US / THEM: December 2017

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Sean Morales (James Arthur's Manhunt) premieres first single from solo debut w/ heavy friends on Super Secret Records

"A wild 8-song collection that’s all over the map musically: power pop, proto-punk, garbled Krautrock, indie rock, Fat Possum blues, and more." -- Big Takeover

Austin songwriter Sean Morales premieres the first single from his forthcoming solo debut today courtesy of The Spill Magazine and Big Takeover. Morales, who also plays in James Arthur's Manhunt, enlisted the help of several local scene luminaries to complete the project, a frenetic 8-song album that explores a variety of styles. Hear the lead single, a cover of '70s British musician/producer Chris Spedding's "Video Life" via The Spill, Big Takeover and Soundcloud.

Sean Morales is a family man from Austin by way Norfolk, VA. He began writing the songs for Call it In while living alone in Houston, then started shaping the songs with wife and drummer, Erica Barton (also of Super Secret artists Faceless Werewolves), after moving back to Austin. Sean then reached out to Jonathan Horne, a brilliant Jazz-bent guitarist known for his work with Young Mothers, Ichi Ni San Shi, and Knest and other heavy friends from the Austin rock'n'roll underground like Orville Neely from OBN IIIs, Bryan Schmitz from the Golden Boys, and James Arthur from the band Sean regularly plays bass in, the blistering psych damaged James Arthur's Manhunt, to bring whatever they had on them at the time; be it laughter, Clubtails, or scorching guitar. The recording was expertly helmed by Stuart Sikes who's recorded cornerstone works by The White Stripes, Cat Power, and Loretta Lynn.

Call It In is an occasion to celebrate the ease of life. It's an inviting debut that calls you over for a sundown evening of bourbon on the porch and unfolds into unexpected conversational turns. There is an alien familiarity in this record that resembles a solo night drive through blabber and smoke to arrive at a familiar room to find that Alex Chilton, Wreckless Eric, and the members of Amon Duul are already in the house, waiting for Junior Kimbrough to play. It's something that could have conceivably happened at some point, but it's still a dream.

Sean made his first record with more mission than vision, by that we mean that this record is a comfort to those of us who think about records almost as friends we like to catch up with. Call It In will tell you the lowdown and take you to some unexpected places.

Call It In will be available on LP, CD and download on January 12th, 2018 via Super Secret Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: Sean Morales

Album: Call It In

Label: Super Secret Records

Release Date: January 12, 2018

01. Video Life

02. Call It In

03. Bring Me Home

04. Whispertime

05. Problems

06. Slummertime

07. We've Been Apart

08. Party 1

On The Web:

facebook.com/singharpy

supersecretrecords.com/bands/sean-morales

Monday, December 18, 2017

MARRIAGE + CANCER premiere first track from forthcoming debut via CvltNation, rising Portland melodic-noise band

Portland, OR quartet Marriage + Cancer premiere the first track from their forthcoming full length debut today via CvltNation. Hear and share "God is Tan" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud)

Marriage + Cancer are a quickly rising noisy melodic band from Portland, OR. Their heavy, driving, chaotic sound has captivated audiences in the Pacific Northwest, grabbing the attention of Austin label Self Sabotage, who jumped to release the band's full length debut. The album was recorded LIVE at vocalist/guitarist Robert Comitz's Stop/Start Studio, engineered by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Melvins, Neurosis) and mixed by Brent Asbury (Pinback).

Marriage + Cancer sounds off from the jagged recesses of domestic landscape, their self-titled debut letting out a bellicose & harrowing howl into today's political & social voids. Rising from the ashes of K Records band Nucular Aminals, vocalist/guitarist Robert Comitz reformed the band under its new moniker, shedding the former's organ grinding & jaunty goth riffs for a heavier approach ranging from the thumping bass of album opener "Command + Comply" to the early-Sonic Youth-esque riffing of "Gound" to the rhythmic expanse of "View From A Cross."

The band is comprised of Comitz (who also plays guitar is Ssold [w/ members of Get Hustle, Rabbits]), guitarist Jay Mechling, bassist Christian Carmine (also currently in Marmits, previously in Fist Fite) and drummer Chase Hall (also of The Swan Thief).

Marriage + Cancer will be available on LP and download on February 9th, 2018 via Self Sabotage Records, a division of Super Secret Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

MARRIAGE + CANCER LIVE:

02/10/18 Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge - album release party

Artist: Marriage + Cancer

Album: Marriage + Cancer

Label: Self Sabotage Records

Release Date: February 9, 2017

01. Command + Comply

02. God is Tan

03. Honor, On Our Knees

04. Headache

05. Six Feet + a Box

06. Flora + Fauna

07. Gound

08. Thirteen Stairs

09. View From a Cross

On The Web:

facebook.com/marriageandcancer

marriageandcancer.bandcamp.com

selfsabotagerecords.bigcartel.com

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Slowcore dark folk balladeer Little Mazarn streaming forthcoming album in full ahead of release

"Verrill’s music, for all its simplicity, makes the heart move, and if you’re in the mood to yearn, she’s got you covered." -- Tiny Mix Tapes

Little Mazarn, the stage name of Austin songwriter Lindsey Verrill, is streaming her forthcoming self-titled album in full starting today via AltDialogue. Hear and share Little Mazarn HERE. (Soundcloud)

The Big Takeover recently launched the single "White Fang" HERE. Tiny Mix Tapes previously hosted the album centerpiece "My Love is All Around You" HERE.

Little Mazarn, the stage name for Lindsey Verrill, gets her name from what she calls "an unromantic river" in Arkansas. Playing banjo on three original songs, a traditional murder ballad ("Rain And Snow") and an English sea song, Little Mazarn, in her lilting warble, sings "about precious things, boring things, nature and the garbage that is humanity" (her words). A dreamy pop that would have fit in nicely with the slowcore of the late 90s and early 00s, the album also has unmistakeable connections to older forms & genres like country, gospel and Appalachian folk.

Verrill is joined on the album by live accompanist Jeff Johnston on saw, vocals and harmonium, as well as several guests contributing strings and vocals throughout. Recorded and Mixed by David Boyle at ChurchHouse Studios in east Austin.

Little Mazarn will be available on LP and download on December 15th, 2017 via Self Sabotage Records, a division of Super Secret Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

LITTLE MAZARN LIVE:

12/15 Austin, TX @ Central Presbyterian Church - Album release show

Artist: Little Mazarn

Album: Little Mazarn

Label: Self Sabotage Records

Release Date: December 15, 2017

01. In Dreams

02. White Fang

03. Rain and Snow

04. The Grey Funnel Line

05. My Love is All Around You

On The Web:

facebook.com/littlemazarn

littlemazarn.bandcamp.com

selfsabotagerecords.bigcartel.com

Friday, December 8, 2017

Ether Feather premiere "Kiss The Earth" video, trio w/ Cursive, Cibo Matto, Reggie Watts band members play odd, heavy psych

Los Angeles trio Ether Feather premiere the video for "Kiss The Earth" from their debut EP today via

New Noise Magazine in the U.S. and The Spill Magazine in Canada. Watch and share the video styled after early-90s era thrillers via New Noise, The Spill and YouTube.

Although they took their name from a Captain Beefheart lyric, Los Angeles trio Ether Feather seems to worship more at the alter of Black Sabbath, Budgie, and Rush. In many ways the band, with only one release to its name, actually began in 2011 when drummer/singer Dylan Ryan (Cursive, Fatal Jamz) started the band as an instrumental trio called Sand with future Ether Feather collaborators Devin Hoff (Cibo Matto, Julia Holter) and Tim Young (Reggie Watts, Wayne Horvitz)

After two Sand records Ryan set the moniker aside in favor of a new name that better reflected the new direction of the material he was writing, specifically psychedelic proto-metal. Ether Feather self-released an EP in 2017 called Other Memory and are sorting out plans for the 2018 release of their debut full length.

Director Matt Hewitt on the video: "Dylan and I were definitely inspired by the early 90s style thriller. The plot and mood was referencing movies like Unlawful Entry and Sliver, something of a desert-bound Judgement Night homage. We definitely wanted to create a video that Michael Douglas or Eric Roberts could have starred in. And of course by the end of the piece it becomes a full-bore Seagal movie, a la Out for Justice or Above the Law. Without being a complete visual rip-off we wanted to recreate that brand of thriller and action film that we hold so dear in a concentrated, miniature format."

Drummer/singer, Dylan Ryan: "Lyrically, 'Kiss The Earth' is somewhat inspired by the film The Witch that we were quite into when we were arranging the parts. I had a long sparse melody that I wanted to stretch out like Ozzy on the second half of 'Fairies Wear Boots'. As far as the music goes, I was heavily into the White Zombie Box Set and the stuff they did right when Jay Yuenger joined the band. I love his playing."

ETHER FEATHER LIVE:

12/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident w/ The New Trust