The Bullfight: Eggs & Marrowbone

Murder has been a major source of fascination and inspiration for artists. It's wrong, it's gruesome, but somehow it's impossible to look away. Rotterdam based folk noir band The Bullfight send out invitations to submit paintings and drawings for their Eggs & Marrowbone -The art of the Murder Ballad multimedia project: an exposition, a book and a soundtrack, with ten brand new compositions about murder.

A good murder ballad is scary yet captivating, keeping the listener rooting both the victim and the perpetrator. The band's resident multi-instrumentalist Thomas van der Vliet wrote all the music, talking cues from the Nick Cave Lying in Your Arms nods to his classic The Mercy Seat and the Jazz Age (The Ballad of Aurely). Singer Nick Verhoeven's dark timbre is a perfect match for delivering the words he wrote. Violin player Esther Vroegindewei, can lift the mood and add an extra layer of despair.

Words about music (507): Corey Glover

I would love to have met Elvis Presley. I would love to have been able to sit down and really talk about his early life and the music that he enjoyed and the things that he did back in the day.

Corey Glover

Pushpin: Running Shoes

Kingston based indie band Pushpin come close to embracing the bright side on their new single Running Shoes. Jangling lead guitar, tight vocals and a qawwali back beat make it a Summer track that will chase away the gloom of rainy Fall day. Things could work out fine after all, especially when "the elephant is in the other room".

John Cale: show in Chicago

John Cale will be performing in Chicago at the Art Institute on January 26th, as part of an Andy Warhol exposition:

John Cale, founding member of the Velvet Underground, performs at the Art Institute of Chicago on the occasion of the major retrospective Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again.

If this program reaches capacity, a stand-by line will form outside the auditorium at 7:00 p.m. for seats that become available.

» John Cale on Facebook
» John Cale tour dates

Deleyaman: more "Sentinel" tour dates

French dark wave band Deleyaman have added more shows France to promote the release their new album Sentinel on January 17, 2020. It is the follow-up for the critically acclaimed The lover, The stars & The citadel. No shows in The Netherlands yet, but those should happen in January or February.

LIJO: Push Me

photo: Doron Tempert

Dutch avant-pop singer LIJO constructed a wall of harsh percussion for her new single Push Me. There a plenty of windows in it, giving her ample opportunity to show off her vocal skills and her grab bag of melodic ideas. It is an intriguing exercise of progressive electronic pop, as if Alice has grown up and fell into a black hole in stead of rabbit hole this time. Luckily enough she came back to the world to share the weirdness she experienced on the other side.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Toulouse added to European tour

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced added a show in show in Toulouse to their Spring 2020 European tour. They will perform @ Zénith Toulouse Métropole on April 22.

Matty T Wall: Transpacific Blues Vol. 1

Australian blues singer and guitarist Matty T Wall has a fluid tone that is tailor made for playing the classics from the genre. Transpacific Blues Vol. 1 has eight songs from the canon and he managed to add something extra to each one. As an added bonus he invited five fellow guitarists- Eric Gales, Kirk Fletcher, Dave Hole, Kid Ramos and Walter Trout - to whip up some pretty sweet call-and-response six string duets.

This is an album that sounds like it was recorded a couple of decades ago: great dynamics and in-your-face playing like the musicians are right in front of the listener. With a running time of a little more than 35 minutes a vinyl release is a no-brainer, but for now the CD will do just fine.

Donna Blue: shows in The Netherlands + US festivals

After Dutch retro-pop duo Donna Blue have wrapped up their Spanish tour, they wil play a couple of shows closer to home before flying to the US to appear at two renowned festivals: The New Colossus in New York and SXSW in Austin.

Youth Sector: Tonight

photo: Julia Nala

Brighton art rock quintet Youth Sector pay tribute to keyboard driven early Eighties New Wave sound on their new single Tonight, a harsh statement about people only caring about a night out while the climate crisis should be on top of their list. Angry, fast and, - despite the message - utterly danceable as well.

Hot Tuna: tour dates

photo: Erik Kabik

Hot Tuna (Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady) continue their r 50th anniversary celebration with more tour shows:

Hot Tuna finishes off 2019 with an acoustic duo tour framed by electric holiday shows as a solid power trio with drummer, Justin Guip and one of their favorite guests, Steve Kimock, joins in. Multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams open the acoustic shows.

Natalie Bouloudis: Outlaster

photo: Luke J Novak

English bluesy folk singer Natalie Bouloudis is in full-on dystopian post-punk mode on her new single Outstander, a haunting track about a monster wave wiping out human civilisation the catastrophe. She somehow survives, dancing in the rain. Her vocal delivery comes that Siouxsie and PJ Harvey, making a compelling statement about a future that is not a mere sci-fi nightmare, but a distinct possibility with the climate crisis in mind.

Phish: A Night at The Met

Phish have announced a show @ The Met in Philadelphia on December 3rd. Here's the catch: SiriusXM only have a shot at getting a ticket to see the Vermont jam band performing in an intimate venue:

Phish will perform an exclusive concert for listeners of their SiriusXM channel, Phish Radio, on Tuesday, December 3 at The Met in Philadelphia, PA.

SiriusXM subscribers will have numerous opportunities to win a pair of tickets to this show, including on-air on Phish Radio, online at SiriusXM.com/Phish (to enter, see Official Rules for complete details at SiriusXM.com/Phish), via e-mail invitation sent to qualified subscribers who have opted in to receiving email from SiriusXM and who have registered their music interests at SiriusXM.com/perks.

Words about music (506): Jimmy Iovine

Every artist and every song has an idea, and the producer's job is to capture it.

Jimmy Iovine

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HCTF interview: It's Karma It's Cool

English upbeat power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool recently released an ace debut EP, Hipsters and Aeroplanes - "a slice of optimism at a time that the UK is in the midst of an endless tug of war between leavers and remainers". Lead singer James Styring, with some assistance from guitarist, producer and recording engineer Martyn Bewick, kindly answered some questions via email about the recording sessions.

Power pop is making some kind of comeback. Did you always have a soft spot for that particular genre?

"I guess I always have, just never realised it as power pop! I've always been drawn to melody and harmony, songs you find yourself singing. I was brought up listening to my parent's record collection, so The Beatles played a big influence on my early musical taste. Those influences form the blueprint for your future, whether you realise it at the time, or not. Of course, there's many other bands that I love and am influenced by, but The Beatles were the first. And yes, I know that's a cliché, but there's a reason it's a cliché."

Stars On Fire: Songs for the Summer

Cristoph Mark proves that he did not get lucky with the first EP of his one-man project Stars On Fire. The follow-up Songs for the Summer is a bit more fuzzy, with a Jesus and The Mary Chain lite vibe, and the vocals bring back the aloof delivery of LLoyd Cole.

Mark keeps it deceptively simple, with a poppy melody riding on top of a meandering guitar part. The instrumental Summertime offers a glimpse of his working method, stacking the various instruments in a way that is not exactly seamless, but those little discrepancies only add to the charm and feel of his handiwork.

HCTF premiere - Matthew Paul Butler: Angel of Death

Durham, NC based Matthew Paul Butler has the gravelly voice that befits his dark songs. In Angel of Death he considers loss not as definite end, but as an integral part of life itself, an idea that can be traced back to his upbringing as the son of two Christian missionaries in Congo.

Damo Suzuki: The Aquarium Drunkard interview

photo: Michelle Heighway

Daniel A. Brown had a Skype chat with legendary improviser and former lead singer of Can Damo Suzuki for The Aquarium Drunkard. He always uses local musicians called the “sound carriers" to create new music on the spot:

The main thing is that I don’t like to travel with any responsibilities. So if you always play with a schedule of the same people, you kind of have responsibilities. If you play with different people you don’t have to take on any responsibilities. Which is a really good thing for me because I don’t have so much stress. But if you’re always scheduled with the same people you get stress because you know these people quite well and many problems come. Also, it’s quite dangerous, too, because if you’re always with four or five people in the same band you always, when playing, go in the same direction. That means for creativity, there’s not so much directions.

Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers: Thought Porridge

Leeds based vaudevillian party folkies Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers have been providing fun times to almost all ages with off-kilter songs about insects and dinosaurs and much, much more. Their new albums tips it hat at the people who make the cakes and bread (When We Were Bakers) and takes away the fear for full-size trains by scaling them down and cleaning them up while they are at it (Model Railway).

Quintessentially English English like The Kinks and The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band they can whip up a song about pretty much anything. The misunderstood Venus Flytrap is no longer a scary plant after their reappraisal. And while they are on the subject of plants: it's actually cool to join a botany loving outfit like The British Cactus & Succulent Society Their Mournful Colouring Book comes with one black pen and depicts smoking babies and one-legged animals. And why not? People get tired of rainbows, unicorns, puppies, kittens, flowers and charming dilapidated cottages.

Steven Wilson: "The Future Bites" European tour

photo: Turner Hall

Steven Wilson has announced the first dates of his The Future Bites tour. It is the first time that will be playing arenas, an idea he has been toying with over the last few years, due to increased public demand.

Oysterhead: headliners @ SweetWater 420 Fest 2020

In addition to their two reunion shows @ 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, CO (February 14-15) Oysterhead have been confirmed as headliners @ SweetWater 420 Fest 2020. Bassist Les Claypool (Primus), guitarist Trey Anastasio (Phish) and drummer Stewart Copeland (The Police) recorded one album, The Grand Pecking Order, in 2001, after a one-off show @ New Orleans Saenger Theatre on May 4, 2000. Live shows were scarce: a short tour in 2001 and two festival appearances in 2006 at Bonnaroo and Allgood.

Cover Me: Sledgehammer

Watch Dutch rockers Morgendust tackle the Peter Gabriel classic Sledgehammer. Reoroded live @ Hedon, Zwolle - 2019/09/13.

Live dates:

• 12/20 The Bake Shop, Emmen, Netherlands
• 01/14 Muziek op het Plein, Zwolle, Netherlands

» morgendust.com

HCTF review of Storm Will Come

It's Karma It's Cool: "Hipsters and Aeroplanes" video

Watch the new It's Karma It's Cool video for Hipsters and Aeroplanes, a track from their Hipsters and Aeroplanes EP: "a bunch of Technicolor songs, harking to back to the days when people believed that technology would lead humankind to a future where the sky was the limit".

» It's Karma It's Cool on Facebook

HCTF review of Hipsters and Aeroplanes

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: European tour dates

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced a Spring 2020 European tour plus one show in Israel. The band will perform in 19 countries. Tickets on sale Friday 25 October at 10am local times, except Paris (Monday 28 October at 10am local time and Tel Aviv (Tuesday 22 October at 8am local time).

Churn Milk Joan: I'm Nearly 60 Miles High

English-American duo avant-garde duo Churn Milk Joan have release their final album, I'm Nearly 60 Miles High. American Richard Knutson (Plum Flower Embroidery. Neutral Sons, The Chacers) was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in June 2019, a rare condition that messes up his ability to use his muscles. In a flurry of activity with his band mate Colin Robinson (Big Block 454, Jumble Hole Clough) he recorded tons of tracks throughout June and July for what was to become the closing chapter of a very special collaboration.

I'm Nearly 60 Miles High is wild and weird, with Knutson unleashing his inner Neil Innes meets Captain Beefheart lyricism, and Robinson using almost every piece of musical equipment he collected over the years. Mark Joell and Mark Cottrell pitched in as well, so at times four gentlemen could have been spotted in Robinson's studio in Hebden Bridge creating a mash-up of free-jazz, spoken word and unusual progressive rock. No act will ever sound like Churn Milk Joan and it's a bloody shame that this will be their final hurrah. A wonderfully eclectic piece of Dadaesque storytelling wrapped in layers of quirky, free flowing music that celebrates art for art's sake.

ORBI: show in Soestduinen

Dutch quartet ORBI will play their of a kind interpretations of prog and metal 2 Hilton Royal Parc Soestduinen) , hosted by Concertpodium Soest in Soestduinen on November 3: "(...) consisting of three renowned classical musicians and Hollands finest blues rock Hammond player. Bram van Sambeek (bassoon), Sven Figee (Hammond Organ), Rick Stotijn (double bass) and Marijn Korff de Gidts (drums, percussion) bonded over a shared love of progressive hard rock and metal. Their instruments of choice are not in the spotlights that often, hence the title of their album, The Oscillating Revenge of the Background Instruments, on which they play well-known songs by bands like Led Zeppelin, Muse, Metallica, Alkaloid, and Pink Floyd."

» ORBI on Facebook

HCTF review of The Oscillating Revenge of the Background Instruments.

Words about music (505): Mitch Mitchell

I don't look around me and think that every thing that has happened in my life has happened because of one person. Obviously Hendrix was a pretty supernatural person. I can't say that things wouldn't have happened had it not been for Hendrix. I learned certain things, he taught me an awful lot about music I was not aware of mainly 'de blues' man. Maybe I turned him on to a few things. Noel turned him on to rock and roll. All I've got to judge this by is that, for instance, he went and played with Roland Kirk at Ronnie Scott's and Roland Kirk had been the monkey's arm-pit as far as Hendrix was concerned.

Mitch Mitchell

Janiva Magness: Change In The Weather

Filling an album with someone else's songs is a tricky business. Fans of the original artist are prone to dismiss it, jus because they can, and it is often seen as a sign of a stop gap release and/or a below-par oddity in a discography. Blues and jazz singer Janiva Magness takes on the output of John Fogerty and although she looks beyond the classics that he wrote in his Creedence Clearwater Revival days Change In The Weather plays it safe, adding a bit of country here and there and ironing out most of the anger that is an essential ingredient of songs like Wrote A Song For Everyone and Fortunate Son.

Moonchy & Tobias: "Pioggia e sale" video

Watch the new Moonchy & Tobias video for Pioggia e sale, a track from their Atmosfere album, a soft-spoken collaboration of two avant-garde musicians. "All lyrics are in Italian, but there is no need to be fluent in that language in order to get the gist of the words. Tobias plays a kot of acoustic guitar on the tracks and the tinkling sound of that instrument is like a second guide. Pick one to follow or change mid-song to find something new and interesting. All tracks are invitations to dream and wonder."

» moonchytobias.com

HCTF review of Atmosfere.

Ronan Conroy: "Live @ Arlene's Grocery" video

Ronan Conroy has posted a video of his Arlene's Grocery in New York on October 13: Justin Wierbonski on drums, Erel Pilo on guitar and backing vocals, and Charlie Nieland on bass.

Setlist:

1. Cordite
2. The Road Not Traveled
3. Driving South
4. You’re So Cruel
5. The Dark
6. Welcome To My Country
7. Burn The Cane
8. Not A Part Of Anything
9. Tonight

» ronansconroy.com

HCTF review of The Moment Is Gone.

STASJ: "Little Girl" video

Watch the new STASJ video for Little Girl, a track from her album Soft Forces. "With electronics and classically trained vocals at the foundations for her music she goes for abstract, surrealistic lyrics, populating her world with kids, commuters and an aloof feline. It is not a pop record as such, neither is it a (modern) classical one. If anything it is a collection of highly personal stories and fairy tales, meandering travelogues and observations."

Johnny Dowd: Live at GrassRoots 2006

Johnny Dowd has dug up a rocking show from the past. Live at GrassRoots 2006, recorded in Trumansburg, NY in July 2006, catches him in full flight, with Michael Stark (keyboards, organ), Willie B (drums, bass pedals) and Kim Sherwood-Caso (vocals). He played quite a few songs that were unreleased at the time - the scary blues rocker Demons and Goats for instance would turn up on his Wake Up the Snakes album in 2010.

