Touching the surface and brimming with the joy of youth that only a new band can exude, Los Angeles’ Touching Ice are so badass, they can barely be found on the Internet. Read my full feature story for The Line of Best Fit – the first I’ve written for the biggest independent online music magazine in the UK – here.
Apparently proving that the “Who’s doing which drugs now?” head-scratching Avett Brothers-play-in-a-sandbox-for-a-while-with-Mike Patton-until-someone-gets-dirt-thrown-in-their-face escapade isn’t a hoax, the collaborators just shook hands to make their first festival appearance at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 28. That’s after their bizarro late-night-TV debut on The Tonight Show that took place two weeks ago – and a day before the pranksters/collaborators performed four tunes as part of the Grammy Museum’s series (moderated quite appropriately by Eric André).
With that in mind, here is The Bad Penny‘s review of their new record. Can you listen critically to music while also trying to solve a mystery at the same time? We did our best.
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In his first-ever interview with an English-speaking music journalist, Pamplemousse’s Nico Magi speaks transparently (with a capital T) about how his noise-rock band’s fresh sound is the result of his fear of not being able to play music “properly,” the enormous pressure he puts on himself and those with whom he collaborates, and his belief that whatever he creates is never good enough. Even more than providing insights into his French band’s recently released album, Porcelain, Magi provides us with a clear assessment of the life of a true artist who creates some of the most innovative, unconventional and compelling music put on record anywhere in the world.
Veil of Sound has the full interview.
British metalcore thrill-seekers Heriot eked out their first song, “Cleansed Existence,” five years ago – and, after very long last, they’re winding their way through the U.S. in style with like-minded metal legends Trivium. In addition to introducing itself to America, Heriot is supporting its new album, Devoured by the Mouth of Hell, which came out in September 2024 via Century Media.
Guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough answered a handful of questions we tossed the band’s way a few weeks before the gig. Here’s our exchange:
Hiya, Debbie. Did you decide to come here simply because of routing, or were there other reasons why you’re choosing to grace this city for the first time?
Hey! This is our first time over to the States, so it’s also our first time playing Boise! We’re really pleased the routing allowed us to visit here.
Aside from integrating new material, is your set on this tour gonna be different in any other ways than in tours past?
For this tour, there is definitely an element of seriously having something to prove since we’re on tour with such a huge band! Not that we ever don’t play with the intention of delivering our best, but there is a lot of weight behind playing with a band like Trivium, who have such an important legacy in metal.
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Two months in, we’re still savoring the delicious drivel dealt by death-metal band Dying Remains via Merciless Suffering following its mid-September release. We’re also grateful to have recently connected with the Maggot Stomp band and chatted up vocalist/guitarist/bassist Damon MacDonald about its debut LP.
While we had MacDonald on the horn – or the Zoom, or the whatchamacallit – we picked his brain about movies, as we were armed with the knowledge ahead of time that he’s a fan of horror movies. Here are his choice picks:
1. The Thing (1982)
“The first movie that comes to mind is John Carpenter’s The Thing,” MacDonald said. “That was one of the first couple of horror movies I saw when I was young. I think I was 7, and my old man showed it to me, and I was like, ‘This is so cool.’ [My love of horror movies] started there.”
When asked whether he believes in the notion publicly proffered by notably untrustworthy director John Carpenter that there’s a way to determine whether the two guys at the end, MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David), had become The Thing, he replied:
“There was a game that came out tied to The Thing on PS2 and Xbox in 2002 – and it’s been stated that it’s canon – and Carpenter made a jab by having MacReady alive at the end of the game. But it’s still just one of those things that are open to interpretation. You’re never going to figure it out. [There’s also the theory that] the whiskey [the characters drink at the end of the movie] was actually gasoline, but it’s like I don’t know if I buy it.”
When asked to identify his favorite scene in the film, MacDonald said: “The defibrillator scene when [a] stomach opens up and rips [the] hands off [another character is] so sick. It’s gnarlier than the [first] Alien scene with the [chest burst].”
“Psych” and “groove” are not mutually exclusive terms, as Berlin boys Black Magic Tree prove on their sexy second album. This beaut of a psych-based record is unforced, fun, unpretentious and, simply put, a pleasure to listen to. Read my full review on Treble.
Long-lost cousins, maybe?
Joey Santiago no es de Santiago, Chile – su tierra nativo es las Filipinas. Pero con canciones como “Isla de Encanta” y “Vamos,” siempre hemos ponderado cuál es la conexión entre los Pixies y la lengua español. Esperamos que tenemos tanta confianza con la idioma para compartir con ustedes una entrevista española con el guitarrista.
Aqui son las consecuencias del experimento:
Muchísimas gracias para la entrevista, señor Santiago. ¿Por qué a veces hablan en español los Pixies si tú y Charles no sabe como hablarlo?
Joey Santiago: Charles estudió en Puerto Rico para un semestre y se hagó muy fluido en español. Podría decir que su experiencia en Puerto Rico tuvo una influencia fuerte para [la banda] cantar en español. Otra razón fuerte es que simplemente que oye bien.
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A 75-minute album consisting of one song divided into seven parts, of course this is a psychedelic album. Copenhagen instrumentalists Papir are fully accepting and aware of their identity, knows exactly what they are and what they have the capability to do: exert a Svengali-like control over a willing audience. Read my review of IX on Treble.
Perdition Temple’s Malign Apotheosis (Hells Headbangers)
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1349 – Winter Mass (Black Metal Promotion)
Aktor – Professori (Season Two) (High Roller)
Alexisonfire – House of Strombo (Live in Toronto, ON 2019) (Dine Alone)
All We Leave Behind – In Absence of Light (Octopus Rising)
Amerakin Overdose – Feliz Navidad single
Ancient Settlers – Autumnus (Revisited) EP (Scarlet)
Autopsy – Shitfun 30th anniversary vinyl edition (Peaceville)
Blackbear – Britney in ’07 single
Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons (Debemur Morti)
Bratmobile – Real Janelle & The Peel Session vinyl reissue (Kill Rock Stars)
Melissa Carper – Very Carper Christmas (Soundly)
City and Colour – Sometimes Lullaby (Dine Alone)
Crash Richard – Sensitive Devil
Nick D’Virgilio – Rewiring Genesis: Tribute to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Inside Out)
Dead and Dripping – Nefarious Scintillations (Transcending Obscurity)
• free download
Equilibrium – Equinox (Nuclear Blast)
Excide – Bastard Hymns (SharpTone)
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The Bad Penny (beta) 