Spottiswoode & His Enemies: "Hoboken" video

English/American septet Spottiswoode & His Enemies have made a video for Hoboken, the opening track from their forthcoming album Lost In The City. As he looks out on the Hudson river it dawns on him that the other side is "just Hoboken" instead of a dreamed up heaven, a reality check that got him out of bout of self-pity. He directed the video himself, with stylish black-and-white cinematography by Ehud Lazin.

Halloween with Here Comes The Flood

Scary good tunes Halloween Playlist featuring (in alphabetical order) Alice Cooper, Bauhaus, Blue Öyster Cult, Brian Eno, Danzig, David Bowie, Dead Kennedys, Donovan, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Edgar Winter Group, Golden Earring, John Carpenter, Johnny Cash, Ministry, Muse, Mutts, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Ozzy Osbourne, Phish, Queens of the Stone Age, Ramones, Roky Erickson, Rolling Stones, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, The Smiths, The Sonics, The Specials, Talking Heads, Test Dept, The Birthday Party, The Cramps, The Velvet Underground, Tom Waits. Virgin Prunes, White Room, The White Stripes, and Warren Zevon.

Microplaza: Microplaza

Microplaza is a genre-defying project by Dutch musicians Benjamin van Vliet (Microwolf) and Arno Breuer (Pino Plaza, Sven Agaath) made a self-titled EP with five off-kilter tunes. Think adventurous phrasing, weird effects and shifting rhythms - catchy as Hell in a geeky way. It's all over in a little under 8 minutes, after which it's quite alright to have a What The Fuck moment and try again to make sense of it all. Or just go with the flow with this mini-album from the flourishing underground scene in the Netherlands.

Neil Young: new archival album "Songs For Judy" 11/30

Another live Neil Young will see the light of day on November 30. The double album Songs For Judy will feature 23 songs from the acoustic sets recorded the tour with Crazy Horse in November 1976. The album is named after Judy Garland, who starred in The Wizard of Oz movie. The cover art is an artist impression of a photo of Judy and Jimmy Durante.

Tracks:

1. Songs For Judy Intro – Atlanta, GA – Nov 24 (late show)
2. Too Far Gone – Boulder, Colorado – Nov 06
3. No One Seems To Know – Boulder, Colorado – Nov 07
4. Heart Of Gold – Fort Worth, Texas – Nov 10
5. White Line – Fort Worth, Texas – Nov 10
6. Love Is A Rose – Houston – Nov 11
7. After The Gold Rush – Houston – Nov 11
8. Human Highway – Madison, Wisconsin – Nov 14
9. Tell Me Why – Chicago – Nov 15 (late show)
10. Mr. Soul – New York – Nov 20 (early show)
11. Mellow My Mind – New York – Nov 20 (early show)
12. Give Me Strength – New York – Nov 20 (late show)
13. A Man Needs A Maid – New York – Nov 20 (late show)
14. Roll Another Number – Boston – Nov 22 (late show)
15. Journey Through The Past – Boston – Nov 22 (late show)
16. Harvest – Boston – Nov 22 (late show)
17. Campaigner – Boston – Nov 22 (late show)
18. Old Laughing Lady – Atlanta – Nov 24 (early show)
19. The Losing End – Atlanta – Nov 24 (late show)
20. Here We Are In The Years – Atlanta – Nov 24 (late show)
21. The Needle And The Damage Done – Atlanta – Nov 24 (early show)
22. Pocahontas – Atlanta – Nov 24 (late show)
23. Sugar Mountain – Atlanta – Nov 24 (late show)

» neilyoung.com

(thru Neil Young News)

The Brighton Beat: Live at the Clayton Opera House

Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat added a vocalist to the mix in 2017. With Ryan Nava holding the mike (and adding extra percussion too) the band has broadened their sound even further. Case in point: the new album Live at the Clayton Opera House. They have enjoyed a warm welcome over the years at that venue in Clayton, NY and the show on October 20th, 2017 was no exception. Ever thought that the fierce Genghis Khan could be subjected to a free-flowing sax solo? Or that a Fortune Teller could be divided into chopped guitar notes seasoned with trumpet blasts?

The Brighton Beat is well-oiled live phenomenon and thankfully they are in the habit of releasing in concert albums on a regular basis. Their sense of rhythm comes to fore again in a spicy mix of jazz and funk. A party band that can please music geeks and revellers is pretty rare,

Wardrobe: Off the Reel

Flemish musician Johan Verckist has made a video for Off the Reel, the latest single by his Wardrobe project. Pushed forward by Pixies-alike guitar and bass tandem he puts swagger first, with the aloof vocals riding shotgun. The song will be included on the forthcoming album Giving Up A Ghost (March 15, 2019).

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/28 Rosemont

Official Rosemont poster by Phil Guy/Burrito Breath

Phish
2018/10/28
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set 1:

1. Everything's Right
2. Destiny Unbound
3. Heavy Things
4. Miss You
5. Tube
6. Petrichor
7. I Always Wanted It This Way
8. Grind

Amethysts: How It Is

photo: Lewis Gant

English dream pop synth duo Amethysts are in a happy sad mood on their latest single How It Is, a throwback to New Romantics era with a nice jangling guitar part and looped keyboard parts. A gentle advice no to take thins at face value, but following gut feelings and the belief that better things can happen.

» weareamethysts.co.uk

The Tape Op Podcast: Bob Clearmountain

Tape Op sat down with engineer, mixer and producer Bob Clearmountain for their podcast series. He was interviewed by John Baccigaluppi:

When we prep for Tape Op interviews it is typical to print out discographies, but in the case of our next guest, it was 48 pages long! Bob Clearmountain needs no introduction. He has worked with a who's who of music's biggest artists including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Morrissey, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Crowded House, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oats, Travis Tritt, Elton John, David Bowie and 47 more pages of music's makers and shakers.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/27 Rosemont

Official Rosemont poster by Phil Guy/Burrito Breath

Phish
2018/10/27
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set 1:

1. Stash
2. The Dogs >
3. Blaze On
4. Water in the Sky
5. Ya Mar
6. Vultures >
7. Roses Are Free
8. 46 Days >
9. David Bowie

Warren Haynes Presents: The 30th Annual Christmas Jam

Warren Haynes has announced the lineup for The 30th Annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC:

December 7th will feature sets by (in alphabetical order) Dark Side of The Mule, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson, Marco Benevento and Mike Gordon (of Phish), and December 8th will welcome (in alphabetical order) Dave Grohl and friends play “PLAY”, Eric Church, Gov't Mule, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and Joe Bonamassa. There will be many special guests throughout both nights including Audley Freed, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jimmy Vivino, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mike Barnes, Robert Kearns, Ron Holloway and more.

Warren Haynes Presents
The 30th Annual Christmas Jam
December 7-8
Cellular Center
Asheville, NC

» xmasjam.com

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/26 Rosemont

Official Rosemont poster by Phil Guy/Burrito Breath

Phish
2018/10/26
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set 1:

1. Punch You in the Eye >
2. Martian Monster
3. Axilla
4. Reba
5. My Sweet One
6. Mercury >
7. Moonage Daydream
8. Walls of the Cave

Cover Me: Life During Wartime

Watch Widespread Panic perform the Talking Heads classic Life During Wartime. Recorded live at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic during Panic en la Playa Tres on March 20, 2014.

