Luna Moth - Celestial Shades (2014)

Found this in the inbox the other day, sadly overlooked for a few months. My bad on that, guys, but you'll have to trust that a little late is not a huge deal for us on the receiving end as this digital replayable songs still sound fine. I do feel bad I didn't jump right on Celestial Shades when it came out in March however as the music is deserving of some good old fashion praise from a stranger on the internet, which I'm sadly late in bringing. Nonetheless, we'll see what is salvageable for both the band and my reputation as a music blogger. Shouldn't my parents be proud?

Luna Moth is a psychedelic band from Norman, Oklahoma that brings it on heavy with the distortion, wall-of-sound and general noisiness. They've done a superb job at incorporating influences from 60s psychedelia to the shoegaze of 90s into a shimmering and ethereal sound. Then you get to hear that sonic bliss strip apart into droning noise, something that I always find to be a welcome development in a track. They put it better on the little descriptor blurb on their bandcamp page, "Entheogenic love mantras/surfing into dissonance." Not sure what the anthropological theory of ethnogensis has to do with it, and the term does bring back some haunting memories of papers I wrote in college on the subject, but a poetic and otherwise accurate way to explain what Luna Moth seems to be all about. It sounding fucking great is a shorter way to say it. With any luck they'll sit keep SRM in mind for the next release they may put out and I can truly redeem myself then.

To be had here:
Luna Moth - Celestial Shades

EP Grab Bag vol. 70

Here's what's coming in through the email submissions. A diverse group of EPs that range from post-hardcore to nu disco, so I hope you're feeling as erratic as I am.

To be had here:

Sex Snobs - Ugly (2014)

Punk rock from Oklahoma City. Sex Snobs play on the more hardcore side of things, and talk a good deal about God being dead in a nihilistic fashion. The three short songs are this EP are high energy and got me off my fucking ass this morning and ready to write up this and a slew more of amazing albums. That's a good sign for punk rock, instigating action. Nothing like good, heavy punk guitar and thundering drums to get me into a mood for doing shit, good for me or not.


Phooey! - Upright Animals and Their Ridiculous Tricks (2014)

Our Ukrainian friends in Phooey! have made another EP to follow on the heels on Hello, Doubt early this year. Like that release, this one is made up of brief, strange tracks of bedroom pop, art rock and 'baroque punk' blending together. Full of falsetto and remarkably amusing guitar riffs the EP just blazes by and requires repeated listening. Seems like they're been little rest on the musical front for Phooey! as theirs a long covers album that came out in May as well to check out.

Tape Eater - Bleeders (2014)

Hope you're in the mood for something even more hardcore. Tape Eater is on the far edge of hardcore, with the hollered lyrical delivery and intense power cords in the guitar work. This New Bedford, Mass band really know now to bring it, yet they can ease up when necessary to craft a good tune and slip into trippy, math rock moments to do so. It has been sometime since I've sat down and listened to post-hardcore but these guys make me question why I haven't, also maybe sitting down isn't the best way to take it in...

Lucian - Rekla EP (2014)

Lucian is a New York musician that does many righteous electronic remixes. These are five tracks he's put together to show off what he's up to, which is makes some very exciting tunes that covers a lot of territory of electronicia. Knowledge of the ins and outs of electronic subgenres is beyond me, but he's tagging the stuff Nu Disco and Tropical House amongst other things. All seems fucking awesome to me, as I don't need to know what to call it to like it.



The Go Rounds - Purple Mountain Travesty (2014)

This group is from Kalamazoo and put out by the Double Phelix label/studio run by the guys behind Lasso. Like Lasso this is incorporation a Western sound, though more subtle in the Go Rounds. Instead the music is more vocally bend, with a clearly talented singer taking the lead on for the majority of the tracks. Not to downplay the musical prowess of this group at all, mind you, as they make some very beautiful and nearly symphonic sounding tunes.

Broncho - Can't Get Past The Lips (2011)

The first time I was asked to dj, it was at a bar where I was told to play dance music… heavy on the 90's r'n'b. After schooling myself on the finer points of Genuwine and Blackstreet, I felt somewhat prepared. This confidence evaporated quickly as, halfway through my set, I hit the wrong button on my computer and followed Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" with Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean".

"What the HELL are you DOING?" one kind patron inquired. 


"I don't KNOW," I explained.

A year or so later, I had the opportunity to spin records at a rock bar, to much greater success ...as it is much harder to play the same song twice with vinyl. Here's a record that I played that night, and will probably play every foreseeable dj night. 

Broncho is an Oklahoma outfit who chew, swallow, and regurgitate the best of what garage, early punk, and power pop have to offer. I was first made aware of the band after a friend showed me this video, which is probably my favorite video of recent memory. Frontman Ryan Lindsey is also the keyboardist for Starlight Mints who, if you haven't heard them, are a great indie-pop band, also from Oklahoma. Like them, Broncho has a keen ability for delivering sharp melodic hooks, but the overall feel here is much rougher. It's a bit Undertones, a bit Buzzcocks, and a bit Nerves… all super accessible while managing to pack a wallop.

Can't Get Past The Lips is an instant classic.

A HUGE thanks to the band, especially bassist Johnathon Ford (Unwed Sailor, Pedro The Lion) for giving the "ok" to go ahead and share the record for free. 

If you find yourself loving this record as much as I do and want a copy of the vinyl, the 2nd pressing just came out and can be bought here.

Broncho - Can't Get Past The Lips