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Killer Comp and SXSW Party From Kill Red Rockets

Published

on March 9, 2010

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l_69e047c37f494c6389b9c7ab7f54bf9f Killer Comp and SXSW Party From Kill Red Rockets

Austin-based label Kill Red Rockets is a humanitarian effort, providing a wealth of free shit. They currently host a killer (pun intended) compilation on their website available for free download called Jesus in Space made up almost entirely of good stateside shoegaze, dream pop, fucked electro, and ethereal meditations with teeth. The comp is packed with artists readers of this blog will be familiar with (Oblisk, Ceremony, Dead Leaf Echo), and many more that I’m not familiar with at all and will take measures to correct. The nefariously titled Bloody Knives (pictured above) is one that stuck out. “Hands Around My Neck,” included below for a taste, is quality acid punk with a slight synth edge at its finest and most crafty – basically what M83 could’ve done had they not decided, on their own volition, to suck a big one after the Dead Seas set. 8-bit shoegaze hath been reared.

Quality abounds on this massive set, so no matter what else happens, go download this compilation right now and know that you’ve done at least one radical thing today.

To celebrate the compilation and generation awesomeness of the KRR community, the dudes are throwing a big SXSW party in Austin. Thursday March 18 and Friday March 19, Kill Red Rockets will welcome 21 different acts from around the nation to play at, get this, an apartment complex with a giant pool. Wall of sound noise squalls… and a pool party. That sounds like some intergalactic MTV Spring Break/Beach House action. Where Dasiy Fuentes and Pauly Shore at? Oh, looks like Pauly Shore is over here hanging out with White Rainbow. Maybe they’ll both roll through.

Details on the festivities, as well as download sampler of everyone playing, are right here. This is a Kenny Bloggins-approved event, and that should hold some weight on your itinerary, for realz.

MP3 :::
Bloody Knives – Hands Around My Neck

Oblisk – Weather Patterns

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on September 18, 2009

in MP3 and Praise and Malaise

. Comments

l_f9ff5c6f8d96cbbc46af5f6700dd8e31 Oblisk - Weather Patterns

I’m making it my personal mission, my top task on the action items list, to spread the gospel of Detroit quartet Oblisk. This is an amazing new band that, no exaggeration, might be the best American shoegaze group (and it’s gritty shoegaze) these ears have ever heard. I will do everything in my power to make sure these guys sell billions of records, and it’s a goddman travesty that this is not the case.

Anyway, there’s no need for any sort of overlong, overhyperbolic review for Oblisk’s Weather Patterns, despite the fact I’m wont to do such. The brass tacks of the matter is that Oblisk has crafted an absolutely beautiful record that both travels at high speeds above the troposphere and slithers within cracks in the earth. It’s odd in many ways that Oblisk hails from a decaying industrial metropolis. Sure, the minor keys, grimey fuzz, distant tones, and distorted vocals suggest a bit of an ominous environment. But Weather Patterns is packed with mystique and excitement – a record that wonders and wanders.

Oblisk’s loyalties are outlined with a line in the sand – this is new psychedelia. That is to say, this is not a group rehashing flower power like the Paisley Underground did. Oblisk is a group that synthesizes what’s good in psychedelia and adds an opaque gloss. Weather Patterns evokes pure Spiritualized-informed space rock, kraut a la Amon Duul, a touch of post-punk, darkly veiled and midtempo pop-oriented shoegaze in the vein of Medicine and Slowdive, and eastern mysticism (best exemplified on instrumental “Blue Iceberg”).

The epic “Tiger Fighter,” and I’m calling this right now, is the “Leave Them All Behind” of this decade. It’s fucking gorgeous and I don’t want to ruin it by yapping on about it. The song is available below along with one other sample (and it took me forever to narrow down my selection for sharing to two because the album is sick).

Buy this record at Candy Colored Dragon. Do it.

For fans of: Slowdive, Deerhunter, Spiritualized

MP3 :::
Oblisk – Tiger Fighter
Oblisk – Epicenter

[Photos + Video] Oblisk, R Keenan Lawler, and Softcheque – 8.19.09, DCE, Louisville

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 26, 2009

in Rockshows and Visual Aids

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[Photos + Video] Oblisk, R Keenan Lawler, and Softcheque - 8.19.09, DCE, Louisville

Last Wednesday was a beautiful evening of music. The most significant testament to the show was how well three somewhat disparate genres meshed in an aesthetically sensible way. Many thanks to everyone who came out!

[Photos + Video] Oblisk, R Keenan Lawler, and Softcheque - 8.19.09, DCE, Louisville

The evening kicked off in a dream state thanks to Softcheque. This was my first time seeing them (I missed them when they opened for Phantom Family Halo), and I was extremely impressed. Though they were missing a member due to a last minute work conflict, the group sounded thick and tight. Though Softcheque is often known as a group of Sapat members, Sapat in no way overshadows what Softcheque brings to the table. While Softcheque toggles between many genres, the soft, pointed vocals of Dane Waters over slow-tempo, orante instrumentation evokes a serious Broadcast and/or Pram vibe, minus some of the retro kitsch. I’ll let the video speak for itself:

[Photos + Video] Oblisk, R Keenan Lawler, and Softcheque - 8.19.09, DCE, Louisville

R Keenan Lawler was up next, and killed it as usual. Lawler is a one-man act, using hollow-body guitar, a bottle neck, a mixer, and effects pedals to create Martian mountain folk. Lawler plays it claustrophobic and intense – you don’t need visuals or distractions to keep your attention focused on the man sitting on the stool noodling away.

[Photos + Video] Oblisk, R Keenan Lawler, and Softcheque - 8.19.09, DCE, Louisville

Detroit’s Oblisk closed the evening with the loudest performance. Walls shook, the strobe light blinked, and there was lots of smiling before a few faces melted off. Super resonant Big Muff distortion makes me emotional. I almost cried. I’ll be reviewing the group’s latest, Weather Patterns, later this week. So good. Enjoy a couple of minute-long nuggets (I wish the video was longer, but alas, camera fail):

[Reminder] R. KEENAN LAWLER, OBLISK, and SOFTCHEQUE tonight!

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 19, 2009

in General Communique

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oblisk_flier [Reminder] R. KEENAN LAWLER, OBLISK, and SOFTCHEQUE tonight!

It’s gonna smoke. Two visionary locals and one band from Detroit to seriously start watching. Doors at 8 p.m., music at 8:30 p.m. or so (give or take a rock and roll curve of 15 minutes). And DCE has a shit-ton of new craft beer. See ya there!

The Decibel Tolls presents… OBLISK with R. KEENAN LAWLER and SOFTCHEQUE

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 10, 2009

in News and Rockshows

. Comments

oblisk_flier The Decibel Tolls presents... OBLISK with R. KEENAN LAWLER and SOFTCHEQUE

Totally stoked to bring in Detroit’s psych/shoegaze/kraut machine Oblisk with visionary freak folk noodler R. Keenan Lawler and Louisville’s Softcheque, featuring members of Sapat. This is an all ages show at the funky Derby City Espresso. See you there, dorks!

MP3 :::
Oblisk – Beirut
R Keenan Lawler – Live on ‘Phoning It In,’ WELH Providence

You Need to Know About Oblisk

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 1, 2009

in MP3

. Comments

l_f9ff5c6f8d96cbbc46af5f6700dd8e31 You Need to Know About Oblisk

…because they riiiiiiip. Jesus Walker Christ, this band is fantastic. And they’re coming to Louisville soon (more info on that Monday or Tuesday). I plan to publish a review of their just-released full length Weather Patterns as soon as I get it, but right now I’m thoroughly vibin’ to last year’s Tune In/Tune Out. This Detroit-based collective has unequivocally concocted one of the finest, most well-balanced, most seamlessly meshed exploration of classic psychedelia, shoegaze, kraut rock, and experimental movements with a melodic sensibility. Oblisk is completely ridiculous. They exist to spread merriment to me and you, nothing more. I have a lot more to say about them in due time, but please enjoy what I’m enjoying right now.

The cover art is awesome, too. I love industrial imagery in art:

oblisk You Need to Know About Oblisk
What’s popular these days anyway? Passion Pit? Memory Cassette? The Michael Jacksons? I dunno, but fuck that jive. Oblisk. Get on it. Your shit’s about to get stratospheric.