Belbury Poly

We teased a bit of Belbury Poly's newest opus with the video for "Summer Round" a few days ago but honestly this one deserves so much more than a passing mention and separating any piece from the whole seems a disservice. For those still in mourning for Broadcast (and you damn well should be) The Belbury Tales may salve your wounds a bit. Ghost Box label head Jim Jupp's musical entity is every bit as eclectic, eccentric and ingenious as the rest of his stable; and though it doesn't swerve as far into the Radiopohonic Workshop qualities that Broadcast and The Focus group may have there's still a lost 60's mentality at work here. As previously mentioned Jupp's Canturbury-prog focus is at the heart of the beast here and he seems to swerve between precious 60's folk, library music overtones, kosmiche float and Jaques Cousteau (and to an extent the Steve Zissou knock-off) soundtracks with amiable ease. There's also an element of Boards of Canada's geography textbook homage Geogaddi swirling under the surface, though refracted through a British history book filter rather than strictly earth sciences. As with most of our favorite albums, each listen to the The Belbury Tales unfolds more intimate detail, though fans of any Ghost Box release should find no surprise there. Its also wrapped in the immaculate artwork of Julian House, making this one of 2012's essential pickups in the vinyl format both for listening and display. Check out a great interview with Jupp over at FACT.

Download:
[MP3] Belbury Poly - Cantalus

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Flower Travellin' Band - Anywhere The second of two albums that lead up to the band's masterpiece Satori, Anywhere sees the band drifting closer to that sound and style with the addition of singer Akira "Joe" Yamanaka who's ferocious vocals would come to
elevate the band in later years. The album is, with the exception of an intro and an outro, made up entirely of reinterpretations but the way in which the band handles them distinguishes it from dozens of other cover albums that were released around the same time. Launching into explorative renditions of Muddy Waters'"Louisiana Blues" and King Crimson's "20th Century Schizoid Man", the band manages to make them both their own and ultimately elevate them above simple cover territory. Also notable is the band's take on Black Sabbath's eponymous jam, a tough nugget for any band to cover but one that Yamanaka nails with ease; which should come as no surprise to anyone who's heard his Ozzy-like yelps on their follow-up Satori. This is definitely not the band's best but its a crucial piece of the puzzle that led to their pinnacle. Also notable for its naked biker cover art which lead to more than a few people picking it up on its original release I'm sure. Download: [MP3] Flower Travellin' Band - Twenty First Century Schizoid Man Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Mirroring

Grouper's Liz Harris has been no stranger to collaboration and joint releases, lending her ghostly vocals to tracks by Ilyas Ahmed and Xiu Xiu and sharing splits with the likes of Roy Montgomery, Inca Ore, City Center and Xela. For the most part these artists share the same dark, pillowy spaces as her own gauzy pop, but on her recent collaboration with Tiny Vipers' Jesy Fortino Harris begins to bring her voice out into the open. Its still apparent when its Fortino on the mic, as she edges much further from the boundaries of the fog but when the two voices begin to meld together as on the gorgeous track "Mine," its hard to see why Harris has hidden behind the veil so long. With a lush background of Grouper-styled pop creeping in icy increments behind them Foreign Body feels slow motion stormfront rolling across the horizon but despite the menacing doom at its core you can't help but be wonder-struck by the way it makes the light take on an eerie beauty. Certainly a highlight in both artists' catalogs and sure to be a necessity on vinyl. Look for this one soon.

Download:
[MP3] Mirroring - Fell Sound

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Belbury Poly :: Summer Round Video

This video for Belbury Poly's track "Summer Round" is part of larger film New Summer Wavelengths by Julian House and it does a pretty amazing job of summing up the tack's library music/Omni feature feel. The track comes from Belbury Poly's (aka Ghost Box label owner Jim Jupp) new album The Belbury Tales, a stunning mix of prog-laced British Renaissance mixed through a kosmiche sci-fi docudrama lens. And, as with all Ghost Box albums its been lavishly packaged and lovingly presented. Its highly recommended that you check out the rest of the album and pick it up if you see it.

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

King Khan and the Shrines / Mikal Cronin – Bruise Cruise Vol. 7 7" Well the Bruise Cruise may have come and gone but just like last year they've left behind a great souvenir whether you were able to make the boat or not. This year's batch of singles included Thee

Oh Sees, Neil Hamburger and a brilliant combination of two of our own faves King Khan and Mikal Cronin. Cronin turns in a great track that keeps the strums balanced with the fuzz and works alongside his latest Goner 7" as a great addendum to that unstoppable album from last year. Khan, on the flip, answers our hopes and hooks back up with The Shrines; easily our favorite incarnation of Khan's unique bent on garage, and with the horn section kicking this is the best we've heard from him in quite a while. Pick one of these up if you stumble upon it because your respective collections from either artist aren't complete with out it. Download: [MP3] King Khan and the Shrines - Bite My Tongue Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Slant Azymuth (Demdike Stare & Andy Votel)

It seems about time that Pre-Cert Entertainment, the label operated by Andy Votel and the chaps in Demdike Stare, should finally release some music from their own hands. The three have hooked up under the assumed name of Slant Azymuth to create a dark journey that feels at home with much of the Demdike catalog, but fares much more sinister than we'd have expected from Mr. Votel. The results are a winding record full of ink-strewn vignettes, mechanical throb and the kind of white knuckle tension that's become a hallmark of some of Demdike's most harrowing work. There's a definite craftsmen's touch here. It’s a fine first offering and well worth looking into if you've been intrigued by either party's past work.

Download:
[MP3] Slant Azymuth - Helicial Scan

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

The Mallard

The Mallard are the latest surf-garage-noise n' jangle signees to John Dwyer's ever expanding Castle Face roster. The delightfully ramshackle Yes On Blood was written and recorded by singer/engineer Greer McGettrick whose fuzz knotted vocals sometimes seem to be the only thing tethering the record to the ground. The rest is a windswept mix of over-driven guitars, keyboard hiss annihilation and caveman pound that often resolves into wistful strums. Her songwriting seems to fit the aesthetic of most of the Castle Face family as it winds its way through riffs and tangles in equal measure. It’s a fun romp though and just when the noise overcomes the hooks, the switch is flipped back for another round of hip shaking and guitar snaking that put a smile on your face.

Download:
[MP3] The Mallard - Vines

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Carmen Maki & Blues Creation - S/T Blues Creation's Demon and Eleven Children and their self titled debut are true lost classics, and ones that we've talked about before, but lost somewhere in the cracks is this one off the band recorded with
Japanese chanteuse Carmen Maki. The band kicks up the heat with a few guitar scorchers that rival some of the material on their more well known(ish) releases. The fare here stays pretty close to the blues-based interpretations and derivations that they were known for but the addition of Maki's powerful vocals take the formula to new heights. Obviously drawing inspiration from her American counterparts in powerful delivery, Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, Maki slots herself alongside recent rediscoveries like Sarolta Zalatnay and Shocking Blue's Mariska Veres in the sorely overlooked talent department. The album tempers to a smoldering tempo in the midsection but picks up again as it culminates in a notable rendition of "St. James Infirmary". Earlier issues of this have had the benefit of a few bonus tracks that show the band in the live setting but hearing the original on vinyl after all these years seems its own reward without their addition. Download: [MP3] Carmen Maki & Blues Creation - Understand Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

White Hills

As White Hills headlined one of the only official RSTB shows of the last few years, it goes without saying that any time a new offering rolls around we're pretty excited around here to get our hands on it. Dave and Ego return with a blistering assault of ozone toasted heavy psych and its a welcome addition to the bands expansive catalog. This time, instead of fleshing tracks out in the studio, the band honed a few of these on the road and nailed down the details at BC Studios in Brooklyn with engineer/producer Martin Bisi. The tactical approach has lead Frying on this Rock to be honed into an space-rock epic that builds slowly and expansively, anchored by two of the band's most hypnotic long-form jams. If you've never experienced the band in the live setting then make it a point to check out upcoming dates in support of the new album and you can get an early taste by grabbing their recently released live set from this past Roadburn Festival. Its not the visual treat that comes with the real thing but a great insight into how the songs flesh out on stage.

Download:
[MP3] White Hills - Pads of Light (from Frying on this Rock)
[MP3] White Hills - The Condition of Nothing (from Live at Roadburn 2011)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE and HERE

The Band in Heaven – Sleazy Dreams 7" HoZac have definitely turned their gaze on the garage-psych this year. Alongside that excellent LP from Radar eyes, their newest batch contains this gem from The Band in Heaven. Pulling a heap of darkness from the shoegaze pile these

Floridians have crafted a killer single in the title track "Sleazy Dreams" then slowed it down to its doomy core on the flip and re-christened it "Sludgy Dreams". The pair of tracks complement each other well and its a toss up for which one wins out. Though, the smoke sodden thrust of "Sleazy" seems made for hedonistic glory. Speaking of Christening, the band have created a video for both versions, each taking a liking to the darker side of the Christen idiom and both are well worth checking out. Two more dirge driven psych nuggets round out the midsection of this killer debut. Check out the vid for "Sleazy Dreams" below and the excellently Terry Gilliam-esque alternate for "Sludgy Dreams" HERE. Download: [MP3] The Band in Heaven - Sleazy Dreams Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Colleen Green

Honestly Colleen Green had us at Nobunny. Her cover of "I Am a Girlfriend" was our entry point into her catalog and it only seems to have blossomed from there. Over the last couple of singles, EP and now her first album Green has maintained her detached, slacker vibe and honeyed coo that often come of like Juliana Hatfield strapped to a drum machine and driven around in the backseat boredom of your youth. There's nothing complicated or especially groundbreaking about Milo Goes to Compton and at times it lifts rifts and themes wholesale but Colleen's never shied away from declaring her love for saccharine pop with bummer themes and she's expressed this homage openly. The entire album ends up a love letter to bedroom bounce and lovesick hearts. It’s short and sweet and coy and bare and kinda everything you could ask for in a pop record short of some production. Who knows, maybe that's coming somewhere down the line, but for now it seems that Green's opened her diary to the world and hit play.

Download:
[MP3] Colleen Green - Worship You

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Radar Eyes

HoZac's been priming the release of Radar Eyes' debut for a while now, with one excellent single from their Hookup Klub surfacing in 2010 and another standalone for "Miracle Eyes" hitting the shelves last year. Now the band have surpassed any expectations that those singles might have unlocked with their self-titled debut, a storming statement of post-Creation melodic thunder and outsized guitar crush. A bit of a departure from some of the other HoZac stable, the Chicago foursome divine thick clouds of sonic haze topped with more than enough pop sense and a warming glow of harmonious vocals that make each listen to the album unearth a new luster. We've long championed bands that seem to understand albums as a medium rather than a delivery service and Radar Eyes have crafted an album with a sense of purpose and flow. It’s a hard one to shake and a new constant for our morning commute, a helluva lot better than coffee for shaking the dust out of the day.

Download:
[MP3] Radar Eyes - I Am

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Suzanne Ciani - Lixiviation There was a time in the late 70's and early 80's when the synthesizer was touted as the future of music. When implemented correctly, the instrument was able to feel like a beacon from another world and impart a sense of the both the
idealistic and dystopian futures that were predicted in much of the era's science fiction. Suzanne Ciani became a part of this lexicon through her work in commercials and films that captured this sense of futurism at the time. She'd created iconic soundscapes for Atari, Coca-Cola and the sound effects featured in the Meco Star Wars Theme. However, she was also able to translate this sense of wonder with her instrument into expansive synth pieces that fell way beyond the commercial scope she'd made her name in. B-Music has gathered up many of these pieces and laid them alongside bits of her commercial work and the two worlds fold and unfold each other into a tantalizing love for sound and the limits of the synthesizer medium. As one of the pioneers of women in what was typically boys club of experimental music Ciani asserted herself among friends and co-workers like Vangelis and Harald Bode and any fans of their work would be remiss not to check her out. Download: [MP3] Suzanne Ciani - Lixiviation Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Ketamines

From the ashes of Myelin Sheaths and Endangered Ape, Lethbridge's Ketamines have concocted a heady record of tightly toasted jams that split the psych and garage spectrums evenly and apply a wondrous sheen of pop to both. Following up a stellar single for HoZac the band have taken those early bits of psych-pop crumble and refined them to a kaleidoscopic crunch on Spaced Out. The record swings and flutters, blinks in and out of consciousness and then turns the amps to full fuzzed freakout and makes it all go down with delightful ease. This one sees release through the love of Southpaw in conjunction with Alberta label Mammoth Cave Recording Co. Definitely a good year for the crew at Southpaw out of the gates so far, keep your eyes on Oakland for a fresh gust of garage and psych this year.

Download:
[MP3] Ketamines - Kill Me Now

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Summer Twins

Tape slingers Burger Records don't always venture into the vinyl market (though they seem to be more and more) but it’s usually with good cause when they do. Breaking away a bit from their garage pop stable, the label’s issued the debut long player from Chelsea and Justine Brown aka Summer Twins. The S/T LP swings with insistent jangles and a breezy air that will of course endear them to Vivian Girls and Best Coast fans everywhere but where their contemporaries sometimes slip into samey vibes the sisters have a crisp and refreshingly clean sound that carries its way throughout the record. Just some damn sunny pop with a nice dusting of melancholy that begs to be on your headphones and walked around the city. Can't ask for a whole lot else.

Download:
[MP3] Summer Twins - I Don't Care

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Hot & Cold

Hot & Cold are Simon and Joshua Frank, a Beijing via NY duo who grind out disconnected, synth scraped jams that froth atop insistent dime store beats. The pair fleshes out a narcotic loner niche that pays its share of homage to the Suicide jams that preceded them and the lo-fi contingent that feels like a lost limb. Coming off like deep space transmissions bounced from the communist underground, the whole of Conclusion/Introduction feels as if its wrapped its icy fingers around a dystopian youth pulse. Always good to see some fresh blood spewing from the Night People roster and this one seems like it'll be fun to watch.

Download:
[MP3] Hot & Cold - Uighur Pop

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

James Blackshaw

Among the current crop of acoustic guitar phenoms, James Blackshaw has always remained one of our favorites. His Important debut O True Believers grabbed the attention of RSTB with a mix of complexity and grace. Following a move to a few other labels including the venerable Tompkins Square and some rather intricate works for Michael Gira's Young God, Blackshaw has returned to his roots at Important. Preceded by a stunning EP, this new album is a hushed and somber piece of work. Love is the Plan, The Plan is Death sees James employing his usual mix of nylon and steel strings and a touch of piano, vibraphone and B3 organ with the voice of Geneviève Beaulieu stealing the show on the centerpiece "And I Have Come Upon This Place by Lost Ways". However, its still the guitars that take the real stunners here, and Blackshaw is as deft as ever. Runs that seem deceptively sweet and melodic are wrought with a stunning virtuosity and craftsman's touch. The album is, if anything, probably one of the most melodic that he's done to date; lilting with a bittersweet note of heartache and an ache that touches despair but never falls prey to it. Important has stunned with a pair of essential string works right out of the gate this year and you'd be remiss not to check them out.

Download:
[MP3] James Blackshaw - A Momentary Taste of Being

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Instant Action @ K&M in Williamsburg

If you're up for a night of garage, power pop, glam and 70's era punk and you're in the NYC area, come on out to K&M in Williamsburg tonight where I'll be DJing our latest installment of this monthly series.

Starving Weirdos :: Periods Video

We've always had a soft spot for Brian Pyle's Ensemble Economique but truth be told we were first aware of his releases with Starving Weirdos. Their new album, Land Lines is a decisive piece of well-constructed drift and synth stacked mantra. We're still wrapping our heads around it but for now check out a taster of the album in the form of the video for the track "Periods," a haunting spiritual journey of animal suited nomads lost in the psychedelic wilderness.

Suport the Artist. Buy it HERE.

Outer Minds

Outer Minds showed up here a year or so back with a great little single on HoZac that had rumblings of 60's psych inflected garage that pushed a bit further beyond the bar burner staples of their Chicago scene. They had promise then but they just needed a little something extra to really nudge their sound to its full potential. It helped that the band is stocked with plenty of talent; including former and current members of Baseball Furies, Lover! and Functional Blackouts and now it seems, since those early days, the band's found an ease with their sound and a bump in fidelity that make their self-titled debut explode into the kind of psychedelic stomp we were hoping for. Pulling from plenty of fuzzy, bent garage-psych staples, but also adding a melodic note of Mamas and Papas' lush harmonies, the band makes a play for our hearts turning out the kind of Nuggets-worthy gems that sound like the best moments of Shocking Blue, United States of America, Sarofeen and Smoke and the above mentioned melody masters mashed together and made consistent. Each listen to this album has revealed further shades of intrigue and made this one of the early entries to beat in 2012. Highly recommended!

Download:
[MP3] Outer Minds - Gimme a Reason

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Dead People – Feel The Light 7" New Orleans trio Dead People take a swipe at off the rails, dirt-caked lo-fi and do a pretty good job at that. The four song single, the band's first, is an obscured nugget of fuzz and rumble that jerks along on all fours, propelled by a dual guitar assault and the sweat

inducing pound of drums. The title track takes honors here but there's a definite taste of more on the horizon. It'll be fun to see if they back down the murk and blow this out into a functional alcoholic of a full length sometime in the near future. For now though, this is a good place to start for some speaker rattling Friday night jump starters. Download: [MP3] Dead People - Feel The Light Support the artist. Buy it HERE or the cassette version HERE

Ilyas Ahmed

Ilyas Ahmed burned his way into our consciousness way back in 2008 with Vertigo of Dawn and returned, with Grouper's Liz Harris in tow for the stunning follow-up, Goner in 2009. Since then he's re-teamed with Harris on an excellent split for Social Music's record club and now his scarred folk tears through our winter dreams on his latest, With Endless Fire. The album pulls Ahmed's voice from the shimmering haze that's surrounded some of his past releases but still keeps his dust worn dirges cloaked in layers of light and shadow. Pulled tight with a buzzing tension, the album is steeped in the grit toothed style of folk that's always made us love his work. The fuller sound from the Goner days returns, but there's an immediacy in the way the album has been played straight to analog tape. The emotions are fresh with blood and never overworked in layers of overdub and second guessing. It’s as accomplished an album as you're likely to hear from Ahmed and a stunning addition to an already stellar catalog.

Listen: Ilyas Ahmed - "Stained Sky"


Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Giuda

Well the statute of limitations on discovering those hidden gems from 2011 still stands, though it’s getting close. Don't know how this one slipped through the cracks (probably because it was mostly available in Italy) but it’s a damn shame we're just stumbling on it now. Glam made a strong showing in 2011 with Smith Westerns and Mickey pulling from the genre but the Italian boys in Giuda (pronounced Joo-duh) have their steps in place and seem to bring wafts of glitter and leather back with every chord. The album is big and brash with the kind of swagger that only fits in ripped Levis and inspires a cavalcade of foot stomps and hand claps. Every inch of Racey Roller feels like a lost classic and the band pay a few nods to this in the ring worn cover design. Now the challenge remains to track down a viable copy of this one on vinyl, looks like Italian imports are the way to go but here's hoping for some more US love if possible.

Download:
[MP3] Giuda - Number 10

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE