MAY 27, 2014 (WEEK
# 22)
1.
JOEY ANDERSON-“AFTER FOREVER” (5/27)
2.
LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES-“DERECONSTRUCTED”
(5/27)
3.
BATHS-“OCEAN DEATH” [EP] (5/27)
4.
BIRDY-“FIRE WITHIN” (5/27)
5.
BUFFALO
KILLERS-“HEAVY REVERIE” (5/27)
6.
JAKE
BUGG-“MESSED UP KIDS” [EP] (5/12)
7.
CALIFORNIA BREED-“CALIFORNIA BREED”
(DELUXE EDITION) (5/20) (JASON BONHAM, ETC. CHECK IT OUT)
8.
CAMERA OBSCURA-“4AD SESSION” [EP] (5/27)
9.
CLEAR PLASTIC MASKS-“BEING THERE” (5/27) (This is the first full
length release from Clear Plastic Masks at Serpents & Snakes Records.
Recorded by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Natural Child) at Bomb Shelter
Studios in Nashville, TN. Clear Plastic Masks have channeled their blue-collar
roots into the band's work ethic, constantly writing, recording, touring, and
earning new fans in each city they visit, winning them over through
soul-shaking, sweat-soaked live shows and pure charm. Though their sound isn't
easily defined, the allure is the sincerity of a working class band that is
honest, genuine, and transparent. Give their record a few spins and what
initially appears on the surface quickly gives way to a deep well of both
musical influence and songwriting straight from-the-gut. This is the sound of
Clear Plastic Masks.)
10. CLOSE
LOBSTERS-“KUNSTWERK IN SPACETIME” [EP] (5/27) (New Close Lobsters!
Cult-beloved jangle-pop act returns for their first pair of tunes since 1989.)
11. DAUGHTER-“LIVE
@ AIR” (5/27)
12. ARNE
DEFORCE & MIKA VAINIO-“HEPHAESTUS” (5/27) (Arne Deforce is renowned for his passionate and unparalleled
performances of contemporary and experimental music. As a soloist, his
repertoire consists mainly of solo and chamber music with a special interest in
works deemed "unplayable" but "performable" from composers
such as Iannis Xenakis, Richard Barrett, John Cage and Brian Ferneyhough. Mika
Vainio was one-half of the minimal electronic duo Pan Sonic. His solo works,
under his own name and under aliases like Ø, are known for their analog warmth
and electronic harshness, ranging from abstract drone works or minimal avant
techno. In Greek and Roman mythology, Hephaestus was the god of fire; celestial
blacksmith; craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and
volcanoes; son of Zeus and Hera; husband of Aphrodite. The river Phlegethon was
one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld, where
Hephaestus operated. Plato describes it as "a stream of fire, which coils
round the earth and flows into the depths of Tartarus. It is said that the goddess
Styx was in love with Phlegethon, but she was consumed by his flames and sent
to Hades. On this Editions Mego release, Hephaestus couples the rich acoustics
of Deforce's cello techniques with the raw expressiveness of Vanio's
electronics. The music reflects these ancient symbols whereby each track
possesses physical, emotional and psychological states. The journey begins with
"Phlegethon (Stream of Fire)" -- a world of sound building in
intensity and ferocity as a means of navigating the listener into this other
world. Both "Cocytus (River of Lamentation)" and "Acheron (River
of Woe)" explore more introspective (ambient) terrain, harnessing the
players' ability to conjure discrete congruous textures. From here we are
hurtled into the unbridled fury of "Styx (River of Rage)" where the
consummation of the individual and eternal agony resides amongst the synergetic
logic adopted by the artists and their chosen tools. "Lethe (River of
Forgetfulness) Or Oblivion" incorporates small repeating phrases and
minimalist motifs which provide a sense of disorientation and dislocation for
the traveler/listener while a world of respite is laid bare in the comforting
yet brooding closing piece "Elysium (Fields of Relief)." Hephaestus
is a fascinating journey through the netherworld of human extremity, presented
as a combination of pure acoustic and electronic sources and realized in both
physical and psychological manifestations. Arne Deforce (cello); Mika Vainio
(processing, electronics).
13. BEN
FROST-“AURORA” (5/27)
14. JOHN
FULLBRIGHT-“SONGS” (5/27)
15. THE GUN CLUB-“MOONLIGHT MOTEL”
(LIVE ALBUM RECORDED IN THE NETHERLANDS & ENGLAND IN 1984. BOOTLEG FROM
1985) (5/27)
16. HAUNTED
HEARTS-“INITIATION” (5/27) (Many years dreamt, one cold winter realized, Haunted Hearts is Dee Dee
Penny (Dum Dum Girls) and Brandon Welchez (Crocodiles). It is not the melding
of two bands; it is a true collaboration. The duo s first full-length album,
entitled Initiation, was written in the winter of 2012, holed up in their
apartment, surrounded by a lot of books, Motown and krautrock. It was recorded
by Jon Greene at Electric Orange Studios in San Diego, mixed by Jorge Elbrecht
(Ariel Pink / Violens) at Static Recording in Brooklyn, and mastered by Joe La
Porta at Sterling Sound in New York City.)
17. PAUL
HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT-“WHAT HAVE WE BECOME” (5/27)
18. HERCULES
& LOVE AFFAIR-“THE FEAST OF THE BROKEN HEART” (5/26)
19. HUNDRED
WATERS-“THE MOON RANG LIKE A BELL” (5/27)
20. AMY
LAVERE-“RUNAWAY’S DIARY” (5/27)
21. MANDO
DIAO-“BLACK SATURDAY” [EP] (5/27)
22. MANDO
DIAO-“AELITA” (IMPORT) (5/27)
23. NICK MULVEY-“FIRST MIND”
(IMPORT) (FROM PORTICO QUARTET) (5/27)
24. OWEN PALLETT-“IN CONFLICT”
(5/27)
25. POPSTRANGERS-“FORTUNA”
(5/27)
26. PRINTER
CLIPS-“PRINTER CLIPS” (5/23) From
BELL X1, Paul's Printer Clips album is out now, featuring duets with
Lisa Hannigan, Joan as Policewoman, Cathy Davey, Martha Wainwright, Gemma
Hayes, Julia Stone, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Amy Millan and Danielle Harrison.
27. R.E.M.-“COMPLETE
RARITIES – I.R.S. 1982-1987” (BOX SET) (5/27)
28. ROYKSOPP
& ROBYN-“DO IT AGAIN” [EP] (2014)
29. 7 SECONDS-“LEAVE A LIGHT ON”
(5/27)
30. SLEAFORD
MODS-“DIVIDE AND EXIT” (5/27)
31. SPACE
RAFT-“SPACE RAFT” (5/27) (On DUSTY MEDICAL – DMR 37 – LP)
***Whatever image that the name SPACE
RAFT might conjure up for you, just forget it. They are not specifically a
psych band, or a retro-glam outfit, or a blatant '70s throwback. They are,
instead, a classically brilliant pop-rock combo which incorporates elements of
all the above while working by their own rules, beholden to no genre. /Space
Raft/, their debut album, is proof positive of this. Formed in 2012 by
ex-MYSTERY GIRLS guitarist JORDAN DAVIS, former TEMPER TEMPER keyboardist TJAY
CHRISTENSON, FATHER PHOENIX drummer TYLER CHICOREL who currently handles bass
duties for the equally awesome CALL ME LIGHTNING) and GOODNiGHT LOViNG bassist
COLIN SWINNEY, the band currently includes bassist SRINI RADHAKRISHNA (CIRCLES,
FOOTBALL, FRANCE HAS THE BOMB), following Swinney's departure to California.
The camaraderie amongst Space Raft's members is obvious upon listening to their
music; there is a definite interplay between all of them that contributes to a
fully-formed vision. Healthy helpings of melody, rhythmic diversity, and
intriguing instrumentation make their self-titled debut LP a constantly
shifting, magical entity. There's an almost science-fiction element to many of
their songs, such as "Jupiter Calling" and "Anything is
Possible," which is completely in line with the effects-laden guitar lines
and washes of keyboard. However, Space Raft can abruptly shift gears into songs
such as "We Are Not Alone" or "Rescue Mission," which are
pop at its finest. Diversity is the key to Space Raft, a quality which,
unfortunately, is sadly lacking in many modern bands.)
32. AURELIO
VALLE-“ACME POWER TRANSMISSION” (5/30) (FORMER FRONTMAN FOR CALLA)
33. HARON VAN ETTEN-“ARE WE THERE?”
(5/27)
34. BEN
VIDA-“SLIPPING CONTROL” (5/27)
35. WATERY
LOVE-“DECORATIVE FEEDING” (5/27)
36. WATTER-“THIS WORLD” (5/27) (Watter
is a trio made up of close friends and collaborators whose collective pedigree
reads like a desert island list of must-haves in experimental rock musicians.
Multi-instrumentalists Zak Riles (Grails) and Tyler Trotter are anchored by
legendary drummer Britt Walford (Slint,Evergreen) on six genre-defying pieces
of monolithic mood music. For Riles and Trotter, it's a chance to dig deeper
into the sandbox in which Grails have sculpted many mercurial masterpieces in
recent years.) (This is the debut album by the new Louisville band formed by members
of SLINT & GRAILS. It also features contributions from Rachel Grimes
(Rachel's), Todd Cook (The For Carnation, Crain), Tony Levin (King Crimson),
and more. It's a truly brilliant album.)
37. WEEKNIGHT-“POST-EVERYTHING”
(5/6)
38. KELLY
WILLIS AND BRUCE ROBISON-“OUR YEAR” (5/27)
39. WRANGLER-“LA
SPARK” (5/27) (Wrangler consists of Stephen Mallinder, best-known for his pioneering
work with Cabaret Voltaire, Phil Winter of Tunng and Lone Taxidermist, plus the
founder of Memetune studios and synth-obsessive Benge. His studio's
synth-rammed walls have created an environment where sounds are ripped from a
golden era of analog electronic music to create forward-looking, new music.
Wrangler formed in the wires of Memetune -- a post-LCD, Factory Floor-ed
electronic funk machine with VHS tape distortion in its eyes but also capable
of sleekness and beauty in the stripped-back beats. The tracks range from the
satellite bleep and synth melody of "Theme from Wrangler" to the
alien carnival rhythms of "Modern World" and the ambient "Peace and
Love" (originally recorded for Tate Modern's Summer 2012 program
"Tweet-Me-Up"). In between there's "Lava Land" -- all
masked, half-gargoyle vocals and primitive drum machines; the gliding, noir and
neon of the title-track "LA Spark" and the urgent, pulsing
floor-filler of "Harder." There are ghosts and echoes of Mallinder's
previous work in Cabaret Voltaire in these songs, especially in the vocals and
lyrics, which run like his own internal movie.)
40. NEIL YOUNG-“A LETTER HOME”
(5/27)
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