Don Vail get wired, Fleshgod Apocalypse play the fool, Titus Calderbank makes mistakes and more in a special holiday Roundup. And now, back to lazing in the yard with an icy beverage. See you tomorrow.
1 Don Vail — who is not actually a guy named Don Vail, but a band named Don Vail led by a guy named Mitch Bowden — sent over a link to his/their/its/whatever new video On the Wire, a preview of the May 31 album Stand of Tide. Which could very well not actually an album called Stand of Tide, but something else equally confusing. Don’t blame me. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “In the spring of 2017, Don Vail received a fortuitous invitation. 2016’s Fades LP was promising enough to secure a stay at Grouse Lodge Studios in Ireland. But there was a catch—the window was not open indefinitely. There was only a matter of weeks to turn scattered shards of maybes into actual songs.” Spoiler alert: They did:
2 Italian orchestral-death metal juggernauts Fleshgod Apocalypse deal up The Fool, a live video from their new Blu-Ray An Evening in Perugia, which will be included in deluxe editions of their fifth album Veleno, out this Friday. They’re not fooling around. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Italian for ‘venom’, Veleno marks Fleshgod Apocalypse’s first record in 3 years, since the release of their critically acclaimed record King (2016). The ‘metal part’ of Veleno was recorded in Rome, Italy at Bloom Recording Studio and Kick Studio with long-standing collaborator Marco Mastrobuono, while the ‘orchestral part’ – the ensembles – were tracked at Musica Teclas Studio in Perugia.” When did the Apocalypse become so boring?
3 Vancouver singer-songwriter Titus Calderbank hopes his new song Mistakes doesn’t live up to its title. At least I hope he does. Otherwise that’s just sad. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Mistakes is a song about failure and regret. A song about missing the mark. It’s also a song of redemption and asking for forgiveness. Humans often fall short. At the end of the day, we have to accept that we’re all trying our best. What I hope to communicate through this song is that mercy and forgiveness are always an option. We can either be slaves to our past mistakes or make peace with them and move on. We can grace our enemies with forgiveness or we can die with bitter hearts.” Your call:
4 Show of hands: Who wants to see British singer-pianist Hayden Thorpe share his song Earthly Needs, from his new Diviner album out May 24? Well, you don’t have to watch then. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Diviner is a deeply emotional album: lyrically generous in its candid tone and self-awareness, the melodies resonant with sense memory. The album feels like a startling departure from Thorpe’s previous work with Wild Beasts, and unlike anything else being made at the moment.” Give him a hand:
5 Brooks Paschal — the former frontman of beloved emo group Sullivan — delivered A Peace Anthem, yet another previeew ofhis May 31 album Surprises, the debut album from his new musical project Surprises. Really not much of a surprise at this point, dude. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Brooks says, “I think ultimately the song is about process. It’s not uncommon for me to have bad days that I try to explain away by some past failure by myself or some time life failed me. A lot of the lyrics are just reliving those moments and remember those people. Whether it’s bullshit or not, I’d like to think I beat it by the end of the day/song.” Process this:
6 Long-serving Boston power trio Roadsaw return with a new album called Tinnitus the Night, so they’ve clearly come to the right place. See if you agree after sampling their new song shake from the June 7 release. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “With a sound as searing and sleazy today as it was eighteen years ago, the heart and soul of the classic Roadsaw line-up has remained intact with Ian Ross on guitar, Tim Catz on bass and Crain Riggs doubling up on vocal and drum duties.” Shake it baby:
