Sacramento's Mayyors sling out a 12" full of brutality and then run it over with a car just because the love you.

	Mayyors – Deads 12" Last year saw a couple of Mayyors singles pop up and then disappear almost instantly, but the left a bit of a blistered wreckage in their path. Now the band has unleashed Deads and though its a bit more well rounded, its no less a harrowing experience. Loud as hell
and frayed like the remnants of a drunken argument, the 12" smacks you each time you look away. Though it was pressed in a larger (by Mayyors standards) run of 500, those too seem to be slipping away, but grab one if you can because each gristle cover was personally run over by a car to ensure that not only is it harsh on your ears but on your hands and possibly your furniture as well. Charming! Download: [MP3] Mayyors - Clicks Support the artist. Buy it uh... wherever you can find it. (possibly eBay by now)

The Mayfair Set

Picked this up at the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest last weekend and it's spent a good amount of time on my turntable since. Dee Dee certainly stole the festival both in Mayfair and on Saturday with Dum Dum Girls, proving that even lo-fi can benefit from some stage presence. The first long(ish) player from Mayfair Set retains the marbled warble that seems to inhabit all of Mike Sniper's recordings but with some much needed fidelity finally sneaking into the vocals, allowing Dee Dee's haunting croon to peek through the window streaked melancholy. The band finds itself most engaging when they let overt melody and slippery bass lines creep out from under the murk, occasionally even letting a bit of fun seep out. The whole thing's dressed up in greeting card snaps shaded in sickly hues that seem like they might have been snatched from your Nana's living room. But appearances aside the Young One's 12" is anything but saccharine.

Download:
[MP3] The Mayfair Set - Let It Melt

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Silver Bullets

From the first strains of Free Radical there's a certain kinship with Magic Lantern that reveals itself; heavy drones, Kruautrock locked rhythms and delightful haze spread over the top like a psychedelic garnish. So it should come as no surprise that this comes to us from William Giacchi's Phil French's (Magic Lantern/Super Minerals) Stunned Records. The Italian psych unit steps to the same precipice that French and the boys have been staring down for a few years and launches an expedition deep into the heart of swamp riddled heaviness. As if we could even keep up around here with all the side projects sprouting off of this band as it stands, now they're recruiting overseas? And recruit the best at that, here's hoping there's more to be found in this Italian garden of lysergic thunder because a single, small press cassette only whets the appetite. Label's sold out but a few distros may have some in stock.

Download:
[MP3] Silver Bullets - Black Leaf
[MP3] Silver Bullets - 74 Dream

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE or HERE

Ty Segall

It seems that Ty Segall isn't much for rest these days. He bounces back with another album close on the heels of last year's S/T thrasher, popping up this time on Memphis garage authority Goner. At first listen the real progression here is that Ty seems to have tempered a bit of the raw, fevered delivery that's pocked his work in the past. That's not to say that there aren't a few damaged howls lurking among the tracks on Lemons but the introduction of a handful of acoustic strums and some even tempered rockers add a nice balance to the buried needle sound that he's been known for. And though it seems Segall is best when he's on the verge of tearing himself apart, wounded howl in check and exorcising whatever ails seem to be bubbling to the top of his blistered throat; this new side of Segall seems to allow him more depth. There may be detractors who are looking for the pure volume and shamble they've known, but its nice to see Ty flout the expectations and round himself out.

Download:
[MP3] Ty Segall - Can't Talk
[MP3] Ty Segall - Rusted Dust

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

So I'm not one much for tributes but it seems a shame to let one of the garage greats fall without notice. For all his eccentricities (see the YaHoWa years) Sky Saxon was a welcome voice in the halls of garage punk history. Sad to see him pass. Screw moments of silence... turn these up!

[MP3] The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard (live)
Well it seems only fitting to start things off with the track that keeps The Seeds in the peripheral of the masses. A nice live version of the Nugget that probably sparked interest in many a Seeds fans.

[MP3] The Seeds - Girl I Want You
One of the best things about Sky and The Seeds was the element of danger that they were able to impart to their music. This track seethes with a lasciviousness that's only underscored by the throbbing fuzz and unhinged organ. Pure Seeds.

