We are quite pleased to welcome superb Los Angeles band Moaning to the label, who will release their debut album in the spring of 2018 on Sub Pop. Until then, we suggest you watch the group’s video for this here earworm “The Same.”
Stereogum had this to say of the video: “There’s something innately appealing about watching something get destroyed....Moaning wreck a house in the video for their catchy as hell new song “The Same,” and it’s captivating to see them irreversibly tear things down while they sing about not knowing what’s coming next. Change comes in fits and starts — sometimes it feels like putting a sledgehammer through a wall, but more often than not it feels like nothing is happening at all.”
More on Moaning: Los Angeles-band Moaning is the abrasive post-punk trio comprised of Sean Solomon, Pascal Stevenson, and Andrew MacKelvie. The three initially met as teenagers while growing up in the San Fernando Valley, and immediately developed a kinship through Los Angeles’s local music scene. The three began regularly frequenting DIY institutions like The Smell and Pehrspace, eventually selling out dozens of their shows at both venues with their first few bands.
From the sentimental to catastrophic, hiding meek and introspective lyrics within powerful droning dance songs, the music Moaning makes also gives sonic nods to some of the band’s musical heroes like New Order, Broadcast, and Slowdive.
Moaning’s fervent songs are born out of the member’s experiences with love and distress, creating a sound uniquely dark and sincere. This is evidenced in the band’s early version (and video) of their track, “The Same.” The three went into their home studio to record the song and subsequently decided to shoot a music video for the track. Moaning was tipped off about a house that was about to be demolished nearby, and had quickly assembled a group of friends and filmed them taking turns destroying the estate. Meanwhile, Solomon, Stevenson, and MacKelvie tried their best to perform the song amongst the chaos. The video’s budget was limited to the sledgehammers, spray paint, and a case of beer they provided for the friends who were invited to cause havoc, which emphasizes Moaning’s desire to make as much impact with as few resources as possible. The track’s skidding percussion and toned back vocals gave merely a glimmer of the target Moaning aimed to hit with their sound.
Moaning is currently at work on their debut full-length, which will be released sometime the spring of 2018.
Moaning Tour Dates
Moaning have also scheduled tour dates beginning December 7th in Seattle at Neumos and ending December 19th in Phoenix at LBX. During this run, the band will act as support for label mates METZ (December 7th-16th).
Dec. 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumo’s * Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt * Dec. 09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir * Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Independent * Dec. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom* Dec. 13 - San Diego, CA - Casbah * Dec. 15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk * Dec. 16 - Houston, TX - Studio at Warehouse Live * Dec. 17 - Dallas, TX - Transit Bicycle Co. Dec. 19 - Phoenix, AZ - LBX
Walt Wagner’s Reworks – an album of renditions popularized by the likes of Band of Horses, DJ Shadow, My Bloody Valentine, Prince, Fleet Foxes, Phoenix, and more – is available now on CD / LP / DL worldwide from Sub Pop. The veteran pianist recorded the songs live on October 9th, 2016 at the famed Canlis Restaurant in Seattle, Washington [purchase here].
Charles Darwin said it best: adapt or die. Okay, maybe that’s not an exact quote, but the great English scientist was definitely on to something. Organisms that respond over time to the ever-changing environment are more likely to survive and thrive.
While you may not find this crazy idea in Junior’s textbooks these days, it’s audible in every facet of Walt Wagner’s Reworks. With its distinctive renditions of songs popularized by DJ Shadow, My Bloody Valentine, Fleet Foxes, and more, this live recording of the beloved pianist’s farewell performance shows how three Seattle institutions – Wagner, Canlis restaurant, and Sub Pop Records – have evolved over the years.
When veteran pianist Wagner first landed at Canlis in 1996, the Emerald City’s premiere destination for fine dining was in the midst of significant changes: a new chef, new uniforms, modifications to its iconic building overlooking Lake Union. That required a fresh approach to dinner music, too. “I knew what the status quo was, but the owners wanted new energy,” recalls Wagner.
Although he started out with a set heavy on the Great American Songbook and the occasional pop tune, that gradually gave way to more adaptations of modern fare. “Increasingly I kept working in more new, edgier music. In the beginning my sets were 90 percent standards. In the last few years, I was mostly playing very contemporary music.”
As young staff members recommended new artists and songs, Wagner’s repertoire grew deeper and more varied – especially after the next generation of the Canlis family took over in 2003. Yet whether the source material was Pink Floyd, Prince, Metallica, or the Weeknd, the challenge remained the same: “To distill the vibe on a record, the very essence of a song, into solo piano playing.” Performances as memorable yet tasteful as the cuisine, interiors, and views of Canlis [read more at Sub Pop].
Reworks
Tracklisting
1. Building Steam With a Grain of Salt (DJ Shadow) 2. I Only Said (My Bloody Valentine) 3. Desiree (The Left Banke) 4. Mykonos (Fleet Foxes) 5. 1901 (Phoenix) 6. Bondye (Goat) 7. No One’s Gonna Love You (Band of Horses) 8. Purple Rain (Prince) 9. The Funeral (Band of Horses) 10. Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks)
First headlining U.K. & Irish tour in over seven years
[Photo Credit: Matt Grace]
UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING ENTRY TO NEWLY ANNOUNCED SHOWS:
Flight of the Conchords and their representatives have addressed the issues with secondary ticketing sites and resellers that followed the October 23, 2017announcement. In an effort to thwart reselling at higher prices, tickets for the newly announced shows are not transferrable and the purchaser must show photo ID matching the lead booker’s name to gain admission to the show.
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Let us start the week off with this exciting news: Grammy Award-winning folk comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (aka Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) will return to the U.K. & Ireland in March of 2018.
The “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour,” is their first U.K. & Irish headlining tour in over 7 years. Jemaine and Bret will showcase new material at these shows. The arena and theatre tour will make stops in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, and Liverpool.
The UK & Irish edition of “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour” will begin with a two-night stand March 19th & 20th, 2018 in London at Eventim Apollo and ends April 1st, 2018 in Liverpool at Echo Arena Liverpool. Tickets will be on sale Friday, October 27th at 10am GMT.
UPDATE: Tickets for newly announced shows will be on sale Friday, November 3rd at 10am GMT.
Mar. 05 - Portsmouth, UK - Guildhall Mar. 06 - Portsmouth, UK - Guildhall Mar. 07 - Portsmouth, UK - Guildhall Mar. 09 - York, UK - Barbican Mar. 10 - York, UK - Barbican Mar. 11- York, UK - Barbican Mar. 13 - Milton Keynes, UK- Milton Keynes Theatre Mar. 14 - Milton Keynes, UK - Milton Keynes Theatre Mar. 15 - Milton Keynes, UK - Milton Keynes Theatre Mar. 18 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo [Sold Out] Mar. 19 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo [Sold Out] Mar. 20 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo [Sold Out] Mar. 22 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Genting Arena [Sold Out] Mar. 23 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena [Sold Out] Mar. 25 - Dublin, IE - 3Arena [Sold Out] Mar. 26 - Glasgow, UK - The SSE Hydro [Sold Out] Mar. 27 - Leeds, UK - Leeds First Direct Arena [Sold Out] Mar. 29 - London, UK - The O2 [Sold Out] Mar. 30 - London, UK - The O2 [Sold Out] Apr. 01 - Liverpool, UK - Echo Arena Liverpool [Sold Out] Apr. 02 - Dublin, IE - 3Arena Apr. 03 - London, UK - The O2
About Flight of the Conchords: In 2005, Bret and Jemaine received an invitation to perform at the Aspen Comedy Festival, in Colorado, USA. Against tradition they left New Zealand’s summer to go to the northern hemisphere’s winter and were shocked by the snow when they stepped off the plane in t-shirts and jandles. The HBO executives liked their act and asked them to film a half hour performance for a stand-up comedy show called One Night Stand.
Over the next four years they made a TV pilot, a sitcom, released an EP (The Distant Future) and a full length album (self-titled LP), toured North America, made a sandwich, filmed a second season of the sitcom, toured North America again, released a second album (I Told You I Was Freaky), and went back to New Zealand.
The HBO sitcom became a hit. This, along with the praise for the subsequent album releases (on Sub Pop Records) and the duo’s live show, was the comedic hat trick that catapulted Flight of the Conchords to international sensations.
The Conchords would also see major success individually. Jemaine lent his voice to the character Nigel the cockatoo in the Rio films (2011 and 2014).
He was cast as “Boris The Animal” in Men in Black 3 (2012). Jemaine also wrote, produced and starred in a variety of projects including the acclaimed Vampire comedy film, What We Do In the Shadows and People Places Things. More recently, he joined the cast of The BFG, the new Steven Spielberg adaptation of the Roald Dahl book, as the giant named Fleshlumpeater.
Bret has also been hard at work writing and acting for various television and film projects. Most notably The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014), the former of which won him an Academy Award for “Best Original Song” for the power ballad “Man or Muppet”. In 2012 he starred in the New Zealand black comedy Two Little Boys and then in 2013 he was cast in Jerusha Hess’s romantic comedy Austenland. He is currently writing the screenplay and songs for a film adaption of Neil Gaiman’s book Fortunately the Milk as well as penning tunes for the upcoming Disney film Bob the Musical.
And somehow, between all of the film and TV work, the Conchords managed to co-headline the “Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival” alongside Dave Chappelle in 2013.
In 2016, Jemaine and Bret announced the wildly successful “The Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords Tour.” The duo premiered new material alongside fan favorites, and quickly sold out amphitheatres and concert halls across the U.S. Also that year, the duo headlined Tenacious D’s Festival Supreme in Los Angeles (read more at Sub Pop).
The band’s 2017 European tour dates are currently underway.
Now see this: Shabazz Palaces powerful new video for “Since C.A.Y.A.,” the elastic and transportive track from the group’s acclaimed Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star. The new visual stars Shabazz Palaces’ Palaceer Lazaro with footage shot by director Kahlil Joseph, cinematography by Marcus Reposar, and is helmed by returning collaborator Stephan Gray (“Dawn in Luxor”).
DIY calls “Since C.A.Y.A” “… a glitchy and disquieting new video. The Thundercat-featuring track gets a black and white visual to match; all crashing waves, pixelated distortion, foreboding tunnels, and writhing snakes (see video premiere October 30th).”
“Since C.A.Y.A.” features dazzlingly funky bass licks by the magnificent Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner and was produced by Knife Knights (aka Ishmael Butler and Erik Blood), recorded and mixed by Blood at Protect and Exalt Labs: A Black Space in Seattle.
Last week, Shabazz Palaces’ “Tiny Desk Concert” performance premiered on NPR and NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael says of the performance, “Palaceer Lazaro lays the ground rules for all present to enter the group’s metaphysical headspace. And, man, talk about being transported to the other side. It’s impossible not to envision the Seattle studio, Black Space Labs, where Shabazz’s otherworldly soundscapes emerge to provide the ideal backdrop for shining a light on the fake…Leave it to hip-hop’s unorthodox lot to conceive an ambitious pairing that launches the narrative’s protagonist on an interstellar journey far from home. It’s the perfect proxy for the growing sense of alienation we’re all suffering, to some degree or another, in today’s space and time…While the premise of Tiny Desk usually involves artists stripping down their set, Shabazz Palaces’ entire steelo is about unplugging from the metaphorical matrix, and sometimes a hybrid of digital-analog plugins is exactly what it takes to navigate alternate dimensions [see more at NPR Music].”
Quazarz Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, the group’s third and fourth albums for 2017, are available now on CD / LP / DL / CS / Illustrated album worldwide through Sub Pop right over here.
[Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines Illustrated Album]
Shabazz Palaces’ 2017 international tour schedule in support of both Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, is underway with a show tonight, October 30th in Paris at Batofar. The European leg will end November 11th at Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands. Shabazz Palaces have also scheduled three North American shows: December 1st in Vancouver, BC at The Cobalt; December 2nd in Victoria, BC at The Upstairs Cabaret; and December 17th in Houston, TX at Day for Night Festival.
Oct. 30 - Paris, FR - Batofar Oct. 31 - Lisbon, PT - Lux Fragil Nov. 01 - Madrid, ES - Taboo Nov. 02 - Braga, PT - Gnration Nov. 03 - Dublin, UK - Sugar Club Nov. 04 - Rotterdam, NL - REC Festival Nov. 06 - London, UK - Oval Space Nov. 07 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute Nov. 08 - Glasgow, UK - Art School Nov. 09 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall Nov. 10 - Brussels, BE - AB Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who? Festival Dec. 01 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt Dec. 02 - Victoria, BC - Upstairs Cabaret Dec. 17 - Houston, TX - Day For Night Festival
Then watch METZ on Pitchfork Live this coming Thursday, October 5th at 12 noon EST/9am PST.
Toronto-based noise punk trio METZ have created a short film entitled Making Strange Peace, which captures the band during the recording process of their new album with engineer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago.
Entertainment Weekly premiered the film, and had this to say, “Strange Peace, is not only their best yet, but one of the year’s best rock releases. Now, in a new video EW is excited to premiere, you can go inside the feverish sessions that yielded the wild LP [see October 4th story].”
METZ also recently shared a new video for Strange Peace’s lead single “Cellophane.” As described by director Shayne Ehman, the visual depicts a sphere where “consciousness is split, and a world of contrast unfolds. The resulting disembodiment disperses one’s spatial awareness and new kinds of empathy develop. Two become three, and it’s only half the story [watch here].”
METZ’s international tour schedule in support of Strange Peace is underway, with a show tonight, October 4th in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The tour currently runs through December 16th in Houston at Warehouse Live. During that run, METZ will serve as direct support for Modest Mouse on October 10th and 11th.
Additionally, METZ will play shows with Uniform (October 2nd-8th), Protomartyr (November 2nd-8th), Brian Case (November 9th), Drahla (November 12th-24th), newly-signed labelmates Moaning (December 7th-16th), and Cherubs (December 15th). All of their current tour dates follow.
2017 METZ Tour Dates: Oct. 04 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg # Oct. 05 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom # Oct. 06 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel # Oct. 07 - Hamden, CT - The Ballroom Oct. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Oct. 10 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s * Oct. 11 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom * Oct. 18 - Halifax, NS - The Marquee (Halifax Pop Explosion) Nov. 02 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum ! Nov. 03 - Wroclaw, Poland - Klub Firlej ! Nov. 04 - Warsaw, Poland - Klub Hydrozagadka ! Nov. 06 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu ! Nov. 07 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen ! Nov. 08 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust ! Nov. 09 - Zwolle, Netherlands - Poppodium Hedon ^ Nov. 10 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kruen (Sonic City Festival) Nov. 11 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who? Festival Nov. 12 - Le Havre, France - Le Tetris % Nov. 14 - Nimes, France - La Paloma % Nov. 15 - Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey % Nov. 16 - Toulouse, France - Club Metronum % Nov. 17 - Barcelona, Spain - La (2) De Apolo % Nov. 18 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick % Nov. 20 - Nantes, France - Pole Etudiant % Nov. 21 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo % Nov. 22 - London, UK - The Garage % Nov. 23 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece % Nov. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club % Nov. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Dec. 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumos ** Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt ** Dec. 09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir ** Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Independent ** Dec. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom ** Dec. 13 - San Diego, CA - Casbah ** Dec. 15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk & ** Dec. 16 - Houston, TX - Studio at Warehouse Live **
Strange Peace is available now from Sub Pop (worldwide) right here. Canadian fans can purchase the new record from Royal Mountain Records here. Meanwhile, Sub Pop’s limited Loser Edition on clear vinyl with red and green swirls, can be purchased from the band at upcoming tour dates or at select independent retailers in the U.S.(while supplies last).
The U-Men anthology will be available worldwide November 3, 2017 from Sub Pop.
Today Dangerous Minds premiered “Trouble Under Water,” a previously unreleased track (!!!) from the U-Men’s forthcoming self-titled anthology, out next Friday, November 3rd on Sub Pop.
“Bands like The U-Men don’t come along often. A Seattle band at a time when the phrase “Seattle band” carried zero cultural cachet, The U-Men kitchen-sinked Gun Club rootsiness, classic garage rock ‘verb-and-twang, punk sneer, gothic darkness, and Ubu/Beefheart artiness into a single coherent sound that galvanized a hinterlands underground scene and directly influenced the grunge explosion,” says Dangerous Minds (see interview + track premiere October 26th).
U-Men is a comprehensive and remastered collection, which compiles the entire studio-recorded output of The U-Men, plus five unreleased songs, with a 16-page book of photos, liner notes, and interviews with the band. The U-Men anthology was executive produced by Jack Endino, and is now available for preorder from Sub Pop right here and is available in the following formats:
3xLP box set housed in a cardboard slipcase with printed inner sleeves + 16-page booklet
2xCD digipack with custom dust sleeves + 16-page booklet
Digitally
[Photo Credit: Cam Garrett]
“Trouble Under Water” follows previously U-Men shared tracks “Dig It A Hole,” “Gila,” and “The Fumes.”
“Dig It A Hole” [hear here] was available as a self-released single and via the group’s sole studio album, Step on a Bug. “Gila” [hear here] was initially on the group’s first EP, released by Bruce Pavitt on Bombshelter Records. The track would reappear years later on the Sub Pop 100 compilation, and a split single with the Melvins for Amphetamine Reptile’s Sugar Daddy Live! series. Meanwhile, “The Fumes” [hear here] was found on the tracklisting for Stop Spinning, the group’s second EP originally released by Homestead Records.
Those in the Seattle area can celebrate the release of U-Men with a special event on November 1st, 2017 at Georgetown Stables. The members of the U-Men will be interviewed live on stage followed by a brief audience Q & A. U-Men will also be available (2 days ahead of official release). The event begins at 7pm event and is all ages.
More on the U-Men from Mudhoney’s Mark Arm: The U-Men are one of the best bands I’ve ever seen. They were hypnotic, frenetic, powerful and compelling. It was impossible to resist getting sucked into their weird, darkly absurd world. They effortlessly blended The Sonics, Link Wray, Pere Ubu, and Captain Beefheart. Their shows were loose-limbed, drunken dance parties and no two shows were alike. The U-Men were avant garage explorers and, most importantly, they fucking rocked. I was lucky enough to live in their hometown and I saw them every chance I could.
From 1983 to 1987, the U-Men were the undisputed kings of the Seattle Underground. No one else came close. They ruled a bleak backwater landscape populated by maybe 200 people. They were the only band that could unify the disparate sub-subcultures and get all 200 of those people to fill a room. Anglophilic, dress-dark Goths; neo-psych MDA acolytes; skate punks who shit in bathtubs at parties; Mod vigilantes who tormented the homeless with pellet guns; college kids who thought college kids were lame; Industrial Artistes; some random guy with a moustache; and eccentrics who insisted that they couldn’t be pigeonholed: all coalesced around the U-Men (read more at Sub Pop).
