The Fat Angel Sings

The big day is finally here, we can’t believe it. As some of you may have heard, we — Melina from Jay Som and Ellen from Palehound — have a new project together, and we finally get to share it with you!

We’ve been dear friends and huge fans of each other for years and were lucky enough to get to work together in January 2020 before quarantine. It’s been about a year and a half since we recorded these songs and sitting on them for this long has been a challenge to say the least.

We originally planned to release these last summer, but because of Covid we put it off and we’re so glad we did. That extra time gave us the opportunity to treat this album with care and focus that can sometimes get lost in a busy touring schedule. Though the recording and writing process was only a few weeks long, we have put countless hours into mixing/mastering/producing these songs and we are very proud of them.

When we listen back to Doomin’ Sun, we are listening to an earlier version of our friendship, a friendship that has since grown tremendously since we’ve had to be apart from each other for so long and then immediately put ourselves out there into the world. Going from a year of not being perceived by anyone to a full on press cycle is a whirlwind and has been a mindfuck for us both but it’s been a beautiful experience as we have felt incredibly supported by our many amazing team members and fans. We want more than anything for this record to remind you that your friends are your family, that friend love is just as important as romantic love, and that every connection you have to another person is sacred. We feel connected to all of you and are very grateful to have this chance to share ourselves with you. Can’t wait to see ya’ll on the road! Love, Ellen and Melina

“Back Of My Hand” is the final single from Bachelor (Jay Som & Palehound)’s debut full-length ‘Doomin’ Sun’, out May 28th on Polyvinyl Records, Lucky Number, and Milk! Records.

A standout track from Girl In Red’s debut album “if i could make it go quiet”,. Beginning with hollow, echoey keys and rolling, fast-paced drums, the raw emotion in the music is a slow build that rises alongside the lyrics. Here, Norwegian singer/songwriter Girl In Red, born Marie Ulven, is irrevocably honest; by emoting lines such as “You’re so fake / It’s all lies / Was she good? / Just what you like? / Did you come? / How many times? / Tell the truth / Wait, never mind,” she captures the vulnerability that comes along with realizing that you’ve just asked a question you don’t really want the answer to. By being so straightforward, Ulven chronicles the disintegration of a relationship and the confusing feelings that follow in a way that everyone can relate to, proving that what is most personal is most universal. Even more impressive, however, is the way she does all of this while reclaiming herself and her power—which is always the best revenge.

my debut album “if i could make it go quiet” is out now:

New Jersey’s Annie Blackman is no newbie to the world of turning pain into lyrics, but with her latest single “Souvenir,” that pain feels less metaphorical and more concrete. As you listen to her calm voice softly sing “Separately / I’m struggling and / standing at the sink / I deserve whatever hurts / I think,” it feels like watching yourself experimenting piercing aches, so far removed from the hurt but knowing exactly what it feels like.

Perhaps this is the way she paints a picture, through comparing her body to physical objects as she expresses the feel of the touch and how badly it stings. Even the titular “Souvenir” is nothing but the aftershock of the undeniable crash. “Souvenir” is Blackman’s second single under the label Father/Daughter Records.

Indie darling Soccer Mommy has dropped a cover of The Chicks song’ “Wide Open Spaces” on May 14th Because of Soccer Mommy’s melancholy rock sound, a cover of a country hit from the 90s took me by surprise. The “circle the drain” singer reminds the world that she hails from Nashville and is no stranger to country tunes as she naturally dons her metaphorical cowboy hat and clicks into this country melody. The arrangement is fun and original, and it’s strangely refreshing to hear her refined, soft vocal on a song originally sung by country powerhouse—and blueprint Natalie Maine.

According to Instagram, Apparently Soccer Mommy recorded this cover a few years ago. Definitely better late than never, and I hope this means we could be getting more nostalgic country covers from the indie queen sometime soon. 

