Ben Lee revisits his sonic youth, We Are Interview pour it on, The Bloody Hell lose it, The Homesick throw a party and more in today’s Roundup. Damnit, is that really the time? Looks like I’m having breakfast for dinner again.
1 | Ben Lee | Sugar Kane
Yes, THAT Sugar Kane. But not the way you remember it. THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ben Lee is set to release Quarter Century Classix on Nov. 22. The 13-song set was produced by Lee and features his interpretations of early ‘90s indie rock favorites by Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Pavement, The Breeders, Superchunk, Built To Spill, Archers of Loaf, Daniel Johnston, Dinosaur Jr., Guided By Voices, Sebadoh, Smudge, and Beat Happening. Lee’s main collaborator on Quarter Century Classix was the innovative electronic artist Julianna Barwick and the album also features appearances by the punk rock icon Mike Watt of Minutemen & Firehose, William Tyler, Petra Haden of that dog. & The Haden Triplets, Maria Taylor of Azure Ray, the harpist Mary Lattimore, and drummer Joey Waronker. Today, he shares the video for Lee’s version of Sonic Youth’s Sugar Kane from their 1992 album Dirty. The video also features Lee’s collaborator Julianna Barwick and was directed by the Emmy-nominated writer and television producer Jake Fogelnest.
2 | We Are Interview | Bloody Mary
Keep ’em comin’. THE PRESS RELEASE: “About six months after their last digital single Chicago, Swiss indie frontal-rock outlaws We Are Interview just officially released a brand new EP called Bloody Mary. In addition to the EP, the band also premiered a official music video illustrating the title-track of Bloody Mary. In 2013, John (vocals/guitar) and Kim (bass) coming from various musical origins, decided to launch themselves into a new rock project called Intrview and later We Are Interview, which is both impulsive and powerful. Inspired by bands such as the biggest name of the alternative/indie/rock/stoner music and grunge outfits from the 90’s, the two accomplices were quickly joined by Simon — the most British of drummers in Switzerland — and Yann The Man on guitar.”
3 | The Bloody Hell | Out Of Our Minds
THE PRESS RELEASE: “What if all those hooks, melodies and chord structures you love about classic rock were covered in distortion; the lyrics screamed bloody murder and the songs were played at punk rock speed? A satanic sonic assault on the ears, comprised of concepts covering heartache, substance abuse, death and the occult, drenched in feedback and overflowing with blazing guitar solos.” That is how The Bloody Hell describes their music and with the release of their video from Out Of Our Minds that crazy debauchery takes on a visual form. The highly creative and slightly NSFW video depicts the archetypal punk rock lifestyle lived out through plastic dolls and is accompanied by the rockin’ punk tune. The single Out Of Our Minds comes from the 2018 self-titled album, which exemplifies the band’s goal to create a fun and interesting listening experience for their fans that is full of twists and turns, highs and lows.”
4 | The Homesick | I Celebrate My Fantasy
Even the Dutch like XTC. THE PRESS RELEASE: “If their debut Youth Hunt marked The Homesick’s tryst with faith and pastoral life, the band’s upcoming second album The Big Exercise brings them to more grounded, tangible pastures. With its title ripped from a passage in the Scott Walker biography Deep Shade Of Blue, the record is a concentrated effort by Jaap van der Velde, Erik Woudwijk and Elias Elgersma to explore the physicality of their music in fresh ways. “When we were on tour in 2018, I bought Meredith Monk’s Dolmen Music in Switzerland,” Van der Velde recalls, “Elias and I have been completely immersed in her music ever since. But also the work of Joan La Barbara for example, who also did things with extended vocal techniques, that was also quite vital to us. We discovered that the human voice offers so many beautiful elements that can still feel very physical and intrusive.” I Celebrate My Fantasy summons a mirage of creeping pianos, sylvan clarinet flourishes and cartoonish sprawls with mock-paranoia, as Elgersma documents a macabre vision he had during a mild case of sleep paralysis.”
5&6 | Scattered Clouds | Morning After Parts 1 & 2
For those afternoons when one creepy-ass doom-synth video is not enough. THE PRESS RELEASE: “Scattered Clouds darkened the tint of summer 2019 with its new record Take Away Your Summer, a futuristic broken romance set amidst a burning dystopian landscape. Inspired by the dichotomous terrain of their hometown of Hull, Québec, the experimental outfit of Philippe Charbonneau and Jamie Kronick explores themes of political conspiracy, post-capitalism, police brutality and nihilism on their second full-length, set against a romantic backdrop of auto-fictional narratives told in both English and French prose. Today, the band shares two videos for the song Morning After, a two-part track prequel to their single/video Days on End that layers old analog synths with elliptical bass melodies and hand sequenced arpeggios. Morning After Pt. 1 is an “uneasy sleep, a lucid dream and a prelude to contempt and regret,” offers the band. Morning After Pt. 2 – a latter years Leonard Cohen-esque monologue creates a dramatic bittersweet ending, “a hazy morning filled with contempt and regret,” says frontman Charbonneau.”
7 | Bedhead | Fight No More
No, not THAT Bedhead. Definitely not. THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from just outside Toronto, Bedhead (Veronica Racanelli) grew up in an intensely artistic household, sparking a lifelong passion for her own creative pursuits. Each roaring pop chorus and heartfelt verse is accompanied by complementary visuals. Bedhead’s newest single, Fight No More has been paired with a bright and bold video that mimics the track’s impassioned and driving synth-pop arrangement. According to Bedhead: “The music video takes us through the mind, symbolizing the journey it takes to break free from the parts of yourself you don’t want to have control over you anymore.”
