Where were we? Asked that the time before last time, enough of that and on with the music and the going off and things (and how good was it) and what we said last time or last week or last year, you’ve read all this already, never mind the damn editorial, cut to the chase and never mind the biscuits or the dogfish, just jump down past this bit, who needs an editorial? Jump past and let the actual music do the actual walking and the actual talking. Exact same thing again, another five (or so) slices of musical things that have passed our way recently and however you like to slice it and of course it was the price of apples and here comes the intro, Don’t be flippant she said, how could it ever be flippant? I can’t remember why she said that now, in one ear, out the other, “Gawd, is Organ still going?”

Five? There’s something rather compelling about five. Cross-pollination? Five more? Is there another way? A better way? A cure for pulling flying rabbits out of the clouds? Is there a rhyme? Is there a reason? Was there ever a reason? What do reasons make? Five more? Snake oil? Everything must go and same as last time (and the time before that) five, and no, we never do and the proof of the pudding is in that proof reading. When we started this thing, oh never mind, it doesn’t matter why we started this damn thing and like we asked last time, does anyone bother reading the editorial? Does anyone ever actually look down the rabbit hole or is it all just method acting? We do really try to listen to everything that comes in, we do it so you don’t have to, we are very (very) very very picky about what we actually post on these fractured pages or about what gets played on the radio or indeed what we hang in a gallery. Cut to the chase, never mind the editorial, there’s loads of music further down the page, well five or so pieces of music that have come our way in the last few days and cut cut slash and cut it, who needs an editorial or words or worms in general? What’s Wordsworth? Just facts and links and sounds then. Here you go, play the music, grab your five, eat your greens, go eat some art, go eat some fresh music and don’t forget whatever it was we said last time…

Here we go again, five slices of music that have recently come our way, in no particular order, starting somewhere in Bristol this time

1: Lice – Some new Lice just landed, the album artwork looks good – “Formed in Bristol, 4-piece Lice have become one of UK experimental rock’s most inventive and ambitious outliers. Their second album Third Time At The Beach – a three-part epic exploring our struggle to better understand the world around us – arrives on the 20th September via AD 93. Darting between minimalism, rock, techno and more, it sends us hurtling us through time and space: featuring a cast of astronauts, cavemen and dinosaurs”. Here’s the Linktree and here comes the Bandcamp page

2: Bed Maker – another slice of that album that’s coming out any moment now from the Washington D.C band and like we said last time, they are are Jeff Barsky, Amanda MacKaye, Arthur Noll & Vin Novara, they say that “separately, we have done a lot and now, together, we are doing this”. They are indeed doing this thing over in Washington D.C, this being their band and this excellent track being a second fine taste of the new album due out at the end of May Once again the track does all the talking and once again Bandcamp is the place…

3: SlutBomb – we are late to the party but we are onboard now, another slice of SlutBomb mosrly becasue that’s what YouTube decided we wanted to listen to after whatever piece of hype we had opened and spent fivbe minutes with just becasue we really do listen to (almost) everything we get sent here… ORGAN THING: SlutBomb go off and things. some days you just need a slice of loud raw hardcore streetwise punk rock in your day…

4: Swerve and the LA band’s excellent Teenage Fanclub flavoured take on the Stone Roses classic. A new single or a track of an EP or soemthing….

Greg Mahdesian of Swerve shared his thoughts on the cover: “The Stone Roses made one of my favourite records (I’ve actually purposefully never listened to Second Coming) and ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ is their most iconic track. It’s also a genuinely weird song that has minimalist lyrics and psychedelic/rave/rock production, and I’ve never heard a cover of it before. We’ve done plenty of covers live, from the Replacements to Black Sabbath, but really wanted to record one and take it in a new direction. When you’re writing your own song you can get locked into a style or idea of what your music sounds like. When the song is already written for you, all the creative energy can be put into the arrangement, and we went left-field with this one. Ryan used a baritone guitar, we got inspired by Desert Sessions and Queens of the Stone Age, and I sang the vocals in the dark—why not, ya know? Brandon Duncan, who plays bass and mixes our records, was given free rein and turned in a really creative mix. This is already opening up our sound and approach for the next batch of songs we’re working on.”

“I Wanna Be Adored” is featured on Swerve’s anticipated EP The Darkroom, set to be released on June 21 (pre-order). The EP follows the band’s acclaimed album Ruin Your Day. Last month, Swerve released their single “Just Pretend,” which will also be featured on the upcoming EP. I can’t say their own songs grab me in a way that Stone Roses cover does but hey….

