March 2020 when an escalating global pandemic ushered an abrupt end to Mannequin Pussy’s high-profile tour with Best Coast. It was a blow for the Philadelphian punk trio, made up of frontwoman Dabice, drummer Kaleen Reading and bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford who, a decade and three albums into their career, have seemingly been permanently on the cusp of greatness. It’s a good thing, then, they’ve been primed to adapt.
Mannequin Pussy formed in Connecticut in 2010, initially as a duo between childhood friends Dabice and guitarist Athanasios Paul, who left the band earlier this year. “It’s a lot of work to do this,” Dabice says of his departure, “and it’s especially a lot of work to do this when you don’t have the instant gratification of playing shows and having [music] be the forefront of your life.” Together, the pair released a storm of ramshackle EPs with sinewy titles like Meatslave and Bonerjamz! before eventually relocating to Philadelphia.
Following 2019’s sentimental powerhouse “Patience”, Mannequin Pussy returned with their new EP Perfect in May. Toeing a similar line between punk and anthemic rock, Perfect edges the band closer to stadium-rock territory while sacrificing none of the lyrical and emotional potency they’ve delivered in the past. If anything, Perfect finds the band doubling down on the intensity, the passion and the ambition they’ve demonstrated previously, further cementing them as a titanic voice in modern rock.
“Control” by Mannequin Pussy from the ‘Perfect’ EP, out now!
At a certain time and a certain place within the history of indie music, Philadelphia’s Thank You Thank You (aka songwriter Tyler Bussey) would have been catapulted to relative stardom off the strength of his debut EP “Next to Nothing“. Sensitive and tender folk instrumentals are expanded by dynamic instrumentation that includes synths, violins and often experimental spoken-word samples, which pair gorgeously with Bussey’s smooth voice and introspective lyricism. Single and standout track “KP” wields a thoughtfulness reminiscent of artists like Band of Horses or Granddaddy, brimming with an anxious optimism that makes the track feel alive. Next to Nothing finds an ambitious songwriter showcasing a tremendous talent for crafting vibrant and expansive, yet subdued songs.
Sub Pop Records will release the remastered and altogether deluxe 30th-anniversary edition of Mudhoney’s “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”, the Seattle group’s classic second full-length album. Originally released 30 years ago, this expanded version includes the remastered original album in its entirety, as well as a 15-track bonus LP (or CD, your choice!) of additional material, with 7 previously unreleased songs The album also includes liner notes from Mudhoney biographer (Mudhoney: The Sound and the Fury from Seattle) and MOJOjournalist Keith Cameron, as well as new cover art, archival band photos, and a full-color fold-out poster. The first run of LPs will be on coloured vinyl.
By going back to basics with “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”, Mudhoney flipped conventional wisdom. Not for the first time – or the last – they would be vindicated. A month after release in July 1991, the album entered the UK album chart at Number 34 (five weeks later, Nirvana’s Nevermind entered at 36) and went on to sell 75,000 copies worldwide. A more meaningful measure of success, however, lay in its revitalisation of the band, casting a touchstone for the future. The record is a major chapter in Mudhoney’s ongoing story, the moral of which has to be: when in doubt, fudge it.
The album began at Music Source Studio, a large space equipped with a 24-track mixing board – downright futuristic, compared to the 8-track setup that birthed the band’s catalytic 1988 debut, “Touch Me I’m Sick.” The Music Source session quickly turned into a false start when the results, in guitarist Steve Turner’s words, “sounded a little too fancy, too clean.” Lesson learned, the band went primitive and got to work at Conrad Uno’s 8-track setup at Egg Studio. Named after the cartons pasted on the walls in an optimistic attempt at sound-proofing, Egg boasted a ’60s vintage 8-track Spectra Sonics recording console, originally built for Stax in Memphis.
So it was that, in the spring of 1991, Mudhoney made Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. The resulting album is a whirlwind of the band’s influences at the time: the fierce ‘60s garage rock of their Pacific Northwest predecessors The Sonics and The Lollipop Shoppe, the gnashing post-hardcore of Drunks With Guns, the heavy guitar moods of Neil Young, the lysergic workouts of Spacemen 3 and Hawkwind, the gloomy existentialism of Zounds, and the satirical ferocity of ‘80s hardcore punk. The quartet’s special alchemy meant these fond homages never slid into pastiche. Ultimately, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge epitomised the best of Mudhoney: here was a band reconnecting with its purest instincts, and in the process reinventing itself.
