Tag Archives: indie

Review: The Monsieurs, “High School Star” 7″

Posted on 2016/05/05 | Leave a comment

The Monsieurs, “High School Star” (Goodbye Boozy Records)

https://soundcloud.com/goodbye-boozy-records/the-monsieurs-high-school-star

Following their crazy good (and, in parts, just plain ol’ crazy) 2014 self-tltled album, Boston scuzz-punk rockers The Monsieurs are back with a new double-a side single, “High School Star/Jack of Hearts”.

We here at thegrindinghalt wanted to give a glowing review of The Monsieurs (the album) but were, frankly, to busy listening to it and breaking shit to actually get around to writing one, so…if you haven’t yet experienced that aural Misfits/Ramones/Monks/Sha Na Na knife fight (actual knife fight, mind, none of that West Side Story or “Beat It” nonsense) do so, ok?  Great, thanks.

Anywho, “High School Star” continues the three chords and a cloud of dust assault of the full-length.  The band is at full strength here, piledriving their way through roughly two and one-half minutes of relentless rock.  Singer Andy California still sounds like he’s sing/screaming through a swarm of bees over a Hilken Mancini guitar slash reminiscent of “Wild Thing”, while Erin King provides the rhythmic stomp.  While I’m missing, a bit, the backup ‘sha la las’ so prevalent on the album, this still rages.

“High School Star” is out now on Goodbye Boozy Records, a label out of Teramo, Italy that is also home to other great bands like Sick Thoughts and The Husbands.

Check out The Monsieurs on fbook or the twit.

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Album Review: City Yelps, Half Hour

Posted on 2016/05/03 | Leave a comment

City Yelps, Half Hour (Odd Box Records, 4/22/2016)

After a few blistering singles and 2014’s Cheap Psych cassette, Leeds, UK-based City Yelps are back to delight us all with a brand new long-player, Half Hour.

City Yelps channel a whole host of bands in crafting their own take on skewed indie pop:  the woozy, lo fi psych-pop charm of Flying Nun and C86 bands; the wiry, spiky tones of Swell Maps, The Fall, even Half Man, Half Biscuit.  Singer/guitarist Shaun Alcock delivers wry lyrics with a withering sneer – amidst a maelstrom of detuned guitars, layers of reverb and snare shots that sound like a slap – sounding like the acerbic uncle who you not so secretly love to hang out with at the holidays.

What counts most, though, are the songs – and these are effing fantastic.  Tracks like “We Like the Hours”, and the raucous one-two punch of “Light and Classical” and “Making Noise”, twist, swing and sway like a punch drunk fighter who might be going down, but is taking folks with him.  Unwind the gauzy bandages of tape hiss and distortion and what you discover are strong, tightly arranged melodies, played with the righteous indignation of a group with courage in their convictions.  After spending a Half Hour with them (see what we did there?  Get on with it?  Ah, yes, ok…), you’ll be convinced, too; hell, you may even tell two friends, and so on.

Half Hour is out now, courtesy of Odd Box Records.  Order it now on the label’s bandcamp page, and check out the band’s newsletter page on fbook.  While you’re at it, hop on over to the band’s own bandcamp page and pick up a copy of Cheap Psych.  You know you want to.

Highlights include:  “We Like the Hours”, “Now”, “Light and Classical”, “Music for Adverts”.

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New Track(s) Review(s): Amber Arcades

Posted on 2016/04/26 | Leave a comment

Amber Arcades, “Fading Lines”, “Right Now”, “Turning Light” (Heavenly Recordings)

Amber Arcades is the nom de la musique (is that a thing?) of Dutch artist Annelotte de Graaf, who is set to release her new album, Fading Lines, in June.  Lucky for us, three of the album’s tracks – “Turning Light”, “Right Now” and, most recently, the title track – have been released into the ether for your listening pleasure, each showing a slightly different variation on psych-tinged dream pop.

There’s a languid, partly sunny/mostly cloudy (eye of the beholder), gossamer-wrapped melodic quality to both “Right Now” and “Fading Lines”, with hints of C-86 jangle, and bands like Lush, Melody’s Echo Chamber and Trespassers William.  de Graaf possesses a light, somnolent voice that fits the mood perfectly, sitting dead center of the mix, accompanied by a loosely strummed, reverb-heavy Rickenbacker (de Graaf penned the tracks, and the album was recorded with musicians from Real Estate and Quilt, as well as Kevin Morby of The Babies).  The soundtrack to a wordless car trip through the countryside, shot on over-exposed Super 8 film.

“Turning Light”, while still light on its feet, gains traction through the use of a chugging, kraut rock drum and bass rhythm.  The vocal melody reminds me of Broadcast (in particular, “America’s Boy”) and comes off less dream pop and more something from label mate, Gwenno (who we are, admittedly, slightly obsessed with).  Train trip this time, then?  It’s an interesting twist and bodes well for sound variety on the full length.

Fading Lines is due June 3, on the always Heavenly.  Check out Amber Arcades on her website, fbook and SoundCloud.

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New Music: Trust Punks

Posted on 2016/04/14 | Leave a comment

Trust Punks, “Mother’s Veil”, “Leaving Room for the Lord”

Two new(ish) tracks from Auckland, New Zealand’s Trust Punks, each showcasing a different side of the band’s sound.

“Mother’s Veil”, released in November, shows a softer, wistful touch.  Narcotic, dreamy jangle psych-pop, reminiscent of the band’s Flying Nun countrymen, up through the quieter moments of Brian Jonestown Massacre and maybe even first album Shins.  Strummed guitars, an airy bassline and what sounds like tape hiss weave a lucid dream, sadly interrupted by the feedback alarm clock ending.  Heavenly.

Newer track, “Leaving Room for the Lord”, exudes a brasher, more dissonant and, er, “punker” sound.  Shades of early Killing Joke and PiL, plus some Jesus Lizard noise finds the band in a similar lane to Ireland’s Girl Band on this one.  Jagged, clamoring guitars, roiling drums and shouty vocals stagger and crash into each other drunkenly, setting a combative tone.  Satisfyingly brutish.

According to a post on the band’s fbook page, “Leaving Room” will feature on the band’s upcoming album, entitled “Double Blind”.  No further details at this time but, in the meantime, explore their earlier releases, including great 2014 release “Discipline”, on bandcamp.  Sadly, we missed that one first time ‘round, but are having fun playing catch up.

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New Music: Innerspace Orchestra, One Way Glass

Posted on 2016/04/06 | Leave a comment

Innerspace Orchestra, “One Way Glass” (Different Recordings, 3/4/2016)

Innerspace Orchestra is a group comprised of Rose Elinor Dougall (formerly of The Pipettes, as well as an established solo artist), Tom Furse of The Horrors, and Cathy Lucas of Fanfarlo.

“One Way Glass”, a Manfred Mann rework, is their debut single as a group, combining the cinemascopic, prog/wave lushness favored of late by Furse’s main group, with Dougall’s dreamy, psych-inflected, halcyon pop and Fanfarlo’s rhythmic sensibility.  The single swirls and sways through 3 minutes and change of pure bliss – from the shuffling, baggy drum intro, on through the raga sitar breakdown towards its completion.  A song with so many elements that it runs the risk of coming off bloated, instead feels effortless.

Dougall’s voice is as enchanting as ever, inhabiting the groove and melody from within – she’s an artist whose post-Pipettes body of work deserves a wider audience; here’s hoping she gets it.

“One Way Glass” is out now on [PIAS] electronic imprint, Different Recordings (under license from Smile Recordings).  Enjoy the trippy video, below, and follow the band’s musings on fbook and the twit.

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New Music: Synthetic ID, Ciphers

Posted on 2016/03/25 | Leave a comment

Synthetic ID, “Ciphers” (Castle Face Records)

Synthetic ID are a band out of San Francisco, who have been releasing music since 2012, but are new to us.  Don’t know how we’ve missed them up ’til now.

“Ciphers” is a brilliant piece of spiky, funky post-punk, in the vein of Gang of Four and 154-era Wire, with a soupçon of Crass.  The track features a lurching, hypnotic bassline and angst-inducing guitar stabs; shouted vocals talk of searches and receipt of ciphers with “missing words”, incapable of translation and decoding – messages received but not trusted.  The peculiarly modern sensation of interconnectedness increasing isolation on our Big (Brother) Blue Marble – who’s real and what isn’t?  Fever dreams of electric sheep.

Synthetic ID’s debut, Impulses, is out April 22 on the consistently bodacious Castle Face Records. Check out the band’s earlier releases on their bandcamp page.

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New Music: The December Sound, Real Reign

Posted on 2016/03/22 | Leave a comment

The December Sound, Real Reign (self-released, 3/11/2016)

Fantastic news that this long dormant Boston band has once again resurfaced.  Real Reign is a new, two-track release from The December Sound:  here’s hoping it’s a sign of more new things to come.

Lead track, “Speaking From Tomorrow” is a typically noisy cloudburst of a track.  Showcasing the band’s aural fission of shoegaze, industrial, drone and even a bit of britpop, the track thrums with a narcotic drumbeat, wall of noise guitars, and whispered vocals in the vein of Robert del Naja.  Second cut, “Just Let Go” shows a softer side, a psych drone and slow burning bassline reminiscent of Spacemen 3 or Loop slowly moprhing into a kaleidoscopic churn of, er, looped guitar effects and a mantra-like repetition of the titular refrain.

Real Reign is available now through on the band’s bandcamp.  In addition, you can – nay, should – now order The December Sound’s excellent 2007 debut, The Silver Album, directly from the band by messaging them via their Facebook page.

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Album Review: Running, Wake Up Applauding

Posted on 2016/03/21 | Leave a comment

Running, Wake Up Applauding (Castle Face Records, 1/15/2016)

Blistering, relentless new long player from Chicago’s Running.

