Canadian icons. Minneapolis veterans. British pop-rockers. New York legends. Australian weirdos. Irish popsters. Danish garage-rockers. Texas troubadours. And there’s plenty more where they came from on this musical travelogue. Fasten your seatbelt, put your chair and table in the upright position, sit back and enjoy the second leg of our flight:
Pale Waves
Smitten
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed Manchester pop-rock outfit Pale Waves burst on to the scene in 2018 with the runaway success of their debut album My Mind Makes Noises. Two top five albums later, the band are back with a newfound maturity to accompany their fourth studio album Smitten. While Pale Waves’ first three albums focussed on the band’s immediate present, Smitten is a lot more preoccupied with past lives — some more recent than others. Written two years after Unwanted, and after the tour that followed, Heather Baron-Gracie found herself in a headspace where she could finally breathe, and reflect, like peeling through the pages of a long-forgotten teenage diary and being surprised by what she found. “I found myself writing about not just a certain time period, but my whole life, from years ago,” she says. “When I fall in love, I fall deep, and it’s interesting to me that you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone and then they can become a total stranger. So I feel like Smitten really summarised perfectly what I felt for others at a certain point.”
Lou Reed
Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65, the latest installment in the critically acclaimed Lou Reed Archive Series, is a compilation of pop songs penned by Reed during his mid-’60s stint as a staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records. The compilation follows on the heels of Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations (2023) and Words & Music, May 1965 (2022). Before establishing himself as an enduringly iconic singer, songwriter, musician, and poet, Reed got his start as an in-house songwriter (and occasional session guitarist/vocalist) for Pickwick — a label specializing in soundalike recordings that emulated the major pop hits of the day. Encompassing everything from garage-rock and girl-group pop to blue-eyed soul and teen-idol balladry, Reed’s output for Pickwick ultimately offers a fascinating early glimpse at his ever-evolving and truly limitless artistry.”
Sophie
Sophie
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sophie, the self-titled second album from the visionary artist, producer and pop pioneer, was created by Sophie and some of her most cherished collaborators. Close to completion when she tragically died, it has been lovingly finalised by those who hold her closest. As Sophie’s studio manager and most trusted sounding board for over a decade, Benny Long was heavily involved in the release of Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-insides, with mastering, production and mixing credits to his name. The two then worked together over several years developing the concept and production of this followup album, which Benny has lovingly completed, honouring Sophie’s vision. “When we, Sophie’s family, took our first steps towards bringing this project to fruition we contacted the dear friends with whom she envisioned the album. We wrote, ‘We have been finding comfort in the music Sophie left us, it is a gift that we truly cherish as we try to find a way forward, with Sophie forever at the centre of our worlds.’ ” Sophie didn’t often speak publicly of her private life, preferring to put everything she wanted to articulate in her music. It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most.”
Soul Asylum
Slowly But Shirley
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Known for their dynamic blend of punk energy and heartfelt melodies, Soul Asylum’s new album Slowly But Shirley promises to deliver a rich array of musical styles, from raucous rockers with guitar-fueled firepower to delicate heartfelt tunes. Collaborating once again with producer Steve Jordan (The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Robert Cray, Keith Richards), who worked on their 1990 album And The Horse They Rode In On, Soul Asylum recorded live at the Terrarium in Minneapolis, capturing an authentic and vibrant sound. The album’s title and cover pay homage to Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney, a pioneering drag racer who inspired Pirner during his youth. “When I was a kid, I loved drag racing,” he says. “And she was the first woman of drag race. It meant a lot to me that she was willing to stand up against all these men in racing. My manager called her up, and she gave us her blessing, which means a whole lot to me because she was a childhood hero.”
Alan Sparhawk
White Roses, My God
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alan Sparhawk has always been a prolific, protean musician. A restless soul eager to explore unfamiliar sonic and psychic terrain. Though he’s obviously (and justifiably) best-known for his 30 years as frontman of the legendary band Low, a look at Sparhawk’s many side projects across that same span of time shows him experimenting with everything from punk and funk to production work and improvisation. Low itself never settled for a set sound or approach. The band was always a collaboration — a conversation, a romance — between Sparhawk and his wife, Mimi Parker, who was the band’s co-founder, drummer, co-lead vocalist, and its blazing irreplaceable heart. To take the journey from Low’s hushed early work, through the tremendous melodies of their middle period, all the way to the late lush chaos of their final albums, is to witness heads, hearts, and spirits in an act of perpetual becoming. Parker passed away in 2022 after a long battle with cancer, and there is no question that White Roses, My God is a record borne of grief. You can hear it in the title, as well as tracks such as Heaven, in which Sparhawk describes the afterlife, wrenchingly, as “a lonely place if you’re alone.” You can sense it too in Sparhawk’s decision to create this thing entirely on his own: Every note, every lyric, every programmed beat. It would be reductive, even foolish, to see grief as the sole source or the final limit of this taut, brilliant, provocative, thrilling album, whose bold experimentation is powered by profound lyrics and propulsive beats.”
Billy Strings
Highway Prayers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Highway Prayers, the new studio album from Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings, was produced by Strings and Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Mac Miller, Aimee Mann). The album includes 20 original songs including the first single, Leadfoot, which is out now. Written by Strings, the song features Strings on vocals, banjo, bass, steel guitar, EBow electric guitar and 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle — along with Matt Chamberlain on drums. Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, the album features Strings and his longtime band — Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle) — as well as additional contributions from Brion (bass, drums, percussion), Chamberlain (drums), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (backing vocals), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Taneka Samone (backing vocals), Cory Henry (piano), Peter “Madcat” Ruth (harmonica, jaw harp) and Victor Furtado (clawhammer banjo).”
