Out Today: Azita, Bad Brains, The Pharmacy, Roll the Dice, Tim Hecker/Daniel Lopatin
Every Tuesday is album release day (as well as video games, movies, etc.), but on a day so far from the weekend, it's a good feeling to wake up to some brand, spankin' new music.
Azita - Year (Drag City)
Chicago artist and long-time Drag City family member, Azita Youssefi put out her fifth solo studio LP. Incorporating a deep-rooted punk mentality into heavily ornamented piano-based art pop, Year is definitely a record several cuts above mere consumer entertainment.Stream it here.
Bad Brains - Into the Future (Megaforce)
Total punk rawk. Lo-fi recording, heavy distortion on guitars and vocals, feedback, and a giant splash of hardcore. You can't miss that smudge of reggae, either. Bad Brains formed in 1977 and are oft-cited as one of the pioneers and frontrunners of the hardcore punk movement. Into the Future is the band's ninth studio album, as well as a tribute to the late Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. It's the kind of record you to which would feel completely comfortable thrashing about your room by yourself.Stream it here.
The Pharmacy - Stoned and Alone (Old Flame)
I saw The Pharmacy open for Japanther in Seattle this past summer, and everyone in the audience seemed very contemplative. Elements of psychedelia definitely dwell in the band's music, reminiscent of 60s and 70s pop. So, I pondered, "Why isn't anyone dancing?" I further pondered, "Why are these people sitting on the ground and leaning against the walls instead of converging in the middle of the standing room?" Upon hearing Stoned and Alone, though, it's clear that while the band puts out pop records, the songs are miraculously trance-inducing. Maybe that's why it's called "psychedelic pop."Stream it here.
Roll the Dice Meets Pole - In Dubs EP (Leaf Label)
The Leaf Label has always put out some of my favorite non-US records. They love weird music, and so do I. It's a match made in heaven, right? Roll the Dice put out In Dust a little while ago. Eventually, the band wanted to do a remix EP. But, you can't remix yourself, can you? Enter Berlin producer Pole, who agreed to collaborate on this very minimalist electronic EP, featuring three interpretations of cuts from In Dust.
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Tim Hecker/Daniel Lopatin - Instrumental Tourist (Software)
It's a ridiculous collaboration between two seasoned electronic producers. In one corner, Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never, and in the other corner, solo artist Tim Hecker. Both meet in the center of the ring that is Instrumental Tourist, and instead of one knocking out the other, some nuclear catastrophe occurs upon collision, and the result is a very cohesive electronic record.Stream it here.