Today, October 3rd, Shabazz Palaces shares “Scarface Mace (feat. O Finess),” a new highlight from his forthcoming album Robed in Rareness.
Shabazz Palaces is masterminded by vocalist and producer Ishmael Butler, and this steady, cerebral, and swaggy new tale features Colorado Springs-based rapper O Finess. Watch the new animated visualizer illustrated by Kobi Annobil/Player 99 Design Institute and animated by Ben Goldsmith.
The “Scarface Mace” single, which follows the release of “Binoculars (feat. Royce The Choice) and “Woke Up In a Dream” featuring Ish’s son Lil Tracy, is from Robed in Rareness, a new seven-song mini album, released worldwide on October 27th, 2023.
Robed in Rareness is the first full collection of new material since The Don of Diamond Dreams, their critically acclaimed LP released in 2020. The album features collaborations from the aforementioned Royce The Choice, O Finess, and Lil Tracy, along with Butler’s twin Lavarr the Starr, Seattle’s Porter Ray, and Bronx’s Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo).
Robed in Rareness was produced by Shabazz Palaces, mixed by Erik Blood, and engineered by Ishmael Butler and Blood at Studio4 West in Venice, California, with mastering by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering.
Shabazz Palaces’ live shows in support of Robed in Rareness continue with a performance tonight, Tuesday, October 3rd, at New York City’s Mercury Lounge, and Sunday, November 12th in Los Angeles at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel for the LA3C Music & Food Festival. Shabazz Palaces will also appear at My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday event in Quintana Roo, MX, on April 4th, 2023—additional live dates to be announced soon.
2023 Tue. Oct. 03 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (Late) Sun. Nov. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - LA3C @ Theater at Ace Hotel
2024 Thu. Apr. 04 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Fri. Aug. 05 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Sat. Aug. 06 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Sun. Aug. 07 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
“It’s a fine close-up, so sharp you can almost catch the dust glinting in the lights as Beam showcases his willowy, supple songs.” MOJO
“The setlist is drawn from a discography now reaching back 20 years, and some of these songs have never sounded better, ‘Last Night’ a fabulous gothic country noir, ‘Thomas County Law’ resembling a Glen Campbell classic.” UNCUT
“serves as an antidote to that kind of engagement and has a way of putting into focus just how much we’ve been overlooking Sam Beam’s genius.” FLOOD
“This double LP refracts and reimagines Iron & Wine’s best-known songs with full, nearly orchestral arrangements realized in the warmth and immediacy of live performance. It’s a superb recap of Sam Beam’s artistic arc so far…” DUSTED
Today, November 17th, 2023, marks the release of Iron & Wine’s Who Can See Forever, an accompanying live record to a film of the same name, out worldwide from Sub Pop.
Who Can See Forever, the film, is the first ever in-depth look into the life and music of Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. Initially conceived as a live document, Who Can See Forever grew into a deeper study of its enigmatic subject as director Josh Sliffe spent more and more time on the road. Shot over the course of three years, Sliffe digs into the myth and ethos of Iron & Wine through a series of interviews and unguarded behind-the-scenes footage that welcome the viewer into the center of Beam’s universe.
The Who Can See Forever soundtrack features songs from Iron & Wine’s 20-plus-year career and is drawn from material recorded over a two-night-stand at the historic Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, North Carolina. Along with Beam, the band features bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Fiona Apple, Soul Coughing), drummer Elizabeth Goodfellow (Allison Russell, Better Oblivion Community Center), cellist Teddy Rankin-Parker and keyboardist Eliza Hardy-Jones (War on Drugs, Grace Potter).
Produced by Sam Beam and recorded by his long-time live sound engineer Jelle Kuiper, the soundtrack was mixed by Matt Ross-Spang at Southern Grooves in Memphis, TN, and mastered by Richard Dodd in Nashville, TN.
Who Can See Forever will see the first of its screenings in New York City on December 5th at Quad Cinema (more info). The film will screen in theaters in select cities throughout 2024 before platforming to streaming services.
Iron & Wine will also appear at New York’s Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 for WFUV’s 17th annual Holiday Cheer for FUV concert. Iron & Wine will perform, along with reunited New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem, dynamic singer and guitarist Grace Potter, and fast-rising San Diego trio Thee Sacred Souls. New Jersey-born, Nashville-based multi-tasking musician Nicole Atkins, who was FUV’s artist-in-residence in 2022, will host the evening.
More on Iron & Wine’s Who Can See Forever: “All these elements work together to give the songs a new dimension, and whether they top the originals is beside the point; it is exciting enough to hear a band as good as this working with Beam in a live setting, taking chances and reaching deep inside the songs to extract shiny new gold. It’s hard to believe it took so long for Iron & Wine to document their live incarnation, but it is easy to believe that now that they finally have, it’s as sophisticated, burnished, and emotionally true as this.” ★★★★ ALL MUSIC
“Following his muse wherever it leads him, Sam Beam has crafted Who Can See Forever with the kind of care that makes these 19 songs something quite special. He has changed the hues, but the heart and soul of these songs still shine through in ways that reveal what a truly special artist he remains.” FOR FOLK’S SAKE
Iron & Wine Who Can See Forever Soundtrack
Tracklisting: 1. The Trapeze Swinger 2. Boy with a Coin 3. Woman King 4. Thomas County Law 5. House by the Sea 6. About a Bruise 7. Sodom, South Georgia 8. Last Night 9. Monkeys Uptown 10. Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog) 11. Grace for Saints and Ramblers 12. Dearest Forsaken 13. Glad Man Singing 14. On Your Wings 15. Passing Afternoon 16. Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car 17. Naked as We Came 18. Call Your Boys 19. Muddy Hymnal
Sub Pop is elated to announce the signing of French psychedelic rock outfit SLIFT. The label will release the power-trio’s third full-length, ILION, on CD, 2xLP, and digital/streaming formats on January 19, 2024. The title track from the album is out now on all DSPs.
SLIFT is brothers Jean and Remí Fossat, and Canek Flores. Formed in 2016, SLIFT quickly made an impression on rockers worldwide with their 2017 debut EP, Space Is the Key, and the following year’s full-length La Planeté Inexploreé. In 2019, their KEXP session recorded at the Trans Musicales festival became a viral sensation, racking up more than 1.5 million YouTube views and setting the stage for their acclaimed 2020 space-rock opus, UMMON, and a subsequent limited-edition 7” for the Sub Pop Singles Club.
ILION launches SLIFT even deeper into the cosmos, merging the furious intensity of metal and the wigged-out guitar heroics of psych-rock with post-rock’s epic sense of scale. The band offers a window into the album’s concept in this description of the lead single “Ilion”:
“It’s the opening track and the first song we composed for this record. Due to its structure in ‘drawers,’ with different movements, it represents the album as a whole. It depicts monuments to ancient gods rising skyward from the dusty desert floor of a dying planet, battered by fierce winds. It’s about the people condemned to live on this desolate land. And about the murderers of this world, who leave it for space and the hope of a new world, in a frantic crusade which will lead them to madness.”
ILION can now be pre-ordered worldwide from Sub Pop. LP orders in North America from the Sub Pop Mega Mart and the UK and Europe fromMega Mart 2 (the new European sibling to the Sub Pop Mega Mart) will receive the limited Loser Edition on Blackened Red Vinyl (while supplies last). Also exclusively available via SLIFT’s website is the limited Space Dust Marble vinyl edition.
ILION Bio:
SLIFT’s ILION is a towering work of rock music, a steamrolling record that starts at the highest peak and never lets up. If that sounds overwhelming, trust that this Toulouse trio have you in good hands. Their third full-length feels massive and oceanic, merging the furious intensity of metal and the wigged-out guitar heroics of psych rock with post-rock’s epic sense of scale. ILION is the kind of music where you listen to it and think to yourself, “This came from only three people?” It sure did, and SLIFT’s utter ferocity is way more than a tempest in a teacup. It reaches outwards for miles and creates new zeniths within unforeseen horizons of rock.
SLIFT is made up of brothers Jean and Remí Fossat and Canek Flores, who first met the brothers Fossat at (of all things) school. After the band formally came together in 2016, they quickly made their 2017 debut EP, Space Is the Key, which merged stoner rock’s heaviness with the sugar-rush qualities of garage rock. From there, things only got weirder: The trio experimented with faster tempos and bongos(!) on the following year’s full-length La Planeté Inexploreé, and in 2019, their KEXP session recorded at the Trans Musicales festival in Rennes became a viral sensation, racking up more than 1.4 million YouTube views.
UMMON from 2020 represented SLIFT’s pivot towards the celestially crushing confines of psych-metal, marked by Remí’s rolling basslines and Flores’s relentless skin-pounding. But nothing in their already-estimable catalog could prepare you for ILION, a huge-sounding and melodically dense record that at once recalls Godspeed! You Black Emperor’s perpetually uplifting surge, the passionate burn of post-hardcore legends …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Led Zep’s psychotic blues-rock mysticism, and the psychedelic swirl of Swedish experimental greats Goat.
But reducing ILION to a list of reference points would be missing the point—specifically, that you really have to sit down and experience this thing and let it take over your ear space. The record marks the band’s second Sub Pop release, following last year’s Singles Club 7” release of “Unseen” b/w “The Real Unseen,” which were outtakes from the UMMON sessions and offered a mere taste of the pure expansiveness on display here. Over eight tracks and 75+ minutes, SLIFT unleash the fury with walls of guitar and multi-part song structures that make you feel as if you’re being taken on a true journey—from the pure oblivion of ILION’s title track and the stretched-out abandon of centerpiece “Weavers’ Weft” to the intense climax of the 12-and-a-half-minute epic “The Story That Has Never Been Told.”
But what is this journey? To hear SLIFT tell it, Joseph Campbell would be proud of the thematic path laid out before the listeners on ILION, which is named after the Ancient Greek word for the city of Troy and, conceptually speaking, picks up where UMMON left off: “This is an album constructed in the manner of a Homeric story,” the band explains. “Where the two records differ is that ILION is about human emotions and feelings, whereas UMMON was telling an epic story with a distant view. ILION represents the fall of humanity and the rebirth of all things in time and space.”
Heavy shit, to be sure—but fear not, because you don’t need a 12-sided die and a copy of The Odyssey to get what SLIFT are dishing out on ILION. All you need are two ears, an open mind, and the willingness to be truly blown away.
SLIFT ILION
1. Ilion 2. Nimh 3. The Words That Have Never Been Heard 4. Confluence 5. Weavers’ Weft 6. Uruk 7. The Story That Has Never Been Told 8. Enter The Loop
Today, October 27th, marks the release of Shabazz Palaces’ Robed in Rareness, the first full collection of new material since The Don of Diamond Dreams, their critically acclaimed LP released in 2020.
Shabazz Palaces is masterminded by vocalist and producer Ishmael Butler, whose unstinting drive to reimagine hip-hop - even as he enters his fifth decade on Earth - remains undimmed. With Robed in Rareness, there’s a respectful eye on the past, an embrace of an ever-evolving present, and its feet are firmly planted in the future. It features collaborations with the likes of Seattle’s Royce The Choice and Porter Ray, Colorado Springs’ O Finess, Butler’s twin Lavarr the Starr, Bronx’s Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo), and Butler’s son, the incomparable Lil Tracy.
Get lost in the new Robed in Rareness visualizers for “Cinnamon Bun (feat. Lavarr the Star), “P Kicking G (feat. Porter Ray), “Gel Bait (feat. Geechi Suede), and “Hustle Crossers” – four interdimensional journeys featuring Shabazz Palaces’ chosen comrades, and directed by returning animator Jacob Kasar (“Woke Up In a Dream” and “Binoculars” visualizers). Link here.
Robed in Rareness was produced by Shabazz Palaces, mixed by Erik Blood, and engineered by Ishmael Butler and Blood at Studio4 West in Venice, California, with mastering by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering.
Shabazz Palaces’ touring in support of Robed in Rareness continues with a performance at LA3C Festival in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 12th. He will also support Jenny Lewis on her Joy’All tour beginning Saturday, December 2nd at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and ending Friday, December 8th in Hollywood, CA at the Hollywood Palladium.
In 2024, the group will also appear at My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday event in Quintana Roo, MX, on April 4th—additional live dates to be announced soon.
2023
Sun. Nov. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - LA3C @ Theater at Ace Hotel
Dec. 02 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
Dec. 03 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre *
Dec. 05 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield Theatre *
Dec. 08 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium *
* w/ Jenny Lewis
2024
Thu. Apr. 04 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Fri. Aug. 05 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Sat. Aug. 06 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Sun. Aug. 07 - Quintana Roo, MX - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
What people are saying about Shabazz Palaces’ Robed in Rareness:
“Butler offers seven tracks whose energy swings between chaotic and cool.” - THE WIRE
“With a host of new collaborators, Shabazz Palaces’ sound is pushed and pulled in multiple directions at once, without once neglecting the interplanetary funk mutant hip hop sound they have always excelled in.” THE QUIETUS
“Ishmael Butler finds company to share his one-of-a-kind vision with on his brief sixth LP, making his quest for new Afrofuturistic frontiers something more communal.” FLOOD
“Shabazz Palaces has been focused on raising the corporeal anchor and setting sights on a new world, soundtracked by synth-helmed stargazing sonics. Presented as a mini-album, the seven-song Robed In Rareness furthers Butler’s mission.” Album of the Day - BANDCAMP
On February 16th, 2024, Atlanta trio Omni will release Souvenir, their fourth album and second for Sub Pop, available worldwide on CD/LP/DSP. Souvenir finds Guitarist Frankie Broyles, singer/bassist Philip Frobos, and drummer Chris Yonker converting their creative fuel into sharp, driving songs that land immediately, sporting chopping riffs, staccato beats, and wiry melodies. Each track is a compact unit that stands on its own, reflecting the time and place in which it was created.
Omni has shared an official video for their lead single, “Exacto,” directed by Zach Pyles, concept by Frankie Broyles, Chris Yonker, and Zach Pyles.
The band shares about the song/video: “Exacto was born from a fruitful writing session one night at our main getaway in Vienna, GA. The power in the guitar leads and rhythm were immediately conjured. Lyrics and melodies were written in the back of a van in Sacramento, thinking of being left on the shelf, imagining the odd things people do for attention from people they love and strangers alike.”
And yes, that’s a real TV falling from a 10-story parking deck in downtown Atlanta. No, we did not ask permission. No one was hurt in the making of this video.
Omni has also announced headline shows in 2024 supporting Souvenir, with North American East Coast run from Feb. 28 - Mar. 15 and UK dates from April 10- April 20. Tickets for these shows are on sale this coming Friday, Nov. 10th.
North America Sat. Feb. 24 - Atlanta, GA - The EARL Tue. Feb. 27 - Richmond, VA - The Camel Wed. Feb. 28 - Washington, DC - Songbryd Thu. Feb. 29 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA Fri. Mar. 01 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s Sat. Mar. 02 - Queens, NY - TV Eye Mon. Mar. 04 - Boston, MA - The Rockwell Tue. Mar. 05 - Winooski, VT - Monkey House Wed. Mar. 06 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa Thu. Mar. 07 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison Fri. Mar. 08 - Cleveland, OH - Sat. Mar. 09- Chicago, IL - Schuba’s Mon. Mar. 15 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
United Kingdom & Europe Thu. Apr. 10 - Brighton, UK - The Green Door Store Fri. Apr. 11 - Bristol, UK - Strange Brew Sat. Apr. 12 - Falmouth, UK - Cornish Bank Mon. Apr. 14 - Dublin, IE - Workman’s Cellar Tue. Apr. 15 - Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint Wed. Apr. 16 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Thu. Apr.. 17 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute Fri. Apr. 18 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds Sat. Apr. 19 - Margate, UK - Where Else? Sun. Apr. 20 - London, UK - Moth Club
Souvenir can now be pre-ordered worldwide from Sub Pop. LP orders in North America from the Sub Pop Mega Mart and the UK and Europe from Mega Mart 2 (the new European sibling to the Sub Pop Mega Mart) will receive the limited Loser Edition on Transparent Silver Souvenir Swirl (while supplies last).
More about Souvenir: The music of Atlanta trio Omni has always swung fast and hit hard. And Souvenir, their fourth album and second for Sub Pop, packs their biggest punch yet. Inactive during the majority of the pandemic–the longest downtime in their history–they approached this recording with lots of pent-up energy. Guitarist Frankie Broyles, singer/bassist Philip Frobos, and drummer Chris Yonker converted their creative fuel into sharp, driving songs that land immediately, sporting chopping riffs, staccato beats, and wiry melodies.
Why does Souvenir sound so sharp? Because each track is a compact unit that stands on its own, reflecting the time and place in which it was created. That’s why Omni called the album Souvenir: it’s a collection of audio objects, a stash of musical miniatures. Think of it as a family photo album, a binder of rare playing cards, a shoebox holding precious gems.
Take “Plastic Pyramid,” the first song Omni wrote after coming out of lockdown. Filled with twists and turns, it’s a journey unto itself, charged by clanging chords, spinning rhythm, and Frobos trading lines with Izzy Glaudini of Automatic, with whom Omni toured with last fall. (Glaudini sings on two other Souvenir tracks, the first guest vocalist the band has collaborated with). Or take opener “Exacto,” a slicing web of intertwined guitar and bass. Its razor-fine notes and syncopated beats perfectly match pointillist Frobos lyrics such as “Exacto, de facto, concise, quite right”–a line that could well be an Omni mantra.
The precision and clarity of Souvenir comes from some new Omni developments. For one, this is their first album with Yonker as their full-time drummer, and his forceful playing adds exclamation points to every pointed moment on Souvenir. In addition, the trio worked with Atlanta-based engineer Kristofer Sampson for the first time. Sampson pushed the band to a higher degree of power, with Frobos’s vocals more upfront in his pulsing mix and the rest of the music leaping out of the speakers.
You might notice that Frobos’ singing is a bit more emotional and even nostalgic this time around. In crafting his vocals, he was inspired by the early college radio rock of formative favorites like REM, the Cure, and Big Audio Dynamite–the kind of bands whose melodies could have been top 40 hits in an alternative universe. The lyrics on Souvenir are also by turns funny, absurd, and even cryptic. A wry humor has always coursed through Omni’s songs, and this time, it comes in shades of both dark and light. In “Granite Kiss,” an “astronomical” love story concludes with the hope that “we can decay together,” while in “PG,” a romantic walk in the park includes a rose-colored mugging.
Immediacy rushes throughout every moment of Souvenir, making it the band’s most powerful album to date. Omni has truly crafted a musical keepsake–a set of songs that you’ll want to keep close, an aural memento you’ll cherish for the rest of time.
Today, November 2, 2023, the Australian group Girl and Girl’s Fight Night EP, a 5-song effort featuring new interpretations of songs from their 2023 EP, Divorce +. This collection of songs was filmed and recorded at Fight Night Studios in Melbourne, Australia. You can watch the Fight Night sessions in their entirety HERE.
Fight Night Records is a recording studio perched above Dutch Vinyl record store in Melbourne, established in 2015 by identical twins Harley and Delaney Stewart. Their live studio sessions have captured performances by some of Australia’s most incredible underground talent, including Grace Cummings, Folk Bitch Trio, Felix Riebl, Gabriella Cohen, Jazz Party, Bones & Jones, and Sweet Talk.
Girl and Girl are working on new music for their full-length Sub Pop debut and have announced AU and EU shows this fall, including a festival play on November 11th at Pitchfork Music Festival in Paris. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
Fri 3 Nov - London, UK - Sebright Arms Sat 4 Nov - Margate, UK- Whereelse? $ Sun 5 Nov - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival 2023 Mon 6 Nov - Southampton, UK - Heartbreakers Wed 8 Nov - Orleans, FR - L’Astrolabe Thu 9 Nov - Nantes, FR - Stereolux Fri 10 Nov - Weissenhäuser Strand, GER - Rolling Stone Beach Sat 11 Nov - Paris, FR - Pitchfork Avant Garde Thu 30 Nov - Auckland, NZ - Whammy (The Others Way Pre-Party) Fri 1 Dec - Auckland, NZ - The Others Way Festival Wed 6 Dec - Melbourne, AU - Spaced Out Festival
