In the first half of April two great post-punk records stood out - have a listen:
Priests - The Seduction of Kansas
The second album by Priests, with John Congleton on production duties, has a brighter, more pop-friendly sound than their debut without compromising its fiery and furious spirit. It will make you dance to its rebellious beat while serving you some food for thought.
Priests - Jesus' Son
Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel
After a series of excellent singles, our favorite Dubliners Fontaines D.C. release their much anticipated debut album and it's everything we have been hoping for: a bold, urgent post-punk statement taking its cue from bands like The Fall or Joy Division while talking about today's issues and concerns. Without a doubt, one of the debut albums of the year! Check out here our live review of their Athens gig in December.
Suuns have been creating very interesting experimental rock music since the beginning of this decade, when they introduced themselves with the album "Zeroes QC". The voice of their singer Ben Shemie brings to mind that of Clinic's Ade Blackburn and it seems that the Liverpool band has been one of Suuns' psych-pop influences. However it's never been easy to pin down the Canadian quartet's sound, as there are several other genres, from post-rock to electronic music, that get into the mix and keep things interesting and upredictable.
Sunns, who made their Greek live debut in 2014's summer edition of Plissken Festival, finally returned to Athens for a headlining show at Temple Club, which also included fellow Canadian sound experimentalists Scattered Clouds and local dark electronica duo The Rattler Proxy, both fitting choices to accompany Suuns' laboratory of sound.
The Rattler Proxy, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
Scattered Clouds, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
The 70-minute set that Suuns presented drew from all their discography so far, a welcome choice for those of us who were watching them for the first time. The live version of their songs tented to be more experimental than their recorded versions, testing the dynamics of their sound and finding the common thread that united electronic drone, psych-pop groove and noise rock outbursts into a steady-flowing whole.
Suuns, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
Some of the highlights of their set included "Instrument", "Paralyzer", "2020" and early gem "Arena", while for the encore they played the slow-burning "Edie's Dream". Check out below the last two:
Suuns, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
Suuns - Arena, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
Suuns - Edie's Dream, live @ Temple (Athens, April 9th, 2019)
It seems like a lie that March is already over, yet it is true and here are the albums, singles and EPs that stood out in a busy new music release schedule that included the highly anticipated comeback albums by Royal Trux, Meat Puppets and Ex Hex:
Albums
ROYAL TRUX - White Stuff MEAT PUPPETS - Dusty Notes EX HEX - It’s Real SNAPPED ANKLES - Stunning Luxury FOALS - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 JENNY LEWIS - On the Line KAREN O AND DANGER MOUSE - Lux Prima THE COMET IS COMING - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery THESE NEW PURITANS - Inside The Rose STEPHEN MALKMUS - Groove Denied ROBERT FORSTER - Inferno THE BEASTS - Still Here THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - The Brian Jonestown Massacre THE COATHANGERS - The Devil You Know WHITE DENIM - Side Effects SPIRAL STAIRS - We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized TAMARYN - Dreaming the Dark LAMBCHOP - This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You) ANDREW BIRD - My Finest Work Yet AMANDA PALMER - There Will Be No Intermission THE STROPPIES - Whoosh POND - Tasmania THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH - Montage Images Of Lust And Fear AVEY TARE - Cows On Hourglass Pond STELLA DONNELLY - Beware of the Dogs SASAMI - Sasami THE FAINT - Egowerk THE JAPANESE HOUSE - Good at Falling SELF ESTEEM - Compliments Please HELADO NEGRO - This is How You Smile HOWE GELB - Gathered E.B. THE YOUNGER - To Each His Own AMERICAN FOOTBALL - LP3 CROWS - Silver Tongues SHOW ME THE BODY - Dog Whistle UNKLE - The Road - Part II (Lost Highway) MATMOS - Plastic Anniversary THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA - To Believe BETH GIBBONS AND THE POLISH NATIONAL RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs) EDWYN COLLINS - Badbea SLEEPER - The Modern Age WEEZER - Weezer (The Black Album) NICK WATERHOUSE - Nick Waterhouse JIM JONES AND THE RIGHTEOUS MIND - CollectiV MARY LATTIMORE & MAC McCAUGHAN - New Rain Duets USA/MEXICO - Matamoros URANIUM CLUB - The Cosmo Cleaners LOW LIFE - Downer Edn LA DISPUTE - Panorama OHTIS - Curve of Earth ORVILLE PECK - Pony LUCY ROSE - No Words Left HAND HABITS - Placeholder SUNDARA KARMA - Ulfilas' Alphabet IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE - Doko Mien TEST DEPT. - Disturbance REMA REMA - Fond Reflections TY SEGALL & FREEDOM BAND - Deforming Lobes
