[lamusicblog.com] One of modern music’s most efficacious bands, the Melvins have been perfecting their unique brand of unconventional heavy music for nearly three decades. Led by founder and frontman Buzz Osborne, the group remains an absurdly influential force on countless bands and genres across the board.

With a new album, split, and box set already released this year, the band has kept busy and shows no signs of slowing down. Prior to the kickoff of their upcoming US tour, Osborne took some time out to speak on The Bride Screamed Murder, the band’s Billboard debut, and what the future holds for the Melvins and music as a whole.

So The Bride Screamed Murder was released in June…

Yes, it was!

It was! And it saw the band’s first appearance on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Do accolades like that have any sort of relevance to you guys at this point?

I think it shows you exactly how down the scale the music business has come. I mean, it doesn’t take much to break the Billboard charts, you know?

That’s true. I read that an auto-tuned version of the news was somehow #89 last week.

Oh yeah, well there you go. You know, I never really worried too much about that stuff. It’s a good thing that didn’t make much of a difference to me because I would have quit a long time ago if that was the case.

In your opinion, where does this album rank among your entire discography?

I have no idea. I always say that I couldn’t pick one record, but I could pick five out of all of ours probably. And that’s hard, even then.

If I had to pick today, I would put it in our top five; I think it’s one of our best records. But I would also pick Colossus of Destiny, Stag, Nude With Boots, and Bullhead as well. That’s what I’d pick today; that doesn’t mean that wouldn’t change like fifteen minutes from now.

I have a hard time listening to my own music, believe it or not. I’m a little close to it. Anyone who sits around listening to their own music, getting off on it, it’s a little weird. It’s like watching yourself in a movie or something. “You know, I really am good, don’t you think? But that’s enough about me, let’s hear you talk about me.” You know, that type of thing.

I’m the wrong type of person to ask about that kind of stuff. I know what I think, but I’m also hypercritical, and I hear it with warts and all. Rarely do I ever agree when people say, “This is my favorite song!” I also think that yeah, that’s a good one, but I would’ve picked this one. With my own stuff, I hear it differently than everyone else does.

Personally, I have to say that I think it’s the best of your records with the Big Business lineup. And in terms of that, has the writing process changed since Jared and Coady joined the band?

Well, what happens usually with the vast majority of the stuff is that I have a kernel of an idea that I want to do, and we elaborate on it from there. I’m very much an accidentalist in that department, and I like to self-edit as I go along.

A lot of times I’ll think I have a really good idea, and a lot of times, it is a good idea. But then in midstream, I realize it’s not quite as good as this idea I just though of, so then we’ll change things. Or they’ll come up with something that I like, and the old idea will evaporate and turn into something new.

The creative process is always weird; it has to come from somewhere. “Happy Birthday” is, generally speaking, an acapella song, but if you take “Happy Birthday” and add an orchestra to it, that doesn’t mean that you wrote the song. [LAUGHS] You added things to something that was already there!

So we’re always adding things to something that’s already there, constantly.

As with all of your releases, it’s hard to determine whether the songs were created spur of the moment or were more carefully calculated.

More carefully calculated–even the stupid stuff is carefully calculated pretty much.

We play weird rock music. That’s what we do, and that’s what I want to do! It’s like Captain Beefheart-style heavy metal. I don’t think people should expect us to be a normal band. Hopefully our fans don’t expect that. They certainly don’t seem to, but pretty much with us, anything goes.

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE!!!

This week on the fantastic DirtyLaundry.tv, lovely host Malia James speaks with Los Angeles psych rockers DEAD MEADOW about a new line-up, their movie, and bad acid trips…

Dirty Laundry Presents: Dead Meadow from Dirty Laundry on Vimeo.

[indierockreviews.com] It was May 4th, 2010 that Athens, GA based Gift Horse released their debut album Mountain of Youth. Like idiots we didn’t take much notice of the release until a week or so ago when we got lucky with an opportunity to premiere a new video for their song “Missionaries”. It’s a gentle rocker that pulls on my memories of bands like Built To Spill, Boilermaker, and a little Nada Surf, but don’t take my word for the whole album as I haven’t heard it yet. For all you factoids they did record with Hank Sullivant (The Whigs, MGMT), which should keen you up. Enjoy!

[ed note: Geez, we love Gift Horse and the entire album, a favorite of 2010, and these guys get the premiere... hmph!]

The entire album is seriously awesome. Stream the entire album HERE or below…

Not The Only One by Gift Horse

In our digital age, sometimes finding great music doesn’t require any fancy press releases, extensive band biographies, or flashy web pages to resonate with the listener. After all, if the music is good enough, no one will care about those things anyway. Such is the case with Long Beach, CA’s The Fling, an alternative/Americana rock collective who need little introduction past simply listening to their album. When the band reached out to me, they simply said “I see that you guys like Delta Spirit so I thought we might be a good fit. It’s something we’ve been working hard on for some time now and we’re very proud of how it turned out,” and attached a copy of the album. After listening to the record from start to finish, I did something fairly unusual for myself; I hit play again… and listened to the entire album for the second time in a row. The guys have great reason to be proud, their self released debut When The Madhouses Appear is an exceptionally good slab of honest, organic, and often times psychedelic pop infused rock. Spreading the word of this record has become part of our agenda here at Exploding In Sound, as we believe The Fling are capable of reaching the ears of a wide audience, and those ears will surely be grateful.

Wearing many of their influences on their sleeves, The Fling’s love for The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Syd Barrett runs rampant. The quartet is able to mold their collective influences into a sound that is unique and accessible, creating reflections of the past accompanied by a modern elegance and style. Opening with “Friend of Mine,” the tone is set firmly from the start, acoustic textures blur with wavering electric guitars for a breezy summer atmosphere that’s equal parts psychedelic, shoegaze, pop, and folk. The album’s vocals offer much of the band’s appeal thanks to bright, buoyant, doubled harmonies that are immediately recognizable. “Wanderingfoot” winds through similar territory with gorgeous lap steel accompaniment and a loose Southern twang that fuses perfectly with the insistent clouds of fuzzy distortion. “Strangers” finds the band in full blown Americana prose, a suit that fits them rather well. Jangly acoustic guitars play background to Dustin and Graham Lovelis’ vocal performances, before the yearning hook leads way to deep pounding drums that provide the song’s backbone without overpowering its laid back exuberance.

“Nothing Makes Sense” is one of my favorite tracks on the record, a woozy listen reminiscent of tumbleweed blowing through a dusty western town. The entire record seems to be built around the theme of the “Madhouses” and a sliding mental grasp, brilliantly portrayed in the song’s lyrics. “Elinor,” featuring guest vocals from Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez, is a somber tale of aging, deliver over beautiful harmonies, gentle lap steel, and an understated country twang that shines brightly. “No Sleep” and the piano driven “Dry The Rain” mark the biggest pushes into psychedelic territory, remaining calm at all times, while tripped out melodies swirl with harmonized vocals reminiscent of modern folk rockers Good Old War. “Out of my Head” roars with a deep pulsating charge from the rhythm section of Justin Roeland (bass) and Justin Ives (drums), channeling the band’s punk spirit and fleshing it out with grainy vocals and hypnotic guitars.

“Cold Comfort” provides a change of pace from the acoustic edged folk, with a blistering reverb heavy electric guitar freakout. Psychedelic and entrancing, the band kicks things into high gear through stratospheric Pink Floyd reverence. The song launches into deep space with dense building distortion and extended jamming, ultimately proving The Fling aren’t afraid to get heavy if they need to. Sparse closer “Devil’s Man” is stunning, honest, and genuinely bleak. Lovelis sings, “I am a tourniquet, down at the bottom of a well. I’ll stop the bleeding, but I’ll make it hurt like hell,” offering the albums most gut wrenching sincerity over simple yet effective acoustic guitars. Like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Howl did before them, The Fling offer an eclectic array of Americana, soul, and folk rock interspersed within a midst of subtle shoegaze noise that does more to complement the otherwise organic sound than it does to detract. The madhouses may be appearing, but The Fling look to be keeping their cool.

Stream the entire album HERE or below…

Friend Of Mine by The Fling

*[bravewords.com] Legendary Seattle act SOUNDGARDEN are scheduled to guest on Rockline on Monday, October 11th and Wednesday, October 13th. The program airs at 8:30 PM (PT) / 11:30 PM (ET). Fans are encouraged to speak with the band by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). For a station near you and for information regarding how to log onto the internet for the broadcast go to RocklineRadio.com.

On September 28th, Soundgarden will be releasing a new two-CD/one-DVD retrospective called Telephantasm. It includes songs from all of their albums and EPs, including ‘Black Rain’, an unreleased track from the Badmotorfinger sessions. Check out the track at this location.

*Insurgentes, Lasse Hoile’s film about Steven Wilson, is released on DVD by Kscope on 5th October. The UK premiere takes place at the Prince Charles cinema in London tomorrow (Thursday 2nd Sept). Steven will be available for a Q&A after the screening before a signing session. There shall also be a screening at the IFC Center in New York on September 21st. For this screening Steven will be joined by Lasse.

The last remaining tickets for these special evenings are available to purchase from www.princecharlescinema.com (London) and Burning Shed (New York). Tickets for London cost £10 (+75p booking fee) and tickets for New York cost $15. For more information, visit HERE.

*[filtermagazine.com] A day in the life of a Japanese school girl seems pretty awesome, at least in The Depreciation Guild’s video for “My Chariot” it does. The shoegazey trio decided to just go simple by shooting a video in Tokyo featuring a pair of school girls frolicking around the city and just having a grand ol’ time while the sweet sounding beats and light hearted vocals of the tune are pumping through your speakers. “My Chariot” is from The Depreciation Guild’s Spirit Youth which is out now.

*MonstrO (ex Torche/Bloodsimple) have some new East Coast shows coming up. Dates are as follows…

Fri, Sept 17: Highland Inn Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
Sat, Sept 18: Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
Sun, Sept 19: Regis 42nd St, Wilmington, NC
Tue, Sept 21: Europa, Brooklyn, NY
Wed, Sept 22: Pianos, New York, NY

*A few weeks ago, major storms in Chicago caused flooding in some areas, and the Logan Square-based indie Graveface Records (which just so happened to release Dreamend’s new album So I Ate Myself Bite by Bite) was hit hard. A large percentage of its stock was ruined without insurance coverage. So to make up some of the difference, Graveface is asking for donations and holding a raffle. Read more about the fundraiser HERE!! Graveface is owned by Ryan Graveface (Dreamend) and the label home of band’s such as The Appleseed Cast and Black Moth Super Rainbow.

[stereotypingmusic.blogspot.com] My last review of Doomstar! was quite glowing. I didn’t know what to expect and I was wholeheartedly impressed. This is why I had to jump at the opportunity to see them again when I heard that they were playing a free show at Zuzu on August 23, 2010. It was also a great opportunity to check out some bands I was unfamiliar with.

I had never been to Zuzu, which rests between The Middle East upstairs and downstairs, but I was anxious to check it out. It was an unusual space for a performance by energetic rock bands but worked out pleasantly. It was small and had no stage so the performances were quite intimate. The left wall was lined with mirrors which made for interesting effect and there was a bar located on the right. There was not much else to speak of in the small venue. It seemed more fit for DJs and dance nights which I was told is exactly the primary function of Zuzu.

Colleen Green played first and could best be described as analogous to Best Coast. The performance simply consisted of her on guitars and vocals with a man playing a drum machine next to her. Her reverb laden vocals fell perfectly on top of the two chord progressions. It was a simple no frills arrangement but worked well for the genre. The songs were fairly catchy and kept a warm summer vibe. It made sense when I found out she was based out of Oakland since her style seemed to be plucked right from the west coast lo-fi scene.

I was really surprised by Hands and Knees. They rocked out much more than I was expecting and presented themselves as quite a talented bunch. The drummer especially caught my eye and he was going off in all directions and drove a lot of the songs with forceful precision. The guitars had excellent twang to them and played off one another quite well. They utilized both male and female vocals and the songs each had their own distinctive sound. I can’t speak to individual songs since I was unfamiliar with their catalog, but there were definitely some that I was hoping to revisit.

Doomstar! proved that their last performance was no fluke. They wasted no time getting into their noisy garage rock. They have a great sound, as I mentioned in my last write-up, and strike an excellent balance between noisy, distorted rock and reverb drenched pop structures. They even add dashes of surf rock in songs like “Alone”. One of the things I like most about the group is their ability to get people grooving. When you think of people dancing at shows, you wouldn’t necessarily think of this style and their appearance seems more of that of a metal band; however, both times I saw them people reacted with heavy dancing. This is best exemplified with their song “Lily Face” which is almost impossible to stand still during.

