Death in Beds on Young Lungs Ltd

When you have 300 records on green vinyl, you have no choice except to stack them up in a pyramid..drug cartel style. Afterwards, you should probably pose next to them like a young, modern Hall and Oates would.

The guys from Death in Beds in were playing in the area and of course just pressed a seven inch. I'm the last guy to have listen to this... let's face it...this is deep throat metal, I mean it's just evil. If you're into this then you know you want it in 2 seconds. I'm not going to convince anyone, they aren't going to get new people to give this a chance...that's just the way it is. I think it's kind of amazing bands are still going this direction...there doesn't seem to be an endgame to this...I mean it's gone as hard and as fast as it's going to. Right? But then that can be exactly what everyone says before someone comes along to change everything.
The problem for me is I just feel like a pussy listening to this. I mean I still enjoy (well enjoy is the wrong word...see what a little girl I am?) Bright Eyes for gods sake. If they were both on my ipod at the same time, some kind of police would arrest me and someone is going to jail. But then again I love some Sabbath every once in a while...some Hate Beak...Isis...but I'm not hardcore, I don't know the intricacies of this genre, I know I can rock this shit for like 10 minutes and my old man head hurts, but in that 10 minutes, I broke 3 things and drank half a bottle of whiskey and drew pentagrams in the carpet. But again... I will deny it if anyone saw me.
I scare myself.

The name of the band is Deathbeds (myspace.com/indeathbeds) and our new record, 'No Funeral,' was just put out this year as the first release on our friends label, Young Lungs Ltd (300 'regular press' copies on green vinyl, + 30 'test press copies', + 30 'rejected test presses' w/ alternate art and CDs).

Good luck guys, I'm all for the seven inches of any kind.

These guys are playing the sweet basement of the Charleston in ground zero of Bedford Ave, Sat Apr 03, 8pm @ The Charleston Deathbeds with Easter, Concussion, Isolation...it's Saturday and doesn't the Charleston have free pizza?
Shit, it's a done deal.

German Measles and The Nymphettes at Death by Audio 3-25-10

I ended up hanging out with Tim and Aaron Condon from Herizon Thursday night, they were passing through working on their massive documentary, and we ended up going to good old Death By Audio to catch The German Measles and Nymphettes. I noticed this single from The Measles at a merch table and picked it up before the set. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Tim said he had actually picked up one of their cassettes in New Hampshire or Vermont the previous week and they had been listening to it in the van the whole way to NY. As they got onstage they reminded me of Nodzzz, that unassuming style all their own, and proceeded to seemingly throw together this kid of geek punk that wasn't interested in faster louder, but melodies held together with scotch tape and staples. Chords hanging around a second too long, the drummer straining to hear changes, bass playing barely along. It works in that unfiltered pop culture way. It's a mess, like the back of the sleeve: xerox cutout Charlie Brown, monsters, high school yearbook pictures. All of those things that are a little off in their own way, or maybe it's putting them all together that you end up with the weirdo punk monster with tourettes of German Measles. The A-Side track from the single 'Color Vibration' is a perfect example, it's no surprise he's actually singing about colors: frequency of light / is making me feel stoned / neuroscience can you tell me / what these colors are doing to me in a off beat delivery, he lyrics are the most important, jam it into weird phrasing say color vibrations as fast as possible and the rest has this lazy drunk stumbling around quality. Forget love, it's all been done before...well not a song about color vibration, I guarantee. They are just a crazy mystery..the next song live is about how it's 'party time', or how he's 'totally wild'. They're messing with contradictions (and this NY Press reporter).

from their myspace

Afterwords Aaron said 'that was like seeing a punk joy division'. The lead singer is awkward, and maybe it's just because being with those guys made me think about the city in a little different way...but that's what makes New York so great, it's not put on, it's just his thing. He's got a job, orders pizza, books a show at DBA, but also has a collection of black light velvet paintings that would blow your mind. Perfectly normal. I can relate to this outsider do your own thing freak direction they have going completely. So uncool, they are cool again.
Looks like it's sold out from Wild World, so check the usual distro's or April 17th at Glasslands you might be able to pick up a copy.

The Nymphettes up after GM were insane energy, the lanky lead singer/guitarist practically had the shakes smashing into the mic, the drummer kept it high tempo and was an all around ridiculous drummer. Solid, fun blasting songs I want to hear again. They have a single as well from Signed by force records that I'm going to look into.

Coyote Slingshot 'First Word of Evil Omens - Vitium' on Super Secret Records

Super Secret Records just released this EP 7" single from Coyote Slingshot which is one of just a tiny handful of releases Super Secret has put out from a band not from Austin. They were willing to make an exception after hearing CS because they believe in Coyote just that much. This 4 song mini-EP is housed in an amazing watercolor sleeve by Hilary Nelson of I'm guessing Coyote himself with a black flag neutral milk hotel shirt on and crayon track names on the reverse side, it's a combination of time consuming calculated precision and haphazard accident that's reflective of what's going on inside musically.
The A-Side, 'So Long Silly Rabbit' starts out with a simple piano sample that explodes into a huge mess of sounds. Layers of electronics, programmed percussion and blasts of guitar. There's so much here it's impossible to pick apart, are there actually brass instruments mixed in here? If it's not confounding you with overwhelming melody then Dominic is pouring on the symbolism in coded stream of consciousness lyrics with a Win Butler of Arcade Fire quality, forever on the verge of a powerful breakdown.
'A Song for Revenge' follows the minimal packed lyric reprieves with layers and layers of blown out sound, electronics, it's going the way of Railcars, that compressed deliberate cacophony, more layers of electronics. All demo loops from thrift store keyboards, Casiotone for the punk alone. Instead of the intimate hushed bedroom project, it goes the opposite, throwing everything at the song meticulously constructed for days with abandon. Pile it on.

'FTW' has my favorite melody based in a carnival acoustic riff, with blown out percussion bassline. He has this manic energy that comes through even in the recording, there isn't a minute of rest, it's an all out assault even in this seemingly down tempo number. It's chugging along to the very end. He latches on to unsettling descriptions, like Edward Gorey, despite it's surface attraction, there's a lot of terrible underneath. They burned all the trash / at the elementary school
'Firecracker Mouth' continues to follow this dense multilayered line of thought where he's vocally cracking apart like David Byrne, slightly unstable, it's not traditionally pretty, the melodies aren't based in power chords and rhyme. Coyote, again is like the sleeve, appropriating native american symbolism and 80's punk. Music has the quickest cycles of slash and burn, just to have something like thins spring up out of the smoking earth.

