ETERNAL TAPESTRY "Beyond the 4th Door" (Thrill Jockey)

 Chicago's Thrill Jockey imprint has always been 10 steps ahead of themselves, with an ever growing roster of experimental pop and avant-garde's most prolific acts of today.In the last two decades they've given us The Sea and Cake, Tortoise, Pit Er Pat, Trans Am, and a slew of other household names, as well as blossoming young acts like Mi Ami, Arbouretum, Pontiak, and High Places.They've become quite a figurehead in underground music, and seem to be diving a bit deeper into obscurity with each release, with the recent addition of Daniel Higgs, Barn Owl, and Boredoms their family.Portland's Eternal Tapestry are one of their newest and most promising foster children, with a number of well received tape and vinyl releases under their belt.Sharing ex and current members with Plankton Wat, Edibles, Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Cloaks, and Heavy Winged, this group of psych-visionaries are no strangers to sonic experimentation, and have given Thrill Jockey their most focused and compelling opus to date.

 Behind the 4th Door contains five epic movements in just over 40 minutes, just as you've come to expect from E-Tap.Fans of their last two scorchers, 2009's "The Invisible Landscape" and "Palace of the Night Skies" will no doubt get their fix of pummeling guitar chops and pounding drums, but they've taken a chunk of their patented Zeppelin-esque freak outs, and transformed them into sprawling, radiant beauty.Unlike the aforementioned, Behind..takes a somewhat different path into the psych abyss, as they've an entirely new environment for their loose guitar improvisations to run free.Now, these aren't the typical, mindless "stoner jams" that are so easily forgotten, although they've certainly been tagged with the term a countless number of times.Whether or not they'd ripped a 10 foot bong before heading into the studio, E-Tap confidently display a style of improvisation that is just as controlled and focused, as it is sporadic and random.There's obviously a strong connection between this talented bunch, as their blinding chemistry shines brightly within the swell of each movement.

 The album's opening track, "Ancient Echoes" seems to set a pleasant and inventive tone for the entire record, with it's distant guitar noodling and slow moving drum sweeps and creeping bass.The addition of breathy, subtle vocals gives the song a bit more depth, and meaning.Although the words are unclear, it's a rather nice touch.As the album slowly rolls on, the moods shift from dark, brooding echoes, to bright and gentle clarity.The band shows us their eternal lust for heavy riffing and crashing drums, with the 7+ minute "Galactic Derelict".The song chimes in with a low, buzzing riff and staggering drums, as the two axe men burn through just about every effects pedal and guitar manipulation out there.A saxophone wails off in the distance, and accompanies the low end perfectly.As the percussion starts to pound away a bit louder, a heavy chord repeats and holds things together, as the other guitar builds up with a bendy, repetitive run.It sounds like they're both stumbling uphill from opposite sides, unaware of the other's existence.When the two finally meet at the top, they blindly collide head first, to form a vibrant, soaring harmony, loosely intertwined yet calculated, and gives the song an exhilarating finish, and the album is only half way gone.The closing track, clocking in at just over 12 minutes, is a  patient, and slowly burning tune called "Time Winds Through a Glass, Clearly".It carefully swims through a sea of layered guitar drones, and organ pulses, with each instrument taking their turns in the foreground at random.Just as you think you've figured out where it's all heading, things pick up and head in the other direction, with an unexpected key change.This reminds me of Grails' blackened post-rock, with that underlying world music influence hiding deep withing it's core.You will most likely find a handful of similarities between E-Tap and your favorite modern and/or classic psych-rock outfits, but this one delivers quite generously, and offers new discoveries with listen.Highly recommended.
 Practice your levitation skills to the "Galactic Derelict" video, below.

FOLLAKZOID - "Follakzoid" 12"EP (Sacred Bones)

  Sacred Bones' insanely consistent, and ever-growing twelve inch series continues, with a solid debut from Santiago's Follakzoid.The band formed in Chile in 2007, after pulling their eclectic musical tastes together under one roof, and jamming for hours on end.The SB site says this: "The first time they jammed together they played non- stop without speaking for two hours and were seemingly over taken by a trance without any clear reference point." I'm always fascinated by this kind of immediate connection between strangers.It's a connection that is fueled by a natural chemistry between the players, it's an electrifying, positive energy that fills the room when things just work, and you just go with it.The urgency their epic first meeting has a strong presence on this record.

  Side one hits the ground running, with a track called "IV, III, II, I" a driving, spaced out tune that's built up around a steady, motorik drum beat that recalls krautrock legends like NEU! and Can.Shifting buzzing guitars are phased in and out, and the tones mysteriously weave throughout left and right channels at random.Fragments of riffs break off into tiny pieces and scatter throughout the song.The rhythm section is tightly syncopated, and sounds somewhat robotic at times.Some of this sounds similar to the krauty groove of label mates Mood Duo, but Follakzoid have got their own blend of early krautrock and deep psych wizardry going for them.There are faint and distant voice samples mumbling just below the music, giving the track some extra depth and a bit of mystery.It's not long until things start to build, as the layers of thick guitars, synths, tambourines and other noise makers pile high.Things finally peak, with an exhilarating jolt of rhythmic bliss, and soon the chaos fades out slowly.

  Arabic-Hash is a completely different vibe altogether.The track fades in with hypnotizing "tribal" drum pattern, and wah-soaked guitar interplay.There's a heavy Eastern influence going on here.It reminds me of the more accessible, beat-driven works by Popol Vuh, and that is a very good thing.Elements of more recent kraut worshiping acts like Turzi and Ghost come to mind, as well. After a few minutes they bump up the tempo, and things really start moving along.A distant and swirling guitar fuzz is laid atop a heavily delayed two note riff , as a deep, thumping kick drum and hi-hat repition, paired with a driving guitar and bass, pushes things into minimalist dance territory.Again, they stack layer upon layer of fuzz and dense chords, and then it all stops abruptly, leaving something resembling a helicopter whirring noise in it's wake.Follakzoid have made an undeniably compelling EP, and are sure to kick start Chile's blossoming psych movement in a big way.I suggest that anyone who's into this sort of thing to pick this up immediately.

TEENAGE PANZERKORPS(DER TPK) - "German Reggae" LP/CS (Holidays/C.F.I.)

  For the last 10 years or so, Bunker Wolf and his Teenage Panzerkorps, otherwise known as DER TPK, have been churning out their own brand of demanding kraut-punk, and they have recently unleashed their latest opus, German Reggae.With two lp's, and a handful of ep's and singles under their belt, the boys have given us a fantastic new long player, and it's by far their best yet, in our opinion.Rarely do we judge a book, or record by it's cover, but this particular album cover speaks volumes about it's musical contents.I was pretty much blown away within the first two minutes of listening.

  German Reggae is chock-full of early post-punk rhythms and krautrock beat worship, pulling bits and pieces from these genre's most notable acts, such as Chrome, NEU!, Factrix, The Fall, and Savage Republic.But these are just a few the more obvious parts of this record, as each listen slowly reveals new tones and tiny melodies hidden within it's simple, yet potent layers.Wolf's vocals are delivered in a rather typical, stern TPK fashion, with amgered and spiteful shouts, like a goth tinged, German speaking Mark E. Smith.His commanding voice echoes amidst the dense walls of sturdy kraut-style percussion.Thick, grainy organs run wildly throughout the songs, and accompany the sharp and icy guitar jaunts quite nicely.The vintage production style gives the songs a nostalgic charm, with a mild mid-fi tone, and a bit of re-verb and delay are drizzled over almost every sound that is heard.
 
  Overall, Reggae.. clearly emanates a dark and foreboding minimalist vibe, but some of the songs also tend to lean towards pop-oriented, kraut-punk anthems, and keep the album's inventive charm buoyant and free of filler tracks or painful lulls.Abstract and unique, German Reggae is a fantastic record from start to finish.TPK's Tago Mago.Check it out.
 

ROBEDOOR - "Burners" LP (Not Not Fun)

  Another total scorcher from the ultra-prolific NNF's secret weapon, Robedoor.These three dark horses have been pumping out slow-roasted, black drones for quite a while now, and they don't seem to be showing signs of stopping any time soon.Fingers crossed.This band is painfully overlooked and underestimated, and I think that Burners is the perfect place to pick up on what this brilliant group has been doing for the last 6 years or so.

  Burners begins with a brooding, low-end rumble, somewhere off in the distance. It's brash tone lies somewhere between a broken old organ and treated bass guitar, maybe both.It's not long before the sturdy, slow paced drums come into play, bringing some withering guitar squall and somber chanting along with them.Now it's starting to sound like Robedoor.Things seem move pretty slowly for a while, continuing on with a bit more heavy riffing than you'd expect from them.Tuneful building and crumbling is their thing, and they do it so very well.Bits of this remind me of Pocahaunted's earlier work.They bring some rather distant drones into the mix, phasing in and out at random, and the vocals lie somewhere between blurred moans and ritualistic chants.It's quite haunting.

  The drawn out, dark sound of the keys, coupled with the equally drab guitar drones might bring a bit of John Carpenter's early film scores to mind, and maybe a touch of Claudio Simonetti's Italo-horror soundtracks, as well.But, Robedoor does a good job of steering clear of any obvious comparisons, and sprinkle their own black magic atop a blend of creepo psych-rock and ultra-scorched guitar drone.Burners is the real deal.

SEX WORKER - "Waving Goodbye" LP (NNF)

  Those of you who actually read this shifty blog, might remember our write up on Sex Worker's pulsating wash out of a debut full length, called "Labor of Love", a few months back.A record that totally blew us, and many others away time and time again.Daniel Martin-McCormick is Sex Worker.He was a core member of the painfully overlooked and oddly, mega-influential D.C. band - Black Eyes.If you don't already own them, go buy all of their releases.Seminal shit, indeed.He spends most of his time singing and playing guitar in Mi Ami these days, who are also quite good, and not too far from Sex Worker's space-dub collage.
 With Labor of Love, McCormick did some heavily blatant flirting with classic psychedelic, dub, and drone music.The three songs that make up that record were blown out, drawn out, and pretty damn freaked out, too.Relying on more subtle, and extremely minimal analog tones, and stretched out low-end looping to carry his squeaky, affected wails and croons along for the  slow ride.A total anthem-ridden punk/dub record lies beneath the rubble of echoes and dense,noisy fog.Pick it up NOW.

  He returns now, with a new lp entitled "Waving Goodbye", which ironically was released the same day that
he set out on a trip leaving San Fransisco Bay to live in Brooklyn,NY.A literal wave goodbye.California will surely miss this dude, but he left them with quite the parting gift.Six brand new songs of damaged, haunting, and hair-raising, neon-street-dance gems.This record is such a wild turn from the last, and it just gets better each time i hear it.Things unfold a little more with each listen, kind of like how a Fellini film works you over several times, but this one is more Brazil/Over The Edge.His pulsating echoes and creepo synth dissonance haven't completely been replaced, but coupled with a more direct vocal passage and a painfully tuneful agony, that fills in the open spaces.The NNF site tags these six new songs as "street grime crooner ballads and sprawling forlorn trancefloor fantasias", and I can't think of a more accurate and bizarre definition.
Shards of dubbed out beat worship splinter through some rather piercing synth work out and bass rumbles.McCormick's voice still cracks like a whip, and slices through the deep rhythms so easily, but there is a sense of control and a more collected spirit within his shrieks.Tales of life and love and loss and things to come drip from his tongue, and he keeps it brutally honest, as always.Definitely more "songwriting techniques" are being used here than on his last record, but the content is all just as dark and anthem-filled, if not ten times more.
 Everyone will pull something different from this album, but all will find something fresh and inventive to listen to, even if you hate it.For fans of new and revamped genres, and peat listening.Quite an achievement.Keep your mind's eye out for a new split 7" with Psychic Reality, as part of NNF's Bored Fortress club.It rules.

NEW RELEASES VIA- AURAL PLEASURES OUT NOW!!!

The Aural Pleasures Label has two fantastic new cassettes out tomorrow!
APR-05 is a new full length cs from Oakland's TURRKS.With a handful of ep's, lp's and splits under their belts under the Bipolar Bear moniker, the boys return with another fine batch of songs, a new name, and some unexpected surprises along the way."Bisbee" is the name of the new album, releases on the Deleted Art label as a vinyl LP pretty recently.They've also got a great new 7" out on the Rococo label."Bisbee +" contains both of these awesome releases as one full length cassette album.Following the same tattered path as last year's killer "Harlem Pripyat" LP, Turrks continue to weave a lush and hypnotic web of crawling bass lines, mesmerizing drum patterns, thick walls of guitar noodling, and a well-treated vocal barrage.These new songs don't stray too far from their past efforts, but there's something here that is distinctively new and unheard on those past releases.Taking cues from early 90's math rock confusion, post-punk's low-end praise, and more than enough Monorchid and Jesus Lizard worship,respectfully, they have perfected their bizarrely catchy style far beyond expectation on this record.A fresh and revived take on their own craft,If you like to rock weird, check this one out for sure.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
 APR-06  comes to us from Philly's HOT GUTS.These boys have been generating quite a bit of clout in the last year or so, with their blog-adored debut 7" on Badmaster, an equally compelling split 7" with the awesome POP.1280, on the same label, and they are in the final stages of their debut full length, as you read this.Be excited.Their latest cassette, entitled "Secret Runners" takes quite a left turn from the Guts you have grown to love, and concentrates their efforts on much darker, brooding drones and delves deeper into goth and industrial territories.Fans of Chrome, Swans, Suicide, Coil, and Throbbing Gristle are going to melt all over this piece of plastic.Two of these tracks were taken fro their recent studio sessions, and two of them were captured live between 2008-2009.They are all unreleased as of yet, and will surely surprise current fans, as well as turn out plenty of new ones. On Runners, they've traded in their dense, heavy riffing, for some equally damaged analog synth blankness, and guitar dissonance fills the air just out of reach.Even the percussive assault they are known for has been morphed into pounding drum machines and electronic clutter of early industrial music, and no-wave harshness.The vocals have dropped a few octaves, and pair up with their instrumental approach perfectly.Churning out some rather dark content in the form of dull chants, and breathy croons.Definitely a giant step into the shadows foe them, and we are hoping that they will linger there just a bit longer, before totally flipping us upside down again.This is the real deal.

