Univox – Lying Fuck 7″

I’m loving all of these new Philly bands that have been popping up lately. Most recently coming into my radar would be Philadelphia’s own UNIVOX, and these guys definitely fit in quite nicely with the ever-growing band scene in Philadelphia. They certainly don’t waste any time, and they’re certainly not afraid to rock yr face off and send yr ass right to the damn floor. They quickly prove that statement with the song “Pi” as well. Right off the bat these guys already sound like they’re going ape-shit on their instruments, and then we have the singer shoving his words down our throat almost immediately. I don’t exactly know who is singing in “Pi”, but I have come to understand that all four of the dudes in the band take vocal duties, so I guess it wouldn’t really make a difference. Right after the electrified rock out that is “Pi”, they start up from a different level with the song “I’m a Lying Fuck”. A nasally acoustic guitar starts things off, and you’ll probably notice that it’s definitely a different guy singing. Or maybe not. But it definitely sounds that way.

It doesn’t stay that way for long though. Things change up right before the one minute mark when the singer counts off, and then the shit hits the fan. You may also notice the vocal harmonies, and there’s a shit-ton of them. They definitely use this feat to their advantage, too. I guess that’s the perks of having multiple singers in yr band. Stick around til the final minute of the song for some awesome guitar work as well. Next up would be “Cannonball”, the longest song included on the 7″. The singer sings deeply about being a carpet, a cow, a pyramid, and probably even a few other things that I missed. Then at the two minute mark things take a drastic turn. From here on out, a galloping drum beat and a small sprinkle of a country-music tinge take over the song, and you’re probably lying if you say you saw this part coming. That’s all I got for you today, but check out the songs below. If you’re from Philadelphia, you’ll feel pretty psyched after listening knowing that you come from the same city as the music.

Pi –

Cannonball –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Alternative, Garage Rock
Lying Fuck 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Pi
2.) I’m a Lying Fuck
3.) Cannonball

BUY the 7″ from Insound!
BUY their full-length while yr at it too. Why not??
Univox on Myspace !

The Boom Bang – Bummer Camp 7″

Yo yo. Got something real nice for you guys here today. Not sure if you remember what I said from a few days ago about having stuff lined up already for everyday this week, but I’ve already gotten a bit off task from my original plans. You could thank THE BOOM BANG for this, because they sent me an e-mail with some information about their forthcoming 7″ EP from Guestroom Records out of Norman, Oklahoma, and I’m glad they got in touch. The release date for this brand new 7″ of theirs would be September 17th (also my birthday), but the band was nice enough to hook you guys up with a download of the 7″. Not sure how long it will be available, so you should probably snag it now while you can.

First things first: There guys play LOUD. I can only imagine what one of their shows might have in store. That being said – let’s hope these guys make it out to Philadelphia sooner or later. I’m sure it would be a ballin’ time. This way we could witness the madness that is The Boom Bang right before our eyes, but moving on. These guys play absolutely head splitting, heavy guitar driven garage-punk songs with an extremely staggering guitar sound. The gritty guitars may actually make you cringe – kind of like when somebody scratches their nails against a chalk board – but not in a bad way. The cringe would be out of sheer happiness and love for this band and their lethal sound. And call me crazy, but parts of James Smiths vocals in the song “Swamp City” actually remind me of Glenn Mercer from the Feelies. But you guys should definitely check out these songs below, because I think yr gonna like these guys. Don’t forget you can download this stuff too. You should check this out too – they’ve got a music video for the song “Tokyo Roll”.

Tokyo Roll –

Swamp City –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Punk
Bummer Camp 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Tokyo Roll
2.) We Skeletons
3.) Run Way Away
4.) Swamp City

You download the 7″ completely for FREE right here – now say thanks to the band!
The Boom Bang on Myspace
The Boom Bang on Facebook

Jaill – That’s How We Burn

If you haven’t heard JAILL just yet, you should probably stick around for a bit and read this post. Their story is quite an interesting one. Apparently these guys have been making music together since like 2002 or something like that, and if it wasn’t for their efforts before this Sup Pop release we’re talking about today, we probably wouldn’t be talking about this album at all right now. Relatively unknown to many people, Jaill actually had a first full length record before this one from Sub Pop, called “There’s No Sky (Oh My My)”. It was originally released on cassette by Burger Records in California, and then they recently re-released it in much-needed vinyl format. So as the story goes, if it wasn’t for that first record, they probably never would have caught the seasoned ears of the people over at Sub Pop, who in turn made plans to release “That’s How We Burn”, the second full length effort from these Midwestern poppy-psych rockers. Oh yeah, one more thing: they didn’t always have that second “L” in their name.

