Preview: of Montreal – False Priest

August 23rd, 2010  |  by Kyle Suss  |  published in indie pop, indie rock, psychedelic  |  2 comments

According to frontman Kevin Barnes, False Priest, which is set to release on September 14, incorporates several musical elements that we are not used to hearing from the group such as deep, pounding bass. Blast some of Montreal in your car and it sounds almost like Dr. Dre, right? That’s a bit of a stretch but Barnes says that he worked with Jon Brion, co-producer of Kanye West’s Late Registration, to enhance the record and add a little of “the low end,” as he calls it, that was so prevalent in classic hip-hop.

Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals

August 21st, 2010  |  by kmanning  |  published in acoustic, experimental, progressive rock, psychedelic  |  3 comments

Psychedelic rockers Yeasayer have not always brainstormed through the power of LSD to produce trippy yet poppy bass-driven tunes. The Brookyln band’s first studio effort, All Hour Cymbals, thrives with an unproduced sound, gritty even, with near whispy vocals from Chris Keating.

Ty Segall – Melted

July 9th, 2010  |  by Taylor Fife  |  published in alternative, rock, punk, etc., garage, psychedelic  |  3 comments

Ty Segall’s been stomping about San Francisco playing straightforward garage rock in the vein of local favorites Thee Oh Sees and Sic Alps for a hot minute now, so the retro lo-fi sound on his latest shouldn’t be a shocker. On Melted, Ty delivers 30 minutes of short, snappy fuzzed out songs perfect for a [...]

Magic Bullets – Magic Bullets

June 23rd, 2010  |  by Taylor Fife  |  published in 80s, indie pop, post-punk, psychedelic  |  4 comments

Magic Bullets’ newest album is jangly pop masterpiece with a decent chance of getting you to sit up in your chair and ask ‘How have I not listened to this before?’ As a newer band on a smaller label, Magic Bullets hasn’t had much of a chance to develop a following, but with such an earnest and pleasant sound they’re sure to be more than a few people’s favorite band by the end of the year.

Tame Impala – InnerSpeaker

May 31st, 2010  |  by Jason Grishkoff  |  published in post-rock, progressive rock, psychedelic  |  no comments

Tame Impala were at first listen anything but tame. Their EP came out more than a year ago, featuring five tracks of in-your-face psychedelic rock-and-roll. You could easily have convinced me they were out of the sixties, but how wrong that’d be! While their sound is old, this Perth trio is anything but (as evidenced by the picture at right). I won’t say I’ve been looking forward to this album since that initial EP, but I probably should have been.

Preview: The Black Keys – Brothers

April 25th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in blues, indie rock, psychedelic  |  17 comments

I suspect Keys enthusiasts like myself will have one of two reactions to the album: 1) (akin to my reaction) “But I was expecting more classic Keys!!! All I want to hear are ripping guitar solos and drums until my ears bleed.” or 2) “They had to make this album. They had to move on. They didn’t want to fall into the classic trap that musicians all too often fall into.

Pants for Bears – A Relative Concern

April 3rd, 2010  |  by J Meagher  |  published in funk, psychedelic, rock  |  2 comments

So what is the difference between a progressive psychedelic band with indie cred and one without? Three or four synthesizers? A fabricated lo-hi aesthetic? A complete unwillingness to make music people can dance to? Well the truth is I don’t know, and don’t really care. This is the kind of band that is just going to get better and better on record, with each member pushing each other to get weirder, better, more exploratory, and willing to take risks.

Apollo Sunshine – Shall Noise Upon

March 30th, 2010  |  by Danny McLean  |  published in experimental, indie rock, psychedelic  |  2 comments

Maturation is good. It’s indicative of a progressive evolution; a sign of growth, improvement, and a solidification of the core components that create an identity. But if we solely strive for maturity then we’re left with impassible and lifeless rigidity, like an unwanted Viagra induced erection. The point being, one must balance the desire for maturation and the wildness that gives fervor to life; “Shall Noise Upon” by Apollo Sunshine encompasses this ideal.

Dr. Dog – Shame Shame

March 26th, 2010  |  by J Meagher  |  published in folk-rock, psychedelic  |  3 comments

For “Shame, Shame” the drums are popping and crisp, the guitar tones are cleaner, and the background vocals and harmonies are clear and damned pretty. It’s the same soul Dr. Dog always had, just with some well-placed bells, and tasteful whistles added on.

Ethan Kennedy – Raucous

January 15th, 2010  |  by Jason Grishkoff  |  published in blues, psychedelic, rock  |  3 comments

Ethan Kennedy is the new Black Keys. He is better than the Black Keys. The Black Keys ruined themselves by following up a mediocre Attach+Release with an even worse BlakRoc. Ethan Kennedy is o fresh that he can’t possibly ruin himself yet. He is the Black keys to the power of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Frank Jordan. He is intricately more interesting and far more exciting. The world needs to hear this stuff.