Ten Years Of Documenting Tank Fucking

I will never forget the first That Fucking Tank show I ever witnessed. It was at the Lexington; they were supported by Friendship; it was fucking mental. And Andy Abbott's O face as he wailed on that metallic baritone guitar - it was all so ridiculous. But that's the point - this may be incredible hi-octane instrumental rock, but with song titles such as 'Keanu Reef' and 'Making A Meal For Beethoven', there is nothing serious to be taken on board here. This is a sweat inducing aural technicolour yawn of a sound, one where you are afraid you'll choke to death because you are laughing so much.

It is with great heady pleasure that we find the duo are putting out A Document Of The Last Set (out on Gringo Records), an album that celebrates ten years of these crazy bastards being in existence. It's a set list, but as they often play it - each song bleeding into the next so that you are a quivering mess after one song. There are no breaks; there is no reprieve; it is two young punks gleefully fucking things up. It's easy to see why these boys have played with the likes of Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana and Hella (even making the wider stages of Leeds and Reading in 2008). It's because these guys are relentless, yet inherent dorks, upholding a punk aesthetic with a  goofy grin. Fuck earnestness or aggression when you making noise is so much fun. Here's to ten more years - if you're up for it...

That Fucking Tank - Making A Meal For Beethoven

That Fucking Tank - Mr Blood

DIY Is Good - DIT Is Better

 

I came across the trailer for this documentary earlier this week, and have spent the consequent time trying to find out what the hell it's all about. Do It Yourself is a collective of youngsters based in Amsterdam who create new media and organise events, bringing together creative people who like and make honest and independent art. Yet the endeavour is to stress that this is global. Currently, their main project is a documentary [named, funnily enough, Do It Together]. It explores the life of independent artists who struggle to survive making music in a changing world, with a large number of DIY artists taking part, giving their opinions and ideas of where this medium is heading to, along with plenty of great live performances. The movie is focused on the DIY ideology and the artists' independence, today's music industry issues, copyright matters, young artists barriers, the experience that people have and new ways they find to spread their art.

Take a look at the collaborators: So far we have many artists involved in this film. To name some:
- Devo [US]
- Steve Albini [US]
- Flux Information Sciences [US]
- Shipping News [US]
- David Yow /The Jesus Lizard [US]
- Lite [JP]
- John Dikeman [NL]
- Adebisi Shank [IE]
- Hella [US]
- Julien Fernandez [IT]
- Polvo [US]
- Tera Melos [US]
- Giraffes? Giraffes! [US]
- Chevreuil [FR] - Deerhoof [USA]
- The Ex [NL]
- Knalpot [NL]
- Le Singe Blanc [FR]
- Boutros Bubba [NL]
- Petrol [RS]
- Parts & Labor [US]
- Aural [UK]
- Deformica [ARG]
- Pneu [FR]
- Aucan [IT]
- Dan Deacon - [US]
- Part Chimp [UK]
- Al Scorch [US]
- Nelson Can [DK]
- Hurtmold [BR]
- Gijs Gieske [NL]
- The Bulletproof Tiger [CA]
- Kit [US]
- Selfkill [TWN]

That's a mere fraction. With the documentary due out in March, the collective aim to conduct some workshops to teach people how to do audio engineering and lights at shows, to get people more involved in their respective DIY communities. I'm very keen to see how this progresses, and what local communities already in existence think of this. You can visit their website here, and by all means, leave your thoughts below. You can also email them here if you are interested in finding out more.

Shining On Invisible Things

 

Sometimes when wading through the inbox messages, dreading another day in the office, something will drop down like manna from heaven and brighten the day. This is what Invisible Things, the new project for Mark Shippy (US Maple) and Jim Sykes (Parts & Labor, Grooms) has been for me today.

Sykes has always been an incredible drummer, and Shippy well equipped with extended guitar rock jams, but here it is taken to another realm, the duo both extending and contracting the form at will. With studies of Sri Lankan percussion and the elasticity of guitar exploration the driving forces, the 17 tracks on their LP Home IS The Sun becomes at once an experiment, a composition, a sonic wigout and an exercise in control. Whilst in similar realms to the likes of Hella or Lightning Bolt, there is an innate accessibility and verve here that opens itself up to a wider audience, but this is not a detriment – experimental rock is allowed to be warm and fuzzy sometimes! Such a psychedelic, progressive adventure should work as well as this clearly does, nor should it be such fun – but it easily commits to both. This is the kind of aural alchemy that makes existence on this mortal coil worth every shitstorm and concern.

 

You can get Home IS The Sun via Porter Records here – and you really should. It’s incredible.

Invisible Things – BEFORE The Seventh
Invisible Things – INTO Engine

One Hella Trip

You could tell by out previous releases that we were excited about this release... Hella are back together, and the new release is Tripper. Its everything you expect from these noiseniks and so much more.


You can get Tripper (on Sargent House) here. There has been concerns over its Australian release due to the Aussie distributing company Other Tongues downsizing, but rest assured it will be here in some format very soon. 'Self Checkout' was the first song the band wrote for the album, whilst 'Netgear' - well, it's just goddamn ace.

Hella - Self Checkout
Hella - Netgear

Scuzzy Hill

Zach Hill brought out the ace Face Tat last year, which I went retarded over here. Easily one of the best releases last year. Not enough to excite us with the promise of a new Hella album, Hill is intent to make us eargasm with another solo effort, the EP Lil Scuzzy. Put out by Alamont, it is another six songs of absolute aural madness - not as sonically clear as Face Tat, but easily as addictive. Seriously cut up, edited, mixed, fucked with, and spat out in a technicoloured yawn. Well worth hunting down.

Zach Hill - 8 Face
Zach Hill - Lil Scuzzy

Im Hella Trippin!

Another update on the 24 hour coverage on the new Hella album, their first in 4 years. Seems they have the album and song titles all sorted - guess it doesn't take long when one of them is named after modem paraphernalia... The album Tripper will be out August 30 via Sargent House, over which 'Headless' (originally known as 'Track One') has two fan-made clips chosen by the Hella duo as their 'official' music videos. You can watch them both below, after you have a gander at the tracklist of course!

01 Headless
02 Self Checkout
03 Long Hair
04 Yubacore
05 Netgear
06 Kid Life Crisis
07 On The Record
08 Furthest
09 Psycho Bro
10 Osaka





Hella - Headless

Hella Be Praised!

Heard about this last week and shoulda been on top of this... Yep, Hella are back! Zach Hill, mega drumming legend that he is, confirmed that the album had been recorded and finished in April...wait, what? WHAT album? The Californian nutso spaz math rock fucktards even gave out a new track! Well, its been out for a little while, Ive been naughty and hogging it to myself... Its currently called 'Hella - Track 1'. Evocative.

But that can all change - if you want it to. See, Hella is inviting its fans (AKA you and me!) to create visuals and videos for "Hella - Track 1" and post them to the Hella Facebook page. Sargent House wont be releasing the new album until August, so there is enough time allotted for Hella to name their shit at some stage. But regardless of what or who wins out, one listen to the new track and you will be in thrall, stating that whilst its good to have bands like Tera Melos around, and Zach Hill's Face Tat album of last year was fucking ace, Hella have their own niche and only they can fill it again.

Hella - Track 1

Lay Waste To Vegetable Illness

Brighton instrumental raconteurs Illness have got their shit well and truly set to destroy if their upcoming release Some Vegetable Waste is anything to go by. Whilst the duo draw comparisons from the likes of Hella and Lightning Bolt to That Fucking Tank!, its the constant reference to Pavement that may seem to irk some. But it is to Illness' credit that whilst the guitar and drums onslaught errs inherently to the side of abrasiveness, its the soulful pop sensibilities that emanate from tracks like 'B For Bovril' and 'Sorbet' that adds the pastel that brightens the darkness. Still, its when they are at their most angular and raucous that they excel, and when they can marry the two Illness enter their own void, a vacuum of incessant calamity that is at once gritty and euphoric.

Some Vegetable Waste is out February 7th - self released, so get to a show to get this awesome album. They are playing at the Victoria in Mile End on February 5th (for free no less!), then are embarking on a UK/Europe tour with P For Persia after then. Catch them at the Old Blue Last on Feb 21st. This promises to be one hectic show - not to be missed!!!

Illness - You The User

A preview of the new Zach Hill album

Drumming wunderkind Zach Hill (resurrect Hella, come on!) has been involved in anything and everything this year, as always, even finding time to be involved in the Boredoms' Boardrum exercise this year. Now he is bringing out his own album, Face Tat, out through Sargent House. We have to wait til October before it comes hurtling into our lives, so this vid for the fourth track off the LP, 'The Sacto Smile', is the best you can get right now. I don't know about you guys, but this girl scares the shit out of me - and Im totally in love.

Zach Hill - The Sacto Smile from Sargent House on Vimeo.

I don't want to get well

The excellent Poor Girl Noise of Oxford are putting on some more shows this month, its been a while guys! A band that is gracing the stellar lineup that immediately jumped off the page at me was the Brighton duo (PGN always did have thing for duos) Illness. Influenced by Pavement and Hella according to their MySpace - not exactly what it says on the tin, but this noise/math duo are worth your time. Nope and Shield Your Eyes complete the line-up, more on them soon. Sweet poster too.

Illness - Bane Face
Illness - Caught Up In The 'Burbs

Shield Your Eyes, Nope and Illness - Jericho Tavern, Oxford, July 14th