Mastodon's upcoming live release, Live at the Aragon, is still pending. In the meantime, the band has seen to fit to post a live performance of "Ghost of Karelia." Give it a look/listen.
To see my prior entry regarding the release, click here.
I can't really stress enough about how necessary Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds albums continue to be, so it's good that they're continuing to be reissued. All the information below is courtesy of EMI:
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS TO RELEASE EXPANDED COLLECTORS EDITIONS OF FOUR CLASSIC ALBUMS ON MAY 17:
Let Love In, Murder Ballads, The Boatman’s Call, and No More Shall We Part
CD/DVD and Digital Packages Feature the Re-mastered Original Albums, Plus Extensive Audio and Video Extras in 5.1 Surround and Stereo
Hollywood, California – February 28, 2011 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce the latest in a series of reissues of their classic albums. Let Love In (1994), Murder Ballads (1996), The Boatman’s Call (1997) and No More Shall We Part (2001) -- their eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh studio albums, respectively -- will be released on May 17, each as a separate deluxe double-disc Collectors Edition.
These latest releases are the third set of reissues from a series that will ultimately see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ entire album catalogue digitally re-mastered and remixed for 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time since their original release.
Each deluxe double-disc Collectors Edition contains the re-mastered stereo album, the new surround mix, a specially commissioned short film made by UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, plus b-sides from the singles, videos and exclusive sleeve notes.
The first three consecutive albums in the re-mastered deluxe edition series -- From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks -- were released in 2009. The next four in the series -- Your Funeral…My Trial, Tender Prey, The Good Son and Henry's Dream – were released last year. All were received with unanimous critical welcome.
Let Love In [CD/DVD; digital audio]
CD
Do You Love Me?
Nobody's Baby Now
Loverman
Jangling Jack
Red Right Hand
I Let Love In
Thirsty Dog
Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore
Lay Me Low
Do You Love Me? (Part 2)
DVD
Let Love In (re-mastered album in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Additional Audio Tracks (in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Cassiel's Song
Sail Away
(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World
That's What Jazz Is To Me
Where The Action Is
Videos
Do You Love Me?
Loverman
Red Right Hand
Short Film
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 8: Let Love In)
The Bad Seeds are: Blixa Bargeld, Martyn P Casey, Mick Harvey, Conway Savage, Thomas Wydler * * *
Murder Ballads [CD/DVD; digital audio]
CD
Song Of Joy
Stagger Lee
Henry Lee
Lovely Creature
Where The Wild Roses Grow
The Curse Of Millhaven
The Kindness Of Strangers
Crow Jane
O'Malley's Bar
Death Is Not The End
DVD
Murder Ballads (re-mastered album in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Additional Audio Tracks (in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane
The Willow Garden
King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O
Knoxville Girl
Videos
Stagger Lee
Where The Wild Roses Grow
Henry Lee
Short Film
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 9: Murder Ballads)
The Bad Seeds are: Blixa Bargeld, Martyn P Casey, Mick Harvey, Conway Savage, James Sclavunos, Thomas Wydler * * *
The Boatman’s Call [CD/DVD; digital audio]
CD
Into My Arms
Lime Tree Arbour
People Ain't No Good
Brompton Oratory
There Is A Kingdom
(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?
West Country Girl
Black Hair
Idiot Prayer
Far From Me
Green Eyes
DVD
The Boatman’s Call (re-mastered album in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Additional Audio Tracks (in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Little Empty Boat
Right Now I'm A-Roaming
Black Hair (Band version)
Come Into My Sleep
Babe, I Got You Bad
Videos
Into My Arms
(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
Short Film
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 10: The Boatman’s Call)
The Bad Seeds are: Blixa Bargeld, Martyn P Casey, Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey, Conway Savage, James Sclavunos, Thomas Wydler * * * No More Shall We Part [CD/DVD; digital audio]
CD
As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
And No More Shall We Part
Hallelujah
Love Letter
Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow
God Is In The House
Oh My Lord
Sweetheart Come
The Sorrowful Wife
We Came Along This Road
Gates To The Garden
Darker With The Day
DVD No More Shall We Part (re-mastered album in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Additional Audio Tracks (in DTS Surround Sound 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and stereo)
Good Good Day
Little Janey's Gone
Grief Came Riding
Bless His Ever Loving Heart
Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow (Westside Session)
We Came Along This Road (Westside Session)
God Is In The House (Westside Session)
And No More Shall We Part (Westside Session)
Videos
As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
Love Letter
Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow
Short Film
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 11: No More Shall We Part)
The Bad Seeds are: Blixa Bargeld, Martyn P Casey, Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey, Conway Savage, James Sclavunos, Thomas Wydler
If you’re reading this, might I make a suggestion? An Italian psych/pop band Dumbo Gets Mad has an album out dubbed, Elephants At The Door. The band’s label, Bad Panda Records, is offering a free download of the album so long as you promote it via Facebook or Twitter. This is the label’s maiden release.
As far as free albums go, you could do a lot worse. Elephants At The Door is aurally bubblicious and dressed to some extent like a blotter acid Fruit Roll-Up. There are samples/beat machines and occasional lapses into minimalism reminding one of The xx and chillwave-ready lo-fi attached, though not burdened by. The introductory “Limbo’s Village” is like enlightened muzak, department store moog and jazz-syncopated percussion. “Marmalade Kids” sounds like it might have been inspired by countless spins of Steely Dan and The Sugarcubes. “Sleeping Over” crosses interacting keyboards with helium-addled vocalization.
Vinyl copies of Elephants At The Door from Big Cartel were released February 22nd. To order, click here.
Parts & Labor's new album, Constant Future, will be out mid-March. In the meantime, enjoy their single, "Rest," and check out tour information below. A review of Constant Future will appear in Issue #7 of Kicking Against The Pricks.
Information courtesy of Jagjaguwar:
Parts & Labor Share New MP3, Play SXSW.
Jagjaguwar are proud to share a new MP3 from Parts & Labor's already widely acclaimed opus Constant Future, which is out March 7 in the UK on CD/LP/Digital formats. "Rest" perfectly encapsulates the trio's ability to take elements of noise and turn them into an infectious pop song.
Listen to "Rest" here.
On March 8, Parts & Labor will celebrate the album's US release with a show at Monster Island Basement in their hometown of Brooklyn, NY. Check out the video flyer here. They will then hit the road in America, including a few appearances at the South By Southwest music festival, before embarking on a European tour in May (see below for UK headline dates; please note that there will be a more extensive jaunt later in the year).
TOUR DATES:
March 8 Brooklyn, NY- Monster Island Basement w/ Pterodactyl, Fiasco, Fuck Ton
March 11 Asheville, NC- Broadways w/ Pterodactyl, Files Around It
March 12 Memphis, TN- Hi-Tone w/ Pterodactyl
March 13 Denton, TX- Conferette Festival @ J&J's w/ The Non, Boom Boom Box, Dear Human
March 14 Houston, TX- Fitzgerald's downstairs w/ Pterodactyl, Prince Rama, Amen Dunes
March 15 New Orleans, LA- Howlin' Wolf Den Room w/ Pterodactyl, DOM
March 16-19 Austin, TX- South by Southwest
March 20 Hot Springs, AR- Valley of the Vapors Fest @ Low Key Arts
March 26 Allston, MA- Great Scott w/ Tallahasse, Hallelujah the Hills
April 13 New Haven, CT- BAR (free show)
April 15 Toronto, ON- Parts and Labour w/ Child Bite
April 16 Cleveland, OH- Beachland Tavern w/ Child Bite
April 17 Detroit, MI- Lager House w/ Child Bite
April 18 Milwaukee, WI- Cactus Club w/ Call Me Lightning
April 20 Chicago, IL- Empty Bottle w/ Child Bite, Call Me Lightning
April 21 Bloomington, IN- The Bishop w/ Child Bite
April 22 Lexington, KY- Cosmic Charlie's
April 23 St. Louis, MO- Luminary Center for the Arts w/ Lightning Bolt
April 25 Pensacola, FL- Sluggo's
April 26 Atlanta, GA- 529
April 27 Chapel Hill, NC- Local 506
April 29 Baltimore, MD- Golden West
April 30 Philadelphia, PA- Johnny Brenda's
May 4 Leipzig, Germany- Ut Connewitz
May 5 Nurnberg, Germany- K4
May 6 Oberhausen, Germany- Druckluft
May 7 Lausanne, Switzerland- Le Romandie
May 8 Freiburg, Germany- Atlantik
May 9 Faenza, Italy- Clandestino
May 13 Paris, France- Flech d'Or
May 14 Limoges, France- Lafourmi
May 15 Bordeaux, France- La Saintex
May 17 Charleroi, Belgium- Le Vector
May 18 London, England- CAMP Basement w/ Teeth Of The Sea
May 19 Birmingham, England- Hare & Hounds w/ Teeth Of The Sea
May 20 Brighton, England- Green Door Store w/ Teeth Of The Sea
May 21 Manchester, England- Ruby Lounge w/ Teeth Of The Sea
May 22 Sheffield, England- The Harley w/ Teeth Of The Sea
May 24 Utrecht, Netherlands- DB's
May 25 Bamberg, Germany- Morph Club
May 26 Wurzburg, Germany- Cairo
May 27 Offenbach, Germany- Hafen 2
May 28 Berlin, Germany- Levee Club
If interested, a couple of the links in the press release enable you to hear Schlarb's Psychic Temple and a video game soundtrack for NightSky.
Also, Aaron Roche's Plainspeak can be streamed through Bandcamp or through the Sounds Are Active website.
Courtesy of Terrorbird Media:
Chris Schlarb releases soundtrack to NightSky;
Brings Psychic Temple To NYC This March
Soundtrack to the PC game out now on Asthmatic Kitty, Psychic Temple out now on vinyl via Sounds Are Active
The Long Beach, CA based composer, musician, producer Chris Schlarb recently released his soundtrack to the video game NightSky, an original score performed by a small ensemble of avant-garde, jazz, and modern classical musicians. Quickly following up on his recent full-length, the gorgeous, sprawling Psychic Temple, the NightSky soundtrack is also ambitious in its expanse. IGN says "The best reason to play NightSky is to experience the relaxing, curious environments and the ambient soundtrack. You'll be rolling over deep black mountains, through fields of swaying grass, and past oddly bouncing creatures -- all in front of a hazy sunset backdrop. Echoing acoustic guitar strums and the hushed sounds of nature allow for quiet contemplation on the increasingly difficult challenges. This is the sort of thing people mean when talking about ambient gaming. Video gaming website Destructoid commented "The soundtrack is exceptional. Very atmospheric and generally soothing, I would often stop playing to do something else and then forget to close the program for hours while it lazed along in the background." You can stream the entire soundtrack HERE.
NightSky - out now on Asthmatic Kitty
Released by Asthmatic Kitty in late 2010, Schlarb's own imprint Sounds Are Active (I Heart Lung, Rare Grooves) have just released Psychic Temple on vinyl thanks to a successful Kickstarter project that wrapped up late last year. Inspired by the rhythmic pulse of microhouse and melodic vocabulary of jazz and folk music, Psychic Temple is a deeply considered meditation on beauty. An astounding work of passion and patience over one thousand hours in the making, Psychic Temple expands wildly in new directions, incorporating wordless vocal choirs, string quartets and horn sections into his 29 member ensemble. Listen to Psychic TempleHERE.
This March, Schlarb will be taking Psychic Temple to NYC on March 12th with a one-evening only performance at the Church of the Advent Hope. Presented by Destination: Out the performance will feature many of the musicians who made the album come to life like Mick Rossi (Philip Glass Ensemble), Aaron Roche, Andrew Pompey, Kirk Knuffke, Tabor Allen, Danny Miller, Reuben Radding, and many more. All upcoming shows will feature Psychic Temple played in its entirety.
Upcoming Shows 3-12 NYC, NY at Church of the Advent Hope 3-24 Los Angeles, CA at Origami Vinyl with Aaron Roche 6-18 Austin, TX at Salvage Vanguard Theater
Mike Watt’s Hyphenated-Man is just about released. Artist Norton Wisdom, decided to film himself illustrating each of the album’s thirty song titles, which are based upon characters as specifically named as “Beak-Holding-Letter-Man” and “Boot-Wearing-Fish Man.” The video is rather hypnotic.
SXSW is coming up and so are the parties. Below is a press release for the Force Field PR/Terrorbird Media event along with an online compilation of the bands featured at the event.
A few days ago, Krist Novoselic tweeted to #happybirthdaykurtcobain. It would've been Kurt Cobain's 44th birthday; long after teenage angst paid off well, long after he was bored and old. His death seemed an easy write-off for a generation based in cynicism, (that's how I remember it, anyway, aside from a candlelight vigil, a couple subsequent suicides and a huge retrospective in Rolling Stone magazine), and for the generation's parents whose arrogance remained self-righteous, unjustifiable and typically out of touch.
Peace and Love sold its soul for Expensive Drugs and Wall Street, naturally its progeny approached its own formative development with a keen sense of what it's like to be proud of obedience or proud of fraudulence. If there's a legend to Cobain, it's now being upheld by digitized youth enamored with the romantic idea conjured by the notion of Teen Spirit, whatever that was, (deodorant, essentially). The same could've been said about many 90s youth regarding Lizard Kings, (thank you, Oliver Stone), but Jim Morrison at least had the good sense to off himself after his relevance had expired. For those of us whose minds were irrevocably altered by Nevermind twenty years ago, Cobain's suicide felt like betrayal, and whatever fire he'd ignited in all of us he'd selfishly cut the wick and left the light burning long enough to leave ash, and pain, in its wake. Whatever satisfaction was gained from Alternative music's intrusion into the mainstream's contentment to suck, all of it had become as pointless and meaningless as Woodstock, especially once Pepsi bought up that cultural milestone.
With a spearhead like Cobain leading the charge for many fucked and disenfranchised youth, though, you almost can't blame the old heads for gloating. Inasmuch as the Baby Boomers folded in the face of capitalism, no one sells out like a junkie. Besides, Nirvana's contribution to popular music was met with the same "smelling shit" grimace The Beatles had left on their parents' faces almost thirty years prior. Nirvana's first appearance on Saturday Night Live was something I recall anticipating for the length of an entire Saturday up until 11:30PM. My Dad's attitude toward what he'd witnessed, especially when I'd made the Ed Sullivan comparison, bore a level of misunderstanding and superiority I hoped I'd never hold over my own children.
Understanding, though, now as a 34 year-old parent, remaining in touch and respectful isn't the easiest thing to achieve, especially when the generations' popular music continues to devolve. As the years tick by and hard work and creativity continue to take a backseat to shortcuts and complacency, albums matter less and less on a grand scale, and I feel fortunate to have experienced an album so potent. I don't know if any album has had the impact of Nevermind since its release. Well, maybe Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP, but tipping the scales on hate speech and first amendment debates isn't something one would consider inspirational. Controversial? Sure.
Anyway, I'm listening to the album now.
...
A couple days after I'd turned 15, my Christmas gift from at least three people was Nevermind on cassette. I remember giving one to my brother; not sure where the other wound up. I was very eager to give it a listen so, as not to offend the adults around me, I found a Walkman and pretty much kept myself plugged into it for the length of the day. As far as the visceral experiences one has as a teenager, I felt like I was being introduced to something important and exciting. What I didn't know at the time was that Nirvana's output was an appropriation of Pixies' constructs and Beatles' melodies. What I also didn't understand was that there were a lot of bands, from Seattle and other parts of the U.S., that were working toward exposing the independent underground. Nevermind just happened to be the first.
Stock may have diminished to some extent on this album. The unfortunate aspect of being essential is that rock radio does all it can to wring singles out like wet towels and sort of leave them worn and wrinkled; used. Sooner or later, you can't stand them anymore. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has definitely found itself alongside "Stairway To Heaven" or "You Shook Me All Night Long," veritable rock monuments drained of any and all purpose or meaning thanks to continual, pointless air play. Because of this, what you find listening to Nevermind twenty years later is that it's not a good album because of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "In Bloom." Sure the A-Side still contains some great tracks that haven't yet lost their appeal, songs like "Come As You Are" and "Lithium" remain some of the album's best moments. "Breed?" Infectious. (I remember thinking there was some real poetic genius behind the "We can plant a house/We can build a tree" lyric. Now I hear the line and think, "Oh. Heroin.") Granted, Nevermind's entire first side bred an entire youth culture and hijacked about ten dollars from every wallet, but the B-Side...
If Nevermind can still be called one of the greatest rock albums of all time, it's because of the B-Side. Aside from "Territorial Pissings'" mock n' roll appropriation of The Youngbloods, "Drain You" is probably one of the best songs Cobain ever wrote, a minimally accessible, though hook savvy, pop abstraction. "Lounge Act" resonated more with me than any other song on the album, enamored with Cobain's guitar phrasing and Novoselic's low end. And, I really dug the chorus. (Dork moment: I used to take pencil sticks, play this song, and pretend I was drumming along.) Honestly, what made Nirvana the ultimate anti-Pop group, were their B-sides and rarities. They knew how to dress up a song for mass consumption, but also how to properly convey where they were from musically. Whatever luster's faded from the "Teen Spirit" that brought Nirvana their success, Nevermind's still credible. It's good when you realize at least SOME of your teenage epiphanies continue to hold true.
Twenty years.
Cliches being cliches, there were doors opened for me that I've been navigating ever since my three copies of Nevermind found permanence in my life, a relic of the utmost value in terms of what it's offered me. I can say with all certainty that this band and this album changed my perspective and exposed me to albums, songs and bands that I may have never discovered otherwise. I'm grateful, but I'm also pissed off that I'm emotionally caught up in a nostalgic "remember when."
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
P.S. — If interested, I reviewed the Bleach Deluxe Edition for No Ripcord for its twentieth anniversary release in 2009.
Really good four-song Daytrotter set from Crystal Castles. Give it a listen if you're so inclined. They come up with a good rendition of Black Randy & The Metrosquad's "I Slept In An Arcade."
As overrated and disappointing as the otherwise very well-received Dear Science was in 2008, TV On The Radio’s new song, “Will Do,” is somewhat of a redemption. I’m happy to hear them using guitars, again. Seemed like instruments were taking a backseat to knob twisting of the kid-in-a-candystore variety, David Sitek more excited to make sounds as opposed to music.
But, that’s just my opinion. Dear Science hasn’t been spoken of since it broke on through, so maybe it wasn’t the earth shattering work of genius critics thought it was. We’ll see how TVOTR’s upcoming album, Nine Types Of Light, performs.
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be anymore news about Panda Bear, the man goes and releases a new single. "Surfer's Hymn" will be released as a 7," the single presented in its regular Noah Lennox version and then a remixed version for the B-side. The guest re-mixer is Actress (Honest Jon).
Information below is courtesy of Force Field PR. The featured single, "Last Night at the Jetty," is from Panda Bear's upcoming Tomboy LP.
Panda Bear announces "Surfer's Hymn" single, due on Kompakt on March 14
On March 14th, KOMPAKT is thoroughly honoured to release the final installment from ANIMAL COLLECTIVE's Noah Lennox aka PANDA BEAR limited 7" series. This follows previous 7"es on his own PAW TRACKS label, as well as FATCAT and DOMINO as the build-up continues to his forthcoming full length TOMBOY on PAW TRACKS due out in April.
SURFER'S HYMN eases like the ocean crashing against the beach. In fact, Noah's voice ebbs and flows in harmonious grace with a sample of that very sound while the blissful thump of a bass drum keeps the song together.
ACTRESS of Honest Jon's fame makes a rare remix appearance with a take on the original - his signature tribal thump makes ease in what is the most straight laced dance floor stunner we've heard from him ever. Somewhere found between DJ KOZE and VILLALOBOS we are thoroughly floored with this remake.
As with the previous releases, Scott Mou (1/2 of Jane w/ Lennox and from Other Music) does an impeccable job creating the artwork for this release.
As with the previous 7" releases this is a limited edition pressing and is destined to sell out so act be sure to act fast!!
Would you like to hear The Fresh & Onlys kick it like Roy Orbison? Listen to "Do You Believe In Destiny," the first single from their upcoming EP, Secret Walls. If you like what you hear, you can find info below on the release and the band's tour schedule, courtesy of Force Field PR.
The Fresh & Onlys preps Secret Walls EP for Sacred Bones label
The Fresh & Onlys have had an unusually prolific past couple of years. On the heels of their critically acclaimed album Play It Strange, the band returns with a bold creative leap forward on their new EP Secret Walls. The cavernous opening sounds of Secret Walls reveal the strong threads of hazy post-punk melancholy that have been woven throughout the band's catalog and have now fully matured.
Tim Cohen's crooning baritone is more confident and commanding than ever as it is sewn into the dizzying tapestry of melody, while the guitar sounds of Wymond Miles often suggest the dynamic interplay of Verlaine/Lloyd. Long in the works, this EP was recorded in guitarist Miles' San Francisco studio and properly captures their ambience while bringing forward Kyle Gibson's lock-step drumming and the unique melodic play of bassist Shayde Sartin. It is the next logical step for the F&O's and their moody, jangly guitar pop.
Last year's Play It Strange was received with wide acclaim from an enormous amount of press outlets including Spin Magazine. It was also #29 on Pitchfork's top 50 albums of the year. The Fresh & Onlys toured with Deerhunter and Clinic, and performed at the Matt Groening curated ATP in Minehead England. Heralded as "one of rock's hardest working bands," they head out on tour this Spring, playing a handful of shows at SXSW and then embarking on a North American tour in April, and a full European tour in May, culminating with a performance at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona.
"The Fresh & Onlys are set apart by an endearingly fussy devotion to songcraft and an understated and unfakeable weirdness... their possibly unhealthy familiarity with garage-rock arcana is balanced out by a keen songwriter's eye, and their obsession with the past is elevated by genuine affection and love" -Pitchfork
"While still jangly and poppy, it's also a little gloomy, a lot new wave, with buzzy Joy Divison bass, squalls of wild psychedelic guitar, plenty of ooooh's and aaaah's, tribal drumming, angular riffing, a perfect mix of sixties jangle, and cold/new wave gloom. The production is lush, but also weird, and tripped out, ethereal and gauzy...definite contender for year ends best" -Aquarius Records
"These songs are straightforward, to the point, and fully endowed with the feelings engendered by decades of guitar rock. They're powerful examples of not just the songwriting prowess of Tim Cohen and Shayde Sartin, but of a fundamental understanding for how a good guitar line is an elemental force" -Dusted
"San Francisco's The Fresh & Onlys stood out both onstage and off, looking like a nomadic weed tribe with dark secrets and sounding like wild evangelicals with deep musical gifts" -FADER
THE FRESH & ONLYS
02/27 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill ~
03/16 - 03/19 Austin, TX SXSW
03/21 San Diego, CA Tin Can Alehouse
03/22 Los Angeles, CA Echo *
04/12 Denver, CO Hi Dive &
04/13 Lawrence, KS The Jackpot Saloon &
04/14 Bloomington, IN The Bishop &
04/15 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox &
04/18 Cincinnati, OH MOTR Pub &
04/19 Saint Louis, MO The Billiken Club !
04/20 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall %
04/21 Toronto, ON Parts & Labour &
04/22 Montreal, QC Il Motore &
04/23 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg %
04/24 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie %
04/25 Washington, DC Red Palace %
04/27 Atlanta, GA The Earl %
04/28 Birmingham AL Bottletree %
~ = w/ Growlers, Pleasure Kills, Wrong Words * = w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
% = w/ Crocodiles, Young Prisms
& = w/ Young Prisms
! = w/ Crocodiles
The Fresh & Onlys
Secret Walls EP
(Sacred Bones)
Street Date: April 26, 2011
In the wake of last year's The Bride Screamed Murder, The Melvins are releasing a live album in May entitled, Sugar Daddy Live. Information on the release can be found below via Speakeasy PR.
THE MELVINS' LIVE ALBUM, SUGAR DADDY LIVE, SET FOR MAY 31 RELEASE ON IPECAC RECORDINGS
photo credit: Mackie Osborne
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22 - The Melvins' latest offering Sugar Daddy Live, a thirteen-track live recording, will see a May 31 release on Ipecac Recordings.
Recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, Calif. the album features fan favorites such as "Boris," "A History of Bad Men" and "The Kicking Machine."
The band recently completed a month-long residency at Los Angeles' Spaceland and are currently in New Zealand with a forthcoming round of Australian dates as part of the Soundwave Festival. The Melvins were in Christchurch when the Feb. 21 earthquake struck but escaped unscathed and are due to resume their tour later this week.
Mi Ami is one of my favorite bands over the last few years. When I'd scored the opportunity to talk to singer/guitarist Daniel Martin-McCormick for an interview last year, he was very expressive and passionate about pushing whatever sounds he and the band could come up with:
Bassist Jacob Long is no longer part of the band. Now that they're a duo, Martin-McCormick and drummer Damon Palermo have taken on electronics for their upcoming EP, Dolphins. (Try doing a search on the web for "Mi Ami Dolphins," wakka wakka.) "Hard Up" is the first single I've heard from the EP, and I have to admit, they still have a gift for groove even if they've abandoned their noise-punk persuasion.
Martin-McCormick had already been exploring electronic music with his solo side gig, Sex Worker. Maybe this is something he'd already had in mind?
One word: Awesome. I’ve listened to this couple of tracks two or three times at this point and have continued finding positive things to say. I have good feelings about Screens’ upcoming album, Dead House.
All information below is courtesy of Terrorbird Media.
SCREENS (FEATURING MEMBERS OF THE APES, MEDICATIONS & THE MALL) DEBUT ALBUM, DEAD HOUSE DUE MAY 17 ON WHAT DELICATE RECORDINGS
Performing at NYC’s Williamsburg Fashion Weekend - February 18 @ Glasslands
Dead House, Screens' debut full-length, will be released on May 17, 2011 on drummer Andrew Becker’s own What Delicate Recordings. Download “Pop Logic” from Dead Househere .
Eldritch weird wavers, Screens seeped into existence in early 2009, after Washington, D.C. defectors, drummer Andrew Becker (Dischord Records’, Medications) and vocalist Breck Brunson (psych-sludge purveyors, The Apes) hooked up with keyboardist, Daniel Roland Tierney (San Francisco aggressors, The Mall) and guitarist, Luke Kozikowski in New York City.
After bonding over their mutual affection for Harry Partch, Harry Nilsson and Harry Pussy, the quartet began congregating in a Lavvu above a Sami fish market, perfecting a sound that simultaneously sounded like a soothing Congolese dust storm and a toddler exploding in the night. Following countless frenzied shows in the moistest of east coast squats, Screens decamped to the rock and roll mecca of Hockessin, Delaware with reclusive and DMT diluted super-producer, L. Skell (remarkably overweight genius behind 2007’s unheralded classic Eldridge Skell’s The Rude Staircase - Sookie Jump) and engineer, Nick Krill (The Spinto Band), to craft a spirited mess of unbridled dystopia slathered in a rich, pasty, psychedelic batter.
Screens will be playing on Friday, February 18 at Glasslands as a part of Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. More tour dates will be announced shortly.
Track List:
1. Dead House
2. Saturdays
3. Shudder
4. Pop Logic
5. Man Down
6. //---\\
7. Radio Tabaloapa
8. Hot Avenues
9. 35
10. Fall Girl
11. Dead Extension
12. Cataplexy
13. Better To Burn Than To Not Freeze
I'd not heard anything regarding rumors of a Black Sabbath reunion, but apparently speculation was thick enough to justify a response from Geezer Butler.
Via Speakeasy PR:
GEEZER BUTLER STATEMENT ON RUMORS OF BLACK SABBATH REUNION
Feb. 17, LOS ANGELES -- Responding to ongoing rumors surrounding a possible Black Sabbath reunion, Geezer Butler has issued the following statement: "I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely no reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath, whether to record an album or to tour."
Butler's most recent musical outing was with Heaven & Hell, a four piece featuring Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi as well as one time Black Sabbath members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. The band released Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell in November of 2010.
Sharon Osbourne has been more than happy to milk the senility-distressed rock n’ roller persona that Ozzy’s come to adopt since his stint on The Osbournes. His integrity is featherweight at this point, so a Black Sabbath reunion would only work to destroy what credibility that band has managed to maintain.
Their legendary frontman just shilled for Best Buy with Justin Beiber for a Superbowl ad. In the aftermath of that, a resurgence of Black Sabbath would look like...
Fuck, I got nothing. Let’s just say that Anita Bryant, Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Falwell (even dead) would probably be in attendance at every show, satisfied with the one-time terrifying and corrupting presence that their very "wholesome" and very corporate agenda helped sterilize.
John Vanderslice is touring in support of his new album, White Wilderness. The real reason I’m posting this is because “The Piano Lesson” is a really good song. Give it a listen. All the info below is courtesy of Dead Oceans. John Vanderslice Announces North American Tour in Support of White Wilderness
John Vanderslice will tour this spring with drummer/percussionist Jason Slota as the duo support Vanderslice's much lauded collaboration with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, White Wilderness. The album is a bold and innovative step in JV's expansive career.
While the San Francisco native sacrificed his habitual instincts as a musician and studio hound, letting go allowed for a beautiful exploration of a previously uncharted territory. As a Pop Matters review of White Wilderness declares, "Vanderslice is lighting out for the territories and keeping only what he needs of the past as he discovers the new. These songs are downright geographic—you can feel them establishing their own space, naming their own land, planting their flags before they send you off to the next one."
As a touring duo, Vanderslice and Slota will showcase the sonic blueprint for the symphony that is White Wilderness as well as classic JV favorites. Damien Jurado will provide most of the support dates, and JV and Jurado just played a sold out gig in an intimate house show in Tacoma, WA.
John Vanderslice Tour Dates:
* W/ Damien Jurado
3/16/11 -3/20/11 Austin, TX - SXSW
4/18/11 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
4/20/11 Vancouver, BC - Media Club
4/21/11 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
4/22/11 Kennewick, WA - The Stove Top
4/23/11 Boise, ID - Neurolux
4/25/11 Provo, UT - Velour
4/26/11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
4/27/11 Denver, CO - Hi Dive*
5/01/11 Iowa City, IA - The Mill*
5/02/11 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall*
5/04/11 Urbana, IL - Krannert Center for the Performing Arts *
5/05/11 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop*
5/06/11 North Manchester, IN - The Firehouse*
5/07/11 Fort Wayne, IN - The Brass Rail*
5/08/11 Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at The Crofoot*
5/10/11 Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel*
5/11/11 Buffalo, NY - The Ninth Ward*
5/12/11 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge*
5/13/11 Brooklyn, NY - The Rock Shop*
5/15/11 Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall*
5/16/11 Millford, CT - Daniel Street Club*
5/17/11 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's*
5/18/11 Washington, DC - Black Cat Backstage*
5/20/11 Nashville, TN - The Basement*
5/24/11 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
5/26/11 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
5/27/11 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
5/28/11 San Diego, CA - Casbah
Recorded in San Francisco, White Wilderness was produced by John Congleton, whose resume includes albums by St Vincent, The Walkmen, Explosions in the Sky, Bill Callahan and many more. The results are stunning, and White Wilderness is a breath of fresh air for JV, as well as a great stake in the ground for his career of making stellar records. White Wilderness was released January 25 in the US.
The buzz around Yuck is building, the salutes are in the works. Expect to see a review of their self-titled debut on No Ripcord this week. In the meantime, here’s some tour info and music to absorb via Force Field PR:
UK band Yuck just wrapped up its first ever US tour, opening for Fat Possum labelmates Smith Westerns, and now we're pleased to announce the band's next US trek, with like-minded Aussies Tame Impala. The band will also make its first ever appearance at SXSW this March in Austin.
Sunday, February 13th, Henry Rollins turned 50. A hero of my youth, significant in sight, sound and influence, Rollins is essentially responsible for much of my musical upbringing, his aural affront an epiphany to my teenaged ears and on into my early thirties where I still find satisfying brutality in the grooves of Black Flag and Rollins Band.
Before The End Of Silence sort of broke Rollins Band out as part of the 90s alterna-cash crop, the band had put out an album called Hard Volume, which is a blues-driven sonic scream that really doesn’t get enough credit. I mean, you wish to hear albums this pure in your lifetime: Rollins’ calamitous outrage awakening your mind’s defenses, the band itself proving their chops with this punk-infused brand of King Crimson-ish progression, blue-rock precision and metallic heft. At some point, I’d like to revisit Hard Volume as it is an under-appreciated chapter in the life of an altogether under-appreciated band. I know I’ve written a little about it before, but it’s a favorite that I always come back to.
In the meantime, as yesterday was Valentine’s Day, I thought posting the track, “Love Song,” would be a good way to commemorate Hank’s fifth decade while acknowledging the passion of the holiday. You don’t really get more passionate than, “I want you/I hate you.”
I don’t mean to come off like a press release, but I will anyway. Mogwai’s new album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is out and will stream online for a week starting today. In the meantime, check out some MP3s and a few videos, (the urban-centric “Mexican Grand Prix” is particularly fascinating), and some tour dates. All the info is courtesy of Sub Pop.
Mogwai’s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will out today, February 15th, 2011
Stream entire record now + US Tour Date
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Mogwai’s seventh album, is officially available starting today February 15 at your local record and digital store. You can stream to the bands entire record for the next week by clicking here.
Mogwai will be bringing their ear blasting live show to the states beginning on April 19 in Washington DC. Please see below for a full list of shows.
For more information on Mogwai, please visit: www.subpop.com/artists/mogwai
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will tracklisting:
White Noise
Mexican Grand Prix
Rano Pano
Death Rays
San Pedro
Letters To The Metro
George Square Thatcher Death Party
How To Be A Werewolf
Too Raging To Cheers
You're Lionel Richie
Mogwai are: Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Braithwaite, Martin Bulloch, Barry Burns and John Cummings.
US DATES
Apr 19: 9.30 Club, Washington DC
Apr 20: Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia
Apr 21: Webster Hall, New York
Apr 22: Webstar Hall, New York
Apr 23: Paradise Rock Club, Boston
Apr 25: Olympia Theater, Montreal
Apr 26: Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto
Apr 27: Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh
Apr 28: St. Andrews Hall, Detroit
Apr 29: Metro, Chicago
Apr 30: Slowdown, Omaha
May 2: Bluebird Theater, Denver
May 3: In The Venue, Salt Lake City
May 5: Wonder Ballroom, Portland
May 6: Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
May 7: Showbox at the Market, Seattle
May 9: Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
May 10: Mayan Theater, Los Angeles
May 11: Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach
May 13: Sunshine Theatre, Albuquerque
May 15: Granada Theatre, Dallas
May 16: Stubbs Waller Creek, Austin
May 17: Warehouse Live, Houston
May 19: Workplay Theater, Birmingham
May 20: Center Stage, Atlanta
Jam out on this sample of Joan Of Arc's "Brother #2" for the 9 minutes worth that's available. Consider. Read up.
Via Terrorbird:
Joan Of Arc Releases Limited Edition Instrumental LP featuring Zach Hill
After more than a decade of existence, 10 proper full-length albums, and on the heels of their instantly sold-out Cassette Box Set, Chicago's Joan Of Arc has compiled their latest opus: Oh Brother. Out now, the LP see the release of this hand-numbered double LP, limited to just 500 copies.
Featuring collaborations with 14 musicians, including Zach Hill of Hella & Rob Lowe of Lichens, this is indie-rock for the initiated. Oh Brother is the combination of four distinct albums embarked upon but never completed by Joan of Arc curator Tim Kinsella. Each album is broken up and spliced together into a tessellating unity of long, noisy, meditative, instrumental movements which fill the totality of each side of this double LP. Each side --A, B, C, and D-- contains just one track, with song lengths varying from 20 minutes to 20 minutes and 36 seconds.
Kinsella, known for the elegiac density and free-associative quality of his lyrics, has dispensed with words altogether on this album - choosing rather to break up and splice together these instrumental studio sessions into a tessellating unity. This is Joan Of Arc at their most esoteric and expansive.
The four distinct ensembles woven into Oh Brother are:
FRIEND / ENEMY (featuring Tim Kinsella, Zach Hill [Hella], Nate Kinsella [Make Believe], Sam Zurick [Cap'n Jazz, Make Believe] and others)
TK / FR DUO (Tim Kinsella w/ jazz drummer Frank Rosaly)
LIKINS (Tim Kinsella w/ Rob Lowe)
MINERAL TOTEM (Tim Kinsella, Jeff Bradbury, and Robert Ryan)
Oh Brother is a vinyl & digital-only release. The vinyl edition is limited to 500 hand-numbered double LPs in gatefold jackets. Every copy includes high-quality MP3 and FLAC download. --- ORDER:
If The Body's All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood disturbed you as much as it disturbed me, then this news is for you and your turntable.
Via Earsplit PR:
THE BODY: Vinyl Re-release Announced; Massive Tour Schedule Begins To Unfold
With the release of All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood in July 2010, THE BODY has rabidly risen from a virtually unknown underground act to a household name, reaping massive acclaim via year-end lists worldwide, including Decibel, Brooklyn Vegan, About.com, Popdose, Stereogum, Crustcake, MetalSucks, NME, The Quietus and countless more, not to mention the #4 spot on NPR's top 10 metal/drone albums of the year as well as a #6 spot on Pitchfork's Reader's Choice top 10 metal albums in their year-end reader's poll.
While the massive All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood was released on CD by At A Loss Recordings, it bore a very limited initial vinyl pressing released on THE BODY's own Aun War imprint, which sold out immediately. Now, At A Loss has commissioned a full-on 2xLP repressing of the album, set for release later this spring, with a final release date and more specific album details to be announced shortly.
THE BODY have confirmed three Northeast shows in Providence, Worcester and Brooklyn with support from Brave Young (The End Records). These three shows in the later part of this month are just the beginning, as THE BODY are in the midst of finalizing the last few dates of a massive upcoming tour schedule. Many of the shows are still in the final confirmation stages and a full update will follow in mere days outlining the entire six week tour schedule, which includes THE BODY performing at Scion Rock Fest with Bastard Noise, Integrity, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Christian Mistress, Nails, Black Breath, Necrite and more, a half-dozen or more shows during this year's SXSW in Austin, an appearance at Bro Fest with Horse The Band, Liturgy, The Funeral Pyre, Owen Hart and others, and several weeks of heavy regional touring connecting it all. Stay tuned...
So, this should be no surprise. In the ever diminishing world of popular music, a world whose sole intent to earn capital has left it creatively flaccid (yet continuously lucrative in spite of the crumbling record empire), a Grammy to The Beatles (a Best Historical Album win in honor of their 2009 Stereo and Mono Box Sets) isn't too shocking. But, as the less deserving continue to earn accolades, a Beatles' win is a victorious one.
When The Beatles' Stereo Box Set was released, I was put to the daunting task of reviewing the set for No Ripcord. It was a three part series. If you're interesting, here are the links:
Also, just for the sake of revisiting one of the greatest moments in my "career" as a music blogger, some information regarding the Beatles' Love mash up is included in the below press release. I wrote a review for Love months after its release and, somehow, Giles Martin, son of the one and only George Martin, thanked me for my words. The review can be found here.
Thanks for enduring my self-indulgence and Beatles geekery.
The below information is courtesy of EMI:
THE BEATLES’ STEREO BOX SET WINS GRAMMY AWARD
16CD+DVD Collection of Band’s Remastered Studio Albums Earns Historical Album Award for its Producers and Engineers
Los Angeles, California – February 13, 2011 – At today’s 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, The Beatles’ acclaimed stereo box set won the GRAMMY for Best Historical Album (Jeff Jones and Allan Rouse, compilation producers; Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell, Paul Hicks, and Sean Magee, remastering engineers).
The September 2009 CD release of The Beatles’ remastered original albums and new boxed collections in stereo and mono was one of the year’s top entertainment events, breaking chart records around the world. The Beatles’ original UK studio albums were remastered by this dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.
The remastered catalogue comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and Magical Mystery Tour, which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections Past Masters Vol. I and II are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. The Beatles’ self-titled stereo box set includes these 14 remastered titles and a DVD collection of mini-documentaries about the albums. The Beatles in Mono collects, in a limited edition box set, all of The Beatles’ recordings that were mixed for a mono release.
Released digitally on November 16 along with the remastered core catalogue, iTunes’ exclusive digital Beatles Box Set features all of the GRAMMY-winning stereo collection’s remastered audio and visual elements, plus the concert film Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures The Beatles' very first U.S. concert.
On February 8, The Beatles’ GRAMMY-winning LOVE album made its worldwide digital debut exclusively on iTunes. The album’s songs, including iTunes-exclusive, previously unreleased LOVE versions of “Fool On The Hill” and “Girl,” are also available to purchase and download individually.
All Together Now, the GRAMMY-winning feature-length documentary about the making of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil®, is now available for pre-order on iTunes worldwide.
The Long Beach, CA based composer, musician, producer Chris Schlarb recently released his soundtrack to the video game NightSky, an original score performed by a small ensemble of avant-garde, jazz, and modern classical musicians. Quickly following up on his recent full-length, the gorgeous, sprawling Psychic Temple, the NightSky soundtrack is also ambitious in its expanse. IGN says "The best reason to play NightSky is to experience the relaxing, curious environments and the ambient soundtrack. You'll be rolling over deep black mountains, through fields of swaying grass, and past oddly bouncing creatures -- all in front of a hazy sunset backdrop. Echoing acoustic guitar strums and the hushed sounds of nature allow for quiet contemplation on the increasingly difficult challenges. This is the sort of thing people mean when talking about ambient gaming. Video gaming website Destructoid commented "The soundtrack is exceptional. Very atmospheric and generally soothing, I would often stop playing to do something else and then forget to close the program for hours while it lazed along in the background." You can stream the entire soundtrack HERE. 
“It’s mainly just to make the best music we can make and then share it with people. I don’t want to just dick around, or be fashionable, or half-baked or whatever. It really matters to me a lot, y’know: making music that I think is worth sharing with other people is worth making again and again every night on tour (laughs). I would like to explore more melody, or more abstraction too, I don’t know. There’s a lot of… a lot of things to explore, y’know? Probably enough to fill up a lifetime.”
GEEZER BUTLER STATEMENT ON RUMORS OF BLACK SABBATH REUNION 
Before The End Of Silence sort of broke Rollins Band out as part of the 90s alterna-cash crop, the band had put out an album called Hard Volume, which is a blues-driven sonic scream that really doesn’t get enough credit. I mean, you wish to hear albums this pure in your lifetime: Rollins’ calamitous outrage awakening your mind’s defenses, the band itself proving their chops with this punk-infused brand of King Crimson-ish progression, blue-rock precision and metallic heft. At some point, I’d like to revisit Hard Volume as it is an under-appreciated chapter in the life of an altogether under-appreciated band. I know I’ve written a little about it before, but it’s a favorite that I always come back to.
