Feast of Beast

Sonny And The Sunsets - Green Blood Adorable video from...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:45:00 -0400

Sonny And The Sunsets - Green Blood

Adorable video from Sonny’s new album, Antenna to the Afterworld Ltd to 500 copies on purple vinyl from Polyvinyl.

P.S. I apologize if you’ve been having trouble with the blog layout changing every 30 seconds over the weekend like a Ritalin deprived child. After nearly 3 years of blogging (this coming August!), I designed a long overdue logo and gave the site a complete overhaul. Hopefully you approve of the changes, and thanks for sticking around. xo

CHVRCHES - Gun Goddamn they are so good. Their debut, The...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:32:41 -0400

CHVRCHES - Gun

Goddamn they are so good. Their debut, The Bones Of What You Believe, is out September 23rd and up for pre-order on amazon. Hopefully this makes it on some vinyl, and not just a shoddy compact disc release.

Man its been a good month for quality submissions!...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:20:12 -0400

Man its been a good month for quality submissions! Silkies are Lira (vocals, guitar, bass), Caufield (guitar), Olivier (guitar), and Maxim (drums); now a four piece working on a new EP. Last November Lira and Caufield released 3 track EP on Young Latitudes and Heart Throb Records (Ltd to 50 cassette), and since then they’ve pulled together a full band for more recording. They would describe themselves as 60s girl groups (Shangri-Las, The Crystals, Las Mosquitas), riot grrrl bands (Emily’s Sassy Lime, Bratmobile, L7, etc.), and all that surfy garage stuff going on today, which I’d say is spot on. They sound some like early live recordings from The Babies, and personally I like the rougher Babies tracks far more than their cleaned up albums.

Artists trending from raw and rough to over produced studio albums is my number one heartbreak for artists I love.

Silkies sound genuine, with the raw energy I live to find and hear. I bet they’re killer live, and would sound right at home in the raddest house party you could fin in Boston.

Speaking of shows, they totally just played their first festival at NYC Popfest June 1st. Keep an eye out for their second EP due out June 18th, cause these guys are hot shit.

Ancien Régime - Brief Encounter I’ve been increasing...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:40:13 -0400

Ancien Régime - Brief Encounter

I’ve been increasing listening to more cold wave/post punk/minimal wave type of stuff, and if you’re into all of that, then Ancien Régime is top notch. I need to remember to keep a closer eye on Mannequin, seeing as they special in just exactly all of that, and their releases are small and quick to run out. This was Ltd to 300 copies and is long gone. Snatch a digital copy or start hunting discogs if you want the vinyl.

Mannequin Records:

It’s quite unusual for an Italian band to get attention before its first full-length even comes to life. Ancien Régime from Rome might just be the exception to this rule. In fact, the band sole release before 2012 had been the quickly sold out limited edition Split Ep (Mannequin), released together with Brooklyn-based cold wave heroes Led Er Est.
Since then, Ancien Régime have been playing all over Italy along with outstanding bands such as Two Door Cinema Club, Is Tropical, The Soft Moon, Clan of Xymox, A Place to Bury Strangers and many others.

Their first album “The Position” evokes new wave and synth-pop memories, delivering epic vintage sounds and wrapping them all with catchy riffs and melodies. Still, despite this fascination with the past, the band’s work stands out as a distinctive, highly personal take on the genre.

The album is opened by the single “Negative”, with its dark gloomy vocals and war-like drumming. “Negative” is, in fact, the quintessential Ancien Régime composition: wave, biting snare, interweaving synths and guitars, reverbs, delays.

“The Position” was recorded and mixed by Alessandro Gavazzi of “Hell Smell” – Rome, and co-produced by Alessandro Adriani from Mannequin Records and Ancien Régime.

The Snails - Coconut Boat I had never heard of The Snails...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:20:17 -0400

The Snails - Coconut Boat

I had never heard of The Snails until recently, but this popped up on my radar because it includes members from Future Islands, and those guys freakin rule. Plus you gotta respect any band sporting matching felt snail hats n glasses.

