Wednesday, January 18, 2012

No news pre-news news.

So, that was that then.

2011.

A pretty active year, altogether, for revolution, natural disasters and the distinctly postmature death of genocidal fuckheads, England became the No.1 cricket team in the world (though at time of writing are doing their level best to unbecome the same) and somewhere in the foreground, the Murdoch media empire did its best impression of being irredeemably crippled even though it had done nothing worse than scraping its knee whilst bending over to spy on on a stranger's balls.

Odd, apparently. Mishappen. Prone to huge shifts in form and mass in rapidly changing climates.

On a personal level, 2011 saw me unemployed and missing out on a grand total of three jobs because of a tour of Australia (you try explaining to potential employers the difference between 'holiday' and 'work' when you're so desperate for money that you'd eat at McDonald's if someone paid you enough*) and am searching still, at times with hope, at times without. I ran a few half marathons (in the middle of the night), got some way through writing my first bullshit book (also in the middle of the night) and read so much Ancient and Military History that at times I felt I should be taking a chariot to rehearsal instead of a bus.

Band wise, well, we're still here, and delighted to be doing it.

Final track listing for the album (after some revisions and a quick remix for 'goals in slow motion' the masters, I'm happy to say, are being run off tomorrow) is as follows. None of these titles are working titles, incidentally. Release date, sadly (saddest for us, mind – we started recording it LAST FUCKING JUNE) is still to be confirmed.

1. sheena is a t-shirt salesman

2. failed olympic bid

3. beneath the waves an ocean

4. cosmo's ladder

5. city of exploded children

6. goals in slow motion

7. camp cappuccino

8. polymers are forever

9. robocop 4 - fuck off robocop

10. sorry dad, i was late for the riots

11. i am the least of your problems

12. a guide to men

13. anchor

14. rubber animals

15. notes on achieving orbit

Having had a break from the thing over the course of the last couple of months I can exclusively reveal that, according to me (and I trust me, implicitly) it sounds as good as I remember it. I don't want to talk the thing up because that seems desperate but I will say this – we're very, very proud, a feeling which I'm allowing to linger until the end of next month when it will be doubtless replaced by the hollow anger of the ignored and jealous. Just kidding(*2)

We're still deciding on 'singles' and, although that term seems less relevant nowadays (how about 'promotional device for radio and youtube'?) we would very much like to release them on 7” single with the obligatory exclusive b-sides and all that jazz (nb. no actual jazz). My question to you (here and on twitter/facebook) – how much is a fair price? We want this to be something you can hold, look at and, if needed, comfort, but we'd rather not go losing money we don't have in the interim.

So, in review ...

Australia was, in general, very good fun. Perth(*3) and Sydney were a delight whilst Brisbane and Meredith revelatory considering the distinct lack of sleep which preceded both shows. Only Melbourne felt strange and, despite our best efforts, lacked the atmosphere that we've come to expect from one of our favourite cities in the world. Perhaps it was just the way it felt from the stage but we felt as if we played twice as well as earlier in the year and got half the response. Proof, if proof be need be(*5) that there's no science to rock n'roll. The three UK shows were good fun as well, particularly London - despite the faintly preposterous airs and graces of Hoxton Bar and Kitchen it's actually a pretty good sounding room and we had a fine night, once the double van breakdown and most miserable in-house sound-guy(*6) in the world were taken on and vanquished to the four corners of our collective memories.

Right, I must fly. More to follow very, very soon(*7), including show and single news, record store day and some bumpf about South by South West, which it turns out we are playing after all.

(leon) best

falcoheadlinerofaboutiquefestivalsponsoredbybudweiser

x


ps. How do you like your eggs in the morning? I like mine to exist.


(*) I will happily eat a McDonald's meal if you reimburse my stomach and soul to the tune of £5,000. (*1)

(*1) an admission - twice on our tour of Australia I was forced (partly by a lack of funds but also because I was trapped in an airport and didn't feel like paying £10 for a sad, wet sandwich) to eat a grilled chicken burger from Hungry Jacks, which, for my non-Australian readers, is Burger King in all but name. Although it didn't taste too bad I could tell that the chicken had been thoroughly depressed even before being electrocuted by a robot then thrown into a seeded bap.

(*2) no, I'm not.

(*3) about half an hour before going on in Perth we were watching the pretty-damn-good-despite-the-awful-name Injured Ninja (*4) play to a room with about 30 people in it and fearing the worst – inbetween nipping upstairs to tune my chin and medicate with Doctor Jameson a few hundred appeared out of fresh air and made us feel like a real band again. Salut!!!

(*4) who reminded us a little of our good friends Science Bastard, musically if not hair-wise.

(*5) thanks 'The Day Today'.

(*6) anyone who is in a touring band will know that this is quite an accolade.

(*7) in the next few days. Promise.