[MP3] The Seeds - Pretty Girl
Still never let it be said that The Seeds didn't have their pure rock n' roll side. The band grew out of the garage explosion only to eventually lay the ground for so many punks to come. But I'll be damned if they can't still lay down good old R&B that cooks.

[MP3] The Seeds - Lose Your Mind
But in the end even the great spirit of rock n' roll couldn't help but be swayed by The Seeds' energy. Given a standard Bo Diddly shuffle, the band could still make it decidedly their own. From the opening vocal strains its all Seeds - reedy, rough and raw.

[MP3] The Seeds - One More Time Blues
There was a great Seeds box set out (from which quite a few of these are culled) and one of the greatest aspects of that box was that it showed the blues spirit that ran through The Seeds. They could break it open and kick the fuzz when they needed too but when it came to the blues nobody could deny that the band could simmer as well.

[MP3] Ya Ho Wa 13 - I Thought I Am
Sky spent much time in an around The Source Family and Ya Ho Wa 13 and remained a believer to his dying day. So in this spirit, its only fitting to let the Family send him off. Take care Sky.

The Skygreen Leopards

Just in time for the heat of summer, Skygreen Leopards swoop in with another gorgeous record that's basked in the green filtered light that shines through the trees. Gorgeous Johnny does seem to be the band's most "pop" record to date, running sun baked harmonies over their fullest and most verdant instrumentation yet. This sheen seems to be a bit of bleed over from Donovan Quinn's last solo record and his pop sensibilities mesh perfectly with Glenn's wistfully melancholy folk for a record that lays you gently into the grass while at the same time tugging a sense of ennui from your heart. And though you've probably never made love to a Jehovah's Witness in the shade of outstretched trees, you can roll the bittersweet lamentations on your tongue and make them your own. This record proves yet again that Quinn and Donaldson are sorely overlooked songwriters who tend to get lost amongst a throng of psych-folk revelry. Hopefully Gorgeous Johnny will let their golden tinged bliss out of the box for a few more souls.

Download:
[MP3] The Skygreen Leopards - Dixie Cups in the Dead Grass

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

So it would seem that we’ve reached the halfway(ish) point of 2009 and so far I gotta say I’m rather pleased. A pretty decent crop of tunes has sprung from artists both old and new, so many that its really hard to nail it down to just a few faves but I was able to whittle it down to 15 LPs that seemed to dominate my ears this year. There a quite a few burning up the RSTB stereo right now but for the sake of chronology lets just say the cutoff was releases before 6/30. No particular order here just the 15 that seemed to pop up the most.



Ganglians blew out on a California breeze with two great releases in a row but the absolute stunner was Monster Head Room with its sunny harmonies and garage stumble. Hopefully that repress is coming soon so that a few more can enjoy this classic on vinyl.

Download:
[MP3] Ganglians - 100 Years

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE LP and ||| HERE CD



Well the Skygreen Leopards may have a lock on fuzzed out sunny harmonies for the second half of ’09 but the first half belonged to Amen Dunes. Creeping out of nowhere to fill our need for loner psych and crust caked guitar sounds, this one just keeps growing on ya.

Download:
[MP3] Amen Dunes - By the Bridal

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Chalk another one up for California. The Fresh & Onlys wrapped a whole slew of garage goodness up in one gritty package. As catchy as it is raw and ragged, high hopes abound for keeping the future fresh.

Download:
[MP3] The Fresh & Onlys - Peacock and Wing

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



In The Red has steadily been owning ’09 (as this list might attest to) and Intelligence bring just the right amount of noise and garage charm to the mix. Though they had two albums out right around the same time, it seems that the catchy bits of Fake Surfers emerge as the winner.

Download:
[MP3] Intelligence- Moody Tower

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



This one barely squeaks its way into the first half of the year but it definitely deserves to be on this list. Cameron Stallones just keeps digging deeper into the connections between dub and psychedelic funk and some strange plateaus in-between. Good thing this got here before the real heat of summer kicked in, because you’re gonna need it.

Download:
[MP3] Sun Araw - Hustle and Bustle

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Well amongst all this garage crust and psychedelic nonsense there has to be some beauty. Thankfully Julianna Barwick brings such a heightened sense of aural bliss that it washes away pretty much everything in its path. Absolutely some of the most stunning music of this or any year.

Download:
[MP3] Julianna Barwick - Bode

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Kurt killed it last year with Constant Hitmaker and it seems that this year’s no different. The Mex Summer EP is just as full of shamble down folk and that upcoming Matador release may just blow this one off the list come year’s end. Here’s hoping so.

Download:
[MP3] Kurt Vile - My Sympathy

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Seems like a year can’t pass without a Fonal release breeching this list. Shogun Kunitoki blow away their last album with a tour of vintage electronics that shines like a beacon in a world of dull imitators. Plus how fun is this album when paired up with their stop motion strobe light.

Download:
[MP3] Shogun Kunitoki - Riddarholmen

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Another artist with two releases up on the chopping block this year, but while the demos and b-sides collection of Hard Knox might give some insight to Toth’s past, the raw honesty and emotion on Born Bad proved to be his most engaging album yet. Absolutely essential for fans of JJT.

Download:
[MP3] WAND - Resuscitation Distillery Blues

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Ilyas has had a busy last couple of years but he just seems to keep topping himself. Varying slightly from his focus on the acoustic guitar and featuring a wonderful drop in from Grouper’s Liz Harris, the album seems to have found Ahmed at his peak.

Download:
[MP3] Ilyas Ahmed - Love After Love

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



I’ve said it before and well, I’ll say it again, Dwyer’s Oh Sees cannot be stopped. They’ve just been crushing ’08-’09 with release after release of quality garage. Forced to choose a favorite from this year though I’d have to go with Help which has easily lived up to the expectations that its predecessor laid down.

Download:
[MP3] Thee Oh Sees - Ruby Come Home

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Well the year needed a bit of noise pop and Peaking Lights were more than able to answer the call. This one gets points for presentation as well. The artwork of Shawn Reed is too often relegated to the small surface area of cassettes but here it gets a bit of room to stretch out and languish on a 12” cover. This is just a wonderful bit of fuzz and foam that seems to have slipped through a few too many cracks.

Download:
[MP3] Peaking Lights - All the Good Songs Have Been Written

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



We’ve loved woods around here for quite a while but it’d bee pretty presumptuous to state that this is anything other than their best record yet. Seems a few others agree. If you haven’t checked out Songs of Shame for yourself, it’s damn well about time.

Download:
[MP3] Woods - To Clean

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Again with the ITR releases but there’s no denying the fun of …And Girls Club. The boys swing and strut like its ’64, capturing the best teenaged garage vibes in quite a while. This one’s no technical masterpiece but it makes up for that in pure sweat.

Download:
[MP3] The Strange Boys - This Girl’s Taught Me a Dance

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE



Just like with Julianna’s release, amongst all these sweaty, crusty noiseniks some beauty must fall. And Sharon Van Etten’s debut record is more than able to come to the rescue. Language of Stone continues to be the tip top for folk these days and they certainly picked a perfect record to release with Because I Was In Love

Download:
[MP3] Sharon Van Etten - It’s Not Like

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Blues Control

With an explosion of sweat riddled rock and soul that befits their name, Blues Control blast open their latest album with a gritty stomper that's the most balls out thing they've recorded since their first cassette. They even pull in the aid of Jesse Trbovich and Kurt Vile on horns. Its like some James Brown shit up in here. But while this first bit of rock bombast sets the tone for the album to come, it’s not in the ways you might imagine. The whole album seems to ride the wave of a drug overdose. Following that first blast of smoke and wild revelry that opens the album there begins a slow and murky descent into oblivion. "On Through the Night" begins with washy ease but builds to a doom tinged nervous din before it releases itself into a steamy pulse that melts into the floor. Then the real calmness takes over with a languid piano fever that bridges its way to the otherworldliness of closer "Tangier," leaving you feeling as out of place as ever and floating blind in the ether. Russ and Lea have really played up the synth impulses of Blues Control here while at the same time boiling down their influences to a wonderful psychedelic puddle, revealing a cohesiveness that makes Local Flavor their most realized work yet.

Download:
[MP3] Blues Control - Good Morning

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Sun Araw

Cameron Stallones continues his swampy journey to the heart of the sun, melting a plastic sheet of psychedelia over the beach and pulling the heart of the African jungle up to the seashore. Throbbing with a beleaguered stomp and still flailing some wah into the skanking heart of dub, Cameron proves that pulse slowing vibes are the cure for pretty much anything. Heavy Deeds opens with a little dub-funk with swayed vocals that show edges of his Vibes project bleeding back into SA but the two share enough common ground that I'd be hard pressed to tell who's influencing who these days. The guitar crust of his early days ekes its way back into the fold on this release more than it has on any of his records since The Phynx but its a tempered burn that meshes itself well into the chest rattling pulse of spring-reverbed synth that swells at the core of the record. Now if you pinned me down I'd have to admit that I'm a sucker for pretty much everything that Stallones and co. do, but bias aside this stands as a rather essential release for the oncoming swelter of summer.

Download:
[MP3] Sun Araw - Hustle and Bustle

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Yellow Hand - Yellow Hand It seems very likely that a band whose sole album consisted of songs largely written by Neil Young and Stephen Stills would be a bit better known. Six of the ten songs on their S/T album were written by Stills and Young for the Buffalo Springfield but
never actually recorded and somehow passed to the players in Yellow Hand. Along with one more cover from Delaney and Bonnie and a couple of originals the band seemed to fit right into a time when the aforementioned Springfield were already brimming with success. However even with a fairly faithful delivery on the Young/Stills tracks and some rather accomplished originals (for a band that seemed to be relying on covers) they still failed to attract the attention expected of them. Following the one album they seemed to fade into obscurity but at least the results have now been rescued from the trash bin. It's not Buffalo Springfield, that much is evident, but it deserved more than the obscurity it was handed. Download: [MP3] Yellow Hand - Sell Out [MP3] Yellow Hand - We'll See Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Cold Cave

Ah finally the icy fingers of Cold Cave have delivered an album, this time on the band's own imprint Heartworm Press. On Love Comes Close the band seems to have found a true balance between their Whitehouse noise instincts and their 80's synth veneer. Burbling with a restless energy that erupts in fits of carcinogenic static over tempered beats but just as often giving way to the kind of coldly melancholy synth pop that streaks the windows of the darkest teenage bedrooms; the album seems to be the final step forward into a perfect synthesis for the band. The latter bit of locked door pop is best exemplified in the album's title track which will sound familiar to anyone who picked up the previous Ruby and Etsel 12". A few other limited wax favorites make appearances but are woven into the context of the album so seamlessly that it hardly seems that any of these existed out of the context of each other. So many bands seem to hold a candle for the lost neon streaks of the me generation, but by cutting away at the best bits of the noise and synth undergrounds, Cold Cave seem to have done it with some of the most satisfying results.

Download:
[MP3] Cold Cave - Life Magazine
[MP3] Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

So I was never much of a fan of Gravy Train, but drop a garage beat and guitar behind him and Hunx is cracking out the garage pop bliss.

	Hunx and His Punx – Teardrops on my Telephone 7" With each song reading like the campiest of YA fiction, Hunx is giving garage a well deserved gay kick in the britches. The A-side is pure teen nail-biting melodrama with no reprieve going to the flip side. Hunx slows it down
for the closer with a warning to nosy girls and a bit of jilted lover pout. Beyond all, bless Hunx for working the phrase "I won't get under you until you get over him" into the garage lexicon. Shattered releases one of the most unabashedly fun releases of the year, thanks Jay/Hunx! Download: [MP3] Hunx and His Punx - I Won't Get Under You Support the artist. Buy it HERE

