Hits From The Box #7

Morning kids! Im typing this whilst hungover, staring out the office window at a blue sky, green foliage everywhere, the smell of freshly mown grass in the air. Im pretty happy - this weekend Ive caught up with long-lost friends, finally met up with Mark Sultan after he put on a blistering one man show, and job prospects are starting to line themselves up. I also remembered why party pies are thermal grenades of death, New York Slice is evil unless eaten at 2am, and that I can almost fit my mobile phone into my mouth without choking - almost... These were all on separate occasions, mind - and regarding eating things that I shouldnt - but still these are thoughts to hold on to.

Now, where's that Bloody Mary?

Starting off this week's Hits From The Box is Mother Sun Flower, a moniker that deceives the listener as to what this stoner metal/psychedelic rock/guitar worship trio from the streets of Baltimore is all about. These guys play music fuelled with fury, flaying the skin of their bodies in a writhing sea of rage. If you know The Flying Eyes (heavy-psych rock) or Whoarfrost (psychedelic grindcore) from the region, then you know what to expect here. They have released their first EP and its a rollicking steam engine of degradation. You can get the EP Mother Sun Fucker here - taste the opening track 'See The Enemy' below.

Mother Sun Flower - See The Enemy

The Two Koreas have a high and avid fan in the guise of Jimmy Shaw from Canadian act Metric -

"These guys are local heroes of mine ... they get together, under the cover of night, sporting patent white leather shoes and rock your face off while you're not looking. Gives me hope for music and all things unplanned."

Whilst my enthusiasm may not be as high, The Two Koreas do have a lot of potential on offer here. They extract the best from favorite rock subgenres including kraut rock, garage, punk, and indie rock, and carefully configuring these potentially explosive substances into one cohesive mix. With Science Island, Two Koreas' third and latest album, the band introduces listeners to some ass-kicking rock 'n' roll and attempts to unveil a new subgenre of its own design: "Glacial-Garage" ("GG" for short). On "Midnight Brown," Two Koreas offer up a quick, punchy nugget of pop which combines primal grooves, expansive and droning guitar lines, capped off with a Motor City-influenced proto-punk sneer. Armed with this potent weapon, upon the release of Science Island on March 1 via Last Gang Records, the Two Koreas hope to take the Western World and much the outer Melanesian Islands by storm.

The Two Koreas - Midnight Brown

Mackaper is an instrumental organ-driven band from Stockholm. The band started with Markus Hulthen and Per Nyström (also a member of the Concretes), both playing organ and a drum machine, some nine years ago. Today the band has expanded to include drums, baritone guitar and saxophone in the live arena, and a whole plethora of instruments and effects in the studio. A bit psychedelic, Mackaper intertwines elements of krautrock, folk, and a little freeform, creating some stark, ethereal mood music. This month is the release of album When All Is Sad And Dawn, which was produced by previous HFTB-er Elias Krantz - you can check out what we thought of him here.

Check out track 'Atlantis' below, as well as the video for 'Tale Of Tales'.

Mackaper - Atlantis



Scanners' single Salvation/Baby Blue is out on February 28th, preceding their second album Submarine out March 21st. 'Salvation' is a dark affair with vocals that resonate through the track in a way that is not dissimilar to PJ Harvey. The lyrics are spine chilling with drums that crash at the points where they are at their darkest, all set of by a brooding, new wave bassline. And like a true B-side, 'Babe Blue' is the complete flipside of 'Salvation', all lush and sunny. These guys are going places - 'Salvation' has been put on the soundtrack of Gossip Girl after all...(Hey, if its good enough for Sonic Youth...)

The band are due to embark on a full UK tour, see below for deets.

8th March- Buffalo Bar- London
14th March- The Hydrant- Brighton
16th March- Louisiana- Bristol
23rd March- The Flapper- Birmingham
24th March- The Duchess- York
28th March- Kasbah- Coventry
29th March- Captains Rest- Glasgow
30th March- Ruby Lounge- Manchester
31st March- Sneaky Pete's- Edinburgh
2nd April- Bodega Social- Nottingham

Scanners - Salvation/Baby Blue by Sainted PR

Dimblely & Capper is the alias of south London singer, producer and remixer Laura Bettinson. Backed by a group of black clad, white mask wearing musicians, the live show is a percussive, organic sounding experience, and has led to support slots with the likes of Local Natives, Chew Lips, Casio Kids and Hockey - where she often undercuts the leading act. The AI lovechild of Alison Goldfrapp and Siouxie Sue, D&C is poised to release single 'Let You Go' with B-Side 'Raise It Right' (on TAPE Records), both of which can be sampled below. She will be playing The Social in London on Wednesday (16th February), whilst she can also be seen at Hoxton Bar & Grill on the 25th.

Let You Go by Dimbleby & Capper

Raise It Right by Dimbleby & Capper

Finally, Plant Magic Man... I received this in the box with very little fanfare, which usually has me throwing it in the trash post haste - but the above picture, the cover art for the EP Julie Kirgo's Album, had me intrigued. Now, I havent quite worked out if this album, purportedly recorded in 2008, is great - but Ive been hooked on it. The six song EP, coming in at under 10 minutes long, is crackly, echoed, fragile folk pop, with a decidedly quirky slant. Its ballerina-in-a-jewelery box like sound is haunting as well as endearing, like a Siren recorded on a 4-track. If anyone can tell me more about this, Id be greatly appreciative, as this bizarre release is stuck in my head, and deservedly so.

Heavy Spacehero

I received this little gem in the inbox last week, and whilst it isnt breaking any new ground on the post-rock corner, it is here on its lonesome as opposed to in tomorrow's Hits From The Box for two reasons...but first, a little about Heavy Spacehero.

Heavy Spacehero is Olli, who is based in Oulu, Finland. He started the project last year, publishing songs one by one, until finally deciding to put out an EP. Enigma is that EP. Which is all well and good - and it is pretty solid, three tracks of mood and atmosphere. The two things that got my interest though are the instrumentation and the samples that make up the 'lyrics' of the tracks. The music is (apart from the drums) all done on bass guitars, which was a pretty sweet touch (especially on the squalling noise that outros 'This Is Where New Lives Are Born'), whilst the samples are from some of my favourite movies - Brad Pitt from Seven waxes lyrical on madness in 'Behind These Eyes', whilst on 'Just Another Dimension' Christopher Lloyd gets all crazy eyed as Doc Brown from Back To The Future.

You can grab Enigma on the official website here.

Heavy Spacehero - Just Another Dimension

Civilian Oak

Baltimore's indie folkies Wye Oak are bringing Civilian to life via Merge Records/City Slang in early March. Its going to be intriguing, as they have employed John Congleton to twiddle the knobs in the studio - he who beefed up the likes of Modest Mouse, Shearwater and The Thermals, adding lushness to boot. And if the title track is anything to go by, we will get a lot of Jenn Wasner's plaintive vocals and lyrics about aloneness, and a lot of Andy Stack's heavy emotive instrumentation - both of which Im more than fine with! 'Civilian' is a great song - one of my favourites for the year.

Wye Oak arent sitting idly by for the album to come out either, currently touring Europe with Cold War Kids (whose new album Mine Is Yours is actually OK - go figure...) before playing two shows in London. They support Cold War Kids at Koko on the 23rd February, but if you wanna just get a taste of the Oak then head to Monto Water Rats the day before (22nd February) - this is also their first ever headlining show in London, so if I were you, this would be the gig to be heading along to. Then they swing back to the US to play tunes with Lower Dens (who swing by London in April with Deerhunter - yay!) and Callers - plus one rad show in Iowa in early April with Titus Andronicus! 2011 - the Wye of the Oak...

Wye Oak - Civilian

Domestic Trackside At The Mogwai Grand Prix

Mogwai's much anticipated LP Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Rock Action/Sub Pop) comes out on Monday - Ive been dying to talk about it for months! - so that is something to look forward to. But in true SM style, we will give you yet another taster of what to expect. The Glaswegian noise-o's have released another single off the album (with great artwork again - see above...) - 'Mexican Grand Prix', with a new track 'Slight Domestic' as the B-Side. Its great Mogwai, with the b-side holding strongly to the added use of piano and strings (!) to drive the mood along - and whilst there isnt the same cathartic explosion of sound that marked their earlier efforts, the song is more reminiscent of fourth album Happy Songs For Happy People - one of my favourite albums ever - so its great! But, of course Im biased...

Mogwai embark on a worldwide tour on Sunday, starting in Belfast before doing the UK (London on the 25th Feb), Europe and North America. No news as yet on their return Down Under - but it will happen...

Mogwai - Mexican Grand Prix
Mogwai - Slight Domestic

Circling The Sewer

Sydney's cesspool dwellers Circle Pit are making a messy name for themselves of late, and with the right stage partners (Zond, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Thee Oh Sees, Super Wild Horses) and the release of new 7" Sewercide (RIP Society/Sweet Rot Records), its easy to see why. The A-side comes across as Sonic Youth at their most feral, which is helped in no small part by the visceral noise and Amanda Bermuda's uncanny Kim Gordon impersonation. The sweat has been fused into the wax, and you cannot listen to this without feeling deliciously dirty, both inside and out. B-side 'Rolling With The Punches' is a throwback to the late 70s/early 80s garage rock - you could almost hear bands like even T-Rex fist pumping this one out at a stadium show, although it is a bit more drunken and disgusting than Marc Bolan can do. Because Circle Pit, for all the scuzziness, are a glam rock band also - and these two songs perfectly capture the two sides of the band (and also counts for their varying fashion sense, swing from punk as fuck to uber hipster as fuck sometimes in the same week). If you want to get all nihilistic and kick holes in the nearest surface and/or person, or just get all boozed up and shake your head back and forth whilst your long mullet flicks into the next pundit's VB can, Circle Pit can cater for your needs...

Circle Pit - Sewercide
Circle Pit - Rolling With The Punches

Japanther Scuffing Their Rhythm Up Tonight!

Its been a while since we talked up an Upset The Rhythm gig, but we have one for you now, headlined by an act that I came across accidentally. Near the end of 2009, my friend Dan had downloaded what he had thought was the album that I was talking to him about at a party some time previous. When he put it on, I was immediately perplexed at the scuzzy as fuck scattershot punk that was coming out of the speakers...and were they really singing about River Phoenix?

Turns out that the album Dan thought was Japandroids' Post Nothing was actually Japanther's Scuffed Up My Huffy - and a new favourite band was born. Japanther may have started out as an art project, but their profanity-fuelled sampled introductions, incredibly loud scuzzy guitars and nonchalant viewpoint on just about every aspect of society makes these crazy Brooklynites an absolute must-see. They are to be supported by Bitches (we have talked about them here) and Shellshag.

Japanther et al are playing The Dome tonight for 8 squid. Dont worry - there are plenty of tickets on the door. This will be a cacophonous clusterfuck of a gig, which means a lot of booze, a lot of noise, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Japanther's Rock N Roll Ice Cream is out now.

