i think i better follow you around

Izzy and The Black Trees released their album “Revolution Comes In Waves” back in October via Antena Krzyku.

TRACKLISTING:

1. I Can’t Breathe
2. Liberate
3. Devil on the Run
4. National Tragedy
5. Break Into My Body
6. Petty Crimes
7. Visions
8. Kick Out the Damned
9. Love’s in Crisis
10. Candy

From the album they released a handful of singles. The first they shared was for the song “Liberate”. The video for it was directed by Sebastian Juszczyk.

A few weeks later this was followed by “Petty Crimes”. This video was handled by Mariusz Dojs. Izabela “Izzy” Rekowska said this about the meaning behind the song: “While writing the song I was thinking about the political situation in Poland where so-called “petty crimes” are a common way to deceive people, making them think that they have a choice while in reality they don’t. The current state of democracy in our home country is perceived as flawed; not only by other countries, but also by many young people who do not support the ruling party, or the ways that they treat LGBT+ communities and cut down on abortion rights. It is not right. It is not how a modern society should look like. There is a need for a change, and it has to come soon, otherwise we will be a mere bird on a wire”.

The third single selected off the album was “Kick Out The Damned”, and this was done with a stop motion video by Mariusz Dojs. Izabela “Izzy” Rekowska shared this about the song: “Kick Out the Damned is a simple message for those who long overstayed their unwanted welcome, for those who unrightfully claim what’s theirs, particularly authoritarian leaders whose golden statues will tumble and fall eventually”.

The last, and most recent, video single shares by the band was for “Love’s In Crisis”, and the video was directed by Nicolas Imbert.

The band has shared that they plan on touring more this 2023. How far across and wide has yet to be determined, but we’re hoping the current state will allow them to come and play the USofA (maybe Tijuana too).

Frankie Rose has announced the release of her new album, “Love As Projection”, out March 10th via Slumberland. With it comes the release of the first single “Anything “.

TRACKLIST:

01 Sixteen Ways
02 Anything
03 Had It Wrong
04 Saltwater Girl
05 Feel Light
06 DOA
07 Sleeping Night and Day
08 Molotov in Stereo
09 Come Back
10 Song for a Horse

Via a press release from the label they shared this: “Painstakingly written, recorded, and engineered through some of the most tumultuous times in history, this new collection of songs harnesses the power and propulsion of Frankie’s early DIY-centric punk days without losing sight of the immersive, dreamlike world-building she’s been known for in recent years. Her love of new wave hooks and post-punk drive remain omnipresent, elevated by her utilization of modern production and an improved, polished palate of state-of-the-art instrumentation. It’s more than a rebirth, a refinement, a resurgence – it’s a culmination of influence, a newly-defined scope using the tools at her disposal, a long-form project that was heavily considered for half of a decade – resulting in the most personal and accessible collection of art-pop that Frankie has delivered yet, propelling her signature melodies and dense, ethereal harmonies into the future”.

Phillip Selway has shared a new single, “Picking Up Pieces”, off his upcoming album “Strange Dance” out February 24th via Bella Union.

TRACKLIST:

1. Little Things
2. What Keeps You Awake At Night
3. Check For Signs Of Life
4. Picking Up Pieces
5. The Other Side
6. Strange Dance
7. Make It Go Away
8. The Heart Of It All
9. Salt Air
10. There’ll Be Better Days

The video for “Picking Up Pieces” was directed by William Williamson. The song also features the guitar playing of Adrian Utley.

Selway shared this about the song: “Picking Up Pieces is a song about the masking that we do when we’re young adults. It’s a time of life when your sense of identity can feel shaky, you can feel anxious about making the grade, and life can feel that it’s spinning out of control, but you try to hide this from everyone.” Williamson shared this: “We all viewed this film as a continuation of the last, with the choreography having echoes of our characters worlds whilst simultaneously unfolding new elements and emotions.”

Lonnie Holley has shared the first single, “Oh Me, Oh My” featuring Michael Stipe, off his upcoming album “Oh Me Oh My” out March 10th via Jagjaguwar.

TRACKLIST:
1. Testing
2. I Am A Part Of The Wonder
3. Oh Me Oh My
4. Earth Will Be There
5. Mount Meigs
6. Better Get That Crop In Soon
7. Kindness Will Follow Your Tears
8. None Of Us Have But A Little While
9. If We Get Lost They Will Find Us
10. I Can’t Hush
11. Future Children

Lonnie Holley shared this in a press release about the album: “My art and my music are always closely tied to what is happening around me, and the last few years have given me a lot to thoughtsmith about. When I listen back to these songs I can feel the times we were living through. I’m deeply appreciative of the collaborators, especially Jacknife, who helped the songs take shape and really inspired me to dig deeper within myself.”

Algiers have shared the third single, “I Can’t Stand It”, off their upcoming album “Shook” out February 24th via Matador.

The single features Samuel T Herring from Future Islands and Jar Matthews from Boy Harsher.

Franklin James Fisher shared this in a press release: “It’s a very personal song about a devastating loss of someone I believed to be the love of my life which nearly ended in my suicide. I think the song’s narrative arc reflects the sense of dread and the path that led me to that moment. She put on ‘What You Don’t Want Me to Be’ the first time I heard it and I knew immediately that I was going to sample it—I just couldn’t have known the result would be a song about our own end. But every time I sing that song now it feels like I heal a little bit more.”

Jae Matthews had this to share: “I wanted to give Algiers not so much a narrative, but a recollection of a feeling. That abstract evocation that comes when you think about someone who broke yr heart and how that pain still tethers you.”

