Irmin Schmidt Shares New Excerpt From 'Requiem' || Out 4/24 On Mute

IRMIN SCHMIDT SHARES NEW EXCERPT FROM REQUIEM OUT 4/24 ON MUTE

Photo credit: Robin Maddock   IRMIN SCHMIDT has shared a new excerpt from his forthcoming album, Requiem, set for release on vinyl, CD and digitally on April 24, 2026 via Mute / Future Days Music (Spoon). The new excerpt is an emotive piece that reveals the exquisite balance between human-made and nature-produced sounds on Requiem. The album - presented in two sections - sees Irmin Schmidt playing prepared and unprepared piano alongside environmental recordings of the sounds of nature that surround his home in Southern France. Listen to the second excerpt HERE. “In nature,” Schmidt explains, “I find so much music, and that becomes a kind of dialogue.” After hearing a nightingale sing in his garden that he felt compelled to record, Schmidt began to build up these sounds - recording water, bird and frog noises and his local surroundings – in a form of personal ritual. The piano that accompanies his environmental recordings – prepared and unprepared – was spontaneous and, in the tradition of Can’s recordings, some of these spontaneous compositions were edited at a later date, with the help of long-time collaborator René Tinner.  Schmidt, who will be 89 years old in 2026, explains that Requiem is a meditation on remembrance, on loss and commemoration. The slow melding and manipulation of these environmental and piano recordings creates a liminal space that allows the listener to embark on their own journey of contemplation. The preternatural, meditative movement between Schmidt’s piano and recordings brings both present and distant memories into view, their symbiosis creating one of Schmidt’s most affecting and inspiring works to date. After an extensive classical education as pianist, conductor and composer, Irmin Schmidt, who studied under Stockhausen and Ligeti, co-founded Can in the late 60s, combining classic new music with rock and jazz. Outside of his work with Can, Schmidt has released over a dozen solo albums and written an opera, Gormenghast, based on the novels of Mervyn Peake. The opera, which originally premiered in 1998, was recently performed at the Linz Opera in Austria. For his contribution to art and culture he was awarded the highest honours in France, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in Germany, the Bundesverdienst Orden. In 2018 Faber Social published Can – All Gates Open, a two-part book – the first section is Can’s biography, written by Rob Young, and the second section is Can Kiosk, a collage of diary entries and interviews edited and written by Irmin Schmidt. His new album, Requiem, follows 2018’s 5 Klavierstücke, a piano work using prepared and unprepared piano and 2020’s Nocturne, a live album documenting his Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival performance followed. Requiem will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally on April 24th, 2026 via Mute. Pre-order Requiem HERE.

Track listing:  1. Part 1 (23:12) 2. Part 2 (17:51)   CONNECT IRMIN SCHMIDT: WEB CONNECT WITH MUTE: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLUESKY | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | WEB

NEW GERMAN CINEMA shares new single/video "Eyes" ahead of album release THIS FRIDAY! More live dates announced.

NEW GERMAN CINEMA - Shares new single & video "Eyes" - New album ‘Pain Will Polish Me’   out THIS FRIDAY on Felte - More live dates added

Photo credit: Conor J Clarke.   With the release of her debut solo album 'Pain Will Polish Me' this Friday, March 27th via Felte, New German Cinema has shared a final pre-release track and accompanying video and confirmed more live dates for the coming months. New German Cinema is the solo project of Fear of Men songwriter and vocalist Jessica Weiss. She announced her debut solo album with the beat-led single “My Mistake” featuring Merchandise's Carson Cox, followed by the brooding “Swirling Pain”. Today she shares swooping, icy, synth-pop track "Eyes", accompanied by a video shot whilst on tour in Japan last year.  She comments: "It is such a visually rich and very precise culture, that can feel enticing but also slightly unknowable to outsiders. That tension felt very apt for the energy of the song. We filmed fragments as we moved through cities and train stations, neon streets and quiet corners, trying to capture that feeling of being both immersed in a place and slightly outside it, with the recurring motif of landline phones suggesting emotional relationships beyond the frame. The video became a kind of travel diary, but also a visual echo of the song’s inner landscape.” Watch the video for "Eyes": https://youtu.be/SgHz0dyLd_g ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ album links: https://felte.lnk.to/new-german-cinema Weiss carries lyrical precision and emotional intensity into the stormy dark-pop gems on her debut solo album. ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ has been five years in the making, stretched between London and LA, built from late-night files, long silences and the quiet persistence of trying to finish something beautiful. Produced with Alex DeGroot (Zola Jesus, Cate Le Bon), it feels both forensic and devotional, the product of someone who doesn’t rush catharsis. It presents both solitary and connective, as if built from long-distance transmissions between two dream states.  Weiss calls the album a meditation on pop and European art-house auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It tracks the ways intimacy and control fold into one another until it’s impossible to tell where one ends. The songs are about the parts of yourself that dissolve in love, and the small acts of violence that come with being known. They move through claustrophobic relationships, obsession, surrender, cycles of suffering that start to feel like devotion. The language is pop but the feeling is something stranger, colder, more interior.   The songs on ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ move in shadow. Layers of synth, vocal and guitar fold over one another, drawing from the cinematic tension of Fassbinder’s New German Cinema and the quiet dissonance of modern Berlin, where Weiss recorded fragments of the record, drifting between places that carry uneasy ghosts. Between dinner conversations about the city’s buried history and the surreal comfort of its present, she found herself tracing the outlines of love and loss, identity and dissolution. “Germany’s history is everywhere but it’s unsaid,” she notes. “Fassbinder brought it into view. I wanted to approach the same sense of unease through sound.”   It’s an album about losing yourself in order to see what’s left. A document of love as obsession, repetition, survival.  A meditation on love as both mirror and undoing, crafted in fragments, then pieced together into something whole.   New German Cinema live dates: 9 Apr - London - window135 Gallery (6–8pm; installation on view 1–15 Apr) 25 Apr - Brighton - Folklore Rooms 30 May - London - Finsbury Park Picturehouse ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ track list: 01. Sub Rosa 02. Swirling Pain - Lyric video 03. Being Dead 04. I Become Heavy 05. Hera's Theme I 06. Eyes - Video 07. Water Drops 08. Hera's Theme II 09. My Mistake - Video 10. All That Heaven Allows 11. Pain Will Polish Me 12. Perfect Secret      Links: https://www.instagram.com/newgermancinema  https://newgermancinema.bandcamp.com

New Idea Society announce new LP ‘Fire On The Hill’

New Idea Society sign to Relapse, announce new album Fire On The Hill

Featuring Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man) + Mike Law (Wild Arrows, Eulcid)

Share single / music video "Dancing Horse"

Photo by Caleb Gowett 

New Idea Society has taken on differing shapes and forms over the years, but at its heart is the duo of Mike Law (Wild Arrows, Eulcid) and Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man), a pair enraptured and united by the alchemical power of songwriting. With a connection that can be traced back to their high school years, between them exists an intuitive understanding that informs exactly what New Idea Society is at any given point. On May 15, 2026, New Idea Society will release their fourth full length studio album, Fire On The Hill, via Relapse [pre-order].

Today, New Idea Society share the album's first single and music video for “Dancing Horse."  Law comments: "Part of 'Dancing Horse' first appeared all the way back in 2007 and it took a lot of forms over the years that never quite worked. Then out of nowhere it arrived somehow fully re-formed and totally realized into one of my favorite songs I've ever been a part of. The original idea started on an August night in Budapest and was tied together one August morning in 2024 back in Massachusetts. It was one of those moments where Steve reached deep and found something that had been floating around in another universe and brought it to ours."  Brodsky continues: "I remember listening to Mike’s original demo for 'Dancing Horse'—  it was a shoegaze thing with one lyric that shone brightly through the sonic haze: 'There’s a dancing horse on my roof.' My fiancé had just hung a horseshoe above the front door of our home. A native Texan, she explained that a horseshoe points up to catch luck and then flips over to rain it down… suddenly, that one line from the demo spawned a whole other thing in my head. I’m grateful that Mike was receptive to me taking a brilliant seed of his imagination and going off to the races with it."

Watch / share "Dancing Horse" music video

Video directed by Caleb Gowett

Although the pair have come a long way since their earliest explorations in audio in the late 90s, the roots of New Idea Society’s alliance were forged in those makeshift basement studios. For Fire On The Hill, Law and Brodsky took a more collaborative approach to songwriting than on previous releases. With Brodsky describing their process as “microscopic” and Law marveling at the particulars of the minutiae they pored over, the attention to detail and their meticulous approach to making adjustments in service of the work shines through in the cohesiveness of this collection of songs. With demos passed back and forth over months—  Brodsky sending them in the early morning, and Law taking the evening shift—  the songs evolved naturally; refining a chord progression, adapting a lyrical perspective, or in the case of the track “Lantern,” rewriting the words entirely.

Having spent a busy year in 2023 working within multiple full band settings, Brodsky found himself leaning into the simplicity of composing music again with just one other musician. He found himself inspired by the spacious, minimalistic approach of albums like Stereolab’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup, and artists such as PJ Harvey (in a somewhat poetic twist, the artwork for Fire On The Hill was painted by James F Johnston, a member of PJ Harvey’s band). With these artists in mind, Brodsky turned to Law and the pair began to piece together fragments that harkened back to their formative, lo-fi experiments in sound. The origins of lead single, “Dancing Horse”, can be traced back to 2007, but under their synergetic stewardship during this fertile period of work, it was transformed. 

By allowing themselves to be fully immersed in the storytelling of the album, they became more attached to the songs themselves - and more discerning about what would make the cut. Thematically Fire On The Hill is about love, in its many forms. With each track detailing some element of navigating emotional relationships— the beauty, the pain, the loss and the hope - the duo have captured the immediacy and urgency of such feelings, tempered by a sliver of yearning that stops short of tipping into nostalgia.

A sense of place is woven throughout the album, one that transcends mere geography. However, personal circumstances did facilitate Law and Brodsky quite literally returning to the Massachusetts stomping grounds of their youth during the writing process, and their creativity flourished when they embraced the same experimentalism that originally drew them to each other. Even in the years when they were not working on projects together, their creative paths and friendship remained constant. Now with years of experience to their names, alongside a developed vocabulary and extended sonic palette to draw from, they have created something specifically and idiosyncratically New Idea Society. Fire On The Hill is them in full flight, at the height of their collective powers. 

Stay tuned for New Idea Society live performance news in the near future.

Tori Amos Releases New Song “Shush” | 'In Times of Dragons' LP out May 1 | US Tour

Tori Amos Releases New Song “Shush”  From Forthcoming Studio Album In Times of Dragons due out May 1 via Universal/Fontana Available across platforms here Extensive 35-Date U.S. Summer Tour Tour dates below + here In Times of Dragons pre-order includes limited edition ‘Smoke Swirl’  color vinyl with signed art card available on the Decca US store

Photo credit: Kasia Wozniak Multiplatinum singer-songwriter, pianist and composer, Tori Amos today announces the release of “Shush”, the latest track taken from her 18th studio album In Times of Dragons, due out May 1 via Universal/Fontana. Listen / Share: “Shush” Opening with a comforting crash of piano chords, “Shush” quickly descends into a world of unease and quiet threat. The track introduces listeners to a fictionalised version of Amos - one who, decades earlier, chose a very different path to her own: marrying a dangerous, power-hungry billionaire. Brimming with metaphor, “Shush” expands the mythic landscape of In Times of Dragons. At its centre stands a battle-hardened “lizard demon” billionaire - an embodiment of unchecked power and concentrated wealth, his reach extending into the highest levels of political life. Talking about the track, Amos explains: “He represents what we’re dealing with right now. He sees congressmen, senators, and even probably presidents, as people who answer to him and other billionaires, who don’t think you and I should vote. He’s trying to develop the kind of feudal system we had hundreds of years ago. But it doesn’t look like it once did. We don’t look like we’re in the trenches, in the muck. We have all the cool, digital devices now. So it looks different. But it has the same philosophy.”  With “Shush”, Amos sharpens the album’s central themes - blending political commentary with fantastical storytelling, and weaving urgent contemporary anxieties into her signature piano-driven sound. Following the album’s emotionally charged first single “Stronger Together”, “Shush” offers a more menacing, introspective chapter in the unfolding narrative. In Times of Dragons presents a cast of ten interconnected characters, each revealed track by track, as Amos guides listeners through a symbolic journey shaped by resistance, transformation and survival in precarious times. Tori will support the album with an extensive 35-date U.S. summer tour. The live shows will see Tori joined once again by longtime collaborator Jon Evans (MD and bass) and by Earl Harvin (drums) plus the addition of three backing singers - Liv Gibson, Deni Hlavinka and Hadley Kennary to will perform songs from In Times of Dragons alongside highlights from across her illustrious 35-year career, which has seen nine Grammy nominations and over 12 million global album sales. This will be preceded by her largest European tour for a decade, spanning 18 countries. Amos will also be taking part in a series of special hosted Q&A sessions in the UK, where she will discuss the new album and take questions from fans. Tickets on sale on March 25 at 12pm. TOUR 2026 - TICKETS UK Q&As 4/10: hmv Birmingham @ Vault (12pm) 4/15: hmv Glasgow @ Argyle Street (12pm) 4/22: hmv London @ 363 Oxford Street (5pm) UK & EU  4/8: Sheffield, UK @ City Hall  4/10: Birmingham, UK @ Symphony Hall  4/11: Bristol, UK @ Beacon  4/13: Manchester, UK @ Apollo  4/15: Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall  4/16: Newcastle, UK @ City Hall  4/18: Belfast, UK @ Waterfront Hall  4/19: Dublin, IR @ Bord Gais  4/21: London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall  4/24: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Carre Theatre  4/25: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Carre Theatre  4/27: Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque Royale 4/28: Paris, FR @ Olympia  4/30: Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Hall  5/1: Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle  5/3: Budapest, Hungary @ Erkel Theatre  5/5: Milan, Italy @ Teatro Arcimboldi  5/6: Zurich, Switzerland @ Theater 11  5/8: Freiburg, Germany @ Konserthaus  5/10: Munich, Germany @ Circus Krone  5/12: Warsaw, Germany @ Torwar  5/14: Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom  5/16: Hamburg, Germany @ Laeiszhalle  5/17: Bremen, Germany @ Metropol  5/19: Copenhagen, Denmark @ Falkoner  5/21: Stockholm, Sweden @ Cirkus  5/23: Oslo, Norway @ Concert House  5/25: Helsinki, Finland @ Finlandia Hall  5/27: Tallinn, Estonia @ Alexela Concert  5/28: Riga, Latvia @ Xiaomi Arena  5/20: Vilnius, Lithuania @ Compensa Hall  US 7/7: West Palm Beach, FL @ Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts 7/9: Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Walt Disney Theatre 7/10: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall 7/12: New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre 7/14: Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater 7/15: Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts Center - Winspear Opera House 7/17: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 7/18: Atlanta, GA @ The Woodruff Arts Center - Atlanta Symphony Hall 7/20: Durham, NC @ DPAC 7/22: Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts - Filene Center 7/24: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre 7/25: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre 7/27: Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre 7/29: Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium 7/31: Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion 8/1: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia 8/3: Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre 8/4: Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater 8/7: Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre 8/8: Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre 8/10: Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace Theater 8/11: Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre 8/14: Chicago, IL @ Roosevelt University - Auditorium Theatre 8/15: Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater 8/17: Saint Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre 8/18: Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater 8/20: Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre 8/22: Albuquerque, NM @ University of New Mexico - Popejoy Hall 8/23: Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre 8/25: Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre 8/26: San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theatre 8/28: Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre 8/29: Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre 8/31: Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Convention Center Complex - SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center 9/2: Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery