What’s up dudes!? Hopefully everybody had a decent weekend. If not hopefully this week in music will help you forget about it, because I’ve got a ton of gems in store for you all this week. To start, let’s look at this cassette tape from Bridgetown Records headman Kevin Greenspon.
This stuff popped up in the middle of last week on Altered Zones, and after listening to the featured track I felt like I needed to hear the rest. Not just because I liked what I had heard, but I thought it was unique. Greenspon creates small life-like biospheres in each of these new tracks, coming at you with some serious warmth and passion. The delayed guitars are beyond gratifying as they swirl and surge over your head, immediately throwing you right in the midst of an echoed out dream world where anything is possible, but not exactly all good things. Many different moods present themselves in the music as you change from one track to the other – suggesting that each song is on it’s own when it comes down to mood. Basically it’s up to whatever you think. Either way, the sonic textures, grittiness, and delayed guitars go a long way in painting lush, vast soundscapes, wherein you’ll definitely find some ineffable love for this music. Be sure to check out these thought-provoking songs right below, and buy the cassette before it’s gone for good, because it’s very affordable.
Machine Shop –
Atrophied –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Ambient, Experimental Rose Window Cassette: Tracklist:
1.) Machine Shop
2.) Heart on Chain
3.) X.A. Assembly
4.) Atrophied
Kevin Greenspon on Myspace
Kevin Greenspon – Official Website BUY the cassette only from Life’s Blood before it’s gone – Limited to 51 !!
Here’s something for you guys to go into the weekend with. It’s the Art Fag 7″ from DUNES, a three-piece band hailing from Los Angeles. This three person group is made up of Kate Hall, who is originally from the now defunct Mika Miko, Stephanie Chan from Finally Punk, and Mark Greshowak from Talbot Tagora.
Together these guys create some dreamy post-punk numbers with a hint towards a darker realm where forgotten souls woefully waste away. The songs generally have a slower, lazier energy, complemented by wonky, punchy bass lines and mysterious lead guitar work. At times I hear slight comparisons to Grass Widow, a band we just talked about at the beginning of the week. Maybe that has something to do with both bands being from California and both having female singers. Either way I’m sure these obscure, echoed-out dream-jams will steadily work their way into your rotation whether you planned on it or not.
Limited to only 500 copies on the first press, this 7″ sold out almost immediately the first time it was put out. There’s a repress from Art Fag in the works, but you can snag a copy over @ Insound right this very moment without waiting for a repress! This way you can listen to gorgeous songs like “Dream House” right from the comfort of your very own record player! The track starts out pretty slow but gains momentum from the guitars as they start to pick things up. A little before the two minute mark things change direction, and suddenly the lead guitar is in complete control as the song continues to get fuller and more tribal like. The guitars here are pretty hypnotizing as they continue to swirl and build above your head until the song finally comes to a close.
Hear this great track for yourself along with “Armor”, which begins with a dark desolate intro quickly transforming into a mystical jangly guitar jam. You can also hear “Little Stems” on the Dunes Myspace if you want more. That is all! Enjoy your weekend and see you on Monday – already got a few gems lined up!
Armor –
Dream House –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Post-Punk, Lo-Fi, Slowcore Old Souls 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Armor
2.) Little Stems
3.) Dream House
Dunes on Myspace BUY the 7″ directly from Insound – Limited to 500 !
This article from Oh My Rockness has some info. on the band
What’s up dudes. We’ve got the new full length player from PURLING HISS today, and it’s quite a brain-burner. Mike Polizze, who is from Philadelphia, is the main man behind the music, but this isn’t the only place you can find his work. You’ve probably also heard of Bird of Maya if you’re already familiar with Purling Hiss, but it seems as if he’s been concentrating on Purling Hiss a bit more lately. This is the second full-length to come from the band this year, only this time it’s a bit different from previous efforts.
Before this album, most Purling Hiss songs were long and drawn out heavy psych-jams that left you wondering what the hell just took place. This time around they went with more traditional song formats, keeping tracks no longer than the five minute mark. But don’t worry, they certainly didn’t get rid of the loud psych-y stuff. It’s a good thing too. Hopefully Polizze keeps it up at this moonlighting job, because these new Purling Hiss songs totally rock.
Things start off on a familiar note with this album. There’s no point where you’ll be wondering who this stuff came from. The first track “Run From the City” starts off right away with a screeching guitar hook, and soon enough you’ll begin to notice the song building up more and more. The squeal of Polizze’s guitar is enough to make your heart sing as he keeps tearing it up with that same hook. It doesn’t get much radder than that – a mind-blowing riff played over and over again while the drums and everything else tries to match the intensity. If anything is apparent after listening to this song, it’s that this dude has some serious talent. Next is the instrumental track “Porch Dude/ Slight Return”, and it’s a great way to follow up. This one has a funky urban feel to it. The guitars and whatnot continue to swirl over your head helping to progress the song, and this one should keep you grooving without a doubt. Then comes “Don’t Even Try It”, which is what music in a daze should sound like. It’s especially dreamy and hazy, which brings me to say that if warmth had a sound, this would be it. The shape shifting acoustic guitar goes great with the “woo-ooh-ooh”, making for a great sing along if you know the lyrics.
Skipping ahead to track five, “Ojos Locos” – which translates to “crazy eyes” in English. The first 30 seconds or so don’t really hint at what’s to come, wait til about 45 seconds in and the fun begins. Suddenly there’s a happy ska flair that comes along with that bouncy guitar riff, which makes the song upbeat but kind of muffled at the same time. It’s a strange balance, but once again this band dazzles as they manage to make it work out so nicely. Either way the happy vibes are flowing! Moving ahead to “Beautiful Earth Creature”, this song is bound to strike a soft spot. You can’t exactly understand everything Polizze is singing, but there’s some parts that are easier to decipher than others. The highlight of this song though comes in the lead guitar work, just listen below and you’ll know what I mean. Following that comes “Malice in Wonderland”, which definitely qualifies as the most obscure and out-of-line track on the album. I’m not entirely sure what’s making all those heavy sounds, but it certainly helps create some intense, vivid visualizations. The final two tracks “Doghouse” and “1976” shouldn’t be ignored, I’m just running out of time. Check out what I’ve left for ya below and leave some comments. I want more comments people can’t you tell!!? Let’s get the Styrofoam Drone community up and running!!
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Lo-Fi, Punk Public Service Announcement: Tracklist:
1.) Run From the City
2.) Porch Dude/ Slight Return
3.) Don’t Even Try It
4.) Bedroom
5.) Ojos Locos
6.) Gypsy
7.) Zor
8.) Goodbye Blue
9.) Beautiful Earth Creature
10.) Malice in Wonderland
11.) Doghouse
12.) 1976
Purling Hiss on Myspace ! BUY the LP directly from Insound, you’ll be glad you did
So I recently saw this 7″ in a record store in Philly, but I didn’t think anything of it. Little did I know this music would turn up on the interweb right before my eyes, almost like a sign that I should have picked it up that day at the record store. Well no more wondering what could have been, because I have the music here for you guys today, and I must say that this stuff totally caught me off guard. Definitely didn’t know what to expect before listening, but I can say right away that this stuff rules. If you were already aware of this, then I’m sure you know the story behind it – follow this link (or the one below) with more information if yr curious!
Opening track “Blinkgürtel” has it all – sonic textures, heavy face-melting guitars, clashing tom-driven drumming, a pulsing bass line – these elements joined together create a hell of an intoxicating song, and it forces you to sit right down in the middle of everything and do your best to figure it all out. There’s definitely a mysterious vibe weaved in, but there’s also an element of simplicity that is genuinely breathtaking. I say breathtaking because a song with such limited instrumentation still manages to go so in depth, and you’re there left wondering how on Earth this stuff got so intense. At first you didn’t think anything of it, but before you know it it’s already sucked you in and there’s nothing you can do but crack the Hallogallo code. Which I am still attempting to do myself. Do yourself the awesome favor of listening to “Blinkgürtel”, and hopefully it’ll get some thoughts brewing in your skull. You should in turn leave those thoughts in the comments section directly below this post.
Got some interesting stuff for you guys today. It’s a 7″ from a band called EX-FAG COP. At one point their name was just Fag Cop, but they recently added the “Ex” part for whatever reason. This 7″ of theirs comes from the Bat Shit Records label, a label dealing with all things punk. Just check out some of the songs on the Myspace and you’ll understand what Bat Shit Records are about right away – gritty, no rules whatsoever, in-yr-face ripping punk action with unintelligible lyrics and the sure ability to induce headaches from beginning to end. Yeah.
Three-quarters of this 7″ are bound to give you that headache I just mentioned while that last part is strangely more catchy and listenable than the rest. Not that the first three songs aren’t listenable, they just went with a much more inviting sound on the last track – almost as if they weren’t trying to make your ears bleed from the very second the song begins. The first three come off so loud and angry that it might just prove to be too much for the listener. With that being said, I would probably stick to listening to this one with the volume lower or else you might destroy yr ears…and yr speakers. That wouldn’t be good. The third track “Matrixcide” is a ripping punk onslaught with enough caffeine to keep you up all night, while “Remembered Future…” is dominated by a scrappy guitar hook over top of completely indecipherable lyrics. Check this stuff out right below, and there’s more on their Myspace if yr curious.
Matrixcide –
Hardoncrime –
My Rating: 6/10 Genre/ Tags: Punk, Lo-Fi, Noise Rock, Shitgaze Untitled Bat Shit 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Gimme Fag Agenda
2.) Remembered Future of a Dark Psychic History
3.) Matrixcide
4.) Hardoncrime
What’s up people. I didn’t really have anything prepared for today, so I kind of just went searching for anything and took the first thing I could find. I usually don’t do this sort of thing, but time is an issue today. I’m waiting on a good amount of new wax to come in the mail, so don’t get used to this – but more on those things later this week.
With the stuff I have here today, it’s simply going to be a hit or a miss. I’ll say it right up front that the two songs on this 7″ are not for everybody. It might even be a stretch to refer to them as “songs”, let alone music in general. These two tracks are more or less the noisy experimental escapades of David Payne, the main man behind the Fossils moniker since it’s birth in 2004. He’s been putting out countless cassette tapes, CD-R’s, and various formats of vinyl ever since the beginning – see a full comprehensive list right here – and this is apparently one of the latest releases.
I’ll say it again that this stuff isn’t for everybody – it’s definitely more of an acquired taste sort of thing. If you like thought-provoking sounds that paint a strange landscape in your mind, then this could be just for you. Parts of the track “War Puzzle” sound as if you’re standing on an extremely windy runway while an airplane slowly comes down to the ground to make it’s landing. If there’s anything this stuff is going to do for you, it’s bound to paint a vivid picture, as long as you keep an open mind and don’t dismiss the stuff before you’ve even listened all the way. Check out the B-side “War Puzzle” right below. Leave comments too, because I want know what you all think.
War Puzzle –
My Rating: 4.5/10 Genre/ Tags: Noise, Ambient, Experimental, whathaveyou The Golden Door 7″: Tracklist:
1.) The Golden Door
2.) War Puzzle
Check out the extensive Fossils discography @ Discogs
Fossils on Myspace
Fossils on Last.fm
Fossils on Facebook
Don’t think this one is left to buy anywhere…it’s limited to 100 from Kye Records
What’s up people, hopefully you all had a good Halloween weekend. Too bad it only comes once a year because it’s always a great time. But what’s done is done, so let’s get this week in music started.
First up to start things off we’ve got the most recent album from GRASS WIDOW. This thing came out right before Summer ended in August – from the Kill Rock Stars imprint out of Portland, OR and Olympia, WA. Grass Widow is comprised of three women known as Hanna Lew (bass), Raven Mahon (guitars), and Lilian Maring (drums). They each bring something special to the table when it comes to their instruments, but the vocals are a different story. The Grass Widow outfit probably wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for these three beautiful voices either. All three of the girls take part in the vocal efforts, and it’s easily probably the most striking and unique aspect to their music. This new album is their longest to date, clocking in at just over 26 minutes, and it’s overflowing with unsettling, fast-paced song structure, beyond-delightful harmonies, and the sure ability to drop your jaw.
If you know about anything from Grass Widow before this LP, then you probably already know what to expect, aside from the music being totally addicting. Short and quick little post-punk outbursts fill the album from beginning to end, never really venturing too far past the three minute mark. They keep it short, and that certainly helps make the music as addicting as it is. Warbled and wonky bass and guitar lines drive the songs as the drumming crashes along behind them, making for some seriously complex sounding music – almost as if there’s stuff flying in all different directions without the time to figure them all out before it’s too late.
The real deal though for these guys comes in the singing. A mess of gorgeous singing voices are always there to guide you through the song, with harmonies so gratifying and complicated it’s actually quite haunting at times. Don’t be surprised if this sends a chill up yr spine, because at times it literally can be haunting, no jokes. Sometimes there’s a strange sense of urgency weaved into the seriously dire tones. They even go as far as getting an orchestral type feel out of some of their songs, like “Uncertain Memory” and “Give Me Shapes”. There’s some violin and other string instruments of the sort in the songs that help give it that feel, and it really complements the serious qualities in their music. Sometimes they have fun, but not always, because it’s important to be determined sometimes. That way people can take you seriously. And it certainly works for Grass Widow – check out these songs below and let the infection begin. And if you’re a Grass Widow fan and have been seeking out their first LP from Make a Mess, this right here might be the last place you can get it.
Uncertain Memory –
11 of Diamonds –
Strangers Come –
Tuesday –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Post-Punk, Ethereal, Pop Past Time: Tracklist:
1.) Uncertain Memory
2.) Shadow
3.) 11 of Diamonds
4.) Give Me Shapes
5.) Old Disguise
6.) Fried Egg
7.) Landscape
8.) Submarine
9.) Strangers Come
10.) Tuesday
Grass Widow on Myspace ! BUY the LP directly from Insound!
What’s up people. I thought this stuff here would be perfect for the Halloween weekend. It’s something I forgot about for awhile, but it’s still awesome and it still came out pretty recently. It’s a 7″ from Brooklyn’s own WOODS – a band I’m sure many of you have already familiarized yourself with many moons ago. This 7″ comes from the Woodsist label, and although it’s been out since Feburary, I’m pretty sure you can still buy this one in most places. But you should do it sooner than later, because they say they’re only doing a one-time pressing of 1,500 copies. You can still get it right here, here, and here.
The first track “Days Gone By” might leave you in a bit of a curious state. The song changes up significantly a few times throughout. It starts with some hair-raising electric guitars, and then quickly changes to a much more delicate acoustic section. Howling vocals, yelps and complex guitars then come through within the final two minutes of the song, building it up into a huge, mysterious wall of sound. Next up is “I Was Gone”, which is probably the most accessible track from this 7″. It’s definitely an eerie track, and it has an obscure dark mood weaved in through it’s breezy chords. Last up is “Hang On”, which definitely takes the cake for being the most inexplicable song on the 7″. It’s increasingly tribal like, almost as if you’re on a spiritual pilgrimage in
the dead of the night in a forest somewhere, and there’s nothing around but an open fire and the fear of uncertainly around every corner. Check out the three songs from the 7″ below, and have Happy Halloween!
Days Gone By/ Untitled/ Days Gone By –
I Was Gone –
Hang On –
My Rating: 6.8/10 Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Lo-Fi, Folk I Was Gone 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Days Gone By/ Untitled/ Days Gone By (continued)
2.) I Was Gone
3.) Hang On
Woods on Myspace BUY the 7″ directly from Midheaven Mailorder
All these better known bands are currently hard at work putting their new albums together for us (not sure if they all have new albums coming), most of which are set to come out in the new year, and CRYSTAL STILTS are certainly no exception to this happening. Although the band has been silent since their last release in 2009, that doesn’t exactly mean you should just forget about them. Crystal Stilts are indeed back on the scene, and these two new songs of theirs just might be their best.
Without any new material for most of 2009 and basically all of 2010, one might imagine that when a band comes back with new recordings, they might not be so special. That is FAR from being the case with this new single from the Stilts. And even though they weren’t putting out new stuff, that doesn’t mean they weren’t still touring and playing together as a band.
These two new tracks are stunningly awesome, and both have a darker, brooding tone, which is exactly what the Crystal Stilts are best at. Crunchy, noisy guitars, otherworldly keyboards, jangly drumming, a moody sounding Brad Hargett – they bring it all back to the table right from where they left off, only they do it bigger and better this time. If these tracks can garner this kind of praise, just imagine what their full length is going to be like come 2011. I can now say without regret that one of my most anticipated albums of 2011 is definitely whatever comes from these guys (and Woodsman).
Shake the Shackles –
Magnetic Moon –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop Shake the Shackles 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Shake the Shackles
2.) Magnetic Moon
Crystal Stilts on Myspace BUY the 7″ directly from Slumberland Recs – Only $4 on white vinyl !!
Here we go – it’s the next installment to the already flourishing artist line-up at Father/ Daughter Records! They’ve had the pleasure of putting out debut releases from some of 2010’s favorite acts, such as tooth ache. and Family Trees. This time they’re back with the debut 7″ from David Levesque, otherwise known as LEVEK. His splendid new 7″ definitely broadens the artist horizon over at Father/ Daughter, complete with a spacey, seductive atmosphere and a provocatively groovy mood – forcing me to say the word ‘sexy’ could definitely be used to describe this one man band’s sounds.
When it came to putting a tag on this stuff, I had quite a difficult time coming up with anything. Part of me doesn’t want to bother trying to come up with anything – the other part wants to say it’s just a huge mash up of many different types of music, including elements of jazz and funk. While there’s really no way of ‘correctly’ answering that question, it’s probably best to just have you guys listen for yourself and come up with your own answers. “Mickey Mouse tribal sounds” works to some degree, but I don’t think a lot of people are even going to understand what that means. The Last.fm description is probably the most fitting for an artist bio, followed by the more mysterious “About” section on the Levek Myspace.
If there is anything I should make sure I say, it’s that this stuff is beyond unique – possibly being some of the most creative and thought-provoking music I’ve heard all year. “Look on the Bright Side” forces you to paint a vast, luscious landscape in yr mind, bringing you to a peaceful, faraway space-land where all your worries literally melt away. Put on your headphones, turn up the volume, and let the bliss take you away as you float up towards the heavens, never to come back down.
Grab this gem at the Father/ Daughter store before it’s too late – it’s limited to 400 on red vinyl, including a download card with three bonus tracks, and a free button set! A free button set?! Yeah, in case you weren’t aware, Father/ Daughter Records is indeed that cool. Please people, don’t sleep on this stuff, you WILL be sorry. See ya tomorrow.
Look on the Bright Side –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Jazz, Funk, whathaveyou Look on the Bright Side 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Look on the Bright Side
2.) Slow
Levek on Myspace PRE-ORDER the 7″ right now from Father/ Daughter Records – 400 pressed on red vinyl !
Styrofoam Drone 