A one-sided 12” from this Chicago group who like to get weird and with that leads down a big path of unpredictability and confusion. If there is one loose thread that somehow ties these five songs together is that the songs are often laced with stoner type riffs and fuzz along with it carrying a very Chicago math-rock vibe. From song to song though, Wishgift are pretty much all over the map after you separate that from their overall sound. Sometimes focused on more full bore rock n’ roll mode, sometimes prog-rock, sometimes just downright goofy. All of it adds up to an interesting package of noise that after repeated listens I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. Heavily reminiscent of groups like Cheer-Accident, Karp, and hell…maybe even Faith No More I’m not so sure if even the band is aware of which direction this is going whenever they write this stuff. There is some saxophone skronk injected to the track “Pillow is Trash Talk”, really only adding fuel to the already jumbled fire here. Weird record.
Wishgift – Pillow is Trash Talk (stream)
You can grab a copy of this 12” over at Sophomore Lounge Records or digitally through Bandcamp.
It would be a surprise if Friend Collector was actually out there making good on their name and actually, ya know, making friends. However, judging by the sort of nihilistic noise and message that comes together on the bands debut album they probably aren’t winning them over in droves. As has been the case with Jason Donnells’ past projects such as The New Flesh and Pfisters, where they dished out yet a similar brand of unrelenting brand of noise-rock. Where does Friend Collector stand in the mix of things? Well, certainly more towards the frustrated and violent characteristics of The New Flesh and not so much the more rock n’ roll or Jesus Lizard type of sound that Pfisters presented. However, that’s not to say that Friend Collector doesn’t bring together a bit of both here. There is definitely noticeable hints of rhythm here and there as opposed to the straight run of monotony of a Swans like bludgeoning. There is still certainly plenty of that as well though, leaving it loud and bursting at the seams with bass and drums. Showing their disgust to those that are misinformed and inept at making commentary towards this country, it certainly adds to the levels of intensity and vitriol that spews forth from collection of tracks here. Friend Collector successfully creates the type of imagery of a spiraling present and a not so bright future if current trends continue. Give it a listen.
Friend Collector – Pinpointing the Enemy (stream)
Anyone that is interested in picking up a copy of Friend Collector’s debut, just simply hit up the groups Bandcamp page where it is available on LP and digital download.
More noise here from Australia, although this one comes about four years after it was actually recorded. Bikini Eyebolt existed for a brief period between 2007 and 2008 and managed to record this full-length somewhere in between. I think one of the guys has since moved on to the sludgier sounding DEAD, who released a pretty cool record last year on Wantage actually. Not sure if the Bikini Eyebolt record ever got a release back when it was originally recorded as details about the band and the record itself are pretty elusive. Whether it did or not, Tenzenmen has seen it fit to release this year. Unlike the bass and drum approach of DEAD, Bikini Eyebolt was a full band and one that seemed to teeter between the throwback type of rubbery post-punk and more full frontal AmRep style scuzz. Although I’d say the former is more prevalent in their sound, at least of what makes up this record. I’m assuming this is the majority of what they ever managed to record properly, ten tunes in all and not too shabby at that.
Bikini Eyebolt – Accuser (stream)
Anyone interested in picking up a copy of the record can do so by heading over to the Tenzenmen Bandcamp page where it’s currently available on CD or digital download at a fairly cheap price.
Some distinctly Chicago rock music to be found here on the debut from Fake Limbs. Music that is specifically aimed toward the burly bearded, hard drinking, and bitterly aging crowd. Although the title may spark the thought of there being some type of revelatory self-reflection or therapy session for guys out there on this record, you might want to drop that thought altogether. This may inflict a state of identity confusion if any of the number of themes lovingly joked about on Man Feelings hits home. One of those moments where you’ll find yourself laughing along and as you slowly realize that you in fact have a shining resemblance to their own self deprecation the album takes on a whole new light. One that becomes a bit more personal, but equally enjoyable.
Music wise, Fake Limbs are, as previously mentioned, much a product of the surrounding Chicago area showing flashes of past notables like Jesus Lizard, Tar, Shorty, and so on. The bit of choppy abrasiveness is then funneled through a hefty dose of 70’s riff rock, leaving the album with a nice balance between the rough stuff and the rockin’. At just over twenty five minutes, the pace is kept at a speed that suits their sound perfectly, allowing the frequent injections of riffs to stay fresh. Recorded at Electrical Audio, the drums and bass make for a record that sounds mammoth coming out of the speakers. Particularly on a track like “Hanging Kudzu”, which is a lumbering rock beast that actually represents both sides of the band perfectly. Give it a listen, cool record.
Fake Limbs – Hanging Kudzu (stream)
Those interested in grabbing a copy of Man Feelings can do so by heading over to BLVD Records, where it is currently available for pre-order. Official release is May 8th, but you get an immediate download of the album if purchased any time before that.
Airiel have never been a band that rushes to put out material, with a series of EP’s and an album to their credit over the span of fifteen years. It’s been slow going, but well worth the wait in most cases. In the beginning Airiel was merely a two man shoegaze duo founded by Jeremy Wrenn, putting to use lush sound of guitar work and a drum machine. The EP’s that were released during that time eventually became something of a series or box set known as Winks & Kisses, to which I still occasionally pop on these days. There is a bit of charm to those EP’s, due to the almost bedroom like qualities. Now days, the band is four members strong and are set to release their first new material since their 2007 debut album The Battle of Sealand.
The bands latest EP Kid Games will be released through Shelflife Records on May 27th. It’s important to remember the bands beginnings here because it has a lot to do with how Kid Games sounds. I imagine that probably gets a few fans of the band out there excited since they were a bit divided when The Battle Sealand came out. It was a departure for sure, but one that I felt moved the group forward in a successful way while still combining what people sort of fell in love with during that first run of EP’s. On Kid Games though, the group has certainly returned to a much more dream-pop based sound as opposed to the near alt-rock leanings that were scattered throughout their first LP. In a lot of ways this reminds me much of their self-titled EP from 2005, with the same type of approach as those early days but with the production to really give the songs the lush textures that they deserved. For it they’ve even brought back the drum machine for a tune or two and familiar vocalist Stella Tran, who first made an appearance with the band back on the Melted EP on the track “Firefly”. While this may not seem like a logical step in direction for Airiel, it certainly is nice to hear them embracing much of what made them interesting in the first place. Even as a duo in the late 90’s/early 00’s they showed that they had the tunes to not just tread water in a saturated genre of rehashes. Definitely give Kid Games a listen if you’re a fan of the band or just enjoy solid dream-pop/shoegaze.
Airiel – Flashlight Tag (stream)
For those wishing to grab a copy of Kid Games you can do so by heading over to Shelflife Records where it is currently up for pre-order. First 100 are on cyan.
Some grimy and blistering hardcore from this Providence, RI trio on what would be their debut and chuckle worthy titled LP. White Load previously laid waste to ears around the globe with a string of equally mind damaging singles, thus making this debut one of raised interest. One would think that with a whole full-length at the disposal of White Load that they might be tempted to wander into the woods some or just fuck with listeners, however the band keep to the straight narrow with this record and I cant praise them enough for doing so. There is nothing but short blasts of unrelenting hardcore at budget recording quality to be found on this LP to further pollute your already filthy deranged mind. Absolutely raw, ripping, and uncompromising from start to finish, at the end you nearly feel lucky that it’s only a little over 20 minutes long. I mean, what else is there to expect from something that was recorded completely at a place called “Vomit’s Hole”. Awesome record.
White Load – Nothing is Funny (stream)
White Load - Void (stream)
To pick up a copy of Wayne’s World III b/w Godfather IV just hit up Load Records.
I’ve followed Craig Clouse through just about everything he’s done, most notably his more rock leaning projects like Crown Roast or TODD, but Shit and Shine has always been the most challenging of the bunch. More of an outlet to dabble in the harsher and possibly disorienting realms of power electronics, samples, basic guitar distortion, and synthesizers Shit and Shine is further muscled up with stacks of amps and multiple percussionists at times to create an amalgam of noise that really is quite like no other.
In the past Shit and Shine took to the chopped and screwed cuts of electronics and placed them against mammoth like simple riffing for desirable results more often than not. Blown out and punishing, the hulking mess created by such did well in further blurring the lines between straight noise and rock. Over the course of what has become a fairly prolific catalog, Shit and Shine has followed a similar track of that of fellow experimentalists Sightings. Both bands have went from the harsher beginnings of malfunctioning amps and sheer noise barrages towards a more bastardized form of rock that actually hits more nerves than their noisier pasts ever managed to. It’s with Shit and Shine’s latest album Jream Baby Jream where I believe they’ve really hit upon a great mixture of past and present, provoking feelings of paranoia, dread, and levels of discombobulation without sacrificing much of the groups infatuation with beat driven electronics. After a short thirty second intro, Shit and Shine hits with full force on “Dinner With My Girlfriend” by employing the use of swirling feedback to continually wrap around a HUGE blown out beat for the duration of nine minutes. It’s as close to “doom” as the group will likely ever get, but it’s an epically sized helping no doubt and one of the finest things on the album. Another highlight is on the flip side of the record with the roughly ten minute “Rodeo Girls” that develops a bit of a retro vibe to it thanks in part to an uncharacteristically danceable beat and guitar twang throughout that repeats in loop like fashion. It’s like one of those movie sequences where someone is walking down a huge city street surrounded by nothing but people, cars, and skyscrapers only the person walking is in no doubt inebriated and terrified. The album as whole operates greatly on a backbone of recurring beats and ambiance to create its creepy theatrics. The balance shown here though is fairly impressive.
Shit and Shine – Dinner With my Girlfriend (stream)
Those interested in grabbing a copy of Jream Baby Jream can do so by heading over to Riot Season. Limited to 400 copies with no repress.
Amsterdam checks in here with this EP from Katadreuffe. I don’t know much about them other than that I’ve heard one other EP and enjoyed it. This is some smooth and mechanical sounding math-rock, very crisp sounding for whatever reason. Not some over processed junk with some fluttery notes all about, but rather a nice wall of noise that runs together with a sheen of being incredibly well though out before picking up and letting loose on a barrage of notes. Kind of like a Battles type thing, but way more serious and one that packs a bit of a punch recording wise. Something about the guitar sound immediately makes me my mind think “video games”, but I can’t figure out which one. But I feel like I should be in a damp cold cave whenever I listen to these songs by the way guitar has the high pitched echo throughout. They wisely envelope it in a layers of synth and ample fuzz to kind of create a hallucinatory type of effect that tones down the sharpness of it allowing it to gel together in a manner that goes back to the aforementioned smoothness of this whole recording. Dig this.
Katadreuffe – Exclamation Marks the Spot (stream)
Anyone that is interested in grabbing this can do so at Narrominded Records or it’s also available digitally through Bandcamp.
Well, this is certainly a nice surprise. A new album from Retisonic, who were last heard from back in 2006 I think with their EP Levittown. Big fans of Bluetip are probably well aware of the existence of Retisonic, due to the presence of former member Jason Farrell and the fairly similar qualities in which both bands share music wise. However, it always appeared to me that Retisonic never really got the same sort of exposure as Farrell’s previous band, probably mostly due to the fact that Bluetip enjoyed a nice stay on Dischord during their time together and they were the band that directly followed Swiz for Farrell. Those that haven’t heard Retisonic and enjoyed Bluetip’s discography, then it would be a good idea to at least give them a listen. Their latest album Robots Fucking serves as good as any place to start, and in fact may be the best material they’ve put together yet.
While I’m generally a backer of most Dischord related bands, Bluetip always appealed to me because they seemed a bit different than a lot of the bands on the roster in that they didn’t bare as much of the DC sound as most. Really, to me, their style always sounded much more rooted in a Midwestern post-hardcore/rock vibe that relied on a big bass and melody driven combination to create a distinct largeness. While Retisonic carries a lot of similar attributes, they’ve moved much closer to that territory than Bluetip ever really did. With the presence of Joe Gorelick, you even hear a slight resemblance to his previous band Garden Variety at times. On Robots Fucking the group hasn’t altered their approach much, but the songs all seem to have a bit of vibrancy to them that seemed to be lacking on previous Retisonic releases. There are loads and loads of riffs/melodies here, more so than I ever remember, making this an extremely fun album to listen to. I don’t know exactly what the band was up to during all the time in between albums, but if it was spent refining a good majority of these songs, then it has certainly paid off for them with what is hands down the best thing they’ve released. Let’s hope it’s not the last.
Retisonic – In and Out of Dim (stream)
While the album was put out through Arctic Rodeo Recordings, it may be cheaper to get it through Dischord since the actual label is based out of Germany making it a bit pricier for those of us in the US. It’s also available digitally through Amazon.