Seattle-based FENCES, the alter-ego of musician/songwriter Christopher Mansfield will be releasing the Deluxe version of his 3rd album ‘Failure Sculptures’ on March 5th 2021 via ENCI Records, featuring two bonus tracks. Watch for a BRAND NEW EP to be released this spring.
Of the Deluxe album’s two newly reworked acoustic tracks (“A Mission” and “God Music”) Mansfield says, “Almost the instant you track something in permanence you start to play it differently. You know how stories get embellished, religious texts have a bit of wiggle room or the size of fish your stepdad caught keeps growing? It’s like that. A song is really just a short story. Romance aside, I just wanted y’all to hear me play ’em as is and in that room in that moment. One take with some light overdubs.”
Perhaps most well-known for his collaborations with Tegan and Sara (who produced his 2010 self-titled debut album) and Macklemore (who he’s teamed up with on various tracks), ‘Failure Sculptures’ is his first new LP since 2015’s ‘Lesser Oceans’.
Check out the lyric video for ‘A Mission’ below.
Pre-Save ‘Failure Sculptures’ via the following link.
It’s that time of the week again. Friday. But it’s more than that, it’s time for a new list of ten of the best recently released music videos. Let’s go!
First up is Anti-Flag and their old-school music video for their track, Liar. This is off their latest record, American Fall which is out now via Spinefarm.
Next up are rising giants Nothing But Thieves. Their latest record, ‘Broken Machine’ was a stellar effort from the group and their music video for Particles is nothing less than brilliant.
Now, we’ll go a little hardcore from the energetic band, Blood Youth. This music video is a look at what the shows of the band are like. They’re loud, hectic but absolutely brilliant! Here’s Parasite.
This next offering is from Hopeless Records band Drown In My Mind whose record, ‘Waves’ is set to drop February 2nd. Here’s Story Untold With Drown In My Mind.
Next, let go for some up and comers. This is a band’s first release since signing to Easy Life Records and this is the latest offering from Essex rockers Sun Arcana. Check out Wonderful below.
Next an unconventional track but which has been covered by non-other than Hayley Williams. It’s an amazingly animated cover track of the classic Tegan And Sara track ‘Nineteen’.
And we’ll keep things up with another cover but put a spin on the restriction for this video, it’s from Radio 1 Rocks the other earlier in the month when Neck Deep visited to play a few tracks. They have previously recorded a version of this but everyone loves a little bit of a Green Day cover. Check out the live version of Welcome To Paradise.
Pressing on, this is a huge video for this established band. It’s off their latest record, ‘The Spark’ and transports them to Outer Space! Well, not really, in the video, yes but now the band has donned their space suits yet again for their video for ‘The Sights’. It’s Enter Shikari.
Now this band isn’t usually intense but thanks to the fan reaction, it’s become one of their most important track in their short history to date! This is As It Is with a storming track off their second record, ‘Okay’ which is probably their best-written one to date! Here’s No Way Out.
Okay. Final track time. This band has been teasing a video for their latest track for a while now. You may have seen the Hashtags for Soon and listened to this one by Thirty Second To Mars. It’ll tie into a film project they launched earlier in the year for which they filmed in all fifty states in America where this video is a very small selection of the footage you see. This is the stellar video for Walk On Water.
And that’s it for another round of Music Videos! Check out to see another ten of the best next Friday! Also, I have a student radio show titled The Rock Show where I play some of the tracks seen here as well as bring people on so we can chat about different music topics as well as have general banter between us. Check me out every Friday 1PM – 4PM (UK Time). there’s also some amazing shows every day on the station which is all led by students who are utterly enthusiastic for Radio Production. Check us out via the following link.
Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Pvris have contributed to a cover version of Tegan Sara to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the duo’s album,, ‘the Con’.
The compilation is set to be released October 20th Via Warner Brothers.
Here’s what they have both said about contributing to it:
And this is what the compilation tracklist looks like:
1. Ruth B. – I Was Married
2. MUNA – Relief Next to Me
3. Shura – The Con
4. Mykki Blanco – Knife Going In
5. PVRIS – Are You Ten Years Ago
6. Ryan Adams – Back in Your Head
7. City and Colour – Hop a Plane
8. Kelly Lee Owens – Soil, Soil
9. Bleachers – Burn Your Life Down
10. Hayley Williams of Paramore – Nineteen
11. Sara Bareilles – Floorplan
12. Shamir – Like O, Like H
13. Trashique (GRIMES X HANA) – Dark Come Soon
14. CHVRCHES – Call it Off
All proceeds from the album sales will be donated directly to The Tegan And Sara Foundation.
Recently Lynn Gunn has spoken on behalf of the LGBTQ community from her experience of coming out. Now she has teamed up with Sara from Tegan and Sara as they interviewed each other as they’re part of this community as well as their career’s and the music industry.
Here’s what they said:
“I came out to my family when I was 18. I don’t remember there ever being a conversation amongst the band or management regarding me being ‘out,’ but I do remember a big debate in my head that existed for a little while before things with PVRIS fully set sail.”
“I never wanted to compromise in fear of others’ approval, and I recognize the importance of being ‘out’ as far as representation and visibility. [But] the debate existed from a different angle [for me]…”
“I wanted to be ‘out,’ but I wanted it to be the last thing people paid attention to. I didn’t want to be known as a gay woman playing music; I just wanted to be a musician who also just happened to be gay.”
“Initially, when people began to ask me about it, I felt uneasy. Not because I didn’t feel comfortable speaking about my sexuality, but because I always questioned the intentions of the interviewers and the intent behind the questions being asked.”
“However, now more than ever, representation and visibility is absolutely crucial in my opinion, so I feel more than happy to talk about it. As for how I identify, I absolutely love women and have yet to feel the same way about men, so I definitely just identify as gay!”
On the subject of LGBTQ+ visibility and her role in promoting social justice, she added,
“I definitely always recognized the importance of representation and visibility, so it wasn’t even a question as to whether I was to be open with my sexuality or not.. [my] hesitance around it, regarding press and the media, has definitely dissolved.”
“In today’s climate, I think it’s crucial to talk about. As for other public figures, I can’t speak for them because not everyone has been given the same circumstances, so it definitely inspires me, to be involved for those who can’t be, and I hope that can inspire others as well.”
Almost Anything Music 