Electronic project NADJIA celebrates 25 years of releasing music with their new single ‘Spy vs Spy’, a biographical song commemorating the life of frontman and founder M’s father, who passed from COVID-19 in December of 2020. The track is a continuation of NADJIA’s Bat-O-Matic, their full-length album being released one song at a time. ‘Spy vs Spy’ is the second single.
While M handles lead vocals, percussion, samples and synths, he is joined by Angela Denk on the track. Denk, who sings and plays guitar for Chicago rock project Pretty Cliques, lends her vocals on the hook. NADJIA cofounder Paul Jansen sings backup and provides a symphonic touch with the violin, and Johnny McAndrew—of Baton Rouge’s goth rock group Kali Yuga—plays guitar.
“I wanted to capture the truly cinematic scope of remembrance on this track. There’s no way to encapsulate a whole life inside one song, but I wanted to give the feel of that sweeping span of time if possible, and I feel like Paul’s strings really brought this there,” said M.
The single comes out as both audio and video. The video, a black and white visual nod to mid 20th century espionage films, was directed by New Orleans visual artist Opus Mercury.
Having put their lockdown Argonaut side-project Videostore to bed with a one-off live show, Nathan and Lorna Argonaut have resurfaced under a new guise. It’s similar to the Videostore format – simple, lo-fi indie, and if there was ever any question over their no-budget ‘bedroom’ credentials, then the video for this first offering – which is as much Toyah and Robert as anything else – is all the evidence you could want.
It’s neat, simple, catchy, and as usual exploits the contrasting dual vocals over fizzy guitars and aa primitive drum machine. The lack of pretence is disarming, and it’s a solid tune – and clocking in at under a minute and a half, it really is as no-frills as 3p beans and 19p loaves of bread back in ‘95.
Acclaimed Nordic Dark Folk artist Sowulo reveals the third single and lyric video "Æt wega ġelætan", from the upcoming new studio album "Wurdiz", set for release on September 9th through By Norse Music.
"Æt wega ġelætan" is a powerful song about crossroads and choices.
Faber Horbach comments: “Whenever fate is pulling you into an unexpected direction, a path that you didn’t plan to take, it can be quite a shock. Feelings of resistance, doubt and fear can surface, but there is only one way to deal with this and that is to be courageous and wander forward into the unknown. We are all weavers of our own life paths. We all use the spindle to create our threads. To make our threads, we can pick the wool of our own choosing, or the one that destiny wants to hand us. Which one will you use for the tapestry of your life?’’
About the album: "Wurdiz", the proto-germanic word for destiny, is all about the dance between fate and free will and with these songs, Sowulo’s founder and multi-instrumentalist Faber Horbach intentionally connects to fate and let it incite him to become a weaver of his own destiny.
The album is about fate as the unfolding turning of events and the journey of becoming aware of one’s own threads within the tapestry of life. As the twelve songs unfold, the replicas of historical instruments in combination with modern-day instruments and production techniques confer to "Wurdiz" a powerful and cinematic sound that takes you on a journey within. While the carnyx, lyre, nyckelharpa, Irish bouzouki, Celtic harp, and blow horns create echoes from the distant past; throat singing, spoken incantations and powerful vocals tell the stories on a deep emotional level, accompanied by bombastic percussion and strings.
Celestial North’s luminary new single ‘The Nature Of Light’ was inspired by her studies as a Herbalist and by the concept of The Light Of Nature, which she describes as, ‘innate knowledge imbued within us all and accessed through intimate, synergistic and intuitive relationships within our natural kingdoms’. Surging with a pulsing life force of wonderful cosmic pop: woven with bubbling beats, sci-fi keys, fragments of arpeggio and imbued with a euphoric rush of dreamy melodies that invoke the spirit of pagan folklore and our connections with nature and inner hope. The song features her young daughter Iris Bluebell and was written to inspire her children to walk into an unknown future with courage and love in their hearts.
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Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland Celestial North is a talented, multi-faceted musician and songwriter with her songs regularly played on the BBC Introducing show. Her reworking of R.E.M.’s ‘Nightswimming’ – recorded for a God Is In the TV Zine charity album last year, received national radio play with BBC Scotland’s Roddy Hart proclaiming it “Majestic”. The release was included in Bandcamp’s Essential Releases with ‘Nightswimming’ chosen as the Editorial Director’s personal highpoint. Following a run of early singles Celestial North was touted by Under The Radar and God Is In The TV as ‘One to watch in 2021’ and one of the ‘finest new acts for 2021’, Celestial North is currently recording her debut album which will be released in September 2022.
