DIIV – IS THE IS ARE
“There are plenty of bands that have served as their own worst enemies. DIIV had all the makings of a band banging on the door to stardom—hooks for days, a distinctive aesthetic in a crowded field, an edgy frontman who has acquired his own mythos. So the wait between their debut and sophomore efforts was an unwelcome wrinkle. After curating one of the finer entries into the Captured Tracks discography, the Brooklyn genre-melders hit a few snags, most notably Zachary Cole Smith’s arrest in late 2013 and drummer Colby Hewitt’s departure due to drug addiction. It all made a one-and-done affair seem like a real possibility. Is The Is Are’s opening line captures this sentiment perfectly: ‘You’re out of sight/And out of mind.’ DIIV were essentially off the grid for three years, more than enough time to be supplanted by a new rival. But rather than a distraction, the tabloid drama surrounding the band became the fodder for their new album. Is The Is Are takes everything that DIIV did well on Oshin, deepens it, broadens it, fiddles with more permutations, and does it all to excess.
2LP – Rough Trade Exclusive – 500 Copies on White marble Coloured Vinyl. LP One with red swirls and LP two with Pink Swirls. This is a different Colour to the US Version. Plus Two 12’x12″ – 12 page Lyric / Art Books.
ULRIKA SPACEK – THE ALBUM PARANOIA
Ulrika Spacek is a British experimental rock band formed in Berlin by Rhys Edwards and Rhys Williams, relocated to Homerton, London. Work on debut album ‘The Album Paranoia’ began in the summer of 2014 in the band’s shared house KEN, and was finished there last month. In conjunction to the making of ‘The Album Paranoia’, the band has curated a number of nights under the name ‘Oysterland’ combining their first live performances with a series of exhibitions. The band’s music has drawn various interpretations, a cross pollination of hypnotic fuzz, Verlain-Malkmus guitar idiosyncrasies and intertwining feelings of both angst and melancholia. For fans of Mercury Rev, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Deerhunter and Atlas Sound.
CD – Digipack.
LP – Limited White Vinyl with Download.
PALEHOUND – MOLLY
Debut UK release on Heavenly Recordings from Boston’s Palehound – the vehicle for Ellen Kempner who on ‘Molly’ shows her inimitable songwriting skills while playing it a bit fast and loose with hooks. ‘Molly’ features the same kind of seasick, pointed instrumentals of a
song, and the caustic lyricism to match. Limited 7″ only.
THE PARROTS – I DID SOMETHING WRONG
The Parrots are an unstoppable garage-surf party-machine. They have been causing a stir in the scene in recent months with their bewildering shows and their already sold out ‘Weed For The Parrots’ EP (out last June on Luv Luv Luv Records and on Burger Records in the US), and after the sweaty success of their London multi-venue residency at The Shacklewell Arms, The Waiting Room and The Lock Tavern at the start of the summer (all packed in the same week, with a memorable stage invasion at The Shacklewell), The venue issue the Spanish trio on a very limited, exclusive 7″ single that also marks the launch of Shacklewell Records, a newborn imprint linked to the Dalston venue and its pop-up record shop, Black Wax. This 7″ features two early demos that are among the most celebrated tracks in their live shows – ‘I Did Something Wrong’ (with more than 90,000 plays on YouTube yet still unavailable physically) and drunken show-closing chant ‘Somebody To Love’.
Dr. Dog – The Psychedelic Swamp CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)
“Philly’s Dr. Dog made their first record, The Psychedelic Swamp, in 2000 but never officially released it. Sure, there’ve been bootlegs, and any long-time Dr. Dog diehard can list the LP’s songs — but the collection never got a chance to really shine. Now 15 years later, the album has gotten a complete makeover. The strange thing is not that the band is returning to the first thing they ever created together, but that returning was their intention all the while. ‘The concept behind it is that we were always going to redo it and make it super-accessible pop, which was built into the concept of The Psychedelic Swamp. Part of the original record that is so unlistenable is that,” he pauses to laugh, ‘it was trapped in a psychedelic swamp.’” – Charleston City Paper
GAME THEORY – LOLITA NATION
When Game Theory emerged with their fourth full-length release in 1987, there was not only a new line-up of the band, but it took two LPs to capture all of the magic. Once again produced by Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Let’s Active), ‘Lolita Nation’ was the culmination of all that had come before, and pushed the boundaries farther than they had ever gone. ‘Lolita Nation’ became their most critically acclaimed work – grabbing a Bay Area Music Award (BAMMY) nomination for Outstanding Independent Label Album in 1988. Revered for decades, and – sadly – out of print for many. As Omnivore Recordings continues to reintroduce this seminal band to the masses, ‘Lolita Nation’ now requires a second CD to collect alternate mixes, live recordings, and radio sessions. The original’s 27 tracks are joined by 21 bonus performances! In addition to the highly sought after 8 minute version of ‘Chardonnay’ and alternate mixes of other album tracks, the bonus material features covers of David Bowie, The Modern Lovers, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Stooges, Joy Division, The Hollies, and Public Image Ltd. classics. Truly as eclectic and all-encompassing as ‘Lolita Nation’ itself, and just as revolutionary. All formats feature new liner notes from Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, interviews with the band and original album contributors and previously unseen photos. As the world reawakens to the incredible Game Theory, it is truly a new time and a new day. It’s time to return to ‘Lolita Nation’ – if even for your first visit!
This expanded reissue of Game Theory’s ambitious fourth album adds a disc of alternate mixes, live recordings, and radio sessions – 48 tracks total. “Game Theory leader Scott Miller has never made much of a secret of his fondness for Big Star, but while Real Nighttime favored the sound of #1 Record and The Big Shot Chronicles suggested the harder-edged tone of Radio City, Lolita Nation sounded like Game Theory’s variation on the themes of Big Star’s masterfully damaged swan song, Third/Sister Lovers. Certainly Game Theory’s most ambitious album, Lolita Nation was a two-LP set that combined some of Miller’s most user-friendly power pop with dark, moody ruminations on betrayal, failed love, and mortality, bursts of avant-garde noise, and fragments of unclassifiable studio doodling, all thrown into a sonic Cuisinart through Miller’s aggressive use of aural montage.”
2CD – Double CD Set with 21 bonus tracks.
2LP – Double LP on Green colored vinyl for first press with download card for entire CD program.
G.L.O.S.S. – DEMO 2015
Without a doubt, one of the most hyped punk groups of recent years, G.L.O.S.S. are different in that they deserve the column inches 10 times over.
With an acronym translating as Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit, the four piece from Olympia took the punk and hardcore world’s by storm in early 2015 with their demo of blistering, stomping, meaty and breathtaking hardcore. Sounding not unlike Japanese hardcore pioneers Bastard mixed with prime Tragedy and even some wilder Italian influences, G.L.O.S.S. approach the punk status quo from the role of self-declared outsiders. Helmed by the immensely powerful vocals of Sadie Switchblade, the politically and hyper-aware lyrical content of the group set them apart from the staid pre-occupation of a predominantly macho and male hardcore scene. It’s a testament the group’s power and compositional prowess that, on the opening spoken-raged-word intro to their first wax statement, you can’t help feeling enraged, pumped up and ready to destroy two thousand years of patriarchal culture before the first minute is out no matter your angle or political persuasion. We’ve been waiting for this for so long it already feels like the 7″ of the year.
PORCHES – POOL
‘Porches’ debut full-length for Domino and a major step forward for frontman Aaron Maine – as an evolving singer / songwriter, and as a nascent producer. Written and recorded almost entirely in the Manhattan apartment he shares with his partner and frequent collaborator, Greta Kline a.k.a Frankie Cosmos, ‘Pool’ is an elegantly drawn set of gorgeous synth-driven pop songs, and an expansive re-articulation of the melancholy we’ve come to expect from him; from the pristine harmonies of ‘Hour’ to the undulating R&B of ‘Underwater’ to the Auto-tuned majesty of the title track. “I feel like I naturally gravitate towards the more melancholic experiences in life,” he says, “but this time around I tried to dissect those moments and somehow extract what was so beautiful about them.” The result – recorded twice, and eventually mixed by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Tobias Jesso Jr.) in his Los Angeles studio – is a sophisticated and fully immersive listening experience, with Maine’s voice at its center. “I want people to feel dark, beautiful and strong when they hear this new record,” he adds, “I want them to fall in love.”Pool marks a major step forward for Porches frontman Aaron Maine—as an evolving singer/songwriter, and as a nascent producer
LP – Heavyweight Black vinyl with spot gloss detail on jacket, includes 12″x12″ insert and MP3 download card.
LP+ – Heavyweight Clear vinyl with spot gloss detail on jacket, limited to 750, includes 12″x12″ insert and MP3 download card.
SUNFLOWER BEAN – HUMAN CEREMONY
As a band, Sunflower Bean have grown exceptionally fast. On the heels of strong live shows around their Brooklyn hometown and festivals like CMJ, the three-piece dropped an EP earlier this year. Since then, they’ve nailed down tours with the likes of Wolf Alice, DIIV, Best Coast, and others, leading to a staggering 100 performances in the span of just one year. That’s a lot for a fresh outfit. Recorded in just seven days, Human Ceremony sees them refining their psych rock ways into something with a bit more of a fuzzy pop edge, with a press release referencing influences like The Cure, The Velvet Underground, and The Feelies.”
Rough Trade exclusive with a Bonus 4 Track CD featuring covers of Neil Young, T-Rex, Jonathan Richman and Spiritualized. New York City’s Sunflower Bean release their full-length debut album, ‘Human Ceremony‘ via Fat Possum Records and it’s a joyous pop nugget from start to finish. The 11 tracks are urgent, flowing and demand repeated listens. It emerges at the intersection of dreamy modern psychedelia and urgent fuzzed-out bliss. On ‘I Was Home’ and ‘Wall Watcher’ the riffs rage, whilst on ‘Creation Myth’ they sound like a sugar sweet 80’s Indie Pop band with delicate female vocals. Seriously, this is everything and more, we could have expected from the debut Sunflower Bean album. For fans of Early 90’s Creation Records, Tame Impala and Veronica Falls.
LP+ – Rough Trade Exclusive. 500 Copies Only on Coke Clear Coloured vinyl with Download.
LP – Indie Shops Red Coloured Vinyl with Download.
LP+MP3 – Black Vinyl with Download.
TELEGRAM – OPERATOR
Limited Copies on all formats come with a bonus CD featuring four extra new tracks. London four piece Telegram release their eagerly awaited debut album on Gram Gram. ‘Operator’, Recorded in London with Rory Atwell, features twelve tracks including the forthcoming single ‘Taffy Come Home’, and a new version the band’s long deleted seven-inch debut release ‘Follow’ from October 2013. A stunning set of songs, the album will more than confirm Telegram’s early promise as one of the most exciting bands around right now. Formed just over two years ago, the Telegram line up of Matt Saunders (vocals / guitar), Oli Paget-Moon (bass) and Jordan Cook (drums) have recently recruited new guitarist Pip Stakem to the fold. Effortlessly combining a love of Roxy Music, Syd Barrett, krautrock and late proto-punk to great effect, they’ve built up an ever growing fanbase of critics and public alike with extensive touring and a clutch of fantastic and much sought after seven inch singles, ‘Follow’, Regatta’, ‘Inside Outside; and most recently ‘Aeons’.
CD – Digipack.
LP – Black Vinyl.
LP+ – Limited edition coloured vinyl.
I DON’T CARES (WESTERBERG AND HATFIELD) – WILD STAB
Paul Westerberg and Juliana Hatfield are the I Don’t Cares and they don’t care.The I Don’t Cares is Westerberg’s first new music since The Replacements disbanded earlier this year – for the second time.Back in a May 2014 feature for Paste magazine, Juliana Hatfield admitted to only ever writing three fan letters to other musicians: One to the band X, one to Elliott Smith, and the first, when she was a teenager, to Paul Westerberg.
Now Hatfield and the Replacements’ singer/guitarist have apparently formed a new group, called the I Don’t Cares, and they released their first song, a jangly guitar-rock nugget called “1 / 2 2 P, at the end of 2015.The song is to be included on the I Don’t Cares’ debut album, titled Wild Stab, out on Dry Wood Music. At the very least, the album is a victory for the lost art of fan-letter writing!
THE PRETTIOTS – FUN’S COOL
NYC’s The Prettiots (Kay Kasparhauser and Lulu Prat) release their debut album, ‘Fun’s Cool’ via Rough Trade. Packed with catchy melodies, memorable hooks and heart on the sleeve lyrics, ‘Fun’s Cool’ acts as a thoughtful, funny, and catchy-as-hell state of the union address from young women living in a big city and watching life unfurl in fits and starts before them. They’ve got a playful aesthetic and a sweet pop sound, but their observations are scalpel-sharp, and the emotional gut-punch their music packs is real. For Kay (vocals and uke) and Lulu (bass), simple instrumentation and no-frills vocals aren’t useful because they’re easy or cute.
FIELD MUSIC – COMMONTIME
‘Commontime’ is the first album of new songs from North East siblings Peter and David Brewis since ‘Plumb’ in 2012 and their fifth album ‘proper’ since their debut in 2005. After four years threading a way through one extra-curricular project after another, the space that Field Music vacated still appears to be empty and Field Music-shaped. No one else really does what Field Music do; the interweaving vocals, the rhythmic gear changes, the slightly off-chords, but with the sensibility that keeps them within touching distance of pop music. All this is present again but things are different this time. Where ‘Plumb’ was an album of vignettes and segues, ‘Commontime’ edges towards what people might call “proper songs”. Field Music have never shown off their unashamed love of choruses quite like they do on this record. Lyrically, Peter and David continue to mine that inexhaustible seam wondering how on earth we ended up here, in this situation, as these people. Over fourteen songs, conversations are replayed and friendships are left to drift. And all the while, that thing you were trying to remember has changed while your head was turned.
2LP – Black Double Vinyl with Download.
LP+ – Neon Orange 180 Gram Double Vinyl with Download.
The Fat Angel Sings 