While most artists play it safe on stage and stick close to the studio versions, Dowd and his band love to turn things upside down and inside out. Warts and all is pretty much their modus operandi, but it works like a charm. Uncle Willie comes barreling down the tracks like a runaway train. The Good Die Young, a song that became a highlight on the Hellwood album Chainsaw Of Life is a slowed down lament that hits hard. Miracles Never Happen is dedicated to his mother, who would be surprised that her son is still kicking ass today, a music critics favourite, and a cult artist with a fervent and vocal fan base.

Portico Quartet: "Dissident Gardens" video

Watch the new Portico Quartet video for "Dissident Gardens, a track from their latest album Memory Stream. "They explore every nook and cranny of their compositions, repeating motifs for prolonged times or abandoning them within the space of a couple of bars. Memory Stream solves the problem of what to play after Radiohead's Kid A. It is a collection of adventurous, gentle avant-garde that keeps lingering inside the listener's head long after the record has ended."

The clip was directed by by the band's drummer Duncan Bellamy.

Drivin' N Cryin' : on tour in The Netherlands and the US

Atlanta roots rockers Drivin' N' Cryin' are on the road to promote their new album Live The Love Beautiful. Intense heartfelt music that goes straight for the gut.

Oysterhead: two shows In Broomfield, CO

Alt-funk rock superband Oysterhead reunites for two shows @ 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, CO (February 14-15). Bassist Les Claypool (Primus), guitarist Trey Anastasio (Phish) and drummer Stewart Copeland (The Police) recorded one album., The Grand Pecking Order, in 2001, after a one-off show @ New Orleans Saenger Theatre on May 4, 2000. Live shows were scarce: a short tour in 2001 and two festival appearances in 2006 at Bonnaroo and Allgood.

Ciao Lucifer: Are We Even Growing Up?

Dutch dance punk duo Ciao Lucifer set up shop in France to record their album Are We Even Growing Up?, only pressing "record" when the mood was right. The results are mixed - a track like & Little Words was a lot of fun to create, but it is a piece garbled junk that needs a lot of chemical supplies of dubious legality to appreciate. Too Fast on the other hand is a concise showcase of drums and guitar interaction. And Born 23 is a nice Beatles rip-off a la Yorick van Norden.

The King Dukes: Numb Tongues

The King Dukes have found a way to mix blues with soul, an almost forgotten art that somehow has managed to survive in their hometown Bristol. On their debut album Numb Tongues they strut with confidence (I Gotta Go and Kids Gloves) and ponder killing a girl's father during courtship (Caril-Ann). It's not all machismo however. Songs like the tender Dying Man and the lament Coming Right Back for Your Heart show the band's softer side.

With brass and bravado they are the band you hope to discover playing on the cramped stage of your favourite bar. Toe-tapping tunes that offer solace and joy simultaneously. The King Dukes swing and rock, a tight-knit unit powered by instant rapport and top-shelf musicianship.

Christians & Lions: Young Familiar

Dreamfolk collective Christians & Lions have been at it for 15 years, catering to the cognoscenti with a slew of self-released albums. Their latest is called Young Familiar (their first in 10 years) and once again the Providence, RI based band delivers a batch of songs about the occult, Russian folk handicraft, radical politics, and queerness.

Young Familiar digs deep at a leisurely pace. It's an intricate mix of folk-tinged vaudeville, sounding like a band that played in small theaters in the Forties, with a few West Coast pop melodies thrown in. They are all about storytelling, relying almost exclusively on acoustic instruments to get the message across.

Words about music (504): Chris Robinson

I didn't want to be told what to do. I don't want to water down my music to fit into their formats. I know what rock and roll is to me, but everything's turning into one big commercial.

Chris Robinson

Jim White: on tour in The Netherlands

Country noir musician Jim White will be on tour The Netherlands next year. A new studio album is currently being mixed.

The Gerbils: Are You Sleepy?

Indie rockers The Gerbils were part of the extended Elephant 6 family, a collective that gave birth to bands like Elf Power and Neutral Milk Hotel. Two members of the latter - Scott Spillane and John d'Azzo and were also part of the Athens, GA band. They released two albums and called it quits after guitarist Will Westbrook died in 2006. Both Are You Sleepy? and The Battle of Electricity became cult favourites. To celebrate its the 21st anniversary their debut is reissued on vinyl.

With its decidedly lo-fi sound and unusual instruments it is wild ride through both familiar and uncharted territories. Penny Waits is oddball bubblegum pop for music geeks. Walnuts is deliberately out of key and can be added to a playlist to get rid of visitors overstaying their welcome. Are You Sleepy? is an album that grates and purrs, not giving a fuck if people will like it or not.

The Fierce & The Dead: performing @ Prognosis 2020

English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce & The Dead will be performing their first ever show in The Netherlands, as part of the line-up of Prognosis 2020 in Eindhoven (March 20-21).

» fierceandthedead.com

HCTF review of Live USA 17.

The Persian Leaps: Electrical Living

photo: Rouse Productions

Power-pop band The Persian Leaps are no longer an actual performing unit, but have turned into a two-man studio project. Drew Forsberg and John Hunt hit the ground running with the full-length Electrical Living, 11 songs about a future that never happened. Back in the late Fifties and early Sixties "electrical" was a buzz word that whispered about a promised land in TechniColor, the culmination of the American Dream before reality sank in.

Forsberg pokes fun at the naivety of those days, but there is also longing for a more innocent age. The music has a definite retro vibe with songs about cats, new albums, longing and sweet nothings. It is all done in excellent taste, with crunchy guitars, spot on vocals, and a minimum of studio trickery.

Cybernetic Witch Cult: The Myth Of Sisyphus

Cybernetic Witch Cult, a doom rock trio from Cornwall, have made a video for The Myth Of Sisyphus, the lead single from their upcoming new album Absurdum ad Nauseam. The track was inspired by French writer Albert Camus' absurdist philosophical essay. And like the "hero" from ancient Greek mythology they are busy pushing a huge boulder (made of cardboard, duct tape, bamboo and a mic stand), albeit in the woods this time. High-brow psychedelic metal that wil be way over the heads of most people, but they can enjoy it as a piece of intense, noisy stoner rock.

Johnny Kills: Help Me Out

Rock trio Johnny Kills have inserted quite a bit of Pixies bass and guitar into their latest single Help Me Out. Add a bit of Britpop styled vocals and it is sure fire recipe for a toe-tapping track that sounds instantly familiar. The song is another taste from their upcoming debut EP Panic, due for release on November 20th via Killing Moon Records.

Ronan Conroy: show @ Arlene's Grocery in NYC

Ronan Conroy will be playing with a full band @ Arlene's Grocery in New York on October 13: Justin Wierbonski on drums, Erel Pilo on guitar and backing vocals, and Charlie Nieland on bass. Expect lots of songs from his latest album The Moment Is Gone: "While his previous EP Blood Dread found him down on his luck, this new collection of songs share an air of defiance. He is now able to move on and do what he does best: wearing his heart on his sleeve and let his warm baritone do the talking".

» ronansconroy.com

HCTF review of The Moment Is Gone.

HCTF premiere - Sasha Bell: Candy Mountain

photo: Amy Donovan

Sasha Bell goes all out orchestral pop on her new single Candy Mountain, a song from her upcoming album Love Is Alright. Melancholy and joy are playing catch throughout the track. Best known as member of Ladybug Transistor and The Essex Green her solo records are a means to share her affection for polished Seventies music, while retaining the edge of her indie roots.

LOGOUT: "Kite Waltz" video

Singer, songwriter and producer LOGOUT has posted a lyrics video for Kite Waltz, a track from his N91° album: With minimalistic electronics gentle swaying throughout N91° is a modern day folk record, a fairy tale an journey rolled into one. (...) It is up to the listener if anything of this actually happened. The record is a true desert island disc, with no set rules, making it impossible to pigeonhole. A bewildering trip through the mindset of a kaleidoscopic musician and poet".

Trey Anastasio Band: Winter tour dates

The Trey Anastasio Band have announced their Winter tour dates. Pre-sales begin Wednesday, October 9 at 1pm ET via treytickets.shop.ticketstoday.com.

