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Matmos, Ducktails, The Libertines, Nonkeen, & Other Sounds Besides

Welcome to Endless Volume, a Nic Bragg column that details all the good tunes he currently has on heavy rotation, plus one local show on the immediate or near horizon that shouldn’t be missed. Scroll, press play, enjoy!

ON HEAVY ROTATION

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER | Repossession Sequence


If you’ve been following along on these Endless Volume posts you’ll have recognized that I’m a huge fan of the experimental electronics of Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never. His 2015 release ‘Garden of Delete’ is by far his most disorienting collection of work to date. The album plays like a series of jump cuts between ideas of form, genre, and taste across a wide palette of musical production and styles. The result is a chaotic beauty that doesn’t beg to be made sense of or unpacked with critical theory. Instead, the listener is invited to get lost upon the alien, sonic terrain and surrender to the freaky landscape entirely. Repossession Sequence, with its spooky computer graphics, captures this spirit nicely. Enjoy.

THE LIBERTINES | You’re My Waterloo


Here’s a record that completely flew under the radar of most North American audiences. It’s true, The Libertines and Pete Dohtery released an album of classic British ballads this year entitled ‘Anthems for Doomed Youth’. Piano vamping and crunchy British Bluesbreaker guitar tones freely come together on this love song ballad, proving that Pete hasn’t lost his love for straight ahead mid-tempo torch songs. (Fellow Libertine Carl Barat directed the stark black and white video.)

CASS McCOMBS | I Cannot Lie


This track was taken from a Cass McCombs rarities collection that was just released by Domino Records. The song is a bass heavy Velvets-inspired cut, that first appeared in 2003 as a 7”. Cass has a vast catalogue of songs that are constantly being reworked and cropping up in current set lists; he is not afraid to revisit his past and look for the essential kernels of his unique sound. The video is documentary footage from the Bay Area circa 1969.

DUCKTAILS | Don’t Want to Let You Know


While on tour in Europe, Matt Mondanile found time to walk through the cold streets of St. Gallen and film this, the latest video for his 2015 release, St. Catherine. Matt has been ultra busy recording and going on the road as his other band, Real Estate, is talking a break (while Martin welcomes the birth of his first child). Ducktails has always had a more synth element to it, with a darker, pulsing 80’s chilled vibe a la fellow LA freak Ariel Pink.

NONKEEN | Chasing God Through Palmyra


Nils Frahm has dazzled Vancouver audiences with his inventive piano and keyboard skills. His solo work is atmospheric and brooding, making deft use of electronics and textural pads of tones. Nonkeen takes this vibe a bit further and fleshes out the sound by focusing on Frahm’s love for lo-fi beats and hypnotic rhythms. The long video intercuts model train footage with actual Berlin trainspotter clips, going nicely with the repetitive beats and swells – a nice trip indeed.

MATMOS | Ultimate Care II Excerpt Five


Matmos always find new sound sources. Their rich catalogue of experimental, cut-up electronics already includes an album composed entirely of nothing but surgery sounds (from when one of the duo actually went under the knife). Here’s the first new track from their imminent 2016 Thrill Jockey release; employing nothing but the sounds of their washing machine, Matmos have produced a particularly sparkling collection of tracks. As Excerpt Five demonstrates – all tough stains are lifted, and from-the-rinse-cycle we get a beautiful fabric of sound.

NICHOLAS KRGOVICH | Backlot Detail


Last but not least, we have the first listen of what Vancouver’s own N. Krgovich is cooking up for 2016. Returning to his love affair with Los Angeles nightscapes, The Hills follows his On Sunset release; a decadent sound that swells with strings, ambience and seductive, soulful, post-R’n’B vocals. The mix is perfect…mysterious, mesmerizing, and masterfully layered to evoke a number of opulent traditions. Backlot Detail plays out like a soundtrack to a time when Hollywood filmmaking was more than just a distraction for the write-off generation.

THE GIG

Ty Segall | The Vogue | Jan 22


Start the year off with some noisy fuzz! Catch Ty Segall at the Vogue Theatre on the day his new record ‘Emotional Mugger’ comes out. If you want a preview of what to expect, you can call the hotline number posted on his website and listen to a strange recording from Ty detailing all the madness. For the fortunate in the press, Ty sent out advance copies of the album’s 11 songs dubbed to VHS. No one bothered to rip them and put them up online. That said, after nearly 10 years of steady albums from this prolific 28 year old guitar rocker, you can safely guess what you will get – loud, fast, and out of control riffing that amps up his manic approach. Tickets are selling fast and even though the Vogue is the largest room Ty’s played in Vancouver, one can fully expect this to be a jammed sell out!