Three Pieces of Sleater-Kinney Gold!

Last week I told you about the new album by Quasi, American Gongs. I even gave you two songs to sample. Have you bought the album yet? You should have - its fucking awesome.

Well, it was also brilliant to hear Sleater-Kinney's incendiary drummer Janet Weiss (and her beautiful harmonies!) on record again.

So I thought Id share three tidbits of Sleater-Kinney info that is likely to have you salivating.

First of all, Carrie Brownstein has her own blog, Monitor Mix. Its a goodun - check it out.

Secondly, Brownstein is in a movie! With The Shins/Broken Bells' own James Mercer! And its supposedly very good! Its called Some Days Are Better Than Others. Check the trailer below and make up your own minds - Im intrigued enough to check it out, even though it does smack a little of trying too hard for indie cred - but as I said, Brownstein + Mercer = must see.

Thirdly (and most importantly), Brownstein mentioned in an interview with IFC that a Sleater-Kinney reunion is definitely a possibility - and that she has hopes that in the next five years they will be firing on all cylinders again! This is great news indeed. Time to dust off One Beat and The Woods and have a Sleater-Kinney playlist today methinks!

Some Days are Better than Others (trailer) from matt mccormick on Vimeo.

Sung Gongs

Quasi have been around for quite a while, having put out various sized and themed releases through Kill Rock Stars and and Touch and Go. They are also the "side project" of Heatmiser's Sam Coombes and Sleater-Kinney's Janet Weiss, ably supported on this album, American Gongs, by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks' Joanna Bolme. Of course Quasi has outlasted both of those outfits (especially regrettable in Sleater-Kinney's case), but they have remained a niche oddity rather than a supergroup of sorts.

This is all about to change with this album. And they are actually touring it rather than sticking to Portland gigs, which will do much for their rotation. The album finally showcases Coombes' supreme axemanship and Weiss' authoritative drumming, and is further augmented by the fact that American Gongs is a proper album, with well constructed and cohesive songs. The Lee Ranaldo sounding "Little White Horse" and bluesy barroom glitter of "Rockabilly Party" show the band at its best sans the long workout jams (which are a treat live), whilst "The Jig Is Up" and "Everything And Nothing At All" denote their mournful, whiskey-soaked side. Quasi are a band that deserve to be noted - not just due to the superior musicianship of the parties involved, but to the fact that they are a fucking good band.

Quasi - Little White Horse
Quasi - Rockabilly Party

Some Pivot remixes for you...

Pivot are one of my favourite Australian acts out there at the moment. They are good friends with my best mate's brother (who was their photographer back in their Sydney days), and they have relocated to London (along with another amazingly unique Aussie outfit, Snowman), and they are amazingly affable chaps that are brilliant at what they do - tight, atmospheric, damn catchy indie electronica rock.

Furthermore, Pivot - Pike brothers, guitar guru Richard and drumming demon Laurence, and electronomaniac and all round nice guy Dave Millar - are currently putting the final touches on their 3rd LP, following up the out-of-nowhere explosively impressive Make Me Love You and the assured brilliance of follow-up O Soundtrack My Heart.

Laurence will also feature on a Bill Callahan live CD where he took over drumming tour duties.

They are truly special - their gig at Hoxton Bar and Grill in May last year was a ephemeral sweatbox of writhing limbs - and will be touring again soonish. They are currently doing SXSW (arent they all?) plus scoring support slots for the likes of Morning Teleportation, Nice Nice, You Say Party! We Say Die!, and the impressive Quasi. They need to be heard (and seen) to be believed.

I will do an album retrospective of them soon (I am that keen for people to start listening to them...), but for now here are two remixes the boys have laid down in the past few months. The first was done for Warp Records 20th anniversary, a reimagining of Grizzly Bear's 'Colorado' off their Yellow House record. The 2nd is an example of probably the ONLY time you will see the Temper Trap mentioned on our blog. Not that they are deplorable - not just my cup of tea. Pivot makes them palatable here though - especially around the 2 and a 1/2 minute mark - quintessential Pivot. More to come!!!!!

Grizzly Bear - Colorado (Pivot remix)

Temper Trap - Fader (Pivot remix)