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No Joy – 'Lunar Phobia'

On April 23 Mexican Summer will release the second album from Canada’s No Joy, featuring the lead single ‘Lunar Phobia‘ (as premiered on Pitchfork). This time round the four piece are sporting an early Cure-esque bassline coupled with a Cocteau Twins haze, a departure from their noisier debut LP ‘Ghost Blonde’.

 
No Joy – ‘Lunar Phobia’

No Joy online @ Bandcamp @ Facebook / Shop @ Mexican Summer.

DIIV – ‘Wait’ [VIDEO] *NSFW*

Boobs! Now we’ve got that out of the way… DIIV have released a new video for ‘Wait’ from their 2012 record ‘Oshin’. Pop starlet Sky Ferreira stars, along with a bunch of other ladies looking all vintage hip. You’ve been warned – not suitable for work!

Visit DIIV (Formerly Dive) @ Captured Tracks / Connect @ Facebook.

Desert Stars – 'Past In The Trash'

Desert Stars have announced that their debut album is coming this Spring. Some folks will remember their kick ass brilliant track ‘Boys I Like‘ from early last year? Well now we can check out their latest psych/dream pop creation, the single ‘Past In The Trash‘. Janelle Best formed the Brooklyn act back in 2008 but their lastest tune came about following the addition of guitarist Eric Altesleben last August. Phillip Kibbe teamed up with Desert Stars to direct the video…

 
Desert Stars – ‘Past In The Trash’

Desert Stars online @ Bandcamp @ Facebook.

Pink Playground – 'Take A Walk'

Hmm… little late posting this – Texan duo Pink Playground‘s ‘Take A Walk’ from their split release with Circle Hour, out now via Beko (digital here). The Houston-based shoegazers released their last LP via Mexican Summer in 2011, the lo-fi fave ‘Destination Ecstasy’.

 
Pink Playground – ‘Take A Walk’

Pink Playground @ Tumblr @ Bandcamp @ Facebook.

Spectres – 'Hunger' EP

Exciting noise from Bristol band Spectres, the four piece release their ‘Hunger’ EP via Howling Owl Records on March 11 (grab it here). Check out the teaser below… this follows last year’s ‘Family’ EP (cheers to Monica for the heads up!)

Order Spectres ‘Hunger’ EP @ Howling Owl Records / Connect @ Facebook.

My Bloody Valentine – Live In Oz

I was lucky enough to catch My Bloody Valentine at All Tomorrow’s Parties in Melbourne over the weekend, then again in Sydney last night. The rock gods have been kind. Can’t say my ears would agree, still suffering post trauma. But first, a word about ATP which proved to be one of the better festival experiences going around (and one of the more quirky).

The venue was a sports and recreation centre, the ATP banner flanked a giant sign saying ‘School Holiday Program’. Not your average setting. You could have a round of tennis, kick a giant soccer ball, disco out in the rock climbing area or watch ‘Pricasso’ who spent the day painting portraits with his cock (pic below). Plus there was a cinema area which looked like a wedding reception centre from the 80s. The ‘secret film’ turned out to be the first Harry Potter movie overdubbed by a guy telling the story of HP, Harmony and Ronny The Bear.

When My Bloody Valentine hit the indoor soccer court (main stage), the crowd had been softened up by Swans and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, so they didn’t sound that loud. False sense of security, it got plenty loud. If you’ve got UK tickets, pack your plugs! At the Sydney show they were complimentary, never come across that before.

So what can be said of the show? It takes a while to get over the fact that you are witnessing what you are witnessing. Once you do, it’s absolutely brilliant. The sound these guys create is amazing without the rockstar showmanship, banter or theatrics. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that MBV aren’t the world’s greatest musicians but they’re world class artists.

Colm and Debbie put themselves through a real workout. The drums and bass are consistently intense whereas the guitar and vocals (Kevin and Belinda) seemingly float over the top. It’s a stark contrast that directs your eye to the rhythm section because that’s where all the limbs are flailing. On a side note, Colm also appears to trigger the synth samples with a foot pedal.

Their earlier EP material was given the ‘MBV’ and ‘Loveless’ work over, a totally different perspective on classics like ‘Slow’ and ‘Feed Me With Your Kiss’. At times, the mystery and illusion of their recorded work is revealed. This is good and bad, to be honest I don’t want to be able to tell the difference between two guitar parts or how they got that elusive tone. It’s nice not to know how the magician pulled off that mind bending trick.

