Below is a new live performance video of Northern Arms covering "Sycamore Trees." The song originally appeared in the series finale of Twin Peaks, and was written by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti. Northern Arms first performed it at PAFA’s David Lynch: The Unified Field, his first major museum exhibition in the U.S. They’ll be at Art Star Craft Bazaar tomorrow, and headlining Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday, May 16, sharing the bill with Mercury Radio Theater and Julia Rainer.
Liphemra releases b-side, announces Low End Theory Show 5.27
If you missed Liphemra’s set at The Echo with Scottish hiphop Young Fathers and indietronica savant MAS YSA, it’s okay: Liphemra announced a show at The Airliner’s Wednesday night showcase "Low End Theory" on May 27. Low End Theory has hosted some groundbreaking local hiphop crews and DJs, and recently featured THE GASLAMP KILLER as resident act. We can only hope that Liphemra will be headed in this direction, with a debut EP over the horizon that will dutifully recreate the grandeur of their live performances. Mark your calendars, and listen below to Liphemra’s recently released "feel nothing," an ominous b-side that’s haunting in its sampling and brevity. – Ryan Mo
Rocko Wheeler, “The Book of Rocko Wheeler”
May 14th is the Nashville album release show for Los Angeles transplant Rocko Wheeler. His debut effort, "The Book of Rocko Wheeler," dropped earlier this spring, and the songwriter has a tour with Kyle Cox in the works this month that will kick off a The 5-Spot next Thursday. Though now a Tenessee resident, Wheeler’s music remains true to his Sunshine State origins. Dripping with organ, fiddle, and slide guitar, there’s a vintage quality to his sound, and there are a few moments in the album that pay homage to the ghost of Gram Parsons. There’s also some handy wordsmithing at play which makes for and engaing and ever-changing listen as new turns of phrase surface. For instance, the last refrain of "Emmanuel, your well’s run dry-" in the first track "Time to Change," has a satisfying ring to it. Check out the song below, and put May 14th down on your calendar to pick up the album in sweet, sweet vinyl and see the songwriter before he hits the road. -Terra James-Jura
PKEW PKEW PKEW
Aiming to get the room jumping? This is how you do it. PKEW PKEW PKEW bring the punk-never-dies attitude to a danceable pulse and leaves plenty of opportunity for the listener to jump in. Chant, shout and scream your lungs out with this pop-tinged, two minute and thirty second, dirty, in-and-out fist pumper with a title to really drive it home; Asshole Pandemic. Raucous, energetic and catchy, they drive the point home with straight to the bone lyrics. No dressing it up, just dressing down and sweating it out. They’ve toured with some serious rock talent, and are working on a length record with producer Jon Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up).This is music meant to be seen and felt, not just heard, so get on down to the Sliver Dollar on May 9th, and bring your skateboard.-Cody Wright
Wrong Hole @ Hard Luck
Wrong Hole began as a 2 piece band because the members wanted the option to take the bus to shows. I totally get that. However they realized it takes 3 to tango….I guess. Anyways they play pretty sweet ass garage rock. Their album "2012" starts off with the tune "What Is A Car?" and I couldn’t answer that question. I got in right in to the full on dirty rock n roll though. The fuzzy guitars jive with the pissed off vocals perfectly. The album covers cleverly rips off Rush’s "2112" cover which made me wonder if they asked Neil Peart to plays drums to replace their current drummer Drum Machine. I don’t think it would work out with Neil. Wrong Hole for sure plays loud as shit live so if that’s what your craving then go to Hard Luck Bar on Saturday for CMW where they are one of many bands opening for Agent Orange.- Kris"Big City"Gies
Wishyunu Single Release: A Sampler of Psych
Walking in to Mississippi Studios last Sunday, it felt like the three band pairing of Cambrian Explosion, Jackson Boone and Wishyunu would be a strange one. Based on their recordings, it appeared that there was very little to tie all the music together aside from the fact that each band identified with psych music in some way. What seemed to be an evening of mismatched artists turned out to be an ideal sampler of all the variations that psych-rock can take.
Cambrian Explosion played first, their set a dark dreamscape. Members of Cambrian Explosion appeared introspective on stage, incredibly invested in the music, which didn’t leave the audience with much to look at. However, the intricacy and unpredictability of the music gave the audience plenty to focus on: songs exploding surprisingly into sound, heavy distortion, and instruments blended so expertly it was difficult to decipher who was playing which part.
Playing second was Jackson Boone whose take on psych is both dreamy and jazzy. Their set seemed like a fitting middle-ground between the dark vibes of Cambrian Explosion and the more pop-centric focus of Wishyunu. Jackson Boone’s specialty seems to be creating psych-pop lullabies that develop quietly into full psych-rock cacophony. “Open” was decidedly the most experimental song they played, straying away from the easy rhythms and soft melodies comprising most of their set. The crowd was receptive and seemed more willing to nod their heads along as the night progressed.
Wishyunu’s set started with some technical difficulty, probably in part because the duo is so busy on stage, with Bei Yan filling the role of guitarist, synth-player, and vocalist. As Yan sorted out her issues on stage, dropping in an out of sound, drummer Tony Bertaccini remained solid on the drums, helping the audience stay engaged as they waited. Wishyunu’s songs are progressive, layering beat on top of beat and then dreamily disintegrating melodies into new ones, catchy hooks giving way to unexpected drum fills. The energy of their set was frenetic, unlike Cambrian Explosion or Jackson Boone, their music made your blood move faster, catapulting you forward with them as they played.
Their new single “Photoplay” is a dark electro-pop song that seemed to show a new direction for the band, less ambient than their older songs and more driven. The other song off of their 7-inch, “Summer Suit” was ethereal and focused, especially compared to the older songs they played surrounding their new releases, again proving that Wishyunu has started refining their vision and sound. You can catch them next in Portland on June 21st at the Holocene.
-Sarah Eaton
Photos by Lena Knofler
Out the Car Window
Out the Car Window is a young indie folk trio consisting of Jake Wahlen, Matt Carlton, and Griffen Taylor. They released their debut EP back in February. The trio has been gaining attention over the last few months with shows at Metro, Abbey Pub and other local venues.
Oceanic dreamgoth duo Ghostporn working on a new album
Photo credit: Marte Solbakken
Tasia Trevino and Kenny Carranza used to work at a record store somewhere in the Central Coast of California. They began to write songs together as a sort of dare. Truth: the results were pretty damn good. So they moved to Los Angeles and teased out the rest of it, switching out band names like Black Shirts and The Siblings, just for a hot minute. But then ghostporn hit, admittedly because the two words "looked nice together." An epiphany finds Tasia, who later explains:
"[ghostporn is] not about physical intimacy with a spirit or specter, but about the indulgence of dwelling on the ecstasy and agony of memories—of loved ones, moments, places, ideas, objects, emotions, and sensations of the past."
This much is true in ghostporn’s short but poignant discography and sound. In 2010, ghostporn self-released a demo LP titled Anaphase, and had “Razorface” featured on a compilation album by Deep South Entertainment. If the lo-fi gem was a testament to their jangly past, then the EP dream songs, released on Lollipop Records in 2014, might be a vision of what’s to come. Tape-y, springy guitar arpeggios intertwine with Karen O melodies and 60’s psych swirliness, balancing ephemeral sounds with emotive lyricism. Ghostporn just finished playing a show with Brooklyn-based dreampop Shana Falana at Pehrspace, and less recently with experimental musician Liphemra at Los Globos. They’re currently writing new material for an upcoming album; no details yet, but expect to hear hints of Scott Walker, Jeff Buckley, Broadcast, and more when they premiere the songs at future shows! Listen to “la bruja” off their dream songs EP below. – Ryan Mo
Statiqbloom brings industrial evil to Palisades tonight (08.05)
Do you ever miss those days when quality electronic bands pretended to be evil? Think Ministry, Prodigy or Nine Inch Nails… When we are not too stressed out, we actually do! Brooklyn band Statiqbloom (brainchild of Fade Kainer) is here to fill in this gap with two gritty EPs that sound as if they were forged in hell – a musically very competent hell. Single "Atrophy of Three" (straming below), from 2014’s split release with Russian band Zex Model, is a mind-bending tune for deranged humans and cyborgs programmed for dancing. If that sounds appealing to you, catch Statiqbloom live tonight (May 8) at Palisades.
New Track: “Don’t Kill The Vibe” – Ecstatic Vision
We’ve been really looking forward to the debut album from Ecstatic Vision ever since we caught them live opening for fellow Philly heavy-psych rockers Creepoid at Johnny Brenda’s. The band features former A Life Once Lost members Doug Sabolick and Jordon Crouse, and will be releasing its five-song EP Sonic Praise on June 30 via Relapse Records. Check out the first taste of their record below with "Don’t Kill The Vibe"!
The Danbees play Pianos tomorrow (05.08)
When a band is labeled by a magazine "The coolest young rock band in Brooklyn" (in this case, the band is The Danbees and the magazine VNDL) you’ve gotta give them a listen – although the term "cool" applied to "band" sounds a little vague. Last year The Danbees released a full length entitled "I’m in Control" of rather energetic alt rock ranging from the Strokes influenced to the bluesy, which gives us the impression of a band with potential but still in search of a defined identity. Our favorite track is vaguely R.E.M.-esque "Love is on the Rise," streaming below. They will be playing live at Pianos tomorrow (May 8).
Weatherman @ Rainbo Club
Last month, we shared the news of the new single, "Night Games b/w Dopamine", from Weatherman. The single will be release on May 12th via La Société Expéditionnaire and can be preordered here.
The band recently announced that they will be celebrating the new single with a free show at Rainbo Club on May 17th with Oscillator Bug.