The Bored Fortress 7" series never fails to bring together likely cohorts and unprecedented pairs. This year's batch is certainly no exception to the quality that's been built up over the years.

	Shepherds/ Ignatz - Bored Fortress Split 7" Another great double sided shot from Not Not Fun's recently released singles club. Shepherds come blazing out in true fashion a little scruffy and not entirely unlike recent musings from the Meneguar camp that hold the scent of rehearsal
workouts. On the flip, Brussels' Ignatz is the real winner here; dissonance in the intro opens up into psych addled strings and a warped sense of cave shimmering, feedback laced scrawlings. This year's Bored Fortress left nothing to be desired and for those of you who missed out on the initial mailings there's still a few leftovers for the taking. Don't hesitate to grab this or the Charalambides/ Pocahaunted disc from this series. Download: [MP3] Ignatz - Everyman Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Mac Blackout

This year seems to be mounting in releases that straddle lo-fi garage and lo-fi synth pop; mixing the two styles into a queasy mix of trash bin beats and scratched glass guitars. Though Sacred Bones has been the most prevalent purveyor of this sound they don't have a lock on it just yet. That is until they put out a Mac Blackout record. Mac's already two releases deep into 2008 and the latest The Rabid Babies is on par with much of that label's output. Mac's no newcomer though, he's been kicking around with a few bands such as The Functional Blackouts and Daily Void but these recent recordings really let Mac shine on his own. The Rabid Babies compiles tracks from before and after his S/T record from earlier this year. More in the vein of Dead Luke than Blank Dogs here, the pop influences push forward and stand out in even keel with the chrome delivery of strangulated guitar and click track Casios. Fried wires and reverbed static swirl like storms around Blackout's nihilistic pop but at the core his songs still seek to entertain, even if the only listeners are hidden in the scorched cliffs of a barren earth.

Download:
[MP3] Mac Blackout - Who's Gonna Set The Fire
[MP3] Mac Blackout - Darlin' Don't You See

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

The Okmoniks

Well with the disappointing news that Be Your Own Pet has called it quits, someone has to keep the garage grrrl flame lit, and lucky enough The Okmoniks are around to do just that. While vocalist Helene's seen a few more years than Jemina's paltry 18, this only adds to the wit and ferocity of her delivery. Aside from the BYOP comparisons the band shares a strikingly scrappy aesthetic (and more than a few stages) with fellow RSTB fave Nobunny and thus it should come as no surprise that Senior Bunny himself is among The Ok's ranks. The band even throws in a version of one of his songs on the album (or is it the other way around, who knows?) Anyhow this is just one more ripped shred of garage fun that's tumbled its way onto my speakers this year and I couldn't be more relieved. As deliciously lo-fi as an impromptu BBQ show and as fitting of the title Party Fever!!! as any album I've come across this year.

Download:
[MP3] The Okmoniks - Rustle Up Some Action
[MP3] The Okmoniks - What I Want

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Burning Star Core

More drones and fractured tones from C. Spencer Yeh, but this time the noise seems more focused than ever before. This change may stem from the fact that though this is by no means the first Burning Star Core album, it is the first to be taken on solely by Yeh himself as a composition. Yeh's recordings under the Burning Star banner have often found him in collaboration around a series of improvisations which though usually interesting, don't always pan out to an excess of beautiful moments. Here though, C. Spence utilizes space and drone bent through his prism of electronics to its fullest potential, wrapping the series of recordings around a central theme and sprinkling this theme with field recordings and harmonic fixin's. The limitation of self for the album seems to work in Yeh's favor and as a result Challenger proves rather ironically to be his most accessible and yet most touching work yet.

Download:
[MP3] Burning Star Core - Challenger
[MP3] Burning Star Core - Mezzo Forte

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Just like any genre Power Pop had its heroes, while Cheap Trick may have played the forerunner and Big Star played the underdogs; there were more still that got even more overlooked by the ravages of time. For all its sugary sweetness I just can't help but have a pretty big soft spot for the perfect combination of guitar crunch and saccharine harmonies. Thankfully the reissue circuit is coming around to rectify the past.