I had plenty of warning that the closer would be ‘You Made Me Realize’ and that it would be interspersed with thirteen minutes of near white noise at intense volume levels. I heard some women on the shuttle bus back call this a form of “radical music therapy” designed to re-align your organs or similar. Maybe. But I’m pretty sure its just a cool as sh**, rock n’ roll thing to do at the end of a show. Eitherway it’s an experience.

Y’know the kind of loud that hits you in the chest like a bass drum? Its like that and then some, this loud is like a jet engine taking off in your chest cavity, but it never leaves the runway, instead it just casually burns a slow motion hole in your belly. So yeah, not for everyone but bliss for some!

And lastly, for all of you audio nerds out there… here’s a snap of Kevin Shields pedal board from the Enmore Theatre show…

My Bloody Valentine – Live @ ATP / Sydney (Feb 16/18) Setlist…

I Only Said
When You Sleep
New You
You Never Should
Honey Power
Cigarette in Your Bed
Come in Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much to Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise

Visit My Bloody Valentine’s @ www.mybloodyvalentine.org @ Facebook.

Day Ravies – 'Slippery Dip' And 'Double Act'

Day Ravies (winks to The Kinks) are a quartet from Sydney that are part lo-fi indie pop, part garage rock, dream pop, shoegaze… you get the drift. They’re a bit of everything but its all good! Since forming in 2011, they’ve released a debut EP and are on their way to a full length.

 
Day Ravies – Slippery Dip

‘Double Act‘ is the first single from Day Ravies debut album, out mid this year through Popfrenzy. Influenced by 80s and 90s legends like Aussie faves The Go-Betweens, The Clean and Sonic Youth. Locals can catch their East Coast tour during February and March (details here).

 
Day Ravies – ‘Double Act’

Visit Day Ravies @ Popfrenzy @ Bandcamp @ Soundcloud @ Facebook.

Caveman – 'In The City'

The intergoogle is going positively nuts over New York band Caveman, take a listen to their new single ‘In The City’ and decide for yourself! The five piece sound like The Shins meet Beach House to me. Cavemen release the follow up to 2011′s ‘Coco Beware’ on April 2 via Fat Possum (US).

 
Caveman – ‘In The City’

Visit Caveman online @ Fat Possum @ Facebook.

Hibou – 'Hollow'

Former Craft Spells drummer Peter Michel released a double A-side single last month under the moniker Hibou. The track ‘Hollow’ is a pretty dream popper suited to his Captured Tracks brethren. However ‘Glow’ is another story, a darker coldwave tune (listen here). This guy is only nineteen!

 
Hibou – ‘Hollow’

Visit Hibou @ Tumblr @ Soundcloud @ Facebook.

Dead Leaf Echo – 'Memory Traces'

Dead Leaf Echo have announced a US tour – dates below! The New Yorkers are also gifting a new track called ‘Memory Traces’ – enter your email address and grab it from the widget below. ‘Memory Traces’ is a solid rocker that tips its hat to classic Brit band Ride. Part stoner rock, part shoegaze, this one has solid melodies against a wash of guitars and cacophonous reverb! The perfect lead up to their new record ‘Thought & Language’, out March 5 through Neon Sigh.

 
Dead Leaf Echo – ‘Memory Traces’

Dead Leaf Echo 2013 USA Tour Dates…

Feb 26 – Hamden, CT –  The Space
Feb 27 – New York, NY –  Mercury Lounge (Record Release Party)*
Feb 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie *
Mar 1 – Baltimore, MA – TBD *
Mar 2 – Washington, DC –  Velvet Lounge *
Mar 3 – Richmond, VA – Bandito’s #
Mar 4 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 $
Mar 5 – Winston-Salem, NC – Black Lodge $
Mar 6 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor $
Mar 7 – New Orleans, LA -The Saint +
Mar 8 – Beamont, TX – Tequilla Rok %
Mar 9 – Houston, TX – Mangos ^
Mar 10 – San Antonio, TX – Korova ^
Mar 11 – Denton, TX –  TBD
Mar 12 to Mar 17 – SXSW Austin TX.

March 20th- Asheville NC TBD

March 21st- TBD

*w/Lorelei (Slumberland)

# w/Dead Fame
$ w/ Spirit System
^ w/ Bloody Knives
+ w/ Kindest Lines
% w/ Purple

Visit Dead Leaf Echo online @ Neon Sigh @ Soundcloud @ Facebook.