Day three of the Pitchfork Music Festivalstarted out a bit chilly as the Windy City was living up to its nickname, but we soon got our sweaty groove on thanks to a great set by Chicago house music legend and pioneer Derrick Carter.
Derrick Carter dropping beats like an Olympic power lifter dropping a barbell.
For those of you who weren’t dancing during his set, please see a doctor because something is wrong with you. He put on a house music clinic. It was a great way to start the day.
We also heard a bit of Colin Stetson‘s set. He plays this wild, droning, hypnotizing saxophone music that is difficult to describe but quite mesmerizing. We had plenty of time before Ride‘s set, so we met up with my college pal and his husband again before heading off to do a little shopping and eating.
Ride put on a good set of shoegaze that was a great switch from all the hip hop, electro, and funk we heard during the festival. Unfortunately, they had a shortened set due to some early technical difficulties, but they played new and old material and blasted all of us with the final song of their set. It was a loud, distorted, fuzzed-out assault. “I needed that,” said one man next to me by the time they were done.
Ride melting faces in a killer finale.
Ride did a signing at the record fair afterwards, and I scored a signed copy of their newest album, Weather Diaries (review coming soon). They were happy to meet everybody, and I’m happy to report they had a long line of fans there.
Mandy caught Jamilla Woods‘ set, which she enjoyed very much, after she’d been moved from the Blue Stage to the Green Stage due to the Avalanchescancelling their performance. According to their Twitter feed, a family member one of the band members had some sort of dire medical emergency. My college pal came to the festival mainly to see them, so he was more than annoyed they weren’t playing. He and his husband learned via a Google search that the Avalanches are about as finicky as Morrissey when it comes to performing.
Thankfully, Nicolas Jaarput on an excellent set of his experimental electro / trance music that was both psychedelic and dance-inspiring at the same time. At about the halfway point of his set, a guy in front of me turned to his friends and said, “This is the best set I’ve seen all weekend.” and then left.
Chilean DJ Nicolas Jaar creating intricate beats on the fly.
We split after that, beating the crowds and stopping to meet artist Jay Ryan so we could get one of his posters. He does really neat and cute art for a lot of bands and other projects. We already had a Bob Mould tour poster of his hanging in our living room, and now Mandy has a “It’s Time to Read” poster that will go in her office featuring bears, cats, and a wooly mammoth reading books.
I walked out with a new pair of sunglasses and CD’s by Screaming Females, Vacation, Waxahatchee, Tycho, Priests, Slowdive, She-Devils, Ride, and Wavves, and even a cassette by a band called Diagonal. I’ll have reviews of all this stuff in the coming months.
All in all, the Pitchfork Music Festival was a good time. We’d go back if the lineup was good and we could stay close to the festival. As it’s been for the last few festivals I’ve attended, VIP tickets don’t look worth the money. It’s not as laid back as a Levitation festival, but still fun. It also could’ve used a little more rock, in my opinion, but it was worth the trip.
Keep your mind open.
That’s my pal, Chris, on the far right and his husband, Darin, on the far left. Chris and I hadn’t seen each other since 1993.
[You know what else is worth it? Subscribing to my blog.]
Influential British shoegaze band Ride broke up in 1996 after just six years and a couple albums, but they got back together in 2015 and have a new album, Weather Diaries, out this year. Ride’s performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 16th will be one of the highlights of the weekend, as not many expected a Ride reunion, let alone a new album or tour. They sound like they haven’t lost anything after 20 years, so don’t miss their set if you’ll be in Chicago that weekend.
SLOWDIVE ANNOUNCE MORE US TOUR DATES;
WATCH NPR MUSIC’S FIELD RECORDING
SLOWDIVE IS ONE OF THE BEST REVIEWED ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Slowdive‘s self-titled album, released last month via Dead Oceans, is one of the best-reviewed albums of the year so far. Following a sold out North American tour in advance of its release, the band are announcing a return to the continent in the fall, to perform in cities both new and old. Prior to that, they’ll be appearing at FYF Fest in Los Angeles on July 21st.
Also, today saw the release of an incredible stripped back NPR Music Field Recording that the band filmed while in New York in May. Watch below.
SLOWDIVE TOUR DATES (new dates in bold) Fri. June 16 – Sun. June 18 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival Thurs. July 6 – Trencin, Slovakia @ Pohoda Festival Fri. July 7 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival Sun. July 9 – Six Four Les Plages, France@ Pointu Festival Fri. July 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest Fri. July 28– South Korea @ Valley Rock Festival Sun. July 30 – Tahar Shi, Japan @ Fuji Rock Festival Sat. Aug. 19 – Trondheim, Norway @ Pstereo Festival Fri. 25 Aug. – Switzerland @ Nox Orae Festival Sat. Aug. 27 – Paris, France @ Rock En Seine Festival Thu. Aug. 31 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival Sat. Sept. 2 – Milano, Italy @ Un Altro Festival Thu. Sept. 7 – Tel Aviv, Israel @ Barby Club Fri. Sept. 15 – Sat. 16 Sept. – Angers, France @ Levitation Fest Sun. Sept. 17 – Birmingham, UK @ Beyond the Tracks Festival Fri. Sept. 29 – Dortmund, Germany @Way Back When Festival Sat. Sept. 30 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ DR Koncerthuset Mon. Oct. 2 – Warsaw, Poland – @ Palladium Tues. Oct. 3 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxley’s
Weds. Oct. 4 – Hamburg, Germany @Uebel & Gefaehrlich Fri. Oct. 6 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sat. Oct. 7 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Mon. Oct. 9 – Glasgow, UK @ ABC Tues. Oct. 10 – Manchester, UK @Albert Hall
Weds. Oct. 11 – Leeds, UK @ Town Hall Fri. Oct. 13 – London, UK @ Roundhouse Mon. Oct. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Wed. Oct. 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune Thu. Oct. 26 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Sat. Oct. 28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater Wed. Nov. 1 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Sat. Nov. 4 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre Sun. Nov. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre Tue. Nov. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall Wed. Nov. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre Thu. Nov. 9 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Hall Fri. Nov. 10 – Toronto, ON @ CANADA @ Massey Hall Sat. Nov. 11 – New Haven, CT @ College St Music Hall Sun. Nov. 12 – New York City, NY @ Terminal 5 Tue. Nov. 14 – Boston,MA @ Paradise Wed. Nov. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Thu. Nov. 16 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Fri. Nov. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
“A precise and altogether gorgeous showcase of their peerless ability at production, mood, and songcraft.” – Pitchfork [Best New Music]
“Listening to Slowdive is like watching the sunrise and sunset at once — an awe-inspiring chorus of the galaxy.” – NPR Music
“Slowdive carries all the right baggage from the band’s past, but the album leaves no question about the direction they’re traveling in. They’re carrying this sound towards the future.” – Stereogum
“Throughout Slowdive, the band use foggy images and slippery transitions as a soothing sort of déjà vu—you feel like you’ve been here before, even though you obviously haven’t.” – SPIN [SPIN Essential]
“With this self-titled record, their first in 22 years, Slowdive definitively prove that some bands have enough creative juice to get back together and make some incredible music.” – Vulture
“The result is as beautiful and stilling as ever.” – AV Club
“Dreamy vocals, thick melancholia, heavy guitar treatments. And ‘Slomo,’ the opening track, is a goddamn minor miracle. Welcome back, shoegaze friends.” – Newsweek
L-R: Yours truly, Oliver Ackermann, Lia Braswell, Dion Lunadon
Oliver Ackermann, lead singer and guitarist of A Place to Bury Strangers, was kind enough to chat with me before the band’s performance at Chicago’s Thalia Hall on May 11th opening for the Black Angels. We talked about the tour, the New York music scene, bassist Dion Lunadon’s upcoming album, shoegaze bands, and where to get good tamales.
7th Level Music: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I’m really looking forward to the show.
Oliver Ackermann: Cool, man. Thanks so much. We’re psyched to be coming there. We’ve been doing some crazy things at some of these shows. Definitely with the energy of Chicago, I’m sure it’ll be crazy.
7LM: Have you ever played Thalia Hall?
OA: No, is that place cool?
7LM: It is very cool. It’s a converted opera house, so the acoustics in there are great.
OA: That sounds so rad.
7LM: It is a very cool venue. I’ve been told the restaurant there is amazing, but I’ve never eaten there.
OA: Oh, cool. Hopefully they give us a discount or something like that.
7LM: If not, I can recommend a place. A short walk east is this really good tamale restaurant (Dia De Los Tamales – 939 West 18th Street).
OA: Really good tamales? That sounds delicious.
7LM: If you get there early enough, I highly recommend that.
OA: Awesome. Maybe we’ll hit that up.
7LM: The other day I was describing your music to somebody, and I said it’s kind of like a Zen master whacking you with a stick on the head.
OA (chuckling, as he’s clearly never heard that before): Okay.
7LM: The reason I came up with that analogy was because the last time I saw you guys was in Detroit when you played with Groomsand Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor. Rick from the Sisters and I were at the back of the venue chatting, and you guys come on and as soon as your set started it literally knocked the sound out of our mouths.
OA (laughing): Awesome.
7LM: I got to thinking about it, and your music has that effect on people where it shakes people out of things.
OA: Sure. That kind of makes some sense. There are those shows that you go to and have your mind blown and we’re always trying to hark back upon those moments.
7LM: I remember the first time my wife and I saw you was at one of the Levitation shows. You played at the Mohawk. You completely floored us, and I had a similar experience. By the end of it, I was standing there thinking, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It was great.
OA: That’s awesome. Right on.
7LM: How influenced is your sound from living in New York and being from that area, if at all?
OA: I don’t know. I wonder that, too. Sometimes I feel like we have no influence from that. I’m so busy in New York and we don’t always get to do things, and there’s so much crazy stuff going on, but I guess that must be an influence as well. There are a lot of great creative people that can definitely drive you, but I feel so disconnected from the scene.
7LM: I was watching some of your videos, and I noticed this reoccurring theme in the videos, and some of the lyrics, about how technology separates us from each other. Maybe I’m overreaching here, but it seems like you touch on those themes a lot.
OA: Sure. Definitely. That’s pretty funny you bring that up. That’s definitely a theme of some of our music. Sometimes you want to go a little old school, and you kind of miss some of those days of just being able to wander and go meet your friends if they were there, or having to go knock on their window. I think it brings us together as well, so maybe that’s just part of it.
7LM: Is Lia (Braswell) still drumming with you guys?
OA: Lia is drumming with us, yeah. That has been awesome. That’s definitely been a big influence on where our sound is going.
7LM: How did you two meet Lia?
OA: (Bassist) Dion (Lunadon) had seen her play in a friend’s band, Baby Acid, and said she was a wicked drummer. We were looking for different people to play with, so we invited her over to play drums, and she was amazing.
7LM: I saw her play with Lindsey Troy of Deap Vally and she killed it.
L-R: Lia Braswell, yours truly, Lindsey Troy
OA: Yeah, she’s incredible.
7LM: Did you and Dion meet when he came on with Exploding Head?
OA: We actually first met in Los Angeles. I was out there doing some sort of job for a friend and I didn’t have a place to stay. He was staying at this house with some friends of his. I spent the night at the house because he offered a place to stay. We met again back in New York when he moved there in 2007 or so. He was in the D4 and a bunch of killer bands.
7LM: A friend of mine wanted me to ask you what your favorite shoegaze bands were, and I know the Jesus and Mary Chainis one.
OA: I’ve only heard a couple of the songs. It sounded awesome, though. I’m super-psyched to hear the whole thing. What do you think of that record?
7LM: I like it. I’ve heard the first two singles. In some ways it’s like they just stepped right out of a time machine and in other ways it sounds like they’re moving in this cool new direction.
OA: Yeah, for sure. I’m excited to hear the whole record and maybe if they make another record after this what comes out of it.
7LM: I have a few questions I always ask bands I interview. One of them is, do you have any influences that you think would surprise some of your fans?
OA: Oh, for sure. I like a lot of different music. What do you think people would be surprised by?
7LM: Well, the reason I always ask bands this is because I once heard an interview with Rob Halford of Judas Priestand he was asked this question. He said, “You’re never gonna believe this, but I’m a massive Hank Williams, Sr. fan.” Ever since then I’ve been intrigued with hearing about what influences people have that others might not realize they have.
OA: I love Hank Williams, Sr.
7LM: Yeah, me too.
OA: Yeah, totally. That stuff’s awesome. I don’t know, in this day and age is anyone going to be surprised by anything?
7LM: That’s a really good point. Another question I always ask is, do you have any favorite misheard versions of your lyrics?
OA: I wish I could remember, because there sure are some funny ones out there. It’s kind of cool because when you hear them a lot of times they kind of morph into what makes sense for the people. I really like that. It turns personal for them, which is kind of the point of our music.
7LM: That gets back to the thing I believe where your music changes people’s perceptions, especially live.
OA: Totally. That’s the goal for a lot of our music. It’s a state between life and fantasy and to be able to let go of some of your thoughts and troubles.
7LM: When I saw you in Detroit, you came out into the audience with your instruments and I loved how you made this cool moment where you brought this technology into the crowd, but instead of technology pushing people away it was this big communal thing.
OA: Yeah, that’s a great thing. I think that’s pretty awesome. Not everybody will do that to connect with the audience. We always welcome anybody and everybody to jump up on stage or pull us down or whatever to connect and make it a communal event.
7LM: Do you write grooves first or lyrics first? Or does it depend on the song?
OA: It depends on the song. We always try to reinvent writing songs all the time we do it. It depends on what’s inspiring you. Sometimes it starts with an idea and some lyrics, or sometimes the music brings out a whole story or a mood. Even more recently, we’ve kind of been writing all of it at once. It’s kind of a weird, wild thing. I’ve always fantasized about having a band where you didn’t have any songs written before you played the shows, and you would play a whole bunch of songs at that moment. You start to do this thing where you unconsciously tap into a really pure experience and it draws you in a different direction. You’d dig deep and reveal some things maybe you wouldn’t be comfortable revealing in that moment.
7LM: If you ever do that, I hope I can get to one of those shows.
OA: Right on.
7LM: I’m one of those guys where if I go to a show and the band gets up and says, “We’re gonna play a bunch of stuff you’ve never heard before.” I’m the guy in the back saying, “Fantastic!”
OA: Awesome. I always like that, too. At least to hear some sort of challenge. It’s all about the excitement at that type of show. I’m sure there’s band where I’d be disappointed in that, too.
7LM: Well, the opposite of that is that after we see you guys tonight, we’re driving down to St. Louis to see Tom Petty and Joe Walsh.
OA: Oh, wow, that sounds awesome. That should be so cool. I’ve never seen them.
7LM: Speaking of new stuff, Dion’s new album (self-titled) is out next month?
OA: Dion’s new album isout next month. I’ve heard it. It’s fucking awesome.
7LM: I’ve heard the two tracks that he’s released so far, and I thought, “Holy crap! He’s gunning.”
OA: Oh yeah, it’s so powerful.
7LM: I’ve always thought that about him. When I saw you guys in Austin the first time, it was two songs into your set and he body slammed his bass on the stage so damn hard and I thought, “Holy crap, we’re really in for something.”
OA: Yeah, he’s hit himself in the head a couple times, bled all over the place, climbed up on some things that everybody else would be scared to climb on. I’ve seen him do some crazy things.
7LM: Are you your own guitar tech? I’ve seen the way you handle that thing.
OA: Totally. Yeah, we are all our own instrument techs.
7LM: That’s fantastic. It reminds of when I was in a garage band in college, and our guitarist would cut holes in his guitar and take it apart to get different sounds out of it. I see you getting the craziest sounds out of your guitar by mauling it.
OA: Yeah, you gotta play your instrument to the fullest.
7LM: Where are you off to after Chicago?
OA: We’re going to Minneapolis. We’re playing First Avenue. Purple Rain, Prince, it should be awesome.
7LM: Well thanks for all this. Break a leg tonight. Not literally, of course.
OA: For sure. See you tonight.
APTBS at Chicago’s Thalia Hall May 11, 2017.
[Thanks again to Oliver Ackermann, Lia Braswell, Dion Lunadon, Burgers Rana, and Steven Matrick for being so groovy, arranging this interview and my press pass to the Thalia Hall show, and for the lighter.]
I will see The Black Angelsor A Place to Bury Strangersat any opportunity, so having them both on the same bill is a win-win and a must-see for me. Seeing them in Chicago’s Thalia Hall was an added bonus because the acoustics there are outstanding and there isn’t a bad place to stand or sit in the joint.
A Place to Bury Strangers were prompt, starting the show at 9:00pm sharp (which seems to be a trend in Chicago venues as of late). They came out as they always do – loud and heavy. They opened with “We’ve Come So Far” from Transfixiation and it was off to the races. The addition of Lia Braswell on drums is a great one, as she practically beat her kit into the floor. Her backing vocals bring a new dimension to many APTBS tracks, and I hope this trend continues on some new material. Guitarist and lead singer Oliver Ackermann was on fire for their whole set.
Every APTBS show looks like a scene from a John Carpenter film.
They ended their set with a wild sequencer / synth / bass / light show that I’d seen them do before in Detroit. They moved into the crowd and were soon casting laser lights and weird, warping synths beats and Dion Lunadon’s growling bass licks throughout the whole hall.
APTBS blowing minds and retinas in Thalia Hall.
As if that weren’t trippy enough, the Black Angels started their set with this image.
Do I detect a nod to Devo here?
“Take your acid now,” said a friend of mine upon seeing this. The Black Angels opened up with “Currency,” the first single off their new album – Death Song(review coming soon). “Bad Vibrations” (always a favorite) followed, and it again wowed the crowd.
The Black Angels dropping “Currency” from their new album.
This was the sixth time I’ve seen the Black Angels (and the third I’ve seen APTBS), and this might’ve been the heaviest set I’ve seen by them. My wife (who’s seen them five of the six times with me) noticed this, too. The version of “You On the Run” they played was certainly the heaviest I’d heard. It bordered on stoner metal. Christian Bland’s guitar seemed cranked to 11 in terms of volume and distortion for the entire show. Stephanie Bailey further cemented her prowess as one of the best rock drummers of our time. I say this every time I see the Black Angels live: Stephanie Bailey is their secret weapon. I later realized this was the first show I’d seen in a while in which both bands had powerful drummers.
The Black Angels getting heavy.
They played many tracks from the new record. “Half Believing,” “Comanche Moon,” “I Dreamt,” “Medicine,” “Grab As Much As You Can,” and “Death March” all sounded great. They closed with “Young Men Dead,” which made one man behind me so happy that he rushed ahead of me to head-bang and share his one-hitter with the strangers to his left and right.
The Black Angels performing “Young Men Dead” during their encore.
This made six good shows in a row from the Black Angels and three straight for APTBS in my experience. This tour is selling out across the country, so you’d better get your tickets soon if you want to catch it. I also must give a salute to the two men who make up the Mustachio Light Show. They provided all the wild and stunning visuals during the Black Angels’ set. It’s a great addition to this tour.
Thanks to Oliver Ackermann, Steven Matrick, and Burgers Rana for getting me a press pass to this show. I’ll have an interview with Oliver Ackermann posted soon as well.
THEE OH SEES ANNOUNCE AUGUST & SEPTEMBER TOUR DATES
Today, Los Angeles-based force of nature Thee Oh Sees announce a new batch of tour dates for the late summer that spans both the USA and the European continent. Could the new dates be an indicator of a busy 2017 from the John Dwyer-led outfit? Could these dates point to the possibility of a new record(s)? One can only hope…
THEE OH SEES TOUR DATES (new tour dates in bold): Sat. Apr. 29 – Norman, OK @ Norman Music Festival Fri. May 5 – Winterthur, CH @ Salzhaus Sat. May 6 – Frankfort, GE @ Zoom Sun. May 7– Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown Mon. May 8 – Berlin, GE @ Columbia Theater Wed. May 10 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Coopérative de Mai Thu. May 11 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirène Fri. May 12 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Sat. May 13 – Lyon, FR @ L’épicerie Moderne Sun. May 14 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo Tue. May 16 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Wed. May 17 – Brighton, UK @ Clarendon Centre Thu. May 18 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux Fri. May 19 – Rennes, FR @ Antipode Sat. May 20 – Reims, FR @ La Magnifique Society Sun. May 21 – Brussels, BE @ L’Ancienne Belgique Fri. May 26 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival Sat. June 3 – London, UK @ Field Day Festival Mon. June 4 – Bristol, UK @ SWX Wed. June 6 – Metz, FR @ La BAM Thu. June 7 – Milano, IT @ Magnolia Fri. June 8 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew Sat. June 9 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Sun. June 10 – Nimes, FR @ This Is Not A Love Song Mon. June 11 – Bordeaux, FR @ le block Tue. June 12 – Tours, FR @ le temps machine Thu. June 14 – Manchester University, UK @ Transformers Sat. June 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Phono Del Sol Festival Sat. July 22 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Sun. Aug. 6 – Katowice, PL @ OFF Festival Tue. Aug. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Thu. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival Fri. Aug. 11 – Gothenburg, DW @ Way Out West Festival Sat. Aug. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset Fri. Aug. 18 – Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Sat. Aug. 19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival Fri. Sept. 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom Sat. Sept. 2 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar Mon. Sept. 4 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Outside Tue. Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s Wed. Sept. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Fri. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater Sun. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Wed. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Thu. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe I Le National Fri. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Theater Sat. Sept. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom Sun. Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Tue. Sept. 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Fri. Sept. 22 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s Sun. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom Mon. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Last year the Raveonettes decided to create a “anti-album” by composing and releasing a new track digitally every month. These tracks have now been compiled into their new record – 2016 Atomized. It will be available April 21st for the first time as a complete collection.
A lot of the tracks on the record have a strong synth / electro feel instead of the psychedelic fuzz you’re used to on a Raveonettes records, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s good to hear them stretching out.
Keep your mind open.
[Updates are like fast food in that they’re quick to your e-mail inbox when you subscribe, but they’re far better for you.]
FLASHER SHARE NEW SONG, “BURN BLUE,” OFF UPCOMING 7″
“WINNIE” B/W “BURN BLUE” OUT 5/5 ON SISTER POLYGON
The Washington D.C. trio Flasher have quietly begun to build a powerful name for themselves. After a successful trip to Austin for SXSW, garner praise from all who saw the band’s tightly coiled and acerbic performances, they are sharing “Burn Blue,” the B-side to their recent single, “Winnie.” The 7″ will be released onMay 5th via Sister Polygon.
Flasher is Taylor Mulitz (guitar, vocals), Daniel Saperstein (bass, vocals), and Emma Baker (drums, vocals). Long-time friends, they are also established members of Washington, D.C.’s re-emergent DIY music scene, with Mulitz being a member of Priests, Saperstein of Bless, and Baker of Big Hush. Flasher continues to explore new territory with every new song they share. “Burn Blue is about trauma and time,” says Multiz. “It’s about trying to stay present while melting with memory.” Listen and see their upcoming tour dates below.
FLASHER TOUR DATES: Fri. April 14 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub Sat. April 15 – Bloomington, IN @ Culture Shock Festival Sun. April 16 – Chicago, IL @ Township Mon. April 17 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory Wed. April 19 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G (Canadian Music Week) Thu. April 20 – Montreal, QC @ Matahari Art Loft Fri. April 21 – The Monkey House Fri. April 28 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Thu. June 22 – Washington, DC @ Luce Foundation (Luce Unplugged)
PRAISE FOR “WINNIE” & S/T EP
“Flasher offer seven impressively-honed songs that speak to selfhood and sublimation.” – Pitchfork on s/t EP
“A subtle critique of American consumerism and media hysteria that’s never heavy-handed. It kind of just sounds like what it feels like to stare at a screen with a billion tabs open at a time. Oh! And it’s also just a really good punk song.” – Stereogum on “Winnie”, 5 Best Songs of the Week
“The source material may not be chaotic, but the song certainly is — such is Flasher’s transformative beauty.” – CLRVYNT on “Winnie”
“A cutting social satire with riffs à la J Mascis, “Winnie” is equal parts intellectual and endearing.” – BULLETT on “Winnie”
LIVE STREAM SURPRISE LONDON SHOW TOMORROW AT 4:10PM EASTERN
UK shoegaze pioneers Slowdive are pleased to announce their self-titled fourth album, out May 5th via Dead Oceans, and the beautifully understated new single, “Sugar For The Pill,” which follows the release of “Star Roving.” Additionally, Slowdive announce a live stream of a surprise show tomorrow, March 29th, at London’s The Garage, the venue in which the band played their final London show in their original incarnation in December 1993. The stream will go live at 4:10pm Eastern here: facebook.com/slowdive.
Slowdive’s stargazing alchemy is set to further entrance the faithful while beguiling a legion of fresh ears. These eight new tracks, simultaneously expansive and the band’s most direct material to date, deftly swerve away from any “trip down memory lane.” They were birthed at the band’s talismanic Oxfordshire haunt, The Courtyard, and mixed at Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Sound by Chris Coady (Beach House). Throughout, the group dynamic was all-important. “When you’re in a band and you do three records, there’s a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record,” notes principal songwriter Neil Halstead.
The video for “Sugar For The Pill,” produced by in/out, takes its inspiration from the Slowdive album artwork which is itself a still from Harry Smith’s cult classic animation Heaven and Earth Magic – the vast spiritual narrative that has influenced so many artists since it was originally released back in 1957.
Slowdive is Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Rachel Goswell (vocals) and Simon Scott (drums, electronics). Their debut album, Just For A Day, was released in 1991 by Creation Records and was followed by the band’s now revered 1993 album Souvlaki and 1995’s Pygmalion before they disbanded. In the 22 years of their virtual disappearance, compilation albums have been released and the core members of the group have gone on to join other musical endeavours. In 2014, the band announced that they’d reunited and more new music would follow. Watch Slowdive’s “Sugar For The Pill” Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxwAPBxc0lU
Slowdive Tracklisting:
1. Slomo
2. Star Roving
3. Don’t Know Why
4. Sugar For The Pill
5. Everyone Knows
6. No Longer Making Time
7. Go Get It
8. Falling Ashes
Slowdive Tour Dates:
Mon. March 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Art School – SOLD OUT
Tue. March 28 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Arts Club – SOLD OUT Wed. March 29 – London, UK @ The Garage Thu. March 30 – Bristol, UK @ The Fleece – SOLD OUT Fri. March 31 – The Hague, NL @ Rewire Festival Sun. April 2 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo – SOLD OUT Mon. April 3 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal — SOLD OUT Sun. April 30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Fortress Festival Tue. May 2 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Wed. May 3 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater # — SOLD OUT Fri. May 5 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall # — SOLD OUT Sat. May 6 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia Sun. May 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club # — SOLD OUT Mon. May 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel # — SOLD OUT Tue. May 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel Wed. May 10 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Thu. May 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Sat. May 13 – Santiago, CL @ Fauna Otono Sun. May 14 – São Paulo, BR @ Balaclava Fest Fri. June 2 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy Sat. June 3 – London, UK @ Field Day Fri. June 16 – Sun. June 18 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Fri. July 7 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival Fri. July 21 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest Thu. Aug. 31 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival
In 2016, rock legends Failure (Ken Andrews – guitar, bass, lead vocals, Greg Edwards – bass, guitar, synths, vocals, Kellii Scott – drums) played their masterpiece album, Fantastic Planet, on a 20th anniversary tour across the U.S. Sadly, I couldn’t make it to any of the shows, but getting a live album of one of the stops on the tour is a nice way to hear one of the best records of the 1990’s.
The album starts with the clockwork sounds (and sorrowful guitar) of “Saturday Savior.” The band immediately sounds like they haven’t lost a thing in 20 years. I instantly regretted having to work a full-time job upon hearing this, because work kept me from making one of the stops of this tour. “Sergeant Politeness” is one of the biggest rockers on Fantastic Planet, and this version is nothing short of a kick in the teeth.
The live album even includes the three instrumental segues between tracks. Failure wasn’t kidding when they said they’d play the album in its entirety. The first bridges the gap between “Sergeant Politeness” and “Smoking Umbrellas” – which has some of the biggest chorus vocals on the record. Andrews makes sure people out in the concession stand can hear him. “Pillowhead” has Scott going as wonderfully nuts on it as he did in 1996.
“Blank” is a beautiful piece of shoegaze that feels like a warm bath after a sprint workout from the previous two tracks. “Dirty Blue Balloons” is one of the many songs on the record about drugs (which were a large part of the band’s life back in 1996), and its heavy-hitting chorus makes it like the greatest Pixies track they never recorded. Edwards’ guitar solo on it is great.
“Solaris” is a bit of a mind trip, and almost sounds like a Yes track. “Pitiful” is another one of the rockers on the album. The chorus hits you like a left hook you didn’t see coming. “Leo,” which I’m fairly certain is about a guy freaking out after coming down from a high, is just as good as it was in 1996. It sounds just like when I saw them in 1997. “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” another song about dealing with drug addiction, is a crowd favorite and was one of their biggest hits (even the guys in Tool hold this song in reverence). The electric piano supporting the crowd’s vocals is great and the song builds to an uplifting power.
Failure is sometimes described as a “space rock” band, and “Another Space Song” is a good example of why that’s the case. It’s the sound of a derelict alien craft in orbit around the moon. It’s trippy, creepy, and one of the best tracks on the album. This song alone should’ve made Failure an even bigger success.
“Stuck on You” is Failure’s biggest hit without question, and it’s not hard to believe it once you hear it. It was the song that introduced me to them and made me drag my two friends to their 1997 Lollapalooza set. It’s a powerful song (about heroin, no less) with a chorus that bursts like a sunrise over a mountain and yet hits as heavy as many grunge classics from the same time.
It flows well into “Heliotropic,” which takes us back to outer space with Andrews’ heavy bass, Edwards’ great solo, and Scott’s third stage-rocket drumming. The album ends with “Daylight,” which itself starts with the clockwork sounds we hear at the beginning of the album. It’s a snake eating its tail. It’s hypnotic and dire (and, yes, about the lull of heroin). Andrews’ voice is slightly distorted and sounds slightly out of the room…until the chorus explodes and nearly knocks you out of your chair.
I, like most of us, had no idea the band was going through such a rough stretch when Fantastic Planet was made and released. We’re lucky none of them overdosed or gave up music. We’re lucky the record was released at all, considering their label at the time was put up for sale before Fantastic Planet was released. We’re lucky to have this live recording and, hopefully, new material from them in the future. It’s time to find this classic if you missed it in 1996.
Keep your mind open.
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