Never mind the hype, Impose’s Week in Pop has your breaking media exclusives & glances at some of the week’s buzziest stories. Following all the over the top discourse & convo over Frank Ocean’s Blonde & visual album Endless, shaking up some controversy with Universal Music Group over the visual album versus conventional album methodologies involved with both respective releases; Sadie Dupuis from Speedy Ortiz announced the upcoming Sad13 album Slugger available November 11 from Carpark Records & dropped “Get a Yes”; Kanye West will be able to do whatever he wants for four minutes at Sunday, August 28’s MTV’s 2016 VMAs; Craft Spells tease new music with beach-side video; FKA twigs’ casting call; George Clinton to release a new album via FlyLo’s prestigious imprint Brainfeeder; Carly Rae Jepsen just dropped the b-sides for E•MO•TION; new music from The Weeknd may be imminent; The Return of Pimp Shrimp (oka King Krule, Zoo Kid, DJ JD Sports, Edgar the Beatmaker, born Archy Marshall) dropped “FEEL SAFE 88 (just say no)”; Tyler, the Creator retired his @fucktyler Twitter account in favor of @tylerthecreator; Santigold dropped the Ari Marcopoulos “Banshee” off her album 99¢; J Dilla’s unreleased mixtape Back to the Crib from 1999-2000 surfaced this week courtesy of BBE Records; Trentemøller dropped “Redefine” off the upcoming album Fixion featuring vocals from Marie Fisker; Questlove’s Pandora partnership will see a weekly three hour show titled Questlove Supreme also dubbed Pandora’s Artist Ambassador & Strategic Advisor; Spirit Club [Nathan Williams (WAVVES) & brother Joel Williams & Andrew Caddick (Jeans Wilder)] announced the new album Slouch available October 21 from Ghost Ramp; Desert Stars Festival lineup hype, happening September 23-24 in Pioneertown, California; Drake is dropping a short film called “Please Forgive Me” available September 30; Ty Dolla $ign dropped info on the September 30 slated release titled Campaign; Boys Noize dropped “Birthday (Vocal Mix)” ft. Hudson Mohawke, Pell, Spank Rock & Dany Brown; Isiah Rashad dropped “Park” produced by Park Ave & D. Sanders; Purity Ring remixed Katy Perry’s “Rise”; Hiss Golden Messenger dropped the Dan Huiting video for “Tell Her I’m Just Dancing” off the upcoming Heart Like a Levee available October 7 from Merge Records; “Stranger Things” soundtrack composers S U R V I V E to release RR7349 September 30 through Relapse & dropped “A.H.B.”; Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh is scoring Thor: Ragnarok; Justin Timberlake is producing the 2010 Pilgrimage Music & Culture Festival in Franklin, Tennessee September 24-25; Usher announced the new album Hard II Love available September 16 dropping “Missin U” & “Champions“; De La Soul dropped the J Anders documentary We’re Still Here (now)… introducing their new album Anonymous Nobody…; Kings of Leon announced their new album Walls available October 14; Prince’s estate Paisley Park to be opened as a museum; Dennis Rodman helped out Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder during a performance of “Black, Red, Yellow” at Wrigley Field in Chicago; A$AP Rocky canceled his Leeds fest performance; Sleigh Bells versus Demi Lovato, also their new album Jessica Rabbit will be available November 11; Sky Stevens versus Ariana Grande; Vic Mensa versus American Air; Big Freedia sentenced to three years of probation & a fine; & get ready to celebrate your yuletide season with Joy Division xmas cards available October 17.
Presenting today & tomorrow’s new stars, we are proud to present exclusives, insights, & interviews from ivyaura, Navy Gangs, Ona, Manatree, The Marches, Ablebody, Brodie Bones, CHUCK, White Laces, featuring guest selections by Psychic TV & more—in no particular order.
ivyaura
Balam Acab’s Alec Koone & Michael of Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon are the new freakish/stylish force to be reckoned with known under the chosen moniker of ivyaura. Alec & Michael’s recent collaborative synergy is one that finds the contemporary masters concerning themselves with combining sparse elements that make for cryptic soundtracks for all tomorrow’s cult thrillers & slasher films by entertaining haunted atmospheres & samples of melodic keys & found sample-fragrances that make for some mysterious environments. Presenting the debut ivyaura single “SCUMBODY”, the Balam Acab x Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon intersection of visions point toward the new era of auteurs inspired by the creations of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Lynch & more that indicate the hypnagogic brave new worlds that will populate the soundtracks of tomorrow’s counter-culture horror classics.
“SCUMBODY” encapsulates the beauty & strangeness of noir aesthetics where we can hear the yin & yang pitted against each other. From the constant pitch-shifting opening that samples Dolls of Ink’s “Luciferi Excelsi” of; “In the beginning, in fact we thought and really not stopped, you know, putting us together. But we survived because we’re survivors and you’re all survivors and you’re gonna make it, and you’re really gonna like each other, I’m telling you you’re gonna like each other by the time you get there.” The tone is set like seeking out the lost tomb or pyre of an esoteric icon deep in the labyrinth of an underground catacomb network of ambiance and apparitions that ghost in and out of the mix. Warbling vocals materialize & hover in front of the listener as you can detect passages of melodic air & breathes that permeate the mix along with distortion that billows in something of a perfect harmony. With inside sources describing Michael currently in the process of crafting together some skeletal foundations of tracks that Alec is cooking up some further creations for; Balam Acab’s Alec Koone provided us with the following exclusive introduction to the new collaborative offshoot:
This song is just the beginning of what we hope will continue to be a working collaboration. We met on Twitter, but then started emailing when Twitter got too scary.
The underlying song structure is sparse and spare, and Michael sent it to Alec just to listen. But, once we started talking more about a collaboration it was clear the sparseness could lend itself to a good first attempt. In short, we wanted to hear what it would sound like to put Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon vocals in a Balam Acab song. It sounds like we did it.
Listen out for more from ivyaura via Bandcamp
Navy Gangs
The art of harmony & dissonance is a very delicate balance. Consider the plight of today’s scuzz-wielders who spend their days rehearsing song sketches through the questionable amplifiers in the hopes of discovering the perfect teeter-tottering balance of cleverly crafted chords & rhythm designs that are all wrapped up together in the cloak of distortion. Deep in the heart of the red light district of Omaha, Nebraska; meet Navy Gangs’ own Matthew Tillwick, Noah Kohll, Gavin Cordaro & Wilson Keithline continue a tradition they began during their time at Central High School where the band’s primal cues stemmed from part time jobs working at their local Henry Doorly Zoo. This enabled an adventure for the gang to stay with Noah’s grandma Estelle in NYC where the big city influences & inspirations would set the stage for the style & sound of everything Navy Gangs are all about.
With the following premiere presentations of Navy Gangs’ Brookes Blalock video for “Special Glands”, watch the band gorging on chili while strumming out a constant hit parade of skronk-laden hooks. Found off their Delicate Steve mixed & mastered debut album available September 14 from No Roads, Navy Gangs sport their finest shades & shredding skills while hanging on a roof, lounging about at home, aimlessly loitering about the sidewalks & above all making the most of a sunny summer afternoon. “Special Glands” pays a tip of the hat tribute to all of our collective special organs & their corresponding secretions while the band proceeds to lather one another up with chili direct from the can. Fun with masks & Tinder matches make for a zany good time as the gang gets down to their blazing bonfire of collected chords & arrangements. The lo-fi/no-fi mentality remains strong as the smooth, silky FM radio sheen is a forgone in the name of creating ear-worm progressions that burrow their way into those special crevices in the ear & mind that never fully escape the archives of memory. Read our interview with Navy Gangs immediately after the following video debut for “Special Glands”.
Take us to your earliest memories from back in 2012 at Central High School which we were told is in the red light district of Omaha…how did you all strike up a bond?
Well, the funny thing about Omaha is that red tinted lights are banned almost entirely. McDonald’s is the only establishment that is excluded from the mandate. The Omaha red light district is in fact referred to as a red light district, while in reality, that mother is lit up all orange. Prostitutes and dancers dress in construction gear; goggles, vests and hard hats… all worn to attract the locals. I (Gavin) actually met Noah at a Skrillex concert in the eighth grade. We shared a water bottle, got mono together and were simultaneously nursed back to health by a goat’s motherly milk…she was hidden back in the bushes behind Sokol Auditorium… Matt hates Skrillex.
Did the music get in the way of schooling, as we heard that you all failed miserably in your junior years.
No.
How did the experience of working at Henry Doorly zoo impact you all creatively if at all?
We watched a load of tigers shred raw cold cuts of Omaha steaks. Ever wonder where primal rock energy originates? Get a job.
Describe the meaning behind your moniker Navy Gangs.
Camping with the intention of staying up until the sun rises is really just lounging, but with too much equipment…take all that equipment and multiply it by a billion? Load it onto a ship? Ya got yourself a fleet. Call it a navy? Got a problem with organized crime?
Interested in hearing stories about working with Delicate Steve on your debut. Any favorite stories you all care to share from the studio?
I don’t really remember recording any of this, to be honest. Think he’s gonna help us record the next one…maybe we’ll take some notes.
We want all the behind-the-scenes gory gossip on the making of your video for “Special Glands” with Brookes Blalock.
I had a mental breakdown that day and wasn’t in any of that business. Guess you’re asking the wrong member. While they dumped canned chili all over their slender bodies, I clinched the sheets in Matt’s room, focused on my breath, and swallowed a tooth. Everything you need to know is in the video.
What’s next for the Navy Gang gang?
Support our cash-cow so we can make mind melding tape skrom…we wanna put out a hip hop album and an anime series. We’re also trying to get funding for our slasher flick that’s based on Len’s “Steal my Sunshine”. Aside from cruisin’ on our Vespas, we’re just gonna keep poachin’ licks and bruises.
Top three things you all are obsessed with right now?
Torsos, gazebos and traffic cones. Can I have a fourth? Pickled eggs.
Navy Gangs’ debut will be available September 14 from No Roads.
