Robotic Empire presents a tribute to Nirvana's "In Utero" for Record Store Day

On Record Store Day, April 19th, Robotic Empire will release In Utero: In Tribute, an LP of Nirvana's In Utero being covered in sequence:

1. Pygmy Lush – Serve the Servants
2. Circa Survive – Scentless Apprentice
3. These Arms Are Snakes – Heart-Shaped Box
4. Thursday – Rape Me
5. Jay Reatard – Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
6. Young Widows – Dumb
7. Mean Jeans – Very Ape
8. Thou – Milk It
9. Whirr – Pennyroyal Tea
10. Daughters – Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
11. Ceremony – Tourette’s
12. Black Math Horseman – All Apologies

The Jay Reatard and Mean Jeans tracks are available for streaming now on Noisey. 

The album is also up for preorder on iTunes. 

Podcast #21

New strategy for the new year. Captain Uli and Pots attempt to kick out a podcast for every Revolver new release street date. Ambitious indeed. Revolver USA's Podcast 21 features all new releases coming out on Street Date January 19, 2010 : Thee Oh Sees, Kevin Barker, Nurse With Wound, Bill Fay, Worm Ouroboros, Whourkr, Good For Cows and a warmhearted farwell to Jay Reatard. 22 minutes & 46 seconds of awesomeness. You can stream or download an AAC file of this podcast and all other Revolver podcasts at the Revolver pod-page: http://www.midheaven.com/audio/podcast/

It also appears in the free downloads page on the newly improved Midheaven Mailorder site.

For those who track podcast updates using RSS readers, here's our feed: http://www.midheaven.com/audio/podcast/podcast.xml

On iTunes, you can find our podcast at: itpc://http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=281174094

Get To Know The Strange Boys Via Dusted.com

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.”

By Nate Knaebel

Vivians on MTV.com.

Vivian Girls' Phantom Punk Packs A Punch, By John Norris
'Wild Eyed' Jersey girls made good are among indie-dom's 2008 successes.
Original Post

What's the secret to the appeal of the Vivian Girls? How have they been able to break through in an ever more crowded punk-pop field, grabbing the attention of blog after blog, booking gig after gig? What accounted for their debut album becoming a certifiable collector's item, only a couple of months after its release?

"I would say it's that we're really, really good musicians," the Girls' Cassie Ramone said, adding, "we're like geniuses of sound." "Kind of like, you know, virtuosos?" Kickball Katy concurred. "We all went to music college."

Uh, they kid. They may not have a Juilliard or Berklee diploma among them, but the Vivian Girls — whose ranks are rounded out by drummer Ali Koehler — have certainly got a sound. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing them yet, think '60s girl group the Shangri-Las (God knows enough critics have) meets the reverb-loving indie pop of the short-lived Black Tambourine — though the VGs themselves cite Nirvana and their punk forebears the Wipers as their top two essentials. Whatever the ingredients, the result is a band that's gotten a ton of attention in indie and college ranks — first with the spring release of the single, "Wild Eyes," and then with their self-titled debut album, initially released by indie imprint Mauled By Tigers with a pressing of only 500 copies. The limited number created — to put it mildly — a demand. "We were originally going to only make 300," Cassie explained. "We thought, 'There is no way 500 people are going to buy this.' " How wrong they were. Within two weeks, the album had sold out, and, Katy said, they could hardly believe it. "We were high-fiving and were like, 'How is this possible?' " Then came eBay. "Yeah, someone sold it unexpectedly on eBay for $100," Cassie recalled, "and then suddenly everyone was selling it."

All good news for L.A.-based label In the Red, which re-released the Vivian Girls' album last month, to the tune of another 4,000 copies sold since. Need any more indication that the Vivians are catching fire? Try the list of indie names they have shared the bill with in 2008: Jay Reatard, King Khan, TV on the Radio, F---ed Up (who happen to have a song called "Vivian Girls") and, most recently, Deerhunter, a band that also likes some reverb. Matter-of-fact, it seems to be everywhere you turn nowadays — I've lost count how many reverb-lovin' acts I have talked to this year alone — but the Vivian Girls have developed as much a signature sound as any of them. It's been called "spooky" and "ghostly," a feeling certainly enhanced by the scary-drive-in-movie-complete-with-cheesy-bats-and-zombies look of their video for "Tell The World."

That resounding reverb really happened by accident, when the girls were recording their first demo back in 2007. "It was our friend Craig from the band Hunchback — they recorded it, and he was like, 'Oh, let's put some reverb on these backing vocals.' And then we decided to put 'em on all the vocals." The girls swear by the Holy Grail — an effects pedal not meant for vocals — which makes for a lot of sweet echo-y sounds, but also for lots of feedback when they play live, which causes the occasional run-in with sound men. "This guy the other day was like, 'These little girls are feeding back too much,' " Katy recalled, "so the whole time he kept turning off our mics!" As Cassie, not to be trifled with, put it, "He was a di--. But you know what? Feedback is sweet and it annoys people and we like that."

That includes one fan at a recent show — apparently uninitiated to the Girls' love of feedback, reverb and vocals buried in the middle that are often indecipherable, he decided to weigh in. "Your sound guy sucks!" he yelled. "Oh really?" replied Katy. "I don't think so. He rules. I think it's maybe you that sucks." Enough said.

The Vivian Girls' path to this point was, in their own words, a "musically incestuous" one that began in 2002 and traversed New Jersey — from high school in Ridgewood, where Cassie fronted a lo-fi/novelty band called Upholstery; down to New Brunswick, where Katy and Ali formed the "surf/ riot grrl" band Four Way Milkshake, and later, a poppier duo, the Pot and the Kettle; to Brooklyn, where, as a student at Pratt Institute, Cassie joined the punk trio Bossy. "The best band in the world," Ali said. She moved to Germany for school just before Katy, Cassie and original drummer Frankie Rose formed the Vivian Girls, who made their live debut in May of 2007.

"Beef" is something you generally encounter in hip-hop circles, or metal, maybe, but not with fledgling indie pop-punk bands. Yet the VG's did have a slice of beef this summer, when Frankie — who came up with the band's name (after Henry Darger's hermaphroditic warrior princesses, of course) and appears in credits and photos on the album — abruptly left the band just as Vivians buzz was reaching a fever pitch. The girls firmly decline to talk about the split — "Can we just move on? Next question!" — but it apparently had to do with Frankie doing double-duty with the Vivians and another of Brooklyn's finest new bands, Crystal Stilts. In any case, as a replacement on drums, longtime friend Ali proved a quick study. "I pretty much knew all the drum parts," she said. "I had been listening to them for so long already, going back to their first demo."

If there was a turbulent patch, it is decidedly in the Vivian Girls' rear-view mirror, as they spend a huge amount of time on the road. They're already looking forward to the May 2009 release of their second full-length album, about half of which they estimate is already written. "We listen to Cassie's demos on an iPod in the car," Ali explained, "then make up harmonies and stuff." Or, if they have a day off, "We go to the music-equipment store in town and 'practice' there. Everyone gets really mad, but we don't care," Ali added. Before 2008 is out, the girls will play a UK tour, and, to wind up this most momentous of years, a New Year's Eve show in Jersey with Yo La Tengo and the Feelies. Now that's a Garden State triple bill.

The Vivian Girls' debut album is out now.



Upcoming shows:
11/28 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's (w/ King Khan & BBQ Show)
11/30 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom (w/ King Khan & BBQ Show)
12/02 London, UK @ Brixton Windmill
12/03 London, UK @ Old Blue Last
12/04 Nottingham, UK @ The Social
12/05 Liverpool, UK @ Club Evol
12/06 Glasgow, UK @ Captain's Rest
12/07 Leeds, UK @ Cockpit
12/08 Coventry, UK @ Colosseum
12/09 London, UK @ Madame Jojo's - White Heat
12/10 Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
12/12 London, UK @ Vice Kills Proud Galleries
12/13 Bristol, UK @ Club Kute at Cooler

In The Red Label Profile In NME.

Threeimaginarygirls.com Reviews Jay Reatard's Seattle Show.

LIVE SHOW REVIEWS
Capitol Hill Block Party 2008: Jay Reatard @ Capitol Hill Block Party 2008
Original post

There have always been bands I haven’t given the time of day simply because of their monikers. Case in point: Jay Reatard.

I was unsurprised to be greeted with wild-haired, ironic flying-v toting post-punk rockers. But like mama always says, don’t judge a book by its Pitchfork cover story.

Though skeptical, I was pleased once I witnessed a band who could churn out songs so quick and so raw they were seconds away from tearing my face off. Unfortunately their high-energy antics brought out the mosher in some of the crowd, most likely those too drunk to realize that punk has been on its deathbed for quite some time.

Fortunately, in their tight jeans and golden slacks, Jay Reatard managed to rise above the punk rock grave, deconstruct the genre, throw in garage rock, slaughter that, and beat it into something compact and forceful. Though they may have felt like a gimmick at times, perhaps running on the dreaded 15-minute course, at least they’ve got great music and marvelous stage presence to show for it.

More Reatarded shows with the Cheap Time supporting:
7/29 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
7/30 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
7/31 San Diego, CA @Casbah
8/1 Mesa, AZ @ Hollywood Alley
8/3 Austin, TX @ Red 7
8/4 Dallas, TX @ ClubDada

8.1 Jay Reatard Review on Pitchfrok.

Jay Reatard:
Singles 06-07
[In the Red; 2008]
Rating: 8.1
Original Review

As far as singles compilations go, two years might seem like a pretty narrow window. Then again, just as the two- or three-minute songs from Jay Reatard feel epic, he's given his fans a near-career's worth of riches in that time. It's true that nearly one-third of these tracks are demos and alternate versions of songs from 2006's Blood Visions, but he hasn't rested on his laurels for one moment since then. This compilation is beyond helpful for collecting so many one-off singles, and actually makes for an excellent intro into the world of Reatard for the uninitiated.

Anyone who's caught Jay Lindsey and his band live over the past year or so has probably heard "Night of Broken Glass": It's a simple but effective juxtaposition that sums up Lindsey's reference points fairly well, from the Devo-brand jerkiness of the verse into one of his most breathless punk-rock choruses. (It speaks to the man's casual approach to history to have what sounds like an empathetic warning song from a guy whose last side project was named the Final Solutions.) Those only familiar with Blood Visions may be surprised by the other tracks from the Night of Broken Glass EP. "Another Person" has perky carnival keyboards, stiff new-wave affectations, and sophisticated self-harmonizing, while the foreboding lyrics in "All Over Again" are betrayed by a swinging and sweet backing track without a flying-V guitar in sight.

"I Know a Place" and its B-side, "Don't Let Him Come Back", are just as disarmingly gentle, but it further speaks to a songwriter steeped in punk traditions who's absorbed a lot more than his album covers might suggest-- not in the least bands like the Go-Betweens, who originally recorded the deep cut "Don't Let Him Come Back" in 1979, with Reatard following suit after Grant McLennan's had passed in 2006. It's a faithful, acoustically driven version marked by Reatard's hiss-soaked multi-tracked vocals, making his lonely yelp into a basement chorus line.

"Hammer I Miss You" is slow and loopy power-pop that struts rather than races, with a great faraway wail and a guitar part like a downhill snowball for the chorus. But between the staccato full stops of "All Wasted" and the screeching vocal of "It's So Useless", its B-sides might do the best job of reconciling his former, younger fury with his just-slightly slower punk-pop of late. "In the Dark" is one of Reatard's most explicit Wire nods, though it's mid-tempo beat is still infectiously urgent, the single for which also featured two sluggish lo-fi demos of what would be two Blood Visions stand outs, "Searching For You" and "Haunting You" (which would be renamed "Nightmares" and Fading All Away", respectively-- the promo we reviewed inverted the titles, but both demos are clearly named from key lyrics in each.) Here, they seem to sink underneath the melodrama of the broken relationship they detail; "Searching for You" holds up, as it's an uncharacteristically wistful song for Reatard, while "Haunting You" doesn't fare as well-- hearing a lyric like "I won't stop until you're dead" isn't quite the same without the clattering engine of the band behind it.

Those unexpected quirks are more evident on the "Blood Demos" 7" released on Stained Circles. The title track is just as biting as its album counterpart, but its chorus melody is more static and the transition between it and the verses much less smooth, while the juxtaposition of the sterile verses to the careening chorus of "Turning Blue" was sacrificed for a more manic and more streamlined approach on the record. That said, there's still something happening here; a sense of melody and purpose that still lifts them above the other exemplary singles from Blood Visions. Letting the seams show a bit with these demos not only reveals a bit about his process, but it illuminates the link between his earlier career and his recent breakthrough, while going a long way to prove that record was more than three or four chords and a fake accent.

Song for song, Blood Visions might still outclass this compilation (though this is certainly more diverse), but again, mind those dates at the top: In this short span of time Reatard cranked out more memorable songs then some acts do in their whole careers. If there's a creeping criticism to be had, it's that Jay Reatard solo songs always sound like Jay Reatard, be they slow or fast, quiet or loud, played on synths or guitars. It's a fine line between consistency and stasis that he's toeing, and something to bear in mind as he continues as he continues to record for Matador. For a songwriter hitting this kind of unstoppable stride over the past two years, however, it's a moot point. Whether you watch that DVD or not, it's an era worth celebrating.

- Jason Crock, July 3, 2008

Summer tour schedule including dates with Spoon, Cheap Time, Les Savy Fav, and Pitchfork Fest appearance.

07/14/08 @ Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA
07/15/08 @ Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, w/Spoon
07/16/08 @ Lupo’s Providence RI w/Spoon
07/19/08 @ Pitchfork Festival, Chicago, IL
07/21/08 @ Triple Rock Minneapolis MN w/Cheap Time
07/22/08 @ The Aquarium, Fargo, ND w/Cheap Time
07/25/08 @ Capitol Hill block Party, Seattle WA
07/26/08 @ Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC w/Les Savy Fav
07/27/08 @ Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR w/Cheap Time
07/29/08 @ Independent, San Francisco CA w/Cheap Time
07/30/08 @ Echo, Los Angeles, CA w/Cheap Time
07/31/08 @ Casbah, San Diego, CA w/Cheap Time
08/1/08 @ Hollywood Alley, Mesa, AZ w/Cheap Time
08/3/08 @ Red 7, Austin, TX, w/Cheap Time