Growing Up Wrong In Native America

A New Orleans trio called Native America. I can't work out if that is a contentious moniker or not. What I CAN work out is their laconic guitar pop that these guys churn out. There are remnants of Real Estate, Kurt Vile and The Shins in the tunes that colour new LP Grown Up Wrong (out next month on Inflated Records, also home to Speedy Ortiz and Ducktails). It has that distant percolated warble that evokes a narcolept version of '60s paisley rock, faint swathes of surf rock malaise, and the dark riptide of rock breakouts that often appear without warning and sweep you away. Many of these tracks don't reach three minutes either, which makes these movements deceptive yet imminently addictive.

You can pre-order Grown Up Wrong here.

Honesty Clashes On The Beach

Just a quick post bout Clash The Truth, the new album from Dustin Payseur and his Beach Fossils. I remember when his self-titled record came on the scene at the beginnings of a time when lo-fi post-punk pop was king, especially from Brooklyn. Since then we have had Wild Nothing, Hanoi Janes, DIIV, Surfer Blood, Real Estate, Ducktails, Craft Spells - the list goes on and on. So at the beginnings of 2013 Beach Fossils return with their second LP (on Captured Tracks once more), Payseur now with a band in tow, and it would be easy to surmise that the lustre would have worn off, that the rich vein that has been mined so far over the past few years would have dried up. But for the most part, Clash The Truth is an incredibly strong, affecting, addictive listen. The immediacy of having a band frees Payseur to open up the shoulders and really throw himself into these tunes, so songs like the title track and 'Careless' are fast and furious, warm and urgent. There is Balearic fare too - the instrumental 'Modern Holiday', the forlorn 'Sleep Apnea'. At times it feels these track rollick along too fast, where there was still room to grow and breathe. But when a chiming cruiser like 'Shallow' flies in at you, you can't help but be swept away by the juxtaposition of Payseur's laconic vocals and the intense instrumentation. Clash The Truth is a great follow up album, and cements Beach Fossils as much more than a passing fad.

You can - and should - grab Clash The Truth here.

Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth
Beach Fossils - Shallow

Ducktails, Listen To Ducktails...

I have to say that I've wavered on Ducktails - Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile's side project - almost as much as I have on my opinion of his "day job". Nevertheless, his Hamilton Road EP really impressed, in no small part due to the appearance of Panda Bear on the track 'Killin' The Vibe'. Now there is a fantastic video out for the title track, and Mondanile's guitar-driven expositions and wistful meanderings are growing on me in an A/V environment. What with Real Estate's 'It's Real' killing it, these New Jersey sun-dazed slackers might just win me over yet...And look at that above photo! Bromance looming...

Ducktails - Killin' The Vibe (featuring Panda Bear)

It's Really Real Real Estate

New Jersey's Real Estate are back! Well, they never really went away, but its good to hear something new from the boys. 'It's Real' is a taste of their new LP Days, which Domino Records will be putting out in October. I've been a little ambivalent about Real Estate in the past, especially in the live arena, although friends have pointed out that I may have been in the wrong mindframe (and they were supported by Yuck, whom I have a bit of an aversion of anyway), but they have impressed me in the recorded form, and this track is no exception. Im actually excited to hear the album too - so it's win win!


Real Estate - It's Real

Not Not a Bored Fortress for Infinite Body, No Age, Rangers, Gnod, Robedoor and NNF gang

No set of posts about Not Not Fun would be complete with out mentioning their Bored Fortress 7" club, thus picking out a couple of the many gems that make up this year's selection.

The Bored Fortress 7" Club, now in its fourth year, is a series of split 7" featuring some of NNF fave bands, such as Wet Hair, Sex Worker, Ducktails, Rangers, Infinite Body, Psychic Reality, No Age, Gnod and Robedoor, all married together with NNF fave visual artists, this year including Cody De Franco, Julien Langendorff, Carlos Gonzalez plus many more. The packaging is a big part of it, along with the limited releases and lucky dip nature of the club. The club runs from August to December, a precious 7" dropping every other month. This is really a 7" club at its best taking all out visually and sonically.

As you've probably noticed the club has finished but you can still pick up these gems on a individual basis from NNF and other places. One choice pick for me from this year's club was the Gnod and Robedoor split - both normally expansive bands from either side of the pond are forced by 7"s of wax to form tightly bound knots form the psych depths. Gnod's 'A Very Special Request' slowly plummets to the darkest regions whilst Robedoor's 'Solid State' descending into a hard psych meltdown.

No Age and the Infinite Body's 7" is another highlight. Two bands you might not naturally sit together but some how Bored Fortress has created a match made in heaven, No Age reeling back to their instrumental noise origins with 'Wintry Kk' and Infinite Body picking up from this year's LP, Carve Out the Face of My God, offering soft snow noise sweeping all before it with 'Between You Can Crawl Like This Is The End'. And don't get me started on the Sex Worker / Psychic Reality split, not to mention the Rangers/Ducktails spar off...

I could go on forever about these six slices of 7" awesomeness, a testament to the genius work of Not Not Fun in one top tip bundle. Of course my posts have only scratched the surface of all that NNF has to offer, hopefully they've convinced you delve deeper into their delights. Have a taste and support their sterling work here.

Infinite Body - Between You Can Crawl Like This Is The End

Gnod - A Very Special Request

Big Trouble(s) In Little New Jersey...

Good morning, sleepyheads! Its Saturday morning, so lets get some grooves on!

I have gone MIA for a little while - OK, 3 or so days, but in that time Ive accumulated a retarded amount of things and tidbits to post about, mainly to do with the myriad messages we are sent here to our email sonic.masala@gmail.com.

I have a dirty lil secret to admit - I have never until a couple weeks ago checked our email. That was Paul and Ani's job, and they have paid their dues, giving a heads up on bands like Tomorrows Tulips and Lil Daggers... But after talking to Guilty Ghosts and Reading Rainbow, and seeing how many bands were trying to get in contact with us, Ive spent the last day trying to make amends...

First cab off the ranks are this tidy lil group from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Big Troubles are a two piece, playing young fiery garage scuzz - aren't they all? - and it isn't only infectious, but it hints at a band of guys striving to be a cut above. They are having a meteoric rise of late, playing with the likes of Real Estate, RE offshoot Ducktails, and the awesome Kurt Vile. Very 'in the now' - how there is so much I hate about this movement, and yet guys like Big Troubles drag me back. Its all about exuberance and having fun, rather than owning a truckload of Ray Bans and removing a rib to suck your own cock (or clitoris - we are gender non-specific here...) Which is what a lot of this sound is so obviously about. Apparently. So Big Troubles - good stuff - their debut LP Worry will be out soon, but you can hunt down their Drastic & Difficult 7" on Olde English Spelling Bee. Well, well worth the time...

Big Troubles - Drastic And Difficult
Big Troubles - Wouldn't Mind

Six Degrees of Deerhunter #5 – recent influences

OK, Im clutching at straws here, although I'm saving a doozie for tomorrow. So last year Pitchfork ran a series of best albums/acts/singles lists as chosen by various members of various bands that were themselves relatively influential over the preceding twelve months. The irascible Bradford Cox was of course one of those list makers. Now I love lists at the best of times – whilst they can be obvious, there is always the chance that a hitherto hidden gem will come to light in your consciousness and shine brightly in your life. Ive already stated how Australia’s Triple J radio presenter Richard Kingsmill turned me on to Fugazi, and he also steered me in the direction of Tortoise – nuff said.

So this 6 Degrees… post will focus every so briefly on Bradford’s 2009 picks – what he mildly refers to as his 2009 influences – and see what you think…

Privacy – Songs
Under the guise of Privacy, artiste Laurel Knapp singing with her acoustic guitar offers bare, simple, and original folk music, sung in the writer’s own breathy, pitch perfect, deep voice. Dreamy, ethereal.
Privacy - Pining

Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy
This guy has been bandied around a bit in recent months, and his name appeared on a few best of end of year lists last year. And it is almost impossible not to see why – intense, genre-snapping, mind-twisting, psych-laced piece of rock put out by a guy that seems like a mix of Tom Petty and Marc Bolan, backed by Crazy Horse. In other words, fucking brilliant. Cant wait to see what he has in store. Big fan…big fan.
Kurt Vile - Invisibility Nonexistent