ETERNAL TAPESTRY & SUN ARAW "Night Gallery" LP/CD (Thrill Jockey)

  Sun Araw's Cameron Stallones joins psych juggernauts Eternal Tapestry, for the rawest collaborations we've seen in some time.This is not a split record, nor is it two bands playing one another's music.This is the result of two very like minded, vastly different musical entities, sharing their own personal ideas to create something completely free of boundaries.Six well seasoned musicians holed up in a studio, playing a loosely written piece of music, with no real end in sight.Their vision is focused, yet loose and varied.If you are familiar with Sun Araw's heavily sedated dub-psych wizardry, and E-Tap's hazy instrumental washouts, then you already have  a bit of insight to what this might be like.Now multiply that by 100, and drop a few hits of alien LSD and a handful of downers to the mix, and you've got Night Gallery, which is somewhat of a tribute to the 70's t.v. show, made by Rod Sterling of Twilight Zone fame.It's one massive piece of heavy psych music, spread out over four different movements, and clocks in at just under thirty nine minutes.Sounds about right, given that both parties' have a reputation for accessibly long attention spans.Swagger over awe.
  Night Gallery's moods shift from delay-drenched guitar meditations, to cavernous saxophone and organ wailing, to thunderous riffing and pummeling percussive freak outs on the spot.It's supernatural repetitions carry a continuous flow of glittery waves of golden energies, and collide and break into a wide range of good vibrations.It's terribly easy to listen to, and manages to sound a bit different with each spin.This music is perfect for all kinds of levitation practices and cult rituals alike, or just getting lost in the pure and simple magic of mind altering sounds.Wow.

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.

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.

MARIA MINERVA - "Noble Savage" 12"EP (%100 Silk)

  

  Not Not Fun's stylish new sister label, %100 Silk, drops yet another outsider disco gem into our laps, with a stunning new 12" from Estonian songstress- Maria Minerva.Released around the same time as her equally impressive Tallinn at Dawn cassette on NNF, Noble Savage takes Tallinn's cloudy ghost-ballads, and gently nudges them into a more beat-driven direction.Minerva's angelic voice is more present than ever, and her angelic harmonies come heavily layered, floating above the wash of soft-synths like hundreds of silver bubbles, all flowing in different directions.Her canvas is a vast and sprawling one, the swirls of ethereal analog grooves and swirling electronic washes all flow in one direction, backed by minimal 808 beats, and a sturdy low end bounce.This could fall under the polished (and somewhat overexposed) "Italo" disco sub-genre, if it weren't for it's obvious use of modern effects and treatments, and it's dream-inducing tone.The more recent sass and swagger of Glass Candy is present, as is the hazed-out black magic of Sleep Over, but as things start to progress(and regress), a slight 80's dance element makes it's way through the mist, sounding something like Cocteau Twins playing discarded Chic tunes at half speed.Noble Savage's tracks are solid gold, and dipped into a million undiscovered colors.Minerva lays down her invisible club jams without boring us to death, as some of these "chillwave" acts often do.Her sound is massive and miniature all at once, expanding and recoiling at her leisure.This is her second great release this year, and it's only March.Comes housed in a sexy 12" DJ sleeve, with eye candy by Spencer Longo.Hop on over to the NNF site, and check out the "randoms" section for all the %100 Silk releases.Check out her amazing Tallinn at Dawn cs, as well.

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!

ETERNAL TAPESTRY "Beyond the 4th Door" (Thrill Jockey)

 Chicago's Thrill Jockey imprint has always been 10 steps ahead of themselves, with an ever growing roster of experimental pop and avant-garde's most prolific acts of today.In the last two decades they've given us The Sea and Cake, Tortoise, Pit Er Pat, Trans Am, and a slew of other household names, as well as blossoming young acts like Mi Ami, Arbouretum, Pontiak, and High Places.They've become quite a figurehead in underground music, and seem to be diving a bit deeper into obscurity with each release, with the recent addition of Daniel Higgs, Barn Owl, and Boredoms their family.Portland's Eternal Tapestry are one of their newest and most promising foster children, with a number of well received tape and vinyl releases under their belt.Sharing ex and current members with Plankton Wat, Edibles, Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Cloaks, and Heavy Winged, this group of psych-visionaries are no strangers to sonic experimentation, and have given Thrill Jockey their most focused and compelling opus to date.

 Behind the 4th Door contains five epic movements in just over 40 minutes, just as you've come to expect from E-Tap.Fans of their last two scorchers, 2009's "The Invisible Landscape" and "Palace of the Night Skies" will no doubt get their fix of pummeling guitar chops and pounding drums, but they've taken a chunk of their patented Zeppelin-esque freak outs, and transformed them into sprawling, radiant beauty.Unlike the aforementioned, Behind..takes a somewhat different path into the psych abyss, as they've an entirely new environment for their loose guitar improvisations to run free.Now, these aren't the typical, mindless "stoner jams" that are so easily forgotten, although they've certainly been tagged with the term a countless number of times.Whether or not they'd ripped a 10 foot bong before heading into the studio, E-Tap confidently display a style of improvisation that is just as controlled and focused, as it is sporadic and random.There's obviously a strong connection between this talented bunch, as their blinding chemistry shines brightly within the swell of each movement.

 The album's opening track, "Ancient Echoes" seems to set a pleasant and inventive tone for the entire record, with it's distant guitar noodling and slow moving drum sweeps and creeping bass.The addition of breathy, subtle vocals gives the song a bit more depth, and meaning.Although the words are unclear, it's a rather nice touch.As the album slowly rolls on, the moods shift from dark, brooding echoes, to bright and gentle clarity.The band shows us their eternal lust for heavy riffing and crashing drums, with the 7+ minute "Galactic Derelict".The song chimes in with a low, buzzing riff and staggering drums, as the two axe men burn through just about every effects pedal and guitar manipulation out there.A saxophone wails off in the distance, and accompanies the low end perfectly.As the percussion starts to pound away a bit louder, a heavy chord repeats and holds things together, as the other guitar builds up with a bendy, repetitive run.It sounds like they're both stumbling uphill from opposite sides, unaware of the other's existence.When the two finally meet at the top, they blindly collide head first, to form a vibrant, soaring harmony, loosely intertwined yet calculated, and gives the song an exhilarating finish, and the album is only half way gone.The closing track, clocking in at just over 12 minutes, is a  patient, and slowly burning tune called "Time Winds Through a Glass, Clearly".It carefully swims through a sea of layered guitar drones, and organ pulses, with each instrument taking their turns in the foreground at random.Just as you think you've figured out where it's all heading, things pick up and head in the other direction, with an unexpected key change.This reminds me of Grails' blackened post-rock, with that underlying world music influence hiding deep withing it's core.You will most likely find a handful of similarities between E-Tap and your favorite modern and/or classic psych-rock outfits, but this one delivers quite generously, and offers new discoveries with listen.Highly recommended.
 Practice your levitation skills to the "Galactic Derelict" video, below.

FOLLAKZOID - "Follakzoid" 12"EP (Sacred Bones)

  Sacred Bones' insanely consistent, and ever-growing twelve inch series continues, with a solid debut from Santiago's Follakzoid.The band formed in Chile in 2007, after pulling their eclectic musical tastes together under one roof, and jamming for hours on end.The SB site says this: "The first time they jammed together they played non- stop without speaking for two hours and were seemingly over taken by a trance without any clear reference point." I'm always fascinated by this kind of immediate connection between strangers.It's a connection that is fueled by a natural chemistry between the players, it's an electrifying, positive energy that fills the room when things just work, and you just go with it.The urgency their epic first meeting has a strong presence on this record.

  Side one hits the ground running, with a track called "IV, III, II, I" a driving, spaced out tune that's built up around a steady, motorik drum beat that recalls krautrock legends like NEU! and Can.Shifting buzzing guitars are phased in and out, and the tones mysteriously weave throughout left and right channels at random.Fragments of riffs break off into tiny pieces and scatter throughout the song.The rhythm section is tightly syncopated, and sounds somewhat robotic at times.Some of this sounds similar to the krauty groove of label mates Mood Duo, but Follakzoid have got their own blend of early krautrock and deep psych wizardry going for them.There are faint and distant voice samples mumbling just below the music, giving the track some extra depth and a bit of mystery.It's not long until things start to build, as the layers of thick guitars, synths, tambourines and other noise makers pile high.Things finally peak, with an exhilarating jolt of rhythmic bliss, and soon the chaos fades out slowly.

  Arabic-Hash is a completely different vibe altogether.The track fades in with hypnotizing "tribal" drum pattern, and wah-soaked guitar interplay.There's a heavy Eastern influence going on here.It reminds me of the more accessible, beat-driven works by Popol Vuh, and that is a very good thing.Elements of more recent kraut worshiping acts like Turzi and Ghost come to mind, as well. After a few minutes they bump up the tempo, and things really start moving along.A distant and swirling guitar fuzz is laid atop a heavily delayed two note riff , as a deep, thumping kick drum and hi-hat repition, paired with a driving guitar and bass, pushes things into minimalist dance territory.Again, they stack layer upon layer of fuzz and dense chords, and then it all stops abruptly, leaving something resembling a helicopter whirring noise in it's wake.Follakzoid have made an undeniably compelling EP, and are sure to kick start Chile's blossoming psych movement in a big way.I suggest that anyone who's into this sort of thing to pick this up immediately.

PEAKING LIGHTS - "936" LP/CD (Not Not Fun)

  Indra Dunis and Aaron Coyes are Peaking Lights.The husband and wife duo have been feeding our eyes and ears with their ever-evolving concoction of minimal psych and dub, for quite a while now.With more than a few handfuls of releases on various US labels in the past few years, they return with a stunning new full length, and have found a new home in L.A. based label -Not Not Fun.An all too perfect fit, in our opinion.

 936 in unlike anything you've heard from PL in the past.Without venturing too far from the reggae-soaked psych jams we love them for, the couple have conjured up a somewhat tame and accessible approach, and their music feels more calculated and focused than ever.Those of us who were taken in by the grainy, minimalist charm of the Imaginary Falcons LP, as well as other early releases, shouldn't let the term "polished" scare you away from this gem.For the lack of a better word, that is exactly what it is.Everything has been somewhat revamped, and the results are epic.Coyes' collection of rewired/circuit bent electronics are the very foundation of Peaking Lights' rhythmic sorcery, holding together the layers of swirling melodies with steady, minimal beats, and rather hypnotic percussive looping.Drum loops have a tendency to either hide just below your music, serving as more of a dull and boring metronome, quietly keeping time, rather than an actual percussive instrument.Coyes' collection of pedals and other manipulative gadgets allow for some serious knob tweaking, which gives these clicks and thumps some character, without drowning out their charming simplicity.The machine drums have been pushed into the foreground a bit, instead of hiding below a sea of tape hiss, feedback and fuzz.

  Dunis' subtle and woozy vocals have been cleaned up and shined a bit, as well.Her voice is as clear and full as we've ever heard it, and her placement remains sparse and minimal, leaving plenty of room for Coyes' keys and guitar tones to dance around freely.The vocals are mostly clean and untreated, but for a bit of delay.Her words are coherent, hazy lullabies about life and love, dreams and dreamers, and the sun, moon, earth and beyond.Peaking Lights have surely reinvented certain elements of their craft, but they haven't changed their sound all that much, as if they had a particular "sound" to begin with.The fuzzy, future-tropicalia and dubbed out psych-pop that was spread throughout Imaginary Falcons and Space Primitive has all but disappeared.936 is chock-full of deep, dubbed-out bass lines, coupled with soulful, low-end organ pulses.Sharp, delayed guitar jabs bounce off in the distance, and create a heady, reggae vibe ala- Lee Scratch Perry.They pull this off quite well, and cleverly incorporate these elements into their sound collage, without sounding cheap or generic.Fans of this group are going to lose their shit over this one, and virgin ears will soon be playing this on repeat for days on end.Fans of Young Marble Giants, Pocahaunted, NOTV, Gang Gang Dance, and Pearl Harbor will hook on this.936 is overflowing with creativity and good vibes, and it just seems to be getting better with each listen.Amazing cover art and insert to boot.

JEANS WILDER - "Nice Trash" LP (La Station Radar)

  
  Andrew Caddick, aka: Jeans Wilder returns from the land of cassettes and 45's, this time with a dazzling new long player entitled Nice Trash.This man is no stranger to breezy melodies, having spent time in the breezy folk-pop outfit Fantastic Majick (with Nathan Williams of WAVVES fame), he's since released a ton of tapes and vinyl on various labels like Night People and Bathetic, and we just can't seem to get enough of him.Nice Trash is a deeply personal affair.Haunted lullabies for teenage ghosts to fall in love to.Somber pop ditties recorded inside of a patch of gray clouds.Every bit of this album shows a completely natural progression for Caddick and his craft, and nothing sounds forced or premature.It's deinitely a bit more "grown up" than previous recordings, on all fronts.Yet it retains a naive and youthful charm.His subtle voice has definitely come a long way, and just floats throughout the songs quite effortlessly, almost as if the polite instrumentation was written around his words, with some of them barely reach a loud whisper.Hushed guitars tiptoe down a shimmery path paved with lightly brushed percussion and low end vibrations, crafting beautiful, yet eerie chords that dance sway in the distance.

  The chemistry that flows between the instruments is quite mesmerizing at times, and Caddick takes advantage of the many open spaces, to create more than a few twists and turns.Small pieces of Nice Trash tend to remind me of more delicate sounds of recent Ducktails output, with those sturdy, lightly strummed guitar melodies and steady, lite-handed drumming right along side of them.Past releases have leaned more toward drifting bedroom recordings and drone music, relying on lengthy synth tones and quiet clicks and thumps, but this new material shows us that Caddick is indeed a great songwriter, singer, and all around talented musician.Nice Trash is deep and honest, a fantastic record that could appeal to anyone who dares to embrace it's audible fear and wonder.A surprise party for longtime fans, and an extended invitation to new ones.Don't miss out on this one.Check out his equally wonderous Relics (Bathetic) cassette, while you're at it.

ROBEDOOR - "Burners" LP (Not Not Fun)

  Another total scorcher from the ultra-prolific NNF's secret weapon, Robedoor.These three dark horses have been pumping out slow-roasted, black drones for quite a while now, and they don't seem to be showing signs of stopping any time soon.Fingers crossed.This band is painfully overlooked and underestimated, and I think that Burners is the perfect place to pick up on what this brilliant group has been doing for the last 6 years or so.

  Burners begins with a brooding, low-end rumble, somewhere off in the distance. It's brash tone lies somewhere between a broken old organ and treated bass guitar, maybe both.It's not long before the sturdy, slow paced drums come into play, bringing some withering guitar squall and somber chanting along with them.Now it's starting to sound like Robedoor.Things seem move pretty slowly for a while, continuing on with a bit more heavy riffing than you'd expect from them.Tuneful building and crumbling is their thing, and they do it so very well.Bits of this remind me of Pocahaunted's earlier work.They bring some rather distant drones into the mix, phasing in and out at random, and the vocals lie somewhere between blurred moans and ritualistic chants.It's quite haunting.

  The drawn out, dark sound of the keys, coupled with the equally drab guitar drones might bring a bit of John Carpenter's early film scores to mind, and maybe a touch of Claudio Simonetti's Italo-horror soundtracks, as well.But, Robedoor does a good job of steering clear of any obvious comparisons, and sprinkle their own black magic atop a blend of creepo psych-rock and ultra-scorched guitar drone.Burners is the real deal.

MI AMI: 20JFG GUEST PODCAST

  Mi Ami‘s deliriously lo-fi mix for us got lost briefly in the flooded series of tubes that connect 20JFG to the outside world. Thankfully its battered form has been secured from the depths of Sendspace.
This is like being stuck in the middle of sensory deprivation bubble in the throbbing heart of Detroit Techno circa ’89. As you near the sides the waves of distorted bass overwhelm you. You retreat attempting to find the event horizon for the vertiginous noise, sometimes straying into silence occasionally tuning to an alternate plane altogether and forever falling into bass.
  If Ableton was used for this, its emotionally damaged shell will be walking the corridors of anonymous nightclubs approaching strangers and blithely offering them quantisation services. This isn’t perfectly bland mixing – it’s welding. Tracks crashed together, fused with audio fed straight from  
  YouTube – I’m pretty sure you can hear the volume being turned up on a Mac towards the start. EQs dial in and out, not to accentuate the drop or build tension but with unfathomable almost organic logic. Like a restless animal, hi-frequencies are isolated, tossed around, dropped and fed back into the mix before the whole thing jumps through a portal to another mix entirely, glimpsing its own future (or past it’s hard to tell) before slamming back into the original timeline. For a moment. Then silence. In a mix.
 This is glorious.This could also have been a complete mess if the selections hadn’t supported this approach but thankfully each track seems part of a narcotic fever dream we drift in and out of, flicking channels within some schizophrenic PKD opera. Which I guess is like most music we love: the selection of the component parts support the unconventional ideas at their core. Well, most of the time.

Mi Ami – Deep In The Cut (4am Mix) with Diva Dompe and M. Geddes Gengras

0.3320220642145669

Play

(Via- 20JFG Blog)

SEX WORKER - "Waving Goodbye" LP (NNF)

  Those of you who actually read this shifty blog, might remember our write up on Sex Worker's pulsating wash out of a debut full length, called "Labor of Love", a few months back.A record that totally blew us, and many others away time and time again.Daniel Martin-McCormick is Sex Worker.He was a core member of the painfully overlooked and oddly, mega-influential D.C. band - Black Eyes.If you don't already own them, go buy all of their releases.Seminal shit, indeed.He spends most of his time singing and playing guitar in Mi Ami these days, who are also quite good, and not too far from Sex Worker's space-dub collage.
 With Labor of Love, McCormick did some heavily blatant flirting with classic psychedelic, dub, and drone music.The three songs that make up that record were blown out, drawn out, and pretty damn freaked out, too.Relying on more subtle, and extremely minimal analog tones, and stretched out low-end looping to carry his squeaky, affected wails and croons along for the  slow ride.A total anthem-ridden punk/dub record lies beneath the rubble of echoes and dense,noisy fog.Pick it up NOW.

  He returns now, with a new lp entitled "Waving Goodbye", which ironically was released the same day that
he set out on a trip leaving San Fransisco Bay to live in Brooklyn,NY.A literal wave goodbye.California will surely miss this dude, but he left them with quite the parting gift.Six brand new songs of damaged, haunting, and hair-raising, neon-street-dance gems.This record is such a wild turn from the last, and it just gets better each time i hear it.Things unfold a little more with each listen, kind of like how a Fellini film works you over several times, but this one is more Brazil/Over The Edge.His pulsating echoes and creepo synth dissonance haven't completely been replaced, but coupled with a more direct vocal passage and a painfully tuneful agony, that fills in the open spaces.The NNF site tags these six new songs as "street grime crooner ballads and sprawling forlorn trancefloor fantasias", and I can't think of a more accurate and bizarre definition.
Shards of dubbed out beat worship splinter through some rather piercing synth work out and bass rumbles.McCormick's voice still cracks like a whip, and slices through the deep rhythms so easily, but there is a sense of control and a more collected spirit within his shrieks.Tales of life and love and loss and things to come drip from his tongue, and he keeps it brutally honest, as always.Definitely more "songwriting techniques" are being used here than on his last record, but the content is all just as dark and anthem-filled, if not ten times more.
 Everyone will pull something different from this album, but all will find something fresh and inventive to listen to, even if you hate it.For fans of new and revamped genres, and peat listening.Quite an achievement.Keep your mind's eye out for a new split 7" with Psychic Reality, as part of NNF's Bored Fortress club.It rules.

Stolen Thunder/Notorious Lightning: This is NOT NOT FUN.

The Not Not Fun label, based in L.A., is comprised of the nicest, inventive, and hard working people I have had the pleasure of communicating with.Each of their releases is a strange and colorful journey into the bubbling tar pits of your subconsciousness, and all the hype that surrounds them is more than well-deserved.They just released a grip of new records to marvel over/sink into.Try something new, or try five or six somethings new..

 

Sex Worker (ex-Black Eyes/current Mi Ami) - waving goodbye lp

                                                         Topaz Rags - crown center 7"

Bored Fortress- split 7" club

                                                   Robedoor - burners lp (this kills.)

                                                         LA Vamps/Matrix Metals  - collab lp

                                                    The Deeeep -life light cs

                                                         Angel Eyes - cs

                                                      LA Vamps/Zola Jesus  - collab lp

                                                       Swanox - dawnrunner cs

TOPAZ RAGS - "Crown Center/You Go On" 7inch (NotNotFun)

  The amazing Not Not Fun label has been producing some of the most unique and inventive underground psychedelic gems for just shy of ten years now.Each of their intensely unique releases holds a certain free-thinking charm, free of guidelines, both aesthetically and musically.Personally, I get just as much satisfaction out of glaring at their carefully constructed packaging and elaborate inserts, as I do listening to the contents of the medium they house.The good people that run this fine institution are, and always will be doing things on their own terms as a collective, and I admire them dearly for it.8
  A personal favorite, and surely the most overlooked and mysterious member of their family tree, is Topaz Rags.Sharing members of psych-juggernauts such as Pocahaunted, Robedoor, L.A. Vampires, and Vibes, this lurker ghost-jazz trio has conjured up a total blazer of a debut cassette, a mind-altering full length lp, and a handful of great singles and comp. tracks.They return with yet another slab of audible ESP, in the form of a seven inch entitled "Crown Center".Total mind control.Just as haunting and patient as their "Capricorn Born Again" LP, if not more.This isn't just an excuse to dish out leftover tracks either.The tone and vibe that slowly emanates from this record is rather uncharted territory for them, and a much blacker, heavier molasses drips from the speakers this time around.
  Crown Center is a slow moving animal, a vibrating, wobbly dirge that sneaks up into your ear and gently nudges massages brain, before a chorus of chanting witches begin their ceremonial croons.Their bubbling cauldron is much bigger than before, leaving room for more of their random ingredients.A foamy goth-tinged substance floats at the surface, as a beatnik skeleton drums along patiently.All of these elements twist and twirl around each other, and rarely drift out of sync with one another.Things begin to double, and even triple in numbers, opening up secret passages to new melodies.The rattling bass run begins to teeter and give out, and finally the track collapses into a low hum.
  The flip side, an equally foreboding brood, opens with a wah-wah-drenched bass gurgle.A sharp piano stab pierces your gut, and introduces some seriously layered chanting that is more than seance-like.This track too finds the depths of their decaying rhythm section, relying on minimalist drone-lounge and blown out howls.There's an organic, almost supernatural feel to their black magic, and at times I am so blown away at how perfect their chemistry can be.They cast their spells with such ease and confidence, that it's almost as if this group were something predetermined by a higher power, or a random meeting of three hooded nomads looking for a dark, damp cave to master their craft.Whatever brought them to our world, is worthy of my blind faith for sure.Stunning.

HIGH WOLF - "Ascension" LP/CD (Not Not Fun)

 
  The NNF label is by far one my favorites out there, as they continue to belt out a seemingly endless supply of brain melting psych and drone acts, by the truckload.In 2009, they released High Wolf's Animal Totum cassette, a thirty minute plus mystery ride, deep into rich,warm electronics and red clouds of acoustic/analog swells.It was rather well received by weirdo noise blogs,and drone fans alike.It's dense synthesizer workouts and gentle layers of percussion have since been compared to the sounds of Brian Eno, James Ferraro, Ralph & Florian and the like.
   With the growing popularity of this outsider genre,as well as a slew of tapes,cdr's and split records, High Wolf  has returned with another slow-burning brain candle entitled Ascension.This subtle, yet unpredictable animal comes in the form of five long songs, clocking in at just under 45 minutes.Meeting of the three Seas starts things off with a gentle sunrise drone, slowly creeping up over the treeline and warming your face.A clicking percussive loop makes it's way into the picture and things slowly start to come together.The tiny melodies begin to swell up and multiply, creating something deep and intense.By the five minute mark, there are so many layers of soft-synth bleeps, swirling treated brass instruments and tabla thudding, you will think you are deep into some ceremonial Native-American spirit worship.Absolutely hypnotizing.
  As Ascension begins to unfold, more worldly sounds are unearthed.The frequent use of woodwinds, brass, analog synths, as well as a shit ton of shakers and noise makers, keeps this from coming off as just another Ash Ra Temple or Popol Vuh tribute album.It's full of dense melodies and earthy instrumentation, and steers clear of previously covered ground whenever possible, without being contrived or a boring novelty.A massive album to truly get lost with.Best if listened to while levitating.

WOODEN SHJIPS - "Vol.2" CD/LP (Sick Thirst)

 
  
WOODEN SHJIPS 'VOL.2'..Is this review even necessary?This San Fransisco group's output has been so incredibly vast and mandatory, I feel like this information should be available on at least a hundred sites by now.But for those who are new to their magjic, I will continue to rant..
  A few years back, Wooden Shjips: Vol.1 was given to us.It covered the band's handful of 45's and singles,etc..A really nice introduction to this amazing band's broad range of styles.Dubbed "best psych-rock band in the US" by many publications and fans alike, it's not far from the truth in my book either.They possess a certain level of power on and off stage, that very few bands have in the current psychedelic underground.It seems like there's a new act trying to pull this kind of thing off almost daily.And don't get me wrong, there are some good ones out there, but Wooden Shjips ave been at the top of their game since their debut self-titled long player.
  Their second LP "Dos" only justified all of the hype revolving around them, and even took their live show to new sonic heights, somehow.The songs were focused but jammy, and gave props to new wave and synthesizer-based music of the early 70's.It reminds me of the earlier (and more experimental) half of the Brain Records catalog, and doused heavily in Amon Duul II's influential juices.Yes, krautrock is alive and well..A future classic indeed.
  In March they unleashed Vol.2 on this world, and it's every bit as good as anything I've come across with their hands in it.It's got a KILLER cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Contact", which send my brain in circles every time I hear it.And when you can actually bring yourself to stop restarting that one, you will find that "Vampire Blues" is probably the best thing since Suicide and Cluster did that collab..er, wait..Just pick this up and make some time to get to know it well.Fingers crossed for Vol.3.
MJO

TOPAZ RAGS - "Capricorn Born Again" LP (NNF)

 
  The always mysterious Topaz Rags bless us again.This time with eight lush, lucid, and full bodied lullabies in the form of a full length LP.Those who were lucky enough to grab their California Ash cassette a short while back, know how good this group is in a long-form medium.On Capricorn Born Again, their heavily jazzed-out psychedelia is murkier than ever, but we also the band with their best recording quality to date.Everything is in it's place, and it all seems to float just above you like a dense cloud of purple smoke.A good portion of this could pass for a long lost Portishead demo tape, that's seen way too many plays.With it's subtle female vocal hymns tucked away in the background, and fair share of hypnotic jamming, this record gives off more than enough dreamy turned druggy vibes to bounce around in your brain.There are some greatly unexpected moments of pure free-jazz teetering, that keep this from being just another cave-pop journey into nothingness.
 
  As Capricorn.. begins to turn it's haunted pages and it's story unfolds, as do it's musical talents and artistic focus.Things never go too quick, nor too slow, and the broken ragas only seem to outgrow themselves with each new movement.Broken piano arpeggios creep and crawl over the slithering bass, and hair-raising trumpet cries, weaving a dark and somewhat horrific web at times, from which their ethereal and damaged croons are left to dangle.Something this mind controlling only comes along once in a great while, and I'm sure glad I was around to see it.Phenomenal.

Summer Crush: DUCKTAILS

Matt Mondanile is a guy in his late 20's who lives in New Jersey.He enjoys the more simple things in life,like constantly touring as lead axe-man for easy-breezy-pop bros Real Estate,and shredding in the psyched-out Predator Vision (you know,that awesome heat sensor mask..).Between the two bands,he is a relatively busy guy,but when he's not in the studio or in the van,he lays low and kicks his shoes off as DUCKTAILS.A brightly colored collage of hazy guitar-waves,breezy synth strides,and subtle drum machines that gently float his cavernous vocals ashore,to just lounge around with hot chicks and cool dudes until sunset.Then things really heat up.Most of his music is instrumental,with a touch of vocal harmonies or loops thrown in here and there.Others,are wailing guitar shredders similar to The Fucking Champs,playing in a small cave with tiny amps.But only for a short break,then it's right back into those hazy beach-jams that stick in your head for days and days.Aural pleasure to-the-max.Headphones are suggested.

In a live setting Ducktails is presented in a more collaborative form,with up to 4-5 members at times.It makes for a heady,fleshed out sound that sparks his lo-fi jams with more depth and presence.Recent players include his talented friends from Real Estate,Woods,Meneguar,Sun Araw, Predator Vision,PAK,Julian Lynch,and other popsters.His latest daydream is called Landscapes, and it's nothing short of a laid back,patient tube-ride down a shady river with your favorite people.A great soundtrack for hot days at the beach,long drives,pool parties,or the more intimate/personal pastime: dubbing it to cassette,and blasting your Walkman wherever you go.I'm going to have to answer "all of the above".Good mood inducing.Ducktails was made for summer fun,and I'm all over it.Enjoy the videos!

Ducktails: 'Beach Point Pleasant' from Ray Concepcion on Vimeo.

SUN ARAW - "On Patrol" LP/CD (NotnotFun)

When I first heard this dude a few years back,i was pretty skeptical of what i might find in this stuff,considering his semi-clever/goofy moniker and album titles.But alas,you cannot judge a book...yea.After a handful of releases on various indie tape labels etc,Sun Araw(Cameron Stallones)has totally perfected his craft.The songs on "On Patrol" are solid as ever,and more cohesive and dare i say "accessible" than previous efforts.And there are alot of them.He is a long time collaborator and ex-member of LA's Pocahaunted,and current guitar man for Long Beach psych outfit -Magic Lantern.Both are worth looking into for sure.Pocahaunted's new LP "Make It Real" is amazing.A great new direction for them.

Right off the bat On Patrol floats us into heady dub and psych territories that you might expect from him.Noodling reverb-soaked guitars,thick dubbed out bass lines,echoed voices and spacey synth washes...it's all here.But something is different.What is this awesome clarity?Production value?These are not-so-familiar terms with Sun Araw,being known (and adored) for his cavernous recording style and low low fidelity sound.But this new found clarity works wonders for these songs,and still retains a nice lo-fi,bass heavy feel,it's just more up front and present here.Utilizing a ton of instruments that includes,but is not limited to guitar,bass,congas,bells,woodwind,analog synth,drum machines,samples and voice effects,this album is layered nicely and has a very full sound.Something that I think as missing from earlier recordings.Mostly instrumental,with only a few vocal parts throughout the record,the bouncy dub jams make this a pleasant and interesting listen.I find new things in this with every play.Killer artwork to boot.WEED.

POCAHAUNTED - "Make It Real" LP (NotNotFun)

Amanda Brown and Bethany Cosentino are back with one BAD ASS MOTHERFUCKER of an album.This thing seriously slays.If you are somewhat familiar with any of their past releases,forget what you know about these ladies and enter this under the assumption that it's a different band.They have given us something rich and stunning here.Songwriting.I think their time spent with their other song-based projects (Best Coast,L.A. Vampires..) has rubbed off on these girls in the best way.This is what Pocahaunted really sounds like.Awesome.

Following that same semi-structured songwriting path on Passages and Chains has finally led the band to a magical place called Make It Real.They have strayed away from the long,drawn out,flat-chanted-epics that made them so lovable in the past.Here,they go for the gold with really solid song structures.Carefully meshing garage,psych,boogie,blues,and vintage rock styles into one VERY listenable record.Not to say that they don't sink into those heavy,deep drones from time to time,it just isn't the basis of these songs.The songs are really catchy,and show off the natural talents of the musicians involved,rather than relying on their effects and
production tricks.And it pays off handsomely.

With the addition of a full backing band (bass,drums,keys,guitar) Pocahaunted are now more stage-ready than ever.Their live drummer gives these songs some nice grooves and rhythm that the band may have been lacking for a while there.The bass guitar crawls right along side the percussion with a vibrant tone.The chemistry between the two really amazing.The guitars are perfect and loose,the riffs are clear,rather than drowned in reverb/delay.They've added a nice vintage organ to the mix,and it brings some serious depth to this album.Heavy on the church-like vibrato and thick chords,it reminds me of Sun Ra's random keyboard freak outs.
All of this accompanies their melodic vocal harmonies and cult-like chants perfectly.A new love for melody?Whatever the case,Make It Real is surely the most cohesive effort in the band's existence.A totally solid psychedelic R&B album.Out now.