Pleasant Pinemen

Luke Reilly keeps rolling on with his Swedish invasion through his PNKSLM Records. The latest band to suffer PNKSLM Stockholm Syndrome is Pinemen, who released their Pleasant Pain EP through the label at the turn of 2015. Slices of hook-embedded hazed garage psych - imagine Goodbye Bread era Ty Segall living in the Woods - Pinemen are a band that would be right at home lost in the Bay Area. It warms the cockles, a necessity in the tail end of this miserable winter. Even when they hit the psych blaze trail on 'Praise Yourself', it is done with a warm fuzz. Nice work guys. Grab Pleasant Pain here.

Parting Thunder On The Air Waves

As you may well know, I am a massive Lower Dens fan. Just about anything that Jana Hunter puts her name too, I'm there. So of course I jumped all over Parting Glances, the new album from New York's Air Waves AKA Nicole Schneit. The album is Schneit, her band and a bunch of friends, including members of Hospitality, Crystal Stilts, Woods and more - but it was Hunter's collaborations that were the drawcard for me. 'Thunder' in particular is a real killer - Hunter's burbling metronomic guitar lines evoking the best of Lower Dens' insidious psych meanderings, while Schneit croons about about the danger of addictive personalities (I think?) - it's the darkest song on the album, and for me by far the best. 'Horse Race' is more upbeat, albeit by a smudge, what with the piano and the warm hum as the hunt for a man in a fast Cadillac rolls on. But listen to Parting Glances and these additional musicians become less and less noticeable, blending effortlessly into Schneit's dusky guitar pop world. That long-car, fleeting-light mentality that permeates 'Horse Race' is held aloft throughout - I felt like I was listening to Heart or The Cars in a 21st century self-aware bathysphere, taking on lyricism and melody that is both rustic and heartfelt, gleefully sonorous and yet filled with chagrin. Other favourites include the wistful 'Fantasy', the slow burn 'Milky Way' and the charged, countrified squall of 'Sweet Talk'. Above all, Parting Glances is a great record. Grab it here.

No Clouds Over This Zen Summer

Cloud is Tyler Taormina of Long Island and is fresh behind the ears - not that you would guess it’s the one young dude with how huge and fun his second album Zen Summer (out now through Paper Trail Records) comes across. ‘Sunshine Psych’ has the summer psych euphoria that Woods espouses. There is an easy inherent groove in the likes of ‘Mantra One’ that evokes early Broken Social Scene -  in fact there are a number of moments on Zen Summer that remind me of that band’s second album You See It In People. There is a bucolic bubbling that underpins the album too, something that infuses naturalistic freak-folk shamans like Devendra Banhart or pastel-freak-popsters Animal Collective (‘Luana’). It is this constant sense of colourful inventiveness and verve that makes Zen Summer such an appetising prospect. The album supposedly comes from a dark place, a deliberate attempt to suppress anxieties and trepidations about the outside world and Taormina’s place in it, and songs like the atmospheric ‘Melting Cassatt’ and chaotic cascading ‘Sleepy Giant Speak’ certainly hint at these internal misgivings. Whether the creation of Zen Summer works for him is unsure, but he easily succeeds at setting the listener at ease at the very least, which is a great effort.

Cater(er)ing For Shorts In Berlin Circa '71

New York-based-Aussie Mikael Caterer AKA Shorts is back with another single. ‘Berlin 1971’ isn’t exactly new new – it’s a track that has been around the traps in demo form for a few months (I even posted up when I first mentioned the band), but the it’s been glossed up to within an inch of its life, its heart beating faster than a hummingbird’s, professing love in a score to a faded Super 8 of a fledgling relationship. The sunniness of the track doesn’t fit the titular German city – yet – but it’s easy to imagine yourself in this world, forever sepia toned in the park where the sun is always at half mast, never beating down, drinking cool drink and eating antipasto nibbles... Jarvis Taveniere from Woods recorded this at his new Rear House studio in Brooklyn, so it’s in more than able hands.

‘Berlin 1971’ will be on a 7” EP of the same name (put out through Bad Paintings and Aloe Music) soon - preorder it here (awesome cover art btw). Can't wait to hear the other tracks if this is anything to go by - especially seeing as his backing band consists of Jonah Maurer (Real Estate, Free Time, Titus Andronicus) on bass, Dylan Shumaker (Woodsman, Alex Bleeker and the Freaks) on drums, and fellow Aussie Adrian Tregonning on guitar and keys. Clearly he's learnt a lot from his Scott & Charlene's Wedding brother in arms, Craig Dermody - albeit with a much stronger Dunedin twist of sunshine.

Say Way Yes To A Classic Education

A double dosage of Lefse Records tunes for you now! Starting with the above quirksters Way Yes. Their upcoming 7" Oranjudio (which comes out today on Lefse) looks to continue the good vibes that their tune 'Walkability' displayed last year. The Ohio trio are adamant that Afrobeats in your indie rock are still the future - and along with Cuckoo Chaos, they may still have a point. Its a nice little number (and physically attractive in a Zooey Deschanel kinda way), so is well worth picking up. Oranjudio is available HERE.

Way Yes - Automail


Now, I thought I had already spoken about A Classic Education, but a lengthy rifle through the back catalogue suggests this is not the case, so... Below you can get your hands on the first two singles from their upcoming debut full length Call It Blazing . The cut from the Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) produced record is "about a young boy, born in the gang, he runs from home, leaves his family and his arrogant father, follows his friends and joins another pack, feels his first moments of freedom, he's far from home, that sense of blur is leaving, he almost feels invincible now, will he ever shake off that edginess and anxiety? He's worried he can't grow out of it." That's the blurb. What do I think? For starters, their sound is surprisingly American, seeing as they call Bologna, Italy home. Yet you can see why Taveniere became interested - Ive been a fan for a little while now thanks to Lefse's involvement, the band emulate the dreamy guitar/post-punk/wall of sound codes and conventions that many "indie" powerhouses of today espouse to proffer, but in an extremely European way. In that they take these somewhat common tropes and make them wholesome and refreshing again. The album may be over 12 months old recording-wise, but the wait has been worth it. Call It Blazing is available for pre-order (street date a week from today, 25 October) HERE.


A Classic Education - Forever Boy
A Classic Education - Grave Bird

Vitamins For The Weather Machine

I was talking to Crawf over at Tome For The Weather Machine before the Xmas break, mainly riffing over how amazing Tjutjana's self-titled LP was, and he threw me this video from his own act, Vitamins. They've been rocking Denver for about three years, so are well versed in all things Tjutjana, as well as getting chummy with Woodsman. they have been playing with the likes of Tennis and Gauntlet Hair too, which is pretty rad. There is talk of a new release in the works, and they may be doing a vid with Rob Feulner (who's done some wicked vids for CFCF and Hobo Cubes) so keep tuned...

Liquid Crystals-Original Score by Vitamins and Shyman from Matthew Daniels on Vimeo.

Babies got back

I have a massive, massive crush on Cassie Ramone.

Whilst Im relatively new to the love of all things Vivian Girls, I have found myself short of breath even at the mention of their lead singer's name. She embodies all that I love about the 'rock chick', for wont of a better term. And she is nerdy too - see her rendition of Undone - The Sweater Song she pumps out with Titus Andronicus (in a previous post) I could wax lyrical, ad nauseum, but Ill stop there.Woods is a band that I have liked for a while though, and the latest At Echo Lake is all its cracked up to be.

So when Ramone and Woods' bassist Kevin Morby decided to get together, I was very excited.

They have released a few bits and pieces over the past 12 months, and this track is pretty indicative of what they do. A bliss bomb of fuzzy pop sunlight, Meet Me In The City (put out via Make A Mess Records) embodies the Brooklyn lo fi sound with a massive dollop of "happy happy joy joy" zany mentality. Its a blast, and well worth the time, Ramone-crush or no. Sure, its no Vivian Girls or Woods - but it certainly deserves its place on music's mortal coil.

The Babies are also touring the US with previous Sonic Masala postees White Fence, a band I warm to more and more each listen.

Enjoy!

The Babies - Meet Me In The City