Officially being released on January 18th is HANDS AND KNEES third full-length album “Wholesome”. Hailing from Boston, these guys come from right in the middle of all the musical goodness that’s been pouring out of the area. It’s like the epicenter of garage rock up there right now… Continue reading “Hands and Knees – Wholesome”
The DEAD GHOSTS full length! It’s finally here!! This thing was originally said to drop sometime in October, but obviously that didn’t happen. November 9th turned out to be the official release date for the record, but I still don’t think there are any places you can buy it. Keep checking back at Florida’s Dying and it’s bound to pop up at some point, just a matter of when. If you were eagerly awaiting this one, patience is definitely a virtue, but that moment is surely upon us. When this thing is finally out there, you will be glad you waited for as long as you did. And now I’m here to prove that to you.
If you can remember back to the Summer and also in September, we covered a few other releases from Canada’s premier garage rockers. Now they’re back with the most exciting installment to their discography, and if you enjoyed those other releases, things are only about to get better. The new album comes jam-packed with 13 of your favorite Dead Ghosts numbers, most of which have been re-recorded for the purpose of this new album. Some of these songs can be heard in live form on their Live Tapes 12″, but this new album definitely takes the cake.
They bring back all of your favorite elements, including that uniquely rowdy and rambunctious energy paired with smart, honest lyrics – usually about women, getting fucked up, and just about anything else you think you hear. The rough and abrasive guitars are there once again to put you on your ass, and they do it all with a captivating bluesy twang that’s just too good to ignore. There’s also a bit of a folky, country Western mood mixed in at times, but that’s for you to decide. Most of the songs on the list have hooks that cut so deep you won’t be listening to anything else for at least this whole week, and that’s far from being an understatement. Hear for yourself with these tracks below, and let the addiction begin.
When it Comes to You –
Off the Hook –
Girl Across the Street –
How the West Was Fun –
My Rating: 8.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Blues Rock
Dead Ghosts: Tracklist:
1.) When it Comes to You
2.) Detroit Jerry
3.) Off the Hook
4.) Haunted House
5.) She Likes It
6.) Girl Across the Street
7.) I Want You to Know
8.) Dead Ghosts
9.) Getting Older
10.) How the West Was Fun
11.) What to Do
12.) James Brown
13.) I Want Your Love
Dead Ghosts on Myspace
BUY the LP from Florida’s Dying…whenever it’s available
Dead Ghosts – Live Tapes 12″ previously posted on the Drone
Dead Ghosts – That Old Feeling 7″ previously posted on the Drone
You can buy the album digitally from iTunes (which is no fun at all), or wait for the record. yr choice. 😉
Yo yo! So sorry for the past few post-less days. I spent my weekend in New York City with some awesome people. I got to see some fantastic bands like Pavement, Titus Andronicus, and Free Energy, and now I’m back in Philadelphia ready to get back to the usual daily grind. Which on top of blogging, unfortunately includes dreaded school work that I would rather not spend my precious time doing. Nobody really wants to do that shit, they just have to. Unless I’m totally wrong and you like sitting at a computer for three hours typing some paper you won’t care about ever again once you’re finished it.
Before I went away for the weekend, I stocked up my mp3 player with some righteous new tunes to listen to and check out to keep me blog-busy, and I think what stood out most was a 7″ from Anthens, Ohio natives WHEELS ON FIRE. It’s smart, honest, and guitar driven poppy garage rock that’s about as addicting as music comes these days. I just ordered the 7″ when I got home so I can spin it over and over again. I suggest you do the same!
The 7″ comes with four songs clocking in at just under 12 minutes long, and each track includes a memorable hook or catchy lyrics that’s bound to keep you coming back for more. Whether it’s the catchy guitar hook at the end of “Cherry Bomb”, or the witty break up lyrics in “Broken Up”, this band is bound to turn heads with their infectious take on the sometimes psych-ish, sometimes bluesy guitar-driven garage rock. Don’t forget to check out the two songs from the 7″ below, and then hopefully you’ll see what these dudes are all about. You should definitely consider snagging that 7″ while you can as well, because I’m sure it won’t be around forever. See ya tomorrow.
Broken Up –
Cherry Bomb –
My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Alternative, Blues Rock
The Cherry Bomb EP: Tracklist:
1.) Black Wave
2.) Broken Up
3.) Cherry Bomb
4.) Go Give Yer Love Away
Wheels on Fire on Myspace !
BUY the 7″ directly from Kind Turkey Records – 500 copies total w/ 100 on purple vinyl – GET SOME!
Yo! Here’s something today that I don’t think many of you bros are going to be familiar with. That would mainly be due to the fact that these guys are a local Philly band. I had the pleasure of seeing them open for DOOMSTAR! the other night while I was at the Millcreek Tavern. By the time the night was over, one of the dudes from The Eeries was still hanging around, and I ended up talking to him for a bit. The result? He hooked me up with a couple of brand new Eeries cassette tapes, and we left it at “Yeah man, we’ll be talking through e-mails soon enough,” or something like that. I don’t know if I’m getting around to this sooner than he thought, but The Eeries definitely deserve to be heard. So let’s hear them!
For starters, I’m pretty sure these guys do all of their recording themselves. Not exactly sure how they go about it, but this Blogspot post may help shed some light on that. I know it’s not the same EP we’re talking about here, but it gives us some insight, right? “Instruments live in the basement, vocals in the bathroom, dishes in the sink.” He actually gave me that cassette too, but we’ll talk about that one some other day in the near future. Now onto the music – I kind of had a slight idea of where there sound was going after seeing them live, but I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions too quickly before listening.
A ridiculously twangy guitar dominates all of the songs, sometimes with a more poppy flare (Walk You Home), and then other times with a moody blues-rock feel (Feel Right, In Your Head). The guitars have an extremely concentrated sound, and they’re always backed by constantly rolling drums and lazy, punchy bass lines. For the last song of the cassette, they kind of bring all of these elements together in one single song, called “Pocket”. Honest lyrics like “Somewhere in your pocket I found love” complement the twangin’, country-esque feel of the song, and once the final minute rolls around they slow it all down for a true blues vibe. They even do some nice howling over the mix for good measure. You can check out all of the songs from the cassette tape below, and then the Eeries were cool enough to set these tracks free for anybody to download, which you can do RIGHT HERE. Go through their Blogspot page for even more downloads, too!
Feel Right –
In Your Head –
Walk You Home –
Pocket –
My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Blues Rock, Garage Rock
Feel Right Cassette: Tracklist:
1.) Feel Right
2.) In Your Head
3.) Walk You Home
4.) Pocket
DOWNLOAD the cassette completely for free !!!
The Eeries on Blogspot – Plenty more free downloads here
The Eeries on Last.fm
Banned Books are a band hailing from the Philadelphia/ South Jersey area. I saw their record “Mission Creep” in AKA Music one day, and didn’t really have the money to buy it, so I just kept their name in mind til I got home. I ended up buying the album online, and I’m glad I did. These guys mainly play a crazy sprawling mess of heavy blues rock driven guitar, but then there are times on the album when you’re just thinking, “What is going on here?” They completely change things up and never give you a chance to see what’s coming next. I think that’s why I like them too much, too. It’s the element of surprise that can make music so interesting sometimes, and these guys use it to their advantage. One song will be completely guitar driven (Mission Creep), and then they’ll go into a dancy, electronic jam like “Anti-Anthem”. Definitely worth hearing.
The album starts off on the opening track “The Alarm”, and I think this one serves nothing more than being an opening track. It’s a near-instrumental start to the album, and it more-or-less gives you a sense of what the rest of the album could be like, although you’re probably still not entirely sure what’s going to come later on. This is just the magical pathway that leads you to the rest of the madness that is “Mission Creep”.
Following up would be the self-titled “Mission Creep”, and this is when you’ll first see what Banned Books are all about. Heavily distorted blues rock influenced guitars take control of this one, and they don’t really let go until the song is over. They pause for a bit about 3/4 of the way through to give us a chance to catch our breath, and then they go at it again for the last 40 seconds. Because that track took on a more guitar driven sound, this next one is going to catch you off guard. It’s a crazy fast paced song dominated by lots of little sound effects like hand claps, tambourines, squeeks, and whatever else you think you hear. Singer Zane Kanevsky whispers at points in the song, giving it an almost creepy feel, all while the use of the restrained guitar and keyboard guide us through. Suddenly the next track “Wilderness Area” starts out of nowhere, and now we’re back in familiar territory…at least for now. The bluesy guitars come back for the start of this one, being much more in line with the song “Mission Creep” we heard earlier. For the last half though, they take a step back on the intensity and lazily ride out the rest of the song (It’s parts like this that make me think why this album had a “FFO: Animal Collective…etc” sticker on the front).
Skipping ahead to the fun track “Summer Death Camp”, this one again features some heavy guitar. Lead singer Zane Kanevsky sings about “roasted marshmellows and cyanide”…interesting! I want to go to summer death camp! It sounds like a blast, right? This song changes completely about halfway through though, so don’t get too excited about death camp. I’m not even sure what to say about that second half; it sounds like breaking glass and like the world as we know it is crashing down right beneath our feet. Suddenly summer death camp doesn’t sound like much fun anymore! But it’s okay, because the next song “Anti-Anthem” can make you happy again.
Every time I think this album can’t get any more different, it does. This song starts off like it’s coming completely out of left field with it’s icy, shimmering sound effects and dancy, fast paced drum beat. The last half of the song, (whether Banned Books like it or not) , turns into a hell of an anthem with singer Zane Kanevsky wailing “This is not the voice of your generation/ You’re just another overnight sensation,” over the mix. They use minimal guitar in this one as this is definitely a song of its own on this record. Fantastic stuff right here. The album ends on the oddly named “Black Knot of Plum or Cherry”, and again this one starts out completely different than any other song from the album. I’m not too sure I agree with this song in regards to everything else we just heard on the album, but still worth hearing and even worth buying (they only pressed 300 copies of “Mission Creep”)! Definitely looking forward to hearing new stuff from these guys as well, it should be interesting. Follow the link at the bottom if you wish to buy the LP, and be sure to check out the songs I have for you below, I think you’re going to like them.
Mission Creep –
Wilderness Area –
Summer Death Camp –
Anti-Anthem –
My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Blues Rock, Experimental, Electronic
Mission Creep: Tracklist:
1.) The Alarm
2.) Mission Creep
3.) Supernatural Mongoloid
4.) Wilderness Area
5.) Trophy Wife Sings the Devil’s Fanfare
6.) Summer Death Camp
7.) Anti-Anthem
8.) Black Knot of Plum or Cherry
Banned Books on Myspace
Banned Books Official Website
BUY the album directly from Stumparumper Records
Mount Carmel is a fairly new 3-piece band who hail from the wonderful Columbus, Ohio. Almost exactly one month ago, their debut album, the self-titled “Mount Carmel”, was released by Siltbreeze Records, and ever since, it’s been stirring up quite a bit of excitement. Much of that excitement would be due to the albums raw, invigorating sound that brings people back to their days in the 60’s (or 70’s) of blues rock and when it was just beginning to make waves. With that being said, it sounds like this record was recorded straight out of the 70’s, which certainly gives it more of an authentic feel. Going by the Siltbreeze description of the album, chances are you’re going to hear “Peter Green-era Bluesbreakers, Cream and Ten Years After” in their sound (and they actually cover the song “Hear Me Callin” by Ten Years After). Fine by me! Bring it on!
The album kicks off on the track “Livin Like I Wanna”, and it won’t take long for you to figure out what direction this is going, especially if you read the paragraph above. Shortly into the song lead singer Matthew Reed joins in the mix, and it’s pretty much a done-deal after that. His howling vocals go a long way in giving these guys that 70’s rock sound, although most of that would be due to the instrumentation, but his vocals still play a major role in the sound. Not only are Reed’s vocals essential, but the guitar plays an even greater role. Throughout the entire record, the guitars have a beyond-satisfying raw and electrifying sound, complete with face-searing guitar solos and catchy, memorable hooks. Some of these earth-shattering guitar solos can be found in tracks like “Livin Like I Wanna”, “Still Listening”, “ZZ Breakers”, and pretty much all throughout the entire 40 minutes of the record. That’s no exaggeration either, every song has it’s moment – whether it’s the 3 minute drum attack or an onslaught of guitar solos and letting the good times roll – this album is bound to keep you listening. Why not find out for yourself and check out the songs below?!
Livin Like I Wanna –
Still Listening –
ZZ Breakers –
My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Blues Rock, Psychedelic
Mount Carmel: Tracklist
1.) Livin Like I Wanna
2.) Still Listening
3.) ZZ Breakers
4.) Sacksburg
5.) Hear Me Callin (Ten Years After cover)
6.) I Work While You’re Sleeping
7.) Studio Jam
Mount Carmel on Myspace
Mount Carmel on Facebook
BUY the “Mount Carmel” LP directly from Siltbreeze Records
My Rating: 10/10
Genre/ Tags: Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Rock
Back when it was still 2009, which now seems like it was forever ago, I was just beginning to discover the magic that is White Denim. After starting off with their most recent effort, titled “Fits”, I was totally hooked on White Denim. It was unusual if I didn’t hear multiple songs by them in a single day, and they would be all the same tracks, considering I only had their latest album. Over some time I figured the only way too hear more music like White Denim was to seek out other White Denim releases, so, of course, I couldn’t just sit back and deprive myself – I went out in search of other White Denim albums. To my surprise, none of the records stores in Philadelphia had anything, so I was forced to turn to the internet. After searching the web, I had located just one other White Denim record, and it was in Osaka, Japan in a record store called Panda Panda Records. Not a problem. I purchased it online, and just under 2 weeks later I had a brand new, still sealed White Denim record at my front door. It didn’t stay sealed for long either.
After getting a whole new dose of White Denim songs, I was once again floored. How do they do that!? In the beginning I would have preferred listening to Fits up until getting Workout Holiday. Now when someone mentions White Denim all I can think about are tracks like “All You Really Have To Do”, “I Can Tell You”, “Mess Your Hair Up”, “Hearts from Us All” and “Don’t Look That Way at It”. The song “All You Really Have To Do” features some wild guitar and bass work, with parts of the song almost being like the two instruments are having a conversation with each other. “Mess Your Hair Up”, the longest track from the album, deserves a lot of attention as well. I am especially fond of when lead singer James Petralli sings “In the backseat, my heart attacks me, when you ask me…” and they go into this hazy, almost ambient like part of the song that a first listener would have never ever even thought was coming up. At this point it’s almost like the guitar is having another conversation with itself – they pause things for a moment and say “ahhh-oohhhhh”, only to begin the madness once again with a fuzzy bass line. I have a video that I came across on YouTube one day, and it features the trio playing these two wonderfully amazing tracks, one right into the other. It wouldn’t be White Denim if they took a break between the songs. The energy is ridiculous – these guys really know how to deliver. Just look at how much they’re sweating by the time the songs end. Seeing this band perform live is at the highest position on my list of thing to do. When they do go on tour, I plan on seeing them in multiple cities.
Workout Holiday: Tracklist
1. “Let’s Talk About It” – 3:53
2. “Shake Shake Shake” – 2:37
3. “Sitting” – 2:16
4. “I Can Tell You” – 1:57
5. “Mess Your Hair Up” – 4:48
6. “Heart From Us All” – 3:10
7. “All You Really Have To Do” – 2:48
8. “Look That Way At It” – 3:25
9. “Darksided Computer Mouth” – 2:15
10. “WDA” – 3:03
11. “Don’t Look That Way At It” – 4:03
12. “IEIEI” – 3:13
White Denim’s Official Website
White Denim on Myspace
Workout Holiday: BUY
Perhaps one of the most interesting and reclusive figures in musical history, Syd Barrett (January 6th, 1946 – July 7th, 2006) was the original driving force behind the band we all already know as PINK FLOYD. Syd Barrett was present in Pink Floyd from their very beginnings, but he only lasted in the band for a short time. The band began to form back in England in 1964, which is when Syd Barrett would be considered the leader of the band. After a few line-up changes and a few band name adjustments (Syd gets credit for coming up with the name “Pink Floyd”), the band was ready to release their first album, which was titled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”. This album came out back in 1967, and it was the only Pink Floyd album to be made fully under the leadership of Syd Barrett. In the midst of all the commotion surrounding Pink Floyd after their first release, Syd Barrett had been continually experimenting with drugs like LSD. This led to a very unpredictable and frightening Syd Barrett, who would eventually be replaced in the band by the guitarist David Gilmour. Before finally “leaving” the band, Syd also helped out on their second release in 1968, entitled “A Saucerful of Secrets”.
After leaving Pink Floyd, Syd was certainly not finished with his musical career, and he had much more up his sleeve for us. His solo career began in 1968, with his first solo album release being in 1970. This first album was called “The Madcap Laughs”, featuring many wonderful tracks like “Terrapin”, “Octopus”, “Golden Hair”, and “Dark Globe”. The second and final solo studio album we would get from Syd Barrett is the one I have for you today. This album came out originally back in 1970, and sadly was the last studio album we would get. The album starts off with a bluesy guitar intro on the track “Baby Lemonade”, which soon escalates into a delightful song, with Syd begging for some lemonade. Skipping ahead to the extremely drone-y and almost-haunting track titled “Dominoes”, this is certainly one of the tracks worth hearing from the album. The track ends with an all too appropriate keyboard solo from Pink Floyd member Richard Wright (July 28th, 1943 – September 15th, 2008), which is probably why it sounds so familiar. A few other highlights from the album include “Gigolo Aunt” with its funky basslines, “Effervescing Elephant” which is great to sing along with, the somewhat creepy sounding “Maisie”, “Waving My Arms in the Air”, “Rats”, and “Wined and Dined”. Happy belated birthday Syd, and also: Rest in Peace Syd Barrett and Richard Wright!
Barrett: Tracklist
1. “Baby Lemonade” – 4:10
2. “Love Song” – 3:03
3. “Dominoes” – 4:08
4. “It Is Obvious” – 2:59
5. “Rats” – 3:00
6. “Maisie” – 2:51
7. “Gigolo Aunt” – 5:46
8. “Waving My Arms In The Air” – 2:09
9. “I Never Lied To You” – 1:50
10. “Wined And Dined” – 2:58
11. “Wolfpack” – 3:41
12. “Effervescing Elephant” – 1:52
Syd Barrett: Official Website
Barrett: BUY
Back in 2005, Two Gallants signed to Saddle Creek Records. One year and multiple controversial happenings later, they released their album called “What the Toll Tells”. For the two members of Two Gallants, Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel, 2006 was quite an eventful year. First and foremost, they released their album. Then there was one night on October 13th, 2006, where Two Gallants were playing a show in Houston, Texas at Walters on Washington. Not long into their set, the band was attacked on-stage by a cop who was supposed to be there on account of a noise violation. Before long, the cop pulled out his taser and got a bit trigger happy. Here is one video of the incident on YouTube, and another right here. Unfortunately because of that cop, the show had to be cut short, and a 90 year old stand up bass was destroyed! Bummer! I know for a fact that I would have been extremely angry at that cop, and obviously every person attending that night was unhappy, just check the videos.
During the same year, the band even managed to receive more complaints because of their lyrical content. I’m not going to go to deep into this, but the song in question is the called “Long Summer Day“. The song is about a black slave man who has had enough of his righteous white owner, and decides to solve the problem through violence. This is portrayed in the lyrics below.
“Well if you should see my wife,
Tell her that I wont be home tonight,
So don’t leave on the light.
I got a little business down the road,
And If I’m dead by sunrise,
Kiss my baby girl for me.
It ain’t life if it ain’t free.
I’ve got a mighty burden to unload.”
Most of the songs from this album follow a similar pattern, being that most of them are like stories. Such tracks are “Las Cruces Jail”, “Long Summer Day”, and “Waves of Grain”, just to name a few. “Waves of Grain“, the albums closing track, is an epic track in itself. Clocking in at just under 10 minutes, the song gradually gets louder and faster, with Vogels explosive and melodic drumming, he never ceases to amaze. If you never thought drummers were anything special, you need to watch the Waves of Grain video in the link above, because you will have a new found respect for drummers everywhere. A video can capture the action quite nicely, but nothing beats a live performance. Pick a spot right in front of the drummer at your next Two Gallants show, and you’re guaranteed to be entertained from beginning to end. As long as no power hungry cops try to come through and ruin your good time, that is.
What the Toll Tells: Tracklist
1.) “Las Cruces Jail” – 5:46
2.) “Steady Rollin'” – 4:28
3.) “Some Slender Rest” – 8:57
4.) “Long Summer Day” – 4:54
5.) “The Prodigal Son” – 3:13
6.) “Threnody” – 9:34
7.) “16th St. Dozens” – 5:15
8.) “Age of Assassins” – 8:01
9.) “Waves of Grain” – 9:34
Two Gallants: Official Website
What the Toll Tells: BUY
Well, it’s Christmas Eve day, which means tomorrow is Christmas (really?). The album I’m going to post today is like my gift to you for Christmas. I hope you can enjoy it as much as I have. The album is called “Fits” by White Denim, and it is my overall favorite album from 2009.
Okay, so on “Fits”, the music doesn’t start til about 45 seconds into the first track, “Radio Milk How Can You Stand It“. Up until then, the sounds and voices you can hear only leave you guessing what’s about to unfold. Then, all of a sudden, the drummer starts beating away at his snare, and seconds later, he is joined by a sprawling bass line. The two continue to play until they are joined by the guitarist, who signals the start and stop action that is present throughout the song. They continue to beat down on their instruments, never really letting you get too comfortable with anything they’re doing. By that I mean that this song has something new around every corner, and once you’re comfortable with the way it sounds, they’re going to completely change things up on you and catch you off guard. It’s like having a punk rock song fused with a bluesy-garage rock song. It’s extremely difficult to describe, but entertaining and satisfying nonetheless.
As you continue to listen to “Fits”, you’ll notice that a lot of the songs have this style. The second track, “All Consolation” follows the same structure. This song has a punky yet psychedelic feel to it with the guitar soloing and the sound effects used, but once again, things aren’t going to stay this way. They break it down for the last minute of the song, unexpectedly slowing things down, and even throwing in a cowbell to hold together all the spastic drumming. The following tracks all further prove that there is not one genre you can tag White Denim with; there is just too much going on in a single song. Another good example of this would be “Say What You Want” with its punk/garage rock feel that turns into a tropical islands version of a punk song. I’ll say it again, they’re extremely difficult to describe, but amazingly entertaining and beyond satisfying. Skipping ahead to the track “I Start to Run“, which starts off with it’s undeniably catchy bass line, is definitely a highlight from the album. With James Petralli claiming somebody is listening to the song in his head, you can’t help but sing along to this one. The album is made up entirely of highlights, with every song being just as good as the last. Now please, scroll down and check out this masterpiece for yourself. Thanks for reading and happy holidays to all. Considering tomorrow is Christmas, chances are there won’t be a new post, but if I find the time, I certainly will be here. Thanks for reading once again, and keep checking back for more!
White Denim – Official Website
White Denim – Syncn
White Denim – Everybody Somebody
White Denim – Regina Holding Hands
White Denim – Sex Prayer
Fits: BUY
Styrofoam Drone 