Jim Lauderdale lends a hand, Black Country, New Road sign in as a guest, El Misti makes a political point, Diane And The Gentle Men do not have high hopes, James Vincent McMorrow heads to his happy place — and I sincerley hope that’s where you’re taking in your Tuesday Roundup from. Unless this is your happy place. Then you’ve got problems I can’t handle.
15 | Jim Lauderdale | The Opportunity to Help Somebody Through It
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Grammy-winning American music icon Jim Lauderdale will release Hope on July 30. The Opportunity To Help Somebody Through It, the first single from the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s 34th album, is out today. The 13-track album features songs about hope, courage, and perseverance with wide-open arrangements reminiscent of ’70s California folk-rock, and is a joyous musical tribute to the spirit of overcoming and healing. “I wanted to get a musical message out there during this time of what we’ve all been going through, about the hope for better days ahead,” Lauderdale says. “If we can find any glimmers of hope, that really helps get you through another day.”
16 | Black Country, New Road | Track X (The Guest)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In February, the London septet Black Country, New Road released For The First Time, which saw them embed themselves as a vital prospect in forward-thinking music. Today, the band share a new version of Track X subtitled (The Guest), the genesis from which the album highlight would later develop — and a track that Isaac Wood first performed solo under the name The Guest, pre-BCNR. Stripped right back to stark lyrics and an acoustic guitar, it’s a tender take on personal experience and a reminder of the creative dynamics within the group, illustrating how sparse beginnings can grow into something ever-expansive and different entirely. Isaac says: “This version is where the lyrics for Track X originally came from. It’s an old story, with some simple guitar playing and has the extra lyrics in the chorus. It’s The Guest version, written about two years ago in this format and we thought it would make for a good accomplice to the album.”
17 | El Misti | Don’t Ya Love Democracy!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Don’t Ya Love Democracy! is the first single from All Is Lost, El Misti’s second album in as many years. Encapsulating frustration and concern for the expanding control in every aspect of life, it’s an anti-imperialist boogie, a song of its time. The verses are acerbic and full of venom for a world gone insane over the course of the past twelve months, but its beautifully disguised in a bluesy romp which allows great enjoyment on whichever level you choose to focus on. Singer-songwriter Paddy Bleakley, gloriously throws up a catchy chorus reminiscent of The Doors and Bob Dylan in full late-’60s anti-war protest mode: “Tongue tied, I will be no longer, Tonight, I will bring your house down, Freeride, You won’t get from me, Because I’m already sick and tired of the way things are.”
18 | Diane And The Gentle Men | The World Is A Goner
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The World Is A Goner is the first single from the newest album by Diane and the Gentle Men. She says “the song came about from looking for alternate ideas for creativity, while dancing around my house by myself in an effort to feel alive and well. We sometimes take for granted that when we are out and about on a daily basis, inspiration is endless. Being forced to stay indoors for a longer period of time allowed me to venture down a rabbit hole of podcasts, YouTube documentaries, old radio programs and television programs of yesteryear. The song emerged when I was feeling content about being locked in and lonely, seeing the world through a window and being grateful I wasn’t sleeping on the street.”
19 | James Vincent McMorrow | Paradise
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “James Vincent McMorrow’s new single Paradise is the latest taste of his new album Grapefruit Season due out on July 16. Produced by James alongside Paul Epworth and Lil Silva, Paradise is about pretending everything is fine when, beneath the surface, it really isn’t. Instant, uplifting yet melancholic, the standout single features a children’s choir (says James) because “it needed to feel naive and sincere. I’d assumed this song wouldn’t connect with a bunch of kids, but when they arrived in the studio they had learned every single line and couldn’t stop singing it. It reminded me why we make music: it’s not a selfish endeavour, it’s for everyone.”
20 | Lip Talk | More
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lip Talk — the solo moniker of Sarah K. Pedinotti, an experimental pop producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter in Brooklyn — just shared the single and video More. The psychedelic song is about a deep restlessness that accompanies the craving for more excitement, more experiences, more things — and the impact these longings have on our experience of the present moment. Says Pedinotti: “It’s about trying to hold on to things, while the world rapidly and relentlessly changes. It’s about life under consumer capitalism.”
21 | Mutant Forest | Bound
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mutant Forest are the creative vehicle for Brooklyn artists Blue and Andrew Maeve. Together they draw from a wide palette of creative interests and impulses which are cleverly incorporated into their release Bound. “Bound fantasizes an ideal attraction (to) someone that strikes that perfect balance of allure and intrigue,” Andrew recalls. “I’m always searching for sounds that trigger a deep emotional resonance. At some point this broody bouncing bassline and beat came together and I could feel my whole-body tingling. I take that as a signal from my subconscious that this sound captures something I’ve experienced that only music can articulate.”
22 | Album | New And Annoying
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Album are an experimental jazz/glitch/broken beat electronic duo from Quebec featuring Olivier Fairfield of FET.NAT and Simon Provencher of Victime. They are very active in the Quebec art scene and make a really interesting melange of sounds that’s kind of hard to classify but definitely in the vein of Spirit Of The Beehive, Four Tet, Squarepusher and Sam Gendel. They have produced a pretty incredible video with artist Katerine Dennie-Marcoux that is out today. Fans of acts such as Seefeel and Squarepusher may also find something to enjoy in Album”s blurring of ambient waves, instrumental shredding and clicky electronica.”
23 | Pablo Bolivar | Dusk Light (ft. Ben Preisinger)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Minimal techno producer Pablo Bolivar is revealing the laid-back video for his single Dusk Light — taken from his upcoming LP Framework Of A Dream, to be released June 4. Born and based in Cantabria, Spain, Bolivar enjoys touring the globe, sharing his music with the world and exploring new cultures in the process. For his own unique sound, he calls upon other underground names such as Moritz Von Oswald, Heiko Laux, Move D and Sensual Physics. His own sound strikes a unique balance, calling to mind the likes of Kiasmos, Steve Reich and Richie Hawtin.”
24 | Late Aster | Dichotomy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “San Francisco Bay Area / Brooklyn quartet Late Aster have released Dichotomy, the latest single off their upcoming debut EP True and Toxic, due out Friday. “Dichotomy was an experiment in juxtaposition — inspired by a lecture on sea-level rise from climate change, the idea was to create two sections that repeat but feel almost nothing alike, much like landscapes that will be simultaneously the same but unrecognizable over the course the coming centuries,” stated Aaron Messing. “The song features open and prepared piano sounds produced by our home recording studio’s moss-green Steinway upright from 1904, creating the prominent opposition: beauty and roundness versus dampened and percussive.”
https://youtu.be/3aaL8oQ1J7Q
25 | Dax J | Universal Future Sound
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dax J provides a glimpse into his forthcoming album titled Utopian Surrealism. The release observes our transition into a new dystopian era, while it serves to reflect the strain in distinguishing truth and reality from the ever-growing radicalised networks of global manipulation. Written in lockdown and inspired by Yuval Noah Harari’s book Sapiens. Dax J’s third studio album is to be released late this summer.”
26 | Schismopathic | Vote For Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As cult Polish grindcore act Schismopathic prepare to release The Human Legacy — the band’s first album since its inception in 1988 — they premiere the video for Vote For Me. They say: “Generally, the lyrics are about the naivety of people and unfulfilled promises of politicians. The text was inspired by observations of the election processes in Poland and the rest of the world and irritation of the stupidity of societies that behave like a crowd of fools. People believe in election promises of the candidates, which are often unrealistic. In fact, most politicians can promise anything, just to be elected and have a career. After the elections, politicians mostly argue among themselves, and that focuses the attention of stupid society.”
27 | Vincent Crowley | My Eternal Vow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As we draw closer to the June release of Vincent Crowley’s new album of shadows and nightmares Beyond Acheron, the time has come for the unveiling of a second video. Following on from the bloodshed of La Muerte, My Eternal Vow is another haunting story of horror, spun across a backdrop of blackened doom with searing guitar solos and pounding rhythms. Drawing on the music of Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost and Black Sabbath and the writings of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, Crowley has created a dark metal classic.”
28 | Terra Odium | Crawling
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Progressive metallers Terra Odium — featuring Testament bassist Steve Di Giorgio — will release their debut album Ne Plus Ultra on June 11. The band just unleashed Crawling, the second single from the album.”
