Thieving These Golden Beaches

Aussie ex-pat Michael Beach never sits still, whether it be with the excellent Colossal Yes, his rock band Electric Jellyfish (which left San Fran earlier this year to alight on these southern shores, but didn't make it up to Queensland unfortunately, even though I pleaded), and of course his stellar solo gear. His latest offering though, Golden Theft (out on Twin Lakes Records), is the best thing he has put together. If you can't get into opening track 'The Exhilarating Rise', then you are dead inside (and to me). Seriously, I listened to this track incessantly for a week before I even took in the rest of the album. Rest assured the remainder is just as golden. Teaming up with drummer Utrillo Kushner (Comets On Fire), recorded by the idiosyncratic Phil Manley and mastered by Bob Weston, Golden Theft is a rollicking rustic pastiche pulse through raucous rambles and frayed flake-outs. Beach is alienated yet sane, voicing his internal concerns with passion, and he's never sounded better.

Beach has been playing some excellent shows of late with the likes of Estrogen Highs and Scout Niblett, and there are a few more on the horizon (one at the Hemlock Tavern with MV & EE on the 21st is of particular merit). If you haven't checked him out yet, do the whole world a favour and do so - it'll change your mind for the better. Word is he will be out this way again this year as part of Newcastle's excellent Sound Summit in November (which already includes the likes of Oval, Tyvek, Heatsick, Ooga Boogas, Bushwalking, Unity Floors, Cured Pink - the list goes on and on...) so hopefully he will venture north this time. I might see if he'd be keen for a Sonic Masala show? You can buy Golden Theft in limited edition vinyl here.

Waving At The Life Coach (Thrill Jockey Update #6)

Constantly churning out exploratory classics, Chicago's Thrill Jockey is privy to some amazing collaborations amongst likeminded souls. One I wasn't expecting (but still makes a fair degree of sense) is Life Coach. Last year Trans Am's Phil Manley released a solo record with this as its title, yet like Jason Molina and his Magnolia Electric Company, he liked the process enough to make it a project in and of itself. The collaborative process comes from Manley joining forces with Jon Theodore. This excited me for a number of reasons. Whilst Life Coach wasn't something that connected with me in 2011 (which is bizarre, since since listening to it again in the past week it's brand of kraut-inflected motorik minimalism is pretty damn awesome) I have always been in awe of Trans Am's sonic explorations - I bought Futureworld in my first year of uni based solely on its cover art and haven't looked back. Theodore was the original drummer from proto-prog act The Mars Volta (and for the record, I loved them in the beginning - De-Loused In The Comatorium is actually right up there in my favourite albums of the '00s - and I still kinda like em, despite their douchery - let the daggers fly), and he was by far the best. Since then he's ..., and there was that One Day As A Lion project he did with Zach de la Rocha. The key is that Manley and Theodore played together on Golden, and have been spiritual and musical buddies for nigh on two decades.

So what do Life Coach bring to the table? Alphawaves, effectively a continuation of Manley's cyclical solo instrumentals that nevertheless grow into amorphous beasts due to Theodore's unrestrained style of playing. He is a truly kinetic force, and his inclusion on songs like 'Lifeless Possibilities' is breathtaking. The album is further augmented by the inimitable Isaiah Mitchell (the brilliant Earthless and Golden Void) on lead on a few songs, most notably on face melter 'Fireball'. The album is apparently played in sequence in its entirety when performed live, and you can see why. Essentially an exploration in drone and rhythm in various genres, from Endless Boogie-esque free form rock to shoegaze, Alphawaves is unrelenting in its groove, failing to truly ease off its intensity, rather letting it shift incrementally. It's the variations in tone and style that shows off Manley's various artistic facets, and it becomes a bit of a masterclass due to the members involved.

You can buy Alphawaves here. Buy now and you can bundle it up with Life Coach too, well worth the effort. I don't expect Life Coach to be a long-term endeavour - but you never know. There has to be a music god out there somewhere...


Life Coach - Alphawaves
Life Coach - Fireball

In Between Mountains & Valleys Lies The Beach

Displaced Aussie Michael Beach had a nice little 7" out at the dawn of the year, A Horse (have a read and listen here). I really liked it. Well, he is releasing a mini-album to coincide with his forthcoming US tour, and it's the best thing he's done yet. Mountains + Valleys (through Spectacular Commodity and Twin Lakes) is a ballsy and accomplished collection of rustic rust, and it sounds amazing. This could do with the people he has roped in to help out - drummer Utrillo Kushner (Comets On Fire), Raymond Raposa (Castanets) on guitar and vocals, and Trans Am’s Phil Manley on the desk (Wooden Shjips and Barn Owl have enlisted his services in the past), Mountains + Valleys traverses darker terrain with more bluster than before, and is all the better because of it.


There are only 100 copies of these suckers (possibly much, much less), so try grab one here. Otherwise head here to get the digital. Its fantastic stuff. Reminds me of Jim Ward's or Jason Molina's solo stuff, but with Sonic Youth tracks occasionally coming across the radio wavelength. Really great stuff.

Michael Beach - Straight Spines
Michael Beach - Mountains + Valleys

Cowering In The Shadowlands

Our second post about Thrill Jockey releases coming out tomorrow, this time we have San Fransisco droners Barn Owl putting out their own EP, Shadowland. I fucking dig this band - they have not put out a dud release yet - and Shadowland is no exception. Looking at Pontiak's Comecrudos art work, and comparing it to this, you can see that they are brothers in arms. The two-piece over the three tracks here mine similar territory to Pontiak also, evoking sinister emotions and foreboding that lurks in the darkness, refusing to come out into the night, thus remaining undefined and unknown, heightening the inherent fear. This is ambiance at its most controlled and dark-hued, and is electric in the juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity. This is aided by the man at the recording desk, Trans Am's Phil Manley.

Shadowland is out tomorrow. Get this here (the vinyl is immaculate!) - or even better, get it alongside Comecrudos as a bundle - you won't need to hear anything else of this ilk all year.

Barn Owl - Shadowland