Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
The latest to drop from SFI Recordings is the cosmic and expansive Warning Sense by Mnemonic Pulse. Over the course of four slow-building heavy synth tracks you get tension and release; early 80s Tangerine Dream(think Exit) combines with ambient-heavy early 80s synth scores. Portland, Oregon’s Caitlin Love, aka Mnemonic Pulse, has been releasing heady and […]
Read More Mnemonic Pulse : Warning SenseA couple weekends ago my dad came over at his usual time of 9am for our Saturday coffee and conversation. As he came into the door our miniature schnauzer greeted him with the usual shrieks, barks, and bellows… excited for what grandpa had in the Ziploc baggie for him. As I was walking to the […]
Read More Things Found In A Midwestern SafeOver the course of three albums in as many years the prog/math/avante rock band Black Midi have gone to great measures to make densely-layered and technically jaw-dropping albums that the simple passerby’s frontal lobe would melt from after listening. This isn’t the kind of rock music you put on for a chill session. The UK […]
Read More Black Midi : HellfireThe working relationship between Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear and producer/former Spaceman 3 member Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom goes all the way back to 2011’s Tomboy. Sonic Boom stepped in to mix that record, which then led to co-production credits on the Mr Noah EP and full-length Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. Sonic […]
Read More Panda Bear & Sonic Boom : ResetMy oldest asked me last Friday if I wanted to go a see a movie with her. It was Bodies Bodies Bodies, a new A24 horror/comedy that I didn’t really have any interest in seeing. To me, the previews screamed “You’re too old to enjoy this!” I love most everything A24 puts out, so I […]
Read More Scenes From A Dilapidated AMC TheaterIt feels like this was bound to happen. A decree by the power pop Gods from high, even. At some point you just knew there was going to be a She & Him covers album filled with Brian Wilson covers. The Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward project has been a source of pop song comfort since their […]
Read More She & Him : Melt Away : A Tribute To Brian WilsonTy Segall might be the busiest man in indie rock. He’s certainly one of the most prolific, dropping something new seemingly every 6 months. Whether it’s solo albums or with one of his many side projects, Segall seems to have a mind that runs 24/7. Albums spanning garage rock, psych folk, wonky synth workouts, and […]
Read More Ty Segall : Hello, HiThere’s an uninhibited joy on Fischer & Forde’s debut album It’s Just Business. The dance/disco/house LP begs you to unplug from the big machine, put on your dancing shoes, and give into the grooves. It’s the kind of album you decimate your eardrums with in the car and drive an extra couple blocks just so […]
Read More Fischer & Forde : It’s Just BusinessI’ve always prided myself on being a reader. Even back when I was an elementary school chunk wearing Husky Jeans and feeling I was far less tough than I should’ve been, books were a big part of my life. From the baby hamper in my room filled to the brim with Golden Books, to swiping […]
Read More Books On TapeGreetings fellow space travelers, time bandits, and cosmic riders, welcome to another exciting edition of Complex Distractions’ Long Story Short. Here’s where I chat up an album I’m digging in a paragraph or three. I’m getting caught up on some amazing records that have been released over the course of the last three or so […]
Read More Long Story Short : Steve Hadfield, Cinchel, zake, Coral Club zakè