Today, the wave of like-minded new bands from this part of the world is approaching something like critical mass, and its leading lights have begun releasing some of the most exciting debut albums and EPs so far this year. When these artists began popping up around 2018, what they shared read as coincidence, if anything. bands that kinda talk-sing over post-punk music, and sometimes it's more like post-rock?" But there is something happening in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a cohort of very good bands who meet this vague, wordy description - Squid, Dry Cleaning, Shame, Courting, Sleaford Mods, Yard Act, The Cool Greenhouse, Home Counties, Billy Nomates, Legss, Fontaines D.C., Working Men's Club and Black Country, New Road among them. Talking around it is awkward: "Uh, I'm really into these U.K. Music genre names can be silly, annoying and reductive, but you realize their stubborn value when there's a new subgenre emerging and no one has given it a name yet. In other words, it's a song designed to make you ask, "What is this?" It's a weird but effective set of contrasts - wild but controlled, artsy but focused on basic physical response, berserk emotion colliding with detached erudition. ![]() The song's sprawling length - 8:29 - is posted on the cover art, scrambling expectations and heralding greater ambitions from a group best known at that point for a frenzied punk tune, " Houseplants." "Narrator" traps that same energy within a tight Krautrock-ish groove, and when that wears out, the song coasts onwards with two spoken-word parts that illustrate feeling caught in the gravity of a self-absorbed person, the kind who lives as though they're the main character and everyone else is just a walk-on. ![]() When the British band Squid released the single " Narrator" in January, everything about it felt like a dare. Photo illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR/Courtesy of the artists The album was well received at the time, with some critics even referring to it as a Who album that never was.Top row, left to right: Yard Act, Squid, Black Country, New Road. The second single from the album ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ was a US Top Ten hit, propelling the album to #5 on the US Billboard chart, and the first single ‘Rough Boys’, which was dedicated to Pete’s children and The Sex Pistols, was a UK top 40 hit. ![]() The songs predominantly deal with issues Townshend was struggling with at the time, including alcohol, drugs, and the death of Keith Moon, The Who’s former drummer. Produced by Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Pretenders, Wings), Empty Glass was Townshend’s next solo release appearing in April 1980. Edwin’s son, Jon Astley has overseen this new remaster. The orchestral arrangements for the track ‘Street in the City’ were provided by Townshend’s then father-in-law, noted British film and television theme composer Edwin Astley. Rough Mixwas initially released in September 1977 while The Who were on hiatus and was a collaboration with Small Faces bassist the late Ronnie Lane and features contributions from Who bass guitarist John Entwistle, Eric Clapton, and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts among others. ![]() Rough Mixis presented in a gatefold sleeve, and Empty Glass features a full-colour inner bag with full lyrics and a 300mm x 600mm poster. These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged in original sleeves with obi strips and certificates of authenticity. WITH HALF SPEED VINYL MASTERS CUT FOR VINYLīY MILES SHOWELL AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS RELEASED 23 JUNE ON UMRĢ3 June 2023 sees the release of the first in a series of half speed mastered studio albums from Pete Townshend, Rough Mix and Empty Glass. MASTERED BY JON ASTLEY AT CLOSE TO THE EDGE PETE TOWNSHEND: THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF NEW LIMITED EDITION HALF SPEED MASTERED ALBUMS PETE TOWNSHEND & RONNIE LANE: ROUGH MIX
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