Father John Misty has collaborated with British musician and producer The Haxan Cloak for a remix of “Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before the Revolution,” from Pure Comedy.  The rework strips the song of its lush instrumentation and glib tone.

The “…Revolution” remix follows the gorgeous, stop-motion video [watch here] directed by Chris Hopewell (Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch,” Run The Jewels’ “Don’t Get Captured”).  The song‘s apocalyptic themes and subtle humor are captured brilliantly throughout. The “…Revolution” video was constructed and filmed in three weeks at Jacknife Studios in Bristol, UK. Additionally, puppets and props from “…Revolution” were recently auctioned off and the proceeds will be donated to the Environmental Defense Fund.  

[Photo Credit: Guy Lowndes]

Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Father John Misty’s previously announced international tour schedule in support of Pure Comedy resumes this weekend with performances at End of the Road Festival on September 2nd and Electric Picnic on September 3rd. Father John Misty has also scheduled an interview and performance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on September 12th.
 
Sep. 02 - Dorset, UK - End of the Road Festival
Sep. 03 - Stradbally, IE - Electric Picnic [SOLD OUT]
Sep. 13 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Pavilion **
Sep. 14 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre **
Sep. 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Skyline Stage at the Mann **
Sep. 18 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall * [SOLD OUT]
Sep. 19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre *
Sep. 20 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre *
Sep. 22 - St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House *
Sep. 23 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre *
Sep. 25 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium *
Sep. 26 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium * [SOLD OUT]
Sep. 27 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle *
Sep. 29 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall * [SOLD OUT]
Sep. 30 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory *
Oct. 01 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall *
Oct. 02 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall *
Oct. 04 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre *
Oct. 05 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park *
Oct. 06 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park * [SOLD OUT]
Oct. 07 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre **
Oct. 11 - Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre *
Oct. 12 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl *
Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre *
Oct. 14 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theater Pomona *
Nov. 01 - Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall *
Nov. 02 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy *
Nov. 05 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo * [SOLD OUT]
Nov. 07 - London,UK - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo * [SOLD OUT]
Nov. 08 - London, UK - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo *
Nov. 09 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Dome *
Nov. 11 - Paris, FR - Le Trianon *
Nov. 12 - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique *
Nov. 13 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg *
Nov. 14 - Berlin, DE - Huxley’s *
Nov. 16 - Milan, IT - Fabrique *
Nov. 18 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz *
Nov. 19 - Madrid, ES - La Riviera *
Nov. 20 - Lisbon, PT - Coliseu dos Recreios *
 
* w/ Weyes Blood
** w/ Phosphorescent

Strange Peace, the excellent new METZ album, is available now from Sub Pop Records (Worldwide, ex-Canada) and Royal Mountain Records (in Canada).

In METZ’s new video for “Drained Lake,” director Shayne Ehman (who also directed the band’s video for “Cellophane”) highlights no less than the transient nature of time and space, through cutlery and kitchen wares. “Drained Lake” is one of the standouts from new METZ album Strange Peace, and the song is a propulsive, jagged thing; heavy 21st-century post-post-punk, with an infectious sea-sick synth line added for good measure.

What “The People” Are Saying About METZ ‘Strange Peace’

“few contemporaries can match their twin gifts for aural blunt-force trauma and canny, gnarly hooks.” [Strange Peace] - Mojo 

“Laden with hypnotic riffs and Alex Edkins’ delightfully coarse vocals, the album has a basement-to-radio quality. METZ maintains the relentless punk energy from their first two albums, but with a more accessible play-through; Strange Peace could serve as a comfortable introduction to noise punk....Born out of political defiance, punk rock is a necessary retort at this juncture; it can’t be dead, especially if METZ has anything to say about it.” - Stereogum

“Hardcore fans can rest easy knowing that METZ haven’t skimped on the nitrous-fuelled angst that has inspired legions of us to smash windows with our faces since 2012.” - Under the Radar

”Strange Peace is an album that just sounds great from front to back, consistently knocking it out of the park with heavy guitars, concrete drums, and basslines that threaten speaker systems everywhere.” - Northern
Transmissions

Strange Peace is available now from Sub Pop (worldwide) right here. Canadian fans can purchase the new record from Royal Mountain Records here. 

