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JOYFUL NOISE

Suuns

The Witness

    As a band who has been around for thirteen years and toured all corners of the world, there comes a point when the veil of mystique must be fully lifted. Up until now, experimental rockers SUUNS have revelled in mystery like a silhouette disappearing into the mist, releasing albums that rest comfortably in ambiguity, detachment and innuendo. But lately, the band appears to be more comfortable coming clean with their own inner workings. That newfound sense of ease is undeniable on SUUNS’ fifth full-length album The Witness – their first for Joyful Noise Recordings.

    Self-recorded and self-produced over the majority of 2020 – a year of strife, solitude and reflection –The Witness finds the band holding a magnifying glass over their own default state of playing and performing. It’s a swift departure from previous album Felt, which harvested haphazard ideas in their embryonic, demoed versions, as if letting loose a glorious fireworks display into the heavens. The Witness, meanwhile, pours SUUNS’ music into a more intricate mold, compelling the band to embrace the vibrancy of their live performances and urging vocalist Ben Shemie to approach his lyricism with unabashed directness.

    “There’s something interesting about the idea of a collective witness, being a witness to the time we’re living in now,” Shemie reflects. “And the connectedness of what we all have in common. But also, literally: bearing witness to all sorts of things and how that desensitises you. There’s a recurring line that comes back on the record: ‘I know that you’ve seen it too.’ It kind of comes down to being true to yourself and acknowledging what is and isn’t real.”

    Perhaps unintentionally, SUUNS have always been a strangely intimate band, and with The Witness, they themselves became aware of the extent of this. Though the world is becoming a more distorted, confusing place, The Witness extends a sonic lifeline to latch onto, one bolstered by years of friendship, chemistry and trust.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: 'The Witness' is without a doubt, Suuns' springboard into mainstream consciousness. While their previous outings were undeniably well done, it's here we get to see their inventive leap into soaring synthpop and scattered electronica, while still hearing myriad elements of their original sound.

    TRACK LISTING

    Third Stream
    Witness Protection
    C-Thru
    Timebender
    Clarity
    The Fix
    Go To My Head
    The Trilogy

    Various Artists

    Electric Jesus (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture)

      During the mid-1980s heavy metal music was under attack on multiple fronts. Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was fighting metal in the halls of congress, while Christian evangelists like Bob Larson waged war on the music from the pulpit. Their messaging was effective, convincing some parents that metal music would turn their children into sex-crazed, suicidal satanists. Metal records were forbidden in households across the United States, creating space for the rise of a new market within the music industry. It was in the midst of this culture war that Christian metal emerged in American popular culture.


      The Los Angeles-based band Stryper became the face of Christian metal when their 1986 album To Hell with the Devil went platinum, earning the band Grammy nominations, and regular rotation on MTV. Stryper's unprecedented success inspired a generation of young Christian metalheads. Electric Jesus tells the story of one of those groups, a fictional teenage Christian metal band called 316. Set in 1986, the film offers an affectionate look at '80s Christian youth culture as it documents 316's journey from playing bible camp talent shows and church lock-ins, to performing at Christian music festivals and hardcore metal nightclubs. Any decent fictional rock biopic requires a convincing soundtrack, and Electric Jesus' director Chris White found the perfect collaborator in Daniel Smith. Smith is a prolific figure in indie rock, having worked under the Danielson moniker (and its variations- Danielson Famile, Brother Danielson) over the past two decades. Smith is known for his highly unique vocal style, which is characterized by the frequent use of a screeching falsetto. Serendipitously, this sound overlaps perfectly with the screaming falsetto vocals of hair metal. Smith also brings a nuanced sensitivity to the film's source material. His father is a prominent Christian music songwriter, and Smith's own work carries a deeply spiritual perspective. Smith's experience brings a credible authenticity to the project. While the lyrics were handled by director Chris White, Smith composed, or co-composed all of 316's original music and the results are spot-on. While composing for Electric Jesus, Smith immersed himself in the hair metal music of his youth, binge-listening to a steady rotation of bands like Ratt, Twisted Sister, and Motley Crew.


      In addition to the music of 316, the Electric Jesus soundtrack features new material from Smith's Danielson projects featuring four new proper Danielson songs (including the fantastic sunshine pop of Danielson's Beach Boys-influenced "You Can Fly"), plus a track from Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil, and instrumental score by Smith's "Familyre Friends". The soundtrack also contains music Smith composed for 316's black metal rivals Satan's Clutch, and Bloody Mass. But it's the music of 316 that forms the centerpiece of this 21 track release. All of 316's songs are expertly voiced by actor Wyatt Lenhart, who is also the onscreen frontman of 316. The chemistry of this ensemble is best experienced on the album's lead single, 316's hilariously bombastic "Commando For Christ" one of the most brilliant send-ups of metal music since This Is Spinal Tap. The magic of what Smith and his crew have done here is to create a set of music that speaks to all of these responses. They clearly understand the inherent absurdities of hair metal, while also conveying a sincere affinity for the style.

