Couple of things for you today…… first up, John Dieterich (Deerhoof) and Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel / A Hawk & a Hacksaw) have revealed the first track from their upcoming collaborative album ‘The Coral Casino’ (dropping May 6 on vinyl, cd, and digital), here it comes now…

“John Dieterich & Jeremy Barnes began ’The Coral Casino’ as an attempt to understand one another. They met one day and the next they were in a blank room with unfamiliar instruments in their hands and zero expectations, each agreeing to do his utmost to ignore the other. Yes, their first forays into musical collaboration began with the stipulation that each had to improvise in a rhythmic manner while not listening to what the other was doing. This idiosyncratic process proved to be the unlikely genesis of songs like “Special Questions,” “Sandwild,” and “The Frost Pocket.” Their shared love of melody and pop provided the anchor for wild performances and deep, rich textures, laying the groundwork for many more moods: the euphoric “Out & About;” the stirring tribute to the satellite Philae (“Philae lands on comet 67p_churyumov-gerasimenko”), the first satellite to land on a comet, and so on.

Expansive, unafraid of complexity yet wide-eyed with elation, their sound embodies risk that genuinely rewards. While flirtations with danger and darkness occasionally appear, in the end everything becomes a laughing pile on the floor. An optimistic homage to a possible future, ‘The Coral Casino’ is both childish and sophisticated, seemingly tossed off yet at the same time exhibiting a depth that reveals itself on each subsequent listen; an exploration of friendship and the pure joy of ecstatic communication.

Take a trip to ‘The Coral Casino’: the perfect destination, where everything is topsy-turvy, no one is in control and yet all are mysteriously spirited to their beds before dawn”

Second up, Retrovirus finally make it to Cafe Oto this Sunday….

“Great to finally welcome No Wave iconoclast and Noise-queen Lydia Lunch to OTO after the unfortunate cancellation of her show here last year” say the good people of Cafe Oto. “RETROVIRUS sees her joined by Herculean guitarist Weasel Walter (Flying Luttenbachers), fret-destroying bassist Tim Dahl (Child Abuse) and legendary skins-basher Bob Bert (Sonic Youth/Pussy Galore)”. Retrovirus play Cafe Oto on Sunday 6 March 2016, Cafe Oto is to be found over in North London

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