17 comments:

  1. At Melbourne's Corner Hotel gig there were plenty of dickfaces surrounding me. "This guy isn't funny, where's Kelso", "that bass player is hot huh huh", *forces way through shoulder-to-shoulder crowd just to whiplash randoms* On this tour you acquired some of Tool's fanbase.

    But it's true, third time seeing FotL and that was the best performance yet.

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  2. I guess I was fearing the worst—it's an aggressive crowd, typically—but was delighted that not a single sexist heckle or insult was hurled at Julia at the Sydney show. There was a whole lot of cock and testosterone in that room. I guess "don't be an asshole" is not such a high bar to clear but sometimes it feels like it.

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  3. Kelso(n) is a funny guy but Jimmy, well ... Jimmy just does funny. It's the equation of Watkins and if the crowd don't get his more subtle charms then, with all due respect (some) fuck 'em. The lack of banal caveman screaming at Ruzicka is amongst the most pleasant of surprises I'm/we're encountering - long may it continue.

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  4. With the sheer amount of highly-anticipated non-album material you guys have lounging about ("Home Taping Is Killing Susan" springs to mind), I'd say a single from the album, plus a few b-sides and/or demo-like aural inscriptions, could easily run $8.

    If the 7-inch route is more your style, $6 is a good price-point for two songs on vinyl. This coming from a financially-strapped middle-class American (surprising: we are a dying breed slapped in the middle between frothing Occupiers, the hobos that tag along with them, and then the unholily happy upper-crust who flock to the Ivy Leagues like lambs to the tail-chopping), so you know that it comes from a profit-minded man.

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    Replies
    1. The former being on Compact Disc and mp3 download form.

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  5. I will glady pay dollars and dollars for a 7 inch (being Australian I don't know the proper annotation for inch - it's either ' or '' or " or ΓΏ - and I'm not googling it because of SOPA or something)... Just please let us pay for mp3 downloads of the b-sides. I've got a FOTL 7 inch containing the OTHER Travels b-side (the one that's not I Have Four Names, which incidentally is the name of my band. Move over Injured Ninja) but the music is stuck on the record and I can't get it out to put in my iPod or my ears.

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  6. If you're releasing a shed load of extra tidbits I'd like to say that I'd pay a fiver for each 7". But then after the first 3 I'd realise I need to curb my spending, not for lack of wanting to pay that much, just for lack of actual income. So I'd go with £3, Sterling. Pound a track; solid.

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  7. Do you guys have a Paypal or something similar where I could kick a token sum your way for the weeks worth of straight rocking enjoyment you have provided me?
    Or the ability to "add more money on top of the cost of record and shipping" for the new album when it ships?

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  8. About 6-7 quid for a 7" (a quid an inch?)
    somewhere between 10-14.99 if its coloured (not a racist) or some sort of fake limited thing?

    Why don't yee's do one of those pledge things? 7" + tshirt + download of the 7" (download..I know) for x amount. (See pledgemusic.com or even kickstarter.com)

    At least then you get the cash before having to pay out for pressings out of your own pocket and and end up being out of pocket?

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  9. For a straight up 7" i usually fancy a $5-7 price range, but for you guys, being jobless and all, you could pretty much name your price. Just so long as it's 45 rpm and not 33. I'd be happy to print / fold all the sleeves for free too, just so long as you four are willing to discuss the issue of a shipping discount for international music smuggling. Just saying...

    Can't wait either way.

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  10. i couldnt tell you anything. im just a kid at another kids house. (23ish) painting, filming and playing music. i cant afford shit; i'd love to see your 7" at the vinyl store down on burnside. if i can hold off from buying cigarettes for a few days, i'd pay almost anything. as long as its about half a bill(100/2*5/0+n+1).

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  11. Personally, I think Brisbane this time around was the best yet, despite your lack of sleep. Everyone was super tight.
    The puffed up chested hecklers were nowhere to be seen or heard from where I was which was excellent.
    With regards to releases, you would have no problem asking $10-15AUD for a 7" here. As someone has mentioned earlier, perhaps think about colours and even a limited run of hand drawn sleeves , perhaps get some friends to design a few different pieces. It's all relevant.

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  12. Falco, let it be known that Melbourne @ The Corner was indeed, fucking awesome. Don't fret. everyone i spoke to after the show was of the same high opinion. big love always.

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  13. Any chance you're releasing the single on cd? What about next tour? Will you come to Italy? Please come to Rome!

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  14. Looking forward to it! http://pantos27.blogspot.com/2012/03/future-of-left-sheena-is-t-shirt.html

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  15. The blog silence and agonizingly long wait for the new album is killing me. At least the wait is almost over.

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  16. You can listen to 30 second previews of all of the album tracks here (Sorry if everyone knows this already): http://xtramilerecordings.com/MusicDetails.aspx?rid=512&fid=12&brid=5 They all sound great, especially with the production, which doesn't have drowned out bass :D

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