Converge have revealed the tracklist for their new album.
Axe To Fall will be released on October 20th on Epitaph and features appearances by members of Cave In, Himsa, Genghis Tron, Entombed and Neurosis. The tracklisting is:
01. Dark Horse
02. Reap What You Sow
03. Axe To Fall
04. Effigy
05. Worms Will Feed
06. Wishing Well
07. Damages
08. Losing Battle
09. Dead Beat
10. Cutter
11. Slave Driver
12. Cruel Bloom
13. Wretched World
A short potted history of the group know as Felt:
Living Legends rapper Murs teamed up with Atmosphere’s wordsmith Slug to form a side-project named Felt. 2002 – Felt: A Tribute To Christina Ricci was released, produced entirely by Living Legends member The Grouch. 2005 – Felt 2: A Tribute To Lisa Bonet was released, produced entireley by Atmosphere’s Ant. So, 2009 arrives and Felt 3 is on its way, with the production duties originally shrouded in mystery but recently revealed as being handled by Aesop Rock.
This track, Protagonists, is the teaser track with both Murs and Slug going in hard with the Minneapolis rapper throwing in a sung chorus [we all know how he loves to do that once in a while]. The build up in the intro gets the hype
“What you gonna do when we come through? / Hit undo, whatever you must do / Stay fly, get high and fuck you” raps Slug in an opening gambit which lays opposition immediately to the floor, with his LA counterpart continuing the braggadocia by acknowledging that Felt are your favourite group, without even being a proper group.
The guitar hook flits across the drums and subtly squeaking details with both rappers gliding along, making it seem casual and easy being the best around. If the rest of the album is as good as this track, then Felt 3 is gatecrashing the album of the year list.
Jak Bet.
BROADWAY CALLS‘ second album (their first for legendary indie SideOneDummy) has just been released and we caught up with singer/guitarist Ty Vaughn to find out more about the album, what the band has been up to this year and what they have coming up.
‘Good Views, Bad News‘ is out now and the band play Reading and Leeds, as well as supporting The Offspring and Rival Schools this month.
Hi Ty, tell us what were the main inspirations for your new album?
Mostly just trying to cope with a harsh northwest winter. I got snowed in, and trying to write a good pop punk summer album when the power is out, and there’s a blizzard outside isn’t easy. So I would listen to Teenage Bottlerocket, Jimmy Eat World, Screeching Weasel… Poppy stuff, but the lyrics were closer to Jawbreaker.
How do you feel about it being released through Side One Dummy?
We’re so happy to be with them. They’re the best. Such a great roster of bands, and it’s an honor to be a part of it. They work really hard with us, and we’re a good match.
You’ve toured with some pretty amazing bands this year (and are about to hit the UK with Rival Schools and The Offspring). What have been the highlights?
Touring with Alkaline Trio across Europe for a month was incredible. We had never been to mainland Europe, so to experience it for the first time, with one of our favorite bands, was literally a dream come true. Also we did a headlining tour of the West coast, with an amazing band called The Menzingers. That was extremely fun.
Who would you put on your ideal tour?
Green Day, Blink 182, Dead To Me, and us. I’d love to watch Chicken from DTM make fun of the crowds every night.
What’s the best line-up you’ve ever been a part of?
Tomorrow we’re playing a fest in California with Comadre, Dead To Me, Hour Of The Wolf, Make Do And Mend, Sabretooth Zombie and lots of others. Our friends in Set It Straight had a final show a couple years ago, and it was pretty much every amazing hardcore band from the West coast. That was one of my favorite shows ever.
What bands come to mind when you think of the ultimate punk rock show?
The Ramones, Jawbreaker, The Descendents, Green Day, Kid Dynamite, Refused!
What are the best and worst things about touring?
The best thing is meeting new friends, and seeing familiar faces every night. The worst thing is missing loved ones at home.
What do you think of the Reading and Leeds line-up? Who will you be checking out?
I haven’t seen AFI for years! Never seen Brand New. Stoked to see Frank Turner, Gaslight Anthem, Radiohead, and we’re going a day early to see the lock-up bands. Lots of friends on that stage like Polar Bear Club and Set Your Goals.
What’s been the greatest achievement of your career so far?
Definitely our new record. It’s the biggest, best thing we’ve ever created. That and being able to travel around the world doing the one thing that we love more than anything.
You were originally signed to Billie Joe’s label. If you had your own record label, what up and coming bands would you like to sign?
The Menzingers!!!! They don’t need my help though. They’re going to be just fine on their own. Everyone please check them out!!!!
What’s the most important thing you learnt when you were a band just starting out?
Be honest. Don’t be fake in the songs or on stage. People see right through that stuff.
What are your feelings on the digital versus physical in terms of music releases? Will physical formats ever become obsolete do you think?
I hope not. I understand that formats come and go, but vinyl is making a comeback, because it’s still cool to sit down and look through the liner notes of an album and look at the artwork. I hope it never goes 100% digital.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? Will there be a full headline tour in the UK at any point?
We’ll definitely be back in the UK this year, but we’ll probably be supporting someone. And trust me, it’s an amazing punk/hardcore band! We’re stoked!!!
Keep on guessing who that band will be but in the meantime Broadway Calls’ new album is released this very week and we’re pleased as punch to present an exclusive track from the record for streaming at this link HERE. Go have a listen to ‘Best Year’- you can also stream the rest of the album by clicking through on the ‘webwheel’.
One of the Vivian Girls has a new project.
Cassie Ramone has teamed up with Woods bassist Kevin Morby, and Justin Sullivan from Bossy to form a group called The Babies. You can check them out at their MySpace page. Meantime, here is some live footage:
Strung Out have set a title and release date for their next album.
The record is called Agents of the Underground and is due out September 29, 2009. Jason Cruz said of the album:
“With Agents Of The Underground, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that we are still alive and kicking just below the consciousness of the mainstream media and are celebrating our place here in “The Underground”, Like a resistance movement, we move freely and without boundaries. We say what we feel and do it all our own way, and we’ve done it all this time without radio, without TV, and without the help of a corporate record label. We are the essence of what the punk rock movement started out as and has strayed so far from. We are living proof that you can succeed by doing things your own way.”
Here’s a reminder of what they’re all about:
Dennis Lyxzen and David Sandstrom have a new band.
The former Refused members are now in AC4 and will be releasing their debut album on Ny Våg Records. You can check out the band’s track Let’s Go To War by clicking here.
Check out some live footage… apparently in someone’s garden:
Dinosaur Pile-Up are one in a seemingly very long string of frankly awesome bands emerging from Leeds at the moment.
Having inspired the slightly horrific but probably quite accurate title ‘nu-grunge’, their filthy guitars and power ball bass lines have been rocking the Crossfire stereo for some time. Now their new EP, brilliantly titled ‘The Most Powerful EP in the Universe‘ has just been released on the band’s own label Friends vs Records and showcases the band’s love for two of the finer things in life – the unholy riff and a whopping great melody. We can’t get enough of it!
With their own Wayne’s World style youtube channel (click HERE) now launched, Reading & Leeds performances just around the corner and their debut album still a mere speck on the horizon, things are definitely looking promising. Watch this space for our interview with the band coming very soon!
Trotty P.
Dinosaur Pile-Up‘s very own broadcast channel ‘What’s Happenin’ Heavy Metal‘ posted an emergency news bulletin this morning:
Nirvana‘s Bleach will get a re-release on Sub Pop to mark its 20th anniversary.
A remastered and expanded double CD is being put together that will include an unreleased live recording of the band’s gig in Portland in February 1990, which includes a cover of Molly’s Lips. There will also be a 16 page booklet with unreleased photos. The tracklisting is:
‘Blew’
‘Floyd The Barber’
‘About a Girl’
‘School’
‘Love Buzz’
‘Paper Cuts’
‘Negative’
‘Creep’
‘Scoff’
‘Swap Meet’
‘Mr. Moustache’
‘Sifting’
‘Big Cheese’
‘Downer’
Live at Pine Street Theatre:
‘Intro’
‘School’
‘Floyd The Barber’
‘Dive’
‘Love Buzz’
‘Spank Thru’
‘Molly’s Lips’
‘Sappy’
‘Scoff’
‘About A Girl’
‘Been A Son’
‘Blew’
Andy Hull, frontman of Manchesta Orchestra, will play a solo show in London.
Hull will showcase tracks from his Right Away, Great Captain side project at the Water Rats on August 27th which leads in nicely to the band’s Reading and Leeds performances in the following days. Check out how much he loves 50 Cent: