Ric Wilson releases new single from “Banba” EP due May 18th.

Ric Wilson Shares “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps)
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

New EP, BANBA, Out May 18th on Innovative Leisure
(photo credit: Michael Salisbury)

“Ric Wilson Turns a Crisis of Conscious Into Charming Funk-Rap” — Pitchfork, on “Split”

“With his witty wordplay laid over soulful instrumentals, Wilson produces some of the most exciting new music to come out of Chicago.” — Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye

“If you’ve yet to experience the jubilance of Ric Wilson, jump back and get familiar with one of our favorite young guns in the game.” — Okayplayer
Chicago’s own Ric Wilson is set to release his new EP, BANBA, on May 18th via Innovative Leisure. Today, he’s pleased to share the project’s newest single, “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps), which premiered earlier this morning via Complex.

“No one’s perfect. We’re all a shit show, trying to be better people everyday,” says Ric. “This song is about trying to get there.

Me and Kweku have been friends for years and have always been talking about doing a song together, I finally reached out and sent a track that I thought made sense. That’s usually how stuff goes in Chicago.”

A 22 year-old community activist and artist based on the Southside of Chicago, Ric got his start with the legendary YCA (Young Chicago Authors), the Chicago-based storytelling and poetry organization which helped launch the likes of Saba, Jamila Woods, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and many others. BANBA is Wilson’s first release since 2017’s acclaimed Negrow Disco EP (stream here).

For those in the Chicago area, Ric will celebrate BANBA with a special EP release show at Lincoln Hall on Sat. June 2nd. Tickets are on-sale now.

Listen to “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps) — 
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

Listen to “Split” (feat. Sen Morimoto) — 
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/split-feat-sen-morimoto-prod-hirsh-2/s-FcagV

Pre-order BANBA — 
http://smarturl.it/ricwilson_BANBA

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Music Festival Recap – Day Four: Old friends, new friends, old habits, new stains

We started the fourth day at the Levitation Music Festival with another tradition – the Sunday gospel brunch at Threadgill’s restaurant.  It’s a pretty good deal, and the music always sound good.  The band there this year was the Levites, and they were having a great time.

The first band we saw at the festival was Acid House Ragas, which consists of DJ Al Lover on synths and beats and can-we-call-him-a-friend-by-now? Rishi Dhir on sitar.  They got the festival off to a nice start with meditative drone music.

Acid House Ragas at Stubb’s BBQ.

We left Stubb’s to grab a bite at the Moonshine Cafe, which serves “southern comfort food.”  Holy cow.  That was some of the best blackened catfish I’ve had in a long time.  After stuffing our bellies, we returned to Stubb’s in time to almost bump into Christian Bland of the Black Angels and Christian Bland and the Revelators.  This was the fifth time I’ve met him, and I thanked him again for the festival.  He and his bandmates help curate it, and I told him it was our fourth year there and we already had tickets for Levitation France in the fall.  He thanked me and was excited to hear we were going to the fall festival.  He’s always in a good mood whenever I bump into him.

We caught most of the set from the Brian Jonestown Massacre.  My wife flipped out when she realized band member Joel Gion was “the tambourine guy from Gilmore Girls.”  They put on a set to an always appreciative crowd, and frontman Anton Newcombe encouraged all of us to quit using pesticides in order to save bees.  We also met up with James from Ancient River and his wife, Nakia, while there.  We hadn’t seen them since 2014, and I hadn’t seen James since 2015 when he and his bandmate, Alex, played a gig in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  It was great to catch up with them and meet friends of theirs from England who were also at the show.

Brian Jonestown Massacre

Mr. Newcombe later walked through the crowd during the Black Angels‘ set, shaking hands with yours truly and many other fans.  The woman behind me gave him a big hug and her boyfriend also shook hands with him.  It made that woman’s night.  They talked about it for another ten minutes at least.

The Black Angels, as always, put on a great set.  They started with “Young Men Dead,” their usual closer, and kept tearing it up from there.  Lead guitarist Christian Bland shredded more than usual, and drummer Stephanie Bailey was once again an unstoppable beast.

The Black Angels

We headed to Barracuda to catch synth-punks POW!.  Unfortunately, we missed most of their set, but what we did hear was a fun and raucous.  Their weird cover of the Addams Family theme was a nice treat.

POW! in your face

Following them were Oh Sees, who I’ve been wanting to catch for years.  James told me he’d seen them perform the previous night and said it was an impressive, high energy set.  Sure enough, all the hype you’ve heard is true.   A mosh pit broke out within the first four bars and I was soon in it.  Various drinks were flying, people were crowd surfing, and my shoes were a stained, dirty mess by the end of it.  It was a great way to end the festival on a high note and leave us with enough energy and hunger to grab a late night pizza slice on the way back to our car.

Oh Sees

It was a nice return for Levitation Austin.  The town, and the festival, needed a good comeback.  Multiple people at the festival agreed with me that the vibe there is always good.  You don’t see or meet a lot of jackasses at this festival, which is always a plus (but, good grief, why are people still smoking cigarettes in 2018, and especially in the middle of a crowd?).

See you in France this fall?

Keep your mind open.

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Steve Davit – Off / On

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and dream warrior Steve Davit has released his first EP of solo instrumentals, Off / On, and it might be your favorite new acid jazz record.

Beginning with the so-funky-you-can-barely-stand-it “Forward,” the album instantly makes you feel like you’re in a re-creation of a 1930’s jazz club on a space station in the next century.  “Coniferous” starts with a ping-pong beat before Davit’s baritone saxophone and new wave synths add layers of intrigue.

I know Steve Davit and I have a mutual love for Morphine, and I can’t help but think Dana Colley’s saxophone work inspired some of Davit’s on “Philly Sophia” – which hits you like an expert boxing combination (set-up…delivery).  “Wanna Dance” is smooth jazz mixed with quirky beats that almost make it sound like it’s moving forward and backward in time.  The closer, “Night Song,” has synth-vibes and is perfect for walking out of a dive bar at 3am in hopes of finding a late night pizza slice and someone to cook brunch for in a few hours.  It feel melancholy at first, but ends up being sweetly hopeful.

Davit’s currently on tour with Marian Hill, and he told me during my interview with him that he’ll have copies of Off / On for sale at shows.  Grab a copy there or through his website.  You need his grooves more than you probably realize.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Music Festival Recap: Day Three – Shoegaze, synths, and psychedelia

The third day of Austin’s Levitation Music Festival was off to a good start when we bumped into Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone and MIEN at a vegetarian breakfast cafe and then the Men at the same place.  Mr. Dhir remembered seeing us at a small show in Pittsburgh and told us he and the other chaps in MIEN were a bit nervous about performing their first live show at Stubb’s BBQ that night.  We told him we were sure they’d rock it.  I also told Nick from the Men that they reminded me of the MC5, and he was a bit blown away by the compliment.

MIEN did indeed rock their first live show.  We heard their soundcheck while dining at Stubb’s (Where, by the way, the best deal is the all-you-can-eat menu.) and we again saw Mr. Dhir not long before their set.  We told him they sounded great, and they did during the full set.  They played nearly their entire debut album and their nervous energy only seemed to benefit the set.

MIEN in their first live gig.

Local synth heroes (and Stranger Things score creators) SURVIVE were up next and put on a deep, creepy set that was longer than they expected.  They kept thinking they were out of time, but they still had enough to play three more songs before they really were done.  It was funny to see them look offstage and ask, learn they had plenty more time, and then grin as they tried to figure out what to play next.

SURVIVE getting creepy.

Finishing up the night at Stubb’s were shoegaze legends Slowdive.  I was late to their party, but got on board with their self-titled return album after nearly twenty years of no new music.  There was a good-sized crowd there by this point and people went crazy for them.  Many professed their love for singer / keyboardist / guitarist Rachel Goswell, who seemed humbled by all the love.

Slowdive

They nearly leveled the place with reverb, fuzz, and dreamy rock.  My wife wasn’t sure to make of it.  She later told me it nearly put her to sleep, which I suppose is one of the goals of such ethereal music.

