Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: The Vacant Lots strike back with their fifth studio album to date. The American duo is driven by  Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen.

Content: “Interiors” sounds diversified but always getting back to a strong Dream-Pop and Shoegaze basis which is reinforced by Cold-Wave elements. This work reminds me of bands like New Order, The Neon Judgement and The Jesus And Mary Chain.

+ + + : I praise this work for its eclectic approach. The songs have been composed with great guitar playing -especially for the Shoegaze cuts, while featuring sexy vocal parts -excelling at “Evacuation”.

– – – : I regret the work is only featuring 8 cuts while I didn’t hear a true, potential hit. 

Conclusion: “Interior” is a fully enjoyable work bringing different influences together.

Best songs: “Evacuation”, “Amnesia”, “Endgame”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.thevacantlots.com / www.facebook.com/THEVACANTLOTS

Label: http://fuzzclub.com / www.facebook.com/FuzzClubRecords Read the news on ‘Interiors’.

Listen to “Interiors”:

About The Vacant Lots

The Vacant Lots is the minimalist post-punk/synth-pop duo of Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen, formed in Burlington, Vermont in 2010 and now based in Brooklyn, New York. The pair signed to Mexican Summer in 2011 before releasing its debut album, “Departure”, on Sonic Cathedral in July 2014, followed by “Endless Night” on Metropolis Records in April 2017. The closing track on “Endless Night”, “Suicide Note”, featured vocals by Alan Vega of Suicide, one of the last collaborations Vega took part in before his death in 2016.

The duo also recorded two EPs with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, “Berlin” (2016) and “Exit” (2019), both on A Recordings. In 2021, Jared Artaud co-produced and mixed “Mutator”, a posthumous Alan Vega album released on Sacred Bones Records. The Vacant Lots signed to Fuzz Club for “Interzone” (2020) and “Closure” (2022), and returned with their fifth studio album, “Interiors”, on October 13, 2023, also via Fuzz Club.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo by Mel Butler) After teasing the release of their new album “Glasgow Eyes” with the singles “jamcod” and “Chemical Animal”, The Jesus and Mary Chain now unveil their latest track “Girl 71”, out via Fuzz Club. Note that the album release has moved back slightly to March 22nd due to a delay in vinyl production.

“Girl 71” is about redemption from self-loathing through others and features Jim Reid on lead vocal with backing harmonies courtesy of Rachel Conte. As with the rest of the Glasgow Eyes album, “Girl 71” was produced by brothers Jim and William Reid at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio.

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s extensive 40th anniversary headline tour of the UK, Ireland and Europe has just been boosted with confirmation of special guests Aircooled (featuring JAMC drummer Justin Welch).

Here are the two previous singles.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Shoegaze, Post-Punk, Psychedelic-Rock.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This is a live recording featuring seventeen songs from Scottish formation The Jesus And Mary Chain. The recordings happened during December 2018 shows at Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles (USA). The Reid brothers and their gang were doing a support tour for NIN. That’s quite interesting as back in 1990 NIN were doing the support for The Jesus And Mary Chain. Trent Reznor has been influenced by them and asked them as a sign of respect to do it the other way round nearly thirty years later.

Content: The Jesus And Mary Chain became famous for their Noise-like approach of Rock and Dark-Wave music. It has been called Shoegaze, Psy-Rock, Noise-Rock, ao but it was rather innovative and influenced numerous bands. The tracklist brings a true melting pot featuring tracks from the early years until the last album. Now dreamy and then powerful all tracks remained driven by this unique fuzzy guitar noise and the vocals of Jim Reid.

+ + + : You can easily recognize the live sound and interaction with the audience. This band remains unique while “Psychocandy” remains a legendary album released38 years ago now. The show also started with a famous song from that album (cf. “Just Like Honey”). Two more major tracks of the album and “Psychocandy” remain “The Living End” and “In A Hole” both reminding us the essence of Shoegaze-sound. I also recommend “Far Gone And Out” and “Reverence” both originally released in 1992 on “Honey’s Dead”  which was the band’s fourth full length. One thing is for sure, The Jesus And Mary Chain haven’t lost their original energy and magic. 

– – – : I regret there are no more songs from the “Psychocandy”-era featured. It remains the greatest work of this legendary band.

