Marika Hackman has shared two new covers from her upcoming covers project. Listen to the singer-songwriter’s version of Elliott Smith’s ‘Between the Bars’ and Beyoncé’s ‘All Night’ below.
“I’ve been playing Between the Bars live for a while now, on the last few tours and in live streams,” Hackman said in a statement. “It’s been nice to play around with the arrangement, and I hope people enjoy what I’ve done with this recorded version.”
Covers arrives on November 13 via Transgressive/ Sub Pop. The 10-track LP includes the previously released cover of Grimes’ ‘Realiti’ as well her take on songs by Radiohead, Air, and more. Hackman’s last studio album was 2019’s Any Human Friend.
Spencer Davis, founding member and namesake of the British rock band The Spencer Davis Group, has passed away at the age of 81. His agent, Bob Birk, confirmed to the BBC that the singer died in the hospital on Monday while receiving treatment for pneumonia. “He was a very good friend,” he said. “He was a highly ethical, very talented, good-hearted, extremely intelligent, generous man. He will be missed.”
Davis was born and raised in Swansea, Wales, and learned to play harmonica and accordion as a child. When he was 16, Davis moved to London and worked as an office clerk before going on to study German at the University Of Birmingham. Davis formed an R&B group called the Saints with future Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, and also collaborated with future Fleetwood Mac singer Christine McVie.
It was in 1963 that Davis enlisted a young Steve Winwood and formed what would eventually become the Spencer Davis Group along with Winwood’s brother Muff and drummer Pete York. The group was originally known as The Rhythm & Blues Quartet, but changed their name in 1964 since Davis was the only member who liked doing press. They scored their first hit in 1965 with a cover of Jamaican musician Jackie Edwards’ ‘Keep On Running’, a single from 1966’s The Second Album. Later that year, they released Autumn ’66, which included another another chart-topping Edwards cover, ‘Somebody Help Me’.
It wasn’t long before the band hit the United States with the rest of the British Invasion, thanks to the success of two originals: 1966’s ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ and 1967’s ‘I’m A Man’. That same year, Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic, and the group disbanded two years later. David moved to California and pursued a solo career that resulted in 1971’s It’s Been So Long and 1972’s Mousetrap. In 1973, Davis revived the Spencer Davis Group moniker with a new lineup and put out a pair of albums before breaking up again. He got a job working as an A&R executive for Island Records throughout the ’70s, helping develop artists including Bob Marley and Robert Palmer.
In the mid-2000s, Davis reformed the Spencer Davis Group, this time as a live project, and performed throughout the next decade. None of the touring line-ups featured the rest of the original members.
“He was definitely a man with a vision, and one of the pioneers of the British invasion of America in the sixties,” Steve Winwood wrote in a statement. “I never went to the U.S. with Spencer, but he later embraced America, and America embraced him. I feel that he was influential in setting me on the road to becoming a professional musician, and I thank him for that. Thank you, Spencer.”
Tony Lewis, the bassist and singer for British rock band the Outfield, has died at the age of 62. The news of Lewis’ death was announced on his official website as well as social media pages. “It is with great sadness and sorrow to announce that Tony Lewis has unexpectedly passed away,” the post reads. “He was a beautiful soul who touched so many lives with his love, his spirit, and his music. He loved his fans dearly and enjoyed every opportunity he had when meeting all of you.”
Lewis was born in London’s East End and grew up in a working-class neighbourhood. Citing the Beatles and T Rex as early influences, he teamed up with drummer Alan Jackman and formed a band while he was still in high school. Years later, they put an advertisement in a London music paper and met guitarist John Spinks. The trio formed a prog outfit called Syrius B and later changed their name to Baseball Boys after one of the street gangs in the cult classic The Warriors. In 1984, they signed a record deal with CBS Records and issued their debut album Play Deep under the name The Outfield a year later, which scored them their biggest hit, ‘Your Love’. With ‘Your Love’ peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, the album went on to achieved triple platinum status.
The band released two more albums in the 1980s, Bangin and Voices of Babylon. Though they never managed to replicate the success of ‘Your Love’, the Outfield remained staple on rock radio throughout the rest of the decade with singles like ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Voices of Babylon’, and ‘For You’. After Jackman announced his departure in 1991, Lewis and Spinks continued on as a duo until Spinks passed away in 2014. Four years later, Lewis released his debut solo album Out of the Darkness, which was co-written by his wife Carol. At the time of his death, Lewis was reportedly working on a new EP scheduled for release in 2021.
Arlo Parks has announced her debut album: Collapsed in Sunbeams arrives January 29, 2021 via Transgressive. Along with the announcement, the 20-year-old British singer-songwriter has shared a new song called ‘Green Eyes’. Featuring vocals from Clairo, Parks describes it as a “a song about self-discovery, self-acceptance and adolescence. It is supposed to uplift and comfort those going through hard times.” Check it out below, and scroll down for the album’s cover artwork and tracklist.
In a statement about the album, Parks explained: “My album is a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding my adolescence and the people that shaped it. It is rooted in storytelling and nostalgia — I want it to feel both universal and hyper specific.”
Singer-songwriter dodie has announced her debut full-length album. It’s called Build A Problem and it comes out March 5. She’s also shared the lead single, ‘Cool Girl’, alongside an accompanying lyric video. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album’s cover artwork and tracklist.
“I think I was going through a crisis actually,” she said of writing the album. “I was very unsure of who I was and I was trying to figure it out in music. So I think it’s quite unstable of an album – but it’s definitely honest.”
On the inspiration behind ‘Cool Girl’, she commented: “‘Cool Girl’ is a song about misplaced anger. Stemming from the suppression of communicating your needs in a relationship in order to attempt to be the most chill, cool, and loveable. It’s bitter, desperate, frustrated, proud, determined, and unhealthy.”
Build A Problem follows on from dodie’s 2019 EP, Human.
Build A Problem Cover Artwork:
Build A Problem Tracklist:
1. Air So Sweet
2. Hate Myself
3. I Kissed Someone (It Wasn’t You)
4. Cool Girl
5. Special Girl
6. Rainbow
7. ?
8. Four Tequilas Down
9. .
10. Sorry
11. When
12. Before The Line
13. Guiltless (Bonus Track)
14. Boys Like You (Bonus Track)
Hachiku is the project of 26-year-old Melbourne-based artist Anika Ostendorf, who writes whimsical, dreamy bedroom pop with an experimental twist. Originally from Germany, she moved to Australia from London as a biology exchange student and found both a job and a musical home at Milk! Records, an independent label founded by Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher in 2012. She issued her enchanting self-titled debut EP in 2017, and has been slowly expanding her musical palette ever since, turning Hachiku into a full-band project consisting of Georgia Smith, Jessie L. Warren, and Simon Reynolds. Following a mini covers EP this year, which featured lovely renditions of songs by The Cranberries, Sia, and the German classic ’99 Luftballons’ while also doubling as an exercise in music production, Ostendorf is now gearing up for the release of her debut full-length, I’ll Probably Be Asleep. Out November 13, it includes the early single ‘Shark Attack’, a lusciously hypnotic tribute to her family dog Lexus, as well as the recently unveiled ‘Bridging Visa B’, a commentary on the intrusiveness of the visa application process. The title track, which also serves as the album’s opener, is a startling embodiment of Hachiku’s artistic growth: harsh waves of distortion cut through a mesmerzing groove overlaid with punchy drums and ethereal guitar melodies, all swirling around Ostendorf’s evocative vocals. Whether big and disorienting or intimate and inviting, Hachiku’s otherworldly music pulls you in like a spell.
We caught up with Hachiku’s Anika Ostendorf for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk about their music.
What drove you to pursue songwriting?
I actually think my biggest inspiration as a child was ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’, which is Germany’s equivalent to American Idol type TV shows. I always dreamt of myself as entering that stage as a 16-year-old and wowing people with my soulful ballads and tragic life story (not lol). I must have quickly realised that the pursuit of such dreams did not align with my developing teenage interests so well and I switched over to (temporarily) admiring songwriters like Regina Spektor and The Moldy Peaches.
Who is an artist that changed the way you think about music?
Probably my all-time favourite band Beach House and the way their music has a certain transcendental aspect to it. It really isn’t just music – it’s otherworldly perfection. Could you could call it magic? I think so, I like music that feels like it is magic.
You recently released your 99 Dreams covers EP. What did you hope to achieve with the project, and why did you choose these particular songs?
The main intention behind the covers project actually was for me to learn the recording software program Ableton. It’s used a lot in electronic music and I had never really played around with it before, so I figured ‘forcing’ myself to do a mini EP in a short amount of time would be a good motivation to get going. The song choice is based on songs that I had previously played as part of my solo live performance (in particular ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries and ’99 Luftballons’ by Nena). ’99 Luftballons’ actually was a real hassle to clear the rights for and we almost didn’t release it, but it worked out last minute!
Could you talk about your latest single, ‘I’ll Probably Be Asleep’? What was the inspiration for it?
For this song I wanted it to sound like a chainsaw playing the lead melody in an organ ensemble – lots of feedback, lots of loud guitars (there are probably 5 or so overlapping guitar parts in there), while also maintaining a sort of gentle aspect to the song. I’m never quite sure where a particular lyrical inspiration comes from, it kind of just manifests itself in my head spontaneously. I quite liked the visual that ’l’ll Probably Be Asleep’ brings to mind – sleeping your life away while the world keeps spinning around, like in the moment of sleeping you put a pause on everything.
How does it fit into your upcoming album as a whole?Could you talk us through the process of making the record?
It’s definitely the most guitar heavy, rock-y and loudest song on the album. Each song sits in its own musical world a little – there’s nothing that ties them together other than that I recorded them all. Every song has quite fundamentally different instrumentation and energy where sometimes I wonder if it’s a bit too hectic and distracting but maybe that randomness is what unites them after all.
What’s your favourite song from the album, and why?
