"Clear" by Kaspar

 

The distinctive rumble of Moog synths introduce "Clear", the new single by Finnish band Kaspar. The lovely and sincere song is the band's first recording for their new label, Helsinki's Soliti Music. The single is paired with "Who Am I" which first became available in the autumn of 2023. Kaspar's music has always involved guitars in the past, so this synth outing is a new direction for them, and we think they are on to something good.

Kaspar is John McGregor, Mikael Hakkarainen, and Tuomas Hakkarainen. The released a full album in 2009. Both John and Mikael have worked as solo artists as well.

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Various links for single

Bandcamp for "Who Am I" (fall 2023 single)

Love Sport - And Justice For All

Sometimes the most straightforward delights are the best delights. As a case in point, we present And Justice for All, the new album by Helsinki quartet Love Sport. It consists of seven tracks of substantial, hook-filled, crunchy, noisy alternative rock. Each song has good pop bones, but the band does not rest until each song is fleshed out as a white hot, live performance crowd-pleaser. Teemu Tanner has the classic rock frontman vocals honed to perfection, and his mates give their all for the choruses. The rhythm section provides a deliciously dirty strut (e.g. check out "Keying Cars") while Mikko Sulonen's guitar snakes around the rhythm and slashes and stabs through the breaks in the lyrics. Yes, indeed, straightforward rock done to perfection. Yeah, it is only seven songs, but that's why you buy it and use the replay button.

Love Sport are Teemu Tanner (lead vocals, guitar), Mikko Sulonen (guitar), Max Mäkinen (dums) and Aki Pohjankyrö (bass). And Justice for All is out this Friday, May 22 via Soliti Music.







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"Hot Mess" and "The Wire" by Saltwater Sun

In case your predilections for a summer soundtrack run towards alternative rock, we suggest that you introduce your music device, and ears, to Saltwater Sun.  They adeptly mix crunch, grit and sunshine.  It is June already, my people, get your summer going ....






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The Persian Leaps - Bicycle Face EP

Around here we appreciate a band that is both good, and knows what they are good at.  The Persian Leaps are such a band.  The trio's specialty on the music side is refinement of the power pop and guitar pop of Teenage Fanclub, Guided By Voices, The Posies, and The Smiths.  Think powerful guitars with plenty of jangle and buzz, and arrangements with hooks thoughtfully packed in like the chocolate chips in your favorite overloaded gourmet cookies.  The band's specialty on the production side is the EP - - concise presentations of song sets that give maximum pleasure and end just a bit too quickly, causing an nearly involuntary press of the "replay" button.

It is fall, and fall brings us the band's annual EP release, this time the five-song Bicycle Face EP.  Interestingly, the name of the EP is taken from an fake 19th century medical condition invented to scare women from cycling.  Appropriately, the cover art presents a woman in 19th century dress standing next to a bike and wearing a 'don't mess with me' face.  And while the titular condition may be fake, the songs are real and vital.  The Persian Leaps are a band that understands momentum, and they explode out of the box and maintain the tension and energy through the final note.  Perhaps that is one of the things that makes the EP the perfect vehicle for their creations -- an LP may be too exhausting for the more fragile listeners.  In our view, this EP is The Persian Leaps' best work so far.  Since there are rumors that this might be the final record from the band, we strongly suggest you experience it.

The Persian Leaps is Drew Frosberg (vocals/guitar), Adam Brunner (bass/vocals), and Michael McCloskey (drums/vocals).  Bicycle Face EP is out today via Frosberg's Land Ski Records.  See the Bandcamp link below for streaming and purchase options.  By the way, lyrics are included on the Bandcamp page, which we appreciate greatly.






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The Eastern Swell - One Day, A Flood

I've had One Day, A Flood by Edinburgh-based The Eastern Swell on my car's CD changer for the past week.  When I got home yesterday evening I got out of the car to open the garage bay while the stereo was still playing the album.  In the dying sunlight with the beginning of the Fall leaves swirling around my feet, I realized the perfect timing of the release.  One Day, A Flood is an album for Autumn, for increasing darkness, unpredictable weather, inevitable decay, and dark clouds and rain.  I don't mean to suggest that it is depressing -- far from it.  But it is an album of layered moods and uncertainties.  Yeah, it is music for adults, and whether I like it or not, I'm at that stage of life.

The music is a somewhat unusual combination of folk rock, alt country and progressive rock.  Yes, that means that there will be hints of Led Zeppelin (but only hints and absent the warlock posturing).  The haunting vocals are high in the mix, but even when the band isn't reaching for high volume, the arrangements barely contain an omnipresent current of lower-register, bass-heavy power and emotional conviction.  My favorites are the opening "Rattling Bones" and the epic country-tinged prog rock closer "Run Down Country Palace", but aural treats abound and a scan of other reviews reveal that many of the tracks have impressed the music press, which is a sign of consistent quality.

The Eastern Swell are Lainie Urquhart (vocals/tambourine), Chris Reeve (guitar/vocals), Neil Collman (bass/vocals), and Andy Glover (drums/percussion).  One Day, A Flood is out now on digital and CD formats via Stereogram Recordings.







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Sloucher - Certainty

A few days ago I hadn't heard of Sloucher.  But I am an admirer of Puget Sound label Swoon Records, and I'm familiar with Cayucas, Hibou, and The Globes, of which  a couple of Sloucher have been members.  So I thought it would provide a pleasant listen working through a long list of music that I need to cover.   I pressed play on Certainty, their debut EP, and began doing other things.  But "doing other things" quite quickly became "devoting full attention to some really, really good music".  Headman Jay Clancy's songs are melancholy and melodic, with layered arrangements, a few country rock touches and enough distorted guitar to fit well in the Pacific Northwest musical scene.  I found favorable echos of the work of Pavement, Elliott Smith and The Shins.  As fleshed out by Clancy and his bandmates Kyle Musselwhite and Jack Hamrick, the seven tracks display delightful detail and nuance.  Certainty has been occupying my ears steadily for a days, and I highly recommend it.

A couple of fine tracks can be streamed below, and you can stream and order the EP at the Bandcamp link below.







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East Brunswick All Girls Choir - Seven Drummers

Seven Drummers from East Brunswick All Girls Choir is a grand slam of 'under the radar': An album that received little fanfare outside of Australia from a Melbourne band most of you have never heard of released on the modest (but excellent) Milk Records.   Its eight tracks include chugging rockers, guitar pop, and even a bit of country. The songs are characterized by poetic writing, Marcus Hobbs' impassioned and soulful vocals, and, most of all, the twin guitar assault from Hobbes and Robert Wrigley.  And the guitars are wonderful -- loud, rumbling, distorted, pleading, droning, and cathartic.  You won't find Neil Young's name in the liner notes, but you can be excused for feeling his influence in the flow.  The performances are raw, sincere, and distinctively textured.  That the band isn't concerned with the radio friendly pop structure is delightfully evident as the songs unspool to reveal multiple jams and unexpected diversions.

I started this post months ago, and then moved on without finishing it.  When compiling my forthcoming year end list I realized that I'd hadn't published a post on this album, so here is one of the 2014 gems, presented for your ears in 2015.  Stream and buy the album at the Bandcamp link.

East Brunswick All Girls Choir is Marcus Hobbs, Rie Nakayama, Robert Wrigley and Jen Sholkis.  In their time as a band they have had seven drummers, hence the name of this album.  Apparently none of them have ever lived in East Brunswick.

The opening track, "West Brunswick" --



Mon Repos (Charlie's Jam) from East Brunswick All Girls Choir on Vimeo.



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NEW SONG: J Mascis - "Every Morning" from Tied To A Star, out in August

Here's a super catchy new track from J Mascis in advance of a full album due out in August. Just out today, "Every Morning" is, fortunately, just what you'd expect from the man - warm, slightly sad vocals, just-right acoustic guitar chords, and a couple of tastefully blazing electric guitar solos. As a sign of things to come, it's perfect:



The album will be on Sub Pop (home of the great Lee Bains III and Mogwai, to name a few WYMA favorites). You can check out tour dates (starting in late July) and pre-order the album at their site.

