The Golden Grrrls US tour has started. They are offering a
tour 7” limited to this part of the tour. If you are able to, go see them and
get that record! (Thanks Mike for helping me out on this one!)
The releases for RSD 2013 should be up for you to look at
now. Go check out all of the limited goodies that will be released. Then go
drool at all of the RSD UK releases too.
There is a special release in Japan soon. It is from a company
called Violet and Claire. Is a book called Indie Pop Lesson. It also comes with
a 12” compilation with some interesting bands on it. I am interested in it as
it has a new demo track called Sure from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. It
is a Japanese release so if you are interested outside of Japan you will need
to send an email to the company to secure a copy.
Here we go...
This is the second single released from the Atoms For Peace album AMOK. It
was released in the end of march of this year (2013). It was released as a 12”
single and as a download. It was also released as a limited screen printed 12”.
There were only 100 of the screen printed version made. Thom Yorke pulled the
name of a record store out of a hat from around the world. That record store got
all 100 of the screen printed version to sell. I have seen the screen printed
version up for sale already on the internet. The person listed it at $1200. I
know there are only 100 copies but really?
I talked about the A side of the single, Judge Jury And Executioner, not to long ago in
Vol. 4 Episode 9. Here is what I had to say about it, “This song has been
floating around for quite a while. I have a live version from the recording
that was done at the Orpheum Theater back in 2009. I am very excited to have an
official studio version of the song. The song has a cool start off with a beat
box bass line. This is used sporadically through out the song but is a cool way
to start the song off. The vocals are very cool and the backing vocals are very
floaty additional Yorke vocals. There is also a nice acoustic guitar that fits
between the vocals and human styled bass line. The drums seem to be more
programmed than real/live drums. The vocals work really well and that is why I
like the song. The live version that I have of this song some how doesn’t feel
as full as this studio version. I think that is because the floaty vocals are
not on the live version as is the extra percussion. Both versions have their
merits though.”
The B side of the record is called S.A.D (at about 2:30 the song starts). The song starts
out with some smooth sounding bass. The vocals are just good ole Thom singing
the way he always does. It is so easy to get lost in this song as each layer
comes in and fades out. It is quite mesmerizing really. There are multiple
muted guitar parts and partially distorted sounds. Then there are electronic
parts that sound like percussion and other parts that pad out the back ground
to make the song sound fuller. The bass guitar is really the one thing that
holds the song together. It is unchanging and solid as a rock. This is really a
great song that could have easily been included on the album, AMOK.
This is a cassette that was released as a part of the
Birthday Tapes Horoscope series. It is the fourth release in the series. There
were only 50 copies made of this particular cassette. The series is so rare
that there is even a wax seal on the paper. You can also download it from the
Birthday Tapes Bandcamp page. There are two tracks from each band on the tape.
I have never heard of the band Sex Hands until I read that
they had toured with Golden Grrrls. The first track on this release is called
Fun Bobby. The track is really just a lot of noise. There is a hint of a song
with this track but the mix and general sound is just noise.
The second track, also from Sex Hands, is called Merchyd Yn
Gwallt Eu Gilydd. It looks like gibberish to me. This song has the same sound
issues as the previous track but sounds more like a song than the first track.
That is as much as I’ll give it though.
The third track is from Golden Grrrls. It is called
Xxxuntitledxxxdemo. Obviously, it is because it is a new demo as of 2012
without a name. This track sounds so much better than the tracks that Sex Hands
has on this tape. The vocals are very clear for the style of the group. They
are pushed back a bit into the mix is my only complaint. They still have their
high gain high pitched guitar style that really works for them. As well as the
lower picked single note guitar. It kind of reminds me of Heavenly mixed with Veronica Falls. It sounds really good.
The last track on the cassette, also by Golden Grrrls, is a
different direction for the group. The song is called Beige Beauty. There are
no female vocals on this track and it is very short. The vocals that are on the
track are, obviously, male and very sparse. The vocals are also mixed so that
you can hear that they are being sung but pushed back in the mix so you can’t
tell what is being said. It is a bit disappointing for me because I like the
female vocals with their songs.
If you’re lucky to find this then get it. If you are
interested in it for one or both of the bands then get it right away at the
Birthday Tapes Bandcamp page. You can listen to all four of the tracks on the Taurus page for this release.
This is Wax Idols First single released. It is a non-album
single. It was released in 2011. There are two tracks on the single. The record
was pressed in a few colors, gold, red and black. I have only just gotten into
the group, late, and got a black copy of the single. They are an interesting
low-fi/fuzzpop group from California.
Their sound, from what I have read on reviews of the group, is like that of
groups that are from the UK.
It is very dark and fuzzy, just the way I like it.
The first track, All Too Human, works so well. The drums on
this track are what kill me. it reminds me of the drumming that a friend of
mine use to do in the mid 90s. It is all hits on the fours then seperates into
double hits separated in eighth notes. It is brilliant. The vocals remind me of
Joan Jett with extra vocal processing. Then the guitar has some super cool echo
on it. It all fits together so well.
The B side track is called William Says. It is actually
labeled differently on the record. On the record it reads, “Gooey Gooey
(William Says)”. This one is very good too with the distortion put on the bass.
The vocals are very interesting as they never seem to go where I think they
should but still work in the song. The guitar on this one is lots of echo and
noise. It is a good track, just not the one you want to hear day in and day
out.
This is the second non-album single that the group has
released. It was released in 2012. It is a two track single like All Too Human
was. This one had a color release in green or black. I got a black copy through
Discogs. It did come with a download so I did not need to clean the record or
play it for that matter right away. I will put it away for later. They have
cleaned their sound up from the last album and single with this release.
The first track is called Shadenfreude. The guitars don’t
get lost in the atmospheric sound that is created like it did with the All Too
Human single. This track actually comes off sounding a bit like the Yeah, Yeah,
Yeahs actually. The vocals are cleaned up to give the female vocals that Yeah,
Yeah, Yeahs sound. I am not a fan of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs but the clarity
actually works with the Wax Idols sound.
The B side of this record is called The Last Drop. The bass
has a nice slight overdriven sounding distortion at the start of the notes that
are played. This is the sound that I like and use in some of my recordings
actually. The guitar has a nice reverb and possibly a bit of phase shift on it.
It gives the guitar a sort of psychedelic sound to it. It is very cool
sounding. The vocals are the same as the previous track except there are some
backing vocals done with this track giving it something extra. The drums on
this track are very bold but no over the top.
I would say that both of these tracks are on track with
moving the band in a better direction. It helps to have better production as a
group moves forward too. I am very excited to hear what the new album has in
store.
That is all for now...
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