Soldiers Of Fortune Are Tough As Nails

Man, this track kills. 'Nails' is the new song from veritable rock god supergroup Soldiers Of Fortune, whose album Early Risers comes out on Mexican Summer in November. Featuring slayer Kid Millions (Oneida, Man Forever et al) on the drums, and Oneida buddies Barry London and Papa Crazee, Jesper Eklow (Endless Boogie), Matt Sweeney (Chavez), Mike Bones and Brad Truax, Soldiers Of Fortune are built to kill all speakers and pretenders. But that isn't enough for these heavy lifters, asking for the aid of the likes of Dan Melchior, Cass McCombs, and goddamn STEPHEN MALKMUS. Yep, this is a blasted rock testament. You thought you knew your rock and roll? Soldiers of Fortune just put the final nail in its coffin, set it on fire and watched it rise like the phoenix, reborn. I haven't heard anything so unadulterated yet so good in a long, long, LONG time. Pre-order this bad boy here - do it NOW.

Large Lepers Make Shit Music Colourful

Italian label Lepers released two albums from one of their founding artists, Alexander de Large, and they are a collective showcase of his eclectic, almost nihilistic take on the acoustic singer/songwriter tag. You will see elements of GG Allin, Dan Melchior and (closer to home) Amateur Childbirth and Peter Black in the tracks on Shit Music, which is anything but, an album chock full of pop tunes that are skewed in every way imaginable. Then there is Colours, another acoustic sojourn into the strange, acerbic recesses of his soul.

You can download both albums (plus a lot lot more) here.

Alexander de Large - Staring At The Washing Machine
Alexander de Large - Sonny Lived In A Bungalow

Alexander de Large - Blue

The Year Of Rebel Birds - Ack Ack Ack!

There once was a dude called Oli, who decided that living a normal, safe life wasn't for him. So he gave everything up - during the global financial crisis - and started an independent record store. Good move... Actually, it's worked out pretty well. Ack! Ack! Ack! Records in Middlesborough is a helluva solid store, with a beautifully selective yet diverse range of gear. If you're in that neck of the woods, definitely go there and blow your dough!


But he didn't want to stop there, having started his own label. Ack!Ack!Ack!'s first release is this 12" split for The Rebel (AKA Ben Wallers from Country Teasers alongside Sophie Politowicz) and newbies on the block Year Of Birds. The Rebel's side is called Pre-Pub, offering five slices of incredibly warped pop that mirrors Dan Melchior in sound and in content - which is basically saying it sounds like stripped back Country Teasers on crack... 'Pubgrub' even has pokies/tabletop video game music at the beginning, whilst most tracks use electronics in such an archaic way that it feels like you are in a carpeted bar from the early 80s - albeit with robotic, sex-crazed druggies with Casios being the barflies of choice... Then Oli's own project Year Of Birds attack with their abrasive and frenetic Blocker For Coinslot EP. Man, I really liked this. Think The Intelligence/A-Frames style blitzkrieg garage punk, but with a balance of dingy rust and debonair panache. Each song is bite size, and there isn't enough time to digest these bitter pills before the end is in sight. Then the drugs kick in, and you'll want to flood your senses with these tunes all over again...

You can grab this 12" here. Since this, Oli has put out a split cassette between Year Of Birds and Girl Sweat (get it here) and a compilation tape that includes Brisbane's own deconstructionists Sky Needle amongst many others. Expect some pretty rad things from Ack!Ack!Ack! in the near future...

The Rebel - Ball Breakers On Parade

Year Of Birds - Jab At The Brow
Year Of Birds - Our Ink
Year Of Birds - Great Plunges

Video Vacuum - Dan Melchior, Rhyton, Jason Urick, Sennen

Who needs a break? I can hear your shouts from here! I do too, although people may not guess it - my increasingly accurate physical resemblance to an elegant hobo is raising eyebrows and rashes both. So here are some choice cuts from Thrill Jockey, who look to have us covered once more in 2012...

But before we get there, if you remember, I really enjoyed Dan Melchior's Assemblage Blues record last year. The man is nothing if not prolific, and he has some good stuff coming out soon. This vid has been available for a little while, but its a fair summation of how Melchior does his shtick (it's also on a 7" put out by SDZ Records). Love him or hate him, he is true to his idiosyncrasies... (NB - I love him).

Dan Melchior "Red Nylon Valance" from max dembo on Vimeo.

Here is one band I had never heard of until TR sent me this clip. Rhyton are aiming to liquify your bones inside you so you become quivering bags of mush. Their bass played is from Psychic Ills for Chrissakes! Their self-titled debut sounds pretty killer, by the way - grab it here. And while I'm at it, here is a track you can have on top of the vid - happy Friday yo!

Rhyton - Shank Raids

Rhyton - Stone Colored from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Jason Urick has melded dub and drone into a delectable tapestry on his latest, I Love You. Here he has pared the static noise to create something otherworldly, something akin to High Wolf in some respects, which is always welcomed, but there is something...warm about this record that is great. Anyway, here is the clip. Bliss out folks...

Jason Urick - Ageless Isms from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

To finish off today, let's veer out of the Thrill Jockey stables, but not too far. Sennen sound like they would fit right at home, so I'm placing them in the meadow adjacent. The UK band are releasing their Vultures 7" in March, which will be on heavenly white vinyl - pre-order here. Their upcoming album Lost Harmony looks to be a sweaty palms kinda release - I'm itching for it already.



NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!

Disassembling The Blues

I cant profess to know much about Dan Melchior. I know he's been around the traps for a long time, has worked with the likes of Holly Golightly and more famously Billy Childish, and as a band of his own (Dan Melchior's Broken Revue). Jack White and Mark E Smith are amongst his eclectic fans. So Im not sure what made me get Assemblage Blues. I hadnt heard one track by the man. Maybe it was the interesting cover. More likely it was the fact that it was put out by Siltbreeze, one of the best and bravest labels out there. Either way, im glad I did. Sure, its warped, but the storytelling and noisemongering go hand in hand, providing tales that are both obtuse, whimsical and hallucinatory. Hell, there's even one here called 'Stairway To Croydon'! And another, 'Moving The Furniture Around', is the same phrase that someone recently used to describe what the film genre mumblecore was all about. Its definitely experimental garage psych flights of fancy, but without the elongated jams - and this definitive voice has really impressed me.


Assemblage Blues is out now.
Dan Melchior - Atomiser
Dan Melchior - Riding Like Rommel
Dan Melchior - 90s Man (pt. 2)