Richard Swift: Whitman

Richard Swift's new single, "Whitman," was actually nice to hear.  Swift doesn't normally stand out to me, despite the acclaim the man seems to garner.  I think Swift is a good songwriter, but any song I've heard hasn't necessarily earned repeated listens.  This song, though, it's got a goofy streak to it, decent falsettos over a showtune motif, an almost jingle sensibility.  Playing potential target to Swift's loyalists, I think it would be easy to pair it against something as banal as Jack Johnson.  "Whitman" does come dangerously close, though Swift has more dimension in spite of his leaning towards camp.  His upcoming EP is called Walt Wolfman, juxtaposing the supernatural with the body electric.

All info comes courtesy of Secretly Canadian.

Richard Swift to Release
Walt Wolfman 12" EP this October

Download Free MP3 for "Whitman"

About a year ago, Richard Swift horrifically fractured his left ring finger. For a moment his nimble guitar and piano work flashed before his eyes. Doctors were saying things like "movement and feeling could eventually return," etc, etc. Certainly, not even a little blip on the sadness radar of humanity, but a massive bummer for a fellow who has carved out a niche as one of independent music's sought after session players and producers — and especially in relation to the astounding Richard Swift solo output we all know and love.

So, it's with a great, collective sigh of relief that he's back to churning out new material like "Whitman." It's chugging, chiming and triumphant, featuring Swift's always-endearing falsetto and casual call-and-response lyricism. "I've got my own Whitman...Farewell, farewell/I hope it did you good/To say the things/My father never could," Swift pines. The song is a cryptic salute to Walt Whitman, whose American lineage of primal, urgent art can be traced to include Kerouac and Dylan, Bo Diddley and Beefheart — right on through to modern outsider-pop wunderkinds like Swift. And according to Swift, "Whitman" is a nice taste of what we can expect from his next longform recording.

Click here to download "Whitman" at Secretly Canadian

Click here to download or embed "Whitman" at SoundCloud

The same can be said for the remainder of the Walt Wolfman EP. Conceived in the same spirit that gave us 2008's cult favorite Ground Trouble Jaw EP, these blown-out, basement R&B rippers are not for the faint of heart. They require movement and sweat, dancing with a cocktail glass in your grip until your shoes are soaked in booze. Highlight of the set, "MG 333," is a raw and ghostly trance, a blast of kinetic energy and jazz cigarette smoke. Meanwhile, the neu-vintage jive of "Drakula (Hey Man)" and "Zombie Boogie" pack a timelessness that transcends their seasonal titles. And yeah, that's Swift himself on rapid-fire drums across the whole damn set. Shit, he might have been fine without that measly finger after all.

Richard Swift is performing as a touring member of The Shins this fall.

Walt Wolfman EP will be released by Secretly Canadian on October 18th, 2011 in digital and vinyl formats

Tracklisting:
1. Whitman
2. MG 333
3. Laugh It Up
4. Zombie Boogie
5. Out & About
6. Drakula (Hey Man!)
7. St. Michael

MP3 for "Whitman" from Walt Wolfman
Richard Swift Press Alcove
Richard Swift at Secretly Canadian
Richard Swift at Tumblr
Richard Swift at Myspace

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Hella: Self-Checkout

Hella's new much-insano art rock pummel of an album, Tripper, was released yesterday.  For those of you unconvinced that Tripper might be worth lightening your wallet just a tad, the album is streaming online via Spinner.com.  Also, as much as I hate to promote them here, Rolling Stone is pretending they still care about music and were nice enough to offer yet ANOTHER single from the album, "Self-Checkout."  All in all, means for listening before buying have been offered gratis.  The Internet is a generous place.

In the meantime, I reviewed Tripper for No Ripcord not long ago if you'd to read it.  You can find that here.  All information was lovingly offered via the wonderful people at Us/Them Group.

Hella release new album, premiere song on RollingStone.com, stream entire disc via Spinner

"A return to what Hella does best: breakneck instrumentals and raw, inhuman-sounding musicianship. A-" -- The Onion AV Club

"Hella has never put out an album that's as flat-out fun to listen to as this one." -- Prefix

"Executed with so much precision that it shows the past few years of Hill and Seim getting their hands into other outlets has rubbed off into a fuller sounding spectrum." -- Absolute Punk

Legendary experimentalist duo Hella release their fifth album, Tripper today via Sargent House. In celebration of the band's first release in over 4 years, RollingStone.com premieres a new song today, titled "Self Checkout". Grab the MP3 HERE.

Meanwhile all this week, Spinner.com offers a full album stream HERE.

Hella has long been celebrated for bringing a rigorous and artful musical complexity to the punk aesthetic. Now, after a four year hiatus, the legendary Sacramento duo founded in 2001 by drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Spencer Seim has returned with their fifth album, Tripper. As the title suggests, it's a wild ride that finds Hella in classic frenetic anthemic form.

The sonic experimentalists have stripped the band lineup back down to the original 2-piece, returning to the streamlined aggression of their earlier work while expanding the barriers of their sound. Tripper is Hella's most "focused" album to date -- and, by focused, we mean in a kaleidoscopic way. While each of the multiple riffs and movements of every song have a clearly defined mood and feel, the way that Hill and Seim breeze between time signatures and parts is like watching the scenery unfold within a kaleidoscope. It's entrancing in its beauty and beguiling in its complexity.

Hella's previous album, There's No 666 In Outer Space (Ipecac Recordings) saw the band expanded to a 5-piece, with lead vocals, bass and two guitars. But, it's the well defined space in-between the duo's impenetrable foundation of drums and guitar that Hella revisits on Tripper with a vigor. Seim's guitar sounds like a one man orchestra of six-string flagellation while Hill's eminently esoteric playing style and innovative collection of repurposed drum equipment redefines the pair's ground-shaking impact.

Hella formed in 2001 when teenage friends Seim and Hill abandoned a previous full band project to start anew. Their name was derived from Bay Area slang meaning "really", "excessively" or more literally, "hell of." Quite fittingly, the duo proved to be "hella" talented and innovative. Early albums and EPs on Kill Rock Stars offshoot 5 Rue Christine and Suicide Squeeze, as well as incessant touring saw the band develop a massive following in underground DIY circles for their incendiary live shows. After later experiments with an expanded lineup, Hella took a break from recording and performing to focus on myriad other projects before reconvening in 2011.

Tripper is available everywhere on CD, LP and Download today, August 30th, 2011 via Sargent House.



Artist: Hella
Album: Tripper (FULL ALBUM STREAM)
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 30th, 2011

01. Headless (MP3)
02. Self Checkout (MP3)
03. Long Hair
04. Yubacore (MP3)
05. Netgear
06. Kid Life Crisis
07. On The Record
08. Furthest
09. Psycho Bro
10. Osaka

On the Web:
hellaband.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Hella/293833307223

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead 

Shopping For Records #47 (Revisited): Beach Boys’ SMiLE Sessions Being Released... Now With DATE!

Back in March, I got news about the Beach Boys’ sessions of SMiLE being released as a box set. While I hope this “suitable for cashing in” version of the album doesn’t diminish the triumph that Brian Wilson’s 2004 album deservedly afforded him, this release looks to provide more story to this already very legendary monument to pop genius and the crisis and subsequent redemption of an artist.



