Ten Kens: Namesake special edition (5/21/13)
Toronto’s Ten Kens has occupied artsy post- and alt-rock since 2006, fluctuating between airy moodiness and post-punk aggression. Now, with a slightly heavier bent and a skew towards dark psychedelia, the band is giving a special, international release to Namesake, its 2012 album, with four bonus tracks.
Anyone familiar with The Dropkick Murphys knows that the band has deep ties to Boston, with tracks like “Shipping Up to Boston” and “Tessie.” Following Monday’s terror attacks at the Boston Marathon, the band has released a T-shirt to raise funds for the victims of the bombings. The shirt features both the city skyline and the city’s seal with the message, “Thank you, to all who purchased this shirt. All proceeds go to the victims and families of the Boston Marathon bombings. Love, Dropkick Murphys.”
At this point, the shirt, priced from $24.99 to $26.99, has raised more than $100,000 dollars. Head here to order one for yourself.
Black Pus: All My Relations (Thrill Jockey, 3/19/13)
“1000 Years”
Taking noisy and experimental music out of the basement and into the mainstream has been a long journey. From Brian Eno and Lou Reed popularizing it in the 1970s to the current generation performing at large festivals, we’ve reached a point where it’s not only critically praised but a genre with a serious following.
Dan Friel and Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt, Black Pus) — creative souls each with challenging yet accessible new solo albums — recently sat down and talked about the freedom of solo work, performing on the street in the United Arab Emirates, and drunk viking synthesizers.
Dan Friel: Total Folklore (Thrill Jockey, 2/19/13)
“Thumper”
Brian Chippendale: You just made a super pop record that opens with a 12-minute song, and you didn’t have to bounce the song order or album direction off any band members! Do you feel mega-liberated by that? Or trapped because you had to make every decision?
Dan Friel: 100% liberation. Zero trap. And the track order was an especially fun call to make. With that said, I always end up bouncing ideas off of the same few helpful friends as my solo-project research panel (even if I reserve the right to then do whatever I want).
Space surfers Man or Astro-Man? are back with a new album on May 21. Check out new track “Disintegrate”.
Storm Thorgerson, famed album artist and childhood friend of Pink Floyd, has died following a battle with cancer.
Wax Fang: The Blonde Leading the Blonde single (Don’t Panic, 4/30/13)
Wax Fang is a bit upset about the state of music. Opening their new single with the words “It’s not what you do; it’s who you know,” Scott Carney and Jacob Heustis move into a rollicking critique of an industry working as a factory to pump out musical cash cows.
Imaginary Cities: Fall of Romance (Votiv, 5/28/13)
Formed in Winnipeg as a between-sets jam session, indie-rock group Imaginary Cities is releasing its second album, Fall of Romance, May 28 on Votiv. The group, which includes Rusty Matyas (The Waking Eyes, The Weakerthans), has a laid-back, cinematic feel that suits singer Marti Sarbit, who sounds comfortable whether performing balladry or a cabaret-style lament.
Tera Melos: X’ed Out (Sargent House, 4/16/13)
Prog-pop powerhouse Tera Melos has a brand-new album, X’ed Out, and it happens to be one of our favorites of the week. Watch the boys of the power trio go Powerpuff Girls in this bizarre video for “Bite,” and then make plans to catch the band’s month-plus national tour, which starts today.
Founded by Jack White, Third Man Records has, since its inception, focused on a high-class brand of the unusual. Whether this means releasing a strange, single record from enigmatic Mildred and the Mice or very special vinyl editions of past work from The White Stripes, Third Man has created its own unique place in the world of record labels and stores.
Now, on April 20 (Record Store Day), Third Man is going to prove that everything old is new again.
Call of the Void: Dragged Down a Dead-End Path (Relapse, 3/19/13)
Released last month, Call of the Void’s debut LP announced it as a new breed of sludgy, grindy, acrimonious hardcore. Now, with this cover of “Headless/Heartless,” the band has paid tribute to one of the genre’s cult icons, His Hero is Gone, whose descendents include Tragedy, Severed Head of State, and many others.
Pick up the cover on the digital deluxe version of Dragged Down a Dead-End Path.
Friend Roulette: I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head (Goodnight, 4/23/13)
Concussions are not a pleasant experience. Orch-pop outfit Friend Roulette seems to know this, as its new record expresses with its sympathetic title. In the video for the single of the same name, the band pairs pulsing woodwinds, wailing horns, and swirling strings with a psychedelic world that makes for an unsettlingly vague but colorful experience.
Head here to pre-order I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head on iTunes, and head here to see the band’s upcoming concert dates, including its record-release show at New York’s Mercury Lounge on May 23.
The National: Trouble Will Find Me (4AD, 5/20/13)
The Tribeca Film Festival opens today with a slate of films that run the gamut from drama to documentary to horror. One of these films, Mistaken for Strangers, is from first-time director Tom Berninger. If that last name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the metalhead younger brother of The National front-man Matt Berninger.