I Want To Stop Crying

Here’s a wee gem delivered direct from San Francisco, in the vein of New Order, The Chills or Bauhaus. Luis Vasquez sends a flood of ’80s inspired doom forward in time, unloading a brisk but encompassing dose of your favourite bygone heroes. His first prescription filled is a 7″ titled Breathe The Fire, out now on New York label Captured Tracks. The title track has Vasquez whispering in a clandestine monotone, sulking like a newborn bushwhacker over a bleating bass line while attempting to drive off into the distance. He adds a subtle, but simple guitar riff to steer the song out onto the highway, and just as the wind starts blowing through your hair he withdraws, surrendering like a lapsed stoner fallen silent at the wheel. It’s lifeless but somehow full of energy, fulfilling an empty void.

The Soft Moon- Breathe The Fire: MP3

The Soft Moon- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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Warm Heart Of Africa

It’s not very often I come across a band possessing such diverse qualities, especially those being expressed by Extra Classic. The Kansas/San Francisco quintet fuse reggae with a suffocating dose of psychedelia, bouncing along on a summery rhythm and with a wasted youthful guise. Adrienne Verhoeven fronts the group with her sexy soulful voice, following on from her own brief but successful solo career. She adds spice to the band without stealing the spotlight, leaving the music free to make its own impression and to gently draw you into its rich rootsy texture. They have just one song on their myspace, titled ‘Congo Rebel’, but they are currently in the studio recording their debut album.

Extra Classic- Congo Rebel: MP3

 Extra Classic- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Kansas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, U.S.A
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Close Your Starry Eyes

Sloppy, sludgy psych rock from San Francisco with an ultra hazy finish and a magnificent innuendo; it’ll make your eyes blurry for days. Wooden Shjips’ Erik ‘Ripley’ Johnson (guitar/vocals) and his partner Sanae Yamada (keys) make up the band; creating a deep, dark nucleus of sound that punches sharply through the inner membrane, producing a wall of shredding noise and vocals that drown in a dripping oily goo.

The pair has produced a limited edition 12″ white vinyl titled Love On The Sea (July 2009) and an EP called Killing Time (September 2009). Their debut full-length album titled Escape was released a few days ago (February 16); with just four tracks some have described it as an EP, but its epic jams spanning 28 minutes bounce it beyond the usual EP length.

It’s spacey and full of weirdo life-forms, like if Krautrock had landed on the moon in 1973 and found a whole lot of damaged instruments. The songs travel and do fucked up things to your mind, blissfully massaging your skull while your brain rests in silence. You can buy Escape, Killing Time and Love On The Sea from the Piccadilly Records online store.

 Moon Duo- Escape: MP3

 Moon Duo- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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 Know Better Learn Faster

After impressing us with her 2008 album We Brave Bee Stings And All, Thao Nguyen with her talented band The Get Down Stay Down are releasing a new album, Know Better Learn Faster, on October 13 via Kill Rock Stars. It’s been reported that the album has a post-breakup theme, and the cover shows this explicitly with what Stereogum accurately described as a “celebratory heartbreak piñata”. Produced by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Spoon), the lead single and title track is more rollicking country pop than her previous folky fare, though it’s just as beautiful and wooing as ‘Health (Beat, Life and Fire)’ that was thrashed on EMJ Radio last year. Reportedly Thao’s debut album was the biggest earner of ‘08 for KRS, this could be set to top it. Pre-orders of Know Better Learn Faster can also come with a ticket to a Thao show, see the link below for details. Thao with The Get Down Stay Down are currently touring the United States and Canada with David Schultz and The Skyline and The Portland Cello Project until the end of November.

 Thao & The Get Down Stay Down- Know Better Learn Faster: MP3

Preorder Know Better Learn Faster from KRS

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down- Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Los Angeles, San Francisco, U.S.A
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Cave Girls

I don’t think we can deny that California punk is hot in our speakers right now; Mika Miko, The Widow Babies and Dum Dum Girls are among the bands we’ve been majorly digging recently. Grass Widow is another band from the area that stands out. Hailing from San Francisco, the trio of Hannah Lew (bass), Raven Mahon (guitar, trumpet) and Lillian Maring (drums) make sweet girly-punk, sparkling like The Raincoats and cheekily burning you like TacocaT. With precious bubble-gum harmonies swept with rambled groans and mumbled tones bent between clattering drum rolls and dogged guitar riffs, their music is catchy and instantly engaging. Blending influences as far and beyond as The Slits, Dolly Mixture and the Neo Boys.

In April Grass Widow released their debut self-titled LP and by July the band’s label Make A Mess Records had sold out; but there is going to be a repressing of the album so keep an eye on the band’s website. There is however a new Grass Widow 12″ that you can pick up via Captured Tracks. The EP has four brand new tracks including a cover of The Urinals’ ‘Black Hole’.

Grass Widow- To Where: MP3

 Grass Widow- Celebrate The Mundane: MP3

 Grass Widow- Myspace

 Grass Widow- Website

Posted by Nick Fulton under San Francisco, U.S.A
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Juno’s unrelenting hate

Like gunshots firing out of a canon at synchronised aliens who are tweeting love poems to each other and scattering from distortion crashing in waves all around them, micromagician is a new noise project that reflects the inner ramblings of a creative mind too prolific and inspired to contain itself. The eerie voices on ‘gospel girls’ whine and sigh in a magnetic, hypnotic amble, eventually called away by a dusty bleep. ‘post pond song’ is like the sequel to railcars‘ ‘life of st edmund’ from the Cathedral With No Eyes EP, which is where Aria Jalali of railcars first properly indulged in his electronic/blip tendencies. micromagician takes this infatuation to a whole new level, does away with the guitars and focuses solely on the isolated and syncopated sounds of his electronic equipment. Must be fertile water in San Francisco; micromagician is the latest in a string of uncompromising, impressive projects to emerge from Jalali’s dreams and fingertips.

micromagician – myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under San Francisco
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 Eat yr face

In an update on our post yesterday about new noise/thrash outfit A/S/L?, apparently after our write up comparing them to New Zealand’s BMX Rapists the two bands got in touch. A/S/L? say the bands are now planning to release a hand-painted cassette split! This happens on just their fourth day of being a band. Also on said day, they played a show, booked a tour and signed their forthcoming EP to Stumparumper Records (who are also releasing an EP for A/S/L? guitarist Aria’s other outfit, railcars). The band says they have 15 songs for the release which will hopefully be out soon (and by their record so far, it probably will be!). They also released their first video today made by Ryan Schmitty, for their song ‘Celebrity Cellulite’ (below). Dudes don’t mess around. Aria says, “We started this band 5 days ago, and already have more songs/video than railcars.” Hands up who feels lazy right now!

A/S/L? – Myspace

BMX Rapists – Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under New Zealand, San Francisco
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Rabid Pixie Meat

So it looks like someone stole your favourite band name. Yep, Aria Jalali from Railcars has a new band, called A/S/L? and it’s the most outrageous thing we’ve heard since BMX Rapists. In a similar vein to Jeremy from God Bows To Math’s project, A/S/L? consists of noisy distorted guitar, screeching, squealing, screaming vocals through a giant, hand-painted loudspeaker and primitive drumming on a kit consisting of a kick drum, snare, floor tom and crash cymbal. The simple set up lets them get away with absurd, offensive noise, which is perfect because it’s awesome. They already have 10 incredibly scratchy songs up on their myspace, but don’t get me wrong – it’s good that they’re scratchy! My favourite songs are ‘Barracuda Death Trap’, ‘Do I Look Like A Screamer (Creeper)’, and ‘I Like To Eat Rabbit Meat’. There are some awesome song titles like ‘Celebrity Cellulite’, ‘Car Sex’ and ‘Jenny’s Got Lice’. The band came to my attention when Aria posted a myspace bulletin under his Railcars login, announcing: “We will pick you up in a U-HAUL and take you to our show! My other band, A/S/L? have a show this Friday May 8th!!!! at Flophouse in Oakland. So if you live in SF: We are picking up people at 140 Mason St between O’Farrell and Eddy. We will load you all into the back of a U-HAUL and drive you to the show!!!! Lots of free, free free whiskey!!!! and other such things. And then the U-HAUL will be driven back with all of us. Maybe we’ll play a set in the back of the U-HAUL driving across the Bay Bridge back to San Francisco too.” That sounds like Too. Much. Fun. Somebody go for me and tell me how rad it is after, ok?

A/S/L? – Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under San Francisco
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Suck on this!

BREAKING NEWS: We at Einstein Music Journal are extremely excited to announce that Flipper is coming to New Zealand. This is not an official announcement per se, but it is on the band’s myspace page tour section and Chrisana from the San Francisco Bath House tweeted about it a couple of hours ago, so it’s totally legit. Flipper is an influential punk/grunge band from San Francisco who originally formed in 1979 and then broke up and reunited in 2005. Krist Novoselic of Nirvana has been a member of Flipper and recorded an album with them last year, reported to be called Love and set to be released on May 19. Sadly he departed the band in September due to family responsibilities (he is very active in his rural community). I would do almost anything to see Krist Novoselic play in almost any band; that man is a true hero. But despite Krist’s absence these shows will still be well worth attending.

Flipper 2009 NZ Tour

18 June at San Francisco Bath House, Wellington

19 June at Bacco Room, Auckland

Flipper - Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under San Francisco
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Not Quitting!

When they played at Big Day Out in New Zealand a few years ago I remember they were so bad I walked away in disgust, shaking my head. I expected them to not really be my thing, but Fat Mike screeching and panting and diving into some generic punk rock 101 had me with my head in my hands. Fortunately though, these guys know they’re bad live, or at least make fun of us critics, even releasing a live DVD titled They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live! The resolutely independent, incredibly internationally successful punk band is releasing their eleventh studio album Coaster on April 27 in Australia and New Zealand, on their own label (of course) Fat Wreck Chords, which is distributed by Shock in New Zealand. I was sent an MP3 of the first single from the upcoming release, The Quitter, along with the announcement, and it is surprisingly awesome! As I disclaimed above, I’m no die-hard NoFX fan, but this song grabbed me. A five-star affair of punk rock glory, million-miles an hour drums with picks scraping guitar necks between each four-second part, teams of chanting vocals and rumbling low end bass, it’s classic punk in the ’90s fashion we’ve grown to love. It’s an instant classic and I love it more than any NoFX song I’ve heard! It clocks in at less that two minutes (naturally), so I’ve listened to it about about five times in a row now, and I can’t see myself stopping any time soon. It’s so good I’d consider giving them another go live. Probably.

NoFX – The Quitter: MP3

NoFX – Myspace

NoFX – Website

Posted by Sarah Gooding under San Francisco
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