dum dum girls 'coming down' + jamc cover

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Dee Dee and the Dum Dum Girls, will release their 2nd full length, Only In Dreams, September 27th on Sub Pop.

The recent He Gets Me High EP hinted at a departure from the fuzzed out grrrl power of debut album I Will Be. Initial single "Coming Down" confirms that direction — as Dee Dee tweeted "don't fuck with me no more circa 1965."

The new track is a slow burner that has more than a little bit in common with Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You":




With the obvious affinity for Mazzy Star, it should come as little surprise that Dee Dee also recently laid down a cover of The Jesus And Mary Chain's "Teenage Lust." The single, out on True Panther, is the first offering from her collaboration with Tamaryn, Les Demoniaques:




Pretty cool. If you want to download the former track, enter an email in the widget below.

jesus and mary chain 'automatic' out on vinyl

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One of the seminal albums of my young waverdom is once again available on vinyl. Jesus And Mary Chain's 1989 album Automatic may be held beneath their first two classics, Psychocandy and Darklands, but it's the one I remember best.

The Reid brothers wanted to move on from their formative sound — so much so, the following album was entitled Honey's Dead, in reference to "Just Like Honey" — fully embracing drum machines and synth bass.

It's understandable Creation-era fans were disallusioned at the time, but listen to "Blues From A Gun" and tell me it's not epic:




And then there was "Head On" - probably better known as covered by The Pixies:




And for those who thought they had lost their edge, here's a live performance of "Gimme Hell":




So yeah, maybe it's not JAMC's masterwork, but Automatic is all right with me.

And just for fun, here's a 1994 MTV Studios performance of "Reverence" from the also underrated and also just re-released on vinyl Honey's Dead:

speaking of jesus and mary chain

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Yesterday's post about Crocodiles got me in the mood for some good ol' Jesus and Mary Chain.

Much like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine, the Reid brothers have become more influential with age. Underrated in their day, they're a favorite touchstone of many a present day indie rocker.

Part of their appeal is their can't be bothered cool. Their unapproachable aloofness and sometimes earsplitting feedback provides a certain air — like they could give a shit if you're even listening — but the intensity of Jim Reid makes it too hard to look away.


Take, for example, this 1984 television performance of "In A Hole" from Psychocandy:




And this 1989 television performance of Automatic deep cut, "Gimme Hell":




The Reid brothers famously split in 1999, but reunited for a 2007 tour. This Oslo, Norway performance of "Reverence" from 1992's Honey's Dead proves they can still kill it:




I want to die on a bed of spikes...

beware of crocodiles

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When you name-check an Echo and the Bunnymen album, it's a good way to get an old waver's attention. Crocodiles are a San Diegan...  Diegoan...  a duo from San Diego who gained notoriety through association with a fellow California duo, No Age.

Their debut album, last year's Summer Of Hate, was a cult favorite. Now they've returned with a more fully realized follow-up, Sleep Forever.

There's still a bit of an Echo and the Bunnymen feel, with a heavy dose of Jesus and Mary Chain, but Sleep Forever mines even further back to Ian McCulloch's inspiration, The Doors.

Take the Ray Manzerek organ intro to "Stoned To Death":

Stoned To Death - Crocodiles by oldwaver

Or maybe it sounds more like Stereolab.

The second single off Sleep Forever, "Hearts Of Love", leans more closely to the JAMC influence. The video starts off innocently enough, with a beach party reminiscent of The Drums "Let's Go Surfing" — but stay with it for the amusingly disturbing ending:




Cult rituals... good times.