	Shoes - Present Tense Shoes released a couple of great independent bits and pieces and then got a lucky break when garage stalwarts Bomp! Records picked them up for a single which eventually lead to a contract with Elektra. The band stuck it out
with three solid albums that didn't really receive the attention they, or the label thought necessary and as with all labels in the face of commercial disappointment the band were dropped. The setback would prompt member Skip Meyer to leave the group but they continued on through the nineties with their own indie label Black Vinyl. Since then they've been credited with an underlying influence on power pop leaning indie bands along with operating the Short Order Recorder recording studio. Which all things considered leaves them in much better standing than many from this era. However the band still should have received more attention on their release as they balance perfectly the buzzy power of new wave and true harmonic pop. Download: [MP3] Shoes - Tomorrow Night [MP3] Shoes - I Don't Want To Hear It Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	Milk N' Cookies - Milk N' Cookies Milk 'N Cookies came out of the CBGB's set but since the band's sound was much lighter and sweeter, and their average age much younger than their contemporaries; they don't tend to get lumped into that scene. In
fact the band often get forgotten altogether. Despite their youth (which really comes through in their lyrics) the band had an uncanny knack for catchiness and translate the sugar high of high school love well into song form. This is just now getting picked up as an influence by bands like Cheap Time and other garage/power pop revivalists and its easy to see why. The album stands as an almost perfect gem of this genre and its damn hard not to let a wide grin spread across your face with each listen. The current reissue has tacked on some nice bonus tracks that are equal to the album material as far as an essential picture of the band. This stands as most of the output of the band but in quality vs. quantity the ratio just works out; sometimes it's best to know when to quit while you're ahead. Download: [MP3] Milk N' Cookies - Chance To Play [MP3] Milk N' Cookies - Typically Teenage Support the artist. Buy it HERE

La Otracina

Taking up ranks and waving the space rock flag high and heavy, La Otracina have now added a new twist to their pallette of instrumental prog as drummer Adam Kriney picks up vocal duties. They've had a slew of releases since I last caught up with them, mostly on their own imprint Colour Sounds, and The Risk of Gravitation is every bit as heavy as I remember them on their Holy Mountain debut. The instrumental passages still sound the most assured, being the band's familiar territory but the vocals are coming along nicely especially on the epic "Crystal Wizards of the Cosmic Weird" which takes a few cues from none other than Sabbath in the lyrical department with a doomrider's penchant for imagery. Though definitely taking a few musical nods from Sabbath and friends (Hawkwind being probably the other most prominent touchstone) the band also share a motorik connection with present day psych behemoths like Wooden Shjips (with whom I've seen them share an incredible bill). New guitarist Philippe Ortanez has stepped into the set seamlessly, creating just as much chaos as ever inhabited their previous work. All things considered I think I'll have to be paying more attention to the band's constant stream of releases from now on.

Download:
[MP3] La Otracina - Raze the Sky

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Bradford Cox is apparently a very busy man, I'm not sure when exactly he sleeps between two full time bands and a constant barrage of internet only songs. Somehow he still has time for limited 7"s and for that we thank him.

	Atlas Sound - Atlas Shrugged 7" Cox stopped off at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic studios to record this exclusive one off track; apparently making it up on the spot as well as playing all the instruments. While this might not be the cream of Cox's work
its pretty impressive for such a reportedly unrehearsed affair; a shuffling, mostly instrumental affair with a nice moaned/ sighed set of vocals over the top.. On the B-side Calvin does what Calvin does best; he dub's up the track, laying reverb over the top and producing a pretty nice "version" of the piece. Download: [MP3] Atlas Sound - Atlas Shrugged Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Max Richter

The concept behind Max Richter's latest album is probably 6 times as complex as the recordings themselves. Apparently conceived as a an experimental work intended to use ringtones as a legitimate medium in performance, 24 Postcards in Full Color is comprised of 24 tracks whose lengths rarely exceed one minute. While that concept may sound daunting at best, the result is actually a very natural album that comes a long way from sounding like a tinny version of Rhianna's "Umbrella" as heard from the pocket of the guy across from you on the bus. The 24 tracks act as short classical vignettes steeped in Richter's usual mix of simple string and piano work cut intermittently with static and atmospheric radiance; in short it sounds akin to much of Richter's work but in short bursts that leave you inevitably wanting more. Though in all truth the album plays less like 24 separate tracks as it does like one long changing dream sequence; rain splashed and hued in sepia and olive tones. Richter's long been a forerunner in the neo-classical/electronic hybrid and 24 Postcards will only serve to strengthen his mastery of the genre. A beautiful record that will only get more appropriate as the weather turns colder in the coming months.

Download:
[MP3] Max Richter - Berlin By Overnight
[MP3] Max Richter - From 553 W Elm Street. Logan Illinois (Snow)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

The Hospitals

With the current rise of members Rod Meyer and Rob Enbom's latest fried pop enclave, Eat Skull, the time seems poised for a reintroduction to the womb they sprang from. The Hospitals return with noise aplomb, knocking the lo-fi noise floor down a few pegs into a subbasement of clatter and squall. But while the instruments are more shredded than ever, Hairdryer Peace actually showcases the clearest vocal delivery by Adam Stonehouse yet, which doesn't mean you can actually sing along but every once in a while a couple of lyrics emerge from the storm of feedback and squelch. It's been a banner year for noise pop/rock and it only seems fitting that The Hospitals should be a part of that movement's rise to (admittedly pseudo)popularity. Between this one, Eat Skull and that Goslings record from earlier this year; tinnitus can't be too far in my future but I'm gonna enjoy the fuzzy ride down.

Download:
[MP3] The Hospitals - Scan the Floor for Food
[MP3] The Hospitals - Getting Out of Bed

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Growing

Following two outstanding releases on their newly adopted home at The Social Registry, a 7" and EP that both play out in the direction the band began to adopt around the time of 2006's Color Wheel; the band now unleash an album that fully embraces their drop away from drone and into shimmering psychedelics. Though All The Way isn't exactly pop per-se, it ebbs the band further into the territory of melodies, structuring them into repeated fragments that pulse along with the same attention to the tonal shifts they've embraced in the past. Again as with their last EP this seems reminiscent of the changes in sound that have run through the Black Dice camp of late but All The Way also finds the duo injecting an awareness of Kevin Doria's solo work in Total Life through their use of repetition and a much greater reliance on beat. It's easy to get lost in this record; a real argument for headphones that envelops you in a sea of blurred lights and soft fog. Arguably one of the band's strongest releases and testament to experimentation and not letting genres or expectations limit your sound.

Download:
[MP3] Growing - Green Flag

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

In the mid 60's it seemed that every British rock musician had a bit of a love affair with the American bred blues and thus spawned an era of British blues that rang out from the garage to the stadium. The Jukebox this week rounds up a few garage-blues classics and even some larger contenders.

[MP3] The Birds - You're On My Mind
Another great rip of garage blues from The Birds here. Snotty British youth in check with a swagger and a snarl of guitar that plows over the steady walk of the rhythm section. There are very few Birds tunes that don't fit the criteria for a great late night burner and this is no exception.

[MP3] Measles - Fly Birdie, Fly
The perplexingly named Measles also pay a visit to the garage floor and with some pretty strong harmonica chops they cut through this down and dirty cut of blues. The kid on vocals probably hasn't come within a thousand miles of the Mississippi delta but that doesn't stop him from translating teen angst into a delightful concoction of blues rollick. I've heard little else from this band but to tell you the truth this might be all I need.

[MP3] Muleskinners - Need Your Lovin'
Again, can't vouch for the name here but at least it sounds like a band that should be playing the blues. This has a definite garage beat pushing it along but the harp pushes it right over into the blues' corner and you couldn't ask for better material than pining over love. A pretty decent shot all around here.

[MP3] The Yardbirds - I'm a Man
Well this probably doesn't fall under the lost classic header as I'm pretty sure The Yardbirds have a few fans out there (you think?) but tipping the hat to British Blues just seems like a good opportunity to hear the boys tear through this Muddy Waters classic. Of course most members of the band went on to more notoriety but right here they had the mix just perfect.

[MP3] Santa Barbara Machine Head - Porcupine Juice
Speaking of bands whose members went on to other things, the short lived and mostly live band Santa Barbara Machine Head acted as a bit staging area for talent and almost all members split before the band got much notoriety. Featuring Jon Lord of Deep Purple, Ronnie Wood of The Birds, Twink Adler of The Pretty Things, etc., and Kim Gardener of The Creation. With that line up it couldn't really help but be good but I guess too much talent in one place is a bit unstable.

Gentleman Jesse and his Men

As I'm a sucker for a good power pop album, Gentleman Jesse's debut hits me squarely in the softest spots of my heart. Formed by Carbonas bassist Jesse Smith and drummer Dave Rahn and put out by the spot on Douchemaster records, this is just a catchy slice of pop with a keen awareness of late 70's provocateurs ala Johnathan Richmond. Acting as a cleaner and catchier counterpoint to his work in the Cabonas, Smith's songs have the kind of instant appeal that begs attention and more importantly begs movement. This is a bedroom dance party type of record, hairbrush microphone fully in check, and that youthful exuberance is the album's most addictive feature. Atlanta's had its fair share of garage fury spill out of its streets lately and along with Memphis its quickly poised to become one of the new favorite cities to trawl for scrappy garage combos. And rightly so, this pop gem along with Cheap Time's (who've also released a 7" on Douchemaster) debut are bringing back the glory of power pop and that can never be a bad thing in my book.

