Found this comp in a bin of CDs at WNYU while rummaging this morning for some backlogging music 5 minutes before my radio show. It turned out to actually be really, really good. Here's the description:
Delve deep into West Africa's decade-delayed funky polyrhythmic take on psychedelia. From the Gold Coast to Cameroon, traversing the territory of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown, this album is an African assimilation of the psychedelic revolution--distorted, political, hallucinogenic, and, of course, danceable. Thousands of miles from the Summer of Love's utopian origins, yet somehow, not so far away...
After listening to RY's 7" and their most recent self-titled LP, I actually very much prefer the LP. It seems like they really hit the nail on the head here with the sound they were going for, especially with the track "Pity," which had me dancing around the broadcast studio every time I played it on my radio show. "Distant and Vague" slows down the pace with an updated soundtrack to a 1950's night at the drive in. I love that the accents come through when oftentimes more melodic music tends to have the funny quality of obliterating certain intonations. I also love that this record is 26 minutes, a veritable marathon compared to the rapid 6-minute 7" I posted earlier today. Enjoy.
Here's some sunny lo-fi from Sydney, Australia. Royal Headache is playing Chaos in Tejas this year, but who cares because you can listen to them on your headphones in your bed. This is their 7" EP released on the awesome (aussie) label R.I.P. Society.
Band of Susans formed in NYC in 1986. The original lineup is as follows:
Robert Poss (guitar/vocals) Interesting to note: Poss studied under avante-garde icon Rhys Chatham
Susan Stenger (bass/vocals)
Susan Lyall (guitar)
Susan Tallman (guitar)
Ron Spitzer
(drums)
Alva
Rogers (vocals)
The band was called "Band of Susans" because of the disproportionate number of women named Susan in the band. Also disproportionate is the number of guitars, which gives the band its distinct sound--twangy, metallic, layered, and loud. They're surprisingly melodic, I actually wouldn't hesitate to compare them to This Is Your Bloody Valentine era My Bloody Valentine (which isn't surprising, given the fact that they played with MBV multiple times). Love Agenda is a powerhouse album, especially the track "Hard Light" which hits the perfect balance between guitar and vocals, and honestly it baffles me why this band doesn't have more listeners.
Note: The album I'm posting, Love Agenda, was recorded by a slightly different lineup, but I think it's an awesome album nonetheless.
I initially ignored this band because the name "Useless Children" conjures up images of the kind of band a bunch of scrawny teenage boys from rural New Jersey would name their first hardcore 7", however, this band actually rules.
Useless Children is a punk/thrash/hardcore trio from Melbourne, Australia. Amazing female vocalist.
Ok I'm not even going to review this EP because John Sharkey of Clockcleaner says it best: "This record sounds like a high-school
thrash band fronted by the bitchiest little sister you’ve ever met.
That’s probably the most accurate review I will ever give in my entire
life."- Vice (AUS)
As someone with a radio show, it really rules when people make me mixes because I'm constantly looking for stuff to play. Usually I try to listen to full albums, but sometimes it's nice to get a taste of a bunch of different artists in one fell swoop. So without further ado, here's your March Mix. It's a mix of some great demos I've picked up, classic gloomy post-punk, and other things that have been cycling through my music library right now.
Oh, and come see Roomrunner at Shea Stadium on Saturday night (March 3rd). Do you like guitar riffs? Thought so. Then you'll like Roomrunner.
1) Flipper Blues: Flipper
2) Lunar Activities: Volcanic Slut
3) Oh, The Guilt: Nirvana (Puss/Oh, The Guilt - The Jesus Lizard & Nirvana Live Recording)
4) Stand Next To Me: Bad Banana
5) The Pursuit of Happiness: Band Of Susans
6) Clarity: Sickoids
7) Sounds: Useless Children
8) Guilt: Wild Moth
9) Claire Hates Me: Lilys
10) IV: Shoppers
11) Things I Wish I'd Said: The Chameleons
12) Life On The Line: The Raincoats
13) Curb Appeal: Fleabag
14) Shed: Roomrunner
15) Go To Hell: Scary Mansion
16) Faux King Vogue: Broken Water
17) Beauty Secrets: Tunnel Canary
Hello
world! Before I get back to blogging as usual, I wanted to announce
something super exciting and fantastic, which is my new label. Sean (of
Fan Death Records) and I have been hard at work on our new cassette
label, Accidental Guest Recordings. I will be making label-related announcements here from time to time, but for better information, here's how to contact us:
Shoot us an email at accidentalguest@gmail.com Facebook Blogspot
Here's
the basic briefing on what's happening in the upcoming months (and boy
do we have stuff in the works). Thanks to Sean for writing these awesome
reviews!
Very Soon:
AG-01: Kwaidan - Kwaidan (Cassette)
There's something unsettling about this live recording from Chicago trio Kwaidan, that few bands can put to tape. This recording challenges the listener, builds up tension and breaks it over and over again. The backbone of this work is not consistency of sound, rather, it is the attack of cymbals and drums that explode to the forefront, only to disappear, bringing to mind the beauty that would take place if Loren Connors played in Taj Mahal Travellers. While it's easy to work like this to leave too much aural space to the listener, Kwaidan breathtakingly uses each second of these 36 minutes to fill every possible gap without overcrowding any sound. Some toil for years to create a work as consistent as this recording, but Kwaidan does it effortlessly. That in itself makes this cassette uncanny, ethereal, and a true experimental rarity. Soon:
Strange Behavior is the second full length from guitar/synth duo Screen Vinyl Image. While release such as the Rude 66 split 7' and the Siberian Eclipse 7" released earlier in 2011 hinted on a tigther, more aggressive sound, Strange Behavior is the full realization and the next chapter for SVI. Songs such as "We Don't Belong" and "Revival" come at you face first and expose influences ranging from 80's cold wave to post-punk.
While the previous full length, Interceptors, depended more on mood and vibe, Strange Behavior relies on the push and pull of the songs. Songs like "Station 4" and "Rx" while very aggressive, sound as though they were made to be played at 2am in a smokey, dark dance club, recalling the best of Eleven Pond and early-era New Order.
The easy road for many might be to underscore their shoegaze tendencies. Strange Behavior steps away from those roots and comes off more as the post-punk/synth masterpiece Jake and Kim Reid have been plugging at for 4 years now. It isn't a stretch to call this LP Screen Vinyl Image's finest moment. From the mechanically dense daze of "Stay Asleep" to the pop sweetness of "Night Trip," Strange Behavior moves and provokes the listener in a way few records can.
