The Fat Angel Sings

Daughter of Swords is the solo project of North Carolina singer-songwriter Alex Sauser-Monnig (they/she), who has also released music with bands Mountain Man and The A’s. Their solo debut, “Dawnbreaker,” was a hushed folk record released in 2019; in the years since, Sauser-Monnig found a new understanding of self, personally and musically.

Across the last several years, Daughter of Swords’ music has grown thornier, an unpredictable and knotty tangle of technicolor synths, heady guitar, bubbling rhythms, a sheen enveloping songs about raw human intensity writ large – crushes, desire, anger, alienation, the horrors of late-stage capitalism, the cascading paradigm shifts it seems we’re all hurtling toward.

Enter Alex, Daughter of Sword’s sinewy sophomore solo record due out this spring via Psychic Hotline. Recorded at Betty’s, Sylvan Esso’s Chapel Hill studio, “Alex” was built out by Sauser-Monnig’s longtime friends/collaborators Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man, The A’s), Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes), Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso, Made of Oak), TJ Maiani (Weyes Blood, Neneh Cherry), and Caleb Wright (Hippo Campus, Samia).

There’s a sharp cerebral tension between the stories at the core of these songs and the electrifying, playful buoyancy of the sound, the wink with which Sauser-Monnig can deliver a withering observation. Reckoning with pleasure-seeking, boundary-breaking, and their place in the world, “Alex” heralds a fresh chapter of exploration and liberation for Sauser-Monnig, yielding the truest representation of their identity via song yet.

A reassessment of inner systems, and relationships of all sorts — with art and creativity, with other humans, with gender – happened in tandem with Sauser-Monnig’s interrogation of the late-capitalist culture that makes life for working artists an inequitable grind. Forced out of their habitual ways of thinking and being, Sauser-Monnig found new energy in dissolving old limitations—be they about the music business or their concept of gender—and exploring in uncharted territory. Their priority became maximizing the mood of each track, borne out in “Alex’s” layers of synthetic textures and unorthodox flourishes.

“Alone Together,” the standalone single released this past fall (hailed as “a playful blast of candid indie rock” by Stereogum and “a crushing hum” by Paste), was the first preview from this fresh chapter of exploration and liberation, from the kinetic collection of new work that makes up “Alex”. Written from the POV of someone freshly single and alone and building a new sense of identity, “Alone Together” follows that confident new sense of self and emotional protection as it bends under the physical need for sex, connection, and closeness. That specifically fresh, raw form of desire – and the peculiar sense of aplomb that comes from newfound freedom– appears throughout the record, stringing together a gritty, kaleidoscopic and unpredictable tilt-a-whirl of high-octane guitar rock colliding with some folk song sensibilities.

“I feel strange/But it’s just a natural reaction/To a world coming apart at the seams,” they sing in “Strange.” These personal excavations led Sauser-Monnig to a clear personal mission, which they explain succinctly: “I refuse to let the state of the world deny me the ability to live in joy, while also trying to show up for others.” 

released April 11th, 2025

Vocalist/guitarist Spencer Peppet, drummer Mic Adams, and violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes came up together in the same Cincinnati scene. Adams and Gutmann Fuentes had a history playing together pre-Ophelias, and her joining the band came via a cold-call from Peppet when they were teenagers. Adams’ drumming talent landed him in more than a few bands across the city, including Peppet’s before they graduated high school. “I’m very grateful he said yes to that,” she says. “I didn’t realize we were friends for that long before the band started,” Adams adds. “The Ophelias kind of… made us friends,” Peppet replies, to which Adams calls it a classic “I know all of the people I know through music” situation.

On “Ribbon“, the Ophelias are full of joy. A song like “Black Ribbon” pairs Andrea Gutmann Fuentes’ chilling violin with a grieving, sluggish chord progression from Spencer Peppet—both of which build upwards into this chunky, synthy, full-band explosion of noise, while Peppet vocalizes through the chaos in the eye of the storm, examining the genesis of a new queer relationship. “Some kind of desire that I cannot categorize,” she sings. “You’re a Springsteen song, dark sky in overdrive into the warm night.” On “Soft and Tame,” write a heartbreaking homecoming lament. “Giving up love in the South of Ohio, I hate it here, in the in-between,” Peppet sings out. “I wanna feel safe, I wanna feel seen. The curve of the hills when the sun is gone, a knot in my throat, another fucking song.”

