Posts Tagged ‘Hardly Art Records’

PROTOMARTYR – ” Dope Cloud “

Posted: August 24, 2015 in MUSIC
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This October marks the release of Protomartyr’s third and finest work to date, The Agent Intellect. Named after an ancient philosophical questioning of how the mind operates in relation to the self, it’s an elegant and often devastating display of all that makes Protomartyr composed of singer Joe Casey, guitarist Greg Ahee, drummer Alex Leonard, and bassist Scott Davidson—so vital and singularly visceral an outfit.

Over the course of several months, Ahee waded through more than a hundred song fragments until he reached the bottomless melodies , amid the charred pop of “Dope Cloud,” he reassures us that nothing—not God, not money—can or will prevent our minds from unraveling until we finally fade away.
Protomartyr’s third record in three years (following 2013’s No Passion All Technique & 2014’s Under Color of Official Right), the Detroit four-piece is operating with a clear sense of urgency and focus. ” The Agent Intellect “ is out 10th September on Hardly Art Records.

LA LUZ – ” Don’t Wanna Be Anywhere “

Posted: August 14, 2015 in MUSIC
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Second mp3 single from the album  “Weirdo Shrine”, the new Ty Segall-produced sophomore album by Seattle surf-rock group La Luz, out August 7th on Hardly Art Records. Surf-rock band La Luz’s sophomore album Weirdo Shrine will be released tomorrow, and even with a brief listen it’s clear that it’s an album with passion, skill, and intense emotion. Their track “Don’t Wanna Be Anywhere” seems to best showcase lead guitarist and vocalist Shana Cleveland’s effortless skills, especially considering the mellow, yet refined riffs embedded in flawless lo-fi sound. It’s definitely a track that begs to be understood, so multiple plays are definitely not out of order.

Pre-order Weirdo Shrine

LA LUZ – ” You Disappear “

Posted: August 5, 2015 in MUSIC
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First single from Weirdo Shrine, the new Ty Segall-produced sophomore album by Seattle surf-rock group La Luz, out August 7th on Hardly Art records. What makes Weirdo Shrine interesting is that all this existential dread is wrapped up in classic-sounding surf rock, topped with enough “ooohhhs”, “aaahhhs”, and vocal harmonies to fill your girl group quota for an entire year. Lead singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland tosses out bright, airy guitar riffs, tinged with just the right amount of reverb, as easy as breathing. But the surfer girl guise is a front.

Nowhere is this more apparent than the ballad, “I’ll Be True”. Cleveland croons, “No one else treats me like you do/ And I’ll be true to you/ Just as long as you want me to,” while keyboardist Alice Sandahl tries to wrestle the good name of organ solos from the hands of Ray Manzarek. But the lingering effect of the song is not the declaration of loyalty, it’s the minor chord progression that blends with the ladies’ descending voices. It begs the question: If the love in the song is so pure and innocent then why does it come tinged with such eeriness?

La Luz recorded It’s Alive in the back of their friend’s trailer. For Weirdo Shrine, producer Ty Segall constructed a makeshift studio out of an old surfboard factory. At first, this tactic can come across almost like a cheap gimmick, a soundbite for press releases. But once you realize Segall also chose to keep a persistent hissing overlay on the entire record (it’s hard to ignore once you hear it)—the occasional, lingering odd note or glitch will also tend to appear during the transitions between tracks—his methods become less a cute anecdote, and more a way to keep the group firmly grounded in their DIY roots. The ladies might have perfect pitch, but this is not an album for cleaning up mistakes.

It’s frustrating that the record doesn’t fully convey the energy of La Luz’s live shows, where the band members will crowd surf and request the audience make space for a line dance à la “Soul Train”. But if you choose to focus on La Luz’s doo-wop harmonizing, then you’re only looking at the frilly, pink bow that tops the whole package. The undercurrent of darkness in La Luz’s music is what makes their work so fierce and intelligent. You could blink and miss their sneaky, underhanded way of slipping unease into their cheerful-sounding songs. Which is why you should give them more of your attention.

COLLEEN GREEN – ” Pay Attention “

Posted: May 16, 2015 in MUSIC
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As a prospect it can be terrifying, sad, and worst of all, inevitable. But on I Want to Grow Up, her second album for Hardly Art Records, Colleen Green lets us know that we don’t have to go it alone.

This latest collection of songs follows a newly 30-year-old  Colleen Green as she carefully navigates a minefield of her emotions. Her firm belief in true love is challenged by the inner turmoil caused by entering modern adulthood, but that doesn’t mean that her faith is defeated. With a nod to her heroes, sentimental SoCal punks The Descendents, Colleen Green too wonders what it will be like when she gets old. Throughout songs such as “Some People,” “Deeper Than Love,” and the illustrative title track, the listener has no choice but to feel the sympathetic growing pains of revelatory maturation and the anxieties that come along with it.

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Sonically the album is a major change for the LA-based songwriter, who has come to be known for her homemade recordings and merchandise. Her past offerings have been purely Green; testaments to her self-sufficiency and, perhaps, trepidation. This time, she’s got a little help from her friends: the full band heard here includes JEFF the Brotherhood’s Jake Orrall and Diarrhea Planet’s Casey Weissbuch, who collaborated with Green over ten days at Sputnik Sound in Nashville, TN.

I Want to Grow Up is an experience, not unlike life: questioning, learning, taking risks. And in true CG fashion, a quote from a beloved 90s film seems the perfect summation: “Understanding is reached only after confrontation.”

CHASTITY BELT – ” Joke “

Posted: March 6, 2015 in MUSIC
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Indie rockers Chastity Belt are fans of dark humor, and know just when to use it to their advantage. Case in point their new single “Joke”. Chastity Belt is not the kind of band to shy away from making a statement. Back in 2010, Julia Shapiro, Gretchen Grimm, Lydia Lund, and Annie Truscott formed the band in Walla Walla, Washington, and they’ve since relocated to Seattle where they’re part of the city’s thriving music scene. They sing about feeling antisocial in a place with a reputation for “social freeze,” chips and dip, and nip-slips—among other delights. One of their publicity shots ranked number one on a list of the most “painfully awkward band photos,” and they’ve earned a reputation for their tongue-in-cheek approach to pretty much everything.

The band’s first album, No Regerts was a gently sardonic (and well reviewed) gem, and on March 23rd, Chastity Belt will release their second album Time to Go Home, on Hardly Art. Take a first listen to their new track, “Joke,”

“Let’s light everything on fire,” singer Julia Shapiro utters matter-of-factly, plotting a perfectly sardonic escape plan for when life gets to be too much to handle. Later on the track (arguably the best off the forthcoming Time To Go Home LP), Chastity Belt’s strategy is put into motion, as the Seattle natives fade away into a blaze of dreamy and meandering guitars,

CHASTITY BELT – ” Time To Go Home “

Posted: February 11, 2015 in MUSIC
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The women of Chastity Belt hit the streets of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, searching for a good time in this woozy video for their song “Time to Go Home.” star as the coolest, most jaded band in the world as they wander around Seattle’s Capitol Hill in search of a meaningful night, in this Bobby McHugh-directed video for the group’s new single and one of our favorite jams of the year so far, “Time to Go Home.” Instead, they get wasted, take a few selfies, dance around with some shirtless dudes in Macklemore masks, then go home together and pass out. Actually, it does all feel kind of meaningful. Chastity Belt’s very tight track “Time to Go Home” LP is out on March 24th on Hardly Art Records.

COLLEEN GREEN – ” TV Is My Friend “

Posted: January 29, 2015 in MUSIC
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Second mp3 single from Colleen Green’s 2015 album “I Want to Grow Up” out 2/24/15 on Hardly Art records. imagine someone Like Belinda Carlisle fronting The Ramones.” .A Massachusetts native turned Los Angeleno, Colleen Green worships the Descendents , worries about maturity and matters of the heart, and, up to now, has dealt in solo DIY recordings. The forthcoming “I Want to Grow Up” (the 30-year-old’s newest album and second for Hardly Art) marks a shift in technique, having come together with help from a full band, including JEFF the Brotherhood’s Jake Orrall and Diarrhea Planet‘s Casey Weissbuch. Due out February 24th, the ten-track set is replete with the sorts of sticky, lovesick melodies.

CHASTITY BELT – ” Time To Go Home ” Best Albums Of 2105

Posted: January 9, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The last several days, a number of music blogs were abuzz with the song “Time To Go Home,” the title song to the new album by the Chastity Belt which came out on March 24th on Hardly Art records.
Featuring guitarists Julia Shapiro (the singer and primary songwriter) and Lydia Lund, bassist Annie Truscott, and drummer Gretchen Grimm, the band are from the Seattle area, Walla Walla, Washington. They released their debut album, “No Regrets”, which got favourable reviews when it was self-released in 2013, Then following two EPs they released in 2012 (available on their Bandcamp page). About their new album, The music is an indie-rock swirl of guitars and careening drums that recalls the team efforts of classic bands like the Raincoats.
title song “Time To Go.” It’s a heartfelt, straight forward rock and roll song, touched by punk, fuzzy guitars, and reverbed vocals that just hits all the right chords.

On the surface, Seattle punk band Chastity Belt is just plain silly. Its members wear mom jeans and turtle necks in its press shots, for crying out loud. But there’s more than just frivolous nostalgia at play on the group’s Hardly Art debut, Time to Go Home.

The song that rightfully gets the most attention is “Cool Slut,” as guitarist and vocalist Julia Schapiro trashes tired rock tropes that cast sexual conquests as a measure of manhood and point of shame for women. Satire gives way to solemnity on other standout tracks, as “IDC” (“I got drunk out of boredom/I did not want to be there”) and the title-track sum up the end of the night, when regret sets in and there’s a chance you’ll be holding back a puking friend’s hair.

While the lyrics are strong, the music itself will hook in repeat listeners. “Lydia” is wistful enough to have been from a popular indie songstresses’ songbook, while “The Thing” is lightning-fast West Coast punk that begins and ends with a blood-curdling scream. Sure, other well-written, feminist friendly albums have been released in 2015, but those artists are not likely as clever, fun, and free as these girls.

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