Dylan LeBlanc has spent the last decade releasing four acclaimed albums, winning praise for his arresting alt-country style, collaborating with the likes of Emmylou Harris and Brittany Howard, and sharing stages with heavyweights like Bruce Springsteen and Lucinda Williams. Now, the Muscle Shoals songwriter is taking a moment to pay homage to the artists who inspired his unique sound with the “Pastimes” EP, a collection of six covers that LeBlanc says inspired him musically and spiritually, featuring covers of Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Glen Campbell, Led Zeppelin, Buffalo Springfield and JJ Cale. Pre-order the orange-coloured LP now in the ATO shop, shipping October 29th.

Originally performed by Glen Campbell

From the new ‘Pastimes’ covers EP out digitally on June 18th, 2021

The weird world of Wombo is a kaleidoscopic journey of sharp turns and surprising visions, a melting pot of influences with a cheeky cheshire-cat grin that coalesce into a trippy but infinite universe of the band’s own, and a portal into their unique vantage point without limitation.  Already committed to living outside the traditionally-heralded country sound of the music scene in their hometown of Louisville, Sydney Chadwick (vocals) and Cameron Lowe (guitar) had previously played in punk pop band the Debauchees, and with the addition of Joel Taylor (drums) in 2016 they found a winning combination of more straightforward indie rock combined with Chadwick’s pitched up, oscillating vocals and unpredictable shifts in melody that see the band moving forward at an impressive pace.  

Fire Talk Records is extremely honoured to help usher this futuristic body of work into the world. It’s available to stream digitally now with physical of both the EP & the Blossomlooksdownuponus reissue landing July 9th. Don’t just take our word for it! 

“Wombo have a similar undefinable nature… as long as you like it, why question it?” Alt Citizen

“Driving, punky and catchy.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“Infectious and inspiring.” – Ears to Feed

“Avant-garde post-punk with weird psych pop touches and math rock undertones. It’s pretty special and we’re along for the ride.” – Post Trash

From Wombo’s ‘Keesh Mountain’ EP out 5/28 on Fire Talk Records

There is a special sweetness about Anne Freeman’s voice. If you haven’t gotten to experience yet, then “When I’m a Wreck” is a great place to start. At once sweet as a remembered moment and tinged with the ache that come with its non-existence, her delivery is an enamoring delight in each song she has put out to date. Yet “When I’m a Wreck” showcases this strength in new light, its chords dancing under her waves of “You” in the chorus, the guitars dousing her words in honey drops as violins bustle past nearby.

The centerpiece of Oxford, Mississippi-based singer/songwriter Anne Freeman’s debut album “Keep It Close” (June 25th, Muscle Beach Records), “When I’m a Wreck” melds the timeless twang of her native Mississippi Delta with Molly Rankin-esque (of Alvvays) vocals, clean indie-rock guitars and abundant strings that draw the emotion out of Freeman’s vulnerable lyrics. “You get me more than myself / You protect me from myself / You love me when I’m a wreck,” she croons in its choruses, radiating gratitude for the helping hand and crying shoulder offered even when she’s at her worst. The track blends rock, Americana and orchestral pop sounds, a lovely mixture that only heightens your connection to its affectionate emotional core. 

“When I’m a Wreck” the new single by Anne Freeman from upcoming album, ‘Keep It Close’-– out June 25th on Muscle Beach Records

If asked to anyone about The Yardbirds, most rock fans would probably say something like this: They introduced the world to Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. That is true, they did. Each of the three renowned guitarists first achieved international recognition while a member of the blues-rooted British Invasion band, which existed for a mere five years, 1963-68, but exerted an outsized impact on rock.

Eric Clapton replaced the band’s original and still basically unknown guitarist, Top Topham, shortly after the band’s birth, in October 1963. Frustrated with their musical direction, Clapton then bolted in March 1965, relinquishing his spot to Jeff Beck, who lasted until November 1966, at which time Jimmy Page, who’d first joined the group as its bassist in June 1966 (and, for a brief period that summer, doubled up with Beck on guitar), Page took over the lead guitar spot. Page stayed on until July 1968, when he went off to start a new band with some fellows named Plant, Jones and Bonham, but that’s another story.

The above tells a very abbreviated tale which would easily take up several more pages, and has filled several books. Other personnel changes took place along the way, with only lead vocalist Keith Relf, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty serving throughout the entire run. There were hit singles (“For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Shapes of Things”), equally superb not-so-hit singles (“Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,” “Little Games”) and a handful of very different but mostly poorly put together albums. They’re all worth considering, but there’s no denying that the Yardbirds’ recorded legacy was just as convoluted as their personnel timeline.

“Five Live Yardbirds”

Putting aside their U.K. and U.S. singles releases, the band’s album releases were relatively straightforward for a few years, if ill-reasoned. In December 1964, the line-up with Clapton on guitar (and Paul Samwell-Smith on bass) released Five Live Yardbirds, their debut LP, in the U.K., on Columbia Records. That album, not released in America at the time, was all about the blues and R&B: There are no original compositions on it, only covers written by the likes of Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, the Isley Brothers, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. Recorded at the Marquee Club in London in March 1964, around the time that the Beatles were first breaking in the U.S., this is the stuff that made Clapton’s mouth water, and he shines on it.

Not that anyone noticed: The album did not get an American release, plus it failed to chart at home. The Yardbirds may have been one of the hottest blues-rock bands in Britain, but few knew. They wouldn’t even release another LP in their homeland until well into 1966 . By the time it took off though, Clapton had already vacated, pursuing his blues licks with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and then, in 1966, Cream, the band that would elevate his status so considerably that some fans took to painting the words “Clapton is God” on London walls.

“For Your Love” 

Jeff Beck was already entrenched when the “For Your Love” LP was released on Epic Records in America, and in fact plays lead guitar on three of its tracks. Still, when American fans were offered “Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds“, in November 1965, they had every reason to believe that Clapton was still, in some manner, a presence, as he occupied the entirety of side two of the album, recorded live in ’64. Consisting of four covers, the Clapton tracks offer a formidable farewell, but the future direction of the Yardbirds was much more easily discerned by playing side one, all of it featuring Beck. Although there is only one original tune, “Still I’m Sad,” credited to Samwell-Smith and McCarty, there are strong indications—particularly on the two Graham Gouldman compositions, “Evil Hearted You” and the top 10 single “Heart Full of Soul”—of the more experimental pop-oriented direction the band would take. Other tunes on “Rave Up”, notably Mike Hugg’s “You’re a Better Man Than I,” are some of the Yardbirds’ best, and again point away from the blues.

“Having A Rave Up With The Yardbirds”

By 1966, things had begun to stabilize—somewhat. With Eric Clapton long gone, the quintet of Relf, Beck, Dreja, Samwell-Smith and McCarty was anxious to start joining their contemporaries by recording their own material and dressing it up in the studio with a plethora of styles and sounds. That April, with Samwell-Smith and Simon Napier-Bell co-producing, the band entered a London studio to begin work on their first proper full-length album of all-original material: The entirety of it was credited to all five musicians.

The first two tracks they laid down, “Over Under Sideways Down” and “Jeff’s Boogie,” were released as a single in both England (on May 27th, 1966, where it reached #10) and America (#13, a couple of places lower than the extraordinary,  non-LP track “Shapes of Things” a few months earlier).

The single revealed a new overtly psychedelic direction for the Yardbirds, with Jeff Beck’s Eastern-inspired guitar line displayed prominently, falling into a repeating pattern throughout most of the track, then exploding into a fiery barrage toward the end. Relf’s lead vocal, punctuated by the others’ restated “Hey!” chant, is one of his strongest, the lyrics falling more or less into the then-popular protest category (“When I was young people spoke of immorality/All the things they said were wrong are what I want to be”), a hypnotic tag line (“Over under sideways down, backwards forwards square and round”) breaking up the verses. “Jeff’s Boogie,” meanwhile, is just that, but on overdrive, a precursor to the kind of pyrotechnical madness Jimi Hendrix and others would be proffering shortly.

The two sides of the single were included on the finished album; the rest presented something of a guided tour of the Yardbirds’ growing versatility. The opening track, “Lost Woman,” kicks off with Samwell-Smith and McCarty swinging the intro madly, like a crazed troupe of bebop hepcats, before Beck and his wah-wah begin their total domination of the remainder (his solo is off the charts). The album’s first half also includes “I Can’t Make Your Way,” soul-infused, swaying folk-rocker with stacked vocals; the sing-songy, folkish “Farewell”; and “Hot House of Omagarashid,” little more than an endless volley of “Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya”s chanted African-style while Beck and the others unleash all of the sound effects they discover in the studio. The second half of the set features the fuzz-drenched “He’s Always There”; the airy, proto-prog “Turn Into Earth”; the garage-y “What Do You Want”; and the album-closing “Ever Since the World Began,” at first echoey and mysterious, then switching gears, without notice, toward a modified rockabilly rhythm that Relf rides straight into the song’s abrupt halt.

“Over Under Sideways Down“

You’d think that, having issued different albums in America and the U.K. to that point, Columbia and Epic Records would coordinate and release the same album in each country. But in the crazy, mixed-up world of the Yardbirds’ recording history, that would make too much sense. The U.K. release, not uncommon to the era, featured two tracks not included on the U.S. version: “The Nazz Are Blue” (sung by Beck) and “Rack My Mind,” both tossed onto the first side of the vinyl LP. The U.K. and U.S. editions also featured different mixes.

But not only did the track listings and mixes differ in each country; the albums were given different titles on each side of the Atlantic. And there’s even some confusion over that.

In America the LP, the group’s third in all, was unambiguously titled after the hit single, “Over Under Sideways Down“. The LP jacket featured a portrait of the five band members in various over-under-sideways-down positions, over a plain white background. In the UK, however, the new album was officially titled Yardbirds, with the band’s name emblazoned across the bottom; the rest of the cover, drawn by Dreja, is a pen-and-ink depiction of the album’s sound engineer Roger Cameron. With the words “Roger the Engineer” positioned subtly toward the bottom of the cover, many U.K. fans simply assumed that the album’s title was “Roger the Engineer“.

“Roger the Engineer” 

And so it came to pass—as the years chugged on, the album was routinely accepted as Roger the Engineer, and by the time it was re-released in England in 1983 (with two more tracks tacked on, “Psycho Daisies” and “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago”), that’s what it was now called.

“Little Games”

There would be one more Yardbirds album in America—1967’s “Little Games“, recorded as a quartet with Jimmy Page as the sole guitarist—as well as a briskly selling Greatest Hits collection that gave the band its highest position on the Billboard LP chart, #27. A cheapo cash-in collection, Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds, recorded in 1963, also found its way to the market in both countries (on labels they were not signed to).

But in the band’s homeland, there was nothing else to speak of: Neither the “Little Games” single nor same-titled album would see a release, and when the band called it quits, few noticed, until, that is, Jimmy Page unveiled his next chapter.

Check out this 1996 BBC Documentary. Many good interviews and Live performances.

What you mostly read about the Yardbirds was this angle about how they served as a preparatory school, of sorts, for three guitar gods: Eric Clapton, whose Yardbirds tenure went from 1963 into the early spring of 1965, Enter Jeff Beck, who was more of a renegade, a drifter, a hired gun who frequently was not for sale, save when he wanted to follow his own idiosyncratic career path. Page, who came on board and played bass for a while with Beck in the band, would of course later launch Led Zeppelin, and there was even a brief period where Beck and Page co-teamed on lead guitar for the Yardbirds until Beck dropped out in 1966 and Page saw the band through to their end in 1968. The angle suggested, of course, that the Yardbirds weren’t the end-all-be-all, but rather something skilled players passed through, on their way to that eventual end-all-be-all.

The rest of the band could bring it, too: Jim McCarty was a fine blues-rock drummer, Paul Samwell-Smith had a melodic touch on the bass, and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja freed-up space for the band’s various guitar titans to do what they did.