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We are Wolves perform Magic.

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matt.

August 24, 2007 in prerelease hype, glamless, dirty, indie, montreal and tunes. 0 Comments

Montreal’s own We are Wolves are pretty damn notorious. Whether we are discussing their frigging awesome live sets, their minimal yet sleek web-site, or their debut album - the inimitable Non Stop Je Te Plie en Deux - that still gets constant rotation around here… To put it bluntly: I am dying to hear their next album, Total Magique.

The good news? We don’t have long to wait… as it drops September 4th from Dare to Care Records.

But! I have even better news: a sampler for the album has started making it’s rounds to the media featuring two tracks off the forthcoming album. And, it must be said, they are definitely on par with anything on Non Stop. These songs are, quite possibly, the best shit the band has ever recorded.

And so, I am ridiculously proud to present to y’all the dirty dirty dance, scream & drinkin’ tune “Fight & Kiss” alongside the title track off Magique. Love it.

We are Wolves - Fight & Kiss.
We are Wolves - Magique.

(you’ll be able to order the album here.)

Terrible Music? Check.

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matt.

August 21, 2007 in lameness, mashed, rehash and tunes. 12 Comments

So, I received the latest LP, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, from “current big thing” band (as per Elbo.ws popularity charts) Rogue Wave the other day, fully alongside an intention to write something about it. I’ve listened to it twice now, purely out of devotion to the cause… but, seriously. All I can say is that it sucks. Big time.

This isn’t meant as an attack on our fellow bloggers or the population at large… but seriously - Rogue Wave = Futureheads + Coldplay doing a half-hearted Shins interpretation. Which, to me, is not an interesting combination. So, screw it.

But, now that we are on a bad music kick… Let’s move onto something that one of my professors just exposed me to that is, arguably, just as horrible.

Here is the background: the professor in question is a Dylan fanatic. Such that, a group of us all went over to his place the other night for a night of drinking and visiting each of Bob’s albums in chronological order (needless to say, we only got to the early ’70s by the end of the night). He downloads live shows (in flac) and is constantly reading & discussing everything that is Dylan.

So, this morning, he comes into my work asking if I know Dylan’s “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” and, of course, I said that I did. He followed this with a reference to a remix by a man named Mark Ronson, which is making a stir in the Dylan community because, I guess, Bob doesn’t really allow remixes. But! Mr. Ronson declared that his remix is, at very least, on-par with the original and so, somehow, it has seen the light of day.

Now, I like remixes. I like mash-ups. DJ BC’s Wu-Orleans is still on near-constant rotation around here. But there is just something about this remix that bothers me. The horns sound canned, that screeching noise is just annoying and the most interesting aspect of the song remains Dylan’s voice. The remix adds nothing to the original. I can see the song being played at a club to half-smirks for it’s novelty… but, as compared to the 1966 version, Mark’s better off not pillaging Bob’s library.

the proof is in the sample:
Bob Dylan - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine).
Mark Ronson’s Remix - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine).

Numbers Numbers Numbers.

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matt.

August 17, 2007 in the fall, dichotomies, lo-fi, classy ladies, fuzz, indie and tunes. 0 Comments

Going back to school in a few short weeks? Dreading the imminent stress of it all? The projects, the exams, the dime-a-dozen PowerPoint presentations? Has summer flown by, leaving you with little to proud of in it’s wake? Well, yeah. Sucks to be you.

But, at least, rejoice in the fact that in a few short weeks you will be able to put on Numbers’ Now You Are This as you return from your varied homes back to the chaotic web of life that is the “University Experience”. For, unlike previous recordings of this summer, we finally have an album that perfectly melds with it’s release date.

It is sloppy post-punk - with drums crashing everywhere, people shouting, guitars crunchin’ & distortin’… flailing epically between hopefulness & rejoice to soul-crushing worry. Even the song titles reflect this dichotomy, as the band goes from “Hey Hey Dream” to “I Ripped My Own Heart Out”, or “Everything is Fine” to “What Happened To You”. It is weaved from the less serious (we certainly ain’t talkin’ about a Kronos Quartet requiem or anything here) emotional tapestry that tends to accompany everyday life. And the band brings it all together with the same sense of lo-fi ease that accompanies my memories of classic Eric’s Trip or Sonic Youth.

The band cites some classy Krautrock in their influences, from NEU! to Can & Kraftwerk… and it shows. From the incessant drumming to the electronic, static & moog flourishes, it seems like Numbers wish to reinterpret the extremes of the genre in 3 to 5 minute pop songs. Which is a formidable endeavor. As far as contemporaries go, I’d say check this out if you dig the harmonized female/male vocal combos on The Evens albums but wish that the music behind the voice was a bit less conventional.

All I know, is that I can definitely imagine walking to school come September, listening to “Leila Mila” as the orange leaves fall towards the ground around me. It is a memory I look forward to living.

under a fuzz red sky:
Numbers - Kosmos Love.
Numbers - I Want To Believe.

Now You Are This will be released from Kill Rock Stars on August 21st. You can preorder it over here. It is certainly in your best interest to do your Numbers homework - you never know what kind of treats might be hidden therein.

How HRSTA ruined my morning.

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matt.

August 13, 2007 in not-summertime, atmospheric, indie, montreal, fuzz and tunes. 0 Comments

Even before moving to la belle province four years ago, I have always held a soft spot in my heart for all things Constellation Records. I can honestly say that, through the small independent Montreal label’s early offerings (such as GYBE!’s F#A#∞, Sofa’s Grey & Exhaust’s self-titled debut), the label has played a pretty damn pivotal role in my musical development - inspiring me to delve deeply into everything from post-rock to European gypsy.

One of the main people behind many of the “core” Constellation bands is Mike Moya, founding member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who was also a lead member in both Set Fire to Flames and Molasses before forming HRSTA. As far as post-rock related resumes go, Moya is as well-decorated as one would think possible.

HRSTA’s previous work (see, especially, 2005’s Stem Stem Electro) were brazen affairs - featuring violas, organs & violins screeching alongside guitars & pianos over top drums & bass, the album was almost hard to listen to… but after repeated listens, it has since become one of my favourites. Check out “Swallow’s Tail” from the album over at Bricolage Fantasy’s Beautiful Summer Afternoon mix.

September 10th will mark the band’s latest offering, Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes. Now, don’t get me wrong: the album is brilliant. Each song drones like the fog which settles over Lennoxville in the early morning, perfectly suited for film. Mike’s hushed vocals mix with Jackie-O Motherfucker’s Brooke Crouser’s pump organ beautifully, making music that is simultaneously both haunting & kitsch. The siren song, “Saturn of Chagrin”, which follows the epic “Hechicero del Bosque” build-up gives the album great contrast, with fuzzed out & disturbed vocal snippets, that sound like they were taped off of an old-tyme radio back in the 50’s, just adding to the atmosphere.

But, here is the thing - it is most certainly not a summertime album. Listening to Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes this morning at work made our balmy 30 degree weather feel like -20. There is just something about HRSTA’s sound that makes me yearn to revisit this album come snow. Hell, even a song entitled “Beau Village” (which literally translates into “Beautiful Village”) sounds haunted & ominous.

The album is definitely a welcome release for both Constellation (the label is currently celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary) and the band. It is good to see Moya back at the helm, even if the ship is one as sombre & reflective as HRSTA.

slow-ghost-dub-motions:
HRSTA - Entre la Mer et L’Eau Douce.
HRSTA - Hechicero del Bosque.

COVER ART: available here.

To purchase Ghosts… check out Constellation Record’s store. For more information on the band, check out their official site & take a gander at some live pics, taken by yours truly, during their opening for the Evens over here.

The Sunburn of October.

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matt.

August 13, 2007 in freak folk, glitch, indie, psych-freakout, fuzz and tunes. 2 Comments

Sunburned Hand of the Man are one of those ridiculously prolific modern psychedelic “freak” folk bands. A quick perusal of their discography yields over 30 releases since ‘99, some of which were given proper distribution (like 2002’s fantastic Headdress), while others have only seen the light of day via a limited run of 50 cassette tapes. Probably needless to say, I wouldn’t consider all of the band’s output to be necessary purchases but it definitely holds true that, when the band do hit their stride, their music can be pretty damn powerful, in a free-jazz meets hippie jam band kind of way.

October will see the release of two more LPs to join the ranks of that ever-growing list, Fire Escape on Smalltown Supersound Records while, under the moniker the Sunburned Circle, The Blaze Game will be available through Conspiracy Records. Exciting times, indeed.

Out of the two records, my excitement was undeniably higher for Fire Escape as, the story goes, Kieran Hebden (also known as the electronic entity Four Tet) fell in love with Sunburn’s albums. He decided that he must make a point to travel in search of the band & ended up befriending them. One thing lead to another (with Sunburned opening for Four Tet on a few occasions), and soon it was decided that Kieran would be able to take the band’s latest recordings to produce - making Fire Escape a Sunburned/Four Tet hybrid of sorts.

And it shows. The album features glitched-out interludes (check out the opening track, “Captain Knowhere” or around the 6 minute mark of “Nice Butterfly Mask”) and the cleanest production I can remember on any of the band’s releases. It suits them.

As far as the music itself goes, I’m finding the jams really reminiscent of classic Krautrock - they plod along, slowly building, mixing in traditional instrumentation with all sorts of rhythmic but bizarre noises. Imagine if NEU! superimposed their melodic/easy access tracks (i.e. Forever) with their ambitiously experimental ones, and you would probably be par for course.

Fire Escape won’t be for everyone - it lacks structure, any form of traditional vocals & blatantly features “non-musical” noise, but for anyone who is at all interested in this particular genre, I’d say that it is essential listening. Definite Recommendations: if you don’t listen to anything else from the album, make sure to check out the tracks below & the unstoppable title track.

drumz, noise & birds
Sunburned Hand of the Man - Nice Butterfly Mask.
Sunburned Hand of the Man - The Parakeet Beat.

The band has homes on myspace as well as a site on their own domain. You can find out more about Fire Escape from Smalltown Supersound Records.

The Noises of the Monster Bastard Project.

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matt.

August 7, 2007 in not-summertime, atmospheric, epic, indie, instrumentals, dead, fuzz and tunes. 2 Comments

Why are so many bands killing themselves these days? Whether it is to do a zombie jig, to succumb to a cool death or merely to party-down, vampire-style, it seems like everywhere I turn bands are, figuratively, offing themselves. And this analysis doesn’t even begin to look at the goth or industrial scenes.

But, for sake of argument, let us compare the Monster Bastard Project to their own scene, that of post-rock. Now, post-rock, with it’s instrumental crescendo-laden leanings, tends to naturally veer pretty heavily towards the dramatic. For example, both Mogwai’s fantastic Come On Die Young and Tortoise’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die brought the topic of death to the forefront in the scene way back in the pre-Millennium Years. Hell, even on What you lookin’ at? 1998’s “Dead Flag Blues”, Godspeed You! Black Emperor burst out with some pretty heavy shit (remember that awesome Lee Marvin monologue?). So, it appears that, in titling their debut album the Death of the Monster Bastard Project, the band is in good, if not overly melodramatic, company.

Thematic comparisons aside, the EP follows the genres conventions pretty straight up. While the album features the occasional use of samples (all of which deal, in some way, with war or death or being shot) in a similar fashion to classic Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the choice of instrumentation makes the band more akin to a youthful Mogwai. Without being able to rely on half of Montreal to play strings, horns & whatever else is laying around (pst: I still love you Godspeed, get back together… ok?), the boys in the Monster Bastard Project merely focus on the typical three: electric guitar (plus pedals + distortion), bass & drums.

And they do a good job of it, drawing each of the four presented compositions to genre-typical 6-12 minute lengths. What isn’t so typical is the fact that their build-ups are not quite so formulaic as other bands, as they contrast themselves with metal-heavy riffs. The highest praise I can give to a post-rock album these days is for it to make me feel like it is the late 90’s again, and I am discovering post-rock again, for the first time. The Monster Bastard Project do a pretty damn good job of it.

listen loud, on headphones preferably:
The Monster Bastard Project - Ghost.

You can now order The Death of… direct from the band via their myspace (which also has some other songs to sample) for £5. They also have a web-site but it is currently far from complete.

The Aspiring Sounds of Samara Lubelski.

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matt.

August 6, 2007 in acoustix, coffeehouse, classy ladies, indie, free folk and tunes. 0 Comments

On the heels of yesterday’s look at the folk-rock sound of MV&EE comes a new album from fellow-Ecstatic Peace artist & current MV&EE touring companion Samara Lubelski.

Samara might not be a household name, but that is not to say that her diverse talents are not available to the public. As a solo artist, Samara has four full-lengths (and one cassette-only release, as all artists should) to her name, alongside being a core member of not one but two psych-folk collectives, The Tower Recordings and Hall of Fame, playing on most of the modern Krautrock band Metabolismus‘ albums as well as being part of MV&EE backing band, The Bummer Road and working alongside Thurston Moore himself on his Trees Outside the Academy. Add to this her engineering and mixing skills, which helped The Fiery Furnaces‘ record their impeccable Blueberry Boat, and it becomes extremely hard to discount her talents.

Samara Lubelski.

With back story taken care of, what of her latest offering? This coming October will yield Samara’s next solo foray, entitled Parallel Suns. Like MV&EE, it is a nostalgic affair - but replace MV&EE’s Neil Young & fuzz sound with soft, mostly acoustic Nick Drake adulation.

Each track focuses on Samara’s hushed & warm vocals, layered on top of a 60’s-style mix of psychedelia, folk & pop. It is easy to listen to, comforting even at it’s most intricate or engaging. This really is as “soft” as music can be, with Samara’s production skillfully mixing in all sorts of people and instrumentation (the credits for the album include about 10 other musicians, playing everything from xylophones & drums to guitars & clarinets) making the album a treat to listen to on decent headphones. All in all, the recording epitomizes the “other” side of freak-folk - not ravaged by the psychedelic-fueled freak-out suspiciousness that tends to leak into albums by groups like Sunburned Hand of the Man, Samara’s journey is a tranquil one, leaving it our job, as listeners, to decide if it is one engaging enough to warrant extended play.

like pillows & breezes on a hot day:
Samara Lubelski - Have You Seen the Colors?
Samara Lubelski - Tasting the Candy.

Parallel Suns will be released this coming October from The Social Registry. In the meantime, you can read more about Samara via her myspace or her official web-site.

MV&EE now walk the Golden Road.

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matt.

August 5, 2007 in indie, lo-fi, grassroots, free folk, fuzz and tunes. 0 Comments

Despite the apparent site-wide face lift, it seems we have been on a pretty lo-fi kick these past few days here at Tunes Consumed. Whether this involves sludge-filled stoner rock to soft folk to the singin’ saws & fuzz laden sounds of the Ohsees, it past week has been nothing if not heavy. And, if you think it just cannot continue in such a fashion… I’m definitely not sorry to say that yes, yes it can.

And for this you can thank Thurston Moore & his Ecstatic Peace Records + Tapes for prepping Gettin’ Gone, the latest LP from Matt Valentine and Erika Elder. The duo, more commonly known as MV&EE, make music reminiscent of classic Neil Young - fuzzed out, burned out modern folk that is built upon a ton of acoustic/electric guitar noodling & somewhat nasally vocals.

MV&EE. The sound is built upon a wide variety of instruments on top of more traditional ones, such as their signature “Bantar” (some sort of modified banjo/sitar contraption), a Swarsangam, an “Octave Divider Bass”, a mellotron, a Cocola Firebird, lap steel, a bowed Dulcimer, mandolins, and a ton of other instruments that I would have to investigate to find out what they actually do.

The duo also have some further tricks up their sleeve: this time bringing along a new backing band (dubbed the Golden Road), composed of J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr. fame) & John Moloney on drums, Willie Lane on guitar, Samara Lubelski & Ron Schneiderman on bass, Doc Dunn on pedal steel, resonator, bass, drums, & vocals, & Luisa Reichenheim on harmonium. Also included in the credits is a a dog named Zuma, who somehow plays the bells. Another step for pet-kind, for sure.

On top of the expanded line-up, Matt & Erika also bust out custom distortion pedals, grudgingly crafted by Erika’s ex-General Electric engineer father, who had previously devoted his life to removing fuzz - not promoting it. But, all being said & done, their pedals do sound pretty damn sweet.

It is an interesting sound, for sure, and one that definitely must be listened to a loud volumes - mainly to hear the songs over the pronounced muffling fuzz. Which, hell, is why we love lo-fidelity records so much anyhow. Check the samples below to hear a couple of my favourite tracks off the album.

why is it so smoky in here?
MV&EE with the Golden Road - Easy Livin’
MV&EE with the Golden Road - Country Fried
MV&EE with the Golden Road - Sweet People

Gettin’ Gone will be officially released this October through Ecstatic Peace Records + Tapes. In the meantime, check the band’s official web-site for upcoming tour dates and such. Plus, drop by their little residence on the Eclectic Peace site to get exposed to a few more tracks from the album.

The Heads are Heavy.

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matt.

August 5, 2007 in dirty, lo-fi, glamless, doomy-gloomy, uk, psych-freakout, fuzz, shit-faced, destruction and tunes. 2 Comments

After first putting on Dead in the Water & doing some preliminary research, I was embarrassed for not having heard the Heads sooner. That is, until I came to realize that they neither have a web-page (that I can find), that they have one of the least Google-friendly band names ever & that their albums are released in such small quantities (the latest album was initially only given a 100 copy release that sold out overnight) that it really is no wonder that this is my first exposure to them.

But still… now I have to live in regret about all the time I’ve spent not listening to the glorious train wreck noises of the Heads.

Not that the band is easily accessible or anything. From the second you put the needle on the record, the band make it brutally apparent what you are getting into: the most dirty, fuzzed-out, psychedelic space sludge rock you’ve never heard. Repetitive riffs build into epic solos. Drums crash like it is their business to destroy any hint of silence during the double LP’s hour long duration. The band definitely deserves a spot reserved next to Acid Mothers Temple or Comets on Fire at their most crazed in terms of sheer abrasive badassness.

Dead in the Water.

As it turns out, Dead in the Water is a rerelease of previous material, distributed by Invada Records, compiled of mostly improvised album outtakes, jams & rehearsal recordings by Heads’ singer/guitarist Simon Price. I’m guessing, considering that they have been together for over 10 years now (having released at least eight full-length releases), that Simon had more than enough material to work with. And it shows: the album doesn’t have the patchwork quality one usually finds with such compilations. Songs fade & grow into each other, leaving the listener breathless & exasperated.

Many tracks start out with sped-up vocal samples, which I don’t really find add much to the tracks except for contrast. Yes, portions of the album sound tinny or fuzzed out. And yes, some tracks sound more like sonic experiments, in the vein of Faust, than actual songs. But just listen closely (headphones are ideal) to how the two sample tracks back-to-back & try to say that this isn’t the heaviest shit you’ve heard in ages.

Definitely recommended.

the heads probably don’t care if you like this or not:
~~The Heads - Prologue/’69 Shakes of the Tail.~~ (bad rip)
~~The Heads - Mystic Healer (Suck My Tailpipe).~~ (bad rip)

Dead in the Water is now available from Invada Records or StonerRock.com.

UPDATE:
Huge thanks to public image who sent me an e-mail regarding this article. As it turns out, the rip I found of the record is, unintentionally, in double-time (played back in 45 - not 33). So, for the time being (until I can do or get my hands on a proper release), I’ve posted a couple of public image’s recommendations from the band’s 1998 release, The Time is Now!. These tracks are just as awesome for sure:

The Heads - Delwyn’s Conkers.
The Heads - Spliff Riff (Roached Out…).

public image also gave me the link to the band’s web-site! So, for more information about the band, check out their digital home over at http://www.theheadsrock.com/.

Poland’s Funk.

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matt.

August 4, 2007 in funk, bassbass, horns, worldly and tunes. 1 Comment

As far as genres go, I’d hypothesize that funk is among the leading styles of music that is near impossible to dislike. Between the fat fat bass-lines, the groove heavy drum-beats & the sheer libido-drenched characteristic energy of the music, funk is cornerstone in Western music history. But, while it is well-documented that regions like New Orleans, Miami or, hell, even Texas had thriving funk scenes, it is easy to forget that the 70’s took place outside of America too.

Case in point: I say Poland, you say funk.

Not a natural reaction is it? Well, as it so happens, the Poles in the 70’s had their share of booty-shaking bass, horns & rhythm too. And to drive this point home, the Soul Service DJ Team set to work, digging up & remastering all sorts of rare original recordings to produce, for the first time ever, a true CD’s worth of pure Polish Funk. An impressive endeavor, for sure.

The American influence on Poland’s funk is definitely apparent - from Henryk Debich’s reinterpretation of the Shaft theme to the Piotr Figiel Ensemble’s Agent 008, many of the tracks are variations on a familiar theme for anyone remotely knowledgeable about the genre. However, that isn’t to say that everything on the album is, at all, stereotypical.

Just check out “Introduction” by the Novi Singers, a track which bounces between a typical driving horn rhythm & some awesome scat style jazz mumblin’ vocals. The juxtaposition is clean & impressive. Or the double-timed vocals on Bemibek’s “What’cha Doin’ Mister”, which could easily be a Go! Team out-take. Or the hand drums driven “You Want Too Much” by the ABCs, which breaks down into a horn stanza awesomely reminiscent of Arthur Brown’s “Fire”. Or the psychedelic guitar work on Breakout’s “Listen to the Rhythm”. It is fun shit, all around.

So, check out some of the samples & let us know what you think - does Poland got what it takes? I, for one, can definitely find some room in my collection for another serving.

even the pope grooves on this:
The ABCs - You Want Too Much.
Novi Singers - Introduction.
Breakout - Listen to the Rhythm.
Bemibek - What’cha Doin’ Mister?

Polish Funk is now available directly from Polskie Nagrania, which, unfortunately, is mostly in Polish. Fortunately, you can also order a copy through the Boombox Distribution Network in English.