To say that Faithless‘ 1996 album, Sunday 8pm, was a monumental release at the time is a bit of an understatement. Everyone was clamoring for albums like this, for bands like Massive Attack and Portishead and, really, anything from the UK that sounded like those bands, and then Faithless comes along and proves that they weren’t a cookie cutter band in the molds of those other great bands, but one that had their own unique style that mixed ambient music, shoegaze, trip hop, dub, and, yes, spiritual music.
Consider Maxi Jazz‘s line of “Even sitting in the garden one can still get stung.” on “The Garden.” It’s a Zen reminder at the start of an album that will explore love, loss, loneliness, yearning, reunions, and separations. On “Bring My Family Back,” Jazz reminisces about working hard to get ahead and realizing, once he’s “made it” that he hasn’t really arrived at anything worthwhile. Again, more Zen.
Please check your pulse if the drums on “Hour of Need” don’t get you moving. It’s a delightful song about letting your lover know you’ll be there for them when they’re at their lowest. “Postcards” is an instant classic, with Jazz’s lyrics taken from postcards he sent home during the band’s U.S. tour. “Take the Long Way Home” isn’t a cover of the Supertramp classic (although that would be wild to hear), but rather a synth-laden dance floor classic with snappy hi-hat beats and sexy, thudding bass.
On “Why Go?”, the band sing about a lover who unexpectedly shows up and how it can be awkward to talk them into staying. Unlike, “She’s My Baby,” a wild song that has Jazz talking about his wild sex life with his gal. The only thing more sultry than the lyrics is the wicked beat throughout it. “God Is a DJ” was, and still is, another classic, with Faithless (rightfully) comparing raves and dance clubs to places of worship, fellowship, and healing. To further that symbolism, the next track is “Hem of His Garment” – which speaks of love as something to be worshipped and cherished. “Killer’s Lullaby” is another thumper, and the special edition of the album has a sharp remix by Nightmares on Wax to boot – as well as a Paul Van Dyk remix of “Bring My Family Back.”
Sunday 8pm is a classic of the mid-1990s house / rave scene that still sounds fresh today.
Shoegaze legends Slowdive decided they wanted to scale back the electronics and push more of the reverb-heavy guitars on their newest album, everything is alive. It’s a powerful decision, one made as two members of the band were grieving the loss of a parent in 2020 and trying to make sense of a world that pretty much went crazy for about two years. The album’s cover, depicting a shrouded woman in the middle of a labyrinth, captures everyone’s feelings during those years – but it also shows a way out of the maze. There was hope back then and even now.
The album starts, oddly enough, with some of the electronic beats that singer and guitarist Neil Halstead originally wanted to scale back on “shanty,” and you’re thinking, “Wait, is this going to be an electro record?” Then, the crunchy, roaring guitars step into the room and take over the whole space. “prayer remembered” is the kind of beautiful, floating track that Slowdive pull off seemingly without effort. It’s perfect for lonely drives, morning walks, lonely moments in your living room, still silences in the kitchen when you feel a ghost behind you…
Rachel Goswell‘s vocal sounds start “alife” with spooky atmospherics and then become bright and lovely during the chorus (as do the guitars from her and Halstead). “andalusia plays” ups the acoustic guitar and lets Nick Chaplin‘s bass simmer under Halstead’s vocals and lyrics about a memorable winter night. “kisses” blends shoegaze with synthwave to create a radio-friendly future hit.
“skin in the game” ups the vocal echo effects and the guitar reverb, resulting in an ethereal track that will make you drift out of your skin and up to the ceiling. “chained to a cloud” is aptly named, as the mostly instrumental track makes you feel like you’re drifting across the sky and seeing the landscape below you change as the world revolves and the sun cuts through the cloud to which you’re attached. Closing with the uplifting track entitled “the slab,” Slowdive take a phrase / object often associated with death (i.e., a body on a slab in a morgue) and make it something from which we can all rise – the slab of a bed tangled in sheets from unrestful sleep, the slab of a work desk, the slab of gray pavement during our work commute – we can rise from them and above them and remember that everything is alive. We are alive. We are part of everything, and that life, the life of the universe, really, is not only in us, but is created by us.
Thanks, Slowdive, for reminding us of this.
Keep your mind open.
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As they approach the release of their ‘Illuminated 1989’ album, the original 1989 full-length record produced by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie, trailblazing soul-influenced shoegazers The Veldtannounce North American tour dates and alsopresent the single ‘Aurora Borealis’ with Elizabeth Fraser making a cameo appearance on backing vocals towards the end. Complementing this is theB-side remix, created by The Veldt around the turn of the century.
This is the second single from the album, which Guthrie produced in autumn 1989 and has now remastered for vinyl. While intended to be the band’s first album, their label Capitol Records shelved the recording and sent them back into the studio with producer Lincoln Fong (Moose), resulting in their first album released with the title ‘Marigolds’.
Earlier, the band released the lead track‘The Everlasting Gobstopper’ digitally (with a video produced by Jammi Yorkand the late Yuko Sueta) and on vinyl, involving a B-side previously unreleased vinyl exclusive ‘Joshuu Lullaby’, also recently produced by Guthrie.
One of the most notable first-wave shoegaze bands, formed in North Carolina in the 1980s, The Veldt surrounds identical twins Daniel Chavis (vocals, guitar) and Danny Chavis (guitar). Their unique sound was influenced by Cocteau Twins as readily as Marvin Gaye and free-jazz warriors Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders. Referencing European post-punk while embracing modern hip-hop, these trailblazers work with transient dreamscapes as fluidly as solid song structures.
Pitchfork included The Veldt’s album‘Afrodisiac’, produced by the legendary Ray Shulman (The Sundays, Bjork, The Sugarcubes) and released via Mercury Records, in the top 50 shoegaze albums ever released, while Stereogum included ‘Until You’re Forever’ in the top 31 shoegaze tracks. Their sound also inspired future generations of alternative artists, including TV On the Radio.
Daniel Chavis on their inspiration for ‘Aurora Borealis’: “This song is about my brother’s love for his newborn daughter. Written out of high school and dug out around the time the band had started to get noticed. We had written so many, but it was one of the newest pieces that we had begun experimenting. This would signal our departure from being a band that made people dance to a band that made people confused. ‘The Everlasting Gobstopper’ came shortly thereafter and was being finished.”
Danny Chavis adds, “This song was written in 1986 and was included in the first batch of songs we demoed under the name VELDT. Having heard ‘Treasure’ by Cocteau Twins, this song was inspired by that very album and RUN DMC’s ‘Sucker MC’s’ around the same time that year.”
The Veldt’s journey is fascinating. Performing since they were children, the Chavis brothers’ musical roots lead back to the church and southern juke-joints, and listening to music that included gospel, Motown and Pink Floyd. The Veldt formed in the late 80’s in Raleigh amongst the legendary North Carolina music scene of the time, initially signing with Mammoth Records – leading to a chain of major-label relationships that took the group across Europe and the U.S. playing shows with the likes of Throwing Muses, Pixies, Cocteau Twins and Jesus & Mary Chain.
After moving from Raleigh to New York, they briefly performed as Apollo Heights before returning to their original name The Veldt. Joined by Japanese bassist-programmer Hayato Nakao, they together forging music that is a heady and sensual blend of shoegaze and progressive soul, dreamy soundscapes and infectious grooves. Some of the band’s recent notable releases include‘The Shocking Fuzz Of Your Electric Fur’ EP(2017) and the album ‘Entropy is the Mainline to God’ (2022).
Over the years, The Veldt has collaborated with TV On The Radio, Mos Def, Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), A.R.Kane and toured or played with Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, Phantogram, Modern English, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Chuck D, Living Colour and Schooly D.
‘Aurora Borealis’ is now available everywhere, including Apple Music, SpotifyandBandcamp. On November 24, the ‘Illuminated 1989’ album will be released on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally via Portland-based Little Cloud Recordsand 5BC Records. From October through December, The Veldt will be touring many cities and will be performing at Levitation Festival in Austinand Seattle’s KEXP, as well as playing several exclusive dates supporting Violent Femmes.
TOUR DATES SAT 10/21 = Norfolk, VA @ the NorVa w/ Violent Femmes SUN 10/22 = Richmond, VA @ the National w/ Violent Femmes MON 10/23 = Asheville, NC @ TBA TUE 10/24 = Nashville, TN @ the Underdog WED 10/25 = Memphis, TN @ Growlers THU 10/26 = Little Rock, AR @ EJ’s Drinks and Eats FRI 10/27 = Dallas, TX @ TBA SAT 10/28 = Austin, TX @ the Far Out Lounge (LEVITATION Festival) MON 11/27 = Atlanta, GA @ 529 TUE 11/28 = Birmingham, AL @ TBA WED 11/29 = New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa THU 11/30 = Houston, TX @ 1810 Ojeman FRI 12/1 = Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas SAT 12/2 = Silver City, NM @ Whiskey Creek Zocalo w/ Tremours SUN 12/3 = Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge w/ Tremours MON 12/4 = San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar w/ Tremours TUE 12/5 = Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers w/ Tremours WED 12/6 = San Francisco, CA @ Kilowatt w/ Tremours THU 12/7 = Portland, OR @ Show Bar w/ Tremours FRI 12/8 = Seattle, WA @ the Central Saloon (TremoloFest) w/ Tremours SAT 12/9 = Vancouver, BC @ TBA SUN 12/10 = Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown w/ Tremours) MON 12/11 = Eugene, OR @ Old Nick’s w/ Tremours TUE 12/12 = Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur w/ Tremours WED 12/13 = Tacoma, WA @ TBA THU 12/14 = Seattle, WA @ KEXP
Hit Me! The Best of Ian Dury is a great three-disc collection of Ian Dury classics, demo tracks, live cuts, new wave bangers, tenders ballads, and punk ragers from one of the best songwriters of his era.