METZ Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Walt Wagner’s Reworks will be in stores November 17th, 2017.

Sub Pop will release Walt Wagner’s Reworks – an album of renditions popularized by the likes of Band Of Horses, DJ Shadow,  My Bloody Valentine, Prince, Fleet Foxes, Phoenix, and more – on November 17th, 2017. The veteran pianist recorded the songs live on October 9th, 2016 at the famed Canlis Restaurant in Seattle, Washington.  

Charles Darwin said it best: adapt or die. Okay, maybe that’s not an exact quote, but the great English scientist was definitely on to something. Organisms that respond over time to the ever-changing environment are more likely to survive and thrive.
 
While you may not find this crazy idea in Junior’s textbooks these days, it’s audible in every facet of Walt Wagner’s Reworks. With its distinctive renditions of songs popularized by DJ Shadow, My Bloody Valentine, Fleet Foxes, and more, this live recording of the beloved pianist’s farewell performance shows how three Seattle institutions – Wagner, Canlis restaurant, and Sub Pop Records – have evolved over the years.  

[Photo Credit: CreativeLive]

When veteran pianist Wagner first landed at Canlis in 1996, the Emerald City’s premiere destination for fine dining was in the midst of significant changes: a new chef, new uniforms, modifications to its iconic building overlooking Lake Union. That required a fresh approach to dinner music, too. “I knew what the status quo was, but the owners wanted new energy,” recalls Wagner.
 
Although he started out with a set heavy on the Great American Songbook and the occasional pop tune, that gradually gave way to more adaptations of modern fare. “Increasingly I kept working in more new, edgier music. In the beginning my sets were 90 percent standards. In the last few years, I was mostly playing very contemporary music.”
 
As young staff members recommended new artists and songs, Wagner’s repertoire grew deeper and more varied – especially after the next generation of the Canlis family took over in 2003. Yet whether the source material was Pink Floyd, Prince, Metallica, or the Weeknd, the challenge remained the same: “To distill the vibe on a record, the very essence of a song, into solo piano playing.” Performances as memorable yet tasteful as the cuisine, interiors, and views of Canlis.
 
One fateful night a couple years ago, Sub Pop CEO Megan Jasper and co-president Tony Kiewel were dining at the award-winning restaurant when they recognized melodies by Adele and Daft Punk wafting through the restaurant and decided to investigate. Canlis co-owner Mark Canlis offered the Sub Pop crew a full tour, and when he pulled out a vintage copy of the ’60s LP Live At Canlis, an idea was born. With Wagner preparing to retire, the time was ripe for a live recording that captured his inimitable gifts in their natural surroundings.
 
In preparation for the big night, Wagner sat down with Jasper and Kiewel for more ideas. “I wanted them to feed me tunes that they loved and could imagine hearing me play.” Sub Pop alumni Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses were already staples of Wagner’s sets, but what magic could he work with DJ Shadow, Phoenix, or My Bloody Valentine? He had three months to find out.
 
The album’s opening selection, “Building Steam with a Grain of Salt,” provides a glimpse into Wagner’s modus operandi. “The first time I listened to it, I said ‘well what can I do with that?’” he recalls. “But the more I listened, the more I noticed these signature moments in the song, and through messing around with those and improvisation, I ended up with my version.”
 
Recorded before a packed house on October 9, 2016, Reworks is more than just a souvenir of a very special evening; it captures decades of musicianship that forged Wagner’s distinctive style. At the age of six, he couldn’t keep his mitts off of the family piano – even though it was stored under a moving blanket in the basement. He studied classical piano throughout his youth, yet kept his playing secret until he’d reached his teens, when he began playing in rock bands.
 
