Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 1175
July 3, 2020
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS CREATES NEW SONG “EYES OF A CHILD” FOR TV SERIES HANNA
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS CREATES NEW SONG
“EYES OF A CHILD” FOR TV SERIES HANNA HERE
“LA VITA NUOVA” (GLOBAL CITIZEN) HERE
“I DISAPPEAR IN YOUR ARMS” (TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON) HERE
“PEOPLE, I’VE BEEN SAD” (LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT) HERE
LA VITA NUOVA EP AND SHORT FILM OUT NOW HERE
Photo credit: Camille Vivier, hi-res photos, La vita nuova EP art, lyrics HERE
Today, the French artist Christine and the Queens shares a brand new song “Eyes of a child” HERE, penned for HANNA’s 2nd season of the Amazon original TV series and is available on all digital platforms.
This comes after her La vita nuova EP and short film release in February, which drew strength from extreme vulnerability and features “People, I’ve been sad”, which has since been featured as one of the year’s (so far) best songs by Time Magazine, NPR, Billboard (+ video of the year), Consequence of Sound, The Ringer and i-D for instance. Chris’ continuously increasing visibility comes in the form of PAPER magazine’s cover story “Christine and the Queens was born to rule” and the fascinating read of Chris’ Interview Magazine feature with Troye Sivan.
Christine took over Le Grand Palais, another Parisian landmark, performing "La vita nuova” for Global Citizen’s "Global Goal: Unite for Our Future" last week HERE. In April she was invited to Global Citizen’s “One World: Together at Home” where she performed “People, I’ve been sad” from her bedroom HERE to celebrate and support healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other unique performances of her EP’s tracks are “I disappear in your arms” for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon HERE, directed by her frequent collaborator Colin Solal Cardo at Paris’ La Cigale. Earlier, she performed “People, I’ve been sad” live from her window in Paris for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert HERE and her uniquely self-produced cover versions of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” HERE, Travis Scott’s “Highest In The Room” HERE and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” HERE.
La vita nuova arrived with an accompanying short film of the same name, imagined by Christine and featuring the EP’s five new songs in as many sequences. The 14 minute film is an inward journey that sees the artist invest Opéra Garnier, the world famous Paris opera house, filling it with stories of ghosts and mythical creatures. Through the lens of long-time collaborator Colin Solal Cardo (Robyn, Charli XCX) and with choreography by Ryan Heffington (Sia “Chandelier” VMA Award 2014, Grammy nominated), Christine and her dancers appear in succession on the Opéra rooftop, its grand stage and most secret recesses, culminating into a feverish moment with Caroline Polachek, a collaborator on the EP’s title track.
La vita nuova follows 18 months of live shows, collaborations and international distinctions, around the release of Christine and the Queens’ breathtaking second album Chris. Most recently, Christine and the Queens collaborated with Charli XCX on the acclaimed single “Gone,” released last autumn and a mainstay of 2019’s end of year lists.
Chris was written, arranged, produced and performed by Christine and the Queens, and charted at #3 in the official UK album chart; it has been certified silver in the UK. Chris is the follow up to her already-iconic debut record Chaleur Humaine, released to near-universal acclaim in France in 2014, the USA as self-titled Christine and the Queens, selling more than 1.4 million copies worldwide to date.
Christine and the Queens received a GLAAD Media Awards nomination, her second nomination for International Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards 2019, was named Q Icon at the Q Awards 2019 and won the Artist Award at the Attitude Awards 2019. She starred in numerous artist, album and song of the decade lists.
Listen / buy La vita nuova
Watch La vita nuova
http://christineandthequeens.com
http://www.instagram.com/christineandthequeens
http://www.twitter.com/queenschristine
http://www.because.tv
Heartless Bastards share new single "Revolution" out now on Bandcamp; first release in 5 years
HEARTLESS BASTARDSSHARE NEW SINGLE"REVOLUTION"OUT NOWVIA BANDCAMP
BUY/STREAM HERE | WATCH VIDEO HERE
FIRST NEW MUSIC RELEASE IN FIVE YEARS
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE ACLU
Austin, Texas-based Heartless Bastards have teamed up with Spaceflight Records to release a digital single, “Revolution,” with a portion of proceeds from all downloads to be donated to the ACLU in support of civil rights. The song will be available July 3 for download via Bandcamp, the site is once again waiving fees to support artists during the Coronavirus pandemic. The track will be available at digital retailers everywhere at a later date. Lead vocalist, Erika Wennerstrom, explains the new single and says:
“Revolution is about self love. I think if people loved themselves more there wouldn’t be racism, bigotry, and classism. Some people are so worried that there is not enough pie to go around, and that lifting up others limits their own opportunity. There is mass misinformation and manipulation to peddle this narrative. Money, materialism, privileged access to better education are things people constantly measure themselves with. The need to feel better than someone in order to feel good about oneself is an age old insecurity. I think there’s fear there too. So many struggle to get ahead because they’re afraid of getting left behind. The planet really can’t sustain everyone having more. Everything is made to fall apart like cars, and $1100 cell phones. I think humanity needs to learn how to have less, and not play into the commercialism that constantly sends the message we lack things that we don’t really need.
