Philadelphia Collins Is The Sofa Queen

Man, talk about excited. One of the best labels of the last few years has been Boston's Exploding In Sound - mining the rich depths of discordant guitar rock squalls, quirks and tics, they have brought to the world amazing records from the likes of Pile, Ovlov, Palehound, Disco Doom, Krill, LVL UP, Bad History Month, Grass Is Green, Washer, Porches...it's a mighty impressive roll call. So you can understand my unbridled excitement at the unveiling of Philadelphia Collins. You always have to be wary with pun-based bands - although this one isn't as mawkish or obvious as some, and is preceded by the above Trailer Park Boys character - but when the members come from this pedigree (Speedy Ortiz, Ovlov, Grass Is Green) all aspersions are duly cast aside. And when first taster 'Sofa Queen' features the vocals of Palehound's Ellen Kempner - well it's a nobrainer. 'Sofa Queen' is a noisy clusterbomb, imploding on itself in lazy spooling white noise, but it takes its time to unwind, mirroring Kempner's drawled breathy voice nicely before the gnarled edge creeps in...  The track comes off Derp Swervin', where the band employs vocals from other EIS bands such as Two Inch Astronaut and Dirty Dishes. Pre-order it here.

Beware The Idea Of Cats

A fortnight ago I mentioned British gal Ides' amazing track 'Prisms' - if you can't remember, head here - it's one of the best tracks of the year. Ides (AKA Alanna McArdle) is putting out a split 7" next month, I Like What You Say, out through Reeks Of Effort Records with Brighton's King of Cats, another nom de plume for Maxy Levy. Levy's solo (and sometimes band) venture is a bit more cantankerous, a bit more obtuse, a bit more cacophonous - a grumpy moggy sitting in the sun, swatting at dust motes as they float in and out of sight, distracting it from stalking another pesky squirrel in the backyard. Self-described as "screamy folk", Levy's vocals come across as harsh, sawblade grinding, screeches into the open fins of a pedestal fan, before they settle into the swirling clatter and din to feel at home. This has a chug and distorted groove that the Boston bands I've been into of late (Pile, Spook Houses, Grass Is Green) harbour, which is also great. It's all a little unhinged, and there is something joyous in all that. 

Yin and yang? Maybe - but these deceptive troubadours are drenched in the emotive, tearing out your hair, heart and lungs - soulmates in lopsided chagrin. Pre-order I Like What You Say here.