Plus it looks like he's one hell of a performer working the backing instrumentation, like a one man Japanther with just a guitar, flinging himself around with the energy that only a 19 year old with nothing to lose could possibly have.

Clear red vinyl with blue parchment printed xerox insert liner notes of a coyote who loves you so god damn much.

It's easy...get it from interpunk.com or paypal $6 to supersecretrecords (at) hotmail.com.

I just released Cayote Slingshot's debut 7". He's a 19-year old from Fairfield, Iowa and is touring for the first time in February and March 2010. His influences include Neutral Milk Hotel, Titus Andronicus, Off with Their Heads, and Dillinger Four. He's been performing as Coyote Slingshot since March 2009 and also plays in another band named Porno Galactica.

Coyote is always busy either playing music, putting on shows, and making art. Some information about this can be found at his blog at http://sweatpower.blogspot.com. He also has a website featuring a large selection of his music here. His MySpace page.

There are a total of 300 records pressed for this release; 200 black vinyl and 100 red vinyl. There are a total of 4 songs on this record. Please note in your order if you want red vinyl or black vinyl.

Interview with Harding Street Assembly Lab pt 2

It's been another one of those weeks and I was a little late getting part two of the interview with the Lab assembled. It didn't help I ended up at Death By Audio with the brothers Condon from Herizon at a German Measles show Thursday night after hearing about an amazing documentary on underground music they've been shooting for the past year. More on the single from German Measles later, so grateful to those guys for suggesting that show. The Nymphettes were insane too...
So here's the wrap up of my conversation with Joanna and Nathan from Harding Street. At the beginning is an excerpt from the Herizon/Virgineola split, first "Home Again' from Herizon and then 'Boyd's Fe' from Virgineola which was the first release from HSAL. Nathan talks about the importance of local record stores supporting artists, the seven inch is the bands handshake and putting together shows. Get their latest releases from The Lab's site or emailing direct hardingstreet(at)gmail.com

Here is is part 2 of The Harding Street Assembly Lab. (11min) Download here, or listen below.

EP76HSALpt2 by 7inches

Pumice 'Magnedisk Recordings Of gFrenzy Songs' on Dirty Knobby

I was introduced to this guy way too late, I'd keep seeing his stuff pop up here and there, releases, I just never took the time/money to investigate further, and I've definitely missed out. I love the crazy every sound is valid style bedroom recording. It takes a lot for someone like this to succeed in their own room, maybe record some cassettes, but to take this out on a stage can be impossible. He's seemed to have successfully pulled that off and to be able to straddle both of those areas is a feat definitely. One I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to witness unfortunately. I don't think he's ever actually toured here, but I'm probably wrong.
This single is a perfect example of the lengths he's going in recording....check out a sample on Dirty's myspace. This Magnedisk device is insane, I can't find that much info anywhere online, but it sure makes Pumice sound like a warbly nightmare...he really takes advantage of this insane format to then transpose it to another obsolete format. I have to respect someone that can create something you'll never hear anyone else attempt. Let alone I know nothing about gFrenzy...probably someone else that's going to take another seven inch to get me to look into. For God's sake I just won my first R. Stevie Moore single on ebay. Some things inexplicably pass me by.

I like Doug's take on it, even die hard low-fi disciples are going to have to prepare themselves for the sound of this mess.

Get it from dirty knobby, who I also respect for pressing this for maniacs like me.
Thank you.

Pumice
Magnedisk Recordings Of gFrenzy Songs
PS, US Bleedin' gorgeous! PUMICE covers 4 songs by NZ genius recluse GFRENZY, & the results will make you want to throw all yr other records out the window. Seriously unique & utterly gleeful warble-fi gems. Stefan says, "It's a pretty rugged record. 4 gFrenzy songs, I recorded it on this weird dictation machine from the 1940s. The speed is inconsistent so it sounds wobbly too. All live all mono. Hope you like it." LIMITED TO 500

The Babies on Make a Mess Records

Eric from Make a Mess / Nodzzz emailed about this latest single from the Woods/Vivian Girls side project The Babies. I already missed out on the 'All things come to pass' single on the girls own Wild World Records which I just realized today, so I jumped on this one.
The track on their myspace 'Meet me in the city' has those far off layered reverb backup vocals from Cassie, with the laid back strum rock of Real Estate with straight ahead punchy country vocals. It's a little dose of summertime while the mean memories of winter are fading away. A catchy effortless combination that keeps popping up in your head full of jangly fuzz. Everyone joins in for the chorus 'hey won't you meet me downtown!', and it's a perfect mix follow up to Nodzzz's 'In the City'.... once you get there.
They have some dates coming up in Brooklyn which will be worth catching.... I don't know how they find the time.

Get it direct from Make a Mess.

"Meet Me In The City b/w Somebody Else" is the debut 7" from a new NYC combo, The Babies. The 7" record will be, quite appropriately, the seventh release for San Francisco imprint Make A Mess Records.

'Meet Me In The City' and 'Somebody Else' are rollicking pop gems, pungent with sweet harmonies, raucous beats, tambourines, skyscraping guitars, the works. Summer dreams, psychic revelry, concrete heat, Babies are born!

The individual Babies are no strangers to melodic transcendance, as their work in such groups as psych-pop wonderkinds Woods and chainsaw sirens Vivian Girls will attest to. Anybody with an ear for indie pop mayhem had best put their spending shoes on pronto, as these Babies are star children of an entirely different breed!

The Blanche Hudson Weekend on Odd Box Records

The Blanche Hudson Weekend is ex-members of the Manhattan Love Suicides who seem to love giant elaborate descriptive names for their music projects..this one is based on a character from Whatever happened to Baby Jane? Well, her jealous sister locked her in the mansion and fed her her pets and tortured her...so right away it's going to be ominous themes piled high with surface sweetness.
layers...real syrupy Take the first track 'Grip of Fear', it's something like the Softies or the Sundays with JAMC shoegaze...the breathy harmonies, slightly vulnerable, really indie melodic pop guitar but pulling out lines like 'I should stay indoors because the streets are mean' that keep it edgy. It's the sort of thing that half listening you stop in your tracks. It sounds like a lulabye, but you're not falling asleep. It's the knife in the water.
The tortured violin strings on the AA Side 'Only Snow' are their Velvets moment. Contrast the sweet with the painful.
I don't think The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have captured that 90's indie K record sound quite as closely as The Blanche Hudson Weekend, I think it was the promise of them trying that got everyone all excited. It's here in the treble heavy electrics that sound like they're peaking out, with the main focus always on the vocals from Caroline and Darren that are so ethereal it's not exactly even human. They are getting an alien sound from the simplest elements...vocals and electric, but what exact chain of reverb and chorus and delay is a mystery. It's not Vivian Girls...I'm not hearing the shangri-las as much of an influence as say Lush, or the wall-of-sound fuzzyness that goes as far as My Bloody Valentine towards the end of this track. A sincere homage to that 'alternative' era.
If I get any more nostalgic I'm going to actually watch Pump up the Volume again.

