The Merry Barracks

San Francisco band Deerhoof has always delighted with their studious music that sounds so fresh and spontaneous that it can come across as sounding improvised. At times thin, other times bellowing in the depths of drummer/founder Greg Saunier and singer/bass player Satomi Matsuzaki’s irreverent and gleeful imaginations, their sound has always evolved throughout their 16 years together. Now comes news of the release of their tenth album, Deerhoof vs. Evil, which is being touted as rebellious, irrational and “coming of age” in reference to the band’s now teenage territory, despite variations in line-up. With no outsider input in this album whatsoever, Saunier and Matsuzaki, with guitarists Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich recorded, mixed and mastered it all themselves in practice spaces and basements.

Ahead of its January 25 release the band has made available the disparate and jarring third song from the album, ‘The Merry Barracks’. With cheeky lyrics and wandering bass and guitar seemingly plucked from each member’s imaginations, the song takes the rushing pop of breakout album The Runners Four and adds more middling parts. Semi-explosive guitar rattling and jittery bass jump atop clattering percussion and gently ponderous vocals. The recognisable just-out-of-time rhythms instantly draw your attention while the stark layers create an alternating density and minimalism. It’s typically enthralling material from the much-loved champions of free pop.

Deerhoof vs. Evil will be released on January 25, 2011 by ATP Recordings and Polyvinyl Record Co. Joyful Noise is releasing it on a limited run of 500 cassettes and there will also be 2000 limited edition pink vinyl (both cassette and vinyl come with digital downloads). Pre-order now from Polyvinyl.

Deerhoof are also releasing a collaborative split 7″ on November 6 with Physical Forms (featuring members of The Mae Shi) and Busdriver. Called Hoofdriver, one side of the record has Busdriver singing over a Deerhoof instrumental, while the flipside has Busdriver backed by Physical Forms. Download the latter, ‘On The Brink’, below, and buy the 7″ here.

Deerhoof- The Merry Barracks: MP3

Physical Forms (ft. Busdriver)- On The Brink: MP3

Deerhoof- Myspace

Deerhoof- Website

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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 What’s with today, today?

All sparkly, bright tones and clear, undistorted guitars with harmonising vocals, Nodzzz portray all the urgency of punk with a more easy going, quirky nature. Latest single ‘True To Life’ is more jangly and innocent than their much loved single ‘I Don’t Wanna (Smoke Marijuana)’, putting so much adorable sunniness and catchy riffs into the mix that it will have you wanting to dance like you’re surfing on concrete. The slight discord of the disinterested harmonies in the song with the forward motion of the guitar and the clever, cheeky lyrics make it a wonderfully hedonistic pop song. They’re like The Ramones mixed with The Kinks, or a retro sounding Blink 182, which is a really good thing in my book. Nodzzz’s self-titled debut album (released in 2008 on What’s Your Rupture), comes highly recommended – it’s a perfectly formed and succinct jangly pop gem whose 10 tracks clock in at an attention-keeping 15 minutes. They’re currently working on a follow up.

Nodzzz- I Don’t Wanna (Smoke Marijuana): MP3

Nodzzz- I Can’t Wait: MP3

Nodzzz- Is She There?: MP3

Nodzzz- Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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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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