Those Howlings - Manifest Blasphemy (2012)

Garage rock, the most savory of audio flavors, really does keep me enjoying doing this blog, when I find the time to do so. For example, here we've got a garage rock band that formed in Chicago and now resides in Austin (two city which this Detroit-dweller envies), Those Howlings. As finely lo-fi as you'd hope and more catchy and endearing than you may be expecting, Manifest Blasphemy is a wonderful display of a more cheerful rock and roll that employs a charming amount of doo-wop, country and surf influences. Lovely combination of male and female vocals and the versatility of their playing make the album incredibly listenable. Yet for whatever reason the album doesn't seem to be downloadable via the bandcamp site but it is streamable and worth doing so. They're supposed to be coming out with a 7" in Austin soon as well, so hopefully I'll get to share that with you all.

To be had here:
Those Howlings - Manifest Blasphemy (2012)

Ivan and the Parazol - Mama, Don't You Recognize Ivan & The Parazol? (2012)

What do you know about Hungary? Not much I assume. Truth is, I don't know much either. I do know that I like Ivan and the Parazol who just so happen to be from the country. They say they incorporate "influences from the the 60’s-70’s new wave genres," and I do hear tints of that, but a lot more from the mid-2000s British garage revival. It is catchy, playful, and willing to just go with what sounds good when need be. My favorite track off their full length is "Swindie (Panic at the 'Background')," which displays a much needed intensity missing from lots of rock music that may very well make the radio in this day and age.

This record also rules for one single reason: it was mastered by a man named Zoltán Takác. How bad ass is that?

Get it here:
Ivan and the Parazol - Mama, Don't You Recognize Ivan & The Parazol? (2012)

The Orwells - Remember When (2013)

I grew up in a small desert town, and we didn’t have a mall. The closest thing that comes to mind was a half abandoned strip mall that featured a discount goods store and beauty salon. Watching Kevin Smith’s Mallrats was my only window into the slaker, Mall-lurking culture that apparently was rather popular throughout the US.

But youthful rebellion and disregard for society’s norms? That I could always get behind. Mix that with a healthy dose of hook heavy lo-fi garage rock, and you have a recipe for success... or at least a recipe for fun.

The Orwells are from somewhere in Illinois, and just based on the picture of the band present on the cassette released by Burger Records, I would say these kids are pretty young. They write lots of great songs about pissing off your elders, getting suspended, and just fucking around. The first single from the record, “Mallrats (La La La)” is one of the catchier tracks I have heard in awhile. They almost make me miss high school.

Download "Mallrats (La La La)" here.
Buy the tape here: The Orwells - Remember When (2013)

Chalk Talk - Bad Influences (2012)

No fun for the busy I suppose. You may not have the chance to take out the board for the afternoon with all your deadlines and wage labor, but I guess that is why god made surf music. Chalk Talk makes a really excellent addition to this genre. It’s hazy, hook heavy, and easy to digest in 3 minute intervals. Exactly what you are looking for in this type of thing.

On tracks like “Your’e In,” the band demonstrate that they have learned a bit from recent surf-rock revivalists and turn up the amps to 11, leaving a sense childish abandon perched over their tunes. This record has been released on vinyl by Sex Cave Records. Grab it before it is posted to a slew of best-of lists this year and enters the realm of the rare.

Get it here:
Chalk Talk - Bad Influences (2012)

MaoTzu - Smörgåsbord (2013)

MaoTzu as some of you make recall is the moniker of one Jamarcus Drake for his experimental electronic music. I laid some good praise on his 2011 full-length, Doodles, which I still stand by. With Smörgåsbord we're getting a to check out even more of his strange stylings of tunes, albeit in a rather hodgepodge manner that is unavoidable when collecting b-sides and unreleased tracks together. If you can manage to bit them off in short, delectable sections the songs are pretty righteous, or if you're a less finicky sort of listener you can ride the shifting tone and moods like a wild wave. Many of them are heavily in the video game music camp, and that's wonderful thing when well executed such as MaoTzu always is. It's easy to find some favorites and find yourself repeated playing them as part of your routines, at least as much is true for me with "SurfDateWithTheWaterGoddessAndHerBrotherWhoHatesMe" and "Haunted Beach." Hopefully you'll figure out some for yourself.

To be had here:

MaoTzu - Smörgåsbord

Mirror Mirror - Segments (2012)

Rock n' Roll isn't always a party. To reach the existential, meditative portions of our mind, the music may need to be made equally as remote. Mirror Mirror from Spokane, Washington have taken this musical mindset to its logical conclusion and produced a very fine record titled Segments. There are elements of surf, 60's, and psychedelia but it is all smothered under deep baritone vocals and 8 pounds of reverb. Just listen to The Undivine and Locked from the Inside, two of my favorite tracks off the record. The pop elements are there, but the band has bigger aims than a bobbing head at a local house party. Taking the listener to new heights and distant universes requires a different approach.

Get it here:
Mirror Mirror - Segments (2012)

Formica Man - Formica Man (2011)

Here's a Portland band who fit the phrase "flash in the pan" better than any other I can think of. Formica Man was formed by members of other bands including Karen and The Parenthetical Girls. They played dissonant, loud music and their live sets took about 15 minutes, if that. If you were lucky enough to attend one of their shows, you might have had the pleasure of hearing one of singer Aubrey Hornor's jokes in between songs (one that sticks out in my memory Q: Why did Al Capone flirt with the idea of becoming an optometrist? A: He wanted to help people, see?) 

Before their tragic demise, they spent a few hours recording the music below. For awhile, it looked like these tracks, which were recorded by Nick Bindeman (Eternal Tapestry), were never going to get the praise they deserved. But soon enough they won the attention of Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), who mixed the end product found here. Perhaps some of you were lucky enough to see them open for Deerhoof during the southern leg of their fall 2012 tour. For the rest of us who missed it, the songs are available either as a free download or for a measly $5 you can pick up a copy of their super limited 7" and a free t-shirt.

Or go to their Book of Faces page and give them a thumbs up.

For fans of Erase Erata, Boredoms, or The Dog Faced Hermans.

Formica Man - Formica Man

39th & The Nortons - On Trial (2012)

Wonderful country music isn't what comes to the fore of my thoughts when conjuring England, where 39th & The Nortons indeed come from, but then again there are crazier places that country music is popular. I've heard that Dolly Parton sold out stadiums in South Africa, after all there is not accounting for taste as they love to tell us. Therefore, why not a some righteous British country. Yet to be fair this group isn't playing country like you'd hear on the radio even in America, it is more along the lines of Strange Boys insomuch that it is a healthy blend of country, psychedelic and garage rock. It's not as, well, strange. Rather it has that sweet, heartfelt twang that country delivers so impeccably. Makes me whimsical and nostalgic for something I don't really understand. Don't think I need to either, just that it sounds mighty swell.

To be had here:

39th & The Nortons - On Trial

Ugly Motors - Ugly Motors (2013)

A Minneapolis garage rock band that makes some solid lo-fi rock. They share a member with Tiny Swimmers if you recall that band from GB 21. Like Tiny Swimmers they are heavy with distortion and speedily played instruments. Ugly Motors possess stripped down sound, which is perpetually enjoyable in garage rock albums. There's a flashy style of guitar playing too, and if I can take a hint from the album art a sort of T. Rex glam element among other displays of skill that's all contained within the truncated spasms of brief lo-fi ditties. Plus they've got a song called "Fart Party" at which I audibly laughed upon reading. No worries about gross lyrics in such a track; I couldn't understand a damn lyric and that's a mighty fine thing.

To be had here:
Ugly Motors - Ugly Motors

EP Grab Bag vol. 28

So I culled the emails filling my inbox and it seems few of them merited attention. This is great as it was getting near three hundred and I feared they were mostly legit submissions. So I guess I lay out what I am looking for here so if you actually read the blog you might get a chance to have your music written up. If it seems like I'm on a mailing list I normally just deleted it, for basically they're asking me to write a blog for them for free. Pay me and I may think about it but as it is I'm broke (never gotten a cent for this blog for sure) and in Detroit, so I ignore shit I don't fancy for my own arbitrary reasons. Also I don't post videos. I know you work hard producing that visual jazz, but I fucking don't wanna watch them. Just give me some music, albums and EPs easily downloadable and that are free or cheap preferably. Individual songs aren't gonna get posted by me unfortunately, my co-writers do as they wish, and more power to them, but I need something longer to write about. Now that I'd bitched about shit, here is what I found in that that's fine examples of what I'm hoping for:

To be had here:

Warmly - EP (2013)

Presumably these cats are hailing from Montreal and released by Flagless Records. The band is aptly named for it is a cozy sort of electronic indie pop they're producing. The songs are all adorably well-done but personally the second track, "(Stay)," is the most endearing of all.

How Scandinavian - Philistine Empathy EP (2013)

Following up the Pity Won EP and the full-length Dolorous, How Scandinavian is back with a fresh batch of songs. Still all the wonderful slowcore sung with a deep, resonating tone that makes all his music compelling.




Otomo - Big Little Things (2012)

Got sent this a while ago but lost it in the mess that my email inbox was. Otomo is a Spanish instrumental electronic/post-rock/experimental act that's incredibly catchy for that sort of thing. It is fast and happening in a fashion that will make you wanna move unexpectedly. In fact I listened to it as I wrote that rant above, and it was fucking awesome to hear as I got my dander up.

Charun - De Ortu Solis (2012)

Well sometimes I may not be the hugest fan of post-metal in the world, at times it can be an epic experience totally worth delving into what'll sure contain tracks in excess of seven minutes with slow building arcs and dauntingly intense crescendos. This guys pretty much nailed that idea, even with his metal howling.