Fuentes’ violin rips through the noise of the track with a paradoxical, piercing delicacy that renders “Soft and Tame” into a brand new register of beauty. “Ribbon” flourishes like a full-length, setting its own in-betweens ablaze with emotionality arriving mercilessly from every angle. Few bands cater to my tastes so distinctly—Ohio representation, Springsteen mentioned, queer as a three-dollar bill—but the Ophelias are not like other bands. Hearing “Dust” live in a near-empty Columbus venue in April was one of my most cathartic nights of the year.

released April 12th, 2024

Spencer Peppet – guitar, vocals, piano, synth, songwriting
Andrea Gutmann Fuentes – violin
Mic Adams – drums, percussion, gang vocals
Jo Shaffer – bass, gang vocals
Calvin Lauber – additional guitar

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory and Special Guests “Power To The People – Live at the One To One Concert, New York City, 1972” 12″ Yellow Vinyl, Lennon’s final full-length solo concert

The EP features four tracks from the 1972 Madison Square Garden benefit shows, including three previously unreleased performances

On August 30th, 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, along with the Plastic Ono Band, Elephant’s Memory, and special guests, headlined two historic One to One Benefit Concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. These performances, held before a combined audience of 40,000 people, raised over $1.5 million to support schoolchildren with special needs.

These were John Lennon’s final and only full-length solo concerts after leaving The Beatles. Produced by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed and engineered from the original tapes by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon, this extremely limited edition EP features four tracks from the afternoon and evening concerts, including three previously unreleased performances. Available exclusively for Record Store Day 2025, the EP is pressed on 180g yellow vinyl.

Rough Trade to release limited edition 7-inch singles boxsets to celebrate label’s formative years (1978-1993). Orders via the Rough Trade webstore include a free pin-badge set featuring original artwork.

Having consistently released music by innovative, visionary, and transformative artists, Rough Trade have been defining record collections since their first release in 1977 (RT001 saw the shop help French punks Metal Urbain put out single Paris Maquis), continuing to release cutting edge albums and tracks right up to, and including the present day, with their current roster boasting the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers, Pulp, Jockstrap, Anohni, Dean Blunt, Sleaford Mods and many more.

Now, to mark 45-plus years of the label, its co-MDs Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis have indulged in a rare retrospective look, personally putting together two boxsets featuring some of their favourite singles released by Rough Trade during its formative years. Accompanied by new sleeve notes featuring the pair’s recollections, impressions and opinions, these limited-edition collections are no bog-standard trawl through the back catalogue but a personal look at the hits, gems, bangers, growers, underrated classics and more. Chronicling Rough Trade’s emergence from behind the counter of the West London shop of the same name in the late 1970s, the first boxset in the series fizzes with the daring, Do It Yourself attitude that underpinned punk and subsequent musical expressions that surrounded the label’s birth.

“Typically for Rough Trade there wasn’t a strategy,” says Jeannette of her and Geoff’s enduring partnership at the heart of Rough Trade Records. “We just jumped in and hit it off. So, we’ve stuck together!”

Contents:

Augustus Pablo – Pablo Meets Mr Bassie B-side Mr Bassie Special! RT002 1978

Stiff Little Fingers – Alternative Ulster B-side 78 Revolutions A Minute (78RPM) RT004 1978

Subway Sect – Ambition B-side Different Story RT007 1978

Swell Maps – Read About Seymour B-sides Ripped & Torn and Black Velvet RT010 1978

The Raincoats – Fairytale In The Supermarket B-sides In Love & Adventures Close To Home RT013 1979

Cabaret Voltaire – Nag Nag Nag B-side Is That Me (Finding Someone At The Door Again?) RT018 1979

The Pop Group – We Are All Prostitutes B-side Amnesty International Report On British Army Torture Of Irish Prisoners RT023 1979