This one is going to be an import direct from Odd Box, can't seem to find this carried on this side of the Atlantic.

The Blanche Hudson Weekend is here. Featuring Caroline and Darren (ex-Manhattan Love Suicides) along with a bunch of other Weekenders , and bringing to you all kinds of noise , fuzz , melody , dissonance , rawness , killer tunes and buzzsaw pop. Take a bit of 1960s girl group sounds , mix with Girls In The Garage type ramshackle production , add some gun slugging guitars and sugar sweet vocals with a keen ear for a great hook , then lock the doors , bolt the windows , switch off the phone , kill the lights , turn up the volume to ear splitting levels and enjoy The Blanche Hudson Weekend. This is their 2nd single and it showcases a slightly less in your face side to their fuzzy dissonant sound.

Side A 01 Grip of Fear 02 Sharks
Side AA 03 Snow

Pirate Love - Little Girls Split on Best of Both Records

Pirate Love.... not a great name, but really does that ever make a difference? Are they handicapping themselves? They're Norwegian, so maybe it's a matter of weird translation or something. They just hit SXSW and released a couple of singles I heard about recently from Best of Both Records and Kong Tiki Records.
Their track, 'Space Doubt' on the split pictured above with Little Girls is the one from Best of Both Records. It's actually posted on their myspace, and is reminding me of a bratty melodic Make-Up, with heavy doses of the Cramps. There's that greaser hot-rod rockabilly element in the warbly effects or maybe it's the massive reverb guitars. Lead David Al Dajani has all kinds of attitude and the live show is probably too big for the venues their jammed into if the promo pics are any indication. His half snotty delivery goes from emotional JAMC to screeching blown out Gogol Bordello - without the gypsies. It's definitely an unusual mix, but I'm guessing like the Replacements, they're out to move the audience and could care less about dissecting how they arrived here, and I can respect that. Bonus points for being on a split with little girls...

Maybe a distributor or two is carrying this, but they might have all sold out at sxsw...so why am I even telling you about this? Because they're playing Cameo gallery this week, the 25th, in Brooklyn and they might bring some with them...

The little girls ... I don't think I've given them enough earplay, their captured tracks single was on the turntable for a while, but I missed the Mexican Summer EP, and haven't been back since...which is a shame. They have a real minimal Joy Division feel on everything, fits perfectly on the Captured roster. This one, '///////' is still dark, with that perfect Cure chorus bassline sound under flat no wave drums. The vocals are always nicely buried, just mustering enough effort to make some kind of sound. There isn't the poetry of JD to latch on too and obsess about, which makes it even darker in my book. What the hell could they be talking about? What I'm making up is far worse. Eventually it picks up tempo and even rocks a little solo which doesn't take me out of it at all...great. I want a full length from these guys already.

Best of Both Records brings you the best of Toronto and Oslo independent music with a 7” split featuring Pirate Love’s “Space Doubt” and Little Girls “///////”. The 7” will be officially released at SXSW. The beauty of this project is that these tracks have never been released before and are exclusive to this 7” vinyl. Only 250 copies will be pressed.

If 7” vinyl are your thing, then you’ll also be pleased to hear that Kong Tiki Records will be adding to the 7” craze and releasing a purple Pirate Love 7” vinyl exclusively available at SXSW, as well. Limited edition and merlot-tinted, this 7” vinyl will feature “Sick of You” and “A Kiss Hello” off of their 2008 LP Black Vodoun Space Blues.

03/26 – Brooklyn, NY – Cameo Gallery w/ The Vandelles and Thee Vicars

Interview with The Harding Street Assembly Lab

"Why don't we just be the record label?"

I talked to Joanna and Nathan from the Harding Street Assembly Lab a couple weeks back now and tried to get a sense of the amazing sounding community of artists and musicians they're bringing together under the umbrella of THSAL. We talked about the origins of the Lab, the singles they've released so far, Joanna's art for The Late Virginia Summers single, what relationship central Virginia has to this collection of musicians and the various connections of all the bands involved. It's a utopian collective, like the Endless Nest on the west coast.

Herizon kicks the interview off with 'All Gone' and at the end you'll hear Pebble Azalea Starfish from 'The Late Virginia Summers' both available from the Lab contact them direct (hardingstreet(at)gmail.com) to pick up these singles, they're an idiosyncratic piece of central virginia.

Episode 75 (!) is part one of the interview with The Harding Street Assembly Lab, download it here (18min).

They also just released this compilation to sample for free the other day....the Lab is working overtime.

it's here! it's here!

our first compilation, available as a track by track digital download, is up & ready for consumption over at www.hardingstreet.org.

we are super excited to be sharing the work of these artists & friends with you!

let us know what you think, be it a 350 word write up on the entire comp for your blog, or a simple reaction to one of the songs.

a HUGE thanks to all the artists that have contributed to making HSAL #08 something special:

- andrew weathers

- white laces

- CAVE DRUMS

- moruza

- brian hall

- goodwill falcon

- starmount

- saskatoon

- herizon

- asentimentalsong

nathan . the harding street assembly lab

www.hardingstreet.org

Joseph Childress / Strangers Die Every Day on Ash From Sweat + Empty Cellar Records

I was first introduced to Joseph on his split from Empty Cellar with the White White Quilt...then I saw another 7" from Joseph when I was poking around EC's latest releases. It's a cooperative release with Ash From Sweat records and this time he's paired up with Strangers Die Everyday, I'll get to JC's side, but I can't get over the Strangers B-Side called 'Untitled'...I had no idea what to expect, so this post rock cello, violin, bass and drums instrumental took me by complete surprise. I've been really getting more into Mono lately, especially the orchestral passages where I forget what I'm listening to or where it's going. To hear these instruments stripped down like this, not in a huge chorus situation is haunting, and everything can't help but just sound amazing...I can appreciate the skill it takes to play serious instruments like these and then to apply that training to Godspeed type moody drawn out complex arrangements like these really is just amazing. The range this piece goes through an a lowly side of seven inch vinyl is impressive...like Locrian, they pack a massive journey into these grooves. It's an instrumental score that effortlessly writes the movie...it would really be a shame to slap this over any kind of imagery though. There's so much going on, I don't want any distractions...and on vinyl with the format emphasizing the full voice of these instruments...I'm ordering and looking for a full length.

