Category: new stuff

Coming November 17 : The Golden Boys – ‘Better Than Good Times’ (12XU 099-1)

(photo by Angela Betancourt)

The Golden Boys – Better Than Good Times (12XU 099-1) preorder from 12XU or Bandcamp

Once upon a time in Spring Branch, TX five legends went back to the future and formed THE GOLDEN BOYS. Created after a long drive in a pickup truck with a 12 pack of beer, founding members James Arthur (Fireworks, Necessary Evils, Feast Of Snakes) and Matt Hoopengardner (White Heat) sat on the edge of a cliff staring at the sunset. Soon after, extreme super hobo John Wesley Coleman III rode up on a wild coyote named FIRE DEMON. The group quickly formed a solid nexus and foundation for the Texas psyche blues texas rock texas jam texas pop ETC

After much whiskey on the basement floor, Nay Nay (Kackacka Butt Bomb) and Bryan Schmitz (Manhunt, Feast Of Snakes) appeared in a powdery puff, followed shortly after by the verdant recruit, Philly Pat Troxell (Creepoid, Plaque Marks). After multiple years toiling in obscurity alongside the Spider Bags and Strange Boys, the Golden Boys were saved by international playboy and The Gospel Truth’s founding member, Patrick Travis.

Coming 5 years after the acclaimed, ‘Dirty Fingernails’, this is the band’s 6th album. No one thought it could be done (and no one cared) until Gerard Cosloy asked, “Hey, are you guys making another record?”, to which The Golden Boys replied, “will you buy us some Texas Chili Parlor?” He said, “yes” (EDITOR’S NOTE : I do not remember this conversation)

Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, Manhunt, A Giant Dog, Grifters) presided over the remarkable recordings. So here we are, with our newest and our best. Better than ever. Better than good times.

The Golden Boys are :
Nay Nay Arbeitman
Matt Hoopengardner
Patrick Travis
John Wesley Coleman III
Bryan Schmitz

Recorded and mixed by Stuart Sikes at Iggy’s Putt Putt Palace
Mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service

prior praise for ‘Dirty Fingernails’ :

“a brilliant ability to suss out that ineffable quality that makes no-bullshit rock & roll so fun and so vital, and in the process they hold up garage-this and punk-that for the meaningless terms that they ultimately are.’ – Nate Knabel, Agitreader

“played with a swollen heart and clenched-fist determination…a killer group at the height of their powers.” – Doug Mosurock, Still Single

“anthemic hits that are guaranteed to stick in your head for days..an instant classic.” – Mark Twistworthy, Razorcake

“Punk in spirit, rifling through dirty R&B, outlaw country, and vintage pop, Austin’s the Golden Boys embody every great idiom of rock & roll” – Austin Powell, Austin

Coming September 15 : Spray Paint & Ben Mackie – “Friendly Moving Man” b/w “Dumpster Buddies” 7″

Scattered to the separate winds of the USA, Mexico and Australia, Austin’s Spray Paint reconvened earlier this year and teamed up with ENTITLED TOURIST #1 aka vocalist Ben Mackie of Melbourne destruction crüe CUNTZ. The resulting two song 7″, “Friendly Moving Man” b/w “Dumpster Buddies” will be released on 12XU September 15 in a limited (BUT NOT LIMITED ENOUGH, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) quantity. Meetings of the musical minds of this caliber don’t happen that often and if you’ve never stay awake at night wondering just what this pairing might sound like, what in blazes is going on in that brain of yours in the darkness? It’s at times like these that I thank fucking god I’m not a mind reader because if I had the first clue what you’re really thinking, there’s every chance I’d either call the cops or volunteer for the space program.
ORDER HERE.

Coming June 30 : USA/Mexico – ‘Laredo’ (12XU 102-1)

The long-awaited/rumored/feared debut recordings from Austin, TX trio USA/MEXICO are finally upon us. Guitarist Craig Clouse (Shit & Shine, Todd), drummer King Coffey (Butthole Surfers, Rubble, Hugh Beaumont Experience) and bassist Nate Cross (Marriage, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Expensive Shit) have somehow created a musical landscape that exceeds present day reality for absurdity and nightmarishness. There’s faint (oh ok, try “loud”) echoes of their past works but their combined forces have resulted in an album as bludgeoning and all-encompassing as any that’s occupied shelf space in my home or yours.

First 100 on translucent green vinyl – includes download card. Preorder here.
(UK/EU customers — please take your business to Riot Season they can get you the album faster and for cheaper shipping)

Coming May 26, OBNOX – ‘Niggative Approach’

That we’re nearly midway thru 2017 and some segment of the allegedly savvy music world has either slept on Cleveland’s Lamont Thomas aka OBNOX or continues to damn him with some faint “prolific garage rocker” praise is nothing sort of criminal. OK, not WAR CRIMINAL, but certainly a brand of cultural c(r)ock blockery that neither historians or your kids will look kindly upon.

