Category: Rock

Review: All Them Witches – self-titled

Nashville’s psych / blues rockers All Them Witches (Jonathan Draper – keyboards, Ben McLeod – guitar, Charles Michael Parks, Jr. – bass and vocals, Robby Staebler – drums) have come back from a long road tour to do what any other band would do after a long tour – release a new album.

Opening with the wild, almost manic “Fishbelly 86 Onions,” the whole band goes bonkers, especially McLeod – who shreds more than usual while Parks yells out twenty counts.  “Workhorse” could be considered “classic” ATW (if there is such a thing).  It hits all the notes you love from the band – psychedelia, obscure lyrics, a bit of outlaw country flavor, and plenty of mystery.  Plus, Staebler’s tick-tock beats are excellent on it.

“1st vs. 2nd” could almost be a Thin Lizzy track, and Parks’ bass melds so well with Draper’s keys that it’s almost impossible to tell them apart.  It evolves into almost a heavy metal chug by the end.  “Half-Tongue” gets us back into a psychedelic jam groove as Parks sings about, I think, a relationship that didn’t end well.  I could be wrong.

“Diamond” is one of those ATW songs that you should play when people ask you to describe them.  Draper’s keys move like wisps of incense smoke, McLeod’s guitar prowls like a tiger, Parks’ bass moves like a robed wizard through a library built inside a dark cave, and Staebler’s drums drive forward like a Viking boat along a bubbling river.

The band’s blues influences come out with swagger on “Harvest Feast.”  “By the time I got back to my mountain, I was uninvited from the harvest feast,” Parks sings.  He can only walk away dejected as he’s spurned by his family, friends, and culture.  The song flows into a delightful instrumental jam highlighting Draper’s keyboard work and McLeod’s trippy riffs.  “HJTC” nearly has them playing stadium rock riffs, but they hold back just enough to keep it linked to their smoky Nashville club roots.

The album ends with “Rob’s Dream,” which one can’t help but think is about something drummer Robby Staebler dreamed one night.  He apparently dreamed of powerful guitars, even stronger drumming, and flying out of orbit (judging by how the track ends).

It’s another solid record from one of the best bands out there right now.  While All Them Witches aren’t ruling the airwaves is beyond me, but I think they enjoy being a bit of a mystery and a treasure hunt.

Keep your mind open.

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Enjoy Mk.gee’s quirky new single, “Come On (You Know that I’m a Fool).”

Mk.gee Shares New Single “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)”
Watch The Video Here

Announces Fool EP Out November 16th

Catch SF & LA Shows Next Month

[Photo by Erica Hernandez]
Originally from New Jersey, Michael Gordon, who creates under the name Mk.gee, has spent the last few years living in Los Angeles. The multi-instrumentalist took some time this summer between tours with Omar Apollo and select dates with Dr. Dog, to complete his new Fool EP. In line with his debut release from May, Pronounced McGee, the project sees Gordon handling all of the writing, recording and mixing duties himself.

Today, Mk.gee shares his new single, “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool),” taken from his new Fool EP to be self-released on November 16th. The track is accompanied by a video premiering via Paste. Mk.gee says, “I wanted the video to be a bit of an ironic juxtaposition to the song. The music is pretty somber and deals with change and loneliness, but ironically the video is pretty light hearted and it’s just me and my friends doing dumb shit.” Furthermore, director Erica Hernandez comments, “The song itself is very introspective so when Mike and I talked about the visual approach, we decided it would be interesting to try something more counter-intuitive and make the visuals fun and ironic. Also, Mike has the coolest friends of all time so it was a win-win situation for all of us.”

Mk.gee will play shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles next month in support of his new Fool EP.

Watch “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)” Video – https://youtu.be/awFrlrfWZYw

Fool EP Tracklist:
1. Brick

2. Suburban Luv
3. Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)
4. New Years
5. Num
6. Drown
7. Wheel

Mk.gee Live:
Fri. Nov. 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Sat. Nov. 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge

Keep your mind open.
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Stream “Out of This World” from Preacherman’s upcoming reissue of his classic, hard-to-find material.

Listen To Preacherman’s “Out Of This World”

Luaka Bop’s Forthcoming Reissue, Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits, Out This Friday
(photo credit: Eric Welles-Nystrom)

This Friday sees the release of Luaka Bop’s forthcoming reissue of Preacherman’s (aka Tim Jones) music, Universal Philosophy: Preacherman plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits. After sharing “Feel It,” Luaka Bop is pleased to share another cut from the release, titled “Out Of This World.”
Stream Preacherman’s “Out Of This World” — 
https://soundcloud.com/luakabop/preacherman-out-of-this-world/

In 1979, under the name T.J. Hustler, Jones self-released one extremely rare LP, Age Of Individualism. In the years since, he’s released two even rarer CD’s as Preacherman, of which the tracks on this forthcoming reissue are taken.

Throughout the 1980’s, Jones was a technician for IBM in both Las Vegas and San Jose. At night he world perform in the Las Vegas lounges. Thoroughly fascinated by technology and also an engineer in his own right, Jones adapted a Hammond B3 organ to play a Moog synth with some of the organ’s keys (some still played the organ) and also adapted the organ’s foot controlled bass levers to play two Moog synth bass pedals (a failed item Moog made for a few years). Thinking he wasn’t much of a live performer, he had a custom wooden puppet made named T.J. Hustler. Together, Tim Jones/Preacherman and T.J. Hustler would perform long philosophical soliloquies.

These days, Jones is CEO and founder of Up Productions and lives with his 103 year-old mother in Oakland, CA. With his Casio CTK-7200 keyboard, equipped with five wireless mics, a P.A., Jones performs karaoke, easily matching whatever song request you might have.

Perhaps even more so than his first album, Universal Philosophy grants listeners access, virtually for the very first time, to Jones’ outlook, his purpose, and the way he lives and experiences life on this planet. The music presented here is otherworldly, homespun, folk art funk; concise and stream-of-consciousness simultaneously.
Watch/Listen/Share:
“Feel It” stream – https://youtu.be/35waZLUTbU0
Universal Philosophy Teaser Video – https://youtu.be/S4xHRkwlWUY

Pre-order Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits — 
https://luakabop.lnk.to/Preacherman

Download album art & hi-res images of Preacherman — 
http://pitchperfectpr.com/preacherman/

(Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler’s Greatest Hits album art by Kevin Harris)
Luaka Bop online:
luakabop.com
instagram.com/luakabop
facebook.com/luakabop1989
soundcloud.com/luakabop
youtube.com/luakabop
twitter.com/LuakaBop

Keep your mind open.

[I’d feel out of this world if you subscribed.]

Review: CHAI – Pink

Originally released in Japan last October, but first released in the U.S. earlier this year, the four-piece pop-punk band CHAI might have released the most fun record of the last 12 months – Pink.

Twin sisters Mana (vocals and keys) and Kana (guitar) joined up with high school classmate Yuna (drums) and college pal Yuuki (bass) to create music that is cute, catchy, and crunchy all at the same time.  It’s the aural equivalent of Pocky, and I mean that in the best possible sense.

Beginning with “Hi Hi Baby,” a song about babies being goofy, CHAI puts down infectious cowbell-heavy beats, post-punk bass, and even steel drums to produce something so fun that you’re almost not sure how to process it.

“You are so cute.  Nice face, oh yeah!  We are so cute.  Nice face, oh yeah!” starts off “N.E.O.”, which is nearly three minutes of pop-punk laced with psychedelia and has maybe the sickest drum and bass groove of the last year.  This is the kind of track that makes you think, “Where the hell have these women been all my life?” when you hear it.  The bass gets fat and the guitars and synths get fuzzy on “Boyz Seco Men” while the dual vocals between Mana and Kana bring to mid early 1990’s glam-pop love songs.

“Horechatta” adds reverb and downright sexy vocals that remind me of late 1970’s yacht rock.  I’m fairly certain “Fried” is about how great fried fish is, but I could be wrong.  I doubt it, because a lot of songs on Pink are about food.  Tempura fish, when done well, is great, as are Mana’s bright synths on the track.  “She Is Kitty” bounces like a kitten looped on catnip and chasing a butterfly, and the psychedelic touches make you think the kitten has knocked over a lava lamp in the process.

Not weird enough for you?  Then try “Gyaranboo,” which I won’t even attempt to describe.  “Kawaii Hito,” a song about double standards of beauty, is almost as strange.  “Walking Star” is lovely pop-punk with some of the toughest guitar riffs on the record.  “Sayonara Complex” is a bass-driven song that seems to produce sunlight from your speakers.  The closer, “Flat Girl,” strolls along like a happy tourist on a Japanese beach.  By the way, it’s about women with small breasts.

This is one of the catchiest and surprisingly trippy records released in the U.S. this year.  It’s the perfect antidote for these modern, angry times.

Keep your mind open.

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Satan’s Satyrs release title track from upcoming album, “The Lucky Ones,” ahead of tour with Windhand.

Satan’s Satyrs premiere title track from forthcoming album, tour w/ Windhand starts Monday
 Produced by Windhand guitarist on RidingEasy / Bad Omen Records
Hear & share “The Lucky Ones” (YouTube) (CvltNation)

 

“Channels high-speed, denim and leather ’70s rock but gives it a slightly modern touch. You could imagine hearing it on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack just as easily as you could imagine hearing it on the radio next to Queens of the Stone Age.” — Brooklyn Vegan
 
“Rooted in a glammy early Seventies rock sound, ‘She Beast’ is the sort of head-nodding cut that you’d expect to hear blaring out of a muscle car, with a beautiful feathered-hair couple taking the front seats.” — Revolver
Richmond, VA quartet Satan’s Satyrs premiere the title track from their forthcoming album The Lucky Ones today via CvltNation. Hear and share “The Lucky Ones” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
 
Satan’s Satyrs hit the road in support of the album with doom faves Windhand in October. See all dates below.
Revolver Magazine recently shared album track “She Beast” HERE. Brooklyn Vegan previously launched album opener “Thrill of the City” HERE.
 
Upon recovering from being steamrolled over by the onslaught of Satan’s Satyrs‘ new album The Lucky Ones, you’ll likely wonder just what exactly it was that hit you. A punky, sleaze rock groove (perhaps even a whiff of 70s glam) meets NWOBHM melodic fury, Blue Cheer mass and volume, and Ozzy‘s dramatic charisma condensed into a sound all its own, perhaps. At its core is an unstoppable, unpretentious exorcism of rock’n’roll exuberance.
“It doesn’t sound like anything else happening right now,” says bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess, who has spent the last few years splitting his time in British doom heroes Electric Wizard. “The band has its own unique idiosyncratic sound.”
A significant difference on this album is the addition of second guitarist Nate Towle, which expands the band’s steamrolling capacity tenfold. Burgess, Towle, guitarist Jarrett Nettnin and drummer Stephen Fairfield convened at the Richmond, VA studio of Windhand guitarist Garrett Morris, working in fits and starts over several months, first quickly capturing the raw energy of a band firing on all cylinders, then fine tuning the sounds and experimenting to get everything as massive as you hear it now. Likewise, Burgess’ lyrics show new levels of achievement.
“I pushed myself to get more of my own life in the songs, but open enough that anyone can interpret them in their own way,” he says. “I just wanted to capture weirdness. It reflects my unusual tastes, but also takes a personal perspective.”
The twin guitar assault begins from the very first beat of The Lucky Ones and never relents until the last second of the 9-track, 35-minute album. Opener “Thrill of the City” wastes no time launching into soaring harmonized riffs and swaggering rhythms setting the scene for a debauched good time. The title track, perhaps the most personal song on the album, is also the most unabashedly melodic. “Too Early To Fold” captures the frustrations and challenges of life as a touring musician, expressed through a belligerent 2-guitar attack and pounding snare on all 4 downbeats driving it all home. “Trampled By Angels” pits a swinging T Rex vibe against dizzy, noisy guitars and lyrics about a pioneer of fetish photography using his medium to express forbidden desires to the world. Likewise, The Lucky Ones itself is a vibrant, brash and loud expression of defiance against convention that refuses to be ignored.
The Lucky Ones will be available on LP, CD and download on October 19th, 2018 on Bad Omen Records, manufactured and distributed in North America by RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
SATAN’S SATYRS LIVE:
10/08: Atlanta, GA – The Earl #
10/09: New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa #
10/10: Houston TX – White Oak Music Hall #
10/11: Dallas, TX – Club Dada #
10/12: Austin, TX – Barracuda #
10/14: Albuquerque, NM – Sister #
10/15: Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar #
10/16: Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre #
10/17: Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club #
10/19: Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre #
10/20: Vancouver, BC – Venue #
10/21: Seattle, WA – Neumos #
10/23: Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge #
10/24: Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room #
11/01: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts #
11/02: Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere #
11/03: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall #
11/04: Montreal, QC – Le Belmont #
11/05: Toronto, ON – The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern #
11/07: Chicago, IL – Subterranean #
11/08: Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe #
11/09: Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club #
11/10: Indianapolis, IN – The Hi-Fi #
11/11: Nashville, TN – The Basement East #
11/12: Louisville, KY – Zanzabar #
11/13: Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups #
# w/ Windhand

Artist: Satan’s Satyrs
Album: The Lucky Ones
Label: RidingEasy Records/Bad Omen Records
Release Date: October 19th, 2018
01. Thrill of the City
02. The Lucky Ones
03. She Beast
04. Take It and Run
05. You and Your Boots
06. Too Early to Fold
07. Pulp Star
08. Trampled By Angels
09. Permanent Darkness
On the Web:

ridingeasyrecs.com/product/satans-satyrs-the-lucky-ones/

Keep your mind open.
[I’ll feel lucky if you subscribe.]

Live: Garbage and Dream Wife – September 20, 2018 – Paris, France

My wife and I were delighted to learn that Garbage would be playing in Paris while we were on vacation there.  I was surprised we managed to score tickets at face value, and even more surprised by the intimacy of the venue – the Bataclan. I expected a much bigger place, but the small size made the show louder, closer, and better.

Openers Dream Wife put down a raucous set of garage punk about subjects like female empowerment and ending gender bias.  The people tending their merch table were having a great time all night.

Garbage came out to a lively crowd and were soon tearing through hits from their second album, Garbage 2.0.  It was the 20th anniversary tour of the record, so you had to expect it.  They played other hits, of course, and lead singer Shirley Manson had the crowd in her hands within moments of the first notes she sang.

They tore through tracks like “Deadwood,” “Wicked Ways” (which included parts of Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus”), and “The World Is Not Enough” – the Bond theme they did from the movie of the same name back in 1999.  Other highlights included “Medication,” with Manson telling the story of how she had to deal with health care in the U.S. after nearing dying of flu while on tour, “I Think I’m Paranoid,” “Sleep Together,” “Dumb,” and “Push It.”

They closed with “The Trick Is to Keep Breathing,” a new song called “No Horses” (which Manson said is about an environmental apocalypse), and “Cherry Lips” (which Manson said has become the Garbage concert anthem).

It was a fun show with an appreciative crowd.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

Keep your mind open.

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra surprises everyone with an instrumental album – “IC-01 Hanoi” – out later this month.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
ANNOUNCES SURPRISE INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

IC-01 HANOI, OUT 10/26 ON JAGJAGUWAR; LISTEN TO “HANOI 6”

While recording Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s latest release, Sex & Food, Ruban Nielson, his longtime collaborator Jacob Portrait and his brother Kody Nielson, found themselves in the Vietnamese city of Hanoi at Phu Sa Studios.  During the recording process for Sex & Food the band recorded live sessions with local musician Minh Nguyen on Sáo Trúc, Đàn Môi, and Vietnamese Percussion and Nielson’s father, Chris, on Flugelhorn, Saxophone and keyboards.  These sessions became IC-01 Hanoi: a sonic distillation of the band’s influences in Jazz, Krautrock, and the avant-garde.  At its core Hanoi is a record of exploration, finding its closest antecedent in Miles Davis’ experimental On The Corner – itself a record full of nods toward avant-garde composers and jazz outsiders alike.  Hanoi finds Ruban amplifying and stretching out on lead guitar, with a blown-out and wandering fuzz tone that slinks throughout the sessions.  The rest of the group match Ruban’s melodic diversions with aplomb, mining their talents and finding as easy a role in the fusion of funk as they do in the more ambient and abstract tangents on Hanoi. IC-01 Hanoi will see release on October 26th via Jagjaguwar.

LISTEN TO “HANOI 6”
https://youtu.be/JDsmgYRh6nA

PRE-ORDER IC-01 HANOI
https://umo.ffm.to/ic-01hanoi

IC-01 HANOI TRACKLISTING
1. Hanoi 1
2. Hanoi 2
3. Hanoi 3
4. Hanoi 4
5. Hanoi 5
6. Hanoi 6
7. Hanoi 7

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA TOUR DATES
September 25 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ The Bee
September 26 – Jakarta, ID @ Empirica
October 4 – Guadalajara, Mexico @ C3 Stage
October 6 – Lomas Atlas, Mexico @ Festival Hipnosis @ Deportivo Lomas Atlas
October 26 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Mon
October 27 – Bilbao, ES @ BIME Live
October 29 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
October 30 – Lisbon, PT @ Aula Magna
November 1 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Cooperative de Mai
November 2 – Antwerp, BE @ Filter Festival
November 3 – Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Music Festival Paris
November 4 – Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom Frankfurt
November 6 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
November 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanan
November 8 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret – SOLD OUT
November 9 – Bergen, NO @ Landmark – SOLD OUT
November 11 – Groningen, NL @ Oosterpoort
November 13 – Vienna, AT @ Flex
November 14 – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
November 15 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
November 16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
November 17 – Leipzig, DE @ Trascentury Update No. 3 Festival
November 19 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
November 21 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
November 22 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 – SOLD OUT
November 23 – Sheffield, UK @ The Leadmill
November 25 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Academy
November 26 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
January 12 – Christchurch, NZ @ Hagley Park
January 14 – Queenstown, NZ @ John Davies Oval
January 19 – Auckland, NZ @ Western Springs – SOLD OUT

Listen to Sex & Food – https://unknownmortalorchestra.lnk.to/sexandfood
Watch “Hunnybee” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJrKlSkxRHA
Watch “Not In Love We’re Just High” – https://youtu.be/uY82vChor2A
Watch “Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays” – https://youtu.be/ad2Iy0DMCWU
Watch “American Guilt” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JlcmCxIXU
Download hi-res images here: http://pitchperfectpr.com/unknown-mortal-orchestra/
UMO Online:
https://twitter.com/umo
http://unknownmortalorchestra.com/
http://instagram.com/unknownmortalorchestra
http://www.jagjaguwar.com/artist.php?name=umo
https://www.facebook.com/unknownmortalorchestra

Keep your mind open.

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Public Practice releases “Foundation” from upcoming EP.

Public Practice Shares New Single “Foundation”
Listen Here

Distance Is A Mirror, Debut EP Out October 26th Via Wharf Cat Records

[“Foundation” artwork]

Last month, Public Practice announced their debut EP, Distance Is A Mirror, to be released October 26th via Wharf Cat Records and shared lead single “Fate/Glory.” Today, they’re back with another new single, “Foundation.” The song deep fries Beach Boys guitars in ice-cold-but-somehow-funky Scritti Politti grooves. Add a dead pan David Byrney vocal, and Public Practice remind us again how integral it is to use honesty and self-reflection to bring some of life’s double standards to light.

The four members of Public Practice—singer Sam York, guitarist Vince McClelland, synth/bassist and vocalist Drew Citron, and drummer/programmer and producer Scott Rosenthal—are no strangers to songwriting. A Brooklyn DIY super group of sorts, Public Practice combines members of freshly-dead punk project WALL and local pop band Beverly. Public Practice backs their ambitious songwriting with serious chops, their live shows already pulling them into the sharp foreground of a scene growing all too warm and fuzzy.

Distance is a Mirror is a confident, juried testimony of love steeped in dark optimism. By the end of the short and bittersweet 4-song EP, Public Practice anchors themselves as a new band with wisdom like their influences, bringing songs distinctly fresh as they are familiar. Public Practice will privately change your mind about where guitar music is going.

Stream “Foundation” – https://bit.ly/2N46WIZ

Stream “Fate/Glory” – https://bit.ly/2Iix5mp

Public Practice Live:
Fri. Oct. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Shame, BODEGA)
Fri. Oct. 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville (Record Release Party)
Fri. Nov. 30 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Mon. Dec. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Tue. Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Wed. Dec. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)
Thu. Dec. 6 – Paterson, NJ @ A Red Wheelbarrow (w/ Flasher, Gong Gong Gong)

[Distance Is A Mirror artwork]
Keep your mind open.
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Constant Lovers share heavy, frantic track “You Are Dinner” from upcoming album.

Constant Lovers share first track from forthcoming album Pangs
 Chaotic, fun punk rock’n’roll w/ members of Helms Alee, Damien Jurado, Harkonen, Suffering & The Hideous Thieves, Triumph of Lethargy

Hear and share “You Are Dinner” (Soundcloud) (Heavy Blog)
“A curve ball…A barely contained explosion of rock n’ roll riffs and potential, shaking off bonds that lay at the base of why rock n’ roll is so good.” — Heavy Blog Is Heavy
Seattle, WA quartet Constant Lovers premiere the first track from their forthcoming sophomore album, Pangs today via Heavy Blog is Heavy. Hear and share “You Are Dinner” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud and Bandcamp.)
It’s like we’ve all forgotten what a great rock ‘n’ roll band should sound like. Everything’s been subdivided into narrower and narrower genres. The idea of a loud, fun, sometimes heavy, other times chaotic, brash and unfettered rock band seems completely alien today. Constant Lovers is one of those – like how the MC5 sounded completely different on every album, yet always unparalleled in rhythmic, propulsive force.
Considering that Constant Lovers is a coterie of Seattle musicians from a mixed musical background, their collision of styles makes perfect sense. Drummer Ben Verellen plays guitar and sings in celebrated crunchers Helms Alee (Sargent House), guitarist Eric Fisher played with Sub Pop songwriter Damien Jurado, guitarist/vocalist Joel Cuplin played in Murder City Devils offshoot Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death and bassist/vocalist Gavin Tull-Esterbrook in murder balladeers Suffering and The Hideous Thieves. The entire band’s members have generally vacillated across the board of musical convention over the years.
Hearkening to the late-60s/early-70s boundary pushing of proto-punk, Constant Lovers have added saxophone and the use of improvisation in both recording and their live shows. Some tunes are as taut and wiry as Television, others are heavy as modern doom metal, most of them are just loud and fun and less than serious — aside from delivering the goods to the good people. Of course, more modern comparisons are equally fitting, like early aughts chameleons and fellow Seattleites The Blood Brothers, rock iconoclasts Cloud Nothings, and a more playful amalgam of the band members’ other outfits.
At once a celebration of the heavier sounds featured in their last album, Experience Feelings, Pangs also signals a turn towards a more exploratory nature. Pangs opens with a slow fade in to the propulsive skree of “The Wound Up Get Down” reminiscent of The Birthday Party. “You Are Dinner” repeats an urgent, chirping guitar line before erupting in a heavy, slinking riff. “Meow Meow Meow” takes a rock’n’roll swagger, chopped into jagged slashes of guitar over syncopated drums. Elsewhere, “Bone Shard Fashion” and “Lullabye” serve up low end fury and frantic vocals. Throughout, while it’s an aggressive and wild ride, Pangs never abandons melody for the sake of crunch.
Pangs will be available on LP and download on October 26th, 2018. Preorders are available HERE.

Artist: Constant Lovers
Album: Pangs
Record Label: Self-released
Release Date: October 26th, 2018
01. The Wound Up Get Down
02. Meow Meow Meow
03. Ceiling Sweats
04. It’s Electric
05. You Are Dinner
06. Bone Shard Fashion
07. Know The Knot
08. Rally Cry For The Pang In Your
09. Lullabye
10. Amuse Bouche
11. Pang Time
On the Web:
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Beijing duo Gong Gong Gong release premiere single – “Siren”

INTRODUCING BEIJING DUO GONG GONG GONG

LISTEN TO DEBUT SINGLE ON WHARF CAT, “SIREN 追逐劇“; CATCH THEM ON TOUR THIS FALL

Beijing’s Gong Gong Gong make driving, stripped-down transnational blues, tapping into the spirit of Bo Diddley, the Monks, and psychedelic music from West Africa to Southeast Asia. “Phantom Rhythm” is the concept at the duo’s core: between Tom Ng’s percussive guitar and Joshua Frank’s melodic, charging bass, an aura of ghostly snare hits emerges over a thumping low-end pulse. Atop this framework, Ng recounts Cantonese tales of absurdity, love and lust with fragmented, wry vision.

On their first US release, “Siren 追逐劇” b/w “ Something’s Happening 突發 “ (out 11/9 on Wharf Cat) Gong Gong Gong brings to life a cinematic chase scene. Shot-by-shot, frame-by-frame, “Siren 追逐劇“ is a story of galloping hooves and screeching tires—a horse and car racing each other through mountains and desert, charging into the city. The flip-side, instrumental “Something’s Happening 突發” is Gong Gong Gong at their most raw: locomotive jangle and fuzz-faced roar. Dust, sweat and engine oil, the landscape rushing by. Gong Gong Gong have dates lined up on both sides of the Atlantic with the likes of Parquet Courts, Bodega and Flasher. A full list of upcoming tour dates is below.

LISTEN TO “SIREN追逐劇“
https://youtu.be/Xtz1OJfgeAM

PRE-ORDER “SIREN” 7″
https://www.wharfcatrecords.com/store/gong-gong-gong-siren

GONG GONG GONG TOUR DATES
Sun. Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox w/ Parquet Courts
Mon. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial w/ Parquet Courts
Tue. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom w/ Parquet Courts
Thu. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore w/ Parquet Courts
Fri. Sept. 28 – San Jose, CA @ The Ritz w/ Parquet Courts
Sun. Oct. 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville w/ Eaters
Fri. Oct. 19 – Queens, NY @ Outpost Artists Resources
Fri. Nov. 30 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Mon. Dec. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Tue. Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Wed. Dec. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Thu. Dec. 6 – Patterson, NJ @ The Red Wheelbarrow w/ Flasher, Public Practice
Tue. Feb. 12 – Brussels, BE @ Rotonde, Botanique w/ Bodega
Thu. Feb. 14 – Bottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms w/ Bodega
Fri. Feb. 15 – Glasgow, UK @ The Art School w/ Bodega
Sat. Feb. 16 – Dublin, IR @ Whelan’s w/ Bodega
Mon. Feb. 18 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla w/ Bodega
Tue. Feb. 19 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club w/ Bodega
Wed. Feb. 20 – London, UK @ Scala w/ Bodega
Sat. Feb. 23 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere w/ Bodega
Mon. Feb. 25 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown w/ Bodega
Tue. Feb. 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet w/ Bodega
Keep your mind open.
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