Future Of The Left Stream

How about starting the day with a stream of the new Future Of The Left album, The Plot Against Common Sense? No review, as Im listening to it right now, and thought you should join in. Thanks to Spin for this!

Stream the album here.

VIDEO VACUUM - Future Of The Left, Girls, Colours, Witch Hats

A slow start to the week, but here are some luscious moofies to drag you out of the doldrums, yeah?

It's common knowledge that I have infinite amounts of respect for Andy Falkous. I'm a bit of a groupie, and getting to speak to him last year before the release of his band Future Of The Left's Polymers Are Forever EP was one of the crowning achievements of my life thus far. Now we are creeping ever closer to the release of their third album, The Plot Against Common Sense, and to whet our appetites (it's not out til May, dammit!) we have the video for teaser track 'Sheena Was A T-Shirt Salesman'. Ill be brutally honest - it's not their best. But it's good, and Falkous' lyrics are as acerbic, drenched in bile and tickled pink as ever. It has me on tenterhooks - I'm hoping for upwards and onwards...Plus it's good to see the Blue Man Group getting a job.



Girls was one of the best bands to grace us with their presence on the recent Laneway Festival circuit, and I've grown to embrace Christopher Owens and his inherent revivalist shtick more and more. Here is the rather disquieting flick for 'My Ma' and as always it is somewhat sumptuous and off putting, like a Gregory Crewdson photograph come to life. Intensely alluring.



Now I received this in the mail only the other day, and immediately thought it was a new track from British slacker rock band Colours. Turns out there is an artist right here in Australia called Colours, and 'In The Summer' is his contribution to the incoming compilation by Electronic Voice Records. It's hazed dream pop of the highest order, and has me hankering for more of the same. As far as I know there isn't a full length in the immediate future, but the compilation will be out on cassette as well as 12" vinyl soon, with pre-order starting March 10 (this Saturday!) here.

COLOURS ~ In The Summer from Toto Vivian on Vimeo.

Finally we have Melbourne's Witch Hats, who have had a bit of a directional change of late as witnessed on their stellar second LP Pleasure Syndrome. Here is the new video for 'In The Mortuary' off that very album.



NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Banned Books Grip The Guillotine

Banned Books have done something pretty amazing here. They have remixed current "it" hip hop crew Death Grips (whose Ex-Military album is great, actually) by layering it on top of their track 'Malio'. Its been on constant rotation over here (alongside the aforementioned Future Of The Left EP and God Bows To Math LP), so waste no time - have at it already!

Death Grips - Guillotine (Banned Books Remix) by banned books

And for added pleasure, here is a live version of 'Malio' where they are joined by the amazing Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier! He is so mental! Just something to get you excited about the imminent Australian tour in January 2012!

"Malio" By Banned Books feat. Greg Saunier of Deerhoof from Banned Books on Vimeo.

And finally, to end this day in triumphant manner - here is Ex-Military in its entirety! So good...

Death Grips - Exmilitary by deathgrips

The Future Is Decidely Left - And In December

I interviewed the absolutley fucking amazing Andy "Falco" Falkous yesterday. Such an incredible guy - fifteen minutes was not enough! Future Of The Left have an EP coming out in November on Xtra Mile Records called Polymers Are Forever. Its, as expected, amazing. Im particularly loving the title track and the closing number, 'Destroywhitchurch.com'. Here's what Falco had to say, verbatim, about the EP plus some other exciting news (not from mentioned interview - more on that when I get around to typing it up...):

Zero Hour.
(drum roll) ...

An EP, titled 'polymers are forever' will be released on 11th November on Remote Control (Australia) and on 14th November on XtraMile (Britain and Europe) with an initial small amount of imports being shoveled the way of the USA, that land mass which is a little to the left of Wales. Pleased doesn't quite cover it. The possibilities, literally, are end-ful.

Running order is 'polymers are forever'(*1), 'with apologies to emily pankhurst'(*2), 'new adventures', 'my wife is unhappy', 'dry hate' and 'destroywhitchurch.com'. It has a running time somewhere in the region of twenty one minutes and is 'very nice' ((c) my mother, last week). The first three songs are taken from the album sessions (see below) whilst the final three are earlier demos we didn't have the time, money or inclination to re-record. At this stage I have no earthly idea if the EP will end up being pressed on vinyl but the chances, as ever, are dramatically increased the more people ask.

Just saying.

'polymers are forever' (the song not the entire EP) will appear on the album 'the plot against common sense', which will be released in early 2012. More about this later(*4). We are really VERY VERY HAPPY with this record, which is perhaps ONE DAY away from being finished, whenever we can fit that in; I would like to apologise in advance to my bandmates and the cat(*5) for how drunk I get upon its completion.

The following live dates are confirmed before the end of the year -

20th November Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach (No, really?) with Saturdays Kids and one more TBC tickets

26th November Leeds, Cockpit (supports unconfirmed at this stage) tickets

29th November London, Hoxton Bar and Kitchen with Saturdays Kids and Fever Fever tickets

Australian dates are as follows -

4th December Perth, Rosemount

6th December Brisbane, The Zoo

8th December Sydney, Annandale Hotel

9th-11th December Meredith Music Festival

16th December Melbourne, The Corner

Ticket information is available here. Really. Can't wait. For all of it.

I appreciate your patience. Rather than blogging (and yes, I still hate that word) throughout the year in a non-commital manner I thought it best to wait until there was something solid to tell you. 'Hey guys - big news coming IN SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS' doesn't really cut it around my face. Or, indeed, my balls.(*6)

More to fellow follow.

falco
x

(*1) I have read some pretty demented comments about this song after just one radio play (and subsequent streaming). Gary Numan? Obvious Cure references? LIMP BIZKIT? None of these are things. None. Of. These. Listen again. With ears. EARS. (*3)

(*2) this is the DELIBERATE title of the song. A reviewer for a magazine, who shall remain nameless changed 'emily' to 'emmeline' on a setlist she was given earlier this year. How cute.

(*3) laptop speakers do not count.

(*4) and I ask you to interpret the word 'later' generously.(*7)

(*5) the odd seizure and shitting-on-the-doorstep episode aside, Chicken is doing well.

(*6) one balls reference per blog - new policy.

(*7) this is code for 'be patient'.

I can now verify that the band, now a four piece, finished the recording for the new LP today, so it should be in our quivering palms in the opening throes of 2012. We wont have to wait that long to hear the tracks however, as mentioned by the man himself, the Welsh juggernauts hit Brisbane on December 6 at the suitably sweaty Zoo. You can get tickets for that hotly anticipated show here - it will be ball-tearingly good.

Future Of The Left - Polymers Are Forever