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The Can’t Tells announce new EP with first single, ‘Faulting’

Jon Doyle — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 19:08:44 +0000

The Can’t Tells are Blaze McKenzie, Michael DiSanto and Jonathan Smith, a Brooklyn three-piece who ply their trade at the intersection between power-pop and punk. Following up previous release No Television, the band are set to put out a new EP this coming January. Titled simply EP, the release consists of four ‘parts’ rather than songs, intended to be played as a continuous piece.First single (or Pt. 1), ‘Faulting’ is a song of modern dissatisfaction and anxiety that tries to pin down the nebulous concept of identity and individuality in a world where everything seems to be atomised and complicated. Here the narrator exists in a dichotomous (or perhaps multichotomous) state, spread thin across various opinions and emotions. To highlight this the main vocals are underpinned by half-audible spoken word segments reminiscent of R.E.M.’s ‘Orange Crush’, often undermining the other vocals and thus heightening the fractured sense of confusion and doubt.

“It’s clear you’re attempting to erase
things you didn’t mean to say
A fear of truth is going to make a liar out of you.”

The song comes complete with an Adam Curtis-esque video of public domain footage which explores the “ghostly middle ground between reality and fiction” and exudes a strange, unclear sense of importance, the disparate images demanding to be processed and reassembled into some cohesive narrative or meaning.

The EP is out on on the 20th January and you can pre-order it now from The Can’t Tells Bandcamp page.

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Praything – Soon Soon

Liam Doyle — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 17:50:42 +0000

Back in 2013, we wrote a short post about a video for ‘Soon Soon’, a single from Praything’s Her Skin Caught The Glow EP (which featured on our Best Free Music of 2012 list). In preparation for new music, Ju Kovacevich has teamed up with Loose Narrative to re-release the single as a way of re-familiarising us with his sound, so we thought we would follow the recycling lead and re-share a modified version of our post.

As beautiful as the song itself, the video for ‘Soon Soon’ is made up of black and white time-lapse photography of clouds and landscapes, capturing the both the epic nature of the track but also its sense of peace and the palpable passing of time. In the unveiling, Kovacevich revealed his inspiration for the song and his reasons for making the video:

“A few weeks ago, the person who inspired “Soon Soon” prematurely passed away. She was a mother and I wrote ‘Her Skin Caught The Glow’ about her daughter. It was difficult to communicate with her in the few times I met her. The right side of her body was paralyzed. Her speech was limited to mostly yes’ and no’s. Yet she was always lively, funny, and sassy. She laughed and gossiped with her daughter. She always complained about the food they served at the nursing home. She loved Virginia Slims and McDonald’s Iced Coffee. Her love for her daughter always showed through in the conversations I had with her.While her speech in dialogue was severely limited, she was able to sing full stanzas of songs from memory. The first time I met her, I was stunned to hear her sing a line or two of a love song she remembered. She lifted up her mobile arm and gracefully gestured toward the sky. Every word was sung beautifully. Every note was perfect.

With “Soon Soon”, I wanted to create a physical world that was timeless and unfamiliar. Slowing down the beautiful time lapses Brian shot made the clouds and light dance playfully. I saw new rhythms appear in the heavens. While not being religious myself, I wanted both the video and record to at least attempt to create a place of spiritual calm.

The video is dedicated to her, and the little time I had the pleasure of spending with her.

May she find calm soon.”

You can visit the Loose Narrative website for further information, including links to Spotify and iTunes.

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Indoor Voices – Auratic

Liam Doyle — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:48:07 +0000

Indoor Voices is a Toronto-based dream pop project led by Jonathan Relph. We discovered the five-piece’s latest release, an EP called Auratic, because it was released on Swedish label Häxrummet, who previously brought you lovely shoegazey pop music from Star Horse. The folks at Häxrummet describe the EP as music for “floating on your back in the lake on a warm summer evening wishing upon stars. It’s about the symbiotic necessity of the ugly and the beautiful.” That just about nails it in my opinion. On Auratic, the band are also joined by several guests, including Maja Thunberg from the aforementioned Star Horse, as well as Sandra Vu of SISU and Sum Sum Girls, Jimena Torres of The Great Wilderness, Alisha Erao of Lush Agave and Alligator Indian and Kate Rogers (Kate Rogers Band).

‘See Wish’ opens proceedings with frantic guitars and then smooth, dreamy vocals and clattering percussion, while ‘Atomic’ is slower and dreamier, like a feather-light Beach House, Torres’ vocals the perfect match for the ambience, eventually giving way to waves of shimmering feedback.

‘Indifferentiator’ is another perky dream pop track with layered vocals and a thick, swirling atmosphere, additional vocals this time provided by Rogers. ‘What Can I’ is very percussion-heavy and, at its heart, a sweet and melodic dream pop track, while finale ‘Say’ pulses in front of a sibilant shhshhshh, like a chorus of crickets chirping in the night.

Auratic is out now on limited edition cassette (be quick they’re almost gone!) and digitally via the Indoor Voices Bandcamp page.

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Favourite Free Music of 2015: D-G

Jon Doyle — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 15:00:07 +0000

Welcome to the second part of our Favourite Free Music of 2015 collection. You can read the first part here. Remember, while it’s always tempting to put a big fat zero for ‘name your price’ releases, you can give a little something. Bands need to eat too, and would doubtless appreciate even the smallest donation for their efforts. It’s the least they deserve.

Daytime TV – S/T (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, 80N7)

Debaser – MOOD RING
(RIYL: mixtapes, lo-fi, weird)

Derek – Rookie of the Year
(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi)

Devon Mello – Constance All Grown Up (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, lo-fi, bedroom pop)

Dicktations – Words Don’t Love You (REVIEW)
(RIYL: garage rock, Weezer, Black Lips)

Diners – It’s All True
(RIYL: indie pop, Telekinesis)

Diocese – S/T
(RIYL: garage rock, Krill)

Eerie Summer – The Way I Don’t Understand Anything Anymore (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, shoegaze, jangle, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart)

EP – Ashland (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi)

Fairweather Currents – Things Get Better (REVIEW)
(RIYL: bedroom pop, folk, acoustic Nana Grizol)

Fanpage – L Y A (REVIEW)
(RIYL: noise pop, shoegaze, Jenny Hval)

Faux Discx – Where We Were (COMPILATION)
(RIYL: indie rock, post-punk, shoegaze)

Fazed on a Pony – Hunch
(RIYL: lo-fi, indie rock)

Field Medic – Light is Gone (REVIEW)
(RIYL: bedroom pop, folk, lo-fi, J. Tillman)

Fog Lake – Victoria Park (REVIEW)
(RIYL: experimental, atmospheric pop, solitude)

Fox Academy – Elsie (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, summer nostalgia, golden oldies)

Fraternal Twin – s m a l l w i n d p o w e r (REVIEW)
(RIYL: gentle acoustics, natural glitches, intimate songwriting)

Free Cake For Every Creature – Moving Songs (REVIEW)
(RIYL: bedroom pop, folk, post-collegiate blues [or, overcoming them])

Furnsss – New Moves (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie rock, deadbeat disinterest, Abe Vigoda, Hallelujah The Hills)

Gay Angel – Floral (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, weird, early CFTPA)

Gleemer – No Goobyes (REVIEW) / Moving Away (REVIEW)
(RIYL: pop punk, grunge, Pains of Being Pure at Heart)

GoldFlakePaint – The Human Noise We Sat There Making https://goldflakepaint.bandcamp.com/album/the-human-noise-we-sat-there-making
(RIYL: indie pop, lo-fi, compilations, all the cool stuff GFP write about)

Good, Good Blood – S/T (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, lo-fi, atmospheric folk)

The Grey Estates Vs Gold Flake Paint – The Pale Light Between (REVIEW)
(RIYL: indie pop, lo-fi, compilations, Gold Flake Paint, The Grey Estates)

Griffin Washburn – S/T
(RIYL: chill indie pop, psych, The Lagoonas)

GRNDMS – Capitol Mill (REVIEW)
(RIYL: bedroom pop, folk, Frankie Cosmos)

We’ll be sharing a new section of the list every day this week, so be sure to check back for the complete collection. If you find something you like, or think we missed something life-changing, then why not let us know on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or good old email.

