The new ‘Cold War’ video from Zero Skateboards is out this week. James Brockman and Jamie Thomas’ sections have been unleashed in celebration today, expect big hammers and rail destruction. You can download the full movie from iTunes now from here.
Tag: free download
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Pond
Pond
Hobo Rocket
(Modular)
Pond share two members with Australian psych-masters Tame Impala but don’t for a second think this is some throw-away side-project there to keep the band amused in downtime. Far from it, Hobo Rocket is Pond’s fifth album and it’s a glorious rush of pop, noise psychedelia that out freaks anything Tame Impala have come up with. Opening song ‘Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide’ sets the stall out for the album very quickly, no easing the listener in gently, it slides out of the starting block shimmering with a squelchy Flaming Lips psych-pop vibe, with a pure shot of Butthole Surfers noise running through its veins. This is modern psychedelic music at its best, breathing in fifty years of experimental sounds into their collective lungs and exhaling them all over 2013.
Pond, however, ignore the mistakes of the past and resist the temptation to become self-indulgent and drab, keeping their brand of psychedelia focused and direct. ‘Xanman’, for example, hits the freak out button hard but remains upbeat and melodic, despite the swirling cacophony of noise the envelopes the song. Next up, ‘O Dharma’ is a floating Spiritualized type ballad that twinkles like the Lips own ‘Waiting For Superman’ had it been penned in 1974 by Roger Waters. Then Pond lurch back into the evil lysergic doom of ‘Aloneaflameaflower’ that crackles with such a mischievous ‘I’m gonna fuck up your trip and freak you out’ grin, you can’t help but love it, before running away feeling a bit paranoid and scared.
This is a good time for psychedelic music. It’s good to see the freak flag still waving high.
James Sherry
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Element Europe ‘Hold It Down’
Skateboarding has a great quality to it which is innovation and change. Why it doesn’t compare to most sports is because it doesn’t have any rules or governing bodies that dictate winners and losers and classify everybody into leader boards and leagues. Well, actually there is some of that in skateboarding but it’s best left ignored. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that skaters will naturally progress and this progression moves in tangents. At one end you’ll have the simple but gnarly skaters, whilst at another you’ll have the technical wizards and in between everything you have style. Older generations have always been aware that times were a-changing but I think we can safely say that times have changed but only for the better.
Element have been supporting European skateboarding for quite a while now and even if the riders from the old continent don’t necessarily have their names screened onto the decks they ride, their actions speak louder than the words the much sought after vinyl transfers could provide. Nassim Guammaz, Karsten Kleppan, Ross McGouran, Madars Apse, Phil Zwijsen, Michael Mackrodt, Jarne Verbruggen, Ruben Rodrigues and Guillaume Mocquin are all great skaters. You won’t be disappointed by what you see in their new feature length web video ‘Hold it Down‘.
Here are a few reasons why the guys in this video are worth 24 minutes of your attention deficit disordered lives:
Karsten Klappens manages to take every single spot that could have had real potential and makes it a reality. Example: that curved ledge would be great to skate but there are two great walls stick out at either end. No problem for Karsten, he’ll just pop over and pop right out.
Ross McGouran (above) is a very gnarly pint size bastard who’s not afraid to fling himself far and wide in the pursuit of happiness.
Madars Apse and Phil Zwijsen share a part that combines Madars’ laid back approach to Phil’s. Jarne Verbruggen is a perfect example of today’s generation that can annihilate anything that sits in their path. Big transfers, a bit of ledge flippery and applying old tricks to new heights makes Jarne really fun to watch.
Nassim Guammaz (above) definitely chomps more than a fair share of rails in his part but when you see how easy he makes it look, you’ll be wondering why you don’t have a go yourself.
Check the credits for a straight and simple thanks to Mark Gonzales, John Cardiel and Pontus Alv. That list might sound way too easy command street cred among viewers, but when you see the talent and approach a lot of the skaters have you can see that those three legends are the real inspiration and thankfully so.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
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The Men
The Men
‘New Moon’
(Sacred Bones)
Some 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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MGMT UK dates announced for October
MGMT are planning to be back in the UK this October playing a bunch of shows from the 12th onwards. Expect a new album to be dropping too, we reckon it will be ready for September. Stream their latest Record SDtore Day tune called Alien Days here and read our interview with them before they were even known, the day after their first ever UK show at the Social.
10/12: Glasgow, UK – ABC1
10/13: Wolverhampton, UK – Civic
10/14: Manchester, UK – Apollo
10/16: London, UK – Forum
10/19: Dublin, Ireland – Olympia
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letlive.
letlive.
‘Banshee (Ghost Fame)’
Epitaph Records
The details of letlive.’s long-awaited album ‘The Blackest Beautiful’ have been creeping across the internet in a sort of unofficial snail trail but this is the first actual music we’ve had the fortune of hearing. And bloody hell, was it worth the wait. letlive.’s furious melding of punk and hardcore with undeniable R&B influences comes to glorious life in this music video which showcases the band’s infamous live abilities. Having said that, the skills on show here are nothing compared to what you will witness at an actual live show so make sure this is one band you catch in the flesh (at the Vans Warped Tour in the US or headlining across Europe in Sept / Oct). They will melt your face off and rip your heart in two (metaphorically speaking, of course).
