#Wharf Cat Records

[innovacancy]

Bambara Fete Lounge, Providence, RI 18 October 2023

[bandcampsnoop]

8/10/23.

NOTE: This was supposed to post yesterday, but I posted it in the wrong spot. So here it is...

Drop Nineteens are another band reforming 30 years later. I've loved these reunion albums for a several reasons. First, I love the idea of friends coming back to make music years later - I appreciate that the passion and love for music stays strong. Second, some of these "reformation" albums are strong - the recent Vacant Lot post comes immediately to mind. Also, those Mission of Burma albums for the late aughts/early 2010s were outstanding. And finally, sometimes the reformation brings a band across my radar for the first time.

All three appear to be true on "Hard Light", the new album from Drop Nineteens (Boston, Massachusetts). And while I'm not the biggest fan of shoegaze, I do like it. This reminds me of some Yo La Tengo, and Erik Blood (listen to Touch Screens).

Wharf Cat is releasing this on the heels of another reformed band release from Bush Tetras.

[bandcampsnooper]

8/10/23.

Drop Nineteens are another band reforming 30 years later. I've loved these reunion albums for a several reasons. First, I love the idea of friends coming back to make music years later - I appreciate that the passion and love for music stays strong. Second, some of these "reformation" albums are strong - the recent Vacant Lot post comes immediately to mind. Also, those Mission of Burma albums for the late aughts/early 2010s were outstanding. And finally, sometimes the reformation brings a band across my radar for the first time.

All three appear to be true on "Hard Light", the new album from Drop Nineteens (Boston, Massachusetts). And while I'm not the biggest fan of shoegaze, I do like it. This reminds me of some Yo La Tengo, and Erik Blood (listen to Touch Screens).

Wharf Cat is releasing this on the heels of another reformed band release from Bush Tetras.

[jazznoisehere]

Bush Tetras: They Live In My Head (Wharf Cat Records, 2023)

[noloveforned]

putting together stuff for tonight's no love for ned on wlur at 8pm. you can catch a repeat of last week's show immediately after at 10pm to give you four solid hours of whatever it is i do on the radio. as is the new norm, last week's show is below and streaming on mixcloud for those of you with more exciting friday night plans!

no love for ned on wlur – july 21st, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the certain someones // sad salvation // murderecords 7" singles 1993-1998 compilation // murderecords the edsel auctioneer // slouch // simmer // decoy cheerbleederz // cute as hell // even in jest // alcopop! guardian singles // pit viper // feed me to the doves // trouble in mind the ape-ettes // hearing protection // simply the ape-ettes // snappy little numbers the dad // 2nd best friends // 7 a.m. 7" // unread snooper // pod // super snõõper // third man dr. sure's unusual practice // carol // remember the future? live from the future // marthouse keel her // boner hit // with me tonight 7" // o genesis uppendix // desire's not the one // bliss is solipsis // discontinuous innovation famous mammals // comets for poets // instant pop expressionism now! // siltbreeze private lives // hit record // hit record // feel it andrew savage // thanksgiving prayer // several songs about fire // rough trade prairiewolf // sage thrasher // prairiewolf // centripetal force matthew sage // tilth dawn rustles // paradise crick // rvng intl. laraaji and kramer // ascension // baptismal // shimmy-disc anton lukoszevieze, alexander hawkins and heather roche // variations vii and ix (excerpt) // jack cooper 'arrival' // astral spirits carlos niño // brooklyn zoom, brooklyn zoom // international anthem at public records volume four, december 10th, 2022 // international anthem mike reed featuring marvin tate // call off tomorrow // flesh and bone // 482 music john coltrane // impressions // evenings at the village gate // impulse! napoleon da legend and giallo point // game plan // coup d'etat // fxck rxp billy woods and kenny segal featuring quelle chris // soundcheck // maps // backwoodz studioz kenny g featuring barry johnson // hi, how ya doin'? // g force // arista wendell harrison // the glamorous life // the carnivorous lady // rebirth snoh aalegra // be my summer // be my summer digital single // atrium bernice // underneath my toe // cruisin' ep // telephone explosion ivy // get out of the city // apartment life demos // bar/none bonne idée // it will be back // a dream of you 7" // cloudberry lily konigsberg // at best a #3 // the best of lily konigsberg right now // wharf cat u.s. highball // see you in hell // no thievery, just cool // lame-o the particles // driving me // 1980s bubblegum // chapter music

[omegaremix]

Captured Tracks, 2022.

What makes Omega WUSB great is how we create tributes as part of what we play on air. They allow us to get to know our favorite labels better and gives our listeners a nicer surprise from our usual spinning-wheel craziness. Most of them we previously featured are from New York City such as Sacred Bones, Hospital Productions, Wharf Cat, and Mexican Summer. Just recently, Captured Tracks joined that list of labels that deserved it. Do a little due diligence (say that three times fast) and you’ll see that Mike Sniper has had his hands in plenty of things. He owns the umbrella Omnian Group, does illustration for other artists, made music as Blank Dogs, and was part of other bands, too. And he’s owned a couple of record stores, too. Sideman Records was up for a couple of years until the y recently closed down, but his other store named after his Captured Tracks label, is still up. That’s good because I’ve been meaning to visit.

After Amityville’s High Fidelity wiped me out like no other (two visits cost me $893.00 in total), I had one more stop I was planning to visit and call it quits. That was Innersleeve Records until I took a better look at their sticker prices posted on social media. Right then and there I declared my island-wide record store victory tour finally over and any city-wide visit to other stores were treated as “bonus rounds”, which two visits to Academy’s Brooklyn and Manhattan locations already counted. Captured Tracks just posted some nice pics- of their stock and I’ve been meaning to go, so let’s give a proper end to a great expensive run.

