Sharing the sharing.
LABRYYYNTH is a new project from members of Dr. Dog and Golden Boots. Their self-titled debut LP is 10 tracks of stripped down, sci-fi themed, head nodding 70’s era pop rock. Check out the Moog driven toe-tapper “Traveling Strange” below. LABRYYYNTH’s album is available in all formats from PIAPTK. It’s also available on cassette from Burger and vinyl from Bleeding Gold. I highly recommend it.
LABRYYYNTH – Traveling Strange from S/T (2014)
Massachusetts’ 4-piece The Prefab Messiahs began their short-lived time together as a band in 1981. By 1983 they had disbanded with only one cassette release, Flex Your Mind, under their belt.
Fast forward 32 years, an anthology release with Burger Records and some reunion shows, the Prefab Messiahs are back with their spacey-garage-rock-psych-pop sound in full effect on their new maxi-EP, Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive. You can get a taste of their goodness below with the garage rock punch to the gut of “Weirdoz Everywhere”.
Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive comes out on March 10 on cassette from Burger Records, vinyl from KLYAM Records and will also be available digitally from the Prefab’s Bandcamp page. I highly recommend it.
The Prefab Messiahs – Weirdoz Everywhere from Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive (2015)
Taking the best parts from the 70’s era arena rock, glam and funk, and combing it into some kind of garage-pop-electro-space-funk hodgepodge, Danny James has created one of the most sonically pleasing albums that I have heard in quite some time.
I’m not exactly sure when Pear was officially released. Danny James’ Bandcamp page shows 2012, but I know that Burger Records just released this on vinyl, cassette and CD last week. Regardless it’s a solid album, and by far one of the best releases of 2015 or 2012.
Give opening track “Tight Lipped” (below) a spin, then get yourself over to Burger and snag a copy before they are all gone.
Danny James Etc. – Tight Lipped from Pear (2015)
In trying to keep the summer theme going, here is Denver’s Fingers of The Sun. This 6-piece psych pop band led by Suzi Allegra and Nathan Brasil just put out their newest EP simply titled 3 EP, featuring 5 songs of paisley-psych-garage-pop-rock goodness that is sure to brighten anyone’s day. 3 EP is available digitally from Fingers of The Sun’s Bandcamp page and on cassette from Burger records.
Check out super-sunny opener “Tambourines & Toasters” below. It reminds me of the Cowsills’ “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” even though it sounds nothing like it, it must be the vibe. Trust me, you are going to dig it.
Fingers of The Sun – Tambourines & Toasters from 3 EP (2014)
My first introduction to Curtis Harding’s soul stylings was his cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Here She Comes Now”, from Burger Records’ tribute cassette to White Light/White Heat. His take on the VU classic left me wanting for more. That want is over as Harding just released his debut LP, Soul Power, with Burger Records. It’s 12 songs of funk-soul-garage-pop goodness will keep you spinning the album over and over again.
Check out the funk-fueled, toe-tapper “Keep On Shining” (below) his first single from the LP. Soul Power is out now, and available on vinyl (highly recommended) and cassette from Burger Records.
Curtis Harding – Keep On Shining from Soul Power (2014)
Nashville’s Chris Denney has taken 70’s arena rock and mixed it up with bits of 60’s psych/garage, and a pinch of AM country gold to create his debut LP – as Denney and The Jets, titled Mexican Coke.
If Mick Jagger and Hank Williams were combined in some awesome accident of science, and Kiss was the backing band, their music would sound like Denney’s first single (below) from Mexican Coke, “Bye Bye Queenie”.
Mexican Coke was just released (April 8th) on Burger Records and Limited Fanfare Records. You can also stream/buy it from Denney’s Bandcamp page. Enjoy.
Denney and The Jets – Bye Bye Queenie from Mexican Coke (2014)
2013 was a great year for music. Below are my top 20 albums of 2013 and mix of my favorite songs from those albums. Happy new year!
20. BOOM! – Get A Grip (Burger)
19. Dim Peaks – Time of Joy (Gold Robot)
18. The Limiñanas – Costa Blanca (Trouble In Mind)
17. Lloyd Cole – Standards (Tapete)
16. Bill Callahan – Dream River (Drag City)
15. RUMTUM – Mystic Wonders (1320)
14. Crocodiles – Crimes of Passion (Frenchkiss)
13. The Go – Fiesta (Burger)
12. Johnny Marr – The Messenger (Sire)
11. Mikal Cronin – MCII (Merge)
10. Gap Dream – Shine Your Light (Burger)
9. Veronica Falls – Waiting For Something To Happen (Slumberland)
8. Eleanor Friedberger – Personal Record (Merge)
7. Jacco Gardner – Cabinet of Curiosities (Trouble In Mind)
6. Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador)
5. Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador)
4. Wooden Shjips – Back To Land (Thrill Jockey)
3. Monster Rally – Return To Paradise (Gold Robot)
2. Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin (Castle Face)
1. Foxygen – We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (Jagjaguwar)
Los Angeles’ HOTT MT tag themselves on their Bandcamp page as “experimental, noise pop, surf, thai, gaze”. Those tags are all right up my ally, and while I don’t really hear the “surf”, these guys have all the “gaze” you could want and then some. HOTT MT have made the rounds in their short career as a band, collaborating with Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne and opening for such bands as Django Django, Bats For Lashes, Flaming Lips and Wavves.
HOTT MT’s debut album, I Made This, came out back in May on their Bandcamp page and on cassette with Burger Records. It’s a fuzzy, chilled-out album that will take away the stresses of life – for 24 minutes. Check out the spacey, slow-jam goodness of “Lil Saigon” below, I know you will dig it.
HOTT MT – Lil Saigon from I Made This (2013)
Orange County’s The Lovely Bad Things are right up my alley. They play infectious, hook-driven garage rock, sounding like a mixture of The Soviettes, Pretty Girls Make Graves and The Pixies. They also appeal to the geek in me by referencing Star Wars and Macho Man Randy Savage on three of their song titles. They even have an image of Bigfoot on the album cover.
The Pixies influence is strong on “Fried Eyes” (below) with spoken-word vocals and the laid-back, Kim Deal bass line. “Hear or Anywhere” (also below) the opening track from their new album, The Late Great Whatever, starts the album off right with sugar-sweet female vocals and pounding drums. The Late Great Whatever is out now on Volcom. For all of the analog lovers out there you can get this on cassette as well from Burger Records.
The Lovely Bad Things – Fried Eyes from The Late Great Whatever (2013)
The Lovely Bad Things – Hear or Anywhere from The Late Great Whatever (2013)