Hits From The Box #63 - Young Cave Dinosaur Krosses

The past two weeks have been fairly crazy in the gig department due to the Golden Plains festival down in Meredith. Due to such an influx, its hard to get to all the shows - therefore Ive missed the likes of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Wild Nothing, Bob Mould, Deniz Tek, Moon Duo... But I've still had a stellar week, taking in concerts from Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Deerhoof, The Wedding Present (I even had a couple of reds with David Gedge), Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Mark Lanegan. This continues on Thursday where Ill witness the double-pronged awesomeness of Redd Kross and the mighty Dinosaur Jr. Plus some of the supports for these acts - Primitive Motion, Blank Realm, The Eversons - are excellent examples of Antipodean awesomeness. It's good to be alive... So here's to the little guys, that they may one day fuel such rabid appreciation. Who knows, maybe one of the next six bands are on the right track.

 

We start this week's Hits From The Box in Winnipeg. This could very well be the first band from Winnipeg I've spoken about. Departures brought out their debut LP Still & Moving Lines back in 2012. The five-piece delve into an abrasive style of emotive guitar pop that reminds me of Pedro The Lion when they got raucous, or at times like Australia's own unsung heroes Bluebottle Kiss. The songs are strong, loud, and forceful, finely balancing the tension and the release. It's a great little record - you can get it here.

Departures - Pillars
Departures - Swimming

Next up is Fins. The Connecticut trio made waves with this Lawnmower 7" (out through ObscureMe Records), and its not hard to see why. Four tracks of tinny, cacophonous punk that straddles the deranged angst of Modest Mouse with the deranged angst of Les Savy Fav, without the precision (probably equal parts deliberate and necessary). The title track is the perfect example - it's angular, bordering on the modern hardcore sound, yet with an inherent melody sewn into the guts of it. And those guttural vocals - expect these guys to be an electrifying live presence. It's actually a pretty rad find, one which I wish I had found much earlier. Grab Lawnmower here.

Fins - Lawnmower
Fins - Foxfire

Cheat Sheet has been on my radar for quite a while now. Their album from last year ...Is Dead is one quirky, off-kilter guitar pop record that evokes hazy 80s summers days (without the synth or New Wave, just nostalgia, like falling to sleep cradling a well-loved VHS copy of The Neverending Story). This story does end - and pretty quickly too, at under half an hour - but there is something trapped inside the maudlin meanderings of 'February Jinx' or the downturn of 'Rerun' that seems trapped in amber. Plus they cover the theme tune to 'Makin' It' - David motherfuckin' Naughtoooooooooooooon! Respect.

Cheat Sheet - February Jinx
Cheat Sheet - Makin' It

Want to get wrapped up in some sunny, sonorous shoegaze? Vancouver's appropriately named Sunshine are just the ticket. They are pretty unrelenting on their eponymous debut LP - all fuzzy washes of guitar, with the occasional jingle-jangle, this is like listening to a blended Galaxie 500, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and sunny-side-up Raveonettes. Speaking of which, Sune Rose Wagner makes an appearance on the album, alongside members of the New Pornographers, Morrissey and The New Values. It's a very classy effort that is likely to light up a lot of people's dials this month and beyond - you can get Sunshine here.

Sunshine - Amprior
Sunshine - Shanghaied

Back across to the US - Washington DC in fact - to check out Harness Flux, the solo project of John Masters (previously of the bands Metropolitan, The Cheniers, Stamen & Pistils). This is Masters' effort to purge himself of all the No Wave, noodling noise that courses through him like an ages-old tapeworm. We know he will never win this battle, but it's goddamn delicious to watch him try. I want to hear more!

Harness Flux - Stockbrokers

I wanted to finish up with these UK guys The Modulated Tones, because they are awesome and are yet another band I let slip through my fingers last year. Their EP Turning On is not just space rock psych adulation, it's embodiment. You can't get much more Spacemen 3 than this before you find yourself actually listening to Spacemen 3. Or Suicide - there is more than a lick of 'Surrender' pumping through its veins. Kosmiche/motorik/chic/oblique. Drop out.

The Modulated Tones - Day Tripper
The Modulated Tones - Kids Don't Live Enough

Happy Tuesday!