While learning to improvise and play more rhythmically made him a hit with his peers, his classical instruction made his band the Exotics especially popular with local bookers. “We were one of the only bands that could read music, so we accompanied different stars of the time: Dick and Dee Dee, Johnny Crawford, all these ’50s and early ’60s artists that came to town.” The Exotics even cut a single, a Wagner original entitled “Oasis,” that made it to #3 on local radio station KJR in the summer of 1961.
 
In the years that followed, Wagner played at downtown Seattle watering holes and eateries including the Dublin House and Plaza Five, and refined his jazz chops. In the ’70s he began working on cruise ships and supporting entertainers like Bob Hope and George Burns. Two decades at Canlis taught him to interact with listeners in a whole new way. And now, flush with excitement over Reworks, Wagner may not stay retired for long.
 
“This record is totally out of the box for me,” he concludes. “It’s a totally new adventure, and I don’t know what kind of life it’s going to have. If it catches on, I could see myself making a lot more music in this style.”

Walt Wagner’s Reworks will be available on CD / LP / DL from Sub Pop and select independent retailers on November 17th, 2017. Pre-order it now here.

Reworks
Tracklist
1. Building Steam With a Grain of Salt (DJ Shadow)
2. I Only Said (My Bloody Valentine)
3. Desiree (The Left Banke)
4. Mykonos (Fleet Foxes)
5. 1901 (Phoenix)
6. Bondye (Goat)
7. No One’s Gonna Love You (Band of Horses)
8. Purple Rain (Prince)
9. The Funeral (Band of Horses)
10. Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks)

“…Their best yet,” ****  - The Guardian

“A dark and beautiful reunion record” - SPIN

9/10 - Drowned in Sound

[Photo credit: Shane McCauley]

Wolf Parade’s Cry Cry Cry, the band’s excellent fourth album, is available here now from Sub Pop, and in Canada from Universal Records via Wolf Parade’s webstore right here. Plus the album is streaming in all manner of digital services, including (but not limited to) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube.

 
In celebration of the album’s release, Wolf Parade have scheduled a Reddit “Indieheads” AMA for Friday, October 6th at 1pm PT, and the band will also appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 11th.

Wolf Parade Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Wolf Parade’s headlining international tour schedule resumes October 13th in Toronto at Phoenix Concert Theatre and now ends January 24th in Phoenix at The Van Buren. Barsuk Records act Charly Bliss, who are supporting the October 13th-27th shows (select dates), will also act as direct support, January 12th-28th (select dates).
 
2017 dates
Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre* [Sold Out]
Oct. 14 - Toronto, ON - The Baby G* [Sold Out]
Oct. 15 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom*
Oct. 16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Oct. 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer*
Oct. 20 - Boston, MA - Royale*
Oct. 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 22 - Washington, DC - Black Cat*
Oct. 24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall [Sold Out]
Oct. 25 - South Saginaw, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall*
Oct. 27 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue*
Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg
Nov. 17- Paris, FR - Petit Bain
Nov. 18 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
Nov. 20 - Dublin, UK - Button Factory
Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla
Nov. 22 - London, UK - O2 Forum
Nov. 24 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Orangerie)
Nov. 25 - Nancy, FR - L’ autre Canal
Nov. 26 - Basel, CH - Kaserne
Nov. 27 - Munich, DE - Hansa 39
Nov. 29 - Berlin, DE - Bi Nuu
Nov. 30 - Hamburg, DE - Gruenspan
Dec. 01 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Dec. 02 - Stockholm, SE - Strand
 
2018 
Jan. 12 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom *
Jan. 13 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market *
Jan. 14 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
Jan. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore *
Jan. 17 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre *
Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory *
Jan. 23 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park *
Jan. 24 - Phoenix, AZ  The Van Buren *
Jan. 26 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk *
Jan. 27 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall *
Jan. 28 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues*
* w/ Charly Bliss
 
Cry Cry Cry is now available for purchase worldwide from Sub Pop, in Canada from Universal Records and Wolf Parade’s webstore [link here]. LP purchases through megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in the U.S will receive the limited loser edition on creme colored vinyl (while supplies last). Wolf Parade will also have a special tour edition on transparent red vinyl available at shows (also while supplies last).  A new t-shirt design will also be available.