ONA
Ona burst into the universal pop conscious at the beginning of 2016 with her Sex Rock EP where her blueprint of boudoir bedroom pop was laid out to take over the future of what chamber rock should be. With news abounding that the vocal pop star/model/heroine has been working on her ambitious album debut Lullabies for Daddy, ONA proudly presents her self-created video for her new single “In Your Life” that couples together future synth-waves with early 70s glam rhythm & blues sensibilities & prestige. A mover & shaker & mensch in her own right; Ona’s work has been displayed in the Johannes Vogt Gallery, noted for her pro-sex approach to fourth-wave feminism as she evolves the idea of the pin-up as ruler & matriarchal overlord of a sound style, aesthetic class that is all her own and belonging to no one else.
A Brooklyn pop star that is on the rapid high rise, Ona’s addictive approach to the pop song convention exceeds even her own self-styled extreme selfie model facet of expression by way of veiled, teased & alluded exhibitionism. Ona disarms with lyrics like “you can’t hold on if you’re holding a gun” that instantly has her captivated audiences laying down their arms as the entire production of endearing & eagle soaring vocals erupts into a blitzkrieg of hand claps and cascading synths that heighten all levels of involved sensory mechanics. Ona takes the conversations held over from evening phone chats the spill into the confrontation IRL spheres of discourse where requests for earnest & intimate acceptance are the requirement for joining the artist along her own designed voyage. This exchange is done by Ona throwing every big pop hook trope-trick-in-the-book at the audience with a recording session arranged like something out of a Russ Meyer classic for the future age.
Ona described the inspirations behind the song “In Your Life” & her debut album Lullabies For Daddy with the following insights:
In Your Life is the first song I wrote for my first EP, so it’s pretty seminal. It talks of meeting someone online, being curious, investigating further, then running into some snags because what attracted him at first is something he wants me to tame down now that we’re close, so at the end of the song I riff into an appeal that what I do with my body is still beautiful and it’s okay to share it with the world online, and if he can love me for it, then I can love him back and we can not only be free and in each other’s lives but maybe we can help the world be free too and let them into our life.
I just actually finished my last day of a 10 day selfie tour, my Big Sky Selfie Tour 2016. I’m in Idaho right now, winding down after 8 hours of shooting a video for a song on Lullabies for Daddy, my upcoming first album, called “A-List Ass”. This is my third Selfie Tour, my first was Southwest, my second was Summer Camp. I see these tours as a chance to create a lot of photo and video content, to share pics and vids immediately with my fans on IG and Snapchat, to play my already released songs and preview some of my new ones, and to create a travel diary that I will share on my website, OnaMania.com. My next tour is called Ghost Town Selfie Tour, and it’s in October. Then in December it’s the Art Basel Miami Selfie Tour. So far all my tours have been around America, just exploring beautiful natural spaces, amazing towns, and secret by-ways, and sharing my experiences with my followers.
Lullabies for Daddy is in progress. We are in the studio constantly. It’s looking like it will be ready around the first of the new year. I’m super excited about it as it’s a real expansion on many of the sounds and ideas I played with in Sex Rock, my EP, but it’s much tighter and more elaborately produced. The themes of the album are my faves: sex, love, and the lit rock lifestyle. The plan is to release some videos to some early preview tracks as early as October 2016.
Ona’s Lullabies for Daddy will be available in early 2017, with previews of songs being released during her “Selfie Tours”.
Brodie Bones
Brodie Bones, the moniker of Cephas Munga, aka Blac Hollywood, aka Ghozt Pit & more returns with a look at the vide ofor “Sum of All Fears” that delivers his most hazy & entrancing sounds, tones & textures to date. Having returned to his Vancouver stomping grounds, Brodie Bones (aka BB) shines a light on his most hypnotic production to date that illuminate some bright new directions. The various projects that Cephas has been a part of continue to inflate in terms of atmospheric texture where Brodie Bones finds Munga ascending toward great rewarding & exciting new heights.
Brodie Bones’ “Sum Of All Fears” is brought to you by Super Hubbo & Navjxt where Cephas is seen sporting a fly Iron Maiden tee while schlepping about with a shovel and traversing through a variety of locales. Brodie Bones is Cephas taking his sound to deeper directions and more enriched dimensions where the production is delivered through familiar terrains that fly up higher than ever before where the artist has discovered a more mature & realized realm of how his sound conveys emotive & resonating facets of meaningful pop traits. More so than ever before, Brodie Bones is Cephas Munga building off the institutions built by Cities Aviv, clipping., Death Grips, World’s Fair, and counting in new facets & forms discovered by Cephas himself. Cephas Munga introduced his new labor of love with the following introduction:
After having moved back from living in New York with my good friend Lifeguard, aka Jonathan Contreras-Whitney. I had been super inspired by the pace of the city and vibe. I felt accepted in a place where my inner weirdo could shine without objection. it was time for a revamp. I knew I could get my branding and marketing game up. It’s a business right so why not give them what they want. They want you to look sexier and cooler than they do. Music videos are a cool way to make yourself seem larger than life. The video came about because I wanted to finally give my sound some visual appeal. Kids want the YouTube, so you gotta give it to them.
I’ve met so many new artists this year. Vancouver is still a snooze fest but there’s hidden talent here. I linked up with the young shooter Navjxt, he’s talented behind the camera. Superhubbo is an artist whose direction I trust. We’re working on music together too as well. Getting all these kids to work together will be so beneficial to the culture that is lacking here in Vancouver. Someone needs to shine light on it. Not me though. I’m just making my art, then plan to leave again.
The Marches
You have heard the work of LA’s Richard Conti supplying his multi-instrumental contributions for various acts (including Lupe Fiasco) about the various local channels providing various supplemental bass clarinet, guitar, piano, saxophone & organ and now the eclectic artist presents his new outfit The Marches, preparing the debut album I Shall Stand Like David Until Death Makes Me Marble for release September 16. Presenting the world premiere of the self-made visuals for “El Greco Prism”, Richard Michael Conti provides a flashing & shining arrangements of multi-colored auras that flash before silhouettes that bring about the diamond bright dalliances of light, sound & visions closer together as one completed & understood form.
Beyond the poetics of Grecian urns & other items of influential esoterica—”El Greco Prism” blasts with plenty of brass and a smart yet understated arrangement of rhythm & Conti’s own suave vocal delivery. The visuals themselves should be complete with warnings for those with epileptic issues, as images of galaxy constellations, dizzying arrays of club lights & views of audiences enjoying multimedia light shows place the viewer & listener in those very seats as a participant in the song & video. The saxophone tones emerge all around in various forms of treated effects as fluttering percussion bits & other progression instrumental devices carry along the song to every new bar & section. Richard Conti kindly shared the following exclusive thoughts on the making of the making of Marble, along with the processes & processionals involved with the creation of The Marches sound:
I put a limitation on Shall Stand Like David Until Death Makes Me Marble to use all analog instruments. I am not sure if that is the appropriate name of these types of instruments. French Horns, guitars, saxophones, organs, violins etc. I would sometimes glitch, stretch, or delay them with effects in post or with pedals while recording. It ended up sculpting a unique sound to the album. Bittersweet harmonies and melodies form a lot of the base or core. Often I would try to darken that up. Thinking in terms of Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Portishead, or even The Knife helped push that aspect. Coupled with a more natural tendency simpatico to artists like Mac Demarco or Grizzly Bear it hopefully uncovers both harmony and mood in the album as a whole.
Manatree
Manatree released their debut self-titled last year via EggHunt Records & are comprised of members from Lucy Dacus’ touring band who who are touring today through September 24 before returning back to their home of Richmond, Virginia to record their second full-length. Presenting the world premiere for Manatree’s video for “Animal Quietlies” from Henry Sho Kellam & Noma Illmensee for Mikan Media; we are given a privy view to the band performing at a house gathering where friends are listening, enjoying each other’s company, playing board games, knitting, cooking & more. The inter-connective magic of Manatree is on full display here as a band of friends, hanging out with more friends, exchanging laughter, good time, egos, expectations & an infectious energy that rises off the chirping & catchy chords.
The video for “Animal Quietlies” illustrates the band coming together, squabbling over instruments & accouterments before kicking into their cavalcade of creative & mathematical-like chord configurations. The wordplay of the “Animal Quietlies” title that is a spin on the term animal qualities illustrates the band in their household niche where a jovial house party natural unfolds with more guests dropping by to enjoy the sounds & and presence of each other’s company. As board games are busted out on the living room table, Manatree band members begin to take part in the fun (even while mid-performance), where random cooking experiments go awry & tensions rise high while remaining all around joyous at the same time. The Mikan Media video provides the audience with a unique view at the Manatree club home-treehouse where all friends congregate to catch the group’s addictive array of heart-speaking chords that inspire smiles, dreams, visions, goals & guaranteed to inspire the not-so-musically inclined to possibly pick up a guitar for the first time. The party begins now featuring acting from the band’s drummer & friend Jack Oliver, along with the whole gang of Joseph McCormick, Woody Rogers, Zavi Harman, Richard Li, John Li, Dustyn Vallies, Mo Waldmann, Hannah Waldmann, Allie Harvey, Kensington Vivier, Grace Gable, Meggie Dieter & Lucy Dacus herself.
Manatree shared the following insights on the making of the new video for “Animal Quietlies” with exclusive insights about their upcoming second album said to be in the works:
The idea for this video was to go with Henry Sho Kellam of Mikan Media into the house where most of Manatree lives, and film as much as possible before the sun went down. We’ve worked with him on a bunch of projects and really trust his eye. We set up some gear in the living room, invited friends over, and let one idea lead to the next. For this song we wanted to do something simple that focuses on the intimate visual details of our environment and those who inhabit it.
After our self-titled release, we’ve become gradually more interested in electronic music, everything from pop-oriented artists like Sylvan Esso and Frank Ocean to the more experimental Actress and Oneohtrix Point Never. While keeping our original guitars-bass-drums lineup, and simple, energetic live performances, we’re now beginning to incorporate elements of this kind of music into our vocals, compositions and instrumentation. We’re hoping to blend these influences for a unique and personal release next year, which we are currently beginning to record in a variety of spaces around Richmond. We’re gonna keep touring throughout the fall though, with an extensive spring/summer tour planned after the record release, in whatever form it may come.
Catch Manatree on the following tour dates:
August
26 New York, NY – Sofar Sounds Session
28 Brooklyn, NY – The Gateway
September
09 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Day Party at Ruby Deluxe
24 Richmond, VA – Hardywood Park
White Laces
Richmond’s White Laces just dropped a cassette reissue of their beloved cult hit Sick of Summer that is the lead-up to the anticipated new album No Floor available later this fall. Old school fans will already recall Sick of Summer as the debut EP that introduced the group before the world felt the power of their much-lauded Moves album. Available via rising DIY imprint & hub EggHunt Records, hear Sick of Summer now like never before via a remaster that brings about the full majesty that captured excitement from one Richmond’s loudest acts around.
That original breakout sound & fury of White Laces bursts through with the force of nature that is “Motorik Twilight”, sending out electrical smoke signals to the celestial heights with “Spirituals”, that thunders into the raging ennui & discontent heard on “Sick of Summer”. The band’s initial release provides a snap-shot of a group starting out in all directions on “Honeywood”, the heavy psych trip heard on “Psychic Healing”, to the singalong style of “Hands in Mexico”, the scuzzy destitution of “Bastard’s Dead”, as the dissonance dives head first into the ether & void of eternity discovered on “Dissolve Into Color”.
Landis Wine of White Laces shared some exclusive insights on the upcoming album No Floor along with words on the Sick of Summer re-pressing:
At the time the songs on the EP were the first baby steps toward figuring out what we wanted to do as a band. Jimmy & I tracked everything in Jamaica Plain in Boston and getting out of Richmond was really crucial to that record. The last night I was up there Kevin Micka and I stayed up mixing the record until I left for the airport at seven AM where I was subsequently bumped from my flight by the band Interpol who were trying to make soundcheck for a show that night in Richmond. Looking back now I hear a lot of exploring and very little restraint.
As for No Floor, it’s the opposite of any record we’ve done before. We did a lot of the recording and programming at home and made slight tweaks over a long period of time. I don’t think think all four of us were in the room together at any given time during the recording but it also features more band members contributing vocals than any other record. It’s a short, poppy, abnormal record played through a melting boombox.
The cassette & vinyl reissue of White Laces’ Sick of Summer is available today from EggHunt Records.
Ablebody
Ablebody’s Christoph Hochheim live at Bowery Ballroom; photographed by Jonathon Bernstein.
Ablebody are readying their awaited anticipated debut album Adult Contemporaries available October 14 from Lolipop Records, presenting us a view to an afternoon with the brothers Anton & Christoph Hochheim captured by Lily X for the “Gaucho”. Reconnecting with natural parks of splendor and Romanesque statues & pillars; Ablebody once again manages to find away to accurately find visuals that both compliment & underscore the more understated nuances that exist in the sound from one of the west coast’s best (& best kept secret) groups. Christoph introduced the new video with the following privy thoughts including lyrics & all:
The song itself came fairly quickly with the rhythmic cadence and syllables landing just as they sound on the final version, just without any actual lyrical content. For some reason the words Gaucho, Jason and Starlight kept coming up in the chorus which i thought was odd and pretty far from the normal bank of words I use as placeholders when writing. I normally sing about love gained/lost so thought it’d be fun to write a song re-contextualizing my friend Jason as a drug slinging cowboy who works out of Hotel Starlight and gets found in a river basin ha. I’ve been obsessed with Hotel Cecil in LA which has a rich history of housing many famous psychopaths and more recently the inexplicable death of Elisa Lam and like the idea of a place driving people to madness. Also, Hotel Starlight is a weird image I’ve had in my mind since childhood which i think came from a book but can’t remember for certain, either way it’s a deserted desert hotel that I have a vivid visual of and gives me the feeling of being lost in a dream but finding solace in that feeling, very odd and I’m not sure if it’s entirely invented but it seemed fitting in the song.
Sorry that got so long-winded ha not sure if it’s helpful at all. The video isn’t really based on the lyrical content but more an attempt to capture the mood of madness with two brothers surrounded by ornate relics of the past who are willfully exiled from society living in a house together that’s slowly driving them mad, kinda a playful take on Grey Gardens.
I attached the lyrics below if you’re curious.
“Gaucho”
jason
you said you learned your lesson
but you lost your head and sensibilityjason
a tricky situation
but i cant work out what your facility’s aboutpsycho
stay a night
gaucho
starlightjason
supplies the medication
that’ll put your head on disabilityjason
quick to condemnation
when your pencil lead spouts your obscenities and doubtjason
they said he left the station
but its been some time since i’ve last heard from himjason
he’s in the river basinpsycho
stay a night
gaucho
(one more night)
starlight
CHUCK
Brooklyn artist CHUCK is the musical outfit & outlet of Charles Griffin Gibson who has released a variety of material in the past half a decade and now prepares to present a compilation that covers his 2010-2015 best of available September 9 from Audio Antihero / Old Money Records. You get classics like the celebratory DIY freak-fun of “Happy New Years Babe”, the sentimental sea-gazing “Oceans’, doting on local loves like “Bushwick Girl”, to the concrete wave crashing “Wipe Out”, that then closes on the sentimental & intimate note of “Let’s Make Out”. CHUCK described the new compilation to us with the following insights:
I’ve been making music for about 10 years in my bedroom. I usually just share it with family and friends for fun. Somehow, I had the good fortune of getting an email from a record label called Audio AntiHero a few months ago. I was very familiar with them, because they release the music of Frog, one of my favorite bands. AAH was curious if I wanted to put together a compilation with them. 13 choice cuts from all the records I’ve put out. I said wtf do you think, of course I wanna do that and so we did it and it’s about to come out!
My Band is a Computer is a compilation of some of my songs from 2010- 2015. I feel extremely fortunate that Audio Antihero approached me to put this collection together. It’s fun to hear material from all across the years get together in one room. I started out in High School making electronic music on a Dell desktop PC in my family’s living room. It wasn’t great. Then my Mom bought me an acoustic guitar when I was 20 and at the time I was obsessed with the music documentary Dig! so I started writing my own ripoff versions of the songs in that movie. Since then I’ve just used whatever I had around to keep writing and producing tracks. The resulting music has never really left my immediate bubble of friends, coworkers and loved ones. But thanks to the internet, someone like Jamie at Audio Antihero was able to find my Bandcamp and have enough of a reaction that he wanted to help me reach an audience. I feel really lucky to have this opportunity, and I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who gives this a listen.
Toronto’s Maccie dropped the track “Bleed” that busts out the most sparse beats, echoes & vocal delivery that pierces right through you via the mix & execution. With repeated quips of “don’t forget to breathe”, Maccie describes an ultra carnal act of congress & obsession that is expressed in inhales & exhales that punctuates the track in ways that Maccie described with the following insights:
“Bleed” is about lust. It’s not about the act of sex…it’s about wanting sex. Needing it. Craving it. Obsessing over it. It is about a sexual experience so powerful that it haunts every interaction I have with anyone else and trumps any and every thought that tries to take precedence in my mind.
Chasms break the surfaces & surroundings like glass structures being broken in slow motion as heard on “Black Ice”. Jess Labrador & Shannon Madden from San Francisco channel percussive guitar drones fed through a sequence of rhythm steps that roll with chord roars of the sea. Chasms’ album On The Legs Of Love Purified will be available October 14 from felte.
Catching up with Gringo we got a listen to their new single “Cut a Rug” which inspires the listening audience to just that. With mathematical rhythms & punchy progressions, Gringo brings about the anthem for going out on the town and taking life by the horns with a delivery that is served with a subtle dash of distortion. Listen to more power-pop future classics from Gringo via Soundcloud.
Oxford’s Rainbow Reservoir presented us with the single “Coco Sleeps Around” available from the Cardiff imprint Odd Box Records September 10. The band’s homage to a filandering individual is done in a unique way of DIY harmonization and a spoken/somewhat shouted titular chorus to seal the deal.
East London’s rising artist Alxndr London brought some super-charged nu-lounge beat vibes with the track “XXX” that boasts a track of mazes & many mansions. Alxndr guides the listener through the labyrinth of luscious beats & rhythms that glide & bounce with total control as London’s delivery remains smoky, smooth & sweet as a Swisher.
Relax with your new favorite tropical-pop-makers Swaai Boys with the illustrious cool chord chill heard on “Dana of Dendur” featured off their EP available this fall. “Dana of Dendur” finds the NYC based exploration enthusiasts (we were told that the band are proud card carrying members of the Explorer’s Club) focus their attention on how to land every uttered lyrical syllable and chord link to have the feeling of a perpetual summer that never sees the sun fully set ever.
MADEIRA is New Zealand vocal pop icon Kim Pflaum who is readying her anticipated debut EP Bad Humors available September 23 from Carpark Records and was ever so gracious as to gift us with the earnest “Come On Thru”. Kim has a keen knack for penning these songs that not only are sung from a please that resonates with genuine feeling but her particular breathy delivery hits the mark every time in conjunction with the adornments of always lush arrangements (listen to all the MADEIRA singles & the first two Yumi Zouma EPs for further evidence of this).
Giant Claw, aka Keith Rankin has begun to release previously unheard & formerly unused tracks on his Soundcloud and we give you a first listen with “Prove It”. Even a cast off cut like this showcases exactly what sorts of realms Rankin can capture as the feeling of an early 90s arcade beat-em-up is brought to full life via the maximalist tropes that inform much of today’s more bombast pop tones.
Racing Heart’s new album What Comes After will be available September 16 from Misra Records and you can hear the single “Squaring the Circle” (featuring a Jenny Hval assist in the department of songwriting, lyrics, vocals, arrangements & more on this track and a various tracks on the album) that tackles concepts of shapes & proportions through synths & dramatic deliveries. Decisive & dramatic situations are illustrated as face to face conflicts & situations arise over the arc of the song that brings about a point blank intensity that is destined to become a cult favorite among the masses.
Låpsley presented us with the glamorous Cherise Payne video for “Operator (DJ Koze edit)” ahead of her North American tour beginning in November. Featuring fashionable performances from Shiaz Legs, Cher Nobyl, Geiza Poke & Jackie Weinhaus; Låpsley’s sound gets further decked out in new definitions and dimensions of disco.
“Do you ever get the feeling?” Noah Champ asks on Field Trip’s “4 CA”, “do you ever get the feeling it’s too late?” The atmospheric scuzz-dramatics are found off the upcoming album Horror Vacui available November 11 where Noah & company promise more out of time/out of mind tracks to get lost in. In the words of Mr. Champ:
Making this song the way we did has made me feel lost in time, which is a feeling I think is really at its core.
In case you missed it don’t miss the exquisite Eric Bellinger with Phil Ade on the track “In My Prime” that brings some prime time/showtime showcases from the forthcoming Eric B. For President: Term 1. Eric B. boasts in full prime mode with references on the past with hopes for the future.
