Gnod

Gnod have turned up on RSTB before and always to great accolades, most notably on their collaboration with White Hills and as a part of their contribution to the Bored Fortress singles series. The Manchester collaborative has a penchant for deep rooted space rock of the Hawkwind meets Ash Ra Temple variety and on their latest LP Ingnodwetrust the band lays down two sides of scorched, festering psychedelia. Each sidelong track scrapes the ionosphere and bounces back like sonar into the scattered recesses of the subconscious. The band are at home on the far side of the ten minute psych opus and only seem to really flourish when they're truly ensconced in a brooding groove, though the b-side sees the band enter a harsher rhythmic territory. Two of their best sides yet!

Listen:
Gnod - Vatican

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE or HERE

Hills

Though they don't quite hit the same level of fiery abandon as their easily-mistaken-for American brethren White Hills, these Swedish psych rangers do share quite a few things in common with the NYC noisemakers. Germinating from the same love of the Space Rock-Krautrock axis that brought forth Wooden Shjips, Expo '70 and forefathers like Hawkwind and German Oak; the band inhabits a low gravity, groove-oriented plateau of guitar heavy psych that at times also ropes the band into some eastern territories that would bond nicely with the terrain covered by UK guitar-slinger Rick Tomlinson's Voice of the Seven Thunders. The band's S/T debut sold out in a quick run of 300 and was a worthy piece to get your hands on; this will surely go just as quickly and is just as much fun as its predecessor.

Download:
[MP3] Hills - Rise Again

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

White Hills Video: H-p1

White Hills' new record H-p1 has been on repeat around here since Thrill Jockey sent it over and its as massive a piece of psych as you're likely to hear in 2011. Bassist Ego Sensation has worked up a great video for an edited version of the title track from the album. The full length hits stores on the 21st.

Pick up the album HERE.

White Hills

A new White Hills record always seems cause for celebration. This time around the trio continues down the path to space rock ecstasy with an arsenal of heavy riffs, stratospheric effects and the usual pummeling beat tethering things to the ground. Just as exploratory as their 2010 S/T album, H-p1 stretches the spaced template the band has built itself on, adding the extra push of synths to pull them further into the eye of prog, metal and sonic fury. The title H-p1 seems to bring with it a sense of disease in the age of epidemics doled out like headlines. The central themes of the record deal with a disconnectedness arising through technology, consumerism and public malaise; and those dystopian themes seem to fit well with the monolithic crunch of guitar that they dispense like a cure. Another great addition to the band's already sterling catalog for sure.

Download:
[MP3] White Hills - The Condition of Nothing

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

#25 Barn Owl - Ancestral Star Download: [MP3] Barn Owl - Light From the Mesa

#24 Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday Download: [MP3] Happy Birthday - Subliminal Messages

#23 Hanoi Janes - Year of Panic Download: [MP3] Hanoi Janes - Surfin KMC

#22 Moon Duo - Escape Download: [MP3] Moon Duo - Stumbling 22nd St.

#21 Wooden Wand - Death Seat Download: [MP3] Wooden Wand - Tiny Confessions

#20 The Soft Moon - The Soft Moon Download: [MP3] The Soft Moon - Breathe The Fire

#19 Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal Download: [MP3] Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal

#18 White Hills - White Hills Download: [MP3] White Hills - Dead

#17 Sun Araw - On Patrol Download: [MP3] Sun Araw - Deep Cover

#16 Forest Swords - Dagger Paths Download: [MP3] Forest Swords - Miraches

#15 Wild Nothing - Gemini Download: [MP3] Wild Nothing - Chinatown

#14 Woven Bones - In and Out and Back Again Download: [MP3] Woven Bones - If It Feels Alright

#13 Zola Jesus - Stridulum Download: [MP3] Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand

#12 Demdike Stare - Tryptych (Forest of Evil, Libertion Through Hearing, Voices of Dust) Download: [MP3] Demdike Stare - Caged in Stammheim

#11 The Mantles - Pink Information Download: [MP3] The Mantles - Cascades

#10

Though it was a banner year for Cameron Stallones all around some of his best moves came within the context of the full arsenal of Magic Lantern. The group's first record in quite a few years and well worth the wait, Platoon fulfills every heavy psych wish we made this year.

