As the long-awaited release of Observatory approaches on December 10, 2021 via Sub Pop, the debut album by AEON STATION, Kevin Whelan (one of the main songwriters of iconic indie rock band The Wrens) has offered a third glimpse into the musical world he has created with new single and video“Fade.”
“I wrote this song in part to describe the myriad of emotions I was feeling when making the decision to move to Singapore with my family,” says Kevin. “My wife and I had just bought a house in New Jersey when I was presented with an opportunity from my job to live and work in another country. Once we let go of our fears and embraced the adventure of the unknown, we discovered the experience was better than we could have ever imagined.”
Directed by Laurent Briet (The Strokes “Taken for a Fool”, Beyoncé “1+1”), the dazzling video follows a woman trying to escape her visualized demons. “The song reminds us that we all live with daily fear, disappointment and criticism and it’s up to us to rise above the negative chatter and break through our self-imposed limitations,” he explains. “What the protagonist in the video doesn’t realize is that these negative things… these ‘rocks’… are and will always be around her, no matter how far she runs.” Eventually, she overcomes the anxiety and “learns to love and accept the challenges that will always be around her.”
After roughly 18 years since The Wrens’ Meadowlands (2003) struck the indie rock world with a dizzying wallop, Whelan surprised everyone this Summer with the release of “Queens” which Pitchfork found “thrilling” and Stereogum called “exhilarating.” KEXP crowned it “Song of the Day” saying it’s “so much more than we could’ve expected… a climactic five-minute epic.” The second single “Leaves” was met with equal awe from Brooklyn Vegan (“mournful and cinematic”) and SPIN (“a heart-wrenching ballad of self-enduring trials and defeat”). More than a decade in the making, Observatory shines a bright light on Kevin’s songwriting, receiving help on assorted tracks from his Wrens bandmates Jerry MacDonald (drums) and Greg Whelan (guitar) and producer/guitarist Tom Beaujour.
In SxSW’s initial statement about the 2022 conference on March 11-20, 2022, Aeon Station was highlighted as one of its showcasing artists. In response, Kevin posted a jawdropping selfie on social media with Wrens bandmates Jerry and Greg, building a great deal of anticipation.
Observatory is now available for preorder on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com.
Observatory
Tracklisting: 1. Hold On 2. Leaves 3. Fade 4. Everything at Once 5. Move 6. Queens 7. Empty Rooms 8. Air 9. Better Love 10. Alpine Drive
Washed Out’s “Hide,” a standout from Purple Noon, his acclaimed album of 2020, has been remixed by producer/DJ Amtrac, and is available now on all DSPs from Sub Pop.
Washed Out’s Ernest Greene says of the remix, “I’ve been a fan of Amtrac’s music for a long time as I’ve been DJing his music for years. I think his songs transcend a lot of other more obvious club music as at their core they are very emotionally resonant. I had a feeling he would reinvent “Hide” in this same way. He took a very insular and personal song and translated it into something that feels much more anthem-like - that is best shared by a large group of people on a dance floor. I can’t wait to play it at my next DJ gig…”
Washed Out’s previously announced headline tour for 2022, will see Greene and longtime band members Dylan Lee and Cameron Gardener, take their incredible live show on the road beginning Monday, January 10th, 2022 in Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel runs through Saturday, February 12th, 2022, closing with a hometown show in Atlanta, GA at the Eastern. The tour will feature support from Ghostly International artists Brijean. For more information on tickets, please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.
Mon. Jan. 10 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel* Tue. Jan. 11 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl* Thu. Jan. 13 - Houston, TX - Stereo Live* Fri. Jan. 14 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room* Sat. Jan. 15 - Dallas, TX - The Granada Theatre* Mon. Jan. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren* Tue. Jan. 18 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory* Thu. Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern Theatre* Fri. Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory* Sat. Jan. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom* Mon. Jan. 24 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom* Tue. Jan. 25 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market* Thu. Jan. 27 - Boise, ID - El Korah Shrine* Fri. Jan. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Gallery* Sat. Jan. 29 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre* Mon. Jan. 31 - Minneapolis, MN - USA - Fine Line Music Cafe* Tue. Feb. 01 - Chicago, IL - Metro* Thu. Feb. 03 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall* Fri. Feb. 04 - Montreal, QC - L’Astral* Sat. Feb. 05 - Boston, MA - Paradise* Mon. Feb. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel* Wed. Feb. 09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club* Thu. Feb. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts* Fri. Feb. 11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat’s Cradle* Sat. Feb. 12 - Atlanta GA - The Eastern* * w/ Brijean
Tracklisting: 1. Too Late 2. Face Up 3. Time to Walk Away 4. Paralyzed 5. Reckless Desires 6. Game of Chance 7. Leave You Behind 8. Don’t Go 9. Hide 10. Haunt
Once Twice Melody, the first album produced entirely by Beach House, was recorded at Pachyderm studio in Cannon Falls, MN, United Studio in Los Angeles, CA, and Apple Orchard Studios in Baltimore, MD. For the first time, a live string ensemble was used, with arrangements by David Campbell. Once Twice Melody was mostly mixed by Alan Moulder but a few tracks were also mixed by Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer, and Dave Fridmann.
Once Twice Melody features 18 tracks, and in the lead up to the physical release, will be presented in 4 chapters with lyric animations for each song. The first 4-song chapter of Once Twice Melody will be available on all DSPs at midnight Eastern on November 10th. The entire chapter and song release schedule will be as follows:
Chapter 1 on November 10th, 2021 1. Once Twice Melody 2. Superstar 3. Pink Funeral 4. Through Me
Chapter 2 on December 8th, 2021 5. Runaway 6. ESP 7. New Romance 8. Over and Over
Chapter 3 on January 19th, 2022 9. Sunset 10. Only You Know 11. Another Go Around 12. Masquerade 13. Illusion of Forever
Chapter 4 (full album release) on February 18th, 2022 14. Finale 15. The Bells 16. Hurts to Love 17. Many Nights 18. Modern Love Stories
Earlier today, Beach House debuted the first new music from Once Twice Melody with a world premiere of the album’s title track, on SiriusXMU.
Beach House is also announcing headlining tour dates for 2022, which begin on February 18th in Pittsburgh at Stage AE and run through Sunday, July 24th in Washington, DC at Anthem. Tickets will be on sale on Friday, November 19th, 2021 at 10 am (local). To register for artist presale, please visit oncetwicemelodytour.com.
Fri. Feb. 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE Sat. Feb. 19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre Sun. Feb. 20 - Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe Tue. Feb. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland Wed. Feb. 23 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom Fri. Feb. 25 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee Sat. Feb. 26 - St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre Sun. Feb. 27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater Tue. Mar. 01 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Wed. Mar. 02 - Cincinnati, OH - PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Tue. Mar. 22 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz Wed. Mar. 23 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern Fri. Mar. 25 - Austin, TX - Moody Amphitheatre at Waterloo Park Sun. Mar. 27 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum Tue. Mar. 29 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center Wed. Mar. 30 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom Fri. Apr. 01 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma Sat. Apr. 02 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Sun. Apr. 03 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre Tue. Apr. 05 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre Wed. Apr. 06 - Portland, OR - The Keller Auditorium Fri. Apr. 08 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley Sat. Apr. 09 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre Sat. May 21 - Dublin, IE - The National Stadium Mon. May 23 - Glasgow - Barrowland Ballroom Tue. May 24 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy Thu. May 26 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton Sat. May 28 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma Mon. May 30 - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique Tue. May 31 - Paris, FR - L’Olympia Thu. Jun. 02 - Nimes, FR - Paloma Sat. Jun. 04 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound Festival Tue. Jun. 07 - Cologne, DE - Carlswerk Victoria Wed. Jun. 08 - Berlin, DE - Columbiahalle Thu. Jun. 09 - Copenhagen, DK - Falkoner Centre Fri. Jul. 08 - Richmond, VA - The National Sat. Jul. 09 - Asheville, NC - Rabbit Rabbit Sun. Jul. 10 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester’s Paristown Hall Tue. Jul. 12 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre Wed. Jul. 13 - Chicago, IL - Radius Fri. Jul. 15 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall Sat. Jul. 16 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS Mon. Jul. 18 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall Tue. Jul. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre Wed. Jul. 20 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre Fri. Jul. 22 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner Sat. Jul. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Sun. Jul. 24 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
Limited “GOLD” Edition 2xLP in a gold-embossed, hinged box on gold and clear vinyl with full-color booklet and 2 exclusive posters
“SILVER” Edition 2xLP in a silver embossed black sleeve, on classic black vinyl with double-sided exclusive poster
Long considered one of the planet’s most bombastic live acts and foremost purveyors of abrasive melodicism, METZ has spent the majority of their 11-year tenure crisscrossing the globe and bringing their unparalleled energy directly to the people. Determined to connect with their fans and to find a way within the confines of the pandemic to create a live experience as dynamic as their most recent full length, Atlas Vending, METZ took to the stage in October 2020 at the Opera House in Toronto to livestream a performance of Atlas Vending in its entirety. Directed by the band’s longtime video collaborator Scott Cudmore, you can now watch this stunning performance on YouTube. Click here to watch.
The film is a reminder of METZ’s intense, life-affirming performances, which they are bringing back to the stages of North America this November and December with longtime friends and equally excellent bands, Preoccupations and FACS. The tour begins November 18th in Phoenix and will close with METZ headlining a two-night stand in Toronto at Lee’s Palace on December 17th-18th. The band will return to Europe and the UK in the spring of 2022.
Live at the Opera House was recorded by Graham Walsh, mixed by Seth Manchester and is available now on all digital service providers. The limited-edition 1,000-piece pressing on tricolor (Black/White/Oxblood) vinyl is practically sold out. If you miss the chance to buy this handsome, collectible LP online, you can and should (FINALLY) go see METZ at one of their upcoming shows where they will have a limited number of these Live at the Opera House LPs for sale.
METZ on the road:
2021
Thu. Nov. 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Nov. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 20 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Mon. Nov. 22 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 23 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor Tavern
Wed. Nov. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore
Fri. Nov. 26 - Calgary, AB - Commonwealth Bar & Stage
Sat. Nov. 27 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
Mon. Nov. 29 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Park Theatre
Tue. Nov. 30 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Thu. Dec. 02 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room - Colectivo
Fri. Dec. 03 - Detroit, MI - Museum of Contemporary Art
Sun. Dec. 05 - Ottawa ON - Bronson Centre
Mon. Dec. 06 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
Tue. Dec. 07 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Thu. Dec. 09 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere: Hall
Fri. Dec. 10 - New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom
Sat. Dec. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry at The Fillmore
Shabazz Palaces is announcing new, headlining European tour dates for 2022 which begin March 18th in Brighton, UK at Patterns and currently end on April 30th in Lille, FR at L’Aeronef. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 29th at 10 am (local).
Preceding the European tour in 2021, Shabazz Palaces has a few U.S. shows including October 30th in Austin, TX at Stubbs (with Thundercat), and Saturday, November 6th in Springfield, MO at Outland Ballroom.
Shabazz Palaces is currently working on the follow-up to the internationally acclaimed The Don of Diamond Dreams, which is available now worldwide from Sub Pop. The New Yorker says of the album, “[Shabazz Palaces’] spontaneity and irreverence for rap conventions feel particularly urgent; these experiments are malleable and resistant to form at a time when declarative statements on the current era seem futile. Instead, the group continues bludgeoning musical complacency with songs as equivocal as inkblot tests.” Uncut continues, ”The Don of Diamond Dreams finds Butler’s effects-treated voice rippling through a prism of mutated funk and R&B that feels simultaneously sumptuous and deeply unconventional (8/10).”
Earlier this year, Shabazz Palaces’ self-released the single and official video for “20 Gear Science”, which Stereogum noted for its “spacy, synthy” sound. Even more recently, he celebrated the 10th anniversary of his landmark album Black Up.The AV Club says of the album, “The record still shifts uncomfortably in and out of view, pulses of static coalescing into hooks that vaporize after one incantation.” Meanwhile, Pitchfork offered this, “From great mystery exploded an album of impossible vision.”
