Veronica Falls – S/T (2011) [Slumberland] // Grade: B+

Finally. After two years of singles and a healthy bit of buzz, UK quartet Veronica Falls lets loose with a full-length — and yes, it’s just as great as everyone hoped.

But make no mistake: Despite the band’s general association with beach-pop, surf-pop, gloom-pop, indie-pop and/or twee, Veronica Falls is only some of those things, some of the time. It’s just as heavy on a Mamas & Papas vibe as it is C86-era jangle, and the ghostly lyrics — several times actually about ghosts — lend the thing a deadly, foreboding air. Somehow, it manages to feel haunted without being haunting; a collection of songs dark at their heart, for sure, but with the sort of lithe athleticism that startles even the most suicide-laden lyrics into quick and jittery motion.

Credit that to the sheer musicianship. Not to make small work of the atmosphere — so much of the album would be lost without the glistening nostalgia and impeccably clean production — but it’s the physical acts that truly make it shine. The lightspeed guitar work and exacting drums, both so utterly precise, underscore the hazy three-part harmonies (see aforementioned Mamas & Papas vibe) and melodies so warm and simple, it’s like you’ve known them forever. These are songs that beg to be heard and re-heard, would-be singles almost all, and you might spend months listening and considering, constantly enamored of a new favorite.

And if it lags at any point — or, rather, fails to go as epic as you know it could go — well, just give them time. Given the band’s prior focus on a world of short releases, this substantial full-length has surprisingly few slow moments. Veronica Falls is, more than anything, a great band at their personal best; but for their next trick, if they continue down this road, they’ll be even better than any of us imagined.

No matter which coast has dibs on your heart (if your heart even cares about such things), it’s tough to deny the pulse currently thrumming through Los Angeles. From the icy Violet Tremors and Frank Alpine to the sweltering Present Moment and just-transplanted Jewels of the Nile; from Stallengrad’s black metal disco to Teams’ strobed-out dance; from Chelsea Wolfe to Zombelle, Bestial Mouths to Disaro, Killing Spree to Part Time Punks to dozens, hundreds, more: The Los Angeles heartbeat is, at its best, bloody and beautiful and constant.

And then there’s Brandy St. John. She makes beauty like you wouldn’t believe, the would-be oxygen to LA’s blood, but you probably have yet to meet her; though it’s gaining loads of traction, her solo project The Long Wives still simmers just below the radar. But it’s the good kind of simmer, the deep and mysterious kind; the kind that makes you wonder how you’ve managed to miss her dark, tumultuous fallen-angel folk…and when, where, you can hear more.

Holy Water by The Long Wives

Self-described as writing “songs about death and love, and the death of love,” St. John spins haunting yarns through madness and misery, endless hope and its terrible indecency, each woven simply with a guitar, piano and her throaty, impassioned voice. The Long Wives is the stuff of lucid dreams; tangible unil you try to touch it — then it whispers away like so much cool air. But close your eyes and go back for more; hers is a dreamscape of angels and demons, love and its perfect loss, the Los Angeles of Francesca Lia Block and Nick Cave and Trinie Dalton. The veins of a city, all that beauty, bloody and infinite.

Hear more at The Long Wives’ Soundcloud, and watch her exclusive videos on YouTube. (Embeds were disabled, but trust me. Go.)

Off Toward the Great Sea by The Long Wives

Damaged Knapsack ($101.00)

I was at the video shoot for ASAP Rocky‘s new vid for “Wassup” and one of the ASAP kids had this bag. I was pretty psyched. Vidiot/Yr Friend Matthew/Matt Caron was doing video projections and they had a naked lady painted up like a hundred dollar bill on a leash. Rocky was standing in the middle of a pentagram made of coke and playing with this crooked knife and candle wax while the rest of the ASAP crew chanted Satanic verses in the background. Clams Casino was hanging around too.

Everyone got way too drunk on black magic forties and the whole block smelled like pot smoke. The last I heard they’d bought a purple lamborghini for the video. I forget what my point was. Oh right, one of the guys in the ASAP camp has this backpack and those guys are awesome so you should have one too. It’s supposed to remind you of a smashed mirror like the cover of Black Flag’s album cover for Damaged.

Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
718-388-1725
—
Мишка LA
1547 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA
213-536-4234

T&B in 3D and soon in smell-o-vision!

Make any room into a party with your T&B 5 year wallpaper!

Happy Bassday!

Healeymade’s Count Duckula, be very afraid!

The Overthrow predicts alot of bass in your future!

oh hey sexy Bushmills lady, you makin’ me thirsty!

Kudos to the T&B gang for putting together a multi-faceted multimedia art show to celebrate 5 years of blood sweat and tears. Congrats as well to all the artists for their interpretation of the iconic T&B logo. The crew went over and above creating limited edition watches, tarot cards, toys, charms and prints which you will find for sale for the next 6 weeks at 350 Broadway and on our online shop.

Luckily we did not have to mop the floor with any bodies due to the gracious allotment of Bushmills on premise and everyone had fun to the tunes of the special T&B 5 year megamix spanning from old school grime to their most recent label hits and remixes. For more coverage of the night check out the gallery over at HiFi Cartel.

Another interesting day at 1547 Echo Park when the Drum & Bass legend himself, DJ Dieselboy, rolled through the shop with the sweet and adorable Jessie Andrews. Jessie, who i’ve known for a bit now, was hosting her good friend Damian while he was in town and they both decided to stop by our LA flagship before he left back NY. in case you aren’t already in the know; Dieselboy is the Founder of his own Human/SubHuman Label and as such has developed a substantial portfolio producing some of the most intense drum&Bass/DubStep/Electro beats; crowding dancefloors and wreaking havoc all around the world with other well-known artists. it’s always great to see these guys come through and reciprocate that love we have for them.

Dieselboy came by with the beautiful Jessie Andrews, who is genuinely one of the nicest people I know. Besides that, she’s a really rad girl. I seem to run into her at most shows we are involved in here in LA and it’s always fun hanging with her. And just so you know, we are about to feature her wearing some of our gear alongside the bombshell that is Andy San Dimas so Keep Watch!!!

Мишка LA
1547 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-536-4234

Yes, it is, along with Hulk, Superman, and Silver Surfer fetuses. These maternal renderings of pop culture, and in Hitler’s case, historical, icons have been birthed by one Alexandre Nicholas and are currently on display at the Hey! exhibit in Paris.

This is the kind of art that, really, is just not interesting. It’s funny, kind of, the Hitler one at least, for a minute, but then it becomes another instance of pop art taken to dull, insipid realms. And from a perspective of canon, the Superman and Hulk ones aren’t even accurate, being that Hulk was not born as the Hulk, nor Superman in his costume.

But that’s kind of beside the point. They just aren’t interesting as art. That’s the point. Now this could easily unravel into a lengthy post about artistic integrity and having good judgement as an artist, but it won’t because this is just supposed to be a short post where I share with you these ridiculous fetuses.

I don’t mind if you like them, of course. That would be cool, then we could talk about it, or whatever. If you do happen to for some reason like these baby fetuses, check out more here. Or just go to Paris and check ‘em out in person. Or keep scrolling down and never look at these again and forget you ever saw them (the best option).

As should be painfully clear by now, Kendrick Lamar is the greatest young emcee coming up in the rap game. Recently, he stopped by Sway In The Morning to spit some bars and discuss his creative process, touching on whether or not he writes down his rhymes, and what it’s like to receive cosigns from Snoop and Dre. Pick up Section.80 now, if for some reason you have not done so.

Last week we dropped our Death In June capsule collection which was accompanied by an interview with Douglas P. and a special career spanning Death In June mix by the dark mistress of bass, Star Eyes. We wanted to shine a little more focus on Star Eyes’ incredible mix that will bring you headfirst into the dark and incredible world of Death In June.

In her own words here’s Star Eyes talking about making a mix…

In 10th grade, before I had turntables or was a DJ, I used to make cassette-tape mixes using my friend’s four-track, guitar effects pedals, and whatever else I had on hand. This was around the same time that I began listening to goth and industrial bands like Coil, Current 93, Meat Beat Manifesto, and so on. Making this mix took me back to those days aesthetically — unlike with electronic dance music (which is designed to be mixed together), this project was about finding interesting ways to weave together various tempos (from stripped punk and industrial disco to apocalyptic folk and ambient noise) while preserving the intense, haunting, mysterious, and magickal qualities of Death of June’s music. Along the way, I played with numerous samples and had intimate conversations with many different effects (like various reverbs and delays) and fell deep into the hypnotic trance of these songs. I’m honored that Мишка gave me the opportunity to work on this and even more thrilled to have Douglas P.’s blessing upon hearing the mix.

Much like her work on the B.K. Scum Psychic TV mix before it, Star Eyes really knocked this one out the park.Hopefully the mix will serve as a great initiation to those of you unfamiliar with this incredibly influential band. And for those of you who are longstanding devotees of Douglas P’s, a fond trip down memory lane. Enjoy.

Death In June 30th Anniversary Mix by Star Eyes by Мишка Bloglin

1. You Love The Sun*
2. Nation
3. Heaven Street
4. In the Nighttime
5. Are You Out There (Dornier 17 Mix)*
6. Kameradschaft
7. Break the Black Ice
8. Carousel
9. Europa: The Gates of Heaven and Hell
10. Passion! Power!! Purge!!!
11. We Said Destroy II
12. Rose Clouds of Holocaust
13. Cathedral of Tears
14. All Pigs Must Die
15. Black Sun Rising*
16. Accidental Protégé
17. Tick Tock
19. Let Go
20. Life Under Siege
21. Peaceful Snow
*Tracks by Death in June & Boyd Rice

When writing about bass music, a frequent theme is former drum and bass producers who started producing dubstep. However, no D’n’B producer has reached higher heights before abandoning the genre than DJ Zinc.

DJ Zinc, aka Londer East Ender Benjamin Pettit, has been a force in the electronic music scene since 1995′s “Super Sharp Shooter.” By 2007, however, he found the drum and bass scene stagnant and decided to forge a new path for himself. Zinc’s output since has been a bass-heavy blend of fidget, house, funky and dubstep that he provocatively calls crack house.

The finest example of his current style is the party starter “Wile Out,” a track that guarantees that a crowd will do just that. Between the funky riddim, oscillating bassline, and Ms. Dynamite’s singing/toasting, “Wile Out” is a big track. In a similar vein, Zinc teams up with Benga and Ms. Dynamite on the wobbly “My DJ.”

Zinc has released two volumes entitled Crack House, with the latest dropping last year. Volume 2 contains nine peak hour massives. The hypnotic bass of “Nexx” was harnessed by DJ Benzi on Donnis’ “Shawwty” on a Get Right Radio mixtape. “Old Flame” proves that old habits die hard, as Zinc gives the track a very early-90s rave feel.

The track to listen for dancefloors across the world, however, is “Gimme the Camera,” which features Angela Hunte (of Magnetic Man’s “I Need Air”). The bass is a little too saw-toothed and wobbly for the song to be electro, even if the “gimme the camera and let me videotape ya” hook is right out of the electro-house playbook.

Zinc may be done with drum and bass, but he’s just getting started with crack house. And this sound is addictive.

The big bad wolf they call Drop The Lime

The Don of Dubstep Plastician! Feel the BASS Roar!

AC & Dell gettin their name out in 3am stylee!

Crowd sharkin’!

Oh hey BRO, it’s a Lamour Supreme exclusive. YEAH!

Bass up high, pants down low!

T&B Crew, DTL Crew and Plastician in full effect!

Our home town Bass crew, Trouble & Bass mark a historical 5 year landmark full of sweaty parties, wall bangin’, world touring and of course HEAVY BASS! If you have no idea what this term delineates just think of a blender on max force full of atomic proportions, there are no boundaries! We’ve watched them and danced with them from sweaty basements to big clubs and nothing makes us happier than seeing our friends blow up and spread the gospel of good music.

What makes us even happier is the cherry on top of this celebration: Plastician. Thanks to Star Eyes and DTL for introducing me to real music about 7 years ago and for first introducing me to Plastician and having him over back in 2006 alongside Skepta and Jammer. If there is one thing I religiously do is listen to Plastician on Rinse.FM every Sunday, he’s always been the purveyor of the best in Dubstep and Grime. To see full on the madness that ensued at this historic event check out the coverage from our trusty party photographers HiFi Cartel, The Culture of Me and Nicky Digital. Pray for Bass!