Wounded Lion ' IVXLCDM'

Wounded Lion are; Brad Eberhard (guitar, vocals), Lars Finberg (drums, guitar), Raffi Kalenderian (bass, percussion, vocals), Shant Kalenderian (guitar, bass, vocals) and Jun Ohnuki (bass, drums, organ, percussion). The five piece are grounded in LA, featuring hammering rhythms, crunchy guitars, elastic bass and organs. Some may already be familiar with Finberg's work in other projects - he's the current drummer for Thee Oh Sees, original drummer for A-Frames and masterminded band Intelligence. 'IVXLCDM' follows up last years debut on In the Red, this new album attests that since their first single on S-S Records Wounded Lion have continued to hit their stride. Recorded with Chris Woodhouse these 10 songs capture Wounded Lion's playful, wrong-footed manner towards their collage-like style of songwriting further shown in videos where pieces of horror, nature, sex and fiction are woven together creating nonsensical stories and images in their own form of art-punk.

The primitive approach to 'IVXLCDM' is best shown early on in the record by "Wyld Parrots" kicking off with a rumbling bass, incoherent vocals and forthright drums. Flipping over, Side B features "I'm Sad" with off kilter guitars bending in and out of tune, clobbering rhythms and a yell-a-long chorus, "I am sad (why are you sad?), because I want to play more music and I want to sing my song" declares Finberg in a deadpan yelp. It's this innocent and unrefined approach that sums up Wounded Lion's demeanor, another example of this is stormy number "Raincheck Vibrations" dealing with childhood imagery and frustrations of being an adult. Right out of the gates guitars transmit a menacing tone allowing Finberg to get his story across "I was watching batman, batman and catwoman were alone in an alley, they were getting kinda close, their caped shoulders were touching, their faces drew nearer and nearer, they were so close, then robin came running round the corner and screwed everything up..." 'IVXLCDM' is a weighty, raw sounding album recorded in a way that sounds unlike anything else around whereby, Wounded Lion utilizes simplified parameters they set themselves to take their songwriting to a place without limits.

Video for "Raincheck Vibration"


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The Pheromoans 'Darby Joan & Fosters'

Poised to be released very soon on Clan Destine Records is The Pheromoans new second record to follow up 'It Still Rankles' (Convulsive Records). Not to be missed!

New track from the album!
Darby Joan & Fosters by thepheromoans

You can preorder here

The Pheromans Facebook Blog

Please/Spin Spin the Dogs split 12"

Here we have a new edition to Upset the Rhythms 12" series celebrating UK's underground music. Spin Spin The Dogs team up with cartwheeling melodicists Please, demonstrating the bands' shared love of flipping the mundane on its head whilst running with the pulse of punk today.

Opener "Jumbo" sets the tone for the record with its quotidian focus and attention-tossing interplay, sounding as natural and quintessentially English as it gets. A song dealing with childhood promise and the realities of growing up, it lets the guitars freely roam. Forthright drums cement a core that singer Vincent Larkin uses to tumble his words across. "Every single word I say, could make you laugh, could make you cry", confesses Vincent, with his commanding yet oft-deadpan holler. Flipping over and weighing in on the Please corner is frenzied, feverish guitars and crashing rhythms dominating first track "Clothes", giving a taste of the band's impish demeanor. Hot off the blocks "The Germ" discusses themes of turning seasons amongst swirling space echo and cyclical clattering. Heavily instrumental and high-spirited Please tease with false endings and secret passageways, which exhibit well the extraordinary chemistry the three have forged.

Art work are paintings of Randy Newman lovingly made by the bands. Please and Spin Spin The Dogs combined on one LP make the UK underground a more fun place to lose your mind.

*co-written with Chris Tipton

You can find copies here
Spin Spin the Dogs-Jumbo by Upset the Rhythm
Please-Pass The Apple by Upset the Rhythm

The Rebel & Bomber Jackets Split 7"

Just out, brand new split 7” featuring two U.K underground bands. Side A features tracks from The Rebel, a project from Ben Wallers who is also the masterminded behind Country Teasers. Paired up with Wallers on Side B are The Bomber Jackets, a trio partly made up from a few members of the mighty Pheromoans.

The Rebel offers up newly penned songs "based around the theme of a new dance craze, the ‘Boston Toto Rush’". The Bomber Jackets’ side is comprised of two songs that sound like sonic polar opposites to each other. Opener "Strange Sensation" is a lethargic number with contorted vocals and consistent beats whereas, "Routemaster" is a bright, booming number layered with sanguine tinged synths and familiar spoken word vocals from Russell (The Pheromoans). These two tracks are taken from their cassette release ‘Amongst The Dumbells’ on Brighton’s Sex Is Disgusting Records. Thing that ties the single together is both bands sense of irony and love of art punk and DIY ethics. I've been shopping around for this one and through my travels have noticed these are going like hot cakes! It's out on Savoury Days in the UK and Kill Shaman in the U.S, Second Layer Records in the U.K still has copies.

Interview from Russell for Gilded Gutter