NEW PRESS RELEASES:
For immediate release 3/1/2022:
ALIENS announce the release of two new singles.
ALIENS new songs were captured in the last year in Brooklyn at B.C. Studios with Martin Bisi recording and mixing. The singles are “Leave Luck to Heaven” an original song written by Blake Sandberg and second a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song.” These songs are scheduled for release on Friday March 25th, 2022. The band intends this double release as a digital 7” single and will release a vinyl version. Both songs lyrically relate to the isolation and confinement of the recent pandemic shutdowns and difficulties interacting with others.
“Leave Luck to Heaven” is a song about not waiting - ironically recorded while all of us have been waiting for this pandemic to be over. A song about living in the moment – whatever moment it is. The song has a forward movement to it always moving forward with a giant de-tuned guitar riff and circling bass part. It’s the first recording with ALIENS new bassist Kevin Jones, featured prominently in both songs. These tracks were recorded with drummer George Fiala during Covid shutdown at B.C. Studios. Both tracks were mastered by Fred at Kevorkian Mastering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Sandberg says “Tower of Song” became important to him during the Covid 19 shutdown. “I thought I might learn the song. I was home playing guitar and looking out the window” - Cohen’s lyrics have similar imagery. One day while walking to get something to eat he found a copy of Hank Williams Greatest Hits album someone had put out on their steps. He took it as a sign. In the song Cohen says “I said to Hank Williams how lonely does it get?”
Sandberg sped up the song up to a runaway train pace, while managing to cram all the words into the song without ruining it and making something of his own out of it. He also related the current times with political upheaval and rivalry to the lyrics of this song. “I see you standing there on the other side I don’t know how this river got so wide.” Sandberg takes on the weight of this cover song and his his vocal performance is noteworthy. Martin Bisi’s production work keeps the train on the tracks.
The vocals for the song were recorded during a blizzard. Blake walked through knee high snow to get to the studio. Martin would turn off the noisy space heater for each take while Blake sang.
The cover song is of course a tribute to Leonard Cohen - a tip of the hat - simultaneously to Hank Williams and also to Blake Sandberg’s grandfather. Sandberg's "Pal" as he called him, John L. Sandberg sang on the radio in Austin, Texas as young man. Blake remembers him playing on the porch and in his living room. His National Resonator guitar is now one of Blake’s prized possessions. His interest in guitar stems from seeing and hearing guitars at his grandparents home in Austin.
ALIENS are Blake Sandberg, Miguel Vela, and Kevin Jones. Vela has taken over the drums over the last 7 months. As a trio they form a powerful post-punk band capable of scream-along anthems with searing sci-fi guitar riffs, with a heavy dose of Jones’s bass and Vela’s pounding drums. The band plays “rock and roll as it’s meant – with the guts! ALIENS bring something real to the party!"
ALIENS announce the release of two new singles.
ALIENS new songs were captured in the last year in Brooklyn at B.C. Studios with Martin Bisi recording and mixing. The singles are “Leave Luck to Heaven” an original song written by Blake Sandberg and second a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song.” These songs are scheduled for release on Friday March 25th, 2022. The band intends this double release as a digital 7” single and will release a vinyl version. Both songs lyrically relate to the isolation and confinement of the recent pandemic shutdowns and difficulties interacting with others.
“Leave Luck to Heaven” is a song about not waiting - ironically recorded while all of us have been waiting for this pandemic to be over. A song about living in the moment – whatever moment it is. The song has a forward movement to it always moving forward with a giant de-tuned guitar riff and circling bass part. It’s the first recording with ALIENS new bassist Kevin Jones, featured prominently in both songs. These tracks were recorded with drummer George Fiala during Covid shutdown at B.C. Studios. Both tracks were mastered by Fred at Kevorkian Mastering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Sandberg says “Tower of Song” became important to him during the Covid 19 shutdown. “I thought I might learn the song. I was home playing guitar and looking out the window” - Cohen’s lyrics have similar imagery. One day while walking to get something to eat he found a copy of Hank Williams Greatest Hits album someone had put out on their steps. He took it as a sign. In the song Cohen says “I said to Hank Williams how lonely does it get?”
