EP Grab Bag vol. 91

There's a neat thing I've noticed over my time writing this blog. If you write up a few bands from one city, other bands from that same city will send you in albums and EPs shortly thereafter. Well, Elvis has been on a San Diego jam lately and Larry wrote up some of Montreal scene recently. Little wonder that I found EPs from both these places in the submissions for this Grab Bag. However, I did find some other nice things in there as well.

To be had here:

Girl Arm - Trading Cities (2014)

From Montreal comes the noisy rock band, Girl Arm. Fans of math rock will certainly hear the ever appealing angular guitar playing in Trading Cities. Yet there's more going on than that, chaotically more, for this band is very much into making noise. The title track is a stunning example of the ordered chaos good noise and math share. Reminds me of something between The Mae Shi and Chavez. I hope these references make sense to someone, they're starting to make me feel outdated...

White Owl - To Me You All Looked The Same EP (2015)

The fourth EP by Bristol's White Owl to make its way into a Grab Bag. It maintains the washed out psychedelic force that made all prior efforts so admirable, as if they're slowly building their way an LP of their time-released tunes. Come as it may, EPs or full-lengths I will always be down for listening to anything these guys are up to. Not a second of these lo-fi songs isn't captivating. I hope you've gotten a chance to hear the prior EPs, if not loop back around for sure. Also, the photo that serves as album art looks like it is straight out of the Dig! documentary Elvis had as watch and White Owl does sound a bit like Brain Jonestown Massacre to boot.

The Bellends - Corndoggin' (2014)

A punk rock band from lovely Bloomington, Indiana. The Bellends have struck a very good position between making thrashing, fast and fuzzy punk songs and a healthy amount of irreverence. There is a cowboy riding a corndog on the cover after all. But what I mean is that they're not making dark hardcore tunes, rather throwing in some pop hooks, a few "na -na-nas" and lyrics that make jokes of life and death. Honestly reminds me of the Mummies as I continued to listen to them, but more informed by 90s punk. An accessible and catchy EP for sure.

The Conquerors - I'm Alright​/​Get Real! (2014)

Two tracks from a Kansas City, MO outfit that's aiming for a heavily retro vibe. With a name like the Conquerors I was surprised not to find an actual 60s band with that name in all the compilations of psych and garage rock in my library. I still imagine they has to be one out there. Anyhow, these guys have done an remarkable job at approximating the sound of late 60s psych-garage without just cribbing straight from any particular band. If you liked the recently posted Italian psychedelic band the Vickers I would highly recommend checking out the Conquerors as well.

SHEEP OR SLAVE - Wanting To Be Someone Else & Everlasting Vibrations (2015)

Here we have the San Diegans of SHEEP OR SLAVE released two EPs this February. So while I haven't been able to spend a ton of time listening to these EPs they've tagged as 'doom pop,' however I have already figured out that they are best heard loudly blasting through speakers or headphones. This way you'll get the most out of the contrast between the surreal, lyrically-driven pop parts the abruptly jump into intense, churning guitar and hollering (a prime example is "Piggly Wiggly" on Wanting to be Someone Else). Not just the guitar manages to get intense, as the lyrics are a bit halting at times. There's something there about raping souls. Even metaphorically that's a weird thing to think about. The entirety of both of these EPs are weird in fact. Jaunting between rhythms at irregular oscillations, disturbing words, undeniably sweet guitars and drums playing throughout. In short, they're damned interesting to hear. Some of my favorite tracks were "Match.com," "Mr. Horse" and "Call Flake."

Remy Olandrusso - MPRSSNS F FRC (2014)

Tags on bandcamp are a funny thing. They can be anything the poster of the album decides naturally, and sometimes it they are as vague as can it can fucking be and other times they're beyond genre descriptors, to the point of substituting for a biography of the artist in a backward fashion. Remy Olandrusso has done just that by tagging this album with phrases like "growing up on John Carpenter" and "suspect cultural appropriation." In many ways they tells me more of what to listen for than any words like experimental or drone, though this album can be called both of those. The best tag by far is "unhealthy oulipo obsession," which for a reformed used bookseller and fan of Queneau and Calvino is a sediment I can relate to all too well.

On first impression I believed this would be a math rock album, as it was submitted due to the musician noticing his friends, fellow Chicago-based fellas of Imelda Marcos, were written up. While there certainly is some mathiness to the album it isn't an assault of the angular guitar, rather a step more out into the bizarre.  MPRSSNS F FRC very well could be the soundtrack to a creepy Carpenter-esque film. A weird arthouse one, but I'm sure you'll hear the cinematic quality in the mood of these songs. Equally surreal, anxious and hypnotic. It's incredibly hard to categorize all the different sounds he's layered upon each other, but they are woven in a entirely compelling way. To top it all of they've got the closest thing I can imagine to a ransom note cut out of magazine print I've seen for track titles, such as delightfully named "th3 h1v3 s3nt1n3ls r1s3 t0 sh4rp3n th31r bl4d3s." It might not be recommended to listen to it alone in the dark but I did it and felt fine.

To be had here:
Remy Olandrusso - MPRSSNS F FRC

EP Grab Bag vol. 84

December must been when we are getting our shit together. I finally signed up for some healthcare on the last day possible, been thinking seriously about getting my teeth all fixed up, found a new job so I am not shifting piles of useless books from one spot to another all day for peanuts. Oh, and I found all these submissions to share with you all on top of all the shit we've already been posting up.

To be had here:

Honeybucket - Honeybucket EP (2015)

Damned charming lo-fi band from Portland, Oregon. Sounds like a garage band in the sense that they very well wrote these songs in a dusty garage and didn't change it up too much from there. Most excellent already as they're fuzzy and happy tunes, just a bit krauty. "Wizard Mountain pt. 2" makes me wish I got to hear a part one. Then again EP could have been 4 times and I long and I could have wanted more. Put out by what seems to be a cool indie label from Pacific (Hong Kong currently) called Metal Postcard. Oh, and it seems to be out despite not being 2015, so enjoy it now.

How Scandinavian - Drowning In Myself (2014)

The kids from Palmdale are back with another single. You might recall the Educator single from earlier this early, perhaps not, but you can always catch up. I'm not grading you, after all. "Drowning In Myself" is a quirky tune that's not easy to classify, but the lyrical delivery itself is worth checking out as it isn't very usual. How Scandinavian stick to a bit of the melodramatic tones of the emo I am sure we all endeared when we were younger yet didn't forget new wave had merits. Gotta keep it catchy, even with the slowcore. Fine work, and when is there gonna be a longer EP is what I'd like to know.

Tufo - "Aspettandoti" EP (2014) 

From the Southern Italian city of Mola Di Bari comes a drum and bass duo. No, not the electronic genre, but an actual drum kit and bass guitar doing it to it. They're playing math rock, and the bass is doing what the angular guitar usually handles, in a sort of double duty that actually sounds fucking remarkable. It is rather minimal, thrashing cymbals, pounding drums and quick cords changing melody rapidly. Tufo has done a wonderful thing on this EP, and all I can do is hope to get to hear more like this in the future.


Swutscher - OKIDOKI EP (2014)

A very brief three track EP from Germany. While short is packed with lo-fi goodness. Fuzzy, even when acoustic somehow, and tints of surf and garage rock. It is almost over before you know it but does very well in the middle of a mix of all the other lo-fi tunes we've all been throwing at you en masse lately. Just let the songs permeate every waking moment of your day, as you waltz around and do whatever the fuck people with real jobs do and be happier for it.


Amos val - A Foundry (2014)

Back to Portland, Oregon for this final EP. I heard you need for atmospheric post-rock. You remember saying say that? I am pretty sure you did and you'll like it just fine. Amos val has several releases under their belt, but this is the first I've gotten a chance to hear them. The songs are engaging and rather sophisticated instrumentally, and it has some melodic singing to boot. I'd certainly recommended A Foundry to anyone that liked Jura's self-titled album I posted up earlier in the month.

Imelda Marcos - Isa (2014)

Despite the naming themselves for the former first lady of the Philippines and their album the Arabic name for Jesus, this Chicago duo hasn't a lick to do with Southeast Asia nor religious practices of any sort. In fact, I do believe  they're purposefully choosing seemingly random references to go with their creepy ransom note cover art to invoke a chaotic feeling. Then there's the music...

