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:

Will Feral (Texas); David Wallraf (Germany); Lars Haur (Oklahoma); The Usurpers (Salt Lake City); Night of Rage (Russia); Captain Average (Hungary); K. Board & The Skreens (Italy); The Conspiracy (U.K.)

One of my favorite sub-genres of noise/experimental/ambient/electronic music is the "score for non-existent film scores for film" category. Back in college in the late 90s I took a poetry class and I remember being very proud of a particular poem I wrote called "Invisible Movies." I don't have it handy but it began with something like

"This is the soundtrack for a movie that does not exist"

Maybe it's not as cool as all that, but for years, before and after I wrote that poem, I did make soundtracks for movies that didn't exist (i.e., mixtapes on cassette and then later on burned CDs). And then when I began my Will Feral electronic project, the goal was to make scores for films that, of course, don't exist. My most recent cyber-punk themed attempt was "Hellweb," which is out on Metal Postcard Records:

At any rate in recent years I've seen several other people use the same terminology about making non-existent film scores, and I think that's pretty neat. I'm not saying I invented it, of course. It's not a difficult concept to think up (especially if you're, to quote Jon Stewart, "on weed," or maybe you're just a sober yet creative individual, whatever); but it's fun and interesting to be contributing to a micro-genre mini-zeitgeist.

David Wallraf is a noise artist and researcher out of Hamburg, Germany, and his latest release, Subsongs, is also "supposed to function like the soundtrack to a nonexistent film," a non-existent film about birds, according to a pdf he supplied about the release. It's availble on cassette, and limited to 30 copies, from German experimental label Econore. 10 tracks of fascinating noise textures, complete with field recordings of birds. Very impressive and inspiring. Here's the second track from the album, called "Parliment of Birds," which, according to the PDF linear notes for the album, "refers to both a fictional secret language in William Gibson’s 2014 novel The Peripheral and the ancient Persian poem ر الط منطق ("The Conference of the Birds") by Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar." Too cool:

Over on Wallraf's own Bandcamp page, he has a number of releases, both digital and physical cassettes, and the most recent, released back in December, is a 20 minute, two track release that is panic inducing at its heights and highly recommended for noise freaks:

Lars Haur is an experimental artist from Oklahoma, and his latest release is a 4 song EP called Valences :2​:​2​:​2​:​2:. It releases Jan. 31, but you can hear the first two tracks already on Bandcamp. Of the EP, the artist says it is an "uncomfortable ambient EP created through a combination of typical writing and heavy use of semi-random generation of melodies. These semi-random melodies were then processed through a long chain of varied FX that were combined in a likewise semi-random fashion. The name of the EP derives from the characteristic of elements that dictates what other elements they may combine with."

Pivoting from noise to more straightforward hardcore punk, The Usurpers are out of Salt Lake City and have a split with Russian band Night of Rage, a cassette is due out this month but the Bandcamp page doesn't mention it. Fans of DIY hardcore should enjoy:

Captain Average is a 3 piece fronted by László Sallai, who I'm told is "one of the most active member of the Budapest underground," playing in various underground bands and running a cassette label and DIY booking agency. Captain Average "mixes post-punk with krautrock vibes and the lyrics are reflecting on Eastern Europe’s political issues." Their first album is an 11 song digital release called Heaven Capitulates. The single, "In The Post-Future," is a fun listen:

And, finally, it wouldn't be a CNQ post without new releases from the aforementioned Metal Postcard Records. K. Board & The Skreens Langue - EP is the debut album from the Italian group with only one member, and MP describes it as "bedroom electronic 8-bit chip music and add the magic of Italo." Sounds right to me. Super-tight:

The Conspiracy I assume are British. MP says: "Old songs re-recorded and released on Metal Postcard Records...It's like listening to the missing link between Squeeze & The Clean and World Party. They also have the uncanny knack of creating choruses that conjure up echoes of Steve Harley & The Cockney Rebel." Highly listenable:

4:44; Yammerer; Salem Trials; Metal Postcard Records; Legless Trials; The Legless Crabs; The Bordellos; Alien Nosejob; Ausmuteants; Thalmus

4:44 is a singer-songwriter one man recording project based out of New Jersey. I feature new 4:44 from time to time, always good stuff. The last post with a 4:44 track was in September (where I erroneously said he was from Philidelphia), but the track I featured has been taken down by the artist on his Bandcamp page. So here's another track from his most recent 21 track Bandcamp digital release, Orchid, released back in September:

Thalmus is also a singer-songwriter solo project, based out of Atlanta, who makes "weird country music," and I love that description. Midnight Country is a digital Bandcamp release "featuring a few originals mixed in with country covers of Sonic Youth, Thundercat, Anita Baker, and Rae Sremmurd." Check out their cover of SY's "Schizophrenia," it's super-cool:

This was submitted back in June and I missed it. Just stumbled on it tonight while ironically trying to figure out how best not to miss stuff like this. Yammerer is from Liverpool. I was 3 seconds in and hooked on this track, "Tell Me What The Ancient Astronauts Believe," and stayed hooked for the full 3 minutes of the song. Killer, urgent post-punk, and what a great song title:

New Salem Trials is bitchin' as always. Post-punk rock duo from Leeds about as prolific as Bob Pollard or Zappa:

I was honored to get to work with Andy from Salem Trials under the moniker Legless Trials, and we're very lucky to have Metal Postcards to promote them for us. Our most recent Metal Postcard release is an EP called Hotwire an Ambulance. The lead track, "Hotwire an Ambulance," has been played on no less than three terrestrial radio stations, and as far as I know, maybe more. Maybe ALL THE STATIONS. That's me on vox, Andy on everything else:

I just looked over at the Metal Postcard Records Bandcamp page and betcha by golly, Salem Trials has another release on it. I told you they were prolific. Synthetic Animals and Other Plastics is an 8 song concept album, here's "Halo of Flies:"

And speaking of prolific Metal Postcard artists, both the Bordellos and the Legless Crabs (who may or may not be my noisy, off key solo project) both have new releases. The Bordellos have a new 2 song double A-side, "Dancing To The Hits/Slow Motion Fade Out," and the Crabs have a new 11 song, 20 minute long album called Tender Karaoke, and I gotta say, it's not the worst thing, if you're into noisy, off key solo projects. The Bordellos release is genius as all fuck tho:

The Bordellos also have a 4 song digital release on their own Bandcamp page, Rock N Roll Is Dead EP. The Bordellos are that band where you tell people how rad they are, and they don't listen, and then some time later they say to you, "hey, have you ever heard of the Bordellos?" And you want to strangle them, despite their well-meaning attempt to turn you on to cool new music. I do that to my wife all the time and it's a wonder she hasn't strangled me to death yet:

Alien Nosejob has new vinyl out, I'll pay for that without having to hear it first because you know it's gonna be rad. But luckily I do get to hear it first on Bandcamp before I inevitably order it. Alien Nosejob is the bedroom project of Jake Robertson from Ausmuteants. Ausmuteants has not put out anything since 2019, but these Alien Nosejob albums have been super cool. I've got the first two on vinyl, will be ordering this as well:

...Present The World In Handcuffs was the last Ausmuteants album, released in the Before Times of 2019. The Bandcamp page still has vinyl available:

All that got us up to is mid-November with new releases and submissions. More later and soon maybe, ya know. I dunno. Go forth and listen to the above! And drink lots of water. I want to play some Skyrim, or maybe Tropico, or some Sims. If I could play all three at once, I still wouldn't be satisfied.

Bordello & Clark; Metal Postcard Records

It wouldn't be CNQ catching up after a month of doofing around with other projects and video games without a post featuring Brian Bordello's latest project and/or something new from Metal Postcard Records. So here's a post featuring both.

Back in late August I mentioned Merseyside's Brian Bordello had a long unreleased album he did with U.S guitarist Ted Clark (I think Clark is based out of Ohio) finally due out courtesy Think Like a Key. That album, Atlantic Crossing by Bordello & Clark is finally out, and you can stream, download or purchase the CD on Think Like a Key's Bandcamp page. Long-time readers of CNQ will know I think there's nobody quite as good as Brian Bordello currently alive and making music. Clark's finish on Bordello's initial four track recordings of the dozen tracks compliment Brian's keen ability to craft a lo-fi pop song, with the tape hiss of the four track naturally adding to the ambience. Beautiful guitar songs with Brian's lyrics that are, as always, Lennon-levels of humor and vitriol, often nostalgic and melancholy, and each as enchanting as the last, from beginning to end. These two guys really knock it out of the park with this one. Absolutely one of the best albums of the year:

Hey, is it just me or is this year almost over? It went by faster than last year, feels like. Take care of yourself -- drink lots of water. Sit and breathe.

CNQ's favorite Australian label, Metal Postcard Records, has been as busy as always. The last thing I featured from MP was Leeds post-punk duo Salem Trials' Something Beginning With back in September. One half of the Salem Trials, Andy Goz, has done a team-up similar to Bordello & Clark with Texas' own Son of El Borko, from the Legless Crabs. Together they've release a self-titled EP and, as of today, a full length on MP called What We Did During The Fall. Andy Goz is as talented as all get out. Son of El Borko is me and I gotta say y'all, the week or so it took us to crank out the EP and the album was one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding experiences of my semi-churned life. Andy flexes his post-punk/no wave chops throughout, and I try to be clever and don't know what a key is. For "Holding Pattern," which is one of my favorite songs I've ever written, Andy brought in his friend Jules Lawrence for harmonica for the track, and that harmonica really brings the song home, I think.

Will Feral is an electronic producer who makes scores for invisible movies (actually it's just me and Garageband, but don't tell anybody). Hellweb is an attempt at a score for a cyberpunk horror story. This is the first Will Feral full length for MP:

Also in the electronic vein, MP stalwart Sir Robert Orange Peel has a new album out, and those are always fun, plus Dub Chieftain's Homeworld is a great album, think King Tubby making music for a 16-bit video game:

Rock'n'roll purists will undoubtably enjoy the Aliens album 30 lbs. of Air:

And, for some fun punk:

Metal Postcard Records is an incredible thing to be a part of. The level of talent Sean Hocking attracts and is able to amplify (plus my own bullshit) is a real feat in our current internet stage filled with noise and little signal. Metal Postcard is that signal.

And not to put too fine a point on it: "Pig Fucker," the Brian Bordello & Occult Character song that, many believe, and some even say aloud, is the finest song ever written and recorded, was released on MP, a little over a year ago now. Full disclosure -- I wrote the lyrics to the song, but man does Brian send this into the stratosphere where the best songs ever hang in orbit around us:

This Heel (Sweden); Lappen (Germany); Meph Luciano & CK (Dallas)

Martin Månsson Sjöstrand's This Heel has a new EP called Invisible Space, due out October 16 on Bandcamp. I got to listen to the 6 track EP today and it is This Heel at its lo-fi psych-pop rock'n'roll finest. Sjöstrand keeps getting better and better at what he does. "Cave Boy (Blow The Flower A Kiss)" is from the new album, give it a listen:

Also, all true Sjöstrand fanatics should check out volumes 2 and 3 of his Arkivkollage series. I featured #1 in the series a while back, and since then there's been two more -- each 20 minutes or so of songs from Martin's archives, collaged together into a must listen for purveyors of weirdo lo-fi psych-pop extended freak-outs:

Deutschpunk from Leipzeig:

Hip-hop from Dallas:

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:

This Heel (Sweden); XGRIF0X and Jack Slater (California); 4:44 (Philidelphia)

CNQ favorite This Heel released a new single at the beginning of August, called "Cave Boy (Blow the Flower a Kiss)." Lo-fi Swedish psych-pop, great stuff as always!

California-based one man powerviolence band XGRIFOX has a new split with Oakland's Choke! The Choke! songs are good hardcore, and XGRIFOX is quickly becoming one of my new favorite rock'n'rollers. XGRIFOX takes rock'n'roll, distills it down to its quintessence, fills up a syringe with it, and then injects it with a dirty needle into your soul, man, for real:

I see XGRIFOX has an even more recent release, a split with a Chilean band called Jack Slater.

The Jack Slater side is good:

And again, there is something elemental about XGRIFOX:

Another longtime CNQ fave, 4:44, has released a lot of material on Bandcamp since last I checked in with him. It's in my queue but I haven't listened to any of it, no doubt to my detriment. Here's a song called "The Golden Age of Late Night," from 4:44's latest Bandcamp release, Songs from Cellar Heaven, and it's quality alt-pop, which I've come to expect from the singer-songwriter from Philidelphia. I need to catch up with the rest of his recent releases:

New from Metal Postcard Records and Syf Records

A desire to scratch a symbol on a cave wall, or beat a drum, or ululate, or tell a story.

Imagine that.

Imagine being present at the beginning of our history, and then, hundreds of thousands of years later, being present for the end of it. Like you lived all that time. I bet you'd be glad to finally see shit wrap up.

Loyal CNQ readers will know Sean Hocking's Metal Postcard Records is bad-ass and indispensible if you want to stay hep af in our modern age.

Halfway through 2021. Scratches on a cave wall.

"Love is a Healing Force" is a taster single from a new act called The Kessler Cascasde. 7 minutes of off-beat bedroom blue-eyed soul with a positive message. I am inspired:

Also from Metal Postcard, Graham Domain has a new 9 song album out. A lot of the songs on it are also long. Here's a shorter one though. Graham's a serious talent:

Speaking of 7 minute long tracks from Metal Postcard, and the opposite of real talent, I'd be remiss to not feature "Abandon All Dope," the last track off Occult Character's new Metal Postcard release, The Song Remains The Stain. Around an hour of lo-fi histrionics, courtesy yours truly:

I did an interview with Syf Records a while back and they've been steadily releasing stuff since -- now they've got their first cassette release, which is exciting. It's all their KILØFF EPs in one place:

This first cassette released earlier this month was quickly followed by two more cassette releases!

Thanks and The Bordellos (UK), Shakali (Finland), and Jay Royale (Baltimore): Noise, Lo-Fi, Ambient Psych and Hip-Hop

Thanks is noise rock from Leeds. "Thankology" is a compilation of everything they've released up to this point. Digitital download, CDs, and cassettes are still available. It is so awesome, I can't stop listening it.

I listened to all of this 9 and a half minute long ambient psych piece today on my drive back to work from lunch. Killer diller:

New hip-hop from Baltimore's Jay Royale. Absolutely:

The Bordellos' "Be My Maybe/David Bowie" double A-side courtesy Metal Postcard Records is now available. Prepare to melt:

Rick Treffers (Netherlands); Gasp (Sweden); The Bordellos (UK); The Conspiracy (UK); The Chris Rolling Squad (France); Last Wars (New Jersey); and Adam Holtz (Alabama)

A while ago I featured singer songwriter Rick Treffers from the Netherlands, and his new release, Looking For A Place To Stay, is now out on Bandcamp and streaming services. 12 song album, I haven't gotten a chance to listen to all of it yet, but the few songs I've listened to confirm my suspicion that Treffers is a talent. Highly pleasant indie pop. Here's the video for the first song on the album, "Time Is Really Running Out"

Gasp is solid Swedish three piece punk. They've released a new single, "Least Expected," which is rad. Here's that, as well as the video for their previous single, "Dragging Through Mud." Also rad:

The Bordellos have a new double A-side due out on Metal Postcard Records, "Be My Maybe" and "David Bowie," and it's getting difficult for me to think critically about a Bordellos track, I just think they're the coolest no matter what. Dan's baritone vox (see also: Vukovar, Beauty Stab) is always in fashion, and his pop Brian knows how to write earworms. They are truly my 21st century heroes. While you wait for "Be My Maybe" and "David Bowie," here's their most recent double A-side from Metal Postcard, in case you missed it:

Also from Metal Postcard, I managed to miss this: weirdo pop duo The Conspiracy, with an 18 song album called Apple Zapple. Check out the title track, killer diller:

France's The Chris Rolling Squad released their second album back in April, Cannonball Holocaust, available streaming on Bandcamp or on vinyl. Motörhead-inspired rock'n'roll for sure:

New Jersey's Last Wars have a bitchin' new single, a cover of Flipper's "Get Away." Lo-fi moog-punk excellence:

Alabama's Adam Holtz has a "new" track up on Youtube -- it's actually a 20 year old recording, originally done on a 4 track analog tape porta-studio machine. More super-cool stuff from one of CNQ's favorite singer-songwriters:

Rad Stuff from the Netherlands: Mone, Fleur, Les Robots; Lo-Fi Rock'n'Roll from Portland (Girlsville); and CNQ fave Boys Age (Japan)

I've been having fun posting, so here's another one.

Mone is a Dutch alt-pop artist. "Rat" is from an upcoming album "Crocodile Kisses," to be released on Famous Gold Watch Records. Cool stuff:

Les Robots are a Dutch instrumental rock duo who teamed up with Dutch singer Floor Elman aka "Fleur" to make a really amazing neo-ye-ye album. Back in June 2020, Spanish label Bickerton released this, and now Richmond, Virginia's 6131 Records has a stateside pressing available for pre-sale, featuring updated artwork and insert, with a newly added b-side, previously only available on a 7" single. It's great, check it out:

Les Robots' last release on Bandcamp was August 2020, Project World Control. Just absolutely rad instrumental rock'n'roll -- vinyl tapes, and CDs still available:

Portland's Girlsville has a great new release called Spoiled Legacy you should check out if you're into lo-fi alt-rock. They say it's a domestic U.S. release of a Germ House tape that came out on German label Detriti Records in 2020, and the Girlsville version adds 7 compilation rarities to the b-side. You can pre-order the cassette, but I just got the second to last one, so good luck:

I also just picked up a digital download of the new Boys Age. He's got CDs limited to 25, with only 9 remaining of this writing. Boys Age is always such a pleasure:

UK Night: The Bordellos, Vukovar, Salem Trials, BOYA

On April 20, The Bordellos' second double A-side of the year will be released via the always amazing Metal Postcard Records. I've been lucky enough to receive a sneak listen to the two tracks, The Daisy Master Race and Cultural Euthanasia. Long-time fans of The Bordellos and Brian Bordello's solo work will not be disappointed. The Daisy Master Race is a delightful acoustic pop ditty about a shit-head "real life beautiful talented songwriter who writes beautiful songs but is a real-life right wing, fascist, homophobic, sexist, race hating bastard," sung and strummed by Brian, and Cultural Euthanasia, sung by Dan Bordello, is a mean little psych-out. If you haven't heard the Bordellos, or worse, are not a fan, then I encourage you to think about your life choices up to this point, and get hep. Here is that first double-A side, released back in early March:

Speaking of Dan Bordello, his other band, the gothic post-punk Vukovar, has announced their follow-up to last year's excellent The Colossalist. Called THE GREAT IMMUREMENT, it will be released on CD by the Russian label Other Voices Records, to be shipped May 25. I got the Colossalist on CD and the packaging is really slick, they did a good job. Here's the video for the single When Rome Falls:

Speaking of post-punk from the UK, Salem Trials has a super-bitchin' new single called Children of The CRASH you gotta check out. Andy's noisy guitar and chuga-chuga rhythms always pair well with Russ' sprechgesang vox:

Salem Trials are extremely prolific, so they've also got a new full length release on their Bandcamp page called Refuse To Die, "a collection of songs recorded during various sessions between October and December 2020, and vocals and additional instrumentation added March 2021." Here's the first track off that album, We're Not The People:

And don't forget to check out their double February full-length releases over on Metal Postcard Records, No Waving and File Under Concrete. Here's a track off each release:

And finally, speaking of Metal Postcard Records, and I do so very often, you gotta check out BOYA's Momentary Moments, released back in February. This low-key, ambient 5 song digital EP mixes electronic and acoustic sounds for maximum mesmerizing effect:

Andrew Anderson & 14 Friends: "Be My Guest"

CNQ fave Andrew Anderson has a new release out today called "Be My Guest." It's a collaboration project featuring the Manchester musician and 14 of his friends. Each track is written and recorded by just Anderson and another individual friend.

I'm hard pressed not to enjoy an Anderson release, whether it's a solo release (late 2019's excellent Clean Yrself, and the quaratine-inspired Music Album Idea), or one of the bands he's a member of (Freak Genes, Hipshakes, Proto Idiot), and this album is no different. Anderson is a powerful talent. If you don't go and immedietly listen to this, followed by the other links presented below, you're only doing yourself a disservice.

"Be My Guest" is freewheeling, super-fun, experimental lo-fi bedroom pop. I'm reminded of Television Personalities, The Kinks, and occassionaly Swell Maps listening to it. So good.

The 14 track album is available on Bandcamp for 5 Euros, and all proceeds go to Booth Centre, Manchester, which supports people coping with homelessness in Manchester; and Black Lives Matter UK, a coalition of black activists and organisers across the UK.

Great music for a good cause? Grip this now.

After you're done with "Be My Guest," check out Anderson's other two solo albums and these other bands he is involved in:

And then here are some releases from the artists Andrew teamed up with for "Be My Guest:"

CNQ 30 Minute Mixcloud Show

I was inspired to do a quick show on Mixcloud tonight so here's the playlist and the show: 

1

Saints

The Breeders

2

Sura Sura

The Muslims

3

Type A Girl

Dogatech (feat. Bunny Mayhem)

4

Let's Not Go Back To Normal

Santa Sprees

5

Gimme Mine Feat. 80's Babies

Tall Black Guy Productions

6

Perfect Time To Die

The Bordellos

7

Zoomorphic Kingdom

Damien Youth

8

Light Rose

4:44

9

Public Enemy Number One

The Sid Presley Experience

CNQ Picks for Bandcamp's No Fee Friday

Brand new hip-hop single from Austin's Kydd Jones:

Released May 22, this is pretty singular. A full-length from D.C.'s Damu The Fudgemunk -- jazz/hip-hop fusion featuring jazz great Archie Shepp and vocalist Raw Poetic: 
Lumpy and the Dumpers have released a 12 song album called "Collection," collecting a lot of their slime-punk hits 'n' slips from a few years ago. All proceeds from today's sales on their bandcamp page go to Arch City Defenders, a non-profit that provides legal services to exploited people of color in St. Louis.
Sweden's Dog. Paper. Submarine.'s final album is finally out, quality, catchy indie psych-pop: 
Speaking of psych-pop, Scrambled Limbs from Leeds has a great new single out:
And finally, I got around to listening to the classic rock vibes of the latest The Men album, "Mercy," and really enjoyed it: 

CNQ Recommendations for Bandcamp Fee Waiver Friday

Here's what I picked up from Bandcamp today, what with them being nice enough to forgo their vig and all:

BIB is the nuttiest noise outta Omaha, and this is their latest full length. You can get it on vinyl via Pop Wig Records, but it's not on Bandcamp so I figured I should give my money directly to the band here. The first time I heard BIB, I thought I had drifted ten years into the future:

Here's a rockin' comp from Paris' super-cool Buddy Records:

Another label comp, this from the UK's Specialist Subject Records. It's called "FURLOUGH YOUR DREAMS," and is only available today, Friday 5/1. 100% of the proceeds will be split between the bands involved, they say, which is nice. There's also a t-shirt you can pre-order that looks pretty cool. The Specialist Subject page calls "Furlough Your Dreams" "a brilliant selection of brand new, unreleased, acoustic, demo, lo-fi, rarities & alternative tracks by a bunch of the wonderful bands we work with!" Rock:

CNQ noise punk faves Thin Skin from Denton Texas put out a live album recently, a recording of a show they did down in Austin:

One of the women from Thin Skin has a solo project of electro-weirdo goodness called Candy and the Suckers. I caught up on the discography today but here's the latest release:

You know I love Japan's Boys Age! The freakiest, dreamiest pop. This guy oughta be a star. Here's his latest album:

The excellent ARSE put out a split 7" last October on the EU's always cool Erste Theke Tontraeger Records. Savage hc from Sydney:

London's Sauna Youth, purveyors of quality post-punk, released this today, "a collection of 7" & cassette tracks, old recordings, a live session, unreleased stuff & demos. Re-contextualised here as an album "In Flux"."

I also finally picked up their 2018 full length, "Deaths":

...and finally, Baltimore's noise rock outfit Dope Body, who announced their dissolution a few years back, have been teasing new releases for a while on Facebook, and they finally released a lot of stuff today, including this, 13 new tracks that I am super-excited about. The single, Johnny Bag of Smoke, is the only one I've listened to so far and it's like, the most, man:

New Bandcamp Punk from Detroit, Barcelona, Weimar, and Naga City.

With Bandcamp waiving its vig again this Friday, there's my usual roster of cool bands and artists I have lined up to throw some chump change their way. But I thought, here on this Wednesday evening, it would be fun to do one of my old "What's New On Bandcamp?" posts, wherein I dig thru some Bandcamp new releases, and see what kind of noise I uncover. These all seem like good candidates for your chump change. Lo-fi, bedroom recordings from around the world, plus some hardcore from the Philippines, to wit:

From Detroit, a three song EP by a band called Weed Nap. Yo La Tengo-ish:

Two song EP, lo-fi bedroom pop type stuff from Barcelona called Los Tarzanillos. Dig that neat echo-y effect they use in both songs:

Three song EP from Weimar, Germany's JD & EU. Another lo-fi bedroom recording, this appears to be their first release.

From Struggle Records, out of Naga City, Philippines. Struggle Records says they're focusing on local punk and indie bands from the Bicol Region. This is a three song hardcore EP:

Bandcamp Waiving Their Vig for Friday 3/20/2020

Hope everyone is safe and well. Remain indoors the best you can, and wash your damn hands! We, humanity I mean, can whip this thing if we stick together (which ironically means giving each other a wide berth right now) and don't panic.

With Bandcamp waiving their vig today until midnight PST, I figured it's high time I pick up a few things I've been meaning to buy. I actually haven't bought anything on Bandcamp in a while. So here's what I purchased tonight:

First up, a rockin' instrumental single from Sweden's Martin Månsson Sjöstrand. If you're a loyal CNQ-er you may know Martin from one of my fave bands, This Heel, who I feature on the blog and the podcast frequently.

The UK's Brian Bordello has been busy recently, first with the 5 track Liverpool Hipster Scene EP, from Metal Postcard Records. I listened to this in the car a while back and I'm always blown away by Brian's honest, raw talent at getting to the meat and bone of a song. He followed that up shortly with a CD release from Wormhole World, a project called Idiot Blur Fanboy. The Idiot Blur Fanboy album is called "Oasis Are the Enemy," it's 11 songs, around 30 minutes of incredible no-fi. Brian is my underground hero, every release of his is as important as the last:

Also from Metal Postcard Records, and Bordellos adjacent, is Beauty Stab with a 3 track EP called "O Eden." Gorgeous, super-sexy lo-fi synth-pop/post-punk from a two piece out of the UK, and one of the members is Brian Bordello's son, Dan Shea. Dan is in the Bordellos with his dad, and was also in a band called Vukovar. Dan has a silky, resonant af voice and he and B. Preston, the other member of the duo, just knocked it out of the park with these three songs. This came out in March of 2019 and I've been meaning to buy it for, clearly, a year.

I've been meaning to pick up the latest Boys' Age releases, as he's been busy. Japan's Boys Age cranks out excellent warped guitar-based damaged pop. Here's his two most recent singles:

Richter Scale is a punk label out of the UK and you can get all of their 32 releases for $15 U.S. dollars. Here's a sampler from their most recent releases, hardcore, noisey stuff. Love it. Why would you not shell out $15 for this?:

This brings me to the end of my spending spree -- the new album from St. Louis' Fried E/M, off of Lumpy Records. That's Lumpy from Lumpy and the Dumpers on drums. We got to see these guys in a little taco place (Killer's Tacos) up in Denton a year or so ago. Impressive, high energy performance. I just ordered the vinyl for this -- I'll be hosing it down with Lysol and placing it in quarantine when it arrives:

You should also order a print from Fort Worth's incomparable Jack Daw Folk Art!