From X to the Germs, there was plenty of Los Angeles bands to have survived the past three decades to make it onto every punk fan’s playlist. But the thrillingly aggressive group that gave living legend Alice Bag — later of Castration Squad, Cholita, and more — her nom de rock never released a studio album, meaning The Bags have all too often remained a footnote in the history books. Thankfully, the band’s few studio recordings, along with a few live performances, demos, and other rarities were eventually collected on this compilation. It isn’t just an artifact, though; riot grrrl fans in particular will want to keep All Bagged Upin heavy rotation. The Bags were original L.A punk rock. Not SoCal hardcore. It is indeed understood that they were seminal and important. They like all of the accomplished bands in that scene had an insane work ethic, more talent and sex appeal than most. The problem is they were somehow misguided in that they did not record enough. That legacy is whats missing. Each and every member of this band carried on professional music careers or are gone RIP, except Alice and perhaps that ambivalence was at work at the time even if subconsciously.
Seminal and influential band coming out of the first wave of punk in Los Angeles. It falls for sure into my favorites of all time. I dedicate this body of work to the greatly inspiring Alice Bag. Her ideas and feminism Enjoy.
Tracklist:
1. Survive 2. Babylonian Gorgon 3. We Don’t Need The English 4. We Will Bury You 5. Tv Dinner 6. Violent Girl 7. Animal Call 8. Chainsaw 9. Seven & Seven is (Love) 10. One, Two, Three.. 11. Gluttony 12. In Love With Romance 13. Survive #2 14. Car Hell 15. Real Emotions 16. Bad Bondage 17. Disco’s Dead 18. Prowlers In The Night 19. We Will Bury You #2 20. Nothing’s Going On Here
Today I present you a folk pop artist who carries the seeds sown by Nick Drake years ago. A New Zealander who now resides in Canada, Bruno Merz produces what is best called “Bohemian Folk Pop”. But Nick Drake is just one of his influences and just one element of his sound, which also shares territory with Iron and Wine, Simon and Garfunkel, Joe Purdy, José González, and John Renbourn. Tomorrow is release day for Bruno Merz’s new single ‘Breathe Less’ single.
Bruno Merz grew up in New Zealand to Dutch parents. Around the age of twenty, possessing only a cheap guitar, he travelled through France working on farms for food and pocket money, until he eventually found his way to Amsterdam. There he worked a number of jobs and recorded his first album of demos written during his travels, called ‘Through Darkness into Day’. As word quickly began to spread and demand for shows grew, what began as a cathartic hobby had to be viewed more seriously and he recorded his first EP entitled ‘Departing from Crowds’ in 2009. Just last month, Merz released the single ‘Whisper Turn’, which met with wide acclaim from publications in at least four continents.
Full length album ‘Highways’ was released in 2014 to great reviews. The single “Emmeline” recieved millions plays on Spotify in the months following the release with well over 300,000 listeners per month. Bruno currently resides in the UK where he also works as an illustrator. He has also composed music for a 40 minute children’s ballet for Northern Ballet and written other compositions for dance.
Perhaps the top band on my radar for the week , Sunflower Bean played the songs off of their engaging and interesting-at-every-turn debut “Human Ceremony” The band had the same luster that they have on the album. While Julia Cumming’s gorgeous voice is a standout on the record, it was Nick Kivlen’s off-into-space guitar musings that might slip past you if you don’t see this band live. Drummer Jacob Faber was frenetic and it became clear what a balanced three-piece the New York band is. The best moments were when the vocals stopped and the trio ventured into instrumental explorations—none better than the final stretch of “I Was Home.” Through their own breed of psych rock,
In late 2016, former Girls frontman Christopher Owens announced he’d started a new band called Curls with Cody Rhodes and Luke Baće. the trio has shared their debut EP, Vante. It sounds like he’s having fun, or at least trying to. For someone who was raised in a cult, recently found himself homeless, and has written dozens of songs that hint at drug addictions and a tortured inner life, that feels like enough.
The four-track effort was recorded in both Santo Recording and Outland Studio in the Bay Area, where the group is based. Shane Stoneback is credited with assisting Curls on production, engineering, and mixing. Prior to forming Curls, Owens released three solo albums: Lysandre in 2013, 2014’s A New Testament, and Chrissybaby Forever in 2015. Before Owens announced his departure in 2012, Girls released two near-perfect albums and one gorgeous EP,including 2015’s excellent album Father, Son, Holy Ghost.
Curls’ lo-fi sound ranges from the reverb-laden “Emotion” and Beatles-inspired “Gentle and Kind” to the melodic, instrumental rock of the remaining two tracks.
Vante EP Tracklist:
01. Dynamite
02. Emotion
03. Golden Gate
04. Gentle and Kind
Curls have lined up a batch of California-only tour dates
Like free things? Well you’re in luck because you can get the latest Polyvinyl sampler absolutely free with any order!
Featuring great new music from Alvvays,Generationals, Hazel English, Mister Heavenly,White Reaper, Xiu Xiu, and more, plus incredible artwork by our friend Jerrod Landon Porter!
With over 300 releases from more than 100 artists, Polyvinyl Records has been releasing music independently since 1996 – home to artists such as of Montreal, Deerhoof, American Football, STRFKR and more.
Shout out to our new friend Sean Congdon for helping us come up with a name
Modern Baseball’s second LP on yellow vinyl, “You’re Gonna Miss It All” is the Philadelphia band’s second full-length, for one thing. Beyond that, songwriter Brendan Lukens recently finished his second year at Drexel University, and he never lets you forget what 21-year-old college students are often like , Its culturally literate, blurring the line between introspective and self-obsessed, impressed by their capacity for clever wordplay and emotional awareness while knowing both of those qualities conspire to prevent people from saying what they actually feel. And due to the all of the aforementioned, Lukens is kinda full of it, too. He won’t exactly lie to you, but he’ll tell you what he aspires to be while doing the exact opposite.
Along with fellow Modern Baseball songwriter Jacob Ewald, Lukens frets over the past, future, and especially the present. He thinks about the next five minutes, the next morning, and whether his death will be cool enough, he worries a hell of a lot about himself, and how other people figure into that. It’s a lot to endure because people in Lukens’ situation get drunk most every night, stumble into relationships, and run from their problems. If you’re in this emotionally state, you’ll relate to You’re Gonna Miss It All directly and deeply. its a wealth of infectious songs that are both sharply observed and sharply written.
We’re speaking with Kristian Bell, singer/songwriter for the Wytches. We’re discussing the U.K. band’s sophomore release All Your Happy Life and its overt influences, from hardcore punk to dark metal. We’re also talking about the myriad wonders of Paul McCartney’s Ram, the Monsters Of Folk project, Australian psychedelic septet King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Alice Coltrane’s outstanding third solo album, 1970’s Ptah, The El Daoud, which Bell’s been listening to a lot lately. In sum, a conversation that ranges among all the components of the Wytches’ heady brew, a mix of styles and reference points that are all the more impressive when you consider how young a band Wytches is, individually and collectively.
All Your Happy Life is both an extension of the Wytches’ clangorous thunder and a rewarding progression beyond it. Annabel Dream Reader, the band’s 2014 debut, received solid notices, with many reviewers noting the deep well of dark late-’60s psychedelia from which the music drew. Yet that description clearly touched on only one aspect of the music (the Wytches themselves cheekily suggested “surf doom” as an alternative). Though it often sounds as hard as their first record, All Your Happy Life is more expansive musically and in terms of production.
“I’ve always loved albums that move among different styles,” says Bell. “It makes for a more interesting record. On Annabel we went for a heavy garage sound.” (Bell, along with Coral’s Bill Ryder-Jones, co-produced that record.) “But we wanted to layer the music on this one live in the studio. We made a conscious decision not to stylize it much beyond using basic amp settings.”
Over two sessions in 2015, Wytches recorded at The Chapel in Lincolnshire with Tim Morris, and Toe Rag with Luke Oldfield. The material from the latter, including the pounding “Ghost House” and “Can’t Face It,” works familiar sonic territory, but the Chapel sessions with Morris yielded lighter, more spacious music, of which “Crest Of Death” and lovely album-closer “Home” highlight some of the softer, spacier influences in the band’s approach.
The shifts in tone and approach have caught Wytches some flak from less flexible listeners who’d prefer their metal relentlessly heavy, but Bell and Co. are committed to mixing up their approach as they continue making music.
“We all have really opposing tastes,” he says, “but there are a few preferences we all share, like hardcore punk: Blacklisted, early AFI, that kind of thing. ‘Can’t Face It’ was our take at a hardcore gang-vocal, all of us gathered around one mic. It was very nostalgic, like something I would have done at age 14. Some people do want the music to stay heavy and energetic, which I love too, but I always like it when bands switch up after their first record. There’s a lot of trippy music happening now, in both England and America, all kinds of unexpected and unorthodox methods you can apply. We played with King Gizzard in Liverpool, and it was so great to watch that crowd. Older fans standing next to 14-year-old kids, everybody enjoying it. No one has to feel weird.”
Less than a year after their last album, Jessica Rabbit, the Brooklyn-based noise pop duo returns with this mini-LP. Comprised of just seven songs, Kid Kruschev was reportedly the result of Alexis Krauss moving upstate and the newfound ability she and Derek Miller had to explore with sounds, loudness and silence. From the mini-LP ‘Kid Kruschev’, out November 10th, 2017
Lost Horizons is the new musical project of former–Cocteau Twin and Bella Union boss Simon Raymonde and Richie Thomas of early 4AD figureheads Dif Juz.
Their debut album, Ojalá ,released in November, incorporates a heady cast of guest singers. Some are signed to Bella Union, such as Marissa Nadler and former Midlake frontman Tim Smith, while others are long-time favourites of Raymonde’s (Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit and Ghostpoet), or newer discoveries (Beth Cannon, Hilang Child, Gemma Dunleavy and PhilMcDonnell). Together, the Lost Horizons ensemble has created an hour of exquisite, expansive and diverse spellcasting.
For the live incarnation of the band, Lost Horizons will include three vocalists: Ed Riman aka HilangChild and Beth Cannon, both of whom appear on the album, as well as Helen Ganya Brown who records under the alias Dog In The Snow. “The Places We’ve Been” features the voice of Karen Peris, and is taken from Lost Horizons’ debut album “Ojalá”, due for release 3rd November via Bella Union Records.
So difficult to pick a Jayhawks album, particularly since‘The Sound of Lies’ is just superb still and breaks my heart on every listen, but in general I was always a fan of the Olson era of the band more and their third studio album ‘Hollywood Town Hall’ is perhaps the most cohesive of all their records. With influences ranging from Gram Parsons to Neil Young, actually it’s the harmonising between Mark Olson and Gary Louris that makes the record not just outstanding but have a distinctive sound all of its own. I just love winter too and the cover makes me feel cosy looking at it even though it’s a picture of them foolishly sitting on a sofa outside in the snow.
Revered for being one of the original alt country acts in the mid-’80s, The Jayhawks felt out of place even in the acoustic circles they shared with their fellow Minneapolis porch pickers. Instead of going the cow punk route or trying to establish themselves as Nashville outlaws, they looked to the past, to artists like The Louvin Brothers and Gram Parsons, for inspiration. Their work was unhurried and unconcerned with modernization—they mixed a potent brew of country, folk and heartland rock that spoke to the heartbroken and the overworked. And possessed of golden harmonies, immaculate songwriting chops and an utter lack of pretension, the band sought to explore and reintroduce the rustic sounds of decades past.
The band’s work felt timeless, a mixture of electric and acoustic country tendencies that fed into their fascination for the histories of various sounds. They weren’t afraid to embrace the rockier aspects of their influences, but they also weren’t averse to thinning things out a bit when they were in a more introspective mood. Looking back, their songs were insular in the best way, enclosed worlds where melody and the art of songwriting were seen as virtues and their existence not left to chance.
The band was formed in Minneapolis in 1985 when Mark Olson, after doing a tour of duty on upright bass in a rockabilly band called Stagger Lee, decided to focus on his own musical voice. He invited Marc Perlman, a guitarist who’d performed with a local band called the Neglecters, to be his bassist and brought on drummer NormRogers shortly thereafter. As a trio, the group began booking shows, and on one such occasion, local music veteran Gary Louris was in attendance and struck up a conversation with Olson after the show. They soon found common musical ground, and by the end of the evening, Louris had been officially invited to join the band. Hollywood Town Hall is the third studio album by American rock band The Jayhawks.
They kicked around the various Twin Cities clubs for a bit, sharpening their focus and coming to an understanding of just what The Jayhawks could be. They released their self-titled debut in 1986, and although it was only pressed in a limited edition of a couple thousand copies, the album developed substantial acclaim and success. And though it looked promising that the band would sign a major label deal on the strength of their debut, that opportunity never happened for them. They continued to tour and attained a significant following, all the while writing new songs that highlighted their alt country prowess. The Jayhawks weren’t looking to reshape the world, even if their records did suggest otherwise.
In October 1988, there was a shift in the band’s lineup, with Rogers exiting the band and Thad Spencer taking his place behind the drums. Around the same time, Louris was in a bad car accident, and the band decided to take a hiatus while he healed. So while the band was resting a bit, their music was still going strong. In 1989, the people behind Minneapolis independent label Twin/Tone released the demos that the band had been working on for the past few years as “Blue Earth.”
After the album’s release, Spencer left the group and was replaced by Ken Callahan. The newfound attention and critical success being lavished on the band brought Louris back to the group, and they hit the road for a national tour. Their next big break came in the form of A&R representative/producer George Drakoulias, who heard “Blue Earth” playing in the background on a call he had made to the Twin/Tone offices and signed the band to American Records. The band entered the studio and recorded what would form the basis of their next record, 1992’s “Hollywood Town Hall,” their greatest and most comprehensive work.
“Hollywood Town Hall” isn’t just a single-minded alt country record—it is a curious shape-shifter that maneuvers through a handful of sounds with an ease the band hadn’t shown before. Producing a handful of radio hits, including “Waiting for the Sun,” “Take Me With You (When You Go)” and “Settled Down Like Rain,” the album works through its American rock influences with a heart filled with country eccentricities and folk earnestness. The vocal harmonies between Olson and Louris were stronger and more confident than they’d ever been, leading the band across winding trails of acoustic melodies and curiously ragged electric guitar lines.
There is an obvious yearning to break free of tradition laced within these songs but also a need to connect with the past without invoking nostalgia. And with all the songs (except for “Wichita”) written exclusively by Louris and Olson, there is a sense of continuity in each song’s rambling history. The band was helping refine the Americana sound. And while you could trace those roots all the way back to the ’60s and beyond, The Jayhawks’ contribution was so immediate and prescient that their work with these sounds from the mid-’80s to the early ’90s really set the bar for modern alt country. A captivating experience from start to finish, “Hollywood Town Hall” is a casual and lovely record that speaks to creaky front porches, unrequited love and open fields, the kind of imagery and ideas usually reserved for old-school country artists. But it also holds tightly to its blue-collar rockiness, with sounds carried across an often-craggy, guitar-driven landscape. “Hollywood Town Hall” is many things to many people, and in its rhythmic expanse, it discovered the beating heart of America.
The Jayhawks
Mark Olson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, vocals
Marc Perlman – bass
Ken Callahan – drums
Gary Louris – electric guitar, fuzz guitar, guitar, vocals