Mild High Club delivered good on another psych-kissed kernel with “Kokopelli” ripped from Skiptracing available August 26 from Stones Throw Records. The psychotropic move from derelict lounge to parts & traces to worlds unbenowst to many.
New Portals presents the Emily McDonald video for “Cage” that features the fancy dance moves from Thomas Hands & Alice Laidler that exchange in a variety of intimate steps to match the motif & moods of the song.
Schwarz Dont Crack took us on an escapist “Getaway” with the visuals for the starRo remix that adds more synth breaths & percussive arrangements & spaces. Ahmad Larnes & Sebastian Kreis shatter down delusions with the chorus reiterations of “got to get away, got to get away from the chaos around me” that goes forth to find other forms of guidance & states of safety & solace.
NYC’s American Anymen present a listen to their cycle of protest songs & confrontational vignettes found on their new album Start My Center available September 2. The tongue-in-cheek catchy harmonies & rhythms from Brett Sullivan (vocals, guitar), Tracy Brooks (vocals, percussion) & Nova Luz (vocals, bass) bring the joking/not joking approach that turns over the proverbial poker tables on the bubble-bursting cloud piercer “Selectively Stupid” that suggests a whole other sort of natural-willful-selection of idioacy to the politically charged “Beach and the Sun” that updates “Holiday in the Sun” for today’s new paradigms & dilemmas. Brett, Nova & Tracy take the mickey out of faux revolutions & conceits in the face of permanent conflicts, rolling & raging on “Paper Tiger”, to the nu-punk kicker against the cleansers on “Sanitize”, tackling capitalistic aesthetics of the system’s ruling elites on “Money Art”, to the closing title track hymn of high rise hijinks & even higher stakes.
Also check out American Anymen’s Erica Schreiner video for “Beach and the Sun” that is as DIY & flashy & awesome as you would expect & imagine.
SAINt JHN dropped the new track “Dope Dealer” that features production from Bobby Johnson & f a l l e n that provide some moody electronic essences that make even the sunniest days feel like a cloud-shrouded evening in the city. JHN depicts narratives of one of the word’s harshest trades that embodies the many stories & feelings of what it’s like when your primary occupation is slinging them things amid the crossfire games of love, hate, desire & utter necessity.
Yoke Lore strapped on some skates and gave us the “Hold Me Down” video from the debut EP Far Shoreavailable now from B3SCi Records. The thrills of skating late at night on the street are on full display while YL brings the big emotive pop about the ties & connections that both bind & untie at the same time.
Bust a move with Trutopia’s single “Midnight Soul” from Welsh sibling trio that illuminates the evenings and dance floors with road map-sequences to follow & take heed of that possibly lead to some sort of utopia of the heart & soul.
Bei Ru’s album L.A. ZOOO will be available October 7 from Musa Ler Music / Fat Beats, and we have spent our week just zenning the eff out to “Pink Sky”. This is for those days where you spend your red eyed sunsets gazing above at the way the cloud gases break against the falling beams of celestial sun light. A complete thrill-coaster to soothe the senses.
Jesse Mac Cormack’s forthcoming After The Glow EP will be available September 16 from Secret City Records and you can cruise to the insatiable jagged tension tamer of “Never Enough”. Mac Cormack expresses a plugged-in electric emotive sequence of synths & strings that puts all points of purpose there on the line.
Goblin Cock dropped the big bad riffs on “Your Watch” taken off Necronomidonkeykongimicon available September 2 from Joyful Noise. With a tour beginning September 14, feast your ears on these crunchy chords that are going to make a crappy day a helluva whole lot better.
Corey King’s album Lashes will be available September 9 from Ropeadope Records, and you are invited to enter the multi-talented’s world with the track “If”. King entertains the what ifs & intuitive notions that in turn makes for some of the most beguiling & enticing pop atmospheres you might hear all week.
Crying’s Elaiza, Nick & Ryan are back with the wonderful new single “Wool in the Wash” from their much-anticipated album Beyond the Fleeting Gales available October 14 from Run For Cover Records. From what we have heard so far from Crying’s big upcoming album; the trio has foregone the hacked Game Boy synth-samplings for what the world is about to hail as their most realized sound yet.
San Francisco’s Ohlayindigo dropped the bubbling big boisterous beat with “AWOL” found off their new Phases EP. Hanna Ponth, Joakim Holmen & Martin Kaasa work out the narratives of erratic ways through infectious percussion schemes & synth structures spun by Boxxes’ production.
XL Middleton & Eddy Funkster recently released their collaborative album and we present you the Daniel Urbano Gonzalez video for “The Boys Are Back” that features Brian Ellis, Zackey Force Funk & Diamond Ortiz. It’s XL & part of his crew bringing that revelry vibe while getting down to that MoFunk rhythm & bounce brand. Even the late-great Phil Lynott would probably give a nod, smile & tap a toe to this all the way from the other side.
Gwynneth Haynes’ Sophe Lux & The Mystic presents the global conscious leaning psych-pop video “All Are One”. Haynes takes the hyper-pop art form to the heightened realm of audio & visual in a way that brings the world together as a congregation of potentially peaceful long-lost siblings united by the universe’s embrace.
Off Shadow of a Drought, chceck out Fialta’s “Be Someone” video directed by Andrew Keenan-Bolger that features some sick choreography from Charlie Williams that will help inspire you to keep your whole summer steez staying strong through this forthcoming fall/winter season(s).
TYSSON dropped the big-lit pop for your weekend with “Go Down” featured off their self-titled debut EP available September 16 where John Michael Rouchell & Alvin Ford Jr. dish out infectious synths with snazzy yet sappy deliveries.
L.A. emcee Matre dropped the track “Retsina” that sports production from Berlin’s own Beezwax and vocals from Dahlida. Featured off the Courage mixtape, Matre is your maître d’hôtel to keep that bottle service pushing well into the fall.
HUNTR is Gilbere Forte who presented us with the dramatic lit video from Adam Tyree for “Veins”. The reiterations of “we are not the same” find Forte & band raging against machines & differences that move for a higher & perhaps more common ground through the intensity of the arrangement.
Mutemath’s leader Paul Meany of Twenty One Pilots’ dropped the mellowmatics remix of “Stressed Out” that addresses the strife & duress of the world in a pop gem where all download proceeds go to help those affected by the devastating floods in Louisiana.
Soothe your tireless travels & sore feet with a sweet strumming number from Louis Berry on the antsy-excited anticipation that rises through riffs & keyboard sustain atmospheres of “Restless”.
Hollis Brown’s new EP Cluster of Pearls is available today from Alive Naturalsound Records and you can tap a toe & shake a leg to the cold prelude to fall pop blues of “Cold City”. The chillier aspect of living in the big city is depicted in ways like a classic traveling troubadour who just tells it like it is.
Wild Pink to followup 2015’s Good Life with the forthcoming 4 Songs EP available October 7 from Tiny Engines sharing the illuminating & reverberating wonder that is “4th of July”. The NYC group finds that perfect tone where all honesty flows in an inexplicable air that floats like sung whispered secrets exchanged in the clandestine evening atmosphere.
Allen Tate (lead singer from San Fermin) lent a helping hand of comfort for the lonely with “Being Alone” off Tate’ solo album Sleepwalker available October 28 from Votiv Music. Allen goes big with a full sound that provides a solemn yet enlightening entrance into a new portal of care & safety net of sanctuary.
Hot Sugar just dropped the Seductive Nightmares Vol 3 tape of absolute atmospheres made in partnership with Dover Street Market. HS trips up cuts from deeply sourced old groove cubbies where vintage sound splices are met with a contemporary compulsion of viewing the past through an audio-collage pastiche.
Bridgit Mendler brought some deep sea civilization seeking sentiments on “Atlantis” feat. Kaiydo that brings the cloudy production in the heavens above soar a closer to the water’s cavernous depths.
East London’s Sälen presented us with their beautiful new single “The Drwg” courtesy of Machine Records that updates the “Love is the Drug” type of mentality as Ellie Kamio’s sings the reiterated hook refrain of, “You’re the drug that I’m in love with, you’re the way that I waste my time….” Catch the trio playing & headlining London’s new spot Kamio on October 19.
Found off their album Out of Sight, embrace the beautiful dissonance & orchestrated cacophony of “The Bedroom” from Falling. The Minneapolis, MN trio forges together distortion together in a way of chaos finding order through a dual suite of surreality to soak into your senses.
Psychic TV’s Week in Pop
Psychic TV new new album Alienist will be available September 16 from Angry Love and Dais Records & we are proud to present the following Week in Pop guest selections exclusively sourced by Edley ODowd & Genesis P-Orridge.
Edley ODowd introduces the guest selections that him & Genesis Breyer P-Orridge made for us with the following words:
Genesis and I frequently DJ together under the name of Granny Takes Another Trip. These sets explore what we like to call deep psychedelic madness. Almost 100% of what we spin is music made in the ’60s and ’70s. Occasionally we play more recent music that we feel capture the spirit of those eras. We split the request of 10 songs in half so we could each present our ultimate favorite tracks from our sets. I personally have a love of cover tunes, which is why in the recent past Psychic TV have been exploring the reinterpretation of psychedelic classics in our own way. You’ll find some wonderful versions of songs you know and love on this list as well as well as some originals that have been often covered by exciting and inventive more recent bands.
-Edley ODowd, August 2016, NYC.
The Creation, “How Does It Feel To Feel” (Genesis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu09mdmrEw8
Soft Boys, “Vegetable Man” (Edley)
Incredible String Band, “Ducks On A Pond” (Genesis)
Bongwater, “Ride My See-Saw” (Edley)
Psychic TV playing Brooklyn Bazaar; photographed by Jeanette D. Moses.
Chocolate Watchband, “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” (Genesis)
Psychic TV performing at Brooklyn Bazaar; photographed by Jeanette D. Moses.
Yoko Ono, “Why” (Edley)
Psychic TV at Brooklyn Bazaar; photographed by Jeanette D. Moses.
CAN, “Mother Sky” (Edley)
Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin” (Genesis and Edley)
Shocking Blue, “Love Buzz” (Edley)
The Fibonaccis, “Purple Haze” (Edley)
Hawkwind, “Be Yourself” (Genesis)
