Pioneering electronic musician and producer Mark Pritchard and The Smile and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke announce their debut album as a duo, “Tall Tales”, which will arrive on May 9th.
It follows the release last month of “Back In The Game”, which signified the second time the two had collaborated on record, following the acclaimed “Beautiful People”, which appeared on Mark Pritchard’s “Under The Sun” solo album for Warp Records in 2016.
They share a new single alongside the announcement, “This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice”, which was premiered this morning by Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music and is paired again to a music video by visual artist Jonathan Zawada.
Pritchard is a luminary of 90s UK electronic music with his projects Reload, Link and as one half of the production duo Global Communication alongside Tom Middleton. In 2011 he released two remixes of Radiohead’s “Bloom” and across an eclectic career that has incorporated many styles and various guises, he has remixed further material from the likes of Aphex Twin, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey and Slowdive.
“Tall Tales”, Yorke’s first release on Warp Records, is a multi-layered, richly textured record that channels both multiple narratives and multiple genres. Across its eclectic 12 song runtime, the record showcases Pritchard’s mastery of archaic machines unearthed in synthesizer archives, guiding the music down unexpected and experimental paths. Yorke meanwhile delivers a haunting and expansive vocal performance, delving into dark, introspective storytelling.
Very much considered a third member of the group by Pritchard and Yorke, Jonathan Zawada is a visual artist known for his multi-faceted approach that incorporates both analogue and digital techniques.
Zawada designed the album artwork for “Tall Tales”, and both his videos for “Back In The Game” and “This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice” make up part of a feature length film that he has developed over the past few years in tandem with the development of the music. His hyperreal environments blur the line between the organic and digital, juxtaposing uneasy landscapes of natural beauty with the brutal aesthetics of a dystopian world.
To coincide with the album’s launch, there will be special one night only screenings of the film in selected cinemas across the globe, with more details to be announced shortly.
Celebrated singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne announces the highly anticipated 20th Anniversary reissue of his groundbreaking debut album, Trouble, set for release on June 13. Fans can pre-save or preorder the special vinyl edition here.
In celebration of this landmark, LaMontagne will hit the road for the Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour, performing the album live in its entirety for the first time since its original release. This milestone tour includes iconic venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Toronto’s Massey Hall, and Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Reflecting on the anniversary, LaMontagne shared on social media: “There are moments in your life when you need to place a marker. Some people think that it is brave or fearless to never look back. I don’t believe that. For the simple reason that if you never look back, you will never see how far you’ve come.”
The remastered vinyl edition, crafted specifically for this release by Brian Lee and Bob Jackson at Waygate Mastering, provides fans with a richer, fuller listening experience. LaMontagne praised the remastering, highlighting the renewed depth and warmth: “Each year, more and more music lovers appreciate vinyl for its depth of sound and tangible realness. The new vinyl remaster of Trouble truly captures this essence.”
Originally released in 2004, Trouble earned widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike. NPR hailed the album as “timeless, cathartic, and uplifting,” while BBC called it “a classic—listen incessantly.” It was certified Platinum by the RIAA, marking LaMontagne as a definitive voice in contemporary folk and Americana.
Over the past two decades, LaMontagne has continued to craft a unique musical journey marked by authenticity and soulful introspection, shunning celebrity for a quiet life in Western Massachusetts. His subsequent albums, Till the Sun Turns Black and Gossip in the Grain, both achieved RIAA Gold certifications, and he earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, among numerous other accolades.
