‘Having previously outed bits and pieces from forthcoming major label debut The Money Store, Sacramento antagonists Death Grips today return with yet another LP cut in the ravaged shape of The Fever (Aye Aye). Whilst the trio retain their trademark aggro and typically primal bellicosity, Stefan Burnett’s rabid vocals are underpinned by perhaps their most melodic musical work yet, the Californians consequently coming to recall El-P’s more contemporary, blood-soaked cutting edge productions.’
‘It’s been three long years since Vancouver duo Japandroids boomed and blasted us with Post-Nothing and said temporal void feels ever more endless still. However there’s today news of a new record, expected June 4th on Polyvinyl Record Co., that ought to alleviate the anxieties over their whereabouts and, after all that exhaustive touring, wellbeing. Entitled Celebration Rock, although the above artwork may intimate a worn down exhaustion when compared with that adorning the previous long-player The House That Heaven Built is as instantly urgent and triumphantly visceral as ever. Indeed as Andrew Johnston expounds on Soundcloud, it sounds a little like The Hold Steady’s Stuck Between Stations although only had Craig Finn duetted with packs of rabid canines and gutturally bayed his way through the thing…’
Ahead of next week’s release of Between The Times And The Tides, the “first true solo record” from estranged Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo via Matador Records, stream the whole darn thang in its entirety below. Expect a full appraisal of the long-player come Monday…
Just when you thought it’d be safe to presume this year’s San Miguel Primavera Sound (May 30th - June 3rd), quite possibly the best festival in the world, couldn’t fortify an already-intoxicating brew of a line up any further they only go and unleash another slew of absolutely essential artists out onto the May day streets of Barcelona. Headlining Pitchfork’s stage on Saturday 2nd June are Abel Tesfaye’s The Weeknd who will be breaking their European duck in the glorious Parc del Fòrum, and they’ll be joined in that stretch of the site by the already-announced likes of Grimes, Atlas Sound, Lower Dens, SBTRKT, Matias Aguayo, and so on and so forth. Elsewhere, stoic croaking is to come from Marianne Faithfull whilst Sleigh Bells return to invoke further pandemonium. Delirium meanwhile comes in the mild-mannered shape of M83, with other new additions as of today including schmoozy electro types Chromatics and steel pan prof Jamie xx, with future pop/witch house outfit Purity Ring rounding off the most notable of newbies. And with Sharon Van Etten working truly enthralling wonders in London this week, it’d seem rational to make the short hop, skip, and jump over to Barcelona for her show and her show alone. That anyone and everyone from the Dirty Three to The Afghan Whigs and Codeine and Death Grips and Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Mangum will all be converging in the very same Basque base however only serves to elevate the occasion.
The full line up now looks somewhere along the lines of:
A.A. Bondy & A$AP Rocky & Aeroplane & The Afghan Whigs & Afrocubism & Anímic & Araabmuzik & Archers Of Loaf & Atlas Sound & Atleta & Baxter Dury & Beach Beach & Beach House & Beirut & Benga (live) & Big Star’s Third & Bigott & Björk & Black Lips & Bleached & Bombino & Buffy Sainte-Marie & The Chameleons & Chavez & Christina Rosenvinge & Chromatics & Codeine & The Cure & Danny Brown & Death Cab For Cutie & Death Grips & Death In Vegas & Demdike Stare & Dirty Beaches & Dirty Three & Doble Pletina & Dominant Legs & Dominique A & The Drums & Erol Alkan & Fasenuova & Father John Misty & The Field & Field Music & Forest Swords & Franz Ferdinand & Friends & Girls & Girls Names & Godflesh & Grimes & Grupo de Expertos Solynieve & Hanni El Khatib & Harvey Milk & Hype Williams & I Break Horses & Iceage & James Ferraro & Jamie xx & Japandroids & Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) & Jeremy Jay & Joe Crepúsculo & John Talabot & Josh T. Pearson & Justice & Kings Of Convenience & Kleenex Girl Wonder & La Estrella De David & Laura Marling & Lee Ranaldo & LFO & Lisabö & Liturgy & Lower Dens & M83 & Main & Marianne Faithfull & Matías Aguayo & Mayhem & Mazzy Star & Melvins & Michael Gira & Milagres & Milk Music & Mudhoney & Mujeres & Nacho Vegas & Napalm Death & Neon Indian & Nick Garrie plays The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas & Numbers Showcase: Jackmaster, Oneman, Deadboy, Spencer, Redinho & Obits & OFF! & The Olivia Tremor Control & Orthodox & Other Lives & Pegasvs & Peter Wolf Crier & Picore & Pional & The Pop Group & The Rapture & Real Estate & Rebolledo & Refree & Refused & Richard Hawley & The Right Ons & Rufus Wainwright & Rustie & Sandro Perri & SBTRKT & Scuba & Senior i El Cor Brutal & Sharon Van Etten & Shellac & Siskiyou & Sleep & Sleepy Sun & Sleigh Bells & Spiritualized & Sr. Chinarro & St. Etienne & Tall Firs & Thee Oh Sees & Trash Talk & Ultramagnetic MCs & Unicornibot & Veronica Falls & The War On Drugs & Washed Out & Wavves & The Wedding Present plays Seamonsters & The Weeknd & White Denim & Wilco & Wolves In The Throne Room & The xx & Yann Tiersen & Yo La Tengo.
This year’s San Miguel Primavera Sound takes place in Barcelona between May 30th & June 3rd. Full information can be found here, while tickets can be procured here.
