by Nick | Sep 7, 2018 | New Releases, News
Hello you!
I’ve accidentally written a song that makes a contemporary political point. I didn’t mean to, honest!
Rubble and Dust is the heaviest metal thing I’ve released yet, outside of my instrumental album Murder and Parliament. It’s about a nightmarish sci-fi future where our leaders have gone mad. I wrote it years ago but releasing it now makes it seem like I’m making a comment on politics, what with there being so many madmen in or near power at the moment.
Maybe I am… No, I’m not.
I almost considered it for Happy People – thematically it fits but it didn’t quite have a place there.
The other song is Run, a song about love as the world ends. Which I’m sure is a theme I’ve written about more than once.
You can ‘ave ’em for no money at all. Or a million pounds, it’s up to you. Click here to listen.
Thanks for listening!
Tom Slatter
by Nick | Sep 1, 2018 | New Releases, News
Bad Elephant Music is delighted to announce that Dial, the second album from progressive electronic rock project Shineback, will be released in September, with pre-orders now open at the BEM Bandcamp store.
Five years ago the release of Shineback‘s first album Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed saw the launch of the fledgling Bad Elephant Music. Its ground-breaking style, incorporating elements of rock, pop and EDM in a heady fusion of styles was widely acclaimed on its launch, with one commentator describing it as “possibly the most progressive album ever”.
Unlike its predecessor, Dial has no central story linking the songs, though the theme of communication provides a thread through the album.
“We humans do a marvelous job of failing to communicate with one another, often when it matters most”, says Shineback main man Simon Godfrey. “All the songs on Dial carry that as an underlying theme. Musically, very much like the debut album and last year’s Minotaur EP, the new record seeks to hop the fences between genres, just to enjoy the process of getting dirty while in the hunt for buried sonic treasures”.
Alongside Simon’s regular writing partner (and labelmate) Robert Ramsay, guests returning from Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed include Matt Stevens (The Fierce & The Dead), Dec Burke (Frost*, Darwin’s Radio), Hywel Bennett (Dec Burke Band) and Henry Rogers (Touchstone, Mostly Autumn). New collaborators Tom Slatter, Daniel Zambas (We Are Kin) and Simon’s bandmates in Valdez Joe Cardillo and Tom Hyatt make this album very much a Bad Elephant family affair.
Dial will be released on CD and download on 14th September 2018.
Bad Elephant Music:
http://music.badelephant.co.uk/Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BadElephantMusic/
Twitter: @elephantbad
For all PR inquiries [email protected]
The last five years have been a whirlwind of activity for Simon Godfrey, the creative force behind Shineback. Since releasing Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed in 2013, Simon has married, moved from Streatham to Philadelphia, released a solo album, Motherland, under his own name as well as three instalments of the digital Black Bag Archive series, as well as forming the well-respected rock band Valdez, releasing the superb This album in 2017.
Originally emerging from the neo-prog scene of the late Eighties, Simon made the switch from drums to guitar and vocals to become part of Tinyfish, one of the mainstays of the progressive music scene in the South East of England in the early part of the twenty-first century. Simon has become recognized as one of the most distinctive and highly acclaimed songwriters of his generation. His projects cut through genre boundaries, veering wildly from acoustic introspection through power pop rock with Valdez to full-on electronic rock experimentation with Shineback.
Dial is the third part of the Shineback musical journey, following Rise up Forgotten, Return Destroyed and the Minotaur EP. Together with long-time collaborator, lyricist and spoken word artist Robert Ramsay, Simon takes us on a rollercoaster musical journey which is sure to excite and delight all lovers of adventurous rock, pop, and EDM.
When Simon isn’t creating music or playing live with Valdez across the USA he can be found bewildering fellow dogs walkers as he and Dora take their morning constitutionals.
Website: https://sigodfrey.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shineback-527980740573933/
by Nick | Dec 1, 2017 | New Releases, News
Hello you!
Just a little note to let you know that my new instrumental album, Murder, and Parliament, is out today.
It is twists and turns and noise, drums, and guitars and violin, beeps and bangs and crashes, lulls and roars and explosions. It is grooves and discords, dissonance and bliss. It is rock and roll and noise and melody.
It also comes in this lovely digipack thing which I happen to think looks lovely.
You can stream the whole thing at this link: Click here!
Thanks for listening.
Tom Slatter
PS. London people, here’s a last minute thing for you. Gareth and I are playing a set at Masquerade at the Boston Music rooms, Tufnell Park on Sunday afternoon. We’re on about 2 pm as part of a prog rock all-dayer. We’re a last-minute stand-in for another act who couldn’t make so not much notice, but it’ll be great. Here’s the link: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/385377
by Nick | Dec 1, 2017 | New Releases, News
With Christmas fast approaching, a bunch of us have teamed up to concoct a festive song entitled ‘Wake Up’ which was released as part of an EP on December 1st.
Wake Up features Colin Tench (Corvus Stone), Gareth Cole (Mike Kershaw, Tom Slatter), Ben Bell (Patchwork Cacophony, Gandalf’s Fist), Stefan Hepe (Gandalf’s Fist), Peter Falconer, Pat Sanders and Manu Michael (Drifting Sun).
The song was mixed and mastered by Jon Huxtable at Smallfish Studios, Scotland.
Also included in the EP are 7 songs previously recorded by the musicians who contributed to the making of ‘Wake Up’.
Available Here https://tierhilfe-sauerland.bandcamp.com/album/wake-up
All the profits from the sales will go to TIERHILFE SAUERLAND E. V.
Barbara Hellekes, CEO of the animal welfare organization said “We’re over the moon about this! Winter is coming, and it’s really hard to get the poor souls through the winter, especially in Hungary and Greece, where we support and help privately organized shelters in keeping the streets free of stray dogs, trying to find them a forever home”
We, Shits ‘n’ Giggles, take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken up their valuable time to bring their contribution to this EP to help make this release possible, and we hope that the charity organization we have chosen will benefit greatly from the generosity of the people who donate to their cause, cheers everyone and Merry Christmas to all!
by Nick | Jul 26, 2017 | Uncategorized
Hello, You!
I’m typing this on a Sunday, after the most epic home-cooked curry. There are bound to be typos as most of my energy is currently being put into digestion. I’ll do my best to type something coherent through the paneer induced fug. My brain is currently secondary to my stomach.
Talking of curry, I visited David Elephant, founder of my record label, in his office The Spice Inn, Stratford last week. Among other things we discussed the next new music, I’ll be releasing. Yes, the mythical ‘secret project’ will be unleashed upon an unsuspecting and indifferent world in just a matter of months. Tremble ye mighty, for it shall humble your ears.
But not yet. Patience, patience.
Anyway, gigs have started! Gigs!
Yes, that’s right, the first Tom Slatter Duo gig (we’re not calling it the Tom Slatter Duo, that’s an awful name) has taken place. It was a lovely gig in Darlington, UK. I have written a blog post about it in which i explain exactly how rock n roll Gareth and I are (hint: not very):
I first worked with Gareth when we both played on a track called Wounds from Mike Kershaw’s last album. When I mentioned online that I was gearing up to get gigging again, Gareth offered his services, which I thought sounded grand. I have a lot of songs, particularly on Happy People, that just can’t work as a solo song. …Read more
As I mention in the blog, the gig has also been reviewed, so there’s another write-up to read over here.
What’s more, Emma the promoter has sent me a live recording. It’s just the unedited feed from the sound desk, and being an acoustic gig that means it isn’t a perfect recreation of the sound. You can hear both guitars and the vocal, however, so here is a link to the mp3 of the opening track:
Happy People Live in Darlington (MP3)
A great night, and yes I did glare at Gareth once or twice.
Anyway, the next gigs are:
1st August Supporting The Far Meadow at the Horns in Watford
5th August The Surrey Steampunk Convivial in New Malden
All the links to tickets and so on are at this link.
Midsummer Madness
Last weekend I went to see Mothertongue, and to do away with ‘fan’ Tony, who had been going far too far with bad puns over on The Tom Slatter Immoral Support Group. Alas, I was not as successful as I hope:
Tony claims he’s a fan of my music. That might be the case, though if you can decipher this sub-Joycean melange of a review you more clever than I. He is, however, guilty of the most egregious, violent punning on the internet….Read more
Still Happy
Happy People is selling quite nicely, but of course, there are still copies. You can get your mitts on a copy, or stream the whole thing over here.
Thanks for listening!
Tom Slatter
www.tomslatter.co.uk
