The League of Assholes: IM PEACH

Much has been said about the Trump administration and most of it is unfavourable to say the least. Nepotism, oligarchism, shady financial deals, the embracement of the extreme right (Nazis, fascists and the KKK), sexism and racism. O, and blatant lies. It's all there since a narcist became President of the United States. For the arts the Donald is a blessing. Satirists, cartoonists and musicians are having a field day defiling the latest scandals. No need for hyperboles, because - as they say - you can't make this shit up. And now The League of Assholes, a collective with a varying roster that has been around since the late Nineties, weigh in with half an hour of avant-garde called IM PEACH.

Assembled and mixed by Marcelo Radulovich at his Titicacaman Studio in Cardiff, CA IM PEACH is a tapestry incorporating the contributions of 30 musicians. It's a sonic brick through the windows of Trump Tower, with a note attached to step down or be ridden out of town on rail. Like 45 the improvisations go through tons of mood swings, from pastoral to all-out freak guitar outbursts, screaming brass and woodwinds, and flailing drums. But nothing is more scary than the incorporation of a couple quotes from the inauguration. IM PEACH is a one-fingered salute that should be played really fucking loud.

No Line North: Dreams of Trees Pt. 1

photo: Robert Vincent Tweedie

New Haven band No Line North took a hard look at Amecicana and decided to add improvisation and shards of garage rock to make it more interesting. Their new Dreams of Trees Pt. 1 kicks off with the lengthy instrumental Line Drive. While most would have picked this as the final track this bold and meandering composition is showcase for all band members. It's a tough statement to follow. The folk-pop songs Butterflies and Sky and Sea are not half bad, but pale in comparison.

They pick up steam Under the Sun, with rollicking percussion and guitar serving as the foundation for the vocals and violins. The final track Sugar Baby is and old-fashioned talking blues on top of a DeVotchKa-alike arrangement. No Line North is a band with a knack for accessible yet complex songs. Their out-of-the-box approach puts them in the left-field and that's where the interesting things tend to happen.

Lost Bear: Donkey Shot - exclusive full album stream

photo: Nick Helderman

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Lost Bear is not just an indie band from The Netherlands - they are nice bunch of bands playing mixes of different genres and getting away it. On their new album Donkey Shot the music of the other projects that the members indulge in have found its way back to the Mothership. The influences of The World of Dust, Stefan Breuer's lo-fi one-man band, and Sven Agaath, the genre-bending duo formed by Gino Miniutti and Arno Breuer can be heard shimmering through the tracks of the album. What makes Lost Bear instantly identifiable however, are the vocals of Casper Steenhuizen, who sounds like a mix of Robert Smith and Alex Chilton: snarling passive-aggressive aloofness.

On Donkey Shot they switch between shoegaze (Bull Drool), post-rock (Back In Reverse) and Captain Beefheart-inspired all out weirdness (the monolithic Little Big Adventure). Creepy New Wave comes to fore during Starlings in which they manage to sound like a very frightened Soft Cell. When they name a track Rap Song. you can be sure it doesn't sound like one.

Thunder On The Left: National Insecurity

London alt-rock trio Thunder On The Left paint a bleak picture with their single National Insecurity , describing of a future wherein technology reigns supreme and humankind is turned into helpless consumers. George Orwell meets Philip K. Dick.

Cover Me: Powderfinger

Watch the Cowboy Junkies tackling the Neil Young classic Powderfinger. Recorded live during their Spring 2017 Latent Lounge sessions.

» cowboyjunkies.com

Robert Plant: stream "Bluebirds Over the Mountain" from new album "Carry Fire", USA tour dates

Robert Plant has shared another track from his new album Carry Fire. It's a cover of the Ersel Hickey classic Bluebirds Over the Mountain, featuring rather unremarkable guest vocals by Chrissie Hynde.

Document: Habit

photo: Alex Stotland

Tel Aviv quartet Document are into lo-fi fuzz post-punk. Their latest single Habit sounds like a mix of the Pixies and Hüsker Dü: upbeat and energetic with a dark side. It's about the feeling of being misplaced and lost, with only a few trusted things to cling to in an unfamiliar environment.

The Jim Self/John Chiodini Duo: Floating in Winter

Most people won't realize that they are familiar with music played by Jim Self (tuba, fluba) and John Chiodini (guitar). Both men are veteran studio musicians who appear on countless records and movie soundtracks (that's Jim Self playing the famous onversation bit from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And while they have heard them, but they haven't heard of them.

A new collaborative album might set the record straight somewhat. Floating in Winter is an unlikely jazz album. It might be filled with standards and two originals (Self wrote Floating and John Chiodini wrote Winter), but the pairing of a low end brass instrument with a guitar gives a whole new feel to true-and-tried classics such as Gerry Mulligan's Festive Minor and Stan Getz's So Danco Samba. On top of that, the sound custom made fluba - a tuba-sized flugel horn made by Robb Stewart - is unlike anything you have heard before and could serve as an upping the ante conversation piece while discussing music.

ZAPPATiKA: new album "Live on the Isle of Wight" in October

ZAPPATiKA will their new album Live on the Isle of Wight in October. Originally scheduled for June 1st it will available as free download. It captures their show @ The 1st Floor in Newport on the Isle of Wight on April 23 this year.

Mike Gordon: in-stores in Syracuse & Denver, festival shows

photo: Rene Huemer

Mike Gordon will do two in-store performances as part of his current tour, promoting his new album OGOGO:

• 09/28 The Sound Garden, Syracuse, NY at 1PM
• 10/14 Twist & Shout, Denver, CO at 1PM

The performances are free and open to the public, but it’s first come first served until we run out of room. Fans that purchase OGOGO on vinyl or CD at The Sound Garden or Twist & Shout will get a wristband that guarantees them entry to their respective autograph signing and performances (ahead of others). Mike will be signing copies of the OGOGO CD or LP only and you must have a wristband to be part of the autograph session.

I am Oak: Pictures of the Floating World

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Anyone who has been lucky enough to witness I am Oak's Thijs Kuijken performing his songs solo in an intimate setting before an audience who have the decency to keep their mouths shut only wants one thing after Kuijken has taken his last bow: a crisp recording enabling to relive the experience over and over again. The new Pictures of the Floating World EP fills that gap. Recorded at a show in Sonicville in Brussels on January 20 for the Indies Keeping Secrets series he wowed the crowd with just this voice and his acoustic guitar. This is top shelf indie folk.

He is a poet choosing his words carefully. Without ever rising his voice he laments the death of loved ones, finding solace in nature and stories. While listening to this EP it is easy to think that he is playing for an audience of one. It will be hard to find another album that is this up close and personal

Words about music (454): Alex Turner

Guitar music or rock n' roll or whatever you want to call it sort of goes away with trends, but it'll never go away completely. It can't die because it's so fundamentally attractive.

Alex Turner

Morrissey: USA tour dates

Morrissey has announced a tour in the USA to promote the release of his new album Low in High School on November 17 on Etienne/BMG. The tour kicks off in Portland on October 31.

Live dates:

• 10/31 Portland, OR @ Schnitzer Concert Hall
• 11/02 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
• 11/04 San Francisco, CA @ Masonic Auditorium
• 11/05 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheare
• 11/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl w/ Billy Idol (sold out)
• 11/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl w/ Billy Idol

The Bullfight: new live album "Whisper In The Dark For Me" in December

Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight are releasing their live album Whisper In The Dark For Me on December 11 via Brandy Alexander Recordings. It was recorded in a living room in The Hague on June 18, with no audience present. They have posted a video of their rendition of Bamboo Knife Woman.

A new studio album, most likely Chapter 2 of their Shame, Guilt, Deception concept, will be released in 2018.

The Saxophones: Aloha

Oakland based husband and wife folk duo The Saxophones are back with a new single. Aloha Alexi Erenkov (guitar, vocals, saxophone, Crumar synthesizer) and Alison Alderdice (percussion, vocals) tell the story of a relationship going through up and downs, self-doubt and fulfillment. That's quite a lot for just one song, but they managed to capture it all into a soft-spoken track with superb dynamics. Longtime friend Richard Laws helped them put, playing bass and vibraphone.

Kaki King: "Hababout" video from "Live at Berklee"

Watch Kaki King perform Hababout with the 12-piece Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra. It was recorded at a special show at Cafe 939 in Boston in April 21 this year and is now available on the Live at Berklee album.

Phish: New Year's Run at MSG 12-28/12-31

Phish takes over NYC's Madison Square Garden again for a four-night New Year’s Run (12-28/12-31):

Phish announce their long-awaited return to Madison Square Garden to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a four-night run beginning Thursday, December 28th through Sunday, December 31st. This will bring the band’s total plays at the Garden to 56.

John Cale: two shows @ The Barbican in London

photo: Ebru Yildiz

John Cale will be performing two career-spanning shows @ Barbican Hall in London (March 9-10) with the London Contemporary Orchestra. The shows are billed as John Cale (2018-1964): A Futurespective:

Since before his time as the Velvet Underground’s Avant-Gardist-in-residence, Cale has been a totally uncompromising artist, embracing manifold musical approaches across his remarkable career. Tonight, joined by the LCO, he's exploring the enormous scope of his musical output; playing selections from the Velvet Underground, the proto-minimalist songs of The Dream Syndicate – his collaboration with La Monte Young and others – and the richly enigmatic music from his landmark solo albums.

Surf Rock is Dead: White Salsa

NYC based American-Australian neo-new wave duo Surf Rock is Dead are in full-on Eighties mode on their nee single White Salsa. Smooth multi-tracked vocals take on a pounding back beat. This is might be the gentlist delivery ever recorded of "fuck you" in the lyrics.

White Salsa will be available on forthcoming EP We Have No Friends via The Native Sound. The vinyl version (milky clear with red splatter, light blue, Coke bottle clear, white) will contain their SRiD EP as the B-side. Release date: September 22.

White Room: The Blue b/w Tomorrow Always Knew

Brighton based psychedelic pop quintet White Room bring back the summer of 1968 with their double A-side single The Blue b/w Tomorrow Always Knew. They sing about castles in the sky, using plenty echo and reverb. They have must read the manuals for old school effects pedals until they could recite them in their sleep.

Morrissey: new album "Low in High School", stream "Spent the Day in Bed"

The new Morrisey album Low in High School will be released on November 17 on Etienne/BMG. Lead single Spent the Day in Bed can be streamed on YouTube, with all the Moz bits intact: critical and funny aloof vocals on top of a slightly skewed piano part.

Tom Hagerman: crowdfunding campaign for new album "The 7 Deadly Sins"

DeVotchKa multi-instrumentalist Tom Hagerman has launched a Kickstarter campaign to cover the costs of recording his new album The 7 Deadly Sins with A Far Cry, a chamber orchestra from Boston.:

Hi, my name is Tom Hagerman and I guess I'm best known as 1/4 of the rock band, Devotchka. 2 years ago I was commissioned to write a piece of music based on the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins for the Denver based dance company, Wonderbound.

The 7 Deadly Sins as it was performed in September 2015 is essentially the story of a wedding-- if the characters were plucked out out of an episode of Seinfeld and placed in a play by Jean Paul Sartre.

Steven Wilson: North American tour dates, 3rd London show, "Nowhere Now" video

photo: Hajo Mueller

UK prog musician Steven Wilson has just announced the dates for this North American tour to promote the release of his latest album To The Bone:

I’m happy to announce a return to the USA & Canada in April and May of next year with my band, and with a new show based on the current album To The Bone. As well as featuring songs from that album there will be favourites from previous tours, as well as some of my older songs that haven’t been played by the solo band before. The visual aspects of the show are planned to be on an even higher level than previous tours, and as always the sound will be in quadrophonic.

Due to popular a third show in London at the Royal Albert Hall (March 29th< 2018). Tickets go on sale on September 22nd.

Gunther’s Grass: Bastille Day & Other Lullabies

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Gunther’s Grass are a trio playing gnarly drones a the crossroads of avant-garde and free jazz. Its members have at the forefront of the Bay Area experimental scene and on their new album Bastille Day & Other Lullabies they travel across the globe, from Turkey to the Ukraine, Cambodia, Indonesia, France and the southernmost tip of the South American mainland.

This is not the kind of music that comes to mind to pop in the player of a rented car en route to visit the sites. The trio builds structures that appear to be impregnable or even unscalable at first, but on closer inspection offer handholds and hidden routes. Surrender to the flow with an open mind and the soundscapes unfold. It's like making your way to the jungle to find the structures that have been overgrown with dense vegetation.

Itchy Teeth: Brian Wilson Is Still Alive

Most of the musical heroes of retro psychdelic Britpop quartet Itchy Teeth are dead (and when were rather young when they left the planet). The resident genius of the Beach Boys is still here and that inspired them to write Brian Wilson Is Still Alive. He didn't overdose or took off to the great unknown in a silver space ship. He is still creating and experimenting, like a wandering child who got stuck in another time zone and much changed world that he cannot fully understand.

The Londoners wonder what it must be like for an artist, when the general public only wants to hear his prime work that saw the light of day many decades ago. Brian Wilson Is Still Alive is a respectful tribute, but with a sense of humour that gives an edge (or teeth in this case).

Mutts: Stick Together

Chicago organ rock trio Mutts rounded up three singles (the Trump bashing Tin Foil Hat, Neighbor and Let's Go) and added too fresh tracks for their new EP Stick Together. While the future of the band is uncertain right now - no live shows to promote this one - they are not going away quietly. The new ones, opener I'll Be Around and the final track Don't Touch It show the band filing on all cylinders with their angry of bluesy mayhem.

Earthmother: Sweet Annie's Crying

Chicago based rock trio Earthmother have the retro-vibe in full swing on their debut single Sweet Annie's Crying: a road trip-friendly melody, with a guitar part that brings back Jerry Garcia's folk roots, a hint of Duane Allman and David Gilmour in his mid-Seventies tone of choice. The rhythm section must have been listening religiously to Traffic and Led Zeppelin's third album.

Guthrie Govan: masterclass in Zoetermeer

Guitar virtuoso Guthrie Govan is scheduled to teach one of his masterclasses at De Boederij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands on November 29. Besides being one third of the instrumental power trio The Aristocrats, he is the go-to six string player for Asia, GPS, The Young Punx, Dizzee Rascal, Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer.

Wednesday Call: Killing Roses

Watch the animated video for Killing Roses, the new single by Iranian progressive rock band Wednesday Call. As the band like to do it's a study in contrasts, with chldren's drawing illustrating the deeper meaning of the song. Turning on the subtitles is a good idea. The instrumental coda will be appreciated by Steven Wilson fans.

» wednesdaycall.com

HCTF review of Distance.

The Ike Willis Project: tour dates

The Ike Willis Project will be hitting both USA coasts during a short tour. Main man Ike Willis of Frank Zappa fame is on guitar and - of course - vocals, with Duane Waider on drums, Dig Lewis on bass and JP Cervoni on guitar.

Kaki King with the Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra: Live at Berklee

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It was a very special night for the audience when guitar virtuoso Kaki King and the 12-piece Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra hit the stage of the Cafe 939 in Boston in April 21 this year. King is an orchestra on her own, so it was interesting to find out when she was joined by an actual one, using her own arrangements, quite a few written by DeVotchKa multi-instrumentalist Tom Hagerman and one each by two Berklee students, Takuma Matsui and Shereen Cheong. After checking each other out in the opener So Much For So Little, with both parties being careful not to drown out the other, everything falls in its right place. Solipsist is a true collaboration of guitar, strings and brass turning into a haunting (and fast) excursion.

King's tone is unique - just a few notes will suffice to identify her signature sound and she can show it in full during Night After Sidewalk and The Surface Changes. The team effort really paid off when both parties take turns at leading the way, like they do in Neanderthal, Hababout and the album's closer Magazine. By taking two acts out of their comfort zone Live at Berklee is a memoir of a memorable concert, showing the possibilities of 21st Century modern classical collaboration.

Anna Coogan & Willie B: Daytrotter session @ Horseshack Studio

Watch Anna Coogan's Daytrotter session @ Horseshack Studio in Rock Island, IL, performing songs from her The Lonely Cry of Space and Time album. Her longtime friend Willie B is on drums and Moog bass.

She is on the road to promote the album to proof that you can make rock opera as a duo.

Mike Gordon: stream "Whirlwind" from new album "OGOGO"

Mike Gordon has posted a stream of Whirlwind, another track from his fifth solo album OGOGO which will be released on September 15th via Megaplum/ATO Records. His producer Shawn Everett went crazy with the effects on this one. He will be on the road in September and October.

Words about music (453): Jean-Michel Jarre

With the violin, for example, one understands culturally that the sound comes from the instrument that can be seen. With electronic music, it is not the same at all. That's why it seemed so important to me, from the beginning of my career, to invent a grammar, a visual vocabulary adapted to electronic music.

