Dangerbird Co-Founder Peter Walker Finds His Punk Spirit With Broadheds

Say 'hello' to Broadheds. An unexpected musical offering for sure, but shape-shifting from the delicate melodies of his band Eulogies to ska-infused punkish rock is a transition that Dangerbird Records co-founder Peter Walker has taken seriously; hence enlisting the likes of Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, NIN) on bass, Fitz & the Tantrums sax man James King and Denny Weston Jr (Earlimart, the Kooks) on drums. Broadheds’ 13-track, self titled debut checks in at under 30 minutes (which is totally punk rock), scratches with rawness and youthful agitation yet fine-tuned undertones that don’t undermine Walker’s energy. It's a dichotomy in the listening, no more so than when a breakneck pace is pitted against the out-of-sight and off-the-wall brassy wailing from King's saxophone in the track "Nothing That I Care About." Feel free to get to downloading it right here.

Accompanying the listening, the album comes with a 64-page booklet created by visual artist Mark Todd who sat in during the band's 3 1/2 day recording blitzkrieg and it's pretty dynamic, eye-involving stuff. The album hits the streets on Tuesday, April 9th and Broadheds will celebrate it with a CD release show that night at Bootleg Bar. Shows to date are:

April 3rd   @ Sainte Rocke, Hermosa Beach, CA
April 9th   @ Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles, CA (CD release show)
April 10th @ Fingerprints Music, Long Beach, CA

Broadheds may be a momentary flex of Walker's creative muscles but it's a good one worth paying attention to.

Feast Your Ears On UK's Fixers

If my goal was to pick a video to spark off your weekend and dose you with a sense of psychedelic possibilities, methinks I've succeeded with this little band from the UK: Oxford's Fixers and their video "Crystals".

Are you ready?

This five man outfit have just released their first U.S. EP, the five-track Pop Meat/Your Corruptor (yeah unless they're vegetarians, I have no idea what that means), and it's a fine gem showing off their obvious penchant for experimentation, hooks, and shiny danceable tunes. So now that your mind is all warped  and you can't stop singing "whoa oh oh!", feel free to make yourself even more comfortable with a couple of dandy downloads: "Crystal" and a well synthed-up, cool wave remix of the track "Iron Deer Dream".

Til next time....
@dharma69

A Place To Bury Strangers

There's something to be said for being consistant and even more to be said for being consistently good.

In case you missed it, back in February A Place To Bury Strangers  released this little EP diamond Onwards To The Wall. If you're a fan of the Brooklyn NY trio (actually I think they're technically a foursome now due to adding a second drummer) and their dense-as-fuck take on the art of shoegaze-buzzsaw- noise rock, then click the link and strap on your headphones, but do dial up the volume gently. Only five tracks but there's no sacrifice made to their penchant for guitar freakouts and apocalyptic rush.

The Red Lapels

The Red Lapels. A fashion statement? Not so much. A four-man band from South East London composed of Richard Maddy (vox/guitar), Sean Spicer (drums), Harvey Lee (guitar), and Tom Barnes (bass), yes. The reason I'm talking about them is because there's a sound here that worships at the altar of aged and vintage while occupying space in indie rock-land. You can distinctly hear it in the guitar tones and particularly in Richard Maddy's voice, which is a darling instrument of soul unto itself. Tracks "Dead Eyed Girl", "Drowning Out" and "Magic" are gold.

Empires

Last but not least we have Chicago's own Empires, who come packing an explosive and all but guaranteed arena-worthy sound. Touches of anthemic ala U2 along with doses of blue collar and indie grit (think Gaslight Anthem) served up with Sean Van Vleet's bold and none too delicate and urgent vocals.  2008 saw them being all generous and releasing their 15-track album Howl for free. It's a mash up of varied styles and obvious that the band was still sorting out its sound but it's fine primer. "Spit The Dark" and "I Want Blood" are 180 degrees from "Believe" and "My Poor Love" but good stuff, nonetheless. Yes, just go ahead and download and enjoy the darned thing because come June they'll release their followup, Garage Hymns, which I expect to be a more cohesive work. Yeah, looking forward to that one.

Til next time....tng.

Listen Up: Big Troubles & Non Ultra Joy

Alex Craig and Ian Drennan vocally lead the New Jersey four-piece Big Troubles and have crafted a solid piece of modern pop with just enough sweet to balance out the substance, slightly slick while retaining a healthy dose of jangle on the ears. Check out their latest release,  Romantic Comedy,  guided by the production ears of one Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement)

Also on the side of good noise, from Los Angeles we have Non Ultra Joy who pack the rock purity of the basic 3-piece via John Girgus, Chris McRitchie, and Dave McKay. Easily inspired by the likes of the Cure as they coin their alt-rock sound as "The Cure mugging Dinosaur Jr...". Okay, gentlemen, we'll take that. We'll also take this FREE download of your Disclaimer EP because...well, we like it.