Jackson Browne performs “Something Fine” for Fretboard Journal Filmed at Browne’s Santa Monica, California studio on February 16th, 2011 by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. From Browne’s self-titled debut album. “Jackson Browne’s success as a singer, songwriter and guitarist has had a prolific impression on the music industry throughout his successful career. Jackson has never shied away from expressing his emotions or thoughts through his music.
Hey everyone – We’re working on a playlist of Jackson Browne “Next Steps” songs. These are deeper album cuts that your average listener might not know about. Would love your suggestions on songs you’d like to see included.
Move over, you older rockers. Make room for 17-year-old Jordan Radnoti, a high school senior from Monrovia who arrived this week with a bang. Radnoti, releasing music under the name Jordi, released her first solo single, “Escape Route,” as part of L.A. label Dangerbird Records’ Microdose series. It’s not her first shot in the arm as a Microdose artist; she drummed for Unicorns at Heart on “Fixture,” which Dangerbird released last spring.
Jordi writes, sings and plays all the instruments on her songs. “Escape Route,” originally written when she was 15, was recorded with producer/engineer Ken Sluiter (Heart, Veruca Salt, The Jesus Lizard, among others). The single is a bass-driven powder keg, reminiscent of ’90s rockers the Breeders, Hole and, yes, Veruca Salt (or, if you imagine Jordi with a British accent, Elastica and Kenickie) or contemporary artists such as Cherry Glazerr.
It’s about “escaping from your own problems and your own fear that you create inside of your head, which I do a lot and I feel like I tend to overthink things a lot,” Jordi said “And so, just kind of escaping from that build up inside of your mind.”
Jordi’s self-directed video for the track takes her to the desert.
Back in 2015 and 2016, when the National were in the middle of the long stretch between Trouble Will Find Me and Sleep Well Beast, the band’s various members went off and explored some new projects. For Scott and Bryan Devendorf, that was LNZNDRF, their trippy/kraut-y group with multi instrumentalist Ben Lanz (pictured above). A few years later, LNZNDRF has added both a new EP (last year’s “To A Lake”) and added a new member (Beirut/Grizzly Bear associate Aaron Arntz). And now, they’re also about unveil a second album.
LNZNDRF’s second outing is called, simply enough, “II”. Like with the material from LNZNDRF’s past releases, II originated when the group convened in Austin in late 2019 for a week of improvised writing sessions, described as “a mass hypnotism, somehow both thunderous and trance-inducing.” Over the course of last year, the group worked those jams into songs, but II doesn’t sound like it’s going to lose any of the psychedelic glimmer that’s characterized LNZNDRF so far. “These songs seem to come from the formless, translucent holograms that appear behind your eyelids just before sleep sets in,” the band said in a statement. “The visions you swear you’ll remember in the morning but never do.”
“These songs seem to come from the formless, translucent holograms that appear behind your eyelids just before sleep sets in,” the band explained via press release. “The visions you swear you’ll remember in the morning but never do.”
The album – aptly named II – follows up the band’s 2016 self-titled debut as well as the 2020 EP To A Lake. It’s songs aim to “reflect the current dystopia as much as they beckon the Big Mystery awaiting us, when we finally bust through this barrier.”
From LNZNDRF’s new album ‘II’ out January 29th their second album, continuing an all-star project featuring Bryan and Scott Devendorf of The National as well as Benjamin Lanz (The National, Beirut) and Aaron Arntz (Beirut, Grizzly Bear).
Orange County hardcore band Stick To Your Guns are releasing an acoustic EP, “The Meaning Remains”, on February 18 via Pure Noise/End Hits, and the first taste is this rustic rendition of “Amber” from 2010’s The Hope Division. “The Meaning Remains Acoustic” EP comes out on February 18th on Pure Noise Records and End Hits Records! This is an EP of some of our most popular songs translated in a new light. We hope you enjoy these songs you’ve heard a thousand times — but now in a new way.
The Meaning Remains Acoustic EP comes out on February 18th on Pure Noise Records, and Hits Records! This is an EP of some of our most popular songs translated in a new light. We hope you enjoy these songs you’ve heard a thousand times — but now in a new way. Europe! Hits Records just put up pre orders for reissues of our ENTIRE catalogue! Every album was remastered and is available on coloured vinyl with die-cut deluxe covers that have never been available before.
The fourth album in the David Bowie ‘Brilliant Live Adventures (1995-1999)’ series will be released in February, “Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)” will be released on 2CD and 3LP formats on 12th February on Parlophone. The record comes on black vinyl, and there are also new “Look At The Moon!“ official T-shirts available, all of which can be bought separately or as bundles.
