The cover for Pink Mexico‘s new album, Dump, shows a man who appears to be in his 60’s wearing black socks with sandals hitting a long-haired, tattooed young’un in red socks and combat boots with a shovel while standing in front of a locked, graffiti-covered storage shed or garage. I’m not sure what this image is supposed to convey, but I can’t help thinking it’s a tongue-in-cheek poke at Millennials, hipsters, and, yes, people older than them. It’s a mix of “Turn down that racket, you damn hippies!” and “Will you old folks stop bitching about everything?”
Starting with “Thumbsucker,” Pink Mexico (Robert Collum, Ian Everall, and Grady Walker) unload great hooks out of the gate and a wild guitar solo to let you know this is going to be a wild ride. “High Dive” brings to mind early Wavves cuts with its surf touches amidst the fuzz and buzz and lyrics about being so stoned you think you might die. Speaking of such subjects, “Prescription Overdose (P.O.D.)” confronts that subject head-on as the band pleads for friends of theirs to scale back on the pills.
“Dirty & Stupid” is an ode to screwing up a great relationship due to too much partying (“If you need me, I’ll be wasted…How did I get home? Why am I all wet?”). “Sex Happiness” is about a similar theme – trying to remember the afterglow of great sex. The vocal reverb is a great touch to the fuzz and squawks of the guitars. “Girlfriend” keeps the themes of sex and confusion with lyrics like, “Do you know what it means to be happy on your own?” battling with “I think I love you, but this is too new.” The brief fade-in and fade-out of “WSLY” is a bit of a fake jab to the near-doom metal right cross of “Shit River.” The squeaks and squeals of the guitars on “Rattlebrain” might leave you feeling that way.
“I’ve heard it all before.” the band yells on “Fuckhead” – which could be a verbal smackdown to political leaders, bosses, contemporary rock radio, or all of the above. The beats and riffs of “Liberty Kid” will get you jumping and remind of early Nirvana cuts. While we’re on the subject of Nirvana, one can’t help but think the brief “Psycho Juice” is a tribute to Kurt Cobain due to its lyrics about suicide by gunshot.
“Heartfist” begins with throbbing synth-bass and fuzzy vocals and then turns into a heavy psychedelic jam about heartbreak and anger (“She turned my heart into a fist.”). It’s a cool way to end the album – fuzzy psychedelia after so much heavy hitting.
The album’s title is as intriguing as the cover. Does the dump refer to how the lyricist feels inside after so much relationship trouble, the status of a relationship, an actual place, the state of the nation, or the need to dump / vent all of his anger? It’s probably all of them, and all of them get bludgeoned by the raucous energy of this record.
Coming in at a hot eleven minutes, Warish‘s debut EP contains five wild tracks of grungy punk that their label, RidingEasy Records, describes as a combination of Nirvana and Misfits, andthat’s accurate.
Beginning with “Bones,” guitarist / vocalist Riley Hawk sets the stage with buzzsaw riffs that Ty Segallwould love. Drummer Bruce McDonnell starts literal and metaphorical mosh pits with his ferocious beats on “Voices.” He and Hawk put out enough energy for a six-piece, let alone a two-man band.
The chant of “Fight for your life!” on “Fight” (not to mention the pedal-to-the-metal drumming) is sure to get your blood pumping. “Human” is the longest track on the EP, and it’s not even three minutes long. It’s probably a good thing it isn’t longer, because I’m not sure the human body or speakers built by humans could withstand the face and wire-melting power of it for more than two minutes and thirty-nine seconds. The EP ends with “Shivers,” a hard-hitting fuzz-fest that leaves you nearly out of breath.
A full-length album by these two will be one of the heaviest records of this generation if their self-titled EP is any indication. Get on the bandwagon now.
Smalltown Supersound is pleased to announce the release of 58-year-old Norwegian composer Erik Wøllo’s Sources. Early Works 1986 – 1992, out March 29th. Additionally, Wøllo shares the ethereal and atmospheric “Ody to Sea.”
Listen to “Ody to Sea” – https://youtu.be/rBw8rKXHDcM
Wøllo, who has been a professional artist since 1980, has covered a wide range of styles, from rock and jazz to experimental electronic and classical music. He was one of the first Norwegian composers who adapted a minimalistic style, building a bridge between grand symphonic realms and gentle, serene sounds. His musical statements range from slowly-drifting kaleidoscopic passages to epic soaring guitar melancholy, to upbeat ever-changing sequences and compelling melodies. Possessing a sense of drama and storytelling, Wøllo has been composing and performing music for films, theater, ballets, and art exhibitions, as well as music for string quartets and large orchestras.
Sources joins Wøllo’s nearly 40-album catalogue. Comprised of 10 previously unreleased tracks, Sources was originally recorded surrounding the album sessions that spun Dreams Of Pyramids (1984), Traces (1985), and Silver Beach (1986). This was the start of a very fruitful and inspired period for Wøllo, thanks to modernized technology like MIDI and inspiration from music from all over the globe. “There was lots of new equipment coming out during these years, and this reflects the music I made at the time.” Wøllo says. “There was also a lot of great electronic music released. I was inspired by artists like Hassell, Eno and Budd. Also a big influence was Klaus Schulze after seeing him at the legendary Oslo club, Club 7 in 1984.” The spacey sounds on Sources show a clear line of cosmic excursions between Wøllo’s early releases to modern day fellow Norwegian travelers Lindstrøm, Bjørn Torske, and Prins Thomas.
Sources remained untouched, transferred from tapes that Wøllo had made years ago, before Helge Sten (Deathprod) mastered the material in his Audio Virus Lab. The collection was mostly created with a Roland MSQ 700 sequencer, in real time with several MIDI synths/modules recorded directly to either a 2-track stereo recorder or 4-track Tascam Portastudio.
“I am very happy that the album feels like one whole. I do not often look back, and I rarely listen to my own releases after they are released,” says Wøllo. “Sometimes I get positively surprised discovering new aspects of my older material. This is music made on impulse and with an eagerness to create. Not much thought was put into how it would be released. At least this is the way I remember it.”
Sources. Early Works 1986 – 1992 Track list: 1. Blooming 2. Swamp Land 3. Soft Journey 4. Under Water 5. The Near Future 6. Big Sky 7. The Movie 8. Luftreise 9. Native Dance 10. Ody At Sea
Pre-orderSources. Early Works 1986 – 1992 http://smarturl.it/sts342-preorder
“The Indications get even better on new LP ‘American Love Call,’ which contains frequent jolts of Frankie Lymon falsetto from drummer Aaron Frazer. Much of contemporary R&B is forceful and rugged; on tracks like ‘Court of Love’ and ‘Sea Gets Hotter,’ the Indications stay wonderfully delicate.” — Rolling Stone
Just ahead of the release of their sophomore album, American Love Call (out March 1st on Dead Oceans/Colemine Records), Durand Jones & the Indications are thrilled to share the album’s third single, “Long Way Home.”
“Aaron [Frazer] was playing something on guitar and I felt like it really went with something I was writing in my journal, a reflection on my experience with the justice system in America,” says Jones. “Aaron liked what I had and added his own perspective to it, about refugees, immigrants and the systemic obstacles they face on arrival. I can’t help but think of the brothers and sisters in America’s prison system whose lives are ruined over minor convictions. How some of my friends at home now navigate their young adult lives as felons, and all the barriers— social, political and economic— that come along with that. I also think of how we are not walking these trials alone. And if you’re willing to give a hand to help something, it usually comes back around when you need it. We have to show up for each other.”
Helmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer (drums), The Indications’ sound of “old-school soul with a new-school honesty” (NPR’s All Things Considered) is rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitarist), Kyle Houpt (bassist), and Steve Okonski (keyboard). The Indications will tour the US extensively this spring in support of American Love Call. A full list of tour dates are below.
Watch/Share: “Long Way Home” stream – https://youtu.be/o0P1dkvNSMI
“Morning In America” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANEafqL5io
“Don’t You Know” video – https://youtu.be/A9rDPXoGSDg
Durand Jones & the Indications’ Tour Dates: Mon. March 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Tue. March 19 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Thu. March 21 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroots Fri. March 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom — SOLD OUT Sat. March 23 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah — SOLD OUT Mon. March 25 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport — SOLD OUT Tue. March 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Wed. March 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Thu. March 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Restaurant & Music Club — SOLD OUT Fri. March 29 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish — SOLD OUT Sat. March 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent — SOLD OUT Mon. April 1 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. April 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Thu. April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room Fri. April 5 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater Sat. April 6 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room Tue. April 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Wed. April 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Thu. April 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. April 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar Sat. April 13 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sun. April 14 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival Tue. April 16 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel Wed. April 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Fri. April 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Sat. April 20 – Uncasville, CT @ Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Resort Sun. April 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Mon. April 22 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Wed. April 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater Fri. April 26 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Sat. April 27 – Oxford, MS @ Double Decker Arts Festival Sun. April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Sat. May 11 – Bloomington, IN @ Indiana University w/ Neko Case Fri. June 14 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sat. June 15 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sun. June 16 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Rebelution Mon. June 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater Wed. June 19 – Fresno, CA @ Woodward Park Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Thu. June 20 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Avila Beach Golf Resort w/ Rebelution Fri. June 21 – Sacramento, CA @ Papa Murphy’s Park (Bonney Field) w/ Rebelution Sat. June 22 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley w/ Rebelution Sun. June 23 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Ampitheater w/ Rebelution Thu. June 27 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Garden – Outlaw Field w/ Rebelution Fri. June 28 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sat. June 29 – Redmond, WA @ King’s County Marymoor Park w/ Rebelution Sun. June 30 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater w/ Rebelution
Pre-order American Love Call* – https://ffm.to/americanlovecall
*Dead Oceans exclusive bundle includes the album on limited transparent orange vinyl, limited edition transparent purple “Morning in America b/w Cruisin’ to the Park” Colemine Records white label promo 7”, a 7” adapter and poster.
WATCH “GOOD TIME CHARLIE” https://youtu.be/nEN_GTab-ro
WATCH “THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS” http://smarturl.it/TheSeductionOfKansas
Washington, D.C. rock trio Priests – comprised of drummer Daniele Daniele, vocalist Katie Alice Greer, and guitarist G.L. Jaguar – share “Good Time Charlie,” off of their forthcoming album, The Seduction of Kansas, out April 5th via Sister Polygon Records. They also share an accompanying lyric video. Following the lead single and the band’s purest pop song to date, “The Seduction of Kansas,” “Good Time Charlie” is a tightly wound track spun out of America’s westernized vision of violence.
“I like to think of this song a little bit like the Gilligan’s Island Theme song, but for a Hollywood tale of Charlie Wilson. It’s also a little bit about 9/11 but much like Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, the character sketch is more drawn out in its absence rather than presence. I saw a documentary about the history of the United States’ relationship with the Middle East, and there was clip of an 80s lady who looked a little like Vanna White (who turned out to be Joanne Herring) saying how she wanted to get the Mujahadeen guns to fight the communists because she believed they worshipped the same god as her. So I got curious about how this story unfolded, but even more so, how the tale has been told in western culture. I watched the movie Charlie Wilson’s War and it was so unintentionally funny the way they told this story, like think of the movie Team America, except the filmmakers weren’t joking (at least I don’t think). And then I read in the film’s Wikipedia page: “The film’s happy ending came about because Tom Hanks ‘just can’t deal with this 9/11 thing.’” I don’t know why exactly but this got stuck in my head and made my brain feel like it was exploding. So, with Daniele and GL and Janel Leppin on bass, we made it into a song. Hope you like it!”
The Seduction of Kansas probes the realities and mythologies of America in 2019. Marking the first time the band has collaborated with someone outside of their DC-based community – a decidedly less hermetic approach – they found a kindred spirit in producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen, St. Vincent). The band spent two weeks recording at his Elmwood Studio in Dallas. They also enlisted help from primary bassist and fourth songwriting collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin, who played on the band’s previous album, Nothing Feels Natural. The songwriting process found the group once again analyzing the textures and scopes of albums as aggressive as they are introspective, like Massive Attack’sMezzanine, Portishead’sThird, and Nine Inch Nails’Downward Spiral.
Priests will soon embark on a North American and European tour. All dates are below.
PRIESTS 2019 TOUR DATES Fri. March 8 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Music Festival Sat. March 9 – Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse Mon. March 11 – Fri. March 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW Sun. March 17 – Nashville, TN @ Exit / In Mon. March 18 – Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light Mon. April 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Tue. April 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Thu. April 18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Fri. April 19 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo Sat. April 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison Sun. April 21 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Mon. April 22 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Thu. April 25 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Fri. April 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Sat. April 27 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Sun. April 28 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews Tue. April 30 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Wed. May 1 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Sat. May 11 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Sun. May 12 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Mon. May 13 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room) Tues. May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Wed. May 15 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Thu. May 16 – London, UK @ 100 Club Fri. 17 May – Lille, FR @ Aeronef Sat. 18 May – Paris, FR @ Supersonic Mon. 20 May – Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Witloof Bar) Tue. 21 May – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Wed. 22 May – Munich, DE @ Import/Export Thu. 23 May – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik Fri. 24 May – Heidelberg, DE @ Queer Festival (Karlstorbahnhof) Sat, 25 May – Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Mon. 27 May – Aarhus DK @ Tape Tue. 28 May – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Wed. 29 May – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain Thu. 30 May – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklag (Goldener Salon) Fri. 31 May – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Sat. 1 June – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival Sat. June 15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Sun. June 16 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook Mon. June 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn Tue. June 18 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Thu. June 20 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Fri. June 21 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. June 22 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Mon. June 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Tue. June 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Wed. June 26 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar Thu. June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. June 29 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Mon. July 1 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Tue. July 2 – Vancouver, BC @ The Bitmore Wed. July 3 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Sat. July 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Sun. July 7 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Tue. July 9 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar Wed. July 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
PRAISE FOR “THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS”
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] is a reminder of what makes the band’s sharp, cerebral music so exciting.” – NPR Music
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] swings and glides in ways that the band’s past work only hinted at.” – Rolling Stone
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] is like a semiotics class set to an arty dance beat: the singer Katie Alice Greer flings around signifiers of American culture — Superman, Dorothy, Applebee’s — before repeating a vow that teeters between genuine and controlling: ‘It’s true, I’m the one that loves you.’” – The New York Times
“True to the ‘seduction’ part of the equation, the song also finds Priests wielding a poppiness and slickness new to their sound.” – Stereogum
PRE-ORDER THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS Sister Polygon pre-order – http://sisterpolygonrecords.bigcartel.com iTunes Pre-order – https://apple.co/2TvJs3c
So far, the winner of Most Intriguing Album Cover of 2019 goes to Ladytron (Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt, Helen Marnie, Reuben Wu) for their new, self-titled album. A young couple runs from a luxury car left abandoned on a road toward a raging forest fire. They are willingly, gleefully running toward chaos, fury, and death. If that doesn’t sum up the cultural zeitgeists for many people in the U.S. and the U.K., I don’t know what does.
Ladytron’s new album is their first new material in seven years. They’ve seen the change in the world’s political atmosphere, the further embrace of technology that is advertised as a communication tool but only drives us into our own literal and metaphorical cocoons, the Brexit vote, the 2016 U.S. presidential election, mass shootings, bombings, hurricanes, civil wars, genocides, and more things that keep us awake at night. They’ve responded with an album of searing electro and haunting hooks.
Opening with “Until the Fire,” the vintage synths and slightly spooky double vocals us Ladytron fans love immediately swirl around you as Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo sing about the power and danger of desire. “The Island” is a lush synthwave track that has bright chords that hide a bit of menace (i.e., The last line of the song is “We are savages.”).
“I only came here for the view,” they sing to begin “Tower of Glass” – a song about not throwing stones, physical and verbal, at others. “Far from Home” sounds like “classic” Ladytron, if that’s even a proper term. The synths on it sound like they were dug out of Giorgio Moroder’s basement. “Paper Highways” brings out their love of krautrock, not to mention industrial goth.
“The Animals” is a haunting but toe-tapping song about war, racism, and the insanity of it all. “We are more like you than the ones than the ones that you view,” they sing. “Run” has processed beats that would make John Carpenter jealous and mysterious lyrics like, “Stop looking at me with a gun in your hand.” “Deadzone” has sharp-as-a-knife beats and even deadlier synth stabs and chords throughout it.
“Figurine” moves with an urgency that gets you moving right away and builds to a great rush. The synth bass on “You’ve Changed” is outstanding. I’m willing to bet the title refers to not only a particular person, but also the general public who seem to have lost their collective mind (i.e., “You’ve changed. What were you thinking?”). This song has probably been remixed by dozens of synthwave DJ’s by now to tear up dance floors, as it should.
“Horrorscope” is plain enough to understand. Again, just look at the album cover. The future is full of bad things if we don’t turn around now (“…across the hemispheres, and now it’s always near.”). “The Mountain” builds from a far echo to a state of soaring psychedelic synth bliss. “Tomorrow Is Another Day” is almost relaxing chillwave and would fit on a make-out playlist as long as you want a bit of intrigue while you’re getting your groove on with someone.
It’s a nice return for Ladytron. Synthwave is making a big comeback, and it’s good to see Ladytron taking the reins and shaking us out of our 24-hour news cycle-induced funk.
Today, virtuosic Tuareg guitarist and songwriter releases “Wiwarsharnine,” the new single off his forthcoming album Ilana (The Creator), out March 29th on Sahel Sounds. This follows the first single off the record, the steadily-building-to-boil “Kamane Tarhanin,” which turned a lot of heads that had never heard Moctar’s hypnotizing music.
“Wiwasharnine” is one of the standout tracks on Ilana and a favorite in Niger. Unfolding with pop and upbeat vibe, “Wiwsharnine” contrasts somewhat with the heavy political sensibilities in the lyrics. (included below). This contrast is often at the heart of Tuareg guitar, where burning guitar solos carry fierce messages of resistance. Nevertheless, “Wiwasharnine” is a hometown anthem, and the recording stays true to it’s form with a chorus of stomping and handclaps that bring it back to an outdoor wedding in the desert.
In other Mdou-related news, on his recent US tour in January, he proved himself more than just a guitar hero, but a full-stop HERO, when, after witness a car accident on the highway in Tennessee, he jumped from his tour van and kicked open a car door to help bring one of the accident’s victims to safety. What a guy!
Moctar hails from a small village in the Azawagh desert of Niger. As a child, he taught himself to play homemade guitars, cobbled together out of planks of wood. In an area where guitar music was all but prohibited, he quickly rose to the status of local celebrity amongst the village youth. In contrast to the polished style of Imarhan or Bombino, Mdou Moctar trades in unrelenting gritty rock and has no qualms about going full shred. But Mdou’s success is not confined to guitar theatrics alone. From his experiments in autotune (Music from Saharan Cellphones, 2011), unfiltered field recordings (Afelan, 2013), DIY overdubbed folk ballads (Sousoume Tamachek, 2017), to a starring role in a Saharan remake of Purple Rain (Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, 2015), Mdou stands out amongst his peers for his unparalleled vision.
“WIWARSHARNINE” LYRICS This life today I understand nothing The strongest are always the ones who eliminate the weak This world is always changing sometimes rising sometimes falling But nothing ever changes for my people All the countries are in joy But my people remain stranded and this pains me
PRAISE FOR “KAMANE TARHANIN”
“It’s easy to imagine the breadth of Mocatar’s musical influences. [‘Kamane Tarhanin’] is a droning, hypnotic, and psychedelic meditation.” – NPR Music
“blistering and gritty psych rock” – Stereogum
“While nothing captures the live Mdou Moctar experience, this is as close as I’ve heard.” –Afropop Worldwide
MDOU MOCTAR TOUR DATES Thu. March 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum Fri. March 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class Sat. March 30 – Detroit, MI @ Trinosophes Sun. March 31 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Mon. April 1 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revifval – Sanctuary Tue. April 2 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Wed. April 3 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Thu. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle Fri. April 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Psych Festival Sat. April 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ Pageturners Lounge Mon. April 8 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall Tue. April 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Fri. April 12 – Olympia, WA @ Octapas Sat. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater Sun. April 14 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey Thu. April 18 – Oakland, CA @ Red Bay Coffee Fri. April 19 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door Sat. April 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon Sun. April 21 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah Mon. April 22 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole Tue. April 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Thu. April 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Fri. April 26 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA Sat. April 27 – Lafayette, LA @ TBA Sun. April 28 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Tue. April 30 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
Drugdealer, the project led by Los Angeles-based MichaelCollins, is pleased to announce their new album, Raw Honey, due for release April19th on MexicanSummer. RawHoney continues where Drugdealer’s debut album, The End of Comedy, left off, with Collins once again leading an ace crew of collaborators to coalesce the spirit of Drugdealer’s classically modern pop. Watch Video For Lead Single, “Fools” — https://drugdealer.lnk.to/Fools
Built on the foundation of a creative partnership between Collins, SashaWinn (vocals) and ShagsChamberlain (bass, production), Drugdealer is more a collective than band. RawHoneywas engineered by MacDeMarco and features contributions of JoshDaCosta (drums), JacksonMacIntosh (guitar), DannyGarcia (guitar), MichaelLong (lead guitar), and Benjamin Schwab (backing vocals, guitar, organ, piano, wurlitzer), as well as guest vocalists like country balladeer DougiePoole (“Wild Motion”), HarleyHill-Richmond (“Lonely”), and frequent collaborator NatalieMering (WeyesBlood) whose dulcet tones sing low before soaring on “Honey,” a track as silky as the nectar itself.
Throughout RawHoney, Collins and crew display their influences as a new tapestry, one woven with the recycled fibers from thousands of tapestries that have colored our collective listening histories. As evidenced throughout Raw Honey, Collins has an ear for penning numbers that would sound as at home on Classic Rock radio as they would at Zebulon in Los Angeles, where any of the contributors to RawHoney could, perhaps, be found on any night of the week, on stage, or in the audience supporting another Angelino’s modern pop aspirations.
Rather than hiding behind a curtain or casually sidestepping AOR tropes, RawHoney adheres to a modern kind of creation — one that cultivates influences and espouses reverence. An honest totem, RawHoney isn’t tangled up in social norms, with Collins preferring to air his self-doubt as a northern star to guide like-minded people wherever they need to go.
After playing release shows in both LA and NYC in April, Drugdealer will tour Europe this spring and North America this summer. All tour dates are on-sale this Friday, with tickets available here. RawHoney Tracklist: 01. You’ve Got To Be Kidding 02. Honey 03. Lonely 04. Lost In My Dream 05. Fools 06. If You Don’t Know Now, You Never Will 07. Wild Motion 08. London Nightmare 09. Ending On A Hi Note
Drugdealer Tour Dates: Fri. April 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom (Raw Honey Release Show) Fri. April 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel (Raw Honey Release Show) Sun. May 12 – Manchester, UK @ YES Mon. May 13 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Tue. May 14 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana Wed. May 15 – London, UK @ The Dome Tufnell Park Thu. May 16 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere Fri. May 17 – Cologne, DE @ Gewölbe GmbH Sun. May 19 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega (Small Hall) Mon. May 20 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus Thu. May 23 – Brussels, BE @ Witloof Bar Sat. May 25 – Amsterdam, NL @ De Nieuwe Anita Wed. July 10 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf Fri. July 12 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Inside Sat. July 13 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar Sun. July 14 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Mon. July 15 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Tue. July 16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Wed. July 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Sun. July 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café Mon. July 22 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Tue. July 23 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village Wed. July 24 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Sat. July 27 – Calgary, AB @ Palomino Social Club Mon. July 29 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern Tue. July 30 – Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret Wed. July 31 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Fri. Aug. 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Sun. Aug. 4 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriets
Wild Fox were the first band my wife and I saw when we attended Levitation France last year. I walked out of their set thinking, “If you need a band to open your festival, those four lads should be high on your list.”
Their new EP, Wanker’s Juice, is five songs of raucous garage shoegaze rock that starts with “African Running,” which I can’t help but think was inspired by the theme to Shaft (listen to that opening high hat). It mixes shoegaze licks with precision drumming, and slightly creepy bass lines. “Chester” brings in brighter (but still fuzzy) guitars and reverbed echoes to bounce off the back of a pub or a concert hall.
“Mursees,” the first single from the EP, mixes in a bit of surf madness and is indicative of their fiery live performances. It just slaps you upside the head with a killer bass groove, frantic drumming, and guitars that come at you like out-of-control bulldozers. “Sunday” is a fine blend of psychedelic fuzz and garage punk. The closer, “Lock,” has a great tempo for running, racing, or moshing. The chorus is “It’s gonna be all right.” That’s it. That’s all we need to know, really.
The theme of “Hang on. / Don’t worry. / It’s okay. / Better times are ahead.” is prevalent in a lot of music in the last year or so. The current political situations across the world, let alone in the European Union and the U.S., are causing a lot of stress to many. Bands like Wild Fox are encouraging us to cut loose, focus on the present, get laid (I mean, come on, that title…), and embrace life. We should all follow their lead.
The Coathangers have shared a poignant and fiery new single “F The NRA” from their forthcoming album The Devil You Know, out March 8 on Suicide Squeeze. The song was written by guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel, who felt compelled to make a political statement in the face of potential backlash in part because she is a refugee from Belarus, a country with limited freedom of speech and press. She’s expanded upon her motivations to speak out in an essay published at The Talkhouse, replete with contributions and advice from Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Brendan Canty (Fugazi/The Messthetics) and Dennis Lyxzen (Refused, International Noise Conspiracy).
From Julia Kugel: “I do not take the freedom of expression that all U.S. citizens are granted lightly. The band was confident that we wanted to put ‘F the NRA’ on the record. It provided a personal catharsis and a sense of empowerment in the wake of the immense feeling of helplessness that was weighing heavily on us as we coped with continuous reports of mass shootings. It was not until those around us started warning us of the repercussions we could face, did we realize the risk involved in yelling at the giant. My ingrained fear of speaking out came back to me. Yet the reason I am a musician is because of a need to express my truth, personal or political. I began to question everything: the rights of an artist, the responsibility of being political, the fear of backlash, and the desire to be heard.”
