Song of the Day #23: Nice Purse – “Broken Filthy Arrows”

NICE PURSE are self-described as a “loud, dumb, garage pop band from Minneapolis.” Their sophomore LP, Slumber Girls, is their first release to come out on wax from the Forged Artifacts label which is also based in Minneapolis. As far as their own description goes, they’re pretty much dead on – they’re loud in a joyfully obnoxious kind of way due to whiny vocals, they’re definitely garage pop to keep it simple, but they’re far from dumb.

The opening track of Slumber Girls, titled “Broken Filthy Arrows,” sets us up with quite an optimistic and unsettling pop vibe. If you think like us then it’s probably pretty hard not to be hooked after a song like this. With Magic Bullet-esque guitar hooks and plenty of energetic change-ups, Nice Purse make it difficult for us to solidify any specific pattern throughout this blissfully upbeat jammer. They roll with this spastic formula, comprised of cheerfully sloppy vocals and tightly woven guitar jangles with a hint of grit, all done up with an admirably uplifting pop sensibility that makes it hard to not like these guys – hence, they’re not dumb. A short bit past the two minute mark, the song suddenly stops before they take it for another spin, hereby gracing our ears with another solid two minutes of this exemplary pop.

The best part is, aside from this lone track, there’s still six others out there just begging to be heard – for those who are curious, some are similar, but some are also very different (like “Run Tun Tun” or “Your Mohawk”). Listen to the rest of these tracks from the excellent LP on the Nice Purse Bandcamp, then head on over to Forged Artifacts to grab your very own copy of the vinyl – there’s only 250 pressed, so don’t sleep!

Genre/ Tags: Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock

BUY the LP directly from Forged Artifacts – limited to 250 !
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V/A – Live at the Empty Bottle

For nearly twenty years the The Empty Bottle has remained one of Chicago’s most enduring rock and Roll venues. Beginning in 2010 audio engineer Shimby McCreery has been recording select performances and streaming them online through Bandcamp. Chicago based Hozac Records has just released a compilation entitled Live at the Empty Bottle which collects 14 highlights from the live series onto one incredible vinyl disk.  Continue reading “V/A – Live at the Empty Bottle”

Song of the Day #19: Cousins – Speech

COUSINS are a four piece garage rock band that formed in Halifax in 2009 by Aaron Mangle. “The Palm at the End of the Mind” is the name of their sophomore LP on Saved By Vinyl, consisting of nine tracks of totally sharp and raucous garage-pop music that also manages to be quirky and highly energetic. Of the nine tracks, “Speech” just might be the most fitting example of this wildly frantic energy. This rowdy track starts out with a jangly bang and rarely ever settles back down afterward. The song is driven by crunchy guitars and a pounding, unpredictable drum pattern that will keep you guessing with each new pulsing measure, bringing the “manic energy and underlying calm” together in one strikingly memorable three-and-a-half minute track. You’d be a fool to miss it below – after the first 15 seconds you’ll see.

Speech –

Genre/ Tags: Pop, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi

Cousins on Bandcamp
Cousins on Myspace
Read about Cousins on Pigeon Row for a bit more info.
Not sure where to buy this one…sorry folks

Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light LP

Sweet Heart Sweet Light is the latest offering and sacrament from Spirtualized. Throughout his career guitarist Jason Pierce (aka J. spacemen) has provided us with multicolored  galaxy uppers, downers, screamers, and laughers. This album is definitely a downer. Like a potent mixture of Darvon and Valium this is the sort of rock & roll that would have killed Lester Bangs. Continue reading “Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light LP”