Isis / Melvins Descriptive Text:
The long running and the longer running. The finite and the perpetual. Two of the last studio tracks from a band now in their final days, and two songs from a band who will potentially outlive us all. ISIS. The Melvins. If you enjoy music of the heavier variety and haven't heard either of these aural entities you are also probably unaware of other modern developments such as disposable contacts, the internet, and Snuggies.
As mentioned above the two ISIS songs featured on this split are amongst the last recorded output to be released by the band, and are (relatively) exclusive to this 12". The first, "Way Through Woven Branches" has previously only been available as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their most recent full length "Wavering Radiant". The second track "Pliable Foe", has never been released anywhere, and believe or not (at the time of this writing anyway), has managed to escape being sucked into the shadowy vortex of illegal internet file sharing. Both tracks were recorded during the sessions of the aforementioned "Wavering Radiant" album and continue along the trajectory established therein - in other words, long and winding strands of melody wrapped around jagged blocks of shuddering distortion. A fitting close to a continually evolving but coherently developed cannon of recorded works, and appropriately paired with one of their early and admitted influences, that being The Melvins.
The Melvins tracks featured on the flipside of this platter are culled from their latest full length album "The Bride Screamed Murder", albeit in highly altered forms from what appears there and are exclusive to this release. Remixed and reworked by the band themselves along with the help of ever nimble and able engineer and ally Toshi Kasai, these tracks are prime examples of The Melvins persona as we've come to know it - alternately jarring, tuneful, heavy, and bizarre. While the album versions of these tracks may fall further on the side of the "heavy" and "rocking", on display as presented here is the dadaist/trickster tendencies of the band which has frustrated and delighted fans in equal measure since (very nearly) the beginning of their existence. Never content to let the listener settle into a comfortable groove, the will to disrupt and dismay may prove satisfying for some and confounding for others. In any case, if you know and love The Melvins (like we do) these songs will be another must have addition to their ever growing library of aural curios.
Side Melvins: 1. Pig House (Alt. Version) (5:53) 2. I'll Finish You Off (Alt. Version) (4:44)
Side Isis: 1. Way Through Woven Branches (6:27) 2. The Pliable Foe (7:43)
Torche/Boris "Chapter Ahead Being Fake" Split 10" Descriptive Text:
Torche and Boris... what can I say about these two outfits that everyone reading this doesn't already know... I suppose the news here is in the union, init? Torche, the burgeoning stoner/sludge/doom pop three piece hailing from Miami, and Boris, the japanese super-group known for their ability to approach and interpret any musical genre, toured North America together in the summer of 2008. During the aforementioned tour, plans to write/record a split release formed... and I hear say that the catalyst for the split stems from the idea that Torche and Boris represent, "proof of Melvins' Children," or at least that's what our good friend Tadashi of Daymare Recordings (with whom we are jointly releasing this title) tells us. "King Beef," the first new material from Torche since 2008's critically acclaimed Meanderthal, possesses the qualities of any track on Meanderthal combined with multiple tone clusters suggesting perhaps a movement towards a shoegaze sound. It is also the first song Torche has recorded as a three piece. The Boris track, "Luna," is the first new material from the band since 2008's also critically acclaimed, Smile. The unique characteristics that make up this twelve minute track might be described as noise/space rock integrating an impulsive metal-like tinge and some mighty wicked drumming that I still can't quite wrap my brain around. Ok, if you've come this far, consider yourself informed... proceed to post/tweet... its high time, I bid thee fair well.
Side Torche: King Beef (5:53)
Side Boris: Luna (12:12)
* For the upcoming Torche/Boris show in New York, Hydra Head is manufacturing a special button/pin that every ticket holder will receive. On the pin, is a code to download an MP3 of "King Beef," which is the Torche track off of the Split 10." Purchase the Torche/Boris split digitally here and tickets for New York's upcoming Torche/Boris show here!
Torche Live!
7/17 West Palm Beach, FL @ Respectable Street Cafe w/ Furious Dudes
7/28 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In w/ Beings
7/29 Louisville, KY @ Skull Alley w/ Beings and High on Fire
7/30 Indianapolis, IN @ Vollrath Tavern w/ Beings
7/31 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Baroness
8/01 Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Festival
8/03 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar w/ Beings
8/05 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree w/ Beings
8/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Boris, Russian Circles
8/07 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum w/ Beings
8/09 Tallahassee, FL @ Big Daddy’s w/ Beings
8/11 Miami, FL @ Churchill's w/ Beings
10/29 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds (THE FEST 9)
For more information, visit:
www.hydrahead.com
