Skulking through distilled collages of glassy dreams are two lovers basking in high/low downstroke flanges and the beguiling hypnoses of analog motorik. Re-envisioning the heavier aural tropes of past projects, they tear down an oft-aped distinction to construct unencumbered bricks-and-mortar post-punk. Rhythm of Cruelty is a beautiful trashy-dash of battleship grey upon a black and white world.
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Following a far too lengthy hiatus, the triumphant return of Grand Trine has been a glorious thing to witness. The world needs these leather jacket daddies (and mommies) and their tender tough love to remind us that rock ‘n’ roll still has teeth. Hitting the strip with a brand new line-up and a batch of neck-twisting noir-guitar tunes, these hellbound banditos ride into the witching hour and leave you coughing on fumes.
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Eleven minutes of snarling, grease-dripping no-tonal swipe ‘n’ bash is all these charming party pukes need to leave an impression. Any longer and the crust would be as burnt as their guitar riffs. Utilizing the smallest amount of ingredients possible, this Toronto trio pogos into your living room and won’t leave until the lights come on. Nothing compares to the brain-bashing live show, but this hot little disc comes pretty damn close. INYRGRIP.
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Music to weld to. I can accomplish many things whilst listening to Trois, such as rebuilding a motor, base-jumping or scrambling the shit outta eggs. Let ManyMental Mistakes take you over the edge of reason. Come screaming down from Mount Royal and fear no wrath, for you are a titan of the urban jungle with a battle-axe to shred and bleed onto. If MMM is your conscience, listen and run, jump, stab, flail, surf and Kill Kill Kill. Faster, Pussycat! You can’t outrun the devil forever but you can beat him at his own game.
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HEY YOU GENDER-FLUID, CAPITALISM-REVOLTING, QUEER-FRIENDLY THING. Are you and your friends sick of dirty cops and how they crack down on the unprivileged rather than white collar crime? Does your punk scene have wayyyyyy too much machismo? Do you get strange looks any time you put on Top 40 hip hop at a party (To steal back the sweet beats, disregard the hateful lyrics n tweets!!)? Well Mallory Knox is an anarchistic dose of sensibility. She makes tunes ranging from straight-up Top 40 auto-tune covers to blistering original folk punk anthems, and every modulation in between. Shoplifting lyrics from Cormac McCarthy and beats from Black Eyed Peas, no copyrighted content is safe. Mallory Knox doesn’t really trust me, you, or anyone either, but she probably has faith in us, otherwise she wouldn’t hand out these tapes for free.
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What isolation inspires is what Walls captures. A quartet of young non-Mancs beholden to post-performance for an undivided past; mongo-beat slaves in (and to) a sincere place of revisionist zeitgeist. Keaton Bassett lays a thick vocal fabric, multidimensional in a nuclear sunlight — and the light’s brighter. In all ways, music hardened from what might be generations of reflection rings with undisturbed nascency. This sooty pantomime — not time after time, but this time — plays in front and inside us. Slick packaging, Zappa rendition, GRIP.
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It’s no secret. The shadowy lizard government pulling the strings behind Weird Canada HQ is fully brainwashed by Babysitter’s revolutionary rhetoric. The fifth chapter in their ever-evolving saga of sub-island urban wastoids is a fully realized dogma of red-lined rock absurdity. With western flair they drive through 60s mellow with surprising seriousness, espousing their living word in trinkets as clear as “I’m riding on a plane / a real astral plane“. The blend of rural-rock, 90s hair-pop, and completely burnt punk has never been weirder, as tracks like “be cool” and “sex pet” rip asunder fledging notions of genre. A serious favorite in the nation of fringe. GRIP AND GET FREE.
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Matt Samways is a young upstart from Truro, the so-called ‘hub’ of Nova Scotia. Before touching the age of 20 he led the pitiless doom punk of Pig, started the Electric Voice imprint, and played sideman to Scribbler and the Friendly Dimension. He has once again departed on another musical continuum with his latest project, Transfixed, a more sinister and contemplative vision of the futuristic isolation and robotic vocals of Kraftwerk and Gary Numan.
Electric Voice is not exclusive to the regional talent of the 902, but has entertained releases from across Canada, with ambitions to release music from around the globe. Up next is a 12” from Jeff & Jane Hudson, who were part of the New York No Wave movement during the late ’70s and early ’80s, arguably one of the greatest incubators for creative music of all genres, ever. Matt kindly took the time to answer some questions.
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It was conceived as a vanity label in 2008 with a partner I was collaborating with at the time, who actually titled the label. It was suggested by a peer that we began documenting our releases to enhance professionalism. We had no intentions of channeling anything other than our own material. As our group was disbanding a personal desire to continue the archive still existed. My friends are all making extremely good music and I can’t suppress supporting it materialize.
Since Pig split, you’ve devoted much of your attention to Electric Voice. Are you taking a break from music or do you prefer running label?
I wasn’t really interested in performing or releasing my own music at the time, but I wanted to keep contributing to the physical production of it. I hold a strong value in the aesthetic of sound and its presentation, and the idea of being able to manipulate it is appealing to me. About a year ago I started receiving funding from the Government of Nova Scotia via the Emerging Business Music Program on behalf of Electric Voice. That defiantly provided me with a lot of motivation to get the label off the ground and start working outside the current community in Halifax and Montreal. Though I am becoming passionate about the label, I am a musician first and still focus on writing and recording with aspirations of touring the material. Putting a lot of energy into the label in turn benefits my musical endeavors.
Transfixed is quite a departure from your previous musical adventures. How is it related/un-related to other projects?
The formation of Transfixed was completely organic. It is a collaborative project between myself, Ian Phillips and a number of rotating musicians. We had no intentions of forming a group when we first started playing together, but when we discovered that the house we had been jamming in was previously owned by Ian’s grandparents in the early ’60s, and that his grandfather grew up in the house, we decided to channel our time spent there with Transfixed. It has become an interesting and rapidly progressing project that there’s no reason to stop. Our ideas are constantly abstracting themselves and moving faster than we create the music. It’s exciting and with the lack of expectation we have become more prolific than any other project I’ve been involved with.
With my other projects/collaborations there has been a lot more premeditation on the sounds and how they should be presented. It becomes tough when a collective of people share the same visions without matching the logistics. The extrasensory parts of music can be difficult to communicate. I also work with Troy Richter and the Friendly Dimension in molding his sounds.
Synthesizers or guitars?
Guitars that sound like synthesizers. I think the combination can be a masterful force when properly conducted. I am ultimately a guitar player, but I’ve been spending a lot of time learning the keyboard. For the last few months I’ve hardly touched my guitar.
You hitchhike between Truro and Halifax. It seems like hitchhiking is a fading activity. Do you enjoy it, and do you have any good stories? Have you met some interesting people? Where is the farthest you’ve hitched?
It’s never really been something I enjoyed, but it’s done out of necessity. When I cannot afford to be bussing back and forth, it’s usually my only means to get to practices/gatherings, as all of the bands I play in are based in Halifax. I live back and forth from Halifax and Truro, which are about an hour’s drive apart. Truro is very isolated and is a great environment to work in, though can be compromising with my schedule.
I’ve only been hitching through Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for the last five years. I’ve been consistently traveling this way and have never encountered any trouble. Dress nice with a clean appearance. A lot of mothers have picked me up, also on- and off-duty police officers. The only questionable encounter was a lady who spoke in a thick rural Nova Scotian tongue. She picked my friend and I up in the dark and was drinking Faxe 10 (strong beer). She had what looked like 3-4 empty cans on the floor of her side of the car. It was a little unsetting but she was considerably collected and coherent. She had a bizarre way of twisting her words together that was oddly poetic.
You seem like an ambitious young man. What are your dreams for the Electric Voice Label?
I don’t class my visions with the label as dreams, because I don’t think they are anything we can’t achieve. The people I surround myself with are individually gifted at what they do. Thankfully all of the resources are presented, making it simple to have a pragmatic sense of work. I certainly am young; therefore I am not looking to execute the foundation process in short time. I will keep experimenting with formats and presentation, and try not to exhaust our resources. In time I will spend time refining the label and as expected with any small business or hobby, sustainability is key.
What other labels do you find inspiring and/or really dig and why?
To those who know me this may sound biased because Brett is a good friend, but I really like what he has done with Campaign For Infinity. He has released some of my favourite cassettes in the last few years (notable: Teenage Panzerkorps, Horrid Red, Grand Trine, Rape Faction). I also have a lot of respect for Darcy Spidle and Divorce Records, as it was a prominent influence of my origins in the community of Halifax. He is really passionate about what he does and it shows in his work. OBEY Convention is a festival he puts on every year or so and is the highlight of the year in Halifax, in my opinion. I am happy to be helping him with the festival in 2012.
I have some collaborative release coming out with Danish label Skrot Up as well as works with Montreal’s Hobo Cult. Some other notable active labels: Bruised Tongue, Captured Tracks, Dark Entries Records, FLA Tapes & Records and Arbutus Records. I also really dig the consistency in the aesthetic of labels like Sacred Bones and Night People.
Electric Voice Discography (to date)
EV001
::
Albino Slug II
–
EP
(Cassette, 2008)
EV002
::
Pig
–
Everything Isn’t EP
(CD-R, 2009)
EV003
::
Vacuum
–
Tormented Bear EP
(Cassette, 2009)
EV004
::
Pig
–
Elbow Witch
(Cassette, 2009)
EV005
::
Church Hammer
–
Vol. I
(Cassette, 2010)
EV006
::
Church Hammer
–
Vol. II
(Cassette, 2010)
EV007
::
Church Hammer/Vacuum
–
Split
(Cassette, 2010)
EV008
::
Pig
–
I’ve seen the future and it’s no place for me Compilation
(Cassette, 2010)
EV009
::
Various Artists
Electric Voice Compilation Vol I
(Cassette, 2010)
EV010
::
Milksnake
–
EP
(Cassette, 2010)
EV011
::
Friendly Dimension
–
Live: In the Pleasant Horrors of Space EP
(Cass., 2010)
EV012
::
Lantern
–
Deliver me from Nowhere
(Cassette, 2010)
EV013
::
Gigas
–
Tied Down to the Ones You Love LP
(Cassette, 2010)
EV014
::
Friendly Dimension
–
Bath Tub EP
(Cassette, 2011)
EV015
::
Duzheknew
–
LOL HELL EP
(Cancelled)
EV016
::
Wicked Crafts
–
“No Cure” EP
(Cass. (split w/ Campaign for Infinity, 2011)
EV017
::
U.S. Girls
–
EP
(7″, 2011)
EV018
::
The Friendly Dimension // 30 Year Old City Hex
–
“Poltergeist City”
(Cass., 2011)
EV019
::
Babysitter
–
“Paul’s Cab” Single
(Cassette, 2011)
EV020
::
Monroeville Music Center
–
Les Defauts des Fabrication EP
(Cassette, 2011)
EV021
::
Milksnake
–
Lenny Bruce EP
(Cassette, 2011)
EV022
::
Membrain
–
EP
(Cassette, 2011)
EV023
::
Lantern // The Ether
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)
EV024
::
Play Guitar
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV025
::
Grand Trine
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV026
::
Bad Vibrations
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV027
::
Transfixed
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV028
::
Crosss
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV029
::
Bloodhouse
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)
EV030
::
Hand Cream // Crosss
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)
EV031
::
Passion Party
–
EP
(Cassette, 2011)
EV032
::
Cat Bag // Transfixed
–
Bunker // Body Language
(12″ w/ Claire Dragon, 2011)
EV033
::
Rape Faction // Chevalier Avant Garde
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)
EV034
::
Various Artists
Electric Voice Compilation Vol. II
(12″ Cassette, 2011)
EV035
::
Jeff & Jane Hudson
–
In My Car // Computer Jungle (+ Club mixes)
(12″, 2011)
EV036
::
Visual works by Jacqueline Lachance
(VHS, 2012)
(Editor’s Note: Certain titles from this discography were not released by Electric Voice proper. As history’s nature is to continually re-write itself, so, too, shall we gaze pastward at Matt’s creative efforts and understand his temporal stream within the vision of Electric Voice.)
To quote the press release, this single is “an homage to the Vancouver punk scene circa 2007-2010… i.e. a post-30 interpretation of Nu Sensae/B-Lines/Chris-a-riffic… an allegiance to the Nanaimo 4-track scene and Lethbridge garage.” The new wave of adjective-punk has arrived folks — post-adjective-punk, or perhaps more fittingly, subjectivity-punk; the end result of talented individuals swimming in the ocean of access, filtering music like baleen whales filter krill. Success in this new musical epoch will require talented people (people like Apollo Ghost’s Adrian Teacher) to actually do something creative with all of this excess. It’s not even December and I will already declare this the best 7” to come out in 2011. Impossibly good musics.
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Mammoth Cave’s tribute to my recently adopted province and the third entry in its Bloodstains series is a rapid-fire bombardment of ON’s finest hook-smugglers. Like speed dating at Gaga Weekend. it’s a blur of faces young and old that spins by before you can decide if they’re a creeper or a keeper. From the scummy sugar rush of Strange Attractors to White Wires’ pogo-punk and the starry eyed twee of Peach Kelli Pop, side A spills over with jams. The flip sees Young Guv channel his inner Ric Ocasek, Slim Twig sprout up twice with shred-heavy side-project Tropics, and the unreleased cut from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet jolt from idyllic to jugular-ripping. Of course, Tonetta steals the show with effortless elevator sleaze, urging Toronto residents to “clean it up, yeah, all the shit.” Wooly bully bang for the buck grip.
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