Smith Westerns/ Magic Kids – Spilt 7″

Today we have something else that I picked up on my most recent trip to the record store. As you already know, I spent a good chunk of time without making a trip to the store, so when I finally made it back I couldn’t just keep things simple; I had to buy multiple items. Along with the Radical Sons LP that I snagged up, I also walked out of the store that day with this gem of a 7″…not to mention a few other things…but we’ll see how long it is before I’m making a trip back. I’m really glad I picked up this little 7″ too, because it turned out to be quite a fun listen. It’s a split 7″ record with our already-familiar friends the SMITH WESTERNS on the A-side, and you flip it over to the B-side to hear a track from a band called MAGIC KIDS. We already know the Smith Westerns are from Chicago, and something new we learned is that the Magic Kids are from Memphis, Tennessee. And if any single music-describing word comes to mind when listening to this 7″, chances are it’s this one: pop.

The 7″ starts off on the A-side with the Smith Westerns, and the name of the song is “Imagine, Pt. 3”. While I’m not entirely sure if there’s a part 1 and 2, I can tell you that part 3 is a fun a lovable track, straight up. The Smith Westerns just rock out an any given opportunity, complete with squealing guitars, mushy vocals about love, and they do it all with enough promise to give me great hopes for their forthcoming LP due out on Fat Possum Records sometime in the near future. Hopefully they won’t keep us waiting too long for this one. Now we flip over to the B-side, and we’re face to face with the Magic Kids. This side is just about as poppy as the other side, but this time the song is more piano or keyboard-driven. Whatever you want to call it – I’m cool with either. This song is much shorter than the A-side, but it’s still two and a half minutes of picture-perfect pop glistening with all sorts of sound effects and peppy vocals about superballs: “Bounce bounce bounce!” Why waste any more of your precious time? Check out these two songs for yourself right below.

Imagine, Pt. 3 –

Superball –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi
Split 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Smith Westerns – Imagine, Pt. 3
2.) Magic Kids – Superball

Smith Westerns on Myspace
Magic Kids on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Fat Possum Records
More info. on this release right here

Radical Sons – Throwing Knives

Hey all. This past Sunday was a great day. I made it to the record store for the first time in weeks, and while I was there I found some fantastic new records. Of the few things I picked up that day, one of them certainly stood out above the rest, and that record is called “Throwing Knives” by a band named RADICAL SONS. When I found it in the record store I had no idea what I was getting into. The main reason I bought it was because it was from the St. Ives label, and it wasn’t too pricey. With that being said, I can’t stress enough how good of a feeling it is to buy a record without any prior knowledge of the band, and then totally fall in the love with the music. Radical Sons totally caught me off guard considering my situation, and I hope you guys can enjoy these songs as much as I did.

The record has two sides (duh), but one side is all studio recordings, while the other is all demo takes of certain songs. According to the description on the Insound website, these demo tracks were recorded right at home, and the record sleeves were designed by the band members themselves. As the St. Ives label on the vinyl says, “The artist alone is to blame for the appearance of their St. Ives record.”, so if there are any problems with your record, you know who to blame! But seriously, how could you get mad at these guys after making such an awesome record?

The band originally started back in 2008 with Ben Goldstein and Nick Risler when they still lived in St. Louis, and since then they’ve moved to Brooklyn, NY (no surprise there), and then they released their first record “Throwing Knives”, which is why I am here today. You can listen to three of the songs below, ripped directly from the vinyl itself. Some parts of the songs get noisy, other parts sound like tropical calypso music (the beginning of Planes & Trains), and other parts they just rock out, but they always manage to do all of these things while staying within the confines of their own sound. Hey, thanks for coming by again today, and as always, enjoy the music!

I’m So Sick of the 21st Century –

Throwing Knives –

Planes & Trains –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Noise Rock, Indie Rock
Throwing Knives: Tracklist:
1.) I’m So Sick of the 21st Century
2.) River City
3.) Throwing Knives
4.) All Signs Show
5.) Planes & Trains
6.) Midnight Reducers (Demo)
7.) River City (Demo)
8.) All Signs Show (Demo)
9.) Planes & Trains (Demo)
10.) Scavengers (Demo)

Check out Radical Sons on Myspace!
You can buy it at insound!

New Titus Andronicus Video – Four Score & Seven

Hey, check this out! They just set this video free yesterday along with an announcement for even more Titus Andronicus shows this summer! They’ve been touring since the Monitor came out – that’s ridiculous! But they’re just trying to give people what they love – more Titus Andronicus!

Check out the tour dates right here, and if you’re lucky enough they’ll be coming to your town with Free Energy! Should be a ridiculously awesome time! See ya there!

Site & Sound: Titus Andronicus from VanLou Media on Vimeo.

Hooray! – Beko 51 Digital Single

Awhile back somebody from our Last.fm group suggested to check out this website BEKO-dsl.com. It’s an awesome website where they release a brand new digital single every Monday, and they keep churning out the jams like it’s their only purpose here on Earth.

About two weeks ago they put this one up from a band called HOORAY! (exclamation included), and it’s an equally mysterious and interesting single that I found to be quite pleasing to the ears. It’s 8 solid minutes of sad, eerie noise pop from a guy named Ben Wagner, and as of lately it looks like there’s a lot going on in his world. His Myspace has two new releases posted up saying that they’re both “coming soon”, and then there is also a list of direct links to Mediafire where you can download all of his past efforts, including an EP called “Winter Break”, along with three others entitled “Snow Daze”, “Stuffed Animals”, and “Sleep(c)Overs”. I haven’t gotten around to checking any of these other releases out, but if they’re anything like the BEKO digital single, they’ll surely be worth your time. If this still isn’t enough for you today, you should check out the entire catalog over at BEKO, because they have an ever-growing list that is only going to get bigger and bigger.

Kyle’s Having People Over –

My Rating: 6/10
Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Pop, Ambient
Beko 51: Tracklist:
1.) I Guess…
2.) Jimmy, Grow Up
3.) Kyle’s Having People Over

Hooray! on Myspace (Be sure to check out all the FREE downloads!)
Download the BEKO 51 single directly from the BEKO-dsl website
Hooray! on Last.fm

Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm…Join the fun!!?

Hey, what’s up? I didn’t really have anything to post today, so instead of something new today I’m going to suggest that you join all of our groups and follow us on our Twitter page! First comes our Facebook group page, so if you’re a Facebook user you should definitely join up – the Styrofoam Drone on Facebook! Next we have our lovely group over at Last.fm, which would be a great place for everybody to meet and discuss new music and the like, but the sad truth is nobody really uses it. If you’re interested you can join that group right here – the Styrofoam Drone on Last.fm! Last but not least would be our Twitter account, which has slowly but surely been seeing new followers, but there could still be a whooooole lot more. Every time there’s a new a post or update here on the blog, you can be sure the Twitter account will keep you up to date – follow us on Twitter! So now that you’ve gotten more than enough of your daily dosage of social networking, you can get on with the things that actually matter in your day!

For the people who don’t want to read what’s above – Join/follow/subscribe to these groups:
FACEBOOK GROUP
TWITTER PAGE
LAST.FM GROUP
YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Why not check out our upcoming shows while you’re at it? – Shows: PPF

Chain and the Gang – (I’ve Got) Privilege 7″

Last we heard from Ian Svenonius and his Chain Gang, it was over a year ago. Their first full length LP came out on K Records back in April of 2009, and since then they’ve been pretty silent. Now, Ian and his Chain Gang are back once more, and they’re offering up a fresh, funky, fun loving 7″ that features two brand new tracks from the band. These two songs are almost like a continuation of where they left off from their LP, “Down With Liberty, Up With Chains”, carrying over all the humorous attitude and sassiness that made their LP such an interesting and fun listen.

A-side “(I’ve Got) Privilege” definitely falls into the funky category, complete with female backup vocals and a jazzy bass line that’s bound to get your head bobbing along to the beat. Flipping over to the B-side, they change things up a little bit, and it’s almost immediately noticeable. They leave behind the funky rhythms this time, and instead they just rock out and teach you how to sound like a genuine Detroit rock band. I have the A-side for you to listen to below, and you can head on over to their Myspace page so you can listen to the B-side. I don’t know what you’re all going to think, but this little 7″ is quite an awesome one. The best part is, it came out of nowhere. I had no idea these guys were putting anything new out, so this one was definitely a nice surprise. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did! Now if only I could think of a band name as cool as theirs…

(I’ve Got) Privilege –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Alternative
(I’ve Got) Privilege 7″: Tracklist:
1.) (I’ve Got) Privilege
2.) Detroit Music

Chain and the Gang on Myspace!
BUY their records directly from K Records

Monster Rally – Monster Rally EP

Here is something a bit out of the ordinary. The name of the band is Monster Rally, and they certainly have their own sound going for them. Instead of playing songs like everybody is used to hearing, Monster Rally create these abstract, hazy environments that could most easily be described as being background music for scenarios of all sorts. Whether it’s a busy, hot flea market mobbed with people from shoulder to shoulder, a lazy beach side Jamaican jam out, or just a breezy jazzy tune you can tap your foot along to, Monster Rally play a different form of music.

Probably the easiest way to describe their sound would be the “Soundtrack to your summer”, because that’s exactly what it is. Pretend you’re listening to the spaced-out, intergalactic journey of Flying Lotus’ “Los Angeles”, only this time you’re doing it on a tropical island somewhere, and it’s hot, sunny, and there’s not a chance in hell that summer is ever going to end. At least, as long as this EP is around. You shouldn’t wait any longer – head on over to their Bandcamp page to download this mysteriously awesome EP (for FREE!), so you too can be a part of the hazy, endlessly looping madness that is bound to play a role in your summer.

Shangri La –

Honey Moon –

Suns Hula –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Abstract, Psychedelic
Monster Rally EP: Tracklist:
1.) The Wolf
2.) Maori Mai
3.) Shangri La
4.) Honey Moon
5.) Pearly
6.) Suns Hula

Download the Monster Rally EP from their Bandcamp page
Monster Rally on Last.fm

Family Trees – Dream Talkin 7″

When it comes to brand new bands, it doesn’t really get any fresher than this.

On June 29th, the brand new lazy beach rockers FAMILY TREES will release their debut 7″ from the San Francisco label Father/Daughter Records. Believe it or not, it also happens to be the first release for Father/Daughter Records too, so like I said, it really doesn’t get any fresher than this people. For their first release, they’ve only pressed 400 copies of the Dream Talkin’ 7″, and they come pressed on a voluptuous slab of crystal-clear vinyl that I’m sure everybody will go crazy for in just a matter of time.

The 7″ features three original songs from the Brooklyn band, and it clocks in at just about 7 minutes. These are the first three songs from Family Trees that are officially out there right now, but I’m sure these guys have more up their sleeves for us. Sure enough, I just checked their Myspace and they have plenty more to share with us. You can listen to the first song from their beachy, dazed out 7″ right below, and then you can head on over to the Myspace page and hear even more. If you like what you hear, you should definitely make your way over to the Father/Daughter Record store, because this breezy 7″ won’t be around forever, and you should snag one up before it’s too late. Thanks for coming by again today guys, and stay tuned for more!

Dream Talkin’ –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Surf Rock, Lo-Fi, New Wave
Dream Talkin’ 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Dream Talkin’
2.) Baby Come Back
3.) No One Will Ever Know

Family Trees on Myspace
BUY the brand new 7″ directly from Father/Daughter Records
Family Trees Blogspot
Listen to some more tracks on the Family Trees Soundcloud Page

Brilliant Colors – Never Mine 7″

Hey there. Not sure if you’ve heard of these guys before, but their debut LP from 2009 called “Introducing” was quite a good one. It’s a ridiculously crunchy guitar album clocking in at no more than 23 minutes, making it a VERY short LP. It’s equally parts pop and punk, and it’s bound to put a smile on your face. Lead singer Jess guides us through the album with her dreamy, peppy vocals, and never once do they leave you wishing for more. Now the trio is back in 2010 with a brand new 7″, and it just came out this past April. It features two brand new songs, one of which I have for you below. Just head on over to Slumberland Records and you can snag your own copy before it’s gone. Sorry for the short, unorganized post today guys. Lots going on…

Never Mine –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Lo-Fi
Never Mine 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Never Mine
2.) Kissing’s Easy

Brilliant Colors on Myspace
BUY the new 7″ directly from Slumberland Records!

Ghost Mall – Goons EP

Just yesterday I got an e-mail in my inbox from a band called GHOST MALL. They kept it very short, straight, and to the point. Here’s what they said: “We are Ghost Mall, a garage-y ramshackle pop/ethereal punk band from New Paltz, NY. This is our debut EP entitled ‘Goons’. It was produced by DJ Teenwolf of Ninjasonik.” Also included was a link to Mediafire where you could download the EP in it’s entirety. So I listened to the EP today for the first time, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only was it awesome, but they definitely used an accurate description to describe their sound in the e-mail, and I think that’s what originally grabbed my attention. Bravo Ghost Mall!

They definitely have the ramshackle-y gunky rock/punk thing down, but I think they also add a bit of an electronic element to their music that takes it to a whole different level, with the best example from their EP being the song “Senile Felines”. They also forgot to mention in their description that they seamlessly, (and quite unexpectedly) add a reference to the Biz Markie song “Just a Friend” in their song “Balloon Ideas”. I think I speak for everybody when I say that I didn’t see that coming when I first listened. But going back to “Senile Felines”. This was the first song on the EP that definitely caught my attention. It’s a long one, and it continues to grow and get more and more complex as time moves on. Hopefully you can agree with my statement about the electronic elements in their sound after listening to this song. About halfway through they start to chanting short yelps of “woo!” which definitely makes for a fun listen. For about the last minute and a half of the song, they break things down as they all chant “Patience is a virtue baby,” and then we’re at the end.

Next comes the fast paced, keyboard dominated song “Balloon Ideas”, which features that reference to Biz Markie that I mentioned up above. This also happens to be the shortest song on the EP. Following up that song comes the track “Young Lairs”, which I thought stood out the most on the EP. It starts off with some careful, intricate drumming, and then the rest of the band joins in to take part in the approaching destruction. This one definitely fits their description of the music, as it’s equally part pop and punk, and it doesn’t shy away from the word “ramshackle” one bit. Finishing up the EP is the track “Johnny Appleseed”, which starts off a bit slower than the last few songs we heard. The lead singer is sort of talking to us in the beginning, and he is definitely unhappy with somebody as he calls them out and says “You fucked up.” The song goes on from here, and it stays at the same pace for the remainder, never quite hitting those break-neck speeds we heard earlier, but you always gotta have time to catch up.

Senile Felines –

Balloon Ideas –

Young Liars –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Pop, Lo-Fi
Goons EP: Tracklist
1.) 40 Nugs
2.) Senile Felines
3.) Balloon Ideas
4.) Young Liars
5.) Johnny Appleseed

Ghost Mall on Myspace!
Download their EP for FREE! You really should.
Friendly Neighborhood Records
Rally the Robots?