Live4ever’s New Tunes Guide has excellent highlights this week from Pickwick, Ivan & Alyosha and Guards.
Pickwick will soon release a true independent album entitled ‘Can’t Talk Medicine’. The band say they ‘upgraded from the basement and set up shop in their living room’ for its recording, while multi-instrumentalist Kory Kruckenberg served as engineer. Guards is the new project of former Cults guitarist Richie Follin and Willowz drummer Loren Humphrey who have spent the last few months out on the road honing their new material.
Seattle based Ivan & Alyosha will commence a round of touring in the spring in support of debut album ‘All The Times We Had’, which has been co-produced by engineer Chad Copelin and mixed by Jesse Lauter.
Check out previous editions of the New Tunes Guide here.
“Eureka Machines started out in 2007 when singer Chris Catalyst (occasional guitar/bass wrangler for The Sisters Of Mercy, Mariachi El Bronx, Ginger/Wildhearts, The Dead Pets and AntiProduct) got bored of waiting for Godot so decided to start a new band. In late 2012, following Chris’ work with Ginger Wildheart on his unbelievably successful Pledge Campaign (where he raised £250,000 from his small yet hardcore fanbase), Eureka Machines launched one of their own. The album, tentatively named ‘Remain In Hope’, is produced by Chris Catalyst and Andy Hawkins (Pigeon Detectives, Hawk Eyes, Pulled Apart By Horses) and will be released to Pledgers in March 2013 followed by a commercial release later in the year.”
“With a successful year of festival invites and an ever larger string of hometown sell-outs behind them in 2012, Pickwick refocused on recording and have, a year later, emerged with Can’t Talk Medicine. Upgrading from the basement used for Myths and setting up shop in their living room, the band’s own multi-instrumentalist Kory Kruckenberg served as engineer. The 13 finished tracks include three re-recorded and fully realized Myths cuts and a collaboration with Sharon Van Etten on lead single ‘Lady Luck’. Kicking off the year with a sold out headlining New Year’s Eve show at Seattle’s The Showbox at the Market, the band will head out on the road in early March working their way through the west toward SXSW.” FREE DOWNLOAD
“The expansive and intensely rhythmic ‘Cocoon Machina’ is Draw Me Stories‘ first time working with the producer Charlie Francis (REM, Future of the Left, Turin Brakes). Together, they have carved a record that feels self-assured in its own idiosyncrasies; bolstered by electronic textures and percussion, Draw Me Stories have created something that is rhythmically complex, minimalist, lyrically intriguing and unlike anything else right now. Their first single ‘Animals’ has already secured airplay on, notably, BBC Radio One, BBC Radio Wales and Amazing Radio.”
The Ocean have finished their first EP, showcasing a dark rock sound with an electronic influence. They have also just released a live DVD recorded in studio with an audio CD. You can check the video sessions on their YouTube channel:
“Manchester indie rockers City Reign have announced the first single ‘Making Plans’ from their forthcoming debut album ‘Another Step’. The single follows taster tracks the band offered as free downloads ‘Ahead of Ideas’ and ‘Retaliate’. The band teamed up with Manchester-based producer Sam Jones (Alex Turner) for the album, who took the band into Sacred Trinity Church in Salford to record. Jones chose the church for its rich natural reverb, which helped to bring depth to the band’s classic guitar sound.”
City Reign – Making Plans by Ask Me PR
“Girls Names have unveiled a brand new track, ‘Pittura Infamante’, from their forthcoming sophomore album “The New Life” due out 18th Feb. The track premiered with Pitchfork on Friday 18th January a month before the scheduled release of ‘The New Life’ (Tough Love/Slumberland). Having released a series of singles and EPs on various independent labels, Girls Names made their first significant impression on the wider world in 2011 with their debut album, Dead To Me, earning plaudits from the likes of Pitchfork, NME and Loud & Quiet amongst a host of others. And yet, despite all the praise heaped on it, as soon as that record was released Girls Names were already moving into a different headspace.”
Girls Names – Pittura Infamante by Tough Love
“Having been named ‘Artist of the Week’ by BBC Radio Manchester and gaining the support of other stations including Q Radio and Amazing Radio, The Ambersons released their ‘magnificent’ debut EP in late 2012 to great acclaim. Now, with 2013 underway, they invite you to listen one more time. Though there are new projects on the horizon, the charismatic Manc collective believe their debut still has plenty to offer new listeners.”
“Fresh from his work as guitarist in his sister’s acclaimed indie-pop act Cults, and fronting garage-rock band The Willowz, Richie Follin and Cults/Willowz drummer Loren Humphrey are proud to introduce their new project, Guards. Following months out on the road touring, Follin and Humphrey headed into the studio to shape and mould their own ideas, with the initial view of handing them back over to Cults for the second album. The recordings sounded fresh, exciting and blew out of the speakers, with Follin taking the role of vocalist, so they kept the songs for themselves.”
Guards – Silver Lining by Guards
“Ragtag post-punkers Acrobatic Society are to release their new EP on March 4th 2013. Kick Me, I’m Down will be unleashed through Tiny Lights Recordings. The EP follows their acclaimed debut EP release, Meat Meets Meat. Recorded in a dank room in Byker, mastered by Frankie and the Heartstrings/Soundtracks For A B-Movie/Minotaurs man Mick Ross, the band self-released Meat Meets Meat in late 2011. Having been making music together for two years, Adam Pearson (vocals/guitar), Scott Harrison (vocals/guitar), David McDonald (drums), Sam Megahy (bass), and Sinead Krzyzyk (violin) have dragged their sound from Eastern Europe-spiked folk through to the contemporary, and desperately visceral. Often tagged as post-punk, comparisons have been drawn to the likes of Fugazi and Sunset Rubdown, through to Captain Beefheart and XTC.”
Acrobatic Society – Deek it by Tiny Lights
London/Dublin based band Sounds of System Breakdown (SOSB) release their new album ‘Nomad’ in March, produced by the band along with Rob Kirwan (Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey and U2). First single ‘Mayfly’s video is by London-based artist Fiona Chambers and includes footage collected by the artist, the band, film crews and fans over the course of a year of touring and travelling.
“DoG HeaDed SpiRiTs presents their new album ‘Sirius Connexion’, a psychedelic rock pop LP of eleven original songs. This duo formed of Kira White and Kheri Sherpa, both guitarist singer songwriters, is reaching out for new
dimensions with this soul shaking second release. With catchy guitar riffs, strong keys and meaningful lyrics, many songs are hit material. As in their previous recordings every tune has it’s own universe and story line.”
This love will burn me by DoG HeaDed SpiRiTs
Mouse are a 3 piece from North London, consisting of Tommo (Bass/Vocals), Tom (Drums) and Wiggy (Vocals). They like, “Table Tennis and writing short punky bursts of energy with an underlying sense of humour and a Chinese tWang”, and have have just released their first EP ‘1/2 Wig’.
“Seattle’s Ivan & Alyosha are thrilled to announce spring 2013 tour dates in support of their debut album ‘All The Times We Had’, out February 26th via Dine Alone Records and Dualtone Music Group. Ivan & Alyosh’s spring tour will include stops in seven Canadian cities. ‘All The Times We Had’ was co-produced by engineer Chad Copelin and mixed by Jesse Lauter (The Low Anthem, Bobby Long). The record is the four piece’s follow up to their well-received 2011 EP Fathers Be Kind.”
Ivan & Alyosha – Running for Cover by Dualtone
“Screaming and kicking ears for sadomasochistic pleasure, Roman Nose are a masked trio who write, produce, and direct their own tech-electro stage shows from a well-equipped Glasgow warehouse. Leaving only to play select shows, their brutal bass-heavy existence, and heart-crunching catharsis has already ensured they have supported dance floor giants, such as 2manydjs and L.A electro veterans,The Glitch Mob. Monday 25th of February marks the release of Roman Nose’s monstrous 4 track debut, ‘Youthclubbed’. The EP will be self-released through their independent label, Badly Built Records, and will be available as a digital download.”
Kill The Vampyrs by ROMAN NOSE
“Following a busy 2012 of shows with Errors, Savages, Editors and Tall Ships amongst others, Victories At Sea are now readying their debut EP which is set for release this Spring.”
STAY POSITIVE by victories at sea
“London 4 piece Binary announce new single ‘You Need The Blue Key’ will be out on February 25th. After releasing their debut single ‘Prisoner’ last year to considerable fanfare and a year of intense touring with the likes of Marilyn Manson and A Place To Bury Strangers, they returned to the studio record their debut ‘Amber EP’ with the help of collaborator Sean Bevan (NIN/Marilyn Manson). The result is new single ‘You Need The Blue Key’, the first release to be taken from ‘Amber’.”
You Need the Blue Key by BINARY
