I've been a music fan since my parents gave me a record player for Christmas when I was still in grade school. The first record I remember owning was "Sesame Street Disco." I've been a professional writer since 2004, but writing long before that. My first published work was in a middle school literary magazine and was a story about a zoo in which the animals could talk.
“Raw” might be the best way for me to describe The Anomalys‘ newest record, Glitch.
Hailing from Amsterdam and touring around the world, The Anomalys have a simple mission – to rock your socks off and maybe frighten you a bit while doing it (in a good way, like a classic Universal Studios monster film).
Rémi Pablo‘s opening drum salvo on “Smart Patrol” gets things off to a roaring start, and then Looch Vibrato and lead singer Bone unleash guitar fury. “Trooper” has a growl throughout it and bounces around like a hopping rhinoceros in your living room. “Anomalys Rise” is a fierce instrumental, which I always appreciate. It blends their love of surf with goth / monster rock.
“Dead Friends” is a lament to those who have gone on before us and wondering when we’ll all be able to have another drink together. “Panic” is a straight-up shot of surf without a chaser. Just hold on for dear life and hope you don’t get crushed by it. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” Bone sings on “Ready to Die” – a swaggering, groovy cut. Speaking of cuts, “Bleed for Me” is dangerous with its snarling guitars and vocals.
You can practically hear Vibrato and Bone’s guitars protesting in “Far Ahead” as they seem to bend them like professional wrestlers trying to make them tap out. “Steppin’ Out” isn’t a Joe Jackson cover (although that would be wild), but rather a jagged, punchy track to send the album out on a sweaty note.
Last month, Weeping Icon returned after a nearly three year absence to announce their Ocelli EP (out this Friday on Fire Talk). The EP was announced with a single called “Pigs, Shit & Trash“, their first new music since the 2019 release of their thrilling self-titled debut, which generated considerable excitement, earning praise from outlets like FADER, Stereogum, FLOOD, BrooklynVegan and Revolver, who made comparison to Sonic Youth while describing the track as “so sick“.
Today, Weeping Icon are sharing a second track from the three track EP ahead of its Friday release, a single entitled “Two Ways.”
“‘Two Ways’ is about people who want to appear virtuous in their public facing personality, but live a contradictory shadow life in which they do whatever they please, no matter how harmful their actions are to others,” explains Sara Fantry. “It’s told through the voice of a man named Todd (yes, that’s his real name!) who I encountered a few years back. He used a harmful term towards a woman he was angry with, then accepted a long explanatory talk from me, appeared to reflect, enthusiastically told me he’d appreciated me taking the time to educate him and agreed to change his behavior, and then immediately found that same woman and started calling her harmful sexist names without a moment between. I was truly in shock at how comfortable he was with his personality being stratified into two layers – the outward-facing kind, modern man, looking to learn from the necessarily rapid changes in society – and the sinister, selfish sadist beneath who believes in his own entitlement to act with impunity.”
“The video we made (directed by Rafeal Joson & Mike Andretti, all editing and effects by MikeVideopunk) explores the stratified personality of the daytime talkshow host, who wants to appear kind, empathetic and sincere to his viewers, while goading his guests into salacious fights for his own profit, regardless of the personal and public damage done to those guests. With some humor in there, we hope to hold a conversation around the shadow of nefarious intent that lurks below so many supposedly ethical personalities in our world.”
To mark the release of the EP the band will be playing at Alphaville this Friday, November 18th. Tickets can be purchased here.
One of three albums released by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizardin the same month (and four albums released this year), Laminated Denim consists of just two tracks – each fifteen minutes in length. The songs were recorded so they could be played during intermissions of their epic three-hour live sets at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, but they’re not the original tracks made for those sets.
Those tracks were recorded and released on the half-hour, two-track album Made in Timeland released earlier this year. The Made in Timeland tracks were never played during the Red Rocks intermissions because those 2019 shows never happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tracks sat unused for nearly three years before the band, know for their endless energy and prolific output, decided to release Made in Timeland at a three-hour hometown gig.
