Charlie Hilton

Here's a moody, floaty little off-kilter synth pop jam for you from Blouse member Charlie Hilton's solo outing "Palana," out in January on Captured Tracks.  "Pony" is a hazy dream to lull you back into sleep.  Listen below.

Baron

British four-piece rock band Baron dabble in everything from dark folk, to psych, to prog rock, to krautrock, and beyond.  The mix is a mesmerizing beast, a thudding, pulsing, and wailing cosmic exploration.  Just listen to "Deeper Align" from the upcoming "Torpor" LP and feel yourself melt away.  Awesome!  Listen below and grab the album from Svart Records.

In a Moment...Ghost Box

Hey gang, the fine folks over at the unbelievably cool record label Ghost Box have released a compilation album celebrating their tenth anniversary.  "In a Moment...Ghost Box" has tracks from the usual gang of suspects like PYE Corner Audio, Belbury Poly, The Focus Group, and more.  Cool electronics, analog synthesizers, freaky folk vibes, experimental beeps and clanks, and all around weirdness abound.  This is a great collection.  Listen to a sampler smorgasbord below and get the album here.

RIP Gunnar Hansen

On Saturday, we lost a horror icon from one of my all time favorite movies.  Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen may have lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, but he left behind one of the definitive horror performances for the ages as Leatherface in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."  RIP Gunnar Hansen.

Fun Fun Fun Fest X: Day 3 pics

True to form for the last two days, i began the fest with a little bit of dancing, and then since i wasn't really there to see anything until later in the afternoon, i wandered the park from stage to stage catching bits and pieces of a whole slew of artists i knew little to nothing about.  And so, i caught some dance jams from Lido, some snotty punk from Title Fight, the comedy stylings of Eric Andre, and some indie pop from Broncho.  I then caught sets from OFF! and Doomtree, go motivated by Andrew WK, shook my ass at Big Freedia and Chromeo, and then fulfilled yet another junior high/high school desire and saw L7 tear it down.  Then home.  I'm sleepy.  Until next year everybody.

Some highlights:
- I ended up buying the Nolan Ryan/Robin Ventura shirt from yesterday.
- Eric Andre is hilarious.
- L fucking 7!
- Jamming to the jazzy beats of BADBADNOTGOOD as i left the park.

Check a few pics below.

Lido

Title Fight

Eric Andre

Broncho

OFF!

Doomtree

Andrew WK

Big Freedia 

Chromeo

L7

See you next year!

Fun Fun Fun Fest X: Day 2 pics

Man, i am getting old.  I've been doing music festivals regularly for over a decade, and i'm just pooped tonight.  You hit that point where you can either walk to the other side of the park to see the band you'd dig, or you can just keep sitting where your at and listen to the band you don't really care about.  I did a lot of the latter as the evening wound down.  Still a good time though, whether it's the quirky electro-pop of Shamir, the hardcore shenanigans of Fucked Up, some hip-hop from Joey Bada$$, or good stoner garage rock fun from a baby-faced Ty Segall and Fuzz.  A trifecta of bands i loved 20 years ago rounded the day out with excellent sets from Archers of Loaf, RIDE, and Jane's Addiction.  I'll be back tomorrow, but damn i'm tired.

Some highlights:
- Any time you get a chance to see Fucked Up, you goddamn do it.
- The aforementioned trifecta of old bands i love.
- A t-shirt consisting of nothing by Ryan Gosling heads and another t-shirt of a drawing of Nolan Ryan punching Robin Ventura in the head.
- Shiner Cheer...i've got to stop drinking that stuff.

Day 3 tomorrow and then sleep, sweet needed sleep.  Check some pics below.

Shamir

Fucked Up

Joey Bada$$

Fuzz

Archers of Loaf

RIDE

Jane's Addiction

Fun Fun Fun Fest X: Day 1 pics

And so we start it all over again with the tenth anniversary of my favorite music festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest.  There is so much to see this weekend, that there's no way i'm going to get to see it all (as so often happens at these things, multiple artists i want to check out always end up playing at the same time).  Hence, no Drive Like Jehu for me today, who i hear were fantastic.  Boo me.

But let's not focus on what i missed.  Let's celebrate what i got to see today.  Overcast and a little rainy all afternoon, i started off with a little hip-hop from young Chicago rapper Kembe X, and then on to the heavy shoegaze of Nothing, some crunchy guitar fuzz from Creepoid, and the metal madness of Mutoid Man.  The day continued with some comedy from Eugene Mirman and excellent sets from Dwarves, Viet Cong, and Slow Magic.  Babes in Toyland took me back to junior high.  Peaches was Peaches...dirty, nasty, and awesome.  And then Antemasque and the legendary Cheap Trick shut it down (for me at least as i bailed a little early tonight).

Highlights of the day:
- Mutoid Man's triumphant cover of The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
- A guy proposing to his boyfriend on stage to roaring applause at Peaches who then popped a bottle of bubbly for the couple.
- Everything about the Babes in Toyland set.
- "Surrender" by Cheap Trick.

Check some pics below and be back here tomorrow for Day 2.

Kembe X

Nothing

Creepoid

Mutoid Man

Eugene Mirman

Dwarves (with Nick Oliveri)

Viet Cong

Slow Magic

Babes in Toyland

Peaches

Antemasque

Cheap Trick

Chromatics - Girls Just Wanna Have Dub

Another month come and gone, and another month without a release date for Chromatics' new album "Dear Tommy."  But that doesn't mean they don't give us new music on a regular basis.  Tomorrow will see the release of a digital maxi-single of seven different versions of the band covering Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."  Get it from Italians Do It Better and watch the video for the cold and dreamy "Girls Just Wanna Have Dub" below.

Youth Code - Anagnorisis

Here's a new industrial screamer from LA's Youth Code called "Anagnorisis."  Reminiscent of the old Waxtrax days, the duo always take me back to my youth, blasting this kind of music at maximum volume in my bedroom.  Listen below and grab the 7" from Dais Records.

Nevermen

I actually meant to post about this a while back, but somehow kept forgetting.  Anyway, January will bring us the self-titled release from supergroup Nevermen, a project featuring TV on The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, Anticon Records' Doseone, and Faith No More's (as well as a zillion other bands) Mike Patton.  Anything involving Patton is generally enough to make me sing, and the first taste from Nevermen does not seem like it will disappoint.  Listen to "Tough Towns" below and look for the record next year via Ipecac and Lex.