Beach Fossils – Face It 7″

BEACH FOSSILS started to make their way onto the scene last year in 2009. First they had a 7″ single called “Daydream”, and then there was the self-titled full length, both of which came from the Captured Tracks label. Now the boys of Beach Fossils are back once again, this time with a new 7″ featuring two never before heard songs. According to the Captured Tracks website, this is where “Phase 2” of the Beach Fossils catalog begins. Everything they’ve done up to this is now a thing of the past, and it seems as if they’re really trying to get that point across.

While we don’t know exactly why they’re going for a bit of a change up, we can always try and figure it out for ourselves. Also stated in the Captured Tracks description of the 7″, they say “Gone is the ‘lo-fi’ and the comparisons that go with it.” While Beach Fossils definitely had some lo-fi qualities on the material before this 7″, there are still plenty more bands out there going above and beyond when it comes to the lo-fi sound. With that being said, I think it’s more appropriate to let those bands keep working at their lo-fi sounds, while Beach Fossils backs away from it. I say this because listening to these new Beach Fossils songs, it’s almost like these guys should have been this way from the beginning – it’s like they didn’t really want to come off as a lo-fi band, it’s just what people ended up thinking.

So this new 7″ was their first chance to really change things up and get people to change their outlooks on the band. If you ask me, they’ve done a hell of a job. Two crystal-clear and equally addicting new tracks fill both sides of this 7″, and if “Face It” doesn’t keep you wondering how exactly these guys go so catchy, I don’t know what will. Punchy (almost funky!) bass lines, deliciously memorable guitar hooks, and an eerie change up about half way through the song…FACE IT, this shit is awesome. And that middle part (right after 1:30 til 1:47ish) seems so necessary and natural that it’s actually haunting. You can check out “Face It” right below – I’d highly recommend you do so – and then head to the Beach Fossils Myspace to hear the B-side “Distance”.

Face It –

My Rating: 7.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Surf Rock, Indie Rock
Face It 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Face It
2.) Distance

Beach Fossils on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Captured Tracks

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

Family Trees – Dream Talkin 7″

When it comes to brand new bands, it doesn’t really get any fresher than this.

On June 29th, the brand new lazy beach rockers FAMILY TREES will release their debut 7″ from the San Francisco label Father/Daughter Records. Believe it or not, it also happens to be the first release for Father/Daughter Records too, so like I said, it really doesn’t get any fresher than this people. For their first release, they’ve only pressed 400 copies of the Dream Talkin’ 7″, and they come pressed on a voluptuous slab of crystal-clear vinyl that I’m sure everybody will go crazy for in just a matter of time.

The 7″ features three original songs from the Brooklyn band, and it clocks in at just about 7 minutes. These are the first three songs from Family Trees that are officially out there right now, but I’m sure these guys have more up their sleeves for us. Sure enough, I just checked their Myspace and they have plenty more to share with us. You can listen to the first song from their beachy, dazed out 7″ right below, and then you can head on over to the Myspace page and hear even more. If you like what you hear, you should definitely make your way over to the Father/Daughter Record store, because this breezy 7″ won’t be around forever, and you should snag one up before it’s too late. Thanks for coming by again today guys, and stay tuned for more!

Dream Talkin’ –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Surf Rock, Lo-Fi, New Wave
Dream Talkin’ 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Dream Talkin’
2.) Baby Come Back
3.) No One Will Ever Know

Family Trees on Myspace
BUY the brand new 7″ directly from Father/Daughter Records
Family Trees Blogspot
Listen to some more tracks on the Family Trees Soundcloud Page

Girls Names – Girls Names EP

This is pretty interesting. The band Girls Names formed in January of 2009, and they had their first gig booked before ever playing a show together. How do you even book a gig without any music to show for it? That’s what I want to know. Does that mean they hadn’t practiced at all either? If so then that’s pretty awesome, but at this point Girls Names are way beyond that. Having been a band for over a year now, Girls Names hail from Belfast in Northern Ireland, the capital and largest city in Ireland. Up until this point they have released a mini-album on Tough Love Records, a cassette tape split with the band Heavy Hawaii on Cass/Flick, and last but not least the 12″ EP put out by Captured Tracks. The Captured Tracks EP features 4 original tracks from the band, and it clocks it at just over 10 minutes of noisy, strung out, reverb drenched guitar driven garage/surf rock.

At times when listening to this short EP, the band Crystal Stilts would come to mind. I think that would mainly be due to the droned out, howling vocals of lead singer Cathal, and also because of that primitive and simple-but-complex drumming style of drummer Neil (I couldn’t figure out their last names). The second track on the EP, “Warm Hands, Cold Heart”, is a great example of this. Lead singer Cathal hangs over the mix while the frantic drums and urgent guitars push the song almost into surf-rock territory. The first track “I Guess” also takes a stroll into the surf-rock side of things.

Moving onto the last track on the EP, “Graveyard” starts out with some welcoming guitars, and again this track goes deep into the surf rock side of things as the guitars almost become a quick Hawaiian dance jig as they switch it up a bit past the midway point of the song. One thing that is certain is that a graveyard will never evoke the same feeling that this song does. If yr interested, you can check out two of those four songs right here. If these aren’t enough for you, shoot on over to their Myspace where you can check out a bunch more of their songs. That’s all for today!

Warm Hands, Cold Heart –

Graveyard –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Surf Rock, Noise Rock
Girls Names EP: Tracklist
1.) I Guess
2.) Warm Hands, Cold Heart
3.) Don’t Let Me In
4.) Graveyard

Girls Names on Myspace
Girls Names Official Blogspot
BUY the 12″ EP directly from Captured Tracks

Boogie Boarder – Pizza Hero

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Instrumental, Noise Rock, Surf

Hello! I hope everybody’s Record Store Day went well and you all got the releases you wanted! Now, I’ve started posts off like this in the past, but doesn’t everybody like to be surprised at some point in their day? That’s just what this album “Pizza Hero” did to me. Other than knowing that these guys were an instrumental band, I can’t say I knew much else before listening. With that being said, I absolutely love being completely caught off guard when listening to music, and it’s not an everyday thing that happens either, but “Pizza Hero” certainly does the trick.

The first track “Sparks” wastes no time getting things started. Before you know it you’re in the midst of a full on musical assault with pulsating bass lines and relentless guitar hooks, all while you’re still trying to figure out “Where the hell did this band come from?” Well, believe it or not, they come from Brooklyn, New York, but as far as bands go these days, that’s old news. The next track on the album, “Bio Hassle”, is surely worth your time, with it’s quick stop/start action, grimy sounding bass lines, and electrically charged guitar solos. The best way to hear this song would probably be through their ridiculously fun music video, where they play in a van full of balloons, smash guitars, and eat watermelon. Towards the end they have an all-out party in the back of the van complete with cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and pizza that seems to be flying anywhere but the eaters mouths. Watch the debauchery below.

Moving on from “Bio Hassle” gets you into the “Pig Pile” two-part suite that play into each other almost perfectly. The first slower half ends with some awesome descending guitar hooks, while during the second half is when things start to get fast and crazy. They turn up the intensity about a minute in, where you can definitely hear the use of some vocal harmonies, which adds a nice touch to the song.

Just like the two “Pig Pile” tracks, other highlights include “Bummers Begin”, “Little Giants”, and the epic closing track “USRA”. All in all, “Pizza Hero” clocks in at just about 30 minutes of time, and if you’re looking for a very enjoyable half-hour of your day, then “Pizza Hero” is the way to go. Thanks for reading, and check back soon – Real Estate is tonight.

Pizza Hero: Tracklist
1.) Sparks
2.) Bio Hassle
3.) Pig Pile Part I
4.) Pig Pile Part II
5.) Bummers Begin
6.) Little Giants
7.) Dirty Gary
8.) USRA

Boogie Boarder on Myspace
BUY Boogie Boarder stuff directly from Famous Class