Category: Music

IMMERSION

Post author By Dave
Post date November 16, 2015

IMMERSION
‘Organic Cities’
Swim Records

Revived after an unexpected synth-based shopping spree in New York earlier this year, Colin Newman (Wire) and Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) have announced the return of their collaborative Immersion project. A nigh two decades on from 1999 release Low Impact, and with new-found sonic territories said to be inspired by the couple’s recent migration to Brighton, Analogue Creatures sees the long awaited fourth chapter in Immersion’s career to be immortalised on 10” vinyl via none other than Swim Records.

First cut ‘Organic Cities’ comes with analogue synth arpeggios in abundance. Seemingly structure-less and pleasantly meandering, the track also sees the first instance of electric guitar present on an Immersion record, with spatial, gloomy lines gliding skywards across ominous, geometric patterns. Check it out below along with a full track-listing.

Analogue Creatures track-list:
1. Always The Sea
2. Shapeshifters
3. Organic Cities
4. Mechanical Creatures
5. Slow Light

Music News

Ian Mackaye and Steve Albini head to head interview

Post author By Zac
Post date November 12, 2015

ian_mackaye_steve_albini_interview_fugazi_shellac_dischord_music_punk_hardcore

It’s not often you will hear Ian Mackaye (Fugazi/Dischord/The Evens) in conversation head to head with Steve Albini (Big Black/Shellac) but it’s happened on Kreative Kontrol.

In part 1, listen to Albini slag off Rites of Spring, and the influence of Minor Threat on hardcore, punk violence, the Butthole Surfers, one-upmanship, record distribution, explaining Pailhead and how Ian came to work with Al Jourgensen from Ministry (softy dance stuff, ha!) and most importantly, they discuss in detail that ‘In On The Kill Taker’ recording session that never worked for Fugazi that Albini engineered.

In part 2, the pair discuss politics, Sylvester Stallone, the Urban Outfitters/Minor Threat thing, Henry Rollins, communication, anonymity and much, much more.

This is a great chat if you are obsessed by hardcore, make sure you find time to sit down and listen to it properly.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Tags bad brains, big black, butthole surfers, dischord, fugazi, hardcore, hardcore music, ian mackaye, interview, kreative kontrol, minor threat, punk, Records, shellac, steve albini, touch and go

Album Reviews

The Noise Figures

Post author By Dave
Post date November 11, 2015

the_noise_figures The Noise Figures
Aphelion
Inner Ear Records

A two-piece making serious noise isn’t so rare these days but the power to keep you gripped for the full length of an album is really something of a treat. Reminiscent of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s bruised blues and Death From Above 1979’s hardin-your-guts riffs, Aphelion takes the listener on a multi-paced journey through a desert of brooding intensity, with raw fuzzed-out energy and tender desperation leaving you bloodied and beaten but feeling all the better for it.

Highlights include ‘Shoot The Moon’ with its opening riff sounding as gritty as worn boots trudging through gravel, this dusty opener sets a hypnotic pace for the rest of the album to grind along to. The title track’s spaciousness and sluggish pace conjuring images of scorched earth and desperate lips begging for the first rain on arid plains, though ‘Blood’ stands out as the ultimate peak. With its ternary structure of polar paces, the second half of the bridge takes a beautifully dark tumble into madness before plummeting back in to close with lightening force.

Aphelion is an exceptional collection of formidable tracks that evoke epic imagery throughout with The Noise Figures’ attention to detail being the catalyst. All music was recorded to tape in the short space of an intense five days and, instead of settling for universal tuning, the band experimented at 432Hz. A fairly uncommon method (aka Pythagorean tuning) giving the album an undeniably fresh edge.

The Noise Figures certainly give other dynamic duos a run for their money and without doubt they are one to watch out for with this awesome addition to their catalogue. They’ve built their launch pad, so here’s hoping they’ll use their third release to shoot these Greek titans into the sky.

Out now on Inner Ear Records, purchase a copy of Aphelion here.

Joseph Murray

Buzz Chart

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Post author By Dave
Post date November 10, 2015

trapdoor_king_gizzard_and_the_lizard_wizard King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
‘Trapdoor’
Heavenly Recordings

Primed and ready to drop their seventh album Paper Mâché Dream Balloon on Friday November 13th, Melbourne 7-piece King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have shared a marvellously daft new music video for the lead track, ‘Trap Door’.

Set to rise above the fuzzing, electric wig-out’s one has come to expect from this old-school Aussie crew, especially after the sonic storm their last full-length I’m In Your Mind Fuzz whipped up, their new album is to feature nothing but acoustic instruments. Let ‘Trapdoor’ set the scene as soft piano chords ensue, a tablecloth comes to life, and a spooky ghost lays down some mean flute licks all over the place.

February 2016 UK Tour Dates

15th Manchester, Gorilla
16th Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
17th Bristol, Fleece
19th Brighton, The Haunt

Music News

Bad Brains’ Dr Know on life support

Post author By Zac
Post date November 4, 2015

badbrainsdrknow Our thoughts go out to all in the Bad Brains camp this week who are doing their best to bring Gary (Dr Know) Miller back from a life support system. The band have released a statement over night:

“The Bad Brains family ask that you please keep Gary (Dr Know) Miller in your thoughts and prayers. The family respectfully ask that their privacy be honoured during this time and very much appreciate all the great energy that is being sent their way.”

Gary has been playing guitar in hardcore legends Bad Brains, formed in Washington DC since 1977. Let’s hope that he pulls through whatever he is battling.

Music News

The Moonlandingz detail new LP

Post author By Dave
Post date October 30, 2015

moon

via

If the news of The Fat White Family’s forthcoming second LP wasn’t enough to make your pupils pop, two fresh tracks and details of a debut album from The Moonlandingz surely will.

But that’s not even the whole of it. Those in the US will be treated to an extended version of The Moonlandingz‘ late self-titled EP with two bonus tracks, ‘Psych Ersatz’ and the instrumental ‘Blow Football with J Carpenter’, and a ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ Sean Lennon de-mix. And it’s out today available to buy here!

Whilst over in the US on their first North American tour earlier in October, the band pro-longed their stay to record and album and a half’s worth of material, also with Sean Lennon, at his studio in upstate New York. ERC/Moonlandingz main man Adrian Flanagan spills the beans below –

“We’ve got 17 tracks recorded, enough for an album and maybe a follow up EP. So far, it’s sounding incredible, there’s a lot of different genres on there: deranged glam rock songs about self discovery in foreign countries, east European electronic rockabilly about the fuckers who run our country in the UK, truck driving songs about prostitute killers, there’s a track called “The Rabies are Back” that sounds a bit like vintage Devo, there’s sensual ballads about strangling your lover, a track about indie rock stars acting like pricks called “Drop It Fauntleroy (The Ballad of A.Turner)” and this massive heavy psychedelic Bollywood type track. Yeah it’s gonna knock some socks off, might have a few guests on it too, just got to mix it all first before we plan a release date. I’m guessing late summer for the album, maybe a single in the interim.

Working with Sean was great, he really put the hours in and has contributed to a lot of the tracks on the record, playing musical saw, glass harps, Victorian funfair organs, banjo’s, sitars and lapsteel guitar, he’s practically a member of the group. Musically, he’s on the same wave length as us and he’s a funny fucker, he spent the early hours of one morning, post recording, reciting the lyrics to the Osmonds track “Crazy Horses” to us, he could not believe that such mind blowing lyrics existed in popular music, have you read them though? Utter POPPYCOCK!!!!”

Album Reviews

Wavves

Post author By Dave
Post date October 27, 2015

wavves_v Wavves
V
Ghost Ramp Records

Somehow, already five albums in, the LA noise-pop ensemble Wavves delight us further with their latest release V. A genuinely electrifying record, it would fit effortlessly into a plethora of different environments – a gloriously sunny festival afternoon or the cramped crevices of a serotonin-soaked house party, Wavves’ latest release, simply put, is pure magic.

Stepping away from their earlier material, V sees Wavves refine their sound down, cutting back to something with much cleaner edges. Blending indie pop and noise rock seamlessly with lyrical flashes drenched in angst, the smart song-writing and impressive studio work (from the help of Woody Jackson – Beck, Primal Scream etc.) is incredibly addictive and does more than enough to ensure it doesn’t blindly blend with other artists attempting similar things.

The album opens with ‘Heavy Metal Detox’s chewy opening riff swirling us into great expectation. Once V sets off you immediately know what you want, and that you’re going to be getting it just thirty seconds in. The incredibly relatable ‘Way Too Much’, the speedy, Dookie-era, verse chorus pattern of ‘Wait’, and album-closer ‘Cry Baby’, all offer up a cacophonous capsule of creativity mixed with sombre underscoring.

Said to be conceptualized from drawing positivity out of negative experiences and “realistic optimism”, V is undoubtedly the band’s most focused work to date. Wavves have managed to create something warmly familiar but with a fresh, familiar honesty that draws you in even further than before.

Buy the album here.

Words: Joseph Murray

Buzz Chart Single Reviews

Night Dials

Post author By Dave
Post date October 26, 2015

night_dials Night Dials
‘Waiting At Your Door’ / ‘Little Flame’
Ciao Ketchup Recordings

West London’s Night Dials are set to drop their new AA-side single this month and its sun soaked psych vibes are downright riveting.

Sounding reminiscent of Cosmonauts, Night Beats and The UFO Club, via West Coast-surf scuzz, ‘Waiting At Your Door’ is a lo-fi melancholic daydream. With gushing keyboards and lead guitar rumble and fuzz, jolly, ska-esque rhythms ensue, puncturing the surface with every other beat to keep you bouncing along ‘Obla Di Obla Da’ style. A brilliant metaphor of quite literally waiting at someone’s door, the monotonous, foot tapping, ticking-clock guitar repetition is a nudge in your back every other second just to remind you it’s still there.

Nosediving from the optimism and youthful notion of ‘Waiting At Your Door’, ‘Little Flame’ provokes a darker corner of Night Dials’ musicality. Here we’re treated to a new depth. Gone is the fun and fuzz of the aforementioned track, giving a sharp thrust into the reflective keys showing that Night Dials have the ability, and sensibility, to add a new dimension to their sound and exist beyond the general “psych/garage” scenes.

Words:Tom Churchill

‘Waiting At Your Door’ / ‘Little Flame’ is due October 30th via Ciao Ketchup. Pre-order here.

Music News

Fat White Family detail new LP for January

Post author By Dave
Post date October 26, 2015

fat white family

Inviting you to “dance to the beat of human hatred“, today the Fat White Family have announced a new album, titled Songs For Our Mothers, for release on January 22nd 2016 via the band’s own imprint, Without Consent.

Following in the footsteps of their widely acclaimed 2013 debut Champagne Holocaust, the band detail the forthcoming album to be nothing short of “a sensual odyssey; sex, drugs, politics, death, the Northern Irish A-lister Sam Neil, it’s all here, all that’s left to do now is breathe it in“.

Co-produced by Liam Trashmouth and the band, Songs For Our Mothers was recorded between the Trashmouth studios in New Malden and Marcata Studios (regularly frequented by both Swans and Titus Andonicus) in New Paltz, upstate New York.

Track listing:
1. Whitest Boy On The Beach
2. Satisfied
3. Love Is The Crack
4. Duce
5. Lebensraum
6. Hits Hits Hits
7. Tinfoil Deathstar
8. When Shipman Decides
9. We Must Learn To Rise
10. Goodbye Goebbels

Stay tuned for the first cut and forthcoming UK December tour dates TBA.

Music News

Tortoise to reissue back catalogue, new album for 2016

Post author By Dave
Post date October 22, 2015

With a nigh-on 25 year career of genre spanning, multi-instrumental sonic offerings, it is with much excitement we receive the news that Chicago’s Tortoise are to reissue their six-album discography, and release an entire new album, on January 22nd 2016.

To match the anticipated new LP, titled The Catastrophist, and set to include guest appearances from Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley, along with a warped cover of David Essex’s 1973 hit ‘Rock On’, Tortoise have also detailed a full European tour through February with one UK date at London’s Village Underground on the 23rd.

Check out the details of each reissue below and head here to pre-order The Catastrophist from Thrill Jockey Records.