Premiere: Kindling's Spike & Wave 7"

One of our best tipsters had us focused on Western Mass.-based shoegaze duo Kindling pretty much from the jump, and -- as we wrote here in March -- we enjoyed the steady parade of demos the pair placed at its Bandcamp through the spring. When that parade faltered, however, other folks in the know might have wondered whither Kindling? Fear not! Principals Gretchen Williams and Stephen Pierce had simply begun concentrating on writing for a planned self-release. As that plan was being executed, however, Kindling was picked up by Dallas-based Moon Sounds Records. Clicky Clicky readers may recognize the label, as it recently issued R.M. Hendrix's Urban Turks Country Jerks, which we wrote about here in early May.

And so it comes to pass that later this week Moon Sounds will release Kindling's proper debut release, the beautifully blurred Spike & Wave 7" EP. The short set proffers four tunes saturated with trenchant melodies and monolithic guitars; it will be available in a limited edition of 300 lavender vinyl singles with sleeve art that evokes the cover of Bauhaus' classic third LP The Sky's Gone Out. Two of Kindling's new tunes have been streaming online for a few weeks, but we are very pleased to be able to premiere the whole kit and caboodle for Clicky Clicky readers today. Like those lollipops with gum in the center, there's a delicious tension in Kindling's music, namely the play between cacaphonous, towering guitars and Gretchen and Stephen's dreamy and serene vocals. The tension is there in the opener "Other Times," and reliably appears in "Sunspots", "Given" and "A Return" as well. We've stated previously that the sound reminds us of Velocity Girl's mammoth first LP Copacetic, and we stand by that assessment. We think Spike & Wave is just the sort of thing Clicky Clicky readers are looking for, so stream the entire EP via the embed below, and then click right here to order it from Moon Sounds ahead of the proper July 17 release date. We eagerly await word that Kindling has begun playing shows, and will certainly alert readers to that fact and particularly to when the band makes it to Boston to rock face. In the meantime, permit Spike & Wave to rock your ears.

Kindling: Bandcamp | Facebook | Interzizzles | Soundcloud

Review: Weekend | Jinx

With its 2010 debut Sports, noise-rock trio Weekend ably assimilated a lengthy and recognizable post-punk heritage into its sound in a manner that made an indelible impression. The album was an apparent success for Slumberland Records, and a high point among a teeming morass of contemporary loud guitar offerings, in no small part because of the clear vision and songwriting acumen the act, fronted by Shaun Durkan, brought to the table. Of course, the success of Sports was abetted by strong singles including the delay-flecked "End Times," but Weekend's unpretentious approach also made them easy to support. With that success, fans could reasonably have anticipated the sophomore collection Jinx, which was released by Slumberland Tuesday, would be consistent with the now-Brooklyn-based act's established, loud parameters. Instead, the new record continues a retreat from the noisier post-punk of the formative first LP, a retreat that began on the brilliant 2011 EP Red. As the distortion ebbs, the band reveals what may be its most vital trait: it simply refuses to do the same thing twice.

On the new full length we hear Weekend evolving beyond a dark, chaotic and Joy Division-inspired posture to embrace a cleaner, leaner sensibility that echoes the early-'80s entries from The Cure, New Order and Bauhaus. Opener "Mirror" trades heavily on clean, metallic bass, mechanical rhythms, a carefully architected superstructure of reverbed vocals, edgeless synths and distant guitars. It is as if the now-Brooklyn-based act has shed a rough husk comprised of jittery nerves, guitar distortion and feedback, to free a more controlled, refined darkwave core. This evolution is again apparent on the anthemic, hip-shaking bliss-out "July," in which Abe Pedroza's industrial drum clatter establishes a moody but upbeat platform for Mr. Durkan's natural, unimposing voice and guitarist Kevin Johnson's sleeper melody lines. The chorus breathlessly escapes a couple suspenseful introductory minutes to blossom into a technicolor array of airy vocals and guitar; Durkan's celebratory repetition of the tune's title is the icing on the icing on the icing... "It's Alright" swaggers with a towering electronic strut that delightfully evokes the macho guitar-techno fusion of The Jesus And Mary Chain circa 1988's brilliant single "Sidewalking" and the sexy chug of MBV's "Drive It All Over Me." "Just Drive" resuscitates some of the punkier vim of Sports, but updated production refines the lacerating distortion to marshal a gentler attack. The initial single "Sirens" remains Jinx's most gratifying composition, with its reliably, dance-ready tempo, detached vocals and softly modulating melody calling to mind the stone-cold 1983 classic from Thompson Twins, "If You Were Here."

The degree of control over the sonics of Jinx -- and the calculated quality it lends to certain of the material -- may be the aspect of the record that critics ultimately chew over most; it surprisingly engenders a sound that seems more tailored for arenas (complete with a less dour audience and a greater sense of ecstasy), as opposed to a dark basement or cold warehouse. But whether that is the aspiration or not, it is hard to care too much about the window dressing when the meat of the record -- its songs -- are so well-realized, taut and enjoyable. Jinx is available now from Slumberland on yellow vinyl, CD and digital download. Make your choice wisely right here. The trio will perform two release shows in California starting with a show in the band's former hometown of San Francisco tomorrow, and will tour the new record in earnest beginning with a date in Pittsburgh Sept. 4. All live dates are posted right here; Boston-based readers should make a note of the October 23 date at Church Of Boston with Disappears and Nothing. -- Edward Charlton

Weekend: Facebook | Internerds | Tumblr