‘Banshee (Ghost Fame)’ has a bass driven groove and all the vocal melody, screams and spitting you could want. Jason Butler proves himself as one of the most versatile and skilled vocalists of the genre, whilst purveying some intense lyrical content. You can bet that this is a sign of things to come with the album itself which is set for release through Epitaph Records on 8th July. The term ‘highly anticipated’ doesn’t quite cut it in reference to this record which many are hailing as one of the albums of the decade. On the strength of this introduction, we can see that they might have a point…
2013 belongs to the Soul Punx.
A new Wu Tang track has emerged today. RZA played this on New York’s Hot 97 radio show last night so download it and stay tuned to find out whether this track will be part of a 20th Anniversary release or from A Better Tomorrow.
If you want more fresh Wu goodness, head here.
If you read our French Fred interview in his Exposed feature a few week’s back you would have noticed he was working on a new Visual Audio Experiment with Thomas Campbell.
Cuatro Suenos Pequenos (Four Small Dreams) is their new 16mm film project that has appearances off and on board from Madars Apse and Javier Mendizabal.
There will 4 dream scene scenarios across the 20 minute video feature that will drop this summer, but for now, watch this to get you in the mood for what’s coming.
The film captures Javier Brushing his teeth, slobbering on his pillow, bedding down with a beautiful brunette, running into Madars Apse in his dream, they skate over volcano’s, thru the woods and into cities of Spain, the Canary Islands, Mallorca, The Basque country and California. It’s beautiful work.
*Kickflip firecracker at speed* cough…
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Baby Godzilla
Baby Godzilla
‘A Good Idea Realised’
Free Download
If you have not witnessed Baby Godzilla yet and are a hardcore fan then prepare for a taste of pure quality that is out there within the British scene right now. This monstrously tight Nottingham four-piece are delivering one of the best live shows you will see out there right now, and to support this onslaught, they are also releasing various tracks from their brand new EP, ‘Knockout Machine’ for free throughout June.
Their first of four freebies is ‘A Good Idea Realised‘. Coming in at just 1.43 on the clock, this surging explosion of ferocious hardcore is served with a stabbing set of riffs, absolutely pounding drums and twin dose of serial screaming; so be mentally prepared for a relentless frenzy from the first note.
It will not be long until this band are filling venues countrywide, which is not a problem, as BG have a tendency to ply their trade in the audience as opposed to on stage. This band are absolutely awe-inspiring to see face to face but get a taster of the chaos that is spawning out there right now and download this free track today from here. If you nearby to London, note their residency shows at the Black Heart in Camden on 6th and 20th of June and 4th July. Miss these and you will kick yourself in the future.
Read more about Baby Godzilla in their Crossfire interview here.
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Ambig: Modern Art
Ambig Clothing’s latest visual endeavour is a short promo rather than a full length with only three riders releasing full parts, others taking up smaller montage roles and a flow rider section tagging on after the credits. The length of this flick didn’t bother me though, as the 16-minutes of footage delivered banger after banger.
Clive Dixon opens the box with a wide range of skating. I was really digging his part but the wailing soundtrack almost made it unbearable. My dog wasn’t too pleased with the music selection either. However, the skating made up for it tenfold, especially his FS bigspin lipslide that came out of nowhere. JT Aultz and Sean Conover then assault anything hand rail or hubba shaped. Sean even does a 360 flip 50-50 which is a total beer spiller. Moose then follows with his third video appearance of 2013, making him a good contender for the hardest working am this year. The Deathwish ripper shows us just how good he is at flipping into grinds, and once again delivers a solid section.
Next, we witness one of Ed Tempelton’s loyal pawns, Matt Bennett, who gets tech on some schoolyard tables. He shows us his legendary Bennett grind, taking some to handrails, and doing variations on picnic tables. This part (that also has a Dan Lutheran appearance) will make most people look forward to another Toy Machine video. Fingers crossed on that, especially as they have just acquired the services of Blake Carpenter.
The ender is closed by Birdhouse’s latest pro, Clint Walker. This part actually got leaked 4 weeks ago, leaving the internet in meltdown. He skates fast as fuck to Holograms’ ‘Monolith’ track and isn’t afraid to take a full tilt slam either. His all-out approach in this video makes it an instant classic. There are a plethora of tricks to mention from this section, but a the ollie body-varial down the huge triple set and his 50-50 down the weirdest triple kinker ends this on a huge high. This part will be up there as one of the very best at the end of the year and beyond. Sick stuff.
Watch it in full here with some extra’s from Walker’s section or even better, track down the DVD as it will be one to keep forever.
Dominic Hynard