Tag: art rock

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: FACS Share Tense and Uneasy “North America Endless”

Back in 2013, Chicago-based post-punk act Disappears — founding member Brian Case (vocals, guitar) along with  Noah Leger (drums), Jonathan van Herirk (guitar) and Damon Carruesco (bass) — released two related yet very different efforts that are among some of my favorite albums of the past decade or so — the atmospheric and tempestuous Kone EP and the tense, raging Era.  

In 2017, Carruesco left the band. Disappears’ remaining members — Case, Lager and van Herrik — eventually decided to continue onward, but under a new name, and new sonic direction and songwriting approach as FACS. With 2018’s full-length debut as FACS, Negative Houses, the trio quickly established an intense, cathartic and heavy sound, although it’s not always obvious.

The Chicago-based outfit’s fifth album, last year’s Still Life in Decay was a decidedly focused that saw the band at what may arguably be their most solidified. The apocalyptic chaos of their previous album was pushed away in favor of examination with a remarkable and uneasy clarity, while being a sort of addendum to 2021’s Present Tense. Although Alianna Kalaba made an amicable last stand with the band on the album’s material, the album saw the band’s incredibly tight rhythm section dancing and twisting around each other like a double helix rather than inside it, creating a lattice, in which Case wove his guitar lines in and around, much like creeping vines as you’d hear on album tracks “When You Say” and “Slogan.”

The JOVM mainstays — currently Case, Van Herik and Leger — will be releasing the “North America Endless”/”Take Me to Your Heart” single through Sub Pop. The limited release will be on white vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies, and features the original A-side “North America Endless” and on the B-side, a cover of Eurythmics “Take Me to Your Heart.”

“North America Endless” sees the trio at their most forceful yet melodic. Anchored around a shimmering and reverb-soaked, sustain-driven guitar line, thunderous and angular drumming paired with Case’s delivery, which evokes and expresses the anxiety, despair, cognitive dissonance and dissociation of modern American life.

“We had been talking a lot about how to incorporate melody in a new way with the material we were starting to write after Still Life in Decay, and this was one of the first experiments with that,” FACS’ Brian Case says of the new single. “I had this inverted Polvo thing I had been playing around with that Jonathan married to a really nice Frippy sustained lead, and it kind of just wrote itself. Lyrically, it’s about the dissociation needed to live in this country and the powerlessness that can bring. Noah’s beat at the end of the song is one of my favorites from him.”
 
Regarding the cover of Eurythmics’ “Take Me to Your Heart,” Case says the song is “A band favorite, we’ve been kicking around a version of this since we first started FACS, but for some reason just got around to completing it now. This song has a lot of elements we keep in focus when we write – repetition, space, off-the-grid melodies, and mantra-like lyrics that can be construed in a few ways based on what perspective you view them from.”

The tense Joshua Ford-directed accompanying video for “North America Endless” follows a woman through the slow-burn descent into numbing dissociation and madness.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Smile Perform Brooding and Cinematic “Friend Of A Friend” for School Kids in New Visual

Last year, The Smile — Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons of Kemet‘s Tom Skinner — released their critically applauded Nigel Godrich-produced full-length debut A Light For Attracting Attention. The album saw the acclaimed outfit collaborating with London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary British jazz musicians that include Bryon Wallen, Theon Cross and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman, and Jason Yarde. 

The Smile’s sophomore album, the Sam Petts-Davies Wall of Eyes officially drops today through XL Recordings. The album, which was recorded in Oxford and legendary Abbey Road Studios features string arrangements from London Contemporary Orchestra. 

Late last year, I wrote about Wall of Eyes‘ first single, album title track, “Wall of Eyes,” an eerily haunting and meditative song that sees the trio pair Yorke’s imitably yearning delivery with a glitchy arrangement featuring strummed guitar melody, glittering strings and gently padded drums. The song evokes — at least to me — a slow-burning sense of dread and unease. 

Wall of Eyes‘ latest single “Friend Of A Friend” continues a remarkable run of broodingly cinematic and meditative material that sees the trio pairing twinkling keys, gently swinging jazz-inflected percussion, mournful saxophone from Robert Stillman and soaring strings with Yorke’s achingly yearning delivery. “Friend of a Friend” manages to be a subtle synthesis of Amnesiac-era Radiohead, 70s AM rock and art film scores. 

Directed by acclaimed motion picture director Paul Thomas Anderson, the accompanying video for “Friend Of A Friend” features the trio performing the song at a school assembly for a collection of first and second graders. Some of the little learners are mesmerized by what they’re seeing and listening to, others become bored and listless, others start shifting about uncomfortably, another group are roughhousing and barely paying attention. Most are kind of confused and don’t know what to make of what’s going on. The kids are adorable — and the video manages to capture childhood and the kids in their natural element with a guileless sweetness.

We also know that some of those kids will remember being at that video shoot for the rest of their lives.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

The Smile is an acclaimed outfit that features some of the world’s most accomplished musicians — and a couple of household names: Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons of Kemet‘s Tom Skinner. 

Last year, the trio released their critically applauded Nigel Godrich-produced full-length debut A Light For Attracting Attention. The album saw the acclaimed outfit collaborating with London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary British jazz musicians that include Bryon Wallen, Theon Cross and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman, and Jason Yarde. 

The Smile’s sophomore album, the Sam Petts-Davies Wall of Eyes is slated for a January 26, 2024 through XL Recordings. The album, which was recorded in Oxford and legendary Abbey Road Studios features string arrangements from London Contemporary Orchestra. 

Late last year, I wrote about Wall of Eyes‘ first single, album title track, “Wall of Eyes,” an eerily haunting and meditative song that sees the trio pair Yorke’s imitably yearning delivery with a glitchy arrangement featuring strummed guitar melody, glittering strings and gently padded drums. The song evokes — at least to me — a slow-burning sense of dread and unease.

