As usual, I ran out of month long before I ran out of great music to review in January. So I’ve been putting together a few posts with all the great albums that didn’t get enough attention. You’ve got everything from rock, pop and jazz to Celtic blues, country-rock, hardcore and much more. Rather than blather on myself about them, I’m saving time by just including their press releases. But you can rest assured that they all get the official Tinnitist stamp of approval. Give them a spin before they get lost in the rearview:
Märvel
Märvellous
THE PRESS RELEASE: “You know the story… and if you don’t, here it comes! Märvel formed in 2002 when three guys from Åtvidaberg enjoyed rocking and rolling more than studying during their high school exchange year in Colorado – but have you ever heard the songs from our debut EP? No – not until today you haven’t! We got picked up by a US indie label and recorded Marvellous in the US. Before the release of the 4 track EP we parted ways with the label and moved back to Sweden. The label promised that copies would be sent to us and that we also would get the master tapes. That never happened and we never heard from the label again. For years we tried to get ahold of the tapes to be able to re-release the songs or at least get a listening copy. Sadly, after being acquired and moved multiple times by different labels (and according to hearsay) the tapes were destroyed in the Universal Studios fire in 2008. We’ve always felt that it was a shame that people never got to hear the songs that kicked off our career. So to celebrate our roots we’ve re-recorded all of the songs! We haven’t tried to make it sound like the originals did but instead we wanted to play, produce and record the songs as good as we possibly could. It was Marvellous – now it’s Märvellous – we hope you löve it!”
Prophet
Don’t Forget It
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Prophet is an electro-funk musician from the San Francisco area who until 2018 had only released an obscure private-press LP called Right On Time (1984) which to this day has a dedicated cult following. After its release, Prophet disappeared for over 3 decades until Peanut Butter Wolf, a long-time fan, met him by chance encounter. Peanut Butter Wolf introduced Prophet to Mndsgn, and together they came up with Wanna Be Your Man, released in 2018. Whereas Wanna Be Your Man was a collaboration with Mndsgn, Don’t Forget It is entirely self-produced. Working on his own allowed Prophet to further explore his sound palette and whittle down over a hundred songs to 16 for this record.”
Ready, Steady, Die!
Pleasure Ride
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Usually, pedigree doesn’t mean much to us. But in rare cases, it’s worthy of comment – especially for true students of music history who know the names of the giants who shaped pop and rock. Tony Visconti, for instance, was the peerless wizard whose fearless productions for David Bowie are recognized as audio monuments: they’re albums that don’t sound like anything else, and they’ve influenced everybody who has heard them. Morgan Visconti, the son of the master, is also up to something inimitable with Ready, Steady Die!, his mesmerizing project with British singer-songwriter Sam K. Just as Tony took the then-contemporary styles of glam, prog, and proto-metal as jumping-off points for his wild departures from musical orthodoxy, Morgan and Sam transform dream pop, electronic rock, and darkwave into something that’s entirely their own – something built to endure.”
The Revivalists
Made In Muscle Shoals
THE PRESS RELEASES: “Chart-topping rock band The Revivalists have surprised fans with the release of their Made In Muscle Shoals live studio EP and accompanying documentary, which was recorded and filmed at the legendary FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and directed by Jay Sansone. Capturing the essence of The Revivalists at this exciting time in their 10-year journey, the documentary gives the deepest insight yet into what makes the band tick against the backdrop of Muscle Shoals, a location steeped in the many classic styles of American music that informs the New Orleans – based band’s signature sound. “We went to Muscle Shoals to capture that special kind of real and raw that only a place like that can provide. There’s a certain kind of magic that occurs when you’re amongst the spirit in that room. All the history, all the hurt, all the passion and perseverance that went into making what is now one of the most iconic studios in America was ever-present and always felt,” shares front man David Shaw.
ShitKid
Duo Limbo / Mellan himmel å helvete
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In the spring of 2019 ShitKid – Åsa Söderqvist and Lina Molarin Ericsson – headed over to the US for a couple of shows at the SXSW festival in Austin, TX but ahead of the festival they managed to squeeze in a couple of days in the studio – first in LA with the legendary Melvins and then in Austin with Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers. The new album Duo Limbo / Mellan himmel å helvete collects the recordings from these two sessions, half of which are ShitKid’s first recordings in their native Swedish – with a set of four songs to start with the band set out to record them in both English and Swedish, clocking in at just over 26 minutes.
Sløtface
Sorry For The Late Reply
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Norway’s Sløtface announce their upcoming sophomore album Sorry for the Late Reply. After road-testing new songs in prisons across Norway as part of a nationwide arts initiative, the record is full of blistering punk fizz and earworm hooks, articulated by masterfully melancholic lyricism. Songwriter and vocalist Haley Shea opens up about her experience being American living in Norway with American parents and touches on the personal effects of climate change, fearlessly feeling out her emotions – rage, confusion, vulnerability – on the current state of the world.”
The Sorcerers
In Search of the
Lost City of the Monkey God
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Sorcerers began working on the new album during the winter of 2018 and it was during the writing sessions for this album that the concept for the LP began to take shape. The name for the album was taken from the title of a National Geographic article read by Bassist Neil Innes and was used as the starting point for the entire concept. The library music scene of the 60s and 70s has always been an intrinsic part of the sound of ATA Records and so it made perfect sense to envisage the album as a soundtrack, given the cinematic quality of The Sorcerers’ music. Each track was written with a particular scene in mind and the music was then shaped in the studio to best reflect the essence of that scene. Drums, Bass and Percussion provide the solid foundation onto which Flutes, Bass Clarinets, Xylophones and Vibraphones add the atmospheric and melodic counterpoint, deftly weaving between one another to conjure up images of the unforgiving environment of the dense jungle, unknown eyes watching the protagonists of the imagined film as they make their way towards their ultimate goal, their pursuit by unseen assailants, the arcane mysticism of undiscovered cargo cultists and the ancient ruins of long passed civilisations.”
The Soul Motivators
Do The Damn Thing
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Canada’s premiere deep funk outfit The Soul Motivators are back with their sophomore album Do The Damn Thing. The 9-track album delivers a heavy dose of the band’s signature funk sound, incorporating the soulful sensibilities of lead vocalist Shahi Teruko, who has been performing and touring with the band for the past two years and makes her recorded debut here. “Do the damn thing! is a phrase we used during rehearsals to get us back on track when we started to overcomplicate things. Is it funky? Is it soulful? Then just do the damn thing!” This no-nonsense approach has resulted in a cohesive and focused, straight-up funk record guaranteed to appeal to the most discerning funk fans.”
Subliminal Excess
2020 EP
THE PRESS RELEASE: “One year after the time period in which Blade Runner is supposed to take place, SUB-X writes the aforementioned dystopian follow-up, 2020. With a bite as gnarly as its bark, SUB-X leads the pack out of Chicago into the next decade with members of 86 Gemini, Affront and Duress making up the project. Snarling vocals with breakdowns as punk as they are hardcore straight into breakneck beats that are as hardcore as they are punk. The Venn diagram tightens closer as the two worlds become one, and then eventually none.”
