It's always satisfying to see a band you support gain more recognition. Previously, Times is Weird had featured His Electro Blue Voice as part of a Halloween mix. Well, the Italian post-punk group has found it's way onto Sub Pop's 25th anniversary compilation, Sub Pop 1000. The group leads the comp off with "Kidult", an explosive burst of aggression that should sound familiar to anyone who has been exposed to the band. To those that haven't, enjoy.
Yesterday I mentioned Martin Dupont in reference to the excellent Electric Voice compilation; his track on that comp is "Bit of Smile". That track is after the jump, but before we get to that here's another excellent cut Dupont released during the '80s: "Take a Look".
French band Frank (Just Frank) has a new track that appears on the Electric Voice II, a compilation that was put out by Electric Voice Records on March 1st. The compilation marries a new crop of dark-leaning synth artists like Tropic of Cancer with predecessors like Martin Dupont.
For thousands of people April 20th, 2013, was a wonderful experience; for me, it was not. April 20th, 2013, was Record Store Day 13. Conceived as a holiday for vinyl enthusiasts to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow vinyl enthusiasts in a physical space that supported local economies, the day has evolved into something much more awful and insidious. You see, Record Store Day is no longer about enjoying vinyl, it has become about consuming vinyl. And there's a very real distinction between the two.
Horror disco soundtrack work from Berlin-via-Bristol composer Antoni Maiovvi, created for neo-giallo short film Yellow. "Driving Theme" will be released by Death Waltz Recording Company in a limited pressing as part of the full Yellow soundtrack for Record Store Day.
Iceage release their searing You're Nothing today. It's a refinement on the scuzzy, blown out punk of their first album, New Brigade, and the first steps toward a more mature sound. For most bands, maturity means haphazardly screwing with electronics or softening the sound in the same way the body softens through age and neglect. You're Nothing is definitely not a case of the former, nary an instrument except for a guitar, drums, or bass (with the odd piano) assaults the senses; and if anything, the opposite is true of the latter. This is a more dissonant album, exploring the functions and textures of noise in traditional song structures, that also veers into angrier lyrical territory. "Morals" could only be construed as a ballad insomuch as it includes a piano and starts off mid-tempo. By the time frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt begins barking "Where's your morals?" in the closest-thing-you-can-call-a-chorus you know this isn't a song, or an album, that will comfort you.
This is an album that understands that aging doesn't necessarily make you wiser, just infinitely more confused. "Everything Drifts" and "Wounded Hearts" are a solemn combination that revel in human frailty. But You're Nothing also finds resilience in the fact that we're fucked. "Awake" is probably the closest the band has come to writing something that could be considered uplifting. It's not a "we will carry on" mantra but it offers a call to kick against the pricks. And then the title track seems to contort it's spiteful insult into a rallying crazy similar to Johnny Rotten's sneering of "NO FUTURE!" becoming a self-identifier for disaffected English youth as much as its intended putdown.
You're Nothing isn't a pleasant slog, but it's one you'll feel better for having committed to.
Today's indie dance should feel ashamed. Twenty-five years on and almost no one goes as hard as Nitzer Ebb. And this wasbefore they fully developed their sound. Hunt down a copy of That Total Age.
