Both hip hop and psych folk flavored, Pete Francis delivers spaghetti-western world vibes on “Meta.”
We have the pleasure of premiering Francis’ succinct track which logs in just under 2:15 seconds. The song’s brevity demands repeat listens as there are plenty of new sounds to unearth upon repeat—such as the powerful tremolo guitar lines and South American percussion.
Pete Francis is also one-third of the visionary indie band Dispatch whose cultivated audience will surely rejoice in Francis’ new high-energy, party-ready release. While the groove-heavy tunes might seem suited for the dance floor, they also carry strikingly thoughtful moments that reveal a poignant and prolific songwriter.
Dragon Crest Collective,Vol. 1 arrives in stores on June 23, 2015
Is it Thursday already? It must be because here come A Badge Of Friendship with Episode 9 of their podcast!
They’re joined this week by special guest Rafe Offer from the legendary Sofar Sounds who gives them a great insight into how the global phenomenon came together. Things get a little ranty as the gang discuss the forthcoming TFI Friday Anniversary special and the supergroup formed for the occassion by The Who’sRoger Daltrey and former Oasis bad boy Liam Gallagher. They also discover that Boyzone’sShane Lynch is selling personal Skype calls for £50 a go to fund his latest album.
Ed throws some shapes and reaches for the lasers when he spins an old school tune from The Prodigy in this week’s “Label Love,” Claire shines a light on Dive In for “Pass The Cheese,” and Paul… well, things get a little freaky with Paul this week when he unearths a classic Crispin Glover song that’ll either make your day, or send you running for the hills. Well, it wouldn’t be “World Of Weird” otherwise, would it?
Tracks heard on the show can be heard in full here:
In rock terms, 1976 is sometimes synopsized as the year before sweet musical hell broke loose, but in more progressive realms plentiful events were transpiring. For one example, there’s the debut album by the French duo ZNR. Notable for the use of synthesizers, multilingual and theatrical vocals, and borrowings from classical, jazz, rock, and the avant-garde, it’s a lovely thing to hear, and part of its appeal is that it isn’t easily pinned down. An enticing facet is the illustration in the gatefold design by Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart); Barricade 3 is available now on LP through Superior Viaduct.
Preceding ZNR, Hector Zazou and Joseph Racaille were in Barricade, a group formed in the latter portion of the 1960s. Based on the tracks I’ve heard Barricade was a potent mix of psychedelia, experimentation, and heaviness; a tad similar to Amon Düül II, Beefheart was also an influence. The 2005 CD Le Rire Des Camisoles on Futura compiles performance output from ’69 to ’74, but it doesn’t appear easy to find these days.
The subsequent activity of Zazou and Racaille (or ZNR for short) is much easier to hear, in part due to ZNR’s inclusion on the deservedly ballyhooed Nurse with Wound list, an assembly of names inserted in copies of Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella, Nurse with Wound’s ’79 debut; expanded lists were placed in To the Quiet Men from a Tiny Girl, their follow-up from 1980.
Compiling an avalanche of outsider sound in an era when tracking down many of the entries was a certifiable pain in the ass, a few were so obscure it was wrongly assumed (and mischievously fabricated by Nurse with Wound’s Steven Stapleton) that some were indeed fake. The list has long served as a buyer’s guide/checklist for a diligent subset of discerning experimental/underground collector.
Ten Vinyl Albums Everyone Should Own: “Or you’re just looking for some awesome records. Here are ten that belong in your collection, vinyl or otherwise…”
Czech village spins retro vinyl records comeback: “Despite the rise of CDs and digital music, a local company GZ Media decided to hold onto those old machines – which are now paying off, as they press millions of vinyl records sold each year around the world…”
Time to move on for Real Groovy: “Plans are in place to demolish the building that houses New Zealand’s best-known record store, Real Groovy, and replace it with a multi-storey apartment block – but it does not spell the end for the iconic enterprise…”
Records Inna Babylon, On the search for London’s reggae heritage one sleeve at a time: “A portrait of the music and its adopted home in the British capital, his project captures the context around each record in more ways than one, offering a new and refreshing perspective on the relationship between the city and its musical heritage. With a book on the way, we spoke to Alex Bartsch to illuminate the work and share some of his favourite images.”
Records from a rented room: “When Anita Sethi moved into her flat, she discovered the owner had left behind a turntable and a treasure trove of vinyl. In the first of a new series about her exploration of the collection, she considers how music is about both discovery and reassurance…”
In the age of the megastore, a few small, specialized businesses still thrive in Old Town Torrance: “Where Sartori meets Torrance Boulevard you will find P.M.Sounds, and will immediately notice a turntable in the window. That’s not just an ornament – this is a shrine to vinyl records, specializing in jazz. Owner Erving Johnson has run the place for 18 years in the same location….”
Before Tame Impala arrived to perform on Saturday night, men in white lab coats made their way through the dim light and haze to frantically dial in effects, turn screws on a couple of machines, and make sure all the wires and plugs were tight. I’ve actually never seen stage-techs dressed like mad scientists before, but perhaps it’s what a band like Tame Impala needs to keep their edge.
When the Australia-based psychedelic-rock band Tame Impala took the stage at Northeast DC’s Echostage, they were treated with a warm welcome from an anxious audience. The fans in the first few rows even held signs bearing the title of their favorite songs. One patron in the very front even brought an impressively drawn sketch of the band’s front-man, Kevin Parker.
Touring to promote their third studio album Currents, set for release in July, Tame Impala unleashed a barrage of songs from the band’s ample repertoire upon their DC audience.
One of the most notable traits of Tame Impala’s live sound is the convergence of old and new tones. While the band is in fact manually driven, the electronics are a huge element to their style. The feel and emotion of their sound as a whole is reminiscent of eras past, with a specific nod to some ‘70s fuzz. This retro sound is carried over to the guitar parts in which some lines sear and cut right through the overall mix. The vocals follow the same method and at times lay perfectly on top of the hooky grooves.
At its core, the heart of punk rock music is, and always has been, rebellion. Rebellion against social and political injustices, the Man, and the ire of those wrongs and those who have been wronged have become the fuel for countless punk anthems over the years. No punk band today brings those issues front and center more than Pittsburgh’s Anti-Flag. The quartet is now in its twentieth year and is celebrating the release of their tenth album, American Spring.
The new album is a sharp effort and a scathing look at some of the most polarizing issues in the world today. Taking their social commentary even further, the band has included an essay with each song, speaking in-depth to the inspirations and motivations for each one.
We had a chance to talk to bassist Chris Barker, aka Chris #2. The passion for fighting for what is right comes through clearly with every word, and it was apparent that Chris and Anti-Flag have their work cut out for them when it comes to making relevant, socially aware punk music.
Your tenth album, American Spring comes out at the end of this month, just shy of your twentieth year. How do you feel the band and the music have progressed from back in the beginning to now?
Well, I think that we’re talking about a lot of history, and a real, honest discussion amongst ourselves about whether or not we even make a new record. We did celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the band. This is our tenth record, and you look at your history, and you look at the things that you’ve created in the past, and we recognize that if we wanted to, we could tour much of the world playing songs from Die for the Government, which was our first record or The Terror State, or For Blood and Empire, which have been kind of tent pole records in our band’s life that people seem to identify and connect with.
We had this real lengthy talk about the work that would need to go into making a tenth record, and how diligent we would have to be as both songwriters and also as people who are looking to be found on the right side of history whenever it comes to things like racism, or the current administration’s drone strike program, the largest gap ever between wealthy and poor in our nation’s history, and the police violence that we see on a day-to-day basis.
We knew that if we made this collection of songs, that it would be something that people could look back on and say, “There were people who were caring more about the world than they were themselves.” So, when you go and you kind of scan over the history of the band, I think the biggest difference between record one and record ten is how self-aware we are of the ability of music to transcend borders.
The first time I laid eyes on the pudgy and moon-faced Brother JT—aka John Terlesky, the Bethlehem, Pa., singer-songwriter who might just be the most undeservedly neglected figure in psychedelic rock today—he was rolling around a Philadelphia stage in a pair of black bikini underpants.
This was a long time ago, 1997 or thereabouts. A decade or so had passed since Terlesky’s first band, the Original Sins, had emerged from out-of-the-way Bethlehem to smack the Philadelphia music scene upside the head with a garage rock so ferociously fucked-up it even managed to win over the Farfisa-hating hardcore crowd. But by the time I saw him Terlesky—an intrepid psychonaut if ever there was one—had largely abandoned garage rock to play an unabashedly atavistic brand of free-form, acid grok rock guaranteed to conjure up images of Day-Glo hairies basking in the Summer of Love or cringing in the comedown morning that followed it. As for his albums, they varied; some were utterly deranged, while others were oddly domestic—I call these albums blotter gum—and at least one (1999’s Way to Go) boasted perhaps the most fuzzed-out guitar wank to come our way since the age of Hendrix.
What freaked everybody in that audience out was that this was no act; this Pillsbury Doughboy was obviously at least five stones from the sun, in keeping with the title of one of his better LPs, 2001’s Maybe We Should Take Some More? And he was testifying. To the power of mushrooms and the sheer unbridled joy of dosing yourself to a new way of being. Over the passing years I didn’t think he was capable of any more surprises, but I was wrong. 2007’s Third Eye Candy saw him make inroads into acid-fried funk and soul, and on 2013’s The Svelteness of Boogietude he continues to make forays in that direction, although he includes a fair number of songs (“Many Man Smoke,” “T. Rex Blues”) that would fit comfortably on his previous LPs.
As Tropic of Pisces’ Matt Scheiner told us yesterday, “My earliest memories are from our living room, sitting on the floor in front of the couch and staring up at the reel-to-reel tape deck that sat (to me) unattainably high up on a shelf.”
“There was something so soothing and mesmerizing about watching it play. The idea that that item was producing the sound that I was hearing was—at that age—beyond magical. When I was still very young, I was given a small plastic suitcase style Fisher-Price record player and some 45s. Even the very limited collection I was granted consumed my existence.
If you love music, in my opinion there is nothing more satisfying than hearing it reproduced physically, the way that it was created. For people, by people. Getting to release my own music on wax was a major goal for me. Fulfilling it made me tremendously happy.”
Greater Manchester’s most in the know radio host Shell Zenner broadcasts the best new music every week on the UK’s Amazing Radio and Bolton FM. You can also catch Shell’s broadcast here at TVD every Thursday.
ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON APRIL 2, 2015 | “Alright then, tonight you get to share the joy and your ears with a fabulous Scandinavian popstrel, Susanne Sundfor. She released her sixth album last month Ten Love Songs and I’ll be playing three tracks from it on tonight’s show as my Record of the Week.
This week’s #Shellshock is from The Chemistry Experiment who are releasing on the legendary home of indiepop Fortunapop who had some love from The Guardian recently HERE. So well deserved! Tonight’s track is called “Leo & the Magician” and I think you’re going to love the Norwich outfit’s vintage feel.” —SZ
Austrian Julia Hummer issues her music under the moniker Juleah, and utilizing minimal assistance she conjures melodic psychedelia with attention paid to vocals and guitar. A digital album and a pair of EPs shape up her catalog, and now she’s back with full-length Melt Inside the Sun via Konkord Records. Featuring ten songs primed to please fans of Mazzy Star as they wield a palpable sense of urgency and low-key breadth, it’s available on limited edition vinyl and CD through Konkord in Europe and Rough Trade in the US.
Some acts offer biographical info so detailed it becomes possible to follow dietary trajectories and chart recent television viewing habits. That’s not the case with Juleah. She’s not striving for mystery, as Julia Hummer maintains an active Facebook page that establishes her hometown as Vorarlberg and includes an interview revealing she wrote her first song in 2011. Yet it’s also clear she prefers to let those songs do the talking.
The effect isn’t standoffish however; her website announces the release of Melt Inside the Sun, offers a succinct but adequate description from her label, embeds a YouTube video for good measure and contains the expected social media and purchasing links. Upon inspection, her sonic wares are fairly certain to procure a growing listener base.
Psychedelic pop-rock of an indie persuasion has proven to be surprisingly enduring stylistic territory, and Juleah’s brand of such harkens back to Shoegaze and the Paisley Underground, though Hummer isn’t especially studious in her gleanings; the voice and guitar are definitely comparable to Sandoval and Roback, but the heft and propulsion reinforce professed influences ranging from Oasis, The Stone Roses, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to Spacemen 3, The Doors, and the Jefferson Airplane.
Copy of The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ allegedly signed by Charles Manson on sale for £30,000: The 1968 album is said to have been a major influence on the US criminal
Collecting Vinyl? Here’s a Guide “…From one guy’s treasured picture disk of Madonna’s Erotica to a businessman in Brazil with the world’s largest record collection, record collectors are leading contenders for most obsessed collectors in town. Here’s a ParcelHero guide to the world of record collecting…”
Are Vinyl Record Stores Profitable? New Pilsen Shop Hopes So “With a new record store opening soon in Pilsen, joining dozens more operating citywide, it appears that the vinyl record business is thriving. But how difficult is it to manage a record store in 2015?”
Vinyl isn’t just for hipsters. ‘Music is bonding’ at Repo Record: “…No one here will judge you by what music you buy. Whether you’re into punk, country, classic rock, jazz or show tunes, nobody is going to raise an eyebrow. This is a friendly, pretense-free place…”
Delhi’s music buffs who breathe new life into dusty vinyls: “More than two decades after the country stopped manufacturing vinyl records, the soulful melodies of yesteryear are on the verge of extinction, but for a few individuals who assiduously strive to bring them back from obscurity…”
Last Thursday night at U Street’s Lincoln Theatre, audiences were indulged by an enthralling performance from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, Mr. Noel Gallagher accompanied by his High Flying Birds.
As I arrived at the theater, the first thing I noticed was the massive crowd that literally wrapped around the entire block. The rumor was that some folks had been waiting in line since 8AM and to top things off, it had been raining heavily for most of the day. The poncho-clad crowd, many huddled together sharing tiny umbrellas, looked glum to say the least. As the soaked patrons worked their way into the theater at door time, you could see a glimmer of hope wash across their eyes as they filled the theatre and shook off the remnants of the damp outdoors. The merch line was particularly crowded right from the moment the doors had been opened, perhaps to purchase dry clothes.
With no opening act, the anticipation inside the venue was as noticeable as the rain outside. With a set time of 8:10 PM, by 8:09 the crowd was on its feet. When Noel Gallagher walked onto the stage he smiled to acknowledge the audience, and without a word went right to his instrument. Opening with “Do the Damage,” a B-side from his latest studio effort, Gallagher’s guitar sound was impressive, his tone brilliant—and better even then one could expect to hear live.
The virtuoso seven-string guitarist reunites with drummer Previte and trombonist Fowlkes on Let the Bells Ring On, which Hunter is releasing on his own Charlie Hunter Music label.
Though a generation older than Hunter, both Fowlkes and Previte have a deep bond with the eclectic guitarist.
Fowlkes appeared on Hunter’s 2003 quintet album, Right Now Move and Hunter and Previte have toured and recorded together in various all-star aggregations. The two sidemen were both essential participants in the vaunted downtown scene in 1970s era New York City.
“My earliest memories are from our living room, sitting on the floor in front of the couch and staring up at the reel-to-reel tape deck that sat (to me) unattainably high up on a shelf.”
“There was something so soothing and mesmerizing about watching it play. The idea that that item was producing the sound that I was hearing was—at that age—beyond magical. When I was still very young, I was given a small plastic suitcase style Fisher-Price record player and some 45s. Even the very limited collection I was granted consumed my existence.
If you love music, in my opinion there is nothing more satisfying than hearing it reproduced physically, the way that it was created. For people, by people. Getting to release my own music on wax was a major goal for me.
Fulfilling it made me tremendously happy.”
—Matt Scheiner
CARALIS has returned with his follow-up single to “Clicks In” (check out our review), and while it isn’t as immediate as its predecessor, it still packs one hell of a punch.
Where “Clicks In” eases you in to Dan Frau and John Merriman’s new found sound with swirling vocals and synths, “Be Automatic” requires a bit of work from the listener. You’re thrown in to the deep end and expected to keep up with Dan’s earnest voice almost eclipsing the syncopated drums that form the spine of this song.
It takes a while for the tune to get under your skin, and you find yourself noticing little details you missed on the previous listen. There is a LOT going on, but in the best possible way. Here’s hoping we get an EP or album in the very near future, as CARALIS is fast becoming a habit we just don’t want to kick.
Greater Manchester’s most in the know radio host 
