From time to time I like to venture into that strange type of art that shuns convention and Bloody Death Skull is always wonderfully weird. In a previous review of their music I referred to their sound as "tin pan Dali" recordings. Previous works were purposely lo-fi and like a good found footage horror movie the noise and grain in the songs enhanced the abstract sounds. On the Haunting of Bloody Death Skull, an all too brief EP, the band has stepped up their sound giving the askew whimsy a more beautiful sheen.
Betsy's Back has a surf punk shuffle and I thought of Julie Ruin while listening. The guitar jams but it rushes through it's paces and ends too soon. Bloody Death Skulls' cover of Leon Payne's Psycho originally released by Eddie Noack in 1968 and covered in all manner of permutations by Jack Kittel, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Beasts of Bourbon and in terms of emotional arcs eclipses all of them. While previous versions seem to hinge on the staid country cadence, Bloody Death Skull turns the extremely dark perversely comical lyrics into a melodramatic celebration. The upturn ratchets up the strange tone.
The next track Carpool is charming and sweet minus the abstract tone that is almost always in the bones of any BDS song so it itself becomes the weird song on the album. The 4th and final track Gloom is less "Psycho Beach Party" and more like a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It feels big and dramatic and when Daiana Feuer sings the opening line "Welcome to my gloom I just got a house here it came recommended for the view and a bed that swallows you whole, it's a black hole down to the floor" and I am mesmerized. While this strange evocative tale still has it's Hammer Horror vibe it's vast production is a dazzling step up for BDS and it is soooo bloody great.
In terms of music we live in interesting times. The wealth of music out there is sometimes overwhelming especially if you write about music for a blog as small as AP. There is a lot of music that just doesn't make my ears perk up. Besides song structure, overall feel and that oftentimes undefinable thing that touches me, pierces the cynical exterior you don't often hear an artist with that voice. Sara Rachelle has that voice in spades.
Listening to Sad Song, the B side from her recent 7" Digital Single I was stunned by the breadth and scope of her vocal performance. She has an iconic sound really and by that I mean she has an old soul residing somewhere inside her. Amidst the rolling picking that made me think a little bit of REM my mind flashed on Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, and Stevie Nicks all blended together. Sara is originally from Decatur, Georgia but her musical journey has taken her to Manhattan's East Village.
The A side of the single is the evocative 1971 Javelin. The retro sound feels real. The aesthetic with the organs and sultry tone has Shindig written all over it but in the same way that Tarantino can infuse his glorious B-movie exploitation into a story that takes place now, 1971 Javelin blends "today" seamlessly in. The upfront electric guitar with it's deliciously heavy harmonics, heavy bass and overall upfront grit has a touch of Dead Weather-ness making the track feel custom and cool without a touch of nostalgia as campiness.
Loving this record.
-
Robb Donker
Pic courtesy of Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelesong/ 1971 Javelin the 7’’ single out Oct 7, via Angrygal Records.
As of late I have been caught up in my own stuff. That is to say, writing and recording demos, an increased busy day job schedule and reading and writing about the election results have made my life increasingly dense pulling me away from what I do here at American Pancake which is sharing my thoughts on artists that I find interesting and hopefully turning you on to music that you have not heard before. Nice to share again.
The wildly talented Lily Virginia is based out of Brooklyn and recently released a video for All Night a track off her upcoming audio/visual album Play Me Twice which has / will be released one music video at a time. The latest All Night coalesces a subtly diverse blends of sounds and emotions. The music sways, dances, feels playful, sultry. It feels like it has R and B bones pushed through a indie alt pop filter. It sock hops, slow dances and embraces all the while Lily gives the vocal performance a kind of tortured tone on the verge of love or heartbreak.
Great, great stuff I am so glad I came out of my hole to listen to it. I look forward to delving into Lily's art.
Go to Lily's site to see the other videos (4 more) with more videos to come.
http://lilyvirginia.com/collections/play-me-twice-audiovisual-album
-
Robb Donker
NOTES: The ‘Play Me Twice Podcast’ is an interactive experiment and modern liner notes for the album. As each music video come out, fans are encouraged to ask questions about the making of the song via social media or texting Lily Virginia’s music phone directly at +1-917-746-0723. The podcast episodes also feature interviews with other independent artists on the meaning for them of making and releasing music while living a musical life today.
Kristin Wiig returned to host SNL and played one of those twisted cat ladies with Kate Mckinnon.
One of the funniest skits of the night. So when the republic is crumbling around us put down the protest sign and laugh your ass off. We all have to refuel now don't we?
While a lot of abstract psych rock bands build a solid framework to construct their abstract musical architecture on. On the album Critica, 3 piece Lightmusic start with a framework that is not only askew and leaning from the get go but it is ever changing as well. This gives their songs a free form quality. Everything essentially sounds improvisational. Guitarist Micah Lewis spews forth lyrics that feel like torrid rants some that can feel quite manic. Whether the rants bend toward lewd sensuality or some breed of strident social commentary the effect can feel like slam poetry at times and at other times like the insane stream of consciousness that babbles out of that one homeless guy in the neighborhood whose mind inhabits some other place.
Wherever Micah and Lightmusic take you it feels trippy like a fluid Dali-esque painting. Take the storytelling of Blue Room that puts you in a trance. It is part Twilight Zone and part Pere Ubu meets the Minutemen. The musical diversions are so meaty. Inside The Heart cuts a smooth groove with splashes of crystal clear guitar Micah spinning lyrical webs. Don't try to figure out context or meaning just float with it. Girlfriend's Dream has a comical undertow at first and then the brash groove cuts in with so many strange layers. It is a fun house mirror of a song. Reach For My Love balances between R and B fusion and underground rap really. It feels totally improvised but in such a wonderful way. Oddly enough in it's abstract improv I counted at least 12 sections that would in and of themselves make incredible indie pop rock progs. To Answer Your Question almost seems to flirt with Mid-Eastern melodies or maybe not. Maybe it is what I am conjuring up. The soundscape on this song did make me think of sweeping dunes of sand turned fire red as dusk. Tenderly, the first track on the album feels like a warm up of sorts for things to come.
Lightmusic's aesthetic is out there and might not be for everyone. I knew this when I reviewed their Remain Unshared EP way back in 2011 which was thoroughly engaging like Critica is today. It is not populist music in anyway. I guess that is why it is so damn interesting. Listening to this kind of music is why I find myself listening to improvisations by John Coltrane. This kind of music goes in every which way. The verse verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus pattern is non existent. Besides Micah Lewis on guitar and vocals you have Stevie Kugelberg on bass and Zach Mabry on drums. They lay down such amazing sounds. The musicality on this record is beautifully insane. Listen to Critica when you want to get out of those loops in your head and you will have an interesting artful journey.
Swedish art-pop / indie electronica provocateur Ms. Henrik is due to drop his debut LP entitled Fake and Copy on November 18th on Birds Records. The album is full of synth hooks, deep grooves and an ever changing tapestry of flavors. Never Put Your Guns Down has a kind of elegant new wave vibe ala Martin Fry (of ABC) while the instrumental Copy What I think (40B) veers into a deep dance punk groove. Speaking of punk the strange and engaging When Mike Watt Lost D. Boon with it's heavy vocoder sound floats around different genres all the way while hinging on the dark sad chorus of the Minutemen's founding father loss of his best friend D.Boon.
Blessed Are The Bald Men turns dark and pokes at the politics of greed and drugs all the while having a celebratory chorus that almost has a heady KajaGoogoo vibe. I really love this track. Cut Down On Everyone has a beautifully sultry Bryan Ferry sway and a smart melody. Henrik pushes his vocal performance so nicely and it is less effected than on other tracks. So good. Fake What You Feel has that majestic 80's new wave tone. It feels like super pop really. Lush and tortured.
Ms. Henrik with a dramatic androgynous look sporting red lipstick and flaunting one hell of a cool hair style is the kind of artist who would undoubtedly make Mike Pence squirm. All the more reason to embrace Ms. Henrik. Check out Like Lovers Do and dance your ass off.
-
Robb Donker
Dave Chappelle's monologue was equal parts subversion and hilarity. Near the end he got serious recounting a recent invitation to the White House to attend a party put on by BET. While I will not ruin the story telling I can tell you it was awe inspiring. Chappelle is without a doubt the master of his craft and he has been away way too long. See this amazing monologue below.
-
Robb Donker
I am staring at my computer screen a bit stunned. I mean as the Election night wore on it was apparent that Hillary Clinton was in serious trouble but seeing the breaking news that Donald Trump actually pulled it off and seeing his acceptance speech as President Elect was absolutely surreal. My immediate thoughts:
Trumps speech was surprisingly positive. His venom switch was off. He seemed like a man who might just raise to the level of the office and be more compassionate. I don't know. Remember this is a man who catered to angry white voters and even racist KKK groups who he actually said he didn't know anything about. Can he change his stripes? Are his stripes real? Will he build bridges instead of that fucking wall?? I hope so.
