Hannah Switzer’s band Labrador describes its songs as “wry and melancholy meditations on all the ways the Patriarchy creeps into relationships and ruins everything.” The group’s debut EP, Tell Me About Your Dad, pairs those meditations with brightly rendered, strangely moody, slightly countrified arrangements that meet somewhere between Neil Young and the stormier reflections of Big Thief. Switzer herself looms largest over the proceedings with a rangy and evocative voice that can haunt, lament and sneer, sometimes all at once.
Hypnotic vocal melodies, intricate undercurrents of drums and bass, and the unusual touch of finger-picking tenor guitar.
Labrador The Band
Vocals, Tenor Guitar – Hannah “Sundance Lass” Switzer
Drums – Lawrence “Casio Kid” Gann
Bass – Kent “2 Moist” Genis
Guitar Solo on “Dumb” – Grant Kempski
All songs by Hannah Switzer
Mike Krol writes crunchy, windows-open, garage-friendly power-pop songs that unfold with maximum efficiency: His last album, 2015’s Turkey, blew by in only 19 minutes. The new, appropriately titled Power Chords is nearly twice as long, but there’s still never a wasted moment. In “I Wonder,” Krol teams up with Allison Crutchfield for a fuzzed-out, wistful, impressively grown-up look back on a relationship that was never meant to be.
Power Chords, Mike Krol’s new Merge release, It traces Krol’s journey back to punk rock, harnessing both the guitar technique and the musical redemption referenced in its title. He’s wielding the same influences—Misfits, The Strokes, early Weezer, Ramones—but turning up the gravity and the gain. Indeed, Krol has gone somewhere new; yes, he bludgeoned himself with over-analysis and self-loathing, but along the way he stumbled upon a trove of intricate guitar lines and artfully mutating melodies.
Music ruined Krol’s life. And then saved it. In chronicling that process, Krol has made his best record—painful, voyeuristic, and angry, but ultimately transcendent and timeless. It is the sound of Krol giving in to a force greater than himself, as though the chords are playing him rather than the other way around.
From the album Power Chords, out January 25th, 2019 on Merge Records.
Sarah Tudzin has dubbed her band’s sound “tenderpunk,” which captures a fair bit of her modus operandi: Vibrant and aggressive, illuminati hotties‘ songs storm agreeably without obscuring the bleeding heart at their center. But that tenderpunk portmanteau still doesn’t quite convey the poppy, sunlit sound of Kiss Yr Frenemies and songs like “(You’re Better) Than Ever,” in which Tudzin craftily conveys a flood of mixed emotions: “Texted you a picture where you looked pretty,” she sings, adding, “and wondered if you saved the ones you had of me.”
On their Facebook page, Illuminati Hotties’ genre description reads “post-naptime burrito-core.” Jokes aside, the L.A. band’s jubilant rock would probably pair well with Mexican foods of all varieties, but not so much a midday nap. The group, whose only permanent member is longtime studio musician Sarah Tudzin, released Kiss Yr Frenemies, Tudzin’s first long player record under the moniker, in May. Tudzin, along with her band, stopped by Daytrotter to play a few songs from the record including ”(You’re Better) Than Ever,” “Shape Of My Hands,” “Cuff” and “Paying Off the Happiness.”
Illuminati Hotties – Paying Off The Happiness Recorded Live – Daytrotter Studios – Davenport, IA
To hear Blushh’s “I’m Over It” is to be transported directly to the ’90s in the span of less than 20 seconds. Shab Ferdowsi knows just how to rip into a fuzzy, rousing chorus with maximum efficiency and force — you can just imagine a stadium full of people rising up in unison to shout along while still conveying universal truths about emotional labor and frustration. “I’m Over It” is there to perfectly sum up your lousy day, while invariably improving it. Sometimes it doesn’t take 3:30. No chaff or endless repetition here. These songs are the perfect length and I wish all 2-minute tracks sounded like this.
Grian Chatten can’t help but spill words all over the place. His band, Fontaines D.C., blasts out hard-charging post-punk as he fills every available space with conversational blurts that lie somewhere between literary high-mindedness and the rants of a worked-up barfly. “Big,” from the group’s debut album Dogrel, takes less than two minutes to carve out a mantra (“My childhood was small / But I’m gonna be big!”) with a musical mission statement to match: It’s brash and forceful, but with a twinkle in its eye. Fontaines DC are undoubtedly the favourite discovery of 2018. For 2019 they are set to be the band to see at venues and festivals across the land. Taking the best bits of the bands like The Stooges, The Fall, Girl Band and Idles, we’ve already shared the outstanding Chequeless Reckless, and the other side to that single, Boys In The Better Land is another absolute crackerjack of a tune.
If you’re a rock star, porn star, superstar,
Doesn’t matter what you are
Get yourself a good car,
Get out of here
AA-Side ‘Boys In The Better Land / Chequeless Reckless’ via Rough Trade: released on Feb 23rd on 7″ vinyl and digital platforms. Audio Recorded and Mixed in Darklands Audio, Dublin by Daniel Doherty
The third 7″ Single from Dublin’s Fontaines who have now added DC to the end of their name. Chequeless Reckless is one half of a double A-Side single and is a mesmerising cut that’s built on a krautrock rock esque groove but played by punks. The vocals are spoken in a distinctive Irish drawl and sits in between Mark E Smith and Justin from the Vaccines. The other half of the single is Boys in the Better Land which is another golden nugget that has the sound of The Modern Lovers if they’d grown up in Dublin. this band just keep getting better and better.
Band Members
Grian Chatten,
Conor Deegan III,
Carlos O’Connell,
Conor Curley,
Tom Coll,
Ba Da Bing Records are about to release She Keeps Bees new album. Singer/guitarist Jessica Larrabee sang on Roy Montgomery’s last album. And she also sang on the Sharon Van Etten record (wonder what ever happened to her?) But, in essence, we haven’t really have heard them before this their next record, Kinship. The album is coming out on Ba Da Bing in North America. Currently living in upstate NY, Jessica and Andy LaPlant have made the most stunning record of their covetous career. Kinship hides its intensity through a wall of skill, songs conveying minimal drama that bubbles just under the surface with resonant power. Larrabee’s voice absorbs the perspective of Mother Nature, singing about climate fears and earth’s future with a deep omniscience. Here’s an album that can only be made by a masterly group who can work together so intuitively that the songs emanate their effects, with a delicate approach to dynamism.
You can hear it on “Coyote” which is the first single off the record. It’s a song about Katie Lee, a musician/activist who recorded for Smithsonian Folkways and led a protest against building a dam in Arizona’s Glen Canyon. The video for “Coyote” displays home films from Lee’s estate which show her love for the Colorado River.
Breakups are hard; but separating yourself from your partner’s pet is even harder. Illuminati Hotties seem to be well aware of this phenomenon, as their latest single—and first new music since last year’s Tiny Engines debut Kiss Yr Frenemies—is more an homage to a one-time date’s canine companion than it is to Iggy Pop. “One time I went on a date with someone I met through a dating app,” frontwoman Sarah Tudzin talked about the origins of “I Wanna Keep Yr Dog,” a staple of their recent live shows. “Their dog was much cuter than they were.”
You can check out the song below (complete with some stellar Corgi footage), and make sure to catch Illuminati Hotties when they grace their Austin showcase SXSW . As far as any news of dating-app type services specifically for meeting up with local singles’ dogs? .
illuminati hotties – I Wanna Keep Yr Dog Single out March 6th on Tiny Engines
One of the pioneers of Progressive Music – or Prog Rock as it’s more widely known – is a UK band from the early years of Rock’s infancy. Their name is Van der Graaf Generator. This band still works together with their last album, Do Not Disturb, released back in 2016. Overall, this influential band released thirteen albums from 1968 through 2016 (thus far). Their first album, “The Aerosol Grey Machine”, welcomed the band to the public.
The album was originally intended as a solo album by the band’s lead singer and main songwriter, Peter Hammill. When the band signed with Charisma Records, a deal was worked out whereby The Aerosol Grey Machine would be released under the Van der Graaf Generator name, in return for Mercury Records releasing Hammill from his earlier contract with it.
The Aerosol Grey Machine. Originally issued in 1969, The Aerosol Grey Machine adequately sets the stage for the great Van der Graaf Generator classics to follow. This 50th Anniversary Edition of this debut will feature new remastering and the addition of rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks to round out the planned 2CD reissue.
For this reissue, eight extra tracks that include two previously unreleased 1967 demos, two single issues, and four BBC Sessions live performance tracks from a November 1968 session. A booklet with photos, notes, credits, an essay, and a new Pete Hammill interview. Also included will be a replica Pete Hammill-designed poster from 1968.
A 180g-weight vinyl LP is also planned for reissue that will include the new remaster of the classic debut. It will come with a packed in 7″ vinyl single of the rare and withdrawn “People You Were Going To” with a B-side of “Firebrand”. The LP will be presented in a classic gateway sleeve with the UK artwork that was unissued.
Esoteric Recordings proudly announcing the release of a new re-mastered 50th Anniversary Limited Edition boxed set of the classic debut album ‘Aerosol Grey Machine’ – available for order now, and to be released April 26th via Esoteric Recordings.
Features the re-mastered album, an additional CD of rare & previously unreleased tracks, demos & BBC sessions, a facsimile 180g vinyl LP of ‘The Aerosol Grey Machine’ (cut at Abbey Road Studios), housed in the impossibly rare unreleased British gatefold sleeve design, a 7-inch single of the very rare withdrawn release ‘People You Were GoingTo’ b/w ‘Firebrand’, a lavish book with an essay by Sid Smith & exclusive interview with Peter Hammill, and a replica 1968 poster designed by Peter Hammill.
The first single, album opener “You Had Your Soul With You” features co-lead vocals from Gail Ann Dorsey, former band member and collaborator of David Bowie. As the album’s opening track, ‘You Had Your Soul With You,’ unfurls, it’s so far, so National: a digitally manipulated guitar line, skittering drums, Berninger’s familiar baritone, mounting tension. Then around the 2:15 mark, the true nature of I Am Easy To Find announces itself: the racket subsides, strings swell, and the voice of long-time David Bowie bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey booms out—not as background vocals, not as a hook, but to take over the song.
The album will also feature a spattering of backing accompaniment from Lisa Hannigan, Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle, and Kate Stables of This Is the Kit.
Along with the album’s massive, 68-minute runtime, it will also be accompanied by a 24-minute short film directed by Mike Mills and starring Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Mills, along with the band, is credited as co-producer of the album, which was mostly recorded at Long Pond, Hudson Valley, NY with additional sessions in Paris, Berlin, Cincinnati, Austin, Dublin, Brooklyn and more far flung locations.
Frontman Matt Berninger said of the narrative for their eighth studio album, and the band’s extensive history overall: I’m pretty much just pulling apart the same onion and every album gets a little closer to the center. Sleep Well Beast was a dive into our marriage in some ways, but if that was a three-foot diving board, this one feels like a cliff dive into not just marriage, but identity. I don’t know if we’re any closer to the center of the onion, but I feel like I understand the onion a little better, and I feel better about the onion. I know that I am my dad, my mom, my daughter, my wife, my band, my friends, my grandmother, the guy who cut me off in traffic, the guy who didn’t cut me off in traffic. I am those experiences. I am those influences. This is just an aging bucket. All these records, and all these things, are my afterlife already.
Get carried by a swarm of bees down to the new track “You Had Your Soul With You” and watch the teaser for the “I Am Easy To Find” short film (featuring the studio recording of “Rylan”) below, and keep scrolling for album details
From The National’s new album ‘I Am Easy to Find’ out May 17th.
Cut live to tape with very little overdubbing, “Undress” was recorded in the late summer of 2018 in Germantown, New York. Band members Ian Felice, James Felice, Will Lawrence (drums) and Jesske Hume (bass) teamed up with producer Jeremy Backofen to record their most personal and reflective album to date.
“Many of the songs on the new album are motivated by a shift from private to public concerns,” says songwriter Ian Felice. “It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.”
Undress follows the band’s 2016 album Life In The Dark, and finds the group in a very different place three years later. Between personnel changes, families growing and the political landscape, the result is a tighter, more-paired down release. “Every song is a story,” said James Felice. “On this album everything was a bit more thoughtful, including the arrangements, the sonic quality and the harmonies.”
