The Fat Angel Sings

Easter 2021 saw the return of the noirish alt-goth roustabouts Desperate Journalist to the Bodega in Nottingham, who pile back into the marketplace with a brand new single called ‘Fault’ on April 2nd. Driven along by Simon Drowner’s ear-popping bassline ‘Fault’ finds the quartet in impeccably brutalist form, all banshee howls and lacerating lyrics from singer Jo Bevan. “And those teenage hang-ups are hard to beat / When your closet is piled up with defeat,” she snaps at one especially prickly point, as alongside her guitarist Rob Hardy and drummer Caz Hellbent add fuel to the sonic flaming. ‘Fault’ is the first track to be hauled from Desperate Journalist’s thoroughly forthright fourth album, ‘Maximum Sorrow!’, recorded entirely in Crouch End in lockdown.

Here’s what Jo says of this first shot from the long playing bows…“The lyrics for ‘Fault’ were initially written quite intuitively and informed by what sounded good mouthwise with the kind of melody I thought the song needed – quite sonorous, Jim Kerr-y vowels. As I edited it into something which actually made sense, it naturally turned into a memory-screed about a terrible flat I once lived in and how the place itself seemed to reflect all the misery going on in my life at the time. I quite like the idea of a song sounding so big and dark and kinetic but with lyrics set mostly in quite a small space where nothing really happens except for unexpressed turbulent emotion. “Structurally it’s unusual for us in that it a) doesn’t have many guitars on it and b) has a shifting hook/chorus which doesn’t happen at the times you’d necessarily expect. It was more of a textural exercise to record too which was really enjoyable and interesting – there are two drumkits on the recording and also synth undercurrents to make it extra propulsive and intense. ”So post-punk has made it into the springtime pages of The Sunday Times? Oh, DO keep up – Desperate Journalist have been raging against the corporate machine for aeons with their melodramatic blend of traumatised guitars and artbroken vocals. In fact, ‘Maximum Sorrow!’ will represent their fourth full album release in the six years since the ‘Desperate Journalist’ debut appeared in 2015. Sophomore effort ‘Grow Up’ stormed out in 2017 and 2019 saw the search for ‘In Search Of The Miraculous’.

Throw in a couple of five-track EPs (‘Good Luck’ and ‘You Get Used To It’) and their melody-shattering proficiency is apparent for all to see. Add in a litany of ten-out-of-ten media reviews and utterly devotional followings from desperate fanboys and fangirls from Birmingham to Berlin and Desperate Journalist’s incredibly credible status is more bulletproof than ever before.
In fact, what really is impressive this time around is that ‘Fault’ sounds so alive but as it was written and recorded in lockdown it has never actually been played live – now that really does take some creative skillings.

Released July 2nd, 2021

Hand Habits, is the project of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Meg Duffy, has announced a new LP. “Blue Reminder” is slated to arrive on August 22nd via Fat Possum. It’s led by the bristly, yearning new song ‘Wheel of Change’, which comes paired with a video from director Otium.

“Both lyrically and in its production, this song is about the impossibility of return—you can’t go back to the way things were, no matter how much you might want to hold on to a time, or a feeling, or a person,” Duffy explained in a press release. “Lyrically there’s a kind of desperation (‘I need it now more than ever’), but in it there’s also a request, ‘don’t take it away just yet,’ which is not a question but a demand, and I wanted the production to reflect that. That in longing, there can be this sharper, wild edge. Like, no I need this, give it to me, don’t take it away.”

Duffy recorded “Blue Reminder” in Los Angeles with co-producer Joseph Lorge. It features a crew of collaborators including Alan Wyffels, Gregory Uhlmann, Olivia Kaplan, Blake Mills, Tim Carr, Daniel Aged, and Joshua Johnson and Anna Butters of SML. “For this record I set out to no longer shapeshift when it came to the person I become in the face of love,” Duffy shared.

“Of course the weight of the past is always in the room with me when I sit down to write,” they added. “It is filtered through my way of making even the most precious moments imbued with something blue — the constant reminder is there — but I have spent so much time writing as a means to work through pain, or place blame on myself or others, and I am at a point in my life where I’m more interested in acceptance, forgiveness, and exploring what it means to need and be needed.”

Back in 2023, Hand Habits released the mini-record “Sugar the Bruise”. Last year, they contributed to the solo piano music compilation piano1, and recently joined the National’s Matt Berninger on his single ‘Breaking into Acting’.

Franz Ferdinand have shared new versions of two tracks included on “The Human Fear“, which was released via Domino Recordings in January. Those two new songs are a version of “Build It Up” with the great Johnny Marr on guitar and a live version of “Hooked,” which was recorded at Barrowlands in Glasgow and features London-based indietronica figure Master Peace.

The new version of “Build It Up” came from a live Amazon session in which the band was joined by Marr. The collaboration apparently went swimmingly, as the band and the former Smiths guitarist eventually hopped in the studio to record their version.

“Johnny is an inspiration. Literally,” shared Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. “I sat in my bedroom as a teenager trying to work out how to play his melodies. To hear his distinctive playing on our song is glorious. He’s elevated it in that way only he can.”

Both songs were originally featured on the band’s 2025 LP “The Human Fear“.

Royel Otis have shared another new track called “Car” alongside the news that their sophomore studio album, “hickey”, will arrive on August 22nd. The single was co-written by the band (Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic) with writer/producers Blake Slatkin and Omer Fedi. The track is a lo-fi jangly pop cut with a chorus that looks in the rear view on days of yore. It strikes that nostalgia nerve in all the right ways as Pavlovic sings: “Yeah, I’ll meet you in the car on the corner / But we know it’s gotta change sometime / You know I love the taste of your water / But I think it’s time to say goodbye.”

The Sydney indie-pop duo Royel Otis are facing criticism following the release of their new single ‘Moody’, with some listeners accusing the band of using misogynistic language in the track and allegedly deleting online comments calling them out for it.

The band also recently announced an upcoming tour in support of the new material which will find them initially headlining cities across North America. 

“Car” (Official Music Video) by Royel Otis, shot in New York City.

Frankie Cosmos has shared an official video for the album opener, “Pressed Flower,” off the group’s forthcoming long-player, “Different Talking“, available worldwide on June 27th. Directed by Adam Kolodny, the video stars comedy icon Tracey Ullman alongside the band and others.

Greta Kline’s sixth record as Frankie Cosmos is another solid if slightly monotonous showcase of her brisk, pleasant brand of indie-pop, only occasionally doling out flashes of wit and unexpected stylistic flourishes. In 2014, Greta Kline, the singer-songwriter behind the moniker Frankie Cosmos, emerged as a new voice to be reckoned with with her small but impactful debut “Zentropy”. That record stood out for a myriad of reasons: the economical runtime (no track runs over 2.5 minutes), the gentle yet exacting DIY sound design, and Kline’s soft, fluttery vocals, which could transform mundane personal anecdotes and straightforward observations into quietly devastating poetry. For a brief, fleeting moment, “Zentropy” made twee cool again, evoking the oft-maligned aesthetic that populated much of the indie-pop/rock sphere in the mid-to-late-2000s but infusing it with a twist of millennial malaise.

Kline has continued to refine her no-frills sonic template with minor adjustments. Her most accomplished work remains 2016’s “Next Thing”, which effortlessly streamlined Kline’s intimate song-writing and nimble production style into a simple yet striking record that clocks in at just under 30 minutes. Frankie Cosmos has also morphed from just a stage name for Kline into a four-piece band that includes guitarist Alex Bailey, keyboardist Katie Von Schleicher, and drummer Hugo Stanley. That Kline has maintained a consistent and disciplined sound after expanding her project is commendable, but “Different Talking”, her sixth and latest LP, is more or less the same as what she’s been making up to this point: brisk, accessible, slickly produced indie-pop .

Frankie Cosmos’s frontperson, Greta Kline, shares, “It’s a dream come true to have Tracey Ullman star in this video. She’s the funniest person I know, and brings love, depth, and care to every character she plays. Getting to play dress-up with her and find this Manhattanite havoc-wreaker character was a blast. The Director, Adam Kolodny, brought the perfect framework to our crazy concept. This song, for me, is about figuring out who you are, moving on while looking back, and feeling the effects of memories on locations. The video is about someone running around NYC in a disguise, causing a chaotic chain of events for the locals (played by my band).”

“Different Talking”, Frankie Cosmos upcoming album, is available to stream from your SubPop.com account right now with any purchase of the album!

‘Different Talking,’ out June 27th on Sub Pop Records.

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.