New Punk and More

From Florida's XTRO tape label, this band's name is in Greek, so I translated it in Google and it translated it to "SHAMEFUL SHAME," which is a cool band name. Noisey goodness originally released in 2001, SHAMEFUL SHAME is synth punk from Athens, Greece:

So I've grown weary of "egg punk," but if you haven't, and you don't follow Goodbye Boozy, then you're missing out on a lot of new egg punk:

Here's some dancey post-punk, a welcome change from the snotty 3 chord eggpunk formula, a bitchin' new single called "Coming Our Way," from the Washington DC band Light Beams.

A dreamy, quiet single from NYC's June McDoom:

A great, trippy single from a label called Förbjudna Ljud based out of Stockholm, Sweden:

Already Dead Tapes has a split with two new Chicago acts, noise rockers Urine Hell and the industrial/experimental NÜDE. Super cool stuff:

Finally, here's a couple of cool new videos:

Rat Motel; Mindvac; Dafake; Kevin Daniel Cahill; Vessels to Motherland; Eretia; Boys Age; The Bordellos; Dystopiarch; The Legendary Ten Seconds

A round-up of quality new submissions. I'll be playing some of these on the CNQ hour on KPISS.FM, Saturday at 5pm Eastern, so please feel free to tune in for that! Here we go:

Rat Motel are two brothers, Seth and Clayton Peacock, from Columbus, Ohio, and I've been jazzed about them since last year's The Regal Sum. Their new album The Rat Motel is due out 6/3, and I've been enjoying the singles "Tutankhamen" and "Owe" and playing them on the KPISS show. Both are super-solid alt-rock tracks; if Seth and Clayton had been around in the 90s, they would've been on Sub Pop or Matador and had videos for these in rotation on MTV, I'm certain of it.

While they definitely draw from the 90s alt-rock well, they don't sound like they're apeing anything. The music and the lead singer's voice (I'm not sure which one is the baritone lead singer) are unique while still sounding like something I've always enjoyed. I guess eggheads call that "hauntological," but it's not like the Peacock bros are making mash-ups of Beach Boys, psych and AM radio singles with the singer going "ooo ooo ooo" in the hallway. It's well-produced, mid-fi, loud, buzzy, thoughtful rock'n'roll.

On this Saturday's show I'll be playing a third single, "Shotgun." Here's the first single, "Tutankhamen":

The debut self-titled EP from Charlotte, NC metal/post-hardcore/prog trio Mindvac is out tomorrow on streaming platforms. The single, "Pastime," is an interesting mix of, as mentioned, post-hardcore and technical prog, I like it:

Paris-based experimental composer/sound artist DAFAKE has two new releases out, Les Miniscules and Live aux Instants Chavirés. For fans of "electro-acoustic mininimalism," DAFAKE works with "a range of experimental recording techniques, DIY instruments and unseen sound sources such as feedback loops, corrupted data and electromagnetic fields processed and recomposed through a modular system." It all makes for interesting soundscapes:

False Walls is releasing a CD of London-based artist Kevin Daniel Cahill's new album Impossible Worlds. Per the press release: "Consisting of two long tracks, the album traces a steady progression as it moves through different environments — initially ambient and isolationist in tone, the work ultimately reaches a form of transcendence. Rooted in Kevin’s guitar-playing, though not immediately identifiable as such due to the deployment of tape loops and effects, the album foregrounds feeling and atmosphere, and its duration and gradual development benefits close listening."

Vessels to Motherland is an electro-acoustic duo based out of NYC. Their new electronic single "Process and Product" is great - atmospheric and dark, with a groovy beat:

Speaking of atmospheric and dark, Eretia is from Spain and their new 7 song release Quietud is both atmospheric and dark -- a fan comment on Bandcamp called it a mix of post-hardcore and post-metal. I'm into it:

Boys Age's new album "Ring World" is out on Bandcamp. "The Ninth Melody" is a great single and I'm excited to listen to the rest of the album. I gush about Boys Age, from Japan, all the time:

The Bordellos have an 11 song sampler new on Metal Postcard Records, Star Crossed Radio. I love the Bordellos, y'all know that:

"Pale New World" is the second single by Brooklyn's Dystopiarch. They say all proceeds will go to benefit the people of war-torn Ukraine, which is nice:

Torquay, England's The Legendary Ten Seconds has a new album out, Astounding Songs, an album of English folk rock songs. The Legendary Ten Seconds is solo artist Ian Churchward and friends. I'm really impressed with his output. After Astounding Sounds he's released Mer De Mort, "recorded to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mortimer History Society," and I'm not sure what that is, but congratulations to ten years of it, and another full length, History Book Part One. Great stuff, absolutely unique rock'n'roll:

Specular-D; Anna's Bones; Pissabed Prophet; Eric Angelo Bessel; Jean Mignon; Salem Trials; The Conspiracy

Naturally at the first of the year I have every intention of posting more often, I think I've said that every year for the past 11 years. But, here we are, more than two weeks since my last post. But, a day before my KPISS.FM show tomorrow (Every Saturday at 5PM Eastern, in fact).

Specular-D is a sample-based electronic musican out of London. His new release on Bandcamp You Do You has a single available, "Don't Overcome Directly." It's a trip, man:

DIY label Antigen Records out of Ipswich has a couple of new rockin' releases out. "Silver Thread" by Anna's Bones is a single from someone who may or may not be named Becky Blenko. Cool song with a cool video:

And then "Spooling," the available single from an upcoming full length by Pissabed Prophet, is the tops as well:

On April 21, Lore City Music will will release the debut solo album from visual artist and musician, Eric Angelo Bessel, called Visitation. Intrumental, atmospheric, very groovy:

Finally, a couple of websites to check out. Pop Thruster is making a running list of the Best 1000 Albums Ever. An ambitious project and I'll keep an eye on it, I love lists.

Metal Postcard Records honcho Sean Hocking has a new site for his Bottom of the Pops show, aptly titled Bottom of the Pops. Sean's the man, if you want to have any hope of staying cool, you need to follow Bottom of the Pops.

Speaking of Metal Postcard Records, a trio of excellent new releases from the best digital label on the planet:

Isla Invisible; Adiós Cometa; The Ducks; The Bordellos; Brian Bordello; Gilla Band; A.N.J.A.; Kid Gulliver; Suckling; Neon Kittens; Smashing Red; The Postmen; and Salem Trials

Been gone for a couple of weeks, and while on vacation I realized I had starred in my inbox a butt ton of new releases I've been neglecting to share on here. I'll be playing some of these on my hour long KPISS.FM show this Saturday at 5PM Eastern, but you saw and heard it here on the blog first!

From Velvet Blue Music, a 4 song nu-gaze split from Isla Invisible (Puerto Rico/NYC) and Adiós Cometa (Costa Rica). This came out back in July of last year, I missed it. CDs and tapes still available:

Also missed, the Duck's (England) full length, Enter the Cloaca got released in December. The Ducks are nuts, and the lead off track, "Give God a Bone," proves it. Check it out:

In January, the Bordellos released as a free download The Sunday Experience, originally released as a one sided 10inch vinyl EP on Benevolent Antenna Records. Good luck finding that. Y'all know I love the Bordellos:

And in late February, Think Like a Key released Brian Bordello's Songs for Cilla To Sing, a solo acoustic full length that is already on my best of the year list:

A buddy at work turned me on to Gilla Band from Ireland. Their newest single, "Sports Day," is rad:

Belfast's A.N.J.A. has a new single called "Witchmother," it's rockin':

Here's a good new power pop single from Boston, "Kiss and Tell" by Kid Gulliver. Came out in January:

Austin's Suckling has finally released their debut album mid-February, I caught them opening for Jesus Lizard in 2018. I remember there only being two guys on stage and maybe a drummer, but it looks like they're a four piece now. Great noise rock, though they used a sample I have also used in a Legless Crabs song and I'm totally upset (j/k):

Metal Postcard Records has more new releases than you can shake a stick at, with a packed release schedule coming up this month as well, so catch up on these, from Neon Kittens, Smashing Red, The Postmen, and Salem Trials:

Alright, I still have 64 starred releases to check out, the oldest dating from mid-February, but ruminate on these, and I'll try and post again tomorrow. Friday I'm going to work on my KPISS.FM show -- will be featuring stuff from France and Marrakesh! Will be a lot of fun, tune in. And thanks for reading -- go support these artists if you hear something you like.

Geiger von Müller; Pete Um; Into the Buzzing Room; Strange Neighbors; HOTMOM; Alien Nosejob

So Clean Nice Quiet is now going to be live every Saturday, at 4PM Central / 5PM Eastern on the mighty golden stream, KPISS.FM! I'm so stoked. So catch me on KPISS coming up on the 1st for some fun tunes. And I'm still going to do CNQ Live via caster.fm when I feel like it -- if you see me on air on the embedded player at the top of the blog, press play! Am thinking I may do a caster.fm show tonight, actually, but don't want to commit in case I decide to stare at my shoes instead.

Catching up on submissions here from August and September. Lot of great stuff!

London's experimental slide guitarist Geiger von Müller has a new full-length album out called Slide Sonatas I. Very cool stuff:

Pete Um from Cambridge has a new full length minimalist synth album out called Surface Zero. Solid:

Also new in the experimental electronic genre, harse noise enthusiast Into the Buzzing Room has a new EP, his first, called Excessive Focus. Into the Buzzing Room is from Münster, Germany. I've featured their previous demo before. Killer diller:

New York's Strange Neighbors reached out to me with three super rockin' singles, "Whoa! Is Me," "Hotline Psychic," and "Window Watching." I like all three but I think I'm leaning towards "Window Watching" being my fave:

Crass Lips Records has a new release from HOTMOM out called On TV. HOTMOM is from Austin, they've been around for a while. I featured a track from them on the old CNQ show all the way back in 2018:

Finally, Alien Nosejob has a new record out on Total Punk in the US, called Stained Glass. The first single, "Beatles VS Stones," is a ripper, as we've come to expect from New Zealand's Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants):

Jay Brown and the Legendary Ten Seconds, Santa Sprees, No Base Trio

Got some interesting submissions for you tonight. And don't forget to tune in to the Clean Nice Quiet Hour on KPISS.FM this Saturday, 8/27, at 4P Central/5P Eastern. I'm having a lot of fun doing those, there's a chat you can get in on the KPISS website and gab with me as I play tunes.

Jay Brown and the Legendary Ten Seconds are out of the UK. They contacted me about their sci-punk track, "The Time Stream," which is pretty good, but I really liked this follow up release, "The Torquay Sandyman."

