My buddy Klint and I braved West Philadelphia’s streets back in April of 2011 to catch a show by Skull Defekts (featuring Daniel Higgs) and Zomes. Previous clips from that night have appeared on OV but for some reason I never finished editing and uploading the entire show. I found the folder while rummaging through a backup drive earlier today and randomly grabbed, edited and uploaded a song from the set for you folks who’ve patiently waited for three years to see the whole thing.
I think it’s fair to say that the music of Daniel Higgs- whether with the seminal Baltimore based LUNGFISH, his more free-form solo offerings or his partnership with Swedish experimental outfit SKULL DEFEKTS- is critic proof. You’re either going to buy it or you aren’t. No review could dissuade a Higgs fan from purchasing his latest offering in whatever form it comes in regardless of the vitriol of the reviewer. Speaking for myself- I buy them all, figuring that the best of his worst is still more interesting to me than most of the new releases that will drop along side of it.
April 8th 2014 will see a new Higgs/Defekts collaboration- Dances In Dreams Of The Known Unknown– on Thrill Jockey Records. With any luck they’ll be touring to support the album and we’ll have a chance to hear the new material live. The band has released a single and a video for Awaking Dream; check it out and let me know what you think.
The Skull Defekts – Awaking Dream from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.
I think it was back in April that my buddy Klint and I went to see SKULL DEFEKTS feat. Daniel Higgs and Zomes at the DangerDanger Gallery in Philadelphia. Higgs mentioned something about Pawtucket, RI on stage but for the life of me I can’t remember if they had already played there or were headed in that direction.
Either way, the Defekts, Higgs and Zomes ended up getting some studio time in Pawtucket; the results of which is the 2013-3012 LP, currently available on ThrillJockey Records. (for those of us who don’t a record player fear not- it comes with a download code for the songs.)
I really enjoyed PEER AMID, and was lucky enough to film Zomes playing with them (click the Skull Defekts tag here on OV) so this is pretty awesome all around. And it comes with a painted Daniel Higgs cover.
Specs: Skull Defekts feat. Daniel Higgs | Filmed 7th April 2011 | Danger Danger Gallery, Philadelphia | Thrilljockey Records
It’s been a while since I listened to the Skull Defekts CD. ‘Peer Amid’ came into rotation today on my iPod via shuffle so I figured it was time for another live Higgs/Defekts video, recorded 7th April at Philadelphia’s DANGERDANGER Gallery.
Higgs looks like he could be the next member of Team Zissou.
More from Skull Defekts.
Specs: Skull Defekts feat. Daniel Higgs | Push it down on me | Filmed 7th April 2011 | Danger Danger Gallery, Philadelphia | Thrilljockey Records
Daniel said that this song, Children of Skull Defekts, had just recently been written/recorded in Rhode Island. This performance features Asa Osborne (Zomes) on keyboard. The PEER AMID album was really catchy and a great return for Higgs to a more traditional ‘band’ format that a lot of us have been missing post Lungfish. If they’re writing more songs, does that mean we can expect another collaboration?
Specs: Skull Defekts feat. Daniel Higgs & Asa Osborne | Children of Skull Defekts | Danger Danger Gallery, Philadelphia
For more information about Skull Defekts- go here.
Occult Vibrations 