Monday, June 27, 2011

The Village Voice Interviews Charlie Looker of Extra Life / Sculptress / Last Things Records




Yes In My Backyard
Download: Tracks By Charlie Looker's Extra Life And Sculptress




Charlie Looker has spent 10 years in New York art-rock anomalies -- Lavender, Zs, Period, Extra Life, Sculptress, even (briefly) Dirty Projectors. The common thread is always the place where the vulnerable sentiment of indie rock collides with the jagged rhythms of contemporary composition; Looker's unique cluttercore works like Antony channeling Anthony Braxton. His latest EP with Extra Life maintains the disjunctive bluster of bands like Kayo Dot or Xiu Xiu. Looker is increasingly hunching towards a sexually charged, darkly hued and perpetually windswept new romantic woosh—think Morrissey or Ian McCulloch had they grokked on 12-tone composition. Extra Life's recent Ripped Heart EP (out now) takes him down colder, synthier hallways; the six-minute title track is a heartbroken piece of progpunk that's somehow equal parts 4AD and Louis Andriessen.

(((Read more and download new tracks from Extra Life and Sculptress here!)))

Greg Attonito (Bouncing Souls) Announces Debut Solo Album Out July 12th on Chunksaah Records




What a life - from sweat-soaked basements to sun-drenched outdoor festivals; making music with his band The Bouncing Souls, his wife Shanti, his contemporaries; making art, making food and making the most of every second. It’s the life of Greg Attonito - world famous rock frontman, children’s author, athlete and life enthusiast;. a creative wellspring who has learned over time to become timeless, invoking the same spirits as history’s great minstrels, jesters and Renaissance men.

With all the layers of Attonito’s creative resume to consider, it’s sort of perfect that his new solo record, "Natural Disaster," is an exercise in simplicity. These songs capture an intangible combination of spirits old and new - they're wistful, intimate, plaintive.. A waking dream of the most genuine kind, because Greg is a dreamer of the highest order.

"I'm happy I've been able to capture the vulnerable, sweet and loving parts of myself in these songs," says Attonito. "Its been liberating to let those parts of myself go."

So tell your ears to pack a bag, because they are going on a trip. And getting there is all the fun. - Ronen Kaufman

* Pre-order "Natural Disaster" at Chunksaah.com!



"Natural Disaster" Track List:
1. How Many Songs
2. Volcano
3. Cincinnati Dream
4. Sexiest Girl
5. Eyes

6. Teardrops



Greg Attonito Live!
GREGORY ATTONITO "Natural Disaster" Record Release Party. Tuesday, July 12th at 7:30pm at Watermark
(Boardwalk at First St., Asbury Park,NJ). All Ages Show. Five dollars to get in.
Buy a record at the door and get in for free!


The Bouncing Souls Live

07.06.11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
07.07.11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
07.08.11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
07.09.11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
07.13.11 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
07.14.11 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
07.15.11 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
07.16.11 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
29.07.11 - ESP, Viveiro - Resurrection Fest
30.07.11 - D, Bausendorf - Riez Open Air
01.08.11 - UK, London - O2 Academy Islington
02.08.11 - UK, London - O2 Academy Islington
03.08.11 - UK, London - O2 Academy Islington
04.08.11 - UK, London - O2 Academy Islington
05.08.11 - UK, Blackpool - Rebellion Festival
06.08.11 - UK, Kent - Heavy Fest
08.08.11 - D, Stuttgart - Universum
09.08.11 - A, Vienna - Arena Club
10.08.11 - A, Vienna - Arena Club
11.08.11 - A, Vienna - Arena Club
12.08.11 - A, Vienna - Arena Club
13.08.11 - SLO, Tolmin - Punk Rock Holiday 1.1
14.08.11 - CRO, Zadar - Trg Pet Bunara
16.08.11 - HU, Budapest - Durer Kert
17.08.11 - PL, Katowice - Klub Studencki Arkada
19.08.11 - BE, Hasselt Kiewit - Pukkelpop Festival
20.08.11 - D, Borkenberge - Area 4 Festival
21.08.11 - D, Grossposna - Highfield Festival
22.08.11 - SWE, Malmo - Malmoestivalen
11.02.11 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
11.03.11 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
11.04.11 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
11.05.11 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
11.09.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
11.10.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
11.11.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
11.12.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour




For more information, visit:
www.chunksaah.com
www.bouncingsouls.com

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Icarus Line Announce New Album, "Wildlife," Out August 30th on Cobraside / Roar Scratch Records!




