Ruined By Wolf People

Hi all. This is the first post from a new member of Sonic Masala, Graham - enjoy!

A few years ago Wolf People were ascending the folk psych ladder with 70s inspired blues-infused psych prog. They were the type of band that openly nodded to their influences; but with Ruins they have stamped their own mark with an assured and heady album. Opening track 'Ninth Night' is a scribe writing about the coming storm, with acoustic guitar swelling into a fuzz-laden groove based on the legend of the ‘Hand of Glory’ – the severed hand used to render all in its presence motionless. It is like an omen of what is to come. With the stand-out tracks of serious jammed-out wah with smatterings of fluttering flute on 'Rhine Sagas', the Sabbathy 'Night Witch', the Cream-infused 'Thistles', and 'Crumbling Dias', with its beautiful flute leading into a groove laden stomp, and like the lyric states there definitely should be no reason to leave. It is on track 'Kingfisher' where there is a moment of clarity amongst the dirge and feedback, reflecting that there is beauty all around and yet are our eyes are rarely open to see it in its truest form? That’s how you could sum up Ruins; for all the comparisons to bands of past and present they have found the balance, the beauty in their sound, and have created an album that deserves to be heard.

Ruins is out now through Jagjaguwar Records. They play Oslo tonight with Dean McPhee - get tickets here.

Hidden Amongst The Silhouettes Of Viet Cong

The Canadian band Women has been a common reference point here at Sonic Masala. The sadly defunct band (splitting after a somewhat public disagreement between the Flegel brothers, then the untimely death of Christopher Reimer) produced two brilliant albums in their 2008 self-titled debut and 2010's Public Strain, which was our favourite album of the year. So whenever any of the remaining members put something out it is feverishly exciting to me.

Last year, when Blank Realm were in London, Dan Spencer picked up a vinyl copy of Viet Cong's EP Cassette. Featuring ex-Women Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace, with Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen, Viet Cong produced an album that was a little closer to the pigeonholed sound they were inadvertently placed in - which was excellent, of course. But now that the self-titled debut is just out (via Jagjaguwar) they have beefed up the sound and upped the ante. The noise is a pleasant addition, yet their presence is as much in melody and elegance as it is aberration and dissolution. 'Continental Shelf' is the perfect amalgamation of the old and the new. Its bombastic, almost arrogant in the way that the various elements of the more abrasive end of the rock spectrum are given room to breathe in a prism of pop sensibility - I can't help but think of Pixies when they disappeared a little further down the rabbithole, bereft of their knowing smiles and kitsch. It's good to have you back, boys.



And then there is 'Silhouettes' which marries this to a Joy Division/Kraftwerk frenetic heart skip/synth gloss. What a heady brew we are in for.

Viet Cong is out now. They are playing in London on February 4 at Hackney Oslo, with support from fellow Canucks and motorik fiends Absolutely Free. Grab tickets here.

Burning Angels Make No Witnesses

When I heard 'Forgiven/Forgotten', the heaving, chugging mid tempo rocker that was the first taste of Angel Olsen's latest record Burn Your Fire For No Witness (out on Jagjaguwar), I was stunned. Not because it was a great song - it is a damn fun one with a great bassline though - but because it seemed so at odds to everything I had come to hold dear about the Missouri artist. This was something that Best Coast or one of the bands with Girls as in their name would churn out, albeit with a dark wistfulness percolating underneath the surface; not the artist whose last longplayer was the esoteric, slowburning Half Way Home.

But this seems to be an elliptical curveball, as the album proper, whilst having other robust tunes like 'High & Wild', is more akin to the crafting of haunting pastoral causeways, ebbing and flowing in the mist of melancholy half-memories, that Olsen is becoming famed for. The husky, eerie 'White Fire' is one of the best songs she has ever written because of the use of her voice, bruised and burnt, mingles with the damaged narrative over a simple guitar line that it feels like a reverie spiralling out of solitary confinement, Olsen's lament her Last Supper before eternal redemption. And the timbre of her beckoning voice on 'Lights Out', a psyched soul number, has an overabundance of verve and confidence - this is no nervous, damaged wraith here, but an artist starting to truly harness her powers. Dammit - 'Hi-Five' reminds me of the Big O, Roy Orbison! Wow.

Love, loss, languishing dreams - all buoyed by Olsen's soaring compositions. If she wasn't already a blazing comet in the dark dark night before, starting looking to the sky for Angel Olsen's burning fire - this album is a cracker.

You can get Burn Your Fire For No Witness here - it's a great record. And if you can stay strong through 'White Fire' - you're a fucking liar.

Video Vacuum - Angel Olsen, Tropical Strength, Gentlemen, The Entrance Band

Final week of work for the year; Australia wins the first Ashes Test - it's a pretty good place to be for me right now. I still have a mountain of work to get through though, and hence the procrastination. So - let's have at the vids!



Angel Olsen is a beguiling chanteuse. Firstly due to her musical endeavours up til now have involved skeletal, atmospheric, cavernous folk, all shadows, smoke and mirrors. Secondly because the first cut from her upcoming album is the complete opposite of that. 'Forgiven/Forgotten' is two minutes of chugging rock, Olsen's vocals strong and bold, the video a frenetic edit of car window views. It's not a total backflip - the 'Sweet Dreams' single from earlier this year was a haunting number with a more prevalent guitar, but Olsen is more operatic there - it feels particular and staged. It's light years away. It's bizarre, because I love Olsen's old stuff (especially her album on Bathetic Records, Half Way Home) - and yet I love this track. Guess I just love Angel Olsen. The new album Burn Your Fire For No Witness will be out early next year on Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans - can't wait.



Here's some Aussie dudes making a lysergic number with birds chirping in the background, a mega-slowed down video of a guy falling into a wake pool by the sea and ink dispelling into water. It reminds me a bit of Snowman at their lightest at the beginning, then becomes spun out wasteland of nude swimming and barbecues. Tropical Strength is their name (you know, after the insect repellent?) and 'Wake In Fright' is the song's name (you know, like the gritty outback existential nightmare novel written by Kenneth Cook, or the film directed by a young Bruce Beresford?). It's all weird - and fucking amazing. I really need to see this band, stat.



London band Gentlemen aren't usually my kind of band. 'Late Nacht' is an OK song too, don't get me wrong. But it's this film clip that gets me listening to the song over and over. The screaming and feverish drumming? Then the slip into a hypercoloured set of landscapes? It's pretty genius in my opinion. Bashing skin as catharsis. True that.


Spider from Paz Lenchantin on Vimeo.

Now I'm probably being blasphemous here, but I knew very little about Los Angeles' The Entrance Band before I saw this clip for 'Spider' - and I still know very little. All I know is that this song is a pretty good slice spaced-out and decadent garage pop, and the film clip - all arthouse surrealist noir, arachnid nightmares, Bunuel masturbation - is even better. I'm keen to check out their new album Face The Sun, if that's any consolation.

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Looming Over The Burning Mountains

Further down the rabbithole I go...Here's two more albums to soundtrack your loss of touch with reality, your fragmented brain, your wasted elegance.

New York noisemakers Oneida released A List Of The Burning Mountains through Jagjaguwar last year, a two-track odyssey that roils over you like a burning sea, wave after wave of sonic menace flowing through you, an unrelentlessness that somehow evokes tumorous beauty. The doom elements draws you to the edge of the abyss, the stark coldness is like Nicholas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising, brutal grandeur. The press release says of Oneida here as "drunken-master drumming, howling guitar and scouring drones." Shit yes.

You can grab A List Of The Burning Mountains here.

Oneida - A List Of The Burning Mountains 2

Just so you can punish yourself more, here is Looming, the debut record from Brighton three-piece Negative Pegasus. Taking the aforementioned Oneida as well as Ex Models, Can and especially Knyfe Hyts as musical cues, Looming represents a tonal shift that plays more like schizophrenic motorik, if Battles were less about glossy oddities and more about aggressively euphoric mantras. Blasts of noise interspersed with echoes, warbles and abrasive electronic emissions. Evangelical, puritanical, diabolical - Looming is a joyous purging of the senses. Brilliant.

Buy Looming through Smalltown America here.
 

People Of The North Create Steep Formations, Melt Minds

This has been around for months, but People Of The North's Steep Formations is one heady exercise in aural endurance. That isn't to say that Oneida stalwarts Kid Millions and Bobby Matador have crafted something boring (well, if you aren't into twenty to thirty minute songs I guess it may be), but this kind of elongated noise takes some Zen-like preparation to properly consume. Millions' drumming, especially on 'Border Waves (Part 1)' is jaw-shattering. This track alone warrants spinning this double LP opus. It is aggressive in its singlemindedness - the thirty-plus titular track is pretty much an exercise in one distorted note - yet the audaciousness is for the most part extremely warranted.


Grab Steep Formations (out through Jagjaguwar) here.

People Of The North - Border Waves (Part 1)

Meeting Mary Lou On Black Mountain

Despite being somewhat underwhelmed by their third LP Wilderness Heart back in 2010, Canadian psychers Black Mountain really impressed with their show at the Zoo last year. So I was quite excited to hear that they had a new song out, albeit as part of a soundtrack. Year Zero is billed as an "apocalyptic surf movie", whilst the soundtrack offers some old, familiar tracks with some altogether new ones. The first slice is 'Mary Lou', and it has totally restored my faith in the Vancouver marauders.


Year Zero comes out next month on Jagjaguwar.

Tracklist
1. Phosphorescent Waves
2. Bright Lights
3. Mary Lou
4. Embrace Euphoria
5. Tyrants
6. Modern Music
7. In Sequence
8. Wilderness Heart
9. Breathe

Black Mountain - Mary Lou

Vale Christopher Reimer

One of the saddest pieces of news last week was the passing of brilliant Canadian band Women's guitarist (and touring member of Dodos) Christopher Reimer last week resulting from complications due to a heart condition. He passed away in his sleep on February 21 at the age of 26.

To coincide with the memorial, Reimer's Women bandmates, Women's Canadian label Flemish Eye, and Jagjaguwar have asked us to stream both of the band's albums, 2008's Women and 2010's Public Strain (which we gave our inaugaral Best of album of the year award), in commemoration. Please listen, remember, put the good vibes out into the ether. We will miss you.

Rustic Women

It's time to get in touch with my feminine side today, so Ive made a mini-playlist of four ladies that, either on their own or out front of a band, are belting out some amazing tunes leading up to special releases in 2012.


First up is a band that I haven't mentioned before, which is strange because their band tee is my fave t-shirt of all time. Erika Wennerstrom fronts Heartless Bastards, a brooding garage country band (having been compared to Crazy Horse, Neil Young, The Black Keys and more) who brought out a pretty amazing album in 2009 called The Mountain. Check it out - especially the title track - and get it here. Anyway, they have a new LP about to drop called Arrow, and this is the first cut off it. Its been floating on the blogosphere ether for a while - that's what happens when you hibernate for two months - but it's a good track for what promises to be another great album. Plus, Wennerstrom shreds, seriously. Arrow is out on Partisan Records, and you can get it here (there is a $US65 deluxe package that includes 2xLP, shirt, ltd edition lithograph, CD, and digital download with bonus tracks - well worth it methinks!)

Heartless Bastards - Parted Ways


I've somehow passed Sharon Van Etten by, but 'Serpents' brought me whiplashing back to have another listen. Her new LP Tramp is also out soon (out on Jagjaguwar - pre-order it here). She has a bit of a "topper" of a career - encouraged by TV On The Radio's Kyp Malone to pursue a music career, she has done backing vocals with and become good buds with The National, and Tramp feature the Dessner Bros, Matt Barrick (The Walkmen), Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, whose Civilian was pretty ace and I forgot all bout it for last year's lists, oops!) and one Zach Condon (AKA Beirut). I can't see the songs from the stars! But seriously, listen to 'Serpents'. This is Neil Young (again!) and Stevie Nicks procreating, and that is an inimitably awesome thing.

Sharon Van Etten - Serpents


Lower Dens are also a bit of alright - each single they produce has me salivating, they are really coming into their own - and new track 'Brains' is all kinds of ace. I'm a bit in love with Jana Hunter (actually I'm in love with every woman in this list, their music is truly amazing), and on this latest brooding bubbler of a track I think she nails the spectral vocals perfectly. They have a new album coming out in May called Nootropics, which after the strength of this single is too fucking long! Get ready to become addicted...

Lower Dens - Brains


And finally we have an album that I actually talked about last year as part of Hits From The Box but has just recently gotten a vinyl release, Cheyenne Marie Mize's We Don't Need. You can get it here. It's a nice way to end of this excellent post, by revisiting an oft-missed little release. Enjoy!

Oneida Steadfast With No Absolutes

I couldnt wait to hear New York sonic marauders Oneida's new album Absolute II, the third and concluding chapter in their conceptual Thank Your Parents triptych. Not because they are one of my favourite bands - they are pretty amazing though - and not because I had been hanging out for their new release for a while - which I have been - but because of the hugely divisive reviews that the album has been collating. I absolutely loved the slating it got from The Line Of Best Fit - check it out here...

What the fuck do people expect from one of the most deliberately polarising acts of the past five years? They flutter around the edges of many genres without being decent to fully inhabit any of them. They repeat, juxtapose, refute, improvise, contradict. That is who Oneida is, and that is why they are such an exciting and esteemed act. Sure, Absolute II wasn't exactly what I expected either - a four track aural bashing, droning guitars, little vocals and - what the fuck? - no drums?!? That actually shocked me, as the drumming is to me the pivotal part of their entire back catalogue. Yet it didn't appall me like it has some - in fact, I thought it made more sense than not. They are the subversive demons of the psychedelic noise Underworld, and they will do whatever they damn please. If you like your repetitive drones - which I most certainly do - then you will find solace. If you embrace Oneida's self destructive notion of constant reinvention, you will admire the veracity of their perseverance. Many of you will think this is shit, though, and in some way, fair dues. This isnt Oneida in almost any guise you would recognise. If you actually make it the concluding chapter of the Thank Your Parents trilogy (the others being 2008's Preteen Weaponry and 2009's epic triple album odyssey Rated O), it has the right grooves and notches to fit the missing piece of the puzzle. Or not. You decide. I like it, anyway.



Absolute II is out now through Jagjaguwar - you can get it here.

Oneida - Pre-Human

Labouring over Parts Of The Future

Just a quick post for Brooklyn math noise band Parts & Labor, as they prep upcoming LP Constant Future. The title track has been released as a taster before the album comes out on Jagjaguwar on March 8th. The intricacy and intensity are all present and accounted for, and with producer Dave Fridmann at the controls (Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips), it will be a polished affair. You can go over to Parts & Labor's official website to stream some of the other tracks.

Parts & Labor will be playing a glut of show at SXSW in March before coming over to London and taking over Camp Basement in May.

Parts & Labor - Constant Future

Cave Dwelling Witchery

Seattle’s The Cave Singers are preparing to release No Witch, their 3rd full-length album and first with the ace Jagjaguwar label (home of Black Mountain and Women amongst others). What seems like a strange jumping of ship – their first two albums on Matador did well, and sound great – comes more into focus when the producer duties were filled by dark maestro Randall Dunn (the aforementioned Black Mountain, Sunn O))), Boris). The result is a lushness and depth that was missing from these blues folk fringe dwellers, as well as coaxing out the psychedelic roar that has shadowed their live performances.

It all opens innocuously enough – “Gifts And The Raft” and the great “Swim Club” evoke the vulnerability that alt-folk Americana inherently holds dear. The gear shift though comes in the form of “Black Leaf”, with its fevered guitar, tambourine, and singer Pete Quirk’s rambling rasp becoming a manic growl. It has a devilish swagger that has only ever been hinted at, and it clearly revitalises the band.

With the precedent set, No Witch runs into the hinterland in impressive fashion – the Eastern-tinged psych of “Outer Realms”, the whisky-fuelled CCR inflections on “Haystacks” and the amazing woozy space-out of “Faze Wave”. Closer “No Prosecution If We Bail” ties this menagerie up nicely with a short down-home visceral blues blast. Even when the three-piece return to their bread and butter, such as in the languid “All Land Crabs And Divinity Ghosts”, there is a renewed vigour present that electrifies.

Dunn’s fingerprints are all over this, no question – but you cant help that by releasing the beast, The Cave Singers have released there is another musical plane to be reached, and No Witch is a clear indicator that they are well on their way.

No Witch is out February 18.

The Cave Singers - Black Leaf
The Cave Singers - Faze Wave

Fading Into Black (Fading Into Black)

We have posted about Sonic Masala's itchy feet when it comes to two of the most highly anticipated albums of 2010 - Black Mountain's Wilderness Heart and The Black Angels' Phosphene Dream. Well, both are almost upon us. And I have gotten my sweatier than normal mitts on advances of both! So why not highlight this hump day with an early evaluation of both, so you can get salivating and starting saving, ok?


BLACK MOUNTAIN have grown exponentially since I heard their single 'Druganaut' way back when. Two stellar albums, incessant touring and myriad side projects later, 3rd LP Wilderness Heart falls at our feet. And it certainly starts with all of these elements meeting at the same end point - 'The Hair Song' drips of 70s Americana, whilst 'Old Fangs' roars through with that classic 70s sound that these guys have been cultivating for years. This time around there are no 17 minute wigouts (which is a massive shame in my books) and a decided shift in temperament is imminent AND evident. There is more cohesion with dual singers Stephen McBean and Amber Webber (in fact Webber takes the gamut of the good songs here), and keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt (who also is responsible for the mega awesome albumr artwork) is much more prevalent this time around. However, despite their efforts to create a more rounded album, I found myself wishing they remained a darker reimagining of their 70s childhood heroes. As it stands, they teeter on the edge of caricature here, therefore making Wilderness Heart a decent album that doesnt resonate as much as it should. (That said, Im still a massive fan and want to see how these tracks relate live, and where they go to next...)


THE BLACK ANGELS have also impressed over the years, also with their hard work and 2 LPs carving a roughly hewn path through the psychedelic wilderness. And whilst Phosphene Dream certainly rears a more nostalgic head, the Austin five piece maintain their bombast and groove to ensure that old fans will not feel led astray, whilst opening up a new avenue on which they can obliterate in a sun-drenched haze. Leading with 'Bad Vibrations', The Black Angels show intent from the opening seconds, all sinister and seductive without showing its hand...before whipping out five hundred guitars and sending your soul to the seventh level of Hell. (Its a good song). And the album itself continues in such a fashion, but with an uncharacteristic twist or two - namely the conciseness of the tracks and the extenuation of ideas via expansive time signatures and instrument shake ups. It all combines to create an amazing album rich with ideas, mood, tone, and awesome, awesome otherness of ROCK, all ties together by Alex Maas' vocal delivery. Nevertheless, The Black Angels take a step back further than Black Mountain when looking back, as penultimate track 'Telephone' evokes more 60s pop a la The Kinks or the Yardbirds in their tale of being ditched - and yet this nibble of a retro track (their shortest ever at less than 2 minutes) shouldnt be on here - its a great song, but is a B-side all over, especially with the evocative 'True Believers' and gloomy bluesy 'The Sniper' bookending it. That said, it, unlike some of Wilderness Heart, lived up to my much heightened expectations, and has been a constant on the playlist for the past few days and isnt likely to be budged soon.

So all in all, we have been delivered unto evil by two black and denim clad psych warriors this month, and you could do a multitude of worse things than bust your carefully plotted budget by purchasing these albums, then toss your painstakingly plotted to-do post-its in the bin, clap your headphones firmly on, and disappear for a week or more. Don't say we didn't warn you...or give you an almighty heads up.

Wilderness Heart is out on Tuesday through Jagjaguwar, whilst Phosphene Dreams (out through Blue Horizon) will burn a hole in your pockets and skull on Monday. (NB - Both are produced by Dave Sardy, so they actually sound complementary when partnered in tandem). And dont forget their mammoth gig together at Shepherds Bush on October 7...

Black Mountain - Radiant Hearts

The Black Angels - River Of Blood

Check out our previous posts on these albums here, here, here and here.

Finally - a Small Black track!

Si, you might be more than a bit happy.

After a number of conversations surrounding Small Black (in connection to another act Washed Out), I am finally posting a track, which features on new LP New Chain, out in October on Jagjaguwar. 'Photojournalist' features everything that people have come to expect from Small Black - deliberately skewed pop via demented jangly keyboard and effects, riding the chillwave...er, wave, but then cutting off other surfers whilst blithely flipping the bird, fading triumphant into the roll of another wave resplendant in their multi-coloured wetsuits. New Chain could have a number of meanings - their signing to Jagjaguwar has allowed them to cast off the murkiness of DIY recordings, freshening their sound and production to allow the mangled beauty of their compositions to shine through; but there is now a level of expectation that would be seen by some to be cumbersome in its misgivings. Im sure Small Black will shake off those shackles in no time.

NB - I find this kind of music incredibly strange. Not because the music itself is strange - its that on paper this has no appeal to me, and yet I become more and more enamoured with every listen. Whilst Si's opinion on music can swing into the WTF territory, this one is well worth the effort. Nevertheless, I don't think a Cheap Trick retrospective will be coming anytime soon...

Small Black - Photojournalist

Black Mountain Let Down Their Hair

Another cut off Black Mountain's forthcoming LP Wilderness Heart, entitled 'The Hair Song'. I have a feeling there will be a great number of people who wont enjoy this one - this has much more of the fuzzy country rock vibe than the psychedelia that the Canadians are more reknowned for. Maybe Lightning Dust and Pink Mountaintops, the band's other projects, are enforcing themselves more wholeheartedly on this trip? Anyway, some one mentioned The Black Crowes when I played this for em, and whilst that is somewhat accurate, I dont think it is a derogatory thing. Anyway, I think its rollicking, and here it is for you to make your own call. Wilderness Heart comes out in September via Jagjaguwar. And don't forget the gig featuring Black Mountain and the Black Angels in October!!!

Black Mountain - The Hair Song

Oneida's Dr Jekyll

And here is the second Oneida-influenced post of the day!

People of the North is a collaboration of Kid Millions and Bobby Matador, with a revolving door of musicians lending a hand since 2002 (including most of Oneida's past and present roster). In fact some of the PotN compositions have morphed into Oneida staples ('Lavender' is probably the most obvious instance of this). The music is in many ways business as usual here - but a little more compact, more bite-size chocolate bar than a chocolate carry bag. However you want to sell it, if you like hedonistic psych-rock that revels in taking everything beyond the ether, the outer reaches, and keeps going - then you'll love this stuff. Ive loved these guys for a couple years now, and my adoration will never wane.

People of the North's latest output is Deep Tissue, a pulsing minimalist LP that came out back in April via Jagjaguwar. The below track is from it!

People of the North - Tunnels

Psych Rockers Back With Bite

I love Black Mountain. Their take on the 70s psychedelic rock sound has indelibly influenced the genre over the past 5 years, ever since their self-titled LP, and further cemented with sophomore effort In The Future. Their 3rd album, Wilderness Heart, is out in September through Jagjaguwar Records. They are also touring in July, playing the Lexington (which is already sold out?!? What the Fuck!!!) and other UK venues, then return in October...

Wow, this post isnt doing Black Mountain any justice! Ah, to hell with it, just listen to the new song and Ill try to make it up later...

Black Mountain - Old Fangs

A full moon gives me the blues

Just got my mitts on the new record by Wolf People. Of course the wolf band names are a dime a dozen, and frankly boring nowadays (even though its a cool word) and often come lumped with connotations of hipster wank (sorry Wolf Eyes and Wolf Parade...the rest of you, Im pointing fingers). Dont dismiss Tidings purely on the band's moniker. They are out and out 70s blues rock - and not your Wolfmother poseuring kind either. The LP drips of soulful and drug-fucked blues that we associate with Hendrix (although never reaching those heights), even placing the pops and crackles on the CD version, so you know they were born for vinyl. They are also very popular at the moment, being picked up by great label Jagjagwar (the first UK band to do so) and scoring support gigs with the likes of Besnard Lakes, Lightning Dust and Dead Meadow. I aim to be at all gigs, so could find myself howling at the moon in the very near future...

LONDON GIGS

31 March - Cargo (supporting Besnard Lakes)
6 May - Lexington (supporting Lightning Dust - side project of Black Mountain)
26 May - Bush Hall (supporting psychedelic giants Dead Meadow)

Wolf People - Empty Heart