HCTF premiere - Joy Cleaner: Dramatization

Fuzzy power pop trio Joy Cleaner keep it simple on their new single Dramatization from their upcoming album You're So Jaded, a rambling lo-fi track about being stuck, with zero changes of things getting better in the near future.

They have a good ear for catchy hooks that hark back to the hey-day of college rock. The Bloomington, NJ based band have honed their skills on the road and producer Josh Evensen (Where Is My Spaceship) did a fine job in capturing their raw on stage sound.

Cover Me: Common People

Watch The Grand Old Uke of York tackle the Pulp classic Common People. Yes, they dressed for the occasion.

» grandoldukeofyork.com

Kapok: tour dates

photo: Anouk van Kalmthout

Dutch jazz trio Kapok have been working on new material. That means that bits and pieces are being sent back forth, due to the fact that the members no longer live in the same city (or country for that matter). It is highly likely that some of the new stuff will be played at their upcoming shows. Old favourites like Kraslot have made their way back into the set as well.

Words about music (503): Arthur Lee

People say I was a strict leader with Love. But a rhythm guitarist has no right to do anything but play rhythm guitar if that’s all he knows how to do. I write, produce, sing and play guitar, drums and piano, and I wouldn’t attempt to do anything I couldn’t cut. If you’re just a rhythm guitar player, don’t tell me what to put in my song!

Arthur Lee

Magnapop: The Circle Is Round

With the release of their sixth studio album The Circle Is Round Atlanta's veteran indie rockers Magnapop have come full circle. It's their first album with the original line-up since Hot Boving (1994). Singer Linda Hopper and guitarist Ruthie Morris never really let go and kept at it with a wide array of rhythm sections, despite legal hassles such as the unexpected end of the rock division of their record label in 1997. Now, with the return of drummer David McNair and bass player Shannon Mulvaney all the elements are back in place for their unique version of melodic garage rock.

They never made it big in the States, but they built a dedicated cult fan base in The Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK, playing the club circuit and getting rave reviews. The Circle Is Round will be embraced by fans of The Breeders and anyone with a craving for cool female fronted alt-rock. Their succinct bursts of joy and anger are an ode to the concise punk song, getting to point within 3 minutes or less.

Ginger Baker: 1939-2019

Ginger Baker, one of rock's most innovative drummers, is dead at 80. Best known as oen of the-co-founders of Cream, h also performed with Blind Faith, Hawkwind and Fela Kuti. He had a unique sense of rhythm - "you've either got it or you haven't. And I've got it: time. Natural time". He did not suffers fool gladly, and his temper became the stuff of legend, properly documented in Beware of Mr. Baker.

Portico Quartet: Memory Stream

English jazz outfit Portico Quartet keep up their high standard on their new album Memory Stream, exploring electronics and minimalism to end up with an almost ambient vibe. The fluidity of the music is uncanny, almost hypnotic. They can invoke a whole world with only a couple of choice notes.

They explore every nook and cranny of their compositions, repeating motifs for prolonged times or abandoning them within the space of a couple of bars. Memory Stream solves the problem of what to play after Radiohead's Kid A. It is a collection of adventurous, gentle avant-garde that keeps lingering inside the listener's head long after the record has ended. Play it is as a whole and make sure that the "do not disturb" sign is up.

Pocket Knife Army: "The Dangling Carrot" live in the studio

Dutch electronic pop duo Pocket Knife Army have posted a live video of their new song The Dangling Carrot, episode 9 of their "one new song each month" series. Desirée Coumans and Erwin Tuijl went for a dark, industrial mood plus their first ever use of a kalimba. The clip was filmed in their recording studio by Jesse Immanuel Bom.

Phish: new archival release 11/30/1995 Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

Another archival Phish release is available for streaming and download: 11/30/1995 Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH.

Following the release of A Live One in June 1995, Phish hit the road for a 54-show fall tour from California to Lake Placid, their longest since 1993 and the last of such duration. Fall ’95 found the band playing to bigger crowds in larger venues while pushing the limits of musical exploration to new peaks.