Schooling Knights For Free

We here at Planet Masala have championed School Knights since their Rush SK release came out almost two years ago, and what with the current weight of love being poured over surf garage punks such as Wavves and Bleeding Knees Club, I thought that I was on bridge of a ship that was sailing the highest sea of discovery. As it turns out, the Denver based cats are happy to keep bubbling under the surface, which is why when they couldn't find the right way to release the current crop of tracks they had at their disposal, they put them up for free on Bandcamp under the name Fre(E)P.

That's not to say their 2012 has been quiet - on the contrary, they have supported the likes of Black Lips and Japanther, with shows with Cloud Nothings, White Denim and King Tuff in the works. They just got sick of these songs sitting around and wanted everyone to hear them and love them. As they say themselves, "We want everyone to hear them, so that the next time we release some songs people can go 'Wow, I didn't think it was possible, but this is way better than that free EP they put out.'"


You can (and most definitely should, seeing as it's awesome AND free) grab Fre(E)P here.

School Knights - Powerslut
School Knights - Thanksgiving

Two New Cuts Of White Denim

Austin, Texas trio (now quartet) White Denim had a massive year in 2011. The release of LP D to critical acclaim, worldwide touring, even squeezing out an EP (their fifth) in the form of Takes Place In Your Work Space. They haven't stopped though, with the recent expulsion of two tracks that missed the EP cut onto the musical consciousness - and they are stellar in themselves. The slight honky tonk sway of 'Darlene' rings of subdued Nevada crooning, with intermittent flickering neon and red dirt staining the white stucco buildings the images burnt into the brain. Which makes 'Gas On F' the perfect counterpoint, a driving song fleeing the aforementioned landscape, the spinifex flying past on the horizon, wind in the hair, head lolling back on the headrest, the taillights leaving zigzags of red light in the waning day's dusky glow. The way this band flitters across genres, nailing their nuances and graces whilst also having so much irreverence with it all is always refreshing. Here's to another big year for White Denim

White Denim - Darlene
White Denim - Gas On F

Friday Cover Up - White Denim Gets Young

I had to cover this set of covers for two reasons. First and foremost, my girlfriend Alison will be winging her way back to the UK on Wednesday for at least 6 months, and although I will see her in that time, it's going to be hard. So having White Denim's James Petralli play her a cover of Elvis Costello's Alison is the least I could do...

James Petralli - Alison (Elvis Costello cover)

Secondly, because I clearly have some pulling power, we have the first cut from Neil Young and Crazy Horse's first album since Greendale, called 'Oh Susannah'. Petralli thought he could pay kudos to that too, so here is a Young cover. Happy weekend people!

James Petralli - For The Turnstiles (Neil Young cover)

And that new track/video...

Haunts And Circumstance

Despite the Tenzenmen Chinese rock three-way earlier today, Monday the 26th day of March 2012 will go down as a day that I wished I was in the hallucinogenic era of 1970s rustic America. And tonight I'm going to leave you with a band that straddles the then with the now. TS & the Past Haunts is an LA outfit whose raucous sprawler of a debut album Gone & Goner(out through No Sleep Records) is more in sync with the White Denims and Thee Oh Sees of the world, yet with the right amount of chunky riffage that evokes the Black Sabbaths of the world. It isn't an exemplary release, but is a bloody good one, with plenty of promise. And based on this album alone, if I resided in LA I'd be fucking off most plastic prostitutes posing as musical artists and getting down and sleazy with these guys.

TS & the Past Haunts - Circumstance
TS & the Past Haunts - East Jesus

Wearing White Denim In The Key Of D

White Denim have always owned - their unbeaten run of SxSW's Best Live Act over the past 3 years attests to that - and we here at Sonic Masala certainly are in their court. Yet the universal jizztastic mangasms that should have showered on these guys has so far failed to rain down. Hopefully this is all about to change...

Opening up with 'It’s Him!' – a track that in three minutes presents a laidback country jam, some jazz flourishes in the middle third before exiting via crunching its way to a rustic Led Zep finale – the Texans waste no time in stating their intent on D, their fourth studio album. Having made a name for themselves as a an incendiary live act, the quartet have spent the last five years burning up stages and producing a gamut of material that ticks off almost every benchmark of 60s and 70s Americana, blues and garage that has ever existed. This suggests that White Denim on record are messy and hard to reign in – on the contrary. D showcases a band that for all intents and purposes is an exemplary jam band with an endless supply of energy, emotion and rock nous, yet is intent on presenting their entire oeuvre in bite-sized pop song chunks.

Following 'It’s Him!' is 'Burnished', a incessant yet languid psych groover that segues into 'At The Farm', a brilliant psych jam outro that is obligatory on a WD release, yet feels more satisfying than its four minute running time would let on. 'Street Joy' is a euphoric rambler that Bon Iver would be happy to carve out, whilst 'River To Consider' spews forth a legitimate Jethro Tull-esque flute solo and 'Bess St jumbles' it all together into a concise rocker that embraces all these touchstones in a track that barely breaks a sweat.

In fact that is one of the biggest features here – that no matter what idea these boys try to convey, it is kept within a succinct, structured framework. D shows that White Denim aren’t fraying with age but strengthening, gaining colour, and effortlessly defying the wear and tear that others of their ilk are likely to take on.

And the nerdy guy still loves getting his shirt off in promo photos.



White Denim - Burnished
White Denim - At The Farm
White Denim - Drug

Bringing Back The Love

Wowee Zowee peeps! Sorry about the downlay in musical mayhem here at Planet Masala - its been quiet here due to the ridiculousness in the "real world" (AKA I accidentally maxed out the home Internet fund - sorry Luke and Sal...) Plus searching for work, getting work, getting more work, getting heaps of work, and uni has meant that I was on the cusp of believing I had too many fingers in too many pies. But if there's anything that those cinematic genuises behind American Pie taught me anything - and they taught me a LOT - its that you can NEVER have too many fingers into too many pies - you just combine it all in an orgiastic piefest (I think - maybe if I had caught the fourth and fifth sequels Id understand more...)

SO I am rorting the university by using their sizable Internet access to keep the SM dream alive. And as this has been some time in coming, here are a few tracks for you to sink your teeth into.

First up there is The Raveonettes, whose Sharin Foo is still hands down the hottest woman in rock. It helps that their first EP Whip It On is one of my all time favourite releases EVER. Really. Anyway, their fifth album Raven In The Grave comes out next month on Vice, and if this is anything to go by its going to be another hit, especially after hearing what other member of the due Sune Rose Wagner thought of its genesis:

"I think we have finally hit on something quite important and different for this album. This is the first Raveonettes album we've done which doesn't feature the signature Raveonettes surf drumbeat. None of the tunes have any real sunshine to them. It's all very un-Rave. It has a mood of ethereal defiance. It's dark but not bleak, like the single minded determination caused by crisis that is not quite hope but just as powerful. It's the perfect winter soundtrack just in time for spring."

The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young

White Denim are another band with a hotly anticipated album in the wings. Gorilla Vs Bear have named them the best band at SXSW for the fourth consecutive year - a bit of love there mayhaps??? We've already sampled 'Drug' from D here - now try "Anvil Everything"!

White Denim - Anvil Everything

One of my favourite finds of last year was Tampa nutjobs Merchandise, whose dark distorted pop has entranced me for some time (check out my thoughts on last year's (Strange Songs) In The Dark LP here). They have just released a 7" on Katorga Records, Schoolyard b/w Graveyard, showcasing an amazing remix of the A-Side which has me even more sweat-lathered. These guys know how to weave a warped rhythm, and with the beats interlaid here they have a bona fide club hit - from the guys responsible for Cult Ritual? Anything's possible...

Merchandise - Schoolyard (Club Mix)

A band doing amazing things this side of the Equator is The Middle East. The Townsville, Queensland quintet have a cultivated, lush ambient folk sound with the slightest tinge of darkness, and its been going down a treat globally. They are releasing I Want That You Are Always Happy on Spunk Records April 8th, and "Black Death 1349" is off it. (Can you tell this was recorded at Midlake's Denton, Texas studios? Nah, me neither...)

The Middle East - Black Death 1349

Darlings are a NYC garage pop band whose song "Spit It Out" off EP Warma (out now on Famous Class Records) has been on incessant replay since the SM downtime, so was pretty much a sure thing to be on this lil playlist. Its decidedly heads in the cloud whimsy crossed with Pixies nerd punk, which has helped get me across the line on a few days this past fortnight.

Darlings - Spit It Out

"Zeppole Ben" is off Hello, Nice Evening. We Are The Everymen, an EP by The Everymen (weirdly enough). Its two and a bit minutes that reminded me of why Rocket From The Crypt were great. The rest of the 7" is radness - lots of different genres (with help from Kurt Vile no less!) all infused with cigarettes, sweat and more than a few regrets, readily forgotten...but I like it most when Sarin McHugh is shredding his vocals to next to nothing Buy it here.

The Everymen - Zeppole Ben

Last on the comeback playlist is a band that many have been biting their nails to the quick in anticipation for, Crystal Stilts. Their Alight Of Night was at the very crest of the lo-fi, scuzzy as fuck euphoria of DIY noise pop shenanigans. Now we get to see if the lightning can strike twice, as In Love With Oblivion comes down out of the sky April 12th. Its a Slumberland release, so that will tell you a lot with what to expect... Also, here is the admittedly perfunctory video to accompany the song "Through The Floor"... (Also the Brooklyn band are playing Cargo in London March 30th - although it appears to be sold out!)

Crystal Stilts - Through The Floor

Crystal Stilts "Through The Floor" from Slumberland Records on Vimeo

Welcome back...welcome back, welcome back, welcome back...

Back In The D With My White Denim

White Denim released a great free album last year, Last Day Of Summer, that had us here at Sonic Masala in a lather. But since then its been relatively quiet...until now.

The forthcoming WD album will be entitled D (out in May), and we also have the first track off it - somewhat appropriately titled 'Drug'. They will be playing SXSW, including being on the mammoth dual Mexican Summer/Gorilla Vs Bear showcase, so it wont be long before they are searing themselves on our collective consciences.

White Denim - Drug