Kurt Vile & The Violators / Dinosaur Jr. Fall 2019 Tour

July 8th, 2019 at 12:00 pm

Coming September 13 : Belle and Sebastian - 'Days of the Bagnold Summer'

July 1st, 2019 at 7:00 am

"Sister Buddha" video, directed by Stuart Murdoch

(photo by Marisa P. Murdoch)

'Days of the Bagnold Summer' began life as a 2012 award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, was turned into a feature film and the directorial debut of Simon Bird ("The Inbetweeners", "Friday Night Dinner"), and is now a wonderful, rich, bittersweet, and warmly welcoming original soundtrack album by Belle and Sebastian, to be released September 13.



The announcement arrives with first single “Sister Buddha'” and its accompanying video (above).. The anthemic song is led by shards of melodic guitar and Stuart Murdoch’s compassionate lyrics and soaring vocals, telling of a protagonist in search of an escape from "the thrills, the pills, the circus ring" of daily life, brimming with a message of inner strength and solidarity.

'Days Of The Bagnold Summer' features eleven brand new Belle and Sebastian songs, as well as re-recorded versions of classics “Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying,” originally appearing on 1996's If You’re Feeling Sinister, and “I Know Where The Summer Goes,” from 1998's 'This Is Just a Modern Rock Song' EP.

'Days Of The Bagnold Summer' is set for release in 2020 and features Monica Dolan, Earl Cave, Rob Brydon, Alice Lowe, Tamsin Greig and Elliot Speller-Gillot. It's a tender, touching and acutely observed coming-of-age story, which tells of a heavy-metal-loving teenager’s holiday plans falling through at the last minute, leading to him having to spend the summer with the person who annoys him most in the world: his mum. The film is set for release in 2020. 


preorder 'Days of The Bagnold Summer'
stream / download "Sister Buddha"

'Days of the Bagnold Summer' is the latest outside-the-box accomplishment from storied Glasgow 6-piece Belle and Sebastian, comprised of Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Sarah Martin, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Dave McGowan, and Bobby Kildea. The last two years have seen them go against conventional practice by releasing a trilogy of EPs to some of the best reviews of their career, and launch and curate their own four-day music festival at sea in The Boaty Weekender, continuing the individualist streak that has characterized them from day one.

Did Stuart Murdoch, Belle and Sebastian’s lead singer and songwriter, know the comic book before Bird, a longtime fan, approached the band to write the soundtrack? “No, I didn’t,” he admits. “But its style and its atmosphere set me off straight away. I read it on a Friday, and by Monday I pretty much had all my ideas lined up. What was great was that Simon hadn’t shot anything then.” He laughs. “You want to get in early, because that way you can start having late night conversations with the director about The Graduate, or whatever. We all have fantasies about those great movies of the Sixties and the Seventies. If you going to get involved with a project like this, you want to do it right.”

Interspersing some of their most casually gorgeous songs in recent memory with wildly transportal instrumentals, 'Days of the Bagnold Summer' is something of a scenic detour from the band’s recent work, largely exchanging the funk, soul and psych of the How To Solve Our Human Problems triptych for more pastoral and acoustic textures. Ones that make lyrical use of strings, French horn, banjo and the occasional trumpet.

Some inspiration may have stemmed from revisiting past plains: “‘Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying’ is a song from our second LP [the seminal If You’re Feeling Sinister from 1996],” says Murdoch. “Simon was adamant he wanted to use it. He’s a proper fan of the group.” The former was re-recorded for the soundtrack along with another B&S classic, “I Know Where The Summer Goes,” originally appearing on 1998 EP This Is Just A Modern Rock Song. Bird also went for a song called “Safety Valve,” (“I wrote a song to you/ I poured my soul in it/ now I’m feeling flat/ I want my soul back”), not knowing he’d stumbled upon Belle and Sebastian collector’s gold dust. “That one’s ancient,” says Murdoch. “It predates the band; it’s maybe 25 years old. The only time I can remember ever playing it was in a coffee shop with a friend of mine, and people scratching their heads. There was only a verse and a chorus, so I went back to it, and revised the words. It’s a simple song about being over-reliant on a particular person - probably my girlfriend at the time. But it seems to work okay here, too.”

The single “Sister Buddha” serves as a loose ‘theme’, appearing at the beginning and towards the end of the album. While not originally written for the film, it struck a chord with Bird: “It just came from my present interest in Buddhism. Simon picked up on it, wanting to have something uplifting at the end of movie, and we were happy for him to have it”.

Another new track, written by Murdoch specifically for the film this time, is “Did The Day Go Just Like You Wanted?” (“Did the day go just like you wanted?/ Or did you hold on with your fingernails?”). “That came out so quickly. It’s based on the relationship between the mum and the son. I guess I used my own experience a bit, feeling it: the situation they are in.”

The brief and spacious “Another Day, Another Night” (“Another day, another night/ I spend my life not-thinking about you”) was written by Sarah Martin. “In the screenplay, the mum is a richer character than in the book, and I was taken by that,” she says. “This is really her song: she doesn’t have much of a facade; she’s not robust. There’s a point when she thinks about an old boyfriend, and her whole past, with all its regrets, suddenly opens up before her. I love her character.”

“Jill Pole,” an instrumental waltz of windswept harmonica and violin, contributes an almost prairie-like expanse and melancholy, while the baroque-tinged “We Were Never Glorious” draws down the curtain with wistful clarinet and snippets of dialogue from the film.

Is releasing a soundtrack a different prospect from releasing a regular album? Would a Belle and Sebastian fan notice the difference if they didn’t know? “Everything we do that becomes an album is a big deal for us,” says Murdoch. “We’re quietly pleased with how the collaboration went, but the truth is that you don’t know what’s going to happen when it goes out into the world, and people hear it.” Martin thinks it is slightly different from other records they’ve put out. “It’s more consistent, probably, than most of our albums. Soundtracks are a deeper cut. They’re not a big pop statement.” But is making music for film that different than making it for a listener? “The whole thing with music is to make a good moment better,” Murdoch says. “Deeper, more thrilling, more heartfelt.” - Rachel Cooke

Belle and Sebastian on tour :

Wednesday, July 10, Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn NY
Thursday, July 11 Sprint Pavilion, Charlottesville VA
Friday, July 12 Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA
Saturday, July 13 House of Blues, Boston MA
Monday, July 15 M Telus, Montreal QC
Tuesday, July 16 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON
Thursday, July 18 The Warhol at Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh PA
Friday, July 19 House Of Blues, Cleveland OH
Saturday, July 20, Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago IL *
Sunday, July 21 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak MI
Tuesday, July 23 Weesner Family Amphitheater, Minnesota MN
Thursday, July 25 Calgary Folk Music Festival, Calgary AB
Thursday August 8 The Boaty Weekender, Barcelona ES
Friday, November 1 Pitchfork Music Festival, Paris FR
Saturday, November 2 Le Krakatoa, Mérignac FR
Sunday, November 3 Le Bikini, Toulouse FR
Monday, November 4 Baluarte, Pamplona ES
Wednesday, November 6 Aula Magna, Lisbon PT
November 8-9, Primavera Weekender, Benidorm ES

* performing If You’re Feeling Sinister 

Belle & Sebastian online :

Official site
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Stephen Malkmus - Tonight On Sirius XMU's Complete Control

June 27th, 2019 at 11:56 am by Gerard

Yo La Tengo - September West Coast Dates

June 26th, 2019 at 11:26 am by Gerard

For Yo La Tengo, doing something big to distract from an August 4 Condo Fucks show with 75 Dollar Bill is a considerable challenge, but we long ago learned to doubt the band at our own peril. Along with a plethora of other global dates, Yo La Tengo have confirmed 6 new shows on the West Coast (and, uh, Idaho) with tickets on sale this Friday at 10am local time.

Yo La Tengo on tour (new dates in bold) :

Wednesday, July 3 Yes24 Muv Hall, Seoul KR
Thursday, July 4 Yes24 Muv Hall, Seoul KR
Saturday, July 6 Playtime Festival, Gachuurt Village MN
Wednesday, July 10 TTN, Hong Kong CH
Saturday, July 13 Legacy Live House, Taipei TW
Sunday, August 4 Union Pool, Brooklyn NY (Condo Fucks, Free Day Show) %
August 8-12 The Boaty Weekender, Barcelona ES *
Wednesday, August 14 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds UK
Thursday, August 15 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham UK
Friday, August 16 Green Man Festival, Crickhowell UK
September 13-14, Huichica Festival, Walla Walla WA
Monday, September 16 Visual Arts Collective, Garden City ID (No fee tickets available at The Record Exchange)
Tuesday, September 17 The State Room, Salt Lake City UT (No fee tickets available at Graywhale)
Friday, September 20 El Rey, Los Angeles CA (No fee tickets available at Old Style Guitar Shop)
Monday, September 23 The Chapel, San Francisco CA (No fee tickets available at the box office)
Tuesday, September 24 The Chapel, San Francisco CA (No fee tickets available at the box office)
Wednesday, September 25 The Chapel, San Francisco CA  (No fee tickets available at the box office)
Friday, October 11 Barclays Center, Brooklyn NY #
January 18-22, Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky Festival, Riviera Maya MX

Steve Gunn - Autumn US Dates With Dinosaur Jr.

June 4th, 2019 at 1:00 pm by Gerard

Belle and Sebastian - Brooklyn Steel, July 10

June 4th, 2019 at 10:33 am by Gerard

Lucy Dacus - New North American Dates

May 28th, 2019 at 10:06 am by Gerard

Steve Gunn - "Morning Is Mended" Video, New European Dates

May 2nd, 2019 at 10:13 am by Gerard

Snail Mail - New August Dates

May 1st, 2019 at 10:43 am

Announcing: Kate Wallich + The YC x Perfume Genius 'The Sun Still Burns Here'

April 29th, 2019 at 6:38 pm

Interpol - Additional North American 2019 Dates

April 23rd, 2019 at 10:01 am

Kurt Vile - New Spotify Single, More North American Dates

April 17th, 2019 at 10:26 am by Gerard

Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus - Austin City Limits TV Taping, Tuesday July 30

April 16th, 2019 at 11:01 am

Austin City Limits is thrilled to welcome two remarkable artists under the age of 25-years-old.  Lauded singer/songwriter phenoms Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus join us for the first time on July 30 for a taping highlight—a one-of-a-kind co-headline evening with these two accomplished solo artists.

Memphis native Julien Baker’s chilling solo debut, 'Sprained Ankle', was one of the most widely acclaimed works of 2015. The album, recorded by a then 18-year-old and her friend in only a few days, was a bleak yet hopeful, intimate document of staggering experiences and grace, centered entirely around Baker’s voice, guitar, and unblinking honesty. Sprained Ankle appeared on year-end lists everywhere from NPR Music to The AV Club to New York Magazine’s Vulture. With 2017’s 'Turn Out The Lights', Baker claimed a much bigger stage, but with the same core of breathtaking vulnerability and resilience. From its opening moments — when her chiming, evocative melody is accompanied by swells of strings — Turn Out The Lights throws open the doors to the world without sacrificing the intimacy that has become a hallmark of her songs. The album explores how people live and come to terms with their internal conflict, and the alternately shattering and redemptive ways these struggles play out in relationships. “Turn Out The Lights is beautifully crafted throughout,” noted Spin, “full of the kinds of songs that linger long after they’ve ended.” Under the Radar declared, “Baker is writing faultless songs that will always have a home in our hearts because finding comfort in even the saddest moments means we're still feeling. And if we're feeling, there's hope for us yet.”



2018 was a milestone year for Richmond, VA’s Lucy Dacus.  Her widely celebrated sophomore record, Historian, was met by a cavalcade of critical elation, with NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NBC News, Slate, The Atlantic, Billboard, Paste, Stereogum, and more choosing it as one of the year’s best albums. Dacus' remarkable sense of melody and composition are the driving force throughout, giving Historian the immersive feel of an album made by an artist in full command of her powers. "This is the album I needed to make," says Dacus, who views 'Historian' as her definitive statement as a songwriter and musician. "Everything after this is a bonus." She played revelatory sold-out shows at clubs and festivals alike, along with multiple high profile television appearances.  A glance at her worldwide touring schedule in 2019 shows little sign that Dacus is slowing down, and in fact, she will release a series of songs titled 2019 to celebrate.  Recorded in here-and-there studio spurts over the last two years, 2019 will be released later this year as a physical EP on Matador Records, and will be made up of originals and cover songs tied to specific holidays, each of which will drop around their respective date: Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day (and Taurus season!), Independence Day, Springsteen’s Birthday, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Want to be part of the audience?  We will post information on how to get free passes a week before the taping. Follow Austin City Limits on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episode will air on PBS later this year as part of ACL’s upcoming milestone Season 45.

VIDEO : Steve Gunn - "Chance", Summer Northeastern Dates

April 10th, 2019 at 11:57 am

Interpol - September US Dates With Morrissey

April 9th, 2019 at 8:02 am by Gerard

Interpol

Lucy Dacus - Spring '19 European Tour Announcement

April 1st, 2019 at 9:46 am

SNAIL MAIL - New North American Summer Dates, Splattertastic Version Of 'Lush' Available Now

March 19th, 2019 at 12:21 pm by Gerard

(poster by  Jesse Feinman)

In addition to the major festival appearances below, there's 3 new headlining Snail Mail shows on tap including July 31st at Brooklyn Steel. Tickets for the dates in bold go on sale this Friday at 10am local time.

July 11-4 - Winnipeg Folk Fest, Winnipeg, MB
July 15 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
July 21 - Pitchfork Fest, Chicago IL
Saturday, July 27 - MoPop, Detroit, MI
Sunday, July 28 Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
Wednesday, July 31 - Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY*

OUT NOW: Stephen Malkmus - "Groove Denied"

March 15th, 2019 at 10:16 am

VIDEO: Steve Gunn - "Vagabond" (Acoustic)

March 12th, 2019 at 1:05 pm

Snail Mail - MTV Asia & Australia / New Zealand Tour

February 25th, 2019 at 6:07 am