The problem that then arose was, “What do we play at the upcoming Red Rocks intermissions now?” The answer to that was to record two new long tracks, and thus Laminated Denim (an anagram of “Made in Timeland”) was born.
The first track, “The Land Before Timeland,” gets off to a quiet start that builds into a lengthy jam session of happy guitars over soft jazz drums. Ambrose Kenny-Smith‘s harmonica weaves in and out of the song quite well.
“Hypertension” brings in some of the microtonal elements that KGATLW are known to love. It’s a faster jam that the previous track, probably designed that way to slowly build the audience’s anticipation for what’s to come after intermission.
These two tracks pick you up, carry you away, and let you drift along with them for a nice half-hour jaunt.
Recorded in 1991 and released only on a minuscule run of cassettes, Tinariwen‘s Kel Tinariwen is a fascinating timepiece of their early sound and the building blocks of what would become the desert blues style the band that would make the band famous around the world.
Opening with a song about history, “À L’Histoire,” you hear bits of late 80s Afropop and synth music mixed with their traditional style Tuareg vocals (with female co-vocals sung in French!). “Kedou Kedou” brings in what would become their familiar, hypnotic guitar sound, and the mesmerizing sounds only increase on “Atahoura Techragh D’Azaka Nin.”
“Matadjem Yinmexan” is bouncy and lively. You’ll hear how much Tinariwen have influenced Goat on this track. “Awa Idjan War Infa Iman” puts together simple synth-strings and trance-inducing vocals and guitar rhythms. “Sendad Eghlalan” has a brightness to it that is difficult to explain until you hear it. It’s probably from the shopping mall-organ riffs and beats.
The trippy, haunting melodies of “Tenidagh High Djeredjere” are like an appetizer for the main course of the album’s closer, “Arghane Manine,” which is full of electric dance beats, hand percussion, and a simple, repetitive guitar lick that perfectly matches with the Tuareg vocals and chants.
I don’t know if members of Tinariwen thought this album would be a massive success, or if they were just happy with being able to make it, put it out there, and spread the stories of the Tuareg people. Thankfully, they decided to re-release it for all of us on a wide scale for the first time so we can hear these old stories and get lost in them.
Psychedelic-jam-rock-experimental group Circles Around The Sun have officially revealed the details of their fourth full-length studio album, Language, set to release this coming spring via Megaforce Records. The group – comprised of Adam MacDougall (keyboards & synths), Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums) and John Lee Shannon (guitar) – has released a new single alongside the announcement of the album. Listen to “Outer Boroughs” HERE.
As guitarist John Lee Shannon explains: “‘Outer Boroughs’ was initially composed when the track emerged from an impromptu jam in the studio around a four-chord sequence Adam was playing around with. Dan’s bassline is one of my favorites, and is unusual in that he initially heard the ‘1’ in a different place than intended, giving extra emphasis to the downbeat of the second measure.” He continues, “It’s a breezy groove that paints several landscapes in vivid color before departing into deep space for an extended middle jam. Originally titled ‘Ouroboros’ for its cyclical nature, it was later changed to “Outer Boroughs” for a bit of mondegreen and a nod to the greatest city in the world.”
On Language, Circles Around The Sun will traverse even deeper into the annals of outer-spacial dance grooves that first surfaced on 2020’s self-titled release. The new material finds them oscillating through hybrid strains of disco-funk, soul jazz and psychedelic rock, harnessing their stylistic lanes into a singular, intoxicating brew.
The four reconvened in the studio to lay down a record that offers a window into what and where Circles Around The Sun are today. Language is the sound of a rock band confidently writing the next chapter of their story. CATS is a unit brought closer and made stronger having persevered through unthinkable tragedy, weathering the stormy seas to continue onward and upward with humble grace and subtle swagger.
“There’s a bit of a different arc to Language. The first couple songs are gonna put you in a certain headspace, and then the party happens later on.” notes bassist Dan Horne.
Shop Language vinyl & other exclusive merchandise HERE. TRACKLIST 1. Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667 (6:24) 2. The Singularity (5:13) 3. Outer Boroughs (7:28) 4. Away Team (6:36) 5. Wobble (6:04) 6. Language (Album Mix with Mikaela Davis) (7:54)
The band continues their Language Tour, revealing dates to close out this year and more in 2023. Tickets go on sale this Friday, 11/11/22 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern.
TOUR DATES Dec 29, 2022 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary Dec 30, 2022 – Winston Salem, NC – The Ramkat Dec 31, 2022 – Richmond, VA – The National * Jan 20, 2023 – Albany, NY – Lark Hall Jan 21, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl Jan 22, 2023 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall Jan 25, 2023 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall Jan 26, 2023 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live Jan 27, 2023 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar Jan 28, 2023 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne Jan 29, 2023 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
Located at 621 Franklin Street in Asheville, North Carolina, Static Age Records is a funky little place along a strip of nightclubs and specialty shops. My girlfriend and I stumbled upon it during a street fair on Franklin Street. The first thing we spotted were a bunch of cool records and artwork.
You can see a stage behind that crate of dark-wave / goth / post-punk / industrial records. This place holds live music shows almost every night. They had a live DJ spinning some obscure Afrobeat stuff when we were there.
$1.00 12″ singles? That’s hard to pass up.
The artwork on the walls was all for sale. A lot of it was paintings and sketches of various rock and roll and country music icons. Then again, there were also portraits of a bloodied Dusty Rhodes on display.
This place is also ready for a zombie apocalypse if such a thing should break out in Asheville.
Check it out if you’re in town. Stay for the live music if you don’t find anything you want to buy (which is unlikely).
Recorded somewhat by accident in 2011, Protomartyr‘s debut album, No Passion All Technique, was originally supposed to be a 7″ single. As the story goes, however, they were convinced to record as much material as possible within the four hours of studio time they’d booked, and they ended up with twenty-one tracks. The result became a 2012 release of a post-punk modern classic that quickly sold out and is now a collector’s item.
Thankfully, the Detroit quartet reissued the album a few years ago (with bonus tracks if you get the digital download) for those of us who missed the boat in the last decade. It’s a fiery, raw, and sometimes humorous record fueled by a case of beer and Detroit attitude.
Greg Ahee‘s opening guitar riff of “In My Sphere” gets the record off to a jagged, wobbly start, and soon vocalist Joe Casey shows up to rant and rave before Scott Davidson and Alex Leonard come crashing in on bass and drums like bandits robbing a bank in an Old West town. The aggression continues on “Machinist Man,” a song about how the daily grind of Detroit factory work can drive a man to madness. “Hot Wheel City” is another post-punk poem about their hometown (“This city is a stray dog.”).
“3 Swallows” covers one of Protomartyr’s favorite subjects – barflies, lushes, and others who drown their sorrows in Hamm’s at the local watering hole. “I used to light my cigarette on the fire that you had in your eyes, and I was the king of hanging around with wastes of time.” Damn. “Free Supper” is a punk rager about people just wanting basic needs (food, freedom) while skirting the edge of entitlement.
The first time I played “Jumbo’s” (a song about barflies who keep returning to the same pub for booze and gambling despite always swearing they’ll never do it again) for a friend of mine, he replied, “That is some urgent shit.” The song has since become a favorite of the crowd at their live sets. “Ypsilanti” is about patients at the closed mental health asylum in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
“Too Many Jewels” creeps up to you (thanks to Davidson’s wicked bass line) and then Casey’s spoken / yelled street corner preacher-like vocals (and lyrics) give you a jump scare. “(Don’t You) Call Me Out My Name” is a fast, feral punk thrasher that blasts by you at near-light speed. “How He Lived After He Died” might be a precautionary tale of Casey wondering how he’s going to end up when he’s old. Will he be sitting in a chair, surrounded by books? Or will he be so alone that he can’t even bother to set his clock back for daylight savings time?
“Feral Cats” is even more bleak, with Casey warning of how society’s falling apart and most of us will just watch it happen and wait to pick up the scraps. The furious chorus almost blindsides you every time you hear it, even when you know it’s coming. “Wine of Ape” seems to be a story of Casey being confronted by a random stranger (who might be drunk or high) who tries to tell him a dirty joke, but Casey has no time for it and just wants to be left alone, walking away while the guy yells at him. “Principalities” could very well be the drunk guy’s ramblings, or Casey’s bottled up frustration with Detroit as it tried to deal with the aftermath of the burst housing bubble and thousands fleeing the city in search of better opportunities…leaving everyone else in their little neighborhoods to figure out how to manage.
The band has gone on record about how they didn’t expect their debut album to be this good. The title is a bit misleading. The album is full of passion, and the band’s techniques are in their early stages, which sound great.
Keep your mind open.
[It doesn’t take much technique to subscribe, you know.]
Located in a strip mall at 2930 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson, Arizona, Desert Island Records boasts a lot of cool stuff in a somewhat out-of-the-way location. They love not only music, but also cult films – as evidenced by their decorations you notice as soon as you walk into the place.
That “Elmer” poster alone is worth good money.A framed laserdisc of “The Day Time Ended”!
They have plenty of records, of course. No worries there if you’re a lover of vinyl
Music from “Song of the South?” That’s a big score for a collector of vinyl or Disney stuff.
They also sell a lot of gear for listening to music, both new and vintage.
The last night of Levitation 2022 took us back to Stubb’s for more psychedelic freak-outs. It was the night before Halloween, so plenty of people were still in costume – including some rather elaborate ones such as an astronaut and multiple witches decked out in exotic costumes and makeup.
Those witches probably appreciated the wild set by Frankie and the Witch Fingers, who only get better every time I see them live. They had painted their faces like ghouls for the occasion and ripped through a lot of roaring fuzz.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers
Up next, and all the way from France, were La Femme. They played a fiery set of electro-psych mixed with a lot of sex appeal and vocals in French. The crowd wasn’t sure what to make of them at first, but they gained many fans by the end of their set.
La Femme
Closing out the Stubb’s show were The Black Angels – hometown heroes and curators of the festival. They never disappoint, and they played some extended versions of classic tracks and heavy stuff from their newest album, Wilderness of Mirrors.
The Black Angels
The end of their set wasn’t the end of the festival, however. We made the ten-minute drive to Feels So Good Records to catch Moon Duo perform a set in their “lightship” – a cube of screens that had projections coming through the back of it toward the crowd instead of the other way around with the images going onto the stage and band. Moon Duo would sometimes melt into the images. It was a hypnotizing effect and a beautiful blend of light and sound.
Moon Duo in the Lighsthip
After their set ended, a guy near us said, “Levitation’s over.” with a bit of sadness in his voice. It was for him and for us. It had been a fun weekend, as always, with good vibes all around and a lot of excellent music. It remains one of the best festivals for music lovers.
We had enough time for a long disco nap before heading back to Stubb’s for a night of Australian psych-rock: The Murlocs, Tropical Fuck Storm, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard were all on the same bill. The line to get in was almost two blocks long and went around the corner. The Murlocs were playing an energetic set by the time we got into the outdoor stage area.
The Murlocs
Tropical Fuck Storm came afterwards with their strange blend of psychedelia, garage rock, post-punk, and stuff you can’t quite define.
Tropical Fuck Storm
The headliners, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, came out with a set packed full of musical styles (from thrash metal to electro) and riffs. They opened with an extended version of “Rattlesnake” that blew everyone’s minds and then only let up to swap guitars for the rest of their set. The crowd was fired up and singing every track.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
We split at the end of their set so we could make a power walk to Antone’s to see local doom metal trio The Well. It was our first time at Antone’s, which is odd considering all the years I’ve been attending the festival. It’s a nice venue, mostly known for hosting blues acts, but they stepped up to help the festival after Parish caught on fire (no injuries, thank heavens). We wandered through hundreds of people on the street our for various Halloween parties at the bars on 6th Street. Sexy cowgirls, Jesus, Hunter S. Thompson, witches, devils, and vampires were the most popular costumes we saw. The Well weren’t in costumes, but they did deliver a loud, heavy set of spooky doom that was a great way to cap the night.
The Well
We had one more night to go in Austin, and it would bring some of the trippiest stuff we’d see and hear all weekend.