Recorded Live at The Phoenix Festival, Long Marston, England on 20th July, 1997, “Look At The Moon!” features such previously unreleased rarities as a cover of Laurie Anderson’s O Superman, which the band had also played at their secret show as ‘The Tao Jones Index’ at the festival the previous day. Other covers include Under Pressure, which Bowie famously recorded with Queen, and a version of The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat.
The recording features David Bowie on vocals, guitar and saxophone; Zachary Alford on drums; Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, keyboards, vocals and lead vocals on O Superman; Reeves Gabrels on guitars, synths and vocals, and Mike Garson on piano, synths and keyboards. Phoenix Festival, which was set up by John Vincent Power in 1993, was held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon. David Bowie played the Sunday night headliner slot of the 1997 festival, coming on after Orbital and Texas, on the 20th July.
The show saw Bowie play a mix of hits from across his back catalogue, as well as songs from Earthling, which he had released on 3rd February that year and which he was in the process of touring. “Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)” is the fourth installment in the series of six live albums from the 90s which are being released on vinyl and CD in limited, one-run-only pressings.
There are also special, limited edition boxes for both the vinyl and CDs, allowing fans to house the full collection. The albums and boxes will only be available from the David Bowie official store and via the Dig! store.
The Cure’s Robert Smith joined the line up for Nine Lessons And Carols For Curious People, a 24-hour-long charity livestream, hosted by comedian Robin Ince.
Created over 15 years ago by Robin Ince, Nine Lessons And Carols For Curious People is an acclaimed science/comedy/music variety night. Each December, along with Robin and Brian Cox’s Christmas Compendium of Reason at the Hammersmith Apollo, the world’s best scientists, comedians, musicians, poets and more come together for a celebration of human endeavour and creativity, and to raise money for a range of charities.
With 2020’s event cancelled due to the ongoing global pandemic, the event was instead broadcast online, free to watch, from Kings Place, London. It featured guests including Brian Cox, Helen Czerski, Chris Hadfield, Helen Sharman, Sharon D Clarke, Josie Long, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Chris Jackson, Jim Al-Khalili, and Eddie Izzard, with Robin Ince hosting for the entire 24 hours.
The event was broadcast by the Cosmic Shambles Network, with all proceeds donated to the charities Turn2Us, Doctors Without Borders, Mind and the Kings Place Music Foundation.
Robert Smith, whose set was pre-recorded, performed barefoot in a studio thought to be his own home studio. Surrounded by amps and a drum machine, Robert Smith performed a handful of Cure classics: In Your House, Play For Today and M, all three of which feature on the band’s Seventeen Seconds record, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.
It marks a busy year for Robert Smith, who has been working on a new Cure album and solo project during lockdown, while he also collaborated with Damon Albarn on a new Gorillaz song, Strange Timez. Smith also auctioned off his hand-painted Schecter guitar to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, and collaborated with the British knitwear brand, HADES Wool, on a range of official Cure jumpers, with the band’s share of profits donated to Doctors Without Borders.And to find out more about Nine Lessons And Carols For Curious People and donate, you can visit their crowdfunder page.
When not working as part Vancouver post-punk collective Crack Cloud, Daniel Roberson makes gorgeous, eerily chill music as “Peace Chord”, with piano, ambient synths and layers of harmony as its primary elements. Peace Chord’s self-titled debut, Peace Chord was made in the shed behind the communal house that I and rest of Crack Cloud live in. I recorded most of it there, as well as in my parent’s living room, during and after the making of Pain Olympics with Crack Cloud. In that ramshackle space I found stillness for the first time after three years of oscillation; between harm-reduction work in overdose prevention sites and low-barrier shelters, and tour with Crack Cloud. In the stillness of that space, I was afforded time to reflect on the thoughts and experiences that had gone unseen: Loss of love. The dying of my grandfather. The dying of friends to overdose. Seeing new countries. Bearing witness to celebration and trauma. While I was writing, I was also building a Buchla 200 synthesizer, learning to weave on a loom, keeping my hands busy. Like treading water, providing buoyancy to process and meditate on these experiences.
Weaving a spiritual lens through which I can interpret what I’ve seen.
‘Memo’ is a song from the debut album ‘Peace Chord’. Recorded, Produced and Performed by Peace Chord (Daniel Roberson)
Ty Segall’s proto-metal-style power trio Fuzz were supposed to be on tour right now supporting their third album, including two February shows in NYC. Those dates, which had already been postponed from the summer, have been postponed again, but to tide you over they’ve taped a short live set at Gold Diggers Studio1 in Los Angeles and have shared it with the world.
The band, which feature Ty Segall on Drums/vox, Charles Moothart on guitar/vox and Chad Ubovich on bass/vox, plow through four songs — “Nothing People,” “Mirror,” “Close Your Eyes,” and “Loose Sutures.” Says label In the Red, “This performance will be available on our youtube page for a limited time only. From the Wolf Moon to the Snow Moon, to be exact (1/28/21 – 2/27/21).”
