Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 1178
June 30, 2020
Third Man announces two That Dog. vinyl reissues, 'Totally Crushed Out' & 'Retreat From The Sun'
THIRD MAN RECORDSANNOUNCES VINYL REISSUES OF THAT DOG.'sTOTALLY CRUSHED OUT & RETREAT FROM THE SUNOUT JULY 24, 2020
FIRST VINYL PRESSING OF EITHER ALBUM
Third Man Records is excited to announce vinyl reissues of that dog.'s seminal LPs Totally Crushed Out and Retreat From The Sun, to be released on July 24, 2020. These reissues arrive just in time for the 25th anniversary of the original release of Totally Crushed Out and mark the first vinyl pressing of either album. Pre-order Totally Crushed Out HERE, and pre-order Retreat From The Sun HERE.
Totally Crushed OutConceived as a loosely-based concept album around the idea of crushes and young love, that dog.’s sophomore album Totally Crushed Out is a touchstone underrated classic in line with of-the-era releases like the Breeders' Last Splash and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville.
From the Sweet Valley High-reminiscent illustrated album cover, to the A minus rating given by the dean Robert Christgau, to the Jenni Konner songwriting credit (long before she was the showrunner for HBO’s Girls) this album is quirky, smart, well-written and most of all... enjoyable.
that dog.’s touring behind Totally Crushed Out found them sharing stages with Foo Fighters, Weezer and Teenage Fanclub, their songs being covered live by Pearl Jam, collaborating with Beck, and the vid for “He’s Kissing Christian” achieving sub-Buzz Bin status on MTV.
This 25th anniversary reissue marks the first EVER vinyl appearance for this album. Showing their attention to detail, Third Man Records sleuths got their hands on the original oil painting used for the front cover art and worked directly from that for all relevant artwork needs.
Retreat From The SunOriginally conceived as a solo album from that dog. frontwoman Anna Waronker, the third studio LP from the band arrived polished, constructed and aerodynamic for the late 90’s post-grunge haze it emerged from.
While gems like “Hawthorne” quaintly imagine punk rock shows in car garages and “Minneapolis” recalls the “I only saw her for one second” ephemeral beauty of Citizen Kane, the album itself traverses a myriad of emotions and counts among its fans both Pat Smear of the Germs and the Vivian Girls.
Touring in support for Retreat had that dog. sharing stages with the likes of Counting Crows, The Wallflowers and Blur. A deep interview by Matt Pinfield on MTV’s 120 Minutes provided prime underground exposure. Boosted by a glossy music video, “Never Say Never” even found its way onto the Billboard Modern Rock charts. While a picture disc version of alternate mixes was self-released by the band 2017, this is the first-ever vinyl release of this album.
FIRST VINYL PRESSING OF EITHER ALBUM
Third Man Records is excited to announce vinyl reissues of that dog.'s seminal LPs Totally Crushed Out and Retreat From The Sun, to be released on July 24, 2020. These reissues arrive just in time for the 25th anniversary of the original release of Totally Crushed Out and mark the first vinyl pressing of either album. Pre-order Totally Crushed Out HERE, and pre-order Retreat From The Sun HERE.Totally Crushed OutConceived as a loosely-based concept album around the idea of crushes and young love, that dog.’s sophomore album Totally Crushed Out is a touchstone underrated classic in line with of-the-era releases like the Breeders' Last Splash and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville.
From the Sweet Valley High-reminiscent illustrated album cover, to the A minus rating given by the dean Robert Christgau, to the Jenni Konner songwriting credit (long before she was the showrunner for HBO’s Girls) this album is quirky, smart, well-written and most of all... enjoyable.
that dog.’s touring behind Totally Crushed Out found them sharing stages with Foo Fighters, Weezer and Teenage Fanclub, their songs being covered live by Pearl Jam, collaborating with Beck, and the vid for “He’s Kissing Christian” achieving sub-Buzz Bin status on MTV.
This 25th anniversary reissue marks the first EVER vinyl appearance for this album. Showing their attention to detail, Third Man Records sleuths got their hands on the original oil painting used for the front cover art and worked directly from that for all relevant artwork needs.
Retreat From The SunOriginally conceived as a solo album from that dog. frontwoman Anna Waronker, the third studio LP from the band arrived polished, constructed and aerodynamic for the late 90’s post-grunge haze it emerged from.
While gems like “Hawthorne” quaintly imagine punk rock shows in car garages and “Minneapolis” recalls the “I only saw her for one second” ephemeral beauty of Citizen Kane, the album itself traverses a myriad of emotions and counts among its fans both Pat Smear of the Germs and the Vivian Girls.
Touring in support for Retreat had that dog. sharing stages with the likes of Counting Crows, The Wallflowers and Blur. A deep interview by Matt Pinfield on MTV’s 120 Minutes provided prime underground exposure. Boosted by a glossy music video, “Never Say Never” even found its way onto the Billboard Modern Rock charts. While a picture disc version of alternate mixes was self-released by the band 2017, this is the first-ever vinyl release of this album.
July Talk Release Video for "Surrender"
JULY TALK
RELEASE "SURRENDER" VIDEO
NEW ALBUMPRAY FOR IT OUT ON JULY 10
CANADA DAY PERFORMANCE FROM TORONTO'SEL MOCAMBOWITH JAMES BALEY + KYLA CHARTER
ANNOUNCE THE "CARE-A-VAN" PROJECT
Surrender, photo credit, Peter Dreimanis
July Talk with James Baley + Kyla Charter, credit to Jared Raab
July Talk stormed the musical universe with their flinty radio-ready rock of self-titled debut, followed by the volatile siren songs of Touch, an album of sawtoothed pop + convulsing tension. For album three, Pray For It, out on July 10 (Sleepless/BMG) the band cracked their equilibrium open to find a new balance in asymmetry.
And today, July Talk present an album teaser exploring some of the themes of the new record. From a creative standpoint, they wanted to explore the act of surrender; that moment when one has to accept their own vulnerabilities in order to seek truth. While touring across North America, they captured images signifying this surrender, in the hopes of illuminating the grace and integrity of backing down. "These images also evoke a certain infiltration of western institutions,” the band notes, “The simple act of collapsing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, for example, surrounded by confused tourists is not an act of dissent in itself, but the image that remains seems to speak to a loss of collective free will, a grappling with an experiment taken too far." The video features the album's ominous, disorienting closing track, "Still Sacred".
WATCH: "Surrender" On Wednesday, July 1, Canada Day, July Talk will take the stage with James Baley (a multi-disciplinary JUNO Award nominated performer, music creator and dancer) and Kyla Charter (a singer-songwriter who weaves her remarkable gift as a storyteller with an eclectic musical spectrum), for a special livestream performance from the newly renovated El Mocambo in Toronto. James + Kyla have performed with July Talk since 2016, and more recently, they wrote a song together with the band exploring the racial divides in the music industry and the exploitation of black culture throughout popular music history. The result of this collaboration was “Champagne” which will be unveiled for the first time during this performance. With the awareness that commenting on anti-black racism and white supremacy is no simple task, they were wary of writing an anthem full of easy platitudes preaching the regressive colour-blind ideology popular in their childhoods. Instead, they drew from their own lived experiences and the intimate sprawling conversations they’d engaged in over the years, impassioned by the hypocrisy of a system that so many are trying to bring to its knees. Check here for the full Canada Day performance schedule.
July Talk also just announced The Care-A-Van Project, a collaborative volunteer initiative between local bands and Breakaway Addiction Services. As they discussed during CBC’s Community Cares program last week, Breakaway is one of the organizations leading the charge in providing social support, counseling, housing assistance, medical supplies and lots more to support the basic needs of their vulnerable client base from their office in Parkdale. “Breakaway had to adapt their community meal program into a grocery delivery program because of COVID-19, so we started picking up the groceries in our band van once a week a couple of months ago" say the band. "We’re hoping that some of our buds around Toronto’s music scene will come help out over the summer in their vans, to raise awareness about harm-reduction, help support essential workers, and raise some donations for Breakaway so they can continue the program once their funding runs out at the end of the summer." If you’d like to donate, go to https://www.breakawayaddictions.ca/donation-form.
PRAY FOR IT - TRACK LIST: 1. Identical Love2. Good Enough3. Life Of The Party4. Pretender5. Pay For It6. Champagne w/ James Baley + Kyla Charter7. Friend Of Mine8. The News9. Governess Shadow10. See You Thru11. Still Sacred
July Talk
RELEASE "SURRENDER" VIDEO
NEW ALBUMPRAY FOR IT OUT ON JULY 10
CANADA DAY PERFORMANCE FROM TORONTO'SEL MOCAMBOWITH JAMES BALEY + KYLA CHARTER
ANNOUNCE THE "CARE-A-VAN" PROJECT
Surrender, photo credit, Peter DreimanisJuly Talk with James Baley + Kyla Charter, credit to Jared Raab
July Talk stormed the musical universe with their flinty radio-ready rock of self-titled debut, followed by the volatile siren songs of Touch, an album of sawtoothed pop + convulsing tension. For album three, Pray For It, out on July 10 (Sleepless/BMG) the band cracked their equilibrium open to find a new balance in asymmetry. And today, July Talk present an album teaser exploring some of the themes of the new record. From a creative standpoint, they wanted to explore the act of surrender; that moment when one has to accept their own vulnerabilities in order to seek truth. While touring across North America, they captured images signifying this surrender, in the hopes of illuminating the grace and integrity of backing down. "These images also evoke a certain infiltration of western institutions,” the band notes, “The simple act of collapsing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, for example, surrounded by confused tourists is not an act of dissent in itself, but the image that remains seems to speak to a loss of collective free will, a grappling with an experiment taken too far." The video features the album's ominous, disorienting closing track, "Still Sacred".
WATCH: "Surrender" On Wednesday, July 1, Canada Day, July Talk will take the stage with James Baley (a multi-disciplinary JUNO Award nominated performer, music creator and dancer) and Kyla Charter (a singer-songwriter who weaves her remarkable gift as a storyteller with an eclectic musical spectrum), for a special livestream performance from the newly renovated El Mocambo in Toronto. James + Kyla have performed with July Talk since 2016, and more recently, they wrote a song together with the band exploring the racial divides in the music industry and the exploitation of black culture throughout popular music history. The result of this collaboration was “Champagne” which will be unveiled for the first time during this performance. With the awareness that commenting on anti-black racism and white supremacy is no simple task, they were wary of writing an anthem full of easy platitudes preaching the regressive colour-blind ideology popular in their childhoods. Instead, they drew from their own lived experiences and the intimate sprawling conversations they’d engaged in over the years, impassioned by the hypocrisy of a system that so many are trying to bring to its knees. Check here for the full Canada Day performance schedule.
July Talk also just announced The Care-A-Van Project, a collaborative volunteer initiative between local bands and Breakaway Addiction Services. As they discussed during CBC’s Community Cares program last week, Breakaway is one of the organizations leading the charge in providing social support, counseling, housing assistance, medical supplies and lots more to support the basic needs of their vulnerable client base from their office in Parkdale. “Breakaway had to adapt their community meal program into a grocery delivery program because of COVID-19, so we started picking up the groceries in our band van once a week a couple of months ago" say the band. "We’re hoping that some of our buds around Toronto’s music scene will come help out over the summer in their vans, to raise awareness about harm-reduction, help support essential workers, and raise some donations for Breakaway so they can continue the program once their funding runs out at the end of the summer." If you’d like to donate, go to https://www.breakawayaddictions.ca/donation-form.
PRAY FOR IT - TRACK LIST: 1. Identical Love2. Good Enough3. Life Of The Party4. Pretender5. Pay For It6. Champagne w/ James Baley + Kyla Charter7. Friend Of Mine8. The News9. Governess Shadow10. See You Thru11. Still Sacred July Talk
June 29, 2020
BOB DYLAN’S ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS ALBUM BECOMES WORLDWIDE HIT
BOB DYLAN’S ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS ALBUM BECOMES WORLDWIDE HIT
HIGH-RANKING GLOBAL CHART POSITIONS MATCH ALBUM’S CRICITCAL ACCLAIM Bob Dylan’s new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways has debuted in the Top Ten in 14 countries, including #1 chart entries in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland, #2 positions in The United States, Australia, Belgium and Denmark, #3 in Sweden, and #4 in France and Italy. The album’s #2 entry in the U.S. on Billboard’s Top 200 is Dylan’s highest chart debut in this country since 2009 and marks the artist’s 18th studio album to debut in the U.S. Top 10. Rough And Rowdy Ways has also debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart.
The 10-track Rough and Rowdy Ways is Bob Dylan’s first album of new songs since becoming the only songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016; an award bestowed upon him by the Swedish Academy “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” Critical response to Rough and Rowdy Ways has been rapturous, with many calling the album a masterpiece and one of the strongest works in Dylan’s canon.
Bob Dylan has released seven studio albums within the past 23-years; a creative span that also included the recording of an Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning composition, "Things Have Changed," from the film Wonder Boys, in 2001; a worldwide best-selling memoir, Chronicles Vol. 1, which spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, in 2004 and was recently named the greatest rock memoir of all time by Rolling Stone. He is the recipient of the Officier de la Legion d'honneur in 2013, Sweden's Polar Music Award in 2000, a Doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and numerous other honors.
Bob Dylan has sold more than 125 million records around the world. Rough and Rowdy Ways is the artist’s 39th studio album.
# # # Rough and Rowdy Ways
The Critics Have Listened:
***** (out of 5)
A testament to his eternal greatness…. Rough and Rowdy Ways might well be Bob Dylan’s most consistently brilliant set of songs in years: the die-hards can spend months unravelling the knottier lyrics, but you don’t need a PhD in Dylanology to appreciate its singular quality and power.
Alexis Petridis – The Guardian
True to form, Dylan surprises yet again by delivering a late-career masterpiece with Rough and Rowdy Ways. It’s a moody, reflective, meditative, befuddling, funny and awe-inspiring turn for the Nobel Prize winner. Rich with biblical and pop culture references, at its core “Rough and Rowdy Ways” is a record on the borderline of this world and the next, wherever or whatever that may be….The wait was worth it.
Scott Bauer – AP
***** (out of 5)
It’s not merely the novelty of new Bob songs that offers comfort in this black swan moment, it’s a set of songs that provides inspiration when it’s in short supply. Call it a vaccine against culture’s shrinking expectations and the subsequent sapping of spirit. or just call it great music….Contradiction has always lived comfortably in Bob Dylan’s work – more evidence of the vast scope of his artistic vision. What’s extraordinary is how it continues to expand, containing multitudes no one else thought of.
Michael Simmons – Mojo
A savage pulp-noir masterpiece….A word of advice: Don’t mess with Bob Dylan, who, at 79, rips, snorts and cackles through his new album like a man with something — or absolutely nothing — to prove….Rough and Rowdy Ways rolls out one marvel after another.
Mikael Wood – Los Angeles Times
***** (out of 5)
When Dylan embarked on his musical journey as a young man in the Sixties, he forged an almost completely new type of song, open and multifarious, that became a new kind of standard…songs that defiantly inhabit his own myth, shifting perspective between his idiosyncratic views on the world and the world’s views on him. Almost 60 years since we first heard from him, the old protest singer is still composing extraordinary anthems for our changing times.
Neil McCormick – The Telegraph
**** ½ (out of 5)
Rough and Rowdy Ways is his first batch of new songs in 8 years, and it’s an absolute classic—it has the bleak majesty of latter-day Dylan albums like Modern Times and Tempest, yet it goes beyond them, tapping even deeper into cosmic American mysteries….his creative vitality remains startling—and a little frightening….But he refuses to rest on his legend. While the world keeps trying to celebrate him as an institution, pin him down, cast him in the Nobel Prize canon, embalm his past, this drifter always keeps on making his next escape. On Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan is exploring terrain nobody else has reached before—yet he just keeps pushing on into the future.
Rob Sheffield – Rolling Stone
***** (out of 5)
with ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’, he’s produced arguably his grandest poetic statement yet, a sweeping panorama of culture, history and philosophy peering back through assassinations, world wars, the births of nations, crusades and Biblical myths in order to plot his place in the great eternal scheme…. It would be foolish indeed to assume that ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ is Dylan’s last word, but it’s certainly a historic address.
Mark Beaumont - NME
***** (out of 5)
Truth is the talisman, tell it like it is. And that is what Dylan does….Rough and Rowdy Ways is exceptional. If it were a painting, I'd call it a masterpiece.
Will Gompertz - BBC
Rough and Rowdy Ways, an album that somehow manages to sound like nothing [Dylan] has ever done before, and that looks back across a long and hard-fought life while still insisting on always looking forward….The songs reveal an astonishing intensity and hunger, and a consistency that marks the album as one of Dylan’s major works….What leaps off of Rough and Rowdy Ways is Dylan’s blazing sense of purpose and focus. The man is not bullshitting. It comes through, full of humor and rage and heartbreak, in every word as they are written and sung.
Alan Light - Esquire
Rough and Rowdy Ways hits hard. [It’s] a gruesome, crowded, marauding album that feels unusually attuned to its moment….Dylan’s vast and intersectional understanding of the American mythos feels so plainly and uniquely relevant to the grimness and magnitude of these past few months. As the country attempts to metabolize the murder of George Floyd, it is also attempting to reckon with every crooked, brutal, odious, or unjust murder of a black person—to understand a cycle that began centuries ago and somehow continues apace. What is American racism? It’s everything, Dylan insists. Indiana Jones and J.F.K. and Elvis Presley and Jimmy Reed—nothing exists without the rest of it. None of us are absolved, and none of us are spared.
Amanda Petrusich – New Yorker
Bob Dylan is a heavyweight champion. Five stars aren’t enough for his new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. The album is a masterpiece, and a masterclass in lyric-writing in league with Dylan’s – and therefore anyone’s – best….Dylan is on fire lyrically throughout Rough and Rowdy Ways, offering up ten songs as dense in imagery and flawless in craftsmanship and quality as any of his long career….Perhaps the lesson in Rough and Rowdy Ways is that inestimable light can come from the dark places, once again making Dylan the voice we need to hear, just when we need it most.
Jeff Slate – The Daily Beast
HIGH-RANKING GLOBAL CHART POSITIONS MATCH ALBUM’S CRICITCAL ACCLAIM Bob Dylan’s new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways has debuted in the Top Ten in 14 countries, including #1 chart entries in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland, #2 positions in The United States, Australia, Belgium and Denmark, #3 in Sweden, and #4 in France and Italy. The album’s #2 entry in the U.S. on Billboard’s Top 200 is Dylan’s highest chart debut in this country since 2009 and marks the artist’s 18th studio album to debut in the U.S. Top 10. Rough And Rowdy Ways has also debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart.
The 10-track Rough and Rowdy Ways is Bob Dylan’s first album of new songs since becoming the only songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016; an award bestowed upon him by the Swedish Academy “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” Critical response to Rough and Rowdy Ways has been rapturous, with many calling the album a masterpiece and one of the strongest works in Dylan’s canon.
Bob Dylan has released seven studio albums within the past 23-years; a creative span that also included the recording of an Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning composition, "Things Have Changed," from the film Wonder Boys, in 2001; a worldwide best-selling memoir, Chronicles Vol. 1, which spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, in 2004 and was recently named the greatest rock memoir of all time by Rolling Stone. He is the recipient of the Officier de la Legion d'honneur in 2013, Sweden's Polar Music Award in 2000, a Doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and numerous other honors.
Bob Dylan has sold more than 125 million records around the world. Rough and Rowdy Ways is the artist’s 39th studio album.
# # # Rough and Rowdy Ways
The Critics Have Listened:
***** (out of 5)
A testament to his eternal greatness…. Rough and Rowdy Ways might well be Bob Dylan’s most consistently brilliant set of songs in years: the die-hards can spend months unravelling the knottier lyrics, but you don’t need a PhD in Dylanology to appreciate its singular quality and power.
Alexis Petridis – The Guardian
True to form, Dylan surprises yet again by delivering a late-career masterpiece with Rough and Rowdy Ways. It’s a moody, reflective, meditative, befuddling, funny and awe-inspiring turn for the Nobel Prize winner. Rich with biblical and pop culture references, at its core “Rough and Rowdy Ways” is a record on the borderline of this world and the next, wherever or whatever that may be….The wait was worth it.
Scott Bauer – AP
***** (out of 5)
It’s not merely the novelty of new Bob songs that offers comfort in this black swan moment, it’s a set of songs that provides inspiration when it’s in short supply. Call it a vaccine against culture’s shrinking expectations and the subsequent sapping of spirit. or just call it great music….Contradiction has always lived comfortably in Bob Dylan’s work – more evidence of the vast scope of his artistic vision. What’s extraordinary is how it continues to expand, containing multitudes no one else thought of.
Michael Simmons – Mojo
A savage pulp-noir masterpiece….A word of advice: Don’t mess with Bob Dylan, who, at 79, rips, snorts and cackles through his new album like a man with something — or absolutely nothing — to prove….Rough and Rowdy Ways rolls out one marvel after another.
Mikael Wood – Los Angeles Times
***** (out of 5)
When Dylan embarked on his musical journey as a young man in the Sixties, he forged an almost completely new type of song, open and multifarious, that became a new kind of standard…songs that defiantly inhabit his own myth, shifting perspective between his idiosyncratic views on the world and the world’s views on him. Almost 60 years since we first heard from him, the old protest singer is still composing extraordinary anthems for our changing times.
