DOWNLOAD: Cloud Control - There's Nothing in the Water We Can't Fight (S.C.U.M. Remix)
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I like Cloud Control. I like the way their name reminds me of that Kate Bush video where the old guy builds that machine that can make it rain (like a proto-Lil' Wayne) and then he gets taken away by the bad guys in the bad guy car. The message of that song is clear: The Man doesn't like it when you try to control the clouds. So what will The Man make of S.C.U.M., as he peruses his slag heap of mutilated dreams and things that used to be animals? He will not like it, because the London group change the weather of the original – crepuscular sun breaking through on a breezy spring day, essentially – into something far stormier; a Yeasayer-esque freedom jam drizzled, by S.C.U.M., into post-punk tyranny. It's great, but you can catch Cloud Control at their unmolested, breezy best throughout December, as they tour with The Drums. Full dates at their website.
PREMIERE: Joan Of Arc - Deep State
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There are a lot of Kinsellas in Chicago, and in their wake have followed many bands. While it's tempting to pass off Joan Of Arc as the ashes of the retrospectively revered Cap'n Jazz (more so still considering guitarist Victor Villarreal has now boarded the ship), fifteen years of putting out records affords you your own place on the mantle. Purveyors of minimalist post rock, "Deep State" is as political as it sounds and all the more charming. I will happily accept Arc anchor Tim's agenda if it means the Kinsella-crafted soundscapes that we've come to expect, kicking in here right around the three-minute mark. Life Like is the group's upcoming LP on Polyvinyl, engineered by fellow industry vet Steve Albini and out in May.
DOWNLOAD: The Poison Arrows - Casual Wave
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The Poison Arrows apply and amplify numerous lessons learned from Chicago's after-rock luminaries (Shellac, Tortoise et al) on their new-ish EP from File 13 Records, recorded under the watchful eye of Dr. Albini at Electrical Audio. "Casual Wave" hits a blissful peak around the four minute mark that crests and collapses on itself, as bagpipe synthesizers spread out and play capture the flag across the field of sound. Lay back in the sun, indeed.
Sounds Like: Mogwai, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Shellac
Download: The Poison Arrows - Casual Wave
DOWNLOADS: Windsor For The Derby - Maladies + Hold On
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Why sing over the chorus? It's really overkill. Just pack enough melody and hooks into the A-part that you can let the B ride without all those unnecessary words. Maybe some "ba-ba-badas" and tambourine if you really think you need them - everything else is gravy. Then follow that up with those blissed-out organs and multi-tracked vocals over a motorik beat. There you go. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Sounds Like: Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine, Bedhead
Download: Windsor For The Derby - Maladies
Download: Windsor For The Derby - Hold On
Windsor For The Derby's RCRD LBL page
EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Mogwai - Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
The Drowned in Sound RCRD LBL blog has pulled out all the stops today and posted an exclusive bonus track from the reissue of Young Team, the Scottish post-rock band’s first album. The song, “Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home”, is quintessential Mogwai, blending the sensibilities of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine into a new, exceptional whole. The track was recorded during the Young Team sessions, and retains that late ‘90s experimental feel, like right before Radiohead drastically changed their route with Kid A.
Sounds like: My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Sonic Youth
Download: Mogwai: Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
Mogwai at the DiS RCRD LBL blog
VIDEO THRWBCK: ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Relative Ways (2002)
It pains us to say that the most disappointing band we saw at SWSX this year was Trail of Dead: we don't know what happened, but we miss the fire 'n' brimstone days of Source Tags and Codes, and the apocalyptic bombast of "Relative Ways". Maybe their next album will be better, or maybe they were just having an off day? Enjoy the genre-defining video above.
STREAM: Russian Circles - Harper Lewis
Russian Circles, the Chicago-based instrumental post-rock group, are about to release their second album of haunting, alluring guitar music on Suicide Squeeze records this spring. We have a little teaser for you, in the form of “Harper Lewis”, the band’s first MP3 with us and an awesome, heavy slice of the upcoming LP Station. Enjoy…
Stream: Russian Circles - Harper Lewis
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Pinkies
The Big Sleep, with their glistening forearms and permanent frowns, may end up being remembered as the last heroes of the lower east side before it went to high rise hell. Their music, 100% muscle, comes in vulgar thrusts too brutal to coexist with $6000 apartments and $15 hamburgers. Pure, relentless darkness.
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Pinkies
