The Smile Return With “Don’t Get Me Started”

The last Radiohead album was 2016s A Moon Shaped Pool. The last before that was 2011s The King Of Limbs. That was 5 years between albums. With Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s current project The Smile they have released two albums plus two live LPs over the last two years. Now that’s some seriously inspired […]

J.R.C.G. : Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra)

Justin R. Cruz Gallego, aka Tacoma-based musician known as J.R.C.G. defies a tag to any sort of genre. Listening to his Sub Pop debut Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra) you’re hit in the chest with serious rhythmic and groove intentions. He locks into his Latin roots and lays down some seriously heady percussive trips, but on top […]

Jazz/Psych Freak Outs ensue On Lotus’ Excellent “Synthbuljong”; Debut LP Out 8/30 Via El Paraiso Records

It’s been over 10 years since I first found that magical passageway that led to the door of El Paraiso Records, the Danish record label run and curated by Causa Sui members Jonas Munk and Jakob Skøtt. These two have built a library of sound with El Paraiso Records that is layered in progressive, thoughtful […]

Chris Cohen : Paint A Room

Chris Cohen is one of those musicians/songwriters that seems to ride a completely different wavelength than the rest of the world. As a collaborator he’s worked with everyone from Deerhoof to Ariel Pink to Cass McCombs to Weyes Blood. But as a solo artist is where his magic truly lies. His solo work feels aged […]

Thom Yorke : Confidenza

Thom Yorke has proven himself to be far more than just the singer of Radiohead. Not only is he the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist in one of the most important rock bands to arrive from the early 90s alternative rock scene, but Yorke has released highly regarded solo albums, collaborations with the likes of Flying Lotus and Four […]

Dr. Dog : Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog have been consistently putting out records for over 20 years now. The pop/rock/soul indie stalwarts from Philly started out as lo-fi, rough-around-the-edges rockers that combined soaring 4-part harmonies, Beach Boys earnestness, the Beatles knack for genre-hopping, and a touch of The Band for good measure. There was also touches of Pavement, Guided By […]

Morph Stereo Returns With “Cambridge” and “Flow Child”

While the rest of us do our summer thing consisting of mowing lawns, grilling, the occasional summer vacation, and generally trying not to melt throughout it all from the summer heat, Keith Canisius is hard at work making new music as Morph Stereo. To catch you up, Morph Stereo is the latest music project of […]

Sml : Small Medium Large

The latest to come out of Chicago’s forward-thinking record label International Anthem is by Sml. Sml consists of the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. The project began as a series of long form improvisations at the beloved but now closed LA venue […]

Shameless Self Promotion Time

For the most part these hallowed pages here at Complex Distractions are meant to highlight musicians and bands that I find interesting. Artists that inspire me enough to talk about them and spread their word across these internet wastelands. As well as talking about music, movies, books, and other art-related stuff, I talk about me. […]

Witchboard Readies New Album ‘Incidental Goth Club Music For Television and Film’, out 7/12; Listen To “Get Anxious”

Witchboard is the musical project of writer, producer, and director Glenn McQuaid. Known most notably for his debut film, 2008s I Sell The Dead, as well as his audio series Tales From Beyond The Pale(both with Larry Fessenden and Fessenden’s production company Glass Eye Pix.) McQuaid also directed a segment of the original anthology film […]