Archive for August, 2024

Out of the Loop but Still Trading: Neil Mackay interviewed by John Wisniewski

Posted: 10 August 2024 in Interviews
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Neil Mackay is perhaps best known for contributing to Loop: having joined after the recording – but before the release – of their 1987 debut, Heaven’s End, he provided the big, solid bass grooves to Fade Out and A Gilded Eternity before they split in 1991. Loop all too often get lumped in alongside Spacemen 3, or otherwise as progenitors of shoegaze, both of which do them an injustice and ‘underrated’ would perhaps be the most appropriate descriptor for their legacy.

Mackay went on to form The Hair and Skin Trading Company, which, too, incorporates elements of drone and psychedelic rock. As Trouser Press outline it, following Loop’s demise, ‘Neil Mackay and drummer John Wills (augmented by ex-Savage Opera guitarist Nigel Webb) cribbed this unsavory moniker from an old warehouse in London and persisted in their efforts to rephrase Metal Machine Music as power-rock.

Having released four albums since their formation in 1991, the most recent being I Don’t Know Where You Get Those Funny Ideas From (2019), as well as a bunch of singles, EPs, and compilations, The Hair and Skin Trading Company continue as a going concern.

John Wisniewski caught up with Neil to find out about what he’s been up to lately, and reflect on a few moments from his lengthy career.

Editor’s note: some interviews, it’s appropriate to proof and tweak interviews conducted by email for spelling and punctuation, as much for readability as what one might sell as ‘professional standards’. But for this one, any substantive ‘tidying’ would feel invasive, and to strip out so much of the essence of the replies. It’s important that artists are presented ‘in their own words’, without being subject to any mangled paraphrases. When an interview reads like jazz, you let it play like jazz.  And so this interview is presented more or less unedited, immediate, warts ‘n’ all, as they say.

JW: What are you doing now, Neil?

NM: Silent Invisible Radiation (SIR)

The Hair and Skin Trading Company (HASTCO)

Solo project

I have new album projects on the boil with all of them….

I am jamming regularly with Damon from SIR

And hopefully receiving and swapping more files from John and Nigel from HASTCO

HASTCO last album: I don’t know where you get those funny ideas from: released Sept 2019

SIR last album: Ventifacts : released July 2023   ….check that one out …2.5 hours long !!!

Occasionally I jam at the Vitaim S night at the Wine Cellar in Auckland central Monday nights ….( haven’t been for a while though ) ….Check that night out for some awesome improv / jazz / avant noodlings …. I want to and are planning to do much more live work …gigs etc ……

When and how did you join Loop?

I joined Loop in 1987 just before the release of their 1st album:Heavens End …For some reason the Bass player who played on that 1st album couldn’t be in the band anymore so I was one of only to people to apply for the job from an advertisement in Melody Maker …. The other guy apparently got really drunk when they met at the pub and threw up everywhere …..so I got the job lol….

Do you have any favourite bands?

too long a list

Can Stooges MC5, Moondog  Sun Ra  Peter Brotzmann , Faust , Einsturzende Neubaten, THe Pretty Things (UK )  , Steve Reich , Alice Coltrane , Arvo Part , Manuel Gottsching , Xenakis , Lee Perry , Dub Syndicate ,The Scientst ,Mad Proffesor,  Wire , Sex Pistols, Joy Division , New Order, Aphex twin , Velvet UNderground , THe Doors , THe stranglers ,  the pop group, The Raincoats , Daniel Johnston , Butthole Surfers , The Clash , Dead Kennedys , Black Flag , Hunters and Collectors , Dplit Enz , Ths Stones (NZ)  , The Rolling Stones ( US ) , THe Clean , The Chills , Talking Heads , Favid Bowie , Bjork , Captain Beefheart, The Residents , Sonic Youth, Brian Eno , Roxy Music , John Coltrane , Neil Young , Laurie Anderson , The Pixies , Public Image Limited , Devo , Pere ubu , Luigi Russolo , Boredoms , THe Beatles , Psychic TV , Throbbing Gristle , My Bloody Valentine , Nick Drake ,William Basinski,  Beach boys , Elvis , Kraftwek , Swans , Neu !  Massive Attack , King Tubby ,  Mikey Dread ,Suicide , Alpha and Omega ,  John Zorn ,,,,,

I like any music really as long as its  good !

It’s up to you what defines good

What was the concept for how Loop should sound?

Robert’s baby you should ask him …

Personally – live anyways I was trying to blast people through the back door …

Ridiculous we were too loud (sometimes )

I have really bad tinnitus now ha whatever ….

Why did Loop break up?

Burnt out I reckon …. I have read other band members give their reasons ….all good

i was gutted when we split ….but relieved in a way as well because it wasnt fun on tour at all any more ….

I remember when Loop came back from touring for 9 or so months …. I just wanted to chill out and reax at home …. But 9  o’clock came along and I got a huge energy rush of adrenalin and HAD to go out to a gig …… 

When and how did you join up with The Hair and Skin Trading Company?

John the drummer from Loop and I wanted to keep doing music together I immediately contacted my old mate Nigel Webb ,,,, I had been in a band with him called Savage Opera …. We could never get a drummer to stay in the band ….. anyways Nigel is an awesome guitar player …. so walking down turnpike land one Saturday afternoon we saw a decrepid old factory that had a sign that said : The Hair and Skin Trading Company : so we thought that would be a great name for a band … that was it

Do you like jazz and avant-garde music?

Yes big fan …..  I worked at The Rough Trade shops in London for 17 years and used to hang out and buy records from Rays Jazz shop …..European and US jazz/ experimental music … I also love :world : music and have a large collection of Gamelan and African vinyl from labels such as Occora …Also like Dada (1920;s)  environmental ,,,I was collecting Peter Brotzmanns label FMP …. Jazz wise IM more into the avant garde type weirdo jazz …..

Any future plans and projects, Neil?

I answered that in Question 1 ….

yes …..maybe thinking about coming to the UK for one more music blast ….

Getting older now at 60 ….

The tour with the loop re union was kinda fun great to see old fans / friends….

….

Could you tell us Neil, about your collaboration with Godflesh called Loopflesh?

And the double header tour in 2014 with Godflesh?

super cool tour ,,, we went into house in the woods and did the cover for the excellent label clawfist ……We were all freinds it was a great time ,,,,, that was a great tour apart from that ….thats it ……

The Shoegaze and psychedelia movement was much maligned, but seems to be experiencing a Renaissance. How do you feel about this?

At the time shoegaze wasn’t a expression we used ….. it was used by the press to get >something? going ….Psychedelia is a better expression ….but yeah all good ….. Im not up on new bands but Im up for new bands / music …always ….who are good in this field now ,,,( answering a question with a question )

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Watch: ‘Lean dás’ by Mari Boine feat. Ella Marie

Posted: 9 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Renowned singer, musician, activist, and cultural icon Mari Boine shares her newest single, ‘Lean dás’. This captivating track is a unique collaboration with Norwegian-Sámi band ISÁK & the band’s vocalist Ella Marie. The artists bring their rich musical backgrounds to the track, infusing it with a profound sense of authenticity and passion.
The track is taken from Mari’s full-length Alva, scheduled for release on the 6th of September 2024 via By Norse Music.

Mari shares her insights on the new single:"It can be difficult to maintain hope in these dark times, but to surrender hope is to lose our will to action, to render ourselves powerless. One reason I love "Lean dás (I Am Always Here)" is because it shines with hope. In this duet with my dear friend Ella Marie, we joik (summon) the Universal Mother, Divine Source, Giver of Life, Creative Force."

Ella Marie from ISÁK comments: "It truly is a dream come true to be featured on Mari’s new album. I have listened to her music as long as I can remember, and she is the greatest role model I have ever had. To now call her my friend and collaborator feels very special, and me and the rest of the band ISÁK are so honored that she wanted to merge her own song with our song, "Mun Lean dás", for this unique release. Singing it in the studio with Mari present was not only a magical experience, but also a master class in how she conveys emotions through her art. I am truly grateful for this experience."

Check it here:

Mari Boine Live 2024 and 2025
15-08 Bodø – Torsdag i Parken [tickets]
12-09 Elverum – Elverum Kulturhus SOLD OUT
14-09 Jessheim – Ullensaker kulturhus SOLD OUT 
20-09 Kristiansund – Kulturfabrikken [tickets]
21-09 Sunndalsøra – Sunndalsøra Kulturhus [tickets]
22-09 Molde – Bjornsonhuset [tickets]
26-09 Førde – Førdehuset [tickets]
27-09 Sandane – Trivselshagen [tickets]
28-09 Geiranger – Festspela [tickets]
03-10 Sandnes – Sandnes Kulturhus [tickets]
04-10 Bryne – Storstova [tickets]
10-10 Strand – Kino [tickets]
11-10 Suldal – Kulturhuset i Suldal [tickets]
12-10 Sauda – Sauda Kulturhus [tickets]
20-10 Oslo – Den Norske Opera & Ballett SOLD OUT
01-11 Mandal – Buen Kulturhus [tickets]
02-11 Asker – Asker kulturhus SOLD OUT
03-11 Larvik – Bølgen Kulturhus [tickets]
08-11 Steinkjer – Hilmarfestivalen [tickets]
09-11 Oppdal – Oppdal Kulturhus [tickets]
15-11 Zürch, Switzerland – Volkshaus [tickets]
20-11 Kongsvinger – Radhus-Teatret [tickets]
21-11 Lier – Lier kulturscene [tickets]
22-11 Moss – Verket Scene [tickets]

2025

17-01 Bergen – Grieghallen [tickets]
18-01 Stavanger – Stavanger Konserthus [tickets]
24-01 Ålesund – Parken Kulturhus [tickets]
25-01 Trondheim – Olavshallen [tickets]
08-02 Tromsø – Tromsø Kulturhus [tickets]
09-02 Tromsø – Tromsø Kulturhus – EXTRA CONCERT [tickets]
14-02 Hammerfest – Arktisk Kultursenter [tickets]
15-02 Alta – Alta Kultursal [tickets]

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Watch: ‘Hard’ by Los Saints

Posted: 8 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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San Diego-based alternative rockers Los Saints have released a new visualizer for the single ‘Hard’ off their recently released debut album Certified, out now ENCI Records.

Watch the video here:

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Art opens a window into the soul. It doubles as a haven for all of our most intimate thoughts, desires, and emotions. Like splashing paint on a canvas, Los Saints pour all of their experiences and feelings into a vibrant mosaic of indie, alternative, and rock. They piece together memories and mantras in the form of gauzy melodies, fuzzy guitars, and dusty rhythmic grooves. Co-founded by cousins Angel Mariscal [vocals, guitar] and Emiliano Garcia [drums], as well as mutual friend Gianluca Exposito [guitar], who has since parted ways with the band, the group have quietly buzzed out of the sleepy border town of Chula Vista, CA with sold out shows and acclaim from the likes of San Diego Union Tribune, Remezcla, Alternative Press, and more.

Now, Los Saints sharpen their distinct and dynamic signature style on their full-length debut LP, Certified.

“Los Saints isn’t just a band for me,” proclaims Angel. “It’s everything. It’s all I can do. That goes for the other guys too. The more we know ourselves, the more we know what our band is and are able to define our sound. Certified is who we are not just as musicians, but as people.”

Growing up in a Mexican-American family, he immersed himself in music. His mom hailed from Tijuana, and his dad grew up in the United States. Classic rap boomed through the house as he eventually gravitated towards Mac Miller and his “lifelong biggest influence” Cage The Elephant. In 2019, he formed Los Saints with Emiliano, envisioning “music almost everyone from any background can vibe with.”

In honor of their heritage, the group chose the moniker Los Saints.

“We were thinking of the Day of the Dead in Mexico, and its primary representation is a skull,” he goes on. “We needed to make it our own, so we turned it into ‘Spanglish’ by choosing ‘Los Saints’. Like the music, it’s a mixture.”

Los Saints initially gained traction with the Welcome To Confusion EP in 2022. The Honey Pop christened them “your next indie obsession,” while San Diego Union Tribune pondered, “Could Los Saints be Chula Vista’s version of Cage the Elephant?” Building on this momentum, the three-piece hit the studio with producer Keith Cooper (Dear Boy) and brought ‘Certified’ to life during sessions at Wildflower Recordings in L.A. The first single and opener “Faded” hinges on a bold bass line and a punchy drum groove. Guitars glow beneath a hazy and hypnotic vocal plea, “I don’t want you to look at me when you’re faded?”

On “Never Said,” a loose chime-y riff pierces a disco-style beat as falsetto rings out on the refrain.

“I’m not a dating app kind of dude,” he admits. “I’m a cave dweller, but I think so many kids my age can identify with these experiences of modern dating. On the first half of the song, you’re going into online dating with genuine intentions and looking for something true. The second half is the aftermath where reality hits, and your view changes. You realize all that glitters isn’t gold.”

