Showing posts with label Kowloon Walled City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kowloon Walled City. Show all posts

July 18, 2016

KOWLOON WALLED CITY DEBUT EUROPEAN TOUR SUPPORTING MINSK APPROACHING THIS AUGUST

[Photo Credit: Josh Martines]


Soon to be touring in Europe for the very first time are Kowloon Walled City, radical reworkers of sludge and post-hardcore, supporting atmospheric metal masters Minsk. Their debut European tour takes in 12 countries and includes a performance at Porto’s esteemed Amplifest. This is an excellent chance to witness a band who, over the last decade, have refined their sound to a powerful zenith. Last year, they released the terrific album Grievances via Neurot Recordings (CD) and Gilead Media (LP).

Hear Kowloon Walled City honing in on their sparse, melancholic detuned heaviness on Grievances via their bandcamp. All dates, including new additions, can be found below:


KOWLOON WALLED CITY / MINSK TOUR DATES:


16.08 Antwerp Belgium @ Kavka
17.08 Paris France @ La Mécanique Ondulatoire
18.08 Toulouse France @ La Saint Des Seins
19.08 Avilés Spain @ Malecón
20.08 Porto Portugal @ Amplifest
22.08 Madrid Spain @ Arena
23.08 Barcelona Spain @ Kasal de Roquetes
24.08 Montpellier France @ Black Sheep
25.08 Misano Adriatico Italy @ Wave
26.08 Winterthur Switzerland @ Gaswerk
27.08 Leipzig Germany @ Bermuda Dreieck
28.08 Poznan Poland @ U Bazyla
29.08 Berlin Germany @ Musik & Frieden
30.08 Hamburg Germany @ Hafenklang
31.08 Gothenburg Sweden @ 128:A
01.09 Copenhagen Denmark @ KB18
02.09 Tilburg Holland @ Little Devil
03.09 London UK @ Underworld




Grievances is available on CD, LP, Digital and T-Shirt bundles at THIS LOCATION


"One of this year's true masterpieces." - ROCK A ROLLA 

"Grievances manifests its majesty in mounting despair: once your ears attune to its rewarding subtleties, the emotional rush begins to border on the epic. Manna from heaven for anyone who’s ever entertained the idea of Slint, Floor and Twelve Hour Turn locked in a glaring contest; beautifully bleak heaviosity for everyone else." - THE SKINNY

"The entire album is an eloquent and heartfelt rumination and, despite Evans’ assertion that “all of your voices are like silhouettes”, Grievances proves that it is possible to make your voice heard, and do so with real vigour." - MUSIC OMH

"A stunning record – big, clean guitars, used as knives, not hammers, over a vicious bass bite and drums that hang and resound, full of anticipation, tension and release.... And what’s most impressive is how the riffs all feel purposeful in an emotional and narrative sense. They evolve, twist and push the songs forward. They’re beautiful, brittle and brutal all at the same time." -THE LIST







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May 12, 2016

KOWLOON WALLED CITY ANNOUNCE FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR SUPPORTING MINSK IN AUGUST

Photo Credit: Josh Martines
San Francisco's KOWLOON WALLED CITY, radical reworkers of sludge and post-hardcore, are heading out on the European highway for the very first time this August, and will be supporting atmospheric metal masters Minsk. They will stop off at Migration Fest in Olympia, Washington, before heading to Europe for three weeks, including a performance at Porto’s esteemed Amplifest. This is an excellent chance to witness a band who over the last decade have refined their sound to a powerful zenith. Last year's Grievances LP, released in October via Neurot Recordings, was their furthest departure from their more direct origins, honing in on sparse and more melancholic detuned heaviness.

Vocalist/guitarist Scott Evans, together with guitarist Jon Howell, bassist Ian Miller, and drummer Jeff Fagundes spent over two years working on the seven songs for Grievances. The intense editing process weeded out about two albums’ worth of songs. Howell’s unusual chord changes and discordant aesthetic channel Unwound and Slint. Miller’s gritty bass adds a surprising layer of depth and melody, while Fagundes’ drums resonate in what sounds like an impossibly large room. Evans’ shouted vocals are raw with frustration and disappointment, but without the typical veneer of macho aggression.

Purchase Grievances on vinyl, CD and in t-shirt bundles via Neurot Recordings at THIS LOCATION. 

You can stream all of Grievances at their bandcamp, and view all dates announced so far below:


KOWLOON WALLED CITY / MINSK TOUR DATES:
08.16.16 Belgium, Antwerp @ Kavka
08.17.16 France, Paris @ La Mécanique Ondulatoire
08.18.16 TBA
08.19.16 TBA
08.20.16 Portugal, Porto @ Amplifest
08.21.16 Portugal, Porto @ Amplifest
08.22.16 Spain, Madrid @ Arena
08.23.16 TBA
08.24.16 France, Montpellier @ Black Sheep
08.25.16 Italy, Misano Adriatico @ Wave
08.26.16 Switzerland, Winterthur @ Gaswerk
08.27.16 TBA
08.28.16 Poland, Poznan @ U Bazyla
08.29.16 Germany, Berlin @ Musik & Frieden
08.30.16 Germany, Hamburg @ Hafenklang 
08.31.16 Sweden, Gothenburg @ Skjul Fyra Sex
09.01.16 TBA
09.02.16 Holland, Tilburg @ Little Devil
09.03.16 UK, London @ Underworld

"One of this year's true masterpieces." - ROCK A ROLLA 

"Grievances manifests its majesty in mounting despair: once your ears attune to its rewarding subtleties, the emotional rush begins to border on the epic. Manna from heaven for anyone who’s ever entertained the idea of Slint, Floor and Twelve Hour Turn locked in a glaring contest; beautifully bleak heaviosity for everyone else."- THE SKINNY

"The entire album is an eloquent and heartfelt rumination and, despite Evans’ assertion that “all of your voices are like silhouettes," Grievances proves that it is possible to make your voice heard, and do so with real vigour."- MUSIC OMH

"A stunning record – big, clean guitars, used as knives, not hammers, over a vicious bass bite and drums that hang and resound, full of anticipation, tension and release.... And what’s most impressive is how the riffs all feel purposeful in an emotional and narrative sense. They evolve, twist and push the songs forward. They’re beautiful, brittle and brutal all at the same time." - THE LIST





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October 9, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY: "Grievances" Available Now from Neurot Recordings


KOWLOON WALLED CITY: Grievances - Available Now!

Release Date: October 9th, 2015


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Vice Magazine’s Noisey portal is streaming the forthcoming KOWLOON WALLED CITY full-length, Grievances. The stream includes an in-depth dialogue between guitarist/vocalist/producer Scott Evans and Converge guitarist and renowned producer Kurt Ballou.

Listen to Grievances and read the interview at THIS LOCATION.

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Honest, spacious, and intense without artifice or studio trickery, the seven-track Grievances was recorded and mixed by guitarist/vocalist Scott Evans at Sharkbite Studios and his own Antisleep Audio, both in Oakland and finds the band shifting even further from their sludgy post-hardcore roots towards a sparser, more melancholic heaviness that’s reaping critical accolades.

“KOWLOON WALLED CITY bummer jams are bona fide,” issues NPR, “Just hit play and proceed to heave your body in sadness. But on its third album, Grievances, the San Francisco noise-rock band isn't always obvious in how it chooses to be heavy.” Headbang Or GTFO calls the record, “spectacular,” furthering, “Grievances is pure emotion from all members. An absolutely must listen,” while the UK’s The List notes, “Purely sonically, this is a stunning record – big, clean guitars, used as knives, not hammers, over a vicious bass bite and drums that hang and resound, full of anticipation, tension and release…”

Evans and Ballou have been friends for years, and their extensive interview covers recording techniques, gear, longevity, and producing one’s own records.

Next month KOWLOON WALLED CITY joins Fight Amp for a short West Coast tour.
KOWLOON WALLED CITY w/ Fight Amp:
11/1/2015 The Observatory - Day Of The Shred Fest - Santa Ana, CA
11/2/2015 Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
11/3/2015 Obsidian – Olympia, WA
11/4/2015 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
11/5/2015 Highline – Seattle, WA
11/6/2015 Black Water - Portland, OR
11/7/2015 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA * Grievances Record Release Show

KOWLOON WALLED CITY was formed in 2007 and have since released an EP, Turk Street (Wordclock, 2008), and two full-length albums, Gambling On The Richter Scale (Perpetual Motion Machine, 2009) and Container Ships (Brutal Panda, 2012), as well as two splits. Grievances is the band’s first release under the Neurot Recordings banner.

Grievances is now available worldwide from Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media. Bundles are available at THIS LOCATION.




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October 6, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Streams Grievances LP At Noisey

Plus Producer One-On-One With KWC Guitarist/Vocalist Scott Evans And Converge Guitarist Kurt Ballou Posted

Today, Vice Magazine’s Noisey portal is streaming the forthcoming KOWLOON WALLED CITY full-length,Grievances. The stream includes an in-depth dialogue between guitarist/vocalist/producer Scott Evans and Converge guitarist and renowned producer Kurt Ballou.

Listen to Grievances and read the interview at THIS LOCATION.

Grievances will be released worldwide October 9th, 2015 on Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media. Preorder bundles are available at THIS LOCATION.




Honest, spacious, and intense without artifice or studio trickery, the seven-track Grievances was recorded and mixed by guitarist/vocalist Scott Evans at Sharkbite Studios and his own Antisleep Audio, both in Oakland and finds the band shifting even further from their sludgy post-hardcore roots towards a sparser, more melancholic heaviness that’s reaping critical accolades.

“KOWLOON WALLED CITY bummer jams are bona fide,” issues NPR, “Just hit play and proceed to heave your body in sadness. But on its third album, Grievances, the San Francisco noise-rock band isn't always obvious in how it chooses to be heavy.” Headbang Or GTFO calls the record, “spectacular,” furthering, “Grievances is pure emotion from all members. An absolutely must listen,” while the UK’s The List notes, “Purely sonically, this is a stunning record – big, clean guitars, used as knives, not hammers, over a vicious bass bite and drums that hang and resound, full of anticipation, tension and release…”

Evans and Ballou have been friends for years, and their extensive interview covers recording techniques, gear, longevity, and producing one’s own records.

Next month KOWLOON WALLED CITY joins Fight Amp for a short West Coast tour.
KOWLOON WALLED CITY w/ Fight Amp:
11/1/2015 The Observatory - Day Of The Shred Fest - Santa Ana, CA
11/2/2015 Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
11/3/2015 Obsidian – Olympia, WA
11/4/2015 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
11/5/2015 Highline – Seattle, WA
11/6/2015 Black Water - Portland, OR
11/7/2015 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA * Grievances Record Release Show

KOWLOON WALLED CITY was formed in 2007 and have since released an EP, Turk Street (Wordclock, 2008), and two full-length albums, Gambling On The Richter Scale (Perpetual Motion Machine, 2009) and Container Ships (Brutal Panda, 2012), as well as two splits. Grievances is the band’s first release under the Neurot Recordings banner.




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September 30, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Streams Grievances Title Track Via Decibel

“Arm to arm they burned., with nothing to bear, you learned. No love, no burden, no memory.” – “Grievances,” KOWLOON WALLED CITY


Today, Decibel Magazine is streaming the title track from Grievances, the new full-length from San Francisco’s KOWLOON WALLED CITY. Grievances will be released worldwide October 9, 2015 on Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media. Preorder bundles are available at THIS LOCATION.

Shifting even further from their sludgy post-hardcore roots towards a sparser, more melancholic heaviness, on the seven-track Grievances, strings rattle, guitars crackle and blister, notes ring out, at turns bleak and beautiful – sometimes both at once. Recorded and mixed by vocalist Scott Evans at Sharkbite Studios and his own Antisleep Audio, both in Oakland, the recording is honest and spacious, and intense without artifice or studio trickery. 




From an advance review in the UK’s The List: “Purely sonically, this is a stunning record – big, clean guitars, used as knives, not hammers, over a vicious bass bite and drums that hang and resound, full of anticipation, tension and release. And the vocals are one of KOWLOON’s main weapons – where others in this milieu go for the guttural growl or the manly roar, Scott Evans’ anguished howl is purer, softer, full of sorrow and frustration dredged up from the belly … Compositionally, it’s incredibly smart but unflashy. At first, it appears simple and straightforward, but the arrangements are deceptively complex and wilfully elusive, focusing on elision and clashing sour chords. A key strategy finds the band building from an austere beginning to a colossal, climactic riff that repeats and repeats.”

Evans says, “The song ‘Grievances’ started with the investment bankers who threw a cocktail party overlooking an Occupy protest, and ended up at a 1911 shirt factory fire where dozens of employees died because the owners had locked the exits and stairwells. The album cover is related in some ways—look up Lewis Hine's photography from the early 1900s.”

Stream “Grievances” courtesy of Decibel Magazine at THIS LOCATION.

You can also hear “Backlit” streaming at NPR at THIS LOCATION.



Following the release of Grievances, KOWLOON WALLED CITY will join Fight Amp for a short West Coast tour. The tour begins at the Day Of Shred Fest in Santa Ana and wraps up with a hometown record release show in Oakland.
KOWLOON WALLED CITY w/ Fight Amp:
11/1/2015 The Observatory - Day Of The Shred Fest - Santa Ana, CA
11/2/2015 Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
11/3/2015 Obsidian – Olympia, WA
11/4/2015 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
11/5/2015 Highline – Seattle, WA
11/6/2015 Black Water - Portland, OR
11/7/2015 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA * Grievances Record Release Show

KOWLOON WALLED CITY formed in 2007 and has released an EP, Turk Street (Wordclock, 2008), and two full-length albums, Gambling On The Richter Scale (Perpetual Motion Machine, 2009) and Container Ships (Brutal Panda, 2012), as well as two splits. Grievances is the band’s first release under the Neurot Recordings banner.



Grievances will be released worldwide on October 9th, 2015 on Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media. Preorder bundles are currently available at THIS LOCATION.






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September 3, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Partners With NPR For The Premiere Of First Single From Upcoming Grievances Full-Length; Preorder Bundles Available; Live Dates With Fight Amp Confirmed

“Lost from the start; failed by the facts; you walk in defeated; wear out your weaknesses…” 
- “Backlit,” KOWLOON WALLED CITY

Grievances is the forthcoming new full-length from San Francisco’s KOWLOON WALLED CITY. Set for release next month, the band’s first offering under the Neurot Recordings banner and third studio recording overall finds the eclectic collective at their artistic apex, shifting even further from their sludgy post-hardcore roots towards a sparser, more melancholic heaviness.


On the seven-track Grievances, strings rattle, guitars crackle and blister, notes ring out, at turns bleak and beautiful — sometimes both at once. Captured and mixed by vocalist Scott Evans at Sharkbite Studios and his own Antisleep Audio, both in Oakland, the recording is honest and spacious, and intense without artifice or studio trickery. Jeff Fagundes' drums resonate in a huge room while guitarist Jon Howell’s unusual chord changes and discordant aesthetic channel Unwound and Slint against Ian Miller’s gritty, melodic bass. Evans’ shouted vocals are raw with frustration and disappointment, but without the typical veneer of macho aggression.

Today, NPR offers the first chance to hear Grievances via its third track, “Backlit.” Evans explains, “This song pretty much sums up the record. It was the first song we started working on, and one of the last ones we finished. Coincidentally, it's about impostor syndrome -- no matter how hard you work at something, it's not good enough.”


Adds NPR: "In the first single, 'Backlit,' the band dials down the sludgy distortion in favor of more repetition. Loose strings rattle violently in riffs that aren't so much slow as weighted. Kowloon Walled City seems more aware of its space, rooting inside a shimmering cymbal, a throbbing bassline or a rare squeal of feedback instead of overpowering its sound with noise or studio compression. After guitarist Scott Evans shouts the devastating line, "You walk in defeated / Wear out your weakness," the guitar solo unwinds into a nervous, Unwound-ian abstraction that works out its catharsis in bent strings on the verge of bursting."

“Backlit” is currently available for public consumption at THIS LOCATION.


Following the release of Grievances, KOWLOON WALLED CITY will join Fight Amp for a short run of West Coast shows. Running from November 1st through November 7th, the trek includes an appearance at The Day of Shred Fest in Santa Ana as well as a specialGrievances record release show in Oakland.
KOWLOON WALLED CITY w/ Fight Amp:
11/1/2015 The Observatory - Day Of The Shred Fest - Santa Ana, CA
11/2/2015 Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
11/3/2015 Obsidian – Olympia, WA
11/4/2015 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
11/5/2015 Highline – Seattle, WA
11/6/2015 Black Water - Portland, OR
11/7/2015 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA * Grievances Record Release Show

KOWLOON WALLED CITY formed in 2007 and has released an EP, Turk Street (Wordclock, 2008), and two full-length albums, Gambling On The Richter Scale (Perpetual Motion Machine, 2009) and Container Ships (Brutal Panda, 2012), as well as two splits. Among the bands it has shared stages with are Neurosis, Tragedy, Sleep, Thou, Coliseum, Zozobra, Fight Amp, Roomrunner, The Body, and Helms Alee.


Grievances will be released worldwide on October 9th, 2015 on Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media.

Preorder bundles are currently available at THIS LOCATION.


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July 27, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY To Release Grievances Via Neurot Recordings October 9th; Artwork + Track Listing Revealed

KOWLOON WALLED CITY will release their long-awaited new full-length this fall. Grievances, their third album and first for Neurot Recordings, finds the San Francisco band at its artistic peak, having moved even further away from its sludgy, post-hardcore origins and toward a sparser, sadder, yet still de-tuned heaviness.

This shift began with 2012’s critically successful Container Ships, which Lambgoat described as “spacious” and “mildly hypnotic,” with a “Shellac-like use of dead time and instrumentation,” and The Obelisk called “cerebral in approach.” On Grievances, the band takes these elements to even greater extremes. The strings rattle. The guitars crackle and blister. The notes ring out, at turns bleak and beautiful -- sometimes both at once.

“We dug into this expansive, less distorted vibe. The songs are mostly slow and bummed out but we still want them to push, to have energy,” said vocalist/guitarist Scott Evans.

Evans, together with guitarist Jon Howell, bassist Ian Miller, and drummer Jeff Fagundes spent over two years working on the seven songs for Grievances. The intense editing process weeded out about two albums’ worth of songs. Howell’s unusual chord changes and discordant aesthetic channel Unwound and Slint. Miller’s gritty bass adds a surprising layer of depth and melody, while Fagundes’ drums resonate in what sounds like an impossibly large room. Evans’ shouted vocals are raw with frustration and disappointment, but without the typical veneer of macho aggression.

“We’re not interested in doing something that’s good enough -- we want to do something that we believe is good,” said Miller. “With Scott’s concept and sonics and Jon’s playing and our rhythm section, we feel like should be able to do something interesting. But it’s hard work.”

The concept of work forms the thematic foundation of the entire record, from the cover art to the title and the lyrics. Whereas previous KOWLOON WALLED CITY releases were largely inspired by the band’s hometown of San Francisco, Grievances focuses its attention on our complex relationships with work and the power our employment -- and employers -- have over us.

As with KOWLOON WALLED CITY’s previous releases, Evans recorded and mixed, starting in Sharkbite Studios and finishing in his own Antisleep Audio, both in Oakland. “We’re not a fancy band. There are no effects to speak of, no reverb, no delays,” said Evans. “We each play one guitar, one pedal, one amp. So there’s not much to hide behind. I try to respect that in our recording process and our recordings.”


Grievances Track Listing:
1. Your Best Years
2. Grievances
3. Backlit
4. The Grift
5. White Walls
6. True Believer
7. Daughters And Sons


KOWLOON WALLED CITY formed in 2007 and has released an EP, Turk Street (Wordclock, 2008), and two full-length albums, Gambling On The Richter Scale (Perpetual Motion Machine, 2009) and Container Ships (Brutal Panda, 2012), as well as two splits. Among the bands it has shared stages with are Neurosis, Tragedy, Sleep, Thou, Coliseum, Zozobra, Fight Amp, Roomrunner, The Body, and Helms Alee.

Grievances will be released worldwide on October 9th, 2015 on Neurot Recordings, with vinyl on Gilead Media. Preorders to be announced in the coming weeks.



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April 21, 2015

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Joins Neurot Recordings for the Release of their Third Studio Album

Neurot Recordings is very pleased to welcome San Francisco-based sludge/noise rock unit KOWLOON WALLED CITY to their family for the CD release of the band’s as-yet-untitled third full-length, expected this fall, with Gilead Media handling the release on vinyl.


[Photo by Bowen Anderson]

Comments Neurot’s Steve Von Till, “KOWLOON WALLED CITY is a hardworking, no-nonsense group of people, who deliver no-nonsense, in-your-face aggressive music. We couldn't be happier.”

Adds the band, "It goes without saying but we're all honored and excited about this. Literally every interaction we've had with the Neurosis camp has been great - they are super solid people who 100% get it. The same goes for Gilead Media. All right, back to work."

Named after a now-demolished Hong Kong region notorious for its brothels, opium dens and casinos, KOWLOON WALLED CITY was formed in 2007 and have since released an EP, two full-lengths and a number of splits. Their most recent long player – 2013’s Container Ships, released via Brutal Panda Records – reaped the praise of fans and critics both stateside and abroad with Lambgoat dubbing it “their most impressive release to date” and the The Sludgelord commending the band’s “hard-hitting brilliance,” placing it among the year’s best offerings. As AllMusic says, “KOWLOON WALLED CITY take the sound pioneered by bands like the Jesus Lizard and Unsane and push it into new dimensions of heaviness."

Further KOWLOON WALLED CITY news will be announced in the weeks to come. In the meantime, sample the band’s previous releases at their official Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION.




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