Japanther - River Phoenix

Watch No Joy - Hawaii

My mate Andy sent me this clip of LA/Montreal ladies No Joy for their song 'Hawaii', which you can find on their stellar Mexican Summer release Ghost Blonde. We always meant to cover that album here - we've been fans of their earlier stuff, and Paul called dibs on this album in fact - but for whatever reason it fell by the wayside. So, watch this great (and slightly NSFW) video, and hunt down that album - it is great, really great. They have a busy touring schedule lined up too - spending the best part of this month touring Stateside and Canada as part of the Best Coast/Wavves entourage, before doing a couple of solo shows in London (including a White Heat @ Madame Jojo's show on March 1st - thats 5 quid! Get your tix now!!!), before becoming the support slot for Surfer Blood as they do the UK. Thats about 4 different shows in London, people. Get on it.

No Joy - Hawaii from Salazar on Vimeo.

Seven Feathers Rainwater And The 15 Magical Apples...

It was rather fortuitous that I was handed the new album by Seven Feathers Rainwater the same week that band member Taylor Christensen dropped us a line here to discuss 15 Apple Magicians (out on Moondial Records). The Salt Lake City band follow in the psych freak folk footsteps of the likes of early Animal Collective and Akron/Family, and this LP is the perfect showcase. I have to be honest - having listened to a couple of albums in the past fortnight that seem to have the sonic DNA of the aforementioned bands (plus an upcoming review of Akron/Family's newie), I found it hard to differentiate where the influences ended and Seven Feathers Rainwater began. Then I threw it on Monday evening - and it made sense. And it has made more sense, right up until the writing of this, where I cant imagine listening to anything else. It is that good.

Taylor himself describes Seven Feathers Rainwater's sound as "kind of a drone-loop-sample-synth-pop-tribal-LSD-stargazing thing" - which is apt, if unwieldy and elongated. The reverb, the sudden bursts of effects-drenched distorted guitar, the echoing vocals, all stretches to breaking point, but remains elastic enough sonically to rebound back in on itself and start afresh. There is also some real cosmic wanderings on tracks like 'Dandelion', whilst opener 'Indian Casino' washes over you in a dreamlike mist before exploding in a freak-folk melancholia replete with concussive blasts and weird harmonics. Hell, even 'There Is Still Here' has a Transformers-esque...err, transforming effect in there. Its a warped record, but a beautifully constructed one.

Furthermore, the collaborators that Seven Feathers Rainwater get are explanation enough of the themes inherent in the record. Stag Hare and Andy Czar of Jackie-O Motherfucker help to fill in some of the gaps...

What I love about it is its sense of place - I feel like I should be reading Carlos Castenada in the Mojaves with an rucksack of peyote and drums of water, sans communication, food, or clothes. There is a real connection to the other here - you cant help but succumb to the tribal drones. So, the blueprint of this sound may have been initiated by Animal Collective, but its the breakthrough of that band that allows Seven Feathers Rainwater to get their day in the sun - and, hopefully, then some.

15 Apple Magicians is out now. There exists a run of completely unique hand-made LP jackets (in addition to the regular run) made by the band and artists from around Salt Lake and Portland, including Daniel Chamberlain of Arthur Magazine. Well worth hunting down. Dont be surprised if thus becomes a cult classic.

Seven Feathers Rainwater - Indian Casino

These Paper Cuts Don't Fade Away

Sometimes it takes a "right place-right time" type situation before someone can get their sound (or shit) together. The National had to wait til their brilliant fourth album Alligator before the plaudits trickled in, and its was another two before they climbed onto mainstream festival stages.
For Jason Quever, the San Fransiscan that calls himself Papercuts, four could be the lucky number also - his latest album, Falling Parades (his first on Sub Pop), is a lyrical, windswept gem of dreamy, spangly guitar pop.

Whilst his music has garnered praise in the past, and he has had an impressive support slot tally - playing with the likes of Grizzly Bear, Camera Obscura and Beach House - two things seem to have fallen in place here. Its the production values that really ramp up the warmth inherent in these tunes (thanks Sub Pop), and the wavering beauty that the melodies create are brought together more succinctly, if still somewhat hazy (thanks close friends Beach House). These things have allowed Quaver to expand on his dream pop meanderings, whilst also crafting songs that are concise and more complete than in past offerings. 'Marie Says You've Changed' has an, almost marching band like coda at its end; 'Winter Daze' takes a colder hue to its dreamlike canvas, the brushed drums and minimalist piano offering heartbreak between the spaces as well as swelling within the sounds. And above all, Quever soars, his lyrics as elegiac and melancholic as you could expect - but there is something refreshing in his search for the subtleties that lie inherent in what makes a pop song tick. These songs wont bludgeon into sugary submission; rather they will caress you, lull you away from you preconceptions and lure you into the hazy night, never to return...

Falling Parades is out on March 1st.

Papercuts - Do You Really Wanna Know
Papercuts - Winter Daze

Peter Pants Are Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down...

LA riot grrl outfit Peter Pants LA riot grrl outfit consists of a co-ed line-up with two girl singers and two handsome men holding down the bass and guitar. Nikki Godinez (guitar/vocals) and Lia Braswell (drums/vocals) met in Feb 2010 and were instantly bandmates in Ostrich Eyes. They have since found Michael Reyder (guitar) and Greg Shilton (bass/drums), having morphed into Peter Pants, and have just released Handsome Women, their new EP. Their influences and sounds are many - 'Streets Or No Streets' holds some of the Pretty Girls Make Graves style punk, whilst silly tunes such as 'Beaker' evoke the more obvious comparison to Dalston trio Trash Kit for their irreverence and mania. Overall, its a short (but sweet) garage punk album.

Handsome Women is out now.

Peter Pants - Streets Or Not Streets
Peter Pants - Beaker

J Mascis Isnt Done Yet

J Mascis' solo effort Several Shades Of Why (out on Sub Pop) is getting closer to launch time, and to have us salivating even more he's thrown us a second track from it. Its called 'Is It Done?', a beautifully whimsical acoustic number that still highlights Mascis' husky, strained vocals, but also surprises with backing vocals from Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell and a nice little bit of Dinosaur Jr-esque distorted guitar break midway through. This album is promising to be something quite special. And if you're Stateside, you can see J Mascis as he tours the country - first with Kurt Vile in March/April, then picking up with the Black Heart Procession in May.

J Mascis - Is It Done?

A Lil Bit Of Youthful Carpark Magic

Carpark Records - responsible for putting out Toro Y Moi's Underneath The Pine (gee, this album really made an impression on me today...), pointed me in the direction of Young Magic, an Australian one man psych-synthostrobic act, and his 7" release You With Air/Sparkly. Its a slick groove-laden release, both songs evoking a sense of dark ambient electronics that are akin to Sonic Masala faves Forest Swords, especially in 'You With Air', in their disparate and hypnotic take on the soundscapes that many drag/witch house labeled acts have tried to commit to tape and have consequently eviscerated beyond repair. I mentioned earlier that there are bands to have come out of the murk that was chillwave to evolve into altogether more ethereal musical beings - Young Magic barely touched the rancid waters, which may speak wonders for his future.

Young Magic's 7" can be bought here - the debut LP is on its way - Im looking forward to it with bated breath. If you are heading along to South By South West in Austin this March, you can see what the fuss is all about - he's on the Carpark/Paw Tracks Showcase, where he'll take the stage alongside such esteemed acts as Prince Rama, the aforementioned Toro Y Moi, and Cloud Nothings - nice.

Young Magic - You With Air
Young Magic - Sparkly

(NB It transpires that Isaac, the brainchild of Young Magic, used to be in a flamboyant and ever-so-slightly shit Brisbane act called Flamingo Crash, but is now based primarily in Brooklyn. This may explain a lot for his heady evolution in sound...)

The Exceptional Empire Express - Heavenly Brilliance

The post/krautrock ensemble Empire Express are based in Stockholm, Sweden. The band has been embraced by artists like Broken Social Scene, Stars and Faust - all Canadian bands/artists/collectives, and won The Music Think Tank International Awards & Festival 2010 in their genre with the song 'Stronge 7 km'. Their "top friends" on Myspace list Explosions In The Sky, Mono, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, ...And You Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead, Do Make Say Think and Dinosaur Jr. They have only played a handful of shows, almost all of which have been in their home country.

And whilst this will give an indication of the calibre of this group, forget all that. You must know only this - Valleyland is fucking amazing. This is the kind of post-rock album that the titans refrain from making anymore, so thank you Empire Express! Valleyland has the perfect blend of harmonious melodies, whimsy and cascading sonics, so much so that opener 'Stronge 7km' - their first ever written song - was hailed by Faust's Zappi Diermaier as his favourite song ever. And he isnt half wrong - this entire album is exquisite, in the way that Explosions In The Sky are, but with horns. Thats Empire Express in a nutshell then - Explosions... with horns.

If this band doesnt go stratospheric this year, its a crime. Do not miss out on this one - pick it up ASAP and guaranteed it will become jammed in your subconscious for days - nay, months - to come. Gush...

Valleyland is out now through Western Lodge Records.

Empire Express - Stronge 7km
Empire Express - Asil (part 1)

Woodsman Are On Far From Rare Form

I have been mightily excited about Woodsman's Rare Forms album since midway through last year, when I stumbled across their EP Mystery Tapes and systematically lost my shit. And before I say "I told you so" - and I will - I found it absolutely infuriating (and a little ironic seeing as I had just reviewed Toro Y Moi's newie Underneath The Pine - see that review here) that some of the initial thoughts labelled the sound of the new LP as chillwave.

Chill-fucking-wave?!?!

Im sorry - maybe Ive been confused all this time about what that supposed "genre" was all about (and yes, its in past tense, because the fucking thing is DEAD. The best bands and artists that spawned out of that sound have grown exponentially since then and have invariable spurned the genre, whilst the rest died from internal haemorraging after participating in a 24hr bumming circle with themselves). Shouldnt there be sampling, effects, loops, and hypnagogic bullshit as opposed to live instrumentation and inventive percussion that swirls into a psychedelic haze that only strengthens as it stretches taut? Sure, there are shoegaze and psych elements in most of today's music scenes, but generally those who are labeled 'chillwave' come across as trite, self-involved and...well, shit. Or its incredibly lazy journalism. Or both. Usually both.

Wow. Talk about angsty...

But back to the review. I cant say that Rare Forms is an original album in the sense that some of the tracks have more than a couple of Animal Collective's fingerprints molded into the amber, especially the middle pair of tracks 'I Cant Move' and 'Future Pulls' - melded as one it is like hearing a rustic hoedown cover of 'Banshee Beat'. Even 'Beat The Heat' cant escape this comparison, despite the haunting harmonics and tribal drumming that swirls to the forefront of the track - and this is solely due to the new vocal additions by band member Mark Demolar. But that should not be a bad thing - and the rest of the album justifies this momentary aping, as the Denver trio endeavour to capitalise on the gruff axe-wielding haziness that Mystery Tape intimated. The dark 'No Dialogue' is an Earth-esque desolate instrumental with Branca-esque dissonance, whilst on 'Burial Ground' the percussion rises into a cacophonous maelstrom ridden by soaring choral vocals. Opener 'Insects' retains much of the sound inherent in their earlier stuff, and remains just as exciting, enhanced by Demolar's off-kilter vocals.

So even though this was not the instrumental psychedelic blitkrieg I had envisioned, it is an utterly beguiling album nonetheless, and should not be hindered by its adherence to certain AC traits. It is a tightly wound yet surreal sonic journey, and heralds an exciting band that will surely flourish in the next 12 months.

And they aren't fucking chillwave.

Rare Forms is out on Lefse Records - buy it here.

Woodsman - Insects
Woodsman - Beat The Heat

Dont Put Moi Underneath The Pine

Chazwick Bundick hasnt graced the hallowed halls here yet, which is probably not a surprise. What may raise some eyebrows is the fact that neither has his musical stage name made an impact here. Toro Y Moi has been the toast of the blog intelligentsia over the past twelve months, and for whatever reason I have been able (or willing) to let his musical stylings slide by. Now there is a reason why all hyped bands do not make these pages - Bear In Heaven, seriously, what the fuck? - and especially as for some time (and in some some quarters it is still insistent) that he is part of the chillwave movement. Im not against chillwave at all - apart from the name of course - but there are too many bands lumped in this genre who offer absolutely nothing other than some elongated samples, effects noodling...and no soul. They are blatantly enveloped by the notion that being hip is all it takes - and with his current album being streamed on the Urban Outfitter's website, Toro Y Moi is teetering perilously close to that abyss.

That said, Underneath The Pine (out through Carpark Records 22nd February) blew all preconceptions out of the ballpark. It is a beautiful progression out of the vexed chillwave into a much warmer, soulful place, where melody and song structure holds sway with a definitive wink and nod to 70s funk, with some 60s psych pop colouring the edges. The album is more complete than his counterparts have shown over the past year, which is helped in no small part by acquiring live instrumentation. Songs like 'How I Know' and 'New Beat' brings Jackson 5 kicking and screaming into the 21st century, before busting out the boogie; whereas 'Good Hold' is a warped piano ballad that trips just left of the rainbow fields; 'Before Im Done' is Elliott Smith if he'd grown up in 1960s California; and 'Divina' has a decidedly psychedelic guitar groan at the beginning before become a sunkissed meandering pop track a la John Lennon (!). Yet every track here is bound by two factors - the shimmering soundscapes of the sadly-named chillwave movement, and a decidedly overt basis in funk and soul that pushes each song to a danceable limit. Even the aforementioned 'Divina' will have you swaying like a cloudy-minded hippie -

Now I cannot write off anything that has come before now, being a TYM virgin before now, but Underneath The Pine celebrates both the origins of his synth laden sounds and the record collections of his youth in a beautiful transmogrification of a "then is now" dynamic. This elevates itself above the ambient nadir that chillwave has inevitably become, and chooses to embrace the future. Toro Y Moi may have been besmirched by the notion that he helped start this stylistic zeitgeist (along with Washed Out, who are another amazing band that are undeserved of the ball-and-chain elements of the genre moniker), but he has broken these shackles to shine in the spotlight - or, surprisingly, the centre of the dancefloor.

Toro Y Moi is about to embark on an Australian tour, where he'll touch down at Brisbane's Woodland on February 24th (buy tix here), just before the Queensland capital is inundated with hardcore pundits vouching for the Soundwave festival and all it contains. If you want to get your shimmery groove on, this will be the time! He toured the UK at the end of 2010, but he will be breezing his way through there again later in the year.

Underneath The Pine is out February 22nd.

Toro Y Moi - New Beat
Toro Y Moi - How I Know

Watch Delicate Steve - The Ballad Of Pebble & Speck

I know next to nothing about Delicate Steve, but caught this track on great blog Rand0m Sh1t yesterday. I quite like the song - love the film clip. He's (they's?) touring with Akron/Family on their North American tour though, so that is a pretty sweet slot. He (they?) has (have?) an album out too - Wondervisions - might be worth chasing down I reckon!

Captured On Clang Quartet

Independent drone label Silber Records are putting out a brace of free EPs, on of which is Caught On Ava, a one track propulsive dirge by performance/noise act Clang Quartet. Heading off into the desolate, dark, green-tinged sunset, 'Ava' is over thirty minutes of cacophony, chaos, improvisation, noise and silence. It was recorded from a live performance at the Ava Gardner Independent Film Festival back in September 2008. Its actually quite coherent despite how disparate the various homemade instrumentations may seem at times. Its a percussive near-masterstroke - although the adherence to faith is unclear, it doesnt deter from the aural journey. Im listening to it for the second time as I sit in the office gazing out at the green foliage outside, the rain steadily coming down - its striking a Merzbow-like chord. Interesting stuff.

Download 'Ava' below - it is 56MB though, but worthy, even for a one-off experience.

Clang Quartet - Ava

And while your at it check out Silber's webzine QRD - this month they talk to guitarists, including two of my faves Alan Sparhawk (Low/Retribution Gospel Choir) and Jeff Schneider (Arab On Radar) - pretty sweet.

Swilling Children Brings Devastating Results...

Ace record label Swill Children are releasing two great 7"s.

First up is a split between Brooklyn's Hunters and Montreal's Dead Wife. The A Side has already received the star treatment - what with Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner on mixing duties and Smashing Pumpkin James Iha in the producer's chair - and the sounds are electrifying, really grinding and brutal, whilst the B Sides keep it lo-fi, with tape deck explosions and crackly noise. I like both bands - Hunters' 'Deadbeat' is the pick of the tracks (their EP can be grabbed here), but Dead Wife offer a real sense of Riot Grrl gone awry that tickles the degraded punk soul that inhabits us all.


The second 7" is just exciting. W-H-I-T-E (White Horses In Technicolour Everywhere), otherwise known as Cory Thomas Hanson, has carved a slice of reverb-drenched ethereal brilliance. Really, 'Fountain' is an amazingly catchy track, due in no small part by Hanson's soaring vocal harmony, and combined with that insistent drum beat, the song cascades over you, drowning you in its watery ecstasies. The B-Side is just as good, with a remix by hype darlings Amen Dunes, and this is just as good, setting the track on a different spatial plane altogether. 'Fountain' is actually the single of upcoming LP Twin Tigers, an album that Im eagerly awaiting...

You can grab both of these release at the Swill Children store. Im massively impressed, and cant help but think that all three of these acts are going to shake things up this year.

Hunters - Deadbeat
Dead Wife - RX From Dr Gay
W-H-I-T-E - Fountain

Let The Bronx Stymie The Flood...

As you may already know, the Australian state of Queensland was ravaged by floods over Christmas 2010 and January 2011, culminating in over 30 lives lost and over $1 billion in damages, in what is one of the greatest natural disasters in the continent's history. There have been immeasurable amounts of support from volunteers up to celebrities doing auctions and giving donations, but there is still a long way to go.

So up steps LA hardcore clusterfucks The Bronx. In what is a left of field and yet fucking brilliant turn of events, The Bronx (one of my all time favourite live acts), along with Trash Talk (your 3rd chance to see these guys in a week!), Terror and H2O, are taking time out of their Soundwave festival obligations and are putting on a flood benefit of their own. Its to be held at the Step Inn on Friday February 25th. Tickets are $40(ish). The brilliant thing here is that $38 of that is going to the flood relief! Generous indeed, and well done to Soundwave and Custom-Made Touring for pushing this. And whats more, with the tiny venue that Step Inn offers, this is going to be a crazily unforgettable event. Get in quick - not only are you supporting the cause, but you are buying a ticket to one of 2011's best.

The Bronx - Knifeman
Kong - Count To Nine (ft Matt Caughtran - The Bronx)

Watch Grails - Daughters of Bilitis

Grails'Deep Politics comes out March 8th - we featured a taste last week - and here is another one, just as deliciously dark and warped as ever. Im loving Temporary Residence's output this year - with the imminent Young Widows and Explosions In The Sky albums, its gonna be a huge 2011...

GRAILS - Daughters of Bilitis from The Fact Facer on Vimeo.

Watch White Laces - Motorik Twilight

Here's the new video for White Laces' 'Motorik Twilight', off the selftitled EP we covered late last year. Cheap and nasty...

White Laces - Motorik Twilight from White Laces on Vimeo.

Young Widows Show No Heart - Thank Fuck

Old Wounds was one of the most criminally underrated albums of 2008. Fuck it - Young Widows is one of the most underrated bands out there. Here's hoping that their new LP, In And Out Of Youth And Lightness (out on Temporary Residence). Whilst having only heard the single 'Future Heart', this album promises to be a contender for best noise rock album of the year. Whilst still dark as fuck - it was recorded at a funeral home, just because I guess? - there is talk of much more expansion in the build up to the guttural explosions that YW are infamous for, which should to give them a much more devastating response. I am positively salivating at the brutal possibilities here! The tracklist is below:

“Young Rivers”
“Future Heart”
“In and Out of Lightness”
“Lean on the Ghost”
“The Muted Man”
“Right in the End”
“Miss Tambourine Wrist”
“White Golden Rings”
“In and Out of Youth”

In And Out Of Youth And Lightness isnt out til April. Cant wait that long? Grab the Future Heart 7" with B Side 'Rose Window' here - or hunt down one of the four 7" splits they did on Temporary Residence in 2009 (with SM faves My Disco, Melt Banana, Pelican and Bonnie "Prince" Billy) - too much Young Widows is never enough.

Young Widows - Future Heart

Labouring over Parts Of The Future

Just a quick post for Brooklyn math noise band Parts & Labor, as they prep upcoming LP Constant Future. The title track has been released as a taster before the album comes out on Jagjaguwar on March 8th. The intricacy and intensity are all present and accounted for, and with producer Dave Fridmann at the controls (Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips), it will be a polished affair. You can go over to Parts & Labor's official website to stream some of the other tracks.

Parts & Labor will be playing a glut of show at SXSW in March before coming over to London and taking over Camp Basement in May.

Parts & Labor - Constant Future

C'mon, Lets Get Low!

C'Mon is the title of the new Low album due out on April 12th on Sub Pop. From all intents and purposes we might be seeing a much brighter outlook from the revered Minnesotans, which is good or bad news depending what quarter you come from - Alan Sparhawk says that the album will be “warm, pretty, large like Nashville without the country. Mim (Parker) and I are talking to each other in the lyrics, sometimes it's not pretty, but it's as honest as love.”...

Any new release from Low is amazing news,and we even have a taster in the form of 'Try To Sleep', which is as breezy as these guys can get. And it gets better - besides an intimate show at St David's Sanctuary at SXSW, they are playing Radio City Music Hall in April with Explosions In The Sky (if you are anywhere near New York on the 6th of April, this gig is an absolute imperative!), plus playing at Primavera Sound and a headlining show at the Barbican in London on June 3rd. Ive seen Low a number of times - an intimate show at Brisbane's The Troubadour being an absolute highlight, where they employed Mick Turner of The Dirty Three on support duties - and these will be unmissable events.

Low - Try To Sleep

Hits From The Box #6

I sit in the office writing up this week's Hits From The Box in a condition that I have become rather unfamiliar with in previous years - its fucking hot. Sweat is dripping off me; my shirt is stuck to me; my hangover is beating down on me...but all for the greater good. Cos here we have more Hits From The Box to start off your week...

Year Of The Tiger are an electro-rock trio from Brooklyn (consisting of a computer (Henry controls beats), guitar (Kevin wields the axe), and a mic (Sable AKA the mouthpiece)) and have just released Good Day For A Tiger, their first EP. Whilst some of their stuff is inevitably going to be compared to the 2010 zeitgeist-y Sleigh Bells, there is a level of wanton abandon and a 'just get shitfaced and lose yourself on the dancefloor' attitude that adds a certain amount of angst and abrasion here. You can pick up this EP for free too - nice little bonus!

Year Of The Tiger - Heart Of Steel
Year Of The Tiger - Rockit

Concubines is a one-man indie band that straddles the pop spectrum of the past 30 years. In late 2010, having spent the past four years touring and sleeping in the back of a beaten up old van, the last other founding member of Andy Death's (AD) then noise rock band, Ono Palindromes quit. With the only seeming option being to begin searching for another new member to join the fold, AD retreated into the converse worlds of pop and experimental music. The result? 'Darkness', which is a brooding synth-swathed number that grabs elements of Gary Numan, New Romantic pop, and David Bowie. AD is now penning more material with recording due to take place in late February, with an initial EP release pencilled in for May 2011. AD is currently in the process of recruiting members to bring Concubines to life in a more intuitive/ natural way befitting a live show.

Concubines - Darkness

Like Concubines, Harry Crampton is one man stepping out to carve a new groove in an existing formula.Harry has been playing as a solo artist around London for the past year, he has now replaced his acoustic guitar for an electric and is currently working on a new EP which people have already started to compare it to the likes of Sonic Youth, Pixies and Tom Waits. Im not as convinced, but his 'Cut By The Sand' shows some promise - the caught at the bottom of a well vocals and shoebox reverb guitar swells are impressive. Certainly one to keep an eye on...

Harry Crampton - Cut By The Sand

Drugg are a new act about to release Shackled, a 12" EP on This Is Music. This London duo are generating a bit of buzz already - Impose Magazine featured them recently - and I can see why. The insistent electronic soundscapes crafted by Drugg are enhanced by the people they collaborate with (such as ambient darling oOoOO, who they are also supporting at the Old Blue Last on March 24th), none more so than this remix of their track 'Crooks' by Visions Of Trees.

Drugg - Crooks (VoT remix)

Its an interesting world in the orbit of (ex) London act Panic Attract. One side project, A Sofa Made Of Dust, has made the rounds already here on Planet Sonic Masala, whilst we featured the new sounds of the band that has risen out of the ashes, Pet Scenes. Now Greg from the band has announced his own gear under the moniker Vad Vacker. Its dark/cinematic electronica. And to keep the intermarriage thang going, one track 'All Dressed In Stone' features Bob Constant from A Sofa Made Of Dust.

Vad Vacker - All Dressed In Stone (ft. Bob Constant - A Sofa Made Of Dust)

Finally, CatNip Tea. After a several year hiatus and relocation, this ambitious Santa Fe band have released Act I, The System - Live At Stage B, a four track album that showcases their prog rock in its live capacity. It works in some places, meanders in others, but is an interesting release all the same that you can check out here.

CatNip Tea - Extinction Of Harlots

Happy Sunday!

Ringo Deathstarr Colour The Trip Fantastic

Ringo Deathstarr release Colour Trip on February 14th on Club AC30 (pre-order it here), and the Texans have fashioned a very moreish album of shapely psychedelic fuzz pop tunes. Whilst it is not exactly an original sound - think a heavy slathering of My Bloody Valentine via Dandy Warhols via a smidge of Velvet Underground - it is incredibly accomplished, and the boy/girl vocal interplay is very engaging. The bubblegum sleaze of 'Tambourine Girl' is a great pop gem that melts down in the final third, whilst tracks like 'Imagine Hearts' and 'Chloe' soar on the wall of sound as much as they grind along - all of which arent easy things to make endearing, but Ringo Deathstarr do it with aplomb, crafting something that could appear redundant into something that is a repeated listens release.

Ringo Deathstarr havent been strangers to the UK shores of late, and the love is set to continue with some shows coming up this month, culminating in a Lexington show on the 17th of February.

Ringo Deathstarr - Imagine Hearts

TV Colours Are All Growed Up

TV Colours, a discordant garage mess of a one man band from Canberra, or Sydney, depends what mood he is in. The 'he' in question is Bobby Kill, and he is about to release a split 7'' with another promising Aussie act, Assassins 88, via Dream Damage. This split is important for TV Colours, as he joins in with Assassins 88 to kick arse as a live band. I just missed them play here in Brisbane last week, but Im sure he'll (they'll?) be back - TV Colours' debut LP is being primed for next year...

TV Colours - The Kids Are All Grown Up

Death Rides His Horse Along Rayon Beach

Rayon Beach only finished dropping a call to arms with their HoZaC Records contribution Memory Teeth, a crazy-good 12'' that more people need to listen to! So now they come back at us with this delectably sleazy 7" (on Plastic Spoons Records, who also put out the only Fresh & Onlys release Ive actually liked, Vanishing Cream 7''). Death Rides A Horse is three tracks of hedonistic surf psych gunk, slabs of fang-baring fun that is impressive in its unbridled abandon. Imagine, if you will, a group of hippies force-fed speed by the spoonful, washed down with Gatorade (or another electrolyte-fuelled energy drink - we dont do product placement here...) - that is Rayon Beach. Dont ask me how - but they have given woozy psych a much needed injection of wanton aggression. This is fucking exciting stuff - buy it now!

Rayon Beach - Death Rides A Horse

You can catch Rayon Beach in their hometown of Austin, Texas in March when they grace HoZaC Records' SXSW Showcase with their presence, alongside other SM faves Heavy Times, Fungi Girls and Reading Rainbow - check out the poster below...

Serendipitious! Plankton Wat Leads To Eternal Tapestry

I started off the week stating how Plankton Wat's In Magical Light is a woozy epic of Earth-like explorations (check it out here), and now (thanks to Raven Sings The Blues) I can end the working week with Eternal Tapestry, PW's Dewey Mahood's 'day job'. They are going to be releasing an album, Beyond The 4th Door, on one of my favourite labels, Thrill Jockey, on March 15th. Here in both mp3 and video form is the first taster. Talk about an amazing 30th birthday present...now Im off to Laneway Festival to see the likes of PVT, Deerhunter, Holy Fuck and Warpaint, with Saturday marking the end of an era - the last Onyas show in Brisbane! See you suckers on Sunday!

Eternal Tapestry - Galactic Derelict

Eternal Tapestry - Galactic Derelict from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Fidhaws? Fictions? Impressions? Branca!

Just thought Id give a deserving mention to the artist fydhws - yes, fydhws...

fydhws is a solo project from Prilep, Republic of Macedonia. All the tracks on albums Impresii (Impressions) and Fikcii (Fictions) are home recordings, taken without any special equipment, one electric guitar, a digital processor, FL Studio program (for drum sections), and a MIDI controller in some parts of Fikcii. Impresii wears its influences wholeheartedly on its sleeve, but this is no bad thing, when said influences include Sonic Youth, Spaceman 3, and Glenn Branca...

Fikcii is recorded with the opposite approach, not trying to build some predefined "rock" structure but letting the drones flow.

Its all quite lovely, and deserved of your time - head over to fydhws' Bandcamp to pick these two disparate soundscape albums up, pronto!

fydhws - =7+1 (from Impresii)
fydhws - Part 02 (from Fikcii)

Dancin In The Street

The 2011 St Jerome's Laneway Festival kicks off in Australia today, taking residence in the Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Its a sweet lineup too - Deerhunter, Warpaint, Holy Fuck, PVT, Blonde Redhead, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, just to name a few. Its good to see little 'boutique' festivals like this one flourishing Down Under, when held in comparison to the behemoth (and bogan-filled) Big Days Out and the like. And Im heading along - a unexpected birthday gift - so Ill give you a report of the weird and wonderful next week!

Squiggly Shit and Methadone - Getting Blissed Out...

You know when you are watching Trash Humpers for the tenth time in a row, and the roof of your mouth starts caving in, followed by the teddy bears sitting adjacent to you firing up the crack pipe whilst talking about bonsai plants and acrid aromatherapy, and all you can think about is a nice cool glass of watered down ice?

No? Well, you are about to find out what that feels like

3MPIR3 §†Å†3 (AKA Empire State) is the first full length disc from BL§§D ØU† (AKA Blissed Out), out last Tuesday digitally - there's going to be vinyl pressings available as of next week. Its nine songs of general ambient decay. Dont ask me how, but these guys have created sounds that infiltrate and dirty your mind in such a way that you actually crave a methadone comedown. This is creepy chillwave - creepwave? - that is both repellent and oh so addictive. Its also very very good.

If you are in New York City tonight, Blissed Out is playing a show with White Ring at Santos Party House.

BL§§D ØU† - ÅMB3R ÅL3R†

Blissed Out - Myrtle Wyckoff from Sterling Crispin on Vimeo.

Black Eagle Peaks The Blackest Rainbow

This one is a little late, but Blackest Rainbow put out a pretty sweet split LP between Black Eagle Child and Donato Epiro at the arse end of last year. Both acts have released stuff on labels such as Digitalis and Stunned Records, but here they are married together (and both debuting on vinyl) in a elegant display of guitar collage majesty. Black Eagle Child (AKA Milwaukee-ite Michael Jantz) interlays his rustic beauties with glockenspiel, accordion and the slightest of field recordings to offer a whimsical meandering journey through the gap between sunset and night, whilst Italian Donato Empiro presses his guitar into more experimental realms, the strings sounding much more metallic and loose, and the effects laden over the top implies a drone aesthetic that provides a darker tension to the songs. All in all this is a great instrumental release, one that wont get the praise it deserves, despite its intricacy and tendency to warrant many listens in what is essentially an exploration of the darkness before the light.

Black Eagle Child - Manitowoc
Donato Epiro - Loro Della Linfa Io Del Sangue

Dune Rats Sex It Up On The Beach

Just a quick post to introduce Dune Rats, a scuzzy duo from Brisbane that are slowly building up the street cred with their throwaway garage rock. They show a hell of a lot of promise - and if you are in Brisbane tonight you can catch them as they set about releasing their new (most likely sexually infected) EP Sexy Beach into the wild. They are playing the Alhambra Lounge after 9pm tonight for $10. Nice!

Dune Rats - Color TV
Dune Rats - Wooo!