This week’s smashers kick off with the second volume of live recordings from Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit’s annual residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Live from the Ryman Vol. 2 features live versions of 13 songs from Weathervanes and Reunions, plus a stunning rendition of ‘The Last Song I Will Write’ from Isbell’s self-titled 2009 album and a poignant cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Room at the Top’. These cuts are drawn from multi-track recordings by the band’s longtime front-of-house engineer, Cain Hogsed, from 4 of the last 6 years of sold-out shows at the venue.
The Last Flight is Public Service Broadcasting’s version of the story of pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart’s final, ill-fated journey in 1937. Rather than focus exclusively on the flight itself, the record examines Earhart’s remarkable character: a rare blend of grace, composure, technical aptitude and a fortitude that the rest of us can only dream of, all enveloped by the soul of a poet. She was possessed of a seemingly unquenchable thirst for life – in her words, “to find beauty in living … to know the answer to why I’m alive … and feel its excitement every moment.” That thirst for the abundance of life, the sheer joy and privilege of living, long outlasts her disappearance and death, and this record is an attempt to translate that inspiration into music.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor say of their new album, NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD: “we drifted through it, arguing. every day a new war crime, every day a flower bloom. we sat down together and wrote it in one room, and then sat down in a different room, recording. what gestures make sense while tiny bodies fall? what context? what broken melody? and then a tally and a date to mark a point on the line, the negative process, the growing pile. the sun setting above beds of ash while we sat together, arguing. the old world order barely pretended to care. this new century will be crueler still. war is coming. don’t give up. pick a side. hang on. love.”
Coldplay have announced the release of their highly anticipated tenth album, Moon Music. The album was produced by Max Martin and features the MTV VMA-nominated ‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’ as well as the band’s latest hit, ‘We Pray’ featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and TINI. In an effort to reduce waste, the first edition run of Moon Music (both EcoRecord rPET LP and EcoCD will be strictly limited and produced at a higher specification than any future editions. All first-edition EcoRecord rPET LP products will be individually numbered.
Afrobeat virtuoso Seun Kuti unleashes his latest musical masterpiece, Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head), which is set to make waves globally. Coming 6 years after the Grammy-nominated album Black Times, this latest album marks a pivotal moment in Seun Kuti’s illustrious career, showcasing his evolution as an artist and activist. Executive-produced by legendary musician Lenny Kravitz and Fela Kuti’s original engineer Sodi Marciszewer, Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) promises to deliver a sonic experience like no other. With both Kravitz’s and Sodi’s expertise together with Seun Kuti’s unmatched talent, the album is poised to redefine the boundaries of contemporary music while staying true to the roots of afrobeat.
Our release of the week is Cutouts, which features 10 brand-new tracks from The Smile. It’s the band’s third studio album following Wall of Eyes, released in January, and the trio’s 2022 debut album A Light for Attracting Attention. The new album was produced by Sam Petts-Davies and recorded in Oxford and at Abbey Road Studios during the same period of time as Wall of Eyes, and features string arrangements by the London Contemporary Orchestra. The album art was painted during the recording process by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke.
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