, 31 – Friends Arena – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

This show was recorded for the German TV series Rockpalast in Cannes in January 1986. Pete Townshend’s Deep End were touring in support of his solo concept album “White City: A Novel”. Several of the musicians that appeared on the album were featured in the line-up of the Deep End including Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on lead guitar.

The set list has tracks from the “White City” album, other Townshend solo tracks, Who classics, David Gilmour’s song “Blue Light” and a couple of surprises.

Pete Townshend is pleased to announce that Mercury Studios will be releasing on Record Store Day 2022, for the very first time on vinyl, his “Face The Face” album recorded live at MIDEM in Cannes in 1986 and broadcast live by Rockpalast, the German TV show. The album was previously released on DVD/CD in 2016.

The new 2 LP set is pressed on bright yellow vinyl and includes 14 songs from the concert. Pete’s band, Deep End, featured Pete on guitar and vocals backed by Peter Hope-Evans: harmonica, Chucho Merchan: bass, Simon Phillips: drums, John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick: keyboards, Jody Linscot: percussion and special guest, David Gilmour: guitar.

Also featured are the Kick Horns: Simon Clarke, Roddy Lorimer, Tim Sanders, Pete Beachill and Dave Plews. Backing vocals are: Billy Nicholls, Ian Ellis, Chris Staines, Gina Foster and Coral Gordon.

The Who’s Pete Townshend also seems to be making a new solo album, We do not know yet if the new recording sessions are related to the production of these unreleased tracks or to the packaging of a new solo album. Over the weekend, Townshend was spotted in the studio with session bassist Guy Pratt (whose portfolio includes work with Pink Floyd, Madonna, The Smiths and more) and drummer Ged Lynch (a long time collaborator of Peter Gabriel). The former posted a photo of the trio on Twitter, writing: “To say the last couple of days recording has been beyond magical would be an understatement.”

2021 would have been the 50th anniversary of the “Who’s Next” album and a good opportunity to do a box set and to have conversations about it. But we missed it for obvious reasons. And so in 2022, there is a box set and the box set is to some extent being perfumed by the fact that I’ve been working with a guy called Jeff Krelitz on a “Lifehouse” graphic novel, and we’re hoping that that will come out around the same time.

After 26 years, Pete Townshend has parted ways with his residence in Richmond, London, leaving behind his home studio.

Originally the solo project of vocalist and guitarist Genevieve DeGroot, who’s now joined by guitarist Jon Cox, bassist Tabitha Ahnert and drummer Amelia Swain, The Philadelphia four-piece Sadurn interweave folk’s rustic warmth and indie-pop/rock hooks around an intimate, poetic singer/songwriter core—the result sounds a bit like Frances Quinlan fronting Pinegrove. Sadurn are downright anthemic on the lead track from their forthcoming debut album “Radiator”, February standout “Snake,” but as seen on this week’s “Golden Arm,” they also excel amid more tranquil compositions, with DeGroot’s delicate vocals and evocative lyricism bringing the band’s understated Americana to life.

There’s a palpable feeling of intimacy throughout every moment of “Radiator“, the debut album from Philadelphia’s Sadurn. The band’s spare-yet-satisfying instrumentation, diary-like lyrics, and graceful vocal harmonies bring you in extraordinarily close, breaking down any walls between artist and listener to offer fleeting glimpses of life’s most internal moments—as well as one of the most compelling debut records in some time.

Genevieve DeGroot, who picked up the guitar in 2015 in an effort to delve deeper into song writing. “I came to the game really late relative to most people,” DeGroot explains, “I didn’t start playing guitar and really writing songs until after college. I’d always been a singer but I just felt like I needed an instrument to really write songs on.” It wasn’t long until DeGroot was creating the music that would eventually become Sadurn. “When you reach into a new creative outlet, it’s really exciting because there’s just so much there. I didn’t have this idea that I was going to go and become a musician, but I was learning new chord progressions and writing, and I’d moved to Philly and was surrounded by other songwriters.” One of these fellow musicians was guitarist Jon Cox, who joined up with DeGroot to form an early incarnation of Sadurn. The two started playing DIY shows in the city and released several homemade, charmingly lo-fi EPs

That warmth and familiarity permeates “Radiator“, with its roomy recording and lean instrumentation nimbly serving the songs, bolstering DeGroot’s stunning vocals and conversational lyrics. Sadurn’s affecting indie folk draws on a range of influences from Jason Molina, to Gillian Welch, to Alex G and Elliott Smith, working in the tradition of songwriters whose melodies are as captivating as the words within them. “Radiator” explores the struggles and eventual beauty of grappling with multiple emotional realities, particularly when it comes to relationships. “I definitely write as a way of processing what’s going on,” says DeGroot. “I’m usually making space for a feeling or a thought that, for some reason, I can’t talk to other people about because it’s too destructive.”

Indecision, doubt, heartbreak, the idea of being forced to choose–these internal conflicts are wrestled with throughout “Radiator“. Tracks like “snake,” the album’s instantly powerful opener, and “golden arm,” an unhurried ballad that shows its truest colours with time, are full of memorable moments and emotional detail. Elsewhere “moses kill” tries to make sense of unresolved feelings around identity and family overtop acoustic guitars recorded so closely that you can hear fingers moving from fret to fret, while mid-album highlight “special power” is an unabashed breakup song with a soaring chorus that belies its aching lyrics. “If you’re having doubts about a relationship, there aren’t many places you can air them,” DeGroot says. “Writing about that kind of thing is a way to wrap your mind around them.”

“Radiator” culminates in the penultimate song, “icepick”–a mix of gentle guitars, a hazy drum loop, and DeGroot’s revealing lyrics that slowly tumbles into album closer “ This final track is a cascading reversed version of “icepick” that plays almost like an instrumental plea to go back in time, armed with the perspective and knowledge gained from a challenging experience. A sense of daring-but-necessary honesty emerges as “<—” abruptly ends, and you start the album over. True closeness isn’t always easy to achieve, but with Radiator, Sadurn prove that it’s worth the risk.

With Sadurn’s sound you’ll carry it with you wherever you go next. from their upcoming album ‘Radiator’ out May 6th 2022 via Run For Cover Records.