Weekly digest #32
Featuring R.E.M., Guided By Voices, Radiohead, Circle Jerks, Pup and more
Welcome to Fire Red Sky’s latest weekly digest of punk rock, alt rock and indie music news and writing.
It’s a light read, a quick catch up on the week that lands with you every Sunday morning.
The links are mainly taken from my social media feeds, so if you want more of this sort of thing than you can follow me on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon (I’m also on Instagram).
Headlines
R.E.M. revisit ‘Radio Free Europe’ for new benefit EP (Spin)
Radiohead reimagined at Oxford's Christ Church Cathedral as classical music ensemble's concert of the band's songs arrives in their hometown (BBC)
Bloc Party announce Silent Alarm 20th anniversary deluxe box set reissue (NME)
Beck is working on an orchestral album (NME)
Pulp, IDLES and Fontaines D.C. among dozens of artists to sign Heavenly Recordings letter defending Kneecap’s “freedom of expression” (NME)
New releases
Stereolab share 'Melodie is a Wound' from first album in 15 years Instant Holograms On Metal Film (Brooklyn Vegan)
Fugazi bringing live show archive to streaming services (Spin)
Cancer Bats share ‘Backstab the Rat Race’ as thanks for crowdfunding success following the theft of their van and trailer (The PRP)
Irish alternative rock band Compulsion to reissue Comforter and The Future Is Medium albums (Louder Than War)
Sufjan Stevens releases 'Death With Dignity (Demo)' from new anniversary edition of Carrie & Lowell (Pitchfork)
Listen/watch
The Beths share video for new song 'Metal' (Pitchfork)
Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard announces debut Rip Van Winkle album Blasphemy: hear 'By the Water' (Stereogum)
Chris Stamey (The dB’s) taps Jason Schwartzman for Beach Boys-inspired 'I’d Be Lost Without You' video (Brooklyn Vegan)
Psychic Pigs (Brandon from Crocodiles and Jonah from Fucked Up) release video for 'I'm on Drugs' (Punk News)
True stories of punching Nazis at Gilman Street with the directors of Freaky Tales and Turn It Around: podcast (Consequence of Sound)
Long reads
In conversation with Amy Taylor of Amyl and The Sniffers (RUSSH)
Circle Jerks’ Keith Morris says it’s time they put out a ‘fuckin’ ripper’ (Spin)
10 Canadian albums Pup’s Steve Sladkowski thinks everyone should own (Consequence of Sound)
Mei Semones on how Nirvana, Gilberto/Getz and more influenced her debut album Animaru and its blend of tropicalia, jazz, indie rock and chamber pop (Brooklyn Vegan)
Evan Dando and the Axis of Weirdness (Spin)
Elsewhere on Substack
And finally…
Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis revisited in ‘punchy’ new comedy (The Guardian)
Do you have a Substack article, news tip or other piece of writing you’d like to be considered for the digest? Send it to tangleofwires@gmail.com (same goes for press releases etc.)
Punk is and/or isn't dead
Punk rock's relative state of health has been a matter of contention for at least as long as 1978, when anarcho band Crass proclaimed 'Punk is Dead' on their debut album.