Tom Odell battles the musical 'Monsters'

I had a great interview with Tom for his last album (find it elsewhere on this blog). I'm looking forward to hearing the new songs...

Brit Award and Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter, plus platinum-selling, chart-topping artist Tom Odell has announced that his fourth album, monsters, will be released June 25. Pre-order HERE. To kick off the news of his forthcoming album, Odell released an acoustic version of his forthcoming single “monsters” titled “monsters v.1” - watch the video/listen HERE.

Tom also debuted the album’s title track with a stripped down performance on “The Graham Norton Show” - Watch it HERE.

In addition, Tom has announced dates for his UK 2022 “the monsters tour.” Visit www.tomodell.com for more information.

After a dark period of mental health stalked most of his 2018 and 19, Odell wrote his way through it, pouring his feelings into new music that became the new album monsters.

Last month, Odell premiered the album’s first single "numb" via BBC Radio 1 “Hottest Record In The World” with an accompanying video filmed in Tom’s home in England and directed by Tom Odell & Joseph Delaney. Watch it HERE.

Odell will release the album version of the title track “monster” as an official single in the coming weeks. “monster,” with a confrontational chorus (“you're just a monster and I'm not scared”), lyrics initially inspired by Trump, and more specifically climate change activist Greta Thunberg's staring down the former U.S. president at the UN Climate Summit in 2019, the song’s meaning soon morphed into something more abstract. The song became a self-help mantra for Odell's ongoing battle with anxiety.

“In 2019, my anxiety got so bad that I had to stop making music for a while. There was a period when it felt like I couldn’t leave the house without having a panic attack. I wrote this song, ‘monster’ about trying to overcome my struggles with those mental health problems. It makes me super sad to listen at moments because it brings back some tough times, but I am super proud of it and hope it resonates with people who are dealing with similar struggles. I released a demo first version of the song in its purest form, which I wanted to share first, as the lyrics mean so much to me.” Listen/Watch “monsters v.1” HERE.

Odell has been working as a musician in the public eye since he was 21 when self-penned debut album Long Way Down earned him a UK number one album, top 10 single (the epic “Another Love” which propelled him to global notice) as well as the coveted Brit Award. A masterful performer, Tom has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Jonathan Ross Show, The Graham Norton Show, Late Late Show with James Corden, Late Night with Seth Meyers and so many more.

Now, 30, it's clear to Tom that the whirlwind around his debut kick started a work ethic that eventually became an obsession. It reached an apex in September 2019 when Odell, fresh off touring his album Jubilee Road, left his home in London and went straight to LA to start writing the next album. “Then this chronic anxiety that I'd had for a couple of years just got worse.” Odell woke up one morning “and I couldn't do any more music.” He knew something had to change. In the end he flew back home, went straight to his parent's house and slowly got better.

Odell turned that challenging experience into this new album. He also realized his broader lyrical horizons needed to be matched by a musical expansion, with a lot of the songs on the album – created alongside songwriter Laurie Blundell and producer Miles James – leaning into a more electronic, bedroom pop sound that Odell has steadily become obsessed with over the last few years.

This newfound love of DIY electronic pop chimed with the pandemic's arrival and songs were crafted in a more threadbare way around instruments he had at hand, like Moog synths. It was a move underpinned by both necessity and a desire to explore. 

Tom Odell has enjoyed over 2.6 billion streams, three UK top 5 albums including the platinum-selling, chart-topping Long Way Down; two UK top 10 singles, a 2013 Brit Award for Critic's Choice and being awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello award for Songwriter of the Year.

He recently sold out of his two Virtual Live performances. Fans pre-ordering the album (vinyl, cd, cassette and more) on Tom’s official website will guarantee first access to tickets.

Pre-Order monsters https://tomodell.lnk.to/monsters

An interview with Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler’s vibrant new album The Best is Yet to Come is bolstered by dramatic, full-bodied vocals, synths, and some rock guitar solos. Those same elements helped propel her best-known studio effort Faster Than the Speed of Night and signature song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” to the upper reaches of the American music charts in 1983.

The sonic catalyst for The Best came from first single “When the Lights Go Down,” written especially for Tyler by frequent collaborator Steve Womack.

“I felt it had that magic I hear in my favorite Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart songs,” she says. “When we got into the studio, everyone involved captured the fantastic, timeless rock feel that I love, and I want to keep doing. I don’t care if it goes back to the ‘80s - it’s just so good. Steve writes the most amazing choruses; they’re infectious. You can’t help but sing along with them. I’m absolutely thrilled with it.”