A release date and playlist have been made available. All information below is courtesy of EMI and there's a ton of it:

THE BEACH BOYS’ LEGENDARY SMiLE ALBUM SESSIONS TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 1 BY CAPITOL/EMI -- ART AND TRACKLISTS UNVEILED

Never-Before-Released Original 1966-’67 Album Sessions Compiled for 2CD and Digital Packages and Deluxe, Expanded Box Set; Special Packages to be Available Exclusively from TheBeachBoys.com

Official Beach Boys Music Videos to be Crowdsourced via Tongal’s First-Ever Music Video Initiative 

 

"The most famous unfinished album in rock & roll history…" – Rolling Stone

Hollywood, California – August 30, 2011 – With the full participation of original Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike Love, and Brian Wilson, Capitol/EMI has, for the first time, collected and compiled the band’s legendary 1966-’67 sessions for the never-completed SMiLE album. Capitol/EMI and The Beach Boys are pleased to announce November 1 (October 31 internationally) as the release date for the long-awaited arrival of The SMiLE Sessions in multiple physical and digital configurations. Artwork and complete tracklists are also unveiled for what Rolling Stone magazine recently called “the most famous unfinished album in rock & roll history.”

In numerous sessions between the spring of 1966 and the summer of 1967, The Beach Boys recorded a bounty of songs and drafts for an album, SMiLE, that was intended to follow the band’s 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds. The master tapes were ultimately shelved, and The Beach Boys’ SMiLE has never been released. Drawn from the original masters, The SMiLE Sessions presents an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' recording sessions for the enigmatic album, which has achieved legendary, mythical status for music fans around the world.

The SMiLE Sessions’ 2CD lift-top box, double vinyl LP, digital album, and iTunes LP formats feature an approximation of what was intended to be the completed SMiLE album, compiled from The Beach Boys’ original session masters. Additional session highlights and bonus tracks are also included, including demos and stereo mixes.
An expanded, boxed edition of The SMiLE Sessions will also be released physically and digitally, featuring the main SMiLE album tracks, plus four CDs of additional audio from the legendary sessions, a double vinyl LP set, and two 7” vinyl singles. The deluxe box will also contain a 60-page hardbound book with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia from The Beach Boys’ archive and newly-written essays by Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike Love, Brian Wilson, and Bruce Johnston, as well as by Beach Boys historian and author Domenic Priore and many other inner-circle participants.

Produced by Brian Wilson, Mark Linett, Alan Boyd and Dennis Wolfe in Los Angeles, all of The SMiLE Sessions’ physical and digital configurations include an assembled collection of core session tracks, while the box set delves much deeper into the sessions, adding early song drafts, alternate takes, instrumental and vocals-only mixes, and studio chatter. The SMiLE Sessions invites the listener into the studio to experience the album's creation, with producer, singer and bassist Brian Wilson's vision leading the way as he guides his fellow Beach Boys, singer Mike Love, drummer Dennis Wilson, lead guitarist Carl Wilson, rhythm guitarist Al Jardine, and newest member Bruce Johnston (who'd replaced Brian Wilson in the touring group during 1965), through the legendary sessions.

Artwork for all of The SMiLE Sessions’ physical and digital configurations has been created with and inspired by Beat-Pop artist Frank Holmes’ original 1967 LP sleeve art and booklet designs intended for the SMiLE album. With its three-dimensional shadowbox lid, The SMiLE Sessions box set offers a whimsical peek inside the storied ‘SMiLE Shop.’

Several special SMiLE Sessions packages will be available for purchase exclusively on thebeachboys.com, including:

- The SMiLE Sessions 2CD edition paired with a limited edition SMiLE t-shirt
- The SMiLE Sessions 2CD edition paired with a limited edition autographed lithograph
- The SMiLE Sessions limited edition box set with light-up SMiLE Shop window on lid, autographed
- The SMiLE Sessions limited edition box set with light-up SMiLE Shop window on lid, autographed, paired with a custom-made SMiLE surfboard by Hobie 

The Beach Boys are embracing technology and crowdsourcing to produce the first official music videos for "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes And Villains" by partnering with Tongal, the leading creative social platform. In Tongal’s first-ever music video initiative, fans can now collaborate to create the official music videos, as the project begins today (August 30) on Tongal.com, and consists of two phases - a concept phase and a video phase. The concept phase calls for fans to conceptualize the music video for “Heroes and Villains” or “Good Vibrations” in 250 characters or less. In the video phase, Tongal users can select one of the five winning concepts from phase one and produce a music video based on it. The video can be animated or live-action, trippy or classic – it can be whatever the fans want, as long as it’s their own. Cash prizes and special items, including an autographed custom Hobie longboard, will be awarded to Tongal users for the top submissions.

The SMiLE Sessions box set will include details about Operation Smile, an international medical charity organization with a presence in more than 60 countries dedicated to healing children's smiles. Since 1982, Operation Smile - through the help of generous supporters and medical volunteers - has provided free surgeries worldwide for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. Every three minutes, a child somewhere in the world is born with a cleft. For more information on how to be involved or donate to Operation Smile, please visit www.operationsmile.org or call 1-888-OPSMILE (888-677-6453).

When Capitol/EMI and The Beach Boys first announced plans for The SMiLE Sessions’ 2011 release, the news spread rapidly. Pitchfork reported, “The Beach Boys’ SMiLE is quite possibly the most storied album in rock history,” Billboard proclaimed the upcoming release “an event that pop music fans have been waiting for since the Summer of Love,” and The Washington Post called SMiLE “the most legendary unreleased album of all time.”

The best efforts have been taken by The Beach Boys, the producers, and Capitol/EMI to present the SMiLE album sessions’ most vital and fascinating elements. However, there will no doubt be some debate amongst Beach Boys fans around the world who, during the past four decades, have become familiar with a variety of widely-traded bootlegged bits and pieces from the sessions. As recently explained by the Detroit Metro Times, “No album, released or not, has generated a more personal relationship with its audience, since no two people can ever agree on its content and purpose.”

Beginning with “Good Vibrations,” The Beach Boys’ best-selling record in a long string of hits, Brian Wilson had begun to construct songs in a modular form, crafting individual sections that would later be edited together to form a coherent whole. In several intense bursts of creative energy, Wilson, drawing on the talents of the finest studio musicians in Los Angeles and utilizing the best studio facilities available on any given day, laid down dozens of musical fragments, all designed to fit together in any number of possible combinations. No one had done this before in pop music, and his next endeavor would be an album-length version of this unique and luxurious songwriting parlance: SMiLE.

In 1965, Brian Wilson met an up-and-coming session keyboard player and songwriter, Van Dyke Parks. Noticing Parks' conversational eloquence, Wilson felt that he could help to volley The Beach Boys’ songwriting into the wave of broader-messaged and socially-conscious rock 'n' roll that would come to define the '60s. They were soon collaborating on keynote songs for SMiLE, including “Heroes And Villains,” the band’s follow-up single to “Good Vibrations.” Wilson and Parks would also co-write “Surf's Up,” “Vega-Tables,” “Cabin Essence,” “Do You Like Worms,” “Wonderful,” “Wind Chimes,” and other pieces of the SMiLE tapestry. Parks also introduced Frank Holmes to create album sleeve art and a booklet interpreting the album’s James Joyce-mode lyrics.

The reason SMiLE did not see a release in 1967 had more to do with back room business that obscured the creative side of the program than anything else. In late 1966, The Beach Boys formed Brother Records, initially to produce outside artists. Soon, however, The Beach Boys would become embroiled in a court action with Capitol Records with the goal to become the top-selling artists on their self-owned, independent label. The group withheld “Heroes And Villains” and announced they would instead release “Vega-Tables” – recorded with the band’s own money in April of '67 – on Brother Records. By July of 1967, Capitol Records and The Beach Boys had come to terms, with Capitol agreeing to distribute the band’s Brother Records, and it was agreed that SMiLE was no longer to be the band’s next album.
The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI will celebrate the band’s 50th Anniversary in 2012. Plans for commemorative releases and other anniversary activities will be announced.
“Surf's up, aboard a tidal wave, come about hard and join the young and often spring you gave. I heard the word, wonderful thing... a children's song...” - from “Surf's Up” (Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks)

www.thebeachboys.com

The SMiLE Sessions (2CD; Digital; iTunes LP)

CD ONE
SMiLE
1. Our Prayer (1:06)
2. Gee (0:51)
3. Heroes And Villains (4:53)
4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) (3:36)
5. I’m In Great Shape (0:29)
6. Barnyard (0:48)
7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine) (1:57)
8. Cabin Essence (3:32)
9. Wonderful (2:04)
10. Look (Song For Children) (2:31)
11. Child Is Father Of The Man (2:14)
12. Surf’s Up (4:12)
13. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop (1:23)
14. Vega-Tables (3:49)
15. Holidays (2:33)
16. Wind Chimes (3:06)
17. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow) (2:35)
18. Love To Say Dada (2:32)
19. Good Vibrations (4:13)

Bonus Tracks
20. You’re Welcome (1:08)
21. Heroes And Villains (Stereo Mix) (4:53)
22. Heroes And Villains Sections (Stereo Mix) (7:16)
23. Vega-Tables Demo (1:46)
24. He Gives Speeches (1:14)
25. Smile Backing Vocals Montage (8:30)
26. Surf’s Up 1967 (Solo Version) (4:09)
27. Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Piano (1:30)

CD TWO

1. Our Prayer "Dialog" (9/19/66) (3:02)
2. Heroes And Villains: Part 1 (3:08)
3. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (4:18)
4. Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (1/27/67) (2:07)
5. Heroes And Villains: Prelude To Fade (2/15/67) (3:42)
6. My Only Sunshine (11/14/66) (6:52)
7. Cabin Essence (10/3/66) (5:19)
8. Surf's Up: 1st Movement (11/4/66) (4:55)
9. Surf's Up: Piano Demo (12/15/66) (3:53)
10. Vega-Tables: Fade (4/12/67) (5:25)
11. The Elements: Fire session (11/28/66) (8:27)
12. Cool, Cool Water (Version 2) (10/26-10/29/67) (3:32)
13. Good Vibrations Session Highlights (8:20)
The SMiLE Sessions Box Set (5CD+Double LP+Two 7” Singles; digital)

CD ONE
SMiLE
1. Our Prayer (1:06)
2. Gee (0:51)
3. Heroes And Villains (4:53)
4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) (3:36)
5. I’m In Great Shape (0:29)
6. Barnyard (0:48)
7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine) (1:57)
8. Cabin Essence (3:32)
9. Wonderful (2:04)
10. Look (Song For Children) (2:31)
11. Child Is Father Of The Man (2:14)
12. Surf’s Up (4:12)
13. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop (1:23)
14. Vega-Tables (3:49)
15. Holidays (2:33)
16. Wind Chimes (3:06)
17. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow) (2:35)
18. Love To Say Dada (2:32)
19. Good Vibrations (4:13)

Bonus Tracks
20. You’re Welcome (1:08)
21. Heroes And Villains (Stereo Mix) (4:53)
22. Heroes And Villains Sections (Stereo Mix) (7:16)
23. Vega-Tables Demo (1:46)
24. He Gives Speeches (1:14)
25. Smile Backing Vocals Montage (8:30)
26. Surf’s Up 1967 (Solo version) (4:09)
27. Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Piano (1:30)

CD TWO
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

OUR PRAYER
1. Our Prayer "Dialog" (9/19/66) (3:01)
2. Our Prayer (10/4/66) (6:37)

HEROES AND VILLAINS

Heroes And Villains Session (10/20/66)
3. Heroes And Villains: Verse (Master Take) (0:57)
4. Heroes And Villains: Barnyard (Master Take) (1:12)
5. Heroes And Villains: I'm In Great Shape (10/27/66) (4:59)
6. Heroes And Villains: Intro (Early Version) circa 12/66 (0:35)

Heroes And Villains Session (1/3/67)
7. Heroes And Villains: Do A Lot (0:53)
8. Heroes And Villains: Bag Of Tricks (2:58)
9. Heroes And Villains: Mission Pak (0:55)
10. Heroes And Villains: Bridge To Indians (1:47)
11. Heroes And Villains: Part 1 Tag (1:19)
12. Heroes And Villains: Pickup To 3rd Verse (0:55)


Heroes And Villains Session (1/27/67)
13. Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (2:07)
14. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (Cantina track) (1:21)
15. Heroes And Villains: Whistling Bridge (1:14)
16. Heroes And Villains: Cantina (1:36)
17. Heroes And Villains: All Day (2:19)
18. Heroes And Villains: Verse Edit Experiment (0:48)

Heroes And Villains Session (2/15/67)
19. Heroes And Villains: Prelude to Fade (3:43)
20. Heroes And Villains: Piano Theme (2:43)

Heroes And Villains Session (2/20/67)
21. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (2:31)
22. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (Gee) (Master Take) (2:36)
23. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 Revised (1:54)
24. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 Revised (Master Take) (0:48)
25. Heroes And Villains: Part 3 (Animals) (Master Take) (1:18)
26. Heroes And Villains: Part 4 (2:36)
27. Heroes And Villains: Part Two (Master Take) (2/27/67) (1:44)
28. Heroes And Villains: Fade (2/28/67) (6:35)

Heroes And Villains Session (3/1/67)
29. Heroes And Villains: Verse Remake (4:16)
30. Heroes And Villains: Organ Waltz / Intro (2:04)

Heroes And Villains Session (6/14/67)
31. Heroes And Villains: Chorus Vocals (0:48)
32. Heroes And Villains: Barbershop (1:50)
33. Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Remake) (1:06)
34. Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Master Take Overdubs Mix 1) (0:26)
35. Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Master Take A Capella) (0:27)

Bonus Tracks
36. Heroes And Villains Piano Demo (incorporating “I’m In Great Shape” and “Barnyard”) Brian with Van Dyke Parks and “Humble Harve” Miller, KHJ Radio (11/4/66) (4:17)
37. Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Microphone (11/4/66) (1:10)
38. Psycodelic Sounds: Moaning Laughing (11/4/66) (1:09)

CD THREE
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK)

Do You Like Worms Session (10/18/66)
1. Do You Like Worms: Part 1 (5:21)
2. Do You Like Worms: Part 2 (Bicycle Rider) (1:55)
3. Do You Like Worms: Part 3 (2:43)
4. Do You Like Worms: Part 4 (Bicycle Rider) (1:10)
5. Do You Like Worms: Bicycle Rider Overdubs (Heroes And Villains Part 2) (1/5/67) (0:22)

MY ONLY SUNSHINE
(THE OLD MASTER PAINTER / YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE)6. My Only Sunshine: Parts 1 & 2 (11/14/66) (6:51)
7. My Only Sunshine: Part 2 (Master Take With Vocal Overdubs) (2/10/67) (0:45)

CABIN ESSENCE

Cabin Essence Session (10/3/66)
8. Cabin Essence: Verse (2:14)
9. Cabin Essence: Chorus (2:28)
10. Cabin Essence: Tag (2:31)

WONDERFUL
11. Wonderful (Version 1) (8/25/66) (2:59)
Wonderful (Version 2 “Rock With Me, Henry”) Session (1/9/67)
12. Wonderful (Version 2) (3:25)
13. Wonderful (Version 2 Tag) (2:54)
14. Wonderful (Version 3) (4/10/67?) (2:41)

LOOK (SONG FOR CHILDREN)
15. Look (8/12/66) (4:52)

CHILD IS FATHER OF THE MAN
16. Child Is Father Of The Man (Version 1) (10/7/66) (4:57)
17. Child Is Father Of The Man (Version 2) (10/11/66) (5:38)

SURF’S UP
18. Surf's Up: 1st Movement (11/4/66) (4:54)
19. Surf's Up: Talking Horns (11/7/66) (3:42)
20. Surf’s Up: Piano Demo (Master Take) (12/15/66) (3:52)

I WANNA BE AROUND / WORKSHOP (FRIDAY NIGHT)21. I Wanna Be Around (11/29/66) (3:08)

VEGA-TABLES (VEGETABLES)

Vegetables Sessions (4/4/67 – 4/11/67)
22. Vegetables: Verse (Master Take Track) (4/4 – 4/11/67) (2:02)
23. Vegetables: Sleep A Lot (Chorus) (2:34)
24. Vegetables: Chorus 1 (Master Take) (1:05)
25. Vegetables: 2nd Chorus (Master Take Track And Backing Vocals) (1:03)
26. Vegetables: Insert (Part 4) (Master Take) (0:37)

CD FOUR
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

VEGA-TABLES (VEGETABLES) (continued)
1. Vegetables: Fade (4/12/67) (5:25)
2. Vegetables: Ballad Insert (4/14/67) (1:03)

HOLIDAYS
3. Holidays (9/8/66) (7:32)

WIND CHIMES
4. Wind Chimes (Version 1) (8/3/66) (6:46)
Wind Chimes (Version 2) Session (10/5/66)
5. Wind Chimes (Version 2) (5:00)
6. Wind Chimes (Version 2 Tag) (2:51)

THE ELEMENTS: FIRE (MRS. O’LEARY’S COW)
7. The Elements (Fire) (11/28/66) (8:27)

LOVE TO SAY DADA / COOL, COOL WATER

Da Da Session (12/22/66)
8. Da Da (Taped Piano Strings) (1:00)
9. Da Da (Fender Rhodes) (1:21)

Love To Say Dada Sessions (5/16/67 - 5/18/67)
10. Love To Say Dada: Part 1 (5/16/67) (1:22)
11. Love To Say Dada: Part 2 (5/17/67) (1:57)
12. Love To Say Dada: Part 2 (Master Take) (5/17/67) (1:21)
13. Love To Say Dada: Part 2 (Second Day) (5/18/67) (2:00)

COOL, COOL WATER
14. Cool, Cool Water (Version 1) (6/7/67) (2:21)
15. Cool, Cool Water (Version 2) (10/26/67 & 10/29/67) (3:31)
SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS
16. You're Welcome (12/15/66) (6:41)
17. You're With Me Tonight (6/6–6/7/67) (2:46)
18. Tune X (3/3/67–3/31/67) (2:18)
19. I Don't Know (1/12/67) (3:03)
20. Three Blind Mice (10/15/65) (2:11)
21. Teeter Totter Love (Jasper Dailey) (1/25/67 & 2/9/67) (1:49)

Bonus Tracks
22. Psycodelic Sounds - Underwater Chant (11/4/66) (1:45)
23. Hal Blaine Vega-Tables Promo Session (11/16/66) (1:28)
24. Heroes And Villains: Early Version Outtake Sections (1/67 – 2/67) (5:04)

CD FIVE
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

GOOD VIBRATIONS SESSIONS1. Good Vibrations: Gold Star 2/18/66 (The “Pet Sounds” Session) (7:27)
2. Good Vibrations: Gold Star 4/9/66 (6:57)
3. Good Vibrations: Western 5/4/66 (First Chorus) (2:24)
4. Good Vibrations: Western 5/4/66 (Second Chorus & Fade) (3:28)
5. Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Part 1) (1:20)
6. Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Parts 2 & 3) (1:45)
7. Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Part 4) (0:47)
8. Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Part C) (3:32)
9. Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Chorus) (3:04)
10. Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Fade Sequence) (1:56)
11. Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 1) (2:44)
12. Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 3) (0:57)
13. Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 4) (0:49)
14. Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 1) (6:24)
15. Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 2 & Verse) (1:06)
16. Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 2 Continued) (5:55)
17. Good Vibrations: Western 6/18/66 (Part 1) (1:10)
18. Good Vibrations: Western 6/18/66 (Part 2) (5:03)
19. Good Vibrations (Persuasion): Western 9/1/66 (1:49)
20. Good Vibrations: Western 9/1/66 (New Bridge) (3:39)
21. Good Vibrations: Session Masters (6:13)
22. Good Vibrations: Single Version Stereo Track (3:49)
23. Good Good Good Vibrations (First Version With Overdubs) 3/66 (3:41)
24. Good Vibrations: Alternate Edit 8/24/66 (3:32)

VINYL
Double LP

Side One
1. Our Prayer
2. Gee
3. Heroes And Villains
4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)
5. I’m In Great Shape
6. Barnyard
7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine)
8. Cabin Essence

Side Two
1. Wonderful
2. Look (Song for Children)
3. Child Is Father Of The Man
4. Surf’s Up

Side Three
1. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop
2. Vega-Tables
3. Holidays
4. Wind Chimes
5. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow)
6. Love To Say Dada
7. Good Vibrations

Side Four1. You’re Welcome – Stereo Mix
2. Vega-Tables – Stereo Mix
3. Wind Chimes – Stereo Mix
4. Cabin Essence – Session Highlights and Stereo Backing Track
5. Surf’s Up – Session Excerpt and Stereo Mix

Two 7” singles
Heroes And Villains "Smile" single Vega-Tables single
A side: Heroes And Villains Part One A side: Vega-Tables
B side: Heroes And Villains Part Two B side: Surf's Up

The SMiLE Sessions (2LP vinyl)

Side One
1. Our Prayer
2. Gee
3. Heroes And Villains
4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)
5. I’m In Great Shape
6. Barnyard
7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine)
8. Cabin Essence
 
Side Two
1. Wonderful
2. Look (Song for Children)
3. Child Is Father Of The Man
4. Surf’s Up

Side Three
1. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop
2. Vega-Tables
3. Holidays
4. Wind Chimes
5. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow)
6. Love To Say Dada
7. Good Vibrations

Side Four
1. You’re Welcome – Stereo Mix
2. Vega-Tables – Stereo Mix
3. Wind Chimes – Stereo Mix
4. Cabin Essence – Session Highlights and Stereo Backing Track
5. Surf’s Up – Session Excerpt and Stereo Mix

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Stereokiller: All Pigs Must Die

All Pigs Must Die
God Is War
Southern Lord Recordings
Released: 8.16.11

Stereokiller review

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Some D.C. for The Weekend

I will be spending the weekend in Washington D.C. this weekend, so in recognition of the trip, here's some of D.C.'s finest. Enjoy.

Bad Brains — "Banned In DC"


Minor Threat — "Screaming at a Wall"


S.O.A. – "Public Defender"


The Untouchables – "Nic Fit"


Government Issue – "Rock 'N Roll Bullshit"


One Last Wish – "Hide"


Rites Of Spring – "End On End"


Jawbox – "68"


Beauty Pill – "Quote Devout Unquote"


Fugazi – "Furniture"


Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Listen? Listen? #4: “Deppa, Deppa, Deppa” & “The Waffing Nose” — A 3-Year Old Translates Link Wray

My daughter is full of brain teasers. My wife and I were flung deeply into one not too long ago while my daughter was making a song request. A few weeks ago, my family and I drove to Cape May, New Jersey for a long weekend away.

While my daughter napped, I managed to exercise some authority over the CD player and brandished my road weapon of choice: Rumble! The Best Of Link Wray. At some point while I was playing the CD, my daughter woke up. I expected to be ordered immediately to put something else on, but she listened and found some songs she really liked.

But, Link Wray is best known for instrumentals, so the benefit of having words to cling to in case you need to explain what you want isn’t an option if you don't know a song's title, or you can capably belt out the tune. One song in particular she wanted to hear a lot and, before we figured it out, she referred to it as “Deppa, Deppa, Deppa.” Granted just skipping through the CD was all we had to do to find the track, but she asked us to play it when there was some other CD in the player.

“Deppa, Deppa, Deppa? What’s that?”

“It’s that music you pwayed that you wike. Deppa, deppa, deppa... with the guitar.”

“Oh, Link Wray?”

“Deppa, Deppa, Deppa.”

My wife found the CD and we skipped through until we found “Run Chicken Run.” She exclaimed, “That’s it, daddy!” And, listening to the song, you can hear where she gets “deppa, deppa, deppa,” Wray’s fingers hold against the strings and choke a muted and rusty harmonic out of the strings in three cycles before wringing out a couple pronounced notes. We listened to this song maybe ten times in a row in one day down the shore, so my road weapon of choice had lost some of its luster by the time we were home.



Maybe a week or two after that, we were in the car again on an errand and my daughter makes another odd request: “Daddy, pwease can I hear ‘The Waffing Nose?’” My wife and I looked at each other fucking mortified because neither of us knew what she talking about.

“The Laughing Nose? We don’t know that one.”

“Yeah, ‘The Waffing Nose.’ Where he waffs?”

This turned into a very surreal back and forth with questions about what the song sounds like and does she know who sings it and when did you hear it and howdowegetouttathisone? exchange of glances between my wife and I. And, then she said, “guitar,” again, and somehow I figured it out:

“Are you talking about ‘The Shadow Knows?’”

“Wiff the waffing. Yeah, daddy.”

So, I pulled out the CD and that was the track. She didn’t remember the “shadow” part, but what child can forget laughter like this?



Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

What I Heard This Morning: Korperschwache

Korperschwache has apparently put out a lot of shit.

Their press release from Public Guilt reads like an excitable resumé, checking off each piece of Korperschwache’s discography thusly ensuring the label’s positioning in the band’s “admire” column. They may as well confirm their admiration. They are, after all, putting out Korperschwache’s latest album.

Ignore The Need is this album and, from what I can tell, a departure from their earlier work. Public Guilt is putting out a limited release of the album as a t-shirt, poster, download card and button package (limit 50). Strangely, there’s no physical album, which I find sort of odd, but the download card comes with liner notes and album art. Listening to Ignore The Need now, I do wish a vinyl version of this existed. It’s got enough rough edges digitally to suggest a turntable would probably thicken this instrumental hybrid of post-rock, drone and post-punk significantly.

Information on the “release” can be found here.

If you’d like to hear a track, check out “breathing down deep the smoke of paradise.”



Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

OFF!: Crawl

Here's part three. Once again, all info comes courtesy of Force Field PR. Enjoy the video. Long live Keith Morris.



OFF! Closes Room 205 Visit with "Crawl"

Incase presents the third and final installment of OFF! at Room 205, featuring the brutal dirge of "Crawl" from their debut album First Four EPs (Vice Music).

The four members of OFF! come from an array of truly awe-inspiring bands. Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) joined forces in 2010 and have already released four EPs of classic hardcore and logged more road miles than most bands will in their entire existence.

Special thanks to OFF! for making this episode possible. Without their great songs, good humor and genuine grace we could not have made this happen. Thanks again to director Jason Farrell, set designer Tamarra Younis and audio engineer Jonathan Gilbert.

View OFF!'s performance of "Crawl" at: http://www.goincase.com/room205/off/crawl/

About Incase
Founded in 1997, Incase creates products to protect the technology that is essential to our lives. Designed to meet the needs of individuals across all interests, professions and passions, Incase products promote design simplicity while offering intuitive functionality and increased mobility for an enhanced user experience.

About Room 205
Working in collaboration with visiting musicians and a revolving cast of filmmakers, set designers, audio engineers and friends, Room 205 exists to share our collective passion for art and music and showcase the people that inspire us.

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Shopping For Records #40 & #55: Internally Adrift in the Throes of Souls At Zero and Sovereign...

Neurosis
Souls At Zero
Neurot Recordings
Originally released: 1992 (on Alternative Tentacles)
Reissued: 2.10.11

Neurosis
Souls At Zero
Neurot Recordings
Originally released: 2000
Reissued: 9.12.11

I’m in the midst of giving my head somewhat of a beat down.

To charge the heightened onslaught of progressive terror that Neurosis have manifested for the last 26 years is to offer oneself fully to it as an experience and not so much as a casual listen. This morning I was thinking about 1992 and what I’d been paying attention to when Souls At Zero had been first issued. Metal at that time, though I’d been exposed to much it before then, mostly evaded me, the only real exception being Pantera’s Vulgar Display Of Power. Ignition had been called on Metallica’s self-titled decline and Megadeth’s Countdown To Extinction was unfairly caught up in the Black Album’s downward trajectory. Otherwise, my head was invested in the Alternative awakening.

In 2000, when their Sovereign EP came out, I wasn’t listening to metal at all, caught up in some very stupid and regretful entanglement with all that nü shit that’s suffered greatly thanks to either evolving tastes or a public’s tendency to eschew trends. We all make mistakes. Some of us own up.

I realize, by the way, that the above admission withdraws much of my right to wax credibly on any and all statements I make regarding Neurosis and this year’s reissues, but consider my perspective unique. As I rapidly approach my mid-thirties and am typically ingesting a rather overwhelming heap of music daily, I’m past the point of being viscerally and emotionally consumed by anything musical anymore. A few of the better and most memorable days I spent in my otherwise anti-bliss as a teenager were in the throes of an album that I’d just bought, at times subject to something that made the hairs on the back of my neck shoot up and the blood in my veins coarse ice cold throughout my body. Something I had to listen to over and over again. Something that may have excited me; maybe even depressed me. I could feel my impressionable self being damaged, misshapen, worked as potter’s clay, my ears co-conspirator to my countless pubescent awakenings, the few I had that didn’t involve tits, ass and plans on how to acquire both.

Now? It’s not that I’m no longer genuinely affected by music. Were that true, I wouldn’t bother spending time spewing this shit, promoting bands, dissecting albums... What would be the point? But, albums don’t mean as much as they used to and, chances are, I will have the same top ten, twenty or fifty for the rest of my life. Subsequent albums? I like a lot of them, but few have seeped past my rather hardened and desensitized perceptions. I’m more likely to admire a band or an album than exhibit outright devotion.



It could be the age of these albums and when in my life they’d have hit me had I been more informed and maybe as open-minded and tapped into the alternative or counterculture well as I thought I was. Souls At Zero would’ve hit me at 15 or 16. Sovereign? 23 or 24. Both albums have caught me at a level I haven’t experienced in some time. I find myself sinking into them, emotionally invested. “To Crawl Under One’s Skin” and “Souls At Zero” both pull me under their weight, hammer me into absolute silence and distract me from all else in plain view. “Flight” is a rampant cycle of guitars and drums, suited up momentarily with violin strings and woodwind before revisiting its mire and “The Web” continues a fairly steady and almost struggling march through ample sonic mud. There’s no end to these limitless holes; no interruptions, missed spots or cracks in these walls. You’re enveloped. Contained. An exhalation of trumpet sounds bolster some majestic air around slow, churning chords in “Sterile Visions” and then “A Chronology Of Survival” builds itself into frenzied blasts of amplification before an ensemble of violin and cello bring the song to a close. “Stripped” is just a progressive and oddly mashed combination of sounds and tempos, doom-laden bells and emanations of a church dwelling choir, powerfully and abruptly collaged with seams in full view, frayed edges bore proud. Uneasy builds introduce every musical height, some more fully composed than others and then Takeahnase basically powers the album to a close, its only real addition a rather lonely instrumental dubbed “Empty.”

