Traps, PS hail from Los Angeles, California. This is their debut four song 7″ from Papermade Music, and it was recorded and mixed over three short days at the original Grain Studios. Last we heard from Papermade it was quite good, so let’s see what they have for us this time around. Continue reading “Traps, PS – Prove It to You 7″”
To be honest, before coming across this 7″ I had never heard of these guys. Before even finishing the 7″ on it’s first time around, it was already a done deal. Maybe that’s because of the enthusiastic and grandiose pop vibes, or just how the record is overflowing with material that is sure to crack a smile on any face. Continue reading “Tranzmitors – You Get Around 7″”
Most recently coming from the Slumberland label (and Tough Love if yr in the UK) is a brand new split 7″ between Ireland’s GIRLS NAMES and San Francisco’s BRILLIANT COLORS. It’s a magical double A-side single featuring a song apiece from each band, and worldwide it’s limited to just 600 copies. Continue reading “Girls Names/ Brilliant Colors – Split 7″”
Today we’ve got a fairly new single from THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART. This mint/ sea foam green slab of wax came out over the Summer this past June, and it’s out on a split release from both Slumberland Records and Fortuna Pop! in the UK. Continue reading “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No to Love 7″”
By now I’d have to guess that most of your are familiar with DUCKTAILS. The band is fronted by Matt Mondanile, who also plays guitar in Real Estate. In case you weren’t aware, now you are. This is Mondanile’s most recent release, coming out back in September from Old English Spelling Bee. Continue reading “Ducktails – Hamilton Road 7″”
Hailing from Chicago comes HEAVY TIMES. These three guys have been out there recording music for awhile now, and their most recent release comes in the 7″ vinyl format from the renowned Hozac Records label. Continue reading “Heavy Times – No Plans 7″”
Hey! Last time we heard from LORD HURON it was back in August when the sun was shining and the heat was a reason to be upset. Now we’re nearing the colder months of the year, and Lord Huron drops his second EP called “Mighty”. There’s just one problem – it’s cold now. Continue reading “Lord Huron – Mighty EP”
Coming from a small independent DIY label based in Plymouth, Portsmouth and Weymouth (depending on the season) comes a split 7″ from Exeter’s New Years Evil and Falmouth’s The Black Tambourines. The name of the label is Art Is Hard Records (which could be a reference to Cursive?), and this happens to be their second official release. Their first release was put out in quite a unique fashion, as they sold t-shirts along with a download card of a compilation album from nine of their favorite local bands. This time they stuck to the traditions of putting this 7″ out on wax, but who knows what’s to come down the road. It seems like these two brotherly bros running the show have some new and innovative ideas up their sleeves.
While we don’t know what’s coming next, we can always bring our attention to what we have right now. It’s a 7″ with a song on each side, one from New Years Evil called “Shame”, and one from The Black Tambourines called “Tommy”. New Years Evil come at you full force in “Shame” with crazy rampant drumming, springy bass lines, and some fiery guitar licks that are sure to please. The guitar undoubtedly gets crazy during the final minute after a quick build up, resulting in mind-bending solo action that literally sounds like the dudes fingers were on fire while he played.
Flip that wax and it’s time for the B-side “Tommy”, which starts out on a slower note, only to quickly pick up speed. After that injection of energy the song takes form, bringing concentrated, almost fuzzy guitars to the table with a scuzzy wall of lo-fi grit filling out the song. The tom-tom driven drumming is enough to keep your feet tapping along as the choppy guitars continue to tear everything up in their path, and there’s even some cheerful “woo-woo” chanting in there to help lift the mood that much more, as if this song wasn’t perky enough already. After the joyful chants and forceful drumming, the song starts to slowly fade away into a mysterious abyss with some careful guitar picking, which brings the song to an end. Without a doubt these two songs need to be heard, and you can do so simply by playing them below. If you’re really feeling daring today, why not visit Art Is Hard Records and snag a copy for yourself? I’m sure it’ll be worth it. See ya tomorrow.
New Years Evil – Shame –
The Black Tambourines – Tommy –
My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop
Split 7″: Tracklist:
1.) New Years Evil – Shame
2.) The Black Tambourines – Tommy
New Years Evil on Myspace
New Years Evil on Bandcamp
The Black Tambourines on Myspace
The Black Tambourines on Facebook
BUY the 7″ directly from Art is Hard Records
Anybody remember when we covered JAILL back in the beginning of September? If not, follow that link in the last sentence so you can fill yourself in. Since that post, I’ve been on the lookout for a copy of their first LP from Burger Records, and I finally got the chance to snag a used copy on eBay a few weeks ago.
I just found the record in my mail yesterday and promptly threw it on the record player. To my surprise, I was absolutely floored. It’s because of this record here that Jaill had the opportunity to release “That’s How We Burn” on Sub Pop, and now it all makes sense. They put down 12 different songs (plus a bonus track) for this record, each combining a completely lethal dose of your favorite elements from pop, punk, garage, and psychedelic, and DAMN does it work well. They even manage to work in their subtle references to pot/ being stoned here and there like they did on the other LP.
I must warn you though prior to listening, because this stuff is highly addicting. Every last track could be looked at as a highlight in its own way, and with all songs going barely past the three-minute mark, there’s no doubt you’ll be putting this thing on repeat for days. Which is exactly why this is the next installment to our new “Still Spinnin” feature! Basically the idea here is to keep you guys up to date with what we like most here at the Drone, whether it just came out yesterday or if it’s been out for thirty years. You should expect to see a more detailed post about this in the near future, so stay tuned.
And that’s where I’m gonna leave you guys for today. Check out this batch of songs from the LP right below and let the infatuation begin. You can still grab a copy of the LP with that link below, but don’t sleep on it for too long. See you guys tomorrow.
There’s No Sky (Oh My My) –
Always Wrong –
No Mindless Love –
Pardono –
We’ve Won –
My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Pop, Psychedelic
There’s No Sky (Oh My My): Tracklist:
1.) There’s No Sky (Oh My My)
2.) Beggar Sincere
3.) Always Wrong
4.) Stuffed
5.) No Mindless Love
6.) The Biggest Nugget of Them All
7.) Pardono
8.) We’ve Won
9.) Suave Losin’ It
10.) All it Was
11.) Out of Your Boots
12.) Love Takes Shots
13.) Snake Shake (Bonus track)
Jaill on Myspace
Jaill – Official Website
BUY the album directly from Insound – Limited to 1000 !
Jaill – That’s How We Burn previously posted on the Drone
Hailing from the ever-expanding music scene in Portland comes the electrified-pop duo known as BRAINSTORM. The band is made up of just two guys who together take a little bit of all your favorite genres and do a hell of a job mashing them up into one single track. Usually this feat is seemingly a recipe for complete disaster in music, but Brainstorm passed the test with flying colors. Both members help out on the chanting, tribal-like vocals, but there are still plenty of other things going on. Adam Baz holds down the drums and keyboards while Patrick Phillips takes on the guitar and tuba. Tuba? Yeah, Brainstorm has that.
While it is quite difficult to pin down some of the sounds you hear in the songs, there are still elements that stand out more than others. Like the spiritual journey through the B-side track “Word Up”. Chanting vocals and lightning fast guitar licks help give the song an ethnic feel, ranging from “Colombian Cumbia” to “African High-Life”, but it basically all comes down to what you think. Towards the middle the song slows down a bit, clearing a nice path for the unusual tuba to make it’s humble appearance. The last two minutes suddenly come out of nowhere, turning into an instrumental onslaught complete with rampant drumming and fiery guitar licks. This is almost like a bonus track included on the 7″, because it’s considered to be a completely different song aside from “Word Up”. It’s called “Upward” just in case you’re curious.
And then let’s not forget about the A-side, “Beast in the Sky”. More frantic drumming and blazing guitars fill out this track, but right around the 1:45 mark, some nautical sounding keyboards come in to steal the show. This careful keyboard work is enough to crack a huge smile on your face as you suddenly decide that you’re going to play this song at least one more time. These songs are without a doubt unique in their own right – and mixed with their high energy approach – are sure to drop some jaws. Now this has me wondering what a live show with Brainstorm would be like. Hopefully we’ll all know soon enough.
Beast in the Sky –
Word Up –
My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Experimental, Pop
Beast in the Sky 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Beast in the Sky
2.) Word Up
Brainstorm on Myspace
Brainstorm on Bandcamp
BUY the 7″ directly from Lasercave – marbleized color vinyl w/download!
Styrofoam Drone 