Filastine’s Spring bonanza: new EP, new LP and world tour

26 February 2012

Filastine - £00T

Filastine is the prolific project of Los Angeles born, Barcelona based audio visual artist Grey Filastine.

April 3rd will see the release of his third full-length album entitled £00T.
£00T aka LOOT is described by Filastine as “a near-future post-capitalist utopian currency for floating pirate republics”.

“In a commandeered shopping cart strung with contact mics, in an old-growth Indonesian forest a mile’s walk from the nearest dirt road, it begins.” says the issues press release. “Dreams of two-way radio static direct from future floating cities fade in and out, trading licks with ecstatic idiophones, the buzz of gut strings. The world is coming apart at the seams, ripped by injustice, craven stupidity, global weirding.
Filastine belts a siren call to salvage and unite the brilliant sonic pieces. At the intersection of unabashed globalism and bass music, the wandering arts instigator takes dance music to its outer-national limits on £00T incorporating and dismantling lush sounds from North Africa, Brazil, Java—and from down the street where all the noise and protest hum.”

To coincide with the album release, Filastine is launching a year long world tour with stops in every continent. Filastine has recently dropped a £00T world tour teaser video where he performs with Javanese vocalist and storyteller Nova on the rooftop of his studio in el Raval, Barcelona. Filastine first met Nova in a Jakarta artist squat when she organized a generator-power gig for him.
The video features excerpts from two tracks off £00T , ‘Gendjer2’ and ‘Lost Records’ and ‘Btalla’, a track off 2009’s Dirty Bomb.

Ahead of the album, Filastine will release the Colony Collapse EP on February 28th. The EP comes backed with remixes by Beats Antique, Squeaky Lobster, L’Ouef Raide and Fletcher in Dub. Hit this link to watch the EP video teaser.

Check out below the £00T world tour teaser video and listen to a preview of new track ‘Shanty Tones’.
This leaves me highly anticipating the arrival of Spring.

Xiu Xiu offer previewing of new track from upcoming album Always

23 February 2012

Xiu Xiu - Always

Avant-rock experimentalist duo turned into quintet Xiu Xiu are releasing their ninth full-length album entitled Always next week.
The San Jose, California outfit headed by Jamie Stewart has just offered a previewing of ‘Beauty Towne’, a new track off the upcoming album and it comes with a visual accompaniment.

According to the press release, “at its core, Always symbolizes the mutual camaraderie with and deep dedication to each person who has internalized Xiu Xiu’s work, tattooed its name on their skin or soul, and throughout the past ten years made the band a part of their lives.
The origin of these intense, everlasting bonds is Stewart. His fearless lyrics have given voice to life’s most untouchable and taboo subjects, while his distinctively committed but hushed vocals crystallize and medicate their unsettling impact.
Always’ most arresting moments lie in its sonic innovation — transforming avant pop elements from an undertone into a bright black focal point while adding new influences such as choral music, kraut rock and animal field recordings.”

Always was produced by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier and it drops on February 28th in the UK and rest of Europe via Bella Union and on March 6th in the rest of the world via PolyVinyl.

Watch below the black and white animated video for ‘Beauty Towne’, directed by Jean Y Kim.

Inca Gold triptych of self-titled EPs completed today

20 February 2012

Inca Gold - INca Gold III

Inca Gold are a London based psych experimental pop quartet comprising Ezequiel Claverie (Vocals/ Guitars/ Keyboards), Ben Chatwin (Guitars/ Keyboards), Chris Howarth (Bass) and Alex Lewis (Drums).
The foursome describe their music as  a blend of “the tribal grooves of Gang Gang Dance, the guitar noise of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the clinical electronics of Portishead all filtered through the bands strong pop aesthetic.”

Inca Gold released today the third and last of a triptych of self titled EPs that were all recorded, mixed and produced by themselves.
Inca Gold III features four enticing tracks, and what’s more, you can download it free via Inca Gold’s bandcamp.

Opening track ‘Atom’ is a slice of dreamy psychedelia, check it out below.

Brand new album by IG88 out today

20 February 2012

IG88 - A Loom And Not Me A Loom And Not Me is the brand new album by IG88, the moniker used by Seattle-born electronic artist Branden Clarke.
A Loom And Not Me is an astounding and heartfelt album with beautiful melodies and harmonies combining lush electronics with organic instruments that won me over after just one listen.

“Sometimes, we want sound — bleeps, burps, squawks, zips, static, clicks –- and sometimes we want the kind of auditory sensation that swells our brain and dead-weds us to the measure. Sometimes we want a damn guitar. Most of the time, we want it all.” says the blurb that goes with the album’s release. “With A Loom and Not Me, IG88′s first release with Nueva Forma, our ears give praise. Collaborator Jenni Potts grabs your hand from the start and grounds the album throughout in a way that only an balletic, weightless voice can. Intentions of a Dart Frog is a projectile, kinetic jam that won’t let you go. Bed of Stars enter just in time with the titular track to tie you up into a ball and bounce you on into the second half of things.
Then there are the brilliant clusters of abounding space in between until Coughing on Syrup Shores clangs around in your jellied head like the guts of an arcade game and spits you back out like a contraband nickel that’s just had the ride of its life. Listen for flux, for soul, for willful racket. Listen for it all.”

A Loom And Not Me is out today via audio/visual label Nueva Forma. Head over to bandcamp to stream and buy the album.

Here’s ‘Intentions of a Dart Frog (feat Jenni Potts)’ and ‘Gateway Hug’, two radiant tracks off the album. Enjoy.

In the Theme Park for ‘Two Hours’

17 February 2012

Theme Park - Two Hours

London 4-piece Theme Park only formed last year but with monster tracks ‘Wax’ and ‘Milk’ released in August and December respectively, it was clear they were on the rise to great things in 2012.

Their yet-to-be-titled debut album is due out sometime later in the year. Theme Park unveiled yesterday ‘Two Hours’, the first single taken from the upcoming album and also their first release on Transgressive Records.
The single will be available on April 2nd as a limited edition 7″ and includes b-side ‘Mourning Crimes’. You can pre-order it now here or here.

According to lead singer Miles Haughton, ‘Two Hours’ is “essentially about expectations around growing and coming into your own emotionally and feeling confident or not confident about that process. I normally only really write songs when I’m feeling very happy, and I think this is one of the few ones where I was feeling a bit numb – an unexpected reaction to certain experiences in life.”

‘Two Hours’ is incredibly catchy, listen to it below.