Young Marble Giants – Final Day Second track on A side Radio Silents B-side Cakewalking RT043 1980

The third in the ‘psychiatric trilogy’ of albums by Luke Haines (The Auteurs, The Servants, Black Box Recorder) and Peter Buck (R.E.M). Recorded in Portland Oregon, USA foot-down-to-the- floor- throttle-out style. Expect to sail through churning psychedelic excursions that ask for clarity on questions like…

Have you ever been cold called by someone claiming to represent the Pink Floyd research group? Have you been stranded on the moon with Papa John Philips? (and then realised you were out of drugs). Can you count your nervous breakdowns on the paws of more than two dozen cats? Does it feel like all you ever do is answer questions? Yes? No?

Then take a trip down to the river…to blow your mind. This album is also available on vinyl and digital formats. Beat Poetry For Survivalists is the new collaboration between Peter Buck & Luke Haines. ‘Jack Parsons’ is the first single and track from the new album.

‘Going Down To The River…To Blow My Mind’ features Peter Buck – Electric guitars, 12 string guitars, acoustic guitars, Luke Haines – Lead vocals, Fuzz guitar, synth and recorder, Scott McCaughey – Bass, Moog Bass, Mellotron, Backing Vocals, Linda Pitmon – Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals. With Morgan Fisher on piano.

They will be playing live shows in the UK to support the album throughout August 2025.

“I know now that I can’t make good” was a startling first line back from Justin Vernon. Five years separated him from 2019’s i, i and the fatigue that settled within him during its touring cycle, and that meant opening Bon Iver’s book back up by shutting some self-deceptions down. This fall, Vernon unveiled “Sable”, a three-song EP written, produced and released under the Bon Iver name and a brilliant callback to the “For Emma, Forever Ago” era.

On “S P E Y S I D E,” he admits “nothing’s really happened like [he] thought it would.” Not in the interim between releases, but in general. He “can’t rest on no dynasty,” the future’s been incinerated from his “violent spree,” even his lyrics (or grievances, depending on how you interpret the word “book”) are a “waste of wood.” The track tells the tale of regret, guilt, and the shame of faded dreams. Yet, accompanied by minimalistic instrumentation and a gentle tenor, Vernon pleads for a shot at redemption:

“Maybe you can still make a man from me / Here on Speyside quay / With what’s left of me.” On “Things Behind Things Behind Things” and “Awards Season,” we get a more matured Justin Vernon, a writer content with the slow reward of regrowth after a period of endless endings. The EP is a celebration of a name growing from one voice to many, as Vernon worked with Jim-E Stack and Rob Moose to bring them to fruition. It’s some of the strongest work he’s ever made. 

The three songs that comprise Bon Iver’s new record “Sable”, emerged from a long-gestating breakdown. Justin Vernon finally found the time to unpack years of built-up darkness just as the lockdown began. While there are the usual collaborators on this record providing pedal steel (Greg Leisz), fiddle (Rob Moose), saxophone (Michael Lewis), and trumpet (Trever Hagen), “Sable”, is largely defined by Vernon’s voice and guitar. The dense layers of i,i are nowhere to be found, as Vernon bears the weight of these songs largely on his own. It’s a retreat and reset.

released October 18th, 2024

A new album from The Divine Comedy is on the way. ‘Rainy Sunday Afternoon’ is described by Neil Hannon as “a melancholy orchestral pop album”. To be released September, The Divine Comedy will release a new album called “Rainy Sunday Afternoon”.

It was recorded at Abbey Road in the autumn of 2024 and is the band’s first studio album since 2019’s “Office Politics”. Not that Neil Hannon hasn’t been busy, since then…There was the excellent 24CD box set “Venus, Cupid, Folly & Time” and Neil recently contributed the original songs to the film ‘Wonka’. 