Revolution is a mantra, and reminder to myself to avoid playing the game as much as I can. I don’t need this, and I don’t need that. I don’t need to compare myself to others.This marathon everybody is running is exhausting. There is so much true suffering in this world with a lack of food, shelter, and basic running water, and if you suffer depression and anxiety remind yourself of that, and try to possibly be of service to someone in need, and not even necessarily with writing a check, but with even something as simple as kind energy, and compassion. True connection. The more man attempts to look at the world from another man's perspective it becomes apparent how connected we all really are. Dave Chapelle said at a show years ago “Poverty is a state of mind.” That really stuck with me. I was in the Amazon several years ago, and it struck me how little people had materially, and children were running around and they all seemed so happy. Aside from the basic necessities of sustaining our lives I think giving and receiving love is really what we need the most. All the rest is just a bunch of noise."
Taking the name "Heartless Bastards" from an incorrect answer on a multiple-choice trivia game (the question: what is the name of Tom Petty's backing band), Wennerstrom founded the band in 2003 in Cincinnati. It started as a recording project and evolved into a live band with a revolving cast of musicians, and they began playing regularly throughout the Midwest. When Patrick Carney of the Black Keys saw the band, he liked what he heard and passed along a copy of their demo to his label at the time, Fat Possum Records. Heartless Bastards signed with Fat Possum, releasing their first 3 albums, Stairs and Elevators (2005), All this Time (2006), and The Mountain (2009).
In 2007 Wennerstrom relocated to Austin, TX, and recorded The Mountain. A new touring lineup formed including David Colvin on drums and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, bringing the project in full circle as both Colvin and Ebaugh had played on the original Heartless Bastards demos 6 years earlier. Mark Nathan joined on guitar in 2009, and the band became a 4-piece. They signed to Partisan records and released 2 critically acclaimed records, Arrow (2012) and Restless Ones (2015).
After more than a decade fronting the band, Wennerstrom released the album Sweet Unknown under her own given name in 2018. “It was a deeply personal album and it just felt fitting to use my name. It kind of forced me to allow myself to be a little more exposed, and stand on my own two feet. I feel like I’ve grown so much creatively and personally through this process.”
Now some good news for fans of Heartless Bastards — which has released five critically- acclaimed albums since their 2003 inception, appeared on many late night television shows, and has drawn praise from Rolling Stone, Time, New York Times — in early 2020, Wennerstrom returned to the studio with producer Kevin Ratterman (Strand of Oaks, Jim James, White Reaper), and a new album is in the works.
Fans can also rest assured that what they’ve grown to love about Heartless Bastards is still front-and-center. Wennerstrom's trademark vocals that NPR so aptly calls “warm yet gritty, throaty yet sweet, gigantic, yet intimate” are that… times 10. And the bluesy, rock vibes that Relix describes as “smoky, late night [rock] that exists somewhere between Royal Trux and the Rolling Stones” has only gotten smokier and bluesier.
Photo credit: Charlie Pearce
For more information on Heartless Bastards, visit:Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp
Alexandra Savior shares acoustic version of hit single "But You" + music video | LP 'The Archer' is out now via 30th Century Records
ALEXANDRA SAVIORSHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEOFOR ACOUSTIC VERSION OF"BUT YOU"FROM NEW ALBUMTHE ARCHER
WATCH VIDEO HERE
BUY/STREAM ON BANDCAMP(Proceeds will be donated to The Loveland Fountain)
& ANNOUNCES NEW EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
"Savior has really hit the mark with The Archer."
"Alexandra Savior has a penchant for clever wordplay and a voice that can hypnotize, terrorize, or both in four measures or less."
