At first glance i wasn't quite sure if this Nashville group's newest LP isn't gonna be just a bit too mellow for my taste but eventually, the sheer strength of their Lo-Fi indie rock songcraft wins me over once again, the whole thing having the feel of a scrappy odds-and-ends collection which might just be the case. This assessment is only being reinforced by the fact that the songs appear in alphabetical order here - the tunes themselves are pure A-grade stuff though.
What a goddamn beauty! Paul Caporino of cult garage punk / power pop veteran project M.O.T.O. at long last has compiled a new set of beautifully fuzzy recordings in the well-worn 4-track solo fashion, kicking things off with a fuckin' Motörhead cover of all things and subsequently pulling off what must be his most high-value, hook-laden set of tunes in a long time, nothing short of a new lo-fi pop masterpiece if you ask me. Many songs have already appeard on one occasion or another but honestly, who cares really as this thing kinda plays out like an all-killer-no-filler best of from his recent decade-plus of creative output, presented in uniqe, unheard recordings.
For our weekly dose of egg-related brainfuck, some dude or group from Charleston, South Carolina is volunteering and they've brought beer with them, nice! Though not exactly reinventing the wheel here, this is another rock solid new package of quirky funky lo-fi garage pop goodness that fans of shit á la Prison Affair, Set-Top Box, Nuts, Eugh or Pringue are guaranteed to have a massive ball with.
Coming off a series of neat EPs last year, Marmora, New Jersey garage group or, probably, solo artist Die TV returns with a new album presenting their tunes in an even more stripped-down, low-key manner at first glance, yet underneath the unassuming surface unfolds a spectacular fireworks of DIY creativity. While at some points you may still find the occasional speck of Spits or Stalins of Sound in there, Die TV's strummy, jangly blend of garage- and post punk with sprinkles of psychedelia comes into even sharper focus here, the minimalist production providing plenty of breathing room for the melancholy, sparkling guitar arrangements with more than a little hint of Desperate Bicycles in some places, Power Plant or Freak Genes in others, even a touch of Digital Leather in the muted pop vibes of Goner. Don't let first impressions fool you, this is quite potent and awesome shit from start to finish!
New stuff from Gee Tee or Vee or whatever, this dude's shit is all good! On this LP, he's holding a nice balance between the power pop tendencies of his recent Tee Vee Repairman records and the somewhat more garage-leaning projects of his á la Satanic Togas, Research Reactor Corp. and Set-Top Box, making for another fine batch of fuzzed-out garage pop tunes, among them some of his most infectious ones so far, that's for sure.
A new LP by that finnish group with way to many guitar players… dunno, i think 666 was the number last time i counted. Here, the band is shifting their sound increasingly into a psych rock direction. Especially in TJ they're diving headfirst into Space Rock territory and the effort pays of admirably. In other places, they stay true to their brand of melodic indie rock, fuzz punk and noise pop with echoes of No Age, Wavves, California X, Happy Diving and some early The Men, which they then infuse with sprawling guitar drones reminiscent of Glenn Branca and 80s Sonic Youth.
An overflowing bucket of joy, the newest LP(ette) by some duo from Montreuil, France, generating a mixture melodic of garage punk, oldschool indie rock, fuzz- and jangle pop reminding me of a diverse group of more-or-less recent acts á la Dumb Punts, Woolen Men, Hermetic, Landlines, The Exbats, Tape/Off… or maybe a more down-to-earth P.S. I Love You, aswell as old indie rockers of the Superchunk, Archers Of Loaf variety. This record serves as a perfect reminder that you don't need to stage a huge spectacle if you just deliver on the melodies that stick.
Damn, i thought i was done blogging for the week and then this unexpected little gem of crude and shambolic noise by a Budapest group crops up last minute, their sound striking me as a peculiar fusion of oddball garage punk in the Eddy Current Suppression Ring and UV Race vein with similarly weird acts in the post punk and oldschool indie rock field such as Treehouse, Kitchen's Floor, The Molds and City Yelps.
Wow, i didn't really expect that much enjoyment out of the most recent LP by this New York group… in fact, these folks have completely evaded my radar so far. What we get is a heavily Velvet Underground and Jesus and Mary Chain-inspired melange of fuzz-/power-/noise-/dream pop that convinces by sheer strength of the underlying song substance while in terms of sonics, they sure like to slow-cook their songs at low-to-moderate heat - the results are fucking delicious, just totally melting in your mouth as you relish every single hook, every speck of low-level texture in their rich sonic landscape.
A nice little battery of vaguely egg-ish garage punk and fuzz pop combining more recent weirdness à la Print Head or Freak Genes with a good measure of Desperate Bicycles, some early Flying Nun Records vibes - especially The Clean and The Stones - a touch of C86 pop (as in Cowboys Aren't Real) or also: loads of random 80s cassette culture artifacts that might or might not have cropped up on some Messthetics/Homework/Hyped To Death compilation over the years.
