Useless Eaters is the moniker for 19-year-old Seth Sutton from Memphis, TN and he records these songs himself with a four-track cassette. This is his most recent release, coming from the Memphis label Shattered Records, which was originally put together and run by Jay Reatard back in 2004. Unfortunately Reatard is no longer with us, but his label continues to churn out some damn good tunes, as proved by this 7″ here. And wherever he is, I’m sure Jay would be smiling.
Three brand new Useless Eaters songs fill this fine new piece of wax, with each song getting its point across before the two minute mark. That being said, this thing rips through pretty quickly, but it rips pretty hard too. Noisy, spiny guitar-driven songs dominate as Sutton shouts in anger over the head spinning racket. You should check out these songs below, ripped directly from the 7″!
Hear/ See –
Just A Person –
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Lo-Fi Hear/See 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Hear/See
2.) Smoke Alarm
3.) Just a Person
Useless Eaters on Myspace
Useless Eaters on Blogspot BUY Useless Eaters records on Insound
If that post title doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what else will. I never really thought somebody would name their song “Urinal Cakes”, but once again I have been proven wrong. It definitely works as an interesting song title and an attention grabber, because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check this stuff out just to hear what the song “Urinal Cakes” sounded like. Yeah, it’s true, that’s what got my attention, and I’m glad it did. These unsettling sounds are absolutely drenched in a thick, fuzzy layer of dream-world reverb while the lead singers (who is a female, but I can’t figure out her name) vocals echo off the walls as if she was singing in a tiny bathroom while the rest of her band was stuffed in there with her.
That bathroom would most likely be located somewhere in Portland, Oregon where this seemingly new-ish band comes from, but I can’t really figure out if these guys have any other releases out there. My guess is no (because I really can’t find anything), but often times I’m wrong like I was at the beginning of this post. This hazy 7″ comes from the Chicago label HoZac Records – a label most of you should already be familiar with if you keep up with the times here @ the Drone, not to mention if you’ve listened to any music you would call ‘good’ lately, because their catalog is like an MVP list of lo-fi indie bands who all tear shit up in their own unique and fresh ways. Don’t waste any more time though, I’ve uploaded both sides of the 7″ for ya today, so please enjoy it! And don’t forget to come back for more tomorrow!
Urinal Cakes –
Drought –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Pop Urinal Cakes 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Urinal Cakes
2.) Drought
BUY the 7″ directly from Insound
Burning Yellows on Myspace
Burning Yellows on Facebook
For the past 24 hours or so, this self-titled LP from Magic Bullets has been making it hard for me to listen to anything else. This appears to be their second full-length, and it was put out by Mon Amie Records just recently. Contrary to what you may have heard, Magic Bullets have been around for quite some time, originally forming back in 2004 as a side project for another band that I don’t know the name of. Since then they have released two full-length records, an EP, and a 7″, each filled to the brim with their infectious blend of jangly, frantic pop music that’s just great.
At times evoking a bright, sunny, Spring morning, Magic Bullets are definitely the kind of band that gets stuck under your skin, and trust me when I say it’s going to take awhile for that addiction to wear off. If you’ve ever heard of Okkervil River before, you may or may not agree that lead singer Philip Benson at times sounds like Will Sheff from Okkervil, but that’s for you to decide. Every other description I’ve read also mentions that these guys sound like the Smiths as well, but to be completely honest, I would have no idea if that’s true or not. I’ve never really listened to the Smiths, but if it sounds anything like this I’m sure I would be interested. Maybe I should look into that.
In the meantime, I want you guys to check out these songs below from their LP. It’s going to be hard to try and resist the delightful call of the jangly guitars, or their groovy, elastic bass lines, or the frantic singing of Philip Benson that make these songs so memorable, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it. If you’ve only got time to listen to one song, I’m going to have to suggest “Sigh the Day Away”. It takes the whole album to reach this song if you’re listening all the way through, but I think this only means they saved the best for last. Melodramatic vocals and an irresistible guitar hook played over top of a grooving, dance-worthy bass line is the recipe for absolute perfection. Please check this stuff out!
A Day Not So Far Off –
Pretend & Descend –
Lying Around –
Sigh the Day Away –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Pop, Indie Rock Magic Bullets: Tracklist:
1.) A Day Not So Far Off
2.) They Wrote a Song About You
3.) Pretend & Descend
4.) Lying Around
5.) Young Shoulders
6.) Red Room
7.) On Top of the World
8.) A Name Sits Heaviest on My Heart
9.) Millions of People Running Around
10.) China Beach
11.) Sigh the Day Away
BUY the LP directly from Insound
Magic Bullets on Myspace!
Magic Bullets on Blogspot
Yo yo. Got something a bit different for you guys today. I was in search of something new, and this is what I came up with. It’s the latest release from the PSYCHIC ILLS, and it comes from the Social Registry in a numbered edition of 550 on random colored vinyl. The songs on this record were recorded at nearly the same time as their full-length “Mirror Eye”, which was released back in the beginning of 2009. This was the stuff from that era of the band that was never quite finished and mastered, so instead of letting it waste away they put it on this nice new LP for us.
Now I don’t know which of you guys have already come across the Psychic Ills, but if you have, you already know one thing: these guys create some otherworldly tunes. Hence why I said it was different at the beginning of the post. I don’t really think this stuff is for everybody, but that doesn’t exactly mean you won’t like it. Drony, zoned out, trance-like songs fill this record from beginning to end, and for some reason it reminds me of the pyramids and ancient Egypt and all that jazz whenever I’m listening. I don’t really know what that means, but hopefully it will help give you an idea of your own. You should definitely check out the song “Secret Flower” though, which is probably the most accessible song from the LP. It’s a buzzy, swirling and moody song all at once, and the feeling it evokes is definitely strange, or eerie. I’ve never really been at a loss for words before on here, but this is definitely the closest I’ve been. Just check out the song below and see what you think, because that’s what really matters.
Psychic Ills on Myspace BUY the limited edition record directly from Insound – Limited to 550!
Read the album description from the Social Registry to get an even better idea of the music
So there’s this band right, maybe you’ve heard of them. Their name is TENNIS, and they’ve been stirring up quite a bit of excitement recently – so much excitement that all of their releases sold out instantly, meaning there’s really no hope of getting your own at this point. Going by their Myspace these guys only have three official releases out there, and each one is completely sold out. Obviously this means that the husband-and-wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore must be doing something right if their music is selling out this fast and they’re getting shouts from the New York Times. Speaking of which, you should definitely check out that article. It’s about how they sailed for 8 straight months along the East Coast with minimal sailing knowledge and limited funds. Definitely an intriguing story, especially since their music was completely influenced by the trip. If that doesn’t qualify as unique, then I don’t know what will. Just sit back and listen to this wonderful, blissed out “lounge-rock” while your worries waste away. Enjoy!
I know I didn’t post anything here yesterday, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t busy finding new stuff for you guys. I made my way around the city yesterday in search of some new wax, and I came up with a few nice things. The first record I’m going to share comes straight from a Philadelphia band, and their name is ACRES OF DIAMONDS. Before snagging up this 7″ I was completely unaware of these guys, but that is no longer an issue. Good thing too, because these guys definitely have a nice sound going for them. It also never fails to make the music that much more interesting when it’s coming straight out of your own city.
So at times while listening to this stuff, some other bands lately dominating the headlines come to mind, such as the National or even the Arcade Fire. I say the National due to the vague vocal reminders of lead singer Jim Anderson to Matt Berninger in “Maria”, and the Arcade Fire for the use of the baroque piano and the ability to produce a huge and joyous orchestral sound. Part of that huge sounds comes from the fact that there are six different people in this band using six different instruments at once, so yeah, that’s pretty important. They also like to use of harmonies, (whether it be with the vocals or the guitars), and it certainly stands out in their music. These two things together are the perfect recipe for quite an addicting 7″, and it makes me all the more excited to check out their EP which has four other songs on it. This music would probably go great with the colder Winter months that aren’t as far off as we all think they are. Don’t go anywhere until you check these songs out though – I’m going to upload both of them. If that’s not enough for you, head on over to their Bandcamp page where you can listen to each song from their EP. In the meantime, hopefully these Philly-bros (and gals) don’t keep us waiting too long for some new material!
PS – I just started listening to the full EP…different band members take the vocal efforts in different songs.
Maria –
The Whole World –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Classic Rock Maria 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Maria
2.) The Whole World
Acres of Diamonds on Myspace
Acres of Diamonds on Facebook
BUY the 7″ on their Bandcamp page
Who?: Dean Wareham w/ Dean & Britta backing band performing Galaxie 500 w/ Crystal Stilts Where?:The Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA When?: August 20th, 2010
Yo. So last night was quite the magical night. Dean Wareham and his band stopped by in Philadelphia to play some songs for us, but not just any old songs. They didn’t play Luna. They didn’t play Dean & Britta. So you only really have one more guess. That’s right. Dean Wareham played Galaxie 500 songs last night and it was nothing short of breathtaking. Before this show I never thought I would have lived to see the day where these songs are performed, but luckily for me I was sadly mistaken. Crystal Stilts opened for the night (although I was too late for them – damn!) and then Dean Wareham and his band took the stage. He was backed by his bandmates from the Dean & Britta band, and they played all of our favorite Galaxie 500 songs, with all the simplicity and honesty that you could ever hope for.
For starters, Dean Wareham actually did a great job hitting those high notes he did over 20 years ago when they recorded the Galaxie 500 albums. Not only that, but I’m sure his guitar playing (as you would probably expect) has only gotten better over the years, so when it came time for a nasty solo or something like that, Dean was right there to melt our faces off (see “When Will You Come Home” video clip below). As a quick side note, I shot minimal video because I wasn’t using my usual trusty camcorder. They don’t allow camcorders @ the Troc so my hands were tied. I used my digital camera to get these videos before the batteries gave out, so just bear with the quality. As far as I’m concerned, it’s better than nothing!
When Will You Come Home – Now I know this isn’t the entire song, but I didn’t want to drain my batteries just yet. I figured I’d catch the ending half of the song when Wareham melts our faces, and sure enough he does just that. What a damn-good song. Now if only they played Ceremony…
Ceremony – Oh wait! They did! How could I forget?? Just kidding, of course. As I kind of expected – If we were going to get this song, it was probably going to be last, and sure enough they played it at the end of their encore. People starting yelping out “Ceremony” when they saw Dean apply the capo to his guitar. Watching this video still gives me the jitters, hearing this last night was beyond unreal. Many people (including myself) never thought last night would become a reality. There was a guy standing nearby me who kept saying something like “We’ve been waiting”. He’s not kidding!!!
So all in all, I think you can figure out that it was a fantastic night. I’m not sure if any of you saw my G500 post the other day in honor of this show, but believe it or not, Dean actually confirmed some of my drugs comments in certain songs last night on stage. I mentioned I thought he had taken drugs for the song “Strange”, and sure enough before they played the song last night Dean says something about taking acid and going to the drug store. Now all his thoughts totally make sense! He also gave us some insights on the songs “Decomposing Trees” and “Blue Thunder”.
Apparently “Decomposing Trees” is about when Wareham and some friends took some acid in a brand new city, went to the stream, and then he thought his toes were talking to him. He walked up-stream a bit and found an old ax and begun swinging it around (while making a joke about how that’s not a good thing to do on acid), and then proceeded to tell us that the ax came off the handle and almost hit his friend Graham. Talk about a horror story (especially while on acid), but good thing they avoided that one. He also mentioned how his blue Dodge was named after the movie “Blue Thunder”, hence the track name “Blue Thunder”. Interesting stuff though – I just couldn’t believe he told us that stuff a day after I was talking about it here on the Drone. If you don’t believe me read this post. So technically I’m already late for work this morning so I’ll leave you with two last things. One: a link to all the pictures I took from the show, and two: Galaxie 500 songs for you to listen to and enjoy.
PS – I have one last thing that I almost totally forgot about. I was lucky enough to snag a setlist off the stage last night when the show was over for all you curious-folk. Check it!
Setlist:
1.) Flowers
2.) Pictures
3.) Temperature’s Rising
4.) Snowstorm
5.) Decomposing Trees
6.) Strange
7.) Hearing Voices
8.) Blue Thunder
9.) Summertime
10.) When Will You Come Home
11.) Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste
12.) Fourth of July
-ENCORE-
13.) Tugboat
14.) Ceremony
Remember the BAND in HEAVEN? I posted their awesome demo tunes back at the very end of May, and since then those guys must have been hard at work. They’re now back on the scene with a brand new cassette tape, which may or may not be their first official release, and the tape is split with another band you may have already come across somewhere in your internet travels: WEIRD WIVES. But just in case you’re not familiar, I’ll give you a quick fill in. Weird Wives is 3/5 of the band Surfer Blood, who believe it or not were actually already a band before Surfer Blood came together. I’ve come to understand that Weird Wives have a couple 7″ records out there, but I can’t seem to find any information on them. The best I found were these two EP downloads – EP#1 and EP#2.
So if you remember the Band in Heaven or if you’ve already heard Weird Wives, then you may already know what to expect from this brand new cassette tape. Gritty, abrasive, in-yr-face punk rock that’s going to knock your ass to the ground and keep you down there for as long as you’re willing to accept the musical harassment that’s on this tape. The first song up – “Summer Bummer” – comes from the Band in Heaven, and it does just that. Not only is it noisy, but they’ve even managed to work some eerie, space-like sounding keyboards in the mix as well, giving this song a little of the best from both worlds. Next would come “Suicide Pact”, and they take a small step back on the intensity this time around, but nothing too drastic. Before I knew the tracklist of this tape I was PRAYING their song “High Low” was on it…no worries though. Maybe next time? Flip the tape over for some more face pounding noise-punk action, only this time we’re in Weird Wives territory. Drony vocals and lazy-but-heavy guitars dominate the songs, possibly influenced by smoking a bit of weed and playing some music? You tell me, I dunno. Check out the two songs from the tape below and see what you think. Please leave some comments too! People don’t do that enough around here! If you want to hear the rest of the songs from the tape, follow this link here.
Summer Bummer –
Head Bugs –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Lo-Fi, Shoegaze, Punk Split Tape: Tracklist:
1.) The Band in Heaven – Summer Bummer
2.) The Band in Heaven – Suicide Pact
3.) Weird Wives – Head Bugs
4.) Weird Wives – Wet Blanket
In honor of the show this Friday night, I figured it would be more than appropriate to post this album up here today. Not only that, but it’s beyond worthy of having a spot on this blog and every music blog that’s ever covered any other type of shoegaze or dream pop band. I say this because Galaxie 500 is certainly a pivotal band when it comes to the genre and sound of shoegaze/ dream pop.
Ever since their formation and the release of their albums, shoegaze bands have always attempted to capture that unique Galaxie 500 sound, but they usually end up coming a bit short of their goals. This would be why these albums are so important to the genre, and if this wasn’t true, then why do people always come back to Galaxie 500? Did I mention yet that they just re-issued the entire G500 discography, live albums and all? See, that’s what I mean. If it wasn’t for a band like Galaxie 500, who knows what shoegaze and slowcore bands would sound like today. I’m sure it wouldn’t be some, huge, gigantic, groundbreaking difference, but who knows. Sometimes you just have to give credit when credit is due.
Whether it’s the snow or rain you’re stuck in, “On Fire” is one of those lousy day records you can put on to help you cope with the lameness of any dreary day. The warm, fuzzy, fiery breeze that is Galaxie 500 is sure to warm your soul and bring you to a much more solid state of mind, possibly helping you forget about any problems you may be experiencing (at least while the album’s still playing). Lead singer Dean Wareham is always there to greet us with his mundane lyrics about everyday activities, such as the weather, work, going to the corner store, fights, and whatever else qualifies as an everyday activity. It’s almost like his lyrics are a stream of consciousness going through his head that he just happened to get down on paper before it was too late and he forgot. Sometimes he’s shrieking, sometimes he sounds exceptionally lazy, but there’s one thing that is definitely constant: his guitar work. This guy knew how lay down some sick, face melting guitar licks back in 1989 when this album came out, and I can guarantee he still can do so if he’s about to come play these songs in Philadelphia one day from now.
Kicking off the album is the song “Blue Thunder”, which at first doesn’t sound like much, but as time goes on it begins to grow into something more. Wareham sings as if he’s sitting in the backseat of a car driving down the highway (Route 128 is a highway in Massachusetts) looking at all the passing scenery. Perhaps while messed up on some kind of drug, Wareham is referring to the blue haze he sees as everything passes him by, as depicted in this great music video. Skipping ahead to the song “Strange”, where Wareham once again sings to us about his day. This time it’s about his trip down to a lousy drug store, and he seems to be paranoid about his surroundings and the people around him. This definitely gives me the thought that poor Dean was bugging out, thinking that all these people were looking so strange and unreal. Can’t say what drug he was on (or if he was on one at all, wtf do I know?), but it definitely got to his head for this song.
Following this track comes the longest song from the original record, “When Will You Come Home”. It’s a slowcore jam out at it’s absolute finest, with Wareham desperately waiting for his girl to come home. About halfway through this one Wareham starts to tear shit up with an immense guitar solo that helps bring the song to it’s near-perfect end. Some serious shredding in this track – no joke. Again skipping ahead further in the album, this time to the song “Another Day”. This is the only song on the album sung by bassist Naomi Yang, and her gorgeous, healing voice makes this an extremely enjoyable listen. About halfway through the song breaks down with more intense, face melting guitar action, played by none other than Mr. Wareham himself. I honestly had more to say about this record, but I’m starting to run out of time. This post is also going to be huge.
I’m just going to skip ahead to one of the bonus tracks, specifically the song “Ceremony”. Now I know this might really urk some people out there, but how many times do you come across a cover song that actually exceeds the quality of it’s original recording? If you’re asking me, almost never. Galaxie 500 are the only band I have seen successfully complete this feat, and they have done so with this cover of Joy Divisions (and New Order’s) song “Ceremony”. Damon Krukowski’s relentless, crashing cymbals and the twang of Warehams trusty guitar make this song simply irresistible. Right before the four minute mark the song hits it’s peak, and Wareham begins to howl away about watching love grow forever while Krukowski continues to crash those cymbals. Keep listening and Wareham’s guitar playing starts to get more and more intricate as the song progresses. This is also one of those songs that seems to be forgotten about almost all of the time, probably because it’s original release was on this now-scarce “Blue Thunder EP” that came out back in 1990. Don’t worry though, I’m pretty sure this track made it onto the new reissue of this fantastic album. If you haven’t heard it, you probably shouldn’t go anywhere too soon. Would it help you listen if I said I thought this was thee perfect song?
This is an album I’ve spun countless times in several different situations (including in a car accident in a snowstorm), and I’d be lying if I didn’t say these songs and this band as a whole mean more to me than just music. Sometimes if you hear certain music at a crucial point in life, they always tend to stick with you and never let go – making the music mean that much more to a listener. With that being said, I am beyond ready to finally hear these songs come to life this Friday night at the Trocadero. Now I just hope he plays “Ceremony”. Bring it on!!! Thanks for reading!!!
Blue Thunder –
When Will You Come Home –
Another Day –
Ceremony –
My Rating: 10/10 Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Slowcore On Fire: Tracklist:
1.) Blue Thunder
2.) Tell Me
3.) Snowstorm
4.) Strange
5.) When Will You Come Home
6.) Decomposing Trees
7.) Another Day
8.) Leave the Planet
9.) Plastic Bird
10.) Isn’t It a Pity
11.) Victory Garden (Bonus Track)
12.) Ceremony (Bonus Track)
13.) Cold Night (Bonus Track)
BUY any G500 releases available @ Insound
Galaxie 500 on Myspace
Anything about G500 & more @ this awesome comprehensive website – A Head Full of Wishes
Remember when I said I’ve been giving Hardly Art quite a lot of love lately? Well here’s why – this is the third single from the label that I am posting in under a week, with the first two being from Woven Bones and Unnatural Helpers. This just goes to show that this label is churning out some hella-good tunes, and hopefully they will continue to do so! While we wait for their next release (whatever it may be), hopefully these 7-inchers and everything else they got over in their catalog can keep us satisfied until something new comes out.
So on this 7″ we’ve got four songs. Two of them come from the Golden Triangle camp, while the two on the B-side come from the San Francisco psych-poppers the Fresh & Onlys. Before listening, I was already familiar with the Fresh & Onlys, so Golden Triangle was the only mystery with this single. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but that doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is that these guys passed the test with flying colors. “Cold Bones” has dominated my listening for the past 24 hours or so, while the other song “Jungle Jim” goes a long way to give you the feeling that you’re actually in the middle of a jungle. Parts of the song get extremely swampy and murky, and they even work some monkey shrieks into the jungle-y sounding parts. Certainly makes for a unique listen. To top it all off, the guitar leads over those parts with a mysterious, airy sounding lick that is just perfect. Flip on over to the B-side to find yourself in Fresh & Only territory – fast paced, high energy, psychedelic-garage-pop with high pitched, jangly guitars. I’m uploading one song from each band below before I leave for work, so check’em out.
Cold Bones –
Head of Steam –
My Rating: 7.5/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Pop Split 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Golden Triangle – Cold Bones
2.) Golden Triangle – Jungle Jim
3.) The Fresh & Onlys – Head of Steam
4.) The Fresh & Onlys – I’m Not Myself Today
BUY the 7″ directly from Insound
Golden Triangle on Myspace
The Fresh & Onlys on Myspace
Styrofoam Drone 