jams
Talk About the Jams! New Jams by Gotobeds, Terry, Baby in Vain, Spray Paint, and White Lung
So, a guy at Stereogum knows a guy who thinks Pittsburgh's Gotobeds are the best of the bunch in underground rock today. I don't know either guy, but I concur. Get yourself a copy of the Gotobeds should-be masterpiece, Poor People Are Revolting on 12XU, and join the chosen few who are beyond stoked for their upcoming Sub Pop debut.
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Jam On It! New Jams by Summer Cannibals, The Julie Ruin, OBN IIIS, Metz and Swami John Reis, and GOAT
If Sleater-Kinney were the female Fugazi and Summer Canniabls are the new Sleater-Kinney, that would make Summer Canniabls the new female Fugazi with one dude? I don't know man, but what I do know, is that there isn't enough metal in punk today, not enough musicians ready to plug in and aim for the arena rafters.
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A Jam Packed Thursday with White Lung, Nothing, and Steve Gunn
Now, this is what I call a ripper. White Lung's "Kiss Me When I Bleed" is all punky and grungy, Five Hour Energy stacked with Five Hour Energy, shredding on top of shredding, longhairs headbanging and skinny kids, well, looking disinterested. Fuck the cool kids and turn it up.
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Play Me: “Real Maths/Too Much” by The Gotobeds
2014 saw Pittsburgh's finest, The Gotobeds, release the best album of slop punk and pop junk recorded in years. It was a masterpiece of biting one-liners and unexpected ear worms. To this day, I can't set foot in The City without the line, "New York's alright if you can get your dick sucked," playing round my head on repeat. Out on Gerald Cosloy's 12XU Records, Poor People Are Revolting, may not have gotten the attention it deserved, but it caught the right ears, as their followup, Blood/Sugar/Secs/Traffic is slated for a June 10th release on the venerable indie label, Sub Pop.
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Rad Jam Wednesday with Car Seat Headrest, Nothing, White Lung, and The Liminanas
Why didn't anyone tell me Car Seat Headrest shreds? Fans of the Cloud Nothings' heavy era and Built to Spill will be asking themselves the same question once they play, "Vincent," the first single from the band's upcoming, second album on Matador Records.
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Jam On It! New Jams by Cat’s Eyes, Yuck, and Purling Hiss
Why doesn't anyone make lists on the internet any more? Here's a list, a list of some of my favorite downers in rock:
Nick Cave, Elliot Smith, Robert Smith of The Cure, Spiritualized's J Spaceman, Faris Badwan of The Horrors and Cat's Eyes.
Faris who? I feel like I say this every time I write about the Horrors, but Badwan's post-punk downer band, The Horrors, have been criminally overlooked here in the States release after release. 2009's Primary Colors should have been album of the year, everyone's album of the year. Hell, I don't know if it was even my album of the year. Someone google that. What I'm getting at, is that this man, here paired with the classically trained Rachel Zeffira, is capable of stop your heart and drop moments.
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Watch Me: “Dust” by Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts released an EP at the tail end of last year. I know this because it's filed away with all of my other albums. I can't remember much about this particular EP aside from the fact that there was one song and a lot of four dudes fucking around with keyboards and synthesizers. It was like one of those contractual obligation releases except for the fact Parquet Courts have been on a continual rise since 2011.
I'd rather not talk about that last EP. I'd rather talk about this new video, "Dust," from their forthcoming album, a proper album, called Human Performance (out 4.8 on Rough Trade). Just one problem. I'm not sure we get to "Dust" without first having to go through four dudes fuck with keyboards and synthesizers.
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Two Fer Monday: New Jams by Wussy and Washer
Long, both a Cleveland favorite and a critic's favorite, Cincinnati's Wussy have built their loyal following over the course of five albums with a combination of strong, compelling songwriting detailing the trials, big and small, of Medwestern life, and musicianship capable of communicating those ranges of emotions. Equally adept at quiet and rustic, and plugged in and rambunctious, "Dropping Houses," the title track to their forthcoming, sixth album (out March 4th), tilts toward the latter with firm, pounding percussion, mountains of guitar sounds, and echo, lots of echo. Americana psychedelia rarely gets this heavy. And damn, does it sound good.
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