#testostertunes

[ifeellikeaporsche]

Long time comin’ for this Sparrow Steeple LP, kept afloat by whispers of ex-Strapping Fieldhands gigging around Philly but little else for those outside of southeast PA to sink their teeth into. Who else but Richie Records rolled Steeple Two out in a triptych of releases, alongside Mark Feehan’s jarring and hypnotic M.F. II and the rambling, dusty longing of Mordecai’s Abstract Recipe. It’s a formidable threesome for sure, but Feehan and Mordecai nearly drowned out the comparatively slight (or so it seemed) Sparrow Steeple for a bit. Took me a few weeks - others, not so much: this was the first LP that sold out direct from Richie - but Steeple Two might just be my favorite of the three. Clearly there is a strong Strapping Fieldhands influence here, ‘cept where the Fieldhands could play standing slouched over, Sparrow Steeple has laid back in the recliner for this new outing. This is loose, light music; guitar lines float in through your apartment from passing cars, percussion and flute scribbling out patterns under and over the wispy wah. It congeals beautifully underneath the vocals, which sound like Bryan Ferry with a very serious need to sing about food. The whole record might sound like some abandoned jam session without the warbling, emotive vocals, which lend a lotta charm to very somber songs about getting egg rolls to go and “Hamlet Egg Sandwich”es (above). It’s goofy as hell, but I doubt you’ll hear anyone enjoying themselves on record more than Sparrow Steeple anytime soon. Besides, there are songs like “Caspar’s Robe” and “Valerie Verb” to keep the beard-stroking astute listener comin’ back. It’s the kind of record made for evening porch sessions and people that might’ve loved Shawn David McMillen’s On the Clock w/ JJ & Mitch as much as @fuckinrecordreviews did back in 2015. It’s tense out there; Steeple Two is the necessary counterbalance.

As mentioned, Richie is outta all three of the new releases for now. Do not fret: Midheaven is stocked, which means any store with good taste near you should also be stocked. You can also stream one more song, the lilting “Domino Mary,” here.

[the-out-door]

200 Words: MARK FEEHAN

(In 200 Words, we highlight a new record we like a lot, via a 200-word review by Marc Masters and 200 words (or so) from the artist about whatever they choose.)

MARK FEEHAN - M.F. II LP (Richie / TestosterTunes)

Mark Feehan’s first solo album - 2012′s M.F. – was pretty chaotic, but apparently not chaotic enough. M.F. II raises Feehan’s musical entropy by degrees of magnitude, flying fast between noise-punk rants, spoken (in German?) word collages, blurry Residents-like sound experiments, and a bunch of excellent, highly-unique guitar pieces. Every time I get settled into thinking of M.F. II as whacked out audio art somewhere between Dr. Demento and Hanatarash, Feehan unfurls a masterful string seance that sounds like no one else I can think of currently.

I’m sure I’d love each individual track here by itself, especially those guitar-centered essays, but something about all the hectic juxtapositions and free-associative impulse on M.F. II makes each individual part more fascinating. It’s like the signal from a radio station if it was made of neurons rather than electrons, the sound of a restless brain rattling out ideas that would lose some of their strength were they to be considered too long before the next one comes shooting by. The dizzying swerves are fun, funny, and even serious, but best of all they make M.F. II a record that couldn’t be repeated even if Feehan himself tried.

– Marc Masters

MARK FEEHAN on M.F. II

I always try to create something that doesn't bore me. I have very little patience, so every track I make is an improvised one take. As soon as I'm happy with what I've got, it goes into the memory hole. I can't remember what I did or what the tuning was. "Five Stringer Discount”, for example, was the result of me somehow managing to break my bottom E while putting on new strings  I just went with whatever the tuning was at that point. (Hence the five strings) I have no clue what the tuning was, so I'll never play that one again. I also tend to be all over the place with my choice of genre. I want every song to be completely different. A lot of the songs on this record were written while I was asleep, which adds to the weirdness. "The Sports" was one of them. I heard it, woke up and recorded it in 10 minutes. (Can't you tell?) All these songs were written and recorded over a long period of time but seem to fit together somehow. That's my musical approach, happy accidents. 

M.F. II is out now on Richie Records/TestosterTunes. Buy it here.

[testostertunes]

The Petty Bunco Big Outdoor Party!!

Heavenly Bodies Strapping Fieldhands Emily Robb Bill Nace Blues Ambush No cover, you're all invited

[gimmetinnitus]

Spacin' -- "Titchy" (via TestosterTunes)

[flankingmanoeuvres]

[ifeellikeaporsche]

It’s been four years since Spacin’ dropped Deep Thuds, in hindsight probably thee guitar rock record of the year, shambling and shuffling and bursting at the seams with attitude, energy, riffs for days. It was the kind of record that doesn’t really need a follow-up, being somewhat of an anomaly in its sphere, and in lesser hands you could see a rehash of Deep Thuds getting stretched thin really quick. Total Freedom is a helluva lot more than a rehash but it doesn’t stray too far from the swimming hole - sunshiney and shoeless as it was - that spawned the previous record. There’s something a little ominous creeping in around the edges here: the quiet coda to the excellent opener “Over Uneasy,” the dreamy and spare “B.I.S.” bleeding into the 10-minute “U.S. Ruse.” The latter track starts as a dark stomp, loses its steam halfway through and comes out clean for the finish, all anxiety shaken free by four guitars and Eva Killinger’s inimitable thwack. As with their last LP, this is instant good mood music, but the subtle emphasis on the low dark places makes the highs all the more stunning. Spacin’ is taking the good with the bad, casting aside the shit and riding a riff skyward. “Kensington Real” into the syrupy “Human Condition”? Pile that on. The fuzzy vocals smeared with glee across “Titchy” and the title track? Close your eyes and fill up your ears. Breathe this one in deep. The first great LP of 2016 has arrived.

Richie Records put this one out, housed in a really nice foldover silkscreened jacket, and it flew off the shelves. Looks like Brock at Little Big Chief scored a few copies, or maybe your local shop’s stocking. (A regular, non-silkscreened edition drops in March.) Meanwhile, you can stream the whole thing at their Bandcamp. Spacin’ will be hitting the road in February/March, some dates with Kurt Vile. Looking forward to catching them in Knoxville.

[stackpapersgetpaid]

Watery Love Meg’s Dreamcatcher

[styrofoamdrone-blog]

Give it up for Martin, the latest and greatest addition to the SD team - - Every so often, an audacious band comes around that breaks free from the creative constraints of eye-rolling genre limitations – HOME BLITZ is a prime example of this enterprising spirit. Hailing from Princeton, New Jersey, their second full-length, “Foremost & Fair” is now available on Richie Records // TestosterTunes. Listen now >> http://styrofoamdrone.com/2015/06/12/home-blitz-foremost-fair/