“The debut album, superbly titled Man Feelings, is a crunching fusion of classic hard rock with a knowing post-1977 twist. Imagine Black Sabbath at their most versatile, with the fuzz stripped back and replaced by the blistering lizard-brained rhythmic overload of original proto-punks The Stooges and you’ll certainly be in the right ballpark.” -Pocket Jury/Tommy Dski

Hairy and sweaty with veins pumping blood, there is nothing fake about Chicago’s Fake Limbs or their elpee “Man Feelings.” They hit hard. They lock down rhythms with serious intent and the combination creates an adrenal effect. The effect is capitalized by frontman Stephen Sowley, whose vocal delivery comes from somewhere between the threat bark of Helmet’s Page Hamilton and David Yow’s writhing grunt. -Stripwax/Jeff Moody

Music wise, Fake Limbs are, as previously mentioned, much a product of the surrounding Chicago area showing flashes of past notables like Jesus Lizard, Tar, Shorty, and so on. The bit of choppy abrasiveness is then funneled through a hefty dose of 70’s riff rock, leaving the album with a nice balance between the rough stuff and the rockin’. At just over twenty five minutes, the pace is kept at a speed that suits their sound perfectly, allowing the frequent injections of riffs to stay fresh. -Built On A Weak Spot

Fake Limbs are on the make. The brutish rock quartet, which features former Builder/Destroyer rhythm section Mat Biscan and Nick Smalkowski, drops its debut, Man Feelings, on May 8 via BLVD. Fake Limbs recorded and mixed the album in two days at Electrical Audio, and according to front man and infamous Danny’s doorkeep Stephen Sowley, Man Feelings is “about a minute and half shorter than Pink Moon and far less embarrassing.”-Jessica Hopper/Gossip Wolf

AVAILABLE IN FINE RECORD STORES NOW OR BUY FROM BLVD HERE. SEE BELOW POST FOR MORE INFO.

We are VERY stoked for this release. Fake Limbs have been gettin’ the accolades all over the place: on Chicagoist, at The Chicago Reader, great reviews have been pouring out via One Kind Radio, Pocket Jury, Built on a Weak Spot PLUS: a Stripwax comic!! Holy shite.

Tickets for the record release show are ON SALE NOW. Hideout Chicago, Friday May 25, with Blizzard Babies & Blasted Diplomats & DJ Supreme Court!

Here’s what we have to say about FL:
A self-described “eight-fisted rock trial in meat, wire, and maple,” Fake Limbs have Man Feelings and they’re gonna let you know it: featuring a handful of Chicago music heavyweights, they have burst onto the scene with bruising beats and furious riffs drenched in massive doses of lyrical/onstage humor. These four dudes play a brand of heavy r’n'r/punk rock that is seriously on par with the legendary likes of Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Pere Ubu & The Stooges. AND THAT’S NOT ALL… get into it: AmRep stylings galore, EPIC rhythm section, post-hardcore flavoring, technical finesse, punk rock character, feel-good abrasiveness, brutally real heavy/smart lyrical content, yowling frenzy, and the finest frontman since D. Boon. Need to explore the humility of existence in the western world? Then this record is for you. Finis.

RIYL: Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Stooges, Thin Lizzy, Pere Ubu, Helmet, Pissed Jeans, Clockcleaner, Black Sabbath, Tar, Black Flag, Birthday Party, etc.

OTHER:
-Featuring former members of Builder/Destroyer and a “Chicago famous” doorman; Fake Limbs are Mat Biscan, Bryan Gleason, Nick Smalkowski & Stephen Sowley.
-Recorded by Jon San Paulo at Electrical Audio Studios
-Mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering
-Limited to 300 copies, includes digital download
-Badass cover art by Ryan Duggan
-It’s seriously awesome

—IN OTHER NEWS————

Mahogany Mania!
After making waves on stage AND on the runways at SXSW, Mahogany are back to work on their forthcoming “Electric Prisms” EP. They have announced a headlining spot this Saturday, Cinco de Mayo, at the Subterranean, Chicago.

Mahogany have also been invited to headline The Color Awesome‘s first annual Cloudless festival in Seattle… they will be playing on Friday, May 25, just a couple days after a special live session for KEXP!

There is a Kickstarter page up to help with the costs associated with the first Cloudless festival via The Color Awesome. We very highly recommend contributing to this awesome project, if possible!

Astrobrite in Los Angeles!
Astrobrite has been invited to play a special installment of the legendary Part Time Punks residency at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. PTP will be holding a one-day Shoegaze festival on Sunday, June 24, which will feature Astrobrite, Mark Gardener (of Ride) performing with Sleep Over, and LOTS MORE!

And What?!
Check our ever-rotating events listing for other upcoming events/shows (some awesome ones with Blizzard Babies and Population coming up!)

STARING PROBLEM! We are eagerly awaiting the test presses! Everybody cross your fingers!

We have an awesome tumblr AND twitter for up-to-the-minute news, fyi.

We’ll send you a link to a quality digital download of the album when you preorder the LP in our “store.” Release date on the vinyl is Tuesday, May 8. Your premium vinyl record should ship to you before that.

Here’s a little bit of what Pocket Jury have to say about “Man Feelings:”

The debut album, superbly titled Man Feelings, is a crunching fusion of classic hard rock with a knowing post-1977 twist. Imagine Black Sabbath at their most versatile, with the fuzz stripped back and replaced by the blistering lizard-brained rhythmic overload of original proto-punks The Stooges and you’ll certainly be in the right ballpark. It’s at once louder, funkier and more devilishly brazen than it has any right to be. Great primitive rock music is chiefly about memorable moments, in particular those which evoke the sensations of being front row and centre at a live show. Thanks to some appropriately sympathetic recording by Jon San Paolo in Studio A of Electrical Audio, Man Feelings has a gigantic sonic presence which invokes the spontaneity and impact of a live rock band, not to mention vivid imagery of throbbing amps, dripping sweat and the unmistakable stench of bourbon. It’s easily the most comically rocking album you’ll hear all year, jam-packed with bruising riffs, galloping rhythms and hollered vocalizations. For those tired of style over substance fussiness in modern rock, it’s the ultimate tonic.

Fake Limbs play “balls-out” r’n'r with a refreshing punk arrogance. Overtones of Jesus Lizard-like wailing, Shellac -type stagger, and Pere Ubu-esque artiness make it all the more awesome. We HIGHLY suggest ordering this, right now.

Links of note:
Fake Limbs: Sowley’s E-Z Guide to Man Feelings (lyrical information & laffs)
Fake Limbs live: This Thursday at Quenchers, Chicago

In “moving into the second year of BLVD Records” news, we’re happy to announce that we’ll be releasing the LP version of North Highlands‘ “Wild One” album, which is now available digitally here. This will be our first non-local release, and we are super stoked to be working with this excellent dreamy NYC indie-pop band. “Wild One” has already garnered much positive press from such reputable sources as Stereogum, Pitchfork, &  The Wild Honey Pie. They play the most incandescent, lovely, relaxing & minimally lush brand of beautiful pop music that they can muster, and we love it. RIYL: Stereolab, Deerhoof, Broken Social Scene, Cocteau Twins, Broadcast, & Wye Oak.

North Highlands are currently playing all over the SXSW circuit (see their full schedule here), and the record should be out late spring. Special note to Chicagoland folk: they will be playing here on their return trip, on March 21 at the Beat Kitchen, with our friends Lightfoils. We hope to see you there!

In other news….
*We keep hearing about Mahogany’s excellent performance at SXSW last night. They’ll be participating in the Style X fashion show on Saturday, too! The “Electric Prisms” 12″ will be getting ready for production in the following weeks and we CANNOT WAIT!
*The FAKE LIMBS album “Man Feelings” is now available digitally here! We received the test presses YESTERDAY and they sound rippin.’ Check ‘em out for a noise-scuzz journey that encapsulates punk arrogance, Shellac-like guitar tones, Jesus Lizard/AMRep rock and role, and heavy sounds.
*Get ready for Staring Problem, New Canyons and Blizzard Babies! All are on their way!
*We are celebrating our 1-year birthday tonight at Late Bar Chicago, in conjunction with Bittersweet’s 2nd birthday! BLVD-endorsed band Colony Park play and we’ll have awesome BLVD giveaways. Come say hi!

Please enjoy, watch, and listen to the new Mahogany track/film, which went viral yesterday via SXSW. “Keystone Sonata, Arrangement VII” is an absolutely beautiful arrangement of layered compositions, percussive elements, and a brilliantly original artistic tribute to wanderlust and the railways.

“Keystone Sonata” via SXSW.
“Keystone Sonata” via The Color Awesome.
“Keystone Sonata” via Surfing on Steam.

This track will be part of their upcoming “Electric Prisms” 12″, due late-spring. Are you getting as excited as we are?

More Mahogany information is included in the post below. xoxo.

This is also a HUGE newsweek for Mahogany, as they have just announced their official SXSW performance! They will be taking a break from the mixing, mastering and filming of their upcoming “Electric Prisms” release for both SXSW and a live performance in Chicago. We are humbled to have this insanely creative ensemble on our roster, and very excited for these wonderful folks.

Mahogany will be performing at Schuba’s Tavern, Chicago, 2/29/12, 9pm.
Their official SXSW performance will be at the Karma Lounge, Austin, 3/14/12, midnight.
They will also be taking part in a SXSW runway presentation for Style X on 3/16!

Follow all Mahogany-related news via the following:
Mahogany website
Mahogany twitter
Mahogany facebook
Mahogany youtube

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In other BLVD news, we are now on tumblr, here. Follow for up-to-the-minute news & ephemera.

We also have a BLVD Events page on Facebook, which is constantly being updated.

We have recently started working with Chicago bar/nightclub Late Bar every Thursday night. BITTERSWEET+BLVD brings music, live performances, local musician/artist community-building, and other assorted events every week… brought to you by Melissa of BLVD Records and Chicago’s infamous DJ Peroxide. Keep an eye out for future happenings.

Recent BLVD-related press:
-Wonderful piece on Astrobrite’s “Crush” from Mark Richardson of Pitchfork
-Interview with New Canyons’ Andrew Marrah from The Bomber Jacket
-Very cool write-up on the midwest postpunk revival with nice words re: Population & BLVD, from The Inarguable.
-Melissa of BLVD writes about 3 of her musical obsessions for The Chicago Reader’s “In Rotation” feature.
-Melissa also mentions every upcoming BLVD release in Chicago’s Onion AV Club.

Finally, click the link below for a little preview of the upcoming New Canyons album, which will be a split release between us (LP) and Good People Records (CD).

New Canyons \”Everyone is Dark\” Album Preview

Bittersweet Blissfest at Late Bar will feature live performances by New Canyons and Astrobrite. This will be Astrobrite’s first live show in over ten years, and Scott Cortez will be joined by members of Mahogany for this special, one-time event. The show is on Thursday, October 20.

Mahogany- Electric Prisms 12″
We are beyond excited to be collaborating with the legendary gaze/indie-pop/n¨disco/multidisciplinary ensemble, Mahogany. This project will be both stellar and beautiful, and we simply cannot wait to release this album unto the world!

Mahagonay will be playing CMJ this year, on October 18. Read about that here.
Everything is Chemical just did a fantastic interview with them, which you can read here.
Mahogany website: here.

New Canyons, TBA LP
We’re also very stoked to be putting out New Canyons’ first vinyl LP. New Canyons are a local (Chicago) duo consisting of Andrew Marrah and Adam Stilson. They play ambient, shoegazey synthpop, holding early Depeche Mode, OMD and Yaz close to their hearts while adding a dose of moody atmospherics, effects, ambient drones and postpunk aesthetics. This will be New Canyons’ second full-length effort. We will be releasing this in conjunction with Good People, who will be doing the CD version.

You can purchase the first New Canyons album here.
New Canyons website is right here.

Astrobrite, pinkshinyultrablast LP
The next in our series of Astrobrite reissues will be the lo-fi/shoegaze masterpiece “pinkshinyultrablast” from Scott Cortez (Astrobrite, lovesliescrushing).

Astrobrite on facebook: here
Check out a review of our reissue of “Crush” on Still Single, here.

Click here to purchase.

The official release date for the record (which will include the ultra-limited white-vinyl edition) is July 5, at which time you can order from this website or get a copy at your local record store. As usual, pre-sale copies will also be available at Laurie’s Planet of Sound in Chicago!

East Coasters can pick up the record at any of Population’s mini-east-coast tour dates:
Thursday, 6/23: Syracuse @ badlands, 1007 e. fayette st., 7pm
Friday, 6/24: Boston @ 18 dartmouth st, waltham ma, 8pm
Saturday, 6/25: NYC @ 538 johnson, 8pm
Sunday, 6/26: Philadelphia @ philly moca, 538 e. 12th st, 8pm
Monday, 6/27: Baltimore @ penthouse gallery, 1511 guilford ave, 9pm
Tuesday, 6/28: Pittsburgh @ the shop, 4314 main st