Banque Allemande

Where have the Germans been hiding these guys? Second album out on S.S. for Banque Allemande and despite being thrust into the midst of minimal techno's hub, the band seem to eek out an affinity for throb-veined garage punk with the spirit of the American indie rolodex from Husker Dü through Big Black territory. Taught and muscular, Willst du Chinese sein musst du die hammers home the two chord power-chuggers and then explodes into shards of guitar noise at odds with the charging beat beneath the fray. The record chews raw wire and glass with the best of 'em and by the time the needle snaps to the runout both the band and listener are reaching for the towels with exhaustion. Primitive is an understatement, but it remains an apt qualifier as the band pounds out rhythm and melody alike with the kind of fury reserved for marauding clan warfare and desperation soaked fight or flight response. This one definitely has me looking for their last record, because this kind of angular throat punch doesn't just spring up out of nowhere. Best pick this one up quick because the label's only got them in limited quantities.

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The Woolen Men

I'd neglected the Woolen Men album on my first go ‘round, listening to a few tracks and setting it aside for later, but its got legs and after awhile it climbed its way into my rotation. The Oregonian trio embraces the scrappy tide of DIY that usually befits their compatriots down under, but it fits them well and they wear it like a badge. Woodsist seems adamant on throwing down Dead Moon comparisons, and maybe in work ethic that's true but there's a lot more VU via Dunedin on this one and once it creeps into your spine its hard to shake. The record has a driving jangle, a throbbing vein of blue-collar bar rock and a debt to 80's college rock that seems like it'll take more than a few years to pay off. It all mashes together into a loose jumble of a record that feels like its been hanging around in dollar bins for years just waiting for someone to wash along and discover it, ripe for the reissue and belated adulation. Hopefully, as The Woolies are currently active, they won't suffer such a fate and hopes are high they can keep this shaggy rock as present and effortlessly smile-inducing in the live setting, but as for the grooves, its winding up one of the first quarter of 2013's smash surprises. Give it a go, and tell 'em Raven sent ya, we've got a feeling that you won't be disappointed.

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Camperdown & Out

More goodness from the South Hemi this week with a new project formed from members of Royal Headache, Raw Prawn, Dead Farmers and Marf Loth. The boys banded together to celebrate a shared love of The Go-Betweens, The Clean, Ed Keupper and Paul Kelly with more than a little indebted hangover from Papa Lou Reed and it seems they got the stew just right on Couldn't Be Better, the jangle-infected album that's found a life as a result of their obsessions. Falling right in line with quite a few others making waves around their neck these days, the album has a wandering lackadaisical quality that mirrors the suburban landscapes and hopeless sprawl of modern convenience without direction. No derision intended there either, it’s a wonderful encapsulation of bored youth reflected in the sunglassed eyes of their pop predecessors. The album feels comfortable like a thrift store recliner perched on a scrap of porch, guitars in hand and strummin' in the sun. Good songs need not be the complicated spawn of strife, sometimes boredom and a crooked smile are all you need. Camperdown & Out seem to pull it all in place in a way that feels like early Pavement cobbling together the impetus of slacker angst 'round about the Slanted years if they were raised on the flip side of the horizon and weaned with just a touch more jangle in their morning oats.

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	Fury - Flying This one straddles the line between the reissues and singles column but, hell, a reissue single belongs with its out of time brothers more than anything. HoZac has issued these two tracks from proto-punkers Fury, whose NY diesel-huffed rock never
got its due. The biker-punk riffs are loud and thick as oil drippings on these two tracks cut in 1972 while the band was breaking out slowly around their hometown scene but, as these things have a way of unfolding, the band was overshadowed by circumstance and poor luck. The boys grew restless waiting for attention to take hold and folded the band with lead singer / guitarist Sonny Vincent quickly igniting a new band, Liquid Diamond, in their wake. HoZac will also issue material from that endeavor, but for now this double shot of asphalt chewing proto-punk should get you through the week. An absolute classic. Listen: Support the artist, buy it HERE

