Boston Birthday Pack a Psych Punch

So with this post I am up to date with the mega cool cassette releases Impose Magazine has pumped out the past few months. And its funny that I listened to them in non-sequential order, because in some weird way I think it makes more sense. First was the space ghost jams of Blissed Out; then the frenetic wizardry of Weekends. In some ways I think if you married these two up, or at least artificially inseminated one with the other's sperm, you would come up with a pleasant mistake such as Boston's Birthdays. Their Hawaiian Punch Wave, less than a month old, is muddy experimental electronic pop, the flourishes evident in the cymbal crash and the constant static that is more comforting than confronting. Im definitely interested in hearing more. Im glad to now have in my possession a couple of cassettes - I havent owned any since I last made my own back in 2000 - and it feels...like home.

Birthdays - Software
Birthdays - Procreating Flower Bug

Livin For The Weekends

Weekends are a band I heard about a few months ago from a friend who had been to South By South West and did a bit of a scout around. From all intents and purposes the 2 piece from Baltimore have drawn not unwarranted comparisons to the likes of Ponytail and Lightning Bolt, probably due to the fractured time signatures, guitar weird wizardry and shouty vocal interplay. Both members of the band write songs and play both instruments, which is always a plus when seeing them live Id imagine. I havent really got anything else to go on - except that they kicked off Impose Magazine's Cassette Series a couple months back - its a cracker! I like it more than the next two incarnations (although i do like both, as yesterday's post about Blissed Out and tomorrow's about Birthdays can attest), particularly title track 'Psychedelic Mice'. Reminds me of that show, 'Biker Mice From Mars', remember that? NO? WHAT??? Anyway, they also rock a mean cover of Future Islands' 'Little Dreamer' too. Their latest LP Strange Cultures (through Friends Records) came out earlier this year, and Im making it a perogative to hunt it down (the vinyl has an exclusive 7 minute version of 'Raincoat' - you should too...

Oh yeah, and its a hell of a lot of fun too.

Weekends - Psychedelic Mice
Weekends - Little Dreamer (Future Islands cover)

Imposingly Scarred By The Bliss Bombs

Blissed Out, 3 Brooklyners who love their electronica loud, psychotropic and ever so slightly abrasive whilst still summoning up dance grooves and dreamscapes, are releasing a 4-track cassette as part of Impose Magazine's Cassette Series (its the third instalment behind Weekends and Birthdays - you can attempt to hunt them all down here). The basic premise is that the chosen band decides how many tracks they want recorded and whether its to be made digitally available - and thats pretty much it. Blissed Out's contribution, entitled Second Plane after a thinly veiled tip of the hat to 9/11 (what with 9/11 just around the corner AND the belief held by the band that it was an inside job), the tracks were thrown down between tours and showcases not only the musical direction they are heading in, but also their new third member Phoebe Pritchett and what she brings to the table synth and vocal-wise. The B-sides also highlight their amazing propensity to entirely recreate a song when they remix it (or 'edit' it). Check out some of these 'edits' on their myspace page, and sample second A-track 'Scarified' below. Oh, and if you didnt catch the split that Blissed Out did with the Dum Dum Girls - too late, they're all snapped up.

Blissed Out - Scarified

NB - posts of previous Impose Magazine cassette devotees Weekends and Birthdays up in the next few days.