The Strange Boys – Be Brave

March 3rd, 2010  |  by b aiken  |  published in garage, rock  |  1 comment

Have you ever wondered what The White Stripes would sound like if Jack had been born in 1945, started the band in 1963, and sang with the voice of a young Bob Dylan? Well, me neither, but if you were, this album from The Strange Boys would give you a pretty damn good idea. The decidedly lo-fi, bluesy, folk inspired and just plain awesome sound harks back to a homespun time of synthless choruses and voices unspoiled by autotunes.

Left Lane Cruiser – All You Can Eat!

February 4th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in blues, garage, punk  |  1 comment

Grab your whiskey and get ready to rage. I’ve never heard a more powerful and gritty blues rock duo than these guys. Left Lane Cruiser is a two man outfit out of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They’re a couple of thrashers that can play the hell out of some punkesque garage blues. Think along the lines of a possessed Black Keys, Jack White without his cute peppermint outfits, or even ole’ R.L. Burnside fresh off divorcing his sixth wife and a four day bender. These guys don’t F around.

The Black Belles – What Can I Do?

January 29th, 2010  |  by b aiken  |  published in blues, female vocalists, garage  |  2 comments

This might sound a little too much like the Stripes for some, but I for one can’t get enough of the simple kick drum smashing backed by some textured electro-organ, crunchy guitar, and female vocals. I can’t say too much more regarding this sound or album, because a) its just a two-track single, and b) this damn band is an enigma.

Real Estate – Real Estate

January 2nd, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dreamwave/chillwave, garage, psychedelic, rock

In the same vein as all my blog favourites such as Surfer Blood, Girls and Best Coast – Real Estate make snippets of 60s pop psychedelia coated in fuzzy reverb and drenched in sunny harmonies. The difference between this band and the others is the total chillout mentality they show across their entire self-titled debut album, leading to a whole load of comparisons to the other chillwave bands of late.

the feelies – crazy rhythms

September 18th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in 80s, alternative, garage, punk  |  2 comments

when the feelies came to manhattan (from somewhere in the suburbs of new jersey) with a jangly upbeat rhythm that wasn’t common at the time. pretty soon their uber-nerd look had enraptured the hearts and minds of many upcoming artists, from r.e.m to weezer (see the blue album cover). their album, however, flopped.

Magneta Lane – Gambling with God

September 17th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in female vocalists, garage, indie rock

a trio of attractive girls! what more could you want? how about a trio of attractive girls playing some kick-ass music? meet magneta lane. reminiscent of their much-more-famous counterparts, metric, these three have worked together to produce a powerful, raw and emotional album.

screaming females – power move

August 1st, 2009  |  by camden andrews  |  published in female vocalists, garage, punk, rock

I won’t lie: I wasn’t a big fan of this album. but i’m still compelled to throw this up because i think people should know about this band. it may not translate on CD, but these guys have one of the most raw, powerful live sets i’ve seen in a long time.

japandroids – post nothing

July 15th, 2009  |  by camden andrews  |  published in garage, indie rock, noise  |  2 comments

this is far from a musical masterpiece. simple song-writing, cheesy lines, and fuzzed out sound. it’s essentially two guys cranking everything to eleven and rocking with reckless abandon. that’s kind of the genius behind this album though. it’s full of a pure cathartic angst coated in sweet pop innocence. this album is immediately catchy and infinitely fun, and it doesn’t require any sort of in-depth analysis. everything is right on the table.