"Her ability to create something evocative, sedating and sultry, all at the same time is uncanny”
"It’s a sound that should catch on in a hurry with fans of Lana Del Rey, Dead Man’s Bones, Zella Day and similar artists with a retro flair.”
Photo credit: Laura-Lynn PetrickLISTEN & SHARE: Alexandra Savior – The Archer
WATCH, LISTEN & SHARE: Alexandra Savior – "Howl"
WATCH, LISTEN & SHARE: Alexandra Savior – "The Archer"
WATCH, LISTEN & SHARE: Alexandra Savior – "Saving Grace"
WATCH, LISTEN & SHARE: Alexandra Savior – "Crying All The Time"
The world is not quite the same as it was when Alexandra Savior released her sophomore album, The Archer, on January 10, via Danger Mouse's 30th Century Records. When her European tour was postponed for a year, "Portland's mystery girl (VICE)" immediately responded by selling her one-of-a-kind artwork for charity as an initial response to the pandemic. Today, as a further response, she shares her acoustic cover of "But You," along with a video. Proceeds will go to The Loveland Foundation. On choosing this particular foundation Savior says, " they help young women of color retrieve free therapy and mental health Counseling. It’s incredibly powerful and necessary work that they do and I’m honored to be able to support in some small way" The album version of “But You” currently has more than 877K streams on Spotify alone, it’s one of Alexandra Savior’s most popular songs. For this acoustic version, she reworked the song on guitar with Mel Guerison, who is the violinist and producer. The result is this sparse, disconsolate sounding rendition. She made the accompanying video for this version using Super8 footage of her grandfather’s family from the 60s – befitting the eerie poignance of the song.Billboard, who exclusively premiered her album, The Archer, says she is "more empowered and focused than she was before," and also that "she acknowledges there's an intentional #MeToo aspect to many of the new songs... Savior also struggled through an abusive personal relationship that she says many of The Archer's songs are about."
In her own words, Savior explains, saying:
"I think I went through a period of time where I was very innocent and I was being taken advantage of by a lot of manipulative forces in my life... I was very young and naive when I first left home and came into the music industry. I think I was prey for a lot of those sort of characters to come in and control what I was doing. I never felt I was being seen for who I was; I was being seen for what they could push me into and what was most sellable.
It was only when I was rejected by those forces when I began to have a voice... I wrote from a place of being rejected and confused, insecure and angry and depressed. But I was writing about me, and I think creatively there was a weight lifted off of me and I feel like so much has opened up to me. I think I have a lot less anxiety in general now."
The Archer, which was produced by Sam Cohen, often known as a fan of collaboration, most recently teaming up with Kevin Morby for his Oh My God album. On working with Savior, Cohen says, "It’s really a joy to work with someone who’s got such a strong sense of melody and also such a strong sense of what she wants stylistically.”
Ladygunn says, "Savior has a unique voice that veers away from the cookie cutter pop that is dominating the mainstream right now." The new album showcases that standout vocality Savior is now known for, and also weaves a bittersweet story together with clever wordplay and broodingly beautiful layers of melody.
Savior's debut record, Belladonna of Sadness, was written in collaboration with Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and NME says, "Savior continues to build on that bold arrival and is becoming a star in her own right." Her new album shows that not only does her voice stand alone, but that her musicality stands alone, too.
Savior recently announced her new 2020 European tour dates, which will bring her mesmerizing live show to Germany, Holland, Ireland, UK, Belgium, France, Turkey and Spain. Fans can hear the "striking and smoky vocals [that] belong solely to Savior (NME)" and these new picturesque melodies live. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, head to Alexandra Savior's website: alexandrasavior.com.
ALEXANDRA SAVIOR'S 2021 EUROPEAN TOUR DATESMay 20 - Berlin, Germany - Privatclub May 21 - Cologne, Germany - Artheater May 22 - Amsterdam, Holland - Melkweg OZ May 24 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans May 25 - Glasgow, UK - St. Lukes May 27 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall June 1 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique Rotonde June 2 - Paris, France- Petite Bain June 6 - Istanbul, Turkey - Zorlu Performing Arts Center June 9 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick June 10 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Nau
Photo credit: Laura-Lynn Petrick
CHRISTINA PERRI RELEASES “jar of hearts (10th anniversary acoustic)”
STREAM/DOWNLOAD HERE
Elektra recording artist Christina Perri has today released “jar of hearts (10th anniversary acoustic).” The special re-imagining of her 2010 breakout hit single is available at all DSPs and streaming services now.
On June 30, 2010, the original “Jar of Hearts” was featured in a choreographed dance routine on the popular, national television show “So You Think You Can Dance.” At the time, Perri was still a struggling, unsigned musician working as a waitress in Hollywood at the time, but, after that night, her life would be forever be changed. Within weeks, she had signed a major record label deal and officially re-released “Jar of Hearts,” which is now RIAA certified 5x-Platinum with more than 720 million streams globally, and kicked off a career highlighted by multi-platinum success, countless television appearances, and sold out shows around the world. To celebrate, Perri posted a companion visual for “jar of hearts (10th anniversary acoustic)” this past Tuesday, ten years to the day when it all started for her. Watch HERE.
Perri shared this note with her fans: “happy 10 year anniversary to my baby jar of hearts!!! what a wild ride it has been. in honor of this special day, here is an acoustic version of the song that i recorded at home. i'm so grateful for all the love and support i have received from day one ! most special thanks to my team of fairy godmothers on this fateful day: keltie knight, stacey tookey, tom gates, ryan chisholm, philly brenthall, steven schillaci, jordan davidoff, kathryn mccormick, and billy bell. without all of you i wouldn't be here. i was catapulted into the stars on that day and i have never come down since! thank you for this life! i wonder what the next decade will bring
Ben Kweller observes our country's divide with new song, “American Cigarettes”
LISTEN TO "AMERICAN CIGARETTES"With turmoil all around and COVID-19 on the rise again, beloved songsmith, Ben Kweller, sticks his guitar neck out to comment on a growing divide he sees in the US. “American Cigarettes” is a metaphoric tale of one person yearning to keep an old love alive while the other is ready to walk out the door.
“It doesn’t take long,” Kweller says, “Flipping through the TV or social media, to realize that this is us right now as a country - we’ve been brought to our knees by a dual pandemic. Innocent people are dying each day from a micro bug called COVID and being brutalized by a macro bug called RACISM. With so much at stake, how can it be that we seem to have zero things in common? Instead of focusing on solutions that heal, we shout at each other and claim bad faith. How do we survive when two of our country’s most basic promises - safety and equality - have become politicized into us versus them?”
Kweller sees a false binary forming in the culture. He encourages a third path forward at a time when different forces seem to push us into one camp or the other.
“On one side they say, ‘Preserve everything without change!’. On the other side they say, ‘Destroy everything and start over!’. I object to these choices and see a third path. Not because I’m an artist who dislikes being pigeonholed, but because I think our society has more depth and nuance than just two checkboxes of life and death, black and white, all or nothing. We need to stand up and call out health risks where they exist. We need to stand up and call out racism where it exists. Those are facts that ninety nine point nine percent of us can get behind. Now we just need to join together and do the work.”
The chorus in “American Cigarettes” is as catchy as you’d expect from a BK track. The song’s protagonist says ‘I know that loving me is a slippery slope, but loving you is my only hope, hold on tight if you can, baby I know that you can.’ Kweller points out the symbiotic relationship between all people, and like many artists before him, he hopes that one day something will pull both sides together. Releasing this infectious roots-rock jam one day before our nation’s 244th birthday was intentional because the artist cites music as one of our last common threads.
“Coming together is the third path, and to me it’s the only path. The truth is, we’ve always needed each other but now we need each other MORE THAN EVER. Even with all of America’s imperfections, we still experience moments of commonality and sameness. Unfortunately, it seems like those moments are less and less. With the fourth of July coming up and so many of us in tears and feeling lost, I have to express myself the best way I know how, because I truly think that music might be one of the last connectors we have left.”
Connect with Ben Kweller:benkweller.comthenoisecompany.comFacebookInstagamTwitter
RUSSIA'S PUSSY RIOT RELEASE PROTEST SONG "RIOT" FEATURING IXXF
"RIOT" FEAT. IXXF HERE
please credit for the artwork: @kstihu
"Yeah sex is great, but have you ever fucked the system?"
Inspired by 2 events:
1. Black Lives Matter protests in the US. We stand with the protesters for racial equality and justice, and demand to defund the police and punish killer cops.
2. Pussy Riot's member Peter Verzilov being arrested in Russia and questioned as a potential suspect of "inciting mass RIOTS".
"RIOT" is about our fights for equal rights that are happening on our streets globally. "Hear me scream - your silence won't protect you" - roars Nadya Tolokonnikova, frontwoman and a founder of Pussy Riot.
The "RIOT" music video shoot will be released shortly.
"RIOT" is a part of a bigger project and will lead to the release of the first ever Pussy Riot studio album (the album's name is to be announced later).
The track is recorded in collaboration with IXXF, a Berlin-based hyperbolic IDM artist, who creates trap and deconstructed club music blended in with pop anthems, making this sound as if 100 gecs, Charli XCX and Rage Against The Machine ran into each other at the rally and decided to make a protest anthem.
Pussy Riot's member Peter Verzilov is serving 15 days in jail at the moment. He was arrested since the police wanted to neutralize him before Putin's big vote for constitutional changes that will allow Putin to stay in power till 2036. On the 21th of June, at 7 am Moscow time, 20 policemen cut out the door of Pussy Riot's Peter Verzilov with a grinder. Peter's electronic devices and documents were seized “confirming involvement in the organization of the riots". We don't know the details of the criminal case yet, but currently the court locked Peter down for 15 days under an absurd accusation of "petty hooliganism".
On the 29th of May Pussy Riot has released track "1312" about police violence ("1312" stands for "ACAB", "all cops are bastards") and a Manifesto against police brutality with a superstar Chilean feminist collective LASTESIS - because of this manifesto Chilean police initiated an investigation against LASTESIS suspecting them of inciting violence against the police. On the 13th of May Pussy Riot released KNIFE EP and the "KNIFE" music video dedicated to the problem of domestic violence which is one of the biggest issues in Russia currently; earlier this year Pussy Riot established an award against domestic violence and paid 3.000 euros to 3 winners of the award who made the best media materials on the topic.
Pussy Riot is a totally independent art collective that relies only on support of its audience - SUPPORT PUSSY RIOT ON PATREON!
“RIOT” (lyrics)
yeah sex is great
but have you ever fucked the system
hate to hate
and my religion is resistance
gatograde
the only thing they water plants with
fuck the state
men love when women only whisper
hear me scream
your silence won't protect u
(x4)
boom boom boom
riot boom boom boom
boom boom boom
riot boom boom boom
Like a baby with a knife
Like a baby with a knife
Piss me off, we’re gonna fight
(Yeah yeah we’re gonna fight)
And you’re fucking swine
(Yeah yeah you’re fucking swine)
Not even worth the time
You’re not even worth the time
Because a baby with a knife’ll
Fucking keep you up at night
When I cry you’re gonna see
Gonna riot in the streets
And you’re fucking swine
(Yeah yeah you’re fucking swine)
Not even worth the time
But I’ll make you worth my time ha
all this cop cars give me anxiety
all these killers give me anxiety
politicians give me anxiety
all these fascists give me anxiety
boom boom boom
riot boom boom boom
boom boom boom
riot boom boom boom
About Pussy Riot:
https://xxpussyriotxx.com/
http://www.twitter.com/pussyrrriot
http://www.instagram.com/nadyariot
https://www.facebook.com/wearepussyriot/
https://www.youtube.com/wearepussyriot
https://zona.media/ (= Pussy Riot’s independent publication focused on Russian courts, law enforcement, and prison system)
Failure Release Depeche Mode Cover: "Enjoy The Silence"
FAILURE RELEASE DEPECHE MODE COVER: “ENJOY THE SILENCE”
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Zxa4VV ; YouTube: https://youtu.be/p1M6ir5JArQ
"Enjoy The Silence" single cover
July 3, 2020, LOS ANGELES – Failure have released a newly recorded cover of the Depeche Mode classic, “Enjoy The Silence” (Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Zxa4VV; YouTube: https://youtu.be/p1M6ir5JArQ).
“We originally recorded a cover of ‘Enjoy The Silence’ for the 1998 Depeche Mode tribute, For The Masses,” says Ken Andrews. “That album has all but disappeared, no longer in print and not available via streaming platforms but we as a band are proud of our take on that song and had wanted to re-record it for some time. With the blessing of both Martin Gore and Depeche Mode, we re-addressed our version and came up with this new version for 2020.”
The digital single arrives at a time when Failure had been slated to perform a series of live residencies in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Those dates have since been cancelled due to COVID-19.
FAILURE 1992–1996 cover
The band is taking pre-orders for FAILURE 1992-1996 (https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/failure), a four-piece vinyl box set featuring the three ‘90s-era albums. With the original masters finally being unearthed, Comfort, Magnified and Fantastic Planet have been meticulously restored, remixed, and remastered by Ken Andrews to a new level of sonic fidelity that eclipses all previous iterations of the band’s early work.
“Almost everything people have heard from these albums has been sourced from 16bit digital files made in the ‘90s, which was state of the art at the time,” explains Andrews. “But when we found out we were getting our hands on the original analog master tapes, and with all the confusion and lack of quality control on several of the previous iterations, we set out to create the definitive versions of Comfort, Magnified and Fantastic Planet. Everything has been sourced directly from first generation multitrack and stereo master tapes. This is us finally getting to present our early work the way we’ve always wanted to.”
In addition to all the originally released songs from the three albums, the band has discovered several unreleased songs which have also been restored and will be included in the box set.
“Listening to the b-sides and outtakes from that first year of being a band takes me right back to playing the tiny stage at Jabberjaw in Los Angeles,” adds bassist/guitarist Greg Edwards. “It’s always surprising to me how much of the expansiveness and atmosphere of the later records exist in embryonic form on those earliest stripped-down recordings.”
“These new versions have all the magic from the originals, but now, instead of looking through a hazy pane of glass, the window has been completely opened and you can hear all the elements in their full glory,” explains drummer Kellii Scott.
“Stuck On You” video (https://youtu.be/zUwXt2PPpU8), recently
remastered both visually and sonically
# # #
DAVID GILMOUR “YES, I HAVE GHOSTS” - 1ST NEW MUSIC IN 5 YEARS, TO BE RELEASED FRI, JULY 3, 2020
(New York, NY – July 3, 2020 3:01am EST) “YES, I HAVE GHOSTS” is the first new song from David Gilmour in five years and features the voice and harp playing of his daughter Romany. The inspiration for the track was Polly Samson’s new novel ‘A Theatre for Dreamers’. Of ‘Yes, I Have Ghosts’ Gilmour says “I was working on this song just as we went into lockdown and had to cancel a session with backing singers but, as it turned out, the solution was right here and I couldn’t be happier with the way Romany’s voice blends with mine and her beautiful harp playing has been another revelation.” The song has previously only been available as part of the ground-breaking audiobook for the novel. Polly Samson, who wrote the lyrics: “Collaborating with David - as I have done many times over the last 30 years, writing songs for both Pink Floyd and his solo albums - we were able to bring together the worlds of literature and music to enhance the listening experience and connect with audiences in a way which I don’t think has been done before” Set on the idyllic Greek island of Hydra in 1960, 'A Theatre for Dreamers' captures the hazy, sun-drenched days of an expat bohemian community of poets, painters, and musicians, including a twenty-five year old Leonard Cohen. Before the Covid 19 lockdown David, Polly and family were about to take ‘A Theatre For Dreamers’ on the road for a short series of shows blending words and music. Sadly these dates have had to be postponed until June 2021 but the ‘Von Trapped Family’ as they dubbed themselves, took to Facebook to live stream-adapted versions of the shows. Viewers found themselves transported to the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, with readings from the book, poetry, Q&A sessions and music from and inspired by the novel, including instrumental sections of ‘Yes, I Have Ghosts’ and songs by Leonard Cohen. The Sunday Times (UK) bestseller ‘A Theatre For Dreamers’ by Polly Samson is out now and published by Bloomsbury. ‘A Theatre For Dreamers’ audio book available now https://smarturl.it/atheatrefordreamers www.davidgilmour.com
July 2, 2020
The Streets: 'None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive' out July 10 on Island Records.
THE STREETS MIXTAPE NONE OF US ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS LIFE ALIVEFEATURING IDLES, TAME IMPALA, MS BANKS + MANY MOREOUT JULY 10 ON ISLAND RECORDS
The Streets will release a mixtape entitled None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive on July 10 via Island Records UK. If you don't already have a link to stream and download let me know and I will have the label resend!
To date Mike Skinner has shared "Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better" (ft. Tame Impala)," “I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him” ft. Donae'o & Greentea Peng' and a collaboration with rising East London songwriter Hak Baker called “Falling Down." Full tracklisting here:
1. Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better (ft. Tame Impala)2. None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive (ft. IDLES)3. I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him (ft. Donae’o and Greentea Peng)4. You Can't Afford Me (ft. Ms Banks)I Know Something You Did (ft. Jesse James Solomon)6. Eskimo Ice (ft. Kasien)7. Phone Is Always In My Hand (ft. Dapz on the Map)8. The Poison I Take Hoping You Will Suffer (ft. Oscar #Worldpeace)9. Same Direction (ft. Jimothy Lacoste)10. Falling Down (ft. Hak Baker)11. Conspiracy Theory Freestyle (ft. Rob Harvey)12. Take Me As I Am (with Chris Lorenzo)
"a simple beat of skittering percussion and a sweet piano loop, but steadily blossoms into something bigger, filled with steely guitar, synths, and a touch of orchestral strings. The Streets and Baker trade verses about bad days, bad dates, bad vibes, and the constant effort to overcome it all." Rolling Stone on "Falling Down"
“disjointed, green screen-assisted trek around the neighborhood...the aesthetic bears a distinctly choppy and collage-like feel. Adding to the immediacy of the clip, the Streets peppers the video with references to recent Black Lives Matter protests and various internet memes.” Rolling Stone on “I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him”
“‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better’ showcases Mike Skinner’s skilled wordplay." - Paste Magazine on “Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better” ft. Tame Impala
"Kevin Parker and The Streets’ Mike Skinner are getting through the isolation by calling loved ones. With washed-out synths and poignant backbeat, Parker sings of the anxiety that can be attached to facing a phone call." - UPROXX on “Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better” ft. Tame Impala
"the track featuring Donae’o and Greentea Peng was meant for groovy dance parties everywhere." Consequence of Sound on “I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him”
"sort of laidback, but purposeful rapping fans came to love over the past several decades." Magnetic on "Falling Down"
"(a) straight forward hip hop, with its keep it real demeanor to brush off the haters, that breathes nostalgia of the “golden era” of hip hop yesteryear." MXDWN on "Falling Down"
The Streets have also been announced as one of acts poised to perform a run of UK headline shows “Live From The Drive-In.” Mike and his band will take to the stage for a full concert production at 12 locations throughout July and August, where audiences will be able to experience the show from the safety and comfort of their designated area accessed via their vehicle.
TONGA, the balloon filled rap, grime and dubstep party by Mike Skinner and Murkage Dave, had been a series of shoobs to remember. Copenhagen to Manchester to Berlin. Brum to Brixton. Usually arriving with a coterie of legendary UK figureheads and gobby upcomers in tow, like Kano, Giggs, Jammer or Jaykae, the pulsating essence of the nights needed to be immortalised. The original plan had been to release a TONGA album. But as night moved to day, and day moved along to night, it… just didn’t happen. Instead, a new mixtape titled None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive steps up to take its place. Recorded between work on the accompanying film to The Streets new album, it is the unpredictable sonic continuation of those parties.
Taking in UK Funky and twilight zone UK rap, and with guest spots ranging from Grammy nominated psychedelia sovereign Tame Impala to cult south London rapper Jesse James Solomon, as well as 2019’s key-fiend-friendly drum’n’bass collab with Chris Lorenzo, None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive is the most eclectic and highly collaborative collection of songs from The Streets yet. Or as Mike puts it with characteristic distinction: “it’s really just a rap duets album.”
Every track on None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive has one if not two guests, who, though underpinned by Mike’s distinctive lyrical flair, usually perform atop a genre or sound not previously explored within the realm of The Streets. “You know that thing where if you wore it the first time round, don’t wear it the second time round? I would never put on Aquascutum at this point in my life. It would be stupid, a pastiche of what I did twenty years ago. For all of us. Whereas now I’m going back and I’m picking things that I didn’t pick before.”
The inclusion of, say, Mercury Prize nominated punk group IDLES (who perform what Mike describes as a sea-shanty tinged track inspired by an overnight ferry to Dover) and teenage wünderkind Jimothy Lacoste help ground things firmly in the here and now. But there are familiar faces of the past too. Birmingham legend, Dapz On The Map, pops up on merky rap track “Phone Is Always In My Hand”. While Rob Harvey, previously of The Music and Skinner collaboration The D.O.T, tunes into pensieve penultimate track “Conspiracy Theory Freestyle”.
“The guests had to be into me, as much as I was into them,” jokes Mike, of the featured artist selection process. Really, though seemingly disparate on paper, the acts on the record are connected by their singular talent for “talking about normal stuff.” “All the different things I’ve tried to do, they’re who is doing that now.” “But instead of talking about abstract emotions on this record, I’m talking about things and objects and details.”
Couched in those UK and Euro wide experiences with TONGA, this results in tales of hardly partying, but partying hard. The path to excess. The morning trying to climb in under the curtains as you’re busy putting the world to rights. Like anything that happens between the nightclub and the bus home, there’s as much connection as disconnection in this world; as many new relationships forged as there are trails left behind from the ghosts of previous companionships past.
Communication, or lack thereof, plays a huge part in this present-day experience. “One thing I’ve ended up doing is talking about being on my phone,” says Mike. “It was very easy on my first album to say, well: where am I? I’m in a pub. I’m at home. I’m in a betting shop. I’m getting a kebab. It felt fairly straightforward and no one had really written about it. Whereas when making this record, everything now basically happens on your phone.”
These dual themes of nightclub and connection land the record in the simple yet eternally complicated prism of human interaction. “You’re ignoring me but you’re watching my stories”, on “Phone Is Always In My Hand”, is a black comedy mantra of our times. Same goes for “every girl has a dude in her inbox talking to himself” on the Oscar #WorldPeace featuring “The Poison I Take Hoping You Will Suffer”. References abound to missed calls (on opening track “Call My Phone Thinking I'm Doing Nothing Better”, Kevin Parker sings, trance like, about neglecting to call someone back) and “five minute” journeys (the kind where you lie about leaving the house).
The mixtape is the seventh full length from The Streets, who broke through in 2002 with the Mercury Prize nominated Original Pirate Material – widely regarded as one of the most influential British albums of the decade. Four BRIT Award nominations came that year too, for best album, best urban act, best breakthrough artist best British male solo artist. “Dry Your Eyes”, from 2005 follow-up album A Grand Don’t Come For Free, won an Ivor Novello for Best Song Musically And Lyrically. There was also a BRIT Award win that year, for best British Male Solo Artist.
Since then, and across his other records and guest features, Skinner has collaborated with a whose who of British music – from Kano, to Pete Doherty, to Giggs. In recent years, and with his Mike Skinner LTD label, he’s worked with acts like Flohio, Ghetts and Grim Sickers. When The Streets announced a comeback tour in 2017, tickets for the dates sold out in less than a minute. It’s all testament to the impact The Streets have had, across several generations of musicians.
And so, despite its humble mixtape beginnings, None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive is a precise and very human body of work from a modern UK music pioneer. Emotionally poignant, full of one liners, club ready. More than anything, it’s exciting – a call back to those fun and responsibility free evenings at TONGA. Yet “the result is much more than I thought it would be. It’s become a real album,” says Mike. And so, as the new decade begins, so too does a new era for The Streets...
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Silversun Pickups Perform “Don’t Know Yet” On Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
5TH STUDIO ALBUM WIDOW’S WEEDS OUT NOW
“…it seems pretty obvious that, nearly 20 years into its career, the band is humming with renewed energy.”-The Los Angeles Times
“…it’s long past time to acknowledge the group’s evolution over its past two albums… finds the band sounding more vital than it has in years.
- The AV ClubSilversun Pickups performed their latest single, “Don’t Know Yet” on last night’s episode of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. The band taped the stripped down version while socially distanced in their respective homes, and were joined by Samantha Bee who contributed finger snaps to the song. Watch the band’s performance of “Don’t Know Yet” for Full Frontal With Samantha Bee here.
Silversun Pickups’ 5th studio album, Widow’s Weeds , is out now via their own New Machine Recordings label. The band enlisted Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth) to produce their latest, an extroverted and open album about rebirth and renewal. Said lead singer Brian Aubert about Widow’s Weeds: “This was the first album where we were open. We were exposed. I see how that can be scary to people, but for us we really thrived on that.” Widow’s Weeds is available for purchase on all formats here. Upon release, lead singer Brian Aubert also provided an in depth look at the at the album’s origin and influences in a track-by-track guide via Consequence of Sound.
Bursting out of the Silverlake, CA music scene in the early 2000s, Silversun Pickups– lead singer Brian Aubert, bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester– have maintained their independence throughout their storied career. They released their first three albums on the local label, Dangerbird Records, before founding their own label, New Machine Recordings, for the release of their most recent albums, Widows Weeds and Better Nature. Now almost two decades into their career, they remain a vital and important rock band and have racked up ten Top 20 hits on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, as well as over a million records sold in the US.
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