It was the week that finally saw the long overdue collapse of the White Stripes. (Face it, they were done by the time Elephant reared it’s all too crowd-pleasing, demographic cow catching head to a trend spotting pop coalition of the willing). Other big things happening this weekend, with Exrays' release party tonight at Café Du Nord with Tim Cohen’s Magick Trick, and Sugar and Gold playing the Rickshaw Stop Saturday. Also, SF Indiefest is in full swing. But here are the things effecting the pop machers on the Goldmine Sacks radar, in no particular order.
Ringo Deathstarr’s album Colour Trip mines the dream pop soundscapes that gave us products like Chapterhouse and certainly made it more than okay for Kevin Shields’ little brother Jimi to have a band of his own. Colour Trip will be available February 14 on AC30 in the UK and via Sonic Unyon stateside.
Ringo Deathstarr – Imagine Hearts by Club AC30
The video is pretty cool too.
Ringo Deathstarr, “Imagine Hearts”
Still Flyin’ dropped their album Neu Ideas this week and has provided us with an opportunity to premiere the TRON-inspired video for “Bull Riff.” What 80s flashback track is complete without neon lazer-imagined realities? My thoughts exactly.
Still Flyin', “Bull Riff” (Directed by Isobel Knowles )
Still Flyin', “Bull Riff” from Impose on Vimeo.
Local boyzzz Nodzzz have done the deed and signed to Woodsist for their upcoming album Innings. It's not just an homage to our town of World Championship winners the Giants, but a reference to the band’s love of the great national past time, one they hold with a reverence on par with that which they have for band practice. Enjoy their latest jangly offering.
Nodzzz, “Time (What's It Going to Do?)”
Check them out on the road or with the Mantles creating some mayhem in the UK mid-march.
February
24 Portland, OR East End
25 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern with Gun Outfit, Milk Music, HPP
26 Olympia, WA House show with Gun Outfit
March
02 San Francisco, CA Knockout
03 San Diego, CA Tin Can Alehouse with English Singles
04 Los Angeles, CA The Smell
05 Sacramento, CA The Hub with the Finches
Also the Bay Area’s Steve Taylor has recently gone rogue from his keyboard duties with Rogue Wave and become an integral part of Oakland’s progressive rock improv phenomenon Innerspace, who are setting sail on a west coast tour this month. They already kicked things off with a solo gig at Cel Space as part of the Indiefest, but you can see this multi-talented visionary at these places and dates:
February
03 The Cell Space San Francisco, CA
12 The Lounge Underground Monterey, CA
15 The Soda Bar San Diego, CA with Alameda
16 Genghis Cohen Los Angeles, CA
March
03 Sam Bond's Garage Eugene, OR
04 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR with The Dimes, Hello Morning
06 The Sunset Tavern Seattle, WA with Honey.moon.tree
10 The Towne Lounge Chico, CA
UK producer Tom Marshall’s Dam Mantle project has a new album coming out March 8 called First Wave on Growing Records and a track to share called “Movement.” It plays like a symphonic movement of wood winds recorded to CD with a finger on the forward “seek” button. The effect is a fluttering that one could mistake for “glitch” sensibilities, but perhaps that term reduces the skipping whimsicality of what could also be the sound of tomorrow’s choral movements.
Dam Mantle – Movement by forcefieldpr
You can find Dam Mantle on a national tour next month with Gold Panda.
March
16 19 Austin, TX SXSW
22 Vancouver, BC Fortune Sound Club
23 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge
24 Portland, OR Rotture
25 San Francisco, CA 103 Harriet
27 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
29 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
30 Toronto, ON TBA
31 Philadelphia, PA The Arch
April
01 Washington, DC Red Palace
02 Brooklyn, NY Public Assembly
With only a few weeks away from the February 22 release of his new album Underneath the Pine on Carpark Records, and excessive SXSW showcase buzz, Toro Y Moi dropped this single “New Beat” for the chillwave sympathizers. There's real charm to this disco track, packed as it is with enough classic synth emulators to fill Giorgio Moroder's Italian villa.
Toro Y Moi “New Beat” by carparkrecords
Vivian Girls have a new single to share with us called “I Heard You Say” from their upcoming Polyvinyl release, Share the Joy. Some lovely harmonizing happening here with alongside subtle surf moments and a pinch of melancholy to help you commiserate, should you find yourself snowed in ‘til spring.
Vivian Girls, “I Heard You Say”
If electro vibes are what you seek, check out the works and reworkings by Com Truise, aka producer Seth Haley. A full length entitled Galactic Melt hits the shops May, while the Cyanide Sisters EP and “Innerface” singles are an electro breed worthy of a Warp records stamp of approval. “Innerfacer” provides some great sequencing that will remind some of Lemon Jelly wrapped in downy synthesizer comforters.
“Colorvision” continues the 80s trend of playing sounds that could have shared starring bill with Haley’s referential namesake. Listen and see.
Colorvision (WIP) by Com Truise
If your still not convinced, check out the Com Truise re-workings of Neon Indian, Franklin and Twin Shadow.
Neon Indian – Sleep Paralysist (Com Truise 'Disorder' Remix) by Com Truise
Franklin – I know (Com Truise Remix) by Com Truise
Twin Shadow – Castles In The Snow (Com Truise Remix) by Com Truise
With the latest breadcrumb offering from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, we hear producers Flood and Alan Moulder attempting to make them sound like all the band's heroes that F and AM also produced some 20-some years ago. And I must give it to TPOBPAH: this is the grittiest and crunchiest I have ever heard them. “Belong” illustrates the painstaking process of having pure at heart producers who can make a group of tea time tossies sound like a Knebworth massive. Proper bo indeed, Belong hits the streets March 29.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart “Belong” by Slumberland Records
Also, golden boys Smith Westerns are touring with Yuck on the following dates:
February
04 Tallahassee FL Club Downunder
05 Baton Rouge Spanish Moon
06 Houston TX Fitzgeralds
07 Austin TX Emos
08 Dallas TX The Loft
10 Phoenix AZ Rhythm Room
11 Los Angeles CA Echo
12 Costa Mesa CA Detroit Bar
13 San Francisco CA Bottom of the Hill
From the sound of things, SW have themselves a nice paring. Don’t let the name fool you, Yuck have a similar wide-eyed-in-the-world sound that blends the sentimental and pensive into ballads that beat with an optimistic passion rarely seen amid the self-conscious sectors of bedroom rockers.
If you have yet to hear Fresh & Onlys, they are setting out on a tour with Crocodiles, Growlers and Young Prisms. Check ‘em.
February
27 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill with Growlers, Pleasure Kills, Wrong Words
March
16 – 19 Austin, TX SXSW
21 San Diego, CA Tin Can Alehouse
22 Los Angeles, CA Echo
April
12 Denver, CO Hi Dive with Young Prisms
13 Lawrence, KS The Jackpot Saloon with Young Prisms
14 Bloomington, IN The Bishop with Young Prisms
15 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox with Young Prisms
18 Cincinnati, OH MOTR Pub with Young Prisms
19 Saint Louis, MO The Billiken Club with Crocodiles
20 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall with Crocodiles and Young Prisms
21 Toronto, ON Parts & Labour with Young Prisms
22 Montreal, QC Il Motore with Young Prisms
23 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg with Crocodiles, Young Prisms
24 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie with Crocodiles, Young Prisms
25 Washington, DC Red Palace with Crocodiles, Young Prisms
27 Atlanta, GA The Earl with Crocodiles, Young Prisms
28 Birmingham AL Bottletree with Crocodiles, Young Prisms
