tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33398563920415358672024-03-13T09:09:38.871-04:00SpacerockmountainAntarktikoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101707685853103357noreply@blogger.comBlogger1326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-50738179220051815662023-10-27T23:21:00.001-04:002023-11-01T15:03:44.217-04:00Cody Blanchard - HALLOWEEN EP VOL 1 (2020)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxFAu4eCB5LaebwlZszy2mRUnX8ZwYSXzENEDB0fyZu0q0-Wv5i7mIwFoPcOsWgY0clQJOm3e_ZuRGDblMo52p8W9QxtNRZIi0yNS_E0KwpCUPBRQsEgoeBneWL62g4_8DGixxEdgcNH0-rBR0bKWbf3zoJjQLCNvIRNsTtCjOoRBGTy4yOdYw4xggAcb/s1200/a2597859513_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="852" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxFAu4eCB5LaebwlZszy2mRUnX8ZwYSXzENEDB0fyZu0q0-Wv5i7mIwFoPcOsWgY0clQJOm3e_ZuRGDblMo52p8W9QxtNRZIi0yNS_E0KwpCUPBRQsEgoeBneWL62g4_8DGixxEdgcNH0-rBR0bKWbf3zoJjQLCNvIRNsTtCjOoRBGTy4yOdYw4xggAcb/s320/a2597859513_10.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>Here is an ode to Halloween from Shannon and The Clams guitarist/vocalist Cody Blanchard. It's a lean 2 songs, both covers, done with acoustic guitar and vocals. <p></p><p>Blanchard's approach is perfect: taking upbeat, punk rock classics and conjuring each into a dark, cold folk song lead by his ghostly but beautiful falsetto. These covers are so good they might just become staples to your Halloween playlists for years and years to come. </p><p>Released 3 years ago in the thick of the pandemic. Hopefully we will be getting a volume 2 sometime soon.</p><p>Featuring "I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement" by the Ramones and "Halloween" by The Misfits.</p><p><a href="https://codyblanchard.bandcamp.com/album/halloween-ep-vol-1" target="_blank">Cody Blanchard - HALLOWEEN EP VOL 1</a></p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-67909644354035991332023-05-26T14:16:00.001-04:002023-05-26T14:16:10.410-04:00Crimes - Good Hope (2011)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIykYHft0Yq80nJ5otqjq7_o9Q1ATyyUTaMM6eHGPtzFvzEl4hwVM2csuua57IM0HypvMJ3kYxXvQ0-BDegcb_mP-YtRLe5rJJ6zS1J6L0cYXIM6_PPOCR6Zyc_-7i1c1sr7r_dTv-byginZ9IqVecdhepstNWg9patncvg7BsUQIOJ7zkHH-w3d1KQ/s463/a4070445637_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIykYHft0Yq80nJ5otqjq7_o9Q1ATyyUTaMM6eHGPtzFvzEl4hwVM2csuua57IM0HypvMJ3kYxXvQ0-BDegcb_mP-YtRLe5rJJ6zS1J6L0cYXIM6_PPOCR6Zyc_-7i1c1sr7r_dTv-byginZ9IqVecdhepstNWg9patncvg7BsUQIOJ7zkHH-w3d1KQ/s320/a4070445637_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Late May is the time where I start to think about summer. Technically still spring, there are a few summer-esque things that occur in the next few weeks before the solstice. Honeysuckle will explode in the next two weeks, and with it the dizzyingly sweet fragrance. At the end of the first week of June, lightning bugs (or fireflies) will fill the evening trees with miniature constellations. <p></p><p>This is also the time I inevitably start looking for my summer music. I don't know why summertime is associated with music... maybe almost probably (definitely) it has something to do with capitalism. But, like a parasite, capitalism lives in me and it feels natural to seek the summer record.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOhJiKCJxmnkYjF8k4sXCjnTFftHXXomvB9Ahy4d8sBzcAmeyn1fUKuczj0IPltDHX9mTZ9iqBUAp8rTEk1ACaxqqq9q7DmChv-b0QLY59s7yi6hLoPcYftMo2gbsdK721BjPPWfptJgJG85RuJUdi5S5umOSqtOghR3MrVH9Jt8USySfoDdZyo550A/s535/0000022088_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOhJiKCJxmnkYjF8k4sXCjnTFftHXXomvB9Ahy4d8sBzcAmeyn1fUKuczj0IPltDHX9mTZ9iqBUAp8rTEk1ACaxqqq9q7DmChv-b0QLY59s7yi6hLoPcYftMo2gbsdK721BjPPWfptJgJG85RuJUdi5S5umOSqtOghR3MrVH9Jt8USySfoDdZyo550A/s320/0000022088_10.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Good Hope is a good contender. Crimes from Minnesota, a 4 piece sharing the same lead singer of the phenomenal <a href="https://spacerockmountain.blogspot.com/2017/10/loud-sun-sea-grave-2017.html" target="_blank">Loud Sun</a>, recorded their debut LP Good Hope in 2011. It is reverb-laden, shimmering psych pop with a melodic and stoned vocal delivery that just makes me relaxed. These songs, much like those of Loud Sun, are like the "couch-lock" of music. Put it on and forget it's there, you'll realize 30 minutes later that you just came up for air and that you have been swimming, drowning in thought. <p></p><p>You'll wonder where the time went. Their second release was written up by our old friend Elvis Dracula in his <a href="https://spacerockmountain.blogspot.com/2013/06/ep-grab-bag-vol-32.html" target="_blank">EP Grab Bag Vol. 32</a>. Also an excellent release. </p><p>If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Crimes are playing a reunion show on June 3rd at Palmer's Bar.</p><p><a href="https://crimesmpls.bandcamp.com/album/good-hope" target="_blank">Crimes - Good Hope</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-6373133641701287132023-05-10T13:15:00.004-04:002023-05-10T13:15:30.701-04:00Past Lives - Tapestry of Webs (2010)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUrMBS9KbdebJYzJUuKN6Hp96dODK6Zadq7SgleoYEvsRl73sciYpwO56Hi1Z-3_HtrmteIbUX773h828G24aQ-K8RTvuekjLCYKt-ruUe2Qm2h4y5eVAF0p8xJUN__IyYnErypVJU7FskehAlVxaMpEGPeogE5-d8Vh8R9aEImhMbZN6fkg7uXx_0g/s900/a2785348043_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUrMBS9KbdebJYzJUuKN6Hp96dODK6Zadq7SgleoYEvsRl73sciYpwO56Hi1Z-3_HtrmteIbUX773h828G24aQ-K8RTvuekjLCYKt-ruUe2Qm2h4y5eVAF0p8xJUN__IyYnErypVJU7FskehAlVxaMpEGPeogE5-d8Vh8R9aEImhMbZN6fkg7uXx_0g/s320/a2785348043_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Growing up in a small city with limited resources for bands, one that was never included on anyone's tour schedule, was frustrating for a young me. Situated firmly between NYC and Philadelphia, you'd think that teenage me would have many options. <p></p><p>Life wasn't like that, however.</p><p>Fast forward to my first experience living in a bigger city. My desire for live music was so pent up that every year I would bankrupt myself seeing live music. It was like a drug. I would get yearly bonuses that would all be dwindled 4 months, where I'd inevitably pull money from my retirement fund to cover rent. </p><p>One of the bands I saw in this time was Past Lives. I was working with the bassist from The Thermals, who were opening, so I had the rare opportunity to see a show for free, and I loved The Thermals so win win. Then Past Lives takes the stage and within minutes my little mind was splattered all over the walls of the venue. </p><p>Past Lives featured Jordan Blilie on vocals... a very recognizable voice in the music scene of the Pacific Northwest. I'd loved his earlier band The Blood Brothers, but didn't really follow Blilie's career or even know what he looked like. So immediately when he started singing I knew he was standing right in front of me. </p><p>Tapestry of Webs is post-hardcore pushed up toward colorful melodicism and away from the dismal, grey vibes more indicative of the genre. The music is energetic and thrashing at times but also swings towards balladry. There's singing AND screaming. Guitars AND saxophone and... is that a clarinet or a bassoon in there? A wild, beautiful, inspired record that 13 years later is still giving newness to my ears. </p><p><a href="https://pastlivesband.bandcamp.com/album/tapestry-of-webs" target="_blank">Past Lives - Tapestry of Webs</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-24729006481347263322023-04-27T11:01:00.011-04:002023-04-27T11:02:16.883-04:00ISS - (Endless Pussyfooting) (2017)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxpxJp8nbloezT-42Aud-GjfCsJwGamR7_9Zn3v6rLFyOGRA3tG98weIrgHL-6Mhp3NzEiKE7JOoJAja1dKz0kbLPD4Cgfds18a1KZGoZcErcMDw6xBScA66mRAkRPIhxvQQzklk7jK10xFsqVk3XL8YPM08Z0WpFBX1VUaauxARGlK-SU0ik4f1KsA/s1200/a3816769768_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1200" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxpxJp8nbloezT-42Aud-GjfCsJwGamR7_9Zn3v6rLFyOGRA3tG98weIrgHL-6Mhp3NzEiKE7JOoJAja1dKz0kbLPD4Cgfds18a1KZGoZcErcMDw6xBScA66mRAkRPIhxvQQzklk7jK10xFsqVk3XL8YPM08Z0WpFBX1VUaauxARGlK-SU0ik4f1KsA/s320/a3816769768_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Innovation in music isn't something ubiquitous. Meaning, not everyone truly succeeds at innovation with their art. Creation in and of itself is not ground breaking. Rather, one must be cognizant of what has come before to recognize the manicured, well-trodden path that lies before them. <p></p><p>Then, one must avoid the low hanging fruit and go their own way. </p><p>This is what ISS does with their take on punk. It's clearly coming from punk roots but when adding drum machines, samples, and minimal instrumentation, it veers towards late 70's/early80's post-punk but with the tempo and tenacity of hardcore. </p><p>The lyrics also tend to be quite hilarious. ISS aren't a joke band, they're not out for a laugh. But the lyrics for example in the song "I Hate People My Age" are crass and antisocial but in a way that I at least find amusing and relatable... decrying the idiocy of of "<i>$15 dollar donuts" </i>and how their generation has "<i>thoughts on modern topics that are all garbage</i>" ... not to leave out the refrain, "<i>I hate people my age, my heart is pumping rage, and my stomach's turned to bile... I pray my peers all catch West Nile"</i></p><p>A little harsh maybe but keep in mind this is punk rock from North Carolina... a state that has no shortage of enraged punk (<a href="https://spacerockmountain.blogspot.com/2015/12/last-words-st-2013.html" target="_blank">see this past post about one of the greatest hardcore bands who also happen to be from NC</a>). </p><p>ISS are beginning to catch on, with this record being the one that grabbed my attention first. Maybe you will enjoy them as much as I do. All their records are worth listening to and purchasing. </p><p><a href="https://iss2012.bandcamp.com/album/endless-pussyfooting" target="_blank">ISS - (Endless Pussyfooting)</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-57155187857077152762023-04-20T17:03:00.002-04:002023-04-20T17:03:19.155-04:00Music for 4/20<p><br />420 is a dumb tradition in the United States that has to do with smoking marijuana. Every April 20th hundreds of thousands of college kids are making both dumb jokes and excuses to get blasted today. </p><p>I used to be one of them, so I use the word "dumb" lovingly. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnpJzZxuBFd7v2eqsH7DR2JIrsEthuKOu2eTq9sxeMWCJSb4G3JQqThsIt3bJvh0jRjsSkHPlECGBtuLKBSRrxTxbN_C1NN30xm8e3Z_k0bgTKSYkExNxTjnnqM1tlhtFErFMFQ2J8ASkfLjeeEqut7Y36yJTFBHVo8hmOsBAB-4Y2DQypILS_znZrg/s291/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="291" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnpJzZxuBFd7v2eqsH7DR2JIrsEthuKOu2eTq9sxeMWCJSb4G3JQqThsIt3bJvh0jRjsSkHPlECGBtuLKBSRrxTxbN_C1NN30xm8e3Z_k0bgTKSYkExNxTjnnqM1tlhtFErFMFQ2J8ASkfLjeeEqut7Y36yJTFBHVo8hmOsBAB-4Y2DQypILS_znZrg/w320-h190/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Weed is a lot more accepted in the US today than it ever has been with stores selling it legally in several states. They are strange places, almost more like banks than, say, liquor stores. One does not browse at a weed store. The transaction is very business-like... almost cold. You wait in a line (or in some instances a waiting room) until it is your turn to order. You speak to a stoner (sometimes called a "budtender") who helps you find what you are looking for (weed, you are looking for weed). You get your wares and you GTFO. <p></p><p>Anyway. Those days are behind me but no judgement if you took the day off to smoke a ton of weed and do whatever. May these records guide be your soundtrack.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRcEVzXQo-cFQ9QFVav2jIxgEoE-EfU-5rPcv_kdN57Pm9F_RwlqlBhQA8eyWmI8ypE3TA6ROFTxsC6OUMJ8FUbtREf-qClA-GawS8y1fAfRZPDBuTW-_v4B9Z6BSf1PkyE3hP2QE03iUx3p2tuRDwPoW5xcws97e3HPprOOBu9tcuEQ5P9X1T_PAoQ/s1200/a1601658262_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRcEVzXQo-cFQ9QFVav2jIxgEoE-EfU-5rPcv_kdN57Pm9F_RwlqlBhQA8eyWmI8ypE3TA6ROFTxsC6OUMJ8FUbtREf-qClA-GawS8y1fAfRZPDBuTW-_v4B9Z6BSf1PkyE3hP2QE03iUx3p2tuRDwPoW5xcws97e3HPprOOBu9tcuEQ5P9X1T_PAoQ/w200-h200/a1601658262_10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><a href="https://itisholy.bandcamp.com/album/all-these-worlds-are-yours-lp" target="_blank">Holy - All These Worlds Are Yours</a></p>Holy is from Stockholm, Sweden and they remind me of Tame Impala's Innerspeaker and Lonerism days. Swirling phased out drum fills and Beatles-esque vocals make this well-produced record one that I've returned to several times over the past several years.<p></p><p>Holy is solid, psychedelic indie rock. Also - a limited amount of vinyl remaining on this one.</p><p>2019 release on Punk Slime.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOQqNKIA_kG9qgWV1WjaSukOBYOW7eO_Mr1DaK79XdIgr_WudBvk7xcbFc4MXEbswOtaxQuNHfk6Gqg_36b1iCqrKpcA0cc3FBW_xXssaf8-in6V994u-0g7ylJ567jE8lBih3On72Dq6h9VF_zyAqI7IXzc-BQWlIcU3LXUCNmPgiE6ypLmrgRynVQ/s1200/a0577717704_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOQqNKIA_kG9qgWV1WjaSukOBYOW7eO_Mr1DaK79XdIgr_WudBvk7xcbFc4MXEbswOtaxQuNHfk6Gqg_36b1iCqrKpcA0cc3FBW_xXssaf8-in6V994u-0g7ylJ567jE8lBih3On72Dq6h9VF_zyAqI7IXzc-BQWlIcU3LXUCNmPgiE6ypLmrgRynVQ/w200-h200/a0577717704_10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://deadfinkera.bandcamp.com/album/the-death-and-resurrection-of-johnathan-cowboy" target="_blank">Dead Finks - The Death and Resurrection of Johnathan Cowboy</a> <br /><p>Sometimes I gather so much music that I forget to listen to it. Popped this one on the jukebox the other night and boy howdy, a gripping rock record from a Berlin duo. Just straightforward punk that's more slightly more rock than punk to my ears but your experience may differ.</p><p>The chord changes are just slightly askew and I like how they double (triple? quadruple?) the vocal tracks. Will probably get this on vinyl.</p><p>For stoners who like IPAs with their bong hits.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE_Yc2WwT6nc5fAe8wBNrGVkGZXJfd3t1HeN8D1InTD5y_6D95BMUSBFL5nWrAnLYWTXXVdI8jF7HfcaE3-8dGtjrKk58YCr4CeN9B2y7grIPmyXxe77cleAR8ORzstV83E8KDu1dO0e35KFDRWurSdqKcGPVRMsacfU0FMBESuTP6StombStNjQ7rA/s1200/a1785948099_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE_Yc2WwT6nc5fAe8wBNrGVkGZXJfd3t1HeN8D1InTD5y_6D95BMUSBFL5nWrAnLYWTXXVdI8jF7HfcaE3-8dGtjrKk58YCr4CeN9B2y7grIPmyXxe77cleAR8ORzstV83E8KDu1dO0e35KFDRWurSdqKcGPVRMsacfU0FMBESuTP6StombStNjQ7rA/w200-h200/a1785948099_10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://kadhjabonet.bandcamp.com/album/childqueen" target="_blank">Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen</a><br /><p>Here's some gorgeous soul/jazz/r'n'b out of Los Angeles. I think it was during the initial phase of the pandemic that I went on a bit of a music buying spree and Kadhja Bonet was one that I bought several things from.</p><p>Chill music in case your mellow gets harshed. Track 4, Delphine, is at least worth 6 minutes of your day. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkMjup1z8uw" target="_blank">Here's a great live performance of a song on a different release. </a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2uhqKxZAvk1sJE3GL2TOWNRhb3yhasn_Plzm4HRKRynhRzDQ_v9cZ8-i-uv1SuPTX1cnsaCb96GkrAFlO2mXFFiPq24cYzfKTzaUb6QjG082_w1gVePot_M8ZJPFwGJswzDrLnSEKU6HKoXH2svFwYku7s_QcQcO8oXSxYC6hNgtEgR-oo32VHtxnA/s1200/a1458742479_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2uhqKxZAvk1sJE3GL2TOWNRhb3yhasn_Plzm4HRKRynhRzDQ_v9cZ8-i-uv1SuPTX1cnsaCb96GkrAFlO2mXFFiPq24cYzfKTzaUb6QjG082_w1gVePot_M8ZJPFwGJswzDrLnSEKU6HKoXH2svFwYku7s_QcQcO8oXSxYC6hNgtEgR-oo32VHtxnA/w200-h200/a1458742479_10.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://jogginghouse.bandcamp.com/album/face" target="_blank">Jogging House - Face</a><br /><p>Another contribution from Germany. Here we have Jogging House from Frankfurt, which is the ambient project of one Boris Potschubay. Since getting into ambient music 3 years ago I've consistently enjoyed the music of Mr. Potschubay. The tones are warm and nostalgia inducing with touches of 8-bit grit. </p><p>This is his most recent release under the Jogging House name. Good for zoning the eff out while doodling or whatever stoners do these days. I listen to it while doing chores on rainy Sunday mornings because like I've said before... I'm old now.</p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-40528763152242611362023-04-19T16:54:00.002-04:002023-04-19T16:54:24.766-04:00The Molds - Saltine (2018)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0AQUsFiqglJAeaD12eLUSC3NwJFgwO7DO6XrBuK6QPDdkyJ8daJ4IGWMqAtNMlQen-IBJsYQdrAvm4xQ9jbQNlE-opgc-9k0_aM-dbnRPlXbXS9pGjC6hQrWlINKiAL7u8s4dCkkGbJvxF9iai6FWrV2v3PO7YmjaqX4E4UtDQH2H2Yf65hqIBuykg/s1200/a2275414740_10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1200" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0AQUsFiqglJAeaD12eLUSC3NwJFgwO7DO6XrBuK6QPDdkyJ8daJ4IGWMqAtNMlQen-IBJsYQdrAvm4xQ9jbQNlE-opgc-9k0_aM-dbnRPlXbXS9pGjC6hQrWlINKiAL7u8s4dCkkGbJvxF9iai6FWrV2v3PO7YmjaqX4E4UtDQH2H2Yf65hqIBuykg/s320/a2275414740_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>One of the most interesting things about Bandcamp is that it's truly a website for everyone: big names but there music on there of course, but so does the everyday person who records music but holds a completely different day job.</div><div><br /></div>The Molds is the monicker that a guy named Matt Ojala uses to write and record rock music somewhere between Seattle and NYC (and maybe Charleston, SC) when he's not working in project development. <div><br /></div><div>The tracks are pretty lo-fi but punchy and loud. It's kinda punk and it's kinda throttling indie rock. The rhythms are strange... not in a time signature kind of way but in a "why is he hitting the snare drum there" kind of way. Try bobbing your head along to the rhythm. It's like being on an old wooden roller coaster ...it all works but in a jerky sort of way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Impressively good music from an obvious talent who ALSO just so happens to also develop affordable housing communities. Makes me wonder what the hell I'm doing with my life.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://molds.bandcamp.com/album/the-molds-saltine-lp" target="_blank">The Molds - Saltine</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /> <p></p></div></div></div>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-69417249521104414222023-04-18T18:14:00.001-04:002023-04-18T18:14:13.114-04:00Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling (2018)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dGZw1Q_590xx7LpOjokfQLltgmJRzua1PjZj8Ri3XkenwOOLToPIJY0aOj8vXgamI3BVT9Zs-CoM5O3lKQj23xfN-FnYUGN-BQmlzlWNTzv84DscHWAgh080dAkKFa_72c_NAfc4AoswOq8gzn76vHpnbuMG9TumP7pFmRYyD88mX_JiJ5s_DSIxbQ/s1200/a1705233719_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dGZw1Q_590xx7LpOjokfQLltgmJRzua1PjZj8Ri3XkenwOOLToPIJY0aOj8vXgamI3BVT9Zs-CoM5O3lKQj23xfN-FnYUGN-BQmlzlWNTzv84DscHWAgh080dAkKFa_72c_NAfc4AoswOq8gzn76vHpnbuMG9TumP7pFmRYyD88mX_JiJ5s_DSIxbQ/s320/a1705233719_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a record that was, from what I understand, fairly huge in South Korea but is much less ubiquitous in the US. <p></p><p>This is an electronic pop album, or folktronica as their Wiki page states but that's a word that makes me want to barf. Showing my age, I guess. If the blending of acoustic instruments with electronic instruments makes something folktronica, the description is apt, however reductive. </p><p>The gorgeous melodies of this album, in the exchange between girl/boy vocals, and the playfulness of the dynamics.. the parts of the album that whisper and then swell into a prism of sound.. these are the things that earned this record Best Dance and Electronic Album of the Year at the 2019 Korean Music Awards (there's really no element of dance here, however). </p><p>The acoustic bits, and the rhythms in part, are actually quite Brazilian. I'm not well versed in the genres of Brazil but I think I'm correct in saying this album is part electronica and part bossa nova. Maybe not throughout the entirety of Crumbling but it's definitely there. </p><p>I stumbled on this album exactly one year ago and over the year, it's been my happy place. It got me through a bout with Covid, through hot summer road trips, and eased my anxious mind to a restful place. </p><p>11/10.</p><p><a href="https://midairthief.bandcamp.com/album/crumbling" target="_blank">Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-80215436865123948852023-04-14T15:12:00.000-04:002023-04-14T15:12:08.976-04:00Truly - Fast Stories... from Kid Coma (1995)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDySq0WABqkywpVaVA8yinlcEMNYxTVWMb2526UroxvTylMn6g9XM9P4ESDV73XMurSc4pIF_GiXHcnrLyvP8xxEdUUlFV7YI0TUbRODwb6Kf3Pg-v2Nz1dS4lLaKzMzlG8dciuGBZxVuw17qe9eD5v0JkAEWRUFhR6294_GcFDeNJA8Tys5SnG7XSg/s1200/a4004970740_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1200" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDySq0WABqkywpVaVA8yinlcEMNYxTVWMb2526UroxvTylMn6g9XM9P4ESDV73XMurSc4pIF_GiXHcnrLyvP8xxEdUUlFV7YI0TUbRODwb6Kf3Pg-v2Nz1dS4lLaKzMzlG8dciuGBZxVuw17qe9eD5v0JkAEWRUFhR6294_GcFDeNJA8Tys5SnG7XSg/s320/a4004970740_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A lot of people have strong opinions about the word "grunge". It's divisive because its one of the few music genres that doesn't have have definable sound. Pearl Jam and Tad are about as different as Jimi Hendrix and Judas Priest, but they both receive the label "grunge". <p></p><p>The progenitors of the genre are nearly all from Washington state, and in fact grunge was also referred to as "The Seattle Sound", but if one uses that as a metric then both L7 and Stone Temple Pilots don't get included, which would upset many to the point of pitchforks and torches. Another interesting thing about the genre, if that's what we're calling it, is that none of the people credited with it wanted any ownership of the word. Punk bands proudly call themselves such. Not the case with grunge.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UeHIDRtr6fobzMpreSJk_6uLm5yZTMYs4AMgN_NK39E8KAWpU-GhM9B2cqrSZMz_EhTSUEaBFE3cg2TXTIA8ZExEDKcV6D4YstOdje6YBuR_kYxLvB8tvAqFTqBqXUmIpR5FUl0Oc2Hoyx39MM6q-T_VSV_5tjcyUJZN0xDU7DrHeL_EzYpsdfR-5A/s500/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="483" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UeHIDRtr6fobzMpreSJk_6uLm5yZTMYs4AMgN_NK39E8KAWpU-GhM9B2cqrSZMz_EhTSUEaBFE3cg2TXTIA8ZExEDKcV6D4YstOdje6YBuR_kYxLvB8tvAqFTqBqXUmIpR5FUl0Oc2Hoyx39MM6q-T_VSV_5tjcyUJZN0xDU7DrHeL_EzYpsdfR-5A/s320/image.jpg" width="309" /></a></div>Whether they liked the term or not, Truly was a band from Seattle that no one in their right mind would debate calling grunge. For starters, the rhythm section features founding members of both Soundgarden (Hiro Yamamoto) and The Screaming Trees (Mark Pickerel), 2 of grunge's biggest bands. <p></p><p>Frontman Robert Roth, the least known member, was actually very well known in Seattle's grunge community of the early 1990s. He was considered to join Nirvana when the band began seeking a second guitarist. Roth's voice actually brings to min<br />d Kurt Cobain during his most somber moments, and the nasal screeching of Mark Arm from Mudhoney when he screams. His guitar sound is incredibly dense and distorted but without sacrificing melody. Where Truly TRULY stands out is their incorporation of 60's sounds and song styles. "If You Don't Let It Die" almost sounds like The Kinks if they'd been a strung-out Seattle band in the 90s. A Rhodes piano featured on "Angelhead" lends a Doors-esque quality to the song's stoned feeling, not to leave out the use of a mellotron in the song's chorus, harkening to "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Roth would later earn mellotron credits on Built To Spill's Perfect From Now On).</p><p></p><p>Make no mistake however. While the songs on "Fast Stories... from Kid Coma" all have a psychedelic 60's vibe, the bulk of the sound is firmly rooted in punchy distorted rock music more akin to plaid shirts than paisley bellbottoms. This was producer Adam Kasper's first produced record... his other credits include heavier bands like Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age... and he would later go on to winning a grammy for Foo Fighters "There Is Nothing Else to Lose".</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2LGijxdOShBMawH7NTl6YYzJ6TiGomAmgCabBPGx3nhqS9-UzMzZghA81_3hXnt2zW2_U9GR1cpmANfdDgYLh4IL0PqztvdhiYe4OP8S_xgyhWPF9uFlQoZtfCm8ZiSN_u8wb4bbUjbhY3_y0drhhPBfq64jAUtzGugUblCnk9ACerd6Us68gDV6pw/s225/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2LGijxdOShBMawH7NTl6YYzJ6TiGomAmgCabBPGx3nhqS9-UzMzZghA81_3hXnt2zW2_U9GR1cpmANfdDgYLh4IL0PqztvdhiYe4OP8S_xgyhWPF9uFlQoZtfCm8ZiSN_u8wb4bbUjbhY3_y0drhhPBfq64jAUtzGugUblCnk9ACerd6Us68gDV6pw/w200-h200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>This album has been described as grunge music's lost masterpiece. It has also been called grunge's swan song. While it was released to critical acclaim, it seems like it should have been bigger. That said it is almost too weird for what MTV was selling at the time: the tides were shifting away from grunge and toward pop punk and grunge-lite bands like Silverchair. Truly was too dark and heavy for a world still hurting from the death of Kurt Cobain. But in retrospect, this album deserves to be listened to and talked about by those still interested in whatever grunge is (or was). It is a fantastic sounding record that <i>feels</i> like the 1990s. They say the 1990s are back... which is maybe true but you never hear bands like Truly anymore.<p></p><p><a href="https://trulytheband.bandcamp.com/album/fast-stories-from-kid-coma-2020-remaster" target="_blank">Truly - Fast Stories... from Kid Coma</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-78075437250084446242023-04-08T18:29:00.000-04:002023-04-08T18:29:01.233-04:00Easter Weekend Music for the Whole Family (aka your audio escape from family)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_lmUUXs6vAibtd0-1hHo7Kda2ssZ8FFaCr4r318KQve3XaAara0MTWSoFJDWxqH71cLkIiA73yLbJXpssae14JHMRYWP7H48Bu7D43-2ogBv5eX7Au8vqwDeCZsWC3EhTwgNk0G8WlRupve7b3ujI5s158AX1ee0hbX4hW9OTA8egv9jgrnJ901EaQ/s700/a2679751509_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_lmUUXs6vAibtd0-1hHo7Kda2ssZ8FFaCr4r318KQve3XaAara0MTWSoFJDWxqH71cLkIiA73yLbJXpssae14JHMRYWP7H48Bu7D43-2ogBv5eX7Au8vqwDeCZsWC3EhTwgNk0G8WlRupve7b3ujI5s158AX1ee0hbX4hW9OTA8egv9jgrnJ901EaQ/s320/a2679751509_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://girlslivingoutsidesocietysshit.bandcamp.com/album/demo" target="_blank">G.L.O.S.S. - Demo</a><p></p><p>Girls Living Outside Society's Shit, or G.L.O.S.S. were a band from Olympia, WA that were absolutely fantastic. With all the current transphobic bullshit plaguing the US, it seemed only appropriate to post the first release by this trans-feminist hardcore punk band.</p><p>G.L.O.S.S. are no longer around but their impact and legacy will last generations, I'd wager. Especially as this nation moves in it's typical clunky and violent way towards acceptance. Just have to wait around for these old generation fascists to push up their daisies. </p><p>This EP has 5 songs and all are under 2 minutes long. It's a very brutal release that gets the blood pumping. Perfect music to blast at your redneck neighbors while during their next confederate cook-out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFAsOl31H9gl6vuOH4OhS-JAVzAoU85qDHcfxnitIpa_rCIFelVpdJpDdlFlw_dn1DC0IFCMCHfPHtM5QEhr0GuyPZ8n85faUVyYshWxa964Jn1v1TFAYy1LyJWEdFBy3VjI2XJvIX-2EFQ7LBj5rVXIYEWdMi1WlnZtluT_npznfzLHKnSVEl0rIpQ/s960/a1629295237_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFAsOl31H9gl6vuOH4OhS-JAVzAoU85qDHcfxnitIpa_rCIFelVpdJpDdlFlw_dn1DC0IFCMCHfPHtM5QEhr0GuyPZ8n85faUVyYshWxa964Jn1v1TFAYy1LyJWEdFBy3VjI2XJvIX-2EFQ7LBj5rVXIYEWdMi1WlnZtluT_npznfzLHKnSVEl0rIpQ/s320/a1629295237_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://mydolores.bandcamp.com/album/peach-fuzz" target="_blank">Dolores - Peach Fuzz</a></p><p>Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, the band Dolores caught my ears a few years ago despite their kinda terrible album art. The music is kind of a pristine, yacht rock meets psych-pop experience that is uniquely catchy. I mean it's like, mind-altering how catchy it is... it's weird. I'm not sure how to describe it honestly. </p><p>It's maybe a little hokey... corny even. But there's serious talent at play. Singer Javier Reyes voice has such a clean tone he might as well be a '66 Fender Jaguar in human form. Since this band broke up, his talents have moved east to join another psych-pop yacht rock group out of Chicago called Post Animal, who are also definitely worth your attention.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aUGXeme8H0A-_k9w-klZy_D7wSnxvBO5VPtfZCF1K8LfmTKUkUiK-iK74wGIVwIbAq_8CMGUYHoU3yWFXMZw_WaiTTLezxZN-T9ge3QoWCGtxBxcAYHIR-WrI0eBK_dG916jt-WjyS35VJhKlOCmJcUdhLDGGR2JYxbrveXGAm5iNgypQs3wuhJ6_Q/s1200/a0068095501_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1200" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aUGXeme8H0A-_k9w-klZy_D7wSnxvBO5VPtfZCF1K8LfmTKUkUiK-iK74wGIVwIbAq_8CMGUYHoU3yWFXMZw_WaiTTLezxZN-T9ge3QoWCGtxBxcAYHIR-WrI0eBK_dG916jt-WjyS35VJhKlOCmJcUdhLDGGR2JYxbrveXGAm5iNgypQs3wuhJ6_Q/s320/a0068095501_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://built-to-spill.bandcamp.com/album/unoriginal-artists" target="_blank">Boise Cover Band - Unoriginal Artists</a><br /><p>Here's a release that has been around for awhile but I only recently learned about it. </p><p>Boise Cover Band is the band Built To Spill who decided to release some covers back in 2003. It's 7 songs and a nice little thing to hear. Built To Spill are one of those bands I could always listen to so to hear them perform a version of David Bowie's Ashes To Ashes, arguably my favorite Bowie song, is a treat. </p><p>Both a Pretenders and a Captain Beefheart cover to boot. </p><p>Not going to be your favorite thing Built To Spill ever did, but it's fun and maybe something you haven't heard. Also available on vinyl, if that's your thing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibttxjLDfgIZpJMrLnUeod7deP9NPVlHJqcCxMvvPE8jg_fABQ3t0rHxZe7sMTU6r_1PCmy11D63Ehd1W6GHCIvDem12gW34eaehr9MZqf4ZKAXps3dvbM7k_vM3wfPBIFS2T7phWA5MmI3RUIzfplfFPBfXV5tfkZRLoSStUlE3vkVkR44F0k-tHtUg/s1200/a0739605236_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibttxjLDfgIZpJMrLnUeod7deP9NPVlHJqcCxMvvPE8jg_fABQ3t0rHxZe7sMTU6r_1PCmy11D63Ehd1W6GHCIvDem12gW34eaehr9MZqf4ZKAXps3dvbM7k_vM3wfPBIFS2T7phWA5MmI3RUIzfplfFPBfXV5tfkZRLoSStUlE3vkVkR44F0k-tHtUg/s320/a0739605236_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://emahoytsegemariamgebru.bandcamp.com/album/emahoy-tsege-mariam-gebru">Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Self-titled</a></p><p>Maybe Easter weekend is a shitshow for you. Maybe you're at the in-laws with your sister-in-law's husband whose a total energy vampire and bigot prick but everyone else loves him so you have to play nice. </p><p>Well escape yourself to a bathroom immediately and take a dip into the soothing piano music of this Ethiopian nun whose original compositions are as relaxing as an unseasonably warm spring day... which have been in relative abundance out here in the wilds of central New Jersey (it DOES exist). </p><p>Ms. Gebru recently passed away in late March at the age of 99, so she made it past the equinox with us. This is her spring. </p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-42920121101895600392023-03-31T11:32:00.005-04:002023-03-31T11:32:52.509-04:00Music For Your Weekend<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6RLnmntvHrl8BqJqMhs8x3VNHSTAvas86Vt4wgD6R_Ji3KZ3FT-k8vZx8jdic2rOH-zjzWfTRZp1elUkdbaaSUZ7j5xySHX5h3Xk3slx6tx9gB8VrnVvGL5PTsKc-wVo9Rus8ETz7m75Ue6wmNuJFtgB8GVhAcpNhAtRrQM0MAqAkWR68dcZ2jbc5Q/s1200/a1973460748_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6RLnmntvHrl8BqJqMhs8x3VNHSTAvas86Vt4wgD6R_Ji3KZ3FT-k8vZx8jdic2rOH-zjzWfTRZp1elUkdbaaSUZ7j5xySHX5h3Xk3slx6tx9gB8VrnVvGL5PTsKc-wVo9Rus8ETz7m75Ue6wmNuJFtgB8GVhAcpNhAtRrQM0MAqAkWR68dcZ2jbc5Q/s320/a1973460748_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://nushu.bandcamp.com/album/sexe-tranger" target="_blank">Nüshu - Sexe Étranger</a></p><p>Some of my favorite music over the past 10 years has come from the Montreal. It's to the point that, if I'm browsing music websites and I see a band from Montreal, I will drop everything to listen to them. </p><p></p><p>I mean literally. My dinner will burn. My dog won't get walked. My son will go hungry. So of course, when I saw Nüshu's Sexe Étranger some through the pipeline, my family ate charred pizza that night. </p><p>This release is wonderfully produced, the songs are unconventional rock in the best way, and I listened to the whole thing from start to finish several times this week. Maybe they will cast a similar spell on you.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxgxhtBTLKHO-dppL8FAAyT3cb5tKaryPey1-npW8AksK-LCs8D1h-zwXOKpRXas0EpzfwpwuEQxEyLpBrlQadVislIoclzB46WmaeLwNUyjqT-IIpTjw0J4_YVLlRU3k8T4bWGXO-GubYMDP-0cGyulq1Pt77-D9FvUE6g7vRGLPTY9WLEio4RqFog/s1200/a2322798854_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxgxhtBTLKHO-dppL8FAAyT3cb5tKaryPey1-npW8AksK-LCs8D1h-zwXOKpRXas0EpzfwpwuEQxEyLpBrlQadVislIoclzB46WmaeLwNUyjqT-IIpTjw0J4_YVLlRU3k8T4bWGXO-GubYMDP-0cGyulq1Pt77-D9FvUE6g7vRGLPTY9WLEio4RqFog/s320/a2322798854_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://kendramorris.bandcamp.com/album/nine-lives" target="_blank">Kendra Morris - Nine Lives </a>I'm equally a sucker for modern soul. Kendra Morris is from New York City by way of Florida, but she sounds like she's from 1960's Detroit. <p>Soulful, funky jams lay the foundation over Kendra's smooth and sultry vocals. It brings to mind other soul revivalists of recent such as Adrian Younge, Nicole Willis, and Daptone label artists. </p><p>Ms. Morris is not a new-comer by any means, with an impressive list of collaborators including DJ Premier, MF Doom, and Ghostface Killah, she is both a seasoned musician and filmmaker to boot. She does great music videos, <a href="https://youtu.be/_YiHjUXQpLM" target="_blank">check out the awesome animation she did for this MF Doom/Czarface video.</a></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapUCt9RzYXri04EgNZct_dSxY81ZwWXe3Mox56NGlRWspnlmtkKHyVtbbeCBdBUGFcQdtxKQSKs0RVTQ9i5cMas-yJqptU67xY-_3QO5VYpOd8a-20-uwBHsueD8YE22dWlLU1jwbEXPtN6CyEdGsQLd5-OV8N7HswwiM__angYMEq4S37KP_ANfPVg/s1200/a0767548209_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapUCt9RzYXri04EgNZct_dSxY81ZwWXe3Mox56NGlRWspnlmtkKHyVtbbeCBdBUGFcQdtxKQSKs0RVTQ9i5cMas-yJqptU67xY-_3QO5VYpOd8a-20-uwBHsueD8YE22dWlLU1jwbEXPtN6CyEdGsQLd5-OV8N7HswwiM__angYMEq4S37KP_ANfPVg/s320/a0767548209_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://datachi.bandcamp.com/album/bones" target="_blank">Datach'i - Bones</a><p></p><p>One of the things I want to accomplish with these "music dumps", as the kids call them, is to explore other genres perhaps less familiar to typical Spacerockmountain fare. </p><p>While rock music is my love, I've flirted heavily with electronic music in my day. Love me some Plaid, Venetian Snares, and Aphex Twin. Those are basically the only electronic groups I know. </p><p>Luckily for me, this release by LA-based electronic artist Datach'i brings all those three references to mind. There's something truly beautiful about this record... melodically it's pretty obvious... but I also enjoyed reading about how it's a tribute of sorts to his recently departed father. Immediately engaging. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHR48TFsstHhxkaAIwipjBD9IO1WDLgFzsPaZuNgv5gUwTziqszOcxel1weMexU9bwa2ua0y-oSTKt8BTDGbu5CAxmlX1YPeso_FyG0vZf-sl9xlKacC6WplN_ggMFVjZQ20jTTOmsEa2N9dl2GJPUjDXte_iNldfIypcupJV6yUjV94e47iaEFnrQ/s1200/a2713268093_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zHR48TFsstHhxkaAIwipjBD9IO1WDLgFzsPaZuNgv5gUwTziqszOcxel1weMexU9bwa2ua0y-oSTKt8BTDGbu5CAxmlX1YPeso_FyG0vZf-sl9xlKacC6WplN_ggMFVjZQ20jTTOmsEa2N9dl2GJPUjDXte_iNldfIypcupJV6yUjV94e47iaEFnrQ/s320/a2713268093_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://lo-filo-life.bandcamp.com/album/limits-to-growth" target="_blank">Shitty Life - Limits To Growth</a><br /><p>There are certain things that will grab my attention when looking through the vast ocean of music that is Bandcamp. One thing that will always catch my attention is album artwork that's clearly the insert for a cassette tape release. Music therein will be worth my time, nearly 75% of the time. The other is profanity. </p><p>I cannot help it. Arrested development is not just a funny TV show, it's something that happened to me in my youth. Poop jokes never have fallen out of fashion for me, unfortunately for my wife. </p><p>This is just a great Italian punk band that I have no notes for. The music is catchy and hard without the trappings of that pop punk schlock. 10/10.</p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-37190005378127407102023-03-27T19:00:00.015-04:002023-03-28T08:31:05.579-04:00Tropical Popsicle - The Dawn of Delight (2013)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9htfZJF0uhh36sL74dLL_LL-xh8AZHaQohLhMogxoTbCR1SwcazWNacxf9hZCEgws8ktcLMX9gkHFrupmhKJd9hNGa9ZiEfbO0qfLcA3U9bb1LJtkyG_VMgVb2_LVgmql2AyJ0eIn_CIT3a6w0RHm6YpYVQVYVaxuJmTyqTfmr9_p2lJEV-0iQ4YXw/s1200/a0803738178_10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1200" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9htfZJF0uhh36sL74dLL_LL-xh8AZHaQohLhMogxoTbCR1SwcazWNacxf9hZCEgws8ktcLMX9gkHFrupmhKJd9hNGa9ZiEfbO0qfLcA3U9bb1LJtkyG_VMgVb2_LVgmql2AyJ0eIn_CIT3a6w0RHm6YpYVQVYVaxuJmTyqTfmr9_p2lJEV-0iQ4YXw/s320/a0803738178_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a record from the not too distant past. Now a decade old, this lone full length from a San Diego band called Tropical Popsicle features 13 blissed out tracks that are equal layers psych-pop and garage, with an icing of 80's cold wave.<p></p><p>You've heard it all before, right?</p><p>There's something just slightly better about Tropical Popsicle, however, than your average 2000-teens garage revival. The music pushes the nostalgia to include, not just the better parts of 60's psych but also 80's synth pop. The result is both simultaneously recognizable and new... in a different place and time, with the backing of a major label, Tropical Popsicle could have been huge. Maybe the same could be said for anybody. But then, would that anybody also have record artwork nearly as interesting? Ooh-La-La. </p><p><a href="https://volarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tropical-popsicle-dawn-of-delight" target="_blank">Vinyl also available through Volar Records. $10 frikin' bucks!</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-48237003967631513452023-03-20T10:21:00.001-04:002023-03-20T10:21:13.735-04:00Music For Your Week<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5FYK8jSKvThzfeiB5WL6CUCTbvCw72dgGqlXCBZ17TloqeDvuDqfiPIMhBAX8AZlP7XDia42FwuP_3F5FDFUjEvTegKXTcZ2XTHVOuvkLgJZxkTUYZqgZLvNvhvC9BlXt1tGgNvKmAUxeaEUrMzy0sOK74qPCPt9USbF6fCMlAzV1pLG2lzK7q28PA/s1200/a0356725083_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5FYK8jSKvThzfeiB5WL6CUCTbvCw72dgGqlXCBZ17TloqeDvuDqfiPIMhBAX8AZlP7XDia42FwuP_3F5FDFUjEvTegKXTcZ2XTHVOuvkLgJZxkTUYZqgZLvNvhvC9BlXt1tGgNvKmAUxeaEUrMzy0sOK74qPCPt9USbF6fCMlAzV1pLG2lzK7q28PA/s320/a0356725083_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://unwound.bandcamp.com/album/the-future-of-what" target="_blank">Unwound - The Future of What</a><p></p><p>Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing one of the best American bands from the esteemed Olympia, WA scene of the 1990's. </p><p>Their sound is one of destitution, anger, madness, and beauty as well. But not in an overt, cartoonish, Deftones-esque way... which in my opinion is low hanging fruit aggression. Rather, Unwound embrace dissonance in both harmony and chord progression to create a musical environment that's grey and depressed, with moments of churning, wild, desperate ferocity. </p><p>The Future of What is the band's third record, originally released in 1995. Many of their most beloved songs are from this record. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpsvFwfIKRozg4exCC9uwq0D2LiB3Q7GkT0rs-EdIOngI8LbNtNU2zrLzQfmpkHR00e1pyzJg_JkH6zgTNl1K06l7WiOnFl67ZCOuZJ2vrMY2yVukKVnIVIhM76vZorIaFrs_OkoLAvetr80sSUCVnsSGEKIPIAdw7z0rc5Gqv87tEgZQsy635vUrAw/s1200/a1957732270_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpsvFwfIKRozg4exCC9uwq0D2LiB3Q7GkT0rs-EdIOngI8LbNtNU2zrLzQfmpkHR00e1pyzJg_JkH6zgTNl1K06l7WiOnFl67ZCOuZJ2vrMY2yVukKVnIVIhM76vZorIaFrs_OkoLAvetr80sSUCVnsSGEKIPIAdw7z0rc5Gqv87tEgZQsy635vUrAw/s320/a1957732270_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://fonal.bandcamp.com/album/olimpia-splendid" target="_blank">Olimpia Splendid - S/T</a><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of "Olympia", the self-titled 6 track EP by Finnish group Olimpia Splendid, was a welcome find this week. Formed in 2010, Olimpia Splendid are a trio from Helsinki making lo-fi, fever-dream, DIY indie rock. It was easy for me to lose myself in this release, and by the time I got to track 4, I was like... hold the fuck on a minute... is this snake charming music and I the snake? </div><div><br /></div><div>The write-up on their bandcamp states it best "their hypnotic music is a mix of weirdly tuned guitars, muddy drum machine loops, whispering vocals and trash can delays." They are signed to Fonal Records out of Finland, which seems a treasure trove of interesting Finnish music, so stay tuned for more choice picks from that.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulW9-B0FRgFmpxVLmRJHwwlrahKXB2gvVp2MC46cHhQPaLzijXzLOHv1jclZCiNE7NJopMkrWFLOwVvnWuAXlYgnX4xJe4F6k9fbX8pMrjVeXo-NDN0t4eUESj6Le26Nc8pBpYse6821WGSL7Gn2lqK7e-y_7tX4jgC5rmYzcQzmfrU8204gSpOwsfw/s1200/a0659394976_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulW9-B0FRgFmpxVLmRJHwwlrahKXB2gvVp2MC46cHhQPaLzijXzLOHv1jclZCiNE7NJopMkrWFLOwVvnWuAXlYgnX4xJe4F6k9fbX8pMrjVeXo-NDN0t4eUESj6Le26Nc8pBpYse6821WGSL7Gn2lqK7e-y_7tX4jgC5rmYzcQzmfrU8204gSpOwsfw/s320/a0659394976_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://thur-gone.bandcamp.com/album/before-time" target="_blank">thur-gone - Before Time<br /></a><div><br /></div><div>Here we have a simple recording of one Daniel Thurgood Bromfield, simply playing a piano. And it's not Bach or Mozart or anything, but one person's musical wanderings around the keys. From the sound of it, it's an inexpensive set up, with the microphone picking up all ambient sounds of the room and house.</div><div><br /></div><div>The house is known as The Campbell House. I believe it's a student house on the University of Oregon campus. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's an interesting recording, and one can clearly hear a dryer or dishwasher in the background, and the occasional door or conversation happening in an adjacent room. A snapshot of someone else's life that could almost be your own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxF0wnpW78eGJuqV6jbQVxY-O4p7DODz8qynt39zw7jlS1bTn4mjTfNGm9Ph8b3B_CDZLbjx3yMBa4hcs45SQgNoA7j5AFEiV9gXOJhxilPgZ7iGo8rS9ctcKP39XyPMUYXukxokisyR_b3t-wkP2OxCFG1RP9tG3DAV1O85RG3DDMzhBMZIQNPvnhQ/s700/a1696442565_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxF0wnpW78eGJuqV6jbQVxY-O4p7DODz8qynt39zw7jlS1bTn4mjTfNGm9Ph8b3B_CDZLbjx3yMBa4hcs45SQgNoA7j5AFEiV9gXOJhxilPgZ7iGo8rS9ctcKP39XyPMUYXukxokisyR_b3t-wkP2OxCFG1RP9tG3DAV1O85RG3DDMzhBMZIQNPvnhQ/s320/a1696442565_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://diplodocus.bandcamp.com/album/slow-and-heavy" target="_blank">Diplodocus - Slow And Heavy</a></div><div><br /></div><div>There are a lot of niche markets out there in the world. Bacon flavored vodka, turkey and gravy flavored soda, and this... dinosaur themed dungeon synth. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you hear it, it totally makes sense... much more than meat-flavored beverages, anyway. You can probably already image what this sounds like... slow thudding, ambient synths with the sounds of dinosaurs roaring in the background. </div><div><br /></div><div>In a sense... very slow and heavy. A conversation starter for your water cooler breaks, if that's a thing that people still do. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-73299017603815075322023-03-13T22:59:00.005-04:002023-03-13T22:59:41.253-04:00I.D.A.L.G. - Post Dynastie (2015)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXMgi61zxouCka46eLP_qAwpNosf_Yb6lR3J_NojLoiAj3I3zgeb46o106lkM3UwEMRokFTOXj-eNdYHmZRcI8nsy6Q5QKTpCDBE8TBh_hBwn06gHF6AZVe7uZHhXm-_FpDWUilaAt0vtPT1nG9G7zE8Z9hfeajjLFw7KpErnp1NLg9HoCiRMLT8r6g/s1200/a0589833976_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXMgi61zxouCka46eLP_qAwpNosf_Yb6lR3J_NojLoiAj3I3zgeb46o106lkM3UwEMRokFTOXj-eNdYHmZRcI8nsy6Q5QKTpCDBE8TBh_hBwn06gHF6AZVe7uZHhXm-_FpDWUilaAt0vtPT1nG9G7zE8Z9hfeajjLFw7KpErnp1NLg9HoCiRMLT8r6g/s320/a0589833976_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a quick write up on a record that deserves your wildest immediate attention. <p></p><p>I.D.A.L.G. are a garage-rock-psych band out of Montreal. The vocals are often male and female sing in French, often with parallel melodies, which brings to mind older era-Thee Oh Sees. </p><p>Post Dynastie is their 3rd release as I.D.A.L.G., and here's the curveball: <b>it's a psych rock ode to Quetzalcoatl. You know, the Aztec feathered-serpent deity that created the cosmos?</b></p><p>This record has stayed with my thoughts for years and was a frequent addition to my old radio show. Happy to have it on vinyl as well, which as of this writing is down to the last 2 copies. Enjoy the rest of your week, friends.</p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-34102544145853452092023-03-10T13:42:00.000-05:002023-03-10T13:42:04.212-05:00Music For Your Weekend <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKF5GOR6tURlCPE0kxQsRTBG8FGa9IWobKyVRcx_z3JLDVUWaWJtF9X8oEAlzl1L5qLikL5GQqqhYc65gJU_GIn7d-gaTMVGzPMFQt76ZZUdyQhL1ZELuFNEMbb6NG8gtpS7SwjKnKf2U-mIta_qQFlZyOntoUij8FhIdJh2ZbdLUuTWJJXVqRqUMTw/s1200/a3268600776_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKF5GOR6tURlCPE0kxQsRTBG8FGa9IWobKyVRcx_z3JLDVUWaWJtF9X8oEAlzl1L5qLikL5GQqqhYc65gJU_GIn7d-gaTMVGzPMFQt76ZZUdyQhL1ZELuFNEMbb6NG8gtpS7SwjKnKf2U-mIta_qQFlZyOntoUij8FhIdJh2ZbdLUuTWJJXVqRqUMTw/s320/a3268600776_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/blind-owl-wilson" target="_blank">Blind Owl Wilson - Blind Owl Wilson</a><div><br /></div><div>This interesting figure from American music of the 1960s has one of the most noticeable voices of that era. Most recognizably a singer for the LA-based blues rock group, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canned_Heat" target="_blank">Canned Heat</a>, Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson gained accolades for his harmonica playing from other musicians of the era including living blues legends such as John Lee Hooker. </div><div><br /></div><div>This release by Mississippi Records compiles his most famous tracks from Canned Heat as well as lesser known tracks. Blind Owl's high register voice may most closely resemble that of crossroads blues guitarist Robert Johnson. Some who knew him suspected Wilson might have been autistic, though no formal diagnosis was given prior to his early death at the age of 27. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYczTowufKhD9ApzxA-7KxEhCgpiJ02otAUG9jQ1_V64G4NcKvo6MTefk5iYVbt2KVBb07bve0Op_FqzmGGFYe0KmZuEodojGASGPqp-EhGfcHVpJB_WTARVN-FrXg_RJFGfC2xxu5I5Q0eOq5KftwxTizI3DYjbcPvVmkKtDK9DN9qfSrv4ssCK0i8Q/s1200/a2059737738_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1200" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYczTowufKhD9ApzxA-7KxEhCgpiJ02otAUG9jQ1_V64G4NcKvo6MTefk5iYVbt2KVBb07bve0Op_FqzmGGFYe0KmZuEodojGASGPqp-EhGfcHVpJB_WTARVN-FrXg_RJFGfC2xxu5I5Q0eOq5KftwxTizI3DYjbcPvVmkKtDK9DN9qfSrv4ssCK0i8Q/s320/a2059737738_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://labelofgoods.bandcamp.com/album/affordable-death" target="_blank">OPSEC - Affordable Death</a><div><br /></div><div>This is hardcore punk I can sink my teeth into. I can only judge punk bands by the quality of the singer's voice. I can recognize good musicianship but if the singer's voice isn't awesome, I will not be a repeat listener... just like Gang Starr made clear in 1994 when Guru said "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBS2H3zGvY" target="_blank">If your voice ain't dope then you need to chill</a>".</div><div><br /></div><div>Signed to NYC's Label of Goods, OPSEC brings the aggression and voice that makes me want to keep this EP easy access when driving my beat up shit box around Newark. The singer's voice is similar to that of the Canadian hardcore punk band S.H.I.T., or maybe even the singer of The Peechees. If you need to work out some angst this weekend, may this be the soundtrack for your efforts.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMLMb3JK7sgTNQ5L-TpO8NMoL6Ke-4v2WSYKmhTlgr4UApnPcEWo_7Bbwe4oXxV_Lqrmgikh-_b0y5qgDItQTFRHPdgk-TKF5vMBuEryUJu5IAVeXk_rjdC0v6wW2QSY1kCG9QXR12keUTbtArcX4hc8_Zb6gkRniSCWw3HDUdcZn9yqZLT_9cVJ7hQ/s1200/a3800844063_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMLMb3JK7sgTNQ5L-TpO8NMoL6Ke-4v2WSYKmhTlgr4UApnPcEWo_7Bbwe4oXxV_Lqrmgikh-_b0y5qgDItQTFRHPdgk-TKF5vMBuEryUJu5IAVeXk_rjdC0v6wW2QSY1kCG9QXR12keUTbtArcX4hc8_Zb6gkRniSCWw3HDUdcZn9yqZLT_9cVJ7hQ/s320/a3800844063_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://mamalarky.bandcamp.com/album/pocket-fantasy" target="_blank">Mamalarky - Pocket Fantasy</a><br /><div><br /><div>Brilliant and wonderful things often emerge from terrible occurrences... it's just the way things happen. It doesn't make those terrible things worth it by any means... it just speaks to the resilience and persistence of the human spirit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take Covid, for example. If Covid had never happened, Mamalarky's sophomore release Pocket Fantasy may never have been happened. They were already a band, playing around Austin and making waves. But then the pandemic happened and the band retreated to Atlanta to live in an old house and record what you have here: an inspired and inventive rock record with catchy songs that eschew pop conventions. It's experimental in song structure but recognizable in essence. Not sure what compares.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CCsoLOBnaQwpkTIy9nRN_t7P5jH2Gy_-d4112j7FhI_2iL_gmL8fBfYN2HmoqwlVfOBKCHsS9Z1BnX2u2WcSpRzzHwd3_TfUDcOfvnXwCr-mtJT8XFMHI55RI7r676Pf_FCQJHaZJqBfaGLLn0c35s9gTUrrxShhDpd7CjXtHTjUdv3W5aeJxiXvXw/s1200/a1965816671_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CCsoLOBnaQwpkTIy9nRN_t7P5jH2Gy_-d4112j7FhI_2iL_gmL8fBfYN2HmoqwlVfOBKCHsS9Z1BnX2u2WcSpRzzHwd3_TfUDcOfvnXwCr-mtJT8XFMHI55RI7r676Pf_FCQJHaZJqBfaGLLn0c35s9gTUrrxShhDpd7CjXtHTjUdv3W5aeJxiXvXw/s320/a1965816671_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://on4word.bandcamp.com/album/in-rainbow-roads" target="_blank">on4ward - In Rainbow Roads</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes you need a conversation piece that not only piques one's interest but also pulls you in for the whole ride. Some individual out there in the world, going by on4ward, took Radiohead's 2007 In Rainbows and decided it needed to be redone through an Nintendo64 sound bank, "mostly sounds from Super Mario 64" as noted on the artists bandcamp page. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's interesting and this homage is one of detail and love. The hipster in me wishes slightly it was done in 8-bit sounds instead, but probably only because I never owned a Nintendo 64 so the sounds don't muster the nostalgia that one who DID own an N64 might get from this. Either way, it's pretty incredible and I look forward to what on4ward does next.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div></div>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-28328783650168298712023-03-08T21:45:00.001-05:002023-03-08T21:45:11.295-05:00Print Head - Happy Happy & Hardcore Pop (2021)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iDu8wgM3HoqMmwhhO5onQyQExhd-TNpsGF9SHxTImAs2nav2cE9zzQZccURJ3frd7D8kV0MEE6nILBM-WpPHNBezllj-tW_OuqpzecqooJbPrcLoeaO70F32vt-0qtNSwBt4mFtzrUl3AiSF4gBxsrmbABRaTYb5KuPSJP_N-264W13Dc64iKbcMlQ/s700/a1904610760_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iDu8wgM3HoqMmwhhO5onQyQExhd-TNpsGF9SHxTImAs2nav2cE9zzQZccURJ3frd7D8kV0MEE6nILBM-WpPHNBezllj-tW_OuqpzecqooJbPrcLoeaO70F32vt-0qtNSwBt4mFtzrUl3AiSF4gBxsrmbABRaTYb5KuPSJP_N-264W13Dc64iKbcMlQ/s320/a1904610760_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From 2017 to 2021 I had a radio show at a college in a small Pennsylvania city. I'd scour bandcamp, drinking beer, using student loans to buy music so I could play it over the airwaves to weird 50-something hipsters that never left the valley or truckers just passing through town. <p></p><p>Print Head was from that batch of music purchased from bandcamp. There's not much information that I can find about this artist. It seems to be the work of a singular person, Brandon Saucier. It's got that lo-fi, recorded-in-a-basement quality that I cherish. It's angular and dissonant while not being completely alienating, incorporating punk and garage into it's experimental song structures... all of which clock in under 2 minutes for the most part. </p><p>This release combines two of Print Head's earliest releases: Hardcore Pop from 2019 and Happy Happy from 2020. Both were self-released individually on cassette, and then Spanish punk label Discos Perquébien put out the double release in 2021. Since these efforts, Saucier has released around 6 other tapes. That's 8 releases total in 4 years, NONE TOO SHABS, as they say (no one says that). </p><p>This particular double release is on the Discos Perquébien bandcamp page which I will link below, but should you want to check out all the other releases of his (don't get your hopes up over cassettes, they're all sold out), <a href="https://printhead.bandcamp.com/album/change" target="_blank">click here to get to the Print Head bandcamp page</a>.</p><p>Click below for the 25 track double release.</p><p><a href="https://discosperoquebien.bandcamp.com/album/happy-happy-hardcore-pop" target="_blank">Happy Happy & Hardcore Pop</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-5261229309073986702023-03-03T12:11:00.002-05:002023-03-03T12:11:50.775-05:00Music for Your Weekend<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVVzXhJbmofC5KlVWRBgvKnUIrEB0GI9Z5aCwozibBu1m4blRKHz7ORzmf0FNA6vxRw8_ztjpn4B4L_y4BDzRcYmQ42bafheDYFNsTu0ffda8-JSIOH1PPJFnV2q8HmJ55muSWjsSKj_Mu7L-YKRkh1OSspDP95OZWfe27GpE_JO3uxbP0rTrfuUIsw/s1200/a3062705153_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1200" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVVzXhJbmofC5KlVWRBgvKnUIrEB0GI9Z5aCwozibBu1m4blRKHz7ORzmf0FNA6vxRw8_ztjpn4B4L_y4BDzRcYmQ42bafheDYFNsTu0ffda8-JSIOH1PPJFnV2q8HmJ55muSWjsSKj_Mu7L-YKRkh1OSspDP95OZWfe27GpE_JO3uxbP0rTrfuUIsw/s320/a3062705153_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://worlddominationenterprises.bandcamp.com/album/too-bad-i-cant-control-myself" target="_blank">World Domination Enterprises - Too Bad (I Can't Control Myself)</a><p></p><p>This is a post-punk band active in the 80s that is currently pushing out unreleased singles on their bandcamp page. </p><p>Here are two versions of this song. The "RnB" version is just my cup of tea. Playing it while driving will increase speeds by at least 20mph. The "Rangalanga box" version is also quite good, much more drum-machine bedroom post-punk which needs to be a genre explored more. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYyCcqqEyOsGqw-ZoDifFBfM6ljUhiVwv7SO4vWXU1ZkHg1mr5kXoHNWOkkJN3rsBpVcu6nYHbH9BTNPFHiSGyV4csAiE55B-NrgXsoLvfPrptqQOWZFrAjJ9NdouQCZNeLvzzvf-TyIy7UOBvKviIkhtn7qYCqzRDtJuCwREUuGTJOhJED8tcta62Q/s700/a3561013941_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYyCcqqEyOsGqw-ZoDifFBfM6ljUhiVwv7SO4vWXU1ZkHg1mr5kXoHNWOkkJN3rsBpVcu6nYHbH9BTNPFHiSGyV4csAiE55B-NrgXsoLvfPrptqQOWZFrAjJ9NdouQCZNeLvzzvf-TyIy7UOBvKviIkhtn7qYCqzRDtJuCwREUuGTJOhJED8tcta62Q/s320/a3561013941_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://hushpuppymusic.bandcamp.com/album/singles-club-remastered" target="_blank">HUSHPUPPY - Singles Club (Remastered)</a></p><p>Here is a repost of an artist named Zoë Brecher and their incredibly catchy lo-fi pop music. </p><p>Worthy of reposting for several reasons: Brecher has been making waves lately, getting more notoriety and well-deserved spotlights. She sat in as house drummer for Late Night with Seth Meyers recently, and also recorded with none other than the state bird of New Jersey himself, Bruce Springsteen, on his latest 60's soul covers record "Only The Strong Survive". </p><p>Also - when first posted on Spacerockmountain - there was only a digital and cassette tape version of this available. But now there is vinyl! Blue or Yellow. It being Bandcamp Friday, all proceeds go to the artist, so that's cool.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6M4MLCA3OvuNGlWPeAbsLvi_0k3QD820nxhdxZF68hErMzEbACkXgQborJTtVflsTp7h1njbr93niN13NMX_VO6wUSNGReHnPoBcCafpeQs0bPgQrQ1Shtc23qVjNiv9TfDbMuVlOY3n9bLTmF8h7q43ulWPpoWmq0Uk2opn9FEhCOH_h5AV8dRB5Xg/s700/a0110176039_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6M4MLCA3OvuNGlWPeAbsLvi_0k3QD820nxhdxZF68hErMzEbACkXgQborJTtVflsTp7h1njbr93niN13NMX_VO6wUSNGReHnPoBcCafpeQs0bPgQrQ1Shtc23qVjNiv9TfDbMuVlOY3n9bLTmF8h7q43ulWPpoWmq0Uk2opn9FEhCOH_h5AV8dRB5Xg/s320/a0110176039_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://vangas.bandcamp.com/album/facial-tissue" target="_blank">Vangas - Facial Tissue</a></p><p>I've been digging through stuff I downloaded years ago to find some gems I never wrote about here. Vangas seems tailer-made for Spacerockmountain because it's aggressive scuzzy noise rock. </p><p>Coming out of Georgia, this band makes music that's heavy but experimental. Maybe Unwound meets Pissed Jeans gets you close to what you'll find here. </p><p>And with track names like "I Have Three Faces and I Hang With Dogs" (which is an awesome track) and the over 9 minute closer, "Two Men Fucking" you have music that's fun for the whole family, really. </p><p>Required listening.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzixIfkRdzM47hU2LTcMlOQMWXNsZzlaP5hawTkDUa85w_ECvUk1qrPunRf6lqrdxdvto049fXMTG2mowBaaiO8r4IBKg3baLBJsx26N4FxoTBMlsim6ZXmDOcRRRe8B2o1I6G9Li6hCf6xJXQqe9NcVDqDOybUa4Vw8Xb90v-_lNq5PxC0DytnAtg/s700/a1740768929_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzixIfkRdzM47hU2LTcMlOQMWXNsZzlaP5hawTkDUa85w_ECvUk1qrPunRf6lqrdxdvto049fXMTG2mowBaaiO8r4IBKg3baLBJsx26N4FxoTBMlsim6ZXmDOcRRRe8B2o1I6G9Li6hCf6xJXQqe9NcVDqDOybUa4Vw8Xb90v-_lNq5PxC0DytnAtg/s320/a1740768929_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://experimentalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/small-town-glory" target="_blank">Burger Shot - Small Town Glory</a></p><p>There is undoubtedly 99% terrible music on bandcamp so when something unique finds the ears, my brain becomes magnetized. I'm not a connoisseur of the Vaporwave genre, and this could not quite qualify as that, but whatever this is... I fucking dig it.</p><p>Burger Shot is from Jackson, Wyoming and a project between two individuals, billybob and drey. They tagged the music herein as "Americanawave" which feels accurate. The music is like modern country, slowed way down ala Vaporwave, and chopped minimally like a wedge salad. </p><p>Have you played a record at 45 instead of 33 by mistake, and liked it better that way? This is the opposite experience. </p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-12052300951758338072023-02-25T22:19:00.000-05:002023-02-25T22:19:16.277-05:00Helvetia - You shot past the moon scapegoat (2023)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuXAXLADC6D4MtkP-4PhXFKc68jIWAVMBn3HZN7ss3T8DeNJg4m4BHUmchdsbZgCRn0nzKfdwLhzl8QPPrXrU_6YqV7JHImas3MHBqv3QQHoJqXFjKTzyVsctuGEElVP3NNnABnalTXQ-bYpoxy3jhDoeR4gSHkCCukZAj3T7dZXQXbAqYxS5RYBJ3g/s700/a4286819192_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuXAXLADC6D4MtkP-4PhXFKc68jIWAVMBn3HZN7ss3T8DeNJg4m4BHUmchdsbZgCRn0nzKfdwLhzl8QPPrXrU_6YqV7JHImas3MHBqv3QQHoJqXFjKTzyVsctuGEElVP3NNnABnalTXQ-bYpoxy3jhDoeR4gSHkCCukZAj3T7dZXQXbAqYxS5RYBJ3g/s320/a4286819192_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Living in the near-mythical central New Jersey, a geographical location whose existence is hotly debated amongst state natives, I find myself frequently bemoaning my departure from Portland Oregon some 5 years ago. In fact, my decade living there in and of itself feels near-mythical - a life of reckless enjoyment full of intoxicants and rock music. Such a stark contrast to my life now...<p></p><p>The only thing gratuitous in my present life, however, is my commute to work. So much time on highways affords my ample time to listen to new music, at least. More often than not I seek new music from my old, Pacific Northwest home. </p><p>Enter Helvetia, a Portland band who many know and love, especially if familiar with the group Duster, as both groups feature the musician Jason Albertini. Helvetia seems to be Mr. Alertini's personal outlet as principal songwriter and singer. </p><p>Many of the releases are mp3 only, including this most recent release, You shot past the moon scapegoat. This was my entry to the bands discography, which spans nearly 18 years with over 20 releases (including split EPs with Built To Spill, which Jason Albertini was also a member of recently). </p><p>This is a party that I am very late to.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUL1ltSi8pyM8NgP9PLqQzEC5hQJncomqlTWSpuFAaAsft8iEDE7iKWwbKnxhAKHodw55s8YK37bFOL5WeRyy-HIG6JvqmS0CM6HrK82Kh8y8LT0i1I7cZXWFlUadwdxdQFhVmGTNPJuU-v35oQ1H9ETugmdB1en0-6I30Wb2gKPgYlsU2qMBXG36Fg/s300/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUL1ltSi8pyM8NgP9PLqQzEC5hQJncomqlTWSpuFAaAsft8iEDE7iKWwbKnxhAKHodw55s8YK37bFOL5WeRyy-HIG6JvqmS0CM6HrK82Kh8y8LT0i1I7cZXWFlUadwdxdQFhVmGTNPJuU-v35oQ1H9ETugmdB1en0-6I30Wb2gKPgYlsU2qMBXG36Fg/s1600/images.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>I clicked with this music immediately. It's lo-fi and sounds as though it's made in a home studio. The songs have plenty of hooks and range from indie folk to more abrasive and noisy pieces. The song structures range from conventional to unconventional. There are themes of experimentalism and playfulness in much of the music on this release - a theme that extends throughout Helvetia's prolific and, frankly, stupefyingly brilliant discography. While trying to drum up comparisons to other bands/artists, I'm tempted to throw out references to Built To Spill or Pavement or even Velvet Underground - but even that doesn't quite do Helvetia justice. Mr. Albertini is of a class all his own, one that is more in line with the mad genius of R. Stevie Moore who is similarly lo-fi, experimental, and obsessively prolific. <p></p><p>So highly recommended it got me off my ass to write a blog post after a long departure. </p><p>16 songs.</p><p><a href="https://helvetiamusic.bandcamp.com/album/you-shot-past-the-moon-scapegoat" target="_blank">Helvetia - You shot past the moon scapegoat</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-45068039156813936252021-10-19T22:20:00.002-04:002021-10-19T22:20:35.824-04:00Aborted Tortoise - Scale Model Subsistence Vendor (2020)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N37tJFRkhfg/YW98YXDAJCI/AAAAAAAABSM/OLf__XdAhoMb0zwSm2LHMUiOX3qdnzobQCNcBGAsYHQ/s700/a0951317364_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N37tJFRkhfg/YW98YXDAJCI/AAAAAAAABSM/OLf__XdAhoMb0zwSm2LHMUiOX3qdnzobQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/a0951317364_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I've finally started work as an occupational therapist, and for reasons I'd rather not get into, I'm commuting 180 miles per day to do so. I wake up when it's dark, drive an hour and 40 minutes into Newark, NJ to hang out with autistic children, trying to engage them in play dough, pompoms, and pipe cleaner for 6 hours and then make the long drive home. <p></p><p>These kids are great and I'm stoked to be apart of bringing their potential out, but holy shit does this commute fucking blow. Not to mention Newark has more potholes than the damn moon, which easily adds another 5-10 minutes to my drive. The drive out of Newark is a whole other hell and it's turned me into an aggressive driver much quicker than I ever thought possible, completely obliterating whatever low-key-whatever-dude facade I'd built the past 13 years living on the west coast. </p><p>That said, my chosen soundtrack for the commute home has lately been high energy punk music and nothing does it for me like Australian punk. </p><p>Aborted Tortoise out of Perth are a great band for my commute home. A little garage, plenty o' punk. It's uppity, fun and fast, just the kind of music to help numb your cares about flipping off the piss-shivering plops who seemingly have a highway death wish. (ps I'm alright everyone, I'm just tired.)</p><p>4 songs. 7" available.</p><p><a href="https://abortedtortoise.bandcamp.com/album/scale-model-subsistence-vendor" target="_blank"><br />Aborted Tortoise - Scale Model Subsistence Vendor</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-33445637743957143852021-09-06T11:43:00.001-04:002021-10-10T20:54:17.298-04:00Punk Loon - Authentic Nature Sounds With Music (2018)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Go_Emm0y48/YTY2xyoahmI/AAAAAAAABRY/ruVYTNa3HuQGW5EH9CRcYgUToIlWKQoSQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1200/a0103539694_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Go_Emm0y48/YTY2xyoahmI/AAAAAAAABRY/ruVYTNa3HuQGW5EH9CRcYgUToIlWKQoSQCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/a0103539694_10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Throughout the 1990's a Wisconsin-based record label called NorthSound released tons of CDs and cassettes with focus on the unlikely pairing of nature sounds with calming musical genres such as classical, new age, and jazz. This niche genre would eschew the normal venues where music was sold, instead dominating the rotating kiosk market commonly found in businesses like bookstores, gift shops, and even mom-and-pop hardware stores. The label put forth now-forgotten records with very literal titles such as "Pan Flutes By The Ocean", "Symphony For Whales", and "New Age Wolf". <p></p><p>Several artists would prove prolific for this label, including one Robert W. Baldwin who released an impressive 40 titles for NorthSound and it's sister label, Nature Quest. Over the course of a decade, his contributions included the aforementioned "New Age Wolf", but also releases melding various musical stylings with calls of the iconic duck of the northern US and Canada: the common loon. "Classical Loon", "New Age Loon", and perhaps his most popular release, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wK00jIO1Go" target="_blank">Jazz Loon</a>", all made their way to the marketplace (remarkably, all in 1992) with the NorthSound imprint. </p><p>In 2018, 4 musicians out of Portland, Oregon set out to add their own unique twist to the releases of Robert Baldwin, with a release called Punk Loon. In much the same way, the music is simply field recordings of a loon played over punk rock. The band features several members of Portland's art and music scene who are more recognized for their other bands such as Landlines, The Woolen Men, Lithics, and Nucular Aminals. </p><p>Let's face it: animal/nature sounds over music is pretty silly and reserved for listening by folks who'd rather marvel at the strangeness over enjoy it for it's musical quality. But this release challenges that at least for me, because the music is what I like. Not to shit on the loon, I love the sound of the loon. Punk Loon, whether they realize it or not, may have started the reemergence of the nature+music genre with this release. I, for one, look forward to future potential releases such as "Hardcore Gorilla", "Goth Chicken" or "Garage Crickets". </p><p>The possibilities are endless. </p><p><a href="https://punkloon.bandcamp.com/album/authentic-nature-sounds-with-music" target="_blank"><br />Punk Loon - Authentic Nature Sounds With Music</a></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-33939934095456616342021-08-10T21:28:00.002-04:002021-08-10T21:28:57.107-04:00 Music For Sleep - Music From A Sinking World (2021)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SPw8d4L839A/YRMmfDe1HgI/AAAAAAAABQk/87n8SnuUbMoXQ4BVfBwrJrnaW53zuD6iQCNcBGAsYHQ/s700/Music%2BFor%2BSleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SPw8d4L839A/YRMmfDe1HgI/AAAAAAAABQk/87n8SnuUbMoXQ4BVfBwrJrnaW53zuD6iQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Music%2BFor%2BSleep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>If I had to choose a theme for the current state of things it would certainly be "uncertainty". Covid-19 continues to mutate and spread, posing difficult realities for everyone from vaccinated adults to unvaccinated children. (PSA - please get vaccinated or we won't be able to get off this shit-rollercoaster.) On top of that, a massive report just released by the UN paints a dire and quickly drying picture of our current trajectory with regard to climate change. <p></p><p>Threats of another insurrection loom while justice continues to be so blind it can't ever quite spot the people/person in need of punitive action.</p><p>Sheesh! The mind is pulled from one terrible loop of thought to the other several times per day. It's fucking exhausting.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig4QgumSzRc/YRMm0k_47NI/AAAAAAAABQs/C6XgdRD4Ud801roYHYF0SlknRT0UVzVagCNcBGAsYHQ/s120/Porcu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="120" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig4QgumSzRc/YRMm0k_47NI/AAAAAAAABQs/C6XgdRD4Ud801roYHYF0SlknRT0UVzVagCNcBGAsYHQ/w283-h197/Porcu.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>Thankfully, there's Music For Sleep: the ambient-meets-analog instrumental music of Italy's Andrea Porcu. Now, I will be the first to admit that I've avoided anything tagged "ambient" with much success throughout my life. But after hearing Andrea's Music From A Sinking World -- I FINALLY get the appeal. Ambient music is a different beast from rock, but it offers something very similar to it's listeners: escape. But whereas rock music gives you lyrics to relate and identify with, defined rhythms, and anticipatable verse-chorus patterns.... ambient music (at least that of Music For Sleep) is more amorphous in shape and completely void of human voice. Without these tangible elements, the listening mind turns inward for things to grab onto.<p></p><p>The music here is distant, almost as if heard through a neighbors open window halfway down the block. The reverb on opening track "A Quiet Storm" conjures feelings of dreaming while walking through an empty mall. Nostalgia is easily evoked in these songs... I found myself thinking of things and people I hadn't in many years. </p><p>Not to overstate things, but this release by Music For Sleep was transformative for me. That said, I've spent months exploring other ambient music and have really yet to find another artist that "does" it for me. So, maybe it's a fluke... a right place at the right moment thing that I stumbled upon Music From A Sinking World. Then again, even flukes can impart lasting change.</p><p>7 songs.</p><p><a href="https://mforsleep.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-a-sinking-world" target="_blank">Music For Sleep - Music From A Sinking World </a></p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-51643298294800577042021-07-29T22:18:00.003-04:002021-07-29T22:18:17.243-04:00RITA'S REVENGE - S/T (2019)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7J7YDxiIR7A/YQNf25Jc3GI/AAAAAAAABP8/nEsFKmDxK48Il3MEizlwltddkEpMfkLBQCNcBGAsYHQ/a2220517974_16.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7J7YDxiIR7A/YQNf25Jc3GI/AAAAAAAABP8/nEsFKmDxK48Il3MEizlwltddkEpMfkLBQCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/a2220517974_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div>Saturday morning cartoons were a tradition of mine growing up in the late 80s-early 90s. I remember certain shows more than others: I loved Bobby's World and Camp Candy, likely because I was already familiar with the works of John Candy (Uncle Buck) and Howie Mandel (Little Monsters). I also remember liking Captain Planet, but because that shit aired at 7:30am I decided it was a nice thing I wasn't going to enjoy. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's Saturday, I gotta sleep in a little. C'mon Captain. </div><div><br /></div><div>Toward the end of the line up, around 11-ish or so, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers showed up in 1993. I was a cartoon purest so this Saved By The Bell meets Godzilla schtick really wasn't my bag. Everyone else thought it was the best thing since The Simpsons, but I was and remain dubious. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fast forward to 2019, a recording project out of Boston produces the best possible fruit from the Mighty Morphin vine: a noisy, drum machine punk concept album based on a villain from the aforementioned show: Rita Repulsa. These recordings offer static blasts from overblown guitars and profanity-laced Rita-inspired lyrics, resulting in an overall sonic soup of lo-fi distortion and feedback over mechanized drum beats. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a quick listen, 4 songs clocking in around 4 minutes 30 second. A nice find that has made it onto my radio show multiple times over the past 2 years. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ritafuckingrepulsa.bandcamp.com/album/ritas-revenge" target="_blank">RITA'S REVENGE - S/T</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-89162079212409488602021-07-22T23:40:00.021-04:002021-08-20T12:42:13.395-04:00HUSHPUPPY - Singles Club (Remastered) (2021)<div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUEZCzfKl3w/YPo1ImoiFuI/AAAAAAAABPY/Quyill0tko8Iokxcqrz-MVsbrRZV4Uh0gCNcBGAsYHQ/s700/a3561013941_16.jpg" style="clear: left; direction: rtl; float: left; font-family: times; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #666666;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUEZCzfKl3w/YPo1ImoiFuI/AAAAAAAABPY/Quyill0tko8Iokxcqrz-MVsbrRZV4Uh0gCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/a3561013941_16.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="background-color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="direction: rtl;">Ok here we go. Sorry for the silence </span><span style="unicode-bidi: embed;">folks</span><span style="direction: rtl;">. Something </span></span><span style="font-family: times;">something baby, yada yada grad </span><span style="font-family: times;">school...</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: times;">I am also sorry for forgetting how to format these damn Blogger posts. I pray subsequent posts will look more normal.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="direction: ltr;"><span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: times;">Phew! With all that awkwardness out of the way, let's talk music.</span></div><div style="direction: rtl;"><span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: times;">This release by NYC musician <span><span>Zoë Brecher is essential listening for anyone keen on the output of 90's K Records or lo-fi indie bedroom pop in general. Her songs are beautiful for their simplicity of melody and humility of voice; overall familiar but fresh. Upon first listen, you may notice what appears to be Ms. Brecher's novice musicianship (she plays all instruments herself) but it's a deception. A five minute browsing of her Instagram page shows that she is an extremely accomplished drummer, playing for several bands such as Kalbells, Oberhoffer, Sad13, and most recently with NYC band Bachelor. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="background-color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="background-color: #666666;">Why, then, is this HUSHPUPPY release full of drum machine songs, you ask? Because she's crafting an aesthetic and doing it remarkably well. These songs, most of which don't break the 2 minute mark, will be stuck in your damn head until you breakdown and buy the cassette tape. At least, that's what happened to me. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">**UPDATE: limited vinyl now available through Bandcamp link below!</div></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="background-color: #666666;">12 songs.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="background-color: #666666; color: #363636;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="background-color: #666666; color: white;">Link: </span></span></span><a href="https://hushpuppymusic.bandcamp.com/album/singles-club-remastered" style="background-color: #666666; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-family: times;">HUSHPUPPY - Singles Club (Remastered)</a></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #363636;"><br /></span></span></span></div></div>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-4100439624233804912021-03-27T00:25:00.000-04:002021-03-27T00:25:16.446-04:00Signs of Life<p>Dear Spacerock Mountaineers,</p><p>It's been almost 3 years since we've last spoke.</p><p>I've never stopped thinking about the music I'd like to play for you. </p><p>Let's talk soon. </p><p>All my best,</p><p>Amazing Larry</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-35954438128632849472018-05-06T12:02:00.004-04:002021-08-06T09:43:02.324-04:00Palm - Ostrich Vacation (2015)<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zNvqV60oOdQ/Wu8kZ0E0qlI/AAAAAAAAA2c/zBrO0Fk9ESIiaUXXhCGJuN7F3LaECZ4FwCLcBGAs/s1600/a3383724142_10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zNvqV60oOdQ/Wu8kZ0E0qlI/AAAAAAAAA2c/zBrO0Fk9ESIiaUXXhCGJuN7F3LaECZ4FwCLcBGAs/s320/a3383724142_10.jpg" width="320" /></a>Hello Spacerock mountaineers,<br />
<br />
Inspired by Antarktikos' recent post, I've decided to "get the lead out" and also thrust my fingers at the keyboard in a violent manner, hoping it'll make sense in the end.<br />
<br />
Palm is a 4 piece, modern rock band who formed out of the Hudson Valley of upstate New York. They've since relocated to Philadelphia, lucky for me as I've moved from the young adult playground that is Portland, Oregon to the senior citizen waiting room that is Allentown, Pennsylvania. Palm seems to tour a lot so I hope to get a babysitter for whatever day that may be in the near future (check their bandcamp page for upcoming dates - European dates as well).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://imgur.com/gallery/vK2wqz9">Ostrich Vacation</a> is Palm's earliest release available on Bandcamp, and it's their only "pay what you want" offering... which I love because I'm both cheap and poor. It was originally released on cassette, <a href="https://jmcaggregate.bandcamp.com/album/ostrich-vacation">still available here</a>, as a part of a 6 part, 6 band series collectively called "Organechs".<br />
<br />
This release finds the band in their primordial stage, where they were honing their skills more as instrumentalists than vocalists. The crux of Palm's early era is dissonant guitars wired into a series of dizzying yet tappable drum rhythms. If we're talking about genres and how this sound fits into some sort of lineage, you can hear elements of post-punk and post-rock, but Palm has taken those leftovers and elevated them into a unique dish, and as their later releases would display they truly walk a line<br />
between accessible and inaccessible like, perhaps, no other band I've ever heard.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjmkklsfSKA/Wu8lKF2mz1I/AAAAAAAAA2k/3_HTV6Us6KsiJvtCh4mevcxE_uoJt9wQQCLcBGAs/s1600/palm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="625" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjmkklsfSKA/Wu8lKF2mz1I/AAAAAAAAA2k/3_HTV6Us6KsiJvtCh4mevcxE_uoJt9wQQCLcBGAs/s400/palm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjmkklsfSKA/Wu8lKF2mz1I/AAAAAAAAA2k/3_HTV6Us6KsiJvtCh4mevcxE_uoJt9wQQCLcBGAs/s1600/palm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjmkklsfSKA/Wu8lKF2mz1I/AAAAAAAAA2k/3_HTV6Us6KsiJvtCh4mevcxE_uoJt9wQQCLcBGAs/s1600/palm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjmkklsfSKA/Wu8lKF2mz1I/AAAAAAAAA2k/3_HTV6Us6KsiJvtCh4mevcxE_uoJt9wQQCLcBGAs/s1600/palm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
Fascinating and always offering something new with repeated listens, Ostrich Vacation is like an impressionist painting of a band on their way to becoming skilled pointillists.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://palmnewyork.bandcamp.com/album/ostrich-vacation" target="_blank">Palm - Ostrich Vacation</a>Amazing Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07681810662840887278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339856392041535867.post-69041471024604338892018-03-09T00:15:00.002-05:002018-03-09T01:07:16.045-05:00Tentative Revival and General Recommendations<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--0OKru5T6x4/WqIMbnPq14I/AAAAAAAAEcY/r4hMqe_oqNQy2BC9RQEqY0rtcuWNKSOEwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMAG0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="1520" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--0OKru5T6x4/WqIMbnPq14I/AAAAAAAAEcY/r4hMqe_oqNQy2BC9RQEqY0rtcuWNKSOEwCLcBGAs/s320/IMAG0084.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The key is to stop shaving and trimming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It's been a bit shy of two years since I've sat down to listen to an album with the intention of writing about it here. Save for Larry's laudable efforts the page has blog has gone largely dark. Not sure how I feel about that yet, but this was such a large party of my daily routine for many years and I got to hear some many wonderful songs I still play frequently by doing this. Then again a lot changed since then. Grew my longest beard yet. Moved to the Hudson Valley in New York, being around hills is a nice alteration. selling wine and spirits at a little shop. Quite frankly a pretty dope gig. Married a woman, she is also pretty dope. We got a cat. Jury is still out on him.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AE_mw-LSgRg/WqIiXXgVy4I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/raj1jogf7-Ag2Yo9bd6Mubfl36aId98NACLcBGAs/s1600/IMAG0014_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1504" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AE_mw-LSgRg/WqIiXXgVy4I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/raj1jogf7-Ag2Yo9bd6Mubfl36aId98NACLcBGAs/s320/IMAG0014_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat also acknowledges that smiling is frivolous.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Needless to say, I got a bit distracted and pre-occupied with other endeavors. To rephrase that, I stopped spending an unreasonable amount of time listening to obscure album and EPs and writing about it for no money. Rather I began getting paid to learn about the multifaceted and enlightening world of wine. As you can imagine I have an ever-growing pile of books on the subject and hundreds of bookmarked articles about all manner of grapes and producers and historical developments. However, I miss the background music of my life being an eclectic collection of artists from all over the world shepherding me through the day.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This is not to say I haven't been listening to music. In fact as a rule I have to for 5 to 9 hours straight a my job these days. And there are a few albums I wanna recommend that I've known about for a long time but feel I never got around to mentioning before. You'll have to do the minimal legwork to hunt these down in some cases, I am assuming you've got the wherewithal to find these in better quality and accessibility if desired.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsQZL4N671Q/WqIUIhsDEhI/AAAAAAAAEco/CcuYJ6HyfFgpA33CjnJy9sqSJLMKUpfYACLcBGAs/s1600/cover_5022151572009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="300" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsQZL4N671Q/WqIUIhsDEhI/AAAAAAAAEco/CcuYJ6HyfFgpA33CjnJy9sqSJLMKUpfYACLcBGAs/s320/cover_5022151572009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFRzVbihqVw" target="_blank">Erkin Koray - Elektronik Türküler</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Released in 1975, this is stunning example of the Anatolian rock genre. The richness of existing Turkish music and the advent of modern rock fused wonderfully, especially surf and psych/prog influences. The resonating vocals are mesmerizing and instrumentation is uncannily cinematic, like the songs ought have been in dozens of films you've already seen. At very least listen to the track "Yalnızlar Rıhtımı" because it's relentlessly</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> endearing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6tNfP0Zij7M/WqIbL_wIU_I/AAAAAAAAEc8/_G7MnKl-TFcnUiFakpeMW5xoDpGvgj3yQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Jonathan%252BRichman%252B%252BThe%252BMode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="400" height="316" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6tNfP0Zij7M/WqIbL_wIU_I/AAAAAAAAEc8/_G7MnKl-TFcnUiFakpeMW5xoDpGvgj3yQCEwYBhgL/s320/Jonathan%252BRichman%252B%252BThe%252BMode.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Modern_Lovers" style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;" target="_blank">Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - Rock 'N' Roll with the Modern Lovers</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I mean, I don't think I need to really explain why this album is great. Sadly I hadn't recognized it's full brilliance until we started playing it daily at the wine shop. Perhaps one of the most charming set of songs ever cobbled together. Sweetly childish and simple, but nearly nobody else could do with as much memorable elegance. Admittedly Richman has many other great song out there, but this has "Ice Cream Man" and "Roller Coaster by the Sea" on it. Unequivocally dope as fuck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FB0hMoTFWP4/WqIfww6Sg0I/AAAAAAAAEdE/RFhmgQine0gb12MHae3DVYd4eCBFx5KLgCLcBGAs/s1600/a2721470256_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FB0hMoTFWP4/WqIfww6Sg0I/AAAAAAAAEdE/RFhmgQine0gb12MHae3DVYd4eCBFx5KLgCLcBGAs/s320/a2721470256_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://barbaras.bandcamp.com/album/2006-2008" target="_blank">The Barbaras - 2006-2008</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A no-brainer right? The band before Jay Reatard, Magic Kids and Wavves. I knew the three track long EP that had been widely circulating online for years but really those songs were blown out of the water by the revelations of the likes of "Topsy Turvy Magic" and "Annual Botanical." What nonsense this took so long to surface, but I'm ever so glad it did. Some of the very best garage-pop songs any could ever hope for. It both sounds and makes me feel fuzzy.</span></div>
Antarktikoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06101707685853103357noreply@blogger.com5