Deaf Wish : Pain

One tricky thing about writing an album about the personal aches and pains is a lot of people have done it.  A lot of people have made great music about having a bad day, week … year.  So why try and compete?  Because there will still be a way that hasn’t been thought of, and as a band find their voice there will always be a different angle taken on it that might reach someone new.  This is where antipodes Deaf Wish come in.  Their follow up 2010’s ‘Mercy’, ‘Pain’, pulls together ten songs of battered malfunction; connecting with impulses of injury for an album delivering something wholly cathartic.   Sarah Hardiman (Moon Rituals), Nick Pratt, Jensen Tjhung (Exhaustion, Lower Plenty) and Daniel Twomey (Lower Plenty) have been working together very much on their own terms for the last 8 years.  As a listener it feels like being treated to a warts and all experience, watching the four-piece grow into the band, figure out what the project is and how they all fit into writing the songs.  ‘Pain’ builds and expands on the last record, painting a fuller picture of what Deaf Wish is – or is not.  Deaf Wish may not in fact be writing songs for people to enjoy, but perhaps offering a lifeline making a direct link with suffering and those who suffer.  

Right out of the gates ‘The Whip’ induces a sense of chaos, guitars ring out and unravel alongside incanctative vocals calling out to and reeling in a mind-set of ennui to feed off, “Our sentence is illness, your youth is smoke, you live in the arc of the whip, outside, outside, striking the sound of the whip song in you”.   The album is reigned in at parts for a more lamenting listen, focusing more on dejection rather than outright angst.  ‘Sunsets Fool’ wanders on the periphery reflecting on things running away from one’s grasp, this downwardly introspective viewpoint is balanced by indie-pop influences on the guitar’s melodies lifting up the song.   ‘Dead Air’ brings an industrial approach to the fore playing out cramping guitars apace with meteoric, lashing rhythms and gulping bass holding it all down; every last notion of frustration is teased out by the end of the song whereby this open discordance seems determined to drown out internal noise.   ‘Pain’ is confrontational in the dogged way in which Deaf Wish address this collective sense of hurt, and it’s the pure and honest method that I think explains why so many people were excited for this new record.   It was Sub Pop who got in touch with Deaf Wish to see if they had any new material, which resulted initially in the 7”EP ‘St. Vincent’ being released.   This seemed to have lit a fire under the band and after ‘St. Vincent’ they committed to writing an album and here we are with ‘Pain’.   Keeping things simple the album instantly displays the foursome’s undeniable chemistry and unswerving energy.   ‘Pain’ might not be the answer to anyone’s problems, but it might make you forget about them for a little bit.

King Tuff 'King Tuff'

Since 2006 Kyle Thomas has been releasing material as King Tuff alongside a variety of projects covering a spectrum of music styles in Feathers, Witch and Happy Birthday as well as touring with Hunx and His Punx. So, it's no wonder that his third solo album draws from a variety of inspirations to make his most eclectic record to date. King Tuff started to turn heads with second album 'Was Dead' (Colonel Records) in 2008 with his love of saccharine melodies, wild guitars and making songs that reach out to the listener and make you feel REALLY good. On this new album from Sub Pop King Tuff explores punk, folk and psychedelia with a full rock sound you might expect from Big Star with the finesse of a contemporary pop focus.

Opener "Anthem" wonderfully captures how King Tuff lets a guitar be a guitar, whilst embellished with effects the hi-fidelity recording quality on the record allows his tight skills and love of playing come through crystal clear. "Sing a love song, that rots in your head", he calls out amongst whirlwind guitars and hand-claps setting an uplifting tone for the album. There are two songs that I just can't get enough of on here, firstly "Stranger" -- an impish number by someone young, about being young, played out with guitars that prowl and strut, vocals that yip and yelp and jangly rhythms making this track a little burst of adrenaline. Secondly, "Baby Just Break" a carefree country inspired number that builds into a joyous explosion of pop. "Things were movin' a little too slow, so I did the opposite of what I know, and I went bustin' loose, straight into the blue", King Tuff sings in a heartfelt holler apace with layers of acoustic and electric guitars, vocals and forthright beats. Another brilliant element of the record is the art work made by King Tuff and Luke Thomas which look like interpretations of the songs featured on the album. I've said it once and I'll say it again about King Tuff, when something makes you feel this good there's no need to question it.

Find copies at Sub Pop

feedtime 'The Aberrant Years'

feedtime formed at the tail end of the 70s in Sydney Australia -- with the name intentionally spelt all lowercase. During the 80s the trio; Rick (guitar, vocals), Al (bass) and Tom (beats) recorded four albums at first exclusively with Aberrant Records but then landed a deal with Rough Trade and Megadisc helping them reach a wider audience. They were well received both on their home turf and overseas and just as they were poised to venture on a US tour the group disbanded making 'Suction' the final installment of the feedtime cannon.

Their sound is every part influenced by rock as it is punk and blues held together by three individuals searching for something pure and instinctive in their art, so it's easy to see why their material has stood the test of time and is still revered so highly today, bringing us to Sub Pop collection; 'The Aberrant Years'. feedtime are the dark, abrasive side of postpunk but evade being pinned down and for the uninitiated, fans of Cheater Slicks would - I think it's safe to say - enjoy a listen of their stuff. The collection as a whole culls feedtime's complete works from 1979-1989 including all four albums plus singles and rarities. There is a 4LP box set accompanied by a download of all the tracks available on the CD version as well as a booklet with in-depth liner notes.

Sub Pop have written a great band history that you can check out right here

AFCGT

A Frames most recent LP Black Forest on Sub Pop made the band new favorites for noise rock, and also helped secure a release of their new project on the same label. Climax Golden Twins have released a wealth of records over the past 17 years which has well established the duo in the experimental music realm. Three parts of AF and two parts CGT join together and do not disappoint with this unexpected, but not all that surprising supergroup AFCGT.

Pushing aside hype surrounding their previous work whether it was due to a short amount of studio time, or just seeing where the music will take them (I prefer to think it's the latter), avoids running things through a fine tooth comb, and just delivers the jams.

Ten minute triumph "Two Legged Dog" makes me think, if "Apocalypse Now" could be put in to one song it would be this. Endlessness, despair, paranoia are all wrapped up in this epic song. The guitars resonate; psychedelic riffs and sludgy noise off each other as the drums just keep marching unrelentingly on.

"Nacht" has this Moroccan swagger to it. This is the only song with vocals which mumble incoherently recalling the sort of abstraction found on a Swans or Sun City Girls record.

Check out songs here!
http://www.myspace.com/afcgt