Bored and Skint?

Finding yourself bored and skint this weekend? Not a problem if you live in the cultural capital of the universe, because Reading Museum is absolutely free and home to loads of great paintings. Make sure you check out their collection of underrated expressionist Lilian Holt paintings and Christopher Hall's local urban landscapes.

Original photo by Paul Gillet

Reading Museum is open 10:00-14:00 (11:00-14:00 on Sundays)

ALBUM: Wild Island- Be Kind

Lo-fi fuzz alert! Fans of Sebadoh and Henry's Dress will love Wild Island's (formerly Wild Swimmers) new album which is out now on tape.

Up until the slow-jam of final track Spring, the record is entirely guitar and vocals. Rather than opt for acoustic, the guitar tracks are multi-textured landscapes of pedal affected electric guitar. The result is a kind of half way point between Royal Trux and Neil Young; opening instrumental Sun is the musical equivalent to an ocean scene, with sound effects of waves and gulls layered over a guitar completely drenched in reverb. Later in the album, guitar takes the back seat on the lyrically driven Paint where Mark Knight laments, "I'm writing, 'cause I can't paint".

Which is telling because Be Kind, with its Les-Rallizes-Dénudés-esque splattered feedback and sound effects, is about as close to painting as you can get musically and worth a listen for anyone who's ever wondered what a Pollock canvas would sound like.

Be Kind is available on Tape and Download from DoubleDotDash

PHOTOS: Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura, Delphic Vapours, Abandon, Matthew James Wells

Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura

 

Delphic Vapours

 Abandon

 

 

Matthew James Wells

TRACK: Slaves- Where's Your Car Debbie?

Winter's always a good time to listen to anything that's brash and noisy, so it's probably a good thing that Slaves new single Where's Your Car Debbie? came out yesterday.

The songs an explosive two minute burst of pure garage punk. An instantly infectious riff scrapes over pounding drums while vocalist Isaac Holman screams the title of the song over and over again. There's a brief ten second respite while the duo whisper back and forth ("How long till we get there?", "There's something in the shadows", I think it's gonna get me") then the explosion starts up again.

Like all the best raucous punk bands, Slaves are both instantly hilarious and head-poundingly good. Complete with a B-Movie style video featuring Bigfoot and a twilight zone style twist, the song works out as a pretty compelling advert for their upcoming Feburary tour with Pup.

Where's The Car Debbie is available on 7" from Fronthill Records.

Bubble Wrap & Flying Nuns

Happy Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

Speaking of things that are politely satisfying; here's Dunes by the world's happiest band (also known as the Clean). The Clean are probably the best known of New Zealand's Flying Nun Records rosta but Flying Nun in the 80s became a hit with loads of people (Pavement's Steve Malkmus is a big fan). Partly because of the iconic jangly guitar sound of its famed 'Dunedin Sound', but more importantly because there were so many good bands in that scene.

 Seriously, loads.

GIG: Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura, Delphic Vapours, Abandon, Matthew James Wells

Anyone wondering what there is to do this Sunday in the best town in the world, look no further.

The nice folk at Double Dot Dash are putting on a gig at South Street featuring some pretty awesome looking bands.

Manchester's Desmadrados Soldados de Ventura are definitely worth checking out, because they sound like the inside of Syd Barrett's brain. They're recent double LP Interpenetrating Dimensional Express is one of the free-est, most psychedelically-awesome things to come out for a while.

If you can't see them live, at least check out their mind-bending guitar freakout Christmas in Honduras set to appropriate kaleidoscopic visuals:

Similarly free-improvisational, but not in the same oh-my-shit-I'm-losing-my-mind-on-acid kinda way, are Hampshire Duo Delphic Vapours, who'll be right up the street of anyone into feedback loops and sticky clouds of white noise. They did a pretty awesome dedication to Lou Reed a few months ago, and their only official studio album Get Off Their Knees, released by London based Critical Heights label, is an epic 90 minute wave of hovering sound.

Reading's own Abandon are there too with a healthy dose of gloomy atmospheric rock for fans of Swans' bleaker, less angry stuff. Last years self titled album took stuff in a more shoe-gaze direction and is available on CD and digital download from Blindsight Records. Alternatively, if you're feeling less committal, some of their earlier release are available for free which doesn't leave you with much of a reason not to check them out.

Also Matthew James Wells of hardcore punk band Valkillmer and electronica solo act I Am Homosapien is playing an acoustic set. No online material available, but if his other projects are anything to go by, it's definitely worth a see.

All in all not bad for a fiver. Doors open at 20:00, more info on Facebook.

ALBUM: Various Artists- Killed By Deathrock

Caleb Braaten, founder of the record label that houses Cult of Youth and Crystal Stilts, has apparently spent the last few years of his life digging through every record store in his home town Brooklyn. At least it seems like that looking at some of the ultra obscure bands on Sacred Bones Records' new compilation album Killed By Deathrock.

The worlds a better place for all that searching, as every single song on this record is well worth being resurrected from nowhere. Like all good compilations, Braaten has found the perfect mid-point between common ground and variation. Each artist has their own twist on the genre; The Naked and The Dead's Carousel propels itself forwards with rolling toms and a frantic bass line with a result not unlike Nick Cave's work with The Birthday Party. Meanwhile, Screaming For Emily's organ driven entry sounds like a new-wave disco from hell.

I've included the song Liberty below by the incredibly named Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons below, but all of the 10 other Bauhaus-come-punk style songs are equally brilliant.

Killed by Deathrock is available on CD and LP from Sacred Bones Records.

MIXTAPE: Del the Funky Homosapien- Iller Than Most

Hip-hop fans and cheapskates alike can rejoice that sci-fi rapper and all round nice guy Del the Funky Homosapien has released a free mixtape on bandcamp under the name Zartan Dreadnaught Cobra.

Why he's chosen to release under the alias of a villain from GI Joe is anyone's guess, as is why he's intentionally avoided any kind of press release. Either way, the mixtape's a pretty decent mix of Hudson Mohawke style hard electronic beats and old school hip hop.

Get Iller Than Most in it's entirety from Del's bandcamp page.

ALBUM: Kevin Morby- Harlem River

Happy Monday everyone. Anyone familiar with lo-fi folk outfit Woods will recognise the reverb heavy acoustic sound from bassist Kevin Morby's solo album Harlem River. Unlike Woods however, is the dark atmospheric feel that runs through the album's title track.

Judging by the song's track length, you'd be forgiven for expecting a Velvet Underground style freak out jam. Instead Morby's unafraid to keep the song in one place; weaving between two chords, gently riding along with the sound of the river.

 

Harlem River is available on CD and LP from Wood's own label Woodsist.