“Default Parody” by Drahla

Leeds avant-garde post-punk band Drahla are back, with their second album “angeltape” on the way and a first song from the album “Default Parody” shared ahead of the April release.

 It’s been 5 years since “Useless Coordinates” was released, the year before the world, and in particular music/ band/ label plans were up-ended by pandemic etc. Drahla have added guitarist Ewan Barr joining vocalist and guitarist Luciel Brown, bassist Rob Riggs and drummer Mike Ainsley.

The added guitarist adds even more texture and rhythmic complexity to the band’s dark and intense sound, angular shapes stabbed out by percussive guitar chords over driving hi-gain bass and propulsive drums, while Luciel Brown delivers another intriguing sing-speak narrative. Great to have them back.

“Twelve Divisions of the Day” by Drahla

“Twelve Divisions of the Day” is a new 7″ single from Leeds-based post-punk noise band Drahla. This one is released on US label Captured Tracks and the early edition came with a newsprint art booklet.

“Twelve Divisions of The Day” continues that distinctive speak-sing stream-of-consciousness delivery from Luciel Brown. It’s a bit like eaves-dropping on someone narrating their hallucination.

The music is grainy, and intense, with angular shapes stabbed out by guitar chords over repetitive nagging notes and driving hi-gain bass and propulsive drums. But it’s also agreeably musical, the lyrical imagery combining with the atmosphere of dark paranoia invoked by the music.

On the B-Side of the single is an alternate mix of the song which incorporates experimental industrial/ dance elements without messing with the weird darkness at the heart of the original. If anything, the electronic noises and distortions layer on even more unsettling atmosphere and paranoia.

That’s a brace of releases from Drahla now that have maintained an exemplary standard of music, lyrics and also artwork and presentation. Can’t wait for a whole album now!

“Silent Waste” by The Ex

The Ex are from Amsterdam, forming in 1979 and still going strong judging by the rhythmic and sonic exploration evident on their latest album “27 passports” from which we have “Silent Waste”.

While the reference point from the year of their formation is Post-Punk, the album “27 Passports” exhibits mutated Afro-Beat rhythmic virtuosity and has just as strong a link to the exploratory experimental rock of early Can – around their “Monster Movie” album.

It’s a thrillingly different and challenging sound in today’s polished and accessible alternative music universe. The polyrhythmic drumming from Katherina Bornefeld (vocalist on this track, along with guitarist Arnold de Boer) is a standout of the album, driving and twisting these songs into unconventional shapes and providing a platform for the three guitarists to battle, churn and weave noise, melody, rhythm and chaos.

Time to explore their substantial back-catalogue now…

“Say Never” by The Transcendents

Day 29 of NZ Music Month is the fractured rock music of Christchurch band (of one) The Transcendents. They have a new 10″ EP out Called “The Sun Is Still Asleep” and “Say Never” is the more reflective acoustic song therein.

Once more The Transcendents create their own post-rock landscape of sounds which defy most of the accepted conventions, like a song might sound in one of those dreams where your mind is stuck in a loop.

Yet, like an abstract painting, this still displays enough form for recognition. The lyrics provide a narrative and the song still has shape and form. There may be no easy listening on “The Sun Is Still Asleep” but you’ll still be rewarded for listening.