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
Today, Wednesday, October 25th, marks the release of brand new Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 contributions from SUNN O))) and Telehealth – both available now on all DSPs and as limited-edition vinyl 7” singles.
SUNN O)))) formed in March 1998 in Los Angeles. A synthesis of the diverse: drone, ur, noise, metal, minimalism/maximalism. Supported by a cast of collaborators, SUNN O))) has two core members: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson. For twenty years, SUNN O))) have been challenging the way we think about music. From 1999’s The Grimmrobe Demos to 2019’s Life Metal, O’Malley and Anderson have forged connections between the worlds of metal, drone, contemporary composition, jazz, and minimalism with startling results while remaining true to the eternal principles of volume, density, and weight.
On this release, SUNN O))) pay transcendent, thunderous tribute to two departed friends and titans of heavy music: Death maestro Chuck Schuldiner on “Evil Chuck,” and Ron Guardipee of Brotherhood on “Ron G. Warrior.”
Seattle’s Telehealth is an unpredictable pop band with heavy nods to post-punk, minimal synth, egg-punk, new wave, art rock, glam, and krautrock.
After gRoUnDbReAkInG acclaim of their debut album, Content Oscillator, Telehealth is back with two new singles via Sub Pop. “Mindtrap,” a nervy, exuberant blast of Devo-esque synthesizer-laden new-wave pop/punk, is an acronym-friendly anthem for corporate soul-searchers in the ‘new normal’. Its counterpart, “Bitter Melody,” is an intricately vocoded and hypnotic groove of YMO-inspired synthesizers exploring validation and warmth in the algorithm era of disassociation.
Telehealth wears the color green to remind us all that the American pedagogy, which has become so focused on selling green as a product to alleviate the symptoms of a self-inflicted hellscape. Instead of being upset, Telehealth embraces uncertainty and absurdity.
Subscribe to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 now to get twelve super-limited 7” vinyl records featuring exclusive music by today’s finest musicians! It’s limited to a mere 835 subscriptions, because it’s volume 8, and 2023 is Sub Pop’s 35th birthday! You’ll get 7”s by SUNN O))) and Telehealth along with Thrash Palace (feat. EMA, Vice Cooler, Sarah Register), Gaye Su Akyol, Jessica Winter & Jonathan Snipes, Margarita Podridas, Mary Jane Dunphe, Brontez Purnell, Vanishing Twin, Suki Waterhouse, and more. And, to top it all off, you’ll get a lavish storage box, with art by @oldsweaty, to keep the records together.
You will get two singles in the mail roughly every other month through February 2024. Computer users: fear not! You will also get digital downloads of the tracks through your Sub Pop Mega Mart account. Hear music from the series via the Singles Club playlist, and subscribe here.Today, Wednesday, October 25th, marks the release of brand new Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 contributions from SUNN O))) and Telehealth – both available now on all DSPs and as limited-edition vinyl 7” singles.
SUNN O)))) formed in March 1998 in Los Angeles. A synthesis of the diverse: drone, ur, noise, metal, minimalism/maximalism. Supported by a cast of collaborators, SUNN O))) has two core members: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson. For twenty years, SUNN O))) have been challenging the way we think about music. From 1999’s The Grimmrobe Demos to 2019’s Life Metal, O’Malley and Anderson have forged connections between the worlds of metal, drone, contemporary composition, jazz, and minimalism with startling results while remaining true to the eternal principles of volume, density, and weight.
On this release, SUNN O))) pay transcendent, thunderous tribute to two departed friends and titans of heavy music: Death maestro Chuck Schuldiner on “Evil Chuck,” and Ron Guardipee of Brotherhood on “Ron G. Warrior.”
Seattle’s Telehealth is an unpredictable pop band with heavy nods to post-punk, minimal synth, egg-punk, new wave, art rock, glam, and krautrock.
After gRoUnDbReAkInG acclaim of their debut album, Content Oscillator, Telehealth is back with two new singles via Sub Pop. “Mindtrap,” a nervy, exuberant blast of Devo-esque synthesizer-laden new-wave pop/punk, is an acronym-friendly anthem for corporate soul-searchers in the ‘new normal’. Its counterpart, “Bitter Melody,” is an intricately vocoded and hypnotic groove of YMO-inspired synthesizers exploring validation and warmth in the algorithm era of disassociation.
Telehealth wears the color green to remind us all that the American pedagogy, which has become so focused on selling green as a product to alleviate the symptoms of a self-inflicted hellscape. Instead of being upset, Telehealth embraces uncertainty and absurdity.
Subscribe to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 now to get twelve super-limited 7” vinyl records featuring exclusive music by today’s finest musicians! It’s limited to a mere 835 subscriptions, because it’s volume 8, and 2023 is Sub Pop’s 35th birthday! You’ll get 7”s by SUNN O))) and Telehealth along with Thrash Palace (feat. EMA, Vice Cooler, Sarah Register), Gaye Su Akyol, Jessica Winter & Jonathan Snipes, Margarita Podridas, Mary Jane Dunphe, Brontez Purnell, Vanishing Twin, Suki Waterhouse, and more. And, to top it all off, you’ll get a lavish storage box, with art by @oldsweaty, to keep the records together.
You will get two singles in the mail roughly every other month through February 2024. Computer users: fear not! You will also get digital downloads of the tracks through your Sub Pop Mega Mart account. Hear music from the series via the Singles Club playlist, and subscribe here.
The visual stars Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler and Seattle’s Royce The Choice and is directed by Stephan Gray (“Motion Sickness,” “Dawn in Luxor”).
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 new album features collaborations from the aforementioned Royce The Choice, plus Colorado Springs’ O Finess, The Bronx’s Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo fame), Butler’s twin Lavarr the Starr and his son, the incomparable Lil Tracy.
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.
The Wire says of Robed in Rareness, “Butler offers seven tracks whose energy swings between chaotic and cool.”
Shabazz Palaces’ live shows in support of Robed in Rareness continue with a performance 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 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
Shabazz Palaces Robed in Rareness
Tracklisting: 1. Binoculars (feat. Royce The Choice) 2. Woke Up In A Dream (feat. Lil Tracy) 3. P Kicking G (feat. Porter Ray) 4. Cinnamon Bun (feat. Lavarr the Starr) 5. Scarface Mace (feat. O Finess) 6. Gel Bait (feat. Geechi Suede) 7. Hustle Crossers
As the final dates of their monumental 20th anniversary tour approach, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie commemorate their 2003 landmark albums once more: This time in the form of a double A-side single, Brand New Colony / We Looked Like Giants 7”, featuring The Beths and Car Seat Headrest paying tribute to two beloved songs from Give Up (Sub Pop) and Transatlanticism (Barsuk).
On one A-side is New Zealand indie rockers, The Beths’ delightfully bright cover of “Brand New Colony.” The sonically brilliant reinterpretation features fellow New Zealander, producer and multi-instrumentalist Pickle Darling’s signature finger pluckings and dulcet keys.
The other A-side features alt-rock mainstay Car Seat Headrest’s propulsive guitar-driven take on Death Cab for Cutie fan favorite “We Looked Like Giants.”
The Give Up/Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour will come to a close with three nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 13, 15 and 17.
Praise for The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie Give Up/Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour
“Dream double bill” – VARIETY
“Peak millennial nostalgia, in the best way” – PITCHFORK
“…bright and cathartic…” – BOSTON GLOBE
THE POSTAL SERVICE // DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Give Up/Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl & – SOLD OUT 14 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl ^ – SOLD OUT 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl % – SOLD OUT 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl @
& w/ Special Guest The Beths % w/ Special Guest Built to Spill @ w/ Special Guest Iron & Wine ^ w/ Special Guest Pedro the Lion
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
