The Orchard is happy to announce that Benchmark Entertainment has partnered with us to release 20, Boyz II Men‘s new album. It will hit stores on November 26th, just in time for their 20th anniversary.
Summer may almost be over, but that doesn’t mean the Fall won’t be romantic. Those sentimental guys put together some sweet ballads and groovy songs that will remind you why they never fail to tug your heartstrings.
If you don’t already know, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. They recorded five number 1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and have sold more than 60 million albums. Boyz II Men was named Billboard’s most successful group and 4th overall artist of the 1990s by Billboard Magazine.
On September 13th Black Francis’ collaboration with Reid Paley will be released as an album entitled Paley & Francis on Sonic Unyon Records in North America.
In their own words:
“This album was recorded in two relatively short days this past September 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. All first takes.
We wrote the music for the songs in Paley’s apartment in Brooklyn over three afternoons when Francis was in New York for a three day run at Joe’s Pub. After which we each took half of the songs to finish off with lyrics, and Francis went off to meet what he sometimes likes to call “the old band” for another tour.
A few days later, we were recording at Jon Tiven’s studio in Nashville. We each sang lead on the songs we wrote lyrics for and sang backup on the others. We worked fast. Francis had Pixies shows each evening, so we had a curfew. Paley recalls finishing the lyrics to one tune literally a minute before cutting the vocal. The two of us on guitars, with legendary Muscle Shoals players David Hood on bass and Spooner Oldham on piano. Damn, those guys are good.
Hope you dig the vibe.”
Gaz Harding howls “Lightbulb! / I can’t believe the things that I’ve heard!” on the lead-off track to The Kinetiks‘ new EP Aye Aye Aye Aye, a sharp, focused six song charge towards the finish line. These young Dubliners pull out one punchy garage riff after another, sounding like equal parts The Strokes and The Libertines, but with scraggly vocal inflections and a frantic energy all their own.
Having shared the stage with The Enemy, Paddy Casey and The Fiery Furnaces, The Kinetiks seem poised for a breakthrough on our shores. Out March 6th on Rapture Records, the EP tempts us with its tasty garage-pop delights, making a break across the pond seem inevitable. Irish Times sums up The Kinetiks perfectly: “F**kin’ brilliant.”
MP3 – The Kinetiks – Lightbulb
This week on the Rind, we bring you an Athens, Georgia group who specialize in creating messy musical stews. Self confessed “local smart asses”, Pegasuses-XL are a greasy gang of synth-pop ruffians that are ready to take the snob-pop world by storm with their brand new release, Electro Agitators. Taking a gander at their myspace page will show you just how proud these boys are of not only their positive reviews, but especially of the more laughable, negative commentary:
“And it does hurt my brain. My temples flare from the over-stimulation. “Run the Gauntlet”, the second track of 17, is an introduction to the overload and a smorgasbord of synth-types. “Pixilated Flowers” rumbles in with a WWII radio sample and a deep metallic organ flavor. Overtop, Rosenstock spits and raps.
Sounds enticing to us! Joking aside, PXL command a sound that may be unfamiliar to most, but one that needs to be heard first hand. A thick layer of keys and synth form the backbone of their long playing, extended jams, accented by lead and rhythm guitar along with a stiff, driving drumline. The gargantuan new LP, just released January 27th on Ernest Jenning, sports an impressive 17 tracks which flash between short, digital blurbs and extended animals. Electro Agitators just may be the perfect way to describe these pesky synth-pop degenerates, who have been on many a critic’s radar since their showcase at CMJ 2008. Featuring vocal duties from Bomb The Music Industry’s Jeff Rosenstock and members of Disband, We Versus the Shark and Cinemechanica, this gang will soon be infiltrating your ears.