Whether it was Uno’s production, the addition of more instruments to the Mudhoney arsenal (notably Mark Arm adds organ, as can be enjoyably heard on “Who You Drivin’ Now,” among other numbers), plus a slew of brilliant songs, or a combination of the above, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge found Mudhoney coming into their own album-wise. “Let It Slide,” the album’s lead single, fuses everything from surf rock drumming from Dan Peters to a delicious vocal whine on the verses from Arm into a hotwired classic. It’s not so much grunge as speed-freak energy, and all the better for it given the caricatures of Sub Pop’s sound that would soon take over the airwaves. “Into the Drink” is another fun single, using acoustic and electric guitar to carry a nicely snotty garage stomp along, the full band adding one of their better chorus-gang shouts. More acoustic twang surfaces here and there (check out “Move Out”), helping to show that the variety of songs and styles is much more apparent and welcome here than on the self-titled album.
The almost-pretty rushed guitar chime on “Good Enough” could be mid-’80s while Steve Turner’s harmonica playing often suggests even deeper roots (and on “Pokin’ Around” is both quick on the pace and sweetly mournful). Uno’s eight-track production makes more of less plenty of times — “Something So Clear” may not sound as full to some ears as their other records, but the basic guitar overdubs add just enough force, an effective simplicity (and Turner’s soloing is pretty great to boot). The six-minute “Broken Hands” is the one point on the album where the band completely freaks out, but unlike the takes-too-long moments of Mudhoney, it’s all worth it here, down to the final chaotic amplifier abuse.
This 30th anniversary edition, remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service, stands as testimony to the creative surge that drove them in this period. The album sessions yielded a clutch of material that would subsequently appear on B-sides, compilations, and split-singles. This edition includes all those tracks, and a slew of previously unreleased songs, including the entire five-track Music Source session.
Released July 23rd, 2021
Sub Pop Records
Mudhoney has announced a 28-date UK & EU tour starting on September 7th, 2022 in Manchester, UK with shows in Bristol, London, Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam, ending on Oct. 9th in Nijmegen, NL. See below for a full list of shows.
The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, in an intimate setting — just a different space. Bob Boilen July 21st, 2021 Tori Zietsch, aka Maple Glider, is in her Australian home surrounded by her bandmates and friends. Comforting landscape paintings cover the walls: Tori’s first vinyl album, Melanie’s 1971 album “Gather Me“, hangs alongside the pictures. She fingerpicks her guitar and sings “Mama It’s Christmas,” the closing track to her debut album, “To Enjoy Is the Only Thing“. As she sings the words: “Oh it’s Christmas time again / Where is my brother / Where is my friend / Mama it’s Christmas time, again / Doesn’t he know I’ve got ribbons to wrap him in.”
Looking at the camera’s wide shot, I sense her watching bandmates and those landscape paintings morph into a warm, comforting blanket. Tori grew up steeped — and trapped — in a restrictive, religious home. Music was her way out. She was part of a duo known as Seavera, and when that disbanded, she moved to Brighton in the U.K. She wrote a stockpile of solo music and came back to Melbourne with what she describes as a SoundCloud packed with demo tunes. I first became enchanted by the second song here, “As Tradition.” It’s the first single she put out as MapleGlider, and it speaks to the loss of identity in both relationships and religion. On the lighter side, she refers to her talented band as “The Yeeehawwws” because they sing ultra country versions of her songs during rehearsals. There may come a time when levity becomes part of Maple Glider; for now, these heavy tunes, packed with thoughtful words and sung so longingly, are here to enjoy.
Shame are set to release a new remix EP featuring new versions of their song “Born in Luton” from the sophomore album “Drunk Tank Pink”. In addition to work by DJ Dairy (of Black Midi), Glows, PVA, and Pelada, they’ve shared the track “Maximum Security” version of the song, made by Austin Browne of Parquet Courts. Listen to the track, and also and check out the band’s newly announced 2022 tour dates, below.
The band’s Born in Luton Remixes EP is out July 23rd. Austin Brown said in a press release: “They’re gonna have to reopen the Hacienda for this one. Inspired by Ron Hardy’s Chicago Music Box and Belgian New Beat, this is one for the promo bin to all your fav DJs for their online radio streams and 2 a.m. playlist slots on CDJs worldwide for COVID-free club summer.”
This 12” features two reggae remixes each of “Jokerman” and “I And I”, by Doctor Dread. The original versions of both tracks appeared on Dylan’s “Infidels” album, with Sly & Robbie as the rhythm section. The two “I And I” remixes were previously released on Is It Rolling Bob: A Reggae Tribute To Bob Dylan (2003) ,while the “Jokerman” remixes are newly commissioned and previously unreleased. Doctor Dread has worked with Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Mad Cobra, Freddy McGregor, Sly and Robbie, Steel Pulse, The Wailers and many others.
This special 12″ single features several reggae remixes of songs off of Bob Dylan’s 1983 albumInfidels. “Jokerman” and “I and I” were both released as singles at the time and “Jokerman” is one of Dylan’s best-known tunes from the 1980s. All of the remixes are done by Doctor Dread.
The two versions of “I and I” appeared previously on 2003’s compilation Rolling Bob: A Reggae Tribute to BobDylan but the two versions of “Jokerman” are newly created for this single. The timing of this release is undoubtedly purposeful as that the 16th entry in Dylan’s long-running Bootleg Series will focus on his early 1980s career. If the rumours turn out to be true, this would be a key tie-in. (It is unknown – doubtful, even – if these remixes would appear on the Bootleg Series release, so this may be one of your few opportunities to own the new versions of “Jokerman.”)
Side A: 1. “Jokerman [Reggae Remix]” 2. “Jokerman [Instrumental Dub]”
Side B: 1. “I and I [Reggae Remix]” 2. “I and I [Reggae Dub]”
You may recall that Fruit Bats covered Smashing Pumpkins’ classic second album, “Siamese Dream“, in full last year for the Sounds Delicous collective , and that’s now been shared to streaming services. Eric D. Johnson gives the alt-rock classic a decidedly Fruit Bats spin. He talks a little about the album and his version:
In 1993, I was the prime age to be swept up in alternative radio. But truth be told, while I loved Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction, in my heart I was still secretly wearing a hole in my cassette copy of Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-78. Somehow, Smashing Pumpkins spoke to all sides of me angsty on the surface but really filled with a kind of Midwest mysticism that spoke directly to my 17-year-old-kid-from-Illinois brain. It’s also the first tape I ever listened to while driving a long distance alone. I’m pretty sure my version of this album is based on subconscious memories of that drive.
I played all the instruments on this. And no, of course I’m not going to be able to recreate Billy Corgan’s crushing, epic guitar tone. Nor could I dream of touching Jimmy Chamberlin’s floaty (yet ever-shredding) drumming. This version is all about hazy memories for me, and how Corgan’s brilliant pop hooks can travel through time and exist in any possible instrumental configuration.
Fruit Bats are playing Newport Folk Festival this weekend, and they’ve just announced a few October 2021 dates, They’ll be back in for a more extensive 2022 tour
Fruit Bats released “The Pet Parade” earlier this year and are also contributing to the upcoming Neal Casal tribute box set.
FRUIT BATS have digitally released their full-album cover of Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins! Recorded between the albums “The Pet Parade” and “Gold Past Life” and originally released on vinyl last summer via Turntable Kitchen, the Fruit Bats version of Siamese Dream can now be heard in full on your stream or purchased in the Merge Records store. “Johnson navigates the songs with intimacy while freely straying from the record’s blueprint. In the original, high drama and explosive washes of guitars greet listeners at every turn. Muting both elements, Johnson strips the songs of their grandeur and amplifies their air of loneliness. The effect is poignant, as if the singer is communing with his younger self.” —New Yorker
In 1964, when the Beach Boys were at their commercial peak, band mastermind Brian Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown on an airplane while heading to a gig. Soon after, Wilson told his bandmates that he wanted to quit touring entirely and focus full-time on producing the group’s layered, masterful, mind-blowing pop records. A lot of incredible music came out of that decision. In the decades after that, Wilson suffered all sorts of mental health calamities, so it’s strange and wonderful to see the 79-year-old Wilson eager to return to the road. Wilson has been steadily touring, mostly on his own, for a long time now. In 2019, Wilsonpostponed a tour to focus on his mental health. Then, two weeks later, he told the world that he was feeling better, and he went right back to playing shows.
Brian Wilson has revealed a North American fall tour, while dropping demos, rarities, and outtakes on his new website.
On the Brian Wilson’s site, you can click through the different periods of his life and find photos, outtakes, and audio clips of Wilson talking about his own music. Click on “1966,” for instance, and you can hear the vocal insert overdubs for the Pet Sounds song “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder),” or you can hear Wilson discussing “Good Vibrations” in depth. On YouTube, Wilson’s team has also shared a 1995 instrumental demo of “Desert Drive,” a song that appeared on his 2004 solo album “Gettin’ In Over My Head“.
Wilson’s new site contains a timeline feature organized by decades spanning from his birth in 1942 to the present. He previewed the launch with a 1995 demo of “Desert Drive,” which appeared on 2004’s Gettin’ in Over My Head. Other demos from the era, written with Andy Paley, are also available — including the unreleased “I’m Broke.”
The Eighties features obscure demos, like “Let’s Go to Heaven in My Car” from the 1987 film Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, while the Seventies includes demos from The Beach Boys album “Love You”. The Sixties is divided into three separate pages, with one devoted to 1966’s Pet Sounds.
“Thanks for visiting my new website,” the homepage reads. “We decided to put up some cool demos, outtakes, and live tracks you haven’t heard before. I hope you dig listening to them as much as we did making them. Stay safe and we’ll see you on tour soon!”
The Beach Boys will release the box set “Feel Flows — The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969–1971”.
The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.
Bob Boilen July 20th, 2021 There’s a desk and a band playing songs filled with nature’s imagery somewhere in the woods of Mulmur in Southern Ontario, Canada. It’s the perfect setting for The Weather Station. Outdoor locations are familiar to anyone who’s seen recent videos for “Robber,” “Parking Lot,” “Tried to Tell You” and “Atlantic,” all songs from the band’s fourth album, “Ignorance”, and all songs performed here for its Tiny Desk (home) concert. Songwriter and singer Tamara Lindeman told NPR Music’s Marissa Lorusso of her deep feelings on the climate crisis: “I just basically fell down the rabbit hole that happens to you when you take in the full reality of what it means, and what two degrees [of warming] means and how far over the cliff we already are.” And so the songs for this Tiny Desk (home)concert are filled with imagery of nature and our relationship with our planet.
With images of a blood-red sunset in the song “Atlantic” and the lines “Thinking I should get all this dying off of my mind / I should really know better than to read the headlines / Does it matter if I see it? / No, really, can I not just cover my eyes?,” Tamara writes about her passion for the earth and its future, but the tunes are calming and thoughtful, not doctrines or lectures.
This big band with two drummers, two guitars, keyboards and a sax seems at home in the great outdoors. I, however, look forward to seeing them in a club again when their tour begins in September.
Set List: “Tried to Tell You” “Parking Lot” “Atlantic” “Robber”
The Band: Tamara Lindeman: vocals Kieran Adams: drums Christine Bougie: guitar Philippe Melanson: percussion Karen Ng: saxophone, clarinet Johnny Spence: keys Ben Whiteley: bass.
Bay Area bedroom-rock trio Sour Widows (Maia Sinaiko, Susanna Thomson and Max Edelman) released their debut self-titled EP in 2020, earning acclaim for their dynamic blend of sharp rock riffs and hushed vocal melodies (think Adrianne Lenker fronting Duster), which they control with the ease and ambition of a much more established band. They planned to keep touring, then start work on recording their first full-length album live in a studio … until COVID rendered all of that impossible.
“2020 was going to be a big year for us and we had a lot of new material we were lining up to record in the studio,” Sinaiko said. “There was a period of devastation we went through that a lot of bands have felt and continue to feel. But we decided to pare down our initial vision and focus on material we felt we could confidently record ourselves from our various homes, which was exactly the right choice.” The result was the band’s second EP, “Crossing Over“, out now on Exploding in Sound Records. Sour Widows rose to the occasion and then some—each of the EP’s four tracks is an emotional and instrumental journey, sweeping, yet carefully crafted for maximum resonance. It might as well be called Arriving.
All songs written by Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson Guitar and vocals: Susanna Thomson Guitar and vocals: Maia Sinaiko Drums: Max Edelman Bass: Timmy Stabler
Recorded at home by the band Produced by Cody Hamilton and Sour Widows
“Crossing Over” by Sour Widows from their EP ‘Crossing Over’ out April 23rd, 2021 on Exploding in Sound Records