Now, if you got past my facetious introduction, I'll explain more clearly. Imelda Marcos makes the sort fine, angular experimental tunes known as math rock. They mention being compared to Don Caballero, Polvo and Make Believe, which I agree with completely and would further liken them to Hella and fellow Chicagoans Volta Do Mar. They're very capable of playing chaotic, fast and loud as they display in this album yet manage to keep all artful synced. I wouldn't call them noise as they're not giving way to dissonance, the mathy rhythms and patterned chord progressions are well established and create a hypnotic sound. Yet, it is balancing this with the crescendos of intensity, really showing off what a guitar and drum kit are capable of producing, that makes Isa a marvelous album. That's what I think they share with Hella, and of all the many projects of Zach Hill is still my favorite. The album is best heard first being to end, but the highlight for me is "Dresses The Colors of Crayons." That track is golden.

In a personal anecdote, I put Imelda Marcos in a long playlist of submitted material that'll likely make up the next week or twos write-ups. After throwing them on my iPod I hit play, not even having read the emails introducing any of the band, nor scoping out the bandcamp pages beyond clicking the download button. After over an hour of garage rock, noise, experimental tunes I found myself frantic sorting a huge stack of books on space exploration with the math rock of Imelda Marcos blasting. By the time I was done I was absolutely jittery and disorientated but very excited and amused at realizing I was only rushing my work to keep pace with the music. So maybe avoid it while doing delicate work, but I recommend it highly for crude manual labor.

To be had here:
Imelda Marcos - Isa

Scenes Of A City, Vol. 1: Guayaquil, Ecuador

This is the first in a series I hope to develop where I pick a random city and post some musical examples of what's going on there. 

Guayaquil is a city close to the size of Houston. The largest city in Ecuador, it's a bustling port with plenty of delicious seafood, plenty of football fans, and strangely enough, plenty of great psychedelic rock bands. This is perhaps not so strange, except for the fact that, until now, the only Ecuadorian musician I knew of was the 1990's one hit wonder Gerardo, whose "Rico Suave" song was equally hilarious and terrifying for it's almost cartoonish machismo. But this garage/psych revival of today seems to be just as international today as it was in the 1960s, if these bands are any indication.

Espumita - Vacaciones Infinitas (2014)

Male and female vocals adorn this psychedelic garage EP by a band named after the sugary, light brown crema of a specially prepared espresso shot. These songs are more sweet than bitter, and more mid-tempo than one might expect from a caffeine-related band name, but a solid example of Ecuador's young bands dabbling in the mind-expanding production effects we've all come to love from the psychedelic genre.

The Stoneheads - S/T (2013)

Here we have a more stripped down garage band along the lines of Russia's Karova's Milkshake. The production reminds me of crisp, warm, and clean values of the late 1970s, giving these 4 songs an aura that they could almost be bluesy Soft Boys b-sides. They have a track called "The Ballad of Rita Jones", which I'd like to think is an homage to Os Mutantes member Rita Lee Jones, but that may be a stretch. Elements of the Kinks also. Super good EP, this one.

Macho Muchacho - Eme Eme (2012)

I threw this one in as a wild card... and wild it certainly is, showing that Ecuador's musicians are also making forays into the tangled experimental sounds of math rock. Bringing to mind bands like Don Caballero and Battles, these instrumental tracks are beautifully ordered chaos, displaying some the most fantastically inventive guitar playing I've heard in awhile. While some atmospheric psych is thrown in as well, this one might be for progressive music listeners.

De Pelucas - Al Boom (2014)

This one's a full length and probably the strongest offering of the bunch, if for no other reason that it's a psychedelic surf rock record with streaks of darkness throughout. Tracks 6 and 7 especially. Each has a moment where a strange instrument comes into the mix.. I'm pretty sure it's some sort of bowed string instrument, cello maybe, and the effect is haunting. Judging by pictures of the band, they're a trio and they're all young as hell. Which is always great to see, even if it makes me feel slightly like an old man who wasted his youth. Deserves repeated listens.

Gustave Tiger - At The Idyll's End (2014)

A submission from Hungary that followed close on the heels on my latest write up of Budapest's Piresian Beach. This group bears some resemblance musically to her releases, but with a wider variety of stylistic influences. Power pop, math rock and psychedelic are all swirled into this album that I think might be best called noise pop. One of the strongest assets of At The Idyll's End is the diversity of styles that creates tracks that are different enough from one another that rewards re-listening. The singing alternates between different vocalists through the course of the album, and if you pay attention to the guitar work it is noticeable how much range it covers throughout as well. I found the dreamy track "Spes Deorum" particularly alluring, along with the horn flourishes at the end of "Gourgandine Simaitha" and very math rock tune, "Imperial Bride." While the lyrics aren't easily understood in the song (as it ought to be), they make for a good read on the bandcamp page, and the last track is in their own Hungarian. Finally, they put out a very solid EP called Mitanni Mares last year that is worth checking out as well.

To be had here:
Gustave Tiger - At The Idyll's End

Toads and Mice - S/T (2007)

There's an inordinate amount of great musical talent from the state of Ohio, not the least of which is out of Dayton. My favorite band of all time, Brainiac, is from Dayton. Guided By Voices, the Deal twins... Lou Barlow was born there. To me, that sums up the best of the 90s. So it was no surprise to learn that Toads and Mice, one of my favorite finds in recent memory, also come from the "Little Detroit" of Ohio. Maybe it's something in the water there that makes people so talented... too far from the infamously flammable Cuyahoga River to be some congenital effect from the toxic sludge that flows there. Perhaps it's some industrial chemical from the nearby auto manufacturing plants that give predispositions to musical ass kicking.

Idiotic speculations aside, I don't have a great frame of reference for the brand of rock Toads and Mice play (or... played, I should say, as the band is no longer). They had a distinct '90s flavor and melodic tendencies that might categorize them as "post-rock", bringing to mind other artists of the genre. Imagine an 18-year-old Sam Prekop, on the verge of a mental breakdown, fronting a disjointed  Karate. While not as jazzy as The Sea and Cake or Karate, Toads and Mice employ the subtle and richly decorative guitar lines that largely defined the output of both. Their music is inventive, engaging, and as it steadily unfolds over the course of these 12 songs, I felt myself slightly entranced and more than willing to invest in repeated listens. Easy to do, as all the songs bleed into one another, making this more of a compositional voyage (sans pretensions). Toads and Mice kept it modest, dynamic, and rocking.

I suggest listening to it from start to finish. Rinse and repeat.

1000 stars.

Toads and Mice - S/T

Sprïng - Celebrations (2014)

Sprïng might have an umlaut but don't let them fool you into believing they're a Nordic metal band, though I would not be surprised if they've listened to some of heavy rock from Scandinavia. In reality they're from Vancouver and make psychedelic rock that incorporates some elements of both hard and math rock in their guitar freak outs and intermittent use of choppy, angular playing. However, naturally for a psychedelic band they've got influence from 60s groups to numerous to name. This isn't to say they'll don't have melodic and dreamy tracks as well, but rather that they vacillate among a range of tones while very skillfully maintaining a theme throughout the album, which is a sort of surrealistic yet happy. The music is blends their various instruments, as they're all multi-instrumentalist, into a just-chaotic-enough state. Finally, while all the members are experienced musicians that've played in several different groups, a couple of them were in SSRIs, which I hadn't heard of previously but are also quite awesome (and on bandcamp still).

To be had here:
Sprïng - Celebrations

Piano Piano – When I was not in myself, no one alarmed me (2013)

I once had to dispose of a body. It was far more difficult than they make it look on television. Other than the weight of the body, the amount of stuff that flows out of a corpse really makes a clean desecration a difficult task. As the crime I was committing was intended to remain secret, I definitely was not rocking any tunes while getting rid of this little problem either. Now that I think of it, this was 1896, so no portable, recorded music existed to begin with. Damn.

But if I did have a soundtrack, Seattle’s Piano Piano would have made a fine one. Highly technical, intricate math rock that builds to those beautiful crescendos that best reflect the moment your ax bludgeons another stoolie individual. This 4 track EP has some strong tracks, but the last track titled “Harmonics” is a standout for all potential cult leaders and serial murders… and I guess you could enjoy it if you did not fall into either of those categories.

Get it here:

Piano Piano – When I was not in myself, no one alarmed me (2013)

Evasive Backflip - EP #1

These kids sent us a video not too long ago showcasing just how strong this group could be live in the studio. As it was not accompanied with a proper release, I simply watched and enjoyed it and then went on to further submissions. Well, they got their act together and have put out their first EP, and it is a massive 5 song set.  I am surprised how short this release is when it is clocked, because as I was listening to it, the tracks crammed in so many good ideas it felt like they were running through every decent chord progression they were familiar with. The band is from Chicago, and they have clearly learned from their city’s rich musical terrain. If Touch and Go Records doesn’t pick these guys up, it will be their loss. Too many bands that fall into this highly-technical side of rock often forget that music should be fun; a mindset Evasive Backflip has not succumbed to. Recommended as a substitute for a videogame's boring soundtrack or a dance party with your cat.

Crown Larks - Catalytic Conversion (2013)

Not many folks say “did you get a load of that clarinet solo on that track?” It is odd that many of the old European instruments that were once a staple of music and culture have been abandoned by popular music in this part of the world. I saw a Banda act play the other day, and I was reminded that in certain countries (and parts of this one for that matter), horns and brass are still featured prominently in music. 

Crown Larks from Chicago are a band that has found useful and exciting ways to use instruments outside of the familiar rock canon.  They put together what could accurately be described as Post-Rock, with long form songs that build to expressive highs and explode all over any basement apartment that's being channeled through.  What really helps this group stand out from their contemporaries is the creative instrumentation provided by Lorraine Bailey, the group’s member responsible for flute, keys, and clarinet. A track like “Pt. 4 Satrap” elevates these kids above the mere noodeling of music geeks with too much magnetic tape on their hands, and justifies a peek into just what is going on in the Windy City. 

They are heading out on a massive 40+ day tour soon, so check them out when they come to your town or regret it forever. 

Get it here:
Crown Larks - Catalytic Conversion (2013)

YALL - The Sword of Western Influence (2012)

The newest release from the Texas-based punk/math rock group YALL. As used expect it does have so sweet angular guitar playing and wicked drumming, but it is far more chaotic and loud than their earlier work. It's like they've got a fever for speedy rock, and it is a mighty fine thing. The album almost flashes right by, but that is partly because it is only 21 minutes (not that I think that's a bad thing, there's always repeat listens to enjoy). My impression is that they're getting more creatively liberal and therefore willing to wander into this more unstructured style that is more like something like Liars or even Chavez. If you liked the earlier albums it is a no brainer to grab this one, but if you're unfamiliar with them it will make a fine starting point as well.

To be had here:
YALL -  The Sword of Western Influence

Each Other - Heavily Spaced (2012)

I'll probably show my age by saying it, but it really doesn't seem like bands in the "indie" realm are pulling their weight as much as they did when I was a teenager. In the 90's, the term was more of an umbrella that covered many styles of rock... you had the "college rock" of Superchunk or the "bedroom pop" of Tullycraft; the differing punk sounds of the Pacific Northwest and of Washington DC. It was all encapsulated by this overarching DIY aesthetic that was proving musical careers possible independent of the mainstream music industry.

But now "indie" describes a particular sound... and it all sounds like Arcade Fire. Friendly, consonant, and just plain accessible. Yuck! Even those innovative gods of 15 years ago like Blonde Redhead and Sonic Youth have both recently produced some of the tamest, radio-friendly music of their careers. 

Where then, is the ground still being, if not broken, at least poked and prodded? Just a little?

Well, look no further than to the great northern moose. Each Other is a band hailing from Montreal who bring a fresh interpretation to the jingle-jangly side of indie rock. It's fun and outgoing, but equally introspective and unsettling. Heavily Spaced, their second outstanding release, picks up where last year's Taking Trips left off. After hearing about them through this blog (thanks to Antarktikos and apologies if I snatched this review from under his feet), I was immediately smitten with the creative and spastic rock they produced. The band has a definite ear for melody, rhythm and song structures that are unique, disposing of standard verse-chorus-verse rotations for a more evolving, linear approach. At immediate face value, you'll feel like you're just listening to some songs by some band. But after playing this 20 minute EP a couple times, you might be left feeling more like you're hearing one long, intricately composed piece.

Heavily Spaced offers more accessible sounds than it's occasionally oddball predecessor, but both are equally worth your time. Name your price for both EPs and have yourself a great full length begging for repeated listens. 7" also available through their bandcamp.

Each Other - Heavily Spaced

EP Grab Bag vol. 19

Excuses are all I've got still. No internet hookup to my place seems likely anytime soon, as I can't get the motherfuckers at Comcast to let me clear my name from identity theft and there's no damn phone line for DSL. Detroit's dishing out dick slaps to me like it is going outta style. However, these neat EPs got sent in.

To be had here:

Big T and the Diverse Curse - Demo (2012)

This is a lo-fi garage rock/blues band from Chicago. The drummer is the same fellla that plays in Snow Ghost and releases music under the name MaoTzu. The best comparison I've got for what it sounds like is the Black Keys debut album but with harmonica. Hope that find that a flattering suggestion, because I still like the earliest Black Keys songs the best.

Breathing Patterns / Gills - Split EP (2012)

Two tracks each from Breathing Patterns and Gills, who've appearing in an prior Grab Bag. However, I think only one of Breathing Pattern's songs streams on the bandcamp. It is catchy shoegaze number, and the Gills have the same intense post-hardcore sort of math/punk rock. I've grown even fonder of them with this spilt.

Virgin Lung - EP 1 (2012)

Some very mathy post-rock from North Carolina.  The first track on the EP has a different sound than the rest (more soft and pop-like), so do make sure to keep listening even if that's song isn't your jam. As the EP carries on it gets fast and a bit harder. A pretty good beginning of something, but not a free download of it unfortunately.

Frank's Hard Drive - Frank's Hard Drive (2012)

A debut EP from a Polish indie pop band. At seven tracks it is tempting to think if it as an full album, but I'll go with what they call it. Musically they remind me, naturally enough, of Beulah and Apples in Stereo. Especially the use of horns and slight influence of country like the former. By far the most upbeat instrumentation in this pack of EPs.

Assorted Spilts

I've gotten enough split EPs in lately I've decided to make them into a post of their own instead of throwing them into the EP Grab Bag (cause even at my ideal bimonthly rate there's more than I can reasonably post). So here three release with six bands, like a bunch of double barrel shotguns staring you in the face.

To be had here:
War Party/Doom Ghost - Lo-Life Recordings: Love at First Fight vol. 1 (2012)


This spilt put out by the small label Lo-Life Recordings features two lo-fi rock acts with sinister names. The first three tracks are by War Party, whose sound is somewhere between shoegaze and pop-rock. Makes me think of another submitted act, Fun Guns, which is good for I've really been digging those cats still. Second three are from Doom Ghost and are more eclectic. Starts with a garage rock song, a British-esque rock number (think Follying Molly), and one's a shimmery lo-fi pop ditty that invokes the Beat Happening. Must admit both bands are impressive and a finely complimenting spilt.

Mother Night/Dropouts - Garbage Fire Spilt (2012)

More from the several times featured band, Mother Night, but this time with friends sharing the bill. The two bands contrast more strongly than the previous spilt. Mother Night plays their finely done math rock, especially well on "Uprising of the Beast." The Dropouts on the other hand are some intense, abrasive metal that'll packed to the gills with powerful guitar and hollering vocals. A palate cleanser for sure, yet enjoyed by even a non-metal fan such as myself.

The Top Grossing Films of 1984/Nate Henricks - Hang Out Lay Low (2012)

Another returning artist, Nate Henricks, shares more of his E6-style lo-fi psych-pop. This time with an epic track that exceeds 15 minutes. The Top Grossing Films of 1984, other than bearing a lengthy name, are a minimalistic lo-fi psych-folk that has qualities of Weird America stuff. For whatever reason the split this release into their respective bandcamp pages so to get it all you've got to go to each, so just click on each name to get there.

High In One Eye - Memory Hoarders (2012)

A freshly released album from the New Orleans rockers High In One Eye. Like the EP of theirs I've put on a grab bag back whenever, this is some heavily effected rock. Borrowing from math rock, punk and shoegaze styles Memory Hoarders sounds like a busy bunch of noisy rock. It's got the sorta of intensity that just fills the ears right up. For reasons unknown this is exactly the sort of thing I enjoy while I am shaking off last night's outings, and I'm happy to have gotten this before other day at my brother's place. Regardless of my odd habits, it is a solid album and good for fans of math, noise, or strange punk. Finally, I know I've been getting a ton of submitted albums, but I'm adjusting to a new routine as I've got a job at a used bookstore recently so it'll take a minute to get back to regular posting. Can't listen to music all day like the old job or while I was unemployed.

To be had here:
High In One Eye - Memory Hoarders

YALL - They'll Say We're Only Dreaming (2012)

The new album by those Texan math/noise rockers, YALL. Features their earlier released single, GUM. It's a blissfully frantic affair to listen to this album for the first time, this is natural with most noisy rock. Moreover, these song sound incredibly lo-fidelity. Thus it mashes everything into a sonic paste. However, it becomes less cacophonous with repeated listens and assumes the invigorating mode the musicians intended. Admittedly, some of the tracks are far more toward math rock, such as the magnificently quick angular guitar playing in "Blastocyst" demostrates. I gotta say I liked the whole damn thing though, and I bet you will to you like any of their other releases. Available for download from the band's own mediafire upload.

To be had here:
YALL - They'll Sya We're Only Dreaming [320 kbps]

Giraffes? Giraffes! - Pink Magick (2011)

The awesomely-named Giraffes?Giraffes! make math rock of the sort that'll be recognizable to fans of Auto!Automatic!!, Ahleuchatistas, and A Minor Forest. As math rockers and post-rockers keen for, Pink Magick possesses dramatic intros, building layers of instrumentation and rhythm, and infatuation with the experimental. A solid release that'll demonstrate why I don't think it is possible to get tired of guitars and drums. There's some real neat use of keys on here too, check out the track "Transparent Man/Invisible Woman (80,000,000 Years Alone)." They're fond of long ass titles. I should give a nod to artists like Mother Night and other submitters for not letting me forget that I do fancy listening to this sort of music. By the way I've two shorter, earlier releases by Giraffes?Giraffes! on Spacerockmountain already.

To be had here:
Giraffes? Giraffes! - Pink Magick [256 VBR kbps]

Mother Night - Giants in the Electronic Wallpaper (2011)

Seems I've developed a habit of posting submissions this month. This is group makes it easy for me to do so. It's the third time Mother Night is featured here on Spacerockmountain. New album with a fine title packed full of intense math rock. Perhaps even more than their previous releases this album really embraces the fast, angular guitar that reminds me of Clossamite, Chavez or Don Caballero. Powerful stuff to say the least and highly recommended to anyone that enjoyed their earlier music or the bands I just mentioned. I should be getting something I found on my own soon to post up to break up this submission streak, even if I have to pull it from the dark corners of my hard drive. Meanwhile be awed at how many great artists want to give you free tunes.

To be had here:
Mother Night - Giants in the Electronic Wallpaper

EP Grab Bag vol. 4

Sorry about spotty posting. Several factors are conspiring against my blogging lately, such as getting a job, losing a stable housing situation and occasionally limited access to the internet. This is a mix of bands I've seen or that have been submitted in the last few weeks.



Pink Ligthning - First Rodeo (2011)

This is a Detroit band that I saw play at the Awesome Fest and was very happy to have seen preform. A full-length has yet to be released by Pink Lightning, yet there's an EP of their lo-fi rock is infused with some surf and soul. Live it reminded me of The Fever.







High In One Eye - Memory Hoarders (2011)

This a fuzzed out example of shoegze/math rock (post-mathrock as they tagged it?). It fluxes between dreamer bits of distorted rock and louder, more intense sections. Rather well put together and hopefully they keep it up.







Peoples Temple - Fuck Peoples Temple and the Degeneration of American Society and the Status Quo (2011)

This band is also called Dual Mausoleums, this is their older release I guess despite the chronology of its posting to bandcamp. It is some epic psychedelic noise experimentation along the lines of Raccoo-Oo-Oon, Wet Hair or Indian Jewelry. I'll likely get the newer album up soon enough.




Draconian Incubus - Undead (2011)

This submitted album falls pretty far outside of my usual fare. This band is from San José, Costa Rica but sound like a British goth rock group. This oddity alone provoked me to posting it, but really it is pretty good rock music if you're okay with atheistic preaching (I recognize the oxymoronic nature of that) and other gloomy themes.