Weekly Roundup: March 1st
Featuring Deadlights, Your Old Droog, Nick Cave, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Deadlights – “Born of a Lie”
The Brisbane boys are back in town! Deadlights have been hard at work on their new LP, The Uncanny Valley (out May 21 via Greyscale Records)—the follow-up to their 2017 debut, Mesma—and pre-release single “Born of a Lie” is the perfect introduction (or reintroduction) to the band. It’s heavy, spacey, philosophically contemplative, and chock full of dynamic interplay. In other words, quintessential Deadlights. Have a peek at our digital doomsday with the clip for “Born of a Lie”:
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage
Is there anything more fittingly sad and wistfully 2020 than the mournful, wavering tones of Nick Cave? Backed by a lush and ambient instrumental soundscape from bandmate and composer Warren Ellis, the pair’s new full-length Carnage is the product of Cave’s quarantine thoughts. Not surprising then that it’s a suitably dark affair. Stream Carnage in full over on Spotify.
Half Waif – “Party’s Over”
Last month, singer-songwriter Nandi Rose, aka Half Waif, dropped the A-side of her recent Orange Blossoms b/w Party’s Over 7-inch (available now through ANTI- Records). This week saw the release of her complimentary B-side track and it’s a moody and glitchy slice of snowy dream-pop. Watch the impressive single-take, midnight walk clip for “Party’s Over” here.
Tha God Fahim & Your Old Droog – Tha YOD Fahim
After years of dropping solid releases, Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-raised emcee Your Old Droog is teaming up with Atlanta native Tha God Fahim—a sonic dead ringer for late 90s Cormega—for a handful of collaborative projects. After January’s Tha Wolf On Wall Street showcased undeniable chemistry, Tha YOD Fahim announces the pair as a force to be reckoned with among the resurgence of old school hip hop. Stream the full album here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Senses Fail – “Lush Rimbaugh”
There’s been a lot of talk about this track on the Internet, with people on both sides of the political spectrum voicing opinions with regard to speaking ill of the dead. However, I think post-hardcore staples Senses Fail would rather let their scathing sonics speak for themselves: “When I was young I used to hate myself/ Because bigots like you were given pedestals/ You proselytize in the name of religion/ But it’s all for show, you’re gonna be locked out of heaven.” Rest in piss, Rush, you diabolical piece of shit. Listen to “Lush Rimbaugh” here.
The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
American indie-rockers The Hold Steady have been around for decades. I’ve always seen the name here and there, but I can honestly say I never bothered to seek them out. I rectified that this year, and I’m glad I did it. New LP Open Door Policy is a dense, narrative-driven record that leverages lead vocalist and guitarist Craig Finn’s enviable talents as a storyteller. I file these guys away in the same sonic wheelhouse as a group like The Afghan Whigs—once they click for you, they’ll live there rent-free. Stream the album here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
AFI – “Begging For Trouble”
I know everyone misses old AFI—and look, you’re not alone. But in accepting that the quartet have ditched their hardcore-punk roots for good and passed the post-punk point of no return, new track “Begging For Trouble” from forthcoming LP, Bodies (out June 11th through Rise Records), offers a hopeful path forward. If you enjoyed anything about the band’s 2010s output, like 2013’s Burials or 2017’s self-titled ‘blood’ album, then the upbeat rhythms and synth-string combos here should be right up your alley. Watch the track’s hypnotic visualiser below:
Mouthbreather – I’m Sorry, Mr Salesman
In 2018, I described Mouthbreather’s excellent Dollmeat EP as sounding like “a John Woo-directed Mexican standoff between chaotic, discordant hardcore, knuckle-dragging ignorant beatdown, and the nihilistic fury of gutter grindcore. Oh, and spoiler: everyone dies in the end like the posers they are.” I stand by that review, and that’s why I’m so excited for the band’s upcoming full-length LP, I’m Sorry, Mr Salesman (out May 7th). If you’re on the hunt for the next batch of crowd killing anthems, then look no further. Stream the album’s singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Mogwai – As Love Continues
As far as post-rock institutions go, Scottish highlanders Mogwai are well and truly elder statesmen. Alongside fellow soundscape enthusiasts like Explosions In The Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Japanese screamo-adjacent luminaries Envy, the quartet are pushing into their third decade of existence and continuing to add to their extensive back catalogue. However, with longevity comes the inevitable purity test: As good as a new record can be, will it ever hold a candle to or eclipse the band’s earlier material? Can a new album ever really win the hearts and minds of older, longstanding fans? Critically, opinions are mostly mixed.
On their newest LP, Mogwai sound reinvigorated and hungry. While previous records have typically exemplified the gentle slow-burn ebb and flow of post-rock tendencies, As Love Continues sounds like a bolt of lightning by comparison. “Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever” is a glitchy digital fever-dream. “Ritchie Sacramento” incorporates shoegaze vocals, recalling the shimmering emotional wash of early Slowdive. And “Drive The Nail” sounds like it reads, smacking wall-of-noise riffs into your ear canal in the vein of My Bloody Valentine. It’s loud, poignant, and evocative—everything post-rock should be.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
Listen to all these tracks on the TPD March playlist, updated each week.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Links to some of my other published work across the Web. Take a look and help a brother out.
I’ve been slaving away on some academic pieces and larger projects that I have coming down the pipeline, however, I still took time out in mid-week to review Methods of Human Disposal, the new Gravesend LP for New Noise. As you can probably gather from that title, this is some terrifying and blisteringly heavy shit. If you want a soundtrack to your homicidal tendencies, then this record is for you. Check out the review here.
Speaking of New Noise, I’ve published the second edition of my new retrospective column, “Yesterday’s Jukebox.” This month, we take a deep-dive through the back catalogue of Brighton metalcore exports Architects, tracking their evolution from molten mathcore masters to arena rock rebels and beyond. Check that out here.