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Album: Orthodox
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 20, 2013
02. Monday Night
03. Brass
04. Fundraiser
05. Coin Toss (STREAM)
06. Books On Tape
07. Kissing Bridge (STREAM)
08. Sixty Seven
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Native sophomore album out today, tour with O'Brother continues throughout the U.S.
Album: Orthodox
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 20, 2013
02. Monday Night
03. Brass
04. Fundraiser
05. Coin Toss (STREAM)
06. Books On Tape
07. Kissing Bridge (STREAM)
08. Sixty Seven
Monday, August 19, 2013
Black Moth premiere first song from breakout UK debut via SPIN, British band's acclaimed album out stateside in October
"Punishing, pummeling riff-rock that splits the difference between Queens of the Stone Age and Black Sabbath. Better yet, singer Harriet Bevan can growl and howl with the best of 'em, but she also packs a wicked riot-grrrl shout." -- SPIN
Britain's young new heavy rock heroes Black Moth announce the North American release of the band's breakout UK debut coming in October. The first track from The Killing Jar premieres today courtesy of SPIN.com. LIsten to "The Articulate Dead" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud link HERE.)
The Leeds, UK quintet led by Harriet Bevan's powerful vocals evokes comparisons to female-fronted noise punk like Silverfish and Made Out of Babies to classic bluesy doom of early Black Sabbath. Theirs is a sound that encompasses a wide variety of all things loud, aggressive and heavy. The Killing Jar was produced by Grinderman and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds drummer Jim Sclavunos, whose production of The Horrors, Gogol Bordello and others have earned considerable praise. ”Black Moth reminds me of my misspent youth,” says Sclavunos. And, judging by the all out assault that he’s crafted with the Moth, he must have been a very bad boy indeed.
In the months since upstart label New Heavy Sounds released the Leeds' quintet's debut, Black Moth quickly catapulted to headlining status and festival stages throughout the UK and Europe -- including Reading Festival, Download and Leeds Festivals. While the band is already currently in the studio working on a second album -- again with Sclavunos at the helm -- North American tour dates are in the works for early 2014.
Black Moth are five kids on a mission. Harriet Bevan - vocals, Jim Swainston - guitar, Nico Carew - guitar, Dave Vachon - bass, and drummer Dom McCready. Formed out of the ashes of Leeds garage rockers The Bacchae, the band were seduced by the brutal and hypnotic lure of the riff, to emerge as the ferocious kick-ass heavy rock outfit that is Black Moth. Now their debut album The Killing Jar a dark and intense riff monster if ever there was one, is set loose growling and snarling into your local record emporium.
The Moth’s fearsome edges have been honed into lobotomizing sharp points to create 10 tracks of nail-you-to-the-wall heavy riffs, dark noise and infectious hooks. The band's influences are obviously ingrained in their sound. Think proto-metal, stoner rock, a healthy slice of Black Sabbath, several shades of punk, and a big dollop of doom. The riffs are crushing, the sound is huge and it's all knitted together by Harriet Bevan's formidable vocals. From blues howl to punky wail and several shades of darkness in-between, Harriet is surely destined to become one of the girl singers in rock.
But what's really startling is how the band take all the music that they obviously love and turn it into something that is truly their own, prime rock nuggets with a razorblade at the core. The Killing Jar is the epitome of what all debut albums should be: an exhilarating statement of intent and smart and savvy musical kick in the face.
The Killing Jar will be available in North America on CD, download and limited edition vinyl on October 1st via New Heavy Sounds.
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Artist: Black Moth
Album: The Killing Jar
Label: New Heavy Sounds
Release Date: October 1st, 2013
01. The Articulate Dead (STREAM)
02. Blackbirds Fall (VIDEO)
03. Banished But Blameless
04. Spit Out Your Teeth
05. The Plague of Our Age
06. Chicken Sh*t
07. Blind Faith
08. Plastic Blaze
09. Land of The Sky
10. Honey Lung
On The Web:
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Friday, August 16, 2013
Big Black Cloud premiere "Bomb My Brain" video via Brooklyn Vegan
Click image above to watch video
Portland, OR noise rock trio Big Black Cloud debut the first video from their new album today via Brooklyn Vegan. The clip for the track "Bomb My Brain" is available to watch HERE. (Direct YouTube HERE.) Big Black Cloud also recently offered a stream of the album in its entirety via SPIN.com. Listen to the album, Black Friday HERE. The album, Black Friday was released on July 2nd on LP and download via purveyors of "heavy vibrations" Eolian Empire. Since fleeing the swampy south for the dank Pacific Northwest almost a decade ago, the furious avant punks have been honing their peerless amalgam of garage, noise rock, psych and genuine weirdness into an ever-sharper set of sticky shivs to get under your skin and turn your brains all inside out. Black Friday is a slithery sci-fi nightmare, all twists and turns and bunsen burns, fuzzed-out unhinged fun. Big Black Cloud began in 2005 as a four-piece (with the longer moniker Here Comes a Big Black Cloud) that over time grew larger and freakier, but in 2010 turned power trio, their experimentation and extravangances distilled into a crack-shot, whip-smart combo. Their full-length debut, Dark Age, was "an absolutely thrilling listen" (Built On A Weak Spot), "a fantastically frenetic, dark, psychedelic garage rock record" (Permanent Records), "a huge, swirling mess of garage, punk, noise, psych, howls, and yelps" (Maximum Rocknroll), followed in 2011 by the Sh*tty Vibrations cassette EP, "a real game changer" (Terminal Boredom). But it seems Big Black Cloud moved out of the garage and into a secret cavern laboratory for Black Friday, their two-year labor of loathe. Clearly not content to let everyone catch up, they've pushed further out into the uncharted wild: more primal, more visceral, and a whole lot more menacing. Guitars clang, buzz, and slide, gooey bass relentlessly lopes and bombs, with drums all over the place yet somehow right where they need to be. Everything taken together gives the distinct sense that these three may go completely off the rails at any time, a feeling reinforced by the traded howls and wails of a man and woman who are quite fed up with all the bullsh*t but just can't seem to let it go, even as it drags them over the edge. Ah, but don't think that lets you off the hook... because they will get their hooks in you and drag you with them. Big Black Cloud is from Portland, Oregon, and comprises guitarist/vocalist Nick Capello, bassist/vocalist Soo Koelbli, and drummer Travis Wainwright. Big Black Cloud has released two 7-inches, a 10-inch, a 12-inch LP (Dark Age), and the Sh*tty Vibrations cassette prior to Black Friday, their first release for Portland outsider label Eolian Empire. We think Big Black Cloud sounds a bit like Circus Lupus and Pere Ubu, or maybe a Royal Trux more speed-freaked than junked-out, sprinkled with some Brainiac-ish moments and a big ol' dose of Cows-like abandon, but it seems they've never heard-or even heard of-those bands. Go figure. Black Friday kicks off with what sounds like a flying saucer landing and shouts of "No future!" and ends in a cacophony of scrambled surf leads, portents of the insanity to follow. The whacked-out ditty "Bomb My Brain" will bomb yours with its discordant hooks and "Won't you bomb my brain?" call to arms. Then there's the bouncing, insistent, noise-rocker "Wastoids" ("Tell me why?!"), the high-speed joyride gone scary sour "Pile of Sh*t", and the creature-feature operetta "Human Host" (and many more!). It all adds up to one hell of a fucked-up journey through a fantastic land filled with scrum, scree, squawks, and very strange things that go bump in the night. But you'll be happy you got dragged along-even if you're a bit worse for wear-because you'll have made it through and lived to tell about it.
BIG BLACK CLOUD LIVE:
09/07 Portland, OR @ East End (w/ Rabbits) |
Artist: Big Black Cloud
Album: Black Friday
Label: Eolian Empire
Release Date: July 2nd, 2013
01) Cities of the Red Night (MP3)
02) Terror of Cosmic Loneliness
03) Bomb My Brain (VIDEO)
04) Barbaric, Mystical, Bored
05) Wastoids
06) Black Friday
07) Pile of Shit
08) Hate Myself
09) Gettin' Heavy In the Jungle
10) Human Host
11) Medusa
On The Web:
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Feuding Fathers stream full album via Exclaim! 'Kid Tested, Father Approved' available today
"Defies expectations, from its unexpectedly catchy vocals to its abrupt end. Try to keep up." -- Consequence of Sound
The song "Brass Knucks" recently premiered via Consequence of Sound and is available to stream/share HERE.
Everyone knows that math rock typically doesn't gather the attention of girls. This is a harsh truth, however it's a crucial realization in the nature of all things. Math rock is a relentless and lonesome road appreciated solely by societies' "unawarely exclusive." Techies, instrumentalists and sound nerds alike, whose sole ambition in life is to discuss rad gear and odd time signatures, are considered kin to drummer Mason Macias and vocalist/guitarist Dustin Coffman, the power duo known simply as Feuding Fathers.
FEUDING FATHERS LIVE:
08/17 Austin, TX @ The Second House (album release party, w/ Boyfrndz)
Artist: Feuding Fathers
Album: Kid Tested, Father Approved
Label: Feuding Fathers Records
Release Date: August 13th, 2013
01) Brass Knucks (MP3)
02) Girl Pushups
03) Pre Med
04) Banging Out
05) Don't Bro Me If You Don't Know Me
On The Web:
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Monday, August 12, 2013
Native stream entire album via Brooklyn Vegan a week before release, tour with O'Brother starts August 14th
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Album: Orthodox
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 20, 2013
02. Monday Night
03. Brass
04. Fundraiser
05. Coin Toss (STREAM)
06. Books On Tape
07. Kissing Bridge (STREAM)
08. Sixty Seven
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Russian Circles premiere first track from forthcoming new album via Pitchfork
Russian Circles hit the road in the EU and UK with Chelsea Wolfe (who also supplies guest vocals on the album's title track) in October. Both bands will play full headlining sets. Russian Circles will tour North America in early 2014. Please see complete dates below.
Perhaps the most immediately apparent characteristic of the fifth Russian Circles album, Memorial is its wide range of emotion. Vacillating from somber-yet-soaring melodies on one track to pummeling metal heft on the next, Memorial sounds like an album with split personalities.
Where one song showcases guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook's mastery of lush melancholic melody, the next exhibits their most abrasive underground metal leaning sound, with washed-out 16th-note riffs and crushing rhythms. The band's penchant for endless hooks remains a constant, but Memorial embodies their most dramatic ranges in tone.
"We've always tried to balance our metal-influenced sounds with more nuanced, pretty, orchestral elements," Cook says. "But this time, it's far more polarized in that the heavy parts are much more blown out and exaggerated while the pretty moments are far more restrained, delicate, and atmospheric." In the two years since Russian Circles released their landmark fourth album Empros, the Chicago trio toured worldwide nearly incessantly, encountering many heavy acts whose music seemed needlessly complicated. "We set out to make a straightforward, intense, heavy record," Cook explains. "We subconsciously gravitated toward darker and more somber sounds. We wanted to get away from the overtly flashy."
In search of such a streamlined sound, the trio focused on each individual song having its own emotional and musical characteristics. As such, Memorial almost feels like stages of grief. That notion might be aided by 1) the album's clever structuring, in which it ends in the same place as it starts, and 2) special guest vocalist Chelsea Wolfe lending her hauntingly somber vocals to the album closing title track.
To a degree, the monolithic, juxtaposed moods on Memorial is the band's reaction to the proliferation of iPod culture affecting how bands write music. Today, most musicians are trying to mash together disparate elements with results sounding as unpalatable as cooking a meal blindfolded. Russian Circles wisely and deftly sidestep the trappings of genre amalgamation. "I want to hear a band with a broad palette," Cook says. "But it should find that weird balance with breadth and width. We wanted to make a record with more extreme peaks and valleys. I'm hoping that we can get away with making a schizophrenic record."
Those extremes are no more perfectly exemplified than on album opener "Memoriam", which leads in with delicately plucked guitar notes and synth haze hovering in the background, vaguely reminiscent of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album. But the mood abruptly ruptures as the next song, "Deficit" forcefully kicks in with a wall of vicious, treble-bleached guitars blaring over Turncrantz's half-time rhythm pummeling his drums with the sound of an industrial machine re-fabricating raw materials. Tension builds to a breaking point about halfway through, opening into a skull-thwacking chugging riff that becomes the foundation for multiple mutant variations slithering over the top. "1777" is possibly Russian Circles' most epic and perfectly streamlined song of all time, incorporating both the physical dynamics of the studio in its sound -- much like David Bowie's emotive vocals on "Heroes", but instead with drum beats and guitars jutting outward in dramatic fashion -- while also developing a slow-burn build of elements purely focused on the emotional specificity of the song. Elsewhere, the uplifting melody of "Ethel" features a chiming finger-tapping guitar line that's heavily treated with effects making it sound like a vintage synth laid over powerfully expressive drums and distorted bass notes cascading over the proceedings with the forceful cadence of a lead vocalist. Album closing title track, "Memorial" is a plaintive, somber ballad featuring Wolfe's guest vocals. A hazy version of the album opening guitar notes hang in the distance as Wolfe's reverb-soaked voice hovers above the dreamlike melody somewhat reminiscent of Julee Cruise's Twin Peaks theme song.
Memorial was recorded at the illustrious Electrical Audio studio in Chicago with the band's longtime producer Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines & Interpol who also helmed the band's two previous albums, Empros and Geneva.
Memorial will be available on LP, CD and download via Sargent House on October 29th, 2013.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES + CHELSEA WOLFE // EUROPE 2013
Oct 12, 2013 - Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory
Oct 13, 2013 - Linz, AT @ Posthof
Oct 14, 2013 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
Oct 15, 2013 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
Oct 16, 2013 - Fribourg, CH @ Fri-son
Oct 18, 2013 - Barcelona, ES @ Apolo
Oct 19, 2013 - Madrid, ES @ Shoko Live
Oct 20, 2013 - Porto, PT @ Amplifest
Oct 21, 2013 - Bilbao, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
Oct 23, 2013 - Paris, FR @ Divan Du Monde
Oct 24, 2013 - Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
Oct 25, 2013 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Oct 26, 2013 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
Oct 27, 2013 - Dublin, IRE @ Button Factory
Oct 29, 2013 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
Oct 30, 2013 - Gent, BE @ Vooruit
Oct 31, 2013 - Karlsruhe, DE @ Jubez
Nov 1, 2013 - Utrecht, NI @ Tivoli de Helling
Nov 2, 2013 - Koln, DE @ Stollwerck
Nov 3, 2013 - Hamburg, DE @ Club Logo
Nov 5, 2013 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Strand
Nov 6, 2013 - Helsinki, FIN @ Tavastia
Nov 7, 2013 - Oslo, NO @ Bla
Nov 8, 2013 - Gothenburg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
Nov 9, 2013 - Copenhagen, DK @ KB18
Nov 10, 2013 - Berlin, DE @ C- Club
Nov 13, 2013 - Vienna, AT @ Szene
Nov 14, 2013 - Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
Nov 15, 2013 - Belgrade, SR @ Bozidarac
Nov 16, 2013 - Zagreb, HR @ Mochvara Club
Nov 17, 2013 - Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
Nov 19, 2013 - Moscow, RU @ B2
Nov 20, 2013 - St. Petersburg, RU @ Club Zal
Oct 13, 2013 - Linz, AT @ Posthof
Oct 14, 2013 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
Oct 15, 2013 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
Oct 16, 2013 - Fribourg, CH @ Fri-son
Oct 18, 2013 - Barcelona, ES @ Apolo
Oct 19, 2013 - Madrid, ES @ Shoko Live
Oct 20, 2013 - Porto, PT @ Amplifest
Oct 21, 2013 - Bilbao, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
Oct 23, 2013 - Paris, FR @ Divan Du Monde
Oct 24, 2013 - Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
Oct 25, 2013 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Oct 26, 2013 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
Oct 27, 2013 - Dublin, IRE @ Button Factory
Oct 29, 2013 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
Oct 30, 2013 - Gent, BE @ Vooruit
Oct 31, 2013 - Karlsruhe, DE @ Jubez
Nov 1, 2013 - Utrecht, NI @ Tivoli de Helling
Nov 2, 2013 - Koln, DE @ Stollwerck
Nov 3, 2013 - Hamburg, DE @ Club Logo
Nov 5, 2013 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Strand
Nov 6, 2013 - Helsinki, FIN @ Tavastia
Nov 7, 2013 - Oslo, NO @ Bla
Nov 8, 2013 - Gothenburg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
Nov 9, 2013 - Copenhagen, DK @ KB18
Nov 10, 2013 - Berlin, DE @ C- Club
RUSSIAN CIRCLES // EUROPE 2013
Nov 11, 2013 - Dresden, DE @ BeatpolNov 13, 2013 - Vienna, AT @ Szene
Nov 14, 2013 - Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
Nov 15, 2013 - Belgrade, SR @ Bozidarac
Nov 16, 2013 - Zagreb, HR @ Mochvara Club
Nov 17, 2013 - Munich, DE @ Feierwerk
Nov 19, 2013 - Moscow, RU @ B2
Nov 20, 2013 - St. Petersburg, RU @ Club Zal
Artist: Russian Circles
Album: Memorial
Label: Sargent House
Release date: October 29th, 2013
Track list:
01. Memoriam
02. Deficit (STREAM)
03. 1777
04. Cheyenne
05. Burial
06. Ethel
07. Lebaron
08. Memorial
On the Web:
Hi-res photos, album art, bio and more:
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tera Melos to headline Sargent House tour with Zorch and Fang Island
"Tera Melos' most accessible work by a large margin" -- Pitchfork
"X'ed Out is chock-full of great ideas and impressive executions -- an interlocking pile of barbs and briars and jigsaw pieces that all manage to vibrate at just the right frequency." -- SPIN
Tera Melos also recently premiered a new video from their latest album, X'ed Out via SPIN.com. Watch the clip for "Weird Circles" HERE (YouTube HERE), directed by Behn Fannin. X'ed Out is available everywhere as of April 16th, 2013 on LP, CD and download via Sargent House.
TERA MELOS LIVE:
Sept 07 - Sacramento, CA @ Launch Festival
MINUS THE BEAR // TERA MELOS // THE NEW TRUST Tour:
Sept 09 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim'sSept 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre Sept 11 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern Sept 13 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre Sept 14 - Santa Fe, NM @ Railway Sept 16 - Austin, TX @ Emo's East Sept 17 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues Sept 18 - New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina's Sept 19 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre Sept 20 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre Sept 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot Sept 24 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
TERA MELOS // ZORCH Tour:
Oct 15 - Boise, ID @ The CruxOct 17 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge Oct 19 - Columbia, MO @ MOJO Oct 20 - St. Louis, MO @ The Demo Oct 22 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement Oct 23 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Oct 24 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig Oct 25 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop Oct 26 - Buffalo, NY @ Tralf * Oct 27 - Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt * Oct 29 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street * Oct 30 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom * Oct 31 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall * Nov 01 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church * Nov 02 - Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel * Nov 03 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter Nov 05 - Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre Nov 06 - Asheville, NC @ Isis Music Hall Nov 07 - Athens, GA @ New Earth Music Hall Nov 08 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Nov 13 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress Nov 17 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place Nov 20 - Spokane, WA @ The Center Nov 21 - Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown Nov 22 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall * w/ Fang Island |
Artist: Tera Melos
Album: X'ed Out
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: April 16, 2013
01. Weird Circles (VIDEO)
02. New Chlorine
04. Snake Lake
05. Sunburn (MP3)
06. Melody Nine
07. No Phase
09. Slimed
10. Until Lufthansa
11. Surf Nazis
12. X'ed Out and Tired
On the Web:
Hi-res photos, cover art, bio and more:
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Thursday, August 1, 2013
Native debut new track from forthcoming album via Exclaim!, tour with O'Brother starts August 14th
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Album: Orthodox
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 20, 2013
02. Monday Night
03. Brass
04. Fundraiser
05. Coin Toss (STREAM)
06. Books On Tape
07. Kissing Bridge (STREAM)
08. Sixty Seven