King of Jeans. The title of Pissed Jeans’ third album and second for Sub Pop conjures their essence perfectly—-masters of the mundane, beasts of the banal, high priests of the humdrum. These four, white, male high school graduates hardly look further than their own appendages for artistic inspiration, content to execute their own brand of brash and heavy punk music in the Joe Carducci-approved standard rock formation of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. From simple minds and simple fabrics comes this King of Jeans, perhaps also a slight nod to the variety of Pissed Jeans-inspired groups that have crawled up since 2007’s Hope for Men. After all, there can be only one.

After surveying the lands for an unknown period of time, The King chose a tiny hamlet in Vermont to establish his supreme lifestyle. He named his kingdom Brattleboro, installed a local governing body, and instructed the area residents to leave him well alone. Rather than remain consumed with imperial interests, The King was concerned only with television, snacks, and when it suited him, personal expression via thoroughly lazy and fuzzy-feeling power-pop rock n’ roll. Every few years The King emerged from his quiet solitude to share his creative output. At first the people didn’t know what to make of The King’s efforts – they hadn’t heard power-pop like this in some time. But before long The King and his King Tuff music reached the hearts of his people.

Despite his newfound popularity, The King could not be bothered to alter his supreme lifestyle. When he entered a period of extended reflection, the people begged for a new release, but to no avail. With each passing day the people grew more impatient. They would say, “Why hasn’t King Tuff released his music to us? Perhaps he is dead.” When Was Dead arrived in October 2008, the people finally understood: The King had been dead, briefly, but now he was alive, and moreover, he had produced a masterpiece.

With Was Dead the laziness was as strong as ever, yet The King rocked like never before. There was a fuzziness, a warmth, and an endearing personal quality to the tunes. Of course, being King Tuff, The King wasn’t afraid to get dangerous at moments, but with tracks like “Connection” and “Just Strut” listeners discovered the truth: The King is a sweetheart. The people had never experienced such fantastically kook-ball songwriting. Was Dead explored new worlds of pure fantasy, and by now The King had developed a real knack for narrative. Whether it was his day-in-the-life tale “Kind of Guy,” or the nonsense of “Sun Medallion,” The King always found a clever way to spin the yarn.

The songs and overall production resulted in a most pleasing daydream of a record, one that somehow straddled the line between partying and napping. It was the special sound of one man’s honest and unbridled supreme lifestyle. With Was Dead the people better understood The King, and The King was happy to have made the people feel so awesome inside. He will do it again soon, or rather, when it pleases him.

-Jim Nicholas
Paris, France, Summer 2008

There was a time, in recent history, when you needed to have at least twelve members to even be considered a band in Canada. It was nearly impossible to tour if you didn't have access to some kind of personnel carrier, and making a record involved several years of tambourine overdubs. You know there were kids out there who just wanted to get in a van and play loud as hell through an Ampeg stack or a four-piece drum kit, but how could you call it a band if you didn't even know a French horn player? By 2008, band membership had reached a critical mass. You'd go to a show and you might be the only person in the room who wasn't playing an instrument. Hard times.

Thankfully, there are always a few naturally resourceful people who refuse to be intimidated or excluded from making their own wild racket in public. Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies and Chris Slorach have been around long enough to know that if you can't fit it in the van, it's not worth bringing. METZ play like one brutally heavy instrument with three heads, slashing heavy-gauge strings, bending guitar and bass necks in weird unison, along with what is probably the loudest drumming you've ever heard. It's a return to everything that's good about loud, ecstatic live music; a frantic nod to Nation of Ulysses, Shellac, The Pixies, The Jesus Lizard, and Public Image Ltd. at their most vicious, while still carving out some heavy new business. They play the instruments, the amps, and the room.

Over the last three-and-a-half years, METZ have slayed in basements, skate shops, clubs, and festivals, sharing stages with Mission of Burma, Death from Above 1979, Archers of Loaf, Mudhoney, Oneida, Constantines, and NoMeansNo. I've seen a hundred jaws drop within the first four measures of their set. I once saw Alexander Hacke from Einstuerzende Neubauten approach Chris and rave about his bass tone.

It's a formidable task to try and capture such a powerful live band on record. Luckily, Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and Alexandre Bonenfant were more than up for it. Isolating the band in an old barn for a week with a portable recording rig, Walsh and Bonenfant were not only successful in documenting the unrelenting live force of the band, but they also managed to add some new and staggering sonic textures to the recording. Waves of organic feedback and fuzzed-out drones build the classic tension that eventually drops into each track's relentless, dissonant pulse. And somehow, the raddest thing about it all is the songwriting. It's not just riffs. It's something that some heavy bands don't get, but METZ do really well—and they do it collectively. It's a hell of an experience, listening to this thing.

With this, their debut album, METZ articulate with deafening clarity, what we've all known for some time: The world of good music needs a new power trio, and this is it.

dancing on lonely streets. featuring Christian Wargo of Fleet Foxes.

You most likely have already heard of Daughn Gibson. In the short time since the release of his debut album All Hell, the handsome balladeer hailing from Carlisle, PA is capturing serious attention by tastemakers and music fans interested in new takes on country and blues. Daughn's background is rooted in playing in punk and metal bands and truckdriving across America, but it seems recently, he's taken this hearty rough-and-tumble past and made it more gentile. Adding a dash of grace and debonaire known best to predecessors like Scott Walker and Lee Hazlewood - doubtless influences. You might also hear subtle nods to Robert Johnson or Skip James, but Daughn throws a curveball by adding dark electronic elements to boot. Daughn Gibson's charm and uniqueness comes from his ability to perhaps equally fit in alongside Toby Keith or Depeche Mode.

Daughn Gibson released his debut album All Hellfeaturing this already iconic blend of electronic country and blues on White Denim Records, owned by Matt Korvette of Pissed Jeans in March. He quickly followed up this release with a 7" for "Lite Me Up" b/w "The Mark Of A Man" on Dull Knife Records. "Lite Me Up" is a perfect summer time jam…full of heart, soul, and a little bit of whimsical swagger. Daughn Gibson will be playing select shows throughout the country this summer.

Debo Band is a 11-member group led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. Since their inception in 2006, the band have toured Ethiopia twice, having appeared at both the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa and Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, the largest music festival in East Africa. In North America, they've shared stages with Gogol Bordello, The Family Stone, Tilahun Gessesse (one of the great voices of Ethiopian pop since the 60's), The Ex with Ethiopian sax legend Getatchew Mekuria, Group Doueh, and Khaira Arby and Her Band. They've also performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Fest, globalFEST 2012 at Webster Hall, Joe's Pub, and World Music Festival: Chicago.
Their self-titled debut album will be released on July 10, 2012 by Next Ambiance/Sub Pop. Debo has won raves for their groundbreaking take on Ethiopian pop music (think Ethiopiques), which incorporates traditional scales and vocal styles, alongside American soul and funk rhythms, and instrumentation reminiscent of Eastern European brass bands — accordion, violins, horns and drums. The album was produced by Thomas "Tommy T" Gobena of Gogol Bordello, recorded at Machines with Magnets (Battles, Deer Tick) and mastered by Grammy nominated engineer Joe LaPorta at The Lodge.