Hilary Clinton LOST this election. She just doesn't connect with people. She feels (maybe is) one of the 1 percent-ers who she tried to distance herself from during the election. She has a long history of hobnobbing with Wallstreet. She was, in fact, painted with that brush by Bernie Sanders and that thick coat of paint stuck. It stuck because she could not wash it off. Even Bernie's plea for his supporters to support her felt false. She also carried the awful baggage packed up with a bow by her husband Bill Clinton who while President supported the 1994 Crime Bill that incarcerated low level drug users at an alarming rate and his enactment of the Riegle Neal Interstate Banking Bill which was the first move in a series of acts that deregulated the financial industry signaled an attack on the poor and a love for the money makers for Wall Street. Her support of the Iraq war also left a bad taste in liberals mouths. She was just wrong in so many ways and on so many levels. As much as the idea of the first woman president makes me happy her carrying that mantle would of ultimately been sad.
The Democratic Party has become this bloated elitist machine tied to Wall Street just like the Republican Party and it sucks. They have lost their way. They need to find their grass roots. I thought they found it in Bernie Sanders but they rejected him. Poor Bernie.
The two party system sucks. Maybe Trump is a third party in a way. Republicans don't really like him and Democrats hate him. Maybe some angel will whisper in his ear, cast a spell and actually make him a centrist who is a positive influence. Maybe I watch to many Hallmark movies during this time of the year.
2:18 AM and Still Too Close To Call. Democrats Don't Be Too Sad. For those of you Democrats who are sad today know this. Donald Trump's stunning performance in this election is not a mandate for him or his policies but a turn away from politics as usual, from the Washington establishment, from huge political machines and from the Clinton legacy. When the democratic party and voters turned away from Bernie Sanders I knew deep down inside that the democratic party was in trouble. In order to win, we all knew that Clinton had to capture the young vote, the women's vote in mass and the black vote. She under performed across the board and rightly so. These voting blocks seemed to be just that for Hillary, categories of the population to be pandered to too little too late. Hillary Clinton seemed to much like her opponent. Bill Clinton's support of the 1994 Crime Bill that incarcerated low level drug users at an alarming rate and his enactment of the Riegle Neal Interstate Banking Bill which was the first move in a series of acts that deregulated the financial industry signaled an attack on the poor and a love for the money makers for Wall Street. Hillary Clinton carried this baggage and she deserved to carry it. If Trump does indeed win (and it looks like this is going to be the case) it could signal a paradigm shift on the way elections are won and who wins elections. Certainly the idea of a "citizen" President is positive. The sense that a non career politician can rise to be the leader of the United States of America is heartening. Trump's win also signals a deep seated disdain for the Federal Government itself and the size of government. Also positives but Trump's win also is directly tied to social media. At no other time in history could this happen. So you put up a disliked opponent up against a Washington outsider at a time when people want a change and this is what you get and make no mistake about it, the dislike for Clinton will be key in Trump’s win because those who cannot stomach to vote for Clinton voted for Jill Stein and Gary Johnson who actually performed quite well in some key states. If indeed Trump wins then we are stuck with him for the next four years. Many of my liberal friends are sad but I hope you don't stay sad for long. It is likely that Trump's rhetoric will be ratcheted down considerably. Maybe.... just maybe he will build bridges more than walls. Yeah I know.... what the f*ck, I guess I am just an optimist at heart. At any rate at 2 in the morning Eastern time it is still too close to call. This has turned into a nail biter and my fingers are bleeding. - Robb Donker American Pancake
So here we sit on the precipice holding our collective breath. Who will win... Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Obviously this is Hillary's election to lose, if indeed that happens. She has the most to lose, a legacy as the first women president. The Donald really wins either way. Win or lose he will (to his supporters and) in his mind have fought the good fight in a system that was rigged against him. He will have become one of those disenfranchised Americans who was stomped down by the proverbial system that he appeals to the most. Just think if by some dark miracle Trump pulls it off he will be the first president who appeared in Home Alone and WWE Wrestling ran the Miss Universe Pageant and who has not released his tax returns. Now, truth be told, I don't know if there are other past candidates have not released their tax returns but I certainly can't think of any.
Anyway, Trump does things his way. As someone recently said to me, "He is one brash muther fuc....." and speaking of mothers we have Hillary Clinton. Now I am not a fan of this woman but I must say that she hasn't been touting the woman card as much as she could of during the election and while there are some celebs and organizations who hinge a lot of her character on the fact that she is a woman and more importantly a woman, Hillary seems to want to firmly win on her ability to face off toe to toe with men. Now, when I do think of the mother thing I think of mothering and the thought of that kind of mothering on a governmental level is what causes me concern. We don't need a smothering mother of a President. We need to cut those governmental apron strings. Still Luis CK and Katy Perry and other celebs celebrate her woman and mother hood. Maybe this strategy will work on all the millennials out there. Millennials after all are staying a home longer and having mom do their laundry for them.
