Now available on vinyl!
Here's our review of the cd version when we first listed it way back in 2004:
Portland's Grails sweep back into earshot with their second release, Redlight, the follow-up to their impressive debut The Burden of Hope, which drew comparisons to Dirty Three, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Mogwai. As before, Grails play dynamic instrumental post-rock powered by violin, piano and lap steel alongside the usual guitars/bass/drums. If anything, they've upped the ante on the debut, getting even more moody and massive in sound. There's no Sun City Girls cover this time around though...instead the surprise here is the saxophone playing on "The Volunteer" by special guest Steve Mackay...yes the same Steve Mackay whom you might remember from an album called Funhouse by the Stooges!
Grails just keep on getting better and better! Over the last few years there is no doubt that a musical maturation has taken place, their ability to blend many unique influences into a coherent whole has made Grails a band that we've grown to love.
Take Refuge In Clean Living is such a great example of how Grails have found common themes and sounds within a wide array of influences ranging from Turkish folk, Japanese psych to spaghetti westerns. Grails have this wonderful ability to sound both monumental and subtle without ever relying on cliche formulas. While they were once lumped into the 'post-rock' movement, they have made it clear that they are far more creative and confident sounding then many of their former more predictable peers. With their mystical and engaging sounds these five instrumental tracks take us to a faded landscape filled with ruins and diamonds, a dusty old castle lurking in the distance. Mysterious and magical. There is something very cinematic about this record, almost like Morricone scoring a Jodorowsky film. With an Eastern influence used sparingly but oh so effectively, Grails lets the mood and mystique grow at an organic pace without having to resort to easy explosions or typical tension. The peaks and valleys they create end up being so much more rewarding that way. Highly recommended!
The Burden of Hope is the debut full-length by Portland, Oregon's Grails (featuring a member of Jackie-O Motherfucker we're told), revealing them to be a confident, powerful, melodic, entirely instrumental post rock outfit. Their dynamic (quiet-loud, soft-heavy) music is led by violin, which makes this sound a lot like the Dirty Three meets Mogwai or something, with touches of Eastern European folk musics. And when, halfway through the album, they break into a spirited cover of "Space Prophet Dogon" from the Sun City Girls' masterwork Torch Of The Mystics, it makes perfect sense -- they hew pretty close to the original, yet it sounds like one of theirs. This collection of storm-tossed instrumentals is a moody listen, from the quietude of piano and shimmering cymbals to massive rages of guitar/violin/drums. Atmospheric, emotional, sad and dangerous. And totally beautiful.
Volume five in the long running Black Tar Prophecies series, finds cinematic post rockers Grails teaming up with their self proclaimed favorite band, Finland's hypno-rock Circle offshoot Pharaoh Overlord! Grails start things off with some dark, brooding, Morricone-esque soundscaping, all atmospheric and a little bit gothic, swoonsome chordal swells beneath lush layered shimmer, a definite Godspeed vibe, but Godspeed via Barn Owl. The following track adds some twang to the proceedings (someone here thought it sounded a little like the intro to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive"), wreathing the deserty drift in FX drenched swirls of buzz, all driven by some woozy somnambulant riffage. There's definitely a bit of an eighties vibe going on to, with much of this sounding like soundtrack music from some strange thriller on late night cable, the sound at times slipping into surprising soft prog grooviness, but eventually settling into a shadowy sprawl of twangy post rock dreamdrift thrum.
Pharaoh Overlord, a long running side project of aQ faves Circle (and really at this point, PO are just as much aQ faves as Circle, if not moreso), fill their side with two epic jams. The first is all chuggy, and riffy, and Circle-like right out of the gate, in fact, it sounds essentially like Circle, stripped down, minimal and motorik, churning hypnotic riffery solid simple rhythms, but as the track progresses, the surrounding atmosphere thickens, adding all sorts of psychedelic filigree, adding layer upon layer of shimmery swirl, eventually blissing out into some seriously abstract kosmische drift. The second track gets even more spaced out and minimal, unfurling a gorgeous sprawl of dense drones, thick and woozy, a blurred downtuned raga of sorts, sounding like the Taj Mahal Travellers via Wolf Eyes, rumbling, shimmering low end thurm, underpinned by muted percussive pulses, barely audible through the blackened sonic swirl, everything blurred into a hazy, slow motion expanse of softly psychedelic, almost SUNNO)))-like tectonic reverberations.
LIMITED TO JUST 1500 COPIES! Each one hand numbered. We took every copy our distributor had, and they weren't sure when/if they would be getting more, so when we run out, while we're hoping we can eventually get more, this could be it, so best snag one now just in case... as they say, buy now or cry later...
Grale is one of the many projects encircling Bruce Anderson and Dale Sophiea, both of whom are best known for their work in the seminal Bay Area art-punk project MX-80, with another Sophiea (this being Nicolas) contributing alongside those two elder statesmen, as well as Gregory Hagan (from Common Eider, King Eider and the Thomas Carnacki ensemble). The recent productions from Bruce Anderson have evolved through a somber palette of doleful guitar plucks treated with plenty of effects to blur and shapeshift his rich guitar tones. With the extra hands lurking behind the curtains to conjure soft drones, textural abrasions, electro-acoustic hocus-pocus, and tape loop machinations, Anderson steers his contributions towards devolved, formless blurs and echo to complement the ectoplasmic emations of darkened sound. Yet, when the supporting cast mounts rhythmic pulses (as is done towards end of the second suite through a spry Necks like drum-kit march), Anderson's guitar mimics the twin guitar swarm of Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore on the instrumental Sonic Youth suites from Anagrama and Slaapkaamers. Released on Thomas Carnacki's Alethiometer Records.
Prog fiends! We happen to have just a few copies of this import cd reissue in stock, an instrumental French prog artifact from 1977, so we thought we'd list it for those of you who might be into the moody mixture of romantic piano with grandiose synth drones and occasional bursts of musique concret style "sampling" that is distinctively demonstrated here... While there are several other musicians involved, it'll give you some idea of what this is all about if we tell you (in French) what instruments chief performer and composer Phillipe Grancher is credited with on the sleeve: "piano acoustique et electrique, synthetiseurs, mellotron, orgue, strings ensemble, effets speciaux". This is, apparently, Grancher's only solo album, but it was produced by Philip Bescombes, whose name may be better known to you prog fiendy types, having made several interesting albums of his own, some in collaboration with synthesizer player Jean-Louis Rizet, who also appears here as well.
It's really quite lovely, but with sudden surprises throughout. Lush, pretty piano melodies often trip delicately into the blip-bleep of sci-fi electronics, or even strange giggling voices. And on side two, the album "rocks out" just a bit more, adding electric guitar, bass and drums for extra bombastic effect. As an example, the 10 minute "Flip Flop" begins quite dramatically with the sounds of an explosion, accompanied by ominous synth flourishes and martial drumming, before mellowing out into mesmeric passages for piano and gentle guitar.
3000 Miles Away is definitely a pretty cool prog obscurity, one that we'd perhaps suggest to fans of Goblin, for instance. We can certainly imagine this being used as a soundtrack to some strange and beautiful cult film.
When the opening tune of Nevermint kicks off, we were immediately struck by its remarkable Pixies-ness. Clearly that venerable band's impact has been mighty on Grand Lake. It resurfaces often on this their debut album. That has its up side and its down side. You get a immediate sense of familiarity which might be a plus if you dig the Pixies. On the other hand, they run the risk of swift dismissal with folks who don't like those rock vets or soundalike bands in general. Funnily enough though, that particular song's title is "Concrete Blonde On Blonde"(!). So we were sort of expecting them to sound like... umm, Johnette Napolitano or Bob Dylan, but no. Fortunately it is actually on the numbers where Mr. Black and co.'s influence is less apparent that these Oaklanders (led by former Port O'Brien singer/bassist Caleb Nichols) really shine brightest, melting into some delightful hazy daydreamy indie pop with warm boy-girl vocal harmonies. Check out "Blue Hoodie". We're only half kidding when we say we'd prefer that they lay off the Pixiestix, heh heh, and dish out more of their own honey pop sweetness. Recommended if you like Caribou, Loney, Dear, and/or fellow Bay Area pop band The Papercuts who also have a terrific new album out now! They go together really well!
This sophomore release from St. Louis instrumental art-core trio Grand Ulena is an ep comprising three fairly lengthy tracks. Each one builds a massive, almost static crescendo of bass, drums and guitar. Loud, difficult, trance music for those already attuned to the likes of Fushitsusha, who will find this cool indeed. Btw, Darin Gray (of Dazzling Killmen, Brise Glace, You Fantastic, etc.) is one of Grand Ulena's component parts.
Not a new full length from those dear Grandaddy boys but instead a collection of odds and ends. Sounding veeerrrrrrry much like Sparklehorse at times, and at others veeeerrrry much like Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. Doesn't sound a whole lot like the
An axe to grind though: someone at the label should spend a little time/cash on a proofreader to go over their stickers 'cause apparently this band are "Heartchingly beautiful" and "Exhilerating". Tsk!
It's been a while since Grandaddy's last full length, the excellent Sumday from 2003. Since then we've only heard a brief peep from the fellas in the form of a split 7" with The Polyphonic Spree. Well, the wait for more of their warm, lush pop experimentations is over. Although Excerpts From the Diary Of Todd Zilla is considered an EP, it's a hefty one with a total of eight songs. It's a bit of a mixed bag o' Grandaddy tunes. Among them are some of the band's best work to date ("Cinderland" -- imagine a more folksy pop incarnation of Flaming Lips or Mercury Rev) as well as a downright jarring number (the raucous "Florida"). That said, the highs by far outweigh the lows. With the exception of that sixth song, Jason Lytle and co. have offered up a pleasing follow-up to Sumday. Vinyl only for now, we're still waiting on a cd version...
Listening to Grandaddy's latest album Just Like The Fambly Cat is so damn bittersweet 'cause it's also apparently their final one and they've done it up in grand style. It's an album that envelops all within earshot -- fans and newcomers alike! -- in a giant bearhug, respectfully and admirably wrapping up their recorded career. Apart from all that, it's simply a truly fine work of fuzzy pop magic. You get nuggets of all the different facets of this band. An expansive atmospheric trip dissolves into a hazy melancholic slow number which melts into bubblegummy boyish indie rock perkiness. A wildly raucous kick-in-the-pants bumps right up next to the sweetest, shimmeriest of dream pop. So darn good! Talk about grand finale, final curtain, last call, closing time, swan song... Grandaddy you will be missed, but the effects of this aural embrace (not to mention the rest of your recorded library) will long be cherished. Yes, very recommended.
If you miss the Pavement of old, Grandaddy might just do the trick. But don't think they're just a well chosen assortment of Pavementisms. Amazingly catchy pop songs, absurdly-not-absurd/wry lyrics, electronics, vocoders, and all kinds of crazy beautiful sounds. Mix in a little Dinosaur jr./ Crazy Horse jamming and some Sparklehorse distorto-twang heartbreak and you'll understand why this Modesto band is so great. Highly recommended.
First things first, let it be known that this is a total driving-with-the-top-down-in-the-summer kind of album. So go find yourselves a convertible!
One dozen super sunkissed pop songs reminding us of the Radar Brothers, Flaming Lips, Trackstar, John Lennon, and even the Alan "Eye In The Sky" Parsons Project. Especially the Alan Parsons Project.
Totally timeless melodies that sound readymade for FM radio, settled all snug right between the Eagles and Steve Miller, Alan Parsons and Bread. Grandaddy sound like they could be Pavement's country cousins, exploring the indie rock big city for the first time all wide eyed and full of wonder. Pavement's jaded irony and uber-cool hipness, replaced by earnest melodies and genuine catchiness, as well as a simple and heartfelt lyrical bent. Muffled guitars and mumbly almost-falsetto vocals mark out the verses until the choruses comes crashing down with hooks everywhere, big guitars and subtly bleeping/blooping synths. Vocal harmonies, unexpected melodies and a super lush, warm production just seal the deal. One of the nicest pop records this year!
Album number two finds Modesto's
Grandaddy stretching out and sprawling on the porch, sipping lemonade and lazily strumming a guitar, and absentmindedly twiddling knobs on an old synthesizer.
Grandaddy have taken an unexpected turn, almost entirely forgoing the 'rock' in favor of lazy hazy menadering pop scapes sprinkled with all sorts of electronic tweet and beep and buzz.
Taking plenty of cues from Radiohead (who Allan insists they are trying to sound like) and the Beta Band, as well as the ubiquitous Pavement (having always been cursed with the 'Pavement clone' tag), Grandaddy have crafted an exceptionally lush and catchy pop record. Fusing elements of Elephant 6's sixties psych, the Flaming Lips' surrealist pop, and Sparklehorse's whispery twang into a totally catchy and pretty original indie pop record.
Much to everyone's delight these two beloved groups have decided to share a lil' split record. Due to the brevity of the format, if you've not heard either band yet this might not be the best place to start... really, you deserve more than just a single tune each! Don't tarry a moment longer, scoop up a full length -- The Beginning Stages of The Polyphonic Spree and any one of Grandaddy's many fine albums, then proceed to this treat. Two exclusive songs - the 24-member 'Spree's is a characteristically uplifting la-la-la sunbeam of a song, and Grandaddy bring forth a suitably laidback trippy folkish pop singalong. Hurrah!
Paul Westerberg has churned out another basement-recorded straightforward country blues rock album under his cranky, despairing alter ego Grandpaboy (fyi: the first was called Mono and came as a secret bonus disc in Westerberg's Stereo album). Of the fourteen songs that make up Dead Man Shake, the ten originals which jump from rawkin' boot stompers to slow cryin' in your beer tales and back again fare much better than the four covers which seemed to have been kicked out on a ragged drunken whim. He tackles John Prine's "Souvenirs", Jimmy Reed's "Take Out Some Insurance", Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", and Anthony Newley's "What Kind Of Fool Am I". The latter two in particular might cause your ears some degree of discomfort. On the other hand, higher notes are hit on songs such as "Vampires And Failures". Fans of Westerberg will surely want to check this out, others might wanna sidestep this gritty, umkempt affair for the time being in favor of other more uh, stable Westerberg releases.
From SF's criminally underrecognized Granfaloon Bus comes a stunning new album, full of slide guitar, lush guitar, epic backup singing, and super earnest male vocals that spin out incandescently gorgeous lyrics like "It orbits within the glare as time stands still in there the suspense grows / Bend one till it becomes all others, drink the carousel in circles, till vendors mine
Brand new album from local favorites.
A sterling '70s US hard rock/proto-metal obscurity, Granicus from Cleveland, Ohio (one of their song titles) sounded not unlike an American Led Zeppelin on this, their sole album dating from 1973. While not quite as well known as some other '70s proto-metal heroes like Bang, Captain Beyond and Leaf Hound, these guys were definitely capable of delivering the goods. At their best, quite powerful, we'd even say, kick-ass. There are of course some mellower moments, as often found on even the most seemingly metallic albums from those acid rock daze... but Granicus makes its mark with the beefier stuff, helped out immensely by wailing vocals that are expressive and impressive, more than a match for the band's bombastic heavy guitar action. We get the idea they were sorta radical, political hippie hardrockers, a midwestern band aligned with the MC5 tradition...
This cd reissue is a Spanish import, with 3 unreleased bonus tracks from a radio session, limited to only 500 copies. Packaged in a mini-LP style gatefold sleeve.
The Grass Widow gals are fast becoming one of the best bands in San Francisco. Their tight, three-part vocal harmonies layered on top of angular guitar-driven melodies cannot be beat. It's like Dig Me out era Sleater-Kinney mixed with a healthy dose of the Mamas and the Papas. Internal Logic is the first full-length released on Grass Widow's own HLR label. Over the course of a few eps, 7"s and a full-length, they've really honed their sound into something all their own, however. There isn't a power trio out there right now who can do what Grass Widow does. They really use all of the various layers at their disposal to the fullest advantage possible, mixing up Raven's sometimes jagged guitar lines with Lillian's drums that sometimes play straight surf-rock beats and sometimes bounce around all over the kit. Hannah's mid-range bass tones never dip too low in frequency, sounding for the most part straight off an early Joy Division record. It's all about the interplay, one vocal harmony leading into another, slightly more discordant one. These ladies have been playing together for a while now and it's quite evident in the way each instrument compliments the other, skillfully showing technical prowess without one ever dominating the overall sound. The entire record clocks in at a little under half an hour, a short and sweet slab of vinyl that really could have been two or three songs longer, especially since two of the songs ("Milo Minute" and "Disappearing Industries") on the A side were previously released on 7"s. We're not complaining by any means, though, because this record is great from start to finish. Grass Widow is one of those bands, no matter how many records they release, you just want more! If for some reason you have been living under a rock and have never heard of Grass Widow, fans of The Shop Assistants, Erase Errata, Thee Oh Sees, The Mallard, The Soft Moon, you need this!
Oh damn! This brand new 7" from Grass Widow finds these ladies really hitting their stride. Released on their brand new imprint HLR, it features a great new jam called "Milo Minute" which further shows how they excel at crafting pop songs that incorporate post-punk, '60s girl groups and '90s riot grrl elements with such satisfying results. The B-side has two awesome covers, "Time Keeps Time" by Neo Boys, and "Mannequin" by Wire. They do those in a style that makes us think of a slightly heavier Aislers Set. Which is of course AWESOME!
One of our favorite 7"s of the year so far!
There was a time when just about anything on Kill Rock Stars was guaranteed to be totally fucking great. Oh that special era of the '90s and the early '00s, when KRS were putting out records by folks like Unwound, Sleater Kinney, Elliott Smith, Erase Errata, Biking Kill, Quixotic, The Gossip, etc. By being one the most visible outlets for rad female and queer artists it was a label that really tapped into the best and most soulful parts of punk rock's past. All the bands had their own sound and unique vision, running the gamut from intimate folk to angular post-punk and anthemic physical minded and super smart art-punk. Sadly over the last several years the label has scaled back quite a bit and not everything they release is as special as it once was. But Grass Widow really do sound right at home and tap into that golden era of the label with a sound and spirit that really represents the essence of what made so many of us so inspired by the Kill Rock Stars vision to begin with.
Grass Widow is one of those rare bands that you could tell had something super special about them from the get go. Our local college radio station KUSF got a handmade cd-r release from them before they had an official release out and it immediately became a big hit at the station. And then they released a 12" and lp on Make A Mess and Captured Tracks that we all went crazy for, and now with their debut for Kill Rock Stars they have put out their most fully realized set of songs yet. Past Time wastes no time jumping right into the punchy harmonies and vocal melodies that drive the record from start to finish. Carrying a Raincoats torch with such ease and undeniable conviction. We're also reminded of a slightly more twee version of Sleater Kinney. As well as their peers like Wet Dog, Effie Briest, and Brilliant Colors they are part of a new wave of post-punk bands with a spirit and sound that is so goddamn good right now. And while we love all the aforementioned bands, we might just be most in love with Grass Widow. For sure the best release to come out on Kill Rock Stars in a long time. So great!
That old adage about what happens when you assume, couldn't be more true than with how we had approached Grass Widow. We had seen their flyers and even some records of theirs over the last couple years, but we just kind of assumed they were another Nevada City inspired folk outfit and being a bit burnt on that scene we just didn't pay much attention. Well now we are the asses of that adage because that's not what Grass Widow is about at all! In fact Grass Widow create songs in a terrain that we can never seem to grow tired of. Coming out of the tradition of Young Marble Giants, Vaselines, Shop Assistants, Beat Happening, The Swirlies, etc. Their songs have a bare bones approach yet hit with such deep impact. They fit very nicely next to modern day kindred spirits like Brilliant Colors, Vivian Girls, The Splinters, etc. Yet there is something a bit more rustic, poetic and nuanced in their delivery. Not only is this 12" on constant rotation for us right now it also helped re-teach us that valuable lesson of never judging a band before you've actually heard them! So glad our preconceived ideas about this band were completely wrong as Grass Widow has fast becoming one of our favorite newer bands around, so good!
Not to be confused with their s/t 12" on Captured Tracks, this is also self titled, but actually a full length record from this awesome Bay Area trio, who most definitely know how to whip up some seriously awesome art punk garage rock. A bit more raw and rocking than the 12" but still very much in the tradition of bands like the Shop Assistants, Young Marble Giants, Vaselines, Kleenex, The Fall, as well as fitting really nicely alongside current comrades like Thee Oh Sees, Brilliant Colors, Vivian Girls, etc. There's such a sense of urgency and immediate energy that comes pouring out in these songs as well as a timeless quality to their approach that will no doubt give their sound a lasting power. They even incorporate trumpet really nicely into a couple of the tracks, including a slow burner called "Time Could Bend" which demonstrates the kind of dynamics Grass Widow are really capable of. There is a haunting/beautiful quality to their vocal delivery as well which reminds us a bit of one of our favorite and most underrated bands from a decade ago, Quixotic. We're definitely gonna keep our eyes and ears glued to what these ladies do because every record so far has been amazing, and they definitely seem like they'll only keep getting better and better...
Featured on the first episode of glamorously low-budget cable tv show Hollywood Nailz last year, two of our favorite SF rock bands faced off in a battle for best cover interpretation. First up, Shannon and The Clams taking Snap's "The Power" to a whole new punk level (brave choice!) while the flip side has Grass Widow bringing a groovy Bangles-ish flair to EMF's "Unbelievable". The segment featured an "all-star" panel of Nobunny, King Khan, fashionista Ringo Rock Yay and dominatrix Miss Shannon. For good reason, Grass Widow won the contest. Dressed in burkas, wearing glasses with large googly-eyes, the 'Widows brought a whole new meaning to unbelievable! Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HLkwLu2xuo. Many of the commenters on YouTube asked where they could pick this up, and we have the answer for you: right here!
Gothdammit, we love the Grave Babies! Their sound the perfect mix of noisy, super distorted jangle punk and garage-y gloom pop, every record better than the last. And as much as we loved their recent Gothdammit lp, this new one finds them taking that same sound, all blown out shoegaze crunch, and gloomy miserablist dream pop, and making it even better. Somehow noisier and more off kilter, but impossibly, even more catchy. The opening one two punch is tough to beat. "Over And Underground" sounds like the Wavves with a gothic makeover, and a ridiculously anthemic vibe, the vocals gloomy but belted out dramatically, hooks galore, but all wreathed in distorted murk and crumbling fuzz, Grave Babies at their poppiest for sure, the sort of thing you wouldn't be surprised hearing on Castle Face, in fact, it sorta sounds like the Fresh And Onlys, albeit, noisier and grimier and gloomier. The second track is even better, "Skulls" is a twisted, noise drenched downer pop dirge, with some seriously twisted guitar sounds, the whole thing ultra lo-fi and weirdly and psychedelically washed out, skittery drum machines, and more woozy cold wave-y vocals, and again, catchy as all get out!
And while we can't say it only gets better, it most definitely stays goddamn great, GB weaving a dark sonic spell that's equal parts eighties new wave, shimmery shoegaze pop, and angular distorto death rock, from the dreamy wistful fuzzed out balladic "Slaughter", to the Jesus And Mary Chain via Blank dogs jangle crunch of "Count Cuts", replete with some seriously dreamy harmony vox, to the warped Chrome-gone-garage-pop of "Breeding", with some super over the top emotional vox, not to mention more crumbling guitar crunch. With a different production, and some of the gloominess toned down, this would be some perfect jangly pop music, but as it is, it's a fantastic, and fantastically warped chunk of noisy shoegaze gloom pop, that we can't get enough of!
Don't know much about these guys, but just now we LOVE 'em. Fuzzy gloomy reverby doom pop, all hazy and distorted and shoegazey, with Cure like guitars, Spacemen 3 like droned out space rock tendencies, Big Black like drum machines, warm, weird, multi tracked and reverb drenched vocals, the tracks separated by strange samples, the sound distorted and in-the-red, muted and washed out, but the songs, oh the songs, so haunting and catchy and a little bit gothic, a little new wave, a sort of electro fuzz punk, lilting melodies over those crunchy rhythms, hooks galore, slipping from pounding drum heavy crush to minimal stripped down krautrocky drift, a detached weary vibe, equal parts Blessure Grave, Cold Cave, Black Bug, the sort of thing that definitely would be right at home on Captured Tracks, but for all its similarities to other sounds and groups, Grave Babies definitely sound totally like their own thing, and the more we listen, the more this becomes a new favorite.
WAY recommended for anyone into the current wave(s) of downer pop / electro punk / neu goth / cold wave...
LIMITED TO 220 COPIES!! In a plain white sleeve with paste on front and back cover images.
Gothdammit might just be the best album title EVER. The latest from Seattle goth/gloom/doom weirdos Grave Babies, find them in fine form, opening up with the succinctly titled "Fuck Off", which begins as a long sprawl of washed out almost new agey synth drift, but when the drums finally kick in, they throw another curveball, the song blossoming into some seriously hooky eighties pop, that sounds a bit like a more warped and distorted version of "I Melt With You", it's not hard to imagine this as the theme to some John Hughes VHS knockoff, in fact, the record is super raw and lo-fi and makes it sound almost like it was recorded straight off an old TV while said imaginary movie was playing. And that eighties poppiness continues throughout, with "Morning Heir" sounding like some lost Cure B-side, the vocals a dead ringer for Robert Smith, and the song's inherent Cure-iness, gets a little bit supercharged and turned into a blast of shoegaze gloompop that is crazy catchy and pretty gothdamn irresistible. The rest of the track titles may point to something much more noisy and grim: "Nightmare", "Bloodstains", "Wasting", but the rest of the record is crammed with more hook heavy eighties style gloomy new wave pop, that sounds like it came straight off some alternate universe high school mixtape. Which is most definitely a very very good thing. How we love these guys more and more with every release! Includes a download code as well!
Brand new single from these Seattle goth poppers and it's a pretty fantastic slab of blown out minor key dour pop bliss. The A side is all dirgey and fuzzy, the sound super distorted and in-the-red, sounding like some sort of Cure / Jesus And Mary Chain hybrid, hazy dreamy vocals drifting over wistful minor key guitar melodies, and a murky distorted rhythm, there's a killer hook hidden in there too. But it's the B side we're a bit obsessed with, a dubby, druggy, tripped out, gothy doomy ballad, all super reverbed plink plonk piano, the vocals dramatic and crooning, the whole vibe dark and hazy and brooding, the sound remaining weirdly raw and lo-fi and blown out, which makes the record SOUND like those old faded photographs LOOK, washed out and dreamily blurry, at times it almost sounds like Interpol slowed way down and dirtied way up.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!
We were pretty heartbroken when San Diego garage-surf, new wave, gloom poppers Mrs. Magician called it quits recently. In fact when Andee went down to LA to play some shows with A Minor Forest, Mrs. Magician was the first band AMF asked to play with. But alas, it was already too late. And while we were placated with a lp of B-sides and demos (also pretty goddamn great), we kept hoping we'd eventually get more Mrs. Magician someday. This is not that, but it's about as close as we're gonna get it seems. Jacob Turnbloom from Mrs. Magician here teams up with garage rocker Dan Sartain for a sound that sits about right in the middle of their two respective approaches. It's not nearly as rambunctious and punky as MM, but it is still a little bit surfy and jangly and psychedelic and garagey, although also more dark and dour, a bit more gloomy and gothic, I mean come on, they're called The Grave Walks. So yeah, instead of whatever inspirations MM was born out of, this stuff is more slithery and swampy, gloomy and gothy, shades of the Cramps, the Birthday Party, old Leaving Trains, Flesh Eaters, that kind of thing, all filtered though a little bit of that residual MM surfy jangle. Great stuff that definitely has us hankering for more!
Warp Records roams into back into earthen folk territory with Gravenhurst's six song follow-up to last year's full length, Flashlight Seasons. For those unfamiliar, Gravenhurst is the lone man Nick Talbot from Bristol, England with a little help from his friends such as Miriam Goldberg of Black Forest / Black Sea who slips to play guitar, cello and omnichord on this six song EP's lead-off and title track. Just over a half hour of lengthy, slow creeping murder ballad style numbers including a fine cover of Husker Du's "Diane". Beautiful!
Admittedly we're doing a little catching up here. After gettin' and diggin' Gravenhurst's most recent ep "Black Holes In The Sand" we went back and revisited his full length from last year. This time around it really struck a chord... and a good one at that! Sorta like Kings Of Convenience and/or Simon And Garfunkel on a serious country downer. Mainman Nick Talbot's willowy vocal harmonies are almost weep-inducing while the notes from a slide guitar descend like raindrop sliding off leaves as high pretty chimes pluck at your heart strings. Sigh! Do not miss "Bluebeard", the album's fourth and perhaps one of the Talbot's best songs. So good! And y'know what? He's got a new album right around the corner. Can't wait!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Surprising Utech release here, not (quite) so droney as they often are, but rather more rhythmic, and in fact downright prog-rocky. Graves And Orchestra Pits are a transcontinental two-piece, one guy (based in Stuttgart, Germany) on guitars, synths, and much else besides; the other guy (from Tokyo, Japan) on drums and electronics... Not sure how they got together, but they make a fine team, stirring up a lot of noise in a quirky, confusional, chamber-prog context. The beats are big and effected, going whap whap whap, amidst all sorts of interesting textures, some of this quite lovely really. Droned out blissful bits coexist with electronic glitch, gentle strings wrap 'round crashing cymbals, snatches of electronica intersect improv skitter... each track adding something new to the sonic stew. A compelling listen, these eight unique, instrumental mini-epics of full of fractured melody, odd noises, and disturbing drumming...
The duo format, and Japanese drummer, and overall kinetic energy, makes us think of the Ruins, but this, with its "Orchestra Pits" moniker, has an additional, avant-garde classical music gone wrong atmosphere to it, field recordings and found sounds juxtaposed with piano and glockenspiel... Plus, guests contribute violin, viola, vibes, flute, sax, etc. on a few of the tracks. So it's not exactly a stripped down sound, this is dense and chaotic and complex, though calm and sparse some of the time too, to catch you unawares.
Packaged in the usual slim, slightly oversized Utech style sleeve, and limited to just 300 copies!!
Here is the second disc from local all stars The Graves Brothers Deluxe. made up of former members of Thin White Rope, Granfaloon Bus, Dingle and Lunchbox. An eclectic record with moods ranging from loungy and crooning to psychedelic-rockabilly to jazzy, quirky, and experimental. There is an instrumental, very soundtrack-like number, and some crazy Zappa or Mr. Bunglesqe moments. Impressive instrumentation done by talented musicians, but a bit too wacky and all over the place for my taste. I think fans of previous endeavours will like some of the songs but I doubt many will like all of them.
Good solid indie rock with enormous energy from local group, featuring two guys from Thin White Rope, and members of Granfaloon Bus and Lunchbox. Fans of Thin White Rope, Giant Sand will enjoy this.
For a lot of young Swedes, it's apparently still 1973... what with bellbottomed bands like Witchcraft, Horisont, Noctum, Dead Man, and Graveyard, eh? Here's the latest from the latter, their second full-length, and yeah as the title suggests - and as everyone who heard their self-titled, stonery debut would expect - it's heavy '70 style blues rock, all right, rollin' and tumblin' with amped up urgency and authentic analog-recorded old school mojo.
As always, Graveyard remind us a bit of aforementioned fellow countrymen Witchcraft, with whom they share roots in the late '90s band Norrsken (when oh when will there be a reissue of that awesome band's obscure output we wonder?!). For that matter, both bands also share members with another outfit, Spiders, that we've reviewed some singles by recently. But Graveyard do their psychedelic blues thing their own way, with less of Witchcraft's admitted Pentagram influence for one thing. Instead, we're (again) hearing echoes of good ol' Monster Magnet. Maybe even Thee Hypnotics. And of course the '70s bands, that inspired those bands...
Graveyard's vocalist has a nice raspy edge to his voice when he wants, like when wailing away on opener "Ain't Fit To Live Here", one example of the many galloping rockers to be found on this disc... which also has its moody slow moments, take the lovely, lumbering 2nd track "No Good, Mr. Holden" with its backwards effects, for instance. Or the wide-open spaces, spaghetti western whistling atmospherics of "Longing", which sounds like a nod to Ennio Morricone, or maybe to Bjorn Olsson. Fans of another very '70s sounding Swedish band (and AQ-fave), Elope, should feel right at home with this more mellow side of Hisingen Blues.
Furthermore, while the amount of cowbell and whoo-whoo backing vocals found here could come across as cliched in lesser hands, Graveyard sound like they really mean it, these tracks possessing real emotional resonance alongside their retro radness.
From experience, we know they're a great live band, but this is the sort of record that would make you very much suspect that, anyway. Will we get to hear 'em kick out these jams in person sometime soon? Sure hope so!
Another killer warehouse find, dug up a little handful of these, probably the last copies we'll ever see...
Yet more tripped out psychedelic noisescaping from this Wolf Eyes offshoot, featuring John Olson and crew, who offer up a gorgeously creepy, harrowing abject free jazz dronescape, that pairs skronk with rumble, shimmer with crunch, the result a haunting sprawl of cinematic dronemusick that sounds like the score for some lost Euro thriller. Moaning clouds of metallic thrum, plenty of clang and thump, creaks and scrapes, but muted and minimal, sinewave tones drift way off in the distance, squalls of gnarled electronics, weird fragmented melodies, sorrowful, bursts of percussive freakout, bits of skronk, tangled rubbery basslines, tinkling chimes, fluttery woodwinds, whirring wheezing buzz, deep resonant gongs, all woven and blurred into a surprisingly subdued jazzdronescape, cinematic and hushed, the sound of flickering firelight, of cloud choked skies and dim dank abandoned buildings. A sound that manages to be super spare and abstract, but really tight, improvised for sure, but these sounds mesh perfectly into something that sounds almost composed, a brooding sonic desolate gloom, a sort of doom jazz, or some sort of post industrial free jazz dronemusic, whatever it is we're digging it big time.
Beautiful cover art to boot!
Just in time for Enterruption's big San Francisco 3 day music festival 'Sight Sounds Liberties' featuring Gravitar's first West Coast performance in 6 years, cones the ultimate Gravitar document. Split into two different versions, each with different
Just in time for Enterruption's big San Francisco 3 day music festival 'Sight Sounds Liberties' featuring Gravitar's first West Coast performance in 6 years, cones the ultimate Gravitar document. Split into two different versions, each with different
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Michigan weirdos unite!
Yay! It's a new outing from one of the most wildest, sassiest & sauciest bands anywhere on the globe. Of course they live right here in the Bay Area doing us proud and carrying the torch for carefree, queer & proud, all-out fun in your face pop that draws just as much from bubble-gum and girl-groups as it does garage rock, electro-pop and riot grrl. All The Sweet Stuff is by far their best album so far, with guests like Sugar & Gold on a few tracks and Hey Willpower adding his sexy voice to a Frenchified version of Dee-Lite's "Call Me." Filling that great American void of party-pop that folks abroad have been doing so well (CSS, Bonde De Role, Stereo Total). There is no one else we'd like to play our party than Gravy Train. They are like the bouncy offspring of the Cockettes & The B-52's. They make you wanna stay up late and see midnight movies, and have a slumber party, eat lots of candy, make crank calls, and play a scandalous round of spin the bottle. If the kids know what's good for them they'll all be jumping on the Gravy Train and so should anyone with a young heart and a taste for trashiness done so right!
Am I wigglin!? You know I am! Gravy Train's second full-length release features thee summer punk-wave grit-pop jamm, "Darque Tan", as well as the, to put it lightly, sexually-leaning "Ghost Boobs" and "Pussy Sauce". This super-cute San Francisco foursome pick up where Fannypack's "Cameltoe" left off and take it to a whole new level of over-sexed summer fun! If you love sarcastic, sassy, ghoulishly artsy & lo-fi, electro hyper post-punk, you MUST get on the Gravy Train!!! Also for fans of Les Georges Leningrad, Veronica Lipgloss, good ol' Peaches, etc.
Note bene: this is NOT the same band as the proggy Gravy Train from Lancershire, England circa 1971. If you read through this review and listened to the sound samples and still questioned it, hmmm.... you get a big spanking.
Local foul mouthed crazy party girls (and one boy) are here to kick out the jams at last. This is all about the 6th grade toilet talk but dirty only the way we grownups can be. Lo-fi and high pitched squealed vocals that will drive you nuts or delight you only the way good 'ol peurile fun can (depending on where you stand). Sonically a little like Bratmobile, but with this whole eighties party-rap angle that's pretty charming. Tough to call, fun and freaky or a total waste of fucking time. But if you like dirty, silly embarrassing songs about sex and hamburgers, this may just hit the spot.
MPEG Download: "Titties Bounce" [/audio/gravytraintitties.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Titties Bounce" [/audio/gravytraintitties.m3u]
Preteen sassy harlots comin' at you with sexy, foul JJ Fad-style lyrics, on top of fucked-up and ghetto sounding drum machine and keyboards. This dirty little threesome is from the Bay Area and are touring with Bratmobile.
Darin Gray presents his debut recording after years and years of working the Chicago noise-rock circuit (Dazzling Killmen, Brise Glace, You Fantastic, and Yona Kit, etc.). "St. Louis Shuffle" is a continuation away from those outfits of mutant hardcore muscularity towards improv noise splutter. Here, the central noise making means is through plugging and unplugging (guitars from amps, microphones from 4-tracks, etc.), resulting in an assortment of cracks, hums, scrapes, clicks, and pops disrupting a discordant din of gritty feedback. Unlike the electronica glitch aesthetic of Raster, Mego, Fennesz, etc. which purifies sounds, Gray's use of the glitch is a celebration of ugliness through dislocation.
