The band’s 2017 European tour dates are currently underway.

Now see this: Shabazz Palaces powerful new video for “Since C.A.Y.A.,” the elastic and transportive track from the group’s acclaimed Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star. The new visual stars Shabazz Palaces’ Palaceer Lazaro with footage shot by director Kahlil Joseph, cinematography by Marcus Reposar, and is helmed by returning collaborator Stephan Gray (“Dawn in Luxor”).  
 
DIY calls “Since C.A.Y.A” “… a glitchy and disquieting new video. The Thundercat-featuring track gets a black and white visual to match; all crashing waves, pixelated distortion, foreboding tunnels, and writhing snakes (see video premiere October 30th).”

“Since C.A.Y.A.” features dazzlingly funky bass licks by the magnificent Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner and was produced by Knife Knights (aka Ishmael Butler and Erik Blood), recorded and mixed by Blood at Protect and Exalt Labs: A Black Space in Seattle.

Last week, Shabazz Palaces’ “Tiny Desk Concert” performance premiered on NPR and NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael says of the performance, “Palaceer Lazaro lays the ground rules for all present to enter the group’s metaphysical headspace. And, man, talk about being transported to the other side. It’s impossible not to envision the Seattle studio, Black Space Labs, where Shabazz’s otherworldly soundscapes emerge to provide the ideal backdrop for shining a light on the fake…Leave it to hip-hop’s unorthodox lot to conceive an ambitious pairing that launches the narrative’s protagonist on an interstellar journey far from home. It’s the perfect proxy for the growing sense of alienation we’re all suffering, to some degree or another, in today’s space and time…While the premise of Tiny Desk usually involves artists stripping down their set, Shabazz Palaces’ entire steelo is about unplugging from the metaphorical matrix, and sometimes a hybrid of digital-analog plugins is exactly what it takes to navigate alternate dimensions [see more at NPR Music].”

Quazarz Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, the group’s third and fourth albums for 2017, are available now on CD / LP / DL / CS / Illustrated album worldwide through Sub Pop right over here.  

[Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines Illustrated Album]

Shabazz Palaces Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Shabazz Palaces’ 2017 international tour schedule in support of both Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, is underway with a show tonight, October 30th in Paris at Batofar. The European leg will end November 11th at Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands. Shabazz Palaces have also scheduled three North American shows: December 1st in Vancouver, BC at The Cobalt; December 2nd in Victoria, BC at The Upstairs Cabaret; and December 17th in Houston, TX at Day for Night Festival.
 
Oct. 30 - Paris, FR - Batofar
Oct. 31 - Lisbon, PT - Lux Fragil
Nov. 01 - Madrid, ES - Taboo
Nov. 02 - Braga, PT - Gnration
Nov. 03 - Dublin, UK - Sugar Club
Nov. 04 - Rotterdam, NL - REC Festival
Nov. 06 -  London, UK - Oval Space
Nov. 07 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute
Nov. 08 - Glasgow, UK - Art School
Nov. 09 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall
Nov. 10 - Brussels, BE - AB
Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who? Festival
Dec. 01 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt
Dec. 02 - Victoria, BC - Upstairs Cabaret
Dec. 17 - Houston, TX - Day For Night Festival
 

The U-Men anthology will be available worldwide November 3, 2017 from Sub Pop.

Today Dangerous Minds premiered “Trouble Under Water,” a previously unreleased track (!!!) from the U-Men’s forthcoming self-titled anthology, out next Friday, November 3rd on Sub Pop.
 
“Bands like The U-Men don’t come along often. A Seattle band at a time when the phrase “Seattle band” carried zero cultural cachet, The U-Men kitchen-sinked Gun Club rootsiness, classic garage rock ‘verb-and-twang, punk sneer, gothic darkness, and Ubu/Beefheart artiness into a single coherent sound that galvanized a hinterlands underground scene and directly influenced the grunge explosion,” says Dangerous Minds (see interview + track premiere October 26th).

U-Men is a comprehensive and remastered collection, which compiles the entire studio-recorded output of The U-Men, plus five unreleased songs, with a 16-page book of photos, liner notes, and interviews with the band. The U-Men anthology was executive produced by Jack Endino, and is now available for preorder from Sub Pop right here and is available in the following formats:

• 3xLP box set housed in a cardboard slipcase with printed inner sleeves + 16-page booklet
• 2xCD digipack with custom dust sleeves + 16-page booklet
• Digitally

 
[Photo Credit: Cam Garrett]

“Trouble Under Water” follows previously U-Men shared tracks “Dig It A Hole,” “Gila,” and “The Fumes.”
 
“Dig It A Hole” [hear here] was available as a self-released single and via the group’s sole studio album, Step on a Bug. “Gila” [hear here] was initially on the group’s first EP, released by Bruce Pavitt on Bombshelter Records. The track would reappear years later on the Sub Pop 100 compilation, and a split single with the Melvins for Amphetamine Reptile’s Sugar Daddy Live! series. Meanwhile, “The Fumes” [hear here] was found on the tracklisting for Stop Spinning, the group’s second EP originally released by Homestead Records.

Those in the Seattle area can celebrate the release of U-Men with a special event on November 1st, 2017 at Georgetown Stables. The members of the U-Men will be interviewed live on stage followed by a brief audience Q & A. U-Men will also be available (2 days ahead of official release). The event begins at 7pm event and is all ages.
 

More on the U-Men from Mudhoney’s Mark Arm: 
The U-Men are one of the best bands I’ve ever seen. They were hypnotic, frenetic, powerful and compelling. It was impossible to resist getting sucked into their weird, darkly absurd world. They effortlessly blended The Sonics, Link Wray, Pere Ubu, and Captain Beefheart. Their shows were loose-limbed, drunken dance parties and no two shows were alike. The U-Men were avant garage explorers and, most importantly, they fucking rocked. I was lucky enough to live in their hometown and I saw them every chance I could.  
 
From 1983 to 1987, the U-Men were the undisputed kings of the Seattle Underground. No one else came close. They ruled a bleak backwater landscape populated by maybe 200 people. They were the only band that could unify the disparate sub-subcultures and get all 200 of those people to fill a room. Anglophilic, dress-dark Goths; neo-psych MDA acolytes; skate punks who shit in bathtubs at parties; Mod vigilantes who tormented the homeless with pellet guns; college kids who thought college kids were lame; Industrial Artistes; some random guy with a moustache; and eccentrics who insisted that they couldn’t be pigeonholed: all coalesced around the U-Men (read more at Sub Pop).

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

UK tour begins November 13th in Brighton.

Marika Hackman’s coming-of-age, sophomore album I’m Not Your Man is as sharp witted as it is riotous; and it’s out now in North America on Sub Pop and Europe from AMF Records. Hackman unveils the accompanying video for last single “Time’s Been Reckless,” which she worked on with Jackson Ducasse.
 
The video for “Time’s Been Reckless” follows in the footsteps of Hackman’s last single “My Lover Cindy” which has been nominated for ‘Vevo Must See Award’ at this years UK VMAs. “Time’s Been Reckless” video heavily references I’m Not Your Man’s artwork by artist Tristan Pigott, switching between 35mm film and glitchy, lo-fi FX around Marika and her live band.
 
Marika about the video: “I wanted to do a performance video to highlight the energetic nature of the music, but I also wanted more gruesome visuals to reflect the dark themes of death and decay within the lyrics.  We filmed maggots, snails and various other insects feeding on different foods from the album artwork, in a style that harks back to those old VHS tapes teachers would put on in biology lessons.”
 
I’m Not Your Man which features the singles “Boyfriend” and “My Lover Cindy” is not afraid to call out the big questions around femininity, sexual identity, millennial ennui, the pressures of living in a social media bubble and the perils of being young in a fast-paced world.

Marika Hackman Tour Dates + Ticket Links

After a non-stop Summer of playing festivals as well a co-headline US tour with The Big Moon, Hackman has announced a November UK headline tour taking in her biggest venues to date. South London four-piece Goat Girl have been confirmed as main support for the Shepherd’s Bush Empire date and Our Girl will be joining as support for all dates except Leeds.
 
Nov. 13 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt *
Nov. 14 - Oxford, UK - Bullingdon Arms *
Nov. 15 - Leicester, UK - The Cookie *
Nov. 16 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla *
Nov. 17 - Leeds, UK - Wardrobe
Nov. 19 - Glasgow, UK - King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut  *
Nov. 20 - Newcastle, UK - Think Tank  *
Nov. 21 -  Nottingham, UK - Bodega  *
Nov. 22 - Bristol, U - Thekla *
Nov. 23 - London, UK -  Shepherd’s Bush Empire  * ^
* w/ Our Girl
^ w/ Goat Girl

 
I’m Not Your Man is out now on CD / LP / DL / CS in North & South America from Sub Pop and the rest of the world via from AMF Records. The album, which includes the highlights “Boyfriend,” [see here], “My Lover Cindy” [see also here], “Violet” and “Cigarette,” and was produced and mixed by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J) at various locales throughout London.  

[Photo Credit: Steve Gullick]

What have “The People” been saying about Marika Hackman’s I’m Not Your Man? Glad you asked”

“Hackman’s greatest weapon is her words, and she uses her dark wit to lure you in while conveying strong messages about her life and society.” - Stereogum

“I’m Not Your Man is the proper arrival of a bold young British Force” - Pitchfork

“I’m Not Your Man…is not only a welcomed departure but also one that showcases Hackman’s ability to use a bevy of soundscapes. From road trip sing-a-long, “Time’s Been Reckless,” to the medieval Vashti Bunyan-esque “Apple Tree,” to the Spaghetti Western goth rock of “AM,” it’s evident that Marika pulls out all the stops on her sophomore effort, clawing her way out of a Brit-folk pigeonhole.” - Nylon
 
“Her follow-up reveals a funnier side of Hackman’s personality, one where she seems more at ease with talking about her sexuality. The album’s highlight, a Built to Spill–adjacent grunge song called “Boyfriend,” sees Hackman confronting men who sexualize queer relationships…I’m Not Your Man shines in its playful pronoun switching, stories of explicit sex, and the taut tightrope it straddles between what we might consider feminine sounds (Hackman’s voice is soft and airy) and masculine sounds (much of the record is inspired by her teenage years listening to Nirvana).” - The Cut   
 
“‘I’m Not Your Man is not afraid to call out the big questions around femininity, sexual identity, millennial ennui, the pressures of living in a social media bubble and the perils of being young in a fast-paced world.”- Vents Magazine
 
Witty, sexy, confident, and charged with live energy, I’m Not Your Man is the sound of Marika Hackman making the album she always needed to make.” [5/5 stars] - DIY
 
“I’m Not Your Man is, at times, a Marika Hackman that is almost unrecognisable and it’s exciting. She’s more open and frank, discarding the metaphors in favor of the straight-talking lyrics, accompanied by a more feral and energetic sound…This is the Marika Hackman she wanted us all to see and it’s one you should readily welcome with open arms.”“ [8.5/10, Album of the Week] - The Line of Best Fit

“It’s a statement that this album roundly contradicts, being warm-hearted and emotionally liberated throughout.” - Loud and Quiet

“…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