Grand Duchy - Let the People Speak Out Now - Tuesday 10 April, 2012 Black Francis and Violet Clark had one simple goal heading into their second Grand Duchy album...
“My motto for this record was ‘if Petits Fours was missionary, Let The People Speak needs to be doggy style’,” says Clark.
“Let the People Speak has more confidence,” adds Francis. “For Violet, the confidence of finding one's voice; for me, the confidence to become submissive. This record was definitely more about slamming it in.”
That’s clear from the start, as “See-Thru You” sets the scene alongside laser-guided synth lines, brass-fitted beats and ravenous riffs, only to be swept away by the manic melodies and fist-pumping choruses of “White Out.” Written by Clark while Francis was on tour with the Pixies, it’s just a taste of how carefree and confident the married couple’s become in the three years that separated their debut LP—an “experiment” that didn’t stay that way for long—and the dizzying highs of a concept album that exists in a “parallel universe in the past...now.”
And the host of that parallel universe? Why, it’s longtime Phoenix DJ Jonathan L, who treats every track like a freshly played single on his popular Lopsided World of L show. So while the steely pulse of “Silver Boys” may put him in a “Warhol-esque kind of mood,” the plaintive piano outro of “Esther” goes one step further, channeling “a glittery Lou Reed, or maybe a Ziggy?”
Which isn’t an accident. As Clark admits, “Andy Warhol is my hero. I’m also fascinated with the dark aspects of nightlife and intoxicated social intercourse, so just thinking about him and his world brought some sexier energy into these songs.”
As did several other factors, from Clark’s position as in-house producer (with the Fall’s Simon “Ding” Archer mixing, and drummer Jason Carter engineering) to the freedom Francis felt as he focused on being a better band member.
“Whenever I wrote for this record,” he says, “I knew that Violet would take it wherever she wanted to. It was nice to just think about music and not worry about the end result.”
“There's more energy left in the music if you're not picking it all apart with your brain,” adds Clark, “worrying about whether what you're doing is ‘cool’ or not. I have decided that ‘cool’ has no place in what we’re trying to do or achieve. What is ‘cool’ anyway?”
New Ringo Deathstarr and Megaphonic Thrift Releases - Tuesday 13 March, 2012 Today, March 13th, is the release date for two new releases on Sonic Unyon.
RINGO DEATHSTARR - Shadow EP
Limited to 500 copies on cherry blossom scented 10" vinyl, Austin, Texas trio Ringo Deathstarr release a new 4-track EP. The Shadow EP features a guest appearance by ....And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's Jason Reece on the title track and a cover version of the song "Just You" from Twin Peaks series 2. The digital version being sold here (downloaded at time of purchase with the your 10" order) comes with five bonus tracks! The band is busy playing a bunch of SXSW showcases this week, so if you are there look out for them!
THE MEGAPHONIC THRIFT - The Megaphonic Thrift
The Megaphonic Thrift returns with their second, eponymous album. Entering their rehearsal space in Bergen, Norway with only a handful of riffs and a desire to experiment, the tracks that make up the album came about through a process of all members writing towards a unified record, disregarding any template and looking to move on from the marker set down by Decay Decoy. The result is an album that pushes at the edges of their previous noise assault at times but also reveals a softer and more delicate side to their songwriting.
The album has been receiving rave reviews so far, including a 4-star review from Drowned In Sound which states "The Megaphonic Thrift marks a well-crafted progression for the Norwegian four-piece."
Check out their latest video for "Tune Your Mind"
March 8th 3 New Releases! - Tuesday 08 March, 2011 Ringo Deathstarr - Colour Trip
Already making a name for themselves though a series of well-received singles and a Japanese only CD compilation, plus numerous tours throughout the US and Europe, RINGO DEATHSTARR plays loud, fuzzy pop that will appeal to fans of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Lush. Their first proper full length album will be the eleven-track "Colour Trip", set for release digitally, on CD and on LP (first pressing limited to 500 copies worldwide) on Tuesday March 8th.
The Megaphonic Thrift - Decay Decoy
THE MEGAPHONIC THRIFT is something of a Norwegian supergroup. Made up of members of Casiokids, The Low Frequency and Stereo 21, the Bergen based band has become well known on the Festival circuit and are now ready to release their debut album. Decay Decoy. Heavily influenced by 70s Krautrock and bands like Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine, the quartet play loud, less traditional sounding rock music that uses harmony as the starting point for the song rather than the key determinant.
Augury - Concealed
Augury re-release their debut album and it earns the press it rightfully deserves! A 9/10 review from Decibel, 4.5 stars from Heavymetal.about.com, 5 stars from Sea of Tranquility and 4.5 from antimusic.com. Need we say more?
EXIT CALM To Perform at Liam Gallagher and Alan McGee Curated Events - Friday 08 October, 2010 The list of celebrity supporters of Yorkshire rock quartet EXIT CALM continues to grow. After already receiving ringing endorsements from the likes of The Verve's Nick McCabe, Inspiral Carpets' Clint Boon and Mani from The Stone Roses, the band, who will release their debut album in Canada through Sonic Unyon on Tuesday, October 12th, has been asked to perform sets for two of the UK's most well known figures of the 90s britpop scene, Oasis' Liam Gallagher and former Creation Records head Alan McGee.
**Liam Gallagher invites EXIT CALM to headline his launch night for PRETTY GREEN clothing line**
Pretty Green, the British clothing label founded by Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher, is holding its first-ever dedicated club night on 26th November at HMV’s Relentless Garage venue in Islington, North London.
DJS Andy Bell, Paul Gallagher, Eddie Piller, Jamie Skillz
...Playing Live
Exit Calm
An exclusive ticket offer for Pretty Green customers will be available on Monday 11th October with general release on Wednesday 13th October.
Tickets are priced at £12.50 (plus booking fee)
*Alan McGee Taps EXIT CALM To Play Creations Records Celebration Night*
Previous to that, EXIT CALM will be playing at a Creation Records Celebration Night on November 13 at (Brixton) London's Greasy Lips Club @ Jamm that will be curated by and featuring a DJ set by former Creation Records owner Alan McGee.
GREASY LIPS CLUB with Alan McGee (DJ Set) Paul Gallagher (DJ set)
Plus Exit Calm, Lysergic Suite and more
The format continues with Alan and event partner Jamie Kelly handpicking another five of the best bands and giving them the opportunity to perform on the Greasy Lips Club stage. With the focus very much the untamed talent on show, Alan will offer his time, knowledge and advice to the bands and also push the acts and event through his blogs.
One of the many live highlights on the night come from Exit Calm.
Tipped for big things, Exit Calm released their debut album this year and have an extensive tour running through this year. Having supported the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen and The Charlatans last year, they have collected along the way a loyal fan base. Aside from their self titled album being potentially the best album you will hear all year, their new EP “Don’t Look Down” was released in the UK on 4 October. See them on stage and you will witness this band come alive and create an atmosphere of epic proportions.
Sonic Unyon Presents Owen Pallet CD release show in Hamilton, ON - Monday 25 January, 2010 Concert Announcement: OWEN PALLETT - Sat Feb 27th at Lincoln Alexander Centre
Hot on the heels of the release of his new album "Heartland" last week, Sonic Unyon is proud to announce an exclusive Hamilton performance by Polaris Music Prize award winning violinist Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy) on Saturday, February 27th at the Lincoln Alexander Centre, 150 King Street East, Hamilton.
Sonic Unyon Presents OWEN PALLETT (formerly known as FINAL FANTASY)
Saturday, February 27 8PM
Lincoln Alexander Centre, 150 King Street East, Hamilton
Tickets: $15 advance, $20 door
Ticket available at : Dr Disc and Cheapies as of 01/19; later this week at Rotate This and Soundscapes (Toronto) and online here at the Sonic Unyon Store.
SACRIFICE release first new album in 16 years, announce special release shows - Tuesday 27 October, 2009 Legendary Toronto thrashers SACRIFICE have a brand new album that Sonic Unyon is thrilled to be releasing in Canada. The Ones I Condemn is the band's first new album since 1993 and the first to feature the original line up of the band since 1990's Soliders of Misfortune. It's a classic return by the band, it could have been released in 1991 quite easily as it sits well with their other albums. The Sonic Unyon Canadian version of the album also contains a cover of the RUSH classic "Anthem" that is unbelievable and must be heard.
To celebrate the release of the album, the band is doing two special CD release shows. They will do a co-headlining show November 7th at Winnipeg's Garrick Centre with PROPAGANDHI (who wrote a song about the band, "A Banger's Lament" on their last album) and a Toronto CD release show on November 21st at The Opera House. To hear just how deadly the new album is, please check out a few songs on their myspace, located online at www.myspace.com/sacrificecanada .
SPIRITS debut album out now, South African tour dates announced - Tuesday 27 October, 2009 On Tuesday, September 29th Sonic Unyon released the self-titled debut full-length release by Kitchener/Hamilton pop trio SPIRITS. Hot on the heels of their recent Hamilton show with the PIXIES (!!!) and cool support shows in Toronto and Montreal with the HAPPY MONDAYS and PSYCHEDELIC FURS, their debut album has been receiving rave reviews. If you like catchy 80s-inspired synth-laden pop with strong vocals and great hooks, check it out.
The band will be heading overseas in November, becoming the first Sonic Unyon band to ever play a date on the continent of Africa. They will open two arena shows for the South African band THE PARLOTONES, playing to more than 29,000 people over two shows. Check the tour dates section of our website for all up-to-date information.
THE GHOST IS DANCING Album To See US Release - Tuesday 27 October, 2009 Toronto indie pop darlings THE GHOST IS DANCING just finished a successful tour of Canada that also saw them dip down into the USA for a few shows. The band toured across Western Canada with Norway’s Rubrik, whose debut album has just been released in North America. The tour hit most major cities in Western Canada, as well as some special US dates in Minneapolis, Chicago, Brooklyn and New York City too.
THE GHOST IS DANCING’s latest album Battles On will be released in the USA this fall through Sonic Unyon’s new partnership with Rock Steady. More specific details on this will be released soon.
VOIVOD Completes Successful Canadian Tour - Tuesday 27 October, 2009 Canadian cyber metal legends VOIVOD recently completed a successful run of Canadian tour dates with DOWN that culminated in a fantastic show at Toronto’s Kool Haus. It was the band’s final Canadian show of the summer and brought to an end the band’s busiest summer of touring in more than 20 years. Over the course of four months the band played almost every major metal fest across continental Europe and Scandinavia, as well as a mini-tour of Mexico with TESTAMENT. Great press continues to roll in for their latest album Infini, released in late June in Canada on Sonic Unyon and look for more select tour dates to be announced in the months to come.
SPIRITS debut album out next week, new tour dates announced - Monday 28 September, 2009 The day is finally close at hand: on Tuesday, September 29th Sonic Unyon will be releasing the self-titled debut full-length release by Kitchener/Hamilton pop trio SPIRITS. Hot on the heels of their recent Hamilton show with the PIXIES (!!!) and a string of very successful album release parties in Waterloo, Toronto and Hamilton, their debut hits store shelves next week. If you like catchy 80s-inspired synth-laden pop with strong vocals and great hooks, check out their debut.
You can get a sneak peak of tracks off their debut by visiting the band’s myspace page, located online at http://www.myspace.com/spirits or better yet, if you live in Toronto or Montreal please go check them out in mid-October when they play shows with the HAPPY MONDAYS and PSYCHEDELIC FURS. Check the tour dates section of our website for all up-to-date information.
