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Partner announce tour dates for 2018.
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Tom Rogerson collaborates with Brian Eno for debut album.
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Marian Hill’s saxophonist drops one of the grooviest singles of 2017.
Steve Davit, saxophonist for Marian Hill, is working on some solo material that combines jazz with electro and hip-hop beats. His first single, “Forward,” is a funky blast of chopped up saxophone riffs and sweet synth beats.
You can listen to it here, before everyone starts proclaiming it’s their favorite new song. Get in on the ground floor now.
Keep your mind open.
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Olden Yolk debuts first trippy single – “Takes One to Know One”
Introducing Olden Yolk;
Debut Self-Titled Album Out February 23rd On Trouble In Mind
Debut Self-Titled Album Out February 23rd On Trouble In Mind
Watch The Video For Lead Single “Takes One To Know One”
https://youtu.be/wQDz8ErJvPc
[Photo by Daniel Dorsa]
Olden Yolk, the New York-based group led by songwriters, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists Shane Butler (of Quilt) and Caity Shaffer, are pleased to announce their self-titled debut album coming out February 23rd on Trouble In Mind. Along with today’s announcement, Olden Yolk are sharing lead single “Takes One To Know One” with an accompanying video debuted via Stereogum.
“‘Takes One to Know One’ is a play on the phrase typically meant to assign blame through commonality,” explain Butler and Shaffer. “Its use in the song is closer to an acceptance of our collective situation rather than a belittlement of it. It was written in our hometown of New York City–an iconic place whose icons (monuments, buildings, public art) are continually morphing and breaking down, shifting whatever former meaning had once been assigned to them.”
They continue, “Some moments hit right when you feel like the ‘writing’s on the door.’ The song, written during an especially jarring year of disillusionment, explores the process of finding solace in passing visages–a stranger’s smile on the subway or the beauty of haphazard graffiti on a brick-laden wall. The song cycles around a group chant at the choruses. It’s instrumentation is highly inspired by the percussion style of Jaki Liebezeit (of the German group CAN), a favorite of ours.”
Olden Yolk is a group whose penchant for dystopian folk, abstract poeticism, and motorik rhythms have enveloped them in a sound uniquely of-the-moment yet simultaneously time-tested. The interlaced vocals of Butler and Shaffer are found guiding each composition on their enlivening self-titled debut. The project was initially conceived in 2012 by Butler as an outlet for one-off songs and visual art while touring and releasing albums with the band Quilt (Mexican Summer). Following the release of a split-record with Weyes Blood in 2014, Olden Yolk became a collaborative entity.
Their debut full-length ruminates on questions surrounding love, self-doubt, and locating autonomy amidst burgeoning unrest. Wrought with hazy melancholy and halcyon joy, Butler and Shaffer’s lilting vocals play off one another through a devotional dialogue, taking form in haunting choral melodies and candid rock n’ roll. These songs are ecstatic odes to the life of the city; to the subway platforms, kiosks, and monuments which enliven and encompass our collectivity, elevating into an urban-psychedelia.
On the album, Butler and Shaffer are joined by drummer Dan Drohan (Tei Shi, Uni Ika Ai) and guitarist Jesse DeFrancesco who round out the studio sessions and live-band. Drohan’s deep passion for jazz, hip-hop, and experimental percussion come to fore while Defrancesco’s minimal yet powerful guitar ambiences are heard swelling in the peripheries of each song. The album was recorded at Gary’s Electric in NYC by Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) with co-production, electronics, and mixing by Jon Nellen (Ginla, Terrible Records). Other guests, such as multi-instrumentalist John Andrews (Quilt, Woods, The Yawns) and violinist Jake Falby (Mutual Benefit, Julie Byrne), add to the mercurial nature of the record, creating a landscape tinged with beatific songwriting and transgressive underpinnings.
Olden Yolk will play a full band record release show at Union Pool in NYC on February 24th along with special guests to be announced. John Andrews & The Yawns will open.
Watch Olden Yolk’s “Takes One To Know One” Video:
https://youtu.be/wQDz8ErJvPc
https://youtu.be/wQDz8ErJvPc
Listen To “Takes One To Know One”:
https://soundcloud.com/
https://open.spotify.com/
Olden Yolk Tracklist:
1. Verdant
2. Cut To The Quick
3. Gamblers On A Dime
4. Vital Sign
5. Aria
6. Common Ground
7. Hen’s Teeth
8. Esprit De Corps
9. After Us
10. Takes One To Know One
1. Verdant
2. Cut To The Quick
3. Gamblers On A Dime
4. Vital Sign
5. Aria
6. Common Ground
7. Hen’s Teeth
8. Esprit De Corps
9. After Us
10. Takes One To Know One
Olden Yolk artwork
Pre-order Olden Yolk:
Trouble In Mind – http://www.troubleinmindrecs.
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Trouble In Mind – http://www.troubleinmindrecs.
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Olden Yolk online:
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
https://twitter.com/oldenyolk
https://oldenyolk.bandcamp.
http://www.troubleinmindrecs.
http://pitchperfectpr.com/
The Orwells release two new “lost” tracks from “Terrible Human Beings.”
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Pitchfork 2018 Music Festival tickets are already on pre-sale!
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Live: Gary Numan and Me Not You – Chicago, IL – November 29, 2017
I hadn’t seen electro / industrial legend Gary Numan live for many years. His new album, Savage, is getting rave reviews and debuted as high as #2 in the U.K. His live shows are loud, dazzling, and impressive affairs, and his November 29th show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall was no exception.
Opening for him were the Brooklyn quartet Me Not You, who put on a nice set of shoegaze and synth-rock. I’d like to hear more of their material. Unfortunately, I missed part of their set due to getting a phone call from work that I had to take.
Numan and his four-man band came out and immediately kicked down the back wall with a blast of industrial rock on “Ghost Nation” – the lead track from the new record. Upon hearing it, I immediately thought, “Yeah, I need to get this record.”
Although he’s not much for nostalgia, Numan delivered a great version of “Metal” right afterwards. He had the crowd in his hand by this point, and it was only the second song. Other solid cuts from the new record were “Bed of Thorns,” “Mercy,” “Pray for the Pain You Serve,” “My Name Is Ruin,” and “When the World Comes Apart.”
“Down in the Park,” of course, remains one of the best electro-goth songs ever, and Numan’s path down more industrial roads puts a new spin on a lot of his classic material. He has the bass brought up on “Cars” to make it almost a metal track, for example. “Love Hurt Bleed,” from his Splinter album, is a new highlight to his show. It’s everything Trent Reznor owes Numan in one song.
He performed “M.E.” and “Are Friends Electric?” for an encore. Both were stunning, especially “Are Friend Electric?” – which is the greatest song Phillip K. Dick never wrote.
This was easily one of the best performances I’ve seen all year. The crowd was a fun mix of aging hipsters like yours truly, young industrial fans, old punks, metal heads, and goths. I know this makes me sound old, but it was great to see people younger than I having a great time at the show. It ensures me that Numan’s music will continue through new generations of fans. Don’t miss this tour if it gets close to you.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]
Ty Segall releases another single, and it’s one of the best of 2018.
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Partner – In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time isn’t the first music released by Canadian rock outfit Partner. They’ve released multiple excellent singles (i.e., “The Ellen Page” and “Personal Weekend”), and founding members Josee Caron (vocals and lead guitar) Lucy Niles (vocals and rhythm guitar), and Kevin Brasier (bass) already had Canadian indie rock scene credentials with their former bands Mouthbreathers and Go Get Fucked (possibly the best band name ever). So it isn’t surprising that their first full-length record is witty, full of hooks, and one of the best pop-punk albums I’ve heard in a long while.
“Everybody Knows” starts the album with squealing, heavy guitar riffs and brings in a favorite subject of Partner’s – the goofy things that happen when one is high. Caron sings about freaking out in the grocery store while in a euphoric quest for chips. Niles sings about getting high while waiting for a friend and then realizing she can’t hide the fact that she “sparked another one” while waiting on the friend’s porch. Oh yeah, Caron’s guitar solo on this will leave you stunned.
Niles’ guitar on “Comfort Zone” (a song about the joys of slacking) reminds me of Television riffs. “Gross Secret,” with its sharp guitar work and dual vocals from Caron and Niles, reminds me of Sleater-Kinney if Sleater-Kinney would relax a bit now and then. “Angels from Ontario” is about a perfect pop-punk love song you’ll ever hear. The hooks and beat are instantly infectious and it bursts with enough energy to fill an opera house.
Caron reveals her love of shows like Judge Judy and The Maury Povich Show on “Daytime TV.” Niles sings about the dangers of snooping in your roommate’s room on “Sex Object.” “Ambassador to Ecstasy” is a solid rocker about trying to woo a hot girl and the possible complications that can come with such an endeavor.
“Play the Field” is a fun song about having a crush on a hot female athlete and contains what might be my favorite lyric of 2017 from Lucy Niles – “…to see you in your sports bra, though, just might change my life.” “You Don’t Have to Say Thank You” is, without question, the sexiest song on the record as Caron tells her lover she doesn’t have to thank her for an amazing night since “your pleasure is my delight.” Zowie! As if that weren’t enough to sell you on it, wait until you hear the wall-flattening guitars and drums (from Toronto indie rock drumming legend Simone TB).
“Creature in the Sun,” a song about the joys of mindfulness, might be my favorite cut on the record. It’s somewhere between new wave, post-punk, pop-punk, and spaghetti western music. I guarantee that if you hear this on the radio or in a wrecka stow, you will instantly stop and think, “Who is this?” The 1990’s alt-rock vibe is heavy on “Remember This,” which isn’t surprising when you consider the album was mixed by Chris Shaw who has worked with Weezer and Ween (among many others).
The closer, “Woman of Dreams,” has Caron and Niles pining for a lovely lady but realizing the best they can do about it (for now, at least) is write a song about her. It reminds me of Fountains of Wayne‘s harder tracks with its punchy hooks and clever lyrics.
I haven’t even mentioned the sketches, which include various goofy telephone conversations with photographers, Caron’s father, and others. I’ll let you discover those on your own.
This is one of those albums that will reveal new stuff to you every time you hear it – a drum fill, a wicked guitar lick, a funny lyric, etc. I don’t know if Partner will get back the time they’re searching for, but they didn’t waste any making this record. It won’t waste your time either.
Keep your mind open.
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