Halfsour - Tuesday Night Live

Tuesday Night Live tickles my inner music lover like few albums debut albums.  It jangles, buzzes and snarls.  It discusses the confusions, frustrations and anxieties of young adults, but does it with a casual delivery that underscores the implicit understanding that it likely will all work out, but if it doesn't the worries will be different tomorrow anyway.  It doesn't hide its ragged edges, but doesn't display false pride in them either.  The creators, Boston's Halfsour, are DIY realists in the finest tradition of Guided By Voices, the band whose lyric provided the name for this blog.  And that makes sense when you learn that the band's beginnings were as a GBV cover band.  But this trio carves their own path, gravitating to concise, punk-inflected garage pop tunes with sardonic delivery and blasts of energy.  A younger, slacker GBV?  A Beat Happening on speed?  You decide.  Check out the streams below and take the whole album out of the garage for a test drive below.  I expect you'll like it.  For my money, it is a prime example of why this blog avoids major label releases and looks for indie gems.

 Tuesday Night Live is out today on Jigsaw Records in digital, vinyl and CD formats.  See the links below for your choice.  Baltimore label Nebraskan Coast offers the album on cassette.  And yes, I know that this is successive days for a Jigsaw release.  But the label tends to batch its releases and Animal Daydream and Halfsour have both earned contemporaneous recognition for their art.







Halfsour are Zoe, Ina and Matt.

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Jigsaw Records page for LP and CD
Bandcamp page for Tuesday Night Live (digital/LP/CD)
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Philco Fiction - Talk/Brag

Talk/Brag is an album of ambition, with songs that touch on the interior/spiritual and the dance floor, with neo soul and gospel elements adorning a platform constructed with bountiful bass and flashes of horns.  If you are an electro-pop fan, this is going to be one of your most welcome releases of the new year.  But even if you aren't ordinarily drawn to the genre, I think you will find Talk/Brag to be a very rewarding record.

The album is the creation of Philco Fiction, the Oslo Norway duo of Turid Alida Solberg and Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød.  Our first introduction was via showcase song "Runimals" - a soulful triumph that any band would be happy to leave as their aural calling card.  The title track is an playful and appealing pop song that translates well to the dance floor.  "Bodies" merges R&B with '80s synth pop.  But those are just a few of the highlights.  For example, "Hold Your Breath" is a sleek and slinky gem that could be a single.  Talk/Brag is both smooth as polished steel and burning with emotion.  Dance the night away!







Talk/Brag is out today via Killing Moon Records.

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Animal Daydream - Citrus EP 7"

About a year ago we featured the Easy Pleasures EP, the debut recording by Gothenburg, Sweden guitar pop duo Animal Daydream (link).  Our only complaint was that at four songs, we were left wanting more.  A year later, Daniel Fridlund Brandt and Alexander Wahl have sought to resolve our concerns with the Citrus EP, four more tracks of the kind of music that never goes out of style in my house.  What Animal Daydream does so well is absorb classic influences such as west coast jangle pop, Glasgow power pop, and '70s soft rock and then reinterpret it in their own style.

The title track is a glorious tune that could be a jam between the Byrds and Fleetwood Mac.  "Sun (turn around)" would do Teenage Fanclub proud.  There is a Fleet Foxes vibe to "All That You Can Give".   The closer, "In My Room", wraps it up with a uptempo dream pop tune.  Overall, there is so much sunshine in the melodies and harmonies that I'm tempted to wear sunglasses when I play this record.

Citrus EP is out tomorrow, January 29, via Jigsaw Records as a digital download or on vinyl.  See the Bandcamp links below.  I expect that digital retailers are an option as well.





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Jigsaw Records page for Citrus EP
Bandcamp for Citrus EP

The Manhattan Love Suicides - Bikini Party / Birthday Kill

Few current band can bring the JAMC guitar squall and attitude quite as well as The Manhattan Love Suicides.  And they add the twist of female vocals.  The latest from Adam, Darren, Caroline and Rachel is Bikini Party / Birthday Kill, which is available now on vinyl and as a digital download.  The two songs present the dual sides of the band, with the opener delivering upfront, rumbling guitar muscle, and the second track offering a sprawling soft/loud epic of noise pop.





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"Lose Control" / "Love Is" by Dude York

One of our favorite young Seattle bands is Dude York.  The trio impressed us with their 2014 LP Dehumanize made my top thirty albums for that year.  This month they released the two-song single Lose Control / Love Is.  We're happy to report that the band has lost none of their swagger, but has polished the songwriting and broadened their palette.  They sound a bit more grown up, but still with that important hint of danger.  However, you don't have to take our word for it, as you can stream both songs below and then head over to Bandcamp and secure your very own slice of Dude York.





Dude York is Peter Richards (guitar/vocals), Claire England (bass/vocals), and Andrew Hall (drums).  Peter wrote "Lose Control", and Claire wrote "Love Is".

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The Pooches - Heart Attack (EP)

We like dogs.  And we like bands who like dogs.  And bands who like dogs and choose a name associated with dogs get extra points.  Which all brings us to Glasgow's The Pooches.  Jimmy, Gav, Calvin and Andy have been honing their musical chops in Scotland while waiting for their big soup bone to land near their noses.  Obviously, good things come in pairs because in the past year The Pooches have signed to Philadelphia label Lame-O Records, and they are now been featured here.  I'm sure the lads feel like they are getting a never-ending belly rub in front of the fire.

This Friday, January 29, Lame-O is releasing the four-song Heart Attack.  The title track is top quality guitar pop, and you can stream it below.  And if you want to scratch the lads behind the ears while scratching your itch for good music, hit the Bandcamp link below.  We've also provided a link the the group's earlier recordings, which are available at 'name your price'.



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"To Think That I Once Loved You" by The Drones

Music from The Drones always is eagerly anticipated by fans, and the March release date for Feelin Kinda Free seems too far away.  But the Melbourne band isn't leaving us completely without aural sustenance, having share album track "To Think That I Once Loved You".  If you wondered whether the band was losing steam, running low on passion and conviction, this should set you right.



Feelin Kinda Free will be released by Tropical Fuck Storm Records.

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"Parcel of Rogues", in honor of Robert Burns

Tonight is Burns Night in Scotland, an annual celebration of the country's best known poet/lyricist (and author or 'Auld Lang Syne') on the anniversary of his birth.  My wife tells me haggis is not on the menu at Chez Rocksteady (no doubt all bought up at the market before she got there), so I'll celebrate by offering "Parcel of Rogues", a musical rendition of Burns' condemnation of the politicians who sold out Scotland in 1707 by approving the Act of Union, binding Scotland to England.  The song is by one of the finest of Scottish band, The Delgados.  The song can be found on the collection of their performances for John Peel's show, which is released in 2006 by the Glasgow label founded by the group, Chemikal Underground.


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Lee Robinson Machine - Family Album

Yeah, I know that it is 2016.  But I'm not going to let the turn of a calendar page deter me from highlighting a few more quality releases from 2015.  One of them is Family Album, a vinyl release of an album recorded in Madrid in 1997 by Englishman Lee Robinson under the name Lee Robinson Machine.  Released on a small Spanish label on CD, the label expired before the album gained the notice it deserved.  And the artist himself expired a few years later, despite only being in his mid-forties.  However, Light In The Attic and Munster Records teamed up to offer the album on wax, so the eclectic tastes of Mr. Robinson can be experienced anew.

Robinson played in Fortunate Sons (with ex-members of The barracudas and Flamin' Groovies), The A-10, The Great Outdoors and others.  He also worked for record companies and in stage production, resulting in broad knowledge and appreciation for popular music.  This experience informed his choices for Family Album, which featured blues, post punk, pop, country and reggae.  This album hits the spot with an auteur's interpretation of familiar genres, and is the musical equivalent of a cool breeze on a warm summer day.  I mistakenly ignored it for the first two months I owned it, and have been playing it every day for the last six weeks.  Yeah, it is that good.







Light In The Attic page for Family Album
Munster Records page for Family Album

"Hitchhiker" / "Wheels On The Run" by PURSES

I shouldn't shock any fan of indie rock that there is a new and exciting band from the south.  Their name is PURSES, and the members are from notable projects such as The District Attorneys, Modern Skirts, Tedo Stone, Grand Vapids, Crooked Fingers, and Blue Blood.  Obsess Much, the debut album, will be available in a few months, but you can test the goods via "Hitchhiker" and "Wheels On The Run".  Our ears say it is southern rock with touches of twin guitar California guitar pop and Midwest garage rock.  But whatever it is, it is good.





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Free songs by Postal Blue

I know that many of you, after reading our December feature on Brazilian project Postal Blue (here) wondered where to find more of that sweet guitar pop.  For a brief time, we have you covered.  Adriano has made two earlier singles -- the three-song Eponymous and the four-song Postal Blue -- available for 'name your price' via Bandcamp.  This is just what the WYMA medical staff recommends to chase away winter blahs.





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"Wallflower" by Martha Ffion

Irish girl heads to Glasgow to find artistic fame and fortune on today's True Stories On WYMA.  OK, that may not be entirely and completely true at this point in time, but listen to Martha Ffion's "Wallflower" and "So Long" below and understand that it is only a matter of time.





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You Beauty - Illywhacka

You Beauty may be the name of this Sydney four-piece, but it works just as well as a self-referential tribute to their latest creation.  It would be enough to attract our praise if it were one of the best slices of pub-rock-meets-the-dance-floor since the early days of INXS.  But the ambition and attainment of Your Beauty goes well beyond that.  On their previous effort, Jersey Flegg (our feature here), they told of the unraveling love life of an aging rugby league star, facing the end of his career and his TV starlet girlfriend.   On Illywhacka, their sophomore LP, the lads craft a tale of an internet scammer who, in the course of preying on a woman, falls for her.  He then sets out to win her heart.  Does he succeed?  Well, it isn't my story to tell, so tune in to Illywhacka.  Along with the story you'll get great melodies, thumping percussion, excellent songwriting and, on "Romeo n Julie", excellent sex .... oh, sorry, I meant sax.  And "Flake and Chips" is one of my current favorite songs.  By the way, it appears that the title is an term for trickster or con man that was employed in Australia's colonial period.

Illywhacka was released in 2014 as a digital download by Rice Is Nice, but that label now has teamed up with Bedroom Suck Records to offer the album on vinyl as well.  So now you have the choice of digital or vinyl direct from either label, as well as digital downloads from the usual sources.









You Beauty is Will Farrier (vocals), Flyn Mckinnirey (bass) , Jashua Phuah (guitar), and Kino Verzosa (drums).  All of them are in other Australian bands, as well.

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Rice Is Nice page for You Beauty

Youngstrr Joey - Grilled Whiig

Our first listen to Youngstrr Joey was his track on the Scottish indie compilation David Cameron's Eton Mess (our feature here), and we understand that he played on several of the other tracks as well (including as a member of Breakfast Muff).  The Glasgow musician previous released a couple of EPs which are available for 'name your price', but he now has a proper album to his credit -- Grilled Whiig, which is out now via Edinburgh label Song By Toad Records.  Youngstrr Joey's music is lo-fi, sparsely adorned bedroom guitar pop.  The sweet spot here is late-night bedroom experimentation, unusual guitar tunings, and a glimpse into the sleep-deprived corners of Cal's mind.  In addition to the two tracks below, you can stream the entire album at the Bandcamp link below.  Additional highlights for me are "Posture" and "Yr Hallway".

Grilled Whiig is available on cassette from the label, digital from Bandcamp and the usual digital outlets.







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Bandcamp for previous releases

"Three Packs A Day" by Courtney Barnett

We don't need much prompting to share a new Courtney Barnett song.  In fact, we don't need any prompting at all.  All we need is the song.  So here is Courtney's tribute to three packs a day.
Three packs of what you ask? Ramen, of course.  Struggling artists need to eat.

The song is from a six-track EP titled Good For You compiling songs from various artists on Barnett's label, Milk! Records.  The EP will be released on February 14 in digital and vinyl formats, and is available for pre-order now.



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"Talk About Terry" by Terry

It seems a good time to talk about Terry.  You see, there is a new band down in Melbourne called Terry, and they have released a three song 7" record conveniently titled Talk About Terry, via Upset The Rhythm.  Our musical introduction is via the title track, which you can stream below.  To my ears it has jangling, DIY sound with a few ragged edges and an urgent vibe, which is a sound I like.  The male and female vocals trade off pleasantly, and I'm happy to provide my expert opinion that this is a project form which we'd like to hear quite a bit more.

The band members, all of whom are members of multiple other bands, are Al Monfort (Total Control, Dick Diver), Zephyr Pavey (Eastlink, Total Control, Russell Street Bombings), Amy Hill (Constant Mongrel, School of Radiant Living), and Xanthe Waite (Mick Harvey Band).




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"River" by The Legendary House Cats

John Girgus, of Aberdeen, Languis, and Non Ultra Joy,  is a legendary cat.  Actually, he's more than that.  He is The Legendary House Cats.  John's focus of late has been dreamy electronic soundscapes with sweet hooks and ear-friendly melodies.  He is offering a cover of "River", a song by '90s British dream pop band Blueboy.  It is available as a free download at the Bandcamp link below (as well as Spotify and iTunes, if you do those things).  The download includes the primary track, an instrumental version, and a radio edit of the primary track.  There is absolutely no reason to not get a copy.  Now.



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"Runimals" by Philco Fiction

Today's featured track is a hot song from a cold climate.  "Runimals" is your first taste of the upcoming Talk/Brag LP from Philco Fiction.  The Oslo, Norway duo consists of Turid Alida Solberg and Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød.  Talk/Brag will be out on January 29 via Killing Moon Records, and we will discuss it more around the release date.  For now, feast your ears on the gospel pop of "Runimals".



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Inspired And The Sleep - Eyelid Kid

Eyelid Kid is a delightful dream pop EP that found its way to my inbox recently.  Created by San Diego duo Inspired And The Sleep with the help of some talented collaborators, the record is full of psyche-pop frills, clever hooks and an excellent and persistent groove.  Its six tracks will delight and engage you, and the video for "Die Slow" is a visual treat of the highest order (without providing gratuitous nudity).  And the generous creators are offering the EP for the popular 'name your price' at the Bandcamp link below.

Inspired And The Sleep is, at its core, Max Greenhalgh and Bryce Outcault.  Other players are David Mead, Zachary Elliott, Ryan Linvill, and Sarah De La Isla.





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Lame Drivers - Chosen Era

One usually complains about Lame Drivers.  But Jeff Wood, Joe Posner, and Jason Sigal have the power, or powerpop, to change your mind.  Yes indeed, this Brooklyn band delivers powerpop with some punk attitude, psychedelic touches, and garage rock riffs filtered through '90s alt rock tossed in just because they can.  The result on their recent album for Jigsaw Records, Chosen Era, is anything but lame, but probably would be a good soundtrack for driving.  The guitars crackle with attitude while the drums and bass thunder with purpose.  This is one of those records that you simultaneously hear with your ears and feel in your torso.  And while the dominant vibe is energetic fun, the band hits the spot with moody numbers as well, as evidenced by "Slow Detective" below.

Check out a few songs below, or go to the Bandcamp link and take a test drive with the Lame Drivers.  You may just fine yourself choosing Chosen Era.







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Peter Astor - Spilt Milk

The year is starting out with some very good releases.  Today's feature is Spilt Milk, the latest LP from the venerable Peter Astor.  Consisting of ten songs that distill the best attributes of Astor's long career in music, from his Creation Records projects The Loft and The Weather Prophets through his varied solo recordings.  If one were required to tag it with a genre name I suppose jangle pop would move towards the head of the list.  But we aren't so constrained, and we find that this work is delightfully more complex that such a label would suggest.  Listen to lead track "Really Something", and appreciate the hints of The Weather Prophets, The Bats, The Go-Betweens and The Velvet Underground.  In fact, the spirit of VU runs through the album, with propulsive, insistent rhythms providing the foundation for Astor's literate and incisive creations.

The poignant and self-effacing "Mr. Music" previously was released as a single, and I've sung its praises here and here.  The sly "My Right Hand" adds an upbeat country rock twist.  The fourth song is the quiet and exquisite "Perfect Life", which always gets at least two replay presses from me.  The first half of the album ends with the chugging "The Getting There".

The second half of the album commences with one of my favorites, "Very Good Lock", which refers to the narrator's penchant for keeping his feelings locked inside.  "Good Enough" is a spiritual cousin to classic country laments.  Spilt Milk closes with three excellent folk pop songs, "There It Goes", "Sleeping Tiger", and "Oh You".  Of the three, "Oh You" probably would win the most votes as one of the album's stronger tracks, but a sign of Astor's consistency as a songwriter is that it wouldn't be a unanimous choice.  For me, this is the kind of album that finds its way into almost permanent rotation in my collection.  The songs are simple, but infused with keen observations and years of experience.

In addition to Peter Astor, the players on the album include James Hoare (Veronica Falls, Ultimate Painting, The Proper Ornaments), who played multiple instruments and recorded the album in his flat, Pam Berry, Jack Hayter, Alison Cotton, Robin Christian, and Susan Milanovic.  When he isn't writing and performing music, Astor teaches, researches and writes about music as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster.  He also has written about the album Blank Generation by Richard Hell and the Voidoids for the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 series.

Spilt Milk is out now via Slumberland Records in North America and Fortuana POP! in UK/Europe.









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"Alabaster" by Emma Pollock

With her fellow owners of Glasgow's Chemikal Underground Records, the talented Emma Pollack made wonderful music as the The Delgados.  In the ten years following that band's last note, Emma has released solo work as well as participation in other musical projects.  I recently learned that she will be releasing a new solo album titled In Search of Harperfield at the end of this month.  Album track "Alabaster" now is available, and if it is representative of the album, I expect that it will be very, very good.  Enjoy a stream below.  As the label is not fond of bloggers, we may not be able to review the album here.  But good music is good music, and the label puts out good music.  I have provided a link for pre-orders below.



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Sea Pinks - Soft Days

On their new album, Soft Days, Belfast's Sea Pinks reveals themselves to be adept musical chemists.  Over 11 tracks they weave '80s post punk indie rock, C86 dream pop, '70s power pop, and a bit of California coastal jangle and surf into a very satisfying set of songs that manage to convey energy and excitement without any jagged edges.  The guitars are varied and confident, bass insistent and intriguing, and drums satisfyingly high in the mix.  Frontman Neil Brogan's vocals are his best work so far for this project.  The production is clear and unfussy.

Opener "(I Don't Feel Like) Giving In" kicks off with a dose of post-punk drone, but sunshine and bounce take over with the following "Ordinary Daze" and "Cold Reading".  After a more post punk offering with "Trend When You're Dead", "Green With Envy" -- and standouts "Depth of Field" and "Everything In Sight" -- deliver hazy dream pop.  If you were only to own one song on this album, I'd nominate "Yr Horoscope" (stream below), which is custom built for the speakers on your convertible as you head down the Pacific Coast Highway.  "Down Dog" is dark-jangling post punk with dark shading and big drums.  The wistful and optimistic "I Won't Let Go" and "Soft Days" end the album with jangling pop perfection.

The album title refers to the kind of soaking mist that one encounters in Belfast.  The choice seems apt, as the songs envelope the listener and soak into the brain's pleasure centers.  One listen and it seems like an old and honored friend.  I couldn't have picked a better record for my first review of a 2016 album

Sea Pinks is frontman Neil Brogan (Cruising and ex-Girls Names) on guitar and vocals, Steven Henry on bass and Davey Agnew on drums.  Soft Days is out tomorrow, January 8, via CF Records.





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"Who Owns The Moon?" by Free Time

Apparently NYC/Melbourne band Free Time has been using their free time productively.  We have this smashing new tune "Who Owns The Moon?", and the promise of an album later this year.  The frontman is Dion Nania, who has moved from Melbourne to NYC, and his colleagues are members of Twerps, Totally Mild and Terrible Truths (all of whom featured here in 2015).



The album will be titled In Search of Free Time, and will be released by Bedroom Suck Records in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.  US label Underwater Peoples will handle the release elsewhere.


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"Riverbed" and "Comeback" by Blood of the Bull

Music to which the talented Hillary Van Scoy can arrive under various names, as the Glasgow-based musician seems to be involved in multiple projects at any time (some are Seconds, Holy Motors and the late Aggie Doom).  One of them is Blood Of The Bull, which released the very tasty Bend Over EP via Soft Power Records in the spring of 2014 (our feature here).   Van Scoy has released two songs under that band name in the past few months, so we're hoping that a Blood Of The Bull record is in the works.  Meanwhile, enjoy the teasers.





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"Runaway" by Bad Wave

In February we featured "Look Out" by a young American synth pop band named Bad Wave (link).  Consisting of Tucker Tota and Patrick Hart, the LA-based band displays impressive skill with hooky anthems with a feel both modern and a bit of the '80s synth pop and '90s alt rock.  Bad Wave contacted us this week to advise that they have hooked up with 10K Islands for their latest project: A new song every Friday!  Bad Wave's contribution is "Runaway", which you can experience as a stream or video below.  This band is the real deal, keep an eye and ear out for them.  And as you can see from the video, the lads are a real, um, hit with the ladies.





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"Sword and Shield" / "Perfumed Boy" by Palms On Fire (free download)

Here is your introduction to Palms On Fire, an indie pop band from Izhevsk, which is located in Udmurt Republic in Russia.  On January 26 Shelflife Records will release the band's debut LP, Where Are The Grey Clouds Going?, as a digital download.  The label is taking the chance that if you own a couple of the pristine, sunshine-infused pop songs you will want more.  Are they correct?  I think they are.  So here are album tracks "Sword and Shield" and "Perfumed Boy" available to download for free.  Look at it as a late Christmas present for your ears.

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Males - Go!

Hot males action from 'down under', get your private copy!  Yes, sometimes the headlines seem to write themselves.  So there you go -- juvenile jokes at others' expense.  Another day at WYMA headquarters.  But we actually do have a good reason for this post.  One of our favorite adrenaline-soaked bands from New Zealand, Males, has release a two-song 'name your price' single titled Go!.  Originally a duo, the band now is listed as Richard, Sam and Pipsy.  Start out the year right with some free Males.





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