Plastic Passion debut album

Plastic Passion, the finest modern purveyors of new wave pop, have announced the release of their debut album, Contrived Imagery - but only in Japan. It's due to be released on the (new) Knew Noise label on CD on 10th September, and hopefully it will be available to buy online for anyone who isn't Japan-based. The first single from the album is reported to be 'Beneath the Light', but that's still to be confirmed. The LP's tracklisting is...

Pass Over
File Under
We Have Come So Far
Homage
Look Around
Scratching at the Door
Not Art
It's Been Done
Beneath the Light
It Stops

IPSO FACTO :: next singles.

The second single from Ipso Facto, 'Ears and Eyes', is set to be released on August 4th. The limited edition single was recorded with Liam Watson at his Toe Rag Studios on the finest vintage analogue equipment, previously used by The White Stripes and Billy Childish among others, and is available on single-sided 7" vinyl. It's released on Pure Groove's Germs of Youth label, and the band are due to mark the release with an instore appearance at the Farringdon record shop on 31st July at 6.30pm, followed by a chance to buy the record before its release and get it signed by the band.

The group are due to follow this up with the release of '6 & ¾'/'Circle of Fifths' (tracklisting tbc) in September on Mute Irregulars. This one's produced by John Rivers, who, as the engineer for The Specials' 'Ghost Town', brings a suitably atmospheric touch. Those two tracks can be heard on the Ipso Facto MySpace now, and the band play a number of live dates throughout the summer.

ddd EP - REVIEW

Darryl Woollaston’s ddd machine has been ticking away in the background for three years now, adding new cogs (second guitarist John) and churning out one razor-sharp single per year as precisely as clockwork. Now, with their first extended release, they’ve upped a gear. Their self-titled EP flicks directly into action with the mechanical guitar squall that is live favourite and standout track ‘Drown’: a persistantly simple riff lays the foundations for an extended introduction of synthesised beats and noises, before Woollaston’s laconically malignant vocals slice defiant words into the mixture.

What ddd have lost in manic punk energy since their inception they’ve gained in sinister rigidity and sheer technical competence, and every part of the common electric guitar contributes to the array of noises: ‘Drown’ features the sound of the strings reverberating after the back of the guitar’s head is hit, and we don’t dare to imagine how the deeply unsettling scratching noise on ‘Spiral’ was achieved. The robotic pace and voice of the first and third tracks are offset by the darting-eyed paranoia of ‘Concentration’, with its schizophrenic whispered background vocals matched only by the madness of the guitars.

Though the EP is only one track longer than their singles, it’s still a step forward for the ddd project, and its technical precision is unmatched. The duo are starting to gather more recognition for their otherworldly noises, and it’s with great excitement that we look forward to the next twist of the screw.

The EP is available now from the iTunes Music Store, and numbered, limited 10" vinyl copies can be bought at the launch party at the Old Blue Last on the 20th.