Exclusive Premiere: Listen to The Icarus Line's New Song, "King Baby"



Los Angeles punks the Icarus Line have just announced that their new album, Wildlife, will be released Aug. 30 through Cobraside Distribution / Roar Scratch Records.

Today, we're pleased to bring you the exclusive first-listen of "King Baby" from that album. And if that's not enough for you, as an added bonus we're also throwing in "We Sick" from last year's "We Sick/Holy Man" single. Listen to both those cuts below.

(((Read more and stream new song "King Baby" here!)))

Friday, June 10, 2011

Santah Streams Debut Album "White Noise Bed" at PasteMagazine.com




Album Stream: Santah - White Noise Bed



PasteMagazine.com has premiered an exclusive stream of the debut album from Chicago's psychedelic Americana band Santah, entitled "White Noise Bed." Click the band's photo above to hear their new album in its entirety.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Bomb The Music Industry! Announces New Album "Vacation" Out July 26th on Ernest Jenning / Really Records




Bomb the Music Industry! announces new album, Vacation



If you’re not up in your DIY punk collectives, Bomb the Music Industry! is a Long Island-based band led by Jeff Rosenstock (who, along with other members, was formerly apart of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches). Formed in 2004, the group has released a dozen or so albums, EPs, and splits since 2005′s Album Minus Band. Now, the outfit is readying their newest album, Vacation, which is set to hit stores July 26th.



(((Read more and listen to new track "Vocal Coach" here!)))

400 Blows Announce New Album "Sickness and Health" Out August 23rd on ORG Music




Exclusive: 400 Blows- “We Killed Like Champions”



Noise punk. That’s a term I don’t get to swing around often enough. And 400 Blows are fucking noise punk. It’s been six arduous years since the release of Angel’s Trumpets and Devil’s Trombones but the half-crazed virtuosos are back with Sickness and Health.

The band can clearly still flagellate their instruments as Scott Martin (Crom/Big Business) winds caterwauling riffs and feedback around the bloodthirsty Whack-A-Mole rhythms of Kevin Fitzgerald (Circle Jerks). And Skot Alexander is still that incredible, sunglassed frontman, less a singer and more a drunken savior telling his disciples that we’re all doomed.

(((Read more and listen to new song "Sickness and Health" here!)))

Invisible Oranges Talks To Visual Artist Nader Sadek * New Album "In The Flesh" Out Now on Season of Mist




Interview: Nader Sadek



In the Flesh is incredibly ambitious, but according to Sadek in the following interview, the album is just the beginning.

(((Read more here!)))

Helms Alee Announce New Album "Weatherhead" Out June 21st on Hydra Head Records!




"Whether they are unleashing torrents of churning riffs, hypnotic waves of distortion or gruff or lilting calls into vast spaces, Helms Alee do so in limpid, atmospheric and unique fashion. No doubt, the crisp and cavernous production from Matt Bayles serves them well as tremolo-picked guitars gush like waterfalls, drums rattle timbers and the Pixies-esque male-female vocals sound like they’ve traversed continents." - PopMatters

"Helms Alee featuring Ben Verellen of ex-(current?) Harkonen seemed to be the clear winner of the "OMG-I-didn't-know-they-ruled-so-hard" award." - BrooklynVegan

"...part metal, part post-punk, part melody-driven rock, and all abandon... Think of Neurosis joining up with The Breeders for a quick outing into the wilderness." - Alarm Press

"The overall hype and general praise of Night Terror has sparked the curiosity of many fans who’ve wondered when a follow up might see the light of day." - The Synthesis

"Helms Alee are known for one thing: stoned freak-outs of the heavy, slow variety." - The Stranger

"...a noisy, nasty yang to Seattle's beardy, folky yin. Pastoral metal is a necessary thing." - Seattle Times


Helms Alee’s sophomore album, Weatherhead, could turn any cultural critic into a histori-cal revisionist. Let’s pull the buckshot back through the maw of a 20th century icon. Let’s reassemble the bloody mess and set a disenfranchised young man on a different trajec-tory, one devoid of celebrity and tragedy. Let’s re-envision the last twenty years. The other crucial variables can remain in place - hair metal still choked on its own excess, the beguiling mixed-gender vocal harmonies and alternating jangle and clang of The Pixies still seduced college radio, the antagonistic sludge of The Melvins continued to rumble across the globe, and the orchestrated discord of Sonic Youth still proved noise could hold artistic merit. But punk never broke, never became a cliche. Do you buy into Tolstoy’s belief that the individual is a mere pawn in history’s master plan? Would the lineage of rock music have found another reluctant voice of a generation?

Much as Tolstoy suspected that a stillborn Napoleon would not have prevented another
hegemonic ruler from sweeping across Europe, the tastes and tides of public demand
would’ve most likely elevated another unglamorous tortured artist into the limelight. But it’s still tempting to think of a parallel universe where the idiosyncratic marriage of wounded pop music and wrathful dissonant rock never found a footing in the mainstream world. It’s a dream not born out of a disdain for the pairing of the opposing musical tactics of brawn and sophistication, but the disappointment that the balancing act is so commonly butchered by popular artists. These men, lacking vision, have turned it into a cheap formula. In the alternate reality, a band like Helms Alee reigns above all. Here, no one seeks to tame guitar squall to fit in a radio format or, inversely, needlessly dirty up a good hook to provide an air of authenticity. Here, Helms Alee’s balance is the archetype - masterful and enthralling.

Given the history of the last two decades and the deepening sense that melody and
muscle compromise one another, Weatherhead becomes heroic. It’s not just gallant in intent, but in sound. Granted, heroism is subjective; listeners are bound to have their own preferred reverberations to conjure an inspired rallying cry. But Helms Alee’s gamut of timbres--from the most guttural blown-out roar to the most graceful lilting melody-summon a sense of triumph, empowerment, and conquest. The relentless chugging fuzz and vocal harmonies of “Elbow Grease”, the concrete thrust of the central riff of “8/16”, the thunderstruck arpeggio of “Pretty As Pie”, the siren song of “Pig Pile”, the unbridled scuzz of “Ripper No Lube”, and the alternating agit-punk and anthemic approach of the title track all reinforces Helms Alee’s position as masters of diametrically opposed tactics. They are the true heroes and heroines of the loud-quiet-loud.

Weatherhead was recorded by Matt Bayles at Studio Litho and Red Room Studios in the Winter of 2010-2011. It’s set for release via Hydra Head Records on June 21st, 2011. Helms Alee are currently scheduled to hit the road with label mates Torche and Big Business in June 2011. Bear witnesses to the path that never saw fame and fortune taint the beguiling rumble and bow to the throne of Helms Alee. -- Brian Cook



"Weatherhead" Track List
1. *
2. Elbow Grease
3. 8/16
4. Music Box
5. Pretty as Pie
6. Anemone of the Wound
7. Mad Mouth
8. Epic Adventure Through the Wood
9. Speed Sk8r
10. Pig Pile
11. Revel!
12. Ripper No Lube
13. Born in Fiberglass
14. Weatherhead




Helms Alee Live
6/07 Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern w/ Young Widows
6/29 Seattle, WA @ Neumos w/ Akimbo, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Norska
7/6 Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/ Migas


w/ Torche and Big Business
7/07 Houston, TX @ Walter’s on Washington
7/08 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
7/09 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Cafe
7/11 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
7/12 Miami, FL @ Churchill's
7/13 Orlando, FL @ The Social
7/14 Atlanta, GA @ EARL
7/15 Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club
7/16 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
7/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar
7/19 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
7/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
7/21 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
7/22 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
7/23 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
7/24 Newport, KY @ The Historic Southgate House
7/25 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
7/26 Detriot, MI @ Magic Stick
7/27 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hoosier Dome
7/28 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge
7/29 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
7/30 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
7/31 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
8/02 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
8/03 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
8/04 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s




For more information, visit:
Helms Alee on Facebook
www.myspace.com/helmsaleemusic
www.hydrahead.com

The Boston Globe Talks to Eksi Ekso * New Album "Brown Shark, Red Lion" Out Now on The Mylene Sheath




Prog lite
Eksi Ekso scales down the band and ramps up the rock




How many bands can cut their number in half — and then manage to sound twice as sonically expansive, richly layered, and epically ambitious? Boston’s Eksi Ekso is that rare example of a unit that seems to have grown bigger by reducing in size...

(((Read more here!)))