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Posted in Experimental Rock on Jun 26th, 2008 No Comments »
Ciam, inspired by predecessors such as the Velvet Underground, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel - acts who refused to limit their creative outlets to one medium of expression - and with nods to more modern contemporaries such as Radiohead.
Here I Am [6:16]
Posted in Baroque Pop on Jun 26th, 2008 No Comments »
This New York group pioneered “Baroque’n'Roll” in the ’60s with their mix of pop/rock and grand, quasi-classical arrangements and melodies. The Left Banke’s debut was a terrific if largely unrecognized effort of classy baroque pop, featuring entirely original material.
Pretty Ballerina [2:38]
Posted in Black Metal on Jun 25th, 2008 No Comments »
Thanks to a pair of brilliantly executed albums in 1999’s Pale Folklore and 2002’s The Mantle (plus 2001’s none too shabby Of Stone, Wind and Pillor EP), Portland, Oregon’s Agalloch became, quite possibly, the greatest American black metal band ever, or at the very least, the first American black metal band that really mattered!
Song: Falling Snow [9:38]
Posted in Neo-psychedelia on Jun 21st, 2008 No Comments »
Merging psych, garage, lo-fi, prog, and countless other influences, Crystal Antlers easily maintains consistency despite a complete inability to be pinned to any specific movement or trend (so long as you’re not counting the increasingly frustrating trend of unimaginative bandnames).
by Pitchfork
Parting Song for the Torn Sky [7:02]
Posted in 60's Psychedelia on Jun 14th, 2008 No Comments »
On this, the second Spirit album, the group put all of the elements together that made them the legendary (and underrated) band that they were. Jazz, rock & roll, and even classical elements combined to create one of the cleanest, most tasteful syntheses of its day. All in all, a classic album and a true landmark.
It’s All The Same [4:43]
Posted in Indie Electronic on Jun 13th, 2008 No Comments »
As was the case with his acclaimed debut, 2006’s Tower of Love, Jim Noir’s self-titled sophomore album is endlessly enjoyable as both a casual listen and a music-nerd exercise in spotting precise points of influence and nifty production tricks. An absolute marvel of a DIY aesthetic, the album furthers Noir’s reputation as one of the most gifted artists on the forefront of the psychedelic electronica movement.
Song: Don’t You Worry
Posted in Folk-Rock on Jun 8th, 2008 No Comments »
Fleet Foxes may have a firm grasp on rock and folk history, but they never play to their record collection. Rather than revive a particular scene or re-create a lost sound, the Seattle quintet cherrypick their ideas from a broad spectrum of styles, pulling in Appalachian folk, classic rock, AM country, and SoCal pop to create a personal synthesis of the music of their peers, their parents, and even their grandparents.
by Pitchfork
Blue Ridge Mountains [5:51]
Posted in Neo-psychedelia on Jun 8th, 2008 No Comments »
Surrounded in an even thicker haze of psychedelic smoke than the Gris Gris‘ self-titled debut, For the Season is an unabashedly ambitious, occasionally difficult album that traces a journey to the deepest, darkest recesses of Greg Ashley’s mind. While the album’s ambitions occasionally get the better of the actual music, For the Seasons intermittent brilliance is worth digging and waiting for.
Song: Year Zero
Posted in 60's Psychedelia on Jun 3rd, 2008 No Comments »
Based on sheer musical ability, the Q65 deserved to be at least as well known as the Pretty Things or the Yardbirds. Indeed, the Dutch quintet could have held their own with either of those groups or the Animals without breaking a sweat, based on the recorded evidence. Yet the Q 65 have remained one of Europe’s best-kept star caliber musical secrets for more than 30 years.
I Got Nightmares[2:29]
Posted in Neo-psychedelia on Jun 3rd, 2008 No Comments »
Comets on Fire hail from Santa Cruz, CA. All in all, Avatar is truly an exceptional record. It contains genuinely surprising music, and, in light of Comets on Fire’s history of experimentation, that is no small feat. In an article in Mojo magazine, band member Noel Harmonson said that the members of Comets on Fire “believe psychedelic rock is the most transcendental music”. On Avatar, they have succeeded in transcending expectations, and that is, in and of itself, quite an accomplishment.
Dog Wood Rust [7:48]
Posted in Experimental Rock on Jun 2nd, 2008 No Comments »
It’s odd how, with a live reputation for being masters of the quasi-unlistenable avant-garde, Animal Collective can equally endear and soothe with occasionally recorded tracks of child-like simplicity. Which is a little odd, really. But odd is, essentially, the beautiful remit of Animal Collective, and this is am engrossingly befuddling sampler for what’s to come.
Posted in Indie Rock on Jun 1st, 2008 No Comments »
After Matador’s ‘07 reissue of the critically acclaimed ‘Palo Santo’, we’ve been waiting & wondering about the next Shearwater full-length. We’re happy to report the resulting LP/CD ‘Rook’, not only lives up to the ridiculously high standards set by its predecessor, but should well stand as an early album of the year candidate. Produced by Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg and recorded by Matthew Barnhart at Denton’s Echo Lab this past November and December, ‘Rook’ is an extraordinarily original work ; only on a handful of occasions have we heard an album this powerful and so rich in detail, both musically and lyrically. Shearwater’s knack for the epic is already well documented, but with all due respect to their prior efforts, the broad sweep of ‘Rook’’s 10 songs is like nothing else you’re likely to experience in 2008.
Song: Rooks
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