Tag Archives: New Music

KATE JACKSON-British Road Movies.

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There are some things in life that cause emotional trauma to your heart and you question if you can ever move on. Even though I am probably far too sensitive, I can only recall a couple of times where I’ve felt “eternal sadness.” I was devastated when The Long Blondes split up. Prior to this, I saw them at a signing at Virgin Megastore in Manchester where all but Kate were there. Wounded. We move on. Or try. My latest bout of “eternal sadness” hit me yesterday. I changed the stylus on my record player only to discover- it’s actually fully broken. It’s beyond repair, much like my heart. Obviously. I’m currently trying to find a new one. Last night, all I wanted to do was lay down and listen to some Nick Cave. It didn’t happen. And now we are here. A whole week before a record comes out that I’ve been bursting to write about. A record that makes you forget certain heartaches but reminds you of some people. Just because something ends doesn’t mean something great can’t start, and that’s how I feel towards Kate Jackson’s debut record, British Road Movies.

The record starts with The End Of Reason. A 5 minute and 50 second ethereal gem of a song. The song feels like you’re on the run. I think what’s always made me connect with Kate’s lyrics is her open love for service stations and motorways. I grew up without these two things (the Isle of Man has NOTHING!) and the feeling I get when I see vast amount of space whilst in a confined space makes me feel at ease. People watching in service stations is always time well spent. The End Of Reason makes me wish I could drive so I could get in a car right now and drive. I don’t care where to, but just far. Her vocals on this song are really captivating and it’s like she’s echoing everything that’s dragging you down, so you get up and out of whatever hell you’ve fallen into.

Next up we gently glide into Homeward Bound. Where the record opener made us feel like we were leaving, Homeward Bounds makes you feel like you’ve arrived to wherever you were supposed to be. The air of nostalgia that fills this record is gorgeous. In some aspects this feeling can be a drag, but Kate does it in a way that makes you feel as if you’re going through it and she’s telling you’re story. Her way with words is on a par (for me) with the likes of Morrissey. So very true to life, so very honest but she doesn’t need to be pretentious in order for you to feel it.

Metropolis is in my top 3 songs of the year. The lyrics are so easy to relate to. I remember hearing it a few months ago, and what stuck with me is the line “This city pulls me to pieces.” I’ve felt that way towards everywhere I lived, and I think it’s why I feel that settling in one place fills me with dread and nausea. If there was a way of finding out how many times this song has been played, I’m probably responsible for most of it. I love how the drums sound like a cross between Primal Scream’s Rocks Off and McAlmont & Butler’s Yes. That signature Bernard Butler sound makes its way subtly throughout the record and I can’t think of anyone else better for Kate to work with on this record.

Wonder Feeling is another one of my favourites. Like most songs on the record, this one makes you feel like you’re on the road. All of the songs feel like short films. Think Andy Warhol on the run, and maybe you’ll get what I mean. This is the song you play on a Monday before work to build yourself up for leaving the house to. Personally, I love my job but I just hate having to get up early. I like being asleep. I’m sure there are going to be some who will try slide in comparisons to The Long Blondes wherever they can, but seriously just listen to the record as if you know nothing about Kate and you’ll get the record.

If you’re looking to have your heart broken, then 16 Years is the one that’s going to ruin you. I love the sad songs because the honesty is just so easy to relate to. Lyrics are a MASSIVE thing for me, and lyrically this is the best on the record. “You were my release” is such a vulnerable line, and you can take it however you want. It’s just so beautiful and it keeps me coming back to the song. I love the sense of loss and wonder on this song, and from about 2:50 it gets really really sad. Just listen to the words.

Following on with the sadness is Lie To Me. The abandonment you feel when someone turns away can be really overwhelming at times, and when a person just disappears it’s even worse. You would rather they lie to you. The way Kate sings this song doesn’t make her sound desperate or needy. It makes her seem sure of how she feels, and unafraid of being so brutally honest. Songs like this can go either way, and fortunately Kate does it in a way that makes you realise you can tough it out. In the end that’s all you can do, right? It almost sounds like it could be on a Bond film soundtrack. I’d take truth over a lie, but Kate makes it so appealing.

Stranded is most definitely one of my favourites for sure. Sometimes you see something or someone, and you’re just overwhelmed with a feeling. It takes you over and although things are around you- you feel totally alone. A familiar face can usually be the cause of this. Again this is another song on the record that shows how fearless Kate is with her words. If only more of us, including myself were this brave. Where some of the other songs feel like going home, this one feels like leaving everything. I love the line, “In another dimension, you’re here with me.” Speaks for itself really.

All of the songs on the record feel like being in a car, but The Atlantic feels like a bolder step in escaping- by plane. Going far, far away. I love the slight hint of 60s Girl Groups to it. There’s something about this song that shows us just how powerful and how diverse her vocals are. It is definitely a reminder as to why I love the music she makes. This is the kind of song you’d want to hear in a workingmens’ club in the North. You can imagine people supping on their pints whilst nodding in time to the beat. Everyone plotting their escape via going home just after closing time.

Last Of The Dreamers has a stunning air of sadness about it. It feels like you’re listening to someone tell their life story to themselves whilst looking in a mirror at the end of the night where certain feelings are heightened. The kind of feelings you don’t really speak about until you’re alone. It’s got a sadness to it that makes you hear the openess in the lyrics so so clearly. “Yves Saint Laurent scented photographs.” This makes me think of a socialite who has come home from a night out, alone. With their thoughts. When those kind of parties ends, so do the friendships.

The record ends on Velvet Sofa From No.26. When I first played the record, I really thought that the above song should have closed the record, but there’s something about Velvet Sofa From No.26 that just sounds so soothing and eases you into the end but also builds you up to hit play all over again. The song is heavy with reminiscence and wonder of another, and we all get that. The former lover making the person know what they didn’t do. What they should have done. It sounds like a lullaby, but when you listen to the words something really hits you in the gut. . That’s the record all over. The lyrics are perfect. The songs are perfect.

Everything about British Road Movies will make you want to take a road trip into the unknown. You’ll get sentimental over certain songs. You’ll go back in time, but you’ll also see a way to carry on. It is just a beautiful and flawless record. The production is nothing short of perfect. Kate and Bernard are a musical dream team, that’s for sure. It’s an elegant record from start to finish, and you won’t want it to ever end. You connect with the heartbreak and the desire to be on a motorway. Fill up the tank and drive.

British Road Movies is FINALLY out next Friday (20th May) via Hoo Ha Record. Check Kate’s site for details about tour dates: http://www.katejackson.co.uk

 

 

MANY MONIKA.

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Photo taken by Steph Third

 

With it getting really hot out, I should probably be listening to something gentle or something that makes me feel like I’m drinking a Whisky Sour on the beach somewhere. I’m not that kind of person really so I’m obviously going to write about someone who makes beautifully dark and twisted music. The best kind.

Bristol is home of some excellent bands 2:54 grew up there, Candy Darling, Spectres and Oh,The Guilt to name a few. I’ve named ones I’m a huge fan of, and to add to that list is Many Monika. Within the first minute of listening to Many Monika I thought of one band-Sparks. Sparks were a band that were a massive part of my childhood, so to hear someone sound just a little like them is always going to win me over. Despite how it comes across, I’m not completely fickle or easily swayed. Too stubborn, but I always listen. Even if I’m looking the other way. Anyway, we move on.

https://soundcloud.com/manymonika/youre-too-humble

As I’m somewhat hit and miss with how I describe music, here are Sean’s words on what Many Monika is about: “I play music influenced by Velvet Underground and Placebo but there’s a slight twist in that I’m actually a guy but I make the music as a woman and it actually sounds a lot like a woman too.”
When Sean hits those high notes over this divine lo-fi sound, it just sounds like a clash of everything I love. Part of me thinks that this is what Kate Bush would sound like if she made a Garage Rock record.

The songs are heavy, dark and they make you feel as if you’re strutting around alleyways when you really shouldn’t. You’re Too Humble reminds me so much of Sally Can’t Dance and I’m Waiting For The Man by Velvet Underground. It’s got this feel of classy smuttiness throughout, and let’s be honest-some of the best songs ever written have that feel. It feels like a Marquis De Sade tale, and that’s perfectly fine by me. The core of all things I love are partially twisted and a bit strange, and I think Many Monika sum this up brilliantly. Casting gender aside, I’m in awe of the high notes. Man, woman and all in between- I’m in awe of how high they are and it isn’t done in an overbearing way. It’s so so cool, and I’m again annoyed I have no musical talent.

There’s this underlying attitude in the songs that make you feel as if you’re walking down the street with Holly Woodlawn on one side of you, and Lou Reed on the other circa 1972 on a hot summer day in New York City. You’re anywhere but where you are when you listen to Many Monika, and that’s all part of the charm. Many Monika are really unlike anything else I’ve heard in a long time. There’s something so appealing about their music that just keeps you hooked. Bristol is evidently home of some fantastic musicians, and Many Monika are up there with them. These are the kinds of songs some lost kid stuck in a dead-end town needs to hear, as a push towards getting out. You can, and will get out. Hell..if I can- anyone can! Pick some songs, pack a bag and get out.

https://soundcloud.com/manymonika/nut-job

Many Monika’s music is a journey through the things were are a bit too timid to go near, but the music gives you courage and before you know it- you’re right there.

You can listen to some of their sounds right here: https://manymonika.bandcamp.com/releases

Many Monika will be playing at the Trinity Garden Party this Sunday at 3:45pm. Sean also has his own night (called DIVE) at Crofters Rights, the next one being 30th May.

 

KRISTIN KONTROL-(Don’t) Wannabe.

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Everyone needs that one song they play when they just need a few minutes to themselves, to just shut everything off for a little while. I’ve got a bunch of songs that I do this to, and it’s never ending. Does that say something about me? Probably. Who cares. Anyway. In a few weeks Kristin is releasing her debut record as Kristin Kontrol. You’ve heard X-Communicate and Show Me, right? If you haven’t, go listen to them. Again. And again. Even if you have, just listen to them. X-Communicate has this insane feel to it that would make ANYBODY move. You can unleash some serious dance moves to it, don’t hold back. Same with Show Me.

(Don’t) Wannabe has this perfect moment of bliss almost immediately in the song, which carries on throughout. It just feels like a huge euphoric moment and I think that’s what makes it’s one of best songs I’ve heard all year. I’ve not heard the record yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best and I’m not being biased (I could be, but it’s alright.) X-Communicate is easily my favourite song of the year, but there is something about (Don’t) Wannabe that shows exactly why I love Kristin as a songwriter, not just as singer/musician. I fully stand by my statement from years ago when I said she’s the Patti Smith of my generation. What do I mean by that? Well, if you read her lyrics, they fall as gentle poetry that just soothes the soul and makes everything alright- exactly like Patti. Her newest single is a body of vulnerability that anyone can relate to. It is so easy to relate to her music irrespective of how she makes it, she’s just got this rare way with words. It doesn’t come around too often but when it does, you really connect with it. Kristin Kontrol sounds like the name of a superhero, and with songs like this- it’s fair to assume she probably is.

I love (Don’t) Wannabe because it’s got the strength of a power ballad mixed with the sadness of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye by Soft Cell. It is just a gorgeous song and the courage and honesty in the lyrics and in Kristin’s voice just makes it nothing short of powerful yet heartbreaking. Let it break your heart, gently. It’s alright. The truthfulness in this song will seep into you, and once it gets there nothing else will feel, or sound the same.

POP.1280-Paradise

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About two weeks or so ago Willis Earl Beal wrote something so important regarding music writers and how certain publications rating systems and the like are fucked, how they force feed readers to like what they like and expect them to hate them when they turn their back on them. What I’ve noticed is too many music writers are passionate about hating a band rather than praising one they love. It made me think about review records and if there’s really any point. I don’t review something in the hopes someone agrees with me, I do it because I hope someone goes and buys the record regardless of what I write. I could never ever write about a band or singer I didn’t like. I’ve been told by some place I was going to write for- they told me they never gave full marks for a review so I wasn’t allowed to praise something I loved too much. I pride myself on having better morals than being a semi-decent writer. Needless to say, I didn’t write for them. Which is probably why I’ll never make a living out of this. You accept it after nearly 10 years. So, with all of this said I’m going to write about why Pop.1280 have yet again released another mind-bending and mind-blowing record. I know of one other person who digs this band as much as I do(my uncle.)

Pop.1280 make music that is hard to stomach at times. When I first heard them I had this feeling that they would become something of an obsession. I loved how loud and frightening their sound was- and still is. Decades ago, kids used Punk to piss off their folks. I sincerely hope some kid is out there blasting out these guys to piss theirs off, and their neighbours. The thing that I love the most about Pop.1280 is that with every release, they get a little more terrifying. This is the kind of music you play when you want to scare someone shitless. Personally, I’d be tempted to use their music to try use it in a more romantic setting. Their music sounds like falling in love anyway- tormenting and chaotic. Have I been doing it wrong? No. My mind and god knows what else is wired differently. Paradise sounds like a nightmare, probably, to those who’ve never delved into this murky world that Pop.1280 have been building for years. It’s a world that makes you shudder, ache and think. Paradise just reinforces my love for them and if anything, has got me pretty excited for their London show in a few weeks.

9 songs in 39 minutes. 9 songs that are set to fry your brain, make your eyes go funny and make you question your surroundings. Something I’ve admired for some time about Pop.1280 is their ability to make you feel as if you’re trapped. Trapped in the hell of your own mind, in the midst of others- anywhere. They create this atmosphere that makes you feel as if you’re the last person left on Earth and everyone else has disappeared. It’s creepy. Really fucking creepy, and it isn’t for people who dream of sunshine and rainbows. I don’t know what kind of person latches onto a band like this. I have, and I guess you can draw up your own conclusion about it. I initially started writing about this record last week, but I stopped myself from writing because I realised quite quickly that this isn’t a record you casually listen to. I’ve taken it in. Or maybe this record has taken me in, chewed me up and spat me out. Do what you want, Pop.1280. This sinister feel to the record (and like their previous ones) has got me ready to see them live in a few weeks. I’ve never seen them before, and I’m really hoping it sounds equally terrifying live.

Phantom Freighter is the second track on the record, and in some ways it sounds like someone losing their mind. In general, Pop.1280 seem to capture the sound of madness really well. Phantom Freighter is a tension-filled track that makes your heart beat quicker than it probably should. It keeps you on edge, and I think that’s pretty much a solid for Pop.1280’s music overall.

Paradise will make you delve into some dark and lonesome emotions, and that’s perfectly fine. You shouldn’t always feel comfortable or secure when listening to music. Nobody should want predictable. For me, the fact that a band like Pop.1280 exist and can still make people feel a little uneasy like The Birthday Party did gives me hope. Not sure what kind of hope, mind. I’m pretty sure Paradise justifies why Pop.1280 are one of the best bands on Sacred Bones (pretty much all bands/musicians on that label are great) but it also shows why they are one of the best bands around. They’ve still got that raw and unpredictable sound that was on The Horror and Imps Of Perversion, and I think it is something that they will always be able to really put into their sound.

Sometimes you don’t need the news or a horror film to scare you shitless- just listen to Pop.1280 if you want some kind of kick.

 

 

 

 

NO DEAL.

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Every single time I find a band I love and discover they are from Italy, every part of me wishes I was fluent in Italian (I’m half Italian and it is shameful I can’t speak it that well) and packed up my stuff and moved there. I’m pretty sure the way of life is less rushed and annoying than that here in London. My main gripe is other people on public transport. I value my personal space a lot. I love hugs and things, but I really don’t want your smelly armpit or vile coffee breath on me at 7am, you know? 7am or anytime- just back off a bit. Which is probably why I blast Fugazi or Flesh Rag really loudly in my ears on the way to work so I can drown out my surroundings. This is all kept inside, then I get to work and I’m calm. Rage and longing to live some place else aside, I’m going to write about No Deal- a band from Italy.

No Deal are a proper Rock & Roll band with elements of Punk and Garage Rock. For anyone who thinks music in Italy is watered down nonsense, you might want to take back your words. There are SO many great bands from Italy, and it’s enough to make you question all that you listen to. No Deal are no exception. With the handful of songs I’ve heard, I’m confident that they are one of the most exciting bands in the country.

No Deal make music that’s made for live shows- the drums are furious. From watching a couple of live clips (they don’t have soundcloud etc) it is fair to say that their live shows is where you need to be. Right in the middle of it with all kinds of bodily fluids falling off you-even if they aren’t yours. Who cares! No Deal will make you want to launch your body into walls whilst clinging onto someone in the crowd as your sweat falls onto them, and vice versa. It’s nasty stuff to some, but for others- it is the ideal live setting. There is nothing more boring than seeing people stand still and rigid at a live show, especially when you can see the band putting their all into it. The videos I’ve seen of No Deal show how a crowd should be at a show. They aren’t afraid to move themselves in a questionable fashion. Who cares who sees!

Their songs are unruly, chaotic and fast. There’s no time for thinking about your next move when you listen to these guys, all you can do is throw your body about and take the music in. No Deal tap into the part of you that lays dormant around others, but when you’re around like-minded people who like this kind of music, then it comes out. Surround yourself around people like this and let No Deal take you wherever you want to go.

POISON BOYS.

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Today I hobbled down to my favourite record store. I say hobbled because I can’t walk like I normally do as I’ve apparently damaged the discs in my neck which is causing a nice bout of pain in my back. Migraines I can handle, but this? This is starting to piss me off. But it’s fine, it means I can justify buying records a week before pay day. It’s important to always treat yourself. I didn’t know what I was in the mood for, but I knew that as soon as I saw it-I would grab it with both hands. Wait patiently until 5pm so I could go home and play it loud.

I was flicking through some 7″ releases and all of a sudden I saw one that said it was for fans of the Dead Boys and The Stooges. One copy, in my hands- my lucky day. Poison Boys are a pretty new band who sound like a proper smutty 70s Rock & Roll band. They’ve got elements of glam (New York Dolls- Johnny Thunders esque riffs galore) and snotty Punk like Dead Boys. Their debut EP came out a couple of weeks ago, and it consists of 3 songs that were clearly made to be played loudly at a boring house party just to get a reaction out of someone. They’re the kind of songs you play when you’re at a party and you play them in the hopes of the person who takes your fancy/makes you a bit giddy inside will take a hint because you’re a bit of a social misfit. It’s alright. It’s something I would probably do but fully aware it wouldn’t work. So what if they don’t notice? At least you got to hear some great music.

I know it’s boring for me to keep saying but Poison Boys are the kind of band I’d want to sound like. They’re fearless, not afraid to be a little perverse with their words and make you feel like you’ve gone back in time. There’s no other band around that sound quite like them, and the fact that they have taken pieces of bands I love and made something like this on a 3 track release is pretty damn great. I’ve had it on repeat for the past hour or so, and I think I’ve pretty much learnt the words. They need to play a show in the UK. Even if it was in the depths of Grimsby I would find a way to be there, front row so I can flail my limbs about without acknowledging that body shouldn’t be doing it. Who cares about physical pain when music sounds this fucking excellent.

Poison Boys have this glorious and infectious sound that is so so raw- and I know people use that term so often without understanding why they’re using it. Do you remember hearing someone like Iggy Pop or Nick Cave for the first time? Maybe you heard TV Eye or something by The Birthday Party. Maybe it left this uneasy feeling inside of you but you knew you had to keep listening over and over. You knew you had to stick with it because it would turn out to be something really really phenomenal? That’s what you get….that’s what I get from Poison Boys. There’s a sense of danger but not to the point where yo fear what you’re hearing. They lure you in so wonderfully. Where the hell have they been all my life?! In some songs they remind me of The Damned. There’s the brutal energy that is in each song, like a kick in the gut. You want the blood, sweat, violence and tears. You know, sometimes I hear a band and think that Lester Bangs would have loved them- I’m pretty sure Lester would love these guys. For those who are cynics and claim Punk is dead- quiet. It’s a state of mind, a way of doing things- Poison Boys are doing it right. Take note.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the States, go see them when they come to your city. If they ever make it to the UK, I’ll see you there.

You can listen to one of Chicago’s finest bands right here: http://poisonboys.bandcamp.com

Play it loud. Then a bit louder than that.

DRUGGY PIZZA-Like Pigs In A Slot.

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France. Home of two people I love- Serge Gainsbourg and Eric Cantona. I should say Zidane being a  Juventus fan, but I can’t forgive him for headbutting Marco Materazzi. You’re an adult, not a kid in a playground. Anyway, as I’ve written about Druggy Pizza before it is fair to say that they are also a fine product of France. Their sound is destined to mess with your head, and if you don’t feel slightly nauseous and unsteady after listening to them, then you’ve done it wrong.

Their split record with Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali came out towards the end of last year, and both bands made a lot of noise on the record. It is one of the finest splits to have happened in the long time, and it can only be played loud. Obnoxiously loud, in fact. I delved deep into the world of Druggy Pizza when I wrote about them recently, and I’m happy to write about them again with the focus on the video to Like Pigs In A Slot. The video to this incredible piece of noise will have you fearing sleep and being aware of the grim reaper following you as he casts a dark shadow over you. The video is equally as rowdy as the song. The song totally messes with your head, that’s for sure. But when you sit down and watch the video- you feel uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. For me, that’s how music should be. I’ve said it many times before that I hate it when music feels too safe. I want something that teeters on the edge of madness, and Druggy Pizza do exactly that.

 

If you don’t feel tormented and troubled after watching the video, then I don’t know if there is any hope for you. It’s a great mind-fuck and it’s a harmless evil. The video makes you question going outside and plagues you with concern about looking over your shoulder. It is perfectly unsettling, and for some this is probably a massive turn-off but I take comfort that out there, someone must feel the same as me when listening to music like this. It isn’t for those who want something conventional or something gentle. Don’t get me wrong, gentle is fine and all- but sometimes you want something that dangles you over the edge grasping on a hint of sanity. It’s brilliant and reinforces my love for Druggy Pizza.

You can listen to more of Druggy Pizza here, and you can also buy their split record with Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali: https://druggypizza.bandcamp.com/

SODA BOYS.

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When you have next to no information about a band you immediately like and feel the need to write about, you sort of make your own assumptions about them based on what you’re hearing. But to be honest with you, I don’t want to know the ins and outs. I don’t want to know favourite colours, snacks and names of their pets. That’s no use to me. Too little is better than too much if you want your mind to work. I think mine works….

Soda Boys are a relatively new band from St Louis. They sound like a REAL Punk band. By that I mean they sound like Richard Hell mixed with the Sex Pistols and the snottiness of the Dead Boys. Their obnoxious yet playful sound is addictive, and you can’t but help smack repeat at the end of every listen. Soda Boys sound like they were around in the late 70s- not 2016! I don’t know how they’ve done it, but they nailed that pure and rowdy Punk sound. They sound like they’ve just stepped out of CBGBs and right into the belly of New York City. Is this what’s happening in St Louis right now?!

https://soundcloud.com/totalpunkrecords/soda-boys-burgers-fries?in=totalpunkrecords/sets/total-punk-total-fuck-off-iii

I could be wrong here, but I think their first release (and possibly only) came out in July last year. The songs are short, full of solid Punk guitar riffs and drums born out of fury. Their songs are made to be heard live, and these are the kinds of bands that make me glad I’m not deaf. Although the levels I listen to music through headphones, I probably will be if I’m not careful. I’ve always had a slight disregard for myself, it makes the day less of a chore at times. Soda Boys songs are barely 2 minutes long, and I know some may have an issue with that. There’s always someone who wants more-but you can’t have it. The songs may be short but if they lasted any longer it would take the fun out of them. We don’t always need 7 minute symphonies. Sometimes you just need a slice of rebellion that fits in under the 2 minute mark. Soda Boys have got me head over heels for their perfect Punk style.

Their songs touch on fizzy drinks, junk food and girls. Their songs make you want to pick up a brick and smash some windows. Or maybe a baseball bats and really go to town on some fancy car- whatever you want to do! Their songs eptomise youthful crushes, being bored and general hanging around. The lust for someone whilst knowing you’ve done wrong (Doghouse) to wanting someone to be yours (Soda Girl) shows that Punk was and is romantic. It’s just not the conventional type, but who wants typical/conventional anyway? That’s boring.

It’s pretty clear I know nothing about Soda Boys, but what I do know is this- they are a middle finger to those who say Punk is dead. Punk is a state of mind, a way of life I guess. I think Soda Boys are keeping the ethos of it alive and well. There will never be another Stiv or Joey, but what they gave is in bands like Soda Boys.

You can listen to the record here:https://sodaboys1.bandcamp.com/releases and it is out via Total Punk.

 

 

AUTUMNS-Das Nichts.

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A few years ago I wrote about Autumns. I wrote about how much I loved them and how Christian is the Northern Ireland equivalent of Alex Zhang Huntai (Dirty Beaches/Last Lizard.) I think I mentioned how brilliant it is to have one person make a load of noise with such urgency and passion. A few years have passed, and now I get to write about Christian’s new EP, Das Nichts.

Christian is currently in America where in the next few weeks, he will be playing his first set of live shows out there. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He makes the kind of music I wish I could, the TV static sound and the distorted vocals aren’t to everyone’s taste but for me it’s exactly what I look for in music. I sincerely hope the American audiences fall in love with him and hear what I hear. I’ll post the dates towards the end, but for now- Das Nichts.

https://soundcloud.com/autumns/the-fall

Das Nichts is the kind of record you play late at night when you should probably be asleep. My sleep pattern at the moment is semi-questionable but I can still function. I think life would be easier/better if we all took more naps. Anyway. With this EP Christian has definitely delved into the Electronic side of music more. For some they associate this with really bad 80s music, to an extent they could be right but what they don’t seem to acknowledge is the darker side. Das Nichts sounds like Suicide meets My Bloody Valentine with the fury of Rowland S Howard. The songs are going to torment your mind and you won’t want to sit down with a cup of tea whilst listening to this. With one listen, I loved it but I feel because it is the kind of record that puts you on edge, I feel that’s what makes it Christian’s best work to date. When I hear music like this I always seem to want to know what goes on in the head of the person making it. But recently I’ve started thinking what goes on in my brain and how it would sound if I translated it to music. It would sound a bit like this record. Maybe slightly more tame as I’m annoyingly shy. I try to get better at it, but what can you do. Das Nichts is a remarkable EP that is made for night time/very early morning listening when the world is asleep.

This EP is intensely dark and would sound perfect in some Danish Thriller that messed with your mind. If this is how Christian’s debut record is going to sound, then we are most definitely in for a treat. It’s the right kind of loud, the right level of noise and creepy. I can only imagine how brilliant this is going to sound live. The first track on the EP, Motel Lover is 19 minutes and 45 seconds long. It’s a solid way to start the EP and I think it straight away indicates to the listener where the EP is going. It’s going somewhere no one and nothing else can take you. You feel like you’re on a motorbike at 2am heading deep into the unknown. The night air sends chills over you and the dark mist keeps you on edge. It’s beautifully terrifying and is under 20 minutes of straight up noise. The static guitar sound mixed with the repetitive kick drum keeps your attention locked. There are swift changes in the song here and there but it’s the torment of the kick drum that remains your focus throughout. When it comes to an end, you find yourself looking around to check who was there and who took you to wherever this song may have taken you to.

I really can’t praise Christian enough for what he’s done with Das Nichts. It’s a captivating listen that will scare you a little but you won’t want to turn it off. Something about this EP will make you feel a little uneasy and unsure of what is around you- it will heighten all you feel as you listen to it, and that for me is what makes this the best thing he has done to date. The suspense in the EP makes you feel like it is the soundtrack to something. I’m 100% sure that Christian could easily create a soundtrack for some dark and unsettling Thriller film going by this EP. He would be perfect for it. Das Nichts isn’t a kick in the gut kind of listen, it is more like someone messing with your head in a way you didn’t know was possible. This kind of exposure of the mind is what makes this one of the best things I’ve heard this year. Sure there’s still many months to go, but this is truly something else.

Das Nichts is out on 15th March via Clan Destine Records and you can pre-order a tape here: http://clandestinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/das-nichts

As mentioned previously, here are his US dates for this month:

3/09 New York @ Nothing Changes + (with Nite Fields)
3/12 Lafayette @ The Spot + (with Nite Fields)
3/13 Indianapolis @ State Street Pub + (with Nite Fields)
3/20 San Francisco @ Rickshaw Stop * (with Lust For Youth)
3/21 Frenso @ Dynamite Vinyl + (with Nite Fields)
3/23 Long Beach @ 4th Street Vine – (with Gold Class)
3/24 San Diego @ The Whistle Stop
3/26 Los Angeles @ Non Plus Ultra # (with SEXTILE)

Christian will also be drumming for Nite Fields on all of their dates.

 

 

KRISTIN KONTROL- X-Communicate

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Photo by Jimmy Fontaine

 

This week a band I love and a singer I love unleashed some new music. The Kills and Kate Jackson. If bad things come in threes, then maybe good things do too. The third is Kristin Kontrol. I’ll get it out the way-Kristin is Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls. Still the same person, don’t let rip pointless comparisons or longing for something new from Dum Dum Girls. Go with this, it’s brilliant. Trust me.

There have been times where bands or singers have gone in a different direction from what we know, and sometimes it ends up being terrible. Of course this is all down to person taste. When I read that Kristin was doing this, no part of me doubted how great it was going to be. I felt like all DDG records told something important at the time they were released, and although a new DDG record would be great- why not go some place different? I don’t like it when a band makes the same record over and over. I don’t like rigid routines or order. It’s bullshit. This is why Kristin has totally blown our minds with lead single, X-Communicate. I’ve already read the poorly researched reviews on it. It seems like it has come from “music journalists” who can’t get their heads around something different. Free your mind, chump!

X-Communicate makes me feel like I am in several places at once. I could be in a dodgy Berlin nightclub. I could be in some basement bar in New York. I could be in 2016. I could be in 1986 (the year I was born.) I could be anywhere. This is part futuristic, part something from years ago that wasn’t exposed as much as it could be. I feel like if Depeche Mode had a female vocalist circa Enjoy The Silence era- this is what they may have sounded like. As you listen to X-Communicate you become instantly familiar with Kristin’s delicate voice and something I’ve always adored about her voice is the way her pronunciation is so clear. The clarity is what makes you pay close attention to the lyrics. I’ve been vocal about my love for her way with words, and X-Communicate has a gorgeous depth to the lyrics. What I love about 90s dance music was how upbeat the music was yet the lyrics were heartbreaking. I’m getting that same kind of feel from this song, and it’s just so so good. If I was a DJ I’d be playing this at the start and end of the night. And about 50 times in between.

Going by this song, I think it is evident that the record will not sound like this song constantly. There are so many standout moments in this song- from the production to the end solo of the song. All these elements and more  just make it into such a wonderful song. The lyrics are so so good. Some of them take me back a few times and certain people cross over in my mind. These fleeting moments are just fine, but the line “I am so tired of this life” gets me right in the gut. I don’t care who you are, you’ve been able to relate to that line more times than you wish. The sadness of that line mixed with the sound of the song goes back to my nod to 90s dance above.

I have no idea how the record is going to sound but what I do know is that it will be great. There’s no denying just how talented Kristin is. I wish I had the words to fully describe this song and how brilliant it is, but I’ve had it on repeat since I got home from work over and hour and a half ago. As someone with a shit attention span- I think that sums up how bloody great this song is. I remember the day I first heard Dum Dum Girls and that feeling has hit me again as I listen to X-Communicate. When you know, you truly know.

The record, X-Communicate will be released on 27th May via Sub Pop. You can pre-order a copy here: https://megamart.subpop.com/releases/kristin_kontrol/x_communicate