It's Easter...or something

Have a safe and happy Easter everybody!

Room 237

I finally saw Rodney Ascher's incredible documentary "Room 237" last night (it's currently up on Video On Demand), and i loved it.  A statement about film as art and how that art affects and gets inside our minds, the movie presents different theories about what Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is all about, from allegories about the Holocaust to the plight of American Indians to minotaurs and labyrinths.  It never validates any opinion, but leaves everything up to the viewer.  It's fascinating.  I now must procure a copy of "The Shining" and watch it again to see what i can pick up on.  Watch the trailer below.

Pharmakon

Unstable industrial noise, a sonic assault on the senses that brings to mind images of black and white battle fields, strung barbwire, bloody boots, choking on mud.  A cacophony.  Such is "Abandon," the new album from art house noise maker Margaret Chardiet, otherwise known as Pharmakon.  Listen to the unsettling "Crawling on Bruised Knees" below and be on the lookout for "Abandon" in May from the always excellent Sacred Bones.

You're Next

Adam Wingard's 2011 home invasion horror film "You're Next," (an audience darling at that year's Fantastic Fest) is FINALLY getting released this August through Lionsgate.  The trailer went up yesterday.  Watch it below.  I cannot wait for this movie.

The Relatives

Though i am not religious in even the slightest of ways, in the spirit of Good Friday and Easter weekend, here is some fantastic and funky gospel soul from Dallas's The Relatives.  "Things Are Changing" comes from the group's debut album "The Electric Word," a record 40 years in the making.  Produced by Spoon's Jim Eno and featuring Zach Ernst (Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears), the record swims through elements of the aforementioned funk, gospel, and soul, as well as tinges of psychedelia and blues.  This is Sunday family Bar-B-Que music at its very best.  Get it from Yep Roc Records.

Praise the lord!

Single Mothers

This actually came out a while ago, but one simply cannot ignore the high-energy post-hardcore punk that is Ontario's Single Mothers.  A coldness envelopes the whole thing (they are Canadian after all), a restless combination of foot stomping, head banging, and visible breath.  Listen to and download "Winter Coats" below and then go buy their 7" at Deathwish.

Bosnian Rainbows

Okay, there's a lot going on here on "Turtle Neck" by El Paso band Bosnian Rainbows, the new project from form Mars Volta cacophony maker Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Teri "Gender Bender" Suarez of Le Butcherettes.  At times, the music recalls the moodier material of the riot grrl acts of the early-mid 90's, while at others an 80's pop aesthetic shines through. All the while, Rodriguez-Lopez's swirling guitar riffs barge in here and there.  And so, my interest is piqued.  The self-titled album is due in May from Sargent House.

Cold Cave - People Are Poison

I've really been digging the industrial Depeche Mode worship of the latest jams from Wes Eisold's Cold Cave.  "People Are Poison" is the B-side from the recently released "Oceans with No End" 7" from Deathwish.  Listen below and check out the A-side over here.

Cloud Boat

Cloud Boat hail from London, and the duo's first track from their upcoming "Book of Hours" LP is a beautiful combination of soulful electronics and folky lament.  It's got kind of a Bonnie Prince Billie meets James Blake vibe, and i'm digging it.  Listen to "Youthern" below and look for the record in May from R&S / Apollo.

They Live

The UK's Death Waltz Records clearly desire to knock it out of the park with each subsequent release.  From the soundtracks they select to reissue to the always knock-your-socks-off art print covers that accompany each release, i am blown away every time.  Their newest reissued film score goes to none other than the John Carpenter masterpiece "They Live," featuring the synthy blues of the director and co-composer Alan Howarth.  Artist Gary Pullin really did an excellent job with the cover art as well.  It's out now, so you should get it!  Listen to "The Siege of Justiceville" below.

And if reissued horror soundtracks with new original art covers are your bag, check out Mondo for some equally excellent releases as well (though they sell out crazy quick).