Chicago post-hardcore unit, The Swan King, featuring members of Pelican and Planes Mistaken For Stars, released their second LP, Last So Long (War Crime Recordings), this past June. Spawned in 2009 in the Windy City, The Swan King is made up of Pelican guitarist and former Duane Denison pupil, Dallas Thomas (guitar/vocals), bassist Jamie Drier (x-Planes Mistaken For Stars) and drummer Zafar Musharraf (x-Toro! Toro!). Over the years, The Swan King has shared the stage with the likes of Red Fang, Black Tusk, Indian and Whores.
This new eight-track/30 minute disc is a refreshing throwback to the post-hardcore sounds of the late 80’s/early 90’s and was recorded by uber-producer Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea and Minsk) at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio. This three-piece band works up a big head of noise (think Helmet or any of the early AmRep bands) with chugging and distorted guitar riffs and a pounding rhythm section but the band keeps the music accessible with solid melodies.
This is a big-sounding “rawk” disc where the band consistently maintains head-banging, high energy across all of the tracks. The band doesn’t stray far from their post-hardcore ‘core’ but the guitar riffs and melodies twist and turn within each of the songs (occasionally straying into mathcore) which keeps the disc from ever getting stale. Dallas Thomas’ vocals are up-front in the mix and he sings with a gruff but melodic yell which becomes another weapon in the band’s sonic attack. Some of the standout cuts showcase the band’s diversity which range from the hardcore of “Explore the Void” to the mathcore of “Returning to Haunt” to the melodic punk of “Last So Long”.
Every now and again, someone sends me music from a band or artist that I hadn't previously heard of which makes me say “wow” but when I go online to look for details on the band, there is essentially nothing. The first of these bands was Castevet and the latest is Austyn Sullivan. The only information that I can find online on Austyn Sullivan is that he is apparently from New Orleans: “Residing in the decaying city of New Orleans. Music is the only way to survive.” (from Last.FM) and his MySpace page describes his music as “Jesus & Mary Chain mainlining cough syrup and jamming in the world’s most cavernous bomb shelter.”
Williams’ latest EP, Nature’s Vein, isn’t as claustrophobically reverb-heavy or feedback-drenched as J&MC so I would suggest that closer points of comparison are Nadja, the Growing or Pelican. Austyn Sullivan’s music is textured ambient drone with murmured vocals beneath the surface which makes for perfect late night/pre-dawn listening. Nature’s Vein is a mature, accessible and well produced effort. While this is a solo project, Nature's Vein is far from a one-man, lo-fi bedroom recording. The disc's seven tracks clock in at 28 minutes so the disc makes an impact quickly which leads to repeated listenings.
Nature’s Veins is posted as a free download and the music should find fans in both the Hydrahead and Southern Lord camps.
Sullivan is in the process of relocating to Brooklyn so hopefully that will be some live performances that follow.
Sludge-metal band Black Cobra released their third full-length CD, Chronomega, at the end of September and this release marks the band's Southern Lord debut.
As a two-piece band, guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian and drummer Rafael Martinez make a hell of a lot of noise and producer Billy Anderson (High on Fire, The Melvins, Sleep) gives the band a heavy, brutal sound. Black Cobra's sound fits well with some of the past and current California-based metal bands as they combine Kyuss' stoner groove with the heaviness of High on Fire. While the band is only a two-piece, Jason Landrian's bass-heavy guitar work (similar to Josh Homme's work with Kyuss) more than compensates for any assumed sonic short-comings.
Chronomega follows in the fuzzy, fast riffs that Black Cobra set down with Feather And Stone but this release shows the band continuing to diversify their sound as their songwriting continues to mature. There are less instrumental interludes and slower moments on this new release and length of the disc has increased by 50% over Feathers And Stone (which clocked in about 25 minutes). Producer Billy Anderson has helped the band sharpen their attack - Landrian's vocals are brought forward in the mix and the band changes up the tempos across the disc and plays with an aggression generally found in the speed metal/splatter genre.
Black Cobra are currently out on tour with Pelican and Disappearer which includes a local tour stop at Highline Ballroom on December 2nd. Here is the band's upcoming tour dates:
Nov. 07, 2009 -- 9:00PM, Rubber Gloves w/ Black Tusk, Denton, Texas Nov. 08, 2009 -- 8:00PM, FUNFUNFUN Fest After Party w/ Black Tusk + Eagle Claw, Austin, Texas Nov. 09, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar w/ Black Tusk, San Antonio, Texas Nov. 10, 2009 -- 10:00PM, Hi Ho Lounge w/ Black Tusk, New Orleans, Louisiana Nov. 11, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Newby’s Too w/ Black Tusk + Dreamer’s Disease, Panama City Beach, Florida Nov. 12, 2009 -- 7:00PM, Will’s Pub w/ Black Tusk + Dark Castle + more... (Anti-Pop Music Fest), Orlando, Florida Nov. 13, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Brass Mug w/ Black Tusk, Tampa, Florida Nov. 14, 2009 -- 10:00PM, The Jinx w/ Black Tusk, Savannah, Georgia Nov. 15, 2009 -- 8:00PM, The Milestone w/ Black Tusk, Charlotte, North Carolina Nov. 16, 2009 -- 10:00PM, The Triple w/ Black Tusk, Richmond, Virginia Nov. 17, 2009 -- 9:00PM, Blue Nile w/ Black Tusk, Harrisonburg, Virginia Nov. 19, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Building 16, Providence, Rhode Island Nov. 20, 2009 -- 8:00PM, The Shop w/ Black Tusk, Ithaca, New York Nov. 21, 2009 -- 7:00PM, Monty’s Krown w/ Black Tusk, Rochester, New York Nov. 22, 2009 -- 8:00PM, 31st St. Pub w/ Black Tusk, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Nov. 23, 2009 -- 7:00PM, The Grog Shop w/ Black Tusk, Cleveland, Ohio Nov. 24, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Southgate House w/ Black Tusk, Newport, Kentucky Nov. 27, 2009 -- 8:00PM, V Club w/ Black Tusk, Huntington, West Virginia Nov. 28, 2009 -- 7:30PM, The Shelter w / Pelican + Gods & Queens, Detroit, Michigan Nov. 29, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Soundlab w / Pelican + Gods & Queens, Buffalo, New York Dec. 01, 2009 -- 7:30PM, First Unitarian Church w/ Pelican + Dissappearer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dec. 02, 2009 -- 7:00PM, Highline Ballroom w/ Pelican + Disappearer, New York, New York
For anyone who missed Pelican's set the other night at Brooklyn Masonic, the band is coming back through in December for a show at Highline Ballroom.
Pelican is releasing their fourth full-length and Southern Lord debut, What We All Come to Need, on October 27th.
What guitarist Laurent Lebec has dubbed “the most perfect synthesis of everything we’ve done to date, sonically”, this new album is a giant step forward within the complex, intricate, beautiful and crushing sound Pelican is famous for. The album features more guests than have ever appeared on a Pelican album before: Greg Anderson of sunn O))), Aaron Turner of Isis, Ben Verellen of Harkonen and Helms Alee and Allen Epley from The Life & Times and Shiner. Content-wise, Lebec says “there is a current of inspiration that feels particular to each album’s music and titles. Though we lack a singer, the song names are often conceptual. This new album speaks to a rapidly decaying world, the fulfillment we find in each other, as well as the resolve to move beyond disillusionment.” If the recent Ephemeral EP is any indication of what’s to come, we can expect nothing less than the apex of PELICAN’s creative output.
The show at Highline Ballroom is December 2nd and Pelican is playing with recent Southern Lord signee Black Cobra and Disappearer. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 DOS.
The Southern Lord label showcase is in town tomorrow night with Sunn O))), Earth, Pelican and Eagle Twin. The show is at Brooklyn Masonic Temple (317 Clermont Ave at Lafayette Ave.) and doors are at 8PM. Tickets are still available and are $25.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to do a phone interview with Sunn O)))'s Greg Anderson but I completely dropped the ball on getting this posted. I finally got the audio file cleaned up and edited this past weekend.
The interview runs about 18 minutes and I talked with Greg about the new disc, Monoliths & Dimensions, the split-single Suicide tribute with Pansonic, touring plans, future releases on Southern Lord and more.
Pelican, who recently signed to Southern Lord, is off on a May/June tour with Isis (Hydra Head) and Tombs (Relapse). The only area show is at Irving Plaza on June 2nd and tickets are $20.00.
Pelican will be performing material from their new EP "Ephemeral" and debuting new material that will be recorded for a forthcoming full-length on Southern Lord. The band will have tour-only CD copies of "Ephemeral" for sale at the shows. The vinyl edition of "Ephemeral" will be available on Southern Lord in early June.
Here are the upcoming tour dates:
5/19/2009 Emo's - Austin, TX 5/20/2009 Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX 5/21/2009 Meridian - Houston, TX 5/22/2009 Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA 5/23/2009 Bottletree Cafe - Birmingham, AL 5/25/2009 The Social - Orlando, FL 5/26/2009 Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL 5/27/2009 Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL 5/28/2009 The Earl - Atlanta, GA 5/29/2009 Cats Cradle - Carrboro, NC 5/30/2009 Black Cat - Washington, Washington DC 5/31/2009 Sonar - Baltimore, MD 6/02/2009 The Fillmore At Irving Plaza - New York, NY 6/03/2009 Theater of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA 6/04/2009 Pearl Street - Northampton, MA 6/05/2009 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA 6/06/2009 The National - Montreal, QC 6/07/2009 Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON 6/09/2009 Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH 6/10/2009 20th Century Theatre - Cincinnati, OH 6/11/2009 Small’s - Detroit, MI 6/12/2009 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
Here is the last of the pictures from the MTV Urge Nights show at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday. Pelican was the headliner and played a long, sweaty set. The band is touring behind their latest release, City of Echoes, which was released on Hydrahead in June. Aside for a nasty review from Pitchfork, the new CD is getting great reviews.
The band puts on a great live show -- they are certainly worth checking out next time they come through town. (Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with their music to attempt to put together a set list.)
Priestbird kicked off the Urge Nights ambient metal show at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday. The band was formerly know as Tarantula AD and their sound has evolved quite a bit since the name change. The songs were mostly instrumental in the psychedelic vein of early Pink Floyd or Hawkwind. The song structures were ambitious and the sound was rich and full. I would imagine it to be quite the experience to catch these guys in a small room.
The band has a new CD, In Your Time, out on Kemando Records.
Saunder Jurriaans
Gregory Rogove
Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans
Tomorrow is the last night of the tour with Pelican and the band is then playing some dates with Helmet next month.
Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:
Jul 30 2007 8:00P Cat's Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina Aug 27 2007 8:00P Ravari Room w/ HELMET Columbus, Ohio Aug 28 2007 8:00P Peabody's w/ HELMET Cleveland, Ohio Aug 29 2007 8:00P The Magic Stick w/ HELMET Detroit, Michigan Aug 30 2007 8:00P The Vogue w/ HELMET Indianapolis, Indiana
Pelican bring their hypnotizing live show to New York City as part of URGE Nights – an extension of MTV Networks’ digital music service URGE.
With songs that graze in the range of ambient metal while remaining boldly instrumental, Pelican have refined their sound and reach new heights on their third full-length, City of Echoes, which features, more melodic musical peaks and valleys.
“There is epic music and there is epic music. Chicago instrumental quartet Pelican is proudly guilty of producing the latter, penning tunes so ambitious and triumphant that your everyday life seems insignificant in comparison”. - XLR8R
This special performance is presented by MTV Networks’ URGE digital music service, as part of URGE Nights -- a concert series connecting music lovers with both emerging and acclaimed artists in a variety of musical styles and settings. URGE is available for free download at http://www.urge.com.
Featuring original and exclusive music programming, first-rate editorial and innovative music-discovery features, URGE is an immersive entertainment experience for music fans to connect with their favorite artists and discover new ones. Leveraging the music programming expertise of MTV, VH1 and CMT, URGE celebrates all music, from Afro-beat to zydeco. URGE offers subscription and a la carte access to nearly 3 million songs across all music genres.
Pelican is playing with Earth (Dylan Carlson rules) and Priestbird. This is a great lineup and tickets are only $15.
Doors open at 8PM and the Bowery Ballroom is located at:
Chicago drone collective CHORD followed The Austerity Program and played one long instumental/drone piece. I don't know much about this band other than I think that is Trevor de Brauw from Pelican seated in the chair. There doesn't appear to be much information about the band online and the band's website is pretty sparse. Regardless, the band sounded great and I would make a point of seeing them next time they come through New York.
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