Panning For White Manna

One band unashamed of their squalling psych explosions is White Manna, whose fourth album Pan came out on Cardinal Fuzz yesterday. It reminds me of a harder edged Wooden Shjips - less interested in a lysergic motorik dirge though and more in a sandblasted fuzz storm. The title track confirms that the Californian five-piece haven't changed tack at all, a blistering intensity that revels in its circular devastation - a hurricane wail. The duo 'Dunes I' and 'Dunes II' ups the insanity, the former a hazed wall of desperation, the latter a narcolpetic drift through the aftermath - but not even the comedown can stop the propulsive jams that kick in at the half way mark. 'Evil' is the shortest track at five minutes flat, and is about as punk as these guys will get - The Stooges on Quaaludes. It's a killer track. 'Beta Travellers' floats into the cosmic either, evoking motorik tensions and howled epiphanies, while the epic closer 'Eshra' (they are all pretty epic, but this gets the title due to its twelve minute running time) starts with crashing waves, tremolo-ing into your cerebral vortex, fusing nature with fission, a chugging rhythm rising like the tide, a psych warrior's eternal dream.

Make sure you grab Pan now with its crazy limited edition vinyl, seen above.

Running Man On Fire

Ty Segall and Drag City joined forces recently to start the God? imprint. It's been involved in some tasty morsels - White Fence and Wand being the most recognised. The one I have just latched on to though is the little-recognised but brilliantly anarchic Chicago trio Running (whose albums Vaguely Ethnic and Asshole Savant are untouchable) and their 7" Frizzled. Here is the B-side, 'Totally Fired' - and it is as deliciously unhinged as you would expect. Underneath the abrasive guitars is a weirdly hummable melody - no? Can't hear it? Whatever. Running is my new pop band to the stars. Get Frizzled here.

Just Vaguely Running

I mentioned in a recent post about Brisbane band Cobwebbs that it pisses me off when people assume that something is cool just because it is inaccessible. I know people who say they like things because they are oblique, obtuse, confrontational, indecipherable, and therein lies the attraction - most people will not attempt to penetrated such barriers, so the people who DO attempt it believe these artists must be geniuses. It may be true for some, but in most cases - such as the Vice review of Cobwebbs' All Around - it's utter bullshit. And totally untrue anyway - I saw a dude buy a copy from Rockinghorse Records on Saturday (I was buying Goat, Natural Child and The Animals LPs, just in case you were wondering).

I stumbled across this Impose article about Chicago band Running. Now, judging them on that name along, they (like Sydney band Songs) are very difficult to look for on Google. The writer of the article made it sound harder to hunt this band down than it truly was. as they had a album on Permanent Records and another on Captcha that came out last year. In fact, back in 2010 we wrote about that Permanent Records album right here. This isn't a "beat them to the pulse" kinda deal, I just don't like people immediately assuming that the inaccessibility of information on the Internet about something or someone means they are necessarily any good, or that they are even hiding from the perceived limelight.

Maybe they just don't own a computer.

That said, the Impose article isn't bad, and Running is fucking awesome, plus they are launching a new album on Castle Face that I believe could be one of the best records of 2013. Vaguely Ethnic is its name, and if 'Controversial PR' is anything to go buy, we are in for some serrated, bare-arse noisemongering, made by drunken degenerates in checked shirts, with bruised kidneys. The trio have going sans vocals on this one, which heightens the Pissed Jeans comparison sonically - breakneck breaking of necks are likely to ensue. 

Vaguely Ethnic isn't out for a couple months yet, but rest assured, expect to hear more about this release as it comes to hand. It will be a completely amazing physical package also - they take great care in their aesthetic, something akin to Double Dagger in that respect, which only helps to heighten the anticipation. I imagine they frequent The Empty Bottle too - and if you live in Chicago and DON'T frequent the Empty Bottle, we don't know each other anymore.

New Eddy Doesn't Suppress

Amazing stuff, this. Not only is Aussie garage punk monsters Eddy Current Suppression Ring bringing out an album of rarities called So Many Things on October 21 (via Fuse Records), but coinciding with it is this 7" through Captcha. The A-side is "Walking In Unison', a ten minute undulating menace that marches along like a diseased creature, thirsty for your blood, sweat and tears. And it's fucking ace.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Walking In Unison