Copping A Bruising Death

Just a quick message about Leeds rabblerousers Bruising, who are playing at The Old Blue Last tonight (alongside the great Abattoir Blues). These guys may have formed less than a year ago, but their combustible slacker rock is riotous and infectious, a sugar death pill of overt gurning noisy fun. They have a bunch of tracks floating around on different formats (the latest, 'Think About Death' (which is my favourite so far, by a mile) on the new Family Portrait compilation out through Art Is Hard - get it on vinyl here. Hopefully will get these guys back to London in the summer for a Sonic Masala show - what do you think?

White Sands Are Worth The Wait

I always give a release from great little label Art Is Hard a go, regardless of whether I think I will like it or not - as it invariably strikes a chord. And they had a pay-what-you-want physical release flash sale the other day - I can't believe I missed it! Because I would have picked up London trio White Sands' blasted 7" flexidisc The Wait. You can hear the influences from the individual members' "day jobs" (Mazes, Male Bonding, Novella) - and it is obviously, incessantly, indelibly tight. Title track is scuzzy yet warm; 'Expect Nothing' ratchets things up considerably with the faint motorik beats and hovering harmonies. Favourite track by far though is closer 'Years' - the fuzz, the repetition that feels like a Groundhog Day downward spiral that is menacing yet intoxicating...I could seriously listen to the outro for hours. But I like stupid shit like that.

The Wait comes with a specially made zine - and won't be around for long. Get in.

Video Vacuum - Ty Segall, Harmony, Best Friends, Shearwater doing Xiu Xiu

Its coming to the end of the year. I know, we still have six or so weeks left - but that will be gone before you know it. 2013 has been such a topsy-turvy year on Planet Masala too, to the point where we got to see The Nation Blue play TWICE without seeing sister group Harmony at all, Ty Segall has barely graced these hallowed halls, and Shearwater, rather than developing a new album, have released an LP of covers of bands they have toured with which I'm a big fan of (still want them to hurry up and come here though). Then there is a bunch of dudes having a good time in the Midlands, bizarrely in the sunshine. So much weirdness to overcome, to embrace, to love...that's 2013 for ya.



It has been a while since irrepressible hellhound Ty Segall has blasted onto these pages - there was one stage where reincorporating the blog to Segall Masala seemed appropriate. I haven't written about his latest album Sleeper all that much - not because it isn't good, it's excellent, but because so many others said it better already - and new outfit Fuzz is something I aim to rectify in the upcoming days. SO let's ease back in with 'The Man Man', a track off Sleeper that showcases the shift in gears Segall had here, and perfectly encapsulates the slowburn tension inherent in the song. The video



Another act steeped in creating tension, albeit one of working class desperation and Gothic backwater gnashing of teeth, Harmony have released this black-&-white plaintive to promote single 'Diminishing Returns' (the 7" comes out on Poison City Records on Friday). The band and choir are submerged in subterranean, inky shadows, dressed in black (Tom is ALWAYS dressed in black anyway, although this shirt looks decidedly devoid of wellworn holes) and wracked with emotion. There isn't a band like them, and 'Diminished Returns' is anything but.



We all need best friends, even if they give us nosebleeds every once in a while. Sheffield's laconic punks Best Friends presumably get the claret flowing from sun-bleached moments of street cricket, beer swilling and goofing around. Nothing wrong with that, I'm sure you'll agree. 'Nosebleeds' is the B-side to their Happy Anniversary 7", which you can buy here.


Let's finish off with some spaced-out shorn water from the valley below. Shearwater's covers record Fellow Travelers is almost upon us, and their Xiu Xiu spin 'I Luv The Valley, Oh!' is rife for the plucking. Videotronics here include space desert isolation, bulbous pustules, and a bizarrely doll-like astronaut. We're entering uncharted waters...

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Black Tambourine-ing Is Hard

Falmouth, UK band The Black Tambourines have been on my radar since they released a split with New Years Evil on Art Is Hard Records back in 2010. Earlier this year they finally released their eponymous debut record, also through the boutique label from South West England, and the result is pretty much what you would expect - breathless, chugging surf-tinged garage rock that swirls around with a pinch of psych rock. The shorter the song, the better they are - 'Lemon' doesn't break 80 seconds, and could be an off-cut from Ty Segall's earliest scuzzy endeavours. There's nary a shift in momentum - it is all tethered to the railroad tracks, albeit travelling at the speed of light. The foursome love to dish out a trashed out party vibe, and The Black Tambourines certainly distills that into an easily digestible aural pill. Drop it and spazz out. You can pick up the LP (and other Black Tambourines-related guff) here.

The Eve of Giving Best Friends' Nosebleeds

The thing about close friendships is that they go through many phases - often terrible ones - yet come through the other side, the unsinkable dinghy in the face of the perfect storm. A best friend takes your shit and gives it back, but also knows when to drop the charade and bring it in for the real thing. You can be every facet of your true self in front of your best friend, and you won't be judged. You hold onto memories of events that others have long forgot; you reminisce over actions, sayings and relationships that have long since faded into obscurity. Fuck the rest, here is the best.

Art Is Hard Records champion this age-old mantra - they work hard to be your friend in all the right ways, providing releases that are unique and mean something, and are always giving. They even have a band in their roster called Best Friends, whose Throwing Up album from last year was a cracker. Now the two are embracing once more - the Sheffield lads have delivered a fantastic lil AA 7" in the form of Happy Anniversary/Nosebleeds, and AIH have come to the party, bundling up the record with a t-shirt and specialised comic. See - Best Friends just keep on giving...

Purchase the record or bundle here - it's the perfect gift for a mate.

Holding Ides Forever In Prisms

Man, I've fallen hard for this song. Whilst Saturday was all about White Hills and Houndstooth, and Sunday was chilling on the Porch(es.) with Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, I was always coming back to 'Prisms', the new single from Ides (AKA Alanna McArdle from Joanna Gruesome, who also have a new-ish track out) as part of Art Is Hard Records' Postcard Club. The step-up in production values (her earlier stuff is considerably lo-fi, and whilst the earnestness is evident, McArdle's power is somewhat muted) is a huge improvement, and instead of a maudlin curiosity we have a behemoth of heart wrenching capabilities. Think of Low's 'Laser Beam' from Things We Lost In The Fire - McArdle has that haunted delivery that Mimi Parker embodies, so when she sings It was over before it began you are lost at sea, never to return.

I seriously cannot explain how much this track has blindsided me. If Ides only launches this song before Joanna Gruesome swallows up McArdle whole, it won't matter - 'Prisms' is a minor masterpiece.

You can get 'Prisms' from AIH's Postcard Club here. Ides is playing the UK's B's (Bristol, Brighton, Bournemouth) in August and finishing up with the AIH festival in London August 31st.

Big Waves Are Hard

English super independent label Art Is Hard continue to churn out the releases, and the latest one to grab is this AA side cassette (in gold!) from Torquay golden kids Big Wave. It floats on the periphery of the C86-enamoured Fortuna Pop! crowd without succumbing to the more saccharine tropes - an imminently good thing. Big Wave have been in cahoot with AIH for years, appearing on their Dry Route To Devon compilation as well as their Bi-Weekly Pizza Singles Club, and this first full release amply steps up these original slices of jangly pop whilst straddling the euphoric with the morbid a la Veronica Falls ('GW Bridge' being a song about one of New York's most "popular" suicide spots).  I actually prefer this track more than 'Goldmine' - although on repeated listens it won me over. Nevertheless, it's two songs of pristine hooks and melodies, enough to melt this twisted heart at least.

Goldmine/GW Bridge comes out May 20 - preorder it here.

Big Wave - GW Bridge

Joey Fourr's Five

I'm hoping to keep this short - I worked all day yesterday, was woken up early today, and want to do as little on this Sunday as possible - but I felt I had to give some lip service to London's Joey Fourr. Ex-Tubelord Lord Joseph Prendergast's lo-fi solo odyssey first reared its head last year on Art Is Hard's Pizza Single Biweekly Club, and he has since released five EPs - shiza... All of differing focus and fidelity, but all of interest. There is a lot to be said here, but I am really tired (sorry Joe!) so instead I'm going to say that this stuff has grown on me to the point that when a track inadvertently sneaks onto my playlists I grin and stop what I'm doing for a few minutes, take in the song and forget about the stresses of life. That to me is a good enough seal of approval.

Here is a taster from all five EPs. Head here to get them (in differing stages of cost and mediums).

 The latest EP, Sunslime.


'Surf Dye' off Museums.
 
'Wet Hips' off We.


'Play With Yrself' off Crack Is Whack.


'CROSS†DRESSER' off How To Buy Happiness.

Another Breath(e) Out Brings Absolute True Love

 

When you say absolute true love, it kinda sounds like you are trying to convince yourself as much as the person you are talking to. Maybe it’s the tautological implications of the term. Which means that calling your EP Absolute True Love implies that the record is pregnant with meaning. UK band Breathe Out are intent on playing with the jangly guitar pop, awash with shimmering soundscapes, instilling these awkward moments involving electronic squelches, samples and subtleties to imbue these strong tracks with urgency and surprise. There is something Regurgitator about single ‘Dead Friends’, what either the Ely-esque deadpan vocals, the sonorous guitar line that slips into slight dirges and whoa’s before stretching into micro-second Pavement distort-o-quirk. Its within the art cover too – a derelict back lot, a solitary skull in the foreground, a beercan, a guitar discarded in a shopping trolley, drums abandoned by the basement door – dire, yet filled with morbid mirth.

 

You can pre-order Absolute True Love here – and seeing as this is Art Is Hard, the release is special - get in now and get yourself a nice T-shirt bundle.

Breathe Out – Dead Friends

Flamingods Dance Towards The Sun

 

On Friday I showed London band Darkstar's filmclip for 'Amplified Ease'. It's good, don't get me wrong - that's why I included it. But if you want to be honest - I think that it's all in who you know. Because there is another London-based band that have really killed a record that are in a similar vein, and I haven't heard much about them - despite Dustin Wong (Ponytail) having some involvement in their record (playing guitar on single 'Quessa').

The record - Sun. The band - Flamingods, a five-piece made up of Kamal Rasool, Charles Prest, Sam Rowe, Craig Doporto, and Karthik Poduval. They have an amazing genesis story too - 4 of the 5 members (Kamal, Sam, Craig, and Charles) met in Bahrain before moving to London and becoming friends with Kartik. As early gigs go, Flamingods’ couldn’t have gone much better. Having all bought tickets to the Animal Collective-curated ATP festival, they decided to take along a selection of their huge instrument collection and embarked on an 8 hour set in a chalet on-site – with up to 60 people crammed in to try and grab a view of their constantly changing line-up and enchanting tribal rhythms, and those who couldn’t squeeze in danced outside or tried clambering through windows.

Sun is a hypnotic melange of African inflection, tribal rhythms and quirk, all centred around discovering a loop or beat that serves as an electric bolt down the spine. Animal Collective, Boredoms, and Sun City Girls are cited as influences, with the former’s irreverence and innate sense of fun most evident in these tracks. This is dance music for those who don’t like dance music, and don’t hate Vampire Weekend enough to turn their backs on the brilliance Afro rhythms. Rave on, you crazy hipsters.

 

Sun is out now on the ever-excellent Art Is Hard Records - head here to get it in sexy green vinyl.

Flamingods - Quesso

And here is a stream of Sun in its entirety - it'll get you moving, even if rigor mortis has set in.

Art Is Hard...And Free

It's been quiet here again, and there are many reasons but I wont go into it. Suffice to say I have shit tonnes of excellent gear coming your way very very soon. Like this!

Art Is Hard Records is turning 2, and to celebrate - they're giving away their entire back catalogue (12 releases and close to 100 songs) for free download! They have gone rug warehouse crazy! They aren't eccentric left wing billionaires however so it only lasts til midnight tonight (Tuesday 18th September). Head to their Bandcamp to grab it all! I have posted about most of it, and I've lost track of all the Bi-Weekly Singles they have put out but know they are ace, so get in there!

They also have a reworked logo (see above) and a new shirt out (see below).


And here is one of my favourite AIH-discovered bands with one of my favourite songs of theirs...

Throwing Up - Wasting Time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIH!

It's Not Hard To Make An Artful Family Portrait

Those wily sons o' guns over at Art Is Hard Records have a juicy release out (aren't they all?). Surprisingly only their second vinyl release, Family Portrait is a four band split between Grunge pop heathens Gum, Cardiff rough and ready indie types Joanna Gruesome, noise pop duo Playlounge and super sweet faux-tweesers KEEL HER, with each band contributing two tracks. These four bands are part of a greater "movement" in southern England, one where bands bond strongly, cover each other's songs and even swap members from time to time. And despite the disparity of the tracks on paper, this is a surprisingly cohesive record, chock full of effortless hooks and rambunctious melodies, all with the grand design to get people moving. If only all family portraits were this luridly addictive, rather than akin to getting a vasectomy with a blowtorch, then that old cliche of world peace may be just that little bit closer to reality. Maybe these four bands should tour the hotspots of the world...

You can pre-order Family Portrait here. They are drip-feeding these tracks onto Soundcloud, so listen below to what great stuff these kids have to offer.

Art Is Hard When Pizzas, Splashes and Throwing Up Is Involved

I really need a constant reminder from Art Is Hard - every time I head over to their site, I've missed another Biweekly Pizza Club release! So here I am again giving you the last two options. Just so you know the next one is tomorrow - that's warning for us all, right??


The fourth and fifth instalments are from Little Leagues and Splashh respectively. Little Leagues are a Falmouth four piece that make memorable math-pop - remember when that was popular, every kid and his three legged dog were into it? Yeah...memories. Well they released a new EP a couple weeks ago, worth hunting down too.

Little Leagues - A Problem Solved


Splashh on the other hand hail from London, and their track 'All I Wanna Do' is sunshine and lollipops, sprinkled with a little anthrax for added edge. All I really know about these Londoners is that one of them was in Brain Slaves. I think. Doesn't really matter, this is a pretty killer tune. Eat it.

Splashh - All I Wanna Do

But this only half of what I think is the continuing brilliance of the releases that the dudes of AIH have to offer. ANOTHER good record is on its way in the form of loud Sheffielders Best Friends' EP Throwing Up. Best Friends are a four piece that vomit (sorry) surf-inflected pop with liberal lashings of lackadaisical fuzz like it's the mid 90s again, when bleeding from the ears after listening to an indie band was still possible. Which is awesome, by the way. As always, new release means new, inventive packaging. AIH got with the band to put together a 21cm square 12 page photo booklet of Halloween parties, crowdsurfing at house shows and other rad photos, with the CD being encased within the booklet itself. It's luscious and a little bit silly, but also pretty rad - a bit like that Cyanide & Happiness coffee table book I have... Its out proper next Sunday, but you can have at it here.

Best Friends - Wasting Time

Dripping Colours Provide The Haze

All the way back in January 2010, just before Sonic Masala threw down its first entry into the blue yonder, I went to a show in London at The Lexington. The headliner - Real Estate. As many people may know by now, I found that set so fucking boring that I refused to watch it all, walked downstairs to drink whisky on my own. Support #1 - Yuck. Before the self-titled album and shedloads of acclaim. Again, I thought they were boring. Support #2 - Colours. Now THESE guys push my buttons in the right way. They nailed the 90s slacker/80s Pixies amalgam that night, something that Yuck would warm to in later months and Real Estate - well, they are Real Estate, they do what they do, perfect for a mid afternoon snooze.

Since then they have put a track out through Art Is Hard Records, but I kinda lost touch with what they were up to. Then a little while ago they founded Marshall Teller Records and put out a four way split that included Gross Magic and Echo Lake that was pretty sweet (sorry that i didn't post about that guys!! It was worthy though). They have also had a hand in bring to our ears the fairly great Total Slacker (who we do really like, and their 'Psychic Mesa' track made out hot singles of last year), Warm Brains, Weird Dreams and Dignan Porch.

Recorded by Warm Brains' Rory Attwell, Colours have a new 7" out. Its fucking sweet! Even sweeter is the launch at the Shacklewell Arms on March 2nd alongside SM faves Sex Beet as well as Dignan Porch and Yrrs.

Pre-order the Drip Haze 7" here.

Colours - Drip Haze

Friday Cover Up - Killing Three Posts WIth One Pizza

We have always been fans of Art Is Hard Records - they put the fun back in loving music. But I have let the last couple of releases slide by me.

NO MORE!


Firstly, there is the cassette by Mazes' main man Jack Cooper, Art Is Cheap. It's some splendid shimmery lo-fi pop, lovely for a sunny Friday afternoon - or pretending to be lying around in one. Cooper may have superseded his band on this one, which makes this an imperative purchase. There are still some of these available, which is a goshdarn crime, so let's amend this and buy them up, pronto! (I'm a big fan of the song titles too - I too have always wondered what Fanfarlo means...)




Secondly is this lovingly packaged EP tape from Gorgeous Bully, The Young Obese. The physical version of this release is packaged in a handprinted cigarette style case, a ferociously DIY tactile notion from a ferociously DIY Thom of Gorgeous Bully, a prolific song writer and the cassette features a 'secret' bside filled with Gorgeous Bully demos previously unavailable to own. This sexy package is unfortunately sold out, but you can hit AIH hard to make them re-release it, ok? In the swingtime, you can get a digital copy of The Young Obese here, and listen below.




Finally, AIH are three singles deep (dish) into their Biweekly 5" Pizza Club. They've pledged to release a new single every other Friday afternoon for the entirety of 2012. The single will be available for free download via their Bandcamp, but if you are quick off the mark and are the first purchaser, you can glean for yourself a one-of-a-kind CD in a 5" pizza box. Sweet huh? The bands to delve into this rad concept thus far have been the ever-excellent Bos Angeles (dying for the longer release guys...), Fruschian Void And The Headfolks, and Perfect Hair Forever. They are all great, and below. Two of them are great cover versions - hence today's elongated Friday Cover Up. So not only does this end a pretty good week, but hopefully instills in you a heady sense of anticipation for the rest of AIH's ideas for 2012. Have a good weekend people!

Bos Angeles - When You Look At Me (KEEL HER cover)
Fruschian Void and Thee Headfolks - Youth (The Black Tambourines cover)
Perfect Hair Forever - My Teen Idol

Kicking Back In With Some Black Tambourine(s)

Wow, a quiet week (IE no posts AT ALL). I apologise. It isn't going to get much better over the next few weeks though, what with the avalanche of international bands bombarding Brisbane and the heady Christmas celebrations going on around here. I had such a handle on December last year too...sigh.

Well, I thought Id give you some good stuff anyway. Here is the EP from Cornish devils The Black Tambourines, Chica. Art Is Hard are putting out this hedonistic slice of dark-corner-of-the-garage fuzz, and it'd make a lovely little Christmas entree. In fact, I will have a multitude of cool Christmas gifts in the forthcoming posts that you could consider for those you truly love. Anyway, listen to Chica below, then take '27-25 Blues' home with you. Go on - you deserve it.



The Black Tambourines - 27-25 Blues

Fear Of Alice Munro

First turned onto this London via Brighton band through Art Is Hard Records, Fear Of Men recently recorded a set of songs in anticipation of their forthcoming tour with another SM "One To Watch" (I have never said that about another band, at least not given a definitive label - but it's kinda true, we are fans here) Bos Angeles. The avid experimenting with mic placement and an eight-track tape recorder produced some gems, called the Alice Munro demos (to be released December 12), and the best of which is 'Doldrums'. Suitably gloomy and jangly, akin to Brisbane's own Keep On Dancin's that we showcased yesterday, or even another Brissy band Feathers, the track shows a gloss that we haven't associated with the group in the past, and may be a slight glimpse into their beautifully morbid future...

Fear Of Men - Doldrums

You'll Have A Lot Of Friends With Some Black Tambourines

UK's "Kings of the Southwest Slackers" The Black Tambourines put out a new track just on the eve of Halloween (yes, about a fortnight ago, I'm so lame and shit...) It's been a while between recording drinks for these guys, but this track is ace of base! Art Is Hard are putting out the EP in December, which is great news and even more exciting considering the quality of this first off-cut.

The Black Tambourines - A Lot Of Friends

First Birthdays Are Hard...But Maps Are Smart

It has been a while since Sonic Masala got in touch with that great indie label from the southern enclaves of England, Art Is Hard. It was their first birthday a few weeks back, on which they announced their sixth release (confusingly catalogued aih005).

I was meant to be part of the coverage as it took place but unfortunately got caught up in other miscellaneous shit, so am mega bummed, but we won't dwell on spilt guilt (or something...) Art is Hard have always had two main ambitions:to release music in new and interesting formats, and to promote music from the south west on a national/international level. Dry Route to Devon is the result - a compilation released as a screenprinted A3 map of Southwest England. In the place of each of the 11 bands there is a QR code, which when scanned with a smart phone will take listeners to an individual page where they can stream the song whilst also reading interviews, lyrics, information about when and where the track was recorded and tons of exclusive content. Such an incredible idea, right?

The aim with such an initiative is that AiH can further promote the great stuff happening in the southwest and build up more of a community whilst also changing the way in which people discover and listen to music (making them more actively involved!). The compilation is due for release on the 26th September and Art Is Hard are throwing a free release party in Plymouth on the 22nd (today in other words!). The full compilation is here.

Bewildered Brilliance

It's been a while since south England label Art Is Hard threw something our way, but then I realised that it was I that dropped the ball! Southampton band Bewilder actually released their EP This Isn't Life, It's Just Stuff - and again the release is something special. Its a interesting release in itself, full of post rock flourishes, woozy dream pop dreams, and references to Uncle Buck and Dwight Schrute - what more could you want? How about the physical stuff, then? Only 20 clear cut lathe finished vinyl pieces were made, but there was also CDs in a hand stamped envelope case. Both forms of the release are accompanied by a zine put together by the band and their close friends featuring short stories, photos and drawings. Nice right? Check out the price then - the vinyl is around 8 squid, whilst the CD is only 2.50! Nuts! You can get it here and here. Digitally, you can snag it for free here - guys, you just keep on giving.

Bewilder - I Wasn't Going To But You Kinda Talked Into It
Bewilder - Would You Like To Talk About A Possible Lunch Trade?