(photo by Aaron A-Live Snorton)

‘Niggative Approach’ — a knowing nod to Ann Arbor’s other N.A. (with an opening cameo from John Brannon) is the 7th album in Bim’s astonishing unbeaten streak that began with 2011’s ‘I’m Bleeding Now’ and shows no immediate sign of ending. While Thomas’ past genre-defying works have brazenly taken a torch to such record store bin cards as “punk”, “psych”, “hip hop”, “funk”, “new arrivals” and “MISC. O”, ‘Niggative Approach’ is his most bold, fully realized statement to date. There’s no one in what’s left of the underground with a sharper take on the ties that bind these genres, and no eyewitness to the nation-going-to-shit as quick to stand up and throw down than Obnox. If you wanna settle for half steps, by all means, be our guest, but ’Niggative Approach’ shouldn’t merely challenge you to imagine the possibilities, but maybe even get your hands dirty in making them happen.

preorder at 12XU.bigcartel.com

Coming April 14 : XETAS – ‘The Tower’

(photo by Julie Bishop)


Xetas – The Tower (12XU 095-1)

The most dangerous letter in the DIY Greek alphabet, XETAS are greeting 2017 with their sophomore album and spring tour, serious as a heart attack and more fun than the drugs they give you in the hospital after the medics bring you back to life.

Pumping through Austin’s clogged Red River arteries since 2014, the Austin firebrands have temporarily broken their vows of Shaolin silence with ten tracks of unadulterated defibrillation –an electrifying monument to distorted melody and verbal hooks brought to a full boil.

This, after spending most of 2016 dedicating their lives to anonymity and heated discussions as to whether the city’s most indispensable soundperson sleeps in his jacket.

Propelled by a new drummer -O.D.J.- who will one day drum a hole to China solely using jazz brushes, XETAS seemingly are on a collision course with the halls of power, despite the absence of any campaign coordination with the Russian ambassador.

Add in the blitzkrieg guitars, bass and vocals of D and K respectively and you’ve arrived at a collection of tools of the trade turned weaponized instruments the likes of which are sure to provoke many a sleepless night at NATO Headquarters.

Recorded over a 24-hour period in the fall of 2016 with engineer Ian Rundell (Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Spray Paint, Empty Markets), the 37-minute, 10-track album was recorded in less than than 7 minutes –a testimony to the band’s energy and capacity for bending time and space after years of monastic devotion.

The melodies are dirty, distorted and delicious, dishing on the world in a jolting and at times unnerving manner, speaking truth to power, assuring a nation already grappling with insomnia under new federal management that it never sleeps again, in soundman Max’s jacket, or otherwise.– Paul Stinson

preorder here

Coming November 4 : Dark Blue’s ‘Start Of The World’

Dark Blue follow up their debut LP, ‘Pure Reality’ (Jade Tree), with ‘Start Of The World’ (12XU) – a soundtrack of a decaying United States. Each song drips with the realities of atrocities happening all around us ; John Sharkey III (Vocals, Guitar) pushes Dark Blue far beyond the post-punk meets oi sound they perfected on their earlier releases, and adds elements of brit-pop and shoegaze. Recorded by Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, Nothing), ‘Start Of The World’ is a pop album that makes no apologies.

photo by Autumn Spadaro

Boot stomping opener “Union of Buffoons,” sets the political tone for this album with an anthem for workers’ rights. Sharkey’s biting lyrics: “You can’t fight this, you can’t win…screw you once, they’ll screw you twice,” is a reference to human expendability in the face of deregulation and the stagnancy of labor rights. “Never Wanted to Hurt You” is a pop song in the highest order with guts and an undeniable chorus that would make Noel Gallagher jealous even at his most jaded.

The 50’s doo-woop and surf rock sound of “Bombs on the Beach” initially feels like a left turn for the band, evoking a playful innocence against a sunny backdrop. But the lyrics prove this is truly a Dark Blue song, tearing through any cheerfulness as jarring and abrupt as words can be to describe the reality of dropping missiles on a beach of unsuspecting Palestinian children. Sharkey’s voice is heavy with the despair of survivor’s guilt: “Now I’m holding my baby’s hand, as he lies bleeding to death in the sand.” This is another pointed song full of sentiment as much as it is an impassioned call for accountability for the crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

While this album shows off new and varying degrees of Sharkey’s vocal intensity, Andrew Mackie Nelson (Bass, Ceremony) and Michael Sneeriger (Drums, Strand of Oaks) shine, guiding the songs in ways other releases haven’t shown before . Tracks such as “Be Gone Everyone” and “Western Front” underscore just how comfortable the band has gotten.

‘Start Of The World’ is the kind of record that Dark Blue has always promised: a collection of smart, fully realized songs that tell real stories. With the world falling apart around us, Dark Blue continues to give voice to neglected perspectives, many unnerving but all necessary to hear. We need a defiant record like this to remind us that just as there was start to all of this destruction, there can also be an end. – Sean Gray.

Preorder here.

October 8 : Joel RL Phelps & The Downer Trio – ‘Gala’ LP (12XU 055-1)

(photography by David Ewald)

 

Coming September 17  October 8  – ‘Gala’, the first new album from Joel RL Phelps & The Downer Trio since 2004’s ‘Customs’, a record praised by Pitchfork’s Stephen M. Deunser for it’s “darkly existential drama and gravity”. On the Troy Glessner – recorded ‘Gala’, Joel, guitarist/bassist Robert Mercer & drummer William Herzog have returned with what might be their most powerful work to date. There are very few songwriters on this continent that can rival the former Silkworm guitarist/vocalist Phelps, and his lyrical & instrumental prowess is as keen as ever.

Recorded in 2013 at The Castle (Kent, WA) ; 11 new songs. First 200 copies on clear 150gr. vinyl. Preorder yours here.

UK/EU customers can order ‘Gala’ from Damnably.
Canadian customers can order the album from Triple Crown Audio Recordings .

Coming June 18 : Obnox – ‘Corrupt Free Enterprise’ 2XLP (12XU 052-1)

OBNOX– ‘Corrupt Free Enterprise’ 2XLP (12XU 054-1), June 18, 2013

Bim Thomas is a lucky bastard. Upon settling in Columbus-by-God-Ohio in the early ‘90s, he found himself neck-deep in a killer music scene, and soon ended up as the Ringo for the legendary blues-punk power duo The Bassholes (ask the Black Keys who their influences were and that name will spring up, that’s a promise). Drifting northward to Cleveland as the sun rose on the 21st Century, Thomas landed in the drum throne for spastic post-punk upstarts This Moment in Black History, who even after ten years and a membership diaspora STILL rule the CLEpunk roost, while simultaneously keeping the pulse for other revered CLE outfits like The Deathers and Puffy Areolas.

But now, with midlife on the horizon, when most ragers at least start to slow down if not skid to a halt, Thomas is revealing previously unseen musical gifts that far transcend the metronome. With his band Obnox, of which he is the sole member (with heavy friends when he’s feeling like some company), Thomas has shown himself to be a songwriter of astonishing depth, injecting punk with the soul and balladry it too often lacks. Having become a stay-at-home dad, Thomas began messing around with a guitar, teaching himself how to play and write songs, and damn, he really TOOK to it. His 2011 debut, ‘I’m Bleeding Now’, was one of that year’s finest albums, and sold out so quickly a reissue was necessary only a year later. His new release, the double-LP ‘Corrupt Free Enterprise’ (12XU-052), is his 8th in only three years, and his strongest by miles. Featuring 17 scuzz-fi splatter gospel anthems – 12 originals and 5 covers, including Tom Waits’ theme from “The Wire” – that run the gamut from nasty punk flameouts to ardent slow-burners, CFE spans four sides, each of which plays as an E.P. in its own right. Thomas has never shied away from bold statements, but CFE is his boldest and most ambitious yet.
– Ron Kretsch

(“Deep In The Dusk (Redux)” previously appeared on the May 2013 double 7″, ‘Canabible, Ohio EP”, available from Black Gladiator)

Coming June 18 : The Gospel Truth – ‘A Lonely Man Does Foolish Things’ LP (12XU 054-1)

(photography by Alison Eden Copeland l-r : David Petro, Patrick Travis, Mark Tonucci, Brandon Bennett Crowe)

Over the past 4 years, you could make a case for the start and ongoing middle of what feels like a new golden age for Austin rock’n’roll. I could drop a bunch of names, some of whom you’d recognize, some of whom you wouldn’t. A few have recorded for this label. But that’s not really the point. The standard trajectory from initial rehearsal to first recordings to moment of global exposure is usually in the 6-24 month range. Not in this case.

As you’ll see below, it’s taken The Gospel Truth a little longer to become a fully realized thing. And that’s not to say they’re presently all about cool precision, either. Right now, they’re alternately brooding & explosive in manner that runs contrary to this city’s party vibe and have emerged as one of the town’s top live bands in the process. Not only is it hard to come up with a regional precedent for The Gospel Truth, it’s almost as tough to ID an album as out of time as ‘A Lonely Man Does Foolish Things’. The Flesh Eaters’ ‘A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die’ and the Toiling Midgets’ ‘Sea Of Unrest’ come to mind, but that pair stood out wildly in ’81 and ’82, too. The tie that binds all 3 full-lengths is a purposeful, unusually deft ensemble fronted by a singer who comes out of his shell in the boldest way when you put a microphone in his hand (more on him later)

Continue reading Coming June 18 : The Gospel Truth – ‘A Lonely Man Does Foolish Things’ LP (12XU 054-1)