Since their acclaimed debut album Alight of Night, Crystal Stilts’ brand of doom inducing garage pop has certainly turned a lot of heads. Clearly influenced by the architects of melodic reverb, the Jesus and the Mary Chain and their seminal 1986 album Psychocandy, the Brooklyn based quintet are aiming to become the modern equivalent.
The band are currently on an European tour and their second date in the capital at Madame JoJo’s looks set to be one of their biggest gigs in the UK yet. There’s even a certain Steve Lamacq in the crowd too.
Kicking off the set is ‘Sycamore Tree’ which opens with a foggy Forsica organ. The track transcends into a gloom fest thanks to its pairing of subdued tambourines and a dark jangly riff. ‘Half A Moon’ is able to recapture 1950s rockabilly nostalgia at its frantic best. Lead singer Brad Hargett despondently spurts lyrics of “evening night we meet again, I’ll slay the sun if you take my hand”.
Similarly to the new album In Love with Oblivion their set paces by slowly but surely. It isn’t until last year’s single ‘Shake the Shackles’ that the crowd is in high spirits. JB Townsend’s rattles of guitar combined with Hargett’s Ian Curtis-esque cries provide an intimate setting for the small Soho club. The band’s 1980s post-punk influenced sound is evident in their next song ‘Flying Into The Sun’ which is a clear alternative to their reverb-heavy catalogue.
Nearing the end of their set the coincidental resemblance to glam rock classic ‘Get It On’ by T. Rex in ‘Through The Floor’ encourages the biggest reception of the evening. The New Yorkers’ uber cool vibe is maintained throughout but their return from the encore is somewhat of a damp squib. ‘Blood Barons’ and Love Is A Wave’s B-side ‘Sugarbaby’ are maybe a little too laid back for everyone’s liking.
With the NME conveyor belt of hype in rotation for the nineteenth coming of Oasis or the Strokes, there is little justice that one of America’s best indie exports of recent years remain relatively unknown after a performance like this.
The producer and MC from Portland will release his album Native Lungs on August 30th. The album originally came out as a free download but will now get a physical release. Production comes from the likes of S1, Khrysis, Theory Hazit and Braille’s Lightheaded co-member Ohmega Watts with Rob Swift amongst others on the cuts.
Here is the full tracklisting:
1. Native Lungs (Produced By: Odd Thomas; Xperiment)
2. Feel It featuring DJ Revolution (Produced By: Evidence (of Dilated Peoples); Khrysis)
3. Death In Me featuring Theory Hazit; Odd Thomas (Produced By: DaveNotti)
4. We Will Remember (Produced By: Braille (of Lightheaded))
5. Storm Trooper (Produced By: Theory Hazit)
6. Spell It Out featuring DJ Cassidy (Produced By: DJ Official)
7. The New Raw featuring Rob Swift (of The X-ecutioners) (Produced By: Ohmega Watts (of Lightheaded))
8. Nightmare Walking (Produced By: Trox)
9. Too Many Tomorrows (Produced By: Calvin Valentine)
10. Step Up (Produced By: DaveNotti)
11. 48 Prisons (Produced By: Xperiment)
12. DeepRest (Produced By: S1 (of Strange Fruit Project))
13. Finally Arrive (Produced By: Odd Thomas; Xperiment; DJ Cassidy)
Outkast’s Big Boi has been arrested and charged with drug possession.
The rapper, who recently performed at Glastonbury to much acclaim, was detained in Miami over the weeked according to reports. He was believed to be in possession of MDMA, Ecstacy and, weirdly, Viagra.
There might be jokes about him being a not-so-Big Boi without the little blue pill, but we love him, so we will refrain.
Vocalist George Pettit made the statement on the break-up citing, amongst other things, Dallas Green’s wish to concentrate on his solo work as City and Colour. There is talk of a farewell tour of their homelands but as yet nothing has been made concrete.
ATP have confirmed more acts for their December festivals.
For the ATP curated by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel from 2nd-4th of December, Joanna Newsom, Thurston Moore and Sebadoh in Minehead with tickets priced at £170 for room only and £180 for self catered apartments.
The second ATP in December, their Nightmare Before Christmas event curated by Battles, Caribou and Les Savy Fav which runs from December 9th to 11th, will see the reformation of Hot Snakes as well as sets from Cults and Pharoah Sanders.
Tickets are priced the same as the former, get yours at www.atpfestival.com.
Never one to rest on his laurels, The Game has dropped a new free mixtape.
Hoodmorning (No Typo) follows in the footsteps of his awesome Purp & Patron and Brake Lights mixtapes over the past year and features appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Yelawolf, Redman, Dr Dre, Snoop and Lil Wayne amongst others.
You can grab it for free here – Crossfire approved, so get clicking. Check out Uncle Otis below where Game switches up his style a million times as well as giving a nice dig to Kreayshawn. Banger.
Scintilli will be released on September 26th and contains 13 tracks. It will initially be available in a Muda na Mono pack, which is taken from the Japanese for “pointless object”. The album will contain two die-cut rings and a CD which can be put together and if done properly, the track titles can be read. The tracklisting, UK dates and video are below:
Track listing:
01. missing
02. eye robot
03. thank
04. unbank
05. tender hooks
06. craft nine
07. sömnl
08. founded
09. talk to us
10. 35 summers
11. african woods
12. upgrade
13. at last
October dates:
3rd – Winchester, The Railway
4th – Manchester, Soundcontrol
7th – London, Village Underground
15th – Glasgow, The Arches
16th – Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre
Chuck Dukowski, the original bassist for Black Flag, has a new band.
The group, which also includes Eugene Robinson from Oxbow, is called Black Face and have recorded four tracks that were written around the My Way era of Black Flag. The other members of the band are ex-Oxbow drummer Tom Dobrov and Milo Gonzalez from Insects vs. Robots.
Check out this interview with Chuck on Vice, it’s definitely an interesting read.
Hevy Festival is back and with a line-up that boasts a plethora of great bands, it’s definitely the place to be this weekend. With so many amazing bands playing over the three days, it can be hard to decide which should be the ones to check out and that’s where our preview steps in to help.
Our intrepid writers Ryan and Winey G have picked the acts they are most excited to see and, as the videos alongside each pick shows, you’re not going to be disappointed by any of them. If the success of last year’s festival is anything to go by, the 2011 version is going to be a ton of fun. So get reading and get ready for some carnage!
Winegums’ picks:
Touché Amoré (Rocksound + Macbeth stage, Sunday)
Having recently released what is undeniably one of the finest albums of the year, Touché Amoré will be bringing their frenetic live stylings to Hevy so get ready to get involved and scream your heart out. The intensity is definitely going to reach fever pitch for TA, just one of many so-called buzz bands included on the line-up this weekend. Something tells us that most of these acts are going to deliver in a big way.
The Bronx (Rocksound + Macbeth stage, Sunday)
The Bronx are just a standardly brilliant live prospect. Broken limbs and a crowd-bound frontman are not unheard of. But let’s not forget the tunes! Oh what a delectable treat of riffs, barked out melodies and general raucous punk fun we’re in for as vocalist Matt Caughtran will no doubt bound around like a giant baby with a huge grin on his face.
Ceremony (Rocksound + Macbeth stage, Sunday)
Hardcore punk with a sense of swagger that you just couldn’t fake, Ceremony are one of the most exciting prospects of the weekend (there are a lot of those this weekend, huh?). Inciting mile-long queues outside teensy venues last time they were in the UK, these guys are going to grab a very eager crowd by the neck and shake them to their very core.
Dillinger Escape Plan (Jägermeister Main Stage, Saturday)
Why does it feel like all of the bands at Hevy this year are going to be attempting to outdo each other in the “we’re crazy-ass motherfucking musicians” stakes? Well, many will no doubt try and some will succeed. But Dillinger really have nothing to prove on this side of things having already performed such legendary feats as shitting in plastic bags on stage and throwing it into the audience. Perhaps this time it’ll be purely about the music. Which is of course awesome. But we kind of hope the theatrics feature too.
OFF! (Rocksound + Macbeth stage, Saturday)
Vocalist Keith Morris was in Black Flag. You probably don’t need to know much more than that in order to be persuaded to catch these guys live. West coast hardcore that packs a punch. Hard, fast and loud.
La Dispute (Etnies + Front stage, Sunday)
With the most deliciously unsettling vocals and the ability to create atmospheres of eeriness and full on ripping emotional heartache from one moment to the next, La Dispute are already contenders to At The Drive-In’s post-hardcore throne at this point. It’s safe to say that if they’re going to live up to the, albeit underground, hype then they’re going to have to deliver something special at Hevy. We have faith they’ll do just that.
Basement (Etnies + Front Magazine Stage, Friday)
Part of Hevy fest’s Friday taster if you will, which will see a pared down line-up get the party started on the smaller stages as the masses begin to arrive for the weekend. Basement’s brand of emotionally driven melodic punk rock is just the ticket to get your weekend started so make sure you get to the field early to soak it all up.
Ryan de Freitas’ picks:
The Ghost of a Thousand (Jägermeister Main Stage, Saturday)
The fact that this is The Ghost of a Thousand playing a festival should be reason enough to see them on the main stage at Hevy this year. Adding that this is the band’s last ever gig before splitting up and it makes this a completely unmissable set. There will be walls and pits throughout the set as the band have promised to go out with an almighty bang.
Make Do and Mend (Rocksound + Macbeth stage, Saturday)
Off the back of their debut LP ‘End Measured Mile’ and acclaimed split with fellow Hevy stagemates ‘Touché Amoré’, this melodic hardcore outfit are not to be missed on the second stage. With a proven track record of laying waste to almost every venue they play, this is not a band that you want to regret not seeing the next day.
Funeral for a Friend (Jägermeister Main Stage, Sunday)
True pioneers in the UK Post-Hardcore scene, Funeral for a Friend have made an overdue return to form with new album Welcome Home Armageddon and their slot at Hevy will be one of their biggest UK sets since the release, with hopes of timeless classics mixed in with the intrigue of seeing the new material live for the first time. FFAF have created a real buzz about their appearance at Hevy and no doubt will live up to the hype.
While She Sleeps (Rocksound + Macbeth Stage, Sunday)
These Sheffield lads are one of the most talked-about bands in the UK at the moment. They will bring a perfect balance of passion and rage when they play their set on the second stage on Sunday. Having recently won over thousands as main supports to Silverstein earlier in the year and with 2010 album ‘The North Stands for Nothing’ rightfully earning them the respect of their peers and critics, this is a band that you’ll want to see (especially since it means you’ll have seen them before they were one of the biggest bands in the UK, which they certainly look on course to become).
Four Year Strong (Jägermeister Main Stage, Sunday)
There is no other way to say it other than: THIS BAND MUST BE SEEN LIVE. This years festival closers are sure to provide one of (if not the) highlights of the weekend with their trademark anthemic sing-along choruses and relentless, brutal breakdowns that will translate perfectly into the atmosphere of the festival. With the set sure to include hits from debut ‘Rise or Die Trying’ as well as current release ‘Enemy of the World’ these bearded warriors are set to tear the metaphorical roof off the place.
The DIY indie rock scene of the 1990s has experienced a slight revival over the past year in the UK. Both Male Bonding and Yuck’s opening album efforts have generally been well received in the British music press as well as across the pond in the U.S. London-via-Manchester four-piece Mazes are hoping for the same as they mimic their British compadres with debut album A Thousand Heys. The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston is the band’s final UK show before they embark on a full U.S. tour with White Denim.
Despite early hiccups with the venue’s experimental red lighting (yes, I’m as puzzled as you are) during the band’s opening couple of songs, Mazes’ set finally ignites with the infectious ‘Most Days’. Evident homages to Stephen Malkmus are clear with Jack Cooper’s fun and playful yells of “I never wanna get out of my bed, no way” in ‘No Way’.
This combined with alternative rock riffs from Jarin Tabata in the mould of Dinosaur Jr., The Lemonheads and Fountains of Wayne add substance to their sound and ensure that the quartet’s songs are not just exhausted Pavement pastiches.The small crowd remain in high spirits after ‘Bowie Knives’ which challenges DIY indie rock stereotypes with its organised structure, as a result the song boasts emphatic Weezer-like melody.
Inevitably, the group move towards power pop territory in ‘Surf Tag / Maths Tag’ with Cooper providing flashbacks of The Beatles entrance to JFK airport in 1964. The final song of the evening ‘Summer Hits or J+J Don’t Like’ is a rousing ending to a set from a band that was only making cassette recordings of their material two years ago. The DIY revivalists’ nostalgic farewell is proof that they are certainly well suited for bigger and better things, especially in college rock circles across the States.
Since their acclaimed debut album Alight of Night, Crystal Stilts’ brand of doom inducing garage pop has certainly turned a lot of heads. Clearly influenced by the architects of melodic reverb, the Jesus and the Mary Chain and their seminal 1986 album Psychocandy, the Brooklyn based quintet are aiming to become the modern equivalent.
