Tossing Guerrillas Gets Me All Sedimental

Holy shit. I thought I'd sit down with the new split LP Kicked Back Into The Crypt outta Sophomore Lounge for some late-night grooves - and can't stop the bleeding. Is there such a thing as a gleeful aneurysm? The perpetrators of such internal mayhem are New York avant psychos The Sediment Club and Boston atonal banshees Guerilla Toss. 

The Sediment Club is something akin to Foot Village having forgone the percussive diarrhoea and replaced with fucked up distorted guitars, eye gouging and Pissed Jeans' reading from the Book of David Yow.  This kind of ebullient evisceration doesn't come along all that often - it's still turgid bile, but goddamn it tastes good - the black rainbow.

Sediment Club - Ink Drunk

Then the heaving discharge that is Guerilla Toss' side comes to pass, and we have even more fervent soul stripping noise, with the rants and howls of Sediment Club's Austin Julian replaced with the siren/Syren wails of Kassie Carlson and frenetic staccato noise that flays you willingly to the core and beyond. A quivering, happy mess? Only if you promise to continue. The Cenobites haven't truly understood the pleasure/pain balance - it took a bunch of raving lunatics to work out the equation, in aural form. The world is deliciously doomed.

Guerilla Toss - God Fearing Sex Symbol

Put Kicked Back Into The Crypt (which you can pick up here) alongside another Sophomore release, Skimask's Cute Mutant LP, and you have the end of the world mixtape all sewn up. See you at the Rapture, fuckers.

Screaming For Cute Mutants In Skimasks

On the 12th of the 12th of 2012, Sophomore Lounge (alongside Infinity Cat and 100% Breakfast) put out Cute Mutant, the LP from Boston noise terrorists Skimask. Voice terrorists, more like it - the two vocalists (one spitting lyrics that are so distorted that it feels like Jon Spencer ate a supermarket intercom, the other manipulating guttural noises) are the instruments, with the only other common denominator is the drumkit. That's right - no guitar or bass, the incessant noise is all from a dude's throat with effects pedals a-go-go. It makes for something wedged between Foot Village or Lightning Bolt - sure the drumming is nowhere to the same level frenzy, but the seemingly ad-hoc (and definitely crazy) song structure and feverish compositions are akin. The end result - Cute Mutant is a quivering swamp monster, fuelled by electricity and madness, feasting on dubious souls and spitting them into the converted masses' open mouths. That's not so cute, now, is it?

Grab Cute Mutant here. I have no idea what it means, but it somehow rocks, and is replayable. You've gotta fucking love that then. And if you are in Boston, and these guys are playing, put your riot gear on and GET THERE.

Skimask - Tempurpedic Mattress
Skimask - Slap Me Silly

Video Vacuum - Foot Village, Liars, James X Boyd & the Boydoids, Darkstar

 

First Video Vacuum of the year, so some of these may not be “new” as such. Nevertheless I've chosen three tracks because their film clips are awesome (so are the tracks) – and one because I like the band/song (although the vid is deliciously lo-fi and nerdy…)


I'm kicking it all off with a loooong one. Those crazy bastards Foot Village have a new record coming out next month called Making Memories (on Northern Spy), so they have released this music video for ‘The End Of The World’. Luckily for us the Mayans were wrong and we are still kicking on – but if I was doing a death march into fiery oblivion, these manic tub-thumpers would be my little drummer demons. Foot Village must feel the same – it is far more sedate than anything they have thus far done, which is not a detractor – it is beautifully constructed. It reminds me a little of Deerhoof’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, whilst the video is all anarchist slow grind. And the last minute and a half? Well, as far as streaming the new album goes, it’s pretty ingenious – if you live in America that is.



James Boyd is one busy cat. He is a part of garage centipede Velociraptor, garage commies The Majors – but he is tapping into something really special as a pop troubadour. James X Boyd and the Boydoids (great band name) are promising something truly special with their debut 12” through Long Gone Records later this year, this “video” for single ‘Elissa Says’ is all about kids fooling around in Brisbane sharehouses – a simple, innocent time where dreams are had and intermittently reached for. They haven’t played heaps of shows, but I'm hoping that 2013 puts Boyd and his ‘oids up at the top of the Brisbane pops.



Those twisted Liars certainly aren’t strangers in this neck of the woods. Sisterworld was one of my favourite albums of 2010, whilst WIXIW, although it’s shift had many people shuffling their feet, is a dark, sinuous grower, with ‘No 1 Against The Rush’ being my pick as song of 2012 (with an ace video). The title track from that album has become the trio’s third single, with a slick video to boot. A longhaired stoner type continually trying to dunk a ball but failing? Lots of people standing around, either bemused or confused? And that pagan god? Doesn’t really make sense – although the band love basketball apparently. Fair dues. Its still pretty intoxicating.



Finally we have UK band Darkstar. Now I haven’t had the chance to hear their album News From Nowhere yet – its getting some favourable reviews – I have listened to and watched the clip to single ‘Amplified Ease’ a multitude of times. It’s got that mantra-esque lyrics and warped rhythms that Animal Collective have claimed as their own (although you can name a huge number of other acts that now incorporated such elements), but with the film clip of the boys jamming their faces up against a tank (at Pinewood Studios, no less!), it heightens the experience. The song itself has an undulating presence that buries into your brain – a hypnotic pan flute of a track, leading you children away from the village, never to be heard from again.

Neutral Is Truly Mental

One of the craziest percussive noise acts to have assaulted our senses would have to be LA's Foot Village. Their batshit manic mantras have divided audiences wider than the Red Sea (see that? Total Biblical reference!!) with some proclaiming their noisy rackets as compulsory listening, and others deeming it more inhumane than water torture. My verdict? Foot Village rock all kinds of balls. So when one of their members Brian Miller ventures out on his own, under the moniker True Neutral (I'm guessing in reference to RPGs), then I'm all over it like a venereal rash. Miller himself sees True Neutral as being ideas that don't translate in the chaotic world of Foot Village, as the expansive nature of the compositions benefit from instruments other than drums. Before you start quaking at the idea of Miller doing "real" songs (his work on Back To The Future The Ride, whilst ambient in nature, still swirls around a vortex of nuts), he also describes them as "sci-fi visions". Crisis averted then...

But as if he would leave the percussive nightmares in the closet. One of the tracks, 'A Few Lights On The Wall', is a collaboration with the ever-brilliant Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt/Black Pus).


These tracks are being used as a soundtrack to accompany an audiobook of author Patrick Wensink's Broken Piano For President, and the blurb sounds suitably surreal - "'Broken Piano for President' is read by the author, Patrick Wensink. It is the story of a noise band caught up in a conspiracy involving fast food moguls, international space programs, and of course, their own insane music." The audiobook is abridged and read by the author himself, with side A being the novel and score and side B score only. The theme tune (yes, a theme tune to a book, genius!) is 'Call To The Herd', which is also below. You can grab this incredible piece of literature/music/art from Miller's own Deathbomb Arc label here.

True Neutral - Call To The Herd
True Neutral - A Few Lights On The Wall (ft Brian Chippendale)

Footloose Bitches Be Rabid

Exciting times. Sick puppies Bitches have released an EP called Buster, about a dog called Buster. For realz. Through Gravy Records, Buster plugs five songs up the Kyber Pass with enough sleazy backhanded zeal that you feel offended, endeared and filled with lust, all at once. Arrogance only get you so far though. This duo are as fun as they are sleazy, which is the best combination in anyone's language. They even get batshit crazy band Foot Village involved in one of their breakneck rants - nice work. Plus, its about dogs instead of cats for once. Dogs are so much radder than cats.


Buy Buster here.

Bitches - Kill Birds, Eat Shit
Bitches - #Pray4Buster (ft. Foot Village)

Foot Marathon, Idiots!

As anyone acquainted with LA drumbeating bastards Foot Village would be aware, any track they put out has enough mental sounds coming forth to melt your brain. Mostly said tracks last a few minutes. Fat Cat are putting out a split 12" for both Foot Village and West Africa's Super Khoumeissa in August, and the FV song goes for sixteen fucking minutes. You have been warned... You can pre-order the release here.

A - Foot Village - Let Bebongs Be Bebongs, Idiot by FatCat Records

Big A Said To Little A - Get Louder!!!

NY percussive miscreants Aa (pronounced Big A Little A - hmmm) are re-releasing their 2007 album gAame, plus a couple other little pressies, as a new album of sorts called mAate (through Sensory Projects Records), and are following that up with a tour here in Australia, playing at Woodland on May 5. This promises to be something else - a cataclysmic sound that owes much to the likes of Ponytail, Black Dice and Battles amongst many more (Foot Village also comes to mind) for paving the way to making crazy noise montages a more viable sound, thus allowing them to come our way! They were involved in The Boredoms' drumming revolution Boardrum last year - so they are at THAT level...

Oh, and their artwork is fucking amazing. Aa's Aron Wahl is responsible for the above piece, plus all their cover art and most of their post work - seriously, hunt it down, its really impressive - look at some more here!

Aa - Crass

Divisive percussive maelstrom do the do for 'The Boys'

Foot Village are amazing. Foot Village are vile. Foot Village are fun. Foot Village are obnoxious. Foot Village are noisy. Foot Village are just noise.

Many opinions juxtapose what it means to listen to Los Angeles percussion and vocal nihilists Foot Village. I came in on them with second LP Friendship Nation, and whilst last year's Anti-Magic did the best to harness the myriad gleefully malevolent energies zipping around the nucleus of this group, its that album that epitomises what its like to try to listen to them unheeded. Ever tried to grin, grimace and growl? This'll do it to ya.

And that juxtaposition continues, when follows of the band are whipped into a frenzy by the schizophrenic propaganda espoused by this self-titled 'drum nation', their philosophies buffeted on the sea of sound of their own making alongside advocations for public urination. Put the fun musical aberrations adn vocal screeching of Deerhoof, the demented thrashing, rhythms and vocal screeching of Lightning Bolt, and the effervescent energy and vocal screeching of Ponytail into a blender, add a massive dollop of vocal screeching, freeze it and then smash it with a 5 iron. They are a difficult listen, my acolytes - but once you get it, you really get it.

And they are abusing/balming our ears once more with the release of a new track, 'Lovers With Iraqis' (out through How To Fight Records; the rest can be hunted down via London's biggest and brightest Upset The Rhythm). Ive tried to explain it, but just jump in head first - it IS abrasive, it IS obnoxious, but it is also fucking amazing.

What's more, the 500-strong 7" boasts the above cover art that doubles as temporary tatts! Now who hasnt wanted a pixellated George Clooney emblazoned on their lower back? It also comes with B-Side 'Totally Tween' as well as remixes from Best Coast, Yip-Yip and Universal Studios Florida.

Foot Village - Lovers With Iraqis

NB - this is the MP3 version, not what you get on the 7". How do I know? Because Foot Village ensure to tell us, in the song, that it is the MP3 version. So...there.

We're Not In Kansas No More...

Ahhhhhhhhhh...I spoke of Dan Deacon a few days back. He's got a couple mentions here at Sonic Masala, and in the latest post I said he was the doppleganger for the dead hypnotist on Office Space etc etc. Now that gig at ULU last year was surely mental, but I may have jumped the gun by morphing my memories with that of Deacon's support act, Thrill Jockey affiliates and Baltimore nutjobs Future Islands. If lead singer Sam isn't said dead hypnotist, he is at the very least Deacon's snotty little brother. I havent seen someone look so unfit and yet burn the crowd's calories right off without raising a sweat...hang on, he was sweating profusely...maybe he was sweating for all of us...hallelujah!

Ahem...anyway, they were positively amazing (I was bemused at first, but there is no way to resist!). Now Future Islands are bringing out a new album, In Evening Air, in a couple weeks' time. They are spinning the track "Tin Man" around the traps a bit, and have a nifty clip to go along with it. They aren't coming here anytime soon, but have been touring with Sonic Masala faves Double Dagger and Foot Village, both of which are tipped for UK jaunts in 2010, so dont be surprised if they are hypnotising us very soon...


Future Islands - Tin Man from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.