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.

LITTLE WOMEN - "Throat" LP (Aum Fidelity)

Broolyn's Little Women are back with a KILLER new LP entitled "Throat".This group just keeps getting better and better.Not too far off from the "Teeth" album,this one also delivers in a BIG way.There is rarely a second of silence in the world of Little Women.They are constantly taking their precision jazz/no wave/rock whatever to new territories at every turn.An equal blend of controlled chaos and composition,Throat is a bit more mature than Teeth.This can be compared to early Lighting Bolt,DNA,or Flying Luttenbachers,for the sake of reference points...but LW have style all their own.Blending wild jazz elements with treble-soaked guitar shred and a pummeling drum force to boot,this is far beyond the common free-jazz/improv album.I think FREE-EVERYTHING is more suiting.There really isn't one style to pin to this band.Their brass section is tighter than ever,and they seem to be more comfortable playing together here,or playing off of each other rather.Chemsitry,maaaaaaan.Yea.

Throat is a very precise and well planned piece of music.Travis (alto sax) has apparently left Extra Life(also incredible) to do Little Women full time,so you know this isn't some flash in the pan weirdo Brooklyn shit,that won't matter in a month.Little Women are the real deal.The Teeth lp is awesome,too.Check them out.On tour soon.

EXTRA LIFE - SPLIT EP & REMIX 12" OUT SOON!!

From Charlie Looker's Blog:
Several great things happening in May. First, we're so excited to announce that Sockets Records and Planaria Recordings will be jointly releasing "Splayed Flesh", a CD EP featuring four remixes of Extra Life. The remixers are Tyondai Braxton (Battles), Caley Monahon-Ward (Extra Life), JG Thirlwell (a.k.a. Foetus), Justin Broadrick (Jesu, Godflesh)... I know! I can't wait for people to hear these. Each of the guys did something totally personal and deep with the material. The CD features an original drawing by Lauren Bahr, the wonderful artist who designed the new T-Shirts.


Also in May, Planaria will be releasing our split 12" single with amazing Larkin Grimm . It will feature a studio recording of our cover of R. Kelly's "Your Body's Callin' ", and two new exclusive tracks by Larkin.Wonderful cover art by Sophia Dixon :

Zs - "Acres of Skin" : live from a backyard in Austin,TX.

ZS from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

Brooklyn's avant-jazz-noise-free thinkers,Zs performing "Acres of Skin".The song will be on their upcoming full length "New Slaves" out May 11,via The Social Registry.With some fairly recent lineup changes,Zs now brings us their harsh noisy skronk attack in the form of a 3 piece(guitar,sax,drums).With an additional guitar,and minimal synths/electronics for the stage setting.They have dazzled listeners with their awesome free jazz-prog-chamber-noise epics for over 6 years now,and with each release they show us a completely different vision.No two records are alike.Since "The Hard e.p." they seem to be working toward a more metallic,loosely calculated,and guitar heavy sound than the wild jazz styles they are so well known for.Ditching the sheet music altogether,and working with a very minimal,stripped down arrangement.Their music is precise and razor sharp,robotic and organic at the same time.Have you ever tasted the tip of a battery?Enjoy.

SIGHTINGS - City Of Straw LP (LOAD,2010)

If you have heard the first few Sightings releases,but not the most recent ones,you are now listening to a completely different band altogether.This is a great thing,too.Ever since 2007's glitched-out noisemaker -"Through The Panama", Richard Hoffman, Jonathan Lockie and Mark Morgan have taken the same path of brutal awesomeness right through their 7th studio album-"City Of Straw".They have perfected their craft here,and their craft seems to be musical warfare.This is the perfect soundtrack to your most questionably dark and troubled times.The term "tuneful paranoia" might do this some justice,if it were tuneful.This music is simple,abrupt,and impossible to ignore.Here we go..

City of Straw is immediately chock-full of obvious reference points and influences,and at the same time a totally fresh and unique animal all their own.You might guess that they've been digging up old SPK,Nurse With Wound,and Throbbing Gristle type industrial albums to study their methods.They often approach their basic instruments(guitar,bass,drums,and little electronics)with such confidence and direction,that they're almost transforming them into completely different machines on the spot, ala-T.G.Their clever use of effects pedals and processors really comes through on this recording.Not to say they are in any way hiding behind their ability to make killer feedback and blaring noise,but using them to their advantage,as new tools for very precise orchestration.Anyone can buy a slew of pedals and make something decent,but it's much of respectful when you actually put time and heart into your gadgets.Which it seems they do.

Guitars are alternately tuned and mangled,unexpectedly washed out into waves of shrieking feedback.They blast out treble-y riffs that swiftly melt into thundery low-end rumbles.There are hints of melody and order at times,but it's not long before it starts to fall to pieces again.Brutally syncopated live drums are beaten into submission.Heavy handed,with a hypnotizing and repetitive "tribal feel".It works.They switch over to distorted sampler beats that are similar to Suicide's minimal percussive groove.The transitions are smooth and not so forced,even though FORCED is just about the very definition of this music.They have carried the vocal styles of ..Panama over to this album.Echoed slurs are spit out like venom,as well as their fair share of chorus-drenched,deep melodic rants.The lyrics are spiteful and dark.Tales of perversion,tongue n' cheek political agendas,and downright bizarre subjects.

The Brooklyn trio is at their strongest lineup ever.Their music is constantly evolving into something more terrifying and fresh than the last.City of Straw is not for the weak or faint of heart.It is music for ill-willed,crazy introverts,and will leave an awful taste in the mouths of the tame and well behaved.I suggest you start with Through The Panama to watch them grow into what they have become.A killer of an album.

ZOLA JESUS - The Stridulum EP (Sacred Bones)

Nika Danilova is Zola Jesus.She lives in New York.She is barely of drinking age,and already has 5 or so killer releases under her belt.Her cousin is Dead Luke.She plays in Former Ghosts with members of Xiu Xiu and This Song Is A Mess But So Am I.As well as Nika+Rory,and Pris/Cog.This girl is on top of shit right now,and her music is only getting better and more defined with each release.

On her latest opus,Stridulum, Nika and the band seem to be floating towards a more cohesive and somewhat polished studio sound.Not to say that this is in ANY way a bad thing for them.It's not.The songs on Stridulum are solid as ever.They have a clarity that you can't really find on past ZJ records.There is still a deep sense of the cavernous ambiance that made The Spoils so great,but everything is pushed to the foreground this time,instead of looming beneath the vocals and blurry layers of synths.Her vocals are a perfect for this kind of production.Much clearer than their previous albums.She's perfected her Siouxie-like croon,and given it more depth and tonality here.There's some nice harmonies that show off her voice control and range.Her words pleasantly wash over brooding waves of synths,chants,and thick,primitive electro thumps.

Stridulum is by no means her first "proper" album,it's a 6 song ep.But this is Zola Jesus' finest hour.These songs will leave you empty,yet hopeful.Dark sounds for cold nights.But,through the obvious gloom and doom,they are uplifting and radiant.They are perfecting their craft at every turn.A fantastic piece of work by an extremely talented young woman,and she is is just getting started.Thank you for Zola Jesus.

Zs - "Music Of The Modern White" LP (The Social Registry)

There is so much music being made in so many various forms these days,that I find it hard to actually pay and real attention to a single group or musician for too long.I generally give it a few spins,and not too long after,discs will just end up in a pile somewhere in the backseat of my car or on the floor of my room.Zs are one of the only entities that hold my attention to no end,as of late.I can't say enough good things about these dudes.So I will just stick to telling you what their latest LP sounds like.

Music Of The Modern White is 23 minutes and 7 second hayride into loud,blistering,heavy,and well calculated avant-free-jazz-noise.Whatever you want to call this beast,it's fucking powerful and precise.Taking a step away from the sharp,clean,prog-jazz epics of the amazing Arms album, M.M.W. takes us into a much darker and more violent territory than you might expect from the trio.It's a full-blown treble attack,also adding a touch of gain in the right places..which is pretty much EVERYWHERE.And this seems to work really well here.

If you listen to this all the way through,you will notice there is a general cohesiveness not heard on other Zs recordings,like the songs have a nice way of fading into and out of each other.Not unlike the Hard e.p.,these songs are less polished and catchy than past releases.Yet they still retain all of the complicated chops and precision that we have come to adore these guys for.By the third track,you have already been over so many bumps,twists and turns that you forget exactly where you started from.

Music Of The Modern White is for the most part a blown out,spattering leap into percussive experimentation.But listen close,and you will find that Zs still know how to take it down a notch(or 10)when they want to.Incredible release.