Stephen Malkmus clears his mind, Horse Lords put it in park, Woorms get a leg up, Vita & The Woolf are smooth operators, Haviah Mighty smokes the competition and more in today’s post-holiday Roundup. So much for my quiet week.
1 | Stephen Malkmus | Brainwashed
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Stephen Malkmus will release his new album, Traditional Techniques, on March 6. Today, he Malkmus offers a further glimpse into Traditional Techniques via the performance of new song, Brainwashed. Directed by Thibaut Charlut with sound direction by Henri d’Armancourt, the solo, acoustic performance was filmed in the midst of Parisian café La Fontaine de Belleville. Traditional Techniques is centered around Malkmus’s 12-string acoustic guitar, and the product of Malkmus and Chris Funk (The Decemberists) with Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf) playing guitar throughout. Informed by a half-century of folk-rock reference points, Malkmus drew from a whole new musical palette — including a variety of Afghani instruments — to support an ache both quizzical and contemporary. Alongside gorgeous folk music, Traditional Techniques presents occasional bursts of flute-laced swagger, straight-up commune rock, and mind-bending fuzz.”
2 | Horse Lords | People’s Park
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Horse Lords have shared a music video for their single People’s Park from their forthcoming album The Common Task, releasing March 13. The song title comes from a public park established by the Young Lords, a Latinx liberation organization. It was built both as a community-run community space and as a bulwark against development on a vacant tract of land in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, which at the time had a large Puerto Rican population who correctly feared they were being pushed out. A modest utopian project compared to some of the other points on the album’s titles’ map of socialist modernisms but an inspiring assertion of the public’s right to occupy public space. “The music was an experiment in testing the limits of genre — in this case, reggaeton.” says Horse Lords. “The project was approached with great respect for the history, techniques and repertoire of reggaeton, trying to extrapolate from rather than impose upon. The standard drum pattern underwent a process of distillation and recombination (this we must admit was not a minimally invasive procedure), mutating into a tiling rhythmic canon. Reggaeton’s links to dub were emphasized in the production, overall the hope being a balance of reverence and playfulness.”
3 | Woorms | Taking His Fucking Leg
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Following on from the critically acclaimed release of their debut, Baton Rouge-based colossus, Woorms, return with new single Take His Fucking Leg, from their forthcoming LP, due for release in March. Formed in 2017 in Louisiana and featuring guitarist/vocalist Joey Carbo, bassist John Robinson, and drummer Aaron Polk, Woorms has been delivering a brutal mélange of riffs and noise-rock righteousness on the precipice of significance for some time. From the pinnacle to the point of no return, Woorms fall psychotically through the fuzz and unholy grind of bands like KARP, Jesus Lizard and Neurosis. Their debut album immediately set out its stall in the most spectacular of fashions; a lumbering, symphonic noise-rock shank fight between the fattest of riffs and the thinnest of patience with the world at large.”
4 | Vita and the Woolf | Operator
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Vita and The Woolf, aka Jen Pague, has announced the May 8 release of Anna Ohio, the follow up to her 2017 debut Tunnels. To celebrate the announcement, she has shared the music video for her new song Operator. “Operator is about me finding my dog, Xena, a new home after moving to Los Angeles,” says Pague. “It’s about dealing with those emotions of cutting ties, making sacrifices, and leaving behind the past in order to move on to a new place in life. The video is about getting lost in outer space, searching for Xena. After an almost deadly space crash, we land somewhere new and strange — meeting lovely aliens and eating space BBQ.”
5 | Haviah Mighty | Smoke (feat. Clairmont The Second)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Following a monumental year including a Polaris Music Prize win, numerous accolades, while rocking festival stages and concert halls around the world, Toronto trailblazer Haviah Mighty shares a new video for Smoke featuring fellow Toronto artist, Clairmont The Second. Smoke is from her 2019 album, 13th Floor, which was awarded the Polaris Music Prize last year, standing as her most fully realized album to date. On the song, Haviah says, “Smoke manifested from the underdog experience. As a female in Hip-Hop, and as a black female in Canada, it often feels like I’m fighting the stereotypes and history that precedes me – fighting the ignorance — fighting the negativity — to be recognized as regular, as equal, and be given a fair chance in all facets. None of these preconceived ideas match what I feel within me, but I still remind myself of not only societal stigmas, but other people’s stigmas, and how that shapes their perception of me. How the hardships that blacks sometimes face, shapes others’ perceptions of us. And how, despite all the noise and ignorance, there is no one who can truly identify the ‘shape’ of you, but you. This song is to empower those in their self-affirming thoughts, and in the moments of necessarily reminding ourselves of our greatness. In this day in age, where we talk about ‘drama’ as smoke, I approach it from the opposing angle – let’s avoid that. Let’s just live, and be.”
6 | Lilly Hiatt | Candy Lunch
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lilly Hiatt is set to release Walking Proof on March 27. The 11-song set features guest appearances by Amanda Shires, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Luke Schneider, and Lilly’s father, the legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt. Today, she shares the video for the album track Candy Lunch.”
7 | Frank Iero & Future Violents | Basement Eyes
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In the midst of international sensationalism and associated chaos theory, (past, present, and future) Frank Iero has always found sanctuary in one place and one place alone. His basement. Hot off the heels of some BIG announcements pertaining to his ‘other job’ and in “cellabration” of his most accomplished and successful work to date — the critically-acclaimed 2019 Steve Albini recorded double opus Barriers Frank opened up his inner sanctum home studio to a camera crew in order to document a visual representation of the most personal track on the album: Basement Eyes. “This song is very much about beginnings and ends. Many incredible feats have begun in a basement or a garage. I personally have started almost every musical or creative project of my career in a basement somewhere,” he continues. “I have learned to play instruments, started bands, painted, filmed videos, played shows, written and even recorded records there. It is my preferred creative space and the nucleus of where inspiration and ideas get formed into living, breathing pieces of art.”
8 | Bonds of Mara | Killed The Love
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The collective resume shared by Sal Costa, Dave Benedict, Bryan Crouch, and Daryl Ralph reads like a well-curated playlist of dark modern rock melody. Individually, they’ve spent years learning the ropes, perfecting their craft, and surviving the perils of the music industry as members of Canadian rock fixtures My Darkest Days, Default, Hail The Villain, and Sons of Butcher. Now they have come together as Bonds of Mara to forge an organic new sound, propelled by intensity, groove, raw punk energy, and honest, confessional lyrics. Their new single, Killed The Love, has just been released and the band is currently touring in support of the new track. “We are so excited to release this new track to the world,” said Costa. “To create songs with people you love is more than any musician can ask for. We are really excited about this track as it encompasses who we are as musicians. The coolest part of all is that the music video was actually shot and directed by our bassist Dave!”.
9 | The Wraith | Ballad Of Aeon
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles-based dark punk crew The Wraith presents a new video from their debut album, Gloom Ballet, which saw worldwide release in late November. The new visual accompaniment to the track Ballad Of Aeon has premiered. “The apocalyptic imagery in the video marries references to Ballad of Aeon‘s refrain (‘A thousand years, Dark centuries’) to more topical concerns. The performance footage was shot in a disused L.A. storefront that was being used as storage space (and, by the looks of it, as some sort of nocturnal drug den). Among the stuff being stored there was Cher’s dressing room mirror from one of her Las Vegas residencies, which the band was happy to use. Lighting equipment used for the shoot included leftovers from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. As The Wraith was between drummers at the time of the shoot, a mystery stand-in was used.”
10 | Night Flight Orchestra | Transmissions
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seat and fasten your seatbelt. While waiting for the official departure of Aeromantic, the new album of Swedish AOR super stars The Night Flight Orchestra on Feb. 28, the band has released the new single and music video for Transmissions. On the new single, the band comments: “Did you know that every move you make is caused by the brain sending electrical nerve impulses to your limbs? And that every time someone touches you, electrical currents send news about this sensation to your brain. And this, the electricity and magic that you experience when you are truly touched by another human being is what Transmissions, the new single and video by The Night Flight Orchestra, is all about, and how that electrical charge is captured and stored somewhere inside you, changing you forever.”
11 | Jono Manson | Only A Dream (Feat. James Maddock)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Jono Manson’s Silver Moon winds through reflective Americana, gritty R&B, raunchy rock ‘n’ roll, and pop. Last month, he announced the album’s April 10 release date by sharing the title track, Silver Moon (feat. Warren Haynes). Today, Manson shared his latest song Only A Dream (feat. James Maddock), a throwback to the classic mid-tempo ballads of the late ‘50s/early ‘60s. “I already had Only a Dream half-written when I arrived at the home of my old friend and long-time collaborator George Breakfast in Cambridge, England,” says Jono. “I showed the song to George and we finished it up together. I could hear the whole song being performed as a duet, in parallel harmonies, like something by the Everly Brothers. But, unlike either Don or Phil Everly, my voice tends to be a bit rough around the edges, so it made sense to find another singer with a timbre that would complement mine. I immediately thought of my friend James Maddock, a great songwriter in his own right. Upon hearing the demo, James called the song an instant classic, agreed to get on board, and the picture was complete. The lyrics carry some serious messages for our times, but I tried to inject just enough cockeyed optimism to let the listener know that, at least in my opinion, there is still hope!”
