trio

All girl twee pop trio Liechtenstein has released their debut full length “Survival Strategies in a Modern World ” on – who else – Oakland’s Slumberland Records, also home to one Cause Co-Motion! (our favourites), Crystal Stilts, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (not our favorites).

Our fave noise rock outfit from Wales is back with another top notch album, I’m sure most of you have watched the video but read the lyrics and watch it again. Album soon to be released.

A few weeks ago I’ve been contacted by Pierrick from Distile Records, an up and coming Paris/NY label focusing on instrumental/noise/math rock. I listened to one of their bands,SWIMS and right away the amazing Claypoolesque bass-tapping hit me. After listening to most of the label back-catalogue, I’m amazed with the quality of their roster.

I’ve been listening to more and more rock these days because there’s a slew of creative stuff coming out on smaller labels. Take Steel Mammoth a band who describes themselves with the following passage : “A lonesome engine cries, howling in the cruel crüel night! Nuclear nightmare, atomic style! Shadow barbarians with lazer eyes, radiation village, the black fire burning bright!

15 Battles – Mirrored (Warp Records) : Everybody’s been talking about “Mirrored” this year, and they kind of deserve it for getting their oddtimed dissonant music to find strange acclaim from mainstream circles as well as mathheads.
14 Deejay OM – Reheated Naan and Curry (Galapagos4) : A fine hybrid of Indian samples mixed with beats. Somehow liked it much more than Madlib’s take. Past

Cuneiform never fails to impress us with a steady supply of brilliant albums. Here’s a new album, by the band that I still haven’t been able to pronounce correctly : Ahleuchatistas. The North Carolina power trio belongs to the increasing number of brilliant progressive math rock albums that I’ve been listening to this year, full of odd times, shifting rhythms, janglnig guitars and other extremities.

An excellent return to form by the all powerful Steve Albini, producer of countless milestone albums, this time with his own band Shellac, which has been silent since 2000’s 1000 Hurts. It’s been well worth the wait as “Excellent Italian Greyhound” is aesthetically and musically sublime.

* Sir Salvatore, is playful indie with a clean pop style from SF.
* 65daysofstatic the 4 piece electropostrock band from Sheffield, UK
* Infants have chaotic Hella like beats mixed with the furiousity of Atari Teenage Riot with a messier sound.
* Beta Valentine is from Austin, TX.