If you've ever considered the turbulent movements and cycles within a washing machine as comparable to an arranged onslaught of beats, noise, and electronics, this might be for you.  Matmos , who've recently released their LP, Ultimate Care II , (an album built from the sounds of a Whirlpool Ultimate Care II washing machine), just put out a video for the track, "Excerpt Nine." Using the washing machine concept of the album as basis what you'll see if you hit PLAY, this video was borne from a creative partnership between Matmos and the design team, L-inc Design .  All the info on the video and links came directly from the good people at Thrill Jockey Records.  Support the label.  Support the artists.  Today, conceptual art and electronic music duo, Matmos release their third video from the new album, Ultimate Care II . "Excerpt Nine" was co-directed by husband and wife team Ed Apodaca and Lisa Berghout . In keeping with the domestic origins of...

John Coltrane Ascension Impulse! Reissued: 2.2016 Originally released: 2.1966 (as "Edition I" — A-95) * Actual question. ** Actual opinion. So, the reissue sounds great.  My copy is mislabeled, however, so Side B is actually Side A, which I guess is sort of fitting since the whole "Edition I"/"Edition II" thing still requires a bit of brain matter to keep straight.  Interestingly, it's easier to find structural cohesion on the vinyl edition than I was ever able to find on the 2000 CD issue, which contains both versions. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Tom Waits : "The Soul of a Man ( Blind Willie Johnson cover)" (via Big Mouth Publicity/Soundcloud) Graves at Sea : "Dead Eyes" (via Earsplit PR/ Decibel Magazine /Soundcloud) Hooded Fang : "" (via Force Field PR/ The FADER /Soundcloud) Some Gifts : "All Washed Up" (via The Deli Magazine /Soundcloud) Orouni : "The Peanut Specialist" (via Orouni /Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

A patiently composed and theatrically stylish new single from Kaada/Patton has surfaced called "Red Rainbow."  This is the first single from the duo's upcoming release, Bacteria Cult , which is the first LP spawned from the collaborative efforts of John Kaada and Mike Patton since 2004's Romances .  With the mood of a thriller, the pace of which eventually culminates into a rather sinister finale, "Red Rainbow" is performed by the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra .  Patton's vocal melody adds character to the composition, as if to add an air of distinction.  Despite its dimension of impending dread, its captivating tone and rich undercurrents of zig-zagging harmony offer much for the ear to absorb.   Bacteria Cult is currently available for pre-order.  You can listen to the track below.  All info and links were provided by Speakeasy PR. Bacteria Cult by Kaada/Patton KAADA/PATTON SHARE NEW SONG,"RED RAINBOW," FROM THE UPCOMING ALBUM, BA...

Relapse Records continues to reissue the calculated progressive violence of The Dillinger Escape Plan .  The label's latest installment comes in the form of a 10" of the Under the Running Board EP, which is now available for pre-order.  Considering how quickly the Calculating Infinity , Miss Machine , and Ire Works reissues were picked up, I imagine this one will go quickly as well.  Info and links are courtesy of Relapse Records. Under The Running Board (Reissue) by The Dillinger Escape Plan Relapse Announces Deluxe Vinyl Reissue of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's Classic EP Under The Running Board Relapse Records is proud to announce the deluxe vinyl reissue of The Dillinger Escape Plan's classic and highly influential Relapse debut EP Under The Running Board . Originally released in 1998 and unavailable on vinyl for over six years, this special pressing will be the album's first time ever on 10" wax, allowing for higher-fidelity. The LP also inclu...

I’ve listened to “Once” more than once at this point.  A lot, in fact.  With hurried blasts of hi-hat, delivered with the precision and speed of a singular member of a dominating championship drumline, emotional swells of tone emerge from the ether, improvised melody, both ghostly and lush, lessening the severity of its otherwise very strict, very disciplined manner.  I got the sense of thought processes acting in harmony with motor skills, dreams swimming through the grey matter at no cost to the elementary functions of the body.  It’s like daydreaming during a jog.    About midway through the song, I’m reminded of “Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain,” an instrumental track from DJ Shadow ’s classic Endtroducing…. . LP.   The rhythmic shift involves heavier use of Jon-Kyle Mohr ’s snare drum, which sounds almost machined as if generated as opposed to performed.   A truly compelling piece of music, "Once" was performed by Anenon , which i...

Inasmuch as I'm never going to concede to the opinion that guitar music has been on its way out for the last few years, because I've heard no shortage of guitar-based bands still making relevant noise, I will say that the electro-punk buzz of ye olde Suicide -worship has really caught my attention.  The repetitious disco stress of Bronze , for instance, could cauterize wounds with the amount of sonic friction going on in this live track, "Re Enactment," which is taken from the trio's upcoming Castle Face release, Live in San Francisco . A swirl of propulsive, anxiety-riddled styles that brings to mind the aggressive persistence of Ed Schrader's Music Beat and the dance-punk circuitry of Cabaret Voltaire , Bronze's interpretation fuzzed-out and somewhat euphoric.  So alive is the DIY feel of this track, down to the modest applause you hear following the band's performance,  that it fits well with the post-punk idiom of the late 70s with...

Agoraphobic Nosebleed Arc EP Relapse Records Released: 1.22.16 Agoraphobic Nosebleed 's very complete, very ambitious new EP, Arc , is the first of four EPs slated to be issued by the band, each release being informed stylistically by the individual tastes of each of ANb's members.  Introducing this concept, Arc is 28-minutes and three tracks replete with expert misery and dynamic aggression.  Once immersed in the almost stoner-laced phrasing of "Not a Daughter,” some appreciative nods aimed toward Eyehategod added here as well, it becomes clear how heavily influences affect ANb's sound.  And, since that’s the idea, there’s room to appreciate Arc as an homage, or at least a worthwhile interpretation of the styles it aims to address. The sludge mastery of “Deathbed,” screaming utterances from vocalist Kat Katz ripping through the track’s initial crawl, transitions into truly sweet Iommi -sized guitar phrases that carry the track to a close, jamming out a des...

She probably would've listened to this track: * Yeah, she dug Carcass. ** Maybe in a couple years, but I figured 7 is a little young.   Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

"Zorn-noir" could be a thing. "Kudzu Mine" by Diminished Men , the first single from the group's upcoming new release Vision in Crime , is frantic, immediate, shrill to some extent, and possesses an old style grit that excites the ear and the imagination. It even sounds black-n-white, reverb-soaked strings and percussion envelope a wandering saxophone howl, whose movement seems desperate as if looking for a way out of the track’s initial maelstrom. Then the low end kicks in, the sticks tap the hi-hat, and the surf rock timbre of guitar strings resonates with unexpected density. From there it’s a fun ride. Diminished Men’s Vision in Crime is being released via Abduction Records (Sun City Girls' label) on March 4th. You can check out the track below. All information was provided by Rarely Unable PR. DIMINISHED MEN FEATURE DOUBLE VISION SAXOPHONES ON THE AVANT SPY TRACK 'KUDZU MINE' FROM UPCOMING ALBUM VISION IN CRIME ON ABDUCTION RECO...

Ty Segall Emotional Mugger Drag City Released: 1.22.16 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead