Flannel Robes

For a band raging against sitting still, with releases pushing towards the upper echelons of a hundred on just about all formats and through all labels, including Olde English Spelling Bee (whatever happened to those guys? A serious question there), Not Not Fun, Night People and Woodsist, waiting almost a year for a new Robedoor release feels like being spurned by your S&M-fixated lover. The LA droners lick those wounds though with Primal Sphere, the upcoming album the duo have coming out on Hands In The Dark Records. Their brand of electro-doom secretions doesn't deviate far from the Robedoor norm on the new LP, but therein lies their charm - they are truly insidious, their slight transgressions worming their way throughout a prolific oeuvre so that the beginning and end become indiscernible. Plus, on a track like 'Flannel Shroud,' you can get your undead shuffle on - nothing like a funereal dance number for the apocalyptic ages.

You can preorder Primal Sphere here - highly recommended. And brilliant cover art too.

Charles Lays Down His Curse Once More With Feeling

The first Sonic Masala Presents... showcase was little over a month ago, but it warrants another mention due to the great performance by opening act Charles Curse. The artist (AKA Greg Charles) released a great little album a few years ago on Olde English Spelling Bee called Rain In Skull, and finally the second instalment of this always interesting musical walkabout has dropped. Stomac is a incredibly raw collection of tracks that is as exhilarating as it is unhinged, its murky, rust-covered production combining with off-kilter vocals, cracked folk trappings, noisy interludes, warped sonic manipulations, crappy drum machines and oddly syncopated beats to create something that is truly grimy, original and often stunning.

Here's Charles' take on the whole shebang...

"From 2008-2011 a monstrous catharsis of recordings and layers of tracks, in a strictly improvised nature, were recorded onto Garageband with a view to mix and compress into higher quality files, but alas, my Mac got stolen in June 2011. As heart breaking as suffering machine grief is, especially when your prized photography, film, and fresh sonic pieces are taken away, (not backed up, stupidly) the positive aspect out of all this business was that I had previously sent WHNZ a lo-fi punk-damaged eclectik (sic) brood of songs, with a view to improve them in format and increase clarity and boost production. But the best one can do in crisis is to make do with what's left after the smoke clears, and as a result the tracks are going to be released in strict punk rock skronk hiss clouds and whacked aural blowjobs, thanks to the long roped patience of the label and their empathy towards my reluctance to just release any old shit. But after my last release Rain In Skull, which was a heavily conceptual, organik (sic) mind trip into a young man trying to deal with fatherhood, with a strong emphasis on a smooth, clear psychotropic journey, this recording is like a fucking White Album - throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Or even a Big Star third type thing. Actually I have no idea what it sounds like. I can't listen to 'em anyway! It's a throw it out, big hairy balls to the icy breeze, a bile that sounds like 52 different bands. It's a mess. It's punk rock. It's a 180 degree turn from the prog-claustrophobian slickness and shine of Rain In Skull. It is what it is. Enjoy STOMAC — instantaneous bursts of angst, humour, vagueness and audio verite, it's fuckin punk all right you cunts."


Language, cuz! Put out by Ukrainian label WeHaveNoZen, Stomac is a free digital release that you can rip and roll here.

Charles Curse - Reunion Boycott Blues
Charles Curse - Light, Light (My Pink Bits Are Infinitive)

Big Troubles? Not to Worry...

We posted a while ago about noise poppers Big Troubles and how much we loved their 'Drastic and Difficult'. Well, they have just released debut LP Worry through Olde English Spelling Bee, and its a corker. Stream it below; grab it here (sorry about the short post, but The Decibel Tolls already posted at length about this AND their Angelfire radfest, but couldn't pass on sharing the sounds!)

Big Trouble(s) In Little New Jersey...

Good morning, sleepyheads! Its Saturday morning, so lets get some grooves on!

I have gone MIA for a little while - OK, 3 or so days, but in that time Ive accumulated a retarded amount of things and tidbits to post about, mainly to do with the myriad messages we are sent here to our email sonic.masala@gmail.com.

I have a dirty lil secret to admit - I have never until a couple weeks ago checked our email. That was Paul and Ani's job, and they have paid their dues, giving a heads up on bands like Tomorrows Tulips and Lil Daggers... But after talking to Guilty Ghosts and Reading Rainbow, and seeing how many bands were trying to get in contact with us, Ive spent the last day trying to make amends...

First cab off the ranks are this tidy lil group from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Big Troubles are a two piece, playing young fiery garage scuzz - aren't they all? - and it isn't only infectious, but it hints at a band of guys striving to be a cut above. They are having a meteoric rise of late, playing with the likes of Real Estate, RE offshoot Ducktails, and the awesome Kurt Vile. Very 'in the now' - how there is so much I hate about this movement, and yet guys like Big Troubles drag me back. Its all about exuberance and having fun, rather than owning a truckload of Ray Bans and removing a rib to suck your own cock (or clitoris - we are gender non-specific here...) Which is what a lot of this sound is so obviously about. Apparently. So Big Troubles - good stuff - their debut LP Worry will be out soon, but you can hunt down their Drastic & Difficult 7" on Olde English Spelling Bee. Well, well worth the time...

Big Troubles - Drastic And Difficult
Big Troubles - Wouldn't Mind