Review: Panda Kid - Scary Monster Juice
Last year saw Italy’s Panda Kid drop a stellar split with fellow noise-punks No Monster Club, where both acts showed a knack for weaving catchy garage tunes with experimental accessories. The one-man band certainly stood out with his song selections, and it’s no surprise that several of those cuts made their way to his full-length from the end of 2011, Scary Monster Juice. The four tracks on Panda Kid Meet No Monster Club gave the promise of Panda Kid standing out from the pack, and his sound seemed to align him with the likes of garage luminaries such as Ty Segall and Digital Leather. Tracks like “Panda In Space” are pure electronic ambiance, with “Garage On The Beach” and “Surfer Girl” showing PK’s deftness for merging his brittle punk songs with abstract experimentation. It’s these added layers that make Scary Monster Juice so artful, while staying rooted in the bare-bones sound garage music lovers enjoy.
You can grab the digital LP from Uglydog or the tape from Already Dead, and stream “Garage On The Beach” below.
Pistols Crossed
Jackie Farrow-Pistols Crossed
This guy right here is one reason why I absolutely love getting submissions. I never know what to expect when I get an email with someone linking me to their music but that’s part of the thrill of something new. A few days ago One Foot In The Graveyard, the fifth album from Greece resident Jackie Farrow, landed in my inbox and caught my eye. Seeing that the cassette was released by Already Dead Tapes last week I knew that I’d be in for something that’d throw me off guard and captivate me as well and that’s exactly what happened. “Pistols Crossed” is just one example of the sheer brilliance of this release and every time I listen to it I can’t help but wonder if this song is what might be playing on an elevator down into hell. The bleak, tenebrous atmosphere of the LP goes hand in hand with the eerie, experimental vibes that echo throughout it and if you think that you’ve got Jackie Farrow’s sound pinned down with just one track then you’ll quickly realize that you’re mistaken once the next one starts. One Foot In The Graveyard burrows its way into your head and stays there long after it has ended and that could possibly be the best part of it all. You can purchase the release digitally through bandcamp for $5 or pick it up on cassette for the same price.
Salomon Da'em
Chat LogsChat Logs-Salomon Da’em
To be honest, before I started this blog I wasn’t aware of a huge majority of the bands or labels that I am now but being introduced to new things just about every day has made this an even better experience. For about a month or so now I’ve found myself basking in the sounds of a small yet extensive cassette label based out of Chicago and Kalamazoo by the name of Already Dead Tapes, and with easily over a dozen artists signed, they surely have a lot to offer as far as variety is concerned. Regardless of style or overall tone, each band has a way of exploring and incorporating vast amounts of atmosphere into their music, and that’s what captivated me the most as I worked my way through a good bit of Already Dead’s discography. Despite many groups having caught my attention, it was the ominous and mysterious punk influenced sounds of Brooklyn three piece Chat Logs that seemed to be a perfect fit. Though it holds it’s composure throughout each track, their fifth full length, Live Crust, is an amazingly orchestrated work of disaster that’s sure to get your blood pumping and your mind stirring. The vocals are often times indistinct, working to add more of a texture to the overall tone. While the music is mood shifting, heavily distorted, and surrounded by a heavy, tenebrous nature. Live Crust takes listeners to the recesses of their mind and propels them further back until the very end. With that being said, this isn’t an album that you can just pick up and listen to so I suggest giving it your full attention. It’s available on cassette (ADO43) through Already Dead Tapes’ website for $5 and digitally through Chat Logs’ bandcamp for the same price.
i usually just reblog cat stuff but i want to say this.
i broke down crying after i got a stupid ticket today for $200. i was mad because it was an honest mistake and the cop didn’t listen to me at all. usually cops are pretty reasonable but this dude was on a mission to write me that ticket.
i broke down because it was just one more thing that makes me feel really powerless. i’ve been trying to get my student loans reduced and trying to get medicaid coverage for my pregnancy. giant systems that i’m trying to navigate and i am at the mercy of.
pregnancy hormones are making me super weepy so it’s harder to deal with emotions, but here’s the thing: i cried for another reason today.
i just reblogged the video from already dead family reunion. it was emperor x - erica western teleport, which is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite people. it made me sob watching it.
watching the video i realized that i had one of the best weekends of my life and got to be with some of the best people i know. my dwindling financial resources and growing debt can’t take away from the fact that i have a beautiful, supportive community.
sean and i are going to make it through this rough patch and we’re going to be better for it. we going to get through this because we have people who love us and encourage us.
i don’t value other people by how much money they have or how “successful” they are, and i can’t value myself that way either. my life doesn’t suddenly become significant because i’m self-sufficient and i have more than $5 in my savings account.
i’ve said this for two reasons. first, friends out there that came out and supported sean and already dead tapes this weekend - you were doing more than seeing cool bands and hanging out with friends. you were investing into a community that values art and integrity more than success and influence. you really encouraged me (and i’m sure sean and josh).
second, i’m not going to let my life be defined by my struggles. i’m not powerless, even if i don’t have money. i’m not a failure, even if i couldn’t cut it at my last job and had to take this hourly position. i refuse to look at myself and assign value based on my financial stability.
so, please, don’t do it to yourself either.
FORGET THE TIMES - SOUL MUSIC
forgetthetimes.bandcamp.combummed i did not know this was on bandcamp until now. dig some jazzy thrashings.
sink\sink - submerged
taken from the album ‘A Lone Cloudburst’ available on cassette at alreadydeadtapes.bigcartel.com
Since Now, Til Then is finally on bandcamp
aboutamillion.bandcamp.comoh man this album was recorded by anthony when he was about 15 years old and it finally has been released digitally on bandcamp. check out these songs and maybe buy them if you are into it!!
Video Daughters-All the Church Dogs
Video Daughters-All The Church Dogs
On facebook, Brooklyn’s Video Daughters describes their genre as swallowed teeth and after listening to the frenzied, yet meticulously composed work known as ZooS, it quickly became clear why.
What I love most about ZooS is its versatility and tendency to throw listeners for a complete curve and throughout the LP, Video Daughters shows that experimental music is way more than just a tag to be thrown onto an album. On each track the group unloads an arsenal of avant garde anthems and backs them up with off kilter electronics that’re veiled by raw punk & subtle indie rock complexions.
This may prove to be too much for some but with Video Daughters, nothing seems forced or out of place and this is what makes the band such a gem. Be sure to grab ZooS digitally for $3 or on cassette through Already Dead Tapes for $5 by heading over to bandcamp.
