Loud And Quiet

I still wouldn’t know what the OP-1 is if I hadn’t interviewed Olga Bell this year, who was singing the mini synthesiser’s praises in her Brooklyn apartment.

Horrors’ member Tom Furse is now doing his bit for the electronic instrument made by Teenage Engineering – he’s made an improvised album solely using the OP-1.

‘Interludes’ is out now on Kaya Kaya Records, and will received a full physical release via Furse’s own new imprint Mind Meld on November 18. It’s a record that started off as, well, interludes for Furse’s radio show on NTS, and was put together in 7 days.

Since then he’s set himself another challenge, of making visuals for the entire record again within one week, and again with kit he’s not familiar with (video synthesisers). Here’s the whole experimental project below.

It’s been noted before, but worth saying again, that this year a lot of good music has originated from Australia. Our personal favourites have included The Goon Sax, Julia Jacklin and Gabriella Cohen.

Here’s another, from Melbourne, and they’ve just signed to Sub Pop in the States.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever‘s frontman Fran Keaney sounds a lot like The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel or Interpol’s Paul Banks.

In the band it’s two cousins (Fran, and Joe) and two brothers (Tom and Joe R), and drummer called Marcel.

‘Julie’s Place’ is the first track to come off a new EP lined up for 2017.

The last time I saw Foxygen was at Primavera in 2015. They didn’t look like a band that were going to be around for much longer, as they spent the whole show stopping mid-song for singer Sam France to shout at either his band or the crowd or no one in particular. It might have been a joke, but it felt like it wasn’t really.

It’s good to see that they’ve pulled it together for a new album ‘Hang’, released 20 January 2017 on Jagjaguwar. We need more videos like this, where France’s backing dancers try to keep up and fail, on tennis courts and park piers.

Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada have just announced their fourth album as Moon Duo, which will be released 3 February 2017 via Sacred Bones. It’s called ‘Occult Architecture Vol. 1’, and here’s its first single ‘Cold Fear’. Sounds like Moon Duo, doesn’t it. Which is a good thing.

… and the artwork is as on point as ever too.

Iceland’s not unfamiliar with glacial electronica, nor is it unused to the more abstract fringes of performance art, so it makes perfect sense that new pan-Scandinavian-European-UK collective P2X will make their debut in Reykjavik this weekend.

There’s something interesting about the simplicity of Portal 2 Xtacy (to give them their full title).

They have 10 members. They have no names, they’re simply numbered 2 – 11. And, until their show at Iceland Airwaves, there are no photos of them.

In their own words, the group describes itself “as a post-Brexit, feminist art collective that wants to share the passion of creativity free of the constructs of race, gender and patriarchy.”

‘Spreadaround’ is the first music they’ve released. An EP will follow this track in spring 2017.

This past weekend (29 October) we put out the latest issue of the magazine, issue 81 of Loud And Quiet. We’ve got a new map which tells you where you can pick a copy up from, too.

In the meantime, here’s a playlist made up of artists that are either featured, interviewed or reviewed in the issue.

It’s a varied listen. From the manipulated, maximal pop of Katie Gately through to the dusty piano keys of Alex Izenberg, and a favourite track from our cover star Gold Panda’s most recent album ‘Good Luck And Do You Best’.

We begin this post with a message from Yemrot Cire.

“Joseph Philip Hunt, James Brian Marshall Tormey and Eric Niall Tormey – members of the pop band Gang – have been found dead inside a rural, disused church near the village of Kingsdown in Kent. Cause of death has yet to be determined. There were no signs of physical trauma on the corpses, nor any chemical imbalance in their systems denoting a poisoning of any kind. Upon discovery it was noted that all hair had been removed from their bodies. The members of the band seem to have died without cause or explanation.

The story became even more bizarre when it was revealed that, carved into the door of the village church was this message: ‘Gang are dead, left lifeless in this temple of lies. They are not us, nor are we they. We are nameless, but you will call us Doppelgang; sent here to occupy their existence, hijack their legacy, and reveal the true nature of things. Humanity pales in comparison to our kind. Nothing is safe…'”

You’re probably thinking ‘what the hell is going on?’

Appropriately, Brighton band Gang have chosen Halloween to share the disturbing video for their new track ‘Dead’. It features the three-piece cruising around in a people carrier before the engine blows on a country road, spooked by something they follow their dog into the woods. And, well, a few minutes later they find themselves praying for mercy in a church… watch the video to see how it all unfolds.

Yemrot Cire, by the way, is lead singer Eric’s name spelt backwards – the doppelganger who replaces him in the vid.

‘Dead’ comes out on Ra-Ra Rok Records on November 25. Considering they’ve been bumped off, somewhat miraculously Gang have a bunch of shows coming up:

London, Boston Arms (with Wand) – 4 November

Leeds, Brudenell Social Club (with Wand) – 5 November

Brighton, Hope and Ruin (with Wand) – 6 November

London, Old Blue Last – 3 December

Brighton, Hope and Ruin – 7 December

The second episode of our new radio show on ResonanceFM was broadcast at 8 o’clock last night. There’s a chance you might have missed it by choosing to watch something called The Great British Bake Off on BBC1 instead. If that sounds familiar, have a listen back below for our favourite tracks of the last month. They include Swetshop Boys, Savoy Motel, Katie Gately and Virginia Wing.

Julia Jacklin released one of our favourite albums of the year (‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’). One of her favourite records, it turns out, is also a debut album of a certain mellow beauty – ‘Masterpiece’ by Brooklyn band Big Thief.

And so Jacklin has covered the group’s ‘Paul’. It’s hardly a wild departure from the original, but if you’ve enjoyed Jacklin perform DLTKW this year, this is reminiscent of those times she’s closed her set with her own title track played completely solo.