Words by Jonathan Stout
When not doing freelance writing, Jonathan Stout is heavily involved in the NKY and Cincinnati music scenes as the Marketing Manager for Kentucky based venue The Southgate House Revival and founder of DIY Recording label Lo Fi City Recordings. He’s also an active musician, performing and recording with Sleepy Drums, Mutt Fuzz, Burnt Cabins and gewgaw.
Osees returned with the surprise release Cara Maluco last week. For a band that remained so sonically adventurous for so long, genre hopping from album to album, it’s been interesting to hear them settle into a consistent new sound. Instead of making a complete left turn as they have in the past, Cara Maluco combines the approaches and sounds that they’ve honed over the past few years and leans into their strengths. Having previously established their breadth of ability, they can now feel completely empowered to put electro punk, sludgy psych, exploratory prog and synthy kraut rock back to back without catching fans off guard. Make no mistake – Dwyer is still the king of this realm and is somehow still sounding as inspired, pissed and playful as ever. Even in a day and age where bands are ripping off his sound right and left, he still does it better than anyone else.
Are you sad that it’s been so long since Fuzz released an album? We’ve got a band that may help to scratch that itch! The mighty Earth Tongue recently resurfaced with their highly anticipated new collection of rippers, Dungeon Vision (In The Red), and if you’re looking to bang your head and smash some bongs, look no further! Right out of the gates this band grabs your attention with the opening title track- their heavy duo sound and mirrored male/female vocals drive this fuzzy metal machine into a collection of 12 scorchers that never really let up. Imagine if Ty Segall’s Slaughterhouse was soundtracking a goth renaissance fest where everyone was acid tripping and you’ll begin to be on the right track. This is a super solid release that builds upon the fierceness of their earlier material and develops it further to also feature dynamic, melodically mysterious numbers like “Body of Water” and “Harvester” that help bring variety. This is a really exciting, fun band to keep your eye on if you’re into heavy, sludgy psych (and why else would you be here?).
EXEK finally released their new full length, Prove the Mountains Move (DFA), after a series of teaser singles and I can’t recommend this new collection of songs enough. A uniquely experimental band, existing in the growingly claustrophobic world of modern post punk, Prove the Mountains Move might be their most concise and focused release to date. While still keeping with minimalist arrangements, these songs build, pulse and undulate with more melodious lead hooks than ever. “You Have Been Blessed” sounds timeless-like it could’ve been left on the cutting room floor of Eno’s Another Green World or John Cale’s Artificial Intelligence. If you couldn’t get the drift from those references, this is a very synth driven release, and the band is able to master the instruments’ capabilities, ranging from atmospheric to nearly crackling heights. Indeed, although the arrangements sound simple initially, the more deep listening you do the more textures slowly come out of the woodwork. There’s an overcast, drizzly existential melancholy covering most, there’s also an abundant sense of calm. I accidentally listened to this album four times in a row when I first sat down with it because it’s music that you can check in and out of with ease but can also provide a profoundly deep listening experience.
MEMORIALS is the duo of Electrelane frontwoman Verity Susman and Wire / It Hugs Back guitarist Matthew Simms and their new release, All Clouds Bring Not Rain, releases on March 27 (Fire Records). The album was entirely self-created and recorded in a barn studio deep in the woods of southwestern France. The air of intimate, often freewheeling experimentation that this setting allowed is evident pretty quickly as All Clouds Bring Not Rain often switches vibes and directions not only from song to song, but even often mid-composition. The result is a record that feels like an unearthed lost classic: melodic yet unconventional, intimate yet expansive. The band is able to create a unique and timeless sound that could be as fresh in the 60s and 90s as it is now. Featuring moments of somber introspection sandwiched together with Nuggets ready boppers, the varied nature of the tracklist keeps the flow of the album very interesting. Drawing from folk, dub, post-punk, experimental tape music, ’60s soul, garage rock, spiritual jazz, and Canterbury prog, MEMORIALS are able to create a refreshing take from classic influences. There’s a certain Stereolab-esque retro-futurism going on here that should be very appealing to audiences new and old. This is a cerebral release that demands multiple listens to fully absorb. From the production filled with lush textures to the unexpected song structures and haunting melodies, there’s a lot of stimulating content here to immerse oneself in.