We’re personally not into sports that much but get why people do and we don’t think David Yow has dialed up the Friday night radio show yet called Live from The Barrage but I’m sure he will soon. Would be funny as hell if he got to talk acting chops and get in a eloquent discussion about the finer points of acting methods with the fake Christopher Walken who frequents the show as well. This past week “Princetron”, New Jersey music personality Jon Solomon from Comedy Minus One and WPRB rang in discussing a Silkworm release coming out on his label; so you know adult alts are slowly paying attention to the show. Even Howard Stern apparently is ripping off bits as they just featured the band My Dick. Anyway, they curse and swear, freely discuss with no advertisers or FCC to be concerned about what regular NewYawkers or cabbies are thinking about or reading in the papers that week. It’s free for all that somehow is surrounded with great tunes that they barely announce when they do feel like playing music so they can take pee breaks and grab a cold one. This is a 2 1/2 hour show and are up to episode #33 which is a very big milestone for a podcast in such a short amount of time since April this past year. They are totally tuned into the New York music scene and pretty safe to say any hipster that dares to step foot in or call the show which takes places in John Houlihan’s garage in Queens better be prepared to piss themselves or leave crying. This is not a place for weak anonymous commentators alla brooklyn vegan. It’s authentic radio and I hope siriusxm radio comes knocking — I really do. Forget the old radio waves your mother-father listened to as there would be more bleeps than if R2D2 were getting raped in the back of the Jawa van for the show to be enjoyable by anybody.
SINGLE REVIEW: I’m not sure this Glasgow band’s sound qualifies as post-punk or at least the american version of this concept but if you dig The Nationals barritone type singing or Bloc Party then this will fit comfortably in the alternative new wave genre. You art school Morrissey fans may be inspired with lots of sweeping shoe-gaze guitar fluttering amongst the more angular sounds of riffing then try this free single by IT GIRL and a couple other tracks on their bandcamp page. I would say a band like The Men are more post-punk and messy sounding. More left fluttering in the wind with them. However, IT might be the fact they use of less reverb as part of the playing — either way the ITGirl band might just be the sound you were dreaming of when you’re trying to get down with that goth looking chick next to you in your painting class. Unless she only listens to industrial music in which case you better use your charm or knowledge of an obscure performance artist. Good luck!
Ex-Dreams MP3 deep cut by The Men from their stellar 2012 album Open Your Heart On a big European tour in March and in Australia in February with a couple US shows in between.
03-07 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03-09 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
You never know who we’ll pair you with here but keep tabs of Review Stalker the twitters. For better or worse we’re hear to serve your ears and taste.
I like days when we get a bunch of great songs that somehow magically all gel together. That or the RS fans are getting smarter of what they send us. Anyway, here’s are two videos by bands we dig: Speedy Ortiz and Sex Jams filtered for your auditory and listening sonic loving pleasure.
First up is a 90’s guitarist wet dream in the very capable hands of the indie band Speedy Ortiz with their video debut of “tiger tank” via Wreckroom. This is from a coming record of their’s I would assume. Real solid playing and straightforward rock video.
“I got a boy who likes to fuck to CAN” Probably one of the greatest lines ever. Here’s a live version of them doing a song formally known as “Taylor Swift” at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn or at least I thought they had to change the name of the song. Anyway. Good stuff.
Speedy Ortiz Livage:
Jan 27 T.T. the Bear’s Place Cambridge, MA
Feb 23 Cameo Gallery Brooklyn, NY
Next up is our new favorite Austrian band Sex Jams that is every bit punk-noir as EVOL era Sonic Youth. Their full album titled Trouble, Honey comes out March 1st on Siluh Records. This one ditty “Shark Vs Apple” is every bit psychedelic as it is a pagan punk sing along. A big beer can and concert party scene ensues in this one; with guitars as clangy as Polvo or something off of Day Dream Nation era SY. I think pretty close to what The Pony’s were going for when they were around. Yeah, we know you will love this.
This is a great a sex jam by Sex Jams:
If you love these songs you’ll love these bands or vice/versa: Touch Me I’m Sick MP3 by Sonic Youth MP3 from 1989. (Mudhoney Cover) Reverberation(Doubt) by The 13th Floor Elevators from The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators Poser Psychotic MP3 by The Ponys from Turn the Lights Out
We’re long time fans of the Quarterstick Records band from Michigan known as MULE. We got to see them a bunch and even played a show with them on their first tour at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick NJ when all they had was a casette. Those were the days. Now it would be cool I guess to just release a cassette that no one would be able to listen too. Here’s a couple tunes from their first EP with illustrations by Steve Canaday. Nobody plays like these guys did.
SINGLE REVIEW: So we never heard of the band Cave Paintings before way back in 2012 but thought we should share their latest single called “Leaf” from their album Votive Life. Its etherial and almost a little Haircut 100 sounding in a Coldplay kind of way. Maybe because they’re British we tend to like the simplicity and the delivery of this tune with choruses drenched in echo-plex. It’s sure damn pretty and would not shut it off if we heard it on the radio in the US. The video is well produced too and filmed by Alex Brown. These Brighton lads built a sled and dragged their singer all over their hometown. We’ve all had that feeling of floating while we’re awake and experiencing vertigo. This video does this nicely to help paint the picture for this tune. Enjoy!
We really dig the remix of this tune as well. Perfect for those fancy drink places that we never frequent where dresses are slipperly and the metrosexuals overgroom.
DON PEDRO, BROOKLYN PHOTOS SUN JAN 6th 2013: Here’s a post-mordam photo review of what could said to be the first unofficial – official ReviewStalker.com Show in 2013. Jake from Don Pedro was nice enough to let us host our own show from start to finish and it sure was nice to be able to put together a bunch of bands we dig or have written about all on one bill. We hope to do it again in the near future. If you have a venue where you’ll give us total creative control just let me know. Here’s some photos from the night.
We realize Joshua Jesty’s band from Ohio has a convoluted band name and we’re not even going to dare mess it up right now. They did a good job of covering the replacements I must say and we all were grateful they made 9 1/2 hour trip from Cleveland in 11hrs to play the show. Don’t ask.
Photo by Jeff Schioppa
To not be total self serving concert hogs Eastern Anchors went on promptly at 10pm. Served up our version of indie rock tuning. Go ahead and grab a free Eastern Anchors MP3 from rollingstone.com posted back on Dooms Day. Remember to set-back your Mayan Calendar another 1,000 years while your at it.
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Next up were the Gawanus band known as the Lighouts. They have been deligently been working on their new record a months and months. Recording singles which we’ve featured here and finally they are seeing the light. They are musician and as today’s modern rockers do they have been working yet another video which we’re excited to see. There is something to say about ladies wearing nude liatards. That is all were going to say.
We were all glad when Queen’s Risk/Reward played the anchor slot as they basically wipped us all upside the head volume wise. Not only can they rock but they also host a Friday night live Podcast called Live from Barage. It’s a bar in John Houlihan’s garage. Get it? Yup their banter is much more refined than most stand-up comedians we suggest you tune-in to both things. They fuckin’ rock.
Like well conditioned Rock jocks that they even managed to do a instrument switcheraroo and showed their Sugary side. Still gritty and loud. They closed the night with a hit.
Here’s a verison of what they closed the school night with at the Live at PRF BBQ last year in 2012. Enjoy!
ALBUM REVIEW: Yea so if you told somebody to make a band that sounded something like Hole and but told them to make the music and guitars drill deep in your head they would sound like Sex Jams. While not as bombastic or crude as lets say Songs About Fucking the tunes have a sonic youth flare. In particular the 2 guitar attack is evident on the slow sex jam “Twist and Turns”. Now we you know we don’t just push any old crap on you so know that if you are a sex worker or a naughty librarian this music should speak to your inner throbbing nyc style punk rock. Not quite GG Alin gutteral punk but something that rises above the blood and bad smell of the rest. This is smooth when it needs to be in a etheral Ravenettes kind of why and so ungodly distorted at other times in the vein of No Age or GvsB you’d think you can actually walk on the music itself. Out March 1, 2013 from the mighty fine Austria label www.siluh.com.
DOWNLOAD: Shark vs Apple MP3 by Sex Jams from Trouble Honey No Face MP3 Free Single by Sex Jams
If you dig this you should try these MP3s: Pleasurized MP3 by Girls VS. Boys from Freak*On*Ica Il Doce MP3 by Big Black from 7″ TG95 Lonely MP3 from Rollins Band from Lifetime
When I listen to things that i come in via the internets or that I pick-up myself in the store i look for a few things in a band’s music. Firstly does its sound rings authentic in a way that I’ll want to come back to it or does it just fall flat? Secondly does it have a freaking hit or a stand-out track. If there are no instant tunes it’s a looser but if I am in another room and come running back to my desk wondering what that song was I flag it with some random number of stars in iTunes — depending if I am feeling generous – nobody sees this so it’s just for my amusement because seriously I won’t remember a week from then until I look back in my listening history. Thirdly does the album carry a mood and sound all the way through or at least until the 5-6th track am I still listening and am I wanting more? If a record can do any combo of these things then we’re pleased around here. Totally know there are things we didn’t get or heard so this is just a slice of good music that was put out there this year and presented itself to the RS blog. So keep on sending it. We promise if you promise to bring you more in 2013. The last 1/4 was mostly a let down in 2012 but we won’t let that get us down.
12. Speedy Ortiz – Sports EP – One of our most stalked independent artist is the gal singer from Speedy Ortiz Sadie Dupuis. If you mixed the voice of Tanya Donelly from throwing muses with almost any respectable 90’s noise outfit each song would be finely represented on the Sports EP. Finely dissonant guitar chords chopped up on melodic vocals is this. We happen to know she is a record geek all the way through and it comes across as she brings her bandmates with her to a leve we can understand. So in a way the output is expected and not a missed hit really. Start with “Silver Spring” then visit the rest. You’ll be a fan like we are. We like them better than Screaming Females. [ BUY IT ]
11. Bob Mould – Silver Age – Just a solid record that was missing from current rock landscape of crap bands who think they know how to rock. This guy is the master.
10. Nude Beach – II It’s a little old school poptopia in a Elvis Costello meets joe jackson kind of way but this makes it very neat. Seriously mostly classic sounding love songs that sound like they were produced by Nick Lowe in the 70’s so if that is your thing. Check them out. We like it.
09. Diamond Rugs – Diamond Rugs – Call it a super group or whatever. This is just a good record. Maybe it’s a one-off band I don’t care. “Gimme Beer”, “Be God”, “Country Mile” and “I took note” are really good songs.
08. Nada Surf – The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy Super solid indie pop release from the guy who could make the phonebook sound like magic. Single “When I Was Young” is classic Mathew Caws.
07. Tame Impala – Lonerism – Fuck this is great. Equal parts beatles and stones if they just did psychedelic music. Ok sort of lazy comparison but it you like spacey music that is mixed in a peculiar way then try a track or two. It gets a little formulesque at times but it’s unique. So high high praises for this music.
06. Torche – Harmonicraft Its pure rock. A little down tuned with a unique metal sound. No gimmicks other than being great. Melody leads instead of a blatant chorus at times. In your face at other times fast prog. It’s awesome and nobody gets it. If anything their album artwork is awesome. So….
05. METZ – METZ – Holy noise! Yes, i was confused I thought bands stopped making records like this but suspect we’ll see more musicians revolt against a clean discernable sound. this record rocks all the way through. Whilst no hits perse it will make you question what you like about bands that are just loud but no identity in their guitar work.
04. Jason Lytle – Dept. Of Disappearance – Mr. Lytle formerly of grandaddy is the dr. of psycho depressing music made for soundtracks. Every note is perfectly spun for a backdrop in a western taking place on a concrete highway littered with broken down cars. A modern odyssey and backdrop to real mayan end of days.
03. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Meat and Bone – Back to basics is this JSBX record. Actually I don’t think they ever do anything else. No disco era for them. it’s either massive guitar swagger or bust. You can’t go wrong with picking this up and just blasting through your boombox. In fact if you don’t do that please stop reading my blog. Start with “Bag of bones” and “boot cut” then do it. Just do it.
02. King Tuff – King Tuff – Hey here is indie record on subpop that is not afraid to be a psych rock band with melodies and cheeky song titles. Might be a little poserish but it’s gridy and fun in a more nasal bon scott kind of way. Stand out tracks “Unusual world” which is this light rock ditty akin to psychedelic furs, “Alone & Stoned” and of course lead-off guitar hit “Anthem. If somebody every titles a song like that and it’s not ripper stomper – shoot them.
01. criminal hygiene – CRMNL HYGNE LP This is a LA Band that needs to get the fuck out of dodge and over to the east coast. It’s our number one pick because it reminds us of the good ole-days of slanted and enchanted meets Sorry ma forgot to take out trash. Most of you will hate it for which reasons I won’t be able to help you because this record is not polished but shines because of it’s basic elements of song like fIREHOSE were forever loveable . The music stands-out all on it’s own. [ BUY IT ] The standout tracks are “Alan, I’m in Love”, “Immortal eighteens”, “blak water” and “get an education”
Although my facebook friends only got to the eighth line their hearts and twisted minds were in the right place. Merry Christmas from the Review Stalker music blog.
On the first day of the Apocalypse my true love gave to me…
A Haz-Mat suit filled with candy
[ Unsane – Hazmat MP3 }
An extra hour of sleep ( because you’re playing with the casino’s money) 3 crashing asteroids
[ The Platters – Blue Christmas MP3 } 4 firey fault lines
[ Archers of Loaf – Plumb line MP3 ]
New song by Nirvana? WTF? The dude from Germs Pat Smear playing with a Beatle. Not sure even the stones could be as cool to do something as awesomely 90’s sounding as this. Even in the 1990’s. Here’s a couple songs by Nirvana about chicks as an ode to the hurricane we know as Sandy. You should check out these two local NJ Hurricane Sandy music compilations while you are at it.
DOWNLOAD: About A Girl MP3 by Nirvana (LIVE) Amsterdam 11.25.91 Molly’s Lips MP3 from the Hormoaning EP
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