London's Dry Cleaning are set to release their debut album this Friday, but we can check out a new single before then. "Unsmart Lady" is a guitar noise heavy spoken word rant about body image. The monotone spoken vocals are reminiscent of The Velvet Underground, and the guitar riffs are straight from Geffen era Sonic Youth. Basically, it's elements of my college years mixed together, possibly just for me. Aside from "Unsmart Lady" bringing up memories of my college radio show, it's going to be beloved by many people that aren't me. It's hypnotic and aggressive in a way that demands you listen. Dry Cleaning aren't a band you listen to in the background. This is headphones on or full volume in your car listening.
Lyricist Florence Shaw says of the new song:
“’Fat podgy, non make-up’ – I was thinking about these things that are supposed to be a source of shame about your appearance and wanting to use them in a powerful way. Just trying to survive when you feel knackered and put-upon and shit about yourself, but you say, ‘I don’t care what I’m supposed to be.’”
You can watch the video for "Unsmart Lady" below. New Long Leg is due out April 2 on 4AD. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Dry Cleaning, check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
To celebrate their fortieth anniversary (a year late), legendary indie label 4AD are releasing a compilation album of current artists covering classics from 4AD's discography. One of the covers is Tune-Yards covering The Breeders' iconic "Cannonball." If you're familiar with Tune-Yards and "Cannonball," you already have a picture in your head of what this sounds like, and if you do you're exactly right. "Cannonball" is one of the more odd 90's alt-rock smash hits, and Tune-Yards weird the song up in a way that only they can. It's more of an electronic version, sped up and a little more frantic. Plus, the famous guitar riffs are performed by Merrill Garbus acapella in a way that is reminiscent of Petra Haden. It's a fun cover that updates the thrill we felt when we first heard this oddball classic.
You can listen to Tune-Yards' take on "Cannonball" below. Bills & Aches & Blues is due out digitally on April 2, with physical formats available on July 23. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Tune-Yards, check out the artist's website.
One of the very few good things to come out of quarantine is that bands are starting to dig around their archives for unreleased music. Big Thief are the latest with "Love In Mine," an outtake from their 2019 album Two Hands. Big Thief diehards are sure to know the song, as it appeared as the b-side on a 7" the band mailed to fans when they announced Two Hands. "Love In Mine" is beautiful. It's a quiet little folky song that borders on ethereal but is far too grounded. As with all Big Thief songs, the focus is Adrianne Lenker's vocals. She has a way to just draw you in and hold you with her voice, which has never sounded as warm and inviting as it does here. You can listen to "Love In Mine" below. Big Thief is also offering up demos they recorded in February 2018 on their Bandcamp to raise funds for their road crew who are obviously currently out of work. Demos Vol. 1 - Topanga Canyon, CA - Feb 2018 is available here. For more on Big Thief, check out their website.
Big Thief is set to release their second album this year next week. You might think that they might be spreading their material a bit thin and the upcoming album would be leftovers from the first. Judging by the previous single and "Forgotten Eyes," they were saving the best for this month. "Forgotten Eyes" is exactly what we want from Big Thief: It's a mixture of equal parts beauty and discomfort. It's folk adjacent indie rock that feels important and lovely while working through some pain and negativity. It's this play between the light and the dark that makes Big Thief truly great. You can listen to "Forgotten Eyes" below. Two Hands, the new album from Big Thief, will be out October 11 via 4AD. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Big Thief, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the song.
Wed. Oct. 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel (SOLD OUT) Thu. Oct. 10 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT) Fri. Oct. 11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT) Sat. Oct. 12 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground (SOLD OUT) Sun. Oct. 13 - Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre (SOLD OUT) Tue. Oct. 15 - Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe (SOLD OUT) Wed. Oct. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre (SOLD OUT) Thu. Oct. 17 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre Fri. Oct. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Metro (SOLD OUT) Sat. Oct. 19 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee Mon. Oct. 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Thu. Oct. 24 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom (SOLD OUT) Fri. Oct. 25 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre (SOLD OUT) Sat. Oct. 26 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre Mon. Oct. 28 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore (SOLD OUT) Tue. Oct. 29 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater Wed. Oct. 30 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory Fri. Nov. 1 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom (SOLD OUT) Sat. Nov. 2 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Mon. Nov. 4 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre Tue. Nov. 5 - Dallas, TX @ Trees Thu. Nov. 7 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Fri. Nov. 8 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom (SOLD OUT) Sat. Nov. 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer (SOLD OUT) Sun. Nov. 10 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT) Mon. Nov. 11 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre Mon. Feb. 17 - Lisbon, PT @ LAV Tue. Feb. 18 - Porto, PT @ Hard Club Wed. Feb. 19 - Madrid, ES @ Joy Eslava Thu. Feb. 20 - Barcelona, ES @ La 2 de Apolo Sat. Feb. 22 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Sun. Feb. 23 - Milan, IT @ Magnolia Mon. Feb. 24 - Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne Tue. Feb. 25 - Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage Thu. Feb. 27 - London, UK @ Hammersmith Apollo Sat. Feb. 29 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Sun. Mar. 1 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Mon. Mar. 2 - Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket Thu. Mar. 5 - Brussels, BE @ AB Ballroom Fri. Mar. 6 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sat. Mar. 7 - Cologne, DE @ Luxor Sun. Mar. 8 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich Mon. Mar. 9 - Berlin, DE @ Astra Wed. Mar. 11 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega Main Hall Thu. Mar. 12 - Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik Fri. Mar. 13 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Sat. Mar. 14 - Olso, NO @ Rockefeller Sun. Mar. 15 - Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall
Confession time: As much as I absolutely loved Big Thief's 2016 debut Masterpiece, I just wasn't able to get into Capacity or U.F.O.F. Those albums were fine, but they just didn't grab me the way their first album did. I know, I know... I'm probably wrong. Somehow they're set to release a fourth album in the fall, and if the first single is any indication, I'm going to be very happy with this new one. "Not" reminds me of Masterpiece. It goes back to that beautiful yet noisy rock epics I came to love from Big Thief. "Not" sounds like it could break apart at any moment, but it keeps on chugging along, gaining momentum without the tempo speeding up. Plus, it climaxes with one of the most epic J Mascis worthy guitar solos I've heard in years. You can listen to "Not" below. Two Hands, the upcoming album from Big Thief, will be available October 11 via 4AD. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Big Thief, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the song.
Wed. Aug 14 - Saint-malo, FR @ Route du Rock Fri. Aug 16 - Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival Sat. Aug. 17 - Wales, UK @Green Man Festival Mon. Aug. 19 - London, UK @ Bush Hall Wed. Oct. 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel Thu. Oct. 10 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Fri. Oct. 11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT) Sat. Oct. 12 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Sun. Oct. 13 - Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre Tue. Oct. 15 - Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe (SOLD OUT) Wed. Oct. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre (SOLD OUT) Thu. Oct. 17 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre Fri. Oct. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Metro (SOLD OUT) Sat. Oct. 19 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee Mon. Oct. 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Thu. Oct. 24 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Fri. Oct. 25 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre Sat. Oct. 26 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre Mon. Oct. 28 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore (SOLD OUT) Tue. Oct. 29 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater Wed. Oct. 30 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory Fri. Nov. 1 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom Sat. Nov. 2 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Mon. Nov. 4 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre Tue. Nov. 5 - Dallas, TX @ Trees Thu. Nov. 7 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Fri. Nov. 8 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom (SOLD OUT) Sat. Nov. 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Sun. Nov. 10 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Mon. Nov. 11 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre Mon. Feb. 17 - Lisbon, PT @ LAV Tue. Feb. 18 - Porto, PT @ Hard Club Wed. Feb. 19 - Madrid, ES @ Joy Eslava Thu. Feb. 20 - Barcelona, ES @ La 2 de Apolo Sat. Feb. 22 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Sun. Feb. 23 - Milan, IT @ Magnolia Mon. Feb. 24 - Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne Tue. Feb. 25 - Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage Thu. Feb. 27 - London, UK @ Hammersmith Apollo Sat. Feb. 29 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Sun. Mar. 1 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Mon. Mar. 2 - Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket Thu. Mar. 5 - Brussels, BE @ AB Ballroom Fri. Mar. 6 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sat. Mar. 7 - Cologne, DE @ Luxor Sun. Mar. 8 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich Mon. Mar. 9 - Berlin, DE @ Astra Wed. Mar. 11 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega Main Hall Thu. Mar. 12 - Gotheburg, SE @ Pustervik Fri. Mar. 13 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Sat. Mar. 14 - Olso, NO @ Rockefeller Sun. Mar. 15 - Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall
This might be the song that makes me obsessed with Torres. "Helen in the Woods" isn't exactly a pleasant listen, but for those of us obsessed with bands like Sonic Youth, unpleasant isn't a bad thing. The song is very discordant and haunting. Mackenzie Scott's vocals are harsh and brash, oftentimes straining to get her emotion out. Listening to "Helen in the Woods" can be disturbing at times, like something is being done to you. Somehow, the instrumentation keeps it all centered. I wouldn't say the music is beautiful, but it comes oddly close to it at times. I never quite got when people compared Torres to PJ Harvey, but this song clears that up for me. "Helen in the Woods" won't be for everyone, but for those of us that it is for will end up loving it.
You can watch the video for "Helen in the Woods" below. The new album from Torres, Three Futures, will be available September 29 on 4AD. For more on Torres, check out her website.
Last month we brought you Torres' first single on 4AD, and last week her 4AD debut was announced along with a new song. "Three Futures" is a slow, slow build. Dominated by strings and driven by electronic sounding drums, it's a sluggish song that doesn't gain any speed, but builds intensity. It's not a nice song in the pretty sense. It's a bit uncomfortable and foreboding in the best possible way. Torres' voice adds to the mood of the song. She's never had a traditional sound to her voice, and "Three Futures" is the best example of her vocal talents. You can watch the video for "Three Futures" below. Torres' 4AD debut, also called Three Futures, will be out September 29. For more on Torres, check out her website.
We really liked Torres's 2015 album, Sprinter. When I saw her play at Great Scott in support of that album, I meant to write about it (but never quite got around to writing about it) and say that she was really good, but the performance was a bit uneven. That night, Torres was at the cusp of being great, but not quite there yet. Based on her new song "Skim," I'm pretty sure she's there. "Skim" isn't a huge leap musically from any of the songs on Sprinter. It might get a wee bit more experimental and odd at some points, but nothing completely out of left field. "Skim" just feels different. Mackenzie Scott (Torres's non-stage name) seems to be playing and singing with a newfound sense of confidence and is far more self assured. It reminds me a little of early Tori Amos mixed with St. Vincent. "Skim" is quirky without being too precious. I can't wait to hear what else she's been up to. You can watch the video for "Skim" below. Torres's new album will be released via 4AD. I don't believe there is a release date as of now. For more on Torres, including just announced tour dates, check out her website.
