PONYTAIL - "Do What You Whatever You Want All The Time" (We Are Free)

  A few days ago, I listened to this from front to back...three times in a row.I was painting the doors in my house, and now all I wanna do is paint and listen to Ponytail all day long.Do What You Want All The Time, is the name of this thrilling new full length, and the title couldn't be more appropriate.Their message is painfully clear from the very first note to the very last.If you are familiar with this band's unique style of avant-prog-pop, then you have some idea as to what your in for, but not completely.Since 2008's wildly awesome Ice Cream Spiritual LP, this Baltimore four piece has seriously upped their game on all fronts.The songwriting and instrumentation is virtually flawless, and it's almost as if they've created a entirely new musical language, communicating with one other without ever speaking, but through the use of their instruments.Experiencing these four do their thing in a live setting is quite magical, and would lead you to believe that there's a direct link between each of their brains, and "wild chemistry" hardly describes this intense connection between them.
  Do What You Want...takes the raw and immediate energy of their live show, and couples it with the flawless execution they bring to the studio.Everything is in it's place, and yet feels completely displaced and estranged.Axe men Dustin Wong and Ken Seeno provide an air-tight and incomparable guitar attack, bobbing and weaving in and out of each other's notes, creating rich textures and playful melodies.Fans of Deerhoof will definitely find something to obsess over in their unique style, which somehow sounds identical, and yet you can still point out who's playing what at any given time.Singer Molly Siegel has extended her future-tribe vocabulary, and yelps, squeaks, and howls in a made up fantasy language.Her voice has recently found it's way to a more melodic and joyous place, kindly accenting certain parts of songs or parts, rather than providing a storyline.There is no lead singer in Ponytail, but more of a lead noisemaker", and Siegel's stage acrobatics and wild energy, have become their trademark, on stage and on record.
  The standout track for me is "Honey Touches", it's pretty straight forward as far as rhythm and timing go, but it makes several wild turns along the way, running through a handful of different modes and key changes.The jangly guitar chords that fill it's beginning are so far off from it's big finish.Siegel mutters the word "en-er-gy" right before things get weird.Waves of sharp and breezy calypso guitar scales wash over some highly danceable drum patterns, with shifting tempos and cool prog-rock freak outs.This album is full of this kind of unexpected goodness, but this song somehow embodies most of what you'll run into, and that's a lot.This may very well be the feel good hit of the summer.Give it a listen.

DIRTY BEACHES - "Badlands" LP (Zoo) 2011

  Taiwanese born Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka: Dirty Beaches, delivers his first proper full length, a wildly addictive concoction of influences, entitled Badlands.Forget all that you know of Dirty Beaches' previous work.Gone are the days of subtle drones, minimal synths and whispered vocals of his past releases.Hungtai has cleverly taken a few tabs of Elvis Presley's stylish swagger and broken hearted-balladry, crushed it up with a heavy dose of Suicide's dark and minimal muscle, and ground it up into a fine golden powder, he calls Badlands.A perfect mix of classic rockabilly, garage fuzziness, and lo-fi pop, with nods to minimalist repetition and psych haziness.This record is filled to the brim with everything and nothing you've heard before.The first thing you will notice is the totally revamped instrumentation and sogwriting approach.Cavernous electric and acoustic guitars rip through a handful of styles, with nods to 60's psych, surf, and classic garage rock riffing.They bounce and echo above primitive, and somewhat robotic drumming, with steady-she-goes electric bass lines, finding a place somewhere in between.This can definitely be tagged as "lo-fi", or "mid-fi" rather, with the natural vibrations of anything "low end" being almost completely removed.Yet, the songs remain deep and full bodied, and there's little to no studio polishing here.Huntai's voice has blossomed quite a bit from his once breathy, Alan Vega-style mumbling, into a melodic and soulful new instrument.His newfound range is pretty impressive, and gives his music an entirely new dynamic.Not to say that Badlands won't remind you of Suicide at times, it certainly will, as well as a few more of your favorite genre-benders.But, it's clear that Hungtai is not only heading in his own direction with Dirty Beaches, but forming his own path to get there.
  The most obvious example of his recent "upgrade", is "Lord Knows Best".It's the slowest and most pleasant track you'll find on this record, and also the most heartfelt and honest song of the bunch.It's "Earth Angel" style balladry grabs hold of you right from the start.There's a prominent ragtime-y piano loop that holds it all together tightly, as the soothing vocal harmonies begin to rise up in the background, filling in the empty spaces.Hungtai's deep and affectionate voice begins to fill the room like a dense fog, with lines like "You know well that I don't give a damn 'bout anything, but you...oh, yes you do", and "lord knows best that i don't give a damn, about anyone, but you..oh yes he does".A rather thoughtful piece of music to balance out the dark, eerie swagger that fills up most of Badlands' corners.Like I said, it's nothing you haven't heard before, and yet still comes off as fresh and original.The bare-boned charm and painfully raw vibe of this album make it worthy of repeat listening.Hats off to you, Dirty Beaches.

Psychedelic Horseshit - "Laced" LP/CD (Fat Cat)

  Many writers will say it is both unintelligent and juvenile to use profanity in any public forum, but FUCK, THIS IS A COOL RECORD.The term "laced" couldn't describe this Psychedelic Horseshit's new LP  any better.It's sound is indeed comparable to a loosely rolled ounce of homegrown good vibrations, sprinkled heavily with a neon powdery substance you might call "whatever, man".It's all here, in a fresh and decade-less form.A loose and gritty, gutter-tropicalia dirge is running shit, and this thing plays out like a drugged up, California poolside drum circle.With help from live steel drums, bongos and busted drum machines, the staggering, sputtered rhythms just keep piling one after another, always moving forward and are rarely fall stagnant.The instrumentation on Laced both menacing and total fun, like the musical equivalent of that wild dude at your party, the one who brings the bag of multicolored pharmaceuticals, and spends all night in the bathroom.It's unpredictable beast, and spikes Ducktails' cocktail with cheap vodka, talks Eat Skull into a line of blow, and drops 5 hits of acid into Sun Araw's beer.Sporadic bursts of keyboards are scattered all over the place, creating at least a thousand tiny melodies, all trickling down into the treble-drenched grooves.It's got a touch of dingy folk style to it, a scuzzy acoustic guitar tone and sharp harmonica parts, and a bass sound that sounds like it's be played inside a dumpster.The vocals haven't changed a whole lot since their last record, with a laid back, and careless delivery that couldn't be more fitting.You could compare his lazy, straight faced mumbling to Beck's earlier freak-folk days, just add a bit of grainy distortion, and crank up the "i don't give a shit" a few more notches.I've come to understand that a lot of this album is spontaneous and improvised, making for an all the more exciting listen.It's even a bit goofy at times.

  With an overall vibe that comes off as "beachy" or "tropical" sounding, the best track on Laced, ironically, is "I Hate The Beach".Possibly the most diverse, and definitely the longest song on the record, it starts out with a spattering snare smack, that sounds a bit like BBD's "Poison".Weirdo whatever-wave synths spiral outward, as the layers of wood blocks and cowbells begin to swarm.A rather un-enthused, monotone voice spouts off liness like "i hate the beach, but i like the nice weather" and "the neon haze and the LSD tide".Both of those lines pretty much sum up the entire vibe of Laced.Now, it's not a completely emotionless affair, "Dead On Arrival" is a slow burning tune, with low, heartfelt vocal lines and soaring synth surges, complete with sweet female backing vocals.If you like your bad vibes to slightly outwit your good ones, then you've found what you are looking for.Instead of buying that next bag of weed, go out and buy this record.

WET HAIR - "In Vogue Spirit" LP (De Stijl)

  Wet Hair have crafted for us their most playful and colorful record to date.This time for the ultra-busy De Stijl label.Shawn Reed and Ryan Garbes have been playing together for quite a while now, both being ex-Raccoo-oo-oons, they display an effortless and natural syncopation, and their musical chemistry is in full bloom on In Vogue Spirit.They seem to find their way back to one another at every turn, whether locked into a deep groove, or spiraling through a ten minute free-form tangent.Their last few releases have shown them gravitate towards a more streamlined, palatable sound, focusing more on carefully structured movements.Reed's low, mumbled vocal style has been transformed into a bright and colorful instrument, and his range has certainly widened quite a bit, too.Garbes' drumming is spot on, as usual, keeping things right n' tight on all fronts.Where as with the earlier, and exceptionally minimal WH releases, it seemed as if he was filling in the gaps and open spaces with his controlled chaos, In Vogue Spirit barely has any of them.The songs are full and fully realized, with the occasional jaunt into abstract improvisation, but the majority of the album is focused and free, tightly wound and coming apart at the same time.

  "Echo Lady" is a perfect example of that statement, with it's breezy organ run and steady bass rumble, jogging along to a simple drum groove.They've taken a poppy psych-rock approach, and traded in the electric guitars for a pile of homemade electronics and deep vibrato organs.Reed's voice has a bit of stylish swagger to it, similar to one-time Night Person -Dead Luke's slightly tone-deaf crooning.It's right where it should be, and perfectly out of tune.Reminds me of La Dusseldorf's less mechanical repetitive pop perfection.THIS is how you start off a record.The following track is somewhat of a return to their minimal kraut leanings, with a breezy tune called "The Garden Room".That old Wurlitzer percussion fades in, possibly set to "Rumba", bringing along a drive of melodic bleeps and blips for the ride.It's a slow and steady drift down a river of analog trickling and casio ripples, and things are starting to sound like Wet Hair.The vocals are a bit incoherent and warbled, but delivered in an uplifting tone, creating some good vibes.There's a bit of knob twisting at one point, as they stray into more free-form synth runs, and then it's right back into Ralph and Florian style chorus hooks.This sort of awesome, stop and go control is all over this record, and the songs just seem to get better and accessibly weirder as it plays on.I wouldn't exactly call them polished, I would call them carefully spit-shined.They've taken their deep electro-collages down a few new uncharted territories, and the results are epic.The days of Suicide-esque blankness seem to be ancient history for Wet Hair, but they are an unpredictable machine, so we will just have to see.Check out their recent splits with NOTV, Rene Hell, and Peaking Lights, and an upcoming 7"/art book on NNF.Total ear and eye candy.

NAKED ON THE VAGUE/WET HAIR - "Split LP" (Night-People)

  Australian duo Naked On The Vague pair off with Iowa City duo Wet Hair, for a dazzling new split LP.Both of these acts have been gaining quite a bit of recognition over the last two years, with extensive touring in both AU and the US, as well as a string of solid releases from both bands.NOTV's side, shows the duo toying around with a more sprawling, shoegazey approach to the blasts of harsh no-wave that dominated last year's Heaps Of Nothing full length.The brittle guitar tones on "Cryptic Tonsil", might pay homage to someone like Kevin Shields, rather than Glenn Branca or Thurston Moore, and is easily the band's most accessible work to date.It's watery vocal harmonies flow slightly out of key, creating a nice contrast to the lush keyboard melodies and rich guitar chords.The rather haunting last track, "Send Them Sailing", is another slow ride, only this one takes a shortcut down old cemetery road, passing plenty of ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK and NO TRESPASSING signs along the way.The ghostly organ lines and skeletal guitar notes flutter down the same winding path, made up of minimal percussive clicks and rattles.NOTV's side is definitely a step into something more ethereal and colorful, but it's all just as dark and brooding as anything we've heard from them.Keep an eye out for their upcoming Twelve Dark Noons film score.

  Wet Hair are a duo from Iowa City that features Ryan Garbes on drums/percussion, and Shawn Reed handling the vocals, electronics, and other sound manipulations.Both are ex-members of the now defunct Raccoo-oo-oon.Shawn owns and operates Night-People Records, which released this split, and they both have their hands deep within the graphic design and art communities.Wet Hair has released a whole mess of tapes and ep's, as well as two highly acclaimed full lengths.These dudes are the workhorses of experimental music right now, and they always seem to be churning out something that's original and well received.Their side of this record kicks off with a rather playful and driving tune, and their most pop-oriented piece of music yet.The driving organ lines are something that you're likely find on a Nuggets compilation, with their hip-shaking melodies and cheerful vibes.Garbe's sturdy drumming stays mostly in the pocket, and plays right along side the pace of the keys, then you begin to wonder, this is the same Wet Hair?Yes, the very same band that gave us last year's incredible "Glass Fountain" LP, only their fits of tumbling Suicide worship,have blossomed into something a bit more sonically palatable.Reed's woozy vocals spill from his mouth in typical WH fashion, only more melodic and tuneful this time around.The sun-baked "The Labor of Love" is another  that showcases the duo's heart for early pop music.It's church-style organs are worthy of a classic Doors or Turtles tune, yet their piles of homemade, and bent electronics allow the songs to radiate, with a modern and inventive approach.Their days of heady psych-droning and lengthy electronic haze may be somewhat non-existent here, but this is definitely Wet Hair, and this is definitely their most accomplished of recordings.Hail to both sides of this.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!