Did you know there's vinyl available for Santa Sprees' Fanfare for Tonsils? Great album:

Check out this improvisational jazz/noise combo called No Base Trio, based out of NYC. Their second album, NBT II, is coming out October 14th, 2022, on Setola di Maial. Here's a track from it and a video from their first album:

Five Bucks, Eyes and Flys, Salem Trials, The Khats, K. Board and the Skreens, Rudy Now & The Negative Cutters, Legless Crabs, Legless Trials, Desiccate, Noose Sweat, Atoxxico, Shifty Poles, Tin-ear

A new demo from a band called Five Bucks on Poland's almighty Syf Records label. Italian "eggpunk," sounds great:

I did an interview with Syf Records a while back, but haven't been keeping up with their releases like I should.

Tetryron Tapes out of Buffalo has a new full length digital release called "Manic AM" from a band called Eyes and Flys. Haven't listened to all of it yet but Tetryon puts out cool stuff and the first track, "Asbestos Fiber on a Sunbeam," is quality garage psych-punk:

Both Syf and Tetryon are cool tape labels. I've been daydreaming for a while about making a little CNQ boutique label. I tried once before, put out Dr. Nod's awesome Top Tips (see sidebar for ordering info!). Maybe it's time to try to something like that again.

Speaking of cool labels, not a week goes by that Metal Postcard Records doesn't have some new stuff to share. I played both of these bands on my most recent KPISS.FM show. Salem Trials is producing radical tunes at a gazillion miles a minute, and The Khats is the same guy who does K. Board and the Skreens, I think. Great stuff:

And don't forget, also from MP, the latest from Rudy Now and the Negative Cutters:

...oh and the latest Legless Crabs and Legless Trials!:

I've been having so much fun with the KPISS.FM radio show (next one is August 13, at 5P EST, btdubs), and the caster.fm show I turn on and blab into the aetheyr when I feel like it, then post it to Mixcloud. But a blog post can be a hoot too. So let's do an old fashioned CNQ dive into Bandcamp new releases and see what pops up:

First thing of interest, Desiccate's "noisy fuck punk" demo from Hamilton, Ontario. I gotta say, there's nothing better than a noisey demo tape:

More righteous noise, this from Vancouver:

Mexican punk from 1988!:

Synth-punk from London:

Finally, some bitchin' rock'n'roll from Saint Edward Island:

Science Man, Geiger von Muller, The Slime

Hello, fellow kids!

First up, the Science Man Nines Mecca package finally arrived in my mailbox the otherday, after an unfortunate but unavoidable delay, and it's impressive -- white vinyl LP with a really bad ass special edition t-shirt, and the gem in the package -- a limited to 50 VHS tape of videos for each of the ten tracks on the album. And it is so frickin' cool, you oughta pick it up if you love low budget horror-themed music videos, and if there are any left. The album, as I've mentioned before, is great also. 20 minutes of noisey hardcore, a great racket. Here's the video for Poach The Mind's Eye, and you can see all the videos here.

From London, guitarist Geiger von Muller has a new single out called "Space Digger #1," and it's a neat instrumental piece of slide guitar work, check out the video and you can get it pay what thou wilt via Bandcamp. It's from an upcoming album called Slide Sonotas I.

Toronto's The Slime have a new album out called Living on Borrowed Slime, it's killer diller punk -- if Science Man could be described as David Lynch-ian, I'd say The Slime would be Ed Wood-ian. And maybe I'm just saying that because there's a sample from Plan 9 in the first song, but regardless, the one two punch of the opening song on the album, "Arms Race," followed by the single, "Real Garbage," is a sweet punch in the face, and the rest of the album doesn't let up. Living On Borrowed Slime is available on vinyl from Cursed Blessings Records, and here's the video for "Real Garbage."

Alright, I plan on doing a live show here around 8:30PM CST, give or take, so in about 40 minutes, as I celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of my favorite albums, Faith No More's Angel Dust. Nothing special lined up, just going to play some cool music.

Click here to listen, or click the play button on the embedded player at the top of the blog's desktop version when you see it says "Live."

You ever seen this interview of Mike Patton eating a sandwich and being petulant in 1992?

...and here's that show:

Jon Spencer and the HITmakers

A good interview with Jon Spencer from 2018:

https://www.loudersound.com/features/now-i-got-worry-an-interview-with-jon-spencer

I had no idea Jon Spencer has a new album out, with the HITmakers (Bob Bert on trash, Sam Coomes from Quasi on synth and vox and M. Sord on drums), called Spencer Gets It Lit. Came out last month. I guess if I followed Brooklyn Vegan better I woulda known about it:

A Quick Trip Through 58 Years of People Makin' Music: The Fall, Gene Clark, Clifton Chenier, Todd Rundgren, Julian Cope, Jean Michael Jarre, BLK JKS, Undeath, Mortuary Drape, Accept, Lil Bastards, and the Pastels

Yesterday I added a few new additions to our record collection. Here's what I picked up, as well as some other stuff I've been listening to (and one thing I haven't listened to yet).

The Fall - Slates 10" re-release from 2016. Originally an EP from 1981. I bought this without realizing -- this 2016 re-release doesn't contain the extra Peel sessions tracks that were added on a follow up re-release in 2021. The 2021 release is readily available and for the same amount I bought this one for. I'm ruined! Anyway, it's a great EP, and the linear notes are a typed letter from from former WFMU music director Brian Turner.

Gene Clark - Collector's Series Early L.A. Sessions. This is a remixed and re-released version of Clark's first album with the Godsin Brothers, remixed five years after it's release by Clark and producer Jim Dickson, and re-released on CBS in 1972. The record didn't sell upon original release, so now that country rock was finding more acceptance via bands like Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Clark's former band The Byrds, CBS brought Clark in to re-record vocals and remix these songs. Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were on this album, too, along with the Byrd's Clarence White and Van Dyne Parks on keyboard. Anyway I have With the Godsin Brothers so I thought it would be neat to have this as a companion piece. And it does sound different. Also they took out "Elevator Operator" which I thought was a groovy jam but apparently Clark was embarrassed of it.

Clifton Chenier - Bon Ton Roulet! The King of the bayou, Clifton Chenier's 2nd album from 1967, on Arhoolie Records. All of the songs but one were recorded in Houston in '66, except "Ay Ai Ai," recorded in '64. Cool stuff. Zydeco blues. Arhoolie Records started in 1960 and is still around today.

Todd Rundgren's Initiation, from '75, Rundgren's fourth solo album. Rundgren was on an occult kick, so it's got a long proggy jam on the b-side about Theosophical, New-Agey occult stuff. Which, I'm into in theory, but I'm not sure how often I'll be spinning it, which I read on Wikipedia is sorta what Julian Cope said about it:

"When asked if Rundgren had influenced his music, with perceived influences of Initiation on Queen Elizabeth and Rite², Julian Cope responded that he and Thighpaulsandra loved "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire", "but we both bemoaned the fact that it was recorded so long before ambient music had been defined that Todd treated it as an ever-evolving, almost prog-rock piece. We both loved huge elements of that piece but found that we never listened to it. So we tried to build that Todd-like transcendence into our own piece of music [with Queen Elizabeth]."

The first side of Initiation is rockin' tho. Meanwhile, from Discogs:

"(Initiation) is a one of the longest running single disc LPs ever issued (1 hour, 7 minutes and 34 seconds; side B's total time is almost 35½ minutes). However, because of its fragility and reduced dynamic range, the following note was printed on the inner sleeve: "Technical Note: Due to the amount of music on this disc (over one hour), two points must be emphasized. Firstly, if your needle is worn or damaged, it will ruin this disc immediately. Secondly, if the sound does not seem loud enough on your system, try re-recording the music onto tape. By the way, thanks for buying the album" The final suite 'A Treatise On Cosmic Fire' was sped up by half a step to fit the disc with ease, this is why 'Prana' on the 'Real Man' 45RPM 7'' single sounds slower, as that was the speed that was intended to be heard, except all discs and CD reissues play the sped up version used for the original LP. To slow it to the correct speed, using software such as Audacity, reduce the speed by -5 percent."

Here's a 2015 remaster of a track off the first side, the rockin' "The Death of Rock'n'Roll." That's Rick Derringer on bass:

I've also been on a Julian Cope kick. Here's 30 minutes of his ambient project, Queen Elizabeth, mentioned in the Cope quote above:

Continuing with the noodly electronic theme for a moment, I also picked up a copy of Jean Michael Jarre - Equinoxe. From 1978, this is the follow up to Oxygene, which I have, and Jarre's fourth album. I was reading about these two albums under "Critical Reception" on Wikipedia, and apparently critics really didn't like the electronic stuff at the time. I dig it though, and certainly I'm not the only one, so those critics were wrong. Go figure! Here's a video for "Equinoxe 5":

I found a copy of the Secretly Canadian release of BLK JKS Mystery EP with "Lakeside" on it, I dunno if y'all remember that song from 2009? Neat atmospheric, indie/post-alt type of song, very groovy. They're from South Africa. Apparently they had an album out in 2021. They fell off my radar after "Lakeside." The rest of the Mystery EP is as great as "Lakeside" -- spooky, rockin'. There's some pretty wild psych guitar on the track "Mystery."

I had originally went to the record shop to pick up the latest Undeath album, It's Time...To Rise From the Grave, which is killer old school death metal from Rochester, put out by Prosthetic Records. The band really nails it. Here's the video for "Defiled Again." Brutal fun!

But I got home and I had the wrong album -- they gave me Mortuary Drape's latest, Wisdom-Vibration-Repent instead. Mortuary Drape is Italian death metal. I've listened to about half of this now, and it's good - competent, enjoyable:

I took the Mortuary Drape EP back and it turns out someone else who wanted Mortuary Drape got my Undeath album. So instead I picked up a copy of Captain Beefhart and the Magic Band's Strictly Personal, their second album.

This is The Fall doing "Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones" for a Peel Session in 1996. "Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones" is from Strictly Personal.

When we were driving to the record shop, the wife and I heard for the first time Accept's "Pandemic," released on Nuclear Blast Records back in 2010. Why wasn't this song playing everywhere the past few years??!?

Though I didn't buy it, we did look up this single when we got home. Wish I would've bought it! Lil Bastards' "Bitch Get A Job," from the halcyon days of 1992. Youtube comments mention this is the earliest work from a producer called Dougie Diamonds -- I'd never heard of him. This 12" put out on Livin' Large Records appears to have been Lil Bastards' only release:

I've also been getting into the Pastels. Here's "Yoga," from 1995's Mobile Safari. There's a video for this, but the only available version I could find was a shitty upload from someone taping MTV2.

Finally, not as poorly recorded but also not exactly hi-fidelity, check out Julian Cope and backing band pretending to do "I Gotta Walk" on Top of the Pops in 1994:

"I know what your father is saying right now...and he's wrong."

Step Below (London); Montel Palmer (Cologne, Germany); Girls Against Bots (Dallas, Texas); Science Man (Buffalo, NY); and selections from Tetryon Tapes (Buffalo)

Ukraine invasion is a wild thing. Pray for peace - that's always worked before.

Step Below is a hardcore band out of London, and it seems like I don't get too many straight up hardcore submissions from England, so that's interesting. Their single "Walk Away" is a minute long blistering blast, I dig it. They have a 5 song EP called S.B.H.C. coming out March 4 that will be available on Bandcamp and streaming platforms. Check out "Walk Away":

Montel Palmer is a three piece electro-outfit from Cologne, Germany. Their new album Catastropheland is nine tracks of experimental, ambient, dub-inspired synth. Pretty cool and available on vinyl on their Bandcamp page. Here's a video for the track "Cross Eyed," off the album:

Buffalo NY's Science Man has a new album called Nines Mecca available for pre-order on their Bandcamp page. The two singles available on Bandcamp are my type of hardcore garage punk. The full album will release March 18. There's vinyl co-released by Swimming Faith Records and Feral Kid Records, and also a VHS tape featuring videos, which I've already ordered and am excited about. We hooked up an old VCR/DVD combo late last year and have been having fun with it.

Feral Kid Records is also based out of Buffalo, and they have a tape subsidary called Tetryon Tapes. I did a deep dive through their catalog a few days ago and had a lot of fun. Here's some of the coolest stuff. All available on cassette, as Tetryon Tapes' name implies.

I ordered these on Feral Kids' Storenvy page, got a confirmation from Storenvy but haven't been notified when they'll ship yet. It's only been a few days, tho. I did unfortunately have to sign up with a storenvy account and immedietly regretted it as I got inundated with their spam trying to sell me macrame backpacks. I unsubscribed but have still been getting them. Goes on my list of Modern Life Greviances I'm keeping. O well, at least I don't currently reside in a warzone:

This Erik Nervous release Bugs!! is probably my favorite of this batch from Tetryon Tapes:

Finally, Dallas, Texas' own bedroom midi-core artiste Girls Against Bots, who also happens to be me, has a new single called "Jade Armor," as well as a lesser freak out called "Moon Dung." Is it just me foolin' around with a midi controller, or an act of unmitigated genius? Maybe it's just unmitigated foolin' around:

Thanks for reading. Stay safe. Don't inundate yourself with Twitter-fied terror-porn. Drink lots of water. Support these musicians, if you got spare cash to throw around.

New Rock'n'Roll from Bandcamp!

Another reminder to check out the Clean Nice Quiet Etsy shop, got a couple of new paintings up and it'd be cool if you bought one! Meanwhile a lotta submissions to cover and I've got some Cyberpunk 2077 to play and music of my own to record, so let's get this over with.

I started off the last new music post with a new single from Liverpool's Bigflower, so why not do it again? Solid motorik just under the 3 and a half minute mark, dig it:

New San Franciso label Color and Time Tonight's first vinyl release is from Ohio's Wild Wings. Foil Landscape is 4 tracks of killer psych-punk r'n'r, listen below and order the vinyl from CTT here.

Brooklyn solo act Sunk Heaven has a new release on Crass Lips Records called Porous Mirror. Nine rad tracks, a must listen for fans of experimental/industrial noise:

Total Punk Records is an unstoppable force, they've got new Buck Biloxi and Alien Nose Job coming out which I can't wait for. In the meantime, check out this amazing racket from Montreal's Tha Retail Simps, Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shot in tha Dark, due out March 1 and Total Punk's first release of the year. You can listen to three of the tracks already on Bandcamp, and there's videos for "End Times Hip Shaker Pts. 1 & 2" and "Rock and Roll." Described in the TP hype e-mail as equal parts Velvet Underground and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs; I can't argue.

Speaking of unstoppable labels, Metal Postcard has a number of new releases that all bear repeated listens. First for your consideration is the latest from Brian Bordello, Cardboard Box Beatle, what Brian says is his final acoustic album, and it's probably his best, which is a feat. 11 tracks of heartbreakingly excellent tunes. The words I always use to describe Brian's songs all apply across the 11 song album: raw, honest, amusingly caustic, caustically amusing, and just absolutely beautiful, man. Songs like "Cat Food on the Floor," "Here Comes Eric With His Dead Child Song" and "Salamanda Fruit Fly" are Brian continuing to show us all how it's done. I've been singing "Any Room In Your Life for a Song and Dance Man" in my head all week.

Next up from Metal Postcard, Super Hit is former White Fang guitarist Kyle Handley's solo project, and this 18 track self-titled release is super-solid:

Kyle has another project called The Tyrds and their 8 song release on Metal Postcard is called I Got Shit On My Mind. Fuzzed out!

Salem Trials has a new full length, Foe Fact, and on top of that is releasing a new single every Sunday through February on Metal Postcard. Unstoppable seems to be the secret word for tonight's post, as Andy and Russ from Salem Trials are absolutely unstoppable as well:

Andy Goz from Salem Trials and Son of El Borko from Legless Crabs (who happens to be me) teamed up to release Legless on Main Street, a 9 song effort that features Andy at the top of his game and me just trying to keep up with his undeniable ability to write a bad-ass rock'n'roll song. I like to think of it as the Stones and the Velvet Underground meet Wesley Willis and the Shaggs. It's the best thing I've ever worked on and I'm super proud of it! Here's a track called "Singer" about abusive singer songwriters from the 1970s:

Finally from Metal Postcard, Italy's K. Board & the Skreens have a new EP, 4 tracks of mind-blowing Italian outsider electro-pop. So frickin' good:

Speaking of Legless Crabs, I've been busy with my made-up Naive Noise Rock Collective over on my own Bandcamp pages. Here's three new releases of naive noise rock I've put out. Enjoy at your own risk:

More submissions to come. I got other shit to do now tho. Look out!

Jeffrey Lewis (New York); Sour Blue (Los Angeles); Rick Treffers (Netherlands); Gasp (Sweden); and Last Wars (New Jersey)

Working on an interview with The Mangfather Bob Katz. Bob turned me on to an artist I'd never heard of before, Jeffrey Lewis, and I have just been blown away listening to him all day. The latest thing on his Bandcamp page is The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band: Both Ways (The Great Lost 2017 Double Album!). Lewis is a New York boy, and a cult figure at this point, who also does comic books. When I see a guy my age doing what I'd like to do, in this instance making great tunes and creating comic books, I'm always a little jealous. But these songs I've heard of his today are so great, my jealousy is overshadowed by the joy his off-kilter songs immedietly brought me. Weird, unique, utterly listenable:

Schema EP is a 7 track digital release from LA band Sour Blue. Their introductory e-mail describes them as "dream pop melted into...IDM, shoegaze, (and) ambient...(with) lots of tape experiments, warping, (and) sound design." I'm not as hip as I used to be, if I ever even was, and had to look up IDM -- "intelligent dance music." At any rate, it's cool stuff, worth checking out:

Rick Treffers' final single, "The Earth is Turning Round the Sun," from his digital album, Looking for a Place to Stay, is good stuff. Indie pop from the Netherlands:

The new Gasp video is cool. Gasp is from Sweden:

Last Wars' latest two song digital release is bitchin'. The first song, "Pale Fire," is Tubeway Army meets the Wipers, I'm super into it. Last Wars is from New Jersey:

Tuff Sunshine (New York); Bunny and the Invalid Singers (Scotland); and Private Hell (Virginia)

Back after another month long break. But before we get to it, a brief grand proclamation that CNQ isn't on Facebook anymore. It was the last social media hold-out for the blog, as I stopped posting on Twitter several years ago and never got into Instagram. So I'll continue to post here on CNQ as time and inclination warrant. There's a "followers" sidebar button over on the bottom right of the web version of the blog. I guess it still works, even though a while back I got a message saying it was going away. You can use that to keep up for when I post, maybe, with your Google account. If not, just check in occasionally, or search for "Clean Nice Quiet" a million times so it shows up in your Google news feed. These are my only suggestions. There may be other ways to get notified when I post, if CNQ is what you're into.

Also, a quick reminder for those interested in submitting their righteous jams to CNQ -- please check out submission guidelines (top sidebar over to the right of the web version). I'll be more inclined to listen to your submission if it is submitted the way I prefer.

Alright, let's do it:

"My Greatest Hits" is a great single off Tuff Sunshine's 8 song digital release Yesterday Suit from label Declared Goods. The album was released back in June, but it's new to me. Tuff Sunshine is a trio from New York, according to their Bandcamp page. The album is low key, catchy, and highly listenable. It's weird to find stuff this good and it's only got 10 supporters on Bandcamp (people who have purchased the album).

Bunny and the Invalid Singers' new album Flight Of The Certainty Kids is out now on Edinburgh label Bearsuit Records. It's already received a lot of solid reviews, and I like it too. Instrumental electronic pop, Tortoise and Dan Deacon would be my touchstone for this. You can purchase this digitally or on CD. Why would you not?

Private Hell is a four-piece punk act out of Richmond, Virginia. Their new 5 song release is called Private Hell, and the last song on the album is called "Private Hell." That's the trifecta, friends. I love it, sludgy thrash punk. You can pre-order a cassette on their Bandcamp page, due out in February from Bat Magick Records:

This album has 47 supporters, which in terms of the stuff I like and feature from Bandcamp, that's a lot. It should be more, but not everybody's as cool and you and me and those 47 cool ass fans.

That's it for the time being. More to come from October submissions and other stuff I've been listening to.

Hans Condor (Nashville); Ab Ex (Dallas); Pink Milk (Sweden); Los Microbios (Vermont); Oceanography (Oakland); Women of the Night (Brooklyn); The Gents (Hamburg); Carbon Fields (UK); Naqoy (Budapest)

Nashville's Hans Condor is that now sound, man. I got a sneak peak at their new full length, Breaking and Entering, which you can pre-order ahead of it's November 16th release on their Bandcamp page, and it's a total ripper. Here's the single, "Breaking and Entering," it's a blister-fest:

Ab Ex is the new electronic solo project from Dallas-based musician Jason Hensel. Lost When Waking is 11 instrumental tracks of giallo-inspired darkwave, good stuff, check it out:

Speaking of darkwave, Swedish occult punk outfit Pink Milk have a new track available called "Here Comes The Pain." Atmospheric to the max! Music to lose your virginity by:

Los Microbios is the home-recorded project of Lance Jones, of Vermont. The 15 track Cognitive Thinning is a real lo-fi wonder, with covers of "Child of the Moon" and "Oh Yoko" to boot:

Brooklyn's Women of the Night have a new album available on Bandcamp, Sub Rosa, 14 tracks of bluesy, gritty, Stones 'n' Springsteen inspired rock that genre hops between proto punk, dream pop and psych, and Americana/indie/alt rock. I like story songs and songs about dirt bags, so enjoyed these:

Oceanography is another solo project, this one from Oakland musician Brian Kelly. Thirteen Songs About Driving Nowhere in Alphabetical Order is the album, also in an Americana/indie/alt rock vein, but much poppier than Women of the Night:

The Gents, from Hamburg, have released Multiple Attack on Bandcamp, a 4 track garage punk effort. Fun stuff:

Carbon Fields is another solo instrumentalist, I believe from the UK, and their new 3 song EP/mini-album is called Petrichor. Each song is around 7 minutes, and, per the artist, "combines field recordings with strings, down-tempo beats and an experimental instrument called a bow chime."

Pretty cool -- you can listen and download on the Hiru Recordings Bandcamp page. Hiru's Bandcamp About says: "Hiru Recordings is home to a collective of experimental musicians, noise makers and field recordists. We release new and archival sonic explorations in the fields of electronica and drone music." And as such, Carbon Fields does not disappoint:

Naqoy is a two piece electro-noise-rock outfit from Budapest. Their new Bandcamp release is called Four, and it's four noisey tracks that blend electronics, noise rock, post-punk and drone. The final track, "Fabric," is mesmerizing, and the artwork for the release is cool too:

Corntuth (Brooklyn); Little Beards (Dallas); WSZY (Poland); and Kingfisher (Sweden)

Back in late July I posted a good review of Brooklyn-based ambient producer and musician Corntuth's latest album The Desert Is Paper Thin, and since then it's been a feature on Bandcamp Daily, which is always nice when I get to scoop them. (Bandcamp Daily I used to think was uncool, but I have since come around and now I think they're doing a good job). The vinyl for The Desert Is Paper Thin is now 80% funded. Meditative "Ambient Americana" is a good way to describe it, take a listen, and if you like it, you should head over to Corntuth's Bandcamp page to contribute so the album gets funded. I did, it's great stuff and should sound rad on the hi-fi:

You know Syf Records has been cranking out the jams, as that's what they do. Here's some of the newest stuff from the lo-fi, high powered Polish micro-label, and not what you'd expect, either. Instead of the raw, noisey rock y electro that Syf typically trucks in, WSZY's debut EP, .GNIDY is post-rock -- or maybe, heavy jazz, man, yeh -- Polish heavy jazz. I think you would dig it the most. Like a lo-fi cross between Morphine and Tortoise, the 3 song instrumental EP is certainly a lot more intentionally musical than previous Syf releases, the ones I've heard anyway. Syf cranks out a lot of material, which is a good thing, but I'm not able to keep up with the expanding catalog like I'd like to. At any rate, you can order WSZY's .GNIDY on cassette via the Syf Records Bandcamp page, and you should, this is exceptional stuff, a ton of fun:

That Little Beards single, "What's The Point (It's Funny)", from their forthcoming album The Legend of Spectacular Living, is now streaming, and you can pre-order the album on Bandcamp. Smartwave gothy post-punk from Dallas, check it out:

Kingfisher is a rock duo from Sweden and their new single, "Lover to Discover," is available on Bandcamp. They describe themselves as a combination of '90s MTV Rock and 00s British indie, which I think sums up this single nicely:

Corntuth (New York), Starflyer 59 (California), Rick Treffers (Netherlands), and Desborde (Argentina)

Corntuth is an ambient music producer based in Brooklyn. Their new release The Desert Is Paper Thin is 11 instrumentals, over 40 minutes of tunes. I keep meaning to put it on when I'm driving and listen to the whole thing, as it was conceived as a record documenting an imaginary day and night drive through the desert. I've enjoyed the tracks I have listened to -- ambient meets Americana, synth pads and steel pedal. Pretty stuff, and I did order the shirt because the graphic is cool:

There's a Youtube video to accompany the album as well:

A post or two ago I mentioned a label called Velvet Blue Music. This new Starflyer 59 video is a short film for the song, "Life in Bed." Per Velvet Blue Music's PR, "elements of the song are woven into an elongated soundtrack, with the actual album version of the song not entering until the 6:45 mark." The video is pretty haunting, and the song, also haunting, kicks ass. Starflyer 59 has been around since the 1990s, and I'd like to say I knew about them periphially, but I'm not 100% sure that's true. At any rate, here's the longform video for "Life in Bed," written and directed by Hunter Christy, who did the videos for GBV's "Space Gun" and "See My Field," among others:

Here's another righteous Starflyer 59 track, you can get it and "Life in Bed" on separate flexi-discs via the band's Bandcamp page. Fans of Mogwai and Arab Strap will appreciate this. I'm a little embarrassed I'm not familiar with the band, love this and "Life in Bed":

Rick Treffers has a new video for his new single "After I'm Gone," from the recently released album Looking For A Place To Stay. Cool adult-oriented indie-pop from the Netherlands. I love it:

This Desborde demo is raw bad ass power. Argentinian punk to the max. A must listen:

Soma Crew (York), The Poppermost (Glasgow), Uhylak (Wroclaw, Poland), Bethan (Dallas), The False Positives (Rochester, NY), and Pink Milk (Gotland)

Soma Crew is based out of York and has a new "twin" vinyl release, Out of Darkness/Into Light courtesy Vinyl Eddie Records. The 12 songs are all around 5 minutes, give or take. I haven't listened to the whole thing, but the four or five tracks I listened to are rad. Psych in a Brian Jonestown Massacre vein.

Here's a video for their single, "Mighty Forces:"

Uchylak is from Wroclaw, Poland. Going back to 2019, he has eight albums and eight EPs on Bandcamp, and I love an artist who is so prolific that his friends tell him "I can't keep up with your output." I can relate.

Super-cool instrumental electronic music, the artist says it's "a mix of techno-industrial, ambient, drone and lo fi." This song has a Ministry vibe I love:

The Poppermost is a one-man band from Glasgow with a new album due out on the 30th called Hits To Spare, which will be made available on vinyl and CD in the US courtesy Think Like A Key Music. A Beatles/Bands Influenced By The Beatles-influenced project, "Up Against It" is the B-Side of the first single:

Velvet Blue Music is a label out of Huntington Beach, California, I'm interested in digging into their catalog a little more. There's a number of bands on their Bandcamp page from the DFW and Texas. I love this track from Dallas artist Bethan, whom I've never heard of. An eerie jazz vocal:

I look forward to listening to more of the Velvet Blue Music catalog soon.

Here in the Year of our Lorb 2021, there are so many people making so much music. What a time to be alive. And you'll never listen to it all. It's a wild scene, man.

The False Positives are out of Rochester, NY, and I have been there twice. They've got a really cool record store called The Record Archive that has a bar in it.

This is The False Positive's eighth digital single release since December 2018. Fun lo-fi power pop:

Swedish duo Pink Milk have got to be going places. Gothy shoegaze, reverb to the max -- and what a fun video:

That's half a month's worth of quality submissions right there. I'll try for the other half of July submissions here soon.

A.N.J.A. (Belfast), Bill Horist (Seattle), and Harmonica Lewinski (Rochester, NY)

Been waiting a while to share this. A.N.J.A. is from Belfast and her new fuzzed out single "Monoxide" is boss. 13th Floor Elevators-inspired goodness:

How are you set for a 45 minute long prepared guitar driven dystopian soundscape? Improviser, composer and performer Bill Horist is from Seattle, and his new album, "Tastemaker Epics," is more than likely what you've been waiting for. Available on cassette from Cudighi Records for $7 plus $4 shipping in the US, if avant-garde instrumental weirdness is your bag, you gotta check this out:

Rochester NY spooky surf rockers Harmonica Lewinski have a new Youtube video out, the second installment in their "home video-style diy live sessions," filmed at their rehearsal warehouse in Rochester. Bad ass, inspiring, DIY film-making and music. This only has 162 views and 6 thumbs up. I feel like if this had been released 25 years ago, it would've been on Matador and a must-have video cassette. But, perhaps it will take the world 25 years to catch up to Harmonica Lewinski. My criticism is the lead singer's got a fun voice, and it's pretty buried here, but such is DIY. Take 15 minutes out of your day and make yourself a pleasure on the screen with this fun as hell video:

Roland Bruno (Argentina); Palberta and Sunk Heaven (New York); The Ducks and Salem Trials (UK); Call In Dead and 2Amature (Florida); The Shifters (Australia); Franck Racket (France); and Adam Holtz (Alabama)

Back in 2016, Buenos Aires based Roland Bruno released a 7" single called "Cumbia Reaction." Apparently Switzerland's Voodoo Rhythm will have a new release from Bruno soon. Absolutely rad Latin garage psych:

Is "rhythm" the weirdest word in the English language or what? I find it impossible to correctly spell it the first or second time. It never looks right.

On May 7, at 7PM Central, Palberta is doing a livestream on Bandcamp where they'll play their new album Palberta5000 in its entirety. Ten bucks, and an electro-noise artist called Sunk Heaven will also be playing. I've got my ticket, and got an e-mail from Warf Cat Records today letting me know my Palberta5000 record has shipped. They still have vinyl for sale on Bandcamp:

On May 19, 7PM GMT, Brighton two-piece The Ducks and something called Super Nothing TV will present "The Ducks Will Fxck You," "a live stream set from The Hope & Ruin in Brighton, a collection of sketches and music videos." I'm intrigued:

Also from the UK, prolific CNQ faves Salem Trials have a rad new track on Soundcloud:

SalemTunes · In the Future lies the Past

Released today, DCxPC Live Volume 1 Presents: Call in Dead and 2AMature Live at the Danger Room in Orlando, FL, is the first 45" put out by new punk label DCxPC. Limited to 200 copies, you can get one for $10. The Call in Dead side is a mishmash of hc and pop punk, crust/screamo, metal, and unfortuntely, a little bit of ska ("Summer Camp"), but despite the skanin' in "Summer Camp," it's quality r'n'r. The 2Amature side leans towards pop/surf but has an edge, and the whole live split is a success at capturing the sound and energy of a kinetic punk show. Recommended:

It's quaint to say I miss going to live shows, but I do. I know some folks have already started going back to live events, but I'm not ready for it.

The Shifters - Live In Gaul was recorded live (on an iPhone!) back in 2019, and put out on cassette this year by French label Arvo Disques. The cassette has already sold out, but a repress is on the way. Meanwhile you can listen to the full thing on Bandcamp. Fun, jangly, lo-fi rock'n'roll, and it's nice to hear a crowd having fun:

Also from France, Franck Racket is a grungy two-piece and their 5 song release Dark Ages is available digitally or on CD. I've been on a '90s hard rock kick lately and this release from back in February hits in that spot:

Finally, longtime CNQ fave Adam Holtz has a new song and video he made called "You." Always a pleasure to hear a new song from Adam: