Today's Hotness: Funeral Advantage, Her Magic Wand, Break Up Flowers

>> We've persistently loved our idea of what M83 could be more than we actually loved M83 itself. The France-spawned but now LA-based project helmed by Anthony Gonzalez edged close to some sort of New Order-ish ideal (of an electropop band that irresistibly incorporated guitars into a dreamy sound) with its 2008 breakthrough Saturdays = Youth, and particularly its arresting single "Graveyard Girl." But Gonzalez had and has his own desires and agenda, and while these led him to great success with his succeeding albums, they never quite intersected with what we wanted the band to be. This continually crossed our mind in recent weeks as we listened obsessively to the flawless debut long-player from Boston dream-pop gigantes Funeral Advantage. The 10-song set Body Is Dead would seem to take "Graveyard Girl" as a stylistic jumping-off point to a certain extent, and the results are perfection. We discussed two preview singles, "Sisters" and "Gardensong," here in July. But the entire record is replete with dramatic and melancholy dream-pop the likes of which aptly soundtracked certain of our John Hughes-accompanied youths. Body Is Dead opens with the sparkling, perhaps Bloc Party-inspired "Equine," which whispers its secrets into delays and reverbs while a crisp beat propels the proceedings. "Should Have Just" similarly murmurs sweet nothings a la Mr. Okereke, but the tune is spangled by steady tambourine and clean, mesopheric guitar leads. The 10-minute-plus title track warrants special notice because it takes the rhythmic and melodic elements of the rest of the record -- not to mention the serene romance -- to a logical compositional terminus, successfully applying same to create a protracted, steadily spiraling composition of pop ambience worthy of the Kompakt series (someone please commission Axel Wilner for a 20-minute remix of same). Body Is Dead will rate high in our annual year-end list of best albums. The collection is available now on LP and as a digital download from The Native Sound here, and in a limited edition of 100 cassettes from Disposable America right here. Stream the entire, stellar collection via the Bandcamp embed below.



>> When we last wrote about Parisian dream-pop project Her Magic Wand here in these electronic pages in late 2014, the act had just issued "Everything At Once," a single from a planned LP. And while that LP has not yet materialized, the act is set to release later this month its Blossom EP. The short set leads with "Everything At Once," but perhaps more notably the A-side also features a remix of same executed by Grandaddy's Jason Lytle. Somewhat coincidentally, just hours after receiving an email about Blossom from Her Magic Wand mastermind Charles Braud, the Grandaddy reunion was announced; timing! Mr. Lytle's thoughtful and balanced deconstruction of the tune layers in a thin harmony vocal, a recognizable proclivity from the ol' Grandaddy tool set, and elsewhere erects tall walls of dense guitars in the mix. The final minute of the remix swells and burbles with electronic tones, elegantly interrupting the lock-step 4/4 of the original version to create something more nuanced and expansive. The b-side to Blossom features two tunes, "Draw A Line" and "Love Letters," and the entire collection will be released via Darla on 10" vinyl and as a digital download Sept. 18 in the USA (the EP will also be released in Japan and Europe via two other labels). Mr. Braud tells us a full-length is still in the offing, and will arrive Jan. 29. In the meantime, listen to both versions of "Everything At Once" via the Soundcloud embed below, and click here to purchase the collection from Darla.



>> While many in Portland hipster circles continue to champion slick "PBR&B" [Oh my god is that a thing. -- Ed.] acts and clean-cut rock outfits, the city’s DIY scene flourishes unabated in the underground. There a wealth of inventive and expressive guitar pop bands are peaking, achieving a fever-pitch of output, and drawing deserved attention within and without the scene. And there near the fore is the trio Break Up Flowers, whose seven-song, limited-edition cassette Man Made Path streeted Aug. 11 via Brooklyn's strong Mirror Universe Tapes. The matter-of-fact jam "Take Hints" was the preview single from the collection; its spare, gritty guitar and bass lines grind against a steady, tom-heavy beat as fronter Beth Wooten's calm vocals coolly warn "just give me my two cents, just take my some of my hints." Ms. Wooten's singing recalls that marking '90s greats such as Tsunami and the many projects of Mary Timony, as well as modern practitioners such as the mighty Speedy Ortiz – groups literate and thoughtful with a subtle temper and aggression that provide ready inspiration for young women rockers (and, at least in the instant case, by design: Ms. Wooten also heads Portland’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp For Girls). Further, Mac Pogue's laissez-faire production work situates listeners in the cassette's earspace like the best of the no-nonsense, realist gurus including Steve Albini. The result? Not only a promising debut from the kind of band we'd like to see more of, but also a hopeful sign of things to come as the reach of the underground extends toward the overground. Man Made Path is available from Mirror Universe now, and you can stream "Take Hints" via the embed below. -- Edward Charlton

Today's Hotness: All Dogs, Idiot Genes, Soft Focus

>> You are going to start hearing Columbus, OH-based indie-punkers All Dogs' name quite often. The young, female-led trio is signed to Salinas Records, a label the music cognoscenti have come to know well for releasing the crucial indie rock platters from Swearin', Waxahatchee and Radiator Hospital over the last two years. Indeed, All Dogs' music neatly fits into the label's aesthetic: the threesome's four-four rockers burst with energy even at the mid-tempo that characterizes the opening pair of tunes from the very enjoyable self-titled, debut 7" that Salinas released last week. The rudimentary instrumentation leaves a lot of space for fronter Maryn Jones' clear and evocative voice to take a starring role, and hers (which recalls that of Bettie Serveert fronter Carol Van Dijk at times) is particularly affecting during the doleful closing cut "Say," certainly a highlight even among this very strong four-song collection. The All Dogs 7" is available via mail order now, and easily worth double the $5 asking price, so click this link to get yours from Salinas before the first run is gone, 'cause these are gonna go fast. All Dogs don't have any shows booked until next month, but Boston fans should take note now that further out in the future the band will be at Great Scott Jan. 21 supporting their very, very hotly tipped labelmates Waxahatchee, who just finished a triumphant strand of UK dates. We expect that will be a show everyone will talk about all through the late winter and into the spring, and we advise you to get tickets ASAP because the buzz is only going to get louder. And that may or may not be your tinnitus talking. What? I can't hear you, the phone keeps ringing. What? Stream the exquisite All Dogs single via the Bandcamp embed below. All Dogs are already at work on songs for a full-length, and previously issued a very fine split tape with Slouch.



>> You thrilled the sandpaper-across-the-face vibes of its self-titled EP at the beginning of the year, which included the bouncy shouter "The Charles Mansion," and now Allston Rock City fuzz-pop standouts Idiot Genes are back with another eight-pack of beery, big-muff anthems. Idiot Genes come by all of their bashing and feedback and sludge honestly: the new collection, titled Lousey, was recorded in the quartet's practice space earlier this fall. The set is thronged with throaty belters including the breakneck bomp of opener "Regular" and the more moderately paced "Soaked Pillow." The latter's lyrics evoke an easy smile, particularly the closing chant "WHEN I DREAM I DROOL! WHEN I DREAM I DROOL!" It's tempting to employ the word "primitive" here to try to capture the essence of the foursome's collective appeal, but that word would not do justice to the way Idiot Genes' music will infiltrate your consciousness. Lousey was released via Bandcamp on Hallowe'en; stream it via the embed below and then click and paywhutchalike to acquire the digital files for your personal use. Idiot Genes are playing on a ridiculously good bill (presented by Allston Pudding) Nov. 14 top-lined by UK-based indie sensations Paws and Philadelphia nu-emo stars Little Big League, who rule. We featured Idiot Genes' "The Charles Mansion" during New Music Night 10 last spring.



>> There was little actual use of soft focus employed by Soft Focus, the scrappy, youthful Cambridge, Mass.-based indie pop group whose music we have been enjoying lately, and who, sadly, have apparently already called it a day. But perhaps the threesome's name evinces itself in other ways. Soft Focus gradually resolved over the past year with a couple of singles, and now comes the posthumous Day EP, which showcases well the band's bashing, gleeful style. Jangly, sometimes angular guitar lines announce each of the four songs here, and the ensuing performances and production suggest that the trio's music is an apt soundtrack for a swinging basement show. One can almost see (smell? -- Ed.) the beer stains, smiling faces and taped-up Christmas lights as tunes like the yearning, head-bobbing opener "POG" ply their charms. Drummer Garren Orr keeps the snare tight and fast, while lead singer Joe Holcomb delivers emotional, punk-braised vocals -- which incidentally, recall those of Shout Out Louds fronter Adam Olenius -- without clouding the carefree character of the tunes. On EP highlight "Summer Sin" the band executes perfectly. Crisp lead guitar proclaims a bright melody and presents 12-string resonance, which in sum reminds this reviewer of George Harrison's work on "Nowhere Man." While that influence is likely not front of mind for Soft Focus, their listing of Bloc Party as an inspiration frames the Day EP in an interesting light. It's evidence of a younger generation of DIY musicians taking decade-old references and reshaping them into part of their own musical identity. It is hard to know whether such influences would have continued to guide the band's music, as this EP and one other referenced at Bandcamp would seem to be the final transmissions from Soft Focus (two of its principals have apparently gone to the west coast). Even if that next EP fails to materialize, the Day EP is a fine way to go out. It was released to the wilds of the Internerds Oct. 2 and is available as a pay-what-you-choose download; stream it below and then click through to make it your very, very own. -- Edward Charlton

Today's Hotness: Edelweiss, Chestnut Road, The Weaks

>> Honestly, we were worried about these guys. We turned on to Edelweiss in 2011 and wrote about them here; the band caught our attention not only because the five-piece was making well-articulated, modern post-punk, but also because they were slugging it out in a Northeastern Pennsylvania town we'd been through now and again back in the day. They were also startlingly young (with an average age, at the time, of 16). Sure, Edelweiss' sound was markedly influenced by first-iteration Bloc Party, but it was, well, well-articulated. But just as Bloc Party did after Silent Alarm, Edelweiss after its 2011 EP Pre-Columbians seemed poised to focus on more dance-oriented music (we made this judgment based on some YouTube videos or something; memory fails...). And this concerned us, because, well, we like guitar-pop. So it is with much relief that we can report that Edelweiss is back with a new -- and still guitar-oriented -- EP that is even more compelling than Pre-Columbians. The new collection is titled Honduras, and it features four fresh-feeling dance-punk jams that speak to the quintet's increased focus, experimentalism and confidence as a songwriting unit. The obvious centerpiece of the set is "Withering Heights," a version of which was previously released on a Japan-only self-titled LP Edelweiss released via the Bullion label in 2012. The song alternates loping and lightning-fast guitar licks laid over airy synths and a consistent, gauzy barrage of hi-hat and crash cymbal. It is perhaps the most conventional track on the EP, and the EP's most exciting tune isn't even listed. Indeed, Honduras includes a hidden track attached to the tail of closer "Midas;" the acoustic ballad suggests Edelweiss is open to even broader influences (such as classic English folk) that point to more exciting possibilities. We're loathe to emphasize again the relative youth of the guys in Edelweiss, because it should not matter (as we said two years ago), but the band clearly has both a lot of potential and a lot of time to do something with it. We'll be listening. Stream all of Honduras via the Bandcamp embed below.



>> When we last left Toulouse, France-based Chestnut Road, the punk-pop notables had populated the flip of a recent split with Varsity Drag with some cracking numbers including a cover of Lemonheads' "Falling." We wrote about that split here in January, and we saw some Facebook photos recently suggesting that a supply of the record has finally made its way to the States. In the meantime, Chestnut Road has kept busy putting together yet another split single due out Aug. 26, this one with Birmingham, England-based post-hardcore outfit New Alaska. One of Chestnut Road's contributions to that new split, a pummelling rocker called "Trust," pleasantly echoes the energy and emotion and big friggin' guitars of '90s feel-bad geniuses Jawbreaker and Garden Variety (particularly this one). In addition to "Trust," Chestnut Road's side includes the number "Shell;" New Alaska's side contains the cuts "Caustic," "White Walls" and "Black Bones." The split is being sold in a limited edition of 300 vinyl 7" discs. The songs are being pressed into translucent red media, and these will be available in one of four different-colored sleeves (black, blue, green, red). Brassneck Records will issue the disc exclusively in a green sleeve, while Speedowax Records will use a blue sleeve. It's anybody's guess what a red or black sleeve means or who might be selling them (could it be...), but just go ahead and pre-order the thing from Brassneck right here, why don't you? Then stream "Trust" -- which is not a 7 Seconds or The Cure cover, we should point out -- via the Bandcamp embed below.



>> While you were sitting around watching "Sharknado" off your DVR again, Evan Bernard and his shape-shifting The Weaks project turned out more melodic indie gold in the form of the 85-second gem "Hey Karma." For this digital single the Philadelphia-based concern finds Mr. Bernard abetted by Chris Baglivo (guitar, vocals), Nick Fanelli (drums), Tim Jordan (bass) and Cat Park (vocals). The number perpetuates a power-pop bounce beneath neatly harmonized vocals, and leaves just enough room after a bridge and in the final 10 seconds for a second concise (but rocking) guitar solo that takes the song right into a proverbial brick wall. As admirable as the song is for its brevity, it is what IS here that makes the song so easy to listen to over and over (in that way, as well as with the flowing melodies and upbeat vibe, the tune reminds us a lot of Philly's Radiator Hospital). Indeed, The Weaks get an impressive amount of stuff done in the short space of time, and we're eager for the next installment the long-running project will offer (whatever it is). Most recently, The Weaks appeared on Clicky Clicky's Lilys tribute compilation And I Forgot A Long Time Ago How You Feel, which you can stream and download and whatever right here. Stream or download "Hey Karma" via the Bandcamp embed below.

Today's Hotness: Satellite Stories, The Texas Governor

>> For reasons we don't fully understand, bands that arrive on the scene playing excellent spiky guitar-pop tend to quickly discard the style like it was an embarrasing childhood toy. Bloc Party, The Answering Machine and others wasted little time changing the formula that broke them into the consciousness of indie cognoscenti. Well, news flash, rock bands: we happen to like excellent spiky guitar pop, and when you discard the style, it makes us sad. Thankfully, there is a hot young Finnish quartet named Satellite Stories that is currently delivering the goods. The Oulu-based foursome formed only this year, if the rudimentary timeline at its MySpace tent is to be believed (we'll also point out to noone in particular that our college freshman year roommate once went to Oulu and to our knowledge has never returned -- maybe it's the hot rock that keeps him there?). The song "Helsinki Art Scene" is driven by a textbook new wave beat (sixteenth notes on the hi-hat and stuttering blasts of snare), delicious guitars and well-proportioned dynamics. "Mexico" doesn't sound Mexican at all, but instead approximates the jittery pop sound of British wonder-where-they-are-nows Look See Proof, but with dreamier vocals. It's all fantastic, and we recommend hitting Satellite Stories' Soundcloud streams below. The band plays a record release show for its debut EP Nov. 12 in Oulu. No word on how those outside Finland can get the EP, but full show information is posted at the band's MySpace dojo right here.

Satellite Stories' "Helsinki Art Scene"

Satellite Stories' "Mexico"

>> Indie rock savant David Goolkasian has apparently resuscitated his The Texas Governor project, at least based on the evidence of a new digital single bearing the act's name that is now on offer at EMusic and ITunes. For those of you who say "so what," we'll remind you that Mr. Goolkasian once fronted the astonishingly good indie rock trio The Elevator Drops. A new single attributed to The Texas Governor & The Starlight Orchestra, "Angels To Sleep," is 108 seconds of glistening pop swirl pinned to delay-pedaled reggae guitar chords. A quick jaunt over the The Texas Governor's web hacienda turns up news that a third Texas Governor CD, the combo's first since 2005's The Experiment, is being "casually finalized." This is welcome news; the set may or may not be called 13 Totally Broken-Hearted Love Songs. No release as of yet.

Today's Hotness: And The Moneynotes, Wet Paint

>> Eagle-eyed surveyors of our Clicky Clicky Club Picks column may have raised an eyebrow late last week when we updated our list of recommended shows to include a date for Scranton, PA-based, rootsy indie rockers And The Moneynotes to the line-up. The septet, which includes two former members of the fabulously gifted but sadly defunct indie geniuses Okay Paddy and whose music recalls the bluegrass-ier Camper Van Beethoven stuff, released last year its debut full-length New Cornucopia!, which we reviewed here. And The Moneynotes will not rest on its laurels in 2009, however. Instead, it will release later this spring a 7" EP called On The Town, On The Vine, and a chap from the label dropped an MP3 from the mini-set in our inbox late last week that has gotten us excited about the band once again. The new jam, "On The Town," is an upbeat tub-thumper that is, at the same time, compositionally impressive. There are none of the big guitars that typically get a lot of play here at Clicky Clicky, but if you've got a jug of liquor and aim to do some hootin' and hollerin,' this is the track for you. We're also throwing in "My Kid Smokin'" from New Cornucopia!, because that is a hot number. Full And The Moneynotes spring tour dates are below.

And The Moneynotes -- "On The Town" -- On The Town, On The Vine EP
And The Moneynotes -- "My Kid Smokin'" -- New Cornucopia!
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[buy And The Moneynotes music from Prairie Queen Records right here]

03/13 -- Northern Light -- Scranton, PA
03/14 -- The Bog -- Scranton, PA
03/22 -- The Headhunters Club [SXSW] -- Austin, TX
03/25 -- Star Bar -- Atlanta, GA
03/26 -- JJ’s Bohemia -- Chattanooga, TN
03/27 -- Green Street Club -- Greensboro, NC
03/28 -- Machiavelli’s -- Bristol, TN
04/02 -- The Space -- Hamden, CT
04/03 -- Pianos -- New York, NY
04/04 -- All Asia -- Cambridge, MA
04/05 -- The Bell House -- Brooklyn, NY
04/23 -- Velvet Lounge -- Washington, DC
04/25 -- The M Room -- Philadelphia, PA
05/06 -- Bar Bleu -- State College, PA
05/09 -- Brass Rail -- Ft. Wayne, IN
05/14 -- JJ’s Bohemia -- Chattanooga, TN
05/15 -- Snug Harbor -- Charlotte, NC

>> We read with interest this recent gig review at Drowned In Sound for a Manhattan Love Suicides show. While we are big fans of the aforementioned, noisy Leeds four-piece, DIS's description of billmates Wet Paint as wielding "Dinosaur Jr.-meets-Urusei Yatsura fuzz racket" -- because that sounds awesome, no? -- inspired in us great interest. We spent some time over the weekend at Wet Paint's MySpace outpost and enjoyed what we heard. Wet Paint features members (former members? we don't know) of Absentee and Economy Wolf. The rising, London-based quartet's full-length debut, It Rots, was released by Trial & Error Recordings Jan. 26; Wet Paint has also released two singles, "Hug It Out" backed with a remix of same crafted by Bloc Party's Matt Tong was issued last June, and "Save The Whale" backed with a cover of same by Lightspeed Champion. Wet Paint is currently touring the U.K. in support of Rumble Strips, and next month it has three live dates in London, two of which are in support of the aforementioned Bloc Party. For a very good primer on Wet Paint, which seems to have fairly rocketed out of obscurity in the last year, click here and watch the three video clips at the ConverseMusic site.

Today's Hotness: Report Suspicious Activity, TV On The Radio

>> Our complaints about the lack of contemporary, politically charged hardcore music continue to go largely ignored. Thankfully, Vic Bondi and J. Robbins' Report Suspicious Activity is on the case. Has it been more than a week since this whole "lipstick on a pig" nonsense transpired in the American political sphere? It certainly hasn't been much longer than that, which makes it all the more remarkable that Report Suspicious Activity has already recorded a track responding to that empty furor and the empty politician that inspired it. The track dubs Ms. Palin "George Bush in a skirt," so if that isn't the sort of sentiment that sits well with you, well, you probably wouldn't be here in the first place. The tune is available for download at the foursome's MySpace compound, but we'll save you a trip and post it below. Do make certain to go to the quartet's MySpace wigwam, because another new song, "1-800-DESTROY" has also been posted and is even more of a barnburner. Thank you, Mr. Bondi, et al., for taking the time to put one of America's important natural resources -- hardcore music -- to use at a time when it is most needed. Because we'll never stop loving it, we're also posting Report Suspicious Activity's "Subtle." Alternative Tentacles released the band's sophomore set Destroy All Evidence Aug. 18.

Report Suspicious Activity -- "Lipstick On A Pig" -- MySpace track
Report Suspicious Activity -- "Subtle" -- Report Suspicious Activity
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[buy Report Suspicious Activity records from Newbury Comics right here]

>> By the time you read these words MySpace will have been streaming in its entirety the madly anticipated new record from TV On The Radio for hours and hours. And Stereogum says here you can already stream the deluxe edition of the album at Last.FM right here, so hold on while we click over. Wow, wait until you hear "Crying." Dear Science, will be in stores Tuesday -- and we will most certainly make a special trip to buy it during our lunch hour that very day. People are already throwing around album of the year accolades, which isn't terribly surprising considering how strong Return To Cookie Mountain was. We noticed that a promotions company has set up a number of prominent music blogs with vinyl copies to give away, so if you've got a turntable you should hit up the Googles to avail yourself of such an opportunity. The Brooklyn-based quintet commences a long strand of tour dates tonight in San Diego; the tour wraps in Europe Dec. 5. You may inspect all the tour dates at the aforementioned MySpace dojo right here. TV On The Radio plays the Wilbur Theater in Boston Oct. 13, but we may have to pass as we'll be seeing The Feelies and The Notwist on the two preceding nights.

>> Pitchfork threw a little love -- just a little -- in the direction of our favorite British noise-pop stars Johnny Foreigner. The Bloc Party remix of "Salt, Peppa And Spindarella" got the Forkcast treatment here, which we suppose means it is now cool for us to post the track as well. We still await delivery of our copy of the vinyl version of "Salt, Peppa And Spinderella," but it shouldn't be too much longer. What else can we tell you? There's not much else new to know about the band. We made an insprection of the Nettwerk web site recently to see if we could find an actual North American release date for the band's forthcoming full-length debut Waited Up Til It Was Light. And while we found nothing definitive about a date, we did learn that Johnny Foreigner's label in Canada is Nettwerk Productions, but in the U.S. it is Nettwerk Records LLC. Fascinating, right? Whatever, here's the remix.

Johnny Foreigner -- "Salt, Peppa And Spinderalla (Bloc Party Remix)" -- Salt, Peppa And Spinderella 10" single
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[buy Johnny Foreigner music from EMusic right here]

Reader Rewards: Win Johnny Foreigner's Debut Full-Length

[UPDATED] So it appears the single for Johnny Foreigner's "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella" has leaked to the Internerds. Or at least we found the eagerly anticipated Bloc Party remix posted here this morning. The track, produced by angular-haired guitarist Russell Lissak, is pretty laid-back and abstract. We had presumed the "SP+S" remixes would be cataclysmic club bangers. And we think we might have preferred that. If we were able to assign the remix job out ourselves we think we would have chosen Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, circa the "Sin" CD5. Or maybe one of those doods in Lords Of Acid. We guess we're showing our age. Oh well -- none of this is the reason we're posting this morning. But while we're talking about it, the "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella" single will be issued on 10" vinyl by Best Before Records in the UK on Sept. 8.

Now to the business at hand. We're lucky enough to have one extra copy -- still in the shrinkwrap -- of the British version of Johnny Foreigner's seriously awesome Waited Up Til It Was Light. We reviewed the record here, and we've got a very strong suspicion it will be our favorite record of 2008, or at least top three. The Birmingham, England-based trio's set was released in the UK in early June, but the domestic version won't be in stores in North America until October (although, according to Wikipedia, the actual date is now Sept. 23). Sure, the album has been available digitally at all the usual digital storefronts for a few weeks. But the tangible artifact is well-worth seeking out (which is why we paid a ridiculous amount for the import) for many reasons, not the least being that it comes with seven different album covers featuring artwork by Johnny Foreigner compadre Lewes Herriot.

Now, normally here at Clicky Clicky we simply just give things away, figuring no one wants to deal with the hassle of filling out a form, or doing a little research, or whathaveyou. That said, we're going to make the winner work for this one a bit. Don't worry, it's nothing hard. The way to win your very own pristine copy of the UK version of Waited Up Til It Was Light is by being the first person to send us an email that contains the names of any three songs released on a single by Johnny Foreigner through the Laundrette Recording Company label. The first person (U.S. residents only, sorry) to email us that information (our email is linked in the sidebar) gets Waited Up Til It Is Light for free. Since you read this far, we'll give you a hint: one of the titles at Wikipedia is incorrect. We'll update this item when there is a winner. Good luck. And just because we can't help ourselves, here is one of our favorite unreleased Johnny Foreigner tracks, which if memory serves was even left off of the I Like You Mostly Late At Never demo. [UPDATE: Congrats to reader Jane, who won the record]

Johnny Foreigner -- "KickKickKick"
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Johnny Foreigner's "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella" Unleashed

>> Those readers who don't conscientiously watch the comments to our items likely missed an anonymous post from someone who certainly sounds like he or she knows that of which he or she speaks. And in that post our commenter stated the reason Best Before Records pulled the video for Johnny Foreigner's "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella" (it of course has since been posted to Vimeo after being leaked by the cats at DrownedInSound; we've posted it atop these paragraphs) was to afford Pitchfork the opportunity of an exclusive (Pfork ran with it very early this morning). Seems a little like kowtowing the The Man. But as a rabid fan of Johnny Foreigner, we suppose if it takes an exclusive with Pitchfork to break them in North America, so be it. Anyway, not long after NME published this item about "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella," the forthcoming third single from the Birmingham, England-based indie rock trio slated for release Sept. 8 in the UK. The item states that the Bloc Party remix of the song was actually the handiwork of Bloc Party's angular-haired guitarist Russell Lissak. What's confusing is the short NME blurb then states that Lissak remixed a different song called "Bravado." Which is it? Fortunately NME gives the last quip to Johnny Foreigner fronter Alexei Berrow, who jokes "We're flattered [Lissak] would remix a little band like us," he admitted. "Can we go on tour with them now please?" Johnny Foreigner's debut full-length was released digitally in North America earlier this week; buy it from EMusic right here.

>> And another thing: our commenter confirms that indeed, Glaswegian septet Dananananaykroyd will be recording their debut full-length for Best Before Records with producer The Machine. The sessions will run from Aug. 18 to Sept. 8, and directly thereafter band will embark on consecutive UK tours. One of the tours will be with labelmates and indie rock superheroes Johnny Foreigner. Dananananaykroyd's Sissy Hits EP was finally released on Holy Roar Records recently after a long delay; you can buy it from EMusic right here.

Show Us Yours #6: Assembly Now

London-based Assembly Now, which charmingly and self-deprecatingly refers to itself as Ass Now, has burst out of the rock 'n' roll gates with two air-tight singles, and it doesn't appear to be letting up any time soon (get a load of the details in the answer to question five below). The two-year-old quartet's small catalog recalls early, sparer Bloc Party, but Assembly Now's music carries a frenetic pop undertone that gives it a singular flavor.

Enamored with the propulsive melodicism and the curious mention of rollerskating in the band's debut single "It's Magnetic" b/w "Out On 24s," we got in touch with the band to see if it would submit to our usual battery of "what's going on" and "what's your practice space like" questions. And we're happy to report that the band, or at least drummer Andrew "Lush" Lusher, obliged, and in doing so provided us with the artiest practice space picture we've received from a band to date for our Show Us Yours features (early visitors to the band's new bulletin board have already seen part of it). The band has no current plans to visit the U.S. at the moment, so unless you live in the UK or are planning on visiting soon (see all their current bookings here), this is as close as you're going to get. Get comfy. So about that practice space...

1. Why do you use this space?

It's located in Deptford, which is basically the ghetto of London. Every day there's some sort of police chase or gang bust-up, so naturally it's the cheapest place to practice because no one wants to go there. However, we haven't figured out yet if saving money is worth getting knifed by a screaming homeless guy reeking of piss and crack. We also have a profound attachment to 'The Starry Night' by Van Gogh, and we wanted a rehearsal space that emulated those hypnotic shades of blue.

2. Explain how an idiosyncracy or quirk of this space or a former practice space has affected a song (or even your overall sound).

The walls are covered in carpet, so the room is completely dead-sounding. We occasionally enjoy creating tight sections of music with distinct spaces between notes, so the lack of natural reverb in the room probably has something to do with that. The vocal PA is also annoyingly quiet, so we've learned to control our volume at certain points which creates interesting dynamics in songs. We can't just have loud songs all the time because we'd never hear the singer.

In terms of actual writing and inspiration, we tend to write first in someone's bedroom with the lights down low and then bring those half-completed ideas into the rehearsal studio. Most of the songs we write from scratch in our little blue room tend to be extremely technical and self indulgent, which is fun for us to play but ultimately ends up sounding less like Don Caballero and more like Assembly Now Being Shit. There are exceptions though; "Calculate" was mostly written in the rehearsal space, you can hear that on our Myspace profile. We might have just got lucky with that one though.

3. You walk into your space. What's the first thing you smell? Why?

Teenage man-sweat, stale smoke and carpet. Who knows why, perhaps it's just the way of things. Zen. The rehearsal room is both everything and nothing.

4. We see producer Howard Gray worked on one of your singles. Did he offer any anecdotes about his time working on The Cure's The Head On The Door sessions? Barring that, how did he affect the sound of "It's Magnetic"/"Out On 24s"?

Howard Gray is a recording studio wizard, a modern-day audio Gandalf. If something isn't working, he'll sit intently in the corner stroking his beard. After a few minutes he'll suddenly glide out of his chair and twiddle dials or move microphones and things magically come to life. He has loads of war stories about The Cure and U2 and all those bands, but he'd probably turn us into newts if we mentioned any of them in public.

5. What do the next six months look like for your band?

We've just finished a handful of new songs with producer John Fortis, who has done records for everyone from The Prodigy to Art Brut to Razorlight, so we'll be releasing those on the Internet in a couple of weeks. We're doing a few dates on the VICE tour with The Noisettes and Goodbooks in March, John Kennedy has asked us to do an XFM session at the end of March, we've got our own headlining tour booked for April, a support tour with an amazing band called The Wombats in May/June and we'll definitely be doing a few UK festivals in summer. There's also been talk of doing another single or EP, we haven't decided what yet. Oh yeah, getting a record deal might be nice too. We're keeping busy.

How about a couple A-sides, courtesy of the Assembly Now site?

Assembly Now -- "It's Magnetic" -- It's Magnetic b/w Out On 24s
Assembly Now -- "Leigh-On-Sea" -- Leigh-On-Sea b/w Tenement
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Assembly Now: InterWeb | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Read earlier Show Us Yours features:

Show Us Yours #1: Shapes And Sizes
Show Us Yours #2: Dirty On Purpose
Show Us Yours #3: Relay
Show Us Yours #4: Mobius Band
Show Us Yours #5: Frightened Rabbit