American Football Replay

I have only been a fan of the self-titled debut record from Chicago trio American Football for the past couple of years. The fact that it is the band's only full-length release heightens the appeal; the fact that they barely played any shows before disbanding piques the interest further; the fact that Mike Kinsella went on to play in another band with only one release (up until last month), Owls, and his brother Tim formed Joan Of Arc, makes the short-lived fire that much more fervent. Now fifteen years on from its initial release in 1999, Polyvinyl has seen fit to reissue American Football - and I for one am so excited about the prospect of having this on vinyl for the first time. Never heard of it? Maybe not. But if you are a fan of Explosions In The Sky or other introspective, gossamer-knitted, emotive instrumental bands (see most of Temporary Residence's early roster), then you have tasted their influence. They aren't entirely devoid of lyrics though - yet on tracks like opener 'Never Meant' they perfectly encapsulate the tone and timbre of the music itself, playing out as a true complement rather than a counterpoint or embellishment. But what makes American Football such a great record is the emotional resonance that emanates from its very pores, something that very few bands (excepting the aforementioned Explosions...) can evoke. It for me is a true, deserved holder of the term timeless.

You can pre-order American Football here - it's out May 20. The deluxe edition includes an album's worth of rare live recordings, demos, and practice sessions (in which the group rehearsed material they never recorded elsewhere) to complement the original record. Beautifully expanded packaging incorporates new
photographs from Chris Strong along with lyrics, detailed liner notes written by the band, and never-before-seen band pictures. The below unreleased track is 'The 7s', which comes from a 1997 live recording. IT WAS THE FIRST SONG THEY EVER WROTE. It was the set closer until they wrote my favourite track (neck and neck with 'Honestly'), 'Stay Home'. They discarded this - most bands will never write something this good in their lives. Incredible.

Hearing Voices, Giving Testimony

What is the most intensely human of noises? Is it a shout of ebullient joy? Maybe intermittently. More likely, though, it's a dry cough; a drained klaxon amongst all the other noise; the whole volume of time and space and material.



But pick a moment in time, coughing or otherwise, and forget how simple you have been told things are. Picture a glistening piece of spittle careening in slow-motion through mid-morning sun rays, or look - really look -  at a stained glass window. Who cares whether god or Alfred North Whitehead invented refraction or sand, that shit is amazing. "Joan of Arc" Testimonium Songs is like this: small moments of beauty; intensely human. It's the kind of beauty that can only be momentary. Brush your hair out of your eyes. We can cough together. And shout in joy together too (sometimes). And shudder and wonder at each other.

Cough up for a copy from Polyvinyl Records here.

Night Fruit Ain't No Dark Horse

Boston band Night Fruit have just released their debut 7" Dark Horse, and frankly I'm a pretty damn big fan, especially of the title track and 'Paper Thin', which is available below. Lead singer Amanda Dellevigne has quite a distinctive voice, and the fluid musical dynamics that underpin these songs are deceptive in their electric hooks. As if having an ace lil release isn't enough, these kids have garnered starting guernseys for the likes of Marnie Stern, No Joy, Joan Of Arc and The Depreciation Guild. It's golden.



Grab Dark Horse here.

Night Fruit - Paper Thin

Joan Of Arc Sighs For Her Brethren

I was sent this double LP opus by experimental act Joan of Arc for my birthday, but I have only gotten around to listening to it now. The Chicago collective that hovers around the nucleus of Tim Kinsella has eschewed classification for years, endeavoring to pretty much do anything that came to mind rather than come up with a continuing rock aesthetic. On Oh Brother, Kinsella incorporated fourteen different musicians - including Zach Hill and Lichen's Rob Lowe - to create four 20-minute suites of sound with the intention of making four albums, but instead being interwoven to create a movie-length sonic journey into Kinsella's mind. Its hard to really say what this is - it's as much free jazz as it is motorik, ambient minimalism, Eastern drone or cacophonous noise. There are no limitations to where the music may go, its a cerebral free for all. Every second listening to this draws you further into the vortex of the unknown, until its fuses into your core being - an aural Akira. Its an astonishing achievement, if one that takes every mental fibre to get inside of.

Oh Brother is out now on Joyful Noise Recordings.

Joan Of Arc - Oh Brother 1 (Friend/Enemy)