Boris   Pink (Deluxe Edition) Sargent House Released: 7.8.16 Originally released: 2005 via Diwphalanx Records (Japan); 2006 via Southern Lord Recordings (U.S.) * I'm in the midst of finishing up a review of the Pink reissue for I Heart Noise .  I'm hoping to have that out very soon. ** While the tendency for Boris to genre-hop isn't necessarily something one can glean from a single track, this aspect of the band makes them difficult to readily categorize and I think Isabella picked up on that.   Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Nisennenmondai is a three-piece from Japan whose propulsive art rock mutations seem to derive mainly from the No Wave era groups like DNA and Mars , whose own caustic brands of anti-melody had been inspired largely by the urban ruin of late-70s New York City, not to mention the desire to simply play music that had no clear ancestor, namely traceable roots to rock, blues, jazz, funk...etc., (though I could argue some connection to free jazz).  I'd also cite the psychedelic and repetitious elements of groups like Neu! and Can as possible influences as well as post-punk's utilization of dub reggae.   Nisennenmondai has apparently been playing together since 1999, so it embarrasses me a little to be discovering this group almost twenty years later.  But, the tracks I sampled from the group's recent release #N/A warranted acknowledgement. On September 2nd, Nisennenmondai will be releasing the #6 EP, its single track pulled from the sessions that birthed #N/A ....

All those of years of GEN X'ers being ignored or maligned by their babyboomer parents, indifferent and cynical marketers and a media that was more than happy to cater to perceptions of "slacker-dom," and the one bone we're thrown is MTV Classic.  I don't know whether to celebrate or tell Viacom to go fuck themselves because, chances are, this "new" network is probably going to have as much success as VH1 Classic's very lazy attempt at recapturing the so-called magic of a bygone era.  Remember Nick At Nite ?  That's basically what this is, except for the ex-Manic Panic set who insatiably scour Buzzfeed for lists pertaining to topics like "You were a 90s kid if..." and "Things only 90s kids will understand." Sorry, that's my 90s era cynicism kicking in.   You can find an article on the re-branded MTV Classic at Stereogum . I'll probably wind up watching it. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

At the end of September, Blonde Redhead will be releasing Masculin Féminin , a 37-track compilation featuring the band's first two releases ( s/t and La Mia Via Violenta ) along with singles, demos, essays, and unseen photographs.   Masculin Féminin is being released as part of the 200 Line series , a faction of Numero Group's archival endeavors that specializes in the forgotten recorded artifacts from the DIY era.  You can listen to the track below or check out the Black Book article. There's also a trailer announcing the release. Information and links were provided by Force Field PR. Blonde Redhead shares rare early demo via Black Book ahead of Numero Group box set release STREAM: "This is the number of times I said I will but didn't" (4 track demo) - Soundcloud / Black Book VIDEO: Trailer Video - YouTube Teeming with the energy and grit of pre-Giuliani Manhattan, Blonde Redhead's long out-of-print early recordings have finally cr...

An expanded edition of Faith No More 's 1986 debut LP, We Care A Lot , will be out August 19th via Koolarrow Records.  In the interest of promoting the reissue, a video of the group performing "The Jungle" at San Francisco's The i-Beam has surfaced online.  This footage will be included in the reissue, along with demos and other live recordings. Information on the reissue is provided below along with pre-order links, all of which were provided by Speakeasy PR.   WATCH FAITH NO MORE PERFORM 'THE JUNGLE' LIVE AT THE I-BEAM FROM 1986 FAITH NO MORE REISSUE LANDMARK DEBUT ALBUM, WE CARE A LOT, ON AUG. 19 VIA KOOLARROW RECORDS LONG OUT OF PRINT RELEASE GETS DELUXE TREATMENT WITH NEW MIXES, DEMOS AND LIVE RECORDINGS; PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2016 – As part of the build up to the release of Faith No More's We Care A Lot reissue (Aug. 19, Koolarrow Records), watch new, rare footage (audio and video by Chris Husband ) of Faith No ...

Manipulated blocks of industrially cold friction and cable-similar static provide some very loose notion of rhythm for clipping .'s latest single, "Baby Don't Sleep." This is the first track from the group's upcoming new LP, Splendor & Misery , which is being billed as a "a Sci-Fi/dystopian concept album."   That description seems well-suited for the group's noise fetishism, the often dissonant aural language that sound designers Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson have built around vocalist Daveed Diggs , who has a unique ability to find meter despite the duo's seeming distaste for melody or groove. Splendor & Misery will be out September 9th via Sub Pop and Deathbomb Arc . You can find info on the release below along with pre-order links, all of which was provided by Sub Pop.   Clipping share Splendor & Miser y details, “Baby Don’t Sleep” official video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkVIRXPG7oY Splendor & Miser...

Public Enemy action figures.  This is now a thing. You can find the pre-order links below along with info straight from the good people at Aggronautix.  PUBLIC ENEMY Action Figure Set by PressPop Inc. PRE-ORDER NOW HERE ! SHIPS IN AUGUST / SEPTEMBER Kings of Hip Hop and inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Public Enemy’s “first action figure as a set” featuring four of the central members from the 80’s. Members are: Chuck D , Flavor Flav , Professor Griff , and Terminator X . Both the dolls and the packaging are designed by Ed Piskor, author of the New York Times Best- Selling and Eisner Award winning comic series: Hip Hop Family Tree. Designed by : Ed Piskor ( Hip Hop Family Tree) Sculpted by: Tomohiro Yasui Size: Chuck D 4.13"(10.5cm) / Flavor Flav 4.05"(10.3cm) / Professor Griff 3.74"(9.5cm) / Terminator X 4.92"(12.5cm) Articulation: neck, shoulders, hips, elbows, and knees. Material: PVC,ABS Packaging: window boxed. ***For orders outside of th...

Helen Money : "Become Zero" (via Thrill Jockey Records /Spotify) Saafron : "Mtulazaji - Spirit Bomb" (via Julian T. Schoen/ Stones Throw /Soundcloud) Stann Smith : "Gone" (via Obscure PR/Soundcloud) NAG : "Ancient Wisdom" (via Viral Propaganda/YouTube) Magic Trick : "More" (via Force Field PR/Soundcloud) Sincerely Letters From A Tapehead

We're more than halfway through the year, so I thought it was about time that I discuss some of the 2016 releases I've purchased. Here are some thoughts on the following: Anenon Petrol Friends of Friends Released: 3.4.16 Purely on the strength of the single "Once," I went to Anenon 's Bandcamp page and purchased a copy of the band's latest album, Petrol . Anenon is the moniker of one Brian Allen Simon , saxophonist and creative presence behind Petrol , whose composed intersections of soft and rushed are manifest in such a way as to find solace in spite of constant stimuli. Petrol is apparently an ode to the Los Angeles highway, though there's a lot of serenity within these grooves, too much to attribute to the frustration, anxiety, and stress one experiences when stuck in traffic. The aforementioned “Once” struck me because of Anenon’s dichotomous approach to tension, its hurried drum patterns, built by collaborator Jon-Kyle Mohr , being met...

'Tude and the chops to match. Skinny Girl Diet 's "Yeti," which was pulled from the group's upcoming debut LP, Heavy Flow , is infused with the familiar malnourished outlook that has in the past informed and fueled rock music of this sort.  As fast and loose as the term "punk" is slapped onto any uptempo melody and runny nose vocal, Skinny Girl Diet reclaims some of the genre's anxiety, impending dread tonally plucked out of those bass strings and an AmRep-learned sensibility scraped together into something new that I feel like I haven't heard in quite some time.   Heavy Flow will be out 9.23.16 via Fiasco.  The track was provided by mutante-inc.  _________________________________________________ The trio MJ Guider will be releasing their album, Precious Systems , on 7.15 via Kranky .  Two tracks from the album surfaced online today, "Former Future Beings" and "White Alsatian."  Expansive and ambient, bot...

SeaWitches : "Tempest" (via Girlfish PR/ Emerald Eye Recording s/YouTube) Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas : "Chevron" (via Earsplit PR/ Indie Recordings / Decibel /YouTube) Tim Presley : "Clue" (via Mutante Inc./Drag City/Soundcloud) Richard Yot : "Kings of Nothing" (via Soundcloud) Still Corners : "Lost Boys" (via YouTube) GHOUL : "Ghoulunatics" (via Earsplit PR/ Tankcrimes /YouTube) Frankie Reyes : "Flor De Azalea" (via Stones Throw /Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Child Bite   Negative Noise Housecore Records Released: 4.1.16 Kaada/Patton Bacteria Cult Ipecac Recordings Released: 4.1.16 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

July 4th.  If your ears aren't still ringing after lighting up all of your noisemakers in tribute to our independence, enjoy some of my "America" selections. Brian Eno/David Byrne : "America Is Waiting" Yes : "America ( Simon & Garfunkel cover)"   Primus : "American Life"   The Mothers of Invention : "America Drinks and Goes Home"   Black Flag : "American Waste"   R.E.M. : "Little America"   MC5 : "The American Ruse"   Bad Religion : "American Dream"   David Bowie : "I'm Afraid of Americans" Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead