HOOPS Release Tapes #1-3 + Share Video for "4U" via Gorilla vs. Bear

Hoops know the power of dream-pop" - Pitchfork
"sprightly lo-fi constructed with an attention to production and atmosphere that you'd expect from someone with a background in noise music." - The FADER

"there are legit flashes of brilliance to be found in the tapes' collective" - Gorilla Vs. Bear

"Propelled by ample grooving keys and guitar, 'Rules' is a two minute jaunt into the past when synths and subdued vocals were king." - Stereogum
 

"Simply put, this is the best dream/jangle-pop debut since the aforementioned Oshin and an absolute must for fans of this genre...absolutely terrific and addictive debut full-length album." - Under The Radar
"The Bloomington, Ind. outfit blends shimmering guitars, woozy keyboards, and clacking drum tracks for their sun-flecked brand of indie-rock, which evokes peers like Real Estate and DIIV." - Entertainment Weekly

Bloomington, Indiana's Hoops released their debut album Routines earlier this year, and today they properly release their early works Tapes #1-3. These tapes were all self-recorded and self-released before Fat Possum stumbled upon them on a YouTube channel by "Dave Osterman" - a.k.a. Hoops' singer/guitarist Drew Auscherman. Previously only available as a limited 50-copy cassette tape run, all three collections are available now digitally and bundled on vinyl and cassette. Alongside the release, Hoops have unearthed a previously unseen video. Watch the video for "4U," from Tape #2  and filmed at Auscherman's house during the recording process, via Gorilla vs. Bear HERE.

Purchase Tapes #1-3 HERE.

Hoops just finished touring with The Clientele and will continue on with The Drums and some headlining dates. See below to find a show near you and get your tickets HERE.

Hoops was born in frontman Drew Auscherman's teenage bedroom as a solo ambient and beat-driven project à la Oneohtrix Point Never's Replica. Auscherman named the band after the hoop houses at the nursery where he worked (not for his home state's mania for basketball). Eventually he corralled a few of his friends to flesh out his songs, and the music inevitably shifted toward something new: more melodic, more guitar-driven, more extroverted. Fast forward to 2017, and Hoops have released three cassette tapes, last year's self-titled EP, and this year's debut LP Routines which earned them heaps of praise from press, spins from radio stations across the country, and a track that hit #2 on Spotify's Global and U.S. Viral Charts.

Routines is Hoops' critically acclaimed debut album, out now via Fat Possum. A bittersweet and honest record that was masterfully crafted by the band's three songwriters, Routines is full of blissed-out hyper-melodic songs, built around power-pop chords, deceptively complex drum patterns, and rock-anthem sentiments. Buy Routines, one of 2017's best debut albums, HERE.

Hoops is Drew Auscherman (vox, guitar), Kevin Krauter (vox, bass), and Keagan Beresford (vox, keys, guitar).

Tour Dates
11/10 - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
11/28 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In +
11/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West + 
11/30 - Orlando, FL @ The Social +
12/01 - Miami, FL @ Gramps +
12/02 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar +
12/04 - Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder +
12/05 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks +
12/06 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall +
12/08 - Dallas, TX @ Trees +
12/09 - Austin, TX @ Emo's +
12/10 - El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls +
12/11 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf +
12/13 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren +
12/14 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas +

12/15 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory +
+ w/ The Drums

Xiu Xiu and (r) Announce Split 7" of ZZ Top Covers

“With each new album, Xiu Xiu, the difficult to quantify, shape-shifting, and wholly experimental rock band, goes where no band dare tread.” – Interview Magazine

“[Xiu Xiu] brought some of its experimental flair to the track with a great drum accompaniment, breathing new life into the song.” – AV Club on “Sharp Dressed Man”

 Xiu Xiu and (r) have announced a split 7” of ZZ Top covers, out December 8th on Polyvinyl. Xiu Xiu takes on the classic “Sharp Dressed Man,” subverting the hyper-masculine energy of the original into a noisy, manic free for all. The Italian group (r) offer a minimal, subtly creeping take on “Gimme All Your Lovin”.

Xiu Xiu originally covered “Sharp Dressed Man” for the AV Club’s Undercover series, which you can watch HERE.

Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart explained how the concept for the single came about:

“it took me a long time to come around to ZZ Top. When I was a kid i thought they were a joke band and their beards and campy sexuality freaked me out. Later on Xiu Xiu tours we would and still do always listen to the Black Flag tour diary "Get In The Van." wherein Henry Rollins mentions playing ZZ Top to all the punks in England, telling them it was the new exploited record and watching them cry.

This was funny and I thought hmmm

Then after watching a long jag of music documentaries, Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top, time and time again was a commentator. He was always incredibly smart, clearly deeply devoted to the history of music and insane looking.

We were asked by the AV Club cover's series to play a song from a list they had chosen. Everything on the list was a bunch of 90s RnB that I was never into or lame-o indie rock EXCEPT for "Sharp Dressed Man."

The stars had aligned. I had no idea what a radical guitar part it was and what a pleasure it was to learn, by the end of the song i had to have 4 different fuzz and distortion pedals on to make it as zonked out as it needs to be.

 Walking down the streets of Torino on tour and talking with dear friend and long time collaborator Fabrizio Palumbo of (r) and his husband Paul Beauchamp. I mentioned we were covering the song. They said very matter of factly, ‘Xiu Xiu as ZZ Top and (r) as ZZ Bottom. Let's do a split 7 inch.’ 

He sent in his perfect minimal, experimental, goth, cabaret version of "Gimme All Your Lovin." A perversion made in heaven was born. 

A little fay cupid playing the oboe will follow you around now wherever you go.”

Xiu Xiu released their latest full-length FORGET earlier this year to much acclaim. They will be continuing to tour throughout the next several months, including the final performance of the songs from Twin Peaks in Chicago.

Xiu Xiu Tour Dates
11/10 - Somerville, MA @ ONCE @ Hassle Fest 9

11/21 - Athens, Greece @ Temple

11/22 - Milan, Italy @ Circolo Magnolia

11/23 - Turin, Italy @ Astoria

11/24 - Fribourg, Switzerland @ Fri-Son

11/25 - Luzern, Switzerland @ Neubad Keller

11/26 - Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof

11/27 - Erfurt, Germany @ Frau Korte

11/28 - Dresden, Germany @ GrooveStation

01/06 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *

* Xiu Xiu Plays the Music of Twin Peaks

Brooklyn Psych Legends Oneida Share Track From New 7-Inch - Out Tomorrow On Joyful Noise

“Minimalism with its finger in a socket...a pure jolt of arty New York intransigence.” – The New York Times

“Brooklyn’s finest art-rock band...their muscular, maximal minimalism can provoke awe, hypnosis, or profound irritation.” - The Village Voice

“No matter how frazzled they get, the whole package packs a hard punch that can only be rock and roll. But, this being Oneida, we don’t know what comes next. That’s what keeps us coming back.” – The Quietus

“Through a dozen albums, they’ve covered a daunting amount of territory, darting between rock, noise, psych, drone, electronics and minimalism...there’s no ‘basic’ Oneida sound, and if so that’s part of what’s made them such an interesting and unpredictable band.” – Pitchfork

After a nearly 5 year break from the studio, Oneida has returned with “Town Crier,” a compact blast of pure energy and organ riffage that shows the band in full-on rock mode. The legendary Brooklyn group will release the song exclusively on an upcoming single, “Town Crier” b/w “Pariah,” their first widely-available recording for their new label Joyful Noise Recordings. The track premiered this morning via Noisey, along with an interview with the group’s organ guru Bobby Matador. The single is out tomorrow, November 10th, and will be followed by a full-length in 2018.

STREAM: Oneida – “Town Crier”

The single is arranged in a classic 7’ A/B relationship, where the A-side presents an open face (maybe with a fading black eye?), and the B-side hides its intentions behind a brooding implacability – to quote Jens Lekman, the “evil B-side sister.”

“Town Crier” was recorded and mixed by Oneida. A tightly wound, pugnacious rocker, it shares a lineage with similar tunes from 2004’s Secret Wars, and disc two of Rated O (2009).

“Paraiah” was recorded and mixed by Colin Marston at Menegroth, the Thousand Caves. It’s an abstract instrumental that mines the elemental stais-and-release dynamics most fully explored on the group’s last full-length, 2012’s A List of the Burning Mountains.

Oneida was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 1997; the group has performed and recorded extensively/consistently as an ensemble for twenty years. Oneida’s discography of releases includes twelve full-length studio recordings released by Jagjaguwar Records, as well as a number of limited releases, short works, and live performances available in a variety of formats.

Oneida’s music embraces ensemble improvisation, electronic composition, minimalism, and a range of folk- and rock-based vernacular elements.

Beginning in 1999 Oneida instituted a tradition of performing in nontraditional urban spaces including warehouses, vacant theatres and storefronts, parking lots and garages, boats, and industrial facilities. This performance habit continues today. The group is also known for extended, continuous improvisational performances that can reach upward of 10 uninterrupted hours, and for an ongoing collaborative ethos that has resulted in performances with musicians from all corners of music.

In 2006 Oneida built and opened The Ocropolis, a recording studio/performance space in Brooklyn NY where they recorded their own work, performed publicly, and worked in collaboration with numerous other musicians and the visual artists of the Secret Project Robot gallery and projection collective.  The Ocropolis closed in 2011 when the waterfront building, known as Monster Island, was scheduled for demolition. It is currently a pile of rubble.

Oneida has worked since the demise of Monster Island in a warehouse studio space in Bushwick, Brooklyn; this was shared with Secret Project Robot until the fall of 2016, when the gallery announced a hiatus. Oneida remains in the building along with a number of associated artists.

Pre-order “Town Crier” b/w “Paraiah”: http://joyfulnoi.se/TownCrier

Oneida assets are available HERE.

Amp Fiddler Shares New Single, Album ft. Unreleased J Dilla Beats Out This Week On Moodyman's Mahogani Music

This Friday Detroit legend Amp Fiddler will release Amp Dog Kinights via fellow Detroit native and house & techno luminaryMoodymann’s Mahogani Music. This 4th studio album from the man responsible for teaching J Dilla how to use the MPC300, is a suite of 13 tracks A&Red and co-curated with Moodyman (who also features on a number of tracks). It was recorded at Moodyman’s ‘Camp Amp’ studio basement in Detroit.

Today, ahead of its release, Amp shares a final single; “Keep Coming.”

https://soundcloud.com/ampfiddler/keep-coming

Listen to “Return of the Ghetto Fly” (ft. J Dilla, T3 & Neco Redd

https://soundcloud.com/ampfiddler/return-of-the-ghetto-fly-feat-j-dilla-t3-neco-redd

When you listen to the music of Joseph ‘Amp’ Fiddler your ears are picking up something a little different; authentic funk straight from the heart of Detroit in a sea of beige imitations.

But then you don’t play with two of the greatest RnB groups ever created (namely Enchantment and Parliament/Funkadelic), teach J Dilla how to use the MPC60, and write and record music with the likes of Prince and Seal without knowing how to make very fly soul music.

Amp was instrumental in putting Detroit on the map for hip hop, by using his first advance to buy an Akai MPC60, then teaching the teenage J Dilla how to use it. His new record features 2 tracks co-produced by Dilla. The tracks date from a famous Zip disk that was stolen from him and recovered by Amp. Dilla then gifted him the beats to use by way of thanking him for his mentorship. Track “Return Of The Ghetto Fly” also features rapping from Slum Village member T3 as well as vocals by Neco Redd, completing a track that is the very soul of Detroit. “It’s Alright” is featured in three versions on the album with contributions from another Slum Village member - Waajeed - as well as frequent Theo Parrish collaborator Ideeyah. “Those are my friends’ says Amp of his local collaborators, ‘I love the way they work, I love the way they do things.”

Amp Dog Knights continues with tales of the Detroit player known as the ‘Ghetto Fly’; inspired by sharp-suited characters from the neighborhood of his childhood who ‘dressed like The Temptations every day and had attitude when they walked, they were almost dancing’. Across the record there are stunning P-Funk rock jams like ‘Put Me In Your Pocket’ with guitarist Chris Bruce, as well as 4/4 soulful steppers like ‘I’m Feeling You’. ‘I Get Moody Sometimes’ featuring Moodyman is a shimmering electronic funk number tailor-made for the label head’s eclectic DJ sets. ‘Amp Dog Knights’ is the second album in 2 years following Amps break from music since 2006 following personal tragedy in his family including the death of his son. Now he’s back he wants more - more people to hear the music and the message. ‘I want to hear it in shops, when I am at the airport, I want to hear it everywhere’. Amen.

Amp Fiddler Amp Dog Knights

(Mahogani Music – Nov 10th)

01. Grandma's Radio feat. Soundboy

02. Return Of The Ghetto Fly feat. J Dilla, Neco Redd & T3

03. Keep Coming

04. It's Alright feat. Neco Redd & Ideeyah (Waajeed’s Earl Flynn remix) 

05. Good Vibes feat. Only Child

06. Through Your Soul feat. Bubz Fiddler & J Dilla

07. I'm Feeling You

08. Put Me In Your Pocket feat. Dames Brown, Will Sessions & Chris Bruce

09. No Politics feat. Neco Redd, Andrés & Bubz Fiddler

10. It's Alright feat. Neco Redd

11. Say So

12. I Get Moody Sometimes feat. Moodymann

13. So Sweet feat. Neco Redd (Louie Vega remix)

14. It's Alright feat. Neco Redd & Ideeyah (Waajeed’s Conant Gardens remix) 

POLICA and s t a r g a z e Announce Debut Album + Tour, Share First Single via NPR

Today Minneapolis-based electronic quintet POLIÇA and European orchestral collective s t a r g a z e announce their debut collaborative album. The two bands met for the first time in Berlin in 2016, and while the collaboration started in the same room, the process continued as an 18-month long "ping pong" match as the bands exchanged ideas and music over email, mp3 files, video conferencing, and the occasional meet-up in Berlin, Minneapolis, and Eau Claire. Both bands were adamant that whatever they created "not just be POLIÇA songs with s t a r g a z e pasted on top," as POLIÇA vocalist Channy Leaneagh puts it, and the end result is the most adventurous and forward-thinking music either group has made to date. Music For The Long Emergency will be released on February 16th viaTotally Gross National Product/Transgressive. Pre-order the album HERE, and see below for album artwork and tracklisting.

The album's first single is the sublime, 10-minute epic "How Is This Happening." Written by Leaneagh the day after Trump's election, and shared with the collective the day prior to POLIÇA and s t a r g a z e's live debut in St. Paul, "How Is This Happening" is the only track on the album where the words and melody came before the music. The writing process for this song was incredibly therapeutic for the band as they were reeling from the news. "That was an example of the truly healing effects of making music with your friends," says Leaneagh. "And while it doesn't necessarily make things better, it builds community." A tide of orchestral swells ebb and flow punctuated by off-kilter electronic sounds and strings before Leaneagh's haunted albeit intimate intonation takes hold during the poignant and prevalent chant, "How is this happening?" Listen to the song now via NPR Music.

POLIÇA and s t a r g a z e will take their collaboration on the road early next year. See below to find a show near you, and get your tickets HERE.

Introduced via the Liquid Music project run by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota, with the hope of a cross-genre collaboration, POLIÇA and s t a r g a z e first met in Berlin in 2016 in s t a r g a z e conductor André de Ridder's living room. The occasion was charged with both possibility and trepidation. But what happened in Berlin that day set the tone for the project to come: as the two bands talked, the s t a r g a z e musicians began to improvise — strings, brass, woodwind played over a handful of song sketches brought byPOLIÇA's Ryan Olson. "They were not even song structures, just electronic textures," de Ridder says. "And we started playing over them, and we could see how their faces lit up when we played. I guess that's where our minds met."

Lyrically, this is in many ways an album of tensions — of sorrow and intense joy, of beauty and confusion. "It's about those contradictions in life," Leaneagh says. "How you can be going through tragedy, never-ending wars, but you still also are dealing with human relationships and love and romantic troubles." It is a reflection of the strange and sudden darkening of our times. "Everybody in s t a r g a z e and POLIÇA is a little older. I grew up in a time in America that was before the internet, in a time when the schools in America were the least segregated that they'd ever been. In a time when we had turned towards progress after the era of Jim Crow, and lynching, and the Ku Klux Klan. And we're back in that right now in America. And in a lot of places in Europe too. We had our hands on progress and then it flipped. So the songs deal with that, lyrically, and musically they do too — with the idea that we're still human beings and we're trying to find happiness and the love of our lives, or a career to be happy about, but then we're also trying to find world peace and end racism."

What started as a simple collaboration has become something vital for both s t a r g a z e and POLIÇA. Having worked with an extraordinary variety of musicians, from Owen Pallett to Julia Holter via Matthew Herbert, Mica Levi and Deerhoof, s t a r g a z e is well-versed in genre-hopping. The project was also particularly appealing for POLIÇA's Leaneagh, who is a classically trained musician. While projects like these can often be mediocre one-offs, with the separate artist's returning to their own work when it's over, that is not the case for this pair. "This one really feels different," explains de Ridder. "We all feel we're different people for it. And we're going to keep reconnecting. We're going to be touring this album, and new ideas are happening and these residencies are spreading and we're introducing other musicians to each other, so there's a real legacy that's come out of it. We feel we're going to be good friends and colleagues for the rest of our lives."

Album artwork:

Tracklisting:

1. Fake Like

2. Marrow

3. Speaking Of Ghost

4. Agree

5. Cursed

6. How Is This Happening

7. Music For The Long Emergency

Tour dates:

2/15 - North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA
2/17 - New York, NY @ Symphony Space at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2/18 - Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace *
2/19 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
2/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
2/22 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
2/23 - Cincinnati, OH @ Contemporary Arts Center
2/27 - London, UK @ Oval Space

* solo POLIÇA show