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With little more under their belt than a relentless string of live performances, and a twice pressed (subsequently sold out) Self Titled Demo, NYC based band Lathe of Heaven have proved themselves to be a potent and cohesive element amidst the torrent of hardcore punk and synth-driven pop revival currently proliferating throughout the U.S. underground.
Formed in 2021, the band features members of noteworthy Brooklyn based projects such as Pawns, People's Temple, Porvenir Oscuro, Android, Hustler and more.
Though this roster of past and alternate musical endeavors exposes a diverse range of genre and skill sets, Lathe of Heaven can only be understood as a departure from such influences, exploring a sound entirely of its own.
Now nearly two years later,Lathe of Heaven are finally prepared to unleash their debut Full Length Bound by Naked Skies. With careful consideration, this eleven track LP blends elements of British New-Wave and Finnish Post-Punk into a nuanced juxtaposition of 80s sonic mania. Incorporating themes of classic and contemporary Science-Fiction, Bound by Naked Skies indebts itself as much to its literary influences as it does to the music that informs its unique and deliber-ate sound. Paying powerful homage to the uncanny worlds of authors Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler, Ken Liu and of course Ursula Le GuM (whose novel the band is named after), themes of cosmology ("Ekpyrosis"), simulation ("Her-alds of the Circuit-Born"), mental illness ("Moon-Driven Sea"), and ontology ("EntroprThe Spider" etc.), weave implicitly throughout the arch of the record, providing a sense of insight into the minds of those plagued by the ambiguous nature of humankind's terrifying and not-so-distant future.
Formed in 2021, the band features members of noteworthy Brooklyn based projects such as Pawns, People's Temple, Porvenir Oscuro, Android, Hustler and more.
Though this roster of past and alternate musical endeavors exposes a diverse range of genre and skill sets, Lathe of Heaven can only be understood as a departure from such influences, exploring a sound entirely of its own.
Now nearly two years later,Lathe of Heaven are finally prepared to unleash their debut Full Length Bound by Naked Skies. With careful consideration, this eleven track LP blends elements of British New-Wave and Finnish Post-Punk into a nuanced juxtaposition of 80s sonic mania. Incorporating themes of classic and contemporary Science-Fiction, Bound by Naked Skies indebts itself as much to its literary influences as it does to the music that informs its unique and deliber-ate sound. Paying powerful homage to the uncanny worlds of authors Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler, Ken Liu and of course Ursula Le GuM (whose novel the band is named after), themes of cosmology ("Ekpyrosis"), simulation ("Her-alds of the Circuit-Born"), mental illness ("Moon-Driven Sea"), and ontology ("EntroprThe Spider" etc.), weave implicitly throughout the arch of the record, providing a sense of insight into the minds of those plagued by the ambiguous nature of humankind's terrifying and not-so-distant future.
TRACK LISTING
1. At Moment’s Edge
2. Ekpyrosis
3. Genome
4. Ilusión De Luces (Cold’s Embrace)
5. Inertia
6. Moon-Driven Sea
7. The Breaking Strain
8. The Spider
9. Entropy
10. The Faithful Image
11. Heralds Of The Circuit-Born
Vivien Goldman-style dubby post-punk synth pop.
With a handful of twitching insta-sketches, each addled with late-nite D.I.Y. quiver, the duo’s side-hustle sprouted in classical easy/cheap fashion [see the demo tape on their Public Nipples imprint for evidence].
As “global” concerns slowed, compatriots Michael Zamora (a superbly slanted multi-instrumentalist late of BAD BAD) and Alejandra Alcala (the region’s one true bass supervisor, also of bright lights BLUES LAWYER and PREENING) joined Sermeńo & Jordan as additional exposed flesh.
In full form, Naked Roommate has not only become a must-see, ever-evolving live act, but architects of Do The Duvet, one of the most intriguing and inspired recordings to come out of 2020’s American subterranea.
Do The Duvet proffers leftfield hijinks via punk execution, answering all the questions posed by questionable post-punk revivalism with sour lemon sneering and cherry-sweet smiles. It’s a fever dream, really…A flailing, sparking wire of hyper-compressed rhythms (breathing and synthetic), devolved guitar work and minced electronic compost. The resultant congealed groove is suitable for club situations and/or living space pulsations alike. Either way, the landlord is pissed.
Jordan’s beat programming, presumably inspired in part by recent obsessions with unjustifiably discarded electro sounds, manages to elicit physical response without veering into genre clichés like decay dance or Armageddon rave.
Instead, movement is prompted by sheer playfulness and high humour: see the sleepily sampled City sax on “Fondu Guru” or the comically taut bassline from “Credit Union”, itself a dreamwork born straight from a lovingly held-tight 99 Records 12”.
Thematically, Do The Duvet bounces between dissections of bourgeois trickery, the absurdity of domestication and the recognizable insanity of living in this particular age.As narrator, Sermeńo’s vocal presence is time-capsule great: a commanding grand-slam performance, alluring yet switchblade-dangerous in terms of wit and gaze. So totally wonderful.
What do you really own, anyway? What if your home does not even exist? Why not simply Do The Duvet and answer these queries yourself?
Mitch Cardwell
With a handful of twitching insta-sketches, each addled with late-nite D.I.Y. quiver, the duo’s side-hustle sprouted in classical easy/cheap fashion [see the demo tape on their Public Nipples imprint for evidence].
As “global” concerns slowed, compatriots Michael Zamora (a superbly slanted multi-instrumentalist late of BAD BAD) and Alejandra Alcala (the region’s one true bass supervisor, also of bright lights BLUES LAWYER and PREENING) joined Sermeńo & Jordan as additional exposed flesh.
In full form, Naked Roommate has not only become a must-see, ever-evolving live act, but architects of Do The Duvet, one of the most intriguing and inspired recordings to come out of 2020’s American subterranea.
Do The Duvet proffers leftfield hijinks via punk execution, answering all the questions posed by questionable post-punk revivalism with sour lemon sneering and cherry-sweet smiles. It’s a fever dream, really…A flailing, sparking wire of hyper-compressed rhythms (breathing and synthetic), devolved guitar work and minced electronic compost. The resultant congealed groove is suitable for club situations and/or living space pulsations alike. Either way, the landlord is pissed.
Jordan’s beat programming, presumably inspired in part by recent obsessions with unjustifiably discarded electro sounds, manages to elicit physical response without veering into genre clichés like decay dance or Armageddon rave.
Instead, movement is prompted by sheer playfulness and high humour: see the sleepily sampled City sax on “Fondu Guru” or the comically taut bassline from “Credit Union”, itself a dreamwork born straight from a lovingly held-tight 99 Records 12”.
Thematically, Do The Duvet bounces between dissections of bourgeois trickery, the absurdity of domestication and the recognizable insanity of living in this particular age.As narrator, Sermeńo’s vocal presence is time-capsule great: a commanding grand-slam performance, alluring yet switchblade-dangerous in terms of wit and gaze. So totally wonderful.
What do you really own, anyway? What if your home does not even exist? Why not simply Do The Duvet and answer these queries yourself?
Mitch Cardwell
TRACK LISTING
01. Mad Love
02. We Are The Babies
03. Fondu Guru
04. Credit Union
05. Je Suis Le Bebe
06. Fake I.D.
07. Fill Space
08. (Do The Duvet Pt. 2)
09. Repeat
10. (Re) P.R.O.D.U.C.E.
Reduced
Surrender yourself into Naked Lights’ dark and intense orbit! From the first few seconds through to the end, On Nature is intensely addictive and welcomely unpredictable. Shades of post-punk, dub, even anarcho-punk are thrillingly blended into wholly futuristic shapes that defy easy categorization.
The cross-talking guitars speak their own thorny language, the atmosphere is wide-focus and carries a subtle tang of danger, and it’s topped off with unique vocals that are as in-your-face as they are intriguing and foreign. An altogether refreshingly vital listen, Naked Lights’ On Nature comes courtesy of Castle Face Records.
The cross-talking guitars speak their own thorny language, the atmosphere is wide-focus and carries a subtle tang of danger, and it’s topped off with unique vocals that are as in-your-face as they are intriguing and foreign. An altogether refreshingly vital listen, Naked Lights’ On Nature comes courtesy of Castle Face Records.
TRACK LISTING
1. New Carrion
2. Pictus
3. On Nature
4. Nicht Leiden
5. Hedges
6. Mechanical Eye
7. Blue Ink
8. Mostly Bag
9. Pool On A Platter
10. Clock Support
11. Silouette
12. Barrel
13. Peep Hole
14. Trepanning
15. Undo
LuckyMe are very proud to present ‘Youth Mode’, the debut release from Naked.
