i think i better follow you around

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)

The C.I.A. have shared the first single, “Bubble”, off their upcoming album “Surgery Channel” out January 20th via In The Red.

TRACKLIST:

1 – Introduction
2 – Better
3 – Inhale Exhale
4 – Impersonator
5 – Surgery Channel Pt. I
6 – Surgery Channel Pt. II
7 – Bubble
8 – You Can Be Here
9 – The Wait
10 – Construct
11 – Under
12 – Over

The video for the song was directed by Joshua Erkman.

The C.I.A. is made up of Denée & Ty Segall and Emmett Kelly. They will be doing some spring dates in support of the album: Mar 23: Portland, OR – Star Theater
Mar 24: Seattle, WA – Barboza
Mar 26: Ridgewood, NY – TV Eye
Mar 28: Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle

Young Fathers have shared, “Rice”, off their upcoming album “Heavy Heavy” out February 3rd via Ninja Tune.

TRACKLIST:

01 Rice
02 I Saw
03 Drum
04 Tell Somebody
05 Geronimo
06 Shoot Me Down
07 Ululation
08 Sink or Swim
09 Holy Moly
10 Be Your Lady

The video visualizer was created by David Uzochukwu, “Rice” is the opening track for the album.

Young Fathers shared this about their upcoming album: “‘Heavy Heavy’ could be a mood, or it could describe the smoothed granite of bass that supports the sound…or it could be a nod to the natural progression of boys to grown men and the inevitable toll of living, a joyous burden, relationships, family, the natural momentum of a group that has been around long enough to witness massive changes.”

They will be touring in support of their new album, no dates have yet been announced for the USofA (nor Tijuana).

Automatic have share stage second single, “Turn Away”, off their most recent album “Excess” out now via Stones Throw.

TRACKLIST:
1. New Beginning
2. On the Edge
3. Skyscraper
4. Realms
5. Venus Hour
6. Automaton
7. Teen Beat
8. NRG
9. Lucy
10. Turn Away

The video for the album’s closer was directed by Amber Navarro. This is what the band shared about it: “We got to work together with Ambar Navarro, our friend and director of the first music video off our album Excess, ‘New Beginning’. We have a lot of fun on set with Ambar because she gets our sense of humor and she visually adds some lightness to the heavier themes of our album, like climate change and income inequality. We become the capitalist death cult in this satirical animation of what could happen if we as a society continue on this path of excess.”

Automatic describes their album like this: “That fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream, all for the sake of consumerism.”

Shana Cleveland (La Luz) has shared the first single, “Faces In The Firelight”, off her upcoming solo album Manzanita out March 10th via Hardly Art.

TRACKLIST:

1. A Ghost
2. Bloom
3. Faces in the Firelight
4. Mystic Mine
5. Light on the Water
6. Quick Winter Sun
7. Bonanza Freeze
8. Gold Tower
9. Babe
10. Ten Hour Drive Through West Coast Disaster
11. Evil Eye
12. Mayonnaise
13. Sheriff of the Salton Sea
14. Walking Through Morning Dew

The video for “Faces In The Firelight” was directed by Two Seraphim. Shana shared this about the video: “We created a fantasy realm in my backyard to visualise the sweet strangeness of the time and place when I wrote these songs: pregnant and often alone in the wilderness”.

Shana shared this about the song: “The song is about watching Will tend to a huge burn pile that was still going long after dark and realising that out there in the dark field he looked like the ultrasound image we had on our fridge. I was thinking that the greatest act of love might be to wait for someone. To say, ‘I’ll be here whenever you’re done, whenever you’re ready.’”

Yo La Tengo have shared the second single, “Aselestine”, off their upcoming album “This Stupid World” out February 10th via Matador Records.

The visualizer video for the song was done by Sabrina Nichols.

Yo Las Tengo will go on a USofA tour starting next month, with some of the shows already sold out.

shame have shared their new single, “Six Pack”, off their upcoming album “Food For Worms” out February 24th via Dead Oceans.

TRACKLIST:
1. Fingers Of Steel
2. Six-Pack
3. Yankees
4. Alibis
5. Adderall
6. Orchid
7. The Fall of Paul
8. Burning By Design
9. Different Person
10. All The People

The video for “Six Pack” was directed by Gilbert Bannerman and animated by Cyrus Hayley. Bannerman said this about the video: “The idea was to make a parody of a middle aged bloke thinking he’s a king for going to the gym once. I read a lot about Napoleon and thought it would be a laugh to make it about him. The style comes from trying to make my youth spent playing PS1 not entirely wasted.”

Charlie Steen said this about the song: “”Six-Pack” is essentially the opposite of a Room 101; instead it’s a room where all your wildest desires can come true and will be showered upon you. Be it commodities, self-obsession, foods and B-lister celebrities, it’ll all be there if you want it to. You’ve done time behind bars and now you’re making time in-front of them. It’s time to make up for anything you’ve lost or wasted, it’s time to get it all.”