EP Grab Bag Vol. 36

Remember when every small town across America had a record store? No?!? Well, I do and since we live in the digital age, I am treating these releases like they are fresh off the rack at my local music shop.

Bully Mammoth – EP 1 (2013)

These lads are a lucky bunch: their record just so happened to be at the end of an aisle at the very front of the rack. Prime browser buying territory. Deep vocals slide evenly into prolonged squeals of feedback and held together with a steady guitar line that keeps this noise-rock firmly in the rock territory. You know this record had some indie cred with its individualized screen-printed cover. 

Prevart – Symbols (2013)

I bought some of those massive, multi-disc Smashing Pumpkins releases back in the day. I still have them on my shelf, and I love that "this will be a converstaion starter" quality that comes with this. But this Kansas City experimental pop act takes this release a bit further, and has it on multiple formats that include a USB drive. I am not even sure how they would file that in the record bin, but it would probably earn it a little place at the front near the cash register. That ends up being a good thing as this release is a fun romp through delightful electronics and swirling synth lines laced with communicable vocals. I think I saw someone picking up a Kraftwerk record when they grabbed Symbols, so I imagine that fan base would enjoy this fine release.  

High School Heroin Addicts – The Grand Shazam and Other Tales (2013)

The local gutter punks always park themselves right in front of the shop with their poor dogs. Most of the folks that pass them by think they are all high, but I don’t get that impression. I am not even sure they know where to buy heroin. The closest they may get is a handmade copy of this groups new CD. It isn’t fast and angry, but it is a great romp through the psychedelic pop field. “Heart Rays” is the soundtrack to a long evening coming down from who knows what. These Canadians are part of something called The Order for the Black Dawn, and while I don’t know what that is, it sounds scary as shit, and so you should download this right away as to help bring about the coming of Satan.

Mobility Chief – Search Beneath Earth (2013)

There is a bearded guy with a Fender t-shirt buying this record, so I gather this is the kind of stuff proper musician’s rock out too. I hear some awesome, grandiose dueling guitar lines, and enough hooks to keep even those not accustomed to long instrumental pieces happy. No doubt these Knoxville kids get a lot of comparisons to Tortoise and Godspeed, and those would be fair associations. Not bad company to keep however. 

Temple Goer – Petrified Forest National Park (2013)

Some poor bastard didn’t have the funds needed to get this record, but they knew they didn’t want someone else to have it as it was crammed between the Incredible String Band portion of the folk section. I don’t know if the ISB followers would dig this, as it is very lo-fi experimental folk/drone material, but it stands to reason that this music lover will be back in the coming weeks to buy or steal this bad boy. I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for well constructed collage music that still retains an infectious guitar focused quality.