Spiritualized

I don't understand why they're doing these shows prior to the release of the album. I highly doubt they'll get it out by late March. So, they're doing a handful of UK shows and then a handful of North American dates ... and then releasing the album ... and THEN doing a full blown world tour to support the album? Seems really strange to me.

TheWarmth wrote:I don't understand why they're doing these shows prior to the release of the album. I highly doubt they'll get it out by late March. So, they're doing a handful of UK shows and then a handful of North American dates ... and then releasing the album ... and THEN doing a full blown world tour to support the album? Seems really strange to me.

Possibly to record a few live tracks for b-sides or a Live LP. Maybe shoot a bit of footage for videos and generate a bit of buzz and YouTube footage to use to sell the big dates. Also, since Mogwai are recording and touring, Minor Victories and other solo projects are on the back burner. By playing the odd gig they earn few quid in fees to cover their some of the upfront production costs for later in the year which can't hurt. Cheaper than renting a rehearsal room if you think about it.....

hmm i reckon the only one i could feasibly make is the Liverpool one.. however it's a bit short notice and it may be tricky at work..
pretty cool that they are doing some some small club dates. "old and new material" ?

I agree with Olan- I am sure these are small dates just to get warmed up again, try out some new material, create a little buzz. I am sure a full tour will follow when the album comes out. therefore I'm not too gutted if I have to pass this time (honestly )

I shouldn't complain. I'm just anxious to get news on a new album by a band I consider a heavy-hitter, and I've been waiting on the Slowdive announcement ever since the re-formation tour ended.

I don't see a world tour after the album drops myself

One off in Oxford.


http://www.seetickets.com/event/slowdiv ... rd/1078737


M

this is a stroke of luck for me. was quite gutted about missing out but Oxford is only a short drive down the motorway.

I will go too. I really look forward hearing the new songs live and not in festival setting.

M

Yeah same. Will be good to hear new songs too.

That's if I manage to get a ticket. I'm working remotely on Friday so might be tricky.

https://slowdive.bandcamp.com/album/slowdive

New album is called 'Slowdive'.

A second track 'Sugar for the Pill' is available to stream. Album release date is May 5th. Properly excited about this and the gig in Liverpool tonight. Hopefully, there will be some interesting merch.....

Flash ticket sale at 1pm today for London gig tomorrow as well (see their Twitter feed)

olan wrote:https://slowdive.bandcamp.com/album/slowdive

New album is called 'Slowdive'.

A second track 'Sugar for the Pill' is available to stream. Album release date is May 5th. Properly excited about this and the gig in Liverpool tonight. Hopefully, there will be some interesting merch.....

Hopefully see you there Olan!

clewsr wrote:

olan wrote:https://slowdive.bandcamp.com/album/slowdive

New album is called 'Slowdive'.

A second track 'Sugar for the Pill' is available to stream. Album release date is May 5th. Properly excited about this and the gig in Liverpool tonight. Hopefully, there will be some interesting merch.....

Hopefully see you there Olan!

There are a bunch of us going Richard. We'll be in town for a pre-gig loosener or two before hand. PM me or msg on FB if you are free.

The set list looks amazing. Have fun!!!

MODLAB wrote:The set list looks amazing. Have fun!!!

Feck off Mark! I'm trying desperately not to spoil the surprise and you're not helping.

olan wrote:

MODLAB wrote:The set list looks amazing. Have fun!!!

Feck off Mark! I'm trying desperately not to spoil the surprise and you're not helping.

will have to wait until tonight to listen to the new song... cannae wait!

new album artwork is pretty cool too.

is the tracklisting not out there yet?

http://pitchfork.com/news/70870-slowdiv ... deo-watch/

The new track is sublime. Stunning.

The bundle for $50 seems like a decent deal to me (t-shirt, ltd. silver vinyl, cd, slipmat and enamel badges):

https://www.secretlystore.com/slowdive-slowdive

angelsighs wrote:will have to wait until tonight to listen to the new song... cannae wait!

new album artwork is pretty cool too.

is the tracklisting not out there yet?

01 Slomo
02 Star Roving
03 Don’t Know Why
04 Sugar for the Pill
05 Everyone Knows
06 No Longer Making Times
07 Go Get It
08 Falling Ashes

I really like the progression they made after 20> years. The song is really really good. This seems to be an amazing year in music. I hope the almighty SPZ can keep it going.


M

Surprise show at The Garage tomorrow night.

Only 8 songs though...

8 songs for Slowdive will probably clock in somewhere between 45 and 55 minutes. Seems right to me. Hopefully, we'll get some extra tracks here and there. They really ought to put out that live album they teased, too.

If 8 tracks is good enough for Television and Led Zep, it's good enough for Slowdive!
sure will still be an album of standard length. might be a nice 10 minuter in there.

Sugar For The Pill is pretty good. it flirts with blandness but manages to pull it back.

Facebook webcast is on. New songs sound great.


M

Enjoyed the stream a lot. Same set as Liverpool, new fuck up though. Nice to see them back and clearly enjoying playing as much as we enjoyed listening to it.

angelsighs wrote: Sugar For The Pill is pretty good. it flirts with blandness but manages to pull it back.

Unfortunately i'll have to disagree, it's just really fucking bland. Sounds like some naff mid-80s 'serious' pop like Black or The Blue Nile.
I did like Star Roving though.

Cheap shot at The Blue Nile made two of the 80`s finest albums IMO, Hats in particular would make it into an all-time top 20 albums for me, sublime.

niamhm wrote:Cheap shot at The Blue Nile made two of the 80`s finest albums IMO, Hats in particular would make it into an all-time top 20 albums for me, sublime.

Absolutely! Nowt wrong with The Blue Nile Joycey . Thanks for reminding that I haven't listened to them for ages though. I'll give Hats a spin later on tonight.

I remember several years ago telling someone that I liked Slowdive but probably would find them overly twee now (then). after that listened to Just for a Day again and was surprised how wrong I was.

Really enjoyed the Liverpool show, that Slowdive guitar sound still sends shivers down my spine even more so live. Glad I saw them in their own right rather than at a festival too. I even liked the last couple from Ulrika Spacek, nice boys according to Neil did kind of feel sorry for them when one of 'em broke a string and the singer said he doesn't have the charisma to carry the silence.

You know sometimes a song/track catches you unawares and ends up making you cry Golden Hair did that to me on Tuesday night.

this is the third new track that they've been playing at their shows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlulF68u5f4

sunray wrote:

angelsighs wrote: Sugar For The Pill is pretty good. it flirts with blandness but manages to pull it back.

Unfortunately i'll have to disagree, it's just really fucking bland. Sounds like some naff mid-80s 'serious' pop like Black or The Blue Nile.
I did like Star Roving though.

a bit harsh. it is a little bland I guess, it's not exactly blowing my mind. but it's not bad and I think it will make sense in the context of the album.

are Black the band that did 'Wonderful Life'??

So disappointed with the album. I know I shouldn't download a leak but I already pre-ordered and given my opinion of the first two track I think I was generous with my minimal disposable income. I love this band so much but this album is not grabbing me at all. It feels incredibly forced. I don't suppose they found it easy to tune back in after so long, which some of the interviews suggest anyway. I hope it will be a grower, but I just don't know. One thing i will say is that they will probably lend themselves well to the live arena.

Interesting. A friend of mine downloaded it and is raving about it. I'll probably wind up hearing it soon.

On second listen there are a couple of nice tracks, but still a big disappointment for me at least. Sounds too much like all these so-called nu-gaze acts to me. I'm a grumpy old (young) man though. I wish them well with it and I look forward to a tour, but I can't see me spinning this much.

What bands are you referring to re: nu-gaze? Diiv? Beach House?

Seems like a mixed review here. Some like it and some don't. Just have to wait and see what reviews they are before purchasing it. Beach House are great by the way.

TheWarmth wrote:What bands are you referring to re: nu-gaze? Diiv? Beach House?

I couldn't even name them, just ones I hear in bars and some friends stereos. The XX and that jive. I listened to a beach house album once and thought it was ok. This album does have their producer though.

On my first listen and I like it. Star Roving sounds like a Brian Jonestown Massacre song.

I'm really enjoying it. It has a nice feeling of all their stuff that they produced before and I believe it is a nice progression. I'm really happy they moved forward and in a good way.

B,

M

I know this is very cheeky but would be very grateful for a PM'ed link. I also pre-ordered. Dying to hear it.

This album is great. I love the production, guitar tones, vocals and dynamics. Some of the songs have weird structures, which is cool. I do think they could have come up with a better closing song. The piano motif reminds me a lot of Radiohead's "Daydreaming" and the song just doesn't build like I want it to. Overall, very pleased, though.

Really loving it to. The only track that I struggle with is "Go Get It", the penultimate track. Something about Rachel's voice ion the chorus is jarring and decidedly not-Slowdive to me. I dig the last song but it too took some some. The rest is total bliss to me.

xtrmntr315 wrote:The only track that I struggle with is "Go Get It", the penultimate track. Something about Rachel's voice ion the chorus is jarring and decidedly not-Slowdive to me.

A good friend of mine who is a big Slowdive fan said the same thing, but I don't hear anything jarring. I'm assuming you're talking about the "I want to see it / I want to feel it" bit, right?

Yes that bit. I am warming to the track overall but it is still the only place where the album dips for me. Falling Ashes, the last track, sounds more stunning the more i listen to it. I love the lyrics..."California/ I thought I saw ya...". Doesn't read like much but is devastatingly sad to me. God, I love this album.

The new Ride tracks...I dunno.

I'm definitely less enthusiastic about the new Ride tracks, with the exception of "Home Is A Feeling," which I think is glorious. I badly want to love their new album, but I'm guessing it's not going to blow me away. Fingers crossed, though.

how does it compare to the 'MBV' album though?

from the tracks I've heard, it potentially seems that Ride's album might be the weakest comeback record of the big three shoegaze bands. even though they are actually my favourite of the bands. funny old world!

oh, and this made me chuckle. it seems you're not alone in referencing Black or the Blue Nile when talking about the new single. both are mentioned in this article!

http://www.popmatters.com/post/slowdive ... ng-steady/

Lovely remix of 'Sugar For The Pill'.

https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/av ... pill-remix

That's a cool remix. I'm seeing them tonight. Psyched. Will report back.

I was way too negative in my original view on this. I can appreciate it for what it is, not unpleasant but still (imo) their weakest LP. I enjoy parts of it, and the weaker bits are perhaps just not for me, rather than being bad.

James T wrote:I was way too negative in my original view on this. I can appreciate it for what it is, not unpleasant but still (imo) their weakest LP. I enjoy parts of it, and the weaker bits are perhaps just not for me, rather than being bad.

I think this LP is a lot better than Just For A Day, on which I find every song kinda melds together in a stew of samey-ness. Not that JFAD doesn't have standout tracks, but IMO the new one is far better.

I love JFAD! I take your points though about it all merging to one in a way, but I also think maybe that is part of it's charm. Great chill-out LP.

angelsighs wrote: oh, and this made me chuckle. it seems you're not alone in referencing Black or the Blue Nile when talking about the new single. both are mentioned in this article!

http://www.popmatters.com/post/slowdive ... ng-steady/

HA! Vindicated

It's a pretty good album, in fact the only song I don't like is the one mentioned above.
I've a weird relationship with Slowdive in that I love all the ep's but the albums left me cold so I was expecting to get bored early on with this but it held my interest all the way through. To my ears Go Get It bears more than a passing resemblance to Souvlaki Space Station, which is fine.
The only complaint I would have really is Neil Halstead's vocals. All but the last song would be greatly improved if it was solely Rachel on vocal duties. He should just shut the fuck up and concentrate on his footwear and then, I believe, the songs would soar.

Yeah it's looking like Ride are going to produce the weakest album of the lot

sunray wrote:

angelsighs wrote: oh, and this made me chuckle. it seems you're not alone in referencing Black or the Blue Nile when talking about the new single. both are mentioned in this article!

http://www.popmatters.com/post/slowdive ... ng-steady/

HA! Vindicated

It's a pretty good album, in fact the only song I don't like is the one mentioned above.
I've a weird relationship with Slowdive in that I love all the ep's but the albums left me cold so I was expecting to get bored early on with this but it held my interest all the way through. To my ears Go Get It bears more than a passing resemblance to Souvlaki Space Station, which is fine.
The only complaint I would have really is Neil Halstead's vocals. All but the last song would be greatly improved if it was solely Rachel on vocal duties. He should just shut the fuck up and concentrate on his footwear and then, I believe, the songs would soar.

Yeah it's looking like Ride are going to produce the weakest album of the lot

I have to agree with you about Halstead's vocals. In places, particularly on the opening track, he manages to sound like Fergal Sharkey! In my view this has the makings of a great ep, but as an LP is held down by a few weak tunes. I've not managed to get my head around Falling Ashes at all. It doesn't really seem to go anywhere.....

As for Ride, I made a mistake and listened to the new tunes on TIDAL. I'm completely unimpressed to say the very least. The only good thing I have to say about the new songs is they are much better than Robert Smith's efforts to completely murder 'Vapour Trail' using a weapons grade remix with deadly force. Utter shite......

played this for the first time last night (and playing it again as I type this) and this my first knee jerk reaction (I reserve the right to change my opinion entirely!!)

Slomo is a lovely atmospheric opener-reminded me of the Durutti Column a bit (high praise from me) where it flirts with being new agey whale music but still sounds great.
Star Roving is still a superb track, very muscular sounding for them (the drums sounded especially good through proper speakers)

some other tracks caught my ears a bit but it did sound a bit light and fluffy on first listen.

more Rachel G in the mix would be nice.

they are already talking about another album so this might just be them getting the wheels moving again

Here is the bonus track from the Japanese release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZiBd1iGC3o


B,


M

Love the album, have had it on almost constant repeat this week.

The last two tracks are my favourites. I read that "Falling Ashes" is the direction they're heading in if they do another record, and that's fine by me.

Fantastic album considering the passage of time. Still has the Slowdive sound and one song in particular the guitars reminded me of Chapterhouse. Some of the vocals from Neil sounded like it could have come from one of his solo albums with that kind of range.

Crikey, they popped those UK tour dates up a bit sneakily! Got myself a couple of balcony seats for the Roundhouse, to spare the old back!

Have listened to the new album a fair few times now. It's solid and the production is nice and all that, but it's just not exciting me that much. Certainly respectable for a comeback LP but Star Roving is still the clear standout track as it's got a bit of zip to it (Fastdive??)

I'd agree that Falling Ashes doesn't really do much for me. It's a great idea in theory but doesn't really go anywhere.

I'm seeing them in Leeds in October - nice symmetry as the only time I've seen them before was when they toured their first EP Slowdive in The Duchess of York Leeds in 1991. I loved this band completely at the time.
What material are they playing live - mix of old and new?

They did four songs from the new album when I saw them earlier this month. The rest was an excellent selection from the rest of their catalog, with every release represented.

Great gig in Oxford last night. Nice to see Neil wearing a Spacemen t-shirt.

jesus son wrote:Great gig in Oxford last night. Nice to see Neil wearing a Spacemen t-shirt.

I concur. Excellent gig if not quite up to the level of the London Forum shows (guitars could have been bit higher in the mix. Sound quality can lift a good gig to a great one)

They played Slomo which was nice and came across surprisingly well (always came across as more of a studio song). Golden Hair was epic and really carried me away.

Agree that it was nice to see Neil giving props to the Spacemen. Wonder if he realises the band won't be getting a penny from that t shirt though :/

New tour dates announced! I have my eyes on the US dates in Madison and Chicago in November.