NASTY LITTLE MAN – BEST OF 2022

Greetings all, 

It’s that time of year again—the sweaters are coming out, pumpkin spice is everywhere, and of course that means it’s time for the annual nasty little man year in review reminder email (TM). Hopefully, it’ll be helpful to those of you compiling your best of 2022 lists—and if not, it’s still a handy rundown of the new albums, reissues and non-LP/pre-LP singles/tracks released by our artists over the last year…

Happy holidays in advance. Stay healthy and safe.

Your friends at nasty little man

Albums:

GHOST:IMPERA 

SPIRITUALIZED:Everything Was Beautiful

RAMMSTEIN:ZEIT 

ARCADE FIRE:WE 

THE SMILE:A Light for Attracting Attention 

DANGER MOUSE & BLACK THOUGHT:Cheat Codes

BROKEN BELLS:INTO THE BLUE 

Singles & EPs:

BECK:“Old Man“

DREAM WIDOW:S/T EP 

GORILLAZ:“Cracker Island ft. Thundercat,”“New Gold ft. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown“

KIRK HAMMETT:Portals

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM:“new body rhumba“

Reissues:

PAUL McCARTNEY:McCartney I II III Limited Edition Box Set

PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS:Wild Life 50th Anniversary Edition

DAMON ALBARN: The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows 4-disc Digital Deluxe Edition

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE:S/T, …Like Clockwork, Villains Limited Edition Vinyl 

DANGER MOUSE & BLACK THOUGHT

“BELIZE” FEAT. MF DOOM – VIDEO OUT NOW

Debut Album Cheat Codes Out Now

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Not only flexes Danger Mouse’s creativity as a producer, but the always impressive bars of Black Thought, a rapper who has remained consistently excellent
– HIPHOPDX

The math is not particularly difficult: Take two great artists, put them together, magic. Here, you have the prolific musician Danger Mouse… and the incomparable Black Thought… delivering a late-summer gem of an album.
– The New York Times

Cheat Codes captures the glory of rap’s classic era and brings it to the present through thick mesmerizing samples and the rapper’s incredible vernacular.
– Beats Per Minute

Less a rebuke to an era of trap beats and SoundCloud-ready verses than a showcase for their shared, effortless virtuosity, Black Thought (née: Tariq Trotter) delivers razor-sharp, incisive lyrics over dusty samples Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton) lends his timeless, cinematic flourish for a tightly-packed, adventuresome, eminently listenable experience.
– The AV Club

Cheat Codes isn’t just excellent…Danger Mouse constructed these beats with Black Thought and his skill set specifically in mind, and the rapper moves through them deliberately, without compromising what are some of his most writerly verses.
– NPR’s All Things Considered

Danger Mouse is a pioneering beat-maker with a knack for blending rock and hip-hop aesthetics. Black Thought is one of the greatest rappers ever.
– New York Magazine

Danger Mouse & Black Thought have released the official video for “Belize,” from their universally acclaimed album, Cheat Codes. The video, filmed by Danger Mouse and directed by UNCANNY, serves as a solemn ode to their friend, the late MF DOOM, who features on the song.

The enigmatic MF DOOM, known for his loose, somewhat conversational rap style, whose rhyme and meter remain unparalleled, unites seamlessly with Black Thought’s unmatched precision sharp lyricism. A testament to what makes Danger Mouse one of the greatest producers of all time: his utterly unique ability to craft a palette complex and flexible enough to enable Black Thought to perform at new heights, yet perfectly suited to MF DOOM’s eclectic flow.

 “Belize” moved Consequence to rave “Danger Mouse’s production on “Belize” is steeped in soul, with warm brass and a hypnotic bassline making way for each MC to spit a dizzying array of bars”—just one in a steady stream of accolades for Cheat Codes: 

The debut album from Danger Mouse & Black Thought (named one of year’s the most anticipated albums by New York Magazine, Pitchfork, Brookyn Vegan, Stereogum,  AV Club, HotNewHipHop, Paste and many more), is a sprawling opus featuring a peerless roster of guest luminaries including A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Michael Kiwanuka, Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Russ, Conway the Machine, the late MF DOOM, among others.

