“Latest Record Project’ is the opening track and introduction to Van Morrison’s forthcoming 42nd studio album ‘Latest Record Project Vol. 1’ which explores the classic and timeless quality of the blues from a fresh perspective. Van charms the listener, soulfully singing “Have you got my latest record project?” Instinctive walking basslines, colourful backing vocals, and organ melodies bring warmth to his latest release. Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-sorcerer, Van Morrison’s status as an artist of integrity and distinction is self-evident.
Van Morrison will release his 42nd album Latest Record Project: Volume 1 (Exile/BMG) on May 7th. The 28-track collection, weaved around Morrison’s love of jazz, R&B, blues, and soul, was born out of a period of forced isolation in 2020, following the onset of the pandemic. When Morrison found himself without a tour in site, he immersed himself in a constant flow of song writing, starting songs off on piano, guitar or saxophone as he pieced together the new material, all textured in his rhythm and soul.
The album’s title track is from the heart, wrapped in upbeat harmonies and backing sha la la las with Morrison reflecting a newfound excitement for his new music in Not something that you’re used to / Not something you might be able to relate to in the present through livelier refrains of Have you got my latest record project?
Other tracks revealed off Latest Record Project included an R&B tinged “Jealousy,” garage rock “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” and a more country-fused “A Few Bars Early.”
In releasing Latest Record Project, which will be available on double-CD, deluxe-CD, triple-vinyl and digital formats, Morrison says he’s breaking out of the rotation of his greatest hits.
“I’m getting away from the perceived same songs, same albums all the time,” says Morrison ofLatest Record Project. “This guy’s done 500 songs, maybe more, so hello. Why do you keep promoting the same 10? I’m trying to get out of the box.”
The Official Lyric Video for Latest Record Project by Van Morrison. The new double album Latest Record Project Volume 1 will be release on 7th May 2021.
The sessions that birthed John Lennon’s raw and deeply personal 1970 solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band receive the full unfettered treatment via a massive, lavishly crafted eight-disc super deluxe box set scheduled for release April 16th.
The eleven songs on the original album were a cathartic release for Lennon amid his recent break from the Beatles. Now, 50 years later, the influential album is remixed and remastered in a collection that features 159 tracks across six CDs and two Blu-ray audio discs. Clocking in at a whopping 11 hours of music, each song is presented in multiple forms- dubbed Ultimate Mixes, Evolution Mixes, Element Mixes, Raw Studio Mixes and Demos which include new mixes, rough demos, outtakes, rehearsals and jam sessions.
A separate single disc will be sold which includes the Ultimate Mixes of the original album and Lennon’s first three non-album singles, and an expanded 2CD or 2LP version adds a disc of outtakes of each song. The Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band album, originally released at the same time and recorded with the same core musicians plus guests, including Ornette Coleman, is included on the Blu-Ray edition.
Everything in this comprehensive box set has been newly mixed from scratch from brand new 192kHz/24bit hi-res transfers. In addition to the various new mixes, the set boasts 87 never-before-heard recordings. The Blu-rays present an array of listening options including high-definition, studio quality 192kHz/24bit audio in stereo and enveloping 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos for the Ultimate Mixes.
Quick takes on a few songs: Lennon’s guide vocal on the “God” Elements Mix alternates back and forth in sections between a talking vocal and a vulnerable sung vocal. “Mother” evolves from Lennon at home on guitar to experimenting with a tremolo guitar backing track before ultimately deciding on the piano version that opens the record.
George Harrison makes an appearance playing electric guitar on “Instant Karma (Raw Studio Mix)” an early take included here but recorded before the Plastic Ono Band sessions. Unsurprisingly, George’s jagged but melodic electric guitar work on this January 27th, 1970 take of the song makes the track sound more like a continuation of the Beatles than a Lennon solo song. Other takes of “Instant Karma” feature Harrison on acoustic guitar.
“Give Peace A Chance” and “Cold Turkey,” two other pre-session tracks, are presented in work tape and rough versions. Interestingly, “Power To The People” and “Do The Oz,” two 1971 Plastic Ono Band songs included on the 2000 reissue, are not included here.
While Lennon only recorded two takes of the harrowing album closer “My Mummy’s Dead,” four versions are included on the box in slightly different mixes.
The common perception regarding Lennon’s frame of mind when he went in to record the music was that of an emotionally fragile man. He and Yoko had experimented with an intensive six-month therapy program called Primal Scream, which unlocked his emotional childhood traumas and provided the lyrical basis for many of the songs that wound up on the album.
The rawness is definitely oozing from the tracks, but as the box set and photos in the beautiful 132-page hardcover book in the deluxe edition reveals, Lennon was in a pretty positive ‘let’s make music’ frame of mind. This is particularly evident during the loose set of jams that occupy one disc in the deluxe box, collected from various dates over the month-long recording sessions. Lennon and the band warm up and run through a bunch of ‘50s tunes and more, including a joking Elvis impression medley.
The book also includes an extensive interview with Arthur Janov (the late psychologist who pioneered Primal Scream therapy), scores of master multitrack box photos, track recording sheets, commentary on each song from those involved in the sessions and a visual map layout of the surround sound’s instrumentation.
Engineer Paul Hicks explains the Elements Mixes: “When we were going through the outtakes and even the master takes in some cases, we found the occasional overdub where we could understand why they didn’t end up using it, but we thought was fascinating to hear. The conga on ‘I Found Out,’ the extra vocals on ‘Hold On,’ the alternative organ take on ‘Isolation’ and maracas on ‘Well Well Well’ are a few examples.”
There were no set rules for any of the selections, really. It was just per song – what did we feel would be nice to isolate or show off, that might have escaped people’s initial listening experience.”
The liner notes also explain the Evolution Mixes. Each track has been edited down from all the original 8-Track multitracks, quarter-inch live recordings and mixes and a few demo cassettes. ‘These are ‘mini-documentaries that explore the development of each song through their elements, arrangements and the musicians that play on them.’
This reissue is fully authorized by Yoko Ono, who oversaw the production and creative direction, and from the same audio team that worked on 2018’s critically acclaimed Imagine – The Ultimate Collection, including triple GRAMMY®-Award winning engineer Paul Hicks and mixers/engineers Rob Stevens and Sam Gannon.
Featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Alan White and Phil Spector. Completely Remixed from the original multitracks, containing Ultimate Mixes, Out-Takes, Elements, Raw Studio and Evolution Mixes; Demos, Jams and Yoko Ono Live Sessions. SUPER DELUXE BOX SET CONTAINS: 6 CDs – 102 new Stereo Mixes – over 6 hours of audio. 2 Blu-Ray Audio Discs – 159 new Stereo Mixes – Over 11 hours of audio in Hi-Res 192/24 Stereo, 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos Mixes. 132 Page Hardback Book With Rare Photos, Memorabilia and Extensive Notes. WAR IS OVER! Poster and 2 Postcards. Also Available: 2 CD, 1 CD, 2 LP, Download and Streaming.
With vaccines on the horizon, Record Store Day organizers around the world look forward to the future, but recognize that in 2021, the world’s biggest record store party needs some adjustments to make it as successful for as many participating indie record shops as possible.
RSD Drops will take place at participating record stores, globally, on Saturday June 12 and Saturday July 17.
Throughout the past year, record stores have found creative, flexible and inventive ways to keep serving the music lovers in their communities. However, the ongoing worldwide pandemic makes it impossible to predict the status of many stores and locations around the globe in the next few months. This brings with it many unexpected side effects, including production and distribution issues that continue to disrupt record store supply chains.
The decision to once again shift the “Record Store Day energy” across 2 dates allows the largest number of stores to participate around the world.
The Lists of specially created titles coming to record stores as part of the RSD Drops dates will be launched soon.
Brooklyn band Pom Pom Squad signed to City Slang records with their new single, which is inspired, in part, by The Virgin Suicides, as is the accompanying video, which was co-directed by lead singer and guitarist Mia Berrin and Julia Sub. If the song sounds familiar, it’s because it’s been around in demo form for at least four years.
“It’s about the fear of intimacy I felt as a teen that stemmed from negative early experiences of male attention,” Mia says. “The Virgin Suicides, one of my very favourite movies, captured that fear in a way that deeply resonated—the scene where Trip leaves Lux alone on the football field. He had gone through the effort of making her love him and then, when he got what he wanted, he left. I released the demo for this song on Bandcamp when I was in college and it ended up being played on BrooklynVegan’s blog radio on Sirius XMU. It was the first lightbulb that maybe I had a calling in music. The release has been a long time coming, but ultimately, I’m glad I waited so that I could really do right by this thing and simultaneously, by my teenage self.”
Worriers are a band from Brooklyn, New York, centered around the songwriting of Lauren Denitzio, with the help of friends Mikey Erg, Nick Psillas, and more. They released their 2nd LP Survival Pop w/ SideOneDummy Records and have toured with John K Samson, Against Me!, Julien Baker, Anti Flag, and more. Worriers‘ debut album “Imaginary Life” was produced by LauraJane Grace of Against Me! .
Nathan Followill is reflecting on the year-long wait to release Kings of Leon’s next and eighth studio album “When You See Yourself”, released March 5th, and how the band circumvented their natural instincts to completely overhaul the album after sitting on it for so long. The band’s first release since 2016’s Walls, now the Followills seem more relieved that the album is finally on its way out, following its delay around the onset of the pandemic. Some band members choose not to listen to it for fear of wanting to make changes to songs, lyrics, or completely scrap the album.
“It’s been a long wait sitting on this music, and it’s always difficult knowing that you have something that you’re really excited for everyone to get to hear, and then being told you have to sit on it for a minute was tough,” says Nathan Followill. “But it also gave us a chance to live with it for a little while, and it’s still just as fresh today as it was on the first listen.”
“I was worried that I was going to want to change things, but when I did finally listen to it, I was very pleased,” says Caleb Followill. “If we did want to change something, we could have gone back and done it, but I think we had put in the work and it was the album that we wanted to put out.”
Throughout the recording of When You See Yourself, produced by Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons), who also worked on Walls, all the innate concerns of how it would be perceived went out the window,and everything centred around the band making an album they would enjoy. “It was super important for us to feel like we made an album that we liked… and trying not to think about anything else,” says Matthew Followill. “We didn’t even think about radio or anything like that.”
Most of the 11 tracks averaging four and a half minutes, says Caleb, which doesn’t make it the most radio-friendly record by Kings of Leon. “It was just more like play the song while it feels good, and when it’s time to end the song, we end the song,” says Caleb. The band was also on the same page, sound-wise and with tracks, for the first time in nearly 20 years from the moment they stepped into Nashville’s Neon Leon studio for pre-production.
“This was definitely the most on the same page that we had all been on going into a project,” says Nathan. “In the past, Jared and Matt were like the younger voices that would bring cool type music that me and Caleb might not be listening to, so there were times when we were kind of in different directions… There was this just natural vacuum, and that makes it so much easier when you’re not feeling like you’re having to swim upstream to get a song as a group.”
Pulling a piece from the end of one of the album’s songs, the band landed on When You See Yourself as the title—and it stuck. At first, the words didn’t resonate with Caleb, who remembers writing them down and singing them.
“After all of this, that we’ve all gone through together, you really do have to take a hard look at yourself, and see exactly who you are and how you can handle situations, and how you can be a part of the solution and be a part of something,” says Caleb. “I think I relate to it a little more than when I actually wrote the words down on paper, but the guys, they were the ones that had to fill in, ‘This means something more than what you just said.’”
The connecting for the band was in realizing that as you get older there’s so much that is out of your control, you begin questioning your place in the world.
“It’s just kind of trying to connect with yourself and ask yourself, ‘What do you see when you see yourself?’” says Jared. “Sometimes you’re way harder on yourself than anybody else would be, and it’s just a good question to ask yourself… It really kind of just stuck with me and it kind of just grew from that—and it kind of shaped the vision of the whole album from that point on.”
For Kings of Leon, every album since 2003 debut Youth and Song Manhood has been a musical reflection of their growth.
“We were discovering new music and new things and we were growing as men,” says Caleb of the band’s journey together. “And so every experience we had, we’d come home and we’d just put it into music. And when you’re doing that, you look up and it’s like, ‘wow, we’ve made five albums in seven years,’ and it didn’t feel like that. It just felt like we were living our dream and something that we never thought would actually come true was coming true and just kept feeding the fire.”
Proud of When You See Yourself in its entirety, one song, “A Wave,” continues to echo for the band an is admittedly their favourite track. “I love ‘A Wave,’ and I think it’s just because we worked so long and so hard on it that if I didn’t say that, I would probably jump off a bridge or something, because I felt like we honestly worked on that song for about eight months, and it changed so many times,” says Jared. “I’m just proud of where it ended up, but I really like all of it.”
Working through its lyrics, Caleb remembers the band struggling to figure it out, and recording it several different ways. In the end, everything came back to the lyrics and lines, he says, because there was something pure about the song. “When we finally got it right, all of us were just like, ‘The nightmare is over,’” says Caleb. “We found a way to put it on the album, and we’re all very proud of it. It’s one of my proudest moments on the album.”
Kings of Leon “When You See Yourself” The New Album Available Now
In this episode of Fender Sessions: Soccer Mommy performs three songs on the American Professional II Strat HSS and talks writing in the van, finding her sound and why she’d never want to take the stage without her guitar.
