The Different Noises manifesto is in full effect here with a wide variety of genres in play. Not that these definitions really help in describing what is presented. There’s a nice balance of old and new material. The ever busy Neon Kittens are yet again a focus.
SHOW AUDIO
PLAYLIST
Neon Kittens "Sceptic Tank" from White Dopes On Punk
Precusor "Down The Drain" from Thick and Thin
The Meringues "Royalty" from Pavlova's Dog
The Bard Band "Angels Got His Back" from Angels Got His Back
Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes "Mogambo" from Night of the Wolverine
Poppycock "Let It Out" from Magic Mothers
The Go-Betweens "Quiet Heart" from 16 Lovers Lane
Danny Short "To The Shoreline" from It’s Got My Name On It So Give It Back
Neon Kittens "White Dopes" from White Dopes On Punk
The Tubes "White Punks On Dope" from The Tubes
Dubmatix "Rocksteady Freddie" from Rocksteady Freddie
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes "I Don't Wanna Go Home" from I Don't Wanna Go Home
Evidence Of A Struggle "Sal-E" from Keep It
Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen & Mari Boine "Lean dás" from Alva
Tenzin Choegyal "Tenzin Sings With Nightingales" from Whispering Sky
Neon Kittens "Eyes of May" from White Dopes On Punk
The Mercury Impulse "Primitive Instincts" from Records Of Human Behaviour
The Scientists "If It's The Last Thing I'll Do" from You Get What You Deserve
Steve Wynn "Make It Right" from Make It Right
The Nearly's "Wake" from Wake
Librarians With Hickeys "Hello Operator" from Hello Operator
We Are Winters Blue And Radiant Children "Uncloudy Days" from No More Apocalypse Father
Neon Kittens "77-79" from White Dopes On Punk
Sunset Rubdown "Cliché Town" from Always Happy To Explode
David Torn "Harapan-The Greenesses" from Harapan-The Greenesses
Vile Rites "Only Silence Follows" from Senescence
The Half-Cubes "Best Days On Earth" from Pop Treasures
The Silversound "Wave" from The Silveround
Jackson Code "Angel of Uncertain Times" from Strange Cargo
SHOW NOTES
Neon Kittens - the veritable torrent of Neon Kittens releases continues unabated. Not to be confused by the Castle Music compilation from 2005 which was a strange concoction of bands with absolutely no relationship to each other. This latest offering from the Kittens delivers four punchy no-wave classics, all of which are featured. Nina’s vocal delivery is again stunning.
Precusor - Chad says “This Vancouver super group is known for their eclectic blend of punk, skatepunk, and melodic hardcore, and will please fans of The Story So Far, Kid Dynamite, Piebald, A Wilhelm Scream, Daggermouth, Carpenter, and Gob”. I have to say, without any degree of embarassment, that I have not heard of any of the aforementioned. However that doesn’t deflect from the fact that this band is very entertaining.
The Meringues - Chad says “This mixed gender quartet seamlessly blends elements of post-punk, alt-rock and new-wave, and will appeal to fans of Pixies, Weezer, The Strokes, The Beaches, July Talk, Wet Leg, and PUP to name a few. “ I’ve heard of some of them so I’m not completely out of the loop.
The Bard Band - A New Jersey groovy rock-blues outfit (sometimes known as Bard) with their new single. This is the first taste of their debut album 'Angels Got His Back', slated for release on October 4 with label backing thanks to their recently inked deal with Magic Door Records. “'Angels Got His Back' is a poignant adaptation of Vachel Lindsay's timeless poem 'In Memory of a Child'. The song paints a vivid picture of a child embraced by celestial guardians, wandering through idyllic landscapes of eternal spring. It captures the innocence and wonder of childhood, celebrating the belief that the departed are safe in the care of angels, their spirits forever bright and untarnished."
Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes - originally released in 1993 and revived in 2019 this is the second track from one of my favourite albums by one of my favourite artists.
Poppycock - another track from the new Una Baines led band album. A band (which a much different line-up) who just coincidentally supported Dave Graney - with Clare Moore, Malcolm Ross, and Stu Thomas - at the Eagle Inn in Salford a few years back. Una had to rush home before the gig started to get a spare keyboard as her original one was emitting smoke when plugged in. I didn’t catch much of the gig as I was on the door but I managed to see Dave & Co a few weeks later in London in a cramped boozer in Clerkenwell.
The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane is often touted at the best/break-through album. I don’t agree, there were much better releases before and after this one. However this is a stand out track
Danny Short - another one from Dan….if you read regularly you will know I am running out of words about Dan and this album.
The Tubes - clearly given the title of the Neon Kittens album I just had to play this one. It’s aged pretty well - one of those that you had to listen to rather than watch I think.
Dubmatix - a regular feature on the playlist. This one is evoking the spirit and sound of 60s Ska & Rocksteady and delivers the jubilant and uplifting sounds of that classic era of Jamaican music to get your soul up and your feet moving.
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes - when I sent the playlist out on this show there was some resistance to including Johnny amongst all the other things on the show. But hey! that’s why it’s called Different Noises. A Steve Van Zandt song which perhaps echoes Bruce S. Cheers me up anyhow.
Evidence Of A Struggle - A Chicago based artist - a powerful dose of spoken-word meets post-rock clash, which comes along with a clever animated video by visual artist John Airo. Revolving around multi-instrumentalist Rev. Billy Simmons who released his 13-track debut album in 2023, Evidence of a Struggle creates lush, cinematic, beautiful and sometimes chaotic compositions, guided by renowned producer Sanford Parker who has worked with Voivod, Russian Circles, Yob, and Eyehategod.
Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen & Mari Boine - Renowned singer, musician, activist, and cultural icon Mari Boine shares her newest single, "Lean dás". This captivating track is a unique collaboration with Norwegian-Sámi band ISÁK & the band's vocalist Ella Marie. The artists bring their rich musical backgrounds to the track, infusing it with a profound sense of authenticity and passion. The track is taken from Mari's new full-length Alva
Tenzin Choegyal - another great release from the excellent 4000 records. From a Tibetan-born, Meanjin-based (Brisbane, Australia) global folk powerhouse. Whispering Sky, is Tenzin’s 10th studio album, which first began to take shape in his home studio in Brisbane. Taking inspiration from his own Buddhist practice, it was shared and shaped with an international cast of talented collaborators and recorded in studios in Canada, UK, Japan and Australia. With each track Tenzin draws on his nomadic roots, skilfully blending elements of eastern and western music, while always holding his Tibetan lineage. The result is a deeply immersive album of hauntingly beautiful melodies and evocative lyrics.
The Mercury Impulse - An experimental drone/dark ambient/noise duo created in 2024 by JR Robinson and Mark Solotroff. Robinson is well known for his group Wrekmeister Harmonies and Solotroff is best known as the frontman of Anatomy Of Habit and Bloodyminded.
The Scientists - Bad vibes, habits, and breath collide on this ten-song pile up on the freeway to nowhere. Melting neo-grunge, swamprock, and noise punk in a cauldron of drug-addled psychosis, 1985's You Get What You Deserve continues Australia's prison-as-country tradition of unhinged lunacy in the face of cultural isolation. Nuke nostalgia, femme fatale sharpshooters, demolition derbies, and a vacation at Hell Beach await.
Steve Wynn - he has a new biography/memoir out which is quite a good read - you can get it from his Bandcamp page but if you are anywhere but the USA the shipping costs are frightening. I got mine from Waterstones. This is the accompanying album which I shall be featuring quite a bit in future weeks. Hoping to catch him in Manchester at Gullivers.
The Nearly's - Helen Walker is back with a new song so the world is so much brighter for it. One of Greater Manchester’s greatest artists who deserves wider exposure.
Librarians With Hickeys - Akron, Ohio band whose blend of power pop, jangle rock and songwriting classicism won them fans worldwide with 2022's breakthrough album Handclaps & Tambourines, return with the new single (and video) “Hello Operator” – an aptly welcoming teaser for a new album due later this year. Bristling with all the energy and chiming hooks expected from the band, it's also the first hint at the underlying themes of the new album, promising more rewards to be revealed over time.
We Are Winters Blue And Radiant Children - another track from the forthcoming album
Sunset Rubdown - Chad (him again) says “The single is from their forthcoming album Always Happy to Explode - their first in 15 years. Band leader Spencer Krug is also well known for his time in Indie and Art Rock acts like Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes…nope not heard of them either….
David Torn - David is becoming a bit of a regular feature. Of this one he says “I’m very fond of Harapan / The Greennesses; its history is maybe a little unusual… in that it started life (7 yrs ago!) as a “non-demo” of a Basic Audio fuzz pedal that John Lyons built for me; it is a very inspiring pedal, broadly capable of aiding the expression of some very finely detailed texture, as well as its love of fuzzy asskicking, lol. A friend reminded me of the existence of this short piece, so i recovered it from the archives… and while i do respect the original improvised piece, I felt compelled to alter it with another improvised track. so?. Vocals, not sung in any known language. Not scatting, simply choosing sonic shapes for words that might sound like real words, somehow.”
Vile Rites - the name and idea was originally conceived in early 2017 in Portland, Oregon by vocalist/guitarist Alex Miletich. In this early stage of the band, the music had more of a thrash focus, harkening to the pioneers of tech thrash, such as Coroner and Annihilator and the only other member was Miletich’s longtime friend and bandmate, Tyler Becker (Toxic Holocaust). After relocating to Santa Rosa, California in 2018, and parting ways with Becker, Miletich began searching for new members to complete the band. During this period of transition, Miletich also picked up a seven-string guitar and started taking the compositions in a heavier direction, discarding the material written in Portland. After writing some of the material that would end up on The Ageless EP, Miletich met drummer Aerin Johnson in mid-2019 and they began fleshing out the songs. The band’s lineup was finally completed with the addition of Stephen Coon on bass and synth in early 2020, just as the COVID pandemic shut the world down. The pandemic brought the band’s progress to a screeching halt, and everything was essentially put on pause until they were able to meet in person again later that year, finally able to hammer out the finishing touches on this EP.
The Half-Cubes - the debut album from literally half of Power Pop Hall Of Famers The Flashcubes. Picking up where last year's Flashcubes release Pop Masters left off, it's half the ‘Cubes and twice the pop, with 24 covers of underground pop classics spanning the whole history of the genre, many including guest shots from the original artists
The Silversound - The Silversound are Shane O’Mara, Andrew Tanner, Stu Thomas and Leroy Cope. Between them, they have been involved with the icons of the Australian music scene; from Paul Kelly to Rebecca’s Empire, Kim Salmon to Dave Graney, Tim Rogers to Lisa Miller, toured the world and recorded a plethora of albums over the last three decades. Shane O’Mara, maestro guitarist, has played/recorded with Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Lisa Miller, Rob Snarski, Chris Wilson and many more. Andrew Tanner (vocals, guitar) is a founding member of Seven Stories and with Leroy Cope (drums) key member of psyche band Sand Pebbles and The Woodland Hunters. Multi-instrumentalist Stu Thomas (bass) is a member of Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Dave Graney & the Mistly, and he fronts his voodoo surf band The Stu Thomas Paradox. All masters of their craft, they coalesce in The Silversound.
Jackson Code - Mark Snarski revived the Jackson Code in 1992 to record their second studio album, Strange Cargo. Original members Kenny Davis Jnr, Jason Kain, Snarski and Kathy Wemyss were joined in the studio by Mark Dawson, Amanda Pearson and Barry Turnbull, together with string, brass and hand-clap sections. Strange Cargo was released on Citadel Records in August 1992. The music ranges from rock to pop to country to jazz to European folk. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 the album was nominated for Best Independent Release.