Neil Hannon says: “My musical output is, for better or worse, a representation of my personality. A good chunk of that personality revels in the rumbumptious; celebrates the silly. And I made ample use of that for the Wonka songs”. He continues, “I have, though, like everyone, a darker, more melancholy side. And for one reason or another it has been much in evidence of late. I needed to use this album as an outlet for those feelings. To work through some stuff. Mortality; memories; relationships; political and social upheaval. Everyone should get to make an orchestral pop album once in awhile. It should be available on the NHS.” 

The 11-track album is available to pre-order now from the band’s official shop as a 2CD deluxe with bonus disc ‘Live in Paris & London’ – a collection of deep cuts and fan favourites from 2022’s celebratory career-spanning shows. 

“Rainy Sunday Afternoon” will be released on 19th September 2025. 

“The Making Of Five Leaves Left”, , is an expansive four-disc box set that revisits Nick Drake’s iconic 1969 debut album “Five Leaves Left”. This landmark edition will be available in both 4CD and 4LP vinyl formats, each featuring the same carefully curated track-listing, and provides an in-depth journey into one of folk music’s most enduring works.

Originally issued by Island Records in 1969, “Five Leaves Left” was produced by the acclaimed Joe Boyd and helped lay the foundation for Nick Drake’s timeless, delicate approach to songwriting. While the album initially found only modest recognition, Drake’s singular artistry steadily gained momentum in the decades following his untimely passing, influencing generations of musicians and garnering an ever-growing fanbase.

Nick Drake’s catalogue is more popular than ever—streams of his music number in the hundreds of millions, an indication of how deeply his introspective style and poetic lyricism resonate with modern audiences.

“The Making Of Five Leaves” Left offers a deeper look into that singular vision, featuring: Over 30 Previously Unheard Outtakes: These studio outtakes, alternate versions, and unaccompanied demos grant fans a unique window into Drake’s creative process.

Never-Before-Heard Songs: Previously unknown recordings that bring fresh perspective to the artist’s body of work. The set includes Nick’s first ever session at Sound Techniques – found on a mono listening-reel which Beverley Martyn had squirrelled away over fifty years ago. It also contains the full reel recorded at Caius College by Cambridge acquaintance Paul de Rivaz which had lay in the bottom of a drawer for decades, accompanying him and his family around the world.

DISC ONE: The opening six songs contain Nick’s first ever session at Sound Techniques that were found on the mono listening-reel which Beverley Martyn had squirrelled away in a drawer over fifty years ago. It is safe to assume it’s in exactly the same order as Joe Boyd and John Wood recorded it. Certainly ‘Mayfair’ and ‘Time Has Told Me’, which segue into one another, are the first two tracks they recorded – otherwise why would Joe say what he says right at the very start?

The following six songs open with a radically different take of ‘Strange Face’. Never finished but showing how it could have ended up if Nick had chosen to continue down that particular musical path. While the Richard Hewson session was aborted an element has to play a part, otherwise we’d not be telling the story properly. How best to illustrate this? To demonstrate how one of Nick’s songs developed, we married Richard’s original orchestration of ‘Day Is Done’ which features Nick singing but not playing via his and Danny Thompson’s second stab at it in November before Robert Kirby’s strings accompany Nick’s guitar as sessions for the album were coming to a close almost a year later. This led us to the undated Paul de Rivaz reel – the likely purpose of which was to help Nick and Robert better prepare for a concert planned for February 23rd, 1968.

Sonically, there is a major difference from recordings made at Sound Techniques and those in a fellow undergraduate’s room captured on rudimentary equipment. To ease that transition we have Nick explaining how he sees ‘My Love Left With The Rain’ evolving, suggesting he’d like ‘to get as expansive a sound as possible’.

DISC TWO: The first seven songs are all from the de Rivaz reel and the following five are the best never before heard takes from the first two days of Nick’s collaboration with Danny Thompson.

DISC THREE: For the next eight songs, we’ve more or less stayed in sequence of recording dates. There is no way of being certain, but since ‘River Man’ had not been previously recorded possibly indicates Nick had only recently completed writing it.

Strictly speaking, the final four titles are out of sequence. ‘Way To Blue’ can be narrowed down to an unspecified date during the winter of 1968. As the recording dates show, ‘Saturday Sun’ was the final track on the album to be recorded yet, it didn’t feel right to conclude the story of “The Making Of Five Leaves Left” with anything other than the first full take of Harry Robinson’s orchestration of ‘River Man’.

DISC FOUR: The final disc completes the cycle. It is “Five Leaves Left” just as Joe and John sequenced it, as Nick first heard it in completed form, and the same as he handed his sister in her London flat in mid-June 1969. Gabrielle Drake: “I suspect I got the very first copy. Nick must’ve had that moment of seeing himself on the cover, his music inside, and, it is so typical of Nick because all he said was, ‘Well… there you are.’ As I’ve said many times, he really was a man of few words.”

The re-master dates from 2000 when all of Nick’s albums were re-mastered for CD by John Wood and Simon Heyworth. When John went to Abbey Road in 2013 to re-remaster the tapes for vinyl reissues, he discovered the original analogue masters had, fractionally, deteriorated. Tapes degrade over time, both the oxide layer and the tape base can be affected by age. Therefore, the 24bit files captured from 2000 remain the superior version – “Five Leaves Left” sounding as good as it can be.

Mastering by John Wood: The entire set has been mastered by the original engineer, ensuring the sonic integrity of Nick Drake’s music is preserved and enhanced for today’s listeners. Included is a comprehensive 60-Page Book: Penned by Hidden Masters’ Neil Storey in collaboration with Richard Morton-Jack, this richly illustrated volume—printed on textured paper stock—delves into the album’s recording history, featuring full track recording details and an insider’s look at Drake’s enduring legacy.

By shining a spotlight on the evocative songs that shaped “Five Leaves Left”, this definitive box set pays tribute to Nick Drake’s far-reaching influence on folk, singer-songwriter, and indie music circles alike. The musician’s gentle, introspective style—once underappreciated—has become a touchstone for countless artists, proving that a true visionary’s work can find new audiences and deeper acclaim as time goes on.

“The Making Of Five Leaves Left” will be available on July 25th, 2025

“Crazy on the Weekend” is the sole album by English indie band Sunhouse. Working with producer John Reynolds, the band continued their practice of recording outside a studio environment, working in the producer’s house in Notting Hill. Their acoustic-based songs were augmented by washes of strings and organ, earning comparisons to Nick Drake, Tom Waits and Beth Orton.

A singer who sold just a handful of records in his lifetime and who was never much on the radio or TV died aged just 46.

Sinéad O’Connor provides backing vocals on the track “Hard Sun”.

Released in March 1998, “Crazy on the Weekend” had some critical success including a five star review in Uncut. It featured in the year end best of lists for various blog sites and magazines. Despite the critical success, the album sold poorly and the band never recorded again. Singer-songwriter Gavin Clark went on to form the band Clayhill and made several guest appearances on recordings by Unkle as well as providing music for many of Shane Meadows’ films, including a beautiful version of The Smiths’ Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want for This Is England.. Clark died in 2015.

His voice was a beautiful thing, fragile and careworn – an angel drunk on whisky. His lyrics were full of despair and hope and love and fear and death. The album was called “Crazy on the Weekend“. It came out in 1998, in the wake of things such as “Be Here Now” by Oasis and “Urban Hymns” by The Verve, at the apogee of Britpop, just as the bubble was bursting.

Right away it got a five-star review in Uncut, where it was exalted as one of the records of the decade and where Gavin’s songwriting was compared to Elvis Costello and Gram Parsons.

More Acoustic Junk, a new collection celebrating their iconic sound in stripped-down form. This Record Store Day exclusive release features five brand-new acoustic recordings alongside five tracks from the original “Acoustic Junk” album—three of which have been remixed for this compilation.

The Junkies original “Acoustic Junk” was a limited release live album from 2009. Five of the original songs appear along with five new tracks, mostly released on their Nomad Series collections. I am most interested in hearing a stripped-down acoustic version of “Unanswered Letter,” which I anticipate will be better than the more ornate version I have already heard.

Known for their haunting melodies and introspective song writing, the band’s acoustic arrangements showcase the raw beauty and emotional depth that have captivated fans for decades.