Black Moth Super Rainbow continue their cavalcade of melted crayon box disco as they contribute to Suicide Squeeze's 7" series.

	Black Moth Super Rainbow - Zodiac Girls 7" Two classic sides from the BMSR collective with "Zodiac Girls" thumping along on a thick fuzzed groove with those trademarked pitched vocals floating above some stellar ice cream mountain synth
lines. The B-Sideshows the sensitive croon of the collective, recalling French duo Air caught up in pink smoke and steel blue rain. The band somehow never fail to channel childhood dreams wrapped up in a glycerin film of saturated candy colors and Michel Gondrey-like super reality. These two gems perfectly balance each other out and as mentioned in the News section, this is some of my favorite BMSR artwork yet. Download: [MP3] Black Moth Super Rainbow - Zodiac Girls Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Scott Tuma

No stranger to hushed acoustics, Scott Tuma was a member of the seminal Souled American, has released music under the name Good Stuff House with members of Zelienople and now with his third solo album Not For Nobody he continues to be a beacon in his field. The album wafts between delicate finger-picked lullabies and stirring ambient compositions, both of which echo a study in simplicity and recording the spaces between notes. Tuma has an uncanny ability to channel not only the slow beauty of string smiths like Suni McGrath but also the lonesome tones of Stars of the Lid, and what's more, he has the skill to be able to weave the two styles together seamlessly. Not for Nobody falls like slate gray rain against scratched window panes; cold and desolate, but at the same time comforting and reassuring. The wind blows through chimes in perfect precision with the loping guitar and buzzing drones that shudder underneath Tuma's playing, then dissipates into the lulling hum of the sun's last rays. Digitalis has included this as a part of their Arts & Crafts editions, which display some wonderful homemade packaging. You can see both versions at the link below.

Download:
[MP3] Scott Tuma - Tiktaalik
[MP3] Scott Tuma - Cimbal

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Tunnels

Raven last caught up with Portland's Tunnels in a bit more meditative form on the Yarnlazer label but here, though the vibe isn't that far removed, he's ditched the drone for some serious bouts of psych dappled noise-folk. Weaving moans and bells with buzzed tones and the scattered remains of amplifier debris into a thick tapestry of forest narratives; Nicholas Bindeman shows his JOMF roots but remains an entity unto himself. This is probably the most expressive I've heard him in a solo venture and the disc moves from churned dark spirits out into sunlit waves of bliss with a natural ease. Then he clamps down the darkness again on the scathing closer, awash with scorched guitar and a surprising turn at vocals. Actually this release really peaks my interest to see more of this side of Bindeman, away from his life of drones. This one's out in a run of 100 from the ever impressive Abandon Ship so don't hesitate to pick one up. Outstanding cover art too.

Download:
[MP3] Tunnels - Golden Twigs
[MP3] Tunnels - White Stains

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Lights

Lights are yet another welcome addition to the stable at Language of Stone. This time skewing away from the label's love for Philly's finest and heading to Brooklyn to pick up some kindred spirits. Lights don't lean quite as much to the whimsical side that permeates some of the LoS bands but they do fit in nicely with the darker side of things i.e. Orion Rigel Dommisse's haunting childlike death odes and some bits of Ilya E. Monosov's breathy lamentations. One thing that the band do bring in as a welcomed change is a bit of rhythm that befits their Brooklyn roots. The dark thud of skins pound under a scarred fuzz of guitar on many tracks counterbalancing the witchy beauty of the three-part female harmonies that intertwine above the din. The band's eponymous album creeps in unseen and before you know it has charmed your soul away from you with siren voices and equal measures of midnight smolder and rainy afternoon soul.

Download:
[MP3] Lights - Break, Run, Fly
[MP3] Lights - Lick The Blood

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Something interesting happened in the U.K. as a result of the influence of Pink Floyd's spacey rock flirtations and the surrounding scene that benefited from, influenced and diverged from that particular time and place in British rock. One of the excellent divergences came in the form of a burgeoning space rock genre. Utilizing the electronic influence of bands like Floyd and the Moody Blues and fusing these with harder rock elements and some lumbering bits of folk into a sound as progressive as it was enticing.

	Twink - Think Pink Few travelers of the psychedelic era have careers as storied and unheralded as John "Twink" Alder. Having been a member of Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Pink Faeries and the Deviants; he's more than earned a pedigree in the
genre. This collection of his solo work comes on the heels of his collaboration with Steve Peregrin Took, who later became the second half of Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan, and though there remains a bit of Took's airy hippiness in the lighter moments of Think Pink, Twink combines it with a darker lyricism reminiscent of Syd Barett and a much darker bubbling spaciness that becomes a touchstone for bands that would become full borne space rock luminaries. Though Twink was a drummer for most of his careers in other bands, this album really brings to light his craft in songwriting, and his ingenuity with atmosphere. This is an essential collection for anyone interested in the psychedelic era, an quite honestly rock music in general. Download: [MP3] Twink - Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box [MP3] Twink - Tiptoe on the Highest Hill Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	Hawkwind - Hawkwind Probably no band did more to push the barriers of space rock than Hawkwind. Their debut opens with the breezy strains of "Hurry on Sundown" before quickly seeping into the dark void of "The Reason Is?". Their first album was only a
taste of what was to come but as with much of the Moody Blues material it has an uncanny knack for fusing far flung experimental wanderings and philosophical ambiguity with a good amount of solid songcraft and a knowledge of melody. Unlike the Moodies though, Hawkwind weren't averse to long bouts of dark savage instrumental jamming and their chops give this album its distinctive edge. Much as the second incarnation of Pink Floyd would take them to similar territory, Hawkwind used the newly expanding realm of free rock, technological advancements and a bit of sheer pretension to forge into wider musical avenues. The band would delve much deeper and go much darker but still it seems like they certainly knew what they were doing when they embarked on their journey. Download: [MP3] Hawkwind - Hurry On Sundown [MP3] Hawkwind - Mirror of Illusion Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Awesome Color

Still riding the MC5/Stooges vibe high and paying tribute to their Michigan roots, Awesome Color follow up their S/T Ecstatic Peace debut in strong fashion. Electric Aborigines feels more produced than their previous effort but certainly not over thought. Packed full of stomping bass and the steamroller chug of electric guitar this album reeks of raw blood and carbide; the acrid smoke of Detroit and Flint is fast seizing your lungs by the time you're barely three tracks in. Further on the trio seem to have also raised the ghost of Bon Scott, echoing prime period AC/DC slow burns on tracks like "Taste It". Electric Aborigines seems to be a call to arms for the rock album, reminding a nascent rock audience that for all the genre's posturing it does well to remember that the best rock sweats yesterday's stale beer, inhales sex and exhales pure axel grease.

Download:
[MP3] Awesome Color - Step Up
[MP3] Awesome Color - Taste It

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

A double shot of pop fodder from two bands mining the past in wonderful ways.

	The Bees/ The Mother Hips - Split 7" This thing looks like a lost dub single from '74 and and The Bees don't disappoint with a bit of reggae inflection and some cantina horns. As always The Bees remain completely lodged out of time and that's what I'll always love about them. They have a
knack for being able to appropriate older styles without sounding dated, rather like a completely forgotten gem that's just been dusted off and ready for your next mix tape. The Mother Hips on the flip don't have quite the knack for appropriation but they've got pretty decent pop chops and with the incorporation of a buttery organ and some starry eyed choruses "Childish Dreams" makes for an enjoyable 4 minute slice of summer sun. Download: [MP3] The Bees - Papa Echo Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Total Life

Much like his contributions to Growing, Kevin Doria's solo outings in Total Life are built upon repetition and a sustained state of consciousness. Unlike Growing though, whose tones could often hit your lungs like a wall of pressure, or their later work that shimmered with otherworldly tones; Total Life works repetition into a frenzied dance that leaves you staring squarely into the vortex. The Ken Bradshaw 12" builds on a theme of buzzing, throbbing waves that sometimes bring to mind scenes from Darren Aronofsky's "Pi". The intense build-up of hypnotic pressure leaves you just short of running for the power drill though, as it syncs with your heartbeat and laps at your ears like 70 mph wind, and that's just side-A. The flip grinds the beat up, gnashing the same pulse from the first side into a dirtier, more bewildering dance of adrenaline soaked, vein throbbing chaos. And pretty much just when you think you've lost control, it breaks like a wave and turns back. I've always loved Growing's output and this certainly peaks my interest for more from Doria solo.

Download:
[MP3] Total Life - Untitled Pt. 2

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Ramses III

This record came highly anticipated around here after the band's last two releases, the short Honey Rose EP and their collaboration with The North Sea. This time around the band has put out an incredible two-disc collection. Originally conceived as only a single album, the first of Basillica/Origins discs contains some beautiful and fragile live improvisations that capture the form and craft that the band employed on Honey Rose. The set plays out like mossy burrows soaked in tree-strained sunlight; calm and inviting with the chilled breeze of spring barely moving the leaves above. The second disc plunges the band's sound deeper into the dirt, as several of the band's contemporaries work their sound sculptured knowledge on the tracks. Featuring re-workings by Robert Horton, Keith Berry, Gregg Kowalsky and Astral Social Club, the second disc often times takes the band's sound close to the glacial edges of darkness slowing down the band's already deliberate pace into sprawling acres of drones and haunted ambience. Probably one of the band's most moving works to date.

Download:
[MP3] Ramses III - Origins III - March 31st 2006
[MP3] Ramses III - After The Red Rose (remix by Robert Horton)

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Vetiver

Cabic and crew don't fail to impress with their interim project of covers, Thing of the Past. Though I'm anxious to hear some new Vetiver originals, this album gives a great perspective on the influences and sounds that have touched Cabic's songwriting. Feeling very much like an evening spent sitting in Cabic's living room listening to the kind of songs that can be played over and over; this release is almost autobiographical in nature. Some covers come as no shocker, with Townes Van Zandt, Loudon Wainwright III and 70's chanteuse Elyse fitting in amiably next to Vetiver's sun-soaked A.M. folk on your record shelf, but Cabic's real skill here lies in making tracks like the breezy opener, to Hawkwind's first album lie in perfectly right alongside these troubadour's classics. This album acts as a true curatorial project, it shows Cabic's personal taste as much as it show's how those tastes are integrated into his songwriting and for the most part he makes each song his own leaving this collection with an uncanny resemblance to an album of Vetiver originals. This just peaks my interest even further for that new full length (coming in '09) and leaves me feeling like Cabic and co. have shared something personal with us.

Download:
[MP3] Vetiver - Houses
[MP3] Vetiver - Road to Ronderlin

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Two very different sides to the San Francisco rock explosion that show the diversity that was borne from that scene. The first is young and brash with a sound rooted in the garage but looking to the future. The second formed out of the city's connection with the arts and poetry scene, merging the literary and rock movements.

	Savage Resurrection - Savage Resurrection One of the youngest groups to come to any prominence in the San Francisco scene, a few members were barely sixteen at the time they recorded this album. The band infused a more raw garage sound at
a time when most bands often focused on more sprawling psychedelics. This may have been what attracted Abe "Voco" Kesh to their sound, as he is responsible for signing one of the scene's other major diversions from the core psychedelic style, Blue Cheer. The band produced only this single album for Mercury and broke up shortly afterward with very little touring supporting the album, and thus it sunk for the most part into obscurity. It's most noted among collectors for the calm amongst the clatter track "Tahitian Melody" which does boast some interesting themes. Elsewhere their hard edge shines through making it a fairly decent listen and though the playing can sometimes be derivative the group shows much promise for their age and its certainly well worth checking out, especially for those interested in the San Francisco sound. Download: [MP3] Savage Resurrection - Tahitian Melody [MP3] Savage Resurrection - Thing in E Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	The Serpent Power - The Serpent Power Though most of the lyrics on The Serpent Power's album are derived from leader David Meltzer's poetry, by combining them with an easy sort of West Coast blues rock they don't entirely come off as pretentious as it sounds (or could
have been). The band do trip slightly down the path to pretension on the album's 12+ minute closer "Endless Tunnel" but honestly not much more so than a lot of their contemporaries at the time. The general vibe of the album remains laid back and much in the same vein as "Electric Music" era Country Joe and the Fish, which is apt as they were signed to the same label (Vanguard) and discovered by The Fish's manager Ed Denton. The album only really received local acclaim and eventually they dissolved, with David and his wife Tina releasing another record under their own name. A live jam recorded by Meltzer and co. in 69 for KPFA called Ourobouros was released last year on Locust, shedding a new light on this otherwise obscure band. This isn't quite as interesting and tends to ramble, but the S/T album is definitely worth a listen. Download: [MP3] The Serpent Power - Don't You Listen To Her [MP3] The Serpent Power - Gently, Gently Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Festival

Beautifully harmonic folk from this pair of siblings who craft lonesome American choruses that sound equally at home alone in the forest as they would on bygone vaudeville stages. Lindsay and Alexis Powell's voices intertwine and play off one another in that special way that only two members of the same family can achieve. On Come Arrow Come they wind and twist their way through breezy Americana with a touch dark maudlin wistfulness, choral folk that haunts like the ghost of forgotten yesterdays and just a bit of pure carefree pop. Somehow though, it all seems to fit into the same wicker basket; held fast at the arm of the sisters as they wander down the endless mossy trails that inhabit their imaginations. Of course folk of this caliber could only end up one place, another feather in the cap of Language of Stone. If you aren't on board there I can't imagine what you could be waiting for. My only gripe with the house of Stone is that music this fine aches for vinyl. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed for now.

Download:
[MP3] Festival - Valentine
[MP3] Festival - Fair and True

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

A pure slice of unadulterated evil from the Raccoo-oo-oon camp in the form of Andy Spore's primitive Youth of the Beast.

	Youth of the Beast - Lantern 7" Lantern's two sides are pure basement electronic skree but as with anything out of Raccoo-oo-oon territory it has a certain driving pulse that keeps it from being just a wall of noise. With a clatter of percussion pulsating like tribal rhythms beaten into dented
pots and pans and the high mournful wail of distorted tones this one harkens like the war call of a tribe of abandoned electronics then devolves into the tortured squeal of their kill. Download: [MP3] Youth of the Beast - Lantern Pt. 2 Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Arborea

A beautiful and stirring second album from the Maine duo of Buck and Shanti Curran, known better as Arborea. Lilting and desolate folk that's as beautiful as it is lonesome; and as their name might suggest tinged with dark earthen overtones. The eponymous album feels almost disconnected from urbanity, the calm dry heat of songs like "Ides of March" choke your throat with the dust of stretched gravel roads, the endless repetition of wheat. Elsewhere the pair turns decisively off the path, with rolling clouds replaced by a canopy of trees and twigs underfoot. The sweet loneliness of isolation mixed with the creak of oaken chairs on floorboards and the smell of wet dirt. The pair aren't totally isolated, however, as they enlist the help of fellow traveler Helena Espvall of Espers whose mournful cello adds nicely to the mix. The album is quite an accomplishment and it's often hard to believe that this is only the group's second offering but as with their first album (which is also well worth tracking down) it's the natural ease and unpolished edge that makes it most alluring.

Download:
[MP3] Arborea - Red Bird
[MP3] Arborea - Seadrift

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE and buy their debut as well: HERE

Tape

Luminarium, the latest full length from Swedish trio Tape has me fully engrossed in its crystalline concoction of electronics and calm purposeful composition. Tape last reared their head around here teaming up on that Tenniscoats album that sat firmly in amongst the best releases of last year; and this album holds them in no lesser standing. Luminarium feels like the aural equivalent to a negative utopia; this is 1984 or Brave New World summed up in perfect soundtrack. On the surface the album is beautiful, calming with spots that are pure sonic bliss, flecks of dubbed percussion and peacefully strummed guitar fold you into a state of glossy tranquility. But the edges are frayed. The electronics bend and distort just when you let your guard down, sweet notes warble sour just for a moment giving a sense of strange unease just below the surface. Frankly that they're able to pull this off so effortlessly is nothing short of a testament to Tape's prowess as musicians. This comes away as one of the most beautiful and yet eerily complex albums out this year and you'd do well to pick this up when it comes out in early May.

Download:
[MP3] Tape - Beams
[MP3] Tape - Fingers

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Pocahaunted

I've been meaning to work up a post on Pocahaunted for a little while now but the band move so quickly between projects its hard to pick. The last time they were mentioned here was in their astoundingly good collaboration with Robedoor. So instead of being picky I'm lumping their last three releases into one post because they're all equally wonderful if not essential. The band released a split LP with Christina Carter on Not Not Fun that saw both sides moving the psycho-spiritual bar up several notches. Christina's tracks are, as usual, superb slices of dark natured midnight folk incantations, while on the flip Bethany and Amanda bring new meaning to the term other-worldly. The pair's use of vocals as instrumentation really brings a sense of swirling haunted doom to their work and over the top of their dark-flayed guitar churnings the two voices swim as if locked in tortured damnation. Where the split leaves them some time to weave their magic, the spells become even more intricate on longer releases like their first "Official" solo release Peyote Road on Woodsist and their dark entry into Night People's tapes series Beast That You Are. On both of these releases the duo work out serious shards of noise gnarled spectre echoes that creep far past the 15 minute mark. Both releases are perfect accompaniment to moonless nights spent lost deep in foreign woods. It's usually wise to jump on their releases quickly as they tend to sell out fast, but not to fear as their prolific nature always promises that another gem is just around the corner.

Download:
[MP3] Pocahaunted - Sweat Lodge (from CC/Pocahaunted Split)
[MP3] Pocahaunted - Side A (from Beast That You Are Cassette)

Support the artist. Buy it:

Christina Carter/ Pocahanted Split HERE
Peyote Road HERE
Beast That You Are HERE

As could only be expected of the Jukebox, there's a heavy smattering of garage tracks this week but just for balance or maybe good measure it finishes out with a bit of a breezy gem from the West Coast. What's not to like about that?

[MP3] The Golden Earrings - Now I Have
The Dutch band that later became famous for "Radar Love" (as Golden Earring) is a bit lighter here but no less affecting. A sinister garage number with some impressive action on the guitar. That the band evolved and lasted so long is a testament to their abilities, though I'm still a sucker for their early teenage rantings like this.

[MP3] The Birds - Leaving Here
Not to be confused with the West Coast Byrds, this British group helped usher a harder era into the garage sound and this unrelenting number is no exception. A heavy punch of rumbling bass and a clatter of drums propel this track way outta obscurity and roaring through your speakers. This was definitely a sorely overlooked combo.

[MP3] The Eyes - Not Fade Away
More great stuff from The Eyes. This later single kicked out a shuffle blues side to the band and with that Bo Diddly stutter beat and the chug of harmonica this was a great slice of garage-blues from these Mod stalwarts.

[MP3] The Artwoods - Things Get Better
Speaking of great Brit/Mod groups, the sorely uncelebrated Artwoods, brainchild of Ron Wood's brother Art Wood could keep up with any competition from the fervent club scene at the time. They just couldn't really break out of it. Ah well this track is a pure stomper that shows just why the band deserved more attention and acclaim.

[MP3] Country Funk - Apart of Me
And just to keep the box from being too mired in the garage, here's a bit of West Coast flavor to end things light. Country Funk isn't exactly the most telling name for this group, who in truth shared more with the Byrds or CSN than any funk group. But light harmonies and an alternation between breezy acoustics and heavy leads make this a great shot of harmonious 70's rock.

Indian Jewelry

On first listen I'd have little trouble believing that this is not the same band that created Invasive Exotics, and I suppose for the most part that could be true. It seems that members come and go, add and subtract amongst the group and though that particular piece was my entry to the collective and a favorite of their output, I won't hold it against them. "Free Gold!" the collective's official follow-up to said Exotics is a warmer, hazier affair that brings out some of the band's Sangles era buzzier guitars, hot flash vocals and heat wave synths. Rhythm is in some cases non-existent, folding instead into the steamed tropics of songs like "Walking on the Water" and "Overdrive". In other cases the beats fall like hammers behind the bubble of bass and synth quaver that cascade over the majority of "Free Gold!". Ultimately though, it seems that the sinister touch of nihilism washed through the burned wires and nicotine clouds of this album still closely echoes the band's past. On the whole I'd have to say I miss the disjointed beats and strangled guitars of the last album but I applaud the band for not feeling a need to recreate it.

Download:
[MP3] Indian Jewelry - Temporary Famine Ship
[MP3] Indian Jewelry - Overdrive

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

The "Secret-Eye House Band" Black Forest/ Black Sea returns to shred their strings for your amusementt and general state of higher consciousness.

	Black Forest/Black Sea - Portmanteau 10" Seems like all has been quiet on the BF/BS front for a while so this 10" comes as a pleasant return. The A-Side is a caterwauling din of strings and scuzz that plays out like
a clean psychotic break; tumultuous and calming in the same instant. While the flip side, delves deeper into the broken consciousness quasi-spiritualness of eastern strings and dissonant twangs. The release features their same line up from last year's Terrastock and is released in nifty silver-screened covers. Ltd. to 500. Download: [MP3] Black Forest/ Black Sea - Gemittarius Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Gangpol Und Mit

Gangpol & Mit cut and paste broken toy beats and speed soaked cartoon collages like the mocking bastard shadow of Jason Forest gone loose in a nursery school. The duo craft dizzying assaults of aural tweak that twist you like Absinth-flavored pez. The concoctions start out mostly on the overly cute side but quickly spiral into an area where the cuteness starts to blur into a delightedly wicked set of claws straight out of the most horrifying anime. Cutting voices faster than Prefuse 73 at his height and eating at your brain like creepy temporal lobe leakage from the clouded past the duo certainly have a knack for bending more than circuits. Not to shed this entirely into the creepy light though, Tournent en Rond does have its share of beautiful moments but as I said under the right conditions they act as respites between the chaos of the rest of the album. The duo's cut and paste aesthetics seep into their graphic design and video work as well, making them a media assault to be reckoned with, and speaking of sorts, this 12" also wins for creepiest accompanying cover.

Download:
[MP3] Gangpol & Mit - Police vs Pharaon
[MP3] Gangpol & Mit - Le Panorama/ Elect(R&B)ic M[e_i]ssy Pandaiiï v2

Support the artist. Buy it HERE