Rarities
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Announce B-Sides & Rarities Part II, Share Unreleased Song “Vortex”: Stream
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have announced a new rarities and B-sides compilation collecting material from the second half of their storied career. B-Sides & Rarities Part II is set for release on double vinyl, double CD, deluxe double CD, and all digital platforms starting October 22nd. As its title implies, its the second such release from the band, following 2005’s B-Sides & Rarities Part I. Part II includes 27 rare or unreleased tracks from 2006-2020, including first recordings of “Skeleton Tree,” “Girl In Amber,” and “Bright Horses.” Also present is a previously unreleased song called “Vortex,” which was originally recorded in 2006 by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos. “As the band were never able to define the song as either Grinderman or Bad Seeds, it ...
The Kills Announce Rarities Album Little Bastards, Share Unreleased Demo “Raise Me”: Stream
The Kills have shared a previously unreleased demo called “Raise Me”. The song is taken from the band’s newly announced rarities collection, Little Bastards, arriving December 11th via Domino. The compilation comprises recordings dating from The Kill’s earliest 7-inch singles in 2002 through 2009. Featuring remastered B-sides, demos, and covers, Little Bastards collects many tracks originally recorded for bonus inclusion on CD singles. As that format vanished in the wake of digital streaming, most of those songs were abandoned — hence the title Little Bastards. The name is also a reference to the drum machine the duo used to expand their sound during the early days of their career, lovingly dubbed Little Bastard. “It was a Roland 880,” The Kills’ Jamie Hince explained in a statement, “whic...
Woods Share New Rarities Collection Reflections Vol. 1 (Bumble Bee Crown King): Stream
Indie folk outfit Woods have returned with a new rarities collection called Reflections Vol. 1 (Bumble Bee Crown King). The full album is available to purchase for Bandcamp Friday, and you can stream a few of its tracks below. The project follows Woods’ 11th studio effort, Strange To Explain, from this past May. In normal, pre-coronavirus times, they’d be touring the world in support of it, but they decided to roll with the punches and unlock some unreleased material from the vault. In a statement, Woods summarized all the goodies that can be found on Reflections, which they consider “a lost record”: “With no touring this year, and possibly next, we decided to take a deep dive into our archives and put together the first volume of our much discussed archival series, Reflections. Featuring ...
Elton John Announces Enormous Career-Spanning Box Set, Shares Previously Unreleased “Sing Me No Sad Songs”: Stream
Elton John has announced a massive, career-spanning box set titled Elton: Jewel Box. Due out November 13th, the eight-disc collection was curated by John himself and boasts all sorts of rarities, B-sides, and fan favorites. As a preview, he’s sharing a previously unreleased track from 1969 called “Sing Me No Sad Songs”. The 148-song (!) set is split into four main sections, “Deep Cuts”, “B-Sides”, “Rarities”, and And This Is Me… The first two discs aptly feature deep cuts that are supposedly personal favorites of John’s, while the next three discs comprise of rarities categorized chronologically: Rarities Part One 1965-1968, Rarities Part Two 1968, and Rarities Part Three 1968-1971. That’s where the sprightly “Sing Me No Sad Songs” is pulled from, which you can take a l...
Pure X Announce New Album Rare Ecstasy 2009-2019, Share Willie Nelson Cover: Stream
This past May saw Pure X return with their first album in six years. It turns out fans won’t have to wait nearly as long for a follow-up release, as the Austin natives have just announced a new rarities compilation: Rare Ecstasy 2009-2019 is due out October 16th through Fire Talk. The forthcoming project collects 12 “recordings and rarities” from throughout the indie rock group’s decade-long career. Per a press release, these songs “embody the Pure X sound” and offer up “a raw emotive portrait” of the band’s evolution over the years. As a teaser of this Pure X collector’s item, their cover of Willie Nelson’s 1965 song “One Day at a Time” has been revealed. Mirroring the outfit’s past efforts, this rendition conjures up a wall-of-sound atmosphere, as though it were recorded in some smoky ca...
Mariah Carey Announces Rarities Album, Shares Lauryn Hill Collaboration “Save the Day”: Stream
Ms. Lauryn Hill (photo by David Brendan Hall) and Mariah Carey In celebration of the 30th anniversary of her self-titled debut, Mariah Carey has announced a new collection called The Rarities. Included in the 32-track compilation are a number of unreleased songs, including the newly revealed collaboration with Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Save the Day”. Due out October 2nd, The Rarities will include fan-favorite songs like “Always Be My Baby” and “Hero” alongside rare tracks (natch) and never-before-released recordings. The second half of the two-disc collection will feature a live album capturing Carey’s first-ever Japanese concert. The performance took place on March 7th at the Tokyo Dome during her “Daydream World Tour”, the first of three sold-out nights that were the fastest selling shows in the...
The Weeknd Unearths Kiss Land Outtakes, Plus a Lana Del Rey Remix: Stream
Seven long years after its initial release, The Weeknd’s Kiss Land reached the top of the charts this week. In honor of the surprise achievement, the R&B singer has now dug up “a few songs and ideas that didn’t” end up making the final tracklist of that 2013 album. Abel Tesfaye shared these previously unreleased songs and outtakes during episode 9 of his “Memento Mori” radio show on Apple Music on Friday. He called the reveal a “special thank you episode to the fans for showing so much love to kiss land this week.” Amongst the demos and alternate versions is a remix of Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence cut “Money Power Glory”, as well as a demo of “One of Those Nights”, a track which appeared on a deluxe edition of Juicy J’s 2013 album Stay Trippy. Other demos include “Angel Face”, “For You...
Mastodon Unleash New Song “Fallen Torches”, Announce Medium Rarities Collection: Stream
Mastodon have unveiled the new song “Fallen Torches”, featuring frequent collaborator Scott Kelly of Neurosis. The track will appear on the newly announced career-spanning compilation Medium Rarities, which collects instrumentals, one-off singles, live tracks, cover tunes, and other obscurities. Medium Rarities, due September 11th, is the ultimate tide-over for fans eagerly awaiting Mastodon’s highly anticipated eighth studio album, which is now slated to arrive sometime in 2021. “Fallen Torches”, an uptempo track with heavy verses and a melodic chorus, was originally planned for release in support of the band’s 2019 European tour; however, Mastodon’s attention was diverted from completing the track by a worthy cause. “This classic Mastodon track [“Fallen Torches”] was recorded in Atlanta ...
