COMING UP FOR AIR: It’s been awhile since we heard from Sailor Winters (aka Ryan Cox), but he’s just released a new album that turns any previous notion of what constituted Sailor Winters’ music on its, uh, ear. Cox, who also runs the aptly named Black Noise label, cut his teeth for almost a decade producing some of the harshest, most extreme, yet texturally diverse noise terror imaginable. Only on the rarest of occasions was distinct melody imposed by Cox (as opposed to listeners’ ears trying to find their own patterns). Imagine black sea-walls of utter doom and resignation that suck you straight into a vertical whirlpool of despair and isolation. That’s a good enough description for starters. This new record, though, is the most immediately accessible and positively tuneful work Cox has ever done. It’s self-titled—a device that makes me think of this as a rebirth of sorts—and also the first proper album he’s done in approximately nine years. From the raw unaccompanied vocals on “Weak” to the warbled tiny march of “King of Snares” to the downright traditionally gorgeous and tender “Weak Response (Boooo),” Sailor Winters succeeds at every turn. I’m personally most partial to “Planets In the Yard,” which is a slowly paced, deliberately executed piano excursion that shifts from being almost a synth anthem to a plaintive key-driven piece. It’s all available at the newly established sailorwinters.bandcamp.com, where Cox has also placed most of his Sailor Winters catalog. So, now I’ve led you to the well, but you’ve still gotta drink. Go for it.
CLOCKED IN: It’s taken a minute to get around to this one, but anyone needing a solid crack in the ear could do a lot worse than Tag Team Champions, the barely month-old split LP between Athens’ Karbomb and Atlanta’s Seagulls. The pair have been solid show-mates for a while, and now it’s all confirmed on vinyl. Seagulls specializes in infectiously melodic, sometimes mid-tempo, bearded ‘90s punk à la Hot Water Music, and Karbomb keeps the banner of just-under-thrash-speed hardcore waving strongly. Longtime listeners can attest to the increased aggressiveness of the band, which is exactly the opposite of what happens to most long-running punk bands. Although on first pass you might cringe at seeing they committed a cover a Aerosmith’s “Dream On” to vinyl, after giving it a listen it fits fairly seamlessly with the rest of the band’s work. Thematically, the lyrics are right in line with Karbomb’s general party line, which always walks a sharp fence between a heavily jaundiced eye and against-all-odds hopefulness. Dig it at seagullsatl.bandcamp.com.
SLIGHT RETURN: Blurry jangle-pop band Dead Neighbors released a two-song thing last week called Pity Party Presents: Dead Neighbors. It carries on pretty much where the band’s last full-length release, its self-titled, 12-song album from 2015, left off. These two songs are a little less brightly lit, though, and slightly muddy in just the right spots. I’m especially fond of the way the second track, “Indifference,” kinda slows down and disintegrates in its final moments. There’s nothing really necessary or surprising happening here. Hell, it’s only two songs! But it’s not a bad way to spend 10 minutes, especially if you’re already a fan. Check ’em at deadneighbors.bandcamp.com.
PUNCH THE CEILING, HIT THE ROAD: Kinda goofy, definitely excitable party band Big Morgan has released exactly one song (“Rabbit Hole”) from its upcoming full-length album, Superpunch!. It’s remarkable for this weird guitar thing going on whereby full chords sound like shiny sheets of flashing light between verses. I dunno, just listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. It runs less than two minutes, too, so you’ve barely anything to lose and a band to gain! In other news, Big Morgan just left for three weeks of road dates with cool local dudes Wieuca, and members report that they’re heading up the coast to NYC and back, which doesn’t sound like a bad way to kick off the summer at all. Find the new track at bigmorgan.bandcamp.com.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
