VIA PRESS RELEASE | Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces return this autumn with a limited vinyl edition of their classic 2004 album, Blueberry Boat. Long recognized as one of the early-2000s’ most challenging and imaginative statements, Blueberry Boat pushed the boundaries of song form and narrative in indie rock. The reissue—limited to 500 hand-numbered copies—is housed in a gatefold tip-on jacket with new artwork and printed inner sleeves. It also restores an unheard piece of the Blueberry Boat era: “Far Away.”

Recording began in the summer of 2003, just before the release of their debut Gallowsbird’s Bark, working at the same Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio with engineers Nicolas Vernhes and Samara Lubelski. “Far Away” was intended to be the lead single from Blueberry Boat. Drummer Jay Dee Daugherty (Patti Smith Group) was brought in by touring band member Toshi Yano, having met at their local video store. “I’d never seen Jay Dee play, so before he arrived Samara put on a VHS tape in the back of the studio of Patti Smith live,” said Eleanor. For this section of the song, changed that day from 6/8 time to 4/4, Matthew remembers a few minutes of rehearsal and one take. Piano, vocal, and drums were live; bass and two synthesizers overdubbed some days later.

The track’s intro is a different story. Written by Matthew at Eleanor’s request, it was an attempt at a rock song recitative, an extended bit of scene setting or score settling, intended for a specific show in November 2003 at the Mercury Lounge in New York. “Far Away” in this form was performed live only once.

“I liked the idea of writing a special song for each show, but that was the only time we ever did it,” said Matthew. “In the end we decided to not put it on the album. I’d thought it would fit because it didn’t. It turned out it just didn’t. I told myself that the songs on Blueberry Boat are about working and not working, as opposed to loving and not loving.” The song would later be reworked as “Waiting to Know You,” a centerpiece of 2006’s Bitter Tea.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Third Man Records is proud to announce a very special 40th anniversary edition of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s milestone 1985 debut album, Psychocandy.

One of the most important and watershed albums of all time, Psychocandy will be available via a new and ongoing partnership between The Jesus and Mary Chain and Third Man Records on standard black vinyl and limited-edition Hot Honey vinyl beginning Friday, November 14. Both editions come packaged in a single pocket sleeve using the original album artwork, including the printed inner sleeve. Pre-orders are available now.

With equal influence gleaned from The Stooges and The Shangri-Las, The Velvet Underground and The Beach Boys, The Jesus and Mary Chain emerged from East Kilbride, Scotland to unleash their debut masterpiece, Psychocandy, onto an unsuspecting world and it is safe to say nothing has ever been the same. Originally released November 18, 1985, Psychocandy now returns louder than ever—perhaps even louder than any other record before or since.

Cut by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering using super high definition 192khz transfers of the original 1985 mix, the high speed treatment here affords a dynamic range and heretofore unheard clarity to the band’s unprecedented utilization of controlled feedback. Featuring the founding JAMC line-up of Jim Reid, William Reid, Douglas Hart, and Bobby Gillespie, the beautiful noise and overdriven distortion of such unassailably classic songs as “Just Like Honey,” “You Trip Me Up,” and “Never Understand” has never sounded so clear.

Don’t believe the non-hype. The Blue Orchids were (and remain) a British niche group at best, noteworthy primarily because vocalist/guitarist Martin Bramah was a founding member of The Fall (he would rejoin the band briefly in 1989 in time to record Explicate and be sacked the following year during a tour of Australia). Similarly, keyboardist/vocalist Una Baines played in The Fall’s first lineup. This gives the Blue Orchids the kind of hip cache (and not just amongst Fall fanatics) you can’t buy, and it didn’t hurt that the Blue Orchids had the honor of serving as Nico’s backing band in 1982.

John Peel thought enough of the Blue Orchids to record some Peel Sessions with them, which you can find on the 2003 compilation From Severe to Serene. And Dave Thompson, whose 2003 book A User’s Guide to the Fall will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the Fall but which is none the less endlessly entertaining, called their debut single (“The Flood”) “one of the glories of 1980.”

None of which means much, because I have met the Blue Orchid’s 1982 debut LP The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) and it’s a huge letdown. A couple of decent tunes, lots of neo-psychedelia fueled primarily by Baines’ organ along with some slightly spikier stuff, but in general a relatively feckless effort sunk by Bramah’s weak and tuneless vocals. The guy cannot sing. And while I’m generally a big fan of folks who cannot sing (Jim Dandy Mangrum is God) but there are singers who can’t sing but who mesmerize you with their inability to sing (see Mark E. Smith) and then there are singers who can’t sing and shouldn’t be allowed near a microphone. Bramah falls into the latter category.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings and O.A.R. are proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stories of a Stranger, the band’s landmark fifth studio album with a special expanded edition. Available December 5, Stories of a Stranger (20th Anniversary Edition) revisits a pivotal era in the multi-platinum band’s career, pairing the original 2005 album with rare bonus material: a long-out-of-print EP—featuring performances of “Heard the World,” “Lay Down,” and “About Mr. Brown,” plus the studio outtake “Sometimes,” from the original Stories of a Stranger sessions.

The reissue arrives in both 2-LP and digital formats, with the vinyl housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket. Alongside the standard vinyl edition, an exclusive “Cloud Swirl” color pressing will be available via the band’s official store. To coincide with today’s announcement, O.A.R. have shared “Sometimes (Stories of a Stranger Sessions)” as an advance single, offering fans the first glimpse of the expanded material. Stream/download the track and pre-order the full collection now.

With O.A.R.’s 30th anniversary on the horizon, Stories of a Stranger (20th Anniversary Edition) ushers in a new chapter of celebration for the multi-platinum-selling five-piece: Marc Roberge (lead vocals, guitar), Richard On (lead guitar, backing vocals), Chris Culos (drums), Benj Gershman (bass), and Jerry DePizzo (saxophone, guitar, backing vocals).

As the band prepares for an action-packed 2026 marking three decades together (more details coming very soon), the band reflects on Stories of a Stranger as a pivotal moment in their journey—a career that has included multiple Platinum and Gold certifications, two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden, more than a dozen packed shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and one of the most passionate fan communities in modern rock.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Org Music is proud to announce the reissue of I Don’t Want To Grow Up, the landmark second album from legendary punk pioneers Descendents, arriving November 21, 2025. The reissue will be available across formats—LP, CD, and cassette—alongside a special Punk Note LP edition featuring alternate packaging.

This release marks the second installment in Org Music’s ongoing reissue campaign with Descendents, who recently reclaimed ownership of their master recordings. Following the acclaimed reissue of Milo Goes To College, this new edition brings fresh attention to one of the band’s most beloved albums—arriving just in time for its 40th anniversary.

Originally released in 1985 on New Alliance Records, the label founded by Minutemen’s D. Boon and Mike Watt, I Don’t Want To Grow Up was recorded after vocalist Milo Aukerman returned from college. It also marked the first of two albums to feature guitarist Ray Cooper. With brighter melodies and sharper hooks than its predecessor, the record helped the band avoid the dreaded sophomore slump while cementing their status as one of punk’s most influential voices.

Among the many formats, fans will find a standout: a limited Punk Note edition designed by John Yates (Stealworks). Inspired by the iconic Blue Note jazz label artwork of Reid Miles and Francis Wolff, these reimagined covers bring a bold, visual reinterpretation of punk history. The Punk Note series began with Org Music’s celebrated Bad Brains reissues, and continues here with deluxe case-wrapped jackets and new liner notes by BrooklynVegan senior editor Andrew Sacher.

I recently spoke with Daniel Ash, musician, songwriter, and singer—and a founding member of Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets.

Daniel and I talk about his electromagnetic tendencies, the formation of Bauhaus, his love of solitude and city, chrome, gear, how he first discovered the EBow, music he loves, and the Ashes and Diamonds album.

The new band consists of Daniel in his usual roles bringing his signature post-punk, glam and experimental style. He is joined by Bruce Smith on drums, programming, and backing vocals. Bruce is a veteran of Public Image Ltd. and The Pop Group. Paul Spencer Denman is on bass. Paul is best known as the bassist for Sade and Sweetback.

Ashes and Diamonds have released the single and video for “On A Rocka” whose video was directed by Jake Scott, and their latest single “Setting Yourself Up for Love.” The full album is out on Halloween through Cleopatra Records via streaming and limited edition vinyl. It’s all gorgeous! Go pre-order.

Radar features discussions with artists and industry leaders who are creators and devotees of music and is produced by Dylan Hundley and The Vinyl District. Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.

I first encountered the name Slim Gaillard in the pages of Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road. In the book it’s Slim—not Bird or Dizzy or Miles or any of the others—who stands as the epitome of Beatness in a frantic club scene in which Dean Moriarty is driven to ecstasies by the singer and multi-instrumentalist who invented his own language (“Vout-o-Reenee,” for which he wrote a dictionary), performed with the likes of Bird and Dizzy, and in general flipped audience’s wigs with his crazy hep cat shtick.

It’s worth recounting Kerouac’s description of the scene: “Dean stands in the back, saying, ‘God! Yes!’—and clasping his hands in prayer and sweating. ‘Sal, Slim knows time, he knows time.’” Then: “Now Dean approached him, he approached his God; he thought Slim was God; he shuffled and bowed in front of him and asked him to join us. ‘Right-orooni,’ says Slim; he’ll join anybody but won’t guarantee to be there with you in spirit. Dean got a table, bought drinks, and sat stiffly in front of Slim. Slim dreamed over his head. Every time Slim said, ‘Orooni,’ Dean said ‘Yes!’ I sat there with these two madmen. Nothing happened. To Slim Gaillard the whole world was just one big orooni.’”

Listening to Gaillard is to be transported into another world, where Alice leaves Wonderland and bops on over to Birdland and nonsense rules the roost—the man awes you with every word, and he knew a lot of them—when he wasn’t speaking or singing in plain English or Vout-o-Reenee he might come at you in Spanish, German, Greek, Arabic, and Armenian—all of which he could speak with varying levels of fluidity. Like his contemporary hipster and philosopher of cool Lord Buckley, he was a comedian at heart and was tuned as far in as you can get. Buckley may as well have been introducing Gailliard to the world when he said, “Hipsters, flipsters and finger-poppin’ daddies: knock me your lobes.”

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Beggars Banquet is happy to release an expanded edition of Buffalo Tom’s fifth album Sleepy Eyed, celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary this year.

Set for release on October 31st, on 2XLP/CD and digitally, the album has been expanded to include six demos that the band unearthed specifically for this release. All home recordings, “Hold Me Up” and “Don’t Blow Your Wind” are gorgeous completely unheard songs that somehow didn’t make it any further than a demo. “Tangerine,” “Summer,” “Kitchen Door,” and “Clobbered” are a window into how these Buffalo Tom classics got their start. Sleepy Eyed has been expanded into a double LP, and the refreshed artwork includes new photos and images of ephemera plus notes written by the band and producer John Agnello about the recording of the LP.

Sleepy Eyed marked a turning point for the band. Their previous album, 1993’s Big Red Letter Day was a huge album for them, landing on the Billboard charts and bringing them to new levels of fame when “Late At Night” was heavily featured in a pivotal scene of the short-lived mid-90s cult TV show My So Called Life which starred Claire Danes and Jared Leto. The song was not only in the episode, but the band was also shown performing it.

The making of that album was a massive, glossy undertaking, recorded in LA with huge producers, and as Bill Janovitz noted “It was a full-on, old-school peak-analog record production.” The band’s inclination for their follow-up was to bring it back to a more stripped down and raw recording situation. Bill said, “I was thinking of Some Girls and Tonight’s the Night, and those electric Dylan records like Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, where you could hear instruments bleeding into each other, snare drum rattling from the guitars and bass, and off-microphone stuff, and even mistakes, where it just felt like you were in the room with the band.”

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | In 1968, Yusuf Mumin was the blistering alto saxophone voice of the Black Unity Trio, who recorded the cult privately pressed album Al-Fatihah, one of the most sought-after albums in the genre. After extensive but unsuccessful searches for additional material by the group, Journey to the Ancient finally offers more unheard music from Yusuf Mumin.

The album presented here draws from a selection of recordings preserved in Mumin’s private collection, revealing previously unheard layers of his experimental vision. Mumin performs under both his own name and, when multitracking revelatory double bass parts, the pseudonym Dan Nuby.

“The undated material is culled from Mumin’s personal archives and features him on alto, tenor, flute and, for a short opening piece in memory of Abdul Wadud, cello and vocals,” writes Pierre Crépon in his liner notes for the release. “At least two sessions are represented. Drummer William Holmes, an associate of the late Sonny Simmons, provides an excellent rhythmic counterpart.”

Born Joseph W. Phillips in 1944, Mumin became a key figure in Cleveland’s radical free jazz underground of the 1960s. Deeply influenced by spiritual and esoteric traditions, Mumin was originally drawn to “outside” playing by the sonic explorations of Yusef Lateef. Shortly after Albert Ayler’s U.S. recording debut with trumpeter Norman Howard, Howard and Mumin were co-leading a group in Cleveland. Mumin’s legacy was cemented through his collaborations with Abdul Wadud and Hasan Shahid as the Black Unity Trio.

Read More »

Celebrating Steven Severin on his 70th birthday. —Ed.

My favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees fact; the early band, primitivists to the core, ditched axe player Peter Fenton because he was a “real rock guitarist.” Can’t have one of those gussying up one’s primal punk rawk sound, not if one wants to create something truly unique and new. Which is what Siouxsie and the Banshees created with their celebrated 1978 debut, The Scream. So revolutionary was their music that critic Clinton Heylin held that the post-Fenton iteration of Siouxsie and the Banshees, along with the formation of PiL and Magazine, marked the “true starting point for English post-punk.”

On The Scream, Siouxsie Sioux (aka Susan Janet Ballion), guitarist and saxophonist John McKay, bassist Steven Severin, and drummer Kenny Morris created a sound that perfectly melded discord and harmony—a twitchy, spiky, and seemingly chaotic ruckus that was actually filled with beguiling melodies.

Siouxsie’s vocals were by no means “pretty”—on The Scream she’s more attack dog than traditional female vocalist, and that’s a large part of the LP’s charm. But the real beauty of her vocals is the way they perfectly mesh with the band’s jagged yet catchy melodies; she’s in total synch with McKay’s remarkable guitar lines, and the pounding and throbbing of Morris and Severin on drums and bass, respectively.

McKay in particular is brilliant; I listen to his surprisingly ornate guitar work on, say, “Jigsaw Feeling,” and I marvel. The same goes for his magnificent guitar riff on “Carcass,” which is undoubtedly the catchiest song on The Scream. Between his guitar and Siouxsie’s alternately choppy and flowing vocals, this baby is a keeper, especially when you throw in the glam handclaps.

Read More »