I love starting my weekend with something throbbingly beautiful, and London’s Meddicine is the perfect prescription. Short and violent slabs of industrialized post-punk noise provide the jagged backdrop to composer Monikka’s distorted vocals, echoes of old and new colliding into a body-bruising beauty. Take Tovey’s advice: swallow it. No spoonful of sugar needed.
MP3s:
Just in case you forgot this wasn’t a blog dedicated strictly to witch house, I bring you the one-woman lo-fiisms of Ant Parade. Hailing from the god-forsaken hole that is Florida (one-time resident so I know what I’m talking about) Brigid represents the duality of how this sort of thing usually goes. She’ll lure you into a false sense of security with sweet melodies and lovely words and then shatter your nerves with ghost-vocals over noisy clanks and hiss. Beautiful and frightening stuff.
MP3s:
I go to a lot of different music festivals, but one that really strikes a chord with me is Titwrench. The three-day, all-ages festival is organized by Denver’s Sarah Slater and is focused on women making art and noise. The lineup is fantastic, a veritable who’s-who of noisy girls including Hideous Men, Kevin Shields, Marlo Eggplant, Christina The Hun, and BTS favorite Married In Berdichev, along with 43 other musicians and artists. Even better, there’s helpful workshops that teach you how to build your own noise device, FM transistor radio, and contact microphones, as well as how to run a live PA. So not only do you get to see an amazing DIY concert, you can learn how to start your own as well! I’m dying to go to this one but I’m STILL in Europe on tour; however I if you can make it then GO because it will be one of the best musical experiences you’ll ever have.
MP3s:
Christina The Hun - Sure We Can
Married In Berdichev - Golden Sheets
Sheeeiiit. Didn’t know I was gonna have my face rocked the fuck out of town today, but Bobb Bruno’s brvtal treatment of this Foot Village tune has my visage’s bags packed and ready to go. Mondays are Fundays when you thrash.
Got in from my morning jog to find an update from Marlo Eggplant saying that she’s offering a four-way split for free. Heavy vibes on this one; aside from eggy you also get squeaks and squeals from NRYY, static wash from To-Bo, and walls of guitar noise via Jerking Off Coma Patients. Check it out here!
Rain? Reflection? Sounds like a good day for Swans. If it’s sunny where you are, fuck youuuuuu.
MP3s:
Some nights you wake up from a mind-bending sinus headache and God has mercy on your poor soul by pouring jagged shards of beautiful glass into your ears. This was the case when my favorite pharaoh Brian dropped me a link to Raunchy Young Lepers. More musically inept than The Shaggs and more atonal than Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, these three sixth-grade boys were the epitome of raw. One of the members, Jake Anderson, later went on to help found Gang Wizard, proving that he’s always been awesome. RYL cranked out 40 albums from 1989-‘91, and I’d love to get my hands on every one. Fortunately, not only do they have a massive box set available to buy for only 20 bucks, but for the slightly poorer they also offer a best-of CD from only 3 bucks! AND it comes with a New Kids On The Block sticker. Life is gold.
MP3s:
This mega-radness is available on Tape Mountain. Get it!
My favoritest noise duo Caldera Lakes have just released a new cassette! Tape is the perfect medium to listen to Brittany Gould’s beautiful, otherworldy vocals punctured by Eva Aguila’s throbbing drones and harsh noise. Naturally the second I got the news I immediately purchased one, and you should as well because they’re limited to 100 copies.
MP3:
Caldera Lakes’ self-titled cassette is available now on Accidie. Get it.
The other day Brian mentioned that Gang Wizard are recording new material. I just wanted to share this so your brain boner becomes as big as mine at the thought of this. I haven’t seen this band in a very long time and I still remember sniffing a bit when my GW shirt finally deteriorated to the point of being unwearable, which for me means it was basically a 2x5 inch piece of cloth (I’m actually only 6 inches tall; oooo big shock NOT).
Pic is by Lars, by the way; check out his many other cool pics of many other cool bands.
It feels like forever since I made a mixtape, but I recently did this one for a friend. I’ve provided a rip because I am awesome and I want you to hear all the cool stuff he gets to hear too. It does include a weirdo drone version of Korn’s ‘Got The Life’, and yes, the irony is so thick you could sculpt it like Play-Doh. But does anyone unironically like Korn? Seems unlikely, but in this economy, can we really afford to authentically like anything? I’m not sure but fucked up if true. Enjoy!
Download: Kid Sportswear - Because We Like You
Side A
Blue Sabbath Black Fiji - Screamin’ Janine B
Haunted Fucking - I Want You
Time Life - Slag III
Altar Eagle - Dogfighting
Part Wild Horses Mane on Both Sides - Earth Song
Golden Cup - Ursa Maior
Side B
Angels In America - AK Layline
Goatfooted - Untitled
Harrius - The Cotton Ring
Kommissar Hjuler & Mama Baer - Got The Life
Hammer of Hathor - Bee
A to Austr - Thumbquake & Earthscrew
Malibu Falcon - Untitled
White Hinterland - My Love
Sonic terrorist tik///tik has just released a web-only track as a tribute to the death of 2k9. It’s bouncy and beautiful in all the ways a mutant loves; in other words it’s like a Gameboy fighting with a car compacter. In even more TT related news, Deathbomb Arc will be releasing his new CD next week. Think it will own? Believe.
tik///tik’s upcoming CD Dormant Like Breath will be out soon. Get it.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure to interview Marlo Eggplant, one of the nicest women in music and the mind behind 2008’s well-received Ladyz In Noyz, a three-disc compilation of female-fronted experimental projects.
You’ve been doing music for a long time now; how did you get started?
I’ve been musicing since I was little. My parents made me take cello, piano, voice, and classical guitar. on top of compulsory karaoke. Technically I guess I began playing out in junior high at a coffee shop in Baltimore city called the Bohemian Cafe with my big brother. Singer-songwriter folky stuff.
When I toured the West Coast last year with my band, the show we were looking forward to playing more than anything was the one with Strip Mall Seizures. After hours of driving, we arrived in Oakland and walked into the massive anarcho house where the show was going to be. Wandering into the back yard, we can upon a large man with boobs digging in the dirt. He handed us shovels and asked us to help. This is how I met Levi, ex-member of the brilliant Coughs and the monster behind Carreza. Eventually we’d dug a hole large enough that Levi was up to his chest in the ground, and to open what was to be the best show we’d ever played (including dogs on trampolines and a beer can easter egg hunt) he surrounded himself with tiny speakers, bashed his keyboard, and hooted and hollered. These tracks and video may give you some indication of the happiness I felt at being part of all this.
MP3s:
Anyone who’s read much of this blog will know what a huge fan I am of Brittany Gould and her project Married In Berdichev!, so when I saw that the Denver chanteuse had put up a rough preview of the new Caldera Lakes album (the collaborative project between her and Kevin Shields’ Eva Aguila) I hooted and hollered like an ape, making just the most appalling racket until I got grounded. I’m not ashamed of my feelings; if this is a rough cut then the polished version is going to blow me away.
One of my favorite ways for finding new music is doing a search on Soulseek for an obscure band you like and then once you find someone who has their stuff, poking around in folders for otherstuff that looks strange. Most nights this will find me something good, and last night found me Teen Fuqq. I haven’t the foggiest clue about this band other than that they’re
- a guy and a girl
- lo-fi noise/industrial that brings to mind Circuit des Yeux and Throbbing Gristle
- amazing
Here’s a couple tracks from their Tamed By Censors EP. Short and sweet.
MP3s:
