Tropical Fuck Storm have announced Moonburn, a maxi-single cassette that will be out on August 26 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Along with the announcement, they’ve shared a cover of The Stooges’ ‘Ann’ as a single. It arrives with an accompanying video directed by Sam Mapplebeck, which the band’s Gareth Liddiard describes as “a cheap shit DIY, high explosive puppeteering miniature concert shrinkage film clip.” Check it out below.
In addition to ‘Ann’, the cassette will also feature a new track, ‘Moonburn’, an acoustic rendition of ‘Aspirin (Slight Return)’, and a cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Heaven’. Tropical Fuck Storm’s most recent LP, Deep States, arrived last year. They’ll be touring across North America and Europe in support of the album this autumn; find their upcoming tour dates below.
Tropical Fuck Storm 2022 Tour Dates:
Sep 3 – Vlieland, NL – Into the Great Wide Open
Sep 4 – Groningen, NL – Vera
Sep 5 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
Sep 7 – Berlin, DE – Frannz Club
Sep 8 – Hamburg, DE – Molotow
Sep 10 – Brussels, DE – Botanique
Sep 12 – Tourcoing, FR – Le Grand Mix
Sep 13 – Paris, FR – Trabendo
Sep 14 – Rennes, FR – Antipode
Sep 15 – Lorient, FR – Hydrophone
Sep 16 – Nantes, FR – Le Lieu Unique (free entry)
Sep 17 – Orleans, FR – Hop Pop Hop festival
Sep 19 – Bordeaux, FR – Rock School Barbey
Sep 20 – Biarritz, FR – Atabal
Sep 22 – Bilbao, ES – Kafe Antzokia
Sep 24 – Madrid, ES – Shoko
Sep 25 – Valencia, ES – Loco Club
Sep 27 – Toulouse, FR – L’ecluse
Sep 28 – Lyon, FR – Marche Gare
Sep 30 – London, UK – Studio 9294
Oct 19 – Montreal, QC – Fairmount
Oct 20 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe
Oct 21 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Oct 22 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Oct 24 – Detroit, MI – El Club
Oct 25 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Oct 27 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR
Oct 28 – Denton, TX – NO COAST – Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
Oct 29 – Austin, TX – Levitation – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Nov 1 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Nov 2 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Nov 3 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 4 – Washington, DC – DC9
Nov 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
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 best new music segment.
On this week’s list, we have ‘ILYSM’, the dreamy, hauntingly beautiful lead single and title track from Wild Pink’s new album; ‘Virgo’s Groove’, an effortlessly euphoric highlight from Beyoncé’s new album; the debut single from Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson’s new project, Plains, the naturally warm and infectious ‘Problem With It’; Tove Love’s bright, hooky Eurodance track ‘2 Die 4’, which makes the bold decision of sampling Hot Butter’s ‘Popcorn’; U.S. Girls’ disco-inspired ‘So Typically Now’, which manages to be both danceable and socially pertinent; the charming, intimate jangle-pop of Mo Troper’s ‘I Fall Into Her Arms’; Palm’s off-kilter yet entrancing ‘Feathers’, the first single from their upcoming album; and Charli XCX’s official theme for the A24 film Bodies Bodies Bodies, the throbbing, anthemic club track ’Hot Girl’.
The recent premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic marks another addition to the recent onslaught of films and series based on true stories, especially about musicians. Pistol, the FX miniseries about English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, is another new release in this genre, joining the likes of Netflix’s Selena, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and recent films Judy, Rocketman, Respect, and Bohemian Rhapsody. Most of these biopics follow a very similar, almost formulaic structure, which can get tedious when so many similar projects are premiering in quick succession. Based on the careers of real musicians, these stories can only take so many liberties before straying too far from the truth.
The coveted lifestyles that musicians appear to lead have long been a point of interest in the film and TV industry. Their struggles before they rise to fame form the perfect framework around which to build a hero’s journey and inspire an audience, and the plethora of musical numbers these stories allow makes for an entertaining viewing experience. However, sometimes, true stories don’t quite work in a dramatic format, and some viewers prefer original, untold stories. Here are eight great films that feel like biopics, but follow fictional performers.
Wild Rose
Jessie Buckley stars as Rose-Lynn Harlan, a single mother of two young children who has just served a year in prison for attempted drug smuggling. She dreams of making it big as a country singer and escaping Glasgow, which would mean leaving her children in the care of her mother (Julie Walters). Encouraged by her mother, Rose-Lynn accepts a job as a cleaner for the wealthy Susannah (Sophie Okonedo). Rose-Lynn sees an opportunity to take advantage of Susannah’s connections and influence. Many people, including Rose-Lynn’s family, are usually surprised by her lack of manners, boundaries, and filters – but not Susannah. Though she’s quick to set the boundaries between them, she extends her support when her children overhear Rose-Lynn’s singing. At home, Rose-Lynn is torn between forming a stable relationship with her children and leaving her mother to raise them while she pursues her music career.
Though grounded by real-world issues, particularly those of the lower class, the film and the journey of its protagonist follows a similar structure to a biopic, tracking the highs and lows of Rose-Lynn’s musical experiences and how they shape her as a person. Wild Rose is a little more complex than many true story films because of the obstacles in Rose-Lynn’s way. The musical numbers and Rose-Lynn’s rough-around-the-edges personality make this a memorable and exciting watch.
Almost Famous
Almost Famous follows aspiring music journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he joins the fictional band Stillwater (not to be confused with the real rock band also active in the 70s) on their Almost Famous tour. Based on the experiences of the film’s writer-director Cameron Crowe, the story tracks William’s attempts to write a piece about Stillwater for Rolling Stone. However, Russell (Billy Crudup), the band’s lead guitarist, always brushes off William’s interview-y questions. Both William and Russell are interested in Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the alias of Stillwater’s most dedicated “Band Aid”. Penny and her friends refuse to be called groupies, insisting that they’re interested in rock rather than in the musicians themselves. Neither Penny nor the band members take William very seriously at first; he’s only fifteen and is usually shy and reserved.
Over the course of the film, he becomes more entrenched in the world of rock music and drifts away from his protective mother (Frances McDormand), following in the footsteps of his older sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel). William’s adventures on tour make for an exciting, dynamic film, with a plethora of interesting characters and an engaging soundtrack to match the story.
Inside Llewyn Davis
From Ethan and Joel Cohen comes this quiet, soulful film about an aspiring folk singer in 1960s New York City. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) struggles to make ends meet after leaving his job as a merchant marine. He plays small gigs and even has an album, but his music doesn’t meet the commercial needs of the industry. The film’s visual palette reflects Llewyn’s state of mind – much of the scenes are dark, cold, and dominated by tones of brown or white. It seems like everything for him is an uphill struggle, from surviving to finding his place in the world of music. Yet whenever an opportunity does come his way, he doesn’t always use it to his advantage. The title is aptly chosen; by the end of the film, it really does feel like the viewer has seen inside Llewyn Davis’s mind, but not necessarily in a manner that offers a clean resolution.
A Star is Born
The story of an artist’s rise to prominence has captivated audiences for decades; A Star is Born has withstood the test of time, prompting three remakes since the original film premiered in 1937. In 1954, the original screenplay was adapted as a musical drama, and since then, all iterations of the story have focused on the musical career of its main character, who is discovered by an established star on his decline. In all three versions, the protagonist is romantically involved with the fading celebrity, who drinks heavily, and feels weighed down by him. Media attention is a key part of the story, and the 2018 adaptation helps viewers understand how this affects the stars’ mental health.
Each adaptation offers a unique viewing experience and brings something new to the table, though the hero’s journey remains largely the same. The story feels very much like a biopic, and with the timely updates each new remake adopts, audiences will feel like it’s telling a true story about an artist of their generation.
Sound of Metal
Sound of Metal is an Oscar-nominated film directed and co-written by Darius Marder and starring Riz Ahmed. He portrays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who unexpectedly loses his hearing. This event changes his life and derails his career as a musician. As he prepares to face a life without sound, his partner and fellow band member Lou (Olivia Cooke) tries to support him by sending him to a shelter for Deaf recovering addicts. Ruben’s history of alcohol and substance abuse worries her greatly, especially when he resists the changes being thrust upon him.
If the characters feel like they’re based on real people, that’s because they were inspired by a musical duo named Jucifer. Much of the plot is fictionalized, but many viewers connected with the film’s themes when the movie premiered in 2019. Though Sound of Metal is based around something of a high concept, the story never strays from the experiences of its main character as he learns to navigate a new world.
Sing Street
Sing Street is a 2016 musical comedy set in 80s Dublin, Ireland. The film follows a ragtag group of “uncool” high schoolers who come together to form a wannabe punk rock band. The group is led by Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who invented the band on a whim to impress a young model named Raphina (Lucy Boynton). She agrees to star in their music videos and ends up contributing a lot to the band’s vision, strategy, and local success. Meanwhile, at home, Conor’s family is dealing with serious financial hardships, and his parents are going through a rough patch in their marriage.
Though Sing Street is a grounded, small-scale story, the themes and ideas reach far beyond its contained plot. The characters are thoroughly fleshed-out, and their relationships make for some memorable and comedic entertainment. The overarching storyline following Conor’s band resembles the structure of a musical biopic, which makes Sing Street a must-watch for fans of the genre.
La La Land
Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is an LA-set musical romance. Unlike most of the other films on this list, it feels more like fiction than something inspired by true events. This is largely because of its whimsical setting, the characters’ wild dreams, and the romanticized presentation of showbiz. The film begins when Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) meet by chance, not realizing that they’ve already crossed paths before. It isn’t love at first sight, but once they decide to pursue their feelings, their romance is the focus of many sweeping musical numbers. However, their relationship isn’t without its challenges.
Mia is an aspiring actress while Sebastian is a jazz musician who dreams of being able to perform freely. The pair struggle to find a middle ground between their careers, which often take them away from one another. There rarely seems to be a moment when they’re both succeeding in harmony, or when they are able to support each other altruistically. The LA setting is a key factor in their romance. For Mia, it’s a land of opportunity, but Sebastian feels increasingly constrained by and unwanted in Hollywood.
Once
Another Dublin-set movie, Once follows a pair of nameless characters who meet by chance on the street. The man, “Guy”, is busking for an unappreciative crowd when “Girl” comes along and watches his passionate performance. She reveals that she’s also a musician, and the pair decide to team up to record a demo. As they write and produce the music, slivers of their pasts are revealed; Guy is still hung up about a former girlfriend, and Girl has a young daughter whose father is in the Czech Republic.
Once is as much a film about relationships and their ambiguities as it is about music. The characters often use music as a tool to explore their past trauma, but it’s the vulnerability of this experience that brings the two of them closer together. Their original songs are available to listen to in real life.
Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a low-budget film similar in style to the writer-director’s previous projects; it’s quiet, intimate, coldly realistic, and focuses on female characters. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Neo-Realism. Over the next few months, the story of two dogged teenage girls garnered a lot of critical attention and scored a spate of accolades and nominations.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Autumn (newcomer Sidney Flanigan) who learns that she is pregnant but can’t get an abortion in her state without her parents’ consent. After a few failed attempts at terminating the pregnancy herself, Autumn tells her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), who instantly jumps to her support. Skylar organises their clandestine trip to New York City, where the girls face obstacle after obstacle. Nevertheless, the two stay close in their solidarity despite the seeming impossibility of the task before them. The film is not interested in the typical tropes and melodramatic plot twists that often find their way into teen movies and instead tells a mature and distressingly authentic coming-of-age story.
Here are some of the most powerful stills from this deeply affecting film (cinematographer: Hélène Louvart).
The Place Beyond the Pines is a 2012 thriller movie with an intertwined set of narratives. Co-written by Ben Coccio and director Derek Cianfrance, the story begins with Luke (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stunt driver who learns that his ex-partner Romina (Eva Mendes) has given birth to their son. Romina is now seeing someone else, but Luke wants to be part of their son’s life and he still has feelings for Romina, even though she kept their child a secret from him. Luke tries to turn his life around and show Romina that he’s a responsible adult, but he soon finds himself in trouble with the law. A rookie police officer named Avery (Bradley Cooper) is part of the team on Luke’s trail. He, too, has a young son. Led by the older, more experienced cops, Avery finds himself exposed to corruption within the police force. When Avery crosses paths with Luke, the fates of their families are forever changed.
The film contrasts the gritty, urban surroundings that Luke calls home with the woods he finds comfort in when he pursues a business opportunity that could bring Romina back to him. Meanwhile, Avery’s home is clean and well-lighted, a seemingly ideal environment for raising a child. The film’s cinematographer Sean Bobbitt captures the nuances of each setting, making the most of these contrasting backdrops. Bobbitt has worked on a diverse range of films including Shame, Hunger, 12 Years a Slave, and Judas and the Black Messiah. These are some of the best stills from The Place Beyond the Pines.
Love, Simon is the 2018 film adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s YA novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, published in 2015. The film follows Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a closeted gay high school student. He spends most of his time with his loving family and three best friends, but he fears that coming out would disrupt the peace and change the way they see him. When an anonymous student comes out online, Simon reaches out to him, keeping his own identity a secret as well. The two begin corresponding about what it’s like to be closeted in high school, but another student discovers Simon’s secret and threatens to reveal his identity to the whole school. While Simon tries to figure out who he’s talking to online, he’s forced to figure out how he’s going to come out to his friends and family before he’s outed against his will.
The film is mostly upbeat and leans into the cinematic quality of coming-of-age. Many of the songs on the soundtrack are produced and performed by Jack Antonoff of Bleachers. Like the story itself, the soundtrack is light and lends the film an optimistic quality. Here are some of the best songs featured in Love, Simon.
Rollercoaster by Bleachers
Strawberries & Cigarettes by Troye Sivan
Love Me by The 1975
The Oogum Boogum Song by Brenton Wood
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston
First Aid Kit have shared a cover of Don Henley’s 1984 hit ‘The Boys of Summer’. “We wanted to give this 80s classic a softer folkier touch,” the duo wrote on social media. “It’s been so much fun performing this live at our shows with everyone singing along. Hopefully it can be a sweet soundtrack to the rest of your summer.” Give it a listen below.
Earlier this year, Klara and Johanna Söderberg returned with ‘Angel’, their first new single since 2019. Last year, they put out the Leonard Cohen covers album Who by Fire.
Joseph Quinn, the actor who plays Hellfire Club leader and metalhead Eddie Munson in the fourth season of Stranger Things, got to meet and jam with Metallica backstage ahead of their headlining performance at Lollapalooza this week. They, of course, played ‘Master of Puppets’, the song Munson covers during the season finale of the show. Metallica also gifted Quinn a custom B.C. Rich guitar and signed it. Check it out below.
“I’m a big fan of [Stranger Things], have been since season 1,” frontman James Hetfield told Quinn. “My kids and I, it’s been a bonding experience for us.” Quinn then told the band about learning how to play the track song on guitar. “It’s all I was listening to for two years,” he said. “I feel very connected to you guys.”
Reflecting on the experience, he later told Netflix’s Tudum: “It was amazing! Opportunities to play ‘Master of Puppets’ with the most iconic metal band of all time don’t come around very often. A story for the grandkids.”
Following its placement on Stranger Things, ‘Master of Puppets’ cracked the Top 40 in both the UK and US for the first time since its release 36 years ago. “It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show,” the band said in a statement.
Cult Hero is the new feature from prolific Canadian filmmaker Jesse Thomas Cook, the director of no less than seven low-budget horror pictures (most notably Monster Brawl, which premiered at Fantasia in 2011). Cook’s latest – an over-the-top horror-comedy that tells the tale of a washed-up celebrity ‘cult buster’ desperate to restore his reputation– is hilariously self-aware, delightfully gratuitous and consistently fun. Our Culture reviews the film here as part of its selection from the 2022 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Dale Domazar (Ry Barrett) was a reality television star whose show Cult Buster saw him track down and expose dangerous fringe groups (until he accidentally triggered a mass suicide during a live episode, anyway). Kallie Jones (Liv Collins) is a struggling realtor who needs Domazar’s help – not to sell a house (though that might come later), but to rescue her submissive husband Brad (Justin Bott) from the enigmatic Master Jagori (Tony Burgess). Brad checked into Jagori’s wellness centre to try and get his life back on track, which is a shame given that it is actually a front for a death cult. Together, Domazar and Kallie set out to rescue Brad, and maybe just get Dale back on TV.
As its title suggests, Cult Hero aims to evoke the low-budget, high-concept genre films common to the 1980s: the kind of midnight movie that played flea-bitten grindhouses or, after the VCR became widely available later in the decade, went straight-to-video (often accompanied by lavish cover artwork that vastly missold the film itself). In that regard, it is part of a larger movement in independent Canadian genre cinema. Like Father’s Day (2011), Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), WolfCop (2014), Turbo Kid (2015) and Psycho Goreman (2020) before it, Cult Hero wants to capture the fun of a cult classic watched too late at night on a grainy VHS tape.
And, for the most part, it succeeds. A lot of the film’s retro charm comes in its first and third acts, where the majority of the film’s action (or, more accurately, ‘cult busting’) takes place. It is in the film’s opening and closing scenes that Cook is able to stage some gloriously entertaining set pieces and allow special-effects supervisor Jonathan Craig to offer the kind of gratuitous violence one expects to see in a genre throwback like Cult Hero, as Domazar (and later Kallie) takes on sinister cult leaders and their brainwashed followers with pleasingly gory results.
The film certainly slows down in between, but what keeps it consistently engaging despite a slower pace is its performances. Ry Barrett is the clear standout here; better known for playing straight-faced roles in the likes of The Demolisher (2015) and Lifechanger (2018), he is cast gloriously against type as the utterly ridiculous Dale Domazar. A beer-swilling egotist who speaks in an affected half-whisper and offers running commentary on the film’s events with laughable sincerity, Domazar is a scathing send-up of D-list reality stars. Through Barrett’s pitch-perfect comic turn, he comes across like a hilarious cocktail of second-rate action hero, TV ghost hunter and a background extra torn straight from an episode of Miami Vice (1984–1990). Liv Collins, too, is often laugh-out-loud funny in her role as the uptight Kallie, a caricature of the sort of stereotypical middle-aged woman who constantly wants to speak to the manager.
Barrett and Collins are, of course, greatly aided by Kevin Revie’s screenplay, which is filled with witty one-liners and non-sequiturs. But the writing isn’t only funny, it’s also very clever. While the best word to describe Cult Hero might be ‘fun,’ it isn’t just superficial entertainment. The film’s narrative concern with cults – and people who are trying to find some kind of meaning and belonging in these groups – is also its thematic preoccupation. Everyone in Cult Hero is looking for something: Domazar craves fame, fortune and adoration; Kallie wants to ‘fix’ her broken husband; Brad, in turn, is wiling to try anything that might make his monotonous life worth living; and Master Jagori’s followers are seeking nothing less than ascension to a greater plane of existence.
What all of them forget to do is appreciate what they already have – to stop desperately searching for something more and live in the here and now. The film makes the point that it is exactly the misplaced feeling that something is missing in life that drives vulnerable people into the arms of exploitative cults led by spiritual predators like Jagori. So Cult Hero is ultimately a film that offers its viewers an important message about living in the present and a deranged cult leader wielding a flamethrower – what more could you want?
Raymond Raposa, the singer-songwriter behind the Castanets, has died at the age of 41. Asthmatic Kitty, Raposa’s longtime label, confirmed the news on Twitter earlier today via a statement provided by the artist’s family. “It is with great sorrow that the family of Raymond Raposa announce his passing today,” it reads. “Raymond was a wonderful son, brother, uncle, friend, and musician. He will be greatly missed.” No cause of death has been revealed.
Born in 1981 in Michigan City, Indiana and raised in California, Raposa tested out of high school at the age of 15 and left on an extended four-year Greyhound bus trip around the US. Following his 2002 collaboration with Nathan Delffs, What Kind of Cure, Raposa signed to Asthamtic Kitty, the label founded in 1999 by Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams, releasing his first album as the Castanets, Cathedral, in 2004. His work earned critical acclaim, bringing Castanets to the forefront of the “freak-folk” and alt-country scene. He issued six more LPs with the label: 2005’s First Light’s Freeze, 2007’s In the Vines, 2008’s City of Refuge, 2009’s Texas Rose, the Thaw, and the Beasts, 2012’s Little Death Shaker, and 2014’s Decimation Blues. His most recent album, released under the moniker Raymond Byron Bond Wire Cur, came out earlier this year.
Over the years, Raposa’s touring band has featured Annie Clark of St. Vincent, Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck, singer-songwriters Jana Hunter and Red Hunter (aka Peter and the Wolf), and John McCauley of Deer Tick. He also toured with acts like The Black Heart Procession, Dirty Projectors, Michael Gira, Scout Niblett, and others.
Stevens shared a tribute to the late musician on his Tumblr page earlier today. “Raymond Raposa passed away yesterday,” he wrote. “He was a bright star, a good friend, and a great musician. It was always such a joy and a fierce spiritual journey to work with him. Heavy hearts and deep sorrows over here. Ray, may your soul glimmer brightly on the other side! And may perpetual light shine upon you. I love you.”
“It is with great sorrow that the family of Raymond Raposa announce his passing today. Raymond was a wonderful son, brother, uncle, friend, and musician. He will be greatly missed.” pic.twitter.com/oQ6TKMabol
— Asthmatic Kitty Records (@asthmatickitty) July 30, 2022
