Posts Tagged ‘merok’
Earworm: Comanechi “On and On (Babe Rainbow remix)”
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Who: Comanechi, Babe Rainbow
Sounds like: Comanechi – gnarly, distorted fury rock, fronted by fearless drummer/vocalist Akiko Matsuura; Babe Rainbow – hauntingly slothful beatscapes self-described as “surf-step.”
RIYL: Royal Trux, Coachwhips, early Be Your Own Pet, Japanther, Selected Ambient Works, SALEM, Hyperdub
Need to know: Comanechi is a two-piece from Hackney, England comprised of Akiko and guitarist Simon Petrovitch. Their debut single “My Pussy” was surprisingly about a kitty cat… I think. According to FACT, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon was inspired to say Comanechi made her “want to punch holes in Thurston [Moore]’s face until she can f**k it”, and Beth Ditto from Gossip says they’ll be the reason she plans to “start killing people in 2010.” Quite the colourful kudos. Babe Rainbow, on the other hand, is British Columbian Cameron Reed, the 27-year-old mastermind behind Vancouver’s Music Waste festival and newly-signed Warp Records artist (whoa!). He has a blog that’s my idea of eye candy: random posts about cool shit.
Track: Originally a slow-burning, fuzz-driven rock’n’roll dirge, Babe Rainbow flips “On and On” into a droning, sizzurp-induced dream sequence that sounds like he’s drained everything – the hostility, the snarl, the guitars, the sex – but the faint melody out of it.
Buy: Comanechi’s loooooonnnnnnnggggg-awaited debut album Crime Of Love is out on December 7th via Merok, the label responsible for discovering Klaxons, Crystal Castles and The Teenagers. You can pre-order it here. Babe Rainbow’s EP will be released by Warp eventually.
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: Akiko Matsuura, Babe Rainbow, Cameron Reed, Comanechi, merok, On and On (Babe Rainbow remix), Simon Petrovitch, Warp
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Earworm: SALEM “Frost”
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Who: SALEM
What: A trio from Midwestern America (Traverse City, MI, NYC and Chi-town) that make sound collages as seductive as they are uncomfortable and bloodcurdling.
Sounds like: Taking inspiration from the screwed & chopped percussion of crunk, the forceful synths of electro, the detached emotion of shoegaze and the boding evil presence of goth, they’ve invented a sound not unlike juke house that should quickly be patented as their own before everyone steals it from them.
RIYL: The Knife’s Silent Shout, DJ Assault’s “Yo Relatives” at 33rpm, mid-period My Bloody Valentine, the spirit of black metal, OxyContin
Need to know: To date they’ve released a few strictly limited edition EPs: Yes I Smoke Crack (out on Acephale), the Water EP (out on Merok) and a recent 7-inch in Japan (out on Big Love). But just this week they’ve unleashed a brand new two-track single on Audraglint. Their video for “Dirt” is the creepiest thing ever and totally NSFW. And they made Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” sound like it drowned a very peaceful death on a tribute called “Brustreet.”
Track: Though its name suggests otherwise, ”Frost” is the friendliest thing they’ve released so far, with Heather Marlatt’s otherworldly vocal and the warm synths melting the titular condition while the snares snap their way into a frenzy.
On the flipside, ”Legend” is a complete 180, submerged in a bath of acid as the clapping beat and droned synths pull John Holland’s voice further into an abyss of madness.
Buy: You can pick up the 7-inch here.
- Cam Lindsay
Tags: acephale, audraglint, big love, merok, salem
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