Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2036
August 19, 2016
Placebo Unveil Video for New Single, ‘Jesus’ Son’
Placebo Unveil Epic Video for New Single ‘Jesus’ Son’
20 Year Retrospective Album A Place For Us To Dream + Life’s What You Make It E.P to be Released Oct 7th
9 Date UK Arena Tour Set For December
New York, NY – August 19th 2016 – This morning, Placebo unveiled the video for their brand new single “Jesus’ Son,” a track taken from the band’s must-have retrospective hits album A Place For Us To Dream, slated for release on October 7th through Rise Records in the U.S. Watch the video now viaVEVO and YouTube.Directed by Joe Connor (Paul Weller, The Maccabees), “Jesus’ Son” was filmed on location in Sardinia and combines shots of the band performing with traditional Sardinian Pagan carnival figures wearing bovine masks and sheepskin clothing. The surreal imagery taps into the song’s spiritual undertones.
“Jesus’ Son” marks a milestone of the band’s 20-year career since the 1996 release of their self-titled debut album. The single is included on their retrospective album release A Place For Us To Dream, alongside early singles such as “Bruise Pristine,” “Come Home,” “Teenage Angst,” to the career-defining hits like “Nancy Boy,” “Every You Every Me,” “Pure Morning,” “The Bitter End,” and “Meds.”
On October 7th Placebo will also release a new EP titled Life’s What You Make It which features 6 previous unreleased recordings, including “Jesus’ Son” as well as a cover of the Talk Talk classic “Life’s What You Make It.” All the tracks are produced by Adam Noble (Muse, dEUS, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), who was at the helm for the band’s acclaimed 7th studio album Loud Like Love.
To date Placebo have sold over 12 million records worldwide, had 6 top ten albums in the UK and collaborated with iconic artists including David Bowie, Robert Smith, Frank Black, Alison Mosshart and Michael Stipe. They remain one of the world’s biggest alternative rock bands of the last 20 years having achieved gold and platinum albums in over 30 countries.
Placebo have sold out arena tours and headlined festivals in over 70 countries on 6 continents during their career, playing to over 1 million people on their last album tour alone. The band will begin the UK leg of their “20 Years Of” world tour this December; initial tour dates are below.
December
Friday 2nd | GLASGOW, SSE Hydro
Saturday 3rd | LEEDS, First Direct Arena
Monday 5th | MANCHESTER, Arena
Tuesday 6th | NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena
Thursday 8th | BIRMINGHAM, Barclaycard Arena
Saturday 10th | IRELAND, DUBLIN, 3Arena
Monday 12th | NEWPORT, Centre SOLD OUT
Wednesday 14th | BRIGHTON, Centre SOLD OUT
Thursday 15th | LONDON, SSE Wembley Arena
August 18, 2016
Hannah Peel announces UK tour with Kite Base (Ayse Hassan from Savages) and I Speak Machine
Hannah Peel announces UK tour with Kite Base (Ayse Hassan from Savages) and I Speak Machine
7th Sept – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach9th Sept – London – Shacklewell Arms10th Sept – Bristol – The Exchange13th Sept – Coventry – The Tin / Synthcurious14th Sept – Sheffield – Picture House
[image error]
“A great singer and a latter day Delia Derbyshire” The Observer“One to watch” The Independent
“Hugely impressive” Drowned In Sound
“Euphoric, orchestral pop” The Quietus
“Hauntingly-beautiful, leviathan atmospheric pop” The Line Of Best Fit
[image error]
Watch new video ‘All That Matters’
The Northern Irish artist and composer, Hannah Peel’s second solo album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ features 10 new songs including lead single ‘All That Matters’ plus a cover of Paul Buchanan’s ‘Cars In The Garden’ featuring a duet with Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts).Peel first came to recognition with her mesmerizing, hand-punched ‘music box’ EP ‘Rebox’, featuring covers of ‘80s bands Cocteau Twins, Soft Cell, & New Order. Having released her critically lauded solo debut album ‘The Broken Wave’, Peel then formed The Magnetic North, a highly praised and expansive collaborative project with Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good The Bad And The Queen, Gorillaz) and Erland Cooper (Erland & The Carnival). She also created a series of limited edition EPs, - the increasingly electronic ‘Nailhouse’ in 2013, followed by the stunning analogue beauty of ‘Fabricstate’ in 2014. A year later Peel released ‘Rebox 2’ with music-box covers of ‘Queen’ (originally performed by Perfume Genius), John Grant’s ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, Wild Beasts’ ‘Palace’, as well as her glorious cover of East India Youth’s triumphant ‘Heaven How Long’.2016 has been yet another prolific year for Peel, so far including collaborations with Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve (aka Erol Alkan & Richard Norris) - she features on two BBC6 playlisted singles ‘Diagram Girl’ and ‘Creation’ - and composing under her new synth-based, space-age alter-ego Mary Casio with an experimental piece combining analogue electronics and a 33-piece colliery brass band (which debuted to a sold out Manchester audience in May). Meanwhile The Magnetic North released their critically acclaimed follow up LP ‘Prospect Of Skelmersdale’ in March.Produced and recorded with long-term collaborator Erland Cooper, with orchestrations by Peel, both in their own, richly analogue studio in Shoreditch, London and at Attica Audio in County Donegal, Ireland, her new solo album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ is a record about memory: the luminous and beautiful formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage to the mind. “I’ve read 1 in 3 of us will die with dementia, and a third of us are connected to someone with dementia through family and friends”, says Hannah. “850,000 people in the UK alone have it now and 2 in 3 people affected will be women. It’s quite remarkable really, and it’s getting worse”.Peel has created an exquisite, distinct album of two halves, full of vibrant, direct colour in the early stages contrasted with esoteric, dreamscape, legato movements towards the end. The bright, raw magic and joy of personal relationships are set alongside the gradual loss of her grandmother to dementia. A childhood spent in the landscape of the Irish coast inspires a sense of openness in the music – places to roam and investigate – but there’s also a complex, darker, percussive thrust to these songs, as adult city life intrudes and, in its own way, inspires.The album has the feel of a dream where all of daily life is being expressed and decoded, from feverish rush-hours to the old sunlight of her grandmother’s fading memories. Peel switches from panoramic city images in ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ to the dissolving, hallucinogenic moments that define the second half of the album.Hannah: “I often use deep meditation to comb the recesses of my mind I can’t reach during the day and sometime the lines between reality and sleep become a little blurred. It’s an inspired feeling, the conscious awake dream becomes movement using that dreaming energy, but without passing entirely out of that waking state of consciousness. Basically, it’s like being asleep with one eye and awake with the other. You see things differently and get a real sense of the world around you and what’s important, which actually presents itself as being pretty simple.”‘All That Matters’ opens proceedings with a pop mantra of living in the moment – “all that matters is here”, sings Peel over the bitter/sweet electronics. ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ is about re-invention and starting again – memories are discarded like old skin (“Time it melts away/A world I try to grasp/Let’s forget about our past”). In ‘Hope Lasts’, the synths feel more organic, as Peel gazes as the “tawny hills” that “speak volumes with their past” and sings of a moment of joy and optimism, but this is immediately followed by the darker imagery of ‘Tenderly’. In fact this track and the next, ‘Don’t Take It Out On Me’, are stark, emotional highlights, both vivid and vulnerable. ‘Invisible City’ (partly inspired by Italo Calvino’s book, ‘Invisible Cities’) is full of cascading piano and beautiful textures but it’s a shimmering, artificial construct – “a view that I had made to cover the pain” – a place of security and a prison, where “I built this city around my body/these walls they hold me.’”However, the world of ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ starts to age and fragment with the powerful, psychotic orchestral thrill of ‘Octavia’ – another moment inspired by Calvino’s ‘Invisible Cities’. According to Peel she wanted to create the drama and insecurity suggested by a vision in the book of a city “suspended over the abyss… they know the net will not last for long.” This description of a memory teetering on the brink of forgetfulness is beautifully realised by Peel, with ‘Octavia’ offering a tantalising glimpse of future musical directions. It marks a clear midpoint in the album. The road is no longer a straight one, “it’s a mysterious hinterland of shadowy detours with hidden and strange places”, says Peel. Memory falls away and the constraints of time drift.Peel continues to delve more deeply into a lost, half-waking dream, especially on the sumptuously atmospheric title track and elegiac piano strikes of ‘Conversations’ where echoing taped voices crowd and confuse as Peel sings, “when I awake, don’t recall your name, my only friend.” The sentiment is ever more clear and poignant given the sobering statistics on dementia. However Peel focuses quietly on her grandmother’s experience in what is one her most moving songs. In contrast, the nine-minute ‘Foreverest’ is cinematic and ambitious. Peel’s ghostly vocals seem to float in mid-air as cold synthesized winds howl and scuttling, relentless rhythms drive the track forward. It’s as if she’s become a disembodied figure in the city, trying to “hold onto one last breath”.Hannah: “It’s supposed to feel like a journey into the mind but also into adulthood. There’s a constant reminder that however large the adventure or realised the ambition, to not forget about the ones who will always care, the ones who are standing waiting to welcome you back, the ones who will forever look after you and say simply, they love you. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, caring and being cared for. To love and not be loved is one of the saddest thing of all.”The album’s closer is a cover of Paul Buchanan’s (The Blue Nile) ‘Cars In The Garden’ which returns memory to childhood – “find the place that we forgot.” Performed with her trademark music box and by way of a sublimely coaxed out, bittersweet duet with Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, this is another fine shift in tone and perspective – from the grandeur and chaos of ‘Foreverest’ to something very simple, surreal and yet utterly moving and memorable.Tracklisting: 01 – ‘All That Matters’ 02 – ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ 03 – ‘Hope Lasts’ 04 – ‘Tenderly’ 05 – ‘Don’t Take It Out On Me’ 06 – ‘Invisible City’ 07 – ‘Octavia 08’ - ’Awake But Always Dreaming’ 09 – ‘Conversations’ 10 – ‘Foreverest’ 11 – ‘Cars In The Garden’ (FT Hayden Thorpe)www.hannahpeel.comhttps://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusichttps://twitter.com/hanpeelhttps://www.instagram.com/hannahpeelmusichttps://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel
7th Sept – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach9th Sept – London – Shacklewell Arms10th Sept – Bristol – The Exchange13th Sept – Coventry – The Tin / Synthcurious14th Sept – Sheffield – Picture House
[image error]
“A great singer and a latter day Delia Derbyshire” The Observer“One to watch” The Independent
“Hugely impressive” Drowned In Sound
“Euphoric, orchestral pop” The Quietus
“Hauntingly-beautiful, leviathan atmospheric pop” The Line Of Best Fit
[image error]
Watch new video ‘All That Matters’
The Northern Irish artist and composer, Hannah Peel’s second solo album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ features 10 new songs including lead single ‘All That Matters’ plus a cover of Paul Buchanan’s ‘Cars In The Garden’ featuring a duet with Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts).Peel first came to recognition with her mesmerizing, hand-punched ‘music box’ EP ‘Rebox’, featuring covers of ‘80s bands Cocteau Twins, Soft Cell, & New Order. Having released her critically lauded solo debut album ‘The Broken Wave’, Peel then formed The Magnetic North, a highly praised and expansive collaborative project with Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good The Bad And The Queen, Gorillaz) and Erland Cooper (Erland & The Carnival). She also created a series of limited edition EPs, - the increasingly electronic ‘Nailhouse’ in 2013, followed by the stunning analogue beauty of ‘Fabricstate’ in 2014. A year later Peel released ‘Rebox 2’ with music-box covers of ‘Queen’ (originally performed by Perfume Genius), John Grant’s ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, Wild Beasts’ ‘Palace’, as well as her glorious cover of East India Youth’s triumphant ‘Heaven How Long’.2016 has been yet another prolific year for Peel, so far including collaborations with Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve (aka Erol Alkan & Richard Norris) - she features on two BBC6 playlisted singles ‘Diagram Girl’ and ‘Creation’ - and composing under her new synth-based, space-age alter-ego Mary Casio with an experimental piece combining analogue electronics and a 33-piece colliery brass band (which debuted to a sold out Manchester audience in May). Meanwhile The Magnetic North released their critically acclaimed follow up LP ‘Prospect Of Skelmersdale’ in March.Produced and recorded with long-term collaborator Erland Cooper, with orchestrations by Peel, both in their own, richly analogue studio in Shoreditch, London and at Attica Audio in County Donegal, Ireland, her new solo album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ is a record about memory: the luminous and beautiful formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage to the mind. “I’ve read 1 in 3 of us will die with dementia, and a third of us are connected to someone with dementia through family and friends”, says Hannah. “850,000 people in the UK alone have it now and 2 in 3 people affected will be women. It’s quite remarkable really, and it’s getting worse”.Peel has created an exquisite, distinct album of two halves, full of vibrant, direct colour in the early stages contrasted with esoteric, dreamscape, legato movements towards the end. The bright, raw magic and joy of personal relationships are set alongside the gradual loss of her grandmother to dementia. A childhood spent in the landscape of the Irish coast inspires a sense of openness in the music – places to roam and investigate – but there’s also a complex, darker, percussive thrust to these songs, as adult city life intrudes and, in its own way, inspires.The album has the feel of a dream where all of daily life is being expressed and decoded, from feverish rush-hours to the old sunlight of her grandmother’s fading memories. Peel switches from panoramic city images in ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ to the dissolving, hallucinogenic moments that define the second half of the album.Hannah: “I often use deep meditation to comb the recesses of my mind I can’t reach during the day and sometime the lines between reality and sleep become a little blurred. It’s an inspired feeling, the conscious awake dream becomes movement using that dreaming energy, but without passing entirely out of that waking state of consciousness. Basically, it’s like being asleep with one eye and awake with the other. You see things differently and get a real sense of the world around you and what’s important, which actually presents itself as being pretty simple.”‘All That Matters’ opens proceedings with a pop mantra of living in the moment – “all that matters is here”, sings Peel over the bitter/sweet electronics. ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ is about re-invention and starting again – memories are discarded like old skin (“Time it melts away/A world I try to grasp/Let’s forget about our past”). In ‘Hope Lasts’, the synths feel more organic, as Peel gazes as the “tawny hills” that “speak volumes with their past” and sings of a moment of joy and optimism, but this is immediately followed by the darker imagery of ‘Tenderly’. In fact this track and the next, ‘Don’t Take It Out On Me’, are stark, emotional highlights, both vivid and vulnerable. ‘Invisible City’ (partly inspired by Italo Calvino’s book, ‘Invisible Cities’) is full of cascading piano and beautiful textures but it’s a shimmering, artificial construct – “a view that I had made to cover the pain” – a place of security and a prison, where “I built this city around my body/these walls they hold me.’”However, the world of ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ starts to age and fragment with the powerful, psychotic orchestral thrill of ‘Octavia’ – another moment inspired by Calvino’s ‘Invisible Cities’. According to Peel she wanted to create the drama and insecurity suggested by a vision in the book of a city “suspended over the abyss… they know the net will not last for long.” This description of a memory teetering on the brink of forgetfulness is beautifully realised by Peel, with ‘Octavia’ offering a tantalising glimpse of future musical directions. It marks a clear midpoint in the album. The road is no longer a straight one, “it’s a mysterious hinterland of shadowy detours with hidden and strange places”, says Peel. Memory falls away and the constraints of time drift.Peel continues to delve more deeply into a lost, half-waking dream, especially on the sumptuously atmospheric title track and elegiac piano strikes of ‘Conversations’ where echoing taped voices crowd and confuse as Peel sings, “when I awake, don’t recall your name, my only friend.” The sentiment is ever more clear and poignant given the sobering statistics on dementia. However Peel focuses quietly on her grandmother’s experience in what is one her most moving songs. In contrast, the nine-minute ‘Foreverest’ is cinematic and ambitious. Peel’s ghostly vocals seem to float in mid-air as cold synthesized winds howl and scuttling, relentless rhythms drive the track forward. It’s as if she’s become a disembodied figure in the city, trying to “hold onto one last breath”.Hannah: “It’s supposed to feel like a journey into the mind but also into adulthood. There’s a constant reminder that however large the adventure or realised the ambition, to not forget about the ones who will always care, the ones who are standing waiting to welcome you back, the ones who will forever look after you and say simply, they love you. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, caring and being cared for. To love and not be loved is one of the saddest thing of all.”The album’s closer is a cover of Paul Buchanan’s (The Blue Nile) ‘Cars In The Garden’ which returns memory to childhood – “find the place that we forgot.” Performed with her trademark music box and by way of a sublimely coaxed out, bittersweet duet with Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, this is another fine shift in tone and perspective – from the grandeur and chaos of ‘Foreverest’ to something very simple, surreal and yet utterly moving and memorable.Tracklisting: 01 – ‘All That Matters’ 02 – ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ 03 – ‘Hope Lasts’ 04 – ‘Tenderly’ 05 – ‘Don’t Take It Out On Me’ 06 – ‘Invisible City’ 07 – ‘Octavia 08’ - ’Awake But Always Dreaming’ 09 – ‘Conversations’ 10 – ‘Foreverest’ 11 – ‘Cars In The Garden’ (FT Hayden Thorpe)www.hannahpeel.comhttps://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusichttps://twitter.com/hanpeelhttps://www.instagram.com/hannahpeelmusichttps://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel
Fat Possum's Kadhja Bonet Announces Debut LP Out 10/21 + Download Track
Kadhja Bonet Announces Debut The Visitor
Out October 21 via Fat Possum + Fresh Selects
Premieres Track “Honeycomb” with Gorilla vs. Bear
Available for Stream + Download
“Magical, genre-defying debut LP from hyper-talented multi-instrumentalist and possible time traveller from the future Kadhja Bonet” – Gorilla vs. Bear
The newly signed, genre defying Kadhja Bonet has announced the release of her debut The Visitor. On the album, Kadhja – pronounced “kod-ya” – invites us into a world not wholly our own, where past and future meet in a parallel, yet far lovelier, present. In anticipation of the release, Gorilla vs. Bear has shared the “absurdly beautiful” first track “ Honeycomb ”. Now available for streaming and free download, the song drifts listeners into a timeless, unplaceable realm of Kadhja’s own making. Fat Possum and Fresh Selects, two respected labels from different genres, have joined forces to bring us this transcendent debut – available in full on October 21.
The Visitor opens with an awe you’d expect from the golden age of cinema, somewhere between Cinderella and Barbarella, in its half-mythical atmosphere. “Earth Birth” offers keys and choirs science-fictionally echoing down from deep space. This overture fades and Kadhja’s voice velvetly emerges on “Honeycomb” with a timelessness sending listeners scrambling to find her nearest genre. After running through classical, jazz, soul, folk, and even psychedelia, you find it ultimately impossible to comfortably place her. This is all by Kadhja’s design. For if she were “folk” – maybe poetically comparable to a Karen Dalton or a Sibylle Baier – it would only be the folk of some future aeon, a thousand years hence. If her rich instrumentation of strings and wind strikes us as a “classic,” it’s not because it harkens to any past era, but because Kadhja paints perennial imagery that could as much be now as then as any other time.
Kadhja stays pretty mum – if not a little mysterious – about her own life story. She insists that her audience convene with her on imaginative and musical planes, instead of through byword associations with any scene or venue, be it in Los Angeles or on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro. What we do learn and should know about Kadhja is her early and formal training in classical music quarters, where she mastered violin and viola, learned flute and guitar, and gained the sharp compositional talents that frame every note and curve of The Visitor.
All writing and arrangement— except for the Jaco Pastorius melody put to her words on "Portrait of Tracy"— is entirely of Kadhja’s creation. While calling in friends like Te'amir Yohannes Sweeney for drums, as well as Low Leaf, Peter Dyer, Randal Fisher, and Itai Shapira for harp, synth, flute, and bass, Bonet still plays a good half of the instruments herself, including guitar, violin, flute, and the backup vocals that fill up the skies of her music. Kadhja also produced The Visitor, though with much of its mixing and engineering handled by her assistant producer Itai Shapira, one of the few souls trusted behind the curtains of her musical process.
The Visitor is an opus unpolluted by the mixed advice or overproductions that plague other albums. It plays through like one individual’s lucid dream in what is sometimes an all-too-dreamless musical landscape. Once we hear it, we recognize it as something that’s been harder and harder to find in the last thirty or forty years, though so badly missed. Kadhja has humbly learned from her predecessors while following their signs ever forward.
Tracklisting
1. Intro – Earth Birth
2. Honeycomb
3. Fairweather Friend
4. The Visitor
5. Gramma Honey
6. Portrait of Tracy
7. Nobody Other
8. Francisco
Tour Dates
8/21 – Los Angeles, CA at Saint Heron
8/28 – Pula, Croatia at Dimensions Festival
9/17 – San Francisco, CA at The Independent
Out October 21 via Fat Possum + Fresh Selects
Premieres Track “Honeycomb” with Gorilla vs. Bear
Available for Stream + Download
“Magical, genre-defying debut LP from hyper-talented multi-instrumentalist and possible time traveller from the future Kadhja Bonet” – Gorilla vs. Bear
The newly signed, genre defying Kadhja Bonet has announced the release of her debut The Visitor. On the album, Kadhja – pronounced “kod-ya” – invites us into a world not wholly our own, where past and future meet in a parallel, yet far lovelier, present. In anticipation of the release, Gorilla vs. Bear has shared the “absurdly beautiful” first track “ Honeycomb ”. Now available for streaming and free download, the song drifts listeners into a timeless, unplaceable realm of Kadhja’s own making. Fat Possum and Fresh Selects, two respected labels from different genres, have joined forces to bring us this transcendent debut – available in full on October 21.
The Visitor opens with an awe you’d expect from the golden age of cinema, somewhere between Cinderella and Barbarella, in its half-mythical atmosphere. “Earth Birth” offers keys and choirs science-fictionally echoing down from deep space. This overture fades and Kadhja’s voice velvetly emerges on “Honeycomb” with a timelessness sending listeners scrambling to find her nearest genre. After running through classical, jazz, soul, folk, and even psychedelia, you find it ultimately impossible to comfortably place her. This is all by Kadhja’s design. For if she were “folk” – maybe poetically comparable to a Karen Dalton or a Sibylle Baier – it would only be the folk of some future aeon, a thousand years hence. If her rich instrumentation of strings and wind strikes us as a “classic,” it’s not because it harkens to any past era, but because Kadhja paints perennial imagery that could as much be now as then as any other time.
Kadhja stays pretty mum – if not a little mysterious – about her own life story. She insists that her audience convene with her on imaginative and musical planes, instead of through byword associations with any scene or venue, be it in Los Angeles or on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro. What we do learn and should know about Kadhja is her early and formal training in classical music quarters, where she mastered violin and viola, learned flute and guitar, and gained the sharp compositional talents that frame every note and curve of The Visitor.
All writing and arrangement— except for the Jaco Pastorius melody put to her words on "Portrait of Tracy"— is entirely of Kadhja’s creation. While calling in friends like Te'amir Yohannes Sweeney for drums, as well as Low Leaf, Peter Dyer, Randal Fisher, and Itai Shapira for harp, synth, flute, and bass, Bonet still plays a good half of the instruments herself, including guitar, violin, flute, and the backup vocals that fill up the skies of her music. Kadhja also produced The Visitor, though with much of its mixing and engineering handled by her assistant producer Itai Shapira, one of the few souls trusted behind the curtains of her musical process.
The Visitor is an opus unpolluted by the mixed advice or overproductions that plague other albums. It plays through like one individual’s lucid dream in what is sometimes an all-too-dreamless musical landscape. Once we hear it, we recognize it as something that’s been harder and harder to find in the last thirty or forty years, though so badly missed. Kadhja has humbly learned from her predecessors while following their signs ever forward.
Tracklisting
1. Intro – Earth Birth
2. Honeycomb
3. Fairweather Friend
4. The Visitor
5. Gramma Honey
6. Portrait of Tracy
7. Nobody Other
8. Francisco
Tour Dates
8/21 – Los Angeles, CA at Saint Heron
8/28 – Pula, Croatia at Dimensions Festival
9/17 – San Francisco, CA at The Independent
BILLIE MARTEN UNVEILS NEW VIDEO FOR “LIONHEARTED”
WATCH: BILLIE MARTEN UNVEILS
NEW VIDEO FOR “LIONHEARTED”
DEBUT ALBUM “WRITING OF BLUES AND YELLOWS” AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 23 VIA COLUMBIA RECORDSSeventeen-year-old British musician Billie Marten is pleased to unveil the video for new single “Lionhearted,” featured on her forthcoming debut album,
Writing of Blues And Yellows
, available everywhere September 23 via Columbia Records in the U.S. Watch “Lionhearted” today:http://smarturl.it/LionheartedVid.
Directed by Allie Avital (Chairlift, Yumi Zouma, Mutual Benefit), the video finds Marten surrounded by chaos, as she remains a figure of quiet, contemplative solace.
