Tears For Fears long-awaited studio album scheduled for February

Tears For Fears' first new studio album in nearly two decades, THE TIPPING POINT, arrives Feb. 25, 2022, via Concord Records. Pre-order HERE.

Roland Orzabal says, “Before everything went so right with this album, everything first had to go wrong, it took years, but something happens when we put our heads together. We’ve got this balance, this push-me-pull-you thing – and it works really well.”

Curt Smith agrees, “If that balance doesn’t work on a Tears For Fears album, the whole thing just doesn’t work. To put it in simple terms, a Tears For Fears record and what people perceive to be the sound of Tears For Fears – is the stuff we can both agree on.”

Despite their many hits and 30 million albums sold, the band started making this new record by committee with some of today’s hit songwriters at the behest of their previous management.

Before long, this reluctant attempt at compromise failed. Orzabal explains, “Eventually, that pressure and tension divided us not just from our management, but from one another too”. The band switched to new management, who raved over the five tracks the band could both agree on.

Orzabal continues, “Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, we felt like we had someone in our corner who understood what we were trying to do. We felt like we had somebody on our side. It was the first time in a long time that we decided - we have to do this.”

Joining Orzabal and Smith on the album is their longtime collaborator Charlton Pettus along with producers and songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Florian Reutter.

“When you’ve known each other as long as we have, and have worked together as long as we have, there’s a bond there that becomes familial. So, it’s different from a friendship,” Smith says. “And it’s different from a marriage. It’s literally like that’s your brother. It’s the kind of bond that you can’t really break. It can fall apart at times. You separate for periods, which I also think is healthy, really. But in the end, we always seem to find each other again.”

First single and title track, “The Tipping Point” was written by Orzabal and guitarist, writer and producer Charlton Pettus and co-produced by the band, Sacha Skarbek, and Florian Reutter. It was inspired by a personal tipping point in Orzabal’s own life. The accompanying visual, directed by Matt Mahurin (Joni Mitchell, U2, Metallica), depicts the subtle and poetic portrait of imbalance. Watch the video HERE.

The Tipping Point is the band’s first album since their reunion album Everybody Loves A Happy Ending in 2004. Since then, the band have toured extensively, including a sold-out UK arena tour and in 2017 released Rule The World, a best-of compilation that returned the band to upper reaches of the album charts once more. Earlier this month the band were honored with the Outstanding Song Collection Award at the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards.

Track listing:

1. No Small Thing
2. The Tipping Point
3. Long, Long, Long Time
4. Break The Man
5. My Demons
6. Rivers Of Mercy
7. Please Be Happy
8. Master Plan
9. End Of Night
10. Stay

Additional Tracks On The Deluxe CD Edition:

11. Let It All Evolve
12. Secret Location
13. Shame (Cry Heaven)

Glasgow band Travis has a deluxe reissue of 'The Invisible Band' on the way in December

The successful third album from Scottish rock band Travis, The Invisible Band, is set to be reissued to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. The deluxe edition features the original album remastered with all the original B-sides and a selection of unreleased demos, live sessions and alternate takes— to be released Dec. 3 on Craft Recordings. The band have premiered “Swing,” a previously unheard early working version of their UK top 3 single “Sing,” listen now here.

A special limited-edition 20th Anniversary box set features the material across two CDs and two 180-gram heavyweight, ultra-clear vinyl LPs, cut at London’s Air Studios. The set includes a book with unseen session photography, handwritten lyrics and essays from the band plus contributions from the original producer Nigel Godrich. A limited number of hand-numbered prints, signed by all four of the band, are available via the Travis official store pre-order here.

The Invisible Band will also be reissued on standard black vinyl, available for the first time on the format since its original release. A limited green vinyl pressing is available via independent record stores, as well as a 2-CD standard edition.

Fans can see the quartet during The Invisible Band in Concert tour across North America and the United Kingdom in April/May 2022. This marks the first time the album will be played in full, plus material from 2020’s 10 Songs and more from the group's extensive catalogue of hits. Tickets for the UK dates are available now; existing tickets to UK dates remain valid. The US tour general on-sale is Oct. 8: here.

Frontman Fran Healy says, “The Invisible Band is 20!! I hadn’t listened to the whole album for a while. It’s a lovely piece of work from the big singles like ‘Sing’ and ‘Flowers in the Window’ to ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Last Train’. It sounds great at 20! We’re also taking it on the road. We’re really looking forward to playing live again.”

Andy Dunlop (guitar) recalls, “Making the first post-success album is never going to be easy. Suddenly pressures and expectations sit on the shoulders of an already creatively challenging process. But things shouldn’t be easy, and all the best things very rarely are.”

Returning to the studio with UK multi-platinum predecessor The Man Who’s co-producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney), Neil Primrose (drums) says, “Recording at Ocean Way Studios, seeing what LA had to offer while staying at the Chateau Marmont [has] left strong memories.”

Lead single “Sing” remains the band’s highest-charting single in the UK (No.3), while its follow-ups, “Side” and “Flowers in the Window,” helped The Invisible Band to match its predecessor’s No.1 position in the UK album chart, while taking Travis into the US Top 40 and Top 10 in Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Italy and Norway.

Dougie Payne (bass) says, “from a distance of 20 years, lovely memories do come back.”

On getting to revisit the album with a tour, frontman Healy remarked, "To support the re-issue of The Invisible Band on vinyl on its 20th birthday we are bringing it all back home... well, home to where the album was recorded, with a tour of the US. It's been such a long time since we toured America. We cannot wait to get out there and play the album live. I was asked the other day what the gig would be like. I said ‘Imagine taking your album out and placing it on the turntable and suddenly all the lights go out and the wall of your living room opens up, and there is Travis, playing it live, for you, with beautiful lights and stories and then once we play the album we throw in a bunch of hits. Then the wall closes and you think damn, I burnt my dinner.’ Like I said we can't wait. The Pandemic has been hard for all musicians so this will be a tour to remember."

Visit TravisOnline.com for ticket information.

US TOUR DATES 2022

04/05 Dallas, TX - Majestic
04/06 Austin, TX – ACL Live @ Moody Theatre
04/08 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
04/09 Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre
04/10 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
04/12 Seattle, WA - Neptune
04/15 Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
04/16 Chicago, IL – Park West
04/18 Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
04/20 Boston, MA – The Orpheum Theatre
04/21 New York City, NY – Terminal 5
04/22 Philadelphia, PA - Keswick
04/23 Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre
04/25 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
04/26 Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre

The Invisible Band 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition box set track list

CD1: Original Album (2021 Remaster)

1. Sing
2. Dear Diary
3. Side
4. Pipe Dreams
5. Flowers In the Window
6. The Cage
7. Safe
8. Follow The Light
9. Last Train
10. Afterglow
11. Indefinitely
12. The Humpty Dumpty Love Song

CD2: B-Sides & Bonus Tracks

1. Ring Out The Bell
2. Killer Queen
3. You Don't Know What I'm Like
4. Beautiful
5. Driftwood (Live at Barrowlands)
6. All The Young Dudes (Live at Barrowlands)
7. You're A Big Girl Now
8. Ancient Train
9. Here Comes The Sun (Live)
10. A Little Bit Of Soul
11. Central Station
12. No Cigar
13. Swing *
14. Flowers In The Window (Acoustic) *
15. Dear Diary (Demo) *
16. Last Train (Demo) *
17. Sing (Live on BBC) *
18. Flowers In The Window (Live on BBC) *
[*previously unreleased]

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers reinterpret their faves on 'Imposter'

Dave Gahan - Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and multi-platinum-selling frontman for Depeche Mode - will release Imposter, a new album with Soulsavers (AKA Rich Machin) on Nov. 12. 

It includes a dozen reimagined songs by from Neil Young, Bob Dylan, PJ Harvey, Charlie Chaplin, Cat Power and Mark Lanegan and others.

“When I listen to other people’s voices and songs—more importantly the way they sing them and interpret the words—I feel at home,” Gahan says in a prepared statement. “I identify with it. It comforts me more than anything else. There’s not one performer on the record who I haven’t been moved by.” He adds, “I know we made something special, and I hope other people feel that and it takes them on a little kind of trip—especially people who love music and have for years.”

The first offering from Imposter is “Metal Heart.” Written by Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and first released in 1998, the reimagined version from Dave & Soulsavers is available now. 

Unlike Dave Gahan & Soulsavers’ past albums which were transatlantic collaborations where the duo recorded separately and passed parts back and forth, the recording of Imposter was done live as a 10-member band at the famed Shangri-La Recording Studio in Malibu, CA in November of 2019.

In an interview with podcaster and media personality Chris Black, Dave noted, “This was the first time we were all in one space. It was kind of lucky [timing] as well… Arriving at Shangri-La every day, it was magical. We’d have coffee, go in, and work.”

Imposter, also produced by Rich Machin and Dave Gahan, serves as the collaborators’ third album, following their critically acclaimed 2015 release Angels & Ghosts and their first release, 2012’s The Light the Dead See. The album will be released in digital, as well as physical formats via Columbia Records.

Track listing:

The Dark End of the Street
Strange Religion
Lilac Wine
I Held My Baby Last Night
A Man Needs a Maid
Metal Heart
Shut Me Down
Where My Love Lies Asleep
Smile
The Desperate Kingdom of Love
Not Dark Yet
Always On My Mind

Kiefer Sutherland travels down 'Bloor Street' on upcoming album and has UK/Europe gigs in early 2022

After announcing details of his upcoming third album ‘Bloor Street’ as well as an extensive UK and European tour, Kiefer Sutherland shared the album’s new single and title track, along with its full track list. The ‘Bloor Street’ album will be released on January 21 via a new deal with Cooking Vinyl.

The title track/single finds Kiefer reflecting on his time growing up in Toronto, Canada. The tracks has an accompanying video directed by Tom Kirk at Hidden Road Studios. Interspersed between cuts of Kiefer’s performance of the tune are a montage of images of snapshots from Toronto’s history and personal photographs of Kiefer dating all the way back to childhood.

Kiefer says, “They say you can never go home. This song, for me, says in your heart you never leave.”

The ‘Bloor Street’ album includes ‘County Jail Gate,’ which tells the tale of a life-long criminal who can’t stay out of prison. 

The album was produced and mixed by the multiple Grammy Award winner Chris Lord-Alge (Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood), and recorded by Jim Scott at PLYRZ Studios in Los Angeles. Pre-order here. 

A range of limited edition signed ‘Bloor Street’ bundles are available, while formats include CD, black vinyl, a limited edition transparent orange vinyl, and an orange cassette. Two new variants are a vinyl that’s exclusive to HMV, and a signed CD that’s only available via Amazon.

Tickets for his 2022 ‘Chasing The Rain’ tour are on sale here. The month-long tour includes his biggest shows to date in the UK and Ireland.

Kiefer Sutherland has released two acclaimed albums of country and Americana. His second album, 2019’s ‘Reckless & Me,’ debuted at #9 on the UK Official Albums Chart, and went to #1 on the Americana, Country and Independent album charts there. It eventually became the UK’s second biggest selling country album of the year.

In addition to his music career, Kiefer is an Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winning actor widely recognized for his performances in “24,” “The Lost Boys,” and “Stand By Me” among many other film and television projects.

He will be seen opposite Chris Pine and Ben Foster in “Violence of Action” as well as in Showtime’s anticipated limited series ‘The First Lady’ where he will portray Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Track list:

‘Bloor Street’
‘Going Down’
‘Two Stepping In Time’
‘So Full Of Love’
‘County Jail Gate’
‘Goodbye’
‘Lean Into Me’
‘Chasing The Rain’
‘Nothing Left To Say’
‘Set Me Free’
‘Down The Line’

UK & European tour dates:

JANUARY 2022
28th - UK, Brighton, Chalk
29th - UK, Hull, Asylum
30th - UK, Norwich, UEA

FEBRUARY 2022

1st - UK, London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
2nd - UK, Manchester, O2 Ritz
3rd - UK, Cardiff, Tramshed
5th - UK, Bournemouth, O2 Academy
6th - UK, Sheffield, Leadmill
7th - UK, Birmingham, O2 Institute
9th - UK, Newcastle, O2 City Hall
10th - UK, Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
11th - UK, Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket
13th - The Netherlands, Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg
15th - Germany, Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
16th - Switzerland, Bern, Bierhuebeli
17th - France, Paris, Café De La Danse
19th - Germany, Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria
20th - Germany, Berlin, Metropol
21st - Germany, Hamburg, Markthalle
23rd - Austria, Vienna, Gasometer
24th - Austria, Linz, Posthof
25th - Germany, Munich, Backstage Werk

U.S. tour dates to be announced soon

Christmas album news: Darren Criss

Singer/songwriter and multiple award-winning actor Darren Criss just released his debut holiday album, A Very Darren Crissmas via Decca Records. The collection features special guest appearances by Adam Lambert, Evan Rachel Wood, and Lainey Wilson. The first single is a whimsical take on the timeless classic, “Happy Holidays / The Holiday Season.”

Watch A Very Darren Crissmas Visual Trailer HERE

Listen to the song and order the album here.

Produced by Ron Fair, A Very Darren Crissmas was recorded in 2020 at Nashville’s Faircraft Studios with local musicians. Lambert joins in on the jazzy “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag,” Evan Rachel Wood sings on the “Somewhere in My Memory,” and the album’s sole original, “Drunk on Christmas” features country artist Lainey Wilson.

“I always knew that if I ever made a Christmas album, it would have to be much more than just a collection of songs you already knew,” says Criss, in a statement. “I’d want it to be a journey through songs that not only had a personal significance to my life, but also a unique introduction to songs folks had never heard before, and a re-introduction to a few they might think they know- but have never considered differently. Every eclectic choice led this album to feel astutely true to its namesake: a very, indisputably, ‘me’ Christmas.”

Track listing:

Happy Holidays / The Holiday Season

I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas
(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag feat. Adam Lambert
St. Patrick’s Day
River
Welcome Home
All Those Christmas Clichés
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
Somewhere In My Memory feat. Evan Rachel Wood
Drunk On Christmas feat. Lainey Wilson
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
New Year

Christmas album news: Norah Jones

Multiple Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/pianist Norah Jones has made her first-ever holiday album with I Dream Of Christmas, featuring seasonal favorites and originals. It will be released October 15 on Blue Note Records and can be pre-ordered now on vinyl, CD, and digital download.

“I’ve always loved Christmas music but never had the inclination to make a holiday album until now,” Jones says in a statement. “Last year I found myself listening to James Brown’s Funky Christmas and Elvis’s Christmas Album on Sundays during lockdown for a sense of comfort. In January 2021, I started thinking about making a Christmas album of my own. It gave me something fun to work on and look forward to.”

The album’s opening track, Norah’s original “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)” is available to stream or download now. 

“When I was trying to figure out which direction to take, the original songs started popping in my head,” she explains. “They were all about trying to find the joys of Christmas, catching that spark, that feeling of love and inclusion that I was longing for during the rest of the year. Then there are all the classics that have that special nostalgia that can hit you no matter who or where you are in life. It was hard to narrow down, but I picked favorite classics that I knew I could make my own.”

Jones takes on The Chipmunk’s “Christmas Don’t Be Late” by David Seville (aka Ross Bagdasarian) as well as “Winter Wonderland,” “Christmas Time Is Here” and others.

I Dream Of Christmas was produced by Leon Michels, and sports Brian Blade on drums, Tony Scherr and Nick Movshon on bass, Russ Pahl on pedal steel guitar, Marika Hughes on cello, Dave Guy on trumpet, Raymond Mason on trombone, and Michels on saxophone, flute, percussion, and more.

Track listing:

Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones) (Norah Jones)
Christmas Don’t Be Late (Ross Bagdasarian)
Christmas Glow (Norah Jones)
White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
Christmastime (Norah Jones/Leon Michels)
Blue Christmas (Billy Hayes/Jay W. Johnson)
It’s Only Christmas Once A Year (Norah Jones)
You’re Not Alone (Norah Jones/Leon Michels)
Winter Wonderland (Richard B. Smith/Felix Bernard)
A Holiday With You (Norah Jones)
Run Rudolph Run (Johnny Marks/Marvin Brodie)
Christmas Time Is Here (Lee Mendelson/Vince Guaraldi)
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? (Frank Loesser)

Christmas album news: the Pistol Annies

Country music trio Pistol Annies unveil their first Christmas album, Hell of a Holiday, on Oct. 22 via RCA Nashville. Listen to the first single “Snow Globe” here.

“We couldn’t be happier we got to make a Christmas Album. Once we finally surrendered and let the Christmas songwriting spirit take over, we were so inspired and felt that magic on every single one of these songs,” said the trio’s Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley. “We hope to be a part of so many people’s Christmas memories for years to come.”

Hell of a Holiday includes 10 festive original tracks written by the Annies and some traditional ones too, such as “Sleigh Ride,” Merle Haggard’s “If We Make it Through December” and a reimagined “Auld Lang Syne.” Photographer and artist Gina Binkley created the cover artwork.

This marks the fourth studio album for the trio, following their Grammy-nominated 2018 project Interstate Gospel. They recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Platinum-certified debut release “Hell on Heels,” the title track of their acclaimed first album.

Track listing:

1. Hell of a Holiday (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
2. Snow Globe (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
3. Harlan County Coal (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
4. Come On Christmas Time (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
5. If We Make it Through December (Merle Haggard)
6. Make You Blue (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
7. Leanin' on Jesus (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
8. The Only Thing I Wanted (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
9. Believing (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
10. Happy Birthday (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
11. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson/Mitchell Parish)
12. Joy (Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)
13. Auld Lang Syne (Public Domain/Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley)