4.29.2010

Mugstar


Mugstar immediately earned points in our book for organizing a Hawkwind tribute that drew together some RSTB faves like Mudhoney, Bardo Pond and Acid Mothers Temple. They earned another several by releasing it across three 7"s in limited edition. So once we were hooked we went back and have been visiting their previous album ever since, hungry for more from the British heavyweights. Well the wait for more is over as they unleash Sun, Broken... on the venerable Important Records. Heavy as lead but driven to a repetitive extreme so that it becomes an impenetrable Krautrock hammer; much like Neu on a week long binge of testosterone. Then again its not without its spacey moments, kneeling smartly at the edge of the Hawkwind temple they've so often visited before. In heavy instrumentalism its easy to get lost in noodling or grandiose soundtracking but Mugstar keep things locked to the best intentions of their prog/psych forefathers and never stray into banal territory. Few bands are doing this formula justice, but Mugstar are definitely one of the best.

Download:
[MP3] Mugstar - Ouroboros

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:59:00 AM 2 comments

4.28.2010

Naked on the Vague


Siltbreeze and Naked on the Vague team up again to fill the world with shaky vibes and darkened pop permeations on their second full length, Heaps of Nothing. The Australians still ravage the post-punk landscape but reach for a bit more clarity than poked through the first time around. Said clarity may stem from the addition of a proper rhythm section, filling out the duo from their debut to a full four members for this release. However a gathering of players has done nothing to lighten the disposition of Lucy and Matthew's songwriting; steamrolling ears with a delightfully dour mix of bleak imagery, militant rhythms and distortion spirals. If coming years do signal the catastrophic downfall of society then no band is better poised to soundtrack the impending wave of destruction and chaos than Naked on the Vague, as apocalypse seems to come as second nature to the band. If you're looking for some carefree summer jams look elsewhere but if you're looking to reach down to your own dark corners and celebrate them, NOTV have you more than covered.

Download:
[MP3] Naked on the Vague - These Days
[MP3] Naked on the Vague - Treading Water

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:38:00 AM 0 comments

4.27.2010


Kim Fowley - Animal God of the Streets
Plenty of recent praise has fallen upon Fowley what with his most famous product getting a Hollywood makeover but despite his illustrious producing career its easy to forget that the man actually recorded a
few gems himself. Say what you will about his self aggrandizing, the man did have a way with song and aside from the classic International Heroes this is best illustrated on the album Animal God of the Streets. Comprised of tracks written and recorded in New Zealand between 1969 and 1971 but never officially released until 1974. It edges past his glam touchstones and 60's pop leanings that began the storied career and gets into some dirtier realms of blues based rock n' roll. Maybe New Zealand's fixation on biker films rubbed off on him at the time, who knows but the gritty biker-psych vibe runs rampant through many of the tracks here. No need for a wrap up as the Fowley story has been told many times over but this remains one of the more vital pieces in his collection.

Download:
[MP3] Kim Fowley - Night of the Hunter
[MP3] Kim Fowley - California Swamp Dance

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:51:00 AM 0 comments

4.26.2010

Tobacco


Tobacco follows up on his excellent first album with another batch of carcinogenic psych that could only come from the twisted heart of the BMSR universe. As with the first album it follows similar ideals to the Black Moth template but kicks the rhythms into a crunching thud, propelling the super fuzzed keys into a pummel to the temple. Thankfully Anticon decided not to pressure the addition of lone hip-hop inclusion this time as Aesop Rock's vocal spot on the last one seemed out of place and took the listener out of the album's ideal experience. This time around guest duties fall to Beck who appears twice on Maniac Meat and both seem to organically mix into the flow of the album. Another sick batch of tracks that drip with psychosis and feel greased with the residue of a psyclobin hangover.

Download:
[MP3] Tobacco - Fresh Hex feat. Beck
[MP3] Tobacco - Sweatmother

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:43:00 AM 1 comments

4.23.2010

Ever vigilant, HoZac digs up the best and brightest as far as they may fall from their Chicago base. Picking up a gem in Portland's Burning Yellows, they add just a bit more haze to their usually gritty stable.

Burning Yellows – Urinal Cakes b/w Drought 7"
The A-side kicks in fast with a metronomic beat and a gauzy wash of static and guitar whirl. As if acid has eaten away the top layer of a shoegaze classic, the Yellows led by the ethereal vocals of Kyja swoon
their way throughout the whole track. On the flip things get a bit more clear-eyed but don't necessarily loose that gazey touch. The consistent thump is replaced by a shamble of drums and a web of echoed strums to great effect. A pretty strong first single and necessary entry to the HoZac catalog.

Download:
[MP3] Burning Yellows - Urinal Cakes

Support the artist. Buy it HERE


Bitchin' Bajas/Moon Duo – Split 7"
Record Store day talks a lot of talk but honestly there weren't a whole lot of exclusive releases that had us running out to rub elbows with the sweaty masses on Saturday. One of the true exceptions was this split between Bitchin' Bajas and RSTB
faves Moon Duo. Both bands put in some excellent moments of pure psych bliss. Bitchin' Bajas do their best Hawkwind stance and amp up the space flight patterns for a side that feels instantly classic. Flip the disc and Moon Duo crank along on a turbulent mix of clicks and spun glass guitar over an ominous wash of synth. With all the money floating out of labels who'd have figured the grand prize would land squarely on Permanent Records' shoulders for the day?

Download:
[MP3] Bitchin' Bajas - Fresh Hair

Support the artist. Buy it HERE (Sold Out)

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posted by dissensous at 9:39:00 AM 2 comments

Unnatural Helpers


Seattle's Unnatural Helpers bring a big, brash dose of rock with a self-deprecating curl of the lip and a crunch of rhythm that hits like a rock to the face. Despite the slight Intelligence connection of Dean Whitmore, there exist no gritty noise tendencies on the band's Cracked Love & Other Drugs, no lo-fi leanings just thick slabs of punk bred rock that feels sweat caked and pummeling. The record feels immediately like it could have been made anytime over the last 20 years and refreshingly necessary. It's not necessarily backward leaning but more the type of classic, harder indie that seems to get lost in a split of scenes and labels lately. Despite categorization, the record is a fun, barreling blast of guitar that won't crack the concrete or blow the top off the world but will rattle your windows and relieve stress in a cathartic blast of drums.

Download:
[MP3] Unnatural Helpers - I Don't Belong To You
[MP3] Unnatural Helpers - Sunshine/Pretty Girls

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:33:00 AM 0 comments

4.22.2010

Dead Luke


We've been following Dead Luke since a couple of intriguing singles popped up in a batch of Sacred Bones releases a few years back. Those two 7"s struck a chord, winding their way down the lo-fi garage/psych territory that was simultaneously raw and sickly gritty. He's followed up on this template with a recent Night People tape in the same vein; so naturally we could only expect similar results when Luke sent us his upcoming debut LP for Florida's Dying but the truth of what lay in American Haircut was much better than we could have ever anticipated. Blowing his sonic palette wide open, the album is a psychedelic odyssey that leaves Luke's voice obscured behind a mesh of distortion but weaves clean driven guitars both electric and acoustic, backwards fluttering effects and sitar and synth strewn passageways into a cosmic tapestry that's far and above anything he's created to this point. American Haircut is the drone-blues record of the year, grinding Midwestern boredom into a fine powder and shooting it straight into the heart of the sleeping giant with catastrophic results. Thankfully these gauzy trails have been laid down on the think grooves of vinyl, relishing in an analog heaven of meditative bliss and raw, unfettered emotion. Look for Florida's Dying to have the album up soon and pick this one up quick.

Download:
[MP3] Dead Luke - Luke is Not Dead
[MP3] Dead Luke - The Best Drug I've Ever Done

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:46:00 AM 1 comments

4.21.2010

Beach Fossils


This album completes our trifecta of perfect summer albums (along with Woods and the tragically undersung Hanoi Janes album), wafting in on fumes of lackadaisical youth and bored summer memories stitched together by odd jobs. With our interest peaked by their recent Insound Studio Session the stakes were high but the full album more than meets those raised expectations. Stripped to the bare essentials the drums pop and fizz like the far off sea and the twin guitar leads could shoo away the most stubborn clouds. Just as their peers in Real Estate, Payseur and co. have a knack for wrapping bored suburban pallor in a veneer of blissful disdain. They find the shimmer in the gutters and the beauty among clipped lawns then spin it all past like listeners like the slow motion blur of greens and yellows passing in front of a train window. The only flaw in the album seems to be that its over just as you've sunk into its warm glow; but then again clipping the needle back to the beginning solves that pretty quick.

Be sure to check them out live because the boys put on a pretty entertaining show, definitely a good counterpoint to the record. Upcoming dates HERE

Download:
[MP3] Beach Fossils - Youth
[MP3] Beach Fossils - Wide Awake

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:27:00 AM 0 comments

4.20.2010

It's been way too long since the last jukebox, so here's another installment for all you garage junkies out there. As usual its full of gritty guitar, sweet harmonies and a touch of psych.

[MP3] Mark Bolan - The Third Degree
A shot of beat rock from Mark Bolan. Following a name change (one of many) an infusion of hippie folk wisdom eventually permeated his first few albums as Tyrannosaurus Rex, but its all rock here. A quick shuffle and a nice crunch of guitars move this single along but it proved to be a bit typical of the times and hence the shift to spiritual hippiedom.

[MP3] The Monocles - I Can't Win
Sneering and shuffling through a downtrodden burn of terrible consequences The Monocles keep things strictly situated on the garage floor. A sick burst of guitar starts the rumble and doesn't let up til the last moments ring out.

[MP3] The Others - I Can't Stand This Love Goodbye
Running out of the gates with a serious twang and driving chug of rhythm, The Others are a perfect storm of garage fury and youthful rebellion. A typical tale of love gone wrong give a nice shot in the arm.

[MP3] The Majority - One Third
The Majority bring the pop-psych with a dose harmonies that recall The Mamas and The Papas (well at least the male half) at atop a driving force of cinder burnt guitars and chugging strums. A sweet and sour track that comes out sounding great every time.

[MP3] Shel Naylor - One Fine Day
Again with the bittersweet harmonies, must be something in the air this time 'round. Naylor uses that bittersweet charm to drive this track atop a slight surf wobble and a thumping crash of drums. Definitely not your average bit of teens in the garage, as this is built on more thought out blocks. Add in some pretty lofty guitar solos and that's not a bad little package.

[MP3] Blue Stars - I Can Take It
Might as well end on another blast of garage and the Blue Stars have got the moves down. Propelled by a fat stab of bass and just a touch of strapped together guitar, this is a bare-bones bit of the snotty style and pretty much just the kind of thing that keeps the jukebox going strong.
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posted by dissensous at 9:18:00 AM 2 comments

4.19.2010

Edibles


Edibles is the solo outing from Eternal Tapestry's Dewey Mahood. Shedding the Tap's heaviness in favor of the dank, humid bounce of dubcaked guitars and swirling echo, this limited cassette reeks of cave mist and cracked sunlight. Calm doesn't even begin to cover the vibe that comes floating off the surface of Mahood's gelatinous jams; guitars melt like the remnants of worry while sea of tapped percussion and the reverberating vapors of bass pull last of your resistance down into the grass for a quick nod. The tape is sold out from the label but some distro copies may remain. Hopefully this won't be the last we hear from Mahood's malleable moniker.

Download:
[MP3] Edibles - Struttin

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:36:00 AM 0 comments

4.16.2010

Brilliant Colors continue their mining of Kiwi Pop traditions and ramshackle recording styles. In short, everything we love about the best 7" singles that fly into our life only to be flipped again and again.

Brilliant Colors – Never Mine 7"
The A-side of this Slumberland single is so sugary sweet and bouncy it could smack a smile on the most ardent sourpuss. Chugging along on strums that incite hip movement and a popcorn rattle of drums that brings to mind words like spritely. The flip
starts with a blast of distortion that sounds like Dwyer and Thee Oh Sees are about to break through and begin their usual aural assault, only to break into another furious strum of pop hooks and grinning, syrupy pop frolics from the women of Brilliant Colors. It seems that sometimes the band gets lost in the sea of newfound girl groups which is a genuine shame because their patchwork pop is some of the most endearing of the bunch.

Download:
[MP3] Brilliant Colors - Never Mine

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

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posted by dissensous at 1:37:00 PM 1 comments

4.15.2010

Magic Lantern


Its been a good month for RSTB faves around here; first Sun Araw and Woods land in our headphones and now the long-awaited resurrection of Magic Lantern has found its way through the stylus, thundering out of the speakers with the full force of the San Andreas. As classic as High Beams and the early works are in our hearts, Platoon has come along and torn down the castle only to rebuild it higher and more fortified. Carved from the very rock of the California coastline, the album traverses the legacy of West Coast psych from the roots of Blue Cheer on down to the spiritual incantations of the mesa. Its scientifically formulated to be the both harder and more lysergic than most bands could ever begin to hope for. As members have built up their individual projects, their corresponding strengths have folded into the Lantern; taking the ambient hum of Giacchi's Super Minerals and the humid pulse of Stallones' Sun Araw and fortifying the gravelly impact of the band's already devastating psych. It almost goes without saying that this is one of our favorites of the year so far, falling keenly into the necessary category.

Don't forget to also pick up the companion psych/funk 7" Showstoppers when you grab this.

Download:
[MP3] Magic Lantern - Dark Cicadas

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 10:00:00 AM 0 comments

4.14.2010

Jerusalem and the Starbaskets


Latest LP from the Missouri group whose shared sides with RSTB faves Wooden Wand and Hush Arbors. Seeping out of the floorboards like the fleeting remnants of last call, Battle of Orchids is full of the kind of hard rubbed country folk that seems more like a lifestyle than an artform. The dust lays thick on each strum laid down here underpinned by a sparse but adequate drumming that propels misery and catharsis alike. Its easy to see why the band would fall in such easy company with artists like James Jackson Toth, they share unbridled honesty and liquor weathered delivery that make each of his songs feel like a confession. Releases are dotted all over the landscape, though most have ended up on The Great Pop Supplement. They've also got a just released 7" out on Destijl. Pick 'em up!

Download:
[MP3] Jerusalem and the Starbaskets - Backpockets
[MP3] Jerusalem and the Starbaskets - I Cannot Radiate Without You

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 10:54:00 AM 1 comments

4.13.2010


Simply Saucer - Cyborgs Revisited
Thanks to that Ty Segall single that covered Simply Saucer a couple weeks back we've been revisiting this classic pretty hard over the past couple of days. The Canadian band falls into a great crevice between the sonic experimentation begun by
the Beefheart overhang of the 60's, the Theremin invocations of Lothar and the Hand People or even United State of America and the sci-fi power pop of The Twinkeyz. Round these parts that's pretty comfortable company to be in. The record is driving and weird, fractured and intense and at times pretty damn catchy; in short all the things that most bands wished they were in '74 but fell a bit short of. The band didn't really release a lot of material at the time but these recordings were scavenged from half finished recordings sessions and finally released after the demise of Simply Saucer. In 2007 the band reunited for a record on Sonic Unyon. This one is definitely essential.

Download:
[MP3] Simply Saucer - Bullet Proof Nothing
[MP3] Simply Saucer - Dance the Mutation

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:35:00 AM 2 comments

4.12.2010

Woods


Now we're no strangers to Woods. We've been trying to get people to look their direction since the sweet strains of How To Survive In/In The Woods first hit our ears. Thankfully it seems that following the release of Songs of Shame quite a few people are starting to agree with us, and after barely being able to tear their latest, At Echo Lake from our player all weekend, it only feels more certain that quite a few more converts will arise this time around as well. Despite bits and pieces that make up the album sneaking their way to public ears over the past few months via Daytrotter sessions, Yeti Magazine Comps and the like, its glaringly obvious that this is the most complete Woods album to date. Alternating between moments of leaf filtered sunshine and the cold cover of passing clouds; the album finds the joy in weathered nostalgia, somehow makes tense moments seem to melt in the radiant sun and when finally faced with impending darkness Earl and co. find a way to make the twinge of pain feel unbearably raw and emphatic. The band seems to have finally found their perfect balance of channeled influence and self-styled charm. The usual fingerprints of The Dead, Crosby Stills & Nash and even The Beatles (on the "Tomorrow Never Knows" leaning instrumental "From The Horn") show on the surface but beneath the first glance this is completely and truly a Woods album. Between this, the Hanoi Janes album and the upcoming Beach Fossils debut; it seems that summer has been soundtracked.

Download:
[MP3] Woods - Suffering Season
[MP3] Woods - Get Back
(Removed per label/distro request)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:42:00 AM 0 comments

4.09.2010

Harangue


There's a restrained chaos that burns through Harague's debut LP; a disjointed pop underbelly that careens off the caterwauling pianos, a slow flame that lights off the strings of tugged taut guitars and a lyrical style that invites as many mentions of theatricality as it does of manic invocation. Their songs are catchy, but no, not in the way that choruses clasp themselves to your brain. Their songs are catchy in that they insistently burrow themselves under the skin deep enough to writhe and around the third listen you feel yourself bouncing to the jagged shambles of song that are left behind in each ensuing explosion of noise. There are cheap comparisons that can and undoubtedly will be made to bands like Wolf Parade (its probably the timbre of voice and the slow fizzle of long lingering glam inflection) or any of their many tiered offshoots, but comparisons leave little room for unexpected turns. And honestly, Harangue are chock full of unexpected turns. Though only five songs make up this S/T album they cover so much territory that its often easy to get lost in the crash of drums and the splash of the keys, but eventually the beacon of twisted pop soul always leads you back home. The remnants of this LP are becoming scarce but the band assures us that more are on their way to outlets such as S-S and Fusetron. For now you can pick some up below. Definitely worth spending some time to seek out on vinyl!

Download:
[MP3] Harangue - Wisteria

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE or HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:40:00 AM 0 comments

This weeks singles are all about the ladies, wait that sounds creep. All about the girls, nope that sounds condescending. Anyway its femme fatale time and even though the male gender shares stage time in The Babies, the female voice shines through on their single from Wild World. Plus a great entry to the Trouble in Mind catalog from the windy city's Hollows

The Babies – All Things Come To Pass 7"
Though it appears there are shared vocal duties in this Williamsburg super combo of a band, this single seems to keep the highlight on Cassie Ramone. Sounding a bit more breezy here than with the Vivs, the
A-side saunters and strums its way through sunshine melodies and shamble down afternoons. The B-side somehow takes things to a more sedate place than that (didn't seem possible did it?). Mostly instrumental "Caroline" reigns in the sun in ways that Jeresey's finest, Real Estate have been able to of late. Then the whole thing wraps in a repeated refrain of "Hey Caroline" that melts in the shimmering heat. Paired with a single on Make a Mess, this acts as a nice intro to the band.

Download:
[MP3] The Babies - All Things Come to Pass

Support the artist. Buy it HERE


Hollows – "Bobby Blueheart" b/w "Walkway" 7"
Chicago's Hollows bring the 60's girl group nostalgia in a big way. The A-side "Bobby Blueheart" may as well strap up the saddle shoes and practice the swim because its steeped deep in the past charm and
saccharine sweet harmonies. The flip gives the sound an update with a pumping organ that swirls in a seasick swirl underscored by a driving force that makes those harmonies seem not so innocuous as they had before. This is where the band really shines and I definitely hope to hear some more tracks along these lines. In stock sleeve on the venerable Trouble in Mind label.

Download:
[MP3] Hollows - Walkaway

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

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posted by dissensous at 9:32:00 AM 0 comments

4.08.2010

Rayon Beach


HoZac has a nose for the best bits of any garage wasteland and while deftly nabbing Woven Bones from the Austin landscape, they've picked up Rayon Beach as well. Good thing too, because their brand of fuzz pummeling stomp mixed with space dripped psych is far too good to let fester alone the sun. The band's debut 12" has just appeared on the venerable label and it floats from ether scraping trysts to foot stomped garage, with a deft flexibility. A rough introduction that's more than promising to say the least. Pick this one up quick as usual, no gold ltd. edition but 1st press of black is only 550.

Download:
[MP3] Rayon Beach - Memory Teeth

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 8:25:00 AM 0 comments

4.07.2010

Woven Bones


It seems like an insurmountable age has been leading up to this post. Very few bands in recent memory have elicited such excitement from this camp or such a wait for a proper full length. With each new 7" or 12" of heatsick, scorched rock that emanated from the Texan underbrush we were caught, tied by headphones to our turntable and just riding the groove, waiting for more. The time is soon, May in fact, but In And Out and Back Again has graced our ears in digital form and its definitely a treat worth waiting for. The band is always at its best when riding the aforementioned thick, arid tide of tar-melted rock that threatens the very instruments they play with infection. The rhythms pound like hearbeat in your ears, chocked close to your throat and always attempting to run from the acrid smoke laid down by those guitars. The singles may have left a daunting challenge to follow but after quite a few listens, its easy to see that the album has leaped up to the task. It'll be worth the wait to hear this on vinyl as the format can only add to the heavy brew of analog smolder.

Plus don't forget that Woven Bones have a new (non-album) track on our recently posted compilation, RSTB Presents Vol. 2: Download it Here.

Download:
[MP3] Woven Bones - If It Feels Alright

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:19:00 AM 0 comments

4.06.2010


Various Artists - Pomegranates
In the past few years plenty has been uncovered from the fertile regions of Middle Eastern psych, funk and rock. From the Turkish psych of Sela and Erkin Koray to Iranian garage nuggets on Raks Raks Raks. Now Finders Keepers,
the constantly vigilante diggers of underground gold, have taken it upon themselves to further explore the Persian pop, funk and soul scene of the 60's and 70's on Pomegranates. Definitely as diverse, as if a lost radio were found picking up the best Persian station from these years but certainly discerning in its picks, keeping the quality consistently high across the release. Though the pop tracks are good examples of their form, its really the funk and soul that seem to shine through here with artists like Mohammad Nouri and Parva instantly jumping out with their over the top stabs at the form. As usual B-Music/Finders Keepers crew use their enviable resources to rope up a whole host of tracks we could never have found simply skimming the bins.

Download:
[MP3] Mohammad Nouri - Soul Raga
[MP3] Noosh Afarin - Gol-e Aftab Gardoon

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:19:00 AM 0 comments

4.05.2010

Sun Araw


Cameron Stallones returns yet again to permeate the collective consciousness with the heavy vibes and humid tones we've come to count on in our times of need. On Patrol seems to follow a narrative of undercover cops and noir suspense; but whether its 1984 or 2084 on the streets of Sun Araw's cityscape, its impossible to tell. Perhaps Stallones has become a modern day Vangelis, conjuring a romanticized vision of the 80's futures that haunted the likes of Blade Runner; but with deep, rumbling, bubbling psych taking the place of tense analog synth visions. Then again, perhaps the narrative doesn't exist at all and is simply the result of a sweaty psychosis seeping into the corners of our mind directed by suggestive titling and inflamed by the dub plate chemistry of Stallones' transportational songwriting. No matter how it weaves its way through your mind, On Patrol will soon become a welcomed summer necessity, its overpowering ease casting the best blows against the oppression of sun and heat.

