Friday Cover Up - Benny, Susanne, Scott, Charlene & Doe

Let's double down on today's covers! First up, London scrappers Doe have released this faithful, gooey rendition of 'Susanne', the Weezer track from the Mallrats soundtrack. It's raucous and fun, with more grunt than Cuomo's boys tend to muster. When is the next Doe release? Soon, so I've heard... But until then. You can get it on this 7" Art Is Hard release that is part of the Hand Cut Singles Club..

Then we have SM faves Scott & Charlene's Wedding giving us a rambling, reverbing, shambling 'Benny & the Jets'. We already have one timeless rendition of Elton's hit, a slurred lounge reverie from the Beastie Boys, but Craig Dermody and his gang of gangly losers make this sound like it is their own. The timorous falsetto at breaking point preludes a sonic implosion which is just brilliant - the kind of cover you do when shitfaced and careless/carefree. Love it!

8 Bit's Second Wind, For Crying Out Loud

Back in 2013 I became inexplicably enamoured with 'Bodega Run' by NY 8-bit rock wizards Crying. Actually it's not inexplicable - that thing is aural crack. Well the trio are back with new EP Second Wind, and it's more of the same - high octane, euphoric rock with heavy 8-bit overtones, an overdose of sugar and blinding colour palettes. 'Sick' reminds me of Speedy Ortiz if they scored Paperboy on the Sega Master System, while 'Batang Killjoy' is a call to arms that hits me right where my blocky heart resides. Seriously, on paper this is the twee-est of Fortuna Pop and indebted to Weezer University, deepfried in 80s console mania, and could - possibly should - go horribly wrong - yet this stuff kills. 'War of Attrition' even has a beautifully 80s hair metal guitar lick in the middle! My teen self is crying with joy.

Don't Dismiss Tony

Tony Molina is an anomaly all right. He plays in a bunch of hardcore bands, and his latest, Caged Animal, is brutal! Here's what they do...



But Tony Molina as solo artist? Think Weezer, Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr - with 80s metal riffs - all packed into one minute morsels. That's what last year's Dissed and Dismissed LP was all about - and Slumberland has reissued it. Its a fun record that grows on you - it's hard to believe how short yet concise these songs are! I love it - I reckon you will too. Grab it here.

Predicting Another Bloody Success In The Surf

West Beach, Florida's Surfer Blood had a stellar 2010, what with their massive debut LP Astro Coast making them the new Weezer (IE when Weezer was good) and side projects such as the Jesus Lizard-heavy Weird Wives kicked some serious arse. Well they are hitting back out into new territory this month on their new EP Tarot Classics (on Kanine Records) In some ways its more of the same, esp[especially on the catchy opener 'I'm Not Ready'. However 'Miranda' is a catchy Elvis Costello meets - you guessed it - Weezer blast, whilst end-track 'Drinking Problem' is a fantastic sidestep, a bit of Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza styled airiness pervading throughout. They are great songwriters, and vocalist John Paul Pitts' voice is as clear and enervating as ever. Ive been bagged out by my interest in this band in the past, but seriously, there is something about Surfer Blood which is like drinking an ice cold beer after spending an hour mowing the lawn in summer's mid-afternoon haze. A truly enjoyable yet refreshing experience.

Surfer Blood have picked up the support slot for the run of Stateside Pixies shows - very nice! If you can, make sure you get tickets for that. For the rest of you, bide your time - rumours afoot that the touring bug continues to bite...

Surfer Blood - Voyager Reprise
Surfer Blood - Miranda

Jeff Is The Champion

Nashville irreverent psych pop rockers JEFF The Brotherhood have been mining the the predictability of their innate unpredictability for some eight or so years now, and its very likely that most of you haven't amply sampled their wares. Well, this year's We Are The Champions is probably the best chance you will get to understand what this duo - brothers Jamin and Jake Orrall - are all about. And what they are all about is creating imminently catchy psych punk soundbytes with errant speed and mania that invoke the gamut of bands of their ilk, from Ratcat to the Ramones, and then infuse it all with more than a dollop of pop writing acumen. The good Weezer references have been rife, and admittedly fair enough, yet I can't get over how addictive this whole shebang is. The duo are clearly all about the rock out - check out 'Bummer' or 'Shredder' for instance - but then get a load of 'Diamond Way' and you will be happy that if you like your rock, and you like your smart pop, here's a way you can have your cake and eat it too (which is a fucked reference by the way. Why else would you have the cake? Unless you are obliged to give it to a bake sale, or you have inserted a file in it with the sole purpose of breaking your lover out of the pen. In which case, make extra fool!)


We Are The Champions is available on the brothers' own label, Infinity Cat - also home to ace bands Natural Child and HAM1. June also sees them doing some dates Stateside with Fucked Up, and one with iceage - awwwwww yeah!

JEFF The Brotherhood - Shredder
JEFF The Brotherhood - Diamond Way

2010's Re-Discoveries...by Secret Knives

Ash Smith AKA Secret Knives has had a strong year, with a lot of coverage surrounding his great debut release Affection. I asked if he wanted to contribute a list to our little collective. He has already contributed to great Kiwi blog Einstein Music Journal (a very interesting list too I might add), so he wanted to go in a different direction...

"I generally find doing a top 5 of the year doesn't accurately reflect listening habits because I spend more time listening to things that were not released in 2010."

Top 5 musical "discoveries" of 2010:

1. Discovering Slowdive's Pygmalion
2. Rediscovering Weezer's Pinkerton
3. Discovering Slint's Spiderland
4. Rediscovering Arcade Fire's 'Broken Window' (from Keep The Car Running 7")
5. Discovering Cocteau Twin's Heaven or Las Vegas

5 albums I never stopped listening to:

1. MF DOOM - Is Viktor Vaughn Vaudeville Villain
2. Burial - Untrue
3. The Chameleons - What Does Anything Mean? Basically...
4. The Cure - Wish
5. Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill

Thanks Secret Knives! And cos Im loving these albums myself (its your fault I cant get 'Miranda' or 'Heavy Water/ Id Rather Be Sleeping' out of my head!) - here's a Secret Knives Christmas mixtape!!!

Weezer - No Other One

Arcade Fire - Broken Window

Cocteau Twins - Cherry Coloured Funk

Slowdive - Miranda

Slint - Nosferatu Man

Burial - Archangel

The Cure - From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea

MF DOOM - Vaudeville Villain

Grouper - Heavy Water/Id Rather Be Sleeping

The Chameleons - Nostalgia

And, as a final special treat, here is a remix of Secret Knives' 'Black Hole' by equally exciting NZ act Glass Vaults! Merry Christmas from the Land of the Long White Cloud!

Secret Knives - Black Hole (Glass Vaults remix)

Titus Andronicus+Vivians Girl = Weezer?

I was not expecting this.

Once again I feel like Im stepping on Paul's coattails here, what with my Mates of State/Girls cover the other day, and here I am doing it again! But this one can not be ignored.

Titus Andronicus - those of wild beards, wilder buzzsaw guitars and American History texts tucked firmly under their flannel & tattoo-covered arms - playing with Cassie Ramone - she of doo-wop from the psychedelic shop lo fi maestros Vivian Girls - playing Weezer - cardigan wearing, horn-rimmed glasses championing, slacker hipsters that disappeared up the pop inanities otherwise known as cuckoo-to-the-supreme Rivers Cuomo's arsehole.

Ah, its all true - and quite frankly brilliant. The impromptu back and forth banter between Ramone and TA frontman Pat Stickles is very amusing, and the homemade 'Im in a high school band' sound just heightens the warmth factor.

And the fact that Paul and I belted out this tune the same weekend that we came up with this blog means that this song will always be close to my heart haha!

Turn this on, crack open an alcoholic beverage, grab a sliver of sun, and remember the 90s in all its indie glory...

And as a little post script - I love the Blue Album and Pinkerton. And some of the Green Album. And a little more of Maladroit. But havent heard Make Believe or the Red Album. And Raditude - the less said the fucking better.

Album review - Surfer Blood's Astro Coast

Surfer Blood have already been shackled to the 'Next Big Thing' ball and chain, but have also been heralded as the forebears of a resurgence in surf rock. Both of these labels are a little unfair. Surf rock in many respects is a niche genre - what these Floridian boys offer is more akin to slacker guitar rock, having more in tune with Rivers Cuomo and Stephen Malkmus than Brian Wilson and Dick Dale. Furthermore, the 'Next Big Thing' these days is a detrimental rather than a monumental banner to attain - these guys have so much more going for them than a cover of NME and a spread in Rolling Stone's Whats Hot in 2010.

But in some ways they bring it on themselves. The broad sunny anthems inclement in their admittedly infant oeuvre, added to their moniker and the name of their debut LP, Astro Coast, would seem to push them forth into the surf rock arena. And they're from Florida - I mean, come on! And they are clean cut, fun loving boys who are blowing all and sundry away. And they have been namechecked by NME's current 'Next Big Thing' The Drums - I mean, seriously!

But as they say, the proof is in the pudding, and a cursory listen to debut LP Astro Coast accentuates Surfer Blood's propensity for big hooks, bigger melodies, and total domination - in a sunny way of course. What grabs from the outset isn't that we have travelled back in time to a place of sun, surf and longboards, but to one of cardigans, black rimmed glasses and Converse High Tops. Opening tune "Floating Vibes" epitomises this notion - swirling guitars hitting with a one-two beat combo that could drive the most elementary of high school cover bands forward, until the bassline chimes in to remind us why Fountains of Wayne used to be cool. Then vocalist John Paul Pitts starts in. His warm harmonics are as much a driving aesthetic of Surfer Blood's appeal as those swirling, shimmering, beautiful guitars. And shit - are those strings I hear in the coda? The boys have ambition.

The album continues in such a rollicking fashion, but also highlight the highlight of many indie bands at their peak. Single "Swim" has been about for a while, but reaches its zenith here, all reverb in an arena vocals, crunching riffs, sparkling Weezer of Blue Album era finger picking, and anthemic choruses. "Take It Easy" is Vampire Weekend like in its Afro beat and soaring vocals, and yet is not smarmy in its tongue in cheeky artiness (yes, I really dont like Vampire Weekend unless someone else is doing it - so sue me!). Harmonix mirrors Arcade Fire, whilst Pitts' voice reaches the rafters as James Mercer does in some of his best Shins work.

But is this mere aping better bands?

No. Why? Because Surfer Blood have written amazing, classic, rock tunes, that's why. Astro Coast is amazingly crafted, and I dont mean in some elegaic, convoluted, overtly ambitious way. It is simplistic in its notion of what makes a good tune tick. Like their compatriots Japandroids, they are young guys who are enjoying playing their instruments - and whilst that two piece deal out scuzzy guitar rock with youthful zeal, their essence is identical - life is great! So yes, the intricacies of many a modern indie classic have been observed and praised, but its time that we harken back to days when guitars were played, drums were flayed, and everyone had a good time. Thank you Surfer Blood - you've served your purpose well.

Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes

6 Degrees of Sonic Youth #5 - Imaad Wasif

Playing alongside J Mascis' Sweet Apple at the Tee Pee Records showcase @ SXSW is Imaad Wasif. Imaad is a singer-songwriter of many talents and connections; he was a part of Lou Barlow's New Folk Implosion; he toured with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for their Show Your Bones world tour; he is one of the Kids working with Karen O on the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack; his last album, The Voidist, included collaborations with Dale Crover of The Melvins (who have a tour coming up too), Chad Bamford (Weezer) and Greg Burns (Red Sparowes). The album is pretty damn good - check it out.

Imaad Wasif - Priestess

Imaad Wasif - Fangs from Adam Harding on Vimeo.