Space Wolves - Space Wolves (2012)

This is a Buffalo-based band that makes jangle pop which they liken to Bleached or the Babies, but I have to say they sound like a speedier version of the Lucksmiths or the Mabels (I had a phase wherein I listened to much Australian indie pop) both in the musical content and the whimsical nature of the lyrics. The songs are sometimes wonderfully brief jingles that sing about something like Pizza or girls. In fact only a couple of tracks go over the two minute mark. All of them are damned cheerful sung and musically charming, even if the lyrics can have that Beulah-esque depressing content if you really pay attention to what he's saying. So while this did touch a soft spot for me as it summoned up memories of sitting alone in the afternoon listening to Australian music as a teenager, it is meritorious beyond that and I recommend anyone who's a jangle pop fan to give it a listen.

To be had here:

Space Wolves - Space Wolves

Zany Zongas - Intercession (2012)

This is a tape I was sent like, well, prolly two months ago. My bad for sitting on it so long, as I really do appreciate anyone taking the time to mail me a physical copy of their work. Apologies aside, this is the second time I'm writing up the Zany Zongas (those guys at Old Monster Records must be fond of me). Like North Park, this release is an experimental drone/psychedelic experience to which one is easily absorbed. The tracks are all rather lengthy at about 5 to 8 minutes a piece. Thusly even at only four songs it is as long as a regular album. Moreover, because of the length they get to really take the listener on a sonic journey in a very progressive rock sorta way. As usual I was reading something during my first listen, namely Kafka's diaries, and it really made me bug out a bit. Anyhow, Intercession is a fine follow-up to North Park and it is still available on tape if you're nerdy about that like me.

To be had here:

Zany Zongas - Intercession

Resuming Posting/Invitation for New Posters

As you've most likely noticed I took a hiatus from the blog from a month. It was beginning to feel for more like a chore than an enjoyable hobby after four years of writing essentially the same topic, especially now that it's so much harder for me to have the freedom to post most anything I fancied as the hosting sites have become cowed by federal legislation. Begin able to subject the readership to my esoteric and arbitrary tastes was a large part of the fun of writing Spacerockmountain. Now that the site is  de facto legit, as it everything for months has been submitted material or otherwise free by the artists' choice, I haven't the same content control any longer. However, I don't wish for the blog to disappear or lay dormant for long periods until I get an itch to write, so I've mulled over my options I have a possible plan.

I am gonna try a biweekly posting schedule. Basically I've got only Thursdays and Sundays off from work, and my schedule at work is a steady one with regular hours for the first time in my life so I should be able to plan around it accordingly. This is a blessing and a curse naturally, as it does mean I'll be able to allot time to listen to submitted albums, but not at the rate I did so when I was unemployed or working parttime while in college. Therefore I'll need to be more selective. So not everything will get posted up, but I am debating a way to throw up link on a list somewhere for those that want to consume everything or explore on their own.

Finally, I have had other people write on the blog in the past, to which I am thankful to each of them for taking time to add on to what's a no-pay passion project of mine. Naturally enough they haven't much reason to keep it up so they peter out sooner or later, yet the blog in infinitely superior with voices beyond my own. So a proposal, if you sitting on your ass trolling music blogs or if you're friends with a bunch of musicians you wanna shill, perhaps you might post here yourself? To put it simply, contact me if you want to write on the blog, if you got your own stuff you wanna write then just show me what you've jotted down and I'll most likely let you post it here. Otherwise, if you wanna try the crazy crapshoot method I use, I can sent you some submitted material you can try for reviewing. Doesn't pay shit but it can be exciting and you potentially get to promote something you really like, possibly that you'd never have heard of in any other route.

Antique Pony - Museum of Blood (2012)

An eccentric album from a Glasgow-based group of self-professed art rockers. The songs shift in mood and style throughout the album, but altogether they've got a wonderful mosaic of neatly strange tracks. It reminds me of a mingling of various bands I' gonna rattle off knowing full well it'll makes sense to like 3 people on earth: Bunky, Bablicon and Pill Wonder. However, an easier comparison would be Deerhoof, you all know that, right? Regardless of similarities they're doing their own odd thing and doing it right. Really do make the effort to listen to the album fully in one sitting. I found that really rewarding, even if slightly exsperating of the unsettling moods created from my reading Knut Hamsun's Hunger simultaneously. You get what you ask for though.

To be had here:
Antique Pony - Museum of Blood

Car Seat Headrest - Monomania (2012)

A new album from one of my favorite bands to ever submit music to this ramshackle of a blog. Although he didn't send me an email about this one... whatever my feeling aren't hurt, my fault for being an absentee blogger. Whining aside, this guy is just too good not to talk up no matter how I can across it this time. The lo-fi sound that made Twin Fantasy so incredibly amazing is maintained wonderfully in Monomania, even the Julian Casablancas-style of vocal distortion (which I love for no reason beyond a warm feeling in my gut). Some tracks were instantly stuck in my head like "Overexposed (Enjoy)," "Maud Gone" and "Souls." This fella isn't skimping on the tunes either, he's letting us soak in tracks up to 14 minutes long. Epic lo-fi indie rock is something I'm down with. This isn't a free album, excepting of course the streaming that one may partake in via bandcamp, but its only a finely-priced $4.

To be had here:
Car Seat Headrest - Monomania

Truma Harness - The Way You Press On Harder... (2012)

A second tape has been sent to me by the friendly Ohioans that makes music under the name of Trauma Harness. I posted their previous cassette, Trauma Demolitional, shy of a year ago in case you missed it. The band is still a lo-fi menace that isn't afraid to deploy all manner of warping effects and distorted sounds in the quest to make exciting post-punk. It's got gloomy, touched-by-goths mood, but at the same time I think it is really easy to get worked up while strutting about with my busted up tape player hissing their songs. Although I am far from backing away from my recommendation of Trauma Demolitional, I must say this album is a dramatically superior release that goes to show Trauma Harness is only improving. Appears the cassette can be gotten at Dingle Records for $4 but the digital is name your own price.

To be had here:
Truma Harness - The Way You Press On Harder...

EP Grab Bag vol. 24

I really do need to pick up the pace on this shit and as usual I'd like to say I think it could happen soon as I have been cleared of the false charges with the telecommunications company and therefore can get internet as soon as I've got the money, which I unfortunately for the blog spent on a recent vacation. Oh well, snail-paced or rabbit-quick posting doesn't seem to stop the flow of EPs.

To be had here:

Fogo Amigo - Casa, Cordas E Alguns Geradores (2012)

Here's an offering of post-rock from Brazil. It is fairly quick and exciting stuff, but it did the wonderful post-rock trick of setting me blissful adrift for moments. The track "Sonhando" has a particularly endearing tune, with a great drum intro and all manner of interludes. "Queda Livre" and "Nós Contra o Mundo" get more fantastical yet with some psychedelic rock fused into them. A fine EP that I must've listened to 4 times over while reading books this week.

PLant Parenthood - EP (2012)

In case you forgot, I fucking love garage rock. If I could live on garage rock, tamales, coffee and beer I would have already. It's a lovely day when a garage rock EP comes in, so naturally PLant Parenthood was a welcome sight. Roughly done and simple for sure. The singing is a bit high pitch yet it sounds like a live recording from a basement because of it, which has a certain charm. "Jungle Cat" is a pretty solid anthem and makes me think I could stand to hear a full album from these kids.

Preludes - New York EP (2012)

A returning stalwart, Preludes has yet another EP to grace us with. This band is classy, remarkably so to a fella that wakes up and listens to "Your Ass (My Face)" by the Mummies a few times a week. They've got strings that are played with bows, you know, all fancy-like. I'm really not trying to be patronizing because the songs on Preludes EPs are often exceedingly more beautiful than any thing else I post in any given month.

Fins - Lawnmower EP (2012)

A four track 7" released by Obscure Me Records out in Connecticut. Specifically from New Milford, as if I knew wherever the fuck that is, the Fins are a noise-punk band that in huge contrast to the just mentioned Preludes are not about classiness so much as fuzzy energy and hollering. Jitters-inducing exciting of an unrefined sort, as if jitters can be induced in any other way, right?

Wolfgang strutz. - Wolfgang sings, Hymns. (2012)

This came in telling me nothing more than it was a redoing of church hymnals in a lo-fi freak folk style, which the submitter said reminded him of "the singing flowers in Disney's Alice in Wonderland!" Well, that is a mouthful to grasp on its own, it sent my mind spiraling off into all sorts of tangets. Most notable of them is my boss at the bookstore I'm now employed at in Detroit where I've a boss that's a self-described holy roller that doesn't preach. What she does do is walk about the shop humming gospels and saying the sole lyric "Jesus" every few seconds. Needless to say it is distractingly strange practice. Moreover, makes me wonder very much if she's ever learned any other words to the song. Now people do odd things, but I've a hard time imagining this is really kosher even in the conservative parts of the midwest, right? To each their own though.

So basically, this is everything that my boss's gospel performance isn't is the best way. It is charmingly warm and sweet while still maintain enough of the songs to be nostalgic. And holy shit is it right to bring up this crazy flowers from Alice's adventure, for it does seem like Disney's big dick would have been all up in these vocals, yet maybe not so in the finely done instrumentation. For real though, the reinterpretation of these songs is so fantastically done it has resulted in a solid half-dozen consecutive listenings on my part, esepcially loving the versions of "Nobody Know the Trouble I've Seen,""Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Morning Has Broken." So I apologize for my vulgar manner of speaking, but I immediately told my old buddy Bebop, "put down your dick and look up to the sky, I got something to listen to."

To be had here:
Wolfgang strutz. - Wolfgang sings, Hymns.

Jackie - Greatest Love Songs (2012)

This is another Swedish band that's massively impressed me (you might recall the other Swedish act, Be Alright from a recent Grab Bag). As usual for things I adore, Jackie makes lo-fi rock music, and they managed to be particularly delightful with a how sweet yet washed out sound. I must've listened to this album a dozen times in the last three days, and I've been eager to post it up but I just got a new computer and I got a bit pre-occupied with setting it up the way that makes me feel all cosy. Now with my obligatory excuses for my laxness in posting out of the way, I can can tell you that these guys do the whole simple, fuzzed out rock thing with the most excellent of skill. Literally the first 40-second long track'll had me swooning. The singing is suitably distorted and blends right into the thumping drums and bass and jangling guitars that come together to basically be a wall-of-sound. Perhaps what I like even more is that although I have heard it quite a few times now, I still haven't a fucking clue what he's singing about, and it is in what's technically English. Some of the songs are absolute gold though, and I recommend "Graveyard" and "Snowdiver Down" as examples. Everyone that's been in the room as I put it on seemed to agree if that means shit, so get after it.

To be had here:

Jackie - Greatest Love Songs

EP Grab Bag vol. 23

The latest collection of overdue EP reviews in brief. Hope they're to your liking as much as they were to my own.

To be had here:

Bad Jeans - Bad Jeans (2011)

Found this on the 'recommended by' list of Fun Guns on bandcamp page. Liking what those fellas were up to enough I thought I couldn't go wrong trying out whatever they gave a thumbs up to. My trust paid off in full, as this EP by Bad Jeans is outrageously sweet. Six beautifully done lo-fi rock songs that are equally catchy pop and garage rock. It's almost as if the songs are immediately familiar, but I can't imagine there isn't a healthy amount of good influences we all may be aquatinted making that the case. Just remarkably fresh for something so perfectly lo-fi rock it sound like it should've always been there.

My Little Underground - My Little Underground (2012)

This band makes me think of Gang of Four and Josef K for the get-go, which pulled me in for the duration. Doesn't let up either, the comforting repetition of the drum beats, angular and dreamy guitars alternating and even vocals that summon recollections of Entertainment! or Echo & The Bunnymens' Songs To Learn & Sing. In short, some damned fine post-punk. So thanks to these guys I am gonna be listening to British bands from the 80s for a couple weeks. Seeing as I can't find any email record of this being submitted it's likely I actually stumbled onto this myself. How novel...

One Leg Mary - Yes Exactly, Maybe Not (2012)

I should stop being so surprised by the fact that heavy rock/post-metal bands that submit me music intrigue me so much. Well, I've never feel any dislike for that sort of music I realize I've come to listen to it only when a musician see fit to send me some, each time reminding me that it's something I can thoroughly enjoy. Obviously most recently this thanks to Athens, Greece's One Leg Mary . The songs are wonderfully composed of loud guitars, pounding drums and dynamic singing that altogether creates an enveloping sound capable just manhandling my state of mind. Even when the slow way down such as on the track "Outfit" the music remains potent.

Michael Amason + Density - Southern Tombs/Sacred Drones (2012)

Southern Tombs/Sacred Drones is the band I was sent along with Painted Faces from Cookies N' Creme Records in cassette form (in which it is still available). The title Sacred Drones is not beating around the bush either, it is really some magnificently intense drone music. My first listen was waking up hungover to put it on while drinking coffee and preparing for work, I might as well as starting drinking all over again for disorientating pleasure it caused me. It's a stalwart example of drone and noise if I've ever heard one, and this blog makes plenty sure of that. Lastly, this is some really fucking great cover art, like for reals.