Category Archives: news

New track: Deerhoof – "The Trouble with Candyhands"

(Originally posted on Tympanogram on August 7, 2012)

Deerhoof - "Breakup Song"
Deerhoof – “Breakup Song”

Everyone’s favorite San Francisco based fun-time art-pop band, Deerhoof, are preparing to release a follow up to 2011?s Deerhoof Vs. Evil with Breakup Song due in stores on September 4th via Polyvinyl.

They have released a typically quirkily named track, “The Trouble With Candyhands” on the Polyvinyl Soundcloud page that provides us with a short glimpse of their ever evolving sound. The addition of staccato brass adds a bit of a danceable salsa flair to the typically frenetic sound of the band. The guitars are dialed back significantly but Greg Saunier continues to carve intricate, shifting rhythms right through the heart of the song with Satomi’s high falsetto soaring sweetly above the foundation. You can hear snippets from the entire album by popping a token in the Jingletron. Based on this first listen it sounds like Deerhoof are placing a little more emphasis on their electronic leanings that started to show a bit more on Deerhoof Vs. Evil.

With a new album comes a new tour and Deerhoof are ferocious live, so check them out when they come to a town near you. And if you are in Portland, OR for their show (with the equally amazing Buke and Gase opening) I’ll let you buy me a few beers.

You can buy “Breakup Song” from Polyvinyl here.

Find Deerhoof:  Tour | Facebook | Polyvinyl


Album pre-order: Sloan – "Twice Removed [Deluxe Edition]"

Legendary Canadian band Sloan are re-releasing their groundbreaking 1994 sophomore effort “Twice Removed”  with a whole host of goodies and following that up with a tour.

So as you can see from the above video there are TONS of extras that will be included when you pre-order. In my opinion this makes it completely worth the $89.99. If you haven’t heard the album then you probably won’t be willing to part with so much cash, and probably won’t be interested in all of the extras, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make yourself familiar with one of the greatest Canadian rock albums of all time. Forget Canadian, this album holds up as one of the best no matter what you put it up against.

This will be the first time “Twice Removed” has been made available on vinyl since the 90’s, a big plus for those of us that are completists. If you want to familiarize yourself with Sloan and you are on Spotify then you are in luck because the entire Sloan catalog is up there for your listening enjoyment.

Ironically one can not access Spotify in Canada, so enjoy the video below, or simply listen while you head to Sloanmusic.com to check out their tour dates, where they will be playing “Twice Removed” front to back all across Canada and the Northern U.S. As of right now they have posted dates throughout September with a promise that there will be more shows booked through October and November so keep checking  Sloanmusic.com if you don’t see a town near you listed.


Find Sloan: Web | Twitter | Facebook

Sloan “Twice Removed” Tour: 

SEP 05, Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge (Northwest Music Fest)
SEP 06, Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
SEP 07, Golden, BC – Rockwater
SEP 08, Oliver, BC – Tinhorn Winery
SEP 09, Lethbridge, AB – Average Joe’s
SEP 11, Edmonton, AB – Starlite
SEP 13, Cranbrook, BC – Key City Theatre
SEP 14, Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
SEP 15, Victoria BC – Rifflandia
SEP 17, Medicine Hat, AB – Esplanade Theatre
SEP 18, Regina, SK – The Pump
SEP 19, Saskatoon, SK – Louis’ Pub
SEP 20, Winnipeg, MB – The Pyramid
SEP 21, Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
SEP 22, Chicago, IL – Subterranean

See also: Album review: Sloan – “The Double Cross”

New track: Thee Oh Sees – "Lupine Dominus"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram on July 31, 2012)

Thee Oh Sees - "Putrifiers II"
Thee Oh Sees – “Putrifiers II”

I was in Chicago a few weeks ago for the Pitchfork Music Festival, which is always a great place to scope out the music that everyone else is already excited by, but I have somehow missed the boat on. It’s a good way of forcing myself to get obsessed with new things, and this year was definitely good for that.

I’m sure I’ve come across tracks by Thee Oh Sees recently, but so many things tend to get lost in the shuffle when you listen to so much music. The point here is that sometimes it takes a band to kick your ass thoroughly live to get you to understand how worth your time their music is. The most recent album by Thee Oh Sees is last years excellent Carrion Crawler/The Dream, but I’m urging you – no – pleading, begging and demanding that you see this band live. Sure the recordings are great, but I think that I’m adding my own memories of the two live performances I caught in Chicago. The albums aren’t able to really capture all of the energy, and to be honest the tempi are significantly slower on all of their recordings than live versions. It would be impossible to sum up their sound in a short post, but let’s just go with this: noisy, psychedelic garage rock not unlike Ty Segall or White Fence but with catchier hooks and more space-echo.

Thankfully they also have a new album coming out on In The Red on September 11 called Putrifiers II. They recently released a track from it, “Lupine Dominus”, that is noisy and bass driven like so many songs off their previous efforts like Carrion Crawler/The Dream and Help. John Dwyer’s crazed vocals take more of a back seat to Brigid Dawson’s, but the track still manages to showcase their hypnotic and reverberant sound. Check it out, and check out everything you can by them, many of their recent efforts are available on Spotify.  They are also all over the country on tour throughout the summer, so be absolutely sure that you check them out.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/TheeOhSees_LupineDominus.mp3|titles=Thee Oh Sees – “Lupine Dominus”]

Check out Thee Oh Sees: Web | Facebook 

Catch them on tour:
08/03/2012 Pickathon Happy Valley OR
08/04/2012 Pickathon Happy Valley OR
08/05/2012 Woodsist Festival Big Sur CA
08/11/2012 Outside Lands Festival San Francisco CA
09/09/2012 El Rey Los Angeles CA  w/Sic Alps + The Mallard
09/10/2012 Bar Pink San Diego CA  w/Sic Alps
09/11/2012 Bunkhouse Las Vegas NV w/Ty Segall
09/13/2012 Gothic Theater Denver CO w/Ty Segall
09/14/2012 ACM @UCO Oklahoma City OK  w/Ty Segall
09/15/2012 La Zona Rosa Austin TX  w/Ty Segall
09/18/2012 Goat Farm Atlanta GA w/Ty Segall
09/19/2012 The Bottletree Birmingham AL w/Ty Segall
09/20/2012 Zombie Shop Nashville TN w/Ty Segall
09/21/2012 Strange Matter Richmond VA  w/Ty Segall
09/22/2012 The Well (Wick) Brooklyn NY w/Ty Segall
09/23/2012 ATP Asbury Park NJ  
09/25/2012 Town Ballroom Bufffalo NY w/Ty Segall
09/26/2012 The Hoxton Toronto ON w/Ty Segall
09/29/2012 High Noon Saloon Madison WI  w/Ty Segall
09/30/2012 Turf Club St. Paul MN  w/Ty Segall
10/02/2012 VFW Missoula MT w/Sic Alps
10/03/2012 Broken City Calgary AB w/Sic Alps
10/04/2012 Broken City Calgary AB w/Sic Alps
10/06/2012 Rickshaw Theater Vancouver BC w/Sic Alps
10/07/2012 Neptune Seattle WA  w/Sic Alps

Pitchfork Music Festival 2012 Preview Pt. 1

As is tradition for me around this time (almost) every year, I take off to Chicago to catch the Pitchfork Music Festival that has been happening every year since 2006 in Union Park. Though I didn’t have a chance to go last year, due to an expensive cross country move that I was going to be partaking a month after the festival, I am excited to return to the tradition again this year. Just as I did in 2010 I’m going to break the weekend up into 3 posts, one for each day of the fest, detailing each of the acts that I am looking forward to catching and hopefully helping you to discover some new acts even if you aren’t going to the festival. With any luck I’ll be able to update after each day of the fest to inform you as to what exactly went down, with links to any pictures and video (of at least reasonable quality) that I can find.

Friday July 13, 2012:

Tim Hecker, with the release of “Ravedeath 1972” in February 2011, blew pretty much everyone away with his expansive ambient drones. For me, as someone that doesn’t normally sit and listen to ambient music, there is something very intriguing about the sound of this album. It’s dense, complex, gritty, it may seem simple on the surface but there is a lot to dig in to. It’s an album to which I keep returning. I’m looking forward to his performance on Friday, but I’m also a little bit nervous that his brand of atmospherics may get lost to an outdoor venue. There’s a lot of subtlety to his music that may be hard to grasp in an open air venue. Typically the crowd at the festival knows (I’m making an assumption here based on my own personal feelings after years of attending) the music fairly well so I’m sure it will go as well as it can, but there is still a chance that it will end up like the disastrous (and BORING!) Panda Bear set from 2010.

 

Japandroids, are definitely not ones to disappoint. After the release of their first album “Post-Nothing” this Vancouver duo played the side stage of the festival in 2009. The energy of their songs and the catchiness of their hooks seemed to endear them to everyone. Every shout along chorus seemed familiar and inviting even to those in the crowd that may have only come to know the band that day. Not much has changed in the 3 years since that album was released. They have a new LP out, the aptly titled “Celebration Rock”, that is perhaps the best release of the year so far. The new one is even more exciting than the last, and that Japandroids have spent the majority of their time on the road has certainly helped. There is no question that this set will be fantastic, though I can’t hide my disappointment and frustration that Pitchfork has decided to once again relegate them to the smaller stage.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/07.-The-House-That-Heaven-Built.mp3|titles=The House That Heaven Built]

Dirty Projectors seem to be in step with Japandroids. The last time we heard from Dave Longstreth and company was the same summer that the Vancouver duo released “Post-Nothing”. Both albums fought for my attention that summer, and neither one surpassed the other in listens. I loved (and still do love) “Bitte Orca”, and being that a stream of the latest Dirty Projectors album, “Swing Lo Magellan”, was just released yesterday (and it sounds fantastic) I’m sure this will be another hard fought battle for the summer. The official release date for the album comes just before the festival (July 10 on Domino Records), and may push Japandroids around for their spot as “best release of 2012 so far”. But all that is ok. This will also be a repeat performance, as they played in support of “Rise Above” in 2009 just before the official release of “Bitte Orca”. That was my first ever introduction to the band, and now that I am more familiar with their stuff (as is everyone else) I’m sure to get a lot more out of it.

As for the rest of the performances on the first day of the festival, I have never really been the biggest fan of Feist. I found “The Reminder” quite boring and because of that I haven’t even bothered checking out her new one, “Metals”. Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.  Though earlier in the day I am going to have to check out The Olivia Tremor Control as they have been in the back of my mind forever as a band that I definitely need to check out. All that I know about them is that they are one of the original bands in the Elephant 6 collective. That alone is enough to get my attention. I also realize that I lose about a million hipster cred points for not checking them out sooner.

 

 

New track: Chelsea Light Moving – "Burroughs"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram on June 26, 2012)

Chelsea Light Moving
Chelsea Light Moving

As a Sonic Youth obsessive, I take it as my duty to inform everyone that Thurston Moore has formed another new project. The name of this new venture is Chelsea Light Moving and they popped up out of nowhere late last week on the Matador Matablog.

Thankfully the band sounds like they are interested in more of the late Sonic Youth aesthetic than they are in the solo Thurston Moore sound. The track, “Burroughs,” comes off sounding like a B-side for The Eternal or Rather Ripped, with an upbeat and noisy verse, sharp guitar stabs, and an extended exploratory coda. This track captures the energy that I believe is missing from Thurston’s Demolished Thoughts effort. It sounds raw, exciting, and it doesn’t even matter to me that this is probably the millionth track attributed to the influence of William S. Burroughs that Moore has penned.

The band is rounded out by Keith Wood on guitar, Samara Lubelski on bass, and drummer John Maloney. According to the Matador press release the track was recorded and mixed May 18-20, 2012, by Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab, Easthampton, MA. And there are some (very few) dates posted for Thurston, with no mention if it is him appearing with solo material or with new Chelsea Light Moving tracks. We are promised another track in a week though, so be sure to check back and grab that one as well.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chelsea_light_moving_burroughs.mp3|titles=Chelsea Light Moving – Burroughs] Chelsea Light Moving  | Blog
Upcoming Thurston Moore US dates:
June 24 – Missoula, MT  The Top Hat
June 27 – Bouler, CO  Boulder Theater
June 29 – Denver, CO  Larimer Lounge

Carrie Brownstein on WTF Podcast with Marc Maron

Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Brownstein

Carrie Brownstein of Wild Flag is featured on this week’s WTF Podcast with Marc Maron. If you aren’t a fan of the podcast now would be a perfect time to start checking it out. Marc presents 2 episodes a week of conversations with comedians, actors, writers that are sometimes funny, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes revelatory and always entertaining.

On this episode (No. 267) Carrie and Marc discuss Carrie’s years with Sleater-Kinney, awkward meetings with Peter Buck of R.E.M., meeting Fred Armisen and creating Portlandia, guitars, pets and a whole bunch of other things. Check it out.

Also, as an incentive to listen, Marc gives his listeners a 20% discount on the Merge Records website. That discount covers everything on the site from vinyl, CD’s and merch to digital downloads, so take a listen and find out how to get that discount.

Check out the WTF Podcast with Carrie Brownstein  here

Download from iTunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, it’s regularly great.

Wild Flag is currently finishing up their tour. There are still some shows coming up on the West Coast, and Mexico, through May. Check them out if you can.

Marc Maron and the WTF Podcast: Web | Twitter | Facebook | iTunes

Carrie Brownstein: Twitter | Wild Flag | Wild Flag Facebook Page | Wild Flag Twitter

Download: Titus Andronicus Mixtape Vol. 1

Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus has released a mixtape through their tumblr presence that not only includes properly recorded versions of two new tracks, but also a whole host of collectible material from their early days prior to the recording of their first album, outtakes from their 2010 masterpiece The Monitor, acoustic demos and even some Weezer (?!) covers. It’s travelling around the internet already, so grab it while it’s hot and pump yourself up for more new material from Titus Andronicus, but I would warn you against following Patrick Stickles on twitter as that dude stays up late and can be really annoying, but then again he also announces stuff like this via twitter so….consider yourself warned.

By the way, following the download link to their tumblr page will also provide you with several new live video clips. Be sure to check those out as well.

Download the mixtape.

Titus Andronicus:  Twitter | Tumblr | web

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titus-Andronicus-Upon-Viewing-Oregon’s-Landscape-with-the-Flood-of-Detritus.mp3|titles=Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus]

New track: Cuff the Duke – "The Diamond Sea" (Sonic Youth cover)

Originally posted to Tympanogram on March 14, 2012)

Cuff the Duke - "In Our Time"
Cuff the Duke - "In Our Time"

I’m beside myself with joy right now. Sheer joy. Cuff the Duke is an amazing band from Toronto, and as is the case with too many great Canadian bands, they are quite often overlooked by American blogs. Cuff the Duke has released 5 albums since 2002, each increasingly better than the last. The most recent, Morning Comes, is the first part of a 2 part album, and was released in October of 2011. Produced by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor, the album delivers all of their tuneful songwriting that finds the perfect balance of rock crunch and country twang, not to mention the soulful singing of Wayne Petti.

I would highly recommend checking out all of their albums, especially the newest one and their 2010 album Way Down Here (my pick that year for best album).

Their cover of Sonic Youth’s “Diamond Sea” has recently surfaced on Soundcloud, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that the results are simple stunning. The band manages to capture the affecting atmosphere of the famous Washing Machine closing track while sanding down the edges and making it all their own. They don’t change anything drastically, instead great care is taken to delicately insert their own unique sound while still managing to sound surprisingly like the original. You can listen to the track and download it below.

Connect with Cuff the Duke // web | Facebook | Myspace | Twitter
[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Cuff-the-Duke-Diamond-Sea.mp3|titles=The Diamond Sea]

New EP: Chad VanGaalen/Xiu Xiu split – "The Green Corridor II"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram on March 8, 2012)

Chad Vangaalen/Xiu Xiu split EP "The Green Corridor II"
Chad Vangaalen/Xiu Xiu split EP "The Green Corridor II"

Chad VanGaalen’s Diaper Island instantly earned a place on my list of favorite releases of 2011. Prior to that I was a fan of his work as producer/engineer of Flemish Eye labelmates Women. His brand of rambling, echoed, jangly folk/rock is unique and infectious and perhaps somewhat of an acquired taste. His voice trembles and his guitar playing has all the sloppiness of punk rock, but, for me at least, it’s that fiercely unique sound-representative, no doubt, of his equally fierce independence – that draws me in closer.

Apparently Mr. VanGaalen doesn’t stop creating. Ever. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I more or less accidentally happened upon this 10-track split EP with the über-arty Xiu Xiu, but I definitely was. Coming across this was a welcome surprise. I’m not exactly sure how to get a physical copy of it, though the Altin Village website is a good place to start.

The 9 VanGaalen tracks are plenty to keep any fan satisfied for some time. From the straight ahead stomp of “I Want You Back” the strangely poppy scratch and jangle of “Kiss Kiss Kiss” the buzzsaw thrash of “Nothing is Impossible” and the lazy country drawl of “Weighed Sin” this isn’t a set of 9 throw away tracks haphazardly tossed off for some strange release, this is a collection of songs that showcases VanGaalen’s dynamic, unique and wide ranging sound. Release of the split EP is set for March 17, and grab “Weighed Sin”.

The video below is taken from a live session VanGaalen did in Quebec for Stereo-Sequence, recorded on October 24, 2011. How one man can command such presence with his voice and simple, quiet guitar, is a sight to behold. Truly captivating.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/07-Weighed-Sin.mp3|titles=Weighed Sin]

Connect with Chad VanGaalen // Facebook | Bandcamp | web

New track: Lightning Bolt – "I Found a Ring in my Ear

Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt (Brian Chippendale, drums. Brian Gibson, bass)

As you may or may not know, Lightning Bolt is one of my all time favorite bands. It’s the reason why they are affixed to the banner atop this blog (I took that picture the first time I saw them, in Buffalo, NY) I have spent many days listening to their entire output in one sitting, and I’ve been fortunate enough to see them live twice. If they ever came to Portland or Eugene, I would definitely drop everything and see them, and I would highly encourage you to do the same when they come to your town.

This track, appearing out of nowhere, doesn’t seem to be promoting any new releases or a tour. This is just a 20 minute free-wheeling jam that sounds similar to work from the band’s first album. Of course all of the typical Lightning Bolt characteristics are in place: frantic, non-stop drumming,  a bass line that explores one chromatic, melodic, minimalist riff for an extended period of time before moving on to the next idea and of course everything is played at full volume throughout.

If you listen through the track in its entirety you’ll hear a few magical moments when the Brians lock into an intense groove, even if it only lasts for a few seconds.  From the bandcamp page:
A 20 minute Jam recorded in the Hillarious Attic, Lair of the Lightning Bolt on 1.31.11. Straight to our trusty Tascam 420 cassette 4 track. No edits, No worries. The track might start a little discombobulated, but it congeals, soars. Swallows itself. Please download for free or send a little cash to help patch the leaks in the boat. thanks

The lyrics are beyond us now.

And then the tape just ran out.

It would be worthwhile to bookmark their bandcamp site:
This is the home of the official Lightning Bolt Practice of the Month club. Probably more like Practice of the Every 6 Months Club, but the plan is to post some of our best home recorded jams for your listening pleasure, or displeasure.
So check back there from time to time.

Or find them (mostly Chippendale) on the Web | Twitter | Blogger | Bandcamp |

And head to Load Records to purchase Lightning Bolt albums.