J Mascis at Sub Pop

REVIEW: Centro-matic - Take Pride In Your Long Odds

A new Centro-matic album is a special event at WYMA, and good news for anybody who likes good, honest guitar rock that gets you right in here. The band has released its 11th album, Take Pride In Your Long Odds, and throughout its 12 tracks, the band address the topic of its title, as singer and songwriter Will Johnson said: "If there are entities telling you that you can't do something, that there's no way something is gonna happen for you—take pride in your work and prove them wrong. If it's worth it to you, you shouldn't give it any less of a chance because of what someone else says." If you're a fan of this band, that attitude makes perfect sense and is something to be truly grateful for, because it's kept these guys making music for 17 years, through everything that life can throw at them. Every record, every opportunity to see them live, is a joyous occasion and absolutely not to be taken for granted.

Previously we shared the track "Salty Disciple", and they've put together a trippy video to accompany the song:



That's a great track, but the treasure here is "Academy of Lunkers" - it's the one with the most distinctive Pence drum intro (a la "The Mighty Midshipman") and it opens up the quickest of any track on here, to feature a great Will Johnson vocal, guitar feedback and the combination of melody and noise that nobody seems to do as well as Centro-matic. It also contains some place references only residents of Denton will likely get (mentioning "you were romancing every sunset alone on Bonnie Brae" - one of the surest ways North out of town, if I recall correctly, and "met you by McKenna Park, you were struggling with all your shivers"). What's it all about? As usual, Johnson never says directly. Your impressions are what's important. Centro-matic are artists, man. Listen, think, and most of all, enjoy:



Well, it's that one or "Relative Unto the Aces" and its perfect lead guitar riding on top of Pence's perfect beat, Hedman's perfect bass line and Danbom's - what are those things?



The next greatest track is "On the Ride Back" - an absolutely beautiful 5:23 of guitar chords, perfect rhythm and vocals (both Johnson's lead and the harmonies that float in and out), and some devastating guitar solos that start about 2:00 in... not to mention some heavy sonic experimentation that reminded me of drummer Matt Pence's production work with True Widow.

There are plenty of terrific moments - the transition from "Calling You Glad" into "Cynthia Glass", the pretty acoustic on "Every Mission", swirling synthesizers on "Anything Torn Out"... "Cross Path" calls to mind "All The Talkers", one of the strongest tracks on Centro-matic's last album Candidate Waltz - they worked with the same producer, Scott Solter, for both records.



The closer, "Through The Fog, Then Down" is a beauty, too - there is not anything close to a weak track on the album - but it's especially gorgeous, and sort of blasted, with its juxtaposition of a piano reminiscent of Lennon's "Imagine" and a fuzzy, distorted guitar.



It's another beautiful collection of songs - I expected nothing less, but that does not diminish the pleasure a bit. It's out today (June 3).

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New songs from Augustines, new album in February

First there was Pela.  I liked those guys a lot, but they disbanded.  Then Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson from Pela became We Are Augustines, and released a very nice album in 2011.  Sometime along the path Rob Allen joined with Billy and Eric, and at some point the band became Augustines.  And we care because these guys are talented and passionate.  A new album is planned for 2014, and we have a few tracks as an appetizer.  "Nothing to Lose But Your Head has the classic Pela/Augustines sound -- emotional, heartfelt and dramatic.  "Cruel City" is more rhythm-heavy, and has a bit of a world beat feel.  I think both tracks are very good and we're looking forward to the full meal.





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New video for "The Lord Is Out Of Control" by Mogwai

"The Lord Is Out Of Control" is an intriguingly named atmospheric song from Scottish post-rock outfit Mogwai.  It will be on their upcoming release, Rave Tapes.  Cinematic in tone, the song is a compelling listen.  It is presented here in a video filmed in Hawaii.



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T54 - In Brush Park

In Brush Park is the new LP from Christchurch, New Zealand band T54.  The album is named for a section of Detroit, Michigan with deserted historic mansions, and the band is named for a type of WWII Soviet battle tank.  With that opening, you might expect an all-out hard rock bombast.  If so, you would be wrong.  Don't misunderstand, there is plenty of volume from all three members - and the rhythm section of Matt Scobie and Sam Hood is particularly fierce - but this album is a delightful melange of textures and perspectives.  Some songs are dreamy, some are urgent, some are aggressive, and some are all three.  Joe Sampson's guitar has many voices, from Pavement haze to Seattle grunge, but all of them are assured and delightful (alert readers might recall that he is the guitarist for Salad Boys, who we featured earlier this year).  The vocals are down in the mix, but in the context of the album, it seems to me that the production choice is apt.  The vocals are just another aural texture.

I have provided some streams below, but I urge you to hit the Bandcamp link and stream the entire album.  In addition to the songs below, I particularly recommend "Nails Painted", "Kill Red", and "Biscuit City Sisters".  What stands out for me, in addition to the quality of the songwriting and musicianship, is that these guys manage to convey the feeling that they like their songs and like playing their songs.  The songs seem to unfold organically without feeling rushed.  Quite honestly, I first read about T54 when I was preparing a post about the Salad Boys, and I hadn't heard any of their songs until I digested In Brush Park.  Of the many bands that are new to me this year, I'll say that this one makes the short list of bands from which to expect good things in the future.



"Return of the Worm" - great video, great song (how is that for incisive music writing?):



In Brush Park is out now via Flying Nun.  It is available on CD or as a digital download at the link below.

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Joey Fourr / H. Grimace - Nothing Beats Reality EP

One of this week's releases that may fly under the radar, but shouldn't, is the  Nothing Beats Reality EP It is a split cassette from the Bad Paintings label featuring three songs by Joey Fourr and three songs by H. Grimace, released by UK label Bad Paintings.  A purchase of the cassette will entail a digital download code.  The artists combined to create the art work for the EP.

Joey Fourr's tracks are an exuberant, electric grunge-folk, or maybe bubblegum grunge, recorded by Joey at home with the assistance of a drum machine. The former Tubelord member infuses the songs with a Bikini Kill vibe, but with some pop vocal hooks peeking out from the chaos.  Here is the second track, "Dirty Hole" --



H. Grimace's tracks take a different tack.  Part post grunge, part '60s Velvet Underground, the songs have an urgent moody feel to them, and I like them quite a bit.  "End of the Road" and "Cemza" are provided below for your evaluation, I'm particularly fond of the former.




H. Grimace 'Cemza' from Maurizio Von Trapp on Vimeo.

A download of the EP also is available at iTunes.

Bad Paintings Website
Joey Fourr Website
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Joey Fourr on Bandcamp
H. Grimace on Facebook
H. Grimace on Bandcamp

REVIEW: Sebadoh - Defend Yourself

Sebadoh, a favorite from the "first wave" (or was it "first and a half"?) of DIY indie rock, is back. Of course, some of those guys never quit (joyfully, Robert Pollard), some have re-emerged (equally joyfully, Dinosaur Jr.). But nonetheless, I want to welcome back Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein, and Bob D'Amico as they drop a whole new album, Defend Yourself. Although, according to Barlow, we need not have worried...“We were always going to make another record. There was never any point where we looked at each other and said, ‘That’s it. We’re done.’ We never actually quit at all-- we’ve been making music this whole time.”

Given that a lot of their subject matter (the trials and travails of becoming an adult, adult relationships, etc.) and their approach were pretty heavy, a break wasn't the worst idea. And their various solo albums and collaborative projects all features some great moments: Barlow, Loewenstein, and D’Amico worked with disparate projects in the meantime: Dinosaur Jr., Fiery Furnaces, Folk Implosion, among others. But their hasn't been a proper Sebadoh project since 1999. Quite simply, it's a return to form - the album fits quite well into their catalog - if you remember Bakesale and Harmacy fondly, chances are you'll be glad to pick this one up. Also, according to Barlow, this album features a return to the DIY way of recording - enhanced by the availability of good recording technology one would have had to have major label money to access when Sebadoh last recorded. Barlow, again: “We did ‘Defend Yourself’ the only way it could have been done: on the cheap and all by ourselves."

Here's "I Will" - a perfect combination of a wistful Barlow vocal, low-key intro and then an explosion of drums, bass and particularly guitar:





That one's got some really nice piano in the background, but the focus is the juxtaposition between the vocal and the ragged guitar lines - the well-known tension/release that all good indie rock is built on. The guitars are melodic and wonderful.

I always found a lot of Sebadoh's music (and that of side project Folk Implosion) to be particularly wistful - a combination of Barlow's vocal and something about the guitar tones. This album is certainly along those lines, and nowhere is this better represented than on "Let It Out", an acoustic/vocal-dominated track where Barlow strips off the still-healing scabs of wounds attributable to the recent dissolution of his 25-year marriage:



The subject matter is heartbreaking, but the music offers to do what good rock music always has done - deliver a bit of diversion, catharsis if possible, and some joy. Here's "State of Mine" - a particularly joyous return to form, off to the races from the beginning:



The album's out now (released Sept. 17) on Joyful Noise Recordings. Sebadoh's back! That's something to celebrate.

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REVIEW: Violent Soho - Hungry Ghost

On Hungry Ghost Violent Soho serves up meaty slabs of melodic, punk-inflected alternative rock with an ample layer of scuzz.  There is a bit of Smashing Pumpkins as a touchstone, but this Brisbane group is more immediate and less studied.  Perhaps a better reference are the glory days of The Pixies or Mudhoney.  And while the themes reflect anxiety about one's place in the community, what's important and other concerns of young people figuring out their world, the riffs come heavy and fuzzy, the rhythm is propulsive and the pace is aggressive.  After listening to this album a number of times, my conclusions are (1) this is the best album of this genre I have heard in a long, long time; and (2) it really is an appealingly intelligent album, musically and lyrically - don't be fooled by the grungy style.  Violent Soho deserves to go to the head of its class.

Below are the three singles from Hungry Ghost.  The first is presented via the official video.







Violent Soho is Luke Boerdam, James Tidswell, Luke Henery and Michael Richards.  Hungry Ghost is out now via I Oh You.

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REVIEW: Teenage Guitar - Force Fields At Home

A friend of mine is fond of expressing the sentiment that this is a very blessed time for fans of goofy, literate, well-crafted guitar rock... because we are fortunate indeed to share the planet with Robert Pollard and a number of record labels who are willing to let him release a seemingly unlimited number of records. Well, here we go again: Teenage Guitar is the name of this project, and the album is Force Fields At Home.

Teenage Guitar is mainly Robert Pollard, with some help from Greg Demos and Joe Patterson on drums and bass, respectively. All else is Pollard, and it's one of his more peripatetic releases, with a delightful variety of tempos and instrumentation. 

The opening track, "Court of Lions", is a fairly conventional Pollard guitar rock song with a strong vocal. The longest song "Come See The Supermoon" is one of the weirdest, and of course this album contains some of the ultra-short gems that Pollard and GbV fans are accustomed to expecting: "Strangers For A Better Society" and "Peter Pan Can" get to the point quickly, the latter with a double-tracked Pollard British-accented vocal, an insistent tension/release guitar line and just a bit of chaos. Taking the trend to what might be its ultimate conclusion, "Bars of Meaningless Matilda" is just a perfect :34 of guitar pop with no frills at all. This leads into a pretty, acoustic number "Harvest Whale" - with the pleasing sounds of acoustic guitars and vocals offset by what sounds like a struck spring or one of those giant plastic microphones.

Here's "Atlantic Cod", a majestic psych/pop song:

In short, the album covers the four P's and is a delightful mixture of oddities and delights - and being released on the same day as the previously-covered Honey Locust Honky Tonk, it merely confirms my friend's observation: these are special times indeed. 

REVIEW: Holy Folk - Motioning

Los Angeles quartet Holy Folk is a collaboration between songwriters Keith Waggoner, Josh Caldwell, Ryan George and Jonathan Hylander. The band began in 2009 with Caldwell and Waggoner, who at the time, played together in the band, Les Blanks. George and Hylander joined the effort in 2012 and began contributing material to what would become Motioning. Somewhat similar to fellow LA residents The Fortress Social Club that we reviewed recently, Holy Folk grew from a studio collaboration into a rock band with a lot of variety in style and tempo, a ton of talent and a way with pop hooks. There's something about studio musicians getting together to put their own ideas on record - they bring not only a familiarity with different styles, but a real sense of purpose that shows through in the music. All four of them write, and that contributes to the variety of sounds and styles on Motioning.

The opening track "A Moment Here" is reminiscent of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band or The Band, with pedal steel, banjo, violin and slow and easy harmony vocals in a song about reaping and sowing.

"Time Lapse" has a more pop style, with more synths than the opener, and soulful vocal harmonies that would not be out of place on something by Brian Wilson or Todd Rundgren.  Track 3, "All's Forgotten" is an uptempo country rock tune with emphasis on electric guitar, piano and a pretty much straight-ahead rock vocal. And the record carries on in similar fashion, swinging back and forth from up- to down-tempo, some songs featuring swells of strings and others more straight-ahead rock instrumentation. The common factor, other than the overall high quality of the songwriting, is that most of the songs feature some terrific vocal harmonies. It's clear that these four enjoy working together, and that makes for a very enjoyable debut record.

You can get a free download of “Jump The Rails”, which gives a good example of the uptempo stuff - with some real rock energy, good piano work and those great harmonies. And here they are performing it live on AXS Live:

Holy Folk is absolutely a band to watch. It's not often a debut album arrives with this kind of variety, quality and assuredness. Motioning is available now - you can listen to it, and learn more, at their website.

Holy Folk website

REVIEW: The Melvins - Everybody Loves Sausages

30-year punk/metal/sludge rock veterans The Melvins return with a 13-track covers album titled Everybody Loves Sausages. Having been cited as influences themselves (by many members of Seattle's grunge scene and artists like Tool and Boris), they want to take this opportunity to share some of theirs. They cover a diverse selection of songs - art rock like Roxy Music's "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" and pop like Queen's "Best Friend," claiming (and, really, exhibiting) a genuine love for the originals. But of course one way to show your reverence, especially if you're a nonconformist yourself, is to change it up a little bit, and they certainly do. They also enlisted several friends: including Mudhoney's Mark Arm joining them for The Scientists' "Set It On Fire", Jello Biafra contributing the creepiest Bryan Ferry impersonation ever on "Dream Home", and Neurosis' Scott Kelly pitching in on a cover of Venom's "Warhead."

The opener, "Warhead" has a real Sabbath-meets-Black Flag vibe that is something you expect from these guys, and their reworking of the Kinks' "Attitude" (with Clem Burke of Blondie somewhere in there) is hot, fast and loud. Probably my favorite track is their off-kilter cover of Bowie's slightly off-kilter 10-plus minute white soul epic "Station to Station".  As with any covers record, some tracks work better than others, but with a group as iconoclastic as the Melvins, the song choices are almost as much fun as the music itself.

"This record will give people a peek into the kind of things that influence us musically," explains Buzz Osborne. "We REALLY like all of these songs along with the bands who actually wrote this stuff because first and foremost we are HUGE music fans." For your amusement, listed below is the complete track listing with original artist and guest player notation, as well as Osborne's notes on each track - you know, showing you how the sausage was made:

1. Warhead (Venom; Guest: Scott Kelly of Neurosis)
2. Best Friend (Queen; Guest: Caleb Benjamin of Tweak Bird)
3. Black Betty (Original artist unknown)
4.  Set It On Fire (The Scientists; Guest: Mark Arm)
5.  Station To Station (David Bowie; Guest: JG Thirlwell)
6.  Attitude (The Kinks: Guest: Clem Burke of Blondie)
7.  Female Trouble (Divine, written by John Waters)
8.  Carpe Diem (The Fugs)
9.  Timothy Leary Lives (Pop-O-Pies)
10.  In Every Dream Home A Heartache (Roxy Music; Guests: Jello Biafra and Kevin Rutmanis)
11. Romance (Tales of Terror)
12. Art School (The Jam; Guest: Tom Hazelmeyer)
13.  Heathen Earth (Throbbing Gristle)

Warhead by Venom - We all love Venom.  Rumor has it that these guys are all Yoga instructors now.

Best Friend by Queen - This song was a pain in the ass to record but it came out great!  We knew it would be a head scratcher for our fans but that's kind of the deal with us.

Black Betty by Unknown - We recorded this as part of a Super Bowl contest.  We didn't win.



Set It On Fire by The Scientists - Early 80's punk rock from Perth Australia, No Shit.

Station To Station by Bowie - Bowie says he was so wacked out on coke during these recording sessions that he doesn't even remember any of this.

Attitude by The Kinks - The Kinks recorded this around the time they were raking in royalties from Van Halen's cover of "You Really Got Me."  Unfortunately, they won't be making anywhere near as much from this.

Female Trouble by Divine - Title song from my favorite John Waters movie.  We've wanted to record this for years.  Isn't that a pretty sight.

Carpe Diem by The Fugs - The Fugs were the kind of hippies I liked: mean spirited with a wicked sense of humor.  Actually I could have said the same thing about John Waters.

Timothy Leary Lives by Pop-O-Pies - I saw these guys in Seattle a few times in the early '80s.  The last time I saw them the singer begged the audience to just give him money so he wouldn't have to tour.

In Every Dream Home A Heartache by Roxy Music - Biafra sounds even weirder than Brian Ferry... that is incredible.  It was great to play with Kevin again!

Romance by Tales of Terror -  Their 1984 album is one of the best record to come out of California... anywhere actually.

Art School by The Jam - This was one of the first punk bands I ever heard.  I still like this stuff.  It's nice when that happens.

Heathen Earth by Throbbing Gristle - One of the best bands ever.


The Melvins Website
Ipecac Recordings Website

Chelsea Light Moving - video for "Lip" from Chelsea Light Moving, short UK tour

Chelsea Light Moving is Thurston Moore's latest project - we reviewed the self-titled album recently (WYMA review here) and loved it.

"Lip" is a good example of the album's combination of rock urgency - guitar tension, punk drumming - and a beat poetry vocal approach (with a protest theme, both to the song and the video):



Also, some UK tour dates:

June 14th – London, Village Underground
June 16th – Dublin, Whelans
June 17th – Bristol, The Fleece
June 18th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
June 19th – London, Meltdown Festival (Purcell Room - NO CLM, Thurston improv)

Chelsea Light Moving at Matador Records

REVIEW: The Heligoats - Back to the Ache

The Heligoats is Chris Otepka's band, but until now has been pretty much a solo project with Otepka doing most of the work and a variety of guests filling supporting roles. On his latest record Back to the Ache, he's settled in with a band. The result is a strong album with a lot of variety in sound and tempo - an album that, in a good way, is all over the place.

Otepka describes the lyrical theme (which also informs the tone of the album, I think): “The word ache appears throughout the album, it was a theme that emerged only after the record was done.  The recording process actually happened in spurts over 5 (Feb - July 2012) months and in-between I was touring around the country, North and South America.  This record was fun to write at home, on the road and in the studio.  I was never anywhere for more than a few days at a time. So, the ache became the familiar place."

Otepka spent time in Clem Snide with Eef Barzelay - and they are sort of kindred spirits. Just for fun, here's a clip of the two of them covering Bryan Adams:


Eef Barzelay & Chris Otepka cover Bryan Adams

If you enjoyed Clem Snide's literate, carefully-phrased folk rock, you will enjoy The Heligoats for sure. But this album also veers into rock territory, displaying in several places a real punk energy. After all, Otepka says the reason he's settled the Heligoats into a quartet is because of his re-connecting with drummer Nate Lanthrum, with whom he played in Midwest pop/punk band Troubled Hubble, which dissolved in 2005.  Otepka says “when we got together for the first time in over seven years, we picked up right where we left off.”  Also on board was Steve Mitchell (guitars/keys), Dave James (bass), Nick Lombardo (keys) and even some added percussion from Erik Rassmussen (who recorded and mixed part of the album).

Here's a strong rock track, "Sulfur, Baby":

And here's "Tofutti"... this track and the opener, "Good Morning" remind me the most of Clem Snide:

The album was released in March on Greyday Records - and I am happy to add to the chorus of praise that's emerged since the release. You can learn more, and buy it at Greyday's website:

Greyday Records Website

The Heligoats Website (worth checking out if only for the show posters)