White Fence – White Fence

White Fence is the one-man bedroom pop outfit led by the one and only Tim Presley. Presley plays in a few other bands aside from White Fence, so you could consider White Fence more of a side-project before anything. Presley currently plays guitar and sings in the band Darker My Love, and he is listed as a band member on the Strange Boys Myspace page, being credited for “vocals and laughs”. Presley’s first full length album by himself came out just this year in 2010, and it was released on CD and digitally by Woodsist Records, while Make a Mess Records took care of the vinyl format. Woodsist rules and everything, but I’m going to have to suggest you buy the vinyl format for this one.

From beginning to end, this record is jam-packed with short, hazy lo-fi garage gems that are bound to crawl under your skin one way or another. Given that there are 16 tracks on the record, there’s a pretty good chance that at least one of these songs will catch you and keep you coming back for more. Whether it’s a gritty sounding psychedelic track (“Destroy Everything”) or a laid back bluesy guitar jam (“Hard Finish on Mirror Mile”), this album has the goods to reel you in and keep you hooked. The album starts off on the track “Mr. Adams”, and it’s sure to give you a taste of what the rest of the record is going to sound like. That lo-fi haze is immediately noticeable, and then Presley’s eerie, bone chilling vocals come into play. “Mr. Adams” plays directly into the next track “Who Feels Right”, which continues on in this lo-fi, haunting vocals fashion. The drumming keeps going steadily as Presley howls over everything to bring the track to an end.

“Slaughter on the Sunset Strip” definitely falls onto the blues side of the White Fence before anything else. About halfway through this track there is a nasally sounding lick, and then the twangy lead guitar finds it’s way back into the mix to lead you out. Next up would be the totally blissed out “I’ll Follow You”, which just so happens to be the longest song on the record. Bells, maracas and an incredibly fuzzy guitar solo dominate this tune, and it all gets put on hold for the final minute of the track while Presley takes us out on some acoustic guitar. Next track “The Love Between” can either be a hit or miss. The repeating keyboards could easily be enough to drive any listener mad, but then Presley’s spaced out and broken up guitar solo at the end change the vibe completely. Skipping ahead to “Destory Everything”, this could be one of the highlights from the record. The distorted guitar riff in the beginning is enough to give any listener a headache, but the heavy distortion goes a long way in giving this song an increasingly fuzzy and static-like feeling. Right around the one and a half minute mark Presley graces us with a hell of a fuzzed-guitar solo, and that brings us to the end of the song. That’s the end for this review, but it doesn’t have to be over just yet. Listen to the few songs I have for you below, and as always, be sure to come back again tomorrow!

I’ll Follow You –

Destroy Everything –

Hard Finish on Mirror Mile –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Psychedelic
White Fence: Tracklist
1.) Mr. Adams
2.) Who Feels Right
3.) Slaughter on Sunset Strip
4.) I’ll Follow You
5.) The Love Between
6.) Sara Snow
7.) Baxter Corner
8.) The Gallery
9.) Tildas
10.) Destroy Everything
11.) Ring Around a Square
12.) Box Disease, Today Bond
13.) Hard Finish on Mirror Mile
14.) I Need You
15.) Sick Doctor Blues
16.) Be Right Too

White Fence on Myspace
BUY the White Fence s/t directly from Make a Mess Records!
White Fence Art Collective Blog

Light Pollution – Apparitions

Light Pollution is a four-piece band that hails from Chicago, IL, and they’re currently in the process of releasing their first full length album, “Apparitions”. “Apparitions” is due out on Carpark Records on June 15th, which means we still have a good bit of time to wait until this one is physically released. The band had one previous release before this, and it was a self-titled, self-released 12″ EP that I can’t seem to find any significant information on anywhere on the web. The best information I found came directly from Light Pollutions Myspace where they show a picture of the EP’s cover art. This band plays a familiar form of indie rock, but they add another element to the music that changes things up. Instead of keeping it simple with the usual instruments, they throw in crazy sound effects and sonic textures that are enough to make your head spin. At times it feels like this band is playing with an entire orchestra behind them.

The album kicks off with the appropriately named “Good Feelings”, and the sound effects that come in go a long way in producing actual good feelings. This can already give you an idea of what the rest of the music might be like, but you don’t want to make any assumptions just yet. This album goes deep with the sound effects in many spots, but on this opening track they do a nice job of keeping the balance between sound effects and the traditional instruments – Neither one of the two overcome each other in the song. Right in the middle there is a nice but quick guitar solo, and the ending of the song is brought by huge drum attacks that are sure to leave you floored. The effects continue on until the very end when the song fades out, and then you’re in the next track, “Oh, Ivory!”.

“Oh, Ivory!” may just be the most accessible song on this album. Alongside of that, this song is also the shortest on the album. It starts off quite unlike any of the other tracks, immediately sounding quite poppy and bubbly. For most of this song they leave behind the heavy sound effects and keep it minimal for the song, never getting too involved with the textures and effects on this one. This is also one of the songs that sounds like they have an entire orchestra backing them up. They build the song up into a hell of an exit, sounding as if they just overcame a monstrous task, and now this is their triumphant exit. Heavenly ending right here. I would love to live in the mood that’s at the end of this song. Next up would be the song “Drunk Kids”, which doesn’t entirely live up to the song we just heard before. Definitely a less ambitious sound on this track. They slow it down significantly with a grooving bass line and a lazy drum beat that hold the song together, while the drowsy vocals work wonders for giving the song more of that lazy feel. There is definitely no sense of urgency in this song like there have been in the previous two. But moving on.

“Fever Dreams” is up next, and they get into the heavy sound effects on this track. The drumming throughout the song is relentless, with little rolls and fills taking any spot they possibly can. After a lengthy outro of effects and splashing cymbals, the next track “Deyci, Right On” begins. This song is quite drawn out and slow in the beginning, but soon the drums come in to start things off. Even after the drums kick things off, it’s still a slow song. The next track “Bad Vibes” starts off like it’s coming up from being underwater, and it continues to build up into some tribal sounding tom-tom action. The song continues to build up into something more, as they progressively get louder and more involved with the instruments and sound effects. There is a fuzzy, hazy-like texture used over this song, which makes it sound like they’re playing from inside a bubble or something, but this is quite an epic ending to the song. They continue on this way until the song suddenly comes to an end.

The next song “All Night Outside” brings us back to familiar territory, as the friendly guitar comes back to start this one off (but not immediately, you gotta get through about 15 seconds of sounds first). They go for more instrumentation in this one and keep the effects at a minimum for now, but that doesn’t mean the effects are absent entirely. A short bit after the halfway mark the song takes an unexpected turn, and then comes a huge guitar solo that’s drowned out by immense cymbal smashing and hazy, wind-like sound effects. Now it seems like these guys are rocking out in the midst of a thunderstorm. Skipping ahead to the last song on the album, “Ssslowdreamsss”. Slowdreams is the longest song on the album, and it’s woozily evocative right from the get go. The swirling, spinning sound effects above your head could easily make you dizzy, and it sounds like you can reach out and grasp the song if you wanted to. As opposed to a traditional song, this moody track is more of a sound scape than anything. Pretend you’re floating through space on this one.

Good Feelings –

Oh, Ivory! –

All Night Outside –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie, Pop, Experimental
Apparitions: Tracklist
1.) Good Feelings
2.) Oh, Ivory!
3.) Drunk Kids
4.) Fever Dreams
5.) Deyci, Right On
6.) Bad Vibes
7.) All Night Outside
8.) Witchcraft
9.) Ssslowdreamsss

Light Pollution on Myspace
Carpark Records Website
Preorder “Apparitions” over at Insound for June 8th!

Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts

Hey. Today is May 11th, 2010, the official release day for the newest album “Nothing Hurts” by Male Bonding. So I figured covering “Nothing Hurts” today was extremely appropriate.

The album is being released by Sub Pop Records today, and it’s their first full length album to date. Male Bonding hail from a place called Dalston in London, which Sub Pop refers to as a “gentrification-proof London neighborhood with ample ‘lo-fi’ bands and Turkish restaurants.” Interesting. We don’t exactly know if the town of Dalston has an influence on their playing style, but either way I’m sure Male Bonding would continue to serve up these quick, high-intensity noise pop songs that are almost always played a breakneck speeds. With that being said, there’s not a song on the album that’s longer than 3 minutes, and the album as a whole is barely a half hour long, clocking in at 29 minutes.

On “Nothing Hurts”, just about every last song can find it’s way into your brain and embed itself there for days. Every song on the record has it’s hook, making every one of these songs dangerously catchy and bound to keep your finger on the ‘repeat’ button. Whether it’s a screeching guitar solo (like on “Your Contact”, “Crooked Scene”, “Nothing Remains” or “Pumpkin”), or it’s a pulsing, groovy bass line (like on “All Things This Way”, or “Nothing Used to Hurt”), chances are you’re going to like this band. Aside from these things, they also make liberal use of the cowbell in a few of their songs, like on “Crooked Scene” or “Pirate Key”, which at first might catch the listener off guard. The ending of “Pirate Key” is especially interesting, as the cowbell brings the song to a close.

The song “Weird Feelings” starts off with a swollen, fuzzy bass line, and then almost immediately another squealing guitar hook comes into play, bringing these two elements of their music together in an almost perfect fashion. Get about three-quarters through the song and you’ll hear another quick but fulfilling guitar solo, thus proving that these guys really know how to hit that mark. Until that solo comes up, the song was good, but as soon as it plays, chances are you’re going to be wide-eyed and thinking “Where did that come from!?” Not to mention the quick use of the cowbell again at the end of the solo. All that being said, I think this would qualify as one of the highlights from this album. Not too long after “Weird Feelings” comes the song “T.U.F.F.”. “T.U.F.F.” is a culmination of just about everything last aspect of their music that I mentioned before this sentence. Specifically placed cowbells, head-spinning guitar hooks, breakneck speeds, crashing cymbals, and a bass line that just rips through the song without ever looking back to see the damage it has done.

While most of their songs do follow this pattern, there are a small handful that don’t. The oddly named “Franklin” and then the closing track “Worse to Come”. You may notice that these two songs don’t necessarily fit in as well as the others upon first listening to “Nothing Hurts”, but these two go a long way for showing the diversity that Male Bonding could have in their seemingly endless bag of sprawling, head spinning noise rock. “Franklin” creates quite an obscure feeling and could most easily be described as indistinct or ambiguous. With that being said, I’m not entirely sure what they were shooting for with this song, but it still certainly fits into the record, strangely enough. If that’s got you curious, then do yourself a huge favor and listen to these songs below.

Weird Feelings –

T.U.F.F. –

Franklin –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Grunge, Lo-Fi
Nothing Hurts: Tracklist
1.) Year’s Not Long
2.) All Things This Way
3.) Your Contact
4.) Weird Feelings
5.) Franklin
6.) Crooked Scene
7.) T.U.F.F.
8.) Nothing Remains
9.) Nothing Used to Hurt
10.) Pirate Key
11.) Paradise Vendors
12.) Pumpkin
13.) Worse to Come

Male Bonding on Myspace
Buy “Nothing Hurts” directly from Sub Pop

Wild Nothing – Gemini

By now I feel like a significant amount of people are familiar with Wild Nothing. This would probably be because of that first 7″ the one-man-band put out on the Captured Tracks label in 2009. Since then, Jack Tatum, the man behind the music, has put out one other 7″ called “Cloudbursting” that was also put out by Captured Tracks. Now the release of the first Wild Nothing full length is upon us, and it’s due out on May 25th going by the Captured Tracks “coming soon” section. How perfect. The album is coming out just in time for summer. Although you’ll have to wait to hear the entire album, why not hold yourself over by checking out a few of the tracks below? You’ll be happy you did!

The album starts off on a good note, beginning with the song “Live in Dreams”. It welcomes you at the door and beckons you to come in for more, and chances are you’re going to find it hard to resist. Jack Tatum tells us right away that “Our lips won’t last forever,” and that’s exactly why he wants to live in dreams. This way, if you’re living in dreams, you can’t die. This song is bursting at the seams with hovering, gorgeous sound effects. As you listen to the album you’ll pick up on all the subtle effects and sounds that are thrown into the mix, but you have to listen carefully! The following track “Summer Holiday” is one that many of us have probably already heard, but in no way is that a bad thing. The only reason that is true is because of that 7″ we already mentioned. Up next on the album would be the totally blissed out track “Drifter”, with it’s heavenly sound effects and the ability to bring you to that special paradise you could only reach in your dreams. This is the type of song where you lose all train of thought while you become completely immersed in the sounds – Like I said earlier, once you’re stuck in it, it’s difficult to get back out.

Skipping ahead to the halfway point of the album brings us to the song “Bored Games”. Lots of quick and little intricate sounds dominate this song, all over top of a muffled bass line that’s sure to keep your head bobbing along to the beat. For about the last minute of the track, Tatum delivers a laid-back guitar solo as the song comes to an end and slowly fades out. Next up would be the other somewhat familiar track on the album, “Confirmation”. Just like the songs on the 7″ records, this track has been floating around on the web for awhile now, but it did not come on either of the 7 inches. Moving right along to another highlight from the album, “Chinatown”. “Chinatown” is drenched in more heavenly, spaced out sound effects that are present throughout the entire song, while Tatum’s voice continues to saturate everything even more, giving this track (and most of these other tracks) a real sense of longing. Second to last on the album comes the song “Our Composition Book”, which is a glamorous, picture-perfect pop song complete with shimmering sound effects and some excellent guitar playing by none other than Mr. Tatum himself.

In looking back on this album, I’d have to say it was quite a refreshing listen. Just about every last track sounds like it’s been dunked in a pool of spaced out, glamorous and almost ambient sound effects, which goes a long way for giving this album an otherworldly quality. If you’re still not sure what to think, then the best suggestion I’d have for you is to listen to these few songs below. After listening, it shouldn’t take long for you to decide whether or not you’re a fan of the one-man pop sensation that is Wild Nothing. Thanks for reading once again, and stay tuned as always!

Drifter –

Chinatown –

Our Composition Book –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Glam
Gemini: Tracklist
1.) Live in Dreams
2.) Summer Holiday
3.) Drifter
4.) Pessimist
5.) O, Lilac
6.) Bored Games
7.) Confirmation
8.) My Angel Lonely
9.) The Witching Hour
10.) Chinatown
11.) Our Composition Book
12.) Gemini

Wild Nothing on Myspace
Summer Holiday 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Buy Wild Nothing releases directly from Captured Tracks

Long Legged Woman – Nobody Knows This is Nowhere

Some of you may already be familiar with Long Legged Woman. If so, then you already know the deal. If not, then it may come as a surprise to you that they’re no longer a band anymore.

After three years of playing together, the band finally decided to call it quits. The lifespan of Long Legged Woman yielded many releases, one being this LP I have here today, along with multiple CD-R’s, endless touring, tapes, and some 7″ records. Now although the band called it quits, that doesn’t mean the members involved have given up on music entirely. Instead, they just moved on to other projects. As said on their Myspace by band member Justin, “We’ve decided to not go separate ways but do some different shit. Get my drift? We’re not quitting music, in fact, we’re making more shit now than ever.” He’s not lying either. You can check out his latest band right here on Myspace, and their called CCR Headcleaner. Hooray for extensive touring!

As for the Long Legged Woman outfit, it’s too bad their not going to be playing shows anymore. The heavy guitars that produce a wall of sound and practically dominate every song on the LP can’t quite be experienced the same way now. CCR Headcleaner may be capable of pulling it off, but they just don’t quite hit that mark that Long Legged Woman did. Granted there are only two songs on the CCR Myspace, so there is always room to be proven wrong, but right now I’m still leaning towards LLW.

