Cold Warps “Don’t Haunt Me, OK?” on Noyes Records

I was just thinking the other day again about how much of a landmark that first self titled Nodzzz album was. It seemed to mark a turn away from the dense serious fuzz going on in Brooklyn in 2008 with the Vivian Girls or Crystal Stilts. Here were four guys from the west coast, playing a loose, jangly pop, sincerely getting away with singing about how they didn’t want to smoke marijuana. Endearing and minimal it referenced a quirky almost post punk sound like Jonathan Richman, Gang of Four or even bands I only found out about later like The Embarrassment or The Units. Unintentionally they seemed to hit on that slacker sound like Wavves, but without taking themselves so seriously? They’ve since broken up and moved on to different projects and lives, but before you get too upset, it sounds like Halifax/Ottawa’s Cold Warps have again picked up where Nodzzz left off with this single on Noyes Records.

“Don't Haunt Me Ok?" has a jangle-y pop junk guitar sound blasting from a tin can, and the way the whole band comes in together with verses and ‘AHH’’s just off the rhythm is exactly how those west coast dudes used to do. This ramshackle attitude could even point straight to Wounded Lion in being afraid of a ghost, taking that idea very seriously with jittery chunks of guitar line. Goofballs arranged by real garage inhabitants, the point is they know where to go for a party, we don't have to be so serious everybody. The video would have superimposed ghosts dancing with the band playing in an abandoned house. It would make out with girls, get slapped and get a little too drunk. Silly ghost. Nothing to be worried about.

"Stuck on an Island" sets sail with whoa oh oh, /no oh oh / where to go’s, in a hint of Weezer’s put together sound. It’s real punchy and layered in a meticulously compressed way. Their vocal harmony, poppy bounce and songs about writing songs are always smashing in the face fun. To be that meta you have to have a preppy sound, no hair out of place and causing trouble. We need someone to do that for us, they’re up there since we can’t be. It's easy to relate to this idea of having fun, god help the serious dudes, NIN (the most serious band I could think of) must have had a time early on having to pull off that level of catharsis, or things that you shouldn't want to feel the need to share with an audience? No wonder he's a mess, to be rewarded for that raw creep his whole life? Let’s agree this is the opposite of that and should be instantly likable - and it is - but don’t hold that against them.

Get it from Noyes direct.

Nodzzz on What's your rupture

I don't even know why I was at What's your rupture's site, I think originally I was going to write about a different single they had....the Silver Shampoo single, which I'll have to get to later. I didn't even get a chance to check it out once I saw this new Nodzzz single, which the first orders come with a cassette of a live new years eve show...pretty bad ass. I'm looking for an old 4 track now.
They need to make one of those cassette players that has a cd burner in it... Like those ridiculous record players...it's almost gotten to that point. 'Convert those old cassettes to CD!' Four your dad...fathers day...Sure.
It's funny...I was reading some post somewhere talking about watching people leaving a Wavves show or something at Market Hotel where the amount of people leaving with LP's was insane. Unless you just couldn't see the CD's in peoples pockets. It's not news...it just strikes me sometimes as cool because I think I'm the only nerd obsessed with this shit.

I found this site the other day, which is either some kind of snuggie or a genius Nodzzz marketing move...either way it fits.

These are the glory days for the dozzz...their perfect sound.
I can't wait to hear some new material from these guys, to hear where they might be thinking of taking this California weird pop.
I'm not even going to speculate about instrumentation, or how this could go off the rails...it's perfect now... why would you want to even bring it up you cynical bastard?

Nodzzz proves you don't have to be recording by reversing the polarity on headphones with a fisher price tape recorder. It doesn't have to be based on joy division. It's fun to play...the band seems like they have it together and are making a really successful go at it. They are going to remain an example of hitting all the right notes...I'm jealous.

$6.00

Nodzzz 7" True To Life b/w Good Times Crowd available July 13th Early pre-orders will come with the Live on New Years Cassette immediately.

7"

A:True To Life
B:Good Times Crowd

New Years Eve San Francisco 12.31.08

Tracks:

A:Is She there?
We are the Only Animals
Controlled Karaoke
In the City(Contact High)
B:I have Bad News
Old Clothes
True to Life/Art School
Good Times Crowd

Nodzzz at Underground Lounge 2/8/09

(Photo courtesy of Look at me I made a blog)

I missed both of the shows of Friday and Saturday night, but I wasn't about to let the Sunday afternoon Underground Lounge show slip away. Thank god I looked at toddpnyc one last time before I sat down on the couch, assuming it was at like 8PM like a normal show.
I mean really...who sees a show at 2PM? Who wants a beer and some Nodzzz at 2PM? Well I definitely did and everyone from Columbia did too, (if everyone refers to 20 or 30 people jackass - ed). It was a WBUR sponsored show I assumed from the T's lined up on the table in the back.
When I say 'back' I'm talking about literally 10 feet away from the stage. This was like someone's apartment...not less artists more condos, who have like a fucking entire floor of a building....but a real one bedroom apartment. It's kind of cool because it's like the inside of a brick oven, all curved arches above you.
Once I finally jammed my way into the packed room by default...a few of your good friends and this sucker was packed. Nodzzz and Wavves weren't even visible past the rows of tall bastards, so it was pretty much listening only, but for such a back room of a bar venue, the sound was great. The bands were way turned down, I didn't wish I had earplugs...the guitar amps were in front buffered by a bunch of bodies and then the PA speakers were hanging from the ceiling in the back....real perfection...the vocals were loud and clear from the other direction...pretty nice.

The thing with Nodzzz is their listenability...I like challenging noise as much as the next guy, but there is also music I want to listen to...I don't necessarily want to drive guests/my girlfriend away, something that's going to be good in a few years. That's going to stay good because it's not necessarily in the 60's garage scene, or minimal dark synth scene, or balls out punk. It just sounds honest, it's stripped down but too unaware to be trying too hard.
Any band that I can stand there and smile to myself at how ridiculous 'losing my accent' is, well that doesn't happen everyday. Like the Dead Milkmen, somehow they get away with this geek punk...but that's doing them a disservice...it's punk because it's not trying (?)...oh fuck it....

I appreciate the 'I don't want to smoke...' 7" even more now...that it was sandwiched between two squares of a pizza box.

Here's the Nodzzz set at Underground Lounge. (20Min). One of my best... for an ipod mic.

I think I talked to Eric afterwords, and bought a single he was selling of a friends project...I'll be damned if I can remember the name of it, (brilliant colors...ed) but I'll try to review it next week.
7 inches...making friends...it was a beautiful moment.

In between Nodzzz and Wavves I got to witness a pretty bad ass arguement between some dude from I think what must have been the venue and ToddP. It almost came to blows. I think it started with drink tickets or something, and Todd yelling 'Step back, your making me uncomfortable. If you put your hand on me again I will hit you.' The bartender tried to break it up and I'm going to assume the venue guy was just being a dick. You don't organize 3 billion shows and all of a sudden act like a total asshole.

The Wavves part of this show will be Friday's podcast, it's the worth the few days wait. NYCtaper has all three parts of this trilogy from Market Hotel...great quality.

Wavves! on Fat Possum

This just in!
Saw the Wavves and Nodzzz at Underground Lounge this weekend...I'm actually working on a review of the Nodzzz, so I can post the audio, which came out great. Wavves was amazing, I know there's a lot of backlash because he's blowing up Vivian Girls style, and that can be annoying but get over it. Are we just going to only talk about bands from the 70's nobody knows about? And god forbid too many people know about a band or they're fucking ruined? Fuck that Wavves is great, see Nathan live, there is something amazing going on there...I'll be the asshole that gives everything a chance, unless it's blatantly derrivitive or sucky.
I have to say that was a great little space at Underground Lounge with the bands amps up front and the PA behind you. It ended up being a nice mix, and it was the afternoon so the crowd was super quiet...all 40 of us jammed into a back room, dead silent...the size of parkside lounge's back space or something.

Anyway, Wavves was selling some kind of tour single, but they sold out by the end of the Underground show and then on Terminal Boredom, Fat Possum announced if you purchase the digital full length self titled then you would get a colored limited copy of the above pictured single.
That's great but I guess who knows if you actually order in time or how it's getting sent etc, so then I found that Floridas Dying had the single for $5, but that sold out before I could finish this post.
Lat chance copies are at Goner ...otherwise take your chances on being the 1st 300 at FP.

Good Luck.
Wavves show coming as Friday's podcast.

2008 7" Wrap up

The Greatest 7 inches of 2008

This year will be remembered as ushering in the age of shitgaze. Wrong or right, the sound is here to stay. These are the singles that stood out in '08 in no particular order.


Jay Reatard topped everyone before and after him by releasing (7) 7"'s this year in increasingly smaller quantity from Matador records. A historic offering of which not even the most serious collector could possibly hope to get every one. It's literally not possible. The final installment was easily less than 300 pressed with 5 different sleeves. Impossible. It's like he was taunting all of us once a month to just give up. Deal with it. Come to a place where you are ok with your obsession. Don't let it get out of control.

Matador's site would routinely crash, leaving frustrated customers trying to check out and being told that item is no longer available. But they took a chance and maybe lost as many fans as new ones they gained.
Was it Jay completely calling a sell out a sell out? Or is he just as much a fan of the singles as I am.
I think he must be a fan and maybe even feels an allegiance to the single helping to distribute his genius. The fact that these are all released on a double LP makes me think it's more than just building the hype.

I took the liberty to track a majority of them throughout 2008 and they really are all over the place, the market hasn't really settled on a fair price. Generally they are on their way down but ebay can taketh away.

This is the most decadent, exclusive series ever. He took the idea of the lowly disposable cheap seven inch and elevated it to a fucking monument of collectability and greed. I am willing to admit my problem and do nothing about it.


The Muslims, or The Soft Pack formerly known as The Muslims, released this great single 'Parasites and Walking with Jesus' in 2008.
I'm still not convinced this is the best name they came up with after days of deliberation, but that's really completely irrelevant. They are just that good, they can do whatever they want.
I'll find your new myspace Soft Pack and go see you live again and again.
After the complete genius of the self titled LP release and the Extinction video they can do no wrong in my book.
No comparisons to the Strokes please, they don't care enough to have that kind of tailored attitude, and wardrobe.
I get mad just thinking about those hacks...or what they've become. Help me Soft Pack, I want to remember how good a perfect 3 minutes can be and an amazing live show can push this perfection one step further.
This track, Parasites is completely new territory, they are maybe a little self aware of where they are headed at this point, and probably have a little more access to the things they want. The music certainly isn't suffering. It's a meticulously crafted gem in line with their greatest work so far. Walking with Jesus is just icing on the cake, it's a great cover, they reinterpret it without losing the spirit of the original.
They are the most exciting American garage rock band this year.

The Vivian Girls get second place for number of quality singles released in 2008. First 'Orphanage', then 'Wild Eyes', and finally 'I Can't Stay'.
I can't say much for the Surf's Up single as it hasn't arrived yet, but that will be number four.
They might get first place for amount of hype or should I say coverage...hype implies some kind of marketing machine with a master plan.
So....What's to say? Is it annoying this will be on everyone's end of the year best of lists? Probably. That's the price you pay for making such an impression in 12 months.
Does it live up to the amount of press? Undoubtedly.
They just tracked and trapped that perfect reverb sound on guitar and vocals that then went on to make the Crystal Stilts huge as well, thanks in part to the girls drummer Frankie Rose (who I think has gone on to join the Stilts permanently).
They make it so easy, combining the good elements for a revival of that surf/velvets sound. I was excited about the Coathangers and the loose messy garage punk they were making but I have to say the Vivian Girls are another thing entirely. It's as exciting, impossible to describe- You have to be there wall of sound.
Copies sat on the shelf at Academy records with a sign saying 'Why pay $30 on ebay?' they were still routinely going for $20.... probably by the guys at Academy. Genius.

Rosemary Krust - Self Titled single
This girl/guy guitar and bass duo with no percussion from Maryland (I know it doesn't sound like that could ever work) plays with all kinds of delay and loops, gently singing over top in sonic youth homage and really to everything great and indie from the past ten years. The experimental side of the Pixies, the challenging things from Cabaret Voltaire. Speeding tape playback, humming ungrounded cables. It's all completely interesting thanks to Rosemary Krust and played with brand new fingers and ears. I am watching closely...and I want more.

The best part of this whole indie package was the rough cut manila folder stamped with the RK logo with an etching in wood or something. Really thick and a testament to DIY. Take that bands everywhere.


the errors - Toes single

I am a huge fan of the instrumental math rock that's no surprise....this was one of those random finds that I latched onto this year. I think it was released on Mogwai's new label, which of course gave it some immediate credibility for me, and I think this could be going in an interesting direction.
There's all the changes and craftsmanship I expect from this descendant of Don Cab... they push the time signatures but aren't afraid of the electronics, little elements added here and there...maybe more like the Sea and Cake...that's all here...
I do want them to stick with the guitars, and forget the electronics, it just never ends up that interesting...years later to listen to. I'm a little weary of this all electronic direction they are taking, but not since Bronze have I been this psyched about a new find.



Blank Dogs - Stuck inside the world 7"

I picked this one because I know for fact this was released in '08.
I feel I was a little late in getting on the Dogs train. I can't exactly find an accurate discography where all the singles I have are listed chronologically so I'm going to let this one be the stand in for the rest.
This has all the awesomeness of a lone bedroom project with all the great chord changes of a Brian Wilson but trapped inside a TRS-80... like a fucked up classical composer Max Headroom.

Blank Dogs are bringing a primitivism back to electronics. A real glitchyness to the synth circuits years beyond the promise of Crystal Castles. Low-Fi... this is the real deal....so underground it's literally dripping with insanity and straightjacket's. It's like coming across the abandoned asylum and finally going in one night and going through the rusted file drawers and finding old reel to reel tapes of this...pressed on beautiful vinyl.
I'm scared to see this live.


Eat skull - Dead Families 7" on Skulltones

This was a random lucky as hell purchase right from the beginning.
I think Paul from 7,10,12 emailed me about this one and I am grateful as hell.
The B side of this single 'No Intelligence' is one of the best. It will go on their greatest hits Gold collection. Perfect song that kept me playing it over and over. Plus I loved the sleeve with all my demented heart.
I think what it is is that they don't use the shitgaze effect across everything it's selectively used on tracks...like the synth...then the vocals have reverb/delay on 11, but it's kind of clear. It's very selective shitgaze. Shitgaze with specific glasses. It's like a long lost basement tape from the real Bob Dylan, it's a country jam, sung out like there might not ever be music again. This might be the last single recorded for the Lord Jesus...and I'm just fine with this. I would want to go down on the top of a mountain in a thunderstorm, kind of in the background with this blaring out from two huge towers of speakers, my fist raised, waiting for the final blow.

Nodzzz - I Don't Wanna (Smoke Marijuana) b/w We Are The Only Animals

I still remember fondly getting this single wrapped in a pizza box addressed by someone in the band, I'm sure. I always remind myself that's why singles rule...period. They had a pile of these under the bed, in the hall, next to the kitchen table and I got one of them. This is pure stripped down garage rock at it's peak. It's at the perfect state here on this 7"....like one of those quarks...as soon as you notice it, it's going to change, and everything around it. things will never be the same.

Sasha Frere Jones top list for 08. I'm shocked at the amount of crap that's on there. Brittney Spears? Honestly, who is he working for, sometimes just when I think he's really digging deep asking really interesting questions about music, then I read a list like that, and I want to throw in the towel, Granted I haven't listened to the Brittney Album or the Portishead album...and maybe this isn't about taste at all but some kind of cultural standard he's referring to, but I don't think I even need to hear about Saw V, i know it's going to be for a specific shit audience. What it says about society as a whole? That's for someone else to figure out, I have nothing to do with that, or care about anyone that takes that seriously.

Nodzzz - make a mess records

This got a great review on dusted, so I immediately ordered the single from a paypal address on their myspace. that's the best, I don't mind tracking it down through a distro place, but there's something about getting it directly from the band, they had to pack it up and walk down to the post office. I appreciate the personal touch.
A lot like their sound, they're having a backyard barbeque, pulling the amps out on the lawn, busting out the super 8 and cutting off their jeans, cause it's hot, simple as that. They are going to rock in the backyard, and effortlessly write a couple of songs. No big deal. The messages are clear, "I don't wanna smoke marijuana". I appreciate the homemade garage rock... that Dead Milkmen quality of are they really singing about that? Driving downtown, monuments, back to basics.... classic 3 piece, messing around with friends.
Nodzzz are roomates of the Traditional fools (I think) and that makes perfect sense, I'm loving this music first, low-fi, west coast mini-movement going on in this house.
It's the best things about unselfconscious sebadoh...sincere and good. Period.

Oh..They drink your milkshake also.