Anthroprophh

The Heads' Paul Allen breaks out solo to record an album of kraut-drenched psych excursions that will definitely appeal to fans of the Bristolian musician's day racket, but he adds a touch of subtlety beyond the fuzz soaked riffs as well. The self-titled affair, on the ever reliable Rocket Recordings, explodes into a fiery Ash-Ra Temble grooved / Acid Mother's Temple riffed opener but soon settles down into a more sedate and drone oriented brand of psychedelia that lets in acoustic elements and shuffling grooves owing more to Neu and Cluster than to their fiery followers. The record is dark and often tipped on a nervous knife edge of rhythmic tension which Allen uses to stack the album with complex layers of emotion not always straining through your average psych offering. Adding to the fray are contributions from noise collective Big Naturals, who fill out sections with their chaotic touch of drumming and electronics, enhancing Allen's vision even further. The record builds to a powerful climax on the 16+ minute centerpiece "Entropy," which tips the album further down the abyss of epicness and makes as powerful a statement as anything that Allen has set forth with The Heads. Well worth checking into this one.

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	Las Ardillas - Linda Niña 7" Ever the bastion of international excellence, Slovenly Records digs up this nugget from San Juan punkers Las Ardillas. The band shares members with Davilla 666 and there's some evidence to that in their unfettered howl, but they hit me much harder than Davilla
ever has. A dirty blast of Spanish tongued punk if ever there was one, the A-side is all razor sharp hooks and drum crunch that has more than a few similarities to Black Lips by way of the ghosts of late 70's punk permanence. The b-side is equally engaging making for a nice twofer to pound down the stereo speakers at full volume on any given weekday morning. This is a day starter of a single, power to treat the crush of a commute with the full force of a teenaged pit. Listen: Support the artist, buy it HERE

Burnt Ones

I caught Burnt Ones on a trip to San Francisco last summer opening up for Nobunny and though the "Meet The Golden One" single had caught RSTB ears previously, it was clear from that show that the band had moved to thicker pop territory. You'll Never Walk Alone confirms that hunch nicely, still showcasing their glam-stomped garage but fattening up the riffs and widening the scope with some floating guitar texture and plenty of feedback soaked squelch foaming under their harmonious aaahhhs. Still utilizing the stand up / stripped down drum setup that seemed omnipresent in garage rock circa 2010, but they make it work with tom tom swagger that drives the songs with a delightful whomping beat. That beat keeps the toes tappin' while the band makes short work of riff chunks the size of bricks, though they do show a softer side on the back half of the album that slows things down and proves that rockers gotta yearn too. All in all a damn fine offering from the Burger Bunch and proof that SF cannot be pinned down as its garage base widens ever further, spreading the Bay love in its wake.

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Dick Diver

Melbourne's Dick Diver flesh out their sound on their sophomore album Calendar Days; taking the scrappy Aussie pop that permeated New Start Again as a jumping off point and weaving keyboard textures, soft sax touches, pedal steel and, sure, still plenty of chiming guitars throughout the album's core. It’s a wistful, driving record that's flecked with gray cloud streaks and cracks of sunshine between the jangle and hum. The record brings to mind plenty of their Aussie / NZ forebears with ragged moments of The Clean and the effortless pop swing of The Go-Betweens playing an even push-pull on more than a few songs. The real transcendence of the album lies in its lyrical ability to make the mundane magical, the ordinary charming and to catch your heart up in their tales whether they're lush strummers or bare, raw moments of almost crushing quietude. Its been a renaissance in the South Hemi to be sure for the past few years and I'd be remiss to say that Calendar Days hasn't slotted itself high in the pecking order of the essential releases from the current crop.

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	The Knack - Time Waits for No One Ever overshadowed by the 80's new wavers with their catchy tales of Sharona, this incarnation of The Knack was making a jangly mix of Beatles-flecked pop in late 60's London long before those boys ever picked up their guitars. The
band was never a hitmaker but there's a fair amount of great material collected in this retrospective. Wrapping up their debut single, I'm Aware"/"Time Waits for No One," along with the rest of their output, including a touching ode to actress Barbara Hershey (who was dating songwriter Michael Chain at the time) and a few outtakes that break down some good riffs. Now Sounds, ever the strident archivists put together a hell of a reissue that spotlights the band's much overlooked catalog, raising themselves up alongside other British janglers of the time like Herman's Hermits or The Beau Brummels. Listen: [MP3] The Knack - The Girl With the Dark Brown Eyes Support the artist, buy it HERE

Thee Oh Sees

Wouldn't be a year without an Oh Sees release on the docket, and 2013 is no different in that regard. The band seems to have taken a natural extension off of Putrifiers II's balance of pop shades and rock bombast and refined it further, adding some nicely layered sheen to their freakout mentality while still dipping those toes in psych-punk puddle. Locked groove drumming and reverb flying as always but now even more shades of Brigid Dawson's vocals make the scene amid Dwyer's yelps; add some jazz flourishes on guitar, a splash of keyboard shimmer and its a regular pop record for the SF flayers. The best development on Floating Coffin is the band's trend towards mixing frantic and subtle in the same songs, winding in expertly crafted changes that don't always land a perfect hook to the jaw but are catchy and satisfying in Thee Oh Sees own pop penchant. Stuart Berman recently compared the band to earlier period Flaming Lips, and hell, I'll buy that because I much preferred when the punk rockers were taking acid rather than fighting giant pastel robots. Psych-punk needs a few champions and Thee Oh Sees are leading that charge in fine fashion here.

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[MP3] Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster


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Fielded

Firmly on the wierd edge of pop, but still very much pop mind you, sits Lindsay Powell's latest record under the Fielded moniker. Powell is also a member of the heavy psych unit Ga'an and this connection proves to leak in with plenty of cosmic dissonance and experimental touches that flit through the tracks on Ninety Thirty Thirty. However, the music is often secondary to the gravity of Powell’s voice and the album serves to twist, shift, distort and layer her most powerful instrument in all manner of methods before the groove runs out. Its an album steeped in the art-rock tradition, owing as much to Kate Bush and Siouxie Sioux as it does to more contemporary sirens; skirting the dark-hued noir jungle of pop's edges and keeping it fit company with Bat For Lashes, the more untethered moments of Lykke Li or a less ABBA inclined Music Go Music. The grand scope makes for a towering record that builds into a gleaming pop epic as a whole, but there are more than a few standout singles moments here as well, like the propulsive vocal shifts of "Arms of Heaven" or the quiet cool of "Eve of a New Moon" which comes laced with a welcomed return to a time of omnipresent smoky sax. The touchstones are certainly rooted in the late 70's / early 80's molds, but like the best pop sirens from that era, Powell makes it feel timeless.

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Prostitutes

Jim Donadio's work under the Prostitutes banner skirts the edges of techno, industrial and noise; filtering the three impulses into a hypnotic and often times almost crushing slurry of beats and ambient space. Donadio's skill comes in his ability to never lean to heavy into one corner, just as the beats feel that they're about to suffocate, he pulls back and dissolves. Just as the beat becomes monotonously trance inducing he escalates and opens up a whole new field of space. The record occupies some very dark spaces, and the jackhammer crush is surrounded on all sides by a certain unseen dread but that's what gives Crushed Interior its heft. His sophomore album appears for Digitalis, a home that seems fitting for Prostitutes' polyrhythmic gravitational pull. And that seems as fitting a description as ever, since the album seems to break the listener down and suck them like quarks through space into a dark, industrial realm of shifting space, noise and mechanic precision.

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Purling Hiss - "Mercury Retrograde" Video

Purling Hiss bust out the psychedelic immersion in their video for the first taste of Water on Mars. After finally seeing the band in full swing a few weeks ago I can confidently say that neither the live show nor the record are to be missed. A true turning point in their career and creeping up RSTB's favorites of 2013 list.

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Prissy Clerks

Though based out of Minneapolis, it seems that Prissy Clerks have picked up the majority of their notoriety across English outlets. Not really that surprising given that their effervescent bent on crunchy 90's rock touchstones expands on the DIY currents running through the majority of the Isle's blogs. Though, Bruise or Be Bruised is more than just a collection of 90's influences. It leans on the tropes for sure, but underneath beats a true rock heart and with an ear for pop melodies. Lead clerk Clara Salyer cut her teeth in Total Babe but left her softer side behind for the Sebadoh and Pavement hues and a striking balance between fuzzy churning guitars and velvet coos that cross the pop threshold into Rilo Kiley territory with a tougher punch to the gut. The potent push-pull ramps the power of the swirling songs beneath her voice making for a record that sticks to the ribs more than most scrappy pop bands can claim. This one comes in timely with a few others chasing the ghost of '93 this past year, meaning that Prissy Clerks will fit in well shelved next to the new Bleeding Rainbow, Purling Hiss, PAWS and Colleen Green records on your shelf. Build out that 90's vibe like 120 Minutes was still relevant and not relegated to a 2AM reminder of better times.

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Unhappybirthday

Night People snag a German gem that sounds like it should be right at home on Captured Tracks, trading chiming guitars with the kind of buzzing synths and melodic ennui that fuels the Brooklyn label's core. Simple in structure but resonant in scope, the few songs on this tape capture the perfect balance of sad and lonely catchiness that makes spending hours in a bedroom listening on repeat seem not only reasonable but necessary. They tap into a nice cross section of new wave and post punk touchstones for a sizable mix of danceable rhythms that would give way to sing-a-long moments were it not for the language barrier (though if you're versed in German feel free to break into song). This tape follows on a previous cassette from Crash Symbols and with the quality they're kicking up we'd have to register some prime interest in what's on the way in the form of an album.

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Wam Soda - "Busy Lizzy" Video

Our dismay at the loss of Bare Wires has been soothed nicely by the quick pace with which Warm Soda have stepped in with perfectly fizzy power pop nuggets like this. Melton and crew keep up their overachiever themed videos from the Wires days here with a fitting ode to their track "Busy Lizzy" off of their recent Castle Face LP.

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Hot Lunch

Somehow it seems perfectly fitting that SF acid punkers Hot Lunch should land at Tee Pee records. The band mixes a heavy brand of rock that owes more than a debt of gratitude to the '71-'74 riff ravaged, prog inclined lineage with a skate culture hangover that burns like week old roadburn. Their eponymous debut repurposes their "Killer Smile" single to great effect, sandwiched between flame licked, hoarse-throated proto-metal burners and winding prog epics that pick up the yoke from Yes and run with every dungeon dwelling stoner archetype left in the canon. Eric Shea and the band pull it off with an earnestness that comes across as a love letter to the double-gatefold era of Tolkein born psychedelia rather than D&D wallowing nerdcore fanfic rock. In the process they lay down a heaviness that feels epic in scope and blends perfectly with the lost gems of prog metal that are undoubtedly lining your vinyl shelves and bumping space with those Sabbath LPs. Don't worry Hot Lunch will feel right at home.

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The Feeling of Love

French pop savages The Feeling of Love have laid a few ragged gems down on us in the past few years on labels like Kill Shaman, Florida's Dying, Born Bad and Sweet Rot. They've taken garage to fierce, shout-along levels that sprawled over singles and albums like flailing burn victims. Prior to full band insurrection on albums of late though, Guillaume Marietta was working as a one-man workhorse tearing up eardrums and inducing psychosis all on his own. Its this period that Captcha Records have sought to preserve in the grooves once more and La Peur est une Illusion wraps up the early years of the band in one handy package destined to unbalance your turntable and rattle just as many nerves as speakers. Play this one loud for the neighbors to hear, preferably early in the morning when the pained sounds of French garage anguish go down smooth like the first days coffee.

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	Shadows of Knight - Back Door Men Shadows of Knight may get most of their recognition for their version of "Gloria" but those that stop at their debut are missing out on one of garage's great gems. The Chicago band pay a debt of gratitude to the Chi-town blues forefathers that
gave them reason to pick up their guitars with cover of Willie Dixon and Jimmy Reed then blend those dirty blues moves into garage punk staples with their snotty rock sneered anthems over the rest of the album. This album became a bit of a collector's grail before proper reissues, but its wider availability in no way tempers its essential nature. Following this album the band began to splinter and though they crafted some fine tracks on their third album ("Shake", "My Fire Department Needs a Fire Man") they'd never be quite as cohesive as they were right here. Their later efforts have a huge influence from Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz on production and while they hit it right with "Shake" they tend to stray the band from their hip-slung garage greatness. However, there's no portion of Back Door Men that's not perfectly crafted to set your feet moving and your heart racing.
Listen: [MP3] Shadows of Knight - Gospel Zone Support the artist, buy it HERE

Terror of the Deep

Night People are sorely correct in their assessment of Terror of the Deep, they are criminally under-known, but hopefully another cracking album should alleviate a bit of that obscurity. The band follows on their excellent album from last year with a more precise and melodically taught collection, building on the stand out moments from Airport Underneath the Dome like "I Am Ocean" and honing them into a bittersweet album of jangle-pop gems. Permanent Weekend is a more mature album, not as erratically uninhibited but also sonically layered with a wild temper peeking out from all corners. There's still that spirit of DIY rattling inside each song and keeping anything from becoming too buttoned down. The band are certainly enmeshed with their Kiwi Pop roots and any fan of New Zealand bands from Flying Nun staples to current day South Hemi janglers should dig into this release with eager ears.

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Total Control - "Sweaty" Video

The video itself is relatively persperation free but its a great reminder of why we love these Aussies. The band has released an official video for the track "Sweaty" off of their split with Thee Oh Sees from a while back. Its a slow paced, abstract ride that fits the booming drama of the track. From the breif words on the band's site it appears they're headed to the U.S. for a May / June tour so definitely keep a look out for that.

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Sondra Sun-Odeon

As the years have gone by here at Raven it’s been fewer and further between that great psych-folk LPs cross the desk. When this site started back in the wee '00s it was a staple of coverage and one of the labels that most often popped up was Language of Stone. Alas those cats are no more but before they crumbled they released a nice LP by Silver Summit that made a mark here at RSTB. Years later Silver Summit's own Sondra Sun-Odeon has a solo album of her own and its far removed from the heyday of '04 psych folk but it bears a few echoes amongst its melancholy passages. Sun-Odeon has draped her album, Aetherea in grey-eyed folk touches that swoon with heavy-hearted strings and the lilting vocal yearns of a fresh heartbreak. Still, there are moments when the fog grows thick as ever and those witchy vibes creep through your eardrums like a remembrance of days when all bands were raising the altar to bring out the darkness in folk's inner circle; as on standout closer "Hair". Sun-Odeon has found a way to progress as a songwriter, tackling the themes of maturity, while still nodding to her heavy, hair-raising past in the psychedelic trenches.

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	Rainbow Gun Show - Cinderella Sizzle 7" Damn Chicago, where have you been hiding this one? HoZac pick up a new hometown stunner in the form of Rainbow Gun Show and their first single for the label is a damn fine piece of thunder-whumped garage
psych splatter. The a-side starts with an early Flaming Lips intro before kicking in the driving force of guitar that keeps heads nodding to the geetar chuck the whole way through. No way to keep from cranking the volume on this track and throwing some shades on David Caruso style for a living room dance when this one's playing. Seriously, try and deny it. The b-sides a lighter tone but still solid fare and it keeps their sound on its toes with a buzzy bit of keys and glam stomped beat. Not a bad offering. Keep 'em coming. Listen: Support the artist, buy it HERE