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Showing posts from April, 2015

Singles: Chelsea Wolfe, OVER, Amber Edgar, Sons Of Huns, Grounders, Lonnie in the Garden, Cavalry

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Chelsea Wolfe : "Iron Moon" (via Rarely Unable PR/Sargent House/ Rolling Stone /Soundcloud) OVER : "Gone Are The Days" (via OVER/Soundcloud) Amber Edgar : "Good Will Rise" (via Amber Edgar /Soundcloud) Sons of Huns : "An Evil Unseen (w/ Scott "Wino" Weinrich )" (via Us-Them Group/ RidingEasy Records /Soundcloud) Grounders : "No Ringer" (via Force Field PR/ Stereogum /Soundcloud) Lonnie in the Garden : "Song 3" (via Lonnie in the Garden /YouTube) Cavalry : "An Understanding" (via Ask Me PR/Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Inbox Giveth: Young Knives and HUMOURS

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Young Knives Something Awful EP Gadzöök Released: 4.18.15 (physical); 5.18.15 (digital) "Something Awful" is a track from the Young Knives ' 2013 full-length Sick Octave , the band's crowd-funded LP that marked a change in the band's creative trajectory and took the obligatory "art" and "post-" prefixes very seriously.  As an expansion of the title track, Young Knives 's Something Awful is a decent companion to the LP, three additional tracks inspired by something   (fill in the blank)  . Building off the mutant swing and playful math-harmonic of the title track, "Something Sweet" brings some Wire -stride with sections of guitar generated shriek.  Vocally, the track resembles some strange pairing of Michael Crawford and Scott Walker , theatrical off-rhythm declarations of "I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR SWEETNESS!!!" that almost crosses into spoken word.  Spoken vocals, though, do occupy "Something Tragi

Daughter of a Tapehead: Beauty Pill

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Beauty Pill The Cigarette Girl From The Future Butterscotch Records Originally released: 2001 via Dischord/DeSoto Reissued: 3.4.15 *What's not to like?  It's easily one of my all-time favorite albums. The reissue of Beauty Pill 's The Cigarette Girl From The Future includes four extra tracks including a cover of "Rubber Ring" by The Smiths .  It looks like the vinyl editions are sold out for now, but you can still own it digitally .  CD EPs are also sold out at Dischord Records , who originally issued the album.  Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

RSD 4.18 — Siren's Turn

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Every year, it seems like the sidewalks leading to the independent record stores are paved more and more by good intentions and good intentions only.  Myself a proponent of Record Store Day up to this point, the gradual major label influence over the occasion has not gone unnoticed and the extent to which the influence has led to the true independent and/or underground musical apparatus being pushed aside is more apparent.  The major labels were taught a big lesson about fifteen years ago when online music sharing became the unapologetic response to the industry's complacent output of overpriced mediocrity.  With the vinyl resurgence only a few years old, you'd think the industry would've learned how to respect its audience, but not so much.  Prices for vinyl are becoming more and more absurd and the tried and true reissue machine is churning out more and more old and progressively irrelevant and geriatric catalogues and, thusly, new music from bands either too young or a

Singles: Dommengang, Mondo Drag, Ariel Pink, Skinless, The Milk Carton Kids, A Troop of Echoes, Qui

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Dommengang : "Everybody's Boogie" (via Thrill Jockey Records/YouTube) Mondo Drag : "The Dawn" (via Us-Them Group/ Brooklyn Vegan / RidingEasy Records /Soundcloud) Ariel Pink : "Jell-o" (via Force Field PR/YouTube) Skinless : "Serpenticide" (via Relapse Records/YouTube) The Milk Carton Kids : "Monterey" (via Big Mouth Publicity/ Rolling Stone /Anti-/Soundcloud) A Troop of Echoes : "Masnifest and Legion" (via Us-Them Group/ Exclaim! /Soundcloud) Qui : "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" (via Us-Them Group/Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

What I Heard This Morning: WHOOP-Szo

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"Mirror North" is the A-side of a new 2-song 7" from the band, WHOOP-Szo .  There's something possible familiar about the QUIETLOUDQUIET transitions, a Pixies device that's gained some value with this track, but the overall presentation is nicely arranged, some brooding bass melody and soft melodic accents that beautify for melancholic effect.  Then the volume goes up, the distortion chars.  There are also some interesting, albeit loose, Slint derivations incorporated at the bridge.    You can sample the track below. If you like what you hear, you can purchase the single here .  The official release date is 4.18: Record Store Day. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

No Ripcord: Six Organs of Admittance

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Six Organs of Admittance Hexadic Drag City Released: 2.17.15 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

ZU: "Conflict Acceleration"

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Erratic jazz-nihilists ZU have put out a new video from their recently released Cortar Todo LP, "Conflict Acceleration."  An unsettling buzz finds some rhythmic stride and eventually transitions into a corrupted seesaw of rampant drum sounds and scraping brass honks, an almost hardcore length fury that fades out about as quickly and abruptly as it begins.  Check out the video below. All info, links, tour dates and video were provided courtesy of Rarely Unable.   ZU - NEW VIDEO FOR ALBUM TRACK "CONFLICT ACCELERATION"; TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED AND NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED Following the recent release of their brand new full length, Cortar Todo, ZU have shared a music video for the album track "Conflict Acceleration" directed by Sara D'Uva. The band have also announced the first round of European tour dates, which you can also see below. WATCH THE VIDEO FOR "CONFLICT ACCELERATION" https://youtu.be/Xu8UBF68T98 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES 0

Singles: Wilsen, Lakker, OOFJ, Daniel Lanois, Oddisee, High Wolf

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Wilsen : "Garden" (via Force Field PR/Soundcloud) Lakker : "Pylon" (via Force Field PR/Soundcloud) OOFJ : "I Forgive You" ( Dean Blunt SOUR ™ mix)" (via Force Field PR/ Stereogum /Soundcloud) Daniel Lanois : "Burning Spear" (via Big Mouth Publicity/YouTube) Oddisee : "Counter-Clockwise" (via Friend of Friends/ Billboard /YouTube) High Wolf : "Wild At Heart" (via Julian T. Schoen - Artist, Event & Project Management/ Leaving Records /YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Pallbearer: "Watcher in the Dark"

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Pallbearer put out a video for "Watcher in the Dark," one of the six pieces of solid, odyssey-driven gargantua that comprises the band's 2014 release, Foundations of Burden .  While there's not much to say about the video since it pretty much only checks off boxes, (features band *check*, provides competent visual accompaniment to single *check*, seems to follow the band's aesthetic or mood *check*), the track itself addresses the band's want of expanse and intensity, summarizing riff-lust as a means of aural pulverization and melody as counter to complete ruin and subsequent transit to any note of beauty.  Check out the video below. All info, links, tour dates and video were supplied by the wonderful Rarely Unable.  PALLBEARER PREMIERES FIRST MUSIC VIDEO EVER FOR "WATCHER IN THE DARK"; TRACK APPEARS ON FOUNDATIONS OF BURDEN ; ON TOUR THIS MAY, JUNE AND JULY Watch Pallbearer's epic and cinematic new video for "Watcher in the

Lightning Bolt: "The Metal East"

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"The Metal East," Lightning Bolt 's latest single from their newest release, Fantasy Empire , has been released with this very colorful and visually dazzling animated video. You can check it out here: Fantasy Empire is currently out via Thrill Jockey Records, who were nice enough to supply the video, links and all the information you can read below. Lightning Bolt share animated music video for The Metal East European tour starting in June New acclaimed album Fantasy Empire out now Iconic noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt have just shared an animated video for their adrenaline-fueled song 'The Metal East', the opening track on their new album Fantasy Empire. Directed by comic artist & animator Lale Westvind , the colourful video depicts a frantic post-apocalyptic world set to images of psychedelic demons riding crazed dinosaurs and vehicles... WATCH - The Metal East: https://youtu.be/h9T0ICrAzqU Vimeo video link HERE Lightning Bolt recentl

Over The Hill (Quarter): Lullabies to Paralyze by Queens of the Stone Age

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Queens of the Stone Age Lullabies To Paralyze Interscope Records Released: 3.22.05 A little over a week ago, Lullabies to Paralyze , the fourth album from Queens of the Stone Age , turned 10.  Realizing that this particular volume of QOTSA's output doesn't necessarily garner the respect of its predecessors, 2000's Rated R and 2002's monumental Songs for the Deaf , Lullabies to Paralyze was, for me, an important album, one that occupied a great deal of my time and consideration for months following its release. Remembering 2005, as I saw it, The Strokes and The White Stripes were supplying rock journalists with all the content they required.  Garage was retro-chic and vintage blues was the shit.  While QOTSA's Songs for the Deaf had earned itself some very well-deserved acclaim, (aided in part by the star power and involvement of Dave Grohl ), Elephant and Room on Fire , both of which were the 2003 follow-ups to milestone releases for both The Strokes a