      TRACK LISTING

      1 316 - Commando For Christ
      2 Danielson - You Can Fly
      3 Familyre Friends - Vacation Bible Bop
      4 Bloody Mass – Love
      5 Danielson - Passing Through The Wall Of Flame
      6 316 – Barabbas
      7 Danielson - Heavenly Metal
      8 Familyre Friends - Do The Barabbas!
      9 Soul Exhumation - Beat You Off
      10 Familyre Friends - Arcade Reigns
      11 316 - Love Comes Down
      12 316 - Girl (I Love Jesus Too)
      13 Sarah Wember & 316 - This World Is Not My Home
      14 Familyre Friends - Have You Ever Had A Girlfriend?
      15 Satan's Clutch - All Hail Hell
      16 Joy Explosion - We Just
      17 Steve Taylor & The Danielson Foil - Ecstatic Delight
      18 Danielson - Come And Save Me
      19 316 - Makes Me Wanna Sing
      20 Familyre Friends - We All Went Commando
      21 Fleming & John - Don't Toss Us Away

      Dale Crover

      Rat-A-Tat-Tat!

        Rat-a-Tat-Tat! Is that the sound of the reaper knocking on your door to collect your soul or Dale Crover hammering out another distinctive drum fill? There are pretty good odds it's the latter; between 36 years (and about as many full-lengths and EPs) as drummer/bassist for the Melvins and his contributions to acts as varied as Altamont, Peeping Tom, Redd Kross, Shrinebuilder, and a little band called Nirvana, he's built quite the body of work. In 2017, he added a proper solo album to his extensive catalog, Fickle Finger of Fate. Now he's followed that with Rat-a-Tat-Tat! Crover takes the solo thing seriously: he wrote the album while on the road and provided vocals, drums, guitars, vibraphone, and miscellaneous percussion. Just like the last album, recording took place over at Toshi Kasai's Sound of Sirens Studio in beautiful Sun Valley, CA. Kasai recorded and mixed it again, as well as co-producing it with Crover under the sobriquet Deaf Nephews. Celebrated graphic designer (and regular Melvins cover artist) Mackie Osborne created the striking album art, just as she did for Fickle Finger. So what's different this time around? Crover assembled an actual band to help him out. Redd Kross bassist Steve McDonald asked Crover to open for Redd Kross, Crover asked McDonald to play bass for him, and the rest is history. It'd be difficult for even the multi-talented Crover to put on a live show by himself without one of those one-man-band contraptions. In addition to McDonald, Kasai (ex-Big Business, Plan D) helps with keyboards, synths, jawharp, and backing vocals. Mindee Jorgensen (Dangerously Sleazy) sits behind the kit live and contributes additional drumming and some sweet saxophone skills here.

        His former Altamont bandmate Dan Southwick plays bass on 'Tougher,' a track Crover cowrote with Kasai. Some pieces of the songs may sound familiar to the 127 completists who grabbed the limited-run lathe cut record Piso Mojado, a collection of experimental drum weirdness. Although insanity certainly abounds on Rat-a-Tat-Tat!, there are also some surprisingly poppy moments. Crover claims 'Shark Like Overbite' may be the poppiest song he's ever written. It's also the puppiest: it was inspired by the three dogs he's had over the years. A few tunes ('I Can't Help You There,' 'Kiss Proof World') harken back to his Pacific Northwest lineage. That said, 'Tougher,' 'Supine is How I Found Him,' and 'New Pharaoh' careen right off the dial. It's an eclectic mix, one that draws on song fragments he's had for years. It still feels cohesive and uniquely Dale Crover. But then, who would expect anything other than the unexpected? The opportunity knocks to hear more Dale Crover jams; be sure to answer

        TRACK LISTING

        1. Moclips
        2 I Can’t Help You There
        3 Tougher
        4 Stumbler
        5 Shark Like Overbite
        6 Supine Is How I Found Him
        7 I’ll Never Say
        8 New Pharaoh
        9 Untrue Crime
        10 The Bowie Mix
        11 Piso Mojado
        12 Kiss Proof World

