Looming On The Vinyl Ceiling

This has been in the wind for about a year now, but excellent local label Lost Race has finally released Loomer's debut LP Ceiling on vinyl! I was lucky enough to be walking past Rockinghorse Records on Monday after Lost Race's Danny Venzin dropped off some preliminary copies (the release date isn't until May 30). Originally out on CD in December 2010, Ceiling showcases the burgeoning talents of the dark shoegaze-driven quartet. I got to see them support Swervedriver in 2011 (which I reviewed here), and looked forward to their imminent explosion as the year went on. Unfortunately that was not to be - the band imploded, with members going on to focus on other sonic efforts such as Per Purpose, Spite House, Slug Guts, Eastlink and Lakes. Thank God for Lost Race then, because Ceiling is a minor masterpiece  all atonal bluster and feedback wash corralled by Brea Stanbridge's soothing vocals, a hint of menace barely held in check. This kind of music is a rarity in Australian circles, and almost never done this well. The vinyl sounds incredible too, and fittingly displays a band that could have been so much more.

You can pre-order Ceiling here (there are only 100 copies, which is Lost Race's MO). You can also get it from Permanent Records here.

Woodsman Sealed In Their Sonic Tomb

 

From the first time I heard the track ‘No Drone’, I have been a rampant fan of Denver psychers Woodsman. Although their Forms LP didn’t quite reach the heights I wanted them to, they have on occasion totally smashed it out of the park – their Mystery Tapes EP (which incidentally I found at Rockinghorse Records here in Brisbane at the beginning of the year – one of my all-time greatest treasure finds), Collages LP and recent single ‘All Tangled Up’ showed a band that were gritty and dark in their rhythmic caterwauls. The quartet are clearly on a mission, an odyssey to put into elongated and distorted notes the psychic vibes that flow through each member.

Their continued adherence to walking the road less travelled with their visceral jams has paid dividends with this latest track, the B-side to ‘All Tangled Up’ aptly titled ‘Sonic Tomb’. The band say this about their process and the track that it created:

"Late last December we began recording sessions for what will later become our 3rd LP. Although this track may not find its way onto the record it symbolizes a big change for the band. Aided for the first time by a professional recording studio and the able ears of one Daniel James Schlett the jams came out sounding bigger and more direct. We're extremely psyched to share what we've been working on over the past year. The record is shaping up nicely and we'll have more for you soon!"

 

Sounds promising, no? Until we hear more about said album, let’s immerse ourselves in the healing waters of Woodsman and drift away. All Tangled Up/Sonic Tomb came out last week on Lefse Records and Fire Talk Records – get it on cassette here.

Woodsman – Sonic Tomb

Tenzenmen Tsunami

Shaun Tenzenmen is awesome. I seriously love this guy. He has brought to my ears the amazing self-titled debut by Auckland noise rockers God Bows To Math, and the subsequent Sonic Masala-run show at The Waiting Room killed (plus they are super nice guys). He is also a very busy man, bringing us music from all over the world, all of it excellent. But he has been uber busy lately, releasing a whole bunch of seven-inches and albums, so I have some serious work to do to ensure the word is out! So, here are some of the Tenzenmen releases floating in the ether (and at your local record store - I picked up a couple 7"s at Rockinghorse last weekend...)


First up we have Yes I'm Leaving, a Sydney noise act that is far too underrated for any sane man to comprehend. This three piece are crafting some beautifully dissonant rock that does everything you want from the genre and more, and on new release Nothing they truly nail it.

Yes I'm Leaving - Untitled
Yes I'm Leaving - Nothing

Now, who's up for some Asian hardcore? Yeah, me too! Why not throw some Spanish screamos in the mix too! This split 7" features a few tracks from Malaysian brutalisers Inquiry Last Scenery, as well as the last recordings of Spain's abrasive brethren El Eje Del Mal (translates as Axis Of Evil). It's fast, furious and fun - pretty essential then. (Plus the crudely drawn Star Wars riffing cover is pretty ace!)

El Eje Del Mal - El VHS Contenta
Inquiry Last Scenery - I.L.S


Remember Bikini Eyebolt? Not really? Shame. They existed (if you could call it that) in Melbourne around 2007-2008, and featured DEAD's Jace on guitars and vocals. This release showcased what most of the world missed - a band willing to follow in the footsteps of the post-punk giants such as Gang Of Four and Wire, without succumbing to malaise, pretension or disco. This is authentic, serrated, and above all none of it is throwaway. It sure is a shame that these guys aren't still killing it - but then again, Dead might not exist as it does now, so swings and roundabouts I suppose...

Bikini Eyebolt - Rats Love Me
Bikini Eyebolt - Walking Asleep


Heading back to Asia - Shanghai in China, to be exact - we'll finish off with Duck Fight Goose, an experimental math rock hybrid who are causing ripples all over the world since forming back in 2009. History is a 7" preceding their upcoming 2nd LP Sports, and is a worth precursor. There are only 50 copies in Australia (well, 49, because I am now a proud owner!) in white vinyl, and is well worth the purchase.

Duck Fight Goose - History

There are more to come this week, so keep the goodness flowing! You can get these releases and shedloads more here

A Chinese Tenzenmen Triptych

After the amazing news that Auckland noise magnets God Bows To Math are coming to Australia, courtesy of Tenzenmen Records, and seeing that Sonic Masala is putting the last show in Brisbane in April, it's fitting to start bringing into the SM fold some of the great artists that Shaun at Tenzenmen has under his belt. Ill ease you in with three of the best...


It should be stated that Tenzenmen really got started after an initiative with China, which has led to Shaun bringing to light a bunch of Chinese bands that outside that nation we were quite likely never going to hear. The following bands all fall under that umbrella, starting with Dear Eloise. The trio are a lo-fi bedroom dream pop band that delve in shoegaze noise on the side. What blows my mind is that they are exactly that - a bedroom band. They have never played alive performance. In some ways that's a shame, in others - right on. The two tracks below are from their concurrent 7"'s Castle and Song For Her that came out last year. Normally you have to hunt far and wide for this - because of Tenzenmen, I bought Castle last fortnight because it was sitting at one of my favourite local record stores. They also have an album out there that deserves to be hunted down - STAT.

Dear Eloise - Castle
Dear Eloise - Song For Her


A newer Tenzenmen release is this crazy good 7" from Fanzui Xiangfa, a hardcore punk band based in Beijing. The name translates into the more traditional hardcore name of Criminal Minds, hence me not tagging them as such. With three tracks on either side and it all clocking in at just over a sixth of an hour (that's ten minutes for those not mathematically inclined), this record is a hell of a lot of breakneck fun. Have at three of the tracks below - all in a five minute long single track, like a mega mix, yeah!

Fanzui Xiangfa - Garbage/Rip Off/Target Me


Thirdly and nowhere near finally we have Hedgehog a truly kick ass band. A killer guitar pop band with more than enough lashings of pop hooks (listen to 'Elf' and tell me this isn't the Shanghai Ratcat!), Hedgehog are starting to make a name for themselves. Four albums in six years means they certainly don't sit on their hands, and the best part is their consistency. My current fave of the four albums is Noise Hits World, hence the two tracks below, but listen to em all. DO IT! Hedgehog are amazeballs.

Hedgehog - Pumpkin
Hedgehog - Elf

Tenzenmen is an incredible label bringing the unlikeliest of bands to our attention, and he stocks records at at least one record store in your capital city, little Vegemites! Brisbane's port of call is Rockinghorse. There is a lot more to come from these guys...

Fully Submerged In Bardo Pond

I cant believe we have been around for almost a year, and this is my first Bardo Pond reference! Wow. Ok, here goes...

I came to Bardo Pond a few years ago, pretty much purely because the guys from Mogwai kept banging on about them. This was the mid '00s, when I was still a fat mid-twentysomething in Australia, tutoring rich kids at a school that bred faux intellectuals, thugs and the very occasional stand-up good guy, turning my back on my education career, struggling to get noticed with my writing and wondering what was the point in life... Ahem. So anyway, I also saw Bardo Pond's name floating about on various ATP lists, which piqued my interest even more. I found Dilate in the bargain area of the local record store, Rockinghorse, and - whilst not as mesmerising as hearing My Father My King for the first time - Bardo Pond were etched into my musical soul.

Therefore, Im massively excited and happy to tell you all that Bardo Pond's latest LP -the first in four years if you dont count the epic Batholith, which is a major departure for the band's once prolific nature - monikered, funnily enough, Bardo Pond (came out on Dec 8th through Fire Records) is fantastic. I noticed a few people included it on their best of 2010 lists. The reason that Bardo Pond didnt figure for me was because I didnt get it until Christmas. And because I listened to it for the final three days of 2010 right into the New Year, and we had already posted our best of 2010 lists before Christmas Day, it feels very 2011 to me. OK?

So, the album opens up with 'Just Once', an incredibly beautiful woozy jam, augmented by clearer production enhancing Isobel Sollenberger's slightly husky, warbled vocals, a great space odyssey, before blasting in with concise and gritty 'Dont Know About You'. The chamber oscillating rhythms of 'Sleeping' then lulls you into familiar terrain, wearing the Pink Floyd schtick firmly on the sleeve. All so Bardo Pond - all so good. Then we hit the middle of the album. 'Undone' warbles into existence, somewhat like a foal taking its first erratic steps. Then when its finished, 21 minutes later, you know you have ridden that horse down the rabbit hole into a dark rift in time and space that gets more chaotic yet cathartic with every passing light year, until you find yourself imploding, a dead star. Totally self-indulgent, totally fucking awesome. The rest of the album - the insistent sneer of 'Cracker Wrist', the wistful yet hopeful soaring 'The Stars Behind' and meandering trip 'Wayne's Tune' - help to accentuate the fact that after 20 years and basic anonymity, Bardo Pond are still very much the master of their own domain. I was bummed when I heard they joined the likes of Lou Reed for a very special festival at the Sydney Opera House mid-2010 - whats worse, I couldnt go see them support The Dead C in December due to a prior engagement (I think Im OK, just take deep breaths...) - now, with Bardo Pond by my side, I have them all to myself.

I can still claim this as a 2011 release, right?

Bardo Pond - Dont Know About You

Bardo Pond - Cracker Wrist