Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 1992
October 28, 2016
Yeasayer Releases "Cold Night" EP, US Tour Underway
YEASAYER
RELEASES COLD NIGHT EP
NATIONAL TOUR UNDERWAY
Cold Night EP ArtworkToday, Yeasayer releases the Cold Night EP, featuring the slinky B Side, “Loan Shark Blues” in which Stereogum claims “the members of Yeasayer have never been more in sync,” and the Dirge Version of “Cold Night,” which Under the Radar calls, “beautiful and affecting.”
“Cold Night” is about band member Anand Wilder’s close friend committing suicide. He explains, “Ira had sent me a harmonium-heavy piece of music, and I remember listening to it on an airplane in that heightened emotional state and crying while hearing words about my close friend's suicide, which at that point was one year prior…I wanted the song to capture how devastated and helpless I felt, but also to include all my nastier private feelings of anger and frustration at someone for doing something so selfish. How inconsiderate! Who am I going to hangout with and crack up laughing with when I visit India now? Didn't you want to meet my baby?”
Anand adds, “I would love it if this song had the power to prevent people from harming themselves but I know that's probably a long shot. If it provides comfort for people who've gone through similar grief I've done my job. I do not mean to glorify suicide at all, I wish I never had to write the song, but this is what I do, write songs to deal with my issues.”
Listen to the Cold Night EP HERE .
Yeasayer is currently in the midst of a national tour in support of their critically acclaimed release Amen & Goodbye, out now via Mute. The album is available on CD, Vinyl, Digitally, and on Limited Edition Fool’s Good Vinyl.
Yeasayer is: Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder.
YEASAYER “AMEN & GOODBYE” TOUR DATES:
Oct 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre w/ M83
Oct 29 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Oct 30 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
Oct 31 – El Paso, TX – EPIC Railyard Event Center
Nov 2 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Nov 3 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Nov 4 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Nov 5 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
Nov 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Center (MOKB Presents)
Nov 7 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
Nov 8 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater
Nov 9 – Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge
Nov 11 – Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
Nov 12 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Nov 13 – New Orleans, LA – Republic New Orleans
Nov 14 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Nov 15 – Austin, TX - Emo’s
Nov 17 – Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Nov 18 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Nov 20 – Mexico City, Mexico – Corona Capital Festival
NATIONAL TOUR UNDERWAY
Cold Night EP ArtworkToday, Yeasayer releases the Cold Night EP, featuring the slinky B Side, “Loan Shark Blues” in which Stereogum claims “the members of Yeasayer have never been more in sync,” and the Dirge Version of “Cold Night,” which Under the Radar calls, “beautiful and affecting.”“Cold Night” is about band member Anand Wilder’s close friend committing suicide. He explains, “Ira had sent me a harmonium-heavy piece of music, and I remember listening to it on an airplane in that heightened emotional state and crying while hearing words about my close friend's suicide, which at that point was one year prior…I wanted the song to capture how devastated and helpless I felt, but also to include all my nastier private feelings of anger and frustration at someone for doing something so selfish. How inconsiderate! Who am I going to hangout with and crack up laughing with when I visit India now? Didn't you want to meet my baby?”
Anand adds, “I would love it if this song had the power to prevent people from harming themselves but I know that's probably a long shot. If it provides comfort for people who've gone through similar grief I've done my job. I do not mean to glorify suicide at all, I wish I never had to write the song, but this is what I do, write songs to deal with my issues.”
Listen to the Cold Night EP HERE .
Yeasayer is currently in the midst of a national tour in support of their critically acclaimed release Amen & Goodbye, out now via Mute. The album is available on CD, Vinyl, Digitally, and on Limited Edition Fool’s Good Vinyl.
Yeasayer is: Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder.
YEASAYER “AMEN & GOODBYE” TOUR DATES:
Oct 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre w/ M83
Oct 29 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Oct 30 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
Oct 31 – El Paso, TX – EPIC Railyard Event Center
Nov 2 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Nov 3 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Nov 4 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Nov 5 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room
Nov 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Center (MOKB Presents)
Nov 7 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
Nov 8 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater
Nov 9 – Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge
Nov 11 – Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
Nov 12 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Nov 13 – New Orleans, LA – Republic New Orleans
Nov 14 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Nov 15 – Austin, TX - Emo’s
Nov 17 – Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Nov 18 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Nov 20 – Mexico City, Mexico – Corona Capital Festival
"Home" a documentary on Låpsley | North American tour starts Nov 2
“
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR STARTS NOVEMBER 2
“It’s just such a release coming back home. I need the people that know you before Låpsley and the people that know you as Holly,” says Holly “Låpsley” Fletcher, 20-year old British breakout producer-songwriter-singer, whose debut album Long Way Home was released earlier this year on XL Recordings. Home is a documentary, produced by The Fader in partnership with YouTube Music, which explores Låpsley’s early and quick rise to notoriety.
In the documentary, Låpsley takes us to her hometown, the seaside town of Southport, England, to examine how she got her start – watching production videos on YouTube, teaching herself how to self-produce on GarageBand, how a series of difficult life events inspired her to write music, dealing with the highs and lows of fame. Soundtracked by songs from her debut album on XL Recordings Long Way Home , the documentary is part of YouTube’s collaboration with Låpsley to create a personalized campaign supporting Låpsley and her musical vision.
Watch the Home here: 2016 has been an incredible year for Låpsley, whose North American tour, which kicks off November 2 at Webster Hall in New York City and ends November 16 at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles. The full dates are listed below and ticket info here .
Earlier this year, Låpsley appeared on The Today show as Elvis Duran’s ‘Artist of the Month’ for a stunning performance of her single “ Love is Blind ” and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a performance of her single “Falling Shot".
Rolling Stone recently included Låpsley in the “ 20 Great New British Artists to Watch ” and Stereogum and Complex both described Låpsley as “one of music’s most promising artists.” Idolator , Seattle Music Insider , Stereogum, and LA Weekly have praised Låpsley for her “enticingly intriguing” live show and a festival standout.
Låpsley on tour: November 2nd Webster Hall, New York, NY, USANovember 3rd Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USANovember 4th 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USANovember 6th Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ONNovember 7th The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI, USANovember 8th Park West, Chicago, IL, USANovember 11th Vancouver, BCNovember 13th Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA, USANovember 15th Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, USANovember 16th Mayan Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR STARTS NOVEMBER 2
“It’s just such a release coming back home. I need the people that know you before Låpsley and the people that know you as Holly,” says Holly “Låpsley” Fletcher, 20-year old British breakout producer-songwriter-singer, whose debut album Long Way Home was released earlier this year on XL Recordings. Home is a documentary, produced by The Fader in partnership with YouTube Music, which explores Låpsley’s early and quick rise to notoriety.
In the documentary, Låpsley takes us to her hometown, the seaside town of Southport, England, to examine how she got her start – watching production videos on YouTube, teaching herself how to self-produce on GarageBand, how a series of difficult life events inspired her to write music, dealing with the highs and lows of fame. Soundtracked by songs from her debut album on XL Recordings Long Way Home , the documentary is part of YouTube’s collaboration with Låpsley to create a personalized campaign supporting Låpsley and her musical vision.
Watch the Home here: 2016 has been an incredible year for Låpsley, whose North American tour, which kicks off November 2 at Webster Hall in New York City and ends November 16 at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles. The full dates are listed below and ticket info here .
Earlier this year, Låpsley appeared on The Today show as Elvis Duran’s ‘Artist of the Month’ for a stunning performance of her single “ Love is Blind ” and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a performance of her single “Falling Shot".
Rolling Stone recently included Låpsley in the “ 20 Great New British Artists to Watch ” and Stereogum and Complex both described Låpsley as “one of music’s most promising artists.” Idolator , Seattle Music Insider , Stereogum, and LA Weekly have praised Låpsley for her “enticingly intriguing” live show and a festival standout.
Låpsley on tour: November 2nd Webster Hall, New York, NY, USANovember 3rd Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USANovember 4th 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USANovember 6th Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ONNovember 7th The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI, USANovember 8th Park West, Chicago, IL, USANovember 11th Vancouver, BCNovember 13th Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA, USANovember 15th Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, USANovember 16th Mayan Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA
EMPIRE OF THE SUN'S NEW ALBUM, 'TWO VINES,' IS OUT TODAY VIA ASTRALWERKS
EMPIRE OF THE SUN'S NEW ALBUM, TWO VINES, IS OUT TODAY VIA ASTRALWERKS
"One thing's for sure: no matter what style they're performing, Empire of the Sun knows how to make people move, and their third studio set,Two Vines, is no exception."- Entertainment Weekly
The third remarkable age of Empire Of The Sun was revealed today with the release of the futuristic alt-electro pioneers' new album,
Two Vines
, which is now available everywhere, including iTunes and Spotify. A green vinyl edition of
Two Vines
is available exclusively on Amazon.The video for lead single "High And Low," which already has more than one million views, offers a birds-eye view of the enchanting land envisioned by the band. Hailed as a "dreamy anthem" by Idolator, the song is a Top 15 hit at Alternative radio and has more than three million streams on Spotify. View Empire Of The Sun performing "High And Low" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" HERE.Recorded in Hawaii and Los Angeles,
Two Vines
is co-produced by Empire Of The Sun and Peter Mayes (Sia, The Killers, Mika),alongside long-term collaborator,Donnie Sloan (Midnight To Monaco). Pianist/arranger Henry Hey and bassist Tim Lefebvre, from David Bowie's Blackstar band, feature heavily on the album. Other collaborators include Wendy Melvoin from Prince's Revolution and Fleetwood Macguitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, who contributes guitar and backing vocals on the glistening "To Her Door." Entertainment Weekly observed, "Australian electronic pop duo Empire of the Sun's sound has always been a bit difficult to classify. They're a little bit electronic pop, new wave, and dance all at the same time. One thing's for sure: no matter what style they're performing, Empire of the Sun knows how to make people move, and their third studio set,Two Vines, is no exception. With glistening pop tracks like 'High and Low' and 'Way to Go,' the pair hasn't strayed far from the ethereal, echoey sound of singles that launched them to international success in the first place, like 'Walking on a Dream' and 'Alive."Consequence of Sound said,"Two Vines thrives on a dreamy, '80s electropop vibe until the very last note, building a satiating consistency and refreshing appeal...Empire of the Sun have managed to remain steadfast in the sound they've carved out for themselves since day one..."Manny Marroquin's new remix of
"
Walking On A Dream" is the closing track on Two Vines.
"
Walking On A Dream"originally appeared on the band's 2008 debut album of the same name. In early 2016, the eight-year-old single rocketed to the top of the radio and Shazam charts after it was heard in Honda's "The Dreamer" commercial. The spot now ranks as the most Shazamed U.S. television commercial ever. With more than 100 million streams, "Walking On A Dream" became a global smash hit. Views of the official video now exceed 50 million. ABOUT EMPIRE OF THE SUN In 2008, two of Australia's leading musician/producers, Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson) and Nick Littlemore (Pnau), created a vision that seemed to come from an alternative reality - a post-apocalyptic psychedelic adventure known as Empire Of The Sun. The resulting album,
Walking On A Dream
, went on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide. Eight ARIA awards (including Album of The Year, Single of the Year and Best Group), 2 BRIT nominations (including Best International Album), and many accolades followed. To date, the band has sold three million copies combined of their albums
Walking On A Dream
and
Ice On The Dune,
and reached Multi-Platinum status with global singles "Alive," "We Are The People" and "Walking On A Dream" (which has been certified Platinum - 1 million sales - in the U.S.). Empire Of The Sun's sophomore album
Ice On The Dune
debuted at No. 3 in Australia and charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 in the U.S.
L-R: Empire Of The Sun's Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore Photo Credit: Jen Campbell Official Sites: www.empireofthesun.comhttp://www.facebook.com/empireofthesunhttps://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSunhttps://www.youtube.com/user/EmpireOfTheSunSoundhttps://www.instagram.com/empireofthesunsound/
"One thing's for sure: no matter what style they're performing, Empire of the Sun knows how to make people move, and their third studio set,Two Vines, is no exception."- Entertainment Weekly
The third remarkable age of Empire Of The Sun was revealed today with the release of the futuristic alt-electro pioneers' new album,
Two Vines
, which is now available everywhere, including iTunes and Spotify. A green vinyl edition of
Two Vines
is available exclusively on Amazon.The video for lead single "High And Low," which already has more than one million views, offers a birds-eye view of the enchanting land envisioned by the band. Hailed as a "dreamy anthem" by Idolator, the song is a Top 15 hit at Alternative radio and has more than three million streams on Spotify. View Empire Of The Sun performing "High And Low" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" HERE.Recorded in Hawaii and Los Angeles,
Two Vines
is co-produced by Empire Of The Sun and Peter Mayes (Sia, The Killers, Mika),alongside long-term collaborator,Donnie Sloan (Midnight To Monaco). Pianist/arranger Henry Hey and bassist Tim Lefebvre, from David Bowie's Blackstar band, feature heavily on the album. Other collaborators include Wendy Melvoin from Prince's Revolution and Fleetwood Macguitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, who contributes guitar and backing vocals on the glistening "To Her Door." Entertainment Weekly observed, "Australian electronic pop duo Empire of the Sun's sound has always been a bit difficult to classify. They're a little bit electronic pop, new wave, and dance all at the same time. One thing's for sure: no matter what style they're performing, Empire of the Sun knows how to make people move, and their third studio set,Two Vines, is no exception. With glistening pop tracks like 'High and Low' and 'Way to Go,' the pair hasn't strayed far from the ethereal, echoey sound of singles that launched them to international success in the first place, like 'Walking on a Dream' and 'Alive."Consequence of Sound said,"Two Vines thrives on a dreamy, '80s electropop vibe until the very last note, building a satiating consistency and refreshing appeal...Empire of the Sun have managed to remain steadfast in the sound they've carved out for themselves since day one..."Manny Marroquin's new remix of
"
Walking On A Dream" is the closing track on Two Vines.
"
Walking On A Dream"originally appeared on the band's 2008 debut album of the same name. In early 2016, the eight-year-old single rocketed to the top of the radio and Shazam charts after it was heard in Honda's "The Dreamer" commercial. The spot now ranks as the most Shazamed U.S. television commercial ever. With more than 100 million streams, "Walking On A Dream" became a global smash hit. Views of the official video now exceed 50 million. ABOUT EMPIRE OF THE SUN In 2008, two of Australia's leading musician/producers, Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson) and Nick Littlemore (Pnau), created a vision that seemed to come from an alternative reality - a post-apocalyptic psychedelic adventure known as Empire Of The Sun. The resulting album,
Walking On A Dream
, went on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide. Eight ARIA awards (including Album of The Year, Single of the Year and Best Group), 2 BRIT nominations (including Best International Album), and many accolades followed. To date, the band has sold three million copies combined of their albums
Walking On A Dream
and
Ice On The Dune,
and reached Multi-Platinum status with global singles "Alive," "We Are The People" and "Walking On A Dream" (which has been certified Platinum - 1 million sales - in the U.S.). Empire Of The Sun's sophomore album
Ice On The Dune
debuted at No. 3 in Australia and charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 in the U.S.L-R: Empire Of The Sun's Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore Photo Credit: Jen Campbell Official Sites: www.empireofthesun.comhttp://www.facebook.com/empireofthesunhttps://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSunhttps://www.youtube.com/user/EmpireOfTheSunSoundhttps://www.instagram.com/empireofthesunsound/
Oasis: Supersonic Now Available On iTunes And On Demand
FOLLOWING NATIONWIDE SELL-OUTS OASIS: SUPERSONIC IS NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES AND ON DEMANDAudiences across the country fell in love with OASIS: SUPERSONIC this past Wednesday night, with numerous sold-out shows and incredible viewer response nationwide. The film is now available on iTunes and On Demand, and it will also be extending its theatrical run in many major markets including NY & LA due to popular demand.
Watch the trailer here.
From the Oscar® winning producers of Amy comes this essential and entertaining look at the meteoric rise of the seminal '90s rock band Oasis. The film immerses us in the raucous rock stars' fast-paced world of electrifying music, wild debauchery, and epic fraternal feuding, weaving never-before-seen concert footage with candid interviews and an astonishing firsthand account of the backstage sibling rivalry that threatened to destroy the band.
STARRINGLiam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher
DIRECTED BYMat Whitecross
PRODUCED BYFiona Neilson, James Gay-Rees, Simon Halfon
RÖYKSOPP RELEASE "NEVER EVER" 3-TRACK BUNDLE
RÖYKSOPP RELEASE "NEVER EVER" 3-TRACK BUNDLE Watch Disco-Inspired Video For Hit Single "Never Ever"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDBzeM6KLlQ
"...a massive modern disco tune, a brilliant surprise and a good lesson in unselfconscious pop creation, knowing your audience and being familiar with precisely how broad that audience's tastes are"- Popjustice
"A grand, dizzy dance-pop love song with big, bright keyboards that explode from every possible corner of the track."- Stereogum
"...a funky, fidgety electro-pop blast."- Shortlist
Following the huge success of Röyksopp's first release outside of the album cycle - the club ready, hit single "Never Ever" featuring Norwegian singer songwriter Susanne Sundfør - the duo release a "Never Ever" three-track bundle, which includes a new edit and a two-part, spikey, groove-driven Dub mix. See below for track listing. LISTEN TO "NEVER EVER" BUNDLE HERE: iTunes http://smarturl.it/NeverEverRemixesSpotify http://smarturl.it/NeverEverRemixesSPReleased on September 9, "Never Ever"gained immediate traction, entering the Spotify Viral Chart Top 50 at No. 28. The song is now a worldwide hit with over four million plays."'The Excursion' is a different take on the song, for those who want to go deeper. Ears open, eyes on the road," says Röyksopp member Svein Berge about the bundle.
Röyksopp Photo Credit: Stian AndersenWith "Never Ever," Röyksopp leave the sadness behind and mark the start of something new. The duo released their final album, The Inevitable End, in 2014 and pledged that it would be their final full-length release, thus completing their six-album cycle. Each of Röyksopp's six studio LPs have charted in the Top 40 of the U.K. albums chart.In the U.S.,"Never Ever" marks Röyksopp's triumphant return to Astralwerks - nearly 15 years after the label released the duo's seminal debut album, Melody A.M., which established Röyksopp as one of electronic music's leading lights. Since then they have gained worldwide acclaim and success with two GRAMMY® nominations, a Brit nomination and winning seven Spellemannprisen Awards in Norway. They continue to win praise for their visually compelling headline DJ and live sets - including a sold-out, 2014 co-headlining show with Robyn at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Röyksopp will play a DJ gig at London's Bankside Vaults on Friday, November 25. "Never Ever Bundle" - Track Listing 1) Never Ever (feat Susanne Sundfør) (Original) 2) Never Ever (feat Susanne Sundfør) (Edit)3) Never Ever (feat Susanne Sundfør) (Dub part1) (goes seamless in to part2)4) Never Ever (feat Susanne Sundfør) (Dub part 2) ### http://royksopp.comhttps://www.facebook.com/Royksopp/https://twitter.com/royksopp
WATCH 'EVIDENCE OF TIME TRAVEL'
WATCH 'EVIDENCE OF TIME TRAVEL' - PERFORMED BY JOHN FOXX, STEVE D'AGOSTINO, KARBORN (VISUALS) AND KATIA ISAKOFFThe recent performance at Electri_City was filmed by ARTE and is available for viewing HERE
For more on the project please visit www.evidenceoftimetravel.com
The 'Evidence Of Time Travel' album by John Foxx & Steve D'Agostino is out now on LP, CD and digital download.
www.metamatic.com
The Molochs - America's Velvet Glory
The Molochs - America's Velvet GloryOut Friday January 13th, 2017 Via Innovative Leisure
LISTEN & SHARE: The Molochs - "No More Cryin" First, let’s meet Moloch. You remember him, right? The ancient god, the child eater, the demander of sacrifice, the villain in Ginsberg’s Howl(and also real life) and now the personal antagonist of singer and songwriter Lucas Fitzsimons, who named his band the Molochs because he knew he’d have to make sacrifices to get what he needed, and because he always wanted a reminder of the Ginsbergian monster he’d be fighting against. And so this is how you make a record right now: you fight for every piece, and when Moloch takes apart your relationships and career potential and leaves you sleeping on couches or living in terrifying apartments and just about depleted from awful people involving you in their awful decisions, you grab a bottle of wine (and laugh at the cliché) and put together another song. And once you do that eleven hard-won times in total, you get a record like America’s Velvet Glory: honest, urgent, desperate and fearless because of it. Fitzsimons came to his calling in an appropriately mythic way, born in a historic city not far from Buenos Aires and raised in L.A.’s South Bay—just outside of Inglewood—where he was immersed in the hip-hop hits on local radio. (Westside Connection!) The summer d before he started middle school, a close friend got an electric guitar, and Fitzsimons felt an enirresistible inexplicable power: “I'd go back home and I’d look up guitar chords on the internet—even though I had no guitar—and just imagine how I WOULD play them. I was slowly getting obsessed.” When he was 12, his parents took him back to Argentina, and on the first night, he discovered a long-forgotten almost-broken classical guitar in the basement of his ancestral home: “It sounds made-up, but it’s true,” he says. “I didn't put the guitar down once that whole trip—took it with me everywhere and played and played. When I got back to L.A., I bought my first guitar practically as the plane was landing.” This started a long line of bands and a long experience of learning to perform in public, as Fitzsimons honed intentions and ideas and tried to figure out why that guitar seemed so important. After a trip to India in 2012, he returned renewed and ready to start again, scrapping his band to lead something new and uncompromising. This was the true start of the Molochs: “It didn't make any sense to not do everything exactly the way I wanted to do it,” he says. “I was so shy and introverted that singing publicly sounded like a nightmare come true. But I didn't have a choice—I heard something inside of me and I needed to be the one to express it.” The first album Forgetter Blues was released with Fitzsimons’ guitarist/organist and longtime bandmate Ryan Foster in early 2013 on his own label—named after a slightly infamous intersection in their then-home of Long Beach—and was twelve songs of anxious garage-y proto-punk-y folk-y rock, Modern Lovers demos and Velvet Underground arcana as fuel and foundation both. It deserved to go farther than it did, which sadly wasn’t very far. But it sharpened Fitzsimons and his songwriting, and after three pent-up years of creativity, he was ready to burst. So he decided to record a new album in the spirit of the first, and in the spirit of everything that the Molochs made so far: “I wanted to spend less time figuring out HOW we were gonna do something and just actually do it.” The result is America’s Velvet Glory, recorded with engineer Jonny Bell at effortless (says Fitzsimons) sessions at Long Beach’s JazzCats studio. (Also incubator for Molochs’ new labelmates Wall of Death and Hanni El Khatib.) It starts with an anxious electric minor-key melody and ends on a last lonesome unresolved organ riff, and in between comes beauty, doubt, loss, hate and even a moments or two of peace. There are flashes of 60s garage rock—like the Sunset Strip ’66 stormer “No More Cryin’” or the “Little Black Egg”-style heartwarmer-slash-breaker “The One I Love”—but like one of Foster’s and Fitzsimons’ favorites the Jacobites, the Molochs are taking the past apart, not trying to recreate it. You can hear where songs bend, where voices break, where guitars start to shiver and when strings are about to snap; on “You And Me,” you can almost hear Lou Reed’s ghost call for a solo, and on “I Don’t Love You,” you get that subway-sound guitar and find out what happens when Jonathan Richman’s G-I-R-L-F-R-E-N goes wrong. And of course there’s the charismatic chaos of bootleg basement-tape Dylan—always Dylan, says Fitzsimons—and the locked-room psychedelia of Syd Barrett, especially on “Charlie’s Lips,” Fitzsimons’ ode to—or antidote to—those times when he felt the bleakness completely: “Then a bird lands on a branch nearby, you hear leaves fluttering, you hear a child laughing … all of a sudden things don't seem so bad anymore.”
So Moloch might still be out there, devouring his sacrifices, but the Molochs are still fighting, too. And that’s why Fitzsimons picked the band name—it’s so he remembers what he’s up against. He’s not celebrating the destroyer of youth and individuality and creativity, he says: “I’m just keeping him in sight so that he doesn't win.” – Christopher ZieglerTOUR DATES:
Nov 6 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 7 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 8 - Starline Social Club - Oakland, CA W/ Night Beats, The Mystery Lights
Nov 20 - The Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 22 - The Bootleg - Los Angeles, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
LISTEN & SHARE: The Molochs - "No More Cryin" First, let’s meet Moloch. You remember him, right? The ancient god, the child eater, the demander of sacrifice, the villain in Ginsberg’s Howl(and also real life) and now the personal antagonist of singer and songwriter Lucas Fitzsimons, who named his band the Molochs because he knew he’d have to make sacrifices to get what he needed, and because he always wanted a reminder of the Ginsbergian monster he’d be fighting against. And so this is how you make a record right now: you fight for every piece, and when Moloch takes apart your relationships and career potential and leaves you sleeping on couches or living in terrifying apartments and just about depleted from awful people involving you in their awful decisions, you grab a bottle of wine (and laugh at the cliché) and put together another song. And once you do that eleven hard-won times in total, you get a record like America’s Velvet Glory: honest, urgent, desperate and fearless because of it. Fitzsimons came to his calling in an appropriately mythic way, born in a historic city not far from Buenos Aires and raised in L.A.’s South Bay—just outside of Inglewood—where he was immersed in the hip-hop hits on local radio. (Westside Connection!) The summer d before he started middle school, a close friend got an electric guitar, and Fitzsimons felt an enirresistible inexplicable power: “I'd go back home and I’d look up guitar chords on the internet—even though I had no guitar—and just imagine how I WOULD play them. I was slowly getting obsessed.” When he was 12, his parents took him back to Argentina, and on the first night, he discovered a long-forgotten almost-broken classical guitar in the basement of his ancestral home: “It sounds made-up, but it’s true,” he says. “I didn't put the guitar down once that whole trip—took it with me everywhere and played and played. When I got back to L.A., I bought my first guitar practically as the plane was landing.” This started a long line of bands and a long experience of learning to perform in public, as Fitzsimons honed intentions and ideas and tried to figure out why that guitar seemed so important. After a trip to India in 2012, he returned renewed and ready to start again, scrapping his band to lead something new and uncompromising. This was the true start of the Molochs: “It didn't make any sense to not do everything exactly the way I wanted to do it,” he says. “I was so shy and introverted that singing publicly sounded like a nightmare come true. But I didn't have a choice—I heard something inside of me and I needed to be the one to express it.” The first album Forgetter Blues was released with Fitzsimons’ guitarist/organist and longtime bandmate Ryan Foster in early 2013 on his own label—named after a slightly infamous intersection in their then-home of Long Beach—and was twelve songs of anxious garage-y proto-punk-y folk-y rock, Modern Lovers demos and Velvet Underground arcana as fuel and foundation both. It deserved to go farther than it did, which sadly wasn’t very far. But it sharpened Fitzsimons and his songwriting, and after three pent-up years of creativity, he was ready to burst. So he decided to record a new album in the spirit of the first, and in the spirit of everything that the Molochs made so far: “I wanted to spend less time figuring out HOW we were gonna do something and just actually do it.” The result is America’s Velvet Glory, recorded with engineer Jonny Bell at effortless (says Fitzsimons) sessions at Long Beach’s JazzCats studio. (Also incubator for Molochs’ new labelmates Wall of Death and Hanni El Khatib.) It starts with an anxious electric minor-key melody and ends on a last lonesome unresolved organ riff, and in between comes beauty, doubt, loss, hate and even a moments or two of peace. There are flashes of 60s garage rock—like the Sunset Strip ’66 stormer “No More Cryin’” or the “Little Black Egg”-style heartwarmer-slash-breaker “The One I Love”—but like one of Foster’s and Fitzsimons’ favorites the Jacobites, the Molochs are taking the past apart, not trying to recreate it. You can hear where songs bend, where voices break, where guitars start to shiver and when strings are about to snap; on “You And Me,” you can almost hear Lou Reed’s ghost call for a solo, and on “I Don’t Love You,” you get that subway-sound guitar and find out what happens when Jonathan Richman’s G-I-R-L-F-R-E-N goes wrong. And of course there’s the charismatic chaos of bootleg basement-tape Dylan—always Dylan, says Fitzsimons—and the locked-room psychedelia of Syd Barrett, especially on “Charlie’s Lips,” Fitzsimons’ ode to—or antidote to—those times when he felt the bleakness completely: “Then a bird lands on a branch nearby, you hear leaves fluttering, you hear a child laughing … all of a sudden things don't seem so bad anymore.”So Moloch might still be out there, devouring his sacrifices, but the Molochs are still fighting, too. And that’s why Fitzsimons picked the band name—it’s so he remembers what he’s up against. He’s not celebrating the destroyer of youth and individuality and creativity, he says: “I’m just keeping him in sight so that he doesn't win.” – Christopher ZieglerTOUR DATES:
Nov 6 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 7 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 8 - Starline Social Club - Oakland, CA W/ Night Beats, The Mystery Lights
Nov 20 - The Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Nov 22 - The Bootleg - Los Angeles, CA W/ The Mystery Lights
Leopold and His Fiction Release Single + New Video For I’m Caving In
Leopold and His Fiction Release Single + New Video For “I’m Caving In” Today
Watch + Share Video Via Vevo & Guitar World
New Album Darling Destroyer Coming January 20, 2017
The Austin-based Leopold and His Fiction have released the single “I’m Caving In” today along with the accompanying video via Guitar World. Watch the band in a dreamlike cathedral, with psychedelic swirls and colors, mirroring the interior drama of the lyrical content. Pre-order the new album Darling Destroyer and receive the single “I’m Caving In” here .
Frontman Daniel Leopold tells Guitar World "I'm Caving In was written at a detrimental time of my life when I wasn't sure I would continue on this path that I've worked so hard to be on or if I could even go on living. I know I can look back and identify with the person I was when I wrote it as I feel all people come to such crossroads again and again. Originally it was penned as a country song. But soon after writing it I figured out what I needed to be doing with my purpose in life and a direction for Leopold's sound. It was through immense pain and what seemed like burden that forced me to simplify and dig in to where I am from and who I am."
The fourth full-length from Leopold and His Fiction, Darling Destroyer echoes that urgency with a savage yet soulful sound testifying to Daniel’s Detroit heritage. “I hear my upbringing in this album more than anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Daniel says. “The songs were telling me, ‘This is what you’re made of, so trust it.’” Equally rooted in dingy garage punk and Motown’s pop-minded R&B, Darling Destroyer burns with a frenzied intensity true to its emotional origins. “Looking back, these songs came from a place of fear and vulnerability,” says Daniel, who wrote much of the album while awaiting the birth of his now-five-year-old daughter. “It was my first time ever dealing face-to-face with the severity of that type of emotion and translating it into words. Harnessing its power in the studio pushed me in a way I’ve never been pushed before.”
Daniel was born and raised in Detroit where he first began playing music. He then moved to California to study writing where he started crafting songs for the first time – combining years of practice on the guitar with his literary inclinations. Releasing their self-titled debut in 2006, Leopold and His Fiction built up a reputation as a powerful live act and landed gigs supporting ZZ Top, Gary Clark Jr., and Dr. Dog. Between their sophomore release Ain’t No Surprise and 2012’s 3, Daniel co-founded the folk outfit Cowboy and Indian, and spent several years touring. He has now returned to Leopold and His Fiction and is revisiting his approach to songwriting, straying from his novelistic tendencies. You can expect the upcoming album to be the band’s most dynamic yet.
Preorder Darling Destroyer Here
Tour Dates
11/6 – McDade, TX – Sound On Sound Festival
More to be announced
Watch + Share Video Via Vevo & Guitar World
New Album Darling Destroyer Coming January 20, 2017
The Austin-based Leopold and His Fiction have released the single “I’m Caving In” today along with the accompanying video via Guitar World. Watch the band in a dreamlike cathedral, with psychedelic swirls and colors, mirroring the interior drama of the lyrical content. Pre-order the new album Darling Destroyer and receive the single “I’m Caving In” here .
Frontman Daniel Leopold tells Guitar World "I'm Caving In was written at a detrimental time of my life when I wasn't sure I would continue on this path that I've worked so hard to be on or if I could even go on living. I know I can look back and identify with the person I was when I wrote it as I feel all people come to such crossroads again and again. Originally it was penned as a country song. But soon after writing it I figured out what I needed to be doing with my purpose in life and a direction for Leopold's sound. It was through immense pain and what seemed like burden that forced me to simplify and dig in to where I am from and who I am."
The fourth full-length from Leopold and His Fiction, Darling Destroyer echoes that urgency with a savage yet soulful sound testifying to Daniel’s Detroit heritage. “I hear my upbringing in this album more than anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Daniel says. “The songs were telling me, ‘This is what you’re made of, so trust it.’” Equally rooted in dingy garage punk and Motown’s pop-minded R&B, Darling Destroyer burns with a frenzied intensity true to its emotional origins. “Looking back, these songs came from a place of fear and vulnerability,” says Daniel, who wrote much of the album while awaiting the birth of his now-five-year-old daughter. “It was my first time ever dealing face-to-face with the severity of that type of emotion and translating it into words. Harnessing its power in the studio pushed me in a way I’ve never been pushed before.”
Daniel was born and raised in Detroit where he first began playing music. He then moved to California to study writing where he started crafting songs for the first time – combining years of practice on the guitar with his literary inclinations. Releasing their self-titled debut in 2006, Leopold and His Fiction built up a reputation as a powerful live act and landed gigs supporting ZZ Top, Gary Clark Jr., and Dr. Dog. Between their sophomore release Ain’t No Surprise and 2012’s 3, Daniel co-founded the folk outfit Cowboy and Indian, and spent several years touring. He has now returned to Leopold and His Fiction and is revisiting his approach to songwriting, straying from his novelistic tendencies. You can expect the upcoming album to be the band’s most dynamic yet.
Preorder Darling Destroyer Here
Tour Dates
11/6 – McDade, TX – Sound On Sound Festival
More to be announced
The Garden Premiere "California Here We Go" Video
THE GARDEN PREMIERE “CALIFORNIA HERE WE GO” VIDEO ATCLRVYNT
The Garden premiere their video for “California Here We Go” today at CLRVYNT. The song was released earlier this month and is available on all streaming services.
According to The Garden: “’California Here We Go’” refers to our feelings on living in the state of California. It serves as a relatively open space for creativity and it provides decent opportunity for artists as well. Los Angeles is almost like Las Vegas in the way that it can be the city of lost hopes and dreams if you don’t use your time wisely as an artist.”
Watch the video for “California Here We Go” now, which was filmed in the band’s hometown of Orange, CA and features a cameo by a friend of the band, Jonny Midnight:
http://clrvynt.com/the-garden-california-here-we-go/
The Garden is on tour now and plays tonight in San Antonio, TX at Paper Tiger. The band’s latest album is Haha which was released in 2015 on Epitaph.
THE GARDEN TOUR DATES
Oct. 28 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Oct. 29 Austin, TX – Sidewinder
Oct. 30 Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown
Oct. 31 Dallas, TX – Three Links
Nov. 02 Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
Nov. 03 La Jolla, CA – Che Café
Nov. 04 Santa Barbara, CA – Velvet Jones
Nov. 13 Los Angeles, CA – Camp Flog Gnaw (Exposition Park)
For more information on The Garden, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/TheGardenVadaVada/
https://twitter.com/thegardentwins
The Garden premiere their video for “California Here We Go” today at CLRVYNT. The song was released earlier this month and is available on all streaming services.
According to The Garden: “’California Here We Go’” refers to our feelings on living in the state of California. It serves as a relatively open space for creativity and it provides decent opportunity for artists as well. Los Angeles is almost like Las Vegas in the way that it can be the city of lost hopes and dreams if you don’t use your time wisely as an artist.”
Watch the video for “California Here We Go” now, which was filmed in the band’s hometown of Orange, CA and features a cameo by a friend of the band, Jonny Midnight:
http://clrvynt.com/the-garden-california-here-we-go/
The Garden is on tour now and plays tonight in San Antonio, TX at Paper Tiger. The band’s latest album is Haha which was released in 2015 on Epitaph.
THE GARDEN TOUR DATES
Oct. 28 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Oct. 29 Austin, TX – Sidewinder
Oct. 30 Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown
Oct. 31 Dallas, TX – Three Links
Nov. 02 Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
Nov. 03 La Jolla, CA – Che Café
Nov. 04 Santa Barbara, CA – Velvet Jones
Nov. 13 Los Angeles, CA – Camp Flog Gnaw (Exposition Park)
For more information on The Garden, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/TheGardenVadaVada/
https://twitter.com/thegardentwins
October 27, 2016
FKA twigs Launches 'ROOMS', The Second Installment of the Veuve Clicquot Widow Series
FKA twigs launches 'ROOMS', the second installmentof the Veuve Clicquot Widow Series
(photo credit: Teddy Park)
Last night - Wednesday 26th October - saw FKA twigs reveal 'ROOMS', one of her most ambitious projects to date. The event took place in a converted east London space, ahead of further public performances over the next two days (Thursday 27th and Friday 28th October). 'ROOMS' continues FKA twigs' exploration of unique performance, following on from the success of previous acclaimed events such as Soundtrack 7 and Congregata.
The evening saw performance art, set design, theatre, costume and dance collide for 'ROOMS', an original new performance and installation work written, directed, curated by and featuring FKA twigs herself for the second annual installment of the Veuve Clicquot Widow Series. Told by a cast of 30 and set in a twelve room installation, FKA twigs' story followed the journey of DIAMAS in search of her spiritual and zodiac home. The installation has been created by a group of twelve artists, each creating zodiac worlds immersing the audience in every emotional trait, dance, song and horror of the human emotion.
FKA twigs collaborated with artists from global management agency Streetersto create the twelve rooms, each representing a different star sign. Those artists were Gary Card, David White, Isamaya Ffrench, Andrea Cellerino, Alexander Bock, Andrea Stanley, Andrew Tomlinson, Emma Roach, Gerard Santos, Jean Michel Bertin, Miguel Bento Andy Hillman and theTheo Adams Company.
Images from the night are available to download HERE and available to embed via FKA twigs socials (Instagram / Twitter / Facebook)
On the 27th and 28th October, members of the public can attend
The Veuve Clicquot Widow Series, 'ROOMS' by FKA twigs
Final tickets will go on sale at midday on Friday the 28th October 2016. For more information and to register your interest: www.veuveclicquotwidowseries.co.uk
(photo credit: Teddy Park)Last night - Wednesday 26th October - saw FKA twigs reveal 'ROOMS', one of her most ambitious projects to date. The event took place in a converted east London space, ahead of further public performances over the next two days (Thursday 27th and Friday 28th October). 'ROOMS' continues FKA twigs' exploration of unique performance, following on from the success of previous acclaimed events such as Soundtrack 7 and Congregata.
The evening saw performance art, set design, theatre, costume and dance collide for 'ROOMS', an original new performance and installation work written, directed, curated by and featuring FKA twigs herself for the second annual installment of the Veuve Clicquot Widow Series. Told by a cast of 30 and set in a twelve room installation, FKA twigs' story followed the journey of DIAMAS in search of her spiritual and zodiac home. The installation has been created by a group of twelve artists, each creating zodiac worlds immersing the audience in every emotional trait, dance, song and horror of the human emotion.
FKA twigs collaborated with artists from global management agency Streetersto create the twelve rooms, each representing a different star sign. Those artists were Gary Card, David White, Isamaya Ffrench, Andrea Cellerino, Alexander Bock, Andrea Stanley, Andrew Tomlinson, Emma Roach, Gerard Santos, Jean Michel Bertin, Miguel Bento Andy Hillman and theTheo Adams Company.
Images from the night are available to download HERE and available to embed via FKA twigs socials (Instagram / Twitter / Facebook)
On the 27th and 28th October, members of the public can attend
The Veuve Clicquot Widow Series, 'ROOMS' by FKA twigs
Final tickets will go on sale at midday on Friday the 28th October 2016. For more information and to register your interest: www.veuveclicquotwidowseries.co.uk
