One For The (Lost) Weekend: Graham Reynolds

Check out "The Lost Weekend" off the new "Mountain" album from Graham Reynolds (A Scanner Darkly OST) on Fire Records.

Graham Reynolds – Mountain

Acclaimed composer (A Scanner Darkly, Before Midnight, Hit Man) and musical maverick Graham Reynolds releases his debut solo album for Fire Records. Pressed on limited edition purple/white splatter vinyl and housed in a deluxe die cut sleeve.

A socio-geographic trip along the sierra in your mind, standout title track ‘Mountain (Part 1)’ is filled with romantic orchestral sweeps conjuring up an image of a vast landscape disrupted by a singular peak, while ‘…Part 2’ takes a more jagged path, traversing an angular ridge before steadying itself into a piece of Hermann-esque Hitchcock. ‘Mt Monadnock’ in New Hampshire is namechecked, while the ‘Enchanted Rock’ (a thunderous Einstürzende Neubauten-like reawakening of the senses played out on Graham’s signature booming orchestral drum) stands just outside of Austin, Texas, Reynolds’ home-base for over 30 years.

Composed and performed by Graham Reynolds, with contributions from his rotating cast of musical compadres, the album was produced and mixed by mysterious English duo Peter Talisman. There are surprises throughout the album as Austin neighbour Jad Fair (Half Japanese) pops up with backing vocals along with Italian chanteuse Marta del Grandi whose evocative words on ‘Linger In Silence’ spark a wonderful re-awakening of the exquisite seven-minute stand-out ‘Prophet Harmonic’.

Says Reynolds: “This album is personal. It starts with Monadnock, the first mountain I ever climbed, up in New England. The first side ends with Enchanted Rock, the first mountain I climbed in my adopted state of Texas. And, though I’ve been releasing music for my whole adult life, this is the first time I’ve had real label support for something of my own, unattached to a film or other media. So, in a way, oddly, it’s my first real solo album”  

Get a copy of Graham Reynolds' new Mountain album via Bandcamp right here. Check out "The Lost Weekend" followed by Graham's discussion of the track and the album trailer.   

 

The Nightingales return in raucous form with "The Awful Truth"

John Peel faves The Nightingales strike back with a vengeance on The Awful Truth out now via Fire Records.

Here's the scoop from Fire Records...

The Nightingales return with ‘The Awful Truth’, a modern mutant music hall interpretation of the day’s news, a haunting jolt into realism narrated with all the angst of an insistent, slightly dishevelled late-night newscaster. Following the widely celebrated Stewart Lee-narrated King Rocker film in 2020, the curtain has finally been raised on the magic of the “long serving punk/alternative rock volunteer” (The Quietus). As pertinent as ever, The Nightingales – featuring Robert Lloyd, Andreas Schmid (Faust) on bass, Fliss Kitson (Violet Violet) on drums and guitarist, James Smith (Damo Suzuki) – release a poignant tirade on modern times heralded, quite rightly, as ‘The Awful Truth.’

Opening cut, ‘The New Emperor’s New Clothes’ is an upbeat immersive eruption with a thumping percussive piano holding proceedings in order; think the Velvets meet Fairport Convention in a crowded boozer, still waiting for their man. ‘Same Old Riff’ recalls Bowie’s ‘Queen Bitch’ rekindling the class war struggles and throwing sharp focus on the national unrest in the summer of 2024.

Robert Lloyd’s acidic one-liners trace the collapse of modern society, retaining the harmonious warble of a veteran pub crooner infected with the growl and grouse of The Fall, Nick Cave and at times Beefheart reincarnated.

In the early 80s they enjoyed cult status as darlings of the credible music scene and were championed by John Peel, who said of them – “Their performances will serve to confirm their excellence when we are far enough distanced from the 1980’s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans.” Their time has indeed come. 

Get a vinyl copy of The Awful Truth on limited edition red wax with brilliant sleeve art by Tomasso Salini directly from Fire Records right here. Check out the entertaining preview clip followed by a Guiness-enhanced video for "Same Old Riff" and the trailer for Michael Cumming & Stewart Lee's excellent Nightingales documentary King Rocker below. 

Mekons share "Mudcrawlers" from new Horror album about how we got here

Jon Langford, Sally Timms and their Mekons pals capture the tenor of the times with "Horror" out April 4th. Hear two intriguing new tunes below. 

Here's the scoop...

Legendary postmodern, post punk, post human, past caring collective Mekons return with a brand-new album for 2025. Their first release on Fire Records, ‘Horror’ (out April 4th) provides a horribly prescient reflection of the world in its current miasma and how we got here.

‘Horror’ looks at history and the legacies of British imperialism with mashed up lyrics set against a typically eclectic sound that amalgamates everything from dub, country, noise, rock & roll, electronica, punk, music hall, polka and you can even take your partner for a nice waltz on ‘Sad And Sad And Sad’. The roots of their global sound reflect their nomadic journey through time and space from Leeds to California in the West and Siberia in the East and is woven into the fabric and intricacies of their song creation…

Sounding like The Chills and R.E.M circa the I.R.S Records years, "Mudcrawlers" (listen below) sees just about the whole band joining Jon Langford on vocals speaking of Irish famine and refugees journeying to Wales. ‘War Economy’ shivers in the cold of such Boroughs spiked one-liners: “Clinical coercion will not achieve dominance!” Sounding like its straight off a Jenny Holzer neon sign (she of Abuse Of Power Comes As No Surprise), it’s held together by a disgruntled swaggering riff that underpins an explosion of disquiet.

Meanwhile, Rico takes the lead on the maliciously luscious ‘Fallen Leaves’ an appalled and appalling Hammer Horror take on climate breakdown reminiscent of Rolling Thunder Dylan, that recalls The Pogues at their most introspective, its Celtic twilightism augmented by Susie Honeyman’s keening violin as the dying sun sinks down and the river Styx flows on in the pitch black night.

Almost 50 years in the making, these Mekons continue to astound, their sound, sentiment and method of delivery blended to perfection by bass player and studio wizard, Dave Trumfio. The Mekons are Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Tom Greenhalgh, Dave Trumfio, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell, Steve Goulding, and Lu Edmonds. 

You can pre-order "Horror" by The Mekons via Bandcamp right here. Listen to "Mudcrawlers" and "You're Not Singing Anymore" and see if those merrymaking Mekons are playing a show anywhere near you below. 

Check for an upcoming Mekons show in 2025 near you in the UK, Europe and U.S. – not Canada, sadly – right here.

Martin Phillipps' passion project Spring Board 2LP due in February

Singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps was working on his very personal Spring Board project as a final chapter of The Chills. 

Here's the scoop from Fire Records...

‘Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs’ is a Martin Phillipps passion project. A dedicated reimagining of his earlier unreleased songs that became his artistic farewell, a lasting legacy, and a reminder of his huge, underappreciated talent. 

As the subject of an undulating life and times movie – The Chills: The Triumph And Tragedy Of Martin Phillipps – Chills’ singer, songwriter and main motivator, Martin Phillipps spent the last decade releasing studio and live albums while careering into his sixtieth year with typical gusto.

Amid such momentum, Martin was digging through old tapes, searching for the foundations that resulted in global rapture in 1987, an overnight success that took a mere seven years to ignite. These early songs and musings were revisited, revised and finally put to record. As such, ‘Spring Board’ is the final chapter of The Chills' immeasurably significant output.  

“The album seemed like an easy option,” mused Martin, but breathing life into tunes that were penned by a twenty-something hopeful wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Cassettes fragmented, memories were hazy. 

“All of the songs needed varying degrees of rewriting; a 60-year old man couldn’t just stick to the lyrics of those formative years. And some of the songs were just vague recollections, incomplete, only blossoming during recording.” 

‘Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs’ is alarming, personal, brittle and at times hopelessly upbeat. This is a man casting his mind back on an esoteric career that led to nothing short of cult status; someone rediscovering his roots, his innermost thoughts, hopes and fears. The album has been finalised for release with the love and support of his band, family and friends.

The Chills are: Martin Phillipps, Oli Wilson, Erica Scally, Callum Hampton and Todd Knudson. The album features Fur Patrol’s Julia Deans, Elroy Finn and Split Enz, Crowded House alumni Neil Finn, Tiny Ruins’ Hollie Fullbrook, Manics producer Greg Haver, Troy Kingi, Shona Laing, Tami Neilson, Dianne Swann (Everything That Flies) and Purple Pilgrims’ Clementine Valentine.

‘Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs’ will be available on limited edition double vinyl and CD via Fire Records on February 28th. Pre-Order 'Spring Board' right here.  Listen to "If This World Was Made For Me" and watch a rousing Chills performance of "Watching Old Home Movies" from 1987 and "Stay Longer" from 2023 following the tracklisting below. 

Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs

1.  Dolphins / 2. Learn To Try Again / 3. If This World Was Made For Me / 4. Juicy Creaming Soda / 5. I’ll Protect You / 6. And When You’re There / 7. Declaration / 8. Stay Longer / 9. Slime / 10.  Steel Skies /  11. Jellyhead / 12. Such Self Pity / 13. Meet My Eyes / 14. Bad Eggs / 15. Lion Tamer / 16. The Other / 17. Since You Left Me / 18. Watching Old Home Movies / 19. I Saw Your Silhouette / 20. I Don’t Want to Live Forever 

Steve Wynn releasing new album Make It Right and memoir in August

Steve Wynn's new memoir "I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True" and his "Make It Right" solo LP are out August 30. 

Here's the scoop from Steve...

"A photo from a desk somewhere in the offices of Fire Records in London. The first sighting of the physical copies of my new album and book. Eagerly awaiting for the postman to arrive with mine and…oh wait, it’s Sunday. August 30th is the official release date for “Make It Right” and “I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True” —pre-orders via Fire Records, Jawbone Press and my own Bandcamp page."

Here's a pre-order link for "Make It Right": https://stevewynn.lnk.to/makeitrightID 

Check out the "Make It Right" preview clip below. 

I WOULDN’T SAY IT IF IT WASN’T TRUE

A MEMOIR OF LIFE, MUSIC, AND THE DREAM SYNDICATE

I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True is a tale of writing songs and playing in bands as a conduit to a world its author could once have barely imagined—a world of major labels, luxury tour buses, and sold-out theaters, but also one of alcohol, drugs, and a low-level rock’n’roll Babylon.

Beginning with Wynn’s childhood in California in the 60s and 70s, the book builds to a crescendo with the formation of the first incarnation of The Dream Syndicate in 1981 as an antidote to the prepackaged pop music of the era. It charts the highs and lows of the band’s early years at the forefront of the Paisley Underground scene alongside Green On Red, Rain Parade, and The Bangles; the seismic impact of their debut album, The Days Of Wine And Roses; the spiraling chaos of the sessions for the follow-up, Medicine Show; the dissolution of the band’s first line-up and the launch of a second phase of The Dream Syndicate with Out Of The Grey and Ghost Stories; and more, culminating with the release of the landmark live album Live At Raji’s.

This is Wynn’s story, but it also features some of the biggest and most colourful characters of the period, offering a detailed field guide to the music business that manages to both glorify and demystify in equal measure. And, ultimately, it’s a tale of redemption, with music as a vehicle for artistic and personal transformation and transcendence. Here's an excerpt...

Summer 1984. I’ve got the back lounge of this tour bus all to myself, partly because I’m the lead singer but more likely because it means the rest of the band won’t have to deal with me for the rest of the day.

Just two years earlier I was flunking out at UCLA, working the day shift in a record store, living out of my father’s basement. Now I’m living the million-to-one reality of touring the country with my band, The Dream Syndicate, opening for up-and-coming rock darlings REM, and making a big-budget sophomore album for A&M Records. I’m also untethered and unbound, drinking a fifth of Jim Beam every day, barely speaking to my best friend and guitarist, and looking for trouble in all the wrong places.

How did I get from there to here? And how do I get out? Stick around and find out. I’ll be here, dreaming my dream . . .

–––––––––––––––––

Steve Wynn is a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, whose debut album, The Days Of Wine And Roses, is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the indie/alternative rock scene of the 1980s. He has also enjoyed a prolific solo career, touring the world on a regular basis and performing and recording in groups such as Danny & Dusty, Gutterball, and The Baseball Project (also featuring REM founders Mike Mills and Peter Buck). He scored two Norwegian hit TV shows, Dag and Exit, and his songs have been covered by Luna, Yo La Tengo, and Concrete Blonde, among others. I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True is his first book. He lives in New York City.

Happy Birthday Nick Saloman!

Celebrating Nick's birthday with "Big Black Sky" off his boffo new Bevis Frond album Focus On Nature and more. 

Jane Weaver shares songs from John Parish-produced album Love In Constant Spectacle

Jane Weaver's forthcoming album Love In Constant Spectacle – produced by PJ Harvey's sidekick John Parish – is out April 5th.  

Here's the scoop...

Jane Weaver.  Photo: Nic Chapman

Recalibrating her singular journey in the British musical landscape with her most open-hearted, direct and intimate collection of material yet. Jane Weaver returns with brand new album Love In Constant Spectacle set for release on April 5th via Fire Records.

Weaver’s new album evokes spectacular imagery and distils the artists’ vision in its purest form, elevating her inimitable sound and poetic vision to new heights. Recapturing the melancholy of her early work whilst propelling it forward, she sketches scenes as we watch new colours, shapes and languages emerge and fill the frame. Love In Constant Spectacle is Weaver’s first album since 2021’s unanimously lauded ‘Flock’ and sees her take measured steps towards a vivid, dreamlike record, that offers resolve in the face of life’s inevitability.

Originating from an arpeggiated loop, album opener and new single ‘Perfect Storm’ conjures little scenes, vignettes of someone frantic, who can foresee something unfortunate on the horizon. Floating into consciousness with a subliminal and meandering groove, there’s a captivating ambience as we ascend on our journey.

The foundations of Weaver’s sound are still evident – lush motorik drums, pulsating bass, custom modded synths and exotic fuzz pedals – but the stream is awash with scrabble piece poetry and Letraset lullabies leading to lush escapism, the free abandon that you’d associate with free jazz and the avant-garde. But, as determined and visionary as Weaver might be, Love In Constant Spectacle wasn’t executed without assistance. Here we find a long mooted unison with Jane’s first ever producer, John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels, 16 Horsepower, Rokia Traoré, Giant Sand, Dry Cleaning), who has shared Weaver’s process in the surrounds of Rockfield Studios and Geoff Barrow’s Invada studio. Pouring all her resources, in multiple contexts, has paid-off before the needle drops.

For a musician who has persistently created her own worlds, this new album may be more conceptual in its execution than initially meets the eye. Taking cues from international cinema, it sees Jane experimenting with new writing techniques through randomizing and translating language. More escapist than its predecessor, it draws on themes of mortality and fragility, of how we ground and prepare ourself for loss. This is all framed within its own universe, where themes are articulated through abstract means, where language is cut up and reconfigured to offer new perspectives on the experiences that shape us.

Love In Constant Spectacle is otherworldly, it is both intimate yet distant, a surrealist interpretation of the foundations that make us human – the stories and landscapes it paints are habitats of their own. A voyage into undisclosed pastures, it’s a heartfelt manifesto from an artist that continues to boundlessly evolve with each chapter in her career. 

Watch the animated video for the title track "Love In Constant Spectacle" followed by an audio clip of Jane's latest single "Perfect Storm" after the track listing below. Pre-order the album right here.  

 

Jane Weaver – Love In Constant Spectacle

A1  Perfect Storm 

A2  Emotional Components 

A3  Love in Constant Spectacle

A4  Motif 

A5  The Axis and The Seed

B1  Is Metal 

B2  Happiness in Proximity

B3  Romantic Worlds 

B4  Univers 

B5  Family of the Sun

 

Dream Syndicate's Days Of Wine & Roses gets deluxe 4CD reissue

The expanded 4CD edition of Days Of Wine and Roses boasts 31 previously unissued recordings and 10 rarities! 

Here's the scoop...

The Dream Syndicate reveal a newly expanded 40th Anniversary Edition release History Kinda Pales When It and You Are Aligned: The Days Of Wine and Roses (4xCD Expanded Edition). Collecting 54 songs from the original line-up, including 10 hard-to-find rarities and 31 never released recordings.

An exceptional early ‘80s guitar-powered gem, remastered in full and includes a wealth of unreleased material. This newly expanded 4 CD collection includes tracks from main protagonist Steve Wynn’s earlier combo 15 Minutes, the debut EP, astounding cover renditions (Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, The Who), recordings of the band’s first ever rehearsal, along with several visceral live concerts live concerts pre-dating the recording of their album.

Celebrating the album’s 40th year, this beautifully housed bookback edition also includes 30 pages of liner notes by band historian Pat Thomas, new interviews with Kendra Smith, engineer Paul Cutler and producer Chris D, rare photos, gig posters, and more.

History Kinda Pales When It and You Are Aligned: The Days Of Wine and Roses (4xCD Expanded Edition) was released by Fire America on June 23. Get it right here. Outside of the US, this special release will be available digitally only. Check out the complete track list followed by a Dream Syndicate performance in Milan, Italy shot on October 16, 2022.

Dream Syndicate Days Of Wine and Roses 40th Anniversary Edition

Disc One: Original Days of Wine and Roses album + Down There EP

Tell Me When It's Over

Definitely Clean

That's What You Always Say

Then She Remembers

Halloween

When You Smile

Until Lately

Too Little, Too Late

The Days of Wine and Roses

Sure Thing (Down There EP Version)

That's What You Always Say (Down There EP Version)

When You Smile (Down There EP Version)

Some Kinda Itch (Down There EP Version)

 

Disc Two: Even More Hot Rocks (no hits & out of phase cookies)

That's What You Always Say  (15 Minutes / 7 inch Single Version)

Last Chance For You (15 Minutes / 7 inch Single Version)

Too Little, Too Late (Rehearsal Version, 1981)

Definitely Clean (Rehearsal Version, 1981)

Is It Rolling, Bob? (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

A Reason (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

Like Mary (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

Outside the Dream Syndicate (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

Last Chance For You (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

Unknown song with lyrics  (Rehearsal Version, 1982)

Some Kinda Itch (Live at KPFK, 1982)

Disc Three: Crackling Noises Ok - Do Not Correct

Until Lately  (Live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, CA, 1982)

Sure Thing (Live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, CA, 1982)

Then She Remembers (Live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, CA, 1982)

It’s Gonna Be Alright (Live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, CA, 1982)

Halloween (Live)

That’s What You Always Say (Live)

Sure Thing  (Live)

