It seems like many of the figurative walls that used to keep musical scenes and and record collections segregated are finally crumbling to the ground. In recent years indie rockers have embraced pop and the dance floor while lots of pop, hip-hop and R&B artists have latched on to the always evolving world of electronica. Discovery are kind of like the perfect poster boys for this evolution.
While best known for their more indie rock minded bands (one of those bands being quite the buzz band from a couple years ago) these two soundmakers have taken the opportunity to fully embrace their love of un-ironic pure dance pop delight. Much like the way Hot Chip brought the sound of Prince to a more indie sensibility, Discovery have crafted totally irresistible modern pop gems that kind of sound like the newest Phoenix record mixed with Kanye West. There is something so bright, colorful and refreshing about the sounds on LP. A bit more bouncy and playful then the Junior Boys while still using a bit of the same sonic template that they and Hot Chip helped create a few years back. The beats and electronics on LP are executed so flawlessly, if tweaked just a bit more they would sound right at home on a skweee record, but even so, this record is all about full on shiny pop perfection. Imagine the sound in the mall as we all roller-skated down the escalators after hours, in some teen movie with an Orange Julius in our hands, the food court behind us and a Forever 21 on the horizon. So yummy!
The first we've heard from this Portland trio despite them being around for almost seven years! They also feature old aQ pal Myles Of Destruction in their ranks. Disemballerina play dark, brooding chamber music, think the darker, more sparse moments of the early Godspeed You! Black Emperor records, or a much more sinister Rachel's. In fact, Poison Gown would totally fit in with the best of the Constellation Records back catalog. Funeral baroque, or neoclassical gloom perhaps. Comes in either a very affordable minimal cd-r format or a more ornate and unique cassette release from our friends at Black Horizons.
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The first we've heard from this Portland trio despite them being around for almost seven years! They also feature old aQ pal Myles Of Destruction in their ranks. Disemballerina play dark, brooding chamber music, think the darker, more sparse moments of the early Godspeed You! Black Emperor records, or a much more sinister Rachel's. In fact, this demo would totally fit in with the best of the Constellation Records back catalog. Funeral baroque, or neoclassical gloom perhaps. Comes in either a very affordable minimal cd-r format or a more ornate and unique cassette release from our friends at Black Horizons.
The band name starts with the prefix DIS, which is your first hint that you best prepare yourself for some serious D-beat pummel. Featuring at least one member of UK black doom heavies Ghast, Disfortune offer up seven songs in a little over eight minutes, with at least two songs clocking in at less than 20 seconds, this is some seriously brootal, furious frantic grinding metallic crust, weirdly lo-fi too, the guitars buzzy and murky but way down in the mix on most of the tracks, crushing and blown out on the super short ones, the sound driven by the d-beat pound of the drums, and the raspy vokills, and of course there are plenty of samples, the sound metallic and crusty, and much beholden to Discharge (of course), Digust, Disfear, Disrupt, and all the other DIS bands, as well as Anti Cimex and Doom and well you get the drift. A short sharp blast of metallic punk heaviness, for fans of all of the above mentioned bands, as well as more recent d-beat practitioners like Acephalix, Bone Awl, Malveillance, etc...
These four Chicago ladies play garagey, rockin, catchy punk. Stooges-esqe with a snotty girl sneer. The guitars are beefy and tough. The production is clean, which gives it more of a rock feel, than lo-fi live garageness. 14 songs in 30 minutes. Wow. This is their second record. They are touring a ton and playing with a lot of girl bands throughout the country. Keep your eyes open for em'.
Let's get one thing straight, the Dishes are three gals and one guy from Chicago who'll end their trashy rock'n'roll songs when they damn well feel like it, thank you very much! As you might've guessed from the title, this is their third album and it all kicks off with the nine and a half minute "Something To Tell You" which howls with guitar feedback and barrels along relentlessly for really quite some time after the vocals stop telling you... uh, something. They're no doubt pretty rad live, but in lieu of having them trash your basement, the File 13 label have kindly captured their energy well on record. While they're certainly not doing anything you haven't heard before, they do sound like a good sweaty time! If brash garage rawk loaded with sneering female vocals and super crunchy guitars is your thing, don't miss The Dishes live or on record.
Another of the uncommonly sumptuous array of releases from the young music label Dynamophone. As we mentioned earlier in the review of labelmates Balustrade Ensemble, they've only been around since mid-2006, but already have a bountiful catalog with many more on the way. Particularly if you've been enjoying the recent aquatic drone releases on the Mystery Sea label, you might wish to check out the seemingly likeminded, but more melodically inclined Dynamophone artists. An absolute treasure trove of shimmering and dewy listening delights. Delve in immediately (also see: Balustrade Ensemble, Halou, Po, Pornopop, A Lily, Curium, and R/R Coseboom)!
Disinterested is primarily the work of one man, guitarist Matt Brown. Don't let his moniker dissuade you though. Behind Us is his second full length (and his first for this label), and an engagingly soothing listen it is. It's an album of grey skies, the anticipation of a thunderstorm. Very weighted with solemnest of moods, but not heavyhanded, these eleven post-rock instrumentals accumulate atmospheric layers of shuffling drumbeats and droning blankets of effected guitars and loops (some by Bill Frisell, by the way!). Breathy female vocals appear briefly in one track Felt (Leaves). Austere and beautiful.
Best of!
I dunno, I'm sitting here slowly and pleasantly realizing anew how completely and totally brilliant The Dismemberment Plan is. All the sonic elements combine so well into a singular style, immediately recognizable, always compelling and completely
After a couple years of seeming hibernation (or incubation?), IDM and Drum'n'Bass appear to be flourishing again with a whole bunch of new artists.
Take for instance last week's aQ pick of the week Boxcutter (who blend IDM with dubstep) and this album from the Bay Area's Disparition. These folks are crafting some dark and heady electronic music. We're curious if mainman Jon Bernstein's decision to name his debut Permutations was inspired by the likes of Praxis and Amon Tobin -- the former (aka Bill Laswell with Buckethead) have an album by the same title, and the latter released an album titled Permutation back in 1998. Another rather appropriate point of reference might be Twilight Circus Dub Soundsystem, but considerably less densely packed and more vaporous. Cool.
Roy Montgomery & Chris Heaphy.
This would be the first release we've reviewed from local dreampoppers Dissolve, but only under that particular name, as both members play in the similarly dreamy Modern Charms, whose record we reviewed in 2014 (and which seriously kicked ass). The influences on this EP are relatively the same as Modern Charms - '90s swirly and ethereal pop a la Swervedriver, Lush, Slowdive, and the like. Beautiful, reverb'd out guitar, a big, pounding rhythm section, and Inna's mesmerizing vocal lines all blur and swirl into a gorgeous haze. Like we said about Modern Charms, you could have TOTALLY fooled us into thinking this was some unearthed '90s gem that we hadn't heard before. Dissolve's songwriting chops are really what takes this EP to the next level though - the songs on this EP could straight up go toe-to-toe with any of the 'gaze all-stars (seriously, listen to "Innocence" and tell us that couldn't be a track off the Loveless demos!). Seriously, these tracks are damn catchy! We're super stoked on this EP and can't wait to hear more from these guys. Do we really need to say dreamy any more in this review? Pick it up quick, these are fairly limited!
Wheeeeeeeee! It's a totally sunny blue sky day, and we're kicking up our heels to the sweet sweet sounds of the new Ditty Bops album. Musically the two gals have captured a super old tymey swing feel with some brisk ragtime piano courtesy of Mitchell Froom and some furiously strummed guitar, but their lyrics give the songs' contemporariness away. Above all, Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald seem very influenced by the sugary vocal stylings of '40s/'50s female vocal trio the Andrews Sisters, but they're far more rough'n'tumble than those highly coiffed ladies. The album's baker's dozen is packed with dizzyingly jaw-breaking cheeriness that conjures toothsome nuggets like 'let a smile be your umbrella' and 'laugh your cares away' and 'you'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent'. Well, maybe not that last one! Give this a spin when you're in need a sparkling tonic. You will be 'right as rain' and 'fit as a fiddle' in no time.
Oh my goodness, please excuse me (Cup), but I have to admit that whenever this cd starts playing the first thing that pops to mind is that old TV commercial for Turtles chocolates (remember?). Don't know why I really needed to tell y'all that, but I'll add that both chocolate and the Ditty Bops make me plenty happy. Backed by a jubilant assembly of among other things acoustic guitar, banjo, ukelele, mandolin and piano, these charming ladies sweetly croon their songs which seem plucked from a bygone era -- definitely drawing on ragtime, bluegrass and swing influences. Also recommended for fans of Cat Power, White Magic and other deleriously dolorous indie folk! Delightful!