So for starters, this is quite the addicting release. Each song is unique and has a mind of it’s own, and once you get into some of these songs, it’s going to be really hard to forget them. Sub Pop has a knack for signing bands who are capable of this (see also: Happy Birthday). Lead singer Vincent Kircher takes vocal duties in the band with quite a unique singing voice, and he’s backed by his “rarely sleazy” group of guys Austin Dutmer, Andrew Harris and Ryan Adams who together make up Jaill.

These guys would probably agree that their music takes many different forms at many different times, bringing different genres and sounds to the table from track to track of the LP. At times they sound blissfully poppy (Everyone’s Hip, She’s My Baby), but they can switch it up pretty quickly with a hair-raising psychedelic tinge with face-melting solos and lightning fast drum fills that are undeniably awesome (On the Beat, How’s the Grave). Then there’s a song like “Summer Mess”, which is kind of on it’s own on this LP. It’s a highly enjoyable acoustic number, with a story about attempts to cheer up a friend, and it slowly builds up as the song progresses. An absolutely perfect and uplifting lead guitar comes in about 3/4 of the way through, and it’s a done deal after that. I just wonder if this song wouldn’t be such a “mess” if Kircher wasn’t always getting high and looking for his lighter. Seriously though, the albums called “That’s How We Burn”…and he’s always singing about being high. These guys definitely smoke a good amount of weed.

PS – More songs from the LP on their Myspace

On the Beat –

Summer Mess –

How’s the Grave –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Psychedelic, Pop
That’s How We Burn: Tracklist:
1.) The Stroller
2.) Everyone’s Hip
3.) On the Beat
4.) Thank Us Later
5.) Summer Mess
6.) She’s My Baby
7.) Snake Shakes
8.) Demon
9.) Baby I
10.) How’s the Grave
11.) That’s How We Burn

BUY the LP directly from Insound, you can even buy their first LP.
JAILL on Myspace

Deerhunter – Revival 7″

Yo, happy LABOR Day! So over the past few days I’ve gone to the record store, gotten stuff in the mail (and I’m waiting for even more), and even had a really awesome friend send me some records that I otherwise never would have gotten. What does this mean to you? Well, simply that I have enough new music put aside to share with you guys for at least a whole week. I don’t know about you, but that makes me pretty psyched for the upcoming week. Not only that, but I may or may not have a VERY exciting announcement coming in the next few days, but we’ll see – nothing has been decided just yet. When the time comes you can be sure I’ll fill you in. In the meantime you can check everything we’ve got in store for the week. First up – the brand new 7″ single from the upcoming DEERHUNTER album “Halcyon Digest”.

In case you weren’t already aware, the album comes out on September 28th (which isn’t too far off), and it’s being released on the 4AD label. The closest we’ve got to hearing the album so far would come from two different sources – the first one is this music video for the song “Helicopter”, and then this 7″ I have here today. The 7″ comes with a song from the new album called “Revival”, and then an exclusive B-side track called “Primitive 3D” which won’t be on “Halcyon Digest”. This little slab of 7″ wax comes pressed on gorgeous white vinyl in a limited edition pressing of 350, so you’ll probably want to snag that one pretty quickly if you’re interested in having this 7″. I was lucky enough to find it in my local record stores this weekend, so be sure to check yours too. So if you haven’t heard either of these songs yet, be sure to check them out right below. The uplifting guitars in “Primitive 3D” are enough to make you wish that this song was going to be included on the album when it comes out. Enjoy.

Revival –

Primitive 3D –

My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Psychedelic, Experimental
Revival 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Revival
2.) Primitive 3D

BUY this 7″ directly from Insound – White vinyl and limited to 350 !
Deerhunter on Myspace
Deerhunter (and more) on Blogspot

Creepoid – Yellow Life Giver 7″

You always gotta show love for your local bands. They’re usually in need of all the support they can get, and they’ll be much more appreciative of your help than say, a big band name like Fall Out Boy, or something like that. I couldn’t really think of a good band example, but I think you’ll catch my drift. I say this because CREEPOID is still a fairly new band, coming straight out of the basements (literally) of Philadelphia, and they’ve just unleashed their debut 7″ to the world this past April. Now they’re hard at work trying to get their music out there and heard by people like you and I, and so far it seems like they’ve done a hell-of-a-job with this. I found this gem of a 7″ in the record store just yesterday, and I’m glad I came across it when I did. I remember when these guys played their record release show with Best Coast back in April, but for whatever reason I couldn’t make it. Now I’m wishing I could have been there. That’s okay though, because we’ve got the 7″ to share with you here today, and share it we shall.

So for starters, this 7″ comes with four brand new songs, with each song being equally as slow and as sad as the last. This stuff would go perfect while you’re looking out the window with your hand in your cheek on an exceptionally dreary day when the sky is gray with a light rain covering the ground around you. The coarse textures of their sound and the gloomy, moody howl of lead singer (name unknown, but it would go here) are the perfect match for each other, hereby proving that Philadelphia definitely has some noteworthy bands storming the lo-fi scene. If you were ever a fan of grunge music, or if you just like bands who spend their time recording obscure, spaced-out heroin-jams in their basement, then Creepoid is surely the band for you. Especially if you’re from Philadelphia, because you’ll be able to see them as many times as you need to. I bet you could find a shit-ton of drugs at one of their shows, too. Well, that goes for any show really. Except straight-edge shows and shit like that. That’s enough of my rambling – check out these songs below, and you can hear more from the 7″ on their Myspace.

Pink Tag Sale –

Magic Drum –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Slowcore, Psychedelic, Dream Pop, Lo-Fi
Yellow Life Giver 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Rotten Tooth
2.) Pink Tag Sale
3.) See-Through
4.) Magic Drum

BUY the 7″ right here, it won’t be around forever.
Creepoid on Myspace !
Creepoid on Bandcamp
Creepoid on Blogspot
Check out another project from some Creepoid members – The G
and watch them play w/ the Japandroids in Philadelphia!

No Age – Glitter 12″

So as most of you may already know, noise-rocking heavyweights NO AGE are in the process of putting the finishing touches on their next full-length album (which is due to be released on September 28th by none other than Sub Pop records). To get everyone ready for the LP, Sub Pop did us the favor of putting out two brand new releases by No Age (one is a 7″ – the other is a 12″), each featuring the album song “Glitter”, and then each containing their own unique non-album B-sides. The 12″ has the B-sides “In Rebound” and “Vision II”, while the 7″ includes one B-side called “Inflorescence”. Pretty cool, right?

By now, I’m sure you already know the deal here. No Age is a duo consisting of Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, and they tend to play these noisy, rambunctious, punk rock songs – sometimes with a bit of added ambiance or possibly with a pinch of infectious pop (and usually played best at loud volumes). You could honestly use any single one of those words to describe the music from the new 12″, because they really do cover every last sound mentioned – they just do it all with that familiar No Age sound. Which would most likely mean lots of unintelligible noises and clamorous textures.

“In Rebound” sort of falls a bit more towards the poppy side of things with the shredded guitars, while “Glitter” takes on a much more noisy, metallic sound dominated by wrenching guitar sounds that may or may not give the listener a slight headache if they listened for too long. Then last but not least we’ve got “Vision II”, which would more or less fall into the ambient side of things. Singer/ drummer Dean Spunt’s vocals get lost in the murky, intoxicating textures, and before long you hear some effects that actually reminded me of bubble wrap being popped relentlessly, or a bunch of fireworks going off nearby. I’ll let you decide. Check out the songs below.

PS – You can download the song “Glitter”, courtesy of Sub Pop (just right click, and hit ‘save link as’)

Glitter –

In Rebound –

Vision II –

My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Experimental, Punk, Ambient
Glitter 12″: Tracklist:
1.) Glitter
2.) In Rebound
3.) Vision II

BUY the 12″ directly from Insound
No Age on Myspace
No Age on Blogspot
More info. on their upcoming LP right here @ Sub Pop

Two Bit Dezperados – Macumba para Exù 7″

Anybody remember the label Shit Music for Shit People from awhile back? They’re a small label based out of Italy and Portugal, and now they’re back on the scene with a brand new 7″ from the TWO BIT DEZPERADOS. Last time we heard from these guys was back in May when they released the excellent Satàn 7″, and as you can see, these guys haven’t stopped working since then. This new 7″ is bound to turn heads, as it brings the unique blend of Two Bit Dezperados folksy-garage songs to the ears of the world!

Now while the label is based out of Italy/Portugal, Two Bit Dezperados come from a completely different location – in case you didn’t guess it, they’re from Brazil. At least that’s what I’ve come to understand. But this new 7″ from SMFSP is quite the ambitious release, clocking in at just under 10 minutes with four brand new, highly caffeinated, folksy-garage anthems from these bold, Western sounding outlaws. Opening track “Devil in Me” kicks things off with squealing, twangin’ guitars, played over a galloping bass and drum beat that helps keep the song moving forward. Up next would be the song “Pretty Girl”, which I’ve uploaded for you bros and gals to check out below, so don’t forget it. The keyboards and vocals make for a hella-good time – not to mention that this is quite a catchy song. Next comes “Eu digo não”, which takes a bit of a turn from where the other songs were. They take a step back on the speed and get a bit slower with this more laid back, acoustic song. They also don’t forget to bring their keyboard along for some nice harmonies played over top of some squawking vocals insisting that “you don’t know”. I don’t know what that titles means, but my guess is “You Don’t Know”…or “I Don’t Know”. Check out the two songs below, and you can hear the rest of the 7″ on their Myspace page. Dig it!

Pretty Girl –

O-Yes –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Folk Rock, Country
Macumba para Exù 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Devil in Me
2.) Pretty Girl
3.) Eu digo não
4.) O-Yes

BUY the 7″ directly from SMFSP
Two Bit Dezperados on Myspace
Shit Music for Shit People on Blogspot

Teen Daze – Four More Years

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

I’ve had these songs on my hard drive for at least a month now, and I never really got a chance to give them a nice, thorough listen until just yesterday. I’m kind of bummed that I waited this long too. Not because the records sold out or anything, but because that’s a months less of time I had to be enjoying this stuff in the hot, hazy months of summer – which is probably the best time to be listening to TEEN DAZE. I couldn’t really find a good bit of solid information on the man behind Teen Daze (even something as simple as his first name), but I did come across this awesome interview where he talks about his sudden internet fame, the story behind the name “Teen Daze”, and how his hometown city of Vancouver played an influence on his music. Pretty awesome, and definitely insightful.

“Four More Years” is the first official release from the Teen Daze camp, and it just came out pretty recently (on LP and in digital) from the Arcade Sound Ltd. imprint. Then in a little less than a month, Wonder Beard Tapes will be releasing “Four More Years” on cassette tape – in a limited edition of 100 copies and at a much more affordable price of just $5.00 (although the vinyl isn’t that expensive either). This way you have two easy (and affordable) ways of owning these dreamy, hazy Summer songs that have been driving everybody wild. Probably because of all the dancey beeps and boops that remind everyone of their old favorite Nintendo games. Or Sega. Whichever you prefer really. Although I think I’m leaning more towards Sega. One more thing: I can’t help but wonder if the airy, floating-through-space song “Shine On, You Crazy White Cap” is at all a reference to the Pink Floyd epic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. Who knows, but you can see why I would think that. Just check out these few songs right below, and then buy the vinyl. This way Summer is always alive…at least for as long as the record is spinning. Enjoy.

Four More Years –

Neon –

Shine On, You Crazy White Cap –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Dream Pop
Four More Years: Tracklist:
1.) Four More Years
2.) Gone for the Summer
3.) Neon
4.) Around
5.) No Regrets
6.) Shine On, You Crazy White Cap
7.) Saviour
8.) Spin Around, Go Ahead

BUY the LP directly from Arcade Sound Ltd.
-or-
Wait a few weeks, and buy it on cassette from Wonder Beard Tapes – Limited to 100 and much cheaper
Teen Daze on Myspace
Follow Teen Daze on Tumblr !

