Slowdive - Everything Is Alive

https://townsquare.media/site/838/files/2023/06/attachment-Slowdive_everythingisalive_CoverArt.jpg

1 Shanty
2 Prayer Remembered
3 Alife
4 Andalucia Plays
5 Kisses
6 Skin in the Game
7 Chained to a Cloud
8 The Slab

I'm assuming at least one of those songs is epic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9RpHfPyEx8

New song is good, so hard to believe the last album was six years ago. Where has the time gone?

New song sounds great, like the pop vibe.

totally great, actually. and a very comforting band to still have around. hoping the rest of the album is more of the same.

Got a ticket to the Toronto show, new single is fantastic

Pre-cover anyone?

Perhaps, perhaps...

Kisses is great, need to stop watching the video

Philly and D.C. shows sold out way too fast for my liking. Snoozed on it this morning, and by the time I thought “oh yeah, gotta grab Slowdive tickets” this evening, they were gone.

An extra show was added to Los Angeles right after the sale this morning and I was able to get tickets for that.

Tried all day for SF, a cluster. I should check again.

couldn't get tickets for the austin show because THERE ISN'T ONE

y'all don't do presales? the Toronto show had like two different presales (Spotify and promoter)

The pre-sale in LA was only for the first night and a tiny number of tickets were made available. I tried, but it quickly sold out.

Looks like I will miss the LA shows. :Sadface:

If Shanty doesn’t have a bunch of bearded fishermen in chunky sweaters I’m going to be very disappointed.

Sounded great at Glastonbury

Ummm so either this band is a lot more popular in the States than I realized, or they booked too-small venues. The Cleveland show sold out in like ten minutes.

ha yeah, Denver is the same ... and yes, they should probably be playing places twice the size?

New song is gorgeous and sounds like some of the 00s/10s bands that took influence from Slowdive, kind of a full circle thing. Strong tune plus Neil and Rachel's voices plus those guitars... can't wait for the album

New song is really growing on me. Got my ticket for Chicago (still available, BTW). I'm so psyched!

how was the Glastonbury set?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0ftbbgd/glastonbury-slowdive

Crap, sold out in SF. Alas. Glad I saw them for the s/t tour at least

Agreed there! But I'll make my way into that show yet.

aw, was hoping for a few more new tracks in the Glastonbury set... they're being coy!

I think both LA shows are sold out. When I checked last they only had $200 tickets for the second night.

Gotta admit, this song is indistinguishable from 500 other bands that bang around the gazey landfill of the last 5 years. Full circle? Maybe, but it wish it had ANY personality.

I saw them just before they released the s/t, I think maybe it was at the Mayan in downtown LA. Absolutely great. Really kinda floored me, as did that album. Getting the sense I won't see them this time around, but glad they're selling out the venues.

Disagree that "Kisses" has no personality. Next to the flangy guitars, I clearly hear the singer of Mojave 3 and no one else. (The synthesis of those two strands of Halstead's career is a nice touch on the 2017 record and now this.)

That said, this was presumably chosen as the first promotional track because it is straightforward pop. I'm curious to see how challenging the other tracks are, since the press release mentions electronic experimentation.

second show added on Oct 16 in SF. hyped to see them again.

Oh nice! On sale now?

Answering my own question: yes they are! Thanks for the tip, just got GA floor.

ehh, I find the new song completely forgettable. Like something he'd write in his sleep.

Nice I'll be there as well!

Babe wake up new slowdive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWtlDuzHc4g

Liking this one better than the first single. Love the guitar sound.

listening to these new songs while it thunderstorms outside… bliss

I really like this one. It's a lot more instant than Kisses. His voice sounds a bit like Alasdair from The Clientele on it.

This is great, this album might even be better than the last one.

this one's much better than "kisses"

Much better than kisses but still..

interesting track although the chorus vocal sounds like a pisstake. The guitar part sounds like the first EP!

Yeah not fully sold on the vocals but guitars sound amazing

Saw their gig last night, brilliant show, they are an absolute powerhouse live (loud!). Weirdly they only played “kisses” from the upcoming record—I was half-expecting some more new tracks but I guess they’ll add them to the setlist for the autumn run of shows, once the album is out? Rachel stole the audience’s hearts btw

New song next week: The Slab

The Slab.

Coming next week. pic.twitter.com/HNSBYRyNSx

— Slowdive (@slowdiveband) August 4, 2023

It’s out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiQUd6F6_kw

Alright, this is the first track that offers the more ambient, electronic stylings that the press release augured. I admit, I didn’t expect Slowdive 2023 to sound like Seefeel 1993. Still, nothing at all wrong with this tune and I still look forward to the album.

Yeah that was the 94 tour where they played a separate show at Cal State Fullerton and I went to that instead as it was closer.

I saw Adorable at the Whiskey the night before this Slowdive show.

Argh, THAT show I wish I saw because IIRC Underground Lovers opened on the back of Leaves Me Blind. Still wish I had seen them live around then.

https://images.kerrangcdn.com/Sick-New-World-2024-poster.jpeg?auto=compress&fit=crop&w=1008

we see you hiding down there, Drop Nineteens

(hmv update: piles of the new lp in store on Saturday, probably because it is in some sort of chart. a pound cheaper than my copy too)

You've met Count Dracula, but have you met his snarky teenage daughter, Kim Dracula?

Is that Sunn O))) on the bottom line? what an absolutely bizarre lineup. Excited to see Slowdive opening for Slipknot.

I'm guessing that is actually Ultra Sunn, an "EBM" duo from Belgium.

my 17y/o was telling me how awesome this will be and reading the band list and got to slowdive and i just sorta "lol you joshing me" and she was 'nah numetal crossover'

Hell black metal crossover more like. Alcest had Neil on that one album for a reason.

My mind keeps exploding every time I get to a new line of that poster.

Lords of Acid?!?!

I wanna see your pussy, show it to me

Remarkable alternate lyrics to "Catch the Breeze" there.

Different setlist last night - pretty sure several people fainted (if metaphorically) during "Avalyn"

good lord… plus “sleep”! “golden hair”!

making the second SF show tonight, kind of last minute; had to buy resale tix which were marked "GA" but when delivered say "GA: balcony"; hoping they don't actually care and I can make it onto the floor (then again....I may be praying for a balcony seat 20 minutes into the show).

I tried to go to the LA shows at the last moment but failed, now I'm pissed that I did.

"golden hair" in denver was radical

great show in SF last night, I hadn't realized this was the last one of the tour so we were lucky that they added this on due to demand. Only issue: my god it was loud. I would have turned down the bass and indeed the entire volume by 1/4. Some of this was MBV-level loud. Have all the shows on the tour been like this?

they weren't any louder than an average act when i saw them a few months ago

maybe it was a Warfield special.

they definitely were not loud when i saw them in Philly

Both times (Slowdive and Panda Bear/Sonic Boom) I've been to the Bellwether here in LA, the sound was outstanding. New venue, new sound system... they seem to know what they were doing.

In contrast, I saw The Mars Volta at the Fox Theatre in Pomona the night before and that was screeching frequencies loud (took earplugs for that)

Huh. Can't say the show on Thursday was especially loud, wore my usual earplugs, did just fine.

Okay, new set of American dates for next year:

Thu. Apr. 25 - Ventura, CA @ The Majestic Ventura Theater
Fri. Apr. 26 - Pomona,CA @ The Fox Theater Pomona
Sat. Apr. 27 - Las Vegas, NV @ Sick New World Festival
Sun. Apr. 28 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Tue. Apr. 30 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Historic El Rey Theater
Wed. May 1 - Denver, CO @ Levitt Pavilion Denver
Fri. May 3 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Sat. May 4 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Sun. May 5 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
Tue. May 7 - Louisville, KY @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall
Wed. May 8 - Pelham, TN @ The Caverns
Fri. May 10 - Dallas, TX @ Longhorn Ballroom
Sat. May 11 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Sun. May 12 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
Tue. May 14 - New Orleans, LA @ The Civic Theatre
Thu. May 16 - Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company
Fri. May 17 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
Sun. May 18 - Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit

Kinda surprised there haven't been any remixes from the new album yet...

would def welcome that!

The Atlanta venue is pretty intimate. Definitely worth going to.

Gotta figure out whether Atlanta or Asheville work better for me. Would love to see them.

Looks like I'm not going to miss this tour after all. I just got two tickets and this will mean I have seen them on every tour. Saw Majove 3 many times too.

BTW, Spotify presale code for today only is ALIVE

Thanks! Snagged some good seats for the Austin show

Thanks for posting the code. See you in Pomona

^ can't wait, will have to exchange info before show.

Went on site for that Pomona show and they're already sold out. They sold out the day tickets went on sale like Taylor Swift, lol. They're playing too small of venues.

Ventura Theatre date just added: April 25

Ultimately this is step below the self titled album. There are too many instruments overall for my taste, I just love Rachel and Neil vocals on Slowdive's songs. To be fair, the last album is probably their best.

souvlaki > s/t > everything is alive > pygmalion > just for a day

uhhh no

everything is alive > pygmalion

aaaaahhhhh

anyway, spoon & rafter > all of the above. a very good day to you all!

well actually pull pygmalion to the top and I can live with the other rankings

I don't like the new one much tbh. it's fine and maybe it will grow on me but currently it's my least favourite

they were very loud when I saw them recently, probably the loudest gig I've been to this year. regretted not bringing earplugs at times

i only really care about half of pygmalion, and that half is fantastic but the other tracks do nothing for me

I'm with your ranking, UFO, and concur with your feelings about "Pygmalion".

Surprised we haven't mentioned some of their side projects - my favorites are Black Hearted Brother and Minor Victories.

i still love this album, ranks very high for me. but thanks, col. poo, for also noting how fucking loud they are now live

I probably rank Just For a Day higher then most of you and rank Pygmalion lower. Was Just For a Day a bit of a let down after their first three EPs? Sure, but it was no different then The Boo Radleys, Swervedriver, or Catherine Wheel. I don't know, living through that and experiencing everything that came out at time of release was spectacular. Probably the best time of my life. Yeah, just wanted to throw some love to Just For a Day.

It actually has my favorite overall sound of their albums, it's really magical and I always wonder if any other band successfully emulated it. It's one of those albums like Garlands by Cocteau Twins that has this deeply special world I need more of and I wonder if it's just futile trying to create more of that?

Pygmalion is my favorite though.

this is funny, i am pretty firm in my ranking :

just for a day>souvlaki>pygmalion>everything is alive>s/t

but i also only got into them in my senior year of high school (2002) and so don’t really have any memories of feelings upon their release except the new one.

also i was expecting them to be exceptionally loud when i saw them in September— it
wasn’t loud at all?!!