Latest single from these shoegaze new wavers, an offshoot of aQ faves the Smith Westerns, but unlike the last few singles, which tended toward the wispy and dreamy, the sound on this latest single is much darker and more dense, with a surprisingly lush production. Plenty of chiming jangle and everything washed out and a bit ethereal but the vocals super effected, the rhythms darkly propulsive, the vibe more ominous and sinister. Even more so on the B side, which is the real reason to grab this, a cover of a super obscure Kurt Cobain demo, "Bambi Slaughter", pre Nirvana, the only existing version a rough unfinished acoustic sketch, but here, Dive finish it up, and turn it into something dark and brooding and surprisingly noisy and chaotic, the sound is definitely Nirvana-esque, the chord progression and the melody, but Dive make it all woozy and jangly, with wild burst of blown out psychedelic chaos between the brooding churning verses. Really awesome, and neither track here will be on the upcoming full length!
Single number two from these Brooklyn retro-poppers (who count among their membership, some folks from aQ faves the Smith Westerns) who continue to hone their eighties beholden new wave chops, to great effect we might add, another chunk of blissed out jangle and warm sonic shimmer, lots of chiming guitars and woozy wistful melodies. Lilting and melancholic, both tracks here are perfectly dreamy stretches of blissed out dreamy shimmer-pop, rife with reverbed vocals, crystalline production, all softly smeared into a wonderfully washed out sound that channels all the best parts about eighties pop. We mistakenly listened to this at 33 the first time, and it was transformed into a collection of awesomely dreary post punk gloom pop dirgery, which sounded just as good (if not better!) as it did at the correct speed...
Yet another band from Brooklyn, who seem to have mastered that eighties shoegaze / new wave sound, and these guys might be the best yet. Featuring members of aQ faves the Smith Westerns Dive offer up a gorgeous A side, all warm and jangly, lush chiming melodies, super washed out and blissy, driving and minimal, the sort of song that could go on for a whole lp side and we'd never get tired of it. The flipside is a bit more downtempo, a little moodier, with some gorgeous darkly driving basslines, and some hazy ethereal vocals, gorgeously fuzzy and woozy, still shot through with those chiming melodies from the A side. Definitely dying for a full length, as it is, been playing these two songs to death!
We'd been hearing about this supergroup for a while, the latest project from Spoon's Britt Daniel, here teamed up with Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade and Sam Brown of the New Bomb Turks, and as we sort of expected, the sound definitely is not that far removed from Spoon, especially when Daniel sings, the first single, the super catchy "My Love Is Real" sounds like a more synthy electro-Spoon, with a serious eighties vibe. We were expecting the whole thing to be more electronic, but really, it's simply a pretty great indie rock record, with the occasional foray into something a bit more electro/electronic, the occasional blast of almost punkish crunch, plenty of synth, that aforementioned eighties vibe, fans of Spoon have lucked out and have basically gotten what sounds like a new Spoon record, and we're kind of digging this new side of Daniel, the songs here are pretty goddamn great, and super catchy, the production is pretty excellent too, with the occasional strings, lots of swirly synths, strange drum sounds, cool effects, we're definitely digging it a lot, the more we listen to if, and this is super random, but for some reason, only now are we realizing how much Daniel sounds like Marcellus Hall from Railroad Jerk, which is definitely a very good thing.
Killer archival reissue from local label SmartGuy, a lost 1983 demo from ultra obscure Aussie new wave post punks Division Four, a vinyl reissue of their only tape, and actually we wouldn't have been surprised had this come out on another local label, Superior Viaduct - fans of that label's reissues would do well to check this out, some seriously swaggery synth driven punk, with a heavy new wave influence, spidery angular guitars wrapped around buzzing synths that seem to drive their sound, with some seriously snarky/saucy lyrics, delivered in a very Johnny Rotten style snarl/yowl, all anchored by some low slung Joy Division-y bass. The other 5 songs are just as killer. "Kamikarzi" pairs woozy flanged guitars with sing songy vocals and frenetic drumming, all laced with swooping synths, while "Blank Prostitutes" is all crumbling distorted guitars, more woozy synths and some thick sinewy bass. "I Was Walking" is downright poppy, which gives way to "Azzaria" which is fierce, and driven by some helicopter like synth flutter, and with a weird tranced out chorus. And closer "Sewer Song" gets almost industrial, thick bass blurts, wild squalls of noisy synth, more swaggery vox and harsh lyrical subject matter, dirge-y and darkly new wave-y. Killer stuff. Sad they only ever managed six songs, but thanks to SmartGuy for giving us the chance to even hear 'em...
Okay, it might seem weird us having this, the newest Dixie Chicks record. But don't be afraid, this is actually pretty dang good. Lush modern country, great instrumentation, gorgeous harmony vocals. Fans of the Be Good Tanyas, Jolie Holland, and other ladies of the country might really dig this. Plus by now, unless you're living under a rock you know their politics are right on! And it's produced by Rick Rubin!
The latest from DJ Female Convict Scorpion comes in the form of this SUPER limited cassette, one that requires some work on the part of the listener to truly enjoy, or at least enjoy as the artist intended. That artist being Josh Pollock, member of psychedelic space rockers 3 Leafs and weirdo noisescapers White Pee, among others, but as DJ Female Convict Scorpion, he concocts lush landscapes of cinematic sound, purloining various bits from other songs, and movies, playing some bits himself, a lo-fi DJ Shadow of sorts, whose past outings have blown our minds and been hugely popular around here. This new one looks to be no different, the rub this time around being, that BOTH sides of the cassette are meant to be played simultaneously, a la Zaireeka or something. So you have several options, the first of course means buying two tapes, and playing them on two tape players, the second is buying just one tape, and using the link that comes with the tape to play the other side on your computer, while you play the first side on your tape player. Phew! A third option, is to attend the upcoming debut performance of Los Balls Del Norte, happening across the street at Lost Weekend, during which, both sides will be played, accompanied by a special film created just for the occasion. More info can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/147509788771228/?fref=ts
And finally, one last option, one that isn't mutually exclusive, which is to listen to each side of the tape on its own. We did, and both sides sound great, killer breakbeats, shifting textures, mysterious voices, movie samples, vocal snippets, dizzying sonic collages that unwind like psychedelic krautrock grooves and funky heavy soul breakdowns, dreamy lullabies sung in other languages, banging gongs, shimmering FX, woozy slowed down basslines, soft symphonic swirls, muted ambient murk, loose free jazz drum freakouts, squiggly theremin like melodies, rumbling crumbling distorted low end, new wave-y electronics, swirling cosmic synths, and more more more more more!
But what does it sound like all together? A seriously warped psychedelic sonic headtrip. Check out the sample, that's a little snippet of the two sides in perfect sync, which ultimately they never will be, which is part of the joy, every listen the sounds will shift, and interact differently, a perpetually unique recording, in fact, essentially MULTIPLE recordings, all of them super cool, one side, both sides, one side started 5 minutes in, 10 minutes, hell, play one backwards, every variation is its own special warped lysergic soundworld to get lost in, over and over and over and over...
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!!!
Er...let's see, the press for this says: "A typically retarded new EP split between two of underground San Francisco's favorite treats". Favorite treats we suppose if you're into the most annoying Load-label stuff too, but we won't argue with retarded. But that doesn't mean we're saying you won't like this -- the market for primitive beats, synth abuse, and noisy silly punk-dance chaos is a burgeoning one after all. And there's some local celebs involved in these two acts as well: DJ Shitbird consists of members of Comets On Fire, the Lowdown, Crack W.A.R., Big Techno Werewolves, and Lil Pocketknife, while Revenge consists of the infamous John Dwyer (Coachwhips, Pink & Brown, Zeigenbock Koph, OCS...) and a dude from the Numbers. It seems that Narnack ain't signing up anything, even for a split, without scenester cred galore. Both bands are equally goofy, with Revenge being noisier and DJ Shitbird cuter (but more cringe-inducing), I suppose. Check out the sound clips to see if they get your booty moving or just make you gag...
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We've been meaning to list this for a while now, but we kept selling out of it, over and over, we could barely keep it in stock, and for good reason, as far as modern mixers and DJ's go, DJ /Rupture is one of our faves, so when he offers up a mix heavy on the dubstep, you know it's gonna rule, and rule it does. Bunch of new names, some old ones too, some surprises as well, here's who we know: Scuba, Timeblind, Shackleton, Ghislain Poirier, We, Lloop, Ekkehard Ehlers, and here's who we don't: Baby Kites And Nokea, Clouds, Istari Lasterfahrer, Maga Bo, ATK12, Ekstrak, Frescoe, Iron Shirt, Jenny Jones, Stalker, Filastine, Brent Arnold, Quest, Moving Ninja, Dead Leaf and Prefessor Shehab.