Sunflower Bean
Shake
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Shake is the first full self-produced and self-recorded project by New York trio Sunflower Bean — vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming, guitarist and vocalist Nick Kivlen and drummer Olive Faber. Shake features some of Sunflower Bean’s heaviest, most immediate, and loudest music to date. Influenced by the doom-laden, heavy metal sound of Black Sabbath the EP is an embrace of rock tropes and excess, and recalls the sonic of the band’s earliest work, Show Me Your Seven Secrets and Human Ceremony. “Shake was inspired by our first years as a DIY band, the spirit that birthed us and gave us the chance to have this enduring journey together,” Sunflower Bean explain. “We wrote, recorded, engineered, and produced these songs so nothing was filtered through anyone else’s idea of us. We always felt like rock and roll was a feeling, not a sound. But sometimes there is no subverting it or explaining it. We’re now offering it exactly as it occurred to us.”
The Telescopes
Halo Moon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Telescopes are an all-embracing concern that began in 1987, the only constant being sole composer/instigator, Northumbrian born Stephen Lawrie. The band’s lineup is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between 1 and 20 members on a recording. The Telescopes’ music has constantly pushed at its own boundaries, it overlaps many genres following its own course, inspiration led. Time has shown The Telescopes’ music not only withstands repeated listening but also reveals something new with each listen, a thread consistent throughout a highly influential body of work spanning over 30 years. The Telescopes have been cited as an influence on many artists across genres, around the world. Halo Moon is The Telescopes 17th album. It came from the sky. A herald of new beginnings. A tranquil glow in the boundless universe. This is a message from the cosmos. Welcome in a heightened sense of connection to the unseen and awaken to the parallel consciousness of The Telescopes.”
Thin Lizzy
1976 Box Set
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Thin Lizzy’s 1976 box set celebrating a phenomenal year in the life of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. The set contains the new stereo mixes and the original versions of the studio albums that the band released in 1976; Jailbreak, featuring the classic title track and the career-defining tune The Boys Are Back In Town and Johnny The Fox, featuring hit Don’t Believe A Word. The other discs contain unreleased versions from the band’s vault, radio sessions, demos and an unreleased Cleveland show recorded May 11, 1976. The Blu-Ray contains an Atmos mix of both albums as well as the new stereo mixes and remastered versions of the original albums. The new mixes have been undertaken by Richard Whittaker, overseen by legendary Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham and mastered by Andy Pearce.”
Hayden Thorpe
Ness
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Using a process of redaction, Hayden Thorpe brings songs to life from the pages of best-selling author Robert Macfarlane’s book of the same name. Ness is inspired by Suffolk’s Orford Ness, the former U.K. Ministry of Defence weapons development site during both World Wars and the Cold War. Acquired by the National Trust in 1993 and left to re-wild, it to this day remains a place of paradox, mystery and constant evolution. Thorpe’s Ness is an ode to Orford Ness, the physical place and the book it inspired, both featuring the words of Robert Macfarlane and the artwork of Stanley Donwood. Thorpe first encountered Macfarlane’s work via a copy of his 2012 book Landmarks, which then led him to Ness. “He writes about non-human forms in a way that captures an essence that, as humans, we can understand,” Thorpe enthuses. After the pair met and then collaborated at the Kendal Mountain Literature Festival, the idea developed that Thorpe make an album from Macfarlane’s prose. His copy of the book is now covered in black ink, covering words, lines and sentences, to “reveal the song underneath.”
Tropical Fuck Storm
Inflatable Graveyard
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm — Gareth Liddiard, Fiona Kitschin, Erica Dunn and Lauren Hammel — cordially welcome you to TFS’s Inflatable Graveyard, their debut live album. It captures their Oct. 22, 2022 show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, at the peak of their Fuck the Rain Away tour. The performance, which spans 11 songs and over an hour of music, contains highlights from their three studio albums (2018’s A Laughing Death in Meatspace, 2019’s Braindrops, and 2021’s Deep States), plus a pair of covers (Ann by The Stooges and Stayin’ Alive by The Bee Gees). Consider Inflatable Graveyard a greatest-hits album in the purest sense: Their eldritch psychedelic ethos trapped on wax, raw and unfiltered.”
Leif Vollebekk
Revelation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The 11 tracks on Leif Vollebekk’s Revelation combine narrative lyrics and many one-take lead vocal performances with cinematic arrangements, gorgeous sonics, well-placed space and lush orchestration. Vollebekk’s Revelation songwriting process was inspired by an exploration that began with Carl Jung and continued into the science of alchemy and the mystery of the divine. The final result is at once organic, earthy and celestial, with themes of nature — water, astral constellations, mortality — woven into a meditation on living in an ever-changing present laced with existential doubt, the search for a higher power. “During the pandemic lockdown, I was drawn to biographies and books about science. I guess I was looking for something to ground me,” said Vollebekk. “When I read Carl Jung’s Dreams, Memories, Reflections, I was taken aback that he wrote so freely of having premonitions in his dreams and by his fascination with alchemy. When I read about Isaac Newton’s life, I discovered that this man of science secretly practiced alchemy in his own laboratory and looked for signs of the apocalypse. The more I read, the more otherworldly all these great scientists were. Dmitri Mendeleev said his breakthrough for the arrangement of the elements came to him in a dream. Is it really that different from Paul McCartney hearing Yesterday in a dream?”
