Category: Rock

BODEGA releases “Name Escape” from their excellent debut album, “Endless Scroll”

BODEGA Shares “Name Escape” Video
https://youtu.be/-NeudVwxFsU

Ahead of their upcoming tour dates, BODEGA have shared the video for “Name Escape.” A typically stylish yet tongue-in-cheek visual complete with freeform dancers, the “Name Escape” video was directed by band members Nikki Belfiglio and Ben Hozie.On the video, Hozie says, “‘Name Escape’ details at-this-moment observations from a night out at the now-defunct (and missed) Bushwick venue Palisades. The Smiths blare out of the P.A. as I chat with people I’ve seen hundreds of times but will never really know. For the advertisement clip of the memory malfunction, Nikki directed us doing big rock hype in a big rock warehouse hyperlinked from early aughts ‘alternative’ vids. The strange thing about alienation is that it’s often beautiful and fun.”

“Name Escape” is the third BBC Radio 6 Music playlisted single taken from BODEGA’s debut album, Endless Scroll. The album was met with rave reviews in the UK from the likes of Observer, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times, The Times, DIY, Uncut and more. Recalling the rich history of New York’s musical heritage while keeping its sight on the future, Endless Scroll revitalizes the rock and roll vocabulary under the influence of post punk, contemporary pop, hip-hop, kraut rock, and folk-derived narrative songwriting. Endless Scroll was recorded and produced by Austin Brown (Parquet Courts) on the same Tascam 388 tape machine used for their album Light Up Gold.

Come February 2019, the band will return to Europe for a new run of dates – which includes their largest headline show to date at London’s Scala on Wednesday, February 20th. BODEGA will be joined by Beijing duo Gong Gong Gong as main support for the tour. Tickets for all dates are available now.

Watch BODEGA’s “Name Escape” Video:
https://youtu.be/-NeudVwxFsU Watch:
“Charlie” video – https://youtu.be/CAxRuZt3xYE
“Gyrate” video – https://youtu.be/Pyr-gS3LCCA
“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:
Fri. Nov. 9 – Kowloon, Hong Kong @ Clockenflap Festival
Sat. Nov. 10 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia @ Urbanscapes festival
Sun. Nov. 11 – Singapore City, Singapore @ Neon Lights Music & Arts Festival
Sat. Dec. 8 – Rennes, France @ Les Transmusicales
Tue. Feb. 5 – Munich, Germany @ Unter Deck (tickets)
Wed. Feb. 6 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F (tickets)
Thu. Feb. 7 – Düdingen, Switzerland @ Bad Bonn (tickets)
Fri. Feb. 8 – Besancron, France @ Festival Generiq
Sat. Feb. 9 – Belfort Cedex, France @ La Poudriere
Sun. Feb. 10 – Dijon, France @ Le Consortium
Mon. Feb. 11 – Mannheim, Germany @ Kulturbrücken Jungbusch (tickets)
Tue. Feb. 12 – Belgium, Brussels @ Botanique (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Thu. Feb. 14 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Fri. Feb. 15 – Glasgow, UK @ The Art School (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Sat. Feb. 16 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan’s (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Mon. Feb. 18 – Manchester, UK @ YES (The Pink Room) (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Tue. Feb. 19 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Wed. Feb. 20 – London, UK @ Scala (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Fri. Feb. 22 – St. Malo, France @ La Nouvelle Vague
Sat. Feb. 23 – Paris, France @ Le Point Ephemere
Mon. Feb. 25 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotown (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Tue. Feb. 26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bitterzoet (w/ Gong Gong Gong) (tickets)
Thu. Feb. 28 – Berlin, Germany @ Berghain Kantine (tickets)
Fri. Mar. 1 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Stengade (tickets)
Sat. Mar. 2 – Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow MusikclubUK Praise for Endless Scroll:

“A revelation” – Uncut (9/10)

“This five-piece nail the absurdity of contemporary life with that surprisingly evergreen formula” – Observer (4/5)

