Spoon shared their cover of David Bowie’s “I Can’t Give Everything Away”, from Bowie’s last album “Blackstar”, it is now available to stream anywhere, everywhere.
Britt Daniel shared this about the cover: “’I Can’t Give Everything Away’ is a tune Alex Fischel and I have been playing since we learned it for an acoustic and piano show in Mexico City in 2016. It’s just a fantastic song, and as the last song on Bowie’s final album it doesn’t disappoint. We recorded this version live in December 2021.”
Loraine James released her most recent album, “Building Something Beautiful For Me”, via Phantom Limb.
TRACKLIST: 1. Maybe If I (Stay On It) 2. The Perception Of Me (Crazy N*****) 3. Choose To Be Gay (Femenine) 4. Building Something Beautiful For Me 5. Enfield, Always 6. My Take 7. Black Excellence (Stay On It) 8. What Now (Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan D’Arc)
Through a press release Phantom Limb shared this: “We are long-term fans of both Eastman and Loraine James. Using their rare, fortuitous connection with Julius’ surviving brother Gerry, the label began this new project in summer 2021, hoping to continue the current tide of efforts to reinstate Eastman’s rightful place in 20th-century composition. Loraine was offered a zip drive of Eastman originals (courtesy of Gerry Eastman), Renee Levine-Packer & Mary Jane Leach’s illuminating biography Gay Guerilla (University of Rochester Press, 2015), and transcribed MIDI stems (courtesy of Phantom Limb A&R James Vella), and the resulting album Building Something Beautiful For Me carries the Eastman torch with finesse and sensitivity. Loraine employs samples, melodic motifs, themes and imagery, and inspiration from Eastman’s canon, slicing, editing, pulling apart and playing samples like instruments to craft a stunning album that venerates Eastman’s genius while adhering to her own. Speaking in similar tongues as young, gay, Black, independent creatives in a challenging environment, the two musicians are bound closely together, despite a six-year gap between their lives ever intersecting. James includes the original Eastman title in many of her tracks, appending the source material in parentheses to mark the lineage of the work – a clear, traceable thread from the heavenly to the sublime”.
“Building Something Beautiful For Me” is a tribute to Eastman, in the samples and the essence and the pride, but it also projects James identity within it.
Gruff Rhys has announced the release of the soundtrack to the film “The Almond & The Seahorse” out February 24th via Rough Trade, and with it the lead single, “Amen”.
TRACKLIST: 1. Skyward 2. The Brain and the Body 3. People Are Pissed 4. Layer Upon Layer 5. Gruff Rhys & Victor La Masne – Orea 6. Joe’s Theme 7. Sunshine and Laughter Ever After 8. Gruff Rhys & Osian Gwynedd – Variation with Strings 9. Amen (Album Version) 10. Low Cello 11. Liberate Me From The Love Song 12. Love Love Love 13. I Want My Old Life Back 14. Forest Waltz 15. Dance All Your Shadows to Death 16. Library to Kiss 17. Staccato with Cello 18. Small Talk 19. Toni’s Theme 20. Ffenestr 21. Penbedw 22. Arogldarth 23. Amen
The video for “Amen” was directed by Ryan Owen Eddleston.
Gruff Rhys shared this about the score / soundtrack: “The soundtrack for The Almond & the Seahorse was recorded largely in pandemic conditions, so it was a matter of recording in bursts of possible activity in various friends’ studios, homes and even scout halls as chance permitted. It’s a varied quilt work as a result. As sonic flagpoles I wanted to signify the film’s location in Liverpool and the Wirral by liberally, but hopefully not too obviously, using the Mellotron synthesizer (as famously used in ‘Strawberry Fields’ by the Beatles and therefore in my mind it represents that great city sonically) and the Cello as a nod to its use by Gwen’s character in the film. I was encouraged by Mike Jones the editor to take things to a more acoustic, emotional and ragged place. That, I hope, roughly explains the trajectory of the recording and how the varied music contained in this record came about. I hope you enjoy this colorful scrapbook of a soundtrack and get a chance to watch the film.”
The film stars Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg and is directed by Celyn Jones and Tom Stern. The synopsis of the film is this: “An archaeologist and an architect fight to re-imagine a future after a traumatic brain injury leaves them adrift from the people they love.” The trailer is below.
Kurt Uenela and Dave Gahan have released their EP, “Manuscript”, via hfn, with it they have shared “Cracks Are Showing”.
TRACKLIST: 1. Cracks Are Showing 2. Longing 3. Get Out 4. G.O.D. 5. I Think Not
The EP is a collaboration with Dave Gahan, and this is what Uenela shared about the EP: “I always wondered what he was writing in the notebook, but I never pried. During one of our check-ins I eventually asked what he was scribbling down when he was off in some corner, or standing on his own, next to a studio window.” Gahan shared this: “I’m not sure why, or when, exactly, I wrote these short pieces. I knew they were never to be songs. I do know that they were written when I was alone. Sometimes in a hotel room. Where? I can’t recall. Sometimes standing by the ocean, or walking the beach in winter. Sometimes on the empty streets of New York City, during the lockdown. Always whilst feeling the beauty, power, and loneliness of a world beyond me.”
The Lemon Twigs have shared a new single, “Corner Of My Eye”, available now via their new label Captured Tracks.
The video for the song was directed by Hilla Eden and Brian D’Addario.