Conclusion: This album is a great gift for all fans of this unique band in history.

Best songs: “The Living End”, “In A Hole”, “Just Like Honey”, “Far Gone And Out”, “Reverence”, “Sometimes Always”, “Some Candy Talking”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: https://themarychain.com / www.facebook.com/JesusAndMaryChain

Label: www.fuzzclub.com / www.facebook.com/FuzzClubRecords Read the news on ‘Sunset 666’.

Listen to “Sunset 666”:

About The Jesus And Mary Chain

The Jesus And Mary Chain is a Scottish band formed in East Kilbride in 1983 around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim Reid and William Reid, the only consistent members throughout the band’s history. The original lineup added Douglas Hart on bass and Murray Dalglish on drums, with Bobby Gillespie later taking over on drums. The band signed to Creation Records and released the debut single “Upside Down” in 1984, followed by the debut album “Psychocandy” in 1985. Further studio albums followed with “Darklands” (1987), “Automatic” (1989), “Honey’s Dead” (1992) and “Stoned & Dethroned” (1994), before the band split in 1999 after “Munki” (1998). The Reid brothers reunited in 2007 and released “Damage and Joy” in 2017 and “Glasgow Eyes” in 2024. In autumn 2018, the band opened for Nine Inch Nails’ North American tour, and shows recorded that December at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles form the live album “Sunset 666”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo by Mel Butler) The Jesus and Mary Chain today announced the March 8th release of their new album “Glasgow Eyes” via Fuzz Club. Out now is its lead single “jamcod”. The album’s first single, “jamcod,” welds dark electronica with the guitar sound of William Reid. You can check out the video here.

“Glasgow Eyes” was recorded at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio in Glasgow, where the brothers Jim and William Reid continued the creative process that resulted in their previous album, 2017’s “Damage and Joy”. The duo incorporated their love for Suicide and Kraftwerk and – surprise – jazz. Jim Reid elaborates, “But don’t expect ‘the Mary Chain goes jazz.’ People should expect a Jesus and Mary Chain record, and that’s certainly what Glasgow Eyes is. Our creative approach is remarkably the same as it was in 1984, just hit the studio and see what happens. We went in with a bunch of songs and let it take its course. There are no rules, you just do whatever it takes. And there’s a telepathy there – we are those weird not-quite twins that finish each other’s sentences.”

“Glasgow Eyes” will be available on CD and on single vinyl. For those who love the sound of vinyl at its purest, there will be a limited edition 45 rpm double-vinyl packaged with artwork by William Reid.

The Jesus And Mary Chain UK and European tour 2024

The duo will further mark their 40th year in 2024 with an autobiography (published by Orion/White Rabbit) and a major UK and European tour.

• March 22 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
• March 25 – Dublin, IE – Olympia
• March 26 – Belfast, UK – Limelight 1
• March 27 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall
• March 30 – London, UK – Roundhouse
• April 2 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
• April 3 – Gothenburg, SE – Pustervik
• April 5 – Oslo, NO – Rockefeller
• April 6 – Stockholm, SE – Munich Brewery
• April 7 – Malmo, SE – Plan B
• April 9 – Hamburg, DE – Markthalle
• April 11 – Berlin, DE – Huxleys
• April 12 – Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall
• April 13 – Paris, FR – Elysée Montmartre
• April 15 – Geneva, CH – L’Usine
• April 16 – Winterthur, CH – Salzhaus
• April 17 – Milan, IT – Alcatraz
• April 19 – Krems, AT – Donaufestival
• April 20 – Heidelberg, DE – Halle O2
• April 21 – Tilburg, NL – Roadburn Festival
• April 23 – Brussels, BE – AB
• April 24 – The Hague, NL – Paard

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Steve Gullick) Out now via the Fuzz Club label is the 25-year anniversary reissue of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s sixth studio album, “Munki”. The reissue is available on CD and gatefold double LP. The vinyl has been remastered by Pete Maher (The Rolling Stones, Jack White, Liam Gallagher). A splatter vinyl will be exclusively available via themarychain.com

As we reported before, The Jesus and Mary Chain signed to the London-based independent label Fuzz Club Records by revealing upcoming reissues of the band’s 2017 studio album “Damage and Joy” complete with three new bonus tracks as well as their “Live at Barrowland” LP. 

“Munki” is the sixth studio album released by the Scottish band The Jesus and Mary Chain. After leaving Blanco y Negro, the Reid brothers signed to Sub Pop in the U.S. and Creation, who had released their debut single “Upside Down” in 1984, in the UK.

The origin of the album title, according to Ben Lurie in an interview with Spin magazine, was that they “wanted an un-Mary Chain-like title…It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a word. Misspelled on purpose.” In an interview with The Herald, Jim said that their sister Linda suggested it.

The album features an appearance from Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, who had previously duetted with the band on the single “Sometimes Always”, and includes the singles “I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll” (released in 1995), “Cracking Up” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

Originally released June 2nd 1998 on Sub Pop / Creation Records, “Munki” was – up until the Mary Chain’s reformation in 2007 – an experimental rock’n’roll masterclass turned swan song for the Reid brothers, whose fractious in-fighting culminated in the band’s break-up less than a year after its release.

Upcoming shows

• 16/11 – Brighton, UK at Chalk
• 17/11 – Barcelona, ES at Sala Apolo
• 17-19/11 – Benidorm, ES at Primavera Weekender (Festival Headliners)
• 20/11 – Parma, IT at Barezzi Festival

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Jesus and Mary Chain have released a live rendition of “Half Way To Crazy” from their upcoming “Sunset 666” album, set to be released on August 4th, 2023, under Fuzz Club. This track was recorded live at the Hollywood Palladium in 2018 during the band’s North American tour supporting Nine Inch Nails. “Sunset 666” features a selection of songs from their discography, including tracks from “Psychocandy”, “Darklands”, “Automatic”, “Honey’s Dead”, “Stoned and Dethroned”, “Munki”, and “Damage and Joy”.

“Half Way To Crazy”, originally from their 1989 album “Automatic”, is now available for listening in its “Sunset 666” version. You can check it out below.

Regarding the single, The Jesus and Mary Chain commented, “The fourth side of the ‘Sunset 666’ vinyl, recorded at The Hollywood Palladium show on December 11, 2018, with Nine Inch Nails, features some of our favorite ‘Automatic’ tracks to perform live. This rendition of ‘Half Way To Crazy’ truly captures the energy of that evening.”

“Sunset 666″‘”, which showcases The Jesus and Mary Chain performing a collection of their classic hits with a measured intensity, is set to be released on double LP vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The album’s release coincides with the band’s performance at London’s Crystal Palace Bowl, where they will share the stage with Primal Scream and The Black Angels as part of this year’s South Facing Festival.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Steve Gullick) The Scottish act The Jesus and Mary Chain announce a new live album, “Sunset 666”, due for release August 4th 2023 via Fuzz Club. Recorded live at the Hollywood Palladium in 2018, whilst the Mary Chain were touring North America in support of Nine Inch Nails, it’s a discography-spanning set that includes tracks from “Psychocandy”, “Darklands”, “Automatic”, “Honey’s Dead”, “Stoned and Dethroned”, “Munki” and “Damage and Joy”.

The release will be out on double LP vinyl, CD and digital.

Taken from the incoming “Sunset 666” album, you can listen to the Mary Chain perform “Sometimes Always” live with Isobel Campbell right below.

On the album and single news, the Mary Chain said: “We’re thrilled to share this version of ‘Sometimes Always’ with our friend Isobel Campell doing the vocal which Hope Sandoval did on the studio version. It’s from our new double album ‘Sunset 666’ which captures two shows we did at the Hollywood Palladium with Nine Inch Nails and Isobel in December 2018. It was the first time we’d performed that song for god knows how many years.”

Sunset 666 Tracklist: Read the review of ‘Sunset 666’.

1. Just Like Honey
2. Sometimes Always (feat. Isobel Campbell)
3. Black and Blues (feat. Isobel Campbell)
4. Amputation
5. All Things Pass
6. Some Candy Talking
7. Head On
8. The Living End
9. Cracking Up
10. Teenage Lust
11. I Hate Rock ‘N’ Roll
12. Reverence
13. Blues from a Gun
14. Far Gone and Out
15. Between Planets
16. Halfway To Crazy
17. In A Hole

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Travis Shinn, interview by our correspondent János Janurik) You might think that appearing as a warm-up act in front of a cult band that is popular all over the world is one of the best things in life, and that you have a bit of a stake in the success of the concert evening. But in reality, Depeche Mode‘s support acts don’t always have it easy, although the band has actually always had a good hand for its support acts. Some of them managed to endear themselves to Depeche Mode fans and even won fans for their own music projects. Others, however, had a hard time getting away from possibly being pelted with bottles on stage by the exuberant and impatient fans.

This spring, at the tour opener of the current “Memento Mori World Tour” in North America, the stage belonged to the females. At the first 9 concerts in the USA and Canada, Welsh musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens performed for American audiences as the support act for Depeche Mode on their first concert tour without Andy Fletcher. On the last night of the first leg of the world tour, fans were able to see singer Dave Gahan’s daughter live for the first time at the legendary Madison Square Garden. The proud dad watched Stella-Rose’s performance secretly in the company of his bandmate, Martin Gore.

Fans in Europe are still considered fanatics, which means that Depeche Mode’s supporting bands have to pull their socks up if they want to get the desired appreciation, i.e. a friendly applause, up on stage.

💡 TIP: And for those that want to go a step further, every concert not only allows them to experience the magic of music but also creates unique memories to cherish. If you are also a fan of their music, you can design Custom Keychains Canada with band elements, which can be the best carrier to connect memories and daily life. You can incorporate performance theme elements or images of your favorite musicians into your keychain. Especially with the convenient express customization service, you can keep your love alive without waiting.

The concert series opens in Amsterdam with a performance by Cold Cave, a dark wave project led by Wesley Eisold, who has already been a guest in Germany. This time he and his companions will play only one Germany concert in Leipzig, the remaining shows will take place in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Slovakia. Our editor, Janos Janurik will see him live in Bratislava and contacted him to give an interview for us.

SL: You have just completed live performances in Whitby (TOMORROW’S GHOSTS FESTIVAL) and in London (O2 Academy Islington). How did these concerts go?

CC: That’s right. London was the last show we played and both in the UK were lovely for us. Great connection.

SL: The great artists of the Dark Wave movement, which have also inspired you, also came mainly from England, just think of bands like Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cult or The Sisters of Mercy, who have founded their own music genres. Was this noticeable in the reaction of the British audience? What kind of feedback did you get on those two nights?

CC: That’s a part of our appeal but another part of it is the lyrical and sentimental aspects of this. Sometimes it feels like genre is irrelevant. I’m a child of the 80’s so that’s what I love… which all works in LA too.

SL: Depeche Mode, whose dark songs from the 80s, such as “Blasphemous Rumours” or the whole “Black Celebration” LP also found favour in the dark wave environment, have had to struggle for years with the problem that they have not achieved the recognition they deserve in their own country. People in the UK still don’t seem to forgive them for not being the charming synth-pop boy band they once were at the beginning of their career. In America, on the other hand, where rock music – such as Bruce Springsteen’s live performances – still moves the biggest crowds, Depeche Mode have enjoyed cult status practically since their legendary Rose Bowl – “101” – concert. How do you see it as a musician? You come from the USA, but your music has more of a European character. Are there big differences in terms of the fanbase on the two sides of the Atlantic?

CC: If music is meant to transcend then it usually does. I find the people at our shows similar around the world. It’s really very international to me. DM’s reign around most of the world makes sense to me. They’re the best at what they do. I can’t complain. I put out my own music. No management or label help. Not much press. Don’t follow the rules. And still going.

SL: Wesley, you’re from Los Angeles. Many people first think of the endless coastline and surfing when they think of this city. Of course, there’s also Jim Morrison, who had a big influence on dark wave artists with the psychedelic rock band, The Doors. How did you discover this style of music? Who are your big favourites? How did you get involved in the LA music scene?

CC: I’m from nowhere. I grew up moving every year and have only been in LA for a decade which is five times longer than I lived anywhere else. That said The Doors were a first love of mine even though I was on the opposite side of the country. When you grow up trying to patch an endless void you just find this music or it finds you. I’m not involved in the LA scene. I don’t think that way. I grew up in punk & hardcore and stopped being concerned with scenes in my early twenties. I like my own scene. It’s an island I built for me and anyone who wants to come visit.

SL: Speaking of Jim Morrison, you’re also into poetry. How do you decide whether the lines you put together in your head become a poem or a song lyric?

CC: Good question. It’s really just where my interest is at when it appears. Sometimes they get used for both.

SL: A mutual friend of ours who also lives in Los Angeles is an active participant and supporter of the dark culture scene there, along with his wife. How did you meet Douglas McCarthy? Have you worked together on any projects?

CC: Amy, my partner, knows Douglas from Detroit. We then toured together ten years ago around the county for a month. I don’t think we’ve made music together but I care about him deeply and he’s always been there for us.

SL: Douglas has opened for Depeche Mode several times with his bands Nitzer Ebb and Black Line, as well as solo, and is also close friends with the band members. Has he recommended you as a possible support band for Depeche Mode’s current tour?

CC: I don’t think so.

SL: A musical collaborator of yours, Bryan Black aka Black Asteroid has also done remixes for Depeche Mode and with another project called Motor he has even released a joint single with Martin Gore called “Man Made Machine”. Please tell us a bit about your joint project!

CC: I met him in Paris 2013 at a Rick Owens runway show. We hit it off and I ended up singing on a few of his tracks. Even did it live a few times. Love his work.

SL: Are you a fan of Depeche Mode yourself? If so, when did you hear them for the first time? Do you have a favourite song or album by them? Have you seen them live? When and where?

CC: Of course! Hard to pick but maybe “It’s No Good”. Amy has seen them I think almost twenty times starting in mid 80’s.

SL: You are going to perform with Cold Cave on five nights (actually six, because in Amsterdam there is also a second show) before Depeche Mode as a support act at big outdoor / stadium concerts. You are also going to do a Germany gig in Leipzig at the legendary Festwiese. When was the last time you were on tour in Germany? What memories do you have of those concerts?

CC: It’s been a few years since a tour. I went to high school in Stuttgart and always love being there. One of the greatest countries. Definitely looking forward to Leipzig. We were there last in 2019 and the year before that with the Jesus and Mary Chain.

SL: I’m going to see your live performance in Bratislava. My 13-year-old daughter is also going to be there, she is also a big fan of synth pop and really likes her dad’s favourite bands. You also have an 8-year-old son. Has he already shown an interest in music? What does he think of your musical works?

CC: He lives and breathes it so far. Often joining us live for a song too. We are both lucky they are down for our music! He’s a great focus group for of a song is good or not.

SL: Your partner, Amy Lee, plays synthesizer alongside you. Which musicians are going to accompany you at the concerts with Depeche Mode?

CC: Amy Lee, Ryan McMahon and Anthony Anzaldo.

SL: Which song or album of Cold Cave would you recommend to those who don’t know your work yet? By the way, are you working on anything new right now?

CC: Always working! Hard to choose. My music really follows my immediate mood so would depend upon that. Maybe “Glory”.

SL: Thanks for the answers and hopefully you will gain many new fans for Cold Cave thanks to the shows together with Depeche Mode!

CC: Thank you! It’s a dream to support Depeche.

Cold Cave “Memento Mori” shows with Depeche Mode:

• Amsterdam (16./18.5.)
• Antwerpen (20.5.)
• Stockholm (23.5.)
• Leipzig (26.5.)
• Bratislava (28.5.)

Cold Cave Discography

For more on Depeche Mode, see Mediamass website pronounces Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan dead, then… on Side-Line.

János Janurik

I began my career in online music journalism in 2001, writing about artists I had followed since the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Depeche Mode, Erasure and The Cure. I later edited the Hungarian Mute microsite for EMI Music Hungary. This led to interviews with Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Alan Wilder, and some of those collaborations developed into lasting friendships. Since 2014, I have been part of the editorial team of depechemode.de. I also contribute interviews to Reflections of Darkness, Peek-A-Boo Magazine and Kaput Mag. I maintain a close connection to Mute Records artists and have also supported releases on Very Records. I am proud to collaborate with Side-Line Magazine, where I regularly publish interviews and features.

