Wu Tang Clan
Necklace
wutang-corp.com
“Knees buckle and legs unstable” indeed. News of a new Wu Tang tune being unleashed has struck the internet overnight. The new single Necklace from their forthcoming ‘A Better Tomorrow’ album features Cappadonna, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and GZA individually rapping about their paranoia of jewelry snatches and proving they are still protecting ya neck.
Look out for the new album on December 2nd.
KingTuff
Black Moon Spell
Sub Pop
King Tuff’s new video for the Black Moon Spell is an epicly shot, dark, psychedelic dream machine, perfectly matching the mesmerising rock n’roll that frontman Kyle Thomas conducts underneath his swinging hair and garage persona. Director Jared Eberhardt (who also made the Band of Horses ‘Knock Knock’ video) has mixed every rock n’ roll cliche in the book from Marshall amps to skulls, snakes and gravestones to form a kaleidoscope of fun for King Tuff’s lead album track.
Plug in, press play and enjoy this.
Cloud Castle Lake
‘A Wolf Howling’
Happy Valley Records
Dublin is kicking out some fine new music this year. With acts like Girl Band and The Number Ones pricking everyone’s ears with their grinding guitar noise, it’s both unexpected and refreshing to hear such elegant and wistful sonics hailing from the city right now.
Cloud Castle Lake set a misleading tone with their hypnotic, tribal rhythms. The deep opening beats and bass blend could easily erupt into a wall of sound or a clatter of fuzz’d riffs yet for once, none of the above applies.
‘A Wolf Howling’ is what some could describe as a slow builder, and what most should deem epic. Over six mesmerising minutes, Cloud Castle Lake mold layers of luscious instrumentation into otherworldly textures and timbres. The creeping bass line, cosmic synthesisers and eerie electronics set a dark and introspective mood, while singer Daniel McAuley steals the show with his haunting vocal. Delicate as it is afflicting, McAuley throws his voice to Thom Yorke levels of wailing, hitting near violin-like frequencies.
With their debut EP, Dandelion, out now on Happy Valley Records, Cloud Castle Lake are surely one’s to watch for 2015. Stream it below.
Hookworms
‘On Leaving’
Weird World
Easing in at a slightly more relaxed pace than raucous album opener ‘The Impasse’, Hookworms build a laidback kraut-infused jam in their new track ‘On Leaving’.
An intoxicated organ tone and hypnotic guitar riff motor along in tandem, flowing smooth underneath MJ’s commanding vocal. The cycling bass line acts as a magnet, drawing you in close while new drummer JN creates tight, repetitive tension.
Locked in steady groove throughout, this six-minute mesmeriser can’t hold back. As soon as Hookworms hit the 5 minute mark they step on the fuzz and bring full on four-to-the-floor noise as this monster of sound swallows you whole.
Hookworms second LP The Hum is due November 10th on Weird World records.
Broken Arm
‘Life Is Short’
Gringo Records
Leeds mob Broken Arm have just dropped a grizzly new music video for ‘Life Is Short’, taken from their recent Gringo Records debut LP of the same name.
Defining themselves as agro-party punk, Broken Arm smear any hint of melody with sludge. In a quest to deliver nothing short of bowl-shaking bass tones, ‘Life Is Short’ is a furious noise rock fest with a sinister sentiment. Check out their own low-budget horror movie inspired video to match, featuring all the hammer deaths and bin bag murders you like.
The dastardly duo of EL-P and Killer Mike are back! Fresh off the bat following their genius debut album with a new Run The Jewels track that features Michael Winslow from fucking Police Academy! You remember that dude with the killer beeps and techno voices? Genius moves lads.
Oh My Darling Don’t Cry boasts their unique cyber hop sound that carries a deadly bass-line and a break that the likes of Oscar Pistorius can’t even pay to own right now.
Feel the workhorses on these two ram even more filthy beats and slap-your-face rap. Keep it coming.
Download it for free and look out for Run The Jewels 2 available for FREE on October 27! Pre-order the vinyl here.
Yeah baby!
Allah-Las
‘No Werewolf’
Innovative Leisure
Allah-Las have a superb new album out on September 15th. ‘No Werewolf’ doesn’t even feature on the new record, yet it has been filling our ears on repeat all weekend.
How could anyone resist music so achingly cool? Allah-Las’ dark, yet dulcet tones concoct a serving of garage surf-rock so aurally delicious, that Roky Erikson himself surely couldn’t do anything but grin and lick his chops as this triumphant instrumental brews.
Some might say ‘No Werewolf’ is monotonous, maybe even predictable, but I’d argue the opposite. This is utterly hypnotic, often indulgent, garage rock to make your head spin. Maybe there’s even a hint of primitive psychedelia in there too, or, dare I say it, some rock ‘n’ roll? After all, this is a cover version of The Frantics’ 1960 single, ‘Werewolf’.
Regardless of comparison and influence, ‘No Werewolf’ feels like the fastest two minutes and twenty nine seconds of your life. With each additional play, you just don’t want this song to end, genuinely living in fear of the last chord. Surely the most essential cover version of the year, it’s an understatement to say Allah-Las have outdone themselves.
Dave Palmer
Thee Oh Sees
‘Penetrating Eye’
(Castle Face)
John O’Dwyer threatened a hiatus for Thee Oh Sees after last year’s ‘Floating Coffin’ but despite flirting with electronica with his Damaged Bug project he wasn’t ready to hammer the nail in that wooden box yet. He did move to LA from San Fran, but other than that it’s business as usual.
The new album is called ‘Drop’ and it’s about to ahem drop on Record Store Day. It was recorded in a banana ripening warehouse and the banana skinny on this record is that the quality has not slipped. ‘Penetrating Eye’ is the wince inducing intro track, part Ty Segall part Led Zep, as shredding an opening as you could hope to witness, it scared me shitless.
Nick Hutchings
Brian Jonestown Massacre
‘What You Isn’t’
a recordings
The return of Brian Jonestown Massacre is amongst us and their first offering in ages is an incredible laid-back jam that gives and gives.
Frontman Anton Newcombe is a wonderful genius and once turned up into London for a press day and threatened to hang a journalist out of the hotel window if my memory serves me correctly. There are a million other stories on this band (man) but although he has been, and may still be, a liability to any human life around him, there’s no denying his incredible talent which streams like sunbeams through the curtains after a long night in this new track ‘What You Isn’t’.
See BJM on tour in July and look out for a new album that will be coming out on Anton’s new label.
1st July – Roundhouse – London
2nd July – Waterfront – Norwich
3rd July – Anson Rooms – Bristol
4th July – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
5th July – ABC – Glasgow
6th July – Riverside – Newcastle
7th July – Academy 2 -Birmingham
9th July – Academy 2 -Dublin, Ireland
10th July – Ritz – Manchester
11th July – Cockpit -Leeds
12th July – East Village Arts Club – Liverpool
A laid back new Wu Tang Clan tune dropped overnight with production coming from DJ Mathematics and an R&B vocal from Nathaniel. ‘Keep Watch’ is the first jam to be taken from their 20th anniversary album ‘A Better Tomorrow’ that is being prepped right now. Get on this.