Does anyone find it weird at all that this nice, harmonic pop is coming from these three tough guys? Is this sweet boy garage band sound about some kind of reliving fake history with a new generation? I mean it sounds so freaking close to some of the bands from that era. Late '50s, '60s, parts of Beach Boys harmony rock, the dirty Kinks, The Mummys....why is this sound still so classic and relevent? And are the only guys into this sound are the ones who know that history? I mean I guess I like that you could subversively get your parents to listen to this and they wouldn't tell you to turn that racket off. Just knowing that makes me a little nuts. How do they make this cool? It's some kind of perfect storm of musical elements. The simplicity of a 3 piece, a verse/verse chorus, slight distortion with harmonized vocals. I guess that's never going to go away and this garage pop sound actually isn't a dirty word, it's kind of been redefined by bands like these guys, Nobunny, Pujol....the list these days goes on forever.
In their description it reminded me of how these guys would have looked 10 years ago...or even for that matter how this came out of the Busy Signals. Now that I listen back to that self titled LP and they had a pretty extreme garage pop sound. When I finally got to it, it ended up preparing me for Blood Visions. I was probably into Sufjan a little too much, but I kept throwing them on because it was always fun and deceptively simple, like the Ramones, I just wanted to hear it again. Once I wore it out I wanted more - a new version of that power chord punk, and Jay took that place. I'm glad to hear these guys are continuing this thread into today.
GAMES are made up of ex members of BUSY SIGNALS and GENTLEMEN JESSE, but to call them a powerpop band would be missing the point. These guys are mining sounds that predate that stuff by a good 5-10 years. Yea, its the kinda stuff that would later influence 'powerpop' (Greg Shaw recognized this early on when he reissued Rockin' Horse on his Voxx label) but there are no skinny ties and Rickenbackers. Instead, Games are tackling maturer themes with a slightly darker approach to pop. You'll also notice a few glam undertones as Games' seem to be genuinely interested in exploring all 'pop' can offer rather than repackaging / remarketing any one style. Rob's House is pleased to release Games' debut single.
I'll admit it, I knew about this one for a little while and actually was afraid I was hinting at it a little too obviously, but Velocity of Sound has officially given the OK for preorders for this new Pujol 45. They really weren't kidding about him releasing the most singles this year. Why not? 2009 was year of the Segall, and I still can't get enough of that screeching punk pop distortion, same goes for Useless Eaters, when you've opened the floodgates like this, it's all coming out, get it pressed already.
Tracklist: A Side: ANGELBABY B Side: OVER THE COUNTER CULTURE JAM
"ANGELBABY", from the up coming Infinity Cat release, "X File On Main St.", takes a super gritty, blues direction to the garage. It starts off with what sounds like a live excerpt from a show, talking on the mic before Pujol hijacks a bassline stripped out of an old funk 45. There's a lot of soul to his mini breakdown, James Brown style. Whispering - 'Just wash my feet'. If you listen closely is he actually saying 'spread your legs' instead of wings? Is there a definitive answer in the gutter of the vinyl to shed some light on this homophonic dilemma? Well, sort of. I just realized this track is just a bassline and kick ass percussion groove, an attack of handclaps, tambourine... metal slaps. It's just minimal and you have to not only have a presence and confidence but talent to will a song out of nothing like this. What has he done to this raw place on a handful of singles? How is he getting this authentic? Whatever the history, Pujol is dusting off some old things that still work, and calling them better than new. There's a babies crying or laughing recording that subtly works in behind the layers of backup vocals as the song starts to trail off. It's a bizarre arrangement for classic rock-blues and it's impressively simple to bring them together, but then that's the whole trick.
The tight, wet reverb (that's totally inappropriate, blame Pujol) on 'OVER THE COUNTER CULTURE JAM' is taking his sound over to the West Coast for a side, or does this one owe more to that Southern Blue Moon of Kentucky picking? You wouldn't know this otherwise as Pujol, the recording itself is a raw garage sound, and it's exclusive to the VOS single. It's a little window into his process, the kind of artifact that's only going to exist on this B-side. Was this destined to never end up officially released until now? Are there pieces of this in extended tracks on X-File...? Did they lose the vocal track?
These two sleeves will also keep you guessing. Is that Pujol surfing on the top of that van above? Or is Pujol on the Evil Weevil sleeve? Then, who is that other guy? What were they doing on top of a van? Is that pizza? And what is a black and white swirl vinyl going to look like? Is that code for grey?
Go try to get some answers from Velocity of Sound....or at least the single.
I heard about Steven Tyler bitching to Letterman about American Idol, which he judging of course, that bands and musicians will only be successful if they work their way up, tour all over the country, and pay their dues before taking the whole thing to another level. Of course he's right, and any band I've ever listened to and enjoyed is probably doing that right now. Music is the tiniest bit about technical skill, singing or otherwise. I guess I was thinking about that listening to Pujol's first single from 3rd Man I got a little while back. It's easy to hear the time and shows behind these couple of tracks already, you can only get to this punchy garage place from just busting ass on a stage over and over. You can hear this insane energy coming through even in a studio situation which isn't easy. Bands can easily be great live, and then the details get in the way, and those performances are lost on the record... Jay, Cheap Time, Ty Segall and Pujol don't have that problem. So it's no surprise 3rd Man then put out a live 12", that's where he's most comfortable...it's a no brainer, but then Turbo Time Records had to go and press at least 3(?) different singles from Daniel and Darren at VOS pointed out yet another one just announced from Evil Weevil Records. One of the tracks 'How High' was just added to his myspace and has his trademark layered rough vocals and raw guitar as catchy as ever. The pace of these singles is almost on tempo with the tracks themselves, but when everything is this spontaneous and instinctive as this, it deserves to end up on a classic 45.
The yellow vinyl on Evil is already out at the source, but look for some on tour.
Also...Monday I have big news about a 7" pre-order from an unnamed label, stay signed into paypal and have your fingers hovering over the 'pay now' button if you have to have all things Pujol.
Evil Weevil says:
Daniel Pujol and company call Nashville home. This a 2 song single that will be on their debut LP on Infinity Cat Records called "XFILES ON MAIN ST" due out later this year. Daniel with the help of friends Ben Todd(So Jazzy) and Wes (Natural Child THE BEST BAND IN AMERICA) produce 2 equally catchy tracks of punky pop garage music.
He's released records with Third Man Records, Infinity Cat, and Turbo Time, before years end he will have the world record of most amount of records released by a human. I just made that up but is there really a way to prove me wrong?
Needless Records sent me a nice note and package with their latest single from Slavagoh who like yesterdays project, Luftwaffe are also out of Philly, but TODD is going after a super slick, produced sound. It's unapologetic dance-pop, a sort of Neon Indian unburdened by over-nostalgia...the sounds here are so almost generic, not tied to a specific era keeping this out of the holed-up-with-obsolete-equip gimmick genre. Clearly it's an indie pop mix of mechanical sounds, weirdo guitar effects, heavy dance beats, and high translucent shimmery melodies.
The A-Side, Rollerskate Shake, is definitely going for romantic synth sound, from an era when Europe was putting the synth front and center in what I thought was a metal band. That was confusing. I can't help but think of Prince, at least that Smog song where he's singing about Prince in the studio. The respect that comes from across the musical landscape, the art and commercial combined. It's not that Slavagoh is pretentious in any way, there's no attitude, just the opposite, it's an optimistic combination like early New Order; they took the foundation of classic rock instrumentation and added new technologies always in benefit of the melody. That's why they continued doing something successful, long after Joy Division, the foundation was always there. Were they a 'dance' band? Not exactly. And why does this sound so cinematic? It's part of that left of center pop sound that would show up as 'alternative' touchstone's; a psychedelic furs track in the Hughes teen noir films, the moments when you just for a second you weren't so marginalized. So what does that mean for a track sounding like that in 2011? It's got the classic signs of being both underground, and completely appealing. Not something you'd attempt these days, not with this level of sincerity and craft.
The B-Side, "Alms", has a massive tom beat with hints of electronics and minor guitar melodies. A heavily effected acoustic strums in just like those Replacements songs, the vocals come in understated, almost spoken with warbly phaser effects working off this heavy underbeat driving the whole thing away from ever getting melancholy. I like that Slavagoh is going after this sound, with all the sequencing and tech of what could have been a dance sound, and then really going after the melody. Both of these tracks are so repeatable, and This Heart Electric would get their references and relate to this impulse...or Coyote Slingshot,...music video?. It sounds optimistic, which I think is the hardest thing for something that's riding the line between heavy electronics and serving the melody. It's too easy to layer the unlimited tracks, and muddle the overall view. Somehow there's plenty of variety to latch onto, the experimentation has all happened behind the scenes for months in demos and finely honed into the individual tracks on this single. I even think about the language we use for the lo-fi rock 45's, fuzzy or underwater, and how much hype is about nuying into that mythology...a band starts with inferior equip, playing those tiny crappy underground venues where that scuzzy pop, garage, whatever-fi makes sense....but Slavagoh doesn't fit into that easy stereotype, he's already playing for that massive club with lasers and fog machines. There's no gradual climb out of somewhere an audience can relate to, instantly this is a shining, untouchable electro-pop single with hard to pin down references.
Adam from Needless is half the reason for it's existence and is exactly the sort of label I'm taking notes from. A clear idiosyncratic view...endorsed by the Jacuzzi Boys. Get this Ghostbusters villan, or English town titled band single from Needless Records.
I'll never forget the Foot Village show I randomly saw at Death By Audio a while back, another case of not really knowing who they were, I was there to see someone else and then when the multiple drums started getting set up, I couldn't believe I was actually going to hear a band of at least 5 kits. Michael Azerrad just posted about the Tom Tom rock movement and Foot Village seems like the endgame before that even picks up steam. It completely different of course, but I don't remember any cymbals or hi-hats even. It was a bunch of snares and toms. I don't even know if they toured with instruments or they just borrowed the 3 bands playing that night's kits? Kind of genius. It doesn't get any more primal and cathartic. They're continuing where the Liars and even These are Powers left off. Creating a terrifying track out of the best parts, the crazy rhythm structures, the abrupt stops, the chanting...it's really amazing to witness live. When you think about the usual performance of 3 or 4 people playing staring at their feet, and then this fucking force of a crowd within the audience pounding and yelling in unison? It's pretty amazing, and this single will only capture a tiny piece of that experience. But then you can use those temporary tattoo's and play along.
Deathbomb Arc also just announced this pretty great show this Saturday to kick off the single....and it's even all ages. I'm old and don't even think about that stuff anymore...or I just assume that isn't even possible in NYC, but I'm glad someone is doing it. God knows my friends and I could have used a supervised place to not cause too much trouble. I would have been psyched that someone older was actually thinking of us and going out of their way to make something cool like that happen...and Foot Village would have completely blown my under 18 year old mind.
In a world centered around shopping, even though it is tearing society apart, the most important thing to remember is that life should be about having fun and sharing love with all those around you. But let's not talk politics all day. The irony is that such talk isn't fun. Let's take action by singing and dancing together. Even if but for a moment.
7" comes with temporary tattoos, and a download code including 3 remixes by Bobb Bruno (member of Best Coast), U.S.F., and Yip-Yip
This Saturday, Jan 29, is the Foot Village record release party for the new "Lovers With Iraqis" 7" on How To Fight. It is FREE, and of course all ages. Going down at 9star Skate Shop. They got a bunch of ramps, so feel free to bring a board. There will also be a mini-ramp competition! Foot Village, IE, and clipping. will play. Much thanks to Origami Vinyl and KXLU for presenting the show!
Get it at the show or DBA or from the source How To Fight Records. Which is a little funny seeings how they want everyone to share love with everyone, but they teach fighting records. I am the opposite. I love records.
This mysterious self released single showed up a few weeks ago from Luftwaffe, out of Philly and it sounds like a home recorded, layered mystery of loops and subtle instrumentation. The A-Side, "Never Let Me Go" uses this plinky streets-have-no-name electric guitar delay that has the notes bouncing all over each other while a low synth bassline moves so slowly it's hard to notice a change in the drone. It's an atmospheric future-folk along the lines of Woods or Sore Eros, putting a heavy delay on everything, bury the vocals and keep time with a sleigh bell. When it picks up, it's purely tribal and primitive, heavy on rim shots, metal sticks..unconventional hits. They have an odd rhythmic sensibility that feels like a conscious choice to save these odd signatures and clipped samples. The loops aren't ever obvious, they work like the transition pieces of Person Pitch joining any two journey's together without incident...changing time for those few minutes just barely enough to notice something just happened.
The B-Side, "Old Friends" is heavily looped sounding, compared to the 'live' previous side...and here it's slightly getting Panda Bear in it's layered vocal sections that disappear into the melody. Really though...who doesn't love that sound of infinite delay? If you take Ducktails as an end point this would be somewhere at the beginning of Matt's process, this could possibly be one of the sources before it ended up on Backyard, before the filters and re-mic-ing, and lengths of frayed cables. This is a pretty clear vision comparatively when it comes to piling up the sound. There's no texture from any kind of media on this entire single. That's where the big difference is, all that your left with is the sounds they've deliberately created and captured. It all exists in the undefinable space that's never On "Warm Blood", there's a lot more experimentation with samples that shouldn't go together but then again you can get something great when forced to make an off rhythm like this work somehow. They're setting themselves up to fail a little bit and then in that struggle find their own way through the haze with hardly any vocals on this one just the sparsely layered mechanics and loops.
Even though this second side tracks feel a little brief, Luftwaffe can sort of drop you right into a track when it's already going at full steam and the pieces have gotten to know each other and are fighting it out without any lengthy buildup, the listener ends up filling in those intro blanks.
This double exposed photo across the sleeve is the perfect visualization for the hazy sound inside. Are you hearing double? It's just a shame they didn't do anything with the blank 7" label, but that adds to the mystery of this self released single, available, who knows?...maybe hit them up on their facebook page....or catch them live.
I mentioned this Brick Mower lathe cut Pat at Stumparumper put out a while back, and just got a chance to listen to it this weekend. Thanks to Single Piece Slate I think there's going to be a million micro-labels popping up with this same structure in mind...cut 50 or so of them and do some handmade covers, (these are nicely screened however). They couldn't make the process any easier, and less you think it's a thin terrible sounding flexi that isn't meant to be played too many times, these are in fact super thick and great quality with barely any surface noise...if any more than normal. The screened one color sleeve is like a Bruce Nauman neon sign; a brief passage of time between actions of an old man penned by Ryan Duggin. This one is even clear vinyl with a handwritten xerox insert with recording notes.
