Official Prototype Of The Martyred

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Under Colour of Official Right, the sophomore record for Detroit post-punks Protomartyr. The cover of the snarling mongrel dog gave me a sense of what to expect. Except - this isn't a metal throwback, a punk bile purge, or a wailing slur of misbegotten angst. No. Protomartyr many be the smartest band of their ilk going round for a number of reasons. Firstly, the lyrics are overly verbose and literate, referencing novels, news stories and diatribes; the vocal are delivered in a mixture of distanced confidence, barely contained anger, and feigned disdain that barely masks the chagrin at life's opulent disgraces; but its the instrumentation here that slays me. Everything is so tempered, bled out in increments, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle made out of sinew and bone, a boiling machination of tension and sweat-drained intensity. If Interpol could just have a bit of fun, and read the papers once in a while, listened to a glut of 90s Chapel Hill bands (and Alice In Chains...) and watched The Sopranos for kicks, maybe they could have followed Turn On The Bright Lights with something akin to the braced aggression in silken throes that is Under Colour of Official Right. But they didn't. Protomartyr did. Not afraid to tear things asunder nor fly brazenly for the stadium sun - this has been a long time coming.

Pick up Under Colour of Official Right through Hardly Art here.

Ghostly Disconnected

The first two albums from Indiana static-heavy post-punk nihilists TV Ghost Cold Fish and Mass Dream are ground out evil slugs of things, insidious dream worms that shudder and shake (I gave them both a wrap back in 2011). They are prepping a third release, Disconnect, for tomorrow. The first two tracks to be released for it, 'Elevator' and 'Siren', are much slicker, more approachable - its gloss somehow evokes early Interpol if they were drugged out and listened to Girls Against Boys slowed down 200%. It's certainly a marked shift in pace - but not of purpose, because the black ooze sticks to the arteries of this beast. I'm not sure how I feel about this so far, but I'm interested to hear the rest of this. So far I kind of feel disappointed, yet at the same time I can't stop listening. I'm plugged into the machine.

Disconnect can be bought through In The Red tomorrow from here.

Pixies Are Sending Their Love Down The Well...

An amazing true-life story came to its uplifting conclusion this week when 33 Chilean miners were finally extricated from the San Jose underground mine where they had been trapped for over 70 days. I know a few people who got a little misty-eyed when the first miner came out of the rescue capsule - no names of course...

As luck would have it, the Pixies were playing in Chile the very day the men were rescued. In reverence to the miraculous event, the Seattle quartet played a 33 song set, a song for each miner. A small homage, sure, but still a very nice touch from one of the world's greatest acts.

Well the hats off approach has now been extended to their myriad fans, as they release a free Pixies live EP in reference to their show in Mexico City. Hola From Mexico City is available on the Pixies website here - it has a great sample of their live essence. I heard this from the band Interpol, of all people, who are playing with and are devoted acolytes of the Pixies.

Pixies - Gouge Away (live in Mexico)

Interpol shares good and bad news...

It was only last week that I was mentioning that Interpol's 4th album was readying to drop. Well, the band put out a statement of sorts yesterday on their website, stating it was completed. But the joy is shortlived, as it was also announced that bassist Carlos has left the band. They state:

"After the completion of the album, Carlos informed the rest of us that he would be leaving the band. He has decided to follow another path, and to pursue new goals. This separation is amicable, and we whole-heartedly wish him great happiness and success. We will remain, as always, deeply respectful fans of this blazingly talented individual."

Further comments about the album and Carlos' replacement were also mentioned. A sad day for Interpol and their myriad fans.

The Sun Sets…to bring on a (much belated) Magnetic Morning

One of the surprise delights of the music calendar for 2009 was seeing underrated 90s indie shoegaze gods Swervedriver lose none of their power as they blew away all comers at ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

One of my all time favourite festival gigs was in 2005. Splendour in the Grass, Australia’s premier multi-day outdoors festival, always has a stellar line-up. And amongst the awesomeness of that year, the clear standout was NYC’s new upstarts, Interpol.

With Interpol quietly lurking in the shadows as their new LP looms to launch, and Swervedriver strengthening their fan base with many big line shows since reforming in 2008, I thought that now was a good time to harken back a year or two to look at a collaborative effort that has been morbidly maligned, and sadly overlooked, in equal measures.

Back in 2006 these two forces combined – well, of sorts. Interpol skinsman Sam Fogarino and Swervedriver’s voice Adam Franklin, linked by a mutual friend, formed the Setting Suns, later changing their creative collective’s name to Magnetic Morning soon after. They released a self titled EP in 2007, followed by their only album A.M. late in 2008. The music has divided - never moreso than in the two heavyweights of internet music, Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound, which raped and raved respectively. Anyway, make up your own mind. It may not eclipse anything the two members' day jobs have put out, but it is worthy of airplay in its own right. It drones along, but with a weightlessness that positively shimmers, with the occasional guttural squall to quell that Swervedriver thirst... Im a bit of a fan, anyways.

Oh, and futher Swervedriver news - Adam Franklin continues to pump out the solo stuff. I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years comes out later this year through Second Motion.

Magnetic Morning - Motorway

Magnetic Morning - Indian Summer

Interpol shines a new Light

Interpol have been a little quiet of late. After the ho hum reception to their last LP Our Love To Admire, it seemed that the NYC quartet may have hit the wall, caught in the rock and hard place that is major label expectations and fan base appeal. Lead singer Paul Banks spent the time off creating Julian Plenti, whose album Julian Plenti Is...Skyscraper may not have veered far from Interpol territory, it certainly showed some semblance of form (NB - Im one of the few that quite enjoyed Our Love... - even though not as cohesively enjoyable as Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics, tracks such as 'Pioneers To The Fall' and 'The Heimlich Maneuvre' showed the band's continuing maturity).

Now the guys are prepping the release of their fourth, as yet untitled, album, and we at Sonic Masala have a lil taster for you. Drummer Sam Fogarino promised an expansion on sonic territory, a true cohesion of the band's identity, and a marriage of sorts of their past, Bright Lights era and the future. However frontman Paul Banks nixed this notion. So what will this album hold for us? It certainly seems to be divisive... Hence the new track's name may well prove to be defining. See what you think...

Interpol - Lights