I arrived at the Central Islip station, sweltering in the low 80’s and as bright as bright can be. The train took off westbound to Penn Station for a 75-minute ride. I told myself it was going to be a great day. When I did, I noticed something somewhat disappointing. Nothing said there was going to be pending thunderstorms for the next few days, but here they come as I looked to my right. Surely enough daylight went dark and it came down hard from Jamaica all the way to Penn Station. I didn’t come above and out to 34th Street to experience it because I went under to catch the ‘E’ line. Everyone waiting for the alphabet lines were baking and drenched in sweat from all the unbearable post-rain humidity filling the platforms beneath. Thank the Lord for air-conditioned transit. I got off at 23rd and Court Square to the ‘G’ and finally came up at the Greenpoint Ave. stop. It was all clear, as if the horrible weather never happened. You wouldn’t even noticed, either.

Down Manhattan Ave., I turn left on Calyer St. and look for #195. Where the hell is it? I look up and there was the wooden Captured Tracks sign nailed above the window. I wouldn’t have realized that I walked past it as it was perfectly blended in the residential buildings. How cute. I walk up the stairs only to be confronted by a closed door and push-button lock. It can’t fucking be. I look below and there was a flight of concrete steps leading to the basement entrance. Immediately I felt an amazing spell, as if I just discovered a well-hidden secret that almost no one knew. I never entered a music-store this way. That’s what made it magical.

I walk through the front door to find not that many people lurking for new finds. There were only three staffers: one behind the counter checking their Discogs store online, another restocking the vinyl bins, and the last sitting behind the desk in the back corner observing Lord knows what. None of them were Mike Sniper. I walk around the narrow space which was mostly nice and neatly organized; a cellar space adorned with chipped paint on the walls, pipes and valves that would make Super Mario and Luigi gladly pay their 100 coins a month each to live in. I reminded myself why I was here in the first place: to see if their selection matches that of what their label offered.

Captured Tracks were the kings of organization. Everything organized by genre, label, and artist name. Sure, they had the standard classic rock, psych-, and metal LPs. But walk around and they had a full selection of jazz, soul, and R&B to start. They carried several bins of classic disco and dance classified right down to the label. Salsoul, Motown, Casablanca - they weren’t handwritten but instead their tabs and dividers were logo’ed. Want classic motion picture soundtracks from the Eighties-on backward? Pre-war jazz and vocals? Reggae and Bollywood? Greek, Israeli, Brazilian, French, Italian, and Latin artists? They specialize what the other stores don’t. Almost nothing where it shouldn’t be.

First order of business was the cassette section nailed right next to the entrance. They had way less on the shelves than they posted and nothing got to me. In the middle of the store were…eight-tracks? Fifteen of them were posted on a board in the middle of the store. That’s all they had. If I had a player, then no doubt I would be even consider spending $30.00 for either Lonnie Liston Smith’s Expansions and Roy Ayers’ Red Black And Green for $35.00. Adjacent to them were a small pot of CDs, maybe no more that a hundred. So what did I say about how hard it was finding Suicide albums? For $7.00 I was able to get Alan Vega’s Mutator. What tasteless muppet who knows nothing about art and culture sold his copy back to the store? Which other labelmate of his was also in the pot? Marissa Nadler, of course. Her latest full-length The Path Of The Clouds cost $12.00, the highest-priced purchase of the day.

No record-store excursion would be complete without getting a crack at some jazz and fusion. Same to be said about what Roy Ayers records they had. Still no A Tear To A Smile, but instead Let’s Do It sitting in which I already had. But, going across I did find plenty familiar artists with albums I never seen before in the wild from Ron Carter, Ramsay Lewis, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Herbie Mann, and Hank Crawford. I had a chance to pick up two Kool & The Gang records: Wild And Peaceful and The Force. I held off because off of Wild And Peaceful there was “Hollywood Swingin’” and “Jungle Boogie”, and I wouldn’t have been happy if the entire record went in that direction. The Force reminded me that I wasn’t familiar with -The Gang aside from those two, “Summer Madness”, and Love And Understanding. Going a little bit to the right to Hubert Laws’ divider and I find found it: How To Beat The High Cost Of Living with Earl Klugh. That was a huge personal win for me. That motion-picture soundtrack was part of last year’s impeccable, memorable, golden Spring.

Captured Tracks had a small section for hip-hop / rap LPs and 12” singles. Nothing piqued my interest as I wouldn’t spent more than a few dollars on a piece of wax with one or two songs. Their selection of those artists jumped around ranging from Eighties mainstays to Nineties unknowns. The only thing I took with me from those bins was Kool Moe Dee’s Knowledge Is King and that was it.

I figured to give the soul bins a shot and I win another Blackbyrds record, a tattered copy of Bootsy Collins Rubber Band, and The Olympic Runners’ Don’t Let Up - one which would sound so familiar if you’re a Planet Asia & Talib Kweli fan.

Across from the front desk were two stations with four bins each of new arrivals with lots of rare, unknown, and obscure jazz, rock, soul, and soundtracks. Of the fifteen minutes it took me to thumb through it all, the only thing I saw of interest was Blank Stare’s self-titled. It may have been their only hardcore / punk title in the entire store Captured Tracks had as they weren’t known to carry much of it. During that time of lurking through their new arrivals did the staff bring up how much of a psychotic asshole Drew Carey was in real life, and speculated if his Hollywood personality was the reason why his then-wife took her own life. Their words, not mine.

But do give them lots of points as possible for having a straight, organized, and in-reach section of 45’s and 7” records (take that, High Fidelity!). I counted at least 50 categorized white boxes labeled with jukebox hits, punk, new-wave, jazz, country, rock, decades, and more. They had more than enough of reggae and soul with new arrivals of 45’s up for grabs as well with dedicated boxes of legendary artists (Elvis) and others divided and categorized. Good thing I’m still thirsty for Eighties’ hits from my Atari childhood and I bought plenty of them. Simple Minds, Janet Jackson, Kim Carnes, Thomspon Twins. No shame here, and neither should anyone feel it when they practice self-care.

Displayed were many top-dollar records on the wall and over the bins. Those carried the heaviest prices. A copy of Fear’s debut clocked in for $30.00 and The Dictators Go Girl Crazy goes for $40.00. Buzzcocks’ In A Different Kitchen and Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bullocks were stickered for $45.00. The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead went for $50.00 and their self-titled for $55.00. The 7” records on the wall were just a criminal. $25.00 got you Merzbow & Gore Beyond Necropsy’s Rectal Grinder on blue vinyl. Another blue (transparent) 7” was posted which was KRS-One’s “Sound Of The Police” remix which went for $50.00 ($70.00 on Discogs at the time of posting). Two Pharcyde singles were also pinned to the wall: “Otha Fish” sold for $25.00 while “Passin’ Me By” was asking for $60.00. For a piece of wax? That’s insanity, but Brooklyn’s residents need to pony up that rent money, don’t they?

On the floor were many crates of $3.00 records which never occurred to me to burrow through, and they had tons of shelves of LPs under the bins but were marked ‘not for sale’. Might be for the better. It would’ve eaten up another hour-and-a-half of my time and maybe more of my wallet. On the other side was the usual classic rock every store needs to sell in order to stay in business. The most amusing? All the Eric Clapton records were under the ‘Craptonia’ section. (Either they hate his anti-masking stance or have a thing with loved ones falling to their deaths.) I looked through all I could and something didn’t add up: where were all those indie and post-punk / d.i.y. I was looking forward to find? I didn’t see any. I assumed Captured Tracks would carry that kind of stuff because they have Mac Demarco, Beach Fossils, DIIV, Molly Burch, and Wild Nothing on their label. And they’re from Brooklyn. How could they not have stuff like Yard Act’s debut release, Special Interest, Gong Gong Gong, Guerilla Toss, or anything from Wharf Cat? Which was why I had a field day at Rough Trade (before moving out of Williamsburg) and both of Academy’s locations. But at least they had a Thee Oh Sees record somewhere. That qualifies, right?

I’m about five minutes away from declaring an end to this year’s record-store victory tour. I took my pile of finds to the front counter to be added up. I asked the guy with the blonde hair and glasses if those records marked ‘not for sale’ were really off-limits. He explained that they were Discogs stock for the store and need to keep tabs on their stock, which was fine by me. Pain alleviated. He gave me a couple of titles for free and everything came out to $118.00 including New York State (vampire) tax. Good thing I brought two totes with me because I wasn’t taking any chances having my purchase melt in this 90* July heat. Not happening now, not happening ever. I thanked him for everything, walked upstairs and out on Calyer St. with my stash to a bright, clear, glorious Greenpoint sky.

**********

It’s over. It’s finally over. With me leaving Captured Tracks, the record-store victory tour has come to an official close. I did all that I wanted to do and then more. Almost two months of intensive free-spending without worry and practicing self-care and individualism to the fullest. I was the sun which everything else revolved around - the ventures to Queens and Brooklyn, Easter with my Italian Coney Island family, Roman connections, an ambitious Summer broadcasting season at WUSB, the spirit of Sacred Bones’ 15th Anniversary showcase permanently swirling around me, visits to the retro video arcade down the road from me, seeing friends from the Brentwood era, dinner in Calverton, and a small but all-essential conversation with my #1 favorite ginger. I’ve been spinning up some good spaces on the wheel with no signs of losing.

While walking up to Manhattan Ave. to catch the ‘G’ line, I noticed that a curious point of interest had its doors open. That place was Sunshine Laundromat, a locale I’ve read all about but been meaning to visit for the longest time. It’s an actual laundromat with a concealed backdoor that opens up to reveal a backroom pinball arcade. I never noticed it being there until now but finally I found it! It was only 5:45PM and I had all the time in the world to spare. So why not go in? I have nothing to lose.

I enter the laundromat and I slowly look around. It’s a very narrow space to maneuver around with only two or three pinball tables present and a wall of built-in washing machines and dryers. I notice a lady in the back sorting out a mound of clothes. Behind her is that door that leads to (multiball) paradise. I peer right behind her as she looks up and notices me.

“Hi! How can I help you?” she greets me with a smile. I told her that with genuine interest that I read about the laundromat and asked her if the backroom is open. She told me that they’re under renovations but also are awaiting to have their permit approved by the city. She also said that most likely if all goes to plan, then the arcade will re-open for business in a few weeks. It was alleviating news that made me feel good on the inside and made me walk out a more hopeful being.

It was a mood experiencing two crowded subway cars sharing cramped space with everyone imaginable. It wasn’t an eternal wait for the Central Islip line to arrive which the big ride out east was symbolic in itself. Not many people boarded the car I was riding. I sat facing away in the opposite direction. The 7PM sun in its intense beaming yellow glory was all alone in the sky with no clouds or miserable humidity to share it with. Both The Offset: Spectacles followed by Daniel Johnston’s “In A Lifetime” play along with the air conditioner’s cold snap on the way home as I think about what August and September will have in store for me.

The wheel landed on ‘DOUBLE YOUR MONEY’. I told myself it was going to be a great day. And I was right.

Jon Lucien: Premonition LP

Ron Carter: Peg Leg LP

Ramsey Lewis: Love Notes LP

Hubert Laws & Earl Klugh: How To Beat The High Cost Of Living LP

Weather Report: Tale Spinnin’ LP

Olympic Runners: Don’t Let Up LP

Bootsy’s Rubber Band: Stretchin’ It Out In… LP

Jeff Lorber Fusion, The: self-titled LP

Blackbyrds: Unfinished Business LP

Herbie Mann: Sunbelt LP

Hank Crawford: Cajun Sunrise LP

Kool Moe Dee: Knowledge Is King LP

Blank Stare: self-titled LP

Police, The: “Every Breath You Take” 7”

Simple Minds: “Don’t You Forget About Me” 7”

Bangles, The: “In Your Room” 7”

Thompson Twins: “Hold Me Now” 7”

Janet Jackson: “Let’s Wait A While” 7”

Kim Carnes: “Bette Davis Eyes” b/w “Miss You Tonight” 7”

Alan Vega: Mutator CD

Marissa Nadler: The Path Of The Clouds CD

[beginningspod]

It's time for Beginnings, the podcast where writer and performer Andy Beckerman talks to the comedians, writers, filmmakers and musicians he admires about their earliest creative experiences and the numerous ways in which a creative life can unfold.

