art rock Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Yves Tumor “Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)”

sfilzen — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:48:49 +0000

Yves Tumor “Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)” 2023. Warp records on clear yellow vinyl. Electronic, experimental indie pop with a rock edge. This is a new acquisition, a “hmm, this looks interesting and it’s Bandcamp Friday” find (by Joe). Yves Tumor (aka Sean Lee Bowie) is a Knoxville native who left the South for California and began recording in mid-teens, the first release an EP in 2015. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) – from now on referred to as Hot Between Worlds – is Yves Tumor’s fifth LP and it received very positive critical reviews and while I’m positive it didn’t chart (it’s way too unusual) it ranked on all the cool kids’ best-of lists of 2023 (Alternative Press, NME, Brooklyn Vegan, etc). It’s hard to pinpoint any top picks as the album arcs and flows along dreamily and seamlessly despite the wildly disparate sounds, influences and vibes. There’s an edgy industrial sound at times (“God Is a Circle”), trippy dreamscapes with a beat at others (honestly a lot of the tracks but “Heaven Surrounds Us Like A Hood” is a good representation) and Gary Numan/Tubeway Army synthpop weirdness at others (“Operator“). It’s a challenging listen, but in the very best way.

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The Flash Hits “Growths”

sfilzen — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:23:16 +0000

The Flash Hits “Growths” 2022. Frontier Records on gold vinyl. Four piece arty psychedelic-ish post-punk from L.A. Growths is their second of three total LP releases (their first was on cassette and I’m guessing sort of self-released). I’m fairly certain this is my first ever listen to The Flash Hits and so far I’m intrigued. It vacillates between atmospheric dreamy lo-fi psych (“Brat-Scam“), groovy Velvet Underground-meets-They Might Be Giant nerdy drone-pop like on my top track “Fake Pepper” plus the sorta exotic “The Extra Special,” another top pick, and Sgt. Pepper era Beatlesque psych-pop (“Stay Tops” which also veers into danceable garage rock as does the angular “Hobo Cloak”). The overall sound is dense buzzy guitars backed by sparse rhythms, overlaid with delightfully (slightly) off key vocals. There’s even some goth-flute! (“With“) (I’m guessing it’s not really a flute – or horns – but the thought of that makes me laugh) All in al, a bit weird and nerdy. From their Bandcamp site: “The Flash Hits Are Now! Born of a love for colorful guitars, hypno-groovy bass, fascinating rhythms, found sounds and sweet-dream sidewalk talk, Flash Hits row merrily through streams of post-punk, art rock, and micro-psychedelia, weaving a backdrop to deliver their neorealistic Oulipo-laced narratives.”

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Clickbait “At Your Leisure”

sfilzen — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:56:43 +0000

Clickbait “At Your Leisure” 2024. Self-released debut LP from Chicago no-wave funk punks. We caught Clickbait for the first time last week at Cactus Club when they opened for Alice Bag and Kid Congo’s “Juanita and Juan” loud-lounge show. Clickbait is great – very unique sound and performance style. Bass-forward, hypnotic and danceable beats back singer Sandra Yau’s minimalist (unless she goes full-on shriek maximalist) sprechgesang delivery. About a third of the songs were performed through an old yellow rotary phone, which added another layer of cool weird to the experience. We picked up their record after the show so I’m not entirely sure what songs they played, but I’m pretty sure I recognize a few of my top picks from the LP: the title track “At Your Leisure” is a definite ass-shaker, as are “Pumpkin Spice” and “Uh Huh” – I’m fairly certain a couple of those were telephone songs. I definitely remember the xylophone of “A Bouffant Off” at the show. Also great: “Spy Song,” a lament, to a disco beat. And while I’m often turned off by excessive dissonance, that approach 100 percent works on the herky-jerky “5G Horse.”

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Yard Act “Where’s My Utopia?”

sfilzen — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 19:09:41 +0000

Yard Act “Where’s My Utopia?” 2024. Island Records, limited edition “Utopian” orange vinyl. The Leeds-based genre-bending, post-punkers/dancy art rockers’ second LP; included in this limited edition release a glossy fold-out insert and nerdy-cool sticker sheet.

While I don’t love this album as much as their debut The Overload, it’s still ultra-original and very, very fun (except when it’s depressing but not in a bad way); it went to #4 in the UK and has been included in many Best of ’24 lists, including those complied by Rolling Stone UK, Rough Trade and Allmusic. Yard Act played a bunch tracks from Where’s My Utopia when we caught them at the quite small X-Ray Arcade this past October (such a fantastic show). Two of my top picks (and ones that made me dance up a frenzy at the show) are the singles “We Make Hits” and “Dream Job,” both high energy punk-disco ass-shakers. Also performed and released as singles were “Petroleum” (which has a darker and more subtle groove) and the upbeat-yet-depressing “When the Laughter Stops” (I have no idea if any of these singles charted), plus the non-singles “Fizzy Fish,” “Down by the Stream,” and “A Vineyard for the North.” There’s a bit too much spoken-word on the record for my tastes (ie “Blackpool Illumination“), but in their spirit of anything goes, that fits Yard Act’s non-classification.

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Lung “Let It Be Gone”

sfilzen — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 19:22:18 +0000

Lung “Let It Be Gone” 2022. Romanus Records, limited edition tricolor variant. One of my favorite low-end two-piece art-garage-rockers out there. We had the pleasure of catching Lung last weekend up in Green Bay at the GBUFO Invasion Fest – I think this is the at least the fourth or fifth time we’ve seen them live. Let It Be Gone is the fourth full-length from the ultra-original Cincinnati band that consists of Kate Wakefield on electric cello/vocals and Daisy Caplan on drums. They are spectacular to watch: dynamic and dramatic doesn’t even begin to describe their performances. Even though both are essentially stuck in chairs/on stools, they and their bodies go all in. Kate is a trained opera singer and clearly has theatre stage experience – her expressions can be seen at the back of the room, in poor lighting. And that voice!! I think she held a high C for, like, a full minute at the show. Daisy is a monster at the set, providing both rhythm and melody with a drive that never stops. Let It Be Gone captures most of that energy. The opener, “Jump Ship,” is one of my favorites and they’ve played it at the past few shows, including last weekend – it’s incredibly memorable. “The Prettiest Machine” is a staccato’d stomper and super-angry and “Siren Song” is weirdly and wildly anthemic with full-stop tempo changes and soaring vocals that are just beyond – I love it (I’m pretty sure this is the song that she held that high C on). And while not one of my favorites (it’s still pretty damn good), the video for “Rag Doll” is pretty great and gives a glimpse into the band’s aesthetic and, possibly, psyche. As great as this record is, trust the saying “Ya gotta see Lung live” – your mind will be blown.

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Cherry Vanilla “Bad Girl”

sfilzen — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 18:45:37 +0000

Cherry Vanilla “Bad Girl” 1978. Punk’d up rocking arty/bluesy tracks from former Warhol film actress and David Bowie publicist Cherry Vanilla (Kathleen Dorritie). Her band, after a relocation to London from New York in ’77, even included Sting on bass for a minute. We’re continuing to thin the record herd and this has been on the stay or should it go pile for a bit.

Bad Girl is kind of a blend of Joan Jett rocker attitude mixed with a flair for campy glam show tunes. There’s lots of nods to 50’s boogie woogie piano like on “So 1950’s” and “Not So Bad” which also has some 50’s doo-wop thrown in, plus some honky tonk country flavor (the title track “Bad Girl“). It also has some Sex Pistols sneer: “The Punk” (her first single release) which has some pretty great punk guitar shreds and a riff that is basically a directly lift from “Anarchy in the UK” (the main progression on “Foxy Bitch” is a close match to “Submission”) and “No More Canaries” crashes and thrashes. “Liverpool,” the second single from Bad Girl throws all of the influence together: boogie boogie piano, a horn section, punk simplicity and beat, and rock ‘n roll guitar. It’s an OK record with a couple of pretty good songs but the camp aspect gets tiring and I can’t see listening to this again anytime soon. I think it’s a go.

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Was (Not Was) “Born to Laugh at Tornadoes”

sfilzen — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 17:23:02 +0000

Was (Not Was) “Born to Laugh at Tornadoes” 1983. Synthy-art rock that spans a bunch of genres with vocalists ranging from Madonna to Mel Tormé to Ozzy Osbourne. This record is another in the “should-it-stay-or-should-it-go” pile and it’s the first time I’ve ever listened to the LP despite it being 40 years old; I’m pretty sure the only song I know by Was (Not Was) is the kinda-novelty hit “Walk the Dinosaur” from ’87. Born to Laugh at Tornadoes is the Detroit-based duo’s second album and, despite receiving positive critical reviews, it only went to #134 on the US charts. The record is truly all over the place so there’s some decent tracks but also several that are not so great. My favorites include “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed),” a quirky Devo-esque synth-forward pop track featuring Ozzy and Madonna (at least on a few of the versions – she denied permission to use her vocals on the ’92 re-release so Kim Basinger of all people recorded instead; the ’92 version went to #4 in the UK), “Bow Wow Wow” sung by the prolific longtime artist Mitch Ryder and the weird and funky “Man vs. the Empire Brain Building.” “The Party Broke Up” is truly bizarre, incorporating hard rock, bad 80’s white boy rap and quirky, nerdy art rock but is notable for featuring Marshall Crenshaw on synth and vocals, plus MC5’s Wayne Kramer on guitar. “Smile” is not bad – it’s a new wavey pop song with The Knack’s Doug Fieger singing. I’m not fond of the opener “Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)” nor the swingy, sappy r&b track
“(Return to the Valley of) Out Come the Freaks” which is part of a trilogy of tracks that span Was (Not Was) records from ’81-’87, nor the bland 80’s-styled “Professor Night” – oh yeah, there’s totally an epic sax solo on that one. The album closer “Zaz Turned Blue” sung by Mel Tormé is, not surprisingly, a loungey string-forward ballad that only fits because the rest of the record is so weird and eclectic. I think this one is going to go.

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Lung + SKRT

sfilzen — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:31:44 +0000

Lung + SKRT Split EP, 2021. Romanus Records. Split EP, Tricolor variant, limited to 50. We caught one of our favorite new(ish) bands, Lung, last night at Shank Hall (they, along withe speed metal band Speedealer, opened for the hilarious tribute/parody band Mac Sabbath who play (mostly) Black Sabbath covers dressed in over-the-top McDonalds costumes). Lung played an amazing – as always! – set which mostly included songs from their recently released LP Let It Be Gone (which I’ll have on vinyl within the next week or so from Romanus). But they also played at least one track from this split EP, the live favorite “Wall” which encapsulates everything that makes Lung one of the most exciting and innovative bands out there: dark grungy energy courtesy of the drum-electric cello duo topped by Kate Wakefield’s operatic voice (literally: she’s a classically trained opera singer as well as an accomplished cellist). The other four Lung tracks (“The City is Lying,” “Stalemate,” “What Are You Asking For?” and “Stranger Now“) are also not available on any of their other recordings. You either need this EP or, better, see them live (it is a must-see experience).

Daisy Caplan of Lung, Shank Hall

Kate Wakefield of Lung, Shank Hall

Until now, I was not familiar with SKRT, an art-punk trio from Ohio. Their sound is loud, messy and unique noise rock. Singer Ashley Pooler (also on guitar) is ferocious, wailing over weirdly jagged rhythms courtesy of Abbie Romero on drums and Micah Kemplin on bass. My favorite of their four tracks on the split is the excellently titled “Snowsuit for the Apocalypse.” “Black Adderall” is also really cool, really weird – lots of tempo and energy shifts, from a funky groove to a swinging melody to some dissonant piano and spoken whispery words but that only seems to be on the vinyl version, not the YouTube digital recording linked here. Like Lung’s selections, these tracks are only available on this EP (they only have one other release, a 7-song album from 2016, Toxic Schlock).

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Lung “All The King’s Horses”

sfilzen — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:46:44 +0000

Lung “All The King’s Horses” 2018. Sofaburn Records, on clear vinyl. One of the most exciting and original bands currently out there, Lung plays super-dark, heavy art-punk/noise rock. The dark and heavy: Lung (from Cincinnati) are a two-piece featuring Kate Wakefield on electric cello and Daisy Caplan on drums so it’s all low-end. But soaring over the top is gorgeous art and beauty in the form of operatic vocals. Literally. Kate is a trained opera singer so her range is insane. We had the absolute pleasure of seeing Lung perform twice this past weekend at Mile of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, one of our favorite music events that we missed terribly last year when it was canceled. It was Lung’s first time at MoM and they, like us, loved it (we got a chance to talk to Kate, Daisy and Daisy’s partner/band manager, Rachelle Caplan for awhile when one of their sets was cancelled due to rain). Anyone who ever sees Lung play live will tell you this: “You have GOT to see Lung.” (Our first time seeing them was two years ago in 2019 at Romanus Fest – our jaws fell to the ground and we were instant fans.) Their recording material is amazing but seeing and hearing them play these songs live is a mind bending, spine vibrating experience. Daisy bashes the beejezzus out of his kit and somehow also manages to – I think – take samples of Kate’s voice in real-time and then make layer upon layer upon layer of harmonization. Unreal. And though Kate is pretty much stuck on her seat with the cello, her performance is mesmerizing and dynamic: she uses her entire body to play and makes intense eye contact with the audience that draws you even deeper into the music.

All The King’s Horses is Lung’s second release. (I believe we picked up their brand new album at the show but we’re still decompressing from the weekend.) They played several of my favorite tracks from the LP including “Brock,” “Butcher” and “Bodies of Water,” I’m not sure if they played “The Overgrowth” and “Horsebath” but those tracks are killer as well. They definitely did not play the sole cover on the record, David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans,” because Mile of Music has a no-cover-songs policy; only original music is allowed. I think Lung will be back in the area in a couple of months and we cannot wait to see them again.

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Kim Gordon “No Home Record”

sfilzen — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 18:26:42 +0000

Kim Gordon “No Home Record” 2019. Matador Records. Today, April 28th, is Kim Gordon’s 68th birthday (b. 1953) so I’m spinning her first solo album (after the demise of Sonic Youth 2011 she recorded a record with Body/Head, comprised Gordon and Bill Nace, and Glitterbust – Gordon and Alex Knost). No Home Record is industrial-tinged experimental noise rock: lots of distortion, pounding in-your-face beats, discord and challenge. It charted in the UK, reaching #79 (and went to #29 on the Scottish charts – I didn’t realize Scotland had their own ratings) and though a few singles were released, I don’t think any of those charted. One of those singles is my top track: “Murdered Out” which is probably the most accessible song on the LP – it’s industrial and full of fuzzed distortion but also fairly danceable, as is “Hungry Baby” (another single). “Air BnB,” another single, amuses me as the Air BnB concept was the initial inspiration for the album (that’s where she met the album’s producer, Justin Raisen) (also the video is hilarious). “Don’t Play It” is alt-psychedelic hypnotic and “Cookie Butter,” besides having just the best name ever, is waaaayyy out there, epic in length with a teletype beat and Gordon kinda whisper-shouting punctuated stacato’d lyrics finished with grinding geared guitar.

Gordon continues to be just. so. cool. (inner sleeve photo from No Home Record)

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