POP.1280 - "The Grid" 12"EP (Sacred Bones)

  Brooklyn's Pop.1280 have continued to dazzle weirdos (and me) with each awesome release this year.Their debut 7", which was self-released earlier this year, has been flipping sides on my turntable since it came in the mail.A radical mix of dark and ugly post-punk, kinda goth, sleazy rock, and AmRep style heaviness slithers throughout their music, with murky song themes and heaps of witty lyrical abuse.Their recent split 7" with Philly's equally impressive Hot Guts, is no pleasant day by the pool either.Pop.1280 fills their entire side with just a single track.A driving, "Damaged" era nod turned future-punk tune called "Neon Lights".Lyrics may or may not include things like "a thousand tits" and "the perfect hand job".Fantastic.

  These four creep-o cyberpunks return with an incredible and somewhat revamped six song 12"ep, this time for the prolific Sacred Bones label, entitled "The Grid".Easily their most direct and inventive output to date.They are still giving us what we want here, snarling bass dirge, dissonant and sleazy guitar wash, and those insensitive huffs and howls are all there in the foreground.The drum tone has taken a left turn into total industrial clatter.A good move on their part, considering that everything they are playing sounds like it's being played with a metal object.I hear a lot of Pussy Galore's bleak guitar-churning in this new batch of songs, as well as some SPK rattles and early Throbbing Gristle worship, naturally.The first track, "Step Into The Grid" pretty much sets an insanely sharp and gloomy tone for the entire record.A clanging treated cymbal carries a black torch right to the end.Things are obviously a bit different here, yet this is all quite cohesive in musical terms.There's not a single track that feels out of place, or estranged in any way, because every track feels that way.Blank.This is something for outsiders to be thankful for.A place for strange ones, jerks, and ne'erdowells to congregate and celebrate their decay, and it's called The Grid.Wow.

DEERHUNTER - "Halcyon Digest" LP/CD (4AD)

 
  After what seems like two years of straight touring in support of their "Microcastle" album, and the "Rainwater Cassette Exchange" ep,(which both owned my player for months) Atlanta's most celebrated dream-pop act found time to write and record another fantastic studio full length, entitled Halcyon Digest.Back when I was really digging on 2008's Microcastle LP, I considered it to be one of the most cohesive, pop-inspired sound collages I'd heard in quite some time.That record attacked the senses in so many different ways and from so many angles, that it's hard to believe they could make another record that would even come close to it.Especially after the release of "Weird Era Continued",a great b-side collection, wrapping up the entire Microcastle studio sessions.Hardly an unlistenable track,considering a lot of them were just hazy guitar and synth loops.
  At first glance, "Halcyon Digest" may sound like a polished extension of the aforementioned, but when you travel deeper into this new long player, you will realize that this is a completely new and somewhat uncharted landscape for this band.Even the first two minutes of the album show some newly added elements of down-tempo electronics to the mix."Earthquake" is a slow creeping and swelling dirge, equipped with crackling drum machines, ultra-soft synth strides and somber echoed voices.The song gradually introduces new colors to it's grayish palette as things progress, and the slow-as-molasses hi-hat holds everything together quite nicely.A warm and lengthy swell, that sets up the rest of the record's surprises quite handsomely.
  The album continues to grip your attention span by slightly upping the ante with each song, giving off a vast array of good vibes and some exceptionally tuneful misery(ie: Helicopter's "no one cares for me" line..) by the truckload.The insanely unexpected saxophone run about a minute into the joyful shuffle that is "Coronado" will have you grinning from ear to ear,right on to the end of the song.There are more than a few awesome turns and epic moments here, and this thing is filled to the brim with those infectious guitar and vocal hooks.Bradford Cox does a good job of somehow keeping things light and airy,despite the downer vibe of most of these tunes,and it is obvious that these boys didn't cut any corners here.The songs a fuller and richer than ever,and the clever addition of some rather deep synthesizer instrumentation to the majority of Halcyon Digest, pays off big time.
  Overall a intense and refreshing listen indeed.One that twists your guts up into pretzels(in the best way possible),and definitely had me going back to the beginning of most tracks,as soon as they ended.The last minute and a half of the record made the hairs of my arm stand up straight.If you aren't a fan of this group, it's because you are deaf, or you just haven't bothered to check them out.6 out of 5.Ignore the hype.This album rules.

HOT GUTS / POP.1280 - "Split 7 inch" (Badmaster)

 Ornery Cirtter's early vote for split record of 2010, hands down.If you are already in tune with these seminal acts, then you know what kind of badass-ery to expect here.Hot Guts, who share members with FNU/Chickens, run their half into the ground with two very heavy and very awesome tracks.Both songs seem to come from two completely different worlds, as most of their work seems to do.Heavy on the blown-out riffing and syncopated drum pounding, they combine to create rich textures and vast landscapes.The vocals are clear and untreated, goth dipped hymns and borderline chants.The lyrics are hopeful yet spiteful tales, and rest perfectly in the walls of sonic power they build around them.An early Swans influence is present on all ends of the spectrum.
 The recording is a bit more polished than their Badmaster debut 7", but their clarity doesn't take away from the heady fuzz that surrounds them.If this is any insight tho their upcoming full length, we are all in for quite a treat.

  Pop. 1280 takes over with a song called "Neon Lights", a mid-paced downer that fills their entire side of the record.A dense and sputtering synthesizer dirge kicks things into overdrive, as brash a throaty lyrical upheavals coat the band's usual driving, percussive beat down like a crude oil poured over busted pistons.Their woozy, damaged guitar noodling is similar the sound of a rat drowning in a new york sewer.There is fair amount of power behind their ugly chord structures that keep things moving.Pissed Jeans' gloom, and Black Flag's drive are definitely obvious traits, but this is the sound of a band doing things on their own terms, and giving nor a fuck about stepping outside of their style, or even stepping into one to begin with.
 They just recorded their upcoming 12" entitled "The Grid", out soon on Sacred Bones.Both of these bands are quickly taking over 2010's heavy music bracket, and sure to make end of year lists all over the place.

WOODEN SHJIPS - "Vol.2" CD/LP (Sick Thirst)

 
  
WOODEN SHJIPS 'VOL.2'..Is this review even necessary?This San Fransisco group's output has been so incredibly vast and mandatory, I feel like this information should be available on at least a hundred sites by now.But for those who are new to their magjic, I will continue to rant..
  A few years back, Wooden Shjips: Vol.1 was given to us.It covered the band's handful of 45's and singles,etc..A really nice introduction to this amazing band's broad range of styles.Dubbed "best psych-rock band in the US" by many publications and fans alike, it's not far from the truth in my book either.They possess a certain level of power on and off stage, that very few bands have in the current psychedelic underground.It seems like there's a new act trying to pull this kind of thing off almost daily.And don't get me wrong, there are some good ones out there, but Wooden Shjips ave been at the top of their game since their debut self-titled long player.
  Their second LP "Dos" only justified all of the hype revolving around them, and even took their live show to new sonic heights, somehow.The songs were focused but jammy, and gave props to new wave and synthesizer-based music of the early 70's.It reminds me of the earlier (and more experimental) half of the Brain Records catalog, and doused heavily in Amon Duul II's influential juices.Yes, krautrock is alive and well..A future classic indeed.
  In March they unleashed Vol.2 on this world, and it's every bit as good as anything I've come across with their hands in it.It's got a KILLER cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Contact", which send my brain in circles every time I hear it.And when you can actually bring yourself to stop restarting that one, you will find that "Vampire Blues" is probably the best thing since Suicide and Cluster did that collab..er, wait..Just pick this up and make some time to get to know it well.Fingers crossed for Vol.3.
MJO

TOPAZ RAGS - "Capricorn Born Again" LP (NNF)

 
  The always mysterious Topaz Rags bless us again.This time with eight lush, lucid, and full bodied lullabies in the form of a full length LP.Those who were lucky enough to grab their California Ash cassette a short while back, know how good this group is in a long-form medium.On Capricorn Born Again, their heavily jazzed-out psychedelia is murkier than ever, but we also the band with their best recording quality to date.Everything is in it's place, and it all seems to float just above you like a dense cloud of purple smoke.A good portion of this could pass for a long lost Portishead demo tape, that's seen way too many plays.With it's subtle female vocal hymns tucked away in the background, and fair share of hypnotic jamming, this record gives off more than enough dreamy turned druggy vibes to bounce around in your brain.There are some greatly unexpected moments of pure free-jazz teetering, that keep this from being just another cave-pop journey into nothingness.
 
  As Capricorn.. begins to turn it's haunted pages and it's story unfolds, as do it's musical talents and artistic focus.Things never go too quick, nor too slow, and the broken ragas only seem to outgrow themselves with each new movement.Broken piano arpeggios creep and crawl over the slithering bass, and hair-raising trumpet cries, weaving a dark and somewhat horrific web at times, from which their ethereal and damaged croons are left to dangle.Something this mind controlling only comes along once in a great while, and I'm sure glad I was around to see it.Phenomenal.

