This Weeks Shorts Bursts: Mogwai, Merge Records at 25, & LVL UP

Glasgow's post rock stalwarts, Mogwai have announced the follow up to 2011's hyperbole inducing, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. On January 21st Mogwai will issue Rave Tapes via Sub-Pop. The band recorded the new set with Delgados' drummer, Paul Savage who also assisted in the recording of the bands landmark Young Team LP. Mogwai has offered up the advance track, Remurdered which finds them delving a little deeper into the electronics they utilized on "Hardcore", on the synth infused instrumental track.



North Carolina's esteemed Merge Records kicked off their 25th anniversary celebration today with the issuing of Superchunk's cover of Misfits'Children In Heat which you can stream below. In addition, the label is currently taking pre-order for Or Thousands of Prizes, a subscription based box set that will be released throughout 2014 and consist of 12 7 inches that will be mostly split releases and includes contributions from The Mountain Goats, Mikal Cronin, Destroyer, and of course the aforementioned Superchunk. These singles are exclusive to the box set and not available separately or in stores, proceeds from of Or Thousands of Prizes will go to Oxfam America. You can pre-order this unique release at the Merge Store now.



Splitting time between Spook Houses, LVL UP and running the Double Double Whammy imprint, Dave Benton and his co conspirators have been delivering a steady flow of impressive scuzz pop releases and the new LVL UP release is no exception, a split release with label mates, Porches. LVL UP's contribution, Across The Sea starts with gently strummed acoustics and Benton's affecting and warbling vocal delivery before giving way to a blast of Pinketonesque guitar fuzz with titanic hooks. Currently, LVL UP have hooked up with Boston's post hardcore dynamos, Pile for several shows in the Southeast.

Forthcoming :: Male Bonding - Endless Now

It was warm afternoon in the spring of 2010 that we first had the pleasure hearing Male Bonding and their superlative debut, Nothing Hurts. We always remember favorable first listens with resplendent detail and this was no exception. I knew that word of the day calendar would come in handy one of these days. Anyhow, we bought the album at Newbury Comics on our lunch break and rushed back to the car to enjoy a sandwich, some windows down driving, and the remarkable hook heavy debut from Male Bonding. But enough about our lunch time exploits and last years Male Bonding. We are pleased to report that next Tuesday the trio from London's Dalston neighborhood will deliver their sophomore LP, Endless Now on Sub Pop. The new album was recorded with John Agnello at Dreamland Recording Studio in Woodstock, NY. The bands guitar fuzz, scrappy melodies, and big hooks remain intact albeit with a little more confidence and luster. Endless Now features 11 catchy as all hell tracks in just 36 minutes. Below you can check out two of the albums tracks, Bones which you can grab for the high price of your e-mail address as well as an embed of the album's opener Tame The Sun.

Pre-order Endless Now at Sub-Pop.

Male Bonding will play Brighton Music Hall next Wednesday August 31st with Girlfriends and Love Inks.

Male Bonding - Tame The Sun by subpop

Reviewed :: No Age - Everything In Between

No Age 101: Since forming in 2005 out of the ashes of the hardcore leaning Wives, No Age have purveyed a hybrid of noise, fuzz, ambient drone, and grimy pop hooks to great effect. In 2007 the duo of Randy Randall and Dean Spunt released the impressive Weirdo Rippers on FatCat, a collection of the bands early EP's and singles. During this time No Age were fixtures at L.A.'s all ages venue The Smell where they evolved into formidable live act, that was all too clear when No Age paid a visit to Boston in the fall of 2007 to play P.A.'s Lounge. Just a few months later the band issued their first proper full length, Nouns via new and current label Sub-Pop. Nouns delivered on the promise of Weirdo Rippers with a perfect collection of explosive fuzzed out rock, that showcased the bands understated pop sensibilities and with last years Losing Feeling EP the band hinted at things to come over 4 inspired tracks.

With Everything In Between the brand new long player from No Age the band pick up where they left off with Nouns and last years Losing Feeling EP respectively, but it's far from business as usual for Randall and Spunt. The album opens with ominous drums and angular guitar lines of Life Prowler. At first I was taken back a bit by how clean this track sounds compared to their previous recordings, but before I could dwell on that thought too long the fuzz commences. As with the past couple of releases the band continues to experiment with electriconic sound collages as the underbelly on some of the albums strongest tracks. As a result the songs are bit more fleshed out than previous releases, but the bands trademark blistering punk remains up front in the mix. What's striking about this album is that although the band are pushing their sound into new territory they never loose the charm or formula of their earlier recordings that wowed us on Weirdo Rippers. Fever Dreaming is straight up punked up scuzz with it's scream along chorus and driving guitars. Elsewhere No Age throw a few curve balls but never miss the mark especially on the gorgeous Positive Amputation and the album closing track Chem Trails. The later is call and response pop song that proves to be one of the albums biggest surprises and the bands most accessible track to date.

No Age have taken another step forward in the evolution of their sound and somehow managed to surpass all expectations with an album that is as delicate as it is brash and undeniably No Age. You'll be hard pressed to find a better record released in 2010.


Listen to Everything In Between (and then guy buy it!)