Jamie Hutchings, The Reverend Horton Heat, Lowcraft, & Ivy
The week in new music & Dig Me Out podcast
1 Minute Reviews
New Releases
Jamie Hutchings - Making Water
🗳 Bandcamp | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
Jamie Hutchings, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Bluebottle Kiss, has released a new album called "Making Water." This album is his fifth solo effort and offers a departure from traditional songwriting. The album is comprised of ten "happenings" that were recorded through improvisational moments, often using detuned and manipulated acoustic guitars, percussive instruments, and non-musical instruments. The album is limited to a vinyl pressing of 100 copies, all signed and numbered, and will be available exclusively on Jamie's Bandcamp.
Enslaved - Heimdal
🗳 Bandcamp | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
Norwegian prog metallers Enslaved released their sixteenth studio album, Heimdal, through Nuclear Blast records. The Bergen quintet once again drew inspiration from Norwegian mythology for the album, which is named after one of the most mysterious entities in Nordic mythology. Enslaved also shared a new video for the track Congelia. The band's Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson expressed their excitement about the release of their 16th album, saying that Norse mythology has been their umbilical cord to the realms of mysticism and philosophy and their gateway to the realms of deep psychology and the esoteric worlds beyond. They dedicated Heimdal to one of the fascinating characters of their mythology, saying that they had reached deeper and scouted further ahead than ever before and that the band's past, present, and future sound comes together in songs born from sheer inspiration.
Fake Names - Expendables
🎧 Apple Music • Spotify |
Post-hardcore supergroup Fake Names has released their second album Epitaph Records, "Expendables," featuring Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty), Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace), Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, INVSN, The [International] Noise Conspiracy), Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside) and newest addition Brendan Canty (Fugazi, Rites of Spring). The band formed in 2016 and released their self-titled debut album in 2020.
The Reverend Horton Heat - Roots of the Rev (Volume One)
🗳 Bandcamp | 🎧 Apple Music
Fun-Guy Records and Reverend Horton Heat released their album "Roots of the Rev. (Volume One)" on vinyl, all major streaming platforms, and Bandcamp. The album consists of cover songs connected to the band and is explained in detail in the liner notes. Many of the songs are by artists the band knew personally, such as Willie Nelson and Ronnie Dawson, while others are part of Reverend Horton Heat's history. The album was recorded with a very live feel and mixed in monophonic, using ancient microphones, mixers, old tape, and tape delay. Jim Heath and Jimbo Wallace were in the same room playing live together for the bulk of the album, with four songs recorded at Dale Watson's Wat-Sun studio in Memphis. The band described the album as a labor of love, and while it took a while to put together, they believed fans would enjoy it as a fun and rollicking musical adventure. The album's autographed copies were available for pre-release on February 22, 2023.
Aaron and the Lord - Lilydale (Lilydale) - Single
Aaron and the Lord, composed of Aaron Perrino, Steven Lord, Paul Buckley, Charles Morton, and Will Claflin, released "Lilydale," the first single from their forthcoming album "We are the Darkness. We are the Light." The music video for "Lilydale" was filmed at the Medfield State Mental Hospital. Perrino is the frontman of The Sheila Divine, while Buckley was in the band Orbit. Morton and Claflin are also members of Petty Morals, and Lord was a member of Tugboat Annie.
Clutch - PA Tapes (Live in Copenhagen, 8/23/2022)
CLUTCH has announced a new digital series of live show recordings, titled PA Tapes, consisting of four mixed and mastered live shows from around the world. The first release of the series is the band’s show on August 23, 2022, at Vega in Copenhagen, which features a setlist spanning the band’s career, including tracks from their most recent album, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach. The three subsequent live shows will follow approximately every two months. Recorded at The Magpie Cage Recording Studio in Baltimore, the album was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Tom Dalgety with additional engineering by J Robbins. Clutch, consisting of Neil Fallon on vocals, Tim Sult on guitar, Dan Maines on bass, and Jean-Paul Gaster on drums, shares more in common with The Grateful Dead, Rush, and the Allman Brothers than their heavy riffs and heady twists-of-phrase might suggest. The band has toured with Slayer, System of a Down, Dropkick Murphys, Killswitch Engage, and Mastodon, and has earned a reputation as one of the best rock bands around.
Rose Marshack - Play Like a Man: My Life in Poster Children (Book)
Rose Marshack, a member of Poster Children, has released a new book titled "Play Like a Man: My Life in Poster Children." The book chronicles the band's journey during the indie rock breakthrough and the music industry's transformation through digital technologies. Marshack shares stories of touring in a van, meeting idols, juggling a programming job with music, and navigating the perils of independent and major record labels. She also details how Poster Children applied punk's DIY ethos to digital tech, connecting with fans through new media like pkids listservs, internet radio, and enhanced CDs. Marshack punctuates her account with excerpts from her tour reports and hard-learned lessons on how to rock, program, and teach while female. "Play Like a Man" offers an inside look at a scene and a career, and is an evocative and humorous tale of one woman's life in the trenches and online.
New 90s Podcast
Lowcraft - Manticore
On their lone obscure release, Lowcraft dial up the 70s glam vibe with 90s production on 1999's Manticore
Aside from Suede and Spacehog, few bands in the 90s embraced the glam sound as wholly as Lowcraft. Except, Lowcraft wasn't from the UK, instead claiming Portland, Oregon in the U.S. as their home. The only album, 1999's Manticore, is baked with the sound and feel of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, David Bowie, and Mott the Hoople. How exactly? Can certain guitar chords and riffs sound glam? Sure, but it helps if there is a big vocal from lead singer Nathan Khyber. But like many 90s albums, the extended runtime of the compact disc gives time for songs to go on too long, and what should have been a tight forty-four-minute LP turns ends up a flabby fifty-seven minutes.
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Dominique Durand and Andy Chase of Ivy
Navigating the music industry with Ivy’s Dominique Durand and Andy Chase for the 25th anniversary of their album Apartment Life
There was never a question that Ivy would make it, though they did so with many strokes of luck, good fortune, and heartache. With talented songwriters Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger writing sophisticated pop songs showcasing their love of ‘80s and ‘90s UK music, the only thing missing was a voice to go with the sounds. Chase’s girlfriend (now wife), Dominique Durand, had moved to New York City from Paris to study fashion. While growing up in a house full of music journalists in France, Durand enjoyed the lifestyle and the personalities. Still, he never entertained the thought of taking center stage until she was reluctantly talked into it by Chase and Schlesinger. And the industry took notice. In the bumpy times of the mid-90s, where labels were signing every band with a pulse and dropping the ones that didn’t meet sales targets, Ivy was the type of band to earn glowing reviews that didn’t always translate to units shifted. Seed Records released 1995’s debut Realistic. 1997’s critically-acclaimed Apartment Life was initially put out by Atlantic Records and reissued the following year by 550 Music after Atlantic unceremoniously dropped the band while they were in the middle of a tour. Since then, Ivy has released music on Nettwerk, Minty Fresh, and Bar-None, who is releasing Apartment Life on vinyl for the first time. For Chase and Durand, it’s been a bittersweet few years as the rights to Apartment Life came back to the band shortly after Schlesinger passed away from Covid complications in 2020.
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Coming Soon
March Album Review Tournament - Group 1 of 3
Which album should we feature in a future episode of Dig Me Out? Here's how it works. We'll post a group of nine suggested albums from the hopper weekly. Cast your vote to decide on the albums to move forward. The top two winners from each group face off in a final poll at the end of the month.
Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory
Dream Theater's fifth studio album, "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory," was released on October 26, 1999. The album is a concept album and a sequel to the band's song "Metropolis-Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper" from their 1992 album "Images and Words." "Metropolis Pt. 2" follows the story of a man named Nicholas who is haunted by visions of a woman named Victoria and explores themes of past lives, reincarnation, and murder. The album is often cited as one of the band's best works. It also marked the first time Dream Theater worked with keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The album has since been performed in its entirety on several tours and is considered a landmark release in the progressive metal genre.
The Railway Children - Dream Arcade
Dream Arcade is the fourth and final studio album by the English band The Railway Children, released in 1997. The band, consisting of Gary Newby on vocals and guitar, Brian Bateman on guitar, Stephen Hull on bass, and Guy Keegan on drums and percussion, was formed in 1984 in Wigan, UK. The Railway Children were first signed to Factory Records, where they released a single and an album before moving to Virgin Records. Virgin dropped the band after EMI took over the label and subsequently disbanded in 1992. Gary Newby continued without original members and released Dream Arcade in 1997 on his Ether Records label. In 2016, the original band members reunited for a live tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album. The band announced their separation once again in October 2019. Some people might recognize Gary Newby as a member of the band The Wendys or as a producer for other artists such as Captain America and Tompaulin.
Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary
Jets To Brazil was an American rock band formed in 1997 in Brooklyn, New York. The band consisted of Blake Schwarzenbach (vocals/guitar), Jeremy Chatelain (bass), Chris Daly (drums), and later, Brian Maryansky (keyboard). Their debut album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary, was released in 1998 on Jade Tree Records and features a blend of alternative rock, indie rock, and emo influences. The band released two more albums, Four Cornered Night and Perfecting Loneliness, before disbanding in 2003. Schwarzenbach later formed the band Thorns of Life with Aaron Cometbus and Daniela Sea.
Lit - A Place In The Sun
Lit's second studio album, "A Place in the Sun" was released on February 23, 1999, by RCA Records. The album was produced by Don Gilmore and spawned the hit single "My Own Worst Enemy", which reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and also became the band's first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA. Other notable tracks on the album include "Zip-Lock", "Miserable", and "Over My Head". Lit continues to perform and record music, with their latest album, "These Are the Days" released in 2021.
Starflyer 59 - Americana
Starflyer 59's album "Americana" was released on August 26, 1997, by Tooth & Nail Records. It was the fourth studio album by the Riverside, California-based alternative rock band. The album features Jason Martin as the lead vocalist and guitarist, Jeff Cloud on bass, and Frank Lenz on drums. "Americana" is known for its introspective and atmospheric sound, combining shoegaze, indie rock, and dream pop elements. It includes popular tracks such as "The Zenith", "When No One Calls", and "All My Friends Who Play Guitar". The album was produced by Gene Eugene of the band Adam Again, who had previously produced the band's third album, "Gold".
Sugarpop - Give Up Your Sister
Sugarpop's album "Give Up Your Sister" was released in 1997 under the J-Bird Records label. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Taylor, the album consists of a consistent batch of power pop tunes with a unique blend of punk, power pop, electronic drum loops, occasional country twang, and other esoteric styles. Taylor's songwriting ideas have been noted for their offbeat yet poppy sensibilities that remind listeners of Kurt Cobain's best work. The album made a brief impact on American college radio in 1998, charting in CMJ's Top 200 before being largely overlooked.
The Sands - The Sands
The Sands were a Belgian band formed around Guy Van Nueten on keyboards and Michel Vanderhaeghen on vocals and guitar. Despite participating in the Rock Rally in 1990 and 1992, they failed to gain attention until their debut single, "April & June," released in 1992 on Boom! Records, became a radio hit on Studio Brussels. However, their success was short-lived, and Boom! Records did not promote the single. After recording a demo, the band signed a deal with Megadisc and went to Boston to record their debut self-titled album with producer Bill Janovitz. The album received positive reviews and sold around 10,000 copies, most of which were sold abroad. The Sands released "...And Other True Stories" in 1996, but the band went quiet afterward, and there were no more albums or tours. Guy Van Nueten continued to work on various projects within the Antwerp music scene.
Scrawl - Nature Film
Scrawl's 1996 album Nature Film marked a significant departure from their earlier lo-fi sound, showcasing a polished production style and a more varied instrumentation. The trio of Marcy Mays (vocals, guitar), Sue Harshe (bass), and Dana Marshall (drums) tackled issues such as environmentalism, feminism, and social justice on this album. The opening track "Charles" is a haunting tribute to a man who fought for Native American land rights, while "The Garden Path" criticizes consumer culture and "Ariel" deals with sexual harassment. Scrawl was formed in Columbus, Ohio in the mid-1980s and gained a cult following in the indie rock scene.
The 3ds - Hellzapoppin’
Hellzapoppin’ is the second studio album by New Zealand band The 3ds, released in 1992 on the Flying Nun Records label. The band was formed in Dunedin in 1988, and consisted of David Saunders (guitar, vocals), Denise Roughan (bass, vocals), Dominic Stones (drums), and David Mitchell (guitar). Hellzapoppin' was produced by Alan Moulder, who has worked with bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride and The Jesus and Mary Chain. The album features a mix of indie rock, post-punk and psychedelic pop, showcasing the band's eclectic and experimental sound. Some of the standout tracks include "Outer Space", "Fish Tails" and "Sing Song".
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