AFI has a summer album on tap

AFI returns with new music on June 11 with the new album "Bodies" through Rise Records.

The album is heralded by two new songs -- "Looking Tragic" and "Begging For Trouble" -- alongside a video for "Looking Tragic" by longtime AFI collaborator Adam Mason. Both new tracks will be included on a limited 7" -- find more information HERE.

"Bodies" was produced by the band's Jade Puget and mixed by Tony Hoffer (M83, Phoenix, Silversun Pickups). Watch the video for "Looking Tragic" HERE, and hear the new songs and pre-order Bodies HERE.

"'Looking Tragic' addresses the theme of overstimulation resulting in desensitization," says frontman Davey Havok. "Melodic and driving, the song came to life quickly and immediately stood out as a track to make bodies, if not sentiments, move."

"After years of receiving early versions of songs from Jade and Davey, in forms that span loosely arranged chords and scratch vocal to fully realized demos, I think I have become quite adept at knowing which songs will or will not make the record," adds drummer Adam Carson. "'Begging For Trouble' was green lit, at least in my mind, the moment I heard the vocals come in. To me, the track is a cornerstone of the new record."

The album announcement follows last month's release of "Twisted Tongues" and "Escape From Los Angeles," which were the band's first new music since the acclaimed The Missing Man EP in 2018. Hear both tracks HERE. The tracks were included on a limited 7", which can be purchased HERE.

2017’s AFI (The Blood Album) hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative and Hard Rock Albums Charts and No. 5 on The Billboard 200. It was the band’s second consecutive Top 10 Billboard debut, following 2013’s Burials.

"AFI is such an integral part of who I am. What we do with AFI together is a foundation for me," explains frontman Davey Havok. "Coming back is a return to a home I've always known."

It's a sentiment shared by the entire band. "I couldn’t do what I do in AFI in any other place," observes guitarist Jade Puget. "Davey and I have written songs together for over 20 years now. I couldn't find the thing he and I have together anywhere else, nor the thing the four of us have when we come together. AFI is home for me and will always be that."

"At this point, it's not even a choice. It's just what I do," drummer Adam Carson concurs. "I started this band with Davey when I was 16. It's something that I love so much. It's just a part of me."

"Every album is an opportunity to show people a snapshot of our evolution," adds bassist Hunter Burgan. "And with this band, it's always something fresh. We’ve been playing together for so long that I have a deep understanding of each of my bandmates‘ musical styles, and yet I am still pleasantly surprised by the new things they bring to each record."

The platinum success of 2003's "Sing the Sorrow" was replicated three years later with "Decemberunderground." Other releases such as "Burials" went Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and the self-titled album, commonly referred to as "the Blood Album," became AFI's second-highest charting album since their inception, debuting at No. 5 in 2017.

"Anyone who knows our catalog knows that no two records really sit together," Puget points out. "Some sit a little closer, maybe. We do certain things, just by virtue of who we are, that are consistent, but those things come about organically. Every time we do something, I have to judge it on its own merits. Some fans are going to judge a new album, or a new song, based on what's come before. But as artists, we can't do that, because it would only hinder our creativity."

Track listing:

1. Twisted Tongues

2. Far Too Near
3. Dulcería
4. On Your Back
5. Escape From Los Angeles
6. Begging For Trouble
7. Back From The Flesh
8. Looking Tragic
9. Death Of The Party
10. No Eyes
11. Tied To A Tree

Paul Weller unveils 'Fat Pop'

On May 14, Paul Weller releases "Fat Pop (Volume 1)," his 16th solo album since 1992. It arrives just under a year after June 2020’s UK chart-topping On Sunset. 

A video for “Cosmic Fringes” which can be viewed here.

During spring last year, after his tour dates were postponed, Paul Weller needed something else to focus on. With many ideas for new songs stored on his phone, Paul started to record them on his own with just vocals, piano, and guitar which he’d send to his core band members (drummer Ben Gordelier, Steve Cradock on guitar, and bassist Andy Crofts) to add their parts. The band reconvened at Weller’s Black Barn studio in Surrey when restrictions were lifted to finish the work.

"Fat Pop (Volume 1)" – Paul adding the “Volume 1” to keep options open for a second volume in the future includes “Moving Canvas” (a tribute to Iggy Pop) and guests like Lia Metcalfe, a young Liverpudlian singer with The Mysterines who also co-wrote "True." Andy Fairweather-Low adds vocals to “Testify” and Paul’s daughter Leah co-wrote and features on “Shades Of Blue” - the first single taken from the album. Hannah Peel adds string scores to “Cobweb Connections” and “Still Glides The Stream.”

"Fat Pop" comes in several formats:

Standard CD
Individual exclusive cassettes for Indie Record Stores and Paul’s artist store
Individual exclusive colored vinyl for Amazon, Indie Record Stores, and Paul’s artist store
Black Heavyweight vinyl
Exclusive picture disc vinyl

Deluxe Formats which include Fat Pop, Mid-Sömmer Musik (the live special from November last year), and bonus tracks:
3 CD Box Set
3 LP Box set – heavyweight black vinyl

Track listing:

COSMIC FRINGES

TRUE
FAT POP
SHADE OF BLUE
GLAD TIMES
COBWEB / CONNECTIONS
TESTIFY
THAT PLEASURE
FAILED
MOVING CANVAS
IN BETTER TIMES
STILL GLIDES THE STREAM

paulweller.com

Spiritualized vinyl reissue series starts in April

Spiritualized and Fat Possum Records released details for the first stage of The Spaceman Reissue Program: definitive vinyl releases of the first four Spiritualized albums. Curated by J Spaceman, the series will kick off April 23 with Spiritualized’s 1992 debut, Lazer Guided Melodies.

Lazer Guided Melodies was recorded from 1990-91, its 12 songs divided into four movements.

