If you like a rocking indie Americana vibe, Leathered are the best in the biz, and “Prayer” is indeed a three minute slice of what Leathered does best: crunchy guitar, crisp drums, loping bass and Amanda B. Jun’s slightly weathered, strong voice over everything. Their album A Reckoning was one of my favorites last year, and “Prayer” is a track from that release, now debuting as a single with a music video directed by visual artist and musician Holly Overton. We are thrilled to give you the exclusive first look!
Of the song, Jun shares: “There seems to be an escalation of—and tolerance for—senseless, daily acts of violence. Every day. The mass shootings, the murders against Black, disabled and trans folks, wars, the increasing restrictions on basic bodily autonomy and self-determination…it feels like there is no relief. This song is definitely a prayer.”
The video was shot at Brooklyn’s Sunview Luncheonette and Trinity Cemetery, and features the band walking around the cemetery and playing at the diner, with Jun as a server and members of fellow Brooklyn band Frida Kill appearing as customers. The juxtaposition of the subway train passing by the cemetery, movement beside stillness, is perfect imagery for the song (the diner may perhaps be on the train at times.) Overton shares “The tone of the song is sincere and existential, so I kept the treatment of the visuals pretty straightforward…We talked about the diner as this neutral place [where] most any kind of person can find respite from the weight of the world.”
The story behind Panchiko and their re-discovery and comeback has reached legendary status in Internet music circles. How could it not? It’s an inspiring tale with a happy ending: an enigmatic CD from an unheard of band recorded in 2000 was discovered in a used bin in 2016, and after a search spanning 4chan, Reddit, and Discord, the band was located in 2020. (Justin Whang has a good history on YouTube here.) Instead of simply acknowledging the record and maybe selling some copies on Bandcamp, Panchiko did what probably every musician who used to have a band in high school wishes they could do: they reunited and started making new music. And beyond any skeptical expectations…they’re still very good.
Failed At Math(s) has much in common musically with their first EP D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L and the second EP the band revealed existed, Kicking Cars. Partly this can be explained by some songs being demos from years past, but it’s also just Panchiko’s natural style, still strong after all these years. Yet there is a progression here, with evolving song construction and better realized compositions.
That first album had a nostalgic sound on mine and other’s first encounter two decades later because of the passage of time, but it was also forward looking back then, and this has helped Panchiko’s new music still feel fresh. Shoegaze, math rock, and even trip hop all come together in a melange of styles on Failed At Math(s), with an atmosphere that at times reminds me of Kid A era Radiohead. Fans of ambient music, lo-fi pop, and vaporwave styles that have become popular in the intervening years will also enjoy this album—one doesn’t need to know anything about the music that reigned when Panchiko first formed to enjoy this new record, and I think that shows what true talent these guys have that’s been lying dormant all this time.
The original lineup of Panchiko consisted of Owain Davies (vocals, guitar and sampling), Andrew Wright (guitar, keyboards and sampling), Shaun Ferreday (bass and effects), and a drummer named John; the first three are all here again, while Robert Harris has joined as a second guitarist and John Schofield provides the drums. For old schoolmates to click this well after two decades says something about the band’s artistic chemistry. They had this to say about reconvening:
Highly specialised conditions were cultivated in order to emulate the writing process of 20 years ago:
Sat on the sofa.
Surrounded by snacks.
Games consoles and music machines were sampled, lyrics mumbled and 3 chord progressions were strummed over drum loops and blips and bloops.
The title track “Failed At Math(s)” kicks right in with Panchiko’s now well-known signature sampling along with gentle vocal melodies, managing to be gliding and groovy and finger-snapping all at once on this “song about how the precursor to realising a vaguely acceptable, if still somewhat disappointing, end result, is acknowledging and casting off the patterns that lead us to fail over and over (and over) again.”
The single “Portraits” is languid yet angular, and according to the band “based around the thought that each of us is the culmination of the generations that precedes us. Every experience and encounter shapes us and adds to our story.” A music video by animator Shunsaku Hayashi serves as a fitting complement.
This is followed by another single, “Until I Know,” which has one of the catchiest guitar riffs I’ve heard in recent years—I’m not lying when I say I can’t stop hitting repeat on this song, which is described by the band as “top down cruising misery pop.” Miserable or not, it’s also an instant classic.
The instrumental “Breakfast Seance” follows those three lead tracks, and feels like the soundtrack to a spy movie. “Find It” (A Song)” is synthy with a vocal melody that veers off into a nearly modern pop-R&B direction. Throughout the record, Davies’ voice is still gorgeous, going from a haunting croon on tracks like “Until I Know” to soaring heights on “Gwen Everest,” which aims perhaps the highest of all the tracks on Failed At Math(s), with shoegaze dynamics, epic guitars and punching drums, while lasting only a surprising 3 minutes. That’s the story for many of these songs, and the length usually works; the exception is “Think That’s Too Wise,” a fast, fuzzy song that I wanted a bit more of. (I also wanted more of that interesting bassline in the mix.)
“Rocking With Keith,” the only song that lasts more than around three and a half minutes, is a great choice of closer, an instrumental with a glitchy-piano intro, middle lull, and triumphant crescendo up to the end. Choosing to make Failed At Math(s) only eight tracks long works out: each song seems deliberately chosen with no filler. It would have been tempting for Panchiko to shoot what may be their only comeback shot and go big with a longer album, but they seem to have decided this was enough. Whether that’s because the record felt right at this length (and it does) or if that’s all they felt like doing, I’m unsure. I hope it’s the former, because I’d love to hear more albums from them in the future.
Panchiko (photo by Tom Morley)
The original members, only 16 and 17 when they first formed the band, obviously have their own lives now—Wright became a sound engineer and played in the band Swimming, Davies became an educator, and Ferreday (who had sold his guitars and not played music in years) became a tree surgeon. But they are touring now in support of Failed At Math(s), which shows that music still calls to them. They will be in NYC for two shows at Le Poisson Rouge on 5/30 and 5/31, and I’m looking forward to catching at least one of these. It’s a sentimental feeling, but I think once music lives inside you, there’s no real way to quench that flame. Panchiko appeal to me both behind the scenes and in my headphones, and if I’m honest, they inspire me.
Unlike with many bands that became popular in the 90s, this is not a reunion tour: Placebo has continued to release music since then. Although 2022’s Never Let Me Go is their first full length album since 2013’s Loud Like Love, there was an EP and an MTV Unplugged performance in the meantime to tide fans over. And in that span of time they have both changed and not—every album has its own vibe, if you will permit me to use the word, but Placebo always sound like Placebo, and they brought that sound to Brooklyn Steel this past weekend.
A very different band from Placebo at first glance, Big Joanie were an excellent choice of opener. Guitarist Stephanie Phillips, bassist Estella Adeyeri and drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone—all three provide vocals—are a UK trio who proudly declare themselves as a Black feminist punk band. Currently touring in support of their second album Back Home, which is out on Kill Rock Stars and Daydream Library Series, the two Brooklyn Steel shows were their first ever in NYC and the band made a special trip here just for them. While talking to the crowd they noted the influence of Placebo as a “queer punk awakening” for many people.
Musically, Big Joanie moves through riot grrrl to post-punk to synth-pop to create a sound all their own. They started out laid back on stage but built energy as the show progressed. A mix of analog and digital drums paired with synth support lent a unique edge to their rock, and their harmonies are the cherry on top. A highlight for me was during their single “Sainted,” when Adeyeri switched to guitar and absolutely shredded.
Between songs, the band called for support for trans people both here and across the pond and encouraged the audience to read Black feminist literature (“think about the centrality of Black women within the nexus of oppression”) and to join and stand in solidarity with trade unions. Their calls to action drew applause from the crowd (although I noted the only people near me who yelled support while Taylor-Stone was still talking were men—they got the spirit I guess, but read the room.)
I was left excited to check out more of Big Joanie’s music, and to hopefully catch them on their next visit to NYC in May at either Union Pool (5/25) or Baby’s All Right (5/26).
Big Joanie at Brooklyn Steel
After a long lead up and a pre-recorded message asking fans not to view the show through their phones—“enjoy this fleeting and temporary moment”—Placebo launched into the opening track from Never Let Me Go, “Forever Chemicals” (perhaps one of their best songs ever, no exaggeration). Sporting a new look with long hair and a mustache, singer Brian Molko’s voice is exactly the one you remember. The band is down to two members now, Molko and Stefan Olsdal on guitar and bass, but a complement of touring musicians rounded out the lineup. The sound was tight as hell, and accompanied by visuals of the band mixed from live video in real time.
The setlist leaned heavily on new material. Never Let Me Go is metallic and jagged in the harder parts and blissed and chilled at times, and the songs were particularly sharp in a live setting. Tracks like “Twin Demons” and “Hugz” sounded huge in the mid-size venue. Placebo are a band known for their dark tones and moody lyrics, and much of their new material could be seen as misanthropic (“Try Better Next Time” in particular seems to have given up on humanity, extolling them to “grow fins, go back in the water” since we’ve fucked up so badly this go around) but there are moments of beauty to be found as well. “Happy Birthday In The Sky” was dedicated to Molko’s brother who passed away last year. Molko also noted his grandmother is from Canarsie and related his memories of Brooklyn.
Placebo at Brooklyn Steel
Of course subject matter aside, Placebo are excellent at hooks and their anthemic choruses make them a band people can sing along with live. Olsdal was energetic throughout the show, extolling the crowd to clap at times. Molko is in my opinion an underrated and under-discussed guitarist, who gets vicious tones from his stable of guitars and surgical downpicking.
There were some older tunes interspersed throughout, including “Bionic” off their debut and “Slave To The Wage” from Black Market Music. My favorite Placebo song “Too Many Friends” made an appearance as well. The lyrics “all you people do all day is stare into a phone” was made particularly ironic, as Molko reiterated the band’s request for no phones after that number. It is of course their prerogative to make such a request, and as Molko told Vice last year, “We’ve had shitloads of time to think about the demands that are placed on us—being photographed and fetishised and surveilled—and how it makes us feel.” But in this day and age of Instagram, it can take a little prodding for an audience to play along.
The three song encore consisted of new track “Fix Yourself” bookended by two covers: Tears For Fear’s “Shout” and Kate Bush’s “Running Up THat Hill,” a song which is having a bit of a renaissance, but that Placebo covered way back in 2003. After some extended playing around with noise and pedals, the night was over. Some audience members were doubtlessly wondering where the hits from Without You I’m Nothing had gone, but as a band still moving forward, that too is Placebo’s prerogative.
Scroll down for setlist, pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Setlist: Forever Chemicals, Beautiful James, Scene of the Crime, Hugz, Happy Birthday in the Sky, Bionic, Twin Demons, Surrounded by Spies, Chemtrails, Sad White Reggae, Try Better Next Time, Too Many Friends, Went Missing, For What It’s Worth, Slave to the Wage, Song to Say Goodbye, Come Undone, The Bitter End, Infra-Red Encore: Shout (Tears for Fears cover), Fix Yourself, Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)
On his new album Strange Strangers, singer-songwriter Devon Church pulled from many inspirations—nature, the Bible, relationships, Buddhism—melding musings on love and spirituality into gorgeously composed folk and alt-country songs with lush production and delicate melodies. It’s a natural step forward from his debut, 2018’s We Are Inextricable. On that album, Church had explored his folk tendencies while still treading the electronic and pop territory of his previous group Exitmusic. Unsurprisingly, Church draws comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan (Desire-era vibes are high here) and is indeed inspired by them, but fans of 2000’s artists like Crooked Fingers and Jason Molina will find a lot to love in this record as well.
There is a slowly rolling vintage country feel to much of the album, but the extra touches like synths and guitar effects bring it up to modern speed. Church dual wields songwriting skills and musicianship, performing all the instruments himself except for violin (Jesse Kotansky) and drums and hand percussion on “Ephemera” (Gabriel Galvin and Chris Campisi respectively). Also present through much of the album are the backing vocals of Church’s wife Ada Roth. Her voice is not just there for extra color, but provides another set of bones for the songs, supporting Church’s low croon from above. Roth is also an accomplished artist, and contributed artwork for the record and direction for the stunning video for “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” which is also credited to Church and Jared Van Fleet.
The lyrics hold a number of Biblical references, yet Church notes that the “use of biblical imagery is often a foil for other cosmic messages—gleaned from psychedelics, love affairs, Buddhism and Kafka.” Indeed, lines like “rolling the stone from my tomb into a pornographic sunrise” (”Slouching Towards Bethlehem”) and “Jesus was a genius, but I prefer his earlier stuff / no one talks about carpentry much these days” (”This Is Paradise But Not For Us”) trade literal interpretations in for metaphor and dark humor.
Highlights on the record include the opener “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” “Bored of The Apocalypse,” and “All Is Holy.” On “Flash Of Lightning In A Clear Blue Sky” synths emerge to turn the tone towards airy and atmospheric (a sense furthered by the lyrics: “I’d like to / surround you / so that you feel / completely held”). And “Winter’s Come” is a beautiful duet that at the end hits epic highs, acting as a nearly penultimate closer before the lovely waltz-like “Since I Fell.” (The actual last track on the record is “Deer Park,” a short instrumental.)
Recorded and mixed by Church and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, the production quality is rich and makes sure to keep Church’s distinct voice forward in the mix while not losing the tapestry of everything else going on. For a vocals/guitar based style of music, the beats on this album are truly standout, with varied rhythmic choices interspersed throughout. While there are some live drums on the album, at the release show Church performed with a vintage drum machine rather than a live drummer, and it works surprisingly well.
Canadian trio The Dog Indiana bill themselves as “not your grandma’s psychedelic grunge rock,” and indeed their newest album Burnt Ends features sounds that feel pulled out of the ground rather than from any trippy ether. The band has built off their work over the past six years and their previous album, Fractured, Murky and Liquid (2018) and EP, Never (2020), to bring out a record of doomy, jagged noise rock.
Most of the tracks on the album are energetic and aggressive, featuring relentless guitar and bass from Clark Ridge and Thomas Service. Santiago Garcia’s drums tones range from clattering to guttural, while the vocals (also from Ridge and Service) often sound as if they were recorded in a metal garbage can, which works really well.
The first three tracks—“Elixir,” “Hydroxydramaqueen” and “Golden Pavilion”—all flow into each other in a clamorous riot. The commotion takes a break during most of “Black Mollies,” with quieter guitar plucking and singing rather than screaming, before a tempo switch brings us back up to speed. I’m unsure if the lyrics are a metaphor or actually about fish (“see you through the glass / slack jawed, but elegant / swear you’re looking back”).
That track and “Matchsticks” are truly where they touch on the “psych” part of their self-description, while “The Hanged Man” gets really doomy. There is enough variation in the songs to keep the nine track album from sounding all the same. The highlight of the album for me is “Loaf,” which has an excellent guitar riff propelling it along, although I wish the rumbling coda at the end were taken to a further conclusion.
The overall effect of the record is dark and gloomy, but with enough of a punch to keep its head above the sludge. The band calls Burnt Ends “an exploration of the feelings of helplessness and isolation that shook so much of the world in the last few years” and it is a pretty intense listen, but a rewarding one.
Burnt Ends is out now via Early Onset Records and available via Bandcamp and all major streamers. Follow the band on Instagram.
