Hannah

The Blue Angel Lounge release video for Desolate Sounds

On 30th June, The Blue Angel Lounge release their third album, A Sea of Trees on Anton Newcombe’s  (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) ‘A’ Recordings label (Dirty Beaches, Dead Skeletons, KVB).  Anton joined The Blue Angel Lounge on stage in support of their last record, and most recently invited them to support them on The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s 2012 American tour.
 
Since the release of their previous album Narcotica, the band have been garnering international acclaim, touring the US, UK and France with the Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and also making appearances at the Austin Psych Fest and Roskilde.
 
A Sea Of Trees sees the band blossom into its own, incorporating the experimentation of their most recent EP and single releases (“Ewig” 2012, “Walls” 2013).  From the very first moment of A Sea Of Trees, the epic opening track ‘Winter’ wastes no time sonically detailing where the band has been. The band’s weapons of choice; guitars coupled with harmonium, and singer, Nils Ottensmeyer’s powerful Nico’esque vocals culminate in genre-bending territory belonging to them alone.

The Blue Angel Lounge formed in 2006, after meeting at school in their German village Hohenlimburg near the Rhine River.  Led by singer, Nils “O.” Ottensmeyer and Dennis Melster, the band took their name from the club in New York City that offered Nico her first live performances in America.  Nico and The Velvet Underground remain an underlying influence on the band. 

Stereogum premieres new video from Secret Cities

Secret Cities announce the release of their new album, Walk Me Home, out this summer on Western Vinyl (Ava Luna, Dirty Projectors, Nat Baldwin).  Walk Me Home is the 3rd LP from Secret Cities and follows their acclaimed 2011 release Strange Heartsand 2010’s Pink Graffiti.   Recorded in 10 days at SF’s Tiny Telephone with Jay Pellicci(The Dodos, Deerhoof, Erase Errata) manning the controls, Walk Me Home is the result of the most spontaneous, democratic, and visceral recording of the band’s life.

Started by Marie Parker and Charlie Gokey at the tender age of 15, the members of Secret Cities have never lived in the same city in their 9 years of making music and touring together.  After they released Strange Hearts, the three members set off in different directions.  Marie became a teacher in the band’s spiritual home of Fargo, ND. Charlie became a civil liberties attorney in D.C. Alex Abnos became a journalist in NYC. Time passed and the band decided it was time to come together again and enter a real studio where they could play and record together in real time.  

Walk Me Home is a supreme reflection of their live chemistry and diverging lives and musical tastes.  Bringing in band member influences ranging from soul masters like King Floyd & Dr. John to Roy Orbison and using the band’s unique dual vocalists Marie and Charlie to their utmost advantage, Secret Cities created a record with great originality and range.   As it is, it took years of traveling in different directions for Secret Cities to make an album that brought them closer together than ever.

Walk Me Home is released 23rd June 2014 on Western Vinyl.

BIRD release video to A War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ8l-PLLb9o

After releasing two EPs (one of which was produced by composer and ex-The Coral guitarist, Bill Ryder-Jones) and continually touring the UK, BIRD have gained a large loyal following and garnered praise from all corners, including BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 6Music and have even been invited to play sessions for Simon Raymonde (The Cocteau Twins/Bella Union).  The Guardian, Metro, NYLON, NME, Q Track of the Day, TLOBF  and Channel 4 are just some who have featured the band.  They recently played at the BBC6Music Festival, and are currently on tour in Europe supporting Rodriguez playing to sold out venues of 3,000!

Support slots with Wild Beasts, Soley, King Charles, PINS, Poltergeist (Echo and The Bunnymen), Stealing Sheep and Rodriguez have cemented BIRD as a formidable live presence.  They were invited in 2013 to play at Festival Number 6, The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City.  
 
Retaining the atmosphere and dark heart of their early EPs, and combining this with melodic hooks, stark lyrical imagery and intensely-layered soundscapes –  the band utilise instruments such as harp and theremin to add to their unique sound.   

UK Tour dates
2nd June – Joiners, Southampton
3rd June – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
5th June- Broadcast, Glasgow
6th June – The Compass, Chester
9th June – Basement, York
10th June – Bodega, Nottingham
16th June – Birdcage, Bristol
17th June – Crauford Arms, Milton Keynes
18th June – Railway Inn, Winchester
19th June –  Hoxton Bar & Grill, London
21st June – First Chop Brewery, Manchester
19th July – Astral Coast Festival, New Brighton, Wirral
1st- 3rd August – Kendal Calling – The Lakes

Giuda unveil latest video, 'Yellow Dash' and announce London gig

Giuda (pronounced JEW-DA) are an Italian five-piece band from Rome, born from the ashes of one of the finest European punk rock groups, Taxi. They play the most exciting kind of retro-sounding pub rock and junk shop glam and they have the look of true working class heroes (boots, polos, chequered shirts, leather jackets and short or shaved hair).

Giuda will be releasing a limited edition 7” single of ‘Yellow Dash’ taken from their second album Lets Do It Again on 19th May. The b-side is an exclusive track entitled ‘Kukulcan’. The Damaged Goods version of this 7” is on yellow vinyl and and limited to 1000 copies only.

“They’ve ram-raided the vaults of 70′s glam, punk and rock ‘n’ roll to make a foot-stomping, fist pumping riot of sound that has the scenesters, the punks and rockers and young and old in attendance going nuts!  Giuda are the best band we’ve seen in years!”  

– Vive Le Rock

Stereogum premieres video from Jerry David DeCicca's forthcoming solo album

Understanding Land is the debut album from Jerry David DeCicca and will be released on 2nd June 2014.   After five critically-acclaimed albums with Columbus, Ohio’s The Black Swans, the last of which, Occasion For Song, served as a eulogy to the late Noel Sayre – the friend and violinist who DeCicca formed the band with –  it felt like a good time to begin a new journey. The 10 songs which make up Understanding Land, were written in London after 5 months of touring and traveling the US, Spain, Portugal, and the UK.  What began as demos, turned into an album when they were shared with double bassist Andy Hamill(Mark Murphy, Natacha Atlas, Tracey Thorn).   Andy added bass and some gypsy slides.  DeCicca sent tracks to pals Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Kelley Deal(The Breeders) and they both came back with sweet harmonies.  The legendarySpooner Oldham (Muscle Shoals, Dylan, Neil Young) played Wurlitzer on 3 songs in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.The first single, ‘First And Last’ features the two Oldhams (unrelated) together on a track for the first time.  “It’s a gentle acoustic ballad that matches the easygoing imagery in Matt Bauer’s video, which finds DeCicca peacefully drifting around his new hometown of New Braunfels, Texas by land and sea.” Stereogum.
Everyone you hear on the album (except Spooner who cheated and used a real studio, The NuttHouse in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) recorded the tracks in their home, themselves.  Once the digital world allowed everyone to be gathered together, it was mixed in Austin, Texas by Grammy winner, Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, Phosphorescent, Loretta Lynn, White Stripes).