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Durand Jones and the Indications’ new album, “American Love Call,” due out March 1st.
Watch Video For New Single “Don’t You Know” (Feat. Aaron Frazer)
“Is it any wonder that y’all about to blow up!” – Robin Roberts, Good Morning America
“…I can attest that witnessing Jones live is very much akin to how I imagine the early shows of his heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s – tight as hell, bursting with raw emotion and drenched in sweat.” – Variety
Today, Durand Jones & The Indications are proud to announce their return with American Love Call, a fierce album that reckons with how to balance love and fury of modern day America, due March 1st via Dead Oceans/Colemine Records. Hailed by NPR’s All Things Considered as “old-school soul with a new-school honesty,” The Indications conjure the dynamism of Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfi eld, AND TheImpressions. This young band of twenty-somethings are students of soul. Watch the video for American Love Call’s lead single, “Don’t You Know,” featuring both Jones and drummer/singer Aaron Frazer on vocals, below. Watch Video For “Don’t You Know” (Feat. Aaron Frazer) –
http://y2u.be/A9rDPXoGSDgHelmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer, and rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitarist), Kyle Houpt(bassist), and Steve Okonski (keyboard), The Indications released their self-titled debut album to much acclaim on renowned Midwestern soul label, Colemine Records. The album quickly picked up steam on the back of the band’s booming live show and the enthusiastic recommendation of independent record store clerks across the country. The group’s second effort, American Love Call, is an album made the way the Indications dreamed it’d sound, a sprawling and limitless equation; grand and cinematic, yet focused on fleeting details.
Recorded at Brooklyn’s Studio G earlier this summer, American Love Call is an expansion of the band’s sound, making a leap forward in both style and songwriting. Pulling influence from a variety of sounds like R&B, gospel, early folk rock, and classical music, the Indications’ second effort has a newfound confidence, with Jones’ bellowing voice and Frazer’s soothing falsetto filled out by backing vocals and instrumentation. Thematically, the album covers tough ground, like the danger of simplifying and romanticizing the past, but it also attempts to reconcile, searching for unifying commonalities. Brooding, bold, and pensive, American Love Call is the result of the band fleshing out its craft and elevating its dreamy, old-soul sound.
The Indications will tour the US extensively this spring in support of American Love Call. A full list of tour dates are below.
American Love Call Tracklist:
01. Morning In America
02. Don’t You Know (feat. Aaron Frazer)
03. Circles
04. Court Of Love (feat. Aaron Frazer)
05. Long Way Home
06. Too Many Tears (feat. Aaron Frazer)
07. Walk Away
08. What I Know About You (feat. Aaron Frazer)
09. Listen To Your Heart
10. Sea Gets Hotter (feat. Aaron Frazer)
11. How Can I Be Sure (feat. Aaron Frazer)
12. True Love
Durand Jones & The Indications’ Tour Dates:
Tue. Jan. 22 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
Wed. Jan. 23 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Fri. Jan. 25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso-Noord
Sun. Jan. 27 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater
Mon. Jan. 28 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
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
Sat. March 23 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Mon. March 25 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport
Wed. March 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. March 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Restaurant & Music Club
Fri. March 29 Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
Sat. March 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
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
Download album art & hi-res images of Durand Jones & The Indications –
http://pitchperfectpr.com/durand-jones-the-indications/ 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.
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Instagram | Spotify | Dead Oceans | Colemine Records Keep your mind open.[Subscribing would be a good indication that you’re a nice person.]
CHAI announce first 2019 U.S. tour dates and release new video / single “Great Job.”
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Review: Hprizm – Magnetic Memory
I stumbled upon Hprizm when his label, Don Giovanni Records, sent me an e-mail that more or less said, “We thought you might like this.” It turns out that I did, as Hprizm’s Magnetic Memory is one of the most intriguing rap records I’ve heard in a long while.
Combining slick beats with electro bleeps, def(t) sampling, and assured vocals, the album covers topics ranging from waking up from illusions to economic inequality. The opening track, “Keep Pushing,” reveals Hprizm’s MC skills in ways that will leave you dumbfounded. Lion roars and slightly industrial synths loop throughout “Infusion” as Hprizm mentions “America’s nightmare, us waking up.” “Resuscitate” mixes jazz saxophone and frantic, choppy beats with Hprizm unloading fierce rhymes you can barely follow because they rush by you like a speeding car. They barely slow down on “Waking Them Up,” in which he speaks of using prayer, fasting, and meditation to move beyond his earthly trappings and how he had to cut out negative people in his life to spiritually grow.
“G11 Forever” has a ghostly tone that I like, and the message of “Break the Body Down” (how fear, depression, and hate ultimately will destroy you) is even better. “Up from the Flames” boosts this message, bringing to mind a phoenix rising from the ashes, and the flute solo on it is outstanding. “F08 Soul” is a psychedelic shout-out to black Americans to remember their history and to all of us non-black folks to face our history and own up to it.
The horror movie-lie organs of “Asia (Adrenaline)” give way to snap-crackle-pop beats and rave whistles and Hprizm warns against those who “put fame over skill.” “What’s Worth What” is a quick sample track that flows into “And Bet” – a track that will get your head nodding and toes tapping. “And still I’m standing’ after the storm,” Hprizm declares at the beginning of “After the Storm.” “Strap it, ’cause it’s a wild ride,” he says. It’s a fitting bit of advice for the entire album, not just this song. The closer, “Electric Ladyland,” has the distorted guitar riffs you’d expect, but lots of choppy beats and mentions of “talking heads talkin’ to the walking dead.” It, and the album, ends with backward-looped guitar chords fading into a sharp drop.
This is a great record full of stuff that will take you months, if not years, to discover all of it.
Keep your mind open.
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Rewind Review: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – Profondo Rosso score (2015)
Funky and creepy at the same time, the score to Dario Argento‘s 1975 classic giallo movie Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) is a great one. Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin released this version a few years back with new performances of the classic material Simonetti made with the original members of Goblin and also with live versions and alternate cuts.
The main theme, “Profondo Rosso,” combines Simonetti’s clockwork synths with church organs, funk bass, and prog-rock drumming. “Death Dies” could fit into any 1970’s action film with its urgent piano chords, Titta Tani‘s car chase drums, and Bruno Previtali‘s groovy guitar squalls. Federico Amorosi‘s bass on “Mad Puppet” is like lava bubbling under a dormant volcano until about the three-minute mark when the tune becomes a chilling walk through what normally is a groovy neighborhood but now feels slightly…wrong.
“Deep Shadows” is bizarre with its quirky synths, Previtali’s shredding, and the rhythm section breaking the tune open into a prog-rock jam. A live version (from 2000) of “School at Night” follows, with its creepy child sing-song vocals and music box chimes, and it flows into live versions (from the same show) of “Mad Puppet” and “Profondo Rosso.”
Rounding out the album are alternate versions of “Death Dies” (from 1992) and “Profondo Rosso” (from 1990). Both are harder, faster versions. Simonetti’s piano work on “Death Dies” is especially frantic and jazzy. The version of the main theme (which is also another live cut) is even called the “rock version” and has bigger drums and guitars with a bit more distortion than usual. Plus, Simonetti goes nuts on his keyboards by the end of it.
It’s a great score, especially if you love giallo movies, Goblin’s work, or progressive rock.
Keep your mind open.
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Review: Axis: Sova – Shampoo You
Chicago power-punks Axis: Sova tighten up but still keep plenty of live-to-tape fuzz and fury on their newest record – Shampoo You.
The opening riffs of “Terminal Holiday” are a great example of that. The guitar fuzz is almost funky and then almost psychedelic while the Peter Hook-inspired bass keeps you from free-floating beyond gravity.
The guitars are pure new wave on “New Disguise.” The skronks and squeaks are great, and the drum beat is like something from an early Knack record. “Crystal Predictor” is one of the sharpest post-punk tracks of 2018 with a catchy chorus and guitar chords that shred one moment and then ooze the next.
The dual vocals on “Dodger” are a great touch to an already keen track that is louder than you realize at first. “Stale Green” slows down the tempo but ups the power and grooves. The bass groove on “Shock Recognition” could be from a Cure B-side, while the guitar solos border on noise rock cacophony and the electric drums are so precise that they might cut you.
The album ends with the Black Angels-like “Same Person Twice,” which might be about reincarnation or being stuck in repetitive relationships. I like that they decided to end the record on a slightly mellow note. It’s like a cool-down after a high-intensity spin bike workout.
This is one of those records that gets better with each listen.
Keep your mind open.
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Review: The Dunes – self-titled
You know you’re in for a psychedelic music treat when an album opens with a track entitled “The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-1.” Recorded between the Dunes‘ home land of Australia and their part-time homeland of Texas, the psych-giants’ newest (and self-titled) record is a welcome addition to 2018 releases. I’m a longtime fan of the band, and learning this record was coming out this year was like getting an early birthday present.
The opening track mixes shoegaze guitar droning with desert wind synths and didgeridoo tones to put you in the right frame of mind without the need for any kind of of, ahem, enhancements. It will do the work for you. “When You Wake Up” then bursts into your brain like the sun coming through the window after a long night of partying. The reverbed vocals speak of either sleeping off a bad trip, putting the past behind you, or reincarnation (“When you wake up, it’ll be all right.”). It could be all three for all I know. Just let the wall of distortion wash over you.
Psychedelic surf guitars step up front and center on “Making Friends with Codeine.” It’s appropriately trippy and catchy as all get-out. The cleverly titled “(Just Because You’re Not Being Followed Doesn’t Mean You’re Not) Paranoid” reminds me of Black Angels‘ tracks in that it’s creepy, rocking, and mind-melting all at the same time.
“Mountain” is something the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would’ve created if they’d become a psychedelic rock band instead of an art-punk band. The tribal of drums of “New Old” drive the track for over seven minutes of powerful psychedelic rock complete with vintage keys and guitars that stomp their fuzz pedals into submission.
“It feels like the bottom of the sea,” Stacie Reeves sings on “WKNDS” – a track heavy and weird enough to be on your playlist while doing deep sea research on bioluminescent fish or color-shifting cephalopods. “Pariah” is nearly nine minutes and it’s a fine journey toward a desert sunset while walking alongside an Aboriginal shaman.
“The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-II” closes the record, letting us know that our tour of the cosmos has come to a conclusion. The Dunes have taken you on a journey that is difficult to describe, but you know it was mind-altering while you were on it. Thankfully, you can take the journey anytime you want and will probably notice something different every time.
Keep your mind open.
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Review: Thrown Down Bones – Two
Italy’s Thrown Down Bones (Dave Gali and Francesco Vanni) fully embrace their love of breakbeat, house, rave, and dance music on their newest album – Two. Mixing synths with effects pedals, electronic drums, and touches of industrial guitars, TDB gets you moving from the outset and don’t let up until the LP ends.
The thumping beats and chugging bass that open the album and “First Follower” bring to mind some of Depeche Mode‘s darker tracks, and the pulsing, laser gun-like synths take us into sci-fi anime realms. The stunning “We Are Drugs” is your favorite industrial dance track of the year. The heavy but sharp bass line alone is worth the album’s purchase price.
The guitars on “Slow Violence” sound like an orchestrated saw mill (in a good way) while the synths bring a well-balanced light to the track. “NO-FI” is dark wave meets future noir dance music. It’s so slick that it might cause you to slip if you’re walking while listening to it.
You will love “Golovkin” if you were ever part of the 1990’s rave culture. It’s like stepping out of a strobe light-emblazoned time machine shaped like a pacifier. TBD clearly isn’t screwing around by this point and are staking their claim as one of the premiere electro dance track artists of Europe (if not worldwide). “Is This Us” keeps the amps at eleven by upping the distortion and the impact of the beats.
The backward-sounding bass on “Known Unknown” immediately intrigues you, and then the John Carpenter-like keyboard rhythms get you moving (or running from a Blade Runner, vampire, alien, or ninjas). By the time we get to the closer, “Zero Day Exploit,” you are deep in the Matrix with images of computer code, flying cars, robot soldiers, and android pole dancers flashing through your head.
Two is one of the most exciting records I’ve heard all year. It grabs you in the first few moments and holds on like a tandem skydiver until the end.
Keep your mind open.
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Wrecka Stow: Vertigo Records – Grand Rapids, MI
If you have a couple hours in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you can easily spend them at Vertigo Records (129 Division Avenue South). The place is full of used and new CDs, LPs, 45’s, DVDs, and more. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time there on my recent trip to Grand Rapids to see Goblin, but I wished I’d come to town earlier as soon as I walked in the door and saw this.
The place is a crate digger’s heaven. They were playing some vintage Kate Bush when I walked in and I even found a Goblin record (Roller) laid out among some DVDs and used CDs when I started exploring.
There were so many boxes of used CDs that I didn’t have time to sift through all of them. There were vintage 45’s, of course, and plenty of jazz, funk, electro, punk, and metal to round out the mix of rock and rap. There was even this section.
I also liked the wall of patches.
Don’t worry, vinyl lovers. This place has you covered.
That’s only a small section of what they have to offer. I walked out of there with a Merge Records 2018 CD sampler, but I’ll be sure to give myself extra time in Grand Rapids the next time I’m there because Vertigo deserves deep exploration.
Keep your mind open.
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Wrecka Stow: Culture Factory / Elvis My Happiness – Paris, France
I stumbled onto Paris’ Culture Factory / Elvis My Happiness wrecka stow while killing time before my wife and I left for the Levitation Music Festival in Angers, France. It’s at 27 Rue de L’Armorique and a must-see place if you’re a fan of Elvis Presley. The place is full of Elvis records, discs, and DVDs (and probably more stuff I didn’t notice). They have more than Elvis records, of course. This was the first rack I saw when I walked into the place.
That’s a bunch of limited edition CDs that feature sleeves and artwork that reproduce the album artwork. I snagged a copy of Iggy Pop‘s New Values from this rack.
Back to the Elvis stuff, however. Like I wrote above, it’s all over the place. Apart from what you see above that CD rack, this below is just a small sampling.
They had seemingly every televised or recorded live performance Presley ever released (and some might’ve been bootlegs). The owners are obviously massive fans and if they didn’t have the Elvis record you wanted, it probably doesn’t exist.
They have over vinyl there, of course. Here’s a small sample of their wares.
I had a fun conversation with the clerk who rang up my Iggy Pop CD. He asked, in French, if I wanted it gift wrapped. He finally understood that I didn’t speak French well. He asked if I were English (a common occurrence on the trip) and I told him, in French, that I was American and my French wasn’t good.
“That explains why you looked at me like I was the devil when I spoke French,” he said. He looked at the CD and said, “Iggy Pop…He is the devil.” and then told me about how he used to work at a Virgin Records mega-store in London a few years ago. Pop was doing a signing there and he was seated next to him when a woman came up to Pop and asked him if his (unknown to her) newest record was his first. The look on Pop’s face of disbelief was priceless and he simply said, “No, it’s not my first record.” He signed the album and then said, “That stupid bitch.” to the clerk as she walked away.
Keep your mind open.
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