Dead Ghosts – That Old Feeling 7″

Hey guys, let’s welcome a new band to the Styrofoam Drone today. Their name is DEAD GHOSTS and they hail from Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. They’ve had a successful run in the 7″ game, releasing a string of at least four different singles (one of them being split with Chicago’s own Smith Westerns), and they just continue to keep moving up the scale. They’re in the process of releasing some more material, only this time they’re going all-out and releasing a full-length record, and apparently it’s due out sometime this September from the Florida’s Dying label. I take this information directly from their Myspace page, wherein their headline reads “LP out in September on Florida’s Dying”. So after learning that, you’ll probably hope September comes around much sooner than you did before.

This is their most recent 7″, and it was released in quite a unique fashion. Three different labels had the liberty of releasing this great single, with each releasing a different quantity including a different cover art from each label. Goodbye Boozy released 105 of them, Krimen Records released 100 of them (cover art pictured), and Ghost Records released 95 of them. That’s 300 total, and each set of singles comes hand numbered from each label, and like I already said, each also has their own, unique cover art.

With this release the Dead Ghosts add three new songs to their constantly growing catalog, and they’re as gritty and noisy as you would expect them to be. A-side “That Old Feeling” becomes an instant classic, immediately roping you in with that twangy guitar hook and the relentless pound of the snare drum. By the time the end rolls around you’ll be lost in a sea of cacophony as the noise comes full force with an electrified guitar lick, hereby sealing the deal that you will want to play this song again and again. Flip on over to the B-side to reveal two more grainy garage jams including “Blak Kat” and the chantey “Comanche”, which both include some nasty guitar freak outs (“Comanche” especially). Hear “That Old Feeling” and “Comanche” below. You can check out “Blak Kat” on the Dead Ghosts Myspace!

That Old Feeling –

Comanche –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi
That Old Feeling 7″: Tracklist:
1.) That Old Feeling
2.) Blak Kat
3.) Comanche

BUY the 7″ from Play Pinball! Records (they’re selling it, t00)
More info. on the 7″ at the Goodbye Boozy Myspace
Dead Ghosts on Myspace
Dead Ghosts on Facebook

Monotonix – Fun Fun Fun 7″

This is definitely the first band from Israel that we’re covering here on the Styrofoam Drone. Come to think of it, I can’t think of many bands at all that come from Israel, but I’m sure there’s a ton out there.

The band is known as MONOTONIX, and they’ve toured around the world countless times playing hundreds of shows ranging from extremes like SXSW to shows in the basements of churches. Speaking of the basements of churches, the first time I came across Monotonix was when they opened for the Silver Jews back on their final tour, and the band was NUTS! They played anywhere in the room but the actual stage, and it was just straight-up madness. This 7″ looks like it’s the latest release from Monotonix, coming from the Drag City imprint, and I’m sure it won’t be their last.

It might seem a bit cliché to call this 7″ fun, but that’s basically what it all comes down to. These jams would go perfectly in the background of your typical raging party, with people from wall to wall guzzling down beer, playing flip-cup, and yelling as loud as they possibly can. The two songs included are staggeringly heavy with grungy guitars and a raspy Ami Shalev who basically freaks out the entire time while he forces his words right down our throat – and he doesn’t see a damn thing wrong with it either! Especially in a live setting. That being said, I think seeing Monotonix live is probably the best way to experience their music and the band themselves. If they ever make it to your town, you should definitely make a point to go and check them out. Good times all around for sure.

Fun Fun Fun –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Alternative, Israel
Fun Fun Fun 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Fun Fun Fun
2.) Try Try Try

Buy the 7″ @ Insound!
Monotonix on Myspace
Monotonix – Official Website!

Mazes – Cenetaph 7″

Yo! So originally I didn’t have anything to post today, so instead of going post-less, I searched around for a bit and found something nice.

It’s yet another 7″, and it’s by a band called MAZES from Manchester in the United Kingdom. I tracked down this little gem from this blog right here called BE BOP KIDS! There’s some other cool stuff on that blog, you should check it out while you’re at it. You can even download the Mazes 7″ while you’re there.

This band Mazes has got a handful of releases that have came out already, and you can see them all at their Myspace. This is their most recent release though, and it came out on Suffering Jukebox Records (which may or may not be a tribute to a Silver Jews song). It’s got two new songs from the band, and they’re both these fast paced numbers ruled by crunchy, spiky guitars and it’s all done with an honest folk-pop-goodness that’s pretty difficult to deny. These guys are good, and I’m going to look into their other material for future posts down the road. Until then, you can listen to the song below and then check out the others on their Myspace – one of them is also the B-side of this 7″ called “Go-Betweens”. Check it out.

Cenetaph –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Folk Rock, Pop
Cenetaph 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Cenetaph
2.) Go-Betweens

Mazes – Official Website
Mazes on Myspace!
BUY the 7″ directly from Suffering Jukebox Records

Fungi Girls – Seafaring Pyramids

Hey guys. I hope you all weren’t too worried about me yesterday considering there wasn’t a new post. If you were, it’s okay now, because I’m back with something that I wish I had known about much, much sooner. Kind of like those Jacuzzi Boys we’ve been seeing here recently on the SD.

If it wasn’t for their most recent 7″, I don’t know if I ever would have came across these guys. After hearing what they had to offer from “Turquoise Hotel”, I couldn’t just sit around and wonder what else these guys had up their sleeve. I tracked down their full-length, and I am EXTREMELY glad I did. Upon first listen, I got an immediate feeling that this stuff was going to put me on my ass, and sure enough, it did. Which makes me go on to say that nothing can compare to the first listen of any song, but that’s a different story. Unfortunately for me, I have to go to work this morning, so I can’t get too in-depth with the music description this time around, but I’ll leave you guys with a few mp3’s so you can see what they’re all about. But before you listen, I’ll have you know that the crunchy, lo-fi qualities are definitely part of the Fungi Girls sound, and they do it all with their own unique, swingin’ blend of heavy garage rock, which includes psychedelic freak outs of all sorts. Just please listen for yourself, and hopefully the result will be your face looking like the one from their album cover – wide eyes, jaw dropped.

Pacifica Nostalgia –

Colour the Floor –

Crystal Roads –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Noise Rock, Psychedelic
Seafaring Pyramids: Tracklist:
1.) Pacifica Nostalgia
2.) Into the Cosmos
3.) Dystopic Vision
4.) Dream of Oz
5.) Colour the Floor
6.) Kowloon Walled City
7.) Clouds
8.) Crystal Roads

Fungi Girls – Official Website!
Fungi Girls on Myspace!
BUY the Fungi Girls full-length from Play Pinball! Records
Check out the Fungi Girls “Turquoise Hotel” 7″ that was recently posted.

Mind Spiders – Mind Spiders 7″

Dude, what’s with Texas releasing all of this great music? Seriously, more and more bands keep pouring out of Texas from all sides, and there’s no end in sight. Hopefully there won’t be either, and then they can all keep gracing our eager ears with their mind blowing tunes. Speaking of minds, today’s band is called MIND SPIDERS, and yup, you guessed it, they’re from Fort Worth, Texas. And this appears to be their debut release of any sort, so let’s give it up for the Mind Spiders. I must warn you before we go any further though – this stuff here is extremely addicting. After listening to the 7″ countless times, it’s pretty clear that the Mind Spiders hook is in pretty deep. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too. Be sure to keep reading, because honestly, I don’t think you guys want to miss out on this one.

Mind Spiders are led by a guy named Mark Ryan, and it turns out that they’re only a side project of his. When he’s not concentrating on Mind Spiders, he’s destroying faces with his other band The Marked Men. The Marked Men and Mind Spiders do share some qualities, but we’re focusing on just the Mind Spiders today.

Their brand new 7″ comes from the punk label Dirtnap Records. It’s four tracks long of highly energized, face-beating garage-punk, and it clocks in at just over 10 minutes. Each song from the 7″ is a highlight in it’s own way – whether it’s the scorching, fiery guitars of “Ripped”, the gigantic, progressively growing sound in “Time Sucker”, or the harmonic goodness of “Worlds Destroyed”, this band is bound to catch on. Be sure to give these songs a listen below, and check out their Myspace too for other songs from the 7″.

Time Sucker –

Dirty Secrets –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Punk, Alternative
Mind Spiders 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Worlds Destroyed
2.) Time Sucker
3.) Ripped
4.) Dirty Secrets

Mind Spiders on Myspace!
BUY the 7″ directly from Green Noise Records (Dirtnap Records)

Jacuzzi Boys – No Seasons

Hey guys. So I know the last Jacuzzi Boys post wasn’t that long ago, but you gotta blame the Jacuzzi Boys. There music is just so damn addicting. Before this week I had never really listened to them; I had only seen their name in various spots across the interweb. Now I’m going out of my way to find all of their 7″ records, and I just purchased their full-length “No Seasons” last night from Florida’s Dying. My efforts in finding all of their records probably won’t pay off, because I’m pretty sure a few of them have been out of print for awhile now, but hey, it never hurts to try. The full-length came out sometime during 2009 after the success of all of their earliest 7″ singles. For that, you gotta commend them, because not every band gets that far.

The LP starts off on a great note with the hectic song “Blow Out Your Lights”, as it sets the tone for the rest of the party-time madness that’s about to unfold. Next up comes the oddly titled “Smells Dead”, and I don’t think somebody would make a song about something smelling unless it really bothered them. I think that’s the case for this song too; lead singer Gabriel tried everything to make the smell go away too – he lit candles, he opened windows, but it still smells. Coming up next would be the third track called “Fruits”. Like most of their songs, this one is dominated by a crafty guitar hook that is sure to sink in and keep you coming back for third and fourth listens. Drummer Deigo goes a step further in the song by adding in his cowbell and it works great for the song.

Up next comes “Island Ave.”, which I’m sure you’ve already heard if you know the Jacuzzi Boys. This was the featured song on one of their 7″ that came from HoZac Records back in 2008. They re-recorded the song for the full-length, and it sounds fantastic. The second half of the song is when the fun really starts, as guitarist Gabriel makes his guitar squeal over the buzzy, ground shaking bass of bandmate Danny. Quickly following up “Island Ave.” comes the album-titled song “No Seasons”, and surprisingly enough it’s the shortest song on the LP. The bass lazily guides you through the song as lead singer Gabriel let’s us know that he “Ain’t got no seasons at all”, and suddenly the song is over. But it plays seamlessly into the next song “Komi Caricoles”, which was a B-side song from their earliest 7″ record “Ghost Ghost”. This one kind of sounds like a lazy island jam, and about 3/4 of the way through the song suddenly picks up speed out of nowhere and forces you to tap along to the beat.

“Komi Caricoles” marks the midway point of the album, which means there’s about six more tracks to listen to. This entire half of the album is certainly worth your time, but some tracks stand out more before the rest. For example, the fun lyrics of “Planet of the Dreamers” when Gabriel repeats “Cosmo grass, pig made out of glass” (??). Although I’m not entirely sure that’s what he’s saying, it makes for a fun sing-along. Another one worth hearing from this side would be the guitar-driven “Dock”, which is another garage rock great with an addicting guitar hook, or the final track “The Park (Dig It), which gives you the feeling you’re on a spinning, never-ending merry-go-round. I think that’s all for today guys, but you should really check out these songs below if you’ve never listened to the Jacuzzi Boys before. Thanks for coming by, and enjoy your day.

Island Ave. –

Komi Caricoles –

Planet of the Dreamers –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Lo-Fi
No Seasons: Tracklist:
1.) Blow Out Your Lights
2.) Smells Dead
3.) Fruits
4.) Island Ave.
5.) No Seasons
6.) Komi Caricoles
7.) Throwing Stones
8.) Planet of the Dreamers
9.) Dock
10.) I Saw It All
11.) Burn It Down
12.) The Park (Dig It)

Jacuzzi Boys on Myspace
BUY their LP directly from Florida’s Dying Records
Check out their most recent 7″ “Bricks or Coconuts” right here.

Jacuzzi Boys – Bricks or Coconuts 7″

So these Jacuzzi Boys have been around for a couple of years now, but only about a week ago did I first listen to them. Yeah, you could say I was a bit late to the Jacuzzi Boys game, but it really doesn’t make a difference. The only thing I won’t have much luck in is picking up all of their early 7″ records, but those are the prices you pay when you’re late to the game on good, new bands these days.

Since their formation as a band, the Jacuzzi Boys have released at least five 7″ singles, and then they have one full-length LP that you can get more information on right here. The most recent of their singles comes from the Mexican Summer imprint, and it was just released sometime during May or June. The 7″ features three brand new songs, none of which can be found on any other release from the band. If you’ve heard any of their full-length or any of their other 7″ records, then you already know what to expect from the Jacuzzi Boys – fun loving, head spinning garage rock with scuzzy, shredded guitars and the feeling of a rocking good time. If you haven’t listened to these guys yet (like me about 5 days ago), then I highly suggest you check out these songs. Finding their physical releases proves to be a difficult task now, but I’ve started you off on the mission by finding the “Bricks or Coconuts” 7″ from Midheaven Mailorder and then the “Island Ave.” 7″ from HoZac Records. Good luck with the rest!

Bricks or Coconuts –

Freakazoids –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Punk
Bricks or Coconuts 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Bricks or Coconuts
2.) Freakazoids
3.) Sing Along

Jacuzzi Boys on Myspace
You can still by the “Bricks or Coconuts” 7″ from Midheaven Mailorder
BUY the mp3s directly from Mexican Summer – Sorry folks, this one’s sold out.
BUY the Jacuzzi Boys full-length LP “No Seasons” from Insound
BUY the Island Ave. 7″ from HoZac Records

Girlfriends – Gov’t Seizure 7″

Hailing from the beautiful Boston, Massachusetts comes the trashy, three-piece surf-rock band GIRLFRIENDS. Their debut 7″ single was just released yesterday (July 1st) on the Aurora7 label, and now they’re setting out on quite a long trek across the United States in order to promote their fantastic new 7″. They’ve got dates lined up from now until about halfway through August, so chances are Girlfriends are playing a show in your town. You probably won’t want to miss this one either – they’ll be in Philadelphia on July 3rd, so hopefully I can make it out to the show. For those of you who won’t be able to make the show, that’s why I am here today, and I am glad to be introducing this band. Their new 7″ is just six minutes of twangy, hectic garage rock that also takes a shot at the surf rock sound, but either way this little gem is sure to get stuck on repeat.

The 7″ kicks off on the A-side with the self-titled track “Gov’t Seizure”, and right off the bat you’re already thrown into the midst of a gritty guitar hook attack. The relentless guitars keep at it for awhile before a nasty guitar solo about halfway through, and then they slow/quiet things down about 3/4 of the way through until they ride the rest of the song out into a huge, head spinning finish. Next would come the B-side track called “Creep Stuff”, and the pounding drums and guitar kind of give it a menacing sound in the beginning. They have a bluesy-sounding breakdown just before the halfway mark, and then they suddenly speed things up, only to slow them down again pretty quickly. Still curious? Listen and find out for yourself right below! Why not buy their 7″ while you’re at it? It’s only $6!

Gov’t Seizure –

Creep Stuff –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Pop, Surf Rock
Gov’t Seizure 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Gov’t Seizure
2.) Creep Stuff

Girlfriends Official Website!
Girlfriends on Myspace
BUY their 7″ directly from Aurora7 Records – it’s cheap!
Check out tons of free downloads on the Girlfriends Last.fm page

Spider Bags – Hey Delinquents 7″

It’s been a good chunk of time since this last one came out, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good one! This little gem of a 7″ came out over a year ago now (I think), which means it’s been sitting in my shoebox of 45’s for quite some time. I’m not exactly sure why I’ve failed to get it up here up until this point, but that doesn’t really make a difference.

If you’ve heard Dan McGee and his Spider Bags already, then you probably know what to expect – and you’re probably already a big fan of this 7″. But if not, then let me fill you in real quick. Dan McGee is the frontman, and his band plays heavy, shambolic, rootsy punk music that’s got a tinge of the country twang mixed in, along with a bit of that traditional garage rock sound you already know and love. And let me tell you one more thing, although you’re going to figure it out for yourself in just a minute: this stuff is good.

The 7″ kicks off on the A-side with the song “Hey Delinquents”, and my description of the music above pretty much covers this track. It’s about as twangy as a country song gets, with short little guitar licks coming up throughout the song that give it that country feel. Dan McGee howls about not being able to pay the rent without the ransom, which definitely makes me giggle a bit. Towards the end of the song he tells his girl to shut up multiple times, which again makes me giggle a bit. This guy is great – he’s not afraid to do anything. If you haven’t listened to anything else from the Spider Bags, I highly recommend you get on that…right now.

Now we’re flipping over to the B-side. This song is called “Professionals”, and it’s just a little bit different than the A-side, mostly due to the production quality. This song has this increasingly scuzzy, lo-fi sound, and I’m sure that has something to do with the note they left on the description page of the record over at Daggerman Records. Apparently it was produced by a guy named Camero Werewolf? They whip out the harmonica in this song, and there’s also a quick little keyboard solo in there somewhere towards the middle of the track. So why not head on over to the Daggerman Records store and snag up the 7″ before it’s gone? There’s only 100 copies, so I’m sure it’s bound to be sold out any day. And if not, you can just listen to the songs below! Enjoy!

Hey Delinquents –

Professionals –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Country, Punk
Hey Delinquents 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Hey Delinquents
2.) Professionals

Spider Bags on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Daggerman Records
Spider Bags – A Celebration of Hunger previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone

Smith Westerns/ Magic Kids – Spilt 7″

Today we have something else that I picked up on my most recent trip to the record store. As you already know, I spent a good chunk of time without making a trip to the store, so when I finally made it back I couldn’t just keep things simple; I had to buy multiple items. Along with the Radical Sons LP that I snagged up, I also walked out of the store that day with this gem of a 7″…not to mention a few other things…but we’ll see how long it is before I’m making a trip back. I’m really glad I picked up this little 7″ too, because it turned out to be quite a fun listen. It’s a split 7″ record with our already-familiar friends the SMITH WESTERNS on the A-side, and you flip it over to the B-side to hear a track from a band called MAGIC KIDS. We already know the Smith Westerns are from Chicago, and something new we learned is that the Magic Kids are from Memphis, Tennessee. And if any single music-describing word comes to mind when listening to this 7″, chances are it’s this one: pop.

The 7″ starts off on the A-side with the Smith Westerns, and the name of the song is “Imagine, Pt. 3”. While I’m not entirely sure if there’s a part 1 and 2, I can tell you that part 3 is a fun a lovable track, straight up. The Smith Westerns just rock out an any given opportunity, complete with squealing guitars, mushy vocals about love, and they do it all with enough promise to give me great hopes for their forthcoming LP due out on Fat Possum Records sometime in the near future. Hopefully they won’t keep us waiting too long for this one. Now we flip over to the B-side, and we’re face to face with the Magic Kids. This side is just about as poppy as the other side, but this time the song is more piano or keyboard-driven. Whatever you want to call it – I’m cool with either. This song is much shorter than the A-side, but it’s still two and a half minutes of picture-perfect pop glistening with all sorts of sound effects and peppy vocals about superballs: “Bounce bounce bounce!” Why waste any more of your precious time? Check out these two songs for yourself right below.

Imagine, Pt. 3 –