Download:
[MP3] Gentleman Jesse and His Men - The Rest of My Days
[MP3] Gentleman Jesse and His Men - You Don't Have To (If You Don't Want To)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Well between the last 7" and this one the obscurity rate just jumped from hard to fint to damn near impossible. This entry into the Jay Reatard 7" series was a scant offering that pairs our hero Jay against a formidable opponent in the form of Bradford Cox.

	Jay Reatard/Deerhunter - Split 7" Sporting the only cut that won't make it onto the upcoming Matador Singles compilation, this split with Deerhunter has the two artists dipping into each other's song-stylings with outstanding results. Somehow both covers are able to
bring out a shade in their respective songs that wasn't present on the original. Deerhunter scale back the severity of Jay's original delivery of "Oh, It's Such A Shame" and in the course turn it into a bubbling fuzz of new wave fury that also shows Bradford in a new light, with a strong vocal delivery free from the haze and reverb that usually nestle his voice. On the flip the Reatard himself tackles the title track from the Fluorescent Gray EP bringing the vocals out from the fog and sharpening the edges on this already dark anthem. Its a damn shame that this wasn't more available because besides being another great entry into both artists legacies, it remains one of the more captivating 7"s of the year. Download: [MP3] Deerhunter - Oh, It's Such A Shame Support the artist. Buy it HERE (Try the hounds at eBay for this one.)

The Shining Path

So this one comes as a bit of a pleasant surprise for two reasons. First, though I expect dark psychedelics from Holy Mountain, they don't usually come with dub inflections and echoes of This Heat. Second, one key collaborator in The Shining Path, Ilya Monosov, has previously only been known to me through his lulling folk songs via Language of Stone. Though as I add, these surprises are pleasant indeed. Not surprising however is the second collaborator in The Shining Path formula. Preston Swirnoff has been tapping the dub plate for a while now via releases on Eclipse, Last Visible Dog and Gematria. But surprises aside and collaborators notwithstanding, Chocolate Gasoline is a superb release that pairs humid rumbling beats with some atmospheric touches and even a few meaty stabs of synth. Vocals swirl out of the marshes and lights dance at the edges of the scattered fog. This is tribal spirit dub that takes quite a liking to No Wave affectations and quite honestly that seems like a great combination.

Download:
[MP3] The Shining Path - Lonely Hearts Killers

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Thee Oh Sees

Recorded prior to their latest exhaustively titled album, this "live" set showcases several periods of the band's music distilled into a subdued but still swaggering style. This proves especially interesting with the inclusion of some newer tunes from the Master's Bedroom set; slowed and distilled to their core elements with a bit of the stiff grease drained out of their veins. The album is a concept cooked up between the band Brian Lee Hughes and the DVD portion of the package sets the band live but without audience against the scenic backdrop of San Francisco. Overall the recording harkens back to the sound present on Cool Death of the Island Raiders which shouldn't be surprising since much of the material is taken from that record, but with a band that's changed their sound so much over the course of their existence its interesting to hear material from other era's presented through the lens of a particular time period. The result comes out lo-fi and decidedly low key. A sleepy loll through the long grass in the heat of August, and even if you've never heard a single track previous to experiencing Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion this aesthetic wins over on first listen. The DVD's more interesting for fans but again, even if you're not a devoted Dwyer disciple it proves to stand on its own as an entertaining piece. A nice addition to an already outstanding year for Thee Oh Sees.

