THE ZOLTARS’ second album, Walking Through the Dark (via the Austin-based CQ Records), is the next logical step in the band’s discography: Throughout 11 cuts of light, uplifting and texture-rich music, they bulk up their dreary pop with glistening pianos and cellos. Continue reading “Friday’s Find: The Zoltars – Walking Through the Dark”
Minneapolis-based trio RABBIT HOLES dropped It’s Not Alright at the end of 2013 and we just caught an earful. Big Action Records brings us two tracks of their ecstatic garage pop, coming on black vinyl housed in 3-color hand-screened sleeves. Continue reading “Rabbit Holes – It’s Not Alright 7″”
Formed in July of 2013, PORNO MAGS is a 4-piece band from Chicago, IL. They self-describe their single Get On Top as rock and roll/ proto punk, leaving us with two crunchy tracks of mid-tempo garage. Continue reading “Porno Mags – Get On Top”
Formed in Shanghai in the middle of 2010, THE INSTIGATION is a four piece punk band now based in Tokyo, Japan. Their four members are currently spread out as far as London and together they create demolishing hardcore punk. Continue reading “The Instigation – No Way Out 7″ EP”
An underappreciated album from 2013, nothing captures WHITE FENCE in the live setting as accurately as Live in San Francisco. The album was first in a new series of live recordings from Castle Face Records, aiming to document bands in their finest hour.
Continue reading “Friday’s Find: White Fence – Live in San Francisco”
Born out of Indianapolis, RAW MCCARTNEY dropped their Introducing CS on Tripp Tapes in 2013. The tape offers a unique blend of fuzzy punk, psych, noise and space rock, following up their sloppy debut from 2012 that was recorded on a cell phone. Continue reading “Raw McCartney – Introducing CS”
LEFT OF LOGIC is a trio specializing in a form of synth-driven technicolor rock from northeast Philadelphia. The band consists of Dan Townsend on keys, Austen Royce Goodman on bass guitar and Tim Knowlton on percussion, with each member holding down a particular element in the band’s sound. Their instrumentation is completely free of guitars, leaving syrupy synth work, grungy bass lines and crushing percussion to do the damage.
That’s exactly the case on EP opener “Subconscious,” which opens up with a trail of glimmering electronics. They offer a squishy and glossy texture, fortified by nasty bass throbs and timely percussion underneath. The synths create a constant, colorful swirl, spearheaded by vocal efforts from both Townsend and Goodman. The song continues to morph into a menacing affair with the buzzy snarl of the synth, complemented by some wild bass guitar shredding. It could almost go without saying, but it’s a refreshing sound to hear around here at SD. This EP is only a small sample of what the band has done, and there’s bound to be more on the horizon!
Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Progressive, Minimalist
Hue of Man EP: Tracklist:
1.) Subconscious
2.) What Comes Next
3.) What You Have Done
BUY the digital album from Bandcamp !
Left of Logic on Facebook
We Are Siamese is the debut single from Nashville-based THE LEES OF MEMORY. Courtesy of Velocity of Sound Records in Pittsburgh, the band features Nick Slack (Epic Ditch) and ex-Superdrag members Brandon Fisher and John Davis. Continue reading “The Lees of Memory – We Are Siamese 7″”
If there’s one record from 2013 I’m ashamed for missing, it’s PAMPERS’ self-titled LP on In The Red. The grungy Brooklynites specialize in heavy, repetitive psych-punk coated by a thick, palpable layer of guitar sludge. Continue reading “Friday’s Find: Pampers – s/t LP”
For the final installment of our (late) 2013 lists, we’ll follow tradition with a list of 10 EPs and cassettes that stood out from 2013. We covered a large range of cassette tapes over the year, while we covered at least 22 other EPs throughout 2013. Check out the list right below, and then be sure to catch up on the others if you haven’t been able to! TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2013 – TOP THIRTY 7″ RECORDS OF 2013 > #30-16, #15-01
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Just Missed:
Psychic Baos – The Death of Bob Plant CS EP (Magnetic South Recordings)
Thee Tsunamis – A Goodbad Man Is Hard to Find CS EP (Magnetic South Recordings)
The Bad Doctors – Re-Animate EP (FDH Records)
Little Legend – No Way To Tell EP (The Record Machine)
Los Roys – Rolls Roys EP (Self-released)
Fuck Mountain – The Mountain Strikes Back CS EP (Self-released)
Inutili – Satori 12″ EP (Bat Shit/ Goodbye Boozy Records)
Real Numbers – Only Two Can Play 12″ EP (Three Dimensional Records)
The Soupcans – Parasite Brain 7″ EP (Telephone Explosion/ Jackshack Records)
Some we missed:
Sweet Talk – Flash of Light 12″ EP (12XU Recordings)
Perfect Pussy – I have lost all desire for feeling CS (Self-released)
Raw McCartney – Introducing: Raw McCartney CS (Self-released)
Retreevers – s/t CS (Suicide Bong Tapes)
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10.) 
Vince and His Lost Delegation – s/t 12″ EP
Label: SDZ Records
Track 4:
Vince Posadzki leads his band out of Paris, but originally hails from Québec City. The man has been in a slew of different bands based in both locations, but this is his first true solo record after it all. It’s easily his best and most personal work, adding another quality name to our growing list of French bands.
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09.) 
MMOSS & Quilt – New Hampshire Freaks 10″ EP
Label: Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records
Track 2:
MMOSS and Quilt teamed up for an exceptional EP of wooded psych-folk that is mesmerizing and hazy. The 10″ EP comes from Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records in Brooklyn, a label that only grew bigger in 2013. Ranging anywhere from spacy and strung-out to experimental and ethereal, this EP offers an awful lot through just 3 tracks.
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08.) 
Blank Range – Phase II Cassette
Label: Sturdy Girls Records
Track 6:
Blank Range easily became one of our favorite new bands from 2013. After this first cassette EP and a 7″ to follow, these hazy Nashville folk rockers are only warming up. There’s bound to be something bigger in their future and it’s only a matter of time before that happens.
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07.) 
The Tone – Demo EP
Label: Eye Vybe/ Piss Drink Records
Track 4:
Right after Philly’s premier basement rockers The Eeries broke up, Mike Kriebel packed up and headed to Los Angeles. But even before that he wrote these four songs on this little demo EP, which is soon to be released as a cassette tape and a 7″. We’d like to think there’s going to be more from Kriebel in the future.
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06.) 
The Raw Nerves – Sunburn EP
Label: 1:12 Records
Track 3:
The Raw Nerves followed up their awesome debut from 2012 with this snotty little EP. Brimming with eight soulful minutes of garage rock n’ roll based in New Zealand, the Nerves serve up each track with a particular style. Whether it’s gritty speed punk, doo-wop flavored pop ditties or progressive songs like “Not Gonna Try,” this EP includes their best material to date.
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05.) 
The Squids – Wizard of Loneliness EP
Label: Self-released
Track 2:
Originally crossing our radar as Heroes and Heroines, this Los Angeles-based band changed their name to the Squids but left everything else the same. They answered their first 7″ with this EP full of sunny and glimmering garage pop, tracked and mixed 100% analog for an absolutely gorgeous sound. If you’ve been sleeping on this EP now is the time to catch up.
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04.) 
The Mad Doctors – Fuzz Tonic EP
Label: Doctor Gone Records
Track 2:
The Mad Doctors hail from Brooklyn and offer up an absolutely menacing batch of evil, surf-inflected garage rock that can be accurately described in one word – psychofuzz. These five songs are shocking and invigorating, quickly leaving us ready for whatever they unleash next. The EP came released in a run of cassette tapes that the band only sells at shows, so you know what to do if you really can’t live without one!
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03.) 
Theo Verney – T.V. CS EP
Label: Italian Beach Babes Records
Track 6:
Theo dropped two scorching releases in his first year as a solo artist. This cassette EP came first followed by a 10″ on Hate Hate Hate Records, both of which expose us to his snarling blues-psych guitar proficiency. After a few one-off singles and now these two EPs, we’re looking forward to hearing from this Brighton-based multi-instrumentalist sooner than later.
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02.) 
Zig Zags – 10 – 12 CS
Label: Burger Records
Track 3:
10 – 12 is the only other release on any of our year-ends lists that we didn’t actually cover in 2013. You could call that a mistake, sure. But after our love for all their singles and this tape from literally the third day of 2013, we’re foaming at the mouths for whatever comes next from these sludgy LA punks. On top of this they released their first record in Europe on Who Can You Trust? this year, as well as a split 7″ for Volcom Entertainment with The Shrine. They’re making sure they cover a much ground as possible before releasing their first proper LP, so we’ll just have to be patient!
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01.) 
Haunted Leather – In Her Golden Room 10″ EP
Label: Stolen Body/ Cheap Miami Records
Track 5:
Haunted Leather followed up their latest LP with In Her Golden Room in 2013, creating an absolutely hypnotizing take on sun-baked psychedelic rock. They leave you out to swelter in the heat of the sun as their songs stagger on, brimming with steady, thud-heavy rhythms and jangly psych guitars. It’s a similar feeling to bright and streaky rays of light shining across your eyes, all stirred by a sultry, slow-burning flame throughout. Considering this is their 3rd release to date, we’re confident in thinking this is just the beginning for Haunted Leather.
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That’s going to do it for our year end lists from 2013. Thanks for waiting around while we got our act together! Shame on us! But now we can begin to plan for an awesome 2014 – we really hope to take things to a new level this year. Regular posting will resume next week on January 13th – see you then!
Styrofoam Drone 