By Zach Braun
Former Dum Dum Girl Katie Serbian-Brouillette offers up this bit of fuzz-pop bliss, the a-side of her upcoming debut 7” on Art Fag Recordings. Like label-mate Colleen Green, Cheap Curls mines a simple, sweet formula of noisy power chords, robotic drum machine throb, and echoed vocals. It’s like beach pop for landlocked street kids. Stream “Jackie Oh” and head over to Art Fag’s page to order the record, which should be shipping any day now.
In continuing our Tour Tuesday series, we have tons of new dates for you guys to check out. Today we feature dates from OFF!, Bass Drum Of Death, Dum Dum Girls, Gentleman Jesse and His Men, The Zoltars and MMOSS. You can always scope out the latest dates here.
One of the shortest lived, yet still widely talked about bands, Black Tambourine are re-uniting after breaking up over 20 years ago. The bands upcoming record will be an EP of Ramones covers titled after Dee Dee’s shout before every song, OneTwoThreeFour. Listen to the cover of “What’s Your Game”, from The Ramones 1977 Leave Home, featuring members of Dum Dum Girls, The Softies, Tiger Trap and Honeymoon.
OneTwoThreeFour will be out through the Slumberland May 15th.
Next up in our round of Hozac Records giveaways: the Hookup Klub Round One comp! The 12” features tracks by Woven Bones, Dum Dum Girls, Teepee, Teeth, Box Elders, Mother of Tears, Flight, Art Thieves, Idle Times and White Mystery (who just made us a super cute punk love mixtape)!
If you want it, alls you gotta do is comment with your favorite band of the ones mentioned above. Winner to be announced tomorrow, along with the next part of our giveaway: every 7” released from round 2 of Hookup Klub.
While you’re at it, check out yesterday’s giveaway: we’re also giving away a subscription to round 3 of Hozac’s Hookup Klub!
Former Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls drummer Frankie Rose stepped from behind the kit and went solo with Thee Only One, a 7” released by Slumberland in 2009. In 2010 she formed Frankie Rose and The Outs, who toured extensively and released an LP, but now she’s back to doing solo material. With “Know Me”, Rose strays away from the C86 leanings of The Outs and the bands she drummed for, instead she evokes a more ethereal, shoegaze sound reminiscent of Cocteau Twins. This definitely feels more personal, more meaningful (hence the title) than what Rose has done in the past.
Frankie Rose - Know Me by Slumberland Records
“Know Me” will be featured on Frankie Rose’s upcoming LP Interstellar, which will be out February 21st through Slumberland. Look for the “Know Me” 7”, also through Slumberland, January 17th.
By Burgers Rana
Starting with our Reader’s Poll, we’re looking back on 2011 with a series of top 10’s that will cover everything from album covers to music videos, from favorite 7“‘s to favorite LPs, so check back and see what our staff has to say as we make our way to the new year.
My top ten eleven songs that got me through the day a.k.a. more than likely the top eleven records I also enjoyed this year.
1. Kurt Vile - Baby’s Arms, Smoke Ring for My Halo (Matador)
Once you get what it is about Kurt Vile that makes him such a unique crafter of amazing gems, by then you are pretty much hooked. He might as well go by Crack Vile.
Dum Dum Girls were wise to open Only In Dreams with “Always Looking”. The song’s a perfect snapshot of where the band is and lets the listener know what they’re in for right away. There’s still the familiar riot grrrl group sound the gals have always excelled at. They’ve even thrown in some mid-western, B-movie twang, à la U.S. Girls, that carries throughout the sophomore full-length. But it’s the polish that stands out the most. Earlier this year, the group released the polarizing EP He Gets Me High, showcasing their new not-so-rough pop. Dee Dee and the gang had come a long way from the fuzzed-out bliss of their early recordings, but it still worked. The snarl and bite were still there in Dee Dee’s gorgeous voice, so the cleaned up production and more precise songcraft only signalled a more realized vision and positioned the girls for wider success.
If He Gets Me High found Dum Dum Girls successfully playing with more straight-forward pop, Only In Dreams finds them fully entrenched. It’s unfortunate that full exposure doesn’t quite work for their sound. “Bedroom Eyes”, as an example, offers some clean-cut punk in the verses, but when the chorus kicks in, it’s all sugar. There’s a moment when the chord change promises to go somewhere interesting, but it’s fleeting and simply heads in a predictable direction. Much of the album is filled with moments like these.
There’s no going back to the old Dum Dum Girls, and that’s fine, because those recordings will always exist. This new direction still takes along the plunky surf guitar and garage punk backbeat; the attitude, voice, look and themes are undeniably Dum Dum Girls. And one can’t help but marvel when they remember this whole journey has occurred over two years. But as an overall statement of maturity in sound, Only In Dreams never quite sells the point that slicker is better.
You can purchase Only In Dreams from Sub Pop and stream the stand-out track, the exquisitely epic ballad “Coming Down”, below.
After playing a few dates around the U.S., including headlining the recent 4 Knots Festival, The Black Angels have announced their full fall tour with support from Dead Meadow and Spindrift. In other Black Angels news, the side project of Christian Bland, The UFO Club, will be playing their first show August 12th at The Mohawk in Austin, TX with Dum Dum Girls, Night Beats and Mark Sultan (BBQ). Full Black Angels schedule below.
The first taste of things to come from Dum Dum Girls sophomore LP Only In Dreams is definitely an earful. DDG have channeled the sound they projected on their earlier effort He Gets Me High and have refined it even more. Everything just sounds so dynamic. The drums hit harder than ever, the guitars are fuzzy and thick, and Dee Dee has pushed her vocal range further than ever before.
Only In Dreams will be released via Sub Pop September 27th. Check out Dum Dum Girls’ tour dates here.
Released just today via True Panther is the debut single from Les Demoniaques, new project from Dum Dum Girls’ frontwoman Dee Dee and Tamaryn. The single is a cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Teenage Lust” from their 1992 album Honey’s Dead. The rendition is a dreamy, ethereal wash of sound that lives up to the original. Stream it below or buy the nearly sold out single at True Panther.