12 | David J | I Only Hear Silence Now
THE PRESS RELEASE: “David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) presents I Only Hear Silence Now featuring Emily Jane White on piano and vocals, the two stars shining bright in tandem vocals. This track can be found on his double album Missive to an Angel from the Halls of Infamy and Allure, released in October. It’s a new version of a track that first appeared on David J’s debut solo album Etiquette of Violence in 1983. “This video was pieced together over several months. Most of the footage was shot by the intrepid Pierre Malacarnet at Beck Studios in Wellingborough, the site of the original Bauhaus recording of Bela Lugosi’s Dead. I filmed the game and lovely Emily Jane White in a 19th Century bathtub in San Francisco. Pierre then shot some other cut away scenes in Berlin and edited the whole thing together quite brilliantly. The mood of the film resonates perfectly with that of the music.”
13 | Nap Eyes | So Tired
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Nap Eyes will release their new album, Snapshot of a Beginner, on March 27, and today they share the second single, So Tired. The introspective tune showcases Snapshot of a Beginner’s elevated fidelity with the addition of piano, organ and synthesizer to the band’s usual guitar, bass and drum arrangements. Like many of the songs on the new album, So Tired was written in an improvised recording session before being fleshed out by the band. Frontman Nigel Chapman, who addresses himself in the second person at the beginning of the song, explains the track further: “The So Tired refrain marks a slight shift in perspective and its meaning is twofold. For one, I get frustrated sometimes by what the world seems to require for success at a given task (for example, polished songwriting, coherent and understandable communication), so part of this is just me venting on this subject. Sometimes I would rather flow with free writing than try to box songs into rehearsed, many-times-repeated containers. Second, at times I find myself wishing people would not hold so many preconceptions about the things in this world a given person might try to communicate. Most of us, myself included, usually assume we already know a lot – even about things we’ve spent very little time thinking about – and because of this attitude, people are often predisposed to misunderstand new ideas, even when they’re communicated in straightforward and coherent ways. But there’s no doubt, an idea won’t ever get through until there’s someone around to listen to it.”
14 | Ellis | Embarrassing
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ellis — Hamilton, Ontario’s Linnea Siggelkow — recently announced her breathtaking debut album, Born Again, and today she shares its incredible second single. Embarrassing offers a layered meditation on regret and responsibility through its shape shifting textures and gorgeously languid pace. Check out the new song and its Max Taeuschel-directed video now. “I grew up Christian and was quite devoted to faith up through my late teens, but I started challenging that once I got to university,” says Siggelkow, the daughter of a traveling book salesman and a piano teacher. “Since then I’ve been trying to redefine who I am and where I stand and what I think about these things on my own, and that journey very much played into the songwriting on this record.”
15 | Leya | INTP
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Framed within a network of outlying artists whose experiments sketch out far-flung deviations from aboveground movements, the work of New York-based duo Leya stands out as an anomaly that exemplifies the idiosyncratic impulses of the avant fringe. Harpist/vocalist Marilu Donovan and violinist/vocalist Adam Markiewicz seem from a sidelong perspective to approximate the languages of neo-classical performance and post-minimalist exploration in their austere, meticulously rendered compositions. In truth, the duo’s own self-perception casts their project closer to the axes of noise and punk than conventional refinement. Leya’s album Flood Dream follows their acclaimed debut album The Fool, as well as Angel Lust, a collaboration with Eartheater released this December, and their soundtrack to PornHub-exclusive short film I Love You directed by Brooke Candy.”
16 | Kool Keith x Thetan | Hallucinations
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary Bronx-based rapper Kool Keith and Nashville powerviolence duo Thetan will release their fully collaborative Space Goretex LP on April 10. The album’s first single Hallucinations is now playing. Following their liaison last year for the Complicated Trip Record Store Day single, Space Goretex is the first album combining all of Kool Keith’s primary personas – Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom and Black Elvis. The instrumentation is primarily comprised of bass, drums, theremin, and synth, performed by Thetan’s Chad L’Plattenier and Dan Emery. The album also includes some special guest appearances, including Gangsta Boo (Three 6 Mafia) who performs as Officer Lola. Casey Orr (Gwar, X-Cops) appears as his X-Cops character Sheriff Tubb Tucker, marking the first time he has recorded anything as this character since 1996. Blag Dahlia from The Dwarves provides a monologue alongside Ashley Mae of Lost Dog Street Band and DJ Black Cat Sylvester, inventor of the Synth-Table. Blowfly’s right-hand man Uncle Tom Bowker also makes an appearance. Kool Keith offers of the single Hallucinations, “This is gonna definitely be a fan fav on the album. My lyrics crazy but the track is hypnotic.”
17 | Matt Evans | Cold Moon
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Matt Evans’ album New Topographics is an aqueous collection of drum driven, ambient adjacent, hypnotic soundscapes that radiate from a liminal zone between the physical and the digital. Following an impulse toward percussive abstraction, Matt Evans (Tigue, Bearthoven, Man Forever) collages the sounds of writing, typing, morse code and others — swirling sonic byproducts from our communication systems — with percussive improvisations and synthesized “creatures” to trace imagined landscapes in a sea of noise. Synthetics and acoustics cross currents, unifying rubbery harmonies, wandering melodies, and incidental noises into a dreamy cybernetic ecology.”
18 | Barrens | Arc Eye
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Gothenburg, Sweden-based post-rock trio Barrens, featuring members of long-running alternative/experimental indie rock unit Scraps Of Tape, will release their debut full-length Penumbra on April 10. In advance, they unveil first single Arc Eye. Issues the band of the track, “Arc Eye was the first piece of music written for what would become Penumbra. The idea behind the album and the driving force behind Barrens were already in place; to embrace inner darkness and outer light, to focus in on our shadows and to explore that space. Arc Eye represents self-immolation through creation. To work so hard and intensely on something that you catch fire. Catharsis.”
19 | Cinematic Orchestra | Zero One/This Fantasy (feat. Grey Reverend)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In celebration of last year’s critically acclaimed album, To Believe, The Cinematic Orchestra are set to release To Believe Remixes — a carefully curated collection of remixes and re-works made by some of The Cinematic Orchestra’s favorite producers and artists – as a digital album on March 6. “It’s one of the greatest privileges of a musician to invite artists who have inspired you to re-imagine your work.” The Cinematic Orchestra have also done their own remix of Zero One/This Fantasy (feat. Grey Reverend) which is out today.”
20 | Nostalgix & Vouti | Brat
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Filled with attitude and sass, Nostalgix & Vouti drop the seductive house track Brat. Spotlighted as an emerging artist you need to hear this February, Nostalgix’s signature blend of house and dance influences has quickly earned her a thriving reputation in the global dance music scene. Over the past year, the Iran-born, Canada-raised artist has released original material on a handful of taste-making record labels. Working alongside Nostaglix on Brat is rising Finnish producer Vouti, who has been making waves with his unique blend of bassy tech house.”
21 | Anna Calvi | Eden (feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Anna Calvi announced her new release Hunted last month; set for release on March 6, Hunted features reworkings of seven tracks from Hunter – Calvi’s Mercury Prize-nominated third album from 2018. Distilling the songs to their bare essence, Calvi additionally collaborated with Courtney Barnett, Joe Talbot (IDLES), Charlotte Gainsbourg and Julia Holter to transform the tracks further. Having previously shared the Courtney Barnett collaboration, Anna is pleased to unveil the Hunted version of Eden featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Calvi says about the song: “Charlotte Gainsbourg has taught me so much as a singer, in how the most quiet of utterances can be the most dramatic and powerful of all. When I was writing Eden I had Charlotte’s voice in my head – there’s a secrecy and quiet power to this song that always made me think of her. It’s a dream come true to have collaborated with her.”
22 | Thundercat | Dragonball Durag
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Today, jazz virtuoso Thundercat releases Dragonball Durag, the second single from It Is What It Is, out April 3. The new track, produced by Thunder and Flying Lotus, encapsulates his love of humour in music and his passion for the cult Japanese animé Dragon Ball Z. “I have a Dragon Ball tattoo… it runs everything. There is a saying that Dragon Ball is life,” he explains. As for the durag: “There are two types of people in the world, the guy with the durag and the guy who doesn’t know what a durag is. The durag is a superpower, to turn your swag on… it does something, it changes you. If you have one in the wardrobe, think about wearing it tonight, and it may pop off because you never know what’s going to happen.”
23 | Wilma Archer | Decades (feat. Samuel T. Herring & Laura Groves)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Following the announcement of his debut album, Wilma Archer has shared new track Decades featuring Samuel T. Herring, of Future Islands, and Laura Groves. The song acts as part one of a 10-minute composition as per the running order of the album. An album that’s been in the works for the past half-decade, A Western Circular is a bold, reflective piece that directly relates to Archer’s personal experiences of life and death, centered on one particular week where they breathed with equal intensity. The record’s themes of greed, love and loyalty all relate back to that specific time. Inspired by author John Fante, A Western Circular is a spiritual voyage through life’s pushing and pulling: finding beauty in the rough, sadness in the bright. Ostensibly, it’s a poignant reflection on the duality of the human condition.”
24 | Tricky | Lonely Dancer
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tricky, moniker of Adrian Thaws, will release his new EP, 20,20, on March 6. Today, he presents its lead single. Lonely Dancer features Berlin-based musician Anika, and is a wearied yet beautiful downtempo number. The 20,20 EP also features his mesmerising touring vocalist Marta on the bare bones duet Hate this Pain, while instrumental track M offers a hopeful, forward-facing flipside to bookend the release.”
25 | Jack Moves | List of Demands
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Jack Moves got his start late in 2014. A member of Toronto metal groups Godstopper and Ayahuasca and a former member of hardcore act Column of Heaven, he had grown tired of working within the limits of heavy music and decided to strike out on his own. List of Demands is the newest single from his upcoming debut full-length. The track features eclectic electronic experimentation, intricate synth flourishes, and genre-blending vocals.”
26 | Tyra Jutai | Nudes
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tyra Jutai is a female producer, songwriter, singer, and performer. She is Toronto-based and Toronto-born. Her new single – Nudes – is from her forthcoming debut EP. The track highlights Tyra’s powerful jazz-inspired vocals with lyrics that hint at heartbreak and frustration, glossed over by sarcasm.”
27 | Evan Caminiti | Varispeed Hydra
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles based artist Evan Caminiti returns with the follow up to 2017’s Toxic City Music. Living in the wrong timeline, dreaming of possible utopias; Varispeed Hydra beams in like a collection of broken transmissions, terrestrial sounds melting into the abstract and rising again as vaporous specters. Three years in the making, Hydra was recorded utilizing a variety of electroacoustic processes and honed in live performances ranging from the sound art setting of NYC’s Issue Project Room to the future-club environment of DOMMUNE in Tokyo. While thematically following Toxic City Music, it moves past that album’s emphasis on superfund sites and the proverbial rat race to turn an ear towards more rural environs.”
28 | Area Resident | We’re All Water
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ottawa’s Area Resident shares a cover of Yoko Ono’s We’re All Water, from 1972’s Some Time in New York City, today for Ono’s birthday. It’s produced by Jordon Zadorozny (Blinker The Star), who also plays drums on it. Area Resident is Doug Hempstead. A CBC radio journalist twice-a-day and basement recording artist, father & husband by night.”
29 | Lord Fowl | Fire Discipline
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Connecticut riff rock/retro metal unit Lord Fowl will release their Glorious Babylon full-length April 24. With a sound just as likely to nod to Thin Lizzy and a heavy Funkadelic as to early Queen or Paul Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden, it is the vision and classic purpose of their songwriting that brings the band together. Songs that rock. Old heads, new heads, riff-worshippers, and freaks: Lord Fowl have built a city just for you. Fans of Queen, Dirty Honey, Freedom Hawk, Crobot, Rival Sons, Greenleaf, Fu Manchu, La Chinga, and the like pay heed.”
30 | Destroyer of Light | Lullaby
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Formed in 2012 in Austin, Texas, harbingers of doom Destroyer of Light are no idlers. Within a year of forming the heavy-as-hell/louder-than-war quartet released their self-titled EP and in doing so kick started what would become an ongoing DIY endeavour; driven by huge riffs, hallowed tales and endless road journeys. This March the band return with a brand-new two-track EP entitled Generational Warfare, which is ferried deep into the breach by a commanding cover of one of The Cure’s most celebrated songs, Lullaby: “For years, I’ve wanted to cover The Cure,” explains guitarist/vocalist, Steve Colca. “Not only am I huge fan, but I always thought that they had some songs that could easily be constructed into a doom song. I think a lot of people don’t realize how heavy The Cure’s music is, especially if you’ve seen or heard them live. We all agreed that Lullaby was the perfect choice. The lyrics are super dark and when we started working on it, it just fell into place.”
31 | Sizzy Rocket | That Bitch
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sizzy Rocket presents her new single That Bitch. Seamlessly fusing bombastic punk-inspired riffs with electro-pop melodies, Sizzy’s new single is the ultimate self-empowerment record. “That Bitch is about owning yourself — even the crazy, messy, wild, emotional parts that might be ‘too much’ for people, even when you feel insane and down and alone. It’s about being unapologetic in the process of figuring out who you are and pummeling through anyone and anything that gets in your way,” Sizzy writes. “I hope it becomes the song you put on when you want to feel confident and sexy and dance in your mirror and let it all out and scream at the fucking world – because you’re That Bitch and you can be whoever the fuck you want to be!”