        Tall Tall Trees

        A Wave Of Golden Things

          Tall Tall Trees is the pseudonym of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Savino. Moving to New York in the early aughts with aspirations of being a bassist in the city's vibrant jazz and experimental music scene, Savino soon switched his focus to banjo and writing songs, resulting in the eponymous 2009 debut, Tall Tall Trees. In the decade since, Savino has toured non-stop, pioneering a world of psychedelic electric banjo music, captivating audiences with his loop-based one man shows, as well as alongside frequent collaborator, Kishi Bashi. 'A Wave of Golden Things', his fourth studio album, opens with the distant crow of a rooster and takes off in a dust cloud of swirling banjo, drums and bass. The lead off track, "The Wind, She Whispers," quickly evolves from a droning mountain melody into full-blown banjo funk, setting the precedent for an album of unexpected turns. Though the banjo is heavily featured, the influence of Pink Floyd and Cat Stevens can be felt as much as banjo mavericks Earl Scruggs and Bela Fleck. Savino, who self-records and produces his music, abandoned the heavily-layered textures of 2017's 'Freedays' for a more organic, stripped-down approach, leaving his distinct voice and thoughtful lyrics as the centerpiece.

          Despite the sparse arrangements, Savino still manages to evoke the sonic imagery and pastoral landscapes that have often been hallmarks of Tall Tall Trees albums. Each of the eight songs that make up 'A Wave of Golden Things' suggest a world unto itself, from the cosmic country-tinged, "Ask Me Again," to the sprawling underwater lullaby "Deep Feels." Opting for an immersive experience over a traditional studio, Savino set up residence and a mobile recording rig on a hemp farm in the Appalachian mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina, where he now resides. Recorded in just under three weeks, with much of it arranged on the spot, the album maintains a sense of immediacy, celebrating raw performance over perfection. "I'm giving up on my expectations, let them go and see where it takes us," Savino sings on "Expectations," almost seeming to revel in this experimental process. Savino's voice, left unadorned, can be simultaneously gentle and strong, at times sage-like in delivery. On the album's closing title track "A Wave of Golden Things," his soft spoken meditations on mental health reflect a new maturity in his song craft and singing. As the song develops, Savino's voice gains confidence and his whisper becomes a fragile cry, neither full-throated nor fully secure, but at home in a warm bed of upright piano and echoing tape delay. "We all need a little peace and love right now," he sings as if he's at the end of his breath.

          Recommended if you like: Sturgill Simpson, Grateful Dead, Tallest Man On Earth, Kishi Bashi, Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend. 

          TRACK LISTING

          1 The Wind, She Whispers
          2 Expectations
          3 Happy Birthday In Jail
          4 Ask Me Again
          5 A Number Of Signs
          6 Deep Feels
          7 Seven Shades Of Blues
          8 A Wave Of Golden Things

          Deerhoof

          Halfbird

            Recommend If You Like: DEERHOOF (!), Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Animal Collective, Liars, Lightning Bolt // “...the best band in the world...” Pitchfork // Deerhoof and Joyful Noise Recordings will issue the first ever vinyl edition of the band’s third LP, Halfbird. Originally released in July 2001 by Menlo Park Records, Halfbird is 14 tracks of playful absurdity and pummeling energy, featuring founding member Greg Saunier (drums - guitar - vocals); Satomi Matsuzaki (vocals - bass); and Rob Fisk (guitar). 2019 sees the 25-year anniversary of Deerhoof being a band. To celebrate the occasion, three labels that have worked with Deerhoof over the course of their expansive and colorful career will each reissue one of the first three Deerhoof LPs: 1997's The Man, The King, The Girl (Polyvinyl); 1999's Holdypaws (Kill Rock Stars); and 2001’s Halfbird (Joyful Noise Recordings). 

            STAFF COMMENTS

            Barry says: One of Deerhoof's classics gets the reish treatment, and the timind couldn't be better. What else could you want in these troubling times than a slab of grooving, psychy noise rock.

            TRACK LISTING

            Halfrabbit Halfdog
            Six Holes On A Stick
            Red Dragon
            Trickybird
            The Man The King The Girl And The Spider
            Witchery Glamour Spell
            Queen Orca Wicca Wind
            Sunnyside, Carriage
            Littleness
            Xmas Tree
            Rat Attack
            The Forty Fours 
            Halfmole Halfbird.

            Why?

            Aokohio

              Yoni Wolf has spent the last two decades traveling the remote sonic terrain where underground hip hop, avant-pop, and psych-rock meet. On AOKOHIO, Yoni Wolf condenses the essential elements of WHY? into a stunningly potent musical vision. Co-produced by Wolf and his brother Josiah, the record presents a rich palette of musical voices that emerge and disappear into a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of sound. And while AOKOHIO features many notable guest contributors, from Lala Lala's Lillie West, to Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso, the listener's attention remains squarely directed on Yoni's voice and vision. AOKOHIO finds Yoni rethinking fundamental aspects of his approach to creating and delivering his music. The album is presented as six movements comprised of two to four songs each, with some segments appearing as brief fragments that dissolve within seconds.

              The concept of sharing AOKOHIO in segments over time has been preserved with the release of an accompanying visual album-with the first three segments directed by Sundance award-winner Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who is also the mastermind of the overarching video project. AOKOHIO feels like a consequential addition to the WHY? catalog, possibly even an artistic turning point. But its creator remains circumspect when asked to comment on the album's significance within his discography, instead preferring to characterize the work as the latest iteration of his deep commitment to his artistic practice. "I have no idea if this record is good or not," Yoni says. "But I never really know. I know that I've never written a song that's indispensable to the American songbook. But in terms of what it is, it's a piece of art. I put blood, sweat, and tears into this album, and struggled through the creative process as I always do. As far as where this sits with the rest of my albums? I can't answer that. I just know that my career is a lifelong career, and I'm working it. Every time it feels right, it makes me feel good." 

              TRACK LISTING

              1. Apogee
              2. The Rash
              3. Peel Free II: I’ve Been Carving My Elbows, I Might Just Take Flight.
              4. Reason
              5. Deleterio Motilis
              6. Stained Glass Slipper III: Please Take Me Home, I Don’t Belong Here.
              7. The Launch
              8. High Dive
              9. Mr. Fifths’ Plea
              10. Good Fire IV: The Surgeon Nervously Goes On, He Never Claimed To Be God.
              11. Narcissistic Lamentation
              12. Krevin’
              13. The Crippled Physician
              14. Ustekinumab V: I Want To Live With Conviction, In Silence And Diction.
              15. My Original
              16. Rock Candy
              17. Once Shy VI: Though I’m Tired, I’m Still Trying.
              18. The Shame
              19. Bloom Wither Bloom (for Mom) 

              Coughy

              Ocean Hug

                Recomend if you like: The Magnetic Fields, Ween, Ava Luna, Speedy Ortiz, Guided By Voices, Bloodhound Gang. “20 tracks, all hovering around the one-minute mark, toggling between bedroomy croonings and punk-slanted scrappiness.” Stereogum. We would like to introduce you to the playful fearlessness that is Coughy. Coughy began as a late night recording experiment at a performing arts summer camp, formed by two musical associates — Julian Fader (Ava Luna) and Andy Molholt (Laser Background & Speedy Ortiz). As I recall, when they first sent me these recordings, their email read less like a demo pitch and more like, “hey- check out what we made!”, without any expectations of JNR releasing it whatsoever. I remember my initial response was something like, “thanks for sending and thanks for acknowledging that there is zero chance we will release y’alls weird side project.” But fast forward about 6 months, and Coughy is the only thing I want to listen to… I just kept coming back to it. I came to find out that Andy and Julian created these songs by challenging each other to write one minute "tiny songs", and packing as many logical twists and turns into the confines of 60 seconds as possible. This approach made for some carefree, honest and meaningful music - which I found is a great antidote to the crippling Trumpian negativity I encounter on a daily basis. Having now listened to the album about 800 times, I think I may have identified what is so special about this band: There is a magic earnestness in Coughy’s music. So much music these days is so desperately trying to achieve something... The majority of bands seem to be formed with the intention of attaining a particular “sound” before the first note has even been played... Not these guys. This is straight from the playful heart of creation. Which doesn’t mean they exist in a vacuum without influences. These guys clearly come from the world of lo-fi indie rock, and it shows. But I think the fact that they both already have their “real bands” freed them up to do whatever they wanted with this music, free of consequence. And that is the reason I love it even more than their “real” bands. Take a listen to Ocean Hug and prove me wrong. 

                TRACK LISTING

                1 F
                2 G
                3 N
                4 V
                5 P
                6 O
                7 T
                8 E
                9 M
                10 L
                11 I
                12 H
                13 K
                14 B
                15 X
                16 U
                17 A
                18 W 
                19 S
                20 C

                Kishi Bashi

                Omoiyari

                  Omoiyari is Kishi Bashi’s fourth album, following the acclaimed 151a (2012), Lighght (2014), and Sonderlust (2016). Channeling the hard-learned lessons of history, Omoiyari reflects the turbulent socio-political atmosphere of present day America. “I was shocked when I saw white supremacy really starting to show its teeth again in America,“ Kishi Bashi says. “My parents are immigrants, they came to the United States from Japan post–World War II. As a minority I felt very insecure for the first time in my adult life in this country. I think that was the real trigger for this project.” Kishi Bashi recognized parallels between the current U.S. administration’s constant talk of walls and bans, and the xenophobic anxieties that led to the forced internment of Japanese-Americans in the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

                  So he immersed himself in that period, visiting former prison sites and listening to the stories of survivors, while developing musical concepts along the way. The unique creative process behind Omoiyari has been documented in a film scheduled for release in early 2020. “I gravitated toward themes of empathy, compassion, and understanding as a way to overcome fear and intolerance. But I had trouble finding an English title for the piece. Omoiyari is a Japanese word. It doesn't necessarily translate as empathy, but it refers to the idea of creating compassion towards other people by thinking about them.

                  I think the idea of omoiyari is the single biggest thing that can help us overcome aggression and conflict.” Stepping away from his past loop-based production model, he embraced a more collaborative approach when recording, and for the first time included contributions from other musicians, such as Mike Savino (aka Tall Tall Trees) on banjo and bass, and Nick Ogawa (aka Takenobu) on cello. Kishi Bashi’s spectacular trademark violin soundscapes are still an essential component of his sound, but the focus of Omoiyari is centered squarely on its songs. While the theme of Omoiyari is rooted in 1940s America, the album’s message is timeless. In exploring the emotional lives of the innocent Japanese-Americans who were unjustly incarcerated, Kishi Bashi hopes to nurture a sense of empathy, or omoiyari, in all who hear the album.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  1. Penny Rabbit And Summer Bear
                  2. F Delano
                  3. Marigolds
                  4. A Song For You
                  5. Angeline
                  6. Summer Of '42
                  7. Theme From Jerome (Forgotten Words)
                  8. A Meal For Leaves
                  10. Violin Tsunami
                  11. Annie
                  12. Heart Thief Of The Sea 

                  Son Lux

                  At War With Walls & Mazes

                    Ryan Lott, who’s helmed the synth-rock project Son Lux for the past decade, is the kind of songwriter who can turn the most intimate moments sweeping and majestic. His albums treat crisp, minuscule detail with cinematic grandeur.” Pitchfork…. Around 2008 Ryan Lott asked himself this question: ”Can I make a pop record that doesn’t rely on a verse/chorus formula?” In many ways Lott’s first two releases as Son Lux represent his response to that query. At War With Walls & Mazes and We Are Rising documentone of the most compelling musicians of the 21st century finding a distinctive creative voice, while making strikingly original music along the way. Lott turned to sonic texture as a source of musical sustenance, crafting a dynamic mosaic of sound inspired by the collagist technique of hip-hop beat makers. The soundscapes Lott created merged a panoramic symphonic palette with the propulsiverhythmic urgency of hip-hop.

                    The only thing missing was a voice, a role Lott hadn’t intended to fill himself. "Some friends helped me to hear in my own voice something that really worked with themusic,” Lott says. "They've both been out of print for awhile. But more importantly, I'm proud of the music, and I feel like it set the right foundation for my catalogue as Son Lux, so it makes sense to bring it back on vinyl and shed some light on it now that the project has a broader audience."Eleven years after his debut as Son Lux, Joyful Noise Recordings is reissuing these first two works on vinyl. A decade after inception, Son Lux has now shifted from Lott’s singular vision into a three-piece ensemble featuring virtuoso musicians Ian Chang on drums, and Rafiq Bhatia on guitar. But Lott’s initial Son Lux recordings still point toward an exciting musical future that contemporary pop music has yet to realize. 

                    TRACK LISTING

                    1 Prologue
                    2 Break
                    3 Weapons
                    4 Betray
                    5 Stay
                    6 Raise
                    7 Tell
                    8 Wither
                    9 Stand
                    10 War 1
                    1 Epilogue

                    Son Lux

                    We Are Rising

                      Ryan Lott's first two releases as Son Lux, At War With Walls & Mazes and We Are Rising , document one of the most compelling musicians of the 21st century finding a distinctive creative voice, while making strikingly original music along the way. Eleven years after his debut as Son Lux, Joyful Noise Recordings is reissuing the works on vinyl. In the last few years, Son Lux has shifted from Lott's singular vision into a three-piece ensemble featuring virtuoso musicians Ian Chang on drums, and Rafiq Bhatia on guitar. But Lott's initial Son Lux recordings still point toward an exciting musical future that contemporary pop music has yet to realize

                      TRACK LISTING

                      1 Flickers
                      2 All The Right Things
                      3 Rising
                      4 Leave The Riches
                      5 Flowers
                      6 Chase
                      7 Claws
                      8 Let Go
                      9 Rebuild

                      For Dutch/Croatian songwriter and visual artist Marina Tadic, Pet Town represents time well spent in one’s own shell. Her second LP as Eerie Wanda (and first for Joyful Noise Recordings), Pet Town is a stripped down spectral manifestation, anchored by Tadic’s wistful lyrics and self possessed vocal delivery. Mixed by producer Jasper Geluk, the album is perched in warm, homespun recordings live drums are replaced with handclaps, finger snaps, and a Roland-CR 78 drum machine, enhancing the music’s tactile and intimate headspace. Using minimal recording techniques, Tadic shaped these ten songs on sheer intuition, while drawing inspiration from solitude: how it can be both a state of euphoria but also one of loneliness of inner meditation and outer yearning.

                      Echoing the sonorous gleam of West Coast pop, opening song "Pet Town" initially sounds like a love letter to one’s hometown, as both a tangible and emotional sanctuary. Between the lines, Tadic grapples with the sudden absence of shiny beacons that once enriched her life. "Hands Of The Devil" casts spells of attraction with its hypnotic flamenco cadence, whereas the humdrum amble of "Sleepy Eyes" evokes a rude awakening from those very spells. Tadic is still left guessing how Pet Town came to be, exactly. “I wrote the songs over a period of time spent inside my shell, and I needed that time. Not escaping it brought me a lot of growth.” Like some mysterious shamanic voice from the future, Eerie Wanda hushes turbulent peaks and valleys into a comforting, deft equilibrium. “I love to think I'm connected with some other dimension which sends me the songs and I can catch them if I'm in the right zone.” 

                      STAFF COMMENTS

                      Barry says: Warm and intimate, Eerie Wanda is the counterfoil to the loud and chaotic musical world of today. Easily drifting between stripped-back psychedelic folk, worldly rhythms and rich, anthemic indie. It really is a beautiful mix of sounds, and one put together with Tadic's trademark skill.

                      TRACK LISTING

                      1. Pet Town
                      2. Big Blue Bird
                      4. Rockabiller 
                      5. Magnetic Woman 
                      6. Moon 
                      7. Sleepy Eyes 
                      8. The Intruder
                      9. Couldn't Tell 
                      10. Hands Of The Devil 
                      11. Truly.

                      Richard Edwards

                      Verdugo

                        Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Elliott Smith, Neil Young & Big Star. Richard Edwards felt almost human when he returned to Los Angeles to record songs for what became Verdugo. It’s the follow-up to the Indiana singer’s 2017 album Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset, a beautiful, personal release that was deeply unpleasant to make. Not only was he afflicted at the time by an intestinal ailment that often left him unable to stand, let alone sing, his marriage fell apart midway through making the album. If Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset ended up being a record about letting go, Verdugo is the album where Edwards pulls himself up after falling down.

                        “The making of it was kind of my recovery from all the stuff,” says Edwards, who worked again with producer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) in L.A. “I went back and wasn’t as sick, so making the second one, and finishing it, was a much, much more joyous event.” Verdugo features 10 new songs that showcase Edwards’ considerable and longstanding talent as a writer, and also a new way of singing: Edwards’ chronic pain meant finding a vocal approach that didn’t make him feel like throwing up. “I sing in a half-falsetto high range that came out of not being able to belt stuff out for a year,” Edwards says. His new vocal style deepens the air of melancholy on the atmospheric “Strange,” takes on a wistful cast on “Beekeeper” over subtle drums and a distinctive guitar part, and is lifted aloft on a soaring blend of guitars, drums and backing vocals on “Minefield.” “They kind of disappear in this weird sky sonically now, because of this range,” he says.

                        “They don’t feel rooted anymore, they fly all over, and that falsetto — if you’re looking at it as a picture, it goes higher up in the room than it used to.” This is Edwards’ second solo album after more than a decade leading the Indianapolis band Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, which he founded in 2004. When health problems made touring with Margot impossible, Edwards turned inward and began writing songs “loosely inspired by all one learns, and fails to learn, while dealing with one’s own mortality,” as he wrote in a piece for Talkhouse. Verdugo is completely Edwards, the result of an agonizing stretch of dissolution and, over time, regeneration. Best of all, it’s not an end point, but merely the next station on a continuing journey. “It’s somewhere between that last record and what will happen after that, and what was going to happen before,” he says. “It comes from three years of having to get really quiet, and figure out what grows out of that.” 

                        TRACK LISTING

                        Gene
                        Beekeeper
                        Minefield
                        A Woman Who Can’t Say No
                        Howlin’ Heart
                        Olive Oyl
                        Something Wicked
                        Tornado Dreams
                        Strange
                        Pornographic Teens

                        Oneida

                        Romance

                          Oneida has been a cornerstone of the Brooklyn underground for nearly two decades. Always evolving, the group has been a beacon of musical exploration and enthralling unpredictability, gaining legendary status among heads that know and expanding the limits of what it means to be a rock band. With a discography spanning over a dozen full-lengths, plus live releases, EPs, singles, and limited one-offs, Oneida has demonstrated a mastery of collective improvisation, off-kilter songwriting, complex composition, and everything in between. In 2011 Oneida lost its home base, its studio dubbed the Ocropolis in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, due to the pervasive gentrification and over-development of the neighbourhood that was once a thriving arts community.

