Month: December 2017

Shopping announces 2018 North American tour dates.

SHOPPING ANNOUNCE 2018 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
IN SUPPORT OF THE OFFICIAL BODY

NEW ALBUM OUT JANUARY 19 ON FATCAT RECORDS
(photo credit: Matthew Williams)

“The Hype” is Shopping at its best: barbed invective set to a prickly, dancefloor-ready groove.” — Pitchfork

“one of Shopping’s loosest, funkiest songs to date. . . ‘The Hype’ is a great sign of things to come.” — NPR Music
Next month, Shopping are set to release their third full-length album, The Official Body, on January 19th via FatCat Records. The album sees Shopping — comprised of Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals), Billy Easter (bass, vocals) and Andrew Milk (drums, vocals) — retaining their minimal dance-punk ethos while “amping up the party vibe.” Now they’ve announced they’ll bring the dance party on the road! In March, Shopping will head stateside for a North American tour taking them all across the US and Canada, including stops at both Savannah Stopoverand SXSW. The tour kicks off Thu. March 1st in Boston before heading down the east coast, across the southern states to the west coast, and back to the midwest. A full list of dates are below, with tickets on-sale now.

Watch Shopping’s “The Hype” Video – 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAm6AphanY

Shopping Tour Dates:
Thu. March 1 — Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
Fri. March 2 — Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre *
Sat. March 3 — Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel *
Sun. March 4 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Tue. March 6 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage *
Wed. March 7 — Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *
Thu. March 8 — Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover *
Fri. March 9 — Atlanta, GA @ 529 *
Sat. March 10 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Sun. March 11 — Houston, TX @ Walter’s *
Tue. March 13 – Thu. March 15 — Austin, TX @ SXSW
Fri. March 16 — El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace *
Sat. March 17 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
Sun. March 18  — San Diego, CA @ Whistle Stop *
Tue. March 20 — Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Wed. March 21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Resident * #
Thu. March 22 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop #
Fri. March 23 — Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar #
Sat. March 24 — Seattle, WA @ Vera Project #
Tue. March 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. March 28 — Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
Thu. March 29 — Detroit, MI @ Delux Fluxx
Fri. March 30 — Toronto, ON @ Baby G
Sat. March 31 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz

* = w/ French Vanilla
# = w/ Lithics

Pre-order The Official Body:
via Bandcamp – http://bit.ly/2kZQL6Z
via iTunes – http://apple.co/2iBSknm
via FatCat Shop – http://bit.ly/2C3DGO8

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Polygondwanaland

The fourth album from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard of this year, Polygondwanaland, is special for a couple reasons.  One, to repeat the earlier point, is that it’s the fourth album they’ve put out this year.  Many bands don’t put out four albums in a lifetime, let alone four in one year…with another one yet to come before the year’s end.  Second, is that they are giving away this album for free.

Yes, you can download this album for free and, according to the band, use the tracks for anything you’d like.  Many indie labels have already created their own rare pressings of the album on vinyl.  KGATLW have stated that anyone can use the songs for their film, art projects, mix tapes, remix albums, or any other use.  It’s a stunning gift to fans and the world at large.

The album is a neat mix of the many sounds KGATLW create.  The opener, “Crumbling Castle,” is an epic song just under eleven minutes long that exemplifies the band’s cosmic psychedelia with echoed vocals, microtonal guitars, perfect double-drumming, and tricky guitar work.  The title track is mellower and almost hypnotizing, as is “The Castle in the Air” with Stu MacKenzie‘s flute work.

“Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” and “Inner Cell” are equally haunting, especially the latter with its lyrics speaking of the dead, ghosts, and shadows.  The bass line on “Loyalty” is one of the best KGATLW have put on a track all year.  “Horology” and “Tetrachromacy” are neat companion pieces to each other with their complimentary guitar pieces and tick-tock drumming.  The building groove of “Searching…” is outstanding, and the entire track simmers with synth wave menace that is new to KGATLW’s sound.  I hope they explore more of this on the next record.  It flows right into the album’s closer, “The Fourth Color,” which is a sizzling jam on all fronts – especially when it comes back from a fake fade-out.

Is this as good as the three previous releases from KGATLW so far?  No, but it is still an excellent piece of work and is reminiscent of some of the band’s earlier material.  This isn’t a bad place to start if you’re just now walking into the KGATLW camp.  It blends many of their styles well.

Keep your mind open.

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Brother O’ Brother – Neon Native

Indianapolis rock duo Brother O’ Brother are busy making solid records in the middle of a state practically ignored by the music industry and touring bands.  Their latest, Neon Native, is a prime example of a nearly secret vibrant music scene in the Hoosier state’s capital.

Opening with “R.O.S.E.,” the album immediately submerses you into Brother O’ Brother’s psychedelic blues and powerful riffs.  You can hear influences ranging from the Black Keys to the Black Angels in the first few chords.  “16 Flowers” brings in a slight punk edge and flattens everything around you.  It’s one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard all year.  “Sunshine” has a southern rock vibe before it blows up into something you might hear from Zen Guerilla,  “Grab the Rope” gets off to a raucous start with soulful yet rough vocals and then a chugging beat that doesn’t let up for the whole track.

“I Got It” continues the rock and roll fury with guitar work that sounds like strings are going to break at any moment.  “I Confess” has some psychedelic sludge that I love.  “Cardinal” is, on it’s surface, a song about the beauty of a bird, but it’s also about the beauty of a lover, killer guitar work, and slam-tastic beats.  “Fever” is just as powerful in its subtlety as we hear about a “sweet love” who inspires guitar chords that Jack White dreams about at night.

Even the acoustic guitar on “White Noise” has a fierce energy to it. “Take Me” brings back the electric fuzz and ups the blues influences.  Their cover of David Bowie‘s “Life on Mars” ups the Mick Ronson fuzzed-out guitars and is almost unrecognizable at first (but it’s still great).  “Widow Maker” could be a Thin Lizzy B-side.

Don’t let anyone tell you rock and roll is dead.  It isn’t.  Brother O’ Brother is living proof.   They’re one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

Keep your mind open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBPQoyo4lTk

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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard with Mild High Club – Sketches of Brunswick East

The year of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard continues with their fourth album of 2017 – Sketches of Brunswick East.  This is a collaboration with psych-rocker pals Mild High Club made while the bands were hanging out for a couple weeks.

It’s a mellower album that their previous release, Murder of the Universe, with a cool jazz fusion sound to the entire thing.  “Countdown” is one of the more relaxing tracks in their entire catalogue.  “D-Day” has a light sense of menace and even some guitar touches reminiscent of Flying Microtonal Banana.  “Tezeta” has a sweet bass lick throughout it and could even be described as “jaunty” while it keeps its trippy touches (and vocals from Murder of the Universe‘s doomed cyborg Hyan-Tumi).

“The Spider and Me” could almost be the theme to a beloved and forgotten 1960’s cartoon.  The instrumental “Sketches of Brunswick East II” brings to mind an afternoon spent at a closed and forgotten seaside resort.  KGALTW’s front man Stu MacKenzie plays a lovely flute while warped electric piano (perhaps played by a ghost at the aforementioned resort) bounces along next to him.  “Dusk to Dawn on Lygon St” is another happy trip, perhaps along a coastal road at sunrise.  The bass work on this and the previous track is outstanding, by the way.  It roots both songs.

“The Book” is a witty takedown on Bible thumpers and almost has a lounge jazz sound to it.  “A Journey to (S)Hell” is a bit nightmarish, but in a way that would make you wake up wondering if what you dreamed was real and not in a way that would wake you up in a pool of sweat.  “Rolling Stoned” is another great instrumental that flows out of your speakers in weird curves.  “You Can Be Your Silhouette” is a catchy tune about embracing the idea of being a blank slate without the trappings of modern culture, and “Sketches of Brunswick East III” ends the album on a subtle psychedelic note.

Sketches of Brunswick East is a welcome departure from the heaviness of KGATLW’s last there records.  Mind you, I love those records, but this foray into lighter, jazzier, trippier fare is a good choice by them.  It’s a good choice by you to buy it.

Keep your mind open.

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Loma release new single, “Relay Runner,” from upcoming album.

LOMA, NEW PROJECT BY SHEARWATER’S JONATHAN MEIBURG
AND CROSS RECORD, SHARE NEW SINGLE, “RELAY RUNNER,”
AND ANNOUNCE WEST COAST/SOUTHWEST TOUR

https://youtu.be/Rd2n_0m5xgI

SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 16TH VIA SUB POP

 
Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker
“‘Black Willow’ is a painting with darker contours than anything on [Cross Records’] Wabi-Sabi or Shearwaters’ most recent album Jet Plane and Oxbow, while retaining the depth and confidence of each.” — NPR Music

 

“the group graces us with some beautifully mystical vibes in the form of the devastating, ASMR-inducing [‘Black Willow’]” — Gorilla vs. Bear

 

“’Black Willow’ is a sinewy and chilly track that feels expansive as Emily Cross and Meiburg’s vocals intertwine.” — Stereogum

Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound. After presenting the lead single, “Black Willow,” the trio now shares “Relay Runner.” As Meiburg describes it, “’Relay Runner’ was the happiest accident on the record. We discovered it when we wired up a tremolo pedal the wrong way, and got this funny, stuttering loop – and then we built a whole song around that sound. The last thing we did in the mix was erase the loop, which had gone from inspiring the song to ruining it! But it made sense that what was left underneath was a song about how to escape from a sealed room.”   

In creating Loma, the trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country over a few months during a strangely charged time. When they began recording, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wandered by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hovered at the borders of the songs. A close listen to new single “Relay Runner” even reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed. This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the engineering and mixing.

Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers http://smarturl.it/loma. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last). A new T-shirt design will also be available.
Stream Loma’s “Relay Runner” –

https://youtu.be/Rd2n_0m5xgI

 

Watch Loma’s “Black Willow” Video –

https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY

 

Pre-order Loma –

http://smarturl.it/loma

Loma Tour Dates:
Fri. Apr. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Sun. Apr. 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg
Wed. Apr. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Fri. Apr. 13 – Portland, OR @ MS Studios
Sat. Apr. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Tue. Apr. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. April 19 – Taos, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing
Sat. Apr. 21 – Austin, TX @ North Door

Keep your mind open.

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Thank you, Pat DiNizio and Grant Hart.

I first heard the Smithereens on a local radio station in the mid-1980’s.  I called the station to request the song on a later date and the DJ told me, “You have good taste, my friend.”  The Smithereens were the first band that let me come backstage and meet them when Mandy and I saw them play at the University of Notre Dame.  It was a great show that will forever remain in my memory.  We became lifelong fans.  I even proposed to Mandy at a Smithereens concert.

The death of Pat DiNizio, the Smithereens’ lead singer and songwriter, is a tough blow for Mandy and I.  The Smithereens’ music has been a soundtrack to most of our life together.  DiNizio was a talented songwriter who could write power pop and tender ballads like few others.  He was also an accomplished guitarist and fellow lover of baseball and comic books, so that made him extra cool to me.  He’ll be missed.

I also know I’m late to the party on this, but I wanted to pay tribute to the late Grant Hart, drummer of Husker Du, who died back in September of cancer.  I was remiss to not write about his passing due to a lot of stuff that’s been going on here since then.  Grant Hart and his bandmates were part of the soundtrack to my teenage years.  Few bands could grab your attention like Husker Du, and Hart’s fierce drumming was almost holy to me.  It also provided some of the best music for skateboarding I’d ever heard.  He, too, will be missed.

I leave you with the first Smithereens song I ever heard.  It’s a great example of DiNizio’s craftsmanship.  It also rocks.

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Caroline Rose’s new album out February 23, 2018, but her new single, “Money,” is out now.

Caroline Rose Announces LONER,
New Album Out February 23rd On New West, And Tour

Watch Video For Lead Single, “Money”
https://youtu.be/NcOPz7Kby1A
Photo credit: Matt Hogan
An obsession with money, an unfaithful lover, an accidental pregnancy, misogyny, loneliness, death… This is just some of the lighthearted subject matter that make up LONER––the darkly comedic second album from songwriter/producer Caroline Rose, out February 23rd via New West. Armed with an arsenal of new instruments and equipment, an ever-growing sense of “ahhh f**k it,” two years of exploration, and a wicked sense of humor, Rose delivers a set of serious songs wrapped in a sprightly, angst-fueled pop burrito. In conjunction with the album announcement, Rose presents lead single “Money” and its accompanying video, a collaboration between Rose and director Horatio Baltz in which Rose plays all the parts and reveals her infectious spirit from the get go. As she tells Noisey, it’s “a sort of manic, paranoid mini-story” about the “way money corrupts and changes people.”

LONER began about three years ago following the release of Rose’s indie-folk-rockabilly-tinged debut album, I Will Not Be Afraid, an album penned while living in a van and traveling the country, which garnered praise from the likes of NPR and Rolling Stone. It captures the cheeky satire, comical musings, and often jarring mood swings––sometimes goofy, sometimes emotional––that make up much of Rose’s personality and marks a significant leap forward both sonically and emotionally, unleashing a burgeoning confidence teeming with character. “I needed to get more personal, more aggressive, more humorous and more sonically diverse than my older material,” says Rose. “It just felt like a bubble inside me that had been growing and was about to pop.”

Over the next year and a half, after moving into an apartment, Rose dove deep into production. She started collecting synths and recording equipment and tracking her material, eventually choosing to co-produce alongside Paul Butler at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, California and their respective home studios. Rose brought to the sessions pre-recorded work the two used as a foundation off which to build, having written and arranged strings, played and recorded keys, guitar and bass, sampled layers of found and recorded sounds, and programmed synths and drums. She stepped up across the board, having a hand in mixing as well as directing creative control over all aesthetics regarding LONER, resulting in an album filled with catchy synth hooks, Ray Manzarek-esque Farfisa, surf guitar, depth of thought and a punk attitude. “I wanted to make sure everything was as me as it could possibly be.”