5: White Hills are back in action as well, according to the press release “NYC’s notorious shapeshifting duo White Hills will unleash their philosophy-inspired album ‘Beyond This Fiction’ on August 23rd via on Heads On Fire Records. 
 
Inspired by the ideas of Joseph Campbell, the writer/philosopher known for The Power of Myth, the album explores the idea of “riding between opposites”- forging one’s own path unrestrained by the collective “fiction” that the masses subscribe to. It’s a cry to all the seers among us- call us outsiders or rebels- who feel smothered by convention and see nonconformity as the gateway into divine mystery.
 
They have announced the album with lead single Killing Crimson, which the band’s guitarist, vocalist and synth player Dave W describes as “a volcanic guitar riff that flows like lava down the mountainside steaming into the ocean.”

“Recorded with longtime collaborator Martin Bisi, known for his iconic NYC sound developed through his work with no-wave titans Sonic Youth, Swans and Lydia Lunch, ‘Beyond This Fiction’ sees Dave W (guitar/vocals/synths) and Ego Sensation (drums/bass/vocals) orchestrating their distinct guitar heavy meditations into songs with a stronger focus on vocals than previous albums. Neo-psychedelia, indie, post-punk, shoegaze and experimental elements synthesize leading the listener through the doors of perception.  Harnessing the seductive accessibility of 2015’s ‘Walks For Motorists’ while evoking the tempestuous soul of the band’s trailblazing 2011 H-p1, White Hills make ‘Beyond This Fiction’ a familiar surprise. 

For nearly two decades, White Hills have been blowing minds with their sonic alchemy: a unique mix at once original and recognizable. Their cult reputation emblazoned in celluloid following their performance in Jim Jarmusch’s sultry vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive, the duo has toured vigorously since their inception. With a vast catalogue that astounds and a relentless punk ethos, time seems to energize the duo, making them increasingly daring and prolific”.  

Amd talking of Martin Bisi, he has a new EP out this week…

5: Martin Bisi – More observations on life and New York gentrification, greed, survival and us and them that could just as easily be about life in London, or is that jsut me projecting my thoughts on his abandoned runway? He is very very (very) New York. Observation in terms of those who mess things up or maybe alternatives, but there is no sun, he’s always rewarding, never obvious, always worth yout time, always things to say, always working with interesting people…

“As listeners delve into the verses, Martin Bisi’s voice becomes a poignant vessel for lamentation. “This Is Not My Fantasy”, Bisi expresses, transcending mere words to become a visceral outcry against the imposition of destructive urban ideals onto the cosmic realm. The track becomes a rallying cry for those who resist the homogenization of space, urging listeners to reflect on the profound impact of unchecked urbanization even beyond our terrestrial boundaries.

Intrigued by the possibilities of urban transformation, Martin muses, “They’re already talking about Terraforming Mars, for human habitation! So I created a fictitious new neighborhood in Earth orbit – trying to be slightly more realistic.”

Here’s the Bandcamp for the new stuff, here’s his website, there’s where the art gallery or the proper ecord shop once was…

Here’s some previous Martin coverage – ORGAN THING: Martin Bisi has a new album, a very New York kind of album – this is very much her story, his story, our story, your story, don’t let this one pass you by…

Here’s some five year old footage from Martin’s studio…

Martin Bisi and Bronson Recordings present BC35, an album paying tribute to the 35th anniversary of BC Studio, and serving as a unique document of the NYC underground. At BC Studio, Bisi has personally recorded landmark music by Sonic Youth, Swans, Unsane, Afrika Bambaataa, Herbie Hancock, John Zorn, and so many more. The BC35 album chronicles a weekend of performances, recorded live at BC Studio in January 2016 as a celebration of the 35th anniversary. Consisting of improvised pieces, as well as songs written for the occasion, the performances comprise an absolute who’s-who of BC Studio alumni, including current and former members of Sonic Youth, Swans, White Hills, Foetus, Cop Shoot Cop, Pop 1280, Violent Femmes, The Dresden Dolls, Alice Donut, Lubricated Goat, and more. This track was written to be performed by WHITE HILLS exclusively at the BC35 -35 Year Anniversary Live Recording

Martin Bisi with members of Sonic Youth, Swans, White Hills, JG Thirlwell, Cop Shoot Cop, Live Skull, Pop 1280, The Dresden Dolls, Alice Donut, Lubricated Goat, Sxip Shirley, Parlor Walls and many more! celebrating 35 years of BC Studio in Gowanus

And we might as well park this here…