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Wake The Deaf’s Favourite Songs of 2015

Liam Doyle — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 16:34:43 +0000

As we said in our Favourite Albums of 2015 post, the last year has been a pretty strong one as far as music goes. With that in mind, here is a list of 50 of our favourite songs of 2015. The only rule we gave ourselves when compiling the list was that we could only include one track from a single artist.

Judy Garland – Frog
Slammer – Radical Dads
Pool Boyz – Diet Cig
The Closing Door – LVL UP
Lullaby – Long Neck
The Day Draws Nearer – The Washboard Abs
Slow White Beams of Light – Trace Mountains
Milo – Young Jesus
…Until They’re Called – Old Earth
The Offer – Yowler
Light Leaks – Ben Seretan
Deserter – Siskiyou
Seven – Oh, Rose
Rare Beliefs – Elephant Micah
Rescue Teams – Evening Hymns
Goodness – Valley Maker
Kitty Winn – Advance Base
Kathleen – Samantha Crain
The Thunder Answered Back – Eskimeaux
Dinosauria – Good Good Blood
Your Voice – Jake Rollins
Past Lives – Nice Legs
All You Gotta Be Whe You’re 23 – Free Cake For Every Creature
David’s Wolves – Hip Hatchet
Personal Eclipse – The Weather Station
Return To View – The Wandering Lake
Driving Toward the Smoke – Talons’
Last Past Life – GRNDMS
In Evil Hour – Battle Ave.
Municipal Xerox – Lejsovka & Freund
Old Tucson – Sun Organ
Everything That Rises Must Converge – Pasture Dog
Drifting In Space – Fairweather Currents
A Swift Thing – EP
River – Saintseneca
Fire Flames – Anna McClellan
5 AM – The Parade Schedule
Fall Out – Gleemer
Dumb Ideals – Gorgeous Bully
Snow – Alanna McArdle
Fire in My Eyes – Yours Are the Only Ears (close enough to 2015!)
Sparks – Beach House
Feelies – No Aloha
Halo (Reappear/Disappear) – Noah Gundersen
Her – Haybaby
Battered – Radioactivity
Every House is on Fire – Island Eyes
The Infinite Eye of Mount Douglas, I See My Love – Doomking
Midnight Cross – Fog Lake
Concrete Plans – Summering
Smileboy – Small Houses
Something I Know – Eva Foote
Dope Cloud – Protomartyr
Using – Sorority Noise
Saint Peter Upside Down – Craig Finn
Pylon Pile-On – Benjamin Shaw
Hope Springs (Night Version) / Psalm – Wilder Maker
Red Coat – Adeline Hotel
Fade to Black – CUTTERS
Tavern – Dear Sister
Soft Reputation – Unlikely Friends
Dog Improv – Sarah Louise
Dk/Pi – Aero Flynn
The Ghost at Woodland Park – Molly Drag
Tulsa – John Statz
Sugar for the Queen – Bells Atlas
Summer Lawns – Mike Pace and the Child Actors
West Texas – PWR BTTM
Wastes of Time – Elvis Depressedly
Waves – Abby Gundersen

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Z Tapes – Christmas Benefit Compilation

Liam Doyle — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:59:14 +0000

We’re big, big fans of Z Tapes here at Wake the Deaf. If you’re new to the Bratislava-based label, I’d highly suggest checking out the Z Tapes tag here. Imagine our excitement then when we heard Filip had a benefit compilation planned for Christmas. Simply titled Christmas Benefit Compilation, the album brings 14 festive tracks by some of the Z Tapes roster. There are some killer covers, including those by Fox Academy, Dying Adolescence and The Washboard Abs (who provides one of two covers of Advance Base’s ‘Christmas in Dearborn’, a great track from his latest album Nephew in the Wild). We love The Washboard Abs and we love everything Owen Ashworth does, so we were particularly excited about this one.

There are also some original tracks, for example from Pet Cemetery, Real Swell and EP. The latter’s track, ‘Such a Clatter (No Christmas)’, a slightly hyperactive-sounding lo-fi casio track. Check it out below:

This being a benefit compilation, you can rest assured that all profits go to a good cause. As Filip explains:

“This year we wanted to do something special for Christmas and give something back to people that need help. We created this Christmas compilation to support a small, but amazing Slovakian organization running a shelter for battered women and helping kids without proper families in a small town, not far away from the place where I grew up. I met them this summer, and from that point on I wanted to help them financially. They need a lot of money. Therefore all profits from this compilation will go towards their honest work. Please help this organization build a better home for people in need.”

You can get the Z Tapes Christmas Benefit Compilation now via Bandcamp. You’ll get some great festive music in time for Christmas and you’ll help out some people who really need it. What have you got to lose?

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November Roundup – A Mixtape

Jon Doyle — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 18:30:09 +0000

Here’s a playlist of all the acts we covered during November. Click on the artist’s name in the tracklisting to read the individual posts. It’s been a great month, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Tracklisting:

I Don’t Know – Tina Refnes (+ Lit Links)
If I Were a Portal – Evening Hymns
Cradle Robber – Tyler Butler and His Handsome Friends
Calvander – Mount Moriah
The Way It Is, The Way It Could Be – The Weather Station
Porch – Long Beard
Small Wind Power – Fraternal Twin
Mourning Dove – Danielle Fricke
3 – Cat Be Damned
Cold Apartment Floors – Vagabon
I Used To Be A Bird – Fairweather Currents
Drive-Thru – Honeyuck
Ghosts – The Washboard Abs
Litany – Tyler Key
Aviator Shades – Quiet Hollers
Book of Right On (Joanna Newsom cover) – Foxtails Brigade (Lit Links)
Judy Blume – Mal Devisa
So Long – Dot & Logic
A Swift Thing – EP
Stuck w/ Me – Home Lives
Close Call (Adderall Anxiety) – Shaky Shrines
Boys – Dicktations
Nothing – Strange Friends
Careful Creators – Summering
Blinding White – Vapour Night
Pull – Slow Dancing Society (Hidden Shoal compilation)
Calmest – Naps
As He Walked Into the Field – Robert Stillman
Church Bells – Tommy Perman, Simon Kirby & Rob St. John
Seven – Oh, Rose
31. No Hell – Cloud Cult

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Pixel Fix – Running Thin EP

Jon Doyle — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 12:35:23 +0000

I’ve been following Pixel Fix since they dropped ’Rosa’ on us about 18 months ago. They’ve since ventured out of the Oxford scene, but after 3 EPs, there’s still no sign of an album on the horizon, which is what most fans are waiting for.

This latest four-track EP, Running Thin, is much more of a development on the sound they produced in Fall, their previous release, suggesting something of a distancing from their earlier work. But, as the opening track shows, they’re still experimenting and evolving their music.

‘Lungs’ has been around for a couple of months now, and is what I’d imagine would happen if Jungle and The 1975 had a musical love-baby. This is the closest the EP gets to the first release, and is much more energetic than the other tracks. As the song melts away, the entire ethos of the tracks change; the aptly-named ‘Change This’ opens with some sci-fi vocal samples layered over the sound of rain. The ambience of the song remains consistent throughout, with downtempo drums layered underneath wet click tracks that sound like they’ve been pulled straight from the stems of ‘Rosa’. The long guitar strums that seem to be written into the DNA of the band add to the add to the dreampop feel, giving it an extra element and making it much more rounded.

The third track, ‘Still’, is the obligatory instrumental interlude that seems to be becoming a theme throughout each of the band’s releases. Starting out as a 30-second click track from the eponymous first release, they’ve developed into much more intricate compositions, and are placed at varying points throughout each EP. The interesting drum tracks on ‘Still’ could probably do with a bit more depth, but I’ll blame my laptop speakers for not giving me the complete picture here.

‘Still’ dissolves into ‘Overflow’, which opens like a Purity Ring song. With large vocal and synth swells, before moving into a heavier but still downtempo song, it further distances the band from the Two Door Cinema Club sound they captured a year and a half ago. However, despite Pixel Fix’s progressive style, each track is still distinctly theirs, as certain themes remain consistent with each release. The wet click tracks, ringing guitars and sampled vocals, the band still seem to be trying to find something they can settle on. But this disparity between tracks isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and, if the band decides to do a full-length release, we could be rewarded with something nicely varied, but still distinctly unique.

Pixel Fix have recently announced a full UK tour, check their Facebook page for more details.

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Wake the Deaf’s Top EPs of 2013

Jon Doyle — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 13:08:00 +0000

Yesterday saw our annual albums post, which means today is the showcase of our top EPs of 2013. Each of us has picked one particular EP that stood out to us, here they are:

Haraket – Ilk

“Haraket don’t tread much new ground on Ílk, but what they lack in innovation they more than make up for in solid production, tight songwriting and sensuous atmosphere. Abigail Hardiman’s vocals float above the band’s moody, reverby instrumentation which is refreshingly light on the laptop trickery but delivers the same end of the night / start of the morning haziness of their ambient, dubby South London contemporaries. Thankfully, it’s clear they are drawing influence from beyond their Peckham postcode, and the moments where the jazzier, more soulful sounds come through are where the EP really shines. I look forward to hearing them flesh that sound out even more in future releases.” Dave

Wes Tirey – I Stood Among Trees

“A dusty slice of American folk, I Stood Among Trees by Wes Tirey is a literate EP, a collection of atmospheric and evocative songs that owe as much to the American masters of writing as they do to Dylan and Van Zandt.” Jon

Old Earth – Small Hours

“Strange, ominous and dream-like, Old Earth’s Small Hours is quite unlike anything else released this year. Traditional folk music serves as the bedrock on which Umhoefer does his experimentation, dipping his toes into rock, punk psych and drone in the process. If you are a fan of lo-fi folk music (e.g. Phil Elvrum) or even of drone/ambient stuff such as Grouper, then I suggest that you quickly get familiar with Small Hours.” Liam

Chrome Sparks – Sparks

“Equal parts complex, fidgety rhythms, stoned synthesizers and retro video game melodies, Jeremy Malvin’s Sparks EP is a crash course in the Chrome Sparks sound. 2013 has been a good year for Malvin, with appearances on the UK festival circuit, Carson Daly’s Last Call and a Nokia Lumia advert, and he’s definitely a producer to watch out for in 2014.” Matt

Deco Child – Skinless

“Deco Child’s Skinless was a release of thrilling juxtaposition; transcending everything from minimal piano to full blown rave. At times gentle and fragile, others bombastic and striking, Skinless contains more ideas in four brief tracks than most artists can conjure in a full length album. The variation within this EP make it seriously rewarding upon repeated listening” Will

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Advent Calendar [13th]: Princess Reason – We Are Splitting

Jon Doyle — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:06:00 +0000

Jack Stansbury, the 22 year-old behind Princess Reason, has a knack for 90s-tinged lo-fi bedroom pop. He released an EP, Always Pretty, back in March on Tricot Records, and followed it up with a self-titled album this summer. If you are a fan of bands like Guided By Voices or acts like Coma Cinema, Princess Reason might just be your new favourite.

The album is available on a pay-what-you-want basis over at the Princess Reason Bandcamp. Also be sure to check out the Always Pretty EP.

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