Teen Daze – Four More Years

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

I’ve had these songs on my hard drive for at least a month now, and I never really got a chance to give them a nice, thorough listen until just yesterday. I’m kind of bummed that I waited this long too. Not because the records sold out or anything, but because that’s a months less of time I had to be enjoying this stuff in the hot, hazy months of summer – which is probably the best time to be listening to TEEN DAZE. I couldn’t really find a good bit of solid information on the man behind Teen Daze (even something as simple as his first name), but I did come across this awesome interview where he talks about his sudden internet fame, the story behind the name “Teen Daze”, and how his hometown city of Vancouver played an influence on his music. Pretty awesome, and definitely insightful.

“Four More Years” is the first official release from the Teen Daze camp, and it just came out pretty recently (on LP and in digital) from the Arcade Sound Ltd. imprint. Then in a little less than a month, Wonder Beard Tapes will be releasing “Four More Years” on cassette tape – in a limited edition of 100 copies and at a much more affordable price of just $5.00 (although the vinyl isn’t that expensive either). This way you have two easy (and affordable) ways of owning these dreamy, hazy Summer songs that have been driving everybody wild. Probably because of all the dancey beeps and boops that remind everyone of their old favorite Nintendo games. Or Sega. Whichever you prefer really. Although I think I’m leaning more towards Sega. One more thing: I can’t help but wonder if the airy, floating-through-space song “Shine On, You Crazy White Cap” is at all a reference to the Pink Floyd epic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. Who knows, but you can see why I would think that. Just check out these few songs right below, and then buy the vinyl. This way Summer is always alive…at least for as long as the record is spinning. Enjoy.

Four More Years –

Neon –

Shine On, You Crazy White Cap –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Dream Pop
Four More Years: Tracklist:
1.) Four More Years
2.) Gone for the Summer
3.) Neon
4.) Around
5.) No Regrets
6.) Shine On, You Crazy White Cap
7.) Saviour
8.) Spin Around, Go Ahead

BUY the LP directly from Arcade Sound Ltd.
-or-
Wait a few weeks, and buy it on cassette from Wonder Beard Tapes – Limited to 100 and much cheaper
Teen Daze on Myspace
Follow Teen Daze on Tumblr !

DOOMSTAR! – Rainbow Bloodsucker EP

Yo dudes. I’m SUPER stoked on this band we have here today. I hope most of you are unaware of these guys, because when you give it your first listen, chances are your ass will be sent straight to the floor. If only I could see your reactions upon first hearing. Too bad that’s not going to happen. All I know is that I was totally into this stuff right from the start. My first intentions were to buy absolutely everything they had for sale, which only turns out to be a brand new cassette tape single, but that’s enough, right???. If these guys keep doing what they’re doing, I’m sure they’ll have PLENTY of more releases for us somewhere down the road. Of course, I am speaking of Cambridge, Massachusetts own DOOMSTAR! (capitalization and exclamation necessary).

It would seem as though DOOMSTAR! has been hard at work for the year of 2010. Their EP that we have here today came out just this past February, and they just put out this cassette tape in July. So with this EP, you’ll probably figure out pretty quickly that this band is far from shy. They don’t beat around the bush or anything like that. Nothing too pretty or too fancy, no glam, no chillwave – just straight up IN YR FACE gritty guitar-driven psych-rock jam outs with a bit of the moody, punk flare mixed in for good measure. But they’re not always pummeling you full-throttle – parts of the song “Sharon Mitchel” get a bit quieter than the rest, but certainly not for too long before they’re back to destroy you some more. Other songs like “Gimmee Some” and “Handsome Man” tend to lean a little more to the pop side of things, but they still don’t forget to bring along that staggering guitar sound for the ride. Then there’s songs like “Rainbow Bloodsucker” and “You Can Hide”, which serve no other purpose than to make your jaw drop straight to the floor. For a good portion of the song (Rainbow Bloodsucker), the same two guitar chords go through a hell of a beat down, getting absolutely crushed by epic guitar solos and relentless, crashing drums. This was the first song I heard from the EP, and it was a HELL of a way to be introduced to this band.

Do you understand why I’m so stoked on these guys now? Hopefully you do. If not, listen to these songs below to help add a little excitement to your day. Let’s help spread the DOOMSTAR! name, because these guys deserve to be heard.

Handsome Man –

Rainbow Bloodsucker –

You Can Hide –

My Rating: 8.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Punk
Rainbow Bloodsucker EP: Tracklist:
1.) Handsome Man
2.) Kitty Kitty
3.) Lily Face
4.) Rainbow Bloodsucker
5.) Sharon Mitchel
6.) Gimmee Some
7.) Ronald Ray-Gun
8.) You Can Hide

BUY DOOMSTAR! releases directly from their Bandcamp page
DOOMSTAR! on Myspace
DOOMSTAR! on Muxtape

This Heart Electric – Polar 7″

Well, it’s that time again. Work finally ends for the summer, but the fun isn’t over yet! Today is that fateful, inescapable day (for me anyway) where classes resume. It’s that day that every student ranging from the middle/high school age group up til college absolutely dreads. If you can remember, before about middle school, who wasn’t excited about going back to school? Honestly? Because it seems the older you get, the more you tend to hate it. At least for me anyway. That’s why I’m here working this blog, trying to keep up with the things I actually enjoy doing, which brings me to my next point…

Today’s music of interest comes from a DIY South Florida synth-pop outfit called THIS HEART ELECTRIC, which I’ve come to understand is just one person, although I could be wrong. This is his debut release of any sort, and it comes from the die Stasi imprint out of Ohio. Included on the 7″ is two brand new tracks, combining for a total of nearly 6 minutes of oddball, dance-worthy synth jams. A-side “Polar” kicks off with some glamorously familiar sounds, possibly reminding you of your favorite Nintendo or Sega games that you used to play and love with all yr heart. The synth sounds may or may not also remind you of a Wintry, snowy atmosphere, which could by why this song is called “Polar”. Flip on over to the B-side for another poppy synth jam, only this time it’s riddled with all sorts of sound effects, ranging from siren-like shrieks and the singers eerie, uneasy voice. If you don’t believe me, you should check out both of these songs below from the 7″. Now wish me luck. It’s time to go to class…

Polar –

Nowhere to Run –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Experimental, Pop
Polar 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Polar
2.) Nowhere to Run

BUY this 7″ directly from Insound !
This Heart Electric on Myspace, yo

Useless Eaters – Hear/ See 7″

Useless Eaters is the moniker for 19-year-old Seth Sutton from Memphis, TN and he records these songs himself with a four-track cassette. This is his most recent release, coming from the Memphis label Shattered Records, which was originally put together and run by Jay Reatard back in 2004. Unfortunately Reatard is no longer with us, but his label continues to churn out some damn good tunes, as proved by this 7″ here. And wherever he is, I’m sure Jay would be smiling.

Three brand new Useless Eaters songs fill this fine new piece of wax, with each song getting its point across before the two minute mark. That being said, this thing rips through pretty quickly, but it rips pretty hard too. Noisy, spiny guitar-driven songs dominate as Sutton shouts in anger over the head spinning racket. You should check out these songs below, ripped directly from the 7″!

Hear/ See –

Just A Person –

Genre/ Tags: Punk, Lo-Fi
Hear/See 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Hear/See
2.) Smoke Alarm
3.) Just a Person

Useless Eaters on Myspace
Useless Eaters on Blogspot
BUY Useless Eaters records on Insound

Burning Yellows – Urinal Cakes 7″

If that post title doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what else will. I never really thought somebody would name their song “Urinal Cakes”, but once again I have been proven wrong. It definitely works as an interesting song title and an attention grabber, because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check this stuff out just to hear what the song “Urinal Cakes” sounded like. Yeah, it’s true, that’s what got my attention, and I’m glad it did. These unsettling sounds are absolutely drenched in a thick, fuzzy layer of dream-world reverb while the lead singers (who is a female, but I can’t figure out her name) vocals echo off the walls as if she was singing in a tiny bathroom while the rest of her band was stuffed in there with her.

That bathroom would most likely be located somewhere in Portland, Oregon where this seemingly new-ish band comes from, but I can’t really figure out if these guys have any other releases out there. My guess is no (because I really can’t find anything), but often times I’m wrong like I was at the beginning of this post. This hazy 7″ comes from the Chicago label HoZac Records – a label most of you should already be familiar with if you keep up with the times here @ the Drone, not to mention if you’ve listened to any music you would call ‘good’ lately, because their catalog is like an MVP list of lo-fi indie bands who all tear shit up in their own unique and fresh ways. Don’t waste any more time though, I’ve uploaded both sides of the 7″ for ya today, so please enjoy it! And don’t forget to come back for more tomorrow!

Urinal Cakes –

Drought –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Pop
Urinal Cakes 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Urinal Cakes
2.) Drought

BUY the 7″ directly from Insound
Burning Yellows on Myspace
Burning Yellows on Facebook

Magic Bullets – Magic Bullets

For the past 24 hours or so, this self-titled LP from Magic Bullets has been making it hard for me to listen to anything else. This appears to be their second full-length, and it was put out by Mon Amie Records just recently. Contrary to what you may have heard, Magic Bullets have been around for quite some time, originally forming back in 2004 as a side project for another band that I don’t know the name of. Since then they have released two full-length records, an EP, and a 7″, each filled to the brim with their infectious blend of jangly, frantic pop music that’s just great.

At times evoking a bright, sunny, Spring morning, Magic Bullets are definitely the kind of band that gets stuck under your skin, and trust me when I say it’s going to take awhile for that addiction to wear off. If you’ve ever heard of Okkervil River before, you may or may not agree that lead singer Philip Benson at times sounds like Will Sheff from Okkervil, but that’s for you to decide. Every other description I’ve read also mentions that these guys sound like the Smiths as well, but to be completely honest, I would have no idea if that’s true or not. I’ve never really listened to the Smiths, but if it sounds anything like this I’m sure I would be interested. Maybe I should look into that.

In the meantime, I want you guys to check out these songs below from their LP. It’s going to be hard to try and resist the delightful call of the jangly guitars, or their groovy, elastic bass lines, or the frantic singing of Philip Benson that make these songs so memorable, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it. If you’ve only got time to listen to one song, I’m going to have to suggest “Sigh the Day Away”. It takes the whole album to reach this song if you’re listening all the way through, but I think this only means they saved the best for last. Melodramatic vocals and an irresistible guitar hook played over top of a grooving, dance-worthy bass line is the recipe for absolute perfection. Please check this stuff out!

A Day Not So Far Off –

Pretend & Descend –

Lying Around –

Sigh the Day Away –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Indie Rock
Magic Bullets: Tracklist:
1.) A Day Not So Far Off
2.) They Wrote a Song About You
3.) Pretend & Descend
4.) Lying Around
5.) Young Shoulders
6.) Red Room
7.) On Top of the World
8.) A Name Sits Heaviest on My Heart
9.) Millions of People Running Around
10.) China Beach
11.) Sigh the Day Away

BUY the LP directly from Insound
Magic Bullets on Myspace!
Magic Bullets on Blogspot

Psychic Ills – Catoptric

Yo yo. Got something a bit different for you guys today. I was in search of something new, and this is what I came up with. It’s the latest release from the PSYCHIC ILLS, and it comes from the Social Registry in a numbered edition of 550 on random colored vinyl. The songs on this record were recorded at nearly the same time as their full-length “Mirror Eye”, which was released back in the beginning of 2009. This was the stuff from that era of the band that was never quite finished and mastered, so instead of letting it waste away they put it on this nice new LP for us.

Now I don’t know which of you guys have already come across the Psychic Ills, but if you have, you already know one thing: these guys create some otherworldly tunes. Hence why I said it was different at the beginning of the post. I don’t really think this stuff is for everybody, but that doesn’t exactly mean you won’t like it. Drony, zoned out, trance-like songs fill this record from beginning to end, and for some reason it reminds me of the pyramids and ancient Egypt and all that jazz whenever I’m listening. I don’t really know what that means, but hopefully it will help give you an idea of your own. You should definitely check out the song “Secret Flower” though, which is probably the most accessible song from the LP. It’s a buzzy, swirling and moody song all at once, and the feeling it evokes is definitely strange, or eerie. I’ve never really been at a loss for words before on here, but this is definitely the closest I’ve been. Just check out the song below and see what you think, because that’s what really matters.

Secret Flower –

My Rating: 6.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Experimental, Drone, Trance
Catoptric: Tracklist:
1.) Transmute
2.) Secret Flower
3.) Indus Echo
4.) Outvocation

Psychic Ills on Myspace
BUY the limited edition record directly from Insound – Limited to 550!
Read the album description from the Social Registry to get an even better idea of the music

Tennis – Baltimore 7″

So there’s this band right, maybe you’ve heard of them. Their name is TENNIS, and they’ve been stirring up quite a bit of excitement recently – so much excitement that all of their releases sold out instantly, meaning there’s really no hope of getting your own at this point. Going by their Myspace these guys only have three official releases out there, and each one is completely sold out. Obviously this means that the husband-and-wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore must be doing something right if their music is selling out this fast and they’re getting shouts from the New York Times. Speaking of which, you should definitely check out that article. It’s about how they sailed for 8 straight months along the East Coast with minimal sailing knowledge and limited funds. Definitely an intriguing story, especially since their music was completely influenced by the trip. If that doesn’t qualify as unique, then I don’t know what will. Just sit back and listen to this wonderful, blissed out “lounge-rock” while your worries waste away. Enjoy!

Cape Dory –

Marathon –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Lo-Fi, Lounge
Baltimore 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Baltimore
2.) Cape Dory
3.) Marathon

Tennis on Myspace
Tennis on Bandcamp
I’d give you a link to buy, but that shit’s already sold out. Bummer, I know. I saw one on eBay for $30!!!

Acres of Diamonds – Maria 7″

I know I didn’t post anything here yesterday, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t busy finding new stuff for you guys. I made my way around the city yesterday in search of some new wax, and I came up with a few nice things. The first record I’m going to share comes straight from a Philadelphia band, and their name is ACRES OF DIAMONDS. Before snagging up this 7″ I was completely unaware of these guys, but that is no longer an issue. Good thing too, because these guys definitely have a nice sound going for them. It also never fails to make the music that much more interesting when it’s coming straight out of your own city.

So at times while listening to this stuff, some other bands lately dominating the headlines come to mind, such as the National or even the Arcade Fire. I say the National due to the vague vocal reminders of lead singer Jim Anderson to Matt Berninger in “Maria”, and the Arcade Fire for the use of the baroque piano and the ability to produce a huge and joyous orchestral sound. Part of that huge sounds comes from the fact that there are six different people in this band using six different instruments at once, so yeah, that’s pretty important. They also like to use of harmonies, (whether it be with the vocals or the guitars), and it certainly stands out in their music. These two things together are the perfect recipe for quite an addicting 7″, and it makes me all the more excited to check out their EP which has four other songs on it. This music would probably go great with the colder Winter months that aren’t as far off as we all think they are. Don’t go anywhere until you check these songs out though – I’m going to upload both of them. If that’s not enough for you, head on over to their Bandcamp page where you can listen to each song from their EP. In the meantime, hopefully these Philly-bros (and gals) don’t keep us waiting too long for some new material!

PS – I just started listening to the full EP…different band members take the vocal efforts in different songs.

Maria –

The Whole World –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Classic Rock
Maria 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Maria
2.) The Whole World

Acres of Diamonds on Myspace
Acres of Diamonds on Facebook
BUY the 7″ on their Bandcamp page

The Band in Heaven/ Weird Wives – Split Tape

Remember the BAND in HEAVEN? I posted their awesome demo tunes back at the very end of May, and since then those guys must have been hard at work. They’re now back on the scene with a brand new cassette tape, which may or may not be their first official release, and the tape is split with another band you may have already come across somewhere in your internet travels: WEIRD WIVES. But just in case you’re not familiar, I’ll give you a quick fill in. Weird Wives is 3/5 of the band Surfer Blood, who believe it or not were actually already a band before Surfer Blood came together. I’ve come to understand that Weird Wives have a couple 7″ records out there, but I can’t seem to find any information on them. The best I found were these two EP downloads – EP#1 and EP#2.

So if you remember the Band in Heaven or if you’ve already heard Weird Wives, then you may already know what to expect from this brand new cassette tape. Gritty, abrasive, in-yr-face punk rock that’s going to knock your ass to the ground and keep you down there for as long as you’re willing to accept the musical harassment that’s on this tape. The first song up – “Summer Bummer” – comes from the Band in Heaven, and it does just that. Not only is it noisy, but they’ve even managed to work some eerie, space-like sounding keyboards in the mix as well, giving this song a little of the best from both worlds. Next would come “Suicide Pact”, and they take a small step back on the intensity this time around, but nothing too drastic. Before I knew the tracklist of this tape I was PRAYING their song “High Low” was on it…no worries though. Maybe next time? Flip the tape over for some more face pounding noise-punk action, only this time we’re in Weird Wives territory. Drony vocals and lazy-but-heavy guitars dominate the songs, possibly influenced by smoking a bit of weed and playing some music? You tell me, I dunno. Check out the two songs from the tape below and see what you think. Please leave some comments too! People don’t do that enough around here! If you want to hear the rest of the songs from the tape, follow this link here.

Summer Bummer –

Head Bugs –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Lo-Fi, Shoegaze, Punk
Split Tape: Tracklist:
1.) The Band in Heaven – Summer Bummer
2.) The Band in Heaven – Suicide Pact
3.) Weird Wives – Head Bugs
4.) Weird Wives – Wet Blanket

Band in Heaven on Myspace
Band in Heaven previously posted on the Drone
Weird Wives on Myspace
More info. on the tape right here @ Bandcamp
Workerbee Records is releasing the tape, but I don’t see any info. on their site just yet