Definitely Clean (Live)

Too Little, Too Late (Kendra vocal) (Live)

When You Smile (Live)

Some Kinda Itch (Live)

That’s What You Always Say  (Rehearsal Version)

Road Runner (Rehearsal Version)

Instrumental (Rehearsal Version)

Disc Four: Live'r Than You'll Ever Be

Tell Me When It’s Over (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

That’s What You Always Say (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

Sure Thing (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

Then She Remembers (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

Halloween (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

Definitely Clean (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

When You Smile (Live at the Country Club, Reseda CA, 1982)

Jad Fair shares new Half Japanese video for "We Are Giants"

The new Half Japanese album Jump Into Love is out July 21st. Check out "We Are Giants"

Here's the scoop from Fire Records...

It’s a meeting of minds, a coming together and a coming-of-an-age from the world’s favourite indie-alt-rock outsiders. Jump Into Love is “possibly” the 20th studio album from lo-fi royalty Half Japanese. Atypically out there and off-kilter, it wears its heart on its sleeve through a cascade of new, dark and brooding songs from the band who would be king.

Loved by Kurt Cobain, Daniel Johnston, Penn Jillette and outsiders everywhere, Half Japanese continue their quest for answers; creating a soundscape for a post-zombie land where bells chime and it’s OK to say “Yes”. It’s another adventure; series 20 from an introspective parallel world where the super prolific Jad Fair cogitates on life, love, giants, the possessed and even bigger issues that simply swell the brain.

Half Japanese currently includes Jad with John Sluggett, Gilles-Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett, a veritable who’s who of DIY indie culture. Recorded at Tempo House, Baltimore, Russian Recording, Bloomington Indiana, Studio de la Trappe, Donneville France and la Casamurada, Tarragona Spain. The album was mixed by long time Half Japanese sparring partner Jason Willett at his home in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pre-order 'Jump Into Love' – featuring sleeve art by Toronto's own Gary Taxali – right here: https://halfjapanese.lnk.to/JumpIntoLove

“The band members live such a far distance from each other. John is up in Asheville area. Gilles is living in Switzerland. Mick lives in London. It's such a distance that we're not able to rehearse so of course it's going to keep a kind of rawness to it,” says Jad.

Jump Into Love follows a string of excellent expanded re-issues of classic Half Japanese albums on Fire Records and Jad’s release of some 15 solo albums between 2020 and 2022.

“I feel a need to do music and do songwriting. It's something I really miss when I'm not doing it. There's a certain amount of tranquility that's obtained from the fact that you can be working on songs each day. I think you use that certain portion of your brain that is otherwise not used. I kind of kind of prefer using it than not using it.”

Check out "We Are Giants" following the track listing for Jump Into Love below.

Half Japanese – Jump Into Love 

1. It’s Ok

2. We Are Giants

3. True Love Will Save The Day

4. Listen To The Bells Chime

5. Jump Into Love

6. The Answer Is Yes

7. Shining Sun

8. This Isn’t Funny

9. Step Inside

10. Here She Comes

11. Shining Stars

12. Zombie World

Dream Syndicate's Out Of The Grey getting deluxe reissue treatment

The three-CD box set ‘What Can I Say? no regrets... Out of the Grey + Live, Demos & Outtakes’ is out January 14th.  

Here's the scoop...

Newly signed to Fire Records, The Dream Syndicate announce a special edition reissue of their 1986 album ‘Out of the Grey’. Available on CD for the first time in 24 years, this collection called ‘What Can I Say? no regrets... Out of the Grey + Live, Demos & Outtakes’ (out January 14) is deliciously remastered over a limited deluxe three disc box set. Featuring 34 unheard recordings,  it includes a previously unreleased live 1985 album alongside many unreleased demos and outtakes with rare photos, interviews and new liner notes from Pat Thomas.

‘The Days of Wine and Roses’ era of The Dream Syndicate was so short-lived it’s become mythological. However, some nerds have grown so attached to it that they’ve never been able to accept the Paul B. Cutler and Mark Walton years, partly because the ‘Out of the Grey’ album wasn’t mastered correctly. It didn’t have enough low-end, for example. But for anyone who caught the band live between 1985 and ’87, they saw devastatingly wicked live shows. 

Hidden inside of ‘Out of the Grey’ are some of Wynn’s strongest songs. “Slide Away” is delightful pop, “Now I Ride Alone” is moody and intense “like the hardboiled typewriting of novelists Jim Thompson, Ross MacDonald, and James Cain” that Steve Wynn told Pat Thomas that he dug when they chatted in a Rochester, New York hotel room back in July ‘85. (The day after Pat recorded the previously unreleased live album included in this box set). There’s also the epic “Boston,” which imagines the era in which Van Morrison was holed-up in that city circa 1967-68 writing the songs that comprised Astral Weeks. 