Brian and Michael D’Addario (the Lemon Twigs) shared this about the song: “We recorded this track winter of 2021 in our old rehearsal studio in Midtown, NYC. Apart from the vibraphone, the instrumental track was recorded live with Andres Valbuena on drums and Daryl Johns on upright bass. We laid down the vocals late that night once the traffic outside had died down. We’ve had the song for a while now, so we’re excited to share it with fans who may have heard it live over the years!”
They will be on tour beginning March, no news yet on additional dates.
Algiers released a new single, “Irreversible Damage”, off their upcoming album “Shook” out February 24th via Matador.
1. Everybody Shatter (ft. Big Rube) 2. Irreversible Damage 3. 73% 4. Cleanse Your Guilt Here 5. As It Resounds (ft. Big Rube) 6. Bite Back (ft. billy woods & Backxwash) 7. Out of Style Tragedy (ft. Mark Cisneros) 8. Comment #2 9. A Good Man 10. I Can’t Stand It! (ft. Samuel T. Herring & Jae Matthews) 11. All You See Is 12. Green Iris 13. Born (ft. LaToya Kent) 14. Cold World (ft. Nadah El Shazly) 15. Something Wrong 16. An Echophonic Soul (ft. DeForrest Brown Jr. & Patrick Shiroishi) 17. Momentary (ft. Lee Bains III)
Franklin James Fisher said this of the song: “The end of that song is the sound of joy. That’s what hope sounds like in 2022 when everything’s falling apart.”
The band will embark on a USofA tour soon after the release of their album.
Greg Puciato announced the release of his live album, “11/11/22 Los Angeles”, which is out now via Bandcamp exclusively.
TRACKLIST:
1. No More Lives to Go 2. Deep Set 3. Lowered 4. Do You Need Me to Remind You? 5. Absence as a Presence 6. Never Wanted That 7. Down When I’m Not 8. All Waves to Nothing 9. A Pair of Questions 10. Evacuation 11. September City
A preview of the 11-song collection arrives today with the Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera directed video for “Deep Set (Live)”. Puciato shared this about the song: “’Deep Set’ feels good to lead with. One of my favorite memories of the tracking of Child Soldier: Creator of God were the vocals to this song…incidentally recorded at the same time of year as this show. The song was always meant to feel loose and live; the recorded vocal was a front-to-back one-take that we did in a shed in Nick Rowe’s (producer and live guitarist) backyard…so bringing it to life onstage with him, and Chris (Hornbrook) for the first time felt like a nice, symbolic full circle.”
Additionally Puciato shared this about the release: “You don’t get many first shows,” says Puciato of his Nov. 11 outing at Los Angeles’ Don Quixote. “Having the ability to properly document one and get high quality audio and video…I didn’t wanna regret not doing that. It’s gonna be killer to look back at this 100 or even five shows from now and see how much further along the live versions of these songs are. When I hear these recordings, I instantly feel transported to that room, that night, with my bandmates onstage and friends and everyone there in attendance. A lot of love and support and passion and hard work and talent in the room. I hope it does the same for you if you were there, and resonates as strongly for people who weren’t able to attend. I can’t wait to do more of this and see everyone again and more of you in other places down the line.”
Lechuza released their EP, “Demo”, via their Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST:
Claraguas
Gorrión
Luciérnaga
Liebre
The video for “Gorrión” which shows the ghost learning about the universe in the orchard and looking at the sky reflected by the pylon was played by Nacho Atienza. The video was shot by Ruda and Fantasmita.
Lechuza are from Madrid and they are Ruda and Fantasmita. They sing about ghosts and love and hexes and more. They’re the soundtrack for those souls that are perfectly at ease in limbo.
ADULT. & Planet B will release a 7″, “Glass In The Trash” b/w “Release Me”, on January 6th via Three One G.
TRACKLIST:
Glass In The Trash
Release Me
Adam Lee Miller (ADULT.) shared this about the collaboration: “Justin is an intense force… a vocal maniac. An all round sharp human. So when he turned up to a gig of ours with Plack Blague in San Diego (2018) it felt slightly intimidating. After the show, Justin approached us to see if we’d be interested to collaborate with his project Planet B. Throughout the years, various people have asked to collaborate, but the “ask” is generally for a vocal overlay, which to us isn’t terribly interesting. But this was unique, this was a back and forth of bits. Then more bits! Beats. Synths. Vocal snippets. Words on paper. To us, this is where the exciting stuff lives. Let’s get in there. Get inspired. Get frustrated. Work out how to make it work. It’s where the mutation occurs between all of our work and our individual persons. What we all represent and bring to the dialogue. From the tight beats and synths of Luke and the relentless/poetic vocals of Justin. Their combined DIY ethos and love of music! In our mind, this is the best way to connect, grow and communicate. It is through immersive collaboration, that we get to see the inner, vulnerable place where we all come from. Needless to say, it was an honor to create these two beautiful and wonderfully mangled pieces of music together and can only hope others will feel the energy we felt while making them!”
Luke Henshaw (Planet B) shared this: “ADULT. are so great at sculpting their craft, so I felt a bit intimidated working with them at first due to my sloppiness & unconventional ways. But they along with my band mates allowed me to stay sloppy and covered up every mistake I made, resulting in a filthy & beautiful sound”.
i think i better follow you around 