New Music Friday

Here are a couple of new songs for your weekend listening pleasure.

Following in the footsteps of early 90s UK bands such as Mega City 4, China Drum and Ash who in turn followed the trail blazed by late 70s groups like the Buzzcocks, Vibrators and Adverts, comes the Nottingham foursome, Lovvers, who will be bringing their take on the raw-garage meets pop-punk genre to the west coast before settling in Austin for South by Southwest this March. Taken from their late 2009 debut full-length, OCD Go Go Go Girls, the album’s title track just plain rips for those with an admiration for the bands named above. That being said, the vocals probably could have been brought up a bit in the mix but overall this is a terrific song.

Lovvers – “OCD Go Go Girls” (mp3)

(from the Wichita Records CD, OCD Go Go Go Girls, 2009)

And if the next epic of a song is even a half-way decent representation of what the Red Sparowes upcoming third album, The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, will sound like then I can already tell you that it’ll find a comfortable place on my Top 10 Albums of 2010 list next December. Coming off as the soundtrack to some spaghetti-styled western movie, the Red Sparowes seem to have crafted an album that sits squarely between the landscape ambience of Explosions In the Sky and the sludge-metal drone of Pelican. I anticipate a future dilemma as the band will be playing at the Lincoln Hall here in Chicago on April 21st, the same night as Echo & the Bunnymen who will be holding court over at the Metro. Grrrr…

Red Sparowes – “Giving Birth To Imagined Saviors” (MP3)

(from the upcoming Sargent House CD, The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, 2010)

Destructive Atmospherics

Oh my, is this band really good. Being touted as Chicago’s very own shoegaze collective, Apteka creates intense dream pop atmospherics that permeate in a wall of swirling guitars which somehow manage an ethereal quality while simultaneously smashing you over the head. Our friends at Crash-Avenue were kind enough to send us both the band’s previously released EP, which is stunningly-great, as well as their equally-as-stunning current 45, Traitors. I was totally unprepared to be bowled over the way I was after hitting play.

There are hints of Ride and My Bloody Valentine in the music, sure, but there also seems to be more of a slight bluesy quality to the guitars which drone on in a way that’s almost akin to what Spaceman 3 and first EP/A Storm In Heaven-era Verve were trying to accomplish. The music builds up a towering wall of guitars before subsequently tearing it all down with a force so destructive that you almost can’t believe it remains as subtle as it is. This is really heavy stuff that has an early 90s nostalgia to it that surprisingly comes off as fresh; I can’t believe I haven’t discovered these guys until now. Both of these releases are incredible and I can’t recommend either of them, especially the EP, enough. Stunning!

Apteka – “Aragon Sound” (mp3)

(from the self-released 45, Traitors, 2010)

Apteka – “The Sheet” (mp3)

Apteka - "Indigenous" (mp3)

(from the self-released EP, Tour, 2009)

If You Want Me

In an attempt to climb back on the blogging horse, I must admit my confusion regarding today’s announcement that Chapterhouse will be playing at the Lincoln Hall here in Chicago on May 5th as the band will be in the midst of a Japan/U.S. tour. Basically, what my confusion boils down to is why?

Not why as in why would the band get back together? That’s easy to answer as the band members probably have all kinds of bills and mortgages to pay as well as various adult responsibilities. No, it’s more that Chapterhouse isn’t necessarily the first band to spring to mind when thinking about which shoegaze-era group will reform. Not that I’m complaining or anything but I hadn’t really considered there being much demand for a group that not only didn’t release a whole lot of material but one who also kind of played second fiddle back in the day to groups such as Ride, My Bloody Valentine and, arguably, the Pale Saints.

Whatever the case may be, here’s hoping they play a fair bit of their debut album, Whirlpool, which not only is seen as one of the high points of the shoegaze era but whose company I have enjoyed many times over the years as well. The guitars found on the single, "Pearl", swirl and wash all around while listening to it and "Breather", one of my top 10 tracks from that era, still remains a monster of a song that all but jumps right out of the speakers.

Chapterhouse – Breather (mp3)

(from the Cherry Red Records CD, Whirlpool, 1991)