It's been far too long since we've done one of these, a terrible oversight for which we apologise profusely. Hopefully this bumper crop of superb new tunes will help make up the shortfall.
As always, there's a tonne of excellent new music here: a standalone single from the incomparable White Deni...
It’s been far too long since we’ve done one of these, a terrible oversight for which we apologise profusely. Hopefully this bumper crop of superb new tunes will help make up the shortfall.
As always, there’s a tonne of excellent new music here: a standalone single from the incomparable White Denim; Joan Shelley and Nathan Salsburg covering a song from the Superwolves album; Laura Marling at her poppiest; the returns of Matthew E White and Mega Bog; and plenty of lesser-known delights, including an astonishing performance from Korean duo Dal:um. Enjoy!
WHITE DENIM
“Crystal Bullets”
(English Mallard)
JOAN SHELLEY & NATHAN SALSBURG
“Watch What Happens”
(Drag City)
LUMP
“Climb Every Wall”
(Chrysalis/Partisan)
MEGA BOG
“Station To Station”
(Paradise Of Bachelors)
AMIINA
“Beacon”
(Amiina)
MODERN WOMAN
“Offerings”
(End Of The Road)
ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP
“So Many Things (To Feel Guilty About)”
(Bongo Joe)
The line-up for the rescheduled Cruel World festival in 2022 has been unveiled.
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Morrissey, Blondie and Bauhaus will lead the line-up alongside Devo, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, Violent Femmes, Public Image Ltd and more. You can see ...
The line-up for the rescheduled Cruel World festival in 2022 has been unveiled.
From the company behind Coachella, the first edition of the festival was meant to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The event has also changed locations: instead of the Grounds at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, the festival will take place at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena.
The event’s new date is May 14, 2022 and tickets for the event goes on sale this Friday, June 6 here.
Last month (May 31), Morrissey unveiled details of a new album, which he said was “the best album of my life”.
Bonfire Of Teenagers, the Smiths singer’s first since leaving his label deal with BMG, will be sold to the highest record label bidder. No release date has yet been announced.
Bruce Springsteen's acclaimed show will head back to Broadway starting June 26, while a social media post said that “additional performances” will take place up until September 4 at the St. James Theater.
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At the time of publishing, the show is set...
Bruce Springsteen‘s acclaimed show will head back to Broadway starting June 26, while a social media post said that “additional performances” will take place up until September 4 at the St. James Theater.
At the time of publishing, the show is set to become the first to open on Broadway since the coronavirus closed down performances in March 2020.
As reported in the New York Times, “audience members will be required to show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination along with their tickets to enter the [theatre]. Entry times will be staggered, and attendees will be required to fill out a Covid-19 health screening within 24 hours of the show.”
The shows will run on June 26, 29 and 30, July 1-3, 6-10, 13-17 and then August 17-20, 24-28 and 31. The final shows will take place September 1-4. All ticketing info and dates can be found here. Tickets go on sale this Thursday (June 10) at 5pm BST (12pm ET).
In a statement released before his first performance on Broadway, Springsteen said he wanted the show to be “as personal and intimate as possible”. He said: “I chose Broadway for this project because it has the beautiful old theatres, which seemed like the right setting for what I have in mind.
“In fact, with one or two exceptions, the 960 seats of the Walter Kerr Theatre is probably the smallest venue I’ve played in the last 40 years.”
The musician dedicated his first performance of Springsteen On Broadway to the late Tom Petty, who died just two days before the Broadway show began its run.
Neil Young has confirmed that he is currently working on a new album with his longtime collaborators Crazy Horse.
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READ MORE: Review: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Writing in his regular updates pos...
Neil Young has confirmed that he is currently working on a new album with his longtime collaborators Crazy Horse.
Writing in his regular updates posted to his personal website The Neil Young Archives, Young revealed that he has five songs already ready for a new album, and that “recording with the Horse will begin soon”.
Prompted by a fan letter that expressed keenness to see Young and Crazy Horse live again after such a long break, he added that touring isn’t back on the cards just yet. He wrote: “No gigs planned until I am sure the audience is safe.”
The word that Young is holding off on booking concerts with Crazy Horse comes after a long period off from touring for him and the band. Young had made a statement that he would be finally open to hitting the road again in early 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic put paid to most concerts and festivals worldwide.
Young and Crazy Horse have collaborated since the late 1960s, working together on classic albums such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere andAfter The Gold Rush. Most recently, in 2019, they released Colorado.
Jackson Browne hasn’t had much sleep. “Last night I was playing until three in the morning,” he explains, via Zoom, from the tastefully appointed kitchen that adjoins his home studio in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been working on a song for a movie and you have to sort of chase it where it goes....
Jackson Browne hasn’t had much sleep. “Last night I was playing until three in the morning,” he explains, via Zoom, from the tastefully appointed kitchen that adjoins his home studio in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been working on a song for a movie and you have to sort of chase it where it goes. It’s so great, because I’ve got this place where I can come at all hours. It’s next to my writing room, where I have a mattress.”
The convenience of having his own studio, for a perfectionist like Browne, also means there’s a temptation to meddle. Downhill From Everywhere, his new album, should have been out earlier this year, but he heard a few things on the test pressing that he didn’t like. “So I bought myself the time to do some little changes and experimenting,” he says. “That’s happened over the years, but there’s always that moment where you finally have to let go.”
We’re primarily here to talk about the album, which is as insightful, melodic and artfully measured as anything Browne has put his name to in the past 25 years. But the course of our two-hour conversation follows all manner of digressions and tangents, from the people he’s known –Tim Buckley, Nico, Warren Zevon, the Eagles, Lowell George and more – to activism, legacy, songwriting as therapy and starting out solo. He even calls back a couple of weeks later, to clarify something he feels may have been open to misinterpretation first time around.
At 72, a bewhiskered Browne, in dark shades, suits the elegantly weathered look. Talk of his pre-fame days in Greenwich Village elicits a memory of Harry Smith’s ubiquitous Anthology Of American Folk Music. “As a matter of fact,” he muses, “the older I get the more I look like Harry Smith. You know that picture where he’s mixing vodka and milk because he has an ulcer? He looks so funky, he hasn’t shaved, his hair’s thinning. He comes to mind from time to time, whenever I look at myself in the mirror.”
Grey hair notwithstanding, Browne doesn’t look a whole lot different from the boyish figure who first rose to prominence in Southern California in the early ’70s. He was then at the nexus of what Linda Ronstadt called “an artistic Shangri-La”, the eloquent new generation of singer-songwriters who coalesced around the Troubadour in LA. Literate and sophisticated, Browne’s friends and admirers included the Eagles, who aspired to the same level of insight as timeless landmarks like For Everyman, Late For The Sky and The Pretender.
Much of those same qualities are still evident on Downhill From Everywhere, which finds Browne transitioning further into the themes he’s pursued over the years: the intangibles of romantic love, despair, hope, political division, environmental issues, memory, the flow of time. Some songs rock hard, others tap into euphonic balladry and temperate folk-soul. There’s even a detour into Catalan rumba. “I have a band of players that I call on regularly and I really like what we ended up with on this record,” he says. “We really went through it together.”
The Rolling Stones have joined Tom Gray’s #BrokenRecord campaign which is calling for better streaming revenues for artists.
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Back in April, over 150 artists – including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Chris Martin, Noel Gallagher and Wolf...
The Rolling Stones have joined Tom Gray’s #BrokenRecord campaign which is calling for better streaming revenues for artists.
Back in April, over 150 artists – including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Chris Martin, Noel Gallagher and Wolf Alice – signed an open letter to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking to help reform the streaming economy.
That letter reportedly received an “interested but non-committal reply” from a junior minister in the business department.
The campaign has now enlisted the help of the Stones, Tom Jones, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Emeli Sandé, Alison Goldfrapp and Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, as well as the estate of the late Clash frontman Joe Strummer, in the hope that they can effect change.
The addition of the new signatories means that four of the eight performers Johnson chose for his Desert Island Discs in 2005 are now urging him to take action: members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Clash, as well as Van Morrison.
The Rolling Stones have joined the #BrokenRecord campaign. Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
“For too long, streaming platforms, record labels and other internet giants have exploited performers and creators without rewarding them fairly,” the letter due to be sent to Downing Street today (June 7) reads. “We must put the value of music back where it belongs – in the hands of music makers.”
It continues: “By addressing these problems, we will make the UK the best place in the world to be a musician, producer or a songwriter, allow recording studios and the UK session scene to thrive once again, strengthen our world leading cultural sector, allow the market for recorded music to flourish for listeners and creators, and unearth a new generation of talent.
“We urge you to take these suggestions forward and ensure the music industry is part of your levelling- up agenda as we kickstart the post-Covid economic recovery.”
Jarvis Cocker has also joined the #BrokenRecord campaign. Credit: Daniel Cohen
Pressure continues to mount to mount following a recent government investigation. Run by the Department for Culture Media and Sport since November last year, Parliament’s Inquiry into the Economics of Music Streaming committee met seven times, hearing from representatives across the industry.
During the various hearings, artists told MPs that low streaming payments were “threatening the future of music” with emerging acts complaining that they faced “massive competition” from classic artists due to algorithms.
Spotify meanwhile, warned that raising subscription prices could push people to online piracy, while MPs accused one major label boss of “living in cloud cuckoo land” after he claimed that artists were happy with the existing music streaming model.
Robert "3D" Del Naja of Massive Attack has co-produced longtime collaborator Martina Topley-Bird's new EP Pure Heart, which is out now.
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Del Naja and Topley-Bird have worked together previously, with the latter singing on Massive Attack's 2010 album He...
Robert “3D” Del Naja of Massive Attack has co-produced longtime collaborator Martina Topley-Bird‘s new EP Pure Heart, which is out now.
Del Naja and Topley-Bird have worked together previously, with the latter singing on Massive Attack‘s 2010 album Heligoland. Elsewhere, the pair are linked through Bristol’s music scene with Topley-Bird appearing on fellow trip hop pioneer Tricky‘s early albums Maxinquaye (1995), Pre-Millennium Tension (1996) and Angels With Dirty Faces (1998).
The three-track Pure Heart EP precedes Topley-Bird‘s fourth album, Forever I Wait, which will be released on September 10. The EP tracks “Pure Heart“, “Hunt” and “Rain” all appear on the album’s tracklist.
Topley-Bird said the record is “a trip through my psyche, switching through different states and frequencies of emotions and reflections”.
“‘Pure Heart‘, with its echoes of The Cure, is the ode to my young teens, the time when I first really got into music in a devotional and tribal sense. It speaks of fears and desires, represents all new beginnings and states the quiet determination to follow the muse where it will lead. ‘Hunt‘ is the reckoning that must take place after the journey has begun, a commentary on power and the powerful, earning the peaceful resolution that comes with ‘Rain‘.
“This EP is a complete journey, a preview of sort, of the complete album with ‘Pure Heart‘ and ‘Rain‘ framing the beginning and the end.”
Forever I Wait is the singer-songwriter’s first album since 2010’s Some Place Simple and is her first self-produced and curated piece of work to date.
Sinéad O’Connor last Friday (June 4) announced her retirement from music and touring in a series of new tweets.
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O’Connor wrote on the social media platform: “This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business...
Sinéad O’Connor last Friday (June 4) announced her retirement from music and touring in a series of new tweets.
O’Connor wrote on the social media platform: “This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business. I’ve gotten older and I’m tired.”
The musician went on to say that her upcoming album, No Veteran Dies Alone, will be her last album release: “NVDA in 2022 will be my last release. And there’ll be no more touring or promo.”
She added: “This is not sad news. It’s staggeringly beautiful news. A warrior knows when he or she should retreat. It’s been a 40-year journey. Time to put the feet up and make other dreams come true.”
On Saturday morning (June 5), O’Connor added: “Apologies if any upset caused to booking agents or promoters or managers due to my tweeting about my retirement.
“I guess the book made me realise I’m my own boss. I didn’t wanna wait for permission from the men, as to when I could announce it.”
Earlier last week (June 3), O’Connor shared more details of her forthcoming 11th album, confirming the title, No Veteran Dies Alone. It will be released in January 2022.
O’Connor told Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 last week (June 2) that the album will be released next year. She also told The New York Times in a recent interview that it will comprise seven songs.
Belfast musician David Holmes, who described Sinéad’s vocal on the album’s title track as “undeniable”, is producing the album.
St. Vincent has launched a new, 70s-themed retro radio station on Apple Music.
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READ MORE: Review: St. Vincent – Daddy's Home
WSTV Radio will see St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, take on the persona of a New York City radio DJ in the 70s.
Each epi...
St. Vincent has launched a new, 70s-themed retro radio station on Apple Music.
WSTV Radio will see St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, take on the persona of a New York City radio DJ in the 70s.
Each episode will take follow a “day in the life” theme as she plays hits from the ’70s plus special “premieres” of “new” songs from future music legends, according to Rolling Stone.
Speaking about the show, St. Vincent said: “On WSTV Radio, I take a little acid-trip back in time with a smooth voice and all the coolest new (old) tunes. It is a lot of fun (for me, at least.) Enjoy!!”
St. Vincent. Credit: Zackery Michael
The official description of the show reads: “On WSTV Radio, the innovative art-rocker introduces her latest persona as she throws it back to the ’70s – tapping into the decade’s news, traffic, weather, and biggest hits by playing an NYC radio DJ.
“Clark takes a ‘day in the life’ approach on each episode, staying true to the day’s events as pulled from news archives. She’ll transport you back in time by playing the top three charting songs and new song ‘premieres’ from up-and-coming artists (who ended up making it big, of course) she took inspiration from while making her latest album Daddy’s Home.”
Episode one aired on Friday (June 4) and was set on August 15, 1972. St. Vincent re-visited Long Island’s Festival of Hope, which featured artists including Jefferson Airplane, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, James Brown and more.
Vincent also played music by Gilbert O’Sullivan, the Isley Brothers and David Bowie on the episode.
Courtney Love has launched her new covers series, Bruises For Roses, with a rendition of Billy Bragg and Wilco's "California Stars".
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The ...
Courtney Love has launched her new covers series, Bruises For Roses, with a rendition of Billy Braggand Wilco‘s “California Stars“.
The former Hole frontwoman has enlisted The Big Moon‘s Juliette Jackson for the video series after teasing in March that something was in the works. The project began as a way to aid her recovery from severe anaemia.
Watch the video for Love’s cover of “California Stars” here:
“California Stars“, featuring lyrics by the late Woody Guthrie, is taken from Bragg and Wilco‘s joint 1998 album Mermaid Avenue.
Simon & Garfunkel and Elliott Smith covers are also promised in the Bruises Of Roses video series, which is named after Love‘s collaboration with the fragrance company Edge Beauty and her upbringing in Portland, dubbed the City Of Roses.
Modest Mouse have shared a video for recent single "We Are Between" – you can watch it below.
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Directed by Kyle Thrash, the video features lead singer Isaac Brock stranded among a field of cars, with various characters – some real and some not – ...
Modest Mouse have shared a video for recent single “We Are Between” – you can watch it below.
Directed by Kyle Thrash, the video features lead singer Isaac Brock stranded among a field of cars, with various characters – some real and some not – flashing in and out of view.
“We Are Between” is taken from Modest Mouse‘s upcoming seventh album, The Golden Casket, their first new album in six years. It arrives on June 25.
Produced with Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles and Modest Mouse’s Portland studio, the record is said to reflect “the liminal space between raw punk power and experimental studio science”, according to an official release.
The release adds: “The 12 tracks behave like amorphous organisms, undergoing dramatic mutations and mood swings that speak to the chronic tug-of-war between hope and despair that plays out in frontman [Isaac] Brock’s head.”
You can watch the video for “We Are Between” below:
Check the tracklist for The Golden Casket in full below:
01. ‘Fuck Your Acid Trip’
02. ‘We Are Between’
03. ‘We’re Lucky’
04. ‘Walking and Running’
05. ‘Wooden Soldiers’
06. ‘Transmitting Receiving’
07. ‘The Sun Hasn’t Left’
08. ‘Lace Your Shoes’
09. ‘Never Fuck A Spider On The Fly’
10. ‘Leave A Light On’
11. ‘Japanese Trees’
12. ‘Back To The Middle’
Prince's estate has released the second single from his upcoming posthumous ‘lost’ album Welcome 2 America, “Born 2 Die”. You can hear it below.
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READ MORE: Inside the vault: Prince’s legendary lost albums
...
Prince‘s estate has released the second single from his upcoming posthumous ‘lost’ album Welcome 2 America, “Born 2 Die”. You can hear it below.
The late musician’s estate has partnered Sony label Legacy Recordings to release the album on 30 July 2021. Welcome 2 America was recorded in 2010 and had been due to be released the following year. Prince had even embarked on a supporting tour, but the record was never released.
At the time, Prince described how the record discusses race relations, political division and social justice. As quoted in a press statement, he had said: “The world is fraught with misin4mation. George Orwell’s vision of the future is here. We need 2 remain steadfast in faith in the trying times ahead.”
In addition to the digital release, a deluxe boxset version of the album will feature the regular 12-track album on vinyl and CD, alongside a previously unreleased full-length concert film from Prince’s show at The Forum in Inglewood, California on 28 April 2011.
See the tracklist for the full deluxe version below. You can preorder the album digitally and physically here.
LP1 – Welcome 2 America
1. Welcome 2 America
2. Running Game (Son of a Slave Master)
3. Born 2 Die
4. 1000 Light Years From Here
5. Hot Summer
6. Stand Up and B Strong (Soul Asylum cover)
7. Check The Record
8. Same Page, Different Book
9. When She Comes
10. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin)
11. Yes
12. One Day We Will All B Free
LP2 – Welcome 2 America (Live at The Forum, April 28, 2011)
1. Joy In Repetition
2. Brown Skin (India.Arie cover)
3. 17 Days
4. Shhh
5. Controversy
6. Theme From “Which Way Is Up” (Stargard cover)
7. What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson cover)
8. Partyman
9. Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan cover)
10. Misty Blue (Eddy Arnold cover)
11. Let’s Go Crazy
12. Delirious
13. 1999
14. Little Red Corvette
15. Purple Rain
16. The Bird (The Time cover – Prince composition)
17. Jungle Love (The Time cover – Prince composition)
18. A Love Bizarre (Sheila E. cover – Prince composition)
19. Kiss
20. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry cover)
21. Inglewood Swinging (cover of Kool & the Gang’s “Hollywood Swinging”)
22. Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside cover)
23. More Than This (Roxy Music cover)
Bubba Jone is a strange swamp-rock saga about a man just trying to catch a fish. As story-songs go, there’s not very much to it, but Tony Joe White manages to invest it with some humour and some gravity. Over a bluesy guitar lick and a humid groove, he savours the back-country details, even telli...
Bubba Jone is a strange swamp-rock saga about a man just trying to catch a fish. As story-songs go, there’s not very much to it, but Tony Joe White manages to invest it with some humour and some gravity. Over a bluesy guitar lick and a humid groove, he savours the back-country details, even telling you the brand of reel and the size of the boat, and he makes a meal – an entire feast, actually – out of the burbling syllables “bubbabubbabubbabubba”. What might sound like a low-stakes character sketch instead becomes a study in disappointment and resilience, with White playing an Ahab of the bayou. Even without the sneaking suspicion that the fisherman might be kin to the characters in White’s oft-covered classic Willie And Laura Mae Jones, Bubba Jones is a worthy addition to this singer-songwriter’s idiosyncratic catalogue, no matter that he never released it during his lifetime.
It’s tempting to read something metaphorical into that fisherman’s struggle, as though that large-mouth bass might actually symbolise a hit song or some professional accolade. After all, White’s most notable songs were bigger hits for other artists than they ever were for him: Dusty Springfield recorded Willie And Laura Mae Jones in 1969, Brook Benton nearly took Rainy Night In Georgia to the top of the pop charts in 1970, and Elvis Presley made Polk Salad Annie into a live staple during his final tours. Despite his instantly recognisable voice and his facility with details of Southern life, White never enjoyed commercial success commensurate with his talent and eccentricities, but he kept recording and writing and touring until his death in 2018. Today he’s too big to be a cult artist, but not quite mainstream either.
Bubba Jones was one of countless unreleased songs he left behind, most of them recorded on reel-to-reel with just his voice and acoustic guitar. His son Jody White discovered and digitised them, eventually handing several over to The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to flesh out into fully realised tracks. Nine of them have been collected on Smoke From The Chimney, White’s first posthumous release and a stirring portrait of a singular artist. In fact, Jody White had been trying to persuade his father to record with Auerbach for a decade, but Tony Joe was particular about his songs and preferred laying them down at his home studio outside Nashville.
The son’s instincts were sharp, as these two artists sound uniquely suited to each other. Both draw from blues and early rock influences, and both emphasise rhythm and propulsion in their songs. Auerbach dreamed up his fantasy session, using a small group of Nashville veterans and virtuosos that included drummer Gene Chrisman (who’s played withJerry Lee Lewis, among others), keyboardist Bobby Wood (Bobby Womack), and steel guitar player Paul Franklin (George Jones). Jody even hung old photos of his father around the studio – there in spirit if not in body.
This makeshift band soundtrack these songs carefully, whether White’s singing about financial struggle on Boot Money or asking for a little empathy on Someone Is Crying. Del Rio You’re Making Me Cry plays like a short film, with Billy Sanford’s graceful gut-string guitar solo evoking the West Texas landscape. Closer Billy matches a sobbing pedal steel to a barrelhouse piano, churning up a little sympathy for its beleaguered title character. The players manoeuvre adeptly around White’s deep voice, which can get so low that it barely registers on tape, and they emphasise his emotional range. His physical range is limited, of course, although few singers settle into their limitations as productively. But there’s something wistful and gentle in his delivery on the title track, and the players, especially the duo Flor De Toloache providing backing vocals, work to bolster that sense of nostalgia.
There’s not a moment on this album when the session players intrude on the song or on White’s vocal. There’s not a moment when they break the spell or remind you that this is not actually a collaborative record. In other words, it makes you forget, if only for a few minutes, that he wasn’t actually in the studio with them. Instead, they simply let him tell his stories. He even lays out his philosophy of life and music on the standout, Listen To Your Song. Over a blazing guitar lick and a swampy backbeat, he ponders the comfort to be found in a favourite tune: “When it seems like you’ll never find your way back home, listen to your song”.
The American art of Sacred Harp singing has spread far and wide since its inception in New England two centuries ago. And as societies continue to sprout across Canada, Australia, mainland Europe and the UK, the tradition has been vigorously upheld in the north-east of England by Cath & Phil Tyl...
The American art of Sacred Harp singing has spread far and wide since its inception in New England two centuries ago. And as societies continue to sprout across Canada, Australia, mainland Europe and the UK, the tradition has been vigorously upheld in the north-east of England by Cath & Phil Tyler. Prior to lockdown, the couple hosted a popular weekly night in Newcastle, while Cath is a Sacred Harp teacher of some repute.
In simplistic terms, Sacred Harp singing is designed as a social experience rather than for an audience, using shape notes for ease of learning and rooted in four-part harmony hymns. There’s often something thrillingly elemental in its discharge, as befits the naked origins of the term itself (sacred harp refers to the human voice).
This is just one facet of the Tylers’ music. Their interpretations of traditional song – drawn from both the US and Britain, often inviting a confluence of both – strip the source material to its core components, usually just voice and either banjo, acoustic guitar or fiddle. It’s an approach that’s sustained them for over 15 years now, in the form of live performances, collaborations and bare-bones studio albums. Prior to them tying the knot in 2003, Cath was once a member of shape-singing quartet Northampton Harmony in her native US, plus folk-punk outfit Cordelia’s Dad, who listed Steve Albini among their producers. Multi-instrumentalist Phil, meanwhile, has long been a mainstay of the Tyneside scene in bands like Spraydog and, most recently, slowcore trio Bad Amputee.
Some Heavy Hand is a riveting set that spans Cath & Phil Tyler’s career thus far, a refuge for waifs and strays that either didn’t make it onto their official albums or were cut for little-heard compilations. Palms Of Victory and Amazing Grace both date from their first ever recording session, at Brancepeth Castle in County Durham, in 2005. The former, a Methodist hymn once covered by The Carter Family, Bob Dylan and others, is a rousing plea for deliverance; the latter forgoes its customary feelgood zip for something altogether more sombre and considered.
Originally done for Oak Ash Thorn, 2011’s Peter Bellamy tribute, Our Fathers Of Old is a stirring a cappella take on the Rudyard Kipling poem that skewers arrogant folly through the ages, each generation seemingly consigned to repeating the same mistakes. Life is rarely less than an endurance trial in these songs, be it the narrator of Warfare (gleaned from EC Ball’s version, here served by Cath’s pure, strident tones over stroked banjo) or the weary protagonist of The Water Is Wide, broken by love’s false promise.
As stark as it is beautiful, Some Heavy Hand is a fine entry point for those yet to discover this beguiling duo.
Wolf Alice have shared a new single called “How Can I Make It OK?” – you can listen to it below.
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The enchanting track is the fourth taste of the London band’s forthcoming third album Blue Weekend, following on from “No Hard Feelings”, “Th...
Wolf Alice have shared a new single called “How Can I Make It OK?” – you can listen to it below.
The enchanting track is the fourth taste of the London band’s forthcoming third album Blue Weekend, following on from “No Hard Feelings”, “The Last Man On Earth” and “Smile”. The album arrives today (June 4) via Dirty Hit.
Listen to “How Can I Make It OK?” and watch its music video, directed by Jordan Hemingway, below:
Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend was initially expected to arrive on June 11 but was brought forward by one week.
The group will take the record out on the road next January, when they’ll perform in Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, London and other cities over the course of the month. You can purchase tickets here.
The Beach Boys have announced details of a new box set, covering the highly influential 1969 - 1971 period of the band’s career.
Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 will be available from July 30 as a 5CD and digital box set.
The collection features newly remaster...
The Beach Boys have announced details of a new box set, covering the highly influential 1969 – 1971 period of the band’s career.
Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 will be available from July 30 as a 5CD and digital box set.
The collection features newly remastered versions of Sunflower and Surf’s Up and boasts 135 tracks, including 108 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions.
You can hear the unreleased track “Big Sur” below.
The box also comes with a 48-page book featuring unseen and rare photos, lyric sheets, tape box images, recording artifacts, new liner notes and new and archival interviews from Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love. Feel Flows will also be released in abbreviated versions including 4LP on both black vinyl and limited edition Translucent Blue and Translucent Gold color vinyl, 2LP black vinyl and 2CD editions.
Here’s a video of the unboxing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8g4xNNs7wE
Tracklisting for Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 is:
DISC 1 SUNFLOWER – ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. Slip On Through (2019 master) (2:19)
2. This Whole World (2019 master) (1:58)
3. Add Some Music To Your Day (2019 master) (3:36)
4. Got To Know The Woman (2019 master) (2:43)
5. Deirdre (2019 master) (3:30)
6. It’s About Time (2019 master) (2:57)
7. Tears In The Morning (2019 master) (4:07)
8. All I Wanna Do (2019 master) (2:36)
9. Forever (2019 master) (2:42)
10. Our Sweet Love (2019 master) (2:41)
11. At My Window (2019 master) (2:32)
12. Cool, Cool Water (2019 master) (5:03)
13. Sunflower Promo 1 (previously unreleased) (0:59)
SUNFLOWER – LIVE
Previously Unreleased – Produced by The Beach Boys
14. This Whole World (Live 1988) (2:10)
15. Add Some Music To Your Day (Live 1993) (3:23)
16. Susie Cincinnati (Live 1976) (2:46)
17. Back Home (Live 1976) (3:15)
18. It’s About Time (Live 1971) (3:45)
19. Riot In Cell Block 9 (Live 1970) (3:34)
SUNFLOWER – BONUS TRACKS
20. Break Away (original 1969 single mix) (2:55)
21. Celebrate The News (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:37)
22. Loop De Loop (previously unreleased 1969 mix) (2:59)
23. San Miguel (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:33)
24. Susie Cincinnati (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (3:02)
25. Good Time (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:56)
26. Two Can Play (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:06)
27. Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (2021 stereo mix – previously unreleased) (3:21)
DISC TWO SURF’S UP – ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. Don’t Go Near The Water (2019 master) (2:41)
2. Long Promised Road (2019 master) (3:32)
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet (2019 master) (2:32)
4. Disney Girls (1957) (2019 master) (4:08)
5. Student Demonstration Time (2019 master) (3:59)
6. Feel Flows (2019 master) (4:44)
7. Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (2019 master) (1:57)
8. A Day In The Life Of A Tree (2019 master) (3:09)
9. Til I Die (2019 master) (2:32)
10. Surf’s Up (2019 master) (4:14)
11. Surf’s Up Promo (previously unreleased) (1:02)
SURF’S UP – LIVE
Previously Unreleased
12. Take A Load Off Your Feet (Live 1993) (2:35)
13. Long Promised Road (Live 1972) (4:14)
14. Disney Girls (Live 1982) (4:23)
15. Surf’s Up (Live 1973) (4:58)
16. Student Demonstration Time (Live 1971) (4:42)
SURF’S UP – BONUS TRACKS
Previously unreleased (unless otherwise noted)
17. Big Sur (previously unreleased) (2:35)
18. H.E.L.P. Is On The Way (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:31)
19. Sweet And Bitter (previously unreleased) (2:33)
20. My Solution (previously unreleased) (3:44)
21. 4th of July (2019 mix – previously unreleased) (3:11)
22. Sound of Free (1970 single mix, 2019 master) (2:22)
23. Lady (Fallin’ In Love) (1970 stereo mix – previously unreleased) (2:21)
24. Seasons In The Sun (previously unreleased) (3:27)
DISC THREE SUNFLOWER SESSIONS
Previously unreleased
1. Sunflower Promo 2 (previously unreleased) (0:59)
2. Slip On Through (track and backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:47)
3. This Whole World (long version track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:10)
4. Add Some Music To Your Day (track and backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:35)
5. Deirdre (track – previously unreleased) (3:34)
6. It’s About Time (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:53)
7. Tears In The Morning (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:08)
8. All I Wanna Do (session intro, track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:46)
9. Forever (session highlights – previously unreleased) (3:36)
10. Forever (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:01)
11. Our Sweet Love (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:39)
12. At My Window (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:50)
13. Cool Cool Water (alternate 2019 mix – previously unreleased) (6:24)
14. San Miguel (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:57)
15. Loop De Loop (track – previously unreleased) (2:49)
16. Good Time (session intro, track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:27)
17. When Girls Get Together (track – previously unreleased) (1:47)
18. Slip On Through (alternate 1969 mix with session intro – previously unreleased) (3:25)
19. Our Sweet Love (string section – previously unreleased) (1:00)
1969-1970 A CAPPELLA
Previously unreleased
20. San Miguel (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (1:00)
21. Break Away (Tag) (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:18)
22. Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:44)
23. Good Time (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:19)
24. This Whole World (backing vocals section – previously unreleased) (1:05)
25. Add Some Music To Your Day (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (3:30)
26. Got To Know The Woman (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:52)
27. It’s About Time (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:50)
28. All I Wanna Do (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:58)
29. Forever (previously unreleased 2019 a Cappella mix) (2:52)
DISC FOUR SURF’S UP SESSIONS
Previously unreleased
1. Don’t Go Near The Water (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:45)
2. Long Promised Road (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:38)
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet (alternate vocal – previously unreleased) (2:28)
4. Disney Girls (1957) (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:17)
5. Student Demonstration Time (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:46)
6. Feel Flows (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (5:02)
7. Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (session intro and alternate mix – previously unreleased) (2:43)
8. A Day In The Life Of A Tree (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:55)
9. Til I Die (long version with alternate lyrics – previously unreleased) (4:47)
(Brian Wilson)
10. Surf’s Up (2019 mix – previously unreleased) (4:08)
(Brian Wilson-Van Dyke Parks)
11. (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (extended 2019 – previously unreleased) (6:50)
(Dennis Wilson-Stanley Shapiro)
SURF’S UP – A CAPPELLA
Previously unreleased
12. Don’t Go Near The Water (previously unreleased 2020 a Cappella mix) (2:36)
(Alan Jardine-Mike Love)
13. Long Promised Road (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (4:00)
14. Feel Flows (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:33)
15. Disney Girls (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:36)
16. A Day In The Life Of A Tree (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:32)
17. Til I Die (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:36)
18. Surf’s Up (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (4:04)
Bonus Tracks
Previously unreleased
19. I Just Got My Pay (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:43)
20. Walkin’ (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:44)
21. When Girls Get Together (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (3:45)
22. Baby Baby (previously unreleased) (3:13)
23. Awake (previously unreleased) (3:44)
24. It’s A New Day (previously unreleased) (2:20)
DISC FIVE Bonus Disc
Previously unreleased
1. This Whole World (alternate ending – previously unreleased) (1:41)
2. Add Some Music To Your Day (previously unreleased alternate version) (3:27)
3. Don’t Go Near The Water (alternate version – previously unreleased) (2:42)
4. Surf’s Up Part 1 (1971 remake track with 1966 Brian vocal – previously unreleased) (1:41)
5. Soulful Old Man Sunshine (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (3:14)
(Brian Wilson-Rick Henn-Don Ralke)
6. I’m Goin’ Your Way (previously unreleased alternate mix) (2:24)
(Dennis Wilson)
7. Where Is She (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:22)
(Brian Wilson)
8. Carnival (Over The Waves/Sobra Las Olas) (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (1:34)
9. It’s Natural (previously unreleased) (2:35)
10. Medley: All Of My Love / Ecology (previously unreleased) (5:05)
11. Before (previously unreleased) (2:25)
12. Behold The Night (previously unreleased) (2:26)
13. Old Movie (Cuddle Up) (previously unreleased) (3:37)
14. Hawaiian Dream (previously unreleased) (4:33)
15. Settle Down / Sound Of Free (basic session outtake – previously unreleased) (2:17)
16. I’ve Got A Friend (previously unreleased) (2:26)
17. Til I Die (piano demo – previously unreleased) (1:55)
18. Back Home (previously unreleased demo) (2:20)
19. Back Home (alternate version – previously unreleased) (2:34)
20. Won’t You Tell Me (demo – previously unreleased) (2:01)
21. Won’t You Tell Me (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:54)
22. Barbara (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:59)
23. Slip On Through (early version track) (2:48)
24. Susie Cincinnati (basic session highlights – previously unreleased) (3:05)
25. My Solution (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:04)
26. You Never Give Me Your Money (previously unreleased) (0:40)
27. Medley: Happy Birthday, Brian / God Only Knows (previously unreleased) (2:47)
28. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:32)
29. Marcella (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (3:27)
Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil is set to host six specialist shows on BBC Radio Scotland, starting this month.
ORDER NOW: The July 2021 issue of Uncut
The Simon Neil Experience will hear Neil "explore his love of music and share tracks from artists that have inspired him as a musician and ...
Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil is set to host six specialist shows on BBC Radio Scotland, starting this month.
The Simon Neil Experience will hear Neil “explore his love of music and share tracks from artists that have inspired him as a musician and music fan”. Each show will focus on a particular genre including rock, pop, experimental, heartbreak, soundtracks, and metal.
The new six-part radio series, which will have special guests, kicks off next Wednesday (June 9) at 10pm BST and will broadcast at the same time weekly. Listeners will also be available to stream/download the show on BBC Sounds.
Neil said in a statement: “It’s a pleasure to be doing The Simon Neil Experience with BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sounds and I’m proud to present six shows that each explore a different style of music that I love. Radio has been a big part of my life as a musician and music fan, and whilst we were not able to travel and share our music with the world, I wanted to share the songs, and artists, that have helped me through the last year, and more, alongside some very special guests that I am incredibly excited about.”
Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro performs live on stage during a one-off Q Awards show at The Roundhouse on October 15, 2019 in London, England. CREDIT: Jim Dyson/Getty Images
Gareth Hydes, who commissioned the series, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Simon to Radio Scotland’s presenter stable with this new series. We are excited to be working with him and looking forward to hearing the music that has inspired him through the decades and the stories behind them. It promises to be a must-listen for all Biffy Clyro fans but also for anyone interested in getting more insight in to what influences the front man of one of Scotland’s most successful musical exports.”
IDLES are set to release their documentary, Don’t Go Gentle, in cinemas next month.
READ MORE: Listen to IDLES cover Gang of Four’s “Damaged Goods”
ORDER NOW: The July 2021 issue of Uncut
The documentary film, directed by Mark Archer, will be available to view in cinemas from Jul...
IDLES are set to release their documentary, Don’t Go Gentle, in cinemas next month.
The documentary film, directed by Mark Archer, will be available to view in cinemas from July 2 with fans able to buy tickets for the screenings here. The film will also have a few previews and Q&A sessions with filmmakers in selected cinemas from June 23-30.
The documentary will be available to stream via VOD from August 6 and can be pre-ordered here.
You can see the film’s trailer and preview dates below:
Initial Previews and Q&As
June 2021
23 – Watershed, Bristol 24 – Rio Cinema, London 24 – Abbeydale Cinema, Sheffield 25 – Duke of York, Brighton 26 – Picturehouse Arts, Cambridge 27 – Moth Club, London 27 – Curzon Soho, London 30 – Clapham Grand, London 30 – Showcase Cabot Circus, Bristol
July 2021
1 – Ritzy, London 1 – Phoenix, Exeter
A synopsis of the film reads: “Don’t Go Gentle captures the 10-year journey of IDLES’ struggle, grief and moving determination. Exploring their vulnerabilities through their experience, lyrics and sound, we learn the reasons why these five individuals have connected with legions of people across the world. We see just how that relationship unfolds in the most courageous and positive of human ways.
“In a time when the ground is shifting beneath our feet, where open communication and truthful reflection are more vital than ever, we journey with lead singer Joe Talbot and the band as they tear across stages, knocking down stereotypes, empowering fans to talk about mental health and the realities we may not feel comfortable to speak about.”
New Order and Pet Shop Boys have rescheduled their joint North American tour for the third time due to the coronavirus pandemic – this time with dates set for autumn 2022.
ORDER NOW: The July 2021 issue of Uncut
The revised tour dates now include guest DJ Paul Oakenfold and take in an add...
New Order and Pet Shop Boys have rescheduled their joint North American tour for the third time due to the coronavirus pandemic – this time with dates set for autumn 2022.
The revised tour dates now include guest DJ Paul Oakenfold and take in an additional date at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in New York. Head here for tickets.
New Order announced the change on Twitter: “Due to continuing uncertainty caused by the Covid pandemic, [Pet Shop Boys] and New Order unfortunately have to announce that their much-anticipated Unity Tour of North America will be moving to next year.”
See the rescheduled 2022 Unity Tour tour dates below:
September 2022
Saturday 17 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Monday 19 — Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
Wednesday 21 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday 23 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
Sunday 25 — Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at the Mann
Wednesday 28 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Friday 30 — Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
October 2022
Sunday 2 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
Friday 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Saturday 8 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Wednesday 12 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
Friday 14 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Sunday 16 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
London’s De Underground record store has received a blue heritage plaque for its contributions to several underground music scenes in the ’90s.
ORDER NOW: The July 2021 issue of Uncut
Owned by Mike De Underground, Cool Hand Flex, Uncle 22 and DJ Randall, the hugely influential store only...
London’s De Underground record store has received a blue heritage plaque for its contributions to several underground music scenes in the ’90s.
Owned by Mike De Underground, Cool Hand Flex, Uncle 22 and DJ Randall, the hugely influential store only ran for five years between 1991 and 1996, but has now been officially recognised by the London Borough of Newham Heritage Project as “instrumental in the development of UK hardcore, jungle and drum & bass music”.
As well as being a well-respected record store, De Underground also operated as a recording studio, responsible for a number of seminal releases including De Underground Crew’s “Melody Madness” and the heavily sampled “Six Million Ways To Die”.
Posting on Instagram alongside a picture of the plaque being presented, Rendezvous Records wrote: “Massive respect and thanks to all involved with De Underground, it’s been a privilege and delighted to see @newhamlondon and @newhamheritagemonth recognising your contribution to British culture, our lives are richer for it.”
Audio clips have also been installed around Sebert Road in London, playable via QR codes on placards attached to streetlights, with the intention of recognising and celebrating Black innovators in UK dance music history and culture.
A new hour-long podcast, titled Crate Digging: The Influence of De Underground Records, has also been produced by Rendezvous Records to celebrate Newham Heritage Month. The podcast features interviews with various key figures from the scene at the time – listen below.
Meanwhile, Record Store Day will have events taking place in both June and July in 2021.
It comes after the 2020 version of the annual celebration ended up being split across three events in August, September and October.
After announcing their initial date of June 12 for 2021’s RSD at the end of last year, an additional date of July 17 has since been added.
