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Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr has announced a new album, Formal Growth in the Desert. It’s the quartet’s sixth album, and it’s out June 2nd via Domino. The album was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. The news comes with a new single, “Make Way,” a video directed by Trevor Naud, which expands the Protomartyr cinematic universe established by Naud’s 2020 video for “Worm In Heaven.”
Check out Hello Merch’s Formal Growth in the Desert bundle, which includes a record, lithograph, and pin. Click here to see the band’s tour dates.
In other news, you can finally stream music from the legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul. After many years of delay, the Long Island trio’s classic late ‘80s and early ‘90s albums, including 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead, and Stakes is High, hit streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music on March 3rd. The group’s innovative sampling technique, largely crafted by DJ Prince Paul was, ironically, the source of the group’s hold up when it comes to streaming music. While peers like Beastie Boys and Public Enemy also used many uncleared samples in albums from the same era, De La’s label opted to not release the music on streaming platforms until changes were made to the original source recordings—including scrubbing some elements and re-recording others.
“It was a ‘create first and ask permission later’ kind of affair, as much of early hip-hop was,” writes Dan Charnas for Slate, in a piece that rightly suggests it’s time for copyright reform when it comes to sampling. The release of De La’s music, sadly, comes within weeks of the passing of member Trugoy.
Sadly, this week’s news program ends with another obit. On March 4th, producer, engineer, and photographer Glen Lockett, AKA Spot, passed away at 72. As the in-house producer for SST Records, Spot was responsible for recording classic albums by Black Flag, the Meat Puppets, Husker Du, Minutemen, Descendents, and many more. Spot’s production techniques were barebones. Coming from a jazz background, his approach emphasized unfussy, quick, and affordable sessions. For example, doom metal pioneers Saint Vitus recorded each track on their debut in a single take.
Spot’s recent work included a novel, Decline and Fall of Alternative Civilization. On Twitter, Steely Dan hater and producer Steve Albini wrote, “Every music scene needed someone to document it, someone with no agenda, an open mind and hot mics.” He was joined by Mike Watt, Bob Mould, Joe Carducci, and many in praising the late producer. Respect, to Spot.
That’s gonna do it. WASTOIDS Music News is brought to you by Hello Merch. This week, tons of new stuff from Dead Kennedys! Got a news tip? Give us a call, 1-877-WASTOIDS.