Reflecting on the transition from Spacemen 3 to the first realization of the Spiritualized sound, Pierce recalls:

"The last Spacemen 3 record was under-realized to me. When I listen back to that stuff it sounds like somebody finding their way. There was a lot of ideas but no way to put them into a space that would make them all work. So, there was a huge freedom forging over the last Spacemen 3 record and when Spiritualized started it was like, ‘OK it’s all yours. Go’…

We recorded the tracks in the studio near my flat which was a place where they predominantly recorded advertising jingles and it’s where we made all the Spacemen 3 records, but then the recordings were taken to Battery Studios in London, to explore a more professional way of making music… Once I approached that way of doing things I opened up a whole world and I was astounded that somebody could take those tracks and turn it into the record it became...”

The Spaceman Reissue Program edition of Lazer Guided Melodies promises to give those recordings the fullest spectrum audio and physical treatment they’ve deserved since 1992. It will be the first in this series of 180g double albums mastered from a half speed lacquer cut from original sources by Alchemy Mastering, presented in a gatefold jacket adorned by reworked art by Mark Farrow, and available in both a standard black vinyl pressing and limited edition white vinyl exclusive to D2C / indie retail.

Alongside the vinyl reissue, for a limited time there will also be a comprehensive series of Lazer Guided Melodies merchandise based on original vintage designs available via spiritualized.com.

Further information on The Spaceman Reissue Program releases of Pure Phase (1995), Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (1997) and Let It Come Down (2001) are TBA.

Long awaited new album by The Offspring slated for April

A release date has been set for The Offspring's first new album in nearly a decade. "Let The Bad Times Roll" will be available via Concord Records on April 16. It can be pre-ordered HERE. First single “Let The Bad Times Roll” is available HERE.

Songs were written and recorded over the course of the last several years at various locations including the band’s Huntington Beach, California studio. The album is the band’s third time working in collaboration with producer Bob Rock.

The title track, written in late 2019 and recorded in 2020, reflects the country’s ongoing challenges. Front man Dexter Holland said: “I feel like we’re in a unique period in history where instead of our world leaders saying ‘we’re doing our best’ it’s more like they’re saying ‘fuck it’ and its really scary.”

Guitarist Noodles added: “Folks are saying, if it’s all going to Hell, we might as well make the most out of it, or at least go out swinging. ‘Let The Bad Times Roll!’"

The Offspring is: singer Dexter Holland, guitarist Noodles, drummer Pete Parada and new bassist Todd Morse.

TRACK LISTING:

This Is Not Utopia

Let The Bad Times Roll
Behind Your Walls
Army of One
Breaking These Bones
Coming For You
We Never Have Sex Anymore
In The Hall of the Mountain King
The Opioid Diaries
Hassan Chop
Gone Away
Lullaby

Real Estate's new EP 'Half a Human' out next month

Real Estate have a new EP due out March 26 on Domino. Titled Half a Human, a collection of six songs. While the architecture of each was constructed during sessions for their 2020 album, The Main Thing, the tracks came to life when vocalist/guitarist Martin Courtney, bassist/vocalist Alex Bleeker, keyboardist Matt Kallman and guitarist Julian Lynch began trading the material back and forth remotely throughout the pandemic.

"Life keeps changing and additional responsibilities and stresses keep being added, but this band is still here," says Martin Courtney. "When I was writing a lot of these songs, I was feeling a little weird about being in a band. Like, 'how is this still a thing?' I was feeling silly about it and then coming around to it at the same time. This is what we're good at and it's what we love to do and want to keep doing. I don't want to do anything else."

The title track "Half a Human" is available now alongside a music video directed by FISK.

Watch it here: https://smarturl.it/HalfAHumanYT

"Half a Human" has long been a staple of Real Estate's live set. Martin Courtney originally wrote the lyrics about the alienation of life on tour. 

Across Half a Human the band tackles subjects of aging, connection and loss of innocence.  On "D+" - written and sung by Alex Bleeker - he recalls watching the aftermath of 9/11 from the outskirts of Real Estate's native New Jersey. On "In The Garden," the band reflects on the push-and-pull of the central question asked by the whole Half a Human EP: what does it mean to make art in America while holding on to your roots and pushing yourself into exciting new places?

In addition to working on the EP, the band released an augmented reality concert experience called The Quarantour, performed in a refrigerator, covered The Doobie Brothers, Galaxie 500 and Joni Mitchell, raised money for Fair Fight and more.

Half a Human is available digitally and on 1000 copies of a limited edition 12". Pre-order it from Domino Mart or the band's store here.

Track List:

Desire Path

Half a Human
Soon
D+
In the Garden
Ribbon

Nancy Wilson of Heart unveils debut solo album details

Nancy Wilson, the co-founder, guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from Heart is set to release her first solo album, You and Me on May 7 via her new label, Carry On Music.

It was recorded primarily in Wilson’s California home studio, working with band members and special guests remotely. “Being off the road last year from touring with Heart, and at home with my good guitars and amps out,” Wilson says, “I felt like I was once again able to reconnect with my pre-Heart self, my college-girl self, creating poetic, intimate and romantic songs, which pretty much is what I first brought in to Heart.”

Most of the tracks are originals, but Wilson decided to include a handful of covers by a few of her favorites, including a female perspective of Pearl Jam’s “Daughter,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” featuring Sammy Hagar, and a cover of the Cranberries “Dreams,” featuring Liv Warfield from Nancy’s previous band Roadcase Royale.

The first single from the album was Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," which dropped last fall. “During this horrific time in the world, with all this enduring loss, it seemed like the right time for an aspirational song about hope and perseverance,” Wilson says.

The other eight tracks are originals, mostly acoustic ballads, but there are also some rockers like “Party at the Angel Ballroom” which features a backing band, including Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. The album ends with 4 Edward,” Nancy’s tribute to Eddie Van Halen. 

She came to know Eddie when Heart toured with Van Halen, and she once asked him why he didn’t play acoustic. “I don’t have one,” he told her, which she immediately rectified. Eddie took the guitar she gave him and wrote a song on it that stole Nancy’s heart. After his death last year, Nancy knew she had to return the favor.

The title track “You and Me,” as with several of the songs on the album, reunites Wilson with longtime collaborator Sue Ennis, who co-wrote many of Heart’s classics with Nancy, and sister Ann. “I’ve known Sue since I was 12,” Nancy says. “Back then she was a high school friend of Ann’s. We’ve always worked well together.” The single will be released digitally on March 8, 2020 with an album pre-order set to launch the same day. Fans can pre-save the track, here.

With her band Heart, Nancy Wilson has recorded 16 albums, sold over 35 million albums worldwide and has four Grammy nominations. She had previously released one other album with just her name on it, Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop, which captured her playing a set of covers and new songs in 1999. But considers this her first true solo album, a positive creative move amid a surreal year of loss; life during lock down.

“I don’t know why it took me so long to do this,” she laughs. “Maybe I was stuck in traffic, maybe I was stuck in the Heart vortex of it all.” But in a year with “no traffic,” Wilson finally found a place for the music she’s been writing in her head for decades.

Listen to "The Rising" HERE

Track listing:

1. You and Me
2. The Rising
3. I’ll Find You
4. Daughter
5. Party at the Angel Ballroom (with Duff McKagan & Taylor Hawkins)
6. The Boxer (with Sammy Hagar)
7. Walk Away
8. The Inbetween
9. Dreams (with Liv Warfield)
10. The Dragon
11. We Meet Again
12. 4 Edward

Dropkick Murphys news

Dropkick Murphys will release their 10th full-length studio album, Turn Up That Dial, April 30 via band-owned Born & Bred Records. The album was produced by Ted Hutt and is available for pre-order, with the new single “Middle Finger” out now.

The band plans to preview some tracks from Turn Up That Dial during their Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Stream 2021...Still Locked Down to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT. The free streaming online concert – with no in-person audience – will be simulcast worldwide via www.DKMstream.com and will feature Dropkick Murphys performing socially distanced on an arena-sized stage with a full LED screen and a brand new video show.

“On this record, the overall theme is the importance of music, and the bands that made us who we are,” explains DKM founder and co-lead vocalist Ken Casey. “We just hope [the album] takes people’s minds off their troubles. We’re so fortunate and grateful to be in the position to share a little happiness in our own way. Our gratitude levels are off the chart. 25 years ago, somebody bet me 30 bucks I couldn’t form a band with three weeks’ notice to open for his band. As kids, we’d never been out of New England and here we are – we’ve made ten records and have been all over the globe. If there’s a message to this album, it’s ‘put your fist up and play it loud.’”

Over the last two years, following a surgery, bassist/co-lead vocalist Casey stopped playing, passing bass duties to longtime friend and road crew member Kevin Rheault. Working out of Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA with longtime producer Hutt, they recorded Turn Up That Dial in shifts of two members at a time.

For the final weeks of recording, Hutt ran the sessions via video conference from his studio in LA. For background vocals, the guys set up separate mics in five different rooms so they could all simultaneously sing safely. “We were all looking at each other out the window, at least,” recalls Casey.

The title track, “Turn Up That Dial,” includes the lyrics "You’re my inspiration, you got something to say / Now turn up that dial ‘til it takes me away.” Then there's new single “Middle Finger,” where Al Barr sings “I could never keep that middle finger down.” And Casey offers this reflection: “Thinking of my younger days, I made things a lot harder for myself than they needed to be – and still pay for some of those mistakes now.”

The band closes the album with a tribute to Al’s late father Woody Barr on “I Wish You Were Here” with accordion, bagpipes, and a drum march. “Al’s dad was just an incredible man,” Casey explains. “He and Al had a very special bond. To watch Al grieve his death was heartbreaking. He persevered through it, even when we had to go back on the road, away from family. He kept his head held high. We’ve never ended an album with a slow song, but we had to end it with a tip of the cap to pay our respects to Woody and so many others. It’s a moment to stop, count our blessings, and remember those who we’ve lost, including the 400,000-plus people to this virus.”

“We’ve all done plenty of lamenting, so the main goal was to keep this fun,” Casey adds. “The darker the times got, the harder we fought to uplift with this music. Whatever we’re potentially giving to fans, trust me, they’re giving it to us tenfold. Now, turn up that f*cking dial.”

While awaiting the release of Turn Up That Dial, join Dropkick Murphys to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day during Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Stream 2021...Still Locked Down, which is presented by Boston-area tech company Pega (a leading provider of digital transformation software) and sponsored by YOU. Instead of charging for tickets, the band will “pass the virtual hat” to take donations to help support their efforts to keep paying their employees, and a portion of donations will go to charity as always. Those who donate in advance or during the stream (via www.DKMstream.com) will see their name scroll across the ticker at the bottom of the screen during Still Locked Down.

Dropkick Murphys have a long history of giving back and finding creative ways to connect with fans, and they’ve continued this tradition throughout the pandemic. On St. Patrick’s Day 2020, just as COVID-19 was hitting critical mass in the United States, Dropkick Murphys held their Streaming Up From Boston live stream event in lieu of their normal Boston Blowout St. Patrick’s Day celebration. To date, it’s been watched more than 13 million times across platforms, was featured on CBS This Morning Saturday, CNN, NBC Nightly News, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and in the Wall Street Journal, and raised more than $60,000 through the band’s charitable organization, The Claddagh Fund.

In May 2020, they masterminded the historic Streaming Outta Fenway live stream presented by Pega. Taking the infield at Fenway Park instruments in-hand, it stood out as the first-ever music event without an in-person audience at a major U.S. sports venue, and the first music performance directly on the infield at Fenway. Bruce Springsteen joined on the Jumbotron for a two-song “Double Play” of DKM’s “Rose Tattoo” and his “American Land.” Most importantly, they hauled in $700,000-plus to benefit charities such as Boston Resiliency Fund, Feeding America®, and Habitat for Humanity, Greater Boston.

Dropkick Murphys are: Al Barr (lead vocals), Tim Brennan (guitars, tin whistle, accordion, piano, vocals), Ken Casey (lead vocals), Jeff DaRosa (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, percussion, vocals), James Lynch (guitars, vocals), Kevin Rheault (touring bassist) and Lee Forshner (touring bagpipe player).

For more information on Dropkick Murphys, visit: www.dropkickmurphys.com.

Track Listing:

Turn Up That Dial
L-EE-B-O-Y
Middle Finger
Queen Of Suffolk County
Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding
H.B.D.M.F.
Good As Gold
Smash Shit Up
Chosen Few
City By The Sea
I Wish You Were Here

Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida craft first duo album, 'making of' film

Teaming up musically for the very first time, husband and wife—Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and artist Chantal Kreviazuk and Our Lady Of Peace frontman Raine Maida—officially introduce their new musical project Moon Vs Sun.

Together, they present a new feature-length documentary entitled I’m Going To Break Your Heart and its accompanying album. The film will be available on streaming platforms and in select theaters on April 23, while the record hits DSPs on the same day.

Check out the trailer HERE.

Watch the video for the first track “St. Josephine” HERE.

Listen to “St. Josephine” HERE.

The film examines the couple’s relationship as they create a record together for the first time after 22 years of marriage. It marked their first trip away from their three sons and a turning point in a 25-year relationship.

About I’m Going To Break Your Heart, Chantal comments, “There’s a big message that comes from the music we’re creating. When you see the movie, you’ll see us being a regular couple annoying the shit of each other. When we make music together, this beautiful thing happens. If we can conduct ourselves as harmoniously as we’re able to when we’re writing, there’s hope. In the beginning of a relationship, love is a feeling, but it becomes an active practice. It’s a grind, but it’s worth it. To connect through conflict isn’t the end of us; it’s an opportunity. The music was the result of that connection.”

The initial track unveiled, “St. Josephine,” features lyrics in French and English. See the accompanying music video HERE.

Pre-save the album HERE.

Raine founded and fronts platinum-selling alternative rock band Our Lady Peace and has garnered four Juno Awards. Chantal has received two Juno Awards and released eight critically acclaimed solo albums. Behind the scenes, Chantal has worked with acts like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, while together the couple has penned hits for everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Carrie Underwood. In recognition of their contributions to charity and the arts, Raine and Chantal were both appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.

David Cook’s 'The Looking Glass' EP due in April

Musician/actor David Cook’s EP The Looking Glass will be released on April 16. The six-song set was preceded by three singles: “Reds Turns Blue” and “Strange World” in 2020, and “Fire” to be released on March 19. The EP was recorded in Nashville.

Although the songwriting and recording process began before COVID, its effects were felt throughout the process and are reflected in some of the songs. “Reds Turn Blue” is a nod to the manic highs (reds) and lows (blues) of anxiety, something David has struggled to overcome since his Season 7 win on American Idol.

As David told People.com, “This song became a therapeutic process for me, as a way to personify my anxiety and make it something other than me — which in an odd way has helped me navigate my relationship with it.” To capture that struggle, David worked with artist Justin A. Nixon to create a visual that was, “sci-fi and sinister” but left open-ended to represent “that constant battle between anxiety and myself.”

Second single “Strange World” is “my homage to this year,” said David. “Staring out of windows at the world outside, feeling disconnected from it, and trying to find those moments that would normally exist outside, inside.”

“Fire” is about starting over - taking something, or someone, important to you, and building something new around it. “The song actually started as more of a slower ballad,” says David. “It wasn't until we got into the actual recording process that my producer, Andy Skib, pushed for it to be sped up. It gave the track such a different energy. One that I can't wait to dig into live."

With touring on hold for the moment, it will be a while before fans can hear these songs in person. But, David has continued to perform online including an upcoming livestream performance on Spin’s ‘Noise Pollution” series on Monday 3/15 at 4 pm PT / 7 pm ET via TWITCH.

The release of the EP is supported with an ongoing pre-order campaignwith exclusive experiences and merch items.

Long out of print album by Lloyd Cole to get reissue

Lloyd Cole will re-issue his critically acclaimed 2006 studio album "Antidepressant" on April 16 in America via earMUSIC. Having been out of print since then, it becomes available on vinyl for the first time ever and features an exclusive bonus track on both CD and vinyl. “Antidepressant” is the first album in a series of carefully crafted re-issues to be released worldwide via the label following his 2019 studio album “Guesswork.”

Mostly recorded by Cole himself, it was a change from the stripped-down experimental sound of its predecessor “Music In A Foreign Language.”

Says Cole, “There isn’t a single song on it I regret recording and ‘The Young Idealists’, ‘Woman In A Bar’ and ‘Rolodex Incident’ can stand shoulder to shoulder with my very best, I think. I never tire of singing the first two and I wish I could figure out a way to perform Rolodex.

“There was only one completed outtake from the recording sessions – ‘Coattails’. This track has aged well and I should probably have figured out a way to include it in the original running order but I didn’t. So we’ve included it as an extra track at the end of the CD and as a bonus 7” Single with the album.”

“Antidepressant” will be available again on CD Digipak and on LP, in gatefold edition including a 7” single featuring the previously unreleased song ‘Coattails’ from the original album recordings.

Track listing:

01. THE YOUNG IDEALISTS

02. WOMAN IN A BAR
03. NYC SUNSHINE
04. ANTIDEPRESSANT
05. I DIDN’T SEE IT COMING
06. HOW WRONG CAN YOU BE?
07. EVERYSONG
08. I AM NOT WILLING
09. SLIP AWAY
10. TRAVELLING LIGHT
11. ROLODEX INCIDENT
12. COATTAILS (7” bonus single)

Crowded House news

Crowded House have revealed a new single “To The Island” and announce their forthcoming album Dreamers Are Waiting will be available June 4 from BMG. The album is available for pre-order HERE.

The video for “To The Island” can be seen HERE and was filmed at various locations including New Zealand, Los Angeles and Ireland with Neil Finn and Mark Simon Brown serving as directors.

The band also begins a tour in New Zealand next month with founding members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour along with producer and keyboardist Mitchell Froom, guitarist and singer Liam Finn and drummer Elroy Finn.

Following Neil Finn joining a world tour with Fleetwood Mac, Neil and Nick Seymour began a new chapter in Crowded House's long career with new music.

“We were fortunate to be recording in the studio right before lockdown and so began this album with band tracks recorded live in a room, all brimming with character and energy. We then spent our strangest year, 2020, at distance from each other but connecting daily, swapping files and making those tracks complete. We’re so excited and grateful to be back in one room together now, rehearsing, first to play live in front of audiences in NZ and soon we hope for the rest of the world,” said Neil Finn.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Bad Times Good
2. Playing With Fire
3. To The Island
4. Sweet Tooth
5. Whatever You Want
6. Show Me The Way
7. Goodnight Everyone
8. Start Of Something
9. Too Good For This World
10. Real Life Woman
11. Love Isn’t Hard At All
12. Deeper Down

Still 'Riding the Tide': An interview with Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue

I conducted Deacon Blue's first U.S. media interview in 30 years for the American Songwriter article below (I spoke with singer Ricky Ross in 1993, but nothing was ever published. The brief Q&A can be found elsewhere on this blog). I'd be interested in hearing what American fans think of the new release.

Ricky Ross usually pens Deacon Blue songs alone or with musicians from his inner circle. Yet during an initial trip to Nashville some years ago, another songwriter’s live performance proved so memorable that a future collaboration seemed preordained.

The award-winning tunesmith was Tia Sillers, whose credits include Lee Ann Womack, Dixie Chicks and Kenny Wayne Shepherd hits.

Watching Sillers, her late husband Mark Selby and others in the round at The Bluebird Café moved Ross to tears. He thought he’d “reached the Holy Grail” and felt “these are obviously the people you need to work with.”

“I just made it my job - I want to write with this woman,” recalls the Deacon Blue front man, in a recent interview from home in Glasgow. “She’s just amazing...a really great storyteller.”

He later met Sillers, returned to Nashville with Deacon Blue guitarist Gregor Philp and the trio wrote “Not Gonna Be That Girl” together. The elegant adult contemporary song is among several standouts amid Riding on the Tide of Love, the Scottish pop/rock group’s refined new album available digitally Friday, with physical CD and LP formats due March 5.

Ross brings to mind early Jackson Browne as he sings vivid lyrics to subtle piano and acoustic guitar eventually giving way to breezy horns:

I saw her standing beneath the streetlamp

Gold beams falling down on her hair

Made it look like she was wearing a halo

She was surely heaven sent

The sextet released its impressive 10^th studio album City of Love (a top 5 charter in Scotland and the U.K.) last March shortly before the first COVID-19 lockdown went into effect abroad. Ross calls it “the album of my life. I honestly felt that I’d pored everything into City of Love that I could. I was disappointed that we couldn’t see it through and do the tour.”

Riding is a continuation - three songs were completed during the City sessions and the rousing title track was rediscovered by Ross while “going through stuff on my computer.” Boasting a joyous vibe, it contains background chatter partially inspired by “Rainy Day Women #12 & #35.”

“I always loved that bit” in the Bob Dylan song. “I nicked it,” Ross admits. “Always made me laugh.” When time came for the musicians to flesh out the remaining City demos individually in quarantine, they decided to leave the effect intact because it “just puts you in a good mood.”

Since starting the band in the mid-1980s, Ross says his songwriting process has gone from not giving it “any thought whatsoever” to now asking himself “have we done that before” and “are we going over old ground?”

A romantic atmosphere often envelops Deacon Blue music thanks to sublime vocal interplay between Ross and wife Lorraine McIntosh. Key Riding examples include “Look Up” and “Send a Note Out.” The latter effortlessly evokes Memphis soul of the late ‘60s. It revolves around “the importance of telling people” what’s on your mind before it’s too late. Once Philp added tasteful guitar lines to James Prime’s organ work, the result “gave it sort of an (Otis Redding/Stax Records vibe) and felt great. That’s the kind of music we love,” says Ross.

Deacon Blue – also comprising original drummer Dougie Vipond and current bassist Lewis Gordon - first emerged on the Glasgow music scene with 1987 debut album Raintown, an earnest ode to working class life in Glasgow that drew comparisons to Bruce Springsteen. The group followed up with sleek international breakthrough When the World Knows Your Name, eventually notching half a dozen top 20 U.K. hits and several gold or platinum albums at home before breaking up in 1994. They reunited five years later.

Due to U.S. label problems and a decision to focus efforts squarely on the U.K./European market, Deacon Blue hasn’t toured America since 1989.

“We should have just got in the bus and done it,” Ross concedes, adding that they “never felt we quite got the support we wanted. There was (a lot of) bad luck.” He recalls “the first (time) we ever played in America was an amazing night. We probably needed to put in more time.” The missed opportunity “was a real shame.”

Now, with better worldwide label distribution, Ross would jump at the chance to tour here once concerts are back to normal.

“We’ve often talked about doing a coastal thing there,” since he often goes to Nashville. “If someone could offer us a few gigs and we could not lose money, we would be there “at the drop of a hat.”

The original article was published at americansongwriter.com here: https://bit.ly/3jJACNk. Photos courtesy earMusic/Edel Records

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot releases debut full-length effort

"I wrote this song with Lauren Daigle and my brother a while back. Time passed, and I forgot all about the song. Then one morning I woke up with the chorus stuck in my head. I went looking for it and rediscovered this lost gem. I love the longing expressed in this song. The yearning that this song embodies is a common feeling for me, one that feels especially poignant during these times of unrest and pain and suffering. I’m so glad that this lost song was resurrected for this project." - Jon Foreman, on "A Place Called Earth"

Multi-platinum recording artist Jon Foreman has released his debut solo full-length album Departures, today via a return to RE:THINK, the first label he ever signed with. He's also shared a collaboration with vocalist Lauren Daigle - watch the lyric video now.

Earlier today, he was on SiriusXM's PopRocks for an interview.

Click here to stream 'Departures' via your preferred listening service
Click here to watch the video for "Education" - which is currently climbing at AAA Radio now!
Click to watch an acoustic rendition of "Side by Side" by Jon and Madison Cunningham which radiates warmth!

In addition to the Daigle song, Foreman is joined on the album by fellow SoCal singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. Departures was recorded at Melody League Studios in San Diego, CA, produced by Foreman with additional production from Keith Tutt II and Aaron Redfield (Elton John, Sia).

Foreman uses the 12 tracks on Departures to grapple with what he describes as a year that hit him hard and turned his life upside down.

“For me, 2020 has been a year of departures. And I’m not alone in this, For many of us, this has been a season of death. Of decay. Of fear and doubt and uncertainty. For Americans. For humans. For friends and relatives around the world.” He found himself face to face with existential questions of doubt, purpose and meaning. “I fought hard against this year. And the year has won…. But the journey that brought me here was not completely in vain. In fact, I would not trade it even if I could.”

He continues: “During the lowest moments, I turned to meditation, prayer, and songs, attempting to find a vehicle to sing into this new storm of doubt and despair. That’s where this album was born. Departures is not a record of bold proclamations, but instead of whispered confessions. Attempting to come to terms with who I am and who I am not. This is the soundtrack for the uncertain questions. These are odes to the open door. Songs of wander and wonder. Songs of loss and lament. An album that attempts to embrace the moment we’re in.”

Foreman is best known as the front man and lead vocalist for the GRAMMY Award-winning alternative rock band SWITCHFOOT, who boast several Hot 100 hits, a massive international following, and music featured on Grey’s Anatomy, ESPN, One Tree Hill and more. He has built a formidable resume as a writer and a solo artist as well, with nearly 60 million streams and 300,000 albums sold for his solo music to date. A prolific songwriter, he’s written for everyone from Mandy Moore to Meat Loaf to Echosmith to Amy Grant to American Idol winner, Kris Allen.

Brandy Clark news

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of her critically acclaimed album, Your Life is a Record, eight-time GRAMMY nominee Brandy Clark will release a special new deluxe edition, Your Life is a Record (Deluxe), March 5 on Warner Records.

Pre-save/pre-add HERE.

In addition to all eleven songs from Your Life is a Record, the deluxe album will feature six bonus tracks including “Remember Me Beautiful,” a new song Clark wrote earlier this year as part of NPR’s Morning Edition Song Project. The album will also feature special collaborations with Brandi Carlile (“Like Mine” and “Same Devil”) and Lindsey Buckingham (“The Past is the Past”) as well as live renditions of two album tracks: “Pawn Shop” and “Who You Thought I Was,” the latter of which is out now. Listen/share HERE.

Moreover, in honor of the album’s anniversary, Clark will perform her first ticketed livestream concert Saturday, March 6 at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT via Mandolin. Tickets for the show are available now with a selection of purchase options, including a limited number of VIP packages with signed merchandise and a virtual meet & greet. Fans will also have the option to add a digital download of the deluxe album to their livestream ticket, to be delivered on release day. Full details can be found HERE.

The new release continues a triumphant year for Clark, who is nominated for two awards at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards—Best Country Album (Your Life is a Record) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Who You Thought I Was”)—as well as Outstanding Music Artist at the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards.

An eight-time GRAMMY nominee and CMA Awards “Song of the Year” recipient, Clark is one of her generation’s most respected and celebrated songwriters and musicians. Her songs include Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,” Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” and Hailey Whitter’s “Ten Year Town.” Her past two solo albums—2013’s 12 Stories and 2016’s Big Day in a Small Town.

YOUR LIFE IS A RECORD (DELUXE) TRACK LIST

1. I’ll Be the Sad Song
2. Long Walk
3. Love is a Fire
4. Pawn Shop
5. Who You Thought I Was
6. Apologies
7. Bigger Boat (feat. Randy Newman)
8. Bad Car
9. Who Broke Whose Heart
10. Can We Be Strangers
11. The Past is the Past
12. Who You Thought I Was (Live From 3rd & Lindsley)
13. Pawn Shop (Live From 3rd & Lindsley)
14. Remember Me Beautiful
15. Like Mine
16. Same Devil (feat. Brandi Carlile)
17. The Past is the Past (feat. Lindsey Buckingham)

Peter Murphy news

Beggars Arkive has announced vinyl reissues for all five Peter Murphy solo releases on Beggars Banquet, plus the release of a new rarities album titled The Last And Only Star.

Each album is pressed on colored vinyl, and the pressings are limited. The albums will be released in a groups beginning in April. There is also the option to purchase all the releases in a box, designed by Chris Bigg. The box is limited to 500 copies worldwide and is only available from the Beggars Arkive webstore.

PREORDER: https://petermurphy.ffm.to/2021reissues

Peter Murphy’s solo career began in 1986 with the release of Should The World Fail To Fall Apart and continues to this day. In addition to his work as the frontman of Bauhaus, he has released ten solo albums, in addition to several live releases. Over the last few years, he staged several multi-night residencies where he performed a different album each night. He also recently reunited with his Bauhaus bandmates for shows.

April 9

SHOULD THE WORLD FAIL TO FALL APART (1986) - Blue vinyl
Produced by Ivo Watts-Russell, who was chosen by Peter due to his This Mortal Coil production, this album was released in 1986.

LOVE HYSTERIA (1988) – Indigo vinyl
1988’s Love Hysteria was produced by Simon Rogers, who at the time was also playing with The Fall. It contains eight songs written by Peter with Paul Statham, plus a cover of Iggy Pop’s “Funtime”.

May 7

DEEP (1989) - Clear vinyl
Peter’s third solo album saw him break with his biggest hit “Cuts You Up” which is often included in lists of the greatest alternative singles. Propelling him into mainstream stardom, Deep also had two additional charting singles - "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat)" and "A Strange Kind of Love". It was also produced by Simon Rogers.

HOLY SMOKE (1992) - Smoke vinyl (clear and black smoke blend)
The fourth Peter Murphy album Holy Smoke contained the single “The Sweetest Drop” which made it onto the modern rock charts. It featured production by Mike Thorne. 

June 25

CASCADE (1995) – Scarlet vinyl, Double LP + four bonus tracks
His last solo album for Beggars, Cascade came after a time of change for Peter Murphy. He had dissolved his longtime backing band and moved to Turkey with his family. He said “It confirmed my belief that writing – like painting or any art form – comes from a very silent place that’s not dependent on outside stimulus. It was like rediscovering the initial innocence and purity that’s there when you join your first band.” The album was written with Paul Statham and produced by Pascal Gabriel. It also contains guitar work by noted artist Michael Brook.
The four bonus tracks added to Cascade are:
Mercy Rain (production rough mix)
Gliding Like A Whale (backing track)
Sail on White (backing track)
Wish (backing track)

THE LAST AND ONLY STAR (Rarities) – Gold vinyl
This album of rarities was curated by Andrew Brooksbank and Stephen Webbon with Peter Murphy’s guidance. It contains 10 rare tracks that are demo versions, remixes and edits.

A1: Final Solution (Club Mix 2)
A2: The Light Pours Out Of Me (Original Version)
A3: Tale Of The Tongue (Single Edit)
A4: I’ve Got A Miniature Secret Camera
A5: Strange Kind Of Love (Remix Edit Version)
B1: Cool Cool Breeze
B2: The Sweetest Drop (Rave Edit)
B3: Groovy Place
B4: Wish
B5: Jemal (Version 2)

'Good Feeling,' the debut from Travis, slated for LP reissue in April

On April 2, Travis’ 1997 debut Good Feeling returns to vinyl in its original format for the first time, with classic sleeve and original packaging replication. The LP, pressed on 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl, is available to pre-order today.

Good Feeling was produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Peter Gabriel). Featuring the group’s debut single, “All I Want to Do Is Rock” and breakthrough hit, “More Than Us” (which went UK Top 20 in the spring of 1998), the album also included the UK Top 40 singles “U16 Girls,” “Happy” and “Tied to the '90s.”

On welcoming Good Feeling back into the world, frontman Fran Healy reflects: “In December 1996, just out of Woodstock in Upstate New York, Travis assembled in the legendary Bearsville Studios with the legendary producer Steve Lilllywhite to begin recording their debut album Good Feeling. Hailed at the time as one of the debuts of the year by the legendary music critic Andy Gill, Good Feeling is us at our rawest. We’re extremely happy to be reissuing it on vinyl for you all.”

Unavailable since its first release, the original version of “More Than Us” is also now available to stream worldwide HERE.

Track listing:

Side A
1. All I Want to Do Is Rock
2. U16 Girls
3. The Line Is Fine
4. Good Day to Die
5. Good Feeling
6. Midsummer Nights Dreamin'

Side B
1. Tied to the 90's
2. I Love You Anyways
3. Happy
4. More Than Us
5. Falling Down
6. Funny Thing

Stream the album HERE.

Watch Travis videos in HD HERE.

A 2018 London gig from New Order documented in new release

New Order announces the release of a special performance, their only UK show of 2018 (November 9) at London’s Alexandra Palace and the first live show released on Blu-ray from the band’s now established line-up of Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Phil Cunningham, and Tom Chapman.

EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT RECREATION will be released on May 7 on various formats including 2CD audio, 2CD+Blu-ray (film plus audio), 3LP, limited edition deluxe boxed set: 2CD+Blu-ray+3LP (clear vinyl)+book+art prints exclusive to the New Order online store.

Setlist:

1. “Das Rheingold: Vorspiel” (this is the introduction music)

2. “Singularity”
3. “Regret”
4. “Love Vigilantes”
5. “Ultraviolence”
6. “Disorder”
7. “Crystal”
8. “Academic”
9. “Your Silent Face”
10. “Tutti Frutti”
11. “Sub-Culture”
12. “BLT”
13. “Vanishing Point”
14. “Waiting for the Sirens Call”
15. “Plastic”
16. “The Perfect Kiss”
17. “True Faith”
18. “Blue Monday”
19. “Temptation”
20. “Atmosphere”
21. “Decades”
22. “Love Will Tear Us Apart”

UB40's debut album 'Signing Off to get LP reissue

Forty years after its release in 1980, the vinyl reissue of Birmingham, England pop/reggae band UB40 debut album Signing Off, will be released on March 14 via EMI/UME.

It opened at #2 on the UK album charts and was later certified Platinum by the BPI, with singles “Food For Thought” and “I Think it’s Going To Rain Today” reaching the top 10 of the UK singles charts.

The 2LP (180g) red vinyl features all 10 original tracks, as well as three bonus tracks (“Madam Medusa”, “Strange Fruit,” and “Reefer Madness”) and can be pre-ordered here.

The cover artwork memorably duplicated the UK’s equivalent of an unemployment benefit card (a “UB40”), with the title Signing Off rubber-stamped in red. Q Magazine once ranked Signing Off at #83 on their “100 Greatest British Albums” list.

TRACK LISTING

UB40 - Signing Off (2LP Set)

LP1 - Side A

1. Tyler

2. King
3. 12 Bar
4. Burden Of Shame

LP1 - Side B

1. Adella
2. I Think It's Going To Rain Today
3. 25%
4. Food For Thought
5. Little By Little
6. Signing Off

LP2 - Side A
1. Madam Medusa

LP2 - Side B

1. Strange Fruit
2. Reefer Madness

Fleetwood Mac news

Fleetwood Mac released its first live album in December 1980. Recorded mostly during the world tour for Tusk, Fleetwood Mac Live delivered a double album with several hits.

Now Rhino Records gives the band’s live debut a new 3CD/2LP reissue that features a remastered version of the original release on both 180-gram vinyl and CD, plus more than an hour of unreleased live music recorded between 1977 and 1982 on the third CD. The set also includes a bonus 7-inch single featuring previously unreleased demos for “Fireflies” and “One More Night.”

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION will be available from Rhino on April 9. An unreleased live performance of “The Chain” recorded in Cleveland in 1980 is available on all digital download and streaming services. Click HERE to listen now.

A special “Tour Edition” is also available for pre-order exclusively at the Rhino.com store for $109.98. Limited to 1,000 copies, the “Tour Edition” features the 3-CD/2-LP/7-inch collection plus replica ephemera from the era including a ticket, backstage pass, ad, button, sticker, and iron on patch.

This Super Deluxe Edition is presented in a 12 x 12 rigid slipcase and comes with a booklet filled with rare photos, a full itinerary for the Tusk Tour, plus a history of the live album by writer David Wild. 

The majority of the original album was recorded live between 1979 and 1980, save for a few exceptions: “Don’t Let Me Down Again,” was recorded in 1975 during the tour for Fleetwood Mac; Dreams” and “Don’t Stop” are from the band’s sound check in Paris; while “Fireflies,” “One More Night,” and a cover of the Beach Boys’ “Farmer’s Daughter” were all recorded in California during a special show for the band’s crew, family, and friends.

The 14 live tracks that debut on the Super Deluxe Edition span a wider range of time than those on the original release. They include seven songs from the Tusk tour (1979-80), four from the Rumours tour (1977) and three from the Mirage tour (1982). These additions include live versions of “Tusk,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Songbird,” plus “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)” – a song written in 1970 by guitarist Peter Green, who founded Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer in 1967.

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION

3-CD/2-LP plus bonus 7-inch single

Original Album Remastered

CD Track Listing

Disc One: Original Album Remastered

1. “Monday Morning”

2. “Say You Love Me”
3. “Dreams”
4. “Oh Well”
5. “Over & Over”
6. “Sara”
7. “Not That Funny”
8. “Never Going Back Again”
9. “Landslide”

Disc Two: Original Album Remastered

1. “Fireflies”
2. “Over My Head”
3. “Rhiannon”
4. “Don’t Let Me Down Again”
5. “One More Night”
6. “Go Your Own Way”
7. “Don’t Stop”
8. “I’m So Afraid”
9. “The Farmer’s Daughter”

Disc Three
1. “Second Hand News” *
2. “The Chain” *
3. “Think About Me” *
4. “What Makes You Think You’re The One” *
5. “Gold Dust Woman” *
6. “Brown Eyes” *
7. “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)” *
8. “Angel” *
9. “Hold Me” *
10. “Tusk” *
11. “You Make Loving Fun” *
12. “Sisters Of The Moon” *
13. “Songbird” *
14. “Blue Letter” *
Bonus Track
15. “Fireflies” – Remix - Long Version

* previously unreleased

Valentine's Day music news: Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra

Available for streaming on February 12, Rhino aims straight for the heart with CUPID, a new love-themed digital playlist from Rod Stewart. The 16-track collection mixes some of his best-known love songs with five rarities that have never been available digitally until now. In celebration of the release, a new Valentine's Day-themed Instagram filter with audio from the song "Cupid" will make its debut, along with a new lyric video.

"I've always been a hopeless romantic, and this list is perfect for that candlelit date night," says Stewart. "No need to be a DJ, just press play and focus on your lover."

Included are songs like "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (#1US/#5 UK) and "The First Cut Is The Deepest" (#1UK/#21US), both from Stewart's multi-platinum album, A Night On The Town (1976). That prolific era is revisited for "You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (#3UK/#4US) from the follow-up, Footloose & Fancy Free (1977), the singer's second multi-platinum solo album. Meanwhile, the collection's title track, "Cupid," is a bonus track taken from the 2009 Expanded Edition of Stewart's 19th studio album, Human (2001).

The playlist marks the digital debut for several songs, including two b-sides: "Love In The Right Hands," which accompanied the unplugged version of "Reason To Believe" in 1993, and "One Night," which was the flip side to "Have I Told You Lately."

CUPID taps two of Stewart's best-loved film contributions with the Top 10 US hit, "Love Touch" (1986) from Legal Eagles and the #3 US hit "Faith Of The Heart" (1998) from the Patch Adams Soundtrack; the latter is making its digital debut. A number of songs on the playlist spotlight music the singer released during the 1990s, including the Top 40 hit "This" from A Spanner In The Works (1995), "For The First Time" from the platinum-certified If We Fall In Love Tonight (1996) and his tender cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately" from the platinum-certified Vagabond Heart (1991).

Track Listing:

1. “Cupid”
2. “Have I Told You Lately”
3. “Faith Of The Heart” *
4. “Love Touch”
5. “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
6. “Careless With Our Love” *
7. “For The First Time”
8. “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)”
9. “Kiss Her For Me” *
10. “If Only”
11. “The First Cut Is The Deepest”
12. “Love In The Right Hands” *
13. “This”
14. “Run Back To Your Arms”
15. “Superstar”
16. “One Night” *
* digital debut

Frank Sinatra: Reprise Rarities Volume 2, a digital collection from Frank Sinatra Enterprises/UMe features 13 Reprise tracks, many making their digital debut. It follows the recent Volume 1 released in honor of Frank Sinatra’s birthday and celebrating the 60th anniversary of “The Chairman of the Board” founding Reprise Records. Both are now available via all digital streaming platforms: Frank Sinatra: Rarities Volume 2, HERE; Frank Sinatra: Rarities Volume 1, HERE.

Additional volumes of Frank Sinatra: Reprise Rarities will continue to be released in 2021. Siriusly Sinatra (SiriusXM Ch. 71) will also air part two of an exclusive ‘Sinatra: Reprise Rarities’ special in February.

FRANK SINATRA — REPRISE RARITIES Volume 2

1. Tina – December 21, 1961

2. Since Marie Has Left Paree – July 17, 1964
3. Blue Lace – November 11, 1968
4. Star! – November 11, 1968
5. Lady Day – August 25, 1969
6. I Love My Wife – November 12, 1976
7. Nancy – March 9, 1977
8. Emily – March 9, 1977
9. Linda – March 14, 1977
10. Sweet Lorraine – March 14, 1977
11. Barbara – March 14, 1977
12. It’s Sunday – February 28, 1983
13. The Girls I’ve Never Kissed – October 30, 1986

FRANK SINATRA — REPRISE RARITIES Volume 1

1. In the Blue of Evening – March 21, 1961
2. As You Desire Me – November 20, 1961
3. Don’t Take Your Love From Me – November 21, 1961
4. Name It and It's Yours – November 22, 1961
5. Come Waltz with Me – January 17, 1962
6. Everybody’s Twistin’ – February 27, 1962
7. I Left My Heart in San Francisco – August 27, 1962
8. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me – February 21, 1963
9. Come Fly with Me – October 11, 1965
10. I'll Never Smile Again – October 11, 1965
11. Younger Than Springtime – September 20, 1967
12. Everything Happens To Me – September 24, 1974
13. Just As Though You Were Here – September 24, 1974