Sandberg sped up the song up to a runaway train pace, while managing to cram all the words into the song without ruining it and making something of his own out of it. He also related the current times with political upheaval and rivalry to the lyrics of this song. “I see you standing there on the other side I don’t know how this river got so wide.” Sandberg takes on the weight of this cover song and his his vocal performance is noteworthy. Martin Bisi’s production work keeps the train on the tracks.
The vocals for the song were recorded during a blizzard. Blake walked through knee high snow to get to the studio. Martin would turn off the noisy space heater for each take while Blake sang.
The cover song is of course a tribute to Leonard Cohen - a tip of the hat - simultaneously to Hank Williams and also to Blake Sandberg’s grandfather. Sandberg's "Pal" as he called him, John L. Sandberg sang on the radio in Austin, Texas as young man. Blake remembers him playing on the porch and in his living room. His National Resonator guitar is now one of Blake’s prized possessions. His interest in guitar stems from seeing and hearing guitars at his grandparents home in Austin.
ALIENS are Blake Sandberg, Miguel Vela, and Kevin Jones. Vela has taken over the drums over the last 7 months. As a trio they form a powerful post-punk band capable of scream-along anthems with searing sci-fi guitar riffs, with a heavy dose of Jones’s bass and Vela’s pounding drums. The band plays “rock and roll as it’s meant – with the guts! ALIENS bring something real to the party!"
QUOTES
"Fierce - exactly what I needed today, a kick in the ass!" - COVERT CURIOSITY
"A visceral attack! Pogoworthy!" - THE CHRONICLE
"ALIENS are singlehandedly bringing something gritty back to our local music scene. Someday, if you're any kind of saavy music consumer, you can point to your record shelf, hold up the simple, bright album cover that depicts a swimmer clonking her head on a diving board and say, "Look, I've got ALIENS first album." You will impress the pants off your unsuspecting guest." - SOUNDCHECK MAGAZINE
"The punk influences are brought to bear; the simple hooks, the feedback buildups, the excessive power chords, it's all there! If ALIENS can match the live punk force on their studio tracks, maintaining the raw energy with more polished recordings, they just might kill a few stars themselves!" - John Michael Cassettas
"ALIENS Head First will leave you brain damaged!" - ALARM MAGAZINE
"Fierce - exactly what I needed today, a kick in the ass!" - COVERT CURIOSITY
"A visceral attack! Pogoworthy!" - THE CHRONICLE
"ALIENS are singlehandedly bringing something gritty back to our local music scene. Someday, if you're any kind of saavy music consumer, you can point to your record shelf, hold up the simple, bright album cover that depicts a swimmer clonking her head on a diving board and say, "Look, I've got ALIENS first album." You will impress the pants off your unsuspecting guest." - SOUNDCHECK MAGAZINE
"The punk influences are brought to bear; the simple hooks, the feedback buildups, the excessive power chords, it's all there! If ALIENS can match the live punk force on their studio tracks, maintaining the raw energy with more polished recordings, they just might kill a few stars themselves!" - John Michael Cassettas
"ALIENS Head First will leave you brain damaged!" - ALARM MAGAZINE
ARTICLES AND REVEWS FROM 2006-2020:
HR of Bad Brains, ALIENS and Public Nature At The Kingsland In Brooklyn
Review and Photos by Robert Tellerman October 13th 2021
Review and Photos by Robert Tellerman October 13th 2021
On Sunday, October 10th, HR (who is best known as the frontman for the iconic punk band Bad Brains) performed at The Kingsland in Brooklyn. Opening acts included local punk bands ALIENS and Public Nature.
New York hardcore punk band ALIENS. The band consists of frontman Blake Sandberg on guitar/vocals, Kevin Jones on bass and Miguel Vela on drums. They also put on a tremendous performance with songs from their inventory such as “Committed to Wind”, “Neversleep”, “Reflex Motor” and “The In Side."
New York hardcore punk band ALIENS. The band consists of frontman Blake Sandberg on guitar/vocals, Kevin Jones on bass and Miguel Vela on drums. They also put on a tremendous performance with songs from their inventory such as “Committed to Wind”, “Neversleep”, “Reflex Motor” and “The In Side."