» widespreadpanic.com
» talking-heads.nl

The Inspector Cluzo: We the People of the Soil

French funky avant-blues duo The Inspector Cluzo have been fiercely DIY ever since they started out, but for their tenth anniversary album We the People of the Soil they could not turn down Vance Powell (White Stripes, Seasick Steve) as a producer. Strictly analog was the order of the day during the recording sessions to capture the band's dirty and vibrant sound. The call-to-arms rock title track, the gentle acoustic excursions Little Girl and Brothers In Ideals, and the Hendrix inspired guitar mayhem of Pressure On Mada Lands all made it to tape and were mixed and mastered without any sign of brick walling. Dynamite dynamics that will make the speakers purr from contentment.

Laurent Lacrouts (guitars, vocals) and Phil Jourdain (drums, percussion, piano, organ, backing vocals) with guest players Charles Treadway (organ) and Eleonore Denig (violin) have created a soulful blues rock album with a healthy dose of the "je ne sais quoi" goodness of yesteryear. Play it louder than anything else.

Low Society: Zottegem and Oudenaarde added to European tour

Memphis finest screaming blues band Low Society have added two more shows in Belgium to their European tour: Zottegem (11/09) and Oudenaarde (11/22). Husband and wife Sturgis Nikides (guitar) and Mandy Lemons Nikides (vocals) will once again be joined by their Belgian rhythm section Jacky Verstraeten (bass) and Bart De Bruecker (drums), who also feature prominently on their latest album Sanctified.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/24 Nashville

Official Nashville poster by Mike Fudge

Phish
2018/10/24
Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, TN

Set 1:

1. Soul Planet
2. Also Sprach Zarathustra >
3. 555
4. Farmhouse
5. Halfway to the Moon
6. Waste
7. My Friend, My Friend
8. Maze
9. Bathtub Gin

Daddy Lion: "Dionysus" video

Indie powerpop band Daddy Lion have made a video for Dionysus, a track from their latest album Learn to Have Nothing and You Will Have Everything. Old school graphics were uses tell a tale about being lost, with a hint of a Hollywood ending.

» Daddy Lion on Facebook

HCTF review of Learn to Have Nothing and You Will Have Everything.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium: new album "South of Reality", stream "Blood and Rockets"

Primus main man and bass player extraordinaire Les Claypool and multi-instrumentalist Sean Lennon have joined forces again for an album by The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Their second full-length is called South of Reality and will be released on February 22nd, 2019 via ATO Records.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/23 Nashville

Official Nashville poster by Mike Fudge

Phish
2018/10/23
Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, TN

Set 1:

1. Tweezer Reprise
2. Party Time
3. Free
4. The Old Home Place
5. Lawn Boy
6. Cool It Down
7. Theme From the Bottom
8. Funky Bitch
9. Kill Devil Falls >
10. Wolfman's Brother >
11. Character Zero

Don Fleming on the Lou Reed archive

Michael Shelley of Please Kill Me had a long chat with musician, producer and archivist Don Fleming about his work on the massive Lou Reed. Yes, tons of tapes of (unreleased) music (600 hours!) are part of it, but there's more. Much more. Lou kept everything:

What we found is such a great literal record of his activities as a performer and as a studio musician. You’ve got toll booth receipts from the middle of Ohio at 3 a.m. because they’re driving from one place to the next, so you’re able to document things in a way that you never would otherwise. There are envelopes stuffed with receipts. There are checks to the band members that are countersigned. To me that stuff is really fascinating.

Annelie: Dutch tour dates

photo: Mcklin Photography

Dutch pianist Annelie de Vries has aanounced a couple of solo shows to promote her debut album: "If there is recurring theme on After Midnight, it's the search for peace and quiet in an increasingly loud and busy world. Annelie has made an album on which note counts, pulling in the listeners with her gentle touch and exquisite timing".

JT Trawick: The Yellow Leaves of Autumn

Once in a blue moon the need for a bit of country needs to be filled with a song like The Yellow Leaves of Autumn. JT Trawick covers all the bases: love and loss, twang in his voice, fiddle, pedal steel, upright bass and the like. It was written by his grandpa, who has every reason to be proud about his grandson who can bring melancholy to life. He can even make it sound comforting.

Alberteen: debut album "It Felt Like Forever" reissue

It turns that Metal Book wasn't the debut album by rock noir band Alberteen. The actual debut was called It Felt Like Forever, which was deleted after some legal trouble. But now it returns as a digital only release. From the band's Facebook:

n 2008 the three original members of Alberteen got together for the first time at Stay Free Studios in Leicester and recorded the sprawling 15 track debut album It Felt Like Forever. Released at the time on CD and briefly on digital, it was soon deleted due to some legal wranglings. This Friday - 10 years on - the album is re-released digitally on all platforms. It's a melodic and ambitious album, very much the sum of historic influences, but we are still fond of it, and it pointed the way to what would be our 'real' debut Metal Book four years later. You can buy and stream it from Friday.

» alberteen.com

De Raad van Toezicht: 84

Dutch jazz ensemble De Raad van Toezicht ("The Supervisory Board") make it look that they are aiming high with their second full-length 84. Capturing George Orwell's classic dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four into music has been tried before, and the results were mixed. David Bowie was cut short by Orwell's widow and turned a proposed theatrical album into a couple of songs that would make up side 2 of his Diamond Dogs album in 1974. Eurythmics made a soundtrack for a movie adaption directed by Michael Radford. 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) was the weakest album of their career. Suffice to say that the film itself is pretty bad too.

With that in mind the twelve musicians thankfully get it right on most counts. The music is funky and close to jazz rock at times or deceptively soothing to indicate that the powers that be aren't paying attention. But wait, 84 isn't about Orwell's dark vision as such. The music is about death in the family - bass guitarist Teun Creemers wrote Mirror as an ode to his grandfather, dreams (Colours and alienation (Hamburg. And while those themes can be traced back to the book - yes, this is pushing it, naming an album after it might not have been such a smart move after all. Disregard it and the album can hold its own a nice mix of adventurous and mainstream jazz.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/21 Hampton

Official Hampton poster by Dan Mumford

Phish
2018/10/21
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set 1:

1. Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
2. Skin It Back
3. Brian and Robert
4. Timber (Jerry The Mule) >
5. Simple
6. Mexican Cousin
7. Camel Walk >
8. Back on the Train >
9. Saw It Again

Churn Milk Joan: "Der Traum eines Kindes" movie screening in Todmorden

English-American duo avant-garde duo Churn Milk Joan have shared their 17 minute movie in 16 parts for their latest album Der Traum eines Kindes on YouYube. The film will be shown as part of a live event at The Golden Lion in Todmorden, On 1st November 1st.

While the footage is all in black & white, the music made by American Richard Knutson (Plum Flower Embroidery. Neutral Sons, The Chacers) and Englishman Colin Robinson (Big Block 454, Jumble Hole Clough) is in full-colour: "a far cry from Disney-fied candy coloured landscapes, rainbows and unicorns. An unnamed Grey Man is up to no good, toys are playing with themselves and then - surprise - the child does not meet an untimely demise, but is carried home instead, fast asleep as those little brats are capable to do".

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/20 Hampton

Official Hampton poster by Dan Mumford

Phish
2018/10/20
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set 1:

1. Llama[1]
2. Fuego >
3. Runaway Jim
4. Bug >
5. Mound
6. Tela >
7. 46 Days
8. Fluffhead

Dead Naked Hippies: Young Male Rage

photo: Andrew Bengel

Leeds post-punk trio Dead Naked Hippies keep the momentum going with the fast-paced and angry Young Male Rage, discussing gender roles and sexuality. Singer Lucy Jowett turns this garage rocker into a political statement that people can dance to.

Words about music (471): Kim Gordon

In rock music, people have certain assumptions that it makes people more enlightened, and it really doesn't.

Kim Gordon

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/19 Hampton

Official Hampton poster by Dan Mumford

Phish
2018/10/19
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set 1:

1. Strawberry Letter 23
2. Blaze On >
3. Mock Song
4. Divided Sky
5. Roggae
6. Sparkle
7. Undermind
8. Meat
9. Rift >
10. Walk Away

Astralingua: "Plunge" video

Watch the new Astralingua video for their latest single Plunge. The Denver, Colorado based duo space folk duo synced footage from all over the world of people dancing for this "song about finding courage against all odds. It's mashup of classical music and Revolver-era Beatles, creating a win-win mix and executed flawlessly".

De Staat: new album "Bubble Gum" 01/18; "Kitty Kitty" video

photo: Pooneh Ghana

Dutch rockers De Staat will release their new studio album Bubble Gum on January 18th. They have unveiled a video for lead single Kitty Kitty. The two bubbles - a blue one and a red one - represent two different outlooks on life, without any positive interaction or understanding shared between them. The clip was directed by Wouter Stoter.

Phish: Live Bait Vol. 15 - Mexican Sampler

Another episode has been added to the Phish Live Bait series. Vol. 15 contains tracks from the band's previous runs @ Riviera Maya, MX in 2016 and 2017, recordings that fans are sure to have bought already back then. The band will return to Mexico for a four-night stand next year (February 21-23, 2019).

Live Bait Vol. 15 is a free download compiled by the band's archivist Kevin Shapiro.

Tracks:

1. Mexican Cousin
   (1/17/16 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 4:19
2. The Moma Dance
   (1/17/16 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 14:45
3. Wolfman’s Brother
   (1/13/17 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 12:42
4. Tweezer > Roggae
   (1/15/17 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 21:48
5. Chalk Dust Torture
   (1/14/17 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 13:25
6. Down With Disease
   (1/17/16 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 19:09
7. Sand > Ghost
   (1/15/17 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 22:47
8. Prince Caspian > Twist > Seven Below
   (1/13/17 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 30:48
9. Slave To The Traffic Light
   (1/17/16 Barceló Maya Beach - Riviera Maya, MX) 11:05

» phish.com

Johnny & Jaalene: Johnny & Jaalene

Rock 'n'roll duo Johnny & Jaalene look and - more importantly - can play the part on their self-titled debut album, a collection of classic rockabilly and doo-wop songs. Johnny Ramos (guitar, vocals) is 19 and Jaalene DeLeon is 16. Pretty damn young, but let's not forget that the artists who recorded the originals the Fifties and early Sixties were not that much older back then. It takes guts to take on Eddie Cochran's Teenage Cutie, Wanda Jackson's Let's Have A Party and The Everly Brothers' Let It Be Me, songs that have been murdered by hundreds of cover bands.

This kind of music has to sound bittersweet, stand tall in the face of the shit hitting the fan. Johnny & Jaalene know their teenage anxiety and put it to good use. Backed by choice musicians from the SoCal scene, including Johnny's father blues guitar ace Kid Ramos, they give the classics another lease on life.

Spottiswoode: show in Frederiksberg, Denmark w/ Flemming Borby

NYC based English singer-songwriter Spottiswoode has a gig in Frederiksberg @ Metronomen on November 8. He will be sharing the bill with Flemming Borby.

Spottiswoode & His Enemies will release their new album Lost In The City in November 27.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/17 Albany

Official Albany poster by Paiheme Studio

Phish
2018/10/17
Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY

Set 1:

1. Crowd Control
2. Chalk Dust Torture
3. All of These Dreams >
4. Wolfman's Brother >
5. Scent of a Mule
6. NICU >
7. Gumbo
8. Steam >
9. I Didn't Know
10. Bathtub Gin

Black Operator: Dancing Around

Dutch blues rock quintet Black Operator go for a lowdown and dirty sound on their new single Dancing Around, using so much fuzz and echo that the Jesus and Mary Chain might get jealous. Under all those layers of mayhem lurks a melody with ear worm quality and a toe-tapping bass line. Recommended if you like old school Seventies rock.

Phish 2018 Fall tour: 2018/10/16 Albany

Official Albany poster by Paiheme Studio

Phish
2018/10/16
Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY

Set 1:

1. The Moma Dance
2. Tube
3. Theme From the Bottom >
4. Free
5. Army of One
6. Halley's Comet >
7. Everything's Right ->
8. Cities >
9. Walls of the Cave

Triggerfinger: 20th Anniversary shows in Utrecht and Antwerp

Belgian power trio Triggerfinger will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary with two special shows in Utrecht and Antwerp.

Live dates:

• 02/03 Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli/Vredenburg
• 02/16 Antwerpen, Belgium @ De Roma

Tickets go on sale on Friday October 19 @ 10 am.

» triggerfinger.net

HCTF premiere - Astralingua: Plunge

Ready for some glorious strings driven space folk? Composer Joseph Andrew Thompson and vocalist Anne Rose Thompson are Astralingua, a Denver, Colorado based duo, adamant to bring the cellos back into popular music. Their new single Plunge is a song about finding courage against all odds. It's mashup of classical music and Revolver-era Beatles, creating a win-win mix and executed flawlessly.

Broeder Dieleman: "Komma" live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam

Dutch folk musician Broeder Dieleman managed to turn the upstairs hall at Paradiso, Amsterdam into a part of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, when he performed the songs of his latest album Komma. Taking his time to introduce and each song he led the audience on a journey through the polders and creeks and pointing out birds and colourful characters that he met along the way. And while performing an album in full, might limit the space for a band there was plenty of room for improvisation, making it a showcase for jazzy folk and vocalizing.

Ned Dylan: Life's a Rave

photo: Gavin Wallace

Singer and guitarist Ned Dylan is only 17, but he has already played at the Glastonbury, Bestival, and Secret Garden Party festivals. So what took him so long to release his first proper single? Life's a Rave has all the trapping of a great song: piano and guitar alongside his powerful vocals.

This English musician is going to be a big in the near future,, not because some scheming manager is force-feeding the media with overblown press releases, but thanks to his songwriting skills, musicianship and bravado. Some people are born for the stage and Ned Dylan has future headliner written all over him. Wizard and (M.I.A./Chase & Status/Alabama 3), Gordon Raphael (the Strokes/Regina Spektor) and Mike Freear (Slamboree) are producing his debut album.

Cover Me: Satellite of Love

Watch Eurythmics perform the Lou Reed classic Satellite of Love. Recorded at Heaven in London in 1983. It was released on 2005 reissue of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

» eurythmics.com
» loureed.com

Whispering Sons: Image

In hindsight post-punk could be described as the early Eighties version of emo. albeit even bleaker and more intense. Belgian quintet Whispering Sons cover the middle-ground between the Comsat Angels and Joy Division, with The Cure trying to get in as well.

Their debut album Image is sounding suitably depressed. No future, no relationship, but lots of angst and impending dread and doom. Apart from those required elements the band have managed to make it sound real and compelling. Post-punk is a heart-and-soul genre, and posers will be booed off stage. With their swirling guitars, passionate vocals, harsh keyboards and rumbling bass and drums they can build a song into a towering wall of sound, a barrier that keeps them safe as well as wows the crowd.

SPOONFiSH: The Hammer (feat. Craig "Twister" Steward)

Anglo-Dutch freak funk band SPOONFiSH embrace steamy Delta blues on their new single The Hammer. Former Frank Zappa harmonica master Craig "Twister" Steward came on board to make it truly scary, sounding like a man possessed but in a good way. It's a foot stompin' song about a guy who will get even if he gets angry again, using his favourite tool in a way that's not in the manual.

Jennifer Hartswick & Nick Cassarino w/ Christian McBride & Trey Anastasio: "Drown in My Own Tears" live video

Singer Jennifer Hartswick and guitarist Nick Cassarino played @ Rockwood Music Hall in New York on October 10th. Jazz bass player Christian McBride and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio joined them for a lengthy version of the blues classic Drown in My Own Tears. Captured by NYC concert photographer Marc Millman.