                          After watching the Monster Island building that housed the Ocropolis transform into a pile of rubble, the band began an intense period of exploration and discovery, retreating from the studio in favor of the stage, and birthing a panoply of limited, uncompromising releases that documented the band’s continuously unfolding journey. Six years after the release of A List of the Burning Mountains, the final emission from the Ocropolis, the band will release their newest studio creation Romance, their first album for Joyful Noise Recordings and a record marked by wild eclecticism, even for a group known for its shape-shifting nature. Recorded over several years in various locales, the 11 songs on Romance are built around deeply developed long-arc rhythm/phase concepts, noise, yearning, blind guitar rage, longing, the lurch of dying electronics, and a multi-modal embrace of human fallibility and artifice. From the crackling synth-led opener “Economy Travel” to the expansive 18-minute epic “Shepherd’s Axe,” Romance is an album in constant flux.

                          On “Bad Habit” the band employs phasing between organ and guitar to great, disorienting effect, while the primitive riffs of “Cockfight” offer a contrasting vision of rock minimalism. Listen closely on “Lay of the Land” and you will hear constant rhythmic development, with drummer Kid Millions eschewing repetition in favor of morphing patterns of hi-hat and snare. As with all mystery, Romance reveals more through closer attention and multiple listens. Oneida, always formidable in the live environment, will be touring throughout the year.

                          Kid Millions remains one of the most in-demand drummers in New York, exploring the outer reaches of percussion music with his own Man Forever project, as well as playing with Laurie Anderson, Royal Trux, and People of the North with Oneida compatriot Bobby Matador. Bobby also takes part in the psych-pop duo Nurse & Soldier, and recently formed yet another duo called New Pope. Guitarist Shahin Moita is a co-founder of underground stalwarts Ex Models and Knyfe Hyts. Through it all Oneida remains a powerful collective voice, a propulsive force for wildness and excitement, with Romance heralding the return of the epic, artful ballad version of the journey. 

                          TRACK LISTING

                          Economy Travel,
                          Bad Habit,
                          All In Due Time,
                          It Was Me,
                          Good Lie,
                          Lay Of The Land,
                          Cedars,
                          Reputation,
                          Cockfight,
                          Good Cheer,
                          Shepherd's Axe.

                          Sound Of Ceres

                          The Twin

                            Produced by Alex Somers (Sigur Rós, Jónsi). Features members of The Drums. Sound Of Ceres = formerly Candy Claws. Features short story by Alastair Reynolds. The mysterious tale of The Twin, the second full-length from Sound of Ceres, exists in myriad permutations, too: a new album, a mesmerizing live show, videos, an Alastair Reynolds short story... and others in-between. While their 2016 debut Nostalgia for Infinity responded to the hugeness of time and space, now Sound of Ceres explore the strangeness of being just one human outcome amidst an infinitude of possibilities.

                            The adventure begins with one of the great works of 20th century German literature, The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. As Ryan Hover read the tale of Hans Castorp (named for one of the twins of Gemini), whose life as a shipbuilder gets sidetracked by a visit to a rest home in the Swiss Alps, new chords, melodies, and lyrical ideas seized his imagination. Elements from the novel – the snow and isolation of the mountains, echoes of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a fixation with the number seven – took on a new form as the fantastic universe of The Twin took shape. Karen Hover and Ryan gave voice to early versions of the songs, exploring the sound of words even as they teased out lyrical ideas. Rough sketches were dispatched to bandmates Derrick Bozich, Jacob Graham, and Ben Phelan, and then Ryan fashioned their instrumental contributions into new arrangements.

                            But just as Hans in The Magic Mountain undergoes a great transformation as from the flatlands through the narrow gauge to the Alps, The Twin underwent great changes as it began to travel – in this case, to Iceland. Ryan, Karen, and Jacob arrived at the Reykjavik studio of producer Alex Somers (Sigur Rós, Julianna Barwick) with the original mixes of what seemed like more-or-less finished songs. And then they went through a different door. Guitars andharpsichords gave way to more analog synthesizers and melodic percussion. As the music’s dynamic range grew wider, timbres chilled, and more layers of vocals were woven into the background, a new twin of The Twin emerged. Hints of ‘60s exotica, ‘70s AM radio, and even symphonic grandeur weave through layers of rippling synths and shifting rhythms. Ideas drawn from the past and future fold together, creating a sound that exists outside any particular time or trend. 

