Die Goldenen Zitronen premiere video for ‘The Investor’

16 March 2016

Formed in Hamburg in the 1980s, Die Goldenen Zitronen have built their stature as a punk band, evolving into a seminal art punk collective. With eleven albums under their belt, they have been making music for three decades, and have partnered with many artists including Peaches, Wesley Willis, Chicks On Speed, Françoise Cactus (Stereo Total), Mark Stewart (The Pop Group), and Michaela Melián, to name but a few.

The end of last year saw them release Flogging a Dead Frog, a new album consisting of reworked songs from recent albums. These songs, originally sang in German, are offered in this album as instrumentals or in an English version. On the one hand, “its instrumental tracks emphasize the fact that the band’s sound has always been much more than a musical accompaniment for the unrelenting social commentary of singer Schorsch Kamerun”, explains the press release. On the other hand, it adds that other songs reworked in English “proves a consequent re-adjustment of the band’s political scope, opening discourse on matters that have desastrously proven to not be exclusively pertinent to Germany.”

‘The Investor’, originally ‘Der Investor’, taken from their 2013 album Who’s Bad, is one of the songs reworked in English. The collective have premiered a video to accompany it, directed by Ted Gaier, Katharina Duve and Timo Schierhorn. Watch it below, and if you have another minute or so, go dig the rest of the album, out now through Altin Village & Mine.

Carlos Niño & Friends set to release new collaborative album Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening! in April

15 March 2016

Carlos Niño is getting ready to drop Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening!, the fourth collaborative album off his Carlos Niño & Friends series. To bring the record to life, the Los Angeles based producer, composer, ensemble orchestrator, percussionist, DJ and mentor assembled a stellar cast of guest contributors, including Madlib, Kamasi Washington, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Iasos, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli, Dexter Story, amongst others.

Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening navigates through varied influences, from jazz and New Age to psychedelic and ambient music, and spans a few years. “I rarely throw anything away”, said Niño, “and in this case, a few pieces I’d started and archived were brought back to the forefront as they vibrationally matched with the project. There is overlap in space, time and sound with these records.”

Ahead of its release on April 22nd via Leaving Records, we can already hear the first taste from it, ‘It’s All Happening!’ featuring Madlib, Jamire Williams, Dexter Story, and strings by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Take a listen now.

Bibio releases new single ‘The Way You Talk’ featuring Gotye

14 March 2016

We’re getting excitingly close to the release of Bibio‘s new album A Mineral Love, due out on April 1st through Warp. He had already conquered our ears with ‘Petals’, ‘Feeling’ and ‘Town & Country’, all taken from the upcoming album. Bibio is enticing us again with the wonderful ballad ‘The Way You Talk’, also off A Mineral Love. The track marks his first collaboration, with Gotye guesting on vocals. Here’s what Bibio said about it:

“I first heard Gotye’s music when he approached me to remix what quickly became his hit single ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’. I was unfamiliar with him and his music before hearing that track, but I loved the track on first listen and by the second or third listen I was convinced that ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ was going to be a big hit, I was absolutely sure of it. There was just something about that track, the hook, the emotion, the lyrics but also his great voice, it all came together in a way that was something new but also something kind of familiar, a winning combination. Gotye himself has a unique voice but it also feels somehow familiar and I think this was one of the reasons why his track touched so many people.

A few years ago I had been playing around with this chord sequence that I came up with when playing my Wurlitzer electric piano. I became quite addicted to the sequence and slowly developed it over time. As it got more fleshed out and more nuanced, I started to hear potential in it as the foundation of a song. The line “But there’s something about the way you talk” just came out one day while I was playing the piano. I played around with the context of that line and added more lyrics bit by bit, omitting some along the way. The emotional nature of the track and the way I played the piano part seemed to lend itself to an 80s ballad type sound, something I have a bit of a soft spot for.

I did several versions of this track and when it became more developed, I started to imagine a different voice on it. Gotye specifically came to mind because that familiarity I talked about earlier felt like a good match for the track, I just imagined his voice working with the vibe of the track. I contacted him and he was keen to get involved, so I sent him the lyrics, instrumental and my vocal demo and he sent back his vocal parts, not just copying my vocals exactly, he added his own thing, his own nuances, which I loved instantly.”

Listen to ‘The Way You Talk’ below.

Orchestra Of Spheres announce new album and European tour

11 March 2016

We’re ecstatic to know that New Zealand’s Orchestra Of Spheres, who may well be the most inventive and outlandish band on the planet, are back with a new album. Brothers And Sisters Of The Black Lagoon follows their phenomenal 2013’s Vibration Animal Sex Brain Music and it arrives on May 13th via Fire Records.

The band have offered up ‘Trapdoors’ as the first taste of what’s to come and we’re in for a treat. Check it out below.

To celebrate the release of Brothers And Sisters Of The Black Lagoon, Orchestra Of Spheres are returning to the UK/Europe for a series of live shows. If you haven’t been to the frolic and energetic parties that are their live sets, you are missing out. Check out the full set of dates below:
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Kikagaku Moyo set to release new album House In The Tall Grass in May

10 March 2016

Tokyo’s psychedelic five-piece Kikagaku Moyo are gearing up to drop their new full-length album, House In The Tall Grass. Slated for a May 13th release via Guruguru Brain, the effort follows last year’s split 7” with Moon Duo.
Described as “perhaps the most refined example of their style to date”, the upcoming album sees the band continue to experiment and explore different genres and influences, from classical Indian music to Krautrock, from traditional folk to 70s Rock.

Ahead of the album’s release, Kikagaku Moyo have shared the sweet and serene first single ‘Kogarashi’. Vocalist/guitarist Tomo Katsurada explains how the song was born:

“I came up with the melody and rhythm of Kogarashi, when I was about to fall asleep at the park. It was a nice warm day in the Autumn to get stoned and pass out in the park. I remember I was surrounded by the multi-coloured dead leaves and felt warm when I woke up. But all of the sudden, Kogarashi (the Autumn wind) blew all of the leaves away. It was a beautiful and psychedelic Autumn moment.”

Listen to ‘Kogarashi’ below.

To celebrate the release of House In The Tall Grass, Kikagaku Moyo have announced an extensive European tour, kicking off in Berlin on May 20th and including a show at London Fields Brewery on May 26th. Check all their dates and other info here.

Colin Stetson shares new track from upcoming SORROW: A Re-imagining of Henryk Górecki’s 3rd Symphony

08 March 2016

As we had already mentioned, Colin Stetson has a new album on the way, one he envisioned for two decades. SORROW: A reimagining of Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony, is based on the Polish composer’s 1997 classic piece and it will see the light of day on April 8th on Stetson’s own 52Hz label via Kartel Music Group.
Following the staggering excerpt of ‘Mvmt I’, the Montreal based sax super-hero has shared another incredibly beautiful and poignant taste from the album, in the form of an excerpt from the third movement. Marvel yourself with ‘III (Extract II)’ below.

In other related news, Colin Stetson will grace UK audiences with a string of solo shows, including a London date on March 16th at Scala.

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