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Fast rising UK soul-pop star Olivia Dean today announces her long-awaited debut album ‘Messy’, due for release on Friday 30th June 2023 via EMI Records. Featuring the singles ‘Danger’ and ‘UFO’, Messy cements Dean as one of the most original and versatile voices in UK pop. Crafting classic yet conversational hooks with genre-fluid tinges, she’s honed a way of exploring universal themes of love, loss and everything in between with razor-sharp but open-hearted storytelling. “The self-love ballad is tricky, but the Londoner balances defiance with genuine romance, the psychedelic soul evoking tweeting birds and dappled sun rays.” - The Guardian “With a talent and musicality that sound both natural and effortless, she’s got to be a hot tip” - Sunday Times Culture "A gorgeous collection of soul-laced songs... that are anchored by Dean’s remarkable voice." - NME

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! 180-gram 45 RPM double LP Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape Contains Otis Redding's posthumous hit "Sittin' On the Dock Of the Bay" Appeared on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, rated 161/500! Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Gatefold old-style "tip-on" jacket by Stoughton Printing Hybrid Mono SACD Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman The guts of the story are this: While on tour with the Bar-Kays in August 1967, Otis Redding's popularity was rising, and he was inundated with fans at his hotel in downtown San Francisco. Looking for a retreat, he accepted rock concert impresario Bill Graham's offer to stay at his houseboat at Waldo Point in Sausalito, California. Inspired, Redding started writing the lines, "Sittin' in the morning sun, I'll be sittin' when the evening comes" and the first verse of a song, under the abbreviated title "Dock of the Bay." He had completed his famed performance at the Monterey Pop Festival just weeks earlier. While touring in support of the albums King & Queen (a collaboration with female vocalist Carla Thomas) and Live in Europe, he continued to scribble lines of the song on napkins and hotel paper. In November of that year, he joined producer and esteemed soul guitarist Steve Cropper at the Stax recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, to record the song. Cropper remembers: "Otis was one of those the kind of guy who had 100 ideas. ... He had been in San Francisco doing The Fillmore. And the story that I got he was renting boathouse or stayed at a boathouse or something and that's where he got the idea of the ships coming in the bay there. And that's about all he had: 'I watch the ships come in and I watch them roll away again.' I just took that... and I finished the lyrics. If you listen to the songs I collaborated with Otis, most of the lyrics are about him. ... Otis didn't really write about himself but I did. Songs like 'Mr. Pitiful,' 'Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)'; they were about Otis and Otis' life. 'Dock of the Bay' was exactly that: 'I left my home in Georgia, headed for the Frisco Bay' was all about him going out to San Francisco to perform." Redding and Cropper completed the song in Memphis on Dec 7, 1967 with tragedy, unknowingly, looming. Just two days later Redding lost his life on a routine commute to a performance when the small plane he was in crashed. The other victims of the disaster were four members of the Bar-Kays — guitarist Jimmy King, tenor saxophonist Phalon Jones, organist Ronnie Caldwell, and drummer Carl Cunningham; their valet, Matthew Kelly and pilot Fraser. Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn completed the music and melancholic lyrics of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' which was taken from the sessions — Redding's final recorded work. Cropper added the distinct sound of seagulls and waves crashing to the background. This is what Redding had wanted to hear on the track according to Cropper who remembered Redding recalling the sounds he heard when he wrote the song on the houseboat. One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Redding exemplified to many listeners the power of Southern "deep soul" — hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. At the time of his tragic death he was 26. ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ was released just a month following Redding’s death and became his only ever single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1968. The album, which shared the song's title, became his largest-selling to date, peaking at No. 4 on the pop albums chart. "Dock of the Bay" was popular in countries across the world and became Redding's most successful record, selling more than 4 million copies worldwide. The song went on to win two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. With the album, Redding confirmed himself as a talent lost far too soon. All the hallmarks of a top-notch Analogue Productions reissue are here for you to savor: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Early Life Forms is a new quartet fronted by Belgian guitarist and sound wizard Vitja Pauwels, and on the 26th January, they are set to release their self-titled debut album via W.E.R.F. Records; a stunning, one-off live show recorded with American guitarist Marc Ribot (Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Wilson Pickett, Marianne Faithfull, The Black Keys, John Zorn).

Having already earned his spurs as a sideman with artists including Naïma Joris, Bombataz and Lara Rosseel, rising Belgian star Pauwels released his debut album 'Day at Half Speed' in 2019, which explored the possibilities of acoustic guitar and live electronics. This experiment became a new artistic path for Pauwels and showcased his musical versatility, with second album 'Drift By, Sink In', released to critical acclaim in 2022.

The same year, Pauwels was invited as special guest by the BRAND! Festival, Mechelen, to showcase new material and he came up with the idea of putting together his 'dream' live band which included his hero Marc Ribot, one of world's most accomplished and acclaimed guitar players. Reaching out to him via videos and early demos for this new recording project, Ribot liked what he heard and agreed to perform with Pauwels and his new project Early Life Forms in what would be the band's first ever live show.

Joined by Frederik Leroux (baritone guitar), Laurens Dierickx (Hammond organ) and Casper Van De Velde (drums), during the lead up to the festival, Pauwels wrote a number of songs he felt would work for the live show, with the only agreement being that there would be no rehearsals ahead of the performance, only a brief soundcheck beforehand with Ribot. The music was stripped down to its essentials - compelling melodies, themes, and clear forms but with the possibility to change direction at any given moment. "The music was played and heard for the first time, and it felt like a birth of something that needed to be alive. We felt connected in the right state of mind - relaxed and focused - and it all happened in a rush of shared energy. No ego's or fear, only connection and the music", states Pauwels.

Drawing on latin, jazz, cuban, and rock with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations, 'Early Life Forms' cites Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, Los Lobos, Ennio Morricone and of course Ribot, as heavy influences. There is something existential, primary, something epic and at the same time youthfully uncomplicated, which is strongly associated with the music. From the mischievous and imaginative 'My Little Renaissance' to the adventurous and hypnotic 'Latin Dancer', 'Early Life Forms' is overflowing with sharp twists and turns, with Ribot's heavily rhythmic, distorted guitar amplifying the cinematic feel to the sound. The on-stage relationship between each member of the band and Ribot is childishly uncomplicated, something primary but always epic. The music is left to the moment and the magic of their first encounter with their hero Ribot. "Marc's commitment in the music was better than I could have hoped for. What he played was with 200% intention, putting the rest of us in a state of hyperfocus. Given the fact that it was a one-time thing and a recording, we took risks without 'overplaying' or overthinking it. Right before the gig, we felt an urge to play, Marc said, "Let's rock!!" and we hit the stage", says Pauwels.

House Party is the 2023 debut album by German musician Kev Koko. After rising to international fame as part of a techno trio during the 2010s and producing multi platinum hits for German artists during the pandemic, ‘House Party’ marks the return of Kev Koko as an artist. To reflect both the multitude of influences as well as the collaborative spirit that define Kev Koko’s work, every song features another artist from Berlin’s music scene: From techno artists (southstar & ALCATRAZ) and German rap stars (Pashanim & Yung Hurn), to newcomers like Ceren & Sita Messer. - “I wanted to capture what a house party in Berlin in 2023 sounds like. Journeying from techno to rap, from electronic music to hyper pop. You are all invited.”

Hailed as "one of the great, overlooked records of 1998," by the new york times, this worldwide debut of the angolan artist waldemar bastos was recorded and produced by arto lindsay and david byrne in new york. Its title, which means "blacklight" in portuguese, is a hint to the powerful sorrow the music holds: pretaluz is an elegiac response to the angolan civil war, drawing on influences near and far like the fado, semba, zouk, and morna, to create indelible songs. "with his dramatic pauses and dynamic vibrato rising above subtle rhythms picked out on nylon-string guitars, everything mr. bastos sings emerges as a lament of enormous sadness," wrote the times. now on vinyl for the very first time, this limited 25th anniversary edition of pretaluz is a contender for the best-sounding record on luaka bop.