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. Gemini Scenic,
                            2. Humaniora,
                            3. Outer Century,
                            4. The Trance,
                            5. Rhatikon Chain,
                            6. Io Scenic A/B,
                            7. The Twin,
                            8. Mercury's Moods,
                            9. Solar Mirror 9,
                            10. Eden V. 

                            Freedays is almost in a way a debut album. Mike Savino's previous two albums, still having the songwriting stamina to welcome any music lover in, were birthed in a collaborative band setting. In 2015, Savino took a much-needed respite from New York City, where he had spent a decade and a half honing his craft, and assumed the role of sole caretaker at an abandoned health retreat nestled in the green mountains of North Georgia. The Bird's Nest, as it was called, completely surrounded by national forest, provided the freedom and space to work without time constraints or interruption.

                            Composed and recorded over a period of eight months, Freedays tells the story of a man in transition and documents an artist alone at the crossroads of the life he has and the one he wants. The album begins with "Backroads", which drops the listener into a darkened forest amidst a chorus of wailing coyotes and quickly takes off on a midnight drive. Tracks like "Being There", "A Place to Call Yo ur Own", and "CLC" provide an honest look into the author's thought process and decision making. Although it's often hard to imagine, most of the sounds on the album are experiments with the banjo, and they all reflect the innovative musings of one of the freshest sounds to come out of the Appalachians in decades

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. Backroads
                            2. A Place To Call Your Own
                            3. Being There
                            4. CLC
                            5. Lost In Time
                            6. SeagullxEagle
                            7. The Riverbend
                            8. So Predictable
                            9. Freedays

                            Joan Of Arc

                            He's Got The Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands

                            Twenty years now there’s been this thing, our band, Joan of Arc. We have shifted shapes and modified our approaches quite a number of times in the course of twenty years. And we’ve done so always aiming to stay true to ourselves at that moment, by instinct and with conscious intent. This time, it took us a long time to figure out how to start back up. We threw away a lot of songs and started over, over and over. But here’s the thing: We are getting better at being ourselves. So many of the postures of youth just fall away with time. Most bands break up by that point, or become caricatures of their younger selves. Because money is tricky, or I should say, it comes to be that energy is tricky to muster after all of it goes into the basics of sustaining yourself.

                            Every day, at some point, it occurs to me that Richard Brautigan killed himself at the age that I am now. But I got this community of weirdo collaborators to lean on that he never had. We’ve never had an audience that gets any validation of its coolness through liking us. We’ve mangled, juxtaposed, and collaged too many elements for that social contract. But we trust each other. This time, finally, we trusted each other enough to throw all the songs away, to even throw away every preconceived idea about which one of us should take position at which instrument. We hit Record and played, and our collective tastes emerged. And they, our tastes in the moment, were the only standards in all the expanse of the stupefying and beautiful unknown universe, that we regarded as relevant in the least. 

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. Smooshed That Cocoon
                            2. This Must Be The Placenta
                            3. Stranged That Egg Yolk
                            4. Full Moon And Rainbo Repair,
                            5. Cha Cha Cha Chakra,
                            6. Grange Hex Stream,
                            7. Two-Toothed Troll,
                            8. New Wave Hippies,
                            9. Never Wintersbone You,
                            10. F Is For Fake,
                            11. Ta-ta Terrordome.

                            The new album by Busman’s Holiday, Popular Cycles, is a vehicle to the lives of others. It is a continuation and elaboration of their previous albums, A Long Goodbye and Old Friends. While their earlier efforts pulled in for portraits at close range, their new collection zooms in to capture the private moments in a family’s back yard, then gazes up at the macrocosm, turning to planets and tree-crushing storms. The writerly duo is detail-oriented and lyric-driven; they uncork the hidden champagne. Much like the lyrical content, the musical landscape of Popular Cycles spans grandly, from the booming of a 21-piece orchestra to the solitary sound of a singing bowl. . Recorded at Arcade Fire’s Sonovox Studio, the writing of the album concluded in a snowed-in apartment above. Arranger Matt Nowlin and producer Mark Lawson helped them capture a more adventurous sound, riding forward on pulsing acoustic rhythms. Busman’s Holiday imitated sounds they’d heard in electronic music with acoustic instruments, the way a mockingbird mimics a car horn. The resulting sound is both familiar but fresh. From western soundtracks to a drone of 12-strings, tones of forgiveness sweet enough to taste, funky drummers, the splish-splosh of fingers & palms, and melancholy chanting. At the end of a Busman’s Holiday show, you leave with a sense of community, humor and melody. Addison & Lewis Rogers place importance on joy

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. Mother, Unknowing
                            2. Make Believe
                            3. See The Rain
                            4. What We Need We Know
                            5. Hope & Peace
                            6. No One Could Be
                            7. Jesus' Mother
                            8. Evening Flows
                            9. I'm Coming Home.


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