Sky high – The Horrors

Posted on November 24, 2011 by CM

With names like Faris Rotter (Faris Badwan), Coffin Joe (Joe Spurgeon), Spider Webb (Rhys Webb) and Joshua Von Grimm (Joshua Hayward), spindly-legged, black-clad band The Horrors seemed to want to draw attention to their goth garage punk roots. Their 2007 debut album Strange House was a camp, goth-punk rock explosion, while 2009′s Mercury Prize-nominated Primary Colours saw the Sandman-esque costuming toned down a notch, and the screaming garage punk noise soothed to more favourable, and interesting, shoegazing psychedelia that owed more to to the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine than the Birthday Party and the Cramps.

Having done away with the ridiculous stage names, and even, shock horror, introduced a few shades of monochrome into their previously exclusively black palette, The Horrors released their third album Skying in July 2011. Perhaps it’s the result of Badwan’s forays into softer, gentler realms with his side project Cat’s Eyes (with opera singer Rachel Zeffira), but Skying is a definite step down the evolutionary trail, with a more assured sound that hovers in *gasp* shoegazey pop territory.

Take a look at the video for ‘Still Life’, directed by Oliver Murray:

The Horrors + Cerebral Ballzy play @ Mascotte, ZH, Sunday 27.11.11. Tickets here.

Skying is out now on XL. Stream the entire album here.

Listen: The Horrors Side Project Cat’s Eyes Cover My Bloody Valentine’s “To Here Knows When” (pitchfork.com)
Out of the Dark and Into the Light: The Horrors and ‘Skying’ (Sound Affects) (popmatters.com)
The Horrors, Roundhouse, London (independent.co.uk)
Progress Report: The Horrors (stereogum.com)
When Cat’s Eyes met Ron Arad (guardian.co.uk)

Lost Highway – Dirty Beaches

Posted on October 18, 2011 by CM

Dirty Beaches is like nothing I’ve heard lately, or even recently, and man, is that ever a good thing. Just as I was despairing of the lack of ingenuity, ideas and sounds in everything I’ve been hearing lately, I happen across Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka Dirty Beaches, a Taiwanese Canadian indie kid doing fantastically noirish 50s pyschobilly/ rock’n'roll/noise pop with a side order of Brylcreem, Elvis and David Lynch. Thank god!

Dirty Beaches released his first full-length album, the crackling, reverb-drenched piece of lo-fi nostalgia, Badlands, earlier this year, after amassing quite a large back catalogue of soundtracks, EPs and 7″s. Also, I love how he’s used old photos of his parents on his record sleeves – apparently his Dad used to sing in rock’n'rolll bands in the 60s in Taiwan before moving to Vancouver and becoming a real estate agent. Bet he’s super proud of his boy now.

I don’t think this is the official video for ‘A Hundred Highways’ but I love this track, it’s my favourite from Badlands:

Dirty Beaches plays @ Mascotte, Sunday 23.10.11. Tickets here.

Badlands is out now on Zoo Records.

Dirty Beaches | 10.10.2011 | Bush Hall (sexbeatlondon.com)
David Lynch’s strange new influence on underground music (guardian.co.uk)
Purity Ring, King Krule, Dirty Beaches to Play Pitchfork Festival Paris Parties (pitchfork.com)

Live review: Esben and the Witch + Creep @ Mascotte, ZH, 10.05.11

Posted on May 17, 2011 by CM

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It’s a beautiful warm early summer evening and I’ve been lured inside the cool confines of the Mascotte with the promise of rare and precious things from Brooklyn buzz band Creep and Brighton buzz band Esben and the Witch, so I reluctantly get my head around being inside where it is cold and dark instead of outside where it is sunny and warm.

Good thing I did. Continue reading →

Track of the day: Creep – ‘You’ (ft. Nina Sky)

Posted on May 16, 2011 by CM

The highlight of my week last week was seeing Creep play @ Mascotte along with Esben and the Witch (review coming up). A truly mesmerising show. Brooklyn DJ/producer duo Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard combine trip hop beats with witchy, shoegazy atmospherics and suitably sinister and unearthly visuals.

After their stellar collaboration with Romy Madley-Croft of The xx (Creep’s debut single ‘Days’), the next track up their sleeve is an R&B-tinged effort with Nina Sky. Check out the awesome video (and the covetable haircuts of Nicole and Natalie Albino), directed by Thalia Mavros:

Creep‘s debut single ‘Days’ (ft Romy Madley Croft) is out now on Young Turks.

Once upon a fairytale – Esben and the Witch

Posted on May 5, 2011 by CM

When I was little the local public radio station where I lived had a children’s fairy tale session on Sunday mornings. I’d lie in bed listening to the tales of Mollie Whuppie, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Tom Thumb and Esben and the Witch, lost in a world of ogres, evil witches, clever kids, forced marriage, night slaughter, and cannibalism – just what a growing girl needs to prepare for the real world.

Brighton band Esben and the Witch have taken a leaf out of the big book of fairy tales and wandered further down the deserted, bleak road toward their melancholy fate. Gothic and funereal, with moments of drum-led euphoria and some good ol’ bloodthirsty battle lust, their debut album Violet Cries harks back to the days of Siouxsie and the Banshees but still manages to retain a sense of the negative space used so effectively by The xx – lush, yet isolated.

Nominated for the BBC’s influential Sounds of 2011 poll, Esben and the Witch are ones to watch if you like things dark, mysterious and mystical (and who doesn’t) – look out for their upcoming Zurich gig, where hopefully there are no boiling cauldrons or cannibalistic witches waiting in the wings.

‘Marching Song’ – ouch, that looks painful:

Esben and the Witch play @ Mascotte Tuesday 10. 05. 11. Tickets here.

Esben and the Witch’s debut album Violet Cries is out now on Matador.

Dum Dum Girls – Garage Band

Posted on April 14, 2011 by CM

Dum Dum Girls by Tyson Wirtzfeld

Girl band, garage, grunge – is that enough to grab your interest? Good, now sit up and pay attention, because this is one gig you don’t want to miss. Continue reading →

High Rotation

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