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Nothing Says Halloween Like Horrible Noise at Zanzabar this Saturday!

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on October 19, 2009

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3wolfmoon Nothing Says Halloween Like Horrible Noise at Zanzabar this Saturday!
Man, I had to. I couldn’t find a hi-res photo relevant for this event, so I threw in the three wolves + moon meme. Shit’s still funny to me. I mean, c’mon… Wolf Eyes, Halloween, New Moon soundtrack. This was necessary and proper, ya’ll.

Anyway, back to the point… the most wonderful time of the year, the Reason for the Season – Halloween – is just around the bend. How do you plan to celebrate? Yeah, you could see Monsters of Folk at the Louisville Palace on this most ghoulish of holidays (whom are icidentally neither monsters nor fuckin’ folk). But it might be more festive and less sissy to bask in the horrifying power electronics and booty bass of new projects from 2/3 of Wolf Eyes and some excellent Derby City dirty noise thrashers foreboding enough to make Michael Gira change his cowboy hat. Think I prefer the latter for sure.

Headlining is Regression. From Boomkat: “Nate Young has taken the noise levels down several notches for his new solo outing as Regression, although the air of implicit, floating darkness cast over the whole affair is very much within his established oeuvre. You could neither classify Regression’s self-titled LP as a noise record or a death ambient record, instead the analog synth dissections and tape treatments more closely reference library music, horror soundtracks, or in its more austere moments, early electronic music. Regression is an outstanding album, proving to be more delicate than a Wolf Eyes full-length has ever been, yet it’s able to match the group’s sonic gravitas – and their uncanny ability to make the extremes of music sound so incredibly seductive.”

Library music? Oh shit yes. And his oft partner in crime John Olson is coming in as Spykes. He will probably still drink all the damn beer. The DIY-centric Nzambi is Louisville’s Christopher Cprek, who you may have seen tweaking knobs during the second (or maybe third) incarnation of Warmer Milks, as well as his other project Pax Titania. Cprek builds all his own shit, so no one could imitate his integallactic sounds even if they tried. Michigan’s Dog Lady opens up with some amplified violin, modified electronics, and various forest nymph summoning. In short, these guys put the “monsters of” in Mosters of Folk. Believe that.

Ya know what’s the weirdest thing though? This is all happening Saturday night at the Zanzabar! An insane noise show at the Zbar on a Saturday night! I guess somebody at the club owed Joel Hunt a serious favor.

Regression, Spykes, Nzambi, and Dog Lady
Saturday, October 24
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St., Louisville (map that shizz)
9 p.m. / $5
21+

“Black Vomit” is one of my favorite Wolf Eyes jams. It’s about having fun and making friends.

MP3 :::
Wolf Eyes – Black Vomit

Indian Jewelry Makes Like Horseshit and Hits the Trail

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on September 26, 2009

in News and Rockshows

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indianjewelry_new Indian Jewelry Makes Like Horseshit and Hits the Trail

Erika Thrasher’s got a lot to smile about, since Houston-based shamanistic noise psych troubadours Indian Jewelry start a healthy string of tour dates tonight in the most beautiful city’s that’s a bitch to bike, San Francisco. Not sure if this new tour means that a new album is in a the works, but this rather comprehensive jaunt is more than satisfactory in itself. I tried to bring Indian Jewelry to Louisville during this leg, but unfortunately they had to agree to the Cincy date (which is okay since the Art Damage Lodge is awesome). You’ve gotta see these dudes live. I’ll probably make the trip myself. They wear tunics, adorn the stage with animal skulls, tin foil, and a Texas state flag, blast flood-level strobe lights everywhere, and keep things evil at all times. The live show is epileptic madness. Plus, the group has solidified an impressive and eclectic collection of support dates, playing with everyone from Kurt Vile and Faust, to !!! and Celebration, to Sword Haven and Psychic Ills. Insane.