The second incarnation of the mythical band of the eighties mod revival, active since 2013 under the leadership of Chris Pope. The English band offers us 4 tracks full of power-pop, punk 77 rage and classic melodies. The Chords UK are back in action with a new EP that keeps the bar high when it comes to punk-influenced power pop. The title track of the EP was originally composed and worked on in 1985 for the Arista label, with the collaboration in production of Tony James (Generation X, Chelsea...). It finally remained unreleased and is now, at last, seeing the light of day once re-imagined, re-arranged and re-recorded in April 2023. It's a fearsome shock of rock'n'roll rhythm and sharp, angular guitars with more than a nod to late 70's The Clash, all wrapped up in infectious vocal harmonies and anthemic choruses. "Veronica Jones" is a new mix of the celebrated cut from the band's 2022 album "Big City Dreams". This track was born as a punchy modern folk song, as it tells the story of a girl who is clearly out to have a good time, but this version is elevated with a garage rock approach, ably assisted by the keyboard talents of Mick Talbot, formerly of The Style Council and Merton Parkas. "Before Elvis" has its origins in a 2014 demo that eventually remained unreleased and is a raging rock track with a Stones-style beat and amps pushed to the limit. The EP closes with "All I Want is Everything" a high-tempo rock'n'roll reworking of the song that previously appeared on their 2018 album "Nowhere Land", with the bass-driven beat rising several notches as the guitar screams and wails.

Listen Here Limited-edition double green/ red vinyl. 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. We are very pleased to announce a special 10th anniversary vinyl version of this classic Dean Wareham live album, recorded over two nights in London back in December 2013 and featuring a mix of songs by Galaxie 500 and Luna as well as solo material. It is pressed on double red and green vinyl, with the 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. The recordings were mixed by Britta Phillips and have been remastered especially for this release by Mikey Young (of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control and others). The new artwork by Marc Jones includes a printed insert featuring photos from the shows, which almost didn’t happen at all after Dean and his band got stuck on a train between Manchester and London. “We left Piccadilly Station at 12:15 but stopped rolling after just 20 minutes,” he recalls. “A voice informed us that a tree had fallen on the track somewhere up ahead, and this tree was on fire. We sat there for a couple of hours and started to think about alternate ways to get down to London, someone sent out a plea on Twitter and one kind fan did offer to drive us, if only there was a way to get off the train. But at around 3 o’clock the train lurched forward at last, we made it to Euston and cabbed it straight to St Pancras Old Church. “I’m not a believer but there’s something special about playing in churches, especially one that dates to the 12th century; the cavernous spaces and wooden pews make you speak softly and play quietly too – if you play too loud the sounds will just bounce all over the place. And the engineer doesn’t need to add reverb to your vocals – it is there already. “Nat from Sonic Cathedral promoted the shows and had the presence of mind to record them to multi-tracks, and I’m so glad he did. When we got back to Los Angeles, Britta mixed the live tracks, and the result is this record

Limited release.

After “The Legend of Kaspar Hauser” directed by Davide Manulli, Vitalic is once again putting his music to moving images with “Disco Boy” by Giacomo Abbruzzese (awarded a Silver Bear at the 2023 Berlinale). Electronic, intense and navigating between a variety of different atmospheres, the soundtrack - much like the film it accompanies - is full of promise and mystery. “The Swamps”, “La Guerre” and “Helicopter” are reminiscent of the intense, dark and foreboding productions of Thomas Bangalter for “Irreversible” by director Gaspar Noé. In contrast, “Winter is Coming” and “Lost Time” are places of melancholy and sweetness where all bass has completely disappeared. As for the eponymous theme for the film, “Disco Boy”, it pays true electronic homage to the sound of disco. The retro-futurist soundtrack to “Disco Boy” oscillates between devastating kick drums, moist ambient and dreamlike swathes. Vitalic has created uncharted sonic landscapes that invite us on a voyage of initiation and self-discovery.

Detroit music legend, Marcus Malone and Dan Smith of The Noisettes reveal their awesome new collaborative long player, ‘Interstate 75’, on Ramrock Red Records, loaded with 60’s style Rhythm and Blues, old school Soul and back to the future Funk. Across the album there’s 10 incredible songs loaded with finger snapping beats, hip swaying grooves, infectious brass and raw, soul-drenched vocals, all written and performed with the highest level of musicianship. From the empowering opening track, ‘Ain’t No Telling’ to the groovilicious album title ‘Interstate 75’, and the irresistibly funky ‘Other Side Of The River’, this stunning set of work joins the musical dots between 60’s Stax, Motown and Cadet, along with early 70’s Funk of Sly and The Family Stone and Eugene McDaniels, creating an instantaneous authentic classic vibe.

“I’ve got a future Blues classic on my hands with an indefinable time scale – it could’ve been recorded in the mid 70’s and feels like an instant crate diggers delight!” – Jo Wallace (Ramrock Records)

Die wegweisende feministische Punkband FRIGHTWIG ist mit ihrem neuesten Album 'We Need to Talk...' (Label 51 Recordings) zurück, inklusive einer besonderen Bonus-7''-Single, die ihrer verstorbenen, aber immer präsenten Schlagzeugerin Cecilia Kuhn gewidmet ist, die 2017 diese irdische Ebene verlassen hat.

Seit ihrer Gründung in San Francisco im Jahr 1983 verfolgt Frightwig zwei Ziele: Freude verbreiten und das Patriarchat bekämpfen. Seit 40 Jahren haben sie auf beiden Fronten Erfolg, mit einer Mischung aus knalliger Hardcore-Energie und einem furchtlosen Aktivismus. Die Band war eine prägende Einflussgröße auf die Riot Grrrl-Bewegung und darüber hinaus. Sie begrüßt Mitstreiter, Sünder und Ausgestoßene, und die Anhängerschaft von Frightwig ist im Laufe der Zeit nur größer und stärker geworden.

Das Album wurde von Eric Drew Feldman produziert (bekannt für seine Arbeit mit PJ Harvey, Pixies, The Residents, Frank Black, OK Go und Captain Beefheart). Frightwig entführt eine Welt des feministischen Punkrock entführen, der sowohl Energie als auch Aktivismus verkörpert.

deu Chris Eckman und Carla Torgerson trafen sich 1983, als beide in einer Fischfabrik in Alaska arbeiteten. Beide waren Studenten am Whitman College in Walla Walla im US-Bundesstaat Washington. Chris und seine jüngeren Brüder Grant und Curt hatten bereits in verschiedenen Punk- und Pop-Bands gespielt, Carla war als Straßenmusikerin mit Folk-Songs aufgetreten. 1984 zogen beide nach Seattle, Washington und gründeten die Band The Walkabouts. In den 90er Jahren waren The Walkabouts mehr als nur eine Folkrock-Kultband. Ihre wunderbaren Alben "Devil"s Road" (1996), "Nighttown" (1997) und "Trail Of Stars" (1999) kamen sogar in die deutschen Charts. Anders sah es mit dem US-Duo Chris & Carla aus - obwohl die Musik keinen Deut schwächer war. Dahinter steckten Chris Eckman und Carla Torgerson, die als Walkabouts-Sänger und -Songwriter zeitweise privat ein Paar waren und als Duo auftraten, wenn die Hauptband ihnen Zeit dafür ließ. Das Box-Set enthält 3 Doppel-LPs plus drei CDs, sorgfältig remasterte Vinyl-Versionen der drei Studioalben. "Life Full of Holes" (1995) und "Fly High Brave Dreamers" (2007) und "Swinger 500" (1998) jetzt als Doppel-Vinyl-Set. Alle drei LPs kommen in einer Gatefold-Hülle und das ganze Set wird abgerundet durch eine 16-seitige (LP-große) Broschüre mit vielen unveröffentlichten Bildern und ausführlichen Liner-Notes sowie unveröffentlichten und exklusiven Bonustracks.

deu Zwei Jahre nach der erfolgreichen Rückkehr der Walkabouts mit dem Chart-Album "Acetylene" erscheint 2007 mit "Fly High Brave Dreamers" endlich ein neues Chris & Carla Album. Eine Ewigkeit (1998!) war es her, seit die beiden das letzte Mal als Duo in Erscheinung getreten waren. Musikalisch hatte sich seitdem einiges getan. Natürlich blieben die Markenzeichen hörbar: die warme, hervorragend unaufdringlich produzierte Grundstimmung, Eckmans Gitarrenspiel, die Gesangsharmonien. Doch herausgekommen ist dabei die Upbeat-Version einer Chris-&-Carla-Platte. Die eine Hälfte entstand mit analogen Instrumenten als digitale Produktion, quasi ein Folktronica-Entwurf, die anderen fünf Songs so live und direkt wie möglich mit Unterstützung von u. a. Al Deloner (Ex-Midnight Choir) und Jason Victor (Steve Wynn, Willard Grant Conspiracy). Der elfte Song, "Salad Days" von den Young Marble Giants, liefert das Credo für dieses Album: Bleib direkt und halte alles so simpel wie möglich. Ab sofort wieder auf Doppel Vinyl erhältlich.

deu Das zweite Studioalbum der Walkabouts-Köpfe ist ein über Jahre gereiftes, intimes Kleinod geworden. "Swinger 500" ist eine Platte, die die Hörer*innen nicht überfällt. Man hört zwar sofort das Potential, aber gerade die Subtilität der Arrangements verlangt ein paar Durchläufe. Sowohl songorientiert, als auch ätherisch-ambient. "Eine Expedition zum dunklen Herzen Amerikas" schreibt das Rolling Stone Magazin über das vierte Chris & Carla Album und trifft es damit ziemlich genau auf den Punkt. Jetzt als Doppel-Vinyl erhältlich.

Anything Can’t Happen is the long-awaited debut album from Dorothea Paas, one of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriters. For over a decade, Paas has played her unique, prismatic style of folk songcraft for audiences across North America, and lent her talents as a guitarist and vocalist to artists like Jennifer Castle, U.S. Girls and Badge Epoque Ensemble. The songs on this album have been through a near-infinite number of forms – Paas has played them solo and with a full band, electric and acoustic, at house shows and in sold-out venues. they manage to fit inside each context, like water taking the shape of its container.

All of this makes Anything Can’t Happen feel far more mature and complex than a debut album. It’s a statement of purpose, a next step in a decade-long process of artistic growth and evolution, and a bridge between the DIY style of Paas’s previous cassette releases and a more refined studio sensibility. Recorded in studios in Hamilton and Toronto, and mixed by Max Turnbull of Badge Epoque and U.S. Girls and Steve Chahley, these songs bring a diverse range of musical influences into conversation: inflected with the layered reverberations of Grouper, shot through with the piercing harmonies of the Roches, electrified with the searing energy of Sonic Youth. You can hear Neil Young in the grittiness of the title track’s guitar; Joni Mitchell’s Hejira in the album’s lyrics, Fairport Convention in Paas’s voice. The influence of Stevie Wonder - one of Paas’s greatest musical role models - is present too, in the album’s conceptual foundations.

In the year 2000, I had gone to the Toad in the Hole basement pub to ask the some members of a local band called the Pets if they could help me record some of my music, in the same way they had recorded their album “Love and War”. In regards to my passion for recording, Love and War remains one of my biggest inspirations of all time. There’s hardly a style of music they don’t try to explore. To my surprise, they had recently lost a member and planned to ask me to start a new band, which we named the Waking Eyes. We spent the next 14 months or so building a sonic landscape in Matt’s parent’s basement in Steinbach, Manitoba. In proper daydream and full-fantasy mode, we prepared for a future vinyl pressing by making the album have seamless song transitions, except for between songs 6 and 7 (or side A and side B). I really never thought this day would come, but I can honestly say it’s a bit of youthful dream come true, and is incredibly rewarding. While I’ve had lots of music pressed to vinyl, never has such a formative part of my songwriting life been etched into that big beautiful disc. - Rusty Robot, The Waking Eyes

Fire and water collide again: On her latest album "Wandering Through Time", Swiss sorceress ASHTAR opens up a menacing yet ethereal world of opposing forces, fans of emotional yet dirty Blackened Doom Metal should willingly enter. ASHTAR - a duo at first - emerged on the scene in 2015 with their critically acclaimed debut album, "Ilmasaari", voted by Tom G Warrior (Celtic Frost, Triptykon) as one of his favorite albums of the year in Deaf Forever magazine The follow-up, "Kaikuja", released in 2020, took the project's unique blend of black and doom metal to the next level. Since then, ASHTAR has shared the stage with renowned bands such as Inter Arma, Primordial, Bell Witch, Bolzer, and Schammasch.

Now, with "Wandering Through Time", frontwoman Witch N. takes the helm as a one-woman band, pushing the limits of her creative expression to new heights. On her latest offering, she aims to express the darkness, power, and magic of most notably female forces in nature in a saturnine and poetic way. The deeply personal songs take listeners on a journey through the darkest corners of the human soul while embracing the beauty of the natural world. They never fail to showcase Witch N.'s accomplished songwriting and her talents in delivering tortured, gritty screams as well as super- heavy, leaden guitar riffs. Consequently, she names metal masters such as Winter, Darkthrone, and Black Sabbath as her major influences.

From the gloomy and depressive "Into the Gloom" to the tragic tale of the Waterman in "The Submerged Empire", each track is a cathartic work of art. The lyrics transcend metal-cliches of fantasy and lore by telling stories about personal growth, finding soulmates within a cold world, and keeping one's own inner black flame alive. Recording and mixing of the album were handled by V. Noir at Inferno Studio in Switzerland. He also provided additional guitars and jaw harp. The album was mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric) at Priory Recording Studios in Birmingham, UK. The front cover photo was captured by Raphael Wolf, while Anti Graphic laid his skilled hands on the new logo design. For Fans of: Oranssi Pazuzu, Wolvserpent, Mizmor, Mantar, Blut aus Nord, Dark Buddha Rising, Eagle Twin, Glorior Belli

Originally released in 2003 on CD via Post-Parlo Records, and two years later on vinyl via Morr Music, the »Home EP« sees Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service) and Andrew Kenny (The American Analog Set) each contributing three original tracks and playing one of the other's songs. This 2023 vinyl edition is released via Morr Music (EU+UK) and Barsuk Records (US). It features the artwork by Jan Kruse, that was originally made for the 2005 Morr Music version.

The EP was released as the fifth and final volume of the early-’00s series of split albums on Austin, TX indie Post-Parlo, the Gibbard/Kenny pairing followed short contributions in the series from such varied notable early-aughts indie artists as Kind of Like Spitting, Britt Daniel (Spoon), Bright Eyes, Pavo and Super XX Man.

Gibbard and Kenny’s installment came out during a prolific era for both writers: The American Analog Set had released the classic »Know By Heart« album in 2001 and followed it in 2003 with the acclaimed »Promise of Love«, while Gibbard’s profile was rising significantly via the critical and commercial success of The Postal Service’s »Give Up« and Death Cab’s »Transatlanticism«. Unlike the more lush arrangements of their main projects, both Kenny and Gibbard took a simple approach for their entry into the Home series, recording on cassette four-track machines in their respective living rooms in New York and Seattle and each performing four exclusive stripped-down tracks (including a cover of one of the other’s songs – Kenny choosing a rendition of Death Cab’s »Line of Best Fit« and Gibbard delivering his version of AmAnSet’s »Choir Vandals«).

»Home EP« showcases two brilliant songwriters whose legacies continue to shine twenty years later. The American Analog Set recently announced »For Forever«, their seventh album and first new music in 18 years, which was released last week and followed the band’s announcement earlier this year that The Numero Group will reissue their first three albums »The Fun of Watching Fireworks« (1996), »From Our Living Room to Yours «(1997), and »The Golden Band« (1999) as a vinyl boxset in early 2024.

Benjamin Gibbard has recently finished fronting both bands on the sold out Death Cab for Cutie / The Postal Service co-headline tour of arenas and amphitheaters in the United States celebrating the 20th anniversary of »Give Up« and »Transatlanticism«.

These songs came to be a record accidentally and unintentionally. They were written sporadically over a tumultuous two years riddled with more valleys than mountaintops. We considered it a victory when we could actually make ourselves get together to write, even if we struggled to produce anything of any quality. Creativity was tough amidst half-hearted business relationships, being dropped from our label, inconsistent touring, and filing personal bankruptcy. It took a toll on everything: our confidence, our outlook, our health, our happiness. In late 2015, our friend Brandi Carlile invited us to Seattle to play a couple of shows in her hometown. It was there that we explained all that had transpired with our career, how we were barely staying afloat. It was also there that she told us she would be producing our next record. Once we saw that this fantasy could actually become a reality, the frantic search for enough songs to make an album began. To our surprise, we had many things to say, and though some were difficult to write and slow to reveal themselves, we pushed onward. The songs here carry a common thread of what remained when we felt like we’d lost everything. It was in the hardest times that we saw the core of where our music and our souls originate. We still had our homes, our family, our friends, and our fans. This is not a record about rising from the ashes. Rather, it is a deep look into ourselves in an attempt to put out the flames. These songs are our catharsis; an effort to forgive, an effort to heal, an effort to look back into the darkness with newfound light and undeterred fearlessness, an effort to redeem ourselves. The damage was done, but our hearts remained.

“Nina Simone at the Village Gate” is a live album by singer, pianist & songwriter Nina Simone. The album was recorded at The Village Gate, a nightclub in Greenwich Village, New York in late March 1961.On this LP eight songs performed at the gig and three bonus tracks from her album “At Town Hall”.