Fortunate Visions Of A Metallic Country

London experimentalists Vision Fortune are adept at creating dark repetitive dystopias that are hypnotic, off-kilter and off-putting - yet inimitably danceable. Taking a queue from likeminded twisted wizards Liars, their approach to music is devilish yet playful - like a cat playing with a dying mouse. Yet we all enjoy watching brutal animal documentaries, right? David Attenborough is a global treasure based on our morbid fascination with the dog-eat-dog world. So it goes with Vision Fortune's second album Country Music (their first on ATP Recordings - out in February 10), which they will be touring around Europe in March (I'll be in Australia when they play the Ace Hotel in London, unfortunately). 'Dry Mouth' has been out for a couple months, but it's good to delve into its metallic allure, a carapace of vice and disarray, once more.


And now there is this second taste, 'Back Crawl II', a seemingly more insular, percolating track that devolves into a chaotic mess of metal and mire. Excellent.

Fuck The Red Wing

And now for something completely different...

Hibou got me through the post-alcohol shakes, but now I need to ramp up so I don't go to sleep. And with Fuck Buttons, it'll never happen - not just because the noise the duo create is ear-splitting, but the only dreams the band conveys are that of the seventh level of industrial hell. The abrasive excellence of Fuck Buttons is poised to return with new LP Slow Focus out through ATP Recordings in July, something I cannot wait for. Their alien, confrontational soundscapes are often jawdroppingly incredible, awe-inspiring and just plain unfathomable - how can a noise assault this uncompromising, electronic and aggressive be this enthralling, hypnotic and seductive? Stockholm Syndrome perhaps? Whatever the secret is, I have always been held in thrall by Benjamin John Power and John Hung, and the abuse is set to continue on unabated, may my eardrums rest in peace.

You can pre-order Slow Focus in gold vinyl form here.

Unreal Yucksters

Whilst I have had a love/hate relationship with revisionist slack-dogs Yuck (hated the first two gigs I saw, then they released the album that went supernova, couldn't understand it, decided to listen to it months later, kinda dug it, saw them at Laneway and they killed), I have to admit I was shocked when last week I heard the news that frontman Daniel Blumberg had walked out on them, just as they were beginning the writing and recording of their second LP. The fact that the other band members will continue on as Yuck is bewildering seeing as Blumberg was essentially the anchor, the centrifugal force of the band.

I don't know what happened, but I do know that Blumberg's "passion project" Hebronix sounds like its on the right track. Maybe the complete freedom and control will work wonders - and whilst first taster 'Unreal' doesn't necessarily set the world on fire, it certainly remains a pretty good track. 'Unreal' is set to be the title track of the upcoming LP that'll be out on ATP Recordings in July. If you are in London tonight, Hebronix is airing these tracks and more at the Barbican when he supports slowcore legends Low - talk about a killer venue for it! Get there.

Deerhoof - The Greater Good...

I guess it has to be said that Deerhoof are an acquired taste. You have your supporters, who are enraptured with the tight coil of terse boppy fun ties down some amazingly precise drumming in the live arena, and cant get enough of the punchy quirks that this threesome doles out with gay abandon. Then there are others who cant stand Satomi Matsuzaki's Eastern pixie vocals, or the intentionally frenetic nature of their music. One of my friends thinks the vocals are like a drowning cat, that should be shot. Hmmm...

But I think that both camps might agree that the band's aesthetics lends itself to major indie label status, which is what these guys have done - with Kill Rock Stars and now ATP Recordings (and Polyvinyl Records?). There is a real love affair with ATP and Deerhoof - they have done many shows together, culminating in May's entire performance of the very impressive Milk Man album. Leading into this though will be the release of their 11th (?) album, Deerhoof Vs Evil, early next year. First impressions? They are solidifying their sound, then projecting it onto a larger sonic canvas. Its sounding bigger, although it is still the same organic force driving forth. I never listened to last year's Offend Maggie, and have love/hate relationships with previous efforts The Runners Four and Friend Opportunity, but 'The Merry Barracks' is a great number. Ill be queueing up to see them come 2011...

Deerhoof - The Merry Barracks

Autolux Supertoy Transit

A few weeks back I was speculating about the shape of the new Autolux album,  Transit Transit, and what direction would the much anticipated L.P might take? Well kids the wait is over with the first single, Supertoys, out today on ATP recording. There's and rather sweet looking limited 10" Coloured Vinyl vision too. Also below is the title track from the said L.P. Intriguing stuff, back to the good old days?

Autolux - Supertoys
Autolux - Transit Transit

Pulling Us Bleary Eyed Into The Past

I saw Sleepy Sun in July last year over watching an apparently mental Dananananaykroyd gig at Hoxton Bar and Grill, where earlier in the year I had seen Dananananaykroyd, funnily enough. Paul, who saw the latter gig in July, thought I was mad to miss the frenetic thrashings of the Scottish wunderkinds, but Sleepy Sun’s unapologetic 70s leanings and stoner wigouts really appealed to me. Whilst it wasn’t the mindblowing event that it could have been, the San Fran-via-Santa Cruz sextet set out to, and achieved, exactly what it said on the tin.

We are almost 12 months on, and these ATP-backed rapscallions are a little more world weary, much more live stage aligned, but still very classic seventies rock and/or roll. With their latest LP Fever up for grabs tomorrow (1 June through ATP Recordings), it seems that the massive, sun-blasted riffs, whilst made richer and aurally more crystalline, will forever be entrenched in the Led-Zep school of rawk. Check out a track from Fever, plus a collaboration with UNKLE off the latest LP Where Did The Night Go?

Sleepy Sun - Open Eyes
UNKLE (feat. Sleepy Sun) - Follow Me Down

Luxury Transit Transit

Some bands always seem to be on the pulse, their finger on the latest trend or fashion spreading through bands like a wild fire on a hot day. But then some bands take their time to develop, not giving a shit what anyone else is doing or what is meant to be 'cool'. Such an attitude has to be a good thing in the long run. Music would never move on if every band jumped on the latest band wagon (no pun intended, honest). But at the same time keeping half an eye on the past can produce a sound that, to my ears, sounds timeless.

One such band would have to be Los Angeles trio Autolux. This is a band whose first L.P, Future Perfect that arrived way back in 2004, was fixated with a accessible shoegaze aesthetic, but it contained tracks that really did have that timeless quality - just listen to 'Turnstile Blues' below. So when ATP recordings announced today that the band was due to drop their second long player in August, Transit Transit, it stirred feelings in me like the returning of an old friend with the promise of exciting new stories to tell. The only hints of where the new material might take us can be found with their work with UNKLE, both on the track 'Joy Factory', and the track 'Fat Kid' that sat on the b-side of 2008's Audience No. 2 7" from 2008. Could we see a more electronic Autolux? Its hard to tell, what do you think? I'll be feeling all excited and reminiscent till August.