Os Ovni – Love / Modern Witch – Desire
Tundra Dubs
Out Now
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=341762

Tundra Dubs is a label based out of Berkley California. They’ve released quite a lot of the weirder and lesser known of the stuff that got flippantly filed under the terms witch house/drag, usually because people didn’t know what to do with it otherwise. People like ∆AIMON and GuMMy†Be▲R!. This is a split 7”, hand numbered white vinyl in a run of 300, with Os Ovni on one side and Modern Witch on the other. The cover art comes courtesy of Mario Zoots from Modern Witch. The music on offer on both sides of the split is pretty much a simple synth line, a vocal over the top with the added flourish here and there. That isn’t so much to say they’re similar just that it’s not complex music. And they show that complexity is hardly a necessary element in music. The artists’ interpretations of the songs titles; a sonic examination of emotion. Modern Witch’s depiction of desire; all dark, possibly with a hint of menace, while Os Ovni ‘Love’ is much gentler, pleasantly drifting along.
Desire by Modern Witch
OS OVNI : Love by OS OVNI

Bleeding Knees Club – Have Fun
Noir
Out Now
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=342095

The debut single from the Aussie 2 piece goes a long way to explaining the level of hype that has been building around them. It’s a scrappy sub 2 minute blast of youthful abandon. No pretension; no hidden depths. Just lo-fi punk guitar and a heartfelt statement of nihilistic intent. To be played loud on those days when you just can’t be bothered to pretend to care about the stupid things in your life. Originally on the bands debut ep which came out last year, the tracks are available on a 7” for the first time. It’s out as the second release on a new label called Noir which has Sting’s daughter Eliot, aka ‘I blame Coco’ as one of its founders. In no way relevant, I know, just something I was surprised to find out.

HAVE FUN by Bleeding Knees Club

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Body
Slumberland
Out Now
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=341623

We have already posted the amazing video for this single up on the site and it’s worth having a watch if you missed it, hell if you saw it before you probably want to give it another play anyway. This comes as a clear yellow 7″, yeah I’m not sure what that colour is either. This is the 3^rd song off the American 5 pieces 2^nd album Belong and it carries on where the other 2 singles left off. TPOBPAH have solidly landed themselves at the forefront of indie music. You know the kind that’s about guitars and love songs, bedroom sing alongs for the cardigan wearing crowd. The b-side was originally a bonus track on the Japanese release of their album available here for the first time to UK audiences.

Future Islands – Before the Bridge
Thrill Jockey
Out Now
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=341397

Out as a hand number limited release of 750 on Thrill Jockey, this is the 1^st single from the Baltimore based trios forthcoming 3^rd album. Future Islands have always been an interesting band, part of the Wham City collective. A collection of artists and musicians based in Baltimore of whom Dan Deacon has probably made the biggest break through. they have been bringing a colourful dimension to a city mostly familiar to people as the backdrop to The Wire. This isn’t music that sits in the world of Stringer Bell and McNulty. Luscious synth pop, meandering bass lines and singer Samuel T. Herring’s amazing voice over the top. He really does sound quite unlike anyone else at the moment. Incredibly powerful and emotive, he sings with an intensity that is missing from most peoples repertoire.
Future Islands – Before the Bridge by thrilljockey

 Words:

Tom Hinton

This entry was tagged as 33-45, bleeding knees club, future islands, modern witch, os ovni, the pains of being pure at heart, tom hinton.