The Week In #Indie

Earnhardt Release Eponymous Album (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Earnhardt Release Eponymous Album (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Earnhardt delivers a solidly consistent set of tracks in their eponymously titled sophomore effort. Written and recorded more like a set of songs meant to travel with you down that highway of open land and whithering mountains, Earnhardt’s songs flow from one to the next like a memorable conversation with an old friend steeped in Americana. Simply beautiful.

As of June 14, 2019, The ‘Earnhardt’ LP is available on vinyl. Already now it can be downloaded from digital stores and the band’s own Bandcamp site and is streaming on Spotify.

About Earnhardt
Americana rock outfit Earnhardt presents their debut eponymous album. This collection is comprised of 9 tracks, built to stand as a showcase of the band’s diversity and a culmination of their labors. It will be released on vinyl on June 14 as a limited edition of 250 copies.

The ‘Earnhardt’ LP is the band’s third release to date, following up their ‘Live at 100’ EP, released in 2017. In the meantime, the band has been busy touring, writing new material and recording.

Based in Brooklyn, Earnhardt is songwriter Adam Gerard (guitar and vocals), Grant Anderson (drums and vocals), John MacDonald (lead guitar), Steve ‘Sunshine’ Stapleton (bass), and Veronica Davila (vocals).

“This record is a collection of rock songs about that universal human struggle, that broken heart. They’re all true and meant to listen to loud, ideally a couple of drinks deep, heavy-hearted or not. I think I tried to write a bunch of country songs and they ended up sounding more like 90’s FM rock radio. I love the hook of a song. It’s got to sound good. We embrace the hook…the pop element of it,” says frontman Adam Gerard.

Earnhardt is alt-country for people who like The Verve, heartland rock ‘n’ roll for people who like The Smiths, and Americana for people who hate the word ‘Americana’. These are songs for saddling up to the bar with when you could use one or several drinks.

These songs are about getting hurt, feeling it, and doing what you need to do to feel better. They’re about having a drink on it, for better or worse. As Cobain said, they’re about “missing the comfort in being sad.”

For two tequila-fueled weeks in late summer 2016, the band lived and breathed these songs, refining the sound under the supervision of engineer and co-producer Ben Brodin (Conor Oberst, First Aid Kit, Savages, Pete Yorn), who handled recording and mixing at Another Recording Company Studios in Omaha, Nebraska, in addition to contributing piano, keyboards and guitar.

“As bandmates, we really know each other. There’s a collective instinct that we share when it comes to what something ought to sound like. This record has been a long time coming and we’re grateful to be able to share it,” says Adam Gerard.

Earnhardt also received mastering support by none other than Alex DeTurk (Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Kamasi Washington, David Lynch, Blonde Redhead).

This album involves a guest appearance by Mike Mogis (Julian Casablancas, TrashCan Sinatras, She & Him, Jenny Lewis), also known for composing the soundtrack to ‘A Fault in Our Stars’. He contributes pedal steel on ‘Women Without Whiskey’, where Earnhardt offers their own rendition of the classic Drive-By Truckers track. Former bandmate Dominique Otto also contributed vocals throughout the record.

“We’re so excited to finally have these recordings see the light of day, so now we can start looking ahead to the next record,” says Steve ‘Sunshine’ Stapleton.

Earnhardt’s music is inspired by the likes of The War on Drugs, Steve Earle, Counting Crows, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Emmylou Harris, Kurt Vile, and The Replacements.

Adam Gerard and Grant Anderson previously performed as part of Young Lords, later forming the band Red Horse, releasing material with Steve Stapleton on bass. John MacDonald was also busy around this time as a member of Brooklyn-based The Archive. After a few years of sharing stages at shows around Brooklyn, Earnhardt began playing with MacDonald to round out the band’s unique sound. Veronica Davila, also of the Brooklyn-based group Low Roller, adds vocal harmonies.

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/earnhardtband
https://earnhardt.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3odiQ5REAR4J4enVjqkbdk?si=AgSTp2ziQGqMejUft8STyw
https://twitter.com/earnhardtband
https://soundcloud.com/earnhardt
https://vimeo.com/earnhardtband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAd0-lM4QnUZExaozkHsSA/videos
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/earnhardt/284681134

An Interview with XTC Author Mark Fisher (The Week in #Indie Segment)

An Interview with XTC Author Mark Fisher (The Week in #Indie Segment)

When a band, or any kind of artist for that matter, has such a positively fervent following, as XTCdoes, the music and stories surrounding that band or artist can elevate to a kind of mythical status. There is certainly mythology surrounding XTC that has fermented for decades with followers and fans of all ages, ethnicities, and beliefs all captivated with the music in their own special ways.

And now we have author Mark Fisher chronicling some of those stories from those who knew the band personally as well as those who know the music. This is an inciteful book about an inciteful band. And now we get a perspective of XTC from a well-versed author who is also a fan (having run the original XTC newsletter, Limelight).

‘What Do You Call That Noise?’ will be released on March 4 (links below).

About Mark Fisher & ‘What Do You Call That Noise?”
From Mark Fisher, the editor of ‘The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls’, comes a new musical exploration of one of the most essential pop groups of the 20th century. ‘What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book’ is a compelling 228-page book that involves some of the world’s leading musicians and keenest fans of XTC. Here, they come together to discuss what makes this Swindon band so very special and the extent of the impact of their music worldwide.

Every member of XTC also makes an appearance. Andy Partridge speaks about mixing, Dave Gregory on arranging and Barry Andrews on the piano. The book also features interviews with XTC drummers Pete Phipps, Pat Mastelotto, Ian Gregory, Prairie Prince, Dave Mattacks and Chuck Sabo.

“Every XTC album that got ignored gave the band a real power jolt. It was like being the Duracell bunny and getting a fresh set of batteries in your back. It made us want to strive harder,” says XTC frontman Andy Partridge.

“Weirdly, it does feel like the band is being appreciated now. We’ve become a historical artifact that’s more important than when it was a pot in Cro-Magnon times. As a museum exhibit it’s become priceless, but as a Neanderthal pot, nobody wanted to bother pissing in it. It makes me feel valued – as long as I don’t go into national treasure territory!”

Fisher also offers an in-depth review of Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers playing live for the first time in 36 years as TC&I. during their recent Swindon Arts Centre residency, a performance named on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Marc Riley show as one of the gigs of 2018.

Contributing musicians include:

  • Rick Buckler: The Jam
  • Chris Difford: Squeeze
  • Debbi Peterson: The Bangles
  • Dennis Locorriere: Dr. Hook
  • Steve Conte: New York Dolls
  • Steven Page: Barenaked Ladies
  • Chris Butler: The Waitresses
  • Tracey Bryn: Voice of the Beehive
  • Jason Falkner: Jellyfish
  • Andrew Falkous: Future of the Left
  • Peter Gabriel
  • Mike Keneally: Frank Zappa

Plus Anton Barbeau, Todd Bernhardt, Chris Braide, Mikey Erg, Anne McCue, Jim Moray, Erich Sellheim, Rosie Vela, Mark Vidler, and David Yazbek, as well as members of Fassine, Big Big Train, bis, Cosmic Rough Riders, Odds, Tin Spirits, Palm Ghosts and many more…

2018 marked the 40-year anniversary of XTC’s first studio album ‘White Music’. While XTC was founded in 1972, it wasn’t until 1979 that XTC had their first UK chart single. Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge continued their partnership until the group’s dissolution in 2006.

Lately there has been renewed interest in XTC, in part due to the release of eye-opening XTC documentary ‘This Is Pop’ about the band’s history and legacy, which looks at XTC and their journey from mercurial pop outsiders to full-blown national treasures and one of Britain’s most influential yet unsung bands.

“The song is a little machine. If you take apart the machine, it’s not a clock anymore and you can’t tell the time by it.”
– Andy Partridge

“Music… I couldn’t imagine life without it. It’s always there.”
– Dave Gregory

“I was always quite envious of XTC because they weren’t put in the same pigeonhole as punk bands. They were regarded as a bit more arty than that. We always had to fight off this flag, being under the banner of punk… XTC never seemed to fall into that trap. They had that freedom.”
– Rick Buckler ( The Jam)

“Seeing them on TV was like being in a tribe. Together I thought we might rule the world… Yes, I stole from them. I’m sure I was not the only one. The wit did woo mee. I fell head over heels for the clever wordplay, the charge of the story and the sentimental Britishness of it all.”
– Chris Difford (Squeeze)

“XTC’s music has always been there in my consciousness. I think about it a lot when I’m making records… They come across as an everyday group of people and that’s very much what Barenaked Ladies were about too – living as ordinary a life as you can in a bizarre lifestyle like rock’n’roll.”
– Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies)

“I remember when I first heard Making Plans for Nigel on the radio… I absolutely loved the song, especially the drum part… Terry’s drumming was so rhythmic. I was very much influenced by him. In fact, I would drum along to XTC songs to warm up. It was very inspiring to me!”
– Debbi Peterson (The Bangles)

LINKS:
http://www.xtclimelight.com
https://twitter.com/LimelightXTC
https://www.facebook.com/XTCLimelight
https://www.facebook.com/groups/425591964471058
http://www.xtclimelight.com/buy.html

Kenny Roby and 6 String Drag Premiere Brasstown (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Kenny Roby and 6 String Drag Premiere Brasstown (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Alt-Country has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, being a guitarist myself. So when I see such a blast from the past as Kenny Roby and 6 String Drag, I get goosebumps. The band originally formed in 1993 and, essentially, disappeared sometime in the late ’90s. But, as of 2014, they are back! With one reissue already under their belt in the form of their album ‘High Hat’, they keep the reenergized momentum going with another upcoming release, this time with unreleased material in the form of ‘The Jag Sessions: Rare & Unreleased 1996-1998’.

The sessions really capture the raw energy of the band and that controlled gritty feeling with dirty slide guitars, raspy brass, and a country swagger only found in the purest of traditionalists. This will be released in only 500 copies of special vinyl so be warned, quantities are limited.

The album will be available from RSD-participating record stores on April 13 as an official Record Store Day release. The 12″ red vinyl edition of ‘The Jag Sessions’ also comes with a download card featuring two bonus tracks not included on vinyl.

About 6 String Drag
Schoolkids Records has announced the new 6 String Drag album ‘The Jag Sessions: Rare & Unreleased 1996-1998’, which will be released especially for Record Store Day. This will be issued on limited edition 12” red vinyl with just 500 copies to be made available.

In the mid to late ‘90s, Kenny Roby and 6 String Drag stood out as pioneers of the nascent alt-country movement. After a leaving a mark on this, as well as the Americana / No Depression scene, the Carolinas quartet essentially broke up.

The band’s second record ‘High Hat’ was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy and was released in 1997 on Earle’s Warner Brothers imprint label E-Squared Record. This album remains an undisputed classic of its era.

In early 2014, 6 String Drag reformed with the ‘High Hat’ line-up and recorded their 2015 comeback record ‘Roots Rock & Roll’ too much fan excitement and critical acclaim.

In January 2018, the band reissued a 20th-anniversary reissue of ‘High Hat’ on CD, vinyl and digitally, following up with their fourth full-length studio record ‘Top of The World’ in March 2018. This album features 6 String Drag founding members and frontmen Kenny Roby and Rob Keller, along with new members Dan Davis and Luis Rodriguez. Both releases are available through Schoolkids Records through Redeye Worldwide Distribution.

‘The Jag Sessions’ album is a collection of unreleased rarities and record quality demos recorded by Byron McCay at Jag Studios in Raleigh, NC between 1996 and 1998. Previously, these recordings have only been circulated among fans and digitally as low flying CD releases for sale at shows.

This album represents the first time any versions of this collection and the songs found here are available on vinyl. Some of the collection are songs originally recorded for Columbia Records in 1996 for a demo deal with this label, but that ultimately never came to fruition. The songs from 1998 were recorded as pro demos and were intended for release as a new EP following ‘High Hat’.

Outside of the four 6 String Drag albums, Kenny Roby has released four critically acclaimed solo LPs – ‘Mercury’s Blues’ (1999), ‘Rather Not Know’ (2003), ‘The Mercy Filter’ (2006), and ‘Memories & Birds’ (2013), in addition to various compilations.

