Finnoguns Wake Drop New Single

One of the listens I’m most excited to dig into is the Finnoguns Wake EP, which drops at the end of January here. It’s the new project from Shogun of Royal Headache and friend Finn Berzin, and while the two are clearly aiming to make their own way sonically, there’s definitely still some lurking hints of Royal Headache. But, in some fashion, there’s an inclination for me to make some Replacements nods here, albeit spun through an Australian drawl. I love how you can hear the push for a soulful punch at the end of the vocals, bringing that bit of charm to a raucous stomping bit of rock n’ roll. Their Stay Young EP is out January 26th via Whats Your Rupture.

Pleased to Meet You: Finnogun’s Wake

Reading back through the pages on this site, you might find some loose strings tethered to Finnogun’s Wake. In fact, you should definitely recognize the voice, as this is the new project from Royal Headache frontman, Shogun; he had one of my favorite rock n’ roll voices of the last decade, offering something inherently soulful to the indie scene. His voice, as it always did, slides right into this perfect blend of noisy, distorted guitar lines, letting the track walk this tightrope between indie rock banger and pop tune. Of course, Shogun’s voice always comforts, and remains one of my favorite An early version of this is floating about, but the newest version down below will appear on the Stay Young EP, out in January via What’s Your Rupture.

Introducing Shogun and the Sheets

Shogun is no stranger to the ATH team, as he was the frontman of the now defunct Royal Headache. His liver performances and remarkable voice were personal favorites, so I’m excited to hear what’s to come from Shogun and the Sheets, his new band. Listening to these two new tunes has me excited, as his voice is this huge focal point; he always walks the line between pure soulfulness and shattered humanity…the best sort of sound. But, that success also relies upon his backing band, who, based on these tunes, do an excellent job surrounding that powerful voice. You can hear both songs digitally today, with a 7″ coming in November courtesy of What’s Your Rupture.

Rock N’ Roll from Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys

The sounds from this new single released by Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys might sound fairly familiar, especially if you read this here site. The group is the new project of Joe from Royal Headache, and it rides along the same lines; it uses these great gritty guitar chords that ring through your speakers while the vocals are delivered in a very matter of fact manner…those fans of the Replacements will want to keep an eye on this for sure! The group will be releasing their new record, Rot, on What’s Your Rupture/RIP Society come November 10th. I give this jam an A plus.

 

The ATH Top 50 Albums of 2015

Albums ListYear-end lists are everywhere…and I can see why they’re important to people. But, seeing as we generally walk off the beaten path more often than not, our list of the Top 50 Albums of 2015 is in no particular order, save alphabetically. It seems pointless to rank one piece of art higher than another, especially when the four of us at ATH all have varying tastes. We just put this list together of the albums we loved the most this year. Are we saying they’re better than records by Grimes or Kendrick Lamar? No, we’re just saying that these are the records we loved more than others. So, you can read on for what we thought was hot.

Also…put links to individual stores where you can buy the albums from the bands…as that’s how we all survive in this music world.
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Honey Radar Is Super Hip

12234920_1664698017140133_7132038731607968554_nI like to think of What’s Your Rupture as the label that births the cool. Seems like every band they work with at some point explodes and gets cool; see Love is All, Parquet Courts and Royal Headache. One of the newest releases is this very small scale 7″ by Honey Radar, and I’ve got big expectations for this band’s sound. Not sure how one would really identify their sound, though you can hear all sorts of influences from lo-fi to jangling pop to art punk; it makes for a beautiful sound that I can’t believe more people aren’t clamoring over just yet. Guess that’s the price one pays for being ahead of the curve. Stream the 7″ below and BUY IT HERE.

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Show Spotlight: Royal Headache @ Red 7 (TONIGHT!!!)

Royal HeadacheIt’s pretty hard to pick a show of the week when the week is just getting started, but seriously, if you miss this show you’re going to regret it for the rest of the night.  One of our favorite local acts, Jonly Bonly is opening up, followed by their friends and rock n’ roll trio Bad Sports.  I’d go to a show to see both of those bands alone, but Royal Headache is coming! They’re an Aussie act, so you never know when you’ll be able to catch them.  But, they’re also blowing in to support their new LP, High (WYR?).  It’s the perfect blend of soul and post-punk, and the energy from Shogun on stage is something you won’t wanna miss. Please please come hang out. Doors are at 8 PM.

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Raving About Royal Headache Again

Royal HeadacheIn case you haven’t caught wind, there’s a new Royal Headache album coming out. I’ve been listening to their new album High pretty non-stop the last few weeks, and I’ll tell you, despite what you’ve heard, this is the best record to come out of Australia this year (sorry Tame Impala).  There’s just some remarkable in the way they fuse their gritty rock tones with the soulful voice of Shogun; it’s not like anything you’ve heard, yet it’s everything you ever wanted. The album is released on August 21st via Whats Your Rupture, which will be followed by a US tour, including an Austin date at Red 7…so you’ve been warned.

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Brand New Royal Headache Tune!

royRoyal Headache is one of my favorite bands, despite having very little output.  Their debut album was a ferocious attack on modern rock n’ roll, hitting hard with high octane guitars over Shogun’s soulful voice.  They’ve just released a brand new single, and I’ll admit, there’s a bit of a difference in the song…to my ears at least.  The pace is a little bit slower, allowing for the voice to shine in the front of the mix; it still has that gritty recording quality to it, which I absolutely love. The Australian group will be releasing their new album, High, on August 21st via their US label, What’s Your Rupture–the same label responsible for bringing you Parquet Courts.

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