Jonathan Bree has announced the release of their 5th studio album, “Pre-Code Hollywood”, out April 14th via Lil’ Chief Records.
TRACKLIST: 1. “City Baby” 2. “Pre-Code Hollywood” 3. “When We Met” 4. “Miss You” 5. “We’ll All Be Forgotten” 6. “Epicurean” 7. “Politics” 8. “You Are The Man” 9. “Destiny” 10. “Steel And Glass”
The first single off the album is the self titled track with a video directed by Jonathan Bree.
Via a press release this is how the album was described: “A dark disco album full of sad bangers. The album title refers to The Hays Code, a set of industry guidelines that massively restricted Hollywood between 1934 and 1968 and censored freedom of expression in cinema”.
Jonathan Bree and the Family will support the album with a European tour. No dates for the USofA have been announced yet.
The Yeahs Yeah Yeahs have shared a new single, “Blacktop”, off their most recent album “Cool It Down”.
The video for the song was directed by David Black.
Karen O had this to say about the song: “‘Blacktop’ stuck out to me early on, the demo was very stripped down instrumentally and emotionally. It was a step towards what radical closeness feels like after a long separation. Each record has one of these diamonds in the rough that just feels like flying to me. “It felt right to keep the video as stripped down and dare I say beautiful in its naïveté. David Black put us in front of his 70s analogue video camera with the intention to pull stills for band shots. He had me sing to ‘Blacktop’ before I had even memorized the lyrics, I thought I knew the song by heart but it felt like an introduction, like meeting it for the first time. It wasn’t intended to end up as a video and as a return to the earliest visuals from the record it completes a circle, we’re so happy we have it, a simple layered performance for a deceptively simple song. We hope you enjoy.”
They’ve also announced a string of US shows starting in May, with support from The Faint and Perfume Genius.
Depeche Mode have shared the first single, “Ghosts Again “, off their new album”Memento Mori” out March 17th.
TRACKLIST: 01 “My Cosmos Is Mine” 02 “Wagging Tongue” 03 “Ghosts Again” 04 “Don’t Say You Love Me” 05 “My Favourite Stranger” 06 “Soul With Me” 07 “Caroline’s Monkey” 08 “Before We Drown” 09 “People Are Good” 10 “Always You” 11 “Never Let Me Go” 12 “Speak To Me”
The video was directed by longtime collaborator, photographer, artwork and cover designer Anton Corbijn.
Dave Gahan shared this about the song: “To me, ‘Ghosts Again’ just captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy.”
Martin Gore added this: “It’s not often that we record a song that I just don’t get sick of listening to. I’m excited to be able to share it.”
Of course they, Martin and Dave, will go out and tour the shit out of this album. Some dates are already sold out. And more dates are to be announced soon.
Alva Noto has released an EP, “Subterraneans”, via Noton. It is a cover of the closing track on David Bowie’s album “Low” and it features Martin L. Gore on vocals and William Basinski on saxophone.
TRACKLIST:
A) Subterraneans B) Subterraneans (Instrumental)
Carsten Nicolai (ALVA NOTO) shared this about the song via a press release: “This song has a personal meaning to me. It was partly recorded in West Berlin at the Hansa Studio. According to Bowie, “Subterraneans” refers to the people who remained in East Berlin and loved in East Germany after the wall was built. In 1977 i was 12 years old and among the ‘subterraneans” the song evoke. It still resonates within me, 45 years after it’s original release”.
Negative Blast have shared a new single, “Egghead”, off their upcoming album “Echo Planet” out February 10th via Quiet Panic.
TRACKLIST: 1. Boy Blues 2. Trauma Bond 3. Carbon Copy 4. Bad Trip 5. Echo Planet 6. No Trust 7. The King in Vancouver 8. Egghead
The video for the album’s closer was directed by UK artist Displaced/Replaced.
Rainier Pesebre (vocalist) said this about the song: “Egghead is a grooving heavy hitter of a song that pays a nod to ’60s garage like the Kinks as well as ’70s punk staples, and a general ‘fuck off’ to the haters, the critics, and figures in life who seem to know us better than we know ourselves. I imagined I was a rat wearing a leather jacket wading through slummed out alleyways and sneering at grandmas while writing the lyrics to this one. When we get flak back from people we don’t want to hear it from, the walls go up and we just don’t give a fuck anymore. Sometimes the feeling of walking on an asshole’s head is much more satisfying than walking on eggshells around them all day.”