SURVIVOR STORY: BLAKE SANDBERG’S ALIENS ATTEMPT SECOND LANDING
Written by Kurt Gottschalk November 8, 2019 Red Hook Star Revue
The t-shirt Blake Sandberg wears under his leather jacket speaks volumes. The iconic image — a line drawing of a mutant frog-thing with the caption bubble “HI, HOW ARE YOU” — is at least as famous as its creator, the troubled and sometimes revered singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, who died in September at the age of 58, and the frog-thing’s question is what many who know Sandberg likely want to ask him. How are you?
Circling the floor at the Knitting Factory while opener Frida Kill bangs out some old school, three-chord punk, he is on-task if driven by nervous energy. He talks to the sound man, sits down behind the merch table, gets up again, greets some friends, heads out to the bar and comes back to round the room again.
There’s good reason for his nervousness. The October 22 set will be the second in five years for his band ALIENS, now a duo with drummer Matt King. It’s been a dozen years since his first and only album, Head First, had its moment on the CMJ charts, and times haven’t been easy for Sandberg in the interim.
Sandberg relocated from Austin to New York in the 1990’s with his eyes on the art scene. While painting was his first interest (the cover of Head First is his work), he discovered a second passion when a friend gave him a guitar. After bouncing around a bit, he was soon making art and making a name for himself in a downtown studio near Broadway and Fulton. Then the world changed.
On September 10, 2001, Sandberg took his parents — who had flown in for the occasion — to the opening of a group show that included his work. The next morning, he was working in his studio when hijacked planes were piloted into the World Trade Center towers. His parents were stranded in a hotel until they were able to get out of town and Sandberg sealed up his windows and did his best to survive.
“That stuff was burning for like six weeks,” he said. “The wind was blowing and it just came through my windows. I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I just stayed.”
In the months and years that followed, little was understood about the long-term effects of breathing the air around Ground Zero, but Sandberg knew something was wrong. Bouts of bronchitis and vertigo, and a metallic taste in his mouth that he couldn’t get rid of led him, led him to leave the city and head back to Texas in 2005.
A new doctor and a hospital stay helped him on the path to recovery and gave him the space to start making art again. Through a small business loan, he was able to rent warehouse space in Austin. He set up separate painting and recording studios and launched a label, Miscellaneous Music. Drawing on connections he had made in New York, he recorded tracks with Johnston and another outsider pop songwriter, Jad Fair, as well as avant hip-hop pioneers Ram-Ell-Zee and DJ High Priest. He also recorded three tracks under the ALIENS banner with drummer Hunt Sales, who has played with David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Todd Rundgren, to name a few.
Eventually, he made it back to NYC himself, setting up shop in Brooklyn in 2009. When a mutual friend introduced him to drummer King, Sandberg saw a new life for ALIENS. King’s setup includes a small drum kit and a cajon hand drum as well as electronics for looping and processing beats, giving ALIENS a much bigger sound than the guitar/drum duo that was in vogue during the band’s first life.
They hit hard at the Knit, delivering a strong set that went off with, or despite, a few hitches. Sandberg’s dirty blond bob and the riffs he grinds out of his guitar belie a certain Kurt Cobain influence, but when King switches from open-palms to sticks, the songs can take on a
Ramone-esque immediacy. The set is primarily comprised of songs from Head First — including a raucous take on his personal 9/11 anthem “Survivor Story,” during which it’s a bit hard to believe his affirmation that “we are all right now.” Live, the duo foments a certain excitement, direct, urgent, almost pleading. They end with a cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Alien Mind Control.”
With a renewed commitment to playing live, Sandberg is ready to give ALIENS another go. Songs are in the works for a second album and he’s set up a Bandcamp page (aliensnyc.bandcamp.com) where Head First and other recordings can be heard in full. He’s also posted a new EP of three Johnston covers, "Songs For Daniel."
“I’ve been through a bunch of stuff,” he said. “I’m just trying to get out there and play some shows and let people know I’m still at it.”
Anthony Haden-Guest's Storage Blues Party and Fundraiser, New York Times, 2012
Hiro Ballroom, NYC. Nile Rogers, James Chance, Penny Arcade, Gray(Basquiat's Noise Band), DJ Spooky, and an appearance by Glenn O'Brien. ALIENS, a noise pop band, sang a song appropriately titled, “Storage Space”
Hiro Ballroom, NYC. Nile Rogers, James Chance, Penny Arcade, Gray(Basquiat's Noise Band), DJ Spooky, and an appearance by Glenn O'Brien. ALIENS, a noise pop band, sang a song appropriately titled, “Storage Space”
Blake Sandberg by Andrea Bucci
Blake Sandberg: Resident Alien
Wonder Stories
BY DOUG FREEMAN, FRI., JULY 25, 2008
Blake Sandberg: Resident Alien "I was born in the mid-Seventies, so I'm definitely part of the Star Wars generation," laughs Blake Sandberg, the local life force behind both the band Aliens and the Misc. Music label. Since launching Misc. Music in spring 2007, Sandberg's provided a home for sounds that skirt the outer limits. From bizarre visions by Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston to the raw punk of locals Damage Pants and Aliens, Misc. Music is the mothership for the misunderstood. Someone actually stopped me on the street and asked me what planet I was from," laughs Sandberg. "I guess I'm an outsider to some degree, but I'm interested in fitting into society somewhere, so I figured I'd put down my thoughts and sing them – or scream them – in front of people and maybe find people I could have a conversation with. And I have!"
Wonder Stories
BY DOUG FREEMAN, FRI., JULY 25, 2008
Blake Sandberg: Resident Alien "I was born in the mid-Seventies, so I'm definitely part of the Star Wars generation," laughs Blake Sandberg, the local life force behind both the band Aliens and the Misc. Music label. Since launching Misc. Music in spring 2007, Sandberg's provided a home for sounds that skirt the outer limits. From bizarre visions by Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston to the raw punk of locals Damage Pants and Aliens, Misc. Music is the mothership for the misunderstood. Someone actually stopped me on the street and asked me what planet I was from," laughs Sandberg. "I guess I'm an outsider to some degree, but I'm interested in fitting into society somewhere, so I figured I'd put down my thoughts and sing them – or scream them – in front of people and maybe find people I could have a conversation with. And I have!"
Covert Curiosity Head First Album Review:
By Lawrence Boone
By Lawrence Boone
Head First Album Review by Peter Brown aka (Toxic Pete UK), 2007:
Raw, edgy and blindingly intoxicating, 'Head First' is the debut album release from Austin, Texas reality-rocksters Aliens. With not really complicated but loads of punkish fluidity, Aliens beat out their electrifying nu-punk with a true grit and intense angularity.
Infectious as clap but much more pleasant to live with, 'Head First' takes things down to street level with a lo-fi rhythmic melee that's driven by incessant guitar chords and a ferociously savage percussive engine room. Vocally, Aliens make sweet noise happen from humble and non-too-showy but honest and occasionally grungy outpourings that are totally suited to the refreshingly organic and minimalist instrumental backdrop. Altogether, Aliens sound is gritty, pounding and compelling; nothing about Aliens sounds pretentious or self-indulgent, Aliens appear to write and play from somewhere deep inside the gut rather than the heart and their energetic but tantalizing roots punk/rock is hemmed by tattered seams and frayed edges that allow freedom of movement and unrestricted ebb of flow of murky waves of sound that suck you in and hold you fast until you're drunk on Aliens' home brew of homogenous sound.
'Head First' by Aliens is kick-ass nu-punk with a big rockin' twist. Aliens' stripped-back sound is as simple as it is powerful; a basic but smartly innovative cocktail of gritty rockin' sounds that cross genre boundaries and stick two fingers up at pretentious indie normality. Aliens' music is 'now', it's honest, it's totally laid bare and it's a very pleasant change from most of what's going down at the moment. 'Head First' by Aliens is a simplistic but wholly enthralling work of gritty, powerful grunge-punk - great fun, massively likable and a somewhat delicious musical morsel that shoves conformity out the door and brings harsh reality to the party. I love it, it's just a no bullshit work that gets down to business and spits in the face of indie convention and is all the better for its blatant grubbiness and off-the-street attitude.
Raw, edgy and blindingly intoxicating, 'Head First' is the debut album release from Austin, Texas reality-rocksters Aliens. With not really complicated but loads of punkish fluidity, Aliens beat out their electrifying nu-punk with a true grit and intense angularity.
Infectious as clap but much more pleasant to live with, 'Head First' takes things down to street level with a lo-fi rhythmic melee that's driven by incessant guitar chords and a ferociously savage percussive engine room. Vocally, Aliens make sweet noise happen from humble and non-too-showy but honest and occasionally grungy outpourings that are totally suited to the refreshingly organic and minimalist instrumental backdrop. Altogether, Aliens sound is gritty, pounding and compelling; nothing about Aliens sounds pretentious or self-indulgent, Aliens appear to write and play from somewhere deep inside the gut rather than the heart and their energetic but tantalizing roots punk/rock is hemmed by tattered seams and frayed edges that allow freedom of movement and unrestricted ebb of flow of murky waves of sound that suck you in and hold you fast until you're drunk on Aliens' home brew of homogenous sound.
'Head First' by Aliens is kick-ass nu-punk with a big rockin' twist. Aliens' stripped-back sound is as simple as it is powerful; a basic but smartly innovative cocktail of gritty rockin' sounds that cross genre boundaries and stick two fingers up at pretentious indie normality. Aliens' music is 'now', it's honest, it's totally laid bare and it's a very pleasant change from most of what's going down at the moment. 'Head First' by Aliens is a simplistic but wholly enthralling work of gritty, powerful grunge-punk - great fun, massively likable and a somewhat delicious musical morsel that shoves conformity out the door and brings harsh reality to the party. I love it, it's just a no bullshit work that gets down to business and spits in the face of indie convention and is all the better for its blatant grubbiness and off-the-street attitude.
Soundcheck Magazine Head First Album Review 2007
Aliens is tough to label, probably in part because Blake and Ed—the guitar-and-drum duo that comprises the band, and who apparently prefer to use their first names only—have made it their mission to be. Not to be confused with The Beta Band offshoot The Aliens, Austin’s own Aliens (note the lack of the “The”, as this will be important in tracking inevitable lawsuits later) might just be single-handedly bringing something gritty back to our local music scene that we’ve been sorely missing. Sometimes they sound like Helmet, sometimes Blake sounds like Thurston Moore or even “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”-era Michael Stipe, and sometimes they just sound like sheer, unadulterated noise.
Any time a two-person band manages such a noisy sound, the band needs to be watched and possibly reckoned with. Though Head First is their debut, Aliens has already garnered attention from local, longstanding rock bands. They have played at CBGB’s and have somehow made songs like “Committed to Wind” and “Moving Parts” seem slightly familiar. Despite being young and fairly scruffy compared to the skinny jeansed, carefully-coiffed hipster bands lurking around town, they’ve made pins and t-shirts and an early gaggle of fans. All of this means that someday, if you’re any kind of savvy music consumer, you can point to your record shelf, hold up the simple, bright album cover that depicts a swimmer clonking her head on a diving board, and say, “Look, I’ve got Aliens’ first album.” You will thus impress the pants off your unsuspecting guest.
-Dina Guidubaldi
Aliens is tough to label, probably in part because Blake and Ed—the guitar-and-drum duo that comprises the band, and who apparently prefer to use their first names only—have made it their mission to be. Not to be confused with The Beta Band offshoot The Aliens, Austin’s own Aliens (note the lack of the “The”, as this will be important in tracking inevitable lawsuits later) might just be single-handedly bringing something gritty back to our local music scene that we’ve been sorely missing. Sometimes they sound like Helmet, sometimes Blake sounds like Thurston Moore or even “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”-era Michael Stipe, and sometimes they just sound like sheer, unadulterated noise.
Any time a two-person band manages such a noisy sound, the band needs to be watched and possibly reckoned with. Though Head First is their debut, Aliens has already garnered attention from local, longstanding rock bands. They have played at CBGB’s and have somehow made songs like “Committed to Wind” and “Moving Parts” seem slightly familiar. Despite being young and fairly scruffy compared to the skinny jeansed, carefully-coiffed hipster bands lurking around town, they’ve made pins and t-shirts and an early gaggle of fans. All of this means that someday, if you’re any kind of savvy music consumer, you can point to your record shelf, hold up the simple, bright album cover that depicts a swimmer clonking her head on a diving board, and say, “Look, I’ve got Aliens’ first album.” You will thus impress the pants off your unsuspecting guest.
