Steven Wilson has posted episode eight of his live in the studio performances. Dubbed The Future Bites Sessions he performs stripped down versions from his forthcoming new album as well material from his extensive back catalogue. But for the last one of 2020 he decided to release a cover:
December 31, 2020
Pocket Knife Army: "Wrapped Around Your Finger" video
Dutch electronic pop duo Pocket Knife Army have posted a video of them doing a cover of Wrapped Around Your Finger, an underappreciated song by The Police, to wrap up their "one new song each month" challenge which they kept going for two years. The clip was filmed by Jesse Immanuel Bom.
» Pocket Knife Army on Facebook
HCTF review of Dancing Like A Cobra.
Mint Biscuit: Instrumental Illness
Richard Thomas, guitarist and vocalist with the recently revived English band Mint, has collected another set of odds and ends for an album by his solo project Mint Biscuit. Instrumental Illness is a grab bag of short excursions on both acoustic and electric guitar.
It is basically a set of recordings that have not reached the stage of a proper demo. There are quite a few of bum notes and tuning his guitar properly before pressing "record" did not always happen. On the upside: it is also a fly-on-the-wall experience, listening to this guy finding his way to some pretty nice hooks he just came up with. These 20 (!) proggy folk instrumentals spiced up with of indie rock will a bit too much to take in one sitting for most listeners, but let it play out - the sequencing is quite good.
HCTF's best of 2020 (5-1)
HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. This blog covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: final countdown from number 5 to 1.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Educate your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
December 30, 2020
Wire: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch English post-punk pioneers Wire play four songs for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert. This was recorded on March 8, just before the pandemic put an end to the abiltiy to capture bands in an intimate environment like this.
HCTF's best of 2020 (10-6)
HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. This blog covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: countdown from number 10 to 6.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Educate your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
December 29, 2020
Xander Naylor: Highlight House Party NYE webcast
Brooklyn based experimental guitarist and composer Xander Naylor is one of the performers on Highlight House Party live stream on New Year's Eve, "a celebration [that] will welcome hundreds of Vermont-grown performers" He will set up shop in Future Fields in Burlington, with Ethan Snyder (drums) and Pat Markley (bass). Naylor will play music from his albms. as well as some Bill Frisell and even a bit of No Doubt. Thye are on @ 10:45-11:45pm (Eastern Time). The promo-code PXE3 ensures that a measly $10.00 for a ticket is enough to watch it.
HCTF's best of 2020 (15-11)
HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. This blog covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: countdown from number 15 to 11.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Educate your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
December 28, 2020
Cover Me: Suspended in Gaffa
Watch baroque pop band Ra Ra Riot tackle the Kate Bush classic Suspended in Gaffa. Recorded live @ Independent in San Francisco, CA - 2009/2/27. The studio veersion can be found on their debut full-length The Rhumb Line.
HCTF's best of 2020 (20-16)
HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. This blog covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: countdown from number 20 to 16.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of them have a website where you can order your stuff. Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows when it's safe to do so again. Educate your friends. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
December 27, 2020
Remy van Kesteren: "The Red Turtle" in Leiden
Dutch harpist Remy van Kesteren will provide live accompaniment for a screening of The Red Turtle, the animated fantasy film directed and written by Michael Dudok de Wit, at Trianon in Leiden, The Netherlands on June 5, 2021. He released An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle earlier this year and the screening had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
HCTF review of An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle.
Words about music (566): Kim Wilde
My whole career was launched in such sort of poptastic style with Kids In America, and I liked - and like - being poptastic. Songs big on melody, high on energy, lots of attitude... what's wrong with that?
Kim Wilde
December 26, 2020
Tiny Wine: Archer
Chris Milton and Vertro Ubretl of New Hampshire duo Tiny Wine share a love for lo-fi nostalgia and captured the songs of their debut EP Archer on the RCA RP3504 Cassette Shoebox Voice Recorder. That machine gives the material a murky and dusty vibe, but there is also an intimacy and the sheer wonder of being able to press "record" and "play" simultaneously on the machine to turn it into a recording device, a feature that exited them so much when they were kids.
They look back on their youth - Teeth is about loosing baby teeth, getting married in the Autumn Leaves, and enjoying being bored just a little (Nothing). For those who remember the tape trading circles of the Nineties Archer the static and warbles of a 2nd or 3rd generation copy will sound utterly familiar, but all the flaws only add to listering experience. Homemade post-punk goodness for fans of Guided By Voices and Daniel Johnston.
December 25, 2020
Johnny Dowd: Man Up for Xmas
Johnny Dowd has posted a video of him playing his brand new song Man Up for Xmas, giving some sound advice to Santa. This might be the definite title for the tune, but it will do nicely for now.
Page McConnell & Trey Anastasio: December
Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio revisited six Phish songs for piano, guitar and vocals album December. They recorded at their studio in The Barn in Vermont, with Bryce Goggin in charge of the production and the mix. The barebones approach turned quite well. The extended version of The Squirming Coil is the icing on the cake.
Tracks:- If I Could
- Mountains in the Mist
- Wingsuit
- Joy
- Miss You
- The Squirming Coil
New Tape Op Podcast series "DISCussion": Bill Frisell, Heba Kadry, Joey Burns
Tape Op has launched another podcast series: DISCussion. They get on the phone with an artist to discuss an album they love. Three episodes so far: Bill Frisell on Wes Montgomery's 1966 release, Tequila; Heba Kadry about Manuel Göttsching's 1984 release, E2-E4; Joey Burns about Gaby Moreno's 2014 release, Posada and Calexico’s new collection of holiday songs, Seasonal Shift.
December 24, 2020
Big Stir Singles: The Yuletide Wave
If this were a normal christmas it would not be safe to go shopping without a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to shut out the sugar-coated seasonal muzak that shop owneers insist on playing. The pandemic lockdown has put a stop a stip to that, but every tv or radio program is still rife wiht the likes of Mariah Carey and Wham. It will be a relief to crank something different like the The Yuletide Wave, a collection made the folk at Big Stir Records: 25 songs from the psych power pop underground that are a joy to listen to. Sure, the blatant optimism of some of the lyrics still can be a bit too much, but at least the music itself never disappoints.
Adam Irving: Baby Rhino
English musician Adam Irving is known to rely on the guitar as his main instrument of choice, but for his new album Baby Rhino he switched to the piano. It makes quite a difference and there are quite a few instrumentals besides his usual pop rock idiom - the melancholy of An Ice Day is summoned with an only a handful of notes, but each of them counts.
He is a traveller (Venice Again, A Garden In Topanga) and a story teller, always on the move with an open eye for his surroundings and the characters he runs into. He is his own backing vocalist and he can turn himself into a one-man XTC-alike band with songs Not The End and jazzy lounge lizard during I Danced Sideways that will go down well with fans of Rufus Wainwright.
Leslie West: 1945-2020
Leslie West, founding member of the pioneering hardd-hitting blues rock band Mountain is dead at 75. He suffered a heart attack, which proved to be fatal. His signature sound was an inspiration for players like Slash, Eddie Van Halen and Joe Bonamassa. he made the use of P-90 pickups on a Gibson Les Paul quite popular.
West was a lifelong sufferer from Diabetes. His leg was amputated above the knee in June 2011 during a life-saving surgery in June 2011, but that did not stop him from hitting the road to promote his guest-filled solo album Unusual Suspects.
December 23, 2020
HCTF premiere - mtf8: "Cavity" video
NYC Gothic rock act mtf8 has made a video for his cover of the Christian Death track Cavity, the opener of that band's classic debut Only Theatre of Pain. He used mainly B&W footage of himself, with slowly moving coloured smoke and lit candles to add dabs of colour. It is the sole cover on his new EP Momentum: "The music (...) moves slowly, but can't be stopped. It is best to ride the wave, wondering if it will crash of keep going for a bit longer".
HCTF review of Momentum.
The Sonicbond Bookcast: Tim Bowness
Publisher Stephen Lambe has launced The Sonicbond Bookcast. In the first epiode he talks with Tim Bowness about his new album Late Night Laments, his favourite books about music, the early days of the online label/store website Burning Shed, and the superb The Album Years podcast he makes with Steven Wilson.
December 22, 2020
The Beatles: "Get Back" documentary montage
Director Peter Jackson has shared a montage of the forthcoming documentary Get Back. He could go through 56 hours of footage of The Beatles recording the Let It Be album at Abbey Road studios in London. Drummer Ringo Starr went on record to say that "There were hours and hours of us just laughing and playing music, not at all like the version that came out. There was a lot of joy and I think Peter will show that. I think this version will be a lot more peace and loving, like we really were." It could be considered as the long awaited follow-up for the rather bleak film that came out in 1970.
Vazum: "Carol of the Witch" video
Detroit based deathgaze duo Vazum have made a video for Carol of the Witch, an alternate take on the seasonal song Carol of the Bells. They filmed the clip in the outskirts of Ann Arbor, MI and it as edited by vocalist/bassist Emily Sturm. It is a track from their latest EP Vazumnacht, which contains two more heavily deconstructed christmas classics.
HCTF review of Vazumnacht.
December 21, 2020
Iggy Pop: Dirty Little Virus
Leave it to Iggy Pop to release a fine rock song with a punk attitude about COVID-19, Dirty Little Virus: "She is only `9, but she is not my type". Co-writer Leron Thomas took care of the arranging and played trumpet. Chris Berry is on drums and Ari Teitel played guitar and bass.
Family Affair is a self-released single. Buy it from his website.
mtf8: Momentum
At first NYC Gothic rock act mtf8 considered unveiling the tracks of his new EP Momentum as separate singles, but on seocnd thought he did not want the hassle of getting the word out five times in a row. In hindsight releasing them in one big swoop actually make more sense, because all the songs share the same emotion: getting out from under a dark cloud. The bass aims for the gut and the vocals go straight for the brain, making it an intense listening exercise. Once again producer Charlie Nieland was on hand to play bass and lead guitar.
Bookended by the two parts of the rather optimistic of Purity the darkness is the deepest in his cover of the Christian Death track Cavity. The spoken words are almost buried in the staric electronics of Submotion, acting as persuaders. The music on Momentum moves slowly, but can't be stopped. It is best to ride the wave, wondering if it will crash of keep going for a bit longer.
Nick Frater: "California Waits" video
English multi-instrumentalist Nick Frater has posted a widescreen video for California Waits, a track from his latest full-length Fast & Loose: "(...) an album for people who have the patience to immerse themselves in it as a "Gesamstkunstwerk", not letting their ears be controlled by streaming services algorithms".
HCTF review of Fast & Loose.
December 20, 2020
Steven Wilson: "Half-Light" (The Future Bites sessions)
Steven Wilson has posted the seventh of his live in the studio performances. Dubbed The Future Bites Sessions he performs stripped down versions from his forthcoming new album as well material from his extensive back catalogue.
Ike Willis & Zappatika: Before The Shit Hit The Fan - Live in the U.K.
Frank Zappa alumnus Ike Willis and Anglo-Dutch band ZAPPATiKA have released a free live album, Before The Shit Hit The Fan - Live in the U.K., recorded during their "Music Is The Best" tour in October 2019. Caveat: this is not a shiny desk-recording due to technical issues. The tracks are culled from the front-of-house, so it may sound it bit murky at times.
Keeping the music of Frank Zappa alive is tricky - not many musicians have the chops to tackle the complexity of his compositions like Montana and More Troble Every Day, but these guys have been at it for years and know their stuff. Sam Ward, the guitarist of tribute band Treacherous Cretins sits in during Peaches en Regalia.
Words about music (565): David Bowie
Songs don't have to be about going out on Saturday night and having a good rink-up and driving home and crashing cars. A lot of what I've done is about alienation... about where you fit in society.
David Bowie
December 19, 2020
Cover Me: Jolene
Watch the The White Stripes tackle the Dolly Parton classic Jolene. It can be found on the Under Blackpool Lights DVD.
Nick Cave and his creative universe
Interview Magazine had a chat with Nick Cave about "his creative universe". On songwriting:
My process of lyric writing is as follows: For months, I write down ideas in a notebook with a Bic medium ballpoint pen in black. At some point, the songs begin to reveal themselves, to take some kind of form, which is when I type the new lyrics into my laptop. Here, I begin the long process of working on the words, adding verses, taking them away, and refining the language, until the song arrives at its destination. At this stage, I take one of the yellowing back pages I have cut from old second-hand books, and, on my Olympia typewriter, type out the lyrics. I then glue it into my bespoke notebook, number it, date-stamp it, and sticker it. The song is then ‘officially’ completed. Last year, I lost my beloved Ghosteen notebook with all the scribblings and typed lyrics in it. I have no idea what happened to it. It was very distressing for me at the time. A few months ago, in lockdown, I sat and retyped all the lyrics, date-stamped, stickered, and numbered them, in an attempt to reclaim them. This process reconnected me to the words that I had lost. A number of these pages are now available as handmade reproductions.
December 18, 2020
Phish: new archival release Bozeman ’94
Another archival Phish release is available for streaming and download: 11/28/94 Field House, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT:
On November 28, 1994 Phish rolled into Bozeman, Montana for their first play in the Big Sky state – a Monday night show at Montana State University’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The 8500-seat venue known as The Brick was the world’s largest clear-span wooden structure when it was built, and had a dirt floor (useful for rodeos) until 1980. Bozeman was the 36th show on a 46-date tour that stretched from Pennsylvania to Minnesota before crossing the Mississippi and continuing from Montana to Southern California. The Bozeman show was the first western stop and was originally ticketed for MSU Shroyer Gym, but was moved to the larger Fieldhouse. Taping was allowed as with all Phish shows, but the audience tapers missed some portions of this performance. Fortunately the band was recording fall tour on multitrack for the live album that would become A Live One and the story of this Bozeman ’94 recording was born.
HCTF premiere - Reality Anonymous: "I Love Her Everywhere" video
The name of songwriter Lyn Vaus might ring a bell with fans of the Sci-Fi movie The Lawnmower Man. He was in a band called Carnal Garage and they were on the soundtrack. His current band Reality Anonymous sounds nothing like the post-punk he made back then. I Love Her Everywhere, the lead single from the forthcoming album The Ghost Host Vol. 1 (January 5, 2021), is a throwback to the heyday of late Sixties psychedelic pop and the accompanying video is filled to the rafters with hippie imagery, a slice of Summer in the midst of Winter. Recommended if you like Love and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd.
December 17, 2020
Charlie Nieland: So Few Have So Much
Brooklyn based producer and musician Charlie Nieland has shared another track from his forthcoming solo album Divisions. On So Few Have So Much he looks across the river and contemplates the wealth accumulated by the extremely rich living in Manhattan. With a prominent jangling 12-string guitar he comes as close as he ever got channeling The Smiths. Susan Hwang (vocals) and Billy Loose (drums) lended a hand in creating this neo-post-punk anthem.
Dallet Band: Electric Judas!
The Dallet Band are known as rather good live band, but now that their blend of rock and folk can't be heard on stage they decided to try to bottle the excitement in the studio. Their new EP Electric Judas! - named after the famous heckling incident at Bob Dylan's show at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester on May 16, 1965 - kicks off with a spoken word piece about it before giving way to an one-point tribute called Song for Bobby. And it's only fitting that they follow suit with Glitter and Gore a full-on electric blues rock assault about a femme fatale.
They play lowdown and dirty and it is tight as fuck, making the lack of the abiltily to attend live shows a little more bearable. Just close your eyes and picture them barreling through Livin' on in Vain and taking it a down a notch with Wasn't That Supposed to Be Me?. Fingers crossed that this Denver, Colorado based band can hit the road again in the near future. Recommended if you like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
December 16, 2020
Victoria Wijeratne: Death Nature
English musician Victoria Wijeratne has managed to capture the various stages of going through a breakup with her new composition Death Nature, an amalgam of electronics, elements of both Kraut- and post-rock, with neo-classsical bubbling under the surface. There is beauty in the struggle to get the upper hand, a battle that was turned into an interpretative dance-off by Tania Dimbelolo and Patricia Hastewell Puig for the video, with both women trying to come out of it as the winner.
Vazum: Vazumnacht
As a follow-up for the Halloween inspired Rated V album Detroit based deathgaze band Vazum now celebrate Krampus with their new Vazumnacht EP, three heavily deconstructed carols with brand new words. Zach Pliskah (guitar, synth, drums) and Emily Sturm (vocals, bass) took elements of post-punk and industrial to create a parallel party mood where darkness reigns and get rid of the sugarcoated fluff made by the likes of Mariah Carey, Chris Rea and Bing Crosby.
Led Zeppelin: pinball machines
Led Zeppelin fans with deep pockets can buy a themed pinball machine made by Stern Pinball. It comes in three versions - pro, premium and limited - and all of them play bits from the big hits: "Partnering with Led Zeppelin, we created a one-of-a-kind pinball experience. It’s our dream goal to create a pinball machine with this iconic rock band." Yeah right, odds are that they did have to pay a hefty sum to use the band's imagery and songs. And that might explain the hefty price tag.
December 15, 2020
Baby Scream: Guts
Argentinian power pop musician Juan Pablo Mazzola tackles family issues and loneliness on Guts, the new single by his Baby Scream project. He was about to snap and wrote a song about it: "Fuck my brothers, cousins, etc. Fuck 2020." Producer Nick Schinder lends a hand on keyboards.
McStine & Minnemann: "Big Wave" video
December 14, 2020
Johnny Dowd: "Fine Time" video
Watch Johnny Dowd recite his poem Fine Time on top of a soundtrack wirteen by him and Senga Etna as part of part of The Conductors Tale series by Rik van Iersel.
Cathy Grier + The Troublemakers: I'm All Burn
photo: Bruce Rose
Blues singer and guitarist Cathy Grier has been in the businness for 40+ years, as a writer, guitarist for hire, solo artist and now as the leading lady of The Troublemakers. She lived in New York for 20 years before who felling in love with Wisconsin - she moved to Sturgeon Bay in 2017 - and got to work establishing herself as a force in the local music scene.
On her latest album I'm All Burn she is playing up a storm, both electric and acoustic. Grier sounds confident throughout. Her vocals are upfront, with a delivery that's not unlike Bonnie Raitt and Etta James. She pokes fun at her own state of mind (Happiness Blues), takes a stand in a relationship (What Fools Do), looks out after number one (Protecting My Heart and delivers a memorable cover of the Bobbie Gentry classic Ode to Billie Joe. Kudos to producer and engineer Steve Hamilton of Makin’ Sausage Music in Milwaukee who has made I'm All Burn sounding old school: warm, no brickwalling and A+ dynamics.
December 13, 2020
Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls: Voodoo Bones & Vaudeville Blues
It has been a textbook shortcut for bands trying make it: sell their soul to the devil and get a great album in return. London based voodoo blues band Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls take that old myth apart on Voodoo Bones & Vaudeville Blues, twelve songs about gullible people duped by sketchy characters and horror stories about pitchfork wielding creatures and the undead.
Tongue firmly-in-cheek they provide a full set of old school entertainment, a sideshow where vaudeville, blues and skiffle conspire to get their audiences to dance their asses of. Singer Jo Carley is a powerhouse who can holler and whisper, with multi-instrumentalist Tim Carley and bass player James Le Huray pushing her to give it her all. Bigots will wave their fingers at this kind of music, but anyone with a mind of their own can't help but love this.
Words about music (564): Leonard Cohen
If I knew where the good songs came from, I'd go there more often.
Leonard Cohen
December 12, 2020
Neil Young: free access to the Archives until the end of the year
Neil Young opens his massive online archive for free until the end of the year:
If you are locked down, we are here for you with hours of listening and cruising around through the years in movies. We want you to enjoy what we have to share at NYA… It’s my music and our lives. Peace.
Them Jones: The Dark
Philadelphia neo-psych band Them Jones made a pessimistic concept album, The Dark, quite the opposite of their previous effort, the mostly upbeat The Saturn Cinema. The pandemic is never named as such, but looms large. The social distancing has made a lot of people feeling lost and alone and they have bottled these emotions in luscious arrangements. Guest singer Lauren Kimball weighs in with crystal clear vocals, giving the songs a late Sixties West Coast pop vibe.
The Dark is their most cohesive album to date. The twin guitars sound can hold their own against such classics as Love's Forever Changes and Jefferson Airplane's Crown of Creation. Shuffling drums (A Man to Be Envied), lazy delta blues (The Black Cloud Come On), backmasking (The Dark) - Them Jones know their music history and techniques inside out and they have the knack to make it sound fresh and timeless.
December 11, 2020
Steven Wilson: "Voyage 34" (The Future Bites sessions)
Steven Wilson has posted the sixth of his live in the studio performances. Dubbed The Future Bites Sessions he performs stripped down versions from his forthcoming new album as well material from his extensive back catalogue.
Trey Anastasio: "What Calls You Home"" video
Trey Anastasio performed an eight-week virtual residency in his hometown New Yrok, The Beacon Jams. What Calls You Home, a short documentary looks back on the shows at the Beacon Theatre.
» trey.com
December 10, 2020
Don Aman: Monsterlock
photo: Francesca Raimondo & Tom Clément
French indie rock trio Don Aman are like kids in a candy store, picking up anything that looks interesting. At first their new album Monsterlock might come off as a mishmash of genres, but it turns out once again that the old of adage that "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" does apply.
Drones, ambient, blues, post-rock and even a bit of old school progressive rock were stitched together to a tapestry of sounds. Sparse passages make way for complex structures, acoustic guitar gets superseded by a distorted electric, with singer Francis as a pied-piper leading the way. Monsterlock is a like a arthouse movie, non-linear but it all fits somehow. They will have zero impact on the mainstream market, but the very vocal minority of connoisseurs will sing their praises for years to come.
HCTF premiere - Welcome Center: Near Death
Dallas/Philadelphia electronic-pop duo Welcome Center sing about the need to connect on their new single Near Death. Jesse Smith and Aaron Sternick serve up a mix of monolithic EDM and New Wave a la early Depeche Mode. Throw in pleading vocals and presto: a heartfelt cry to cherish a relationship in these weird and scary times.
Near Death is a self-released single. Available on the usual digital platforms. Release date: December 11.
HCTF review of This House Will Be Filled With _____
December 09, 2020
La Loye: I'm Still Asleep
photo: Nikki van de Poel
Dutch alt-folk singer Lieke Heusinkveld, who goes by the stage name La Loye, has released her single I’m Still Asleep, a carefully crafted dreamy song with nods to bedroom pop, English brass, and experimental soundscapes. She finds herself in a flux, wanting to hang out with her friends, but on second thought being alone for awhile has its perks too.
Undermine: a weekly Phish podcast
Three podcasts about all the aspects of Vermont jam band Phish join forces for a new weekly show. Under the Scales, Helping Friendly Podcast and Beyond the Pond will launch Undermine in February 2021 as a part of the Osiris Network:
UNDERMINE comes to life!! What is Undermine? It"s a new podcast!!! It is nothing short of the biggest and best Phish podcast ever. The “Big Three” Osiris Phish podcasts, Under the Scales, Helping Friendly Podcast and Beyond the Pond are merging to form the new go-to WEEKLY Phish podcast, Undermine. Weekly we said, you read that correctly, we are going to have the hosts of all the three shows working together to bring you stunning Phishy content every week. Undermine will excavate the deep history of the band through interviews, in-depth analysis of the band’s music, and looks at broader musical themes and influences.
December 08, 2020
Steven Wilson: European tour dates
photo: Lasse Hoile
Steven Wilson has announced lengthy European tour to promote The Future Bites, his new album that will be released on January 29. He kicks with eight shows in the Uk before crossing the channel for shows in mainland Europe.
Tickets pre-sale starts on December 11 (with fan-only pre-sale for the UK shows on December 9).
Nancy: Pleasure Pen
English garage rock act Nancy embraces kinky sex his new single, Pleasure Pen, inspired by the infaeous Leopold von Sacher-Masoch novella Venus in Furs. He made it a dirty, distorted neo-psych blues exercise that will be too far out for mainstream appeal, but will be appreciated by fans of unpolished underground music.
December 07, 2020
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: 2021 UK and European tour cancelled
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have cancelled their European and UK tour. Ticket holders can get a refund:
We are very disappointed to announce that the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 2021 UK and European tour can no longer go ahead due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19.
The complexity and scale of the tour we had planned, combined with the continued uncertainty around the pandemic means that despite the hard work of everyone involved we have not been able to guarantee that the shows can happen.
Cover Me: These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
Watch art-rock band The Humans tackle the Nancy Sinatra classic These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. Originally released as a bonus track on the band's debut album We Are the Humans in 2009. Robert Fripp, husband of the band's lead singer Toyah Willcox, guests on guitar.
Marrow Thieves: Marrow Thieves + "He Comes Knockin" video premiere
Chicago based post-punk trio Marrow Thieves move slowly and menacingly on their self-titled debut EP. Mark Panick pulls of memorable vocals , dving ecerrn deeper than he did on Codex Tres Lingua, an album by Razorhouse, one of his other bands.
Horror stories once again proof to be able to transport the listener to places he does not want to go, but the lure of the unknown always wins. The menace of a slow Black Sabbath song is taken to another level on teh stand-out track He Comes Knockin, for which Dave Anderson created a hallucinogenic video.
December 06, 2020
Labasheeda: "Infralight" video
Amsterdam based art-punk quartet Labasheeda have shared a video for Infralight, a track from their latest album Status Seeking: "Raw tenderness is captured in a hectic, but melodic, maze of music. Lead singer Saskia van der Giessen glides up and down the scales, improvising her parts as the band keeps throwing curve balls, with guitarist Arne Wolfswinkel acting as both Thurston Moore and Joey Santiago. Fans of the Au Pairs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Sugarcubes can pick this up before hearing a single note."
Charlie Nieland: solo album "Divisions" January 21, 2021
Brooklyn based producer and musician Charlie Nieland is a busy man, but he managed to record another solo album, Divisions, due for release on January 31. He is a longtime contributor to The Bushwick Book Club, a circle of friends writing songs about a book they have read. For his album he choose The Hidden Life of Trees: What they Feel, How they Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World by German forester and author Peter Wohlleben.
Words about music (563): Hazel O’Connor
I am proud I am a survivor and it has made me have a much better vocal sound than if I hadn’t had to live my life as tough.It is a lived-in voice. My allure is my lived in voice that makes them laugh and makes them cry.
Hazel O’Connor
December 05, 2020
Evripidis and his Tragedies: Melancholia
photo: Marc Ribera
Evripidis Sabatis was the victim of a homophobic attack in his hometown Athens in 2014. He turned this traumatic event into an instrumental piano piece, putting his classical training to good use. Realizing the parallels with the subject matter of Lars von Trier's movie Melancholia, he started writing the lyrics and six years later he has reworked it as a brazen synth pop anthem. Now living in Barcelona he invited his friends in the Catalonian capital to provide the backing vocals and act as classic Greek choir, just like in the plays of old.
Melancholia contains both sad and hopeful lyrics. He got hurt by a traumatizing event, but he won't let it get him down for the rest of his life.
Mammal Hands: "Versus Shapes" video
Watch the new Mammal Hands video for Versus Shapes, a track from their latest album Captured Spirits: "a record that solidifies their reputation as a front-runner in the UK avant-garde jazz scene. They can soothe, snarl, and charge. No matter which path they choose, it's never a dead end."
December 04, 2020
Steven Wilson: "12 Things I Forgot" (The Future Bites sessions)
Steven Wilson has posted the fifth of his live in the studio performances. Dubbed The Future Bites Sessions he performs stripped down versions from his forthcoming new album as well material from his extensive back catalogue.
Jack Poels: Straks
When Dutch folk singer Jack Poels contemplates the passing of time while walking throught in the night in his village on his new single Straks, sung in the Limburg dialect, the language of his native province. Getting older does not trouble him at all. He will be always able to surprise himself and his loved ones as a way to spice up everyday life.
Natalie Bouloudis: Coal
photo: Luke J Novak
English bluesy folk singer Natalie Bouloudis does some reverse engineering on her new single Coal, when she describes the end of a relationship that started out so great with both parties sporting eyes sparkling as diamonds. It did not last and it ended up being turned to coal and finally dust when the magic of the joint forces of two highly different personalities turned out to be an illusion after all. Her vocals soar in a blend of agony and anger, with Luke Waterfield contributing a stirring violin part. Recommended if you like Dusty Springfield in a foul mood.
December 03, 2020
Cover Me: Flappie
You can't make this shit up. Todd Rundgren translated and recorded Flappie, an off-kilter Dutch Christmas song written by Dutch comedian Youp van 't Hek. He stayed clode the original, although the arrangment feels a bit crowded. Spoiler: the rabbit dies.
The Luxembourg Signal: "Mourning Moon" video
Dream pop band The Luxembourg Signal have made a video for Mourning Moon, a track from their latest album The Long Now: "an exploration of jangling guitar pop and post-punk. Soul searching lyrics are plentiful, with a sense of loss and being adrift after being cut loose from their bearings".
HCTF review of The Long Now.
New Wolves: Influencer
Synth pop trio New Wolves channel utterly danceable Eighties New Wave on their new single Influencer, a song about super-being who loves the meddle with our thoughts, but is also considered as a source of amusement. They take it slow and the infectious main melody has ear-worm potential. The video was directed by Amier Firdaus.
December 02, 2020
Jim Knable & The Randy Bandits: Blue Reunion
Way back in 2009 The Randy Bandits released their superb Americana album Golden Arrow. Life got in the way after that, the members scattered and pursued other careers, but now the band's frontman Jim Knable has rallied the troops for another shot at fame and recognition. Blue Reunion finds the band in full-on outlaw country mode, peppered with a smattering of gospel, swagger, swing and honky-tonk piano..
On the album Knable looks with a birdview's perspective at the happenings in the last decade, zooming in on details with uncanny precision. The band has deepened their sound - note the bottom end courtesy of Jay Buchanan's upricht bass - and it really comes together in the slower passages. The years have been kind to the Bandits. Creating timeleas music was always their goal and with Blue Reunion they pass with flying colours.
Primus: "Alive From Pachyderm Station" virtual concert December 11
Experimental avant-funk metal trio Primus hacve announced a virtual concert, Alive From Pachyderm Station, available as a pay-per-view webcast, premiering on December 11. Fans with deep pockets can go for "The After Slurp Pachyderm Package with Les Claypool", which will cost them $175.00.
Record Store Day 2021: June 12
Record Store Day will be celebrating its 14th anniversary on June 12, 2021. Mark your calendars and start saving.
December 01, 2020
The Wood Brothers: "The Muse" 2LP reissue
Roots trio The Wood Brothers will reissue their 2014 album The Muse as a 2LP on March 5, 2021 via their own label Honey Jar Records. Widely considered as a high point in their discography the band recently played the album live in its entirety and that will be part of a webcast on their YouTube channel on December 18 that will also feature archioval footage from the recording sessions.
Euphemia Rise: Farewell to Greatness
Belgian multi-instrumentalist Wim Lankriet has constructed a towering wall of sound for Farewell to Greatness, the debut single by his Euphemia Rise project. He mixes elements of psychedelic and gothic rock, with a gentle piano chord progresssion acting as a guide through his twisted musical landscape. Recommended if you like early Pink Floyd, Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy.
The accompanying video is a collaboration with visual artist Itzel Bernal.
Griffin Novie: We Don't Have Anything More To Say
Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist Griffin Novie takes cues from the heyday of psych-pop on We Don't Have Anything More To Say, a track from his Balcony Bliss album. It is a meticulously constructed track - no susprise considering the fact that he works as a senior drafter at a structural engineering firm. Novie describes the overwhelming relief of letting go of shame with precision. A carefully polished production in which every note counts. Recommended if you like 10CC at their peak on their How Dare You! album.
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