Watch Caroline Rose’s “Money” Video –
https://youtu.be/NcOPz7Kby1A

Stream “Money” –
http://geni.us/crmoney

LONER Tracklist:
1. More Of The Same
2. Cry!
3. Money
4. Jeannie Becomes A Mom
5. Getting To Me
6. To Die Today
7. Soul No 5
8. Smile! AKA Schizodrift Jam 1 AKA Bikini Intro
9. Bikini
10. Talk
11. Animal

Pre-order LONER –
https://store.newwestrecords.com/collections/caroline-rose-loner

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:
Wed. Mar. 14 – Sat. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Tue. Mar. 27 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Wed. Mar. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. Mar. 29 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. Mar. 30 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Sat. Mar. 31 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. Apr. 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Wed. Apr. 4 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. Apr. 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Fri. Apr. 6 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Sat. Apr. 7 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Fri. May 18 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival

Download hi-res press images and cover art –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/caroline-rose/
 Keep your mind open…and subscribing won’t cost you a dime.

Levitation 2018 first lineup announced.

The first wave of lineup announcements for Levitation Austin 2018 has been released, and (as usual) it’s great.

The festival is no longer being held at the Carson Creek Ranch, but rather at multiple venues in downtown Austin like Stubb’s BBQ, Empire, Barracuda, and more.  You can buy tickets for the individual shows, which vary in price.  They offered full weekend passes for all shows for $400.00 (quite a price jump from previous years), but they sold out in minutes.  Screw you, ticket buying robots!

Regardless, the first lineup already has many great artists on it.  Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone will be performing solo and with a new venture he has called Mien.  Dead Meadow, Thee Oh Sees, Slowdive, the Black Angels, Electric Wizard, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ministry, Chelsea Wolfe, Ty Segall, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Imarhan, the Men, and Al Lover are all stand-outs.

Don’t wait too long to get tickets.  Tickets to individual shows at the 2016 festival sold out quick and many tickets went to scalpers who flipped them at outrageous prices.  More announcements are due in the early part of 2018, and that will only cause tickets to sell faster.

Keep your mind open.

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Zombie Zombie – Livity

French synth wave / electro trio Zombie Zombie (Etienne Jaumet – synths and saxophone, Cosmic Neman – drums, vocals, and effects, and Dr. Schonberg – percussion, electronics, and trumpet) didn’t want us to walk out of 2017 without dancing, so they’ve brought a new album full of vintage analog synth dance grooves and mood-changing tracks on their new album Livity.

The title track alone is worth the purchase price.  The title refers to a Rastafarian term for “life force.”  It’s almost nine minutes of head-bopping beats, haunting synth bass, and synths that are straight out of your 1980’s dreams.  Put this in your earbuds and your perception of the world around you will shift.  “Ils Existent” moves along with hypnotizing sci-fi synth loops until Neman’s wicked drum licks almost turn the song into an action movie theme.  The percussion on “Hippocampe” is so damn good it might make you lose your mind.  Jaumet’s synths build and build to wind you up and the whole song morphs into a cosmic journey around the 2:40 mark.

Zombie Zombie were the highlight of Levitation Austin 2015 for my wife and I, and the funky, acid jazzy “Looose” is an example of why that was the case. “When you have nothing to lose, it gets groovier,” Neman sings as his drums seem to fall off their kit in the chaos of the song.  “Acera” gets us back to the sci-fi themes of the album with spaceship dance club beats and alien menace buzzes and bleeps.

“Heavy Meditation” would’ve fit in perfectly on the Blade Runner 2049 score.  It’s perfect for scoring some soba noodle soup in a rainy downtown future L.A. while flirting with a replicant prostitute.  The closer “Lune Noire” is a dark, simulated rainy night on a lonely space station near a fading super nova encapsulated into a 4:52 song.

Livity is one of the best electro albums of the year.  It’s especially impressive when you consider the seven tracks were recorded live in just seven days.  Zombie Zombie continues to explore new ground in the synth world an experiment with sounds you don’t seem to have heard before now.  Get into this groove and live.

Keep your mind open.

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Earthless announces March 2018 North American tour dates.

Clear up your calendar for March 2018, because stoner metal giants Earthless will be touring North America.  They’re also bringing legendary psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo and psych-rockers Jjuujjuu with them.  This is a great triple bill, so don’t miss it.  I’m sure tickets will sell fast once they’re available.  I plan to see them at their Chicago stop in late March 2018 at the Empty Bottle.  I saw them there last year and it was a great show.

Keep your mind open.

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