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The HELL

thehell_thisisthemotherfuckinghellTHE HELL
‘YOU’RE LISTENING TO THE HELL’
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The Hell sound just like that other band featuring that other dude who was in that other band that was good once and now isn’t. But they’re a far cry from Captain Dracula and the Receding Three. Yeah, there’s a bunch of other dudes from others bands in The Hell and it’s kinda Watford.

Some writers will probs call it a ‘brodown’. Some writers are noncey kiddie courting cunts. The Hell have put out a free album that will make you flip your computer off your office desk. It ain’t nice. It ain’t clever. Best of the year.

Masked Avenger

Stream and/or Download it for free below:

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Scott and Charlene’s Wedding

Scott and Charlene’s Wedding

Any Port in a Storm

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Scott & Charlene's Wedding_albumsleeveCraig Dermody is back with a second LP from his indie pop project Scott and Charlene’s Wedding. Any Port in a Storm is an autobiographical account of a rookie year in New York. Dropped straight from Melbourne into NYC, Dermody wears his heart on his sleeve, telling tales of adjusting to the jeopardies of the Big Apple, homesick for Oz.

His vocal warble sets the tone of this record perfectly in opener ‘Junk Shop’ sauntering into the slacker groove of this charmingly sluggish batch of tunes. Track by track you’re invited further into Dermody’s daily struggles, offering you to share his burden. ‘Fakin’ NYC’ sees him adjusting to a new expat life, finding a new job and feeling out of place, doing anything for coin.

Lyrically, this album feels personal and poignant, but thankfully humorous at times too. ‘Lesbian Wife’ is a humble story of loneliness. Caught up in the middle of freak storm, Dermody is reduced to cooking his tea on a camping stove, enduring the toils of Hurricane Sandy alone, pining for Australia.

Musically, Any Port in a Storm is a real ode to the lo-fi. A whiff of the 13th Floor Elevators lingers comfortably on tracks like ‘Downtown’ boasting a retro groove and guitars that jangle more than a wind chime in a hurricane. But while it’s safe to say that Dermody’s a garage man, it’s comforting to hear modern similarity too, the quick intricate riffing on ‘Charlie’s in the Gutter’ remind of fellow New Yorkers Beach Fossils.

Never hurried or rushed, Craig Dermody’s Any Port in a Storm is jammed full with 11 slack tracks, each laced with true garage swagger. This is a great summer album, so grab a copy and soak it up.

Any Port in a Storm is out now on Fire Records.

Dave Palmer

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RJD2

RJD2
‘Her Majesty’s Socialist Request’
Electrical Connections
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rjd2-her-majestys-socialist-requestTrue RJD2 fans were a bit bemused by ‘A Third Hand’ back in 2007 but we are still feasting on it’s lush tunes here this summer in the Crossfire office. The Colossus followed this in 2010 and since then, we have not heard a peep,…until now.

John Krohn will apparently return with a new album this October called ‘More Is Than Isn’t’ and is said to feature various vocalists and rappers, including Blueprint, Livingston, Khari Mateen and P.Black alongside others to be announced. Check out the first single ‘Her Majesty’s Socialist Request’ here, it’s stripped back electronic rock n’ roll number with a filthy little middle eastern shuffle going on.

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True Widow

True Widow
‘Circumambulation’
Relapse Records

true_widow_CircumambulationIt doesn’t seem too long ago that True Widow graced us with a long player. I guess it has something to do with the fact that music this laid-back is so timeless. It captures life in slow motion, leaving a form of stoned paralysis so brutal that you instantly crave more once the fix is delivered.

These Texan stonegazers have seriously upped the dose on this new offering. The medicated tones that made up their last release “As High As the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth” back in 2011 were strong, but this three piece have delivered another slow-burning classic that is guaranteed to poach the circumference of your inner ear.