Do I even need to mention the Childress side? Of course, that would be ridiculous...Joseph recorded 'White Castle Creek Mother', he's got a great voice for starters...I don't know what to compare it to or why it just sounds good, it's one of those personal, intangible things I guess. Take any singer/songwriter like this and first of all you have to have a personality, which I think you can hear/sense right away. If I didn't even know anything about his personal story I know all of that would still come through. He switches into falsetto halfway into a word, his phrasing doesn't follow the melody, lyrically it takes insane work to construct this narrative. It's a weird creation myth story which should be straightforward but it's done in this mysterious way that isn't starting at the beginning. There's a subtle arrangement behind this that reminds me of some direction Will Oldham could go, (where doesn't he go?) or Bowerbirds without the massive kick drum, it's not country or neo-folk, just head held up straight ahead talent that I could take an awful lot of.

Denver label Ash From Sweat records proudly serves up this great split 7" from two Denver expats, Joseph Childress & Strangers Die Everyday. Joseph plays a stunning rendition of “White Castle Creek Mother" the only track to surface from his 2007 recording sessions with Chris Adolf of Bad Weather California. Drawing on chilling imagery of the personal & collective history of the plains in Wyoming on which he worked ranch – as told to him by a young girl – “White Castle Creek Mother" features a beautifully subdued full band arrangement, a rarity for Joseph’s recordings. Strangers Die Everyday contribute a beautiful multi layered post-rock composition. In the vein of Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky, their untitled track achieves a remarkable level of lush intensity despite sparse instrumentation and but one electric instrument, a bass guitar, amidst a cello, violin, and drums. 480 copies exist on grey vinyl with full color artwork by Aaron Ray. Above and beyond packaging again, by Ash From Sweat.

8 bucks from Empty Cellar where you can pick up the Tim Cohen full length (!) which is amazing...or that Cairo Gang I just gave a listen to the other day. Or go over to Ash from sweat where there's got to be something else in their catalog you'll want, but you'll have to email Dan because they run things without paypal buttons or shopping carts or one clicks...they'd appreciate a nice note instead.

Two works for turntables from Stephen Cornford

I'm a sucker for singles that are themselves tiny pieces of conceptual art...the Dan Graham single at the Whitney, all Joe Colley's singles, the glow in the dark one with toy walkie talkie feedback...I feel all warm inside knowing these things are out there. Documenting an insane installation is obscure enough, but then to press it on 7" vinyl? Wow, there's no limits to what's going to end up on a 45. This piece... or 7" is especially meta-meta as Matt likes to say...basically it's the sound of two prepared turntables turning, grinding and ringing away. It's their swan song as they won't be playing any vinyl ever again, but I bet they never thought their own weirdo noises would ever be pressed into vinyl to be played on another turntable...oh the cycle of vinyl life. It's sad, but beautiful. They actually do make kind of a cool noise, the sound of the metal disc being struck by something, that 'shing' sound the aluminum platter makes when I drop that heavy weight thingy over the spindle...ooops. And does that really do anything for a tiny single by the way? How much vibration is it dampening? I'm a sucker.
The recordings on both sides of the vinyl sound layered, I don't think they are actually field recordings of the work playing in the gallery, which is ok, that has to exist by itself as one piece and here Stephen is taking those sounds and reorganizing them into something of a composition. It makes sense. (that's exactly what he did -ed)
I think this is on Permanent gallery records(?)...you can hear samples from both pieces on Stephen's site or at Mimaroglu....they would carry something like this.
Damn I wish I had more money.
They deserve more of it.

A 7" record published by Permanent Gallery on the occasion of my solo exhibition Works for Turntable. The record contains two compositions assembled from recordings of the amplified kinetic sculptures that featured in the show and is available directly from me or from the following friendly outlets: The Permanent Bookshop (UK), Mimaroglu Music Sales (US), Tochnit Aleph (DE), Sound 323 (UK) and Art into Life (JP).

Trust on Red Tape Records

Red Tape records has cornered the market on math/metal in Denmark. There must be one hell of a scene based on the strength of these two bands...first it was Obstacles and their tight, virtuosic unbelievable compositions and then Trust, which feels more classic, combining sabbath feel chords, that commitment to Norwegian black metal, and classic 70's progressive stuff... Yes, Witchcraft...a little Rush, they aren't working towards an impossible show of skill as much as putting this mystical rock feel behind it. A little bit the goofy days of Spinal Tap, Accept, Dio, when things were getting a little out of hand with the spirits and nymphs of the woods covers, but Trust doesn't ever get that excessive or wanky...they keep it reigned in. I could easily believe this was recorded in that period by a band that started it all and influenced all those other guys...like the Harvey Milk of stoner rock.
Mythic Maps Pt. 1, even has these weird chord changes, like Queen or something, I'm into the vocals, I'm having trouble believing this is just two guys...that's seriously impressive. I think Dungen got a little too psyche for me, they would lose me with almost jams...this is seriously channeling Sabbath.... the layered minor singing about the galaxy...I have to hand it to them this is way more complex functioning than most people have not stoned. Ok, it's The Fucking Champs and Dead Meadow.
I could see a kind of Dazed and Confused shot a few years from now about the 90's and digging up these guys for the soundtrack...it has that feel of being at the cutting edge of an old blade. The classic awesome metal you missed out on somehow. This was the good stuff only your older brothers friends knew how to get a hold of...they were drinking out where the cops couldn't find them on the bluffs, and this was their tape.
They handed you a beer if you were lucky and when they were drunk enough they would say, 'Listen to this man it's going to blow your mind....shut the fuck up! Are you fucking listening?'
Some US distro out there, fusetron....midheaven....please carry this and do everyone a favor. It rules right? What did I fucking tell you?

Trust - "Mythic Maps" 7"
Second release of Trust!
500 copies

All music by Trust
Recorded by Trust, Summer 2009
Mastered by Peter Peter & Peter Kyed
Trust are:
Henrik W. Hald: Vocals, Guitars
Lars Buch Laursen: Drums

1. Ancient Amplifiers
2. Mythic Maps Pt. 1
3. Mythic Maps Pt. 2
4. Van Gogh's Ear

If you are a real bad ass you'll go for it and email these guys redtapecontact (at) gmail.com for a copy.

Woods 'I was gone' on Woodsist

Saw Woods with Real Estate at the beginning of the rainiest weekend ever, of course their 'No Rain' tour, which actually I think refers to their Blind Melon cover jam with Real Estate they are no doubt going to do at the end of each night down to SXSW. I picked up this single at the merch table which I like it a lot better than their live show, which is missing a lot of these subtleties and layers. Live it's harder to pull off what is essentially close intimate recordings. I have a huge respect for what Jeremy Earl has done with Woodsist and it undoubteldly is contributing to his success with Woods, but live it's just not my thing. It meanders, gets way to psyche, and just kind of unremarkable.
The A-Side 'I was Gone' has a bunch of false starts which are nice, the layers are all over the place, tons of different rhythms, and once it gets going it's back to Jeremy's almost comic falsetto..it's like a muppet, I'm into the joke, it's unique..but musically it's getting lazy velvet underground or mv & ee, all kijnds of pointless noodling on guitar, gets faster, slows down again. I appreciate conciseness, you have a viewpoint, something to say, then get to the point. This sounds like guitars in love with making their own sound.
The B-Side (I think the woodsist description in wrong, The B-Side is definitely 'Days gone by' and 'Hang on') starts with an eastern sounding reverb electric, with a tighter pop high harmony vocals on this one, and we're getting somewhere. When they get this live in the livingroom sound with otherworldly angelic vocals, there really isn't anything better. The improv is at a minimum and it's a perfect length to ask yourself exactly what was that.
'Hang on' has a ton of Lucas' vocal manipulations over a heavy tempo drumbeat, I especially love the scream yells with massive tight plate echo, scary...but it doesn't end up with anything memorably melodic, but still an interesting side I didn't catch live. But again they're trying to recreate really intimate moments which come across as a little too hippie for me at the music hall.
Nice single, limited(?) to 1,500 copies....they're optimistic.

WOODS- "I Was Gone"- 7" ep (WOODSIST041)--->OUT NOW! $7.00 postage
paid in the USA

"guess this new woods ep is a more unconscious approach to the written song. A side is a 3 part tape collage/head scratcher called 'Days GoneBy.' B side features new easy breezy psych rock single, 'I was Gone' and the drugged out tribal child, 'Hang On.' its crunchy. take with some honey slides"- Tattoo Marty

limited/ one time only pressing of 1,500 copies

DON'T MESS WITH HOUSE'S 7"'S!

Interview with Fort Lowell Records part 2

Here's part 2 of my interview with James from Fort Lowell Records. We talked about the pressing of their first single from Young Mothers, the importance of color vinyl, printing locally and his love for Tuscon.
The Young Mothers single should be ready for order on April 20th, look for the review sometime before it hits Fort Lowell, but in the meantime listen for an excerpt from the A-Side 'Come on, the Cross' and I start the whole thing off with a track from Tracy Shedd, who is doing a split with the Fort very soon.

Download it here (25mb).

The Cairo Gang 'Holy Clover' on Empty Cellar Records

Whoa.... what happened at the Empty Nest Collective? A million more records have been released that's what.
Arvel sent this one in the other day, and looking at the website, they have been insanely busy since the last time I checked in.
This latest single from The Cairo Gang is just the tip of the iceberg, in fact I just noticed they are playing with Will Oldham at Monster Island April 1st, which I'm working on getting tickets for, but it isn't looking good. How they're pulling this show off is impressive for Will and the Island.
But the Oldham connection doesn't end there, looking at the back of the sleeve it turns out Paul Oldham mastered this 4 song EP from these slow lyric heavy rockers, working with a lot of classic tear the insides out minimal instrumentation.
After reading their disclaimer to music journalists I'm at a bit of a loss, and a little worried about comparing this to any kind of sunday afternoon 70's feel without being another misguided douche. I'm not versed enough in those references to really know what I'm talking about, but I imagine it's the sort of thing that could have been played on turntables 30 years ago, informed by soaring honest country, and beaten English rock. All with an overwhelming sadness for sure, 'Lovers Only' kicks it off with acoustic, deliberate slow enough to hear every string as an individual note, with Emmett Kelly close mic'd enough to hear every inhale. He's inside your head, right in that personal space. 'The World Outside' is far away layered heavy echo...I'm hearing that inside-a-silo tone that seems to be an underlying theme with the Cellar. This one builds staying melancholic but climbing out of desperation, things are going badly...it's a hand on the rainy windowpane as you pull out of the driveway. Jesus...with angels.

The B-Side's "Get's me back' is driven by this loud slow strum electric and Emmett's higher harmonies this time until the groove starts...they balance this minimal songs:ohia feel with Neil's completely leveling 'Down by the river'. I sometimes ask myself how all of these styles can make any sense to one person, or am I just bombarding myself with no sense of direction. Well, then I remind myself when it's as honest and true to it's direction you can hear it. There's no gauge exactly, but there's not the slightest sense of parody or imitation. If you hear this dedication, it just makes sense. 'Holy Clover' just can't get loud, I'm really turning it up but there's a layer of distance covering the whole sludgy tempo. It's a texture that comes with well worn vinyl grooves, anticipating it's future.

This is the case of the seven inch teasing you with where this band can go given the vinyl room, they've probably got acres of a massive jam in them dying to spread out and take the solo home, trading off between members, everyone gets their moment.

I love that both sides seamlessly combine the tracks together in one long evolving slow ride. It's going to be a hell of a show, these two are going to be perfect together.

Get it from Empty Cellar Records/Endless Nest, who keep releasing compelling classics before anyone else.

"HOLY CLOVER" new EP by THE CAIRO GANG. features four NEW songs recorded in a risen cornfield in shelby county, kentucky. A departure from previous cerebral and primarily acoustic efforts, this record is tight and electric with choruses and vocal harmonies all supported by an enforced bass and drums set. One mic at a time and brought to you in 33 rpms on glorious 7 inch vinyl! Limited copies made available by Empty Cellar and Tin Angel in the USA and Europe, respectively. Includes freed downloadable version.

The Sediment Club on Soft Spot Records

Soft Spot Records released a great reissue of AA's 'Essential Entertainment' a while back, which I'm surprised to see they still have copies available? So if you think the Sediment Club is another band from days of old new wave that deserved a rerelease you wouldn't be half wrong. The first few listens of this single I was convinced The Sediment Club was another brilliant unearthed band I'd never heard of from the early 80's. How they are pulling this off so sincerely in 2010 is a god damn accomplishment. Like the first time I heard Gang of Four's 'Entertainment' it's so completely jarring in arrangement and so awesomely nonrhythmic with back and forth vocals and organ? way. I want to hear just how the hell this is working so well over and over. Why is no one else doing this?
The A-Side 'Panic Berlin Fun' is a bunch of elements playing separately but coming together in such a kick in the ass reaction to the no-fi garage punk scene. It's yelling/spoken vocals repeated, crisp barely distorted guitar, with a solid bassline waiting for this jangly whammy bar unplayable riff to keep you guessing. The organ works off this mess of guitar sounds so well. The title of this track reminds me of a store awning on 14th street, 'Funny Cry Happy Gift' it makes no sense grammatically, forget the articles, blast the message out as simply as possible. This is completely out there on it's own in such a genius way.

'No More Earth' is a frank list of things that will be absent when it all ends. The guitar is so haphazard it's on a mission of it's own...it's eerie how much this could have been the best continuation in direction for Go4 that they never tried to explore.

No think tank / no septic tank / no thurston moore / not any more / No (more earth) no (more earth).

It ends with a countdown to 1, and the songs over, all they needed was 2 minutes to completely smash it all apart musically and forget the whole god damn world, to reinvent the direction of music.
An amazing debut single from this band I will definitely be trying to see on the 19th at 13 Thames Street in Brooklyn.

WFMU has a great piece about this band with a bunch of tracks from a recent station appearance...it's a shame what an amazing NYC music resource in free form programming I can't listen to continuously. It makes me want to have a walkman again, just to walk around and tune that shit in.

The Sediment Club are a 4-piece No Wave group from Brooklyn, New York. Their debut EP puts a modern and youthful spin on familiar post-punk tropes, bringing to mind the deranged and bizarrely catchy innovations of the Contortions and early Pere Ubu. Four songs filled with existential ranting, squirrely atonal guitars, and spastic keyboard stabbing atop hypnotic basslines and propulsive drums. Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies.

Get it from Soft Spot Records.

Japanther / The Pharmacy split on Bachelor Records

Caught Japanther this past Friday at their record release party for Rock and Roll Ice Cream, it was insanity as usual, although I think they benefit from a nonconventional space. They won me over one day a long time back opening for Death from Above at Club Exit, since then I've caught them in backyards and basements and they're always amazing. I'm into the recordings but they really can't capture what a manic fun fest they are, just those two guys kicking all kinds of ass. The super fans make the show even more entertaining, getting on stage singing along diving into the inevitable pit, kicking the house lights. It's nice to feel a tiny bit in danger watching rock and roll. I also insanely appreciated them playing an entire Unwound album before they went on while Ian stood off to the side air drumming along.
The Pharmacy on the B-Side are groovily rocking the slightly distorted vocals, jangly garage in the vein of the Jacuzzi Boys, it's not frantically convincing, it's just going to slowly win you over. Like the patient garage pop of the Mantles... with hammond organ, huge room drums, classic sounding almost psych...they focus on the smooth reverb sound, heavy on pop hippie vocals and soul? Yeah, I'd agree with that.
They'll be in town at the Cedar house April 2nd and then DBA in May...who knows, maybe they'll have copies of this split there....

This red hot slab of wax was recorded in the desert whilst on a shared U.S. tour. JAPANTHER (Brooklyn, NY) let loose a trashy version of their anti love/anti war number "Not At War." A song that captures the duos true Ramonesy/Germish brat-pop style to a T. THE PHARMACY (Seattle, WA) fire back with "What Are You Doing With Your Life" an upbeat epic complete with piano hooks and breakdowns. Some where between Nirvana and Otis Redding these three smiling friends kick out good poppy punk anthems with a tinge of soul.

On Bachelor Records, which unfortunately is based out of Austria accepting the Euro, but they have a bunch of other great stuff, so it just might be worth splurging for some sweet imports I haven't seen anywhere.

Checking out their blogspot they just posted this old out of print single for free, so you can go check that out if you're so inclined.

Chin Chin - We Don't Want to be Prisoners on Mississippi Records

Mississippi really needs to have a subscription club or something...I'd even be happy with just direct mailorder for god's sake. They're the perfect example reminding us for whatever one band is insanely over hyped in any given time period, there are a hundred bands that have more interesting things going on, and that because of politics, labels, and just plain personal issues they just undeservedly fell by the wayside.
There should be more Mississippi Records curated labels out there doing this great work. The best part is how eclectic their releases are, something like this 80's punk, kettle drum street performers, Jay Abner, it's all on equal playing field. If a record store has a special section for the Mississippi, that's the sign of a record store I'll be going out of my way for. Maybe they're doing physical mom and pop places an incredible service by not existing online...you're forced to track them down literally down the street...(this one was at Permanent Records in greenpoint), or scour every online distro.

The first track, 'We don't want to be Prisoners', is sonically what you're expecting from the early 80's..everything is heavily separated, the thin kick drum, off beat clean guitars...minimal vocal energy. I wonder what they were modeling this sound after...what audience they were going for. It should have been a lot more raw, it's trying to compete with Blondie or X-Ray Specs. I already want a demo version of these tracks. Still it has to be very few takes, lots of little accidents, everyone singing every verse on top of each other with a sincere Swedish accent that just has to be honest, no one would do that on purpose. Take a look at that cover, they aren't punk, it's catchy new wave pop with a bad ass edge. The best is a really weird xylophone sounding guitar part that comes in. I'm not entirely sure it isn't a xylophone, but then it could have just been recorded completely wrong...in a good way.
Usually the thing with these reissues is they're still such a part of a particular sound that whatever tiny contribution they've made to some direction or another it's lost in so much nostalgia that it's impossible to step away from and still take seriously somehow...but this really delivers on this moment in the early eighties with a rare band that transcends the typical traps of punk...I think it's all the great harmonies like on the B-Side with 'Desires only' it gets even more pop, singing background ahh harmonies a little more, the main vocal in super high register. It is getting a little cute, I can hear the Go-Go's kind of reference they're talking about but maybe that's just because I'm hearing it after Pocahaunted and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was a different world, just existing in this scene was revolutionary. It's just inspiring to think there were probably bands like this at one point starting in garages all over the world, and a lone 7" caught it on Farmer Records.

I loved the Animals and Men and The Rats reissues I picked up at the store in Portland, and this is another great addition...it's really amazing what they come up with for lazy historians like myself. They're like the folkways records...the library of congress archives...for genius.

Midheaven and Forced Exposure still have it, it's out at goner, scratch and werido records...probably the last few left.

From Biel Switzerland, comes this little known group. One of the few all-girl bands (along with Kleenex/Lilliput) to come out of the early 80's Swiss punk scene. Chin Chin definitely considered themselves a punk band. Although their catchy pop vocals and harmonies strongly aligned them with the burgeoning C86 scene. They shared bills with The Shop Assistants, Television Personalities, The Pogues and New Model Army, before the band drifted into obscurity. This 7" was originally released in 1984 on the band's own, Farmer Records. It contains 3 self-penned songs and marks their first and punkest release. Keep your eyes peeled for their full length LP out soon as a split between the Mississippi and Slumberland labels.

Interview with James from Fort Lowell Records

I Talked to James this past weekend about his brand spanking new label, Fort Lowell Records...so new, there is literally nothing to even sell yet, just a massive plan to unleash at least 3 singles onto the scene this year, from local Tuscon, AZ bands, on colored vinyl from Young Mothers, ...Music Video? and a split from Wet & Reckless and Tracy Shedd, all of which I play samples of throughout the interview, except his wife Tracy...who I'll have to get to in part 2, next Friday.

I checked out his blog and he is passionate as hell for vinyl, all the way back to experiences with indie 90's singles from Sarah, KRS. We emailed back and forth and he was kind enough to get on the phone with me and talk about the fledgling label before they even have a preorder button for their first release. The hype machine starts here.

Download it here. (22mb, 16min).

James says:

The beauty of 7inch Records lies in their economics; they are not expensive to produce and it does not cost the bands a lot of money to record music for a 7inch, thus making the cost for the customer between five to six dollars. I am personally working extremely hard to ensure that our records offer a great value to you. All records will be released on a limited run of 500 Hand Numbered Colored Vinyl, and will also include an MP3 Download for those customers that don't have a Record Player. All of the artwork will be a Two Color Offset Print, printed locally in Tucson, and NOT on a Photocopier!

Obstacles 'S/T' on Red Tape Records

Red Tape Records alerted me about a couple of their singles they've been releasing lately and this one from Obstacles is amazing in calculated power math intricacy. Instrumental guitar, heavy smacked bass, massive drums, the moments of complete silence, stopping on a dime, they've got it all, and from Denmark of all places. I might have a completely different cultural experience but they've been listening to and loving the exact same things I have their whole lives and writing tracks as good as any of them.

The A-Side 'Others' is full of off-time rhythms, changing main guitar intricate melodies to blow out explosions of stuttered chords. For every moment of it getting metal heavy they really balance it with start and stop moments, brief pauses just to change up the timing again, they don't ever stick to one phrase, it's a hundred conversations happening at once and it's just inspiring.

The B-Side track, 'Essex Man' gets a little help from the sampled pieces of rapid fire bass, the sound that's been resampled to just half a second of a note repeated, machine gun style. That sound is perfect, shellac-y dirty hardly low end, working in the same space as the melodic guitars that are weaving around each other continuously. It's the sort of thing I literally could breakdown measure by measure trying to describe what's going on, but that's pointless...it's a non stop display of virtuosity.
It actually slows down briefly in a Red Sparrows moment to let the layered melody burst back in. Layers and layers and layers, I'm in awe by the amount of effort it must take to perform this. I'm exhausted just listening to it, and I'm so glad there are bands continuing to work in this direction with this dedication and skill.

It's inspiring me to take another listen to all these bands that I love, The Fucking Champs, Don Cab, Pelican. It's got all those moments, insanely impressive. There's not a sound, not a single lazy note, consistentotherworldly precision. It makes me want to give up playing guitar completely. They could stand up easily against all this stuff, they are just as talented. These three songs have to just be the tip of theiceberg. I want more.

And of course there's just one problem, I don't know where to get this domestically, it doesn't show up in any local distros, I'm going to have to trust the US post won't destroy this. It's such a shining example of this complex math style, it's scary. I don't know who actually sits down to try to tackle this kind of material, it takes a really unique group of people who are so devoted to their instruments and pushing their playing to physical limits to attempt this, let alone pull it off so successfully. It's all their on their myspace, check it out.

Obstacles - "S/T" 7" Out Now!

250 Copies on black vinyl
103 Copies on white vinyl

Hand made labels
Handnumbered

Side A: Other(s)
Side B: Happiness Machines
Essex Man

Written and performed by Morten Clausen, Niels-Peder Hjøllund, Jeppe Street Jarlstrøm, Thomas Feltheim..
Recorded by Jakob Reichert Nielsen, Per Chnöeldh, Lars Lundholm, spring/ 2009.
Produced and Mixed by Jakob Reichert Nielsen
Mastered by Daniel Borzeskowski
Artwork by Patrick Ringsborg

Thank you: Jakob Reichert Nielsen, Per Chnöeldh, Lars Lundholm, Daniel Borzeskowski, Patrick Ringsborg, Toke Zandersen and the Red Tape collective, Sune Kaarsberg, Morten Søfting, Jeanette Nordahl, Peter B. Olesen and Björn Bauch at uts,m! booking.

Sonny and the Sunsets on Future Stress Recordings

I mentioned Sonny's Soft Abuse release a while back and this single from him caught my eye the other day, a long playing EP, from another label that looks pretty new on the scene, Future Stress Records.
None of these tracks are on his myspace, as of yet. Sonny has that real 70's songwriter feel for me, like Neil Young and 'Everybody knows this is nowhere'. That lazy Sunday, record spinning away feel, lots of classic instrumentation, pianos, acoustic guitar, slow lazy feel songs about drinking, love, the bullshit of life. Bottom line he's a timeless songwriter, well jack of all trades really, he's illustrating comics, crossing over in all kinds of ways. A modern Townes Van Zandt...this is life, I've got some finely crafted songs that are full of the road, hard times and the bottom of a bottle. It's real country, not that label that plays on the radio, but some kind of hard american experience.

Sonny's site says about the single:

In March of 2009, he gained another residency through The Headlands Center for the Arts to begin a large project called “100 records” in which 100 artists make 7” record covers of fictional bands that he supplies the music for. The show debuts for a five week run at Gallery 16 in San Francisco in April 2010.

Get it from Future Stress, where they still have blue and yellow swirl and bonus comics still available.

Helmed by the acclaimed songwriter, playwright, author & onetime troubadour piano man Sonny Smith, The Sunsets hail from San Francisco’s Ocean Beach district and feature a revolving door lineup that now permanently includes Kelley Stotlz, Ryan Browne and Tahlia Harbour. Friends and neighbors including John Dwyer (Oh Seas) and Tim Cohen (Fresh & Only’s) appeared to contribute to their debut LP, Tomorrow is Alright (available through our friends @ Soft Abuse Records).

Sonny & The Sunsets’ first release on Future Stress Recordings comes in the form of a four song 7”. Three of the songs were recorded at a Headlands Center for the Arts residency in March 2009, and are not featured on the full-length.

Limited quantities of black or blue-yellow vinyl; the first 100 orders will receive an exclusive comic book – Zig Speck: Phenomenal Musician, Colorful Carouser – written & illustrated by Sonny.

Banned Books Mission Creep on Stumparumper

I've had this Banned Books release on the turntable now for an insane amount of time. It's a travesty for you readers, and apologise. I don't know why it's taken this long to get to it really except that it's completely baffling, I have no frame of reference to approach it, or to many...see it's happening again. There's just a massive amount of sounds and ever changing instrumentation, it's hard to grab onto anything solid and run with it, to put this in any easy category.
Pat from Stumparumper told me about seeing this band live and it completely blew him away so he immediately contacted them about putting out a full length. I get it, it's full of experimental multilayered Deerhoof genius, with Les Savy Fav's style vocals and surprising all out rocking powerchords. So it must have been amazing to hear what they finally ended up doing with a multi-track studio at their disposal, and it's thousand instruments.

The first track, 'The Alarm' tries to ease you into their land of insanity with a melodic guitar line that's quickly interrupted by grating fuzz and gated distortion static and wavering analog synth. This is not going to go in a recognizable way. 'Mission Creep' then rocks in with huge classic grating crunchy guitars and up front vocals. It's their most conventional track, which still isn't without it's surprises. I have to wonder if they're talking at all about the mission in San Fran, but I sort of doubt it. Lyrically it tends to be stream of consciousness wordplay, making all kinds of strange connections.
'Supernatural Mongoloid' even goes where Digital Ash in A Digital Urn did, with it's near overwhelming electronic production. They just have an incredible amount of ideas combining in unexpected ways. From muted hyper acoustic to electronic loops, peaked distorted snare to.... squeeks. You have no idea where this is going one second to the next. How this is pulled off live is a mystery. Those of you in Germany this month will have to let me know.
'Wilderness Area' continues to just completely show off their mastery of weird sounds, the volume of instrumentation is bordering on complete impossibility, it's a monster that keeps evolving in a completely unnatural way. The amount of catchy ideas that are typically packed into a track like this is staggering.
The B-Side gets more Tim Harrington with 'Trophy Wife Sings the Devil's Fanfare', with those layered yelling vocals from 'Rome Upside Down', the base melody gets taken apart and pieced back together. I can't get over the complex instrumentation and effort it must have taken piecing it all back up. It's not all serious though, 'Summer Death Camp' finds BB's taking a joke jam to it's limit, a weird waltzy melody about roasting poison marshmallows, complete with a literal breakdown of smashing glass. Anti-anthem combines electronics and a fuzzed out Dead Meadow classic rock sound, then Black Knot of Plum or Cherry has the style and vocal quality of an old weezer track, but with sounds they wouldn't dream of using.
I'm never any closer to figuring this out, and that's always a good thing.

Get it from Stumparumper with the digital download code of the entire 45rpm 12".

Banned Books has existed for less than a year, yet they have already created a 24 minute musical masterpiece. They're a rock band, but none like you've ever heard. Superb songwriting, brilliant production, and awesome musicianship make for a really really fantastic album. The entire thing is pure, rockin joy, but they still have a control of nuance like no other band I've ever heard. Find me another band like this and you win a prize. But don't try because you won't find one.

Edition of 300 12" vinyl records housed in thick, 100% recycled and hand screen-printed paper sleeves. Includes MP3 download card of the album.

Here's a video from these guys that will give you a little sample of the kind of borderline experimental rocking you can expect from this full length EP? Mini Album? Believe me, it won't feel like it.

Mission Creep from Banned Books on Vimeo.

The Alphabet / The Invisible Hand split on Funny/Not Funny Records

This just in from another new label out of Harrisonburg, VA, Funny/Not Funny Records, with a couple of bands The Alphabet and The Invisible Hand and I only needed to hear this once to make it a contender for one of the best of 2010. I know it's early, but something like this makes you just want to remember not to forget. All of a sudden Virginia is completely on my radar with this label and Harding Street Assembly Lab. Is there any particular sound you can put your finger on? This split single says, 'Hell no.'

The Alphabet A-Side, 'Repeat' destroys... completely out of nowhere, all energy and mathy melody that explodes every other verse into cymbal crashes and guitar heights, this sounds amazing on vinyl...get an idea from their myspace, but it's just a thin sample of the full indie massive sound.
I'm reminded of Lync, Cap'n Jazz those bands that I keep going back to, that more than just captured that time for me, they're still classic, for the songwriting, the raw energy. I think they could only have been made that time in their lives where everything has to be all out in the smartest most naive way. There's nothing to lose, maybe no one is listening, it doesn't matter, it's immediate, there's one chance to do this right. These guys have got that. Completely exposed and raw, with all the rocking energy they can possibly muster for this amazing 4 minutes. It's captured perfectly, huge drums, clean bursts, they know exactly what they want to get down, there's no room for too much delay or reverb, that would step on the next change.
The harmonics, bent notes, the repeating guitar melody is just bordering on impossible. The vocals are slightly distorted and borders on falling apart emotionally. Matt's yelling, but always completely controlled. They even have it in them to change it up halfway through just in case you got too comfortable, just to smash it all apart again and again.
This is definitely on 'repeat'. Complete genius.

B-Side The Invisible Hand's 'Death Bellows 45' is a more contemplative bedroom project in the same raw exposed way. Acoustic strumming all underneath atmospheric rising loops, layered vocals from Adam Smith are perfect. Cheap metronome clicks and static environmental sounds providing this platform for a subtle vocal melody. From the rest of the tracks on their myspace, this is a complete departure. A technical intimate whisper against their usual rocking style.
And hell this local newscast loves them.

Both of these guys are serious finds and I'm glad to have been exposed to both of them.

Get it from Funny/Not Funny, not to be confused with Not Not Fun, the best $5 you'll spend on a single. Download code included.

Somewhere on either side of Mount Afton, Virginia, the best bands you haven’t heard yet are warming up their tube amps and plugging in their weathered Stratocasters in cramped, dingy basements. Harrisonburg, Va.-based Funny / Not Funny Records crystallizes this moment by pairing together the Shenandoah Valley sounds of Charlottesville’s The Invisible Hand and Harrisonburg’s The Alphabet.

Both of these sides are great, and I'm definitely going to be looking out for their full length stuff in the future, and Invisible Hand is actually coming to Bruar Falls on the 13th, can't wait.