If you need some more Sun Araw action, don't forget to check out his new track on our RSTB Presnts: Vol. 2 compilation.

Download:
[MP3] Sun Araw - Deep Cover

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Check out the video for "Deep Cover" below:

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posted by dissensous at 9:42:00 AM 0 comments

4.02.2010

Some things have come to be a certainty here at RSTB and one of those things is that anytime a new single from the venerable Ty Segall shows up its always - 1. Necessary and 2. Exceptional. Glad to see some rules never change around here.

Ty Segall – Caesar 7"
Segall's ability to twist garage and pop together in ever mutable ways is always impressive. On "Caesar" he opens the door he cracked on his recent collaboration with Mikal Cronin even wider; adding pop piano on top of insistent strums and a thunder of
bass. The result is further from the off the rails garage bombast he began with than ever before, yet still perfectly reminiscent of the best of Segall's songwriting traits. The song sticks like putty to the folds of your brain. The b-side is a Simply Saucer cover that's bent and twisted until it fit's Ty's style completely, instantly memorable and laying the fuzz back on thick as ever. The rock sneer returns to bite back the hands that opened expecting a yield to pop. Everything about this one makes us eager to hear Melted when it lands in May.

Download:
[MP3] Ty Segall - Caesar

Support the artist. Buy it HERE

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posted by dissensous at 9:53:00 AM 1 comments

Growing


Swelling to a three piece for their latest album and making a label switch in the process, Growing continue down the fractured psychedelic path that they began on All The Way. Laid over a bed of writhing electronics, the band layer chugging, twitching noise that at its core is quite... catchy. Never ones to wade down a true pop road though, in truth the catchiness is more akin to hypnotic than anything else. The pieces draw listeners into an unfolding landscape of broken imagery and half-remembered digital screams. Its a spiral through the touch screen rather than through the looking glass; triabalism as imagined by circuits taken to its logical conclusion. The addition of Sadie Laska (of IUD) seems to be quite organic, with her adept abilities at noise manipulation and the occasional vocal folding seamlessly into the band's already heady palette. Pumps! doesn't seem a massive jump for the band, rather an extension of its ever expanding universe of sound; a viral corrosion of nature as they've come to perceive it and as we've always counted on them to do so.

Download:
[MP3] Growing - Hormone
[MP3] Growing - Camera 84

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:47:00 AM 0 comments

4.01.2010

Wounded Lion


So Wounded Lion finally emerge from the 7" circuit to release their first album on In The Red. If you missed those early singles though, not to worry they've brought a few old friends with them. Quite a few of the past singles show up on their S/T debut but they mesh them nicely in amongst the new entries, so much so that if you were unaware they'd appeared before you'll more than likely stay that way. The band's still keeping the chug simple and that's precisely what they've always done right. It works because they never get bogged down in elaboration, rolling from a one note grind to a three note stutter and all with the utter simplicity that made post-punk move your feet and punk turn your brain loose. Wounded Lion know there's a time and a place to get cerebral and there's a time and a place to ride the groove, make the lyrics part of the wave and just knock the drums 'til sweat makes it impossible to hold on. There are hooks in there but lets not get caught up in them, there are sentiments expressed too but let's not over think them. Sometimes that's exactly what you need. Most nights, that's exactly what you're looking for.

Download:
[MP3] Wounded Lion - Carol Cloud
[MP3] Wounded Lion - Creatures in the Cave

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE
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posted by dissensous at 9:49:00 AM 2 comments