The Dandyls - "Only Love"

Atlanta resident weirdos, The Dandyls, are slated to release their long awaited debut album "Malia" on July 2nd with the band as a fully realized rock outfit.  I've had the opportunity to get a sneak peak at this one and lemme tell ya it's been well worth the wait.  Something like a modernized rock version of The Fugs, The Dandyls do not hold back whatsoever on "Malia."  You can order the new album on July 2nd here at their bandcamp.  In the meantime, here's a video for "Only Love" they shot for the new release.  Also, don't forget to call The Dandyls hotline at 844-420-4242...

France Sauvage - Tanzprocesz Live Series Vol. 6

Miraculously, I went to France one time.  While I was in the northern region in the university town of Rennes, I made my way to a small independent record shop.  I had a rule to not make a habit of doing that too often on the trip but this was one of the few exceptions.  The experimental section was pretty potent and a good variety of psych stuff, too.  But then I saw the collection of local weirdo French cassettes that were for sale.  I told the shopkeeper that I wanted recommendations, explaining I liked the weird stuff; noise, experimental, psych-folk, bizarre synth pop... anything in that realm.  In total, I walked away with 5 tapes and this France Sauvage was the most highly recommended of the bunch.  It also turned out to be my favorite and possibly the most brutal tape I own.

This power electronics/live drums trio had me from the get-go of this performance.  The drummer sounds like a pissed of ape who made it through all three levels of calculus, beating the shit out of the kit in the hopes that someone will let him out of his cage.  The god-knows-what electronics mimic the impending doom that awaits all of humanity at the edge of the proverbial void.  Elements of early Lightning Bolt could be referenced but this band goes to other, darker planes of existence with the sound.  Although this is a live show (hence the title) and I imagine portions of this are improvised, it does sound extremely well composed.  It's not all chaos and doom, either.  There are several moments of beautiful, almost melodic, clarity one might recognize when accepting their fate and giving in to the eternal abyss (about 3:55 into "Le Château Très Fort.")  There are also times when the drums take a break and the electronics glitch out on some sort of spastic randomized drum machine sequence.  Unlike other noise acts, the compositions go places and they do so quickly, allowing the music to stay continually interesting throughout the set.  This is one of the few noise tapes I own that I have flipped over multiple times for consecutive listens.

Although this album is free to download through the label's site (also worth digging through if you are looking to discover obscure French noise artists), I've uploaded it here with the scanned artwork; a thick coated white cardstock with red thread hand sewn throughout.

Jerusalem & The Starbaskets/Flowers - Split CS

I've been digitizing more tapes as of late and I thought I'd post up this rarity split cassette between Jerusalem & The Starbaskets and a band called Flowers.  I picked up this tape a few years back in the used section at Permanent Records.  I was already a fan of JATSB so the purchase was a no brainer.  Featuring an even more intimate and mellowed out vibe than much of Jerusalem's other work, it's fairly sparse on the drums and heavy on the great country-ish vocal melodies.  I had known JATSB to be a duo but there's a fella named Terry playing with them on this release.

I was curious what this band Flowers was going to be like, as the liner notes showed that the songs alternated between each band, rather than a band on either side.  Holy wowzer was I pleasantly surprised.  Incredibly meditative electric guitar pluckings layered with murky yet beautiful vocal melodies rising up from the depths of the tape.  Checking the liner notes, it appears that Flowers consisted of Jeremy and Terry from JATSB and Rex, who I assume is the same Rex from the notorious krautrock experts, Cave.  Makes sense considering the genesis of Warhammer 48K (pre-Cave) and JATSB originated in Columbia, MO where this tape was recorded.  The album flows seamlessly between each band, creating a consistency in tone and overall song style.  The Flowers songs really stick with me, though.  "Sunset (of logic)," in particular, always makes me stop whatever it is I'm doing and forces me to just listen, getting lost in the simple and infectious melody.

Metal Machine Music For Airports

The Variable Why sent me this link today and I'm so glad he did.  Mash up of Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" and Eno's "Music For Airports."

The Horde - Press Buttons Firmly

This late 60's garage rock gem came to me via my friend Jared whose uncle was a member of this Durham, NC area quintet.  Seeing a 2013 Break-A-Way Records reissue, this album encapsulates the Nuggets/Pebbles era garage rock to a tee.  Drawing from the fervor of bands like Count Five and a dash of the more psychedelic bands like Kaleidoscope,  The Horde's sound coalesces in to some serious garage rock bangers.   Consisting of both covers and originals alike, the album contains all 14 songs recorded at different points in 1967.  The cover of Them's "Gloria" that was a set staple among the garage rock bands of that era, might be one of the best (and most intense) renditions I've ever heard.  The album is worth a listen for that cover alone.

According to the liner notes, the first 10 song recording session was brought to fruition by a Duke student, Elizabeth Locke, who wanted to record some of her own songs with the band.  The deal was that she would pay for the session and after her songs were tracked then the band would have free reign in the studio. Thus, the first track "Troubles" features Elizabeth on lead vocals.  The band really pulls back the reigns on "Tell Me"(Stones cover) showcasing the purer side of the band's vocal abilities and trading the fast drumming coupled with distorted guitars for a clean (almost acoustic) tone. The last four songs on the album were recorded late in '67 and shows the band's growth in to a slightly more psychedelic realm.  This occurs most notably on "VD's Thing", a darker instrumental jam with every instrument trading rippin' solos.  However, the first track from this session "No Need To Wonder Why" is much more along the lines of psych-folk a la Donovan, opting for a slower tempo and beautiful vocal harmonies which combine to help create a wonderfully executed composition.

Truly a lost gem of the Nuggets era garage scene, this album is on par with the best of what's been reissued in the subsequent decades since the 60's demise.  Press buttons firmly.

coldless constable - Anera

Coldless Constable is the solo moniker of a good buddy of mine hailing from Ann Arbor, MI.  We met some years ago in a hostel in Nicaragua and traveled together for a week or so.  That being my first time out of the country, I had a hard time connecting with the westerner/hostel-traveling circuit as my main bread and butter at the time would inevitably fall back to my knowledge of music.  Justin was one of the only people I met on the trip who I could talk shop about Sonic Youth, GBV, Pavement and the like so we naturally got along pretty well.  Having family in Michigan myself, I travel through Ann Arbor at least once a year and have had good drunken times with him there around the holidays ever since.

Coldless songs are born of a truly great respect for the craft of the song.  I've noticed Justin has a finely  tuned ear for what makes a "good" song and it's pretty evident on this here album.  The music has its roots in good folk songwriting (After The Cold One and Tag With A Chair) with maybe a hint of Elliot Smithyness (though he may not approve of that reference, I don't know) but there are also stellar moments of full band instrumentation a la Spiral Stairs that provide a welcomed shift in pace to the album (Almost Like A Ghost, Lansing Lie, Your Fears, Anera).  These moments carry a sparseness that match the stripped down acoustic songs quite well.  The execution of simple yet effective guitar lines and instrumentation on these tracks really showcase Justin's knack for building melodies that go somewhere, with just the right dash of weirdness (especially during the bridge on Anera) to keep things interesting.  The additional segments of lush keyboard and sonic swells lift the album to new heights and gently let the listener back down to the next doorway through the album.

Realizing today how great of a winter album this will turn out to be.  The melancholy is there, but not overwhelming.  I think it's more about the sparseness of the compositions that make this feel like an appropriate soundtrack to the first blizzard this year.  Get cold.

The Oracles - ...Are The Icarus Syndrome Band

The main perk of living with a musician/artist/person that you admire is having the ability to get drunk with said person and really start to understand their thoughts on this crazy ride we call life from a first hand perspective.  The other main perk is catching glimpses of their work or back catalog that never really made it out of the vaults.  This is one of those glimpses.

I've posted about The Oracles before so there's no need to get gushy here.  Prior to the official establishment of the band, they played some sporadic live gigs under the name of The Icarus Syndrome band.  Andy put together a short collection of these live recordings for a supposed Oracles tour tape.  First I had heard of it.  A lot of these songs being performed are from the famed Trempeleau album.  A couple older Icarus Syndrome songs are there with a Kinks cover thrown in for good measure.  Here's the origins...

Willow Field Recordings 2007 - Part 2

I noticed there is a pretty big gap in the number of downloads of the second part of the Willow '07 recordings as opposed to the first part.  So I'm reposting the link the the 2nd Part here.

Daddy Long Legs - Evil Eye

Ya Ho Wa 13 - Because

Because.