An On-Line Resource For New Releases, Music News, Reviews & Opinion.
Est. 2006
Sunday, March 7, 2010
R.I.P. Mark Linkous
I am truly sorry to half to write this piece. Mark Linkous and the fragile and beautiful music he recorded and subsequently released under the Sparklehorse moniker impacted, affected, and inspired us here at The Ash Gray Proclamation. So here we are again just 3 short months after losing Vic Chesnutt,we again must deal with the suicide of one of music's most inspiring and important musicians.
Marl Linkous took his own life yesterday afternoon by a self inflicted gunshot wound.
I remember the first time I heard Sparklehorse, I had just started working at WFNX here in Boston and I was in the middle of one of my first air shifts and along comes Someday I Will Treat You Good at 3 AM and I was hooked. This horrible news comes just days after the announcement that his collaboration with Danger Mouse, A Dark Night of Soul will finally be released and the next Sparklehorse album was nearing completion.
May the peace that escaped him in life, embrace him in death.
From the Linkous Family: "It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you." - March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Robert Pollard's Ever Increasing Release Calendar
With the release of We All Got Out Of The Army last week, Robert Pollard's kicked off what can only be described as another uber-prolific year. Releases a plenty continue On March 23rd when Jackpot Records releases Camera Found A Ray Gun, an EP from Pollard's Boston Spaceships. The EP consists of four tracks and will be available both on 7" vinyl(limited to 500 copies) and as a CD EP.
Camera Found A Ray Gun track listing: 1) The Way Out 2) Rival GT 3) Pluto Is Polluted 4) Aquarian Hovercraft
Next up is Mother Skinny, the eighth record from Pollard's Circus Devils. For the uninitiated Circus Devils are a mean prog rock and freak pop outfit. Accompanied by brothers Tim and Todd Tobias (GBV/Clouds Forming Crowns) Robert Pollard has been recording and releasing Circus Devils albums since 2001. With Mother Skinny Circus Devils have recorded an album that is described as the polar opposite to last years largely acoustic Gringo. So I'll expect to have my face melted.
Circus Devils have just posted three songs from the forthcoming Mother Skinny. All three are big slabs of sinister prog- pop.
[MP3/Stream] Circus Devils - Bam Bam Bam Mother Skinny track listing: 1 SUB RAT 1:45 2 LURKING 1:23 3 WOLFMAN CHORDS 1:48 4 HARD ART (HARD ALL DAY) 2:01 5 GET ON IT 1:57 6 HIS TROOPS ARE LOYAL 1:48 7 KINGDOMS OF KOREA 2:06 8 BAM BAM BAM 2:02 9 GERM CIRCUS 1:47 10 8 LEGS TO LOVE YOU 1:48 11 17 DAYS ON THE POLE 2:04 12 FREEZER BURN 1:19 13 WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE 0:55 14 A LIVING NECKLACE OF WARTS 2:15 15 THE NEW NOSTALGIA 1:05 16 THE CAVE OF DISAPPEARING MEN 0:40 17 MOTHER SKINNY 2:56 18 ALL THE GOOD ONES ARE GONE 3:16 19 PLEDGE 2:52 20 SHUT UP 1:08
Mother Skinny will be released on March 30th via Guided By Voices, Inc. and can be pre-ordered here
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ticket Giveaway: The Hush Now CD Release Show
The Hush Now will celebrate the release of their excellent new album Constellations at Great Scott this Saturday night with help from Arletta and Dear Leader. Thanks to the good kids at The Muse Box I have a pair of tickets to giveaway to one of our lucky readers. Just send an e-mail to ashgrayproclamation@yahoo.com with The Hush Now in the subject line. The winner will be notified on Friday.
Don't feel like waiting til Friday? Assure that you will be at Great Scott for this memorable night of Boston rock by purchasing tickets for the show at TicketWeb.
Update: Congratulations to Greg from South Boston on being randomly selected as the winner of The Hush Now's CD Release show.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Los Campesinos Interview & Live Perfromance Recorded earlier this month for Virgin's Red Room Sessions. This stripped down version of The Sea Is A Good Place To Think About The Future is too good not to share. Enjoy.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Last Place You'll Look On March 9th We Were Promised Jetpacks will release The Last Place You'll Look (EP) via Fat Cat. If you were lucky enough to catch the band at The Middle East a little over a week ago you may have stumbled onto this EP at the bands merch table, as they are selling a limited edition version on their current US tour.
The Last Place You'll Look consists of 3 new tracks and 2 alternate recordings of songs that appeared on the bands debut, These Four Walls.
The Last Place You Look tracklist: 01 A Far Cry 02 Short Bursts (alternative version) 03 The Walls Are Wearing Thin 04 With the Benefit of Hindsight 05 This is My House, This is My Home” (alternative version)
A Far Cry is the EP's lead track, it starts off with a nice melody and some subdued vocals courtesy of Adam Thompson before his band mates build it up and bring it to it's knees and to a climatic and cathartic end.
On May 4th Broken Social Scene will release Forgiveness Rock Record on Arts & Crafts. The long awaited follow up to their 2005 self-titled release was recorded in Chicago at Soma Studios by the band and John McEntire, with additional recordings tracked at The Schvitz Studio in Toronto. Broken Social Scene was stripped down to six members for the recording of Forgiveness Rock Record and features contributions from some of the usual suspects, Feist, Amy Milan, Jason Collett, Metric, as well as notable new newcomers such asSpiral Stairs(Pavement) and Doug McCombs (Tortoise).
The band has offered up the album track World Sick for free download, all it will cost you is your e-mail address. A sprawling and epic track that finds Broken Social Scene at the peak of there many powers.
Broken Social Scene Dates (No Boston show, yet) 03-14 Elkton, FL - Harvest of Hope 03-18 Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ 03-19 Austin, TX - The Parish 05-01 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore 05-03 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre 05-07 New York, NY - Webster Hall 05-13 London, England - Brixton Academy 05-14 Minehead, England - All Tomorrow's Parties 05-17 London, England - Heaven 05-18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg 05-19 Cologne, Germany - Burgerhaus Stollwerck 05-21 Paris, France - La Maroquinerie 05-23 Linz, Austria - LinzFest 05-24 Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus 05-27 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival 05-29 George, WA - Sasquatch 06-19 Toronto, Ontario - Toronto Island
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Lost Art of The 7"
Today we focus on a few vinyl only releases coming our way over the next several weeks. All of these releases come via(limited edition) 7" single. So dust off the old wheels of steel and set your turntables for 45 RPM.
Birmingham England's Calories have teemed up with London's William for a 4 song split single. Calories are easily the most addictive band I've heard in some time and the two songs they contribute to this single further prove that point. Much like their debut Adventuring, these tracks are over far too quickly, good thing Mortal Boys and Drink The Potion stand up to repeated listening. The Calories/William split single was released in the UK earlier this week and is available for ordering now.
On March 1st Cymbals Eat Guitars will release a re-recorded version of Wind Phoenix, originally released on the bands debut Why There Are Mountains. This alone would not be all that exciting, if not for the excellent b-side. A cover of Elliott Smith's The Ballad of Big Nothing. The songs stays pretty true to the original albeit for some added instrumentation, but CEW manage to put their own unique stamp on it. The Wind Phoenix 7" single will be released by the London based Memphis Industries
As part of their just announced 5 part 7" single series, Japandroids are set release the 1st installment on April 2nd with Art Czars. Each single will feature an unreleased track from the Post-Nothing sessions and be accompanied by a cover. The B-side to the 1st single is a cover of Big Black's Racer X. Art Czars is pressed on clear vinyl and is limited to 2000 copies and comes with a download code. Japandroids 7" single series will be releases throughout 2010.
Boston's The Hush Now have released there second album Constellations and once again they're offering it to you absolutely free, via the bands web site. Since hearing the bands self-titled debut, I've been seriously hooked on The Hush Now and their sophomore album couldn't have come at a better time. Noel Kelly propels the band forward with another batch of his radio ready anthems and classic pop hooks. What are you waiting for ? Go get the first must hear record of 2010. Did I mention that it's free?
After you've downloaded the album be sure to check out fellow Boston blogger Jay from Clicky Clicky's review here.
The Hush Now will play Great Scott on Saturday March 6th with Dear Leader and Arletta. Buy tickets here
Today marks the release of Canadian post-rockers Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra's Kollaps Tradixionales via Constellation . After shedding three members,added a new drummer David Payant and officially left the Tra-La- La Band name behind, TMZ have returned with what might just be their strongest offering. Led by guitarist/vocalist Efrin Menuck (formally of Godspeed You! Black Emperor) TMZ demonstrates it may have lost a few members but it's lost none of its raw fuzzed out power and successfully marry punk,folk, rock, psych,and blues. It's still very new to me, so I'll try to temper my excitement for it. Headphones on, volume up, jaw on the floor.
TMZ have issued an exclusive film over at Stereogum of the band performing I Built My Self A Metal Bird. The film was shot by Seth W. Owen in Montreal. Check out the album track Bury 3 Dynamos embed below by permission of TMZ.
Kill Rock Stars recently released details around the next album from The Thermals. The bands fifth album was recorded by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) at his home studio in Portland, OR, Hall of Justice. The new album is titled Peronal Life and is scheduled to be released on September 7th via KRS.
This news comes with seven months to wait for the next Thermals record. Luckily they have music coming to us a bit sooner than that. The Thermals have released Canada via itunes, a track that may or may not appear on their forthcoming album due to the fact that the band has yet to reveal the albums track listing. Canada was written on a recent tour stop in Buffalo as they were preparing to travel to Toronto for a sold out show at The Horseshoe Tavern. At first listen it feels like a bit of a throwaway, the type of song Hutch Harris could write in five minutes, but over repeated listens it reveals it self to be an infectious pop gem. The Thermals will deliver another new track On April 17th ,otherwise known as Record Store Day in the form of a split 7" with their former tour mates, The Cribs. The Thermals contribute Separate, while The Cribs offer up So Hot Now.
In the meantime the band are scheduled to play shows in Australia and China before returning to the Boston area on April 18th for a show at The Middle East.
The Thermals Dates March 2010 AUSTRALIA 07 -- Brisbane @ Lost Weekend Festival 09 -- Sydney @ Oxford Art Factory 10 -- Armidale @ University of New England 11 -- Wollongong @ Wollongong University 12 -- Newcastle @ Newcastle University
March 2010 CHINA 17 -- Beijing: Mao Live 18 -- Shanghai: YYT Live 19 -- Chengdu: 7-Live 20 -- TBA
April 2010 EAST COAST US 07 -- Orlando, FL @ Social # 08 -- Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder # 09 -- Gainesville, FL @ University of Florida - Rion Ballroom # 10 -- St Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven # 12 -- Wilmington, NC @ The Soapbox Laundrolounge # 13 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle # 14 -- Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern # 15 -- Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church # 16 -- Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar # 17 -- Hamden, CT @ The Space # 18 -- Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East # 20 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl #
Every so often an album comes along and steals your undivided attention. You wake in the morning and you need to hear it, you eat your lunch in your car just so you can hear it again during the work day, and then you play it again on the ride home. The Soft Pack's self titled debut just released on Kemado Records is one of those records. It reels you in on first listen and tightens it's grip on you over repeated listens. Originally called The Muslims now The Soft Pack have filled their name changed debut with irresistible garage punk/pop, surf guitars, and big hooks. C'mon is the terrific first single and video from the album.
The Soft Pack will play Great Scott on March 29th.
The Ash Gray Proclamation Presents: Our 25 Favorite Records of 2009 Just when you thought you were safe from the onslaught of year end lists, here come your friends at The AGP with one more. Like many of you I read a lot of lists each year, so I tried to offer something that hasn't been done and re-done before while paying tribute to 25 of our favorite releases from the year that was 2009. I think we put our own stamp on it, at least that was the intention.
You will find mp3 links and stream embeds from Lala so please click away and check some of the music you might have missed. Each album also has a link to purchase the album, please do so if you like what you hear.
As always thanks for reading and for your continued support of The Ash Gray Proclamation.
and now without further delay....the list.
25. Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Dead Oceans)
This year Tim Rutili proved once again that a new Califone record is an event worth paying attention to. All My friends Our Funeral Singers is the bands finest release since 2001's Roomsound. A companion piece to the Rutili directed film about a fortune teller who lives in house that's occupied by ghosts. An experimental Appalachian blues-folk masterstroke, just another day at the office for Califone.
This South London quartet released a game changer of an album. Combining the skeletal guitar riffs of Joy Division with the thoughtful yet powerful music of Young Marble Giants. 11 tracks of perfect minimalist boy/girl conversational pop. XXis an immediately satisfying record that you'll love from first listen, I know I did.
In June Spencer Krug released Dragonslayer, his third and most sparkling record with Sunset Rubdown. Released just two months after unveiling the excellent Enemy Mine with his other side project Swan Lake. Dragonslayer is leaner and more accessible record without losing any of the experiments or ambition of the bands previous two releases. On Dragonslayer, Krug and Co. create a labyrinth of engaging multi-part songs while effortlessly hopping genre's from song to song. Even though I've listen to this record endlessly since it's release I still need more, that to me is the sign of a great record. Dragonslayer is that and then some.
The Wooden Birds is the new project from Andrew Kenny formally of The American Analog Set. Magnolia features a strong collection of hushed folk pop that's both intimate and inviting. Kenny hasn't strayed too far away for the sound he made with AMANSET, although The Wooden Birds favor a more stripped down acoustic sound. You might know where you're going with Magnolia, but that doesn't make the trip any less enjoyable. Magnolia is a catchy and satisfying listen from beginning to end. [MP3/Stream]The Wooden Birds - The Other One Buy the album at theBarsuk Shop
It was hard to miss the story of Girls last year.Growing up in a cult must have been a traumatic experience for Christopher Owens, but what about the music? With the release of Album, Girls surpassed all expectations and hype by delivering a stunning and timeless pop record. Lyrically its full of heartbreak but musically it's all sunshine, reminiscent of the early Beach Boys catalog, complete with surf guitars and 60's pop melodies.
20. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino USA)
Over their nine album career Animal Collective have remained on of the most fascinating bands in music and never has it been so obvious than on Merriwether Post Pavilion. With My Girls, Summertime Clothes, and Brother Sport the album finds Animal Collective a little more listener friendly without losing their sense of adventure. 11 tracks in over 55 minutes for the bands most accomplished and exhilarating record to date.
Beverly's Post-rockers Caspian had my jaw on the floor once again this year when they delivered Tertia. A record that rivals the bands superb debut LP The Four Trees. They've added their touring guitarist Burke Moran to the band and as a result Terita boast an even heavier sound than it's predecessor. Tertia is a crushing and captivating record that requires your attention.
18. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains (Sister's Den)
Originally self released at the beginning of the year and then re-released in September after the band signed to Sister's Den Records, Why There Are Mountains got some well deserved attention in 2009. Cymbals Eat Guitars released a sprawling and explosive album that shines equally during it's quieter moments as it does during it's crashing wall of sound anthems. A smashing debut.
I love this record. I feel better to have gotten that out of the way. Signal Morning is the welcome return of Elephant 6 Collective and The Olivia Tremor Control founding member Will Cullen Hart. It's been eight years since Hart released Circulatory System's debut, in that time he was diagnosed with MS. So when it was announced that their sophomore album would be released it came as bit of surprise. However the real surprise is how damn good Signal Morning is, it not only picks up where their debut left off, it rivals Hart's best work. Signal Morning is a 4 track psych pop masterwork. Breathtaking, inventive, and well worth the wait.
16. Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
On their ninth release Super Furry Animals prove once again that they're one of the most consistent bands making music today. SFA are incapable of recording a bad album, they just don't have it in them. From the tongue in check opener Crazy Naked Girls to the blissful Cardiff in The Sun, Dark Days /Light Years is yet another inspired and varied album. I would recommend this album to the SFA newcomer as much as I would to the long standing fans.
An incredibly brave album from the former driving force behind Pedro The Lion. David Bazan put his personal struggles with alcohol and family front and center on Curse Your Branches , for the years most haunting and inspired record. [MP3/Stream] David Bazan - Bless This Mess
Fanfarlo have been releasing music together since 2006 but it wasn't until early 2009 that they released their superb debut album Reservoir. Recorded in Connecticut with Peter Katis (The National/Interpol), the album consists of 11 great pop songs that had me reaching for Reservoir over and over.
13. Mission of Burma - The Sound The Speed The Light (Matador)
Their third release since reforming in 2002 finds Mission of Burma in peak form. With the fierce and rowdy tracks being complimented with some of Burma's most mesmerizing slower ones like Forget Yourself, with it's shimmering guitars and it's pounding wall of drums. The Sound The Speed The Light is another triumph from a band that has only ever delivered uncompromising quality.
On The Antlers 2nd full length Peter Silberman leads his Brooklyn band mates through a conceptual and haunting record about love, death, and cancer. To the bands credit Hospice never comes off as cliche or contrived. Instead what you find when listening to this 10 song suite is a heartbreakingly beautiful record.
By 2009 I had accepted the fact that The Flaming Lips sonic explorations were a thing of the past in favor of the safer ground they've covered over the past 10 or so years. Embryonic came along and proved in just over 70 minutes that I don't know shit about what the future holds for this band. Embryonic is staggering, menacing, unhinged and ultimately the epic rebirth of The Flaming Lips.
10. Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy (Warner Bros.)
There Is No Enemy finds Doug Martsch and co. reining in some of the stretched out jams found on their last few records in favor of a varied and dynamic batch pop songs. With each listen the album reveals itself a little more, unveiling it's rich instrumentation and tremendous song craft. Easily my favorite Built to Spill record since Keep Like A Secret in 1999 and one of the finest records of the year.
9. Hallelujah The Hills - Colonial Drones (Misra Records)
Hallelujah The Hills found a way to follow up their fantastic 2007 debut with an even stronger album. Every once in a while a record comes along that you can't help but to play it over and over, Colonial Drones is that kind of record. With the sure fire Boston rock classic Blank Passports, the country twang of Put The Gurus in Charge, and the blistering Allied Lions, Hallelujah The Hills were responsible for some of the finest moments committed to tape in 2009.
Post-Nothing is the eight song debut album from Brian King and David Prowse collectively known as Japandroids (or JPNDRDS). The album is filled with coming of age angst and fuck-it anthems complete with fuzzed out guitars, crashing drums and more hooks than your old mans tackle box. An exceptional debut and an outright blast.
7. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (Fat Cat)
These Four Walls, the debut album from Scotland's We Were Promised Jetpacks is a powerhouse of a record, full of immediate and captivating songs from one of the UK' most promising young bands. The songs are raw and straight forward with elements of 90's American indie and the post-punk instrumentation of there fellow country men Mogwai. Sometimes reinventing the wheel isn't all it's cracked up to be. An addictive and rewarding listen from start to finish.
Setting The Paces is a superbly crafted rock record that seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Once an outlet for David Crane's after work (school teacher) recordings, now Boat exists as proper band and on Setting The Paces they turn in 14 guitar driven pop nuggets. There isn't a skippable track in the bunch. These songs are immediate, catchy, and if you give them the chance they will burrow there way into your brain. Trust me, this is a good thing.
5. The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come (4AD)
The Mountain Goats take on some challenging material on The Life of The World To Come, by naming each song after a bible verse. The songs John Darnielle wrote for the record are without a doubt some of his finest. According to Darnielle this is not a Christian record nor is it a record recorded after some sort of spiritual awakening. It is a collection of songs based on 12 lessons that the bible has taught him. Twelve tales of forgiveness and redemption told by one of America's greatest story tellers. Yeah, you need to hear it.
Weather it was the frigid days of February or the hot nights of July the debut album from New York's The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was never too far out of reach. A throwback of sorts to the music I loved in the 80's and 90's, reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure. The band specializes in earnest pop songs with creamy hooks and fuzzed out guitars. An impeccable debut.
The Thermals released one of the most enjoyable and satisfying albums of the year. Now We Can See is an anthemic record filled with the bands signature post-pop-punk. Hutch Harris sings of death, disease and being reincarnated as a fish. In a lesser bands hands these themes might end up contrived and trite but with The Thermals its a blast of pop hooks with some the bands most infectious tunes yet.
2. Johnny Foreigner - Grace and The Bigger Picture (Best Before Records) Album number two from Birmingham, England's Johnny Foreigner picks up where their stunning debut Waited Up Til It Was Light left off. This time around the trio serves up tales of life on the road as a touring band. With 15 tracks in 45 minutes Johnny Foreigner deliver up a perfect dose of snotty punk, boy/girl vocals and noisy pop songs. Grace And The Bigger Picture is a truly great record. So much for the sophomore slump.
For casual fans who haven't been keeping up with Robert Pollard's recent solo albums and side projects lately, listen up. Zero to 99, Pollard's third release in just over thirteen months with Boston Spaceships is an accessible and insanely catchy album that you need to hear. I guess what I'm saying is, this is the record you've been waiting for. For the obsessive fans who buy just about everything the man puts out, Zero to 99 proves what you probable already knew and that's that Robert Pollard has plenty left in the tank. With each release the Spaceships seem to sharpen their focus and consistency and on Zero to 99 they deliver an astonishing record of prog, punk, and power pop. As it reads on a t-shirt from the bands one and only tour, Boston Spaceships is Real, indeed.
I am truly sorry to half to write this piece. Mark Linkous and the fragile and beautiful music he recorded and subsequently released under the Sparklehorse moniker impacted, affected, and inspired us here at The Ash Gray Proclamation. So here we are again just 3 short months after losing 
