EP Grab Bag vol. 85

Finally a day off and no family obligations. Perfect time to spend an afternoon checking out all manner of musics sent in from all over. Not even two of these six EPs hail from the same country, nor to many of them really fit into the same genres, though I guess they often get close to it. Hope you enjoy them.

To be had here:

The Spectres - What Will It Be (2014)

A two-piece garage rock outfit from Pittsburgh. They're lo-fi, jangley and got more than a touch of the surf rock in their sound. The EP is eleven songs, but still only makes it to twenty minutes playtime, so you can just imagine that these are some short, sweet rock ditties. They get a pretty full sound by the drummer pulling double duty with a partial kit he plays with his feet as his wields a guitar, a real Mark Sultan move. Impressive for a new band, only been around from half a year from what they tell me. So hopefully there'll be more to come.

Swinging Balls - EP (2014)

Loud, howling, low-fidelity metal/punk from Coventry, UK. The noise they make is nearly as crass as balls on the album art are large. There's not so much as singing in the songs as something between a moan and a shout. In addition to this chaos they've thrown very sludgy guitar playing that provides a firm doom metal overtone to the whole effort. The influence Black Sabbath is obvious, so clearly that they labeled the second track "Sabbath," and it seems to be more akin to the early career of the heavy metal icons. You know, the real sweet stuff, and Swinging Balls does do a good job at making a homage without seeming redundant.

BlackboxRed - Beak to Beak (2014)

A duo from the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands who openly affiliates with a grunge sound. As I am still not sure what made a band "grunge," the post-grunge concept has eluded me as a genre I can recognize, let alone the "ghost grunge" they tagged this with. This isn't to say I don't like anything labeled as such, for quite the opposite as I think BackboxRed makes some compelling tunes. Beak to Beak in a powerhouse of an EP. Intense, fast and full of sounds that are simultaneously bleak and exciting. The songs are rocking and the singing is epic, she can really belt out some lyrics.

VidaGuerrilla - El Kreepo (2014)

Spain's VidaGuerrlia has been prolific lately, putting out four releases, all of EP length, since October. El Kreepo is the second one they've got out in December alone. What they play it is extremely fuzzy, to the point of nearly popping. The washed out songs lay between hardcore punk and garage rock in an way that's hard to describe be immediately recognizable when heard. Finally, I know they sent me a link to their album from July, but somehow I must've failed to post it because I can't find any evidence I did so.... Strange as I do recall hearing it and thinking it was mighty swell.

Glaze of Cathexis - Imaginary Beings EP

It is very rare for SRM to get submissions from Asia. I believe many can imagine why that might be the case, and in the exceptions to this it is mostly Westerners dwelling in Japan or Korea. This is the case for Glaze of Cathexis, a band headed by American ex-pat Matt Comegys and Australian native Scot Atkinson in Ueda, Japan. Imaginary Beings is a psychedelic EP with folk and electronic elements mingled within and is only one of a butt load of releases the outfit has put out and have available on bandcamp. Quite retro and at times far out, and very much worth checking out.

SARAJEVO - The double tailed devil (2014)

Named for the capital of Bosnia, residing in the capital of France. SARAJEVO appears to be a new affair, at least as far as their bandcamp presence is concerned. This two song release is just a mere sample of what I am sure they're capable of as it a well produced and excellent sounding as these couple of tracks are. Each are psychedelic songs with nicely washed out vocals and a well practiced retro style that manages to not be tired. Despite the vocals being blown out, it is clear they're in English, but I guess that is what often happens when you wanna make rock and roll. Wish these guys the best of luck and hope to get to hear more.

The Basement Demons - Baby Teeth (2014)

The Basement Demons are the sort of band that grabs your interest for what it is as much as what they sound like. What we've got here something akin to The Shaggs. If you're unfamiliar with the Shaggs I'd suggest you get to reading up on it, it is one of those wonderful underground phenomenons of rock music history. However, the basic concept was a father that had his four reluctant and untrained daughters form a band, envisioning them to become a famous act like he was living in a real-world Partirage Family. It didn't work out for him, but the band had some undeniable appeal with their poorly timed playing and bizarre singing.

While in what I hope and imagine is a less coercive fashion than the Shaggs, another family band was formed for a recording session. The impromptu Calgary band was made by a fella called Seth, a member of the SRM featured Soft Cure, who was joined by his younger sister and two female cousins. At the time they were 18, 7, 10 and 13 years old respectively. He said the girls had no experience using the instruments before and they recorded in a just a couple of days. The results are an extremely lo-fi set of tracks, so low is the production it easily crosses into the realm of no wave. Noisy, sludgy and filled with the screams and howls of young ladies the albums doesn't even attempt the pop sound at which the Shaggs faltered so infamously. Rather what we have are unadulterated noise rock experiments from the unpretentious and curious minds and unrefined handiwork of a mostly untrained musicians. It most assuredly has the outsider art appeal that many a young indie music fan explores for as they've grown sick of radio pop hits. Be warned there is no shortage of girl screams in the "songs," so keep your finger need the volume nob if you're gonna blast the album.

To be had here:
The Basement Demons - Baby Teeth

Romero - Take the Potion (2013)

Now, this is some awesome stuff. Huge, Black Sabbath inspired riffs with sludgy, weed hazed head-banging passion, and you have the new release from Romero. For a 3 piece, these guys have a subterranean, layered sound that’s comfortable enough with itself to take from Prog when the opportunity arises. I can’t help but feel this group is the evil doppelganger to Merlin’s Magic Music Box, a group I wrote about here some time ago.

The title track from the record is still ringing in my head, and you can download it for free or buy one of those vinyl record thingies. Let’s hope they go out on the road and hit up the West Coast this coming summer.

Get this bad boy here:
Romero - Take the Potion (2013)

Projeto Trator - A Bombástica Barafunda do Batizado (2007) & O Caldo Vai Azedar (2009)

Projeto Trator are a Brazilian stoner rock duo that sent me two of their EPs the other day. One of the perks of writing a music blog is that people will ignore what I usually post up and submit music that I'd otherwise be very unlikely to listen to. These songs by Projeto Trator are a fine example of the sort of stuff I would not go hunting for but now that it has been dropped on my digital doorstep I am pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it shouldn't shock me, as stoner rock/sludge does share key elements with what I do often seek out, lo-fidelity recording, loud guitar, and exciting percussion. However, I can't help but be reminded of my teenage years when I'd commonly find myself traveling around in my pal's shitty minivan with an over-sized sound system blasting some rather mediocre metal. This set of EPs straddles that gulf between my metalhead friend's taste and my bluesy, garage rock predilection in a way that is remarkably listenable. If only I could've gotten my hands of this for him to play in the death-wagon of an automobile at the time.

To be had here:




A Bombástica Barafunda do Batizado [256 kbps]












O Caldo Vai Azedar [320 kbps]