2015 times in LA

Out now on Slumberland Records (N & S America) and Fortuna Pop! (ROW).

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/wcftspitunes
LP/CD: http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/catalog/show/278


Allo Darlin's new album "We Come From The Same Place" combines the eagerness, urgency and immediacy of their 2010 self-titled debut with the contemplation, sophistication and ambition of their 2012 follow-up "Europe," and yet it goes beyond either both sonically and in the songs. It was written at a time of considerable change for songwriter Elizabeth Morris, a time during which she fell in love, moved to Italy and got married - not that that seems to have hindered the songwriting process, as Elizabeth explains, "So many things have happened since I first wrote the songs that make up this album, it's difficult to remember back to where it all began. The songs were written very quickly, during a period when I found writing songs very easy, whereas I often find songwriting very difficult. Some of the songs were written so fast I can't even really remember writing them. The songs were a joy to write, and writing them made me feel better about lots of things."

Among the highlights of the album is "Bright Eyes", a duet with guitarist Paul Rains. Elizabeth again, "I wanted to write another duet, but the only problem with doing that is that when you play live it's very rare that the person you recorded it with can be there. So I thought it would be great to write a song with Paul singing the other part. I love Paul's singing and I wanted to hear him do it more, so it's quite selfish really!" Another standout is the Twin Peaks-referencing "Half-Heart Necklace", based on a true story from Elizabeth’s hometown. "There had been some murders, and this girl who was my age was missing and presumed killed. It turned out she had been hiding for years in her boyfriend's cupboard, and she was charged for wasting police time". 
 
Other notable tracks include the rollicking "Kings and Queens", inspired by a show they played in the USA with their friends and kindred spirits The Wave Pictures, and "Romance and Adventure", originally earmarked for a film soundtrack and written in response to a challenge from Paul to write a pop song in a minor key. Bass player Bill Botting sums up Elizabeth’s remarkable songwriting ability by saying, "The key to Elizabeth’s songwriting appeal is that she’s so adept at pinpointing certain ideas and moods; leaving one city and finding a new one and realising that beginnings and endings have a lot in common."

The truism is that third albums are difficult beasts, but by remaining true to themselves Allo Darlin’ have side-stepped the pitfalls to produce a wonderful record - thoughtful and exciting and exquisitely played – that will please their existing army of fans and newcomers alike. On first reading the album’s title may seem enigmatic, but from the very personal nature of Elizabeth Morris’ finely drawn vignettes to the more universal connections between the band and their audience, its meaning will be obvious to all who fall under the spell of this magical band.

"A masterclass of modern cult pop." The Guardian

"Terrific, witty and heartfelt, like a less moody Belle & Sebastian." The New York Times

Allo Darlin' - Bright Eyes

Taken from their new single "Memory." Out this Fall on Slumberland Records/Les Disques Steak/SDZ.

pre-order 7": http://smarturl.it/memory-single
pre-order iTunes: http://smarturl.it/memory-itunes

Euro tour dates:
24/10☉PARIS (FR), ESPACE B
25/10☉RENNES (FR), LE MARQUIS DE SADE
27/10☉OVIEDO (ES), LATA DE ZINC
28/10☉SANTANDER (ES), ESCENARIO SANTANDER
29/10☉MADRID (ES), COSTELLO
30/10☉BARCELONA (ES), LUPITA DEL RAVAL
31/10☉GENEVA (CH), LE CABINET
02/11☉UTRECHT (NL), EKKO w/ Sebadoh
03/11☉ANTWERP (BE), TRIX w/ Sebadoh
04/11☉BRUXELLES (BE), MADAME MOUSTACHE
07/11☉AUGSBURG (DE), CITY CLUB

A. Memory
B: Undelivered

The Bay Area has a rich history of garagey, folk-rock bands and since their formation in 2007 The Mantles have carved themselves out a very unique spot in that lineage. From their roots as a loose & loud Velvets/Nuggets-bashing outfit through a series of excellent releases on labels like Siltbreeze and Mexican Summer, the band developed their sound and moved towards a more contemplative, melodic vibe. In 2013 they released their second album, the Kelley Stoltz produced "Long Enough To Leave," which saw them consolidate the progression of the previous records into a uniquely impressionistic brand of psychedelic pop.

Now the band is back with their first new recordings since "Long Enough To Leave" and a tweaked line-up featuring the swirling keyboards of Carly Putnam and the rock-solid bass of Matt Bullimore. "Memory" is an upbeat song that recalls some of the finest of the Paisley Underground bands. Buoyed by Justin's twangy lead guitar and Carly's organ, "Memory" boasts the kind of easy lope and indelible melody that The Mantles make seem so effortless. 

On the flip we have "Undelivered," a rootsy tune whose psychedelic keyboards and moody demeanor align it firmly with the best of New Zealand's Flying Nun label. It's yet another side of The Mantles and shows some of the exciting directions that their newly-augmented line-up is taking the band. Simple but never simplistic, The Mantles breathe new life into familiar sounds and create something special and vital through song-writing talent and sheer personality.



The Mantles - Memory

Out now on Slumberland Records (N & S America) and Fortuna Pop! (ROW).

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/expectdelays
LP/CD: http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/catalog/show/283

Evans the Death return with their second album "Expect Delays" in March via Fortuna POP! (Europe) and Slumberland Records (USA). Recorded again with producer Rory Atwell, the album bristles with an underlying tension and veers from rip-roaring noise to quiet contemplation, underpinned by Katherine Whitaker’s extraordinary voice.

Still barely out of their teens, there’s a tremendous sense across "Expect Delays" of a band coming into their own, honing a plethora of influences to make a sound that is uniquely them. Each song on the album has a different feel to it: some of them are melodic and pretty; some of them heavy and dissonant; and some of them are, to quote guitarist Dan Moss, “a bit strange”. While retaining the post-punk and 90s alt-rock inspired elements that peppered their debut, the music is more expressive, heavier and more experimental, and the lyrics more nuanced, the sense of despair leavened by sharp wordplay and humour.

The unsettling undercurrent of melancholy and hopelessness that pervades the record has its roots in the last three years, spent eking out an existence on the poverty line in Cameron’s Britain, leaving them with a succession of minimum-wage jobs and unemployment benefits interviews. As guitarist Dan Moss relates, the album is about “being in London and feeling hopeless and a bit lost. Not having any money, relationships falling apart, things just not connecting or going anywhere and getting absolutely wasted all the time.”

Named after the undertaker in Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood,' the band’s 2012 self-titled inaugural album saw critical acclaim from the likes of Q, Uncut and Artrocker, as well as radio play on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music and XFM. After a change in line-up following the release of their debut, the band regrouped around the core of brothers Dan and Olly Moss and singer Katherine Whitaker for the recording of "Expect Delays." Drummer James Burkitt was recruited from Leeds’ band The ABC Club to complete a taut new four-piece.

More ambitious and focused than their previous record, whilst sacrificing none of their spontaneity and vitality, "Expect Delays" is a supremely inventive and intelligently crafted album from a band who have suffered for their art, and used that experience to inform and nourish their work. Expect no more delays, Evans the Death have arrived.

“Evans the Death manage to make humdrum everyday existence seem quite magical” Q ****

“A wonderful marriage of converse elements elegantly crafted into its own neat mess.” Artrocker *****

“Terrific” Uncut


Evans The Death - Enabler

Order the LP/free download: https://hardleft.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-hard-left

"We Are Hard Left" is the debut album from Hard Left. Brought together by the music, held together by the outrage -- Hard Left are a hard-mod/punk band borne out of a desire to explore leftist political ideas and marry them to rabble-rousing music worthy of the worldwide struggle against capital. Far from a dry exercise in doctrinaire thought, Hard Left's songs are great punk first and foremost, and ripping good fun.

The band members have been involved with punk and DIY music for nearly a century combined, including time in bands like Boyracer, Jüke, Whorl, Lunchbox and Black Tambourine, and operating the respected labels 555, Emotional Response and Slumberland Records. Initial Hard Left recording sessions in Spring 2014 led to the release of two limited edition lathe-cut singles, the Situationist-inspired "What's That Sound?" and the tough-as-nails "Safety." The band set to writing and in August 2014 gathered in the desert of Flagstaff, AZ to record. The results were two more singles ("Skinheads Home For Christmas" and a split 7" with Bad Daddies, both released in December 2014), and now this album.

"We Are Hard Left" is a concise and explosive punk record, packed with anthems of resistance and calls to action. These are crucial times that we live in, and Hard Left seek to inspire and invigorate. The opener "New Year" sets out the band's stall in fine fashion, urging listeners to "give up false needs" and embrace new beginnings. They follow with the blasting "Hard Left Rules OK," a call to arms if ever there was one. The album is tightly edited, each song on the heels of the previous one, exemplifying the group's eagerness to broadcast their message and energize their fans.

To that end, rousing chants and noisy interludes are interspersed throughout, cheeky but pointed references to their mod forebears and street-level terrace "politics." The message is always positive, the underlying mood is of hopefulness. "Hand In Hand" is an exhilarating call for solidarity and collective action, while "Future Perfect" imagines a world where the people were the true beneficiaries of the surplus created by progress, the perfect future we were all promised during the golden age of capitalism. Previous singles "Safety" and "Stay True" appear in re-recorded form, hard as nails and fitting in perfectly.

From the super-tough "Kicking If Off" to the Occupy-inspired "Red Flag" and the supremely uplifting (and also Situationist-inspired) closer "Imagination," this is a record that hits hard, crammed with guitars that soar and rage, group chants and raw-throated vocals. It's anthemic in the best way -- inspiring but never heavy-handed, a worthy successor to records by bands like The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Sex Pistols and The Dils.  Call it "utopian Oi" if you will, or "hard mod" or just plain punk, but don't miss out on this passionate, thrilling record.


Hard Left are:
Mike: exhortations
Donna: bass, vocals
Tim: guitar, vocals
Stewart: drums, vocals


2015 times in LA

CZ96