Audacity For Dirty Vessels

Californian blasted rockers are letting rip on new record Hyper Vessels (out through Suicide Squeeze). The guitar wail in the middle of the track 'Dirty Boy' reminds me of Ty Segall over the past year or two - which makes sense, seeing as he recorded the album. The track is breakneck and bustling, and absolute blast, the best rock song I have heard so far this year. It isn't always hell for leather rock though, as other cut 'Umbrellas' shows - a anthemic blast about trying to find your footing, your place in this mixed up world. Either end of the spectrum shows the four-piece ready to let rip, which bodes well for the album when it arrives on April 1. They will be touring the States extensively over that time too (playing with the likes of Dirty Fences, Har Mar Superstar and Thee MVPs), so you will have plenty of chances to catch them blowing up.

Making Childbirth Bad

Seattle punk trio Childbirth are doing all they can to skewer gender bias and to kick arse with their upcoming LP Women's Rights (out through Suicide Squeeze Records later this month), all while pissing themselves at everyone else's expense. Their songs are often cheeky and outlandish, from 'Tech Bro' to 'Baby Bump' (about someone who brings cocaine to a baby shower). Even the seemingly dark grunge howl of 'Let's Be Bad' is a tongue-in-cheek look at what's expected of women who "let their hair down". But the violence inherent in the music isn't entirely anachronistic - the girls are here to rock as much as they are to take a stand - consider them Sleater-Kinney's irreverent younger siblings. You can pre-order Women's Rights right here - in Dish Glove Yellow, no less.

This Will Destroy You Into Dust(ism)

I'm running out of time - I'm using my parents' internet in their newsagency and they are locking up the shop (it's not anywhere near as bottom-of-the-barrel sounding as you think!), but I need to end today on this note. Texan instrumental giants This Will Destroy You WILL DESTROY YOU - I have seen them play twice (although not since before their deeper, darker sojourn into doomier scapes, Tunnel Blanket) and they blew my head off - and they are back to do it all again with new record Another Language. This is the first taste off it - and it has been my day-closer for over a week now. Coming out on Suicide Squeeze Records in the States and Hobbledehoy Records in Australia, Another Language promises to combine the more elegant brushstrokes of their first release Young Mountain with the full-scale damage they explored on Tunnel Blanket - and 'Dustism' permeates the soul because of it. Think Explosions In The Sky and Mono melding minds - huge statement, but I can't unstate it. Cannot wait for this to drop in the latter months. You can pre-order the 2xLP album Another Language (on rich opaque blue vinyl no less) here, out through Hobbledehoy Records.

Tuffing Out The Wild Desires

King Tuff has had a pretty big first half of 2012. First of all they sold out their Wild Desire 7" on Suicide Squeeze, whose title track slays in so many ways. Kyle Thomas's vocals are perfectly laconic, his guitar solo is insanely awesome, and he manages to capture elements of 60s Kinks, 70s Clash and T-Rex, throw it all into a reverent blender and spew forth one of the best singles of the year. The crazy thing is that he doesn't blow his wad here - Wild Desire is only foreplay.

King Tuff - Wild Desire

King Tuff, his second LP after 2008's Was Dead and first for Sub Pop, is overflowing with charm, charisma and riffs that it's hard not to throw out all other albums and mold this permanently to the turntable. This is distilled garage pop brilliance, albeit with a better guitarist than usual at the helm, yet the solos (and there are a few - all amazing) never overshadow the innate positivity that emanates from Thomas throughout the recording. Sometimes it may have benefited from a bit more edge and bite to take away from the giddiness felt throughout - but then that never hampered last year's excellent album Goodbye Bread from SF god Ty Segall, did it? Also, has an amazing cover sleeve. Always an attractor...


King Tuff is out now on Sub Pop. This too is hard to get on vinyl - it's been selling better than even Sub Pop predicted - but you can still grab it (also in a bundle with the excellent bat logo T-shirt) here.

King Tuff - Bad Thing
King Tuff - Keep On Movin'

Taming The Regal Mantis (A Most Tenuous Title...)

There will be posts over the upcoming weeks where Ill be tying up loose ends AKA posting the posts from 2011 I wanted to do IN 2011. SO Ill jam a few releases together each post so that I feel better, you have more music to listen to, and 2012 doesn't go by the wayside. Yeah? Yeah.


The first triptych of releases that I wanted to show you are a bit different. Kicking off with Tammar who are carving their own warped path out of Indiana. Visits is their first LP (via Suicide Squeeze), and the self-professed "wobbly popsters" have crafted an interesting aural journey that feels like more of a prologue. More please.

Tammar - The Last Line


Then there is this 7" by Chicago duo Redgrave. It's a two track taster of things to come, and with Tim Rutili (Califone) lending some guitar back-up and David Yow (that guy from the Jesus Lizard) on art design duties, Redgrave are likely to make some serious waves in 2012. You can grab this delicious record through Lovitt Records here.

Redgrave - Mantis


Actually the connections of this post aren't so transparent, as Lovitt Records also put out 4-Song, the self explanatory 7" from Regents. The 4-sometimes-5 piece all hail from 90s hardcore bands, and whilst they have inevitably steered into other territory here, that intensity bleeds through. Even more exciting is the fact that they are tying up the final recordings for a full length due later this year. 4-Song can be gleaned here.

Regents - Cinder Machine

Riot Grrl Hurricane

Atlanta punk killers The Coathangers are bringing to us their new LP Larceny And Old Lace. The first track off it, 'Hurricane', is apparently inspired by Hurricane Katrina, and seeing the seven shades of shit that natural phenomenon kicked out of New Orleans, I imagine this four girl maelstrom will do something similar in a live setting. An exciting prospect then - if you like getting punched in the throat whilst extracting your molars from the linoleum floor tiles. Sounds like a good night out to me...

Larceny And Old Lace is out June 7 on Suicide Squeeze. The girls have been touring Europe with The Thermals, and will be playing in Munich, Germany tonight if you happen to be around.

The Coathangers - Hurricane