Pat Callaway (bassist) said this about it: “Everyone dies”.
📷: Becky DiGiglio
The band will have a show at the Casbah in San Diego, CA alongside Deaf Club and Unsane on February 9th, a day before their album is released.
FACS have announced the release of their new album, “Still Life In Decay”, out April 7th via Trouble In Mind Records.
TRACKLIST:
1. Constellation 2. When You Say 3. Slogan 4. Class Spectre 5. Still Life 6. New Flag
The first single off the album is “When You Say” and the video was directed by Joshua Ford.
Brian Case shared this about the album: “Still Life in Decay is about that kind of change, realizing that relationships exist in different ways for individuals in shared situations, and how you navigate that as a unit. We knew when we were making this record that Alianna was going to be stepping away from the band, which of course heavily informed the sessions. Filled with deep understanding and love, but still those insecurities and feelings of loss, or an end of something. Despite that, Still Life in Decay feels more like a beginning, it’s tense and vulnerable in a way we haven’t presented ourselves before. I’m so proud of what the three of us did with this album.”
The band will go on tour to support the album, however no west coast (nor Tijuana) dates have been announced yet.
Spotlights have announced the release of their 4th album, “Alchemy For The Dead”, out April 28th via Ipecac.
TRACKLIST:
1. Beyond The Broken Sky 2. The Alchemist 3. Sunset Burial 4. Algorithmic 5. False Gods 6. Repeat The Silence 7. Ballad In The Mirror 8. Crawling Toward The Light 9. Alchemy For The Dead
The first single off the album is for “Algorithmic”. The video was created by Oleg Rooz.
Mario Quintero said this: “For me, the song has a religious theme to it. It touches on the story of resurrection and afterlife in this one narrative, while wondering, does any of it really matter?”
The band will embark on a lengthy tour starting April 26th and it includes dates with Mr. Bungle and Melvins for the Ipecac Geek Show.
Petite Noir has shared a new single, “Blurry”, off his upcoming album “MotherFather” out April 14th via Roya Records and Warp.
TRACKLIST:
01. 777 02. Blurry (feat. Sampa The Great) 03. Numbers 04. Concrete Jungle 05. Skit 06. Finding Paradise 07. Simple Things (feat. Theo Croker) 08. Best One 09. Love Is War 10. Play
The video for “Blurry” was directed by Hector Aponysus.
Petite Noir shared this about the song: “‘Blurry’ is a song about growth in love. Being ready to take that next step whether it means being together or apart. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just move forward with your life solo. Choosing you above all.”
Sampa added this: “I felt so honored to be able to work with Petite Noir. I’ve looked up to him and his music for a while and I’m truly inspired by his courage in paving the way for alternative musicians in Africa who feel like they don’t fit into one genre or one style.”
A tour has been announced starting in April, but for right now it will only go thru UK and Europe. No dates for the USofA (nor Tijuana) have been announced yet.
The first single off the album is for the song “Near” featuring Bat For Lashes. Jimmy LaValle shared this about the song and collaboration with Natasha Banks: “We spent an afternoon in my studio while she sang a handful of ideas over the piece. I took those ideas and created something new inspired by her vocal. I really wanted to create something to support the dreamlike narrative she was painting. It was all very natural.”. Natasha Khan shared this about the collaboration: “We worked organically, I was building vocals over Jimmy’s music; playing with melodies and words… he then took it away and sculpted it into what became ‘Near.’ The imagery was of going deep into a dark forest with a small glimmer of safety, something precious and secret. Sort of an ambient fairytale. It was very spontaneous and fun to improvise.”
Jimmy LaValle shared this about the album: “During the pandemic, I created new music almost daily. I had amassed a daunting amount of new material that I felt connected with, that it almost acted more like a road block. I experimented with a lot of audio manipulating, learning new tricks and staying true to my love of analogue synthesizers. I finally settled on a collection of songs, and after second-guessing all of them, I reached out to multiple friends and collaborators to contribute. With those contributions, I was able to craft a record that represents both the time I spend alone discovering and creating while keeping the collaborative spirit that I have always been inspired by.
No tour dates have been announced yet for the USofA (nor Tijuana).
i think i better follow you around 