Jean-Michel Jarre

Randy Newman: "Dark Matter" tour dates

Randy Newman is on the road in the USA to promote the release of Dark Matter, his first album of new material in nine years. Europe is next in February and March 2018.

USA tour dates:

• 09/13 Virginia Beach, VA, @ Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
• 09/15 Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center,
• 09/16 Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall,
• 09/18 The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
• 09/19 The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
• 09/21 Annapolis, MD @ Maryland Hall
• 09/24 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
• 10/06 Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre
• 10/10 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
• 10/12 Edmonds, WA @ Edmonds Center for the Arts
• 10/18 Chicago, Chicago, IL @ City Winery
• 10/19 Chicago, Chicago, IL @ City Winery
• 11/09 Durham, NC @ The Carolina Theatre of Durham
• 11/10 Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall,
• 11/17 Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
• 11/19 Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
• 11/21 Naples, FL Hayes Hall

The Extons: Grown Ups

King's Lynn indie rockers The Extons ran into a spot of bother with representatives of the fairer sex and turned it into rollicking, fuzz heavy song. Grown Ups tells the tale of adolescents on the brink of becoming adults. They don't want to let go and enter the land of responsibilities, paying the bills and all the other perks that come with it. Let's have a fight like kids and maybe it will go away.

DeVotchKa: show in Boulder

Denver Balkan folk inspired band DeVotchKa will perform a one-off show @ Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO on October 21th.

» devotchka.net

I am Oak: new live EP "Pictures of the Floating World"

I am Oak's Thijs Kuijken only needs aan acoustic guitar and his voice to perform stripped down versions of his folk songs. A show @ Sonicville in Brussels on January 20 for the Indies Keeping Secrets series was recorded and will be released via Snowstar Records.

Pictures of the Floating World is limited to 333 hand numbered copies on 10" vinyl. It includes a beautiful 50 x 50 cm fold-out poster with drawings by The Things We Are. Preorders receive an exclusive zine by The Things We Are made during the tour.

Triggerfinger: tour in The Netherlands in February 2018

Due to popular demand Belgian power trio Triggerfinger have announced four shows in The Netherlands in February 2018.

Netherlands 2018 live dates:

• 02/14 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje
• 02/15 Groningen, Netherlands @ De Oosterpoort
• 02/16 Utrecht, Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg
• 02/17 Tilburg, Netherlands @ 013

Their Fall club tour to promote their new album Colossus kicks off in Brighton on October 4th.

The Right Now: tour dates

photo: Whitney A. Pelfrey

Chicago based funky soul band The Right Now hit the road again to promote their new Starlight album. They kick with two shows (in St Louis and Berwyn) as the support act for Monophonics.

Words about music (452): Jeff Tweedy

You obviously don't really forget how to play the old songs; you just don't have to spend so much time convincing yourself that you remember them. Way less mental energy is spent swimming around in lyrics you've already written and chords you've already played.

Jeff Tweedy

Primus: "The Scheme" video

Experimental avant-funk metal trio Primus have a stream for The Scheme, the second single from their forthcoming new album The Desaturating Seven (September 29). The Claypool, LaLonde and Alexander line-up last recorded an album over two decades ago, when they released Tales From the Punchbowl in 1995.

Johnny KIlls: End Game

UK rock trio Johnny Kills mix it up on their new single End Game, which is part Britpop part grunge - think early Blur having a tug of war with the Pixies. Once again mastered by Pete Maher and produced by Alex Greaves this friendly clash of two genres ends in a draw, but it's a fun match to hear.

No Ninja Am I & Fusée Dorée: You Are Always Here

Two electronic indie folk acts joined forces for a single. Dutchman Sander van Munster (No Ninja Am I) and French Emmanuelle Ornon (Fusée Dorée) have been discussing writing and performing for years, whenever they bumped into each other in Amsterdam.

You Are Always Here grew out of a couple of beats and a sketch for a melody that Van Munster had created. Ornon said yes and together they wrote a gentle song with intricate harmonies, taking turns at the vocals. Downtempo pop kept together by a rhythm as fine and effective as a gossamer thread.

Jessie Kilguss: road testing new material in Brooklyn

NYC based singer-songwriter Jessie Kilguss will be road testing new material that she recorded this Summer at Room 17. She will be joined by Susan Hwang on harmonies, John Kengla on bass, Rob Heath on drums, and Andrea Longato on guitar.

Live dates:

• 09/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
• 06/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Barbès (Bushwick Book Club)

Holger Czukay: 1938- 2017

Holger Czukay, co-founder and inventive bassist with German avant-garde rock band Can, has died aged 79. From The Guardian:

He was found by a neighbour at his apartment, converted from Can’s old studio in Weilerswist near Cologne. The cause of death is currently unknown.

Cover Me: Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Watch Canadian cellist and arranger Raphael Weinroth-Browne perform Steve Wilson's Hand. Cannot. Erase. for 9 cellos. Wilson himself loves it. From his Facebook:

I want to share this beautiful video and absolutely stunning arrangement of Hand Cannot Erase for 9 cellos by Canadian musician Raphael Weinroth-Browne (fantastic name too!) I love this, it sounds like it could have been written by Max Richter instead of me. Please do check it out when you have a moment.

Hand. Cannot. Erase. (for 9 cellos) was recorded and mixed by Dean Watson at Gallery Recording Studios in Ottawa, Andrew Robillard created the video.

» Raphael Weinroth-Browne on Facebook
» stevenwilsonhq.com

Babalong: Greatest Hits

Dutch experimental studio musicians Dave Mollen and Willem Waterschoot decided to things differently for their first Babalong album Greatest Hits. They inserted quit a bit of accessible mainstream, dance-able pop into their sonic tapestries and ended up with songs that will appeal to both the general public and the underground music geeks. They get a beat, figure out smart synths and put the vocals up front as the icing on the cake.

Greatest Hits is a likeable guilty pleasure, cooked up by two musicians who might have stumbled upon the recipe to break out of the inner circle. Changes are that they will be asked to work their magic on other artists music, especially the kind that is looking for their street credibility enhanced by mainstream appeal (or the other way around). Mollen and Waterschoot get weird with an irresistible foot-tapping backbeat. Beck meets Suuns going Beyoncé.

False Heads supporting The Libertines, UK club tour

photo: Gregory Hesse-Wagner

London garage punk rock trio False Heads will support The Libertines @ Grand Hall in Kilmarnock on September 19th. Their own UK club tour kicks off in Cardiff on October 5th.

Live dates:

• 10/05 Cardiff @ The Moon Cardiff
• 10/06 Bristol @ Mother's Ruin
• 10/07 Manchester @ Jimmy's
• 10/14 London @ Nambucca
• 10/20 Leicester @ The Cookie
• 10/21 Sheffield @ The Rocking Chair

Sewage Farm: Harmony Beach

York rock trio Sewage Farm hit the ground running last year with their debut album Cloudy. They stuck to their formula for Harmony Beach, their new full-length. Once again they mix fuzz driven power pop, psychedelica and garage for a collection of upbeat tunes about bleak themes. Whether they sing about being lonely (Alien Alone) or try impress a girl (Underneath Your Window) the band always find a way to wrap the pain in a pleasing melody.

Harmony Beach is a study in contrasts, a cheerful collection of songs and it's this inner tension that makes it a remarkable record. Think Nirvana meets The Jam (note the nod to the guitar part of The Eton Rifles in My Last Hour), under the tutelage of Big Star and Bob Mould.

John Cale in Switzerland: Genève 2017/09/01 & Zürich 2017/09/03 setlists

John Cale performed two shows in Switzerland: @ l’Alhambra in Genève on September 1 and @ Kaufleuten in Zürich on September 3.

The band:
John Cale: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Dustin Boyer: lead guitar, samples
Joey Maramba: bass
Deantoni Parks: drums, samples

Genève 2017/09/01 setlist

1. The Endless Plain of Fortune
2. If You Were Still Around
3. I Wanna Talk 2U
4. Heartbreak Hotel
5. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend
6. Dirty Ass Rock 'n' Roll
7. Leaving It Up To You
8. You Know More Than I Know
9. I'm Waiting For The Man
10. Wasteland
11. Mercenaries (Ready For War)
12. The Legal Status of Ice

Phish 2017 Summer tour SBD + torrents: 2017/09/03 Commerce City

Official Dick's 2017 run poster by Ames Bros

Phish
2017/09/03
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Set 1:

1. Buffalo Bill
2. The Moma Dance
3. Birds of a Feather
4. Sugar Shack
5. Most Events Aren't Planned
6. Back on the Train
7. Leaves
8. The Wedge
9. 46 Days
10. Bathtub Gin

lineal: replica

Russian post-rock trio lineal are sonic explorers. Their new single replica is part abstract sound sculpture and part shoegaze. And while the vocals stray off pitch every now and then, the dense textures of the music bring it home in one piece. The future of avant-garde meets Krautrock is in good hands with these guys.