For the sake of full disclosure, it’s worth noting that Souls At Zero has been reissued with demo versions of “Souls At Zero” and the sample-scattered instrumental version “Zero.” “Cleanse III (Live In London)” expands on the ritualistic percussion and sample fascinations Neurosis began with “Cleanse,” which was put out in 1993 on Enemy of the Sun.



Sovereign was the maiden release for Neurosis’ Neurot Recordings label, and showcases the band in a looser manner, atmospherically patient. Somehow, though, with a less refined construct in place, Sovereign sounds manic, nervous and somewhat unpredictable. “Prayer” spends most of its time attempting to reach some momentous occasion where shit goes down, but it stays a course, never quite reaching any pinnacle moment or achieving a significant payoff. “An Offering,” though, works itself into accelerated rage, enriched in guitar drones. “Flood,” is a percussion-based instrumental and “Sovereign” just bleeds, its instruments viscously dripping in a series of overlaying notes before finding purpose. It’s another of those very sever moments in Neurosis’ catalog that occupies my attention, its resolve severe and its tone nothing to fuck with.

The reissue contains an instrumental called “Misgiven,” which is sort of a naked variation of “An Offering,” experimenting with layered high frequency strains of sound.

I’m positive that none of my observations regarding Neurosis are particularly new or really even necessary, (this band’s legacy writes itself), but as reissues hopefully grant new access to those of us wandering directionless in the midst of music that might otherwise greatly enhance our lives, such exposition can maybe lead some ears their way. I can say that Souls At Zero and Sovereign have at least widened my gaze some, embarrassing me to some extent in that I’ve come this far without Neurosis in my life. But, I guess the benefit is I get to enjoy them anew.

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Wire: Adapt

So, this is merely a video of Wire playing “Adapt” from their latest album, Red Barked Tree, which was reviewed on No Ripcord earlier this year.



Otherwise, news of a live album and a European tour has sprung up. The live album is going to be treated as tour merch until the tour is over, so us over on the stateside will have to wait until December if we want to hear it.

All info is courtesy of Terrorbird.

Wire Announces Huge UK Tour for November

Live Album on Pinkflag Will Be Sold as Exclusive Merchandise

Download: "Two Minutes" via Pitchfork

Watch: "Adapt" via YouTube

After spending the first half of 2011 on an extensive world-tour in support of Red Bark Tree, Wire's Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Grey and live guitarist Matt Simms have decided to head back on the road in the UK. Twice as long and covering several cities the band hasn't played since the 70's, the November tour will be a fitting wrap-up to a whirlwind year for the punk legends.

To accompany the tour, Wire's label, Pinkflag, will be releasing a live album (all formats) of a prestigious show from earlier in the year. The album will be available as exclusive merchandise on the tour and will only be released to shops once the dates are finished.

Support for all shows will be provided by the highly acclaimed American duo Talk Normal, who are just putting the finishing touches on their debut album.

WIRE ON TOUR WITH TALK NORMAL
Nov 15: HMV Institute, Birmingham, UK
Nov 16: Manchester 3, Manchester, UK
Nov 17: Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, UK
Nov 18: The Arches, Glasgow, UK
Nov 19: Academy 2, Newcastle, UK
Nov 20: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
Nov 22: Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
Nov 23: XOYO, London, UK
Nov 25: Academy 2, Liverpool, UK
Nov 26: Whelans, Dublin, Eire
Nov 29: Thekla, Bristol, UK
Nov 30: Phoenix, Exeter, UK
Dec 01: The Globe, Cardiff, UK
Dec 02: Academy 2, Oxford, UK
Dec 03: The Plug, Sheffield, UK

Wire
Wire Twitter
Terrorbird

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

No Ripcord: Hella

Hella
Tripper
Sargent House
Released: 8.30.11

No Ripcord review

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Shopping For Records #57: Ian Curtis Will Not Be Re-Identified: Fac. Dance Compilation

Fans of New Order re-motherfuckin’-joice! Or not. Just know that a new Factory Records retrospective is being released, two LPs or CDs worth of compiled tracks, remixes and obscurities, dance music from the post-punk era.  The comp will feature the aforementioned New Order, Swamp Children, A Certain Ratio and other Factory-related synth bands and dance meisters.  

Any upcoming parties? Now you have a soundtrack. I'm not even a fan of most dance-related music and even I think this would be a good purchase.

Fac. Dance is being released by Strut Records.







All info is courtesy of Force Field PR.

FAC. DANCE, a new Factory Records collection of 12" mixes & rarities from 1980 - 87 due this October via Strut

2xCD / 2xLP set will feature tracks from New Order, A Certain Ratio, Section 25, Quando Quango, The Durutti Column, Swamp Children, 52nd St. & more

52nd St. photographed in 1982

The Strut label presents an essential new retrospective of Factory Records, the seminal Manchester club-turned-record label set up by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.

Compiled by Bill Brewster of djhistory.com, FAC. DANCE places the spotlight on some of the label's early dancefloor-based work across key 12" mixes and rarities, from the unmistakeable productions of Martin Hannett to more unheralded backroom work by New Order's Bernard Sumner and A Certain Ratio drummer Donald Johnson, under their BeMusic and DoJo monikers.

The album traces early experiments from Blurt's avant garde mutant funk to the fertile post-Joy Division period as the label's unique, coruscating post-punk sound took shape through seminal bands like A Certain Ratio and Section 25. The album also expressly documents Factory's strong links and cross-pollination with New York's 1980s club culture, as New Order joined forces with producer Arthur Baker, fresh from his pioneering electro work with Afrika Bambaataa, and acts like Quando Quango and Sweet Sensation's Marcel King enlisted NY remixer Mark Kamins for tough-edged club treatments. Factory bands including Quando Quango would also play live at some of the city's seminal nightspots, including the Paradise Garage.

The compilation also touches on some of the wider directions explored by Factory during its early years - Durutti Column's melancholic beauty, the latin jazz and jazz funk of Swamp Children, Kalima and Tony Henry's 52nd Street and a track from the label's only reggae single, the Dennis Bovell-produced 'See Them A'Come' by X-O-Dus. This is the music that would provide the blueprint for the Manchester scene of the late '80s and Factory's heady later years - the Happy Mondays, James, Northside and the rest.

FAC. DANCE is compiled and annotated by Bill Brewster of djhistory.com and features rare artist photos alongside original label artwork by Peter Saville. The album is produced in association with James Nice at LTM Records.



Various Artists
FAC. DANCE: Factory Records 12" Mixes & Rarities 1980 - 1987
(Strut)
Street Date: Oct. 11, 2011

CD 1
Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix) (8:12)
A Certain Ratio - Wild Party (4:17)
Quando Quango - Love Tempo (7:49)
52nd Street - Express (5:00)
Swamp Children - Little Voices (7:10)
Biting Tongues - Boss Toyota Trouble (5:30)
The Durutti Column - For Belgian Friends (Valuable Passages version) (5:22)
Royal Family & The Poor - Art On 45 (4:49)
A Certain Ratio - Knife Slits Water (12-inch version) (9:44)
Section 25 - Dirty Disco
Blurt - Puppeteer (3:22)
X-O-Dus - See Them-A-Come (8.28)

CD 2
New Order - Confusion (Original 12" mix) 8.13
Shark Vegas - Pretenders Of Love (5:08)
52nd Street - Cool As Ice (Jellybean Mix) (7:29)
Streetlife - Act On Instinct (Hot Swedish Mix) (5:32)
The Hood - Salvation! (Nitromix) (12:05)
Abecedarians - Smiling Monarchs (6:47)
Quando Quango - Atom Rock (Mark Kamins Mix) 7:27)
Marcel King - Reach For Love (New York Remix) (5:26)
52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes (6:55)
Quando Quango - Genius (6:22)
Swamp Children - You've Got Me Beat (4:55)
The Durutti Column - Madeleine (3:00)

Digital only bonus tracks:
Minny Pops - Time (3.44)
Kalima - Black Water (6.35)
Royal Family & The Poor - Motherland (5:42) 

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

What I Heard This Morning: Mr. Gnome

I was expecting cutesy, gimmicky hipster drivel with Mr. Gnome. I really was. And, within the first minute or so, I thought that’s exactly what I was getting. But “Bit Of Tongue,” the first single from their upcoming album, Madness In Miniature, ultimately screwed with that perception so much I almost consider them a parody of said categorization. The song swells with that ironic, almost toytronic, backpacking cuteness and then amusingly kicks up the fuzztone, which doesn’t necessarily deplete the song’s preciousness, but at least my initial impression was somewhat challenged.

Anyway, Mr. Gnome recorded at Josh Homme’s Pink Duck Studios. Madness In Miniature will be out October 25th on El Marko Records. All info is courtesy of Terrorbird Media.

Mr. Gnome Announce Roaring Madness In Miniature LP, Recorded at Josh Homme's Pink Duck Studios, for October 25th Release on El Marko Records

Free Download of Cleveland Duo's First Single "Bit of Tongue" Available

Coast to Coast Fall Tour Dates Announced

DOWNLOAD: "Bit of Tongue" (mp3)

Inspired by a taste for the surreal, Cleveland's Mr. Gnome has been creating a singular amalgam of gritty, space-psychedelia since 2005, gaining them an ever-growing cult following across North America and Europe, as well as praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Paste, Spin, Bust, and more. With a nod to the off-kiltered, the constantly touring duo are set to release their third full-length album Madness In Miniature, set to be released October 25th on El Marko Records. While the previous two albums offered mere glimpses, the new album is an all-encompassing gaze into two delicate yet roaring, hypnotic yet beautifully disconcerting minds that come together to make sense as one. The layered and ultimately anthemic first single "Bit of Tongue" is available now for a free download.

Singer/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer/pianist Sam Meister bring an unfiltered approach to their craft, allowing for emotional and sonic variance. The duo's mood swings are mirrored by the band's surreal album artwork, and forthcoming music videos, all created by Barille and Meister themselves. Madness in Miniature twists from soft lullabies to interstellar chaos , represented well by "Bit of Tongue." The intricately woven musical tapestries and hallucinogenic interludes pounded out by the duo represent an expansion and perfection of the stylistic character Mr. Gnome had previously become synonymous.

Like the previous album Heave Yer Skeleton (2009), the new recored was recorded at Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age/Them Crooked Vultures) Pink Duck Studios in Los Angeles. The Madness in Miniature sessions signal the band’s second opportunity to partner with Pink Duck Studio Manager and Engineer, Justin Smith (QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal, Arctic Monkeys, Them Crooked Vultures) as well. Portland’s Beau Sorenson, who mixes the previous two albums, is back as well.

The duo will be bringing their this energy across the US on tour this fall (see dates below), and again in the winter with an additional set of tour dates to be announced.

Mr. Gnome <- - - - - -> Fall Tour Dates


10/05 Philadelphia PA @ TBA
10/06 Brooklyn NY @ Union Pool
10/07 New Haven CT @ Elm Bar
10/08 Pittsburgh PA @ Brillobox
10/14 Rochester NY/Buffalo NY
10/15 Rochester NY/Buffalo NY
10/19 Lansing MI @ TBA
10/20 Grand Rapids MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
10/21 Madison WI @ Frequency
10/22 St Louis MO @ Cicero's
10/24 Kansas City MO @ The Riot Room
10/25 Denver CO @ 3 Kings
10/26 Salt Lake City UT @ Burt's Tiki Lounge
10/27 Boise ID @ Neurolux
10/28 Portland OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
10/29 Seattle WA @ The Comet Tavern
10/31 San Francisco CA @ TBA
11/01 Fresno CA @ TBA
11/02 Los Angeles CA @ TBA
11/03 Tucson AZ @ Plush
11/04 Albuquerque NM @ The Launchpad
11/05 Oklahoma City OK @ TBA
11/07 Springfield MO @ TBA
11/08 Columbia MO @ TBA
11/10 Chicago IL @ Empty Bottle
11/11 Ft Wayne IN @ TBA
11/12 Toledo OH @ Ottawa Tavern
11/18 Columbus OH @ Skully's
***



Mr. Gnome - Madness In Miniature
Out October 25th on El Marko Records cd, vinyl, & digital

Terrorbird Press Page
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Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Stereokiller: Totimoshi

Totimoshi
Avenger
At A Loss Recordings
Released: 8.16.11

Stereokiller review

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Hella: Yubacore

"Yubacore" could very well be my favorite track off of Hella's upcoming album, Tripper, which is as apt a title as one could pin on their own album.  It flirts with a somewhat standard percussive stride (standard for Hella, anyway) and then launches into some shuffling, howling strangeness.  As a summary of the band's overall creative approach and the skill they utilize throughout Tripper, "Yubacore" offers reliable testimony.   This is one to look forward to.

The album will be reviewed for No Ripcord.  All info is courtesy of US/THEM Group.

Hella premiere new song via Pitchfork; new album Tripper out August 30th

Legendary experimentalist duo Hella premiere a new song today via Pitchfork called "Yubacore". Check it out HERE. The track is culled from Tripper, their forthcoming fifth album, due out August 30th, 2011 on Sargent House.

Hella has long been celebrated for bringing a rigorous and artful musical complexity to the punk aesthetic. Now, after a four year hiatus, the legendary Sacramento duo founded in 2001 by drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Spencer Seim has returned with their fifth album, Tripper. As the title suggests, it's a wild ride that finds Hella in classic frenetic anthemic form.

The sonic experimentalists have stripped the band lineup back down to the original 2-piece, returning to the streamlined aggression of their earlier work while expanding the barriers of their sound. Tripper is Hella's most "focused" album to date -- and, by focused, we mean in a kaleidoscopic way. While each of the multiple riffs and movements of every song have a clearly defined mood and feel, the way that Hill and Seim breeze between time signatures and parts is like watching the scenery unfold within a kaleidoscope. It's entrancing in its beauty and beguiling in its complexity.

Hella's previous album, There's No 666 In Outer Space (Ipecac Recordings) saw the band expanded to a 5-piece, with lead vocals, bass and two guitars. But, it's the well defined space in-between the duo's impenetrable foundation of drums and guitar that Hella revisits on Tripper with a vigor. Seim's guitar sounds like a one man orchestra of six-string flagellation while Hill's eminently esoteric playing style and innovative collection of repurposed drum equipment redefines the pair's ground-shaking impact.

Hella formed in 2001 when teenage friends Seim and Hill abandoned a previous full band project to start anew. Their name was derived from Bay Area slang meaning "really", "excessively" or more literally, "hell of." Quite fittingly, the duo proved to be "hella" talented and innovative. Early albums and EPs on Kill Rock Stars offshoot 5 Rue Christine and Suicide Squeeze, as well as incessant touring saw the band develop a massive following in underground DIY circles for their incendiary live shows. After later experiments with an expanded lineup, Hella took a break from recording and performing to focus on myriad other projects before reconvening in 2011.

Tripper will be available everywhere on CD, LP and Digital Download on August 30th, 2011 via Sargent House.



Artist: Hella
Album: Tripper
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 30th, 2011

01. Headless (MP3)
02. Self Checkout
03. Long Hair
04. Yubacore (MP3)
05. Netgear
06. Kid Life Crisis
07. On The Record
08. Furthest
09. Psycho Bro
10. Osaka

On the Web:
hellaband.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Hella/293833307223

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead 

OFF!: Poison City

If the kids were doing it right, Keith Morris could retire.  Instead?

This is another Room 205 performance with OFF! playing "Poison City."  All info is courtesy of Force Field PR.



OFF! Continues Furious Tutorial in Hardcore Fundamentals with "Poison City"

 

With raw enthusiasm we premiere the second installment of Room 205 with OFF! For this explosive episode, director Jason Farrell and set designer Tamarra Younis took inspiration from the legendary "Bates Motel," located around the corner from Keith Morris' Sunset Junction apartment.

Spooky, sketchy and fantastically well-lit, today's hardcore matinee continues with the mauling wallop of "Poison City" from the debut album First Four EPs (Vice Music).

The four members of OFF! come from an array of truly awe-inspiring bands. Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt). Formed in Los Angeles in 2010, they've already released four EPs of classic hardcore and logged more road miles than most bands will in their entire existence. It is an honor to host this group of friends and favorite musicians in Room 205.

Look for the final installment of OFF! at Room 205 to launch on August 15.

View OFF!'s performance of "Poison City" at: http://www.goincase.com/room205/off/poison-city/

To download images of OFF! at Room 205, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goincase/sets/72157627309593582/

About Incase
Founded in 1997, Incase creates products to protect the technology that is essential to our lives. Designed to meet the needs of individuals across all interests, professions and passions, Incase products promote design simplicity while offering intuitive functionality and increased mobility for an enhanced user experience.

About Room 205
Working in collaboration with visiting musicians and a revolving cast of filmmakers, set designers, audio engineers and friends, Room 205 exists to share our collective passion for art and music and showcase the people that inspire us.

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

Tera Melos: So Occult/Kelly

There's senselessness and then there's meaninglessness and there's no sense in meaning less than the sense you're making if there's no meaning to your senselessness.

No, that didn't make any sense and neither does Tera Melos' new video. 



What does make sense, though, is that they're touring with Boris and Melt Banana. Lots of sense there.

Info courtesy of US/THEM Group.

Tera Melos premiere new video via Brooklyn Vegan, announce Fall tour dates with Boris, Melt Banana

Click image above to watch video

"Once in a rare while an album comes along that's so fresh and ingenious it redefines what's possible in a field of music. It's been some time since a trio armed with guitar, drums, bass and vocals have shattered the boundaries of convention and pushed the limits of their instruments and compositions like a graceful tsunami of invention." -- Exclaim!

"Tera Melos has ferociously explored the outer limits of bizarre time signatures and unhinged thrash since its self-titled 2005 debut. But the band's full-length, Patagonian Rats is more akin to the type of freak-pop perversion dished out by daring pioneers like Devo and The Flaming Lips." -- Wired.com

Sacramento genre-benders Tera Melos release a new video today courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan. The clip includes two songs, "So Occult" and "Kelly" culled from their recent album, Patagonian Rats. Watch video HERE.

Tera Melos return to the road this Fall supporting new label mates Boris for much of their North American tour, as well as a separate leg of shows supporting Melt Banana. Many more dates will be announced soon (including NYC). Please see the current schedule below.

Additionally, Daytrotter has posted a session with the band, featuring 3 songs dramatically revised. Stream/download HERE.

Tera Melos' most recent album Patagonian Rats landed on many Best of 2010 lists, as well as receiving raves from Wired.com, Exclaim!, ALARM Press, Impose and Exploding In Sound. Henry Rollins has repeatedly championed the album on his KCRW radio show and Marnie Stern also named it her favorite album of the year in SPIN. MP3 and video links follow below, or stream the entire Tera Melos discography via Bandcamp.

TERA MELOS US TOUR DATES 2011:
Oct 07 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew *
Oct 08 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *^
Oct 10 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *^
Oct 11 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *^
Oct 12 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's *^
Oct 15 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * !
Oct 16 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room * !
Oct 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater * !
Oct 18 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater * !
Oct 19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro * !
Oct 20 - Oberlin, OH @ Dionysus Disco /Oberlin College * !
Oct 22 - Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop #
Oct 25 - Toronto, ON @ Wrong Bar #
Oct 26 - Montreal, QU @ Il Motore #
Oct 27 - Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bears #
Oct 28 - Hamden, CT @ The Space #
Nov 10 - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse *
Nov 11 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
Nov 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ EL Rey *


* w/ Boris
# w/ Melt Banana
^ w/ Master Musicians of Bukkake
! w/ Coliseum



Artist: Tera Melos
Album: Patagonian Rats -- Deluxe Digital Edition
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: February 22nd, 2011


01. So Occult (VIDEO)
02. Kelly (VIDEO)
03. The Skin Surf (VIDEO)
04. Aped
05. Trident Tail
06. Frozen Zoo (MP3) (any file format) (VIDEO)
07. In Citrus Heights
08. Skywatch
09. Party With Gina
10. Another Surf
11. Westham United
12. A New Uniform/Patagonia
13. Purple and Stripes
14. Kelley
15. Manar The Magic (MP3) (VIDEO)
16. Melt Bamanarnana (Melt Banana Remix)
17. Manar The Magic (Pat Hills' Rat Trap Dub)
18. Manar Was A Rat
19. Frozen Zoo (Thawed Out Mix) (VIDEO)
20. Frozen Zoo (Raleigh Moncrief Remix)

On the Web:
facebook.com/teramelosmusic
www.teramelos1.tumblr.com
teramelos.bandcamp.com

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

The Inbox Giveth: Locrian — Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen In Ash 7"

Locrian
“Dort Ist Der Weg b/w “Frozen In Ash” 7”
FSS
Released: 9.2011

Chicago’s very underground noise metal juggernaut Locrian has been progressing with every album, cassette, split single and 7” they’ve been churning out since 2009’s Drenched Lands. The band (whose buzz relies on the combined efforts of André Foisy, Terence Hannum and Steven Hess) has been developing musically, not straying too faraway from their horror/freakshow environments but incorporating more and more composition into the framework.

Their new 7,” “Dort Ist Der Weg”/”Frozen In Ash” confirms this development, but unexpectedly. The single begins with a cover of Popol Vuh’s “Dort Ist Der Weg,” its treatment a very Melvins-percussive and artfully post-punk approach.  Lovely, near-droning vocals soften the band’s loose and jagged construct, which is set at a perfect trudge. “Frozen In Ash” takes the band’s expansive, sonic guitar loops and builds a rhythmic folk instrumental overtop. Acoustic strings appear, piano keys blare; it’s an odd combination of Locrian’s oft-alienating, noise experiments with musical knowhow, following screams with blues. This sort of inventiveness within the band’s own identity is what makes Locrian a band that deserves attention, though it’s interesting that their most innovative work is turning out to be their most accessible.

Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" by flingco

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead