A laceration gaped in her chest, through which fragments of ribs could be seen

The Curtain Society - Inertia. Released in 1994 on Bedazzled Records. By covering the Chameleons' "Swamp Thing" at a New York show prior to the release of Inertia, Southbridge, MA's the Curtain Society made obvious what this debut LP suggests: here's a band with fine taste in early/mid '80s effects-laden, big-hearted rock, with emotional flourishes, pumping bass, majestic guitar, and brave drumming. Perhaps guitarist Roger Lavallee's vocals are more plaintive than such antecedents -- his gentle, boyish cooing is more in line with the Sarah label bands, For Against, and the Pale Saints -- but this kind of ambitious, non-pretentious, power-packed scope and billowing sound is damn welcome in '90s America; i.e., Inertia takes pride in going against the gratuitous grunge grain. www.curtainsociety.com

Plaster

Has this band come a long way! Not that their debut, Inertia, wasn't tasty, but, in terms of progress, this is the difference between a college senior and a high school one. This Boston-area trio still betrays a menu of early '80s Brit classics; many of the slow, slower, and slowest tracks are an accomplished update of Siouxsie & the Banshees and their aural niece and nephews the Cocteau Twins, covering Faith and Pornography era Cure, only with more of the House of Love's scary, frozen guitar sweep. But most of the textures are their own — and the snatch of "Magnet's Coil" from Sebadoh's Bakesale at the end of "Apnea" is a hint of more rounded influences — and, moreover, the harder, louder, bigger songs (be)dazzle the ear. The standout jumps off three-quarters through, when "Stealing Shakespeare" arrives with a glorious rumble. Guitarist/singer Roger Lavallee twists an uneasy, restless knife into the pre-shoegaze precedent, with a might and a newfound, forceful sonic overdrive. His vocals (and especially the much deeper, powerful production) are the biggest change; whereas before he cooed plaintively, as if forced into the job, Life Is Long finds him flowered into a singer, making the more ambitious tracks batter more than tease. Kudos on that spindly-guitar driven opener, "Mouthwithout," the tremolo-infiltrated "Je Regrette Rien," and the psychedelic churner "Chevelle." If, on future efforts, they stick more to the hard stuff, the double-scotch instead of the red wine, Curtain Society will prove to doubters that post-MBV, post-goth, post-dream pop rock can be mean, powerful, and breathtaking, some of the best American music, instead of wan, fey, and ridiculous. With half the tracks here, they already do, and, overall, this is excellent.

Chevelle

A.R. Kane song from circa '86. One of the most underrated bands of that decade. Pioneers of Dreampop. https://soundcloud.com/a-r-kane
Use computer speakers and we'll tell your Mum.
Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/orpheusandthesea

Haunting (A.R. Kane cover)

Taken from the AA side 12", out 14th Feb 2020. Pre-order here - https://smarturl.it/WhiteFlowers 

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On the third floor of an abandoned textile mill to the north of Preston, a wave of strange musical beauty is blossoming. Brought up on the sounds of 80s Manchester though too young to have experienced it first hand, White Flowers, made up of Katie Drew and Joey Cobb, make gloriously gothic dreampop that’s as ambiguous as it is beautiful and exciting.

On 15th January 2020, the duo release Night Drive the first track from their debut double A-sided single Tough Love Records which also features the track Portra.

Co-produced by Doves’ guitarist, Jez Williams, Night Drive’s guitars carry a Kevin Shields-esque drone, as they swirl above its fragmented arrangement. Apocalyptic in nature, it twists and turns - thematically covering anxiety, fragility and frustration, while reminding that, even in the lowest of moments, one should not lose hope. 

‘Creating and crafting the songs has always been a therapeutic outlet for us,’ Cobb stated. ‘It’s been a long process, but it’s been one which has helped us deal with the frustration, worries and difficulties that come with every day life. It’s definitely a very cathartic record. It serves as a kind of journal of growing up and maturing in the 21st Century.’

Having begun life as scraps of ideas on a laptop, the songs were carefully crafted by the pair, before Williams got on board. 

‘At times, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when you’re so involved in the song,’ Drew noted. ‘Jez was great at drawing out the most important aspects. A lot of the songs are first takes - recorded at home in a very lo-fi way, but Jez gave us confidence. He made us realise that the rawness and the accidents are where the magic is. As fans of Doves, we’ve always admired the soundscapes and sampling techniques that they use, so it was a privilege to work with him.
Prior to the release, White Flowers will be heading out on tour with Toy to celebrate Independent Venue Week. The dates are as follows:

25.01.20 – Independent – SUNDERLAND
26.01.20 – The Live Rooms – CHESTER
27.01.20 – The Boileroom – GUILDFORD
28.01.20 – The Cookie – LEICESTER
29.01.20 – The Smokehouse – IPSWICH
20.01.20 – Esquires – BEDFORD
31.01.20 – The Joiners – SOUTHAMPTON
01.02.20 – Ramsgate Music Hall – RAMSGATE

The double A-side single, Night Drive / Portra will be released on 12” vinyl on February 14th and is limited to 100 copies. It comes in a hand stamped sleeve and includes a ‘zine produced by the band. The band’s debut album will be released later in 2020.

White Flowers - Night Drive

Follow From Swallow

"Sugar" is a track from the first-full length album by Yeah Baby, 'Neptune Hotel' to be released August 7th. Pre-order the album via our Bandcamp. All proceeds up until release will be donated to the Libray at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center.

A lyric video for "Sugar" by the Valdez is available over at our YouTube. 

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Formed in 2016 by Sean Kwon and Hanna White and later joined by Casey Mullen and Skyler Skjelset (Fleet Foxes, Beach House, The Walkmen), Yeah Baby is a rock band from New York City.

Recorded at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn, New York, Neptune Hotel is the band's first collection of songs written from 2016 to 2019. The album was mixed by Skyler and mastered by Simon Scott (Slowdive), with album artwork by Azuma Makoto (floral work) and Shunsuke Shiinoki (photography).

The title Neptune Hotel was taken from a rather mysterious hotel of the same name across the street from the apartment that Hanna and Sean resided in while writing the material for the record, where the haunting glow of the light-box on the facade of the hotel illuminated their rooms at night. Inspired by the building while never having stepped inside, Hanna and Sean imagined a world in which the songs of the album are lived out. The result is an eerily beautiful stay in that dreamy space, an exploration for the duration of the record to find beauty and hope amidst a chaos of anxiety, frustration, and desperation.

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Sugar

Looped track created on Roland GR-300 guitar synthesizer.

I Wish I Was Andy Summers

Roger Lavallee, Ron Mominee and Duncan Arsenault

Plaster

The Curtain Society

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