An absolute gem and a massive recommendation . After a head warping intro “Men And Their Work” kicks into eight driving postpunk rockers full of angst, confidence, feminism, melody, grit and a sense of direction not commonly found in a debut album. Shit, most seasoned bands don’t even make albums this coherent. It’s a smart moniker as All Hits certainly lives up to the promise. There is a 60/40 split of familiar comfort and provocative mystery inherent in every song. You get shouted sloganeering backed with barbed melody and finessed power-ups massaged into the sweetest spots.
We can’t put our finger on exactly what it is that makes this record so special but whatever it is there is a lot of it. Destined to be a modern classic. For fans of Wipers, Raincoats, early Wire and Sleater-Kinney.
We can’t put our finger on exactly what it is that makes this record so special but whatever it is there is a lot of it. Destined to be a modern classic. Destined to be a modern classic. So much so, that Rough Trade has deemed it their “Record of the Week” for June 26th. Lovely.
300 black, 100 translucent smoky blue and 100 coke bottle clear (a Rough Trade exclusive color)
Full length album “Men And Their Work” out June 26th on Iron Lung Records.
This podcast is unpaid and survives on donations. You can donate here via paypal http://www.stephenmbland.com/olas-kool-kitchen Ola’s Kool Kitchen is a show on KCLA 99.3 FM in Los Angeles, 107.5 andhow.FM, Rock Velvet Radio, Maximum Threshold Radio, Rock Radio UK, Sword Radio UK, Jammerstream One, Kor Radio, Firebrand Radio, Bombshell Radio, Radio Wigwam and Radio Six International and you can hear more shows here https://hearthis.at/olaskoolkitchen Show 416
Tracklist:
1. The Beths-I’m Not Excited
2. Temples-Shelter Song
3. The Asteroid No 4-Northern Song
4. Somn Fool-Toontown
5. Control Future-The Right One
6. Hex Poseur-Happy Static
7. The Illness-Descending G featuring Steve West
8. Melt Yourself Down-Crocodile-100% Yes!-Decca
9. Holy Wave-Escapism-Interloper-The Reverberation Appreciation Society Austin Texas
10. Gold-No Parking-single-Rockedelic Recordings
11. Victoire Scott-4 ieme Dimension-single-Decca
12. Sonny Bono-I Just Sit There—Inner Views-Atco Records
The Olivia Tremor Control is an American rock band that was prominent in the mid-to-late 1990s. It was, along with The Apples in Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel , one of the three original projects of The Elephant 6 Recording Company.1997 was a big year for The Olivia Tremor Control. They were riding high on the release of their debut double album “Dusk At Cubist Castle,” and touring the world relentlessly. During a visit to the UK in March, illustrious tastemaker DJ John Peel requested the band to visit his studios to record for his radio show. Seventeen
years later, “John Peel Session” is now released.
The band was founded by the remnants of the group Synthetic Flying Machine (Jeff Mangum, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart) in 1994. The band later went on to become known as the Olivia Tremor Control, with Hart and Doss remaining members while Mangum eventually left to focus on Neutral Milk Hotel. The band had only one official release to their name, “Heaven Is for Kids”,
“John Peel Session” features a couple never-before-released songs amidst the three tracks. A radio session that has been officially licensed from the BBC, this is continued evidence of a
band that is in further need of celebration.
Will Cullen Hart,
Eric Harris,
John Fernandes,
Peter Erchick,
Derek Almstead,
Bill Doss,
Jeff Mangum,
Released August 5th, 2014
Recorded for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1 on 18 March 1997
Original broadcast date: 9 April 1997
One of Canada’s most promising post-punk groups, Crack Cloud is a mixed-media collective based out of Vancouver, BC. Modelled around harm reduction philosophy, Crack Cloud operates as a rehabilitative outlet for a revolving cast of multi-disciplinary artists across Canada. Vancouver DIY art collective Crack Cloud (which also features members of N0V3L) emerged in 2018 with their self-titled debut EP, an idiosyncratic collection of post-punk, art rock and synth-punk with bold personality. The following year, they returned with a new single, “The Next Fix,” an intensely rhythmic, beautiful funk-pop song, which was written to remember those they’ve lost to suicide and drug overdose. The group formed over shared beliefs in the power of harm reduction, local organizing and DIY art communities, which leads one to believe they’re far more than just a band—they’re a chosen family.
Like Psychic tv before them, Crack Cloud have a philosophy and one that they are not afraid to wear on their sleeves – while their anarchic, phantas- magorical visuals, heavy use of symbology, and seemingly never-ending cast of colourful collaborators have often invited cult comparisons, this really does the collective no justice.
There is no apocalyptic death drive here; no cult of personality; no hierarchy of power. while frontman and lyricist Zach Choy is in many ways the face of the group, the collective is one founded on equality, and in his cryptic lyrical blend- ing of poetics, polemics and personal experience, Choy is truly the mouthpiece of something far larger than himself. nowhere else is this more apparent than on the album’s first single, ‘The Next Fix.’
What begins as a caustic, claustrophobic account of addiction swells into a sprawling, euphoric hymn as Choy is joined by a choir of seemingly endless ce- lestial voices. less a cult then; more a church. listening to this song or watching its accompanying self-directed video is a truly spiritual experience, and in its building, jubilant movement it offers a glimpse of Crack Cloud’s most vital message: using community to turn adversity into hope. this isn’t just bravado; its a story born of deep, personal experience. crack cloud operate on the frontline of Canada’s out-of-control opiate crisis, mobilising and organizing in Vancouver’s harm reduction programmes.
The group themselves have had their fair share of trauma, and the collective offers its members a vital vehicle for rehabilitation and recovery. as the tagline on the album’s back cover makes clear then, this is absolutely ‘based on true shit.
Part One of the PAIN OLYMPICS 2020 series, made DIY by the Crack Cloud Collective,
Will Butler has been a member of the band Arcade Fire for over 10 years. This is his first release under his own name. in the five years since Will Butler released his debut album, policy, he’s toured the world both solo and as a member of Arcade Fire, released the Friday Night Live album, recorded and released Arcade Fire’s international #1 album everything now, earned his master’s degree in public policy from Harvard, hosted a series of touring town halls on local issues (police contracts, prison reform, municipal paid sick leave, voting rights), and spent time raising his three children.
He also found the time and inspiration to write and record a new album, “Generations”. “my first record, Policy, was a book of short stories,” Butler says. “Generations” is more of a novel despairing, funny, a little bit epic… a big chunk of this record is asking: what’s my place in American history? what’s my place in America’s present? both in general as a participant, as we all are, in the shit that’s going down but, also extremely particularly: me as Will Butler, rich person, white person, mormon, yankee, parent, musician of some sort, I guess. what do I do? what can I do? the record asks that question over and over, even if it’s not much for answers.” while the songs on Generations contain their fair share of dread and regret, there is ultimately a lightness that shines through Butler’s music. that brightness is at its most intense when he and his solo band Miles Francis, Sara Dobbs, and Julie and Jenny Shore perform on stage. their electricity is palpable throughout Generations, with the bulk of the new songs having been worked out live. wild synth production gnarly bass synths with live drums and anthemic backing vocals as on first single “Surrender” are punctuated by intimate, direct moments.
Butler’s voice cracking on “Fine” as he conjures his ancestors, and “promised,” a meditation on friendship, how lives are built together, and how and why they drift apart. generations was recorded and produced by Butler in the basement of his home in Brooklyn. tracking finished in March 2020, as New York closed down for the pandemic. half the record was mixed in Montreal by longtime Arcade Fire engineer Mark Lawson, the other half by Brooklyn-based producer Shiftee (who is, incidentally, bandmate Julie Shore’s husband and Will’s brother-in-law). generations opens a dialogue with the world. it posits answers and deals with those answers being refuted. ultimately, it navigates the conversation as a way to find the truth… or at least a way forward.
In the five years since releasing his debut album Policy, Arcade Fire’s Will Butler has toured the world solo and with his band following their international #1 album Everything Now. He’s also earned a master’s degree from Harvard, raised three kids and written – quite frankly – a brilliant sophomore solo album. If Policy was a book of short stories, Generations is a despairing, funny and epic novel.
The Band:
Will Butler: singing, synths, piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, drum machines, snare, claps
Miles Francis: drums, drum machines, percussion, synths, acoustic guitar, singing, claps
Sara Dobbs: pre-production, singing, claps
Julie Shore: synths, piano, electric guitar, singing, claps
Jenny Shore: synths, singing, claps
Stuart Bogie: clarinet, tenor sax
Matt Bauder: bass clarinet, tenor sax, alto sax, baritone sax
Katie Ellen’s debut album, 2017’s “Cowgirl Blues”, saw frontwoman Anika Pyle kicking against the traditions and norms that come with adulthood—namely, love, major life changes, cohabitation, and domesticity. She penned the anti-marriage anthem with “Sad Girls Club,” a standout track that featured the defiant heartbreaker of a chorus: “Sad girls don’t make good wives.”
Every now and then an album comes into your life and utterly wrecks you. It resonates with you on a level where you can’t tell if it’s easing the knife out of your wound or if it’s twisting it more. But you keep coming back even if it’s destroying you because as painful as it might be, living without it is even more painful. Katie Ellen’s ‘Cowgirl Blues’ is one of those albums. I can honestly say that this album kept me from spiralling out when I was at my lowest and I’ll forever be grateful. It’s full of sparkle pop twang punk fuzz core.
From The Ashes of Chumped comes Anika Pyle’s first solo foray.
Great Alt-Indie Pop/punk flow with the same biting lyrical content that made her former band a joy to behold with just enough edge to keep things real.
Pearl Charles lives in the moment, seeking excitement whether it leads her down a dark, dusty road or into the arms of a trouble-making lover. Her full-length debut album, “Sleepless Dreamer”, describes late night revelry, love affairs, running away and running towards, serenading the sunrise through whirlwind stories of her native Los Angeles, the city, the canyon, the desert, and the road. On a quest to discover the truest version of herself, Charles embraces the feeling of not being settled, a person who always restlessly wants more from life and is willing chase it, wherever it may lead her.
Sleepless Dreamer found her soulful, often sultry voice gliding through songs tinged with cosmic Americana, a little disco, some classic rock & roll, and a whole lot of that smooth AM gold. Passion, psychedelics and heartbreak inform the highs and lows she rides through the album. Finally able to see clearly through the smoke and mirrors of her surroundings, Charles departs on a consequent journey of questioning and soul-searching, eventually hitting the road in the inevitable search for answers.
“Charles‘ record takes cues from movements all over the American map. There are hints of Southern folk and alt-country, Midwest Americana, and West Coast acid rock.” – Pitchfork
“Think of Pearl Charles as a stoner Lana Del Rey or a Jenny Lewis with grit.” – NME less
Public Practice, the Brooklyn-based quartet who blends elements of new-wave, punk, funk and ’70s era New York disco in order to create uniquely danceable tracks, have the disadvantage of their reputations preceding them. Ever since the release of their 2018 EP Distance Is a Mirror, they’ve proven their penchant for clever song writing, instrumental prowess and, especially among New York fans, a live show that entrances so successfully that it’s almost physically impossible not to shake one’s ass. Yet, on Gentle Grip, the band’s debut full-length album, there’s a sense that the formerly embedded scrappiness and punk edge were sacrificed for slicker, more stylish sounds. This isn’t to say there aren’t gripping moments of sonic intensity on Gentle Grip that more than satisfy the more frenetic yearnings of Distance Is a Mirror.
While magnetic singer and lyricist Sam York and guitarist and principal sonic architect Vince McClelland (who both played together as members of the meteoric yet shortlived NYC post-punk outfit WALL) take an almost anarchic approach to song writing, Drew Citron, on synth and bass, and drummer/producer Scott Rosenthal (both previously of Brooklyn indie-pop favourites Beverly) bring a more traditional, pop sensibility to the table. These contrasting styles challenge and complement each other, resulting in a sound that is full of spiralling and exhilarating tensions. Lyrically, York explores the complexities and contradictions of modern life overtop grooves and choruses that disarmingly open up the doors to self-reflection. “You don’t want to live a lie / But it’s easy / Your house is important / Your car is important / Your shoes are important / Dinner’s important“ she sings on “Compromised,” begging the question: how does one balance material desires with the desire to be seen as a good person? Changing pace, the supremely groovy “My Head” is about tuning out the influx of external noise and staying true to your inner creative force.
But whether they are poking holes in commonly held ideas centered around relationships, creativity, or capitalism, Public Practice never lose sight of the fact that they want to have fun, and they want you to have fun too. After all, who needs a soapbox when there’s a dark, sweaty dancefloor out there with room on it for all of us?
Rock ‘n’ roll lifers Sabrina Rush, Joseph Plunket and Brian Kotzur have played with State Champion, Gentleman Jesse and Silver Jews to name a few great bands. Now like Voltron, they have taken their skills to make a big giant rock ‘n’ roll robot and I am here for it.
Big guitars and a ripping rhythm section is like a belt-high fastball on a 3-0 count. From beginning to end, this album delivers the goods. I’ve tried to put a label on them but I always just wind up going with straight up rocking, sort of like a great Reigning Sound album. Plunkett’s vocals are raspy with hints of twang; again belt-high fastball for my tastes.
If you don’t like this album, you don’t like rock ‘n’ roll. This album literally pulled me out of funk and I’m grateful for its existence. It’s Not Easy, Gentle Soul and Two Characters are among my favourites.
Don’t go into Country Westerns’ self-titled debut expecting twangy back-porch music. Calling the group Country Westerns is a misnomer. The three-piece band from Nashville delivers riotous rock ‘n’ roll leaning more towards the Replacements than Dwight Yoakam. Drummer Brian Kotzur (Trash Humpers, Silver Jews) and singer-songwriter-guitarist Joey Plunkett (The Weight, Gentleman Jesse) began collaborating in 2016. Writing and performing music was meant to be an outlet for the two musicians, a method to release pressure, write songs, and hit-up Nashville’s DIY party scene. Shortly thereafter, Sabrina Rush (State Champion) joined as a bassist, although she was inexperienced with the instrument. Despite the blasé beginnings, Country Westerns delivers a musically rousting album that is at once catchy and gritty.
If not listening closely, the fierce musicality can obscure the sensitive and affecting lyrics. “Gentle Soul” is wistful, especially when Plunkett laments, “I don’t want to fight with you anymore.” Whereas the vulnerability is short-lived, the righteous indignation is palpable throughout the track. “Gentle Soul” is as angry as it is sad, an accurate portrayal of heartache. Country Westerns are decidedly self-aware. The band know they are blurring vulnerability and rage as exhibited in “Times to Tunnels”. The lyrics, “It ain’t a boast in the least / It’s just a plea for grace / Full of honesty, this rage and me”, provokes authentic self-consciousness.
On top of the engrossing lyrics, Country Westerns uses the album to showcase their musical alacrity. Kotzur’s drums on “Guest Checks” is rough and shrewd, the ideal counterpoint to Rush’s melodic bass. Plunkett’s guitar accentuates their stability with a rawness that melds into while deflecting Kotzur and Rush. Their musical charisma is extenuated on “It’s on Me” and “Anytime”. Whereas the former is comparatively understated in its rock ‘n’ roll energy, the latter roars.
“I’m Not Ready” off upcoming Country Westerns “S/T” album, out June 26, 2020, on Fat Possum Records.
The Left Outsides are: Mark Nicholas and Alison Cotton, a wife and husband duo based in London, England whose atmospheric, hypnotic songs echo Nico’s icy European folk, pastoral psychedelia and chilly English fields at dawn.
Much needed vinylization of an amazing live set, previously issued as a CDR in an edition of 100 by the fine Borley Rectory label. Finally, for the good of all mankind, the music from this great night, opening for Robyn Hitchcock at London’s Betsey Trotwood in October 2018, is turntable ready.
A Place to Hide begins with the album’s one new original tune “My Reflection Once Was Me.” The song brims with harmonium-iced vocals that cannot fail to bring a certain German-born chanteuse to mind. Built over a lovely droning base, and slow, martial pulsing, the song answers a rarely asked question — what might it have sounded like if Tim Buckley had written a tune for Nico to do on Chelsea Girl? I think you’ll be damn happy with this reply.
About half the the album is made up of songs from their then-newly-released masterpiece, All That Remains (FTR 404). But the way they attack those tunes here has an additional shroud of moodiness drawn over it, adding a whole ‘nother layer of dark richness. This is not always the tone the band shoots for in a live setting, but it’s a truly otherworldly treat when they do. Because they really nail it…
Released February 6th, 2020
Originally released as a limited limited edition CDR on the Borley Rectory Label, August 2nd, 2019