This election season more than most has splattered a huge black spot on the two party system. On one hand we watched the republican party literally implode in front of us. They are now so fractured and unfocused that they will have to become something else entirely and move more toward the center. That is a good thing. The democratic party did not fair well either. The infighting and wonky electoral machine that helped cement Bernie Sanders demise seemed to pervert democratic ideals. The democratic party more than any other time in history seems to have gone the way of big money party politics. They need to find their grass roots again. While it seems that the republican party may of lost their heart a long time ago the democratic party has surely lost it's soul. And once again, the system, yes, the system has kept the alternative parties firmly at arm's length like the kids at the children's table at Thanksgiving.
When I talk to most people they tell me they are voting against one of the candidates and not for the other one. This is damn sad. Many of you will cast a vote for Trump because you don't want "crooked Hillary" for the next 4 years and vice versa many of you are begrudgingly casting a vote for Hillary because you don't want a megalomaniac in office. I almost see Trump and Clinton as the same person. They both definitely know how to milk the system. They both exist in a rarefied place of power surrounded by "advisers" to their right and sycophants to their left. They both feel like hucksters, they both feel like politics as usual and they both feel like they are wanting the presidency for the wrong reasons. Those who seem more pure of heart like Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein of the Green Party have been summarily cast aside by the media. Media after all hates purity and self sacrifice and ideas... they just like all this shit. Well, this shit show is about to end and we will all get by and get along despite who is supposedly leading us. While most of America will cast their vote and then feel like taking a shower to rinse all this muck off there are some of you who will cast a vote for somebody they believe in, for ideals. I applaud you and give you a pat on the back for at least voting your conscious (whoever you cast your vote for).
-
Three piece NYC post punk outfit Decorum has good bones. They flaunt a post punk sound that makes my mind flash on The Smiths, Interpol and New Order while retaining their own sound. Their beats have a chaotic touch and the girl guy vocals keep it all so interesting. I am new to them but am enjoying delving into their sound. Check out their homage to the visual style of The Smashing Pumpkins Disarm video with their video for Near Gone.
-
Robb Donker
LISTEN & SHARE: Bootblacks: 'Veins' LP Liste Noire: 'Brace' LP
Bootblacks: NYC post-punk three-piece Bootblacks just returned from their third European tour in support of their recently released album “Veins,” on French label Manic Depression Records. Now they will finish touring the album with their first show in Canada, and East and West Coast dates, before returning to the studio to record their next release at the legendary Avatar Studios. East Coast shows include a Halloween party with fellow New Yorkers Xeno & Oaklander.
Recent European tour mates Liste Noire from Berlin (formerly Velvet Condom) will be making their US debut and joining them for the tour.
Since the group’s founding in 2010, the Bootblacks sound has been described as a balance of contradictions: both pensive and buoyant, referential and modern. Fitting, as the Bootblacks name is derived from novelist William Burroughs’ description of the dark underbelly of glitzy New York City.
Singer Panther MacDonald lists an eclectic set of influences: Depeche Mode, New Order, Simple Minds, Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division, early U2, as well as the Beatles and David Bowie for lyrical inspiration.
With the completion of “Veins,” the musical journey for Bootblacks is just beginning.
“We’re dedicated musicians,” MacDonald says. “We love touring, we love playing live, and we love recording. For us, it’s not about the vanity of it. There’s a real love of making music.”
Liste Noire: A decade ago, Alice Gift and Oberst Panizza founded their first synth outfit VELVET CONDOM in France and gained cult status in the European underground scene. Their song KALTER LIPPENSTIFT is still a burns dancefloors around the globe and is a hit on youtube with more than 600.000 views.
A few years later they moved to Berlin, the capital of Europe’s club scene and electronic music, and joined forces with the Swedish musician Kali. Together they formed LISTE NOIRE to create a new fusion of cold dance, dreamy guitars and drama. Stunning tracks like TIME IS YOUR CRIME or LEVIATHAN are exemplary of their unique style.
After touring Europe this spring and summer they now play their first American tour along with New Yorker friends Bootblacks - kicking off in Montreal on October 28th. Gigs in NYC, Portland, San Francisco and L.A. are also on the schedule. LISTE NOIRE will charm all compatriots of European synth-wave and bizarre pop. Their sassy performance leaves no one untouched. Every gig on the upcoming tour will be a bracing rendez-vous with the preachers of Disco Noir.
10/28 Montreal – Casa del Popolo 10/29 Brooklyn – The Gateway (Halloween Show) 11/02 NYC – Nothing Changes 11/04 Portland – The High Water Mark 11/05 San Francisco – The Hemlock Tavern 11/06 Los Angeles - Complex