Although Tyler first emerged on the world music scene 40-odd years ago, she definitely isn’t jaded.

During a phone interview earlier this month from her vacation home in Portugal, the Welsh pop/rock singer possessed a joie de vivre indicated by an impromptu burst into song, several exclamations and laughter aplenty.

“I came here for a week’s holiday last March and then the lockdown happened. It’s been the longest holiday of my life,” says Tyler, about handling the pandemic. “I only go out once every two or three weeks at the moment to shop with my husband.”

After praising “wonderful scientists” that helped develop vaccines around the world, she looked ahead to when life gets back to normal and said, “I don’t think any one of us will ever take anything for granted again, something as little as hugging someone.”

Over the past year, various musicians’ online performances during quarantines often resulted in a renewed appreciation for the art form.

“It turns out music is everybody’s friend. We all need music in our life - it’s in my DNA,” Tyler affirms. “I’ve had a wonderful time off, but I’m ready and raring to go” on tour whenever that is safe. “I miss my audience, my band and my crew. They’re like my other family. Most of my band have been with me over 30 years.”

The Best is Yet to Come, originally scheduled to be released last spring, was put on hold by earMUSIC/Edel Records because “nobody knew what was happening” with the pandemic. The album saw Tyler reconnect with producer/musician David Mackay.

He also oversaw 2019’s Between the Earth and the Stars (featuring Rod Stewart and Cliff Richard duets). They previously hadn’t worked together since Tyler’s late Seventies albums spawned the U.K. Top 10 singles “Lost in France” and “It’s a Heartache” (the latter also went Top 5 Stateside).

Kevin Dunne, a bass player from Tyler’s second band in the early ‘70s, spearheaded the reunion. He had written some songs he thought the singer would like and requested some feedback. Tyler was initially hesitant because Dunne wasn’t known for being a tunesmith, but she still agreed.

“He sent me the songs, I listened to them and I thought they were fabulous,” recalls Tyler. “I rang him and said, ‘Why haven’t you been writing before now?’ He said, ‘I’m working with David Mackay, your first producer. We’re knocking my songs into shape. Would you be up for coming over to see how they’re working out by doing a couple demos in the studio? No pressure. Just come and see.’”

Then Tyler visited Mackay and Dunne and their collaborations kicked into gear.

“It was so lovely to see David again after 40 years. It’s wonderful being back with him. I feel like I’ve gone home. He is such a gentleman,” Tyler confirms. “I’m having the time of my life recording with him. We’re already collecting songs for the next album.”

They scheduled The Best recording sessions around Between the Earth and the Stars tour dates. Conveniently, Mackay’s residential studio is a short distance from London’s main airport. “Every time I flew into Heathrow after a gig somewhere, I would go and listen to demos” he had acquired.

“I couldn’t wait to get there to listen to these songs. They were just right up my street. I’d lay a couple of tracks down, go off and come back and do the same thing again.

“I’d go in about 12. At half past 5, it was ‘tools down, family time,’” she continues. “Then his wife would cook a lovely dinner for us all. We’d open the champagne and wine. It was a joyful time making this album. No stress at all.”

Among the new album’s dozen tracks are Tyler’s subtle take on Donovan’s 1965 hit “Catch the Wind” and a smooth, piano, and sax-driven cover of “I’m Not in Love,” the international soft rock hit by 10cc from 1975.

“It came so natural to me,” Tyler says of the latter tune, which is heightened by her burnished vocal purr. “It’s such an incredibly emotional song. I think I’ve really made it my own. There would be no point in covering it if I didn’t. David suggested that song.”

Uplifting women’s anthem “Stronger Than a Man,” was co-written by Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Cher, Ricky Martin). He previously produced Tyler’s 1988 album Hide Your Heart and has given her various songs since then.

“I rang him and said, ‘Desmond, I’m in the studio making a new album. It’s almost done. Have you got a new song for me? Within a few days, he sent me this song. It’s fabulous and so powerful to sing. I’m thrilled with it.”

Tyler’s old friend John Parr contributes guitar to the simmering ballad “You’re the One,” while idyllic pan pipes courtesy of Ecuadorian musician Leo Rojas color the urgently orchestrated “Stuck to My Guns.”

A majority of the supple female backing vocals on The Best is Yet to Come are handled by Miriam Stockley, whose impressive credits includes work on albums by Queen, Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner, Thomas Dolby, ABC, and others.

“She’s such an awesome singer,” enthuses Tyler. “To have her involved is something I take as a huge compliment because she’s on so many hit records.”

Recently Tyler joined the popular Tik Tok platform and posted two “Total Eclipse of the Heart” videos where users can create their own duet with her. One of them has garnered nearly 450,000 versions. She also posted one for “When the Lights Go Down.”

“I’m not very technical,” Tyler admits. “The front of my house is all full of glass and has lighting like a house in Hollywood. I couldn’t find a place to get good lighting for it. I ended up going to the bottom of my staircase. A plain wall was the only place I could do it. A lot of people are going on there and singing with me.”

Meanwhile, “Eclipse” has amassed over 400 million streams on Spotify. The tune still pops up everywhere from various compilations and internet platforms to TV shows and film soundtracks.

“It is an incredible song. I never get tired of singing it,” says Tyler. “Every time I sing it is like the first time. I never would’ve dreamed when it was released that it would sell six million copies” worldwide. She says when the time comes to eventually perform it and her other catalog staples on a concert stage, “it’s going to be so emotional being out with my band again. I think we’re all going to be crying.”

Another example of Tyler’s enduring popularity came last December during YouTube’s original series “Released.” Miley Cyrus was the guest and sang a snippet of “It’s a Heartache.” She professed her admiration for the veteran artist on Twitter. A YouTube user even created a mix of the two voices singing it together.

“I was flattered; she made my day,” notes Tyler. “She’s got a fabulous voice. When she was younger, she used to play me all the time because she’s always had a bit of a husky voice. I loved the way she did the phrasing.”

Since Tyler was the United Kingdom’s entrant in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with “Believe in Me,” a Child-penned track from her country-leaning Rocks and Honey album that year, has she watched Will Farrell’s 2020 comedy film sendup, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga?”

“Yes, I liked it. You wouldn’t believe how real that film is! It’s hysterical. When I was there (at the competition), I wasn’t looking forward to going whatsoever. I (basically) had to do it because the BBC asked me. I thought, ‘If I say ‘no,’ they’re never going to play my records.’ So, I went along with it and I actually enjoyed it. It was great fun. Plenty of hard work. When I walked behind that British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off. It was such an awesome feeling. The people that go there are so dedicated.”

My interview originally appeared last month at rockcellar.com. Photos courtesy earMUSIC/Edel Records.

Grammys '21 news: Hiss Golden Messenger finds himself 'Quietly Blowing It' this summer

Grammy nominee Hiss Golden Messenger will release new album Quietly Blowing It (Merge Records) on June 25. Written, arranged, and produced by bandleader/songwriter M.C. Taylor, Quietly Blowing It is the follow-up to 2019’s critically acclaimed release Terms of Surrender, which has been nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. Released in January, the soulful first single “Sanctuary” has spent the last three weeks at #1 on the Americana Radio Singles Chart.

Watch the video for the just-released new track “If It Comes in the Morning.” The KidEthnic-directed clip was shot in Oxford, NC, and features actor, playwright, and activist Mike Wiley in the lead. VIEW HERE

“‘If It Comes in the Morning’ was a song that was written in the spring and early summer of 2020. The country was on fire, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘What comes next?’” says Taylor. “Initially, I didn’t know how much hope to include in the song—I wasn’t feeling particularly hopeful myself in that moment—but I felt that it was important to remember that whatever happened, most of us were going to be fortunate enough to be given another day in which to enact what I feel are the most important and fundamental parts of being alive: joy, love, peace, the willingness to keep moving forward whether the cards fall in our favor or not. And in remembering, at least, that these feelings exist, I suppose it became a song of hope. The Staple Singers and Curtis Mayfield were very good at writing these kinds of songs, and I suppose I was looking to their music as inspiration for ‘If It Comes in the Morning.’ When I got stumped on a verse, I called my friend Anaïs Mitchell, and she got me straightened out. I’m very thankful for her help.”

Quietly Blowing finds Taylor ruminating on themes of growing up, alienation, obligation, hope, purpose, family, class, self-discovery, healing, and rebuilding, fashioned with impressionistic tones. He says the record “feels like the most personal album that I’ve made because I’m not trying to explain anything to anyone except myself.” Taylor elaborates in more detail in his essay “Mourning in America.”

Musically, the new songs comprise gospel, Southern soul, indie folk, and alt-country with tinges of blues, rock, and jazz influences running throughout. “Painting Houses” was co-written with Gregory Alan Isakov. Quietly Blowing It features special guests Griffin and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Zach Williams of The Lone Bellow and esteemed Nashville guitarist Buddy Miller.

Pre-order Quietly Blowing It HERE now on CD, LP, and metallic blue Peak Vinyl (which also includes an exclusive Hiss Golden Messenger newsprint poster) or wherever records are sold.

PJ Harvey reissue campaign continues with 'Uh Huh Her,' demos

UMe/Island's comprehensive PJ Harvey reissue campaign sees her back catalogue and two albums in collaboration with John Parish, released on vinyl across 2021. For the first time, each of PJ Harvey’s accompanying album demos will be available as a stand-alone album on CD, vinyl and digital. This catalog project will celebrate every aspect of Harvey’s recording career.

On April 30, the reissue of the vinyl edition of UH HUH HER will be released alongside a collection of unreleased demos which will be available on CD, vinyl and digital.

Written, recorded and produced over two years by Harvey herself, with almost every instrument on the album played by Harvey (the only exception being the final drum tracks, which have been added by Rob Ellis), Uh Huh Her is Harvey’s sixth and highest charting album to date in the US, with the record also reaching No. 12 in the U.K.. It gained her a BRIT Award nomination for Best British Female Artist, as well as a fifth Grammy Award nomination, for Best Alternative Music Performance of 2004.

It features the singles “The Letter,” “You Come Through” and “Shame.” The reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, with cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of long time PJ Harvey producer Head.

The release will be accompanied by full restorations of the videos for ‘Shame’, ‘You Come Through’ and ‘The Letter’.

UH HUH HER is repressed on vinyl via UMe/Island. Pre order here

UH HUH HER – DEMOS is available on digital, CD and vinyl. Pre order here

Additionally, STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA is repressed on vinyl. Out now. Order here.

STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA – DEMOS is available on digital, CD and vinyl now. Order here.

IS THIS DESIRE? is repressed on vinyl. Out now. Order here

IS THIS DESIRE? - DEMOS is available on digital, CD and vinyl now. Order here

DANCE HALL AT LOUSE POINT is repressed on vinyl. Out now. Order here
TO BRING YOU MY LOVE is repressed on vinyl. Out now. Order here
TO BRING YOU MY LOVE – DEMOS is available on digital, CD and vinyl now. Order here

RID OF ME is repressed on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1993. Out now. Order here.

4-TRACK DEMOS was also reissued on stand-alone vinyl and is available now. Order here.

DRY - DEMOS is available on digital, CD and vinyl now. Order here.
DRY (studio album) is now available on Too Pure/Beggars Archive on vinyl. Order here.

UH HUH HER LP Info
1LP, 180g black vinyl
Full color outer sleeve, with printed inner sleeve

LP Track list
Side 1
1. The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth
2. Shame
3. Who The Fuck?
4. The Pocket Knife
5. The Letter

Side 2
1. The Slow Drug
2. No Child Of Mine
3. Cat On The Wall
4. You Come Through
5. It’s You
6. The End
7. The Desperate Kingdom Of Love
8. The Darker Days Of Me & Him

UH HUH HER (DEMOS)

Collection of unreleased demos of written for the sixth PJ Harvey studio album Uh Huh Her, including demos of both “The Letter” and “Shame.” The record also features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz. Artwork is overseen by Maria with Rob Crane. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of long time PJ Harvey producer Head.

LP Info
1LP, 180g black vinyl
Full color outer sleeve, with printed inner sleeve
Artwork includes previously unseen photos

LP Track list
Side 1
1. The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth - Demo
2. Shame - Demo
3. Who The Fuck? - Demo
4. The Pocket Knife - Demo
5. The Letter - Demo

Side 2
1. The Slow Drug - Demo
2. It’s You - Demo
3. The Desperate Kingdom Of Love - Demo
4. The Darker Days Of Me & Him - Demo

CD Info
Mini-gatefold outer sleeve
Printed inner sleeve

CD Track list

1. The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth - Demo
2. Shame - Demo
3. Who The Fuck? - Demo
4. The Pocket Knife - Demo
5. The Letter - Demo
6. The Slow Drug - Demo
7. It’s You - Demo
8. The Desperate Kingdom Of Love - Demo
9. The Darker Days Of Me & Him - Demo

Digital Info
9-track digital release in standard definition, MFiT and HD formats

Out today on LP: Gang of Four box set; single album reissues, tribute album slated for later in spring

"Gang of Four, in a way, were the great missing link that led us all downa road of austerity of sound, and discipline of method.You could be fooled into thinking they are minimalist, but these are keenly arranged tracks that trade on the currency of suspense, and the power of reduction. The lyrical layer is poetic, passionate and painfully human.

- Brendan Canty, Fugazi

“When I was 14, no album gave me more excitement than Entertainment! It was the first album that I wore out the vinyl grooves on. I learned the words and could "sing" along with it. Songs Of The Free and Solid Gold followed suit. Gill and King, along with Boon, McCulloch and Stipe, were rock gods for me.”
- Bob Nastanovich, Pavement

On April 23, Matador Records will reissue two of Gang of Four’s critical early works, Entertainment! (1979) and Solid Gold (1981). Both have been remastered from the original analog tapes and will be made available on LP and CD.

Gang of Four’s debut record, Entertainment!, remains one of the most influential works of its era. The group’s second album, Solid Gold, celebrates its 40th anniversary. It contains the singles "Outside the Trains Don't Run On Time" and "He'd Send In The Army."

Entertainment! and Solid Gold are also collected in GANG OF FOUR: 77-81, a new box set out now on LP and April 23 on CD.

This limited-edition box set gathers Gang of Four’s influential early work – the two aforementioned full-lengths, an exclusive singles LP, and an exclusive double LP of the never officially released Live at American Indian Center 1980.

Additionally, the package includes two new badges, a C90 cassette tape compiling 26 never-before-issued outtakes, rarities and studio demos from Entertainment! and Solid Gold, and an epic 100-page, full-color hardbound book. A never before heard demo from the box set, “Elevator,” is available to listen to now.

The book details the history and legacy of the original Gang of Four with never-before-seen photos, contributions from surviving original band members, rare posters, ephemera, flyers, essays, artwork, liner notes and more. It also marks the first official publication of their lyrics.

The CD version of the box will not include the badges or the C90. The demo recordings will instead be made available through a download code.

A new tribute album, The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, will be released in May via Gill Music. The 20-track double album features contributions from Flea and John Frusciante, Warpaint, Idles, La Roux, and more.

WATCH A “GANG OF FOUR: 77-81” UNBOXING VIDEO WITH JON KING

WATCH THE NEW “DAMAGED GOODS" LYRIC VIDEO

LISTEN TO “ELEVATOR” (DEMO)

PRE-ORDER “ENTERTAINMENT!”

PRE-ORDER “SOLID GOLD”

Box set track listing (vinyl):

ENTERTAINMENT!
A1. Ether
A2. Natural’s Not In It
A3. Not Great Men
A4. Damaged Goods
A5. Return The Gift
A6. Guns Before Butter
B1. I Found That Essence Rare
B2. Glass
B3. Contract
B4. At Home He’s A Tourist
B5. 5.45
B6. Love Like Anthrax

SOLID GOLD

A1. Paralysed
A2. What We All Want
A3. If I Could Keep It For Myself
A4. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time
A5. Why Theory?
B1. Cheeseburger
B2. The Republic
B3. In The Ditch
B4. A Hole In The Wallet
B5. He’d Send In The Army

SINGLES
A1. To Hell With Poverty
A2. It’s Her Factory
A3. Armalite Rifle
B1. Capital (It Fails Us Now)
B2. History’s Bunk!
B3. Cheeseburger (Live) *
B4. What We All Want (Live) *
*Live at Hammersmith Palais

LIVE AT AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER 1980

A1. Not Great Men
A2. Contract
A3. Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time
A4. Damaged Goods
B1. He’d Send In The Army
B2. Guns Before Butter
B3. 5.45
C1. Anthrax
C2. It’s Her Factory
C3. Ether
C4. Natural’s Not In It
D1. At Home He’s A Tourist
D2. Rosanne
D3. Return The Gift
D4. Glass

CASSETTE

SIDE A -THE EARLY DEMOS (VARIOUS)

I) REHEARSAL ROOM – LEEDS, 1977-78
The Things You Do
What You Ask For
Armalite Rifle
Love Like Anthrax
Silence Is Not Useful
Disco Sound
Damaged Goods
Elevator

II) CARGO DEMOS – CARGO STUDIO, ROCHDALE
Song One
Song Two

iii) THE TAPES – POLYDOR STUDIOS, JAN 1978
Essence Rare
Tourist
Return The Gift
5.45
Corked Up With The Ether

SIDE B – ABBEY ROAD DEMOS

FROM 5TH JANUARY 1981 - (single track from cassette)

Why Theory
Cargo
Trains
Army
Disco/Funk
Dog’s Breath
Asshole
Cymbal
Reverb
Cheeseburger
Ditch

Paul McCartney news

Paul McCartney’s latest album McCartney III has been reinterpreted as McCartney III Imagined, to be released digitally April 16 on Capitol Records, and available for pre-order now.
Personally curated by Paul, it features an assortment of friends, fans and new acquaintances, each covering and/or reimagining their favorite McCartney III moments in their own signature styles.

The first offering comes from American singer/rapper/songwriter Dominic Fike, whose cover of “The Kiss of Venus” transmutes the acoustic ballad into R&B. “The Kiss of Venus (Dominic Fike version)” is available digitally HERE, and a new video for the track can be seen HERE.

Further III-imaginations will be forthcoming from Damon Albarn, Beck, Blood Orange, Phoebe Bridgers, Josh Homme, Khraungbin, 3D RDN of Massive Attack, Ed O’Brien (EOB), Anderson .Paak, St. Vincent and more.

Originally released December 18, 2020, McCartney III is the third in a trilogy of home-made and self-titled albums that began with Paul's 1970 solo debut McCartney, and continued in 1980 with McCartney II.

All three albums were written, performed and produced by Paul in varying states of isolation, all showcasing his unique creativity and inspired spontaneity. Recorded in “Rockdown," McCartney III topped album charts across the world, scoring Paul his first UK#1 album in 31 years – increasing his lead as the UK’s most successful chart act of all time.

McCartney III Imagined physical formats are also available for pre-order, with their release following this summer, including exclusive color vinyl editions available at Target, Barnes & Noble, Indie record stores, Newbury Comics, and PaulMcCartney.com. Physical configurations will feature the exclusive bonus track "Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix)."

Track listing:

1. Find My Way (feat. Beck)
2. The Kiss of Venus (Dominic Fike)
3. Pretty Boys (feat. Khruangbin)
4. Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix)
5. Deep Down (Blood Orange Remix)
6. Seize The Day (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
7. Slidin’ (EOB Remix)
8. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Damon Albarn Remix)
9. Lavatory Lil (Josh Homme)
10. When Winter Comes (Anderson .Paak Remix)
11. Deep Deep Feeling (3D RDN Remix)
12. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix)*

* Physical release exclusive track

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks set for solo album in June

Gary Louris, singer/songwriter for The Jayhawks, has announced his new album Jump For Joy will release on June 4 via Sham/Thirty Tigers. Written, performed and produced entirely by Louris himself, Jump For Joy is his first solo release since 2008’s Vagabonds.

Along with the announcement Louris is sharing “New Normal,” the debut single. Listen to “New Normal” via YouTube:
https://youtu.be/R54IpVpxHT4

“The oldest recording of the bunch,” Louris says of the new single, “I made this down in my basement studio in Minneapolis in the first decade of the new millennium. I was still learning the art of the digital studio. It is a dip of the toe into that world and is pretty rudimentary, and yet it has that touch of magic. The sounds just work and I wouldn’t know how to recreate this if I tried.”

He continues, “The highlights for me are the strange vocoder sounds I got, and the crazy solo which was me channeling Robert Fripp. It’s a sloppy electronic melange (and here I am presaging TikTok more than a decade before it’s existence!). Lyrically, it’s my view on the world and how only when we ‘stand still, watch time passing around you’ can one truly be here now.”

Over the last three decades, Gary Louris has served as the lead singer/songwriter of The Jayhawks as well as Golden Smog, which has included members of Soul Asylum, Wilco, The Replacements and Big Star. He has also produced records and contributed songs to GRAMMY Award-winning albums by Tedeschi Trucks Band and The Chicks, and recorded with a diverse group of acts including The Black Crowes, Uncle Tupelo, Joe Henry, Counting Crows, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Roger McGuinn, Nickel Creek and The Wallflowers.

Jump For Joy features 10 never-before-released songs written entirely by Louris and recorded in his home studio, with cover art illustrated by his son, Henry Louris. The album follows The Jayhawks’ 2020 release XOXO. Pre-order here: www.garylourismusic.com/store

Tracklist:

1. Almost Home
2. Living In Between
3. White Squirrel
4. New Normal
5. Mr. Updike
6. Follow
7. Too Late The Key
8. One Way Conversation
9. Jump For Joy
10. Dead Man’s Burden