WOODS - 'HOW TO SURVIVE IN / IN THE WOODS'

Formats

• SHR152CD - CD

  759718115222

• SHR152 - LP

  759718115215

Details

CD ORIGINALLY OUT LAST YEAR ON RELEASE THE BATS, NOW REISSUED AND MADE AVAILABLE ON VINYL BY SHRIMPER RECORDS. EXPERIMENTAL FOLK MUSIC ANTHEMS WITH JEREMY AND CHRISTIAN FROM MENEGUAR. 'HOW TO SURVIVE' CONSISTS OF EVERYTHING FROM MORE TRADITIONAL SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS TO NOISY YET BEAUTIFUL OUTBURSTS OF BRILLIANT LO-FI MADNESS. A TRULY AMAZING COLLECTION OF SONGS. ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS A DOUBLE CASSETTE ON FUCK IT TAPES, NOW REMASTERED AND FINALLY AVAILABLE ON CD. 13 SONGS, 42 MINUTES. COMES PACKAGED IN A DUAL COVER SLEEVE WITH DARK GREEN FELT AND FULL COLOUR ARTWORK SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL TAPE RELEASE. WOODS BEGAN IN THE WOODS, AT THE FOOT OF BEAR MOUNTAIN.

IN THE EARLIEST DAYS IT WAS A COLLABORATIVE IMPROVISATIONAL GROUP WITH TWO CORE MEMBERS AND SEVERAL GUESTS, KNOWN AS WOODSISTS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, JEREMY EARL AND CHRISTIAN DEROECK EMERGED FROM THE WOODS, DUSTED THEMSELVES OFF, AND BEGAN TO WALK UPRIGHT. THE TWO WOODSISTS IMMERSED THEMSELVES IN HUMAN CULTURE, LEARNED TO CRAFT A MELODY, TO WIELD A TAMBOURINE, TO CONSTRUCT A CRUDE PHONOGRAPH FROM SPARE BICYCLE PARTS. THEY LEARNED THE VALUE OF A CASSETTE. JEREMY AND CHRISTIAN RETURNED TO THE WOODS AND SHARED THEIR NEWFOUND KNOWLEDGE WITH THE OTHER WOODSISTS. THE RESULT WAS WOODS, SONGS AND IMPROVISATIONS BY OUTSIDERS, INSPIRED BY THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

Tracks

1. HOLES
2. KID?S GOT HEART
3. HOW TO SURVIVE IN
4. 8-5 5-10
5. SILENCE IS GOLDEN
6. KEEP IT ON
7. GOD HATES THE FAITHLESS
8. ANGEL?S TRUMPET
9. BROKE
10. I GET BY
11. IN THE WOODS
12. MAKE TIME FOR KITTY
13. HOLIER THAN NO ONE

Press

N/A

Audio & Video

JOHN THRILL - 'HEART OF GRIME'

Formats

• SHR153 - CD

  759718115321

Details

JOHN THILL WAS BORN IN RIVERSIDE, CA: LAND OF HEAT, DRUGS, AND STATELY GRIME. FOR SIX YEARS HE LIVED IN GRITTY NEIGHBORHOODS THEREIN. HEART OF GRIME IS AN AUTOPSY OF THAT CITY AND A RECORD ABOUT THE VERY GROUND FALLING OUT FROM UNDER ONE'S FEET, ABOUT COMING HOME TO A PLACE THAT NO LONGER MAKES SENSE. THILL WROTE AND RECORDED THE ALBUM IN A MOTOR HOME OUTSIDE HIS PARENTS' HOUSE IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY AFTER MAKING AN UNSCHEDULED RETURN TO CALIFORNIA FROM THE SOUTHEAST WITH HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS. INFORMED BY A DIVORCE, LOSING FRIENDS TO DRUGS AND WATCHING HIS HOMETOWN'S RENTS RISE AND PEOPLE LEAVE, THE ALBUM OSCILLATES BETWEEN HARSH SLABS OF DISTORTION AND SPARKLING SOUND. INFLUENCED BY NOISE, FOLK, LO-FI, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PURE POP MUSIC, HEART OF GRIME WAS CUT AND REFINED UNTIL ONLY THE PORTIONS DEEMED ENJOYABLE ON THE TWENTIETH LISTEN WERE LEFT. THE RESULT IS A COMPACT, JAGGED POP RECORD WITH ALL SUPERFLUITIES EXCISED. BOTH DEVASTATING AND COMIC, THE ALBUM IS INFORMED BY SURREAL IDEAS, PARANOID FANTASIES, AND VENGEFUL REPRISALS. IT IS A BIG DEPARTURE FROM HIS PREVIOUS OPEN-FORM FOLK WORK THE BAND AUM RIFLE AND THE HIP HOP/WORLD JAZZ AMALGAMATION OF QUEM QUAERITIS. SOLO EFFORT FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSICIAN OSCILLATES BETWEEN HARSH SLABS OF DISTORTION AND SPARKLING LO-FI POP

HEART OF GRIME IS MORE TO THE POINT AND CUTTING THAN ANY OF THILL?S PREVIOUS RECORDINGS. THIS SUMMER HE IS TOURING IN VARIOUS STAGES OF UNDRESS THROUGHOUT THE US WITH TROPICAL PUNKS ABE VIGODA AND WORKING ON MATERIAL FOR SEVERAL OTHER UPCOMING RECORDINGS. HE PRESENTLY LIVES IN THE POMONA VALLEY, A CURRENT SONGWRITING HOTBED, WHERE HE?S A HALF-ASSED YUPPIE. THILL PLAYS CONSTANTLY THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND IS KNOWN FOR HIS PHYSICALLY RECKLESS LIVE SHOWS. HE HAS NO HEALTH INSURANCE.

Tracks

1. MULBERRY ST.
2. CYNIC?S SIN
3. VIOLENCE
4. YOU?RE DEAD
5. I QUIT
6. DESTROYING ANGEL
7. DRUGS
8. HEART OF GRIME
9. BETWEEN 2 HILLS
10. I.E. ANTHEM
12. HEART OF GRIME
13. RIVERSIDE
14. I DREAM OF YOU
15. HEAVEN UNDER 14TH ST.
16. GET HIGH
17. IN MAY
18. VENGEANCE SONG
19. VICTORY

Press

N/A

Audio & Video

GIANTESS - 'S/T'

Formats

• SAB23CD - CD

  656605815824

Details

FORMERLY KNOWN AS CANADA'S "THE BATTLES". GIANTESS IS A BLISTERING EXERCISE IN PROFUNDITY, VEERING WILDLY FROM ACCELERATED RAVE-UPS TO INTROSPECTIVE BALLADS THAT TUG AT THE HEART (OFTEN WITH TONGUE PLANTED FIRMLY IN CHEEK). GIANTESS DELIVERS WITH THE POETIC GRANDEUR OF BRYAN FERRY OR GRAEME DOWNS AT THEIR ABSOLUTE PEAK, AND WITH THE MUSCLE & PATHOS OF THE SOFT BOYS OR JESUS OF COOL-ERA NICK LOWE. GIANTESS IS FIRST & FOREMOST A RELATIONSHIP RECORD THAT RELIES ON SENTIMENTS BOTH RIDICULOUSLY ABSURD & VASTLY ASTUTE. A BRITISH INFLUENCE LOOMS LARGE IN STEPHEN WOOD'S BRILLIANT SONGWRITING- COMPARISONS TO RAY DAVIES & JOHN LENNON ARE COMMONPLACE -IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THOSE PILLARS INFORMED ROBERT POLLARD'S FORAYS INTO SONGS. LIKEWISE, GIANTESS' ERSTWHILE APPROACH THRUSTS THE GENRE FORWARD WITH LIBERAL SWATHS OF HEART, WIT, WARMTH, MELODY & RAW POWER.

Tracks

N/A

Press

REVIEWS IN PITCHFORK, MOJO, UNCUT, MORE TBC

Audio & Video