Built on a Weak Spot

Back in ’06 Ventura leapt onto my radar with their debut album Pa Capona, an album that consisted of a very 90’s big riff heavy rock that I think I mentioned at the time hinted a bit towards sounding like Hum. Nevertheless, the album went on to be among my favorites for the year as I found myself going back to it more and more. Since then the band has stayed fairly active as far as touring and such, however hasn’t released much in they way of physical product. I think maybe label troubles had something to do with that, although I’m not positive on it. Anyway, I was extremely pleased to find out a couple or so months ago that Ventura would have a new one out by mid summer. It seems the up and coming European label Africantape is handling the release of the bands second effort We Recruit. With that, this one should be a bit easier to obtain for those of us in the US this time around. So that’s definitely a plus.

I remember in between albums that the band had a couple live videos on their MySpace, one of which was a cover of an old God Machine tune called “The Flower Song”. It never occurred to me until that point that Ventura shared a few similarities to the sadly underrated band. Their cover of that tune was excellent by the way, pretty by the numbers, but yet that was one of the main reasons that led me to the connection. On We Recruit Ventura do little in the way of straying from that path, keeping in line with what mostly made their first album so worthy of repeat listens. Again, I find myself running across songs that work their way to an amazing finish but leave me wishing that they did not in fact have to finish. The band has a true knack and/or ability to discover and capitalize on a simple yet extremely effective melody. And to make it soak in that much more, it typically is worked into the most tension filled moments of the song. This isn’t a band that simply stuffs its records with cheap riffs, but rather knows how to structure a song around them in a way that will command the listener’s attention. We Recruit has no trouble accomplishing this once so ever.

Ventura – With Ifs (stream)

For those interested in picking this up, it’s available through Africantape on CD. However if you’re just looking to get it digitally the band has it available through Bandcamp or it is also available through Amazon digitally as well. Definitely check it out of you enjoy the tune above.

Damn, I don’t think I was really expecting the sort of aural beat down that Grids unleash on their recently released 12” EP White Walls. I mean, their single from last year on Lunchbox certainly had its “noisier” moments, but Grids have seemingly notched up the aggro by a significant amount on this release. I almost feel like what I wrote about the band a year ago doesn’t necessarily even apply anymore. It seems they may even be a bit self-aware of this too by naming one of their songs “Gone Soft” (unsurprisingly it’s not soft at all). However, I’m not complaining as this is easily the best set of tunes I’ve heard from the band. It’s completely ugly and confrontational noise-rock that has some serious weight to it along with throwing in some interesting tonal shifts. Everything just hits incredibly hard to create one large and ill-tempered record that does just about as much damage as it can possibly do in eighteen minutes. In the end I absolutely love where this band is going and if they hadn’t already caught my full attention over the course of the past year, well they certainly have it now. White Walls doesn’t mess around.

Grids – Gone Soft (stream)

If you’re enjoying the track above, then definitely hit up Inkblot Records where they currently have copies of White Walls available. It definitely comes recommended. Enjoy!

I really don’t think I’ve stumbled across as much great, interesting, and quality rock coming out of Australia as I have this year. I’ve had my ears open to what the underground had been producing out of the country, but it really seems like they have a fairly special thing going on particularly right now. I could be wrong, maybe it’s a coincidence…I somehow doubt it however…but if it is it’s a coincidence that I am certainly thankful for. The latest in musical discoveries is coming from the Melbourne area and is a monster of sound called ZOND. The band has just recently issued their self-titled debut through R.I.P. Society and I’d have to say it’s nothing short of spectacular.

It’s actually quite difficult to put this record into words, as it challenges you to try and describe it in a way that doesn’t come off as being as just a blanket of noise. The problem being that it most certainly is, but defies the whole noise label in a manner that bands like My Bloody Valentine, Goslings, and maybe a handful of others have over the years. There is just as much melody and beauty to uncover when all of the feedback collides to form the immense and powerful sound that ZOND creates. I’ve listened to this record a handful of times through now and the amount of different sounds and directions the instruments take on throughout the disc are impossible to count. Vocals are hardly represented here, but rest assured that they are in fact here as faint echoes of voices fade in and out, never quite being able to make out what exactly they are saying. It’s a bit chilling in a way as they sound trapped underneath the overwhelming density of the bands sound, almost on the verge of just giving up hope of being found altogether. And really, I think that’s one of the difference makers in ZOND’s approach. They tread the fine line between triumphant and hopelessness in a way that somehow loses no energy.

ZOND – Stupid Gods [MP3]

Not really sure of where this one is available other than hitting up R.I.P. Society for a copy. Regardless, I definitely recommend it. This album is up there as far this year goes, no doubt.

Edit: The LP is currently in stock at Goner Records for those wishing to pick this up in the US. They should be popping up in other distros as well rather soon. Jump on this or keep your eye out!

