Click the link for Quick Takes reviews of Antarctica by Flat Worms and Decomposing Force by GRID . Buy —  https://www.dragcity.com/artists/flat-worms Buy —  http://nnatapes.com/available-releases/grid No Ripcord — QUICK TAKES (APRIL / MAY 2020) Flat Worms Antarctica God? Records Released: 4/10/19 Antarctica by Flat Worms GRID Decomposing Force NNA Tapes Released: 4/24/19 Decomposing Force by GRID (Nelson, Dahl, Podgurski) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

60, 65, 55, 67… If you want to know why I've been silent for some of March and most of April, those are the number of hours I've had to work for past few weeks, my laptop open till midnight most nights and my weekends justifiably left to tend to dad/husband/homeowner things. I've been spread a tad thin, not too reliable on the home front or available for anything social while ever ready to take on whatever day job-related task handed to me. With that said, writing hasn't been a priority lately. Which sucks because I've still been listening to so much good shit that I want to write about.  My hope is that I'll be able to spare an hour here or there to catch up on what I've been hearing for the remaining weeks. The avalanche of work requests and deadlines to meet have thankfully subsided for the time being, so I'd like there to be some activity in the weeks ahead. Though, I'll be honest, with the increased popularity of vlogs and podcasts, ...

Touch and Go Records is reissuing Big Black 's Headache , a four-song EP originally released in 1987. Now past its thirty year mark, I'm aware of  Headache  thanks to the  The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape  compilation, which pulled together tracks from the EP as well as  Atomizer   and the "Heartbeat" single.  I expect these remastered tracks to sound much better than they do in the  Eight Track Tape  compilation.  Big Black's Steve Albini , ever the critic of digital technology, had no qualms with illustrating the limitations of first-gen CD systems by intentionally building this CD-only release from analog masters.  Consequently, the tracks don't have much depth or bottom.  In fact, they sound crispy.  So, I'm hoping for a richer, more intensified listening experience once this EP becomes available. The EP's most noteworthy inclusion is likely "My Disco," though the piercing, up-tempo "Grinder," the dilemma-rich...

In the early 90s, following Nirvana 's rise to fame, the Sub Pop label had enjoyed some notoriety as Seattle's premium Alt-farm for the record industry majors, many of whom were clamoring for the next flannel adorned malcontent with a shitty guitar and an impassioned yell.  Having essentially birthed Seattle's rock scene via Green River , (whose members would later form other seminal acts such as Mudhoney , Mother Love Bone , and Pearl Jam ), Sub Pop was also the label that offered Nirvana and Soundgarden their earliest opportunities as recording artists, a move that eventually led both bands to worldwide acclaim.  As regional devotees, Sub Pop curated and, consequently, informed what would be called the "Seattle Sound." With that said, TAD , whose muddy distorto-rumblings were certainly demonstrative of the scene's penchant for aural grit, I feel gets overlooked.  Started by guitarist/vocalist Tad Doyle in the late 80s, TAD was among the earliest of S...

KEN mode Success Season of Mist Released: 6.16.15 * Big Black 's Atomizer LP is in the background as an Albini homage.  Completely unintentional, but it works I guess. ** "Blessed" is a single from KEN mode 's Success that begins the LP.  My daughter was actually confused about the song's title versus the song's mood.  You can check out the song below: And, yes KEN mode's Success was my Summer jam.  Definitely one of my favorite releases this year. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

New single from KEN mode ! "Blessed" is the first glimpse into the band's upcoming new release, Success .  Engineered by the one and only Steve Albini , (and if you check out the track you can certainly hear Albini's signature drum sound), the album is due to release mid-June and the shock and grunt of the lead single certainly goes the distance in terms of selling its promises of alienating and unbridled pigfuck -allegiant rock music.  While I wouldn't go so far as to say the torch has been passed from David Yow 's maniacal grasp, the muck and angst-fueled motion of KEN mode is worthy enough to at least sit alongside some of the finest albums to emerge Touch & Go and AmRep.  I'm very much looking forward to giving Success a spin or twelve.   "We can play this game a little bit longer/But we all know we're not really welcome here...  Oh no... " You can also view an album trailer here: All info, links and sounds have been broug...

Shellac Dude Incredible Touch and Go Records Released: 9.16.14 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Good afternoon readers, It's possible that this news has already coursed through the navigable and applicable avenues of the world wide web and that my efforts are largely redundant at this point. However, as I'm one to promote the ever more cynical motivation behind Record Store Day and those lovely little exclusives that eBay will subsist upon from late April till Christmastime, I'm going to waste your time and mention this shit anyway. If you choose to read, hope this is helpful. This first round of release info was provided by Sub Pop: Sub Pop Makes Record Store Day 2014 Worth Living Mudhoney On Top: KEXP Presents Mudhoney Live on Top of the Space Needle LP Pissed Jeans: The Very Best of Sub Pop 2009-2013: Live at the BBC 12” EP Chad VanGaalen “I Want You Back” 7” Single The Notwist “Run Run Run” 12” Single Herewith, details on Sub Pop’s elaborate and ingenious plans for Record Store Day 2014: a quartet of limited-edition releases comprised of two single...

As reported, Neurosis will be releasing their latest LP, Honor Found In Decay , in late October.  For the purposes of heightening our anticipation, a trailer has surfaced.  Watch below. The band will also be playing a London date with Godflesh in December.   All info comes courtesy of Earsplit PR. NEUROSIS Release Visual Trailer For Tenth Album Honor Found In Decay NEUROSIS today proudly reveals a brand new visual trailer created for their anticipated tenth studio full-length, Honor Found In Decay. Created by video architect Kenneth Thomas , also responsible for producing the mini-documentary for NEUROSIS’ 2007-released Given To The Rising , the intense look into the new opus features intimate details of the album’s layout hand-crafted by the band’s visual specialist by Josh Graham , personal commentary from guitarists/vocalists Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till on the creation of Honor Found In Decay , as well as the first brief moments of audio to be publicly ...

The cover art for Honor Found In Decay , the upcoming new album from Neurosis , has been revealed.  Thoughts?  While I feel this imagery evokes enough about Neurosis in terms of aesthetics, I do like the illustrated covers of their past albums more.  This seems like an idea that's been hatched but not necessarily nurtured into anything substantial or brought completely to fruition, which I hope doesn't speak to the music.  Otherwise, I'm excited for this one.  All info below comes courtesy of Earsplit PR. NEUROSIS Unveil Artwork And Track Listing For Tenth Album, Honor Found In Decay Anticipation for Honor Found In Decay , the tenth studio album by NEUROSIS, is starting to intensify, as we count down the days until its North American release date on October 30th. Like an eclipse, a brand new NEUROSIS album is not a frequent occurrence and when it comes around, every last moment must be savored. For this momentous event, all the forces are aligned. NEUR...

As it’s been promoted and publicized, the new bastions of all that is “Indie” honored the bands spotlighted in Michael Azerrad ’s much revered, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 . The book was published ten years ago and has basically come to be known as the definitive tale of independent music leading up to the movement’s momentary breach into mainstream America. I know I’ve talked about this book at length, citing it as one of the best rock n’ roll books I’ve ever read and as a wellspring of essential music. Music writers could only dream of writing something this necessary, Azerrad’s perfect account not only defines D.I.Y. Culture and post-punk music for the uninitiated, but credits these bands with shaping the current music-scape. A lot of these bands may have been overlooked or eventually forgotten were it not for Azerrad. Having said that, it’s amazing that a book could warrant such an event. The full concert, which to...

Just some news and snippets I caught over the course of the day, plus a new single from Jane's Addiction . Via Dischord : The new Joe Lally ( Fugazi ) album,  Why Should I Get Used To It will be released on April 26 on Dischord Records in conjunction with Tolotta Records. This album was recorded in Rome, Italy, where Joe now lives, and features extensive contributions from his tour-mates, Elisa Abela and Emanuele Tomasi . Joe just wrapped up several weeks of European tour dates and will continue to tour throughout 2011.  Via Buy These Records :   Neurosis’ Sovereign EP To Be Reissued, Pre-orders Go Up Today Coming up today at 2pm CST from Hydra Head , pre-orders will be opening up for Sovereign , the 2000 EP from Neurosis . Out of print for years, this 4 track EP clocks in at over 30 minutes and was recorded by Chicago’s Steve Albini . Priced at $20, you can place your orders here . Check out the video below, which was part of the digital bonus material i...

So, they’re named after a Big Black song and Steve Albini was at the knobs for their upcoming album, Little Joy . Either fact should offer some inkling as to what kind of music My Disco generates, but they don’t really alienate like the Albini industrial act of yore. Instead, you get post-punk groove and minimalism, sort of like a crossbred Pop Group and Wire . Check out their singles, “Closer” and “A Turreted Berg.” Information on My Disco is below courtesy of Terrorbird Media: My Disco "A Turreted Berg" MP3 Available Now On Brooklyn Vegan! New Album Little Joy Due January 25 On Temporary Residence Ltd! DOWNLOAD: My Disco "A Turreted Berg" Garnering increasing acclaim in their native Australia with their first two albums, we are proud to finally present Melbourne trio My Disco's third full-length, the truly brilliant and enigmatic Little Joy .    As always with My Disco, the most fascinating and unique element to their sound is space - long,...

So, once Weedeater ’s Dixie Dave blew off his toe while cleaning a shotgun, their upcoming tour and album were put on hold . But, apparently Dixie Dave is recovering, thusly inspiring a tour revisit and revision. It’s now being called the “Nine Toe” tour. Still pulled from Weedeater's Myspace page Statement from the band: " Hey there, Here's a quick update...Dixie is still resting his foot and only drinking half as much bourbon as usual so that he is healed in time for Weedeater's hobbled yet glorious return to the live arena. Below are the tour dates; we'll have ticket links for you soon so keep checking back for updates. We will be playing new material from our upcoming release Jason...The Dragon , to be recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in late April. Much thanks to master Steve for letting a bunch of crazy, dirty, toeless, gun-toting hillbillies back into his pristine studio so we can scuff-up the floor and bang a bunch of his pots & pans t...

After Southern Lord Records announced the upcoming album and tour of Weedeater , the tour's been put on hold for the following reason: I pulled this from Weedeater's Myspace page "As most of you know, here in the WEEDEATER camp we pride ourselves on a long tradition of shooting our band in the proverbial foot right before we're supposed to do something important. Whether it's a big tour, a recording session, or whatever else we're supposed to do, invariably we will find some way to try and thwart our grandiose plans. Well, it's no different for this recording session, except that this time we really did shoot ourselves in the foot. In fact we regret to inform all of you that this weekend, Dixie Dave shot his big toe off whilst cleaning his favorite shotgun. Yup, that's right. When reached for comment, Mr. Collins gave a quote that speaks for itself: 'It wasn't my intention to shoot off my big toe. This really fucking sucks and the pain is unb...

For Rock Band enthusiasts, 09.09.09 carries different weight. The Beatles ’ catalogue, the single most celebrated and cherished discography in pop music, (no matter what you think), will be available to butcher with fake instruments on that day. The rest of us can celebrate 09.09.09 because said catalogue is being digitally re-mastered, repackaged and re-released into two different collections: A stereo set with mini-documentaries and a “mono” set of the Beatles’ albums that had initially been mixed as such. As the write-up can explain everything probably better than I can, click here for more information. So, this will replace your 1987 CD mixes. I can only assume that Capitol, who’s already squeezed every drop of blood out of Radiohead ’s past catalogue this year , will be benefiting from the update. It’s interesting to see how extravagant the reissued CD package has grown, fear of the impending move for a digital file-only marketplace demanding high-quality for tangible media...