Posts Tagged ‘Dry Cleaning’

VARIOUS ARTISTS – ” Bills & Aches & Blues ” (40 Years Of 4AD Records)

Posted: April 4, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1
4AD - Final Four 'Bills & Aches & Blues' Tracks Out Now

In 1980, a new British independent record label was christened Axis, but discovered after its first batch of releases that another Axis already existed, so a new name was necessary to avoid legal problems. New name: 4AD.

Now, 41 years after its inception, 4AD came up with the idea to celebrate the label’s glorious past with current artists covering a song of their choice from 4AD’s impressive catalogue of releases.

In 2020, 4AD Records turned 40 years of age. Never one to be on time for a party, the label is commemorating that landmark this year with the release of “Bills and Aches and Blues”. The compilation features 18 of its current artists covering a song of their choosing from 4AD’s past: a creative experiment rooted in the spirit of collaboration and a snapshot of 4AD, 41 years after its inception.

Bills and Aches and Blues’ includes 18 recordings contain fascinating connections between artist and track. The earliest song chosen (by U.S. Girls) is The Birthday Party’s Junkyard, from 1981; the most recent are the two Grimes covers (‘Genesis’ and ‘Oblivion’, respectively by Spencer. and Dry Cleaning) from 2012. Suitably, for the one band that bridges 4AD past and present, The Breeders are all over Bills And Aches And Blues. They’re covered three times – ‘Cannonball’ by Tune-Yards, ‘Mountain Battles’ by Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and ‘Off You’ by Big Thief, whilst The Breeders cover ‘The Dirt Eaters’ by their ‘90s contemporaries His Name Is Alive.

Bills & Aches & Blues features 18 of the label’s current artists covering a song of their choosing from 4AD’s past: a creative experiment rooted in the spirit of collaboration and a snapshot of 4AD . 

From 4AD’s 40th anniversary compilation Bills & Aches & Blues, SOHN does a double cover, taking on This Mortal Coil’s iconic, Liz Fraser-powered version of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” and doing so in a very reverential manner.

Landmark songs such as ‘Cannonball’, ‘Song To The Siren’ and Pixies’ ‘Where is My Mind?’, will feel comfortable to casual fans, however by contrast, much joy can be found in the album’s surprise choices, such as Air Miami’s ‘Seabird’ and the Lush B-side ‘Sunbathing’, covered respectively by new signings Maria Somerville and Jenny Hval.

Bills and Aches and Blues is named, arguably (as Elizabeth Fraser never published the lyrics) after the opening line of Cocteau Twins ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’. Perhaps too unique and uncoverable in their own right, their legendary take on Tim Buckley’s ‘Song To The Siren’, under the name This Mortal Coil (along with Buckley’s pre-Starsailor acoustic version) informs SOHN’s cover.

Some tracks unearth hitherto hidden shared DNA, such as Future Islands’ and Colourbox’s ‘The Moon Is Blue’; other tracks are more akin to reinvention. Aldous Harding distils the melodic essence of Deerhunter’s ‘Revival’ and recasts it in her own uncanny image. U.S. Girls’ future-disco ‘Junkyard’ and Bing and Ruth’s neo-classical instrumental ‘Gigantic’ are even more radical interpretations. Leading off the album, Tkay Maidza brings both her Art Rap and R&B game, but also an unexpected ‘80s synth pop template, to Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind?’, a perfect title for these chaotic times.

TRACKLISTING:
Side 1:
01 Tkay Maidza Where Is My Mind? (Pixies)
02 U.S. Girls Junkyard (The Birthday Party)
03 Aldous Harding Revival (Deerhunter)
04 The Breeders Dirt Eaters (His Name Is Alive)
05 Maria Somerville Seabird (Air Miami)
Side 2:
06 Tune-Yards Cannonball (The Breeders)
07 Spencer. Genesis (Grimes)
08 Helado Negro Futurism (Deerhunter)
09 Efterklang Postal (Piano Magic)
10 Bing and Ruth Gigantic (Pixies)
Side 3:
11 Future Islands The Moon Is Blue (Colourbox)
12 Jenny Hval Sunbathing (Lush)
13 Dry Cleaning Oblivion (Grimes)
14 Bradford Cox Mountain Battles (Breeders)
Side 4:
15 SOHN Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley)
16 Becky and The Birds The Wolves Act I and II (Bon Iver)
17 Ex:Re Misery Is a Butterfly (Blonde Redhead)
18 Big Thief Off You (The Breeders)

Beggars Group Digital Ltd.

DRY CLEANING – ” New Long Leg “

Posted: March 31, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0
Dry Cleaning

The latest single from their debut LP “New Long Leg”, Dry Cleaning have shared a video for their new song “Unsmart Lady,” the latest single from their debut album New Long Leg. Check out the Tilly Shiner–directed clip, which features the band performing in a South London carpet shop, Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw, who wrote the lyrics, said in a statement: ““Fat podgy, non make-up’—I was thinking about these things that are supposed to be a source of shame about your appearance and wanting to use them in a powerful way. Just trying to survive when you feel knackered and put-upon and shit about yourself, but you say, ‘I don’t care what I’m supposed to be.’” 

New Long Leg is the band’s first release since signing to 4AD Records. Dry Cleaning have previously shared videos for “Strong Feelings” and “Scratchcard Lanyard.” The band released two EPs in 2019: Sweet Princess and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks.

You’ll be hearing more about Dry Cleaning in the coming days, but at the centre of it all is New Long Leg, their forthcoming debut album, which we’ve been looking forward to for months. Their stylishly alchemic art-rock juxtaposes nervy instrumentation from guitarist Tom Dowse, drummer Nick Buxton and bassist Lewis Maynard with vocalist Florence Shaw’s hypnotic spoken-word delivery, running hot and cool at the same time. From locked-in opener “Scratchcard Lanyard” to sprawling closer “Every Day Carry,” New Long Leg is an enthralling first full-length effort from the London quartet.

‘Unsmart Lady‘, from Dry Cleaning’s debut album ‘New Long Leg’. Released 2nd April on 4AD records. 

DRY CLEANING – ” Scratchcard Lanyard ” Later… with Jools Holland

Posted: March 30, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

“Dry Cleaning’s guitarist Tom Dowse, drummer Nick Buxton, and Lewis Maynard had been friends and musical collaborators for years; at first Dry Cleaning was simply their latest project, formed after a karaoke night and based out of the miniscule garage next to the house of Maynard’s mum. One day, however, after a mutual friend’s exhibition, Dowse played some snippets of what they’d been working on to Florence Shaw, a visual artist, picture researcher and drawing lecturer. A few days later, she came to his flat armed with a copy of Michael Bernard Loggins’ Fears Of Your Life to read out over the music, and later still started contributing words of her own. Before long she was the group’s frontperson, her dryness, wit, and linguistic acrobatics acting as the perfect counter to the musicians’ taut instrumentals. Eventually they produced two thrilling EPs, 2019’s Sweet Princessand Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks. On stage, the contrast between the stillness of Shaw and the emphatic energy of Dowse and Maynard became even more pronounced. They swapped influences from Black Sabbath to Augustus Pablo to Yuzo Koshiro. “It all absorbed,” says Dowse. “Then when we got back to writing, we felt like we were drawing very organically from a collective palette.”

UK band Dry Cleaning will release their debut album, “New Long Leg”, on April 2nd and they were just on long-running BBC series Later with Jools Holland (via London’s Moth Club) to play the album’s lead single, “Scratchcard Lanyard.”

We’d really recommend checking out Dry Cleaning’s recent performance on Later… with Jools Holland! We mentioned it above, we’re mentioning it now and no doubt we’ll mention it again in a matter of days. It’s great, what can we say?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9WV6E6pONw

Watch Dry Cleaning perform Scratchcard Lanyard filmed at the Moth Club (Live on Later)

DRY CLEANING – ” Strong Feelings “

Posted: February 10, 2021 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0
Dry Cleaning New Long Leg

London’s Dry Cleaning have announced that their debut album is on the way: “New Long Leg” is out April 2 via 4AD Records. The follow-up to their 2019 EPs Sweet Princess and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks features the new song “Strong Feelings” is the 2nd single from upcoming debut album

Dry Cleaning recorded the album during the pandemic, with each member demoing their individual parts on a four-track Tascam recorder they passed to each other through the window of a car, disinfected each time with antibacterial wipes. They went on to work with producer John Parish (PJ Harvey) at Rockfield Studios in Wales to put the record together. “Strong Feelings,” vocalist Florence Shaw said in a statement, is “about secretly being in love with someone who doesn’t know it, and Brexit’s disruptive role in romantic relationships.”

One of the standout albums for 2021. It’s everything you expected and more. Simply amazing. Dry Cleaning will release their debut studio album “New Long Leg” the 10-track long-player, which includes last year’s single ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’, was recorded over two weeks last summer at Rockfield. “New Long Leg” is more ambitious and complex, with Shaw’s spoken vocals tightly intertwined with the band’s restless instrumentals. With lyrics preoccupied by themes like dissociation, escapism, daydreaming, complicated feelings of love, anger, revenge, anxiety, the kitchen, lethargy, forgetfulness, and survival, Shaw says, “the title is ambiguous; a new long leg could be an expensive present or a growth or a table repair.”

Dry Cleaning was formed by friends Tom Dowse, Nick Buxton and Lewis Maynard after a karaoke party in 2017 inspired a collaboration. They wrote instrumentally to begin with until six months later Florence Shaw, a visual artist, university lecturer and picture researcher by day – with no prior musical experience – turned up to a band rehearsal armed with reams of her own collected writing and a copy of Michael Bernard Loggins’ Fears Of Your Life to read out over the music. Before long she was the group’s frontperson, contributing words of her own, and serving as the perfect foil to the band’s music.

Florence Shaw: (frontwoman) said about the LP: “I found the lockdown played into some of the themes I was interested in anyway, living in a small world, a feeling of alienation, paranoia and worry, but also a joyful reveling in household things. It’s not just sheer pent-up energy all the time in the way that the first two EPs were. I feel more confident with leaving gaps.”

There is a Bonus CD – Featuring two extra tracks Tony Speaks! and Hm.

DRY CLEANING – ” Scratchcard Lanyard “

Posted: November 28, 2020 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , , ,
0

London-based band Dry Cleaning have shared their new single “Scratchcard Lanyard,” which also serves as their debut release with 4AD Records and should appear on their debut album, which is on the horizon soon.

The band has shared the creative music video for the song which marks the directorial debut of artist duo Rottingdean Bazaar which sees vocalist Florence Shaw singing in a miniature nightclub that is shot in a stylistic fashion. The song itself is a compelling art-punk rock effort that has some sharp angular guitar riffs that perfectly set the table for Shaw’s delivery that feels like a mix between Protomartyr, U.S. Girls and Parquet Courts. All good things.

‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ is a treatise on the joy of life’s little pleasures, where air fresheners become mighty oaks and Instagram filters are glamourous holiday destinations. The South London band explain further – “In the search for your true calling in life, it’s easy to try so many things that you end up confused. It can lead to an enormous build-up of frustration. You may fantasise about exacting revenge upon your real or imagined enemies. Ephemeral things and small-scale escapist experiences can provide some relief!”

The companion video for ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’  riffing on the song’s celebration of the humdrum – inserts vocalist Florence Shaw into her own miniature night club. Rottingdean Bazaar are artists James Theseus Buck and Luke Brooks. Their work includes design, creative direction and fine art practices, and the duo live and work in Rottingdean, East Sussex in the UK.

Dry Cleaning is Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), Lewis Maynard (bass) and Florence Shaw (vocals). Firm friends for years, they only started making music after a karaoke party in 2017 inspired a collaboration. They wrote instrumentally to begin with and six months later Shaw, a university lecturer and picture researcher by day, joined on vocals with no prior musical experience. 

Dry Cleaning’s music is simple – direct and uncomplicated. The Feelies, the Necessaries, the B52s and Pylon all served as inspirations when the band first came together. The small and intimate garage / rehearsal space had a huge influence on the sound; both of last year’s EPs Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks and Sweet Princess were written here. The quartet have finished work on their debut album, with details to follow soon. 

Dry Cleaning share the song ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’, the group’s first release on 4AD Records.

DRY CLEANING – ” Magic of Meghan “

Posted: December 23, 2019 in MUSIC
Tags: ,
0

Image may contain: 1 person, text

South London has a history in producing some of the UK’s most innovative bands in recent years. The latest are Dry Cleaning, a four-piece who combine wiry post punk with intelligent, observational lyrics that reference Meghan Markle, sexual encounters in Travelodge hotels and Vikings amongst other things. One review compared them to “Phoebe Waller-Bridge fronting The Fall”, and while that probably sounds a little too unpalatable to contemplate, it’s actually quite plausible. They’ve put out two EPs this year which stand shoulder to shoulder gracefully alongside anything else released in 2019 while their live shows have already become the stuff of legend.

With an album scheduled for release in the coming months and several festival slots already in the bag, it’s probably fair to say you’re going to hear a lot more from Dry Cleaning in 2020.

Dry Cleaning – “Magic of Meghan” Taken from the ‘Sweet Princess EP‘, out now.

DRY CLEANING – ” Sweet Princess EP “

Posted: December 15, 2019 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , ,
0

Dry Cleaning, London, June 2019. Picture credit: Hanna-Katrina Jedrosz

Dry Cleaning came together in a somewhat atypical way — three musicians who’d already been through the ringer with failed projects, finding their spark with a front woman who had no musical experience. That’s also what makes them special, with Florence Shaw’s deadpan-then-vicious spoken word delivery adding a new twist on Dry Cleaning’s gritty post-punk. Her lyrics come from stray details and overheard conversations and YouTube detritus — the jumble of a mind in an era of too much information and too many stimuli, the outpouring of it all ultimately making Dry Cleaning somehow therapeutic.

For anyone looking to get a quick sense of the vibe of the bracing debut EP from the London group Dry Cleaning, vocalist Florence Shaw provides a tip right out of the gate: “During what was probably the longest two-and-a-half months of my life after a near death experience, I could not sleep/…The only thing that kept me going was Saw 2.” Dry Cleaning—emphasis on “dry”—use bleak humor and acid sarcasm as a way to cut life’s thousand tiny indignities down to size. You have to be a sharp writer to make this kind of withering wit work, but fortunately, Shaw is one of the sharpest. When a date goes south and Shaw returns from the bathroom to discover her would-be partner has ghosted, she offers, “I thought you liked me, but maybe I was just a captive audience. You did seem a bit bored when I was talking.” In “The Magic of Meghan” (which certainly appears to be about a member of the Royal Family, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions), Shaw tartly observes, “Never has one outfit been designed to send so many messages/ Earrings to empower women/ Bag that helps charity/ jeans made in Wales/ Cruelty-free coat.” Come to think of it, that line may be appreciative rather than cutting, but that’s one of the things that makes Shaw’s writing so good—it’s beguilingly difficult to read.

http://

The band surrounds her verse with the kind of jabbing guitars and lockstep rhythms that defined their home country’s post-punk years, bands like Delta 5 and the Au Pairs. Shaw would probably hate that comparison—but I bet she’d write a killer song about it.

DRY CLEANING – ” Viking Hair “

Posted: October 6, 2019 in MUSIC
Tags: ,
0

Quickly becoming one of the year’s break-out new acts, Dry Cleaning garnered near universal acclaim for their debut EP, “Sweet Princess”. Wasting no time, the band are set to return with their second offering, Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks, when both EPs are pressed together on a 12″ vinyl out later this month. This week the band have detailed a headline tour for early next year, alongside sharing brand new single, Viking Hair.

Viking Hair is a tribute to passing attraction, how romantic ideas can spring into your head even when the person is just a stranger with particularly good hair, “she’s beautiful she’s got Viking hair, she’s a tragic heroine, I’m in love”.

This tale is interwoven with the sort of stream of consciousness lyricism that’s quickly becoming the bands trademark; the words seem easily distracted from the songs central narrative, like a modern mind unable to focus entirely on any one thing. Musically, it’s built around repetitive angular guitar lines and clattering drums beats, coming across like the middle ground of Arab Strap and Wire. Alternatively, like the band themselves, you might just be reminded of line-dancing and decide to go and film a video at your local..

Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks is out October 25th