The days are getting longer — and so is your playlist, assuming you enjoy Stephen Fearing, Neal Francis, Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes and/or Nico (along with a few names that aren’t quite as familiar). Savour that extra hour of evening sunlight with the help of these releases:
Stephen Fearing
The Empathist
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In early 2022,” says Juno-winning roots troubadour Stephen Fearing, “as the pandemic’s lockdown grip was loosening, I got a phone call from Ken Coomer, who’d heard my version of Gordon Lightfoot’s Early Morning Rain and asked if I wanted to record with him. Not recognizing the name, I dug in and discovered that Coomer was in Uncle Tupelo and a founding member of Wilco, playing on their first four albums, and now is a producer/drummer who’s worked with everybody from Al Green to Steve Earle to Sheryl Crow to Emmylou Harris, and many more.” Which is how Fearing came to record The Empathist at Coomer’s studio, Cartoon Moon Recording in Nashville, alongside producer Coomer, doubling on drums; his Blackie And The Rodeo Kings bandmate John Dymond on bass; and masterful multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke on almost everything else. They also wrangled accomplished guest performers Colin Linden, Sue Foley, Dala and Kelly Prescott. Inspired by such creative colleagues, Fearing recorded stellar versions of songs written at the peak of his storytelling skills. “Being called a storyteller is one of the best compliments I’ve ever received,” he says. “I love telling stories, but it wasn’t until I realized that my story is just a small part of ‘The Story’ that I found my true voice as a songwriter. Writing songs means opening to the emotions and experiences of others, as well as my own. That’s what inspired the album title — these songs are my stories, written through the lens of all the truths I’ve seen and felt around me.”
Neal Francis
Return To Zero
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The latest album from Neal Francis, Return To Zero, emerged from the kind of visionary fever dream that only the most masterful and inventive artists are capable of bringing to life. Amid a grueling tour schedule that found him playing nearly 400 shows from 2021 to 2024, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and pianist immersed himself in creating a beautifully strange entangling of timeless rock ’n’ roll and ’70s-era dance music, merging supremely heavy guitar riffs with lush and pulsating grooves — all constructed sans digital programming, in keeping with his devotion to all things analog. Worlds away from the glitzy fantasia of archetypal disco, Return To Zero inhabits a far moodier atmosphere and ultimately makes for the most thrilling manifestation of Francis’ peerless musicality yet. Equal parts heady and hedonistic, pensive and euphoric, Francis’ third studio LP echoes both his deep-rooted psych-rock sensibilities and a lifelong affinity for classic funk. “I’ve always been intrigued by music that toes the line between funk and rock,” notes Francis. “In the past I’ve asked myself things like, ‘What would it sound like if Thin Lizzy cut a disco record?’ It’s something I’ve been fascinated with for a very long time, so I finally decided to really go for it.”
Nico
Chelsea Town Hall
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This is a 1985 live show from The Velvet Underground’s cult icon. Nico’s doom-laden contralto voice, the bizarre choice of a harmonium for accompaniment, and the sheer eeriness and other-worldliness of her repertoire mark Nico as one of the most extraordinarily original performers of the rock era. These recordings were subsequently issued as a tribute to her unique talent. The Velvet Underground themselves were criminally neglected while they were still a working band. Nico‘s solo career also suffered from being too dark to turn her into a mainstream success. It didn’t help that the odds were also stacked against her. She was a female artist at a time when rock was mostly male dominated, and a German during an era when few non-British or American acts were given the scope to make their mark on the world stage.”
Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes
Live At The Greek Expanded
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of rock music’s most legendary live collaborations, newly announced Rock And Roll Hall of Fame nominees The Black Crowes and global rock icon Jimmy Page re-release oftheir iconic live album Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes: Live At The Greek. Recorded during unforgettable nights of rock ’n’ roll in October 1999 at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre and Jones Beach in August 1999, this album features powerful renditions of Led Zeppelin classics and The Black Crowes’ staple blues-rock jams. The 36-track anniversary album was produced, mixed, and remastered by Kevin Shirley and includes 16 previously unreleased tracks, exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, video, and much more. Said Page: “The new mixes capture the collaboration of those historic encounters and provide the full explosive passion and exciting energy of those alchemical moments.” Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson adds, “The new Live at the Greek box set brings the whole experience of our work with Jimmy into a vibrant, electric, mystical and powerful perspective. Hail, hail rock ‘n roll!”
Red Fang
Deep Cuts
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrating 20 years as a formidable force in Heavy Rock, Red Fang return with Deep Cuts. The collection highlights the band’s trajectory throughout the last two decades and features non album tracks, singles, B-Sides, rarities, and more. Tracks include Antidote, which appears on vinyl for the first time after being previously featured in Red Fang’s mobile game Red Fang: Headbang!, and a demo of the band’s legendary track Wires, which is being made available for the very first time. Deep Cuts features other rare material, including cover songs from Wipers, No Talent, Dust and Tubeway Army.”
The States
Gimme Joy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The States fuse ’60s rock ’n’ roll and glam rock, laced with hints of doo-wop and country, to breathe an electrifying new sound into Melbourne music with bolts of T.Rex and Suzi Quatro.
After releasing their single Carol earlier last year they’ve been turning heads with the anticipation of their upcoming album Gimme Jo’. Without a lick of pastiche, The States are exactly what you need. The States are Scarlett Maloney (Tuffy, Delivery) on lead vocals and guitar, Joe Imfeld (The Prize) on lead guitar, Paddy Leahy on bass and Georgie Harkin on drums and backing vocals.”
Throwing Muses
Moonlight Concessions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Moonlight Concessions goes back to basics, a return for Throwing Muses to their esoteric off-kilter best courtesy of Kristin Hersh’s pin-sharp sketches and their suitably abrasive musical arrangements. The album follows their acclaimed Sun Racket from 2020, a heady set filled with tough and tender tales spiked with surreal imagery. Produced by Hersh at Steve Rizzo’s Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Moonlight Concessions is a collection of snippets from everyday life writ large — think Raymond Carver’s Short Cuts, overheard conversations, recounted happenings and telling one-liners, all sewed together to illustrate the times as they slowly mature, fully peppered with original Muses’ vim and vigour. Written in the differing South Coast environs of The Gulf Of Mexico and Southern California, Moonlight Concessions pulls from the star clusters that light both, generating optimism and hope in varying degrees. Hersh explains, “In New Orleans the stars look greenish-blue, as it’s below sea level and swamp-lit. But on Moonlight Beach, they glow icy white. All these songs were written in these two glowy places, which helped our sonic technique find itself.”
ZZ Ward
Liberation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One of the most profound lessons ZZ Ward learned from growing up listening to the blues greats was to be authentic to your story. When the L.A. singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began to write new music, she found herself in the midst of one of the biggest life changes a person will ever experience: motherhood. The resulting music is her truest and most blues-infused to date. ZZ’s new album Liberation speaks to both an authenticity of living and a sense of intrepid creativity. This is ZZ’s Sun Records debut, and it commemorates an exciting era for her as she returns to her blues roots on a label that is the vanguard of Americana. “I didn’t plan to make a blues album about motherhood, it just sort of happened naturally,” ZZ shares. “I’ve always written to get through things in life. Suddenly, I was faced with a new job that’s 24/7 with no breaks, and that’s what I wrote about. But when you get tested, you discover who you are, and this album comes from a feeling of empowerment.”
