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Sic Alps Head to Slumberland, Drop New Single

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on September 18, 2009

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l mansion

So many new artists have embraced the antiquated garage shtick that it’s hard to even call it a revival anymore. Sic Alps, on the other hand, have always seemed more like they were possessed by the era’s zeitgeist than simply paraphrasing it. Throw in some properly blended noise-pop and you’ve got us champing at the bit.

Now joined by Ty Segall, the band has released their first cut as a trio on Slumberland, one of our very favorite furniture stores record labels. The new 7″ is called L. Mansion, and it rules. Bombastic, snarling, and catchy as they’ve ever been, with nothing sacrificed in the process. The flip side features a gritty, all-business cover of Donovan’s stoner classic “Superlungs.” Awesome.

Congrats to these guys on landing an opening spot for Sonic Youth on their upcoming tour, as well a west coast romp with Magjik Markers. Expecting much more noise from their camp in the coming months.

L. Mansion is available now on Slumberland Records.

For fans of: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Times New Viking, Velvet Underground

MP3 :::
Sic Alps – L Mansion

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.

De Stijl Discovers a True Gem with 39 Clocks

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 27, 2009

in MP3

. 0 Comments

39clocks De Stijl Discovers a True Gem with 39 Clocks

There’s something about the former Axis powers post-WWII that developed some of the strangest, most visionary, and most divergent music some three decades afterward. Both Germany and Japan were largely responsible for the music of the 70s and 80s that came out of nowhere and sounded like absolutely nothing else – everything from Kraftwerk to Merzbow. All of it is still as important and relevant today (perhaps even more so).

De Stijl Records dusts off and uncovers one such group out of late 70s/early 80s Hanover — 39 Clocks. While their timeline coincides with New York’s no wave movement, their Deutsche no wave is something else entirely. Amalgamating the dadaist cool and nervous energy of Suicide, their homeland’s motorik rhythm, the loud and detuned psychedelics of Spacemen 3 (whom 39 Clocks actually predate), the organ-as-diving-rod experimental pop ethos of Silver Apples, and a Nuggets-ready proto-punk punch, the mensch of 39 Clocks chew up kraut and psychedelic subsets and spit them out into a ball of drug-riddled prophecy and rock and roll shenanigans.

And like Suicide, who may still remain most infamous for the riot they provoked during 43 Minutes Over Brussels, 39 Clocks also enjoyed stirring trouble and inconvenience. De Stijl writes: “The first public appearance pairing Christian Henjes and Juergen Gleue was in 1976, at the Dada Nova (a space occupied by Otto Mühl’s AAO commune) in midtown Hannover, Germany. Dada Nova would be a space of enduring clash. From the subtlety of a shat upon organ to the ejection from communal meetings by bodily force, the AAO would display that the presence of the 39 Clocks was one of their constant grief. Known for pranksterism and the destruction of the clubs in which they would perform, friction in every form would continually follow the band. They created an outrage (they wrote a tune with the title “Art Minus Idiots”) at the Filmtage Hannover with their avant-garde Super 8 movies made under the disguise of director Zachius Lipschitz. Rumour claims that at a Hannover show at the Cafe Glocksee, they played the vacuum cleaner and a circular saw instead of guitars, and there was even a knife throwing incident in Bremen.” It’s hard to say whether 39 Clocks were going for legnedary status or if they just didn’t give a shit, but at least they wear their sense of humor on their sleeves. What, with song titles such as “Shake the Hippie” and “You Can’t Count the Bombs (It’s Zero),” you’d kinda have to be funny.

Antics aside, the 18 tracks on Zoned, an anthology of various releases between 1981 and 1987, are solid and, in my eyes, a total achievement. 39 Clocks perfected a no wave style sound they were far removed from while developing an original reiterpretation of ’60s garage rock and created a facet of neo psych rock that was about a decade ahead of its English counterpart in the shoegaze and Jason Pierce circles. But their cheif export is pure aural insanity. This is too fresh to be 23-30 years old. De Stijl really found a gem with 39 Clocks, and the remastered Zoned is a must have for any fan of mind expanding music.

Zoned is available now from De Stijl.

For fans of: Spacemen 3, Can, Suicide, Silver Apples

MP3 :::
39 Clocks – Psycho Beat
39 Clocks – Dom (Electricity Elects the Rain)

Sapat, Crazy Dreams Band and Jana Hunter are Playing at Swan Dive on My Birthday and I Can’t Go

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 24, 2009

in Rockshows

. 0 Comments

l_d0bce1c2e33949faa9a777154328efb7 Sapat, Crazy Dreams Band and Jana Hunter are Playing at Swan Dive on My Birthday and I Cant Go

1390104664_l Sapat, Crazy Dreams Band and Jana Hunter are Playing at Swan Dive on My Birthday and I Cant Go

And it’s bullshit! I’m off to a family reunion. I like and love my family of course (that’s an important distinction). Fam hang time is definitely a great style. But ooooh goddammit, I want to be here for this. No doubt that if you’re within a 100-mile radius of where I’m currently typing, you probably know about Siltbreeze’s Sapat, but I’ll go on and give you the skinny on all three acts, in an effort to admonish you to spend your Friday evening – this Friday evening – at Germantown’s Swan Dive.

Sapat is a local collective that features between eight and one million people (depending on the type of show), all of whom have a like-minded approach to fringe music. Sapat is a pulsating orb of eclecticism and mysticism – never cateogorizable, but always freaky, funky, and brain splattering. Sapat’s expansive beauty and unwavering experimentation is what makes Louisville amazing. They are truly a breath of fresh air. Remember that part in Amistad when they’re in the court room and the bro is all ike “give us… free!”? Sapat gives you free with every show.

The mighty Holy Mountain writes up Crazy Dreams Band better than I could, so I’ll let them do the talking. All I’ll say is that the first thing I noticed in the press photo above is Lexie Mountain sporting the infamous “hand diamond,” first utilized by the WCW’s Diamond Dallas Page right before his opponent was bested by the “Diamond Cutter,” then reappropriated by former University of Kentucky point guard Ramel Bradley when court ownage was about to commence. You know this show is going to be fuckin’ treated.

Grooves that confuse? Crazy Dreams Band is an outfit that presents its guitar free “thug pop” of dirge rather than drone with creeping crooning and brassless horn blasts [note: Crazy Dreams Band will actually have a guitarist in tow at this show --ed.]. Like the best of Giallo films you’ll be as turned on as you are terrified. As tender as Coco Rosie, as brutal as Magik Markers and as cool as Royal Trux “Radio/ Video” vibe. Imagine if Bruce Springsteen and Martin Rev collaborated on songs for Patti Smith or Catherine Ribeiro. Channeled inner voices are expelled as cave anthems into neon text in Linear A while bones poke through the skin atop a witch’s brew of venomous sludge. This is the urban tribal music that survives whatever “end is nigh” theory you choose. They’re jamming this music outside the thunder dome, beneath the planet of the apes and the day after tomorrow. CRAZY DREAMS BAND has released one self-titled album on Holy Mountain, and features members of Lexie Mountain Band, Harrius, Religious Knives, and Mouthus.

If Jana Hunter isn’t a name you heretofore recognize, now’s the time to change that. Jana Hunter has been a callaborator with groups like Indian Jewelry and Castanets, and has toured with flawless hometown hero Tara Jane O’Neil and Cocorosie. To quote Walter Sobchak, this young lady is “not exactly a lightweight.” Her goregous, sparse, midtempo dusty rides through dark deserts lit by twilight should enthrall fans of Grouper who wish she would give caffeiene a try every now and again.

If you go, and take photos/videos, please send them my way. I will give you the credit, a link, and a high five. Send ‘em to kb [at] thedecibeltolls (dot) com, playa.

Sapat, Crazy Dreams Band, and Jana Hunter
Friday, August 28
Doors at 9 p.m. / $5 / 21+
Swan Dive, Louisville (map that shizz)

MP3 :::
Crazy Dreams Band – Separate Ways
Jana Hunter – Completely Golden
Sapat – Dark Silver

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

MP3 :::
Nothing People – It’s Not Your Speakers
Nothing People – 1-11

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

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 10, 2009

in News and Rockshows

. 0 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

Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on August 4, 2009

in Rockshows

. 0 Comments

deerhunter2 Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

UPDATE 8.4: While I’ve made some rather cute, possibly uncouth comments about the insane weather today in this entry, the flooding has gotten serious in Louisville. I’ve been adding news as I get it on The Decibel Tolls’ Twitter. Be careful out there, ya’ll.

Sweet sassy molassey! The concert event I’ve been waiting for all summer, Deerhunter, is tonight at the Southgate House in Newport! And I better not be stymied by our ill-tempered God in our attempt to hang tough with Braddy C, Lotus P, and the whole rabble rousin’ gang. As of right now, rather gnarly, apocalyptic weather abounds. WHAS is reporting that it’s all 1937 up in this bitch. I’m currently listening to NOAA weather radio, and to paraphrase, everything is “fucked” in Louisville as we speak, especially the suburbs on the Indiana side. Large stretches of the expressways are shut down, the buses are running 90 minutes behind schedule, and lots of mellows are harshed throughout the area. LEO Weekly’s Jonathan Meador has very good (and contextual) coverage of the insanity in the River City today on our news blog.

Here’s the garage of the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. Dude, it’s like Fahrenheit 451, but like, the opposite:

library Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

Churchill Downs now hosts water polo:

churchill Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

And here’s a visual aid representing what we’re driving in later this evening for Deerhunter times. Groovy:

fuct Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

Should be a wavy gravy time on the roads this evening. However, and this is important to you all reading this particular entry, northbound I-71 is golden. Deerhunter is one of the best bands ever, performing at one of the finest music venues in the nation. So I’m goin’, I don’t give a shit. I suggest you do the same if you’re traveling from Louisville as well. Eat it, Mother Nature.

20090727-e31rsdcs734krxkjuwb3krde44 Deerhunter at Southgate House in Newport Tonight, Be Wary of the Apocalypse

Moreover, tonight’s performance is part of Deerhunter’s “Round Robin” tour wherein they’ve invited some friends to play along in collaboration, seamlessly weaving through each others songs. The Southgate rockshow is one of only seven dates that are part of this special showcase. The friends they’ve invited along are folks you might like, specifically the No Ages and the Dan Deacons. And that’s cool. But for me, all that matters is Rowdy Roddy B. Cox and Motherfuckin’ DEEEEEERHUNTERRRRR!!!!1!!11!!ones1!!! Tickets, I think, are sold out, but there are usually some friendly scalpers around The Levee should you need to resort to that. Perhaps they will trade you tickets some reliable umbrella technology.

See you there? In one piece?

P.S. – In other news, B Cox is totally hilarious and a rad bro, even when tripping on flu meds, as evidenced in this highly entertaining interview with Buddyhead: