“Ghosts” is the latest single from U.K. quartet Bastila, and it finds the boys digging into the psychedelic sounds of Madchester. Richard Norris explored some similarly trippy territory on his Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve collaboration with Erol Alkan, so it’s not surprising to find him here (utilizing his new The Time and Space Machine moniker), extending the track into something resembling a long-lost Happy Mondays jam.
Remember when we checked in with Portland musician/wine deliverer/man-about-town White Rainbow last year? Well, the artist known as Adam Forkner (he’s also an occasional member of Valet and Rob Walmart) is set to release a follow up to Prism of Eternal Now, entitled New Clouds, another album of freakish, fuzzy psychedelics. The record arrives October 19 via Kranky, and we have to say, we’re pretty stoked. The tracklist is below.
1. Tuesday Rollers and Strollers
2. Major Spillage
3. All the Boogies in the World
4. Monday Boogies Forward Forever
Today, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart announced plans for releasing a new EP, Higher Than the Stars, and a single for the track “Come Saturday,” both to appear on Slumberland Records (whom we feature in August’s upcoming Labels We Love issue). “Falling Over,” a centerpiece of the band’s new EP and unstoppable live show, is a “brooding synth-led tune that recalls New Optimist touchstones like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera,” says a press release for the recording. “Slot it into a mixtape between Teenage Fanclub and an old Lilys song and you’ll be happy as a clam.” Deal! The EP will be available on 7″, 12″, CD, and digital on September 22, and the single arrives September 8. In the meanwhile, check out the band at one of the following tour stops.
July 23 2009 Backspace Portland, Oregon *
July 24 2009 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC *
July 25 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party Seattle, Washington
Sep 05 2009 Middle East Downstairs, Boston, Massachusetts &+
Sep 06 2009 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec &+
Sep 07 2009 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, Ontario &+
Sep 08 2009 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois &+
Sep 09 2009 Stage Door at the Orpheum Madison, Wisconsin &+
Sep 10 2009 The Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska &+
Sep 12 2009 Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Sep 13 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah &+
Sep 14 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho &+
Sep 17 2009 MFNW / Doug Fir Portland, Oregon &+
Sep 21 2009 Casbah San Diego, California &+
Sep 22 2009 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona &+
Sep 24 2009 Lola’s Fort Worth, Texas &+
Sep 25 2009 The Mohawk Austin, Texas &+
Sep 26 2009 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana &+
Sep 27 2009 Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida &+
Sep 28 2009 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia &+
Sep 29 2009 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina &+
Sep 30 2009 Black Cat, Washington DC &+
Oct 01 2009 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland &+
Oct 03 2009 New York, NY Webster Hall &+
Oct 05 2009 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania &+
* = w/ Girls
& = w/ The Depreciation Guild
+ = w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars
photo Annie Powers
It’s been more than three years since we last heard from Vitalic—at least in terms of releasing full-lengths. And now, with “Your Disco Song” to tease us, he’s been announced that Flashmob will arrive in stores (via PIAS/Different) on September 24. Check the tracklist below.
01. See the Sea (Red)
02. Poison Lips
03. Flashmob
04. One Above One
05. Still
06. Terminateur Benelux
07. Second Lives
08. Alain Delon
09. See the Sea (Blue)
10. Chicken Lady
11. Your Disco Song
12. Station Mir 2099
13. Chez Septime
photo Dust La Rock
Like a hyperactive four-year-old who’s gotten ahold of his parents’ Eurodance record collection, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs turn Crystal Fighters‘ blog-friendly dance-rock into a hi-speed trek through years of Nintendo and cheesy power-synths.
Chicago is home to a lot of house music history, and veteran DJ/producer Traxx has long been in the middle of it all. As he prepares to unveil his debut full-length, Faith, the man born Melvin Oliphant was also kind enough to pass along Entrance to the Alter, an exclusive mix for XLR8R. A vinyl loyalist (as the mix’s various crackles can attest), Traxx weaves through a variety of jackin’ beats, including a number of unreleased tunes and a couple of sneak peeks from his forthcoming album. Next week the Nation Records founder will be staging a bash in his hometown, celebrating both his birthday and Fatih with a special label showcase at Chicago’s Smart Bar. The event details are as follows:
Friday, July 31
Traxx Birthday Party and Special Vinyl LP Release Party
Nation Records Showcase II
Featuring:
Traxx (Live & DJ)
James T. Cotton (DJ)
Saturn V (Live)
Nancy Fortune (Live)
D’Marc (Live)
Josh Werner (DJ)
21+ / Doors: 10pm / Show: 10pm
Tickets: $10 before midnight / $12 after midnight
Those of you who won’t be in the Chicago area next week will just have to satisfy themselves with Entrance to the Alter.
01 Traxx – “Train (intro)”
02 Romanthony – “House of the Hymn” – (Black Male)
03 Marcus Mixx – “Do U Love Me?” – (Missing Dog)
04 Theo Parrish – Unreleased
05 Orgue Electronique – “Rootbound” – (Crème Organization)
06 Saturn V – “Locomotion” – (Nation)
07 Traxx – Violet Epoch – (Nation)
08 Colonel Abrams – “Sweet Love” – (Smack)
09 X2 – “Modern” (Unreleased) – (Nation CDR)
10 New World Aquarium – Unreleased
11 Throbbing Gristle – “Hot on The Heels of Love (Ratcliff Remix)” – (Mute)
12 2 AM/FM – “Sensational Rythym” – (Spectral Sound)
13 Traxx – “Introspective” – (Nation)
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Indie-rockers WHY? have remixed Serengeti & Polyphonic‘s leftfield original into a more lush, swinging number. With a more ample beat, grooving bassline and dreamy acoustic elements, a new sort of hip-hop sound emerges, and it is sweet.
Stephen Wilkinson’s latest Bibio disc blends together many of the disparate strands that now comprise Warp Records, so it’s fitting that he’d drop it on the label’s 20th anniversary. It’s even more impressive that his production sounds fresh despite fitting squarely within a style—dope beats, funky samples, warm textures—that’s bulky and bloated with cut-rate copies. Perhaps it’s because his electro-acoustic tracks are eclectic without being scattershot, ably switching from the glitchy backbeats of “Fire Ant” to the smooth, summery groove of “Lovers’ Carvings.” And poignant tracks like “Abrasion” and “The Palm of Your Wave” show he’s not just flirting with folk. Wilkinson has taken a sonic palette that’s been muddled by many and created a quiet gem.
Something wicked, wonderful, and unique has been brewing in the U.K. for some time—the rips, tears, and jagged edges of the utterly relentless Cloaks. This is true industrial music, the sci-fi sound of robotic alien factories tearing apart twisted sheets of metal and welding them back together into chunks of beats and bass. Informed by dubstep but standing well outside the genre, Versus Grain draws on Meat Beat Manifesto, Techno Animal, and Merzbow, buzzing and crackling its way through tracks like “Against,” “Rust on Metal,” and “Detritus”. All the more impressive for being completely analog based, the album is not for the faint of heart, but it’s a vital shot of adrenaline for those craving dark experimentation in their music.
NYC electro-disco duo Holy Ghost! has just gotten the remix treatment from Parisian electro-house phenom DJ Mehdi, who seriously houses up the original’s nu-disco sound with more throbbing bass, heavier kicks, and some lovely synth samplings. Perfect for a night out on the town, this one.