We then moved over to the Empire Garage to hopefully catch the last half of No Joy‘s set, but alas they had finished by the time we got there.  Dan Deacon already had a big crowd and was spinning up a wild dance party despite his laptop computer giving him fits and a vocal distortion pedal breaking.  He had the audience building a tunnel with their arms above their heads and dance through it until his laptop computer crashed.

Dan Deacon’s dance tunnel.

We left a bit early, and I later read on Twitter than Deacon smashed his laptop by the end of the show after it crashed yet again.

Up next, my wife freaks out upon seeing Joel Gion on stage, Rishi Dhir returns, and I get Red Bull dumped on me.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Bombay the Hard Way – Guns, Cars & Sitars (1998)

I’ve been looking for Bombay the Hardway – Guns, Cars & Sitars for years.  Lo and behold, I found it at Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas during my recent trip there, and in a used CD bin to boot.  It’s a collection of “brownsploitation” music from 1970’s Bollywood action  and crime films composed (often quickly and with all sorts of studio hiccups) by legendary Bollywood film music brothers Kalyanji and Anandji Shah and edited by Dan the Automator, who convinced Anandji to release these tracks from his vault.  The result is a stunning, ultra-cool mix of funky jams, lounge music, and make-out tracks you need to hear.

“Bombay 405 Miles” opens the album with a nice sitar gliss and then turns into intense music suitable for a stakeout or sneaking into a palace to commit a jewel heist.  “The Good, the Bad and the Chutney” brings in, no surprise, spaghetti western guitar touches to up the intrigue.  “My Guru” has a lovely sitar groove throughout it, and the flute loop is icing on the cake (or chutney on the naan, if you prefer).

“Ganges A Go-Go” is 1970’s psychedelic garage rock filtered through a hookah, and it’s a crime if “The Great Gambler” wasn’t the opening song for a movie of the same name.  It immediately throws you into a world of high stakes dice rolls, sexy people, exotic cars, and nefarious schemes.  “Professor Pyarelal” is, by contrast, a lounge groove with between the sheets beats and sizzling synths.  “Fists of Curry” doesn’t hit as hard as you’d expect with such a title, but it is slicker than Bruce Lee’s footwork.

The squeaky guitar and table-infused rhythms of “Punjabis, Pimps & Players” are a great combination, and you can just imagine “Inspector Jay from Delhi” going after them in his muscle car (with a case of $50,000 in the trunk) while his bad-ass, bass heavy theme song plays from its speakers.  “Satchidananda” could be a love theme, or it could be the music for a leisurely journey on a Bond villain’s yacht.  “Theme from Don” lets you know that Don is a bad cat who will probably punch your lights out as soon and then kiss your girl if you cross him, so don’t.  The underlying synths on it convey menace, and those tabla drums and sitar riffs convey street smarts beyond belief.

“Fear of a Brown Planet” (a nice play on Public Enemy‘s record Fear of a Black Planet) has hints of John Barry’s James Bond theme in it, but it adds psychedelic spice to the mix.  “Uptown Bollywood Nights” has fierce drumming and those tinny, weird, great synths you only seem to hear in bhangra and Bollywood music.  The beats on “Kundans Hideout” are even wilder, as are the crazy vocal sounds (chants, whistles, and possibly a woman nearing orgasm).  It’s the soundtrack of escaping from a madman’s lair and rescuing your latest fling along the way.  The record ends with “Swami Safari,” which, as you might have guessed, combines surf rock guitar with Bollywood beats.

This record will stay in your head for days.  It always sounds great.  There’s a sequel out there that was released in 2001 that I now need to find.  Find them both if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight – self-titled

Portland, Oregon is home to many things – big, foggy forests, dark coffee, gray skies, cliffs pounded by the relentless ocean, and now sludge-psych rockers Blackwater Holylight (Allison Faris – bass and vocals, Cat Hoch – drums, Laura Hopkins – guitar and vocals, Sarah McKenna – synths).

Their self-titled debut starts with the bass heavy “Willow,” which somehow mixes goth, psychedelia, and groove rock.  The burst of drums and synths about thirty seconds in is exhilarating.  You’re grooving with them like a 1960’s super-spy / vampire two-and-a-half minutes later.  Hopkins’ guitar work on “Wave of Conscience” reminds me of early Cream, and McKenna’s synths remind me of some of Frank Zappa‘s work.

Faris’ bass takes front stage on “Babies,” and it sounds like she learned the craft from David J. of Love and Rockets.  Her vocals and McKenna’s circus sideshow synths give the track a demented touch that you can’t shake out of your head.  “Paranoia” starts out with appropriately intimidating reverb on Hopkins’ guitars, and they only get louder and creepier as the tune builds.  Everything bursts forth when Faris’ sings, “Here comes the sunrise.” on “Sunrise.”  It’s a lovely little gem in the middle of the darker previous track and the sludge metal of “Slow Hole” (which almost does sound like a sinkhole forming in the middle of a forgotten road).

Hoch’s beats are downright danceable on “Carry Her,” while Hopkins’ guitar work at first sounds like something off a mellow Cure record and then turns into a crunchy, distorted wallop.  The album ends with the kinky / creepy “Jizz Witch” – a slow burning doom track that seems to be summoning up…something, but ends before whatever “it” is can emerge.  Whew.

Blackwater Holylight’s debut is full of these shadowy moments.  It works into the back of your mind and lingers there.  It intrigues and unsettles in just the right balance, as good art often should.

Keep your mind open.

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Ty Segall announces solo acoustic tour.

Ty Segall Announces Fall Solo Acoustic Tour

Ty Segall’s Goblin Phase One North American tour is just about over. Whoa. EPIC. Now that he and the Freedom Band have knocked the rust off cages all around the country, it must be time to get alone, right? Yeah man! For a couple weeks – then the European tour. So, alone time later in June, then? Sure, for a little minute. But then it’s time for the BEST kind of alone time – a solo acoustic tour. Just Ty, the guitar – and you. Sounds intimate, huh? Well, ol’ kid can work up a storm even with only six semi-unplugged strings at his disposal. Extra excitement will be churned by Ty doing all sorts of songs he doesn’t usually play. It’s gonna be great! Acoustically speaking, we can’t wait. Ty Segall goes acoustic! Coming in October.
Stream/Download/Purchase Ty Segall’s Freedom’s Goblin –
https://lnk.to/freedomsgoblin

Ty Segall Solo Acoustic Tour Dates:
Sat. Oct. 20 – Big Sur, CA @ The Henry Miller Library
Sun. Oct. 21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Mon. Oct. 22 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theater
Wed. Oct. 24 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Thu. Oct. 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Sat. Oct. 27 – Seattle WA @ Neumos
Thu. Oct. 30 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Fri. Nov. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (in the round set up) !
Sat. Nov. 3 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit !
Tue. Nov. 6 – Winooski, VT @ Higher Ground !
Wed. Nov. 7 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall !
Thu. Nov. 8 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom !
Fri. Nov. 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw !
Mon. Nov. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Tue. Nov. 13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 CLUB
Thu. Nov. 15 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
Fri. Nov. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
Sat. Nov. 17 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s #

! = with William Tyler
# = with Emmett Kelly

Ty Segall & The Freedom Band Tour Dates:
Thu. May 24 – Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom
Fri. May 25 – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut
Sat. May 26 – Antwerpen, BE @ Trix
Sun. May 27 – Winterthur, CH @Salzhaus
Mon. May 28 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
Tue. May 29 – Clermont Ferrand, FR @ La Cooperative de Mai
Wed. May 30 – Lillie, FR @ Aéronf
Thu. May 31 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirene
Sat. June 2 – Nimes, FR @ This is Not a Love Song Festival
Mon. June 4 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
Tue. June 5 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Wed. June 6 – Dublin, IE @ Tivoli
Fri. June 8 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Sat. June 9 – London, UK @ Forum
Sun. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Tue. June 12 – Bergen, NO @ Landmark
Wed. June 13 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Thu. June 14 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
Sat. June 16 – Athens, GD @ Gagarin 205
Fri. Oct. 12-Sun. Oct. 14 – Moreno Beach, Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2018

Keep your mind open.
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Protomartyr release new single – “Wheel of Fortune” – ahead of June 15th EP.

PROTOMARTYR ANNOUNCE NEW “CONSOLATION E.P.”
WITH KELLEY DEAL OF THE BREEDERS

EP OUT JUNE 15TH ON DOMINO,
WATCH VIDEO FOR “WHEEL OF FORTUNE”

(Illustration by Richard Phoenix)

Today Protomartyr announce a new release called “Consolation E.P.,” which they recorded in part with friend Kelley Deal and will be released June 15th via Domino Recording Co. Two of the four songs feature Deal on vocals alongside singer Joe Casey, including “Wheel of Fortune,” which receives a video today directed by Yoonha Park (who directed the band’s video for “Don’t Go To Anacita”).  The EP was recorded by Deal’s R.Ring bandmate Mike Montgomery. Joe Casey and Kelley Deal had this to say of the collaboration and EP:

Early 2017 proved to be a productive time for the band. We were writing songs right up to recording Relatives In Descent and wanted to keep that momentum going right after. Making 2015’s split single “A Half Of Seven” with R. Ring was one of our favorite recording experiences, so the decision to head down to Dayton, Kentucky and spend a weekend in May recording the four songs that became the “Consolation E.P.” was an easy one. – Joe Casey

For Mike and I, working on this EP with Protomartyr was a re-kindling of the tender spark that was struck upon our first encounter with them years ago in Texas. They were graciously tolerant and receptive to my production ideas on the songs and the project quickly grew beyond our private orb. We have cello from Lori Goldston, viola from Jocelyn Hach and even bass clarinet from Evan Ziporyn, and I do some singing with Joe. There’s a lot of trust involved when an artist places their songs in your hands, and we were very mindful of that while intentionally trying to take the songs in new directions. Candyland in Dayton, KY is home-base for R.Ring recording, and it’s close enough that the Proto-men could make it down to lay the tracks down. This is the second project like this we’ve done with them, so we’re ready to flip the tables and have them produce and record some of our songs! – Kelley Deal

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “WHEEL OF FORTUNE”
http://smarturl.it/WheelOfFortuneYT

(“Consolation E.P. “album art)
“CONSOLATION E.P.” TRACKLISTING
1. Wait
2. Same Face In A Different Mirror
3. Wheel Of Fortune (feat. Kelley Deal)
4. You Win Again (feat. Kelley Deal)
PROTOMARTYR TOUR DATES
Thu. May 3 – Kortrijik, BE @ De Kreun
Fri. May 4 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Sat. May 5 – Leicester, UK @ Handmade Festival
Sun. May 6 – Glasgow, UK @ Stag & Dagger Festival
Tue. May 8 – Hull, UK @ Fruit
Wed. May 9 – Birmingham, UK @ Mama Roux
Thu. May 10 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East – In Conversation with the Raincoats
Thu. May 10 – London, UK @ Scala
Sun. June 3 – Seattle, WA @ Upstream Music Festival
Sat. June 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Brooklyn Vegan Northside Party)
Wed. June 13 – Hong Kong, HK @ MOM Livehouse
Fri. June 15 – Beijing, CN @ Yue Space
Sat. June 16 – Shanghai, CN @ YYT
Sun. June 17 – Seoul, KR @ V-Hall
Wed. June 20 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ Live Fact
Thu. June 21 – Jakarta, ID @ Rossi Musik
Sat. June 23 – Athens, GR @ Ejekt Festival
Fri. July 6 – Modena, IT @ Arti Vive
Sat. July 7 – Chiusi, IT @ Lars Rock Fest
Sat. July 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest
Sat. Aug. 11 – Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival
Sun. Aug. 12 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Mon. Aug. 13 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Zakk
Tue. Aug. 14 – Bremen, DE @ Tower Musikclub
Thu. Aug. 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Fri. Aug. 17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
Sat. Aug 18 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival
Sun. Aug. 19 – St. Malo, FR @ La Route Du Rock
Tue. Aug. 21 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Wed. Aug. 22 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
Fri. Aug. 24 – Schorndorf, DE @ Club Manufaktur
Sat. Aug 25 – Charleville Mezieres, FR @ Cabaret Vert Festival
Sun. Aug. 26 – Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Hall
Tue. Aug. 28 – Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social
Wed. Aug. 29 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ Trades Club
Thu. Aug. 30 – Liverpool, UK @ O2 Academy 2
Fri. Aug. 31 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Thu. Aug. 30 – Sun. Sep. 2 – Vlieland, NL @ Into the Great Wide Open
PRAISE FOR RELATIVES IN DESCENT

“Political, environmental, epistemological, social, familial and individual anxieties fuel the latest songs by Protomartyr, a band from Detroit that has been reclaiming the jagged, muscular dissonances of post-punk for 21st-century America.”
– The New York Times (Album of the Week)

“A slow-burn apocalypse of ennui and injustice crackles through the sensational fourth album from these Detroit post-punks.” – The Guardian (5/5 stars)

“Brooding and abrasive, the Detroit post-punk group’s new LP isn’t for the faint of heart – but beauty lies in its 12 knotty, pummeling tunes.” – Entertainment Weekly

“Over the course of four full-length albums, the Detroit-based band has produced a collection of lyrically dense, deeply philosophical (and usually very loud) songs that grapple with some of life’s thorniest questions: What does it mean to be human? What is truth? What is the nature of good and evil?” – NPR Music

“Consolation E.P.” is available to pre-order now on limited pressing yellow/white starburst vinyl via Domino, and limited pressing gold vinyl via your local independent record store.

“Consolation E.P.” Domino pre-order: http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPMart
“Consolation E.P.” Digital pre-order: http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPDL

Relatives In Descent Domino Mart: http://smarturl.it/RIDMart
Relatives In Descent iTunes: http://smarturl.it/RIDDownload

Keep your mind open.
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BODEGA releases new single / your new favorite earworm – “Jack in Titanic”

BODEGA Shares New Single “Jack In Titanic”
Watch The Video Here

U.S. Headline Tour Announced

Endless Scroll Out June 1st On What’s Your Rupture?

[Photo by Mert Gafuroglu]

Having recently announced their debut album, BODEGA are back with another new single, “Jack In Titanic.” Ben Hozie from the band explains, “’Jack in Titanic’ is about learned male behavior and the nostalgia for it. One day I realized that my unspoken internal values ‘of what it means to be a man’ were inherited from the dubious fantasy of the movies, particularly my childhood models: James Bond, Jackie Chan, and Jack (in Titanic). Jack, of course, is also an archetypal rock and roll hero: road warrior, poor yet able to maneuver class, loyal friend, incredible dancer, fantastic lover (in the back of cars), wonderful with graphic design (could do his own cover art), and weapon against the aristocracy (and all things bureaucratic and mannered).”

The “Jack In Titanic” video, directed by the band’s Nikki Belfiglio and Bodega-ally Corey Eisenberg, is set within the cover art for Endless Scroll (hence the square aspect ratio). The space is a virtual gallery of the endless scroll and Jack’s twenty-first century boyish id – hypersexual rock and pop performance mediated by the screen. The full band only performs together separated by monitors.

Watch BODEGA’s “Jack In Titanic” Video:
https://youtu.be/2PmC3y-ktBM
Endless Scroll will be released June 1st on What’s Your Rupture?. Ahead of that, BODEGA heads to Europe for their first ever shows outside of North America. Upon their return, the band plays a record release show at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn on June 1st before embarking on a U.S. headline tour throughout June. A full list of dates is below with more to be announced soon.
Watch:
“Jack In Titanic” video – https://youtu.be/2PmC3y-ktBM
“Can’t Knock The Hustle” video – https://youtu.be/sm5fWJDJicI
“How Did This Happen ?!” video – https://youtu.be/TKAzK41-YHM
BODEGA Tour Dates:
Tue. May 15 – London, UK @ The Social
Wed. May 16 – London, UK @ Lock Tavern
Thu. May 17 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Fri. May 18 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Sat. May 19 – Leeds, UK @ Gold Sounds at Brudenell Social Club (tickets)
Sun. May 20 – Glasglow, UK @ The Poetry Club (tickets)
Tue. May 22 – London UK @ Electric Ballroom w/ Rolling Blackouts C.F. (tickets)
Wed. May 23 – London, UK @ The Lexington w/ Amyl and the Sniffers (SOLD OUT)
Fri. May 25 – Leffinge, BE @ De Zwerver (tickets)
Sat. May 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling at Paradiso (tickets)
Sun. May 27 – Brussels, BE @ AB Club w/ Moaning (tickets)
Mon. May 28 – Cologne, DE @ Sonic Ballroom
Tue. May 29 – Berlin, DE @ ACUD (tickets)
Fri. June 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Sunnyvale
Sat. June 16 – Toronto, ON @ The Rivoli
Sun. June 17 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
Mon. June 18 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
Tue. June 19 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Thu. June 21 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Fri. June 22 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Sat. June 23 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot
Sun. June 24 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Mon. June 25 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
TUe. June 26 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Cactus Club
Wed. June 27 – Columbus, OH @ Used Kids Records
Thu. June 28 – Athens, OH @ The Union
Fri. June 29 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Sat. June 30 – Phladelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits
Tue. July 10 – Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen (tickets)
Wed. July 11 – Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge (tickets)
Fri. July 13 – Beccles, UK @ Latitude Festival (tickets)
Mon. July 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival (tickets)
Thu. July 19 – Port Grimaud, FR @ Plage de Rock w/ Parquet Courts
Sat. July 21 – Benicassim, ES @ Benicassim Festival (tickets)

[Endless Scroll artwork]

Keep your mind open.
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MIEN – self-titled

Consisting of members of the Black Angels (Alex Maas on guitar, bass, and vocals), the Earlies (John Lapham on synths), Elephant Stone (Rishi Dhir on sitar, bass, and vocals), and the Horrors (Tom Furse on synths), MIEN are a psychedelic supergroup who have been at least discussing their self-titled debut album since 2004.  Now that it’s here, they (and we) can rejoice in a job well done.

Staring with the cosmic “Earth Moon,” Maas’ vocals are drenched in smoky reverb as he sings about how our beliefs can alter our reality.  Where that track is a lovely stroll through a psychedelic meadow, the second cut, “Black Habit,” is downright creepy with Lapham and Furse’s synths providing a dark drone under Maas’ lyrics about addictions.  “(I’m Tired of) Western Shouting” might be my favorite cut on the record.  The drum beats are wicked, as are Maas’ lyrics about 24-hours news cycles, angry Internet rants, and people being proud to be rude or even bigoted.  The whole band clicks on it, and it slays live.

“You Dreamt” layers on the synths and is pretty much a dark wave track (and a good one).  The instrumental “Other” floats on Furse and Lapham’s synths and could’ve easily fit into the score for Blade Runner: 2049.  “I feel so high,” Maas sings on “Hocus Pocus.”  You might feel the same as it warps into distorted madness and heady freak-outs.  Thee deep bass synths on “Ropes” fuel the urgency of Maas’ vocals about fear.

“Echolalia” is defined as mindless repetition of words or sentences as a symptom of a psychiatric disorder or as a repetition of words by a child learning to speak.  Both definitions seem appropriate for the track of the same name, as it churns with an almost frantic energy and then comes to an abrupt start that surprises you.  “Odessey” has brighter synths, and even female backing vocals, but they hide menace within them.  The album ends with a reprise of “Earth Moon.”  It’s a mellower version than the first and it creates a nice, dreamy ending to a mostly spooky record.

It’s a solid debut.  MIEN are currently on their first live tour, so don’t miss them or this record.

Keep your mind open.

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