Last month, Mat Ball (BIG | BRAVE) announced his first full-length solo album, Amplified Guitar, arriving on The Garrote on 1st July on all formats.
Today he shares the entrancing and moving video for second single, ‘To Catch Light III’. Filmed and edited by Joshua Ford at The Garrote HQ in Illinois using the most simple elements, this video presents a remarkable visual analogue to the economy and elegance of the music and provides an astounding physical account of the sound.
Having recently stood transfixed watching Ball wring notes from his guitar and similar setup while on touch with BIG | BRAVE, this video is both mesmerising and representative of that experience. Calling to mind the expansive guitar workouts of Dylan Carlson’s solo work, ‘To Catch Light III’ hints towards and album that’s rich, textured, immersive.
Watch the video here:
Recorded at Hotel2Tango by Godspeed’s Efrim Manuel Menuck, Ball performed each of these beautiful songs in a single take. Plucking, strumming, bowing, or just slowly moving an electric guitar of his own construction in front of an array of amps, Mat Ball managed to expertly coerce some very deeply moving music from very little.
Additionally, Mat Ball shall release a book, Accidents (with orders via www.thegarrote.com and Bandcamp). Operating as a visual analog to the Amplified Guitar LP, the work in Mat Ball’s book Accidents is also based on chance: chance in discovery, chance in process, or chance in accidental results. Whether found at rest and documented in that natural/untouched state, or assembled/touched by Ball’s hand, the aleatoric element in each piece is vital. First edition limited to 100 copies.
VALBORG have unveiled a visualiser for the first single ‘Sehnsucht nach Unendlichkeit’ ("Longing for Infinity") that is taken from the German sludge monster’s forthcoming album Der Alte ("The Old One"), which has been slated for release on September 9.
Watch the video here:
VALBORG comment: "The working title for ‘Sehnsucht nach Unendlichkeit’ was ‘Techno’ due to our use of a steady kick drum", vocalist and bass player Jan Buckard explains. "The tune originates from the idea of writing a super simple song regarding its structure, but with rather complex and deep harmonics. In this respect, ‘Sehnsucht nach Unendlichkeit’ can be regarded as an experimental piece from our end, which turned out to be worthy to be picked as the first single. The title is actually derived from the name of a spaceship in one of Alastair Reynolds’ hard science fiction novels."
Experimental metal group Imperial Triumphant release their new song and music video for ‘Merkurius Gilded’ (ft. Kenny G and Max Gorelick) via Century Media Records.
Yes, you read that right: Kenny G. I shit you not.
‘Merkurius Gilded’ follows the release of the band’s debut track, ‘Maximalist Scream (feat. Snake/Voivod)’, taken from Imperial Triumphant’s forthcoming full-length album Spirit of Ecstasy out on July 22nd. The album will be released as Ltd. CD Edition (Mini-Gatefold), Gatefold 2LP & LP-Booklet and on all digital platforms.
Spirit of Ecstasy follows the band’s previous LPs 2020’s Alphaville, 2018’s Vile Luxury and most recently their 2021 live record, An Evening With Imperial Triumphant, which was recorded at the infamous Slipper Room in New York City. Just like its predecessors, the album features a handful of special guests including Kenny G on soprano saxophone, Max Gorelick on lead guitar, Snake on vocals, Alex Skolnick on lead guitar, Trey Spruance on lead guitar, Andromeda Anarchia with choirs, Sarai Woods with choirs, Yoshiko Ohara on vocals, J. Walter Hawkes on the trombone, Ben Hankle on the trumpet, Percy Jones on bass, SEVEN)SUNS on strings, Colin Marston on Simmons drums and Youtube, and Jonas Rolef on vocals.
Watch ‘Merkurius Gilded’ here:
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IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT ON TOUR:
w/Nero Di Marte:
June 14 – Zagreb, Croatia – Klub Mocvara
June 15 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Klub Gromka
June 16 – Vienna, Austria – Viper Room Vienna
U.S. Headline Shows:
July 29 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
July 30 – Youngstown, OH – Into the Darkness Fest
July 31 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
European Headline Dates/Festivals:
August 10 – Jaroměř, Czechia – Brutal Assault
August 12 – Oxfordshire, England – SUPERNORMAL FEST
August 13 – Manchester, England – The White Hotel
August 14 – Glasgow, Scotland – Stereo
August 15 – Belfast, England – Voodoo
August 16 – Dublin, Ireland – The Grand Social
August 18 – Somerset, England – ArcTanGent Festival
An innovative and expressively poignant collaboration between composers Marc Canham and DuoTone, ‘Black Mass’ hearkens to a mysterious and enigmatic art, where fragile quietude melds with foreboding and pulsating tension.
Consisting of four cello-led pieces, ‘Black Mass’ is an EP that explores the varied sonic capabilities of this emotionally charged instrument. Lyrical, textured and percussive, the performances of DuoTone are manipulated and transformed into a kaleidoscope of submersive sound accompanied by Canham’s shadowy electronic textures and twists.
Watch the video for ‘Parallel Worlds’ from the EP here:
A complementary pairing, Canham and DuoTone are musical visionaries seeking to break down supposed genre boundaries to explore new aural terrain. ‘Black Mass’ radiates with their pioneering ability, resulting in an emotionally profound and exquisite landscape of dark ethereal beauty.
Canham’s bespoke methodology has never been constricted by compositional archetypes, instead continuously remoulding auditory spectrums where the acoustic and the electronic synchronise. This has resulted in a magnificent output of film, TV and game soundtracks, including an array of acclaimed works such as the scores for cult thrillers ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed’ (starring Gemma Arterton) and ‘I Care A Lot’ (starring Rosamund Pike), for which Canham won an ASCAP Screen Music Award. He also scored Channel 4’s ‘Deceit’ (starring Niamh Algar).
Multi-instrumentalist DuoTone (the moniker of Barney Morse-Brown) has an unorthodox approach to his work, displaying an incredible versatility in his use of guitar, percussion, voice and cello that has resulted in otherworldly yet intimate soundscapes. A master of melancholic arrangements, he has an uncanny ability of inviting listeners into his very own contemplative and introspective realm. In addition to his solo career, he is no stranger to musical collaboration and has toured, performed and recorded with award winning artists such as Birdy, Maya Yousef and Robert Plant.
Based in Toronto ON, Alt-Punk four-piece Napoleon has been attracting attention from fans and media alike within their local Toronto scene since they formed in early 2018. The band has managed to develop an impressive resume in the short period of time they have been active, performing alongside bands such as Like Pacific and Single Mothers just to name a couple, and collaborating with members of fellow Canadian bands such as Silverstein, The Dirty Nil and Rarity.
In a world where most bands are choosing to go a more safe and radio-friendly route, on their new single and MGW Records debut, ‘Fullsize Problem’ (out now), Napoleon is at their angriest and heaviest yet, without losing any of the trademark pop-sensibility that fans have now grown accustomed to. This single only further proves that Napoleon is a band that requires your attention, and as Alt Press said, “Toronto should be proud of these up-and-comers.”
French experimental punk / hardcore trio, Birds In Row have been at the forefront of their genre for a decade. Their lauded 2012 debut You, Me & the Violence released on Deathwish Inc. rocketed them from Laval-based unknowns to the world’s stage. Their exceptional 2018 follow up We Already Lost the World was an unyielding inferno of brazen ideas. It screamed for mutual respect in a world of increasingly extreme political divides, and used the vehicles of punk, post-hardcore and post-metal to carry its cries.
Sonically, they’re fearless. Lyrically, they’re as poetic as they are recusant. And live, they’re a ruthless force, matching the power of their music with boundless, must-see energy.
Today they return with an immediate and genre-bending epic, ‘Water Wings’. Its scraping guitar strums a ticking clock, counting down to the inevitable barrage of hardcore to follow. Of the single, Birds In Row tell, “The dreams that are imposed on us – of social success, accomplishment or, even, the vision of what happiness is – does not consider who we are or where we’re from. Those dreams aren’t ours, but are inherently ours. Being ourselves means struggling against these dreams that have been forced onto us.”
Check the visualiser vid here:
“Water Wings” comes alongside the news that the band have signed with Red Creek Recordings (founded by Johannes Persson of Cult of Luna and Alexis Sevenier from ORA Management) to release their third studio album later this Fall. Birds In Row have also announced a full October/November European tour. See below for a full list of dates. For more info go here… stay tuned for more.
Birds In Row Live Dates:
* w/ Cult of Luna
Sep 30 – Vitry-sur-Seine (FR) – Festi’Val de Marne
