Merge Records
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CD digipak with booklet.Visit product page →
LP + download.
Bob Mould has confirmed June 9 as the release date for his all new studio album, Beauty & Ruin. Described as a compact epic, Beauty & Ruin packs a staggering lifetime's worth of emotion and experience into a 36-minute package sure to be hailed as a landmark addition to Bob's formidable body of work. As with 2012²s Silver Age, Beauty & Ruin finds Bob joined by his longtime band of bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster, who will be backing Bob at this year's SXSW as he debuts Beauty & Ruin material. Prior to that, Bob will wrap up the intimate 25 Years of Workbook mini-tour with a March 6 return to The Late Show with David Letterman and two final sold out shows March 7 and 8 at New York's City Winery, both featuring Narducy and cellist Alison Chesley.
Track Listing :
Side A:
1. Low Season
2. Little Glass Pill
3. I Don't Know You Anymore
4. Kid With Crooked Face
5. Nemeses Are Laughing
6. The War.
Side B :
1. Forgiveness
2. Hey Mr. Grey
3. Fire in the City
4. Tomorrow Morning
5. Let the Beauty Be
6. Fix It -
CD / digipak (blue foil) + poster insert.Visit product page →
Standard black vinyl LP is jacket (blue foil) + full album download coupon.
Here's the deal. In 2012, people loved Silver Age (to a degree that surprised me, pleasantly), likewise Beauty & Ruin in 2014 (despite the heaviness of the subject matter, which I thought might be a bit alienating... apparently not. Another pleasant surprise.).
But PATCH THE SKY is the darkest one. After the Letterman performance in February 2015 where 'dust fell from the rafters,' it would have seemed logical to go the punk rock route'an entire album of two minute songs'but that wasn't where my soul was at. I withdrew from everyday life. I wrote alone for six months. I love people, but I needed my solitude.
The search for my own truth kept me alive. These songs are my salvation. I've had a solid stretch of hard emotional times, and thanks for the condolences in advance. I don't want to go into the details'more death, relationships ending, life getting shorter'because they're already in the songs. Just listen and see if you can fit yourself into my stories. The words make you remember. The music makes you forget. But PATCH THE SKY is also the catchiest one.
I always aim for the perfect balance of bright melodies and dark stories. I've used this juxtaposition for years. This time, I've tuned it to high contrast. The first side of the album is generally simple and catchy. The second side is heavier in spirit and tone. Opposing forces and properties. I love both sides of PATCH THE SKY.
At the core of these songs is what I call the chemical chorus'you hear it once and your brain starts tingling. The heart rate picks up. It gets worse'you know it's coming again and you can barely stand the anticipation. Then, the beautifully heartbreaking bridge appears, and you're all set up'hooked for life. Music is an incredibly powerful drug. I want to be your drug dealer. I have what you need. --Bob Mould
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Voices in My Head
The End of Things
Hold On
You Say You
Losing Sleep
Pray For Rain
Side B:
Lucifer and God
Daddy's Favorite
Hands Are Tied
Black Confetti
Losing Time
Monument -
The cliché that circulated after the 2016 election foretold a new artistic golden age: Artists would transform their anger and anxiety into era-defining works of dissent in the face of authoritarianism.Visit product page →
Yet Bob Mould calls his new album Sunshine Rock.
It's not because Mould'whose face belongs on the Mount Rushmore of alternative music'likes the current administration. His decision to 'write to the sunshine,' as he describes it, comes from a more personal place - a place found in Berlin, Germany, where he's spent the majority of the last three years. Here Mould would draw inspiration from the new environments.
'Almost four years ago, I made plans for an extended break,' Mould explains. 'I started spending time in Berlin in 2015, found an apartment in 2016, and became a resident in 2017. My time in Berlin has been a life changing experience. The winter days are long and dark, but when the sun comes back, all spirits lift.'
These three years in Berlin would quite literally shed new light on Mould's everyday mindset.
'To go from [2011 autobiography] See a Little Light to the last three albums, two of which were informed by loss of each parent, respectively, at some point I had to put a Post-It note on my work station and say, Try to think about good things.'Otherwise I could really go down a long, dark hole,' he says. 'I'm trying to keep things brighter these days as a way to stay alive.'
That makes Sunshine Rock as logical a product of the current climate as any rage-fuelled agit-rock. Variations on the word 'sun' appear 27 times in five different songs over the course of the album's 37 minutes. To hear Mould tell it, the theme developed early.
'Sunshine Rock is one hell of a way to wrap up the busiest decade of my career,' he shares. 'The autobiography, the Disney Hall tribute show, reissues of several albums from my catalogue, three current rock band albums, several world tours, and now this new album ' I'm humbled and grateful to still be making new music while celebrating my lifetime songbook.'
Tracklisting:
1. Sunshine Rock
2. What Do You Want Me to Do
3. Sunny Love Song
4. Thirty Dozen Roses
5. The Final Years
6. Irrational Poison
7. I Fought
8. Sin King
9. Lost Faith
10. Camp Sunshine
11. Send Me a Postcard
12. Western Sunset
Release Date: 08/02/2019 -
Ex Hex is a power trio hailing from Washington, DC.Visit product page →
With Wild Flag on hiatus, Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium) needed a new outlet, so she retreated to her basement and started writing. To her surprise, the songs came easily and the hooks practically wrote themselves. Mary found Laura Harris and they hit it off immediately.
The pair played together for a couple of months in a tiny carpet-lined practice space shared with half a dozen hardcore bands and what appeared to be the better part of a B.C. Rich Mockingbird. In walked Betsy Wright from the wilds of Virginia.
She and Mary have similar tendencies, both defaulting to denim and The Voidoids. Betsy is a performer and an ace piano player, and before long, she was slinging a cherry SG as the third member of Ex Hex.
The group played a handful of shows and a couple of months later, in the spring of 2014, headed into the studio. Working furiously, they recorded over the span of two weeks in North Carolina with Mitch Easter (Let's Active) and in the basement of Mary's home with frequent collaborator Jonah Takagi.
What results is Ex Hex Rips, twelve songs about underdogs, guys stealing your wallet, schoolyard brawls, and getting bent. The record happens pretty quickly, so don't blink.
'a fun-as-hell supercharged take on Ramones punk and Cheap Trick power-pop, direct and catchy beyond belief' 'STEREOGUM
'While the song's reminiscent of Wild Flag's rollicking material, it simultaneously holds its own as a sizzling and energetic little rocker.' 'CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND, on 'Don't Wanna Lose'
Tracklisting:
1. Don't Wanna Lose
2. Beast
3. Waste Your Time
4. You Fell Apart
5. How You Got That Girl
6. Waterfall
7. Hot and Cold
8. Radio On
9. New Kid
10. War Paint
11. Everywhere
12. Outro -
Hollie Cook combines her unique vocal talent and charisma to craft a dynamic strand of lovers rock with enduring tropical vibes, weaving a path from her West London roots to an arena of diverse collaborations, critically acclaimed records, and iconic live appearances around the world. Cook's ability to surprise, delight, and progress solidifies her position as one of the most exciting voices in reggae, and this is clear on her third full-length and Merge debut, Vessel of Love.Visit product page →
Cook's music career commenced at age 19, when family friend and punk trailblazer Ari Up asked Cook to join the raucous '70s post-punk outfit The Slits for their reformation in 2006. Thrown into the deep end she thrived, and quickly cut her teeth with four years of back-to-back shows around the globe. Her talents recognized and nurtured, she then released her first solo album Hollie Cook in 2011, with a revered 2012 dub album follow-up, while singles such as 'Milk & Honey' and 'That Very Night' gained support from influential radio stations across Europe.
After performing at The Stone Roses concert at Manchester's Heaton Park at the personal request of Ian Brown, and her hypnotic performance on the prestigious Later - ¦With Jools Holland, the way was paved for Hollie's solo career. By the end of 2014, Jamie T had requested her support for his Alexandra Palace show and featured her on his track 'They Told Me It Rained.' Cook had also unleashed Twice via Mr. Bongo Records, and with Mike 'Prince Fatty' Pelanconi once again aiding in the album's conception, Cook confidently delivered her follow-up to a well-received debut.
Hollie hit the road with both The Skints and Protoje, and lent her vocal talent to Quantic's 'Shuffle Them Shoes' single, which also featured on his 1000 Watts album. Acclaimed legendary producer Martin 'Youth' Glover (Killing Joke) is Cook's most recent collaborator, lending his venerable production expertise to Vessel of Love.
Hollie Cook sits in good company on Glover's impressive production list, joining Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, The Verve, Primal Scream, Pink Floyd, and Depeche Mode. Glover describes Cook's songs as 'sharp lyrical observations and clever word play combined with an exquisite and informed pop sensibility.' Hollie Cook's vibrant, spirited take on lovers rock radiates positivity, and with Vessel of Love, expect to see her on top of the tropical throne of pop in 2018!
Tracklisting:
1. Angel Fire
2. Stay Alive
3. Survive
4. Ghostly Fading
5 Freefalling
6. Lunar Addiction
7. Turn It Around
8. Vessel of Love
9. Together
10. Far From Me -
Classic album from 1999.Visit product page →
Remastered, 180 gram vinyl reissue including new liner notes and bonus tracks.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. So Convinced
2. Hello Hawk
3. Cursed Mirror
4. 1000 Pounds
5. Good Dreams
6. Low Branches
7. Pink Clouds
Side B:
1. Smarter Hearts
2. Honey Bee
3. June Showers
4. Pulled Muscle
5. Tiny Bombs
6. You Can Always Count On Me (In The Worst Way) -
Remastered reissue includes: Digital Download of complete 1997 concert, full album download and new liner notes.Visit product page →
"Rough and tumble punk energy infused with a finely tuned pop subtlety" - Billboard
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Unbelievable Things
2. Burn Last Sunday
3. Marquee
4. Watery Hands
5. Nu Bruises
6. Every Single Instinct
Side B:
1. Song For Marion Brown
2. The Popular Music
3. Under Our Feet
4. European Medicine
5. Martinis On The Roof -
Merge Records
Superchunk 'What a Time to Be Alive (Acoustic) / Erasure (Acoustic)' US RSD Vinyl 7" - Clear
£9.99
vMerge Records
Superchunk 'What a Time to Be Alive (Acoustic) / Erasure (Acoustic)' US RSD Vinyl 7" - Clear
£9.99
Final copies of the US RSD 7' This was limited to 1,500. Singles are pressed at Precision to clear vinyl.Visit product page →
Cover art by Emma Kohlmann.
"Erasure (Acoustic)" features guest vocals by Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) -
Deluxe 3LP is limited edition & pressed opaque red (LP1 & LP2) + tracklight green (bonus 12'), all vinyl cut at 45 RPM. 2LP gatefold black vinyl + LP3.Visit product page →
The theme this time around is goth, a subject closer to my heart perhaps than that of any Mountain Goats album previous. And while John writes the songs, as he always has, it feels more than ever like he's speaking for all of us in the band, erstwhile goths (raises hand) or otherwise, for these are songs that approach an identity most often associated with youth from a perspective that is inescapably adult.
Anyone old enough to have had the experience of finding oneself at sea in a cultural landscape that's suddenly indecipherable will empathize with Pat Travers showing up to a Bauhaus show looking to jam, for example.
But underneath the outward humor, there is evident throughout a real tenderness toward, and solidarity with, our former fellow travellers'the friends whose bands never made it out of Fender's Ballroom, the Gene Loves Jezebels of the world'the ones whose gothic paths were overtaken by the realities of life, or of its opposite.
It's something we talk about a lot, how fortunate and grateful we are to share this work, a career that's become something more rewarding and fulfilling than I think any of us could have imagined. We all know how easily it could've gone the other way, and indeed for a long time did. Peter Hughes.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Rain in Soho
2. Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds
3. The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement
Side B:
4. We Do It Different on the West Coast
5. Unicorn Tolerance
6. Stench of the Unburied
Side C:
7. Wear Black
8. Paid in Cocaine
9. Rage of Travers
Side D:
10. Shelved
11. For the Portuguese Goth Metal
12. Bands ..
Deluxe Bonus 12' only tracks (Selected Goths in Ambient)
Side A:
1. For the West Coast Dark Ambient Bedroom Warriors
2. Scaling the Well
Side B:
3. Vanishing Act
4. Grave Dust