“It was something new and bright for me. Working with Allie and the whole group was incredibly lovely (even if the day was 17 hours). The finished thing is something everyone should be proud of,” Billie says of the video.
Recorded in London and produced by Rich Cooper, “Lionhearted” is a song “written for people who don’t feel they quite know what they’re doing. It’s about the lack of confidence and difficulty of getting into that healthy way of thinking.”
Hailing from the cathedral city of Ripon in North Yorkshire, Billie Marten has music in her blood, growing up listening to the works of John Martyn, Laura Marling, David Bowie, Portishead and Loudon Wainwright. At the age of eight, given a guitar and taught four chords by her father, Billie wrote her first song.
The thirteen songs that form Writing of Blues And Yellows are as remarkable for their folksy beauty as they are the age of their creator. Intimate and wise, and allowed the time and space to breathe, each song spins with those unhurried, enchanting lyrics that linger long after they have left Billie’s lips via her pure, otherworldly voice. It’s a record that signals the introduction of a very special young British talent.
Writing of Blues and Yellows Tracklisting:
1. La Lune
2. Bird
3. Lionhearted
4. Emily
5. Milk & Honey
6. Green
7. Heavy Weather
8. Unaware
9. Hello Sunshine
10. Live
11. Teeth
12. Untitled
13. It’s A Fine Day
NEW VIDEO FOR “LIONHEARTED”
DEBUT ALBUM “WRITING OF BLUES AND YELLOWS” AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 23 VIA COLUMBIA RECORDSSeventeen-year-old British musician Billie Marten is pleased to unveil the video for new single “Lionhearted,” featured on her forthcoming debut album,
Writing of Blues And Yellows
, available everywhere September 23 via Columbia Records in the U.S. Watch “Lionhearted” today:http://smarturl.it/LionheartedVid.Directed by Allie Avital (Chairlift, Yumi Zouma, Mutual Benefit), the video finds Marten surrounded by chaos, as she remains a figure of quiet, contemplative solace.
“It was something new and bright for me. Working with Allie and the whole group was incredibly lovely (even if the day was 17 hours). The finished thing is something everyone should be proud of,” Billie says of the video.
Recorded in London and produced by Rich Cooper, “Lionhearted” is a song “written for people who don’t feel they quite know what they’re doing. It’s about the lack of confidence and difficulty of getting into that healthy way of thinking.”
Hailing from the cathedral city of Ripon in North Yorkshire, Billie Marten has music in her blood, growing up listening to the works of John Martyn, Laura Marling, David Bowie, Portishead and Loudon Wainwright. At the age of eight, given a guitar and taught four chords by her father, Billie wrote her first song.
The thirteen songs that form Writing of Blues And Yellows are as remarkable for their folksy beauty as they are the age of their creator. Intimate and wise, and allowed the time and space to breathe, each song spins with those unhurried, enchanting lyrics that linger long after they have left Billie’s lips via her pure, otherworldly voice. It’s a record that signals the introduction of a very special young British talent.
Writing of Blues and Yellows Tracklisting:
1. La Lune
2. Bird
3. Lionhearted
4. Emily
5. Milk & Honey
6. Green
7. Heavy Weather
8. Unaware
9. Hello Sunshine
10. Live
11. Teeth
12. Untitled
13. It’s A Fine Day
Todd Rundgren @ Pershing Square
Last show of a great season. Please join us for Todd Rundgren & Sofi Tukker. 5 bars, food trucks & ice cream.
August 17, 2016
DESERT DAZE more bands added
PHASE THREE, DAILY LINEUPS, and SINGLE DAY TICKETS are here for #DesertDaze2016!
SHARE THIS poster and enter to win (2) 3-day VIP bundle packages (including camping)
Phase Three lineup additions -
Godspeed You! Black EmperorToro y MoiFoxygen The RaveonettesJennylee (of Warpaint)Radio MoscowS U R V I V ELSD & The Search for GodThe KnittsRAID (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance)
Limited Single Day Early Bird tickets and Single Day Camping options are on sale now -http://ticketf.ly/2bxAXRa
The Faint Share "Skylab1979" Video With Pitchfork; CAPSULE:1999-2016 Due This Fall via Saddle Creek
The Faint Share "Skylab1979" Video With PitchforkCAPSULE:1999-2016 Due This Fall via Saddle CreekOn Tour This Fall With Gang Of Four & Pictureplane 
photo credit: Bill Sitzmann
Watch: "Skylab1979" official video via Pitchfork or YouTubeStream: "Skylab1979" via Noisey or YouTube
Stream: "Young & Realistic" via Streaming Services The Faint is set to release CAPSULE:1999-2016 on CD and digitally on September 30 and 2xLP on October 28 via Saddle Creek. CAPSULE:1999-2016 is available to pre-order now in the Saddle Creek online store. The 2xLP is pressed on silver vinyl and the first pressing of the album will contain a bonus 7" featuring "Skylab1979" and "ESP." Today the band shared the official video for "Skylab1979" with Pitchfork . The video was directed by The Faint's Todd Fink and Graham Ulicny. Todd Fink says, "It's a historical song so I thought it'd be nice to pair it with a bunch of old archival footage from NASA educational films. Graham suggested adding some personal touches. We filmed each other playing the song (keyboard/vox) and then started experimenting with video synthesizers to make it all more cohesive." "Skylab1979" is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. CAPSULE:1999-2016 is a retrospective collection that represents a golden era for The Faint. The album includes 16 of their most beloved songs from five albums and is an excellent primer for new fans or a classic collection for those who’ve been nodding along since the Blank-Wave Arcadedays. Earlier this month, Noisey premiered a stream of “Skylab1979,” one of two new tracks appearing on the album in addition to the recently released “Young & Realistic."The Omaha-based band had been kicking around for four years prior to that period, but had a hard time hitting their stride. “We didn’t make anything we really liked until 1999,” frontman Todd Fink laughs. The Faint released some initial material that fit in with the times—reminiscent of the post-punk sounds of Fugazi and other Dischord Records bands—but wasn’t anything spectacular, lacking the distinct personality that would eventually come to define them. It was in writing “Worked Up So Sexual,” the hit single from 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade, that the band struck their jackpot moment. They discovered an entirely original fusion of synth sounds over a blaring rock background, one that was as catchy as it was danceable. Just like that, the Faint captured lightning in a bottle. “I felt lucky... like, blessed or something,” Fink remembers. “By the time we’d actually recorded those songs, we were like, ‘Yeah, this is where it’s at.’ We were excited to go play basement shows and little bars and halls and just bring the music that we hunted down, that felt like us.”Still reveling in the success of their newfound identity, the band added death metal guitarist Dapose and released their masterpiece, Danse Macabre, in 2001, one of Saddle Creek’s all-time “big three” albums, right up there with Cursive’s The Ugly Organ and Bright Eyes’ Lifted. It was a dark and sinister work that could still be enjoyed on the dance floor. Songs like “Agenda Suicide” and “Glass Danse” forced blasts of disorienting techno beats into aggressive, almost industrial noise that leaned heavily on filthy bass lines. The album exploded, and their weirdo melange of genres brought them a sizeable audience dancing along. Armed with their new, dynamic sound, the band released an onslaught onto unsuspecting crowds around the country—a bombastic audio/visual assault of strobe lights, keyboards, and dance-punk. At times, they were convinced that their esoteric style of punk with a fun twist was bound to turn people off, but to their surprise, the Faint began to catch on. Over the next few years, they continued to evolve on Wet from Birth in 2004 and Fasciinatiion in 2008, before taking a hiatus prior to returning for their anticipated 2014 album, Doom Abuse. CAPSULE:1999-2016 serves to bookend this remarkable 17-year period for the Omaha vets, a time which saw them as imitable pioneers of electro-punk. In addition to highlighting songs from five of The Faint’s most popular albums, CAPSULE:1999-2016 features three new songs. The recently released single, “Young & Realistic,” and two bonus unreleased songs: “Skylab1979” and “ESP,” all of which feature latest member Graham Ulicny (Reptar) on synth duties. The new songs give a glimpse of what’s to come for The Faint, as they embark on a new chapter in their long, influential career.The Faint have also announced North American fall tour dates with Gang Of Four and Brooklyn-based electronic artist Pictureplane. The upcoming tour kicks off on September 29 in Minneapolis at First Avenue and make stops in major cities including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles. The tour will conclude with a hometown show in Omaha on Halloween at Sokol Auditorium. The Faint will also be performing at The Growlers’ Beach Goth V festival taking place in Orange County, California. The festival will also include sets from Bon Iver, James Blake, Justice, Future Islands, Devendra Banhart, The Drums, Cold Cave, Wild Nothing, Hinds and HEALTH. Advance tickets and the full line up can be found HERE . All upcoming shows are listed below.
The Faint Tour Dates 09.29 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *09.30 - Chicago, IL @ Metro *10.01 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *10.02 - Toronto, ON, Canada @ Danforth Music Hall *10.05 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *10.06 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall *10.07 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero Theatre *10.08 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *10.10 - Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *10.11 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage *10.13 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues *10.14 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall *10.15 - Austin, TX @ Emo's *10.17 - Scottsdale, AZ @ LiveWire *10.18 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park *10.20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater *10.21 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl *10.22 - 10.23 - Santa Ana, CA @ Beach Goth V10.23 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *10.25 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *10.26 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *10.28 - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue *10.29 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre *10.31 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium * * with Gang Of Four & Pictureplane
photo credit: Bill Sitzmann
Watch: "Skylab1979" official video via Pitchfork or YouTubeStream: "Skylab1979" via Noisey or YouTubeStream: "Young & Realistic" via Streaming Services The Faint is set to release CAPSULE:1999-2016 on CD and digitally on September 30 and 2xLP on October 28 via Saddle Creek. CAPSULE:1999-2016 is available to pre-order now in the Saddle Creek online store. The 2xLP is pressed on silver vinyl and the first pressing of the album will contain a bonus 7" featuring "Skylab1979" and "ESP." Today the band shared the official video for "Skylab1979" with Pitchfork . The video was directed by The Faint's Todd Fink and Graham Ulicny. Todd Fink says, "It's a historical song so I thought it'd be nice to pair it with a bunch of old archival footage from NASA educational films. Graham suggested adding some personal touches. We filmed each other playing the song (keyboard/vox) and then started experimenting with video synthesizers to make it all more cohesive." "Skylab1979" is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. CAPSULE:1999-2016 is a retrospective collection that represents a golden era for The Faint. The album includes 16 of their most beloved songs from five albums and is an excellent primer for new fans or a classic collection for those who’ve been nodding along since the Blank-Wave Arcadedays. Earlier this month, Noisey premiered a stream of “Skylab1979,” one of two new tracks appearing on the album in addition to the recently released “Young & Realistic."The Omaha-based band had been kicking around for four years prior to that period, but had a hard time hitting their stride. “We didn’t make anything we really liked until 1999,” frontman Todd Fink laughs. The Faint released some initial material that fit in with the times—reminiscent of the post-punk sounds of Fugazi and other Dischord Records bands—but wasn’t anything spectacular, lacking the distinct personality that would eventually come to define them. It was in writing “Worked Up So Sexual,” the hit single from 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade, that the band struck their jackpot moment. They discovered an entirely original fusion of synth sounds over a blaring rock background, one that was as catchy as it was danceable. Just like that, the Faint captured lightning in a bottle. “I felt lucky... like, blessed or something,” Fink remembers. “By the time we’d actually recorded those songs, we were like, ‘Yeah, this is where it’s at.’ We were excited to go play basement shows and little bars and halls and just bring the music that we hunted down, that felt like us.”Still reveling in the success of their newfound identity, the band added death metal guitarist Dapose and released their masterpiece, Danse Macabre, in 2001, one of Saddle Creek’s all-time “big three” albums, right up there with Cursive’s The Ugly Organ and Bright Eyes’ Lifted. It was a dark and sinister work that could still be enjoyed on the dance floor. Songs like “Agenda Suicide” and “Glass Danse” forced blasts of disorienting techno beats into aggressive, almost industrial noise that leaned heavily on filthy bass lines. The album exploded, and their weirdo melange of genres brought them a sizeable audience dancing along. Armed with their new, dynamic sound, the band released an onslaught onto unsuspecting crowds around the country—a bombastic audio/visual assault of strobe lights, keyboards, and dance-punk. At times, they were convinced that their esoteric style of punk with a fun twist was bound to turn people off, but to their surprise, the Faint began to catch on. Over the next few years, they continued to evolve on Wet from Birth in 2004 and Fasciinatiion in 2008, before taking a hiatus prior to returning for their anticipated 2014 album, Doom Abuse. CAPSULE:1999-2016 serves to bookend this remarkable 17-year period for the Omaha vets, a time which saw them as imitable pioneers of electro-punk. In addition to highlighting songs from five of The Faint’s most popular albums, CAPSULE:1999-2016 features three new songs. The recently released single, “Young & Realistic,” and two bonus unreleased songs: “Skylab1979” and “ESP,” all of which feature latest member Graham Ulicny (Reptar) on synth duties. The new songs give a glimpse of what’s to come for The Faint, as they embark on a new chapter in their long, influential career.The Faint have also announced North American fall tour dates with Gang Of Four and Brooklyn-based electronic artist Pictureplane. The upcoming tour kicks off on September 29 in Minneapolis at First Avenue and make stops in major cities including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles. The tour will conclude with a hometown show in Omaha on Halloween at Sokol Auditorium. The Faint will also be performing at The Growlers’ Beach Goth V festival taking place in Orange County, California. The festival will also include sets from Bon Iver, James Blake, Justice, Future Islands, Devendra Banhart, The Drums, Cold Cave, Wild Nothing, Hinds and HEALTH. Advance tickets and the full line up can be found HERE . All upcoming shows are listed below.
The Faint Tour Dates 09.29 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *09.30 - Chicago, IL @ Metro *10.01 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *10.02 - Toronto, ON, Canada @ Danforth Music Hall *10.05 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *10.06 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall *10.07 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero Theatre *10.08 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *10.10 - Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *10.11 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage *10.13 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues *10.14 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall *10.15 - Austin, TX @ Emo's *10.17 - Scottsdale, AZ @ LiveWire *10.18 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park *10.20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater *10.21 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl *10.22 - 10.23 - Santa Ana, CA @ Beach Goth V10.23 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *10.25 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *10.26 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *10.28 - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue *10.29 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre *10.31 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium * * with Gang Of Four & Pictureplane
Robert Pollard and Quasi Skateboards Announce Skateboard Deck Collaboration
Robert Pollard and Quasi Skateboards Announce
Skateboard Deck Collaboration
Dayton Ohio's renowned Quasi Skateboards have hooked up with Gem City rock deities Guided By Voices. An extremely limited edition skateboard will feature the extraordinary collage art of GBV's multi-talented Robert Pollard. Based on his X-Ville: Catalogue #1733 collage, featured in Volume 11 of Pollard's art journal EAT, the stylish deck will be available in 200 stores worldwide and available for mail-order for just 3 weeks, deadline September 7. The deck can be ordered via Rockathon Records' website - http://rockathonrecords.com/
Quasi Skateboards, started in 2015, has quickly made a name for themselves with their evocative graphics, coveted pro team and impressive attention to detail. They came onto the skate scene as a breath of fresh air and with each new release have kept their growing audience simultaneously intrigued and confused. From stark minimalism to Dada-esque abstractions, Quasi always offers something that is distinctly their own.
This collaboration with Robert Pollard is no exception. Everyone at Quasi has been long time fans of GBV, and all things Bob, so this offering is a celebration of that. Through this partnership, Quasi hopes to prove once again that it’s worth keeping your eye on Dayton, Ohio. Man, you needn’t travel far.
LINKS
Website - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram
Skateboard Deck Collaboration
Dayton Ohio's renowned Quasi Skateboards have hooked up with Gem City rock deities Guided By Voices. An extremely limited edition skateboard will feature the extraordinary collage art of GBV's multi-talented Robert Pollard. Based on his X-Ville: Catalogue #1733 collage, featured in Volume 11 of Pollard's art journal EAT, the stylish deck will be available in 200 stores worldwide and available for mail-order for just 3 weeks, deadline September 7. The deck can be ordered via Rockathon Records' website - http://rockathonrecords.com/Quasi Skateboards, started in 2015, has quickly made a name for themselves with their evocative graphics, coveted pro team and impressive attention to detail. They came onto the skate scene as a breath of fresh air and with each new release have kept their growing audience simultaneously intrigued and confused. From stark minimalism to Dada-esque abstractions, Quasi always offers something that is distinctly their own.
This collaboration with Robert Pollard is no exception. Everyone at Quasi has been long time fans of GBV, and all things Bob, so this offering is a celebration of that. Through this partnership, Quasi hopes to prove once again that it’s worth keeping your eye on Dayton, Ohio. Man, you needn’t travel far.
LINKSWebsite - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram
August 16, 2016
Colin Newman (of WIRE) Announces Reissues Of Three Classic Solo Albums
Colin Newman (of WIRE) Announces Reissues Of Three Classic Solo Albums
‘A-Z’/ ‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’/ ‘Not To’ Due October 28th Via Sentient Sonics
Colin Newman is best known as singer and chief songwriter with the ground breaking post-punk band WIRE. From their internationally influential 1977 debut ‘Pink Flag’ right up to 2016’s critical acclaimed ‘Nocturnal Koreans’, Newman and Wire have always been at music’s cutting edge. Throughout 1980-82, Newman released a series of solo work. From sound-tracking The Silence of the Lambs to being covered by This Mortal Coil, this solo work sought a place in history in it’s own right and has been unavailable for many years. Today we announce the reissue of three of Colin Newman’s classic solo records, to be made available in on October 28th via his own new imprint
Sentient Sonics
(originally released via Beggars Banquet/ 4AD):
‘A-Z’ (1980)‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’ (1981)‘Not To’ (1982)The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ vinyl release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, released as three single albums. The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ CD release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, each accompanied by a companion CD of extra tracks, B-sides & demos - many of which have never been released before, which will be released as 3 double-CDs. Pre-order here: https://swim.greedbag.com/colinnewman/
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘A-Z’Single Vinyl (SS01 LP) // Double CD (SS01/02 CD)In 1980, Newman released his debut solo album
‘A-Z’
, which, as the title suggests, offers up a wide spectrum of musical approaches and sees multiple envelopes being pushed. Now, for the first time, the album has been completely re-mastered, and is augmented with an additional disc of bonus tracks, including out-takes, alternate versions, B-sides, demos and home recordings.
‘A-Z’
picks up exactly where Wire’s classic first three albums left off. In fact, Newman’s debut is one of post-punk’s great lost masterpieces, mixing slanted lyrics, fizzing analogue synths and Newman’s trademark angular guitar work. Highlights include the bass propelled stomp of album opener ‘I’ve Waited Ages’, which features heavily distorted guitar loops and some seriously bizarre lyrics which could give Spike Milligan a run for his money. While the Syd Barrett on steroids mania of ’S-S-S-Star Eyes’ sees Newman constructing a strangely catchy song from just one note, around which are woven numerous counter melodies.Elsewhere, the melancholic and brooding ‘Alone’ (which has text by Wire’s Graham Lewis) propels itself into view with such majestic menace that it would later earn a well deserved place on the‘Silence of the Lambs’ soundtrack. Despite the unforced experimentation, tracks such as ‘Inventory’, with its brisk guitar and synth stylings, prove that Newman never lost touch with his ‘pop side’. As the NME review of the time so accurately observed,
‘A-Z’
is “An album in which experiment and accessibility co-exist”.The CD only
‘A-Z’
bonus disc includes an additional 17 tracks - only 4 of which have previously been released. The demos recorded at Riverside Studios, are a revelation. Without the more obvious studio interventions of their final incarnations, tracks such as ‘But No’ and ‘The Classic Remains’ offer startlingly different takes on the material. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the demo of‘Life on Deck’. While the album version is heavy with absurdist punk abrasion, the original comes over as a piece of hook laden guitar pop. Other treats include the poignant ‘Alone on Piano’ which does exactly what it says in the title, and one of Newman’s great lost songs ‘Not Me’ - later covered by This Mortal Coil on their epochal album ‘It’ll End in Tears’. Meanwhile, Newman’s original lo-fi home demos present the songs in more stark, experimental form.
‘A-Z’
shows Newman at the height of his powers, fashioning music which sounded utterly unlike anything else at the time. Or indeed since.
A–Z - Vinyl & CD disc 1 tracklist:1. I’ve Waited Ages / 2. & Jury / 3. Alone/ 4. Order for Order / 5. Image 6. Life on Deck / 7. Troisième / 8. S-S-S-Star Eyes / 9. Seconds to Last 10. Inventory / 11. But No / 12. BA–Z - CD disc 2 track list:Studio Demos1. Life on Deck / 2. The Classic Remains / 3. Don’t Bring Reminders / 4. Image 5. Not Me / 6. But No / 7. Troisième / 8. I’ve Waited Ages/ 9. Order for OrderStudio Recordings10. Alone on Piano / 11. The Classic RemainsHome Studio Demos12. Order for Order / 13. Not Me / 14. The Classic Remains / 15. Troisième 16. Standard Practice/ 17. Part of Our HistoryA–Z CD 1 Performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, MIKE THORNE, COLIN NEWMAN + CHARLES BULLEN (clarinet, Track 7). Producer: MIKE THORNE. Recorded at Scorpio Sound (London). Engineers: DENNIS WEINREICH & STEVE PARKER. Original paintings by COLIN NEWMAN. Paintings & design re–imagined by BEN NEWMAN.A–Z CD 2 Tracks 1–9 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Riverside Recordings (Chiswick). Track 10 performed by MIKE THORNE & COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Media Sound (New York). Track 11 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, MIKE THORNE, COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Scorpio Sound (London). Tracks 12–17 performed by COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded in West Norwood.
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’Single Vinyl (SS03 LP) // Double CD (SS03/04 CD)Colin Newman’s second solo album, the perversely named
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
, was released in 1981 and proves that Newman was more than able to work outside the traditional rock format.A collection of imaginary soundtrack pieces in the manner of Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Films’,
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
is a diverse collection of instrumentals, encompassing the atmospheric, the abstract and the thrillingly propulsive. Now, for the first time, this album has been completely remastered and augmented with a whole disc of additional tracks, including alternate vocal versions, B-sides and demo recordings.Sounds described it as “Wonderfully cinematic”. And it’s not hard to see why. Witness the misty, ambient marshes of ‘Fish 4’, or the tripped out Morricone-esque soundscape of ‘Fish 11’. But there are moments of intensity here too. Check out the deliriously insistent krautrock of ‘Fish 7’, or ’Fish 9’, where Newman speeds up the rhythm tracks to dadaist effect. The album as a whole displays a true desire to endlessly experiment.Newman’s first self produced set, its ambition and scope show why he would go on to become producer of choice for post punk luminaries such as Minimal Compact and Virgin Prunes.The CD only bonus disc presents an additional 20 tracks, only 5 of which have previously seen the light of day. There’s a number of fascinating vocal versions of the Fish tracks, including the wide eyed ‘No Doubt’ (‘Fish 1’) and the skeletal psych of ‘You And Your Dog’ (‘Fish 11‘). Meanwhile, Newman’s home recordings from the era reveal that aside from experimenting with more abstract soundscapes, he was also simultaneously developing a set of vocal songs. Of particular note are the fuzz bass driven ‘Is It Worth Repeating?’ which features one of Newman’s most relaxed vocals and the airy Canterbury Scene stylings of ‘Crystal Clear’. In contrast, the menacingly insistent ‘Vox Pop’ sees a snarling vocal riding atop waves of pulsing distorted guitars.In the late 80s, numerous artists as diverse as Barry Adamson and In The Nursery would go on to release so called imaginary soundtracks. But with 1981’s
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
Newman proved that, as ever, he was well ahead of the curve.
provisionally entitled the singing fish - Vinyl & CD disc 1 track list:1. fish1 /2. fish2/3. fish3/4. fish4/5. fish5/6. fish6/7. fish7 8. fish8/9. fish9/10.fish10/11.fish11/12.fish12provisionally entitled the singing fish - CD disc 2 track listStudio Recordings1. You and Your Dog / 2. Here Come the Fleeing Rabbits / 3. No Doubt 4. The Grace You Know / 5. This PictureHome Studio Demos6. fish 9 / 7. fish 11 / 8. Crystal Clear / 9. A Passing Parade / 10. Soft Option 11. Original Suicide / 12. You and Your Dog / 13. Is It Worth Repeating?
14. It Isn’t Quite Enough / 15. I Can Feel It / 16. Atmos 1 / 17. Atmos 2
18. Now You Know / 19. Kiora Kora / 20. Vox Pop
provisionally entitled the singing fish CD 1 Instruments, mouth noise, cover and production: COLIN NEWMAN. Engineering and facilitating: STEVE PARKER. Track 9 drums ROBERT GREY. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London). Photographs by ANNETTE GREEN.provisionally entitled the singing fish CD 2 Tracks 1–4 additional recording by JOHN FRYER at Blackwing Studio (London). Track 5 recorded by STEVE PARKER at Scorpio Sound (London). Tracks 6–9 & 11–20 performed by COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded in West Norwood. Track 10 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, SIMON GILLHAM, COLIN NEWMAN in Rob’s basement studio in Brixton.
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘Not To’ Single Vinyl (SS05 LP) // Double CD (SS05/06 CD)Newman’s third album
‘Not To’
(1982) is probably the finest of them all. Now, for the first time, the album has been completely remastered and augmented with a whole additional disc of unreleased tracks.
‘Not To’
sees Newman developing his distinctive art-rock in a more melodic pop direction. Songs such as the gorgeous ‘Lorries‘ with its chiming Byrds-like guitars and serpentine bass line, or the reflective‘Remove For Improvement’, contribute to an album with a strong psychedelic sensibility - complete with an unexpected Beatles cover - a deeply woozy take on George Harrison’s ‘Blue Jay Way’.Other highlights include the beautiful, meditative title track and the minimalist stream of consciousness of ‘Truculent Yet’. Where Newman’s previous albums had foregrounded studio experimentation,
‘Not To’
keeps the focus clearly on the band dynamic. For this reason, the collection of songs has a timelessness which many albums of the period lack. Contemporary reviews were unstinting in their praise. NME called it “icicle-cool pop” . Hot Press described it as “Newman’s most commercial offering to date... this man could be a major force.” While Melody Maker summed it up even more neatly; “Originality and a determined lack of compromise...what more could you want?”The additional disc presents the luminous single ‘We Means We Starts’ alongside 21 previously unreleased songs, which essentially constitute the demos for what would have been Newman’s 4th solo album. And it turns out it would have included some absolute gems. ‘But Either Way’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Wire’s ‘154’, while the fizzingly optimistic ‘You Must Decide’ is up there with Newman’s finest songs. Some of the demos also feature early sequencer work which point towards both Wire’s mid-80s incarnation and the ideas Newman would develop in his later solo work. Another treat is an early incarnation of the
‘Not To’
track ‘1, 2, 3, Beep Beep’ . Far superior to the quirky album cut, here it comes across as much more intense, yet also far more melodic.What shines out from both
‘Not To’
itself and these demo recordings is an abundance of ideas and approaches, showing an artist with an ever evolving creative drive.Not To - Vinyl & CD disc 1 track list:1. Lorries / 2. Don’t Bring Reminders / 3. You, Me and Happy
4. We Meet Under Tables / 5. Safe / 6. Truculent Yet / 7. 5/10
8. 1, 2, 3, Beep, Beep / 9. Not To / 10. Indians! / 11. Remove for Improvement 12. Blue Jay WayNot To - CD disc 2 track list:Home Studio Demos1. Truculent Yet / 2. Remove for Improvement / 3. You, Me and Happy
4. 1, 2, 3, Beep, Beep / 5. I’m Still Here / 6. It’s Just My Heart
7. If Time Had Been / 8. Hello Mr. Sandman / 9. Greensleeves / 10. This Time 11. Keeping It to Myself / 12. You Must Decide / 13. Don’t You Disagree?
14. Lunaris / 15. At Rest / 16. A Word in Your Ear / 17. Where Was I? / 18. Wo Hoe 19. But Either Way / 20. We Means We Starts / 21. Ye Rama Dabble AmStudio Recording22. We Means We StartsNot To CD 1 Music performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, SIMON GILLHAM, COLIN NEWMAN + BRUCE GILBERT (guitar, Track 10 ). Produced by COLIN NEWMAN. Engineered by STEVE PARKER. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London). Cover by ANNETTE GREEN.Text tracks 3,5 & 7 GRAHAM LEWIS, track 11 BRUCE GILBERT all other tracks COLIN NEWMAN.Not To CD 2 Tracks 1–21 performed by COLIN NEWMAN + ROBERT GREY (drums, Tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9–12, 14, 17, 19, 21). Tracks 1–4 recorded in West Norwood. Tracks 5–13 recorded in Chalford, Gloucestershire. Tracks 14–21 recorded in West Norwood. Track 22 performed by SIMON GILLHAM, CHARLES ARTHUR, TOM MORLEY, COLIN NEWMAN. Engineered by STEVE PARKER. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London).
‘A-Z’/ ‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’/ ‘Not To’ Due October 28th Via Sentient Sonics
Colin Newman is best known as singer and chief songwriter with the ground breaking post-punk band WIRE. From their internationally influential 1977 debut ‘Pink Flag’ right up to 2016’s critical acclaimed ‘Nocturnal Koreans’, Newman and Wire have always been at music’s cutting edge. Throughout 1980-82, Newman released a series of solo work. From sound-tracking The Silence of the Lambs to being covered by This Mortal Coil, this solo work sought a place in history in it’s own right and has been unavailable for many years. Today we announce the reissue of three of Colin Newman’s classic solo records, to be made available in on October 28th via his own new imprint
Sentient Sonics
(originally released via Beggars Banquet/ 4AD):‘A-Z’ (1980)‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’ (1981)‘Not To’ (1982)The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ vinyl release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, released as three single albums. The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ CD release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, each accompanied by a companion CD of extra tracks, B-sides & demos - many of which have never been released before, which will be released as 3 double-CDs. Pre-order here: https://swim.greedbag.com/colinnewman/
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘A-Z’Single Vinyl (SS01 LP) // Double CD (SS01/02 CD)In 1980, Newman released his debut solo album
‘A-Z’
, which, as the title suggests, offers up a wide spectrum of musical approaches and sees multiple envelopes being pushed. Now, for the first time, the album has been completely re-mastered, and is augmented with an additional disc of bonus tracks, including out-takes, alternate versions, B-sides, demos and home recordings.
‘A-Z’
picks up exactly where Wire’s classic first three albums left off. In fact, Newman’s debut is one of post-punk’s great lost masterpieces, mixing slanted lyrics, fizzing analogue synths and Newman’s trademark angular guitar work. Highlights include the bass propelled stomp of album opener ‘I’ve Waited Ages’, which features heavily distorted guitar loops and some seriously bizarre lyrics which could give Spike Milligan a run for his money. While the Syd Barrett on steroids mania of ’S-S-S-Star Eyes’ sees Newman constructing a strangely catchy song from just one note, around which are woven numerous counter melodies.Elsewhere, the melancholic and brooding ‘Alone’ (which has text by Wire’s Graham Lewis) propels itself into view with such majestic menace that it would later earn a well deserved place on the‘Silence of the Lambs’ soundtrack. Despite the unforced experimentation, tracks such as ‘Inventory’, with its brisk guitar and synth stylings, prove that Newman never lost touch with his ‘pop side’. As the NME review of the time so accurately observed,
‘A-Z’
is “An album in which experiment and accessibility co-exist”.The CD only
‘A-Z’
bonus disc includes an additional 17 tracks - only 4 of which have previously been released. The demos recorded at Riverside Studios, are a revelation. Without the more obvious studio interventions of their final incarnations, tracks such as ‘But No’ and ‘The Classic Remains’ offer startlingly different takes on the material. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the demo of‘Life on Deck’. While the album version is heavy with absurdist punk abrasion, the original comes over as a piece of hook laden guitar pop. Other treats include the poignant ‘Alone on Piano’ which does exactly what it says in the title, and one of Newman’s great lost songs ‘Not Me’ - later covered by This Mortal Coil on their epochal album ‘It’ll End in Tears’. Meanwhile, Newman’s original lo-fi home demos present the songs in more stark, experimental form.
‘A-Z’
shows Newman at the height of his powers, fashioning music which sounded utterly unlike anything else at the time. Or indeed since.A–Z - Vinyl & CD disc 1 tracklist:1. I’ve Waited Ages / 2. & Jury / 3. Alone/ 4. Order for Order / 5. Image 6. Life on Deck / 7. Troisième / 8. S-S-S-Star Eyes / 9. Seconds to Last 10. Inventory / 11. But No / 12. BA–Z - CD disc 2 track list:Studio Demos1. Life on Deck / 2. The Classic Remains / 3. Don’t Bring Reminders / 4. Image 5. Not Me / 6. But No / 7. Troisième / 8. I’ve Waited Ages/ 9. Order for OrderStudio Recordings10. Alone on Piano / 11. The Classic RemainsHome Studio Demos12. Order for Order / 13. Not Me / 14. The Classic Remains / 15. Troisième 16. Standard Practice/ 17. Part of Our HistoryA–Z CD 1 Performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, MIKE THORNE, COLIN NEWMAN + CHARLES BULLEN (clarinet, Track 7). Producer: MIKE THORNE. Recorded at Scorpio Sound (London). Engineers: DENNIS WEINREICH & STEVE PARKER. Original paintings by COLIN NEWMAN. Paintings & design re–imagined by BEN NEWMAN.A–Z CD 2 Tracks 1–9 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Riverside Recordings (Chiswick). Track 10 performed by MIKE THORNE & COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Media Sound (New York). Track 11 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, MIKE THORNE, COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded at Scorpio Sound (London). Tracks 12–17 performed by COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded in West Norwood.
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’Single Vinyl (SS03 LP) // Double CD (SS03/04 CD)Colin Newman’s second solo album, the perversely named
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
, was released in 1981 and proves that Newman was more than able to work outside the traditional rock format.A collection of imaginary soundtrack pieces in the manner of Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Films’,
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
is a diverse collection of instrumentals, encompassing the atmospheric, the abstract and the thrillingly propulsive. Now, for the first time, this album has been completely remastered and augmented with a whole disc of additional tracks, including alternate vocal versions, B-sides and demo recordings.Sounds described it as “Wonderfully cinematic”. And it’s not hard to see why. Witness the misty, ambient marshes of ‘Fish 4’, or the tripped out Morricone-esque soundscape of ‘Fish 11’. But there are moments of intensity here too. Check out the deliriously insistent krautrock of ‘Fish 7’, or ’Fish 9’, where Newman speeds up the rhythm tracks to dadaist effect. The album as a whole displays a true desire to endlessly experiment.Newman’s first self produced set, its ambition and scope show why he would go on to become producer of choice for post punk luminaries such as Minimal Compact and Virgin Prunes.The CD only bonus disc presents an additional 20 tracks, only 5 of which have previously seen the light of day. There’s a number of fascinating vocal versions of the Fish tracks, including the wide eyed ‘No Doubt’ (‘Fish 1’) and the skeletal psych of ‘You And Your Dog’ (‘Fish 11‘). Meanwhile, Newman’s home recordings from the era reveal that aside from experimenting with more abstract soundscapes, he was also simultaneously developing a set of vocal songs. Of particular note are the fuzz bass driven ‘Is It Worth Repeating?’ which features one of Newman’s most relaxed vocals and the airy Canterbury Scene stylings of ‘Crystal Clear’. In contrast, the menacingly insistent ‘Vox Pop’ sees a snarling vocal riding atop waves of pulsing distorted guitars.In the late 80s, numerous artists as diverse as Barry Adamson and In The Nursery would go on to release so called imaginary soundtracks. But with 1981’s
‘provisionally entitled the singing fish’
Newman proved that, as ever, he was well ahead of the curve.provisionally entitled the singing fish - Vinyl & CD disc 1 track list:1. fish1 /2. fish2/3. fish3/4. fish4/5. fish5/6. fish6/7. fish7 8. fish8/9. fish9/10.fish10/11.fish11/12.fish12provisionally entitled the singing fish - CD disc 2 track listStudio Recordings1. You and Your Dog / 2. Here Come the Fleeing Rabbits / 3. No Doubt 4. The Grace You Know / 5. This PictureHome Studio Demos6. fish 9 / 7. fish 11 / 8. Crystal Clear / 9. A Passing Parade / 10. Soft Option 11. Original Suicide / 12. You and Your Dog / 13. Is It Worth Repeating?
14. It Isn’t Quite Enough / 15. I Can Feel It / 16. Atmos 1 / 17. Atmos 2
18. Now You Know / 19. Kiora Kora / 20. Vox Pop
provisionally entitled the singing fish CD 1 Instruments, mouth noise, cover and production: COLIN NEWMAN. Engineering and facilitating: STEVE PARKER. Track 9 drums ROBERT GREY. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London). Photographs by ANNETTE GREEN.provisionally entitled the singing fish CD 2 Tracks 1–4 additional recording by JOHN FRYER at Blackwing Studio (London). Track 5 recorded by STEVE PARKER at Scorpio Sound (London). Tracks 6–9 & 11–20 performed by COLIN NEWMAN. Recorded in West Norwood. Track 10 performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, SIMON GILLHAM, COLIN NEWMAN in Rob’s basement studio in Brixton.
COLIN NEWMAN - ‘Not To’ Single Vinyl (SS05 LP) // Double CD (SS05/06 CD)Newman’s third album
‘Not To’
(1982) is probably the finest of them all. Now, for the first time, the album has been completely remastered and augmented with a whole additional disc of unreleased tracks.
‘Not To’
sees Newman developing his distinctive art-rock in a more melodic pop direction. Songs such as the gorgeous ‘Lorries‘ with its chiming Byrds-like guitars and serpentine bass line, or the reflective‘Remove For Improvement’, contribute to an album with a strong psychedelic sensibility - complete with an unexpected Beatles cover - a deeply woozy take on George Harrison’s ‘Blue Jay Way’.Other highlights include the beautiful, meditative title track and the minimalist stream of consciousness of ‘Truculent Yet’. Where Newman’s previous albums had foregrounded studio experimentation,
‘Not To’
keeps the focus clearly on the band dynamic. For this reason, the collection of songs has a timelessness which many albums of the period lack. Contemporary reviews were unstinting in their praise. NME called it “icicle-cool pop” . Hot Press described it as “Newman’s most commercial offering to date... this man could be a major force.” While Melody Maker summed it up even more neatly; “Originality and a determined lack of compromise...what more could you want?”The additional disc presents the luminous single ‘We Means We Starts’ alongside 21 previously unreleased songs, which essentially constitute the demos for what would have been Newman’s 4th solo album. And it turns out it would have included some absolute gems. ‘But Either Way’ wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Wire’s ‘154’, while the fizzingly optimistic ‘You Must Decide’ is up there with Newman’s finest songs. Some of the demos also feature early sequencer work which point towards both Wire’s mid-80s incarnation and the ideas Newman would develop in his later solo work. Another treat is an early incarnation of the
‘Not To’
track ‘1, 2, 3, Beep Beep’ . Far superior to the quirky album cut, here it comes across as much more intense, yet also far more melodic.What shines out from both
‘Not To’
itself and these demo recordings is an abundance of ideas and approaches, showing an artist with an ever evolving creative drive.Not To - Vinyl & CD disc 1 track list:1. Lorries / 2. Don’t Bring Reminders / 3. You, Me and Happy4. We Meet Under Tables / 5. Safe / 6. Truculent Yet / 7. 5/10
8. 1, 2, 3, Beep, Beep / 9. Not To / 10. Indians! / 11. Remove for Improvement 12. Blue Jay WayNot To - CD disc 2 track list:Home Studio Demos1. Truculent Yet / 2. Remove for Improvement / 3. You, Me and Happy
4. 1, 2, 3, Beep, Beep / 5. I’m Still Here / 6. It’s Just My Heart
7. If Time Had Been / 8. Hello Mr. Sandman / 9. Greensleeves / 10. This Time 11. Keeping It to Myself / 12. You Must Decide / 13. Don’t You Disagree?
14. Lunaris / 15. At Rest / 16. A Word in Your Ear / 17. Where Was I? / 18. Wo Hoe 19. But Either Way / 20. We Means We Starts / 21. Ye Rama Dabble AmStudio Recording22. We Means We StartsNot To CD 1 Music performed by DESMOND SIMMONS, ROBERT GREY, SIMON GILLHAM, COLIN NEWMAN + BRUCE GILBERT (guitar, Track 10 ). Produced by COLIN NEWMAN. Engineered by STEVE PARKER. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London). Cover by ANNETTE GREEN.Text tracks 3,5 & 7 GRAHAM LEWIS, track 11 BRUCE GILBERT all other tracks COLIN NEWMAN.Not To CD 2 Tracks 1–21 performed by COLIN NEWMAN + ROBERT GREY (drums, Tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 9–12, 14, 17, 19, 21). Tracks 1–4 recorded in West Norwood. Tracks 5–13 recorded in Chalford, Gloucestershire. Tracks 14–21 recorded in West Norwood. Track 22 performed by SIMON GILLHAM, CHARLES ARTHUR, TOM MORLEY, COLIN NEWMAN. Engineered by STEVE PARKER. Recorded & mixed at Scorpio Sound (London).
