EP Grab Bag vol. 101

Back to basics with 101. One of the main things I've enjoyed about writing this blog over the years is the combination of new and returning artists that I get to experience. Hearing evolution and new beginnings all the time. So with that in mind here are a few new artists to the blog and a couple of returning favorites.

To be had here:

Lindberg Hotel - Cotton Chains (2015)

The second entry from this lo-fi band out of Curitiba, Brazil.  Do check out their prior work, but I can't imagine a better introduction to the band than this EP. Has three new songs and two covers, including an exceptionally good cover of the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror." Now, the first three tracks with you having them pegged as a power pop outfit that can do a fine cover, but listen to the final two to hear how warped and experimental they can be. A fine juxtaposition and some really really good musicianship.

Cities - Manning Alaska EP (2015)

A stunningly done post-rock experience from a Welsh band. The EP is remarkably accessible, even for the those who don't often listen to post-rock. This is because the songs are quick while being equally spacey and jazzy. The technically precision is akin to my buddy Frankacles's band Jura. I don't say this lightly, as Jura really had their ducks in a row. Not an album to be missed by most anyone, but certainly a must-hear for the post-rock fans.

Nevski - Nevski (2015)

French pop music is some of the damned best stuff ever. I always make sure there's a heathy supply of it playing at any place I work and any party where I can chose music at. That said, Nevski is not making a knock off of yé-yé from the 1960s, rather is a charming display of modern indie pop that happens to be sung in lovely French lyrics. The songs are all impeccable with some light, air musicianship and soft, sweet vocals. Really the sort of music that sells itself, just give it a listen.

Bicycle Day - City Streets (2015)

Here's a special treat, a new EP from Oakland's Bicycle Day. Some of you might recall their full-length, I Had A Place To Be, which came out July of 2014. A wonderful example of hazy garage rock causing me to eagerly look forward to hearing this new release. These four songs do nothing to disappoint, being fuzzy gems of post-punk-ish, droning rock. The track "Self-Help" has been my jam all day, and I doubt it'll stop being so quickly.

YONI YUM - Clam Glam (2015)

The second time I'm writing of this band as well. YONI YUM still very much strike me as an art rock project, albeit of an incredible self-aware and irreverent variety. The songs are catchy and the singer is remarkably talented at belting out all sorts of entertaining vocal flourishes. I listening to it while reading the Russian Futurist writings of Daniil Kharms and it was amazing how well these two different version of eccentric artistic expression gelled.

EP Grab Bag vol. 94

Been a minute since I've gotten around to writing up a Grab Bag. I know I am passing over some EPs I failed to dig out of the pile, but that is life and I'll see what I can do to write them up in the future still. Yet what we got here are a fine mix of lo-fi, electronic, punk and pop. Not a dud among them.

To be had here:

The Gumbo Ya-Ya's - Bad Juju EP (2015)

Heino Retief and his pals are back with new EP of garage rock tunes out of Capetown. The songs bear the fuzzy, jangling sort of lo-fi rocking I've come to expect and cherish from these rather productive South African musicians. Perhaps this EP is a bit more laid back than last year's LP, Superstitious Kisses, as they've taken a more laid back psychedelic and surfy sound. The title track of the EP exemplifies this most wonderfully. Not sure if or when there's to be physical release, but to enjoy soundcloud link for now (unless I wasn't supposed to share it, he didn't give any stipulations though).

Grenades in the Archives - Dressed Up Like Armageddon (2015)

The Boston-based punk rock outfit Grenades in the Archive are back with the second EP to make it into a Grab Bag. In fact, it was just four of these ago I posted Toyko. Nothing wrong with a quick turnaround and certainly not if you'd like a fix on fast, trashy punk rock. The songs are short, loud and intense with a bunch of sounding and very cool guitar playing. My original sentiment from the prior EP is only reinforced upon hearing this latest effort, the perfect thing for a dirty, small venue in which I often have my very best of times at shows. Though it doesn't hurt to hear it alone in my apartment right now either.

Lolita - Doll House EP (2014)

This EP is something I stumbled on when I was doing the Scene of a City: Zagreb post. As they're not from Zagreb but rather the town of Koprivnica in the northeast of Croatia, I decided to save it for a Grab Bag. A short set of songs all in English and display a profoundly excellent understanding of indie and power pop. These are some lovely tunes. The sort of songs that I heard as a teenager and was immediately drawn to without really understanding what they were singing about at all. I'm thinking particularly about Beulah and generally of many others. Of course these songs only got better once I understood them better.

The Penguin Conspiracy - Gazing at the Sky (2015)

A pretty EP by a band from Newton, Massachusetts. Like the prior EP of this Grab Bag it is a fine show of indie/power pop sound, though more washed out and loose sound (whatever the fuck that means, but I think you'll hear it). The singer sorta mumbles through the songs but it is rather endearing and the instrumentation is more complex than a being of the tracks would indicate if you give them the chance to develop. I haven't got any more details on this outfit, but I can say I'm really open to hearing more from them.

Misled Navigator - Cycles of Then (2015)

An EP by the epic electronic and drone musician from Brooklyn, Misled Navigator. Now if I am getting what's happening here correctly (huge chance that I'm not), this dude runs Outward Records, which just released Cold Clouds. But the guy from Cold Clouds runs Revolving Door Records, which this album from Misled Navigator is on. This incestuous loop aside, what we've got here are some phenomenal spacey electronic tunes. They've been tagged as "snythscapes" and "snythwave," which by itself should merit a listen. I know I'm not giving much info on what it sounds like, so you're really gonna have to trust me that this guy's music is always worth hearing.

EP Grab Bag vol. 93

I've got a glut of EPs incoming lately. This is good news but also much time to be spent listening. Being the compulsive music fiend as usual I plowed through a bliss couple of evenings getting to know these six EPs and I don't think there's a single one to be scoffed at in the slightest way. In fact some of them are rather exceptionally brilliant. Mostly American with just a bit of Germany and the Down Under thrown in.

To be had here:
Caterwaulrus - Songs That Go Nowhere (2015)

It's been the better part of the year since Caterwaulrus appeared on the SRM, and now Austin-based musician has got a new EP out. In full disclosure, Larry wrote up his previous release, which I gave an all too cursory listen to but judging by the stunning quality of this new batch of tunes. No joke, these are stellar bedroom pop songs, quirky, psychedelic and charming as all get out. I am confindent enough to say fans of Nate Henricks, Tim Cohen, Slight Birching, Pill Wonder and so on will adore what Caterwaulrus is playing on Songs That Go Nowhere. I've already been texting the link to this album to my coworkers, which I'm sure they're jazzed about. But seriously, motherfucking listen to this EP.

Paar - Pure/She Brings the Rain (2015)

Paar is a band started by a member of German post-punk band, The Amount of Light We Give Off, that was featured exactly 30 Grab Bags ago. I'd say he kept with the post-punk that was so well displayed in that EP for these two new songs, adding more new wave as well. However they sound quite unique from the prior work as these are full of pumping, hypnotic bass and a most seductive singer. "Pure" is a striped down tune, as far as wall-of-sound songs go, and I really, truly fell in love with this band upon hearing the bleak yet sultry "She Brings the Rain." I gotta hear more of that sort of thing.

Little Star - The Romantic World of Little Star (2015)

A new band from a frequently mentioned city, it's Little Star of Portland, Oregon. Now, this band is called Little Star (they don't capitalize it but that shit drives me crazy to see while typing this out) and they've got a tag on their bandcamp for "Big Star." Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where they're inspiration came from. Nonetheless, I approached this EP openly and found myself incredibly endeared to the sweet, often acoustic, power pop tunes. Without a doubt these are well composed and delightful tunes that lack that annoyance factor much pop music creates for me. Like Big Star, who'd have guessed that?

Evasive Backflip - Pussy Up (2015)

Noisy, experimental, mathy jazz punk? Chicago? Naturally. Evasive Backflip put out this new EP on the superb indie label, Grandpa Bay Recordings, whose releases are regular occurrences on SRM at this point. Usually their releases are of an experimental sort, something that Pussy Up continues valiantly. The songs sound improvisational, a bit chaotic at moments but held together the excellent jazzy horn playing and angular guitar swirling around. "Disentanglement Puzzle" is an interesting, unique and very engaging introduction to this band's sound.

Feng Shui Police - Thank You (2015)

As I listened to this EP I very soon felt I was hearing a college kids, yet as I kept on it seems that might be an artful feint. So while I cannot be sure that Providence, RI's Feng Shui Police has anyone in college among its members, it was "Recorded in Dash's basement, powered by coffee and Thai food." Basically that sentence summarizes all I can remember about college anyway. What they've done here is make an acoustic garage rock album, if your mind can handle that concept. But it totally is, the drums are lower to make the guitars audible, the singing is lyric-centered like a young man liberated by use of language ought to embrace. Clever, in an cool, funny way.

White Lodge - Split 7" [w/ The Gorlons] (2015)

I'm not sure how this split came to be, but I know I have written up both these most excellent garage rock outfits, one from the Australian state of Queensland and other from American state of Missouri. These two songs are just from Brisbane's White Lodge made the fuzzy and fast psychedelic garage tune "Backwater Rumble" and another tune called "Ancient Tides," which is perhaps the more theatrically grungy of the two songs but they're very equally matched in overall lo-fi quality. The Gorlons have yet to release their half, but I look froward to it eagerly. God bless electronic communication allowing such far-flung artists to combine for a joint release, especially two I like so much.

EP Grab Bag vol. 88

EPs from four different nations of various genres. I guess I get around, at least in my music listening. Anyhow, all of these are recommended listening, and the European features are particularly good for expanding one's musical palate.

To be had here:

Kemialliset Ystävät - Kultaista kaupunkia etsimässä (2012)

I am still planning to write up a bunch of Finnish music, I just need to get over the motherfucking cold I have got and get the motivation to hunt all the albums down. In the meantime, I am gonna reiterate how good Kemialliset Ystävät is. This is an EP from 2009 that went unreleased until 2012, but is shows off the very unique experimental electronic-acoustic folk of this most magnificent band. It isn't downloadable unfortunately, but hopefully the stream will convince you to find and get 2004's Alkuhärkä, my favorite of all their releases.

The First Part - The First Part (2104)

Indie rock/power pop outta San Angelo, Texas. That they've heard a good deal of 90s rock is a near inescapable conclusion, and this places them right into my range of nostalgic listening. They're good rock tunes, from the time when the term "alternative" might have retained some meaning. Yet these dudes are doing it now, and it is never too late to do something well, which these guys certainly have. The track "The Catalyst" stood out as my favorite of the four songs, but I recommend giving the whole EP a good listen.

The Rashita Joneses - The Rashita Joneses (2015)

These guys picked a good name, who doesn't love Rashita Jones? This Wisconsin-based garage rock outfit has put out three tracks of lo-fi bliss. The songs are fast, loud and exactly the sort of messy garage I like to hear from young bands. As I've stated many times before, this is my bread and butter sort of music and I can't doubt that the Rashita Joneses will enter into my driving rotation with Yelephants, the Prude Boys, and King Cayman. Can only hope the produce more.

B.M.C. Big Mountain County - 7" BMC (2013)

Saw this group on the twitter, and very much liked what I heard from these Roman garage rockers. Their sound is lo-fi and of that bluesy, punk style of garage that I often associate with the middle of the United States (i.e. Memphis, Chicago, Detroit). Enjoyably abrasive singing and loud instruments in un-complex tunes. You've got to hear the organ in "1945." In fact you've got to hear everything in that track. This is exactly the kind of EP that ends up in my driving rotation, which it already has as of this morning. After hearing A Big Silent Elephant, the Vickers, IL CULO DI MARIO and this I am not sure if there's anything these Italians can't do fantastically.

Love, Hippies & Gangsters - Sun Over Babaluma (2015)

Psychedelic rock from Dalston, London. It blows my mind that London is so huge that merely saying the city isn't enough. Also, this music is blowing my wine-riddled brain. Let's start with the fact that the guy responsible for writing, singing and recording these songs goes by the name Yiğit Bülbül. The tracks are anything but a let down even after learning that information. Swirling, lightly droning and showing off skills in both rock and electronic composition. So settle the fuck in and get ready for a far out sonic treatment.

Scenes of a City, Vol. 5: Gijón, Spain

Now I work primarily as a used bookseller, which I like to think of as a job that requires me to know a little about everything, but be adept in very few. Yet there are things you entering into the trade with a mild curiosity for and as you get to see the volume of books, or lack thereof, on the topic you'll cultivation it accordingly. My main two fascinations I've nurtured since becoming a bookman is depressing, existentialist foreign literature and the maybe even a more depressing subject of the Spanish Civil War. As I imagine is common for English-speakers, I was exposed to the war via George Orwell's account of the conflict in Homage to Catalonia. Ever since I've wanted to know more but I won't bore you with the details of the volumes I've collected and spent my spare time pouring over. Rather this is a way to explain why I have begun to know the names of many Spanish cities, the various linguistic differences of the country and the political structure of Spain with its autonomous communities. This is how I know of Asturiason, the northern, mountainous and coastal area of Spain and the region in which Gijón, or Xixón as it is known in Asturian, is located. What I only recently discovered is how much music is being produced in this city, and how much of it is readily available on bandcamp. So forget my depressing pre-occupations as you hear these marvelous tunes.

To be had here:

No Fucks - No Fucks (2014)

The most recent release by a band that's got several enjoyable and free releases on bandcamp from the past two years. They make a retro pop-rock that has some touches of surf rock, and this 7" is sung in Spanish (maybe Austrian, I'm not versed enough to know) and is quite alluring and catchy. The last track, "Vegetar," slows it down some and really show off how lovely of a song they can compose. I recommend hitting up their back catalogue too, those EPs are great shit.


HUIAS -  ! (2011)

An electronic pop EP with chillwave and dream pop tones. It is quirky but not overbearing, a sort of subtle and refined approach is apparent in the music of HUIAS. It is really the instrumentation that makes these songs so damned beautiful and how they play off the fantastic vocals, and like all thing with music and this whole blog I can only struggle to convey that is is pleasant to hear. It is easy to get sucked in and wanna hear these songs again. Additionally, they've got a new single out called "Movimiento Este" that is totally worth hearing.

agora que somos muertos - Aquelarre (2012)

If you haven't noticed by now I am a huge fan of folk and American primitive music, as recently shown by the Steve Palmer and C. M. Slenko posts and my everlasting love of John Fahey. So I imagine my joy at finding a Spanish band that was playing folk that came reasonable close to Fahey's style. Aquelarre is full of the wonderful experimentation and psychedelic-by-way-traditonal (this is a concept I am pondering) that I've come to respect and covet so deeply.

The Starkwells - Take The Money And Run (2014)

There seems to be a continuous thread through my posts on cities that there is one band that can pass as a British band while decidedly not being from Britain. This band perhaps doesn't have the accent as well done as prior bands, but it does sing it some fine English and have some very good power pop songs to go with that very British seeming name. It is lighthearted and sweet to the ear, but the issue is that while it is streamable I can't seem to see how one can download or purchase it. Perhaps that band will come through with some details....

Los Guajes - Mujeres y Centollos (2012)

This is what we've all been waiting for, a Spanish garage rock revival act. I mean, we're bopping all around and far from displeased at what I've found in any of these cities, but I had a theory that garage rock was this universal presence at one time and I hoped it survived in abundance. Thanks for Spain and Los Guajes might retain some of this blissful illusion. Here is the freshest, even at two years tardy, of albums from this band, and it goes for seven Euros but the previous album, La vida es como un CARRUSEL, is a free download. I really don't know what else to tell you beyond these simple words... GARAGE ROCK, ORGANS, SPANISH, MOUSTACHE, SUITS, FUZZZZ.

The Guru - Pretty Things (2014)

I'm still rather bad at the using twitter, though that hasn't stopped me from taking over the account for my place of work in order to milk my boss for a bit more cash every week (not enough as it turns out, but when is it?). Anyhow, I enjoying doing it for Spacerockmountain much more, as it is something I like doing as opposed to showing up at and seeing the endless supply of laborious tasks that need accomplishing. And while most the things Twitter tells me about are useless bullshit, it does recommend that I follow indie labels from time to time. These inevitably have something worthwhile for me to listen to and for that I am grateful. That's exactly how I discovered the Phoenix, Arizona label Rubber Brother Records. They've got a bunch of albums out that look pretty swell and it was among their roster I've found the Guru.

The full-length by the Guru is called Pretty Things and it's not easily thrown into the categories of music I usually describe. Doesn't help that like Samuel Boat these motherfuckers just put "rock" and the name of their city. So I guess I'll have to earn my non-existent pay and call it upbeat indie rock bordering on power pop and dance rock. They're a high energy band with remarkably catchy songs. I dare any of you listen to "Co-Desire" "Golden Brown" or "Real Nice" without getting the choruses stuck in your head. The singer hits the notes impeccably and drives them right into your ears like a fastball over home plate. All with jaunty guitars and solid percussion that makes me wish I could go see them live.

To be had here:

The Guru - Pretty Things

Shortbus 1999 - ST (2014)

It is hotter than the devil's ass and sweatier to boot here in California. When it gets this unbearable and the beach is out of reach, I dream of cooler locals. Sipping ice-cold drinks in full wool suits as the snow slowly falls on my face...what a dream!

Shortbus 1999 is a fun power-pop group from good old Russia, and I can't imagine a place that gets cooler temps than that. Lots of snotty jams pushed along with big power chords and loud amplifiers. All the while the band sings in their native tongue, something we are always supportive of around these parts.

Get it for free here:
Shortbus 1999 - ST (2014)

The Somersault Boy - How To Do A Somersault (2014)

Hungarian 'sickpop' band the Somersault Boy put out this album just a couple of months back and I've been playing on and off ever since. Now, they bill themselves as sickpop, but that's not a term I'm familiar with, but what they sound like to be is high energy, low fidelity power pop. The songs are short, intense numbers with singing that is vaguely akin the pop punk of the 90s, in the best possible way. In tone and tempo they remind me Salt Lake City's Albino Father (whose latest album I can't believe I failed to write up but I should be able to fix that). Now, how this Budapest band sounds so dead on like they could be band from the middle of North America I'll never quite be able to wrap my head around. Guess I don't need to if I just wanna enjoy hearing it, which I most certainly shall keep on doing. Oh, and the album are is fucking great, right? Look at that wind up dino!

To be had here:
The Somersault Boy - How To Do A Somersault

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

GENIUS - Beaches (2014)

Odds are, when you read about Korea images of a pudgy dictator in the north come to mind, and not the music scene. South Korea has an influential pop industry that is big throughout Asia (for better or for worse), but sounds from the underground are hard to come by, even among those of us who have lived in the country for an extended period of time. You'd imagine that with the stress involved in their education system and the intense societal expectations placed on young people, you would have a greater degree of angst and frustration in the nation's rock acts. Who is speaking for the reality young Koreans face?

Well, GENIUS is.

This three piece punk act plays competent rock ditties, but where they stand out is the snarling vocals exposing the cynical modern world many young Koreans find themselves. In Shit City, they sing:

"We see you. We hear you. 
The click of heels and the smack of spit. 
We clean you. We have to. 
Until the day that you take our place."

The pressure to get the right job is intense in Korea. Being left out of the professional career path surely makes many feel left out of the social compact. On Catch a Job, the band writes:

"Mother, do we have some sweet potatoes? 

I’m so hungry. 
I cannot be patient about it anymore. 
My lovely boy, listen. 
We don’t have any food. 
If you wanna eat, catch a job. 
If you wanna drink, catch a job. 
If you wanna meet girls, catch a job. 

No job, no truth in this fucking world."

True words that can apply to the youth across the globe. I only wish the band had more songs in their native Korean, but overall, this is a strong release for anyone interested in te pissed-off side of Korean music.

Get it here:
GENIUS - Beaches (2014)

Plastic Pinks/ Las Tias (2014)

Every poppy garage jam can use a few reverb drenched "oooohs" and "ahhhhs" over the chorus, and if you have ever heard any of my tunes, you would know that I have an ample supply in my arsenal of sound. Cheap Miami Records must be kindred souls, as they released this awesome split tape between Plastic Pinks and Las Tias. No filler here, just 5 great fuzzy pop jams. "Yo La Vi" is a snotty anthem to those days you find yourself stuck on a frozen highway in Atlanta. It's helping warm my ass as this stupid city gets its ass in gear. When Las Tias' "Vision" kicks in, I feel like getting on a plane and jetting to a Detroit roller-ring, where at least they know how to deal with snow fall. But I guess I'll just have to let these crunchy jams warm me while I sit here and wait.

Get it here:

Plastic Pinks/ Las Tias (2014)

Fatal Jamz - Vol. 1 (2013)

GNAR Tapes has been putting out an impressive number of out-there pop records over the last few years. They had a SXSW showcase this year, and have released splits with the always awesome Burger Records. Fatal Jamz is just one of those releases.

This tape is the work of Marion Belle of Bowery Beasts and Dan Horne of Beachwood Sparks, so you know the pop pedigree here is top-notch. Take out the Beach Boys inspired surf-rock used in some 50s summer flick and throw Fatal Jamz in its place, and you will have a workable soundtrack with just a tad more psychedelia. It’s polished, laid back, and I dare say timeless in its execution. 

Download it it here:

Fatal Jamz - Vol. 1 (2013)

Buy the tape:

GNAR Tapes

The Bawdy Electric - A Modern Frontier (2012)

These lovely lads hail from the frozen, frigid north known as Montreal. I don't think they have any songs in French, which I can only assume means they get excluded from all respectable cultural events in Francophone Canada. Come to think of it, is there some kind of rivalry in the city's music scene between that perform in one language or the other? I'm imagining some pretty stellar street dance-offs between members of the rock community.

The Bawdy Electric put together pleasing pop-rock with big guitars and sing along melodies. This track instantly reminds me of power pop acts like Rick Springfield and Teenage Fanclub, with its impassioned vocals mixed with a pulsing snare hits that can't help but get my head bobbing along in cadence. This is the kind of stuff that I could see getting more than one rotation on mainstream radio, and hopefully these guys will get a taste of a larger audience sometime in their future.

It's big, it's fun, and you can pump your fists in the air like its 1986 while playing it. What more could you want?

Get it here:
The Bawdy Electric - A Modern Frontier (2012)

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

Archers - Eggy Tape (2011)

I'm old and I want to drink when watching bands, not stand next to giggly teenage girls flirting with pepperoni-faced Bieber impersonators. This year, however, I may have to go to Portland's annual, all-ages summer festival called PDX Pop Now! judging by all the great music that's on the festival's accompanying 2012 compilation (being released sometime in early June, in case anyone's interested).

Archers is one such band. Their music harkens to late 70's/early 80's punk and power pop, but with both an amplified tenacity as well as 60's rock influence. Really engaging and accessible punk rock and I can't believe I haven't listened to them until now. At times they sound like The Nerves, other times The Wipers. There's also elements of The Who in here. The Soft Boys are also a definite influence, and at times the vocals seem to almost channel Robyn Hitchcock.

This is a great 6 song ep they put out on Eggy Records, an awesome label run by a member of another great local band, The Woolen Men. It looks like the tape itself is sold out, but if you like their stuff, there's a link on the righthand side of their bandcamp page to buy a limited edition 7" for $5... when I bought mine there were only 9 left.

Archers are deserving of the attention they're getting in town, and I hope to catch them live soon.

Archers - Eggy Tape

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings (2011)

Here's the full-length album by Cloud Nothings, which is a follow-up a few EPs. Cloud Nothings is the brainchild of Cleveland's Dylan Baldi as I think I mentioned in the post for the Leave You Forever EP. I am not sure if this album will over take that EP and the prior Turning On for my fondness, but it is a rather valiant release. Quite a good balance of lo-fi psych-garage and power pop that makes for a fuzzy, upbeat bunch of melodies. Baldi's coarse vocals are especially good in contrast to the cheerful mood of the music. While it isn't enthralling me wholly, it is a solid album and it very well could grow on me over time. See what you think for yourself.

To be had here:
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings [256 kbps]

Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever EP (2010)

Cloud Nothings is headed by a young man named Dylan Baldi from Ohio. From the sound of this EP, along with the popularly blogged about album from last year, Turning On, he is has found quite a pleasant niche between power-pop and the lo-fi rock that has been steadily more fashionable. The recording on Leave You Forever seems to my novice ears to be of a bit higher production quality that Cloud Nothing's previous release, but that luckily doesn't hurt the charm of their songs. If I recall correctly he's been out playing shows with Wavves and the like as well as putting a pretty good free EP up on Daytrotter. Certainly worth stanching up.

To be had here:
Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever EP [280 VBR kbps]

The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action (1976)

The Flamin' Groovies intentionally sound like they're from an earlier era, and that feat itself was done in an slightly less earlier era. What I mean is that they were dedicated to remaking the sound of early rock n' roll starting in the late 60s, which I'd bet many would consider early nowadays. More or less, they liked music before the hippie movement overwhelmed a large amount of popular culture, but I can't believe they weren't influenced by that too. Shake Some Action is not their first album, yet it is the first that lacks the original lead singer, Roy Loney, as well as others of the initial line-up. Therefore the band could change tact a some under the leadership of Cyril Jordan. Basically, on this album they for more influence from British Invasion bands, going so far as to cover a Beatles song, "Misery." However, their influences should not in any way diminish their genuine talent. Shake Some Action is a remarkably well-done album in its own right.

To be had here:
The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action [320 kbps]