Download:
[MP3] Thee Oh Sees - Gilded Cunt
[MP3] Thee Oh Sees - Ghosts in the Trees

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Tobacco

Core Black Moth Super Rainbow Member Tobacco follows up his acclaimed DVD with a solo record on former leftfield hip-hop haven turned instrumental refuge Anticon. Though going it alone, Tobacco manages to take most of the key elements that make up BMSR's sound with him; dusty beats, huge 70's synths and vocodered vocals still reign supreme here. This comes as no disappointment for me however since those are precisely the elements I love about the collective's sound. The only apparent change to the concoction comes in the form of an Aesop Rock guest spot on "Dirt". Said cameo sticks out a bit among the mostly instrumental/vocordered fare though I guess - release an album on a hip hop label and you're pretty much required to have at least one MC on there somewhere. If anything could be said about the difference between Tobacco's solo work and BMSR's output its that Tobacco strips away a bit of the layer of ennui that waxes the edges of all of the Black Moth's work while still keeping the nostalgia in check. He utilizes their penchant for evoking a 70's aura without tapping into the lost childhood vibes that often accompany said aura. Fucked Up Friends is yet another superb entry into the BMSR family of releases and an endlessly enjoyable listen.

Download:
[MP3] Tobacco - Truck Sweat
[MP3] Tobacco - Little Pink Riding Hood

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

As the "countercultural" elements began to work their way into modern music this opened the doors for more than just drug references and sweeping changes in fashion. While an obvious influx of politics flooded popular music, there were also many that attacked the staunch social norms set by the lingering 50's. Here the social satire of those like Frank Zappa, Firesign Theater and in Britain The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band eased in right alongside the more overt theater of groups like the Merry Pranksters and the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

	G.T.O.'s - Permanent Damage This Zappa affiliated and released project was constructed from a collection of groupies who's mission was often stated as "being to bed as many rock and pop stars as possible" which in the face of social sexual norms of the time may have
seemed much more outrageous than they would have today. The acronym in fact stood for Girl's Together Outrageously. The album itself is rooted in a musical/satirical nature but the music is definitely secondary to the button pushing that's at the core of the project. Though the couple of spoken word pieces that center around pickup lines and perverts are an interesting peek into the time period. While it was probably born out of good intentions from Zappa and crew, and even sports quite a few cameo contributions from the likes of The Monkees' Davy Jones among others, there are times that it becomes obvious that it's a bit unfocused and somewhat of a vanity project. All in all more of a curiosity than an essential release but there are a few songs that make for good mixtape inclusions and it's definitely worth a listen or two. Download: [MP3] G.T.O.'s - I Have a Paintbrush in My Hand to Color a Triangle [MP3] G.T.O.'s - The Ghost Chained to the Past, Present, and Future (Shock Treatment) Support the artist. Buy it HERE (this one's pretty scarce but you can find some copies on ebay and the like)
	The Bonzo Dog Band - The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse The British equivalant of Zappa's Mother's had to be the Bonzo Dog Band (originally the Bonzo Dog Dada Band, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, etc.) whose ability to fuse comedy, social satire and music influenced
many Brits to come. Their sketches are often cited as a precursor to many elements present in Monty Python and members went on to form the Rutles, in fact the band gained a bit more notoriety after a brief appearance in the Magical Mystery Tour film. They originally started as a vaudeville style stage act and their first album showcases a more whimsical jazz style. It's on this, their second album though, that the band began to pick up a bit of influence from the British Psychedelic trends and fused them much in the way the Mother's had, finding a perfect balance between satire and the experimentalism of psychedelia. These psychedelic touches add greatly to the impact of this album with much of this album being written by key BDB members Viv Stanshall and Neil Innes, who would later scale back their role in the band, making this a favorite among fans and critics alike. Download: [MP3] The Bonzo Dog Band - Humanoid Boogie [MP3] The Bonzo Dog Band - My Pink Half of the Drainpipe Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Brightblack Morning Light

Nabob and Rabob return, mellow as ever and smoldering in the desert sun. Their third album Motion To Rejoin still maintains the "smoky lounge in the middle of the forest" vibe that's permeated much of their other work and though its not exactly a huge departure, the fact is that their sound still remains so intoxicatingly natural that change would only come as a disappointment. The band do play up a bit of the southern soul touches in their music on Motion but it's the core swells of Rachael's organ and Nathan's smoke stained vocals that remain the focus. Ever the poster children for alternative energy and unencumbered living (you know hardcore hippies) the duo powered the recording sessions with solar panels, which all kidding aside and coupled with their penchant for carbon offsetting while touring, makes them one impressively conscious band. Green politics notwithstanding, Motion is yet another testament to Brightblack's prowess and is definitely inching up my list of albums of the year.

Download:
[MP3] Brightblack Morning Light - Hologram Buffalo
[MP3] Brightblack Morning Light - Oppressions Each

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Just a short break

Hey everybody. Just a short interruption in RSTB posts while I move apartments. As soon as internet service is installed we'll be up and running again. Should be early next week.