Dippers Announce Clastic Rock + Share Tightening the Tangles

After switching their name up from Thigh Master to Dippers, the band helmed by Matthew Ford have really upped their productivity. An eponymous EP dropped in late last year, but now we’ve got news of a fresh LP, Clastic Rock. With that, we get a slew of sharp guitar work hitting your speakers from the get-go; it’s almost as if they aim to knife through, hitting with such rapidity that things almost feel more buzzsaw than angular. When you hit the chorus, it almost subtly passes you by, as Ford’s vocal maneuvering hides the hints of structural song changes. Plus, the group are about to make their way to the States for a mini-tour and SXSW, so keep your eyes out! If you’re into buying great music, then be sure to grab Clastic Rock from Tenth Court/Goner Records on June 23rd.

Stream Looking for a Sphere EP from Dippers

Dippers, the band formerly known as Thigh Master, today release their new Looking for a Sphere EP, offering up a new vision/sound to coincide with the name change. The EP has two core traditional tracks, embracing slower tempos while honing in on the melodious nature in Matthew Ford’s songwriting. I love the way “Drift Space” moves, slightly opening up as drums come in quietly and notes just kind of hang in the atmosphere; it feels like something you’d have found on a K Records release in the early years. The other two tunes find the band playing with more of an instrumental approach, exploring new sonic visions as they prepared to write a slew of songs for a forthcoming long player on Goner Records. So go on then.

Thigh Master Change Name to Dippers + Prep EP

After years of fielding questions about the band name, Thigh Master has decided to pivot for their next release, and will now and forever (maybe?) go by Dippers. The Aussie outfit have a new record on the horizon for 2023, but in the meantime, they’ve got a new EP of tracks that didn’t quite fit into the new album. Matthew’s voice here feels really heavy, almost like he’s channeling his own version of Calvin Johnson with a bit of Mark Sultan, with an added melody built in behind via the backing vocals that I assume are Innez. There’s something here that seems ready for a live setting, as if its tamed just a bit in the studio, ready to unleash a riotous stomp when the band play it out live…which they’ll do when they hit the States in March. Looking for a Sphere EP is up for Pre-Order right HERE.

Top 25 Albums of 2019

This is the list you’ve all been waiting for, well, sort of. This is my Top 20 LPs of the year. Admittedly, there’s none of the high profile hitmakers on here, but that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy those albums. I loved Purple Mountains just as much as the next person, same with Weyes Blood, but in a pickle, would I choose it over that Martha LP? Uh, absolutely not. Plus, I ran a lot this year because I got tired of being fat, so the majority of this stuff is pretty upbeat and “runnable.” There’s no order because all are equal under my ears.

Read more

Bill Roe of Trouble in Mind’s 10 Most Listened to LPs

Year-end lists (or “best-of”s as most people term them) are extremely hard for me to compile. I listen to (and buy) a lot of music from day-to-day & despite my best efforts truly cannot keep up with the sheer magnitude of quality recordings coming out each year – and 2019 was a pretty fucking great year for music. So here’s my best shot at compiling a list of my “10 Most-Listened-To” albums from 2019 (plus five honorable mentions). They’re in alphabetical order to avoid any sort of ranking, because honestly ranking something as “best” or assigning a numerical rating seems antiquated & frankly diminishes great art, IMHO. (Trouble In Mind Records releases are excluded, for conflict of interest, but it’s safe to say that anything we’d be investing thousands of dollars releasing is – in our opinion – worth your time). Hope you enjoy & possibly discover something new. Support independent artists & record labels!

Here’s a link to the great Trouble in Mind releases of 2019: Bandcamp or Spotify.

Read more

Thigh Master Share Entity

As of right now, Thigh Master are the perfect 2 for 2 with their singles; they won with “Mould Lines” and “Entity” might be even better. I love the frantic attitude that opens this tune with its devil-may-care faux jangle; it’s got this natural bravado that seems wholly unintentional. But, for me, the pop sucker, it’s that slight turn starting with “I’m looking for an entity” in the chorus that makes my pop ears stick right up in the air! It’s hard to sound casual and cool with this buoyant bounce just riding right on through until the end. Now For Example will be out worldwide on September 27th via Goner Records!

Fresh Thigh Master Track

Having already written about one Brisbane act today, it only seems appropriate to follow it up with another that I’m quite fond of, Thigh Master. Matthew Ford and his band have things locked down tight on this one, fueled by a bounding rhythm section and this discordant guitar cutting through like a knife. Still, what’s always charmed me about this outfit is that no matter how rambunctious and out of control they seem, they always carry this pop sensibility just below the surface, lurking and waiting to burst your eardrums with joy. This track is no different! You’ll find it on the band’s Now for Example, slated for release by Goner Records on September 27th, with a big old US tour in the early Fall!

New Tune from Thigh Master

Thigh Master has been high on my list of Aussie imports this year, and they just announced a forthcoming split with Dag (another of my favorites) for December. Those familiar with any of the previously managed bands will surely enjoy this track, as it walks that line between angular guitar and haphazard melody. To me, the band just embrace their own musical inclinations, even with slight tonal imperfections; this is what Pavement would have sounded like had they just gone out to have a grand old time. This split 7″ will drop on Bruit Direct Disques come the end of December.

ATX Spotlight: Fresh Borzoi Noise

After being somewhat dormant for the first few months of the year, 12XU has jumped out with several great musical announcements, one being this raucous bit of noise from Austin’s Borzoi. You’re immediately thrust into the discord, drums pounding furiously and guitar chords knifing through your speakers. It’s as if the vocals were recorded in huge concrete war room, echoing notes in a way such that your head’s constantly swirling; they’vegot a steady moment of delivery in the middle of the track that I’m particularly fond of, right before the band crashes the song to a close. Look for a brand new 4 song 7″ from the band on March 24th.

And, I highly suggest another gem from the label’s announcements: Thigh Master. I’ll add that song below too…but nothing too long-winded as we don’t want to bum Norman Wanklord out.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/307727134″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/307728111″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]