Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever return to the fold with another album that caresses the cosmic wave, blurring the lines between jazz and psych just a little bit more. Their mixture of synth and bass clarinet, already an unusual setup, is pushed to limits as the band move between the scorched rumble of labelmates Barn Owl, the disjointed scuzz-bop of Blues Control and a sci-fi burble that would carry well with Oneohtrix Point Never. Ultimately though they seem to open their own hatch on the universe, revealing the bubbling circuits below the surface; a technology out of reason and floating in perfectly serene channels. There are plenty working the synths these days towards the 70's analog model but Golden Retriever tap into it from a pure place and in doing so they come across with fresh ears. The album glows at the edges with a kind of crystalline charm, a familiar haze that's never lost until the album hushes to a close, just blinking lights in the distant echoes of space.

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Fuzz - "Raise" Video

Fuzz roll out their first video for last year's amazing S/T smog stomper on In The Red. The clip, directed by longtime Ty Segall collaborator Matt Yoka, takes a Poltergeist meets draconian invasion tack and its as disturbed as anything in his canon. Plus you have the benefit of Fuzz pounding out the jams as a soundtrack. Win / Win.

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Natural Child

Natural Child offer up their most satisfying album yet. The band have always had one foot in the garage and the other in their Nashville bar band country boy roots but they've never fully embraced that latter side of themselves. Where they've often taken to the studio with a harder edge, on Dancin' With Wolves they let the country shine through with a healthy dose of twang, slide licks and a lackadaisical attitude of late night come downs and low swung country rompers. Its a good fit for sure and probably a direction they should have more fully explored before now. They've got the good ol' boy moves down stocking the songs here full of cheap domestics with whiskey on the side and keeping the bar dancing 'til last call. But, even as this is their most rootsy, its also their most well crafted record, with a studio sheen not seen in their older offerings and that clarity fits them just as well as the twang. Dug in nice like a lost 70's classic, the record is warm and inviting through the end.

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Warm Soda - "Renegade Mode" Video

Melton and co. keeping it leather taut and denim dirty on their new single from their upcoming Young Reckless Hearts split 7" with Big Tits. Throwing a dash of 80's synth wobble and upping The Cars influence in their canon, they're still filling power pop's shoes well and keeping up the mantle of soft punch punk. Count this one high on RSTB's wishlist for 2014.

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Tacocat

Flashing like roller rink lights on snack bar pretzels and crane game prizes, Tacocat's sophomore album revels in a confectionery sweetness that can't help but lighten the mood in any room at least six shades. As with several of their Hardly Art sibs they mash punk, surf and pop into a layer cake that's instantly delicious, but these cat's pack a few more ingredients into the mix than just frivolous fun. Yes there are songs about magic eye posters and the Clueless referencing "Crimson Wave" menstruation anthem but the band also pack in a few good jabs at the male gaze and misandry along the way. Cheekily ragging on punk anarchists and "time pirates" alike the album's a welcome return to the 90's bounce n' bubble of punk that knew how to have a good time while poking fun and occasionally hitting the nail right on the head.

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Ausmuteants - "No Motivation" Video

News is that Ausmuteants are bringing their record Amusements stateside with an issue on Goner. To herald the domestic release there's a new vid for standout track "No Motivation", a darkly sinister clip full of 80's styled schlock movie gore and at least one iconic video game reference. What more do you need on a Thursday? Well adding to the visuals are Ausmuteants twitchy, nervy strand of new wave punk that hits squarely in the Devo / Chrome pocket. Definitely snag the US version from the Goner shop.

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Dahga Bloom

Dahga Bloom roll in the storm with some real gas-choked, crank case type of psych; stinging the eyes, burning the throat and generally clear cutting whatever's in the path of their amplifier fury. Taking shades though Hawkwind territory but riding the Lords of Light vibe straight through the cosmic slop and far deeper into the frayed ends of the black hole, they know that volume + haze is a recipe for sonic bliss. The jagged edges greet the listener on impact but there are plenty of smoke-billowed vocals floating in the embryonic center of the vortex. No Curtains does a good job of translating the maelstrom to some sort of tangible form but its evident that the band live in the live realm, that these songs can only hope to be contained by their recorded versions. Still, as far as scorched earth psych goes in the dawn of 2014, this is as good as its sounds.

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	Radio City - Class of '77 Another power pop gem from the archives today. Radio Heartbeat resurrected the ashes of Radio City (aptly named after the Big Star album) and collects them into the album that never was. Molded right in the heart of '77, the tracks bounce along on bright
guitars and tales of heartbreak. The band may not have been able to get it together at the time but legacy serves to say that they were sorely short changed as the jangle and strum are strong here with touches of Big Star, Raspberries and Blue Ash filtering through as well as the Bandfinger / Beatles vibes that inevitably surface from this era of power pop. Its when they tip just over the edge of punk that they're at their best though, but ahhh what coulda been. We'll just have to settle for what was and that's thirteen tracks of teenaged woes and big hearted pop. Listen: Support the artist. Buy it HERE or HERE

Sun Araw

Its been a few records since Sun Araw struck up the RSTB ear. A fixture on the site for a long time in Stallones early days of the band and with Magic Lantern, the humid swamp rhythms tumbled from the Araw in thick waves for a while. Though the last couple left us on the fence, it seems that Stallones has finally found a good balance between the heady experiments of his Drag City tenure and the body thumping entanglements of his Not Not Fun days. Belomancie warbles n' throbs, stung with synthesizer workouts that ease tracks in like tone generator test patterns then resolve into the kind of dank, cavernous clouds that have always claimed a spot in RSTB's heart. With a focus on extended tracks the material here is dense, dropping down caverns of slick heatwave vs. Mr. Wizard soundtrack vibes for upwards of fourteen minutes. Certainly no territory for the uninitiated, but intrepid travelers will be able to navigate the foggy enclaves of Sun Araw's terrain with ease. It’s landscaping disguised as music, architecture of the mind. Ease into Stallones Zen garden and take a wander through the tombs.

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Blank Realm - "Reach You On The Phone" Video

Blank Realm unleash a video for their soft focus jangle pop gem "Reach You On The Phone". The video features a healthy (but not overwhelming) dose of claymation paired with the band mugging in some subdued hues. If you haven't picked this album up already, then its well worth the trip to the store, their best yet.

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE (US) or HERE (UK)

The Night Party

The Melbourne duo Night Party pull a pretty convincing drive down the valley between soul and rock with heavy nods to latter day Black Keys and The Stones during their camp out at Muscle Shoals. For a duo they pump up enough sweat flooded groove humpers for a six-piece and come off all the better for it, their sound feeling as huge as any hall but with a certain restrained style that has the feel of 60's straight to tape recording. The pair work like a well oiled unit that knocks 'em out and gets the job done right, taking the kind of well-worn rock 'n soul moves that a lesser band would parlay into bar band bullshit to a level that moves beyond mere emulation and into understanding of their influences. Its got grit and sheen in the right places, playing things smooth as necessary but still knowing when's the time to get the hips moving. The only thing is missing is a horn section (and maybe a new graphic designer for the cover) the rest is just right.

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	Kim Fowley - International Heroes There's no lack of Kim Fowley dotting the posts on Raven but somehow one of his best has eluded a writeup until now. Since its finally gotten a proper vinyl reissue, it seems just as fitting that it gets a post. International Heroes is usually lumped into the glam rampage
(perhaps the cover's makeup pushes it over that edge) but its really at the periphery of glam. It has some but not an overwhelming amount of the trademark stomp n' swagger that make the form so frivolous and fun, but instead trades in a concentrated songwriting that's part Bowie during his transition from folk to glam god, part sleaze purveyor that's pure Fowley and part social consciousness that seems to belie the release date more than the maker. However all three sides roll together into an album that's tough, tender and provoking while still being steeped in some of the catchiest bits of the the Fowley catalog. It's not a record that pops up on a list of essentials as often as it should, given that Fowley's a love 'im or hate 'im type of guy but if any record might push you into the love 'im camp it would be this gem. Listen: Support the artist. Buy it HERE

The People's Temple

The People's Temple are already on their third album, whew, seems like just yesterday that the first single was hitting the turntable around here. The band are all grown up now and their latest is a mixed pot of garage-soul-pscyh that thunders through the fuzz with the determination of a group that's found its footing and is enjoying the ride. Still yelping down the corridors left empty by 13th Floor Elevators and The Seeds for sure, but the band are certainly stretching their wings and roping in the more esoteric corners of their 60's pastiche. They've always sounded like a band out of time and Musical Gardens is no exception to this rule, but they sound as if they're playing around with the conventions of what it means to inhabit the spirit of '67. Always good to see a band growing into themselves and that's exactly what's happened on Musical Gardens.

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New Bums

On the heels of their self-released 7", New Bums, the collaborative project from Donovan Quinn and Ben Chasney, offers an album's worth of perfectly pitched loner folk. Eschewing much of its participants handholds in the psych realm, the record ops for a more straightforward approach that's steeped in isolation and drowned in late night whiskey odes. Perhaps nothing could sum this record up more than its own title, Voices in a Rented Room has the feeling of transience; loneliness on a night in a bed that's not your own. Its equal parts motel room floor and back porch, though both tones have a thread of three AM restlessness running through them. New Bums acts as a perfect distillation of Ben and Donovan's styles, with Quinn's high, plaintive croon adding just the right amount of sighed reflection to Chasney's plucks and storied runs down the fretboard. The album winds up seeming like a private press gem found amongst the cluttered racks and bins in a store with a well curated collection of 70's outsider heroes on tap. It seems so familiar, while at the same time feeling like a secret that you only share with those who'd truly appreciate the find.

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The Bad Lovers

Austin's Bad Lovers hit some stride on their sophomore album, rolling a bit of natural country twang into their rock n' roll swagger, the boys bring out their underlying Texan influences. Deeply rooted in a 70's rock palette, the album isn't rewriting any books but its loving the treads it runs through and sometimes that's the best you can ask for. The Lovers revel in the kind of stomp it out choruses and dance it out breakdowns that feel classic like straight Levi's worn thin at the knees. The songs here revel in falling in and out of love, living the road worn life of a band and celebrating outsider status; the kind of fodder the youth of America can certainly get behind, and the Lovers paint the picture in dusted hues that seem like a hell of a lot of fun. Definitely a step forward from their last, and somehow stripping back their sound to the very roots ends up coalescing into the big sounding rock they'd been shooting for all along.

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