It's discs 2 & 3 that have the real magic! All unreleased material – including a never-before-heard July 1985 live album which has the ‘balls to the wall’ energy hard not captured in the studio. The songs were so damn fresh on that July night -they had not been recorded in the studio yet.  On Disc 3, you’ll hear alternate versions of several ‘Out of the Grey’ songs recorded as ‘demos’ before the album versions. These studio versions also have the raw energy of the live show, plus the band plays rare cover versions by Pink Floyd, Cream, Santana, Green on Red, Alice Cooper, Temptations, and Dolly Parton! 

Pre-order 'What can I say? no regrets... Out of the Grey + Live, Demos & Outtakes' right here. Check the complete track list following the vintage video for "Out of the Grey" and the audio clips for their 1985 recordings of "It Hits You Again" and "Here On Earth As Well" below. 

Disc One - Out Of The Grey

1. Out of the Grey

2. Forest for the Trees

3. 50 in a 25 Zone

4. Boston

5. Blood Money

6. Slide Away

7. Dying Embers

8. Now I Ride Alone

9. Drinking Problem

10. Dancing Blind

11. You Can't Forget

12. Let it Rain

13. Cinnamon Girl

14. Ballad of Dwight Frye

15. Shake Your Hips

16. I Won't Forget

17. The Lonely Bull

Disc Two - Live At Scorgies NY, 1985

1. Out of the Grey (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

2. 50 in a 25 Zone (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

3. That's what You Always Say (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

4. Slide Away (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

5. Dancing Blind (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

6. Blood Money (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

7. Dying Embers (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

8. It Hits You Again (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

9. Now I Ride Alone (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

10. John Coltrane Stereo Blues (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

11. Still Holding onto You (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

12. When You Smile (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

13. The Days of Wine and Roses (Live At Scorgies NY, 1985)

Disc Three – Odds & Sods

1. Here on Earth As Well (Demo, 1985)

2. Dancing Blind (Demo, 1985)

3. Blood Money (Demo, 1985)

4. Dying Embers (Demo, 1985)

5. Slide Away (Demo, 1985)

6. It Hits You Again (Demo, 1985)

7. Now I Ride Alone (Demo, 1985)

8. Eighteen 

9. Another Brick in the Wall 

10. Brain Damage 

11. Out of the Grey Waltz 

12. The Munster's Theme Song 

13. Sixteen Ways 

14. Papa was a Rolling Stone 

15. Low Rider 

16. Papa Jam 

17. I Ain't Got Nobody 

18. Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark  

19. Badge 

20. Dancing Blind (Live At The Stone SF, 1984)

21. Blood Money (Live At The Stone SF, 1984)

Brigid Mae Power issues covers collection Burning Your Light

The 6-song EP features Brigid Mae Power's versions of tunes by Townes Van Zandt, Songs:Ohia, Patsy Cline and Bob Dylan.  

Here's the scoop...

Last year Brigid Mae Power’s record ‘Head Above The Water’ saw her unique vocal style and music heralded in all corners. Burning Your Light is her follow up six track EP of covers out now via Fire Records.

Taking on a lesser-known Aretha Franklin track from her 1970 album ‘This Girl’s In Love With You’, "It Ain’t Fair" is a tear-soaked paean of regret that was written by Ron Miller who notably co-wrote  ‘For Once In My Life’ with Orlando Murden which was a huge hit for Stevie Wonder.

 

“I have listened to 'It Aint Fair' by Aretha Franklin possibly thousands of times by this stage. Starting when I was 14. I always loved Aretha's voice and emotion in the song. I also like that the song has a 'feeling sorry for yourself nothing ever works out' vibe but it picks up with 'I believe, I'm hopeful I can make it'.” – Brigid Mae Power 

 

Ranging from the traditional tune "May Morning Dew" to ‘Didn’t It Rain’ (Songs:Ohia) through to the timeless gems of Townes Van Zandt ('I'll Be Here In The Morning"), Patsy Cline ("Leavin' On Your Mind) and Bob Dylan ("One More Cup Of Coffee"), she brings hope and reverence to these classic songs.

Brigid Mae Power’s ability to interpret songs is unquestionable, as is her love of the art of songwriting. She skilfully brings joy from pain which is perfectly illustrated on this new release. 

Get a copy of Burning Your Light right here. Listen to Brigid Mae Power's haunting version of Songs:Ohia's "Didn't It Rain" Bob Dylan's "One More Cup Of Coffee" below. 

Last Poets' co-founder Abiodun Oyewole shares "Harlem" and "My Life"

Check out "Harlem" and "My Life" off the forthcoming Gratitude album by Last Poets legend Abiodun Oyewole due in February. 

Here's the scoop...

Over the past several months, American and UK music fans have been enthralled with a documentary directed by Questlove about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival titled ‘Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’ featuring previously unseen footage of Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Nina Simone filmed live in August 1969 at Mount Morris Park in Harlem (New York City). 

‘Summer of Soul’ is interspersed with interviews and historical film footage of Harlem during the late 1960s-early 1970s – helping to define why this African American urban landscape is culturally, musically, and politically important. 

At the end of the movie, Nina Simone reads a poem ‘Are you ready, Black people?’ written by Dahveed Nelson of The Last Poets – the legendary grandfathers of rap & hip-hop. With a joyful passion she asks the 50,000 citizens of Harlem gathered in that park, “Are you ready to do what you have to do to create life - are you ready to build Black things?”

Just a year earlier (May 1968), The Last Poets in that same Mount Morris Park (in Harlem) performed their first-ever concert! 

Now, in 2021 – Afar is proud to present, not just the postscript to the Harlem based messages of ‘Summer of Soul’ – but a whole new way of thinking with a Harlem perspective from Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets - it's not a protest song, it's an inspirational one via the inclusive words and God-like voice of Abiodun - this is not an angry man, but an older wiser man - reflecting on his life and spiritual quests. Rappers love him for coining the phrase "Party and Bullshit" decades ago - but this is not that - this is a sacred journey with a universal message for all people regardless of their race.

In a new exclusive interview with Pat Thomas, author of Listen Whitey! The sounds of Black Power 1965-1975, Abiodun explained the inspiration of Harlem (the city) on “Harlem” (the song): 

“You gotta realize, Harlem was the place I wanted. It was like a desire, a dream. I was raised in Queens, New York. I would see Harlem every Sunday of my life because we went to church in Harlem. The energy of Harlem was exciting, electric. I told myself, 'I got to be here,' because there was no place in New York City that had that kind of energy and I really wanted that.

“When the opportunity arose that The Last Poets were gonna happen and Dahveed Nelson, a brother who I consider part of the group because it was his idea, he told me that we were going to read poetry at Mount Morris Park in Harlem, there was a part of me that was very happy and a part of me that was very scared. I was intimidated because I thought Harlem was a tough place to do anything. 

“Harlem was where everything was going to happen. When we set up our home base in Harlem, I spent all my time in Harlem, I got an apartment in Harlem - Harlem became everything to me.”

With all that in mind, tying together Harlem in 1969 with Harlem in 2021, comes Abiodun Oyewole's latest releases “Harlem” and "My Life" off his forthcoming Gratitude album slated for release in February from Afar Records. Get it from your favourite streaming service right here. Listen to audio clips of "Harlem" and "My Life" below. 

The Bevis Frond previews Little Eden with "My Own Hollywood"

"My Own Hollywood" is off The Bevis Frond's forthcoming double album, Little Eden, out Sept 10 via Fire Records.  Photo: Anete Lapsa

Here's the scoop...

“Sometimes you might feel like you’re starring in a blockbuster, everything’s going perfectly, you’re attractive, heroic and smart. Then you open your eyes, and guess what? You’re an extra in your own little movie. You haven’t even cast yourself in a starring role. You’re not heroic, you’re not tragic, you’re just the fifth drunk on the left in a bar scene. That’s what the song’s about.” – Nick Saloman

 

'My Own Hollywood' is the new single from hotly anticipated Little Eden double album from legendary band The Bevis Frond, released on September 10th, the band's 35th anniversary.

Set against the austerity of post-modernism, The Bevis Frond’s Little Eden glows with vintage McCartney-esque couplets; new single 'My Own Hollywood' is a stand-out melodic pop gem that perfectly captures the record.

Little Eden is a psychedelically-hewn panoramic take on modern Britain punctuated with pure pop melodies and beautifully-observed English melancholy that rekindles your love of music – from the harmonies that are oh-so Teenage Fanclub to the grunge and awe of Dinosaur Jr. 

This is an album that yearns for better days signposted by the brutalism of the housing estates that main man Nick Saloman photographed for the cover.

There’s perspective and retrospective tale-spinning where we wait “for the wonderful world to come” (©‘Start Burning’), an imaginary future soundtracked by the spirit of Arthur Lee, brought into focus with witty wordplay (who else could dot in “sarcophagus” but a former Countdown champion?) on songs that are littered with spine tingling guitar breaks.

Pre-order a copy of The Bevis Frond's Little Eden via Bandcamp right here. Listen to "My Own Hollywood" and "Little Eden" below or via your favourite streaming service right here.  

Jane Weaver curates Fire Records comp Heaven On Fire

Jane Weaver focuses on female artists for the limited-run Heaven On Fire compilation out September 4.

Here's the scoop...

Love Record Stores takes place on September 4th and Fire Records is releasing a special vinyl LP for the occasion entitled ‘Heaven On Fire’ compiled by Jane Weaver.

In the age of the playlist, in times where the recommender is royalty, Jane Weaver threads together the spookily hauntological strains of recent Fire releases; sub-navigating styles and genres to create a soundtrack of neo-folk futurism that nods to psychedelia, dream-pop and electronica.

‘Heaven On Fire’ is a chilled-out coming of age, made by a new set of visionaries, lovingly assembled by Jane Weaver; a state-of-the-label address that gathers Vanishing Twin's 'Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou)' from their third opus ‘Ookii Gekkou’; the gorgeous ‘Ophelia’ from Marina Allen’s debut ‘Candlepower’; Mega Bog’s ‘Station To Station’ from her recently released ‘Life, and Another’; ‘St Francis Fountain’ from Virginia Wing’s new album; Gwenno’s remix of Islet’s ‘Geese’; Lucy Gooch’s ‘Rain’s Break’ from her first Fire release; ‘Reve Riviere’ from Faten Kanaan’s exotic ‘A Mythology of Circles’; Brigid Mae Power’s ‘We Weren’t Sure’ from her celebrated Fire debut of last year ‘Head Above The Water’; and US based Korean musician Okkyung Lee’s ambient gem ‘Here We Are (Once Again)’.

This exclusive compilation, limited to just 500 copies, will be pressed on deep red vinyl and features specially commissioned artwork by Emily Evans. Check out "Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou)" by Vanishing Twin, an impromptu side-of-the-road performance of "We Weren't Sure" by Brigid Mae Power and crew followed by Mega Bog's "Station To Station" after the track listing below. 

Various Artists - Heaven On Fire 

A1 Jane Weaver - Flock

A2 Vanishing Twin – Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou)

A3 Marina Allen – Ophelia

A4 Mega Bog – Station to Station

A5 Virginia Wing – St. Francis Fountain

B1 Islet – Geese (Gwenno Remix)

B2 Lucy Gooch – Rain’s Break

B3 Faten Kanaan – Rêve-Rivière

B4 Brigid Mae Power – We Weren’t Sure

B5 Okkyung Lee – Here We Are (Once Again)

Whaddya mean you don't know Tales Of Terror

Decades overdue, Fire Records recently reissued Tales of Terror's influential 1984 debut album, one of Kurt Cobain's all-time faves. 

Here's the scoop from Fire Records...

Often cited as a major influence on the key bands of the grunge era (Nirvana, Melvins, Mudhoney etc.) Tales Of Terror‘s one & only LP is an overlooked classic of 80s NorCal punk rock.

Available for the first time in more than 30 years, Kurt Cobain‘s 32nd-favourite-album-of-all-time is chaotic and charismatic in equal parts; the band’s story is tinged with tragedy, but the music they played was life-affirming.

Wild, heads down proto thrash metal meets punk excess; think early Guns n’ Roses meets Iggy at the bar from a band whose trajectory was cut short after the death of guitarist Lyon Wong in 1986.

A cobweb dispersing buried treasure that stands alongside the debut of The Damned and draws a shaky line through grunge to At The Drive In and way beyond. A super rare release, unavailable for over 30 years; remastered and ready to be cranked up to full volume. 

Get a copy of Tales Of Terror's 1984 debut LP from Fire Records right here . Check it out below. 

Martin Phillipps shares new Chills song "You're Immortal"

A global pandemic isn't going to stop Martin Phillipps from knocking out neatly arranged pop gems with The Chills.      Photo: Scott Muir

Here's the scoop...

Tunesmith extraordinaire Martin Phillipps returns with a brand-new Chills track ‘You’re Immortal’. An uplifting and provocative encounter told in the grand baroque pop manner of Love’s ‘Forever Changes’ with a gorgeous Chills-approved melody line that harks back to the band’s greatest hits. It’s an anthem for the times, a quest for hope set amid the misinformation of the day and the tip of a fast-melting iceberg, no less.

 

“These are unprecedented times but, as usual, the young feel invulnerable and the elders are concerned," says Phillipps. "The old people (like me) want to feel more involved but they also know that their time of influence has largely passed.

So we learn from the young and admire them as they make their own mistakes yet still, hopefully, shape extraordinary history we could not have imagined.” 

Grab a copy of "You're Immortal" by The Chills from your platform of choice right here. Have a listen below. 

Quarantunes: Brigid Mae Power

Here's Galway's Brigid Mae Power singing "Sonny's Dream" by late great St. John's singer/songwriter Ron Hynes. Her new album is out June 5th.

Whaddya mean you don't know Las Kellies

"I Don't Care" is off the new Friends & Lovers album by Argentine post-punk crew Las Kellies now on tour.