Picks from May 8th

We start off this week with a new Ba Da Bing release, coming out June 9^th, Our Love Will Destroy The World’s “Carnivorous Rainbows.” It’s a vinyl only, limited to 500 copies, record by New Zealand’s Campbell Kneale, who is known for his work as Birchville Cat Motel and Black Boned Angel. He’s one of those damn noisenicks who manages to extract pure bliss from skree. This may be the most unflinchingly intense record we’ve ever released. There are four tracks, each one a complete environment of sonic majesty. Carnivorous Rainbows will have an antagonistic relationship with your record needle – it practically attacks the poor thing with the layers majesty that spew forth. Campbell has been noting this album as a sort of rebirth for him creatively, and there’s no arguing that it sounds like some damn thing is coming to lifehere. We’re so, so excited about this album and the number of relationships it will ruin! BEN

Listen to “Hades Iron Horizon” off Carnivorous Rainbows from Our Love Will Destroy The World

Steve Treatment “All Dressed For Tomorrow” – I’ve never heard of this guy, but as I was looking over records to get for our site, I chanced upon it and immediately ordered some copies in. Steve Treatment was part of the late ‘70s punk scene, when the scene started getting into messy, broken pop. Why he never released anything on Rough Trade is probably because of beefs I’ll never know about, or more likely presumptions on my part that everyone from the same general area and time knew each other. I’m a particularly damaged music fan, in that if something sounds home recorded and demo-ish, I’m more likely to immediately take an interest than if it has pristine production. Then, obviously, there has to be something like decent music present, and Treatment passes the test. He gets a lot of comparisons to Marc Bolan, but I hear a greater presence of The Swell Maps, who play with him on some tracks here – that scattershot guitar and trebly inexpensive production style of the time. I hear a song like this and I wonder how something so up my alley eluded my ears for so long. I think this is an immediate thing here. Hear a bit, and you’ll either be excited or turned off, while continued listening will solidify your stance. At least I can attest to the former.Here’s a nice writeup of the single he released that’s a part of this compilation. BEN

Listen to that song above and then this one for an idea of how the songs on here vary.

Death & The Maiden S/T – Last year, Ba Da Bing released this compilation of current Dunedin bands viaFishrider Records, who is without a doubt the Flying Nun of today for finding all the gems of the scene. For a compilation chronicling a scene, it’s amazingly coherent and consistently of quality. Death & The Maiden is the latest full-length from a band who was on that comp (I also highly suggest the Sarah Records pop goodness of Trick Mammoth, whose record we in stock), and they are somewhat outliers. Things get a bitgothy here, to that dark and atmospheric place that mid-period Cure records wandered. Lots of synth blips and washes, drum machines and light female vocals, all evoking an early-80s underground vibe. I like the mood they create – especially since they never let it get too dire. Dips into the sadness pool are rather refreshing, I find. BEN

Here’s “Flowers For The Blind” to give you an idea of Death & The Maiden.

Carla Bozulich “Boy” - Bozulich has a long career, but honestly, I only care about the past six years or so. She was in a group called Geraldine Fibbers in the mid-nineties, whom I never got nor understood why people went crazy over. They sounded like standard alt-country-indie rock to me. Then, she came out with her group Evangelista and – holy shit – I instantly regretted not giving GFs a go live to see if that’s where it all came together. Her music of recent has been super intense, rivaled only by Scott Walker and The Swans for pummeling intensity and drama. Evangelista went to serious extremes, which is why Bozulich’s solo album makes so much sense. It marries those extremes with more a sense of songform and melody….um,sometimes..while singing in her incantation-style that’s positively menacing. I find her one of the most powerful musicians around today who really deserves more her due than she appears to get. BEN

I mean, this song is called “Gonna Stop Killing”

Ya Ho Wa 13 "Savage Sons of Yahowa"  - It must have been nice having a Spiritual Father with a extremely large bank account. When Papa Yod wanted music at the Father House he sent the boys out, $30K filling their loin cloths, and they returned with some magical gear. They put that gear to good use. The Family churned out many records before Yod crashed his hang glider on a Hawaiian beach and died. As a group,Ya Ho Wa 13 was usually fronted by Father Yod, standing behind a kettle drum, banging unrhythmically and chanting some sort of heavenly chant only he and maybe the newest born baby of the Family could understand, BUT this time around Yod is absent and the group consisted of Djin, Elecron, Octavius, Rhythm, and Sunflower (all surname Aquarian) and played gutteral Rock 'n Roll with the occasional heavenly-influenced improv jam. Aside from their names, no schtick needed. Standout track being "Making a Dollar" which could go head-to-head with any rocker from the time. Look closely and you'll see Yod was actually there the whole time, steering from behind the wheel of his Roll's Royce, guiding the Aquarian boys down the enlightened path. Close your third eye, its time for a nap. -MIKE

Here's a track called "Making A Dollar"

Now, head on back to the Grapefruit Store!