The Flaming Lips have released their film Chrismas On Mars.
The “fantastical film freakout” has been in production since 2001 and is directed by frontman Wayne Coyne, with co-director George Salisbury who is in charge of the band’s audiovisuals. The film, unsurprisingly from the title, takes place during Christmas on Mars when an oxygen generator malfunctions.
For more info, hit up www.flaminglips.com
The Americans are at it again. Not content with making everything bigger and better than ever before, they’ve only gone and got great at making dubstep. Philly native Starkey is a man who wants to mix things up a bit and with his new album, Ephemeral Exhibits, he’s done just that. Whilst some dubstep can get a little monotonous over the course of an hour, especially if it sticks to the same style for the whole time, Starkey has made sure that there isn’t a moment to get comfortable.
Taking influences from grime, bassline, garage and dubstep, Starkey has created what is becoming known as street bass, where anything goes. The beats bang, the bass wobbles and the synths create atmospherics seldom heard in such contexts. But what sets this album apart from the rest of the scene is the use of vocals to enhance to tracks.
The track you can hear by clicking above, Pressure, is a perfect example of that, giving a multi-dimensional feel to the song with a build up so well defined it’s impossible to imagine how the track could have been any better.
Americans have begun putting their stamp on the South London sound, but if its as good as this, no-one is going to care less. A very late entry in to the album of the year charts, but richly deserved.
Abjekt.
If you’re in search of the perfect three minute pop song then look no further. Frankmusik‘s ‘Three Little Words‘ is electro-pop at its finest.
Camp as can be, dripping in singalong melodies and with enough lyrical sentiment to strike a chord. The production on this EP is top notch combining danceable rhythms, infectious beats, electronic meanderings, disco synths and Frankmusik’s pure-as-can-be yet slightly erratic vocal stylings.
The song is appealing on so many levels that it’s difficult to imagine anybody not liking this, although I’m sure there are plenty whose tastes are not catered to by ‘Three Little Words‘. Second track ‘Better Off As Two‘ comes close in the perfect three minute pop song stakes although ‘Three Little Words‘ is a tough act to follow. Taking a slightly more sedate pace, Frankmusic earnestly reels off this bittersweet ditty. Pulsating synth and beats fuel the perpetual positivity of the track. ‘Run Away From Trouble‘ follows with a stab at something more intense which is somehow reminiscent of Annie Lennox.
Frankmusik’s lingering vocal lines and an ethereal feel in the musical arrangement mean that this downbeat effort is an unexpected gem. A lounge-style piano-backed version of ‘Three Little Words’ rounds off the release with a very ‘live’ feel proving Frankmusik’s talent beyond the rather elaborate production of the songs that have gone before.
Winey G.
International Artists Records produced some of the most daring and ground-breaking records to come out of the trippy-cactus drenched Texan rock scene of the late sixties. Most notable of all obviously being the LSD-fried glorious wreck of a band that went by the name of the 13th Floor Elevators.
Led by the crazed genius of Roky Erickson (read the incredible book about the band by Paul Drummond for the full story) they defined psychedelic rock and allowed bands like fellow Texans the Butthole Surfers to go even further ‘out there’ years later.
Bubble Puppy were label mates with the Elevators and were equally freaky! Their strange name came to them while they were on some particularly potent acid at a Hendrix gig and this, their only album for International Artists is an incredible ride through trippy psych pop and harder rock. The stand out track is still the wonderful ‘Hot Smoke And Sasafrass’ single that kick starts this album, but the title track and ‘I’ve Got To Reach You‘ are equally crazed and addictive.
The Charly organization have reissued and remastered this seminal sixties album complete with eight bonus tracks with a hard-back book digipak cover and a booklet, which they will continue to do with all of the International Artists back catalogue. They’ve done a beautiful job with the remastering and packaging and this definitive Bubble Puppy package is a must have for freak-flag flyers the world over. And just you wait until the 10-CD 13th Floor Elevators box set comes out….
James Sherry
Deerhunter are going to be hitting the UK as part of their European tour.
They will released Never Stops, the latest single from their Microcastle album on March 2nd. The UK dates of their tour are:
Tuesday 3rd March – Scala, London)
Wednesday 4th March – Deaf Institute, Manchester
Thursday 5th March – Stereo, Glasgow
Friday 6th March – The Black Box, Belfast
Saturday 7th March – Whelans, Dublin
Sunday 8th March – Korova, Liverpool
Monday 9th March – Audio, Brighton
VV Brown
Scala
27.11.08
Pushing through the doors to the Scala, it was a shock to see the venue already packed out. Having seen VV Brown‘s name around quite a lot of late, it shouldn’t have been that much of a shock, and after a couple of songs, the shock had dissipated completely.
The Londoner has a voice that will no doubt be lazily compared to Amy Winehouse, but, with the help of her animated backing group, Brown raised the roof with her soulful tones, finishing up with a swinging track which she then turned into a reggae anthem to leave the crowd baying for more. It is easy to see why she is getting all the hype, she’s surely destined for big things.
Then came the main event – the ever predictably unpredictable Ida Maria. The Norweigan songstress had fallen foul of the dreaded lurgy before the show which presented us with a somewhat subdued performance, not helped by the completely stationary crowd. Don’t let that fool you though, her stage presence, even when simply standing and singing is second-to-none and her banter with the crowd always kept the atmosphere lighthearted and fun.
“If you want, you can sing along on the chorus,” she said to her audience. “But be quiet during the verses, that’s for me to steal all the spotlight.” With an attitude as breezy and a face as smiley as Ida’s it’s impossible not to like her. And when she finally saw people in the crowd moving for her anthems Better When You’re Naked and Oh My God, she let loose herself, spinning around and giving us the energy we’d gotten used to over the past year.
The stand out moment though was the first song of the encore when a solitary Ida stood on the centre of the stage, bass in hand, delivering as gravelly a vocal as she could muster with a brilliant bluesy number. Even when she’s ill, she is a joy to watch. More of the same in 2009 please.
Abjekt.
The Jesus Lizard have reformed.
The band will return briefly in 2009 with their original line up of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly for a small number of shows, starting with ATP’s The Fans Strike Back on May 9th and 10th.
To celebrate this momentous event, Touch and Go Records will reissue four full-length releases from the Jesus Lizard in May 2009. Remastered recordings of /Head/, /Goat/, /Liar/, and /Down/ will be available on both LP and CD, all with expanded packaging and liner notes.
The recent Elemental Awareness National Contest Series in Peoria, Arizona saw Collin Provost, Chad Tim Tim and many more turn up to collect food for the homeless and lay down some sick skateboarding. Watch the park edit below.
The Berrics presents a Game of Skate with Sean Malto VS Donovan Strain.
It seems that a young Chris Haslam has the Groovy Grape for this young honey who gets to grips with skateboarding as easily as sucking on a strawberry milkshake. Check out the white hotpants, ooh…