Chad VanGaalen’s Light Information is out now + 2017 international tour dates begin October 15th

“TARBOZ (translated log of inhabitants)” is the long-awaited, animated short film from creative polymath Chad VanGaalen, which premiered today with Pitchfork TV [see October 5th news story).  

Van Gaalen delivered this statement on the making of the film:  

“TARBOZ was planned as the first episode of “Translated Log of Inhabitants,” and was an experiment to see if I could make a long-form improvised animation and still get out alive. I barely did!

The “Translated Log of Inhabitants” was conceived as a guide to the origin story of many different species. I imagined myself doing dozens of these episodes, focusing on a new life form very time — very much like a page from “Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials.” It expands a universe that I had already been developing in my own music videos, as well as ones for other bands. The videos for “Peace on the Rise” as well as ones for Black Mountain and Shabazz Palaces all exist in the same world (at least in my head).
 
TARBOZ is stream of consciousness, dreams, and friends. Alternate versions of my own reality. Coming to terms with the fact that I will never play freestyle disc professionally, but wanting to pay homage to the peaceful energy of that sport. It also reflects my needing to score a sci-fi film so badly that I ended up making my own.
 
I TARBOZed myself for two years, through software transitions and computer wastelands, and slowly the physical realm slipped away. I learned a lot about why you should get into something with a clear idea in mind. I would never make another animation in quite the same the way I made this again. After two years of working on it in solitude, I just wanted my life back. Doing it alone was my biggest mistake. I was very lonely.

It didn’t really end up like any of these things, but I hope this might help people understand the spirit of the piece. Although I’m not sure I understand it entirely myself. Sometimes you need to just do it in order to know how not to do it?”

- - - - - - - - - - -

 
Chad VanGaalen recently released Light Information, which is available on CD / LP / DL / CS worldwide on Sub Pop and in Canada through Flemish Eye. The album features the highlights “Mind Hijacker’s Curse” [listen here], “Old Heads” [listen here] and “Pine & Clover” [watch here]. Light Information was written, played, and produced by VanGaalen (save Ryan Bourne’s bass part on “Mystery Elementals” and vocals on “Static Shape” from his young daughters Ezzy and Pip). The album emerged from the experimental instruments that fill his Calgary garage studio. Among them is a beloved Korg 770 monosynth, which VanGaalen coveted for years before fixing one up and devoting a lot of recent energy to recording “duets” with it. One of these, “Prep Piano and 770,” is the lone instrumental on Light Information, more atmosphere and chord bursts than the rest of the album’s hooky rock narrative.
 
Light Information can be purchased from Sub Pop and Flemish Eye. LP purchases of the album from megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers and at Chad’s shows, will receive the limited Loser Edition on crystal clear vinyl (while supplies last). There is also be a new T-shirt design available.

Chad VanGaalen Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Chad VanGaalen’s previously announced international tour schedule in support of Light Information has been extended. The dates now span October 15th in Utrecht, Netherlands at EKKO through January 27th in Edmonton, Alberta at The Needle Vinyl Tavern. 
 
2017 European Dates
Oct. 15 - Utrecht, NL - EKKO ^
Oct. 16 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown  ^
Oct. 17 - London, UK - Oslo ^
Oct. 18 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club ^
Oct. 20 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow (Sky Bar) ^  
Oct. 21 - Copenhagen, DK - Stengade ^
Oct. 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain ^
Oct. 24 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn ^
Oct. 25 - Lyon, FR - Le Sonic ^
Oct. 26 - Amiens, FR - La Lune des Pirates ^
Oct. 27 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere ^
Oct. 28 - Nantes, FR - SOY Festival ^
Oct. 29 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix ^
Oct. 30 - Luxemburg, LU - Rotondes ^
Oct. 31 - Gent, BE - NEST  ^
 
2017 North American Dates
Nov. 09 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
Nov. 12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir *
Nov. 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
Nov. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Satellite Club *
Nov. 16 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *
Nov. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
Nov. 19 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive *
Nov. 20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Nov. 30 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
Dec. 01 - Detroit, MI - El Club **
Dec. 02 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle **
Dec. 03 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi Fi **
Dec. 05 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe **
Dec. 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC **
Dec. 07 - Allston, MA - Great Scott **
Dec. 08 - Montreal QC - Fairmount **
 
2018 Canadian Dates
Jan. 19 - Winnipeg, MB - The Good Will
Jan. 20 - Saskatoon, SK - Winterruption! Festival
Jan. 25 - Calgary, AB - Commonwealth Bar and Stage
Jan. 26 - Red Deer, AB - Bo’s Bar
Jan. 27 - Edmonton, AB - The Needle Vinyl Tavern
 
*w/ NE-HI
^w/ Mauno
**w/ Un Blonde

Then watch METZ on Pitchfork Live this coming Thursday, October 5th at 12 noon EST/9am PST.

Toronto-based noise punk trio METZ have created a short film entitled Making Strange Peace, which captures the band during the recording process of their new album with engineer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. 

Entertainment Weekly premiered the film, and had this to say, “Strange Peace, is not only their best yet, but one of the year’s best rock releases. Now, in a new video EW is excited to premiere, you can go inside the feverish sessions that yielded the wild LP [see October 4th story].”

METZ also recently shared a new video for Strange Peace’s lead single “Cellophane.” As described by director Shayne Ehman, the visual depicts a sphere where “consciousness is split, and a world of contrast unfolds. The resulting disembodiment disperses one’s spatial awareness and new kinds of empathy develop. Two become three, and it’s only half the story [watch here].”

METZ Tour Dates + Ticket Links

METZ’s international tour schedule in support of Strange Peace is underway, with a show tonight, October 4th in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The tour currently runs through December 16th in Houston at Warehouse Live. During that run, METZ will serve as direct support for Modest Mouse on October 10th and 11th.
 
Additionally, METZ will play shows with Uniform (October 2nd-8th), Protomartyr (November 2nd-8th), Brian Case (November 9th), Drahla (November 12th-24th), newly-signed labelmates Moaning (December 7th-16th), and Cherubs (December 15th). All of their current tour dates follow.
 
2017 METZ Tour Dates:
Oct. 04 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Oct. 05 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #
Oct. 06 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel #
Oct. 07 - Hamden, CT - The Ballroom
Oct. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa
Oct. 10 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s *
Oct. 11 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom *
Oct. 18 - Halifax, NS - The Marquee (Halifax Pop Explosion)
Nov. 02 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum !
Nov. 03 -  Wroclaw, Poland - Klub Firlej !
Nov. 04 -  Warsaw, Poland - Klub Hydrozagadka !
Nov. 06 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu !
Nov. 07 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen !
Nov. 08 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust !
Nov. 09 - Zwolle, Netherlands - Poppodium Hedon  ^
Nov. 10 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kruen (Sonic City Festival)
Nov. 11 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who? Festival
Nov. 12 - Le Havre, France - Le Tetris %
Nov. 14 - Nimes, France - La Paloma %
Nov. 15 - Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey %
Nov. 16 - Toulouse, France - Club Metronum %
Nov. 17 - Barcelona, Spain - La (2) De Apolo %
Nov. 18 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick %
Nov. 20 - Nantes, France - Pole Etudiant %
Nov. 21 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo %
Nov. 22 - London, UK - The Garage %
Nov. 23 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece %
Nov. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club %
Nov. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt
Dec. 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumos **
Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt **
Dec. 09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir **
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Independent **
Dec. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom **
Dec. 13 - San Diego, CA - Casbah **
Dec. 15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk & **
Dec. 16 - Houston, TX - Studio at Warehouse Live **
 
# w/ Uniform
! w/ Protomartyr
^ w/ Brian Case
% w/ Drahla
& w/ Cherubs
* w/ Modest Mouse
** w/ Moaning

Strange Peace is available now from Sub Pop (worldwide) right here. Canadian fans can purchase the new record from Royal Mountain Records here. Meanwhile, Sub Pop’s limited Loser Edition on clear vinyl with red and green swirls, can be purchased from the band at upcoming tour dates or at select independent retailers in the U.S.(while supplies last).

We are quite pleased to welcome superb Los Angeles band Moaning to the label, who will release their debut album in the spring of 2018 on Sub Pop. Until then, we suggest you watch the group’s video for this here earworm “The Same.”  

Stereogum had this to say of the video: “There’s something innately appealing about watching something get destroyed....Moaning wreck a house in the video for their catchy as hell new song “The Same,” and it’s captivating to see them irreversibly tear things down while they sing about not knowing what’s coming next. Change comes in fits and starts — sometimes it feels like putting a sledgehammer through a wall, but more often than not it feels like nothing is happening at all.”

Pro Tip: The time is now to follow Moaning absolutely everywhere, including but not limited to subpop.com  |  Bandcamp  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

[Photo by Sarah Cass for the Sub Pop Photobooth]

More on Moaning:
Los Angeles-band Moaning is the abrasive post-punk trio comprised of Sean Solomon, Pascal Stevenson, and Andrew MacKelvie.  The three initially met as teenagers while growing up in the San Fernando Valley, and immediately developed a kinship through Los Angeles’s local music scene. The three began regularly frequenting DIY institutions like The Smell and Pehrspace, eventually selling out dozens of their shows at both venues with their first few bands.
 
From the sentimental to catastrophic, hiding meek and introspective lyrics within powerful droning dance songs, the music Moaning makes also gives sonic nods to some of the band’s musical heroes like New Order, Broadcast, and Slowdive.  
 
Moaning’s fervent songs are born out of the member’s experiences with love and distress, creating a sound uniquely dark and sincere. This is evidenced in the band’s early version (and video) of their track, “The Same.” The three went into their home studio to record the song and subsequently decided to shoot a music video for the track. Moaning was tipped off about a house that was about to be demolished nearby, and had quickly assembled a group of friends and filmed them taking turns destroying the estate. Meanwhile, Solomon, Stevenson, and MacKelvie tried their best to perform the song amongst the chaos. The video’s budget was limited to the sledgehammers, spray paint, and a case of beer they provided for the friends who were invited to cause havoc, which emphasizes Moaning’s desire to make as much impact with as few resources as possible. The track’s skidding percussion and toned back vocals gave merely a glimmer of the target Moaning aimed to hit with their sound.
 
Moaning is currently at work on their debut full-length, which will be released sometime the spring of 2018.

Moaning Tour Dates

Moaning have also scheduled tour dates beginning December 7th in Seattle at Neumos and ending December 19th in Phoenix at LBX. During this run, the band will act as support for label mates METZ (December 7th-16th).

Dec. 07 - Seattle, WA - Neumo’s *
Dec. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt *
Dec. 09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir *
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Independent *
Dec. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom*
Dec. 13 - San Diego, CA - Casbah *
Dec. 15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk *
Dec. 16 - Houston, TX -  Studio at Warehouse Live *
Dec. 17 - Dallas, TX - Transit Bicycle Co.
Dec. 19 - Phoenix, AZ - LBX

*w/ METZ

Plus the band have a Reddit / Indieheads AMA on Friday, October 6th aka Cry Cry Cry Release Day

[Photo Credit: Shane McCauley]

Wolf Parade’s Cry Cry Cry the band’s excellent fourth album, is currently streaming in its entirety at NPR Music’s “First Listen” [listen here].

NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson says of Cry Cry Cry, “Befitting the creative ambition of the group’s previous LPs, it serves as a full-throated burst of musical and thematic ideas. Goth-streaked album opener “Lazarus Online” pleads for survival and resiliency — “Let’s fight / Let’s rage against the night” — as its protagonists struggle to coexist with the darkness in their lives. “Valley Boy” storms and booms with glammy drama, referencing Leonard Cohen’s death as it waxes weary about the state of the world, while “Incantation” builds from a moody murmur to climactic cacophony. Cry Cry Cry is a big swing, artistically speaking, but it also dodges many of the pitfalls that face artists who try to chronicle an age of uncertainty and resistance without sounding ham-handed. Wolf Parade taps into the sound of modern disconcertment on Cry Cry Cry, but the album’s grandiosity is mostly restricted to the music itself — rousing, urgent, and always seeking out slivers of hope.”

Ask Wolf Parade anything during their Reddit Indieheads AMA, currently set for Friday, October 6th at 1pm PT.  

Wolf Parade’s thunderous Cry Cry Cry will be available on CD / 2xLP / DL / CS worldwide from Sub Pop on Friday, October 6th, 2017, and pre-order is on now worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Universal Records via Wolf Parade’s webstore right here. LP pre-orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in the U.S. will receive the limited loser edition on creme colored vinyl (while supplies last). There’s also a brand new t-shirt design available for your bundling pleasure.


Cry Cry Cry is already one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, seeing praise from outlets on both sides of the Atlantic:

Uncut says of the album,  “Cry Cry Cry is 21st century rock at its most delectably omnivorous [8/10].”
 
“Wolf Parade have always stood apart from their peers: always weirder, more complex and artier than the others with their dissonant punchy pop and gnarled edges,” says London in Stereo. 
 
Stereogum raves that Cry Cry Cry “is packed to the brim with stray melodies locked between the foreground and background that brighten the surroundings without stealing attention from the main action. Every note is meticulously functional, but displayed with a style of craft that rings miraculous rather than mechanical....The band plays it sharper and straighter than when we last left them, emphasizing economy in their experimentation and a professionalism in their power. It’s a cleaner, clearer direction after those previous albums. Importantly, it feels like a sustainable start to something new, hopefully something that’s here to stay — something this band can hold onto now that they seem ready to charge against everything that at one time had them on the run.”
 
Meanwhile, Q Magazine says Cry Cry Cry is “A colourful and melodic musical expansiveness… it finds them in rejuvenated form [4/5].”   
 
Slant notes that “Wolf Parade’s latest effort re-emphasizes the contrast between Boeckner’s raspy, emphatic vocal and Krug’s forlorn warble. Nearly every track on Cry Cry Cry starts simply with guitar, piano, or organ and layers in additional textures—horn blasts here, a flurry of electronic effects there—until the songs swell to kinetic, instrumentally dense climaxes [4/5].”
 
And MOJO offers this, “This quartet’s first material in six years is a shimmering, bombastic blast.”

Wolf Parade Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Wolf Parade’s headlining international tour schedule, which resumes October 12th in Guelph, Ontario at Peter Clark Hall, has been extended through January 24th in Phoenix at The Van Buren. Barsuk Records act Charly Bliss, who are supporting the October 13th-27th shows (select dates), will also act as direct support, January 12th-24th (select dates).
 
2017 dates
Oct. 12 - Guelph, ON - Peter Clark Hall
Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre**
Oct. 15 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom**
Oct. 16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Oct. 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer**
Oct. 20 - Boston, MA - Royale**
Oct. 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 22 - Washington, DC - Black Cat**
Oct. 24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Oct. 25 - South Saginaw, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall**
Oct. 27 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue**
Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg
Nov. 17- Paris, FR - Petit Bain
Nov. 18 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
Nov. 20 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory
Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla
Nov. 22 - London, UK - O2 Forum
Nov. 24 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Orangerie)
Nov. 25 - Nancy, FR - L’ autre Canal
Nov. 26 - Basel, CH - Kaserne
Nov. 27 - Munich, DE - Hansa 39
Nov. 29 - Berlin, DE - Bi Nuu
Nov. 30 - Hamburg, DE - Gruenspan
Dec. 01 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Dec. 02 - Stockholm, SE - Strand
 
2018 
Jan. 12 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom **
Jan. 13 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market **
Jan. 14 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom **
Jan. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore **
Jan. 17 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre **
Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory **
Jan. 23 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park **
Jan. 24 - Phoenix, AZ  The Van Buren **
 
*w/ The Arcade Fire
** w/ Charly Bliss