Category: Post-punk

Flasher put out possibly the best video of 2018 for their new single – “Material.”

FLASHER SHARE MIND-BOGGLING NEW VIDEO FOR “MATERIAL”

WATCH THE VIDEO & CATCH THEM ON TOUR THIS FALL/WINTER

“Seriously, this is the most brilliantly bonkers clip I’ve seen all year” – Rolling Stone
Today, Flasher share their new video for Constant Image stand-out single “Material.” This strange and hilarious video, directed by Nick Roney, breaks the fourth wall in an utterly unique and post-modern way. It can confidently be said that a video similar to this does not exist (premiered earlier today via Rolling Stone). Rather than spoil it with tedious description, please view it for yourself.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “MATERIAL”
smarturl.it/MaterialVid
Additionally, the band has recently announced a batch of December US tour dates with Brooklyn’s Public Practice and Beijing duo Gong Gong Gong. On this stretch, the trio of bands will be selling a limited edition (300 copies) tour-only 7″ flexidisc, featuring previously unreleased tracks by all three.
FLASHER TOUR DATES

Wed. Nov. 7 – Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social Club
Thu. Nov. 8 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Fri. Nov. 9 – Glasgow, UK @ The Glad Cafe
Sat. Nov. 10 – Manchester, UK @ YES
Sun. Nov. 11 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
Mon. Nov. 12 – London, UK @ Roundhouse w/ Parquet Courts
Tue. Nov. 13 – London, UK @ The Lexington
Wed. Nov. 14 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympic Cafe
Fri. Nov. 16 – Madrid, ES @ Teatro Barcelo
Sat. Nov. 17 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
Fri. Nov. 30 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat *
Mon. Dec. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern *
Tue. Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout *
Wed. Dec. 5 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups *
Fri. Dec. 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus ** = w/ Public Practice & Gong Gong Gong

PRAISE FOR CONSTANT IMAGE 

“Only one of this week’s albums feels like it alters my entire brain chemistry every time the next chorus hits, and that’s Constant Image.” – Stereogum, Album of the Week

“What’s surprising—and thrilling—about their debut full-length, Constant Image, is that its social commentary would have felt just as timely at any pointin the
past 30 years.” – Pitchfork

“This D.C.-based trio’s debut has the muscle and melodicism of modern rock’s brainy, brooding pre-grunge era” – Rolling Stone

“The thrill is in the call-and-response, heard on past songs, but here weaponized like an ecstatic hall of mirrors in the final minute of ‘Skim Milk.'” – NPR Music

“The band masterfully produce politically charged tracks situated in tales of the everyday struggle of people living in America’s political seat.” – Exclaim! (8/10)

“They play hook-filled rock songs, influenced by everything from post-punk to new wave via shoegaze and indie dream pop that’ll inspire the kind of exhilaration and joy that only comes from a group of people who fully understand what your day was like.”
– PopMatters (8/10)

“The band’s gentle, impressionistic lyrics contain careful considerations of how one might survive as an individual enmeshed in late capitalism, but the stakes of the songs don’t reveal themselves until you’re already immersed in their bright, optimistic energy.” – Bandcamp

Keep your mind open.
[You can subscribe in a flash!  Just drop your e-mail address in the box to your left.]

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.
[No need to drop your name, just your e-mail will do to subscribe to my blog.]

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: 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.

[Have fun with me by subscribing.]

 

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.
[Build a good music foundation by subscribing.]

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:
[I’d constantly love it if you subscribed.]

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.
[Subscribe subscribe subscribe.]

Protomartyr – Consolation

Produced in part with Kelly Deal of the Breeders and Pixies, Protomartyr‘s four-song EP, Consolation, packs more punch than many double albums in the punk, post-punk, neo-rock, or alt-rock genres.

The opening squall of “Wait” is like the sound of the gates opening at the Kentucky Derby, and the band are four horses running in peak form.  Vocalist Joe Casey growls, yells, and snarls while drummer Alex Leonard seems to put down four different beats at once.

“Same Face in a Different Mirror” would be a great title for a giallo film from the 1970’s, and Greg Ahee‘s opening guitar riff is indeed creepy enough for a stylish Italian slasher film.  It’s like Protomartyr put Joy Division, Editors, and Bauhaus in a juicer and extracted the micronutrients from all three for one track.

The last two tracks feature Ms. Deal on backing vocals.  The first is “Wheel of Fortune,” and it’s easily one of the best tracks of the year.  It comes out swinging, not giving you much time to breathe in the first minute before it breaks down into something that sounds like the soundtrack from a ghost film.  Casey’s vocals slowly rise from the ground (lifted by Scott Davidson‘s fine bass work), unleashing some of his inner Nick Cave before the band kicks down the door.  Davidson’s bass walk opens “You Always Win” and Casey sings about a troubled relationship he can’t bring himself to leave while Ahee’s guitar shoegaze riffs are subtle and stunning at the same time and Leonard unleashes a quick drum solo, which are sorely missing from rock nowadays.

Consolation is sharp as a knife and one of the better EP releases of 2018, so don’t skip it.

Keep your mind open.

[Spin the wheel, make the deal.  Subscribe.]

 

Rewind Review: Le Bucherettes – A Raw Youth (2015)

Mexico’s Le Bucherettes manage to combine psychedelia, garage rock, snotty punk, and disco fever all into one band.  Their third album, A Raw Youth, covers everything from pre-2016 election anxiety to serial killers.

“Shave the Pride” gets it off to a loud, wild start with lead singer Terri Gender Bender belting out lyrics about anger and arrogance (“The size of your rage drowns my urge for lovin’.”).  “Mallely” has the disco synths of Jamie Aaron Aux and the powerful drumming of Chris Common throwing you into dance fits.  “Reason to Die Young” has Gender Bender claiming there’s “no sign of life in this hell hole,” but her assured vocals feel reassuring.  Her Iggy Pop influence can’t be denied in her vocals and stage presence, and it’s in full view on “La Uva” (“The Grape”) in which Pop sings guest vocals with her.  It’s a wild, Pixies-like track with its ebb and flow of volume and controlled, distorted chaos.  “Sold Less Than Gold” is a lyrically brutal song about child slavery that’s almost disguised as a pop song with its bright synths.

“Stab My Back” is a giant middle finger to a man who once tried to keep Bender down.  It’s like a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song combined with a kick in the nuts.  “They Fuck You Over” has Bender drawing a line in the sand against the 1% (“‘Winners’ never touch skins.  They know how to eat like bulldogs.  They fuck you over…I try to manage this game by doing the worst that I can.”).

“Witchles C Spot” is a bold, almost Metric-like tune about toxic love, fetish sex, and obsession.  It’s sexy, scary, and sinister all at once.  “The Hitch Hiker” is about a serial killer, and might be an ode to the 1986 film The Hitcher.  “Lonely & Drunk” is a powerful build up of synths, drums, and weird bass as Bender’s vocals slither out of your speakers as she sings about bad decisions made during bad times.  The bizarre title of “Oil the Shoe if the Critter Knew Any Better” is perfect for the weird lyrics about ghosts, eating your vegetables, and how screwed up a relationship can be if one doesn’t face fears.  The closer, “My Half,” is a warped song about love and possibly Bender’s Electra complex with guest guitar and synth-bass work by John Frusciante.

It’s a wild, weird record.  Le Bucherettes were on my list of bands to investigate for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to it.  You should, too.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

 

Wharf Cat Records has brought us a new post-punk supergroup -Public Practice.

DARK OPTIMISM IN DEADPAN VOCALS AND FUNK GROOVES – STEREOGUM

Wharf Cat Records is pleased to introduce Public Practice – a Brooklyn DIY supergroup of sorts, featuring members of freshly-dead punk project WALL and local pop band Beverly. Comprised of singer Sam York, guitarist Vince McClelland, synth/bassist and vocalist Drew Citron, and drummer/programmer and producer Scott Rosenthal, their serious chops and dance-inducing live set are already pulling them into the sharp foreground of a scene growing all too warm-and-fuzzy.

Public Practice’s debut EP, Distance is a Mirror, is a confident, juried testimony of love steeped in dark optimism. Dry, deadpan vocals chant over skittish guitar and danceable 70s grooves—songs snapping like rubber bands—seesawing between post-punk and its insomniac twin sister disco. With contradicting references as overt as Talking Heads (without the shoulders), but as specific as Haruomi Hosono of Yellow Magic Orchestra (with some polka dots), the band is carrying a funky torch that does not get lit too often.

By the end of the short and bitter-sweet 4-song EP, punctuated by Sam York’s sign-off of “no you can’t take it back now,” 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. Tired of the familiar? Seeing dots? Wake up!

TBR 10/26 // First 150 EP’s Hand-Numbered // Special Edition EP’s (limited to 250) Feature Flexi-Disc w/Remixes by Austin Brown (Parquet Courts) and House of Feelings // All LP’s Include Insert w/Lyrics // Also Available on CD
PRE-ORDER: PUBLICE PRACTICE – DISTANCE IS A MIRROR EP SPECIAL EDITION W/REMIXES FLEXI ($20)
PRE-ORDER: PUBLICE PRACTICE – DISTANCE IS A MIRROR EP REGULAR EDITION (14$)

Keep your mind open.

[Get in the practice of subscribing.]