FRESH MEAT - "Leather Daddy" 7inch (Fashionable Idiots)

 
  This is Fresh Meat's second release, following their debut single on the Breathing Problems label.And so here they are, another bad ass band from Allentown,PA oozing it's ugly, venomous, post-hardcore rock and roll spouting from your speakers..at full volume of course.These 3 songs are pretty awesome to say the least.The total re-verb overload they've got going makes this sound like an early 90's Touch and Go, or Reptilian release.It's that good.Sure, there's an almost expected Pissed Jeans and maybe a bit a Damaged era Black Flag vibe, but this is a completely different beast altogether.Lots of styles going on here.
  Leather Daddy is for the most part a mid-tempo banger from front to back.It's got some cool treated guitars and squealing feedback-fuckery that push things is a weirder direction at times, which keeps it from being too bland. And the shouted, raspy vocals are spun out with a really catchy delivery.Placement,man...Most bands of this nature have a tendency to display a lot of mindless screaming, which would NOT work for Fresh Meat.I'm hearing a touch of  early Drunkdriver here and there, not as pissed, but specifically some of the riffs and time changes do hint.
  An impressive 3 songs from these dudes.Not sure what's next for them, but I will be looking out for it.Worth every penny.
 

HOT GUTS - "The Ballad of Jon Simon" 7 inch (Badmaster)

                        
  
  Hot Guts are a dark,heavy as bricks band from Philly.Apparently they've got kind of a bad rep. there,but who gives a shit anyway?These 3 songs are some of the more refreshing and inventive I've heard in a while.Each track is pretty much a completely different landscape,and the styles here are a bit varied,but in a really cohesive way that lets you know they are definitely Hot Guts.The title track is a thick and powerful tune,with dense guitars and pounding drums fighting to push their deep,goth-tinged vocals into the foreground.It's a catchy and moody banger,and though it never really changes too much,it's killer heaviness and brash drive keep you from straying.The vocals are deep and harmonized,and sound like they are coming from a very straight faced bunch of dudes.Older Nick Cave is sorta of there,and there's a definite Swans fan somewhere in the group.The lyrics are good and never get in the way,or compromise their awesome songwriting ability.It all fits together almost too well,really.I will proudly admit that I was totally involved in this by the 30 second mark,and it only get better.
 
  By the time I got to the second track,I knew there was no turning back."Abandon At Leisure" is a glitched-out,more daring number than the first.With layers of guitar skronk and borderline drum n' bass approach to their downer rock jams.Things take a turn when their scratchy and possessed sounding shouts come into play,live drums move things forward for a bit before this weirdo free-jam seems to end rather abruptly.A pretty decent "middle song" for this kind of thing I guess.And in a live setting might segue into the next song pretty well.

  The last,and personal favorite track is an ethereal creep-fest called "Did You Not Go To The Dance Alone?".A 6 minute + ride into a dark world of tribal drums and eerie vocal passages.The murky voices remind me of Drum's Not Dead era Liars,even the instrumentation is similar to their more hypnotic moments.A good thing if you ask me.About half way through,a noodling guitar echoes in the back and introduces a very straight forward and driving rock n' roll finish.An early 90's indie rock fuzz closes this thing out,and then you wished that there were then more to follow.All you need to know is that this killer 3 song gem holds MUCH bigger contents than it's little paper sleeve would seem to allow.To sleep on this one would be a grave mistake,especially when their LP comes out and blows us all away later this year,and you regret not knowing about this already.Look for a split with Pop.1280 who also rule the school,out now on Badmaster.Their full length is in the works..More on that later.
MJO

POP.1280 - "Bedbugs" 7 inch single (self released)

  

   New York's POP.1280 (named after the Jim Thompson novel, haha..) graciously give us two very uneasy,pulverizing downer rock jams, and boy are they good.These guys are going to be making some waves in the recent post-goth/punk/whatever underground soon,for sure.And rightly so.
 This band gave me a heavy and sleazy Pissed Jeans kind of vibe right away,which made my ears perk up big time.A really similar brooding bass crawl, slow and sturdy tom-toms thudding away in syncopation, and soon enough their hypnotic guitar treatments start to ring in,with a riff that's painfully similar to something off of Hope for Men.A compliment indeed.Not to say that POP.1280 are some PJ knockoff act,not in anyway.But the similarities are kind of obvious.The vocals are clear and painful,muttered tales about bedbugs crawling on you in your sleep,(hence the title: Bedbugs) and the corporate cluster fuck that is Times Square..Both being equally bogus epidemics,in my opinion..and these dudes apparently have the same outlook on the subject.

  The b-side ups the tempo a bit,as well as dynamics with a tune blatantly called "Times Square",in which the singer goes on a brutal rant about all of the things that make that nightmarish place so awful...or amazing.Depends how you look at it.The rhythm section is wired tight on this one,and brings an early Amp-Rep sound to mind.Heavy on the guitar treatments,and a venomous vocal barrage topple over some rather punishing drum patterns.All in all,a pretty cohesive little record,considering it's only two songs,and I am keeping my eye on this band for sure.They are currently working on their debut LP for Sacred Bones,and have a split 7" with Hot Guts on Badmaster right now.Get on it.
MJO

WOVEN BONES - In and Out and Back Again LP/CD (Hozac)

  Austin's Woven Bones have had more than a handful of singles in the earl 10's,on various labels.They are indeed some busy dudes,and the thought of them ever releasing something of this magnitude never really crossed my mind.But alas,they have broken out of the "singles band" territory and into the realm of the full length.Leave it to Hozac to make this happen.In and Out and Back Again is 9 songs of their sort of patented,Jesus and Mary Chain knocked fuzz-pop.A genre,if you will,that has been attempted again and again by lo-fi obsessed hipster types.Especially in the early 00's,there were a literal slew of them.These dudes even go so far as to setup with only floor toms and a snare on the stage,Bobby Gillespie style.Nice touch.
  Woven Bones aren't totally ripping the JAMC,they really have a true d.i.y.aesthetic to their sound and vision,and a bittersweet punk rock swagger that sets them apart.They might fight into the Nuggets category a bit better than the darker 80's indie stuff,by comparison.After seeing them a few times,and hearing most of their catalog played live,I realized that they've got their own thing going on altogether,really.And they are taking it for all it's worth.
 Their sets have a pretty cohesive balance,in terms of styles and such.Lots of energy bouncing off one another,and some great chemistry.They have transformed their live show into this portable yellow package.It sounds great,and it looks even better.Puddles of reverb form to create a cavernous and damp tone that gives these songs exactly what they need to survive.The echoed vicious snarl of singer Andy Burr's voice fits almost too perfectly amongst the buzz-saw guitars and tattered drums.A little goes a long way,and Woven Bones are here to prove it.A near perfect debut.Check out their video below...

BROKEN WATER - "Whet" Cassette tape (Night People)

 

  Olympia's Broken Water consists of former members of the short-lived Sisters and also Congradulations.Their newest album,Whet is a deep and affectionate batch of songs,that seem to be influenced as much by Seattle's musical history as they are it's damp,mountain air charm.Fuzzy guitars swirl around like a dense wind,washing away into thick distorted riffs.There's some nice boy/girl vocal pairing happening at times,and their breathy,heartfelt harmonies fit into this stuff pretty well.There are more than a few different elements here,and not one of them seems to be forced or contrived.This definitely has an early 90's jangly indie-pop feel to it,and even a bit more of dare i say,a killer grunge quality?Only in the sense that the music goes from somber acoustic calmness to sonic psychedelic heaviness quite often.I hear a bit of Unwound,Versus,and Sonic Youth tactics every so often.A nice little tape from a hopeful young band.Into it.

WIZZARD SLEEVE AND SMITH WESTERNS ARE ON TOUR! (Seperately)

WIZZARD SLEEVE on tour! Go see them! Mar 13 New Orleans, Louisiana:  Saturn Bar w/ Girls At Dawn, Predator, and Flight    Mar 14 Houston, TX: Super Happy Fun Land with Girls At Dawn, Predator, and more   Mar 15 Denton, TX: Mable Peabody's with Girls At Dawn, Predator, and mo mo    Mar 16 Austin, TX: some toilet.....sxsw    Mar 17 Austin, TX: Trailer Space HoZac Showcase w/ Woven Bones, Mickey, White Mystery, Girls At Dawn + more Mar 18 Austin, TX: Beerland Shattered Records sxsw showcase Mar 18 Austin, Texas: Jamie's...Blackout Booking sxsw showcase w/ Human Eye, Terrible Twos, Greg Ashley Band+ Mar 21 Scottsdale, Arizona: the Rogue    Mar 26  Los Angeles, CA: Show Cave w/ Lamps, Francis Harold & the Holograms, Imagine the Band,  Modern Witch Mar 27  San Francisco, California: Hemlock Tavern w/ Andy Human and Steeples    Mar 28 Sacramento, CA: the Hub (KDVS presents) with Mayyors. ---- ---- ----- ------ ------- -------- SMITH WESTERNS on tour! SEE THEM:

Mar 13  Los Angeles, CA: The Echo (all Ages) Mar 17  Austin, TX: Waterloo Records Instore 8PM Mar 18  Austin, TX: Yard Dog  (Threadless/Schuba's Party) Mar 18  Austin, TX: The Parish (NPR Day party) Mar 19  Austin, TX: Red House Transgressive Party Mar 20  Austin, TX: Scoot Inn (Pitchfork party) Mar 30  Columbus, OH:  Cafe Bourbon St. Mar 31  Pittsburgh, PA: Brillobox April 1  Wash DC: Black Cat Backstage April 2  Swarthmore, PA: Olde Club April 3  Brooklyn, NY: Market Hotel April 4  NY, NY: Mercury Lounge April 6  Allston, MA: Great Scott April 7  Montreal, QC: Casa de Popolo April 8  Toronto, ON: Horseshoe tavern April 9  Detroit, MI: Majestic Cafe April 10  Chicago, IL: Schuba's

LIARS:LIVE FROM DEATH ROW

Watch the always evolving L.A. by-way-of-Berlin-by-way-of-New York band,as they lash out a few songs from their latest genre bender-Sisterworld,straight from a Philadelphia penitentiary.Killer production all the way.Part of P-fork's Surveillance series.Watch them all.Enjoy.

*Sisterworld LP/CD is out now via- Mute Records.The deluxe version has a remix disc that is way awesome.On tour forever.Go see them!

-Intro


1.Scissor


2.Proud Evolution


3.Scarecrows On A Killer Slant


4.Credit where credit is due.

Zs - "New Slaves" 2xLP/CD (Social Registry)

Finally.The always shape shifting Brooklyn jazz-attack known as Zs has finally released their 3rd proper full-length.It's called New Slaves,and it's a KILLER record on all fronts.If you've been following their work as closely as I have for the last 6-7 years,you will know that they are notorious for their random lineup changes,genre bending skill,and ability to do just about anything they want to.Ever since The Hard EP,they have taken a certain path,one that just continues to soak itself in treble and distortion and continually reinvent itself.Such is the case for the majority of New Slaves.This is a harsh and intelligent,post-everything attack on the senses.

The title track is a 20+ minute workout of dynamic and harmonic free-anything bliss.It's precise and loose at the same time,and rarely repeats itself.Amazing riffage coupled with Hilmer's squeaky sax assault and those drums!Aye,I never want this to end.Some of the tracks are blatant segues to setup the next epic.Frantic drum and feedback workouts that wash into low-end rumbles."Acres of Skin" is a thudding piece full of counterpoint hand claps,and some killer bent-guitar string fuckery.Total metallic interplay.The last 60 seconds are mind melting to say the least.The last 3 tracks on the album are "personal pieces",in which each member of the band is doing their own thing entirely.There are some really beautiful moments throughout these.Most lean toward the more subtle,ambient side of the band,and rely on the silent parts more than music itself.Overall,this is surely their most impressive and personal work for me.Hypnotizing to say the very least.This will be in my player for quite some time.Apologies to my neighbors in advance.Thank you for Zs.

(MOSTLY RELEVANT)NEW RELEASES FOR MAY/JUNE!

MAY:,

Holy Fuck "latin" (XL),

* Indian Jewelry "totaled" (We Are Free),

Japandroids "no singles" (Polyvinyl),

The Dead Weather "sea of cowards" (Third Man),

* The National "high violet" (4AD),

Thee Oh Sees "warm slime" (In The Red),

Woods "at echo lake" (Woodsist),

* Zs "new slaves" (The Social Registry),

Daniel Higgs "say god" (Thrill Jockey),

Harvey Milk "a small turn of human kindness" (Hydra Head),

High Places "can't feel born" (Thrill Jockey),

Beach Fossils "self titled" (Captured Tracks),

David Cross "bigger and blakerer" (Sub Pop),

Kurt Vile "square shells EP" (Matador),

* The Ponys "deathbed+4" (Matador),

* Tobacco "maniac meat" (Anticon),

Ty Segall "melted" (Goner),

Wild Nothing "gemini" (Captured Tracks),



JUNE:,

Active Child "curtis lane" (Filter),

Born Ruffians "say it" (WARP),

Land of Kush's Egyptian Light Orchestra "monogamy" (Constellation),

Melvins "the bride screamed murder" (Ipecac),

Television Personalities "a memory is better than nothing" (Rocket Girl),

* Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "before today" (4AD),

* Blitzen Trapper "destroyer of the void" (Sub Pop),

BLK JKS "zol!" (Secretly Canadian),

Here We Go Magic "pigeons" (Secretly Canadian),

* Ratatat "lp4" (XL),

* The Pains of Being Pure at Heart "say no to love" (Slumberland),

Yo La Tengo "here to fall" (Matador),

Oval "oh" (Thrill Jockey),

Chain and The Gang "i've got privelege" (K),

Cold Cave "life magazine remixes" (Matador),

* HEALTH "disco2" (Lovepump United),

Jeff Magnum "live at jittery joe's" (American Dust),

* Psychic Ills "catoptric" (The Social Registry),

Wovenhand "the thrashing floor" (Sounds Familyre),

* Animal Collective "oddsac dvd" (Self Released),

Cap'n Jazz "analphabetapolothology" (Jade Tree),

Torche and Boris "chapter ahead being fake" (Hydra Head),

Wolf Parade "expo 86" (Sub Pop)