DOOMSTAR! – Rainbow Bloodsucker EP

Yo dudes. I’m SUPER stoked on this band we have here today. I hope most of you are unaware of these guys, because when you give it your first listen, chances are your ass will be sent straight to the floor. If only I could see your reactions upon first hearing. Too bad that’s not going to happen. All I know is that I was totally into this stuff right from the start. My first intentions were to buy absolutely everything they had for sale, which only turns out to be a brand new cassette tape single, but that’s enough, right???. If these guys keep doing what they’re doing, I’m sure they’ll have PLENTY of more releases for us somewhere down the road. Of course, I am speaking of Cambridge, Massachusetts own DOOMSTAR! (capitalization and exclamation necessary).

It would seem as though DOOMSTAR! has been hard at work for the year of 2010. Their EP that we have here today came out just this past February, and they just put out this cassette tape in July. So with this EP, you’ll probably figure out pretty quickly that this band is far from shy. They don’t beat around the bush or anything like that. Nothing too pretty or too fancy, no glam, no chillwave – just straight up IN YR FACE gritty guitar-driven psych-rock jam outs with a bit of the moody, punk flare mixed in for good measure. But they’re not always pummeling you full-throttle – parts of the song “Sharon Mitchel” get a bit quieter than the rest, but certainly not for too long before they’re back to destroy you some more. Other songs like “Gimmee Some” and “Handsome Man” tend to lean a little more to the pop side of things, but they still don’t forget to bring along that staggering guitar sound for the ride. Then there’s songs like “Rainbow Bloodsucker” and “You Can Hide”, which serve no other purpose than to make your jaw drop straight to the floor. For a good portion of the song (Rainbow Bloodsucker), the same two guitar chords go through a hell of a beat down, getting absolutely crushed by epic guitar solos and relentless, crashing drums. This was the first song I heard from the EP, and it was a HELL of a way to be introduced to this band.

Do you understand why I’m so stoked on these guys now? Hopefully you do. If not, listen to these songs below to help add a little excitement to your day. Let’s help spread the DOOMSTAR! name, because these guys deserve to be heard.

Handsome Man –

Rainbow Bloodsucker –

You Can Hide –

My Rating: 8.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Punk
Rainbow Bloodsucker EP: Tracklist:
1.) Handsome Man
2.) Kitty Kitty
3.) Lily Face
4.) Rainbow Bloodsucker
5.) Sharon Mitchel
6.) Gimmee Some
7.) Ronald Ray-Gun
8.) You Can Hide

BUY DOOMSTAR! releases directly from their Bandcamp page
DOOMSTAR! on Myspace
DOOMSTAR! on Muxtape

This Heart Electric – Polar 7″

Well, it’s that time again. Work finally ends for the summer, but the fun isn’t over yet! Today is that fateful, inescapable day (for me anyway) where classes resume. It’s that day that every student ranging from the middle/high school age group up til college absolutely dreads. If you can remember, before about middle school, who wasn’t excited about going back to school? Honestly? Because it seems the older you get, the more you tend to hate it. At least for me anyway. That’s why I’m here working this blog, trying to keep up with the things I actually enjoy doing, which brings me to my next point…

Today’s music of interest comes from a DIY South Florida synth-pop outfit called THIS HEART ELECTRIC, which I’ve come to understand is just one person, although I could be wrong. This is his debut release of any sort, and it comes from the die Stasi imprint out of Ohio. Included on the 7″ is two brand new tracks, combining for a total of nearly 6 minutes of oddball, dance-worthy synth jams. A-side “Polar” kicks off with some glamorously familiar sounds, possibly reminding you of your favorite Nintendo or Sega games that you used to play and love with all yr heart. The synth sounds may or may not also remind you of a Wintry, snowy atmosphere, which could by why this song is called “Polar”. Flip on over to the B-side for another poppy synth jam, only this time it’s riddled with all sorts of sound effects, ranging from siren-like shrieks and the singers eerie, uneasy voice. If you don’t believe me, you should check out both of these songs below from the 7″. Now wish me luck. It’s time to go to class…

Polar –