Download:
[MP3] Magic Lantern - Dark Cicadas


#9

By transcending the very hypnogogic force he begat, Pink finally begins to realize his vision; assembling an expert team into the studio for fleshed out, lush versions of the pop memories he's long been channeling. The resulting album Before Today hits on the same tip-of-the-tongue resonance that he and many of his contemporaries have long plundered but with such crystal clarity that the lines between past and future begin to fold in on themselves. Pink and co. have successfully rewritten your 80's memories once and for all.

Download:
[MP3] Ariel Pink - Round and Round


#8


Its taken years of quality analog waveforms for the general populace to embrace the Midwest phenomenon that is Emeralds, but on their umpteenth album the band begins to fold others into their black hole of complex synth patterns. Thankfully as a result of this dozens of Emeralds side projects and long lost tapes have flooded their way to vinyl as well in a welcome glut of reissues. This threatens to be just the tip of the Emeralds iceberg and around here we're gladly heralding the arrival.

Download:
[MP3] Emeralds - Double Helix


#7


With their last album people finally took notice of Woods' sunny psych and it only stood to reason that they should have welcomed this, by far their most accessible and enticing album yet, with open arms. Maybe its just me but I felt that despite containing some of Woods greatest songs yet, this one got shoved aside for a few more fashionable releases in the wake of year end lists. Nevertheless, Echo Lake remains high on my list of the greatest releases of 2010. A perfect companion to summer's transition to fall and bound to be an album that stands up to the test of time.

Download:
[MP3] Woods - Suffering Season


#6

Another long time RSTB favorite that seems to have finally gotten their due. Tim Cohen has been honing his songcraft over the course of many bands and it seems to have found its peak with The Fresh & Onlys. Merging jangle pop's breezy textures with the dark swagger of garage, Play It Strange has ended up as the most cohesive example of their sound yet.

Download:
[MP3] The Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall


#5

Though this is the shortest release to make the year end list, Mississippi's Flight makes more noise in the space of six songs that most releases managed to squeeze out of double that this year. A long time staple of the RSTB singles favorites, this EP proved that Flight had more than just A and B sides waiting in tow. Plus a sting on the CMJ circuit this year proved that they could bring the fuzz live as well. Definitely one to look out for when a full length eventually drops.

Download:
[MP3] Flight - Turns To Blood


#4

Another release that blew my feet out from underneath me this year. The singles leading up to Immer Etwas were all fine and though they often cracked the Raven heavily played list, they couldn't have prepared me for the vile desperation on display throughout their debut album.

Download:
[MP3] Nice Face - Nobody's Dead Here


#3

Though overall acclaim for this album was positive, I saw waaaay too many instances of people calling this a disapointment after Love Visions. Honestly there's no comparison. First Blood is Nobunny's finest statement. Underneath the defenses of the bunny mask, Justin Champlin rolls suburban dissapointment, sexual tension and personal tragedy into one of the year's catchiest records. Playing off of his garage pallette and mashing it with a VU sense of pop sincerity for one of the most underrated albums of the year.

Download:
[MP3] Nobunny - Blow Dumb


#2

A perfect distillation of Spacemen 3 and pre-electronic Primal Scream. Crocodiles hit the desert for these sessions with Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford and they walked out of that bunker with a lush, hazy piece of pop under their arms. The only drawback of Sleep Forever is that it ends too soon, but that's just all the more reason to flip it and start the trip all over again.

Download:
[MP3] Crocodiles - Sleep Forever


#1

Absolutely the most played record all year around here. Ty turns in his best album yet, perfectly encapsulating the garage pop juggarnaut that's been put in place in the past couple of years. "My Sunshine" alone warrants the album's inclusion of any best of 2010 list going around. It's a perfectly crafted nugget of angst and melody and guitar fire wrapped in amplifier sweat. Throw in tracks like "Girlfriend", "Alone" and "Caesar" and this begins to swell into the unstoppable behemoth it is. In the wake of Jay Reatard's passing there haven't popped up a whole lot of hopefulls to take the reins he left hanging. Only Ty can save us now.

Download:
[MP3] Ty Segall - My Sunshine

White Hills – Stolen Stars Left for No One 12" White Hills follow up an already outstanding album with three tracks that reach further into the ether of amplifier smoke and feedback glimmer. Opening the 12" up with the slow burning "Drift Away", the

band works up from the ground with deep swirls of smoke until igniting the last remaining minutes with their trademarked psych devastation. The B-Side splits its time between the Krauty, space-jam "Nothing Less" and "Don't Touch Me I'm Bleeding" which again taps into the band's ability to build walls of molten sound. Unlike the A-Side burner though, this one seems to build steam and then evaporate just as quickly. The whole 12" works amiably as a coda to their work earlier this year, proving just how close to the current pinnacle of the space-rock the band truly is. The packaging is a great homage to 70's bootleg art that more than fits the aestetic going on here. Download: [MP3] White Hills - Nothing Less Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Raven Sings the Blues at Northside Festival

Don't forget that Raven's Northside showcase is tonight. Doors will open at 5:30 and all sets will start promptly at 6,7 and 8. A great triple bill of music from Sore Eros, Viernes and NY's own White Hills. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Download:
[MP3] Sore Eros - Shook Life
[MP3] Viernes - Sinister Love
[MP3] White Hills - Dead

Seems like the half-way point is upon us and I suppose that necessitates reflection. It doesn't seem like half a year's gone by already but maybe that's a good sign of music making the time go by quicker. Lots of new RSTB faves and plenty from our past haunts making the cut here. These definitely spent the most time on the turntable and in the headphones.

Albums

Nice Face // Immer Etwas
Magic Lantern // Platoon
Emeralds // Does It Look Like I'm Here?
White Hills // White Hills
Hanoi Janes // Year of Panic
Forest Swords // Dagger Paths
Dead Luke // American Haircut
Wild Nothing // Gemini
Yellow Swans // Going Places
Woods // At Echo Lake
Moon Duo // Escape
Woven Bones // In and Out and Back Again
L.A. Vampires / Psychic Reality // Split LP

Singles/EPs

The Fresh & Onlys - Vanishing Cream (from Plastic Spoons 7")
Jacuzzi Boys - Bricks or Coconuts (from Mex Summer 7")
Flight - Ghosts (from Plastic Spoons 7")
Wet Illustrated - Born Stoked (from Corvette City 7")
The Liminanas - I'm Dead (from HoZac 7")
The Soft Moon - Breathe the Fire (from Captured Tracks 7")
Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand (from Stridulum EP)
Sun Araw - Live Mind (from Not Not Fun 7")
The Mantles - Cascades (from Mexican Summer 12")
Puerto Rico Flowers - Lets Make Friends (from Fan Death 12")

RSTB @ Northside Fest

We've been finishing up the details of this all day but it seems that all is set and ready to go for RSTB's showcase at Northside in NYC. Our showcase will be on Saturday, June 26th in the back room at Public Assembly. Doors will open at 5:30 and bands will start at 6. We'll have a great triple bill of music from Sore Eros, Viernes and NY's own White Hills. Be sure to stop by and say hi and with our sweet midday/evening time slot it's a good stopgap between those afternoon shows and nighttime parties. You've got nothing to lose!

Download:
[MP3] Sore Eros - Shook Life
[MP3] Viernes - Sinister Love
[MP3] White Hills - Dead

Gnod / White Hills

Two of psych's most ardent warriors team up for their first (official) collaboration and the world shakes on its hinges just a bit. With Gnod representing the British tradition and White Hills picking up the US baton, this collaboration couldn't be better matched and has in fact happened before on the limited CD-r release Drop Out I Barreling like a Krautrock juggernaut Drop Out II sees both bands mesh their psychic views together to form one concise psychedelic wavelength. Encompassing the insistent throb of Neu disciples throughout the course of several long pieces and interlacing interludes that caress the Cluster highway, the album moves fluidly from pulsating visions to placid moments with ease. There are many that hope to attain the true torch of Space Rock and while a few other contenders grace the same plateau, these two are certainly top rung. To have them lay down arms and take up common cause is simply too much of a good thing. Won't stick around long though, this sucker's limited to 1,000 copies and sure to sell out.

Download:
[MP3] Gnod / White Hills - Drop Out

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

White Hills

Cranking out their first official LP for Thrill Jockey, following a reissue of Head's On Fire a while back, White Hills continue their sojourn to the altar of Hawkwind and emerge as one of the most intriguing disciples of the space rock forefathers. Their self-titled effort wraps in an earlier track, "Dead" and begins the slow descent into molten atmosphere from there, slowly churning guitars heavy as the movement of tectonic plates all the while retaining a disembodied tether to the heavens. The band are, naturally, at their best when given enough time to wander and the longer tracks usually end up more fully formed, however they turn in two desperately creeping ambient slabs effectively turning transitory bits to icy forays into doom. This, along with Head's On Fire seem to be the band at their exploratory peak, fully formed and less fragmentary than they were in their infancy; and though Hawkwind might remain their starting point, the band seems to now have fulfilled that old command by Waters and co. to set the controls for the heart of the sun. Perhaps just an album or two away from that goal by the sounds of things.

Download:
[MP3] White Hills - Three Quarters Removed at label's request.
[MP3] White Hills - Dead

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

The second two releases from Trensmat's awesome 7" series / tribute to Hawkwind and they're just as essential as that White Hills / AMT split. Keep an eye out for these to be collected on a CD version soon along with a few extras that didn't make the 7"s.

	Kinski / Bardo Pond - Sonic Attack (Lords of Light) 7" Not as blown out as the first 7" in the Sonic Attack series, Kinski and Bardo Pond temper the murky fuzz a little bit, but still keep their noses pointed directly towards space on these covers. Where the first single showcased Hawkwind's
heavy guitar hammer, here both bands shed light on their ability to weave vocals into oblivion, giving them due credit for melding face searing guitar with calm, blissful moments that clearly created something above and beyond the normal psychedelic bands at the time. Download: [MP3] Bardo Pond - Lord of Light Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	Mudhoney / Mugstar - Sonic Attack (Motorheads) 7" Mudhoney might not be the band you'd imeediately think to tap for a project such as this but the Seattle grunge veterans absolutely kill their rendition of "Urban Guerilla". This finial disc which also features the curators of
the project, Mugstar, holds up the proto-metal furry that Hawkwind evolved into over time. Not quite as hard as Lemmy would grow into on Motorhead but definitely a more grounded, gritty side of Hawkwind on display here. Download: [MP3] Mudhoney - Urban Guerilla Support the artist. Buy it HERE

The geniuses over at Irish label Trensmat cooked up a great 7" collection that pulls together the likes of Acid Mothers Temple, White Hills, Bardo Pond, Mudhoney, Mugstar and Kinski all covering Hawkwind. With the covers of the series all being a different color variation on the Space Ritual cover this set is completely necessary to own in its entirety.

	Acid Mothers Temple / White Hills - Sonic Attack (Psychedelic Warlords) 7" First up on the platter is a heavy and expectedly spaced out split between prevailing psych behemoths Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno and hometown NYC heroes
White Hills. White Hills hit up one of my favorites from the S/T Hawkwind album and take it cosmic in their rendition. On the flip, the Mothers, as expected, rip holes in the ozone via guitar grime and feedback energy. It's hard to have a favorite in this series, and I'll certainly reserve judgment till I cover them all but pick this one up while you still can. Download: [MP3] White Hills - Be Yourself Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Pontiak

Though they share common ground, the heavy hands of Sludge don't always mesh with the the outer flung aspirations of Space Rock. But just as with fellow compatriots White Hills, Pontiak have managed to balance the two worlds in a heady concoction that kicks just as much as it languishes in the ether. The band's latest offering Sun On Sun is as powerful as it is nebulous; trading thunder and smoke in equal measure. With a definite haunting of classic rock's ghosts peering over their shoulders the band power on through the next few decades of heaviness to create the perfect amalgam of swagger, fire and light. This one seems to have slipped through the cracks, finding its way out quietly in August, but its certainly worth revisiting.

Download:
[MP3] Pontiak - Shell Skull
[MP3] Pontiak - The Brush Burned Fast

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Well here it is, the end of 2007 and I guess that means its time to take a gaze back at the best of what perked my ears this year. It was incredibly hard to whittle down and don't think that quite a few releases got bumped in and out of the list multiple times. But after all is said and done these were the albums that either impressed me, intrigued me, or just simply wouldn't leave my playlists all year. So here it is, the list in no particular order. This will be the last post of 2007. I'm breaking for the holidays due to lack of computer access when I make my yearly trek to rural Michigan. I'll be back with many more to come in 2008!


Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals

I've gotta say this has to be one of the best debut records I've heard in a long time. Bridging the gaps between psychedelic, world music and eighties pop is hard but hell if one band did it effortlessly it was Yeasayer. All Hour Cymbals was one of those records that I just couldn't stop playing this year and I'm glad that the band is meeting the acclaim that they deserve.

Download:
[MP3] Yeasayer - Wait for the Wintertime

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Raccoo-oo-oon - Behold Secret Kingdom

The Dark Horse in the running this year, Behold Secret Kingdom was a mass of rhythm and a flurry of squelch. Pure dark fires that burn with a welcome disorienting smoke, drums skitter and shake while howls and moans lurk in every corner. Still loving every minute of this album, chaos never sounded more inviting.

Download:
[MP3] Raccoo-oo-oon - Mirror Blanket

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Mariee Sioux - Faces In The Rocks

Mariee's gentle song-craft rolls like clouds before a rain, soft and ominous but with a promise of relief at every turn. Mixing her haunting voice with the native flute sounds of Gentle Thunder, her debut fulfills every promise that her sparse early demos held. The only shame of Faces in the Rocks is that more people haven't been singing its praises. If you don't have it already you really owe it to yourself to pick up a copy.

Download:
[MP3] Mariee Sioux - Burried In Teeth

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Giantess - Giantess

One of the great pop nuggets of the year shot out of Soft Abuse to little fanfare (sadly) but remains nonetheless one of the catchiest and most fun albums I've heard in a long time. Brewing a heavy concoction of synth pop as filtered through the glittered remains of glam; the band formerly known as The Battles prove that name changes mean nothing, great pop will survive.

Download:
[MP3] Giantess - Snake Bite

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



White Hills - Glitter Glamour Atrocity

White Hills came seemingly out of nowhere this year and ended up releasing two great albums on after another. Though its hard to choose between the two, Glitter Glamour Atrocity really plays up the band's ability to walk between space rock and harder territory. A swirling monster of a record that culminates in the 13+ minute romp of a title track. Gotta say even with two White Hills records out this year I'm eager for more.

Download:
[MP3] White Hills - Spirit of Exile

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Liars - Liars

All right, I have to admit I played the hell out of this record this year. After Drum's Not Dead I wasn't entirely excited about this at the time of release but the shift in sound and focus totally blew me away. Liars just quit over thinking things and went back to having fun making music. It's heavy, spacey, catchy and kicks like a boot to the lungs. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

Download:
[MP3] Liars - Clear Island

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Citay - Little Kingdom

Perfectly sun-dappled and soaked with the morning dew, Little Kingdom is a natural extension of Citay's debut, riding the same wave without sounding like they've duplicated themselves. The band again grace us with a peaceful slice of folk/rock that carves a unique piece out of the 70's rock canon. Hopefully the move from Important to Dead Oceans will garner the band a little more of the praise that they deserve.

Download:
[MP3] Citay - First Fantasy

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Akron/Family - Love Is Simple

It's hard to believe that this is only the band's second proper album but with a slew of splits and EPs that might have well been album's its not like the band was resting on its laurels. Love is Simple is everything I hoped and expected it would be. The album swings from languid vocalizations to throbbing rhythms to free jams that would make a deadhead blush. Absolutely fantastic.

Download:
[MP3] Akron/Family - Ed Is A Portal

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Battles - Mirrored

No band did more to change the face of the rock record this year than Battles. Blending a bit of their former Math Rock tendencies with a dose of robotic glam, this is the future of rock defined. The fact that the band can pull off an album this ambitious live is not only a testament to their skill but an amazement to behold.

Download:
[MP3] Battles - Ddiamondd

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Panda Bear - Person Pitch

I know, I know this one's going to end up on every year end list in the universe but I gotta say the album held up surprisingly well for having been released at the beginning of the year. Noah Lennox's excursion into sampled wonderland succeeded wildly. A huge step into the sun from his mournful debut, this album is far beyond anything Lennox has produced on his own or with his brethren in the Animal Collective.

Download:
[MP3] Panda Bear - Ponytail

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Boris w/ Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

A greater collaboration couldn't have occurred this year. The pairing of Boris with Ghost's six string artisan, Michio Kurihara was a blessing that in hindsight only seems natural. The album seethes with the lifeblood of every Japanese psych album to date. And Drag City, I love ya but what the hell's with ditching the clean lined Japanese cover for a close up of a puddle. I'm sticking with the original out of stubbornness. If you haven't bought this one, you have some shopping to do.

Download:
[MP3] Boris W/ Michio Kurihara - Sweet No. 1

Support the artist. Buy it HERE




Tenniscoats - Tan Tan Therapy

This one fell into my lap late but I'm eternally grateful that it did. Simple melodies and repetitive vocals tiptoe around shimmering clouds of synth and exuberant fits of orchestration. The pairing with Tape only enhances the bands already shimmering sound. Tan-Tan Therapy is certainly a high point in the band's rapidly endearing catalog.

Download:
[MP3] Tenniscoats - Baibaba Bimba

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Voice of the Seven Woods - Voice of the Seven Woods

Tomlinson has crafted an ode to psychedelic folk-rock that not only emulates the feel of a dusty lost classic; it one-ups many such classics out there. The album moves from Pentangle laced folk numbers into murky eastern psychedelic workouts and into some Jansch-ian solo British folk moments; trading between acoustic and electric skill with ease. It's quite honestly one of the best British folk albums put out in the last 10-15 years.

Download:
[MP3] Voice of the Seven Woods - The Fire In My Head

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Orion Rigel Dommisse - What I Want From You Is Sweet

Wow this album cannot help but get better time and time again. This is another disc that hasn't left my rotation since I stumbled upon it. Themes of death pervade the lyrics but her sour-sweet delivery makes it seem just a little less disconcerting than it probably should. Very few can mix gorgeous folk stylings with an influence of old Zelda videogame scores and sound so effortlessly haunting. This album is a necessity.

Download:
[MP3] Orion Rigel Dommisse - Alice and Sarah

Support the artist. Buy it HERE



Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips

Still not as nerve damaging as their first two vinyl releases but powerful nonetheless. Wooden Shjips unleash guitar fury upon us all. With a heavy dose of distortion and and organ that swells like the tide. If their previous work lit up the California coast in a wash of flames and smoke, this album comes as a welcome storm to wash away the debris.

Download:
[MP3] Wooden Shjips - We Ask You To Ride

Support the artist. Buy it HERE