Wall of Eyes‘ latest single “Friend Of A Friend” continues a remarkable run of broodingly cinematic and meditative material that sees the trio pairing twinkling keys, gently swinging jazz-inflected percussion, mournful saxophone from Robert Stillman and soaring strings with Yorke’s achingly yearning delivery. “Friend of a Friend” manages to be a subtle synthesis of Amnesiac-era Radiohead, 70s AM rock and art film scores.

Along with the new single, which was originally showcased during the band’s 2022-2023 tour, the bands announce new European headlining dates in June and August, in addition to their near sold-out run of shows in March. All tour dates, including the new ones are listed below. But tickets for June and August run go on sale Friday, January 12, 2024. Check out: https://www.thesmiletheband.com/live for details.

James Holden will open for The Smile at all of their headline shows this year.

The video for “Friend Of A Friend,” by motion picture director Paul Thomas Anderson, will be premiered alongside a surround sound album playback of Wall Of Eyes at a series of one-off events hosted at independent cinemas between January 18-25th.

The events, titled Wall Of Eyes, On Film will celebrate the new album and the band’s collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson. It will take place at 12 cinemas from Sydney to Mexico City, and includes a New York City event at The Village East. The events comprise:

  • Wall Of Eyes album playback in its entirety, for the first and only time with surround sound and accompanying never-before-seen footage of the album’s recording sessions.
  • The world film premiere of Friend Of A Friend and a presentation of Wall Of Eyes, both directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and shot on 35mm film*
  • A programme looking back over Paul Thomas Anderson’s previous directorial collaborations with both Thom Yorke and Radiohead to include ANIMA (short film) and Radiohead’s Daydreaming (35mm), Present Tense & The Numbers.

Further information on these events and how to obtain tickets can be found here HERE. 

Tickets will be on sale from 10am GMT on Thursday, January 11th.

Screening events:

Jan 18th  – The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, London, UK*

Jan 18th  – The Village East, Manhattan, New York, US*

Jan 19th  – Brain Dead Studios, Los Angeles, US*

Jan 20th  – SangSang Madang Cinema, Seoul, SK (x2 showings)

Jan 20th  – Cinema Godard – Fondazione Prada, Milan, IT*

Jan 20th  – Cine Tonalá, CDMX, MX

Jan 22nd  – 190 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku, Tokyo, JP*

Jan 22nd  – MK2 Quai de Loire, Paris, FR*

Jan 23rd  – Golden Age Cinema, Sydney, AUS (x2 showings)

Jan 23rd  – Eye Filmuseum, Amsterdam, NL*

Jan 23rd  – Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, UK*

Jan 25th  – 190 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku, Tokyo, JP*

Jan 25th  – Kino Intimes, Berlin, DE

*35mm presentations available in select participating cinemas

March 2024 UK and European Tour Dates

Wed 13th March: Copenhagen – K.B. Hallen
Fri 15th March: Brussels – Forest National
Sat 16th March: Amsterdam – AFAS Live
Mon 18th March: Brighton – Brighton Centre
Tue 19th March: Manchester – O2 Apollo
Wed 20th March: Glasgow – SEC Armadillo
Fri 22nd March: Birmingham – O2 Academy
Sat 23rd March: London – Alexandra Palace

June and August 2024 European dates:

June 8th – Hamburg, Stadtpark Open Air, Germany

June 9th – Cologne Palladium, Germany

June 11th  – Berlin, Verti Music Hall, Germany

June 12th  – Prague, Forum Karlin, Czechia

June 14th  – Belgrade, Hangar, Serbia

June 15th  – Pula Arena, Pula, Croatia

June 17th  – Bucharest, Arenele Romane, Romania

June 18th  – Sofia, Arena Sofia, Bulgaria

June 23rd – Rome, Cavea Auditorium, Roma Summer Fest, Italy

August 13th  – Sigulda Castle, Sigulda, Latvia

August 14th  – Warsaw, Progresja, Summer Stage, Poland

August 20th  – Frankfurt, Jahrunderthalle, Germany

August 21st  – Munich, Zenith, Germany

August 22nd  – Vienna Open Air Arena, Austria

August 26th  – Bordeaux, Krakatoa, France

August 28th  – Valencia, Jardins De Viveros, Spain

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Smile Shares Eerie and Haunting “Wall of Eyes”

The Smile is an acclaimed outfit that features some of the world’s most accomplished musicians — and a couple of household names: Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons of Kemet‘s Tom Skinner. 

Last year, the trio released their critically applauded Nigel Godrich-produced full-length debut A Light For Attracting Attention. The album saw the acclaimed outfit collaborating with London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary British jazz musicians that include Bryon Wallen, Theon Cross and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman, and Jason Yarde. 

The Smile’s sophomore album, the Sam Petts-Davies Wall of Eyes is slated for a January 26, 2024 through XL Recordings. The album, which was recorded in Oxford and legendary Abbey Road Studios features string arrangements from London Contemporary Orchestra.

Wall of Eye‘s first single, album title track “Wall of Eyes” continues a run of haunting and eerily meditative material with the song seeing the trio pair Yorke’s imitable and yearning delivery with a glitchy arrangement of strummed guitar melody, glistening strings and gently padded drums that evokes — at least to me — a slow burning sense of dread and unease.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the accompanying video for “Wall of Eyes” begins with the band’s Thom Yorke sitting in a front of a mirror in a meditative pose, and then follows him walking through a busy city and sitting in a crowded pub by himself. The world rushes by him with furious intensity before a surreal, Being John Malkovich-like ending.