Newcombe Parks Declare Nothing

Anton Newcombe is no strange to new material - his Brian Jonestown Massacre has brought out fourteen albums over their 20 year career thus far. But this week he releases a different sonic collaboration - I Declare Nothing, an album he has made with Canadian Tess Parks. It's a sensuous slow-burner and very much Parks' album, yet the psych influences that Newcombe embodies are just as prevalent. From the woozy hallucinogenic flutter of 'Wehmut' to the red-smoke-filtered sultriness of 'Cocaine Cat', I Declare Nothing slinks and glides through the shadows, a measured beast of temperament and danger. Parks' vocals are husky to the point of gravel-racked, and lends tracks like the brooding 'German Tangerine' with a nocturnal gravitas, wreathed in cigarette smoke, a world-weary shrug and the devil in the eyes.



I Declare Nothing comes out on Newcombe's own A Recordings on the 29th June - pre-order it here. The duo will debut this material in London at Oslo on July 17.

Pawing The Milk Maid

Here are two linked acts that are prepping amazing releases through Fat Cat Records this year.


First up is another slacker rock album that owes as much to the 90s psych movement of the Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre era as it does to fellow revivalists like Yuck. Milk Maid are from Manchester (chief songwriter Martin Cohen used to be in the pretty rad Nine Black Alps) and Mostly No (their second after releasing Yucca only last year) is an album chock full of jangly guitar ramble and chunky guitar drive. I love me a guitar album. Yet I still think that due to trying to find that balance between the jangle and the crunch, the trio straddles both without embracing either, so things aren't as strong as they could be. It's not that I struggle with isn't that the trio aren't good - Mostly No is a pretty delectable album - it's that their name is too close to Milk Music, the Washington band that are one of the best things going around right now. So when I forget, or get confused, and hit up Milk Maid instead of Milk Music, I'm invariably disappointed. This isn't the band's fault of course, and Mostly No is an album that makes an impression, then falters, before winning you over in the end ('Do Right' and 'Bad Luck' are pretty killer). Let's hope the next one works harder to rock all the way through.




Much more upbeat are PAWS, a Glasgow based trio that dish out scuzzy garage fuzz with little regard for their own safety. They brought out their debut EP Misled Youth (in cassette form) back in May, and are quickly backing that up with their Jellyfish/Bloodline 7" (which rings of early Japanadroids, especially the A-side) in preparation for their upcoming LP Cokefloat! (which has been recorded and produced by Warm Brains' uber-producer Rory Attwell). I have to say that I'm a big fan - these two quickly constructed releases (everything except for 'Bainz' - my favourite - was written and recorded in under a week) allude to a world of promise.

PAWS - Misled Youth



You can grab all of these releases on the FatCat website here.

Mesozoic Laurels

Photo courtesy of Sangye Christianson

A few months ago, Texan psych legends The Black Angels toured Australia. I went to the Brisbane show at the Hi Fi Bar. It was the third time I had seen them, and the show was notable for three reasons - The Angels' killer set (as per usual), Brian Jonestown Massacre's Joel Gion's abysmal DJ "set", and the incredibly loud shoegaze proffered by Sydney act The Laurels.

The quartet have a six-track EP out called Mesozoic that isn't overly new in terms of its shoegaze aesthetics, but what it does it does bloody well. Jesus & Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, even newer exponents such as Beaches and A Place To Bury Strangers (both of which they have toured with) - it's all there in spades. Shit, Swervedriver's architect Adam Franklin is a devotee! But not only is it good, it such an awesome punch, a miasma of visceral noise that permeates the tracks that excites. This is how shoegaze ought to be played.

The Laurels were just in Brisbane, supporting Seekae, but you won't have to wait long for a return tour de force. They will be here as part of next week's live music and conference extravaganza Big Sound (Sept 7-9).

The Laurels - Black Cathedral

Black Angels @ HIFI

Super psyched about this. Austin, Texas' purveyors of all thing psych The Black Angels are finally touring Australia, and they are playing the Hi Fi Bar in Brisbane tonight. They are supported by up anc comers The Laurels as well as a DJ set by none other than The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Joel Gion! This is going to be amazing - Ive seen The Black Angels twice in London and they just flat out refuse to put on a bad show! You can buy tickets here.

The Black Angels - Ronettes
The Black Angels - Haunting At 1300 McKinley
The Black Angels - No Satisfaction (Black Mountain cover)

Hope This Friday Cover Up Finds You Well...

(Photo by Ryan Muir)

I'm posting this track without due conversation with Paul, so you may get two cover versions for the price of one today - if so, lucky you!

Regardless of this possible breakdown in communication, I wanted to post about Hopewell anyway. The New York band have just released a live album, recorded at this year's Truck Festival as well as ATP New York (having been handpicked by The Flaming Lips). It showcases their penchant for spaced psychedelia, a mainstay of the band since founder Jason Russo toured as a part of Mercury Rev when only 19. They have released a number of albums, the last being Good Good Desperation last year, and have had a steady rise in following since supporting the likes of psych pop slackers The Brian Jonestown Massacre, kings of shoegaze My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin. They are about to embark on a Stateside tour with The Dandy Warhols, who may not be at the top of their game but at one stage had the pysch pop slacker corner pretty much covered. This live album (titled, funnily enough, Hopewell Live) is a well realised affair, so much so that some of the tracks are studio quality. It came out on Tuesday via South Cherry Entropy, but is digital only at the moment though - check it out on their Bandcamp site here.

But why a Friday Cover Up? Because they close off proceedings with a pitch perfect rendition of Jane's Addiction's 'Of Course'. And if Perry Farrell had a bit more down home nostalgia to his freaked out wigouts, Hopewell might have been his starring vehicle. Enjoy Sonic Masala-ers - see you on the other side.

Hopewell - Of Course (live - Jane's Addiction cover)
Hopewell - Trumpet For A Lung (live)