After two 7-inch singles and a demo cassette (recently pressed to wax), Melbourne quintet The Shifters finally unveil their first full-length album “Have a Cunning Plan”.
Recorded at Al Montfort (of Total Control/Terry)’s home studio, “Have A Cunning Plan” ups the fidelity a bit, tempering the up-front crunch of their previous demo/LP. The sonic space suits the band, allowing the unpretentious complexity of the songs & lyrics to generate the “oomph” rather than bludgeoning the listener with treble and feedback.
The album showcases ten new tracks by the band at their best; scrappy, self-destructive, stumbling and brilliant pop music that seems tossed off or nonchalant on the surface but is rife with rewards upon further listening. Early album bangers like “Molasses” and the first single “Work/Life, Gym Etc” are instant earworms, (as are “Straight Lines” & “Pyramid Scheme”, the latter reworked from a recent 7-inch) but it’s the simple-yet-sophisticated songcraft of tunes like “How Long?” or the languid strum of “Andrew Bolt” that are heavy on mood and are vehicles for vocalist/guitarist Miles Jansen’s erudite lyrics that simultaneously celebrate and decry the banality of life, while also tackling larger issues of colonialism conservatism’s effects on society at large.
In the 1980 documentary Philip Guston: A Life Lived, the famed neo-expressionist talks about a painting he keeps starting over: “What I’m always seeking is some great simplicity where the whole thing is just there,” he says. This pursuit is what drives Young Jesus on their new record The Whole Thing Is Just There. Young Jesus combines a palette of indie rock instrumentation with a spirit of unhindered spontaneity to construct – and deconstruct – sonic landscapes. With soaring melodies, spiraling polyrhythms, free-wheeling improvisation, and a raw, stirring vocal performance from John Rossiter, The Whole Thing Is Just There is both prismatic and resolute – the sound of four individuals in pursuit of a common goal: To glimpse what’s just beyond.
“That feeling you pursue when you’re creating, when the world is opening up and things are on the cusp of beauty and revelation, but it’s just out of reach—that to me, is the ideal feeling of existing,” says John Rossiter, singer and guitarist of the LA-based art rock quartet Young Jesus. “And to maintain that in the face of depressing or difficult stuff—that’s what I’d like to be able to do.” This pursuit is what drives Young Jesus, and is what’s documented on their upcoming record The Whole Thing Is Just There.
On The Whole Thing, Young Jesus combine a palette of indie rock instrumentation with a spirit of unhindered spontaneity to construct—and deconstruct—emotionally potent and inventive sonic landscapes.
A Chicago transplant, Rossiter’s distinct songwriting approach is informed in part by the city’s emo and post-rock traditions. But since his move to Los Angeles in 2013, his bandmates—experimentally-minded keyboardist Eric Shevrin, bassist/composer Marcel Borbon, and jazz-head drummer Kern Haug—have all brought their tastes to bear on the band’s sonic identity.
Imbued with a sense of both desperation and discovery, each track unfolds like a deep sea voyage: beginning on the familiar ground of a conventional song structure before setting sail for the open waters of instrumental experimentation and plumbing the depths of the unknown in search of some conceptual treasure before heading back to port.
With soaring melodies, spiraling polyrhythms, free-wheeling improvisation, and a raw, stirring vocal performance from Rossiter, The Whole Thing Is Just Thereis both prismatic and resolute—the sound of four individuals in pursuit of a common goal: to glimpse what’s just beyond.
Limited-edition of 150 copies on yellow vinyl exclusive to the Saddle Creek Store.
“The most adventurous band in indie rock” – Uproxx
” a part-improvised mini-masterpiece.” – Noisey
“It’s good stuff, and it’s the kind of heady indie rock song that you don’t hear enough of these days.” – Brooklyn Vegan
“Freed from the conventional post-punk, Young Jesus truly earn the title of ‘composers,’ refashioning the tools of rock music as transportive devices” – Pitchfork
The courage it takes to call something out loud and to stand up tall when the odds may not be in our favor is nothing short of heroic. With our latest song and video, HER, we sought to highlight womxn, from a range of walks of life, womxn who have taken a stance when it wasn’t necessarily easy to do so, but those featured in the video are just a few among many who inspire us to continue to use our voices and demand to be heard.
The overwhelming support of the piece has encouraged us to take this mission further by making the song available for purchase on Bandcamp and donating 100% of the proceeds to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. We have kicked this off with our donation to RAINN and hope you will do the same if you are able. You can purchase the song for as little as $1 and up to as much as you desire. May we continue to stand up for HER and for each and every HER out there.
New Broken Social Scene! This new track marks the end of the collective’s tour schedule and is a classic thumping BSS song with the band saying it’s “our fist pump towards the constant struggle of getting it right.” Hup, ya boya.
All things come to an end and this tour has been a wonderful experience for all of us, returning to what we know best. Thank you to all who came out and joined the celebration. We will continue to scream for ourselves, for those who left, for those who can’t be heard, and for those who need our help with returning. “Old Dead Young” is our fist pump towards the constant struggle of getting it right and we want to spread that to as many people, as far and wide as possible. Thank you, all of you, for everything that’s been; we’re excited and optimistic for what’s to come…
“Another Winter Alive” reflects on the GospelbeacH California rock and roll dream, and pays homage to friend and founding member Neal Casal by covering his most well known song “Freeway To The Canyon”.
The album features 5 previously unreleased studio tracks recorded during the band’s sessions for last years’ “Another Summer Of Love” plus 5 live songs recorded in London during their California Fantasy tour, revisiting stripped down live versions of songs from their debut album “Pacific Surf Line”.
Sweet, fun and utterly without pretence. – SHINDIG!
Tucked snugly in that happy place between cosmic country and neo-hippie bliss. – MAGNET
Makes you want to drive to the ocean and watch the sun go down. – MOJO
Rick Rude, a band we choose to believe is named after one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, impressed the hell out of us with their 2016’s Make Mine Tuesday. Now, the New Hampshire quartet are back with a brand new LP, Verb For Dreaming, which will dropkick your hearts when it lands on November 16th via Exploding In Sound Records.
Rick Rude is comprised of three different songwriters, all of whom credit their upbringing as “people of the woods, small towns and tight communities” with crafting an aesthetic that revels in the intimate. In its fuzzy blend of the loud, sloppy, and melodic, their music hearkens back to the grunge outfits that emerged from the Olympia wilderness more than two decades ago. To listen to their new single, “Slow Cooker”, is to stand alongside a sweat-flecked microphone, swaying to the dirty, distorted melodies the band crafts with smirking abandon.
Vocalist and bassist Jordan Holtz says of the track: “‘Slow Cooker’ is a song about trying to be efficient and writing music on the weekends, but in the mindset where you just finished your work week and all you want to do is relax, recharge and do everything else other than write. Writing songs is one of my all-time favorite things to do, but sometimes I feel like it takes me forever to get to a finished product due to everyday variables and distractions. This song speaks to the process of trying to get down to business for the sake of progress, but then constantly getting off-track and the never ending cycle of going back and forth between the two.”
“Slow Cooker” was influenced by the actual process; I wanted to write a song about writing songs. In the verses, the song touches upon the song creation itself; the dependence on the environment that the song is written in and the different variables that would catalyze or slow the writing process. The chorus addresses the live performance aspect in the songwriting process and the discomfort that comes when you perform a new song live, but also the importance as the live performances continue to shape the song to its final product. Music is a massive part of my life and songwriting allows me to create and also grow as a person through working things out on paper. It is also something that I get very frustrated with, yet no matter how irritated I get, I always want to continue writing. So “Slow Cooker” was inspired by the songwriting process, but also by the love/hate relationship that I have with it.
Releases November 16, 2018
Recorded with Alex Bourne and Joe Brown at the Crawl Space in Dover, NH in the summer of 2016.
Ben Troy: guitar and vocals Noah Lefebvre: guitar, vocals and clarinet Jordan Holtz: bass and vocals Ryan Harrison: drums
Fans have voted to make the next limited and numbered Run Out Groove title, Turn Around: B-Sides & More 1978-1984 available for pre-order now. Devo really needs no introduction. They are one of the most iconic bands in rock history and have been releasing recordings for over 40 years. The band name comes from the concept of de-evolution: the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality in American society. We decided to pull together some unique B-Sides and remix singles from 7” and 12” records to create a brand new collection on one full length LP with new artwork. The album will be pressed on 180g multi-color swirl vinyl and come in a beautiful single pocket tip-on Stoughton jacket with a few additional goodies inside! Turn Around: B-Sides & More 1978-1984 will be available to pre-order until November 8th and then pressed and numbered to a limited quantity based on total orders. Follow our socials to get production updates.
Originally from Akron, Ohio and formed in 1973, the classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers – the Mothersbaugh (Mark on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Bob on guitar and vocals) and the Casales (Gerald on bass, vocals and bass synth and Bob on guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) along with drummer Alan Myers. The band achieved a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the memorable and catchy, “Whip It,” which was featured heavily in the early days of MTV and pushed the band into mainstream popularity. Devo became known for their music and elaborate stage performances combining kitsch science fiction themes, surrealist humor and satirical social commentary. Their off kilter pop songs include unusual time signatures and synths that have proven very influential on subsequent new wave, industrial and alternative rock acts. Recommendations from David Bowie and Iggy Pop helped Devo land a recording contract with Warner Bros. in 1978.
Be sure to vote for Devo to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year!
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, and Hank’s Alternative Radio and you can hear more shows here www.mixcloud.com/olaskoolkitchen/
Tracklist:
1. Jefferson Airplane-White Rabbit-Surrealistic Pillow-RCA Victor
2. Hater-It’s So Easy-Seista-Fire Records
3. Dish Pit-Family Man-single-Mainline Records
4. A Lily-Banana Moth- id-dar-tal-missier-Kingfisher Bluez
5. Dilly Dally-Marijuana-Heaven-Pod
6. The Joy Formidable-All In All-Aaarth-Seradom
7. Galaxie 500-Ceremony-Blue Thunder-Rough Trade Records
8. Conner Youngblood- Stockholm-Cheyenne-Counter Records
9. Horrors-Hologram-V-Wolf Tone
10. Jacqueline Taieb – 7 Heures Du Matin-single- Jacqueline Taieb;Her 1967 Debut Album-Merlins Nose
11. Nancy-Trying To Keep From Crying-single-Mercedes Records
12. Haiku Salut-I Am Who I Remind You Of-There Is No Elsewhere-Prah Recor
Released 45 years ago this month, Jackson Browne’s second album, “For Everyman”, was proof that his remarkable debut was no fluke. As on that earlier work, the lyrics offer sharp observations on both personal and social concerns, and Jackson sings them with even greater confidence – among the standouts from his songbook are single “Redneck Friend,” “These Days” (a song he’d given to Nico years earlier) and “Take It Easy,” which he’d co-written with Glenn Frey. Frey appears here in support, along with fellow Eagle Don Henley and a host of L.A. rock greats including David Crosby, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt; additionally, multi-instrumentalist DavidLindley begins his long collaboration with Browne on the 1973 Asylum Records set. Today we’ll give the platinum-certified “For Everyman” another spin and to wish Jackson Browne a happy birthday.
The title track was written by Browne in response to the apocalyptic “Wooden Ships”, a song written by Crosby, Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner. His own version of “These Days” appears here after having been previously recorded by Nico, Tom Rush, who also covered “Colors of the Sun”, and Gregg Allman. Nico was the first to record the song in 1967. Browne later commented “When [Allman] did [These Days] I thought that he really unlocked a power in that song that I sort of then emulated in my version. I started playing the piano. I wasn’t trying to sing it like Gregg; I couldn’t possibly. I took the cue, playin’ this slow walk. But it was written very sort of, kind of a little more flatpicking.” “Take It Easy” was written by Browne and Frey and became the Eagles‘ first single,
