News
Hello there! I’m recommending that you check out Aulos from the UK. If you like Planets, Antarctic, Redneck Manifesto n’stuff. Self-released EP for immediate listening here:
Found on: Math vs Rock?
- pg.99 is reuniting to perform document#8 – more news here »
- Honey for Petzi has released a new album, General Thoughts and Tastes. I really like it, it’s sort of going more in the direction of American Analog Set and Pinback, but definitely still keeping their old sound and general instrumental grounds. Listen here »
- Loose Lips Sink Ships have said that they’re recording a new album. This is important news, because it’s a fucking awesome band and you should hear the stuff they have on bandcamp »
I while ago we reported about the line-up change of Future of the Left. But what consequences would it have for their sound? Well, now we (kinda) know. The band has released three demo’s at http://futureoftheleft75.official.fm/ The first demo, “I am the least of your problems”, is also available for download.
Although these only give an impression about the direction they’re going, there are some notable changes. The sound is a lot fuller, which tends to happen when you add a guitarist. Also, it’s just guitars and drums, no keys. The songs are also not as stop and go/staccato as we’re used to, but it’s only an impression. Who knows how the rest will sound. But these three already sound pretty damn good.
Frontman Falco has a few amusing words about the demo’s and their plans on their myspace.
Future of the Left -
,
For immediate enjoyment go to Stickfigure Recordings to listen to the new album Ternary.
Since last, they’ve ditched some of the math licks and added some more cool 80s shredding. It’s all good, clean instrumental entertainment.
Bear Claw are a drums + 2 basses band from Chicago. I really enjoyed previous release, Slow Speed:Deep Owls from 2007. 4 tracks are up on bandcamp from their new album! It was once again recorded by Steve Albini and mastered by Bob Weston. Not surprisingly, it sounds great.
Bear Claw’s soon to be released album “Refuse This Gift”. Out on Sickroom Records October 2010. Select tracks have been put up for streaming fun.
About a year ago or something, I mentioned Tall Ships, I think with references to From Monument To Masses. On their debut EP from May (on Big Scary Monsters) the reference still goes, but even though I can hear so many similarities in the sound, the absence of FMTM’s political themes makes it a totally different feeling. With a debut EP like that, who needs a full-length? I mean, all 4 tracks are wonderful, and this autumn they’ll be out touring UK with Maps & Atlases and Northern Europe with 65daysofstatic. So that’s nice. And I think it’s a shame to compare them with contemporaries like Battles and Foals, which is just typical press-release bullshit. This band is cut out to ride their own wave, if they continue the path of playing around in the uncharted depths between post-rock, indie, math, story-telling lyrics and movie-samples.
Tall ships – Vessels (from the first EP)
Remember when FMTM released On Little Know Frequencies and added lyrics, and it fitted perfectly and we thought “why didn’t they do that before!?”. Okay fuck the references.. this is Tall Ships showing off a different dimension than the other tracks on the EP.
Tall Ships – Chemistry (second EP, released on Oct. 25)
Although it sounds very soft and Foal-ish, I’m hopeful for some more of the powerful melodic progression and playfulness that the previous EP carried to an extend that made it one of my favorites this year. The same track is used in the video below, featuring a collage of all pictures taken during the recordings.
Copenhagen math-rock nerds Obstacles are touring Germany and East Europe at the moment. Debut full-length Dividual is coming out on PlayRec, September 20th. Listen on myspace and check if they’re coming to a town near you.
UPDATE! Band says:
We are sincerely happy to announce that our debut album DIVIDUAL is going to be released at Play/Rec on September 20th 2010.
Dividual is the product of over a year’s hard work with writing, touring and recording. And we can truly say that we are proud of this record!
We especially want to thank Jakob Reichert Nielsen for his effort and patience while recording and mixing this album. We are really happy with the result.
We also want to thank the guys at Play/Rec for releasing the record, Alan Douches for mastering and Patrick Ringsborg for providing the artwork.
Since the record in its final form didn’t make it to this tour, we’ve made a limited sneak peek CD-R edition, only available at the shows on this tour. So, if you want to listen to the record before it comes out on vinyl, you can purchase it cheaply at our shows around Europe.
In just 10 days, on August 15th, the new Alarma Man will be released on Sinnbus Records!! Love Forever was originally set to be released a long time ago. Back in January 2009 they told us that the mastering was taking a bit longer than expected. But they’re back and waiting to kick ass all over Northern Europe on their Live Forever tour (tour blog here).
So the album We Recruit from Swiss band Ventura is out, and a 7″ on which they recruited / scooped David Yow (that guy who’s in The Jesus Lizard) is also out. Ventura’s style is hard, slow and potent.. a good environment for Yow. At first site it does look like an odd project.. why is Yow hanging out with 3 young guys in Switzerland? Musically it makes a lot of sense. During his visit in Lausanne, this short was made:
After the demise of Mclusky one of the two bands risen from it’s ashes was Future of the Left. Singer/guitarist Andy ‘Falco’ Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone recruited Jarcrew’s Kelson Matthias for bass and there it was, a band that kicks even more arsch than Mclusky. But after 5 years and two albums, Kelson has decided to quit the band.
Is this the end of FOTL? Thankfully, no. Falkous on the FOTL website:
Future of the left is still a band, a thing, the centre of our unremarkable lives and continues, if anything, with more effort and furious pride than ever before.
For the time being Steven Hudson (Kong/Oceansize) will be taking over bass. But there is more. FOTL have recorded a few new songs with a fourth member. On the website Falkous writes he was making songs for a side project but “it all ended up sounding so perfectly like where Future of the Left should have been going that it seemed ridiculous to not combine the two.” He has yet to reveal who the fourth member is but his roles are “to play guitar and act like a fucking maniac.”
We’ll have to wait and see with these changes mean for the music of FOTL. But the last big change worked out pretty damn good.
More info at http://www.futureoftheleft.com
Manchasm by Future of the Left
Future of the Left -
,