Red Hearted Vibrations: Circles

Glaswegian rock quartet Red Hearted Vibrations have unleashed Circles, an old school power ballad. They follow the required format of an acoustic intro before launching into a full-on electric crescendo, a process that is repeated before winding down to a slowed down coda. Not as adventurous as their previous single The Girl Who Done No Wrong, but it wil serve them well as an encore at their live shows.

Dusty Stray: Estranged

Breakups are responsible for a lot of great music. Estranged, the new album by Dusty Stray (moniker of Jonathan Brown), is filled with smoldering anger, grief and despair. He took a long hard look at himself and the bad ending of yet another relationship. With his vocals and acoustic guitar, banjo and ukulele at the core of the song he lays down dreamy freak folk songs, enhanced by keyboards, omnichord, backwards masking and almost church like backing vocal arrangements. Estranged is pretty intense and the bleakness may put of occasional listeners - who might try the early Pink Floyd-esque After the Play or Through The Atmosphere as a first taste.

Brown tries to make sense of it all, but fears that he will end up alone when he is Old And Gray. Now based in Amsterdam, the American musician has traveled far and wide, mostly on account of falling in love again and following the woman in question to her native country. So far, music has proven to be his sole solid companion over the years.

murmurmur: Marmalade

Australian neo-psychedelic quintet murmurmur paint a colourful picture on their new single Marmalade. They go through hills and valleys, speeding up and slowing down. keeping themselves busy with heaping tons of old school effects on the guitars. Apparently it is still 1968 in some parts of Melbourne. The track will be included on their debut EP, due for release on October 19th.

Words about music (476): Alice Cooper

On stage, I'm this figure, this actor, who does things that people aren't used to seeing and I relish in that reaction. In real life, though, I play golf, I shop and I walk around with no makeup on and my hair in a ponytail. I may not be the typical middle-aged Joe, but I'm closer to normal than you think.

Alice Cooper

Koto Kill: War Zone

London based electronic dance rock band Koto Kill - the brainchild of producer Gabriel Ralls - turn it up notch on their new single War Zone, a fast-paced and distorted rocker, with a surprisingly melodic, dreamy middle-eight (falsetto vocals included). If they keep it up, their forthcoming album Fight Us All will be a scorcher. Recommended if you like Big Black and The Prodigy.

Town of Saints: Celebrate

photo: Florian von Besser

Dutch/Finnish folk band Town of Saints are back with a new album, Celebrate, a two-faced record about having a good time in the face of the apocalypse. Harmen Ridderbos and Heta Salkolahti share their worries about the state of humankind and whether they use country-rock (No Mistakes) or orchestral pop (Requiem For The Living), there always is a glimmer of hope for a Hollywood ending. The final track, Ode To The New World, is even downright optimistic.

And if humankind decided to fuck it all up big time, why not dance on the volcano before it all ends in tears? Sing along with the belters Up In Smoke or Oscillate. Melancholy, joy, despair, it's all there on Celebrate making it their most ambitious album to date.

Johnny Dowd: new album "Family Picnic" March 2019; European tour April 2019

Johnny Dowd has finished his new record Family Picnic. Available in March 2019, followed by an European tour in April:

Hello everyone.

My new record, “Family Picnic,” is finished. Put a stake in it. Seriously, it’s pretty good. A little more in the roots rock bag than my last few discs. Waltzes, shuffles, etc.

The songs translate well when played live. You’re in for a real treat if you come out to hear Mike and me. Planning on a Euro tour in April (with record release in March).

An Eagle in your Mind: "Flows" video

Watch the new An Eagle in your Mind video for Flows. The French nomadic abstract folk duo are on the road to promote their Miraculous Weapons album.

John Cale: Q&A @ The Velvet Underground Experience in NYC

The Velvet Underground - New York Extravaganza opens on October 10 at 718 Broadway. John Cale wil be doing a Q&A on October 11. From BrooklynVegan:

The Velvet Underground Experience opens week in NYC and they’ve been lining up special events for opening week. One of those is with actual VU member John Cale who will participate in a Q&A on October 11 at 5 PM. That event is first-come, first-served and is included with admission to the exhibitions.

» velvetunderground-experience.com
» John Cale tour dates

The World Of Dust: "Gospel" video

Dutch musician Stefan Breuer has made a video for Gospel, a track from his Womb Realm. He wil revisit the record during a short tour in France, with his father Cees Breuer (bass, backing vocals) and brother Arno Breuer (drums).

Before they travel South The World of Dust have two hometown shows on October 13th in Utrecht, The Netherlands @ Koffie Leute Record Store (full band - 14:00) and @ EKKO in Molen de Ster (solo - 20:00, supporting Belgian guitarist Bert Dockx).

Tim Knol: I'm Not Ready For The City

Dutch singer-songwriter Tim Knol has a new single, I'm Not Ready For The City, an upbeat song with some serious slide. The retro game themed animated video was made by Moon Moon Moon (Mark Lohmann).

I'm Not Ready For The City is released thru Excelsior. It is available from the usual digital outlets.

The Aristocrats: working on new studio album

Power fusion rock trio The Aristocrats have announced that they will be making their fourth studio album in the first half of 2019. Guthrie Govan (guitar), Bryan Beller (bass) and Marco Minnemann (drums) just wrapped a successful European tour and expect to be back on the road next year to play the new songs, with each band member contributing three compositions.

» the-aristocrats-band.com

HCTF review of Tres Caballeros.

Cover Me: Where Is My Mind?

Watch Puddles Pity Party tackle the Pixies classic Where Is My Mind?

» puddlespityparty.com

Port Almond: Port Almond

photo: Alessandro Belleli

Norwegian musician Rune Simonsen went in at the deep end for his new Port Almond project. He was invited to record the tracks for his album at the 100% analogue LowSwing Studio in Berlin. The sessions were wrapped up quickly - only three days were needed to finish the record that is now available as a vinyl only release. Simonsen incorporates bits of jazz, post-rock and ambient - dreamy with an edge. Simonsen doesn't shun noise, besides going for muffled trumpet and brushes. Take note of Oli Bott laying down lazy textures with his vibraphone, an instrument that isn't played that much nowadays, which is s shame really. It's the most melodic member of the percussion family.

The lyrics deal with water in its various guises ((a river, a waterfall, and the sea) and are used as the medium for travel. Simonsen has been around as a the frontman of Mount Washington and some of the dream pop sound of that band is still part of his new project. Backed by nine musicians he was able to branch out and experiment with various moods and setups, like making good use of the wide array of keyboards played by Erik Nilsson.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Electric Ladyland" 50th Anniversary Box Set on November 9

Electric Ladyland gets the deluxe box set treatment. The classic studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience will be released as a 3CD/1 Blu-ray and 6L/1 Blu-ray set. The box set contains the remastered album, an album with early demos and outtakes, an unreleased live show recorded at the Hollywood Bowl. a documentary on Blu-ray, and a book.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience masterpiece Electric Ladyland, Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, are releasing the Deluxe Edition box set on November 9. Available as either a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set or a 6LP/1 Blu-ray set, both packages include the original double album, now newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. For the LP set, Grundman prepared an all analog direct to disc vinyl transfer of the album, preserving the authenticity. Also included is Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes, which presents demos and studio outtakes from this period in Hendrix’s career, plus a new 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire original album by Hendrix’s original engineer Eddie Kramer. This marks the first and only time this has been done with a Hendrix studio album, and gives listeners the original stereo mixes in uncompressed 24 bit/96 kz high resolution audio.