Three years from the release of Rispah, The Invisible are teasing their third album. The London trio have shared ‘Easy Now’, a funky new track recorded during the sessions for the upcoming album. Speaking about the track, frontman Dave Okumu said the following:
“George Clinton once said, “funk is anything you need it to be to save your life”. We have always agreed. Serenading the unseen has become easier now.”
We’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates on this. Now listen to ‘Easy Now’ below.
Los Angeles producer and singer-songwriter Seven Davis Jr released recently his debut album Universes via Ninja Tune. The killer feel-good track ‘Try Me (I’ll Funk You)’, featured in the deluxe version of the album, is the latest single to be lifted from it. Out now digitally, the single comes with a remix by Mono/Poly and you can listen to both cuts below. We dare you to sit still while listening.
Pagodes, the much anticipated third full-length album from Jono McCleery, is coming out this Autumn. The Rotterdam based British singer-songwriter has already enticed us with the beautiful first single ‘Age of Self’. McCleery is offering another magnificent taste from the album called ‘Clarity’. Here’s what he said about it:
“As with most of the songs on Pagodes, Clarity was an attempt to write a song that stood against the themes of winning, possessing, consuming, etc. and present an idea that if we could strip ourselves from all these ego-driven pursuits (and perhaps of our clothes too) and see what’s left with someone special, that our time would be better spent.
It’s ultimately about seizing the moment, listening to your heart, removing yourself from negative influence, immersing yourself in love, and finding clarity. But also acknowledging the idea that clarity is not something you just flat out achieve or possess, you just get closer to it sometimes. ‘The clarity is closer’.”
Lend your ears to ‘Clarity’ now and be sure to grab Pagodes when it’s out on October 2nd via If Music.
Last month we heard the beautiful ‘Tears of Unicorn’, the first single taken from Masayoshi Fujita‘s upcoming album Apologues. The Berlin based Japanese vibraphonist has unveiled another beguiling track from the album called ‘Moonlight’. Fujita plays and uses the vibraphone in an unusual way and this track saw him place bead strings on the bars to create an ambient shimmer. Listen to it below and grab Apologues when it’s out on September 11th via Erased Tapes.
Formed in the early 80’s, Normil Hawaiians were a South London collective with an aesthetic informed by the social, economic and political context of the time. With an ever-changing line-up, Normil Hawaiians responded to and reflected on the state of the society then, under the harsh Thatcher government policies. With a couple of album releases under their belt, 1982’s More Wealth Than Money and 1984’s What’s Going On, the band went on to write and record a third album in the winter of 1985/86 called Return of the Ranters. Guy Smith, Simon Marchant, Alun ‘Wilf’ Williams, Noel Blanden and Jimmy Miller, who made up Normil Hawaiians at this time, had to go separate ways before the album ever got released. Thirty years on, Return of the Ranters is finally coming out. The project got the attention of Upset The Rhythm, who scoured the vaults for the original tapes to be remastered and will release the record for the first time on October 23rd. The effort is described as “lucid, candid, politically engaged, rarely metronomic but always humane, tired but still fighting”.
To celebrate the long-awaited release, Normil Hawaiians are reuniting for a one-off show at the Lexington in London on October 24th.
Here’s a great taste of what’s to come, the album’s opening track, ‘Sianne Don’t Work In A Factory’.
In other related good news, Upset The Rhythm are also working on reissuing Normil Hawaiians’s debut album More Wealth Than Money and its follow-up What’s Going On. These reissues will be paired with liner notes, bonus tracks, rehearsal takes, rarities and singles. We’ll keep an eye out for updates on this.
Maverick Finnish accordionist and composer Kimmo Pohjonen has announced the follow-up to Uniko, his 2011 collaborative album with Kronos Quartet and Samuli Kosminen. The new full-length, Sensitive Skin, arrives on September 25th in Europe and October 9th in the US via Ondine‘s sub-label Octopus.
With Sensitive Skin, Pohjonen continues to push boundaries, exploring and creating innovative and inimitable compositions. To bring the album to life, Pohjonen invited a stellar cast of guests to lend a hand including Kronos Quartet (string quartet), Tuomas Norvio (electronics), Samuli Kosminen (drums, percussion), Timo Kämäräinen (guitar, bouzouki), Sami Kuoppamäki (drums), Arto Järvelä (nyckelharpa), Inka and Saana Pohjonen (vocals), Ismo Alanko (vocals) and Lauri Porra (bass).
Here’s what Pohjonen said of Sensitive Skin:
“This is the first album where I had enough time to plan and record at a comfortable pace and in my own studio, allowing the music to emerge more organically and exactly as I wanted. Additionally, the vocal contributions by my daughters Inka and Saana were a big influence on the way the music and album were shaped, created and arranged. I am more than satisfied, even thrilled with the results.”
Ahead of the album’s release, Pohjonen has shared the first phenomenal taste in the form of ‘Cyclon’. We can’t wait to hear more.
