Dad Rocks! set to release somophore album in September

09 July 2014

Dad Rocks! is the orchestral folk-pop project spearheaded by Iceland born, Denmark based multi-instrumentalist Snævar Njáll Albertsson. Following the 2011’s Mount Modern, the second album by Dad Rocks!, Year Of The Flesh, is set to be released on 29th September.
Feeling strongly about modern technology, specifically file-sharing and copyright issues, Albertsson references these in his lyrics. The album, just like his previous releases, is licensed under Creative Commons. Here’s what Albertsson said about ‘Major Labels’, one of the tracks featured in his debut album:

“It deals with the creative flow of the remix community, and how copyright laws stifle that flow. I feel a lot of different influences in my songs, and to me a lot of this music sort of already belongs to the public and to the culture. All we really do is write songs based on previous songs. This isn’t a strategy to spread my songs more, as we now have streaming services and what not – it’s more like a statement, that my music is part of something bigger than me.”

The heartfelt and wondrous ‘Body Mass Index’ featuring the Aarhus Brass Band is the second single to emerge from Year Of The Flesh. Listen to it below and grab your copy of the album via Dad Rocks!’ bandcamp.

No Land announces debut album, Negative Space, streams ‘City’

08 July 2014

No Lands, the project of Brooklyn based electronic musician and sound artist Michael Hammond, has announced the release of his debut full-length album, Negative Space. In the works for three years, Negative Space saw Hammond play most of the instruments himself. Mixed by Alexander Overington and mastered by Joe Lambert, the album also features guest cameos from Anthony LaMarca (The War on Drugs / St. Vincent), Aaron Roche and Jay Hammond.
Negative Space drops on July 29th via New Amsterdam. Ahead of it, No Lands has shared the first excellent single off it, ‘City’, one to listen to again and again. Speaking about the song, Hammond said it “was written about a life-altering phone call, in which I found out some devastating news. It’s about leaving a place, mentally and physically, and realizing you can never go back”. Listen to ‘City’ below.

Little Tornados launch crowdfunding campaign to release album on vinyl

08 July 2014

At the end of last year, we learnt about Little Tornados, a new band founded by activist and film maker David Thayer and Laetitia Sadier, with the addition of Bjoern Magnusson, Marlen Groher and Moritz Schaeder.
Formed through activism and “with aspirations to help end political tyranny wrought by capitalist greed and the self-serving sadists and fools who currently run our society” as they put it, the band’s songs embody their political engagement in terms of content.

We’ve known for a while that they have been working on their debut album, We Are Divine, due out on September 1st. Set to be released on vinyl, Little Tornados are now asking fans to help fund the pressing and production costs and have launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo. Some of the perks fans will receive in exchange for pledging include copies of the upcoming album, a private singing lesson with Laetitia Sadier and even getting to use their studio in Switzerland for a day. For a complete list of pledges, head over here.

Check out below the video for ‘Manifest’, written by David and Laetitia as the bands’ own manifesto. And to entice you further, after the video listen to another excellent song off We Are Divine called ‘Free Your Mind’. The text is taken from a Lorde’s Grammy award acceptance speech which was actually censored and didn’t air. The text used in the song is a fake version written by the satire site Snoopman News.

Tony Allen announces new solo album, drops first single featuring Damon Albarn

07 July 2014

October will see the release of Tony Allen‘s new solo album entitled Film of Life. The legendary Nigerian drummer has unveiled the first taste of it, ‘Go Back’, a marvellous and warm ballad featuring longtime frequent collaborator Damon Albarn on keyboards and vocals. The song pays tribute to the African refugees who fled to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Listen to it below and straight after check out the teaser video offering a sneak peek at the upcoming Film of Life. Enjoy!

Tony Allen’s Film of Life arrives in October via Jazz Village.

Zammuto’s second album arrives in September

07 July 2014

Zammuto have finally confirmed a release date for their hugely anticipated second album, Anchor. After leaving me psyched up with the three mind-blowing tracks they released last year as part of a crowd-funding campaign, the quartet led by Nick Zammuto have recently premiered the first official single, ‘Great Equator’.

Anchor is slated for a September 2nd release via Temporary Residence, and like their 2012 eponymous debut, Zammuto did all the recording, mixing and mastering at his own shed-turned-studio. “Anchor embodies the very DIY lifestyle and self-sufficient approach that has come to define all that is Zammuto”, describes the press release. It adds that “the arrangements have more space, the songs are more dynamic, and the vocals are delivered with a confident intimacy that is almost alarmingly beautiful.”

In support of the upcoming album, Zammuto have announced a string of live dates across the US, starting in New Haven, Connecticut on August 28th. We’re keeping our fingers and toes crossed for a European tour to follow later in the year.

Now listen to their excellent new song ‘Great Equator’.

Matthew Collings joins Denovali, announces new album release and debut album re-release

03 July 2014

Splintered Instruments, the debut album from Edinburgh based composer Matthew Collings, is being re-released by the ever wonderful Denovali Records on July 25th. Collings worked closely with frequent collaborator Ben Frost, who produced and engineered the album. There’s more to look forward to from Collings. The label is also releasing his brand new solo album, Silence is a Rhythm Too, on the same day.
Silence Is A Rhythm Too takes its title from a line from an 80’s song by The Slits called ‘In The Beginning There Was Rhythm’.
The album ”is about trying to find grace, space and expanse as much as tension and menace, and reconciling the two”, as the press release explains. It “keeps an eye on the small textural details as it is about harmony and physicality in the moment where silence and noise meet”.

‘Toms’ is the first tremendous cut to be lifted from Silence Is A Rhythm Too. Listen to it below, and straight after, check out the album trailer video.

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