-Dina Guidubaldi
ALIENS Head First (Misc. Music)
REVIEWED BY AUDRA SCHROEDER, FRI., NOV. 16, 2007
Aliens
Head First
The cover of Aliens' debut shows a young diver about to hit her head on a diving board, and that's an appropriate introduction to 14 somewhat disorienting songs. First things first: Head First was mastered by Kramer, renown producer for the likes of Daniel Johnston and White Zombie, so there's a distinct early-Nineties shamble-rock vibe.... There's something very Austin about the heatstroke of "Guinea Pig" and "Serial Killer," both fun, pogo-worthy screams, and "Reflex Motor," which veers into a
Hawkwind-y extendo-jam that's almost psych rock. A bit tame for a debut, but here's hoping they split open our heads elsewhere. (Aliens release Head First tonight at Room 710.)
REVIEWED BY AUDRA SCHROEDER, FRI., NOV. 16, 2007
Aliens
Head First
The cover of Aliens' debut shows a young diver about to hit her head on a diving board, and that's an appropriate introduction to 14 somewhat disorienting songs. First things first: Head First was mastered by Kramer, renown producer for the likes of Daniel Johnston and White Zombie, so there's a distinct early-Nineties shamble-rock vibe.... There's something very Austin about the heatstroke of "Guinea Pig" and "Serial Killer," both fun, pogo-worthy screams, and "Reflex Motor," which veers into a
Hawkwind-y extendo-jam that's almost psych rock. A bit tame for a debut, but here's hoping they split open our heads elsewhere. (Aliens release Head First tonight at Room 710.)
Off the Record
Music news
BY AUSTIN POWELL, FRI., AUG. 3, 2007
The Story of an Artist
Illustration by Daniel Johnston
Following the success of Jeff Feuerzeig's documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, not to mention Infernal Bridegroom Productions' rock opera, Speeding Motorcycle, there's now talk of a possible Daniel Johnston biopic. "It seems inevitable," discloses Johnston's brother and co-manager, Dick, through e-mail. The storied artist and musician, who recently returned from an MTV taping in Canada, also plans to put out a new full-length with his band, Danny & the Nightmares, titled Death of Satan, through his family label and publishing company, Eternal Yip Eye. "We've been working on it for about a year now," says Daniel from his home in Waller. A vinyl single of the same name, backed with "Monster Mash," is currently available on Spain's Munster Records, while Misc. Music, the local label launched by Aliens' guitaristBlake Sandberg (see "Texas Platters," p.66), features Danny & the Nightmares' "Red Hot Sex" on its new 28-song sampler. The imprint hopes to put out two other vinyl releases with Johnston: a split single with Jad Fair and a split of covers performed by Aliens, which were originally recorded at Kramer's Noise New York studio for Second Shimmy's I Killed the Monster tribute. Unfortunately, Johnston will not appear at Emo's on Monday, where he was billed as Danny & Satan Jr., due to conflicting arrangements. Jad Fair, Aliens, Lazar Wolf, and Damage Pants will perform as scheduled.
Music news
BY AUSTIN POWELL, FRI., AUG. 3, 2007
The Story of an Artist
Illustration by Daniel Johnston
Following the success of Jeff Feuerzeig's documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, not to mention Infernal Bridegroom Productions' rock opera, Speeding Motorcycle, there's now talk of a possible Daniel Johnston biopic. "It seems inevitable," discloses Johnston's brother and co-manager, Dick, through e-mail. The storied artist and musician, who recently returned from an MTV taping in Canada, also plans to put out a new full-length with his band, Danny & the Nightmares, titled Death of Satan, through his family label and publishing company, Eternal Yip Eye. "We've been working on it for about a year now," says Daniel from his home in Waller. A vinyl single of the same name, backed with "Monster Mash," is currently available on Spain's Munster Records, while Misc. Music, the local label launched by Aliens' guitaristBlake Sandberg (see "Texas Platters," p.66), features Danny & the Nightmares' "Red Hot Sex" on its new 28-song sampler. The imprint hopes to put out two other vinyl releases with Johnston: a split single with Jad Fair and a split of covers performed by Aliens, which were originally recorded at Kramer's Noise New York studio for Second Shimmy's I Killed the Monster tribute. Unfortunately, Johnston will not appear at Emo's on Monday, where he was billed as Danny & Satan Jr., due to conflicting arrangements. Jad Fair, Aliens, Lazar Wolf, and Damage Pants will perform as scheduled.
Singles review:
ALIENS "Live at CBGB, "Committed to Wind" b/w "Stow Away"
REVIEWED BY AUSTIN POWELL, FRI., AUG. 3, 2007
ALIENS have had a textbook career thus far. Their debut EP, hand-numbered through 315, is a raw and unnerving three-song set Live at CBGB, with guitarist and vocalist Blake Sandberg backed only by the beats of DJ High Priest. With two drummers in tow, the local crew's new single "Committed to Wind" b/w "Stow Away," recorded at Nashville's Sun Studios and issued on green vinyl, is equally unnerving, a visceral attack on pop culture. Both spin at 45 rpm for Austin's MISC. MUSIC.
ALIENS "Live at CBGB, "Committed to Wind" b/w "Stow Away"
REVIEWED BY AUSTIN POWELL, FRI., AUG. 3, 2007
ALIENS have had a textbook career thus far. Their debut EP, hand-numbered through 315, is a raw and unnerving three-song set Live at CBGB, with guitarist and vocalist Blake Sandberg backed only by the beats of DJ High Priest. With two drummers in tow, the local crew's new single "Committed to Wind" b/w "Stow Away," recorded at Nashville's Sun Studios and issued on green vinyl, is equally unnerving, a visceral attack on pop culture. Both spin at 45 rpm for Austin's MISC. MUSIC.
Aliens – Committed to Wind (Misc. Music) 2007
The first release from new Austin label Misc. Music is an adequate enough representation of their self-described “dysfunctional music.” Aliens is a guitar in search of a band to fill out the pounding punk sound, but said guitar manages to kick up a decent amount of ruckus through loops and some help on drums. Lead singer Blake’s vocals seem to take cues more from 90’s alternative than punk, with the lead single “Committed to Wind” especially seeming to move around any number of the prototypical early 90’s radio rockers right before their break. But if the singing is blurring those lines, it’s a credit to Aliens that they inject some lo-fi skuzzy energy and urgency back into the genre. Their true sound is best represented on the three live cuts from a 2005 show at CBGB. On “Reflex Motor” Blake yells out harsh mantras across rusty guitar riffs while DJ High Priest works the turntables and drum loops in the back with his own “High Priest Breakdown.” And “Watch and Learn” swirls ferociously with a drawn out apathetic howl and intermittent bark of “God damn it anyhow,” a sound that would work well on a bill with another local punk duo, “Shoot for the Stars…and Kill Them.” If Aliens can match that live punk force on their studio tracks, maintaining the raw energy with more polished recording, they just might kill a few stars themselves.
The first release from new Austin label Misc. Music is an adequate enough representation of their self-described “dysfunctional music.” Aliens is a guitar in search of a band to fill out the pounding punk sound, but said guitar manages to kick up a decent amount of ruckus through loops and some help on drums. Lead singer Blake’s vocals seem to take cues more from 90’s alternative than punk, with the lead single “Committed to Wind” especially seeming to move around any number of the prototypical early 90’s radio rockers right before their break. But if the singing is blurring those lines, it’s a credit to Aliens that they inject some lo-fi skuzzy energy and urgency back into the genre. Their true sound is best represented on the three live cuts from a 2005 show at CBGB. On “Reflex Motor” Blake yells out harsh mantras across rusty guitar riffs while DJ High Priest works the turntables and drum loops in the back with his own “High Priest Breakdown.” And “Watch and Learn” swirls ferociously with a drawn out apathetic howl and intermittent bark of “God damn it anyhow,” a sound that would work well on a bill with another local punk duo, “Shoot for the Stars…and Kill Them.” If Aliens can match that live punk force on their studio tracks, maintaining the raw energy with more polished recording, they just might kill a few stars themselves.
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