by Philip Moss and Joseph Purcell
Spiritualized – I’m Your Man & A Perfect Miracle
At last! The welcome return of one of Britain’s most under appreciated musical creators: Jason Pierce and his band, Spiritualized. After consistently pushing the envelope, firstly in Spaceman 3 and then latterly in Spiritualized, Pierce has always been one of the most vital and creative voices in alternative music. Following on from 2012’s astounding Sweet Heart Sweet Light, and a back catalogue of incredibly consistent gospel infused masterpieces, the band announce their return with the album, And Nothing Hurt.
Fortunately for us, we are not only treated to one new track from Pierce and co, but two – with new label, Bella Union, dropping both I’m Your Man and the upcoming album’s opening track, A Perfect Miracle, this week.
New music also ultimately raises the prospect of live shows, and after a triumphant appearance at Primavera sound – accompanied by an orchestra and choir, as anyone who has previously seen Spiritualized live will attest, it is something that should not be missed.
A Perfect Miracle is out on Bella Union Records on 7th September.
Death Cab For Cutie – Gold Rush
Washington State natives, Death Cab For Cutie, return this week with the first single, Gold Rush from their ninth studio album, Thank You For Today, following 2015’s Kitsungi and the departure of founding guitarist Chris Walla.
With its Beck infused verses, new single Gold Rush features the tapestry of vocal harmonies and a left field drum sample from Yoko Ono’s Mind Train which shows why Death Cab For Cutie have been such favourites amongst many alternative music fans for nearly two decades.
Thank You For Today will be released on August 17th through Atlantic Records.
County Line Runner – Hard To Find
Ex-Lyrebirds main man, Adam Day, returns with Hard To Find– the first taste from his brilliant new project, County Line Runner.
Having spent time working with Felix White (The Maccabees) and Florence Welsh (Florence and the Machine), the Brighton based songwriter has collaborated on Hard To Find with Bill Ryder Jones (Hooton Tennis Club, The Wytches, Saint Saviour) at Liverpool’s acclaimed Parr Street Studios.
After opening with a Cheever-evoking piece of spoken word, this slab of anthemic 80s power pop is the perfect introduction to the world of County Line Runner- and, having been huge fans of Lyrebirds, we can’t wait to hear more as the year progresses.
Silverbacks – Dunkirk
Following last year’s superb Sink The Fat Moon EP, Dublin art-slackers, Silverbacks, are back with their new single, Dunkirk.
Produced by Daniel Fox of Girl Band, Dunkirk is a lurching piece of Pavement-inspired, stream of consciousness rambling where frontman, Daniel O’Kelly, imagines a post-apocalyptic society: ‘The song is about a character who is questioning the life they have been dealt. They find themself in a near dystopian future where Dunkirk, despite its history, has become a built-up holiday destination for young families.’
Dunkirk is out today through the band’s own label, PK Miami Records.
Villagers – A Trick of The Light
Alternative folk hero Conor O’Brien aka Villagers, this week give us a glimpse of fourth studio album, The Art of Pretending to Swim, with new track, A Trick of The Light.
Following 2015’s Darling Arithmetic, the Ivor Novello winning songwriter showcases once again his incredible ability to produce touching, lush sounding snapshots after writing, recording, mixing and producing the new record himself at his Dublin studio.
The video for new single was directed by Bob Gallagher, and Conor O’Brien spoke of the collaboration: “Myself and Bob got together and discussed the song thematically and came to the conclusion that there was no other option but to make a short film in which we follow a dishevelled shamanistic protagonist who mysteriously triggers an altered state of consciousness in everyone he meets, or at least believes that he does. We also wanted lots of dancing and to inspire a general feeling of “what the hell did I just watch?” in the viewer.”
The Art Of Pretending To Swim will be released on 21st September through Domino.
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