TRANSGRESSIVE RECORDS CELEBRATES

DAMON ALBARN’S

THE NEARER THE FOUNTAIN, MORE PURE THE STREAM FLOWS

WITH THE RELEASE OF 4-DISC DIGITAL DELUXE ALBUM

“… a fresh new sonic chapter for Albarn and a wonderful way for you to leave all the nonsense
behind; blissfully reminded that there’s a beautiful world out there.” – NME

“… Albarn’s most intimate, understated work yet.” – The Telegraph

Transgressive Records celebrate an exciting release year for The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows with a 4-disc digital deluxe edition of the critically acclaimed second solo album from Damon Albarn.  Available now. 

This special edition comes almost a year after the album was first announced, just ahead of an emotional return to Glastonbury for the unique live performance and streaming event Live At Worthy Farm. The summer then saw Albarn – alongside a full live band – take to the road to perform two acclaimed shows at Manchester International Festival and Edinburgh International Festival; a special guest appearance at Latitude; as well as appear as guest headliner at the sold out End of the Road Festival. 

September brought a headline show and global stream beamed live to 92 countries around the world from the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe in London, followed by a select number of solo intimate piano dates, presented in association with local record stores, across the UK in December 2022. Albarn also finally completed a twice-postponed European concert hall tour which saw him perform songs from the album with an orchestra, and a very special final show in Reykjavik last month, back where it all began. 

Released on 12 November 2022, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows debuted at #7 in the UK album charts, and was described by MOJO as “ … one of the most beautiful, tangentially produced artefacts of our strange and uncertain times.” Originally conceived as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscape of Iceland, the project evolved during lockdown to the 11 new tracks included on the studio album.

To accompany the record, a series of special, cinematic films entitled ‘Sublime Boulevards – Performance Films’ were released across the year on YouTube. 

A limited exhibition at the Eranda Studio at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, curated by Anna Sparham, showcased source materials and inspirations behind the album, featuring unseen artwork, photography and film footage, plus Albarn’s own sketches and lyrics.

Watch Albarn talking to Sunday Times Culture’s ‘Off The Record’ on the inspiration behind album track ‘Royal Morning Blue’.

This very special 4-disc digital deluxe release includes the original album; a full-length, one-off piano and strings performance captured live at Union Chapel, London in December 2021, including a number of Blur and Gorillaz classics; album instrumentals; plus three bonus tracks previously only made available via limited edition physical formats of the album – including ‘The Bollocked Man’, which was debuted live for the first time on Albarn’s recent European tour; ‘Huldufolk’, which translates as ‘The Hidden People’, a 20-minute composition co-written and narrated by influential Iceland musician, Einar Orn (Sugarcubes); and ‘Love & Memory’, a recital by Albarn of the John Clare poem that inspire

The complete tracklisting is:

Disc 1 – The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows (Original Album Tracklisting):
The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows                                         
The Cormorant              
Royal Morning Blue            
Combustion               
Daft Wader                  
Darkness To Light              
Esja  
The Tower Of Montevideo         
Giraffe Trumpet Sea        
Polaris         
Particles

Disc 2 – Live at Union Chapel:
The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows  
The Cormorant          
Royal Morning Blue             
Daft Wader           
Darkness To Light  
The Tower of Montevideo             
Polaris                         
Particles  
Beetlebum            
Under The Westway               
Sweet Song     
El Manana  
For Tomorrow           
Tender              
Girls & Boys
The Universal

Disc 3 – Instrumentals:
The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows  
The Cormorant                 
Royal Morning Blue                 
Daft Wader           
Darkness To Light  
The Tower of Montevideo               
Polaris             
Particles

Disc 4 – Bonus Tracks:   
The Bollocked Man                 
Love & Memory (poem recital)                             
Huldufolk (hidden track from CD format)

Download high res press images here.

Released to critical acclaim in November 2021, the album was originally conceived as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscape of Iceland, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows evolved during lockdown to the 11 new tracks included on the album. Albarn recently performed the record in full at sold-out shows across the UK, Ireland and Europe, a highlight including two headline shows at the Barbican in February. 

In a career of perpetual musical shifts and exploration, this new record uncovers yet more ground, finding expansive orchestral arrangements nestling with intimate melodies, discordance brushing up against infectious majesty, all set to some of Albarn’s most arresting vocal performances to date. Much like the beauty and chaos of the natural world it soundtracks, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows vividly documents the emotional ebb and flow of the human condition, in all its extremes, serving as a soul enriching document for our times.

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

RAMMSTEIN RELEASES NEW VIDEO
AND NEW SINGLE “ZICK ZACK” 

TEEN MAGAZINE
AND VINYL SINGLE INCLUDED IN RELEASE PORTFOLIO 

RAMMSTEIN KIOSK WILL OPEN ITS DOORS ONLY ON APRIL 9 IN ALEXANDERPLATZ, BERLIN

Popular music, popular artists should always strive to surprise listeners – with good ideas, powerful and at times unexpected content, as well as great songs – something that Rammstein succeeds in doing again and again.

At any rate, the rumor that emerged at the beginning of April that the Berlin band had invested in a “beauty clinic” by the name of “Zick Zack” certainly spread like wildfire.

Fans around the world called the “Zick Zack” hotline to make an appointment, find out more about the clinic or even to talk to the team of experts.

The lyrics for “Zick Zack” and the video do in fact deal with what is nowadays often a compulsive tendency on the part of the individual towards self-optimization, sometimes through radical alteration of the visual appearance by use of the scalpel.

The digital single and video are released on April 7.

For the physical release of their new single, Rammstein are publishing a teen-style “Zick Zack Magazine”. The 32-page magazine contains stories, photos and interviews on the theme “Prettier, Bigger, Harder” as well as a reader’s letter column called “The Dr Flake Botox Box”, an XXL poster, six posters and 30 exclusive Rammstein stickers. And of course, the 2-track single CD is included with the magazine.

“Zick Zack” will also be released on 7” black vinyl. Boys Noize supplied the remix to the song. Both physical formats will be released on April 13.

Rammstein fans should mark April 9 in the calendar.

A Rammstein pop-up kiosk will open at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz (Alexanderplatz/Otto-Braun-Str. 70-72) at 10 a.m. (until 2 p.m.), where the Zick-Zack single will be sold as part of the aforementioned extra magazine, before its official release – while stocks last.

Support World Central Kitchen with Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation

“World Central Kitchen is grateful for Metallica and All Within My Hands Foundation’s support and belief in our mission. They share our belief that a plate of food is more than just nourishment; it’s hope and a sign that someone cares. Their support will allow us to continue to provide fresh and comforting meals to Ukrainians fleeing their homes as well as those staying in the country.” —Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen

“The work that Chef José Andrés and the dedicated World Central Kitchen cooks do on the frontlines in a humanitarian crisis is nothing short of incredible.  We are inspired, humbled, and beyond proud to support their teams currently in six European countries serving the millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes.  WCK represents everything that Metallica and our All Within My Hands foundation stand for by providing meals with dignity and hope worldwide.” —Lars Ulrich, Metallica

Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation asks that you join them in supporting World Central Kitchen’s work aiding in the humanitarian crisis in Eastern Europe. The foundation kicks off its annual Month of Giving early this year with a $500,000 donation to WCK – on top of a recent $100,000 grant – with the goal of bringing that number to a total of $1 million over the next two months.

For those who wish to join in these efforts: Today through May 31, the Metallica.com store will feature exclusive merchandise benefitting WCK. Metallica family artist Andrew Cremeans has  created a one-of-a-kind shirt for this campaign — available for pre-order now. Keep watching the store for other exclusives and additional merchandise, with all proceeds going to this campaign. The local chapter fundraising competition will start on May 2 and run for one month — additional AWMH auctions and raffles will feature items including the guitars James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett will be playing during their performance of the National Anthem at Metallica Night with the San Francisco Giants on May 24.

To simply contribute, please visit the AWMH donation page and choose the World Central Kitchen Ukraine Relief Fund from the drop-down menu. 100 percent of funds raised will go directly to WCK — AWMH does not use any portion of donations to cover expenses. 

World Central Kitchen believes that food is a universal human right. Their #ChefsForUkraine campaign is doing incredible work to fulfill this mission: Since February 24, over five million meals have been served to refugees across six countries — at a rate of 250,000 meals being distributed daily.

As All Within My Hands extends its annual Month of Giving into two months, the foundation will continue to keep all posted on its progress, new ways to help, and provide information about the work that WCK is doing with their boots on the ground. AWMH truly appreciates all support in its efforts to give back. When the Metallica Family comes together for a cause, the positive impacts on individual lives are extraordinary.

THE SMILE

“PANA-VISION” SINGLE AND ANIMATION OUT NOW

NEWEST TRACK FROM THOM YORKE, JONNY GREENWOOD & TOM SKINNER

“Pana-vision,” borne on a hypnotic piano motif and mesmerizing refrain of “like a newborn child,” is the fourth and newest offering from The Smile a/k/a Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner. An animation by Sabrina Nichols of artwork from artist Stanley Donwood is also shared today to accompany the “Pana-vision” release.
 
Featured in this weekend’s BBC broadcast of Peaky Blinders, “Pana-vision” is now available across digital platforms via XL Recordings. 
 
While “Pana-vision” was likely identifiable to sonically savvy Peaky Blinders viewers as the latest from The Smile, the same episode premiered a sublime, Satie-esque instrumental piece that the keenest of ears might recognize as the work of Thom Yorke: “That’s How Horses Are” is now available as the second half of a single featuring the recently released “5:17.”
 
The unveiling of “Pana-vision” follows last month’s release of “Skrting on the Surface,” accompanied by a video shot in 16mm black and white by BAFTA-winning writer / director Mark Jenkin in Cornwall’s disused Rosevale Tin Mine, and hand developed in water from the mine. Previously, The Smile released “The Smoke” and an accompanying remix by Dennis Bovell, as well as “You Will Never Work In Television Again”—the debut single that moved The New York Times to rave: “Over a bruising 5/4 beat and flailing guitars climbing through three chords, Yorke snarl-sings his avenging fury at ‘some gangster troll promising the moon’ who’d devour ‘all those beautiful young hopes and dreams,’ and you can almost feel the spittle flying.”

DREAM WIDOW
SELF-TITLED EP OUT NOW

“COLD” VISUALIZER LIVE NOW

“Cower in total surrender / Give in and yield to his name / Abandon to wicked seduction / Agony, torment and strain…”

Roswell Recordings is proud — and honestly a little bit scared — to blur the lines between reality and darkest fantasy with the release of the self-titled debut EP from DREAM WIDOW, out today https://dreamwidow.lnk.to/Album.

The eponymous (using that word because it sounds like the name of a black metal singer) EP is actually the malevolent creation of Dave Grohl (handling vocals, guitar, bass and drums) and lead guitarist Jim Rota of Fireball Ministry renown. Assisted on a few tracks by keyboardists Rami Jaffee and Oliver Roman, Grohl and Rota make good on the sinister promise of the recently released “March of the Insane.” Full track listing below: Encino
Cold
March of the Insane
The Sweet Abyss
Angel With Severed Wings
Come All Ye Unfaithful
Becoming
Lacrimus dei Ebrius
 The name and mythos of Dream Widow will be familiar to those who’ve laughed and screamed watching Foo Fighters’ horror-comedy feature film Studio 666 — now available on demand for home viewing in the US. In the film, Foo Fighters attempt to record their newest album in the same house where the legendary — and fictional — Dream Widow met its tragic and untimely end — with hilariously horrifying consequences. Dreams never die… or do they? Thanks to Grohl and friends, DREAM WIDOW lives.  And don’t forget to check out Dave at his day job, as Foo Fighters continue to rock North America throughout the year — for further info, tickets, etc, go to https://www.foofighters.com/tour-dates/ and/or check out the following itinerary: 4/29/22 — Memphis, TN — Beale Street Music Festival5/01/22 — New Orleans, LA — New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/14/22 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
5/16/22 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (SOLD OUT)
5/18/22 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (SOLD OUT)
5/20/22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park (SOLD OUT)5/22/22 — Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome To Rockville5/24/22 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion (SOLD OUT)
5/27/22 – Boston, MA – Boston Calling
7/17/22 – New York, NY – Citi Field
7/19/22 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
7/22/22 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
7/24/22 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
7/27/22 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater (SOLD OUT)
7/29/22 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Festival
8/01/22 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center (SOLD OUT)8/03/22 — Minneapolis, MN — US Bank Stadium
8/06/22 – Denver, CO – Empower Field at Mile High
8/08/22 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheater
8/10/22 – Big Sky, MT – Big Sky Events Arena (SOLD OUT)
8/13/22 – Seattle, WA – T-Mobile Park
8/18/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Banc of California Stadium
8/20/22 – Los Angeles, CA — Banc of California Stadium (SOLD OUT)
9/18/22 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
9/21/22 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Arena (SOLD OUT)
9/23/22 — Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
9/25/22 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre (SOLD OUT)
9/27/22 — Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place 
9/29/22 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
10/1/22 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre (SOLD OUT)
10/3/22 – Victoria, BC – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOLD OUT)
10/5/22 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
10/7/22 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater (SOLD OUT)
10/9/22 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival

METALLICA AND THE CODA COLLECTION ANNOUNCE EXPANSIVE SLATE  OF UPCOMING LIVE PERFORMANCE & DOCUMENTARY FILMS 

REMIXED & RE-EDITED CUTS OF THE BAND’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWS TO ARRIVE EXCLUSIVELY ON THE CHANNEL THIS MONTH, FOLLOWED BY THE STREAMING DEBUTS OF A YEAR AND A HALF IN THE LIFE OF METALLICA, QUEBEC MAGNETIC, AND FRANÇAIS POUR UNE NUIT THIS SPRING

Metallica and The Coda Collection have unveiled an extensive upcoming slate of live performance & documentary films set to arrive exclusively on the platform this spring. The partnership will bring seven titles to streaming for the first time ever, establishing a career-spanning catalog of content that sheds a light on Metallica’s four-decade history together and allows fans to relive some of their most iconic performances to-date. 

Kicking off today with the release of “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México,” The Coda Collection will soon release the much-anticipated anniversary concerts, “Metallica 40th Anniversary LIVE,” two separate concert films delivered with all-new edits and fully remixed audio on March 31st and April 7th respectively. The special two-night event celebrating 40 years of Metallica at San Francisco’s Chase Center sees the group in peak performance, with two unique setlists featuring live firsts and deep cuts that chronologically explore the earliest era of the band through present day during night one and then in reverse order in night two. Watch a brand new trailer for “Metallica 40th Anniversary LIVE” now HERE. 

The momentous hometown shows, originally presented globally by The Coda Collection and powered by streaming partners Amazon Music and Prime Video Channels last year, will then be followed by the streaming debuts of “A Year and a Half In The Life of Metallica,” the 1992 documentary chronicling the creation of the band’s GRAMMY-award winning self-titled fifth studio album, “Quebec Magnetic,” the concert film documenting back-to-back shows at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada on their 2009 World Magnetic Tour, and “Français Pour Une Nuit,” the live performance film showcasing the band’s historic set at Arena of Nîmes in Nîmes, France in 2009.

To stream “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México,” and discover additional information & context on all of Metallica’s upcoming titles, visit The Coda Collection now HERE. For a complete release schedule, please see below.

March 24th – “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México”
March 31st – Metallica 40th Anniversary LIVE (Night One)
April 7th – Metallica 40th Anniversary LIVE (Night Two)
April 21st – A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
May 19th – Quebec Magnetic 
June 9th – Français Pour Une Nuit

Launched in early 2021, The Coda Collection is a unique subscription streaming service that features an exclusive, curated selection of the most iconic music documentaries, concert films, and episodic series spanning generations and genres. Paired with a complementary website exploring new perspectives on music, The Coda Collection gives fans a destination to experience the untold stories behind the songs we love and share a deeper connection with our favorite artists. 

The Coda Collection offers hundreds of hours of exclusive concert and documentary content from artists ranging from such legendary icons as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Pearl Jam to contemporary premieres of new material by such diverse artists as Idles, The Cure, Evanescence, Coldplay, Jane’s Addiction, The Black Crowes, Marcus King, the critically acclaimed Dave Grohl-directed documentary ‘What Drives Us’, and Nigel Godrich’s seminal “From The Basement” performance series featuring such artists as the White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead and others.

The Coda Collection is available to Amazon Prime members in the U.S. now for $4.99 per month, with a free 7-day trial, and will roll out globally throughout the rest of the year. To see the complete library of titles available to stream exclusively on The Coda Collection, click HERE. To explore The Coda Collection and to sign up for a free 7-day trial, visit www.codacollection.co.

Trailer Released for Andrew Dominik’s

THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE

featuring Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Tickets now on sale for 
Wednesday 11 May global cinema event

“an emotional, powerful experience that I can’t wait to see again”
Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com 

“Its cinematic prowess is not only a reflection of the director’s technical expertise and his insight into capturing their soulful, elegiac music, but also a testament to the depth of the relationship built between subject and framer.”
Rafaela Sales Ross, The Playlist

“undeniably powerful in its lean, stripped back elegance”
Wendy Ide, Screen Daily

“superlative”
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“a pleasure from beginning to end”
Ben Croll, Indiewire

The trailer for Andrew Dominik’s THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE has been released today. Trafalgar Releasing will bring the film to cinemas worldwide on Wednesday 11 May, following its critically acclaimed world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. 

Tickets for the global cinema event are now on sale at https://www.thismuchiknowtobetrue.com/. 

Trailer available HERE. 
Images available HERE.

Shot on location in London & Brighton, THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE captures Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ exceptional creative relationship as they bring to life the songs from their last two studio albums, Ghosteen (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds) and Carnage (Nick Cave & Warren Ellis). 

In this document of their first ever performances of these albums, filmed in spring 2021 ahead of their UK tour, we see the two, accompanied by singers and string quartet, as they nurture each song into existence. The film features a special appearance by close friend and long-term collaborator, Marianne Faithfull.

Interstitial pieces between the songs illuminate the cosmology and themes of the music. We hear about the process of Nick writing The Red Hand Files—the letters he chooses to answer and the replies themselves – giving us an insight into his current concerns in life and music, and into the method by which he is able to bring his own thoughts and feelings into order. We also visit the workshop where he is creating a series of sculptures depicting the life of the Devil—a portrait of the lives of all of us as we move from innocence to experience, attune to the world and its attendant loss, and eventually confront our own mortality.

THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE reaches into the deep friendship and personal relationship between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, something glimpsed in the 2014 Cave pseudo-documentary, 20,000 Days on Earth. The film will prove to be another significant moment in the journeys of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, capturing the mood and spirit of the pair as they move through a new, optimistic phase.

Shot in color by Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Blonde) and with cinematography by Robbie Ryan (The Favourite, Marriage Story) THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE is a companion piece to Dominik’s 2016 film One More Time with Feeling which premiered at the Venice Film festival followed by screenings in 850 cinemas across 30 countries, also distributed by Trafalgar Releasing.

A Bad Seed Ltd Film produced by Uncommon Creative Studio   Directed by Andrew Dominik   Starring Nick Cave & Warren Ellis   Featuring Marianne Faithfull   Executive Producers  Charlie Gatsky Sinclair  Brian Message   Beth Clayton   Producers   Amy James   Isaac Hoff   Director Of Photography  Robbie Ryan  Editor   Matthew C. Hart   Lighting Design  Chris Scott   Andrew Dominik  Music Written and Performed by  Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Further Information: 
nickcave.com 

Press enquiries:

Film PR
International Rescue
Matthew Sanders matthew@matthewsanders.org.uk
Charles McDonald charles@charlesmcdonald.co.uk                     

Music PR (US)
Nasty Little Man
Laura Eldeiry laura@nastylittleman.com  

Music PR (UK)
Outside Organisation
Suzie Fellows suzannah.fellows@outside-org.co.uk 
Caitlin Buller caitlin.buller@outside-org.co.uk 
Chris Goodman chris.goodman@outside-org.co.uk 

Rest of world inquiries
Trafalgar Releasing 
Rodolfo Amaral rodolfo.a@trafalgar-releasing.com

Notes to Editors:

About Trafalgar Releasing

Trafalgar Releasing is the global leader in event cinema distribution. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s global operations include production, acquisition, marketing and distribution of specialised content to over 8,000 cinemas in more than 120 countries worldwide.

A full spectrum of releases includes world-class opera and ballet (The Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Opera House), award-winning theater (including The King and I: from the London Palladium, Kenneth Branagh Theater Company’s The Winter’s Tale, and 42nd Street), iconic moments (Monty Python’s Life of Brian 40th Anniversary, David Bowie is happening now, They Shall Not Grow Old), heritage music acts (Metallica & San Francisco Symphony: S&M2, Depeche Mode: SPIRITS in the Forest, Oasis Knebworth 1996) and contemporary music sensations (BLACKPINK THE MOVIE, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams), including four global events with K-pop superstars BTS (Burn The Stage: The Movie, Bring The Soul: The Movie, Break The Silence: The Movie and the upcoming live concert broadcast Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul: Live Viewing).

GHOST 

IMPERA 

#1 TOP ALBUM SALES

#1 ROCK, HARD ROCK, INDEPENDENT, VINYL, TASTEMAKER ALBUM CHARTS 

#2 BILLBOARD 200

OUT NOW ON LOMA VISTA RECORDINGS

As reported in THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, “‘an occult, pop, satanic sort of rock ’n’ roll band’ — conquered metal and the charts” today as GHOST’s brand new fifth album IMPERA debuted at #1 in a sweep of the U.S. album charts, entering the overall Billboard 200 at a career high #2.

“The largest sales week of any album in 2022” per BILLBOARD, IMPERA sold nearly 70,000 in the week since its March 11, 2022 release via Loma Vista Recordings, also landing at #1 on the Current Rock Album, Current Hard Music Album, Vinyl Album and Digital Albums charts. Internationally, IMPERA bowed at #1 in the GRAMMY-winning theatrical rock outfit’s native Sweden as well as Germany and Finland, while cracking the top 5 in the UK (#2), Netherlands (#2), Belgium (#2), Canada (#3), Australia (#3), France (#5), Ireland (#5), and more.

The “euphoric spectacle” (ROLLING STONE) of the Ghost live experience was transported from America’s arena stages to its living rooms on March 16, when the band made its rapturously received first ever appearance on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!—Check out that unforgettable performance HERE.

Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace — and featuring the apocalyptically prophetic banger “Twenties,” the #7 YouTube trending “Call Me Little Sunshine,” and Active Rock #1 radio single “Hunter’s Moon” — IMPERA finds Ghost transported literally centuries forward from the Black Plague era of its previous album, 2018 Best Rock Album GRAMMY nominee Prequelle. The result is the most ambitious and lyrically incisive entry in the Ghost canon: Over the course of IMPERA’s 12-song cycle, empires rise and fall, would-be messiahs ply their hype (financial and spiritual alike), prophecies are foretold as the skies fill with celestial bodies divine and man-made… All in all, the most current and topical Ghost subject matter to date is set against a hypnotic and darkly colorful melodic backdrop making IMPERA a listen like no other — yet unmistakably, quintessentially Ghost.

ARCADE FIRE

WE

NEW ALBUM OUT MAY 6“The Lightning I, II” Single & Video Out Now

WE, the eagerly anticipated sixth studio album by Arcade Fire, has been confirmed for a May 6, 2022 release via Columbia Records. 

WE’s arrival is preceded by first single “The Lightning I, II,” available now across digital platforms – and as a video directed by Emily Kai Bock, which can be seen HERE.

Produced by Nigel Godrich, Win & Régine, and recorded in multiple locales including New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island, WE paradoxically distills “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever” (per the band’s Win Butler) into a concise 40 minute epic – one as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them. WE’s cathartic journey follows a definable arc from darkness into light over the course of seven songs divided into two distinct sides — Side “I” channeling the fear and loneliness of isolation, and Side “WE” expressing the joy and power of reconnection:

“I”

Age of Anxiety I
Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)
End of the Empire I-IV

“WE”

The Lightning I, II
Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)
Unconditional II (Race and Religion) 
WE

On the album’s cover, a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.  This stunning image — embellished by the distinctive airbrush color tinting of Terry Pastor (utilizing the same physical technique he employed on David Bowie’s iconic Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust covers) – is the visual expression of WE.

Arcade Fire is: Régine Chassagne, Win Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara, & Will Butler.

For further information, see the note from Win below or visit www.arcadefire.com

Photo credit: Michael Marcelle

THE SMILE

THOM YORKE, JONNY GREENWOOD & TOM SKINNER

“SKRTING ON THE SURFACE” 

NEW SONG & VIDEO OUT NOW

“Skrting On The Surface,” a new single and video is released today via XL Recordings.

The video was shot in 16mm black and white by BAFTA-winning writer / director Mark Jenkin  in the depths of the disused Rosevale Tin Mine in Cornwall UK,  and hand developed in water from the mine.

“Skrting On The Surface” is the third single from The Smile, the new group comprising Thom Yorke, his Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner. 

Previously, The Smile released “The Smoke” and an accompanying remix by Dennis Bovell, as well as “You Will Never Work In Television Again”—the debut single  that moved The New York Times to rave: “Over a bruising 5/4 beat and flailing guitars climbing through three chords, Yorke snarl-sings his avenging fury at ‘some gangster troll promising the moon’ who’d devour ‘all those beautiful young hopes and dreams,’ and you can almost feel the spittle flying.”