Built to Spill bring back the spirit of 97 by preparing new record
By E. Nagurney on Nov 3 2011
Ugh, I wish it was 1997. Everyone wishes it was 1997. Disregard if you hated 1997, be it through personal tragedy or simply a soggy year. For Built to Spill, though, 1997 was a very crisp year. Riding high on their third (and best maybe?) record Perfect From Now On, Built to Spill spent the year becoming the most critically acclaimed and popular band in the entire world! I have never heard of Radiohead.
We all miss these salad days, but every time Built to Spill puts out a new record, it brings us back to that time. Unless it brings us back to 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2006, or 2009 instead. Regardless, the fine folks at Prefix Mag state that Doug Martsch and crew will be returning us to those days soon… ish. Built to Spill are currently working on a new release, but Martsch has stated that the new album might not make it out until 2013. Granted, every ‘might not’ has a ‘might’ on the other side. Welcome to symmetry. By the way, other info on the new record is as follows: none.
• Built to Spill: http://www.builttospill.com
Gonjasufi emerges from his own dreadlocks to release mini album on Warp
By Mike Reid on Nov 3 2011
Relatively fresh off the release of A Sufi and a Killer back in March of last year, and presumably when he wasn’t busy teaching enthusiastic female pupils the art of faithfully performing the downward-facing dog, the intimately psychedelic and soulful Gonjasufi a.k.a. Sumach Ecks has apparently been putting in due time working on his newest “mini album” MU.ZZ.LE, due out January 24 on Warp. An announcement on the Warp website warns potential listeners not to mistake the album’s length (just under 30 minutes) for lack of depth: “It’s a lonely journey that will take you through the innermost thoughts of Gonjasufi’s darkest hours. He recorded and mixed it on his own in his home studio surrounded by his family and the stark contrast of the Mohave [sic] desert. The end product is his outlet and realization for who he is, a way for him to feel comfortable in his own skin again.”
A lonely journey indeed. While A Sufi and a Killer featured contributions from Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer and Mainframe, this album had Gonjasufi taking over the whole of the production duties. This could indicate a rather noticeable change in sound and style, perhaps explaining the release of a “mini” and not a “maxi” album — a testing the waters sort of scenario similar to the purpose of some EPs. Speaking of which, there really should be some kind of distinct, shorthand term for these mini albums, which seem (from my perspective or my imagination) to be increasingly common, and which are apparently destined to forever occupy the vague purgatory in-between the LP and the EP.
…What? You didn’t expect me to think of one, did you?
MU.ZZ.LE tracklisting:
01. White Picket Fence
02. Feedin’ Birds
03. Nikels and Dimes
04. Rubberband
05. Venom
06. Timeout
07. Skin
08. The Blame
09. Blaksuit
10. Sniffin’
• Gonjasufi: http://www.sufisays.com
• Warp: http://warp.net
Zomes album #3 coming in January on Thrill Jockey ZOMG
By Caroline Rayner on Nov 3 2011
Alright, time for a SparkNotes version of Zomes history: back in the day, Asa Osborne played guitar for Lungfish, a post-hardcore/semi emo outfit that’s now defunct. Got that? Cool. Over the past few years Osborne has taken a more reflective, elemental direction with his solo project, Zomes. So far, he’s released two LPs — Zomes in 2008 on Holy Mountain and Earth Grid (TMT Review) earlier this year on Thrill Jockey.
Fast-forward to January 24 and you’ll see him releasing yet another album, this one called Improvisations. According to Thrill Jockey, “it consists of three primordial cosmic transmissions that phase in and out of a thick drone filled ether.” In other words, new evidence for extraterrestrial life.
Improvisations tracklisting:
01. No. 1
02. No. 2
03. No. 3
• Zomes: http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/?id=11877
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
Acid Mothers Temple tour the British Isles (minus poor old Wales); earplug sales soar across the UK and Ireland
By Ryan A. Detwiler on Nov 2 2011
To all of our readers in the the British Isles: get ready to have your minds blown by an absolutely out of control space ritual! Yes, the one and only Acid Mothers Temple are on their way to conquer your various islands with the continuation of their 2011: A Space Ritual Tour.
After having slaughtered the ears and grey matter of mainland residents in October, AMT are headed across the channel to partake in a blistering 16-day marathon of shows across the UK (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland) and Ireland. Little-known fact: the Japanese hate the Welsh.
If you’ve never experienced the aural assault of a live AMT show, it is not to be missed. They will no doubt have piles of numbered, limited-edition, handmade CDs being sold by the legendary members of the band. There could be random barbershop singing. There will definitely be lots of killer psychedelic rock music as overseen by the leader of the collective himself, Kawabata Makoto. Secure your knickers and crumpets and prepare to be changed.
Tourdates:
11.04.11 - Cambridge, UK - The Portland
11.05.11 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds
11.06.11 - Nottingham, UK - Bodega
11.07.11 - Manchester, UK - Ruby Lounge
11.08.11 - Hebden Bridge, UK - Trades Club
11.09.11 - Glasgow, UK - Nice N Sleazy
11.10.11 - Belfast, UK - Auntie Annies
11.11.11 - Dublin, Ireland - Crawdaddy
11.12.11 - Cork, Ireland - Crane Lane Theatre
11.14.11 - Bridgend, UK - Hobos
11.15.11 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
11.16.11 - Oxford, UK - Jericho
11.17.11 - London, UK - Corsica Studios
11.18.11 - Brighton, UK - Hectors House
11.19.11 - London, UK - Cafe Oto
• Acid Mothers Temple: http://www.acidmothers.com
![ZS - Grain [EP]](http://www.tinymixtapes.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Thumbnail/1304/zs grain.jpg)
