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.
I got an Facebook message out of the blue from a chap in Denmark who wanted to know if I were interested in hearing his garage punk band Angry Skeletons(Emil Timmerman Findalen – drums, Patrick Foley – guitar and vocals, Jeppe Thiesen – bass and vocals). I told him that sounded like a fun idea and he sent me to their newest EP – Slightly Hostile / Real Friendly.
It starts out with “Planned Obsolescence” – a heavy, fuzzy song that would fit on Nirvana‘s Bleach album without missing a beat. “T.V. Freak” has some 60’s swing in it until about halfway into the tune when it devolves into a grungy mess before getting back into that fun groove.
“M. Death” ups the “snotty punk” levels thanks to Foley’s vocals that sound like he’s kicking a lover to the curb and Findalen’s ferocious beats that probably kickstart mosh pits wherever they play. “Slightly Hostile” reminds me of some of Ty Segall‘s first records with its weird guitar grooves.
The closer, “Floating Awkwardly,” is one of the coolest punk tracks I’ve heard in a while. The breakdown in it is outstanding, and the way it goes full turbo when it comes back in is even better.
Like any good EP, it’s far too short. I hope we get more from these guys soon. It seems I need to get to Denmark and check out their live music scene if it offers stuff like this.
Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16thvia Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound. Today, the trio presents the video for the album’s final song and lead single, “Black Willow.”
Meiburg, Duszynski and Cross became friends when Cross Record, on their first-ever tour, supported Shearwater throughout America and Europe in 2016. “I couldn’t believe all that sound was coming out of two people,” Meiburg says. “They were mesmerizing.” In the van or at soundchecks, they shared their musical knowledge and love of nature and animals, and after an especially memorable show in Belgium, Meiburg approached Cross and Duszynski about working together. “I fell in love with their music,” he admits, “and I wanted to know how they did it.”
The trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country to see what would happen, and quickly realized an album was imminent. “There was something powerful about the combination of the three of us,” Meiburg says, “and very different from either of our bands. But I think we were afraid to say so out loud, for fear of jinxing it.” For the next few months, Loma met for two weeks at a time, shaping and revising new songs and casting others away.
It was also a strangely charged time. When the album began, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wanderered by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hovered at the borders of the songs, and a close listen reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed.
This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the sonic details of engineering and mixing. In the end, the record became a document of an urgent and ephemeral place and time, and the strength that comes with letting go of something precious. It closes, fittingly, with the subtly defiant marching anthem of “Black Willow,” in which Cross’s voice, backed by a hypnotic bass and drums, offers a lesson in survival. “When I walk,” she sings, “I carry a diamond blade.” She means it.
Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers [http://smarturl.it/loma]. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last). A new T-shirt design will also be available. Watch Loma’s “Black Willow” Video – https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY
Loma Tracklist:
1. Who Is Speaking?
2. Dark Oscillations
3. Joy
4. I Don’t Want Children
5. Relay Runner
6. White Glass
7. Sundogs
8. Jornada
9. Shadow Relief
10. Black Willow
Imagine what it takes to be a successful musician. There are many long hours of touring, rehearsing, writing, negotiating, hustling, and branding. This is hard enough for your Average Joe or Jane, but imagine doing this in the 1960’s when you couldn’t release a single on the Internet and have it heard by millions within moments, pay-for-play was still legal and widely practiced, and record labels held your master recordings in a vise-like grip. Now imagine doing all of this before the civil rights movement while you’re black in an industry dominated at the top levels by white people. Now imagine doing this as an openly transgendered woman in the same time period. Jackie Shane did all of that, and she made it look easy.
Jackie Shane’s Any Other Way is a stunning collection of rare singles and live tracks from perhaps the most remarkable performer you haven’t heard and easily one of the best collections and reissues of 2017. Ms. Shane burned up stages in Toronto throughout the 1960’s, releasing a handful of singles and recording some amazing performances, before disappearing for nearly half a century (relocating to Nashville to tend to her ill mother and deciding to stay after her passing).
The double album opens with the sizzling “Sticks and Stones,” a burner in which Shane sings about people trying to shame her and bring her down, but she really doesn’t give a damn. This is a common theme in her catalogue. Shane lived by her own rules and refused to compromise. Her vocals are fierce and almost race ahead of the song, but the horn section of the Frank Motley’s Motley Crew band (for which she sang at the time) keeps up with her well. The title track is a sad song about Shane trying to to convince an ex-lover that she’s happy. The horn section almost has a Latin flavor to it that sets it apart from other similar tracks of the time period.
“In My Tenement” has horns that belong in a Bond film soundtrack. “Comin’ Down” has Shane coming down “with a heartache” as her band’s surf guitar and tight drumming back her assured vocals. Her cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” is fun as a bit emblematic of Shane’s life, who never gave away her skills for free. “I’ve Really Got the Blues” swings as hard as any Chubby Checker or Fats Domino record ever did. “Send Me Some Lovin'” has Shane pining for even a photo of her distant lover. “Walking the Dog” is full of sass and a groove you’ll have in your head all day. The funky organ on “You Are My Sunshine” brings in a bit of a gospel groove, which is no surprise since Shane has openly spoken on the influence of gospel and spiritual classics on her. “Stand Up Straight and Tall” is pretty much the theme of Shane’s life. She lived how she wanted to live and never gave a damn what people thought. You can’t help but wonder about the possible symbolism of “New Way of Love,” especially since Shane sings it with such fire (and the Motley Crew band slays on it). “Cruel Cruel World” has Shane calling for someone to love and not needing sympathy from anyone. It’s a great example of how her vocals could go from soulful ballad to rock wails all in the same song.
That’s just the first disc of this release, by the way. Disc two is a compilation of rare live cuts (with backing band the Hitchhikers including Frank Motley leading it) that are jaw-dropping at times. It opens with “High Heel Sneakers” and Shane singing / tearing through an ode to stepping out in high fashion and being ready to kick ass and take names. Pharrell Williams wishes he could write a groove half as good as the one on “Barefootin’.”
Shane warns that the live version of “Money” is so dangerous that her doctor warned her that performing it could be bad for her heart. It’s over nine minutes of funk, sass, and defibrillating beats. The breakdown on it is fabulous as Shane talks about not caring about what others think of her as she smiles on her way to the back. “I’m going to live while I’m here,” she says. “I don’t satisfy nobody that’s a square,” she also says at another point.
Other high points among the live tracks are “You’re the One (That I Need),” which features some of Shane’s best torch song vocals, the tight horn section groove and Shane’s heartbroken vocals on “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied),” her fun cover of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (in which Shane appears to be cheering on an elderly man dancing in the crowd), the version of “Any Other Way” in which she sings, “Tell her that I’m happy. Be sure to tell her this. Tell her that I’m gay.” (which Shane claims wasn’t her openly admitting her sexuality, but the symbolism is hard to ignore), and the squawking, jumping “Shotgun” in which Shane advises, “You got to shoot your man before he runs.”
It’s a shame that Jackie Shane wasn’t bigger across the world and for longer a time than she was at her peak. There are rumors that she might emerge from her self-imposed (and apparently enjoyable) exile in Nashville and return to perform in Toronto, so we can hope to see and hear more of her soon. In the meantime, get this collection and be stunned by it.
Keep your mind open.
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Electronic music comes in many forms, and Com Truise’s new record, Iteration, falls somewhere between electro-pop, space lounge, and avant-garde.
The opening track, “…Of Your Fake Dimension” is dark synthwave that would easily fit into the Stranger Things 2 soundtrack with its Joy Division guitars and throbbing bass line. “Ephemeron” refers either to something short-lived or, according to Wikipedia, “a data structure that solves two related problems in garbage collected systems.” I’m willing to believe the title refers more to the latter from the way the songs devolves into distorted, warped, and subdued electronic bleeps and the beat slows to a creepy crawl.
There isn’t a Wikipedia entry for “Dryswch,” but that’s probably because the song is hard to describe (much like the rest of the album). It like something the Art of Noise would have created if they’d stayed in the game a bit longer. “Isotasy” refers to the gravity between the Earth’s crust and the mantle. It’s a neat choice of title because the track floats along with spacey synthesizer sounds, but there’s a subtle heaviness to it that’s easy to miss. “Memory” is practically a lost cut from the Miami Vice soundtrack and deserves to be spun at dance clubs everywhere.
I wouldn’t be surprised if “Propagation” and “Vaccume” are songs Com Truise (AKA Seth Haley) yanked from a milk bar jukebox in the future after they stepped out of the Time Tunnel. “Ternary” (“composed of three items”) is a trio of drum machine beats, synth loops, and trippy keyboards. It’s all he needs to make one of the best synthwave tracks of the year. “Usurper” has some similar keyboard sounds in it, which is appropriate for the title and how it take the previous track’s themes in a new direction.
“Syrthio” is almost a salute to John Carpenter film scores with its foreboding bass and Escape from New York synthesizer work. The title of “When Will You Find the Limit…” doesn’t end with a question mark. Either Com Truise doesn’t want to finish the question, or he thinks it’s best if we finish it. It’s one of the peppier tracks on the album, and even has a bit of New Age keyboard sounds in it. The title track is the closer, and it refers to new hardware or the repetition of a process. Much of the album is made of loops and processed beats, so the choice of title is a good one. Synthwave is enjoying a renaissance right now and Iteration is a good example of the genre’s comeback.
Keep your mind open.
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We got to Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom not long after they opened the doors for the second of three sold-out shows for LCD Soundsystem. We were hungry and hoped to grab a bite before the show. I asked a bouncer outside when LCDSS would start their set. “Nine, I think,” he said. “There’s a DJ opening, I think.” We went to a nearby Thai restaurant, had a nice meal, and then headed to the show to line up around the corner of the building and nearby some vendors selling street tacos that smelled delicious. We got in without trouble, although one bouncer thought my earplugs were pills for a moment, and went upstairs to the main floor. The DJ was spinning a remix of the Police‘s “Voices Inside My Head” as we moved up toward front stage left.