FenderSessions by Soccer Mommy
Setlist:0:00 bloodstream 7:03 royal screw up 12:58 circle the drain
Michelle Zauner is back with her first Japanese Breakfast album since 2017’s ‘Soft Sounds From Another Planet’. Zauner will publish her memoir Crying In H Mart later this year. Set for release in the UK on August 5th, the book is described as an “unflinching and powerful memoir about [Zauner] growing up Korean-American, losing her mother and forging her own identity”.
The new album ‘Jubilee’ – you can hear its lead single, ‘Be Sweet’. ‘Jubilee’ will be released on June 4th via Dead Oceans. Speaking about the process behind making the album, Zauner said that she’s “never wanted to rest on any laurels. I wanted to push it as far as it could go, inviting more people in and pushing myself as a composer, a producer, an arranger.”
“After spending the last five years writing about grief, I wanted our follow up to be about joy,” Zauner explained. “For me, a third record should feel bombastic and so I wanted to pull out all the stops for this one. “I wrote ‘Be Sweet’ with Jack Tatum from Wild Nothing a few years ago. I’ve been holding onto it for so long and am so excited to finally put it out there.”
For today, Michelle Zauner the mastermind behind Japanese Breakfast already has a busy year ahead of her third album “Jubilee”, the awaited follow-up to 2017’s Soft Sounds From Another Planet, which will be out June 4th. The song is packed with massive drum hits, Nile Rodgers-like guitar strums, and shimmering synths (Oh! How those synths shimmer). The album’s lead single is a joyous and hopeful introduction to Zauner’s next album, but it comes after a long period of mourning and growth; her first two albums coincided with witnessing her mother undergo cancer treatment and grieving her death. “After spending the last five years writing about grief, I wanted our follow up to be about joy,” she said of the new project. “For me, a third record should feel bombastic and so I wanted to pull out all the stops for this one.
“Be Sweet” also comes with a fun video that Zauner directed which features Mannequin Pussy’s Marisa Dabice. Together they search for UFOs with a very legitimate looking neon-lit UFO tracker. “I want to believe in you / I want to believe in something,” Zauner sings during the chorus.
“Be Sweet” the new song by Japanese Breakfast from ‘Jubilee’, out June 4th on Dead Oceans Records.
Fans of shoegaze have long been praising the miraculous music of Australian four-piece Flyying Colours. Ever since the release of debut album Mindfulness in 2016, they have shot into the worldwide consciousness and developed a cult following. Now, with the release of second LP “Fantasy Country”, that underground audience is bursting at the seams and looks likely to break the band right into mainstream popularity.
Released through acclaimed indie label AC30, “Fantasy Country” is a delightfully playful revamp of 90’s psyche and alternative rock which recalls the best of the past whilst being energetic and innovative enough to always feel fresh, vital and new over the eight tracks.
“This album was supposed to now be 6-12 months old. We take touring and supporting our music live pretty seriously so it would have been very difficult for us to put out this album during the early stages of the pandemic. We are very lucky to be in Australia right now where shows are starting up again, and we of course hope to be touring internationally again soon”.
Flyying Colours have announced headline dates to promote their new material. Don’t miss them playing spectacular shows at The Chameleon in Nottingham, The Prince Albert at Brighton and The Lexington in London.
Chicago trio FACS have announced their fourth album, which is titled “Present Tense” and will be out May 21st via Trouble in Mind. The title would also make a great descriptor for the band’s style of bleak, tightly wound post-punk, but this album marks a progression into slightly more approachable music.
The album was made at Chicago’s Electrical Audio before and during the pandemic, the seeds of which were planted with “Alone Without,” FACS’ 2020 Adult Swim single. “Alone Without was the first song we recorded and we really built it in the studio” says singer-guitarist Brian Case. “Alianna [Kalaba] 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.”
“Strawberry Cough” is about the world of interiors, and the line between where influences come together or split off. Going into record stores and having conversations with strangers, learning about new sounds, and finding something I’ve been looking for has been sorely missed over the last year. Seeing records spread out all over the house while working on Present Tense made me wonder how these different eras and sounds found their way into our music. I spent a lot of time trying to find the visual / emotional connections between seemingly unrelated works, and walking that back into my subconscious when writing. Sometimes the video is a visualization of the words or music, and sometimes it’s just some random themes you notice while refiling your record collection.”
The new single is “Strawberry Cough” which is the friendliest face FACS have put forward yet. It’s still pretty dark, though, with Noah Leger’s massive drums leading the charge. Taken from the Chicago band’s fourth full-length album “Present Tense”, out May 21st, 2021 via Trouble In Mind Records (www.troubleinmindrecs.com)
