i think i better follow you around

El Ten Eleven, Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty, have shared a preview of their forthcoming album out March 4th via Joyful Noise Recordings, with the release of “New Year’s Eve” and “Metta Metta”.

TRACKLIST:
1. New Year’s Eve
2. Meta Metta
3. The Time Knife
4. Isn’t Everything Enough
5. Sixteen Circles
6. A Reflection Of A Reflection

Kristian Dunn shared that: “ ‘New Year’s Eve’ is a song about cautious optimism. It was written while the pandemic seemed to have a chance of ending and there was lots of political change in the air. But even the most well laid plans for New Year’s Eve celebrations often end up being disappointing, thus the metaphor.”

The second video they’ve shared is for the song “Metta Metta” which was filmed at The Cube in Los Angeles, CA.

The track arrives as the duo embark on their first U.S. tour since the Spring of 2019 and the release of their 2020 three-album opus Tautology I, II and III. With the launch of the tour, El Ten Eleven have also announced several additional weeks of 2022 touring, including April performances in the U.S. and multiple European outings. The full list of dates, which sees the pair on the road for the first three months of the New Year, are below. Supporting artists include Sego, Ohmme, Mylets, Cedric Noel, and A Beacon School. They will be playing the Casbah on Thursday January 13th, 2022.

The Smile have released their first (proper) single off what will be their debut album, which according to the band is already on the “track-listing stage with only 6227020800 possible song orders”, so that looks like it will be released much sooner rather than later.

The band has released a lyric video for the single. The album will be released via XL recordings.

For those that still don’t know who (or what) The Smile is/are, they are a 3 piece band (maybe 4 if you include the producer) which consists of drummer Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet) and he has assistance in guitar from Jonny Greenwood, who’s done some film scores for movies from Lynne Ramsay and Jane Campion and American auteur Paul Thomas Anderson), and help on vocals from Thom Yorke, who’s also done (a) film score for Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria).

In a release from Jonny he shared: “The Smile will play 3 different concerts in 15 hours, streamed live across 3 time zones from London, so people outside the UK can see us play at sensible times.

This means us playing at non-sensible times, which are, in Greenwich Mean Time:

Saturday January 29th at 8pm
Sunday January 30th at 1am
Sunday January 30th at 11am

Each show will be a little different – I mean, they’re bound to be – and we’re building a special venue inside another venue – at a place called Magazine in London.

This means that, as well as the livestream, there will also be a real concert in a real venue. Still, that explains the idea – 3 small shows, 3 time zones, and 3 very sleepy musicians (the songs will all be slower on Sunday morning). Paul Dugdale – who filmed our Glastonbury set – will be directing/looking for our good sides (none). Andi Watson has designed a stage for the shows.

We are very keen/scared/proud for you to hear these songs, and are currently practicing in a small room in Oxford, where work is more fun than fun, like the man said.”

Failure announced the arrival of their sixth album, Wild Type Droid (Failure Music), and have shared a second preview from the album, releasing “Submarines”.

Track List

1. Water With Hands
2. Headstand
3. A Lifetime of Joy
4. Submarines
5. Bring Back the Sound
6. Mercury Mouth
7. Undecided
8. Long Division
9. Bad Translation
10. Half Moon

Greg Edwards explains the genesis and meaning of the song: “The main riff appeared spontaneously during an endless jam, but ‘Submarines’ sounds like a song we’ve been waiting to write for years. These were the first lyrics written for the record, after the initial wave of Covid confusion and uncertainty. It’s a song about coming back to the surface, putting away your armor, ignoring willful idiocy, and getting back to life after a trauma. We’ve collectively lost our innocence with this plague and we need to fight the reflex to close-up and sink like a stone when risk and threat and fear seem to be everywhere.”

“You simply cannot recreate the musical moments that happen when three musicians are playing together and reacting to each other in real time,” Ken Andrews comments on the band’s approach to writing Wild Type Droid, which saw Failure move into a rehearsal space for a month, recording hours of improvs. “We’ve been together long enough to know that some of our best ideas come directly from these experimental sessions. For this album, we simply cultivated that methodology for a much longer time than we have in the past. It brought out the trio aspect of the band. There was a feeling we could really push the individual parts further away from each other and let the more interesting and challenging combinations take center stage.”

The Los Angeles-based band previously released the song “Headstand”.

Wild Type Droid was produced by Failure with Andrews mixing the 10-song collection. Beeple, the American visual artist, lends his “INNERSPACE” to the album cover.

No 2022 tour dates have been announced for the USofA nor Tijuana.

The National have released a new single titled “Somebody Desperate”. The song is part of the soundtrack for the movie “Cyrano”.