9/26 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
9/27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour
9/28 – Costa Mesa, CA – The Detroit Bar
9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rhythm Room
9/30 – Tucson, AZ – Hotel Congress
10/02 – Lawrence, KS – The Replay Lounge
10/03 – Grinnell, IA – Grinnell College
10/04 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
10/05 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
10/06 – Detroit, MI – Museum of Contemporary Art
10/07 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class
10/08 – Poughkeepsie, NY – Vassar College
10/09 – New York, NY – Cake Shop
10/11 – New Haven, CT – Sundazed at Bar New Haven
10/13 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
10/15 – Baltimore, MD – Load of Fun
10/16 – Gambier, OH – Horn Gallery at Kenyan College
10/17 – Cincinnati, OH – Art Damage Lodge
10/18 – Atlanta, GA – Eyedrum
10/19 – Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box
10/22 – Austin, TX – Club DeVille
10/23 – Houston, TX – TBA

The boys and girls made a commercial advertising their “Live Music” tour. I think it captures their music well. Especially the clip of the Oregon Trail-style caravan fording the river.

MP3 :::
Indian Jewelry – Nonetheless

Eric Copeland Goes Dumpster Diving on New LP

Published

Michael Hansen

on September 12, 2009

in MP3

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alien in a garbage dump
What exactly is the proper job title for Black Dice member Eric Copeland? Is he a DJ? A producer? That guy who forever fucked your hearing capabilities when he opened for Animal Collective? Eric Copeland is an artist who willfully contorts and choreographs samples (both original and appropriated) into pieces for his dragnet sound collages. Unlike much sample-based production, where bits are carefully drafted from hours of crate-digging and then plugged into a master design, Alien in a Garbage Dump holds a loose leash over it’s children. Elements coexist like creatures dropped in a fishbowl; often in competition with each-other, but occasionally moving in a strangely organic unison.

This new full-length on Paw Tracks is a synthesis of the Alien in a Garbage Dump and Al Anon EP’s, which were gradually constructed over several years of recording and revisiting jams. Those familiar with 2007’s Hermaphrodite should feel right at home with these new tracks, which seem to have no agenda to convert the masses but simply to reaffirm the faith of those already aboard. With no hope of conventional beauty, Copeland leads his deformed sounds to conquests of pure rhythm and atmosphere. The off-beat, helium-fueled dance of “Corn on the Cob” marries poignant analog chirps to a wheezing chorus that slowly shifts up and down to the hobble of the machine’s clicks and clacks. Sometimes, however, as the album jerks about like a radio scanning for a clear station, it arrives at moments of minimal resolve. Tracks like “Everybody’s Libido,” which employs a short verse of Spanish vocals played at various speeds and pitches, can feel more like exercises in context and contrast rather than finished songs. But although Copeland’s soundscapes can be frustrating, claustrophobic, and even menacing, Alien in a Garbage Dump is also home to some of his most ecstatic moments. “Auto Dimmer” lays down a late night 4/4 shuffle as a catchy B-movie synth circles above. A skronky keyboard riff hangs on the very edge of the beat, injecting bursts of movement into the hazy groove . Even in an increasingly noise-tolerant music culture, this is an adventurous listen, and that alone should have your earbuds watering by now.

Alien in a Garbage Dump is out now on Paw Tracks.

For fans of: Black Dice, Gary War, Ariel Pink, Growing, Excepter

MP3 :::
Eric Copeland – Auto Dimmer
Eric Copeland – Corn on the Cob

Lightning Bolt – Earthly Delights

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on September 8, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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earthlydelights Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

Can Lightning Bolt even make a bad album? Well, I suppose if they, I dunno, started sporting J Crew, ripped off Paul Simon’s whiteboy Afrobeat, and wrote a concept album about how rad their dad’s Cape Cod estate is, sure, that would be relatively gnarly. But worry not, this is Providence-reared, Load-loyal Lightning Bolt – ADHD rhythmic, skull-crushing low-end fuzz purveying, ski mask doning, intestinal fortitude testing, Frances Bacon meets fridge art shit on their album covers makin’, inclined toward all that is guerrilla style, quite possibly spawned from the primordial ooze Lightning Bolt. A veritable Rush for the noise kids; everything the two Brians touch is aces. And with their forthcoming Earthly Delights, Lightning Bolt comes correct… uh-gain… with an effort every bit as strong as Hypermagic Mountain and with an even more adventurous spirit to boot.