“The world’s a better place with 6 String Drag in it”
– Steve Earle

“So thrilled to have 6 String Drag back again. They’re as great as ever. Like reconnecting with a long lost friend”
— Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)

“A raw, raucous take on alt-Americana, a sound hard to put your finger on but one that wraps comfortably around your ears while it rocks your ass off”
— No Depression

“In their original run in the ’90s, 6 String Drag was regarded as a better-than-average alt-country act; with Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll and now Top of the World, they’ve shown that they’re more than that in their second act, and this is mature, heartfelt, and resonant rock & roll that’s also plenty of fun”
— AllMusic (4 Stars)

“A pair of deeply satisfying albums – including Top of the World, released on Schoolkids Records – that sound as though the band never went anywhere”
— Rolling Stone Country

“Rootsy, authentic and heartfelt tunes with great harmonies and just enough of an Americana vibe to draw in those who claim not to dig rock. Vocal reminiscent of early Elvis Costello, and more jangle than twang”
— The Musoscribe

LINKS:
http://www.6stringdrag.com
https://6stringdrag.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/6stringdrag
https://twitter.com/6stringdrag
https://soundcloud.com/kenny-roby
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4WvOP47oMCIksgyMLpiGNB?si=aMLIWwNXSFWZWNa9xlkqUQ
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/6-string-drag/924629764

Your 33 Black Angels Premiere 'Hott Funn' on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Your 33 Black Angels Premiere ‘Hott Funn’ on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Your 33 Black Angels (a.k.a. Y33BA) just defined my ideal criteria for originality in music. The quirky personalities of the mindset of each member tossed into something written within the boundaries of the band as a whole. The secret is, is that those boundaries are endless don’t exist. So for Y33BA to come up with something within that definition of that criteria, with their new single and video titled ‘Hott Funn’, is a masterstroke in music.

Y33BA ‘Eternities I’ is slated for release on May 7 and will be available across digital stores and streaming platforms. It can also be pre-ordered via Bandcamp. The band’s album release show will take place on May 10 at Alphaville in Brooklyn.

About Your 33 Black Angels
Your 33 Black Angels (a.k.a. Y33BA) has announced their new album ‘Eternities I’, which is their seventh long-play to date, to be released in early May. Ahead of that, they are previewing the lead track ‘Hott Funn’.

Recorded over three years and more than 60 studio days with endless mixes in the making, ‘Eternities I’ is 13 tracks that are built to stand as the culmination of Y33BA’s labors.

Based out of New York City, Y33BA is a long-running noise-pop freakshow. This genre-defying project has its own stamp of dark pop, electro-paisley new wave space rock, with a dose of crunk bass and rhythm. They produce elegant vibrant melodies with strange, novel sounds. This is the New Age underground for the End Times.

How do a group that has danced around sensibilities and sounds refresh the template? More cutting-edge instruments and riskier, avant-garde pop songs than ever. Imagine Madchester, and imagine dream pop meets Aphex Twin. Imagine the bastard child of Arthur Russell, Rain Parade and Rza and add original 21st century sound design and guitar webs.

This is a radical, angry, watermark record. Designed to embrace and rattle against the times. Combining haute popcraft with touches of the undercurrents of our lives–acid house, Paisley Underground, synth wave, field recordings, minimal electronica, and epic RAWK.

As well, the Y33BA wordsmiths have always been equal part poetry fans as lyricists, so the Poesia Concreta of Augusto de Campos or Guillaume Apollonaire may have as much influence as wonderful lyricists like Neil Hannon, Bjork or Serge Gainsbourg. Breaking rhythms and broken meter match the polarized sounds from start to finish.

Formed in 2003, Y33BA debuted with the album ‘Lonely Street’ in 2007, which was a vinyl-only limited edition. Once the initial pressings sold out, Y33BA released the album on CD and digitally. They followed up with ‘Tales of my Pop-Rock Love Life’ (2008), ‘Pagan Princess’ (2009), ‘Songs from the Near Bleak Future’ (Optical Sounds, 2010), ‘Moon and Morning Star’ ( Optical Sounds, 2012) and ‘Glamour’ (2015).

In that time, they have played over 500 shows across Europe and North America, sharing the stage with some rather fine acts during recent tours. The Monochrome Set selected Y33BA as the direct support act for its first New York City show in 30 years. La Femme, The Veldt and Dyr Faser have toured or shared many nights with the group. The band has also played with King Tuff, Blitzen Trapper, Suuns, Six Organs of Admittance, Blonde Elvis, B-17 and We Melt Chocolate.

The video for ‘Hott Funn’ was made by Richie of Vinyl Villains. “Richie is a mysterious Bushwick programmer that doesn’t leave his loft til the light has disappeared and the day has turned to dark. He is part vampire, part design whiz. He has invented an automated animation program that turns songs into aliens, furry creatures, whatever the sound seems to suggest. Obviously, Your 33 Black Angels have a very alien sound, but he might have horses singing to Neil Young, vegan cupcakes singing Fiona Apple, dolphins singing Supergrass, etc. Richie is so ineffable and distant, we don’t even know his last name. All we know is he commands legions of aliens, faeries, and elves. Literally, that’s what he does!”

“A delight of jangling guitars, spacey-sweet vocals, and electronic squiggles, a psych record rooted in beat-pop and experimentalism”
– Village Voice (on ‘Glamour’)

“One of this year’s treasures… is worth the hunt for its pop-wise rattle (Pavement with a case of the Strokes) and singer Josh Westfal’s resemblance, in dry, frank voice and cautious optimism, to another local institution: Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground’s fourth album, Loaded”
– Rolling Stone (On ‘Lonely Street’)

“This is dark electric frenzied New Wave space-rock, blasting by like a fiery and unexpected sonic guest, clearly defying genres and interacting with cosmic messengers”
– Big Takeover Magazine

“Retro-leaning, though hardly flower pop fetishists… pacey keyboard textures and groove-oriented arrangements, while their penchant for laid-back Daniel Johnston vocals and warbly lo-fi riffs more closely resembles the classic college rock of Pavement and Built to Spill”
– NOW Toronto (On ‘Songs from the Near Bleak Future’)

“Your 33 Black Angels are known for frenetic, unpredictable shows. the interlocking guitars sometimes surged into what seemed like an eternal groove”
– Washington Post (live review)

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/your33blackangels
https://y33ba.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/y33ba
https://www.instagram.com/y33ba
https://soundcloud.com/y33ba
https://itunes.apple.com/bn/artist/your-33-black-angels/271047566

Tito Montana Premieres 'Why Not Me? 2.0' on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Tito Montana Premieres ‘Why Not Me? 2.0’ on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

From his debut release in 2014, when the premiere of ‘Miracle’, produced by Just Blaze appeared on MTV and BET Jams, receiving numerous positive reviews from several renowned sites (The Source, The Hype Magazine, Revolt TV, All Hip Hop, and Medium.) and national radio play – it was evident Tito Montana was here to make a statement in the Hip Hop world.

Tito Montana was born Rayhiem Drayton in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which at the time was notorious for street crime due to poverty and drug-induced warfare. A young Tito and his family relocated to the quiet town of Poughkeepsie, New York where he would pen lyrics from the age of 12 about the hardships he’d encountered in his youth. Those hardships would become his personal vices, indulging in the illicit and fast-paced lifestyle of the streets, this led to a tumultuous relationship with the law.

After many years hustling, fast forward to April 2009 and Tito Montana launches Final Score Entertainment , the independent record label features some excellent artists including D. Weathers, Foreign Dre, Pro-T, U-Neek, and Jalitha, there are several subsidiaries including a media company: Panoramic Films and an urban clothing brand, Phly or Die.

When the label began picking up traction Tito released his own material and has since been touted by DJ Funk Master Flex on Hot 97 which then led him to open for many great artists including French Montana, 2 Chains, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Young MA, and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Elle Varner and also featured on/in Scrilla Guriellas, Felon Magazine, This is 50, and The Source to name a few.

In 2016 Tito collaborated with DJ Tek Wun for a European tour and performed in several countries including Scotland, Germany, Amsterdam, France, and England and he’s planning a return in 2019.

This brings us to this release, ‘Why Not Me?’ which is a culmination of where Tito has come so far. The EP features production by the L.O.X.’s producer Vinny Idol and also Final Score Entertainment’s in-house producer Half and Kenny Buttons, special guest appearances from artists including Dave East, Maino, Fred The Godson, Emanny, (FSE’s own) D-Weathers, and Nino Man.

Tito Montana is a walking testament of hustle and ambition, defying the odds and breaking the barriers of hardships and challenges whilst remaining independent and building his empire, the inevitable is yet to come. Why Not Me?

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/TitoMontanaMusic
https://www.instagram.com/iam_titomontana

Foxfeather Premiere Come and Get Me (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Foxfeather Premiere Come and Get Me (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Foxfeather has made a new video for their track titled ‘Come and Get Me’. In a truly retro-esque anthological style replete with a troubadour’s vision and Americana flare, Foxfeather has truly found and embraced their style that is loved by their fans and adored by music aficionados alike for a multitude of reasons. Foxfeather places a timestamp on what is clearly their time with their music and original ‘family’ take on a beloved genre.

About Foxfeather
Foxfeather is a sultry Alt Americana duo founded in Boulder, CO in 2013 by Carly Ricks Smith (lead vocals), Laura Paige Stratton (acoustic/electric guitars, keys, vocals), and is often supported by various instrumentalists for a full rock sound. They are a local staple in the Colorado Front Range, and also tour nationally.

They released their debut EP, Foul Moon, in 2014. In response to this release, The Marquee stated that “the group is overflowing with talent” and “Carly Ricks Smith has a spectacular voice which lies somewhere between the folky soprano of a young Joni Mitchell and the jazz-heavy range of Lake Street Dive’s Rachel Price. It’s powerful as well as delicate.” Andy Eppler of The Prairie Scholars said “it’s sexy. It’s original. These women have crafted something very special and instantly likable on this album.”

Foxfeather released their first full length, self-titled album in October of 2016, which Rooster magazine described as “time warping…it’s an emotional ride into the forest of folk with low-hanging country branches slapping you in the face without apology… its got a good thing going” (Rooster Magazine).

LINKS:
http://www.foxfeathermusic.com
https://twitter.com/FoxfeatherMusic
https://www.facebook.com/foxfeathermusic
https://instagram.com/foxfeathermusic

Membranes Premiere 'Strange Perfume' on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Membranes Premiere ‘Strange Perfume’ on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

The Membranes are legendary. Pure and simple. But as many people know and seldom discuss, most legends tend to stay in the pocket when it comes to their new music, if they release new music at all. Not so for The Membranes’ new single and video titled ‘A Strange Perfume’. And that, to me, makes them legends. The song sounds as fresh as a new band and the video reflects the energy and creativity that The Membranes are still in abundance of. A band or artist should treat each new release as if it is their favorite newborn child. The Membranes do this and have done it, for decades. They have treated each song as it’s favorite newborn. And they’re all bastards. Brilliant!

As of June 7, ‘What Nature Gives … Nature Takes Away’ will be available on vinyl and CD, and digitally from stores such as iTunes and streaming platforms like Spotify. There is also a deluxe double vinyl ultra limited edition of 150 copies. This summer, cosmetics company Lush will release a Membranes perfume called ‘A Strange Perfume’ after the album’s opening track. In the meantime, the band will tour the UK in support of their new LP.

About The Membranes
With sixteen epic, powerful and darkly romantic songs on offer, this is The Membranes’ eighth studio album overall and the second since they reformed in 2010 when former support band My Bloody Valentine convinced them to return to the stage for the ATP festival. This album is a game changer in the tradition of Manchester bands like Joy Division.

This album features appearances from vocalist Kirk Brandon (Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny) and 84-year-old folk singer Shirley Collins, one of England’s premier folk singers of the ’60s revival. Renowned nature TV presenter Chris Packham also contributes, as does the legendary Jordan, who practically invented the punk look in 1975. Half the tracks also feature the 20-piece BIMM Choir, offsetting a sound laden with dark drones and an atmosphere of melancholic epic power.

The album was recorded at 6DB Studio in Manchester with Ding Archer, a former band member with PJ Harvey, The Pixies and producer of the last nine albums by The Fall. John Robb wrote all the parts for the choir. This release follows up their acclaimed album ‘Dark Matter/Dark Energy’, the band’s best selling release, which received rave reviews and ample radio play on BBC 6 Music and internationally.

‘What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away’ is about the beauty and violence of nature. This is a very diverse work with dark, brooding cinematic choir-driven songs. Imagine the sound of Hieronymus Bosch paintings to discordant wild songs about crows, demon flowers, strange perfumes, voluptuous petals, voluminous oceans, treacherous seasons and the poetry of life and death set to spooked pulsing musical pieces, ranging from epic choir-driven postpunk songs to dark dub workouts, from throbbing dirty disco dark wave pulses to grinding heavy bass-driven pieces, from apocalyptic visions to choir-driven epic swirls.

“This is the pinnacle of our long and strange journey. This album is steeped in the powerful forces of nature and an underlying emotional undertow that is dark and brooding bass driven postpunk with the epic swirl of the choir and diversity of sounds that takes you on a trip. I put my life into this album musically, lyrically and emotionally,” says John Robb.

“The Membranes was born of postpunk in the late 1970s – a time when a generation inspired by punk rock created music on their own terms. We were immersed in that scene and that world and when we reformed we picked up on those themes and ideas and the diverse fellow travelers that we were contemporaries of like Joy Division, Bauhaus, Einsturzende Neubauten, Nick Cave, PiL, Big Black, and newer bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, Ulver, and Wardruna – bands who fuck with the template to create an atmosphere and mood.”

Formed in 1978 in Blackpool, The Membranes played classic bass-driven northern post-punk and were part of the same world as bands like The Fall, Sisters Of Mercy, Echo and The Bunnymen and Cabaret Voltaire, all inspired by 1977 to launch their own idiosyncratic journeys. The band released a remarkable series of records that combined their small town frustration with a love of heavy bass and distortion. This ultimately became a prime influence and the precursors to such American noiseniks as Steve Albini, Swans and Sonic Youth.

John Peel and music press favorites, a continual frenzy of releases, public acclaim and touring worldwide with national TV appearances, the band went on hiatus in 1990 until finally reforming in 2010.

The Membranes are Peter Byrchmore (guitar), Nick Brown guitar), Rob Haynes (drums), and John Robb (vocals and bass), a renowned TV and radio pundit, editor of Louder Than War, a key UK music site and national magazine, and curator of the Louder Than Words festival. In autumn, John Robb will also release ‘The Art Of Darkness’, a book on the darker side of post-punk, adding to his collection of best-selling books on punk rock.

LINKS:
http://www.themembranes.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/themembranes
https://www.twitter.com/membranes1
https://www.instagram/themembranes
https://membranes.bandcamp.com

Ummagma Premieres 'Caravan' Video on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Ummagma Premieres ‘Caravan’ Video on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)

‘Caravan’, the new single and video from the Indie-Pop duo known as Ummagma, is a bit of a power-departure from their previous work in that it is more upbeat and, honestly, downright danceable in parts. Is this a stylistic rebellion? I think not. Musical groups, the good ones anyway, naturally evolve and progress. ‘Caravan is a positive sign of such musical movement. Combining more diverse instrumentation such as the varied percussion and clashing guitars, the song shows a more perfect blend of genre-crossing and just plain good old innovation. A lesson for musicians.

Ummagma’s ‘Caravan’ single is out on May 8. The ‘Compass’ LP will be released on June 21 via Leonard Skully Records, available on black vinyl and CD with artwork by Alexander Kretov and also digitally everywhere, including on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. In the meantime, it can pre-ordered directly via Bandcamp.

About Ummagma
Indie pop electronic rock duo Ummagma has announced their new album ‘Compass’, to be released in June via Manchester-based label Leonard Skully Records. Their third long-play, this is the duo’s first album in seven years and also the first time the band is releasing a record on vinyl.

Ahead of this album, they present the ‘Caravan’ single, along with a special B-side ‘Ty i Ya’. The title track is an invigorating pop-rock anthem inspired by the musicians’ own journeys and infused with Carpathian gammas and percussion.

‘Ty i Ya’ is a vibe-injected upbeat track, with infectious Daft Punk-esque bassline, that Alexander Kretov composed and performs in his native Ukrainian language. This is the first single Ummagma has ever released in a language other than English, stepping beyond the confines of past songwriting limits.

“Caravan is about a personal journey – one that begins in the mind before any borders have even been crossed,” says Ummagma vocalist Shauna McLarnon. “The trip is so much better when you truly want to be part of it. You map your own destiny in many ways and dreaming is a great place to begin.”

The ‘Compass’ LP is beguiling in its post-genre nature. It is an album of grace and change, of familiarity and exploration, of emotion and euphoria, of sky-scraping cinematic highs and intimate and intriguing lows. This is the sound of a band allowing themselves to jump creative divides, to kick down musical barriers, and rip up the rule book or perhaps just ignore the fact that there ever was one in the first place.

Formed in Moscow in 2003, McLarnon hails from northern Canada while Kretov is originally from western Ukraine. Now based in Peterborough, Ontario, the couple completed this album over the course of five years and multiple moves, ultimately hauling their studio with them across the Atlantic and setting up all over again. With such transience in the real world, how could their sonic world reflect anything other than the same fluidity and movement?

This record follows on the trail of their ‘LCD’ EP with Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and Dean Garcia (Curve), and ‘Winter Tale’ EP with 4AD dream pop pioneer A.R.Kane. Both of these were released in 2017.

They say you can tell a lot about someone by the company that they keep, and the same holds true for a band. Ummagma’s collaborations speak volumes. Apart from these three dreampop-shoegaze icons, they’ve worked with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Malcolm Holmes, Swervedriver’s Graham Bonnar, and nu-disco kingpin Alexander Robotnick.

Ummagma’s music has always presented an exhilarating positive vision, showcasing their ability to wander diverse musical pathways. Representing Ukraine among 23 countries, they won the Alternative Eurovision on Amazing Radio in 2013, and have been featured in a full-page spread in Rolling Stone Russia. In 2015, their collaborative ‘New Born’ album with Sounds of Sputnik also received a Jagermeister indie award, Russia’s most esteemed music award.

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/ummagma
https://ummagma.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/ummagma
http://www.youtube.com/ummagma
https://www.soundcloud.com/ummagma

Ryan Policky of Brim Liski Exclusive Interview (The Week in #Indie Segment)

Ryan Policky of Brim Liski Exclusive Interview (The Week in #Indie Segment)

If you are a fan of, or familiar with, Jammerzine and Jammer Direct, you very well know how much of a fan we are of A Shoreline Dream. And now we talk to another group that has strong ties with that band in the form of Brim Liski. Both feature guitarist and co-founder Ryan Policky. What I find is the best asset with both bands is the fact that, while there is a similar aspect to the music, that music is completely different and original each in its own right. That is an accomplishment in and of itself. On many levels. Originality is the key to diversity in all aspects of life.

Today, we talk with Ryan about the process of writing for and collaborating with Brim Liski as well as finding that unique sound that is Brim Liski as well as their new EP titled ‘Duels‘.

About Brim Liski
Brim Liski presents a blend of electro, goth and future pop that is slightly gazey. This is a mixture of the diverse sounds both artists bring to the table, becoming something a bit different than the typical electroclash that is currently out there.

Their music is inspired by epic sounds you might imagine occurring in the cosmos. This is dark, limitless night music perfect for driving down an endless moon drenched highway.

“Like the EP as a whole, ‘A Different View’, is about the challenge of acceptance to new unexplored territories in our lives. Making big changes. Accepting things aren’t working and to move on. I personally had many issues blocking me from being who I wanted and needed to be,” says Ryan Policky.

“I had been falling victim to acceptance to things I should be pushing away, and once those things were fully pushed out of the picture, things became that much clearer. Just like the discoveries of new galaxies, formations on other planets, and other unknowns, the focus is becoming more apparent as technology and time move on.”

Brim Liski may have formed in 2008, but they sound more closely resembles a band from 2024. Their music is about as cosmic and dreamy as Saturn’s Hexagon, which also features on the cover art of their new EP.

Today Brim Liski is a duo comprised of experimental multi-versed digital artist Cacheflowe (aka Justin Gitlin) and Ryan Policky, who is vocalist and producer for renowned prog-gazers A Shoreline Dream.

“I had been working with Justin at an ad agency – working on games for a bunch of entertainment projects for Sony and the like. I found out his passion for music production and we instantly hit it off. He had been working on material and setting up PR for his project, Cacheflowe, and I was working super hard on getting A Shoreline Dream up and going,” says Policky.

“We exchanged ideas and eventually started working on remixes, eventually leading to Brim Liski, which was a side project for both of us, but an important one. One of my dearest girlfriends Michelle Brim had just passed away, and I was torn apart. Brim Liski, named in her memory, became that passion project to get those emotions out, and I was lucky enough to have Justin’s talent help bring it to life.”

With strong initial support from XLR8R and Filter Magazine, it was clear that Brim Liski’s videos feel more like a blurred out dream being torn apart by technology. Their unique and dramatic live shows blend the art of dynamic installations and vivid colors.

LINKS:
http://www.brimliski.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Brim-Liski-589032774456227
https://twitter.com/brimliski
https://twitter.com/latenightwn
https://www.instagram.com/brimliski
https://brimliski.bandcamp.com/album/duels
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/brim-liski/334774461
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2D1djVg5W8mSqKuZiMvajn?si=NFlh7qSLQZCmgUl28h9EkA

Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for 5/13/2019

Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for 5/13/2019

Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with Ryan Policky from Brim Liski as well as premieres from Amo Amo, Burning House, Lartist Yan, Membranes, Saint Sapphire, The Magic Es, and Ummagma.

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