The Snails - Worth the Wait EP is excellently titled and being released on double gatefold 7” (one of the most unneccessarily extravagant vinyl formats, besides maybe an 8”). Ltd to 250 hand-numbered copies with one 7” pink and the other green. Another 750 copies will be pressed on non-colored vinyl. Order yours from Thrill Jockey or Friends Records.

Friends Records:

Baltimore’s answer to the California Raisins, The Snails, are ready to come out of their shells for long enough to swoon a turntable and dance hall near you. With their own brand of AM radio reggae-pop fronted by Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands, these mollusks are no longer native to only Baltimore.

Roughly five years ago Spank Rock asked Future Islands to play his birthday party in Baltimore. Gerrit Welmers was down in North Carolina at the time, so Samuel T. herring and William Cashion put together a rag-tag group of friends to play some old songs by Art Lord & the Self-Portraits. Snail heads were created for the affair, and a few shows later the group’s own slimy songs were born.

True to their name, The Snails have only played about ten shows since, and all of them have been under their own rock. Those who have at times worn a snail hat include William Cashion, Abram Sanders, Samuel T. Herring, Andy Abelow, Drew Swinburne, Jana Hunter, Bob O’Brien, April Camlin, Ryan Syrell, Joel Herring, Brian Corum, Andrew Burt and Justin Lucas.

Friends Records is proud to present the long-awaited debut EP from The Snails, Worth The Wait. The five song album will be released via a limited double seven inch pressed to fluorescent pink and emerald green vinyl and enclosed in gatefold packaging. The release features the current cast of snails: Snail Braham, Snailburne, Sammy Snail, Snailliam, and Sandy Snailbelow.

The debut features hand-drawn art by fans that submitted their own versions of the aforementioned creatures, and was mastered by Sarah Register of Talk Normal at the Lodge.

Strangeheart - In Another Life Super sugarcoated electro pop...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:40:17 -0400

Strangeheart - In Another Life

Super sugarcoated electro pop from Strangeheart. On first impression is reminds be a lot of Starfucker and early Egyptian Hip Hop circa Some Reptiles Grew Wings, both bands I fucking love.Apparently they were working on an EP, but decided to push that off and go for a full length. Personally I would’ve rather seen an EP first, but if they can crank a whole album forth of pop this catchy I am so down.

Blush Beat Red EP I was lucky enough to receive a submission...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:20:13 -0400

Blush Beat Red EP

I was lucky enough to receive a submission from Blush Beat Red a couple of months ago, and now I’m happy to update that they’ve fleshed out a few more tracks into their first EP. It’s up for streaming or purchase through their BnDcMp. The EP has a decidedly dark feel to it, definitely some basement techno scene beats for dancing till the sun comes up. The new tracks add to the catchy two they previously released (Boys and Girls & Coyotes in the Hen House). Pretty is probably my favorite of the new additions. No filler tracks here.

Hoping I’ll make it north to see them perform one of these days…

Love the combo of dark 8bit electronics and beautifully...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:40:14 -0400

Love the combo of dark 8bit electronics and beautifully dreamy vocals from Vivian, as ♡ PASTEL GHOST ♡

Literally don’t know anything more about her besides that she’s recorded two damn fine tracks, and that she’s really into Sailor Moon. But then again who isn’t?

Pure X - Thousand Year Old Child @ 1:53 is my favorite....

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:36:00 -0400

Pure X - Thousand Year Old Child

@ 1:53 is my favorite. Excellent video.

This super cool trippy, ambient full length from Yong Yong...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:20:00 -0400

This super cool trippy, ambient full length from Yong Yong came out on cassette from Night School in the last year. Ltd to 75 copies and long ago sold out, I had picked up a copy on whim with my last NS order of the Golden Grrrls LP. I had given it a few listens and was happy with my purchase, but I’m kinda surprised to see it getting a reissue on vinyl? Sometime I wonder just how much of a demand there really is for obscure experimental ambient pieces like this, and that’s certainly not to put it down, cause I find myself increasing listening to more ambient/experimental tracks beyond my BOC vinyl discography. Check this one out, it’s quite a gem if you’re into this type of dark mysterious music, and clocking in at 53min, its some deep listening.

More streaming tracks on SnDcLd

Yong Yong - Love LP is Ltd to 300 copies from Night School and ships mid-late June. Order directly here or for slightly cheaper shipping to the states, from Boomkat here.

Bed Rugs - Blinds The lastest round of offerings from Burger...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:40:24 -0400

Bed Rugs - Blinds

The lastest round of offerings from Burger Records (original label home to King Tuff) includes the infectiously catchy Bed Rugs. I was checking out Burger recently cause my gf wanted to order a copy of the reissue of King Tuff is Dead for a friend…because its one of the best fucking records of all time. I heard one track from Bed Rugs on the Burger stream, but when I couldn’t find them in the catalog, decided it must’ve been an old sold out release. But no, it turns out their Rapid cassette was just released as announced in the latest burger email. Yesss.

Ample Play:

In November they spent 5 days in a local church to record 6 new songs withNiels Hendrix resulting int the album ‘Rapids’, mixed by Paul Butler (fromThe Bees, producer for Devendra Banhart & Michael Kiwanuka), who sums it up: ‘this band are on point, the concept of psychedelia rubbing together with glorious song craft was very appealing for us to work on.’

Yep that’s what you’re getting. I’d say for King Tuff fans for sure, but the album is streaming anyways for your preview listening pleasure.

BADAZZ BELGIAN PSYCHEDELIC POWER POP!!! that named themselves after the stolen mat in The Big Lebowski. Nuff said.

Bed Rugs - Rapids is on Ltd to 250 numbered copies cassette from Burger Records or on vinyl from Ample Play.

Not gonna lie I was mostly sucked into Not Waving by that album...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:20:00 -0400

Not gonna lie I was mostly sucked into Not Waving by that album art and lack of information. I know its seemingly nothing special, but it somehow has this sinister mysterious vibe. Maybe its just me. So if you’re looking for a companion to the new BOC album, with some darker and heavier beats, this is it. It was Ltd to 300 copies on red vinyl with the first 50 copies coming with a bonus cd of 7 extra tracks. Those 50 sold out from Ecstatic immediately, with the distro Bleep copies following yesterday. Sorry I didn’t rush to post this cause I wasn’t anticipating it would sell out so quickly. Looks like you’ll have to wait till discogs has a copy for less than $46 now.

Sad Kittens.

Don’t mind me, I’m just drooling over the next...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:40:23 -0400

Don’t mind me, I’m just drooling over the next upcoming release from Death Waltz. Yep they’re pretty much obsessed with John Carpenter films, but for a cult classic soundtrack label that’s to be assumed. The lastest offering looks extra luxurious, and goes on sale here “at a random time this Friday.” I imagine this one will go quicker than usual. Thanks to Boomkat for the gorgeous sneak peek pictures.

Death Waltz:

One disc features the original score composed by John Carpenter, and performed by the director/musician with The Bowling Green-Warren County Chamber Orchestra; a bonus second disc includes all of the original movie cues which have never been made available on vinyl before. Together with Dinos Chapman’s chilling cover image - “I decided to do exactly what K.A.B. radio warned me against: I looked deep into the fog on Antonio Bay and this image is what I saw” - it amounts to a genuine fantasy package for even the most hardened horror fanatic.

Young Galaxy - New Summer NPR: The latest video for the...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:39:41 -0400

Young Galaxy - New Summer

NPR:

The latest video for the Canadian electro-pop band Young Galaxy is a study in stark, disturbing contrasts. “Here it comes again, the beautiful, warm weather,” sings frontwoman Catherine McCandless, just as all hell breaks loose.

McCandless says the seemingly big-budget spectacle is meant to ask fans to rethink the meaning of the song. “The video for ‘New Summer’ came out of many wine-fueled, philosophical discussions about the nature of videos and their role, and how a lot of modern videos miss the mark by failing to add anything of substance to the song,” says McCandless in an email. “Director, Ivan Grbovic agreed we should try to make a video that is ambitious and intelligent, or not bother making one at all. This was achieved through no small feat, as Ivan had to assemble a large team of post-production wizards in order to create the dazzling epic you see before you.”

Blue Hawaii - Try To Be This album leaked at the beginning of...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:21:41 -0400

Blue Hawaii - Try To Be

This album leaked at the beginning of the year, but it’s taken this long for the physical release to finally see the light of day, and on actual vinyl! I’ve been jammin to Blue Hawaii since their OOP first cassette back (my actual copy) in winter 2010, and it’s nice to see them finally releasing a more official album beyond a cassette. That first cassette is a fucking masterpiece, but the new album is solid as well and it’s been a grower.

Blue Hawaii - Untogether LP out from Arbutus Records here.

Washed Out - It All Feels Right Definitely a different Washed...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:05:22 -0400

Washed Out - It All Feels Right

Definitely a different Washed Out emerging for the new LP on Sub Pop/Weird World. I’m hoping the heavy beats won’t have been completely washed away, and I’m a little on the fence with the new sound, but I’m always glad to see successful artists branching out in new directions. Apparently Ernest Greene wants the new record to consist of less samples, and offer him more artist involvement. Its also definitely going to be a lighter record on the whole, Greene says:

“I knew from the beginning I wanted this record to be optimistic, very much a daytime-sounding album. I think the last record felt more nocturnal in some ways. This one I just imagined being outside, surrounded by a beautiful, natural environment.”

Washed Out - Paracosm LP is out August 13th, and up for pre-order from Sub Pop now. Pre-orders get a very limited-edition Washed Out 7” single, featuring Pull You Down b/w Exit in addition to the usual Loser Edition Colored vinyl.

Hop Along - Sister Cities Haven’t loved the majority of...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:19:00 -0400

Hop Along - Sister Cities

Haven’t loved the majority of Shaking Through artist choices, which is a shame, because I love the whole concept, it’s been executed exquisitely and have thoroughly enjoyed a couple of their choices. Twin Sister & Reading Rainbow got me into it back in Vol I, but now we’re on Vol IV and this is the first time I’ve been excited about an artist choice.

Hop Alonghave been around for some time, previous going by Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. I was first introduced to them through their gem OOP Wretches 10” that was mailed to me as a surprise from a friend. I immediately fell in love with the track Bride and Groom, which paints a perfect picture of the powerful lyrics and vocal styles of front woman Frances Quinlan. Wretches was released on Salinas Records, which came as no surprise, being the home of my other favorite (and now sadly defunct) strong vocally driven female act, P.S. Eliot.

Their sophomore album, but first under the new name, Get Disowned, was released on vinyl and Ltd to 500 copies via Hot Green Records. If you dig Frances’ vocal style then its a total sleeper hit that has mostly lay dormant waiting to be discovered.

I actually took the time to fill out a survey recently sent to me from Shaking Through in hopes that they’ll shape up their artist lineups this year, but Hop Along is a definite step in the right direction.

Party Boat - Salted Sea Party Boat playing the last Dread Fort...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:20:10 -0400

Party Boat - Salted Sea

Party Boat playing the last Dread Fort house party. Hope you were there, it was killer.

The Algonquin: R.I.P.

The Knife - Heartbeats (live) The Knife totally sampled Angelo...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:40:10 -0400

The Knife - Heartbeats (live)

The Knife totally sampled Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks theme in this live performance. Sample appears from 1:08 on.

Super Rad.

You Me & Us - Swim or Sink Had this one dropped in almost...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:00:31 -0400

You Me & Us - Swim or Sink

Had this one dropped in almost two weeks ago, but with my big move I’ve fallen behind!

I still cannot get enough of their phenomenal debut EP on cassette and 7”, Paperweights. If you still haven’t heard it, its streaming in full on their SnDcLd.

I’ve been hoping these guys would get on with releasing more than 10min of music (I heard their Albany house show set was about that long), and one new track is a start. Carlee’s vocals are definitely what I fell for on Paperweights, and everything sounds just as perfect here. The genuine raw passion is unmistakable, and maybe that’s what makes it sound so good. I also can’t help but hear a little P.S. Eliot in there…which I would say is a supreme compliment.

I just hope their next release is at least 15min long…