Today's Hotness: Nothing, Seeds Of Doubt, Ancient Babes

>> The Whirr/Nothing/Soccer Mom show we saw last summer was the most extraordinarily loud thing we've ever witnessed, and we've been lots of loud places. We suppose there are different qualities to loudness, but what we'll always remember about this show was that at one point the extreme volume actually made our brain vibrate inside our skull, which was a completely insane feeling. Philly-based shoegaze titans Nothing return to Boston this week at long last, ahead of the release of a hotly anticipated debut full-length titled Guilty Of Everything. The mind-blowing second preview track from the collection, the sinisterly titled "Bent Nail," is a blistering number with remarkable sonic depth. It's interesting to observe here how the band aims to translate the visceral loudness of its music to the controlled parameters of a sound recording. Bands like Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine, two acts renowned for their aural assault, at least these days make very clean and contained recordings, ones that respect the limits of the media that hold them. This in contrast to the grinding, paint-peeling sounds of something like, oh, you know, Dinosaur's "Don't" or the so-called "holocaust section" MBV famously inserts into its live performances of the song "You Made Me Realize." On its new track "Bent Nail," Nothing submerges its massive wall of guitars, bet-everything drumming and subdued vocals neck-deep in a consistent and even reverb, the effect of which approximates well how Nothing's sound cocoons fans in a small rock club. It also emphasizes the softer, dreamy quality that lurks just below the danger and noise inherent in Nothing's music, a yin/yang relationship that echoes the tension between the beauty and the turmoil in the band's songwriting. The Jeff Zeigler-produced Guilty Of Everything will be released by Relapse March 4 on LP, CD and as a digital download. Pre-order the set right here, and then hit the embed of "Bent Nail" below to dream away your evening. Nothing, whose previous release was the 2012 EP Downward Years To Come, reunite with Boston's mighty Soccer Mom tomorrow when they anchor an epic bill at Great Scott toplined by dreampop luminaries Weekend.



>> Despite the clean lead guitar lines and upbeat tempos, it is apparently the skateboard and not the surfboard that occupies the hive mind of rising London quartet Seeds Of Doubt. Or at least the band's music has been used to score skate videos published by an international athletic shoe brand; for all we know Seeds Of Doubt hates skating. But we can be sure that what it does like is strong, hooky indie pop, which is what the band delivers on "There You Go," a compact and uptempo strummer with a sing-alongable chorus and neat little guitar leads dug into a watery, lo-fi mix. The tune features on the just-issued DCP EP, a five-song cassette available now from the always-quality Italian Beach Babes label. DCP is the first recording to feature the new four-headed iteration of Seeds Of Doubt; a previously released 12-song cassette was issued by founding member Matt as a solo endeavor. We don't know what the weather is like in London right now, but the light, summery sound of "There You Go" is a potent (if temporary, as all pop must be) antidote to the deep freeze currently gripping Boston and the surrounding environs. Somewhat surprisingly, we didn't write about Italian Beach Babes in all of 2013. That is just as likely an oversight on our part as it is any indication of what the label accomplished last year; they certainly seemed to come on strong in 2012 with splendid releases from Mooncreatures and Cold Pumas. Anyhoo, stream the breezey rocker "There You Go" via the Soundcloud embed below, and hit this link to purchase the tape from IBB. £5 plus shipping gets you the cassette and a download code.



>> When we last checked in on Vancouver-based electronic producer Ancient Babes last summer, it had just posted the '80s-echoing chillwave delight "Malcolm X In The Middle" to Soundcloud. The tune sounded like the lost track to a John Hughes teen dramedy, and in the ensuing months the man behind Ancient Babes, Sam King, continued quietly dropping tracks over at Soundcloud. Last week the best of these were bundled up into Futuristic Demon, a debut EP featuring three previously posted tracks and the compelling new cut "Occult Commando." The new tune closes the four-song taster in grand fashion, big wet snare cracks punching holes in a dreamy cycle of synth tones and small smears of guitar as Mr. King murmurs what could be the sweetest nothings or the dreamiest death threats into the middle of the mix. Sonically and compositionally "Occult Commando" is a strong step forward for Ancient Babes; the only miscalculation might be the tune didn't get the first slot on the EP, which you can stream via the embed below. Click through to download Futuristic Demon in exchange for as much or as little money as you can spare.

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

Today's Hotness: Eros And The Eschaton, Amity Beach, Weekend



>> [Photo Credit: Lemon Photography] Late last year a friendly label rep turned us on to the Eros And The Eschaton, a North Carolina-based couple making serene dream pop presented in some charming video clips like this arresting one for "You Know I Do," and this one for "Lately (I've Been Wondering"). Fast-forward to earlier this month and, lo and behold, it was announced that the duo -- Kate Perdoni and Adam Hawkins, who met in Omaha but settled in Greensboro when their van broke down in the central Carolina city -- have now signed to the above-referenced label. And so Eros And The Eschaton's full-length debut Home Address For Civil War will be issued by Bar/None Aug. 13. The bigger surprise is the huge, bold sound of the record's preview single "Heaven Inside." A calm center remains, in the form of the duo's airy vocal harmonies, but the remarkably dense musical accompaniment eschews the subdued sound of the band's self-released, 2012 singles and instead throbs with energy while a vast wall of melodic guitar and white-out percussion smear across the fore of the stereo field. The result is one of the most stirring shoegaze tracks of 2013, just the kind of thing Clicky Clicky is always on the look-out for. Eros And The Eschaton are supporting the 10-track release with a substantial tour in September including an appearance at the annual Hopscotch confabulation in Raleigh, but as of yet there is no date for the duo's live return to the Boston area (its area debut was at Precinct in late spring). To whet your appetite for the release, we've embedded the thriller "Heaven Inside" for your listening pleasure below; pre-order Home Address For Civil War from Bar/None right here.



>> It's been a surprisingly long time since we were last rocked by the fresh-faced indie pop of Amity Beach, whose late 2011 digital single knocked our socks off. The Ontario-based quintet returned at long last this month with pop gold in the form of a new digital single, "Sunday Nights To Infinity" b/w "Avalanches." The pair of songs, released via Bandcamp June 10, are taken from the act's planned debut long-player Bonfire Etiquette. Both tunes are driven by bright, tight guitars. Fizzing tempos push melodies across deft arrangements in a manner that recalls the remarkable pop of veteran Delaware indie pop heroes Spinto Band. "Sunday Nights To Infinity" overflows with lyrics bursting with romantic optimism and nostalgia underscored by tinkling piano embellishments. "Avalanches" runs with a similarly irresistible formula, but is notable for bright horns bolstering the soaring chorus. We can't find a release date for Bonfire Etiquette, and it would be a shame if it were not released in time for the set to be a go-to summer jam that this intoxicating single suggests it will be. Then again, that slightest of bites of nostalgia and loss in "Sunday Nights To Infinity" and "Avalanches" may be even more potent once summer begins to fade. Stream both tunes via the embed below, and keep an eye on Clicky Clicky for news about Bonfire Etiquette.



>>So maybe you live under a rock, or just have a terrible memory, and so you aren't aware of the excellent second preview single from Weekend's forthcoming long-player, a song called "It's Alright." Well, we've embedded it below along with the new album's killer lead track "Mirror," because you need to be up-to-speed on the latest, greatest thing from Slumberland, a label that has been just on fire these last couple of years. "It's Alright" is taken from Weekend's Jinx, which will be issued July 23, and the tune in its earliest moments sounds like a brilliant The Cure outtake circa 1983's "The Walk" 12". However, it is fronter Shaun Durkan's booming but gentle vocals, the song's Keith Levene-styled guitar playing and a big swinging beat that dominate the tune. Pre-order Jinx from Slumberland now on 45RPM, colored-media double 12" or CD. The now Brooklyn-based post-punk foursome play at Church in Boston Oct. 23, and you can bet that's gonna sell out faster than you can say, well, just about anything.

Today's Hotness: Saint Solitude, Weekend, Oupa

>> Sometimes records hit you at inopportune times, and so it was that early this year when we were toiling away on Ice Planet Hoth for the Day Job we found ourselves suddenly addicted to Saint Solitude's 2010 set Journal Of Retreat. The set soundtracked about a thousand frozen February mornings that started with a cup of coffee as the sun came up through a window by a desk on the 24th floor of an office suite in the midwest that faced the Mississippi River. We couldn't believe then that we'd missed songwriter Dup Crosson's wonderful collection of sunshiney indie pop strummery, especially since we had already written about Saint Solitude in 2009 here, and we resolved to keep an eye out for New Things from the band. Well, our vigilance has finally been rewarded, as we received word earlier this week that Saint Solitude's next long-player By Some Great Storm will be issued Sept. 27, and it apparently has been influenced in part by Mr. Crosson's love for Smashing Pumpkins. That sounds like a recipe for success to us. Folks on the band's email list were treated to an outtake from the By Some Great Storm sessions called "Deliverance," and we're thinking that if this great track (Bandcamp embed below) didn't make the cut, then the new, 12-song record is going to be full of what we critics refer to as "hot shit." By Some Great Storm was recorded at Landslide Studio in Asheville, NC and it will be released by Alive And Well Records. Mr. Crosson, who once plied his craft as a solo artist, has put together a new band to realize his compositions in the flesh, and the quartet will tour around the East Coast this fall. Watch this space for details.


>> Contemporary noise-pop heroes Weekend are following up their acclaimed 2010 effort Sports with a new short-player called Red. The trio's five-song set is the product of three weeks in the studio prior to a tour of Europe last month; a new full-length is slated for release in 2012. San Francisco-based Weekend, which formed fewer than two years ago, plans a tour next month to support Red. In the meantime, stream the new barn-burner "Hazel" below; the song welds melody to noise in completely gratifying fashion, as we think you'll agree. In case you missed it, the song "End Times" from Sports was released as a single in May of this year, and you can stream the radio edit of the track right here.

Weekend - Hazel by Slumberland Records

>> A brief follow-up to our mention of Oupa earlier in the week. The act's debut Forget is now streaming en todo at Bandcamp right here. And there is yet another video to gaze upon, this one for the piano ballad "Windows," which is stark and beautiful, despite not being a cover of the Garden Party classic of the same name. Garden Party you say? Let's post that to SoundCloud and have a listen, why the hell not? Oh, right... Forget was released earlier this week in the U.S., UK and France on the Fat Possum, Boiled Egg and Atelier Ciseaux labels, respectively.

Garden Party's "Windows" by clicky clicky music blog

Weekend | Young Prism | Young Adults | O'Brien's | Nov. 22

This will be a barn-burner. And barring any unforeseen circumstances we'll be there, finally seeing Young Adults for the first time. Very excited. This will sell out. Buy tickets here.