Algiers will be touring in support of the album starting March with SXSW, so go and do yourself a favor and catch them live, you will not be disappointed.

Murray A. Lightburn has shared the first single, “Dumpster Gold”, off his upcoming solo album “Once Upon A Time In Montreal” out March 31st via Dangerbird.

TRACKLIST:

01. Dumpster Gold
02. No New Deaths Today
03. In The Kingdom Of Heaven
04. The Only One I Want To Hear
05. Oh But My Heart Has Never Been Dark
06. Reaching Out For Love
07. Once Upon A Time In Montreal
08. Girl You’ve Got To Let Me Go

The video/short film for the song was directed by Jean-Marc Abela.

Murray shared this about the song: “About a year or so after my old man passed, my mom called and said, ‘Murray, I’ve made a big decision: I’m selling the house.’ She’d been there for 50 years. We were the only family that ever lived in it, one of many identical houses in a section of Brossard, Quebec. On our way out, we sifted through everything; most of it was going to the dump. There were many worthless treasures that were meaningful only to us. A couple of things now sit around my house. My father wasn’t an expressive man to me. I am left with these fragments to piece together a connection to him.”

About the album itself he shared this: “After listening to Frank Lozano’s sac solo on the title track I knew it was a 400-foot home run. I knew it was something that would hold. I knew also at that moment how much my dad would love this record. Even if he never told me, I know that it would be on repeat in his car if he was still with us and driving around. That was my motivation, to make something I know he would love. It’s not indie rock, you know?”

He will be touring in support of the album. He has some UK/Europe dates lined up opening up for fellow Canadian band Stars. No USofA (nor Tijuana) dates have been announced yet.

John Cale has shared the third single, “Noise Of You”, off his upcoming album “MERCY” out January 20th via Double Six/Domino.

Tracklist:
1. MERCY (feat. Laurel Halo)
2. MARILYN MONROE’S LEGS (beauty elsewhere) [feat. Actress]
3. NOISE OF YOU
4. STORY OF BLOOD (feat. Weyes Blood)
5. TIME STANDS STILL (feat. Sylvan Esso)
6. MOONSTRUCK (Nico’s Song)
7. EVERLASTING DAYS (feat. Animal Collective)
8. NIGHT CRAWLING
9. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
10. THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. Fat White Family)
11. I KNOW YOU’RE HAPPY (feat. Tei Shi)
12. OUT YOUR WINDOW.

The video was directed by Pepi Ginsberg. This is Ginsberg shared about the video: “I was so inspired by John’s relationship to process and collaboration and wanted to mirror his approach to art in this video for ‘NOISE OF YOU,’ which John describes as a love song. Setting out to make a ‘moving’ portrait of John, we have mapped images and video of John’s life over his former home of New York City, creating a conversation between past and present, reflecting the way that distant, and sometimes dissonant, voices can reach across divides of space and time to speak their own language of love”.

John Cale shared this via his press release: “I don’t tend to romanticize the idea of love. It represents ‘need’ and that’s not something I’m particularly comfortable with. When it gets ahold of you though – don’t let go – no matter how many times you mess it up!”

The National have announced the release of their new album, “First Two Pages Of Frankenstein”, out April 28th via 4AD.

TRACKLIST:

1. Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
2. Eucalyptus
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
5. Tropic Morning News
6. Alien
7. The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
8. Grease in Your Hair
9. Ice Machines
10. Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
11. Send for Me

The first single off the album is “Tropic Morning News”. Matt Berninger shared this about the song co-written with Cari Besser (Matt’s wife): “The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me. It became a song about having a hard time expressing yourself, and trying to connect with someone when the noise of the world is drowning out any potential for conversation”. Aaron Dessner shared this about it: “When Matt came in with that song in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us. It’s almost Dylanesque in its lyrics and it’s so much fun to play; everything suddenly felt like it was coming alive again.”

Bryce Dessner shared this about the album: “‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’ was initially stalled while lead singer Matt Berninger navigated, “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all. Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.” Instead, The National “managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band”.

Sleaford Mods have announced the release of their new album, “UK GRIM”, out March 10th via Rough Trade. With it they’ve shared the title track as their 1st single.

TRACKLIST:
01 “UK Grim”
02 “DI.Why”
03 “Force 10 From Navarone”
04 “Tilldipper”
05 “On The Ground”
06 “Right Wing Beast”
07 “Smash Each Other Up”
08 “Don”
09 “So Trendy”
10 “I Claudius”
11 “Pit 2 Pit”
12 “Apart From You”
13 “Tory Kong”
14 “Rhythms Of Class”

The video was created by Cold War Steve. This is what Jason Williamson shared about the video: “We just thought, ‘What about Cold War Steve?’ I got in touch with him because I know him a little bit. We did a thing a few years ago with a mini exhibition of my words written on cardboard boxes, ripped up and then put underneath some of his work. We asked him to do the video and he was over the moon, we couldn’t believe it.”

Jason Williamson shared this about the album: “Maybe we are proud of the country. Maybe we are proud to be English. Maybe I’m proud of the horrible grey streets and the shit weather and the stupid fashions I find myself investing in. It’s just that the English we’re proud of being is absolutely nothing like the English the authorities want to try and promote.”

They’ve announced some shows in support of the album, and some of those dates will be around their Coachella performance.

IN ENGLAND NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM. – UK GRIM – (maybe that should be in a t-shirt)