Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Lavender Blood

A near-death experience has a way of changing your perspective on things.  Everything is different afterwards.  Things you thought were important no longer are.  Things you took for granted become more precious than gold.  Your accomplishments and failures are brought into focus, and you either experience terror, joy, peace, or all three.

Such an experience happened to all three members of Detroit psych-rockers Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor while flying to Greece during a recent tour.  The plane depressurized as it began its landing procedure, unleashing oxygen masks and brief panic before the pilots quickly brought the plane under control.  As the story goes, a strange calm settled into the entire plane.  Strangers shared a bond they never expected and wouldn’t forget.  This experience shaped the sound and substance of SOYSV’s new album Lavender Blood.

The weird, almost out-of-tune acoustic guitar opening the album on “Cinnamon Blood” puts a weird angle on the record right away as guitarist / vocalist Sean Morrow sings about prayers and dreams in a voice that sounds like it’s been influenced by Middle Eastern vocalists.

The whole band breaks open on “Die Die Die.”  It hits like a wrecking ball with warped guitars, Eric Oppitz‘s pulsing bass, and Rick Sawoscinski‘s Black Sabbath-like drumming.  The song is as creepy and chaotic as you’d hope it would be with a title like that.  “Sky Greece” follows it, and it’s a mind-bending track with reversed guitar chords appropriate for a song inspired by a moment when the band thought they might be doomed but soon switched to calm euphoria.

“Rocking Horse Brain” is one of SOYSV’s biggest, in terms of spectacle, songs.  It opens with forceful guitars and bass and then switches gears (with sharp skill by Sawoscinski) into down-the-rabbit-hole psychedelia.  “See You in the Mourning” might be the closest thing to a Velvet Underground track SOYSV have ever written.  Morrow’s guitars sound remind me of a lazy cat stretching out in the sun, and Oppitz and Sawoscinski put down one of their best grooves ever.

You can’t help but wonder if the cacophony and roaring cymbals in “Cat Lovers Skull” are a reflection of what was happening in the passenger compartment of that flight to Greece.  “Milky Water Jesus” is the shortest song on the album but it has some of the hardest drumming of the album.

I love how the album ends with maximum fuzz.  “Rainbow Scarecrow” lies somewhere between psychedelia, funk (listen to that beat!), and shoegaze.  I can’t wait to hear this one live.

Lavender Blood is probably SOYSV’s trippiest record so far and well worth your time and money.  These guys keep bending and warping sounds in ways I still can’t figure out, but why bother trying?  Just sit back and let this record alter your reality.  Sometimes you need a jolt to remind you of what’s real and what’s illusion.

[No guarantees, but a double rainbow might appear if you subscribe.]

Bootblacks – Fragments

Brooklyn’s Bootblacks (Alli Gorman – guitars, Barrett Hiatt – synthesizers, Roger Humanbeing – drums, Panther MacDonald – lead vocals), play an interesting mix of post-punk, shoegaze, goth, and synthwave, and their new album, Fragments, is a showcase on how well they float between those genres.

Lead track “Hold & Dissolve” instantly plunges you into creepy synthwave with a good mix of live and processed beats.  It reminds me of some of A Place to Bury Strangers‘ tracks, but with vocals that sound more like Peter Murphy than Oliver Ackermann.  “The Longest Night” seems to be a song about the first night after MacDonald’s lover walked out on him.  Hiatt’s synth work on it blends so well with Gorman’s guitar riffs that it’s sometimes difficult to tell them apart.

If there’s any justice in the world, “Memory Palace” is currently tearing up goth and industrial night clubs throughout New York City and will soon be catching on across the country.  It’s like a Joy Division track if they had decided to be a dance band.  “Sudden Moves” is a journey down a wet road under a gray sky with occasional bursts of sunlight through the clouds (mainly from Hiatt’s synths).  “A Pale Fire” is a fast, almost poppy electro track, and “Reincarnate” is something that could be spun by a replicant Los Angeles dance club DJ in 2049.  I like how Gorman knows when to fade back and let the synths take the lead and when to step back up and shred.  She’s quickly becoming one of my new favorite guitarists.

