The Hard Quartet – The Hard Quartet

 

 

The Hard Quartet – The Hard Quartet
Matador – 2024
Rock, Alternative, Indie, Postpunk, Garage, Stoner
Rated: ****

They claim it’s a band… But I fear it’s another damn fine project which will probably not live that very long. One album, one tour? Maybe two? Highly doubtful. Cause the four members involved all have their other projects as well and probably see this little ditty as a fun thing on the side. Presenting themselves as The Hard Quartet we have Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Emmett Kelly and Jim White. A project born during the pandemic but only came to fruition later because, as we already mentioned, the four have their other bands and projects as well. Pavement, Superwolves, Chavez, The Cairo Gang, Ty Segall, Dirty Three being their main ones, but the list is much longer. On The Hard Quartet they dance between those bands and they only seem to be really ‘hard’ whenever they do some fuzz rocking in songs like opener Chrome Mess, following Earth Hater or Renegade. All three written by Malkmus and echoing other albums he’s been involved with. Probably rubbing off the most on the sound, but still, the muddle of it all has this groovy kind of punk esthetic. And when a song like Killed By Death gives off weird miniscule echoes of Oh! Sweet Nuthin', a song by another short lived project called $10,000 Gold Chain, you've got my vote. Some roots, some alternative rock and country, a bit of postpunk, some fuzz, garage and a hint of stonerrock. A jumble, a mess, loose and probably very freeing. It must have been a blast recording this album.

(Written by JK)

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Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday

It’s Friday. And there’s always something special about Friday. Right? Not just because there might be a Friday Freebie going on over at the Doom Charts or because Bandcamp is waving fees again. No, it’s because we’ve been indoctrinated over the years with Friday being the end of the week. The end of work, toil and strife. The beginning of party time! Excellent! Well, since we’re talking about partying and good times, let’s just add Stoner HiVe’s Quick Fire Friday to that list as well! Carelessly and nonchalant just put it right there besides all those other good times to be had. It’s just something extra, something good and something well meant. For there is so much good and heavy music being released every day! And we know, we know, the albums and bands deserve more than the few words we will jot down here. More attention and more of our time! But there is so much out there and we just simply cannot ever do it all justice. So here it is. The Stoner HiVe Quick Fire Friday! And it burns hot like molten lava!

Missicks – A Coffee With The Devil

Missicks, I already love the name. The four hail from Curitiba, Brazil and bring you some damn tasty stoner rock. Stoner pop. It’s the stoner in robot pop form that conquered the world as of 2002. Well, you know where it originated, you know what band will probably be its main influence. But there’s more here; cause they have this high pop sensible undercurrent flowing, just listen to their earlier single Lust River. It’s good. And I’m always up for A Coffee With The Devil…

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Principe Valiente - Porcelain

For some weird and possible insane reason Principe Valiente’s new single Porcelain reminded me of the Daniel Davies version of the Pixies track Wave Of Mutilation, which I often have on repeat for an entire night when the whisky is flowing and I honestly believe that the crap I’m typing might be any good. Usually isn’t when daylight arrives. Porcelain, the first track to the new album Barracades, which will be released somewhere in March 2022, on the other hand is! Dark wave, noir pop, post punk, shoegaze brilliance! Don’t let it shatter…

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 Matador – The Surge

It was Madman Tony Maim that struck gold when he showed us the way to Matador’s They Were Here Before Us back in 2019. And now it’s Matador’s turn to bring home the gold medal with their new release The Surge. Four tracks of pure and shiny post metal brilliance, with overtones of doom and something colossal. There are still those emotive and atmospheric elements, but when they let it all loose, let it all explode, the fall out is made from pure diamonds…

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Small Jackets – Just Like This

Thanks to Dominik Goncalves Dos Reis and All Noir PR we have not been able to turn away from the new album Just Like This by the Small Jackets. It will be out through Go Down Records on December 17th and the Italian four bring this perfectly executed mix of classic, hardrock, blues, sleaze, garage, punk and rock ‘n roll hellfire! There’s soul here, there’s heart and there’s love for the good stuff! And man, this good stuff is addictive!

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San Salinas – Quicksand Blues

It’s the blues. The blues done right. Bigger sound and more soulful than the ramshackle version of the blues; this moves towards that sixties and seventies grandiose take on the blues. It’s San Salinas and first single Quicksand Blues. It’s guitar for the soul, blues for the heart and you will not believe that it’s a one man band! Well done Matt Gibson!

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Fortune Teller – Fracture

Let’s head off into the weekend, let's head off into the Friday night with something wild and furious! With something damn freaking awesome! Fracture by Fortune Teller, a single of the amazing Collapse album that came out in October. Fuzzed out garage, gritty stoner and a whole lotta ruckus! It’s noisy, it’s loud and it’s exactly the amount of danger you need to kickstart a night you will probably never remember!

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Matador – They Were here Before Us

Matador – They Were here Before Us

Self Released - December 2019

Post Rock/Post Metal

Rated: *****

Matador give us an album called They  Were Here Before Us with six powerful tracks that will make mountains crumble into the sea and the moon move out of orbit. For me, post-metal is in danger of becoming stale, with only a handful of bands capable of rising above the cut'n'paste copyists that seem to litter this genre. Luckily for us all, Matador escape that trap with thoughtful song writing capabilities that have an epic feel to them and yet still retain a hardcore edge to focus the tracks with razor-sharp guitar riffs that slice through the sonic denseness. Atmospherics that are sparsely used do not overplay their hand, instead they add, rather than distract from the rage and despair being played out through the songs. Despite the power and fury, there is a hypnotic quality due to the running order of the tracks that brings a cohesive feel that just sounds right. And because Matador are good guys it is NYP on Bandcamp.

(Written by Tony Maim)

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Body/Head – Switch

Body/Head – Switch

Matador – 2018

Rock, Alternative, Experimental, Soundscape, Noise

Rated: ***

There is no reason why one should not scare itself half to death now and again. And there is no reason why music could not be the vehicle to do so. For those of you who do not know Body/Head or for those who know their first release Coming Part, the new record Switch will come as an… err… unpleasant surprise. This experimental duo is comprised out of Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and guitarist Bill Nace and on their first record they aimed for something that could be qualified as rock or even easy listening in comparison to this one. This one is nothing but weird, scary and delirious hallucinations comprised from tunneling sound explosions, feedback and screeching guitar tones that come in waves, pulses or tsunamis. There is no denying there is some dangerous form of alchemy at work here. Turning destruction into something sensitive, turning the impulsive into acceptance and endorsement. It’s open and wild and yet very constraining. You have to be willing to crawl along with these crazies, in a similar straitjacket towards something that might be light at the end of the tunnel, but just as easily could be another warning light… 

(Written by JK)

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