I was totally into the casual indie rock of their previous single on Viking on Campus Records and had to pick this up once I saw the B-Side was a GBV cover 'Exit Flagger'. That's an era of GBV I don't know at all to be honest, by 2005 I had long since moved on...and Brick Mower actually make me want to revisit this album in particular, even though I have to say in the end I'm into Brick's version more, but more on that later. The A-Side, Box Turtle continues their classic indie sound, it's a huge rhythm part all distorted, laid down with the layers. Vocals are sitting right on top, the last thing to have been figured out at the very end of a drunken session. The electric melody is half playing along and I'm compelled to say it again, it's that home recorded, 4 track sound of Eric's Trip. Eric's Trip always seemed to fly under the radar in that cassette home recording explosion. They were less experimental and considered the melody more than some of the freakout explosions of the era, and kept it feeling really intimate...like a couple of friends had just passed you this tape at their show. It sounds like listening to a band through a heavy pane window, to get that thin sound...which is probably just the bouncing down of tracks, but it immediately becomes intimate...that quality is familiar, it's the promise of the possibility of making it, if they just heard this demo tape. It's also the bigger more complex sound of a trio working on these songs, it stays loose, but as a team they know what pieces work and make those hard decisions together. I'm get a little sad and lonely because this sound and songwriting...it just makes me super nostalgic for the days of homemade launch ramps and sharpie marker t-shirts. Indie punk.
The B-Side, Exit Flagger, reminds me of how Robert Pollard would have moments of simple genius like this and Brick Mower took the core of this song and kept the core minima, blowing out the melody even further and adding the slightly distorted vocals. It's a lot more interesting, to have this massive contrast within the pieces. But you can hear how possible it is to get away with just 4 chords if you have to conviction and balls to know when it's over. To know when that's exactly right, and the song will practically write itself. And back to back with the A-Side it fits Brick Mower so perfectly... if they didn't point it out in the liner notes, I would have never realized this was a cover. They acknowledge those influences, that entire era of music and then absolutely make it one of those ever changed cover songs.
Go check the super concert calendar because Brick Mower is coming to the Charleston March 10th, and then the almighty Cakeshop the 18th. No excuses.
If the lathe is sold out by the time you read this, go get the Floors EP and see them live dammit. You're slow.
Just wanted to take a second out of 7Inches everyday to mention the Harvey Loves Harvey show at gallery Kayafas in Boston. HLH is the art collaboration of my friend Matt and I. We're showing a bunch of work based on music related actions like listening to Sonny Rollins' album The Bridge, on the Williamsburg Bridge, reenacting the London Calling album cover at the Trader Joes's where the Palladium used to be...plus a live performance by Soccer Mom, who have graciously come up with entirely new material based off a piece we did for the Sol Lewitt show at Mass MoCa. We haven't even heard it yet, it will probably only ever exist performed at our show...unless we press more singles some day
I'm glad I finally had an excuse to cut a real 7", thanks to single piece slate, they came out great, they did black and clear, which I've never seen, and they are thicker than the normal lathe's I have. We pressed a couple of 7" of the field recordings listening to Sonny and our original "Would Sol Lewitt approve?"...as with all art, they are priceless....well you can buy them.... through the gallery.
It actual got me to get serious about releasing a real single that people can actually buy through 7inches the blog...so be forewarned, the label is starting soon. The first release is going to be be awesome and is still a surprise, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Thanks to the latest communication technology (the twitter acct, what can I say? We're slow to change in the 7" vinyl offices), I was reminded that the great John Barrett was going to be playing last night at Pianos. I've had his advance full length from Inflated Records in rotation for the past couple of days, so the garage-punk gods deux ex machina-ed me at just the right time.
John Barrett and his drummer were convincing from the first note, sticks flying, killing the drum kit, with John, a lanky Thurston Moore - played the hell out of his recent album of punk pop. It reminded me of the first time I saw Cheap Time, they happened to be on the bill with the Crystal Stilts, and like every good band they blindside you, taking advantage of the opening slot and the crowd to be completely mind blowing. I knew what to expect and I'm sure that would have happened. I don't know how old John is, but let's just say he's got a ridiculous amount of time left to keep writing and reinterpreting this genre. Those singles from Fat Possum and Play Pinball were just the beginning, this full length, next month is going to be impressive. I'd hold it up to Home Blitz's Out of Phase and Artificial Clouds from Bare Wires as a classic touchstone for the genre. An example of everything done exactly right, you couldn't say beforehand what those things exactly are, but simply put together in this way, it's right. Two amps on folding chairs, a couple of pedals, lots of that wet reverb and the rest comes from bad ass talent. Like Ty Segall, the melodies are classic garage punk, which is increasingly becoming a crowded field and John can easily alongside all these references.
But forget all these pointless words and just listen. You'll have to crank it and forgive my pathetic ipod mic, I'm no nyctaper, but after relistening to this last night, you only have to hear two minutes of this to be banging on Inflated's door.
Well god damn if Seth from Useless Eaters hasn't put out yet another single, this has to make it at least 6 that I know of...with no full length...normally I wouldn't mind...in fact I even encourage the massive use of the single like this, but they have all been so great I'm selfishly looking for at least 10 or 12 songs back to back in one huge frantic burst. Like the Home Blitz album I can't get enough of...I found a lot of similarities in the two...the appropriate use of that anti-fi sound because it's so damn genius, there isn't a second to lose in getting this down, whatever way is immediately at hand. There's no masterplan in following some kind of trend. It's the most fun punk pop, with a huge spring reverb sound..the wettest, playing their hearts out and the levels reflect that. I'd like to think it's blown out because no recording equipment made can handle this raw talent, the microphones malfunction, and the input level even at 1 gets overblown. We aren't technologically advanced enough to invent a means of capturing the sound accurately yet. It's not Useless Eaters fault.
Take the Agorophobic single for example. The shining example for me of perfect sound, 3 songs, frantic, angular and punchy. The building was going down in flames around him...there's 10 minutes before the studio collapses, and this is his last 100 bucks. The blown out, cranked treble reverb is completely classic sounding and futuristic at the same time. So I've set the bar high, but live he delivers every time....so compared to that single, which is the gold standard, this sounds more produced, but Seth just has a super unique pop punk style that makes all these singles worth getting. He's a freaking talented songwriter...who I'm hoping can carry on the Reatard torch in his own way.
Thanks to Darren at Velocity of Sound's who let me know this was available from the brand spanking new Nashville's Dead label, which couldn't be further from the truth. I for one am going to plan some kind of pilgrimage to 3rd man records one day soon...and I'm staying. I'll build a shack out of 45's out back and get a junkyard dog to guard them. I want a porch, and you can throw a nickel in my hat to hear anything you want.
Marc from a band out of Chicago, Wishgift, clued me into their latest release on Contraphonic Records. I noticed a King Crimson reference in the promo material and that ancient reference was enough to push this to the top of the list last night...I had a little idea of where this would be headed, but I think given the fact that this is such an idiosyncratic genre, it's impossible to predict and that makes this one of those singles that can't help but be completely surprising.
That's exactly what this is...a complete mix of genres, obviously made by dudes who all must have a ridiculous knowledge of music, you don't get to this endpoint place by listening to anything that comes out of a radio, you have to seriously dig and be a student of everything to end up combining these pieces.
But then, Pretty Jenny, takes that ambidexterity and adds vocals with big time attitude that just sells the over the top massive grooves. It's like they are deliberately anti-repetitive melody, going for an obscene amount of changes in unharmonic tones. If there wasn't such a thing as hardcore prog, there is now. Once they get chorus chanting chorus somewhere around the middle, it goes from audio equivalents of equations to a fist pumping hell ride. You can hear the hours of work in a track like this, they have to be insanely precise. Damn if you can't play with a band for even a few months and you can't get the simplest chord changes right. Who is this collection of savant musicians who feel the need to challenge themselves with the most difficult material possible?...bastards. There's a super grungy guitar effect magnifying the finger stretching they have to work on daily to pull this riff off. It's reminding me of those Mike Patton side projects that you almost have trouble relating to on a human level....how do you approach this material? It's like trying to dissect an entire side of Live at the blue note...transcribe this! The B-Side, 'Cream Acres' settles into a thick distortion groove with a tom pattern and bassline for a few measures, you would think you'd be happy just getting all this together, but that easy melody just doesn't cut it. It takes some getting used to, this super dense playing. They've ignored the last few hundred years of song structure that dictates 'pleasurable' songs are usually created through repeating melodies (Robert Jourdain) the brain needs that repetition to get that moment of anticipation and then confirmation. When that doesn't happen...it becomes work. We both share in the suffering...and good, this isn't something to be taken so lightly played at a high school dance, while you make out in a car...this is something to blow minds at the possibility of something this thought out. It approaches a kind of sci-fi blues at times, The John Spencer laser meltdown experience. There are thermin sounds and/or heavily cranked guitar effects that are so modulated they practically become synth sounds. There's a classic B-movie sensibility on top of the songsmanship; the attitude, the unusual sounds, a little campy, but all with a heavy, feel...maybe laser rob zombie? It's the sort of thing that is a little disheartening to be honest. If guys like this are out there, it's pretty much game over for anyone not taking this as seriously as they are.
Wishgift is a Chicago trio. Reared in the basements and DIY spaces of the city, the band packs a frenetic energy in one concise package- a mix of Fitz of Depression and King Crimson compressed into a tiny room and then let free. The band is a presence. Perhaps a menace. They nearly never stop playing, consistently spreading their loud and distorted gospel all over Chicago and the greater MidWest. Look for them coming your way soon. Look for their Contraphonic 7" "Pretty Jenny/Cream Acres" now.
Cash Cow Records, who has recently relaunched their label after a lengthy 13 year hiatus is back with this split single from two bands I've sadly never heard out of Denver, CO...there is definitely some angry, alienated Albini stylings in the water out there, and it's actually surprising now that I hear this more bands aren't carrying that torch. Steve couldn't possibly have explored every aspect to that minimal, aggressive sound. Lion Sized's offering, 'Three bed, Two bath' is a massive abrupt stop start produced Les Savy Fav or Hot Snakes frantic rock sound, right down to the vocals...huge punches of percussion in a scientifically sine wave balanced room. Dirty...raw bass where the strings are vibrating, it's actually sitting on top of the mix, right next to the vocal, clean as day. Immediately this made me want to go hear Action Park...again. The same volume and craft is present here...with more energy...a different kind of immediate pacing. Shellac seems to take a slow burn approach, hitting you when you least expect..right in the speaker cone. Like the little breakdown section which drives that messy bass home...it feels like they've been at this for years, and really deserve some attention for this thing....that goes for both of these guys. I love the end of this track, they stop on a dime and you hear drum sticks drop and cables pulled out of jacks...when they're done, they mean it, break that shit down quick.
Accordion Crimes bring a similar clean crunch, dark alley sound with their track 'Academy', these guys go in s different Gang of Four severe direction, when they break into syllable bursts of ultra-post punk, statement driven spoken word... 'I would kill for an original thought.' Metal electric guitar scrapes chords over unnatural drums that are all punches... as hard as possible. It builds to a cathartic final verse...he means it. Literally he's going to kill someone. Shellac is definitely haunting the magnetic particles in that reel to reel box on the sleeve. This one might even be more bass centric than Lion Sized...where do both of these bands get off letting the bassists write songs? I mean, who knew they had it in them? These are best played loud of course, mastered by Bob Weston (ah ha) it's really a perfect split...these two must play together in CO, and if that's the case, I couldn't imagine a better live show. All this leads me to believe Denver has some angry and cold underpinnings, both of these bands are playing with such measured expression, nothings wasted on excess or god forbid...emotion. Can I even go further and use it as some kind of metaphor for the country? Well...it makes sense. There's a lot of frustration out there.
If the bank foreclosed on your house, get this one from Cash Cow Records. It's only $5. It's the only thing besides devil alcohol that will make you feel better.
I talked to John Barrett in the middle of his last tour last summer, just after his single came out on Fat Possum Records. I don't know how I came across his latest on Play Pinball Records, but I wanted to make sure no one missed out on Bass Drum Of Deaths's punk-pop garage jams and then I found out also a full length will be coming soon from Inflated Records in about a month or so. I happen to have heard said full length in fact and it's been really helping my rock out long walks through the unshoveled sidewalks to the train.
Bass Drum of Death has really honed this fuzzy as hell, dirty sound into a super loud layers of bluesy string bending. John keeps it deceptively simple, and let's face it, this attitude demands everything from the rhythm, not the melody. You should be able to play 2 or 3 notes and kick the ass out of a song...there's no doubt John is capable of exactly that on the track "Get Found" on this single. I love that these drums are super overblown in the mix, but it's not unlistenably distorted...it stays pretty clean, and just barley contained. Like Ty Segall, the sheer level of sound both of these guys are able to coax out of a track is seriously impressive. I'm definitely picking this up and looking forward to getting a full length and it living on the shelf right next to Ty, Cheap Time, and Jay. All balls.
Get it from Play Pinball Records, who don't have many copies left. You will regret definitely regret it.
The second single from Oxford Mississippi's "Bass Drum Of Death" and it is a monster. Three of our favorite tracks of the year are on it. "Get Found" could start a revolution. Righteous punk/garage rockers with a slight stoner vibe with members of The Unwed Teenage Mothers, Flight and The Sleepwalkers. Pressed by Baby Don't Records in Nashville, TN.
The Endless Nest Collective recording division, Empty Cellar Records has teamed up again with Sonny Smith alongside his massive, amazing 100 7" records project, of which these tracks are sort of an extension of that project...a novel Sonny had started broke into 100 pieces and these songs were assembled from some of the pieces. All I keep thinking about Sonny is, what do you do next? You came up with 100 fictional bands singles, recorded the music, came up with, comissioned the sleeves and then played them in a custom jukebox for the gallery show? How do you top the yearlong effort of something like that? Releasing yet another single on Empty Cellar is a pretty good start. His single fever obviously hasn't been cured yet, and Sonny had enough material for a 4 track EP, collaborating with Heidi and Grace of the Sandwitches and a fictional band (?) the Transients, Sonny presents these 4 tracks which were inspired by a near death experience in the ocean. This could be super downer serious gloomy acoustic, but Sonny sounds like he's taken the opposite approach and is optimistically appreciating each minute he's still playing and recording.
Sonny even created his last will and testament in song form with the first track on the A-Side "Throw my ashes from the pier". This song is full of that warm tight delay, especially in the vocals, that classic country, bluegrass rock sound that I love from hearing early, early Elvis tracks....like Blue Moon...I know, Elvis, it's a ridiculous reference, but there's still something to hearing those raw demos of the early years. I understood why people called reverb wet. You can almost hear a 'drip' sound in the spring echo when the strings are a little muted and your strumming high on the fretboard. Sonny's coming to terms with what to do when the bucket gets kicked, and ending up scattered around in the ocean sounds pretty good. You don't want to get morbid about it, but why not on a high note, at the end of the best possible day. But why even paraphrase...Sonny gets this across in a much better way. "Through the fog and haze" is a slow trip back down to that ocean again. He's just a great songwriter...and to naturally get this introspective feel across takes a lot of commitment. The instrumentation is so minimal, he He's determined to make something good out of that experience and I can't help but read into every word of each track: Oh to behold such sorrow To behold such pain Will I never see the sun
But like Will Oldham he makes it sound so damn nice, you don't even notice the sadness creeping up. The best is how Sonny chose to keep these subtleties... the raw twang of an acoustic mispick, that imperfections that made it through for the sake of capturing the best take without cutting and pasting. But there's more than just a strong Oldham connection in the melancholy and tragedy, Will's brother, Paul mastered these tracks for Sonny.
"Cathedral in the desert" over on the B-Side has Sunny possibly thinking about a higher power's role in existence, with an upbeat track of shiny steel acoustic. "Take a hard look down that long corridor" finds Sonny way offshore and this has to be it, the big 7" in the sky, reevaluate your life pretty quick...it's the saddest sentiment and I really hope I don't even have a moment to realize it's the end and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't catch yourself singing along with this one. Sonny taught me to be glad I'm on dry land next to a record player.
I think deliberately every track changes slightly in tone, a whole different character...a new narrator with the help of subtle effects, engineering changes. Sonny's vocals go from doubled up reverb to clear, close mic'd, almost cracking vocals. I think his 100 records project has inherently always been in him, in every song he writes, putting himself into an experience with his specific point of view, and musically it's restrained and as classy as any past and contemporary country legend I can think of.
Not long ago, Sonny Smith (Sonny & The Sunsets) survived a near-drowning off the coast of northern california. The experience affected him profoundly and led to a wealth of output including a play, a novel, and a stack of songs. Sonny's critically acclaimed "100 Records" project is itself a direct product of Sonny's fight with the sea. A novel he began, "Adelard the Drowned", broke into 100 pieces. Four of those pieces come as songs on this 7" e.p., each bound to the next by a twisted braid of water and death. Through the fog and the haze, however, there lies in these songs a shared sense of redemption, transformation, or reawakening. Featuring appearances by Heidi and Grace of the The Sandwitches and a long-lost band called The Transients, this record features Sonny's songwriting at its strongest, staring death in the face. Perhaps, this is in part why the ocean gave him back. Recorded in San Francisco and mastered by Paul Oldham, each record includes a comic book, four full-color album covers, and a high-quality digital drownload.
More of Sonny's acoustic instrumentalism and a sample of the sad, personal comic, (the best kind) that comes with the single is available here:
It's another great extra level to the work and I've really never seen it work so well together.
I got this single a little while back from the guys from Junkers and this single is heavy pop psyche, so completely solid... really impressive debut EP 4 track single. Immediately it had me reaching for old Jacuzzi Boys, Beets, Christmas Island, Electric Bunnies and Fresh and Onlys singles...but it's not exactly following in the footsteps of any of these either, they've hit on their own unique take somewhere in between psyche and garage, carving out their own niche.
All the nostalgic sound here is completely nailed in catchy, brief doses...it hints at a fuzzy beach sound, mellowing out under the stars, years of solid songwriting and an old beat up amp. It doesn't ever feel trendy...this is a studied, appreciated sound and they're getting (you) off on these smooth little melodies, that write themselves.
"No Goodbye", the first track on the A-Side should be enough to convince you alone, and this one is on their mypace. They have that solid rhythm sense like Nodzzz, keeping it simple...each of the guitars hardly working, throwing in their minuscule say in here and there, all muted strumming, calling back and forth, no lead... both working rhythm in this case. Vocally, they're using that tinny, far off plate echo I freaking love, with just a little bit of attitude...I can hear a sort of B-Movie motorcycle gang soundtrack here...but then they keep changing feel on me... sometimes they get a little greaser dirty, but then they put on circle lens sunglasses and roll down the hill.
"I can see the sun" takes another dirty bassline and adds shimmery high treble guitar twinkling around at the end of the dock. When they get to the 'seeing the sun' part of the chorus, it's just perfect mellow harmony freakout, all the beach boys roots, 13th Floor Elevators... they even work in a little casual solo. But I like that they don't heavy handidly play up the psyche part of this too hard; the songs are super concise, nothing is ever meandering, or relying on a jam element to carry it along, all freeform. It's cleanly recorded, keeping the little pieces of genius quick enough to pile on one tiny 7", 4 great tracks. All the time managing to marry this garage-psyche, ancient sound with the early Cure and Smiths too...that early '80s post punk minimal angle. It defies the date The Junkers recorded this straight to warbling cassette.
The B-Side, Summer Bums, has that perfect Smiths electric chorus sound I was talking about and that I searched ages for on every pedal I could get my hands on...those bastards. The lyric, this super dreamy melody is a hybrid of that classic songwriting and neo-maybe-folk (?) of Real Estate, Matt, Alex...all the side projects really. "Painter man", has major attitude, they're almost trying to get on your nerves with how easy this is coming to them. The vocals are nasaly, mocking your categorizations. A little blues scream here, and as ever that raw nailing of this whole era. That organ sound is just icing guys.
Get this from Gen Pop Records who will have you paypal them a measly $6, but make sure they have some left, because this is a seriously perfect release. Nice work. I've been listening to it straight for at least a day and I'm not nearly sick of it. Impossible.
The debut 7-inch EP from JUNKERS. Four noisy, catchy songs by these Philly/Baltimore garage-basement rockers, recorded straight to cassette tape sometime last year. Hand numbered edition of 300, with 3 different cover colors. Plays at 33, and guaranteed to make your head swirl with psychotropic joy!
I pulled this oldie single out from the pile on top of the speaker...This is one of the ones my friend Amy gave me after a show and they're a nice high school era reminder of 7" days gone by. Bitchin' on Scene Police Records (RIP) is no exception.
This side (that's literally the name) is the "Bitchin' Anthem", right away they make this whole single sound really fun, they rock this tough punk style, and then you pay attention to the lyrics and hear that second harmony...it can't be so bad ass. They aren't going to hate you for liking them are they? With all these lyrics about switchblades... they even get a little speed metal right in the beginning. They've got the energy... it's pop... almost hardcore at times. Caroline and Kobi have great vocals together on all these tracks, I could imagine this being a perfect complement to Sleater Kinney, they're bridging that gap between the serious and party band and that grunge and hardcore worlds. There's something about this era's lack of agenda. I'm probably making it up...everyone has an agenda, but I have to think there's nothing more pure, nothing coming from a better pace than 300 copies of any single in 2000. It's really straight ahead, anti-scene, cleanly produced rock.
If it's Bitchin' it must be alright
The legal size insert/poster is an amazing mini-zine document...apparently out of the mass of liner notes someone called them bitchin' one night after a show and that just had to be the band name.
That side's first track called "Phonics" is about a misunderstanding and the kicker line 'this fucked up town' has me completely on board in that nostalgic way. You can hear the alienation and this might be Caroline? (I'm pointlessly trying to work out who's who) ...slightly sweeter vocals. Did I mention Bitchin' was from Gainesville, FL?. Well, there's no fun or sun in this sound, it's anti-everything I imagine this area would be if you weren't looking for it. 11 years later it ends up foreshadowing a pre-strike against that Best Coast surf sound, that seems to have given in to that kind of airheaded scene. By circumstance they existed in this place and made the most out of their influences, their place at that time in history. This whole side also has this deep low end sound that isn't 90's and it isn't contemporary, the only date I could find on this was 2000 ...barely online, no youtube...and that begs the bigger more mysterious question...what the hell was this German label doing in Gainesville?
There's some subtle musical changes here but it's mostly happy with the crunchy guitar at high speed and that back and forth singing. It's not yelling as much as it is just this powerful vocal style, like Mia Zapata or Bikini Kill. But they still show their cute roots on that insert...the dice, stars, comic illustrations of cans of beer. They want to be included and even start the good time. It's even punchy sort of grunge, this would have made perfect sense on the other side of the country maybe a few years earlier. Was that Seattle gold rush so ridiculous? Think about what was going on before it...ask me to pick the lesser of two evils and I say bring on the next grunge band. The underlying concept still stands up: get rid of all the pretenses and play drone ridden cock rock in your shittiest long underwear and plaid shirt. Bitchin' is the classic trinity of guitar, bass and drums...the songs revolve around the guitar distortion and then celibrate that everyday kind of blue collar scene.
This one was on the Scene Police label, which looks to be long gone. This note above the paypal button doesn't make me want to order, but hey you might win the lottery.
To all the people who actually believed in us, thank you for all your support and to those who didn’t especially some dumbasses in Sweden, who even after long talks would threaten to beat me up (hahahahahha) can go and kiss my sweet behind! To all the people we still owe some money to, please be patient, I am working double shifts to get you the money! And to all you mailorder-customers, thanx again, and maybe one last time, before scenepolice.de will be gone forever, buy some records! I don’t really wanna go to jail!
Better get it from Insound who has a copy for $2! And on red vinyl!
Mishka Records sent over their latest release, #002 from the band //Tense// out of Texas. First of all go read their great review of //Tense's// 10" it was a while back and must have been the impetus for pressing this single. Excellent music critique in all things Ministry...I actually found that first full length from those guys on Wax Trax in a Salvation Army and really thought there was a completely different band out there called Ministry in the late 80's after hearing it. I didn't know Al completely wrote that one off...of course it's very different, but I would think that audience would want to know where it all started...why even keep the name then? I think that's an example of how much music distribution has changed in the last 20 years. There was pressure from people behind the scenes with no business giving their opinions....if their workplace is anything like mine...and that is definitely gone for a band now where Ministry was at that point. I think you could say music as a whole is more artistically pure than it's ever been, the methods of recording and distribution are completely homegrown affairs. It hurts more than it helps to be on a big label.
The A-Side, "Turn it off" is cold, dark electronics but not in that unrelateable psychopathic, weirdo, future way. This is really accessible, relying on dance beats and vocals that are echoed in the traditional style of the genre, far off, down in the cellar. This might be closer to Crystal Castles than Blank Dogs...they seem to be moving butts, instead of people towards the exits because they're terrified. The hyper electronic glitch sounds and chorusy synths on this track are squeaky clean sounding....and that makes perfect sense for this era. No one was in love with the shit sound of their home equipment yet. As is the case with Kraftwerk I want to hear every 1 and 0 (and on analog vinyl, I know it makes no sense...it really makes less and less sense to hear something super electronic on vinyl, but I can't argue with my turntable). Blessure Grave, their previous release, still feels extreme...even more so in retrospect and //Tense// is equally as extremist in sticking authentically to that their vision of the '80's.
The B-Side, 'The Chain' is a Fleetwood Mac cover for gods sake. It updates the Mac track by only 5 or 10 years though... it stays so true to that late '80s sound, there isn't a misstep or out of place sound anywhere. The handclaps and bongo sounds where the early machines were trying so hard to imitate an organic sound they accidentally became their own sound. It's become another tool that's never going away... the 808, the 909 they will be drum kits forever in every app or piece of hardware from now until the end of time. //Tense// is building these era authentic tracks...and they get points for completely deconstructing the original song to the point that it's completely unrecognizable. How does that era keep being influential? Was it because the '80s was all about looking ahead towards an unrealistic optimistic future? The synth and these thin percussion sounds are typical of this failure of those promises and how ridiculous this optimism now feels (and sounds). That's why I think the A-Side works the best for me. To make something interesting out of the sounds of utter failure. The hair bands/new nu wave...it was an era of unreal persona's on top of a fake future...no wonder it fell apart the year punk broke. To re-contextualize this cool, dance sound into something ominous is a logical way to look back at that time...it's more realistic.
Mishka is obviously passionate about the labels neo-cold wave direction and the Blessure Grave single was an incredible launch for this laser focus vision. The world could use a label that's curating a specific collection like this in the 7" format from bands that are either just starting to work with these sounds or have been 20 years ago.
These tracks are both labeled 45rpm edits of what could very well be longer club versions. On blood red opaque vinyl from Mishka Records with a pretty sweet honcho magazine centerfold from 1982 with a steak for a face. Isn't that dude already a piece of meat?
Get the limited edition red vinyl, with shirt from MishkaNYC.
I remembered how much I was into the Invisible Hand single from last year and I started with that side first. From the sleeve it looks like they're trying to say both of these bands share at least 2 members...look close... or they're 2 sets of twins who started rival bands? That would be pretty awesome. F/NF packed 2 tracks on each side from each band, and the first one from Invisible Hand, 'Video Games' has a fuzzy kind of early Lilys feel, the same kind of density of melodic changes and blown out energy. It's such a force from the first drum stick count-in that just when you start to follow the melody, they go in a new harmonic direction. Invisible Hand isn't going to give you a whole lot of opportunities though to anticipate what's happening or even join in. You have to sit in awe as they pack the lyrics and change pieces into larger disparate structures that don't ever seem intuitive. I can't help but think of the Lilys again in that way. Those instrumental gymnastics. 'Your Parents Watch' (yikes) takes a more stripped down approach to that complex melody structure...there's more of an epic soaring quality to this arrangement and when the hook repeats, this time you catch on and really dig in. They have an amazing sense of rhythm, these all work together somehow and the guitar is perfectly balanced in this controlled chaos. He's working with a real distinct vocal style, combined with this dancy indie pop, it's taking me back to Clap Your Hands...., say what you will but that first album still hold up as a neo-Talking Heads concept album.
The Borrowed Beams of Light side starts out with "Julie (What's that spell?)" which jumps back musically at least a good 30 years, and it's a little scary that not one person in either of these bands was probably even born in the 70's, let alone have grown up absorbing this music in their formative years, so how in the hell did they completely nail this sound? This one is truly a lost recording of a forgotten Posies style, nearly import band. Sort of smooth psyche, a layered far off vocal with plenty of chorus-y guitar. There's just a far off feel... super classic, almost easy listening prog rock, that could easily be disguised in a k-tel reissue...it's practically a period piece. A Sunday afternoon AM track that's inherently sad just in the way it's put together with the vocal distance.
