Equipment Pointed Ankh - Fake Fever - Erin K - The Goods
In terms of the headiest of heady jammers the Louisville, KY weirdo supergroup Equipment Pointed Ankh comes has made a name for themselves in creating uncompromising and unpretentious experimental music that appeals to the freaks and casual listeners alike. The group's magnetic pulse on their newest album Downtown! puts them in league with the Kraut conspirators while bouncing with a nervous, wiry rhythm of bands like This Heat. We think you'd dig it, or we wouldn't be sending this to you. The first single "Trucks to Gettysburg" is out now.
Welcome to the eternal now of Equipment Pointed Ankh, whose instrumental, electronics-squishing avant rock/future jazz will baffle and delight your earholes for years to come. Set your cruise controls in the direction of a fun, beer chugging midwestern American version of the tightly buttoned Euro adventurousness found on that sparkly Recommended Records 2xlp comp.
Equipment Pointed Ankh are from a Louisville, KY lineage that spawned the Endtables and Your Food, grew with Squirrel Bait, extended into Gastr Del Sol, King Kong, and the Web, then casually emerged into the present with Valley of Ashes, Sapat, Road House and Flanger Magazine (the last three consisting of actual EPA members!!) They initially appeared as the brainchild of former Tropical Trashian Jim Marlowe, and while his first release of smoldering Kraut throb (Live on Sophomore Lounge and recognized by cover art featuring a doomed cowboy's naked dong) was a signpost to the future, the true EPA really began on Without Human Permission (Astral Editions/ Sophomore Lounge) with the addition of the now constant lineup of Chris Bush, Dan Davis, Ryan Davis (no relation!), and Shutaro Noguchi. They created spontaneous constructions of drums, synths, guitar, and sundry other instruments that were then edited into structural cohesion within the glorious freedom and sonic possibilities of a legitimate recording studio with an utterly simpatico recording engineer (this being RI's Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets). This approach continued with the Changing Legs cd (Newton's Kidney) of all possible permutations of duo improvisations between members and then followed by the giddily melodic grooves of From Inside the House lp (Bruit Direct Disques).
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Nostalgia is a powerful drug. It can provide a quick escape or a warm blanket of comfort in times of need, but what happens when that temporary sugar rush of the past begins to corrode and fade? The longer that NYC-based singer/songwriter/producer Andrew Barnes spent in the nostalgic space that previously defined his chillwave/bedroom pop project Fake Fever, the more he felt these reflective comforts dissipate over time and found the harsh realities of the present staring back more ferociously than ever. After three years of false starts, new surroundings, bandaid ripping, chaotic experimentation, and refinement, what resulted is Fake Fever's highly-anticipated sophomore full length release - Inside The Well - a bittersweet breakup album with nostalgia.
"When I initially tried to piece together ideas for my 2nd album, I was hitting a wall and slowly realized that I had spent so much time over the last few years trying to recreate this essence of my childhood and my past and existing in this escapist place where I was constantly looking backwards, that I was doing a horrible job of living in the present and trying to progress, both creatively and personally." Barnes says. "This album encompasses that sometimes-painful process of loosening the grip on the past so that you can free yourself to move forward."
While the previous Fake Fever full length "Surrogate" made a splash in various online "-wave" circles during the 2020 height of isolation with its hazy, subdued trip through a lazy river of vaporwave-tinged dreams and memories, "Inside The Well" is a much more awake, emotional, and polished slate of pop-centric material. This 11-song, 42-minute yearning, aquatic pop journey fluidly weaves together new genre flourishes to the Fake Fever sound, ranging from shoegaze ("Autotoxemia", "Pressure Tank") to house ("Palace Intrigue") to footwork ("Sozu") to 2000s indietronica revival ("Graveyard Shift") to drum & bass ("Canvasing"), with the chillwave ethereality ("Coral Ring", "Sunrose") and tape-warped melodies ("Unknowable") that resonated with listeners on "Surrogate."
"After spending most of my musical life playing guitar and drums in heavy bands, this whole avenue of creating electronic and pop music is still so new to me, even after a handful of years of doing it now. Part of the reason this album took so long to make is because I spent an equal amount of time trying to refine what I had figured out and done well kind of by accident as a total novice on the last album, and an equal amount of time trying to get away from my musical crutches that I had developed over the past few years and expand my sound with brand new techniques as a songwriter and producer that took a ton of trial and error to finally bring within reach."
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Acclaimed American-born London-resident musician Erin K just released her new playful and beautiful “antifolk” style singer-songwriter album ‘Sink To Swim’ (out 30th June).
Erin has recorded a gorgeous live session version of ‘Breathe’ from the album at The Crypt studio in London. Wondered if you might like to feature / share it?
On the song & session, Erin said- “In this song I am speaking to my former childhood self, questioning the decisions she will make to lead up to this present moment. Under seeming pressures to perform and act up to other’s standards, the option to choose a different path is presented alongside the ever present reminder to simply “breathe” in every moment. We had a wonderful time recording this live in The Crypt Studio in London, with my bandmates flying in from 3 different countries. This live arrangement of the song differs a little from recording studio production which is now released on my album Sink To Swim. We arrived at this production after a month long tour in Italy and I wanted to capture it during this session. I’m very excited to share this!”
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Oakland California’s The Goods have just announced the release of their debut self-titled EP on Dandy Boy Records with an accompanying video for the song “David Jones Is Dead.” The Goods combine big guitars, huge hooks, and sweet British Invasion-style harmonies into a distinctive power pop tapestry on their debut. Self-produced in the band’s own studio in Oakland, CA, The Goods’ debut EP draws on decades of hooky punk and power pop from the 1960s through the 1990s.
The three song 7" (with an exclusive fourth digital track) combines classic influences and timeless sounds with a fresh and playful energy. The lead single and video “David Jones Is Dead” calls to mind the band’s songwriting influences both new and old; Redd Kross, Young Guv, Tom Petty, Matthew Sweet, The Jam, Green Day and Cheap Trick. Reflecting on the process of writing “David Jones Is Dead” singer and guitarist Rob Good had to say, “I set out to write the shortest song I possibly could, all killer no filler, every bit of fat around the edges trimmed off. Lyrically, I was thinking about all these rock and roll icons that are now dying, and how their death brings up so many emotions - not only remorse for the loss of the person, but also nostalgia about the good times you had with their music and the friends you enjoyed it with. Ultimately it’s a celebration of that music and those good times.”
Avoiding retro-revivalism, The Goods' music is earnest and unironic, with just enough grit and muscle to balance its sugary sweetness. Dandy Boy label owner Bobby Martinez describes the connection between himself and singer/guitarist Rob Good, “I’m a big power pop fan and he was writing huge power pop songs. Not in a bleached hair/ leather jacket/ Buzzcocks way or a straight college radio/ 90’s alt way- but somewhere in between. There’s an element of Redd Kross camp over Cheap Trick timelessness that adds this level of fun and cheekiness. It never feels too serious or posturing yet avoids going full on cornball cartoon band. It’s completely self aware and doesn’t fall into some retro revival affectation. Rather than trying to duplicate classic power pop from the late 70’s or 90’s “left-of-the-dial” underground, they manage to sound organic. It’s power pop by guys who grew up learning their instruments by listening to Green Day and the Descendents and playing in punk bands. Guys who spent their formative years with Lemonheads and Jam CDs in their cars.”
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