Building on 2013’s excellent Vaguely Ethnic and subsequent singles, Running return with another set of vertigo-inducing punk/psych/noise/drone/whateverit’sgoodsojustlisten.  Wake Up is a loud record that begs to be played loud:  layers upon layers of reverb and drone textures mix with the jagged shards of feedback; largely indecipherable, muzzled vocals at the center of the sonic maelstrom.  This is the soundtrack to a paranoid schizophrenic’s psychotic break,  careening blindly through dark alleys in search of respite from the voices, the shadowy figures emerging from formless shadows.  Tension, tension, tension.

The lightning ride manipulation of guitar feedback is even more up front than on past releases, like 2014’s Totally Fired.  The band’s sound still includes a fair bit of the scorched earth hardcore of early Black Flag and of more experimental bands like Flipper, as well as early doom metal (lots of circle pit bridges).  There’s also room for aggressive, PiL post-punk, spazzy noise a la bands like Scratch Acid, and even a bit of a ROIR tape Bad Brains vibe (particularly on “Fucktown Reality”).

The album art appears to be a cross-section of skin, with an arrow indicating “running” just beneath the surface of the derma.  Appropriate, somehow, for a record that burrows deep.

Wake Up Applauding is out now, on Castle Face Records.  Since it’s basically impossible to find much of anything about this band – they have a Soundcloud page, in addition to the bio page on the Castle Face website – here’s hoping for some advance notice when next they emerge from the lab and tour.

Highlights include:  “We Never Close”, “Fucktown Reality”, “Wake Up Applauding”, “Art Seen”, “No Wave Jose”.

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Album Review: Choke Chains, S/T

Posted on 2016/03/16 | Leave a comment

Choke Chains, S/T (Slovenly Recordings/Black Gladiator, 1/29/16)

Full throttle, stridently miscreant rock and/or roll from Michigan’s Choke Chains.  Hints of proto-punk standard bearers The Stooges and Electric Eels, garage idols The Sonics and newer bands like Rocket From the Crypt can be heard throughout (perhaps unsurprising, given the band features alumni of bands like The Dirtbombs and Bantam Rooster), but the band makes room for their own, individual spin.

The groove-centered, r&b swagger on display is infectious, though the music feels more in the ‘punk’ vein than straight garage.  There are some cool production touches, too – the heavy, loose-stringed bass sound is great (particularly on “Let’s Try Suicide”), and the sax stylings on the understated “Rock, Paper, Rapist” are a welcome addition to the sound.  In case you hadn’t already surmised, the band like to play with tongues firmly implanted in cheek – other titles include “Cracked Dracula”, “Moisture Detective” and “Safe Word”.

Eruditely-monikered lead singer Thomas Jackson Potter’s vocals are heavily muffled on many tracks, painting an image of the band bashing away in a supposedly “abandoned”, makeshift practice space, while Potter screams for recognition (vengeance?) from an underground bunker – or maybe that’s just me…  Other tracks lift the veil a bit, with “Random Number Generator” even featuring a hint of – !!!- falsetto.  Throughout, Potter displays charisma to match the band’s assured playing.

The album is out now through the excellent Slovenly Recordings (via their Black Gladiator imprint).  Get to know the band on fbook and on their bandcamp page. While you’re at it, check out the meaty (sorry) vid for “Safe Word”, below, and catch them at their upcoming March 26 gig at the UFO Factory in Detroit, if you’re able – here’s hoping for a tour!

Highlights include: “She Collects Calendars”; “Safe Word”, “Rock Paper Rapist”.

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Review: Manhattan Love Suicides, Bikini Party/Birthday Kill 7″

Posted on 2016/03/15 | Leave a comment

The Manhattan Love Suicides, Bikini Party/Birthday Kill 7” (Odd Box Records, 1/15/2016)

We here at thegrindinghalt have been remiss in not expressing our joy at the return of Leeds, UK’s Manhattan Love Suicides, a band we loved during their first run; in particular, their eponymous 2006 debut and the follow-on extended single for “Kick It Back”.  The band’s new 7”, featuring a-side “Bikini Party/Birthday Kill”, comes hot on the heels of last summer’s excellent return album, More Heat! More Panic!

“Bikini” features paint-scraping peals of feedback and distortion o’er a whipcrack drum sound reminiscent of the JAMC.  Singer Caroline’s sneering vocals reply “unable to attend” (in a not-so-nice way) to the aforementioned party in favor of a “good birthday kill”. Emily Post would not approve. Emily Post can do one.

The very ‘80s hardcore-titled, composite b-side (so many slashes!) “Deserted Coastal Town/Action&Memory/What Am I Supposed To Do?” – think of it like the indie rock version of a German compound word – showcase different sides of the band.  The book ends here are both highlights:  ballad “Deserted” has bit of a Smiths vibe with its jangled chords and orchestrated chorus, while “What” is a delightfully short, sweet, fuzzy kick in the face.

The single is available now at the MLS bandcamp page, via Odd Box Records.  You can also check out the band here. Earlier releases can be found via Magic Marker Records and Squirrel Records – do yourself the favor.

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