Seazoo: Shoreline

photo: Salle Pierre Lamy & Llinos Griffiths

Welsh pop band Seazoo inserted some well-placed controlled feedback into their new single Shoreline. It's a rollicking song that mixes Ian Dury, Deerhoof and Yo La Tengo, with plenty of dissonants and slightly warped falsetto vocals. Their debut album will be released in November.

Stewart Copeland's backbeat

Watch Stewart Copeland showing some pointers on how to get an interesting backbeat on Drumchannel.com.

Phish 2017 Summer tour SBD + torrents: 2017/09/02 Commerce City

Official Dick's 2017 run poster by Ames Bros

Phish
2017/09/02
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Set 1:

1. Simple
2. Martian Monster
3. Reba
4. Sand
5. Crazy Sometimes
6. Limb By Limb
7. Wolfman's Brother
8. Walls of the Cave

Indianapolis Jones: Chaos and Light

Atlanta based band Indianapolis Jones can switch between manistream love songs and tender psych dream pop without blinking an eye. Please Come Home, the lead single form their Chaos and Light EP has radio-friendly appeal and will make the playlist of countless suburban soccer moms, but things get deeper (and more interesting) in the jangling Interstellar. They saved the best for last. This Is The Dream could be mistaken for a long lost George Harrison song, with Harry Nilsson giving the thumbs up in the background.

When push comes to shove, Chaos and Light goes for multi-layered music that is complex and pleasing to the ear. If they need a pop ditty to rope in the casual listener, so be it. The general public is more willing to hand over their hard-earned cash than the taste makers who tell them what to like.

Phish 2017 Summer tour SBD + torrents: 2017/09/01 Commerce City

Official Dick's 2017 run poster by Ames Bros

Phish
2017/09/01
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Set 1:

1. Blaze On
2. 555
3. Breath and Burning
4. Theme From the Bottom >
5. Free
6. Tube
7. Roggae
8. More

Peter Gabriel: more Rockpalast 1978 videos

Three more videos from a legendary Peter Gabriel show will be up on YouTube in better quality than the widely circulating video transfers:

On 15 September 1978, Peter Gabriel was recorded live at Grugahalle, Essen in Germany for the now legendary Rockpalast TV programme. We’ve recently been granted the rights to use the footage, so we will be adding tracks from the performance to Peter’s You Tube channel over the next few weeks.

Anna Coogan & Willie B: "Wedding Vow " live @ The Triple Door in Seattle

Watch Anna Coogan perform Wedding Vow, a track about the seven year itch from her The Lonely Cry of Space and Time album. It was recorded live at the Triple Door in Seattle, WA on April 23, 2017. Her longtime friend Willie B is on drums and Moog bass. The clip was made and produced by Chris Julien and Michael Poggenberg.

She is on the road to promote the album. Two more shows in the States, before she heads out to Europe in October to proof that you can make rock opera as a duo.

Matthew O'Neill: Trophic Cascade

What if Nick Cave would decide to reinvent himself as an eco-friendly country rock singer with a group sounding like the Tedeschi Trucks Band? Matthew O'Neill's highly passionate songs on his debut album Trophic Cascade are dark and a tad pessimistic, now that humankind is dead set on destroying the environment. O'Neill prefers poetry to preaching, making it a record that can be enjoyed on various levels. if Poisoning The Well is a slap in the face, then a trip to Louisiana might lift the mood a bit.

He assembled a bunch of kick-ass instrumentalists to bring his vision to life, with reed man Stuart Bogie and guitarist Ryan Scott as the stand-out players. The backup vocalists are a bit too smooth - you don't want overcrowd things on an album like this, especially not during the passive-aggressive Alzheimer's Blues.

Mike Gordon: stream "Up And Down" from new album "OGOGO"

Mike Gordon has posted a stream of Up And Down, another track from his fifth solo album OGOGO which will be released on September 15th via Megaplum/ATO Records. He will be on the road in September and October.