The group played a decent sized set despite getting off to a late start. They ended in ideal fashion with a great trio of songs. They first played an amazing cover of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End” which resonated with a pulsing bassline before erupting in the finale. It was a fitting tribute to the timeless tune. They transitioned into an original which upped the ante and announced that it would be their last song. Just when the audience thought they were done, the band said they would play one more but they apologized ahead of time if it sounded terrible because they never played it before. They then launched into a rousing cover of Nirvana’s “Drain You” and there was certainly no need for apologies. Below is a great video of them performing “Be Correct”…

Doomstar! “Be Correct” – live at Starlab from Extraneous Noise on Vimeo.

[decoymusic.com] Being as it’s only my second week living in Portland, it’s exciting to check out all that the local music scene has to offer. While in the past I have traveled four hours to some of the Bridge City’s larger venues, living in the heart of the city offers some great opportunities, including catching Junius, one of The Mylene Sheath’s biggest up-and-comers, at the Backspace Cafe.

The show kicked off with the local math-metal band Ghosts and Monsters. Despite their shifting time-signatures, guitar swinging and attempts at microphone gymnastics, the crowd rarely responded with even a head nod or two. This could be the result of Junius fans being the introverted lot that they are, since the band’s set was awarded with a full round of applause at its end. The set was full of not-so-hilarious references to the lead singer’s ass crack hanging out the back of his too-tight jeans and “technical difficulties” resulting in guitars thrown into walls. All this aside, Ghosts and Monsters played a tight, if not slightly run-of-the-mill half-hour set and placed the bar relatively low for Junius to smash it to pieces.

Mark my words, Junius will one day transcend the realm of coffee shops and basements into the world of arenas and elaborate light shows. Not only would their music fit perfectly in this atmosphere, but they deserve every bit of success that comes their way. After releasing their stellar self-titled debut (the combination of the previously released EP’s Forcing Out the Silence and Blood is Bright) and the sweeping, ambitious epic that is their second full-length, The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist, Junius have a plethora of dramatic material of which they take advantage every time they hit the stage.

After an introduction featuring a sound clip of Jewish scientist and catastrophist Immanuel Velikovsky, Junius hit the ground running with the pounding “Stargazers and Gravediggers” accented by vibrant yellow backlights. The deep and thick tones of the bass and kick drum created a solid base for the delay-dripping guitars, and Joseph E. Martinez’s vocals seeped in and out of the mix. “Letters from Saint Angelica,” one of the highlights of Martyrdom, translated beautifully to the stage as each member of the four-piece seemed to adapt emotionally with the song’s soaring melodies and swelling crescendos. Next came the throwback songs “Hiding Knives” and “A Word Could Kill Her” from the first record, and the band managed to perform them with more energy and passion than when they were originally released over four years ago. Several front-row headbangers were mouthing each and every word to these tunes with nothing but smiles on their faces. Closing the set with “The Antediluvian Fire,” Junius sang their “whoa-oh’s” with conviction and drove the set to a stunningly sudden finish. A brief talk with guitarist Michael Repasch-Nieves after the show revealed the band’s humility and soft-spoken nature as a wonderful complement to their memorable stage presence.

While many bands are described as creating a “wave” of sound, Junius creates more of a blanket, wrapping tightly around any listener willing enough to allow it. Their live show is never a harsh or violent experience, but one that makes you close your eyes and warm up. – Jeff Vanvickle

[thenewreview.net] On Constants’ new album, If Tomorrow The War, these shoegazers turned indie-metal pioneers have further evolved their already genre-bending style and truly come into their own.

Produced by Jesu/Godflesh mastermind Justin K. Broadrick, basic tracks for the album were recorded at guitarist/vocalist Will Benoit’s burgeoning Solar Powered recording studio (Radar Studios). There, Benoit—along with bassist Orion Wainer and drummer Rob Motes—has fine-tuned his band’s distinct energy and youthful ambition into a signature sound that is Constants and Constants alone.

The new record features guest appearances by Mike Hill (Tombs) and Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid, Sights & Sounds) and is the follow up Constants’ 2009 critically acclaimed full-length The Foundation, The Machine, The Ascension.

STREAM THE ALBUM HERE!!

[bostonherald.com] “Does anybody wanna take a trip with me?” asked a shirtless, sweaty and giddy Iggy Pop.

“It’s a ‘Death Trip’!” he exclaimed, revealing the title of the hard, bluesy downward spiral of a song about to be played.

His introduction got to the nub of what Pop and his four mates in the Stooges mined for 75 harsh but celebratory minutes at House of Blues on Tuesday. That theme became crystal clear during the last encore, “No Fun,” in which a declaration of ennui never sounded so exuberant.

Pop, 63, gets props from punks because the Stooges blew the hippie dream to bits in the early ’70s. Their music was a game changer, even if it took a while for the change to occur. There’s nothing quite like creating joy from anger.

Cynics might say that Iggy & the Stooges circa 2010 is a market-savvy re-creation of what once existed. Well, sure. Only Pop and drummer Scott Asheton are original Stooges. But saxophonist Steve MacKay played on their second album, “Fun House,” and guitarist James Williamson on their third, “Raw Power,” from which much of Tuesday’s set came. And bassist Mike Watt (ex-Minutemen) has been part of this gang since 2003. (Original Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton died last year.)

Cynicism would not have held up through the four-song opening salvo of “Raw Power,” “Search and Destroy,” “Gimme Danger” and “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell.” It was explosion after explosion. On “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” Williamson played wah-wah guitar licks and Pop got on all fours, putting the microphone cord in his mouth like a leash.

Skinny and muscular, Pop was in constant motion. He was playful at times, inviting fans on stage to dance during “Shake Appeal” and saluting the folks in the plush seats with, “Hello, people in the balcony. You’re comfortable and I can’t smell you.”

He didn’t cut his chest with glass, smear himself with peanut butter or expose his privates. But Pop remains quasi-dangerous. He mimed shooting dope during “Penetration” and dove from the stage several times. He maintained focus while conjuring up the most chaotic and beautiful mess you could ever want.

With a powerful, crunching Sabbath-style chords and fiery solos that earn the right to be called Hendrixian, Iowa power trio Radio Moscow plants its flag firmly in the territory where psychedelic rock, cranked-up blues, and metal meet. — The Onion

RADIO MOSCOW UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

Sep 13 @ Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA
Sep 14 @ Prospector – Long Beach, CA
Sep 15 @ ZanZilla – Ventura, CA
Sep 16 @ Spaceland – Los Angeles, CA
Sep 17 @ Rogue – Scottsdale, AZ
Sep 18 @ Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
Sep 20 @ Emo’s – Austin, TX
Sep 21 @ Nightmare – Dallas, TX
Sep 23 @ Czar Bar – Kansas City, MO
Sep 24 @ Yacht Club – Iowa City, IA w/MONDO DRAG
Oct 1 @ DG’s Taphouse – Ames, IA w/MONDO DRAG
Oct 3 @ Replay Lounge – Lawrence, KS
Oct 4 @ 3 Kings Tavern – Denver, CO
Oct 5 @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 6 @ Neurolux – Boise, ID
Oct 8 @ East End – Portland, OR

MONDO DRAG displays the usual plumage on New Rituals – distortion and feedback, hazy melodies, a dreamlike atmosphere, acoustic ephemera. But despite treading well-worn ground, the Draggers make it sound fresh, rather than hackneyed – likely the virtue of having no scene to get lost in.
Muscular and melodic, Mondo Drag kicks out the new/old jams. – The Big Takeover

MONDO DRAG UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

Sep 9 @ The Lift – Dubuque, IA
Sep 10 @ Middlewest Fest – Dekalb, IL
Sep 11 @ PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI w/OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY
Sep 12 @ Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH
Sep 13 TBA Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 14 @ Golden West – Baltimore, MD
Sep 15 @ The Grape Room – Philadelphia, PA
Sep 16 @ Union Pool – New York, NY
Sep 16 @ Beyond Beyond Is Beyond, In-Studio – NY, NY
Sep 18 @ Pianos NYC – New York, NY
Sep 19 @ Loft Party – Washington DC
Sep 20 @ Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
Sep 21 @ The Cut – Atlanta, GA
Sep 22 @ Springwater – Nashville, TN
Sep 23 @ The Comet – Cincinatti, OH w/JOHN LEG
Sep 24 @ Yacht Club – Iowa City, IA w/RADIO MOSCOW
Sep 25 @ The Hideout – Chicago, IL
Oct 1 @ DG’s Taphouse – Ames, IA w/RADIO MOSCOW