Duck Fight Goose, Carsick Cars, White+, Alpine Decline,
Tag: indie rock
No Action – Never Close – 13th February 2014
Cat #: 132TZM
Adelaide stalwarts No Action return with the first single from their long-gestating, as-yet-untitled debut LP. The A-side, Never Close, refines their melodic punk influences into spiky, anthemic 90s college-rock territory. The B-side, Ride in the Whirlwind (exclusive to this release) slows the pace, offering jangly introspection and self-deprecating charm in equal measure. Another hook-laden 45 from one of Australia’s most prolific and underrated bands, this one-time pressing is limited to 100 copies. Sure to please fans of Silkworm, Archers of Loaf, Mission of Burma, Comet Gain et al. This one smarts.
After Argument – Furs of Time – 9th February 2014
Cat # 154TZM
Poetic Post Punk.
Licensed from Share in Obstacles.
Yang Haisong (Guitar, Vocals)
Zaza (Drums, Vocals)
Beijing. Since 2011.
Alpine Decline – Go Big Shadow City – 31st January 2014
Cat #: 156TZM
After 4 full albums in two years, Alpine Decline retreated back underground throughout 2013 to write and record their fifth full-length “Go Big Shadow City”, again with friend and co-conspirator Yang Haisong. Cataloguing experiences both lived and fictional ”Go Big Shadow City” is the sound of Beijing itself, as heard from the outside. Cigarette vapours caked onto countless km’s of 2” tape, street-level, ear-burning progress filtered through carcinogenic dust.
Alternative China – 6th January 2014
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Pangbianr, The Dyne, White+, Chui Wan
Alternative China – 10th December 2013
P.K.14 – 1984 – 3rd December 2013
Cat #: 151TZM
“1984” is P.K.14’s follow-up to “City Weather Sailing” and comes after a five-year hiatus. The name of the album was inspired by “1984”, the dystopian political fable and the final novel by English writer George Orwell (1903-1950). Most of Orwell’s works have a vitality that has only grown stronger over time. Likewise, P.K.14’s music also has an astonishing, enduring vitality that prompts the listener to think and come to his or her senses.
The band’s fifth studio album, “1984” was recorded in October 2012 at Electrical Audio in Chicago with the help of legendary American producer Steve Albini, whose previous collaborations include Nirvana, The Pixies, Cheap Trick and P.J. Harvey. All tracks were mixed in Sweden by producer Henrik Oja, who also worked on P.K.14’s first three albums.
In a departure from their usual recording process, for this album, the band first went to Sweden to rehearse for a week with Oja, who worked a lot on the guitar and organ. Together they put the final touches to the beautifully crafted sound that has now become P.K.14’s trademark.
As with Orwell’s novel, “1984” is a spotlight in the dark, with songwriter Yang Haisong’s haunting and subtly satirical lyrics speaking of harsh reality.
“You and me walked a long, long road / You and me once left the world behind us / You and me once heard their jeering laughs / They welcomed us to the world of being controlled” (You and Me)
“I’ve already forgotten everything that’s happened / I live in a world without truth / I’ve already forgotten everything that’s happened / That which is miraculous couldn’t be more miraculous / That which is dead couldn’t be more dead” (Crazed Woman)
Yang Haisong’s powerful and poetic texts – and subtexts – hold a mirror up to the world and warn of a life lived in “1984”, where just having a thought can be a very dangerous thing. If that day arrives, at least we know “the Public Kingdom For Teen” will be in our corner, singing a war cry.
Narrow Lands – Popular Music That Will Live Forever – 20th November 2013
Cat #: 148TZM
Once known to jangle, Sydney band Narrow Lands have turned their hands to rumbling. Since adding a baritone guitar to their mix, their music has become heavier, darker, weirder and, well, simply better.
On their debut LP, the guys from Narrow Lands mix the sweet grittiness of punk with a thundering mess of noise/feedback, in the spirit of bands like Swans or Dead China Doll.
Recorded in two days in mid-winter, in a shed behind Alan’s parents’ place on a little farm west of Bathurst, Narrow Lands aimed to keep the LP sounding as fresh, authentic and ferocious as possible.
Each ridiculous sound you might hear here is an experiment with the potential of an instrument, a way of allowing things to ‘freak out’ without forcing the issue. The result hits you like a friendly punch in the guts.
A co-operative release between tenzenmen and Octopus Pi (www.facebook.com/Octopuspi)
Yes I’m Leaving – 5th November 2013
Cat #: 110TZM
“Yes I’m Leaving’s first self-titled album was recorded in a rehearsal room in an industrial district in Rydalmere a suburb in the outer west of Sydney over three hours on a date I can’t recall.
The band had been writing and playing sporadically for a while with members travelling or moving to eventually return to a time upon which their music could be captured to ‘tape’. Microphones were aimed at a set of guitar combos, a bass rig, a mouth and a drumkit and then plugged into a recording machine, quickly checked for levels and then, in the end, 13 songs were ringing away in the headphones.
I guess the songs are either attempts at nasty snide repetition, improvised ‘feel’, or just a stabby mean sound usually all at once. If you listen you’ll hear a string snap at the end of a song and a frustrated swear word. Some songs had only been put together the week before so were highly volatile. I don’t even know how I made some of the noises on that recording, I kind of like that. It was mixed the same night and originally put onto tape and cd as a release. Now it has been mastered with a bit more kick in the bass and an upsized screenprint + insert, on random coloured vinyl.” Billy Bourke.
1994ever 