TROUBLE 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES
August 23—Boise, ID—Morrison Center
August 26—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
August 27—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 29—Omaha, NE—Holland Center
August 30—Highland Park, IL—Ravinia Festival
August 31—Minneapolis, MN—Orpheum Theatre
September 2—Iowa City, IA—Hancher Auditorium
September 3—St. Louis, MO—Stifel Theatre
September 5—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
September 6—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
September 7—Columbus, OH—Mershon Auditorium
September 9—Syracuse, NY—The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater
September 10—Wilkes-Barre, PA—F.M. Kirby Center
September 12—Selbyville, DE—Freeman Arts Pavilion
September 13—Philadelphia, PA—The Met
September 14—Vienna, VA—Wolf Trap
September 16—Durham, NC—DPAC
September 17—Greenville, SC—Peace Center
September 19—Louisville, KY—The Louisville Palace
September 20—Detroit, MI—Fox Theatre
September 21—Akron, OH—Akron Civic Theatre
September 23—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
September 24—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
September 26—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion
September 27—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion
September 29—Portland, ME—State Theatre
September 30—Portland, ME—State Theatre
October 2—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
October 3—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
October 4—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
Today, Little Feat – criminally underrated pioneering rock band, who blend genres from blues to country, and some of the most skilled musicians of all time and architects of the Americana sound – announced they are back with a dynamic new album, Strike Up The Band, set for release May 9 via Hot Tomato.
Today they released their new single, “Too High To Cut My Hair” and a hilarious music video which stars Lilly Winwood as an inebriated hairdresser who tries and fails to cut the hair of each band member. The single and video was premiered by PASTE MAGAZINE who stated, “the guys sound as good as ever, cutting a funk track with the fire of a wicked blues tempo.”
The single is a trademark Feat funk-fueled jam, written by Fred Tacket and featuring Sam Clayton’s classic low C growl, is the perfect reintroduction to a band who are back to their very best. Band leader Bill Payne says of the song, “Fred Tackett shines all over this record, as he always does, but in particular in his writing. “Too High To Cut My Hair” is based on a true story where he and his wife Patricia were in a hotel room in New Orleans. Fred had asked for a trim, but decided that she was too high to cut his hair. And then he thought, “oh my god, what a title!” People love the humor in our records, a cherished entree to those when they find it. So I’m happy this song displays that humor, and in full. It’s also got the classic Sam Clayton doing his, three octaves below middle C voice in there – Too High To Cut My Hair! Everyone that has heard it has said, “That’s a Little Feat song”, and I know what they mean!”
From the very first note of Strike Up The Band, you will hear Little Feat–who have been rocking and rolling since 1969– mean business. Songs like “4 Days Of Heaven, 3 Days Of Work,” “Shipwrecks,” “Midnight Flight,” and “Bluegrass Pines (feat. Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams)” are as dexterous, considered, and creative as any song in the Little Feat canon to date. Their lyrics are inventive, transportive, abstract and emotive in their pursuit of celebrating the good times and holding you close in the bad. Guitars scream and slide, pianos rock and boogie, drums shuffle you down the road in the way that only Little Feat can. This is the album Little Feat fans have been waiting for and is an undeniable statement from a band who in many ways are just getting started in their 56th year.
Little Feat built a cult following in the late 60s and 70s for their pioneering gumbo of New Orleans rhythm-and-blues, country, hard-rock, funk and jazz. Celebrated as a key influence by icons from Bonnie Raitt to The Rolling Stones, yet commercial success remained at arms length. Songs like “Dixie Chicken,” “Spanish Moon,” “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” and “Rock and Roll Doctor” are legends in the rock and roll songbook. They have released a total of 16 studio albums and 10 live albums to date. Through the ups and downs, love and loss, the line up shifts, and endless touring they have remained together and the closest of friends.
Their wilderness years, when the band were on periods of hiatus, are worth noting. A band who as individual musicians have collaborated with a laundry list of legends including Bob Dylan, Boz Scaggs, J. J. Cale, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Buffett, Doobie Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Bryan Adams, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Toto, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, Robert Palmer, Bob Weir, Mick Fleetwood, Phil Lesh – you name a musician from the classic rock era, they have likely played with them!
Their elastic line up has included the late great Lowell George, founding drummer, Richie Hayward, and guitarist Paul Barrere, and to this day features founding member Bill Payne on keys, alongside the classic line up of Fred Tackett on guitars/vocals, Kenny Gradney on bass, and Sam Clayton on percussion/vocals. They recently enlisted younger members Scott Sharrard on lead/vocal and Tony Leone on drums/vox which reinvigorated their creative spirits and live show.
Together with producer Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White), and collaborators including Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, they created their new album, Strike Up The Band destined to be considered their later year magnum opus.
“‘Strike Up The Band’ really began in the winter of 2019 when I was subbing for Paul Barrere, and he passed away on the day of that first show,” said Scott Sharrard, “continuing through the pandemic shut down (and a lot of practicing and songwriting during that time), to our return to the road in 2021. Then on to our recording field trip to Memphis that resulted in the Grammy Nominated blues album of classic blues covers ‘Sam’s Place’. That one gave us all the chance to tighten up as a band and re-visit the Rosetta Stone of rock and roll, The Blues. We have paid a lot of dues to get here, and all roads have led us to this new album.”
“When discussing the album with the band and where it sits in our canon,” said Bill Payne “our predecessor to this record in my mind was ‘Let It Roll.’ We are in a similar position to introduce Little Feat once again with this new collection of songs. It is my feeling that, from what we had been playing over the last few years, there’s no question the overwhelming majority of fans would accept the album for what it is: an unmistakable iteration of Little Feat that highlights, with great songs and musicianship, the very best of an ongoing legacy, expressly evoking and expanding upon what people think of when they hear Little Feat.”
With a GRAMMY nomination for their recent album Sam’s Place, a newly announced national tour and much more in the works, Little Feat are not weathered statues in the hall of rock fame. They remain the collective and creative force they have always been. As they sang in 77’, “Time Loves A Hero”, and believe with Strike Up The Band, the mainstream recognition that has eluded Little Feat all these years, is now firmly in their grasp.
“In the end, Little Feat is a sound and a feeling, you know it when you hear it,” said Scott Sharrard, adding, “We humbly offer you “Strike up the band” Little Feat’s new album of 13 original songs. Turn it up and let it roll.”
TRACKLIST:
4 Days of Heaven 3 Days of Work
Bayou Mama
Shipwrecks
Midnight Flight
Too High To Cut My Hair
When Hearts Fall
Strike Up The Band (feat. Larkin Poe)
Bluegrass Pines (feat. Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams)
Disappearing Ink
Love and Life (Never Fear)
Dance a Little
Running Out of Time with the Blues
New Orleans Cries When She Sings
TOUR DATES
May 5 Mon – Rutland, VT – Paramount Theatre *
May 6 Tue – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre *
May 8 Thu – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre *
May 9 Fri – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater *
May 10 Sat – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre *
May 12 Mon – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theater *
May 13 Tue – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center *
May 15 Thu – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center *
May 16 Fri – Davenport, IA – Capitol Theatre *
May 17 Sat – Des Plaines, IL – Rivers Casino Des Plaines *
May 19 Mon – Peoria, IL – Prairie Home Alliance Theater *
May 23 Fri – Chandler, AZ – Gila River Resorts & Casinos Wild Horse Pass *
Jun 13 Fri – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre *
Jun 14 Sat – Napa, CA – Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions at Meritage Resort
Jun 15 Sun – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort *
Jun 18 Wed – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre *
Jun 19 Thu – Boise, ID – The Egyptian Theatre *
Jun 21 Sat – Airway Heights, WA – Spokane Live at the Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino #
Jun 22 Sun – Redmond, VA – Marymoor Live #
Jun 24 Tue – Bonner, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater #
Jun 25 Wed – Pocatello, ID – Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre #
Jun 26 Thu – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden
Jun 28 Sat – Winter Park, CO – Blues From The Top
Aug 29-31 – Charlestown, RI – Rhythm & Roots 2025
Sep 15-21 – Ketchikan, AK – Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea – Alaska 2025
Oct 14 Tue – Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre *
Oct 15 Wed – Franklin, TN – Firstbank Amphitheater <
Oct 17 Fri – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater <
Oct 18 Sat – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion <
Oct 19 Sun – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall *
Oct 21 Tue – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront <
Oct 22 Wed – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park <
Oct 24 Fri – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric Baltimore *
Oct 25 Sat – Huntington, NY – The Paramount *
Oct 26 Sun – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center for the Arts *
2026
Jan 11-18 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Sandy Beaches Cruise 2026
Jan 18-25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Big Easy Cruise 2026
* Strike Up The Band Tour
# Little Feat & Nitty Gritty Band: Dirty Feat Tour
< With Tedeschi Trucks Band (Live in 25 Tour)
Over the last year the Tom Petty Estate has been opening their vault and sharing previously unreleased music and never-before-seen, newly remastered film from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ prolific 1982 to ’83 era. Today, the Petty Legacy archives have released their latest unearthed musical treasure, a newly restored video of Petty and the Heartbreakers performing a rollicking cover of The Troggs’ classic “Wild Thing” at the Los Angeles-based studio The Record Plant in 1982. Directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the video, which boasts newly remastered audio, features footage of the band’s performance at The Record Plant, filmed for the French TV program, “Houba Houba,” alongside never-before-seen bonus footage originally captured by Cameron Crowe for his 1983 film, Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party. The film has been restored and released for the first time in more than 40 years and is now streaming on Paramount+. The new clip follows The Record Plant videos of “Keeping Me Alive,” “Finding Out” and “Stories We Could Tell.”
“Wild Thing” is one of the many highlights from the recently released Deluxe Edition of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers classic 1982 album, Long After Dark. The expanded album features the newly remasteredoriginal album from the original analog master tapes, plus 12 rediscovered bonus tracks newly mixed by Petty’s longtime engineer Ryan Ulyate and includes packaging designed by GRAMMY® Award-winning designer Jeri Heiden, liner notes by legendary rock journalist and Tom Petty Radio host David Fricke, with commentary from Jimmy Iovine and Cameron Crowe and iconic archival photographs by Dennis Callahan, Neil Preston and Aaron Rappaport. The set is available in a variety of configurations, highlighted by a limited edition TomPetty.com 2LP pressing on 180-gram red with black splatter color vinyl, housed in a numbered foil tip-on jacket with an exclusive lithograph.
In conjunction with the long-awaited release of Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party, Geffen/UMe has also just released the digital-only Heartbreakers Beach Party: The Soundtrack which includes 35 songs from the acclaimed film alongside tracks from Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition).
Today, Decca Records US released its World Sleep Day 2025 compilation album. Decca Records US is the official music partner of World Sleep Day and each year, joins forces with the World Sleep Society, numerous partner labels, and Decca Records US’ vast artist roster to help advocate for sleep health on a global scale. Spanning over 3 hours, the World Sleep Day 2025 compilation album includes musical contributions from over 28 different artists across various genres, such as ambient, instrumental, and solo piano. Listen to the album HERE.
World Sleep Day is a global call to action to celebrate healthy sleep. Since 2008, the World Sleep Society has used World Sleep Day to encourage its delegates and sleep health advocates to take action in their local communities, clinics, and countries to raise awareness for sleep health.
“The fundamental mission of the World Sleep Society is to advance sleep health worldwide. World Sleep Society will fulfill this mission by promoting and encouraging education, research and patient care throughout the World, particularly in those parts of the world where the practice of sleep medicine is less developed. World Sleep Society will act as a bridge between different sleep societies and cultures, supporting and encouraging worldwide exchange of clinical information and scientific studies related to sleep medicine. World Sleep Society will seek to encourage development and exchange of information for world-wide and regional standards of practice for sleep medicine.” – World Sleep Society
ARTISTS INCLUDED IN WORLD SLEEP DAY 2025: Max Richter Ola Gijelo Tony Ann Sophie Hutchings Erland Cooper Chad Lawson Stephan Moccio Moux Lara Somogyi and Jean Michael Blais Brandee Younger Peter Gregson Jessie Marcella Wei Luo Jess Gillam Stephan Moccio and Peter Gregson Lambert Plinio Fernandes Gurrumul Van-Ahn Nguyen Robin Scherpen Nemo Filou Marta Cascales Alimbau Jonas Gewald Cesare Picco Akira Kosemura
ABKCO Music & Records has today released six full-length albums and two EPs by The Rolling Stones in the Dolby Atmos audio format for the first time ever. These include the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ The Rolling Stones EP (1964), The Rolling Stones (UK) (1964), England’s Newest Hit Makers (1964), Five by Five EP (1964), 12 X 5 (1964), The Rolling Stones No. 2 (1965), The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965), and Let It Bleed (1969). All eight titles are simultaneously available on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music.
Developed by Dolby Laboratories in 2012, Dolby Atmos is a patented technology that is a leap forward from surround sound. It goes beyond the ordinary listening experience and puts the listener inside the song in a spatial way, revealing every detail of the music with unparalleled clarity and depth. Atmos mixing for these titles was an undertaking of Grammy-nominated recording engineer Kenta Yonesaka at The Hit Factory in New York and John Barrett at Abbey Road Studios in London. All titles were mastered by Adam Grover at Sterling Sound in Nashville. The Rolling Stones titles are part of ABKCO’s ongoing campaign to reissue classic titles on Dolby Atmos, starting with several releases by The Animals (The Animals, The Animals on Tour, Animal Tracks, Animalization, The Animals Retrospective), followed by Sam Cooke (Portrait of a Legend, Keep Movin’ On, Sam Cooke at the Copa, Ain’t That Good News).
It was standard industry practice in the 1960s for a recording artist’s UK and US releases to feature different track lists, often times with different album titles and/or cover art. The early catalog of The Rolling Stones was no exception. Not long after the group burst onto the scene with its unique brand of rock and roll that was heavily indebted to American blues, Decca — their British label at the time — released a self-titled EP, a self-titled LP and the Five by Five EP all within calendar 1964. On this side of the Atlantic, London Records, the group’s US label, released the optimistically/prophetically-titled England’s Newest Hit Makers LP and 12 X 5 LP that same year. Filled with their versions of songs by Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, The Valentinos and others, these records also offered a glimpse into the brilliance of the emerging Jagger-Richards songwriting team with “Congratulations” and their first US Top 40 hit “Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)”. In early 1965, Decca issued The Rolling Stones No. 2 while London Records put out The Rolling Stones, Now! – the latter containing “Heart of Stone,” the band’s entrée into the Top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
By the end of the decade, The Rolling Stones were an international household name, but the original lineup was fracturing. Released in 1969 with identical cover art and track lists in the US and UK, Let It Bleed represents the end of the Brian Jones era (he plays autoharp on “You Got the Silver” and percussion on “Midnight Rambler”) and the beginning of the Mick Taylor era (slide guitar on “Country Honk,” guitar on “Live with Me”). Most of the acclaimed double platinum Jimmy Miller-produced album was recorded by core members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, with contributions from outside musicians such as Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell, Jack Nitzsche, Al Kooper, Merry Clayton and Doris Troy, among others. Let It Bleed is bookended by the evergreen Jagger-Richards songs “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
This fall, ABKCO Music & Records will continue rolling out titles by The Rolling Stones in Dolby Atmos. These will include Beggars Banquet (1968), Got Live If You Want It! EP (1965), both the US and UK versions of Out of Our Heads (1965), the US and UK versions of Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (1966) and December’s Children (And Everybody’s) (1965).
Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ little known 1974 concert album, Saturnight:Live From Tokyo, will be released in the U.S. in multiple formats for the first time ever, more than 50 years after it was originally released only in Japan, due to contractual restrictions. The record has been remastered from the original production master at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios and will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally for streaming and download May 2 via Cat-O-Log Records/UMe.
The CD will be packaged in a digisleeve with a 16-page booklet featuring lyrics and new retrospective recollections from those who were there, including bassist Bruce Lynch and the band’s 1974 tour manager Carl Miller, and additional notes. The vinyl will be available on 140-gram black vinyl or as a limited edition pressing available only via CatStevens.com,uDiscover Music and Sound of Vinyl on 140-gram lava splatter vinyl, both packaged for the first time in a gatefold sleeve with the aforementioned liner notes. Saturnight was released in a super limited edition as an “RSD First” for last year’s Record Store Day Black Friday event exclusively on 180-gram orange splatter color vinyl.
Cat Stevens’ first-ever live album, Saturnight, was recorded on June 22nd, 1974, at Sun Plaza Hall in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan on the Japanese leg of Cat’s 1974 “Bamboozle World Tour.” The tour comprised 50 shows across North America, Europe, Australia and Japan to support the release of Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Cat had long felt an affinity with the aesthetic elegance and spiritual depth of Japanese culture, especially the principles of meditation and reflection upon which their traditions of poetry, design and craftsmanship are founded.
Saturnight, which is being previewed with an impassioned performance of “King Of Trees” today from Buddha and the Chocolate Box features Cat at his peak, performing an incredible concert of songs from that then newest album such as “Oh Very Young” and “A Bad Penny,” alongside some of his greatest hits which dominated the charts in the early ‘70s. These include the classics “Lady D’Arbanville” (Mona Bone Jakon – 1970); “Wild World,” “Where Do The Children Play?” “Hard Headed Woman,” “Father & Son” (Tea for the Tillerman – 1970); “Peace Train,” “Bitterblue” (Teaser and the Firecat – 1971); and “Sitting” (Catch Bull at Four – 1972).
Also included is a soulful cover of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night.” Cat and his band were fresh from recording the song at a studio in Tokyo using a Japanese brass section – the very same version that would go on to become a hit single later that year. The performance on Saturnight captures the first time they ever played “Another Saturday Night” live.
Although Saturnight never received a full global release – due to contractual reasons between A&M and Island Records – Cat arranged for the proceeds to be donated to UNICEF. He had recently become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and with their help, had visited Ethiopia and Kenya earlier in 1974. There, he saw firsthand some of the utter devastation caused by drought and famine, but also witnessed the remarkable resilience and nobility of the human spirit. The experience moved him profoundly and had a truly lasting impact on his life and career, so much so that his humanitarian efforts would soon overtake his personal musical ambitions.
As Cat redirected more of his individual success towards helping those in need, he would eventually leave the music industry altogether. Dedicating himself to charity and advocacy work, he would use the status and rewards that music had brought him in the service of equality and a just world. In many ways Saturnight represents a significant early step on that incredible journey.
Saturnight: Live From Tokyo Tracklist
VINYL
SIDE I
1. Wild World
2. Oh Very Young
3. Sitting
4. Where Do The Children Play?
5. Lady D’Arbanville
6. Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke)
SIDE II
1. Hard Headed Woman
2. Peace Train
3. Father & Son
4. King Of Trees
5. A Bad Penny
6. Bitterblue
CD / DIGITAL
1. Wild World
2. Oh Very Young
3. Sitting
4. Where Do The Children Play?
5. Lady D’Arbanville
6. Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke)
7. Hard Headed Woman
8. Peace Train
9. Father & Son
10. King of Trees
11. A Bad Penny
12. Bitterblue
Dierks Bentley has released the second track from his next album, this time a collaboration with co-writer Stephen Wilson Jr. for tribute to a currency stronger than the dollar in “Cold Beer Can.” Written at a small writer’s camp in Nashville last year, Bentley and Wilson got the assist from Luke Dick and Jon Randall for the deep-feeling track that has a meaning deeper than its title would suggest.
“I was a really big fan of Stephen’s and asked him to jump in on some writes with me, and we ended up writing two songs that both made the new record. What I love about this song is that the title and idea seem like such familiar territory for country music, but when you actually dig into the lyrics of the song, it’s much more meaningful,” said Bentley “I asked him to come in and lay down some acoustic guitar parts once we got in the studio, and he crushed it.”
“There are some things that money just can’t buy. People crave an experience. Sometimes bartering is required. A fermented meeting ground perhaps,” says Stephen Wilson Jr. “A cold beer can be a simple and affordable catalyst in the chemical and emotional reactions of this human life. Humans are looking for something to carry us on or bring us together.”
Bentley’s dynamic presence and ability to connect with fans shines through in everything he does—whether in the studio or on stage. His “spirited, tongue-in-cheek” (American Songwriter) new single “She Hates Me” marked Bentley’s career biggest first week debut at country radio, receiving praise for its “bold, edgier sound” (Country Now) and crowning Bentley the “titan of country breakup songs” (Holler). Over the past two decades, Bentley has carved out a unique space for himself in country music. He’s not just a hit-making singer and songwriter—he is a multi-Platinum superstar and the standard bearer for roots music in the mainstream. Bentley’s career has produced eight Number One albums, 22 Number One songs, over nine billion global streams, plus 15 GRAMMY nominations and membership in the historic Grand Ole Opry. Beyond that, millions of fans have connected to his songs featuring equal parts energy and emotion, and tastemakers around the nation continue to hail Bentley as one of country’s most authentic entertainers. With top-flight musicianship and boundless energy in the nation’s most iconic settings, tonight Bentley will begin a run of headlining C2C dates in Europe, making stops at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, London’s O2 and Belfast’s SSE Arena this weekend before launching his own BROKEN BRANCHES TOUR on May 29th in Austin, TX. Bentley will bring along Zach Top and The Band Loula in over 30 cities across the US for “one of the most fun lineups you’ll see this summer” (Whiskey Riff).
In addition to music, Bentley has expanded his brand with his successful chain of gastropubs and live music venues, “Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row,” and the recent launch of ROW 94, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey crafted with only “three ingredients and the truth.”
Elton John and Brandi Carlile have released the music video for their latest single “Swing For The Fences.” Directed by acclaimed director Xavier Dolan, working alongside celebrated choreographer Damien Jalet (Emilia Pérez, Anima, Suspiria), the video is a dynamic and emotional exploration of sensuality and liberation.
Starring William Darby and Abdalla Amour, the video follows a young man home alone, dancing frantically, galvanized by the song and its energy. As he continues his liberating improvisation, the dance becomes more personal and visceral, before slowing as he is joined by a lover, ending in an intimate kiss.
Director, Xavier Dolan, states: “When Brandi and Elton reached out with their song, the brief mentioned it was written for “young queer kids”. I immediately saw this young lonely man dancing to himself. It isn’t fortuitous that music and dancing have always been central to queer culture; it is an ultimate act of expression, abandonment, selflessness. I’m so grateful they came to me with this incredible opportunity to film a young person claiming his power and pride through music and dance, especially at a time where some people, some very powerful people, are trying to weaken and rescind that power, and tame that pride.”
Choreographer, Damien Jalet, states: “Helping Xavier to put together this video with such a beautiful and hopeful message was an offer I couldn’t refuse. The goal here was to not dim or tame the feeling of an eruptive and spontaneous dancing joy by over choreographed routines. Departing from William’s dynamics and improvisations and by his balletic background, and by Xavier’s clear ideas on all the clashing emotional states the character is going through, the creation of this video became a beautiful « pas de trois » between us. I attempted to guide William and Abdalla in the development of meaningful and overjoyed gestures and impulses, allowing them to portray in the most personal way possible this anthem for freedom and pride.
“Swing For The Fences” is a life-affirming, joyous track and is the latest offering from Elton and Brandi’s recently announced collaborative studio album Who Believes In Angels? set for release on April 4th via Interscope Records. Pre-order the album here.
The song is both a euphoric slice of rock ‘n’ roll, and a defiant and proud anthem. Speaking on the track, Brandi says: “Swing For The Fences’ was a little gem I took into the studio with me: I’m a gay woman, Elton’s a gay man and we both have families, and our dreams have come true. I was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to write an anthem for young gay kids out there that calls them into a bigger, more elegant, more fabulous life. Just like ‘go, go! don’t let anything hold you back!’.”
Elton adds: “When we recorded ‘Swing For The Fences’, it was the moment that crystallised where the album was going. It was hard to get to that point, but we knew we had to rise to the occasion and we all just felt this massive sense of joy and euphoria. After our initial difficulties, all the uncertainties started to dissipate when this song came together. It just sounded great.”
