Lately the band Tamaryn has been making some serious waves. Chances are that’s because their debut full-length “The Waves” is about to drop from Mexican Summer, and it looks like “The Waves” is only going to generate even more waves once it’s officially released in September. With that being said, they picked an excellent name for their LP, but we still have to wait for a decent chunk of time before we can listen. In the meantime we can take a look at one of their more recent releases – one of them being the fantastic “Mild Confusion” 7″ that was put out by True Panther Sounds right at the end of 2009. If that’s not enough for you, there’s plenty of other Tamaryn releases you can check out – here is a list of them from the wonderfully resourceful Discogs.com.
So as I’m writing this, I’m learning that their full-length “The Waves” apparently leaked somewhere onto the internet, but I haven’t seen it anywhere just yet. Unfortunately for the band, that news is probably true. But fortunately for us eager listeners, now we don’t have to wait any longer! Woo! Although I haven’t found anything yet, I still believe it. Until something actually does show up, I’m just going to keep listening to their 7″, because for now I think that’s about all I really need. Once that wears off, then it’ll be time for a switch. But in the meantime, you guys can check out the song “Mild Confusion” below. It’s an easily awesome/ deliciously haunting tune all at once, and lead singer Tamaryn sings like a moody spirit hiding amongst the shadows in this increasingly atmospheric jam. Check it, yo!
Just last night I had an e-mail in my inbox from Papermade Music about one of their bands named RARE GROOVES. Rare Grooves are a brand new band, and they’re just now putting the finishing touches on their debut 7″ to be released by Papermade. Rare Grooves formed out of the ashes of a previous band called the Window Babies, and now they’re ready to share their new music with the world. The band is made up of three members (Danny, Tabor and Chris) and they had heavyweight-bassist Mike Watt play bass guitar on record.
As for the music, Rare Grooves certainly have their own sound. They play these calypso-sounding island jams that could probably be best described as a groove, and that works perfectly considering the name of their band. Most of the time it sounds like finger picking on the twangy guitars, and the lead singers anthemic, chant-like vocals give the songs a punkish feel. Not to mention it makes the songs great to sing along to. During the B-side “No Garden” they break it all down with a gritty sounding lead guitar, but no matter what I hear I’m still having a hard time figuring out what to call this stuff. You can check out the B-side “No Garden” right here, and then you can head on over to their Myspace where you can hear the title track “Cause for Concern”. Please listen and enjoy! If you like this stuff, head on over to Papermade Music, because the 7″ only cost $5 – what a nice deal!
No Garden –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Post-Punk, Experimental Cause for Concern 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Cause for Concern
2.) No Garden
Here’s something new for today. The name of the band is FIRST BASE, and they hail from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They’ve had their Myspace account since November of 2007, and since then it looks like they’ve released two 7″ records. The first was put out in 2009 by Pizza Party Records, and then the second was just released during 2010 on Play Pinball! Records. Today we’re gonna focus on the earlier of the two records, but don’t get too upset – I’ve ordered the other 7″ from Play Pinball! so we’ll see that up here eventually. Just sit tight.
Now on to the music. “I’ve Got a Girl” is an exceptionally short release (it barely passes three minutes), but those three minutes are so poppy and catchy that they’re bound to get stuck in your head and keep you coming back for more for days. That’s probably what they’re going for, too. The two songs are so clean sounding and polished up that it makes it really hard to deny this band. A short bit past the first minute of “I’ve Got a Girl” and you’ll be facing a nasty little guitar lick, and it might not seem like much at first, but it’s pretty sick. Of course, it doesn’t last very long, but it still fits in their perfectly, and it’s kind of like the climax of the song. Then before you even have a chance to change gears, it’s time for the B-side.
Now I know it’s a good thing that this guy doesn’t want anybody to make his girl cry, but shouldn’t he be a bit more cautious too? If he’s writing this song he’s probably made his girl cry at least once. But let’s not get into that…that’s a whole different story. I think that’s it for today guys, so check out the song below, and then go to the First Base Myspace if you would like to hear more (including the B-side) . So that’s it…now instead of singing songs about this girl in your bed, why not get in there, son?
I’ve Got a Girl –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Pop, Rock, Lo-Fi I’ve Got a Girl 7″: Tracklist:
1.) I’ve Got a Girl
2.) Nobody Makes My Girl Cry But Me
Back in May I was browsing around the internet to snag up some new vinyl, and in the process I came across this fantastic website based out of California. It’s called Aural Exploits, and they’ve got a TON of music you can buy, and they’ll ship it all directly to your front door. Well it just so happened that when I was surfing their store back in May, they were accepting pre-orders for the reissue of the timeless epic “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” by Spiritualized on vinyl – on beautiful, 180 gram vinyl to be exact. So obviously I wasn’t about to pass this opportunity up – a chance to own such a fantastic album on two pieces of gorgeous vinyl is basically why I wake up in the morning. So almost two months went by (because the label had to delay the records) before it received it in the mail, but it just came in this past Tuesday and I couldn’t have been more psyched. I realize that there isn’t much left to say about an album of this caliber, or about an album that came out over 10 years ago, but I certainly think this record deserves a spot here on the Styrofoam Drone, let alone all your record shelves and CD players. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get floating…in space.
There’s a sticker that came on the front of the vinyl, and it reads “A psychedelic gospel album full of confessional songs about heartbreak and drug abuse; a flat out masterpiece” – I don’t think I could have described the record any better myself, but I’m still going to give it a shot. Here we go: It all begins with the self-titled song, and it’s basically like an introduction for the entire album. Of course this marks the start of the record, but if you’re asking me, things don’t really kick off until track two, “Come Together”. With the quick roll of the tom-tom and a quivering sound effect, “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” takes off, and there’s really no looking back after that. And it really does sound like a “take off” type of start, ya know? Suddenly you’re thrown into the world of Jason Pierce, and it doesn’t let up for 70 minutes until the jazzy/crazy epic final track “Cop Shot Cop…”.
While listening, you’ll come across endless highlights and just about every traditional instrument music has to offer. Some tracks that definitely stand out would be “I Think I’m in Love” with Pierces question and answer vocals, and “Electricity” with it’s ability to pulse through your veins and make you drive crazy-fast if you’re listening in a car. The song turns into this huge wall of sound by the time you reach the end, and chances are you’re going to want to play it over and over again. Then there’s other tracks that are noisy, instrumentals that are sure to make your head spin – like “The Individual” which is totally dominated by brass instruments, or “No God Only Religion”, which is just a sprawling mess. You even get tracks that could bring a small tear to your eye, like the moving “Broken Heart”. But no matter what you’re into or what you like to hear, chances are Jason Pierce did it somewhere on this record, which is why this slab of wax has been praised for so many years since it’s initial release back in 1997. I’m going to leave you guys with two songs from the record, and if you’ve never heard anything from Spiritualized yet, I suggest you make that your goal for today.
Come Together –
Electricity –
My Rating: 10/10 Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Space Rock, Shoegaze Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space: Tracklist:
1.) Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
2.) Come Together
3.) I Think I’m in Love
4.) All of My Thoughts
5.) Stay With Me
6.) Electricity
7.) Home of the Brave
8.) The Individual
9.) Broken Heart
10.) No God Only Religion
11.) Cool Waves
12.) Cop Shoot Cop…
Spiritualized – Official Website!
Spiritualized on Myspace! BUY the album from Aural Exploits – It’s on back order now…
Hey guys. So as some of you may know, last week was definitely a Jacuzzi Boys kind of week. When it was all said and done, I went over to Florida’s Dying to pick up their wonderful “No Seasons” LP. In doing so, I came across something else that they have that I thought I’d like to give a listen. The name of the band is DEAD LUKE, and the release I’m speaking of is called “American Haircut”. They have the LP for a ridiculously cheap price of $10 over at Florida’s Dying, and I think what sealed the deal for me was the awesome little description of the record – “No sun in these parts, just dead vegetation and an iced over ground where a ghostly voice repeats over and over ‘You know you’re bringing me down.'” After reading a description like that, I was beyond curious what Dead Luke was all about, so here I am today.
“American Haircut” definitely isn’t your normal batch of songs, but that’s probably why you went out of your way to check this dude out, right? Most of the time on the record, you’ll find yourself immersed in these dark, ambient tracks with endless layers of reverb, and at times it almost feels like you’re listening to the music from an underwater point-of-view (or in this case, point-of-listening), and at times it can be quite haunting – for example, the song “Sunrise”. But don’t get me wrong, not every song is creepy or haunting like that. There’s a bunch of other songs from the record with a much more inviting sound, such as “God Bless the Midwest, God Roast the East”, or “Lil’ Red Riding Hood”, which could probably be the most accessible song from the album. Except for “Trapped in Lust”, “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” might be the only track with a noticeable acoustic guitar right from the get-go. And it’s also got a broken keyboard solo throughout the song that’s pretty sweet.
One highlight from “American Haircut” would have to be track two, titled “Dreaming Pt. 3”. The song starts out with these dizzying sound effects, and then moments later everything else joins in. The simple, buzzy bass line guides you through the song and keeps everything running smoothly while all sorts of crazy shit takes place – howling vocals, heavy guitars, pretty much anything you think you hear. As you listen you’ll notice the song gets extremely intense as it builds up into more and more with every passing second – just hang in there. Up next would be track three, “Luke is Not Dead”, and it’s immediately different from the last song. This one gets its point across much quicker as the song starts up right away, and then all the sudden things change up during the second minute, and you’re left with just a woozy sounding acoustic guitar. Definitely didn’t see that coming. Another track from the record that’s certainly worth your time is the final track, “The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done.” And what a perfect name for a song that sounds like it does! This is yet another ridiculously drowned out tune, but it’s got a somewhat inviting sound once you get into it. Little bursts of reverb come out throughout the song, and it’s just a deliciously awesome mess of darkness and noise that’s bound to make your head spin. I think that’s all for today guys, but please check out these few songs below – you won’t be sorry!
Dreaming Pt. 3 –
Lil’ Red Riding Hood –
The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done –
My Rating: 7.5/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Slowcore, Psychedelic, Noise Rock American Haircut: Tracklist:
1.) Trapped in Lust
2.) Dreaming Pt. 3
3.) Luke is Not Dead
4.) Sunrise
5.) You’re Bringing Me Down
6.) God Bless the Midwest, God Roast the East
7.) Acid Forest
8.) Lil’ Red Riding Hood
9.) The Best Drug I’ve Ever Done
Dead Luke on Myspace – Not much to see… BUY “American Haircut” directly from Florida’s Dying BUY all available Dead Luke releases here at Insound
Dead Luke discography list from Discogs.com
Hey guys. I hope you all weren’t too worried about me yesterday considering there wasn’t a new post. If you were, it’s okay now, because I’m back with something that I wish I had known about much, much sooner. Kind of like those Jacuzzi Boys we’ve been seeing here recently on the SD.
If it wasn’t for their most recent 7″, I don’t know if I ever would have came across these guys. After hearing what they had to offer from “Turquoise Hotel”, I couldn’t just sit around and wonder what else these guys had up their sleeve. I tracked down their full-length, and I am EXTREMELY glad I did. Upon first listen, I got an immediate feeling that this stuff was going to put me on my ass, and sure enough, it did. Which makes me go on to say that nothing can compare to the first listen of any song, but that’s a different story. Unfortunately for me, I have to go to work this morning, so I can’t get too in-depth with the music description this time around, but I’ll leave you guys with a few mp3’s so you can see what they’re all about. But before you listen, I’ll have you know that the crunchy, lo-fi qualities are definitely part of the Fungi Girls sound, and they do it all with their own unique, swingin’ blend of heavy garage rock, which includes psychedelic freak outs of all sorts. Just please listen for yourself, and hopefully the result will be your face looking like the one from their album cover – wide eyes, jaw dropped.
Pacifica Nostalgia –
Colour the Floor –
Crystal Roads –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Noise Rock, Psychedelic Seafaring Pyramids: Tracklist:
1.) Pacifica Nostalgia
2.) Into the Cosmos
3.) Dystopic Vision
4.) Dream of Oz
5.) Colour the Floor
6.) Kowloon Walled City
7.) Clouds
8.) Crystal Roads
Dude, what’s with Texas releasing all of this great music? Seriously, more and more bands keep pouring out of Texas from all sides, and there’s no end in sight. Hopefully there won’t be either, and then they can all keep gracing our eager ears with their mind blowing tunes. Speaking of minds, today’s band is called MIND SPIDERS, and yup, you guessed it, they’re from Fort Worth, Texas. And this appears to be their debut release of any sort, so let’s give it up for the Mind Spiders. I must warn you before we go any further though – this stuff here is extremely addicting. After listening to the 7″ countless times, it’s pretty clear that the Mind Spiders hook is in pretty deep. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too. Be sure to keep reading, because honestly, I don’t think you guys want to miss out on this one.
Mind Spiders are led by a guy named Mark Ryan, and it turns out that they’re only a side project of his. When he’s not concentrating on Mind Spiders, he’s destroying faces with his other band The Marked Men. The Marked Men and Mind Spiders do share some qualities, but we’re focusing on just the Mind Spiders today.
Their brand new 7″ comes from the punk label Dirtnap Records. It’s four tracks long of highly energized, face-beating garage-punk, and it clocks in at just over 10 minutes. Each song from the 7″ is a highlight in it’s own way – whether it’s the scorching, fiery guitars of “Ripped”, the gigantic, progressively growing sound in “Time Sucker”, or the harmonic goodness of “Worlds Destroyed”, this band is bound to catch on. Be sure to give these songs a listen below, and check out their Myspace too for other songs from the 7″.
Time Sucker –
Dirty Secrets –
My Rating: 9/10 Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Punk, Alternative Mind Spiders 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Worlds Destroyed
2.) Time Sucker
3.) Ripped
4.) Dirty Secrets
Back in May, this little gem of a 7″ was released on HoZac Records. The name of the band is FUNGI GIRLS, and this one looks like it’s their debut 7″ record. Neither of the songs from this single were featured on their full-length, so these tracks from the 7″ are about as new as it gets when it comes to Fungi Girls. This 7″ is also about as dynamic as they come, because each side sounds like a different band playing completely different styles of music, but they still manage to do it all with their own unique sound.
The 7″ starts off with a song called “Turquoise Hotel”, and it’s a spastic mess of gritty sounding guitars, constantly rolling drums, and bouncy bass lines. They have a bit of the surf rock sound mixed in as well, but it’s not entirely noticeable at first; you gotta listen a couple of times. If you’re curious, check out their Myspace – it’s the first song they have up there. Now if that song wasn’t enough to catch you off guard, flipping over to the B-side will hopefully do the trick. It’s called “Doldrums”, and it’s completely different from “Turquoise Hotel”. Right away it starts off with a bluesy guitar shuffle, and then the drums join in on the fun. This track is certainly a groovy one, as it brings to mind types of music like swing and jazz. This one was definitely put on here to get you up and outta your seat and dancing along to the beat. Towards the end of the track some jazzy sounding piano (I’ve been informed that it’s a Jaguar guitar being played through a Fender amp) comes into the mix, and shortly after they wrap it all up. You can check out “Doldrums” right below.
Doldrums –
My Rating: 9/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Psychedelic, Experimental Rock Turquoise Hotel 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Turquoise Hotel
2.) Doldrums
Velvet Davenport is the moniker of the one-man band led by Parker Sprout, who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has other people fill in certain positions when it comes to recording, but it’s still all about Sprout. I am to understand this cassette came out sometime during 2009, and since then Velvet Davenport has gone on to release some other material. There’s a 7″ single from the awesome Shdwply Records called “Get Out”, and then there’s a full-length CD called “Happy Ending” that was also put out by Shdwply, which I’m having difficulty finding any solid information on.
This cassette tape doesn’t last very long (it’s pretty short – only about 13 minutes), but it’s packed with these trippy, hazy, sun-shining jams that bring to mind the likes of Syd Barrett and his solo efforts, or even his early work from Pink Floyd. There’s a song called “Lemon” on the cassette, and it’s a gorgeous mix of heavenly guitars and shimmering sound effects, and Sprout howls over the mix in a somewhat monotone fashion – probably the most defining moment when it comes to comparing to Barrett. But whether you think that or not, these sunny songs are bound to put a smile on your face. Listen to the tracks below, and then check out the other tracks they have for you up on Myspace.
Lemon –
Drop –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Acoustic, Pop Lemon Drop Square Box: Tracklist:
1.) One
2.) Lemon
3.) Drop
4.) Two
5.) Square
6.) Box
Hey guys. So I know the last Jacuzzi Boys post wasn’t that long ago, but you gotta blame the Jacuzzi Boys. There music is just so damn addicting. Before this week I had never really listened to them; I had only seen their name in various spots across the interweb. Now I’m going out of my way to find all of their 7″ records, and I just purchased their full-length “No Seasons” last night from Florida’s Dying. My efforts in finding all of their records probably won’t pay off, because I’m pretty sure a few of them have been out of print for awhile now, but hey, it never hurts to try. The full-length came out sometime during 2009 after the success of all of their earliest 7″ singles. For that, you gotta commend them, because not every band gets that far.
The LP starts off on a great note with the hectic song “Blow Out Your Lights”, as it sets the tone for the rest of the party-time madness that’s about to unfold. Next up comes the oddly titled “Smells Dead”, and I don’t think somebody would make a song about something smelling unless it really bothered them. I think that’s the case for this song too; lead singer Gabriel tried everything to make the smell go away too – he lit candles, he opened windows, but it still smells. Coming up next would be the third track called “Fruits”. Like most of their songs, this one is dominated by a crafty guitar hook that is sure to sink in and keep you coming back for third and fourth listens. Drummer Deigo goes a step further in the song by adding in his cowbell and it works great for the song.
Up next comes “Island Ave.”, which I’m sure you’ve already heard if you know the Jacuzzi Boys. This was the featured song on one of their 7″ that came from HoZac Records back in 2008. They re-recorded the song for the full-length, and it sounds fantastic. The second half of the song is when the fun really starts, as guitarist Gabriel makes his guitar squeal over the buzzy, ground shaking bass of bandmate Danny. Quickly following up “Island Ave.” comes the album-titled song “No Seasons”, and surprisingly enough it’s the shortest song on the LP. The bass lazily guides you through the song as lead singer Gabriel let’s us know that he “Ain’t got no seasons at all”, and suddenly the song is over. But it plays seamlessly into the next song “Komi Caricoles”, which was a B-side song from their earliest 7″ record “Ghost Ghost”. This one kind of sounds like a lazy island jam, and about 3/4 of the way through the song suddenly picks up speed out of nowhere and forces you to tap along to the beat.
“Komi Caricoles” marks the midway point of the album, which means there’s about six more tracks to listen to. This entire half of the album is certainly worth your time, but some tracks stand out more before the rest. For example, the fun lyrics of “Planet of the Dreamers” when Gabriel repeats “Cosmo grass, pig made out of glass” (??). Although I’m not entirely sure that’s what he’s saying, it makes for a fun sing-along. Another one worth hearing from this side would be the guitar-driven “Dock”, which is another garage rock great with an addicting guitar hook, or the final track “The Park (Dig It), which gives you the feeling you’re on a spinning, never-ending merry-go-round. I think that’s all for today guys, but you should really check out these songs below if you’ve never listened to the Jacuzzi Boys before. Thanks for coming by, and enjoy your day.
Island Ave. –
Komi Caricoles –
Planet of the Dreamers –
My Rating: 9/10 Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Lo-Fi No Seasons: Tracklist:
1.) Blow Out Your Lights
2.) Smells Dead
3.) Fruits
4.) Island Ave.
5.) No Seasons
6.) Komi Caricoles
7.) Throwing Stones
8.) Planet of the Dreamers
9.) Dock
10.) I Saw It All
11.) Burn It Down
12.) The Park (Dig It)
Styrofoam Drone 