The second track "Kids are great!!!" has a sort of bluesy scale that eventually turns frantically country western (?), or is part of that carnival era of the Kinks. The vocals are almost yelling in a drunken Pogues way, but it's about the Kids!!! There's a brief harmony breakdown moment before the shit kicking starts again. Bu then that's what I imagine 'the kids' do, rage and then pass out. It's a little indie hybrid like Deer Tick, borrowing from that genre and kicking it into ho-down gear.
I’m not sure where to place the era this sounds like. Sorta mid-70’s yacht rocker, but also kinda 90’s indie rocker. Either way, its solid. These Virginians are making afternoon workin’ on the car in the yard music. Skipping stones down by the river music. Drinkin’ beer at the town’s summer carnival music. These are the film scenes I’m inventing in my head while listening to it, anyway.
If I know Magic Marker Records this is going to be the indiest of indie pop and Dirty Mittens is right in line with their curated vision. That name, Dirty Mittens could really go either way... literal and really cute or more abstractly dirty sounding noise. Something about those two words...
The confusion could have continued on the The A-Side, with "Row", it's from a dudes point of view, (I'm a gentleman) and then delivered in a high, breaking, female falsetto. I almost questioned if this isn't an indie Jimmy Scott situation, until I saw their promo stuff...and it's not a cover either according to the liner notes. I guess they just want to keep you guessing. What were they digging around in to get those mittens dirty? What's the point of expectations if you can't mess with them? The same goes for her range of vocals, coming in high and fluttery or touching on low growl. It borders on twee and brooding at the same time with a weird accent there...I could be convinced they're from Montreal and not the even indier Portland. But Portland would foster this...I know it's probably like Brooklyn in a lot of ways, minus the snow, and snobby competitive scene sometimes. I hope they have a long career of writing this Drums style super pop....bringing a little bit of Too Pure to Portland. It really makes perfect sense...and so does Magic Marker for the same reason. Is Portland already overrun with jerks who read it was the #1 city in Time magazine? I hope not...cherish your days Portland...and if they're nurturing bands like this then it still must be alright. What keeps Dirty Mittens from being too precious (I guess there can be such a thing) is the chances she's taking with her vocals...allowing for the imperfections of a take where the vibratto turns angry, but don't get me wrong, I'm going on about it, but it's very very subtle...we're not talking Bobcat Goldthwaite or anything.
A backing horn section melody makes this feel huge at points, you've got this intimate vocal over the rest of the instrumentation in full production mode. Bells chime in behind an acoustic guitar and it's going to be sunny...not the beach fuzzy reverb sun, but a inland wooded day, even if this track is about rowing to the place you call home. It's probably a landlocked pond where days like that are unusual and you try to make the most of it. Those other jerks can go to the beach every single day. It's just another day in a series of nice days... one running into the next. You see why you'd want to kill yourself. Count me out.
The B-Side, "This here year" has a '50s inspired pop bassline, at least to me I'm picturing the sock hop, and Shannon and the Clams are headlining. She's got a similar voice as well...you can hear the ability, but then she's holding back a little....like the sunny days ...so you appreciate it. There's a pretty epic lifelong narrative unfolding on this one...small towns, the boredom...all the way into old age. But they manage to hide this sentiment under the catchy pop chorus. THIS HERE YEAR. You have to dig a little deeper to catch them actually holding a grudge.
It's just a classic indie single; two sides of crafted pop and they are dancing very very seriously.
This pure pepto pink vinyl is housed in a heavy cardstock sleeve, so think they printed the name and tracks on the spine...nice touch.... available from the fine fellows at Magic Marker Records.
The Workshop Scissors are at it again! Atelier Ciseaux emailed me about this amazing split single from Reading Rainbow out of Philly, whose full length I have to grab from Hozac actually and Coasting from Brooklyn. I've been meaning to listen to both of these guys and that's why I turn to a 7" like this, one of these tracks has to be good. But AC has so far put out an amazing collection of singles from Jeans Wilder (check out their full length at AC also), Terror Bird, US Girls and freaking Best Coast for gods sake so I know this is in the best company.
The single doesn't specify and A or B Side, so I hit the Reading Rainbow side first, Euphoria is a perfect title for this fuzzy, massive guitar sound and dual guy/girl vocals. They took the No Age overwhelming haze and added an extra layer of pop. The vocal harmony comes first, and that's what keeps me coming back to this one. My favorite on the whole single...and even after listening to most of Prism Eyes, I love this track, probably their strongest. The vocals are far too precious for the grit flying around underneath, but that's where this really works, the angelic harmony over the distorted layers, lightening the echo doom sound. When this then shifts gear towards the end into an the epic chorus of their voices and crunch, the seemingly perfect track gets better. Euphoria / is over... just until you play the track again.
But I want to hear the next one, "Can't stand it". In just these two brief tracks they stretch out into all kinds of various echos and far off guitar wash. They aren't sticking with one type of sound. This one is a lot more raw... where the first was getting into My Bloody Valentine haze, this track is getting dirty in the garage. I like they're really exploring the range of overblown distortion in just these two tracks. Every time it comes up, this fuzzed out no-fi, it's going to define this late 2000's, starting in 07 with the Vivian Girls, this romanticized-in-love-with-the-90's distortion, indie rock sound and then combining it with a '50s melodic pop. Everyone is sort of building on an entire time period, and it's a weird one to come back, but the time and effort that goes into the craft of distortions and layers of sound is what makes the whole thing bigger than it's description. I love their sound, I think they're bringing something new to the party. Speaking of the Vivian Girls, Coasting is Fiona from the Vivian Girls and Madison from Dream Diary, so they also have a clear direction to take this sound...and the pedigree. "Snoozefest" uses a simple reverb guitar melody and the double hit snare that breaks into chorusy dual harmonies with a raw, spontaneous feel. That drum sound is defining everything about the last 4 years. Put a tambourine on the tom, or high hat...it's essential. "What you wanted" is even looser, the guitar even lagging a quarter beat off because it's trying to keep up this frantic surf strumming. I like that AC put these duo's together on the same single...I think it makes perfect sense to hear them together, two completely different approaches to the same initial setup. This is a really great single but it's not fair when yo stack the deck like this this...I hope to god fusetron or midheaven is importing these, (not yet -ed). Excellent release. I need it. Damn you scissors.
Oh, Electric Cowbell Records, how do you know exactly what insane gaps in my musical experience to fill?
This single from Bio Ritmo is such another time and place, far, far away from this cold, deep winter in NY. It's Cuban, South American, Spanish...Buena Vista Social Club style...not north eastern snowdrifts of unplowed streets. But this couldn't be on another label either, it's right in line with their borderline experimental orchestral leanings and what makes Electric Cowbell as punk as anyone who completely follows their own idiosyncratic direction.
I have no reference for when this A-Side, La Muralla could have been recorded, except for the synth breakdowns towards the end of the track which are so inorganic they have to be contemporary. The whole time they manage both this conga energy and smooth relaxed vibe, probably thanks to that warm classic organ, that's right out of the 70's leopard print lounge mix. But then again...I can't place half the percussion instruments...multiple cowbells maybe? Some kind of washboard? A gourd-shaker thing? What's that crazy snare sound? It's almost a tight soprano snare, almost kettle drum sound. Always leaving room for each instrument to cooly improvise, which goes without saying is the best on vinyl, like that stack of jazz records. I can only imagine the engineering nightmare of actually capturing this for wax, the number of instruments, the insanely varying volumes...and I'm sure they would want to perform this live, together. It couldn't possibly have this energy if they were tracked separately. It's so cleanly separated, it's almost novle at this point not to hear any noise from the recording process or the record surface. Has Times New Viking put Dolby out of business yet?
I'd love to know the story behind this band, the wikipedia Bio Ritmo entry is pretty thin, but at least I know they're nearing 20 years together. How the hell this emerged out of the Virginia college scene, I'll never understand...but then again who's still relevant... Bio Ritmo, or the Dave Matthews Band? A single can expose you to a tiny, manageable piece of history like this and then leave you wanting the backstory.
The B-Side, "Dina's Mambo" is coming from a different place than the A-Side...it's a dense mass of percussion and really screaming horn section going baritone and then frantically blasting back into the main melody. I'm definitely partial to this bassline right off the bat and far east sounding melody that all of a sudden takes a Latin turn. I really don't think it's that far removed from Tortoise at any point...they must have roots have to go at least Bio Ritmo deep, but again, I'm not claiming to know any more than the average jerk when it comes to this genre. They deserve (and it must exist) a blog devoted to this contemporary rexamination of the people working in this genre.... this single could really kick things off. It's also working in that soundtrack kind of way...sort of wild western, electric guitar with a little echo...an Ennio Morricone scene. There's even a brief moment with a slightly off keyboard...no, let's call it loose... and it's just what this otherwise tight, impenetrable arrangement needs. Reminding you that humans did indeed create this in a massive collaborative effort and not an animatronic array at the small world ride at Disney.
Electric Cowbell has definitely carved out a very specific niche for itself and since I don't... at least I know they know what they're doing. Go get it.
Quickly approaching their 20 year anniversary, Bio Ritmo unveil their latest offering and debut release for Electric Cowbell. Bio Ritmo is a one of a kind phenomenon in today's hard-bitten indie salsa world - a band with both a healthy adventurous streak and a solid underpinning of authentic sabor criollo. In a rather hostile environment that makes getting gigs difficult and playing this type of music more a labor of love and endeavor of pure artistic expression than a simply commercial endeavor, Bio Ritmo continue to delight and amaze with both their talent and longevity, consistently pushing the envelope, tearing down walls between categories and defying pigeonholes. The A-side Dina's Mambo is a slab of tropical funk that showcases the band's playful instrumental side but also reveals a muscular cinematic swagger. Consequently there is a pleasingly Persian flavor to the proceedings (in keeping with the band's previous leanings towards minor-key tunings), as well as tasty hints of progressive Afro-Cuban funk of the 70s by the likes of Los Van Van and Chucho Valdes' Irakere. The B-Side, La Muralla, is a seemingly straight up salsa dance track with a dark underpinning that makes for goose-pimple dancing at the same time.
Entour Entertainment and Wax Poetics present an Electric Cowbell Records showcase with Bio Ritmo, CSC Funk Band, Cheick Hamala Diabate, Debo Band, Slavic Soul Party and DJ E's E.
Fort Lowell Records snuck in this single from Dead Western Plains right at the end of last year, bringing their total in 2010 to (4) 7" singles pressed since the label started just barely a year ago. Given that these take at least a few months to plan and turn around, the Fort staff probably haven't had a single break since putting together the Young Mothers single. It must be mostly work running a label after all.
The A-Side, "Alta" starts out in that Beach Boys, harmony-surf direction explored by Panda Bear or Animal Collective, specifically like AC's, Strawberry Jam when it moved from an angelic chorus to the frantic shock of clearly hearing the shriek of Avey's up front recognizable vocals. The influences and changes sound equally as eclectic here. They have a pretty incredible mastery of a variety of styles like the Banned Books full length on Stumparumper. The high falsetto layers of vocals at the beginning almost become unrecognizable at points. It's a nod to their appreciation of the human voice, which is a direction I think a lot of bands find themselves in, a sort of classic way to push those limits of traditional melody.... and then the electronic production kicks in, in case there was any doubt where they were going.
The 'Jesus' chorus lyric could be a little off putting but then again it's exactly the sort of thing they would be able to get away with, just another character in the fractured narrative between rolling the dice to figure out the next movement. You want the vinyl to hear all the programmed details. There isn't one thing that remains the same from the beginning to end, not one over-repeated melody. The only thread is the lack of one. A neverending freefall of listening, there ends up being nothing to hold on to for very long, and it's pretty insane going down.
It's a kind of mashup style that might be a result of a pop-saturated culture. This is a reaction to the constant bombardment of ideas and styles. The reaction has to be equal to the original action; demanding attention. But it never feels like they had to work hard to achieve this either. It has to come somewhat naturally or at least be comfortable in negotiating the mix for all these directions to work together in one track... it's getting easier as younger generations grow up with it. I really think a sound like this would be inconceivable 20 years ago without Dj culture and youtube mashups which steadily trains an audience for a band like this. Black Moth Super Rainbow is another contemporary of this anything goes mentality, except their name gives you some idea of the non-sequitur, barrage of reference points, while here the Dead Western Plains evokes a alt-country band, like Fleet Foxes...romanticizing that barren, lonely place that is an acoustic guitar and tortured vocals.
You could also make a similar assumption from the B-Side title; "Gift Horse in the Mouth", which is slightly more conventional than the "Alta" side. The pacing is decidedly slower, the percussion is more unusual and the vocals have that distorted megaphone feel in places. The entire song fades out toward the end, only to slowly rebuild a completely different melody in an entirely new direction...so specific and distinct, it's like the storytelling of the Firey Furnaces, a sort of progressive epic indie-rock. These two worlds coming together - big Rhodes organ lines over sub bass synth arrangements. The percussion structure needs to use the entire drum kit, but that's the way they approach every song...it's not enough for the end result to be catchy...it has to push the limits variation and then pull the whole thing back to that pop place. They push both of these tracks in every place, looking for some kind of weakness to exploit in the great tradition of The Flaming Lips.
Pick this up and their other quality Arizona based recordings from the Fort's blog. This stuff was born to be remixed and if you search around DWP's site, you'll find a bunch of hidden versions of these two.
“Alta” b/w “Gift Horse in the Mouth”, recorded for Fort Lowell Records, is Dead Western Plains’ expressionistic debut. The group handcrafted 10+ minutes that lead the audience over hill and dale through winding musical tales of pivotal loss, Armageddon, brotherly love, haunted houses, and passionate crimes. The well-garnered compositions have a kaleidoscope of influences spanning postmodern and romantic composition, pop, hip hop, and electronic artists. “Alta” swells from beginning to end telling the story of a lonely Jesus, a botched attempt at camaraderie, and the epiphanies that come with failure. “Gift Horse in the Mouth”, which summons a darker timbre from the quintet, entangles raucous guitars and ominous organs which provide the soundscape for a dire realization; everything comes to an inevitable end and the horrors that arise when one takes this certainty into their own hands.
My cat is named after a Chomp 7" A-Side, Arizona. It's all connected. I love 45's.
If you're pressing 7" vinyl... you aren't in it for the money. I appreciate it. --------
Send me singles of all kinds for review. Email me at Jdean99 at Gmail for my address, weirdo.
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