Tonight @Loppen, Copenhagen!
The Drift has released a new album, Blue Hour, that I’ll hopefully hear the full version of soon. Much excitement, especially because this track, Dark Passage, sounds amazing. What I like a lot, also, is the video that truly reminds me of these French railway commercials featuring Turing Machine.
Secondly, Pinback has promised to release a new album in early 2012! As a fore-runner they’ve released this little 7″. A trailer for the Record Store Day.
Last month I attended a Town Portal warm-up before a Polvo show. To be honest, there wasn’t anything interesting to bring back from the Polvo show, but I’m glad that Town Portal was there to make it worth going.
Town Portal is a 4-piece instrumental math-rock band from Copenhagen that doesn’t mind mixing in a bit of heavy influences. But they keep their musical expression from suffering any single discourse, instead allowing for experiments into fragments of epic and fragments of off-beat rhythms and fascinating guitar textures.
Deserves loudness and repetition!
Town Portal - Vacuum Horror
self-released, september, 2011
Little Kingdoms has released their second EP, Home. They have abandoned the acoustic sounds and are venturing into a still laid-back yet more indie/post-rock/emo-ish territory – perhaps a bit like Owen or The Curtains. The overall sound is much more complete than before, and still rich with melody. Hope to hear more from them!
From France, Vialka combines folk music in a guitar/drums duo and sounds absolutely outstanding. If you like The Evens, you’ll LOVE Vialka. I’ve had the joy of listening to their two latest albums, Science & Superstition (2011) and La Poursuite de l’Excellence (2010) both of which are excellent. A real tribute to a world of so many different and beautiful cultures. And they’ve got a discography of 9 releases to check out!
Vialka - Science & Superstition
self-released, 2011
From the ATP newsletter:
All Tomorrow’s Parties second festival weekend for December 2011 at Butlins, Minehead is the Nightmare Before Christmas – this year curated by three of the most stunning live acts on the planet – Battles, Caribou and Les Savy Fav. As previously announced each band will headline and choose a line-up of 14 artists for one day of the festival. Today we can confirm a new set of additions with more yet to be chosen by our illustrious curators…
First up we are very excited to confirm that HOT SNAKES will reform for this event at the request of Les Savy Fav – this American rock group led by Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu, now of Obits) and John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, now of Night Marchers) formed in 1999 and were one of the most vital and exciting live acts of the era.
I was just listening to this French podcast (June 30th), Rien à Branler, and it has a nice mix of new discoveries and old friends. Check it out!
I now see that I’ve never mentioned Manacle. I wish to apologize. Manacle are from Reno, they released a debut last year. Give it time, and it will grow.. Quiet EP only has good moments. Extra props for the Shellac reference in the intro.
Things not to miss in 2011: Revolution in the Middle East, Lionel Messi, and The Earth is a Man, a debut releasing instrumental act from Chicago. If you’re crazy about fago.sepia, Ghosts & Vodka, Pele, Redneck Manifesto etc.. yes well.. this magazine does not compromise on quality, nor does it go far beyond its focus on instrumental, technical, and balanced music. You know the kind that combines geeky musicianship with creativity and passion. So the point is, when you listen to this band, you know it’s being played by really nice people who are having a good time together. I don’t know them. Assumption confirmed!
Get the debut on bandcamp! before all the hipsters get to them.
The Earth is a Man - s/t
independent, February 2011
Available in its full length over at bandcamp. Man, I love these modern times.
http://asiwyfa.bandcamp.com/
