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DOWNLOAD: Lushlife - She's a Buddhist, I'ma Cubist (feat. Cities Aviv)
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Lushlife has made a name for himself as a rapper and producer that also knows his way around an instrument or two, but sometimes you still need a little help from like-minded friends. For “She’s a Buddhist, I’ma Cubist,” the opening track on his upcoming mixtape No More Golden Days, the Philly artist nabbed a feature from Memphis MC Cities Aviv. The result is, well, a taste of the lush life with a chilled-out, psychedelic beat and verses that offer a snapshot of living a young, carefree existance.
DOWNLOAD: Wooden Shjips - Lazy Bones
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While many think of psychedelic rock as the music of choice in smoky rooms where people strive to see fractals in the walls, Wooden Shjips takes a different route with "Lazy Bones." Sounding like a few chords, organ drone and bleeding guitars decided to ride a horse through the mountains on amphetamines, this track is a raved-up rocker that blasts its minimalist setup (think Krautrock godfathers Neu!) to a glorious extreme. Group leader Ripley Johnson's other band, Moon Duo, is already responsible for one of our 2011 favorites in Mazes, and this new Wooden Shjips material seems to be heading down a similar path to blown-out excellence. Check out West on September 13 via Thrill Jockey.
DOWNLOAD: Pure X - Dry Ice
Austin trio Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) begins its campaign for the bright lights and big fog with the sleepy psychedelia of "Dry Ice" -- the rare song that actually sounds like its name. A single from the group's forthcoming Pleasure LP, Pure X continues down the path of treble-ridden guitar pangs, languid bass lines and slow, surf-oriented drums. If this track wasn't so washed in effects, it wouldn't be too far from mainstays like The Jesus And Mary Chain. Pleasure comes July 5 via Acephale.
DOWNLOAD: White Fence – Get That Heart
Lo-fi doesn’t even come close to describing “Get That Heart” the new song by White Fence, the side project of Darker My Love’s Tim Presley. The song’s prominent tape hiss is, essentially, in the foreground, acting nearly like another instrument on the track. It recalls The Grateful Dead recording straight to a tape deck with the rhythm section of the Velvet Underground in tow. For all you west coast folks (or very faithful New Yorkers), catch Presley at Woodsist Fest in Big Sur this July.
PREMIERE: Priestbird – Diamond
(Photo: Carly Margolis)
“Diamond,” from Priestbird’s Beachcombers, out May 3rd from Benzod, is a heavy piece of psychedelic rock with drums that kick you right in the chest and some nasty sounding electric guitar that crackles and pops. The band, which features Greg Rogove from Devendra Banhart, is like classic blues cooked in a spoon. The refrain here, “When I wake I’ll want the same,” is a statement devoid of any clear referent, that still sounds sexy, even if it comes off like more of a curse than a desire. Priestbird's last album, In Your Time, was an underappreciated masterpiece, mining metal, blues, folk, and psych-rock. Don’t let this one go unnoticed.
DOWNLOAD: Gardens – Maze Time
Gardens, a wonderfully psychedelic band from sorrowful Detroit, make crunchy guitar rock that has all the grit and attitude of their hometown (a place that the New York Times has the tendency to compare to Rome after the Visigoth’s sacking if you’re wondering just how much grit exactly). “Maze Time,” off their self-titled debut, out May 10 on Alive Records, is bluesy guitar rock that is at times as sugary as Motown (the spelled-out chorus, “M-A-Z-E T-I-M-E!”), at others as aggressive as Iggy Pop. We’re not exactly sure what a “maze time” entails, but with Gardens playing, it sounds like it will be wild.
DOWNLOAD: Big Search - Middle Man
It’s always twiddling happy fun harmony time with Foreign Born, so when we heard frontdude Matt Popieluch’s longtime side project was now going to be his main gig, we figured it would be just as grinningly good. We were right!* Big Search makes rock, sunny side up. “Middle Man” is Steely Dan for the Millennials and White Iris has the release.
*Ed. Note: We’re always right. Always.
PREMIERE: Brass Bed - Miniature Day Parade
I'll gladly carry Claire The Cornball Of RCRD LBL card, as I am about to display in these lines. I don't believe in luck, or at least certainly do not find myself to be lucky. I believe in that age old cheesy mantra that good things happen when you work hard and make yourself available to opportunity. That's why Louisiana's Brass Bed's "Miniature Day Parade" resonates well with me. I was on board with the lyric, "I don't believe in fate at your leisure" and was kept put with their clear influences from The Kinks and Television. Take those and them put into an indie-pop-and-country-twang-lick blender and you've got Brass Bed. For more of their subtle psychedelia, check out their album, Melt White, available now on Park The Van.
Brass Bed - Miniature Day Parade
