The Fat Angel Sings

Despite never having met IRL, the Montreal, QC– and Marquette, MI-based quartets Gulfer and Charmer have joined together for a split release via Topshelf, Royal Mountain, and No Sleep Records. Currently separated by a closed border and the pandemic, the two veteran emo groups have long held mutual admiration for one another, with Charmer first taking notice of Gulfer back in 2015 upon the release of their split with Buffalo’s Del Paxton. After both bands released acclaimed albums in 2020, the two became friends over DMs and soon decided to do a release together.

Told from the perspective of someone who isn’t sure who or what they can rely on, Gulfer’s “Look” explores the meaning of interpersonal trust in the context of our ongoing social and political turmoil. But this narrative doesn’t arrive at specific conclusions on these subjects, mirrored by the song’s abstract and impressionist elements of layered acoustic guitar and textural harmonica. There is nevertheless a compositional certainty about the song, featuring signature Gulfer punches and nimble, noodly guitars that seem to effortlessly glide between the raucous downbeats and unpredictable transitions, proving the band’s proclivity for marrying catchy punkish licks with virtuosic excitement.

Charmer’s “Diamond (Sprinkler)” is similarly contemplative, best summarized as a song about a certain kind of existential dread: being stuck in a loop observing everyday life change rapidly while you and your mindset are at a standstill. Though the lyrical concept is anything but uplifting, the rest of the song presents in a high-octane, energetic manner, featuring a triumphant yet almost subdued guitar solo that beckons a special summer. As with Gulfer’s side, “Diamond (Sprinkler)” is an exciting follow-up for a band hitting their stride as we inch ever closer to the return of live music. 

“Look”:
Joseph Therriault – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Vincent Ford – guitar and vocals
David Mitchell – bass and vocals
Julien Daoust – drums

Drums and bass recorded by JP Larouche
“Diamond (Sprinkler)” :
David Daignault – vocals/Guitar
Neil Berg – guitar
Zack Alworden – bass/vocals
Nick Erickson – drums

Released May 28th, 2021

Cameron Crowe, in association with Universal Music, has done the (near-) impossible.  On July 9th, the writer-director will revisit the soundtrack to his 2000 instant classic “Almost Famous” in greatly expanded, near-complete form, including five – yes, five! – Led Zeppelin songs plus tracks by other typically difficult-to-license artists including Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder.  That’s not to mention new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Todd Rundgren, The Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, The Raspberries, and of course, Elton John who has reteamed with the original cast of the film to cut a new Almost Famous version of “Tiny Dancer.”  The 20th Anniversary Editions will arrive in the following formats:

Additionally, the original film will arrive four days later on July 13th in Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats.  Crowe was quoted late yesterday in Rolling Stone magazine (where else?): “We are extremely proud to revisit Almost Famous with a very special bounty of goodness.  For the first time, we’ve created a deluxe soundtrack that features nearly every song heard in the film, along with Nancy Wilson’s wonderfully evocative score.  We’re also thrilled to present both [theatrical and extended] versions of the film, along with a collection of rare new bonus features, on these beautiful new 4K and Blu-ray releases as part of [the] Paramount Presents [series].  Long live physical media!”  Amen to that.

The expansion of the Almost Famous soundtrack set has been ongoing since 2011. Anyone who’s seen the film remembers how beautifully Crowe integrated classic rock and pop sounds into the affecting, semi-autobiographical coming of age story of budding rock journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit).  Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” takes him on a journey that doesn’t even require him to leave his bedroom; Todd Rundgren’s “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” underscores a scene in which William meets influential, real-life critic Lester Bangs (memorably brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman).  Even the end credits kept the audience spellbound, thanks to The Beach Boys’ haunting “Feel Flows.”  The most iconic (and yes, that word is tremendously overused but remains appropriate here) moment in the film is a tour bus sing-along set to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”  That was one of many goosebump-inducing moments in the movie.

The 5CD and 6LP editions of the expanded soundtrack feature 47 songs from the movie as sung by artists from Alvin and the Chipmunks to Yes, including tracks by fictional in-movie band Stillwater, plus film dialogue, score cues, Stillwater demos, and more. (Stillwater’s six songs are also available as a standalone vinyl EP.)  A 2CD, 35-song cutdown version will also be released as well as two vinyl versions of the original, 17-song soundtrack as first issued in 2000.

The biggest edition is the 5CD/7LP/1-7″ single Super Deluxe set.  This box has the full contents of the 5CD and 6 LP versions comprising the core 47 songs (including the special mix of The Who’s “Sparks” and “Amazing Journey” and a previously unreleased live version of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”) and the aforementioned film dialogue, seven Stillwater demos performed by Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton, three backstage jams from the Stillwater members, and 21 score cues from Wilson (14 of which weren’t included in the final cut of the film and haven’t been heard anywhere).  The seventh LP is the Stillwater EP.  Limited to 1,500 units, this “everything but the kitchen sink” edition is housed in a poly-wrapped lift-top box.  Swag includes a 7-inch single of Stillwater’s “Fever Dog” plus a 40-page book designed after William Miller’s school notebook, faux Stillwater ticket stubs, the complete William Miller cover story for Rolling Stone, Stillwater tour posters, prop replica backstage passes and business cards, and photo prints of three cast members. 

By any standard, this looks to be the ultimate celebration of a film that itself is a clear-eyed celebration of the rock era and the power of music.  Look for these releases on July 9th from UMe.  They can all be pre-ordered now from uDiscoverMusic, and we will add Amazon links for the general-retail items once they’re active.  You’ll find the track listing for the Super Deluxe box set below. 

Various Artists, Almost Famous – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Super Deluxe Edition (UMe, 2021) (uDiscoverMusic.com)

• 5CD (47 songs plus film dialogue, Stillwater demos, jams, and score cues);
• 2CD (35 songs);
• 6LP Red, Yellow, and Orange Vinyl (180-gram, 47 songs plus film dialogue, limited to 6,000 units);
• 6LP Black Vinyl (180-gram, 47 songs plus film dialogue);
• Original 2LP Soundtrack (1973-style jacket, 180-gram, 17 songs);
• Original 2LP Soundtrack (Original film artwork jacket, 180-gram, 17 songs);
• Stillwater vinyl EP (180-gram, 6 songs); and
• 5CD/7LP/1-7″ single Super Deluxe Box Set (103 tracks including 47 songs, film dialogue, Stillwater demos, jams, and score cues; limited to 1,500 units).

Teenage Joans come from Adelaide, Australia Juice-Box Punk-Pop with Cahli & Tahlia have had a very exciting past few months indeed. From taking out triple j Unearthed’s Unearthed High comp in 2020 to sharing stages with the likes of Ruby Fields, The Hard Aches, Clowns, Towns and Bec Stevens and taking out the “South Australian Best Live Act” in the 2019 National Live Music Awards, their list of accolades continues to grow with each and every move. Fast forward to 2021 and they’re kicking the year off with a bang thanks to two co-headline shows with TOWNS in Melbourne and Brisbane as well as slots booked for Summer Sounds and TEENAGE KICKS festivals, and now they’re going one step further with the release of a rip-roaring new anthem and video.

Titled ‘Something About Being Sixteen’, the new single from Teenage Joans is a gripping, anthemic and emotional slice of classic rock, all about the emotional turmoil of holding on to a person that shouldn’t be held on to. With catchy riffs, soaring hooks and infectious melodies, the duo let it rip from start to finish to make a song that is equally emotional and relatable as it is cathartic and fun to listen to. Released alongside a fittingly epically fun video ‘Something About Being Sixteen’ is all the proof you need to realise Teenage Joans are superstars in waiting.

The band said of their new single, “‘Something About Being Sixteen’ is undoubtedly Teenage Joans‘ great take on the classic coming of age rock tune, generally closing our live sets with audiences singing along every time without fail.”

With a focus on making music that is real, important and unapologetic, it’s no wonder that Teenage Joans are being tipped as a serious one to watch this year. 

released May 28th, 2021

Sophomore T-TOPS full-length “Staring at a Static Screen” is as gritty and soaked with urban detritus as it gets. The trio’s new album is a dirty symphony of car wrecks, grimy alleys, beat-to-shit jeans, and bottomless reservoirs of snarling rust-belt antipathy translated into musical form. These tracks give voice to every screaming impulse hidden deep inside, and with each spin the blood boils hotter.

Hailing from America’s former steel town Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, T-TOPS are the embodiment of noisy, uncompromising punk-infused rock. True to street style, the band’s name is derived from the removable panel car roof popularised in America in the 1970s, the period when disaffected punk was beginning to coalesce in the musical underground.

T-TOPS’ sound draws heavily from such straight-shooting acts as Unsane and Motorhead as well as East Coast hardcore. Founded by guitarist and singer Patrick Waters, these veterans come with a decade-plus of hard-hitting shows delivered with grim determination. Their crunching riffs are twice underscored by the pounding rhythm section of Mike Koch on drums and bass-player Matt Schor.

“Staring at a Static Screen” is a bashing, beautiful, unyielding concrete slab that, like its creators, simply does not give in. Adherents of Cancer Bats, and The Melvins may latch onto different chunks of the album, which ranges from the face-ripping energy of ‘Burn the River’ to the stunningly contemplative Fleetwood Mac cover ‘What Makes You Think You’re the One’. T-TOPS are back and their mission statement is simply to kick ass as hard as humanly possible.

Released May 28th, 2021

Like everything we’ve heard so far from Ella Williams’ latest album as Squirrel Flower, Planet (i) (June 25th, Polyvinyl), “Flames and Flat Tires” finds the rock singer/songwriter turning her insides out, addressing universal threats with sage wisdom and fearless vulnerability.

While previous singles “Hurt A Fly” and “Ill Go Running” dealt with “gaslighting, narcissistic soft-boy type shit” and “the darker side of being an artist,” respectively, “Flames and Flat Tires” cuts closest to the core of Planet (i), reckoning with a world in ruin on figurative and literal levels alike. Over darkly evocative guitars, Williams uses a banged-up car as a symbol for herself (“Busted engine or busted lung”), falling apart on its way to the finish line. The world around that road is broken, too, beset by “drought” and “firestorms”—”Trying to recall how the rain felt on my skin / And scream to anyone who’ll listen!” she repeats as the song crescendos, clinging to a time before climate catastrophe loomed at the edges of all our everyday disasters. 

Speaking of the track Ella says: “I wrote Flames on my second day of quarantine in Bristol, England ahead of recording. It was late August, hot; I was staying in a place that opened onto a party street, and every night I stayed up listening to the sounds of the revellers and the birds squawking and screaming until 6am, then all day watched people hanging laundry in their backyards through my kitchen window.”

The video was directed by Lua Borges, who elaborates: “This video is encased by the imagery of broken parts and abandonment. Objects that have become useless. Physical matter that looks so small inside our world. It gives life to an internal feeling of self-doubt and uncertainty, which the song approaches so intently. But ‘Flames and Flat Tires’ is also about fighting to overcome that, and staying present fully.”

Planet (i) is a world entirely of Williams’ making. The title came first to her as a joke: it’s her made-up name for the new planet people will inevitably settle and destroy after leaving Earth, as well as the universe imagined within her music.

The record is a love letter to disaster in every form imaginable – these songs fully embrace a planet in ruin. Buoyed by her steadfast vision and propelled by her burning comet of a voice, Planet (i) is at once a refuge, an act of self-healing, and a musical reflection of Squirrel Flower’s inner and outer worlds.

“Flames and Flat Tires” is taken from Squirrel Flower​’s sophomore album, Planet (i), out June 25th,

Cathal Coughlan, who fronted Irish cult band Microdisney in the ’80s and Fatima Mansions in the ’90s, is set to release new solo album Song Of Co-Aklan on March 26 via Dimple Discs.

The co-founder of seminal bands Microdisney and one of all-time favourites The Fatima Mansions, Cathal Coughlan has been an artist and songwriter who has and never will tick the boxes of convention and predictability. Though praise and acclaim has certainly surrounded the London-based Irish-born individualist we would suggest the depth of his inspiration on others has been underestimated certainly understated. From those early adventures through his solo career, lyrically Coughlan is an artist and protagonist like few others. His words make you stand still, think and react; every syllable woven against sounds which have been just as potent in their intimation and imagination. The recent release of Song Of Co-Aklan, his sixth solo album and the first in ten years, provides all the proof and confirmation of our suggestion you might need, the release a cathartic spark for the mind and contagion for the senses.

Song Of Co-Aklan sees Coughlan drawing on the craft of long-time collaborators from the Grand Necropolitan Quartet in drummer Nick Allum (The Fatima Mansions, The Apartments), guitarist James Woodrow and cellist Audrey Riley and also reunite with old friends such as Sean O’Hagan (Microdisney, The High Llamas, Stereolab), Luke Haines (The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder), Jonathan Fell (Microdisney, High Llamas), Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti) and other notable musicians.

Andy Golding, well known for his own musical output with the Wolfhounds, Dragon Welding and other projects, weighs in with this visual presentation – a psychotropic journey through the world of the provincial raptor-captor, by way of Gloucester and Addis Ababa, through a network of luxurious man-caves belonging to demagogues and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, leading beneath the Vatican, the Kremlin and an abandoned Safeway near Barstow, California. All processing and animation by Andy Golding. Musical landscape features James Woodrow (Gibson SG elemental guitar, with inlaid horse-brasses), Audrey Riley (Alpine steel cello), Nick Allum (rocket fuel drums) and Rhodri Marsden (double-necked granite bass guitar).

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker George Seminara presents a hermetic visual feast to accompany the digital single release from Cathal Coughlan’s 2021 album ‘Song of Co-Aklan’. Also features James Woodrow (guitar), Luke Haines (bass), Nick Allum (drums) and Audrey Riley (The Synth).

The album’s emotive artwork provided an immediate intrigue which its title track instantly fed upon, the opener strolling in with the thick lure of bass and crisp coaxing of beats accompanying Coughlan’s ever distinct and compelling tones. As keys wrap their warmth around that core temptation, a delicious hook works its way under the skin, virulence coating every aspect of the indie rock persuasion. That infection equally applies to the track’s lyrics, Coughlan weaving imagery and intimation as poetic as it is an evocative trespass to compel even deeper focus, one in turn only further escalated by the gripping twists and turns which spring forth.

 St Wellbeing Axe and successor Owl In The Parlour also gripped attention like few other encounters this year, the first an almost rapacious stroll with a clamorous scent to its unpredictable and heady incitement, the second offering a theatre of sound and enterprise which had the body swaying in unison to the song’s own manoeuvres and ears swiftly a greedy slave. Crepuscular in its light, noir shaded in its breath, the track is a sublime piece of temptation continuing the viral persuasion of the album with almost cinematic elegance.

Similarly Let’s Flood The Fairground sparks a vision in the imagination even before Coughlan shares his dextrous writing, it a collusion of shadows and spirit raising light upon a canvas of revelry welcoming inauspicious experiences while The Lobster’s Dream casts ears into a realm of aligned fantasy and reality, one spun with orchestral nurtured charm and carnival spiced beauty.

Through the similarly but more shadowed folkish air of The Copper Beech and the animated shuffle of The Knockout Artist, the album continued to surprise and broaden its temptation, the latter of the two an eighties pop teased offering with a Paul Haig like factiousness to its amble with Falling Out North St. instantly after providing a sultry romance of sound in a melancholy enriched and at times eagerly sprightly ballad.          

From the forthcoming album ‘Song Of Co-Aklan‘ (March 26th, 2021) on Dimple Discs.

Chicago, Illinois band FACS use minimalism and space to create abstract, modern art rock. The Chicago trio FACS never stop pushing forward; they’ve honed and refined their stark, minimal scrape and clatter for four years and counting, having risen out of the ashes of beloved Chicago band Disappears in 2018 with the bone-rattling intensity of Negative Houses. After three albums in the past three years, the trio return in 2021 with Present Tense, their fourth album and perhaps their sharpest statement as a band.

Opener “XOUT” barrels forward like a tank, with Case’s guitar chiming like warning bells, until the climax comes crashing down, glitching out near the close. “Strawberry Cough” comes next, its fusion of corporeal playing and stately, electronic heartbeats punctured by random bursts of noise or backwards masked sounds. “Alone Without”, a track originally recorded for Adult Swim’s 2020 singles series appears next, albeit in different form; more menacing and serpentine.

Side two opens with “General Public”, taking the loud/quiet dynamic as a jumping off point for the song’s unsettling seasick vibe. ‘How To See In the Dark” offers a brief respite, with its persistent, dark quietude that lingers until the song’s end. “Present Tense”, the album’s title track, offers up its first truly weird moment mid-song when the song changes mood distinctly, and the music drops out save for Case’s guitar and vocals. The album’s final track, the densely packed “Mirrored”, begins with a restrained, post-rock shuffle. The mind-scrambling cacophony that comes next takes its time to roll in, but once it does, it comes in waves, flipping back onto itself multiple times until it’s folded into oblivion. 

This time, the band approached their song writing from a different angle “Alone Without” was the first song we recorded and we really built it in the studio” Case says, “Alianna and I played different instruments, and I think that freedom informed how the other songs developed. All the lyrics were random phrases on a big sheet and were put together as the songs took shape, so I feel like I was collecting these thoughts and trying to figure out how to process them as a big picture vs making complete ideas in individual songs.” Case adds ”…letting the songs go where they wanted, without steering them into what we all think a FACS album should be.” The change is palpable from last year’s claustrophobic and fried Void Moments, but “Present Tense” is still ALL FACS, albeit draped in a layer of haze. Paranoia in soft focus, perhaps?. 

Possibly their finest LP yet. Dark, terrifying, noisy, and hauntingly beautiful.

Released May 21st, 2021

Noah Leger – drums, keyboards
Alianna Kalaba – bass, keyboards, drums on A3
Brian Case – guitar, vocals, bass VI on A3

Foxing is a band. Someday Foxing won’t be a band.

Happy Flower Moon, everyone. We are proud to announce our new album, “Draw Down The Moon“, is out in its entirety August 6th 2021. You can pre-order the album along with our very own role-playing game, a colouring book, wild new clothing designed by Gordon Thomas and more at our store:

This album is about cosmic significance as it relates to ten themes. So far, we’ve explored the themes of death and financial ruin. Today, we present “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice”, a song about success and failure. We’ve been a band for about a decade. In that time, we’ve had our hopes raised and our hearts broken a thousand times by the music industry. This song is about begging for success and stability in the most uncertain, chaotic places. It’s also about acknowledging that failing with people you love and believe in will be worth the attempt in the end.

Draw Down The Moon is a ten-song album recorded & produced by E.M. Hudson and mixed by John Congleton with additional production by Andy Hull and mastered by Joe Lambert.

Releases August 6th, 2021