Bullshit

Music reviews, ennui, Seinfeld screen grabs

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New Tracks: Big Ups, “Capitalized” 

New York punk quartet Big Ups released a new track yesterday and I can’t think of much else to say other than it totally rips. It kicks off with that heavy bass riff that’s characteristic of a Big Ups song, but almost instantly erupts into a venomous fury led by vocalist Joe Galarraga, foaming at the mouth. Every so often they’ll hold back, briefly restoring that tension, before it explodes yet again. If anything, it signals that their next effort will grow on Eighteen Hours of Static‘s themes of frustration and alienation with an even more rabid refusal to fall into complacency. 

PopGun Presents

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#NowPlaying "Awful" by Together Pangea from The Phage

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UK producer/composer Anna Meredith recently released the first single from her new record, Varmints. With a sound often described as “maximal” and “genre-hopping,” the composer inhabits multiple musical worlds, playing both acoustic and electronic music of classical, avant-garde, and experimental traditions. This latest effort is no exception; it’s sprawling and energetic, layering physical instruments like guitar, cello, and clarinet over rapid synth. Of the single, Meredith was quoted in DIY Magazine as saying: “I love playing this track live too and consider it a bit of a failure if the entire band aren’t drenched in sweat by the end.” The new record drops March 4, 2016.

PopGun Presents

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#NowPlaying "One Fine Day" by The Chiffons from The Chiffons Absolutetly The Best!

[larmoyante]

How right that the body changed over time, becoming a gallery of scars, a canvas of experience, a testament to life and one’s capacity to endure it.

Janet Fitch, Paint It Black (via larmoyante)

[lucidwitchery]

[hotforphysics-deactivated201407]

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Interview: HEALTH

LA-bred noise band HEALTH first gained notoriety in 2007 when they collaborated with Crystal Castles to produce a remix of their single “Crimewave,” which ultimately ended up on Crystal Castles’ breakout 2008 self-titled album. They developed their sound at famed underground LA venue The Smell, performing and producing music in a scene that included other loud, innovative bands like No Age and Ex Model. Their sound is angular and artfully crafted – raw synth, pounding drums, vocals that almost recall a Gregorian chant.

New album DEATH MAGIC is their first studio record since 2009. In the past few years, they’ve toured with Nine Inch Nails and produced the soundtrack for video game Max Payne. This latest record is polished and heavy — the logical next step in this band’s creative trajectory. DEATH MAGIC pummels you in the way you crave in a HEALTH record, but offers an almost unexpected pop sensibility that makes it more easily digestible. The difference is compelling: vulnerable lyrics in tracks like “L.A. Looks” (“It’s not love, but I still want you”) live alongside moments of deafening synthetic fury. Pitchfork summed it up best in their review of the record: “Without the occasional beam of light, it’s hard to appreciate how dark – or how good – a band like HEALTH can actually be.”

With our (le) Poisson Rouge show on Sunday, frontman Jacob Duzsik answered a few questions for us.

Give us a snapshot of the LA underground music scene. How is it different than Brooklyn? The same? What was your favorite show at The Smell?

If I am being honest I don’t really know much about the underground music scene in Brooklyn, so it would be difficult to compare the two. I travel so much that if I’m in New York and I have any down time I try to spend it with friends. The LA underground now seems to center much more around warehouse parties. A lot of the dudes who were in noise bands in the mid 2000′s DJ house and techno. As for a favorite show at The Smell, we saw so many epic bills there. But for my party I remember seeing the chicago band Coughs play one of the greatest shows i’ve ever seen. It was terrifying.

How is The Smell (and the scene around it) today as compared to yesterday? As we know DIY venues tend to have an expiration date because of landlords, property costs, what have you – how do you think this has survived? How is it different now that it’s so well-known?

The scene has unquestionably changed dramatically since we cut our teeth at The Smell, but movements in music are always fickle. I think The Smell has enjoyed such longevity because it is simply extremely well run. People take it seriously and have their shit together, you can’t drink etc. I don’t find myself there every often as I’m more likely to be home watching the fuckin’ cooking network with my girlfriend or hanging out somewhere I can drink. Total old guy style.

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Meh whatever

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#NowPlaying "Sneaky Nips" by Mannequin Pussy from Gypsy Pervert

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Dreamy songwriter Frankie Cosmos (née Greta Simone Kline) burst onto the scene with last year’s Zentropy, released on super indie Brooklyn label Double Double Whammy. She’s back with a new EP called Fit Me In – the songs possess the same earnest, bedroom feel of Zentropy, but with an added wariness that comes with being 21 in New York City. The first single was “Sand,” a 49-second homage to listlessly touching all the books outside the Strand. “Young” is our favorite track, if only for its aching self-awareness. She sings “I heard about being young, but I’m not sure how it’s done…I heard a mumble, something about, ‘fun.’” Cosmos was 19 when Zentropy came out; now she’s 21. The expectations are high, but she shouldn’t worry – she’s surpassing them. 

PopGun Presents

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oldies kick for data entry this afternoon, & I must admit this one punched me in the metaphorical feels onions?

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dis band sounds like the strokes >>

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