Photo credit: Peggy Sirota
The concept for Who Believes In Angels? was devised by close friends and regular collaborators Elton John, eleven time GRAMMY winning US superstar Brandi Carlile and multiple GRAMMY Award winning producer and songwriter Andrew Watt. They set out to create a genuinely collaborative studio album between Elton and Brandi. The album would mix Elton-led songs and Brandi-led songs, with long term collaborator Bernie Taupin and Brandi both contributing lyrics, and producer and co-writer Andrew Watt acting as the producer, mediator and creative conduit. Entering Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound Studios in October 2023 with a completely blank slate, they pushed each other out of their comfort zones to write and record an album completely from scratch in just 20 days. They would be backed by a world class band of musicians comprising of Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Pino Palladino (Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan and David Gilmour) and Josh Klinghoffer (Pearl Jam, Beck).
Elton and Brandi will be in the UK for ‘An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile’ at The London Palladium on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. This sold-out one night only event will see them grace the stage of one of London’s most iconic venues for a unique evening of performance and storytelling.
Xavier Dolan is an internationally acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and actor. Since 2009, he has written and directed eight celebrated feature films, all premiering at prestigious festivals such as Cannes and the Venice Film Festival. His accolades include multiple César Awards, as well as the Jury Prize and Grand Prix at Cannes. In addition to his film work, Dolan directed Adele’s iconic music videos for “Hello” and “Easy on Me” earning a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video in 2021.
Damien Jalet is recognized as one of the most innovative and celebrated choreographers of our time. His unique performances have been shown all across the world. His work brings themes of identity, transformation, and resistance through movement, pushing the boundaries of dance by looking at the human body’s limitations. His choreographic exploration converses with various disciplines. He’s notably collaborated with Marina Abramović, Madonna, Paul Thomas Anderson (Anima), Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), The Paris Opera Ballet, JR and Thomas Bangalter, among many others.
Who Believes In Angels? tracklisting:
1. The Rose Of Laura Nyro
2. Little Richard’s Bible
3. Swing For The Fences
4. Never Too Late
5. You Without Me
6. Who Believes In Angels?
7. The River Man
8. A Little Light
9. Someone To Belong To
10. When This Old World Is Done With Me
GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Platinum recording artist Selena Gomez and GRAMMY nominated, multi-Platinum artist, record producer and songwriter benny blanco debut a new song, “Sunset Blvd” today. Inspired by their first date on the historic Sunset Blvd the track comes from Gomez and blanco’s highly anticipated first collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, out March 21 on SMG Music/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope Records. The song arrives alongside a new video directed by longtime Gomez collaborator Petra Collins. Listen HERE and watch HERE.
The song marks the third release from their upcoming album. Previously, Gomez and blanco shared the stunning pop ballad, “Scared of Loving You,” written by Gomez, blanco and GRAMMY winner FINNEAS. This was quickly followed by “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. Pre-order the album HERE.
I Said I Love You First celebrates the pair’s love story, giving fans a unique window into their relationship. The album came together organically as a direct result of the comfort that they both felt when working together creatively, allowing them to produce art that authentically reflects their experiences. It chronicles their entire story—before they met, falling in love and looking to what the future holds.
Gomez is one of the most globally and culturally celebrated artists, actors, producers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists of her generation. As a recording artist she has sold more than 197 million singles and has garnered over 34 billion streams worldwide. Gomez has released three critically lauded solo studio albums, all of which debuted at number one on Billboard’s 200 album chart. Her most recent massive hit, “Calm Down,” with singer Rema became the most successful Afrobeat song of all time and the longest running song ever on Billboard’s U.S. Pop Airplay Chart. As an actor and producer, Gomez has been recognized for her work with multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG nominations, including receiving her first win with her fellow cast for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. In addition, she recently received her first BAFTA nomination for her role in the audacious, Jacques Audiard film Emilia Perez.
benny blanco is a record producer, songwriter, artist, actor, record executive and New York Times bestselling author. benny has contributed to the sale of hundreds of millions of albums worldwide through his work with artists including Ed Sheeran, SZA, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Juice WRLD, Sia, and many more. As a solo artist, benny has released Platinum albums—FRIENDS KEEP SECRETS and FRIENDS KEEP SECRETS 2—that have been streamed more than 11 billion times to date and have featured multiple multi-Platinum hits.
Photo credit: Peggy Sirota