The candy’s on the shelves.  The commercials are on TV.  Pink is everywhere. The first of February has launched the pre-Valentine’s Day hype and hawking. Whether you’re stuck in a love haze or just trippin’ out, California’s hallucinogenic foursome with a killer name, Mwahaha, have all the psyched-out love you can handle this holiday.

The band recently released a collaged time capsule of a music video for a single off of their recent self-titled debut album, “Love.”  ”Love” looks like it would’ve felt right at home in the middle of Roger Corman’s classic acid movie, The Trip, in 1967 (which, by the way, you can now watch in full on youtube — mind the warning).

Get caught up in the feeling and check out Mwahaha’s “Love” video below. Read the rest of this entry »

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Palmist Records’ sixth split release is grungy, gruesome, and growling…from both sides of the globe.  LA’s Growlers meet Leicester’s Thee Ludds for an oil-slicked slide through 60s garage rock, though both bands add their own spin and earn their own sides.

It’s rumored that Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach will produce the Growlers’ next album, but while we wait for official confirmation, these five songs will sing us into submission.  The short but sticking “Graveyard’s Full” starts the side off with a sort of down-home, front-porch feel, mixed with creepy witticisms and the opposite of a sunny disposition.  A modern update on a tune that draws from early blues, “Graveyard’s Full” somehow also has a lilting, carnvial-esque vibe.  Check it out below: Read the rest of this entry »

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Possibly the Coolest Album Cover Ever

When or how my love for Sixto Rodriguez began is enveloped in a cool blue haze not dissimilar to the vaporous, encircling orb on the cover of the pysch-folk rocker’s debut, Cold Fact.  I was probably aimlessly cruising through Light in the Attic‘s offbeat reissues, thumbing past the confrontational garage punk of The Monks, the French seduction of Serge Gainsbourg, and my eternal favorite, the indescribable Betty Davis.  I’m sure that in this moment, I was slipping into a sepia-toned reverie, comfortable with my old friends, when the opening bass line of “Only Good for Conversation,” the second song off of Cold Fact, ripped my face in two.

“Only Good for Conversation” is the kind of little-known song that makes you want to dig back through the sands of time and unearth every piece of music ever created because WHAT IF SOMETHING AS GOOD AS THIS IS BURIED THERE?!?  Featuring a killer riff and a heaping spoonful of overflowing attitude, “Only Good for Conversation” calls out a cool woman with a fresh and undeniable boldness.  Rodriguez’s voice sounds clear and accented in that hollow yet all-encompassing way that only the 60s seemed to produce, layered on top of a thick fuzz.  Listen below: Read the rest of this entry »

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Perhaps the most comprehensive "demo" tape ever submitted by an up-and-coming artist, Sarah Spencer, enlisting the assistance of heavy hitter Steve Morse. Between that and her raw talent, you can't go wrong.

Please accept my apologies, dear reader.  I have been meaning to do this review for so long.  Here’s the issue:  Every time a new piece of music comes across my desk lately, it has been so new, so fresh, so unheard of to me, that I simply allow myself to indulge, devour and experience.

I also need to extend a personal “thank you for your patience” to Chris Brown of Random Touch.  I am dying to do the back-to-back Random Touch albums as the BOSCH disc was killer!  (I throw that on every now and again, just because I reviewed them previously, doesn’t mean they collect duct on my shelves.  The good ones migrate into my collection.)

But where Mr. Morse and Ms. Spencer went with Angelfire, you would not expect a disc of this caliber from these fairly divergent artists.

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I just don’t get it. I thought this was supposed to be terrible? I read the reviews, “’Lulu is a catastrophic failure on almost every level”, “grueling, even by latter Lou Reed standards”,” quite possibly a candidate for one of the worst albums ever made”, “Lulu sinks to almost unimaginable lows.” I was ready to write a really bad review (for once!), hopefully with a dash of humor. Surely the near $40 I spent on the double vinyl set could have been better donated to HomeFront for example. But no, for me this negative depiction is just so far off the mark. I just wonder what was really expected of a collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica. This is Lou Reed is it not? Wasn’t he in The Velvet Underground? Didn’t they record White Light / White Heat? Didn’t he go onto record Berlin? Seriously, you can’t spend every waking music hour just tapping your foot and living in la-la land. Lou Reed certainly doesn’t.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. You’ve read the book, you might go and see the film, but what would the music sound like? For 3 hours and 39 tracks spread across 3 CDs you can find out. This soundtrack which has been just released by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is something worthy of the title an opus. Although opening with a cover of Immigrant Song and closing with a cover of Bryan Ferry’s Is Your Love Strong Enough, these two vocal tracks are anomalies that bookend 37 instrumentals. Because those two vocal tracks aside this is a largely ambient piece of work.

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Australia’s Cloud Control may claim to rule the skies, but the band’s debut LP, released in the states this November, channels a much earthier sound.  Tribal without being stale or dark, pop without losing impact, and mainstream yet memorable, half-way through Bliss Release, when I hit the track “Gold Canary,” I finally put my finger on the nagging memory the album was calling to mind: Bliss Release is The Lion King of today’s music.

“Gold Canary,” in particular, with its nah-nah-oh-whey-oh vocal beat-keeping, brought L King to mind, though I wasn’t sure if it was merely for the song’s similarity to The Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which the cartoon, of course, introduced to me at an impressionable age.  But as I kept listening to Bliss Release, I couldn’t help feeling that same soaring feeling that only the tale of an animated lion overcoming his own guilt and self-doubt had been able to instill in me before. Read the rest of this entry »

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Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward teamed up for A Very She & Him Christmas earlier this year, adding their record to my Christmas rotation of Elvis Presley’s Blue Christmas and A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector.  But their cover of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” fell short, speeding up the tempo and losing the lovely, snuggle-down feeling of the song.

Stepping up to the plate to replace this lackluster cover is Little Hurricane, another boy-girl duo, but more along the lines of The Kills or The White Stripes than cutesy-pootsy She & Him.  Though most of their tracks lean on heavy, fuzzed-out blues, San Diego’s Little Hurricane kept it plain and simple for their cover of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” available as a free download below. Read the rest of this entry »

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Yesterday, Austin’s T Bird and The Breaks tore it up during a live Daytrotter session.  Playing tracks from their most recent independent release, the awesome Never Get Out of this Funk Alive, T Bird and The Breaks infused a heaping mess of steamin’ retro funk swagger into Daytrotter’s daily routine stream.  These Texans play what they like to call Chunk Music: “A form of twenty-first century American music consisting of equal parts funk, hip-hop, and rock and roll…more characterized by its rough sonic quality and energetic, visceral performance. Commonly served hot with a side of girls and brass.”

During their Daytrotter session, they played three pitch-perfect and super-fun Never Get Out tracks: the give-it-to-me-now “Your Nasty Love,” the James Brown-vibing “Put it On the Spot,” and a version of Shirley Ellis’ classic “The Clapping Song,” called “The Clap Hands Song.”  The Breaks cooed, ooed, and hit it outta the park like a pack of hall-of-fame back-up singers, while the band’s lead singer, Tim Crane, ran on pure soul power. Read the rest of this entry »

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Yesterday, Maryland’s New God released their debut full-length, Motorcar, through indie label The Royal Army Recording Company.  Packed with psychedelic pop and tinged with experimental electro, including a few sound collages, Motorcar is the product of five-plus years of recording and re-recording, making it a very tight, almost conceptual debut album.

Spanning the gauntlet of Strokes or Shins-style pop numbers like “On and Off” and “Drag the Lake” to the more jazzy vibe of “Governors Lap” and “To the Gallows With You,” New God incorporate incredibly diverse influences into a seamless and delectable debut. Read the rest of this entry »

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Hailing from overseas, the UK’s brand new singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Lianne La Havas recently released her debut five-song EP, Lost & Found.  Packed with pretty love songs from a pretty girl with a powerful voice and a delicious dose of adorable wit, La Havas’ debut EP landed her a spot on tour with staggeringly successful balladeer Bon Iver. Her debut dips deep into nearly nodding slow songs, but a few tracks open the door onto promising potential. Read the rest of this entry »

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San Francisco’s The Downer Party released a 7″ of new material earlier this week, Blue State.  Coming on the heels of the band’s successful Cities EP, Blue State combines lead singer Sierra Frost’s cute and cutting voice with a rough folk-meets-garage sound.

The album’s title track, “Blue State,” sings sweet until Frost hits a frustrating CSNY “love the one you’re with” sentiment, where the anger and hurt break through.  “The One South” starts less adorably, with a deep note, tough voice and images of a naked drunk.  Strong and sundry, “The One South” expands across sugared ah-ahs and ascending, dirty guitar chords. Read the rest of this entry »

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RACES, formerly known as Black Jesus, officially released their three-song digital EP, Big Broom, yesterday, complete with creepy-cute cover art oddly reminiscent of Mickey Mouse in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (or maybe that’s just me).  Produced to promote RACES’ first full-length, Year of the Witch, due out next year, two of the three songs are from that anticipated album, while another, “Hope & Gloom,” is exclusive to the EP.

Big Broom is the perfect tease.  The title track (click here to download, via Brooklyn Vegan) is thick with fuzzed-out, burning guitar licks matched to a clean sweep metaphor that finds beginnings dusty and endings clean.  Not weighted down by these thoughts, “Big Broom” focuses on the revitalizing feeling of a good sweeping.

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The Black Belles are leaving Charlene and Colbert behind, ditching the laugh track for the release of their debut self-titled album, released yesterday on Third Man Records.  These gothic girls’ first release is an awesome mix of dark intentions, bad romance, sizzling guitars and grungy garage rock.

Not as black-hearted as their name implies, The Black Belles may have been inspired by their 60s-era fore-bearers, the more pleasantly named The Belles, who graced the legendary compilation album, Girls in the Garage, with their gritty tunes.  The Black Belles build on this true grit, drawing from the girl group ooo-ooos of the Phil Spector era and the rebel garage rock of their female ancestors in the 60s and 90s to make truly stand-out ladyrock.  These modern undead Runaways make tough music for baaaaad girls and boys, telling tales of tainted love and voodoo magic. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Bees (also known as A Band of Bees) may have a name easy for any Nuggets enthusiast to confuse with their honey-loving ancestors, but today’s Bees embrace the psychedelia of the Nuggets era.  The Bees’ psychedelia, particularly on their latest release, Every Step’s a Yes, isn’t quite garage rock, though — it’s smoother, easier, emphasizing relaxation and close-eyed swaying over thrash-around crawling and rough experimentation.  Officially released in the US today, The Bees’ new album hums with sedation and a kind of wavering, enveloping voice that calls Love’s Arthur Lee circa Forever Changes to mind.

Combining old-school psych-rock with reggae, folk, and a touch of funk, Every Step’s a Yes is a unique record whose many influences gel into an easy-going symphony for a Sunday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »

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Amanda Badze is here to save your soul as she swoops onto the scene with a soaring voice and a retro R&B vibe.  This stylish lady, born in Zimbabwe though currently living stateside, sings to kill with her full 60s/70s soul power, mixed with a funky bass line and some rocking guitars, in her upcoming debut EP, Eyes of Seven.  Hitting the shelves in early 2012, Eyes of Seven has as many tracks as its namesake, and each explores the hidden corners of Badze’s vocal capacity.

Her first single, “How Does Love Feel,” has a surprisingly rockin’ guitar part and a jumping bass that invites a shimmy and shake-along.  Purely enjoyable, “How Does Love Feel” lacks a particular genre and harkens back to a time when pop was less electronic and more emotive.  Get a first listen to the track below:

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Atlanta’s cleanest garage rockers, Gringo Star, recently released their sophomore album, Count Yer Lucky Stars, on Gigantic Music.  Although it’s got a release date in 2011, Gringo Star combines rough and ready rock with the jangling, upbeat rhythms of the British Invasion, all mixed with the kind of pop-rock nostalgia that brings the 90s to mind.  At home amidst all of these decades, if there’s any justice in the world, Gringo Star will soon be taking over your local radio station with their cheery songs and addictive hooks.

Count Yer Lucky Stars starts off with a triple threat of absolutely catchy, buoyant tunes: “Shadow,” “You Want It,” and “Got It.”  “Got It” breaks from vowel-pulling, whining verses into a stacatto and confident chorus.  “You Want It” combines Kinks-esque layered vocals and pacing with the nasaly, detached vibe of The Strokes.  Gringo Star’s video for “Shadow” is like the party version of a typical horror movie, starring Alvin, while the song strums stiff.  Check it out below: Read the rest of this entry »

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Village Green Machine “England’s Dreaming Spires” (Paisley Arcade)

Mark Lemon is actually the guiding force behind Village Green Machine. Teeming and streaming with charmingly quirky pop rock tricks, “England’s Dreaming Spires” pays loving tribute to fave raves like the Kinks, the Monkees and XTC, while at the same time providing something fresh and new to what has gone before. Just by glancing at their titles, tracks such as “White Plastic Moccasins,” “Psychodrama” and “The Ghost Princess of Aston Hall” instantly reveal Mark’s lyrics are rich with color and imagination. The humor and wordplay carpeting the tunes add a nice eccentric British mentality to the show. Choppy melodies, complemented by cracked rhythms and uniquely crafted arrangements also characterize the sound and style of Village Green Machine. A solid collection of songs, “England’s Dreaming Spires” rocks in all the right places, pops in all the right places and waves the flower power banner in all the right places. Mark Lemon definitely has a flair for writing, singing and performing this kind of music, and I can hardly wait to hear more goodies from he and his alter ego, Village Green Machine.

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Hide your women, children, and old Tom Waits records; there’s a new gravel-voiced growler in town, and his name is Scott H. Biram. Singing through heavy, echoed distortion, Biram’s tunes are the most badass tracks country could try to claim since Johnny Cash dropped dead.

Recorded in Austin, Biram’s latest record, Bad Ingredients, may seem to fall within the country genre, but it really bops along with more of a blues influence – rough, tough country blues served with a serious edge.  “Born in Jail” paints the picture of a bad little woman as good as John Lee Hooker ever could, driving along with a steady, grungy blues rhythm, ready to be added to the cannon of classic down-home, dirty love songs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Various Artists “Mad Men – A Musical Companion 1960-1965” (Hip-O Records)

I seldom watch television, so I’ve never seen “Mad Men,” but these songs are stone cold classics through and through. From the rockabilly scented romp of “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” by Connie Francis to the finger-clicking instrumental bounce of Billy Vaughn’s “Swingin’ Safari” to the blissful pop glory of Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want To Be With You” to the smirking croon of “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You” from Dean Martin to the organ happy garage punk of the Sir Douglas Quintet’s “She’s About A Mover,” this double set of songs firmly portrays the era in which they were recorded. The years 1960 to 1965 were a rabidly fertile period in pop and rock music, and “Mad Men” strongly emphasizes the diversity, imagination and plain old fun that adorned the radio dial the time. Clarence “Frogman” Henry’s heart-tugging, soul dripping “But I Do” has to be one of the best love songs ever transferred to tape, and for a dash of purebred British beat there’s Manfred Mann’s ridiculously contagious “Doo Wah Diddy Diddy.” Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar,” Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell,” Lloyd Price’s “Lady Luck” and Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” are always pleasures to hear as well. Proposing a nice mix of ballads, rockers, traditional pop movements, novelty ditties and rhythm and blues sounds, “Mad Men – A Musical Companion 1960-1965” is an essential investment.

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