Ezra Furman is back with a new album Twelve Nudes, which will be out August 30 via Bella Union. For it he worked with in-demand producer John Congleton and Ezra calls it a “spiritually queer” punk record and “a slice of pure agitated rage.” You can hear what Ezra means on the “freaked-out banger” of a first single. “Desperate times make for desperate songs,” says Furman. “I wrote this in the summer of 2018, a terrible time. It’s the sound of me struggling to admit that I’m not okay with the current state of human civilization, in which bad men crush us into submission. Once you admit how bad it feels to live in a broken society, you can start to resist it, and imagine a better one.” Watch the animated video for “Calm Down AKA I Should Not Be Alone,” made by Beth Jeans Houghton, below.
Ty Segall and The Freedom Band has announced multi-night residencies in Los Angeles, NYC, Paris, London, and Haarlem, NL where they will play select albums in full, including Melted, Goodbye Bread, Emotional Mugger and Manipulator. (There will be an additional set at these shows where they’ll play “???” still to be announced.) There are 10 Los Angeles shows (Teragram Ballroom on July 26, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, September 13, 20 & 27) and five NYC shows (Warsaw on October 1-5).
Mikal Cronin is back with a new 7″ single that will be out via Famous Class on May 10. “This is my first new music in a while,” Mikal admits. (Four years, give or take. “My gulp of air. Many talented friends joined me, the basic tracks were recorded live together for the first time in my recording career.” Those talented friends include William Tyler, Shannon Lay, Heidi Alexander (The Sandwiches / Fresh & Onlys) and more. This is a little rawer than we’ve heard Mikal go in a while, too, and the grit is welcome.
Singer-songwriter Jess Cornelius, who used to be part of Australian group Teeth & Tongue, has just released her debut solo single, “No Difference.” A nice piece of anthemic guitar pop, the song’s video focuses on eyes and has Jess singing from the bathtub. “We wanted to introduce the water element because of its cleansing/rebirthing properties, but water is also destructive, and the image of someone wearing a white suit in a full bathtub implies someone slightly unhinged,” says Jess.
Bikini Kill are officially back!
John Dwyer is never not busy. When he’s not touring non-stop or making records with Oh Sees (like this year’s awesome Smote Reverser), he’s got his solo project Damaged Bug, and the label he runs, Castle Face, that puts out a dozen or so records a year. He’s slowing things down just a bit this weekend when he brings his pastoral, folky OCS collaboration with onetime Oh See Brigid Dawson and a string section to Brooklyn’s Murmrr Theatre on Saturday (12/15).
Just in time for Halloween, Oh Sees have a spooky/scary animated video for “Nite Expo” from this year’s Orc. Hand-drawn and animated by Alex Theodoropulos, the video plays off some of frontman John Dwyer’s childhood loves.
“…King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have shared details of Murder of the Universe, their second album of 2017 — and far from the last if they stay on target. The 21-track concept album is divided into three chapters…”
“…Ty Segall has just shared “Break a Guitar,” the opening salvo from his self-titled album, which is due next week (1/27) via Drag City. The song sets the tone for the album: thick, swampy, glammy riff rock…”
Ty Segall AND Ex-Cult AND CFM all have their own albums out this year, but don’t let that make you think GØGGS is some tossed-off side project.
“King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard released their new album Paper Mâché Dream Balloon last week and if you haven’t heard it yet it’s streaming through the service of your choice (we’ve got Spotify below). The record eschews their crazed psych-garage in favor of acoustic instruments, jazzy arrangements and more than a little flute…”
“Then Ezra Furman took things up a notch with a spirited, sax-fueled set. Furman’s a charismatic, charming guy and between the confessional, storytelling nature of many of his songs and folk-rock style, it’s all a little late-’80s Violent Femmes yet there’s nobody else quite like him…”
“Prolific Australian psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released the raucous Quarters on Castle Face back in May and will release a second 2015 album, the gentler Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, on ATO this November, and they just wrapped up a tour supporting all of it. The tour concluded in NYC last night (9/16) at Music Hall of Williamsburg with the Burger-signed Michael Rault and the Captured Tracks-signed EZTV…”
“t wasn’t till the yodel-y “Still Together” that things got nutty again. Mac spit water on the crowd who literally lapped it up like baby birds. (People really, really, really love Mac DeMarco.)…”
“Ezra Furman defies easy categorization, actually singing “let’s wreck all these preconceived notions” on “Ordinary Life,” one of the standout cuts from his new album Perpetual Motion People that dabbles in folk, doo-wop, distorted rock, and hooky guitar pop…”
“Fuzz, Ty Segall’s proto-metal-ish trio, will release their second album, bluntly titled II, on October 23 via In the Red…”
“There are those that say that a prolific rock guitarist like Ty Segall should never put down the electric. Why would he? But those that cling to this narrow viewpoint, have obviously never seen Ty Segall rock a crowd without the benefit of electric amplification…”
Indie rocker Mikal Cronin and band began a UK/EU tour last Thursday (5/28) at Primavera Sound, in support of their third studio album MCIII, out now on Merge. We caught them playing London’s 100 Club last night (6/1), with pictures in this post.
Mikal Cronin celebrated the release of his third album, the factually-titled MCIII, at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday night (5/5), part of his current tour.
Cassettes are hip and vinyl sales are on the rise, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that a record label has spun off a new company that will release obscure soundtracks on vinyl, and… movies on VHS. That would be Terror Vision which was started by Ryan Graveface of Black Moth Super Rainbow and Graveface Records. There will also be a video rental store as part of the Graveface Records & Curiosities shop in Savannah, GA.
“ii) Gold” is part of a six-song cycle that inhabits Side 2 of the album. It’s got a soaring chorus, a breakdown featuring Mikal on traditional Greek instrument the tzouras, as well as a let-it-all-hang-out finish.
Thee Oh Sees are in town for two announced NYC shows with Los Angeles’ Jack Name: Bowery Ballroom tonight (11/18) and Warsaw on Friday (11/21).
Ty Segall waves goodbye to Death By Audio.
Then there was King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, no strangers to Baby’s All Right, who came armed with three guitarists, two drummers, a flute and an insane amount of energy. The Australian band may have played more shows during CMJ than any other band, but their crazed stage presence never flagged, nor did audiences bouncing.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have a new album on the way, I’m in Your Mind Fuzz, next month and the band recently shared another song off the album. Check out the fairly gentle “Hot Water” along with the previously released “Cellophane.”
We now have details on the new Quintron & Miss Pussycat album. It’s titled Spellcaster II: Death In Space and will be out October 28 On Pizza Burglar Records. The new record is a mix of their signature organ-driven party jams and droney, atmospheric instrumentals. We’ve got the premiere of “Do the Raid,” which definitely falls into the former category, which you can stream in this post.
The official 2014 ACL Festival Late Night Shows have been announced for both weekendsof this year’s Austin City Limits festival. Highlights of the first weekend include Beck at Stubb’s, Jenny Lewis at Stubb’s, Interpol at Stubb’s, Rhye at the Paramount, and Mac DeMarco at Scoot Inn…
Brooklyn Vegan announces new Quintron & Miss Pussycat LP, fall tour dates
In other news, White Fence have finally released a song from their forthcoming Ty Segall-produced album, For the Recently Found Innocent which is out July 22 via Drag City. “Like That” is a mod stomper in the early Who style and is pretty good.