(Photo by Steve Gullick) Scotland’s The Jesus and Mary Chain have signed to the London-based independent label Fuzz Club Records. Fuzz Club are marking the new partnership by revealing upcoming reissues of the band’s 2017 studio album “Damage and Joy” complete with three new bonus tracks as well as their “Live at Barrowland” LP. On top of the reissues Fuzz Club will encompass reissues of their earlier works, new live releases and brand new studio material.

Originally released in 2017 on the band’s own label Artificial Plastic, “Damage And Joy” was The Jesus and Mary Chain’s first studio album in nearly two decades. Co-produced by Youth (Killing Joke) it also featured guest appearances from Scottish singer-songwriter Isobel Campbell and American alt-pop star Sky Ferreira. For the reissue the material was remastered by Pete Maher (U2, The Rolling Stones, Jack White, Liam Gallagher) and it now also includes “Ono Yoko” (originally only available on the Japanese CD version of the album), as well as alternative versions of “The Two Of Us” featuring Sky Ferreira and “Black And Blues” featuring Isobel Campbell.

The Jesus and Mary Chain have started recording an album just before COVID hit and returned back in the studio in October 2021 for the first time in two years.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

“Perpetual Sequence” is the 9th full-length album by Croc Shop, featuring long time members Mick Hale and vMarkus. “Perpetual Sequence” will be released by Metropolis Records on March 5th, 2021 through all digital and streaming formats.

The duo went for a post-electro, pop and synth-rock approach on these 11 tracks with occasional nods to their goth-rock and electro-industrial origins.

Here’s the video for “Silver”.

About Croc Shop

Crocodile Shop (later simply Croc Shop) was originally conceived in a flat above a record shop in Berlin Germany in 1987 by Mick Hale and R. A. Werner after they ended their previous new wave project, Mod Fun. The band, inspired by the “darker” post-punk sounds of Joy Division, New Order, Wire, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and The Jesus and Mary Chain, released their debut album in 1988 which was produced by Dave Fielding of the Chameleons UK.

Eventually, the band would slowly abandon the “guitar goth” sound, first replacing their drummer with a drum machine, releasing the Red Lorry Yellow Lorry influenced “Measure By Measure” EP and then finally with the addition of keyboard player V. Markus, (who was influenced by the likes of Front 242, Laibach and Nitzer Ebb), they turned to an entirely electronic-based outfit which was clearly audible on the fully electro-industrial sounding EP “Technological Optimism”.

Crocodile Shop’s debut on CD came about in 1993 with the release of the album “Celebrate the Enemy” on Tinman Records. In 1995, Crocodile Shop signed to Metropolis Records. The bandname change happend in 2002 when they started operating under the shortened name Croc Shop.

Here’s the band’s album discography:

• Head – 12″ (1987) Susstones Records
• Lullaby – 12″ LP (1988) Susstones Records
• Measure By Measure – 7″ EP Susstones Records
• Technological Optimism – 12″ EP DAMn! (crocshop.com)
• Celebrate the Enemy – LP (1993) Danse Assembly Productions • CD (1994) Tinman Records
• Crush Your Enemies – CD (1995) Tinman Records
• Beneath – CD Album (1996) Metropolis • CD Album (1997) Out of Line
• Metalwerks – CD EP (1997) Out of Line/Semaphore
• Pain – CD Album (1997) Metropolis • CD Album (1997) Out of Line, Sub/Mission Records • 2xCD Ltd. Edition (1997) Out of Line, Sub/Mission Records/SPV
• Soviet – CD Ltd. Edition (1998) Tinman Records
• Everything is Dead and Gone – CD Album (1999) Metropolis
• Order + Joy – CD Album (2000) Metropolis
• Wrong – CD Maxi (2000) DAMn! (crocshop.com)
• World – CD Album (2002) Metropolis
• Translated – CD EP (2003) DAMn! (crocshop.com)
• CROC_SHOP.SEA (Self Extracting Archive) – 2xCD (2004) DAMn! (crocshop.com)
• “Resist!” – Digital Album (2020) DAMn! (croc shop.com)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
Imagine David Lynch producing an offspring of The Jesus And Mary Chain and Radiohead with a touch of The Sisters Of Mercy – that’s the associations that dropped into my head when first listening to the new two track single ‘The Chaser’ from the Norwegian band The Ghostly Ravens. Jon Martens Holm (formely of Icon of Coil and The Pussyclub) was available for answering some questions on the release day:

Side-Line: How did this project start, and what have the band done so far?

Jon Martens Holm: The Ghostly Ravens started out in 2017 at Black Lodge studio in Fredrikstad, on a request to play the soundtrack to an art exhibition as a part of the installation at Rød Gård in Moss. Emil Nordbæk and me worked together on Emil’s psychedelia project, Marching Forest, and spent much time together in the studio making several instrumental sketches in a Lynch landscape.
Conrad Nilsen was brought into the project on bass, and The Ghostly Ravens was formed. I also play in the electro/post punk band The Sky´s Gone Out, and Emil is the front man in one of the finest psychedelia bands in Norway, Marching Forest.
We use a Roland D-5 as a drummer. Very easy to relate to 😉

A setlist of 12 songs was written in 2 weeks, for the exhibition and made the basis for the forthcoming album.

We started to record the album in December 2017, and have spent almost every day in the studio since then, playing around, trying to bring our influences together and form our own very unique sound. We narrowed the instruments down to an old Roland drum machine, modular synthesizers from my collection and mixed them with Emil’s guitars and vocals 60’s style and ended up somewhere between the 80’s and 90’s. Conrad has also major influences from the 80’s and 90’s.

S-L: Any plans ahead – releases or gigs?

JMH: Our plans for the future are as broad as our musical influences. Wanting to reach more than just the Norwegian underground, and looking towards Europe and the rest of the world. The music has a broad spectre of potential, taken the sound is both synth, 90’s brit pop, post punk, psychedelia and easy to like from a broad range of genres.
We are planning to pitch this to several booking agencies around the world and focus on a few selected major cities with potential crowds. The gigs we have done so far has been overwhelming in positive response, with a noticeable age variance in the audience, ranging from 16 to 70!
This is our first release from the forthcoming album due in September, and we’re very proud to present this quite extraordinary piece of work.

The Ghostly Ravens is part of the Velvet Electra Rec catalogue. A collective of cooperations between local artists, helping each other out in every aspect of production. MC Peko at Focus Studio is the the cover artist and photographer. He is not only featured here, but has made the music videos, done remixes and masters for Jon´s solo project The Sky´s Gone Out, both on the former release and his next.
Photographer and artist Vidar Kollstad also have an occasional role here.
– ‘The Chaser’ c/w ‘1995-1988’, release today
– The full album is due 15th of September

Listen and buy here:

http://listen.tidalhifi.com/album/91070070
https://itunes.apple.com/album/-/id1404413064

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Genre/Influences: Shoegaze, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Seven years after their debut album “Glow In The Dark Music” this new opus by Crash City Saints sounds a bit like a resurrection and a new start. “Are You Free?” is a bit of conceptual work dealing about the story of a teenager growing up in a dead-end small town in the early 90s. This work has been accomplished with numerous guest artists.

Content: The sound and influences of Crash City Saints are clearly referring to shoegaze music. You feel the shadow of The Jesus And Mary Chain hanging over this work, which mainly comes through in the typical fuzzy guitar play. But “Are You Free?” also experiments with other elements, which now remind me to The Sex Pistols for some guitar riffs and then to psychedelic rock. There also is a song evoking Cocteau Twins memories, which is not a coincidence as Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) played bass guitar on this track.

+ + + : Crash City Saints are back on track again, having achieved a great piece of music. The influences aren’t that new at all, but the way all influences carried by a solid shoegaze basis have been merged together is absolutely great. This album features multiple attention grabbers and even a few outstanding songs such as “Spirit Photography” and “Annabella”. There’s a real harmony between all influences although the guitar play remains the most noticeable aspect of the production.

– – – : There are a few short intermezzos, which aren’t adding any bonus to the album.

Conclusion: “Are You Free” is a great opus with a kind of hypnotic feeling, which I’m sure will appeal for all lovers of shoegaze music.

Best songs: “Spirit Photography”, “Annabella”, “The Hour Of The Wolf – Single”, “Harbour Lights”, “Ice Cream Headache”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/crashcitysaints

Label: www.saintmarierecords.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Saint–Marie–Records/164080190305178

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

To be released 3rd November on Bella Union is the debut album “Ojalá” by Lost Horizons. Lost Horizons is the project by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins, Bella Union label) and drummer Richie Thomas (Dif Juz, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt). “Ojalá” incorporates a well known cast of guest singers: Marissa Nadler, former Midlake frontman Tim Smith, Cameron Neal (Horse Thief), Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit and Ghostpoet, Beth Cannon, Ed Riman, Gemma Dunleavy, Phil McDonnell and Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission.

As usual with Raymonde also this project hosts a varied mix of influences including of course dreamy pop. You can listen to the project’s first tracks from the album below. The tracks are “The Places We’ve Been”, featuring Karen Peris on vocals, and “Frenzy Fear”, featuring Hilang Child on vocals.

Many will know Richie Thomas from his work with Raymonde in the eighties, the songs unfortunately remained in the demo stage. One collaboration survived, namely “Ivy And Neet”, found on This Mortal Coil’s second album “Filigree & Shadow” (1986), with Thomas adding saxophone to Raymonde’s improvised piano. After that Thomas toured with The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt and, in the nineties with Cocteau Twins.

The songs for “Ojalá” find their origin in a four-days improvisation session the pair booked in an east London studio, with Raymonde on piano and Thomas on drums. Raymonde then added bass, guitar and occasional electronics at his home studio in Brighton, turning improvisation into songs, and a second four-day session was booked – the day that David Bowie suddenly died. As the songs took shape, Raymonde approached the singers. The result is a 15-track album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: New-wave, post-punk, shoegaze.

Background/Info: Progress Productions is one of those labels that dares to sign real challenging bands. That’s one of the main strengths of the Swedish label, which this way has already given us the opportunity to discover real interesting formations. Behind Haul hides Pehr Heurberg who got previously involved in the EBM-driven Militant Cheerleaders On The Move and Kretipleti (which was more into techno music). I noticed that the band already released a 7” vinyl in 2012, but this full length appears to be the real launch for a band that has been introduced as an actual  ‘black’ group.

Content: The opening cuts quickly reveal their essence and influences, which bring us back to the 80s and the new-wave movement. Joy Division can be considered as a potential source of inspiration, but other cuts are more into shoegaze. The shadow of The Jesus And Mary Chain is progressively passes through the work. I can also mention The Stooges as one more source of inspiration so in the end it all becomes crystal clear that Haul is totally devoted to pure ‘dark’ music.

The guitar clearly has a main impact on the genre of the album, but it has been mixed with cool electronic parts. One of the main particularities of the work is the vocals. Several cuts remain instrumental versions while Heurberg sings on the other cuts like an enraged and possessed creature. It sounds a bit punkish, but it works.

Notice by the way that several guest musicians contributed to this work.

+ + + : Haul is a particular formation for being quite different from the contemporary electronic- and gothic formations although this album doesn’t bring anything really new. Influences of the past have been remarkably adapted into a new a poignant work. This new band also reveals the eclecticism of Pehr Heurberg who already has experience with different genres, but I get the impression Haul will rapidly become his most successful band.

– – – : The instrumental songs are quite efficient, but would have been punchier with vocals on top. One instrumental song is fine, but I think there are too many instrumentals on the album, which only counts 9 songs.

Conclusion: Everything has already been experienced when it comes to ‘dark’ music and so I’m not sure if Haul is darker and more ‘black’ than the rest, but “Seperation” serves as a pretty cool piece in the genre.

Best songs: “Blood Satisfaction”, “Grallistrix”, “Dave Must Die”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/haulofficial

Label: www.progress–productions.com / www.facebook.com/progresspro

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

The Scottish act The Jesus and Mary Chain have begun recording a brand new album, and that more than 17 years after they finished recording 1998’s “Munki”. The band who reunited in 2007 broke up in 1999 after tensions between Jim and William Reid had come to a climax. “After each tour we wanted to kill each other, and after the final tour we tried” the band was quoted saying.

Not that the band has respected completely studio silence since 2007. In March 2008, the band released a studio recording of “All Things Must Pass” on the soundtrack album to the NBC television drama “Heroes”. That was the first new song to be released by the Jesus and Mary Chain since 1998.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com