Hailed by the NME as “brilliant” and as “an out-and-out hip-hop masterpiece” by the Observer, Cheat Codes’ unique brilliance comes not from bombast backed by big names, but rather from the restraint exercised throughout. Black Thought is indisputably one of the greatest rappers that has ever lived, and Danger Mouse’s production, free flowing beats and melodies, coaxed his skill to the forefront on this landmark album. Cheat Codes is a singular work, evoking the golden age of hiphop via an undeniably modern sensibility, while remaining untethered to any era or trend  — classic, yet timeless.

GHOST

New Webisode Chapter 13: The Beach Life 

Live Now at https://i.ghost-official.com/Chapter13

IMPERA Nominated for Favorite Rock Album in 2022 American Music Awards

Mere days after the triumphant conclusion of the North American IMPERATOUR and scant weeks following its Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough debut, Sweden’s foremost GRAMMY-winning theatrical rock export GHOST is back at it with the brand new webisode, Chapter 13: The Beach Life. Apply your sunscreen and take a ride up the coast with Papa Emeritus IV as he drops in on an old friend at his beachfront abode HERE.

Among other omens of good fortune, Ghost has been nominated for its first ever 2022 American Music Award. Come November 20th, the critically acclaimed, chart-topping IMPERA will compete alongside Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Machine Gun Kelly and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the AMAs’ Favorite Rock Album category. 

To vote in the 2022 American Music Awards, go to VoteAMAs.com. Voting is open now through Monday, November 14 at 11:59:59pm PT.

Featuring the Rock Radio #1s “Call Me Little Sunshine” and “Hunter’s Moon,” as well as the currently climbing “Spillways,” IMPERA was released  March 11, 2022 via Loma Vista Recordings. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “an escapist rock & roll album,” IMPERA “conquered rock, metal and the charts” (as reported by the Los Angeles Times), debuting at #1 in a sweep of the U.S. album charts, and entering the Billboard 200 at #2. Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, IMPERA sets the most current and topical Ghost subject matter to date against a hypnotic and darkly colorful melodic backdrop, resulting in a listen like no other — yet unmistakably, quintessentially Ghost.

BROKEN BELLS

FIRST FULL LENGTH ALBUM IN EIGHT YEARS:
INTO THE BLUE 
OUT NOW 

“ONE NIGHT” SINGLE & VIDEO 
WATCH HERE

“Spanning ’60s psychedelia, ’70s disco, ’80s synth-pop, and ’90s trip-hop, and all of it tinged with a slight dream-world surreality, Into The Blue is an atmospheric, immaculately arranged and produced collection of songs that present pop music’s past as its present—and quite possibly its future.”
-AV Club’s Fall Preview: “20 Albums you need to know about”
 
“…their moodiest trip yet, with the duo sending classic soul balladry (‘Love on the Run’) and sumptuously spooky art pop (‘We’re Not in Orbit Yet’) through a surreal prism. The album has its kitschier moments (the glam-rock-tinged ‘Saturdays’) but the overall mood suggests an alternate-dimension ‘AM Gold’ compilation: soothing and unsettling by turns.”
– New York Times Fall Preview 
 
“…another atmospheric album to get lost in.”
– USA Today Fall Preview – 12 New Albums You Must Hear This Fall

Brian Burton (AKA Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (The Shins), collectively known as Broken Bells, have finally released one of the year’s most anticipated albums: INTO THE BLUE via AWAL. The band’s third full length album — and first since 2014’s After The Disco — is available now. 

Also available today is Broken Bells’ latest single, “One Night,” and its accompanying video. Written and performed entirely by James Mercer and Danger Mouse, “One Night” juxtaposes somber lyrics lamenting a past relationship with what might well be Bells’ most instantly infectious earworm to date. 

The “One Night” video, the fourth in a series directed by Johnny Chew, sees Earth deemed “without form and void.” Our characters have found a new planet to inhabit, where “wedding bells still ring.” But of course, this is Broken Bells, and to them:  it will all fade, if wrong or right… such is life, this you suffer through. 

The many influences the two Broken Bells principals have in common make INTO THE BLUE a kaleidoscopic genre and decade spanning ode to those forebears  — From The Beatles to Pink Floyd, from ‘60s psychedelia to 70s rock and AM Gold, from ‘80s New Wave to ‘90s Trip Hop… and the pair’s mutual adoration of the Elephant 6 collective. The first Broken Bells album to feature samples in addition to James and Brian’s own organic sounds, INTO THE BLUE finds Broken Bells in uncharted territory. James and Brian venture into bold new directions while retaining their signature glistening pop perfection with just a hint of the sinister.

INTO THE BLUE  is available now in digital and physical configurations including a deluxe limited edition LP.

​​The track listing for the album is as follows: 

Into The Blue
We’re Not In Orbit Yet…
Invisible Exit
Love On The Run
One Night
Saturdays
Forgotten Boy
The Chase
Fade Away 

For a full list of formats, click here.

Photo by Shervin Lainez & Nikki Fenix

Depeche Mode Announce First Live Shows in Five Years

‘Memento Mori’ World Tour to Kick Off March 23, 2023 In Sacramento, CA

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductees Depeche Mode announced today at a special event in Berlin that they will be releasing a new album and embarking on a world tour in 2023. The Memento Mori Tour will support the band’s forthcoming 15th studio album, Memento Mori, due out in Spring 2023.

In a break from tradition, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore revealed today that the Live Nation-presented tour will begin with a special, limited series of North American arena dates starting March 23rd, before the band heads to Europe for their summer stadium tour. These limited North American dates will feature stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, among others. The band will then begin their European stadium tour on May 16th, with noted stops including the Stade de France in Paris, Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Milan’s San Siro Stadium, and London’s Twickenham Stadium. For further information on the tour routing and ticket on-sale dates, please go to depechemode.com. The full listing of dates, cities and venues is also below.

In speaking about Memento Mori, Martin Gore commented, “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.” Dave Gahan added, “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

For photos and footage of the Berlin event and additional assets, please visit https://dpchm.de/berlinmedia. 

Password: DMMM2023.

The Memento Mori Tour will be Depeche Mode’s 19th tour and their first in over five years. The band’s most recent outing, the 2017-2018 Global Spirit Tour was its longest to date and was one of the year’s highest grossing tours, with the band playing to more than 3 million fans over the course of 130 shows across Europe and North America. 

Memento Mori will be Depeche Mode’s 15th studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Spirit, which reached #1 in 11 territories, charting in the Top 5 in more than 20 others. Memento Mori will be released worldwide in Spring 2023 via Columbia Records.

Having sold more than 100 million records and played to more than 35 million fans worldwide, Depeche Mode remains an ever-evolving and singularly influential musical force. An indelible inspiration to fans, critics and artists alike, Depeche Mode continues to forge ahead, with the Memento Mori album and tour representing the opening of the newest chapter of a peerless and ongoing legacy.

Memento Mori World Tour 2023

March 23 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
March 25 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
March 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
March 30 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
April 2 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
April 5 – Chicago, IL – United Center
April 7 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
April 9 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
April 12 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
April 14 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
May 16 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
May 20 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis Antwerpen
May 23 – Stockholm, SE – Friends Arena
May 26 – Leipzig, DE – Leipziger Festwiese
May 28 – Bratislava, SK – Národný Futbalový Štadión
May 31 – Bordeaux, FR – Matmut Atlantique
June 2 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Festival
June 4 – Dusseldorf, DE – Merkur Spiel-Arena
June 6 – Dusseldorf, DE – Merkur Spiel-Arena
June 9 – Madrid, ES – Primavera Sound Festival
June 11 – Bern, CH – Stadion Wankdorf
June 14 – Dublin, IE – Malahide Castle
June 17 – London, UK – Twickenham Stadium
June 20 – Munich, DE – Olympiastadion
June 22 – Lille, FR – Stade Pierre Mauroy
June 24 – Paris, FR – Stade de France
June 27 – Copenhagen, DK – Parken
June 29 – Frankfurt, DE – Deutsche Bank Park
July 4 – Lyon, FR – Groupama Stadium
July 7 – Berlin, DE – Olympiastadion
July 12 – Rome, IT – Stadio Olympico
July 14 – Milan, IT – San Siro
July 16 – Bologna, IT – Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
July 21 – Klagenfurt, AT – Wörthersee Stadion
July 23 – Zagreb, HR – Arena Zagreb
July 26 – Bucharest, RO – Arena Națională
July 28 – Budapest, HU – Puskás Aréna
July 30 – Prague, CZ – Letňany Airport
August 2 – Warsaw, PL – PGE Narodowy
August 6 – Tallinn, EE – Tallinna Lauluväljak
August 8 – Helsinki, FI – Kaisaniemen Puisto
August 11 – Oslo, NO – Telenor Arena

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
“new body rhumba”
from Noah Baumbach’s WHITE NOISE
FIRST NEW SONG IN 5 YEARS OUT NOW

20-SHOW RETURN TO BROOKLYN STEEL
BEGINS NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Tickets On Sale to the Public on Friday, October 7 at 10 a.m. ET at youarehere.bowerypresents.com

LCD Soundsystem has released “new body rhumba,” its first new song in five years.

“new body rhumba” was written for Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, and is now available via Columbia Records/DFA to stream and download HERE. White Noise premiered earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival and will be in select theaters November 25 and on Netflix December 30.

“new body rhumba” was written by James Murphy, Pat Mahoney, and Nancy Whang, and produced by James Murphy for DFA Productions.

In addition to releasing its first new original music since 2017’s Grammy-winning AMERICAN DREAM, and following 2022 residencies in London, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia, LCD Soundsystem has announced a new 20-show residency at Brooklyn Steel. The band will return to the venue it opened with three 2017 runs—and played an extended engagement in late 2021. See below for a full listing of dates, which will include LCD Soundsystem’s 50th show at Brooklyn Steel, taking place December 4.

Tickets for all 20 shows will go on-sale to the general public beginning Friday, October 7 at 10:00 a.m. ET via AXS.com, the only official ticket outlet for Brooklyn Steel. Visit youarehere.bowerypresents.com for presale details.

American Express ® Card Members have access to presale tickets for every date of the LCD Soundsystem Brooklyn Steel residency before the general public beginning Wednesday, October 5th at 10AM ET through Thursday, October 6 at 10PM ET.  Plus, Card Members will have access to Amex® Card Member Only shows on November 27, 29, and 30.

2022 show dates at Brooklyn Steel are as follows:
November 18, 19, 21, 22, 26, 27*, 29*, 30*
December 2, 3, 4^, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17

* Tickets for November 27, 29 and 30 will be on sale exclusively to American Express Card Members during Amex® Early Access, October 5 at 10AM ET thru October 6 at 10PM ET.

^ LCD Soundsystem’s 50th Show at Brooklyn Steel

BECK
“OLD MAN”
DIGITAL SINGLE OUT NOW

If you were watching NFL Sunday Night Football last night and thought you’d hallucinated Beck covering “Old Man” rendered in stark black and white… don’t worry, you’re not losing your mind. The eight-time GRAMMY winner has released his sublime version of the Neil Young classic performed in that NBC Sports ad as a standalone digital single, available HERE.
 
The NBC Sports spot promotes the upcoming Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs game, while highlighting the song’s lyric “24 and there’s so much more”  in homage to quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes’ shared achievement of winning Super Bowls at the age of 24.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

TO REISSUE THREE CLASSIC ALBUMS

FEATURING EXCLUSIVE ARTWORK, LIMITED COLORED VINYL EDITIONS & MORE

More than a quarter century since its primal emergence from the Desert, Queens Of The Stone Age has elected to give three of its landmark albums the upscale re-release treatment, including limited edition color vinyl pressings, exclusive new and restored artwork, and more.

First up is the one that started it all: Back in print after a long, long decade, Queens Of The Stone Age’s self-titled 1998 debut album will be resurrected digitally September 22, with a vinyl release date of October 21. Restored to its original track listing and adorned by the long out-of-print original Frank Kozik artwork, the soon to be definitive version of QOTSA’s self-titled ground zero will feature an obi-strip designed by longtime collaborator Boneface and will be available on standard black and limited edition opaque orange vinyl — both available direct from Queens Of The Stone Age, Matador Records, and at discerning independent retailers.

Following on December 9 will be a double shot of Queens Of The Stone Age’s most recent efforts: 2013’s multiple-GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard 200 #1 charting magnum opus …Like Clockwork and 2017’s redefining Villains will both be reincarnated: …Like Clockwork returns newly recut from its original master tapes with alternate artwork and obi-strip from Boneface with a limited opaque aqua vinyl pressing available direct from Queens Of The Stone Age, Matador Records, and at finer independent retailers. Villains is reissued in a special 5th Anniversary package featuring etching, obi-strip, and a brand new poster by Boneface, and as on limited edition leaf-green transparent vinyl available exclusively via Queens Of The Stone Age and/or Matador Records.

Pre-order any/all of the above at the official store. And keep your eyes peeled…

BROKEN BELLS 
“LOVE ON THE RUN” SINGLE & VIDEO – OUT NOW 
INTO THE BLUE OUT OCTOBER 7th 

“[INTO THE BLUE] is their moodiest trip yet, with the duo sending classic soul balladry (‘Love on the Run’) and sumptuously spooky art pop (‘We’re Not in Orbit Yet’) through a surreal prism.”
—THE NEW YORK TIMES

“… dreamy melodies with deceptively melancholy lyrics… another atmospheric album to get lost in.”
—USA TODAY

Broken Bells, the musical partnership of Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (The Shins), has released  “Love On The Run,” the next single from their forthcoming third album, INTO THE BLUE. Set for an October 7th release via AWAL, INTO THE BLUE has been hailed by the likes of The New York Times and USA Today as one of the most anticipated releases of the year.

The twists and turns of the epic arrangement of “Love On The Run” mirror the structure of INTO THE BLUE: Like the album as a whole, the song is an ambitious decade / genre-spanning homage to the pair’s kaleidoscopic musical influences. Over the course of its seven minutes, “Love On The Run” opens with sun-drenched vibes that conjure 70s AM Gold radio, before seamlessly transitioning into acid rock psychedelia, and ultimately sticking a perfectly 2022 landing. 

The “Love On The Run” video, directed by Johnny Chew, continues the retro-futurist journey of the first two videos from INTO THE BLUE’s, “We’re Not In Orbit Yet…” and “Saturdays.” Join Broken Bells as they embark on an interstellar journey scored by this sublime new track by checking out the “Love On The Run” video here.

The band are exclusively offering pre-orders of a deluxe limited edition LP of INTO THE BLUE via their web store. The album is pressed on light blue opaque vinyl with hot pink and black splatter secured in gatefold packaging designed by longtime artistic collaborator Jacob Escobedo that features an exclusive foil overlay pink orb. 

Pre-order and pre-save the album HERE

METALLICA’s ALL WITHIN MY HANDS FOUNDATION
Presents
THE HELPING HANDS CONCERT & AUCTION
DECEMBER 16 AT THE MICROSOFT THEATER IN LOS ANGELES

Tickets On Sale to the Public Friday, September 23 at 10:00am Local Time HERE

Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation focused on creating sustainable communities by tackling issues including hunger and workforce education, brings its Helping Hands Concert & Auction back into the physical world for its third year: On December 16, Helping Hands will make its Southern California debut with Metallica and special guests performing at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets will be on sale to the public from 10:00am local time Friday, September 23 with a two-ticket limit per customer. As always, 100% of proceeds from this years Helping Hands event—tickets, fees and auction items—will go directly to help those in need. For further information, pre-sales etc., go to: www.axs.com/events/449833?skin=microsofttheater

Metallica’s previous Helping Hands Concert & Auction was live-streamed November 14, 2020, raising more than $1.8 million—funds used to work with partners at Feeding America and the American Association of Community Colleges, as well as various COVID and disaster relief efforts. All Within My Hands was established in 2017 as a way for the Metallica family to give back to communities that have supported the band. All Within My Hands expenses are covered entirely by the band, the board, and friends who have worked with the band over many years, ensuring that 100% of proceeds go directly to help those in need. To date, All Within My Hands has donated over $5.8 million to critical local services and the fight against food insecurity, working with partners around the world to feed more than 10 million people.  In addition, the foundation’s Metallica Scholars Initiative has pledged a total of $5.9 million in grants benefiting 33 community colleges across the USA.

For more about All Within My Hands, please visit allwithmyhands.org.