More on Wolf Parade’s Cry Cry Cry, “Valley Boy” and “You’re Dreaming”:

“Befitting the creative ambition of the group’s previous LPs, it serves as a full-throated burst of musical and thematic ideas. Goth-streaked album opener “Lazarus Online” pleads for survival and resiliency — “Let’s fight / Let’s rage against the night” — as its protagonists struggle to coexist with the darkness in their lives. “Valley Boy” storms and booms with glammy drama, referencing Leonard Cohen’s death as it waxes weary about the state of the world, while “Incantation” builds from a moody murmur to climactic cacophony. Cry Cry Cry is a big swing, artistically speaking, but it also dodges many of the pitfalls that face artists who try to chronicle an age of uncertainty and resistance without sounding ham-handed. Wolf Parade taps into the sound of modern disconcertment on Cry Cry Cry, but the album’s grandiosity is mostly restricted to the music itself — rousing, urgent, and always seeking out slivers of hope.” [“First Listen”] - NPR Music
 
“Cry Cry Cry is 21st century rock at its most delectably omnivorous [8/10].”  - Uncut
 
“Wolf Parade’s two singer-songwriters Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner have returned to provide an answer to the lingering question of what might have been. Cry Cry Cry is their most cohesive work yet, a blend of Springsteenian bar-room rock and Sparks-style operatics that holds together surprisingly well. The optimistic chug of You’re Dreaming would slot neatly on to the recent War on Drugs album, while the twisty chord progressions of “Who Are Ya” and “Artificial Life” nod to the band’s chaotic first album Apologies to the Queen Mary. A compelling exception to the “diminishing returns” rule that usually governs most band reunions.” [4/5] - The Guardian
 
“Though energetic, their danceable chassis and sprawling melodies nevertheless feel weary, as if constantly grinding against some looming, countervailing force. It’s true that wearied, furtive anthems have always been Wolf Parade’s thing, but they feel especially right for these enervating times.” - SPIN
 
“Cry Cry Cry is fully and completely a Wolf Parade record. The band not only sounds like itself, it sounds as good as ever.” [8.5/10] - Under the Radar
 
“Wolf Parade have always stood apart from their peers: always weirder, more complex and artier than the others with their dissonant punchy pop and gnarled edges…” -  London in Stereo. 
 
“Packed to the brim with stray melodies locked between the foreground and background that brighten the surroundings without stealing attention from the main action. Every note is meticulously functional, but displayed with a style of craft that rings miraculous rather than mechanical....The band plays it sharper and straighter than when we last left them, emphasizing economy in their experimentation and a professionalism in their power. It’s a cleaner, clearer direction after those previous albums. Importantly, it feels like a sustainable start to something new, hopefully something that’s here to stay — something this band can hold onto now that they seem ready to charge against everything that at one time had them on the run.” - Stereogum
 
“A colourful and melodic musical expansiveness… it finds them in rejuvenated form [4/5].”  - Q Magazine  
 
“Wolf Parade’s latest effort re-emphasizes the contrast between Boeckner’s raspy, emphatic vocal and Krug’s forlorn warble. Nearly every track on Cry Cry Cry starts simply with guitar, piano, or organ and layers in additional textures—horn blasts here, a flurry of electronic effects there—until the songs swell to kinetic, instrumentally dense climaxes [4/5].” - Slant
 
“This quartet’s first material in six years is a shimmering, bombastic blast.” - MOJO

“Cry Cry Cry really has just about every kind of song you’d want from a great Wolf Parade album. “You’re Dreaming” is one of Dan Boeckner’s finest driving, Springsteenian rockers, with a two-word chorus that reminds you how much Dan can excel when he takes a less-is-more approach. “Valley Boy” is Spencer Krug’s most singalong-ready song on the album, and it comes with one of his tongue-twister choruses: “Are you still a lover boy? / Are you still on the cover or / Did you become a valley boy out there?” - Brooklyn Vegan

Today our masterfully noisy friends METZ shared their official video for debut single “Cellophane.” As described by director Shayne Ehman, the visual depicts a sphere where “consciousness is split, and a world of contrast unfolds. The resulting disembodiment disperses one’s spatial awareness and new kinds of empathy develop. Two become three, and it’s only half the story.”

