Prior to the release of their career retrospective Vain, Erudite and Stupid in 2005, I hadn’t heard any pre-Harsh Seventies Reality material from the Dead C. My college radio station didn’t have the records, I’m lazy on the downloading tip, and copies of their first two albums, DR503 and Eusa Kills, weren’t crowding any store shelves, used or new. The compilation provided an eye-opening context for the band’s work: namely, they’ve barely changed at all over their run. There have been certain detours, but setting aside a slight fidelity increase, you could probably fool me into thinking that their entire output was recorded in several lengthy, mind-blowing sessions. I’ve never met a Dead C fan that negged on any period of their work, a fact that their consistency goes a long way toward explaining.
This isn’t to say that every piece of tape recorded has been genius, or that it’s impossible for one to single out a favorite Dead C record. However, I think those judgments have more to do with listener preferences than any objective differences in the band’s approach. I gravitate towards The White House, but that might be because I get down more with never-ending psych jams than mindfuckery like Future Artists, and those two records just happen to tilt toward those two poles. The richness of the band’s concept – conflating punk and psychedelic release through basement noise-crust – allows them indulgences and demands ceaseless exploration; fortunately, 20 years later, they’ve stayed true to the idea, and the creative well still hasn’t run dry. Moreover, unlike brothers-in-arms Sonic Youth, they haven’t abandoned punk rock restlessness for classic rock maturity. Rather than “advance” or “progress” or “develop the sound” or “take huge steps forward,” the Dead C remain in the thick of the fight. It’s a huge middle finger to an industry that sporadically pays attention, to “career,” to losing the plot as one gets older, to not trusting one’s instincts.
So, early Dead C material is just as essential as anything they’ve released, and not only for historical value. After getting a taste of the early stuff on Vain, it’s a huge pleasure to hear these releases in their entirety, newly collected on two beautifully packaged vinyl reissues. Overall, these albums and EPs might be more song-oriented than what followed, but they’re undoubtedly of the same minds and spirits.
DR503, released on Flying Nun in 1988, splits its time between borderline-pleasant drug-noise-pop like “Speed Kills,” rock throwdowns like “Max Harris,” and curveballs like “Mutterline.” As much as DR503 keeps the listener guessing, the release that it’s packaged with, The Sun Stabbed EP, hits more extremes than any of the four releases presented here. “Crazy I Know” is lighter than air, a reminder that the Dead C did share a label with pop bands. Two tracks later, “Bad Politics” provides a straightforward punk rush, probably the most “rock” track that the band has recorded. On the flip side, “Sun Stabbed” and “Three Years” manage to hit all these bases and more, lurching from driving rock to pure noise to hazily chiming guitar noodlings.
Two years later, Eusa Kills tipped the scales almost entirely in the rock direction; excepting the pitch-black rushes of “Maggot” and “I Was Here,” the album lives up to its reputation as the group’s most accessible album – accessible being, of course, a relative term. Though undeniably their own, one might mistake some of these tracks for SY or Labradford demos. Their sonic signifiers complicate that reading, and the gobsmacking cover of Tyrannosaurus Rex’s “Children of the Revolution,” breaks it completely. Titled “Children,” it’s a flat-out perfect moment, full of humor and knowledge. On the one hand, it’s a wink towards the record geeks; on the other, proof of the Dead C’s dominance – no chance in hell could your basement rock group sound as awesome as this. The Helen Said This EP completes the package with the title track, a deep cut of beautiful space-rock, complemented by “Bury (Refutatio Omnium Haeresium),” one of the group’s most impenetrable workouts.
Few groups in the underground are revered as much as the Dead C, and these reissues underline why. Right out of the gate, they sounded like no one else, and 20 years later, they still haven’t lost the chops, smarts and balls that are on display here.
Beirut will be performing on David Letterman the night of February 6th, the night of the first BAM show (pre-recording on Feb 2nd). Beirut will be playing with at least a few extra musicians on strings, Paul Shaffer not included.
Beirut live dates: 02/04 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall Of Williamsburg (sold out) 02/06 Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Opera House (Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival) 02/07 Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Opera House (Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival) 02/19 Mexico City, MEX @ Lunaria Auditoria 02/20 Mexico City, MEX @ Lunaria Auditoria 05/03 Hamburg, DEU @ Fabrik 05/05 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso 05/06 Brussels, BEL @ Cirque Royal 05/08 London, UK @ Forum 05/09 Minehead, UK @ All Tomorrow's Parties The Fans Strike Back 05/12 Paris, FR @ Bataclan
Upcoming Cause-Co Shows: 02/07 New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge (w/ The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart) 02/12 New York, NY @ Cake Shop 03/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Monster Island (ALL AGES) 04/25 Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn
Every January Dusted runs their annual Destined series in which they select ten artists to watch over in the coming year. Second to last chosen for 2009 was In The Red's new signing The Strange Boys. Here's your chance to get to know the boys.
Dusted’s Nate Knaebel profiles the Austin garage band and Destined selection Strange Boys. Destined: The Strange Boys
The Austin-via-Dallas based Strange Boys are a young garage rock act whose loose, somewhat rootsy approach to the style brings to mind the old Doug Sahm adage “you just can’t live in Texas / If you don’t have a lot of soul.” The Strange Boys blend Nuggets garage, punk, R&B, blues and country without getting pinned down by any one of those styles. It’s as if those terms are used only as vehicle to create a musical feeling rather than a particular genre.
Formed as a punk band by guitarist/singer/songwriter Ryan Sambol and drummer Matt Hammer while the two were only in 8th grade, the Strange Boys have actually been making recordings for almost as long. It was with their 2007 Nothing EP on Dusty Medical, however, that the band truly came into its own. Despite their age (the majority of the band is just barely past 21, with Sambol’s older brother Philip coming in at the comparatively ancient age of 25), the Strange Boys generate a creaky jangle that sounds like it should be coming from a collection of old souls rather than guys barely in their second decade of living. Yet the Strange Boys aren’t a bunch of outsider savants who happened upon their style accidentally. As devoted music listeners, the Boys have done their homework. “You listen to a New York Dolls record in high school. “Pills,” the rock & roll nurse. Then you hear the Bo Diddley version,” explains Sambol. “You go from New York City in the 1970s to Chicago in the 1950s. Then you find out what Bo was listening to in Chicago. You just keep going back and back. And the further back you go the more sincere you get.”
There is a notable authenticity to the group’s sound that presumably comes in part from an interest in the past, however, the Strange Boys aren’t exactly retro fetishists either. It was with the arrival of Greg Enlow to the band around 2006 that they began to see themselves in more of a current context. “Greg introduced us to a lot of new stuff. King Khan & BBQ, Greg Cartwright stuff… the Reigning Sound, Oblivians, Compulsive Gamblers. I didn’t know anything like that was going on as a songwriter,” says Sambol. “They all made me say, Oh shit! and feel a lot better about things. You don’t have to be in 1959 to do this.”
Sambol also notes the influence of the Black Lips. “We learned a lot from them,” he says. “A lot of bands around us took themselves so seriously. The problem is when the music comes off like it’s more important than it really is. You’d see the Black Lips playing and they were smiling. It changes the vibe of things when the musicians on stage look like they’re having fun.”
But where the Black Lips sound entirely of these times, marinating their retro tendencies with Gangsta Grillz swagger, the Strange Boys evoke a sound not unlike that heard on Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes, or at least a younger garage punk version of that album. That’s not to say the Strange Boys recall the Old Weird America, or the new one for that matter, yet both the Strange Boys and Dylan (and the Band) work a similar kind of magic, the end result being a rock ‘n’ roll sound plucked from numerous influences yet utterly unto itself. In the case of the Strange Boys, however, the Nuggets box set replaces Harry Smith’s Anthology as a blue print.
While the band’s musical scholarship is undeniable, one would be wise to avoid pinpointing a particular influence. “A band can make a whole career out of sounding like Radiohead, and no one says anything,” Sambol points out. “But when a band tries to go through someone that’s maybe easier to poke at – the Kinks or Dylan – people desperately want to reference it.” Touché.
While Sambol noted that he one day hopes to outgrow any influences, the band’s official debut full-length, The Strange Boys and Girls Club, already finds the band standing solidly on its own. It’s the sound of high school dances stomped out on gymnasium floors long since abandoned; cold nights and warm whiskey; bad decisions and trouble. The jangling guitars are punctuated with strategic bursts of fuzz; the drums provide a laconic shuffling rhythm that pushes the band along just so without ever rushing things. Sambol’s strained bleat sounds simultaneously desperate and elated. The album’s recording history, however, is a somewhat tumultuous one, despite the album’s almost insouciant feel.
Jay Reatard, an early champion of the band who helped get them signed to In the Red Records after seeing them live, actually recorded the original version of the record. The final album, however, comprises recordings made in an abandon liquor store with collaborator Orville Neley, who also recorded the Nothing EP, in Denton, Texas. About the process of recording And Girls Club, Sambol says, “There was definitely a comfort level with Orville. By the time we went to Orville’s, the tracks were old. At Jay’s, the tracks were fresh and the clock was ticking.
“It’s difficult to go somewhere and record with someone, and just because two people like each other’s music that doesn’t mean it’s always very good when you put it together. But what it comes down to is, we didn’t give him good enough tracks. If we did the tracks the way we did at Orville’s, we could have had a great record.” But as Sambol notes, “Jay’s cool with it, he wants the best record. And for someone who records everything himself, he understands that someone else wants to do what they want to do.”
Regardless of who the band records with, much of the quality of the Strange Boys music can be attributed to their commitment to a sound and finding that sound in the most natural way. “It’s really about playing the way you want to be heard. There are plenty of studios where you can do anything in. There were things in my head that I wanted to hear. You can get in trouble in a studio that way. You want to hear something that’s impossible to get. You have to accept what you’re getting and make it sound unique. If you don’t play something cool, it’s not going to sound cool.”
Lousiville Kentucky instrumental rock duo The Photographic will have their song "Secure" on CSI:MIami. The run date for the episode featuring the song will run next Monday 02/02/09. Get'em Horation Caine!
There are multiple charity auctions under way for Anna Ives who has cancer. Anna is the four year old daughter of Zac Ives co-ower of Goner Records. There's a wide array of cool stuff being auctioned, a Gennsis P-Orridge singed guitar, tons of Jay Reatard stuff, Vivian Girls original pressings, etc. The medical bills must be outrageous... even the smallest contribution would helpful. For more details on Anna Ives Fundraising go to the Goner Records Site or for a complete list of auctions click here.
Spectre Folk / Kurt Vile / MV & EE / Pink Reason / Christian DeRoeck[Monster Island; Brooklyn, NY] Tiny Mix Tapes original review
“Do you want to hear it mellow or do you want a chunky version like Lil Wayne does?” Matt Valentine asked the crowd gathered in Monster Island’s basement, just a few steps from the East River. “Chunky!” someone shouted from the corner of the room.Of course, drawing a link between the New Orleans rhymester and the "freak-folk" of MV & EE might seem a little absurd at first, but since Valentine brought it up, let’s roll with it: both are quite prolific, releasing a spectrum of releases that range from DIY to major label-linked affairs, and both have a morphing sonic territory that includes that very realm of chunkiness.
Valentine and Erica Elder were joined by two percussionists for their set, but the chunkiness really came from Valentine’s guitar stylings, which, whether acoustic or electric, have a thick, deliberate, but also natural sound. The duo focused on their latest release, Drone Trailer, kicking off with its opening track “Anyway” and finishing up with a swirling take on the title number, which progressed from a blanket of banjo noise to a soaring electric guitar outro.
MV & EE were by no means the only notable act of the night, though. Christian DeRoeck, formerly of Meneguar and Woods, kicked off the night, and Pink Reason followed, amping things up with dual guitars and drums. After Valentine and Elder did their thing, Kurt Vile did his: effortless but intricate folk held together with grit and simple honesty.Spectre Folk (Pete Nolan of Magik Markers) brought things to a close with tinny percussion loops, noodling guitar wanderings, and occasional vocal spurts. The crowd had thinned by this point, but Nolan meandered on as chatter floated from the back of the room and Valentine and Elder lounged and listened nearby. He was a spectre to some, but not all. And that seemed perfectly fine with him.
Woolfy "Oh Missy" is featured on Fader's freeload podcast. Snatch it up right here.
Other tracks included: Charles Hamilton, "Brooklyn Girls" Lauren Flax f. Sia, "You've Changed" Blank Dogs, "Blaring Speeches" Little Boots, "Stuck on Repeat (remix)" De Tropix, "Bad Name" Woolfy, "Oh Missy" Antony & The Johnsons, "Another World" Amazing Baby, "Pump Yr Brakes" Electrik Red, "Drink In My Cup" Wavves, "No Hope Kids" Homebwoi, "Gimme a Break"
January 14, 2009 New Beirut Video - "La Llorona" (Stereogum Premiere)
A while ago we mentioned that Zach Condon headed to Oaxaca, Mexico -- the weaver village of Teotitlan del Valle to be exact -- and hooked up with the 19-piece Jimenez Band band, who helped him get the sounds he needed for his March Of The Zapotec EP. Condon plans to release some short films documenting the experience, but in the Owen Cook-animated video for standout "La Llorna" he stayed home and wrote a narrative about a little dog, a mourner, the band, a Mexican graveyard, and a puddle of tears (or, well, rain). It helps to know that "La Llorona"'s "the weeping woman" in Spanish and relates to a legend about a woman who killed her children then herself after she was rejected by a man. She spends her time as a weeping ghost, wandering in search of the kids.
Amebix's music was - and is - the sound of squalor and bleakness. "Crust" is the style they're crediting with helping pioneer, and as genre names go, they don't get much more descriptive. Influenced as much by Motorhead as by anarcho-punks Crass, Amebix merged metal influences with a gutter-punk mindset and a sense of apocalyptic doom. The group sidestepped the loud-fast template that was so common among early punk-metal bands, opting for a moderately paced sound built around repetitive bass lines, washed-out guitars, vaguely tribal drumming, and the occasional thin layer of gloomy keyboards. The end result often resembled early Killing Joke with half the chops and a tenth of the recording budget, which may sound like a slight, but it really isn't.
No Sanctuary is a reissue of three long out-of-print EPs recorded by the British trio between 1982 and '84. The liner notes provide scant information on the recording sessions, but bassist-vocalist Rob "the Baron" Miller's remembrances are still telling: "We lived in very squalid conditions, often without running water or electricity.... We lived by either begging, stealing, or appropriating food from supermarket skips, using ... dole money to get wasted enough to try and forget." This helps explain not only the recording quality - which might affectionately be described as "shitty" - but also the general vibe of the music, which is every bit as barren as the cover art.
AMEBIX Jan. 25, 8 p.m., $16 Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF
First of all, this is not the new Beirut album proper. Instead, we're receiving two EPs that together comprise Zach Condon's 2008 output – the first a collaboration with a Mexican funeral band, the second a resurrection of his early bedroom recordings moniker Realpeople. While good (very good, in fact), it's perhaps not exactly what you might have come to expect from this enviably talented young American.
Of course, the obvious curveball would be the Realpeople EP Holland, where horns'n'uke are substituted for gently synthesized beats and keyboards. The first, though, (album namesake March Of The Zapotec) intrigues in itself. I mean: you what? A Mexican funeral band? A 19-piece Mexican funeral band? A 19-piece Mexican funeral band from a remote weaver village in Oaxaca? What – that don't even speak Spanish, but the Mexican dialect of Zapotec? Not one to make things easy for himself, that Condon – though you wouldn't know it from the results.
For while the Zapotec EP is unmistakeably Beirut, it sees Condon marry his melodic verve with something almost imperceptibly darker. There's nothing here in any way as instant as 'Postcards From Italy', 'Elephant Gun', or anything off The Flying Club Cup. His mindset, perhaps (for the second time Condon bowed out of touring commitments by cancelling many-a-tour date last year, effectively citing exhaustion as the cause); the arid surroundings maybe – or perhaps simply the nature of the work, as moments here do sound suitably funereal.
Give it time though: it'll seep into your consciousness, lock and engage. Layers upon layers of brass that eventually come off warmer, grander and more precise than any before are steered by that voice, Condon's velvet tones and keen sense of composition reaching their zenith on 'The Akara'. Tumbling horns careen over minor chord ukelele, as he laments the "kite strings" that save him before he is, ultimately, saved. 'La Llorna' again brings his unfettered romanticism to the fore ("No man ever could steal her heart…"), while Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear makes a guest appearance trumpeting on 'The Shrew'. Soon apparent is a sense that the panoramic Mexican filter through which Beirut's previously established Gallic and Balkan influences trickle has blessed Condon's project with perhaps its richest collection yet.
Which brings us to Holland. Two of these tracks have surfaced prior to this release – 'My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille' appeared on a digitally released charity compilation compiled by one Natalie Portman, while 'Venice' featured on a compilation given away by uber-hip US monthly The Believer. In isolation, both were intriguing diversions from the trademark Beirut sound; nestled here among similar bedroom-electro gems, they sound less like oddities and more part of a coherent – though not entirely successful – '80s-influenced set.
It's fine stuff, mind – and once you get over the contrasting musical backdrop Condon's quavering, gorgeous enunciation finds itself atop, periodically superb (see: aforementioned opener 'My Night…', which intones little lyrically yet evokes untold amounts, or the chiming, addictive stabs of 'The Concubine'). The bizarre, inconsequential Euro-pop of 'No Dice' upon which this collection unfortunately closes does mar slightly; though as a flipside to the superbZapotec, Holland offsets proceedings in a manner admirably diverse.
To reiterate, then: it's not the third Beirut album, like, proper. But as a means of sating collective appetites before that record does arrive – heightening expectations, even – it is a remarkable achievement. Beirut 8 / 10
UPCOMING BEIRUT LIVE DATES: 02/04 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall Of Williamsburg (sold out) 02/06 Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Opera House (Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival) 02/07 Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Opera House (Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival) 02/19 Mexico City, MEX @ Lunaria Auditoria 02/20 Mexico City, MEX @ Lunaria Auditoria 05/03 Hamburg, DEU @ Fabrik 05/05 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso 05/06 Brussels, BEL @ Cirque Royal 05/08 London, UK @ Forum 05/09 Minehead, UK @ All Tomorrow's Parties The Fans Strike Back 05/12 Paris, FR @ Bataclan
The four songs on this free download live EP were recorded at the festival in Roedovre (a suburb of Copenhagen) on November 8 2008. This was the first and maybe also the last concert by Slaraffenklang. The idea is simple and fun. Slaraffenklang is the mutant hybrid of Efterklang and Slaraffenland. There were 12 musicians on stage, and the songs performed were versions of songs by Efterklang and Slaraffenland. Sometimes just louder and heavier, and sometimes in new arrangements.
SLARAFFENKLANG - Danish Dynamite Live at Sono Festival 2008 Tracklisting: 1. Cutting Ice To Snow 2. Polaroids 3. Echo Wave 4. You Win
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Petter Samuelsson Click here
EU tour dates announced 05/03 GERMANY HAMBURG FABRIK 05/05 THE NETHERLANDS AMSTERDAM PARADISO 05/06 BELGIUM BRUSSELS CIRQUE ROYAL 05/08 UK LONDON FORUM 05/09 UK MINEHEAD ALL TOMORROWS PARTY vs Fans. The Fans Strike Back 05/12 FRANCE PARIS BATACLAN
On the band-name wince-o-meter, the Papercuts rank just below the Leapfrogging a Parking Meter and Hitting Your Balls on Its and the Digging Too Deep in Your Nose and Getting a Nosebleeds. But that hasn't stopped the reverbed-out San Francisco sad-pop project. You Can Have What You Want, the third album from Jason Quever's band, will be out on April 14. In the US, Gnomonsong will release the album, and it'll be on Memphis Industries in Europe. The record will feature collaborations with Alex Scally of frequent Papercuts tourmates Beach House.
And here's the tracklist: 01 Once We Walked In The Sunlight 02 A Dictator's Lament 03 The Machine Will Tell Us So 04 A Peculiar Hallelujah 05 Jet Plane 06 Dead Love 07 Future Primitive 08 You Can Have What You Want 09 The Void 10 The Wolf
Upcoming Vivian Girls live dates: 01/11 New York, NY @ KIDROCKERS at The Living Room 01/14 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s (w/ Titus Andronicus) 01/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Danbro Warehouse (w/ Fucked Up, Pissed Jeans) 02/06 Diksmuide, BEL @ 4AD Muziekclub (w/Crystal Antlers) 02/07 Rottedam, NL @ RoTown 02/08 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso 02/09 Antwerp, BEL @ Trix 02/10 Metz, FR @ Triniaires 02/11 Strasbourg, FR @ La Laiterie 02/12 Limoges, FR @ Woodstock Boogie Bar 02/13 Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere 02/14 London, UK @ Proud Galleries 02/15 London, UK @ Carling Academy Islington (w/ Black Lips) 02/19 New York, NY @ The Apollo Theater (w/ M. Ward) 02/20 Philadelphia, PA @ rocadero (w/ M. Ward) 02/21 Washington, DC @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (w/ M. Ward)
Press release via Neurot Recordings announced on various sites today:Shrinebuilder is a project that features, in equal measure, Wino (St, Vitus, Hidden Hand), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep), and Dale Crover (Melvins). The band will be in the studio with Toshi from January 9th through January 11th. Shrinebuilder's debut full-length, currently self-titled, is set for a summer 2009 release on Neurot Recordings. Scott Kelly has announced that he will report live from the studio via We Burn Through The Night beginning no later than Saturday, January 10th. Look for guest blogs by other members of Shrinebuilder as well as possible in-studio photos from the band.
As reported by Pitchfork today, the Black Lips are taking their rock show to the distant lands of South Asia this month.
Black Lips to Play India's Indie "American Idol"
You think Atlanta badasses Black Lips ever get, like, tired? Or sick? It sure doesn't seem like it. They seem to know the indie rock halo can be fleeting, so they're taking advantage of the spotlight. More power to 'em. Before they unleash their new album, 200 Million Thousand, on February 24, and head to Europe and the U.S. next month, the foursome are boosting their Where I've Been profile with a round of gigs in India. The trek includes three dates headlining Campus Rock Idols-- which is like "American Idol", except with Indian college bands instead of American pop tarts, and no Simon Cowell (that we know of). The ambitious travellers are making a concerted effort to hit less-than-typical locales nowadays-- drummer Joe Bradly recently told My Old Kentucky Blog, "As soon as Sir Richard Branson, the rebel billionaire, opens up his space shuttle thing, we want to be the first band to play in space." Take that, Bowie! Back to earth:
01-16 Mumbai, India - Festival of New Noise 01-17 Pune, India - Raga Lawns, North Koregoan Park (Campus Rock Idols) 01-23 Chennai, India - Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall (Campus Rock Idols) 01-24 Calcutta, India - The Park01-25 Bangalore, India - BRV Grounds, KSCA (Campus Rock Idols)
Posted by Ryan Dombal on Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 1:15pm
Other upcoming (less exotic) tour destinations: 02/15 London, UK @ Islinton Academy (NME Awards) 02/16 Bristol, UK @ Fleece N Firkin 02/17 Glasgow, UK @ ABC 2 02/18 Manchester, UK @ Institute 02/19 Brighton, UK @ Audio 02/26 Birmingham, UK @ Bottletree 02/27 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse 03/04 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle 03/05 Washington, DC @ Black Cat 03/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's 03/07 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East 03/09 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 03/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 03/12 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom 03/13 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 03/14 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium 03/15 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom 03/16 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club 03/17 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room 03/18 Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck 03/20-21 Austin, TX @ SXSW 03/23 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks 03/25 Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder 03/26 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum 03/27 Miami, FL @ Churchill's 03/28 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds 03/29 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits 03/30 Orlando, FL @ The Social
Black Time’s Double Negative, seemingly made on a broken mixer in a cave, sets a new standard for artfully shitty recording quality. A particularly wonderful moment comes in the song “The Days Are Too Long and the Nights Are Too Short.” As the song progresses, the blown-out drums sound less and less like drums, culminating in what ought to be a final drum-roll that instead sounds like a horrible accident, disrupting the song’s other elements. Actually, those drums might be a drum machine, but the recording is too stunningly bad to be able to know for sure. It must take a carefully honed aesthetic sensibility to come up with such confusion, such delightful cacophony.
Indeed, there are many fine bits on Double Negative, the third full-length from this London-based trio (plus friends). The mingling of Hamburger Mary and Lemmy Caution’s English-accented sing-shouts on “Six Feet Below” works appealingly, in a way oddly reminiscent of Huggy Bear. A few of the dirge-y screech-ups (“Scary People,” “Problems”) attain a surprising level of creepiness. The reverby U.K. D.I.Y.-style girl-and-organ-heavy slower jam “I’m Gonna Haunt You When I’m Gone” is a whistle waiting to happen.
Generally, though, one gets the sense that Black Time has good taste in raw three-chord music, and that their own work carefully sums up, without acceding, their influences. The nicknames, the sassy ‘60s-style album cover, the lyrics about skeletons and hauntings, the spoken-word social critique “A Boring Day for the Boredom Boys,” will all appeal to people who like the same bands as Black Time. Those fans – of the Country Teasers or the Gories or In the Red labelmates Black Lips, whose songwriting ability far surpasses Black Times’ – will probably appreciate this album. Black Time seem glad to alter just enough elements of the garage-punk formula so their songs are enjoyably familiar, rather than simply by-the-numbers.
Volcano's indie-rock-singing-in-the-rain-richard-simmons-pseudo-ertoric video for "Africa Just Wants To Have Fun" is on the mainpage of YouTube today and getting a shit load of hits. Let the good times roll.
