Rewind Review: Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (2015)

Windhand (Parker Chandler – bass, Dorthia Cottrell – vocals, Garrett Morris – guitar, Ryan Wolfe – drums) say they’re from Richmond, Virginia, but I think they secretly might be from Hyperboria, Jupiter, or beyond the Black Veil of Space and Time due to the heavy riffage they unleash on their 2015 record Grief’s Infernal Flower.

The opener, “Two Urns,” unleashes enough doom bass by Chandler to power a mission to Mars and soon Cottrell’s incense voice wraps around you like a black velvet cloak, Wolfe pounds out the rhythm of your jittery heart, and Morris shreds open your eyelids.  If that’s not enough power for you, don’t fear.  “Forest Clouds” comes next and it’s the sound of Tolkien ents marching toward a battle with orc troops from Mordor.  Cottrell sings about something dark waiting to awaken from an eight hundred-year sleep.  I love how Cottrell’s vocals have a quality that lies between sexy and menacing.  She can sing strange incantations, dire warnings, and tales of mystery and the fantastic with equal skill.

Not dark enough?  The title of “Crypt Key” should cheer you up.  It starts with an acoustic guitar over synths that sound like a faint wind, but then turns into powerful sludge.  Cottrell’s vocals on “Tanngrisnir” (a song about one of the goats who pull Thor’s chariot) are layered with just enough reverb to make them spookier than normal, and Wolfe’s drums sound like he’s been transformed into a giant doom metal centipede.  “Sparrow” is almost a blues ballad.  It’s a nice center to the album that lulls you into a peaceful place amid the dark creatures that lurk throughout the album.

“Hyperion” is the most upbeat song on the record – not necessarily by the lyrics, but definitely by the beat and straight-forward rock riffs by Morris and Chandler.  I’m not sure if “Hesperus” refers to the Greek god of the planet Venus / the Evening Star or the poem The Wreck of the Hesperus by Henry Longfellow, but both are appropriate for over fourteen minutes of great stoner metal.  Chandler’s bass and Wolfe’s drums are like primordial monsters rising from the depths to bring down a sea vessel, and Morris’ guitar and Cottrell’s vocals seemed designed to herald the arrival of a Venusian god.  It abruptly ends, much like the fate of the ship in Longfellow’s poem.  “Kingfisher” is about the same length as “Hesperus” and just as heavy.  Cottrell sings about something or someone, perhaps even her, being “all-seeing, all-knowing” while Morris throws down riffs powerful enough to probably make him levitate.  The album ends with “Aition” (a term for how religions explain the origin of a myth or legend), leaving one to think that the end of the record is actually the beginning to another journey…and Windhand does have another album coming out this October.

It’s a solid record of stoner metal that isn’t angry but certainly is menacing.

Keep your mind open.

[Join us!]

Rewind Review: Follakzoid – III (2015)

I’d heard of Chile’s psychedelic / shoegaze rockers Follakzoid years ago, but hadn’t picked up any of their material for reasons unknown to me.  Lo and behold, they were on the lineup for the 2018 Levitation Music Festival in Austin, Texas, so I made sure to get tickets for their set (which did sell out).  I’m glad I did because their set was one of my top three for the whole weekend, and I left determined to dive deep into their catalogue.

I’m starting with their last record, III, which is only four tracks, but the shortest is just over nine minutes long.  It’s a mesmerizing, mostly instrumental mix of ambient synths, krautrock guitars, precision drumming, shoegaze fuzz, and misty psychedelic vocals.

“Electric” opens the album and lets you know that Follakzoid’s drummer is apparently a cyborg, because I don’t know how else he can keep up such a sharp beat for over eleven minutes.  The song might be the closest I ever get to floating in zero gravity.  The guitars range from hardly being there to surging toward you like a thunderstorm.  “Earth” is a little jostling at first with the crunchy, jagged guitars but it grows into a tribal meditation with heart-pumping drums and drone synths.  The song ends with weird bleeps, bloops, and what sound like synthesized animal and weather noises.  “Piure” (named after a rare seafood in Chile) seems to melt like a candle over a skull over the course of nearly thirteen minutes.    The last track, “Feuerzeug” (German for “lighter” or perhaps anything use to light a fire), has this mantra-like guitar riff that will float through your mind for days.  Follakzoid stretched this nine-minute track into nearly twenty minutes when I saw them in Austin earlier this year, and it was amazing.  I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that it was mind-altering without the need for any kind of hallucinogens or even booze.

III isn’t so much an album as it is a sensory experience.  It can carry you away if you’re not careful, which might not be a bad thing depending on the kind of day you’re having.  This album would’ve been in my top 10 of 2015 if I’d heard it then.

Keep your mind open.

[The magic of electricity makes it easy to subscribe.]

 

Rewind Review: Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition (2016)

Detroit rapper Danny Brown wasn’t on my radar until I saw him listed on the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival lineup.  I went online to research him and hear some of his stuff, and I was intrigued by his voice (sort of a high-pitched, nasally punk rock vocal) and flow and stunned by his brutal honesty about himself, his addictions, his neighborhood, fandom, and the music industry.

Starting with “Downward Spiral” (the title of which essentially describes Brown’s journey throughout the record), the album opens with warped beats that somehow mix dub, psychedelia, and industrial doom.  Brown openly discusses how his drug use keeps him from getting an erection during a threesome, nearly burning down his house after falling asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand, and how “Your worst nightmare for me is a normal dream.”  “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” builds like a Bloc Party track with its electronic beats and dancehall whistles as Brown laments (in a deeper vocal range, no less) how drug dealing is a “Never ending race, chasing cash.  One lane going wrong way ’til I crash.” and “Shit is like a cycle.  You get out, I go in, this is not the life for us.”

Brown lets us know that fame isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be on “Rolling Stone” (“Bought a nightmare, sold a dream.  Happiness went upstream.  Blame myself, I had no control.  Now I’m living with no soul.”  “Really Doe” is a who’s-who of modern day rap stars with Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul all contributing verses.  “Lost” details how Brown has gone from dealing cocaine just to get by to now using it for fun after being famous enough to afford it.

“Ain’t It Funny” was one of the wildest singles of 2016.  In it, Brown raps about how drugs have screwed up his life, the Devil is always whispering in his ear, and how many of his fans love him for having such a screwed up life and secretly hope he never kicks the addictions that he wishes he could ditch.  “Golddust” continues this theme (and even brings in some rock guitar) as Brown raps, “Myself I don’t know no more.  Numbing up with drugs to suppress these feelings, praying to the heavens, letting these devils get the best of me.” and “Got to the point ain’t gotta buy drugs.  Niggas just give ’em to me.  Yeah, they think they showing love, and that’s what’s up.  Kinda fucked up.  Now I do it way more than I used to.”  “White Lines” has Brown confronting the real possibility that he’s going to die of a drug overdose any day now.  The beats on it stumble around like a drunk and the weird synths reflect his state of mind.  “Pneumonia” is a thick bass track about partying in New Orleans, getting laid, and getting high (in no particular order).

Brown keeps partying with “Dance in the Water,” in which he gives directions for a twerking contest.  It has the most danceable beats on the record and proves that Brown can write a floor-filler club banger if he wants.  Kelela sings in the hook on “From the Ground” while he raps in his mellow low tones about how far he’s come from writing his rhymes on a paper bag to now touring the world.  “When It Rain” is one of Brown’s biggest hits off the album, and he’s downright dangerous on it.  He raps about the dangerous of inner city living in Detroit, being lucky to be alive, and drawing a line in the sand to challenge lesser MCs.  That being said, “Today” has Brown admitting that he knows he can die any time from either his drug use or violence in his hometown.

If you’re not sure what “Get Hi” is about, then you haven’t been paying attention to the rest of the album.  Brown openly admits how much he loves weed and uses it to eliminate the stress of money problems, girlfriend problems, landlord problems, or any other problem, really (although the hidden message is how Brown’s love of the herb only contributes more to how screwed up his life is).  The addition of Cypress Hill‘s B-Real on the chorus is a nice touch.  The album ends on an up note with “Hell for It,” with Brown rapping about how hard he worked to get where he is (“I was hustling, scraping up, and saving just to catch a twelve-hour bus to NY, sleeping on the floor in studios asking God ‘Why?'”) and how he won’t give up despite knowing that fame might kill him.

I don’t want you to read this and think I condone drug use or dealing drugs.  I don’t.  I do, however, condone honesty and truth.  Danny Brown delivers both with unflinching detail on Atrocity Exhibition.  Truth is often missing from music in return for a fast buck and a one-hit wonder.  Thankfully, we have artists like Brown to keep us real.

Keep your mind open.

[Ain’t it funny when you subscribe?]

Wrecka Stow: Encore Records – Austin, TX

Located at 809 East 6th Street in Austin, Texas, Encore Records is heaven for lovers of metal, hip hop, rock, and horror.  One of the best things about this store is that you’re often greeted by this chap as soon as you enter the place.

He gets a peanut butter snack when he greets customers.

The place is full of cool vinyl and plenty of obscure CDs.

So…much…vinyl.
So…many…CDs.

It’s a bit cavernous, which lends to the atmosphere if you a metal fan.  They also have plenty of horror-themed T-shirts for sale, like this gem.

Yep, that’s a Tomb of the Blind Dead T-shirt hanging above a bunch of jazz records.  How cool is that?  Or this?

45’s!

You can wander around in this place for an hour before you realize the time has gone.  I scored a copy of Pink Floyd‘s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn there.  I held off on the Tomb of the Blind Dead shirt, but there’s always next year.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

Exploded View releases “Sleeper” from upcoming album, “Obey,” out September 28th.

EXPLODED VIEW SHARE “SLEEPERS” WITH VISUAL,
NEW SINGLE OFF OBEY, OUT SEPTEMBER 28TH VIA SACRED BONES
https://youtu.be/C6SXE9R67Wg

FIRST-EVER NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICKS OFF OCTOBER 19TH

(photo credit – Exploded View)
     “Break free and fly above the clouds outside the lines that we were told were good for us.
Free yourself from your own prison. Remove the shackles of fear to find that the unknown is not so scary        and can be full of precious discoveries (sometimes only possible during sleep).  
A constant trip comes to          an abrupt and unresolved ending with the collapse and eerie shriek of the Arp Solina.” – Exploded View
Exploded View, the international project of Berlin-based Annika Henderson, and Mexico City-based Hugo Quezada and Martin Thulin, will release Obey, their second full-length album on September 28th on Sacred Bones. The apocalyptic, yet soothing songs comprising Obey encompass all the classic dream motifs: intrigue, danger, ecstasy, hard to place, yet primordial visions, and a constant sense of movement. After presenting lead single, “Raven Raven,” the trio now share “Sleepers” and an accompanying visual made by Annika. It’s “a song that very much feels as if it’s flying above the clouds, but is still looking down on desolation from that vantage point. The song glides along on an eerie synth line — at times inviting and beautiful but then always threatening to take a turn into more discomfiting directions — while Henderson’s voice settles into this place where anxiety and fear and wonder seem to coexist. It’s a strange, beautiful composition” (Stereogum).
Leaving behind their live recording process and now a tight three-piece, Exploded View strike a special balance between precise and wild, unshackled and grounded, grooving and unhinged. The have a knack for making the esoteric feel accessible and crafting pop music out of seemingly raw consciousness. This ability to make beautiful music that feels written beyond the veil is at the heart of what makes Exploded View so captivating, and it’s on full display all over Obey. Recorded in Mexico City, the album feels like a liberation of creative impulses and expression allowing the band to reach more mature sonic territories.
Exploded View will head out on their first-ever North American tour the month following the album’s release (all dates are below).
Watch “Sleepers” Visual –
https://youtu.be/C6SXE9R67Wg

Listen to “Raven Raven” –
https://youtu.be/Zl-1qPg8iuE

“’Raven Raven’ is darkly cinematic; its initial moments of creaking synthesizer and rattling floor tom unspool like a reel of degraded film, clicking and flickering images onto a looming screen. . .
The pictures Exploded View offer may be grainy, but they’re just as grave and lasting.”
Pitchfork

“‘Raven, Raven’ is a logical continuation of Exploded View, with the same beat-poet delivery from frontwoman Annika Henderson and tense kinetic energy from the instrumentalists, who sound a little like the members of Can jamming in Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark Studios” SPIN

“Mysterious and claustrophobically groovy” Brooklyn Vegan

Exploded View Tour Dates:
Fri. Oct. 19 – Dallas, TX @ Nasher Sculpture
Sat. Oct. 20 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
Mon. Oct. 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Congress
Wed. Oct. 24 – San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop
Thu. Oct. 25 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
Fri. Oct. 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
Sun. Oct. 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Mon. Oct. 29 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studio
Tue. Oct. 30 – Seattle, WA @ Vera Project
Wed. Oct. 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret
Thu. Nov. 1 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Fri. Nov. 2 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxxx Fluxxx
Sat. Nov. 3 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Mon. Nov. 5 – Montreal, QC @ Sala Rossa
Tue. Nov. 6 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
Thu. Nov. 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Fri. Nov. 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilMOCA
Sat. Nov. 10 – Norfolk, VA @ Charlies American Cafe
Sun. Nov. 11 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Mon. Nov. 12 – Harrisburg, PA @ The Cathedral Room

Pre-order Obey:
via Sacred Bones – https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr209-exploded-view-obey
via Bandcamp – https://explodedview.bandcamp.com/album/obey

Caroline Rose adds more U.S. tour dates for November.

CAROLINE ROSE EXPANDS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
WITH HEADLINE DATES IN NOVEMBER

LONER OUT NOW VIA NEW WEST

Photo Credit: Matt Hogan

Caroline Rose has expanded her fall tour to include a set of headline dates in November. Since the release of her new album, LONER, via New West this past February, Rose has spent most of the year on the road playing sold out headline shows and opening for acts, including Mitski, Guster, and Maggie Rogers. Now, she’s gearing up for a set of dates supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise before setting out on a headline tour with performances in New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and more. By the end of 2018, Rose will have played over 100 shows in the U.S. alone.

At the same time, critical praise for LONER has continued to flourish. The album landed on over a dozen mid-year highlight lists, including NPR Music’s “40 Favorite Albums of 2018 (So Far)” and Vinyl Me, Please’s “Best Albums of 2018 So Far.” After crediting Rose with putting on one of the best shows at SXSW, Rolling Stone recently published a profile on her, saying:

“Her music has a spaced-out intelligence, an impish energy, plenty of venom and jokes. Her perspective on the world snaps, because it’s light on its feet and has sensitive skin. Even if the structural circumstances suck… Rose can have a precise sort of play with it, criticizing the whole enterprise with a slicing one-liner.”

Rose’s knack for energetic performances and stage banter will be on full display this fall. All dates are below and new dates are in bold.

Stream Caroline Rose’s LONER

Watch/Listen/Share:
“Bikini” Video
“Soul No. 5” video
“Money” video
“Getting To Me”

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:
Sat. Sep. 15- Sun. Sep. 16 – Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North Festival
Wed. Sep. 19 – Rochester, NY @ Abilene Bar and Lounge
Thu. Sep. 20 – Lancaster, PA @ Tello 360
Fri. Sep. 21 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
Sat. Sep. 22 – Sun. Sep. 23 – Franklin, TN @ Pilgrimage Festival
Mon. Sep. 24 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson *
Tue. Sep. 25 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva Theater *
Thu. Sep. 27 – Richmond, VA @ The National *
Fri. Sep. 28 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *
Sat. Sep. 29 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head *
Mon. Oct. 1 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
Tue. Oct. 2 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre *
Sat. Oct. 6 – Providence, RI @ The Strand *
Mon. Oct. 8 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls *
Thu. Oct. 11 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall *
Fri. Oct. 12 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s *
Sat. Oct. 13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre *
Mon. Oct. 15 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Elevation at The Intersection *
Wed. Oct. 17 – Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theater *
Sat. Oct. 20 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge *
Sun. Oct. 21 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom *
Tue. Oct. 23 – Oxford, MS @ Lyric Theatre *
Thu. Nov. 1 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

* = with Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Praise for LONER:

“[LONER is] a wonderful, rollicking beast.” – MOJO

Loner is a thrillingly odd take on pop, braiding her sardonic lyrics with off-kilter songs that groove and groan.” – Boston Globe

“Rose has a newly loosed imagination and a flair for exaggerating the absurdities we’re living with, and the way she’s put them to use is a timely gift.” — NPR Music

“With its mix of sunny melodies and acerbic wit, the material from her newly released LP, Loner, was frenetic and freewheeling.” – Rolling Stone

“In an era of endless, ear-numbing streams, LONER grabs your chin and commands your eyes.”
Consequence of Sound

“Rose is a fascinating person, and from DIY production trickery to her multi-role star turns in her videos, LONER represents her at her best.” — Stereogum “Artist to Watch”

“an often wickedly funny and winningly sardonic indie-pop act with lots of surprising musical moves on her new album, Loner.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

“With her newly honed interest in producing, Caroline Rose has made an unwaveringly entertaining album filled to the brim with songs that are at once contemplative and coax the listener to get out of their seat and dance.”Rookie

“Rose is a joy to behold . . . LONER whacks the listener swiftly upside the head with our red-clad protagonist’s winning charisma, leaving ya dizzy and begging for more.” — Under The Radar

“…a punchier, studio-powered pop sound, packed with danceable beats, prominent synths, big choruses and plenty of swagger. She remains unafraid of singing about serious subjects (capitalism, sexism, death, etc.) but on LONER, she delivers them through a bold, candy-colored filter that’s always intriguing and often irresistible.” — Paste

Download hi-res press images and cover art

Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Keep your mind open.
[Is your e-mail inbox lonely?  Just subscribe and make it happy again.]

Wild Nothing releases “Shallow Water” ahead of full album due August 31st.

Wild Nothing Shares New Single “Shallow Water”
Listen Here

New Album, Indigo, Out August 31 Via Captured Tracks

[Photo by Cara Robbins]
Later this month Wild Nothing will release his new album, Indigo, one of the summer’s most anticipated albums as heralded by Vulture (“another excellent entry in the catalogue of a project that has virtually perfected the art of writing about romance”) and The A.V. Club (“this is pop music at its most luxurious”). “Shallow Water” is the latest single from Indigo being shared today following “Letting Go” and “Partners in Motion.” “‘Shallow Water’ is a song for and about my wife,” says Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum. “It can be hard to write songs about being in love that don’t come across as trite but it’s equally as hard to care about being trite when you are in love. To put it simply, it’s a song about finally arriving in the place you were meant to.” As both a return to the fresh, transcendent sweep of his debut, 2010’s Gemini, and a culmination of heights reached, paths traveled, and lessons learned while creating the follow-ups, Nocturne and Life of Pause, it’s clear Indigo is at once vintage Wild Nothing and a bold, new leap into a bigger arena.
Stream “Shallow Water” –
https://wildnothing.lnk.to/ShallowWater

Watch “Letting Go” Video – 
https://youtu.be/EuuT7HvrJF0

Stream “Letting Go” – 
https://wildnothing.lnk.to/LettingGo

Stream “Partners In Motion” – 
https://wildnothing.lnk.to/PartnersinMotion

Pre-order Indigo – 
https://wildnothing.lnk.to/Indigo

Wild Nothing Tour Dates:
(all shows with Men I Trust)
Tue. Oct. 16 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Wed. Oct. 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Thu. Oct. 18 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
Fri. Oct. 19 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Sat. Oct. 20 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Sun. Oct. 21 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Tue. Oct. 23 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
Wed. Oct. 24 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Thu. Oct. 25 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory
Fri. Oct. 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
Sat. Oct. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Tue. Oct. 30 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Wed. Oct. 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial Vancouver
Thu. Nov. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Fri. Nov. 2 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Sat. Nov. 3 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Sun. Nov. 4 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Tue. Nov. 6 – Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown
Wed. Nov. 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Thu. Nov. 8 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Fri. Nov. 9 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sat. Nov. 10 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Mon. Nov. 12 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Tue. Nov. 13 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
Wed. Nov. 14 – Boston, MA @ Royale Nightclub
Fri. Nov. 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Sat. Nov. 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sun. Nov. 18 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

Download hi-res press images and cover art –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/wild-nothing/
Keep your mind open.
[It costs nothing to subscribe, and it’ll be wild.]

Shopping announce fall tour dates for North America.

Shopping To Return Stateside For Fall North American Tour
In Support Of The Official Body, Out Now On FatCat Records

Playing Hopscotch, OctFest, Basilica Soundscape, And More

(photo credit: Matthew Williams)

 

“Wiry and urgent, ‘The Official Body’ offers vibrant, chaotic catharsis at an ideal moment.” — Rolling Stone

 

“‘The Official Body’ has such an expansive and warm soul that it forces you reconsider all the wiry clichés associated with post-punk.” — Pitchfork

“…Shopping have opted for one of the most revolutionary forces of all: fun.” — NPR Music 

 

“The 10 tracks here are audacious, funky, and have that element of outsider-cool leftover from the heyday of influences like Delta 5, Gang of Four and ESG.” — Paste

Having wrapped up a short North American tour of the west coast this past summer, which included a triumphant performance at San Francisco Pride to a crowd of nearly 50,000, Shopping – the London/Glasgow-based trio of Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals), Billy Easter (bass, vocals) and Andrew Milk (drums, vocals) – are thrilled to announce they’ll return stateside next month in support of their most recent album, The Official Body, out now on FatCat Records. Including stops at Hopscotch Music Festival, OctFest, and Basilica Soundscape, the tour will kick off in Philadelphia on Thu. Sep. 6th at PhilMOCA. A full list of dates are below, with tickets on-sale now.
Shopping Tour Dates:
Sat. Aug. 11 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Thu. Aug. 30 – Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road
Fri. Aug. 31 – Baignade Interdite @ Rivières, FR
Thu. Sep. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilMOCA
Fri. Sep. 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival *
Sat. Sep. 8 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel #
Sun. Sep. 9 – New York, NY @ OctFest %
Tue. Sep. 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Wed. Sep. 12 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Thu. Sep. 13 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. Sep. 14 – Sun. Sep. 16 – Hudson, NY @ Basically Soundscape &

* = w/ Miguel, Belle & Sebastian, MC50 and more
# = w/ No Age
% = w/ The Flaming Lips, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Girlpool and more
& = w/ Efrim Manuel Menuck, Grouper, Stephen O’Malley’s Un Vide Dans Le Ciel and more

 

Watch/Listen/Share:
Stream The Official Body via Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2KkcdKW
“The Hype” video – https://youtu.be/JnAm6AphanY
“Wild Child” video – https://youtu.be/GWvzFYTPrRw
“Suddenly Gone” video – https://youtu.be/GVcZGVVhfkU

 

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

Download hi-res album art and press images of Shopping – 

www.pitchperfectpr.com/shopping/

Shopping online:
facebook.com/weareshopping

twitter.com/SH0PP1NG
soundcloud.com/shoppingband

fat-cat.co.uk/artist/shopping

pitchperfectpr.com/shopping

Keep your mind open.

[There’s no need to shop around for other blogs.  Subscribe to this one.]

Lindstrom’s new single, “Blinded by the LEDs,” is one of the best electro tracks of 2018 so far.

Lindstrøm Presents New Single, “Blinded By The LEDs,”
To Celebrate Oslo’s Henie Onstad Kunstsenter’s 50th Anniversary

Listen HERE

 

(above image by Lin Stensrud)
Norwegian electronic producer, Lindstrøm, presents new single “Blinded By The LEDs,” a commissioned work to preview his forthcoming performances later this month celebrating the 50th anniversary of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo’s famous futuristic waterside modern art center gallery and live venue. The sold out performances happening August 23rd, 25th & 26th take place exactly 50 years after the legendary Norwegian contemporary composer Arne Nordheim performed Solitaire, an electro-acoustic contemporary composition, on opening night in 1968. For these performances, Lindstrøm will do an entirely analogue performance of 10+ songs live on more than 20 analogue synthesizers and drum machines with visuals.

Out today via Smalltown Supersound, “Blinded By The LEDs” is a reference to both Bruce Springsteen and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. And rather than riff on Nordheim’s musique concréte, Lindstrøm has woven his own signature tapestry of influences and inspirations into the song, including Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” ESG’s “Moody,” Queen’s “Back Chat,” Liquid Liquid’s “Cavern,” Sheryl Lee Ralph’s “In The Evening,” John Carpenter’s “Assault On Precinct 13,” and Lindstrøm’s own “Fast & Delirious.”
Listen to Lindstrøm’s “Blinded By The LEDs” –
https://youtu.be/xQNm7dzLJEE

Download hi-res press images of Lindstrøm and album art –
http://pitchperfectpr.com/lindstrom/

Facebook | Twitter | Smalltown Supersound

Keep your mind open.

[Stay groovy by subscribing.]

David Nance Group release first single, “Poison,” off upcoming album.

DAVID NANCE GROUP ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
AND SHARE FIRST SINGLE “POISON

PEACED AND SLIGHTLY PULVERIZED
OUT 10/5 ON TROUBLE IN MIND

“POSSIBLY THE BEST SONGWRITER IN THE UNITED STATES THAT NOBODY OUTSIDE DIY TAPE COLLECTORS AND HIS FRIENDS HAS HEARD.” -NOISEY
Omaha, NE musician David Nance is nothing if not prolific. Over the course of the past six years, he has released three full-length albums for labels Grapefruit and Ba Da Bing, a 7-inch, numerous cassettes, CDRs, and unlicensed “cover albums” of artists like Lou Reed, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Doug Sahm. He’s collaborated with Simon Joyner and Bill Direen (The Bilders), His latest full-length, coming out on Chicago’s Trouble in Mind Records on October 5th, is credited to the “David Nance Group” and features Nance alongside his recent hot-shit live band of fellow Omaha musicians; guitarist Jim Schroeder, bassist Tom May, and drummer Kevin Donahue.

Appropriately, the album is called Peaced and Slightly Pulverized, as the sounds therein are alternatingly tender & brusque. Nance has an enviable way of conveying intensity and pathos in his music without necessarily resorting to clicking on a distortion pedal, instead relying on the build-up and tension from the interplay of his bandmates with his cracked, impassioned wail. That said, there’s also plenty of fuzz and distortion too, which should be clear from the first single, the anthemic “Poison,” with its fuzzed-out guitar riff that leans into a Crazy-Horsian guitar maelstrom and white-hot solo. It’s a blisteringly brief journey that is impossible to not be swept up by and wake up dizzy and confused in a nearby dumpster. The track was premiered today on Stereogum.

Peaced and Slightly Pulverized was mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring. A limited purple vinyl version is available for direct order here, while digital pre-orders can be make here.

LISTEN TO “POISON”
https://bit.ly/2vLpmHI

PEACED AND SLIGHTLY PULVERIZED TRACKLISTING
1. Poison
2. Ham Sandwich
3. 110 Blues
4. Amethyst
5. In Her Kingdom
6. When I Saw You Last Night
7. Prophet’s Profit
DAVID NANCE GROUP TOUR DATES
Sept 8th – St. Louis, MO – Pü Fest
Sept 15th – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle – Trouble In Paradise Festival
Sept 29th – Memphis, TN – Gonerfest 15
Oct 12th – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Oct 24th – St. Louis, MO – RKDE
Oct 26th –  Nashville, TN – Third Man
Oct 27th – Birmingham, AL – The Fire House
Oct 28th – Hattiesburg , MS – house show (ask a punk)
Oct 29th – Atlanta, GA – 529 Club
Oct 30th – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
Oct 31st – Asheville, NC – Fleetwood’s
Nov 1st – Chapel Hill, NC – The Cove
Nov 2nd – Harrisonburg, VA – Pale Fire Tap Room
Nov 3rd – Philadelphia, PA – Jerry’s
Nov 4th – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
Nov 5th – New Haven, CT – State House
Nov 6th – Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog
Nov 7th – Columbus, OH – Café Bourbon Street
Nov 8th – Detroit, MI – Third Man
Nov 9th – Indianapolis, IN – State Street Pub
Nov 10th – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
Nov 11th – Iowa City, IA – Trumpet Blossom Cafe
PAST PRAISE FOR DAVID NANCE

“This is spastic dance music for rock ‘n’ roll deviants, a jabbing pointer finger at the soullessness of the pixelated present, blown out and blown up like a basement tape.”
NPR Music on “Negative Boogie”

“Like some unholy merger of David Thomas and David Yow, Nance caterwauls over art-rock grooves that can’t quite figure out if they love classic rock ’n’ roll or abhor it.”
Chicago Reader

“Nance’s music comes drenched in sweat from ferocious jamming in basements and melodies ten years in the making.” – Noisey

Download album art & hi-res photos: http://pitchperfectpr.com/david-nance/

David Nance Online:
https://davidnance.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/davidnanceband/
https://www.instagram.com/davidkennethnance/
Keep your mind open.

[There’s nothing poisonous about subscribing.]