On today's episode, I talk to musicians Pat Place and Cynthia Sley of Bush Tetras. Both art students, Cynthia and Pat moved to New York in the 1970s and were soon sucked into the music scene. Pat became one of the founders and the guitarist of James Chance and the Contortions, and then in 1979, the two formed Bush Tetras. Their debut 7-inch, "Too Many Creeps", was released in 1980 on 99 Records, and even though they only stayed together for another three years, the band was an integral part of the downtown New York no wave scene. The band has reformed twice since then, once in the late-'90s and most recently in the mid-aughts, and they've been going strong since. Their latest album They Live in My Head was just released at the end of July on Wharf Cat Records, and it's fantastic!

I'm on Twitter here and you can get the show with:

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[centrevillesentinel]

The Drop Nineteens Released Their First Album in 30 Years- Is it Any Good?

The Drop Nineteens, a shoegaze band that was popular in the nineties, came out with their first album in 30 years on November 3rd, 2023, and released it through Wharf Cat Records. They first formed in 1990, when the members were just a group of teenagers living in Boston. They quickly released their debut album Delaware in 1992, and their sophomore album National Coma in 1993. They became nearly…

[double-croche1]

[INTERVIEW #385] WATER FROM YOUR EYES

Nouvelle signature du prestigieux label Matador, le duo new yorkais Water From Your Eyes vient d’annoncer son nouvel album ‘Everyone’s Crushed’ à paraître le 26 mai prochain. De passage à Paris pour leur concert au Pop Up du Label, ils nous ont parlé de leurs débuts, de leurs jeux de piste et de ce nouvel album à venir. Comment vous vous êtes rencontrés ? Nate : On s’est rencontré dans la scène DIY de Chicago. Je faisais partie d’un groupe et on vivait dans une maison dans laquelle on faisait des concerts. Rachel est venu.e à l’un d'eux. On ne s’est pas vraiment rencontré à ce moment-là mais un peu plus tard. Rachel : C’était au début de 2015. J’ai ensuite été invité.e dans plein de concerts punk. Je jouais de la batterie dans un groupe. J’avais travaillé avec un autre groupe qui sont devenus des amis. On s’est rencontré par ce biais et Nate a rejoint mon groupe. Nate : On a commencé à faire de la batterie et de la production pour le projet de Rachel nommé thanks for coming. Je faisais partie de plusieurs groupes mais je produisais aussi beaucoup de musique pour d’autres personnes. Cela a même été ma principale activité pendant longtemps.

Comment avez-vous décidé de faire de la musique ensemble sous le nom Water From Your Eyes ? Rachel : Je vivais à New York à ce moment-là et nous sortions ensemble, Nate et moi. On a vite décidé de faire de la musique ensemble sous un nouveau nom et on a fait un EP [l’EP éponyme ‘Water From Your Eyes’ est sorti en 2016].  Nate : Avec les outils qu’on avait, c’était fait presque comme un pastiche de New Order. [Le groupe a d’ailleurs tout récemment été ajouté aux programmations des festivals Primavera Sound à Barcelone et à Madrid, se produisant respectivement les 1er et 8 juin prochains.] On avait cela en tête. C’est dû au fait que j’avais fait découvrir New Order à Rachel, qui avait adoré. On a fait cela en une semaine.  Rachel : Le site GoldFlakePaint en Grande Bretagne a écrit un article sur nous à ce moment-là [à lire par ici]. C’est quelqu’un de Brighton qui est super sympa. Nate : C’était la première fois qu’on avait eu une reconnaissance d’un journaliste en dehors des journaux locaux. Je crois qu’une fois un de mes groupes avait été dans le Chicago Reader mais c’était tout. Avoir quelqu’un en Grande-Bretagne qui a écrit sur nous, cela nous a fait nous dire qu’il fallait peut-être prendre le projet au sérieux. (Rires) Rachel : On a ensuite continué ce projet parce qu’on avait pris du plaisir à faire ces premiers morceaux. Nate est venu emménager à New York. On a commencé à jouer beaucoup de concerts aux Etats-Unis et la pandémie est arrivée huit mois après. Nate : On essayait de comprendre comment les concerts allaient fonctionner pour nous. La façon dont cela a ��volué a influencé la direction prise dans la version studio. Jouer de nombreux concerts a eu une grosse influence sur notre projet. Rachel : On allait faire une nouvelle tournée américaine en 2020 mais cela n’est finalement pas arrivé. Nate vivait très proche de moi donc pendant la pandémie on se voyait beaucoup. Nate : Notre album précédent ‘Structure’ (2021) était fini avant que n’arrive la pandémie. J’avais écrit la dernière chanson Monday en janvier 2020. Rachel : On a eu des complications à sortir l’album et en 2021 le label Wharf Cat Records nous a dit qu’ils étaient prêts à le sortir en août 2021. C’était super mais ça faisait loin. Ils l’ont sorti et ensuite plein de choses dingues sont arrivées.

Comment avez vous trouvé le nom Water From Your Eyes ? Dans la chanson When You’are Around de ‘Structure’, Rachel, tu chantes “There is water in my eye” mais la chanson est sortie bien plus tard que vos débuts. Nate : Rachel a trouvé ce nom très rapidement en 2015, alors qu’on n’avait quasiment rien écrit comme musique. La chanson When You’re Around a en fait été écrite pour quelque chose d’autre que Water From Your Eyes. Ce n’était pas vraiment intentionnel mais cette chanson a été la première des trois que j’ai écrites qui avaient ce genre de paroles avec cette référence à « de l’eau dans les yeux ». Notre nom de groupe n’est donc pas venu de là mais ensuite cela a été une sorte de référence. Rachel : Je cherchais juste un nom de groupe de musique dansante et triste. Je pensais par exemple à Tears for Fears [dont Water From Your Eyes a d’ailleurs repris le morceau Everybody Wants to Rule the World sur l’album de reprises ‘Somebody’s Else Songs’ (2021), à écouter par ici]. Ça, c’était un super nom ! Ça communiquait cette idée de tristesse qui nous touchait, mais en fait on n’a pas à être triste pour pleurer. Nate : L’idée originelle était effectivement de faire de la musique triste et dansante. C’est ce qu’on retrouve dans nos deux premières sorties.  Comment votre écriture a évolué depuis vos débuts ? Nate : La façon d’écrire des paroles a beaucoup changé et est devenue plus personnelle mais au début on testait juste des choses pour s’amuser. La seule façon qu’on trouvait pour vraiment écrire des paroles était de choisir des personnages en détresse et écrire de leur point de vue.  Rachel : Beaucoup de chansons sont à propos d’animaux par exemple. Il y a une chanson à propos du chien de Nate qui est mort, une à propos d’un raton laveur, d’une méduse, d’ours polaires, d’un loup-garou… Nate : La chanson-titre Long Days, No Dreams sur ‘Long Days, No Dreams’  (2017) parle de girafes parce que les girafes ne peuvent pas dormir plus de 45 minutes d’affilée. Elles n’entrent donc jamais dans un cycle complet de sommeil et elles ne rêvent pas. Rachel : Il y a aussi une chanson à propos des corbeaux parce qu’ils ne se souviennent pas du visage des gens. Cette chanson parle ainsi de la mémoire.

Crédits photo : Ariel Fisher Où est-ce que vous avez appris tout cela ? Nate : (Rires) On cherchait juste des faits tristes à propos des animaux ! On avait tous ces morceaux instrumentaux avec des mélodies de karaoké. Je pense qu’on écrivait les paroles de trois chansons à la fois. Ça allait très vite.  Rachel : Rassurez-vous, on n’écrit plus de chansons à propos d’animaux tristes maintenant ! Nate : ‘Structure’ est notre septième ou huitième sortie et ce truc à propos des animaux n’a duré que pour les trois premières. Ensuite, on a écrit des chansons avec le point de vue de personnages secondaires de films. Cela n’a duré que pour l’album ‘All a Dance’ (2018) et une chanson de ‘Somebody’s Else Song’ (2019). Par exemple, la chanson All a Dance est du point de vue du personnage Proximo dans ‘Gladiator’ (de Ridley Scott, 2000). C’est l’entraîneur de gladiateurs. (Rires) Ce personnage est joué par l’acteur Oliver Reed qui est décédé (en 1999) juste avant que le film ne sorte. Quand on est arrivés à ‘Somebody’s Else Song’ (2019), c’était la première fois qu’on passait autant de temps sur un album. Cela a été notre focus pendant 6 ou 7 mois.  Rachel : C’était aussi un moment où on n’avait plus vraiment envie de faire de la musique ensemble. J’étais à l’école et je travaillais, Nate faisait quant à lui beaucoup de musique de son côté. Notre relation amoureuse a pris fin et on n’avait plus envie de se voir pendant un moment. Heureusement, Nate a poussé à ce qu’on finisse l’album et c’est ce qu’on a fait.  Nate : On travaillait en parallèle sur un autre album qu’on n’a jamais fini. Deux morceaux Adeleine et No Better Now sont arrivés sur ‘Somebody’s Else Song’. On avait 10 morceaux dans ce genre mais seuls ces deux-là sont restés.  En fin de compte, vos morceaux vont de la pop mignonne à la musique expérimentale industrielle. Comment choisissez-vous dans quelle direction va aller chaque morceau ? Rachel : Je pense que cela a à voir avec les concerts. Même pour les chansons de ‘Somebody’s Else Song’ (2019), beaucoup ont été écrites et enregistrées avant de les avoir jouées en live.  Nate : Pour moi, la chanson Break sur ‘Somebody’s Else Song’ (2019) est la première de ce qu’allait devenir Water From Your Eyes. Elle est arrivée assez tard dans le processus de l’album. Le disque avait déjà une identité avant cette chanson. Break a été notre balise pour l’album suivant ‘Structure’ (2021). C’était la première fois que je me sentais très confiant dans la direction qu’on prenait. On ne savait pas du tout ce qu’on faisait jusqu’à ce moment-là. 

Vous aimez jouer avec les mots dans la façon dont vous nommez vos morceaux et albums : vous avez des morceaux titrés Quotations et “Quotations” sur l’album ‘Structure’ (2021), la chanson Track Five de ce même album n’est pas la cinquième chanson de l’album, vous avez sorti un album de reprises intitulé ‘Somebody’s Else Songs’ (2021) après votre propre album ‘Sombebody’s Else Song’ (2019). Nate : “Quotations” est la version wav de Quotations. Ce sont exactement les mêmes paroles, c’est juste la backing track qui est différente. En tout, il y a quatre ou cinq versions différentes de ce morceau, dont deux sont sur l’album ‘Structure’. La version sur laquelle on avait enregistré les voix est quant à elle sur l’album ‘Structure Demos’ (2022) [à écouter par ici]. Il y avait une quatrième version bien plus ambiante qui était sensée être originellement à la fin de ‘Structure’ mais en fin de compte Rachel m’a encouragé d’en faire quelque chose d’un peu plus excitant. Pour la version “Quotations” qui est vraiment à la fin de ‘Structure’, j’ai dû la faire en 25 minutes. Je ne voulais pas vraiment en faire une nouvelle version et Rachel m’a dit : « Fais-le ! » (Rires) Rachel : Au début, je pensais qu’il fallait qu’on finisse cet album avec une chanson originale mais la version de cette chanson était tellement différente de l’autre. J’avais même réenregistré mes voix dessus. On parle de ‘quotations’ dans la chanson, donc nous l’avons appelée comme cela. Quotations était un nom adéquat. Nate : Ensuite, on n’avait pas réalisé que l’autre version avait des guillemets dans la version wav. C’était donc supposé être comme cela, c’était tout à fait non intentionnel ! (Rires) Est-ce qu’il y avait la même logique sur d’autres chansons de ‘Structure’ ? On a remarqué que plusieurs chansons de ‘Structure’ (2021) et ‘Structure Demos’ (2022) étaient les mêmes mais avec des noms différents, comme Track Five sur le premier et Chompers sur le second. Nate : Chompers s’appelle comme cela parce que c’était le nom que j’avais donné au fichier sur mon ordinateur. C’était la première version que j’avais pu trouver de cette chanson. A la base, c’était une composition visuelle, j’ai trouvé des vidéos d’une vieille usine de pressage avec ces grandes machines en métal et cela faisait partie d’une expérimentation où je me suis demandé ce qui se passerait si je faisais des collages visuels et si je désignais ensuite des sons pour aller avec cela. C’est de cet endroit qu’est venue la chanson. A un moment, j’ai accidentellement modifié l’audio et j’ai oublié de faire la même chose sur la partie visuelle et je n’y arrivais plus, donc j’ai abandonné la partie visuelle pour ne garder que la chanson !

Pour ‘Structure’ (2021), vous semblez avoir été inspirés par Scott Walker (1943-2019) dans la construction de l’album en miroir. Est-ce le cas ? Nate : C’est devenu naturel pour ‘Structure’. Je n’arrive pas à me souvenir précisément. Ce n’est pas une idée qui est arrivée très tôt dans le processus. Les chansons de départ étaient Track Five, Quotations et My Love’s. Rachel : Ces trois chansons ont été le début de l’album. J’étais en dernière année à la faculté de cinéma et tout le monde écrivait ses films de fin d’année. Une fille de ma promo nous a demandé si on pouvait faire une chanson pour son film de fin d’année mais elle ne l’a jamais fini.  Nate : Cela m’allait bien parce que j’avais écrit cette chanson et j’ai trouvé que c’était une bonne chose de ne pas la vendre à 100$ pour un film d’étudiant. Et c’est devenu la chanson When You’re Around. Rachel : La production pour le film de mon amie a capoté de toute façon. Nate a ensuite fait la chanson instrumentale Monday de la même façon, en pensant écrire de la musique pour des films qui n’existaient pas encore. Ensuite, avec les cinq chansons qu’on avait, on s’est dit qu’on avait presque un album. Nate : Pour les deux morceaux parlés You’re The Embers et You’re The Watching Fly, j’ai fait le collage de mots parce que c’étaient supposés être des morceaux à la Captain Beefheart (1941-2010) mais malaxés à l’ordinateur. Cet artiste a toutes ces choses en parlé comme ‘Trout Mask Replica’ (1969). Ce sont les mots de Quotations / “Quotations” mais un des morceaux est tous les mots impairs et l’autre tous les mots pairs. Cela enlève donc tout le sens. C’est comme une chose surréaliste. Pour la chanson Monday, on a décidé plus tard de la garder pour l’album. C’est la dernière chose qu’on a ajoutée. C’est arrivé après la dernière version de Quotations. La version originelle de l’album était juste de 6 chansons, il n’y avait pas Monday et Quotations. Rachel : C’est après avoir fait les morceaux parlés qu’on a décidé que ce serait un album en miroir. C’est donc arrivé très tard dans le processus !   Est-ce que vous aviez un concept en tête pour votre nouvel album ‘Everyone’s Crushed’ ? Nate : L’idée de base était que ce soit l’anti-‘Structure’. On voulait avoir deux moitiés de 4 chansons mais qui n’iraient pas du tout ensemble. Ce seraient donc plutôt deux EPs complètement différents mis ensemble. La moitié a été faite. En fin de compte, une de ces moitiés est les chansons 2, 4, 7 sur l’album et les autres chansons sont juste d’autres choses.  Rachel : Pour ne rien compliquer, on a appelé la première chanson du nouvel album Structure comme le nom de notre album précédent. (Rires) On peut considérer ce morceau comme une prélude pour ce nouvel album.  

Barley, 14 et True Life, les chansons qu’on a écoutées de ce nouvel album à venir sont encore très différentes les unes des autres ! [La chanson Barley est maintenant sortie avec un clip réalisé par Rachel elle-même.] Nate : C’est pourquoi on a voulu que ce soient les singles parce que ces morceaux sont très différents mais aucun d’eux ne donne le feeling de l’album. On va d’abord sortir Barley, puis True Life et 14. Barley est une chanson high pop excitante, True Life est presque nu metal et 14 est micro tonale surréaliste ambiante. On va jouer ce soir 6 des 9 chansons du nouvel album. On se prépare doucement afin de pouvoir jouer l’album complet.  Est-ce que vous avez vu des bons films récemment ? Rachel : J’ai vu le film ‘EO’ de Jerzy Skolimowski (2022), c’était incroyable ! La direction de la photographie est dingue et c’est presque silencieux de bout en bout parce que c’est juste un âne qui ne parle pas. Tout passe par ses émotions, c’est la meilleure performance d’acteur que j’ai vue de l’année ! (Rires) J’ai aussi aimé ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ de Daniel Kwan et Daniel Scheiner (2022). C’est un film d’action avec de la science-fiction et du kung fu. Je suis sino-américain.e et le film parle de cette immigrante chinoise aux États-Unis et de sa relation avec sa fille qui est la première génération de sino-américains. C’est la première fois que je voyais un film montrant la relation que je pouvais avoir avec ma mère dans la pop culture américaine. Nate : J’ai vu le film d’horreur ‘Catacombes’ de John Erick Dowdle (2014) la veille d’aller visiter les Catacombes de Paris parce que le film s’y situe ! Sinon, j’ai plutôt regardé des choses au hasard à la télévision, comme Survivor [série de catch américain] et ‘24 heures chrono’ [série de Joel Surnow et Robert Cochran, 2001-2010]. Rachel : J’ai revu au cinéma des films que j’avais déjà vus comme ‘A Brighter Summer Day’ d’Edward Yang (1991). Je l’ai vu l’année dernière chez moi puis à nouveau au cinéma sans pause, ce qui est un peu long pour un film de 4 heures ! Mais il est magnifique, si joliment filmé. J’ai aussi revu ‘Paris, Texas’ de Wim Wenders (1984). Beaucoup d’éléments visuels du nouvel album ‘Everyone’s Crushed’ sont basés sur ce film, c’était la référence visuelle principale. Nate : J’ai vu ‘Phantom Thread’ de Paul Thomas Anderson (2017) au cinéma récemment. C’est la seule fois où je suis allé au cinéma ces trois dernières années, mais le film est... hilarant !   Crédits photo de couverture : Christy Bush Le nouvel album de Water From Your Eyes ‘Everyone’s Crushed’ paraîtra le 26 mai prochain. Il est hautement recommandé ! A&B

[ledenews]

An OPEN LETTER to … Fans of the Former Downtown Wheeling …

To Daydreamers of the Darling Days of Downtown: It was as fun as your memories recall and, even though we were kids at the time, we’ll never forget THAT version of downtown Wheeling either. The stores, the billiard bars, the pawn shop’s guns and diamond rings, the theatres, the bikes in Becker’s, the restaurants, the train tracks, the ball gloves at Banov’s, the Big Boy statues, the Talking Christmas Tree, the unlocked alley doors, the music shops, the hot dogs and cheeseburgers and those quarter milkshakes at the lunch counter at G.C. Murphy’s. Of course, we ran between our hot spots like the Hamburger Inn, the Victoria Theatre, the back door of the Capitol Music Hall, and the showroom at Boury Inc. to play pinball, and there was the Teacher’s Store and Juniper and the Wharf and the Club Tower because it had those girlie portraits out front, too. We were the kids of Wheeling, and we cherish our memories, too, but now, as adults, it’s where we live and work and eat and see shows and bank and go to church. So, these days, it’s our downtown, and yes, it is very, very different along Main and Market streets back in those hey-day decades, but it’s not deserted as many suggest in their social media postings. Tumbleweeds don’t mosey down cob-webbed streets, day-time traffic is constantly brisk, and that white-flag mindset seems reserved for those no longer living here. So, we believe it might be useful to offer you this list compiled for your convenience. We may have missed a few, and for that we apologize, but it is our hope you realize today’s downtown mix of new and old represents a fight for a new future. Sincerely, People of the Present Downtown Wheeling A The Artisan Center, Adventures in Elegance B Bridge Tavern & Grill, Beyond Marketing, Board of Trade Building, Boury Lofts, Boswell Monument C Capital Theater, Community Foundation, Cardinal Printing, Clientele Art Gallery, Central Catholic High School, Catholic Charities, Comas Barber Shop D DiCarlo’s Pizza, Dyagon Alley, The Day Reporting Center, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston E Elle and Jack's, Enterprise Car Rentals F Fort Henry Building, Felton CPA G Good Mansion Wines, Gompers and Associates, Grow Ohio Valley H The Health Plan, Hazlett, Burton and Watson, Helping Heroes, Harris Law Office I IC Care, Information Help Line K Kalkrueth Roofing, Kepner Funeral Home, L Lucky Candies M Mmm Popcorn, Mugshots, Main Street Bank, The Mother of Jones Center, Mills Group, Mull Center, Midge’s Kitchen, McLure Hotel, Medical Supply, N Neely’s Grocery, National Equipment, nail City Records, National Alliance on Mental Illness, O The Orrick Center, Ohio County Commission, Omni Strategic, Ohio Valley MMA, Omega Bar P Panda Chinese Kitchen, Public Market, Perry & Associates R River City, Rivers Edge, Regional Economic Development Partnership, Rachel’s on 16th, Route 40 Realty, Rich & Shirley’s Printing, S Stages, State Farm, Sarah's On Main, Steptoe and Johnson, 7-Eleven, Salvation Army, Stone Center, Smith Law, The Snake Club, Sexual Assault Help Center T Titos, Tacoholix, Table 304, Thrive, TaylorMade Printing, Truist Bank, Teamsters Local #697 U United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley, United States Government, Uniglobe, Undo’s Catering, United Bank V Vagabond Kitchen, Vineyard Church, Visiting Angels, Viper’s Billiards, Victoria Theatre, W Wheeling Chamber, WVU-Wheeling Clinic, Wheeling Coffee and Spice, Wesbanco Arena, W.Va. Northern Community College, Wesbanco Bank and Headquarters, WKKX, City of Wheeling, Williams Lea Tag, Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp., WVLY, Wheeling Office Supply, Wheeling Nailers, Wheeling Symphony, Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, W.Va. DHHR, The Wig Store, W.Va. Independence Hall, WTRF TV7, Wheeling Food Mart, WTOV TV9, Y YWCA-Wheeling, Youth Services System Z Ziegenfelder’s (Art by Bob Dombrowski) https://ledenews.com/a-fat-cat-a-kid-named-paisley-and-a-hotel-across-the-street/ https://ledenews.com/wheeling-ohio-county-cvb-buys-former-wheeling-inn-property-for-1-7-million/ Read the full article

[bandcampsnoop]

9/18/24.

I'm a pretty big fan of Gong Gong Gong (工工工...if you want to search for their releases on Discogs, you'll need to copy and paste that) going back to 2016's post about the President Piano Co. Tape. They've received posts and mentions since. They've been brought up in a post about Naja Naja and The Offset. And their LP on Wharf Cat Records - "Phantom Rhythm" - is still one of my favorites.

"Mongkok Duel" is a collaboration between the Beijing based Gong Gong Gong and the Taiwan based Mong Tong. According to the Bandcamp page, "Mongkok Duel" "an imagined soundtrack for a lost kung-fu film. These are the sonic accompaniments, no doubt, to a supernatural tale of honour, intrigue, and (of course) revenge."

I can't quite tell which label is releasing this. It was originally released in 2023 by Rose Mansion Analog.

[musicpromoapp]

Watch Water From Your Eyes Implore John Wilson to Direct Their New Music Video

Watch Water From Your Eyes Implore John Wilson to Direct Their New Music Video

Water From Your Eyes—the Brooklyn electro-pop duo of Rachel Brown and Nate Amos—have had an eventful couple of years. In 2019, they issued their eight-song record Somebody Else’s Song, followed by their Wharf Cat debut, Structure, last summer. But they are hungry for more. Tasked with finding a director for their upcoming music video, Brown and Amos have set out on a seemingly impossible quest:…

[rcmndedlisten]

Dougie Poole - “Beth David Cemetery”

Photo by Bug Carrasco

Many see the literal darkness behind death, but Dougie Poole is finding silver linings in it on “Beth David Cemetery”, the latest preview from the Brooklyn country crooner’s new album, The Rainbow Wheel of (you got it!) Death. There’s not much goth energy here, and rather the listen finds better comfort in the boozy throes of grief right next to a cold one (the beer form, not the body form...,) toss in some hors d’oeurves at the post-memorial gathering. Poole poetically paints a wistful portrait of the the void in his own wry warmth as he hops on the Megabus and heads home to bury another one, kind of making you look forward to being the star of this occasion some day, too.

Photo by Bug Carrasco

Dougie Poole’s The Rainbow Wheel of Death will be released February 24th on Wharf Cat Records.

[recommendedlisten]

Video: Bambara - “Mythic Love”

Bambara are the embodiment of the romantic sound of doom, but when the start of the pandemic spelled nothing but a tragic form of it for their third full-length effort Stray, it wasn’t what they or the world deserved. The gothic New York City post-punk band is coming out on the other side of it intent on besting where the universe attempted to stop them dead in their tracks, however, as they’re going to be opening for the amazing Nothing later this year, and will be previewing new material featured on their forthcoming six-track mini album due out next winter ahead of their European tour opening for IDLES for their return to the road.

It’s called Love On My Mind, and invites more spirits into their brooding storytelling, as vocalist and guitarist Reid Bateh, drummer (and twin bro) Blaze Bateh, and bassist William Brookshire are joined by Orville Peck and Frigs’ member Bria Salmena as well as Public Practice’s Drew Citron into the lovers’ doom of lead single “Mythic Love”. The listen seduces speed with dangerously temptations ending in late night trysts heralded by fucking to choirs of screeching sunrise trains and orgasms likened to the holy trinity. “It’s breaking the neck of a dove. / It’s a gun between your eyes when you’re talkin’ tough / Hearing my name when you cum / It’s the Father, the Holy Ghost, and The Son.” While Bambara fulfill the promise of returning in better form, it would make sense that after a year of lockdown, the lust would be raging hornier than ever, too.

Kevin Condon and Bambara directed its artfully enigmatic video. Uncover Bambara’s new mythology below...

Bambara’s Love On My Mind will be released February 25th on Wharf Cat Records.

[noloveforned]

no love for ned is on wlur tonight from 8pm until midnight! we kicked off our new 'songs that mention food' theme last week and we'll start tonight's show with another one! if you can't listen live you can always catch last week's show on mixcloud, setlist is below!

no love for ned on wlur – august 11th, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the memories // iced oatmilk latte // watching movies cassette // gnar tapes sweet knives // i don't wanna see // burnt sienna blues 7" // red lounge thee mightees // killer in the movies // woman life freedom- music for iran, vol. 2 compilation // free them now boyracer // i've got it and it's not worth having // four track demos, 1992 // (self-released) bunnygrunt // don't forget who your friends are // split 7" w/ trauma harness // tower groove the invisible hands // invisible hands // teslam // abduction the johnson family band // fall down // know wisdom cassette // 20/20 amanda x // guatemala // amnesia // siltbreeze scarlet // violet // know my ways cassette // aspiration tapes creep wave // cat call // winter sucks cassette // (self-released) mac mccaughan and mike krol // fair warning // mac krol 7" ep // merge electric eels // agitated // spin age blasters // scat monocot // it turns around again // leave to cool // astral editions scrawl // hymn // smallmouth // rough trade bridge gamble // always on time // the narrow gate cassette // discontinuous innovations allegra krieger // i wanted to be // i keep my feet on the fragile plane // double double whammy claire rousay // sigh in my ear // sigh in my ear - single // saddle creek simon joyner, michael krassner and fred lonberg-holm // bird of spring // this is where the ocean begins // grapefruit frank meadows, jessica ackerley and eli wallace // live at mise-en-place in brooklyn on october 12th, 2021, part one // maw live recordings cassette // notice jaimie branch featuring jason ajemian // the mountain // fly or die fly or die fly or die ((world war)) // international anthem steven r. smith // arroyo tree complex // heartmend compilation // eiderdown by storm // double trio // double trio digital single // (self-released) party dozen featuring billy woods // earthly times (billy woods rework) // earthly times (billy woods rework) digital single // temporary residence noname featuring $ilkmoney, billy woods and stout // gospel? // sundial // (self-released) shira small // eternal life // the line of time and the plane of now // numero group lord jah-monte ogbon featuring phiik // more than gold // beautifully black // rrc music co. stan ipcus featuring max bent // pumpkin cheesecake // foliage // (self-released) loose fit // on land (hugh b dub) // remixes and dubs // fat cat drop nineteens // scapa flow // hard light // wharf cat anya baghina // not that important // anya baghina cassette // (self-released) the laughing chimes // arboretum miles // arboretum miles ep // slumberland the reds, pinks and purples featuring morgan alice // best sides // unloveable losers ep // burundi cloud the judy's // vacation in tehran // wonderful world of appliances ep // wasted talent