Author: jonathanschenke

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Free-jazz explorers Irreversible Entanglements return with two new singles: “Don’t Lose Your Head” and “Vibrate Higher”. The singles are from their forthcoming album Future Present Past, and were featured on Pitchfork, Stereogum, Northern Transmissions, and many other outlets. The group – comprising Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), Luke Stewart, Aquiles Navarro, Keir Neuringer, and Tcheser Holmes – recorded hours of improvisations at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio and Pioneer Works, and I worked with them at Studio Windows across last summer/fall to edit & shape the arrangements, providing additional production and recording as well. Andrew Lappin mixed the album in LA, and Heba Kadry mastered it. Motherboard (aka Kyle Kidd) and Helado Negro (aka Roberto Lange) guest on multiple tracks. Working with the group on this album was a wonderful experience, and the resulting album is extremely exciting! Check out the two singles below – Future Present Past is out March 27 via Impulse Records.

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Chicago art-rock trio Facing have released their debut album Temporary Bodies. Described as “sultry, atmospheric alt-pop” by The Chicago Reader, these songs combine the best parts of post-punk, trip hop, and electronic manipulations into a singular whole. The album was recorded by the group, was mixed by Kirk Rawlings and Doug Malone at Jamdek in Chicago, and mastered by yours truly at Studio Windows. I’m a big fan – definitely worth checking this one out!! Temporary Bodies is out now (on limited edition vinyl and digital) via No Gold.

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Constant Smiles – the ever-shifting collective led by Ben Jones – has released their newest album Moonflowers. The album has received great press- 4.5 stars on Allmusic (“An album that feels like a secret worth sharing, Moonflowers is an elegant, empathetic balm for this time, and for all time”), a writeup on Brooklyn Vegan (thanks for the shoutout Bill!), and a feature on Line Of Best Fit. The group recorded the album with Philip Weinrobe, who also did preliminary mixing; Katie Von Scheicher mixed the song “Everything is Personal”; and I worked with Ben to see the album through to completion: contributing additional recording, resampling for interludes, mixing two songs (“Introduction” and “Allowed to Be”), additional mixing on the rest, and mastering the whole set at Studio Windows. It’s a beautiful record based around hushed acoustic guitar & vocals and tasteful bass & drums, with a lush backdrop of collaborators including Cassandra Jenkins, Shazad Ismaly, Fred Thomas, and many more. Moonflowers is out now (on LP + Digital, with an limited edition zine) via Felte.

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Oh! by my group P.E. is out now. This is the last one, written and recorded 2021-2023, and mixed & mastered earlier this year at Studio Windows. It has some of my favorite songs we ever did, riding the wave from The Leather Lemon, through the rotating case of the NOPE era, and cresting into the time when “the boys” took the mic. Bill Pearis at Brooklyn Vegan penned a lovely review, writing “the group have decided to call it quits, but not before throwing one hell of a farewell party on their third and final album. It’s sad to see them go, but Oh! is a terrific way to bow out.”

We made a ton of music together since 2018 – three albums, four mixtapes, an EP, some covers and remixes, along with a bunch of stuff no one ever needs to hear… and we played a lot of fun shows too. Endless thanks to Trip & Doug at Wharf Cat Records for being such massive supporters from the very beginning. Oh! is out now (deluxe, limited, and standard edition vinyl + digital) via Wharf Cat Records.

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Words cannot describe how excited I am to be supporting The Fiery Furnaces at National Sawdust on October 25! The group has been surprising and inspiring every time I’ve seen them – I’m sure we’re in for a treat.

Their shows are in support of the new Blueberry Boat vinyl reissue, which includes the unreleased track “Far Away” (mastered by me at Studio Windows). I’ve listened to this record countless times, and it was amazing to help with this reissue. (Additionally, I edited/mixed/mastered their live-in-studio album Stuck In My Head, which came out last fall).

I’ll be playing songs from my album Passages (out now on No Gold), and some new material too. Tickets are “selling fast” – you can order them here.

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NYC punks Native Sun have just released their debut full-length album Concrete Language. The album’s been getting great reviews – 8/10 in Clash Magazine (“one heck of a ride [that] reflects the exuberance of this band’s live performance”), Album of the Week in Tinnist, and write-ups all over the place – and filling up playlists with various singles. The album was recorded by Jeremy Snyder (Pure Adult) and me at various locations across Brooklyn (Studio G, La Fam, Academy Fight Songs, Studio Windows), mixed by me at Studio Windows, and mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound. It’s wild to think that this is their debut (they already have a handful of singles & EPs to their name), but the time & energy was well spent putting this one together. The band is going on tour with Bass Drum of Death in the US before heading over to the UK for a stretch there – the live show rips! Concrete Language is out now on TODO Records.

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Washington DC-based indie punks BRNDA are back with their new album Total Pain. The album’s got some nice press, including Bandcamp’s Essential Releases, a profile in Washington City Paper, and a thorough review on WRGW’s blog. As with their debut Do You Like Salt, the group recorded with Justin Moyer at White Oak Studio in DC, and I mixed & mastered the album at Studio Windows in Brooklyn. The new record stretches way further out, however, with wild clarinet & flute parts, shades of electronics, and a wider range of song styles. If you liked the first one, you’ll love this one. If you didn’t hear the first one, but are looking for some catchy weirdness, check it out! Total Pain is out now on Crafted Sounds.

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Constant Smiles – the indie-rock collective led by Ben Jones – returns with “Time Measured In Moonflowers”, featuring Cassandra Jenkins. Brooklyn Vegan, Gold Flake Paint, and Beats Per Minute all wrote extensively about the track, which is from the upcoming LP Moonflowers. The band tracked the album with Philip Weinrobe (Big Thief, Tomberlin) at his Sugar Mountain studios in Brooklyn, NY, with a wide range of collaborators (including Shahzad Izmaily, Fred Thomas, P.G. Six, Stephen R. Smith, and more) contributing overdubs. While much of the preliminary mixing was done with Phil, I worked with Ben to tie everything together: additional recording & editing, additional mixing (including mixing two songs from scratch), and mastering the whole record. The resulting album is a beautiful departure from the synth-heavy production of the previous Kenneth Anger (on which I also worked)- more slow-core and acoustic-forward – while retaining the sweeping melodies and experimental arrangements of the past work. Check out the video below for a taste! Moonflowers is out November 7 on Felte.

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My group P.E. returns for our third & final album Oh! The album was announced with the lead single “Color Coordinator”, featuring Eleanor Friedberger (of the Fiery Furnaces). The track was featured on Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Treble and more, and it was included it on Brooklyn Vegan’s Favorite Songs of the Week, Sacred Bones’ Now Playing, and Gimme Tinnitus Songs of the Summer playlists. Oh! was recorded in fits and spurts over the past few years (with most of the work done in 2022-2023), features an expanded line-up from our original quintet – along with Eleanor on “Color Coordinator”, Nick Campolo performs on and helped write many of the songs. In addition to co-writing and performing on these songs, I recorded much of it, and mixed & mastered the album earlier this year at Studio Windows. This album feels like a wonderful snapshot of the songs we were writing since The Leather Lemon, a handful of which we performed around the Northeast in 2023. Massive thanks to our longtime label Wharf Cat Records for putting this out into the world! Oh! is out October 3 on limited edition vinyl, with special and deluxe editions available as well.

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DC-area art-punk quartet BRNDA are back with “Peach Pit”, the first song and lead single from their sophomore album Total Pain. Bandcamp listed it in their “New and Notable” releases (“The DC band bring a more somber outlook to their latest LP, but their synth-tinged art punk remains upbeat and catchy”) and Austin Town Hall gave the track a great review. As with their first album Do You Like Salt?, Total Pain was recorded by Justin Moyer at White Oak Studios (DC), and I mixed & mastered the album at Studio Windows (NYC). I was excited to be able to work with the group again, and I love how they’ve expanded and experimented with their sound on this one – it’s a fun one! Total Pain is out on LP, CD, cassette & digital on September 12 via Crafted Sounds.