Thursday, July 28, 2011

Cover Girl 'Demo Tape'












I have such a huge crush on this band. One part Trash Kit, one part Peepholes, one part Wetdog, one part Gold Bars, all awesome. Cover Girl's Demos cassette released on Milk records debuts 5 tracks from London's self styled 'queer disco punk super group'. Recently I've seen this spunky quintet turn basements, tents, barns and pubs into one big sweaty dance party with their playful, urgent pop songs. The sleeve for this tape is lovingly hand made using silk screening, look out for upcoming tour dates - a band not to be missed live!

You can buy the tape here

Cover Girl on Facebook

Monday, July 25, 2011

Mr Peppermint: Interview!


















Thanks Winning Sperm Party for the image.

Mr Peppermint is due to play London's YES WAY festival in August and has material for a new album underway, Gilded Gutter caught up with the menacing masked noise duo from Glasgow to find a little bit more about them...

Who is in Mr Peppermint and what do they do?

Jonny plays drums and i play guitar and sing. My name is Jack.

Why did you start Mr Peppermint?

Because we like to jam together!

Have you been in any previous bands, if so who?

Yes, Jonny and I both play/ed in a band called Stomachs but our other guitarist is currently living in London so we don't play together much at the moment. I play guitar in another band, called Smack Wizards.

You’re based in Glasgow, how is the music scene up there? Any favourite venues? Local bands?

Its great! Lots of good things happening, there is plenty of good venues but i think in general its best to play and to watch gigs in different places (i.e. not in venues) like the West Princess Street flats or the Audio Lounge which is a rehearsal space. Places without bars are the best places to play, selling watery pints of Tennents for four pounds has nothing to do with music, despite what we are told in this country.

Croc vs Croc put on great gigs that are always fun and a bit different. Recently Winning Sperm Party purchased a generator and have been putting gigs outside in all sorts of spaces, like outside west street underground station and in an abandoned building near the Clyde, which is lots of fun.

There is lots of bands I love, Gropetown, Ultimate Thrush, Eternal Fags, Blue Sabbath Black Fiji, Thoth, Gummy Stumps, Divorce, and there is many more.

Is there anything you would like to change about your local scene? If so why?

Not really, i don't think anyone is really bound together in that way, its just people playing music, and there is lots of good music. There is plenty I'd change about the music industry in general but that's another story altogether.

Do you prefer playing or recording?

Playing live, although i do enjoy recording lots.

What inspired you to tape your microphone into a mask to wear while you play?

It comes from wanting to improvise guitar/vocals simultaneously. I find it so much easier to sing into a mic attached to my face rather than a microphone on the end of a stand. I want the vocals to be a part of the music rather than like an extra thing over the top of the guitar. Not so they sound the same but just so that when I'm play I don't have to separate the two in my mind and think 'ah I got to sing now'. I think the mic stand makes everything too indirect for me, and you have to know what you want to say/sing a few seconds before you actually do it, coz you've got to go up to the stand and get the timing right, but with the mask i don't have to worry about that. I can just do it without thinking, which really is the main idea. Not to think too much.

What kind of microphone is it?

It's the mouthpiece out of an old telephone from the 70's I think, really old. I have been using the same one since we started in 2009, but i have a few spares which I got from the dump for free, which was lucky because usually they don't let you take anything. All of them are from old phones.

Being masked are you interested in the idea of anonymity or creating a different persona while performing at all?

Emmmm, not really, I think I maybe on some subconscious level, but I only wear the mask because I wanted the microphone on my face. Jonny has his because we thought it would look better if we were both masked.

What’s your take on other masked bands like Nobunny for instance - or the heavily painted Kiss?

Well I've never heard of Nobunny, and a can't say I like Kiss much! I love Pink and Brown though who had a pretty similar set up to us I think. I would not wear a mask if it didn't have a microphone in it, it's just the best way to hold it close to my mouth.

Tell us little bit about how you learned to play, when did you first start learning the guitar? Are you self-taught? Do you look up to any musicians at all?

Well it all started with me having a hippy for a primary 5 teacher who was in a band, and he got half the class learning the guitar! I think the 'Postman Pat' song was first. I lost interest for a few years, but my dad plays, so it never went out my mind completely. Then I got given a Hendrix live tape which totally blew my mind, I actually listened to it recently for the first time in ages and it still sounds wild, tons of feedback, a long version of 'Wild Thing' that sounds like he must be smashing the guitar up etc, and this tape single handily made me want to play guitar! Total cheesy story but it did, i just thought it was cool as fuck that he could make all these strange sounds! My dad taught me the basics, and yes I look up to lots and lots of musicians, Davy Graham is an acoustic guitar player who is unbelievably brilliant on the guitar, I love Keith Lavene, Syd Barrett, Peter Green, Paul Leary, and hundreds of others.

Can you name the first band or album that really made an impression on you?

In chronological order it goes- Boyzone, Blur, Hendrix, Nirvana. After Nirvana I started to get into everything else, I'm into almost anything these days but for a while it was punk only, the weirder the better. There is lots that come to mind that have made an impression on me. Some stuff that I got into when I was quite young that I still love; Scratch Acid- 'the Greatest Gift' CD which has their two EPs and one LP on it, Flipper- 'Generic Flipper', Butthole Surfers- 'Locust Abortion Technition', the Bikini Kill singles collection, and Dead Kenedys 'Bedtime For Democracy', Melvins 'Hostlie Ambient Takeover', these were all my favourites when I was in school.

I really appreciated the fact I could go on Winning Sperm Party and download your album for free, what’s your take on the digital area vs the way things were before the internet?

Well its hard to say, because sadly I don't know what it was like to be in a band before the internet. I don't care about the decline of the music industry or whatever because that's all just capitalist bullshit. So that side of it doesn't concern me.

I like having it available for free online, because I want people to be able to hear our records, and its the easiest way to make it available to anyone. There is also lots of amazing stuff on winning sperm party so we are honoured to be a part of that! I like having physical copies too though, so we have CDRs, and we would absolutely love to get the new album pressed on vinyl but we have no money to do it. Hopefully one day someone will offer to help us out in this respect!

How did you form a relationship with Winning Sperm Party?

By going to lots of gigs and just gradually getting to know them all.

What’s currently playing on the stereo at your home?

I have the Christopher H. Taylor album 'The Tedious Dolour Of Christopher Taylor' in my cd player, the Gropetown/Rosanne Barr tape in my tape machine and the Shadows' Greatest Hits on my turntable.

What’s in the future for Mr Peppermint?



New album will be complete and day now! Playing Yes Way in london 13th of August, then touring the UK with Yola Fatoush in October. Also I think I'd like to record again before the end of the year. I really really want to go and play in Europe too.

“I’m full of dust and guitars” Syd Barrett, if you were cracked open what would be inside?

Blood and guts, and smoke, and a pomegranate..

I absolutely LOVE Syd Barrett by the way.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Lost Sounds 'Blac Static'

















Lost Sounds formed after Jimmy Lee Lindsay Jr's first band The Reatards called it a day. After releasing four albums and a slew of seven inches Jay went on to release material with Alix Brown in the short lived project Angry Angles before going it alone as Jay Reatard. The melodic elements of Jay's later song writing can be attributed to working alongside Rich Cook (drums), Patrick Jordan (bass) and Alicja Trout (synth, vocals, guitar) in Lost Sounds. It never seemed so apparent how important it can be for a band to be in the right place at the right time, or in Lost Sounds case simply the wrong place and the wrong time. It was only a few years later when Blank Dogs synth-drone inspired material boomed in Brooklyn's hotbed, but it was this foursome in Memphis that were there first.

Fat Possum, who nearly signed Jay Reatard before Matador swooped in to sealed a deal with an infamous 7" series - have unearthed the Lost Sounds material for a 'Best Of' collection. 'Blac Static' comprises songs from 'Black Wave' (2001, Empty), 'Memphis Is Dead' (2001, Big Neck), 'Rats Brains and Microchips' (2002, Empty) and 'Lost Sounds' (2004, In The Red). Opener "1620 Echles Street" is a harrowing number, which Jay describes witnessing domestic violence from his next door neighbors. The music aptly mirrors an intense experience and is indicative of Jay's natural ability to describe afflicted human emotion. Other highlights on the compilation are 'I Sit I Watch I Wait' and 'Dark Shadows' both feverish, menacing tracks featuring distorted vocals, fuzzed out guitars and melody heavy synths creating freaked-out-cyber-nightmares. The collection was put together by Alicja Trout and Rob Crook from the band. Alicja released a 7" under the name 'Alicja Pop' not too long ago while Rich Cook currently plays in Knaughty Knights and Lover!. Highest recommendation!

Footage of a Lost Sound interview

Alicja Trout interview on Terminal Boredom

You can buy the album here

Black Wave
http://www.mediafire.com/?ej5v05w58j0a53c

Lost Sounds
http://www.mediafire.com/?b002d2z330c2ad1

Memphis Is Dead
http://www.mediafire.com/?c7arromlge7v838

Rats Brains and Microchips
http://www.mediafire.com/?45h91vhhjn5u77d

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Good Throb: INTERVIEW!!













It's a great pleasure to be able to present an interview with Good Throb who have just put out a tape and are planning to record their first single. They answered some questions for Gilded Gutter to tell us little more about themselves...

Researching Good Throb I found there wasn't a lot written about the band, let’s cover some basic ground, who’s in the band and what do you do?

Louis - I play the drums and drive the car.
Ash - I play bass
Ellie - I shout
Bryony - I 'play' guitar.

Have you been in or are currently in any other bands?

Louis - I'm in the Love Triangle, the Shitty Limits and No
Ellie - currently playing drums and vocals for deck chair / knotted handkerchief impov punk outfit 'Twank'
Bryony - I was in The Sceptres (with Louis, although he has evidently forgotten..) for three years (we are pretty much done, but have our final record out soon) and Back Stabbath (all girl hardcore band that played four gigs in 2005, hah)

How did you meet each other and start Good Throb?

Ash - We met through hanging out, going to shows. We started through peer pressure.
Bryony - Louis pretty much locked me in my garage until I had worked out how to play the guitar I'd owned for two years. I personally wanted to make a band with women again because that is important for me, although it isn't the reason we started.

What made you start playing music?

Ash - I've only been playing since starting Good Throb, I guess I started because I'd always wanted to be in a punk band.
Bryony - I'm disobedient.


Are you all self-taught musicians?

Louis - Both my parents were music teachers so I had a lot of music when I was a child, which was a really good thing. This is my first go at playing the drums though. I really like the 'discovery' aspect of learning how to play new things on the drums. It feels fresh compared to, say, playing guitar, where I've been bashing out the same chords since I was a young teen.
Ash - I am in a way, but i still don't feel like i really have any idea what I'm doing. Its fun though, whatever it is.
Ellie - the idea of being referred to as a musician is very flattering!
Bryony - I resisted formal music training almost as hard as my parents pushed for it - 7 years of piano lessons and I can't play a note, I did have some guitar lessons when I was no more than 6 years old, my only memory of which is insisting on playing the (acoustic) guitar which was bigger than my body, face up. Had classical singing training which stuck a little more. Short answer: Yeah.

Which do you prefer, playing or recording?

Louis - PLAYING! although I really enjoyed recording our demo. It took about an hour once the mics were all set up, and we had loads of beer.
Ash - Playing definitely.

The song ‘Bag’ has turned heads, what do you make of that? Why do you think people gravitate to that song?

Louis - I didn't realise they did! It must be Ellie's incredible lyrics!
Ash - That's probably because its so raging. Its the shit you either have to say to people that aren't even listening to you day in and day out or the shit you can't be arsed to interact with because its too inhuman and cringey to bear.
Ellie - Ash got it in a nut shell. Customer service ARRGH, people know what we're saying. Our lyrics are usually a tasty stew of rage, having a laugh in practice, and teetering on the edge of the precipice of sheer idiocy.
Bryony - I'm a fan of this song, sounds like if Bruce Loose from Flipper worked double shifts in the Reading branch of New Look.

Can you tell us a little bit about ‘Sick Party’ – I LOVE that song!!

Ellie - All of our songs are made together during practice, when we were playing around with the tune we jokingly referred to it as our 'party tune'. The lyrics came out of our idea of parties as cheez-and-pineapple-on-sticks socialisation mutating into / synonymous with a bunch of people puking up the walls.
Bryony - Like Noel's House party with Vomit instead of Gunge. Also, my lowest human ebb has come twice, both times at fucking house parties in Lewisham and Leytonstone respectively, don't go to those places.)

It seems like bands have more and more control over their projects these days, what do you make of Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify et al?

Louis - The 'control' aspect of it seems really cool to me. From that list I'm only really familiar with Soundcloud. I find the internet a really handy way of listening to music, but compared to putting a record on at home it seems really tacky. There's no romance to it!
Bryony - Spotify is alright in theory but pure bullshit in practicality, I don't recall a time where I ever thought 'Hm, I know what I want to do, listen to three songs of a good record spliced with endless ads encouraging me to become a Community Support Officer and racist Nandos voiceovers. Don't care how much of the Dischord back catalogue is on there. Give me Megaupload and real life records.

What was the first piece of music you heard that made an impression on you?

Louis - 'Smells like Teen Spirit'.
Ash - 'Kill the poor'
Bryony - What, ever? Queen - I'm going slightly mad. (Freddy Mercury, the last punk)

What have been some of the most memorable shows you’ve attended or played?

Louis - I really enjoyed our set at the Double dot bash at South st in Reading. We hadn't played, practiced or even really seen each other for a little while. But we turned up, got a little drunk with Black Mamba Beat, and played (in my opinion) our best gig so far.
Ellie - I recently had the misfortune of stumbling into the pub during the set of 'Kunt and the gang'. A truly horrific experience I never want to repeat.
Bryony - There's a band from Vancouver called Nu Sensae, who I saw live in Austin Texas last month, they're a two piece but make enough of a noise for ten. Stupid good.

How would you sum up the music scene in the UK right now?

Louis - Off my radar.
Ellie - I can't think of words right now but whatever it is I LIKE IT.
Bryony - Brief Splurge.

Are there any bands you want to rave about? Any we need to check out?!!

Louis - Not too many current bands I'm super into... I really like Hygiene an awful lot and I'll be sad when they break up. The current lot of Barcelona hardcore bands (Otan, Glam, Crimen de Estado, Absurdo, Atentado etc) is really cool and interesting.
Ellie - I think there's a fuck load of cool bands about in the UK at the moment. Home grown hardcore bands I've seen recently off the top of my head that were great: Human Junk (they are amazing), Sump, No, Satellites of love, Endless Grinning Skulls, State Icons, Pettybone, Stab, Moloch... The list goes on.
Bryony - As far as the UK goes - Woolf are the most exciting band in London at the moment. RIP The Lowest Form.

What’s in store for Good Throb? You can talk about any projects, doesn’t have to pertain just to music…

Louis - I think we're going to record a proper single, but we haven't written it yet apart from some song titles.
Ash - Girls in bikinis, esque music vid, then at the end Ellie can come in and shit on everyone.
Bryony - 7", LP, Van, World. I am going to buy a guitar tuner instead of borrowing my roommates. Maybe.


‘I’m full of dust and guitars’ – Syd Barrett, if you were cracked open what would be inside?

Louis - Cocktails and dreams
Ash - Like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain? Id be full of cake and film reels.
Ellie - Shit and piss.
Bryony - Party and Bullshit.

Good Throb on Tumblr

Good Throb 'Demo 2011'

















Good Throb have just self released their first tape recorded live in May of this year. 'Demo 2011' culls nine brilliantly snotty songs of homegrown UK Punk at it's best. Good Throb spins the daily grind into bursts of impish scum-fuckery with songs about customer service, partying, admin work and being an animal. Lead singer Ellie delivers vocals with aggro yelps and snarls apace with rubbery bass, pulverizing drums and kinetic, catchy guitar arrangements. One of the most exciting UK Punk bands around and well worth your time!!

You can find the tape here

Monday, July 18, 2011

Dead Moon 'Unknown Passage' and 'Defiance' LP Reissues
































This trio from Clackamas, OR were formed from the ashes of husband and wife Toody and Fred Cole's first project The Rats. Andrew Loomis joined the duo and Dead Moon came to life in 1987, their debut came out a year later on Tombstone Records and they've been churning out rootsy-garage rock ever since. In 2006 Sub Pop released an extensive collection culling their greatest moments on a fine double CD. But, vinyl was still unavailable until now thanks to Mississippi Records. 'Unknown Passage' (1989) features stompers like "54/40 or Fight" and "Evil Eye", while 'Defiance' (1990) has the phenomenal "Walking On My Grave" and "Johnny's Got A Gun". I can't recommend these records enough -- try as I might to sum up their story I just can't top this interview Toody and Fred did for Soft Focus...

Soft Focus Series 3 interview with Dead Moon

http://www.mediafire.com/?1cvmcq8all1edk5

Friday, July 15, 2011

Yeti Eleven


















This arrived via Royal Mail this morning, the eleventh installment of the brilliant Yeti zine. Contributors in this edition are; Phill Niblock, Joe Brainard, Kimberly Parko, Roy Montgomery, Oneida, Victor Kerlow, Brian Chippendale, Skaters, Olivia Wyatt, Marcellus Hall, Golden Retriever, Megan Holmes, Atole and a collection of rare French May '68 poster images. As always a complimentary mix CD accompanies the mag this time around Snake Hole, Sloppy Heads and Gospel Creators are some of the contributors. It's worth noting this will be the last issue that gives away a these CDs. For issue twelve editor Mike McGonical will be bringing out Yeti in a slightly new format for the book to fit a series of 7"s.

For more information on Yeti go here

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Ty Segall 'Goodbye Bread'

















It was only a year ago that Ty Segall brought 'Melted' (Goner) to us. Steering away from his earlier ballistic sound Segall ground his songs down to strangled psychedelic garage rock that topped many end of year lists in 2010. To kick off summer 2011, the San Fran-pyscho troubadour is back with new album 'Goodbye Bread' (Drag City) and Segall's has once again knocked one out of the park.

These 10 strung out numbers feature sinewy guitars, ramshackle rhythms and lethargic yet sanguine tinged vocals creating 35 minutes of unglued swampy garage rock, delivered with an explosive sound you'd expect from TRex or The Troggs and finesse of 60s psychedelia. Ty Segall plays around with the structure of the songs throughout 'Goodbye Bread' and manipulates distortion and feedback heating things up then cooling them off, check out "My Head Explodes" to see what I mean! Another highlight is "I Am With You" which opens with chiming guitars morphing into frenzied rhythms, feverish distortion and unhinged vocals, before collapsing into a blazing solo. For those who weren't already initiated 'Melted' turned heads, and my only gripe with that record is it felt like the 30 minutes lasted longer. 'Goodbye Bread' is the opposite, there's something about the way Ty Segall plays with the arrangements that propels the album, for me at least. 'Goodbye Bread' is a great opportunity to pick up on Ty Segall if you haven't had the chance yet, as it feels like this album is building to something even bigger and better for what he puts out next.

Listen! 'I Am With You'

Ty Segall 'Goodbye Bread' UK
Ty Segall 'Goodbye Bread' US

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Bad Sports 'Nothin' To Do'

















Austin's Bad Sports are gearing up for a new album this summer and to kick things off is a new single 'Nothin' To Do'. So far their catalog boasts a debut album on Douchemaster and song 'I Don't Remember Your Name' featured on 12XU's 'Casual Victim Pile 2010' compilation. The three piece (Orville Neeley - Guitar/Vocals, Gregory Rutherford - Drums, TV's Daniel Fried - Bass/Vocals) mix frenzied punk and power pop fit for any Cheap Time, Marked Men or Hex Dispensers fan.

Check out the single on Nashville's Dead!

Stay tuned here for the new LP

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Cola Freaks 'Cola Freaks'

















Championed by Jay Reatard, the Cola Freaks started to turn heads outside of Denmark when they supported Jimmy Lee Lindsay Jr on tour. Following six singles and 2010's 'Live WMBR 88.1'(Mastermind Records) release the six piece offer up debut studio album 'Cola Freaks' (Hjernespind/Douchemaster). These eleven ballistic tracks simulate a twenty five minute punk seizure with an onslaught of frenetic guitars and drums delivered with a no-nonsense attitude. There's a menacing quality to it that brings TV Ghosts' first record to mind, with Cola Freaks songs sounding a lot cleaner by comparison. Parts even remind me of the Lost Sounds stuff, especially the cyber-like vocals and agitated tone of the songs. First 100 copies are available on split red and white coloured vinyl.

Douchemaster blog/shop
Cola Freaks Facebook

A track Cola Freaks made for the Scion A/V singles series.
Scion A/V Garage: Cola Freaks / Digital Leather by ScionAV

Friday, July 1, 2011

Mannequin Men 'Sally'

















Chicago's Mannequin Men are finishing up their third album following 2009's 'Lose Your Illusion, Too' (Flameshovel). In the interim while waiting for its release is track "Sally" accompanied by Jack Oblivion and the Tearjerkers "The Lone Ranger of Love" as part of the Scion A/V single series. Drawing from an amalgamation of influences Mannequin Men's songs assemble sounds from The Clean, Neil Young and Wipers to name a few and create something unmistakably their own. "Hobby Girl" (Hozac/2010) sounds like The Replacements covering Television Personalities and is one of their finest songs to date, further showing what we might expect from the new record. This is music lovingly made for record nerds by record nerds who unabashedly lay bare their influences and sound like they have a great time doing it. And, if you want to know how good it feels to be caning it down the motorway with Mannequin Men blasting out of the stereo - you'll just have to try it and see.

Also check out Dedc Blog!!!

Mannequin Men Facebook
Mannequin Men Tumblr
Mannequin Men Twitter

Scion A/V Garage - Jack Oblivian and the Tennessee Tearjerkers/Mannequin Men by ScionAV

Hobby Girl by Mannequin Men