But heck, it hardly matters what songs and which artists, if Rupture picks 'em you know they're good (this man must have a mindblowing record collection), and then all mixed up they're transformed into a constantly shifting dubbed out bass heavy groove that goes on and on and on. Lots of thick fuzzed out synth bass, various permutations of THAT dubstep beat, some toasting here and there, Ehlers offers up some swoonsome strings, there's some Eastern skitter, some chopped up and stuttery techno, a little ragga, some murky mumbly doom-step, a bit of dreamy downtempo drift, some slow motion old school jungle, but it's all held together by a dubstep framework, so no matter what tripped out tangent the mix takes, it always finds its way back to the dub. Killer mix as always, and as with most Rupture stuff, WAY recommended.
These guys and gal from Japan should need no introduction, eh? I mean, I think we've done our best to already familiarize AQ customers with the rock n' roll awesomeness of the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, right? We've certainly sold a ton of their Esoteric Black Hair ep, that's for sure! Plus, they've been on a stateside touring assault recently that is clearly pulling more and more fans into their orbit. In our review of EBH, we predicted that sooner rather than later some clever American label would pick this band up...and lo, Estrus has done the deed. They're a label perhaps known for a retro sound more garagey than these guys, but it's definitely a good fit with DMBQ's brand of wild rock n' roll abandon.
On The Essential Sounds From the Far East (terrible title, although no falsehood), DMBQ's Boredoms-playing-Blue Cheer attack continues unabated. Tons and tons of guitar with tons and tons of effects. Swooshing sizzling wah-wah mayhem. Howling, raucous vox. Groovy drumming. Exuberant energetic explosions of sound. Sonic starbursts and brightly coloured visuals absolutely must accompany rock that's kicking out the jams this hard. Imagine the most in-your-face elements of Hendrix and Led Zep I taken to absurd extremes by some extroverted Japanese freaks, right now, today, in your town if you're lucky. Anyone who likes Acid Mothers Temple when they pay a visit to "electric heavyland", or digs the psychedelic, '70s rawk side of Boris, will love cranking this up.
As mentioned, they've been touring more in the US. DO NOT MISS SEEING THEM. Their showmanship has to be seen to be believed. They're always upping the ante. They were just here last month, and the crowd at the Hemlock got to witness frontman Shinji pass the drum kit into the audience, piece by piece, assemble it there, then grab DMBQ's new drummer China (ex-Shonen Knife) and hand *her* into the crowd, from where she picked up the beat and finished the song, drumming in the midst of the sweaty multitude. Wow. But as good live as they are, they don't slack in the studio either.
You can tell they mean to impress with this, their first-ever US album release (EBH being both an ep and a collection of previously released tunage). This does include a version of "Are You Satisfied?", a song that's also on EBH... but everything else is new. It's one loud pounding, swirling, throbbing psych-out after another, with only the spaced out six and a half minute "Dm" providing a bit of relaxation. Damn we love this band. Now if only all their other, also-excellent previous Japanese releases would get reissued over here...
Jeff "Monoman" Conolly has gotta be one of rock 'n' roll's awesomest unsung legends. First off, he fronted DMZ, Boston's garage punk answer to the likes of the Stooges and the New York Dolls, in the mid-'70s. Then, out of the ashes of DMZ, he formed Lyres, who traded in some (just some) of DMZ's scuzzed out heaviness for retro Vox organ driven power poppiness in the style of the best '60s Nuggets outfits. There's a new cd that brings both bands together, half the disc DMZ demos from '76, the other half Lyres live in '82. It's also available as two separate vinyl releases, this one's the DMZ half, featuring 12 tracks recorded as demos at a Cambridge radio station in 1976. They rip it up here, doing a ton of rad covers, among 'em "Til The End Of The Day" by the Kinks, "Teenage Head" by the Flamin' Groovies, "Search and Destroy" by the Stooges, "Heart Of Stone" by the Stones, and "Someone's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" by Fleetwood Mac (also memorably covered by the Rezillos). Definitely the sound of a band reveling in their influences, gettin' ready to kick out their own jams, as well as some other covers, on their one and only studio album, which was released in '78 by Sire. (Note: there's no song overlap between this and that.)
Nice new vinyl reissue of this 1978 classic. Those of you familiar with Boston's garage-scuzz legends The Lyres will immediately recognize -that- sound, as DMZ were essentially a Lyres prototype, equal parts blasting garge-y punk rock, fuzzed out organs, crunchy guitar, and Jeff "Monoman" Connolly's howled vocals. Think the Seeds, the MC5, the Kinks and the 13th Floor Elevators, but filtered through a sludgy stew of Stooges, Rocket From The Tombs, Electric Eels and the Ramones. Awesome cover art with the band hugging what appear to be either beer kegs or Daleks (or maybe they're supposed to be in a pinball machine).
Jeff "Monoman" Conolly has gotta be one of rock 'n' roll's awesomest unsung legends. First off, he fronted DMZ, Boston's garage punk answer to the likes of the Stooges and the New York Dolls, in the mid-'70s. Then, out of the ashes of DMZ, he formed Lyres, who traded in some (just some) of DMZ's scuzzed out heaviness for retro Vox organ driven power poppiness in the style of the best '60s Nuggets outfits. This disc brings both bands together. The DMZ half features 12 tracks recorded as demos at a Cambridge radio station in 1976. They rip it up here, doing a ton of rad covers, among 'em "Til The End Of The Day" by the Kinks, "Teenage Head" by the Flamin' Groovies, "Search and Destroy" by the Stooges, "Heart Of Stone" by the Stones, and "Someone's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" by Fleetwood Mac (also memorably covered by the Rezillos). Definitely the sound of a band reveling in their influences, gettin' ready to kick out their own jams, as well as some other covers, on their one and only studio album, which was released in '78 by Sire. (Note: there's no song overlap between this and that.)
Then, on the second half of the disc, there's 15 more tracks from Lyres, recorded live in '82, with a line up featuring 4/5s of DMZ, at an Italian restaurant that doubled as a punk rock venue by night, back in the day. There's lotsa killer covers here as well (The Wailers, The Sonics, The Young Rascals, Kenny and the Kasuals...) and they do a DMZ tune too - but the main attraction might be the raw, raucous versions of Lyres own songs, Conolly compositions that shoulda been big hits, like early single sides "Help You Ann" (Andee's favorite Lyres song EVER) and "I Really Want You Right Now". Considering that reissues of Lyres studio albums are not easy to come by these days (why oh why are they out of print?), the release of this live recording, which makes up for in sheer energy what it might lack in high fidelity, is quite a boon both to fans and folks who, upon hearing it, will immediately become fans!
Basically a double dose of straight up rock 'n' roll radness. Also available as two separate vinyl lps, DMZ on one, Lyres on the other.
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!! Limited edition double vinyl, to be precise, with three "newly discovered songs exclusive to this lp". Plus two live encores from the band's final CBGB's appearance. Here's our review of the earlier released cd version:
It's been a quarter century overdue. But finally, all of the good DNA material has finally been gathered in a single collection. There may have been Japanese bootlegs floating around, and there was that terrible live record that came out on Avant about a decade ago. But DNA on DNA is the definitive collection; and its release will probably squeeze more than a few of those seminal No New York compilations LPs onto the eBay market.
DNA, of course, was the No Wave band that Arto Lindsay assembled with the help of percussionist Iuke Mori and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield, both of whom were self-professed non-musicians at the time. A mere 9 months after the birth of DNA, Crutchfield left and was replaced by former Pere Ubu bassist Tim Wright. The two line-ups of DNA manifested vastly different sounds. For the first line-up, Lindsay coupled his autistic guitar cacophony with aggressive barks and snarls of thoroughly fragmented lyrics which in turn were propelled by Crutchfield's double fisted pummel on his keyboards and More's equally Frankensteinian percussive lurches. The early DNA sort of sounded like an unholy coupling of Damo Suzuki, Sonny Sharrock, and Captain Beefheart attempting to compress all of their ideas into a two minute punk context. Recent bands like the Numbers have attempted to replicate the DNA ethos, but have devolved into ironists sneering at the audience instead of capturing DNA's frightening abstract expressionism and psychic alienation.
The second DNA line-up with Tim Wright on bass embraced a far more painterly approach. Rather than replicating the antifunk cubic sounds of Crutchfield's Moog, Wright produced calligraphic bass lines with a sinewy pelvic grind that infused a bizarre sensuality to the tortured sounds of Lindsay's guitar 'n' vocal shrieks. No net loss/gain there.
While Mars clearly had their highlights, they quietly imploded, Lydia Lunch dropped the shock treatment of Teenage Jesus in lieu of the cartoonish noir of Queen of Siam and Eight Eyed Spy and James Chance went onto parody himself as James White, DNA were consistently the best of the No Wave bands; and it's about damn time that this document came out. Clearly there are a lot of contemporary bands who should be shamed into calling it quits with the release of DNA on DNA, and there should be many more people who should be blown away by just how good DNA were.
Having three such beloved creative outlets Postal Service, Figurine and Dntel at his disposal, Mr. Jimmy Tamborello's probably had to replace his door a few times with so many potential musical collaborators knocking it down. And he's chosen the absolute cream of today's crop for his highly anticipated, long overdue new Dntel album, the follow-up to 2000's Life Is Full Of Possibilities. Dumb Luck follows a similar recipe as Stephin Merritt's The Sixths project for which Mr. Magnetic Fields writes and performs the music while various pop darlings provide the vocals. It just happens to be a full collaborative effort featuring the hot poop luminaries of Conor Oberst, Grizzly Bear, Jenny Lewis, Fog, Mia Doi Todd, Lali Puna, Arthur & Yu, and Mystic Chords Of Memory.
Wistful, pastoral and lovely, it's a softly faceted poptronica album that doesn't hit you over the head despite its hip, indie A-list cache. No, we think it'll grow on you with each listen as it did with us, glimmering with Tamborello's trademark fleeting pop elements, feathery electronic tickles and fond familiar voices. Mmmmmm.
Los Angeles-based Jimmy Tamborello, veteran of the SoCal emo/indie rock scene (remember Strictly Ballroom? Further? The Tyde?) and current member of electro pop outfit Figurine returns after a lengthy absence with another solo record as Dntel. After two
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A fancy split 7" picture disc featuring the soft and lovely sounds of these two solo projects from Jimmy Tamborello and Arne Van Petegem respectively. You may also be familiar with their other sonic endeavours: Tamborello in the band Figurine and Van Petegem as Tin Foil Star. The two tracks are nicely matched - airy, glistening, melodic and a wee bit wistful. Aq fave Dntel delivers another lush, bittersweet melding of the softest indie pop and the shuffling laptop. It's graced with some lullaby boy/girl vocals (the female ones come courtesy of his Figurine bandmate Meredith). The Styrofoam track is a more abstract but no less pleasing affair with its chiming broken music box melodies and fragmented, effected vocals surfacing throughout. Short and sweet.
Less spaced out and expansive than their previous efforts, "& Yet & Yet" marks the third album from this Canadian post-rock, instrumental ensemble. Not a huge detour but certainly moving away from their usual much more drone-laden sound, they've composed
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SORRY.
With a record on Constellation not too long ago, Do Make Say Think collect this 4 song ep from over 20 hours of recorded material for a widely varied piece of vinyl that ranges from the quiet twang found on Jim O'Rourke's "Bad Timing" to kaleidoscopic space-rock drones ala Sonic Boom to the building hypnosis-rock of Mogwai meets Circle. Pretty good despite the incongruities.
Reissued on vinyl, a old Constellation fave.
Second album from these Canadian post-rockers, very pretty and epic. Possibly mesmerizing, possibly boring, depending on your mood. Worth checking out if you like stuff like Scenic or labelmates Fly Pan Am or Godspeed You Black Emperor.
On their latest release, Canadian post-rockers Do Make Say Think deliver four splendid instrumentals that differ starkly in mood and atmosphere, and that follow a defined dynamic arc. The first kicks things off with a driving tempo, and a somewhat more gritty-raw approach than on their last album 2007's You, You're A History In Rust. It brings to mind the old school Chicago post-rock from the '90s. The second draws the listener in with a comparatively subdued chant and lulling rhythm that eventually is swept up and away into the stormy dramatics we've come to know and love from this band and their Montreal comrades. The third continues along in that vein, and the fourth brings the 43 minutes to a sunset gazing, drowsy close with lanky sliding guitar lines and hushed brush-on-snare drumming. Nice.
Fourth album of epic instrumental post-rock from one of Canada's best. Droning, lush, rhythmic, dynamic. If you're gonna try just one other Constellation label band besides the mighty Godspeed You Black Emperor!, maybe it should be Do Make Say Think. And this would be just the album of theirs to check out. As it starts, you might think it's gonna be all cinematic and kinda jazzy but then they display some heavy fuzz-ed out muscle that ought to appeal to fans of Kinski for sure. Nice n' moody.
Over the years Toronto's Do Make Say Think have become one of the few ensembles able to step out of the shadow of their connection to Godspeed You Black Emperor and make a strong name for themselves in the world of intricate and dynamic instrumental post-rock. Their last few records have shown the band refining their sound, becoming a bit more pop orientated yet not losing their ability to create goosebump inducing moments in their songs. Their latest doesn't veer much from their fine formula, but folks might be surprised to find vocals on a few tracks and we have to say those songs would have been just fine without them. But for the most part all the elements that have made Do Make Say Think one of our favorites from the Constellation family are all still here and shining bright.
