The Dale Cooper Quartet is a trio, of course. But they never play as a three piece band naturally, because there’re The Dictaphones. The band originally formed as a quartet for an improvisation night in Brest (France) in 2002 in order to play a strange mix of Angelo Badalamenti and the German slow-core-jazz band, Bohren & Der Club of Gore style music. Mysterious, dark, smoky, jazz, exactly like a film by David Lynch. While they’re also under influence of Bretagne’s weather, landscape and people, of course.

from their first album „Paroles de Navarre” (2006).
It’s re-released by Denovali Records (Germany)

Denovali Swingfest, Oct 2-5, Essen with Frederico Albanaese (I), The Haxan Cloak (UK), Ensemble Economique (US), Pan & Me (F), Bohren und der Club of Gore (Ger), Never Sol (Cz), Thees Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (Can), Ben Frost (Aus), The Samuel Jackson 5 (Nor) and more.

The program of Denovali Records varies from sometimes improvised darker experimental sounds, ambient, drone, indie and electronica to darkjazz, jazz or piano and string driven modern compositions.

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There’s a book by Judy Blume: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s „about a girl in sixth grade who grew up without a religious affiliation. Margaret’s mother is Christian and her father is Jewish, and the novel explores her quest for a single religion. Margaret also confronts many other pre-teen female issues, such as buying her first bra, having her first period, coping with belted sanitary napkins (changed to adhesive sanitary pads for recent editions of the book), jealousy towards another girl who has developed a womanly figure earlier than other girls, liking boys, and whether to voice her opinion if it differs from those of her friends.”

About these problems with really various style music from pop to punk by all-star girl group of Canberra, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. And surprisingly they’re so good than there we’re sold out shows only. Yes, were. The final show was on 15 Aug.

digital EP on Cinnamon Records (Aus)

The multi-instrumentalist Emil Amos is known as drummer of post-rock band Grails and drone metal band OM. My favorite Amos’ project is the cinematic duo Lilacs & Champagne. It was created to be a direct tribute to the musical outsiders of the past. His very personal side project is Holy Sons with mainly acoustic, folkish and little psychedelic songs. His „also like” artists: Jandek, Scout Niblett and Damo Suzuki show the way.

Holy Sons’ umpteenth album will be released on Thrill Jockey in September. Among the 4 bonus tracks Circle Jerks, Black  Flag and Slapshot covers. There’re free to download:

„I began to struggle with severe depersonalization, where nothing seems real. You don’t think you’re actually alive. You basically melt down the DNA of your personality, and become a puddle of broken-down potentialities. It took me years to figure out why I would still want to exist, let alone function in front of others. (…) I’m still trying to piece together my mind.”  Read the full interview

French singer and songwriter NOIR BOY GEORGE
plays simple music on his keyboard.
One of the best video makers ever
tab_ularasa has made an amazing clip for his song

ENFONCE TOI DANS LA VILLE

from 7″ vinyl on POUet Schallplatten (France)

There’re no enough words to describe the magnificence of art of tab_ularasa

NBG is a member of French dada doom grind supergroup 1400 Points De Suture together with Cheb Samir (Bobsleigh Baby, Capputtini I Lignu, The Normals, Trans Upper Egypt, Vernon Sélavy and more), Emmanuel Satti (A.H.Kraken, Anals, The Dreams, Funk Police, Scorpion Violente and more), Seb Normal (Crash Normal, Feeling Of Love, Le Chomage, Cheb Samir & The Black Souls Of Leviathan and many more) and others.

Free download Noir Boy George & 1400 Points De Suture

„San Francisco’s first and only rock ‘n’ roll band” was the slogan of CRIME. It was formed in 1976 and after 3 singles broke up in 1980. They were among the very first west coast punk bands, and played raw and loud rock’n’roll. In 1977 they began wearing police uniforms.  In 1979 the Crime performed a show in San Quentin State Penitentiary. There they didn’t wear police uniforms of course, instead of it they wore prison guard uniforms. This LP release collects the three singles along with nine previously unreleased studio recordings from 1976 to 1980.

Post-Crime: In 1987 Sonic Youth covered „Hot Wire My Heart” on their LP Sister.  –  Johnny Strike (vocals, guitar) has become a writer. In 2001 he formed a new band, The Johnsons. They changed their name later to The Venus Hunters and eventually shortened it to TVH.  –  Crime was re-formed in 2005. In 2008 they recorded a new album of rare, older materials.  –  The drummer Hank Rank has become a film producer under his real name, Henry Rosenthal. His best known work is The Devil and Daniel Johnston.  –  The original drummer Ricky Tractor was the original singer of Flipper, because he was a very original person…  – A photo book about Crime.

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MENACE BEACH is a „two pieces indie rock supergroup.”in Leeds. It’s led by Ryan Needham (ex-Komakino) and Liza Violet (Department M) with members from Sky Larkin, Pulled Apart By Horse, Hookworms and Mansun, and it’s the best among the listed bands. Hard fuzz noise pop sometimes with strong Nirvana feeling

7″ + digital single on Memphis Industries (UK)

YOU. is the name of a band in New York. Just try to search it on the net… Their music is better. Cold but danceable synth punk a la Digital Leather and New Order

Sunchaser LP + digital on Dais Records (US)

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The BILDERS are groups of various musicians and friends from New Zealand, Australia, United States, Germany, Austria and France. In 2013 there were 3 different line-ups, one in Australia, one in New Zealand and one in Germany. The New Zealander musician and writer Bill Direen stands in the centre of these groups. Their melodic minimal art pop is just like the Blurt.
Now here is a special 7″ vinyl with 3 tracks from 3 different line-ups. It consists a situationist exposé of current damn fool world political events: „The utopians R just out of boozin”; an appealing ballad plus a simmering live extract from a recent European tour. The ballad is like a song by Mick Harvey

SmartGuy Records (US)

In the NZ-er band the drummer is Stu Kawovski (Stuart Page), who also in the best alternative pop band of New Zealand, The Axemen.

strange one man show on keyboard
Harry Merry – The Sky-Fun Reels And Angelica Kneels

The story of Harry Merry has started at his aunt’s pub in Delft. As a little boy there he gazed at a juke-box. „I was hypnotized by all these vinyl-singles constantly rotating with those specifically coloured lable-etiquettes in the middle.  (…) My most favourite ones were from Apple-records, Pye Records (especially the dark pink one) and CBS-records (the old orange one; not the ugly later one).”

Further determinative things of his life: piano lessons, The Beatles and Roland keyboards. „The musical genres that have been adopted by me on these keyboards are as follows:  Rock’n’Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Beat, Ballads, Schlager, Latino, Chansons, Liedjes and lately also some Slovenian Pop and Serbian Turbo-folk.” Besides he is equally regularly being influenced by classical music from the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler and Sibelius. And works of Charles Dickens is also a source of inspiration for him.

„I hope to write an opera before I’m forty.” I hope it is done.

some from his songs

Harry Merry CDs from here

Since his previous EP the music of Orlando Furious moves forward from junk pop toward electro rubbish. It’s relished with a little hip-hop. And he is still better than Xiu Xiu.

High And Mighty EP – cassette and digital on Cinnamon Records (Aus)

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One from British surf punk band Sex Beet has moved to Stockholm. Lucern Raze is his personal project. French mode easy garage rock

Debut 7″ before the album by PNKSLM Records (UK & Swe)

Barbara Lehnhoff didn’t want to become a musician – like so many other individuals, but her debut album of this year under moniker of Camilla Sparksss is better than the new Laibach. You can find danceable technoid rhythms and electro-industrial punk tunes on it.

Vinyl     CD     Cassette     Fashion     RNR666 interview

These songs are like the cross of (Dutch folk punk) The Ex and The Breeders. Free download.

Every time I glad when Orval Carlos Sibelius comes forward with new records. He is a French multi-instrumentalist, who make music in really various styles from abstract electroinc dance to psych folk pop. His music often comes the world of Deerhhof in my mind. But now something almost completely different: psychedelic noise rock with a special taste of kraut-rock with Domotic, King Q4, My Jazzy Child and Aurelien Potier under the name of Centenaire. And it’s also excellent.

Centenaire – Ste Croix EP on Clapping Music (France). Previous Centenaire album

Albums of OCS: Recovery Tapes (2011), Super Forma (2013)

There’re some mistakes: Orval Carlos Sibelius is no more in the band. He left after the previous album (The Enemy, 2009). And King Q4 is not in the band either, he just a guest sometimes… but not on the new EP. So Centenaire now is just Damien Poncet (My Jazzy Child), Stéphane Laporte (Domotic, Egyptology) and Aurélien Potier…

Thank Julien for correction

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It’s written that „69 meets Pan Sonic. Ruffunk…” Pan Sonic is OK, but the rest is unknown for me, but the name of Pan Sonic is a guarantee for

NPLGNN (from Napoli) – „Meccano” EP – cassette, CD, digital on Trensmat (Ireland)

RAKÉTA FESTIVAL, Budapest, the most exciting young Hungarian musicians, free entry

26.07 > 6th stage: Gólya

AIRES ALTOS (Bittersweet melodies from the girls’ room) – CLOSINGTOWN ORCHESTRA (Trans-Euroiean folk) – EYES ON U (Lo-fi pop ) – GIRLS SAY YES (guitar pop) – RICSÁRDGÍR (art-fart pop) – I AM SOYUZ (The Girl and her Ukulele from Stockholm) – THE BUZIK (indie rock) – SAYNO DÁVID (Mariah Carey) – POPMÉTER (All-night indie)

27.07 >final stage: A38

THE ADOLESCENS (rock) – ANN MY GUARD (doll metal) – GUSTAVE TIGER (garage rock) – NEA (indie rock) – TERRIBLE TED (wrest rock) – TUMO (punk rock) – FATIME DJ SET

EVERY INFO     MIXTAPE

„We grimly demand the complete extermination of mankind.”

James Brown III – antiguitar     Pete Majors – antivoice     Sandor GF – antidrums

Harassor – Into Unknown Depths LP on Dais Records (US)

debut album free download

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Scrabbled is a music collective in Brisbane (Aus) with members from Clag, Per Purpose and many more. They are play real pop music. You can find just hits with catchy refrains on their album. But these tracks are too human, so aren’t good for radio stations. On the other hand it’s real punk music. Free, noisy and foul-mouthed, but too free for punks. „Urban folk” is also a good phrase for their music, it as if would be played by a common project of Velvet Underground and Mad Nanna. The latter is also a cult band.

Welcome To Pig City cassette and digital on Virtual Cool Records (Aus)