 
As previously shared, NPR Music is streaming METZ’s Strange Peace in its entirety via “First Listen” hear it here].  NPR Music’s Jason Heller says of Strange Peace, “Recorded with Shellac’s mastermind Steve Albini, Strange Peace is an album that doesn’t need to be explicitly political to make a statement about our current chaotic climate. The opening track, “Mess of Wires,” gallops out of the gate like a malfunctioning industrial robot, a tangle of mechanical riffs and Edkins’ oddly infectious chants. The band’s ability to inject melody into the weirdest of places is most striking on “Cellophane.” Slightly more laidback than the usual METZ song, it’s closer to a garage-rock anthem than a skin-peeling punk rager, and Edkins’ refrain of “How will I know? / How will I know?” is designed to lodge itself in the brain of the listener like some insidious implant....cathartic rather than hopeless — an exorcism of nervous energy at a time when it’s direly needed.”

Strange Peace is available from both Sub Pop and Royal Mountain Records. -> Canadian fans can pre-order the new record here. 

LP pre-orders of the Sub Pop album from megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on clear vinyl with red and green swirls (while supplies last).

METZ Tour Dates + Ticket Links

METZ resume their international tour schedule in support of Strange Peace tomorrow night, Friday, September 22nd at Detroit’s Princess Riverboat. The tour currently runs through December 16th in Hosuton at Warehouse Live. In the midst of that run, METZ will serve as direct support for Modest Mouse on October 10th and 11th. Additionally, METZ will play shows with Suuns (September 29th-30th), Uniform (October 2nd-8th), Protomartyr (Sept. 22nd and November 2nd-8th), Brian Case (November 9th), Drahla (November 12th-24th), and Cherubs (December 15th). All of their current tour dates follow.
 
2017 METZ Tour Dates:
Sep. 22 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Princess Riverboat !
Sep. 23 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
Sep. 25 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Sep. 29 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace *
Sep. 30 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace *
Oct. 02 - Boston, MA - Sinclair #
Oct. 03 - Philadelphia, PA - The First Unitarian Church #
Oct. 04 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Oct. 05 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #
Oct. 06 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel #
Oct. 07 - Hamden, CT - The Ballroom
Oct. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa
Oct. 10 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s **
Oct. 11 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom **
Oct. 18 - Halifax, NS - The Marquee (Halifax Pop Explosion)
Nov. 02 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum !
Nov. 03 -  Wroclaw, Poland - Klub Firlej !
Nov. 04 -  Warsaw, Poland - Klub Hydrozagadka !
Nov. 06 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu !
Nov. 07 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen !
Nov. 08 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust !
Nov. 09 - Zwolle, Netherlands - Poppodium Hedon  ^
Nov. 10 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kruen (Sonic City Festival)
Nov. 11 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who? Festival
Nov. 12 - Le Havre, France - Le Tetris %
Nov. 14 - Nimes, France - La Paloma %
Nov. 15 - Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey %
Nov. 16 - Toulouse, France - Club Metronum %
Nov. 17 - Barcelona, Spain - La (2) De Apolo %
Nov. 18 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick %
Nov. 20 - Nantes, France - Pole Etudiant %
Nov. 21 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo %
Nov. 22 - London, UK - The Garage %
Nov. 23 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece %
Nov. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club %
Nov. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt
Dec. 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt
Dec. 09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Independent
Dec. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
Dec. 13 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Dec. 15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk &
Dec. 16 - Houston, TX - Studio @ Warehouse Live
 
* w/ SUUNS
# w/ Uniform
! w/ Protomartyr
^ w/ Brian Case
% w/ Drahla
& w/ Cherubs
** w// Modest Mouse