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 catfish, 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 Nottingham with Aja this time

1: AJA – Now this album has been around for two or three years already but hey, Chaos Theory just announced a show which gives us an excuse to post it and let it bite you…

“Using unsettling noise, distressed screams, hand made electronics and found objects pushed through pedals, Aja Ireland’s industrial beats and distorted drone, combined with intense performances challenge the audience by breaking down barriers and pushing limits sonically and visually”

“The next Chaos Theory Late will be a night of experimental noisey rave sensationalism from some of the best artists around the UK. Taking place 7.30pm to 3am on Saturday 30th November at Moor Beer Vaults, London SE16. They’re well nice there”. Aja will be joined Hesska, She The Throne and Nnja Riot, we tell you all this because we care. Early bird tickets are on sale right now, here’s the Facebook event page

2: The Jesus Lizard – Hide & Seek is the first single from the Jesus Lizard’s first new album since 1998, here it is. The album, Rack, is out in September on Ipecac, here the links, here’s the Bandcamp

“Hide & Seek is a track David Yow describes as “a perky ditty about a witch who can’t behave, and it’s got nearly as many hooks as a Mike Tyson fight.” An accompanying video captures the foursome of Duane Denison, Mac McNeilly, David Wm. Sims, and Yow as they recorded the “ditty” with Producer Paul Allen at Nashville’s Audio Eagle Studio.

“There are definitely some references to the past,” Denison says, in reference to the album, adding, “but it’s more as a point of departure: We don’t stay there”.

The Jesus Lizard reconvened in 2009 for a finite number of shows, and have spent the intervening years as both friends in close contact with one another, and touring bandmates. “We literally only made the record because we thought it would be fun to make the record,” Sims shares. With McNeilly highlighting the strong relationship amongst the musicians: “We are bonded by the music we make, and also by the respect we have for each other.”

3: The Sheaves have a second album ready to go of Frence label SDZ Records, “de ce groupe de Phoenix, Arizona. Post-punk sale, tordu et lo-fi lignée Swell Maps, The Fall ou Half Japanese. Présentation complète à venir”, and yes, it does lasted of slightly twisted lo-fi post-punk, well the two tracks that can currently be heard ahead of the June 20th release date. Here comes the Bandcamp

4: Gryphon Rue – composer and interdisciplinary artist Gryphon Rue shares video for Rake’s Progress, another track from the (already mentioned on these pages) forthcoming album 4n_Objx (out on June 28th). Not sure about that video, I think I might stick to listening rather than looking. “The Rake’s Progress video was directed by Keren Cytter and features dancer Nathlie Provosty, who magnetically mirrors the propulsive beat and squelchy synch chaos of the tune”. It is a damn fine listen, as are the several slices we’ve heard from the new album so far…

“Bristling with ideas, this new record touches on electroacoustic music, field recording, tropicalia psych, krautrock, & esoteric dance music without becoming beholden to any of them. It’s a feast of shifting textures – I’m not sure if this makes sense but it’s one of the most tactile records I’ve ever heard. Each track feels like it’s tickling my inner ear – the water sounds and burbling synths on “Alluvials”, the whispering voice that appears periodically in “High Priestess”, all the way through to the final sound of “Thresher” stuttering and blinking out. The care and depth of the music feels undeniable to me, and the more I listen, the more I hear within it”. 

5: Large Mirage – These five pieces of music pages are simply about gathering the music that is passing our way and sharing it with you, cherry picking from the hundreds of musical things that flow through our inboxes every week. Large Mirage look and sound like they’ve fallen through the most sunny of time holes. Here comes their Linktree and the Australian band’s latest video..

“Large Mirage are a fresh rock group from Sydney, Australia, who are making waves in the local rock scene with their unique vintage sound and image, their virtuosic musicianship, memorable repertoire, and energetic live act. In 2023 they released their debut EP ‘A Side To Blame’, and toured internationally for the first time, performing in Germany and the UK to packed audiences. Their only single of the year, ‘When The Morning Shines’, is the result of work by a truly passionate independent production team. It was composed, recorded, mixed and mastered entirely by members of the group”.

5: F*cked Up – We need another, AJA isn’t really something new, here’s a fifth, F*cked Up are a little more polite these days, still sounding good though. You need to go to You Tubre to hear the new song they just let loose, worth going though (just as long as you come back), it sounds kild of joyous, it sound alive, it sounds as if it is alive…

“Today Toronto band F*cked Up announce details of their new album ‘Another Day’, out August 9^th on the band’s own imprint Fucked Up Records. Along with the news, they share a first single and video from the album, as well as North American and UK tour dates for later this year”. The UK dates are in October, they’re all on the band’s website

And while we’re here