“This is a small thing but I thought it’d be nice to get a few unreleased/rare songs together from Audio Antihero and friends to try and raise a little bit of money for Bernie’s presidential campaign. If you’d like to chip in to give Americans some universal healthcare that’d be great. Win or lose, every penny keeps them in the fight and helps hold the DNC accountable to liberal voters.”

Now we’re not American but even we are feeling the Bern. If you prefer your world leaders fair and honest then he seems like a pretty good option. To be honest, I’m not sure how he passed the politics entry exam after ticking the boxes for common sense and empathy. And of course, it’s worth remembering that the alternatives are pretty dire – the majority of Americans deserve a lot better than idiotic bigots, crazy businessmen and power-hungry career politicians. If you need further proof that Bernie seems like a great guy, check out this collage of his speeches from the last 30 years:

Anyway, the music! Bern Yr Idols is packed full of rare/unreleased tracks from the Audio Antihero cohort, including numbers from Frog, Benjamin Shaw and Cloud. Basically it’s great. What better way to get your mitts on some great music than helping Bernie do something great?

You can buy Bern Yr Idols from the Audio Antihero Bandcamp page and help fight the good fight. If, for some strange reason, you would like to donate without getting cool music, you can do so directly right here.

Artwork by Benjamin Shaw

The post Audio Antihero release Bern Yr Idols, a Bernie Sanders benefit comp appeared first on Various Small Flames.

‘Catchyalater’ is one of my favourite songs from the album, the perfect blend of wit, emotion and pop culture references. As we wrote in our review:

“With ambient sound clips and gentle, emotive vocals, ‘Catchyalater’ brings to mind The Antlers in their In The Attic of The Universe stage… contain[ing] some irresistibly quotable lines”

To give you an idea, the quotable lines include nods to Alanis Morissette and Patrick Ewing, punks and cokes and flicks at the mall, essentially forming (as is most of the album) an ode to America and the past more generally. The remixes are great too, as you might expect. Jack Hayter slows down the pace but dials up the tortured emotion, while Benjamin Shaw leans on the ambient recordings and serves up a slice of soothing introspection. New track ‘God’s Tinnitus’ feels wrapped up and insular, the receding lulls almost more conspicuous than the clanging piano that punctuates it, the whispered vocals hushed and hurried in equal measure, “Sometimes I think that the crickets are just God’s tinnitus”.

‘Catchyalater’ is out on the 22nd of January on Audio Antihero, but you can listen to the whole release below:

The single release just so happens to coincide with Frog’s imminent tour of the UK (dates/poster below). If seeing the duo live wasn’t excitement enough, the transatlantic trip is serving a second purpose – the creation of the fan-funded blockbuster, Frog: Across the Pond. Yep, the boys have enlisted (or maybe were enlisted by) filmmaker Alex Coppola to make a film about their UK adventure. Described as part concert video, part road movie, this project has all the makings of something special. Put it this way, there’ll be a lot more Oscar-boycotting in 2017 if this isn’t nominated. I mean, check out the tagline:

When two friends discover that their little band is big overseas, they decide to try their luck on the other side of the Atlantic.

If you (unlike us, boo!) can get to a show, check out the dates below and try and immortalise yourself on the silver screen:

Jan 23rd – The Waiting Room, Colchester (with Roy / Sophie Nash / Chris Fox)
Jan 24th – Servant Jazz Quarters, London (with Alex Chilltown / Owl & Mouse)
Jan 25th – Fulford Arms, York (with The Drink)
Jan 27th – The Hug & Pint, Glasgow
Jan 29th – Venue TBA, Edinburgh (with Plastic Animals)
Jan 30th – DIY Space for London, London (with Rainmaker / The Johns / Brunch / Crows An Wra)

The post Song Premiere(s): Frog – Catchyalater Single (w/ God’s Tinnitus + Remixes) appeared first on Various Small Flames.