Sunday 21 January 2018

the march of time

Here is a brief and mostly boring update about the antics of Total Victory as we reach January 2018. I won't even advertise this post, it's just out there.

- split single with Harassment still planned. most of our track ('Flowers On My Grave') is recorded. just needs mixing and I think we've entered the stage where we'll get someone else to do it.

- Most of our music (NS, EM, vBE) is now entered into the great streaming databanks at Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Google Play, Deezer, Amazon, etc. This is a 'legacy move', designed to keep our wares at your convenience while we do nothing in 2018. In truth I'm not hugely happy about this turn of events but I am informed that it is pretty much necessary if you want to be thought of as existing these days. The whole thing cost £90 for three albums for one year.

breaking up the text with a great photo by Pascale Cholette


- English Martyrs did surprisingly okay in the end of year polls considering we submitted it absolutely nowhere for review. Off the top of my head Mowno (which is kind of like French Pitchfork, but better) had it at #39, one ahead of Grizzly Bear, which made me laugh for longer than is necessary. The post-punk/heavy focused Built on a Weak Spot awarded us #12, as did some random blog called Ajardontexist. The most surprising and touching was Noisy Tapes, who gave us #1. The review they wrote was very nice.

- we actually tried this time to get press in our own country. it completely failed. BBC wouldn't play anything off it (one single play on Radio 6 by Steve Lamacq remains our only exposure) and the blogs, Colourhorizon notwithstanding, wouldn't even reply to our emails. does our bedside manner need some work? feel free to comment and critique below:

dear [name of blog that i would never read for money but you know you gotta play the game right]

i noticed you just featured our pals [name of band that we're not really close to or musically related to] so i thought i would chance our arm by putting our new record under your collective nose.

https://totalvictory.bandcamp.com/album/english-martyrs


we're from greater manchester but we're more popular in france and the low countries. we tour there annually and sell 95% of our records there. why? i am not sure and am suppressing my inner voice that is yelling 'superior taste levels'.

people say this is post-punk or indie-rock or whatever and fine that is inescapable given the hierarchical-taxonomic nature of describing music but there's stuff here about penda of mercia, violently assuming credit, brexit (loosely), conservative public relations, history and historicisation, and knowing when to leave - stuff no genre or style has sole ownership of.

if this is of no interest to your readership then fine

best
total v

- we have remastered and done a few technical corrections on The Pyramid of Privilege and will be looking to get that out on vinyl in 2018.

- album four? don't even mention it.

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