Starting with two funky floor-fillers out of the gate, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” and “Wake Up and Make Love with Me,” the compilation is already firing on all cylinders. I discovered Dury’s work through live versions of songs like this when I was in a record store in Bloomington, Indiana and the clerk was playing a live album from Dury and his killer band, The Blockheads. I thought, “Who is this?” and had been intrigued ever since. I snatched up this collection at a London record store as soon as I saw it.
It doesn’t disappoint. Ever. “Sweet Gene Vincent” pays tribute to one of Dury’s heroes. “Clevor Trever” and “Billericay Dickie” have Dury taking on alternate identities (Or are they?). “Blockheads” (with Dury singing / yelling toward the back of the room) ended up giving his future band their name. Dury is brutally honest with himself, and any female suitors, on the groovy “If I Was with a Woman.” “The Mumble Rumble and the Cocktail Rock” showcases Dury’s love of 1950s jukebox rockers. “Crippled with Nerves” (a song about his life with polio) showcases his love of country, gospel, and Elvis Presley, whereas “Blackmail Man” is a punk punch in the face…and that’s all on just the first disc.
Disc two starts with two more classics – “Reasons to Be Cheerful (Part 3)” and “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick.” “What a Waste” is sultry and slippery, reminding me of some of Frank Zappa‘s work, and the groove of “Inbetweenies” is outstanding. On “I Want to Be Straight,” Dury and the Blockheads are “sick and tired of taking drugs and staying up late.” The saxophone work on “Waiting for Your Taxi” is perfect for a late 1970s crime film. “Dance of the Screamers” turns into a psych-jazz freakout with disco beats behind it, showing us how the Blockheads were (are) one of the best bands out there. That hot disco groove continues on “Don’t Ask Me.”
“Mash It Up Harry” starts out disc three with a reggae twist (and, later, “Itinerant Child” continues it). “Dance Little Rude Boy” is another funky classic made even funkier by the electric piano work throughout it. The live version of “Spasticus Autisticus” is sharp as a razor and is a brief glimpse of how much the Blockheads were a murderer’s row of musicians. The guitar solo on “Bed O’Roses” is somewhere between a yacht rock anthem and a prog-rock ripper. The relentless rhythm of “Jack Sh*t George” is perfect for both a new wave club or even a late 1980s nighttime talk show theme. The disc, and the collection ends with a demo version of “England’s Glory,” which has a rough, raw edge to it that’s great, and it sounds like Dury and his band had a fun time in the studio that day.
This is a great entry point to Dury’s music, and it certainly made me want to find live albums by him.
Keep your mind open.
[I’ll have another reason to be cheerful if you subscribe,]
After recently announcing their split 7″ ‘Girlcow / Sweaty Dog’, which is out on October 6th, Manchester-based band Duvet are back with the second track “Sweaty Dog“, which channels the band’s jagged post-punk and cider-drenched commitment to having a good time.
On the new track, the band said “‘Sweaty Dog’ is a simple song about the state you become after a long night out going from place to place trying to stay out till you develop a animalistic state covered in sweat, booze and other substances while trying to still dance and have fun waiting for your next drink . Some of us in the band like the idea that maybe the ‘Sweaty Dog’ is a dance you do or that they’re this actual half man half dog. We hope everyone has as much fun listening to the track as we do playing it, and just take it for what it is…Our party rock anthem!”
Self-released earlier this year, previously single “Rodeo” takes these markers and gallops full steam ahead, kicking up a dust storm of dissonance and teflon-tough drumming fortified by howls from lead singer Grace Walkden. The song lays into armchair activists who “jump on the rodeo” and “complain about topics they never actually act on”,according to the band.
First forming in 2022, Duvet dipped their toes in dream-pop and riot grrrl before landing on the driving basslines of post-punk. The band’s debut offering “Clown Clown Clown” cuts a hard-hitting figure of scabrous riot grrrl energy in thrall to the 1990s. Duvet assembled their current lineup of vocalist Grace Walkden, guitarists Tasmin Stephens and Seth Lloyd, bassist Jimmi Brown and drummer Victoria Melling and settled on a post-punk sound indebted to the genre’s new wave of artists like Shame, Warmduchser, and Viagra Boys.
Released as a split 7” with “Sweaty Dog,” new single “Girlcow” is flecked with specks of noisy grunge and was written from the perspective of “a pervy cowboy”. The haunting track showcases the band’s knack for crafting stories, as they flip the script and hand over the narrative reins to a female protagonist. “We all mutually find cowboys quite funny,” offers Tasmin Stephens. “I think we all live through cowboys – somehow.”
On the flipside, “Sweaty Dog” channels the band’s cider-drenched commitment to having a good time. The propulsive track is “basically just about being really sweaty and dancing”, according to Walkden. Meanwhile, guitarist Seth Lloyd has designs on transforming “Sweaty Dog” into a dance. “There are sweaty dogs inside all of us,” he jokes.
It’s this uninhibited sense of humour that shines through the band’s songwriting and at their riotous live shows with which they have been building their reputation over the past few years. “The reason we tend to write songs more of the fun side of life is because myself and Grace had many conversations at the start about how people only expect us to only talk/sing about harsh topics that affect a lot of women,” explains Stephens. “We tried it, but it didn’t work for us. Maybe in the future it will, but we came to the conclusion that we are here to have fun with the band and escape that side of life.”
“You come to the practice room with a smile on your face because this is meant to be fun, and that’s why we hopefully write songs that we think are fun,” says Lloyd. “We are here to distract from the shit things in life.”
Don’t miss your chance to see psych / desert rock giants King Buffalo this winter as they make one last tour through the east and midwest before they finally take a break to record another album. They never disappoint, and tickets are already on sale – not only for this tour, but also for the European tour they’re already running!
After recently announcing new album Holly (OST) is out Oct 13th via Italians Do It Better,Johnny Jewel is sharing the second track from the score with Desire’s new single “The Power Of Love“, a beautiful Frankie Goes To Hollywood cover. Johnny Jewel created the the original motion picture soundtrack for the highly anticipated Fien Troch-directed new film Holly, his tenth solo album of experimental film music, following on from critically acclaimed works Windswept, Digital Rain, Home (OST), & Lost River (OST). Johnny Jewel is also set to embark on a special live tour throughout Europe in October and November, performing 60 minutes of cinematic bliss from his music for films.
Nominated for the Venice Film Festival and opening the Ghent Film Festival, Holly follows the story of a 15-year-old girl who calls her school to say she is staying home for the day. Soon after, a fire breaks out at the school, killing several students. With everyone touched by the tragedy, the community comes together, trying to heal. Anna, a teacher, intrigued by Holly and her strange premonition, invites her to join the volunteering group she runs. Holly’s presence seems to bring peace of mind, warmth, and hope to those she encounters. But soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young girl.
On the new single, Holly film director Fien Troch offered “I knew ‘The Power Of Love’ had to become part of Holly’s universe. We just needed to unlock the right door to enter the same space as the rest of Johnny’s music. While discussing the film, it became so clear to me that the voice had to be female. A strong & tender one, full of love. Desire is all of that to me. Desire became Holly’s voice.”
Johnny Jewel added “In the first version of the film I watched, Fien presented this idea to close with a Frankie Goes To Hollywood song. There is no other pop music in the entire film, so going out over end credits with a baroque ballad is a daring tonal shift. All the musical tension that precedes this moment makes the release all the more effective. While we were brainstorming on the texture of the score, Fien wondered what it would sound like to have Megan sing it. We worked on it privately in our studio, then I brought a rough version with me to show Fien in Amsterdam where we were mixing the film. The moment she finally saw it on screen for the first time was pure magic. It’s a true testament to her vision as a director to be able to merge those two very different worlds in her imagination.”
Recorded live November 27, 1977, The Damned‘s The Captain’s Birthday Party Live at the Roundhouse is, like other Damned records, mired with some weird history.
First, this album is often known and titled as Not the Captain’s Birthday Party. The band did play a show at the Roundhouse on April 23, 1977 – a day later after (then bassist, now guitarist) Captain Sensible‘s birthday. However, this show wasn’t recorded until seven months later at the same venue. Their label at the time, Stiff Records, thought this album was the April 1977 show and thus released it as The Captain’s Birthday Party. Later, in 1986, the album was re-released by Demon Records as Not the Captain’s Birthday Party. Are we all clear?
Another interesting bit of Damned history with this album is that it’s a recording of a rare lineup of the band with the Captain on bass and perpetual lead singer Dave Vanian, but with two guitarists – Brian James and the newly acquired Robert “Lu” (short for “lunatic”) Edmunds – and a new drummer – Jon Moss (who would later go onto worldwide fame drumming for Culture Club), as the legendary original drummer, Rat Scabies, had quit the band two weeks earlier.
The album is just eight tracks, but they’re eight tracks of raw power thrown at an enthusiastic crowd. Opening with “You Take My Money,” the guitar roars and feedback are immediately apparent, and Moss is holding his own with just two weeks of practice with three guys who were already punk legends just a couple years into their careers. “Creep (You Can’t Fool Me)” gets a great response from the crowd. “Fan Club” is rough, with Edmunds and Moss still figuring out some of the band’s mechanics, but that energy just brings more growl to it.
“This one’s for Rat Scabies,” Vanian announces before they start “Problem Child.” The whole band is energized for this one, and you can tell Moss wanted to slay it. “So Messed Up” is a full-blown sprint that must have sent the crowd into a panic. “New Rose,” their first hit (and, by most accounts, the first punk single) transforms from a grungy rocker into a wild mix of feedback, crashing drums, and bass rumbles that only settle for a moment before they rip into a blistering cover of The Stooges “Feel Alright.” They end with “Born to Kill,” barely leaving you any time to process what the hell just happened.
It’s a wild ride, not unlike one of those carnival rides that takes you up high, spins you around, and then drops you at a frightening rate.
Duality Trax first opened its books in 2020 with an EP featuring Radiant Love regular Fio Fa and a remix of the year contender coming from Lisbon’s Violet. Since then the label has become known for its acute attention to detail, giving each release the shine it deserves while avoiding disposable practices and challenging the industry through its dedication to duality and balance, whether that be sonically or surrounding gender identity.
It’s really no surprise that one of house music’s leading label figures Tywi was destined to make an appearance. Having started the Haŵs imprint in his home city of Cardiff, the label’s wide-spread popularity began to gain the attention from some of the industry’s most respected heads and became a breeding ground for new artists to emerge. A shared love of music resulted in tracks being shared over time and eventually DUALITY6 was born. In what will be his first full length EP, Tywi continues to join the dots between 90’s house, prog, breaks and trance, with a huge remix coming from Frankfurt-based artist Maruwa, released Friday 8th September.
Title track ‘Reality Checkpoint’ connects various styles with a modern take on progressive trance. Sonics feel as if they’ve been projected from space in a kaleidoscopic mind-warping ride, coupled with the producer’s impressive ear for world building soundscapes. A child of the ‘90s, Maruwa combines her classically trained ear with the nostalgia of her upbringing in the remix; channeling early trance records and deep, chugging rhythms into a wave of euphoria fit for peak-time. It’s the first time the label has also delved head first into full trance territory, turning the intensity levels up while paying homage to both label owner and artist’s early musical influences.
The B side opens up with ‘Spellbound’ which feels like a guided tour around the cosmos, sat beside trusted travellers and embraced by everything-will-be-alright energy . The track’s interior is built around synths that feel both effortless and light as our tour guide brings us towards our final destination. The EP comes to a close with ‘Laws Of Motion’, building slowly with shades of leafy greens and deep oceanic blues as it gently brings us back down to earth.
Keep your mind open.
[Check into the subscription box while you’re here.]
Sessanta, an untraditional tour that sees Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Primus joining forces, and sharing band members, is slated for April of 2024.
The Western U.S. outing is a resurrection, and expansion, of the 2014 Los Angeles event, Cinquanta, which was originally a one-time only celebration. Much like that fabled evening, which commemorated Maynard James Keenan’s landmark 50th birthday, Sessanta celebrates the Puscifer and A Perfect Circle frontman as he turns 60.
Sessanta’s unique format sees the musicians from the trio of bands joining each other’s performances throughout the concert. While each group will have their own distinctive set, the players will continually transform as the night unfolds.
“It took some massaging, and some long days in rehearsal, but we managed to seamlessly pull off this three-song rotation at Cinquanta, my 50th birthday shows, at The Greek Theatre in 2014,” says Keenan of the seven-date run that also sees A Perfect Circle’s first live performances since 2018. “Bands aren’t used to simultaneously sharing the stage with other bands, but if anyone can do it, it’s Primus, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.”
Tickets are on-sale now, with VIP options available via Tour.puscifer.com.
