On August 26, Sound Mirrors, the first single from COVENANTs new album “The Blinding Dark”, will see the light of night. And for the first time ever, Covenant decides to give one of their songs a message based on recent events. Here is Covenant spokesman Joakim Montelius with his thoughts about the song:
“I was reading an article about this British pre-WWII project for early warning from attacks across the Channel, called Sound Mirrors. They were designed to amplify incoming sound from enemy aircraft enough to allow the defense to take them out before they could pose a serious threat.
My reading coincided with the refugee situation in Europe. That ability to anticipate possible scenarios is key to our survival from an evolutionary point of view. But we also have an equally amazing ability to ignore facts that make us feel uncomfortable or frightened. We can watch terrible things unfold right in front of us and still act as if nothing is going on. We buy ourselves a better conscience by sending some used clothes or money, we sign some petitions online, perhaps we write something heartfelt and compassionate on Facebook and then we go on with our comfortable lives.
But when the people suffering over there come knocking on our door, asking for a bit of the safety and prosperity we enjoy, that thin veneer of compassion and generosity cracks and our selfishness, our fear, our prejudice is suddenly all too apparent. And to my mind that’s because we ignore what we actually know:
There is no we versus them. There is only us. And there is only one world.
And when we see the truth of that simple fact and really absorb it so we can start acting on it, then there will be hope for us. Then we won’t need early warning. But I’m not sure we are capable to take that step at all. And that makes me terribly sad.”
Sonically, "Sound Mirrors" is a Covenant track in the vein of notorious club hits like “Ritual Noise” or “Last Dance” with a few additional unusual colours here and there. It is available for preorder here as CD and limited edition 4 track vinyl.
Esoteric Antenna are delighted to announce the release of the excellent new album by the legendary VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR.
“Do Not Disturb” is the band’s 13th studio album and was recorded in the closing months of 2015 and the Spring of 2016. A true group effort, Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans continue to follow in the tradition of Van Der Graaf Generator by delivering an album that is both powerful and possesses and emotive beauty.
“Do Not Disturb” is another highlight of the band’s career, during which their music has been influential on successive generations of musicians.
It is surely one of the key album releases of 2016.
Mastered and cut at Abbey Road studios, this 180 gram vinyl release of “Do Not Disturb” is limited.
The CD will be out on Cherry Red Records.
Since The Divine Comedy’s inception Neil Hannon has time and again proved to be one of the UK’s best and most original songwriters. Recorded in Ireland and London and written, arranged and produced by Neil Hannon, ‘Foreverland’ is a byzantine patchwork of love, longing and imperial ambition.
Neil says of the new record, 'it's about meeting your soul mate and living happily ever after... and then what comes after happily ever after. Get ready for the most historically inaccurate hit of the summer'.
The first single to be taken from the album is ‘Catherine The Great’ and it will be available from Friday June 24th. The accompanying video was made by French director Raphaël Neal (Fever, 2015) and stars acclaimed actress Elina Löwensohn (muse of Hal Hartley and Bertrand Mandico).
The Divine Comedy will play on 30th January 30 at Cirque Royal at Brussels.
By the early 1980s, new wave had edged closer to bombastic pop than its punk origins, no doubt influenced by David Bowie’s shift from new wave pioneer of the 1970s to his New Romantic pop of 1980. Furthermore, the song was an answer to Bowie’s Space Oddity.
Peter Schilling’s debut album ERROR IN THE SYSTEM actually arrived a year earlier in Germany (FEHLER IM SYSTEM) (1982) before Elektra released the record in English. What is even more surprising is the durability the record had given how fleeting new wave pop could be in terms of commercial presence. ‘MAJOR TOM’ may have provided Peter with the best hook to gain an international audience but the album boasted even more melodic (and melancholic) anthems. ‘ONLY DREAMS’, ‘LIFETIME GUARANTEE’ and ‘I HAVE NO DESIRE’ are also highlights.
A biting criticism of the U.S.A.’s inflated capitalism of the 1980s, the lyrics are easy to overlook given how upbeat the song sounds. It’s this dichotomy that elevates the album from being defined by ‘MAJOR TOM’, Peter Schilling’s only release with international success.
This HOT SHOT RECORDS edition of ERROR IN THE SYSTEM also features a wealth of bonus tracks, including original versions from the album’s German release as well as 12” mixes of ‘MAJOR TOM’ and the albums second single ‘DIE WUSTE LEBT – THE NOAH PLAN’.
HOT SHOT RECORDS is thrilled to present this expanded and remastered edition of ERROR IN THE SYSTEM in a deluxe super jewel case with a brand new interview with remixer John Luongo as well as nine bonus tracks.
Ghost & Writer (Frank M. Spinath from Seabound/Edge Of Dawn and Jean-Marc Lederman from The Weathermen) will make their live debut with selected dates in 2016.
The live set will see them playing songs from their two albums out on Dependent and Metropolis ("Shipwrecks" and "Red Flags", the latter being heralded as a true masterpiece by many reviewers) plus some audio surprises.
Their live gig will also see specially made background videos intertwining with the duo's personal take on dystopian romantism and boy-meets-girls-and-barely-comes-out-alive-from-it.
First date is set on Saturday, 13th August, in Fort 2, Wommelgem (Belgium).
Further dates will be announced later.