Evocative of yet another dynamic, glitchy keys wrap around breezy acoustic guitar on the somberly nostalgic “If Everything Goes.” He sighs, “Don’t call me back, even though I’d like you to.”

“I was beating myself up for the way I am and how it affects romantic relationships,” he continues. “This person left your life, but you can’t help but blame yourself. Even though it was going to happen either way, you just think you’re the problem.”

Elsewhere, “Doctor” conjures “dark imagery of being interrogated like in a movie” via breathy lyrics and an off-kilter soundscape. Then, there’s “Hard.” Raw emotion seeps through the cracks in the vocals as thick distortion buoys the hook, “Help me see again who you are.”

“It’s about how being in a toxic situation—either romantically or with friends—has affected me and brought me down,” he states.

The title track culminates on a chantable chorus awash in shoegaze distortion. Stretching to a soaring climax, it evokes the feeling of “being isolated because you’re in a relationship that your friends and family don’t approve of.”

In the end, Los Saints bring the kind of emotion that bonds us together to the surface.

“When you listen to us, I hope you find our art to be a place of comfort,” Mariscal leaves off. “Sometimes, I cry when I write. I’m always trying to come up with songs you can connect to so you don’t feel alone. The world is a tough place. We can be friends one way or another.”

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Nachtmystium – Predator Phoenix

Posted: 7 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Prophecy Productions – 6th August 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

I tend to give releases a wide berth if there’s anything that could be construed as iffy about them or the artist or anyone else involved, not because I’m fearful of controversy, but simply feel it better not to provide a platform. Of course, some will argue that silence is tantamount to complicity – and I’m painfully aware of the extent to which that it’s true that many bad things happen while no-one speaks out. But I like to think that overall, my positions on matters of politics and beyond are fairly obvious on account of what I do cover, and some of the discussions around them, and I’m not about to virtue-signal with a list of releases by abusers and shady shits which have landed in my inbox to be immediately deleted.

But this one stood out. I sift through emails and divide them into ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’ for review, and have a separate flow for those that I’ll likely not have time or energy to review, but might be posting as a stream.

I’d never heard of Nachtmystium, but was intrigued to learn that they were back, although the tone of the press release struck me as a little different, more muted, perhaps: ‘…after all that was said and done, mastermind Blake Judd aka Azentrius is still standing. Not only that, but Judd has clawed himself back from the abyss of a most extreme life imaginable to a much more quiet, observant, and matured artist and person… His return will not be met with universal applause – even from the black metal scene. For anybody following the tumultuous career of Blake Judd and his pioneering band that has pushed the borders of their genre into new territories, this comes hardly as a surprise.’

But the video… on first play, I figured it was perhaps a Day Today or Brasseye type spoof, or that Nachtmystium was the Bad News or Spinal Tap of Black Metal. But no. Comparatively cursory research reveals Blake Judd’s long history of junkiedom, thieving, scamming, fraud, and unpaid bills, not to mention connections to the National Socialist Black Metal scene – something Judd is on record as renouncing and denying direct involvement with, but saying ‘We don’t oppose people’s right to be ‘NS’ or whatever… Even though I personally, my band(s) and my label have absolutely no interest in being a part of that scene, I will ALWAYS take their side when it comes to their freedom of speech being imposed upon.”

Freedom of speech has become a battle ground like no other in recent years , and thanks to social media, it’s a debate that’s taken the ugliest, most divisive of shapes, largely splitting along lines of left and right, with the left calling out fascists and twats, with the right calling the left fascists and twats for wanting to suppress their right to be fascists and twats. But, just as opposing Antifa is, effectively to align oneself as being Profa, to say ‘hey, free speech, it’s their right to be nazis’ is not only spineless, but a tacit statement in support of the nazis, even if it’s one born out of ignorance of just how much harm their ‘free speech’ can cause – and I find it hard to believe any adult could truly be that ignorant nowadays.

So, to return to the video… it contains some stills of the man himself, treated with grainy effects overlayed, with some lyrics flashed up, flickering, as the main focus of the visuals to what is, in real terms, some pretty standard black metal. But throughout, presented as ‘cuttings’, snippets of comments from social media and various other sources, essentially decrying what a deplorable scumbag he is.

It seems perverse that while he’s growling about ‘the return of a rightful might’, there are comments to the effect of ‘fuck this guy’ and ‘he owes me so much money’ to ‘good luck, Prophecy’. And against snippets reporting on his jail time and drug addiction, he snarls ‘No remorse, no remorse’.

Prophecy is a label which has released countless fantastic acts, and continues to do so, but I can’t help but feel that this is something of a mis-step – not even releasing new work by Nachtmystium, necessarily, but the pitch may be rather misjudged. These aren’t a few ‘oops’ moments – which should be approached apologetically even if they were – but to market the release in a way which celebrates all of this? Even if intended humorously – which there’s nothing to indicate that it is – it’s not very funny for the victims of his wrongdoings. And yes, they are victims, however desperate his drug plight or whatever at the time.

Musically, ‘Predator Phoenix’ is fine, and although the title seems both dubious and self-aggrandising, it’s par for the course in black metal. But the way this comeback is being heralded… not cool, man, not cool.

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Listen: ‘Psychedelic Ranger’ by Kerosene Kream

Posted: 7 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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PNKSLM Recordings proudly presents Stockholm garage punk quintet Kerosene Kream and their PNKSLM debut EP Buying Time, which is due out on August 30th on limited edition vinyl and digitally. Today the band is sharing live favourite "Psychedelic Ranger", a long time stable of the band’s raucous live sets, which follows lead single ‘Mindkiller’ which was released in June as the band was opening for the legendary The Gories.

Having shared the stage with the likes of Dungen, Illuminati Hotties, Holograms and Powerplant, Kerosene Kream is the latest group to step out from the Stockholm underground that gave birth to the likes of Viagra Boys and Holograms and the band have grown a reputation as a ferious live acts with shows around northern Europe.

Following the new EP the band is set to head out on dates including an appearance at the Left of the Dial Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands as well as making their UK live debut in September at PNKSLM’s The Slime Ball at The Shacklewell Arms in London alongside Scandinavian shows.

Listen to ‘Psychedelic Ranger’ here:

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Live

August 28 – Stockholm, Sweden – AG29 w/ Erik Nervous + Citric Dummies

September 7 – London, UK – PNKSLM’s The Slime Ball @ The Shacklewell Arms

October 17-19 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Left of the Dial Festival

***more dates TBA***

Kerosene Kreem

Photo by Dan Kendall

Uniform – American Standard

Posted: 6 August 2024 in Albums, Reviews
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Sacred Bones – 23rd August 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

You know that when the bio for an album’s release is prefaced by a trigger warning, this is going to be some pretty powerful stuff. But this being a Uniform album, it almost goes without saying. Since their inception, they have gone all-out on every level, with the harshest noise providing the backdrop while Michael Berdan strips his skin to make the most brutal, unbridled, rawest expositions of the human condition, invariably born out of his own personal traumas.

I’ve often wheeled out the line that in the personal lies the universal, and even where there’s no direct correlation in terms of shared experience, the articulation of extreme emotions often provides a vessel whereby the outpouring of an individual’s catharsis offers a chalice into which others may pour the flow of their own emotional stigmata. If the metaphor seems a shade overwrought, bear with me.

Uniform is, unquestionably, a vehicle through which Berden vents endless pain and anguish. He’s a troubled person, and he’s open about this, to the extent that it’s more than just a but uncomfortable. But this isn’t some kind of trauma porn ride: the appeal of Uniform is this raw honesty, the absence of filter. You know – and feel – this is real. It’s not a case of manipulating the listener’s emotions, but an example of creativity as a vital outlet, a survival mechanism, even. It doesn’t exist for anyone’s entertainment. And with each release, Uniform, seem to find new heights of intensity, and new levels of sonic brutality, while dredging new emotional depths.

Shame felt like a gut-wrenching pinnacle which would be difficult, if not impossible, to surpass – but then, so did The Long Walk. In this context, it should come as only small surprise that American Standard goes even harder and harsher, but the simple fact is it would hardly seem possible. But here we are.

In the run-up to the release, Berden has spoken / written openly and in detail about his struggles with bulimia, and the fact that over many years of managing alcoholism and having come to a point whereby this is no longer a taboo topic, breaking down this particular wall has felt altogether harder.

Even the preceding singles, ‘Permanent Embrace’ and ‘This is Not a Prayer’, could not have provided anything like adequate forewarning of the intensity of the album as a whole.

I shall quote, while I take a moment and steel myself for this:

“The following songs are about a lifetime of making myself vomit,” Berdan writes in the personal essay that accompanies the album. His pain is so apparent, so immediate, that it feels like hearing someone scream for the very first time. “There’s meat on my face, that hangs off my face, sweats like I sweat, cries like I cry.” The music finally begins with those words, not in a glorious crash and clatter but in the tones of a gurgling drain. This is the sound of liquid moving through pipes that are full to the point of bursting with things usually hidden inside of stomachs and behind mental walls.

It all starts with an admission. Beneath the harrowing screams, there’s the pain of bulimia nervosa. There’s the pain of a sickness that is as physical as it is psychological. This is a kind of coming out. This is a kind of emergence. A far cry from edgy provocation or high school level transgression, this is something truly unacceptable.

As one might fear, this is just the beginning. As Don Delillo once wrote, “There are stories within stories.”

American Standard contains only four tracks, but the first, the title track, is fully twenty-one minutes long is the definition of harrowing. It’s a massive departure, in that with perhaps the exception of their 2015 debut, their compositions have conformed to the fairly defined structures, often with verse and chorus structures built around chord sequences and the arrangement of the percussion.

After an intro that can only be described as a scream of pain, ‘American Standard’ lurches into life as a churning throb of noise, and Berden’s bonne-rattling roar is only just audible amidst the pulverising fizz. When the power chords kick in, they’re like a full-on slam to the guts. Around the nine-minute mark, some keys enter the mix and there’s almost a redemptive tone, at least in the music, but Berden’s vocals continue to articulate the upper reaches of anguish. This is a different kind of purging from the subject matter – a flaying, emotional purging, a release of all of the years of torture and self-flagellation, distilled to the highest potency. It’s the barely human sound of breaking, breaking, emptying, over and over. The lyrics may not be easy to decipher, but the excruciating pain Berden articulates in their delivery is unmistakeable as he howls his larynx to bleeding shreds amidst a thunderous cacophony worthy of Swans live performances. If it’s not the heaviest shit you’ve heard all year… well. Just making it to the end of the title track is a thoroughly draining experience that leaves you feeling utterly spent.

The pounding machine-gun drumming, squalling, atonal synths and booming bass blasts of ‘This is Not a Prayer’ offer no respite, the layers of vocals, all screaming in pain, is beyond punishing: you feel your chest tightening and breath growing shorter with each intake, your throat clenching. The sheer physicality of the piece – which they sustain for a relentless six and a half minutes – is a panic attack in a can.

If the introduction to ‘Clemency’ swirls into ambience, it’s a bilious, nauseating brew of sulphur and fumes that festers just long enough to unsettle before the hardest percussion and the dirtiest guitars lurch in and everything becomes intensely claustrophobic. Again, there’s no oxygen, you’re constructed by the density and sheer relentlessness of it all. And it slams away like a lump hammer for almost eight minutes. The arrival of ‘Permanent Embrace’ feels like relief, of only for its brevity. There are some uplifting synths in the mix, but it’s the most savage finale they could have mustered.

The last time a record affected me this intensely in a physical way was over thirty years ago, when at the age of fifteen or thereabouts, having been introduced to Swans by way of Children of God, I picked up a copy of Cop at a record fair. I found it hard to conceive the record was actually revolving at 33rpm: it felt more like three, as time stood still and I felt my body being compressed by its crushing weight.

American Standard is certainly anything but standard. It goes beyond – way beyond – harrowing, or heavy, in any sense that words can easily convey. It’s the hardest listen. It simply hurts. But you know that this was the album they had to make. Forget your discomfort, and feel the pain.

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Watch: ‘Please Reply’ by 404 Error

Posted: 6 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Released on Monday (29 July 2024) ‘Please Reply’ is the third promo single release from UK “synth and darkwave firebrands” 404 Error, taken from their debut album, Scene Killers. Hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne in Northern England, 404 Error is the semi-anonymous project of an artist known as 36663. ‘Please Reply’ meanwhile features an animated black and white lyric video, by someone credited only as Arif.

Known for sharp social commentary and provocative takes on goth scene politics, Please Reply is a pastiche drawn largely from the cesspool of unsolicited messages. Drawing from the biting social satire of Fad Gadget and Heaven 17, the lyrics sketch a man in his mancave, desperate and crude, yearning to be a woman’s submissive partner. His attempts to get her attention are filled with insincere promises and disrespect. He calls himself a nice guy, but his focus is selfish, driven by his own needs and desires, completely ignoring her boundaries or interests.

Watch the video here:

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“I think it’s terrible that women get messages like these. And I know many receive much worse, but I didn’t want to make the song too vulgar. I know a lot of women, especially goth women, who get strange guys addressing them as Mistress, or wanting to be their slave – even if there’s nothing they’ve said or done to signify that they’re even into fetish/BDSM. Some have had open propositions for pictures of their feet. And of course, many of these guys also try to guilt trip, hence the line “It’s so hard for men like me, nice guys just want a chance”.  As if there’s anything ‘nice’ about propositioning a stranger.”

“I find it hard to say whether I even wrote this song, or if the lyrics are just the contents of far too many inboxes.”

The digital single on Bandcamp includes two bonus “virtual B-side” tracks: ‘Hawk Tuah’, and a cover of ‘Chop Suey’ by System of a Down.

“Hawk Tuah was a bit of fun that I didn’t know if I’d release. The problem with viral memes is they become old very quickly.  But given the person in question is currently living her best life getting paid big money for club and TV appearances, I’d say people are still interested. Gosh knows how many messages she’s had from ‘Please Reply’ guys.”

‘Chop Suey’ meanwhile continues 404 Error’s tradition of rendering nu-metal covers barely recognisable (albeit, arguably more intelligible than the originals): a pattern established with a rendition of Slipknot’s ‘Wait and Bleed’, included with the debut single ‘ETHAL’. And where ‘ETHAL’ featured a guest vocalist known as J.A.N.E., ‘Chop Suey’ features vocals by one MXVC.

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Excel – Seeking Refuge

Posted: 5 August 2024 in Albums, Reviews
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Southern Lord – 19th July 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

Southern Lord have once again excavated a long-lost release from the California underground scene, with a particular emphasis on hardcore and metal from the late 80s and early 90s, this time with a reissue of Excel’s 1995 album Seeking Refuge.

For context, while saving myself typing some inferior paraphrased recap, here’s the summary from the bio: ‘From the dark alleys and dead ends of Los Angeles, EXCEL have been delivering maximum crossover since crossover first crossed over. Their classic albums Split Image (1987) and The Joke’s On You (1989) remain linchpins of the genre decades after their release… Originally released in 1995 while grunge dominated airwaves and MTV, Seeking Refuge offers a glimpse at an EXCEL many have never heard before. Out of print for decades, Seeking Refuge will finally get its due, complete with a guest shot from H.R. of Bad Brains (on “Take Your Part Gotta Encourage”) and a video starring Tony Alva for the anthemic single ‘Unenslaved.’’

This is clearly one for fans first and fore most, but equally, one assumes its purpose is to bring the band, and the release, to a new audience, namely the many who missed it the first time around. And there will likely be many – like me – who simply hadn’t encountered the band previously. On the basis of the above, I suspect this isn’t really the optimal point of entry, but then, that’s how it often goes. I came to The Fall by Kurious Oranj and Swans via Children of God: arguably not the most representative of releases, but then again, comparatively accessible. I figure this is a fair summary of Seeking Refuge. It’s certainly an odd fish, and one that sounds solidly rooted in the early 90s.

Opener ‘Unenslaved’ is a bit hair rock meets late 80s thrash for the most part, and reminds me why I was never really into either; there’s just something about the guitar posturing, paired with the clean vocals trying to sound a bit tough that’s kind lame to my ear and to my way of thinking. But it goes a bit acoustic Alice in Chains in the middle, and the idea that ‘crossover’ may actually be represented by a stylistic switch mid-song.

There are some monster, churning, grungy riffs across the album: ‘Take Your Part Gotta Encourage’ is exemplary, not least of all because the chuggeracious thunder is topped with some really showy and extravagant soloing which isn’t afraid of hurtling headlong into the realms of excess.

In terms of composition, the songs are tightly structured, often making sharp turns or tempo changes midway through: ‘Drowned Out’’ suddenly slams on the breaks and drops to a slow Sabbath-esque riff that’s more of a head-nodder than a headbanger, and kicks the pace up again for a big riff finish – but again, there’s some epic fretwork that just feels that bit too much like the worst of 70s rock excess.

For all the context that suggests that Seeking Refuge was lost on account of its being out of step with the zeitgeist, it seems to overlook just how much grunge stuff was quite in thrall to 70s rock and this isn’t a million miles from Soundgarden, unless people are really going to bicker over the details. Don’t get me wrong: there are some proper metal moments: ‘Riptide’ really cuts hard, but still takes cues from Sabbath’s ‘Supernaut’, while ‘Overview’ sounds for all the world like a Rage Against the Machine rip. Seeking Refuge is solid, but not incendiary, and the endless fretwanking does get tired after a time.

With secondhand prices for the original vinyl sitting at around £35, and for the CD around a fiver, I do wonder just how badly the world is itching for this, but then, perhaps this reissue will spark renewed interest more broadly.

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Watch: ‘Being Incompatible’ by Suburban Spell

Posted: 5 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Dark electronic artist, SUBURBAN SPELL has revealed the first single from their forthcoming album, Incompatible.

‘Being Incompatible’ is a driving, dark synthpop song about a relationship that has been built on mutual concessions and arriving at a point where one realizes they need to make a choice about its future.

Says SUBURBAN SPELL founder, Peter Endall, “I wanted to make a statement that continual compromising in a relationship can also have detrimental effects that can have far reaching consequences that can shape your entire personality, sometimes not always for the better.”

Society generally says relationships are about compromise, Be mindful not to lose yourself along the way. ‘Being Incompatible’ builds on a soundscape that echoes 80’s icons such as Devo and Depeche Mode.

Check it here:

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Downtime – Guts

Posted: 4 August 2024 in Albums, Reviews
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Cruel Nature Records – 26th July 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

Who’s got guts nowadays? Who even talks about guts nowadays? When I was growing up, guts was a big deal. Succeeding or achieving against adversity took guts and the papers would applaud. Now, you’ll occasionally hear of artists giving gutsy performances, but it’s rare.

But Downtime – ‘the dynamic duo of Dave Sneddon and Mike Vest’ – yeah, they’ve got guts. But then, Mike Vest clearly has restless guts, his monumental and ever-evolving CV listing Guitar Oblivions, BONG, Drunk In Hell, Blown Out, Haikai No Ku, Modoki, Depth Charms, Brain Pills, Hollow Eyes, Lush Worker, and 11Paranoias. Collaborations include Mitsuru Tabata (Acid Mothers, Boredoms), Aoki Tomoyuki (UP-Tight), Fred Laird (Earthling Society, Artifacts & Uranium). When does this guy actually sleep?

Anyway: the naming of this project is likely ironic, and Vest’s concept of downtime differs from that of the rest of the world. He calls it downtime: we call it having a night off to sleep after finally taking a piss.

On Guts, Downtime immerse themselves in long, long, guitar and rum noise workouts, exploiting textures to the max.

The album contains but two tracks, each stretching out to the twenty minute mark.

‘Black Cherry Soda’ goes deep into a psychedelic groove, but it’s dominated by layers of feedback and blistering noise. I’m reminded of Head of David’s HODICA unofficial live album, which captured the band intentionally sabotaging a showcase gig that would have landed them a record contract by playing none of the songs and instead blasting out an ear-shredding wall of noise ;aced with a slew of uncleared samples. As middle fingers to the industry go, this stands, even now, as one of the best. The track drives forward and crashes through every fence and gate standing in its way, picking up pace and volume as it careers, out of control, onwards, ever onwards, on a heartstopping collision course towards its final resting place – smouldering in wreckage having slammed headlong against a wall, feedback and howling tones still spewing forth from the calamitous chaos. But we’re still only seven minutes in… and then shir really goes off the rails in a tempest of truly shattering noise. Every minute sounds and feels like the end, and every second is pulverising. The mess of noise, underpinned by a deep, strolling bass, is a chaos of discord, but also a spectacular document of collaborative musical capability. And this sounds like the work of more than two people.

Colossal noise is an understatement, and ‘Blue Dream’ fades in where ‘Black Cherry Soda’ tapers out, on a tidal wave of feedback before locking into a hefty psychedelic groove with thumping percussion, a foot-to-the-floor bass thunder and a blistering guitar racket that’s truly tranportative.

Downtime have no such specific agenda here, but the bottom line is that that they’ve no interest in the machinations of bigger labels and are quite content to have their staunchly uncommercial noise released to a small sliver of ‘the masses’ by a label who actually cares about what they do. If you dig noisy psychedelia, you need this.

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