Silver Bullets - Free Radical (2009)

Wish I'd gotten my hands on this sooner. Holy shit is this fantastic. If you liked the King Blood I was wild about then you'll like this for sure, and if you somehow oversaw that post, welcome. Silver Bullets is lo-fi, noise-riddled, kraut, sludge psych-rock. In the best possible way. Bombards the ears with sonic waves that pull you out to some cosmic sea in your very mind. This is the sort of shit I love to listen to as soon as I wake up, hungover or sober, and have to get focused by losing myself. Not sure if that makes terribly much sense, but it is the best way I can describe it. Gets me worked up, this sort of well-done drone/noise. I wish I knew more about the artist but the best I can seek out is Silver Bullets is the music of a friend of William Giacchi of Super Minerals and Magic Latern that made this curious album in Sicily. As I mentioned, if you liked King Blood, as well Peaking Lights or Topaz Rags for that matter, then you'll find this to be rather amazing.

To be had here:
Silver Bullets - Free Radical [256 kbps]

Ocelote Rojo - Pacarina (2011)

Found Ocelote Rojo on bandcamp when I was poking around. Pretty album art and some interesting tags got me to give it a listen. Pacarina wasn't disappointment. Most assuredly this EP falls into the glo-fi/chillwave that been attracting my and many others attention lately. Therefore this bears similarities to Monster Rally, Lay Bac, and their ilk. However, it is decidedly more gloomy than Monster Rally, if roughly at the same pace. Guessing the musician, Francisco Aravena, is Chilean from the tags, hard to be sure. However, I think the power of suggestion goes a long way in chillwave. For example, images of sunny beaches on the cover art are gonna have an effect opposed to a Mesoamerican city on this one. Variations on nostalgia ultimately, but give the mind a launching point of reference in this often lyric-less genre. Let me know if you agree.

To be had here:
Ocelote Rojo - Pacarina

Henryspenncer - To The Timeless Valley (2011) & Split EP w/ Among The Bones (2011)

As mentioned in yesterday's offering, there's been post-rock cluttering up my inbox as of late. Henryspenncer is one that I got the other day from a new French label called Bookmaker Records, where these albums can be found for purchase in a physical form. Fully instrumental and intensely powerful, To The Timeless Valley shares qualities with other submitted music like Sigmoid Argonaut and Mother Night. However, the e-mail they sent me stole the best descriptors right out from under me; "The confrontation of windy psych western sounds with heavy industrial and cosmic vibes, that invites you to an endless travel in imaginary deserts." That's one finely written way to put it. The Split EP that accompanied features a single track by each Henryspenncer and Among The Bones. Both are rather lengthy yet fine examples of good instrumental rock. For ease these are the links the label provided me, but if they go down and you still want them just leave a comment and I'll know what to do.

To be had here:





To The Timeless Valley [320 kbps]












Split EP w/ Among The Bones [320 kbps]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞ (1998)

Certainly hope that this band isn't being introduced to too many here. After all Godspeed You! Black Emperor is foundational as far as instrumental post-rock is concerned. The reason I'm posting them now is that I went to see them recently due to the generosity of my friend who provided with his extra ticket. The show was pretty righteous and the band played easily for over two hours, and if that isn't epic I can't be sure what would be. The oddly named F♯A♯∞ was an earlier release by the band, around when the line-up became somewhat less fluid. This didn't stop the band members from being in many other notable projects in Quebec or recruiting therefrom. GY!BE has been prominent in my thoughts lately because of the amount of post-rock bands and labels sending me submissions. Therefore, it is only apt to understand how some of the very best do it.

To be had here:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞ [256 kbps]

Alexico - Acosador de Media Noche (Episodio No. 2) (2011)

Alexico is a Mexican artist that is sorta hard to describe. It is electronic and capable of poppiness, but it is more noisy and eccentric than I expected. Somewhere between chiptune, IDM and dancey indie pop. Naturally it is appealing and interesting as because of this deft mixture of influences. Kinda reminds me of that cute skweee sound from Scandinavia at it more lighthearted moments, with Spanish singing of course. My shitty monolingual mind can't tell you want the hell they're singing about but I can give you a link to a review by a blog that sure can, check out Club Fonograma for that. Nonetheless, I found this release pretty exciting and that is all it takes to get me to sloppily write it up.

To be had here:
Alexico - Acosador de Media Noche (Episodio No. 2) [192 kbps]

Beat Happening - Beat Happening (1985) & Jamboree (1988)

It was likely inevitable that I'd come to share some Beat Happening. This band has all the elements I loved about the 80s post-anything ethos, in this form really stripped down indie pop. The way I look at it this is the flip side of the climate that produced bands like Half Japanese, Sonic Youth, Suicide and The Jesus & Mary Chain in post-punk and shoegaze. Instead of making noise and walls of sound, it is pop songs reduced to basics. Artists like Aztec Camera, Daniel Johnston, and Beat Happening made simple, lo-fi, numbers that are frequently short love ditties. I mean really damned rudimentary at times, like "Honey Pot" from Beat Happening's self-titled album wherein there is just fuzzy singing with handclaps. Like most good pop songs they're easy to take in and almost never complex, yet they make for some sweet listening. Of course this is one of Calvin Johnson's many outlets over the last few decades, and I recall enjoying this band some of his later ones like Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Halo Benders without connecting the dots for some time. Anyhow, most of you are hopefully aware of Beat Happening, but I'm posting what I've been listening to while working in the yard.

To be had here:





Beat Happening [160 kbps]











Jamboree [160 kbps]

Tokyo Sex Destruction - Le Red Soul Comunnitte (2003)

Time for more music I really dug when I was a teenager. Tokyo Sex Destruction is a garage punk band from Barcelona. They charmed my adolescent mind with references to the MC5, like adopting monikers for each member that bore the last name Sinclair, in honor of the famed poet and manager of MC5. Moreover they were political, singing some Marxist and anarchist shit that wasn't what you'd hear on the radio. Basically, that is all flashy jazz, the real point is that they did know how to make some really loud and wild garage that definitely possessed much in the way of soul. I do like to go back and give them a listen every now and then so I might as well share it here. The slightly lower bitrate is cause I think there is the same rip I made from a CD when was a sophomore in high school.

To be had here:
Tokyo Sex Destruction - Le Red Soul Comunnitte [160 kbps]

Vulturm - Vineta (2009) & Vivi Di Luce Riflessa b/w Voraussage (2011)

Another submission today, but this one sent me more to listen to so I thought I'd have a bit more to write. These are from an Italian label and one of the artists sent me them for you all to check out. Two drummers and a baritone guitar used to make some spooky, distorted and loud rock. Quite well structured, the songs build nicely and do get rather heavy at points. Plus there are some decently long tracks, which is always something I advocate for with sort of sound. Give the music room to grow and change in there, you know? Anyhow, Vulturm made some worthwhile here so see what you think.

To be had here:




Vineta [320 kbps]













Vivi Di Luce Riflessa b/w Voraussage [320 kbps]

Random Singles part one

I always get a variety of singles sent to me by artists and labels in hopes I'll shill them to the readership here. Promoting music is more or less the raison d'être for Spacerockmountain, so accordingly here are several singles and an EP that I have been meaning to throw up and finally got around to listening to.

To be had here:

Bourgeois Heroes - Olé/Hola

This is a recent release from February Records, which I do believe is Connecticut-based. Really lovely and mellow indie pop songs. Very easy to get into.

Seized Up! - Seized Up! EP

Full disclosure here, this is a band of a fella that I went to high school with. It is a bit more pop-punk than I usually share on Spacerockmountain, but it certainly has it merits. Good musicians if you dig this genre, and they're just sitting in Detroit waiting for you to bother them to tour I bet.

The Bynars - Asking Your Mom for Money

Snyth-pop from Boston if I'm not mistaken. I don't know why I do not share snyth-pop more often. I really do think it pretty swell. This track is catchy and you might find yourself listening to it a few times over without growing weary at all.

Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds

Last but far from least, some electronic pop. If this track is any indication of what Phantogram is capable of producing I am super-jazzed to see what they'll have coming out in the future. This is superb music with some stunning singing to boot.

The Velvet Underground - Live At Max's Kansas City (1972)

I'm not gonna waste anytime describing the Velvet Underground, but my favorite British internet denizen asked me what my favorite band was and this is the closest one to an honest answer I could muster. Assuredly I nabbed this copy of Live At Max's Kansas City from a blog but it was long ago and I've forgotten where. Into it though, this is a live, unsanctioned recording of the Velvet Underground just before the departure of Lou Reed, which signaled the end of the band notwithstanding that shunned album helmed by Doug Yule. Despite being a "bootleg" (it was taped by an associate of Andy Warhol, Brigid Polk) it was bought by the record company and released as a live album. Perhaps because of this semi-clandestine fashion of production it is rather candid, the songs are suggested by the crowd and drinks are ordered by the band and all the shit you'd expect at a small rock concert. Anyhow, what is notable that although this was bootleg it captures much of the spirit of the band, with them being able to take them time with the songs, slowly getting into them without the constraints of engineers. As well there are multiple takes of the same song, namely "Sweet Jane" and "Lonesome Cowboy Bill." Certainly this functions better than any "best of" album might have, though there is no version of "Heroin" as as the band states they no longer play that song by this time. I find myself listening to this with a six pack of beer more often than I care to admit.

To be had here:
The Velvet Underground - Live At Max's Kansas City [192 VBR kbps]