“BODEGA’s attack on digital life comes wrapped in winning post-punk noise” – Sunday Times

“Streamlined and minimal but bursting with intelligence, humor and ideas, BODEGA are the real deal” – DIY (5/5)

“…a fantastic debut from one of the most exciting new bands around” – Independent (4/5)

“The music has a hypnotic drive, and clever lyrics are chanted or intoned in hard-boiled New York fashion” – Financial Times (4/5)

“…there is something of a New York Mark E Smith about the way Hozie uses mockery (and self-mockery) to ponder modern life’s absurdities and insanities” – Guardian

“‘Endless Scroll’ is a record filled with potential and a perfect snapshot of what’s still to come” – Dork (4/5)

“Snappy, spirited guitar explorations that tap into New York’s art-rock lineage” – Clash (8/10)

[Endless Scroll artwork]

Keep your mind open.
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Protomartyr and Preoccupations to release split 7″ single covering each other’s tunes.

PROTOMARTYR AND PREOCCUPATIONS ANNOUNCE SPLIT 7″,
OUT 11/16 ON DOMINOLISTEN TO PROTOMARTYR COVER PREOCCUPATIONS’ SONG “FORBIDDEN”

CO-HEADLINING TOUR BEGINS NEXT MONTH

(photo by Daniel Topete)
Today, Protomartyr announce the upcoming release of a split 7″ with their friends and future tourmates Preoccupations. Conceptually similar to Protomartyr’s recent split 7″ with Spray Paint, the release features each band covering the other, with Protomartyr performing their rendition of Preoccupations’ “Forbidden,” while Preoccupations give Protomartyr’s “Pontiac ’87” a reworking. You can listen to Protomartyr’s cover of “Forbidden” now, with the 7″ being released by Domino on Nov. 16th. Protomartyr’s singer Joe Casey had this to say of the band’s cover: “There’s an old adage that goes something like, ‘if you’re going to cover a song by a beloved Canadian band, it’s best to pick the second shortest one.’ So, ‘Forbidden’ it is. We all really liked the outro part and had the brilliant idea to extend it. And that, my friends, is how you make musical history.”For those who find this sonic pairing palatable to the ear, the two bands will join up for a co-headlining tour in late November, almost exactly one month from now and shortly after the release of the 7”. Additionally, Protomartyr have just been announced as the “special guest” for the anticipated grand reopening of Detroit’s UFO Factory, a much beloved venue that was damaged by developers one year ago.

LISTEN TO “FORBIDDEN (PREOCCUPATIONS COVER)”
http://smarturl.it/ForbiddenYT

PRE-ORDER PROTOMARTYR/PREOCCUPATIONS SPLIT 7″
http://smarturl.it/Telemetry7inch

PROTOMARTYR TOUR DATES
Fri. Oct. 26 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory w/ Deadbeat Beat, Double Winter
Fri. Nov. 23 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace * ^
Sat. Nov. 24 – Ottawa, ON @ 27 Club * ^
Mon. Nov. 26 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall * ^
Wed. Nov. 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw * ^
Thu. Nov. 29 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage * ^
Fri. Nov. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry * ^
Sat. Dec. 01 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement * ^
Mon. Dec. 03 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place * ^
Tue. Dec. 04 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig * ^
Thu. Dec. 06 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * ^
Fri. Dec. 07 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room * ^
Sat. Dec. 08 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar * ^
Mon. Dec. 10 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird *
Wed. Dec. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *&
Thu. Dec. 13 – Boise, ID @ Olympic *&
Fri. Dec. 14 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *&
Sat. Dec. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *&
Sun. Dec. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile *&
Tue. Dec. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent *&
Wed. Dec. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent *&* = w/ Preoccupations
^ = w/ Rattle
& = w/ Hurry Up

Download album art & hi-res images of Protomartyr – http://pitchperfectpr.com/protomartyr/

Purchase “Consolation E.P.”:
Domino Mart – https://protomartyr.dominomart.com/
iTunes – http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPDL

Purchase Relatives In Descent:
Domino Mart – https://protomartyr.dominomart.com/
iTunes – http://smarturl.it/RIDDownload

Keep your mind open.
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SOM release shoegaze / metal track “Open Wounds” from their upcoming debut.

SOM share animated video for first song from forthcoming debut

 Ex-members of Constants, Junius, Caspian. Animated video by Josh Graham (Neurosis, Soundgarden, A Storm of Light)

Watch & share “Open Wounds” (YouTube) (Brooklyn Vegan)

 

“SOM craft songs of epic melancholy that stagger the ears as well as the heart.” — Onion AV Club
“Serenely slowdive into shoegaze.” — SPIN
“A big, atmospheric mix of shoegaze, post-rock, space rock, and sludge metal, all led by Will’s ethereal vocals.” — Brooklyn Vegan
Post-metal shoegaze trio SOM premiere the first track from their forthcoming debut album today via Brooklyn Vegan. The animated clip for “Open Wounds” is created by visual artist Josh Graham (Neurosis, Soundgarden) and available to watch and share HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
On their debut record, SOM “craft songs of epic melancholy that stagger the ears as well as the heart” (Onion AV Club) and “serenely slowdive into shoegaze” (SPIN). Drummer Duncan Rich and bassist Justin Forrest build thunderous rhythms that give drive and pulse to the fuzzed out wall-of-synth-and-guitar-noise. Dark and heavy throughout, their music is complemented by memorable hooks and melodies in singer/guitarist Will Benoit’s somber, lamenting vocals.
Featuring founding members of seminal Boston space rockers Constants — and former and touring members of Adai, Junius, Rosetta, and Caspian — SOM wrote and recorded their debut album at Benoit’s solar powered The Radar Studio, along with engineer Daryl Rabidoux (Doomsday Student, Drowningman).
The Fall will be available on CD, cassette and download on November 9th, 2018. Pre-orders are available via Bandcamp HERE.

Artist: SOM
Album: The Fall
Record Label: self-released 
Release Date: November 9th, 2018
01. Prayers
02. Chemical Joy
03. Open Wounds
04. Black Out The Sky
05. Ten Years
06. Starless Sky
07. Stranger
08. Reflection
09. Aerosols
Keep your mind open.
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Review: Stonus – Lunar Eclipse

“Hey, dude, we are a heavy stoner rock band with doom and psychedelic influences from Nicosia, Cyprus…”

That was the beginning of the e-mail that introduced me to Stonus.  I love hearing from bands outside the United States that I might not have discovered otherwise.  Stonus’ new EP, Lunar Eclipse, was another great surprise.

The psychedelic influences are evident right away on “Reflections,” on which we hear a quick tale of apprehension and approaching the unknown (or death, perhaps).  “Aspirin” roars to life with siren-like guitars and fuzzy bass and drums before reverbed vocals seem into your mind.  “Spiritual Realities” brings in the doom influences and seems to increase the atomic weight of the record.

The title track is eight minutes of psychedelia that seems to drift on desert winds or across the Mediterranean Sea.  The Middle Eastern-flavored guitar is a great touch and I love how Stonus doesn’t rush the track.  It moves at a great pace best suited for introspection or feeling like a bad ass.  The album fades out with the short instrumental “Euphoric Misery.”  I’m not sure if that’s referencing a bad trip or the misery of coming out of euphoria into reality, but it’s trippy either way.

This is good stoner-psych rock.  I don’t know if a full-length album will arrive before an actual lunar eclipse happens (January 2019), but let’s hope so.

Keep your mind open.

[You should subscribe before the next lunar eclipse, too.]

