Take a guess at who this mystery band is from my 35mm archive circa 2000
It was another great week for new singles, and I dove into quite a few. Several caught my fancy and I discussed as many of them as I could below, offering up some rapid fire takes (and perhaps some nerdy anecdotes) on what I found myself hitting repeat on. There are also a few stragglers from the week before that I missed (oops) before last week’s list was written up.
Don’t be shy, let us know what you think in the comments and feel free to suggest new stuff too! I will write up as many songs as humanly possible. (Aka what my work schedule allows for since sadly, I don’t get to work on Full Time Aesthetic full time. But maybe someday!)
Onward…
A Place To Bury Strangers– I’m Hurt. The seminal Brooklyn noise band is gearing up to release their latest album, See Through You, on frontman Oliver Ackerman’s own label Dedstrange. Musically the song is glitchy and gothic, a slow and winding affair in which the pain expressed throughout it becomes palpable. Ackerman had this to say on the lyrical themes via a press release: “‘I’m Hurt’ is the sound of friendship dying. At the time of writing this song, I was going out of my mind dwelling on conflict in my head and beating myself down while trying to rebuild my faith in humanity which is reflected in the actual structure of the song. The drums build with this frustration and a desire to scream with no voice. Listen closely to the vocal phrasing of ‘I’m Hurt’ in the chorus and you can hear the self-doubt and failure I was experiencing at the time.”
See Through You arrives on 2/4.
APTBS performing in 2016 (photo by Edwina Hay)
Bitch– You’re The Man. Capital B aka Bitch, of Bitch and Animal fame, has been solo for a number of years now and is usually known for rock and folk punk stylings, but is now poised to release her first pop album, the synth heavy Bitchcraft on Kill Rock Stars on 2/4. This song has a danceable groove and fun musical vibe but don’t be fooled, the subject matter is anything but lighthearted and the lyrics pack a sharp political message. Read more about the process of making the album here.
BODEGA– Thrown. The latest single from Bodega’s upcoming album, Broken Equipment, showcases what the band is best at – experimental post punk – this song with a driving intensity, lyrically seeming to touch on feelings of discomfort and dissolution, perhaps even confusion, with the very notion of existence. Feelings many of us can relate to in our current world (I for sure can). The full album is due 3/11 on What’s Your Rupture?
Bodega performing in 2019 (photo by Kate Hoos)
Mono– Scarlet Holliday. There’s not much by these instrumental greats I don’t love, this enigmatic and sweeping release being no exception. It is part of a three song EP that will be out on 3/4/22 Pelagic Records and they had this to say on the label’s website:
After COVID-19 first swept the world in 2020, MONO felt compelled to make a special little gift for the Christmas holiday. The accompanying message was simple: “Wishing everyone good health, happiness, and good cheer in the new year.” Originally made at home in isolation, this digital-only release consisted of two new MONO songs: “Scarlet Holliday” and “First Winter.”
Now, to commemorate the 2021 holiday season, MONO has reworked and expanded Scarlet Holliday into a very special 3-song EP (now including the brand new song, “Epilogue”). Recorded at home and at Electrical Audio by longtime collaborator, Steve Albini, newly mixed by John McEntire and mastered by Bob Weston, Scarlet Holliday is finally being released into the world on limited-edition 10” vinyl, as well as all digital formats. In their unflappable determination to shine light into the darkness, MONO explains: “These songs were written with the idea of new hope for the new year since this time has become unforeseeably dark for many in the world.
PLOSIVS– Broken Eyes. This band comes with an impressive and lengthy resume for the collected members- John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and many more), Atom Willard (RFTC, Against Me!, The Offspring and many more), Rob Crow (Pinback, Optiganally Yours, Heavy Vegetable and many, MANY more) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician). And if that seems like a lot of previous bands listed, it is, and it is also but a mere scratch of the surface of their total output. Pinback and Drive Like Jehu are among my all time favorite bands, so I was more than a little excited when I first learned of PLOSIVS.
They are a true sum of their parts, but there are absolutely some very distinctive signatures of the individual members, their sound blending the chugging intensity of Hot Snakes or DLJ with the soaring vocal melodies of Pinback, really combining some of the very best elements of those bands strengths into a musical dream come true (for this listener anyway). This is the band’s second single from their upcoming self titled debut (due out 3/17 on Swami Records) and they will be touring in March and April, hitting NYC (along with Meat Wave) for their very first show here on 3/18 at Saint Vitus. You can count on me being front and center for that. Take a listen to the song below:
(I’ve been a long time fan of Rob Crow and have a full post in the planning stages that will be devoted to taking a look at his extensive body of work from Thingy to Other Men, Goblin Cock to The Ladies and many more. Of course Pinback will get attention too. And yes, even Fantasy Mission Force, one of his more obscure offerings that I finally added to my collection last year, will get some love.)
Proper.– Milk & Honey. This is the latest single from their upcoming album, The Great American Novel, a sweeping and cinematic indie opus produced by Bartees Strange and featuring horns from Jer Hunter of We Are The Union and Ska Tune Network as well as backing vocals from Lily Mastrodimos of Long Neck. Different from the harder edged “Red, White, & Blue,” it shows the scope of all the band has to offer musically and is an exciting glimpse of the album to come. The album is due out 3/25 on Father/Daughter and Big Scary Monsters.
Check out the official music video below:
Sonic Youth– In & Out. This is a track from SY’s seemingly never-ending vaults, a live jam taken from a 2010 soundcheck. I was a very big fan of the SYR series of EPs that were mostly instrumental and this definitely feels like it would fit right in with that series – though this song does have whispey vocals from Kim Gordon that at times are just vocalizations without lyrics (though there are some of those too) and seem almost like an afterthought to the music. This song will be part of In/Out/In (due out 3/18), a collection of rarities and unreleased material from the early 2000s. The announcement of this collection has of course has sparked some speculation that the band may be reuniting, speculation which was put to rest by guitarist Lee Ranaldo who said in this Rolling Stone article that the band has had offers over the years but that they have “not entertained it at this point.”
Wet Leg– Material Girl (Madonna cover). Two things I love more than most other things are first, covers that flip the script on the original version of the song and second, early 1980s era Madonna (a recent purchase of a used copy of The Immaculate Collection for my car has seen some serious NYC traffic jam airtime). Wet Leg has managed to nail both of these things in their latest release, a cover of the decade of excess classic, “Material Girl,” recorded during a Sirius XM session when they were in NYC playing a blitz of sold out shows late last year (see pics from their Baby’s All Right show).
For their version, they more or less preserve the vocal melody (with some minor alterations) while musically taking the song from a new wave bop with an infectious synth bass line and a steady driving beat to a dark wave feel – the bass now dirgey instead of bouncy, with off kilter drums and paired with shimmery shoegazey guitar. I don’t know about anyone else, but that really works for me! I love a good cover as much as the next person and as I mentioned, I particularly love when bands change things up and make it radically different from the original while still maintaining some semblance of it – a tricky balance but something Wet Leg has easily nailed here. Their highly anticipated self titled debut album will arrive 4/8 on Domino. Among many other people, I am very much looking forward to it. Check out Wet Leg’s take on the iconic Madge jam below: