As spring flows into summer, we are in love. Actually, we love a number of people and things, but our latest love is Potentially Venus. No, not a woman who might be Venus (although we wouldn't complain ...), but the new album by Wireheads. It is the Australian band's sixth album in a decade, and it provides further confirmation to what we already had concluded -- for our tastes, this band is one of the best around. What makes them wonderful? Consider their catholic approach to styles and genres, applying their skills in country, jangle, space rock, pun, post-punk, psychedelic, and alt folk. Then overlay the inspired and, at times, mind-bending stories and the dynamic arrangements. The result is a collage of inventive and engaging songs that come at the listener from multiple angles. The only constant is a high satisfaction rating.
We have embedded a few of our favorites below. We almost included "The Cascadia Fault Line" -- a great track! But a song about a likely future major earthquake in the Seattle area is literally a bit to close to home for us.
Wireheads are leader Dom Trimboli and a collective of worthy collaborators. Long may they run.
And while it is too early for year end lists, our crystal ball says Potentially Venus will be in our top ten. It is out now via Tenth Court Records.
Adelaide's Wireheads are like no one else, which is just one of the many good reasons we love them. Of course, the top reason is that they make music that is captivating, enthralling, often off-kilter but always interesting. Happily, they have a new album cooking, preceded by their new single, "Life After Winter". The single is a classic Wireheads track. As for the album, we expect left field observations and stories delivered in leader Dom Trimboli's talk-sing. And we expect that it will be one of our favorite albums of the year.
The single and the album will be released via Tenth Court.
We're about to do it to you again. Yes, it is time to implant a tune in your brain that will rattle around for days. You'll even find snippets of the melody bubbling to the surface from time to time in the coming weeks, and after a moment's reflection you will remember that it is from "Indian Pacific Express", the new song from Brisbane's Wireheads. The song is available as a digital download now, but the really good news is that it is just the first release from the band's upcoming LP, Lightning Ears, which will be available on October 20 via Tenth Court Records.
With six songs and in a bit over 40 minutes, Under The Pines stands as a perfect statement of the essence of Bardo Pond. Heavy, throbbing riffs, experimental static, distortion and fuzz, reverb and drone, strings ethereal vocals riding the storm, and moments of delicacy bracketed by the sonic wall, it is all on display. The Philadelphia band manages to be weighty, but avoids brutality with streaks of light and air. And while this might sound like some stoner's dream band, and for all I know many stoners consider it their dream band, the delights aren't just for those ingesting substances. Under The Pines is serious music, and seriously good music, for the times when you want the rock to roll.
Bardo Pond are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Clint Takeda (bass guitar) and Jason Kourkounis (drums). Under The Pines is out now in digital, CD and vinyl formats via Fire Records.
It is the middle of winter in Auckland, New Zealand, but Ghost Wave has delivered a wonderful summer album. Radio Norfolk combines dubby effects, layers of percussion, electronics, horns, and jangling guitars to create a shimmering, psychedelic aural brand of sunshine. The melodies sparkle, the basslines are propulsive and the songs flow with purpose. The purpose may be to dance yourself into another dimension with someone you love, but that sounds like a good goal to us.
Ghost Wave are Matt Paul and Eammon Logan. Ages, their debut album was an appealing jangle pop set, and I've been anticipating their second act for three years. Radio Norfolk doesn't follow its predecessor in style, but as fond as I am of jangle pop, I think it is a stunning step forward for the band. If one were to be limited to a one word descriptor, it would be "more". More bass, more layers, more haze, more smiles. more love, more trippy jams. You might detect influences such as Happy Mondays, Spaceman 3, and Stone Roses, but the freewheeling duo of Ghost Wave make this sound all their own.
The vibe is so cool, you may feel compelled to wear sunglasses. It is OK, I'm wearing them now as I type and listen to the album. Welcome to Radio Norfolk -- it may be your favorite summer album this year.
Radio Norfolk is available now via Flying Nun Records and Arch Hill Recordings.
The War on Drugs' Lost in the Dream is an hour long journey to musical bliss, every song taking surprise turns, elastically swirling, layering more and more sounds - guitars and rhythm and keyboards and a baritone saxophone - packed with a subtle-on-the-surface but underlying emotional wallop that very few rock records achieve.
Adam Granduciel spent a year making Lost in the Dream, reportedly fussing meticulously over every note from every instrument. But rather than that resulting in a cold mess as so often happens, Lost in the Dream is a perfect realization, both sonically and emotionally, of Granduciel's strong vision for the record.
The first time I heard Lost in the Dream, I was driving in the car after a very bad work day, and it immediately saved me, took me somewhere else, reminding me a bit of a couple of my favorite ever road trip bands - The Feelies and Luna - and allowing me to be transported, hypnotized, transformed. But what's particularly interesting about that is the songs create a palpable sense of being lost, hurt, smothered. But at the same time there's a cathartic letting go - the soaring choruses, the highly effective vocals, the searing guitar lines, the attention grabbing ring of the keyboards and saxophone.
I could highlight any one of the 10 songs here, not a false note anywhere much less a clunker. But the one just killing me today is "An Ocean Between the Waves", the title capturing how the whole of this record is so much more than the sum of its parts.
I watch you as you hesitate walking through the rain I bet against the company again been trying to redefine everything that I know as love I'm in my finest hour Can I be more than just a fool? It always gets so hard to see night before the moon
Lost, trying to hang on, tension rising and then - bam! - the song unfurls, the crashing of the waves, giving way to a massive release. Listen here:
"Red Eyes" is the featured song from the CD with a proper video, perhaps the best track for radio because at only 4:59 it's shorter than nearly everything else here, and even by War On Drugs standards has a massive and wonderful chorus:
I have to give you one more, the first song, "Under the Pressure", a moody, stunning opening statement of a song - "Standing in the water, just trying not to crack, under pressure" - a slow burn with a sonic and emotional haze of of psychedelic guitars and synths, where the song swirls and builds, then ultimately recedes. Listen at the 5:20 mark when you can hear Granduciel whoop, as he does on other songs here, when he finally releases the tension:
Lost in the Dream is a starkly original work, hard to categorize, though it draws from Dylan, Neil Young and Springsteen, psychedelia, 80's post-punk pop, Americana, and bears somewhat of a musical kinship with fellow Philadelphian and former War on Drugs member Kurt Vile. But Granduciel creates a bold sound here, unmistakably him with every note, assisted by very capable players.
While it doesn't sound like either of these records, Lost in the Dream reminds me of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and R.E.M.'s Murmur with how it creates a timeless sound, a feel, an emotional and unique journey - and listen to any part of it and you know you aren't listening to any other record. And placing Lost in the Dream in that company is about the highest praise I can give.
Peace on Venus is the kind of album I get lost in. Happily lost, I should add. It consists of five tracks of psychedelic rock from Philadelphia's Bardo Pond. The framework for the band was formed twenty-two years ago by sibling guitarists Michael and John Gibbons. In 1991 they added Isobel Sollenberger on vocals and flute, Clint Takeda on bass, and Joe Culver on drums. The current lineup remains the same except that Ed Farnsworth, and now Jason Kourkounis, has replaced Culver on the drums, and Aaron Igler adds synths and electronics.
The music of Bardo Pond is a sonic exploration. The explorers' targeted landscapes are shoegaze, heavy rock, psychedelia and drone; their tools are reverb, feedback, and heavy riffs, with counterpoint provided by soaring female vocals and floating flute figures. The listener is invited into a world of textures, hypnotic tempos and unexpected structures. Put on your headphones and go for a sonic ride. If you know Bardo Pond, you likely know that you want to listen to the album. If the band is new to you, try out the second track, "Taste", below.
Yes, we all have noticed a resurgence in shoegaze. Some of it is good, a bit of it is very good, and some of it leaves me a bit fuzzed out (and not in a good way). But one interesting aspect of the movement is the return of some of the old pros. Of course, we all are aware that My Bloody Valentine has returned to their fans' great joy. However, I'm here to write about another band. The name, Black Hearted Brother, is new. But when Neil Halstead puts down the acoustic that he has wielded to my great pleasure for the past half decade or so (see Oh Mighty Engine and Palidrome Hunches) and takes up the electric, we have the return of an accomplished shoegaze pro. Halstead was the guitarist and vocalist for Slodive and Mohave 3. In Black Hearted Brother he is joined by Mark Van Hoen of Seefeel, Locust and Scala, and Nick Holton of Holton's Opulent Oog and Coley Park. The trio has recorded Stars Are Our Home, which will be released in late October via Slumberland Records in the US and Sonic Cathedral in the UK. The first taste of the new album is here, and you can stream it below. It seems to me that the Neil, Mark and Nick are pulling the stops out and letting their instincts direct the music without tight boundaries. They are pros -- Trust them.
Manchester band Purple Heart Parade is playing some engaging, heavy psychedelic rock - recommended if you like Oasis and Tame Impala, especially if you like the idea of Tame Impala-style psych with plenty of guitar fuzz laid in. Lead singer is Peter Cowap, with Ryan Arnfield and Sam “Budgie” Bugajski on guitars, drummer Tom Mallas and Bass-player Ste Woods. They have built an enjoyable wall of sound with a pounding rhythm section supported by a devastating guitar attack - with plenty of guitar effects in the bargain.
They'll be appearing at the Glasgow Psych Fest. I have to say, it makes me happy that there is such a thing as a Glasgow Psych Fest.
Here's "The Room", first a live video, then an online track which they've kindly made available for free download:
Learn more, and keep up with them, at their website:
Let the Moment Land, by Cosmonaut on Vacation, is an incredibly fun, amusement park of an album -- a confident, swaggering collection of '60s garage rock psychedelia and California space rock. It rocks, shreds, echos, gets contemplative ("We Could Use A High Horse") and stretches out a seven minute instrumental jam ("Hallo(w) Gallo(w)"). The studio work, which I suspect is significant for an album like this, is excellent, and the entire proceeding benefits from that element that can be key, but often is forgotten: A big dose of old fashioned rock attitude.
Cosmonaut On Vacation is a product of the fertile Birmingham, Alabama scene, and was formed by former Through the Sparks and Stateside member Greg Slamen. Through the Sparks seems to be on hold, but this album and Nelson's album under the name Dorado from earlier this year suggests that TTS' hiatus may prove to be a boon for us music fans.
Let the Moment Land is out now on This Is American Music.
Jupiter Lion is a Valencia (Spain, not California)-based band playing some terrific driving music - in fact, this self-titled album is about the best driving record I've gotten in years. It's krautrock in the Kraftwerk and Neu! tradition, but it's a little heavier, calling to mind things like "Interstellar Overdrive".
The group consists of Sais (vocals, synthesizer and programming), Jose Guerrero (Bass guitar) and Gonzo In Vegas (drums). It was recorded with the help of Pablo Peiro, the bass player from Betunizer, another really good prog-rock band from Spain (we featured them on WYMA here). Gonzo's a hell of a drummer - he's got the "motorik" thing going very well here, getting into a groove that Klaus Dinger himself would be proud of. Check out the way the songs build from drum/bass, to add some drum fills, then Sais gets going on the synths. They're certainly not inventing a new style - what they are doing is playing this style very, very well.
Here's the video for "Silver Constellation":
And you can listen, and download, here:
There's a unifying approach to the record, but some variety in the ways the six longish songs are constructed. The quality is consistently good throughout. If you've got a taste for prog rock, kraut rock or really, any kind of instrumental rock, do yourself a favor and check this out. You can read more, or buy the record, at BCore Disc.
Advance word about Tame Impala's second record Lonerism hinted that it was more keyboard-centric than the first record, Innerspeaker (which was extremely guitar-centric)... and while I suppose it is, there is plenty of great guitar work. This is an excellent record in every way - it's easy to identify parts you like (for example, "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" might be my favorite song of 2012), but it's when you take the record as a whole that you recognize Kevin Parker's genius.
Here's that song (apparently, the second single off the record):
Echoes of Lennon, Waters, Rundgren, you name it... and absolutely delightful.
Here is the video for the single, "Elephant", a pounding rocker that melds Parker's Lennonesque vocals with a musical underpinning that reminds me of nothing so much as Marc Bolan:
Or check out the Motown drumming-into-heavy psych of "Apocalypse Dreams":
While it's all of a piece, there is plenty of sonic variety and it is far from repetitive. And while I loved the guitars on Innerspeaker, Parker has revealed himself to be the kind of artist you can trust. If you are willing to follow him on the journey that is "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Can Control", you will discover the most wonderful keyboard and vocal effects, and it will lead you into the quiet, introspective "Sun's Coming Up".
Parker's willing to share his world - it's not as though he is a loner because he doesn't enjoy being with people. I think it is more because he realizes he has the ways and means to share his singular vision with those of us who are willing to go along... and for that, he is to be applauded.
Cuzo is a Spanish power trio formed by Pantaleón (guitars and keyboards), Pep Caravante (drums) and FermÃn Manchado (bass). They proudly claim allegiance to Hendrix. And they aren't fooling around. Pantaleón swings a mighty axe, and every part of the power trio supplies a lot of power. Along the lines of the Experience, all three players are capable of carrying a solo, and the drums and bass can quickly go from underpinning the music to flying along on top of it while a heavy guitar riff is repeated. The music is tough, smart and fast - really good hard rock. Like fellow WYMA favorites Radio Moscow, these guys also claim allegiance to Blue Cheer. If you are looking for psychedelic rock with your heavy rock, look no further than "Mi Otro Yo" (My Other I?) with its Pink Floyd-inspired "whale sounds" guitar sounds leading in and out of a heavy instrumental. This is really good stuff, especially if, like me, you consider English lyrics optional...
Here's a recent video of them performing the title track:
Listen for yourself at their Soundcloud page:
Find more at Cuzo's website or click here to buy. There's an iTunes link, in case you don't want to fool around with the Spanish instructions.
Some towns are known for music (such as Memphis, Detroit, Austin, Seattle). And often towns that are recognized on a music map are known for a specific style of music. Lately, Fredericksburg, Virginia is becoming known for its emerging shoegaze scene. A few years ago my attention was drawn to Skywave, which produced a dense, heavy, but melodic sound. That band transitioned into Ceremony, which we profiled in 2011. The new kids on the Fredericksburg block are the trio Raw Feels, who have just released their seven-track debut, Raw Feels on Bad Friend Records.
Raw Feels' sound boasts a guitar-focused sound that may remind the listener of My Bloody Valentine, or of Skywave or Ceremony, and probably is best described as post-punk, shoegaze or space rock. Here is standout album track "Isolation" -- Raw Feels - Isolation by BadFriendRecords
If you prefer, here is the track on Bandcamp:
While there is variety among the tracks on Raw Feels, the constants are the deadpan vocal delivery and commitment to a dense soundscape of distorted guitar. While the band is not equal to Ceremony at this point in time, it is a welcome and promising addition to the scene for those of us who appreciate this genre.
"Much More" is one of the more accessible tracks on the album:
The songs on the album were written by frontman Ben Wood, or by Ben and guitarist Chris Carr, and recorded by Ben Wood, Chris Carr, and John Fedowitz of Ceremony and Skywave (in John's basement). John also produced the album. Making it a musical family affair, Ben also plays drums for Ceremony, and Chris plays bass for Ceremony. And mentioned only because it is a cool name, one of Ben's former bands was called Carlos, I'm Pregnant
And here is a live performance of the track "Raw Feels" captured at The Dunes in Washington, D.C. --
