The Music Slut has Found its Theme Song

One of our favorite new bands is about to do something crazy. Crazy awesome that is!

Today, on this international celebration of revolution, protest and uprising, Senryu will be saying damn the man to conventional music industry norms by releasing three brand new eps at a special benefit concert tonight in Knoxville. Each ep features a goldmine of songs which showcase three different sides of their musical personality, from the dark and mysterious ballad to dance infused wonders.

We are lucky enough to be hosting a song from each ep below, including our site's unofficial new theme song 'I've Always Been a Slut'. So enjoy and head over to their MySpace for more songs and news on their tour.

MP3: 'I've Always Been a Slut'

MP3: 'Leave the Light on'

MP3: 'William, My Mind is Changing'

24 Hour Nuclear War on Knoxville, TN

Thanks to Senryu for alerting us to this amazing event happening in Knoxville, TN starting on Friday, April 4th at 3pm and lasting until 3pm the next day. They, along with a slew of other local musicians, have been invited by Portland’s Red76 collective to participate in a 24 hour takeover of the Knoxville streets, taking place during the city's monthly 'First Friday' event. Each participating group has an hour to play and is to include in their set a reinterpretation of Sun Ra's 'Nuclear War'. Red76 usually chooses cities with a revolutionary past but this time, picked Knoxville because of the city's emblematic tower intended to resemble a nuclear explosion left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Right on.

Listen to Sun Ra's 'Nuclear War' in the clip below.
Download Senryu's 'Plastic Sugary' here.

Musical Magic In Knoxville, TN

Two of our favourite, favourite bands are getting together tonight for a show in Knoxville, TN that promises to showcase more magic than Dollywood - so we thought it'd be a grand opportunity to mention these incredible bands and their upcoming SXSW appearances.

Pattern Is Movement are Chris and Andrew, two of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet whose innocent demeanor hides a musical genius that we have seen leave audiences astounded. Their fourth album, All Together, will be released on May 6th through Hometapes Records. Download 'Right Away' here.

3/06/08 - Charlotte @ Yau Haus - w/ Calabi Yau
3/07/08 - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge - w/ We Versus The Shark & Cinemechanica
3/08/08 - Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9 - w/ We Versus The Shark & Hi Red Center
3/11/08 - Denton, TX @ Hailey's
3/12/08 - Austin, TX - AFTERNOON (2:50pm) - Austinist/Gothamist Party - w/ A Place to Bury Strangers, Phosphorescent, and Shearwater
3/12/08 - Austin, TX - NIGHT (11pm) - Hometapes Showcase @ Maggie Mae's Gibson Room - w/ Slaraffenland, Bear In Heaven, Nick Butcher & Tacks, The Boy Disaster
3/13/08 - Austin, TX - Billken Club Party @ Jovita's
3/14/08 - Austin, TX - Leisure Tourniquet Party @ Hot Mama's
3/15/08 - Austin, TX - Friend Island: Hometapes-Absolutely Kosher-Misra-Team Clermont-KRTU Party @ Gallery Lombardi - w/ Stars Like Fleas, Megafaun, Bear In Heaven, Slaraffenland, The Gang, Sybris + more...

(the rest of their spring tour dates can be found here)

Senryu bleeds, sometimes quite literally, magic. We've been told these Knoxville natives have a mountain of new and previously unreleased material in store for us this year and we can't wait. They've already released a brand new album Oh My Darling, Quarantine last month and have given us a preview of the single, 'Disco Nap' on their MySpace. Download 'Plastic Sugary' here.

They'll be playing the After The Jump Backyard during SXSW, so if you're headed down to Austin, make sure to swing by and check them out along with the rest of the brilliant line-up that evening - check out all the details below.

3/14/08 - Austin, TX - After The Jump Backyard, 1204 Salinas St. w/ The Physics Of Meaning, The Lisps, These United States, Salt & Samovar and Laura Palmer

Review: Senryu - Oh My Darling, Quarantine

In Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, author Robert Pirsig defines the now lost word Chautauqua as "an old-time series of popular talks intended to edify & entertain, improve the mind and bring culture & enlightenment to the ears & thoughts of the hearer." When listening to the new album Oh My Darling, Quarantine by Senryu, I couldn't seem to shake that term from my mind. When I delved further into what exactly a Chautauqua was, I discovered that those talks on politics, morality & science were always accompanied by "musicians (opera ensembles, string quartets, but also more lighthearted music), dramatic productions, entertainment of all sorts." I smiled when I read that & thought, "yeah, sounds about right."

This Saturday, Senryu will release their fourth album (see the previous Stars & Gartars, Bath Of Broken Glass and Pssst), a short recording with the quirky title of Oh My Darling, Quarantine. Yes, Saturday is not the normal day for a new album release but the band that has grown, recorded and flourished outside the sometimes restrictive rules of the music industry & is doing what they do best - releasing a rare, short run CD at a concert (Pilot Light: Knoxville, TN with Jucifer). A recording you may not be able to find again, or even beg of the band, that is full of gems their true fans will go to any lengths to buy. These rare EPs and albums are Senryu's Chautauqua, bringing "enlightenment to the ears & thoughts of the hearer." On this Tuesday, the traditional day for the release of new music, I find myself in the extraordinary position of being the first person to possess a copy of Oh My Darling, Quarantine. I feel as if I have been initiated into a hidden society.

Oh My Darling, Quarantine begins with an introduction, 'Hey Gravity,' a short schoolyard style chant about hidden angel wings, and quickly moves into 'Posture Perfect', a song that begins reminiscent of The Strokes' 'Last Nite' and evolves into a Shout Out Louds, Boy Least Likely To style pop sing-a-long. 'Plastic Sugary' is without a doubt a single, you can listen to it on the band's MySpace, the single that will have you jumping around at their next show. I have no idea what 'Plastic Sugary' is but, hey, whatever, this tune is punk, and shout-y without being too punk and shout-y. Senryu has a particular knack for being able to do that, take a listen to 'I Am A Battering Ram', a staple on their MySpace, and you'll see what I mean. 'The Glory Of The Morning When I Met You For The 2nd Time', is a song I thought meant something different than what you are probably thinking as well. It starts off light and silly and slides into a surprising sweetness mid-song with a Muse-like downturn in tempo. Next is 'Alstublieft' during which I find myself wanting to be that girl on a plane, 'Cannibals And Missionaries,' a strange and haunting song, and to end it all perfectly, my pick for a single, 'The Breathing Machine.' When I first listened to 'The Breathing Machine', I could think of only one word of description: epic. With threads of I'm From Barcelona & Avett Brothers, it soars with indie pop brilliance that makes the entire LP hard to forget.

What makes this latest installment from Senryu stand out most is that each song is distinct and interesting, incorporating different musical genres and devices which together cry Americana. It's a little ragtime, punk, country soul and old fashioned rock and roll stirred into one and reinvented in a manner that comes off as both intriguing and endearing. As I listen, I find that what I really crave are the lyrics to interpret it all. Every song gives off a premonition of future performances where the words will be sung loudly back to the band and now that I'm in this secret society, I want to be able to sing too.

I would like to thank Senryu for a first chance to listen & for once again creating a group of songs that I am finding extremely difficult to get out of my head... not that I would want to.

MP3: 'Plastic Sugary' [alt link] [alt link 2]

Senryu: A New Year's Eve Wrap-Up

photo by Josh Godin

After The Jump's New Year's Eve show had so many great moments - Poingly in silver spandex making everybody crazy, watching people's jaws drop in amazement as Pattern Is Movement began playing, David Longstretch (of Dirty Projectors) missing midnight but recovering so adorably a minute later, Eric from Foreign Islands kicking off karaoke with The Darkness single, 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love,' - but for me, the best part of the night was when beautiful, little Sophie from Care Bears On Fire joined Senryu on stage to sing my favourite songs of theirs, 'Leave The Light On.' I think I might have even liked it better than the original, and I like that a whole hell of a lot.

Senryu's live show is interactive and messy yet flawlessly calculated. It draws you in and spits you out with undulating waves of dance pop and slower indie melodies. It makes you fall in love and fall into step with nonconforming uses of recorded sound and off mic screaming that gets your blood pumping, as you find yourself uncontrollably screaming "I AM A BATTERING RAM!". Lead singer Wil Wright once described their live show as a "magical car accident." At the end of their set on Monday night, I found myself sweaty, covered in glitter and glowing with joy. I don't think he was far off.

If you didn't make it to Knitting Factory on NYE to see Senryu, you're shit out of luck New York, at least for a while. Next up for the Tennessee lads is a show at Knoxville's Pilot Light on Monday and then onto SXSW (with perhaps some more dates sprinkled in between).

For a better description of what makes Senryu tick, check out this rather fantastic article about the band's return to Knoxville in The Daily Times.

MP3: 'Leave The Light On'

Senryu Talks With Uncensored About Life, Love & ATJ

Yesterday, Wil Wright of Senryu sat down with UncensoredInterview.com to talk about music, Knoxville, porn and After The Jump's New Year's Eve Party. Check it out below!

Fresh Friday: Senryu

Matt so often likes to ask the question of bands "Who the hell are you?" Well, this time it is my turn and my focus of interrogation, into that age old philosophical question, is on Knoxville band Senryu. I discovered Senryu when I discovered The Physics of Meaning back around Halloween, when I DJ'd a party they were playing. Senryu Wil and Steve were on tour with The Physics of Meaning, acting as back up and teaching the crowd the moves to 'Thriller.' After hangovers were vanquished a few days later, Wil sent me his MySpace page and it was all over...

Photo by Josh Godin

Jen: What EXACTLY does the band Senryu have to do with the short form Japanese poetry Senyru?

Jen: And to follow up, please make one up on the spot.

Wil: well, much like the poetry, Steven and I are both short.

Wil: though neither of us are Japanese.

Wil: We like Senryu because they started off as a satire of themselves. I always loved the idea of the vehicle getting bored with itself.

Wil: An english professor at UT once saw one of our fliers, I heard, and said "they must not take themselves very seriously" to his class. He may be right.

Wil: I mean, we're silly, but we take our silliness very seriously.

Jen: Do you think not taking yourselves too seriously has let you be able to work more freely?

Wil: without a doubt. And that isn't to say that we are jokey and cartoony. We try to keep a poker face on. But not treating it like life and death really alleviates the kind of non-constructive tension that hold some bands back, creatively.

Wil: We welcome constructive tension.

Wil: I get extremely wound up and intense about what we do, but not because I think we're saving lives or changing music or anything. When it's time to feed and cultivate new ideas, sometimes we catch ourselves getting really uptight. And it cracks us up every time

Jen: So speaking of creativity, your songs feel so interactive and have these avant garde subjects. What inspires you to write lyrics about spiders for example?

Wil: these days I base a lot of our subject matter on dreams, and I have been stuck in a cycle of weird scary dreams about animals. The song about spiders is more about buildings made out of bugs that can just move around as they please. Basing songs on dreams instead of trying to mythologize regular things that happen is a lot easier, I think. I'm sure the dreams are loosely rooted in things that happened anyways...but they come pre-mixed in dreams! Like the TGIFridays mudslides that they sell at the liquor store! Nevermind.

Jen: Oh my gosh, I LOVE those

Jen: Did you know they say that dreams are the parts of your day that your mind throws away, that it feels it doesn't need to store? So instead of throwing them away, you are storing them in a song.

Wil: Waste not, want not.

Jen: How very economical of you.

Jen: So I think people would be interested in the roots of Senryu. How did Wil meet Steve? Was it musical love at first sight?

Wil: No way!!! We were in college marching band together. I was 3rd year and he was 1st year. I thought he was a little bastard with a big beard. It was Seth Barber (original drummer, Senryu founder) who convinced me that we needed a keyboard player. He brought Steve, and Steve was really good. Really, really good. And I learned that he wasn't a little bastard. I actually never heard him play the drums for years, until Seth had to leave. Steven, as far as I know, had never played rock music. That guy is a beast, now. It was a very long courtship before we really became the hot-to-trot musical romance that we are today.

Jen: A little bastard with a big beard? That's awesome.

Wil: Steven Rodgers can grow you a beard at an hour's notice. And i'm fairly sure that he's been able since he was quite small. There's a famous picture of him as a very young child, with pieces of paper taped to his face...intended to make him look like a triceratops. I swear there is some stubble. Beardy, he is.

Jen: haha, and you too have facial hair! What is it with indie guys and beards lately?

Wil: I only just became able to grow one. I think that it's from touring with such beardy acts. Eventually, my face couldn't take anymore humiliation.

Jen: Maybe it was all the testosterone floating around the van.

Wil: probably. I probably fell asleep and leaned my head too close to Steve. It's probably one of his beards on me.

Jen: Haha, I feel like that could be a great song. A love song.

Jen: A Tale of Two Beards

Jen: Tell me about touring. You tour a lot and not just with Senryu. What do you love and hate about it?

Wil: I love touring, because it's like rolling camp. Everyone is gritty and there are sleeping bags and long-running jokes. And I get to meet so, so many great people and see amazing cities. I have fallen in love with so many cities this year!

Wil: The only thing I really hate about touring is...well, coming home.

Wil: It's like the day after christmas.

Jen: That's a little heartbreaking

Wil: There are a few cities I hate too (fuck you, Baltimore) and so I don't like that part of touring.

Jen: Which cities have you loved (feel obligated to say New York)

Wil: I DID fall in love with New York. We played for the first time in New York this year, acting as Daniel Hart's backing band (The Physics of Meaning). I love the Brooklyn so much, and we are quite excited to bring Senryu to nyc for the first time. Can you believe 7 years of touring and no NYC? I think i've been scared of trying to park. What a baby.

Wil: I also fell in love with Pittsburgh.

Jen: Really? Pittsburgh? Never been but it's not something you often hear.

Wil: I had heard that it was a rough place, but we ended up having such a nice time. We walked along one of the rivers, the whole band and friends from there. We picked up fallen branches and built a fire and our friend Jacques made us this amazing tea. The city was really pretty and the weather was nice when we were there. I could've done 2 more days.

Jen: Sometimes the stars aline perfectly somewhere, don't they? That sounds perfect.

Wil: It was perfect. I'm touring a bunch after the new year. I hope I go to pittsburgh 3 more times!

Jen: Get ready Pittsburgh.

Jen: But after touring is home, which is Knoxville. Senryu is really loved there. I've seen footage and people are jumping and singing, looks amazing.

Wil: The people in Knoxville are fabulous to us. I did not mean to sound like home was a bad place to come to. I'm actually staying in a quiet little place outside of Knoxville, but I love it. What a great little city. People here love us and we love them right back. The shows here can get quite wild.

Jen: Wild is good.

Wil: I can't really justify putting on concerts, for Senryu I mean, unless things are relatively out of control.

Jen: haha. And there is blood and sparkles?

Wil: Sometimes! We are always trying to improve our live experience, and if we haven't had time to work new songs into the set, then we try and make it visually stimulating in new ways. Or at least interactive.

Wil: and we thought once that it'd be a good idea to bring a whole bunch of fake blood and confetti and glitter to spit and throw on everyone.

Jen: Who doesn't like fake blood and confetti? I mean, honestly.

Wil: It was a great idea, but I accidentally swallowed a TON of fake blood, which made me quite sick. It was really cool to see outside the club afterwards, though. It was just lined with people who looked like they'd been in the happiest, most magical car accident of all time. So, we're trying to build on that.

Wil: I think that's really the impression we'd like to leave behind when we're done with all this.

Jen: A magical car accident?

Wil: sure! Niiiiiiice and traumatic.