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viewing 1 To 11 of 11 items
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LP
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WAAT 069LP
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LP version. Leeds noise-rock and DIY linchpins return with their first album in ten years. If a band keeps it together for long enough music isn't just made, it grows. Bilge Pump are at that point with We Love You, their first album in ten years and perhaps their most accessible one to date, accessible only because people are admitting that they were ready for them all this time, listening to the likes of Marc Riley and taking notice. "Wheel Of Yew" -- it's PiL bass lines, Spacemen 3 guitar, and a blistering Butthole Surfers-esque solo are all held together with the tightest drumming this side of Bill Ward, as you'll witness guitarist Joe O'Sullivan take in a brisk autumnal walk with his dog Dolly from Otley to the top of Ilkley Moor. They have spent a while getting this album right, writing songs that describe a world where the council lets it rot and the kids make trouble, or sometimes music. A guy goes into a shed to build a guitar pedal and accidentally invents a time machine, ending up millennia back thinking about his future exes. Complex drum and bass arrangements emerge and the songs have to be reconsidered. The guitar needs something... better build a couple of amps to get that just right. "The Passion Of The Kid" is a live favorite developed out of Can style, four-and-a-half hour jam. Featuring a relentless two-note bass line, that somehow never gets boring, it provides the backbone for a lyrical diatribe on Brexit Britain. On "Me No Like", commentary is offered on the futility of the modern working man, "Ask anyone getting smashed in here, 'How agreeable do you find wearing a shirt and tie?'" "Manzana De La Discordia" follows a similar theme, a scenario of being reduced to spending an enforced holiday staring at a wall, reflecting upon life and the edibility of the fridge's contents.
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CD
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WAAT 069CD
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Leeds noise-rock and DIY linchpins return with their first album in ten years. If a band keeps it together for long enough music isn't just made, it grows. Bilge Pump are at that point with We Love You, their first album in ten years and perhaps their most accessible one to date, accessible only because people are admitting that they were ready for them all this time, listening to the likes of Marc Riley and taking notice. "Wheel Of Yew" -- it's PiL bass lines, Spacemen 3 guitar, and a blistering Butthole Surfers-esque solo are all held together with the tightest drumming this side of Bill Ward, as you'll witness guitarist Joe O'Sullivan take in a brisk autumnal walk with his dog Dolly from Otley to the top of Ilkley Moor. They have spent a while getting this album right, writing songs that describe a world where the council lets it rot and the kids make trouble, or sometimes music. A guy goes into a shed to build a guitar pedal and accidentally invents a time machine, ending up millennia back thinking about his future exes. Complex drum and bass arrangements emerge and the songs have to be reconsidered. The guitar needs something... better build a couple of amps to get that just right. "The Passion Of The Kid" is a live favorite developed out of Can style, four-and-a-half hour jam. Featuring a relentless two-note bass line, that somehow never gets boring, it provides the backbone for a lyrical diatribe on Brexit Britain. On "Me No Like", commentary is offered on the futility of the modern working man, "Ask anyone getting smashed in here, 'How agreeable do you find wearing a shirt and tie?'" "Manzana De La Discordia" follows a similar theme, a scenario of being reduced to spending an enforced holiday staring at a wall, reflecting upon life and the edibility of the fridge's contents.
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LP
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WAAT 051LP
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LP version. Repress; Green and white splatter on clear vinyl. Originally released in 2013. For a while now Leeds five-piece Hookworms have been terrorizing headlining bands across northern England and beyond, not through histrionics or gimmick, but through sheer sonic velocity and emotive intent. Often bracketed among the latest wave of psychedelic rock currently appearing in pockets around the UK, this tag is somewhat of a misnomer for a band whose use of repetition and reverb is not to open the third dimension or for some sort of flower-power escapism. Pearl Mystic is an absolutely thunderous statement of intent for Hookworms after a portentous couple of years of live shows and limited releases. The album's themes focus on a deeply personal narrative surrounding a lost relationship and a battle with depression that at its worst brought about, as the group's vocalist MJ puts it "a half-hearted suicide attempt". Thus songs like "Away/Towards" possess a gargantuan build-and-release infectious energy that juxtaposes with a subtext of a bi-polar approach to coping with loss. "Preservation", too, is in keeping with the group's live shows, though deals with existentialism, whilst several Raymond Carver influences are scattered in and among the bold textures of sound. "In Our Time" is perhaps the closest thing to escapism on the album, about a hill MJ would cycle up near Otley in Yorkshire after the end of his relationship, because it possessed his favorite view in the world. "Since We Had Changed" meanwhile is almost mantra-like in its constancy, new percussive elements joining those already on the record, whilst "What We Talk About" returns full circle to the first track's themes of depression, and emerges from mixed field recordings including a backwards taping of a Hare Krishna lecture played down the studio corridor. Certainly the production is lush, erring on the lo-fi side but contrasting that with a sense that every element has been pored over and deeply considered. Indeed, the most impressive thing about Hookworms is that, through this torrent of emotion, through their wild motorik and their thick slabs of noise that threaten to spill over, there's always the sense that they're in control of it all, so committed are they to this catharsis that they refuse to throw any of it to chance. Recorded and produced in MJ's own Suburban Studios.
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CD
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WAAT 051CD
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Originally released in 2013. For a while now Leeds five-piece Hookworms have been terrorizing headlining bands across northern England and beyond, not through histrionics or gimmick, but through sheer sonic velocity and emotive intent. Often bracketed among the latest wave of psychedelic rock currently appearing in pockets around the UK, this tag is somewhat of a misnomer for a band whose use of repetition and reverb is not to open the third dimension or for some sort of flower-power escapism. Pearl Mystic is an absolutely thunderous statement of intent for Hookworms after a portentous couple of years of live shows and limited releases. The album's themes focus on a deeply personal narrative surrounding a lost relationship and a battle with depression that at its worst brought about, as the group's vocalist MJ puts it "a half-hearted suicide attempt". Thus songs like "Away/Towards" possess a gargantuan build-and-release infectious energy that juxtaposes with a subtext of a bi-polar approach to coping with loss. "Preservation", too, is in keeping with the group's live shows, though deals with existentialism, whilst several Raymond Carver influences are scattered in and among the bold textures of sound. "In Our Time" is perhaps the closest thing to escapism on the album, about a hill MJ would cycle up near Otley in Yorkshire after the end of his relationship, because it possessed his favorite view in the world. "Since We Had Changed" meanwhile is almost mantra-like in its constancy, new percussive elements joining those already on the record, whilst "What We Talk About" returns full circle to the first track's themes of depression, and emerges from mixed field recordings including a backwards taping of a Hare Krishna lecture played down the studio corridor. Certainly the production is lush, erring on the lo-fi side but contrasting that with a sense that every element has been pored over and deeply considered. Indeed, the most impressive thing about Hookworms is that, through this torrent of emotion, through their wild motorik and their thick slabs of noise that threaten to spill over, there's always the sense that they're in control of it all, so committed are they to this catharsis that they refuse to throw any of it to chance. Recorded and produced in MJ's own Suburban Studios.
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7"
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WAAT 066EP
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Jutland Songs is an indie-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The current lineup formed in October 2014 and consists of Colin Kearney (Eska, Monoganon, Stage Blood), Paul Carlin (Dananananaykroyd, American Men), Cecilia Stamp (Futuristic Retro Champions, The Machine Room, Errors), and Brian McKinnon (Pine and Bone, West Palm). Jutland Songs' vibe is chunky, chiming guitars, boy/girl vocals, rolling drums, and an anchor of a bass -- they belong to the 1990s. Influences include: Superchunk, The Replacements, Sebadoh, Guided By Voices.
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CD
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WAAT 064CD
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"This is Grey Hairs second album, perfectly placed to document the times. 2015's Colossal Downer (WAAT 058LP), with its grim faced party child on the cover, was the band on early good form, now they're warmed the fuck up and are playing tense. The playing is tightly wound around the vocals, which are set to attack - attacking themselves, attacking the generation. This is a band of lifers, with history going back including Peel Sessions and touring the world. But as with all lifers, it's in the blood. They come from the same DIY blood stream as set up by Black Flag or UK punks like Heresy or The Stupids. Check the video for the Grey Hairs tune 'Serious Business'. The Dude done Notts style. Paranoid and shambling, Benny Hill-esque speed walking around Ripley and Nottingham. It's 100% definitely punk rock, but it's way more than that. You want a soundbite, go hunt your own. But I'm saying Takeshi Terauchi vs The Wipers done Notts style, this time it's war. Paranoid Time (1980), The Minutemen done by The Fall and The B-52's. It's a total monster, the more you listen the more you hear." --Joe Thompson (Hey Colossus, Henry Blacker).
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LP
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WAAT 064LP
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LP version. Clear blue vinyl; Includes a download code; Edition of 500. "This is Grey Hairs second album, perfectly placed to document the times. 2015's Colossal Downer (WAAT 058LP), with its grim faced party child on the cover, was the band on early good form, now they're warmed the fuck up and are playing tense. The playing is tightly wound around the vocals, which are set to attack - attacking themselves, attacking the generation. This is a band of lifers, with history going back including Peel Sessions and touring the world. But as with all lifers, it's in the blood. They come from the same DIY blood stream as set up by Black Flag or UK punks like Heresy or The Stupids. Check the video for the Grey Hairs tune 'Serious Business'. The Dude done Notts style. Paranoid and shambling, Benny Hill-esque speed walking around Ripley and Nottingham. It's 100% definitely punk rock, but it's way more than that. You want a soundbite, go hunt your own. But I'm saying Takeshi Terauchi vs The Wipers done Notts style, this time it's war. Paranoid Time (1980), The Minutemen done by The Fall and The B-52's. It's a total monster, the more you listen the more you hear." --Joe Thompson (Hey Colossus, Henry Blacker).
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LP
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WAAT 048LP
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180-gram reissue of Sauna Youth's 2012 debut LP, Dreamlands, following their well-received 2015 album Distractions (UTR 071CD/LP). Sauna Youth, attracted to the possibilities apparent within a DIY philosophy, have been self-recording and self-releasing their own music since 2010, creating a number of split 7"s and cassettes. "Weird" is a meaningless platitude, and "art punk" is a classifier that shouldn't be required. Sauna Youth journey into the far-reaching wilds of the unfolding psyche and feast on the chaos within, quickly collapsing any pre-conceived notions within minutes of impolite introduction.
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CD
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WAAT 059CD
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Expanded reissue of Hookworms' 2011 debut, first released as a limited cassette, reissued on vinyl (FAUX 015LP), and now available on CD for the first time. This edition follows the band's acclaimed albums Pearl Mystic (Gringo Records, 2013) and The Hum (Domino sublabel Weird World Record Co., 2014). Hookworms documents the Leeds five-piece's starting point while proving that they've never wavered in their undeniable character, even as everything around them has changed. "It was a very exciting time for us," bassist MB recalls. "MJ having his first studio meant we'd gone from practicing in a tiny basement and receiving noise complaints to having a place where we could do what we wanted. We played with Sun Araw just as we were finishing the EP and Cameron Stallones enjoyed our set and asked to hear any recordings -- then subsequently released it on cassette." Hookworms have since evolved into a mighty beast, able to fill cavernous warehouses with a vitriolic form of kosmische (as they did when they headlined the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, and when they supported fuzzy legends Slowdive during their 2014 comeback). Hookworms showcases many of the traits for which the band has become known -- the strutting bass and four-note repetition of "Teen Dreams" is pure Modern Lovers, mining the group's '60s garage and proto-punk influences and mixing them with a caustic modernity. Another highlight is the rolling bass thunder of "I Have Some Business Out West," which crackles with the energy of an approaching storm. "Our gear wasn't as good back then so we did quite a bit of re-amping and post-production," MB comments. "The EP was basically a playground for experimentation with a bunch of new guitar pedals we'd recently acquired." This edition also presents rare early recordings, including the initial drone-heavy version of "Form and Function," which would appear on a split 7" alongside Nottingham-based peers Kogumaza, plus the swaggering rumbles of "The Correspondent," which appeared on Sonic Cathedral's 2013 Psych For Sore Eyes compilation. The former is a premonition of phase two of the band, foreshadowing the heavier, dense sound of Pearl Mystic, while the latter is a wonderful outlier -- which says something for a band whose boundaries have forever stretched toward the horizon.
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LP
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WAAT 053LP
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Pressed on 180-gram vinyl; includes download code. Limited to 300 copies. Brothers Alexander and Austin Peru first met Andres Cuatroquesos in a small boys' boarding school in Menen, Belgium. Although their battering strobe light that features in their crushing live show isn't literally in your front room as you listen to the record, it's certainly there in spirit as the band expertly guide you through eight tracks of hulking riffs, drawn-out drones, ethereal vocals, and cyclical drum patterns. Like great experimentalists such as This Heat, Swans, and Liars before them, Vision Fortune are constantly moving forward. Mas Fiestas con el Grupo Vision Fortune is an album borne out of desperate economic uncertainty, loosely based on John Kay's infamous "Parable of the Ox" -- itself a thinly veiled allegory for unbridled capitalism. The album represents the tragic life and death of the aforementioned ox, whose weight is solely determined by the aggregated "wisdom of the crowd." The music contained within embodies both the self-interested nature of hysterical spectators, and the agonizing sense of culpability following the animal's eventual demise. "XXII" perfectly encapsulates the emotional strain found in Kay's observation -- the constant push and pull of electronic interference and rhythmic tension in direct juxtaposition with the misplaced market opportunism of "XX." Similar frictions are found in the creaking repetition of "XVII" -- two mismatched guitars compete for attention over its seven-and-a-half minutes, like a couple of bitter attendees quarrelling at a country fair. Meanwhile, the glacial, consumerist meditation of "XVI" is the first of several pieces seeking to replicate the sullen ambience of small-town apathy and greed. "XIV," perhaps one of the most immediate of tracks on the album, brings to mind the inevitable pitfalls of animal husbandry -- the creature itself growing gaunt and sick before the owner's eyes, slowly morphing into an altogether different beast. The album concludes with the elegiac paean to solitude, "XIII" -- an empty market, scraps of uneaten vegetables blowing through a muddy town center, its main attraction nowhere to be found.
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LP
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WAAT 058LP
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Pressed on heavy orange vinyl; includes download code; limited to 495 copies. Colossal Downer is the first long-player from Nottingham quartet/self-help group Grey Hairs. The album was originally conceived as two EPs -- side A, Man Gulps, and side B, Little Fingers -- in an attempt to provide some "listening convenience," much like a serial narrative; we're all busy people these days after all. Together they are the Colossal Downer LP, recalling nothing less than the pre-gold-rush, anything-goes era of Nirvana before everyone got so hung up on genre definition. Rapid-fire punk rock blasters nestle up to a lumbering caveman grind. Echoey surf-clang shares vinyl space with riff-heavy garage fuzz. It's how records are meant to be: idiosyncratic and representative of the people who made them. Featuring members of UK underground bands as diverse and respected as Lords, Fists, Cult of Dom Keller, Fonda 500, and Kogumaza, Grey Hairs is a conscious attempt to return to the gut instinct impulses that got its four band members out of their bedrooms and on stage in the first place. With a reputation for carefree and chaotic live performances, the men and women of Grey Hairs have turned what started as an excuse to go to the pub on a weeknight into something truly special in a relatively short space of time.
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