A few recent releases and restocks just came in today. We’ve been waiting for GoGo Penguin and Hinds to arrive on vinyl since they were released and Wolfmother is back with a new album along with Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits on silver vinyl. GoGo Penguin’s latest album blew me away, not something I expected to like so much, but man is it ever good. We are suckers for good all-girl garage and punk here at Backbeat and Hinds debut album fulfills that craving nicely.
We also received a few restocks including Bowie’s “Blackstar” and our best selling record here at Backbeat, Mazzy Star “Seasons of Your Day”. Trust me, it makes me so happy to say that that is best selling album here, we spin it a lot and absolutely love that record.
On to the recent releases.
GoGo Penguin – Man Made Object
Man Made Object is the sound of a band confidently pursuing their own path. “The title is partly inspired by my fascination with ideas of robotics, transhumanism and human augmentation,” says pianist Illingworth, a statement that begs for elaboration. “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanized and it seemed like a good album title, one that also means something different to each of us, and hopefully to each listener.”
Indeed, although they’re predominately an acoustic piano trio, GoGo Penguin’s music draws from many areas of contemporary electronic music, one where you can hear arcade game bleeps, glitchy breakbeats, hypnotic Aphex-style melodies, grinding bass lines and a rumbling low-end. It has been described as “acoustic electronica”, a term which perfectly sums up their modus operandi. “Many of the songs on this album started out as electronic compositions that I made on sequencing software like Logic or Ableton,” says drummer Turner. “I’ll then play it to the band and we’ll find ways of replicating it acoustically.”
Hinds – Leave Me Alone
Madrid-based garage rockers Hinds started as a duo of Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote. Shortly before releasing their first single “Demo” in 2014 the duo became a four piece, with close friend, ex guitar player and singer Ade Martín on bass and one of their first fans, Amber Grimbergen on drums. During the rest of the year and throughout 2015 they embarked on their first world tour, playing everywhere from Thailand, Vietnam and Australia to the United States to the worldwide festival circuit, including SXSW (in which they played 16 concerts in just 4 days), Glastonbury and Burgerama.
Their debut album, Leave Me Alone, made its way into the world in 2016.
Fresh off their release, Hinds is receiving praise for their work. “This great garage-rock crew from Madrid folds decades of naïf-rock history into its craftily shambling tunes,”said Rolling Stone. Pitchfork suggests its “[Carlotta] Cosials and [Ana] Perrote’s shared vocal responsibilities, which fit perfectly together” that “truly set Hinds apart.”Entertainment Weekly calls Hinds “…the year’s buzziest indie breakout,” while SPINasks “Whether seeing Hinds live, or listening to their debut album, Leave Me Alone, one question always comes to mind: Can I join?”
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Wolfmother – Victorious
he follow-up to 2009’s Cosmic Egg and 2014’s New Crown, the much-anticipated Victorious is an electrifying testament to the range and depth of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale’s artistry. Recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles with 2x Grammy-winning producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Chris Cornell, Bruce Springsteen), the songs are edgy, inventive, uncompromising, and rank among the band’s best ever.
Stockdale began working on the record in January 2015 at his Byron Bay studio in New South Wales, Australia, writing on every instrument and embracing the same creative approach he used on the band’s debut album a decade ago. “Back in the early days, I’d play guitar, bass, and drums and then present the ideas to the band and we’d work on the arrangement together,” he says. “I thought it would be cool to get back to demoing ideas by myself and playing everything. It’s a good way to do things because it can make the style more cohesive.”
That’s it for today. Keep checking in. Who loves you?