Kicking off with a murder ballad masterpiece by the ever-moving ‘Creeper’ their new collection of haunted darkness slowly drives into ‘S:H:S’, a comfortably numbing track picked for their latest promo video packed with Dan Phillips’ dulcet tones and deep nodding riffs. ‘Four Teeth’ is the closest to pop that you will find on this album with Nicole Estill’s vocal mesmerizing as they drip over the track; its economics may be simple but it will lodge inside your system like a bad dream. This is followed by an administered injection of sleepy drone and fuzzy stoner bliss that makes ‘Numb Hand’ feel short ahead of the stomping metallic throb from the riffs of ‘Trollstigen’, the longest track on ‘Circumambulation’. It’s fairly easy to get lost in the seven minutes that pass by making it one of the weakest of the pack unfortunately.

The pace picks up for ‘I:M:O’, but only by a feather. The light soundscapes here roll without vocals before ‘HW:R’ see Phillips and Estill join forces on verse and chorus duties perfectly. “I’ve done so many things with my time, or so I think…” says Phillips nonchanlty. It’s a phrase that belongs to us all and lyrically DP is speaking for everyone growing up on this track. Blissful, melodic and smoking from top to tail – it’s a perfect example of the beauty that these Dallas stoners can produce. The album winds down to a staggering low pace with the final fix of sleepy drone and fuzzy stoner bliss on ‘Lungr’. It’s heroin in WAV form and it should be your soundtrack of the summer. Stream it here.

9/10

Zac

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Joanna Gruesome

Joanna Gruesome
‘Secret Surprise’
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joanna-gruesomeSometimes a track comes along and just smacks you right in the face. ‘Secret Surprise’ from Cardiff/London outfit Joanna Gruesome does just that. It’s the first cut from their forthcoming album Weird Sister which will be coming out through the excellent Fortuna Pop! label (Allo Darlin’, Evans The Death, Shrag) on September 16th – if this track is representative of the rest of their debut then colour us very excited indeed.

Like The Pixies gone punk, ‘Secret Surprise’ is a supercharged, lo-fi burst of pure energy. The Buzzcocks meets C86 meets Riot Grrrl sound permeating through could easily sound dated, but there’s something fresh (maybe even timeless) that makes their scuzzy, fuzzy sound extremely exciting.

It’s the kind of track that you can imagine making teenagers want to pick up the guitar and give it a go themselves, which is exactly the sort of ethic a band like Joanna Gruesome instil. JoGru, as well as the bands they regularly shares stages with such as Playlounge, Bird Skulls and Best Friends, bring an energy which is at odds with many new bands filling the dive venues of East London. There’s no feeling that these guys do it with any ambition of filling phone network sponsored venues or getting their mugs on the front of any weekly music mags. As trite and clichéd as it may sound, it’s clearly about the music and the fun of playing. It’s just real.

They tour pretty relentlessly so there’s no excuse not to scope them out this summer.

Augustus Groove

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Weekend

Weekend
‘Mirror’
Slumberland Records

WeekendThere’s a reason why 80’s inspired post-punk never seems to go away – when it’s done well, it can be devastating. Thanks to bands like Savages, These New Puritans and Crossfire favourites Wax Idols, there’s a dark new wave flooding the scene. Brooklyn trio Weekend are another contender fighting for a space on that brooding storm cloud.

Latest track ‘Mirror’, taken from their forthcoming album Jinx, glides between melody and intensity, with that driving Peter Hook-esque bassline pulsating throughout, held together with almost tribal drumming. Immersive and powerful, hazy but not overwhelming, ‘Mirror’ doesn’t deny its influences but is exciting enough to avoid sounding unoriginal or dated. The hugely memorable vocal, “I feel sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, in my heart” could easily sound trite in the wrong hands, but it’s sang with such conviction on ‘Mirror’ that instead it just tightens the songs grip.

The passion exhibited on the track may in part be due to the fact singer Shaun Durkan’s father played in 80s post-punk band Half-Church. Choosing to embrace his father’s influence rather than rebel against it has clearly enhanced the band’s sound, but Weekend are well on the way to forging their own distinct history – having already toured with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and British post-punk royalty Wire.

Weekend’s forthcoming album Jinx will be out through Slumberland Records in July.

Augustus Groove

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Drug Church

Drug Church
‘Donny’s Woods’
No Sleep Records

DRUGCHURCH_donnyswoodsThis is the first glimpse of material from Drug Church’s upcoming debut ‘Paul Walker’. The band side with AltPress to premiere their new song ‘Donny’s Woods’, described by frontman Patrick Kindlon; “For everyone who ever thought about faking their own death, we present ‘Donny’s Woods’ a song about how quickly people will forget about your ass.”

Drug Church’s assuring ode to the reclusive is everything you’d expect, hard and fast, quick and nasty. Expect more of the same from these degenerate punk loners on their ordinarily titled debut album Paul Walker due July 22nd through No Sleep Records, it’s sure to be a belter.

Dave Palmer

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The Men

The Men
‘New Moon’
(Sacred Bones)

TheMen_NewMoonSome bands are content to rest on their laurels. Too many bands are happy to make the same record over and over again, never really moving forward, never progressing for fear of alienating their audience, too scared to take risks, frightened what it might do to their career, their finances.

Then there are bands that are in it for creative rewards. Endlessly and fearlessly evolving and moving forward, never content to sit still and stagnate. Brooklyn heads The Men are one of these bands. The primal raging hardcore roar of their early records has gradually given way to a sprawling, face-melting psychedelic noise with a country twang. Vibes and vapours of Crazy Horse, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement and Ween ripple from each track; classic American skewed song-writing with tunes that stick in your head and a thrilling free-form approach to rocking. When The Men go full tilt on a song like ‘Electric’ they damn near take the roof off, elevating the floor, punching holes in the walls. Then there’s ‘Open The Door’, a tender, roaming country ballad that recalls Stephen Malkmus at his most inspired. And there is so much more besides.

Already a strong contender for album of the year. How do I know this? Because I’ve played it pretty much every day for a month straight and I just keep falling more and more in love with it. The songs take on new meanings, new layers, new melodies. The Men are a very special band. Watch them grow and journey with them.

James Sherry

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Run The Jewels

RUN THE JEWELS
www.foolsgoldrecs.com

run-the-jewels-artEl-P and Killer Mike is such an explosive combination, it’s almost too good to be true. We glimpsed it with El-P’s production skills on Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music but their combined lyrical genius on Run The Jewels cements theirs as one of the most exciting collaborations in hip hop. Full stop. Each has a unique vocal quality and flow, yet they complement each other entirely and the crunching electronic production is so satisfying pumping through your speakers. Run The Jewels also walks the line between clever lyrical nuance, and out and out crass content expertly with some truly immense lines throughout.

Observe –

The company of women with opinions and fat asses
That’s my list of demands

There will be no respect for The Thrones
No master mastered these bones
Your idols all are my rivals
I rival all of your idols
I stand on towers like Eiffel, I rifle down all your idols
Niggas will perish in Paris, niggas is nothing but parrots

I move with the elegance of an African elephant
I presented the evidence eloquent as a president

‘Banana Clipper’ features a guest turn from Big Boi who slots cleverly into this dynamic and a skit-driven turn from Prince Paul adds yet another facet. But really, all you want to hear is Killer Mike and El-P bouncing off each other in glorious rap unity.

Kanye’s album is interesting but this is out and out bangers. Download now. For free.

Winegums

 

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Pixies

Pixies
‘Bagboy’
www.facebook.com/pixiesofficial

pixies_bagboyPIXIES fans are literally in meltdown right now. On Friday they issued a brand new track called Bagboy that flew round the internet and it’s a peach too. No let down’s, no mention that they are over it by anyone who has good ears for music – the only bad news is that Kim Deal has left the band. It sounds like she is singing on this though. Deal has been replaced by Kim Shattuck who has played played bass for The Pandoras and guitar for The Muffs in the past.

Bagboy is the first track to be released by the band in 9 years, recorded last October and produced by Gil Norton. Made from their trademark upbeat drums and led by Black Francis the track calls to ‘cover your breath, polish your speech’. What that actually means, we have no idea, but get ready for the UK tour dates below and I guess, a full album.

NOVEMBER UK TOUR:

18 – Olympia, DUBLIN, IRELAND
21 – Apollo, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
22 – Barrowlands, GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM
24 – Hammersmith Apollo, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Download the new tune Bagboy for free here: