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Black Country, New Road Announce New Album, Unveil New Song ‘Chaos Space Marine’

London art-rock band Black Country, New Road have announced their next record: the follow-up to this year’s For the first time is called Ants From Up There and it’s out February 4 via Ninja Tune. The 10-track LP is led by the new single ‘Chaos Space Marine’, which frontman Isaac Wood calls “the best song we’ve ever written.” Check it out and find the album’s cover artwork and tracklist below.

“We threw in every idea anyone had with that song,” Wood added in a press release. “So the making of it was a really fast, whimsical approach—like throwing all the shit at the wall and just letting everything stick.”

Ants From Up There Cover Artwork:

Ants From Up There Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Chaos Space Marine
3. Concorde
4. Bread Song
5. Good Will Hunting
6. Haldern
7. Mark’s Theme
8. The Place Where He Inserted the Blade
9. Snow Globes
10. Basketball Shoes

The Boo Radleys Announce First Album in 24 Years, Release New Song

The Boo Radleys have announced their first new album in 24 years, and their first without lead songwriter and guitarist Martin Carr. Keep On With Falling arrives March 11, 2022, via the band’s own label, Boostr. The now three-piece returned earlier this year with the single  ‘A Full Syringe and Memories of You’, which will be included on the album alongside the new track ‘I’ve Had Enough I’m Out’. Listen to it below and scroll down for the LP’s cover art and tracklist.

“‘I’ve Had Enough, I’m Out’ is a statement on the disavowal of religion, using Catholicism as it’s exemplar,” singer and guitarist Simon “Sice” Rowbottom said in a statement. “It is harmonious and melodic, as the Boo Radleys always are, and harks back to our deep, alternative ’80s influences.”

Keep On With Falling Cover Artwork:

Keep On With Falling Tracklist:

1. I’ve Had Enough I’m Out (Album Version)
2. Keep On With Falling
3. All Along
4. I Say a Lot of Things
5. Tonight
6. A Full Syringe and Memories of You (Album Version)
7. Call Your Name
8. Here She Comes Again
9. You and Me
10. I Can’t Be What You Want Me to Be
11. Alone Together

James Blake Enlists slowthai for New Version of ‘Funeral’

James Blake has recruited slowthai for a new version of ‘Funeral’, from his recently released album Friends That Break Your Heart. The track comes with an accompanying video, which you can check out below.

Friends That Break Your Heart, Blake’s fifth studio album, arrived last Friday (October 8). It includes the advance singles ‘Say What You Will’, ‘Life Is Not The Same’, and ‘Famous Last Words’, as well as collaborations with SZA, JID, and Joji. Last year, Blake joined slowthai on his track ‘feel away’, which also featured Mount Kimbie.

Third Power’s Jem Targal Dead at 74

Jem Targal, the bassist, singer, and primary songwriter for the Detroit psych rock trio Third Power, has died. His family confirmed the news in a social media post. He was 74.

Targal was born in 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When he was two years old, his family moved to Teke near Istanbul, Turkey, where his father taught at American College, before eventually returning to Michigan. It was in Detroit, where the family settled, that Targal learned to play the violin and the guitar. He attended Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where he met Drew Abbott. They formed Third Power in 1969 alongside drummer Jim Craig.

The band became a favorite in the local club circuit that also included the MC5, the Stooges, and SRC and quickly signed to Vanguard Records. They released their one and only LP, Believe, in 1970, but after it flopped commercially, the trio disbanded. Abbott would go on to become a longtime staple in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band, while Targal issued his first and only solo album, Luckey Guy, in 1978.

Light in the Attic’s Pat Thomas, who worked closely with Targal on the 2012 reissue of Believe, said in a statement about his passing (via Pitchfork): “What I will always remember about Jem was his over the top enthusiasm—I felt like I was working with a 19-year old on their first release, he was just so excited to see this album get reissued properly. He was also beyond playful—often sending me emails with all kinds of wacky messages and wording. Really just a sweet and charming human.”

Album Review: Shannon Lay, ‘Geist’

Geist, the new album by Shannon Lay, is named after the German word for spirit, a multifaceted term whose implications can be both philosophical and ghostly. And while the Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s music is reminiscent of the haunted, otherworldly folk of Nick Drake or Vashti Bunyan, it’s not so concerned with the supernatural as the title may imply; it’s also not intended as a meditation on, say, Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit, though Lay does have a gift for shedding light on small yet profound truths in her own unique way. But for a songwriter so attuned to plumbing meaning from the peculiarities of the everyday ­– from her earliest releases to her 2019 Sub Pop debut, August – it’s no surprise she turned towards the self during a time of intense isolation, seeking a vastness within that’s not unlike the one conveyed by the titular word. It also makes for an entrancing, wondrous listen and what might be her most immediately affecting effort yet.

Opener ‘Rare to Wake’ finds the singer roused by the possibilities of the self, longing for a kind of unraveling. But her quest for growth includes others, too: “Something sleeps inside us,” she sings, ensnared by layers of hypnotic vocals that seem to confirm her revelation, before directing a question to whoever’s listening: “Have you always been who you are?” This spirit of self-actualization carries onto the rest of the LP. Mostly a capella, ‘Awake and Allow’ addresses the same themes but invokes them in the form of a hymn; while it alludes to Lay’s Irish roots and her personal ties to California, her embrace of a pure kind of self-discovery reaches toward something universal: “The more I learned the less I knew/ Allow the nature that is you.” Lyrically, it’s among Lay’s finest, most resonant moments, mirroring the stillness that fosters transformation; but the music, as mesmerizing as it can be, never falls into the type of dull comfort that, as she sings, can make you close your eyes to those changes.

Given its endearing, generous tone, it’s only natural that this theme extends beyond the self for the majority of the album. On ‘Thread to Find’, she urges us to follow the internal currents that can only be expressed through nature metaphors: “You see your wild sun move into night/ You feel the unseen hands reach out reach out for you/ They call us to melt away,” she sings, voice swaying as if subject to those same forces, dipping in and out of focus. The feeling of a hand holding you recurs throughout Geist, and on the following track ‘Sure’, it’s there to reassure the singer of the endurance of a love that has the power to eliminate fear. There are other tracks here that read as subtly variations on the same love song, repeating patterns as simple and familiar as forming a smile at the thought of a loved one – but rather than disrupting the flow of the album, they fit so gently that they help move it along.

After all, Lay’s journey is not without companions. After tracking vocals and guitar for the new album at Jarvis Tavinere of Woods’ studio, she sent out the songs to various musicians to help flesh them out, and their contributions exist in such harmony with Lay’s arrangements that they also highlight its central message. Multi-instrumentalist Ben Boye’s synths add a sense of fluidity and ethereality to Lay’s earthy acoustic guitar; Aaron Otheim’s keys accentuate the tenderness of songs like ‘Shores’; Devin Hoff’s standup bass has a stirring quality that embodies much of what Lay is singing about. Ty Segall, with whom she recorded her previous LP, also plays a transportive electric guitar solo on ‘Shores’. But the most dynamically immersive and spectral song on Geist, fittingly, is ‘Untitled’, where Lay’s direful lyricism is accompanied by ominous percussion from Jarvis Taveniere. Sudden bursts of unruly acoustic guitar disturb the song’s quiet but fragile composure as she sings, “The earth run over me.”

Curiously, though, it’s not one of Lay’s own songs but a cover that unites Geist’s shifting energies. Right after ‘Untitled’, she takes on Syd Barrett’s ‘Late Night’, from 1970’s The Madcap Laughs, recontextualizing its dour melancholy simply by including it on her record. Its language of affection isn’t all that different from the one Lay uses throughout Geist, dazzled by the stars yet falling for a deeply human kind of intimacy. When she sings Barrett’s refrain, “Inside me I feel alone and unreal,” it comes into contrast with the earlier affirmation that “You’re on your own but not alone,” not so much disproving it as framing it all as part of the same experience. It goes to show that the desire which animates Geist may not be that complicated, but it is as inexhaustible as it is timeless.

18 Best Quotes from Sex Education Season 3

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Netflix’s hit series Sex Education recently released its third season and has already been renewed for a fourth. The beloved characters continue to grow in season 3, beginning their transitions from adolescence to adulthood. Otis and Maeve’s sex clinic has been abolished, along with the asbestos-ridden bathrooms, but the new headteacher introduces a new set of problems to the students of Moordale.

The show continues exploring sexuality through a lens of humour, which makes the serious issues easy to watch and understand. Dialogue is a big part of the comedy in Sex Education, and even the more stoic characters like Rahim get their fair share of memorable quotes. However, the story also tackles some darker topics, especially in Aimee, Lily, and Jean’s season 3 storylines. Here are eighteen of the best quotes – whether comedic or empowering – from season 3 of Sex Education.

  1. Ruby (in a flashback): I’m early 2000s Christina Aguilera.
    Otis: Very cool. I’m macaroni cheese.
    Ruby: Shut up and have sex with me.
    Otis: What are you sad about tonight?
    Ruby: I’m a teenage girl, Otis. I’m always sad.
    Eric (in the present): Wait. Why were you macaroni cheese?
    Otis: That’s not the point, Eric!
  2. Ruby: You are a badly dressed stick man with a creepy mustache.
  3. Aimee: But all the flour, it’s making me constipated. Last week, I didn’t do a sh*t for five days. Then when I finally did do a poo, it was like my bum had this gigantic orgasm. Oh, it was great.
    Maeve: Your stories are so special, Aimes.
  4. Adam: I watch The Kardashians with my mum.
  5. Aimee: I just wanna be the old me again.
    Jean: Well, you may never be the old you, Aimee, but that’s okay.
  6. Jean: Do you feel that if you hadn’t smiled at him, he wouldn’t have assaulted you?
    Aimee: I don’t know.
    Jean: Had you smiled at strangers before?
    Aimee nods.
    Jean: And had that lead to them assaulting you?
    Aimee shakes her head.
    Jean: 
    Listen to me, Aimee. What that man did to you on the bus has nothing to do with your smile or your personality and is only about him. And it is absolutely not your fault, do you understand?
  7. Ruby: I love you.
    Otis: Oh. That’s nice.
  8. Rahim (reading poem): I shed blood over what?
    Adam: You fell over?
    Rahim: A rectangle man so unremarkable. A boring horse. Its blah-blah eyes never open, never closed. His head shape so average.
  9. Adam: It was my poo, sir …
    Rahim: No, it’s my poo …
    Jackson: I also poo sometimes.
    Mr. Hendricks: Oh, God, don’t we all? I mean, what is this, Spartacus? Maybe it was my poo. Maybe it’s Miss Sands’ poo! She’s more than capable.
  10. Miss Sands: When I decided to be a teacher, I dreamt of helping students fulfill their potential by gently drawing out their inner creative gifts. Instead, I’m plunging their sh*t.
    Mr. Hendricks: You’re majestic.
  11. Otis: What are we gonna eat? I’m hungry – all the time! I’m panicking. Are you panicking?
    Maeve: No. We’re not gonna starve to death, Otis …
    Otis: Okay. This is bad. This is very bad. How do you say “help” in French … Adage! Je suis adage! (I am help!)
  12. Aimee: Right. Steve, you’re in charge of vulvas from now on. If anyone asks, the wobbly bits aren’t mistakes because …
    Steve: All vulvas are unique.
    Aimee: Good lad.
  13. Aimee: … I’ve been thinking about how you don’t really have a proper mum, and I want you to know that even though my mum has money, she’s also crap sometimes, too. So, I was thinking that we could be each other’s mums.
  14. Aimee: I wanna stand up for what I believe in more.
  15. Jakob: People deserve your whole heart, Otis. If you can’t give them that, it’s better they know. It’s the kinder thing to do.
  16. Viv: Because when shame is used as a weapon, it doesn’t just hurt people – it can damage them forever.
    Jackson: But the opposite of shame is pride.
  17. Eric: It’s like we’re in Ocean’s Eleven, innit? Maybe I’m George Clooney and you’re Brad Pitt … I’m Brad Pitt. You’re George Clooney.
    Otis: I’m Andy Garcia. If I’m anyone.
    Eric: Who’s Andy Garcia?
    Jackson: Okay, well, I’m gonna go while you boys hash that out …
    Eric: I think that Jackson is Rihanna in Ocean’s Eight. Cause of the bone structure and the eyes.
    Otis: I’ve not seen it.
    Eric: No? It was very good.
  18. Eric: You’re incredible.
    Ruby: I know.

Jeff Tweedy Shares New Songs ‘C’mon America’ and ‘UR-60 Unsent’

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has shared two new songs, ‘C’mon America’ and ‘UR-60 Unsent’, as part of the latest Sub Pop Singles Club 7″. ‘C’mon America’ is taken “from an unreleased group of songs with mostly sci-fi lyrics,” while ‘UR-60 Unsent’ is described as “a pitiful tale of an unsent lovesick mixtape, taken from a separate batch of unreleased songs with mostly pitiful lyrics.” Take a listen below.

In addition, Sub Pop has also shared TV Priest’s ‘All Thing’ as the B-side to their contribution to the series, which features last month’s ‘Lifesize’ as the A-side. “‘All Thing’ is a subversion of the Anglo Saxon word for parliament or meeting (Althing or Thing),” frontman Charlie Drinkwater said in a statement. “It asks questions about the power of groupthink and ideas of nationhood that have become static, non-inclusive and singular.”

Fall Trends: Nine Must Have Fashion Accessories

It’s official. Summer is over, and therefore all the trends you’ve spent the last few months adhering to are now done and dusted. It’s now the fall, and that means a whole new number of fads to get used to, and the good news is that we are here to guide you through the ever-changing fashion maze.

The fall is perhaps the best season when it comes to accessories. The varying weather and conditions make for something of a mixed bag when it comes to fashion. It’s the season for layering and complex decision-making that can include buying glasses online.

It’s the time to pay close attention to the weather each morning you awake; maybe it’s going to be a bright and sunny day, or could the overcast or colder weather influence your outfit choices in an entirely different direction?

So, want to know what the seven hottest fall fashion accessories for 2021? Then read on…

Oversized Sunglasses

This fall, you need to be wearing sunglasses that make a statement; the bigger, the better. In fact, it’s not a case of being ‘bigger’ as such; it’s about being oversized (and there is a subtle difference). 

Look for big frames, and if you are shopping for your kids, or yourself, then you should check out what GlassesUSA.com has to offer. Remember, it may be the fall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s less sun around (and you can blame climate change for that), so there’s plenty of time to get some serious hours in while wearing some fashionable specs.

Supersized Hoops

It appears the fall is all about bigging up your accessories; that’s certainly the case when it comes to earrings. Try to go for nice large hoops when picking out your earrings for both day and night.

One option is to go blingy here, golds and silvers, and this works well for a night out on the town or with the girls. Maybe for morning weekend strolls and work, you might consider bright-colored hoops that are more playful than showy.

Logos

Gone are the days when you would be introspective about the names and brands you are wearing. Now you should wear those names with pride. Tell the world what you are wearing, especially if the garments you are adorned in are by big names and fashionable outlets. 

Usually, you get the most action out of logos with bags and belts, and don’t go at this in a half-hearted manner, show off with no regard for the fact that you might look like a walking, talking billboard.

Brooches, Brooches Everywhere

Yes, there was a time that brooches were associated with your aunt or grandmother, but they are now well and truly a style accessory for every age. This style seems to have had the roots of its renaissance firmly pinned to Sex and the City and the combinations that a certain Carrie Bradshaw wore.

You can look to go with silver and gold for the more austere and upscale look or more down to earth if you are looking to do things in a more reserved fashion.

Opera Gloves

Now, some fashion trends can be predicted, and others go round and round in circles and seemingly never leave us. Opera gloves do not fit into either of these categories. We are not sure how or where this style accessory trend came from, but we wholeheartedly approve.

Opera style gloves come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, typically extended to the elbow, and can be worn as a high-end statement or in a more bohemian/hipster style. The added benefit here is for those who are still very much in the COVID-19 mindset, with the gloves offering protection of sorts.

Hobo Bags

This trend comes hot on the heels of the summer’s big tote bags and is another one of those trends that is very suitable for those of us who simply can’t leave home with every item imaginable. 

Again, go big with this choice and maybe look for a hobo-style bag that has tassels or some other form of detailing that makes it a little bit less staid and workmanlike. If you want to be more robust with this accessory, then consider bright, vibrant colors or textures that make the item stand out.

Vintage Headscarves

Silk scarves were the height of the summer accessory choices, and now we move seamlessly to vintage headscarves. These are ideal for the ever-changing season that fall tends to bring us. Clearly, you can pick these up in a good retro store or thrift market, but this could lead to you spending hours trying to find the one that suits you best.

Instead, you can just pick up a ‘new’ vintage headscarf, and that won’t be too hard as most fashion outlets on the main street are now selling these. Similarly, you can pick up a great selection online. 

Quilted Handbags and Sandals

What can be more luxurious and decadent than quilting? When it’s applied to sandals, you get the benefit of comfort twinned with the effect of looking like you just stepped off the runway.

Quilted handbags work best as either cross-body styles or as clutches and if you want to be extra chic, then look for a bag in monochrome leather. 

Pearls

Yes, pearls are still very much in at the moment. We were bombarded by this item throughout the summer, and it’s still working its magic in the fall. So, how best to adopt this trend?

You can go for a nice pearl choker, especially effective with evening wear, or a nice necklace or pearls as part of a professional work outfit. Basically, if you are wearing jewelry, then consider pearls as the mode to channel.

This Week’s Best New Songs: Mitski, Magdalena Bay, Charlotte Cornfield, and More

Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.

This week, we’re starting off with the new song from Mitski, her first proper new material in three years, a wrenching distillation of her relationship with her own art made all the more cutting by the unsettling grandeur of the music; Charlotte Cornifled’s delicately heartbreaking piano ballad ‘Drunk for You’, the latest offering from her upcoming album Highs in the Minuses; Magdalena Bay’s ‘Hysterical Us’, the final single off their new album Mercurial World, which shakes off a pervasive sense of anxiety through the duo’s exuberant, infectious brand of pop; ‘Scripture’, the hypnotic and transcendent new track from Eartheater, aka experimental musician Alexandra Drewchin; and Big Thief’s ‘Change’, a poignant song moving as gently as its subject matter.

Best New Songs: October 11, 2021

Mitski, ‘Working for the Knife’

Charlotte Cornfield, ‘Drunk for You’

Song of the Week: Magdalena Bay, ‘Hysterical Us’

Eartheater, ‘Scripture’

Big Thief, ‘Change’

Awesome Things You Can Do For Fun While On Vacation

We all love to get away from it all and take a vacation. Whether you want to relax on the beach or explore an ancient civilization, there is so much for you to do when you’re on vacation. But many people forget about the most important part: having fun! In this blog post, we will talk about awesome things that anyone can do while on vacation to have a great time. Check on the list below.

Get Sporty at the Sea Shore

When you go to the beach, it is always a good idea to bring some gear with you. You may want to pack your swimsuit and sunglasses, of course, but if you’re going for an extended stay at the seashore, then consider bringing along some extra items as well.

For example, you may want to bring along a beach ball or an inflatable raft so that you can have some fun in the water. Or maybe pack your snorkel mask and fins if diving is something you enjoy doing while on vacation. Whatever it might be, having extra gear around will help ensure that everyone has enough entertainment options available to them.

Enjoy Smoking Some Weed

What’s even better than taking a nice break from your everyday life with your friends and family to relax? Doing it while smoking some weed! Look for the top favorite smoke shops that offer a variety of good weed from reputable companies. You can enjoy smoking it while hanging out with your friends or even exploring the city you’re vacationing in!

Just make sure that there are no children around wherever you decide to smoke up and be respectful of others who may not appreciate being near cannabis smokers. Also, check on restrictions in the city you’re in on where cannabis smoking is permitted.

Ride a Bike

Many people spend their vacation lounging around on the beach or by a pool, but that doesn’t mean you have to do that as well. Many cities and towns will offer bike rentals so your entire family can go for a bicycle ride together. Not only is this one of the effective exercises, but it’s also a ton of fun! So pack up your bags and head on over to the closest bike rental shop.

You can take a spin around town or even go for an extended ride out of the city to see some sights you wouldn’t be able to otherwise! Remember that while biking is fun, it’s essential to stay safe, so make sure everyone knows how to ride a bike before you go.

Participate in Local Fun Events

Many cities have fun events going on all year round, so it’s essential to do some research before you go. For example, if there is a local music festival or parade planned for your vacation, then be sure to attend! You can also check with the hotel staff to see what other festivals are being held around town while you’re there.

Just make sure you don’t overdo it and participate in too much fun because you’ll need to go back home at the end of your vacation! But overall, have a great time while on vacation by participating in some local fun events available for everyone.

In conclusion, having fun on vacation is an essential part of your trip. Make sure you pack extra gear, smoke some weed, ride a bike and participate in local events, all while having a fantastic time!