Joyful Noise US 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Let's face it, 19 albums is a lot by anyone's standards. As such, Deerhoof's 19th long player should be a cause for celebration and praise even before we dive into the incredibly high standards they're once again setting. Appreciation shown, let's get to the nitty gritty of the Miracle Level, an eccentric, unpredictable, and resolutely non-conformist record which - by those definitions - is everything Deerhoof are about.
Blending avant-garde pop, noise, garage, experimental art rock and some stuff we can't really describe, this latest outing is a curious beast indeed. Breaking from their English-speaking past, Satomi Matsuzaki's Japanese vocals only add to the playful atmosphere coursing through the very veins of this effort, naive and innocent, either contrasting the cacophonies and crashes of the most furious moments, or accentuating the calm and delicate movements. Surreal but amazing stuff.

Review: The master and his student - not that we're trying to label Kramer as a novice producer given he could easily school even some of the most accomplished studio hands. Nevertheless, Laraaji is considered one of the true godfathers of ambient, having been there way, way back in the early 1980s, releasing on Brian Eno's Day of Radiance imprint and gracing us with an inordinately good back catalogue since then. The point being that Kramer, like almost everyone stepping into this space in the past 40 years, has certainly learnt something from that living legend. At least some of that is put to excellent use on this collaborative joy, which uses three distinct movements to draw us deep into a simple yet compelling sonic odyssey.

Review: The Drones' frontman Gareth Liddiard struck out solo with Strange Tourist in 2010, recording a stripped back set of minimal, acoustic songs with Burke Reid which threw his songwriting into sharp relief with scant distractions. Reportedly throwing himself into the process by fervently absorbing written material, literature and internet anomalies and then channelling it all out into the resulting songs, the album's tense and confessional atmosphere speaks for itself. Now Joyful Noise are giving the record a proper double LP pressing to give this modern folk classic the release it deserves.

Review: You know the crew mean business, or at least mean not to give a flying guitar what you think, when they call themselves Tropical Fuck Storm. Perhaps what's most surprising, then, is the troupe's second album proves beyond doubt that despite the name, their music is accomplished and, while challenging at times, instantly enjoyable. The fact that Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin are also members of The Drones should tell you everything there is to know here. TFS is as logical a progression into an artsy, unpolished and unapologetic unknown as could ever be possible when you consider these guys are disinterested in playing anything by numbers. Logic is perhaps not the operative word, then. Like the unkept character propping up your local bar who suddenly reveals themselves to be a borderline-musical genius, respectfully avoiding the cliche of addressing individual tracks is the least we can do.

Review: Australian art-punk combo Tropical Fuck Storm bring the weird and wonderful to this new album on Joyful Noise. Submersive Behaviour is a new type of take on the well worn cover album concept. The band put all their energy into 36 minutes of mental reworks of epic classics by legends like Jimi Hendrix, Middle Aged in the Middle East in the Middle Ages, Men Men Menstruation and The Stooges. Friends and collaborators such as Dan Kelly, the Bard of Beenleigh and Aaron Cupples all get involved to add to the carnage.

Review: A collaborative EP between 2 Australian rock giants, this limited one-sided collectors disc comprises the 19 minutes long 'Satanic Slumber Party' split into three sections. 'The Chairman's Portrait' intro is a dark, heavily distorted spoken-word piece backed by dark rumbling guitars that explodes into the head-banging electronic banger 'Midnight in Sodom'. The angry lyrics are paired with awesome melodic guitar solos and chiptune noises, before shifting into noise rock territory. 'Hoof and Horn' takes up most of the runtime at a hefty 12 minutes, in which ambient drone begets experimental sound effects that are reminiscent of the liquid bass and synths favoured by producer SOPHIE. The track evolves into a demonic lullaby that wouldn't feel out of place in an episode of American Horror Story, and fans of 2 Mello's 'Atmospheric Horror Music Vol.1' will greatly appreciate this track. The EP is all-in-all a camp experience. An Avante-Garde, quintessentially fun blend of two incredible groups.