James and his Boydoids Get Super Low, And Awesome

That crazy Brissy miscreant James Boyd hasn’t been gracing our sleazy streets for some time – he was left behind in Europe after the Velociraptor summer tour (some say deliberately). He left us with the absolutely incredible self-titled cassette, showing he is a man that truly knows how to write a jaw-dropping lyric, and surreptitiously blending them with seemingly simple pop compositions and seemingly blase, tone-deaf vocal delivery, to create a plethora of deceptive raucous gems.

The shift to the other side of the world hasn’t shifted these innate elements, or Boyd’s burgeoning blitzkrieg of creative activity, as here is a new album, Super Low. And guess what? It’s fucking amazing too. 'Lizzy Killers' gives it away that Boyd is sequestered away in the UK, a crawling downbeat stream-of-consciousness ramble. Then along comes the darker ‘Side Street Blues’, and goddamn if this isn’t one of the best tracks I’ve ingested this month. 'Frustrated With You' is a ruse, seemingly lifting the gloom but settling for weary chagrin in brighter clothes. There is the slightest increase in fidelity, but don’t fear, the tracks on Super Low are super ramshackle, warming the ears, the tongue and the cockles all at the same time. Can someone please shine a light on this guy? Maybe get him to ghost write Paul McCartney’s next record – God knows he has lost his way?

I've just landed in ol’ Blighty, and I see that Boyd and his androgynous Boydoids are haunting Edinburgh. Come on you Tall Thin Duke of deadpan malaise, come at me. Play 'Brisbane' so I can get nostalgic after being here just for a week – I dare you.

EXCLUSIVE ALBUM STREAM - Icarus Himself Gets His Cultural Career On

Well, it is a week of firsts here for Sonic Masala, starting with this, our first ever WORLD EXCLUSIVE (I think, at least our day starts before most other bloggerinos so we should get first dibs!) I was getting ready to post about Wisconsin psych-folksters Icarus Himself and their sophomore longplayer Career Culture. Its an ace album full of delectable twists and turns, and I feel a real find for the tail end of the year (influences include Kurt Vile, Deerhunter, The Who and David Bowie - nice!). As I said, I was going to post about it - but then I got permission to stream the sucker in its entirety! The album isnt out until October 11 (through Science Of Sound Records), but on this glorious day you can have at it for the next 24hrs! So enjoy peeps, then head here and pre-order it!

You're welcome.

Career Culture by Icarus Himself

And if that aint enough - here is their very cool video for 'On Your Side'! Im the gift that keeps on giving!!!

Bozmo In The Highest

I mentioned the Golden Feeling 7" that discordant kids Bozmo put out recently. Well, today they release their debut LP Hosanna In The Highest with a release party in Boston - if you're around, get on it! Im still loving 'Milksnakes' - a punchier, punkier number tinged with 60s pop abandon and with Belle & Sebastian style acerbic lyrics, and it deservedly opens up the album. But there are so many more great tracks - the MOR easy listening Little River Band twist with an 80s Bowie chaser of 'The Lonely Ghost'; the unhinged wails that punctuate the fun as hell 'Witchy Wu'; the Radiation Vibes era Fountains Of Wayne aura of 'Golden Feeling'... Its the various 60s guitar pop guideposts that you hear littered throughout - is there Buddy Holly and Del Shannon in 'Kill The Beast'? The harmonies that are littered throughout Hosanna In The Highest are also mightily impressive, and help to elevate this release from a good to an inherently fun album, one that Ive gravitated towards playing at the end of a day of...well, listening to music, but the fun part, when Im listening to music for me. And that is a pretty good stamp of approval if you ask me - which you didn't, but you should have.

Bozmo - Witchy Wu
Bozmo - Milksnakes

A Friday Cover Up - Ashes on a Monday

This is last week's Friday cover up, on a Monday - it wouldn't be the first time.

Strangely, cricket is one more thing that Brendan and I share a passing interest in, so you can imagine how the banter starts to flow around the time of any Ashes series - the England/Aussie rivalry always runs deep.

For those Stateside readers cricket may be a confusing and strange sport, but trust us - nothing can beat it for banter, or pom bashing as Brendan might call it. Anyway last week's cover up was meant to appear on Friday to coincide with the start of the first Ashes test in Brendan's home town of Brisbane, but due to me being stuck in the Scottish snow its late, again.

Strangely though my choice of track seems more appropriate now that the first Test has finished, each match lasting five days for those not in the know. England defiantly snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat, its left the next four tests on knife edge so I've picked Warpaint's recent cover of the Bowie classic 'Ashes To Ashes', and its not just for title, honest.

Warpaint - Ashes To Ashes

The Friday Cover Up - Noise does Bowie

Its a bit late in the day but this week's Friday Cover Up should really set up for a mental Friday night. A Place To Bury Strangers are a loud band and are not the sort, I thought, to drop a cover of these epic proportions. Sure they might have hit us with a blistering Sonic Youth cover, or maybe a Jesus and Mary Chain or even Mogwai track, but I never saw this coming, David Bowie's Suffragette City. The Brooklyn band have a bunch of shows coming up in Mexico, maybe the thought of all that Tequila drove them to Bowie. Crank it up and its like a legend wiping your brain with static. they should put that on the NHS.

A Place To Bury Strangers - Suffragette City

Friday Cover Up - just dancing?

Despite my complete failure, again, to provide you with any heads up for yet another festival, 1234 the victim this time, this weeks Friday cover up comes courtesy of the Vivian Girls. Inspired by the trio's 1234 set, pics below, here's their cover of David Bowie's John, I'm Only Dancing. A perfect fit for cover up fun I'm sure you'll agree.

Vivian Girls - John, I'm Just Dancing

Shots after the drop...