“For You (Lois)” might be a love letter to Lois, or it might be an ode to Lois, or it might be a cynical takedown of Lois.  I’m not sure, but it is a cool cold wave track.  The closer, “Gone,” has definite Depeche Mode influences (especially in MacDonald’s vocal stylings) and synths that sound like something from a rare krautrock single.

My thanks to Bootblacks’ label, Manic Depression Records, for letting me know about this band.  They weren’t on my radar until MDR contacted me.  I’m glad they did because this is one of the most interesting finds of the year for me.

Keep your mind open.

[Subscribe and you’ll have many nights with updates sent to your inbox.]

 

Witch Mountain releases new single to help heat your home through the coming winter.

Portland doom metal powerhouses Witch Mountain have released the first single, “Midnight,” from their upcoming self-titled record.  It will melt your face and possibly power your furnace through even the harshest Seattle winters.  It has all the trademark touches you’d expect from them – Mordor army drums, sludge guitars, and powerful female vocals.

You can listen and buy the track on their Bandcamp page.  It’s an ominous, but good, sign for the new record and 2018.

Keep your mind open.

Erika Wennerstrom announces winter U.S. tour dates..

Heartless Bastards leader Erika Wennerstrom has announced a series of winter tour dates through the United States to promote her upcoming solo album.

Nov 25 – ACL Live – part of Bob Schneider’s Holiday Show – Austin TX – TICKETS
Dec 8 – Andy’s Bar – Denton TX – TICKETS (Full Band show)
Dec 10 – The Listing Loon – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS
Dec 13 – High Noon – Madison WI – TICKETS
Dec 14 – The Hideout – Chicago IL – TICKETS
Dec 15 – Soulful Space – Lexington KY – TICKETS 
Dec 16 – Songwriting Clinic at Historic Herzog Studios – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS
Dec 17 – The Listing Loon – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS

Wennerstrom has one of the best voices you’ll ever hear – raw, sultry, angry, and caressing all at the same time.  Don’t miss out on these rare acoustic show dates in small venues.

Keep your mind open.

Oh Sees / OCS announce tour dates with Ty Segall and unleash D&D-themed video.

WATCH THE MONSTROUS NEW VIDEO FOR “NITE EXPO“

TY SEGALL ADDED TO LOS ANGELES BENEFIT SHOWS;
CASTLEMANIA ANNOUNCED IN LONDON & MANCHESTER

ORC OUT NOW, MEMORY OF A CUT OFF HEAD
OUT 11/17 ON CASTLE FACE
Who would think that the creator of such records as Orc, Memory of a Cut Off Head, Mutilator Defeated At Last, Carrion Crawler, and Castlemania would hold Halloween in high regard? Oh Sees share the video for “Nite Expo” a song off their album Orc (released in August on Castle Face). The video features a hideous adventurer fighting his way through a cavernous dungeon, slaying all manner of ghoulish beasts and monsters. Will he reach the castle and save the day? You’ll have to watch to find out. “Animation and role-playing games were a huge part of my youth,” says Dwyer, “so I was really excited to work on this with Alex Theodoropulos and make a fun Halloween video that harkens back to the real simple times. Imagination running wild and no thoughts of a heavy world.”
WATCH “NITE EXPO”
https://youtu.be/O8hf8HBeFSE
Also, as previous reported, OCS (featuring John Dwyer, Brigid Dawson, Tim Hellman, Paul Quattrone, Tom Dolas and a string section consisting of Heather Lockie, Eric Clarke and Emily Elkin) announced four shows, two in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco. Proceeds from both LA shows will benefit L.A. Kitchen and, in addition to Shannon Lay, Ty Segall was just added, performing solo acoustic. The SF shows will benefit the Coalition on Homelessness, and will also be supported by Ty Segall and Shannon Lay. Furthermore, for our friends across the pond, Castle Face is proud to present…CASTLEMANIA. Here are some words from Castle Face about the event:

May we present, for you Britishers among us – or those amongst them – a one-two shot to the ribs from the Castle Face Records roster: Thursday, March 1st in Manchester and Friday, March 2nd in London, spearheaded by those indefatigable and indispensable Oh Sees, a live force to be feared. They’ll be joined by white mages of healing and appealing frequencies Once and Future Band, underground pop wunderkind cum laude Kelley Stoltz, feedback-tipped missiles of love and boredom Flat Worms, and the fuzzed-up goth pop stylings of Male Gaze.

OCS TOUR DATES
Fri. Dec. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom w/ Ty Segall (Solo Acoustic), Shannon Lay
Sat. Dec. 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom w/ Ty Segall (Solo Acoustic), Shannon Lay
Sun. Dec. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel w/ Ty Segall (Solo Acoustic), Shannon Lay
Mon. Dec. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel w/ Ty Segall (Solo Acoustic), Shannon Lay

OH SEES TOUR DATES
Thu. Mar. 1, 2018 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall (Castlemania)
Fri. Mar. 2, 2018 – London, UK @ The Troxy (Castlemania)
Listen to OCS’s “The Fool” – http://bit.ly/2xWKTzA
Listen to OCS’s “Memory of a Cut Off Head” – http://bit.ly/2wJQNUt

Pre-order Memory of a Cut Off Head – http://bit.ly/2wiTwSM
Purchase Orc – https://www.midheaven.com/item/orc-by-oh-sees
Hi-res photos/album art: http://pitchperfectpr.com/thee-oh-sees/

Oh Sees/OCS Online:
http://www.theeohsees.com
https://www.castlefacerecords.com
http://pitchperfectpr.com/thee-oh-sees/
https://www.castlefacerecords.com/collections/thee-oh-sees

Khruangbin’s new album due January 25th. First single, “Maria Tambien,” out now.

KHRUANGBIN SIGN TO DEAD OCEANS,
ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM CON TODO EL MUNDO OUT JANUARY 26TH 

NEW VIDEO FOR “MARIA TAMBIEN”
CELEBRATES IRANIAN WOMEN PRIOR TO 1979 REVOLUTION
https://youtu.be/7hlGqj3ImQI
(photo credit: Mary Kang)

“This is the rare record that lands on both a conceptual and instinctual level, and the disparate references feel almost deceitful in their cohesion: how could this weird idea, which snakes global influences across one another, coalesce so well?” — The New Yorker, on The Universe Smiles Upon You

“That sense of spaciousness, together with the Thai-inflected tunes, means Khruangbin sound like no one else, even as their songs shimmer with echoes of ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ by Marvin or Curtis Mayfield’s score for Super Fly.” — The Guardian

After two years of worldwide success, unassuming Texan trio Khruangbin announce their highly anticipated second album, Con Todo El Mundo, out January 26, 2017 via Dead Oceans. Continuing their world music pedigree, the band has expanded their global influences on this record from Thai funk to sounds of Spain and the Middle East, particularly Iran, from the 1960’s, 1970’s and beyond.

Formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums, Khruangbin’s sounds have historically been rooted in the deepest waters of world music. Their 2015 debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, was heavily influenced by 60’s and 70’s Thai cassettes infused with classic soul, dub and psychedelia. This unusual mix created a powerful, hypnotic signature sound that’s entranced listeners around the world.

Their second album, Con Todo El Mundo, takes its name not from a grand global idea, but from a simple one. It’s in part dedicated to bassist Laura Lee’s Mexican-American grandfather, who was a big influence on her life. She says, “My grandpa would always ask me ‘Como me quieres?’ (how much do you love me?) And he’d only ever accept one response: ‘Con todo el mundo’ (with all the world). He created his own world to live in. Khruangbin is the world we’ve created.”

Since the release of The Universe Smiles Upon You, Khruangbin have spent the past two years playing non-stop worldwide. The band’s live history ranges from a European tour with FatherJohn Misty to supporting Tycho on a US tour, a string of festival dates including Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, ACL, Outside Lands, Desert Dazed, SXSW as well as extended headline excursions. In a nod to their travels, Laura and Mark have been presenting a weekly “AirKhruang” DJ set live each Friday on their Facebook page, where the pair play a selection of music by artists from a particular city. They also hold a monthly NTS radio show called “Cabin Pressure”.

The music video for the album’s first single, “Maria Tambien,” tells the story of Iranian women prior to the revolution of 1979, celebrating their creativity, freedom and ability to express themselves, and showing a side of women in the Middle East that often isn’t seen in the Western world.

The women in the video are all part of a large network of artists, singers, dancers and songwriters who have been either exiled or silenced since the revolution. With their new video, Khruangbin hopes to bring these remarkable women back into the spotlight and honor the artistry of silenced women everywhere.

Watch Video For “Maria Tambien” —
https://youtu.be/7hlGqj3ImQI

Con Todo El Mundo Tracklist:
01. Como Me Quieres
02. Lady And Man
03. Maria Tambien
04. August 10
05. Como Te Quiero
06. Shades Of Man
07. Evan Finds The Third Room
08. A Hymn
09. Rules
10. Friday Morning

Pre-order Con Todo El Mundo — https://khruangbin.lnk.to/contodoelmundo

Download hi-res images & album art for Khruangbin — pitchperfectpr.com/khruangbin

Live: Goblin and Morricone Youth – Chicago, IL – October 25, 2017

The last time I saw horror / prog-rockers Goblin was in 2013 at Chicago’s Metro during their first tour of the United States.  It was a sold out show and one of the best I saw all year, so I was keen on catching them again on their “Sound of Fear” tour, especially since the lineup included four of the five original members – Massimo Morante, Maurizio Guarini, Fabio Pignaetti, and Agostino Marangolo (along with Aidan Zammit replacing keyboardist and founding member Claudio Simonetti).  They fact that they were playing in Thalia Hall – a former opera house – was a bonus.

Opening for them were the psychedelic / prog rockers Morricone Youth.  My friends and I arrived in time to catch the last two songs of their set.  Both were songs written as an alternate soundtrack to Night of the Living Dead.  The film played behind them as they rocked out and it was a great set-up for both Goblin and the Halloween season.

Goblin came out to a welcoming, albeit smaller than I expected, crowd.  I have no idea why more people weren’t at the show, unless the midweek date had something to do with it.  Regardless, Goblin came ready to play and to terrify.

They played a lot of stuff they didn’t play on their last tour, including tracks from the bizarre giallo film Beyond the Darkness (complete with grisly mortuary scenes playing behind them which might’ve made an intoxicated woman in front of us so woozy that she needed assistance leaving the main floor), another giallo Massimo Morante called Killer on the Train, and the bizarre alien invasion film Contamination.  I had no idea Goblin did the score for Contamination, so now I have extra incentive to track down that film.

Of course, they played tracks from their most famous film scores, starting with Profundo Russo (Deep Red).

They played not only the “Killer Doll” and main theme track, but also other songs from the film that you don’t hear often.  They did the same with Tenebrae, which is a giallo about a killer in an opera house no less.

They did the same with their score to Suspiria, playing music from the beginning of the film and the creepy scene in which the lead characters first start to suspect an evil witch is living among them.

It was another excellent performance that got better as it crawled along like some horrible thing creeping out of the shadows.  Goblin rarely get to the U.S., so don’t miss them.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t be scared…Subscribe.]

Shopping release one of the catchiest singles of the year, “The Hype,” from upcoming album.

SHOPPING ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, THE OFFICIAL BODY,
OUT JANUARY 19th ON FATCAT RECORDS

WATCH VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE, “THE HYPE”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAm6AphanY
[photo credit – CJ Monk]
“The Hype” is Shopping at its best: barbed invective set to a prickly, dancefloor-ready groove.”
— Pitchfork
“one of Shopping’s loosest, funkiest songs to date. . . ‘The Hype’ is a great sign of things to come.”
— NPR Music

London/Glasgow-based post-punk trio Shopping stay true to their minimal dance-punk ethos while “amping up the party vibe” on their third full-length album, The Official Body, set for a January 19th release via FatCat Records. In conjunction with the album announcement, the band — Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals), Billy Easter (bass, vocals) and Andrew Milk (drums, vocals) — share the video for the album’s first official single, “The Hype,” which “has them on display in all kinds of beautiful ages, shapes, and sizes” (The FADER). It’s a song about thinking for yourself, taking matters into your own hands and not listening to other people or institutions that try to take advantage and tell you what to think or how to be.

After the release of their debut album, Consumer Complaints, and follow up, 2015’s Why Choose, Shopping found themselves in an unrelenting cycle of touring. Meanwhile, in London, Power Lunches, a hub for the city’s DIY scene and the band’s usual rehearsal and writing space closed down. Upon returning from tour, Milk relocated to Glasgow. The distance added an element of pressure: “As a band that only ever writes collaboratively, it’s essential for us to actually be together in the room before any songs start to formulate. It can be a little daunting when we all turn up, and we only have an afternoon to pull a song out of thin air.” Add to that a sprinkling of Brexit, Trump, a principally imploding world, and you’ve got yourself The Official Body.

Recorded and produced over 10 days by Edwyn Collins at his Clashnarrow studio, The Official Body is an album in which the thematic gravitas contrasts with the band’s evolving sound. “We’ve always felt like what we do is political in that it’s cathartic and healing in some way, but at some point it just felt like making ‘political’ music was a bit like putting a tiny band aid on an enormous wound,” says Aggs as she describes the sense of disorientation that lies at the foundation of the album. While it may have been tempting to adopt a more serious tone, Shopping remained humorous in their approach — the album’s title, The Official Body, is a play on the idea of official bodies of power and control, “the mystical powers that be” as Easter deems them, as well as the construct of a physical body that fits within the societal paradigm of what is “acceptable.”

Shopping will tour the UK and Europe this November. They’ll make their way stateside in early 2018, including performances at SXSW.

Watch Shopping’s “The Hype” Video –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAm6AphanY
The Official Body Tracklist:
1. The Hype
2. Wild Child
3. Asking for a Friend
4. Suddenly Gone
5. Shave Your Head
6. Discover
7. Control Yourself
8. My Dad’s a Dancer
9. New Values
10. Overtime
Shopping Tour Dates:
Mon. Nov. 6 – Glasgow, UK @ The Art School
Tue. Nov. 7 – Leeds, UK @ Wharf Chambers
Wed. Nov. 8 – York, UK @ Crescent
Thu. Nov. 9 – Cardiff, UK @ Gwdihw Cafe Bar
Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Kamio
Sat. Nov. 11 – Paris, FR @ La Mécanique Ondulatoire
Sun. Nov. 12 – Villefranche-de-Rouergue, FR @ Les Haut Parleurs
Mon. Nov. 13 – Bordeaux, FR @ l’Avant Scène
Tue. Nov. 14 – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabada
Thu. Nov. 16 – Alicante, ES @ Sala Marearock
Fri. Nov. 17 – Barcelona, ES @ Be Good
Sat. Nov. 18 – Lyon, FR @ Grnd Zero
Sun. Nov. 19 – Biel, CH @ Le Salopard
Tue. Nov. 21 – Esslingen, DE @ Komma
Wed. Nov. 22 – Bamberg, DE @ TBC
Thu. Nov. 23 – Leipzig, DE @ Tiff
Fri. Nov. 24 – Nuremberg, DE @ Desi
Sat. Nov. 25 – Berlin, DE @ Zukunft Am Ostkreuz
Fri. Nov. 26 – Hamburg, DE @ Goldener Salon
Mon. Nov. 27 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
Tue. Nov. 28 – Liege, BE @ Kulturaliege
Wed. Nov. 29 – Antwerp, BE @ Het Bos
Thu. Nov. 30 – Rotterdam, NL @ Worm
Fri. Dec. 1 – Saarbrücken, DE @ Das Modul
Download hi-res album art and press images –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/shopping/

Perpetual workhorse Ty Segall releases another single and is announced for Levitation Austin.

LISTEN TO TY SEGALL’S NEW SINGLE, “MEANING”

Ty Segall reaches deep down into his deep bag of rocks and pulls out an uptempo dance number, an armload of guitars and a hardcore jam, urging us ultimately to jailbreak from the self-imposed thought prison we’ve all been raised in. No, tonight’s not the night, do it now! Denée Segall‘s lead vocals hammer home “Meaning” with unbridled strength: “I see fear in freedom…” Is this what’s holding us back? Ask yourself, man!
Listen to Ty Segall’s “Meaning” –
https://tysegall.bandcamp.com/track/meaning
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1296428037

Ty Segall Tour Date:
Fri. Nov. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room (LA United for Puerto Rico benefit)
Sat. Dec. 9 – Mexico City, MX @ Hipnosis Festival

Segall has also been announced as the headliner for the first Levitation Austin 2018 kick-off party.  He’ll be playing April 26th at Stubb’s BBQ in downtown Austin with Parquet Courts and A Giant Dog.  Tickets for that show are already on sale.
Keep your mind open.