Hear This..."Take Your Time" The Cairo Gang

Psychedelic rock owes its earliest years to the hippie counterculture era that was the 1960s.  It is a blessing that the genre earns itself a place at such a time within history, at the same time, such an association I fear has deeply confined people's understanding of the genre.  Simply put, when one thinks of psychedelic rock, the first association is often times drugs.  In this day and age, I could type in psychededlic rock into YouTube, and one of the first videos that appear bears the title "(Rock to trip to) :) I guess there's no avoiding that, but psychedelic rock came forth built on much more than a bunch of stoned "free-thinkers"  Psychedelic rock transfused genres and crossed cultures, finding influence from as close as Southern blues and as far away as India.  

"Take Your Time," a new track by The Cairo Gang is a quintessential example of psychedelic rock.  Of course the uneasy genre has taken off to various sub-categories (space rock, ambient rock, shoegaze, etc), but this track remains grounded in the original flux of twangy guitars, tamborines and Eastern raga sounds of the early 1960s psych rock.  Its hard to believe that this here is a new song, with the obvious influences of late Beatles and The Byrds pinned to the very sleeve of this song.  Obvious as it is, that is not such a bad thing. The optimist in me takes this as a good sign, that the absurd sub-categories of psych have not truly taken over. "Keep negative spirits away."

The Cairo Gang have a small six song LP set for release 7/23 titled Tiny Rebels
https://myspace.com/thecairogang

Hear This...Stream Demos/First Cuts by Blackfeet Braves

Fresh off the latest post dealing with the staggering differences between a band's initial rough first cuts and the remastered album songs, we here at TUNEclatter (hah, there's only one person here) dug up a goldmine of rough cuts from a relatively unknown outfit located deep in the valleys of southern California by the name of Blackfeet Braves. 

Who Are They?

As far as any background info goes on these guys, I know just about as much as you all do.  This could be one guy or it could be an eighteen person hippie-colony along the lines of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  Who knows. Few details are given concerning who they are.  However, I see that they do have a variety of shows coming up in California so I'm pretty sure they are real.  But their name bearing resemblance to a real group of Native American tribes of northern America could lead to another theory.  For all I know, this could really be a pack of wild Indians sitting in a tee-pee making psychedelic riff-raff as they smoke piece pipes.  Just sayin'...

Hear This...Stream Gothic Tropic's Awesome Problems EP

      
"They have the summer songs that blow 'Pumped Up Kicks' out of the California Pacific..." [Straight from their own bio page]  I'm not totally sure who or what designates a song to be a summer song, though it has always been the whistling in 'Pumped Up Kicks' that did it for me. 

      But this Cali trio goes way beyond whistling. Sure they don’t stand a chance overtaking Foster The People with the catchiest song ever written because frankly no one does, not even Lady Gaga. 

      Gothic Tropic took the handbook on “How to Make a Catchy Song Remain No. 1 on iTunes All Summer” and threw it out the window.  They take the atypical and often overused jangly guitar sound and add some zing to it. In their songs “Monkey Bars” and “Kill Lloyd Opus,” they throw in the occasional bongos, maracas, hand claps and distorted guitar riffs wherever they deem necessary. It’s an almost organic approach to music where a little Do-It-Yourself and impromptu touch ups are welcomed and encouraged. The end result actually sounds quite organized. Whether or not they blow out “Pumped Up Kicks” is debatable but no doubt, if I had the suitable conditions I would certainly add Gothic Tropic to my “Late Night Summer Barbecue on the Beach” playlist.

+ Gothic Tropic is offering a free download of the last song on the EP "Flesh Dance."  It will be added as a part of Free Music Fridays which I will post tomorrow.  [LINK]

Hear This...Free Stream of New Craft Spells-Gallery EP

+Unfortunately, the free stream of their Gallery EP has ended, but Craft Spells is still offering up their new song "Leave My Shadow" for a free download!


Here's a full free stream of the new EP from indie-pop rockers Craft Spells. Enjoy!

Hear This..."The Nightwatchman - Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine" Tom Morello

      FM plays music, AM doesn't, it's a simple as that or at least it was.  Over the years though we have seen some a handful of FM music stations fall under into the hands of those boring folk who favor dry discussions of the national debt and the upcoming election in favor of music.  Pressing issues, no doubt, but in this age of technology are there really enough people out there whose primary source of news comes from the radio that they need to expand beyond the realm of AM and destroy our music?  Besides when it comes to talk radio, NPR is king.  No AM station even comes close.

      So, the Man is taking away radio and has left its listerners hopeless.  If I were a crazy activist and wanted to declare a protest I would do so here.  (Acutally, I would probably spending most of my days occupying my local Walmart, but that's neither here nor there.)  Its much better to leave that stuff to music.  Politically-charged songs like "God Save the Queen" (1977) and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983) came through hard in their time and had a purpose that has since then not been forgotten.  But nowadays a song about overthrowing "a fascist British monarchy" doesn't readily apply anymore.  (Besides, it seems like everyone loves Will and Kate.)  Thankfully, we look to artists like Rage Against the Machine for keeping that leftist corporate hatred faith alive in such songs as "Killing in the Name" and "Testify."   Powerful stuff, in fact Rage Against the Machine is the only band to have every one of their songs placed on 2001 Clear Channel Memorandum and thus demmed "lyrically questionable."  

      And how ironic it would be if I were to say that I came across this song particular song on AM radio.  It is true.  Before tuning my old-school radio back to FM from yesterday's baseball game, I caught the very end of the discussion about a song "Black Spartacus Hard Attack Machine" by an artist called The Nightwatchman.  This guy happens to be the solo project of Rage's spectacularly multi-talented guitarist Tom Morello.  Harmonica and all, I would have never put two and two together, but its more linked with what he says than how it sounds.  Sure its filled with overt political criticism, but Morello manages to hide this well behind a pleasant harmonica and back choir that make this song so nice to hear.  Whether I agree with his words or not is besides the point because behind these lyrics, "Black Spartacus Hard Attack Machine" just sounds cool.  Now go rebel!

                      

Hear This..."Hooray For Tuesday" The Mantles

      To anyone who did not already know, Tuesday has been scientifically proven to be the worst day of the week. [SOURCE]  That's especially bad news for those of you who thought the worst was over when Monday ended.  Well according to science, its not; and everyone knows you can't argue with science.  But like every other week, we will prevail, but not without the help from such courageous pizza corporations like Pizza Hut and Dominos offering us reasons to look forward to the dreaded day.  [Pizza Hut has two Tuesday specials actually, here's the second.]  College basketball keeps fans distracted during the season with games every week on recurring 'Super Tuesdays.'  And then of course, there's the real Super Tuesday- that one political thing with all the primary presidential elections that most young people completely forgot to tune in to.  Because unlike the Dominos deal, that's only once every four years.

So to keep up with the recent attempts to resurrecting Tuesdays, I'm reaching all the way back to 1998 to share with you the unofficial celebratory anthem of Tuesday by the Denver-based band The Minders.

      "Hooray For Tuesday" is a proclamation of praise for everyone's most hated weekday.  Sure anyone can make a song about how great Friday is (anyone...), but it takes a little more skill to excite people about a Tuesday.  They do a convincing job on it too.  The confident opening horns and drum sequence give me a sense of hope that what they are telling me is true by law.  And what they say is exactly what everyone wants to do on a Tuesday- leave the mundane monotony of their cubicles (especially these people).  The weekend is an eternity away and who wouldn't mind waiting it out in the unadorned paradise they sing of.

      But then again, if you're not going away and you're not about to sit down and watch a college basketball game with the Tuesday pizza deal of your choice, then what do you have to hooray about?  We're probably all in the same boat at this time of the year, punching it out on this very average Tuesday.  So take a moment and share the splendor of Tuesdays, if its only for a few minutes.

Useless Clatter...2012 Album Releases [Apr+May]

      Now that March is coming to an end, I see that my most anticipated albums of 2012 post- (Jan-Feb-Mar) is becoming a bit useless.  So I’ve finally found some time to browse about the web aimlessly and put together Part II of the list which includes April and May.  Despite only being two months, it’s packed very tightly with plenty of new releases from some of my favorites like Best Coast, The Dandy Warhols, and The Brain Jonestown Massacre [and that’s not even counting the Willow Smith album out on April 3^rd]  I've also seen the convenient release from bands I have recently discovered like Alabama Shakes and Father John Misty, who I literally discovered this morning.  

      I couldn’t find many for June at this point [plenty of rumors] but figured I would wait a bit and post that later.  Of course, if I missed anyone important or you feel generous enough to send a complimentary recommendation my way feel free.

+ Album artwork and preview tracks/singles will be updated when the info arrives.

April 3
Of Monsters & Men- My Head is an Animal
 

April 10
Alabama Shakes- Boys & Girls

 

Hear This..."Myth" by Beach House

      Since their third album, Teen Dream, from 2010, Baltimore duo Beach House have remained relatively quiet.  When the music site Consequence of Sound released news of an upcoming album from them in February, the post was mysteriously deleted.  Thankfully, the news has officially resurfaced and confirmed as truth.  Beach House does in fact have a new album in the works titled Bloom and its set to be released May 7th.  With that comes the release of the album's first single, "Myth."

      While never really indulging too far into the likes of dreamy, transcendent pop music, I've taken a liking to Beach House.  Ever since hearing their song in the trailer for that weird looking film, The Future, I have since considered myself a fan.

      The new song is mot much of a change from the band's trademark sound, but that's no bit of criticism on my part.  "Myth" is an especially cool track.  Its constant synth back-beat mixed with Victoria Legrand's voice gives the song a peaceful tone.  For a few seconds at the refrain when the guitar kicks in with one simple strut, everything becomes amplified and doubly intense, serene, mesmerizing-however you want to call it.  The song can really hypnotize you if you are not careful.

      In short and to take from its lyrics, "Myth" is a"momentary bliss" of sound and with it, we can expect more good things from these two come May 7th.   

      

Useless Clatter...[Hear This] Brian Jonestown Massacre Announce New Album + Latest Single "Blue Order New Monday"

      I wouldn't be going out on a limb in saying that The Brian Jonestown Massacre could be the most diverse band out there right now.  But whether that's because of the numerous genres they've tapped into throughout the years or just due to the immense line up changes that have come their way, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are truly in a class of their own.  Those of you who've seen DiG! know what I'm talking about. But to base the band's reputation solely on the hot headed temper of band leader Anton Newcombe is a bit one sided.  Maybe he is a little wacky, but the stuff he and his band-mates put together in the studio completely makes up for it.

      On that note, I am thrilled to report the news of a new BJM album to be released May 7th called Aufheben.  As of late, Anton's made his home in Berlin so its not completely bizarre to see the German word appears as the album's title.  And thanks to the possibilities of web translation, I've tracked down the meaning of the word which now leads to an assortment of interpretations on why he chose that word.  Aufheben (pronounced auf+he•ben) is a verb lending itself to a variety of actions- 'to pick up, to abolish, to lift, to reverse, to capture to preserve' to name a few.  Anton could have had any number of these in mind when choosing the word and unfortunately I don't think we'll ever  know what he truly intended.  But that's alright because the greater concern, as it always is with a new BJM album, is what the stuff will sound like.  Thankfully we won't have to wait until May because with this news came the release of the first single from Aufheben titled "Blue Order/New Monday." 

Hear This [Audiovisuals]...Arctic Moneys- "R U Mine?"

      Why can't everyone be as cool as the Arctic Monkeys? Once again, my favourite British  band have done it again producing yet another uber-cool song to rock out to.  "R U Mine?" is the band's latest work, but from what I've heard, its not an early release of any upcoming LP nor is it a b-side from their latest album, Suck It and See.  They just felt like releasing another song, and we can all be thankful for that.
      "R U Mine?" stuck me as an interesting title choice for a band who has made their name on being the bad boys of rock 'n rolls.  I thought for a second the Arctic Monkey's dropped off the deep end and teamed up with Ke$ha for a sequel single to "We R Who We R."  Thankfully I was wrong.

      "R U Mine?" comes as no shock for Arctic Monkey fans as the song reaches back to the traditional heavy rock sound the band veered away from on their last album Suck It and See.  It's a surly combination of heavy guitar chords and drums that we all came to love in the Arctic Monkeys.  As always, Turner's dyamic vocals sit above all the noise pushing the song forward. 

      Sure I would prefer "Are You Mine?" over the abbreviated title, but that just goes to show you how the Arctic Monkeys can make anything cool.  Don't believe me? They prove it to us by pulling off one of the most misused and abused fashion statements with ease- sunglasses at night [while driving].

Hear This...Beach Fossils- "Shallow" | "Lessons"

      "Lo-fi" rock always seems at risk of steering into certain criticism.  I used to think that lo-fi  and garage bands sounded the way they did  because they could't find an adequate singer.  To hide this, they go ahead and scratch out the vocals.  In no way is that true, but its something I've always thought of. What's the point of distorting the vocals like that? I'm not going to criticize Sealings here but a song like "Rails Means Rails" kind of led me to that assumption early on.  But when I try to imagine "Rails Means Rails" without the scratchy, lo-fi voice blaring into the microphone, it just doesn't sound right.

      But I've taken a new stance on the idea of lo-fi though the more and more I acquaint myself with it.  This band, Beach Fossils, have steered me the right way.  "Shallow" and "Lessons" are the band's latest release since their What A Pleasure EP came out last May.  Commonly associated with lo-fi is the term "fuzzy" , there's actually nothing really "fuzzy" about these songs.  Both songs achieve a very clean sound in which every guitar stroke and drum tap are heard individually, all coming together in a very ornate manner.  "Lessons" and "Shallow" both possess some of the smoothest and uncomplicated guitar solos I've ever heard, and it works immensely with the mesmerizing sound of lead singer, Dustin Payseur's voice.  They do not try to do anything too fancy, [I could probably score these songs in Rockband pretty easy], but that's the beauty of their sound.  Beach Fossils don't strive for any sort of technical rock n' roll mastery and as a result, they standout in the midst of a vague and poorly defined genre such as "lo-fi."

Hear This...Bass Drum of Death "I Dunno"

      Without hearing any of their music, a band with the name Bass Drum of Death would quite easily render an assumption that they are of the black metal, death rock type.   By the name, comparisons to bands like Death, Napalm Death, or my personal favorite, Dying Fetus, come easy and lead to a common misnomer about this this terrific band.

      Started by one kid in a basement in Oxford Mississippi, Bass Drum of Death began as a solo project of John Barrett’s as he juggles the singing, guitar playing and bass drumming all on his own.  But very quickly, John Barrett’s left foot was replaced by drummer Colin Sneed tagging them as a full-fledged rock band.  The duo released their debut LP, GB City last April and has since then toured the U.S. as well as Great Britain and Australia.  Far from anything like Dying Fetus, Bass Drum of Death has found success through simple garage rock noises like drums, fuzzy guitar riffs and even fuzzier lo-fi vocals. 

      “I Dunno” is the first song from Bass Drum of Death since GB City.  Along with its release last October, John Barrett gave it the following introduction- "hope you guys enjoy…this is just a rough mix and unmastered, so you may hafta crank it.”  In my opinion, John Barrett couldn’t have hit it more spot on.  “I Dunno,” like the rest of their songs is short and sweet.  Sometimes, Barrett awards himself with a quick little solo in his songs to show off his guitar mastery but finds no use for it here.  Instead, the spotlight falls upon Sneed’s drumming.  It’s nothing to awe at, but in no time, you will find yourself tapping along.  Simplicity is the key here.

      Other than bands like The White Stripes and The Black Keys, it seems like most artists have moved in the opposite direction as they look for new and more technical ways to approach music.  Being the first to do anything is usually cool.  Bass Drum of Death doesn’t care about that instead falling back on the simplistic approach to rock ‘n roll.  And with the recent success and international touring they have begun, why do anything different?

Hear This...Jack White's First Solo Single "Love Interruption"

      Jack White may have founded more rock bands than the entire state of North Dakota has ever turned out.  He quickly achieved worldwide success with his brother-sister duo, TheWhite Stripes, in the late 90s and at the peak of their popularity, White decided to start two more groups, The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs.  And before the recent breakup of The White Stripes, he was juggling all three bands at once.

      To say that Jack White started a fourth band would not be a surprise to anybody, but actually, his latest project has him going solo.  White’s first solo album, Blunderbuss, is to be released on April 24 of this year and in preparation he released his first single “Love Interruption.”

     White, who made himself famous through the distinct, stripped down rock ‘n roll style of The White Stripes, is taking a different approach with his new stuff.  “Love Interruption” sounds much different than the fast-paced, symbol crashing noise of The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs.  It’s a pretty placid sounding song, but because it’s Jack White, he finds a way to ask love to “roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me and twist it all around.”

Hear This..."Chinatown" Destroyer

      For me, the word Chinatown can only bring to mind the 1974 Roman Polanski film of the same name.  It's an excellent movie but very dark and unsettling.  The word only brings to mind images of the film's notorious ending and final words whose utterance can leave shivers down your spine.  I liked the movie, but its one that can keep you up all night thinking about it.
      Thankfully the Canadian indie pop band, Destroyer, gave me a new meaning to the word with the release of their song "Chinatown" off their 2011 album Kaputt.  In comparison, the song is much more relaxed than the film.  Its a hybrid song thats background of indie pop is mixed with elements of chill-wave and jazz.  Unlike most indie songs, "Chinatown" complete's itself with a casual  brass solo.  Vocals are shared by front man  Dan Bejar and female singer Sibel Thrasher who comes in singing the phrase "I can't walk away at all."
      Maybe its a clever reference to Polanski's film.  I don't want to spoil the ending to any of those who haven't seen it, but Chinatown ends with Jack Nicholson's character, Detective J.J. Gittes, reluctantly being escorted away from the crime scene.  "Forget it Jake, its Chinatown."  Thankfully for music fans, Destroyer has made a song that's so pleasing, it simply can't be forgotten.

Hear This...Porcelain Raft's "Strange Weekend" LP

Listen to the new Porcelain Raft LP "Strange Weekend"  before its release on January 24th.


+ Streaming availability courtesy of The Hype Machine

Hear This... David Lynch Remixes Zola Jesus' "In Your Nature"

This is a post I wrote for my music blog, TUNEclatter, and aside from it being a song, I fgured it carried some film relevance worth reposting.

       To give comparison, Zola Jesus sounds a tad similar to Britain's ever dominant Adele.  They both have generally deep voices and have the ability to belt it out in their songs, screaming with the perfect pitch.  Adele maybe arguably the most popular female vocalist out right now, but Zola Jesus might not be too far behind.  Her song “In Your Nature” sounds like an avant Florence + the Machine track, only sung by Adele, not to say that Zola is just a copy of these two because she’s not. 

      More importantly, a remixed version has recently been created by legendary auteur David Lynch.  One of my favorite filmmakers, David Lynch is a true artist and one of the best of our time.  Mostly recognized as the creator of such cult favorites like Erasherhead, Blue Velvet and the hit show Twin Peaks, David Lynch has also established himself as a painter, musician and even furniture designer.

      His remix of Zola Jesus’ song “In Your Nature” is really something.  I’m almost never a fan of remixes, but in this case I find myself preferring the remix over the original.  It was a close call but I got to hand it to David Lynch for creating this.  It’s not the kind of remix that is sped up and with a faster bass pedal where the chorus is just repeated 10 times or something.  This remix is nothing of that sort; Lynch actually slows the song down.  What really works for this song and gives it its success is the minimalist approach Lynch took while working with the song.  Combined with those Florence and Adele elements, Lynch’s small touch gives the song a mystical sort of dreamy feel to it.  I could see it as a perfect ending to one of his surrealist films from back in the 80s.  Like if Blue Velvet had some sort of warm, reassuring ending

Hear This...Guards- New Single "Do It Again" / "Swimming After Dark"

In the process of trying to fully understand the term 'pop wave doom,' I came across a new single from NY rockers Guards called 'Do It Again.'  As the seasons change and us in the USA have begun to adjust to the harsh realities of winter, this song can do nothing but bring us back to the warm feeling of summer with its catchy melodies and sing along mentality.  While it's definitely a killer, upbeat track, I'm not exactly sure how well it qualifies as pop wave doom.  So how can you define these guys? Fortunately, I came across another track of theirs, 'Swimming After Dark' which came out about the same time as previously posted ‘I See It Coming.’ After giving it a listen, I assured that it might point me back towards this mysterious genre. With a similar sound to their song 'I See It Coming,' ‘Swimming After Dark’ is definitely a great track complete with its own orchestral pieces giving the song a beautiful and rich sound differentiating it from other NYC mod-rock songs.

Hear This...The Black Keys- Run Right Back

On the eve of their highly anticipated 7th full length album, El Camino, the Black Keys released a fantastic new track 'Lonely Boy' alongside a similarly fantastic video showcasing some of the best dance moves I've ever seen.  On that note, listeners were given another single of the new album titled 'Run Right Back.' With a similar upbeat tempo to 'Lonely Boy' and in contrast to some of their previous work, we can get a sense that the new album will be something a little different. But with these two singles to show for what's ahead, I don't see this as a bad thing at all. Unfortunately, no new video for this one.

Hear This [Audiovisuals]...Foster the People "Call It What You Want" | "Helena Beat"

I'll admit to being late on these two, but if you haven't already heard, Foster the People came out with two new singles earlier this week. After the big buzz that formed behind "Pumped Up Kicks"  and "Houdini" earlier this year, I'm not surprised how similar these songs are to the two previous singles.  But why fix what's not broken?  There's no doubt everyone will be pleased with these tracks, so take a listen and watch the official music videos too.

"Call It What You Want"


"Helena Beat"

Hear This...Blouse- Blouse

Check out the debut feature from Blouse, a dream pop trio from Portland, Oregon.  Released by Captured Tracks last Tuesday (11/1), the LP has been given stellar reviews thus far. (7.4- Pitchfork) Give it a listen below.

Blouse's S/T LP by The FADER