I guess this a bit of an early write up, but hell…I couldn’t wait until the end of March to do so. I’d been waiting to hear recorded output from Red X Red M for probably two years now and right around Christmas time Australian Cattle God graciously ended that wait by passing along the bands upcoming full-length Between Your Prayers and My Curses Our Kind May Triumph Yet due out March 23rd I believe. I consider it one of the better presents I got this past year.
For anyone wondering who Red X Red M is, it happens to be the band that David Uskovich of Distorted Pony, Sweet Pea, and SWITCHhiTTER fame has been playing in with fellow SWITCHhiTTER member Yuri and drummer Adam Hatley. What you get here on their debut is something that is actually not to far from SWITCHhiTTER, but Red X Red M seem to be a bit of a tighter outfit while opting for a bit less of the hefty bass lines and feedback that some of Uskovich’s previous bands have so successfully utilized in the past. I’d say the late 70’s/early 80’s post-punk vibe is even more prevalent in these songs, obviously mixed in with a bit of the rough around the edges tinny sounding guitar work by Uskovich that gives it the sort of feel fans would expect. It’s been a bit of a wait, but it has most certainly proved to be worth it.
I’m not really sure if Mudlark is supposed to bum me out or not. I mean, yeah…the songs are definitely somewhere in the vicinity of stirring up a roots rock/grungy sort of vibe, just kind of being lazy while dealing with shitty weather and money problems. However, one look at the cover is enough for me, as I could step out of my house and walk down the street a ways and snap a picture of something that would probably be quite similar to that of what appears here. Then I realize, damn…I’m still living here. And that folks is Mudlark.
As the description from the label says, it does touch upon some early Dino Jr. and Meat Puppets, which is definitely not a bad thing. However, they don’t really stick to either and that’s probably a plus too in the end. Has a nice warm sort of muddy production that in a lot of ways kind of fits what they are doing, which I suppose is being down and out…so why not just drink? The singer occasionally sounds as if he might have been doing just that, but that comes tied along nicely to the bit of plodding rock that they’ve latched on to here. Good stuff.
For a band that focuses on being as noisy as Geisha does, it’s pretty amazing that they’ve managed to release two pretty solid albums as quietly as they have over the past five years or so. Their last album Die Verbrechen Der Lieb, which was a favorite around here in 08, was a beastly helping of rock scrubbed down in a nasty sheet of swirling white noise. If you haven’t heard it, you might want to if “high-fidelity” is something that means very little to you.
That being said, Geisha is back with their third album in hand titled Maudit a Minuit, which is being handled by the UK based Super-Fi Records. If you’ve been following and listening to the band up to this point, then you already have a decent idea as to what this sounds like. However, don’t expect the same treble heavy hiss that played a major role of the sound found on Die Verbrechen Der Lieb. This album lies somewhere in between the more riff rock styled approach that was more prominently featured on their debut LP Mondo Dell’orror and some of the hazier distorted moments of Verbrechen Der Lieb. Overall though, this marks another solid outing for the band. They’ve gradually become one of those bands that I have complete faith in whatever they release. Definitely one of the more underrated groups based in the UK right now, so please do check this out if you get the chance.
For those interested in picking this up, check out Super-Fi Records. I think Crucial Blast is going to have copies in the future for those of us stateside; however I don’t think they’ve popped up there yet. Keep checking I suppose. Enjoy!
Just wanted to say congrats to Kevin Lavezzo as he is the lucky recipient of the PRF EP.
And on an equally important note, I wanted to say thanks to everyone that entered. The response was great and as a result I will try and continue to do this sort of thing every once and awhile. So yeah, thank you!
This is just quick a reminder for those of you out there to don’t forget to get entered for a chance to win a copy of the recently released debut EP 4 from Puerto Rico Flowers. There is still a couple days to do so, it ends on the 30th. Anyway, for those interested just shoot me an e-mail with “Puerto Rico Flowers Giveaway” or something along those lines in the subject head and you can consider yourself officially entered.
In the meantime I’ve gotten together this months mix, which is posted below. As always, if you enjoy anything contained within it, then please do pick up an album. All the artist names are linked to a place of purchase where applicable. So yeah, enjoy!
I honestly can’t remember how I came across this single from the now defunct trio Gumbi. I assume it was in a magazine somewhere, but retracing my steps turned up nothing. Anyway, I bought this probably because wherever I read about it they made mention of stuff I already like and that generally works well with me when getting me to buy stuff from you. Crazy I know. Anyway, Gumbi dish out four fairly abrasive cuts of rock here. Although the last song on the b-side “Ritual” throws me for a bit of a loop opening with something that sounds familiar and vaguely 80’s new wave but quickly reverts back to the aggro chug that pretty much inhabits the rest of this record. Bummer these guys apparently split up recently, but these four tracks aren’t a bad way to go out.
You often hear about projects in which one person composes all the music and plays all the instruments on a recording, however most of the time that requires a full band to perform live. Not often do you see what Nathanial Rappole does under the moniker of Gull, a literal representation of the one man band. I’ll admit I was skeptical when I first learned about it. It seemed like it could just end up being a gimmicky item, but after having the pleasure of viewing some videos on Youtube of Gull performing I was sold on the idea and the music Mr. Rappole creates.
Some may recognize Rappole as a member of Ultra Dolphins and Snack Truck. If you’re a resident of Richmond, VA then it’s likely you’re already quite aware of Rappole and more specifically his project Gull as he said to often be spotted playing live throughout the area. You’ll notice that a few of the videos on the internet are him doing just that. The music for the most part is an interesting combination of mathy rhythms that often venture into some spacey psych territory during the four songs contained on this debut single. Naturally, the music has a bit more staying power when seeing the performance behind it all…but the songs simply standing alone do enough to recognize this as something more than just a guy making a bunch of noise. There is a legitimate showing of talent here.
For anyone interested in picking this up, it’s still available through Molsook Records. Definitely pick up and be sure to check out some more videos of Gull in action on MySpace or by browsing around on Youtube. Very cool.
Apologies for the string of inactivity around here the past week. Needless to say this month hasn’t exactly kicked off 2010 the way I would have liked it to and really am going to be quite happy when this month is over. Enough with that though…
For the past week I’ve been driving to and from work in an almost surreal sort of fog that finally lifted over the past couple or so days. Just the sort of gray and bleak conditions that if I had the choice I would have probably stayed inside the whole week. And even with it now gone, I still think I’ve only seen the sun maybe once or twice in the past two weeks. Of course, right at the beginning of this whole crap filled span of weather I would receive the debut EP 4 from John Sharkey’s new post-Clockcleaner project Puerto Rico Flowers. Those that have been reading for awhile probably know that I am definitely a fan of Clockcleaner, especially their last album Babylon Rules. Obviously the excitement to hear this new project and sound was at a pretty high level. Getting back to what I was saying though, this arrived probably right at the most opportunistic moment because what better time to listen to such a bleak offering of tunes than when the surrounding landscape is at its ugliest. It’s perfect, and probably the only thing that kept my sanity for these past few days, allowing me to sort of wallow in Sharkey’s minimalist approach of death-doom-gloom inspired rock. Nothing but bass, drums, and Sharkey’s immediately recognizable vocals grace the four songs on this EP, uncompromisingly plodding and dragging the listener down with it. Call it gothic, coldwave, whatever…the slow resurgence of this sort of thing will be welcomed with open arms by me. There are still qualities that I think fans of Clockcleaner and other past projects will appreciate, however the subject matter is certainly a change of pace.
I happen to have a spare copy of this fine EP, so what better thing to do than give it away to someone out there. Surprisingly, I’ve never held a contest of any kind on the blog over the three or so years it’s been online. I wouldn’t really consider this much of a contest though as the only thing you need to do have a chance at winning is shoot me an e-mail with “Puerto Rico Flowers Giveaway” as the subject head or something along those lines. Basically just let me know you want to be entered. I’ll keep track and choose someone at random (method to be determined) on the 30th of this month. So yeah, my e-mail is up near the top right of the page. Get on it.
For those that don’t like to gamble, it was just made available through Fan Death Records a few days ago, so be sure to pick this up if you’re enjoying the tune above. It comes with a nice high quality MP3 download as well.
Truth From Facts are a Melbourne, Australia based three piece that have opted to go without a bass and instead use two guitarists and a drummer. Their reasoning was more so because that’s how it worked out rather than just making the choice. When you have a flow, I imagine you might as well stick with it and whatever flow Truth From Facts is in right now is most definitely working. They passed along their recently released album titled 2009 through Tenzenmen Records not too long ago and it’s been a more than enjoyable throwback of math/post-hardcore tunes. Despite the twin guitar and bass-less setup, their sound actually remains quite thick. In fact, it sounds better than a lot of bands that actually do employ a bass player. They are backed with a pretty good drummer as well, who does a fair amount of damage throughout this record and is most definitely a highlight. A lot of the song structures and the bands overall sound reminds me a lot of that first Thumbnail LP, as you could probably take 2009 and send it back in time to 1994 and it would fit in just fine alongside that record and many others. I don’t mean that in a bad way at all either, I actually wish more records DID sound like that. Anyway, this is a pretty solid record that is actually a bit refreshing when compared to a lot of bands that try and recreate Drive Like Jehu, etc.
Truth From Facts – Passing Termination Shock [MP3]
Anyone interested in picking this up can do so through stopping over at Tenzenmen Records. If you’re liking the tune above, then I strongly recommend getting a hold of the album. This is good stuff.
This is just one of a handful of recent releases from the Cincinnati based label Phratry Records. I do suggest checking out their entire roster, as they are home to a number of solid bands.
First up is the split between the two Cincy acts Caterpillar Tracks and Arms Exploding. This is really my introduction to both bands and by the sound of it they both enjoy 90’s post-hardcore…a lot. Caterpillar Tracks kick off the a-side with a nice bouncy bass driven track that pulls off something more representative of Jesus Lizard at times, although a friend said it reminded him of Stanford Prison Experiment. Either way, I think it achieves at what they were aiming for and that’s stirring up some nice muscly rock. This is probably a good preview of what’s to come on a full-length the band has planned for an early release this year that I’ll likely be checking out.
On the flipside is Arms Exploding which seems to be the harshest of the pair and are more in line with the past bands like Refused or Botch. While their bio makes mention of some progressive influences, there really isn’t much of that here on this track at least. I’m assuming most of that stems from their previous EP’s, which I have yet to hear. The track here is notable though, and if you’re into music with a good dosage of vitriol then Arms Exploding certainly would be a good place look for that.
Caterpillar Tracks – It’s a W.I.N. For the Home Team (stream) Arms Exploding – Of Luxury and Branding (stream)
For those interested in picking this up, it’s currently available through Phratry. The single comes with download codes for those concerned about that. Enjoy!
I guess this a bit of an early write up, but hell…I couldn’t wait until the end of March to do so. I’d been waiting to hear recorded output from Red X Red M for probably two years now and right around Christmas time Australian Cattle God graciously ended that wait by passing along the bands upcoming full-length Between Your Prayers and My Curses Our Kind May Triumph Yet due out March 23rd I believe. I consider it one of the better presents I got this past year.