Though I wanted to hold off a bit after first hearing the jam hive before publishing my thoughts in narrative form, I did post some quips on the blog’s Twitter a couple of weeks ago. I think I said something to the effect of “Earthly Delights is Lightning Bolt’s Meet the Beatles’ and ‘I could get my folks into this record.’ Well, none of that is exactly true, but there’s a very odd, visceral melodicism running underneath the album. I noticed this on the first track I listened to, “Nation of Boar.” I chose to listen to this particular canticle first since it’s called “Nation of Boar.” The song exits with a rather gorgeous, mystic progression that makes me feel like returning to nature. Weird, right? Well, while LB hasn’t exactly gone verse-chorus-verse on us just yet, the more concise songs (half the album features songs under five minutes) yield less dissonance and fuckin’ around, replacing the new space with extremely structured, simple, almost hummable compositions. That is not to say that LB has lost any edge, but simply that Earthly Delights throws a little Occam’s Razor into the mix. The group’s opting to keep their disposition a bit simpler and less freeform. Hence the hyperbolic comparison to Meet the Beatles. I have to say that I like the results.

“Colossus” bring a slow-burning, nasty stoner metal groove to the forefront, and acts as one of LB’s most driving songs since Wonderful Rainbow’s “Assassins.” But don’t think the Brians are ever looking behind, because “Funny Farm” comes at you out of no-fucking-where. It’s a country song. That’s right, B Gibs does Buck Owens-style western licks through his grody bass distortion. Shit you not. “Funny Farm” is outta control ridiculous. “S.O.S.” then takes you through East London for a little oi punk call-response at machine gun speed. Again, awesome. After four years, you’d have to expect something insane to end up on the new record, especially with these bros.

As with all Lightning Bolt releases, there is one real ultimate epic trek through Middle Earth jam. Hypermagic Mountain’s was “Dead Cowboy,” Wonderful Rainbow’s was “The Two Towers” (interestingly enough, huh?), and with Earthly Delights, they save the big guns for last with closing track “Transmissionary.” The 12-and-a-half minute flight is definitely the closest that Lightning Bolt has brushed against psychedelia-leaning prog, and I mean that with all due respect and good vibes. If The Moody Blues cut the foreplay after Seventh Sojourn and just fuckin’ rawked, they may have gotten close to “Transmissionary.” The cut showcases an almost orchestral approach – organic, resplendent, and soaring to climax. It’s a sumptuous journey that leaves you refreshed, enlightened, but upset that Earthly Delights just ended real cold-like. Oh well… just gotta hit repeat on that sucka and get lifted again.

Earthly Delights solidifies once again that Lightning Bolt unequivocally remains one of the most relevant bands today. I hope they tour crazy on this record, and as soon I get some some dates sent to me, I’ll definitely let you all in the loop. In the interim, go buy Earthly Delights at your favorite record dealer when it drops October 13. Or preoder it soon from Load. Do it, poopypants!

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating
steelydan1 Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

MP3 :::
Lightning Bolt – Nation of Boar
Lightning Bolt – S.O.S.

I Was Wrong – New Lightning Bolt Coming Out in October

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 17, 2009

in Uncategorized

. 0 Comments

earthlydelights I Was Wrong - New Lightning Bolt Coming Out in October

I don’t mind being wrong on this one. We’ll all be privileged to hear the latest from Lightning Bolt, Earthly Delights, one month earlier than what I posted on Friday. It drops October 13, thanks to Load. Prasie be to Allah.

That, indeed, is the cover up there. It’s like fridge art, except with a Frances Bacon spin. And here’s a new jam below. Methinks LB just discovered jazz drumming, which is utterly insane.

MP3 :::
Lightning Bolt – Colossus

Sweet Jesus! New Lightning Bolt Album Out in November

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 14, 2009

in News

. 0 Comments

l_b9f216099a0b481697e0c881dc8f7301 Sweet Jesus! New Lightning Bolt Album Out in November

It’s about goddamn time, too! I mean, I know the Bolt Bros have been busy keepin’ it trill – what, with Black Pus and Wizardzz and a collaboration list that expands exponentially like pi. But it’s been four years since the near-flawless Hypermagic Mountain dropped and made thousands of kids realize their capacity for both love and hate.

Lightning Bolt will drop their load on Load on November 13, and it’s called Earthly Delights. I will buy this record when it comes out. I will partake in some earthly delights whilst the long player plays long on my ghetto blaster. I will turn my phone off. I am not to be disturbed.

And of course, new album means that LB will probably build another great play-on-the-floor-kumbaya tour. When I know, you’ll know.

Tracklist:
1. Sound Guardians
2. Nation of Boar
3. Colossus
4. The Sublime Freak
5. Flooded Chamber
6. Funny Farm
7. Rain on Lake I’m Swimming In
8. S.O.S.
9. Transmissionary

Can’t wait to hear the second track… cuz it’s called “NATION OF BOAR,” you see.

MP3 :::
Lightning Bolt – Birdy

Nothing People – Late Night

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 11, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

. 0 Comments

l_ae0f5b5d5f7645749456d0aed765b8f2 Nothing People - Late Night

I feel like a doof for being completely un-fucking-aware that Nothing People dropped a doosey of a jam hive earlier this year until I read Joel Hunt’s review in LEO and got stoked. Late Night is a definite departure from Anonymous. The sound is richer – less spastic and noisy – and straddles the median between tremolo-saturated acid rock and shoegaze. Sure, the tone of this equation sounds like a drugged-induced exercise, but Nothing People keeps the songs focused and concise. This is a group that truly loves and understands Piper at the Gates of Dawn, creating a definitive post-millennial primer for more ominous trips down the rabbit hole.

For those unfamiliar, Nothing People, as a reference point, is Sonic Youth for Hawkwind fans. Despite the general downtempo movement of the group’s repertoire, there’s a subtle punk ethos/urgency that runs under the thick layers of reverb, knob tweakin’, and fuzzy psychedelic haze. And like all the aforementioned collectives, the line between what is improvised and what is intentional is quite blurry. I love it.

Late Night gets things started off brutally. Dig the swamp boogie of “Stuck in the Mud,” with its swinging rhythm and funky low end, or the subterranean sludgy summoner of stoner rock demons and kraut rock pulsars that is “It’s Not Your Speakers.” From there, the mood changes drastically, staring with “Pushing the Buttons,” a beautiful, windswept, desolate dirge that might invoke paranoia in the less hearty of us. “1-11″ stacks backwards samples and crossbreeds those dudes with gorgeous harmonies that, if I had my way, would’ve ended up in one of the Lord of the Rings movies (maybe the part in The Two Towers when Treebeard is all like “fuck ya’ll” and starts a riot). “Another Rattle” should please fans of Wooden Shjips, showcasing thick atomic age analog organs and a dusty, low key, heavy groove (courtesy of the new, uncredited former Monoshock keyboardist). “Janet” is what you hear right before you die, I think.

The album ends with the title track, and it’s actually a cover of the Syd Barrett’s “Late Night” (the same one that Belong beautifully reinterpreted last year). Nothing People adopts a more nauseating angle, with syrupy and sick synthesizers that cultivate a real woozy effect.

Nothing People tackle a myriad of approaches to brain melting rock/psych/post-punk/noise, and in doing so, upped the ante from their debut Anonymous. Late Night is a richly satisfying listening experience and a must-have release for any psych fan. Look for it on the year-end list. I hope Nothing People sells 5 million records.

Late Night is available now courtesy of S-S Records. Nothing People is (are?) also on MySpazz.

For fans of: Wooden Shjips, Dead Meadow, Indian Jewelry, Bardo Pond

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating