U.S. Girls will release their new album Heavy Light on March 6th via “4AD,” and following their fantastic single “Overtime,” Meg Remy and Co. have released another catchy tune titled “4 American Dollars.” The song is a 70’s “Funk” influenced commentary on the U.S. economy and society’s addiction to money and materials. You can watch the music video below:
Following their string-heavy and largely produced album The Soft Parade, “The Doors” got down to brass tacks with their follow-up Morrison Hotel. On this album the band went even further down the drunk and Bluesy road the band had been hinting at on prior releases, leading to a combination of the band’s signature “Psychedelic Rock” and whisky-soaked bar Rock that playfully sounded like the band having a good ol’ drunken time at your local dive bar on a Friday night. Though this album more often than not gets overshadowed by the more superior releases in the band’s catalog, this album spawned some essential tunes like “Roadhouse Blues” and “Waiting for the Sun,” and was a stepping stone toward the ultimate Blues the band had perfected on their following album L.A. Woman. Happy Anniversary.
We’re patiently waiting to hear the upcoming highly-anticipated “Ultraísta” album, but that’s not the only project we’ll be hearing Laura Bettinson on. Today she has released a new single under the name “Lau.ra” titled “Sideways,” and it features Secaina on vocals as well. The track is a fun “House” music induced banger that finds Bettinson showing her wonky side. You can listen to “Sideways” below:
Code Orange are set to release their new album UNDERNEATH on March 13th via “Roadrunner Records,” and today the band gave us another taste of the upcoming album. Titled “Swallowing The Rabbit Whole,” the song is just as vicious and rage-filled as the title suggests, and is incredibly experimental with odd time signatures and of course features an incorporation of Electronic/Industrial. The music video is just as explosive and creative. You can watch the music video below:
On this day in 1990 “Primus” released their debut album Frizzle Fry. Following their live album Suck On This, one of the weirdest and most unique bands in Metal emerged with quite possibly their best album, Frizzle Fry. Though their following albums were also revered and essential, Frizzle Fry is seen by many, including lead singer/bassist Les Claypool himself to be the quintessential Primus album. It’s easy to see why. The funky bass lines that found Claypool creating his own distinct way of tapping and slapping, Larry LaLonde’s sweeping guitar harmonies, and Tim Alexander’s impressive polyrhythmic drums were at an all time high on this album, proving the band were a force to be reckoned with, a bizarre force that sounded like a demented but zany child birthed from Frank Zappa and “The Residents.” Though the band favored jamming over grandiose lyrical content, much of the album’s themes dealt with storytelling and the lampooning of consumerism and society as a whole, themes that became Primus’ forte. You’ll never hear another band like Primus. You may hear shades of their inspirations in their music, but they’ve impressively crafted a sound that is very much their own and can’t be emulated. Happy Anniversary!
Jehnny Beth of Post-Punk group “Savages” has announced the release of her debut solo album which will be released on May 8th via “Caroline Records.” The album is titled To Love Is To Live, and that’s a title much of us need to hear right now. Along with the announcement, Beth gave us some heartfelt words. “Life’s so strange. Today is the day of my album announcement and I’m on a train to see my dad who’s spent the last two days in intensive care. I was supposed to be in LA to promote the album this week but decided to be with family instead. When I started making this record all I could think about was the impermanence of life, that I had to do this before it’s too late, and here I am now sitting on a train telling you that my album is coming and it’s called TO LOVE IS TO LIVE. Today those words resonate more than ever. There isn’t really anything else in life is it? only love, only love will remain.” Today Beth has also shared a new single off the upcoming album titled “Flower.” You can listen to the track below:
Formed in New York, and now based in Los Angeles, duo CMON (Confusing Mix of Nations) have been making a name for themselves with their undeniably infectious music that is both dance floor ready and guitar-driven with shades of the finest elements of Shoegaze and Post-Punk. The band have recently signed to “Mexican Summer,” and are now set to release their debut self-titled album on April 3rd. Following their single “Coo,” which will appear on the upcoming album, the band have shared another new track off the album titled “Zoo.” You can listen to it below:
Artist: El Café Atómico
EP: You Won’t Get Rid of Me That Easy
Genre: Experimental/Psychedelic/Blues
Label: Self-released
Rating: 7/10
The name says it all. You won’t get rid of him that easy. You may stumble upon his music and want to shut it off, feeling the discomfort that emerges when hearing his oddball mixture of electronics, twangy guitar, and hard to distinguish vocals. You can choose to not listen anymore, but he had a few minutes of your time. You entered his chaotic world. His music may turn off some people, but for weirdos like me, his music is a fucking playground. Who am I talking about? I’m talking about Victor “Cactus Frank” Fernandez, a self-taught musician from Venezuela whom I know very little about due to his mysterious online presence that reveals very little info on his background, but the mysterious factor works out in his favor, because his music speaks for itself. Under the name “El Café Atómico,” Cactus Frank has gifted us the first installment of his “Rampage Series” titled You Won’t Get Rid of Me That Easy, and it is an interesting listen. It’s futuristic Blues, Industrial-laden Psychedelic Folk, or Rock from the year 3000 as he describes, and in this glimpse of the future we witness a post-apocalyptic world where Cactus Frank is the sole survivor, and only he can create music to bring him solace and to exorcise his solitude. The bass heavy pounding percussion, the deep synths, and the Bluesy guitars are all indicators that Frank isn’t here to make your Dad’s favorite Blues music. He’s imaginative both in his instrumentation and songwriting. The lyrics are poetically cryptic, ranging from songs named after Japanese celebrity Takeshi Kitano to vivid pictures of children playing football with a head they’ve found. Very much open for interpretation. Though the vocal mixing could be a little better, and though this sounds like only the beginning of what has the potential to be a fruitful career, this E.P. is immensely ambitious. What does the “Rampage Series” have in store? I have no idea, but I’m ready.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
https://elcafeatomico.bandcamp.com/album/you-wont-get-rid-of-me-that-easy-the-rampage-series-vol-1
Nicolas Jaar under his “Against All Logic” moniker is set to release a new album on February 7th titled 2017 – 2019 via “Other People.” This will be a follow-up to his previous album 2012 – 2017. Yes we have to wait a whole week to hear the album, but don’t worry, we don’t have to wait a whole week to hear new “Against All Logic” music. Today Jaar released a new two-song E.P. titled Illusions of Shameless Abundance which features Lydia Lunch, FKA Twigs, and Estado Unido, as well as a 50 minute mix. Illusions of Shameless Abundance is available now on all streaming platforms.
2017 – 2019 Tracklist:
1. Fantasy
2. If Loving You Is Wrong
3. With an Addict
4. If You Can’t Do It Good, Do It Hard (ft. Lydia Lunch)
5. Alarm
6. Deeeeeeefers
7. Faith
8. Penny
9. You (Forever)
Artist: Ready, Steady, Die!
Album: Pleasure Ride
Genre: Electronic/Electronic Rock/Dream Pop
Label: Human Label
Rating: 8/10
We all have our own little pleasure rides. Aren’t we all frequently in search of an ecstasy that will alleviate the inconvenient pains life forces us to endure? More often than not we become addicted to the things that bring us that ecstasy, and i’m not just talking about drugs. Many of us are addicted to sex, caffeine, food, shopping, our phones, social media, pornography, and whatever the Hell else brings us temporary happiness. Now i’m not here to wave my finger, because I too am an ecstasy addict, (not the drug guys, calm down) and the biggest addiction I have is music. God that was corny, but hear me out. Don’t we all like music? I mean, you like music. That’s why you’re reading this right now. Isn’t music the biggest addiction we all have that is completely harmless? Well, unless you listen to your music full-blast through your earbuds. Seriously, take care of your ears guys. When an artist can perfectly hit the nail on the head of the mental and emotional strains we have to deal with on a daily basis, it truly is something special. British-American duo “Ready, Steady, Die!” have crafted an impressive debut album that faces these day-to-day emotions with honest lyrical content and dark but infectious instrumentation. Based between London and New York, the duo consists of members Sam K (composer, vocals) and Morgan Visconti (composer, producer, vocals) who is the son of legendary producer Tony Visconti, and their debut album Pleasure Ride is an immaculately produced album that features shades of the moody grooves of Trip Hop, the walls of distant wailing guitars that inhabit Dream Pop, and the futuristic sounds of Post-Industrial, and I can’t help but picture much of these songs in a David Lynch movie. As familiar as these sounds are, the duo manage to create a style that is very much their own. The instrumentation is otherworldly, but the subject matter is very much of this world. Much of the content deals with self-affliction, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. Ranging from the realization of when someone or something is toxic, and separating yourself is the best remedy, (When Hell Freezes Over) to exposing the hurtful selfishness of others, (Vent) all of these songs are expressed in a hopeful tone that wonderfully contrasts the moody nature of the music, and Sam K’s captivating vocals can range from angelic to sinister, leaving the listener an emotional mess, but a satisfied mess. As inward-looking as much of these songs are, there are standout tracks that look outward such as “The Know,” a song about those who obsessively search for truth. We all know those people, conspiracy theorists, people constantly searching for the truth, truths that are supposedly hidden from us by the government, or maybe and exclusive group of people you know whom you desperately try to discover what they truly think of you, or maybe you’re trying to find the true meaning of life. You can stumble on clues, you can have a peak inside to make sense of all this chaos, but you’ll never be inside the know. “The Know” is as thought-provoking as it is eerie with it’s atmospheric synths, soundscapes, and Hellish guitars, but the song is impressively catchy with it’s groovy bass line and pulsating drum machines topped with Sam K and Morgan Visconti’s perfectly in unison vocals. The title track “Pleasure Ride” is an epic piece that perfectly sums up our addictions to help us forget our mental and emotional strains. “This lack of drive from nine to five is starting to get to me. I take my pill that keeps me ill but makes for a better journey” sings Sam K as she expresses the many things we can all relate to, and that’s that brutal honesty and self-realization in music that much of us need to hear, because much of the music that plagues the airwaves isn’t honest. I mean, I get it, most people use music as a form of escapism, but what good is any form of art if it doesn’t make you think or question yourself or the world? Yes, not all art has to be littered with existentialism and melancholia, but art that features these subjects is usually the most genuine, and “Ready, Steady, Die!” understand that along with the bursts of happiness and optimism we get in life, we have our nightmarish and disturbing moments. There’s no light without the dark, and this band is here to force you to experience that dichotomy. As impressive as this album is, it still feels like a starting-point for the band, which it is, it’s their debut album, but their magnum opus is yet to be achieved, and I have no doubt that they’ll reach that. As ambitious and multi-faceted as this debut is, I feel like they have much more to offer, and given that this is the first of three albums that will be released as a trilogy, the band have room to experiment even further. I’m looking forward to this trilogy.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
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