Believe it or not, the final Cut City album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed" actually now exists in physical vinyl form and is available for ordering: http://cutcity.bigcartel.com/product/cut-city-where-s-the-harm-in-dreams-disarmed
It's been a long time coming, but for an album this good, it's well worth it.
The vinyl edition of Cut City's superb swansong album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed?" is on track for a late March release: http://www.deletedart.org/releases.asp?id=49
Swedish post-punks Cut City have announced that their fantastic swansong album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed?" will be getting a proper vinyl release on December 2 via //. As promised, anyone who purchased the digital version will receive a discount on the physical edition, should they want one. As for everyone else who appreciates good music, I'll be sure to post details when preorder info is available.
Night MinutesAs with any recent addition to a niche subgenre, newcomers to the '60s girl group/surf rock-inspired scene are going to be compared to the movement's forerunners and inspirations. Night Minutes' debut full-length is sure to receive at least a handful of comparisons to fellow Scandinavians The Raveonettes (It's a Trap! already got that ball rolling a year ago with a review of the song "Sweetheart at the funeral" from their self-titled EP), and while these comparisons can be useful to establish an idea of the band's sound, with smaller subgenres these parallels can prove limiting -- if I'm already into The Raveonettes and Glasvegas, I may feel that I've reached my saturation point for jangly, Jesus and Mary Chain-esque indie pop and not even bother to read past the first mention of Phil Spector. Night Minutes certainly share characteristics with groups like The Raveonettes and Glasvegas, especially in the latter two's darker moments, but it is where the overlap ends that the band comes into its own. As a few critics noted with Weekend's debut "Sports", there are numerous places on "Grateful depression" where '60s pop and post-punk coalesce, somewhat unsurprising given the years band member Max J Hansson spent with prior act Cut City, and with the prominent use of electronic drums and synths one can find echoes of New Order throughout the album. And there is an edginess to "Grateful depression" that is often lacking on their contemporaries' records, moments like the end of "Purely hated" where the distorted pop shifts into a near-breakdown -- with acts like The Raveonettes, overproduction often undercuts the impact of their heavier moments, reducing walls of distortion to torrents of white noise. While only an eight-track record, "Grateful depression" is surprisingly hard to grow weary of, and spared of weak songs it can be enjoyed in its entirety. Summer might be drawing to a close, but there's enough sun and shadow to make this offering more than just a summer record.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Night Minutes, the new band of ex-We Live in Trenches bassist Anna Knutsson and ex-Cut City bassist/vocalist Max J Hansson, have finally unveiled their new album "Grateful depression" and are offering it for paid digital download and free streaming preview. Check it: http://nightminutes.bandcamp.com/
It's more like CC than WLIT and far more shoegazey than either, but any fan of good music is strongly encouraged to check it out.
Cut City will be printing the name of each and every person who purchases their new/final/superb album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed" on the back cover of the upcoming vinyl edition, that is, unless they decide to opt out: http://wherestheharm.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/credit-where-credits-due/
Personally, I'd just be happy to pre-pay for the LP, thank-you list or not.
Cut CityWhen I first heard "The sound and the sore", my first exposure to Cut City's final chapter, it was immediately evident that the band had continued the evolution evident between their first full-length, "Exit decades", and the phenomenal "Narcissus can wait" EP. Still, this was little preparation for "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed?" While it saddens me considerably that this will be the last we'll hear from the band, the album is a fitting farewell. There is not a weak song on the album, and the ground covered -- in terms of the songwriting, the instrumentation, and the emotional landscapes explored -- is more than I could have expected: opener "Void" resonates with all of the passion found on "Narcissus...", its nervous energy emerging from whispers of instrumentation; "Future tears today" is dark and anthemic, unnerving yet beautiful, confidently moving toward its end; "The kids of Masochism High" with its crushing waves of distortion and screaming lead guitar has become one of my favorite songs penned by Cut City; and "Left of denial" would not feel out of place on a John Hughes film soundtrack. And that only briefly covers less than half of the songs; I could easily write as long a post as I did for "The sound and the sore" for most of the tracks on here.
This may be their last battle cry, but I have little doubt that Cut City's final album will echo long into the future, and deservedly so.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
The new Cut City album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed", their final statement as a band, is now available for streaming/paid download via Bandcamp: http://cutcity.bandcamp.com/album/wheres-the-harm-in-dreams-disarmed
Very recommended!
Another Nation's National AnthemEPs are often mixed blessings: they can be all over the map with regards to quality, creative direction, and sound, and even the best EPs run the risk of getting overplayed, especially if the release precedes another recording by more than a few months. That said, Convoj's self-titled EP and Cut City's "Narcissus can wait" demonstrate that EPs, when handled correctly, can stand on their own and hold their ground, and to that list I add Another Nation's National Anthem's "Conscious castle". A week or so ago, I may not have made that claim, but ANNA grow on you and the contemplative periods in a few of the songs have since ceased feeling somewhat indulgent and now feel properly settled into the compositions. "Conscious castle" unfolds in a very pleasant way, each listening revealing a layer I missed on a previous occasion. Its sound reminds me at times of The Appleseed Cast (though this claim may hold more weight in nostalgia than in fact) and Tiger Lou (especially those opening notes of "Hold, stranger (of the north)"), though ultimately escapes pigeonholing through the strength of the songwriting. Seeing what ANNA can do with five tracks and 21 minutes, I'm very interested in this band's future.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Särkyneet - Huono nainen
02. TALK 1
03. Masshysteri - Masshysteri del två
04. Interment - Eternal darkness
05. Cut City - The sound and the sore
06. Fireside - Lovecar
07. TALK 2
08. Moto Boy - Early grave
09. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Start at the finish
10. The Goner - Lost summer
11. TALK 3
12. The World - Roybgiv
13. Familjen - Det var jag
14. STYGG - Sleep
15. TALK 4
16. EL-SD - Hille
17. Menfolk - Column 79
18. Camouflage - La la la
19. Grande Roses - The astronaut
20. TALK 5
21. Donkeyboy - Ambitions
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
My mind is on vacation, so I'm letting contributor Lars Garvey handle today's mp3 post:
With "Narcissus can wait", Cut City came fully into their own, exceeding even my highest expectations and demonstrating a breadth of expression and talent so often lacking in contemporary post-/art-punk outfits. There were numerous intimations of this level of songwriting throughout their career, most notably "Just pornography (for M.E.)" off their debut full-length "Exit decades" and the anthemic "Replacement" from their split 7" with Cat Party, but the craftsmanship on "Narcissus can wait" revealed a maturity and confidence that placed Cut City decisively in a class of their own. With "The sound and the sore", Cut City continue their upward ascent. The song crackles with all the vigor we've come to expect from the band, brimming with the cautiously optimistic energy of a track like New Order's "Ceremony". Starting strong, the composition builds brilliantly to its massive, stratified close -- the final moments of the track are phenomenal, eclipsing most of what I've heard this year. Unsurprisingly, "The sound and the sore" has quickly become one of my favorite Cut City tracks, and, like much of their catalogue, it continues to grow on me a little more with each listen. While I am delighted the band had yet another gear to move into, the fact that the upcoming album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed" is set to be Cut City's final offering is now rendered that much more heartbreaking. At least their swan song is set to be something amazing.
Cut City - The sound and the sore
Night Minutes is the new project of the always-charming Max J Hansson of the soon-to-be-departed Cut City in which he collaborates with Ms. Anna Knutsson of the likewise-great/still-going-strong We Live in Trenches (who still need to send me mp3s of the album btw). While it is surely a shame that CC is going under, the prospect of Max playing in a far more actively active band is far more exciting. You see, Max lives in Göteborg and the rest of those dudes live down in Malmö... it's not that far, but far enough to cause complications. With Night Minutes there are no such issues, just quality JAMC-inspired jangle noise. The Raveonettes are an obvious point of comparison too, though Night Minutes' fuzzy sheen is more trve lo-fi in comparison to the Dane's well-manicured gloss. Anyhow, "Sweetheart of the funeral" is my favorite of the three songs off their forthcoming self-titled debut EP, due out soon via offshoot -- heavy on the girl group vibe, but not overselling it. The female/male vocal tradeoffs in combination with the cheap and raw organ tones make for quality noisepop, that's really all there is to it. It's easy to like and I'm immediately smitten.
Night Minutes - Sweetheart of the funeral