Surprise!! In The Red Records is proud to present to you a brand new live set from Fuzz, recorded here in Los Angeles at Gold Diggers Studio 1. Why? Simply for your enjoyment. This performance will be available on our youtube page for a limited time only. From the Wolf Moon to the Snow Moon, to be exact (1/28/21 – 2/27/21). Enjoy! Set list: Nothing People Mirror Close Your Eyes Loose Sutures
Fuzz have now rescheduled the dates for April, which also doesn’t seem very likely to happen, but who knows?
It’s been 10 years since the release of “Turning On”, Cloud Nothings’ debut album. Singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi was just 18 years old when he began recording the album, creating each track in his parents’ basement in Cleveland, Ohio. Over one winter, Baldi produced an album of taut, lo-fi guitar-pop songs, playing each instrument himself. His music gained traction in the increasingly popular music blog circuit, allowing Baldi to book his first shows in new places, like New York City. He gathered a band together to play live, and Cloud Nothings were on their way. The band has accomplished a great deal since “Turning On”, signing to Carpark Records, releasing seven albums, and headlining numerous international tours. Yet, their debut isn’t dusted over in the band’s history. “Turning On” still remains the stripped-back core of Cloud Nothings style: raw and grungy, filled with catchy earworms that are surprisingly pop. The album carries all the stored potential of someone ready to venture off into the world, a feeling that bursts with energy even 10 years later.
All the tracks on “Turning On” are eruptive and restless, its lo-fi quality embodying the desperate need to record an idea by any means necessary. Songs like Hey Cool Kidencapsulate Baldi’s talent for churning, hook-filled guitar. The vocals on songs like “Can’t Stay Awake” are distorted, with scattered lyrics that echo the angst of a teenage diary. As a whole, the album delivers dissonance and edge, without sacrificing the authentic romanticism of someone who is on the verge of something big and doesn’t know it yet.
A necessary album to fully understand the world of Cloud Nothings, “Turning On” is a welcome return to the band’s origins before the release of their eighth album, “The Shadow I Remember”.
Uncut’s John Robinson awarded “TurningOn” 4 stars saying the music was “tuneful, witty and sounds fantastic”. Spin ‘s Josh Modell wrote that “Baldi has a melodic knack that approaches Guided By Voices at their prime”.
Led by singer-songwriter Carl Coleman and Danish songwriter/producer Caspar Hesselage, critically acclaimed eclectic band Palace Winter expertly marry disparate styles and blur the distinguishing lines of genres to create their own unique ambient folk-synth sound which at once feels timeless yet fresh.
Having given rise to a huge cult following and found fans amongst the critics and public alike, they have recently released their third album …Keep Dreaming, Buddy which has seen the pair once again blast off on their on trajectory, crafting what many consider to be one of the best records of the year.
Taking their title from an old hotel found in the south of France, Copenhagen-based duo Caspar Hesselage and Carl Coleman formed Palace Winter having met on the road and touring together as separate acts during 2013. Following a couple of jamming sessions, both felt inspired by the others daring need to try something new.
Fusing together disparate sounds, underlining aspects of folk, indie pop and even country with electronic beats, their band drew immediate attention with the release of first EP Medication the almost two years later and began receiving prominent airplay on BBC 6 Music whilst creating a huge online stir with the music press.
Excitement was already high when debut album Waiting For The World To Turn dropped in 2016, which more than met the incredible anticipation they had self-generated. The huge demand led to an intense period, packed full of shows which took a real strain on the band which they had recruited. And so, the decision was made to return to working as a duo when they returned to the studio, leading to the creation of their superb second album Nowadays.
Last year saw Palace Winter drop new album …Keep Dreaming, Buddy, their first full length record for two years. Released at the end of October via Tambourhinoceros; their third LP saw Hesselage and Coleman at their most ambitious as they began to embrace wider influences, with elements of hip hop, 80’s synthpop and 90’s indie rock all heard in the mix.
Hesselage explains that their latest LP is “a cry for freedom” at a time when they felt a sense of crisis in the band. Whilst they have made a defining artistic statement by striving to explore further sonic avenues and creating what many consider their best work yet – thematically there remains a sense of ambiguity which is also reflected in the title; “A passer-by might cry it out on a busy city street, or your partner might whisper it patronisingly under their breath.”
Palace Winter have announced unmissable headline dates for their promotional tour in support of their awesome new album …Keep Dreaming, Buddy. See them play shows throughout November, with tickets already selling fast
Music produced and written by Caspar Hesselager and Carl Coleman Performed by Carl Coleman (vocals, guitars), Caspar Hesselager (synth, rhodes, percussion, programming), Soffie Viemose (vocals) and Jens Bach Laursen (drums)
