Brendan Masala's Top 7s/10s/EPs of 2013

I'm racing for a train that is taking me into Shropshire for the New Year - village eating, drinking and debauchery awaits. So here is a list of the short form releases that floated my boat this year...

7"s

Bad Vision - 112/Favours



Harmony - Do Me A Favour



Occults - Occults



Ex Con - Ex Con



White Reaper - Conspirator/The Cut




Ttotals - Spectrums Of Light




Neon Windbreaker - New Sky

THIS CANNOT BE PLAYED AT THIS TIME.

Pale Earth - Prelude To Debut



Big Richard Insect - Big Richard Insect



Charles Buddy Daaboul - Three Colours Green



EPs

Multiple Man - Multiple Man
(one of my favourite releases, regardless of format)



Andrew Tuttle - 4064



Death Cassettes - Ghost Party



Young Adults - Born in '91 EP



WTCHS - Wet Weapons



Parquet Courts - Tally All The Things You Broke



Deep Heat - New Design


A Savage God - A Savage God


Barbiturates - Shades


Angry Seas - Angry Seas


What do you think?

No Young Adults Past '91

Young Adults released Black Hole almost two years ago, and still stands as one of the best discoveries that Sonic Masala has made - see here and here if you want to get reacquainted (the second post is from co-founder Paul - ah the memories!). It's been a while (the band has a new bassist, thus having spent the downtime teaching him the old songs, writing new ones, and playing show after show, becoming a stronger unit in the process) but a follow up EP has arrived in the form of Born In '91, and its just as serrated as its predecessor. Taking shoegaze guitar and bludgeoning the speakers with it in an energetic purge a la A Place To Bury Strangers, Young Adults excel largely down to the fact that they use noise as poetic emphasis as opposed as an out-of-control jackhammer, erratically taking chunks out of your psyche. Melody and feedback coexist in a white noise environment, underpinned with the affected shouts of leadman Chris Villon as he articulates the tribulations of traversing the gap between youthful times of carefree innocence to the darker realms of adulthood (making their nom de plume ever more appropriate). This is the right kind of brutal, with immense power and replay value.

You can get Born In '91 here - it's pretty damn great.

Young Adults - Born In 91
Young Adults - Static

Friday Cover Up #2 - Riding No Fucking Where

Normally I'm struggling for good covers to bring the week to a close, but today we are inundated! First The Horrortones, now this compilation of Ride covers conceived by cool blog Clicky Clicky Music from bands of Boston to celebrate the seminal album Nowhere. Poor Ride - they are the oft forgotten shoegaze band to rise out of that MBV/Swervedriver/Slowdive scene, but Nothing is a phenomenal record. There are some recognisable names on the list for eagle-eyed Sonic Masala perverts, with both Soccer Mom and Young Adults gracing these pages with various pieces of loud discontent (YA's 'Decay' is close to the best thing on here, and the best they have sounded). However other bands stood up to be counted also, with Gary Lyon in particular impressing with his elegiac take on 'Paralyzed' (and his brave rearrangement of the composition really makes it his own). Sure, like most covers compilations the new versions fail to eclipse the originals, but that is impossible with such material. Best case scenario though is that these young bands deliver on their promise and offer diligent, worthy interpretations - and can't wish for more than that.


Head here to get a free download, and enjoy!

Young Adults - Decay (Ride cover)
Soccer Mom - Dreams Burn Down (Ride Cover)
Gary Lyon - Paralyzed (Ride cover)

Have a good weekend, kids!

Black Lips, Konkerors and Young Adulthood - 3 Clips To See Us Out

Thought we'd finish Friday with some more clips. Its time we got fucking wasted, and these three vids will definitely help aid that - or at least give you tinnitus beforehand.

First up is the most exciting of the bunch for me, as its a brand new track from the hotly anticipated Black Lips album, Arabia Mountain (produced by Mark Ronson - wtf?!?), called 'Go Out And Get It!'. It was filmed whilst the guys played on the amazing-sounding Bruise Cruise (read more about it here), so there's lots of sun, surf and rockers showing off whiter than white skin. Obligatory Vivian Girls sighting and a turfed in the surf guitar also. Ace of base!

[NB - for some reason the clip isnt working on SM - sorry! - so head over to Culture Bully to check this out...]

Next is MYTY KONKEROR, whose i miss the future. LP of last year (out now on vinyl through Twin Lakes Records) was a surprise sleeper hit, scoring high on many end of year lists. Well now one of those great, raw psych tracks, 'Cell Division', has its own video - in all its 50s B-movie drag racing goodness!



Finally we have Young Adults. The Boston trio put out a killer demo, followed by their debut LP Black Hole, last year. They are supporting Titus Andronicus at the end of the month, sweet gig guys! Off that is 'Let Us Out', typical dissonant guitar wailing from these crazy kids. Gets my blood a-pumpin'...

YOUNG ADULTS - "Let Us Out" from YOUNG ADULTS on Vimeo.

Now go out and write yourselves off, my pretties!

Breaching Adolescence Into A Black Hole

One of the great 'finds' for Sonic Masala this year has been Young Adults. The trio from Massachusetts impressed many with their demo earlier this year - evident from picking up a support slot for Male Bonding and Best Coast at the end of the month - and in November they are priming to release their debut album, Black Hole, in November (through Czech label AMDISCS). An apt title too. A band that immerses itself in caustic walls of bruising guitar and chanting vocals that cross Japandroids and No Age, Young Adults are a band that firmly fit SM's mold of bands we love. What is impressive about Black Hole is how these guys are ready to supersede these two bands in ferocity, veracity and playability. Opening with ethereal 'Reverie' they blister the wall paint with 'Let Us Out' and never let you get a breath for the rest of the album. A very assured debut that highlights a tight insular band whose intensely coiled aggression coalesces into a fine brand of angst ridden rock with enough punk, shoegaze and early 90s DC sound aesthetics to punch their way through to the speakers and sear themselves onto your eardrums. I havent felt so energised by a new album this year since hearing Male Bonding's Nothing Hurts - nuff said.

Drifing by TheKLYAM

And to brush up on Young Adults, check out our previous entry on their demo here.

Young Adults only shoegaze

This feels a bit strange. Due to the day job I haven't posted for almost a week - thanks Bren for holding the fort - and I'm finding it hard to get back into the groove! But the back log is immense, I've got so much to post its unbelievable!

But what better way to get back into the habit than with a slice of heady, stomping, adrenaline fueled shoegaze from Massachusetts threesome Young Adults. Their five track demo e.p has been dong the rounds in blog land recently and i thought I give you a taste. Full L.P is being recorded this summer, best to keep tabs on this one.

Young Adults - Summer Bummer
Young Adults - Annulation

You can down load the demo e.p here