The Thing

So The Thing have returned and with an unlikely choice at the helm of their new album - Steve Albini, whose self professed disdain for jazz seems to have healed I suppose. Not that The Thing are the most traditional of jazz choices as they remain in the free end of that genre and have a love for reinterpretations of rock songs but still you know, jazz on some level here Stevie. The band rip through a couple of excellently contrasting choices including Albert Ayler's "Angels" and The Ex' "Hidegen Fujinaka Szelek." The trio explode songs from the inside out, thrashing and hashing no matter what genre the original stemmed from and in the end they all end up property of The Thing. I'm pretty much a sucker for any project involving Paal Nilsen-Love, whose drumming absolutely crushes most competitors out there jazz or jazz and his rhythmic musings carry Bag It! along on a chaotic ride. Albini does well staying out of the way and letting the musicians own the room which to his credit is usually what Albini does best and in the end this is probably one of the trio's most accomplished works. Plus for the free jazz purists the band includes a bonus CD of a thirty minute session also with Albini at the helm called "Beef Brisket." Something for everyone!

Download:
[MP3] The Thing - Drop the Gun
[MP3] The Thing - Snusvisan

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Dylan Shearer

Yik Yak has quietly released the debut by California native Dylan Shearer, a wonderfully skewed but somehow warmly familiar record. Planted/Plans brims with the kind of bedroom pop that only seems to make sense in those midnight hours between 2 and 4, the times when humidity keeps you awake and spinning on your pillow. Shearer's songs have an oddball sense of pop and a woozy lounge quality, swinging towards the feel of lost British recluse folk from the 60’s but somehow also making me think any one of these might fall easily into the repertoire of George "Bunny" Hoover from Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions. They croon and stumble, amble and warble in ways that most pop singers might not let their melodies stray. They have a way of wandering and then suddenly knocking on a hopelessly catchy patch and you find yourself swaying uncontrollably and humming along, wishing you knew the words. Sadly this pressing of the album is only available in a run of 100 and beautifully housed in a tequila sunrise of a sleeve that kinda sums up the lost island lounge quality of the whole thing. Grab one while you can because this is the kind of record that ends up on collectors most hunted lists 30 years down the road.

Download:
[MP3] Dylan Shearer - As If
[MP3] Dylan Shearer - Dailydoms

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Subway

Wrapping the remnants of dance culture in a thick coat of Krautrock's past, East Londoners Michael Kirkman and Alan James are laying the pulses on thick and clean with their full length debut II on Soul Jazz. The band's clearest touchstone is Harmonia but dashes of Ash Ra Temple and Neu ooze all over their minimalist dance impulses as well. The two take this template and lock listeners into an antiseptic haze of static tempo beats and whirling, throbbing synth swashes - filling the nose with the greaseless wafts of utopian precision. Many have tried to pick up where the Germanic masters left off though few have actually been able to assimilate the Krautrock dream without sounding like a simple rehash or cheap juxtaposition. But whereas dream poppers like Stereolab were able to find a new angle so too have Subway, trading the pop for the shattered remnants of Detroit techno and draping the motorik shimmer around it like a flag.

Download:
[MP3] Subway - Simplex
[MP3] Subway - Harmonia

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Rondos - Destroy The Entertainment Aside from being known for their political rants and conflicts with CRASS, Dutch communist punks Rondos laid down some nicely twitchy pieces of stripped down, angry rock in the late 70's. The band
has been cited as an influence to later Dutch masters like The Ex and you can certainly hear a bit of their grating take on rock in the Rondos ramblings. This vinyl reissue tacks together some singles and live sides but most importantly gives new life to their Red Attack LP a sorely overlooked rough piece of punk history. Biting takes on capitalism, nihilism and the like but with a nice bit of Wire wrought rubbery bass and pulled teeth guitar stringing. Naturally this kind of thing couldn't keep up forever and the Rondos split but at least now the proper documents are in place to remember that it did. Download: [MP3] Rondos - I Got No Time [MP3] Rondos - Countdown & Twist Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Bobby Ubangi

The pride of Atlanta, Bobby Ubangi, has stepped out from behind The Lids and Gay Blades to release a solo LP, though for a solo LP this thing's got a whole lotta collaborators. Cropping up on the twelve tracks that crank out in under 25 minutes, are King Khan, Cole and Jared from Black Lips, Gentleman Jesse and a few other miscreants from the current garage 'splosion. Frantic and sugar dipped, Ubangi rattles the lo-fi strings like a seasoned veteran, along the way spitting tales of love and loss and keeping your heart beating like a scrappy snare drum. Fidelity's no object, just a short and sweet romp through the past 40 or so years of garage forefathers wrapped up in a wonderfully whimsical cover. Bobby was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer last year and the Atlanta community has rallied around him to help out with the rather sizeable expenses that come with treatment. You can donate to the Bobby Ubangi Preservation Fund and help out HERE

Download:
[MP3] Bobby Ubangi - Where The Old Folks Go (to Get Down)
[MP3] Bobby Ubangi - Not My Fault

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Another gem of a 7” from the ranks of Sacred Bones. Timmy Vulgar of Human Eye/Clone Defects ventures out on his own and gives the singer-songwriter idiom a kick in the pants.

	Timmy’s Organism – Squeeze The Giant 2x7" Holding up the torch of the demented, Timmy mixes just the right amount of spastically frayed punk and Beefhartian frazzle to make things interesting. 5 tracks sprawl across two 7”s with creeping, jerking and curiously enlightening
results. Timmy’s not totally tied to genre but all his songs seem to have some sort of uneasy snake oil running through their veins and that gold toothed smile pulls you just as close as it repels. Download: [MP3] Timmy’s Organism - Body of Love Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Steven R. Smith & Gareth Davis

Smith has been a favorite around here for some time with his work in Thuja, Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol and most often his solo work catching our ears often. Davis is a newer character on me but his resume certainly seems well in order with past collaborations popping up with Jon Balke, Terje Rypdal as well as electronic artists like Machinefabriek and Ryan Teague. The bulk of Westering feels very much in line with Smith's other solo works and his guitar bears an unmistakable thumbprint on this, but Davis' deft weaving and texturing with bass clarinet gives the album a somber and dissonant touch that seems to enhance those sparse uneasy passages that Smith has come to be known for. The clarinet tones toss and turn over Smith's growl then pull back at times to soothe the burn that seems to fester in Smith's strings. Another sizeable notch in the belt's of both artists and just one more inch of quality on Important's shoulders.

Download:
[MP3] Steven R. Smith & Gareth Davis - Source & Thereof
[MP3] Steven R. Smith & Gareth Davis - Contrasted View

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

La Bamba?

La Bamba is one of those extraordinarily pervasive tunes. Since it cracked the American airwaves to be the first Spanish language hit in this country it seems to have embedded itself in the consciousness of virtually everyone within earshot of a radio for the rest of their life. Sprung out of the loins of a one night idea to DJ terrible cover versions of La Bamba on RTVS (Radio Centraal, Antwerp) 15 years ago; the idea grew into Ultros Exemos La Bamba Night(Mare) a show put on February 28, 2009 at Scheldapen in Antwerp featuring over 300 cover versions of the song DJ'd over a night with a giant lineup of live versions interspersed in between. Veritable madness as an undertaking and enough to drive more than one person insane I'm sure but also an incredibly novel idea. Collected here are some of the versions played that night and while some of them hover somewhere near the ghost of the original, most cut, splice and disassemble the ubiquitous tune to the barest of recognizable elements. Most notable are versions such as the disturbingly violent efforts by Sudden Infant or the noise lambasted crust of Fricara Pacchu. Though sometimes when the results have just a slight tinge of nostalgia, flickering the original past dusted frames of light, the song can almost seem sweet rather than grating. Ultra Eczema has put together one hell of a strange piece here but I'm glad that I get to experience it this way because I think I may have run screaming from the 300 DJ'd versions after a few hours.

Download:
[MP3] Smack Music 7 - La Bamba
[MP3] Sudden Infant - La Bamba

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE or HERE