Listening to songs on their “Nobody Knows This is Nowhere” LP could potentially send you straight to the floor. Tracks like “Vinegar”, “You Found Out”, “Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside”, “When I Was Asleep”, and “Yours is Mine” are sure to leave you speechless, and quite possibly without much of an opinion at all, but by any chance begging for more of the face pounding action. Their relentless approach to the music may scare off a good amount of listeners, but it’s the ones that stick around to hear what’s next that really matter. One highlight from the album that is certainly worth all 7 minutes and 30 seconds of your time is the track “Psych Jam”. I say this now because it’s definitely a song with a “relentless approach”. It’s just nonstop, constantly in-yr-face howling guitars, crashing cymbals, and squealing guitar solos. It’s enough to completely disorient any listener, and just enough to make your head spin in all possible directions. As I read somewhere on the web, “it’s enough to make your brain explode”. Although this does not sound safe, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Listen to Long Legged Woman. I have mp3’s for you below!

Something is Pressing Against it from the Inside –

Vinegar –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Psychedelic, Punk
Nobody Knows This is Nowhere: Tracklist
1.) Vinegar
2.) You Found Out
3.) Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside
4.) Bath House
5.) Psych Jam
6.) When I Was Asleep
7.) Racoon in a Coon Skin Cap
8.) The Horse Holds it’s Own Reins
9.) Yours is Mine
10.) He Was a Narc but We Loved Him Anyway
11.) I Have a Scheme…
12.) But There’s Something Going On

Long Legged Woman on Myspace
CCR Headcleaner on Myspace
BUY Nobody Knows This is Nowhere directly from Pollen Season Records

(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope – All This Heaven

Believe it or not, (The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope may have been around for longer than you once thought. The band originally formed in Washington D.C. back in the winter of 2000, when they put out some of their earlier releases, like their first few EPs. The band remained in Washington D.C. until the summer of 2007 when they decided to move to Philadelphia, which from here on out they considered Philadelphia to be their home. As of currently the band still resides in Philadelphia, and they’re most recent release was put out in 2008 on Turnstile Records, and it’s called “All This Heaven”. As far as I know, this is the most recent release from the band.

The album starts off with quite a racket. The first track “Which Witch is Which” begins on a terrifying note, with the song being nothing more than some screeching and scratching. This is bound to leave any listener questioning what they are about to get themselves into. Things don’t stay this way for very long though, and that’s probably a good thing. The following track “Get the Joke” kicks off with a much more inviting sound, and shortly into it you’re probably thinking “Why the hell wasn’t this the opening track?” Right around the 2 and a half minute mark, the song begins to build up into much more, with the lead guitar bringing us along for the ride and moving the song forward.

The next track “Lines” is certainly a highlight from the album. The song starts off with just some guitar, but slowly picks up one instrument at a time. First the fuzzy bass guitar slides on in, which is then followed by the splash of a few cymbals. Then the drummer gives us a steady beat, and this is when the song begins to take form. Right after the 2 minute mark the lead guitar and vocals come in, and that’s when the song continues to grow. A lot of the music on this record builds up in the same fashion, almost producing a soundscape in which you can immerse yourself in. The next track is “The Complete Lights”, and this one kicks off much differently than the prior tracks. They don’t waste any time starting this one, and about halfway through you’re met with a huge, thunderous guitar solo that sounds as if the god’s up in the sky have become angered. The tom-toms and the rhythm guitar help give the solo that destructive feeling before the track closes out with some familiar drum rolls. Moving onto the next track “The Story About the Knives”, this one starts off a bit slower and laid back. The guitars that introduce almost hint at something bigger and better to come, all over top of that groovy bass line. Sure enough, right around the 4 minute mark, the song changes pace and you’re once again immersed in the middle of another “Kaleidoscope” soundscape. Be sure to listen to this song below.

Skipping ahead to the track “Dead Room”, this just happens to be the longest track on the album, clocking in at over 7 minutes. Perhaps they call this one dead room because of the 3 and half minute intro. For 3 minutes it just sounds like all the members were told to screw around with their instruments, and this intro was the result. Complete with screeching door sound effects, this is definitely what it would sound like to be in a “Dead Room”, but remember, this is just the intro. Right at the 3 and half minute mark the song kicks off, and almost immediately the bass line comes in. This is when the song becomes dangerously catchy, and the bass line is sure to keep your foot tapping. The ghastly lead guitars do a nice job of guiding you through the track yet again, right into the vocals of lead singer Damien C. Taylor. Along with “Lines”, “The Complete Lights”, “The Story About the Knives”, and “This is False Telegraph”, this song fits right into the highlight category for this album. Be sure to listen to the mp3’s below.

Dead Room –

The Story About the Knives –

This is False Telegraph –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Post-Rock, Psychedelic, Shoegaze
All This Heaven: Tracklist
1.) Which Witch is Which
2.) Get the Joke
3.) Lines
4.) The Complete Lights
5.) The Story About the Knives
6.) 13 Days
7.) Cicada Song
8.) Dead Room
9.) Learn To Forget
10.) Asa Nisi Masa
11.) This Is False Telegraph
12.) You Know Who

(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope on Myspace
Listen to the album in its entirety right here > Apollo Audio

Mi Ami – Steal Your Face

I feel like the word ‘intense’ comes up time and time again when people are talking about music. Most of the time it seems like the word is being overused in all situations, but then there are those times when it’s completely necessary. This is one of those times.

For the past 24 hours I have been listening to Mi Ami’s latest full length effort from Thrill Jockey, and let me tell you people, this one is quite overwhelming, but not necessarily in a bad way. The face-melting trio that is Mi Ami take you on a hell of a journey into their musical world, and once you get sucked in, it might be too late to come back out.

The album kicks off without much time to breath at all – literally right off the bat lead singer Daniel Martin-McCormick is shoving his words down our throat in “Harmonics (Genius of Love)”. This right here might already prove to be too intense, but keep on listening and things tend to become a little less over-bearing. Throughout the song they quiet things down so you can figure out what the hell is going on, but never for too long. By the time you’re in the last minute of the song, the shit just hits the fan entirely. An incredibly noisy, sandpapery, cacophonous guitar drowns out just about everything but the guitar itself, all while Martin-McCormick continues to berate us with his completely unintelligible vocals.

Moving on to the next track “Latin Lover”. This song has a much more welcoming beginning, and perhaps could be the most accessible song on “Steal Your Face” for any listener. The dancey drum beats certainly help make that a possibility, but that decision is really up to you! A bit past the two minute mark of the song and you’ll find yourself in the midst of a metallic, scratchy guitar solo, all while the drums keep guiding you along. By the time you reach the end of the song, you’re forced right into another demonic, shape-shifting electronic mess. I’m not entirely sure what it is that’s making those sounds, but once again the intensity is coming at you full-throttle.

The following track “Dreamers” takes a step back from where the previous two tracks were. They slow everything down significantly, and this is where Mi Ami give you the time to think and put a few thoughts together. This is one of the two longest tracks on the album, so they’re definitely trying to give you some time to catch your breath here. The slow, lazy sounding tom-tom rolls and the echoing bass line can actually be heard in this song, as they’re not being drowned out by ruthless yelping and jarring guitar work. The tribal rhythms continue on this way for the greater portion of this song until the final 2 minutes come into the play. At this point the song slowly gains ferociousness until it’s built up into another huge face-searing guitar solo, which the end result of is an enormous wall of sound that takes us to the end of the song. When the next track “Secrets” starts up, you’ll find yourself back in familiar Mi Ami territory. Martin-McCormick’s squealing vocals and drummer Damon Palermo’s relentless and completely nontraditional drumming styles come back into play, all over top of some screeching sound effects.

This is where I must call it a day. Once again, school work is calling my name, but not for much longer! The end of the year is within sight! Be sure to listen to the songs below if you’re looking to have your face stolen today. OMG band joke!

Latin Lover –

Secrets –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Experimental, Psychedelic
Steal Your Face: Tracklist
1.) Harmonics (Genius of Love)
2.) Latin Lover
3.) Dreamers
4.) Secrets
5.) Native Americans (Born in the U.S.A.)
6.) Slow

Mi Ami on Myspace
BUY “Steal Your Face” directly from Thrill Jockey Records
Mi Ami on Touch and Go / Quarterstick Records

The Strange Boys – Be Brave

Not too long ago a friend and myself went to go see the Strange Boys play live. This was on their last visit to Philadelphia, and they played at the Danger Danger Gallery. I had been filming the entire set they played so I could use it to put up here on the blog, but promptly after the show singer/guitarist Ryan Sambol kindly asked if I wouldn’t put those videos on the internet. Fair enough. Maybe I can share them with you some day…

When they came to Philadelphia they were touring for their new album “Be Brave”, but that certainly didn’t mean they forgot to play song from their first record, “And Girls Club”. That’s a good thing too – most of the songs on “And Girls Club” are perfect for playing live, tracks like “Who Needs Who More”, “Poem Party”, and “This Girl Taught Me a Dance”. These certainly aren’t the only ones either. But with that being said, looking at the songs from “Be Brave”, not nearly as many of these songs would pack such a punch live. A few that would are “A Walk on the Bleach”, “Be Brave”, and “Night Might”, but after those couple you’re left with “The Unsent Letter”, “You Can’t Only Love When You Want”, and “All You Can Hide Inside”, which don’t necessarily deliver as well as the other songs do – they just kind of fall short of that mark. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still be interested in listening to “Be Brave” – remember, we’re talking about a live scenario here. Songs like “Da Da”, “Night Might” and “Friday in Paris” have that classic Strange Boys twang that we had so much of from the first record. “Friday in Paris” has an acoustic guitar solo in the closing minute of the song, while the ending of “Between Us” is bound to put a smile on your face. “Night Might” quickly becomes another Strange Boys classic with it’s sudden pace changes and the wail of the harmonica. The song gets really good at about 1 minute and 15 seconds in when they slow everything down, but they don’t forget to pick up the pace on last time before the end. I really hope that one day I can share these Strange Boys videos with you guys, so I’ll work on that for everybody. Oh yeah, take notice that the ratings and tags of each post will now be at the bottom of the post. Stay tuned…

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, R&B
Be Brave: Tracklist
1.) I See
2.) A Walk on the Bleach
3.) Be Brave
4.) Friday in Paris
5.) Between Us
6.) Da Da
7.) Night Might
8.) Dare I Say
9.) Laugh at Sex, Not Her
10.) All You Can Hide Inside
11.) The Unsent Letter
12.) You Can’t Only Love When You Want

The Strange Boys on Myspace
The Strange Boys – And Girls Club previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
BUY Be Brave directly from the Rough Trade Shop

The Golden Boys – Electric Wolfman

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Country, Rock, Punk

Exactly two weeks ago on this day I put up the Vermillion Sands “In the Wood” record. Shortly after making that post I went over to ALIEN SNATCH! Records to pick up the brand new VS full length record. In doing so, the good people at Alien Snatch decided to send me a promo of one of the other bands that they have on their roster. That band would be known as The Golden Boys, who hail from the beautiful Austin, TX. They play a raucous blend of country-folk punk rock, complete with bluesy guitar riffs and giant face pounding guitar solos, and they do it all with an attitude that’s guaranteed to crack a smile on any listeners face.

Now while the Golden Boys would be great just on their own, they’re even better because they had their friends the Spider Bags join them in the recording process of their album. I’m sure some of you are already familiar with the Spider Bags, but if not I would highly encourage you to look into them. One good way to start would be checking out this post on their first album, “A Celebration of Hunger”.

A good portion of this Golden Boys album was done with the Spider Bags, including songs like “Plainsman’s Lament”, “Kontroll Girls”, “Goddamn I Love the Ocean”, “Mr. Dickles”, and the track “Dish Towel”, which gives writing credits to Dan McGee, who is the lead singer of the Spider Bags. The first track I want to mention is “Goddamn I Love the Ocean”. It starts off with some beach-y sound effects before you’re in the midst of a rolling drum beat, and shortly after you’re met with the howls of Dan McGee and lead singer Matt Hoopengardner proclaiming their undying love for the ocean. Their love for the ocean goes hand in hand with them drinking a beer in a Wal-Mart parking lot, as they attempt to escape their landlocked town in pursuit of going “anywhere but here.” Let’s hope everything works out for them. The following track “Dish Towel” is a unique one indeed. For about the first minute things are a bit slow as the bluesy guitar riffs bring you through the intro. Then a quick drum roll and things change directions completely. The keyboards dominate in this track until about 2 minutes in when a huge guitar solo comes out of nowhere to serve no other purpose then to rock-yr-face off. Before listening to this song, I would have never considered referring to a person as a dish towel, but now after thinking about it, you could probably make that sound pretty offensive.

I would love to keep going on here, but it’s the end of the spring semester here at school, and I have a hell of a lot of other work to do. I’ll leave by saying that just about every last song on this album is worth hearing, especially the triumphant “Kontroll Girls”, the easy-going “She Said It”, or “Old Man’s Coat”. Just be sure to listen to the mp3s below, that’s all I ask. So thanks for coming by, and be sure to check back again real soon!

She Said It –

Kontroll Girls –

Dish Towel –

Electric Wolfman: Tracklist
1.) Electric Wolfmen
2.) Rock With Me Forever
3.) Plainsman’s Lament
4.) She Said It
5.) Kontroll Girls
6.) I’m Black and White
7.) Old Man’s Coat
8.) Goddamn I Love the Ocean
9.) Dish Towel
10.) Mr. Dickles
11.) A Message from Ross Johnson

The Golden Boys on Myspace
BUY “Electric Wolfman” directly from Daggerman Records or from Alien Snatch!

Free Energy – Stuck On Nothing

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Alternative, Indie Rock, Pop

Free Energy formed in the Fall of 2008. Most of the band had already known each other from playing in a previous band called “Hockey Night” together. Originally from Minnesota, Scott Wells, Evan Wells and Paul Sprangers moved to the wonderful city of Philadelphia. When in Philadelphia they met guitarist Geoff Bucknam and drummer Nick Shuminsky, and shortly afterword, the band Free Energy came into existence. Their time as a band has been relatively short thus far, but they already have an EP out, and their first full length album “Stuck On Nothing” is due out on May 4th by DFA Records. If you’ve read about Free Energy anywhere else on the web, then you already know this album was produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.

Before getting into this record, I didn’t know what I should be expecting. The most I knew about these guys were that they were from my city, Philadelphia, which is probably the original reason I decided to listen to them. It’s always cooler when the band is from the same city you’re from. But moving on. “Stuck On Nothing” holds a lot of talent on both ends, musically and lyrically. With that being said, I’d like to say that “Stuck On Nothing” was an extremely refreshing listen the first time around. It’s great that a band still wants to make a record like this, reminding many listeners of the classic rock days and the classic rock radio stations that play all of your beloved bands from the past. Lead singer Paul Sprangers guides us through the album with his reassuring vocals, and that becomes clear shortly after the album begins.

According to Sprangers, the first track “Free Energy”, is “kind of a survey of everything that we’re about. That song has a lot of elements of what we’re trying to do. It’s got really driving choruses, big simple riffs, really melodic harmonies, and wild guitar solos.” (via the LAist). Take it from the band member himself, because he’s right on the money. If you have a moment, read the rest of that interview too; it’s quite entertaining and insightful. But you heard the man, and he’s not just pulling our leg either. The album really is chock-full of this stuff. The “wild guitar solos” are constantly popping up left and right, like in “Bang Pop”, “All I Know” and especially “Bad Stuff”. “Bad Stuff”, the second longest on the album, is kind of a song on its own. Sprangers sings “If you feel my heart, then we’re tied by fate,” shortly before the epic ending begins. It’s slower and still full of excellent guitar work, but it evokes a different feeling that you don’t quite get anywhere else on the album. If you haven’t already been able to tell, this album is certainly worth all 45 minutes that it carries. Just about every last song would qualify as a highlight, including “Dream City”, “Light Love”, “Hope Child”, and “Wild Winds”. Just wait until May 28th, when most of these highlights will come to life at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. I think I speak for us all when I say that this show won’t come soon enough.

Bad Stuff –

Hope Child –

Free Energy Official Website
Free Energy on Myspace
BUY the Free Energy 7″ directly from the DFA Records webstore
Check out this awesome interview with Paul Sprangers by the LAist