The DJ, it turns out, was Derrick Carter– one of Chicago’s most legendary DJ’s and a pioneer of Chicago house music. He’s spun all over the world and was putting down a solid set that no one in our area seemed to notice. The bouncer outside and the Aragon Ballroom massively undersold this. Carter’s name should’ve been on the marquis under LCDSS. It was a wonderful surprise and we would’ve come up extra early to catch his whole set if we’d known he was going to be on the bill.
LCDSS shot out of the gate at almost exactly nine o’clock with “Get Innocuous.” The whole place was jumping and then went positively nuts when light bounced off LCDSS’ massive disco ball above the stage.
The moment before Murphy announced Daft Punk was playing in his basement.
Not ones to rest soon, they followed it with their mega-hit “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” and the electro classic “I Can Change.” The band was cooking with gas for the whole set, and were obviously healthier than when I saw them at Pitchfork Music Festivalearlier this year when lead singer James Murphy openly spoke about getting over a cold and keyboardist Nancy Whang having “a bum knee.”
“I Can Change”
“Tribulations” was another crowd favorite and is one of those songs that sounds even better live. The crowd disappointed me when no mosh pit broke out during “Movement” (as it rightfully did at Pitchfork). In fact, the crowd was a bit subdued compared to the Pitchfork crowd. I don’t know if the outdoor venue and nice weather of Pitchfork made everyone a bit looser, but many around us at the Aragon weren’t even dancing. “Tonite,” one of the best singles of 2017, was another sharp cut and I was happy to hear it live for the first time.
“Tonite”
After taking a break “to go pee,” as Murphy put it (“It’s hard. A two-hour show. You know, you get older, you have to pee,” he announced before they played a great rendition of “New York I Love You, but You’re Bringing Me Down.”), they came back onstage to play “Oh Baby,” the lead cut from their excellent new record, American Dream. They followed it with another track off the new record and one that should’ve inspired the second mosh pit of the night – “Emotional Haircut.”
“Dance Yrself Clean” still ranks among the greatest of their hits and is easily one of the best parts of their live performances. They closed with “All My Friends” and Murphy wished everyone a safe trip home.
All of Murphy’s friends were in the audience, it seemed.
It was good to see them again and good to see them all healthy. LCDSS have become one of those bands I will see at any opportunity, as should you.
Keep your mind open.
Thanks to the lucky chap who scored this and let me take a photo of it.
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT SOCIALWORKS;
CATCH NE-HI ON TOUR NOW
Today marks the release of a new collaboration between two up-and-coming Chicago artists. NE-HI, the jangly guitar-slinging four-piece, have teamed up with soul-stirring singer Jamila Woods for a collaboration as unexpected as it is remarkable. The track is a rework of “The Times I’m Not There,” a song off NE-HI’s first album, with all parts rearranged and re-recorded by NE-HI and vocal duties reimagined by Woods. All proceeds from the sale of the single will benefit SocialWorks, a Chicago-based arts empowerment charity co-founded by Chance The Rapper. NE-HI’s James Weir had this to say of the collaboration:
“We spent some time this summer reimagining the arrangement and rhythmic approach to “The Times I’m Not There”, a song from our first record. The idea was to explore new melodies and textures to shape around the guitar hook and find a different voice to take the song somewhere else. Jamila Woods, being the amazing vocalist that she is, came on and completely led the song into a new life. After tampering around with the edit for a while, what started as an experiment turned out to be a memorable song and recording process. Shout out to Jamila Woods, Dave Vettraino on production, and Dee Lilly on the keys! This being a project between two Chicago artists, we wanted to give all the proceeds back to young people in the city through the arts empowerment charity, SocialWorks.”
Jamila Woods adds: “I had a great time working on the song with NE-HI, we had never worked together before but I really like their sound and it was fun to collaborate during the process. I think it’s dope that they chose to partner with SocialWorks for the release.”
Also, last Friday marked the release of NE-HI’s new 7-inch, “Rattled and Strange” b/w “Long Time.” They shared the video for “Rattled and Strange” about a month ago. Revisit the smoky pool hall ambiance below and don’t miss them on tour, as November sees the boys supporting Chad VanGaalen and fellow Chicagoans Whitney.
NE-HI TOUR DATES
Wed. Nov. 8 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett Fri. Nov. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern w/ Chad VanGaalen Sun. Nov. 12 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge w/ Chad VanGaalen Tue. Nov. 14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel w/ Chad VanGaalen Wed. Nov. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite Club w/ Chad VanGaalen Thu. Nov. 16 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar w/ Chad VanGaalen Fri. Nov. 17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar w/ Chad VanGaalen Sat. Nov. 18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar w/ Chad VanGaalen Sun. Nov. 19 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive w/ Chad VanGaalen Tue. Nov. 28 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall w/ Whitney Wed. Nov. 29 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater w/ Whitney Thu. Nov. 30 – Minneapolis, MIN @ First Avenue w/ Whitney Fri. Dec. 1 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/ Whitney Sat. Dec. 2 – Davenport. IA @ Raccoon Motel Sun. Dec. 31 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall w/ Twin Peaks
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.
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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 Modeinfluences (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.
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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.
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.
