Jack Mannix and Angela Bermuda are unconventional, unapologetic and Australian. In that order. After the tales of Sydney street life, drugs and casual sex on gritty Bruise Constellations, Circle Pit languidly slides into a new 7", Slave / Honey on Sub Pop. Synthy gospel on one side, druggy shoegaze on the other, you can stream both sides here.
It's no secret I adore old-time revival. I'll takesomething old over something new any day - and it's not just because it's all I can afford. (why isn't "a penny for your thoughts" a REAL THING? I'd be filthy rich.) Carolina Chocolate Drops know what's up, and I couldn't say it better than they already did: "Tradition is a guide, not a jailer. We play in an older tradition, but we are modern musicians."
So I'll hush up quick on this one. Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson assembled together under the tutelage of Joe Campbell, a then octagenarian fiddler. With a band first called The Chocolate Drops, they had their start in town squares and farmer's markets. They're now the first all African-American band to play the Grand Ole Opry. Rumor has it their live shows crackle with the whole-hearted enthusiasm of their following. Young and old, stomping and clapping like they were dancing on the dirt-packed floor of a speakeasy. Jugs and bones are used as much as banjos and guitars; snap your suspenders and hear it all on their February release, Genuine Negro Jig.
Allo allo. Been a bit, I know. Summer got away from me, working this new job, etc etc, in summation - I'm an ass. Of the 11 people who put money in this jukebox it's likely 3 of you are left, 1 of whom is probably my mother who feels maternally obligated and huffs disapprovingly when I use foul language.
I could grin sheepishly and scuff my toe for another hour, but what's that really gonna do, eh? I'm just gonna look you full on in the face, tell you I've missed your company, and drop in a quarter. Let's listen for a bit then catch up on life.
Mr. Greene - I'm writing to let you know that I am a m*th*f*ck*n fan. Ever since you came out with the Life of Leisure EP, you've made me wish I had been a little older to do more than drool and ask for a binkie in '84. Those music beds you've built with late '70s-80's sampling is an excellent choice.
Even better than highfructosecornsyrup sampling is the minimal lyricism modus operandi. Paired with your homemade bedroom-synth, it's like pb&J. Smooth or chunky, grape or strawberry - if you make that sandwich, you better believe people are gonna 'nom.
The fact you got me to say 'nom is ridiculous. But when you're dropping singles on Adult Swim, only one of the best visual assaults on the planet, that's what happens.
keep it stanky, chirgo
p.s. Caroline Polachek sounds positively dreamy on this track. Maybe I'll buy the last Chairlift record to hold me over since you're taking your sweet-ass time with this late Fall release. p.p.s. Did you seriously create the Chillwave genre? C'mon bro - that's pushing it. Washed Out // You and I
The Rev is a force to be reckoned with. Massive beard, massive frame, massive voice, massively awesome guitar pickin' & slidin'. Add a guy who knows how to utilize his kick drum (the Rev's brother) and a voluptuous lady who sets fire to her washboard AND KEEPS PLAYING IT (the Rev's wife), you've got a big damn band indeed.
Yeah it's only three people but they are a solid lot.
They glory in their "home's a pig farm!" aesthetic with singles like "Your Cousin's on Cops," a true story about seeing Miss Rev's cousin get busted on national television, and "Walmart Killed the Country Store." The retail chain, unsurprisingly, does not sell their albums - Sam Walton no likey. "Boom Chank" is from a live set, Pickathon 2007, to try and give a better feel for the Rev's let-loose vocals.
If you want ferocious swampy bluegrass folk played like your pants are on fire, as well as your washboard, then come on to church. The Rev's waitin' fer yeh.
BALTIMORE. ocdj's album Hooray came out back in 2007 but the label, Wildfire Wildfire, just sent it (along with rest of their entire catalog) to WRIR.
ocdj is Dan Gaeta. Independent radio fact: Gaeta started volunteering at WFMU at age 14 and eventually became a dj there.
He's toured with Dan Deacon, Video Hippos, Jana Hunter, and DJ Dog dick, and when he performs he wears stuffed animal masks. Goof.
However, he's not performing much right now because he's traveling around the Atlantic on a sail boat. He previously circumnavigated the globe as a hand on this guy's yacht.
If you've ever listened to Amon Tobin you know he can go deep and tribal. He was spreading Brazilian sound around before Crookers and the Twelves took over blog house.
His new project with Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman, Two Fingers, takes that deep down to the next level of the inferno, mixing that DEEP (did I mention it's deep? and tribal) sound with a lavish recordful of British and American MC's. They. Bring. It.
Two Fingers and the MC, Sway, recording in Montreal
Yes, I like this band for other reasons besides their name. Please.
More dirty freakouts.
But also, they have good taste in cities/locations. Yes, there is the choosing to name themselves after my favorite city of my entire life so far, but there's more.
They're hitting up Belfast on their European tour. And not only that, they're playing at the Menagerie, at the Ormeau Road on University Street. Shitty dive not without highly unprincipled paramilitary affiliations. They play Reggae and Soul and won't let you wear football colours inside, and it's the only bar I could reliably find Newcastle Brown, too. I have mad respect for a band who can manage to book the best seedy bar in a foreign city. UPDATE: Belfast informant tells me that Menagerie was freed from paramilitary associations and is now owned by David Holmes. I guess that explains why the music got better. Informant assures that Menagerie is still way seedy.
But anyway, and perhaps even better, Mi Ami is coming to Richmond. (To the Triple.)
Hell has been active as a dj and producer for 30 years. He is also the founder and boss of the label International Deejay Gigolos (Miss Kittin & the Hacker, Dopplereffekt, Terence Fixmer, Fischerspooner, Tiga, Vitalic, Jeff Mills...).
This track I'm posting is from his new album Teufelswerk. He's divided it in two by the themes of Night and Day; Kruder of Kruder and Dorfmeister helped produce the Day half. Drops in late April and I completely cannot wait... there's a Hawkwind cover on it. Hell's last album, NY Muscle, is so so brilliant.
So I'm sitting here reviewing this cd for WRIR and realize... I love it. I know I'm not just saying that because the review I wrote was completely dead-on on the first try, after the first full listen. You know what that means? I feel it.
Off-key, moany, choral female vocals over bass and drum heavy beats, occasional harpsichords, and dirty south parking lot synth riffs and high-hats. Bold, often violent, Secret-Gardenish lyrics similar to Hole's Victorian fixation. RIYL Gang Gang Dance, Free Blood, School of Seven Bells
Reviewed by: Mary Claire Recommended tracks: 1, 7, 9, 2 (see below) FCC: 8, 2 (at -1:36)
PROPERTY OF RICHMOND INDIE RADIO DO NOT REMOVE
"You could have at least said 'Secret Garden at night.'"
This is the song that made me realize it's appropriate to do a second Telepathe post immediately after the first one.
Just put on the advance Black Joe Lewis ep, which contains 4 tracks:
1) Gunpowder 2) Bitch, I Love You 3) Cousin Randy 4) Master Sold My Baby
The Black Joe Lewis collective is based in Austin; you can catch em at SxSW if you're headed that way, but if not they'll be doing a tour following the album launch. The full-length comes out on March 17th, called Tell Em What Your Name Is! from Lost Highway.
Otherwise, I haven't found too much press on Black Joe Lewis or the Honeybears, though the promoter did tell me that Obama has endorsed them.
London producers Radioclit have been tossing mixes around for a while. This fall they released their first artist-driven album, free here and a bunch of other places.
The artist is Esau Mwamwaya. He's from Malawi but has lived in London for 9 years, and he sings in Chichewa as well as English.
The album is dope for that reason but also for Radioclit's production-- you may have already heard the tracks they built with Esau using songs by Architecture in Helsinki, Santogold, MIA and Vampire Weekend, which hit the web last year.
Esau (left) met Radioclit's DJ Tron (right) when Tron visited Esau's junkshop in London. Not long after, Esau became "the African Phil Collins." The guy in the center is Johan, the other half of Radioclit.
I featured Spoek's H.I.V.I.P. Dezemba Liazonz mix on a radio show I recently hosted, and since then I've been stalking him online a bit. He's from South Africa and currently working out of Paris and Berlin.
Spoek is fun to stalk because he is a man of many projects:
-Sweat.X, his duo project that started in Berlin. Lots of London club action.
-Play Doe, his duo project from Johannesburg. Similarly popular in Europe.
-DJEDTRONIC, from Paris, for whom he has been mc'ing. They're going to be at the Club NME Paris party Jan 30th with Zombie Zombie, and they've just released a record on Boys Noize.
The Hood Headlinaz collaborate with MIA-producer Diplo and DJ Benzi as the Paper Route Gangstaz. Last month they released the (slammin) Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas mixtape, which they're selling Radiohead-style through Diplo's label, Mad Decent.
The Hood Headlinaz are five guys: Mali Boi, Money Addict, Mata, Jhi Ali and Gunt 1/3. Listening to the tape, I realized that between them they wrote all the best songs.
Circle Pit // Honey
Carolina Chocolate Drops // Cornbread and Butterbeans
Jacques Dutronc // Et moi, et moi, et moi
Washed Out // You and I
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band// Boom Chank
Mochipet // Master P on Atari
Two Fingers // High Life featuring Sway