Naked are an Edinburgh-based group consisting of Agnes Gryczkowska, Alex Johnston and Grant Campbell, who mix cold, neon-lit beats, glacial bass and guitar sculptures, filtered under hypnotizing and ephemeral vocals.
Their music speaks to a post-millenial, post-digital urban ennui - non-belonging and the pure, absolute loneliness of crowds. It is about the interaction of accelerating technology and the inherent sense of a terminal decline between the physical and hyper real - between man and machine, our bodies, senses and the industrial substances and digital technologies we surround ourselves with.
Deluxe EP with printed / debossed sleeve and digital download card.
Recently produced tracks for Mykki Blanco. Forthcoming album produced by Jacques Greene.
For fans of Mogwai, FKA Twigs, Salem, Optimo, The xx.
Naked are an Edinburgh-based group consisting of Agnes Gryczkowska, Alex Johnston and Grant Campbell, who mix cold, neon-lit beats, glacial bass and guitar sculptures, filtered under hypnotizing and ephemeral vocals.
Their music speaks to a post-millenial, post-digital urban ennui - non-belonging and the pure, absolute loneliness of crowds. It is about the interaction of accelerating technology and the inherent sense of a terminal decline between the physical and hyper real - between man and machine, our bodies, senses and the industrial substances and digital technologies we surround ourselves with.
Deluxe EP with printed / debossed sleeve and digital download card.
Recently produced tracks for Mykki Blanco. Forthcoming album produced by Jacques Greene.
For fans of Mogwai, FKA Twigs, Salem, Optimo, The xx.
'Found an arrow head in the clay....', a line taken from the closing track on "Naked Shadows", the debut album from Los Angeles based song-smith Ryan Fuller's musical creation, Fort King. And when a demo landed at Autumn Ferment HQ last year it indeed caught their attention just like discovering some rare artefact lying in the earth. Drawing comparisons to some of the greats from yesteryears Laurel Canyon folk/country scene like Neil Young and Gram Parsons, to contemporaries such as psyche folksters Espers and fellow Californians Vetiver, this album is a glinting piece of gold from America's west coast alt. folk scene. Album opener "Osceola", with its ghostly whispers and harmonies, finger picked and slide guitar, is a perfect slice of psyche folk/Americana pie. This was the track that influenced Ryan to crown his musical creation Fort King, the track paying homage to the Seminole Warrior who waged war against the United States in the area where Ryan grew up as a child. The psychedelic tinges continue with tracks like "House Finch", with its echoes of late 60s pastoral folk, "Antique Dreams" and instrumental gem "Tanabata" with their cello arrangements shrouding the scene in an autumnal, melancholic mist similar to sounds from the band Espers. Tracks like "Hangin' On", with its ragtime guitar and honky-tonk piano and "Ricky's Lament" both with their backroom bar drums are prime examples of Fort King having one foot in "Harvest" era Neil Young and the other in the alt. country rock of Gram Parsons. Human emotions run riot, especially those of lost love, mistrust and betrayal, in the heartfelt "To The Moon" which brings the vibe down from ethereal folk highs to a level we can all relate to. Nostalgia breathes a thoughtful sigh with the track "Noda*Rama", drawing on simple past-times for inspiration. With a dusty, backwoods country road twang in his vocals, Ryan draws the album to a close with the fantastic depth of "Black Palms" and its theme of rural suicide drenched in emotive harmonies, light acoustic guitar and ukulele.
Kranky's run of superlative albums continues (3 albums in The Wire's Top 50 Records Of The Year 2007) with the second solo release from Portland artist Valet, aka Honey Owens, following up her widely lauded "Blood Is Clean" album from early 2007, another trip through the fertile garden of her imagination. From the gentle narcotic haze of the album opener "We Went There", which is dissected by Honey's trademark incendiary guitar work, to the lazy alien country blues of "Fuck It", and through the hyperventilating rhythmic distortion of the closer "Streets", "Naked Acid" is a fever dream of ghostly incantation and smudged psychedelia. Honey Owens has collaborated with a number of well-known and obscure artists including Jackie-O Motherfucker and Nudge and has been an important figure in the Portland, Oregan experimental music scene for more than 10 years. 'A beguiling, meandering combination of trance-like chants, pulsating drones and frazzled guitar doodles'. - The Wire.