A couple or so years ago a review popped up on Your Flesh penned by AmRep founder Tom Hazelmyer for the disc Harlem by the Denton, TX group White Drugs. Seeing as how a large chunk of my music taste and a slightly smaller but still rather large chunk of my music collection have been molded around Mr. Hazelmyer’s label, I took the heaping praise he laid upon the disc to heart and sought it out. Unfortunately at the time Harlem was a bit harder to get a hold of, but nonetheless I got a chance to listen to it and it proceeded to prove why it got all those kind words/comparisons with a blistering set of dirty garage flavored noise. Information about the band seemed pretty scarce however, even with the presence of a MySpace and an actual working website. There was little in the way of actual activity from the band, other than the physical evidence that is Harlem which was released on the bands own label Kunstwaffe

So yeah, that was probably early ’08 and time passed and then I noticed the name White Drugs in a list of bands that would be performing in August at the AmRep 25th anniversary bash. Very cool I thought, however I couldn’t quite figure out how they fit in with the whole thing aside from definitely sharing many attributes of plenty of bands that were part of the roster over the years. Then out of pure coincidence an opportunity arose to hear the bands new record Gold Magic and I gladly jumped at the chance to do so. However, not only was I extremely pleased to hear a new White Drugs record, I was given my answer as to why they were playing the AmRep bash in the first place and that’s because Gold Magic is in fact being put out by AmRep in conjunction with Kunstwaffe on July 20th.

With Gold Magic the band continues onward with the full rock ‘n roll swagger that their previous material was dripping with, maybe even more so than before. All I know is that this thing locks into a groove pretty early and keeps with it for damn near the entire half hour by pumping out absolute riffs galore that are given a deep bathing of filthy feedback. To put it simply, you’d be wise to check this out. It’s everything you would pretty much want to hear on a release from a label that has helped develop a certain style of music as much as it has.

White Drugs – Black Wizard Gloaming (stream)

As of right now, you can pre-order Gold Magic through the bands Kunstwaffe label. It’s limited to a pressing of 350, so don’t slack folks and pick this up. For those interested in hearing the bands previous record Harlem, which I highly suggest you do, it’s also available on the site now as well. With that, enjoy!

MLU has popped up on these pages already a couple times, thanks in part to their excellent contributions to the Slavescene split tape and then their side on a split LP with The New Flesh. All of this only contributed to my eagerness to hear this full-length as soon as it was made available through Rotted Tooth. Somewhere along the line the band went from a two piece and added a third member to play bass I believe. At least I don’t recall there being any sort of bass on their previous releases, if there was…I sure wasn’t hearing it. That however didn’t stop them from being one of the more impressive auditory abrasive/abusive bands I’ve heard in awhile. So with the addition, it’s no surprise that this comes off as the most forceful material they’ve managed to put out. The added low-end combined with the albums shift towards a repetitive battering of feedback sort of lands them in an area close to one of my old favorites Glazed Baby. Much like them, MLU champion a sound that maybe blurs the line between actual rock and noise a bit more than some would maybe rather hear but uses precisely placed riffs to keep things hinged in a sense. It’s those types of random bouts of explosiveness that end up making this record.

MLU – Vom Dog (excerpt) (stream)

Anyone interested in picking up a copy of the bands debut self-titled LP can do so by either getting it directly from the band here or it’s also available through Rotted Tooth, Fusetron, or Permanent Records. Enjoy!

This cassette from The Only Ghost in Town was originally something that I decided to throw in on a whim when making a purchase for the Dude Japan Simple Living CD-R that recently came out on Rok Lok. Label owner Mike Andriani wrote a bunch of glowing things about it on the Rok Lok site, which is not surprising since it is his label releasing it and all, but it was certainly passionate enough to get me to throw it in for five bucks. Why not ya know? Anyway, it probably didn’t hurt that Only Ghost in Town main man Dan Saraceni (By Surprise) has a rather high appreciation for early/mid 90’s lo-fi rockers Further…enough that one of the songs on this cassette is in fact a Further cover. A great band to draw influence from and one that is highly recognizable here on The Summer Was Over Before it Began. The entire thing sort of dances back and forth between solidly crafted lo-fi pop to fairly fuzzed out shoegaze, however all keeping a sort of awkward warbling that gives it a bit of a special charm in the end. It’s certainly a nice and welcome sound to these ears for something that was picked up on a flier.

The Only Ghost in Town – Like Candy [MP3]

Anyone interested in picking this up can do so by heading over to Rok Lok. Definitely worth the five dollars PPD, so give it a shot if you enjoy what you hear.

Brooklyn’s Pollution probably doesn’t need much of an introduction really after a slew of pretty smoking releases over the past year or so, the n.s. Drugs 7’’ in particular popped up on these pages in December actually. At the time that single had me pretty excited for what these guys were up to and then I managed to hear a live cassette they put out through Vinyl Rites that completely sold me with nine tracks of ripping noisy hardcore (download the entire thing over here). Now out of nowhere they already have a new self-released LP to tout about titled ®SMUT that delivers in the same vein of some of their recorded live material, in that it’s straight up break neck paced dirty hardcore. There just isn’t a way you can listen to this record and not get incredibly pumped up listening to it. Seriously, listening to this thing not long before I decided to jot all this down knocked me out of a Taco Bueno induced coma…so thank you Pollution. But seriously, ®SMUT will no doubt put a smile on the face of those who have been following the band. The riffs are plentiful and the raw production emits a sort of energy that really captures a “live” vibe, and so far that’s the setting in which this band really shines. To have a record like ®SMUT that can harness much of that is quite the accomplishment and most certainly makes for a great record.

Pollution – Signal.Control [MP3]

If you’re interested in picking this up, the band currently has copies for sale through their own label site, c6recordings. I would certainly suggest hitting them up for a copy as distros seem to be going through them fairly quickly. Enjoy!

I was kind of surprised that I hadn’t heard anything from Tile previously before having the opportunity to listen to this new 7-inch on the Finland based label Kult of Nihilow. However upon realizing that everything else that they’ve put out during their roughly four year existence was done in a mega limited run, I’ve been kicking myself for it a bit less. While Tile certainly aren’t the type of band you’d be used to finding on Kult of Nihilow, I’d say this single still fits quite snugly into their catalog by featuring a rather sludgy sound.

This single kind of shows two different faces of the band, as a-side “Poseidon” is a slowed down doomier number and has a bit of an Electric Wizard thick hazy feel to it, despite it not being all that drawn out and a bit more aggressive. The b-side “Prick of Misery” kind of leads you to believe that you’re going to be getting a similarly structured song by the title, but Tile jumps right out of the gate with some faster paced and immediately striking riffs that contain a sound similar to that of the big bass pound of godheadSilo. I’m definitely into what these guys are doing; it’s just a shame that pretty much everything else they’ve done so far is out of print it would appear.

Tile – Prick of Misery [MP3]

With that said, you’d probably be wise to jump on this soon if you like what you hear. This single is limited, much like the rest of their discography, to 308 copies. If you’re interested in picking up, hit up Kult of Nihilow or the bands website.

It’s been a long and busy week for me, which unfortunately cut into my time to do some updates. But thankfully I had just enough time to get the mix for this past month uploaded for everyone’s listening pleasure. Not sure how many people will actually see this over the weekend. If no one does, I’ll just assume that it’s been a pretty good holiday weekend for all of you. That is certainly what I am hoping to have.

You all know the drill, if there is something in particular on the mix that peaks your interest then by all means hit up the linked band/artist names to pick up the corresponding record. With that brief message, I leave you to enjoy the tunes. Everyone have a safe 4th. I’ll be back Monday with more updates and hopefully more time!

01 – The Native Cats – Be Your Healer
02 – Sleepies – Polylith
03 – Rapeman – Coition Ignition Mission
04 – Spare Snare – As a Matter of Fact
05 – Naïve – Teenage Magic
06 – Dimbulb – Capsule
07 – Frontier Trust – Untitled
08 – Kitchens of Distinction – Margaret’s Injection
09 – Stan McMahon – Crystal
10 – Tar – Giblets
11 – Logikparty – Iodine
12 – Further – Real Gone
13 – AC Temple – Horsetrading
14 – A Frames – Electricity (AF2 Demo, 2002)
15 – Dogs Without Borders – Ken Layman, Pistol Expert
16 – Child Abuse – Bebe
17 – Drive Blind – Tests Required
18 – Medusa Cyclone – Dream House
19 – The Littlest Viking – Theme From Magnum P.I.
20 – Young Livers – Misery and Toil

Download (.zip file)

Joie De Vivre is back in what is almost exactly a year later with their debut full-length album The North End, once again through Count Your Lucky Stars. I was pretty into what they were doing on their EP Summer Months back in April of last year, by touching upon a lot of the great qualities that inhabited plenty of mid-nineties midwesterny emo bands. While originally intrigued by the band, I was most definitely a bit hesitant to hear them at the time. It’s just the day and age we live in, thus when your band is described as such it causes more skepticism than it probably should. That’s all behind me now though, as I clearly (and quickly) realized that Joie De Vivre were busy growing up on all the best bands you could possibly pick out of that mess during the decade and have managed to channel it quite nicely here in 2010.

The North End sounds significantly more polished than their EP, and without a doubt it sounds fuller thanks to the addition of a trumpet and organ. Both or which are used pretty sparingly throughout the album, but are certainly noticeable in maximizing the bands sound and reach. The vocals have taken a step up here too. While they are still the obviously strained cry that you’d expect from this type of music, they sound a bit smoother than they did on Summer Months where at times it maybe felt they were reaching a bit too much to really drive the point home. All the slight additions and the band having a bit more time to smooth out some of the rougher edges has paid pretty great dividends on The North End and it no doubt clears a path for them to put out many more fine releases in the future.

Joie De Vivre – Salt [MP3]

If you’re interested in picking up The North End or even their previous EP, then just hit up Count Your Lucky Stars where it’s available on CD or LP. Enjoy!