Elmore James - King Of The Slide Guitar: The Fire/Fury/Enjoy Recordings (1992)

The King of the Slide Guitar, that's some appellation to obtain. Any man that can earn that title deserves to be heard. Elmore James is one of those early bluesman to come up out of the deep south. He played with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson it's very possible he played with Robert Johnson. Johnson influenced James's blues, along with slide guitarist Tampa Red and Kokomo Arnold. Hanging with those notable blues players really paid off. James's music is amazingly lively, and quite different from the last blues I posted up, Honeyboy Edwards. This is electric guitar, more often than not intensely amplified. He had a deep, crooning voice that can carry the blues right into your chest like smoke from a pipe. When I was kid and I'd yet to learn of the Robert Johnson, Son House or the other early Delta bluesmen, I had an idea of what the blues was and style of Elmore James is basically it. I don't think it is an overstatement to say that this sort of sound has a large share the responsibility in me being such a nerd about music. This is a compilation of songs James did 1959 to 1962 toward the end of his life. He's thought to have improved with age in his guitar playing, which isn't common among blues musicians. It's fifty tracks so I had to split it into two parts for the upload.

To be had here:
Elmore James - King Of The Slide Guitar: The Fire/Fury/Enjoy Recordings [224 kbps] disc 1
disc 2

LVL UP - SPACE BROTHERS (2011)

LVL UP had previously sent me a singles release, and this is the following full-length album. It is lo-fi rock that makes me think of the lackluster bands that grew up hearing in my hometown, if they weren't so obsessed in making emo-like teenage bullshit or poorly conceived metal. These guys have just enough angst in their lyrics and style that I can get behind it. Nothing is overwhelming the fact that they are basically a rock band, and their able to slow up what they're doing to show that off. I've been digging tracks like "Topsider" and "Rotten Ones" both for how well they're done and that they're nothing more than that. Sorry, if my writing seems off, but I wrote these while experiencing a fever, but what I am saying about LVL UP is that these cats are cool.

To be had here;
LVL UP - SPACE BROTHERS

Tearjerker - Strangers Remade (2011)

A few months ago I posted Strangers by Toronto's Tearjerker. It was a lovely, spacey, ambient-touched collection of songs. It's since become a fairly regular part of my weekly listening rotation, so you may understand that I was pretty jazzed to see that their is a "remade" version of it for free on bandcamp. I've never heard of the term "remade" used for something like this, but it is perhaps a better choice than the more common "remix" term. The songs in essence remain the same, but their sound is tweaked, with something added here or there like instrumentation, effects, or even sampling of obscure spoken word. All this is skillfully done to the point where I can't even choose which version I prefer and have listened to both back to back a few times. Additionally, the tracklist is reversed, with the final track of Stranger's, "Slip Away," beginning this release and so on. As a fan of hearing albums in their entirety and from beginning to end, this was a brilliant twist. Finally, just a note on the detail, if you're listening to the album in a program or on a player that displays album art, you'll see that each track has a unique picture.

To be had here:
Tearjerker - Strangers Remade

Albino Father - AGE (2011)

I've been putting off posting as I have been trying to get a new system for listening to all the submitted albums and the considerable amount I already download on my own accord. Moreover, my well-meaning mother gave me a cat to accompany me, but this has only shown me how allergic I now am to felines. So now I'm sick to boot. However, I likely did an injustice to Albino Father by waiting. They are a lo-fi garage rock/bluesy (for a lack of a better term) band. AGE has tracks that range from indie rock numbers (Ghost Dad, Dirty Window) to short garage rock songs (Gorilla Cat Lady, The Voyuer) and at times shift to a country-inspired rock band (The Needle, Little Girls). The stylistic inconsistency shouldn't be counted against them in the slightest, for they've got the knowledge of how to compose a good song regardless of genre.

To be had here:
Albino Father - AGE

Coyotes in the Room - Hell Young Man (2011)

This is a new album/EP (sorta middling in length) from Coyotes in the Room. I'd never heard of these guys before they sent me this release, but they certainly were right to do so, for they fit the lo-fi sound I so cherish without seeming like many other artists on here. Their music is lo-fi psychedelic folk/rock, sorta fluxes back and forth between nearly shoegaze to folk that could almost fit with New Weird America. Reminds me of Mount Eerie if those aren't too big of shoes to fill. The songs make me wonder what their live shows must sound like. However, I'll keep my rambling short as I am jotting this down after my shift and I don't wanna get caught in the rain cycling home if at all possible. Check them out on bandcamp, free download so it can't hurt, might even feel nice.

To be had here:
Coyotes in the Room - Hell Young Man

Chico Buarque - Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Vol. 3 & Vol. 4

Posting is hard without internet at home. Making the time isn't as easy as I thought it'd be, so bear with slow posts until I figure out a rhythm or breakdown and spend money I don't have on internet. Beyond the shitstack, I have still be listening to a bunch Brazilian music still. I can't be helped I guess. Chico Buarque was a real ladies man character that made music less outrageous than his contemporaries such as Os Mutantes, Caeteno Veloso, and the others I've posted here. However, he was fucking good at what he did and I have really liked listening to him in my spartan apartment. Technically his work has already been on the blog as he wrote some of the songs that appeared on Nara Leão's 1968 album that was recently posted. It isn't Tropicalia, certainly is some fine MPB and samba though.

To be had here:





Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Vol. 3










Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Vol. 4

The Spits - The Spits vol. 1 (2000)

The Spits are another imperative listen for a fan of lo-fi garage punk. May as well start with what I've got handy, at the beginning with vol. 1. Called as much because the band has released four self-titled albums therefore making an unofficial naming scheme necessary. Naturally the Spits took cues from the preceding generations of punk rockers; you might mistake them for the Ramones. However, their stage act might cause you to confuse them with the Mummies, for these guys are also known to dress up in outlandish costumes, including as mummies among other things. If you're unfamiliar or simply missing this volume, I recommended to low fidelity lovers.

To be had here:
The Spits - The Spits [192 kbps]

Text Message - Text Message (2011)

Out just this month is a full-length self-titled album submitted by Washington's Text Message. Makes for a good listen, especially at work where the eccentric of my musical selections solicits awkward glares from the customers. Text Message isn't a tame band, but they've got a board appeal to their lo-fi indie rock. Easily shared with friends or listened to in company. Nonetheless they don't hold back. There are tracks where it gets a bit more loud and out there, just enough to keep the album interesting and fun. Lastly, there's something about the vocalist's voice, eerieely familiar sounding to me, in a good way.

To be had here:
Text Message - Text Message

EP Grab Bag vol. 6

Time for the EPs. I've been playing these largely at work because of the speaker crisis my life is experiencing, and admittedly the speakers at my job are wretched. I've made the effort to listen to each of them in my headphones outside of work at least once and will say I stand by what I write here.


Abchaum - Collision EP

Seems like I might try to post a batch of 'squeals' because I get so many repeated submissions from artists. That's hardly a complaint though, I'm always happy to get more of a good thing. Abchaum here has released this EP hot on the heels of his LP. If you liked the album then this is an exciting bonus of more wild snyth-pop. Can't wait to play this for my boss, he digs this sorta music.





Kent State - Walk Through Walls

Another band that has been previously featured on this blog, it is a good thing to see the return of Kent State. The neatly named Walk Through Walls is fresh bundle of lo-fi psychedelic rock songs. Features a cover of Guided by Voices to boot. Streamable and downloadable by track or entire EP on their blog.





Federer - Easy Breezin'

Perhaps one of the least expected of all types of music I thought I might get submitted. Federer makes some lo-fi "easy listening" as they've termed it. It sounds like what I'd imagine hearing in a club 30 years ago in a best-of-all-worlds scenario. For real, when I first heard it I got that same feel I have when I rediscover some strange dance songs in my parents' collection of 7" singles. So hit up their site for links to soundcloud streaming as well as a site to buy the cassette copy of some really sensational music.









Certain Death to Salamanders - Certain Death to Salamanders EP [320 kbps]

This is another project involving Travis Franklin, a Texan chap that sent in Wrestling Club and YALL. However, this shit is not the same as those, as it is really really heavy metal. Super fast guitars and loud as all hell. Oh, and the screams, they're there in spades. Not my usual fare, but I listened through and was happy I had.

Random Singles part four

I'll go ahead an apologize for my tardiness in posting submitted albums. I just completed a move into Cass Corridor of Detroit and I've got some kinks to work out. Additionally, my iPhone's audio jack has finally totally fucked off and I have no internet in my new apartment. However, on the plus side this blog gives me a reason to hit up the local breweries every night where wifi can be found. I plan to post another batch of EPs and get some full-length albums up real soon too. Finally, these are all free singles via bandcamp as usual.

Go Cozy - Glimmer

This is a real gem of a single. I found these two songs to be rather lovely dream pop/shoegaze. They have a good amount of upbeat-ness that makes the quite replayable. I look forward to any future release by Go Cozy.






RACES - Big Broom/Living Cruel and Rude 7"

From Los Angles this band has some madly swell harmonic indie rock. The duet parts in the second track are wholly worth downloading this. The digital copy is name your own price, but there's a limited run of vinyl for $5.99 available.






The Clap - The Operation/Lucy 2 7"

Excited psychedelic punk from Atlanta. Quick, fuzzy and full of energy, these guys have a catchy sound. Another of their tracks appeared on a previous post of singles a few months back and good to see they've kept on producing good tunes.






Faustine Seilman & The Healthy Boy - The Long Life's Journey

This might be more of an three song EP, but this has languished in my inbox too long to fret over it. This is an atypical submission for sure. It is piano and guitar folk music driven largely by the stunningly beautiful vocals. The contrast between the female vocalists soft and skilled singing to the very deep and world-weary sounding male are unbelievable.

Nara Leão - Nara Leão (Lindonéia) (1968)

I'm stuck on Brazilian music, if you haven't picked that up yet. Perhaps a phase that I'll revisit from time to time in the future, such as my fluxing interest in Finnish avant-garde. However, for now I'm gonna load this blog up with all the Brazilian greats I missed out on being raised in Anglophone America. Nara Leão is just such the artist that can undeniably be considered a great, in fact I read that her 1950s household jam sessions are sometimes cited as a birthplace of bossa nova music. She didn't rest with being on the forefront of one musical advent, as she joined the Tropicália movement in the 1960s. I stress again I haven't any Portuguese language skills, nevertheless I find her voice mesmerizing. You can be sure I'll be hunting down lyrical translations when it is slow at work this week. Anyhow, not as wild and psychedelic as Os Mutantes, but as skillful and lovely. Lastly, while the music might not feel as radical, the songs were written best Tropicália had to offer like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque.

To be had here:
Nara Leão - Nara Leão (Lindonéia) [320 kbps]

Wavepool Abortion - Wavepool Abortion (2011)

Sorry about the lack of posting, I've been working nearly everyday lately and planning my move into the middle of Detroit. I've gotten a chance today to finally write up something I originally listened to when it came out last month, Russia's Wavepool Abortion. I do believe this is the first lo-fi rock/garage punk sent to me from Russia. Also of note is that another excellent music sharing blogger, Dayvan Zombear, had a hand in funding this project. However, I share this not to simply applaud a blogging comrade, but because it is really a solid rock and roll album. Very much along the lines of many garage rock and lo-fi punk bands I've been posting all summer long. Their sound is even more minimal that many others while keeping a warm, fuzzy fullness from distorted recording techniques. The exact sort of album I cherish for letting me enjoy commutes to work, and even take the edge of work itself, where I've played this album several times already. Give it a whirl, the album is name your own price on bandcamp. There might yet be a few tapes available, but Zombear said those are going fast so jump on that. Oh, if nothing else check out the wonderfully fantastic cover of Buddy Holly's "Words of Love."

To be had here:
Wavepool Abortion - Wavepool Abortion

Ganglians - Still Living (2011)

I've been looking forward to this release for since I got my hands on Monster Head Room and Woodsist 12' in 2009. Ganglians had that updated psychedelic-era Beach Boys sound down impressively, and Still Living continues to deliver on that premise. However, the band isn't rehashing anything with the new album. The songs feel bolder, like the band was trying to expand their dreamy, psych rock and make something hazy yet fuller. The result is something with a popper edge that shouldn't offend the sensibilities of fans of their previous releases. Monster Head Room has hardly left my iPhone since it came out, and it makes regular rotation at work and in the car, and I'll say that Still Living is seeming going to get the same treatment.

To be had here:
Ganglians - Still Living [320 kbps]

The Mummies - Fuck the Mummies (1992)

"The once and future kings of budget rock." I read that on allmusic year ago and thought it a bold statement, but after listening to the Mummies in the years hence, I'd be inclined to agree. I also gathered that their so vehemently lo-fi that they resist CD releases, though not completely as my long ago post of Never Been Caught attests to, along with a few others. Fuck the Mummies is bootleg disc that compiles some amazing garage rock recordings, including a version of "Land of 1000 Dances." You might recall the Gories on Complete Bandin' Sessions did a cover of that too, which if heard back to back can put me a state of bliss instantly. And get this shit, the second to last track is an entire live set done for a radio station. What more could one ask for? Basically, if you're not down with the Mummies yet you need to be.

To be had here:
The Mummies - Fuck the Mummies [192 kbps]

Caetano Veloso - Transa (1972)

Unwilling to let go of the summer and think of coming cold days of autumn, I want to post more Brazilian music. Transa is perhaps my favorite album I've heard by Caetano Veloso, and the one I most frequently recommend to my friends. Not as revolutionary and excitingly eccentric as some of his Tropicália albums, it is a brilliant display of just how good a musician Veloso is regardless of genre or style he's aiming for. The first album he recorded after his exile to England, Transa exhibited some influence from British rock and roll. It doesn't get hard or heavy, rather it is a mellower, paced sound in some songs, but he does sing in English and uses more directly western patterns in some tracks. "Nostalgia" in particular shows this. "It's a Long Way" is an example of how he'd maintained the Tropicália style as well. However, my favorite is "Mora Na Filosofia" which I consider one the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Naturally, there are political messages to be found by those attuned to such matters, but they're cloaked more heavily than previous songs. After all, he did just return from a self-imposed exile because of the fears of repressions of being outspoken.

To be had here:
Caetano Veloso - Transa [256 kbps]

Jake Johnson - It's Hot in the Guest Room (2011)

The is a Californian musician that comes from the same area as Ty Segall and the Moonhearts in Orange County. He sent me his album to check and share with everybody probably a month ago, but I'm finally doing to it. It is lo-fi rock and roll; I'd say garage but not really heavily punk. While I am aware that making lo-fi productions are by definition anything but the highest quality, this album doesn't embrace that as much as I might've hoped. I mean I want these tracks to pop out and punch my ear drums, but as it is they may be a little flat. Nevertheless, Mr. Johnson shows some true potential to make some great rock and roll, and the songs are rather good. In particular I like "(I'm) Out Of My Mind" and "I Don't Want You." I've already marked down for the next garage rock cassette I make for my walkman. I bet he sounds pretty sweet live, and with any luck he'll capture it in successive releases. Do give him a listen and let me know what you think though.

To be had here:
Jake Johnson - It's Hot in the Guest Room [192 kbps]

Furies - Donde se Fabrican las Ciudades (2010)

The younger days of the blog I posted what was a relatively obscure space rock EP by an Argentine band called the Baseball Furies. I'll admit the initial draw was their name that referenced one of my favorite films, but I posted it because their sound was fantastic. However, I do think the name was already taken by a New England punk band and perhaps other factors I'm not privy to, they're merely Furies now. The album appeals to me for many of the same reason as I enjoyed the EP. It is a dreamy yet holds interest well. The echoing Spanish lyrics, rhythmic percussion, tuneful keys and especially the space-aged guitar parts come together to make a very otherworldly soundtrack. I listened to the whole thing twice over at my job and would've more save for fear of customer complains of hearing the same thing all day. This is on bandcamp, but not a free release. Naturally you can stream the entirety though. If you're in the mood for something near-ambient, mildly krauty, and quite space rock you should give this a try.

To be had here:
Furies - Donde se Fabrican las Ciudades