Plus the band have a Reddit / Indieheads AMA on Friday, October 6th aka Cry Cry Cry Release Day
[Photo Credit: Shane McCauley]
Wolf Parade’s Cry Cry Cry the band’s excellent fourth album, is currently streaming in its entirety at NPR Music’s “First Listen” [listen here].
NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson says of Cry Cry Cry, “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.”
Ask Wolf Parade anything during their Reddit Indieheads AMA, currently set for Friday, October 6th at 1pm PT.
Wolf Parade’s thunderous Cry Cry Cry will be available on CD / 2xLP / DL / CS worldwide from Sub Pop on Friday, October 6th, 2017, and pre-order is on now worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Universal Records via Wolf Parade’s webstore right here. LP pre-orders 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). There’s also a brand new t-shirt design available for your bundling pleasure.
Cry Cry Cry is already one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, seeing praise from outlets on both sides of the Atlantic:
Uncut says of the album, “Cry Cry Cry is 21st century rock at its most delectably omnivorous [8/10].”
“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,” says London in Stereo.
Stereogum raves that Cry Cry Cry “is 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.”
Meanwhile, Q Magazine says Cry Cry Cry is “A colourful and melodic musical expansiveness… it finds them in rejuvenated form [4/5].”
Slant notes that “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].”
And MOJO offers this, “This quartet’s first material in six years is a shimmering, bombastic blast.”
Wolf Parade’s headlining international tour schedule, which resumes October 12th in Guelph, Ontario at Peter Clark Hall, has been extended through 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-24th (select dates).
2017 dates Oct. 12 - Guelph, ON - Peter Clark Hall Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre** 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 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, IE - 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 **
Bully’s Sub Pop debut is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated releases for the fall, with early reviews and critics raving about the record’s explosive power and sharp, potent lyrics. Losing will be released worldwide on October 20th, and today the band released another track from the album: “Kills to Be Resistant”. The song deals with the emotional conflict of unrequited love and the feeling of restraint and pushing your feelings aside out of respect for the situation.
Due to popular demand Bully have added more shows both for North America and the rest of the world as anticipation grows around the album’s release.
Tour Dates:
11/02/17- St Louis MO - Off Broadway
11/03/17 - Iowa City IA - The Mill
11/04/17 - Minneapolis MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
11/06/17 - Madison WI - High Noon Saloon
11/07/17 - Chicago IL - Thalia Hall
11/08/17 - Detroit MI - Marble Bar
11/09/17 - Toronto ON - Lee’s Palace
11/10/17 - Montreal QC - Bar le Ritz
11/12/17 - Boston MA - Great Scott (SOLD OUT)
11/13/17 - Brooklyn NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/14/17 - Philadelphia PA - First Unitarian Church
11/15/17 - Washington DC - U Street Music Hall
11/17/17 - Charlottesville VA - The Southern
11/18/17 - Durham NC - Motorco Music Hall
11/19/17 - Asheville NC - The Mothlight
12/06/17 - Little Rock AR - Stickyz
12/07/17 - Dallas TX - Club Dada
12/08/17 - Austin TX - Emo’s
12/09/17 - Houston TX - Walter’s
12/10/17 - New Orleans LA - Gasa Gasa
12/12/17 - Birmingham AL - Saturn
12/13/17 - Atlanta GA - Terminal West
12/14/17 - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge
12/15/17 - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge
12/16/17 - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge
2/16/18 - Norman OK - The Opolis
2/17/18 - Santa Fe NM - Meow Wolf
2/18/18 - Phoenix AZ - Valley Bar
2/24/18 - Eugene OR - Hi-Fi Music Lounge
2/26/18 - Vancouver BC - Biltmore Cabaret
2/28/18 - Seattle WA - Neumos
3/1/18 - Spokane WA - The Bartlett
3/2/18 - Boise ID - Neurolux
3/3/18 - Salt Lake City UT - Kilby Court
3/5/18 - Denver CO - Larimer Lounge
3/6/18 - Kansas City MO - Record Bar
5/30/18 - London, UK - Moth Club
Losing is available for pre-order now from Sub Pop Records and from Bully’s webstore. LP pre-orders of the album from Sub Pop and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on clear vinyl with black swirls (while supplies last).
Losing was engineered and mixed by lead-singer Alicia Bognanno in Chicago at Electrical Audio.
U-Men available worldwide November 3rd, 2017 from Sub Pop
You can now listen to “Gila” and “The Fumes,” two tracks from the U-Men’s forthcoming, self-titled anthology, available worldwide on Friday, November 3rd, 2017 from Sub Pop.
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.
“Gila” [listen here] was initially available 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” [listen here] was found on the tracklisting for Stop Spinning, the group’s second EP originally released by Homestead Records.
U-Men 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]
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).
The U-Men were… Tom Price – Guitar John Bigley – Vocals Charlie Ryan – Drums Jim Tillman – Bass (1982-86) And Robin Buchan – Bass (1980-82) Tom Hazelmyer – Bass (1987) Tony Ransom – Bass (1987-89)
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 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
Time for you to stream METZ’s ripping new album Strange Peace on repeat, a full week before release (it’s out Friday, 9/22), courtesy of NPR Music’s First Listen right over here… and you too, Canada! Tune into CBC Music’s First Play here now.
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.”
And CBC Music’s Andrea Gin says of the album, “Their uninhibited, electrifying shows also earned them a reputation as one of the best live bands around…Strange Peace does a good job of capturing the band’s intense live show — from the blistering opener ‘Mess of Wires’ to the careening finale of ‘Raw Materials,’ it creates sonic turmoil and embraces it. You can almost feel discord in the air as you listen.”
Next week, METZ has a Reddit Indieheads AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) scheduled for Monday, September 18th at 1pm PST/4pm EST. Bookmark this page, then ask them anything! No really, the band says you should feel free to ask about “Dogs, vans, pizza, cartoons, movies, doodles, basements, first shows, Toronto, books, touring, ozak, fridge magnets, coffee… and anything else I guess.”
Additionally, METZ are poised to destroy a live session in the KEXP studio on Tuesday, September 19th at 12 noon PST. Listen worldwide via kexp.org.
Strange Peace is still available for pre-order from both Sub Pop and Royal Mountain Records. Canadian fans can pre-order the 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 will resume their international tour schedule in support of Strange Peace on September 22nd at Detroit’s Princess Riverboat. The tour currently runs through December 16th. 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. 19 - Seattle, WA - Live on KEXP Sep. 20 - Seattle, WA - Sonic Boom Records Instore 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
The inimitable Father John Misty sat for an interview and performed “Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before the Revolution” from Pure Comedy, on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Watch the interview and performance here:
Father John Misty’s previously announced international tour schedule in support of Pure Comedy resumes tonight, September 13th, with a show in Boston at Blue Hills Pavillion and runs through November 20th in Lisbon, Portugal at Coliseu dos Recreios. The tour will feature support from newly-signed labelmate Weyes Blood (September 18th-November 20th) and Phosphorescent (September 13th-15th; October 7th). Details + links can be seen here.
On Thursday, September 14th at 9pm ET, fans can live stream Father John Misty’s performance at Port Chester, New York’s Capitol Theatre in it’s entirety via Pitchfork Live beginning at 9pm ET.
Father John Misty’s recently delivered the official video for Pure Comedy standout “Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before the Revolution,” a gorgeous, stop-motion video 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 [watch here]. Additionally, puppets “…Revolution” were recently auctioned off and the proceeds will be donated to the Environmental Defense Fund.
