I love Los Bitchos not only for their catchy as hell music, but for their love of all things cheeky. Following the hilarious trio of videos for the songs “Las Panteras”“Good to Go!” and “Pista (Fresh Start)” that were on their stellar debut Let The Festivities Begin!, the Bitchos are back to let the holiday festivities begin and are ready to stuff your stockings with a ridiculous (and awesome) 80s themed Christmas video for their holiday song, “Los Chrismos.”
The video sees the band skiing and prancing around a winter resort at Holiday time, trimming the tree and exchanging gifts before cutting to the foursome jazzercising on an over the top soundstage (aka green screen) and hamming it up with their instruments 80s MTV style. All complete with giant teased Aquanet hair, bright bold eye makeup, and all the jumpsuits, shoulder pads, metallic lamé fashions and Spandex you can imagine circa 1987.
Along with the video, they also have Christmas themed jumpers and a special edition of their debut album, Let The Festivities Begin!, which has been pressed on a limited run 180gram red/green/white vinyl and comes with a flexi picture disc featuring “Los Chrismos,” and its b-side “Tipp Tapp,” along with a sticker sheet; the package and shirts are available now via their Bandcamp page.
And while I personally have never been much of a fan of holiday music, “Los Chrismos” just might be the song to finally thaw this grinch out a bit because it is an ear worm which fits perfectly into their existing body of danceable work and will sure to be a hit at the club or the office holiday party.
Watch the video below and check out pics from a recent gig I caught in the UK.
The Natural Lines (ex Matt Pond PA) have announced their self titled debut album (3/24/23 Bella Union) which follows up their recent EP, First Five. Today they release the first single, “Monotony” along with a video, both of which feature celebrated comedian/actress/tv host Nikki Glaser in the role of an unconventional psychiatrist.
Commenting on the song and video, frontman Matt Pond said
“Over the last few years, I’ve tried to focus on my breathing—to try and be a better singer, to try and be a better person. But it’s hard to shit still and slow down when the world seems so unruly,” a relatable sentiment. He continues “‘Monotony’ is an anthem about the daily tightrope—searching for the right path between passion and apathy. All the while, I’ve been working with Nikki Glaser. Her fearlessness is contagious. Since she never hesitates to tell me what she really thinks, I thought it made perfect sense for Nikki to portray my therapist in the video”
This new music and the updated band name follows over two decades of releases by Pond as Matt Pond PA and sees him continuing to work with long time collaborator Chris Hansen as well as several other contributors. The song will feel familiar to fans of his past work, the lush instrumentation heightening the emotion of Pond’s lyrics/vocal delivery.
The Natural Lines will play two shows opening for Glaser on 1/27/23 at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT and 1/28 at Beacon Theater in NYC. Tickets are available here.
Attack on Memory, the 2012 album by Cloud Nothings, is one of those albums I can’t help but listen to front to back each and every time; it is not casual listening or random songs on a playlist material. So you can imagine I was more than delighted to see them play the album in full (and in order which is always my preferred way to see album anniversary shows) during their recent stop at Music Hall of Williamsburg to celebrate the album’s ten year anniversary.
Led by singer/guitarist, Dylan Baldi, the long running outfit had everyone in the room fixed and locked through the duration of the album and through the several other tracks they played, with a healthy selection from 2014’s Here And Nowhere Else and a sprinkling of songs from 2010’s Turning On, 2017’s Life Without Sound and 2021’s The Shadow I Remember. The encore hit me like a one-two punch, the pairing of the buzzsaw bass led “Pattern Walks” and the fervent “I’m Not Part of Me,” washing over me like a warm wave; they are my favorite non AoM songs. But the absolute highlight of the evening was hearing “Wasted Days” played live. The line I THOUGHT I WOULD BE MORE THAN THIS was every bit the emotional knockout I expected it to be and I loved the extended and improvised noisy breakdown in the middle, different and more chaotic than what is on the recorded version.
I would be remiss if I also didn’t give specific praise to drummer Jason Gerycz who is an absolute monster on the kit—and the best kind, the kind that gets it done without flashy bells and whistles or a giant setup, but rather with a three piece kit, one crash cymbal, hi-hats and a killer set of chops. In my opinion, that’s the mark of a truly great drummer, being able to add so much to any given song with a basic setup (Sorry not sorry ghost of Neil Peart). And I loved how they had him positioned out front so he was close to the audience. There is nothing like the sound of some 1970s Vistalites and the tremendous crack of a metal Ludwig snare, you just can’t beat it for high intensity rock n roll. As a fellow drummer, I for sure felt each and every one of Gerycz’s snare hits and hyper drive fills deep in my soul.
Jason Gerycz
The show was opened by Rosali who I unfortunately missed (thanks Manhattan traffic!) and direct support came from Philadelphia based band Speedy Ortiz. Led by Sadie DuPuis (who later took the Paqui hot chip challenge on stage), the high energy outfit was the perfect pairing for Cloud Nothings. And if we’re talking great drummers, I can’t not mention fellow southpaw drummer, Joey Doubek, who is just an absolute spitfire on the kit. I had seen him play with Downtown Boys before but this was my first time seeing Speedy Ortiz (which surprises me just as much, actually) and wow, what a great addition to an already great band.
There can be no Wasted Days when there are rock n roll days and that’s a fact.
Scroll down for setlist, pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Setlist: Attack on Memory- No Future/No Past, Wasted Days, Fall In, Stay Useless, Separation, No Sentiment, Our Plans, Cut You ||| Enter Entirely, A Longer Moon, Now Hear In, Only Light, Psychic Trauma, Modern Act. Encore: Pattern Walks, I’m Not Part of Me, Can’t Stay Awake.
The long running Canadian dance/noise punk duo Death From Above 1979 hit Brooklyn recently for the penultimate night of their North American Is 4 Lovers tour. This also marked their first stop here since their show at Elsewhere in 2018 (see pics). It was not for lack of trying though, but as many working bands without huge budgets encountered, the strain of getting back on the road as the worst days of the pandemic waned in 2021 proved difficult and the band chose to wait it out a little longer until conditions were more favorable, disappointing yes, but certainly understandable.
The wait was well worth it though, and I definitely needed the throb of Jesse Keeler’s massive bass riffs rattling my mind and my body. They ripped through a set that spanned the length of their two decade career, hitting multiple songs from each of their albums, even including “Dead Womb” from their classic 2002 debut EP, Heads Up, during the encore. The fans reacted most strongly to the earliest material from 2004’s I’m A Woman You’re A Machine which included faves of mine “Turn It Out,” and “Romantic Rights.” The inclusion of “Blood on Our Hands,” a song the band had not played live in many years, because according to drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger “I kept fucking it up,” earned the most reaction from the crowd. And while I have always loved the early stuff the best (I’ve been listening to them almost since day one), it was also definitely a treat to finally get to see of the material from 2021’s Is 4 Lovers performed live along with the impressive lighting design on stage.
Grainger was endearing and engaging with the crowd, joking throughout the night and stating near the end of the set that several of their songs were banned in Canada and NYC so the cops might show up (which was met by boos and chuckles and I’m certain is definitely not true). They also thanked everyone for showing up and for the lengthy relationship they have had with New York and Brooklyn in particular. (Grainger also took time to thank the venue staff for working on his way out, something that as a venue employee myself always feels good to hear and is appreciated.)
Another Toronto based band, The OBGMs, opened the show and had been on the road with DFA1979 for the duration of the tour. I hadn’t been very familiar with the band before the show so I wasn’t sure what to expect but a band that describes themselves as “a loud boy band that is also a cult” definitely piqued my interest. Suffice it to say, I was totally blown away by their riveting set of high intensity grunge punk which is a sound I’ll never not love. They captured the entire room, going 110% and playing as if they were on a massive stadium stage. Singer/guitarist Densil McFarlane is an absolute powerhouse performer and was in and out of the crowd at least half a dozen times, easily winning over everyone and making an entire room of new fans.
This was one of the strongest first impressions I’ve ever had of a live band and I absolutely can not wait to see them play again. They did mention from stage that they will be back in NYC in early 2023. No further details have been revealed as of yet but you can bet on me making every effort to make sure I’m there. In the meantime while I wait, I’ve been brushing up on their catalog which includes their 2017 self titled album and 2020’s The Ends so I’m ready to sing along next time.
Scroll down for setlist, videos, pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Setlist: Modern Guy, One + One, Virgins, Turn It Out, Caught Up, Free Animal, Totally Wiped Out, Nomad, Crystal Ball, Little Girl, What Is Red, N.Y.C. Power Elite Part I, N.Y.C. Power Elite Part II, Freeze Me, Going Steady, Blood on Our Hands, Black History Month, Love Letter, Trainwreck 1979, Romantic Rights, Government Trash Encore: Dead Womb, The Physical World
Fucked Up have released “Found,” the second single from their upcoming album, One Day. Damian Abraham’s scream greets us immediately as the song begins and then it’s off to the races from there, the song ripping and raging in only the way Fucked Up can. This song will also serve as the first track on the album, setting the immediate no bullshit tone this band is known for.
The song addresses the negative legacy of colonization and the poison of modern day gentrification head on with lyrics that mince no words and take full accountability: “All the names were erased, buried under a land that my people stole.”
On this guitarist Mike Haliechuk elaborated saying:
“I used to live on Davenport Road, which is one of the oldest streets in North America, and has been a First Nations trail for thousands of years, running along the north shore of Lake Iroquois, which receded after the last ice age. Just to the east was Taddle Creek, which was buried underground during the 19th century to build the streets I walk on. I thought about gentrification a lot, watching little stores get swallowed up by big buildings until I realized I am one of those big buildings. The name of the song comes from the Shadi Bartsch translation of The Aeneid, where she points out that the words “found” and “stab” open and close the book, which are two meanings for the same Greek verb. That discovery is actually conquest, and that settlement is always violence. And that any story I try to tell myself about the place I found to live can only be a story to justify the expansion of one people across the world of another.”
Listen to “Found,” below and on all major streamers. One Day is available for pre-order now and releases in full on January 27, 2023 via Merge.
