STREAM: Colleen Green – “Y Do U Call Me?” –
http://soundcloud.com/hardlyartrecords/colleen-green-y-do-u-call-me/
STREAM: Dizzy Eyes – “Let’s Break Up the Band” – http://soundcloud.com/hardlyartrecords/dizzy-eyes-lets-break-up-the-band/
About Colleen Green:
I know a couple of things about Colleen Green.
One thing that’s for sure: she’s a songwriting phenomenon. She sings lovely, catchy, fuzzy songs that range from 80s pop goulash to psychedelic drone; from 90s power punk to homemade Sebadoh-style songs of heartache. Think of her as a sort of female Daniel Johnston, with her at home making comics, armed with a seemingly unlimited amount of well-composed songs, her lamentations on out-of-reach love, her self-medication, her bedroom recordings. She proudly displays her musical heroes’ influences on her sleeve. She plays live shows alone on stage with only an electric guitar and a drum machine to accompany her.
Is she a genius? Who knows.
So let’s get down to the bare bone facts. These are the things I know about Colleen Green to be true: Colleen Green sprouted up some years ago in Massachusetts, deep within the forests of the Merrimack Valley. She was raised by a loving family that brought her up on a steady diet of delicious oldies and sugary cereals. Colleen Green went to school, learned how to speak the language of the streets, and by second grade was rapping on school grounds. By the age of 11 she had discovered punk rock and never looked back. From that point on she was obsessed with music.
Green moved to Oakland, California in 2008 in search of hot sun, good bud, good buds, and nice boys. Fortunately, five of her best friends decided to join her, the best of which being Kayla. Along with their friend Steve O, Green and Kayla created the Full House House in West Oakland and invited countless great bands from across the nation and world to play in their living room. Kayla can be seen on the front cover of the “Green One” 7″, and is also one of two main characters in Green’s comic strip, “Real Shit Daily”.
Recently, Green retreated to a cave in Los Angeles, where she can now be found sleeping, smoking, baking magical treats, and staring at the wall. Within two lonely months, Colleen had written and recorded Milo Goes to Compton; within five she had released both that tape and the 4 Loko 2 Kayla CD-R EP as well. Both of these albums have been in heavy rotation since the day they arrived in my mailbox.
Anyway, that is just the beginning of the Colleen Green story. If you can, get to know her. And text her. You will love her.
What the press has said about Colleen Green:
“A brutal gem for the real indie club bound to blow up speakers and inspire many bands out there to get way more creative (or violent) with their re-appropriation of 1960s Girls in the Garage tropes.” – 20 Jazz Funk Greats
“Like coffee for your ears.” – Pitchfork
“Slightly snotty but totally cool fuzz pop music.” – Neu Magazine
About Dizzy Eyes:
Dizzy Eyes are three fast friends, Marissa Johnson, Jordan Gervais, and Alejandro Constanzo, who decided to start a band over mutual admiration for each other and for fun, as most of the best bands do start. The band formed in Vancouver, Canada in the year 2010 and subsequently wrote a very taut set of rock and roll / guitar pop anthems, and in the eight months of the band’s existence played a handful of shows.
Those live shows were the stuff of legend and word spread fast to the executives, CFOs, VPs, and CTOs at Hardly Art. But before the band could make the album of our and their dreams, the band’s activity was cut short by Constanzo’s obligatory departure of the country when his application for his residence was withdrawn.
So via this 7″, we give you three artifacts of a band put on hold, for the time being.
The songs displayed on the band’s debut seven inch are perfect, sweet, noisy and sit at the tip of the ear in a “where have I heard these songs before?” sort of way and like all great songs, in that way, they fulfill their mission. Great pop songs should do this to the people.
“Let’s Break Up the Band” seems a fitting title, too, due to the circumstances, but be sure, this band is not done yet. “Ay!” and “Sugar Cain” are not really B-sides, but two more examples of the band flexing their mastering of 90s style noise pop. Let’s hope these guys get back together really soon. Can you tell me who this band reminds you of? I bet you cannot.
All three tracks presented here were recorded and mixed by Felix Fung. Dizzy Eyes are Marissa Johnson on bass and vocals, Jordan Gervais on drums, and Alejandro Constanzo on guitar and vocals.
COLLEEN GREEN
02/18 Los Angeles, CA – Lot 1 Cafe *
02/20 San Diego, CA – Tower Bar
03/04 Oakland, CA – 1234 Go! Records Store ^
03/05 Reno, NV – The H.Q.
03/07 Portland, OR – Mudai Lounge !
03/08 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern $
03/11 Caldwell, ID – House Show
03/12 Provo, UT – The Compound
03/13 Denver, CO – Unit B
03/15 Amarillo, TX – The 806
03/17-19 Austin, TX – SXSW
03/20 Shreveport, LA – Minicine
03/21 Oxford, MS – Cats Purring Dude Ranch
03/22 Auburn, AL – Marion House
03/23 Gainesville, FL – Junkyard
03/24 Columbia, SC – Jessica’s House
03/26 Cincinnati, OH – Mayday
03/28 Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House
03/31 Philadelphia, PA – The Trinity Haus
04/01 Jersey City, NJ – House Show
04/02 Brooklyn, NY – Death By Audio #
04/03 Willimantic, CT – The Handsome Woman
04/04 Cambridge, MA – Zuzu
04/15 Lowell, MA – 119 Gallery
* = w/ The Monolators
^ = w/ Uzi Rash
! = w/ Nucular Animals, Mean Jeans
$ = w/ The Caligraphers
# = w/ JEFF the Brotherhood, Xray Eyeballs
DIZZY EYES
03/17-20 Austin, TX – SXSW
Colleen Green
“Green One” + 3 7″
(Hardly Art)
Street Date: Mar. 1, 2011
A1. Green One
A2. Dance the Night Away
B1. Y Do U Call Me?
B2. I’m Leaving It Up to You
Dizzy Eyes
“Let’s Break Up the Band” + 2 7″
(Hardly Art)
Street Date: Mar. 1, 2011
A1. Let’s Break Up the Band
B1. Ay!
B2. Sugar Cain
COLLEEN GREEN LINKS:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/colleengreen420
Press Materials – http://www.hardlyart.com/colleengreen.html
DIZZY EYES LINKS:
Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/dizzyeyes
Press Materials – http://www.hardlyart.com/dizzyeyes.html