 |
| Sex Stains. Comic Drawing: Quincy Larsen. |
Gotta Do More of These
It's the calm before another busy weekend this morning; and if I don't tell you about some of the stuff that's been coming in lately RIGHT NOW, then I'm not sure when I'll get another chance. So...
Bloody Death, End Call
Released last week on small, Scotland-based cassette label, Sorbie Rd., End Call slots really nicely right into my wheelhouse. The solo project of Brighton, UK's Ted Foster, Bloody Death mixes noise and shoegaze with pop into something that is both satisfyingly dirty and delightfully catchy.
End Call is a compilation of songs from previous Bloody Death EPs and opens with "The Past Is Boring." The song lurches along as Foster deadpans about unhappy family life with the lead guitar weaving in and out among the noise. That's followed by two short instrumentals, the Jesus and Mary Chain-style fuzz wall of "Quit It Quick" and the bendy and melodic "Chill Out + Have Some Weed Dad."
Throughout, quiet reverb-soaked guitars give way to swirling walls of noise (e.g., "The Superbowl," "We're No Longer in Love with Me"); and Foster's low-key vocal delivery, self-deprecating lyrics, and knack for lo-fi pop make End Call a record that can worm its way into your head and stay there.
End Call is out now on Sorbie Rd. and available at their Bandcamp page.
Francie Moon, "Red Cloud Road"
"I set up my life around music to make it work, no matter what," says New Jersey's Francie Moon. From making 500 vinyl EP covers by hand to personally selling thousands of CDs to people at her shows to walking two miles, laden with gear, from the train station to a gig, Francie Moon pours herself into her music.
Recent single "Red Cloud Road," off of her upcoming, self-titled EP, just feels like it's built from the blood and sweat of hard work. After recording the song to cassette, Moon spent some time in Georgia. There, she and engineers Richie Semartin and John Irizarry transferred and embellished the track to arrive at what we have now.
"Cause I need someplace to rest, somewhere to put my head," sings Moon over a bluesy groove that could be playing for you from an old, beat-up radio on a hot day as you drink an ice-cold Coke from a glass bottle. I get the sense, though, that it will be a while before Francie Moon takes the time to rest.
Francie Moon will be self-released on 9/23.
Keith Monacchio, The Dust-Up
The Dust-Up is the second full-length from Robbinsville-based singer / songwriter, Keith Monacchio. Monacchio possesses a gritty yet warm voice that is perfect for conveying the intimate and confessional songs on The Dust-Up.
Singles "The Bridge" and "I Won't Give Up" show two of the sides of Monacchio's songwriting. "The Bridge" is a bouncy, almost honky-tonk song about life's obstacles featuring guitalele and cigar-box slide. "I Won't Give Up" floats on the hum of synths and lightly brushed drums.
Other stand-outs include opener "Angels on the Horizon" -- Monacchio's vocals and the organ had me thinking of The Band -- and "Allenhurst" -- pedal steel and Wilco-esque embellishments.
Sean Glonek produced as he has for Monacchio's other releases and, to me, the overall effect of The Dust-Up is similar to Elvis Costello's King of America in the way it mixes the familiar sounds of Americana with a modern songwriting style.
The Dust-Up is out now and available at your favorite online music retailer.
Sex Stains, "Period. Period."
L.A. five-piece, Sex Stains, released their debut, self-titled LP for Don Giovanni Records earlier this month. The band features Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, Cold Cold Hearts) and Mecca Vazie Andrews on lead vocals, David Orlando (Warpaint) on drums, Sharif Dumani on guitar, and Pachy Garcia on bass.
Sex Stains' short and bouncing post-punk is both danceable and subversive. This week, the band released the video for the sub-two-minute "Period. Period.," which sees Wolfe and Andrews trading vocals in the bathroom of L.A.'s The Smell. The frantic and potentially seizure-inducing video has me pretty excited for Sex Stains' 7:40pm set during this Saturday's installment of the New Alternative Music Festival in Asbury Park's Convention Hall.
No comments :
Post a Comment