 

Levitation France 2018 recap

This year was not only the first time my wife and I traveled to France, it was also the first time we traveled to Levitation France in Angers – a mid-size town about one and a half hours by train southwest of Paris.  It was the sixth year of the two-day festival and we’d wanted to go ever since we started attending Levitation Austin in 2013.  The dates finally worked out this year, so we made the trip.

First, the festival is held in Le Quai – a great performance space venue in Angers along the Maine River.  It has at least five performance areas in it, and the festival uses two of them for shows, two for food trucks, one for merchandise, and one for a bar.

That’s the outside of the venue in the main food truck area.  Immediately inside that big open door is the main stage (called the “Forum”).  We didn’t start there, however.  We started in the smaller performance space (“T400”) at the back with French garage rockers Wild Fox.

Wild Fox

They were the first band on the first day, and they came to make a statement.  They threw down wild energy that whipped up the early crowd, ending by kicking apart their drum set, playing with broken strings, and churning out plenty of good feedback.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the new album from La Luz, so we checked out their set on the Forum stage.  They had a good crowd, and their California sun-drenched psychedelia was a nice match for the sun coming in through the window behind them.

La Luz

We grabbed a bite from the food trucks (where I scored some tasty Senegalese food), and then headed toward the T400 stage to check out Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.  On the way there, we passed Holy Wave doing their soundcheck on the Forum stage.  They were playing Interpol‘s “Untitled,” much to the delight of myself and a woman who came running from the back bar to cheer them.

Holy Wave playing Interpol.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Pigs x 7 were so loud and heavy that we had to fade back a bit and leave their set early.  I think my wife’s head was about to split open from the intensity.  We caught Holy Wave‘s set.  They’re another band I’ve wanted to see for a while, and they put on a nice set of Texas psych-rock and seemed to be having a great time.

Holy Wave not playing Interpol.

We then zipped back to the T400 stage to catch most of Prettiest Eyes‘ set.  It was our favorite of the night.  The electro-punk oddballs from Puerto Rico and Mexico put on a great show with crazy beats, boundless energy, and plenty of swagger.  My wife picked up a button from their merchandise table afterwards.  I need to get their latest album.  John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees said at Levitation Austin this year that they’re one of his favorite bands.  It’s easy to see why when you see them live.

Prettiest Eyes

We headed back to the Forum stage to see the Soft Moon.  If you haven’t figured it out by now, the two stages are so close together, and the set times staggered so well, that you can see every band that plays over the course of the two days without trouble (and usually see their full sets).  We saw the Soft Moon at our first Levitation Austin festival, back when it was still known as the Austin Psych Fest.  It was good to see them again and get a hefty dose of industrial dark wave.

The Soft Moon

We ended the first night with the Blank Tapes, who my wife was keen on seeing after she checked out one of their videos.  They have a nice, mellow sound that blends some folk with their psychedelia.  My favorite song during the set was one the lead singer wrote to sing to his house plants (“Not marijuana…Regular plants.”).

The Blank Tapes

On day two, we got to Le Quai in time to see Bryan’s Magic Tears start the show. They played a nice set of psych-pop, but hunger won over on us and we headed to the food trucks for some crepes and a great Senegalese chicken sandwich.

Bryan’s Magic Tears

Go! Zilla were on the Forum stage immediately after them, and they provided some nice psychedelic dinner music for us.

Go! Zilla

The biggest surprise of the day, and possibly the whole festival, was the set by Flamingods.  They put on a wild set of Middle Eastern, Afrobeat, and psychedelic music that had the members changing instruments so many times that I couldn’t keep track of whom mainly played what.

Flamingods

We then caught Juniore on the Forum stage.  They’re an electro / post-punk three piece from France who put on a quirky, neat set with one of them wearing a silver mask the entire time.  My wife said it reminded her of a Sleestak from Land of the Lost.

Juniore

We were keen on seeing MIEN at the festival since we’d been at their premiere live gig at Levitation Austin earlier this year.  They didn’t disappoint and are well in the groove after a lot of touring to support their debut album of dark psychedelia.

MIEN

Another fun surprise was the set by French electro duo Oktober Lieber.  They were heavier than I’d expected and threw down some impressive industrial dance grooves.

Oktober Lieber

The rest of the night was full of electronic music for us.  First was French musician Flavien Berger – a one-man show of techno beats, vocal effects, and synth work.

Flavien Berger

We ended the night, and our first Levitation France festival, with Radar Men from the Moon, who played nothing but synths, keyboards, and sequencers instead of their usual guitars and drums.  It was a great, powerful set that made us run for the merchandise room and buy their first record.

Radar Men from the Moon

We’ll definitely go back, but I’m not sure it will be in the cards for next year.  We loved the festival and Angers.  Cross it off your bucket list, too.

Keep your mind open.

At Le Quai, the fire extinguishers apparently spray siracha.

Keep your mind open.

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Caroline Rose releases “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” from her sharp album, “Loner”

CAROLINE ROSE PRESENTS “JEANNIE BECOMES A MOM” VIDEO

WATCH HERE

ON TOUR NOW IN SUPPORT OF LONER,
RELEASED THIS YEAR ON NEW WEST

“Caroline Rose took her songwriting to a new level of wit and heart with LONER . . . It’s full of deftly drawn characters, like the numbingly normal partygoers in ‘More of the Same’ or the comically exaggerated versions of Rose herself in ‘Money’ and ‘Soul No. 5.’ One of her best creations is the lost suburbanite in ‘Jeannie Becomes a Mom,’ drifting through the cul-de-sacs outside Topeka, Kansas in search of her dream life.” — Rolling Stone

“LONER finds [Caroline Rose] abandoning preconceived notions, resulting in a great deal of sonic expansion . . . By embracing her humorous nature and getting more aggressive and adventurous with her music, she was able to create something that felt more natural. While the album title suggests that Rose may feel like she’s on an island of sorts, she’s far from alone.”
— NPR Music’s Favorite Albums of 2018 (So Far)

Caroline Rose has spent a majority of the past year touring in support of LONER, released this past February via New West. Today via Rolling Stone, Rose premieres the “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” video which comically illustrates the daunting notion of being unable to outrun time. Directed by Amanda Speva and produced by Sarah Slevin, and shot outside of Chicago, Rose’s satirical and witty nature shines through with her creative direction, showcasing her ability to process serious subjects with dark humor.

“Jeannie was my first foray into making really fun, sort of weird pop music. I wrote the whole song, including the programmed drums, on a little digital synthesizer called the OP-1. It felt like a relief making something that still told a serious story but tasted like candy to my ears. It’s a direction I’m definitely going to keep exploring. The story, like life, is meant to be a kind of grotesque, whimsical tragi-comedy. This was especially fun for me because I get to play more of a voyeuristic role, which is how I feel in the narrative of the song itself.”

Rose continues on her headlining tour in support of LONER and as support for Rainbow Kitten Surprise with several dates sold out. All dates are listed below.

Watch Caroline Rose’s “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” Video –
Stream Caroline Rose’s LONER –
http://geni.us/crloner?track=pr

Watch/Listen/Share:
“Bikini” video – https://youtu.be/MZYtOBkICDg
“Soul No. 5” video – https://youtu.be/zzIfmtKSLTE
“Money” video – https://youtu.be/NcOPz7Kby1A
“Getting To Me” – https://youtu.be/9JV4wU9Axsk

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:

Thu. Nov. 1 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Smalltown Supersound to release massive mix of their catalogue to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Smalltown Supersound Celebrates 25 Years With 
The Movement Of The Free Spirit Mix by Prins Thomas, Out November 30th

3 Hours & 40 Minute Mix of 80 Tracks Exclusively from the
Smalltown Supersound Catalogue
Smalltown Supersound, the Norwegian label run by Oslo-based Joakim Haugland, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the label is releasing The Movement Of The Free Spirit, an epic new mix album of the Smalltown Supersound catalogue by Prins Thomas, out November 30th. As Thomas’s follow up to Paradise Goulash, The Movement Of The Free Spirit is a 3-disc mix comprised of 80 tracks and 3 hours and 40 minutes of music featuring artists including Sonic Youth, DJ Harvey, Studio, Yoshimi (Boredoms), Kim Gordon, Oneohtrix Point Never, Todd Rundgren, Stereolab, High Llamas, Neneh Cherry, Ricardo Villalobos, Four Tet, Bjørn Torske, Dungen, The Orb, Kelly Lee Owens, Lindstrøm, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Biosphere, Peter Brötzmann, and many more (full track list is below). The mix will be released as a CD box set, digitally (mixed and unmixed) and disc 1 will be available as a double LP.

The title, The Movement Of The Free Spirit, was borrowed from a Bruce Russell (of The Dead C) 10” Smalltown Supersound released in 2000. Russell had borrowed it from the book by legendary Situationist activist and author Raoul Vaneigem.
Pre-order The Movement Of The Free Spirit – http://smarturl.it/sts300-preorder
 Download artwork and press images – http://pitchperfectpr.com/prins-thomas/

The Movement Of The Free Spirit liner notes

Trying To Be Like SST. Since 1993.

 

I started Smalltown Supersound in 1993 while in high school in Flekkefjord, a small town of 4,000 inhabitants in the south of Norway. There was obviously no supersound in our small town. It was just an ironic name I came up with to release some tapes with lo-fi/noise/bedroom recordings by my brother and his friends. The name was inspired by my hometown and the catalogue number STS was a homage to SST, a label I deeply admired at the time (and still do). Little did I know that I would have to live with that name for the rest of my life.

 

I started the label before I knew what a record label was. So I gradually learned it by doing. And it was part of me growing up. It might sound like a cliché, but in many ways the label is the soundtrack of my life. Thomas has now made it into a mixtape.

 

We all hate to see photos of ourselves when we were younger, the bad haircuts and the strange clothes. It is the same thing when you run a label. You constantly look back on things you regret. This mix makes me see the label from the outside in a way I don’t think I have before. And to my surprise the haircuts and the clothes weren’t as bad and strange as I remembered.

I have to admit that I when I listened to it the first time, I was moved. First of all, because of the deep and true love Thomas has put into this mix. Second, because some of these tracks I haven’t heard in 20-25 years. It really felt like revisiting the past. And in a very good way.

 

Thomas has followed the label since the early beginnings. Back in the days I was always thinking: “He’s a house/disco DJ – why does he want my noise records?”. I realize now I wasn’t smart enough to understand his scope. I didn’t understand it until his mix album Cosmic Galactic Prism, which is one of my favorite mix albums of all time. So for me it was very obvious that Thomas should make the Smalltown Supersound mix. I just couldn’t imagine that he would go this beautifully far with it.

 

Since day one I have tried to have a red thread run through the releases and the label’s DNA. Most of the time I am probably the only one who sees it. And many times I don’t even see it myself. Now Thomas has found the spiritual unity.

While I have always struggled to describe what the label is, only now – with this mix – I can finally say: this is what it is.

Joakim Haugland Oslo, August 2018

The Movement Of The Free Spirit Tracklist:

Part 1
1. Echo Troopers – Fred Astaire Session (intro)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Yoshimi & Mats Gustafsson – Soundless Cries With Their Arms in the Air Yuichiro Fujimoto – Little Sun
2. Bendik Giske – Hole
Supersilent – 13.1
Biosphere – Aura in the Kitchen
Supersilent – 13.1
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Bruce Russell – The Movement of the Free Spirit (The 1st Movement)
3. Carmen Villain – Safe
Alexander Rishaug – Time and Place
4. Monopot – Scena Napoletana
5. Continental Fruit – Dear Heart
6. Biosphere – Wyll and Purpose
Lindstrøm – Call Me Anytime (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Arp – V2 Slight Return
Monopot – Dronningen
7. Monopot – Dronningen
Jaga Jazzist – Plym
Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
8. Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
9. Todd Rundgren, Emil Nikolaisen & Hans-Peter Lindstrøm – Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Stereolab vs High Llamas Remix)
10. 120 Days – Sleepless Nights
11. Carmen Villain – The Moon Will Always Be There
Continental Fruit – The Moon Was My Only Witness
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 3 (Contrabass Sax)
12. Erik Wøllo – Ody At Sea
Alexander Rishaug – Satellites
Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
13. Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur’s Return (long unreleased)
Serena Maneesh – Introspection
Serena Maneesh – Leipziger Love Life (ancient mix)
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 4 (Voice)
14. Wildest Dreams – Off The Lip

Part 2
1. Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Lovesick (Four Tet Remix) 2. Dungen – Franks Kaktus
3. Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Bjørn Torske remix)
Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Idjut Version)
4. Dungen – Alberto Balsam
5. Prins Thomas – H (The Orb Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur
Kjetil D. Brandsdal – Komboloi
Lindstrøm – No Release (Owen Pallett Remix)
6. Lindstrøm – No release (Owen Pallett Remix) Diskjokke – Cold Out
Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
7. Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
Diskjokke – Cold Out
Meanderthals – Andromeda (Basic Idjut Version)
Arp – The Past (Version by Studio)
Meanderthals – Andromeda
8. Prins Thomas – C (I:Cube Remix)
9. Lindstrøm – Another Station
10. Bjørn Torske – Se Torsken (Mungolian Jetset Remix) Dan Lissvik – Airwalk
Dan Lissvik – G
11. Neneh Cherry – Slow Release
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – K16
12. Bjørn Torske – Totem Expose
13. Kim Hiorthøy – Door Opens Both Ways
14. Toy – Don’t Be
15. Lindstrøm – Raakost (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Version)

Part 3
1. Lindstrøm – The Contemporary Fix (Bjørn Torske Remix)
2. Matt Karmil – Morals
Biosphere – With Their Paddles in a Puddle
Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix)
3. Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Brian Reitzell – Ozu Choral
4. Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Mungolian Jetset – Mush in the Bush
Bjørn Torske – Langt fra Afrika
5. Kelly Lee Owens – CBM
Carmen Villain – Obedience (Bjørn Torske Remix) Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase One
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase Two Part 3 Brian Reitzell – Honeycomb
6. Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos King Crab Remix) Bendik Giske – Adjust
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos Knödel Prince Dub) Mungolian Jetset – Shelton’s on a Bender
7. Neneh Cherry – Everything Is Everything (Villalobos & Loderbauer: Vilod High Blood Pressure Mix)
8. Bjørn Torske – Furu
9. Andre Bratten – Pax Americana
10. Lars Horntveth – Kaleidoscopic
11. Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet – II (Performed by Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark)

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Bev Rage and the Drinks – Cockeyed

I didn’t know how much I and the rest of the world needed queercore punk in this day and age until I heard Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks‘ debut full-length album Cockeyed.

Launching out of the gate with wild punk riffs on “Why Won’t You Hate Me?” Ms. Rage and her bandmates thrown down the gauntlet to any other punk band thinking of releasing a record in 2018.  “Mouth” is a fast, funny takedown of a lying lover whose lame excuses and dumb alibis become enjoyable farce.  It’s appropriate that the follow-up is the thirty-second “Don’t Know Shit.”

“Short Shorts” and “Limp Wrist” are each under two minutes and still pack more punk squalor into them than an entire Ataris album.  “Limp Wrist” is one of the best punk tracks of 2018.

A gay friend of mine heard “Bitter Old Queen” and declared it his “new theme song.”  I think he meant it for past lovers, as Ms. Rage does because both of them are too busy having fun to be bitter.  Ms. Rage’s former beau does nothing but complain and no longer wants to hit the town (“I want to go out for a walk, but that is too fucking hard…”), tempting her to push her man off a bridge and end the relentless bitching.

Mission accomplished on “Someone New,” in which Ms. Rage proudly declares she’s moved onto to someone better.   Unfortunately, her new man is already looking for the “Next Best Thing” (hint: He won’t find it, judging by the angry guitar chords and wild rhythm section chaos this tune has in it.).

“I’m Having a Tryst with a Narcissist” is so damn clever that you can’t stop grinning throughout it.  Ms. Rage is a witty lyricist, so be sure to pay attention to the words behind the distortion, bass thumps, and mosh pit beats.  “Waffle House” is another great example of her storytelling, as Ms. Rage tells of falling asleep at a Waffle House and having a naughty dream about the waiter.  The album ends with “Looking,” another verbal / musical smackdown / high heel boot stomp of a lover who can’t or won’t take the Nestea Plunge with Bev Rage.

This is one of the best punk albums I’ve heard all year.  It’s full of squalling guitars, rough-edge drums, fuzzed-out bass, and more anger and sass than the green room at a Parisian fashion show.  Don’t miss out on it.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Public Practice – Distance Is a Mirror

Rising from the ashes of post-punk bands WALL and Beverly, Public Practice (Drew Citron – synths, bass, vocals, Vince McClelland – guitars, Scott Rosenthal – drums and programming, Sam York – vocals) have brought us a sharp EP – Distance Is a Mirror – in these weird times where truth and perception are openly warped by media, politicians, news pundits, the guy on the street corner, your drunk uncle, and everyone else it seems.

“Fate / Glory” starts out with jagged guitar and cocksure bass before York’s sultry, assured (and playfully weary, it seems) vocals saunter into the room.  “Lies make lovers of us all,” she states.  She’s right.  Once we accept a lie, we’re all in bed together with it.  I love the way the song ramps up in speed in the last third.

“Bad Girl(s)” is the band’s anthem / middle finger to misogynists.  “I won’t play your game, I don’t need your shame,” she yells as McClelland pounds his guitar and Rosenthal taps out a near Morse code message on his hi-hat.  McClelland’s guitar opening of “Foundation” reminds me of an anime theme song I can’t place.  Citron’s bass on it reminds me of a Talking Heads riff I can’t place either.  You can practically see York owning a stage as she struts across it to Rosenthal’s snappy beats on it.  The crumbling house referred to in the track could be a metaphor for the country as a whole to a relationship from York’s past.

“Into the Ring” has another great groove that goes from stand-offish to a full sexy embrace when it kicks into gear.  York sings about a sexy dalliance that resembles a battle she’s not sure she’s ready for.  “We entered this fight, thinking we knew who was going to win,” she says, possibly also referring to the last presidential election.  “No, you can’t it back now,” she repeats at one point, again obscuring the secret meaning of her lyrics.

I was crushed when WALL broke up before their first full album was released, but this EP is a great follow-up to that record.

Keep your mind open.

 

Review: Brother O’ Brother – Monster Truck

Indianapolis’ power blues-rock duo Brother O’ Brother‘s new EP, Monster Truck (which you can download for free, by the way), rumbles by as loud and hard as its namesake.

Opening with “Unleavened,” the band chugs through a swampy mix of blues wails, garage rock riffs, and metal drums.  The title track refers to the power of a crazy relationship.  There’s no sex like crazy sex, after all.  “GOLD” is a blazing psychedelic jam that has the band in fifth gear by this point.

“Howlelujah” is, apart from being one of the best-named tracks of 2018, a loud, sweaty, dangerous blues cut that plows through muddy distortion and rams through your speakers with a wild jam.  “Must Be Blind” is a screaming, shredding diatribe against a bad relationship the singer should’ve seen coming, but it was too hot to resist at the time.  The EP ends with “Omni,” another powerful drum and guitar slugfest.

Monster Truck is over far too soon, but any rock like this you can get is good – especially when it’s this good.

Keep your mind open.

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