A new, career-spanning Pylon box set has been announced, featuring previously unreleased material from the legendary Athens, Georgia art rock band. Titled Pylon Box, it comes out November 6 via New West. The 4xLP box set will include remastered versions of their two studio albums —1980’s Gyrate and 1983’s Chomp — as well as a newly unveiled recording, Razz Tape, a 13-track session that predates their 1979 debut single. Below, check out ‘The Human Body’ from Razz Tape as well as a live version of ‘3 x 3’, and scroll down for a teaser trailer for the box set.
Of the set’s 47 tracks, 18 have never been previously released. This also marks the first time in almost 35 years that Gyrate and Chomp, now also available to stream in their entirety on Bandcamp, have been pressed to vinyl.
In addition, Pylon Box comes with a 200-page hardbound, full-colour book with archival images, featuring testimonials from the B-52’s’ Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson, members of Gang of Four, Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, Steve Albini, and more. Each copy of the set will be autographed by the band’s surviving members: Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Michael Lachowski, and Curtis Crowe.
Formed in 1979 at the University of Georgia, Pylon were largely influential in the punk and new wave scene of the early 1980s and were contemporaries of Athens bands R.E.M. and the B-52’s.
For over a decade, Canadian singer-songwriter Jordan Klassen has been diligently creating his whimsical, contemplative music; crafting delicate songs which land somewhere in the sonic stratosphere between indie-rock, avant-garde folk and baroque pop. He has earned favourable comparisons to fellow multi-instrumentalist and lo-fi folk artist Sufjan Stevens, yet he has never been able to crack the mainstream and blow-up in quite the same way. This is surprising, given his superb musical ability, his wise, emotionally perceptive song writing and his skill at making such soul-searching music sound so pleasant and accessible. Even the songs of his which plunge headfirst into feelings of loneliness, ambiguity and melancholy have a romantic, life-affirming quality to them. Listening to Klassen’s music feels like stepping into the warm, golden sun on a frosty winter’s morning; there’s a stillness and quiet in the air, but hope, tinged with a sense of new beginnings, lies just beyond the horizon. His latest record, Tell Me What To Do, is a lyrically rich and instrumentally diverse meditation on the particular anxieties of adulthood faced by the millennial generation. In hushed tones and with a considerable amount of grace, Klassen explores the relatable and contradictory desire to be both in control of one’s life and utterly free from responsibility.
We spoke with Jordan Klassen for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase intriguing artists and give them a chance to talk about their music.
How and when did your interest in music start?
As a kid I was always really interested in making things. Drawing, writing plays, making movies on my parents’ camcorder. In high school I was playing trombone in band class and I begged my mom to let me quit. She herself was a musician and it was important for her that I learned an instrument, so she told me I could if I learned to play something else. I started guitar lessons and as soon as I did, I was writing songs.
What do you want people to feel when they hear your music?
Probably the same way I feel when I listen to my favourite records or read my favourite poems. Present, inspired, known in some way. That sounds really serious! I guess there’s also a playful aspect to a lot of my songs as well, so I think the emotional landscape of my tunes errs on the positive / hopeful side.
Your beautifully introspective album Tell Me What To Do came out in May. What was the inspiration behind it?
There were a few lines of thought. One of them was that I wanted to really lean into what I think I’m good at as a songwriter. Every record I’ve done has explored some new sonic and literary territory but this time I just wanted to try to settle into something that felt like ‘me’. I’ve always felt at home with quiet music so we made that a sonic theme. Everything on the record is played very quietly, I sang just barely audibly. Then when we compressed the audio it kind of came alive, all the little details burst out of it.
The record came from a place of inner exhaustion. I think about identity a lot, where I fit, what I think, the kind of person that I want to be. Western culture is filled with all kinds of images and voices inviting you to craft yourself into something great. I sometimes feel like I’m making a Dungeons and Dragons character or something. But at this point in my life, I’ve become less interested in self-expression and am more interested in listening to outside voices. I want to be told who I am. I want to be a cog in a machine I guess, as weird as that sounds. This is the overarching theme of the album.
What’s your process for writing lyrics?
Hmmm…. pace around anxiously? Haha. Melodies are almost always first and then I’ll spend a few weeks just singing what feels natural, mostly because I’m procrastinating. But by that time some words and sounds will have popped up that really suit the mood or fit into a concept that I’ve been thinking about, and I’ll finally put the puzzle pieces together.
I love T.S. Eliot, his poems feel like pulling heaven down to earth. They leave you not with a traditional story but with an impression, I think. That’s the kind of lyric I always aspire to write – like an abstract painting.
You’re a prolific musician, having worked as an artist for a number of years with several successful LPs under your belt – what have been the highs and lows of navigating the music industry?
Sometimes I joke to my friends that it’s the only industry in the world where experience is not an asset. Freshness and youth are idolized, and this can make it really tough for people who are in it for the long haul. At times it can feel like all of your investment might not pay off. So those can be lows. But I have had so many high points, I’ve got to travel the world, I’ve made art I’m proud of, I’ve been supported by so many amazing people and organizations. I also never watch the clock when I’m working, which is honestly probably the best thing about getting to do this.
We’ve all needed our guilty-pleasure songs to get through those dark days in lockdown, what are yours?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Selena Gomez lately. Some of her songs are just so great and catchy – really interesting and fun production too.
What are your hopes and plans for the not so distant future?
All of mine are probably the same as most musicians during Covid. I want to get back out on the road again, especially in Europe. I want to play these ‘Tell Me What To Do’ songs live. But realistically I think that I’m going to start working on new music. I have the advantage of having my own studio where I work every day, so I figure I might as well just spend all my time doing what I love anyway – writing songs.
Colombian-born, Brooklyn-based electronic artist Ela Minus has announced her debut full-length album, acts of rebellion, out October 23 via Domino. Accompanying the announcement, Minus has also shared a new track called ‘el cielo no es de nadie’, which arrives with a music video co-directed by herself and Pepi Ginsberg. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album’s cover artwork and tracklist.
““el cielo no es de nadie” is about all the love I see in small, everyday acts,” Minus said in a statement. “It’s an invitation to appreciate unheroic, but constant and meaningful actions. The song’s title, “el cielo no es de nadie,” refers to the phrase “I’ll give you the sky,” a common expression used in Spanish when in love. In the song, I defy it: “You can’t give me the sky / It isn’t yours to give.”
1. N19 5NF
02 they told us it was hard, but they were wrong.
03 el cielo no es de nadie
04 megapunk
05 pocket piano
06 dominique
07 let them have the internet
08 tony
09 do whatever you want, all the time.
10 Close [ft. Helado Negro]
Clipping have announced a new album. The experimental hip-hop group’s latest is called Visions of Bodies Being Burnedand it’s set for release on October 23 via Sub Pop. The trio have also shared the project’s first single, ‘Say the Name’, which samples Scarface’s ‘Mind Playing Tricks on Me’. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album’s cover artwork and tracklist.
Videos of Bodies Being Burned follows last year’s excellent There Existed an Addiction to Blood. According to a press release, it consists of material recorded during the same sessions and was originally supposed to arrive only a few months later, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the album’s closing track, ‘Secret Piece’, is reportedly a performance of Yoko Ono’s rare 1953 text score, which instructs the musicians to “Decide on one note that you want to play/Play it with the following accompaniment: the woods from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m/ in summer.”
Visions of Bodies Being Burned Cover Artwork:
Visions of Bodies Being Burned Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Say the Name
3. Wytchboard (Interlude)
4. ’96 Neve Campbell [ft. Cam & China]
5. Something Underneath
6. Make Them Dead
7. She Bad
8. Invocation Interlude (with Greg Stuart)
9. Pain Everyday (with Michael Esposito)
10. Check the Lock
11. Looking Like Meat [ft. Ho99o99]
12. Drove (Interlude)
13. Eaten Alive (with Jeff Parker and Ted Byrnes)
14. Body for the Pile (with Sickness)
15. Enlacing
16. Secret Piece
Disclosure have shared a new single called ‘Birthday’. The latest from the duo’s upcoming album ENERGY, which comes out this Friday, it features Kehlani and the Internet’s Syd. Listen to it below.
“It’s the oldest song on the album by far so has definitely stood the test of time and deservedly made the cut,” the group’s Guy Lawrence said in a statement. “And the addition of Kehlani just took it to the next level and turned into a fire duet.”
ENERGY marks Disclosure’s third studio album and follows 2015’s Caracal. It includes the previously released ‘My High’ with Aminé and slowthai as well as ‘Douha (Mali Mali)’ featuring Fatoumata Diawara. To celebrate the release of the album, Disclosure will host a musical experience within Minecraft. Check out the trailer for that below.
Yo La Tengo have announced a new EP titled Sleepness Nights, out October 9 via Matador. The group have also shared the first single from the project, a cover of the Byrds’ ‘Wasn’t Born to Follow’. Check it out below, and scroll down for the EP’s tracklist and cover artwork.
Created in collaboration with Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, the record was conceived as part of his career-spanning exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (LACMA). It features five covers and one new original called ‘Bleeding’.
“We met Yoshitomo Nara in 2003, would see him at his art shows and our concerts,” Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan said in a statement. “We dj’d at an opening at the Asia Society, and on another occasion he drew a picture of Georgia strangling me on a Gloomy pencil case that became one of Georgia’s prized possessions until it was stolen from her at the bar at the K-West hotel in Shepherd’s Bush. To make the catalogue of his 2020 exhibit at LACMA more personal, the idea came up to include an LP of some of Nara’s favorite songs as part of a deluxe edition. We were asked to provide one side of the LP (and that one track be a new composition), with the other side being another six songs selected by Nara, in their original versions.”
1. Blues Stay Away (The Delmore Brothers cover)
2. Wasn’t Born to Follow (The Byrds cover)
3. Roll On Babe (Ronnie Lane cover)
4. It Takes a Lot to Laugh (Bob Dylan cover)
5. Bleeding
6. Smile a Little Smile for Me (Flying Machine cover)
Celeste, the powerhouse of British soul music, has presented her latest powerful song Little Runaway, today. The song was released on Polydoor Records and premiered as the Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1.
Whilst chatting about the song, Celeste reveals ” Little Runaway is a song about losing your faith, even if just momentarily, and seeking answers from spirits and ghosts as nothing seems to make sense on this planet. My favourite line in the song is ‘good news I could use some’ – I believe everyone has a guardian angel, a protector, and this is me talking to mine. The verses actually started as this saxophone sample we were playing around with and eventually it transformed into the melody. I always play the sax back in my head even though it’s not in the song.”
Those paying attention to the gaming industry right now may have noticed a crucial detail about the next generation. Or, rather a key detail that is currently missing. Neither Microsoft nor Sony have deemed it necessary to announce a price for their new next-gen consoles. Understandably, this has some people worried that the cost of these consoles is going to be significantly higher than many will feel comfortable paying. But is that the case?
Are There Any Rumoured Prices?
Over the past few months, there have been several rumoured prices for both consoles. We have seen listings leaked that have claimed the PS5 is going to be as expensive as $700 dollars while the Xbox Series X could be as cheap as $300. However, until there is the official word from the brands it’s best to continue treating these as placeholders. It’s unlikely that one company is aware of the price before all the other suppliers.
Why Haven’t The Prices Been Announced?
Both consoles are scheduled to launch this holiday season and both have also had their reveal events. But we’re still not completely certain when these consoles are going to release. Rumours suggest that they could each be out by November and it’s possible that prices won’t be announced until these dates are finalised. It may also be the case that both Microsoft and Sony are preparing for a delay into 2021. This wouldn’t be that shocking considering the constant shift surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Announcing prices too early could dampen the excitement surrounding these consoles if they are still at least six months from launch.
Will One Be Cheaper?
There are already hints that Microsoft will attempt to undercut Sony on the price for this generation. This could be because overall Sony sold a lot more platforms last generation. So, in a way Microsoft is playing catch up. A lower price could help them attract more customers, particularly when experts agree the Series X is going to be the most powerful option available.
It’s also worth noting that there is expected to be budget versions of both consoles according to recent leaks. Microsoft has already unveiled the Xbox Series S while a listing for the PS5 Pro suggests at least two versions of Sony’s new product. This might be in response to complaints about the high prices of products like this are pushing many people into debt and leading to them needing relief from resources like DTSS Sovereign.
Are There Other Costs To Consider?
Finally, as with other generations, it’s important to consider the cost of the games for the new consoles. The price of games is expected to be around $60 which is quite expensive. However, Microsoft is hoping to lighten the load with its Gamepass solution. This should allow players to get hundreds of games that they want on a subscription service rather than buying separately. Time will tell whether this concept is profitable and perhaps more importantly sustainable. Sony has a similar option with Playstation Plus but it’s nowhere near as substantial.
“We’re all gonna die!” Brandon Flowers proclaims on ‘When the Dreams Run Dry’, the penultimate track on The Killers’ new album, Imploding the Mirage. Though, like many artists, the LA band were forced to postpone the release of their sixth LP in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it still feels like a ridiculously unsubtle reminder, one that almost completely undercuts the earnestness with which Flowers wrestles with the idea of mortality throughout the rest of the song. And yet it’s a liberating a moment, a playful release of tension that ultimately opens the door for a full-hearted embrace of the kind of wide-eyed optimism the group are known for: “We’ll just follow the moon, to the stars/ To the sun, to the ground/ And around, and around,” he sings, dancing around the words. And on Imploding the Mirage, their best and most triumphant album in more than a decade, that’s exactly what they reach for.
Following 2017’s uneven but occasionally revelatory Wonderful, Wonderful, The Killers had two options: either delve deeper into the experimental tendencies and introspective lyricism they explored on that album or pivot back to their signature brand of escapist heartland rock. While there are still heartfelt, personal moments on Imploding the Mirage, Flowers and company choose the latter path and go all in on the kind of heaven-reaching grandiosity that’s made them so successful. It could have easily come off as painfully overblown and self-indulgent, as The Killers’ albums often do, but instead their vision feels both gigantic and razor-focused – the record is filled with one absurdly catchy chorus after another, bolstered by punchy, 80s-inspired production and a host of guest appearances that consistently elevate the material, from Lindsey Buckingham’s killer solo on ‘Caution’ to Weyes Blood’s ethereal vocals floating atop ‘My God’.
It all kicks off with what might be the strongest track on the album, ‘My Own’s Soul’s Warning’, which catapults its way into the sky with a soaring synth line and driving rhythm section – from that point on, everything on Imploding the Mirage takes place at least 10,000 feet above the ground. “I tried going against my own soul’s warning,” Flowers sings in his impassioned delivery, “But in the end, something just didn’t feel right.” You can never really tell what he’s singing about, but you could easily apply that line to the approach The Killers have taken on this album: they could have settled for a more ‘mature’, thoughtful sound, but in the end they decided to throw caution to the wind and the result is gloriously reinvigorating: aided by Flood’s dynamic production, ‘Dying Breed’ reaches for the epic ambition of the band’s Sam’s Town era, while the sped-up ‘Caution’ bursts with infectiously reckless energy.
The album is not without its flaws – it falters slightly towards the back end, mostly due to the fact that the first half hosts some of its best tracks all stacked one after the other. But it allows the band to venture into some slightly unexpected territory as the album progresses, like the sweeping, disco-inflected ‘My God’, a track that captures a sense of dramatic momentum that’s otherwise lacking throughout the album’s boilerplate, stuck-in-time storytelling. Still, for all the delightful swagger of ‘Fire in Bone’, the song suffers from a weak chorus and a surprisingly muddled sound that’s far too indebted to that of the Talking Heads, while ‘Lightning Places’ feels inconsequential following the titanic ‘Caution’. What’s more, while the sense of idealism that overflows throughout Imploding the Mirage generally feels appropriate for the album’s tone, after Flowers wrings out multiple versions of the same story, some lines just feel a little too silly. “While you were out there looking like that/ I struck my name from the camouflage/ I wasn’t lost in the collage/ I was imploding the mirage,” he pompously sings on the closing title track.
Naming your album after one of its most nonsensical lines might be an ironic move for a band often accused of lacking a sense of identity, but there’s no denying that Imploding theMirage radiates with the kind of confidence that hits differently right now, especially when the execution is so on point. They don’t quite implode the mirage here, whatever that means, but that romanticism is aspirational rather than purely flashy, a bolt of hope that the band never fully lets go of. It might not always be accompanied by the nuanced songwriting one might expect from an act at this point in their career, but there are hints of growth, too, on tracks like the evocative, The War on Drugs-esque ‘Running Towards a Place’. It might have been nice to see the band try some new ideas and expand their palette, but the maximalism on display here is more satisfying than most things The Killers have done over the past dozen years or so.
Billie Eilish is the latest artist to perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series. Joined by her brother FINNEAS, the pop singer performed her two most recent standalone singles:‘my future’ and 2019’s ‘everything i wanted’. Watch the livestreamed set below.
Regular viewers will notice that, unlike recent remote editions of the series, this performance actually looks like it took place in Bob Boilen’s familiar Tiny Desk setting. “Of course, due to safety concerns, even the NPR Music staff can’t set foot in the building that houses Bob Boilen’s desk,” Stephen Thompson writes in the video’s description. “But if you look over Eilish’s shoulder, there’s no mistaking the signs that she’s appearing at the Tiny Desk in its present-day form: On the last day before staff began working from home, I took home the Green Bay Packers helmet that sat on the top shelf — the one Harry Styles had signed a few weeks earlier — for safe keeping. In this performance, that spot is empty.”
As Eilish explains after playing ‘my future’, “Obviously, we are not actually at Tiny Desk, because this is a cardboard cut-out of it. But it’s still real. It’s just not in-person real.”