The first album from Do Make Say Think showcases their hypnotic rhythm section which alternates from jazzy grooves to intricate pop structures. On top of this solid base, swells of guitar noise and organ drones explode and dissolve much like a cross between Bardo Pond and a weirder version of Spiritualized. On the same label that brought you the fantastic Godspeed You Black Emperor (!!) and also from Canada.
French heavy psychedelic acid rock proto-metal. Yes we said French. Last year, via the interweb, we got clued in to the existence of some way rare and obscure late '60s / early '70s heaviness from the land of baguettes and berets. Rotomagus, Les Variations, Chico Magnetic Band, Quo Vadis, Zoo... Francais Metal de Proto!! We'd had no idea. So we're happy now we've tracked down a few import cds bearing proof of this hitherto unknown phenomenon. This one's by a band from Paris called Docdail. Housed in a cardboard sleeve, this cd features just four tracks -- the A and B sides of Docdail's first two singles, from 1969 and 1970, which might be their entire recorded output as far as we know. In fact we don't know much about these guys at all -- except that at they wrote at least one song, found here, that is mindblowingly heavy for 1969!!!
This disc starts off with "Sad Harold", an electric blues number that while decent enough probably won't get anybody too excited. It definitely betrays nothing of the utterly ahead-of-its-time onslaught of psychedelic instro-sludge found on the flip, track two here, "Aere Perennius". A way HEAVY acid jam, man. Doubtless this one was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, but to us sounds more like freakin' Steel Pole Bathtub! If we were told this was a band from the early '90s on AmRep, we'd have believed it, except maybe during a breakdown halfway through when some vocals come in, briefly shouting in Latin and French. Simply astonishing, and worth the price of this disc to those of you obsessed, like us, with the early daze of the heavy. Following that, third up on the disc, is the not-quite-as-heavy "Stone Me", a song as groovy and stonery as you'd hope from the title. Reminds us maybe of Steppenwolf. The B-side to that wraps things up, a much mellower track called "Why Do You Cry" that is slow, sad and sweet, which Docdail manages quite nicely. Leaving us puzzled though... it would seem that Docdail didn't really "get it" (or their management/audiences didn't), 'cause otherwise why the heck wouldn't they have taken the incredible, extreme sound of "Aere Perennius" and run with it?? Maybe they scared themselves, who knows!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Can you improve on The Stooges' "No Fun"? No, but the combination of a really weird French guy, a primitive drum machine and incredibly distorted electric guitar is a good try! Eric Debris, leader of the seminal French synth-punk act Metal Urbain (and, subsequently, Metal Boys) also had a recording project in the late '70s/early '80s under the Doctor Mix And The Remix moniker. It was his solo project for (the most part) doing stripped-down, fucked-up cover versions of classics like "No Fun" and the Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself". The first Doctor Mix singles featured "versions" on the flip (included here) that are even more messed up. Those are all here along with the entire 1979 Wall Of Noise album, wherein songs by Bowie, The Seeds, the Velvet Underground (an amazing take on "Sister Ray"), Roxy Music and others are all operated on by Doctor Mix, who gives the original artists reason to sue for malpractice! A further Doctor Mix ep is included as well, with a few originals and, among other things, the perenial cover tune "Hey Joe". With Debris singing in Anglais with a snotty French accent, it's all kinda goofy but full of Gallic-punk charm. And if you didn't already check 'em out, we still have Acute's recent reissues of the Metal Urbain and Metal Boys albums in stock, both come highly recommended.
It's been a few weeks since the madness and fun of Record Store Day, but actually there were a few intended-for-Record-Store-Day releases that were delayed, and are only now, luckily, falling into our laps.
Here's one, a shredding 7" from local heroes The Dodos that just arrived and whoo boy we're happy that it has, as these are two of the most rocking and raw tracks from these guys that we've ever heard. Both tracks are previously unreleased and show how great these guys are at crafting impassioned and driving songs, so focused and so ecstatic. What's extra cool about these songs is they are a bit less produced and shiny than their albums, showing that this is indeed a band that sounds just as good raw and rugged as lush and orchestrated. Makes us so excited to see these guys play and experience all this frenetic sonic energy live. Grab one of these while they last! LIMITED NUMBERED EDITION!
