August Vice Reviews

The Sticks/Hands On Heads
Split 10”
Upset The Rhythm

7 I once went to see Martin Creed’s band play in the basement of some gallery. He did a song where he just counted from one to ten. Then from ten back down to one. I reckon Martin would like this one. In fact it’s on clear green and red splatter vinyl and I’ve heard that artists like colours sometimes so I’m pretty sure that he will definitely like it.

Vincent Van Glock

Ringworm
The Venomous Grand Design
Victory

5 Holy shit! Victory put out a record and it doesn’t totally suck. And Away did the artwork. A million miles away from “The Promise” but better than falling asleep on the first tube home and waking up further away than when you started.

Fungicide Jones

Les Savy Fav
Let’s Stay Friends
Wichita

9 Sometimes you get so used to something being around that you forget how good it is. You all have to promise to never take the bald, fat, naked guy and the other three for granted again. If I was in a band with a guitar trying to make people dance and I heard this I would give up.

Goat Boy

Tusken Coalition
s/t
Basillica Music

1 This gets a point for having one of the best covers of the year so far and being partly written by J.P.Morrow (R.I.P.). Unfortunately the music sounds like Limp Bizkit going cross keys with Raging Speedhorn.

Peter Fellas

White Rainbow
Prism Of Eternal Now
Kranky

8 How did just one guy make this? It sounds like it was made by a tribe of mad drumming, shamanic Voivod-mask wearing maniacs. Or the Boredoms.

Jay Of Today

Minus The Bear
Planet Of Ice
Undergroove

7 These guys all used to be in frowny, shouty bands like Botch but somewhere along the line they seemed to have discovered their inner immaturity. This comes on like if the Hold Steady were into mathcore but still loved the whole singing about hanging out and partying bit.

Alex Petri-Dish

M.I.A
Kala
XL

8 Missing in Acton? More like generally lost in whatever continent you fancy heading too next. Boyz still sounds great and Afrikan Boy still has a funny voice. Fairly quickly you end up feeling a little disorientated and that you might become infected by musical ADD and never listen to a single track for longer than 12 seconds again. In a good way.

Jay Kay

Rough Trade Vs Merok Records
Split 7”
Rough Trade/Merok

7 What’s the deal with these Teenagers guys? They must have some magical superpower whereby they are in every bar I ever go to. And now they are on every record that turns up in the post. Worth it for the Pre track and the pretty picture on the front.

Marquee Smith

Cutting Pink With Knives
Populuxxe
Holy Roar

4 You know those toys that little kids used to play with before they had 67 person multiplayer Halo? Like the spinning top things that you pump up and down with a push handle and when you do it enough they open up and make an intense vaguely irritating noise? This like 16 of those.

E.S.Flea

Sunset Rubdown
Random Spirit Lover
Secretly Canadian

5 Despite the title which makes it sound a little like a Yanni record this is actually a band made up solely of members of outfits that Pitchfork would definitely approve of. Like Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade and Destroyer. It’s a bit like going into Tesco’s. You know what you’re going to get.

Rank Williams

Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedalla
Secretly Canadian

8 Why can’t people be into this guy instead of Patrick Wolf? They both lay on the whole camp thing pretty heavily and pretend every day is a fancy dress party and probably have imaginary friends. But Jens is good. Oh wait, people don’t like Patrick Wolf. It’s all ok.

Tight House

Akron Family
Love Is Simple
Young God

8 Apparently these guys rage live. This just sounds like crystalline kraut-folk, Can intensely rimming Lindisfarne perfection.

Knight Ryder

Jape
The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me
Marine Parade

4 The internet is a pretty amazing place. You can bid on pieces of the crucifix and buy Portabello mushrooms while talking to your new boyfriend and playing arrow key BMX games against someone in Croatia all at once. Or you can be Jack White and discover some boring Irish guy and then play his songs in your Raconteurs sets just for the sake of it.

Polygon Windowsill

The Observers
Walk Alone EP
La Vida En Mus

8 Sometimes you have to look backwards to move forwards. Miss The Wipers? Not anymore.

Johnny Cotton

Grupo Sub 1
Tercer Grando En Leningrado
La Vida En Mus

7 What ever happened to The Faint? They were the only good thing on Saddle Creek. This is like what the Faint would sound like if they were actual punks and not a bunch of freelance stylists for some obscure Japanese superglossy.

Scat Rabies

The Black Lips
Good Bad Not Evil
Vice

10 Uh oh, first full release on our UK label, better not fuck this up. Luckily for us The Black Lips are the most amazing car crash of The Swinging Medallions rolling around a bar room floor with The Monks and the Beach Boys on vocals that we have ever heard. Somehow they manage to be a psychedelic garage band while playing rock & roll with a total punk attitude and appearing to be some outlaw boyband all at once. They also like to hit the Addreol and Tequila at 11 am and aren’t too bothered about slicing themselves open onstage and dancing in their own blood. We love them, so should you.

Justin Martin
Chaos Restored
Buzzin Fly

7 The dude that did ‘Sad Piano’ finally gets it together and puts a mix out. Smooth and melodic house from the West coast that nudges more towards the electro than the funk. Worth the wait.