Neil McCormick – The Telegraph
**** ½ (out of 5)
Rough and Rowdy Ways is his first batch of new songs in 8 years, and it’s an absolute classic—it has the bleak majesty of latter-day Dylan albums like Modern Times and Tempest, yet it goes beyond them, tapping even deeper into cosmic American mysteries….his creative vitality remains startling—and a little frightening….But he refuses to rest on his legend. While the world keeps trying to celebrate him as an institution, pin him down, cast him in the Nobel Prize canon, embalm his past, this drifter always keeps on making his next escape. On Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan is exploring terrain nobody else has reached before—yet he just keeps pushing on into the future.
Rob Sheffield – Rolling Stone
***** (out of 5)
with ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’, he’s produced arguably his grandest poetic statement yet, a sweeping panorama of culture, history and philosophy peering back through assassinations, world wars, the births of nations, crusades and Biblical myths in order to plot his place in the great eternal scheme…. It would be foolish indeed to assume that ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ is Dylan’s last word, but it’s certainly a historic address.
Mark Beaumont - NME
***** (out of 5)
Truth is the talisman, tell it like it is. And that is what Dylan does….Rough and Rowdy Ways is exceptional. If it were a painting, I'd call it a masterpiece.
Will Gompertz - BBC
Rough and Rowdy Ways, an album that somehow manages to sound like nothing [Dylan] has ever done before, and that looks back across a long and hard-fought life while still insisting on always looking forward….The songs reveal an astonishing intensity and hunger, and a consistency that marks the album as one of Dylan’s major works….What leaps off of Rough and Rowdy Ways is Dylan’s blazing sense of purpose and focus. The man is not bullshitting. It comes through, full of humor and rage and heartbreak, in every word as they are written and sung.
Alan Light - Esquire
Rough and Rowdy Ways hits hard. [It’s] a gruesome, crowded, marauding album that feels unusually attuned to its moment….Dylan’s vast and intersectional understanding of the American mythos feels so plainly and uniquely relevant to the grimness and magnitude of these past few months. As the country attempts to metabolize the murder of George Floyd, it is also attempting to reckon with every crooked, brutal, odious, or unjust murder of a black person—to understand a cycle that began centuries ago and somehow continues apace. What is American racism? It’s everything, Dylan insists. Indiana Jones and J.F.K. and Elvis Presley and Jimmy Reed—nothing exists without the rest of it. None of us are absolved, and none of us are spared.
Amanda Petrusich – New Yorker
Bob Dylan is a heavyweight champion. Five stars aren’t enough for his new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. The album is a masterpiece, and a masterclass in lyric-writing in league with Dylan’s – and therefore anyone’s – best….Dylan is on fire lyrically throughout Rough and Rowdy Ways, offering up ten songs as dense in imagery and flawless in craftsmanship and quality as any of his long career….Perhaps the lesson in Rough and Rowdy Ways is that inestimable light can come from the dark places, once again making Dylan the voice we need to hear, just when we need it most.
Jeff Slate – The Daily Beast
Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) To Perform Streamed Concert Live From LA's Gold Diggers on 8/1!
AFGHAN WHIGS FRONTMAN GREG DULLI TO PERFORM A STREAMED SOLO CONCERT LIVE FROM GOLD DIGGERS IN LOS ANGELES ON AUGUST 1STTICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW, JUNE 30TH
DULLI WILL DEBUT MATERIAL FROM FIRST EVER SOLO ALBUM RANDOM DESIREALONG WITH A CAREER SPANNING SET LIST
On August 1st, Greg Dulli will appear live from Gold Diggers in Los Angeles, performing a solo set of material culled from his recent solo record Random Desire as well as other songs from throughout his career. Dulli will perform two sets that day - one at 8PM GMT for fans in the UK and Europe, and one at 9PM EST for those tuning in from North America. Tickets are $12 and are available here tomorrow, Tuesday, June 30th.
For the last 30 years, Greg Dulli, frontman of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, has been the poet laureate of the bizarre whims and cruel tangents of desire. A foremost authority on the sell-your-soul rewards of carnal lust, the high voltage epiphanies of chemical enhancement, and the serotonin lows left in their wake.Therein lies Random Desire, the first solo album under Dulli’s own name which was released earlier this year, on February 21st via Royal Cream/BMG.
Praise for Random Desire: "His first solo work in more than a decade reminds us why he was one of the alt-rock era's most compelling tortured romantics." - Rolling Stone
"His records are like romantic thrillers with all the exposition and character development stripped out, leaving only moments of heated conflict and disarming confessions.” - Pitchfork
"Random Desire, looks to be the best snapshot yet of the musician’s dark, soulful style, filled with minor-key grooves and stirring torch-song anthems driven by his whiskey-on-honey voice." - The AV Club
"Before they were rock royalty, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen were artists who could best be classified as “If you know, you know.” That means before they got the deserved love, respect and acclaim that often comes with being able to survive the music industry for more than 30 years, they were those artists only those diehard fans would travel to see, get their lyrics tattooed on them and exclaim in wide disbelief when fans hadn’t heard of their heroes...You can add Greg Dulli to that group too." - SPIN
“Dulli remains a restless and unpredictable frontman, constantly distorting his voice from a soaring falsetto into a bellowing bass, as though he's just getting started.” - Uncut Magazine
"Whereas ‘Pantomima’ cut through cynical themes with sharp, driving instrumentation, ‘It Falls Apart’ allows itself to get pulled into its darker inclinations. Perpetually falling piano notes grip at the melody, miring it in a sense of inevitable collapse. Even so, the synthesizers and drums push upward, giving Dulli’s vocals something to hook onto as he sings..." - Consequence of Sound
"Haunting, desolate and broody from the very first bars, Random Desire is a ten-song joyride through the darkest depths of Dulli's mind — told with the poetic poignancy only he can muster...Dulli has spent his whole career as a shape-shifting storyteller and Random Desire sees this continue...Dulli continually finds ways to explore the hidden pain of the human experience." - Exclaim!
"Dulli revels in murky, edgy, often choppy waters as he shifts from a booming baritone to falsetto in songs that won’t be troubling the hit parade anytime soon...Dulli’s unconventional, minor key songwriting, distinctive vocals and playing that, even with guests on every track, comes primarily from his mind and hands." - American Songwriter
"’It Falls Apart’ errs on the eerie side of Dulli’s signature sound, veering from the punchy deconstructed pop of ‘Pantomima’ toward pensive minor chords, weeping keyboard drones, and percussive tension that builds but never breaks. It’s kind of like the Greg Dulli version of Radiohead’s ‘Reckoner,’ which means it rules." - Stereogum
"’It Falls Apart’ is dark, sleek and sultry, with strings and synths riding atop a pulsing beat." - Brooklyn Vegan
Photo Credit: Maciek Jasik
Find Greg Dulli online at:TwitterInstagramFacebookYouTubeListen
DULLI WILL DEBUT MATERIAL FROM FIRST EVER SOLO ALBUM RANDOM DESIREALONG WITH A CAREER SPANNING SET LIST
On August 1st, Greg Dulli will appear live from Gold Diggers in Los Angeles, performing a solo set of material culled from his recent solo record Random Desire as well as other songs from throughout his career. Dulli will perform two sets that day - one at 8PM GMT for fans in the UK and Europe, and one at 9PM EST for those tuning in from North America. Tickets are $12 and are available here tomorrow, Tuesday, June 30th.For the last 30 years, Greg Dulli, frontman of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, has been the poet laureate of the bizarre whims and cruel tangents of desire. A foremost authority on the sell-your-soul rewards of carnal lust, the high voltage epiphanies of chemical enhancement, and the serotonin lows left in their wake.Therein lies Random Desire, the first solo album under Dulli’s own name which was released earlier this year, on February 21st via Royal Cream/BMG.
Praise for Random Desire: "His first solo work in more than a decade reminds us why he was one of the alt-rock era's most compelling tortured romantics." - Rolling Stone
"His records are like romantic thrillers with all the exposition and character development stripped out, leaving only moments of heated conflict and disarming confessions.” - Pitchfork
"Random Desire, looks to be the best snapshot yet of the musician’s dark, soulful style, filled with minor-key grooves and stirring torch-song anthems driven by his whiskey-on-honey voice." - The AV Club
"Before they were rock royalty, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen were artists who could best be classified as “If you know, you know.” That means before they got the deserved love, respect and acclaim that often comes with being able to survive the music industry for more than 30 years, they were those artists only those diehard fans would travel to see, get their lyrics tattooed on them and exclaim in wide disbelief when fans hadn’t heard of their heroes...You can add Greg Dulli to that group too." - SPIN
“Dulli remains a restless and unpredictable frontman, constantly distorting his voice from a soaring falsetto into a bellowing bass, as though he's just getting started.” - Uncut Magazine
"Whereas ‘Pantomima’ cut through cynical themes with sharp, driving instrumentation, ‘It Falls Apart’ allows itself to get pulled into its darker inclinations. Perpetually falling piano notes grip at the melody, miring it in a sense of inevitable collapse. Even so, the synthesizers and drums push upward, giving Dulli’s vocals something to hook onto as he sings..." - Consequence of Sound
"Haunting, desolate and broody from the very first bars, Random Desire is a ten-song joyride through the darkest depths of Dulli's mind — told with the poetic poignancy only he can muster...Dulli has spent his whole career as a shape-shifting storyteller and Random Desire sees this continue...Dulli continually finds ways to explore the hidden pain of the human experience." - Exclaim!
"Dulli revels in murky, edgy, often choppy waters as he shifts from a booming baritone to falsetto in songs that won’t be troubling the hit parade anytime soon...Dulli’s unconventional, minor key songwriting, distinctive vocals and playing that, even with guests on every track, comes primarily from his mind and hands." - American Songwriter
"’It Falls Apart’ errs on the eerie side of Dulli’s signature sound, veering from the punchy deconstructed pop of ‘Pantomima’ toward pensive minor chords, weeping keyboard drones, and percussive tension that builds but never breaks. It’s kind of like the Greg Dulli version of Radiohead’s ‘Reckoner,’ which means it rules." - Stereogum
"’It Falls Apart’ is dark, sleek and sultry, with strings and synths riding atop a pulsing beat." - Brooklyn Vegan
Photo Credit: Maciek JasikFind Greg Dulli online at:TwitterInstagramFacebookYouTubeListen
Diplo shares video for "Do Si Do" featuring Blanco Brown, country album Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil out now
DIPLO SHARES VIDEO FOR “DO SI DO” FEATURING BLANCO BROWNCOUNTRY ALBUM DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY
CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OIL OUT NOW
June 29, 2020
—
Diplo shares the video for “Do Si Do” featuring Blanco Brown today—watch here. The song is taken from Diplo’s country album,
Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil
, out now on Columbia Records.Directed by longtime collaborator Brandon Dermer, the video was shot in Joshua Tree and Atlanta, and follows the video for “Dance With Me” featuring Thomas Rhett and Young Thug”—watch here.Last week, Diplo was joined by Young Thug, Noah Cyrus and Orville Peck for an exclusive Thomas Wesley set in Fortnite, which will rebroadcast in Fortnite’s Party Royale today at 9a.m. PT/12p.m.ET. The set is Diplo’s second in Fortnite in recent weeks, after he became the first artist to ever truly play live in the game in May.Featuring new collaborations with Zac Brown & Danielle Bradbery, Cyrus, Peck and more, Snake Oil includes double Platinum single “
Heartless
” with Morgan Wallen (and its alternate version with Julia Michaels, which is climbing pop radio charts), “
Lonely
” with Jonas Brothers, “
Do Si Do
” with Blanco Brown and “
So Long
” with Cam.Diplo—who grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida—has long been incubating ideas for this country project, bringing it to the public for the first time at Stagecoach’s first ever Late Night dance party in 2019, where he welcomed Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus for the live debut of “Old Town Road.” Diplo also released his own remix of “Old Town Road” and appeared on stage at the 2020 Grammys for a performance of the #1 hit alongside Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, BTS and more.DIPLO—DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OIL
Intro feat. Orville PeckSo Long feat. CamHeartless feat. Morgan WallenLonely with Jonas BrothersDance With Me feat. Thomas Rhett & Young ThugDo Si Do feat. Blanco BrownOn Mine feat. Noah CyrusReal Life Stuff feat. Julia Michaels & CleverHometown feat. Zac Brown & Danielle BradberyHeartbreak feat. Ben BurgessHeartless with Julia Michaels & Morgan WallenOld Town Road (Diplo Remix)
CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OIL OUT NOW
June 29, 2020
—
Diplo shares the video for “Do Si Do” featuring Blanco Brown today—watch here. The song is taken from Diplo’s country album,
Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil
, out now on Columbia Records.Directed by longtime collaborator Brandon Dermer, the video was shot in Joshua Tree and Atlanta, and follows the video for “Dance With Me” featuring Thomas Rhett and Young Thug”—watch here.Last week, Diplo was joined by Young Thug, Noah Cyrus and Orville Peck for an exclusive Thomas Wesley set in Fortnite, which will rebroadcast in Fortnite’s Party Royale today at 9a.m. PT/12p.m.ET. The set is Diplo’s second in Fortnite in recent weeks, after he became the first artist to ever truly play live in the game in May.Featuring new collaborations with Zac Brown & Danielle Bradbery, Cyrus, Peck and more, Snake Oil includes double Platinum single “
Heartless
” with Morgan Wallen (and its alternate version with Julia Michaels, which is climbing pop radio charts), “
Lonely
” with Jonas Brothers, “
Do Si Do
” with Blanco Brown and “
So Long
” with Cam.Diplo—who grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida—has long been incubating ideas for this country project, bringing it to the public for the first time at Stagecoach’s first ever Late Night dance party in 2019, where he welcomed Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus for the live debut of “Old Town Road.” Diplo also released his own remix of “Old Town Road” and appeared on stage at the 2020 Grammys for a performance of the #1 hit alongside Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, BTS and more.DIPLO—DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OILIntro feat. Orville PeckSo Long feat. CamHeartless feat. Morgan WallenLonely with Jonas BrothersDance With Me feat. Thomas Rhett & Young ThugDo Si Do feat. Blanco BrownOn Mine feat. Noah CyrusReal Life Stuff feat. Julia Michaels & CleverHometown feat. Zac Brown & Danielle BradberyHeartbreak feat. Ben BurgessHeartless with Julia Michaels & Morgan WallenOld Town Road (Diplo Remix)June 26, 2020
BLACKPINK RELEASE NEW SINGLE “HOW YOU LIKE THAT”
BLACKPINK RELEASE NEW SINGLE “HOW YOU LIKE THAT”
WATCH OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “HOW YOU LIKE THAT”
HERE
BLACKPINK TO PERFORM ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON ON 6/26
LISTEN TO “HOW YOU LIKE THAT”
HERE
June 26th, 2019 — Santa Monica, CA — South Korean superstar quartet BLACKPINK are back with their new single "How You Like That" (YG Entertainment/Interscope Records), a pop song featuring the unique and signature sounds of BLACKPINK further embracing their message to move forward and fly higher in any dark situation. The release comes today with an accompanying video, watch it
HERE
. In addition, BLACKPINK will make their Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon performance debut tonight (June 26th). “How You Like That” is produced by TEDDY, and written by TEDDY, R.Tee, 24 and Danny Chung. Debuting in 2016 with "SQUARE ONE," BLACKPINK captivated the public and became one of the largest global pop groups. With the release of their mini-albums, "SQUARE UP" and "Kill This Love,” BLACKPINK grew to be global artists and proved their popularity by successfully completing their world tour and being the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S. This Summer, BLACKPINK will make their grand return with "How You Like That” and, once again, break their own records with more power and charm than before.
LISTEN TO “HOW YOU LIKE THAT”
HERE
June 26th, 2019 — Santa Monica, CA — South Korean superstar quartet BLACKPINK are back with their new single "How You Like That" (YG Entertainment/Interscope Records), a pop song featuring the unique and signature sounds of BLACKPINK further embracing their message to move forward and fly higher in any dark situation. The release comes today with an accompanying video, watch it
HERE
. In addition, BLACKPINK will make their Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon performance debut tonight (June 26th). “How You Like That” is produced by TEDDY, and written by TEDDY, R.Tee, 24 and Danny Chung. Debuting in 2016 with "SQUARE ONE," BLACKPINK captivated the public and became one of the largest global pop groups. With the release of their mini-albums, "SQUARE UP" and "Kill This Love,” BLACKPINK grew to be global artists and proved their popularity by successfully completing their world tour and being the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S. This Summer, BLACKPINK will make their grand return with "How You Like That” and, once again, break their own records with more power and charm than before.
Secret Machines Announce New LP 'Awake in the Brain Chamber', Share New Single "Talos' Corpse", Album Out 8/21 On TSM Recordings
SECRET MACHINES ANNOUNCE AWAKE IN THE BRAIN CHAMBER, FIRST ALBUM IN OVER A DECADE
LISTEN TO "TALOS' CORPSE"
AWAKE IN THE BRAIN CHAMBER OUT AUGUST 21 ON TSM RECORDINGS
Photo Credit: Lindsey Byrnes (L-R Brandon Curtis, Josh Garza)LISTEN & SHARE: Secret Machines - "Talos' Corpse"
Stream
Today, the Secret Machines announce Awake in the Brain Chamber, the band's fourth LP and first new release in nearly 12 years. The album will be available globally, on all streaming platforms, on Friday, August 21. Limited-edition vinyl will be available this Fall (pre-order here).
Featuring the experimental, space rock sounds that are revered and beloved by fans and critics alike, Awake in the Brain Chamber is an album that has been through many versions and incarnations. It has become a symbol of rebirth, presenting a new narrative and territory for the stories left unsaid. In the decade since the Machines’ hiatus, a lot of life has happened, from marriage and children, to the tragic, untimely death of Brandon Curtis' brother and former band member, Benjamin Curtis, in 2013, whose sonic fingerprints are all over the record.
“I began writing these songs at a time I remember feeling alone and lost, and I think the songs have that in their DNA,” says Brandon. “I started sharing early versions with Benjamin who gave me notes as well as encouragement. I am sure that without his influence this album would never have seen the light of day.”
Brandon continued to produce and develop the tracks, ultimately recording several demos throughout 2011 and 2012. In 2013, Benjamin was diagnosed with cancer. “While reworking the tracks, Josh and I were careful to retain whatever influence Benjamin had as a sort of living tribute to him. I know that Josh and I both feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with him again, albeit posthumously. I know we are both very proud to present this as the first Secret Machines music in over a decade."
AWAKE IN THE BRAIN CHAMBER - TRACKLISTING
01. 3,4,5, Let’s Stay Alive
02. Dreaming is Alright
03. Talos’ Corpse
04. Everything’s Under
05. Everything Starts
06. Angel Come
07. A New Disaster
08. So Far Down
Awake in the Brain Chamber is performed by Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza, featuring musicians Benjamin Curtis, Chris Kyle, Brian Bisordi and Sarah Pedinotti. Songs were mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer and mastered by Joe Lambert. Original album artwork by Danny Scales.SECRET MACHINES LINKS
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Soundcloud - Bandcamp - Instagram
BIO
Endgame: 2020. In a world turned upside down, the Secret Machines are back, and looking for light in the chaos. Awake in the Brain Chamber, the band’s fourth LP and first recorded output in more than 10 years, is the sound of things falling apart, with the hope of dawn touching the horizon. If there is a crack in everything, Curtis and Garza are more interested in the light coming in. Curtis’ darkly prophetic lyrics speak of isolation and fear, while Garza’s frenetic, pounding drum beats sound of the four horsemen. But just when things look their worst, the Machines’ beautifully ethereal space-rock takes us away to a different, safe destination: A place with angels, where dreaming is alright, and life blooms from a new disaster.
While the album eerily mirrors our modern age, these tracks have been through many versions and incarnations, dating back to 2010. The sonic DNA of Benjamin Curtis, who tragically passed in 2013, is all over the record. He helped produce and mix with Brandon, and also plays guitar on “Everything Starts,” the second single. “Ten years ago, I was very depressed, sad, and lonely,” says Brandon. “I still relate to the songs I wrote in 2010, but I don’t feel that sense of hopelessness anymore. After losing my best friend, brother, and collaborator, I was able to say, ‘This is what true loss feels like.’”
One of the most acclaimed rock bands of the 2000s, the Secret Machines helped define the sound of the era, alongside contemporaries Interpol, Spiritualized, and TV on the Radio. Laden with sprawling arrangements occasionally pushing the nine-minute mark, the sound of the band has always been grandiose and in their 2008 review of the band’s third self-titled album, Pitchfork made comparisons to Machines influences Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Alternately labeled as prog, Curtis and Garza have always been most comfortable with the term “space rock.” “Brandon’s songs and my drumming meld into the sonic landscape that is Secret Machines,” says Garza from his home in Los Angeles. “I think people will be able to hear that immediately.”
Secret Machines were born out of Dallas, with the first formation consisting of Brandon Curtis on vocals, bass and keys, Benjamin Curtis on guitar and Josh Garza on drums. The band signed to Reprise and dropped their first full-length, Now Here Is Nowhere, in 2004, which began their legacy as critical darlings. The year 2006 brought what many consider their masterpiece, Ten Silver Drops, which won them further critical love and the attention of David Bowie, who became a serious fan and mentor. In 2007, Benjamin left the band to work full time with School of Seven Bells, but Curtis and Garza charged ahead with their self-titled 2008 LP, with Phil Karnats on guitar. And then…there were crickets on the Secret Machines front, and as time marched on, with no official breakup announcement, fans were left wondering if they’d ever hear from the band again.
“After the self-titled album, Josh moved to LA, and I got hired to be Interpol’s keyboardist,” recalls Brandon, from his Vermont home. “I started touring, and Secret Machines just got further on the back-burner. Without ever really talking about it, we both just went our separate ways. It feels totally natural and organic that Josh and I are working together again.”
Their fateful reunion wouldn’t happen until years later in 2016. Garza went to see Cosmicide, a project Brandon originally formed with Benjamin, from which many of the songs on Awake in the Brain Chamber were first conceived.
“Brandon invited me on stage to do a Secret Machines song, and that was the moment that we broke the ice, after drifting from each other for years. We’ve always remained friends, but we needed that moment to spark everything again,” says Garza.
Which brings us full circle to rebirth, and two friends who have nothing left to prove. Despite a loyal following, pop culture has a short memory. If nothing else, Awake in the Brain Chamber is the sound of now, and a tribute to brothers and family. “Since we made this record ourselves, and are releasing it ourselves, there’s a certain feeling that we’re just doing our thing,” muses Garza. “It’d be nice if the fans give it a chance. We’re not trying to convince people with this record. Like I said, we’re just doing our thing.”
THE FLAMING LIPS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM 'AMERICAN HEAD' SET FOR SEPTEMBER 11TH!
THE FLAMING LIPS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM AMERICAN HEADSET FOR SEPTEMBER 11TH RELEASE VIA WARNER RECORDS
Watch the Video for “My Religion Is You” HERE
June 26, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA) – Multiple GRAMMY Award®-winning American Legends The Flaming Lips are pleased to announce the release of their 21st studio album, AMERICAN HEAD set for release on September 11th via Warner Records. The album is comprised of thirteen new cinematic tracks, produced by longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann and The Lips. Among them, “God and the Policeman” featuring backing vocals from country superstar Kacey Musgraves. As previewed on the recently released “Flowers Of Neptune 6,” AMERICAN HEAD takes on a welcome temporal shift that occupies a similar space to that of THE SOFT BULLETIN or YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS and just may be their most beautiful and consistent work to date. Album pre-order begins today and will include an instant download of the heartfelt “My Religion Is You.” Click here for audio and here for video.
There will be two vinyl versions of AMERICAN HEAD: a black vinyl double LP that will be released on September 11th alongside the digital and CD versions and a limited-edition colored vinyl double LP (one LP blue, one LP pink) which will be available on October 2nd. Additionally, there will be a limited edition, colored vinyl with exclusive art print signed by Wayne Coyne in printed plastic sleeve available exclusively on The Flaming Lips’ website. Click here to pre-order / pre-save American Head black vinyl, CD or digitally. Click here to pre-order the limited edition colored vinyl double LP.
AMERICAN HEAD finds The Flaming Lips basking in more reflective lyrical places as Wayne Coyne explains in a longer form story titled “We’re An American Band.” Excerpt below:
“The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma. We never thought of ourselves as an AMERICAN band. I know growing up (when I was like 6 or 7 years old) in Oklahoma I was never influenced by, or was very aware of any musicians from Oklahoma. We mostly listened to the Beatles and my mother loved Tom Jones (this is in the 60’s)... it wasn’t till I was about 10 or 11 that my older brothers would know a few of the local musician dudes.
So... for most of our musical life (as The Flaming Lips starting in 1983) we’ve kind of thought of ourselves as coming from ‘Earth’... not really caring WHERE we were actually from. So for the first time in our musical life we began to think of ourselves as ‘AN AMERICAN BAND’… telling ourselves that it would be our identity for our next creative adventure. We had become a 7-piece ensemble and were beginning to feel more and more of a kinship with groups that have a lot of members in them. We started to think of classic American bands like The Grateful Dead and Parliament-Funkadelic and how maybe we could embrace this new vibe.
The music and songs that make up the AMERICAN HEAD album are based in a feeling. A feeling that, I think, can only be expressed through music and songs. We were, while creating it, trying to NOT hear it as sounds... but to feel it. Mother’s sacrifice, Father’s intensity, Brother’s insanity, Sister’s rebellion...I can’t quite put it into words.
Something switches and others (your brothers and sisters and mother and father...your pets) start to become more important to you…in the beginning there is only you... and your desires are all that you can care about...but... something switches.. I think all of these songs are about this little switch.”
AMERICAN HEAD TRACKLIST:1. Will You Return / When You Come Down2. Watching the Lightbugs Glow3. Flowers Of Neptune 64. Dinosaurs On The Mountain5. At The Movies On Quaaludes6. Mother I've Taken LSD7. Brother Eye8. You n Me Sellin' Weed9. Mother Please Don't Be Sad10. When We Die When We're High11. Assassins of Youth12. God and the Policeman (Feat. Kacey Musgraves)13. My Religion Is You
As previously announced, Wayne Coyne has designed a brand new T-shirt featuring his drawing of what a quarantine time Flaming Lips show might look like. Click here to view the COVID Show 2020 shirt.
Follow The Flaming LipsWebsite | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
Watch the Video for “My Religion Is You” HERE
June 26, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA) – Multiple GRAMMY Award®-winning American Legends The Flaming Lips are pleased to announce the release of their 21st studio album, AMERICAN HEAD set for release on September 11th via Warner Records. The album is comprised of thirteen new cinematic tracks, produced by longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann and The Lips. Among them, “God and the Policeman” featuring backing vocals from country superstar Kacey Musgraves. As previewed on the recently released “Flowers Of Neptune 6,” AMERICAN HEAD takes on a welcome temporal shift that occupies a similar space to that of THE SOFT BULLETIN or YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS and just may be their most beautiful and consistent work to date. Album pre-order begins today and will include an instant download of the heartfelt “My Religion Is You.” Click here for audio and here for video.
There will be two vinyl versions of AMERICAN HEAD: a black vinyl double LP that will be released on September 11th alongside the digital and CD versions and a limited-edition colored vinyl double LP (one LP blue, one LP pink) which will be available on October 2nd. Additionally, there will be a limited edition, colored vinyl with exclusive art print signed by Wayne Coyne in printed plastic sleeve available exclusively on The Flaming Lips’ website. Click here to pre-order / pre-save American Head black vinyl, CD or digitally. Click here to pre-order the limited edition colored vinyl double LP.
AMERICAN HEAD finds The Flaming Lips basking in more reflective lyrical places as Wayne Coyne explains in a longer form story titled “We’re An American Band.” Excerpt below:
“The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma. We never thought of ourselves as an AMERICAN band. I know growing up (when I was like 6 or 7 years old) in Oklahoma I was never influenced by, or was very aware of any musicians from Oklahoma. We mostly listened to the Beatles and my mother loved Tom Jones (this is in the 60’s)... it wasn’t till I was about 10 or 11 that my older brothers would know a few of the local musician dudes.
So... for most of our musical life (as The Flaming Lips starting in 1983) we’ve kind of thought of ourselves as coming from ‘Earth’... not really caring WHERE we were actually from. So for the first time in our musical life we began to think of ourselves as ‘AN AMERICAN BAND’… telling ourselves that it would be our identity for our next creative adventure. We had become a 7-piece ensemble and were beginning to feel more and more of a kinship with groups that have a lot of members in them. We started to think of classic American bands like The Grateful Dead and Parliament-Funkadelic and how maybe we could embrace this new vibe.
The music and songs that make up the AMERICAN HEAD album are based in a feeling. A feeling that, I think, can only be expressed through music and songs. We were, while creating it, trying to NOT hear it as sounds... but to feel it. Mother’s sacrifice, Father’s intensity, Brother’s insanity, Sister’s rebellion...I can’t quite put it into words.
Something switches and others (your brothers and sisters and mother and father...your pets) start to become more important to you…in the beginning there is only you... and your desires are all that you can care about...but... something switches.. I think all of these songs are about this little switch.”
AMERICAN HEAD TRACKLIST:1. Will You Return / When You Come Down2. Watching the Lightbugs Glow3. Flowers Of Neptune 64. Dinosaurs On The Mountain5. At The Movies On Quaaludes6. Mother I've Taken LSD7. Brother Eye8. You n Me Sellin' Weed9. Mother Please Don't Be Sad10. When We Die When We're High11. Assassins of Youth12. God and the Policeman (Feat. Kacey Musgraves)13. My Religion Is You
As previously announced, Wayne Coyne has designed a brand new T-shirt featuring his drawing of what a quarantine time Flaming Lips show might look like. Click here to view the COVID Show 2020 shirt.
Follow The Flaming LipsWebsite | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
MELANIE MARTINEZ DEBUTS NEW SONG “FIRE DRILL”
STREAM/DOWNLOAD “ FIRE DRILL ”
Alternative-pop phenomenon Melanie Martinez has announced today’s release of “Fire Drill,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services HERE. The ethereal track originally appeared as the closing credits in her “K-12” film, and fans have been eagerly anticipating its release since.
“Fire Drill” follows the recently released track “Copy Cat (Feat. Tierra Whack).” “Copy Cat (Feat. Tierra Whack)” – which marked the first Melanie Martinez song to include a featured artist – was met by critical applause, with Uproxx declaring it “a resonating showcase of talents… With buoyant synths and Martinez’s captivating voice, ‘Copy Cat’ offers a space for the singer to boast about her talents. Whack’s rapid-fire lyrical delivery embellishes the song’s downtempo beat, replacing the deep kick drum with the rapper’s profound flow.”
Along with the two new tracks, Melanie Martinez is also gearing up for the release of her upcoming AFTER SCHOOL EP, due out in the coming months. The collection of brand new songs will complete the deluxe version of Martinez’s internationally acclaimed album “K-12.”
Last year, Martinez released her widely successful album “K-12” and its accompanying film. Hailed by Forbes as “a perfect conceptual album in the streaming age,” “K-12” entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #3 upon its September 2019 release – the multi-talented artist’s highest chart placement thus far. In addition, “K-12” debuted at #1 on the “Alternative Albums,” “Soundtracks,” and “Vinyl Albums” charts, as well as #2 on “Pop Albums” and #3 on “Top Albums.” Internationally, “K-12” made top 10 debuts in Canada, Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, UK, New Zealand, and Spain.
Produced by Michael Keenan with the exception of one song produced by Kinetics & One Love, “K-12” further serves as a soundtrack companion to an eerily enchanting musical film, written, directed, and starring Martinez. K-12 the film is streaming now at DSPs and Martinez’s official YouTube channel, where it has earned over 58 million views to date. Praised by Billboard as “a visual dream world of the 24-year-old’s own making… a whimsical, highly dramatized version of school life, filled with pastels, magic, oversized hair bows and babydoll dresses,” the film is also available on iTunes, Amazon, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Fandango Now, Vudu US, Comcast Cable, Cox Cable, Microsoft Store US, and Stingray/Qello.
Along with new music, Melanie Martinez’s “CRY BABY” track “Play Date“ – available for streaming and download HERE – has proven a true pop sensation in recent weeks, earning RIAA gold certification alongside over 314 million global streams. What’s more, “Play Date” is a worldwide TikTok favorite, featured in over 3.5 million user-generated videos thus far using the hashtag #playdate. Martinez herself recently created her own TikTok video for “Play Date,” streaming HERE.
Martinez further marked the song’s current success with a new official lyric video, now boasting over 14 million views via YouTube HERE after having drawn close to 1.5 million views in its first day alone. As if that weren’t enough, the original YouTube audio stream of “Play Date” has now earned over 75 million streams HERE. “Play Date,” originally found on the deluxe digital edition of Martinez’s RIAA platinum certified debut album, “CRY BABY,” helped the album recently burst back into the top 100 of the Billboard 200 album chart five years after its initial release.
Named by both SPIN and Idolator as one of 2015’s top pop albums, “CRY BABY” has sold more than 2.4 million global album equivalents and has spent more than 125 total weeks on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 after making a #6 chart debut upon its initial August 2015 release. In addition to the album’s own platinum certification for sales equivalents exceeding 1 million, each individual track has now been certified gold and/or platinum, including “Play Date.”
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CONNECT WITH MELANIE MARTINEZ
DONNA MISSAL SHARES NEW TRACK, “HOW DOES IT FEEL”
DONNA MISSAL SHARES NEW TRACK, “HOW DOES IT FEEL”SONG IS FROM HER NEW ALBUM, LIGHTER, SET FOR JULY 10 RELEASE
“Donna Missal heats it up with ‘Lighter’…a powerhouse vocalist.” – Flaunt
DOWNLOAD / STREAM “HOW DOES IT FEEL” HERE:https://donnamissal.lnk.to/HDIFPR
PRE-ORDER LIGHTER HERE:https://donnamissal.lnk.to/LighterPresavePR
Today, Donna Missal shared “How Does It Feel,” the soaring slice of luscious shoegaze that opens her new album, Lighter, which will be released on July 10 via Harvest Records. Download / stream “How Does It Feel” HERE and listen on YouTube HERE. Donna – who has amassed over 33 million global streams in her career to date – wrote the track with Andrew Wells (X Ambassadors, Bebe Rexha, Fitz and the Tantrums), who produced the album, and Anthony Rossomando, whose credits include co-writing the Oscar-winning song “Shallow.”
“I hope this song finds the cracks in your heart and fills them with light,” says Donna Missal. “I hope this song can turn your disconsolateness into aspiration, and wrap its arms around you the way I wish I could right now. I hope this song meets your unrest with a challenge to desire and believe in dreaming for more.”
Lighter is an album about fragility, self-acceptance and self-discovery. It’s a timeless work from an artist who’s not playing by anyone else’s rules. Fans who pre-order the album in digital format will instantly receive “How Does It Feel” plus the singles “Let You Let Me Down” and “Hurt By You.”
“Donna Missal is a powerhouse vocalist” declared Flaunt in this recent feature article. MTV News observed, “‘Let You Let Me Down’ [is] a rock-infused breakup ballad…Her smoky vocals simmer to a satisfying crescendo in the final refrain.” The Honey Pop noted, “[Donna] can pull you through various emotions just with her voice, and ‘Let You Let Me Down’ is a prime example of her talent. It’s got powerful, poetic lyrics… a self-realization anthem.” “Hurt By You” was named as one of the “Best Songs Of The Spring” by Refinery29. NYLON noted, “This song was made for rolling the windows down and speeding on the backroads.”
Praising Donna’s 2018 debut album, This Time (Harvest Records), Earmilk said, “A sound like this cannot be missed…we’re in full orbit around this star.” She supported the album with a sold-out, 20-date U.S. headline tour. Donna has also played numerous festivals – including Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo – and toured with such artists as King Princess, Lewis Capaldi, Bishop Briggs, K.Flay, Joywave, Sir Sly, and Barns Courtney.
Donna Missal Photo Credit: Erica HernandezFollow Donna Missal:http://www.donnamissal.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnamissalmusic/Twitter: https://twitter.com/donnamissalIG: https://www.instagram.com/donnamissal/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@donnamissal