I think it has to be ‘Shark Attack’ because it’s about my dog and I love my dog. That one was the last song I wrote for the album and I had a 1-week deadline and it just happened and I didn’t have time to overthink it and it just had to be what it was. When you have unlimited time to finish something – that is probably a bit dangerous for me. I don’t know when and where to stop.
The release date is inching closer! How do you feel?
Nervous but excited but nervous but excited. Mainly actually excited for it to be out there, nervous because I now have to start working on the next album!!
José Padilla, the highly influential Ibiza DJ who helped define chillout with his Café del Mar compilations, has died aged 64 from colon cancer. The news was confirmed by his family on social media.
“His family and friends would like to say thank you to everybody who sent donations and messages of support to help make his last few months easier, and to all the staff of Can Misses Hospital for taking care of him until the end,” a message on his Instagram reads. “Now he has gone and the sunset in Ibiza will never be the same without him, but the beautiful music of José Padilla will stay with us forever. Adiós maestro.”
Padilla was born in Barcelona in 1955 but moved to Ibiza in 1976, where he made his name as resident DJ at Café del Mar, the San Antonio bar that became synonymous with playing chillout music while patrons enjoyed the island’s beautiful sunsets. He created the widely successful Café del Mar compilation series in 1993, which went on to sell thousands of copies around the world. In addition to being an active DJ for over four decades, he also made his own music, releasing his first album Souvenir in 1998 via Mercury Records. His final album, So Many Colours, came out in 2015.
“José Padilla chilled a generation of clubbers and his art touched the lives of millions,” Café del Mar wrote in a statement on Twitter. “He will always be remembered as the Godfather of Chillout, creator of Café del Mar compilations, and true Ibiza Legend.”
This marks the Montreal-based, Zambia-born artist’s first Polaris Music Prize nomination and win. At the end of the livestreamed awards show, which featured short films inspired by the artists who had been nominated, last year’s winner Haviah Mighty tuned in to present the award to Backxwash, who thanked Black Dresses (“the greatest band to have ever lived in the entire existence of the Earth”) and “all the queers who listen to me on Twitter.” With her win, Backxwash made history as the first Black transgender artist to win the prize. Prize winners receive $50,000 CAD, with those on the short list receiving $3,000 CAD.
Watch the full event below, including a Q&A with Backxwash.
OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!! NO HOMO BUT WE DID ACTUALLY BRING HORRORCORE TO THE POLARIS
The Staves have announced their third album, Good Woman. It’s set for release on February 5, 2021 via Atlantic Records. Below, check out the album’s title track, and scroll down for the cover artwork and tracklist.
The Staves – the indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor – wrote and recorded Good Woman during a time of personal turmoil, seeing the ending of relationships, the death of their beloved mother, and the birth of Emily’s first child. They mostly self-produced the album with help from John Congleton.
“We have been working on this for a long time and are thrilled to share the title track with you,” the group said in a press release. “When we think about making this album we think about moments and snapshots of all the different contexts we were in as it was made. Living in each other’s pockets and then living with oceans between us. On voice notes and field recordings and ideas in emails sent across continents. We think of homesickness and family. Of being an outsider. Of endless notebooks and scraps of paper. Of studios in the winter and recordings under the summer sun. Of rainy London days and long American night with coffees and beers, dogs and cats. We think of love. Big, big love. Our Mum. Our Dad, Our friends. And of loss. Death and birth. Womanhood, motherhood. Sisterhood.”
“And coming home.”
Good Woman will mark the trio’s first album in six years, following their acclaimed second album, If I Was. Earlier this year, they released two new songs, non-album track ‘Nazareth’ and ‘Trying’. They recently relaunched their podcast, ‘Dial-A-Stave’, on Spotify.
Good Woman Cover Artwork:
Good Woman Tracklist:
1. Good Woman
2. Best Friend
3. Careful, Kid
4. Next Year, Next Time
5. Nothing’s Gonna Happen
6. Sparks
7. Paralysed
8. Devotion
9. Failure
10. Satisfied
11. Trying
12. Waiting On Me To Change
Japanese fuzz-metal outfit Boris and harsh noise auteur Merzbow have announced a new collaborative album: 2R0I2P0 arrives December 11 via Relapse. The two acts have also unveiled the first preview from the album, ‘Away From You’. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album’s cover artwork and tracklist.
“This year was a period of trial for everyone in the world,” Boris said in a press release about the album, whose title roughly translates to ‘2020 R.I.P’. “This work becomes a monument to the requiem of the previous era. From here, a new world begins again.”
This is not the first time the two Japanese acts have crossed paths. They joined forces for the first time on the 2002 LP Megatone, and have recorded multiple collaborative albums since then, including 2016’s Gencho. Earlier this year, Boris put out their most recent albumNOvia Bandcamp.
2R0I2P0 Cover Artwork:
2R0I2P0 Tracklist:
1. Away From You
2. To The Beach
3. Coma
4. Love
5. Absolutego
6. Journey
7. Uzume
8. Evol
9. Boris
10. Shadow Of Skull