The movie “Cyrano” is an adaptation of the 2018 play by Erica Schmidt which in itself is based of “Cyrano de Bergerac” the 1897 novel by Edmond Rostand. The film is directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) and stars the always incredible Peter Dinklage (who is Erica Schmidt husband).

Below you can watch the lyric video for the ending credits song.

The score for the movie was done by Aaron and Bryce Dessner and the lyrics for the songs were penned by Carin Besser and Matt Berninger. Even though the National have not released an album since 2019 “I Am Easy to Find” they’ve kept busy either releasing solo albums, producing albums, releasing albums with other artists or doing film scores, they’ve continued to be almost more prolific now and it doesn’t look like they’ll stop anytime soon since the band is gearing to tour I’m 2022.

Escape-Ism have released the last rock n’ roll record ever in “Rated Z” via Radical Elite Records.

TRACKLIST.

• RATED Z
• (I Was Born With A) Woman’s Intuition
• Suffer No Fool
• Here Comes That Beat Again
• Teenage Surrealism Pt. I & II
• Whatever People Say That I Am (That’s What I’m Not)
• Rocker’s Delight
• I Ain’t Got No Hammer

The video for the first single, “RATED Z”, was directed by Jennifer Juniper Stratford.

Escape-Ism also released a video for the song “Whatever People Say That I Am (That’s What I’m Not)” which was also directed by Jennifer Juniper Stratford, which is an excerpt from “RATED Z” – the show no one is allowed to see.

The 30 minute short film known as RATED Z “the show no one is allowed to see” is 👇.

The new record by Escape-Ism is rock n’ roll, the ritual based subculture founded on subterranean-ism, elitism, reinvention of self, mysticism, political paradox, poetic obfuscation, and sin-sational spectacle has no place in the new digital world of corporate conformity & control. Therefore, this record — “RATED Z” BY ESCAPE-ISM — which features notes, tones, & sounds, that are no longer allowed will be the last rock n’ roll record, as per the new rating system (SEE BELOW). It’s the last gasp of poetic perversity. RATED Z — what no one is allowed to feel, hear, think, or see.

RATED G ….. GENERAL AUDIENCES

RATED PG ….PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED

RATED R …. RESTRICTED

RATED X …. ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY

RATED Z … NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO SEE

LISTEN IN

TO THE DIN

OF THE FORBIDDEN

THE SOUND OF SIN

SMELL TOUCH TASTE

THEY TRIED TO ERASE

OBSCURE & INFAMOUS

BENEATH CONTEMPT

ILLEGIBLE, UNINTELLIGABLE

AND INCONGRUOUS

DON’T LISTEN DON’T LOOK COVER YOUR EARS

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO HEAR OR SEE

RATED Z

No 2022 tour dates for the USofA or Tijuana have been announced yet.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have composed another score, this time for the film “La Panthére Des Neiges”. The album will be released via Invada Records (rest of the world) / Lakeshore Records (America).

Tracklist:
L’attaque de Loups
Les Cerfs
Antilope
La Bête
Les Yaks
Des Affûts Elliptiques
Les Nomades
La Grotte
Les Princes
La Neige Tombe
Les Ours
Un Être Vous Obsède
L’apparition: We Are Not Alone

Below is the promo video for the song “We Are Not Alone” which was the first offering they gave us.

And now they’ve shared “Les Cerfs”, which is just as haunting.

La Panthère Des Neiges is a film by Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier.
In the heart of the Tibetan highlands, photographer Vincent Munier brings writer Sylvain Tesson on his quest to find the snow leopard.
He introduces him to the subtle art of waiting from a blind spot, tracking animals and finding the patience to catch sight of the beasts.
Through their journey in the Tibetan peaks, inhabited by invisible presences, the two men engage in a conversation on our place among the living beings and celebrate the beauty of the world.

In the USofA it will be released under the title “The Velvet Queen” and it will be distributed by the boutique label Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Warren Ellis said in a statement: “There is something about the heart of this film that draws you in. I realized after a day, that I wanted to do whatever it took to compose an entire original score. The film deserved to have its own musical voice. I booked five days and asked Nick if he could come in for a day to write a theme song and play some piano. He saw the film and stayed for four days. In the end we made what I think is one of the most beautiful films we have ever worked on. One of my favorite experiences ever working on a project. The stars are the animals in all their wild glory, as we have never seen them before, and man in reverence and wonder.”

The artist is Touching and the song is “All I Need” off the album “littleworlds” which was released October 29th via Head in the Sand.

TRACKLIST
01 Still Slow
02 Tony Called The Muscle
03 The Same Way
04 Nothing Can Change Your Mind
05 All I Need
06 Spark
07 Diamond In The Light
08 Two Solitudes
09 Caught In The Middle
10 Unbelievable

The video for the single “All I Need” was directed by Michael Falk (Touching).

Hot on its heels comes littleworlds, a new album aiming to disinfect the darkness with sunlight. The sophomore release from Touching is built on feelings of hope, simple joys found amidst conflict, and the anticipation and fear of becoming a parent. Its 10songs were written during the same period as “Isolation Blues” (his debut album) as Falk stepped away from touring and various other collaborative projects.

At the heart of littleworlds is Falk’s rich baritone. His striking voice soars with the passion of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, coasts with the coolness of Marker Starling’s Chris A. Cummings, and plumbs the emotional depths of Richard Dawson. Musically, the album injects the downtempo electronic ambience of Massive Attack (“I’m inspired by their late career stuff that no one thinks about,” laughs Falk).

Sometimes listening to the radio does bring in pleasant surprises that make you do a double take to the radio station just to make sure you are listening to something good and that you like that you haven’t heard before (or don’t remember hearing before). This is how we discovered Touching and it was with this song and all it took was one listen for it to grab us. There are no tour dates scheduled yet for the West Coast nor Tijuana.

The Neverly Boys, the Los Angeles-based duo of TV on The Radio’s David Sitek and acclaimed songwriter/producer Daniel Ledinsky (Carly Rae Jepsen, CeeLo Green, Pussy Riot), have released an enhanced version of their debut album, making Dark Side of Everything Deluxe available today via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.

Dark Side of Everything Deluxe track list:

1. Burn Hollywood
2. Never Come Down
3. Red Flag
4. Without You
5. Let Love In
6. Misery
7. Mighty Pine
8. Wheel of Fortune
9. Mushroom Cloud
10. Director’s Cut
11. Your Life is Blooming
12. 9 to 5

The newly expanded release includes a cover of the Dolly Parton classic “9 to 5,” with a video directed by Mason Poole.

A brief note from the Neverly Boys reads: “The Neverly Boys know you are many things. You are a pilot, flying on a giant rock through space. You are an explorer, navigating the depths of modern living. You are an animal seeking shelter from the blue flickering light of modern living. If you can manage to cultivate stillness in the midst of the hustle The Neverly Boys would like to present to you a human story. An honest story about finding your place in the world. With all of its glory and all of its drama, they seek to give a voice to the unknown, the magic, the heartbreak and the aspirations. They hope you find comfort in their songs.”

Please listen to the album. It’s important. Now, more than ever.

Author & Punisher returns with a new album, Krüller, out February 11th, via Relapse Records.

Krüller tracklist:

1. Drone Carrying Dread
2. Incinerator
3. Centurion
4. Maiden Star
5. Misery
6. Glorybox (Portishead cover)
7. Blacksmith
8. Krüller

News of the new album come with the release of the first single for the opening track “Drone Carrying Dread”. The video was directed by Monte Legaspi and features illustrations from album cover artist Zlatko Mitev.

“’Drone Carrying Dread’ was the first song I wrote on Krüller,” explains Tristan Shone of the album that thematically was inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable series. “I had just gotten home from the final tour of the Beastland album cycle and I spent a couple weeks updating my overall tones with a nice balance of sub, saw/synth and tube amp. This track was basically the one where it all clicked and I had these chords that resonated just right, shaking the entire warehouse. It’s a simple but raw progression that was ripe for the addition of melodic guitars, as well as synthesizer programming from myself and co-producer Jason Begin (Vytear). Lyrically, it’s about escape and survival, as the events that were unfolding in 2020 were prophesied by the books I was reading throughout the year.”

Shone began work on Krüller after returning from his opening slot with Tool across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, before being cut short due to the March 2020 lockdowns. “Melody has been and is still a part of my sound,” says Shone. “I’ve always bathed them in a lot of reverb, delay, and distortion, though. This time around, I was bothered by the wall of distortion I had created. I wanted a little more clarity. I wanted to refine the sound. I wanted to step back from my own show and analyze it a bit. I had all these competing distortions that I wanted to streamline. I like contrast and wanted the vocals to be immediately noticeable. There’s something about mixing punishing drones and rumble with a mellow thing on top that I really like on Krüller.” Shone’s digitized snarls rightfully had their place on earlier tracks like “Doppler,” “Terrorbird,” and “Nihil Strength,” but contrasting mellow vocals atop Author & Punisher’s unparalleled heft made dynamic sense. Indeed, with Shone’s singing on songs like “Drone Carrying Dread,” “Maiden Star,” and the exceptional translation of Portishead hit “Glory Box,” Author & Punisher have projected an air of uncertainty around the steely, often slow-motion grind. On this album he was joined by handful of guest players including Tool’s Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor.

Author & Punisher has announced two rounds of 2022 European tour dates with North American performances to be announced soon and hopefully a Tijuana date as well.