album news
See: Empath’s ‘Diamond Eyelids’ is a dose of squally, knockabout, lo-fi fun
FRESH from a whole buncha dates criss-crossing the States in the company of Modest Mouse, Philadelphia’s cutely noisy foursome Empath have got all the feels extended for a new album. That album is entitled simply Visitor, and will be out just short of Valentine’s day next year on Fat Possum. Need more precision with your …
See: Duquette Johnston flicks a dark period the Vs and forges forward with the six-string Southern indie-boogie of ‘Year To Run’
DUQUETTE JOHNSTON is a name that, if you’re a deep connoisseur of the US indie scene you’ll recall in association with one of those band whose star lit, arced, sputtered a little too soon, sadly; almost famous. Gah. That band was Verbena, who came, released three albums of grand, dirtily low-slung, well-honed indie-stoner rock. They …
See: Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – ‘Kidnapped By Neptune’ (feat. Hamerkop): a double album of collaborative covers follows from the pair
NONE gigs; none proper studio time; none nothing, except, perhaps, as Big Black once memorably put it, to “sit around home, stare at the walls / Stare at the walls and stare at each other.” It’s a tale we’ve heard oft told since the virus got tough, got going. What was a committed, lifer musician …
Album Review: Seven Days And Doesn’t Die – Seven Days And Doesn’t Die
When we reviewed their last single, we described Seven Days and Doesn’t Die as “snarling, sneering, punk-tinged rock n’ roll, with an aggression that many bands aspire to but so few pull off with such aplomb, yet filled with singalong, gang-vocal chorus and hooklines that sink their teeth in and refuse to let go”. Seven …
News: Spiritualized return with a new album and a tour for ’22; hear ‘Always Together With You’
ONE of the best bands you’ll ever commune with live should you get the chance, Spiritualized, are set to return in 2022 with a new album, Everything Was Beautiful, due for release in February on Bella Union. It’ll be their first in nearly four years (since 2018’s And Nothing Hurt). They’ve also dropped a first …
News: Mysterious Bristol breaks scientist Claude Cooper announces a full album for January and drops ‘Stan’s Plan’; it’s so deliciously dirty
IMAGINE for a second we’re sat in a great pub, in Bristol – say The Christmas Steps, maybe, or the Bag O’Nails – and let’s further push the fanciful that I’m Brad Pitt-as-Tyler Durden (yep, I wholly over-flatter myself here, but a scribe can dream); and I lean over, conspiratorially, to whisper to you. And …
News: Penelope Isles’ second glorious album for Bella Union arrives this week – there’s an extensive UK tour, too
PENELOPE ISLES, the gorgeous Brighton via Cornwall and Isle of Man combo led by brother and sister Jack and Lily Wolter, have some rather excellent news for lovers of bright, nuanced shoegazey guitar pop; their second album, Which Way To Happy is out digitally this Friday, November 5th, with CD and cassette formats also up …
See: Portland’s The Delines return with the sweet country-soul styles of ‘Little Earl’ from next spring’s album, announce European dates
PORTLAND’S The Delines, the combo based way up there in the north-east but who definitely have a little of the Memphis thing in their bloodstream, are all set to return with their third studio album in February next year. Today, with an easy, pretty fanfare, they’re pulling back the veil on what to expect with …
See: Gazelle Twin and NYX celebrate All Hallows’ Eve with a limited cassette, T-shirt and more; watch a new video for ‘Deep England’
GAZELLE TWIN and NYX, the artist and choir who have been working with a deep, dark vision of the country this year to fully deserved acclaim, awe, trepidation and immersion, are welcoming the coming of All Hallows’ Eve, the day the dead are remembered and, in folklore, the day when the veil between our world …
Track: John Thayer explores percussive ambience and field recordings on the beautiful ‘Kites’
NEW YORK percussionist, audio engineer and all-round musical polymath John Thayer, fresh from two collaborative, cassette-only albums last year – Untangling The Ghost, on which he sparred with reeds player Stank Zenkov, and Mountain Rumors, in tandem with Craig Schenker – is not about to depart this grinding year of our lord 2021 without dropping …