{"title":"Artists","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrowse our Artists collection. Hot Sale.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"nouns","title":"Nouns","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo Age: the name alone suggests multiple meanings and possible interpretations—timeless, ageless, anonymous, free from restriction, something positive from something negative… a profound strength in its simplicity. Likewise, the Los Angeles duo consisting of drummer\/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall is many things at once even as it embraces its minimalism. No Age issued a slew of singles on a variety of indie labels in 2007, resulting in the tellingly cohesive compendium, \u003ccite\u003eWeirdo Rippers\u003c\/cite\u003e on Fat Cat Records later that year. That widely heralded release inspired such mainstream press as \u003ccite\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/cite\u003e and the \u003ccite\u003eL.A. Times\u003c\/cite\u003e to feature the band’s ties to the underground scene surrounding the Los Angeles all-ages club The Smell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound in LA, Harvey Birrell at Southern Studios in London, and at home by No Age, \u003ccite\u003eNouns\u003c\/cite\u003e, the band’s Sub Pop debut, is succinctly all-encompassing, from the faux-simplicity of the title to the beautiful distortion of its sound, to the packaging that includes a 68-page full-color book packed with photos and art pieces (CD only). The record opens with a symphony of noise (both Dean and Randy use samples alongside their main instruments) and sometimes creeps, sometimes smashes through a sonic headlock befitting \u003ccite\u003eDaydream Nation\u003c\/cite\u003e-era Sonic Youth, Kiwi pop, My Bloody Valentine, and experimental noise. “No Age is a band,” says Dean. “Bands should be fun and exciting and they should push all the buttons at the same time. They should make you feel like you are going to explode and make you utterly confused and inspired at the same time.” And sometimes they do.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align:right;\"\u003eDrowned in Sound review of \u003ccite\u003eNouns\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRolling Stone on the artwork for \u003ccite\u003eNouns\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePitchfork \u003cem\u003eBest New Music\u003c\/em\u003e review of \u003ccite\u003eNouns\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ccite\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/cite\u003e review of No Age live\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Age","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919844827315,"sku":"jqf1788121082943","price":10.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919844860083,"sku":"iyj1788121082944","price":7.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919844892851,"sku":"six1788121082945","price":6.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/nouns_1.jpg?v=1788121087"},{"product_id":"boy-with-a-coin","title":"Boy With a Coin","description":"\u003cp\u003eBoy With a Coin is the single from the Iron and Wine album, \u003ci\u003eThe Shepherd’s Dog\u003c\/i\u003e! Also included here are two tracks that aren't found on the album: “Carried Home” and “Kingdom of the Animals.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iron \u0026 Wine","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919844925619,"sku":"dcl1788121083699","price":7.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919844958387,"sku":"ket1788121083700","price":2.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/boy-with-a-coin_1.jpg?v=1788121089"},{"product_id":"bad-mojo-at-the-border","title":"Bad Mojo at the Border","description":"\u003cp\u003eFormed in Auburn, Alabama and fronted by the charismatic Chetley “Cheetah” Weise, The Quadrajets took punk blues to a raucous level. Sometimes called “Southern trash rockers,” the outfit got their start in 1995 and called it quits in 2001 after their last studio album When The World’s On Fire and live album If The Good Lord’s Willing. Cheetah later went on to fuel his punk blues addiction with his new project The Immortal Lee County Killers – that’s one hell of a name.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Zach Frimmel, courtesy of KEXP\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Quadrajets","offers":[{"title":"7 inch","offer_id":45919854133427,"sku":"hkw1788121130194","price":3.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919854166195,"sku":"zwi1788121130195","price":2.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/bad-mojo-at-the-border_1.gif?v=1788121136"},{"product_id":"constantines","title":"Constantines","description":"\u003cp\u003eRock ‘n’ roll has always been about transcending the banality of your everyday surroundings. The Constantines know this; it comes through in their lyrics, in their ethic, in their performances and particularly on this their debut album. When this record was first released in 2001 it was only available in their native Canada. It went on to be nominated for a Juno Award (Canada’s answer to the Grammys) and very nearly broke the record for the longest charting album in Canadian campus radio history. And it garnered universal praise from the Canadian music press: ‘…Light[s] a fire beneath the post-Fugazi underground’s ass that At the Drive-In promised but didn’t deliver. Hard to imagine Canada producing a better album this year’ Toronto Star. The response was just as glowing from those who managed to track down the record in the States: ‘The antidote for every boring and insincere rock record I’ve heard this year’ Magnet. Following the success of the Constantines’ second album (first for Sub Pop), Shine A Light (“As diverse and intriguing a record as the North American underground has produced for some time” Observer (London);  “Shine A Light is truly thrilling; an inventive and addictive blend of growling riffs, frantic rhythms and deranged vocals, and it’s going to make you fall utterly head over heals for them” Kerrang!), their self-titled debut is available outside of Canada for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Constantines","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919854264499,"sku":"fbs1788121143727","price":7.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919854297267,"sku":"qci1788121143728","price":9.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919854330035,"sku":"njp1788121143729","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/constantines_1.jpg?v=1788121148"},{"product_id":"phase-3-thrones-and-dominions","title":"Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally released Earth Day ’95 (4\/25\/95) on CD, this was reissued on double LP vinyl in 2006 by Sub Pop.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Earth","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":45919854362803,"sku":"mcw1788121144604","price":19.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919854395571,"sku":"koa1788121144605","price":6.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919854428339,"sku":"nid1788121144606","price":6.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/phase-3-thrones-and-dominions_1.jpg?v=1788121151"},{"product_id":"any-human-friend","title":"Any Human Friend","description":"\u003cp id=\"E67\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E68\"\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E69\"\u003eh\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E70\"\u003eand \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E71\"\u003es\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E72\"\u003eolo,” “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E73\"\u003eb\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E74\"\u003elow,” “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E75\"\u003ec\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E76\"\u003eonventional \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E77\"\u003er\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E78\"\u003eide”—these are just a few of the cheeky offerings off \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E79\"\u003eAny Human Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E80\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E81\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E82\"\u003ethe new album from rock provocateur Marika Hackman. “This whole record is me diving into myself and peeling back the skin further and further, exposing myself in quite a big way. It can be quite sexual,” Hackman says. “It’s blunt, but not offensive. It’s mischievous.” There’s also depth to her carnal knowledge: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E83\"\u003eAny Human Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E84\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E88\"\u003eis ultimately about how, as she puts it, “We all have this lightness and darkness in us.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E91\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E92\"\u003eHackman lifted the album’s title from a documentary about \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E93\"\u003efour-year-olds\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E94\"\u003e interacting with dementia patients in senior homes. At one point, two little girls confer about their experience there, with one musing on how it’s great to make “any human friend,” whether old or young. “When she said that it really touched a nerve in me,” says the London-based musician. “It’s that childlike view where we really accept people, are comfortable with their differences.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E97\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E98\"\u003eSuch introspection has earned Hackman her name. Her folkie 2015 debut, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E99\"\u003eWe Slept at Last\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E100\"\u003e, was heralded for being nuanced and atmospheric. She really found her footing with her last release, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E101\"\u003eI’m Not Your Man\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E102\"\u003e—which earned raves from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E103\"\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E104\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E105\"\u003eStereogum\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E106\"\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E107\"\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E108\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E109\"\u003eand its sybaritic, swaggering hit “Boyfriend,” which boasts of seducing away a straight guy’s girlfriend.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E110\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E111\"\u003e“Her tactile lyrics keep the songs melodically strong and full of surprises,” remarked \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E112\"\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E113\"\u003e. We’ll say!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E116\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E117\"\u003e“I’m a hopeless romantic,” she explains. “I search for love and sexual experience, but also I’m terrified by it.” Hackman is a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E118\"\u003eRid of Me\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E119\"\u003e-era\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E120\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E121\"\u003ePJ Harvey for the inclusive generation: unbounded by musical genre, a preternatural lyricist and tune-smith who isn’t afraid to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E122\"\u003ego there\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E123\"\u003e. (Even her cover art,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E124\"\u003e which finds Hackman nearly nude while cradling a baby pig, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E125\"\u003eis a nod to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E126\"\u003eDutch photographer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E127\"\u003eRineke Dijkstra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E128\"\u003e’s unfiltered photos of mothers just after they gave birth.) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E129\"\u003eTo that end, “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E130\"\u003eh\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E131\"\u003eand \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E132\"\u003esolo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E133\"\u003e” extols the virtues of masturbation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E134\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E135\"\u003e features Hackman’s favorite line, “Under patriarchal law, I’m going to die a virgin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E136\"\u003e.” The song\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E137\"\u003e “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E138\"\u003eb\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E139\"\u003elow” paints a picture of social excess. And “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E140\"\u003ec\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E141\"\u003eonventional \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E142\"\u003er\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E143\"\u003eide” thumbs its nose at heterosexual sex through “the trope a lot of gay women experience: sleeping with someone, then it becomes apparent you’re kind of an experiment.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E144\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E145\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E146\"\u003eWith \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E147\"\u003eAny Human Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E148\"\u003e, boundaries are no longer an issue for her. “I sent ‘\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E149\"\u003ea\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E150\"\u003ell \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E151\"\u003en\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E152\"\u003eight’ to my parents and they were quite shocked,” she says of the paean to the flesh, dressed as a sweetly harmonic track. “Why does it sound shocking coming out of my mouth? Women have sex with each other, and it seems to me we aren’t as freely allowed to discuss that as men are. But at no point am I disrespecting the women I’m having sex with. It can be fucking sexy without banging people over the head with a frying pan. It’s sexy sex.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E155\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E156\"\u003eSharing intimacies with her parents \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E157\"\u003esorta makes sense when you consider she wrote “the one”—a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E158\"\u003eportrait of the artist amid identity crisis—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E159\"\u003eand several other songs in her bedroom at their house, where she crashed after a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E160\"\u003epainful break-up with a longtime girlfriend. “‘\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E161\"\u003es\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E162\"\u003eend \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E163\"\u003emy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E164\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E165\"\u003el\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E166\"\u003eove’ is a proper breakup song,” she says of the levitating, string-laden track. “I actually wrote that in a moment of grief. It’s a strange take on it because I’m imagining myself as my ex-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\"\u003egirlfriend.” She penned its companion track, “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E167\"\u003eI\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E168\"\u003e’m \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E169\"\u003en\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E170\"\u003eot \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E171\"\u003ew\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E172\"\u003ehere \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E173\"\u003ey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E174\"\u003eou \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E175\"\u003ea\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E176\"\u003ere,” a melodic ear-worm about emotional detachment from relationships, roughly six months later.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E180\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E181\"\u003e“I think because my life was flipped upside down, it was taking me longer to write,” she says. “This was definitely the hardest process I’ve gone through to make a record.” She wrote the album over a year, recording a few songs at a time with co-producer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx). “I stopped being able to sleep properly,” she says. “I was waking up in the middle of the night to write songs.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E184\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E185\"\u003eBut \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E186\"\u003ethe longer recording process\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E187\"\u003e also meant that Hackman had the time to experiment in the studio\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E188\"\u003e, especially with electronic songs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E189\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E190\"\u003e She was inspired by Wrench’s vast synth collection, many of which she used\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E191\"\u003e throughout \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E192\"\u003eAny Human Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E193\"\u003e (“the synths give the album a nice shine”), notably on “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E194\"\u003eh\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E195\"\u003eold \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E196\"\u003eo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E197\"\u003en,” a deep dive into ennui expressed as ethereal R\u0026amp;B.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E198\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E199\"\u003eShe also switched up drum rhythms and wrote songs on the bass, such as the upbeat, idiosyncratic “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E200\"\u003ec\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E201\"\u003eome \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E202\"\u003eu\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E203\"\u003endone” (working name: “Funky Little Thang”).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E207\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E208\"\u003eHackman bookends \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E209\"\u003eAny Human Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E210\"\u003e with some of her most unexpected musical turns. The first song she wrote, “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E211\"\u003et\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E212\"\u003ehe \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E213\"\u003eo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E214\"\u003ene” (technically its second track), is “probably the poppiest song I’ve ever written\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E215\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E216\"\u003e” she says. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E217\"\u003e“It’s about \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E218\"\u003ethat weird feeling of starting the process again from scratch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E219\"\u003e.” To that end, it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E220\"\u003efeatures a riot grrrl Greek chorus hurling such insults at her as, “You’re such an attention whore!” The title track closes out the album and explores how, “when we’re interacting with people, it’s like holding a mirror up to yourself.” It’s a weightless coda that’s jazz-like in its layering of rhythmic sounds as if you’re leisurely sorting through Hackman’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E221\"\u003eheadspace\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E222\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"E225\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"qowt-font2-Arial\" id=\"E226\"\u003e“The drive to do all this is all just about trying to work out what the fuck is in my brain,” she says, laughing. The dragon she’s chasing is a rarefied peace that materializes after properly tortured herself. “I really did have a good time working on this album,” she says, reassuringly. “It’s just emotionally draining to write music and constantly tap into your psyche. No musician is writing music for themselves to listen to. It’s a dialogue, a conversation, a connection. I’m creating something for people to react to.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Marika Hackman","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919857442995,"sku":"qcb1788121177125","price":5.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919857475763,"sku":"jtg1788121177126","price":12.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919857508531,"sku":"otw1788121177127","price":8.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919857541299,"sku":"pee1788121177128","price":6.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/any-human-friend_1.jpg?v=1788121183"},{"product_id":"incineration-ceremony","title":"Incineration Ceremony","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIncineration Ceremony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e is the new work by Thomas Andrew Doyle (\u003c\/span\u003eTAD\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Hog Molly) and is a return to roots of sorts. Spending his formative years in music playing in Jazz clubs while attending school studying classical and jazz music at Boise State University, Doyle comes forth with a symphonic take on what is going on in his head. Spawned from the dark and dreary recesses of Doyle’s psyche comes an immense sound of textures, rhythms and material suitable for film and stand-alone listening, disquieting all who are within an earshot. People who are familiar with his music should expect the unexpected. Doyle’s entry into the world of symphonic composition is no novice beginner’s attempt. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIncineration Ceremony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e is a musical journeyman’s expression that is genuine, heartfelt, honest, uncompromising and authoritative.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Thomas Andrew Doyle","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919857770675,"sku":"tqm1788121201233","price":10.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/incineration-ceremony_1.png?v=1788121208"},{"product_id":"wink","title":"WINK","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince breaking out in 2018, CHAI have been associated with explosive joy. At their live shows, the Japanese four-piece of identical twins MANA (lead vocals and keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist-lyricist YUUKI have become known for buoyant displays of eclectic and clever songwriting, impressive musicianship, matching outfits, delightful choreography, and sheer relief. At the core of their music, CHAI have upheld a stated mission to deconstruct the standards of beauty and cuteness that can be so oppressive in Japan. Following the release of 2019’s second album PUNK, CHAI’s adventures took them around the world, to music festivals like Primavera Sound and Pitchfork Music Festival, and touring with indie-rock mainstays like Whitney and Mac DeMarco.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike all musicians, CHAI spent 2020 forced to rethink the fabric of their work and lives. But CHAI took this as an opportunity to shake up their process and bring their music somewhere thrillingly new. Having previously used their maximalist recordings to capture the exuberance of their live shows, with the audiences’ reactions in mind, CHAI instead focused on crafting the slightly-subtler and more introspective kinds of songs they enjoy listening to at home—where, for the first time, they recorded all of the music. Amidst the global shutdown, CHAI worked on Garageband and traded their song ideas—which they had more time than ever to consider—over Zoom and phone calls, turning their limitations into a strength.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir third full-length and first for Sub Pop, WINK contains CHAI’s mellowest and most minimal music, and also their most affecting and exciting songwriting by far. While the band leaned into a more personal sound, WINK is also the first CHAI album to feature contributions from outside producers (Mndsgn, YMCK) as well as a feature from the Chicago rapper-singer Ric Wilson. CHAI draw R\u0026amp;B and hip-hop into their mix (Mac Miller, the Internet, and Brockhampton were on their minds) of dance-punk and pop-rock, all while remaining undeniably CHAI. Whether in relation to this newfound sense of openness or their at-home ways of composing, the theme of WINK is to challenge yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWINK is a fitting title then: a subtle but bold gesture. A wink is an unselfconscious act of conviction, or as CHAI puts it: “A person who winks is a person with a pure heart, who lives with flexibility, who does what they want. A person who winks is a person who is free.” YUUKI noted that “With this album, we’re winking at you. We’re living freely and we hope that when you listen, you can wink and live freely, too.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lead single “ACTION” was a response to watching the Black Lives Matter protests unfold across America and the world in June of 2020 while the band was in Japan. “Seeing how the world came together during the protests really moved me,” said YUUKI. “I wanted to dedicate that song to the year of action.” In a sense, the flipside is “PING PONG!”: a laserbeam ode to a social activity that CHAI love but cannot currently partake in. In Japan, CHAI would often play ping pong after visits to the public hot springs, called onsen. “PING PONG!” also features YMCK, who brought a gaming feel to the production, which CHAI wanted to match.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Nobody Knows We Are Fun,” meanwhile, was inspired by an at-home activity: YUUKI was watching 2019’s Booksmart when she had the idea for the song. (The movie’s whip smart protagonists decide to attend a party before high school graduation after realizing, “Nobody knows we’re fun!”) “I thought, ‘We, CHAI, can really relate to that scene,” YUUKI said of the song, which the band describe as “a mix of screaming our annoyances—why don’t you guys notice us!—while trying to be cute and sexy.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCHAI’s past albums have been filled with playful references, in the lyrics, to food, and WINK’s intimate single “Maybe Chocolate Chips” offers an evolution of this motif. YUUKI wanted to write a self-love song about her moles: “Maybe if people would look at their moles as chocolate chips they would see them positively,” she says. “Maybe Chocolate Chips” features the Chicago rapper Ric Wilson, who they initially connected with at the 2019 Pitchfork Music Festival, and who brought additional layers of depth. CHAI’s adventures on tour—and love of food—also seeped into the single “Donuts Mind if I Do,” inspired by a bit of serendipity in a hotel lobby where free donuts were on offer with the sign “Donuts Mind If I Do.” “Free donuts, how cute. You never see this in Japan,” YUUKI thought, looking at the sign. “But what does it mean?” CHAI’s tour manager explained that it was a play on “don’t mind if I do,” which only stoked YUUKI’s curiosity further: What does that mean? “I looked it up and realize, you really don’t hold yourself back with ‘don’t mind if I do,’” YUUKI said. “CHAI has always been about living freely and doing as you please,” and that spirit of abundance informed this sticky-sweet song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTowards the end of WINK, CHAI’s move towards mellowness shines with two of the sparest and most stunning songs the band has ever recorded. YUUKI wrote the penultimate “Wish Upon a Star” as a lullaby of sorts: What kind of song would I want to listen to before I go to sleep at night? she wondered. (KANA had been experiencing sleep difficulties at the time.) She set out to craft a bedtime ballad that promotes comfort, warmth, and relaxation. Meanwhile, the glowing closer, “Salty,” penned by MANA, is a beautiful exploration of nostalgia and memory: a song about “holding onto a memory and putting it into taste” and what taste can do psychologically. “You bite into a rice ball and you taste the salt and immediately you think of that memory,” MANA says, noting that she was inspired by her kitchen, where she wrote and recorded it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith these two songs especially, and WINK as a whole, CHAI came to see the album—with its home-y feel—as a collection where each song is like a new friend, something comforting to rely on and reach out to, as the album was for them throughout 2020. “When you can’t sleep at night, you can go to ‘Wish Upon a Star,’” the band says. “When you need to go down memory lane, you can go to ‘Salty.’”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis impulse towards connection is in WINK’s title, too. After the “i” of PINK and the “u” of PUNK—which represented the band’s act of introducing themselves, and then of centering their audiences—they have come full circle with the “we” of WINK. It signals CHAI’s relationship with the outside world, an embrace of profound togetherness. Through music, as CHAI said, “we are all coming together.” In that act of opening themselves up, CHAI grew into their best work: “This album showed us, we’re ready to do more.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CHAI","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919857868979,"sku":"amc1788121215122","price":16.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919857901747,"sku":"ajr1788121215123","price":7.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919857934515,"sku":"wmk1788121215124","price":6.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919857967283,"sku":"eew1788121215125","price":6.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/wink_1.jpg?v=1788121219"},{"product_id":"keep-your-head-up-feat-pell","title":"Keep Your Head Up Feat. Pell","description":"\u003cp\u003ePreservation Hall Jazz Band’s “Keep Your Head Up,” is a spirited tune and a standout from their acclaimed A Tuba To Cuba documentary and soundtrack. The song was released in the spring of last year, with Cuban singer Eme Alfonso on the album version and in the official video. Later that summer, an update with rapper Pell was released for Penguin’s Original Tracks series and was performed on the streets of the artists’ hometown of New Orleans.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLast month as a Stay At Home order was declared in Louisiana, Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Ben Jaffe began performing ‘Keep Your Head Up” every evening from his New Orleans home (and filming it on Instagram Live) encouraging his fellow citizens to participate by opening windows, hanging on their porches, in their backyards, and decks to make musical sounds and rhythms with pots, pans, instruments, and their voices. A daily, uplifting, 5-minute break from everything, bringing people together by connecting families with their neighbors, community through sound, and through music. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJaffe says of Pell’s contribution to “Keep Your Head Up,” “We couldn’t be more grateful to have a dear friend as talented and kind as Pell lend his spirit and voice to our song.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePell offers this, \"This song is more important than ever in reminding us to enjoy every day, despite how much uncertainty and adversity this global tragedy has brought upon us. Stay safe, inside, and keep your head up high. Love.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLate last week, the Preservation Hall Foundation launched the Legacy Emergency Relief Fund. The fund provides grants to the Hall’s Musical Collective to help with vital living expenses resulting from loss of work due to the Coronavirus.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJaffe, who is also Preservation Hall Foundation’s creative director, had this to say, “The doors at Preservation Hall are closed for the foreseeable future and our 60-member Musical Collective is facing great uncertainty. We’re focusing all of our attention towards caring for our musicians in helping them weather the crisis.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Musical Collective performs over 1,500 concerts at Preservation Hall, serves over 30,000 students through numerous education and community engagement activities and performs globally at major music festivals, theatres and performing arts centers throughout the year. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNone of what Preservation Hall does is possible without its Musical Collective and community. To learn more or to donate, please visit the Preservation Hall Foundation website: https:\/\/www.preshallfoundation.org\/legacy-program-emergency-fund. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Preservation Hall Jazz Band","offers":[{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919858000051,"sku":"bay1788121216107","price":0.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/keep-your-head-up-feat-pell_1.jpg?v=1788121220"},{"product_id":"worlds-most-stressed-out-gardener","title":"World's Most Stressed Out Gardener","description":"\u003cp\u003e2020 was a terrible year for gardening. It was terrible for peppers, it was terrible for tomatoes, it was terrible for the condition of the soul. But Chad VanGaalen somehow raised a garden all the same: carrots and sprouts and broccoli and a revivifying new album, all of them grown at home. He likes to eat directly off the plant, he says—\"I get down on my knees and graze. It's nice to feel the vegetables in your face\"—and the 13 songs on World's Most Stressed Out Gardener were harvested with just such a spirit: in their raw state, young and vegetal, at the very moment, they were made. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat that means is that the Calgary songwriter's new album is a psychedelic bumper crop. A collection of tunes that does away with obsessiveness, the anxiety of perfectionism, in favor of freshness and immediacy — capturing the world as it was met while recording alone at home over a period of years. \"Don't overthink it,\" VanGaalen told himself again and again, despite the push\/pull love\/hate of his relationship with songwriting. \"I'm always trying to get outside of the song—but then I realize I love the song.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a record that gleams with VanGaalen's musical signatures: found sound, reverb, polychromatic folk music that is by turns cartoonish and hyperphysical—like ultra magnified footage of a virus or a leaf. Apparently, the LP began life as a \"pretty minimal\" flute record. (There's only a vestige now, on \"Flute Peace\"—one of three instrumentals.) Later it became an electronic record \"for a while\" and finally, \"right at the last second,\" it \"turned into a pile of garbage.\" The good kind of garbage: glinting, useful, free. Music as compost—leaves, and branches ready to be re-ingested by the earth, turned into a flower.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout these 40 minutes, VanGaalen floats from mania to solace to oblivion, searching for zen in all the wrong places. \"Turn up the radio \/ I think we’re dead,\" he sings on \"Nothing Is Strange\"; or, on the inside-out rocker \"Nightmare Scenario\": \"You’re stressed out when you should be feeling very well.\" The singer's mental landscape is rotting and redemptive, beautiful in spite of itself—and his soundscapes reflect this fertile decay. He has been influenced by his instrumental work on TV scores (Dream Corp's third season began this fall), but still \"nothing can really replace the human voice,” he admits. Like Arthur Russell or Syd Barrett, it’s VanGaalen’s vocals that shine a path through the swampland—from the cello-lashed “Water Brother” to “Starlight”’s krautrock pipe-dream. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese days, VanGaalen cherishes the privacy of the studio, the capacity to wander around, get distracted, and \"move at the speed of life.\" Whereas once he would obsess over mic techniques, now he puts the microphone in the same place every time—trying to capture a song quickly, the idea at its heart. He'll act on his infatuations—for the flute, a squeaky clarinet, his basement's copper plumbing (remade into xylophones for \"Samurai Sword\")—and then he'll try to get out, \"veering away from responsibility,\" before he overdoes his stay. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the end, it's like gardening. You have to live with your horrible decision-making; the weather's going to fuck you if it wants to; and if you plant a hundred heads of broccoli, \"now you gotta eat a hundred heads of broccoli—or watch them go to seed.\" But mostly VanGaalen just tries to be a deer: \"I remember seeing some deer come out in the Okanagan Valley once,\" he says, \"watching them wait for a sunbeam to hit a perfect bunch of grapes—and then eating them right out of the sunbeam. I'd recommend that.\"  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can do it too—taste the sun-swabbed grapes—when World's Most Stressed Out Gardener is released on March 19, 2021. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eby Sean Michaels\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chad VanGaalen","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919858032819,"sku":"xra1788121218984","price":14.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919858065587,"sku":"kcp1788121218985","price":6.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919858098355,"sku":"gyo1788121218986","price":7.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/worlds-most-stressed-out-gardener_1.jpg?v=1788121226"},{"product_id":"head-of-roses","title":"Head of Roses","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn her second full-length record, Head of Roses, Jenn Wasner follows a winding thread of intuition into the unknown and into healing, led by gut feelings and the near-spiritual experience of visceral songwriting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a combination of Wasner’s ability to embrace new levels of vulnerability, honesty and openness, with the self-assuredness that comes with a decade-plus career as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and prolific collaborator. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimply put, Head of Roses is a record about heartbreak, but from a dualistic perspective. It’s about the experience of having one’s heart broken and breaking someone else’s heart at the same time. But beyond that, it’s about having to reconcile the experience of one’s own pain with the understanding that it’s impossible to go through life without being the source of great pain for someone else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Part of the journey for me has been learning to take responsibility for the parts of things that are mine, even when I’m in a lot of pain through some behavior or action of someone else. If I’m expecting to be forgiven for the things I’ve done and the choices I’ve made and the mistakes that I’ve made, it would be incredibly cowardly and hypocritical to not also do the work that’s required to forgive others the pain they caused me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShowcasing the depth of Wasner’s songwriting capabilities and the complexity of her vision, Head of Roses calls upon her singular ability to create a fully-formed sonic universe via genre-bending amalgamation of songs and her poetic and gut punch lyrics. It’s the soundtrack of Wasner letting go – of control, of heartbreak, and of hiding who she is: “I think I’ve finally reached a point in my career where I feel comfortable enough with myself and what I do, that I’m able to relax into a certain simplicity or straight forwardness that I wasn’t comfortable with before.” Head of Roses puts Wasner’s seismically powerful voice front and center. Those vocals help thread it all together -- it’s a textured musicality, quilted together by intentionality and intuition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWasner’s sophomore LP as Flock of Dimes was mostly written during the isolation of early Covid-19 quarantine and fresh heartbreak. Some songs, like the title track, came to Wasner wholly-formed, like fever dreams. Aside from album opener “2 Heads,” which Wasner had been saving for this purpose since she wrote it in 2015, Head of Roses was born from just a few months at her North Carolina home, during a feverish period of productivity spanning from last March through June.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn her 2016 debut album If You See Me, Say Yes, Wasner controlled every element of the production, meticulously crafting her solo debut to be a definitive statement of ability and artistry. Despite having succeeded in assuring herself of her own capabilities as a musician and producer, she felt drained by the demands of working in creative isolation. Instead, for Head of Roses, she felt drawn to a looser, more collaborative process—and reached out to friend and co-producer Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso) to help her understand what this new process could look like. Recorded with a small group of collaborators in quarantine at Betty’s in North Carolina, Head of Roses captures Wasner’s vision and expands upon it, with input from Meg Duffy (Hand Habits), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver\/Lambchop), and Adam Schatz (Landlady).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSanborn and Wasner assembled Head of Roses in the same way you’d put together a mixtape, painstakingly and carefully melding disparate parts into a whole, transcending genre to weave a story of heartache and healing together. There’s the undulating “Two,” a tapestry of strange whirring machinery, buried saxophone swimming to the surface, “We’re all just wearing bodies like a costume ‘til we die.” Or “Hard Way,” hypnotic and trudging forward beneath the slight distortion of Wasner’s lilting melodies -- “Couldn’t call it off \/ couldn’t make it last \/ so I took the hard way” -- recorded in one fell swoop during an afternoon at Betty’s. Other tracks, like “Lightning,” are grounded in sparseness, the warmth of clean electric guitar -- “When you dressed me in \/ a different skin \/ I forgot who I am \/ I watched it happen \/ But I can’t understand.” “No Question” feels somehow celestial, born from the chasm between organic and electronic textures, and “Awake for the Sunrise” is a pure and straightforward country ballad, written at 6:30am after a sleepless night. Closer “Head of Roses,” a slow-burn, is the fitting thesis of the record, including its imagery: a garden absolutely overrun, blooming all over the place, the thorns of the thing fully inseparable from the flowers themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd in the same way a homemade, painstakingly-crafted mixtape plays out, with the maker’s fingerprints left all over its songs – so goes Head of Roses. Carefully curated and culled from the depths of Wasner’s heartbreak and healing, it’s deeply, intensely personal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut just as we change ourselves by embracing the pain of loss and uncertainty, so too are the purpose of these songs changed through the act of creating them. Having succeeded in healing the person who made them, they now exist for those who find them in their own moments of need. Always in motion, the original spirit of creation has already flown from this place—but it’s left behind a blueprint, a tool for you, to lean on, too.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flock of Dimes","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919858884787,"sku":"tkz1788121227614","price":18.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919858917555,"sku":"fna1788121227615","price":15.87,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919858950323,"sku":"vis1788121227616","price":8.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919858983091,"sku":"xao1788121227617","price":7.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919859015859,"sku":"get1788121227618","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/head-of-roses_1.jpg?v=1788121232"},{"product_id":"dont-shy-away","title":"Don't Shy Away","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eOn December 26th, 2018, Emily Cross received an excited email from a friend: Brian Eno was talking about her band on BBC radio. “At first I didn’t think it was real,” she admits. But then she heard a recording: Eno was praising “Black Willow” from Loma’s self-titled debut, a song whose minimal groove and hypnotic refrain seem as much farewell as a manifesto: I make my bed beside the road \/ I carry a diamond blade \/ I will not serve you. He said he’d had it on repeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the time, a second Loma album seemed unlikely. The band began as a serendipitous collaboration between Cross, the multi-talented musician and recording engineer Dan Duszynski, and Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg, who wanted to play a supporting role after years at the microphone. They’d capped a grueling tour with a standout performance on a packed beach at Sub Pop’s SPF 30 festival, in which Cross leapt into the crowd, and then into the sea, while the band carried on from the stage—an emotional peak that also felt like a natural ending. “It was the biggest audience we’d ever had,” she says. “We thought, why not stop here?”   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing the tour, Cross went to rural Mexico to work on visual art and a solo record, while Meiburg began a new Shearwater effort. But after a few months apart (and Eno’s encouraging words), the trio changed their minds and reconvened at Duszynski’s home in rural Texas, where they began to develop songs that would become Don’t Shy Away. Loma writes by consensus, and though Cross is always the singer, she, Duszynski and Meiburg often trade instruments.  Meiburg compares their process to using a ouija board, and says the songs revealed themselves slowly, over many months. “Each of us is a very strong flavor,” he says, “but in Loma, nobody wears the crown, so we have to trust each other—and we end up in places none of us would have gone on our own. I think we all wanted to experience that again.” The album that emerged is gently spectacular—a vivid work whose light touch belies its timely themes of solitude, impermanence, and finding light in deep darkness. Stuck \/ beneath \/ a rock, Cross begins, as if noticing her predicament for the first time. Then she adds: I begin to see \/ the beauty in it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s a couplet that evokes the album in miniature. Don’t Shy Away is shot through with revelations, both joyful (“Given a Sign”) and sober (the clear-eyed title track), and winds from moment to moment with confidence and humor. Like Loma’s first effort, there’s a tangible and sensuous feeling of place; insects sing in the trees, an ill-fitting door creaks in the wind. But there’s also a daring and hard-won wisdom, underlined by Cross’s benevolent clarinet, which often sounds like an extension of her singing voice. “Ocotillo”’s desert landscape unreels into a blazing sun; “Elliptical Days” seems to ascend endlessly like Escher’s circling monks; the jubilant “Breaking Waves Like a Stone” appears out of a haze of synthesizers that pulse like fireflies. A series of guests wander through these absorbing soundscapes, including touring members Emily Lee (piano, violin) and Matt Schuessler (bass), Flock of Dimes\/Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, and a surprisingly bass-heavy horn section. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd then there’s Brian Eno. Loma invited him to participate in the mantra-like “Homing,” which concludes the album, and sent him stems  to interact with in any way he liked. He never spoke directly with the band, but his completed mix arrived via e-mail late one night, without warning, and they gathered to listen in the converted bedroom Duszynski uses as a control room. “I was a little worried,” says Cross. “What if we didn’t like it?” But it was all they’d hoped for: minimal but enveloping, friendly but enigmatic, as much Loma as Eno—a perfect ending to an album about finding a new home inside an old one.  I am somewhere that you know, Cross sings, above a chorus of her bandmates’ blended voices. 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For the 2020 Biennale of Sydney, he excavated the shape of the shadow cast by the monumental statue of Captain James Cook, a call for the burial of monuments to violent histories, which  ArtNEWS and Artsy called a defining work of 2020. Land Swipe—a painted deer hide that depicts the NYC subway map, marked with selected sites of police violence against Black youth—was called one of “the most important art moments in 2020” by The New York Times. His work spans sculpture, video, installation, photography, jewelry and music; advocating Indigenous sovereignty, racial, social and environmental justice, for present, and future generations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis debut as Ya Tseen (“be alive,” and a reference to his Tlingit name Yeil Ya Tseen) is Indian Yard, his first album for Sub Pop.  Rich with emotional range and sharp awareness, Indian Yard explores love, desire, frustration, pain, revolution, and connection through the magnetic expressions of an Indigenous mind. The lusty electro-soul cascade of “Close the Distance,” the lithe funk frolic of “Get Yourself Together,” the insistent weight of “Back in That Time,” sung in Yupik: These 11 tracks put Galanin, Ya Tseen, and Indigenous art at large in a current musical conversation with the likes of Moses Sumney and TV on the Radio, FKA Twigs and James Blake. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndian Yard is a profound record of liberation and an implicit act of protest, making its case by facing the intersection of past, present, and future realities. In a nod to Sun Ra, “Gently To The Sun” mentions “meds for a nightmare”—an apt description for a record that offers a much-needed antidote for what now ails us personally and universally. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not, by any means, Galanin’s first album. He has released a steady stream of records  under a panoply of aliases, including Silver Jackson and Indian Agent. He has worked with the likes of Meshell Ndegeocello, Tanya Tagaq, and Samantha Crain. And for the better part of a decade, he’s also been part of the revolutionarily borderless art collective Black Constellation alongside Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGalanin brings all that experience and his partnerships to bear on the highly collaborative songs of Indian Yard. Galanin began working on the record in 2017 while going back and forth between his home in Sitka Alaska and Juneau where he was carving a totem pole. The album entwines falling in love and the birth of a child with the urgency of current social and environmental justice movements to tear down destructive systems and build anew.  He shared the concepts with bandmates Zak D. Wass and Otis Calvin III and together they collaborated to build the album alongside longtime collaborator Benjamin Verdoes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring strings of sessions in Sitka and Seattle, a cast of brilliant friends—Shabazz Palaces, Nick Hakim, fellow Indigenous Alaskan singer and songwriter Qacung, to name a few—helped turn Indian Yard into a cataract of intensely current pop wonders. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese collaborations, and Galanin’s broad vision make Indian Yard is as restless and powerful as its creator. He cut the mesmerizing opener “Knives” with Alaska’s rock stars, Portugal. the Man, whom Galanin counts as friends and allies for social and environmental justice. As infectious as anything by Gayngs or MGMT, “Knives” is a sweeping and intense reflection on desire. “At Tugáni” reaches the same state of kaleidoscopic wonder as Animal Collective. A creation song named for Galanin’s youngest child, it is a love song connecting past and future. Hinging on verses from Shabazz Palaces and Stas THEE Boss, “Synthetic Gods” is sonically seductive, a tense reflection on crisis that summons the pressure needed to ensure Indigenous sovereignty and power to the people. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGalanin’s art engages serious subjects with a provocative aesthetic and irresistible sounds:  an American flag becomes a grizzly bear rug with bullet claws and gold teeth, while synth lines underscore the words “politicians built the border wall\/We gonna raise the children that will make it fall.” With its radiant sounds and instant hooks, Indian Yard delivers socio-political messages with the strength of protest songs, wrapped in nuance and reflection on human experience and responsibility.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndian Yard is a compelling document of humanity centered in an Indigenous perspective. 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A collection of songs recorded three years prior to his official Sub Pop debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002).  A period before the concept of Iron \u0026amp; Wine existed and principal songwriter Sam Beam was studying at Florida State University with the intent of pursuing a career in film. Tallahassee documents the very first steps on a journey that would lead to a career as one of America’s most original and distinctive singer-songwriters. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreek arrived like a thief in the night with its lo-fi, hushed vocals and intimate nature, while almost inversely Tallahassee comes with a strange sense of confidence. Perhaps an almost youthful discretion that likely comes from being too young to know better and too naïve to give a shit. The recordings themselves are more polished than Creek and give a peak into what a studio version of that record might have offered up. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTallahassee was recorded over the course of 1998-1999 when Beam and future bandmate EJ Holowicki moved into a house together. Beam had not been performing publicly, however he was known for playing an original song or two in the early morning glow of a long night. Holowicki also in the film program and who would go onto a career as a sound designer at Skywalker Sound, had a mobile recording device and after some prodding convinced his friend to record these late-night meditations. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTogether they would record close to twenty-four songs, ideas and sketches, with EJ on bass and Sam on vocals, guitar, harmonica and drums.  The recordings – all captured in the house where they lived – have a “live in the room” feel akin to say Neil Young’s Harvest or Nick Drake’s Five Leaves Left, rather than the homespun lo-fi 4-track home recording experiment taking place at the time. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese recordings, minus one track, have never been made available and were instead left preserved on a hard drive for the last twenty years.  The one track that floated out there, called “In Your Own Time” was shared without a title to childhood friend Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) at some point. The song became known as the “Fuck Like A Dog” song and Ben shared it with more than a few folks during the golden era of mix cd’s.  Two of those folks were Jonathan Poneman from Sub Pop and journalist Mike McGonigal, who included it on his best songs of 2001 mix cd, passed out to friends and acquaintances.  And for many that is where the Iron \u0026amp; Wine story begins, until now…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"docs-internal-guid-60b54ee0-7fff-e801-614e-1eaa8c722144\"\u003eTallahassee is the foreword to your favorite book that you’ve somehow skipped over time and time again. It’s an alternative history mixed with some revisionist history told over the course of eleven songs. 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The classic tunes get new life by way of a full remastering job under band leader James Mercer’s watchful eye, the art is given a little extra zest via a die-cut jacket and a classy inner sleeve, and the package is rounded off with a big ol’ booklet with vintage photos, handwritten lyrics, and more. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe music, of course, is obviously essential. Aside from a friendly reminder that this is the album with the smash hit “New Slang,” as heard in the hit movie Garden State, we just need to note that the remastering job truly makes this the album James Mercer always wanted it to be. Never quite satisfied with the sonics of the original, Mercer took the 20th anniversary of the album as his opportunity to finally set the (literal!) record straight. 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These ten pieces—each built around their own instantaneous, undeniable hook—are turbocharged by the vivid textures that surround them. The ineffable, familiar harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker break through the chaos like a life raft. Layers of distorted sound accrete with each new verse - building, breaking, colossal then restrained, a solemn vow only whispered. 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Catapulted by a deep sense of dread and confusion in the depths of 2020, Salmena decided to forgo writing her own music. “I wanted to listen for what might reflect my life back to me,” she says, “six tracks that could be my mirror.” The result is a pointillistic knockout of an EP that weaves a landscape both luscious and a little rogue; showing us exactly what good songs can do.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBria’s internal turbulence seemed to mirror last year’s external instability. When Jennings and back-up singer Jaime McCuaig moved to The Outside Inn, a hobby farm in Hockley Hills, Ontario, Bria soon joined. The farm’s living-room-turned-studio proved an ideal setting for the long-time friends to compile a record of handpicked country covers. They went searching for songs that could speak to our everyday loneliness; outside and in. Cuntry Covers Vol. 1. houses it all: well-worn favorites and lesser-known gems. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe record opens with “Green Rocky Road,” as performed by Greenwich Village legend Karen Dalton. Jennings’ twangy guitar carries Bria’s original inflection and richly textured vocals, complete with dreamy overlay. “Dreaming My Dreams With You,” a rendition of the Waylon Jennings hit, is followed by John Cale’s “Buffalo Ballet,” a lyrical journey through Abilene, Texas, the endpoint of the Chisholm Trail. Engineered and mixed by Jennings, each song brings desire and sexuality front and centre, with all the swagger you’d expect  – and more. Bria hopes the record will be understood as a small contribution to the subversion of a genre with deep patriarchal roots. Mistress Mary’s “I Don’t Wanna Love Ya Now,” from the 1969 album Housewife, served as the original inspiration. “It was the first song Duncan and I worked on,” Bria notes. “It definitely set the tone for the other tracks we picked.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBria’s voice – described as wavering between “sultry and howitzer” – shines on “Fruits Of My Labour,” written and performed by country great, Lucinda Williams. The Walker Brothers’ “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” is a harmonic (and hypnotic) standout. A musical explorer who moves fluidly between styles, Bria doesn’t consider herself a country artist: “I feel as though I’m a visitor here, paying respect to a style that has informed a part of my musical identity. Country music, as much as any other art form, should be an arena for representation, expression and provocation. I have a ton of reverence for artists who came before me and challenged the primarily white-heterosexual status quo.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSalmena and Jennings have toured for years as members of Toronto four-piece FRIGS, whose 2018 debut Basic Behaviour was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Making a mark in diverse genres from country to punk, both play as permanent members of Orville Peck’s band. Cuntry Covers was recorded on the territories of the Anishnaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat and the Mississaugas of the Credit. The release also features contributions from FRIGS drummer Kris Bowering and vocals by Ali Jennings. Bria's first release is a gorgeous debut, a homage to the songs that brought solace and relief in the stillness of last year.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Zoe Imani Sharpe \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bria Salmena","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919866126515,"sku":"opl1788121365380","price":11.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919866159283,"sku":"hyz1788121365381","price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919866192051,"sku":"avl1788121365382","price":6.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919866224819,"sku":"ndb1788121365383","price":4.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/cuntry-covers-vol-1_1.jpg?v=1788121370"},{"product_id":"geist","title":"Geist","description":"\u003cp\u003eGeist feels like a window - or a mirror - into possibilities of the self and beyond. Shannon Lay’s new album is tender intensity, place-less and ethereal.  It exists in the chasms of the present -- a world populated by shadow selves, spiritual awakenings, déjà vu, and past lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Something sleeps inside us,” Lay insists on the opening track, and that’s the guiding philosophy throughout. A winding, golden, delicate thread of intuition that explores the unknown, the possibility. Its title, Geist, the German word for spirit, is rife with an otherworldly presence, the suggestion of another. The promise that you are never alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLay tracked vocals and guitar at Jarvis Tavinere of Woods’s studio, then sent the songs out to multi-instrumentalists Ben Boye (Bonnie Prince Billy, Ty Segall) in Los Angeles and Devin Hoff (Sharon Van Etten, Cibo Matto) in New York; trusting their musical instincts and intuition. She then sent those recordings to Sofia Arreguin (Wand) and Aaron Otheim (Heatwarmer, Mega Bog) for additional keys, while Ty Segall contributed a guitar solo on “Shores.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a whole, Geist is both esoteric and accessible. Songs range from a concise, pared-back cover of Syd Barrett’s tilt-a-whirl-esque “Late Night,” to the meditative Dune-inspired \"Rare to Wake,” to the mostly a-cappella  “Awaken and Allow,” which channels Lay’s deep Irish roots, a moment of reflection, before a drop happens -- its intensity mirroring the anticipation and anxiety that come with taking the first step to accepting change for yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the title track “Geist,” a song about the power living in all of us, is a love song to the possibility of healing, an ode to falling into the arms of what you’re becoming. It’s a glimpse into the parts of yourself you have yet to meet. But you can, if you want to.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shannon Lay","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919866683571,"sku":"aay1788121395840","price":5.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919866716339,"sku":"rgs1788121395841","price":7.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919866749107,"sku":"bqr1788121395842","price":6.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/geist_1.jpg?v=1788121400"},{"product_id":"age-of-the-goondatrapistan","title":"Age of the Goonda\/Trapistan","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe cassette available here includes both \"Age of the Goonda\" plus \"Trapistan\"! \u003cbr\u003eThe cassette does \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c\/strong\u003e include a digital download.","brand":"Cartel Madras","offers":[{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919866781875,"sku":"vdn1788121397656","price":4.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/age-of-the-goondatrapistan_1.jpg?v=1788121401"},{"product_id":"youth-orca-maroon-t-shirt","title":"Youth Orca Maroon T-Shirt","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eYOUTH SIZED T-SHIRT. 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Longtime Wrens member Kevin Whelan’s first solo album draws heavily from the perseverance of the soul, resulting in rock music possessing an infectious and inspiring sonic uplift. If you’re familiar with Whelan’s past work, these ten tracks bear a certain and unmistakable familiarity—but they also mark an exciting new chapter in Whelan’s musical career, as he steps out with more vulnerability than ever before.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eObservatory came together carefully for Whelan—over the course of 14 years, specifically, as clusters of demos and sketches were eventually assembled and recorded largely by Whelan himself, with assistance from Wrens bandmate Jerry MacDonald and Greg Whelan as well as Tom Beaujour in his Union City recording space. Additionally, his wife Mary Ann provided backup vocals. “It’s the best I’ve done and may ever do frankly,” Whelan states. “It’s written over such a long period of my life. Music I did in the past was tinged with expectations or presumptions, but this time, it was just for me.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe long gestation of Observatory means that a lot of lived experience went into making this album. As time passed, Whelan got married, started a family, and moved to the Asia Pacific region for a period of time; at 15 months old, his son (now eight) was also diagnosed with autism, and the title of Observatory is inspired by Whelan’s relationship with his son. “The moment you’re told your child is not ‘neurotypical,’ your whole world expands in ways you never imagined,” he explains. “Even though he doesn’t speak much at all, or look at anyone directly, you can see him observing everything around him. The album title reflects upon the stories within the songs — each one observing a certain situation or feeling.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhelan’s scope of musical vision on Observatory is wide open and free with possibilities—at once recalling the reflective wisdom of Bruce Springsteen, Broken Social Scene’s huge anthemic burn, and the Wrens’ own pulsing-with-life take on rock music. Above all, this is music not only for dreamers but for those who realize and appreciate the enormity of every moment. “It’s about never letting go about those dreams and your passion,” he states. “The album starts from a place of realizing that everything is temporary, what we love eventually changes or leaves us, and regardless we continue to search and find our way back home.” If you’ve ever caught air in your lungs or felt your heart beating in your chest, there’s no doubt that you’ll find some level of connection with Observatory’s open-hearted, instantly classic-sounding rock.","brand":"Aeon Station","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919871271091,"sku":"cue1788121486070","price":12.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919871303859,"sku":"bip1788121486071","price":6.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919871336627,"sku":"zas1788121486072","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/observatory_1.jpg?v=1788121496"},{"product_id":"once-twice-melody","title":"Once Twice Melody","description":"\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oLvPATX2rRw\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce Twice Melody is the 8th studio album by Beach House. It is a double album, featuring 18 songs presented in 4 chapters. Across these songs, many types of style and song structures can be heard. Songs without drums, songs centered around acoustic guitar, mostly electronic songs with no guitar, wandering and repetitive melodies, songs built around the string sections. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain present throughout many of the compositions. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeach House is Victoria Legrand, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, and Alex Scally, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. They write all of their songs together. Once Twice Melody is the first album produced entirely by the band. The live drums are by James Barone (same as their 2018 album, 7), and were recorded at Pachyderm studio in Minnesota and United Studio in Los Angeles. For the first time, a live string ensemble was used. 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Once Twice Melody was mixed largely by Alan Moulder but a few tracks were also mixed by Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer, and Dave Fridmann.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Beach House","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl Box Set","offer_id":45919901778099,"sku":"xvs1788122254932","price":36.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":45919901810867,"sku":"kig1788122254933","price":21.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xCD","offer_id":45919901843635,"sku":"fkf1788122254934","price":9.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919901876403,"sku":"tfs1788122254935","price":9.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919901909171,"sku":"ztg1788122254936","price":8.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/once-twice-melody_1.jpg?v=1788122261"},{"product_id":"famously-alive","title":"Famously Alive","description":"\u003cp\u003eDig deep enough inside yourself -- start treating your body as your sanctuary rather than your enemy -- and eventually you'll find yourself blooming right back out into the sun. That's the transformation Guerilla Toss trace on their newest album Famously Alive, their effervescent Sub Pop debut. After a decade sprinkling glitter into grit, building a reputation as one of the most ferociously creative art-rock groups working, the upstate New York band have eased fully into their light. This is Guerilla Toss at their most luminescent -- awake, alive, and extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to soak it all up beside them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSinger and lyricist Kassie Carlson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Negroponte and guitarist Arian Shafiee wrote Famously Alive at home in the Catskills during the pervading quiet of the pandemic year. The uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns and the total disruption of routine forced Carlson to negotiate with herself in new and challenging ways. \"You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic,\" she says. \"I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, and strength. It’s meant to inspire people.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album's title derives from a poem written by a close friend of the band, Jonny Tatelman, who supported Carlson through the early stages of her recovery from opiate addiction. The poem comprises the entirety of the lyrics to the title track, an exuberant ode to loving your own survival and charting a course into unconditional self-acceptance. \"The song 'Famously Alive' is about living with purpose and excitement whether you’re famous or not, accepting your strangeness and thriving even if your successes look different than other people’s,\" notes Carlson. \"To me, 'Famously Alive' means flipping the notion of dying famously to living famously,\" Negroponte adds. \"I also like to think of it as a way to describe living through something traumatic and coming out of it a stronger, wiser person.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSongs like the expansive, gleaming \"Live Exponential\" similarly invite the listener to lean into the light. \"It’s about loving yourself and finding a way to be comfortable in your own body -- to live life to the fullest and beyond,\" says Carlson. Throughout the record, Guerilla Toss meet themselves with curiosity, generosity, and acceptance even for the harder parts of being alive. Opener \"Cannibal Capital,\" a song about the exhaustion and dread of social anxiety, came together in a flurry toward the end of the album's sessions. A taut bass groove erupts into competing squalls of guitar and synth that support one of the most immediate and arresting vocal hooks of Guerilla Toss's catalog to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether with guitarist Arian Shafiee, Carlson and Negroponte cultivated a sound that spliced together psychedelic texturing and Krautrock syncopation with the gloss and glow of contemporary pop music. \"I like to combine as many musical influences as possible,\" says Negroponte. \"We thought the sleekness of current radio pop would make our dense wall-of-sound aesthetic both more bizarre and more accessible and fun at the same time.\" Carlson was similarly inspired by a wide range of artists from around the world after diving deep into obscure 7-inches for her weekly show on Radio Catskill, Rare Pear Radio.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile writing the album, Carlson took voice lessons online for the first time. 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This is the paradox that musician Lael Neale has lived within throughout her development as an artist. It is the reason she became enthralled with poetry. Poems are a distillation. Lael says, “this challenge to winnow away what is unessential is the most maddening and, ultimately, rewarding part of writing a song.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLael’s new album Acquainted With Night is a testament to this poetic devotion. Stripped of any extraneous word or sound, the songs are lit by Lael’s crystalline voice which lays on a lush bed of Omnichord. The collection touches on themes that have been thread into her work for years: isolation, mortality, yearning, and reaching ever toward the transcendent experience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLael grew up on a farm in rural Virginia, but for nearly 10 years called Los Angeles home. Those years were spent developing her songwriting and performing in venues across the city, but the right way to record the songs proved more elusive. She worked with countless musicians, producers and collaborators, making entire records and eventually stowing them away. She says, “Every time I reached the end of recording, I felt the songs had been stripped of their vitality in the process of layering drums, bass, guitar\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e, violin and organ over them. They felt weighed down.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDespite endless frustration she never resigned and in a moment of illumination the most obvious solution presented itself: do the simple thing. In early 2019, in the midst of major transition, she acquired a new instrument, the Omnichord, and began recording a deluge of emerging songs with the intention to capture them in their truest form. Guy Blakeslee, who had been an advocate for years, facilitated the process by setting up the cassette recorder in her bedroom and providing empathic guidance, subtle yet affecting accompaniment and engineering prowess. Limited to only 4-tracks and first takes, Lael had to surrender some of her perfectionism to deliver the songs in their essence.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe first song she recorded was “For No One For Now” which calls to mind the agitated beat of driving fast on the freeway against the backdrop of the San Fernando Valley with its bent palms. Lael explains, “I’ve always loved these stretches of road where the magic of the city seems hemmed in by the mundane.” The song contrasts romantic idealizations with the banality of folding sheets and toasting bread. It highlights her oft-thwarted attempts to enjoy the day to day while her mind wanders off toward the dream, the ideal. “We almost lost this one because we had this complex method of listening back on a boombox since the rewind button didn’t work on the recorder. I accidentally recorded over a part of it so we were stuck with the first mix in all its imperfection. This was the thrilling element of recording in this way.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn the other hand, recording “Every Star Shivers in the Dark” took a bit more time. She notes, “it was written so quickly that I needed to let it sink in, get to know it through many attempts at capturing the feeling I had at its inception.” Los Angeles is a player on this album and this song is an ode to the sprawling city, the outskirts of Eden. One can envision her walking from Dodgers Stadium to downtown, observing strangers and her own strangeness but determined to find communion with others.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Blue Vein” is her personal anthem. A Paul Revere piece. Galloping through the town as a strident declamation. She offers this, “I wrote this song pre-Omnichord and it is the only recording I play guitar on. I wrote it around New Year’s Eve and it felt like a resolution.” Indeed, it is an amalgam of thoughts, concerns, and lessons as she nearly speaks the words, unmasked by flourishes, ensuring the meaning cuts through. In the final verse she states that, “some say the truth springs for reservoir seekers, but I think the truth sings to whoever listens” thereby establishing herself as the proverbial carrier pigeon delivering a message.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLael returned to her family farm back in April 2020 and has taken advantage of the limitations imposed by this period. She re-discovered her Sony Handycam from high school and is using it to make impressionistic companion pieces to the songs she recorded in Los Angeles. She continues, “I am enjoying the strong contrast between the songs I wrote and recorded in California and the videos I am making for them in Virginia. It offers something unexpected.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe lo-fi quality of the films certainly suits the tone of the album. Guy comments, “an idea that was floating around in our conversations before and during the process was ‘lost tapes’ - and I think these recordings feel like such an artifact - a sonic portrait of a season of a life, a sacred tape made in private by an artist at the peak of creative power and rediscovered by chance for the ages.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNormally a morning person, Lael recorded most of these songs in the early darkening evening and so became Acquainted With Night.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lael Neale","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919902597299,"sku":"dmz1788122297734","price":11.52,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919902630067,"sku":"gem1788122297735","price":8.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919902662835,"sku":"oyp1788122297736","price":7.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919902695603,"sku":"uuc1788122297737","price":6.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/acquainted-with-night_1.jpg?v=1788122304"},{"product_id":"89","title":"89","description":"\u003cp\u003e“I’ve been playing since I was 11 years old,” says Charlie Gabriel, the most senior member of the legendary Preservation Hall Band, “I never did anything in my life but play music. I’ve been blessed with that gift that God gave me, and I’ve tried to nurse it the best way I knew how.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile he’s faced plenty of challenges nursing that gift for more than 78 years, none likely rank with last winter’s passing of his brother and last living sibling, Leonard, lost to COVID-19. For the first time ever, Gabriel put down his horn, filling his days and weeks instead with dark reflection, a stubborn despondency broken now and then by regular chess matches in the studio kitchen of Hall leader Ben Jaffe, working overtime to bring his friend some light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne such afternoon also included Joshua Starkman, sitting off in a corner playing his guitar and half-watching the chess from a distance. When Charlie returned the next day, he brought his saxophone. “I was just inspired to try it, to play again. It had been a long time, and a guitar makes me feel free. I do love the sound of a piano, but it takes up a lot of a space, keeps me kind of boxed in.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat day was to be the first session for 89, almost entirely the work of Gabriel, Jaffe and Starkman, recorded mostly right there, in the kitchen, by Matt Aguiluz.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharlie Gabriel’s first professional gig dates to 1943, sitting in for his father in New Orleans’ Eureka Brass Band. As a teenager living in Detroit, Charlie played with Lionel Hampton, whose band just then also included a young Charles Mingus, later spending nine years with a group led by Cab Calloway drummer, J.C. Heard. While he’s also fronted a bebop quintet, played and\/or toured with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Aretha Franklin and many more, this is the first time his name appears on the front of a record, as a bandleader.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince 2006, Gabriel has been a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, featuring prominently on That’s It, So It Is, and Tuba to Cuba. 89 was different, and not simply due to a smaller ensemble.  “We had no particular plan, or any particular insight on what we were gonna do. But we were enjoying what we were doing, jamming, having a musical conversation,” Charlie says, further musing, “Musical conversations cancel out complications.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e89 includes six jazz standards and two new pieces, “The Darker It Gets” and “Yellow Moon”.” Charlie describes the repertoire, which includes “Stardust,” “I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You),” and “Three Little Words,” as “standard material that every musician, if they’re an older musician like myself, will have played throughout their career. Every time I play one of these tunes the interpretation is a little bit different.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, 89 includes three tracks of Charlie singing…\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I always sung, but it wasn’t my forte to become a singer,” he says. “The truth is, people often develop a real relationship with a song once they hear the words. Sometimes I enjoy singing them.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Charlie Gabriel","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919902957747,"sku":"cbb1788122304247","price":18.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919902990515,"sku":"enm1788122304248","price":8.52,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919903023283,"sku":"tsu1788122304249","price":6.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/89_1.jpg?v=1788122308"},{"product_id":"hunger-for-a-way-out","title":"Hunger for a Way Out","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eStraight from the depths of an unused Boston-area concrete laboratory comes the debut of Sweeping Promises. Written and recorded with a patented \"single mic technique\" just before quarantine, \"Hunger for a Way Out\", is a post-punk leaning gem of unpolished DIY sound. The title track kicks things off in absolutely classic fashion, full of spirited hooks that echo the early Rough Trade sound. Angular guitars and sharp synth notes float atop a raw rhythm section, while Lira Mondal's effervescent vocals truly define Sweeping Promises' sound. There's something simple yet otherworldly about these tracks - you have the DIY prowess of Kleenex\/LiLiPUT and Girls at Our Best!, a brooding new wave-y minimal synth sound woven in, and an undeniable pop-leaning appeal captured in vibrant monaural glory. It's hard to mistake these ten tracks of naturally urgent and driving post-punk for anything other than sheer brilliance. Sweeping Promises deliver in spades on \"Hunger for a Way Out\".\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePackaged in a full color jacket with risograph lyric insert designed by D.H. Strother.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Sweeping Promises","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919903252659,"sku":"vsy1788122307976","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919903285427,"sku":"fkk1788122307977","price":7.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919903318195,"sku":"nto1788122307978","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/hunger-for-a-way-out_1.jpg?v=1788122335"},{"product_id":"chloe-and-the-next-20th-century","title":"Chloë and the Next 20th Century","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFather John Misty returns with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eChloë and The Next 20th Century\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, his fifth album and first new material since the release of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGod’s Favorite Customer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e in 2018.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eChloë and the Next 20th Century\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Tillman and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eproducer\/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, as well as Dave Cerminara, returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass, and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eChloë and The Next 20th Century\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e features the singles “Funny Girl,” “Q4,” “Goodbye Mr. Blue,” and “Kiss Me (I Loved You),” and will be available April 8th, 2022 worldwide from Sub Pop and in Europe from Bella Union.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Father John Misty","offers":[{"title":"Deluxe Box Set","offer_id":45919903776947,"sku":"lfi1788122357528","price":31.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Loser (color) 2xLP","offer_id":45919903809715,"sku":"vzv1788122357529","price":22.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":45919903842483,"sku":"ndi1788122357530","price":19.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919903875251,"sku":"dig1788122357531","price":8.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919903908019,"sku":"tun1788122357532","price":7.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/chloe-and-the-next-20th-century_1.jpg?v=1788122362"},{"product_id":"weird-nightmare","title":"Weird Nightmare","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for a raw, sugary blast of distorted pop, look no further than Weird Nightmare. The debut album from METZ guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins contains all of his main band’s bite with an unexpected, yet totally satisfying, sweetness. Imagine The Amps covering Big Star, or the gloriously hissy miniature epics of classic-era Guided by Voices combined with the bombast of Copper Blue- era Sugar—just tons of red-line distortion cut with the type of tunecraft that thrills the moment it hits your ears. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese ten songs showcase a new side of Edkins’ already-established songwriting, but even though the bulk of Weird Nightmare was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic some of its tunes date back to 2013 in demo form. “Hooks and melody have always been a big part of my writing, but they really became the main focus this time” he explains. “It was about doing what felt natural.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be clear: Weird Nightmare is not a “pandemic album,” but an album—some of which had been gestating for quite a while—that just so happened to be recorded during the pandemic. “I had always planned on finishing these songs, but being unable to tour with METZ, and forced to lock down, really gave me a push.” After days spent homeschooling his son, Edkins would drive to the METZ rehearsal room and tinker deep into the night on these songs’ deceptively simple structures and rich, static-laden textures. “It was a godsend for me,” he states about the creative process. “The hours would disappear and I would get lost in the music and record. It was a beautiful escape.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeird Nightmare is, in its own way, a study in extremes: Edkins’ melodic instincts and penchant for dissonance are both turned up to the max throughout, the latter reflecting not only the barn-burning tendencies of METZ, but Alex’s own sonic predilections. “It doesn’t sound right to my ears until it’s pushed over the edge.” He also cites other artists who are masterful at mixing the sublime and the punishing—Kim Deal and Scout Niblett among them—as influences on his own songwriting. “My favorite songs are the simple ones,” he explains. “I’ve never been attracted to virtuosity or technicality. Certain songs have the power to lift your spirits like nothing else can. I wanted to create that type of song.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I’ve found a new confidence in my writing and producing,” Edkins continues while discussing his songwriting approach on Weird Nightmare. “I really enjoy creating and recording, and I wanted this record to reflect how much fun I was having.” And even though its songs occasionally dip into weighty themes—underneath the driving riffs of “Darkroom” are ruminations on trying to fight off bad habits amidst personal malaise, while the anthemic “Lusitania” is, in his words, “a fictional love song”—this album is indeed an absolute blast to listen to. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few guests pitch in on Weird Nightmare: Canadian alt-pop genius Chad VanGaalen adds his unmistakable touch to the ever-escalating “Oh No,” while Alicia Bognanno of Bully lends her distinctive pipes to the thrashing “Wrecked,” a collaboration that effectively saved the song. “I almost didn’t put it on the album because I thought it was missing something,” Edkins explains. “I sent it to Alicia and she lifted it way up.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd taking risks and reaching out of Edkins’ comfort zone was the name of the game when it came to making Weird Nightmare. “I found myself doing new things I didn’t have the guts to do before, recording everything by myself and trusting all of my musical instincts,” he states. “I think when music manifests quickly, a certain amount of honesty automatically comes along with it. When it is a purely instinctual creation, there is no opportunity to obscure the truth.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Weird Nightmare","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919904432307,"sku":"yml1788122390839","price":15.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919904465075,"sku":"mhh1788122390840","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919904497843,"sku":"yem1788122390841","price":6.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919904530611,"sku":"qet1788122390842","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/weird-nightmare_1.png?v=1788122395"},{"product_id":"i-cant-let-go","title":"I Can't Let Go","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Can't Let Go\u003c\/em\u003e is the new full-length debut from Suki Waterhouse, available on LP, CD and Digital.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNowadays, voice memos, videos, and pictures chronicle our lives in real-time. We trace where we’ve been and reveal where we’re going. However, Suki Waterhouse catalogs the most intimate, formative, and significant moments of her life through songs. You might recognize her name or her work as singer, songwriter, actress but you’ll really get to know the multi-faceted artist through her music. Memories of unrequited love, fits of longing, instances of anxiety, and unfiltered snapshots interlock like puzzle pieces into a mosaic of well-worn country, nineties-style alternative, and unassuming pop. She writes the kind of tunes meant to be grafted onto dusty old vinyl from your favorite vintage record store, yet perfect for a sun-soaked festival stage. These compositions comprise her upcoming 2022 full-length debut album, I Can’t Let Go [Sub Pop Records].\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“The album is called I Can’t Let Go, because for years it felt like I was wearing heavy moments on my sleeve and it just didn’t make sense to do so anymore. There’s so much that I’ve never spoken about. Writing music has always been where it felt safe to do so. Every song for the record was a necessity. In many ways, I’ve been observing my life as an outsider—even when I’ve been on the inside. It’s like I was a visitor watching things happen.’ \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGrowing up in London, Suki gravitated towards music’s magnetic pull. She listened to the likes of Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple. Meanwhile, Oasis held a particularly special place in her heart. She initially teased out this facet of her creativity with a series of singles, generating nearly 20 million total streams independently. Nylon hailed her debut “Brutally” as “what a Lana Del Rey deep cut mixed with Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides, Now’ would sound like.” In addition to raves from Garage, Vice and Lemonade Magazine, DUJOR put it best, “Suki Waterhouse’s music has swagger.” Constantly consuming artists of all stripes, she listened to the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Valerie June, Garbage, Frazey Ford, Lou Doillon, and Lucinda Williams. In late 2020, she finally dove into making what would become I Can’t Let Go. Falling in love with Hiss Golden Messenger’s Terms of Surrender, she reached out to its producer Brad Cook [Bon Iver,War On Drugs, Snail Mail, Waxahatchee]. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“I’ve been dreaming up this record for years,” she recalls. The weeks I spent in North Carolina with Brad were by far the best of my life.’\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe first single “Moves” illuminates the nuances of her sound. Guitar echoes through soft piano and a veil of reverb. The momentum builds, and she warns, “I might put some goddamn moves on you, babe I know you need it.” \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“‘Moves’ is a song I first started writing one night on the couch, picking up the guitar and seeing what came out,” she explains. “It was a moment where I felt the urge to both sever a previous bond, while putting my faith back in trying a different path. I often think, ‘what happens when you are struck by someone who changes the course of your entire life?’ The song speculates on that journey, one that moves beyond lust and physical longing, where you know that you now have something to give.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe companion single “My Mind” pairs breathy vocals with an airy riff paced like a tumbleweed as her angelic hum takes hold. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNext up is “Devil I Know.” A sparse beat trudges in tribal-style rhythm, while she leans into the cataclysmic chorus, “Back in hell at least I’m comfortable, need your body when my fire’s gone.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThere is also “‘Melrose Meltdown,” which Suki describes as “A shattering of illusion, undoing from a cage I'd been kept myself in where I'd thought was safe. It’s a sweeter send off, but there is an anger there when I sing it’.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Can’t Let Go culminates on “Blessed.” Her voice ebbs in and out of the cracks between lightly strummed guitar and delicate synths as she exhales, “I could be something.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“‘Blessed’ was right at the end,” she goes on. “It’s a song about the delicacy of family, a reflection on the moments that tested the fabric of it, when supposed light contains shadows. 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After 20 years as a cult favorite, she broke through to the top in the early 90s with her GRAMMY-award winning albums, Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw, which featured hits, “Something to Talk About” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” among others. Raitt’s widely acclaimed 2012 independent release Slipstream sold over a quarter-million copies, making it one of the top selling independent albums, and earned Raitt her 10th Grammy Award (Best Americana Album). In February 2016, Raitt released her highly anticipated 20th album, Dig In Deep (Redwing Records). On tour for much of 2017-2019, Raitt and her band performed in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada before touring as support for James Taylor in stadiums and arenas across the U.S., United Kingdom and Europe. As known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as she is for her music, Raitt has long been involved with the environmental movement and continues to work on safe energy issues, environmental protection, social justice, human rights, and blues\/music education.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Bonnie Raitt","offers":[{"title":"Color LP","offer_id":45919904792755,"sku":"krj1788122403675","price":22.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919904825523,"sku":"mqs1788122403676","price":22.12,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919904858291,"sku":"sdp1788122403677","price":13.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/just-like-that_1.jpg?v=1788122409"},{"product_id":"my-other-people","title":"My Other People","description":"\u003cp\u003eWithout a brutal evaluation of their own becoming, TV Priest might have never made their second album. Heralded as the next big thing in post-punk, they were established as a bolshy, sharp-witted outfit, the kind that starts movements with their political ire. There was of course truth in that, but it was a suit that quickly felt heavy on its wearer’s shoulders, leaving little room for true vulnerability. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A lot of it did feel like I was being really careful and a bit at arm's length,” says vocalist Charlie Drinkwater. “If I'm honest, I think maybe I was not fully aware of the role I was taking, how I would be perceived. I had to take a step back and realise that what we were presenting was quite far away from the opinion of myself that I had. Some of the ways people would interpret the music and my performance isn't really me, and I didn’t know why I was trying to wear that coat of the meat-and-two-veg rock guy. Now, I just want to be honest.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving made music together since their teenage years, the London four-piece piqued press attention in late 2019 with their first gig as a newly solidified group, a raucous outing in the warehouse district of Hackney Wick. Debut single “House of York” followed with a blistering critique of monarchist patriotism, and they were signed to Sub Pop for their debut album. When Uppers arrived in the height of a global pandemic, it reaped praise from critics and fans alike for its ‘dystopian doublespeak’, but the band — Drinkwater, guitarist Alex Sprogis, producer, bass and keys player Nic Bueth and drummer Ed Kelland – were sat at home like the rest of us, drinking cups of tea and marking time via government-sanctioned daily exercise. As such, the personal and professional landmark of its release felt “both colossal and minuscule” dampened by the inability to share it live. “It was a real gratification and really cathartic, but on the other hand, it was really strange, and not great for my mental health” admits Drinkwater. “I wasn’t prepared, and I hadn't necessarily expected it to reach as many people as it did. It sounds a bit naïve, but it was all very quick. It felt kind of divorced from reality.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs such, My Other People intentionally maintains a strong sense of earth-rooted emotion, taking full advantage of the opportunity to physically connect. Using “Saintless” (the closing song from Uppers) as something of a starting point, Drinkwater set about crafting lyrics that allowed him to articulate a deeper sense of personal truth, using music as a vessel to communicate with his bandmates about his depleting mental health. “Speaking very candidly, it was written at a time and a place where I was not, I would say, particularly well,” he says. “There was a lot of things that had happened to myself and my family that were quite troubling moments. I apologised to the band the other day for not being a great friend or person in this process, because I simply was not happy. Despite that I do think the record has our most hopeful moments too; a lot of me trying to set myself reminders for living, just everyday sentiments to try and get myself out of the space I was in. Whether or not the sincerity is understood, I think I'll always be proud of that.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It was a bit of a moment for all of us where we realised that we can make something that, to us at least, feels truly beautiful,” agrees Bueth. “Brutality and frustration are only a part of that puzzle, and despite a lot of us feeling quite disconnected at the time, overwhelmingly beautiful things were also still happening.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo strike this balance, My Other People relies on the band’s tight-knit working method, with Bueth once again at the self-producing helm. Following their own intuition as part of a “feverish” writing process, they looked inwards for inspiration rather than attempting to ape any sonic heroes, ending up with something that feels much more like affirmingly widescreen alt-rock than it does post-punk. Arrangements give room to let the voice roam; the optimistic melodies of “The Breakers” light flares to accompany Drinkwater’s recognition of the path that leads him back to friendship, while the rumbling pace of “Unravelling”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ereflects his more fractious state, looking for a safe place to land amidst the detritus of biting guitars. Where possible, recordings weren’t agonised over, but rather trusted on their initial takes when the mood had hit right. Though they recognise that ‘ band still searching for sound on second album’ is a sentiment that is often weaponised as criticism, it’s a process of self-improvement that Drinkwater is keen to protect: “Why would I keep making art if I didn't believe that the best thing was not around the corner?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVisually speaking, the same intention of momentum carries forth. The album’s artwork, photographed by Edward Thompson, depicts two children looking out to sea, a scene suspended somewhere between melancholy and hope. The video for “One Easy Thing”, the album’s lead single, directed by long term collaborator Joe Wheatley (“Decoration”, “Press Gang”) is a homage to new wave and French cinema, the singer donning full medieval armour as he bleeds and dances, persevering despite the seemingly impossible circumstance. Though Drinkwater wants its message of discomfort to show, he’s also keen not to overexplain it: “Last time, I literally was like, 'please like me', to everyone,” he laughs. “I stood next to the record and talked it to death, what things meant or where I did and didn’t stand. This time, I think it’s better if I leave some space.”  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn allowance for the interpretation of others is perhaps most clear on “Bury Me In My Shoes”, built around a stark chorus line; “Life Only Comes In Flashes Of Greatness.” It is a lyric borne out of deep depression, the existential fear of our ever-changing mortal coil.  But if you look at it differently, it could just as easily be read as affirmation, a reminder to seize the moment and make it count. This tension between the fullness of the glass, the cathartic value that such a lyric may hold in different lights, is central to My Other People — a record that heals by providing space for recognition, a ground zero from which you’re welcome to stay awhile but which ultimately — realistically — only leads up and out. For TV Priest, it is a follow-up that feels truly, properly them; free of bravado, unnecessary bluster or any audience pressure to commit solely to their original sound. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"docs-internal-guid-bab10a34-7fff-983e-0763-8de5d6d759c1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“When we finally got to tour, it was so enjoyable; it was punk and it was intense and it was sweaty rooms. It was – and it is - very cathartic to do that,” says Drinkwater. “But when we go back on the road, we're interested in being a band that feels like we've progressed. Sometimes it can be scary to be quiet, you know? But by leaning into that, you realise that actually, maybe, that’s exactly the thing that makes it so affecting.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TV Priest","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919905022131,"sku":"jof1788122415193","price":15.87,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919905054899,"sku":"hlk1788122415194","price":9.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919905087667,"sku":"aom1788122415195","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/my-other-people_1.jpg?v=1788122419"},{"product_id":"giant-palm","title":"Giant Palm","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe roots of Naima Bock’s music are far reaching. Born in Glastonbury to a Brazilian father and a Greek mother, Naima spent her early childhood in Brazil before eventually returning to England and various homes in South-East London. This heritage combines with more recent pursuits in Naima’s music; from the Brazilian standards that the family would listen to driving to the beach, to the European folk traditions she tapped into on her own, and the pursuits that interest her today – studies in archaeology, work as a gardener, and walking the world’s great trails – Naima’s music draws from family, the earth and the handing down of music through generations. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNaima’s debut album Giant Palm is undoubtedly infused with the Brazilian music of her youth and regular family visits. She found inspiration in “the percussion, the melodies, chords - and particularly the poetic juxtaposition of tragedy and beauty held within the lyrics”. By the age of 15 Naima was embedded in the music scene of South-East London, slotting into a group of like-minded friends writing and playing music. This led to the creation of Goat Girl, the band she toured the world with playing bass and singing alongside her school friends. After six years, Naima decided to leave Goat Girl to try something new. In the intervening years she set up a gardening company and started a degree at University College London in archeology because, as she jokes, “I liked being near the ground”. During this time she was writing music, playing guitar, and learning violin. She was also introduced to producer and arranger Joel Burton through Josh Cohen and his label, Memorials of Distinction. Over the time he and Naima worked together, Joel’s burgeoning interest in Western Classical music, global folk music, experience in large scale arrangement and orchestration informed the collaborative process that eventually culminated in Giant Palm.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNaima had been writing songs for years without any strong idea of where to take them. However, over a gradual process of rehearsing and performing with Joel, the compositions began to settle into something more concrete. It wasn’t until restrictions began to ease post- lockdown that they were able to focus on getting the songs finished and recorded. Fortunately, Dan Carey of Speedy Wunderground offered his spare studio space in Streatham, in south east London, free of charge. Informed by a desire to create music that was considered and intentional, they spent the month leading up to the recording expanding the arrangements, to be performed by a large and varied group of musicians - with Joel scoring parts and recording the synth and electronic elements in advance. Once they managed to schedule slots for the more-than 30 musicians on the record - the expansive yet delicate arrangements were brought to life and captured with the help of engineer Syd Kemp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNaima loves the collective voice of traditionals that belong to everyone. She’s recently found a home for this passion in her role in the ever-shifting line-up of South-London folk collective Broadside Hacks, but it’s long been a way for her to explore her own artistry. She learned to play guitar and violin through these songs, but she also found her voice in them. “All the other representations that I’d had of singing felt so unattainable” she recalls, but in folk music she found that singing can take on so many forms without the need to exactly replicate something. Here, qualities that make her voice unique were able to flourish. This is present all through her music, as well as a feeling of community and the sharing of ideas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten over the space of years, each of Naima’s songs represents a snapshot of a specific feeling, of brief moments in Naima’s life that make up a larger whole. “I never change lyrics” she says, “even if I don’t relate to them anymore, I related to them once which means someone else could, somewhere”. Whether that’s in the playful humour of ‘Campervan’, the peaceful exhale of ‘Giant Palm’ or in the darker moments like in the stark, self-critical honesty of ‘Every Morning’, whatever the form it’s always laid bare. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere’s also a feeling of clarity to the songs, which Naima largely credits to the fact that many of them were written while walking. She finds inspiration in the meditative and revealing nature of long walks with a fixed but far-off destination. “There’s a stripping away that takes place”, she says, the slowing of thoughts by the rhythm of walking is often to thank for the sharp focus of her lyrics. Be that during a period of three years where she would return to Spanish pilgrimage network Camino de Santiago for weeks at a time, or simple hours spent in the English countryside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Naima Bock","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919905284275,"sku":"ohf1788122425504","price":13.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919905317043,"sku":"uyf1788122425505","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919905349811,"sku":"odk1788122425506","price":7.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/giant-palm_1.jpg?v=1788122430"},{"product_id":"there-is-a-light","title":"There is a Light","description":"","brand":"Rose Windows","offers":[{"title":"7 inch","offer_id":45919905382579,"sku":"ica1788122433807","price":4.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919905415347,"sku":"pxy1788122433808","price":1.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/there-is-a-light_1.jpg?v=1788122437"},{"product_id":"spirit-stereo-frequency-re-issue","title":"Spirit Stereo Frequency (Re-issue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE ALBUM SLEEVES HAVE SLIGHT DENTS\/DINGS, HENCE THE PRICE! THESE ARE FINAL SALE, UNLESS THERE ARE PLAYBACK ISSUES\/THE ACTUAL VINYL IS DAMAGED IN TRANSIT.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNewly reissued!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDave Scher and Jimi Hey hail from Los Angeles, California and are founding members of the psychedelic country-minded Beachwood Sparks. In between leaving the group in ’97 and rejoining in 2002, Jimi also turned up in groups such as The Rapture, Tristeza, Strictly Ballroom, and Glass Candy and The Shattered Theater. The two have also moonlighted as members of Lilys. After completing the Beachwood Sparks tour of summer 2002, Dave and Jimi joined forces to create All Night Radio, a band in which they could throw off the musical shackles, so to speak. The boys have tuned in to what they have dubbed the “Spirit Stereo Frequency” an Omnichronistic Music Source coming in non-stop, on bandwidth signals from the sun; a collision of displaced sound styles from the present, past, and future: soulful ’70s sounds, haunting ghost voices, the excitement of psychedelia, the flashing lights of bioluminescent sea creatures, the majesty of surfboarding, the spirit of B-boy culture, the mighty warmth\/deep echoes of Jamaican dub reggae, the power of pop songcraft, the inevitability of robot consciousness etc… are all of equal importance, ya dig? So do tune in , and your molecules will remember the sound of yet to come!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"All Night Radio","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919905546419,"sku":"tqi1788122436895","price":15.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/spirit-stereo-frequency-re-issue_1.jpg?v=1788122452"},{"product_id":"endless-rooms","title":"Endless Rooms","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhile initial ideas for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEndless Rooms\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e were traded online during long spells spent separated by Australia’s strict lockdowns, the album was truly born during small windows of freedom in which the band would decamp to a mud-brick house in the bush around two hours north of Melbourne built by the extended Russo family in the 1970s. There, its 12 tracks took shape, informed to such an extent by the acoustics and ambience of the rambling lakeside house that they decided to record the album there (and put the house on the album cover). For the first time, the band self-produced the record (alongside engineer, collaborator and old friend, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMatt Duffy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e). The result is a collection of songs permeated by the spirit of the place; punctuated by field recordings of rain, fire, birds, and wind. \"It's almost an anti-concept album,\" says the band. \"The \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEndless Rooms\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e of the title reflects our love of creating worlds in our songs. We treat each of them as a bare room to be built up with infinite possibilities.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919905743027,"sku":"exj1788122463110","price":14.72,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":45919905775795,"sku":"bpb1788122463111","price":15.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919905808563,"sku":"pcj1788122463112","price":8.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919905841331,"sku":"ijy1788122463113","price":6.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919905874099,"sku":"xvp1788122463114","price":7.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/endless-rooms_1.jpg?v=1788122470"},{"product_id":"songs-without-jokes","title":"Songs Without Jokes","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs you can probably glean from that gleaming album title above, Bret McKenzie—whom you know from such modern musical treasures as comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, the Muppets movie reboots and other ace family-film soundtracks, Lord of the Rings fan blogs, guest songs for The Simpsons, cycling around the streets in his native New Zealand, and more— has a new solo record coming out filled with songs that ARE NOT COMEDY SONGS! For members of the press, we thoughtfully provide some irresistible story headlines below, for Bret’s sake and your convenience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Kiwi Flies, and Solo!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Songs From One Bloke\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Three (Con)chords (Minus Two Conchords) and the Truth\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Uh-Oh! Rhymenoceros on the Loose!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Bretty or Not, Here He Comes\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere. Now doesn’t that feel better? Sometimes it helps just to get it out in the open. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo, yeah, Bret’s a ridiculously funny dude, and you might even call him one of the best comedy songwriters in the biz. He’s had smash hits, he’s won major awards, he’s the better-dressed part of his duo...he’s got a good thing going! So, what gives with this whole “songs without jokes” solo stuff, man? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Post-Conchords, I’d been working on songs for the Muppets films, and during a session I had the thought that it would be fun someday to work on some songs that weren’t for someone else, that doesn’t have to tell a story or be funny or continue the narrative plot, checking all the boxes for the character in the movie,” McKenzie says. “I thought it’d be fun to do a record like that, something different. It started as kind of a side project; it’s not like I’m trying to start a massive solo career or change the world with music. But now it’s turned into a full record and therefore requires quite a bit of time. It turns out it’s quite a big job, putting out a record. Why did no one try to stop me?” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Conchords landed McKenzie and Jemaine Clement a hit HBO TV show, a BBC Radio series, chart-topping records, world tours, a Best Comedy Album Grammy, and a 2018 “reunion” special and accompanying live album, Live In London. McKenzie then transitioned to Hollywood, writing songs for 2011’s The Muppets (winning a “Best Original Song Oscar” for “Man or Muppet”), 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted, along with films in the Pirates! and Dora canons. But while he both enjoyed and excelled at the work, he also endured the tedium accompanying all that plot-bound specificity, and began wondering what directions his songs might go if set truly free. He had already noticed his writing vocabulary expanding organically, something he attributed to the emotional needs of the films. And so, while in Los Angeles a few years back, recording movie music with a crack assemblage of legendary session musicians, McKenzie started playing around with a tune or two he had written simply as songs—songs without any external direction, songs without plot-pushing concerns, songs without jokes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“My songwriting had started to open up a little bit,” he says. “We were writing songs all the time in Conchords, but they were always based on a gag. Then the movie stuff often required more story and character, so sometimes what might be a funny song also had to be an emotional moment. I wanted to do some songs that didn’t have to be anything for anyone else, songs that could just exist. It’s kind of bizarre, because 99 percent of songs are like that—there’s only about 10 people who write comedy songs. So mostly this was just me wanting to write songs that didn’t have to do anything apart from be a song.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdding to his successful track record writing and performing across most genres of pop music, McKenzie is a fan of wry, literate artists like Harry Nilsson, Steely Dan, Randy Newman and Dire Straits. He’s a talented player of multiple instruments and a veteran of several non-comedy bands in New Zealand back in the day, most notably the reggae-based fusion group The Black Seeds. Yet, while songs without jokes are just as much in his blood as those with, he recognizes that most people who know his work will arrive expecting a laugh. Hence, the album’s title. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“When I tell people I’m doing an album, they hit this wall: ‘Is it comedy?’ I’ve been working on it for two years, so I’m well past that, but until people hear it, it’s harder for them to wrap their head around what I’m doing.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten mostly during the quieter moments of 2019, with his life split between work in Los Angeles and his family in Wellington, the songs of Songs focus on themes of escape, the perpetual search for peace, and navigating a life being pulled in multiple directions at once. There are also simple meditations on driving through a city, and the weather. McKenzie was inspired by the path his aforementioned idols like Newman and Nilsson had paved, where a silly or playful number could be sandwiched directly between a song about heartbreak or an earnest redemption and a scathing satire or character commentary. He threw a bit of everything into the mix, recording ideas on his phone at home in New Zealand after the kids had gone to sleep. Upon returning to LA, he would play the sketches for his longtime producer and collaborator, Mickey Petralia, who helped McKenzie identify the best moments, then together they would add parts and shape the songs. From there, longtime film collaborator Chris Caswell created charts for that same ensemble of session players with whom they’d recorded so many pieces for film. The majority of songs were then recorded at United Studio in Los Angeles in just a few takes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I love working in the studio with those guys, this older generation of LA session musicians, these Wrecking Crew type legends,” McKenzie says. “They’ve played on everything, it’s insane —Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Lionel Richie, everything. It’s quite old-fashioned; the band all get a chart and sit there and play the song two or three times and you’re done. It’s a bit like directing actors. I’ll say ‘This song should have a bit of a Steely Dan vibe, or, it feels like LA freeway music” and Dean, the guitarist, just goes, ‘Yeah.’ And we’re cracking up because it turns out Dean is one of the guitar players from Steely Dan. All those session guys are such a trip.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If You Wanna Go” charges out of the gates like a classic Randy Newman kiss-off served sunny-side-up, with an instrumentation that somehow manages to sound contemporary and vintage all at once. “A Little Tune” is a vampy, barroom piano romp with a great big smile, loads of style, and nary a yuk. And the driving, synth-laced rhythmic pulse and bathroom stall wisdom of “Dave’s Place” offer a sense of groove and strong, understated vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dire Straits record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile the album may be free of traditional punch lines, it doesn’t lack a sense of humor. It showcases a new stage of McKenzie’s career, to be sure, but one that isn’t so far removed from his past work and true artistic self. Like Jim Henson before him, who made a career of blending the silly with the sincere and the playful with the profound, McKenzie also aims to connect rainbows to the ridiculous. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"docs-internal-guid-04d87ba4-7fff-238d-d805-4c30c327f1a1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’m becoming way more comfortable in my own skin with songs that are a bit more personal. At first, I felt a little naked singing a song about how I’m not sure what to do with my life— compared to writing for fucking Kermit the Frog—but I’m getting more comfortable now with  the heartfelt. Instead of going for a laugh you’re creating these cool little moments. I love comedy songs but I don’t put a comedy record on while hanging out; I don’t drive around listening to standup, I listen to regular music. So it feels right to finally make a record of music I might want to listen to.” \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bret McKenzie","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919906300083,"sku":"pgz1788122481638","price":18.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919906332851,"sku":"ofx1788122481639","price":8.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919906365619,"sku":"eoa1788122481640","price":6.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/songs-without-jokes_1.jpg?v=1788122486"},{"product_id":"chopper","title":"Chopper","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSmash cut to Kiwi Jr.’s third album, Chopper, overseen by trusted pilot Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs) on storied Sub Pop Records. Turning nocturnal with necks mock turtle, our Local Kiwi Jr. takes neon flight off the digital cliff - like The Monkees starring in Blade Runner; like Michael Mann directs Encino Man. Ten songs with synth shimmer, zen gongs with yard strimmer. The signs along the highway read “LESS BAR, MORE NOIR AHEAD.” Ah, those late summer, Joe Strummer, Home on the Range Rover Blues.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThere's a melancholy to all forms of flight, and the view out the Chopper is as hazy as it gets: mission-oriented, both stealth and self-realized. This album is decidedly (yet almost secretly) anti-patio-sunscreen-Beach Boys bachelor cruise sing-a-long. Sure, these songs let a little light through the blinds, but they sting insomnia, corrupt mayors, Kennedy Curses, sex tapes, and deer rifles. Chopper is the bird's eye view of the big event - a real nighttime character of oil stain, film grain, search light, night flight. It is muscular and fragile; loud yet quiet: both an observer and somehow the observed spectacle itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhat was slack in the slacker phase, got tauter, with lacquer glaze. Slick gloss, rightened wrongs; murdered boss, promoted\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epawns. With Boeckner transmitting high-voltage shocks upon every reach for a familiar instrument, Kiwi Jr. expands the palette with string machine song, synthesizered oblong, and Dentyne Classic Menthol vocals from area soprano Dorothea Paas (US Girls, Badge Epoch Ensemble) like the missing piece all along.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKiwi Jr. brings the Chopper to a new space, demilitarizing the technology just like flasks, aviators, and cargo shorts. Graceful in the air above, but when the Chopper lands, there's chaos on the ground. Kiwi Jr. shout, “Look Out!” When it gets close, it'll blow the hat right off of your head.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHold onto your hats, Babies.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e—---\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKIWI JR. is Jeremy Gaudet vocals and guitar, Brian Murphy guitar, Mike Walker bass, Brohan Moore drums, and everybody played a little bit of keyboard.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Kiwi Jr.","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919906431155,"sku":"nvo1788122491328","price":14.72,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919906463923,"sku":"bjc1788122491329","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":45919906496691,"sku":"vca1788122491330","price":6.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919906529459,"sku":"kdt1788122491331","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/chopper_1.jpg?v=1788122496"},{"product_id":"when-the-wind-forgets-your-name-skateboard","title":"When The Wind Forgets Your Name Skateboard","description":"\u003cp\u003eA stunning Built to Spill skateboard! Ride it or hang it on your wall, the choice is yours!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSize: 8.5 inch\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArt by Alex Graham.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Built to Spill","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45919906627763,"sku":"hzl1788122506290","price":31.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/when-the-wind-forgets-your-name-skateboard_1.jpg?v=1788122512"},{"product_id":"youre-weird-now","title":"You're Weird Now","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen NYC-based experimental dance punks Guerilla Toss, active since time immemorial aka 2011, were in Vermont recording their new full-length album \u003cem\u003eYou’re Weird Now\u003c\/em\u003e, frontwoman Kassie Carlson would prepare what she called 'punk lunch': a communal meal made by raiding the studio fridge for whatever was left and assembling a sandwich from the most random ingredients imaginable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegularly joining punk lunch were two legends from their own corners of the weird music world: Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, The Jicks) and Trey Anastasio, Phish guitarist and owner of The Barn; the recording studio where Guerilla Toss were making You’re Weird Now, with Malkmus in the producer’s seat. Engineer Bryce Goggin, who has worked with Malkmus since Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and Ben Collette, Phish’s longtime engineer at The Barn, were also part of the crew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the idea of the guy from Phish and the guy from Pavement sitting around with Guerilla Toss, congenially assembling sandwiches from random foodstuffs dug up from the depths of a studio fridge, might seem absurd, it also makes total sense. Because really, if there’s any band that serves as the natural bridge between slacker punks who saw Pavement way before you did, wild-eyed wooks who’ve seen Phish more times than you ever will, and even the eccentrics in ’90s drip following former GT tourmates Primus—it’s Guerilla Toss. A band so imaginative and unapologetically themselves, they’re basically the real-life manifestation of a utopian, post-snob world where all musical ideas are worthy of expression and everyone is welcome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou’re Weird Now\u003c\/em\u003e powers this message. Guerilla Toss’ fifth album and second for Sub Pop is a hugely creative and joyful statement about the joy of creativity. With \u003cem\u003eYou’re Weird Now\u003c\/em\u003e Guerilla Toss reclaim the word “weird” for everyone brave enough to let their freak flag fly and stay true to their artistic vision no matter what—a way riskier act than it’s ever given credit for, and one that requires a certain amount of serene self-confidence that it takes time and effort to cultivate and sustain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSerene self-confidence defines \u003cem\u003eYou’re Weird Now\u003c\/em\u003e. In many ways, it’s Guerilla Toss at their most quintessential. The energy is still high, but there’s a new clarity behind it, with each musical choice crafted for maximum impact. Drummer Peter Negroponte half-jokingly calls the album “Guerilla Toss’s Greatest Hits that didn’t exist until now”, and honestly, it rings true. “As a band, we’re always trying to reinvent ourselves,' he says. “But with this record, instead of asking what we haven’t tried, because we’ve done a lot of crazy stuff, we asked, what have we done that’s the strongest? And how can we build on that? Let’s dig into our own musical history and try to make the best parts even better.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe record opens with 'Krystal Ball,' a charging, feel-good pop anthem featuring an industrial breakdown and a boingy-sproingy hook so catchy, it feels impossible you haven’t already lost your mind to it at some DIY festival, shouting along with Carlson as she declares, 'I’m so sorry! I came to party!' Next comes 'Psychosis Is Just a Number,' a no wave, skronk anthem about staying present in the chaos, giving post-punk Pylon meets The Contortions, and a healthy obsession with the No New York Compilation produced by Brian Eno. A standout moment arrives with 'Red Flag to Angry Bull,' which builds to a campfire sing-along-worthy outro featuring Malkmus and Carlson duetting over a chatty, classically Phish-y (there’s really no better word for it) solo from Anastasio. The band notes that the humble Anastasio was both shocked and honored when asked to contribute, proof that even music legends can feel like outsiders deep into their careers. The resulting cacophony of voices is triumphant and joyful, underscoring music’s power as a mode of expression and connection—communication at its purest and most free-flowing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf it’s trendy now for rock-adjacent bands to add ambient, electronic, bubblegum, jungle, and dance elements into their music, it’s worth remembering that Guerilla Toss has been doing the genreless thing from the start, and they’re still doing it on You’re Weird Now, an impeccably stacked “14-layer cake” of musical ideas, to quote Carlson. Take the ice-cream-for-breakfast sugar rush of “Life’s a Zoo,” a breathless song about overstimulation that itself gleefully overstimulates by cramming a million sonic hairpins into its snappy run-time, everything sewn together with a zippy chiptune hook that’ll pixelate your brain. Negroponte notes that the song has so many disparate influences that Malkmus mentioned the impossibility of pinpointing a single one. “That’s winning,” he says proudly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMalkmus’ laid back production style allowed GT the space to trust their own instincts, a lesson that Carlson found very meaningful. “His incredibly relatable down to earth approach to music and trusting yourself as an artist had a massive effect on this album and myself as a musician,” she says. “Working with Malkmus, Bryce Goggin, Trey Anastasio, touring with Primus—all of that made me realize that what I’m doing is not wrong. The work is clear, important, and necessary. It's not always easy or clear in direction or purpose, but creating, making, performing music is vital to my life, and a healthy earth.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“These people have been doing this forever, and they've internalized that they are musicians and their artistic choices are right for them and they believe in them,” she continues. “It’s really just realness and being true to yourself—whatever that means for you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe band hopes the message of \u003cem\u003eYou’re Weird Now\u003c\/em\u003e will resonate not only with music heads but anyone who struggles with feeling weird in a world where it will always be hard to be different. At the end of the day, it’s all about the spirit of punk lunch: there’s room for everyone because music is for everyone. “Everyone loves and appreciates music,” says Carlson. “If you don’t like music, you’re kind of an asshole.” That’s not weird—that’s just true.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Guerilla Toss","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919906660531,"sku":"wno1788122510194","price":16.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919906693299,"sku":"ioq1788122510195","price":9.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919906726067,"sku":"jto1788122510196","price":6.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/youre-weird-now_1.jpg?v=1788122515"},{"product_id":"youth-crew-sweatshirt-logo-black-wlight-grey","title":"Youth Crew Sweatshirt Logo Black w\/Light Grey","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a YOUTH SIZED crew sweatshirt for kids, not for adults. 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Frontman Ian Richard Devaney has become prodigious in expanding what synthesizer-driven music can evoke, such that his output is as much an extrasensory journey as it is an all-too-human destination. With that experience in mind, he wrote the band’s fourth album — the spectral, spacious Dance Called Memory — in the most humble of ways: chipping away at melancholia by sitting around and strumming his guitar. “It’s a great way to distract yourself,” he says, “when you are depressed.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNation of Language’s first two albums, Introduction, Presence (2020), and A Way Forward (2021), came as pandemic godsends: gorgeous, relatable soundtracks to our collective doldrums. But it was their last LP, Strange Disciple (2023), that catapulted the group from cultural standouts to critical darlings, with the album being named Rough Trade’s Album of the Year. With that release, Pitchfork wrote that the band “are learning what it means to get bigger and better.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is Devaney’s calling: soulfully translating individual despair into a comforting, collective mourning. This uncannily pervades the album. The single “Now That You’re Gone,” which radiates and reverberates with a devastating wistfulness, was inspired by witnessing his godfather’s tragic death from ALS, and his parents’ role as caretakers for this ailing friend. “To be a caretaker — transforming your home into a kind of hospital wing and structuring your life around the dire needs of another — is such a difficult, powerful act of love and friendship,” Devaney says. “It’s made more difficult by our economic system that doesn’t seem to value this in any way commensurate with how hard it is.” At its heart, the song is a reflection of how friends can be there for each other, and also highlights a theme throughout the record: the pain and lost promise of friendships that fall apart. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis concept is echoed in the track “I’m Not Ready for the Change,” referencing the psychic dyspepsia that repeatedly reincarnates throughout our lives. Says Devaney: “I came across a photo from a party — it was filled with couples that were no longer together, friends who had gone their separate ways. It wasn’t from very long ago, but the sheer impossibility of such a gathering struck me in the heaviest way. Sometimes it feels like the pages of life’s book are turning faster than you can comprehend them.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn approaching the recording of Dance Called Memory, the band once again collaborated with friend and Strange Disciple producer Nick Millhiser (LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!). “What’s so great about working with Nick is his ability to make us feel like we don’t need to do what might be expected of us, or to chase any particular sound,” says synth player Aidan Noell, who, along with bass player Alex MacKay, rounds out the Nation of Language lineup. As a result, they imbued Dance Called Memory with a shifted palette — sampling chopped-up drum breaks on “I’m Not Ready for the Change” for a touch of Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine, or smashing all of the percussion of “In Another Life” through a synthesizer to cast a shade of early-2000s electronic music.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUltimately, the hope was to weave raw vulnerability and humanity into a synth-heavy album. “There is a dichotomy between the Kraftwerk school of thought and the Brian Eno school of thought, each of which I’ve been drawn to at different points. I’ve read about how Kraftwerk wanted to remove all of the humanity from their music, but Eno often spoke about wanting to make synthesized music that felt distinctly human,” Devaney says. “As much as Kraftwerk is a sonically foundational influence, with this record I leaned much more towards the Eno school of thought. That this thing should be as unvarnished and warm as possible. In this era quickly being defined by the rise of AI supplanting human creators I’m focusing more on the human condition, and I need the underlying music to support that.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite the heavy themes at its core, Devaney insists, “Instead of hopelessness, I want to leave the listener with a feeling of us really seeing one another, that our individual struggles can actually unite us in empathy.” \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nation of Language","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) LP","offer_id":45919907512499,"sku":"pfj1788122550592","price":14.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":45919907545267,"sku":"uul1788122550593","price":9.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919907578035,"sku":"wma1788122550594","price":7.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/dance-called-memory_1.jpg?v=1788122555"},{"product_id":"severe-exposure-deluxe-edition","title":"Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eSub Pop marks the 30th anniversary of Six Finger Satellite’s sophomore album, Severe Exposure, with an expanded double-LP edition of the album. In addition to the original album, Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition includes a bonus 12” of the 1994 Machine Cuisine EP, and a download of 17 additional songs, including rare singles, compilation tracks, and unreleased material. All the material has been freshly mastered by JJ Golden, and the vinyl is packaged in a lovely slipcase with individual jackets for each LP. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormed in 1990 in Providence, Rhode Island by J. Ryan (singer\/keyboards), John MacLean (guitar), Peter Phillips (guitar), Chris Dixon (bass), and Rick Pelletier (drums), Six Finger Satellite quickly signed to Sub Pop for the Weapon EP. Shortly thereafter, they released their landmark 1993 debut, The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird, and then, in 1995, Severe Exposure. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSevere Exposure foreshadowed the early ‘00s revival of post-punk and synth-oriented rock by adding synths to the band’s caustic, tense post-punk sound. At the time Trouser Press wrote that \"'Rabies (Baby’s Got The)' and 'Simian Fever' are animal aggressive and messy, while sharing the synthetic digitone lusts of new wave.\" And the SF Weekly praised it as “a party record, the kind you slip on at that inevitable point when you want 'certain people' to head home.\" And it is Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav’s favorite Six Finger Satellite album! In his words: “I’m always surprised at how much I love it and how important it was to us throughout our development as a band.” Severe Exposure is the band’s best selling album, and it was recorded by the band at their own studio, The Parlour, in Providence, RI. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Six Finger Satellite","offers":[{"title":"Loser (color) 2xLP","offer_id":45919907971251,"sku":"jtq1788122557714","price":30.82,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":45919908004019,"sku":"bwb1788122557715","price":7.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/3558\/3667\/files\/severe-exposure-deluxe-edition_1.jpg?v=1788122565"},{"product_id":"up-on-gravity-hill","title":"Up On Gravity Hill","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith time, we come to understand the way the joy of connection is mirrored by the void of loss, how the constancy of love is matched only by the impermanence of life, the simple idea that we could not create light if we did not risk the dark—we’d never need to.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo it is with METZ, a band once known for blowing out eardrums with songs of joyous rage who have, over their past few records, begun exploring ways to turn abrasiveness into atmospherics, the evolution of their sound not only a reflection of the maturing of the band themselves but also of a changed world that demands nuance and compassion to comprehend and to survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was a journey already underway on 2020’s Atlas Vending, but one that reaches new heights on Up On Gravity Hill, where the Canadian trio creates a kaleidoscopic sonic world as tender as it is dark, aided once again by engineer Seth Manchester (Mdou Moctar, Lingua Ignota, Battles, The Body). Deep, detailed, and unyieldingly personal, it is not only METZ’s most powerful record to date but also their most beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStill three punks from Ontario at heart, guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, drummer Hayden Menzies, and bassist Chris Slorach waste no time as opener “No Reservation\/Love Comes Crashing” sweeps in like a wave, sonically and thematically setting the scene for the record to come. A dynamic song about feeling suspended in stasis, layers of dissonance melt into a restlessly heady outro marked by escalating crescendos of shimmering noise that reach for the stars—and is that a violin quivering brightly beneath those elegant swells of guitar, those charging drum fills, those intricate bass lines? It is indeed, courtesy of composer Owen Pallett; his presence an immediate indicator that METZ are thinking more cinematically than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe change is partially inspired by Edkins’ work as a scorer for film and television and his pop-leaning solo project, Weird Nightmare, where, he says, he learned to write more intuitively, letting his emotions lead the way. “The lyrical content is more heart-on-sleeve than I've ever allowed myself to do,” he says. “I tried to be direct with my words, this record felt like a big step.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut make no mistake: Up On Gravity Hill is a total band effort, the work of three musicians who have been playing together for over a decade, with all the trust that entails. “We’re at the point now where we feel really strong as a band and as musicians, and there is no second guessing our collective instincts. Allowing ourselves to branch out and work with other musicians has been a blessing and also continues to remind us that what we have, our musical bond, is very rare and really special.” says Edkins. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor those who believe in the power of the rock band to exemplify the highest resonance of human connection, there is much on Up On Gravity Hill to lift the spirit, a puzzle worth repeated listening to unlock or just to get lost in again and again. Rather than the music being flattened into a single plane, the band explores “the space above the cymbals,” resulting in some of the most spacious, sympathetic, and accessible songs—could we call them pop?—of their career. If this seems contradictory, well, METZ has always been something of a contradiction. “We’ve never been heavy enough for metal or hardcore purists, but we're way too heavy for indie rock. We just don't have a lane—and that's okay. We exist outside the lines of delineation. 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