DOWNLOAD: Foxygen - Make It Known
Brand spankin' new Jagjaguwar signees Foxygen make a startling statement with this tune. It's a meandering epic – at once folksy and psychedelic and total throwback rock & roll. The Washington State-New York duo harnesses the confidence of Jagger upon a lyrical interruption of "talk, talk, talk," and the swagger will be on full display July 24 when the group's debut, Take the Kids Off Broadway, is released.
DOWNLOAD: Pond - Tears Of A Clown (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles Cover)
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(Photo: Ben Hayes)
Smokey Robinson they are not, but damn if Pond doesn’t do a fantastic rendition of “Tears of a Clown.” So good, it could be the other side of the wax for the 1970’s hit. Side A: satiny Motown love. Side B: melodic discord, scratched raw with psychedelic guitars and a jetsam back. It’s a pre-punk groove in a post-punk world. Deep, no? Pond’s latest and greatest is out on Modular now.
STREAM: Melody's Echo Chamber - Crystallized
A melody? Not really. Echo chamber? That's about right. A new tune from this one-woman, mysterious project was mixed by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker and sports all the psychedelic charm you'd except to emanate from under his thumb. Two-thirds of the way through, "Crystallized" really starts to drive as the Parisian songstress' coasting vocals get put on the back-burner.
DOWNLOAD: Marriages - Ride In My Place
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Marriages, a new group that features three members from Red Sparowes, recently recorded a six-song debut entitled Kitsune. The dark, moody effort, recorded with Toshi Kasai, is hypnotic and occasionally experimental, employing vocals against heavy backdrops in a way that's a big left-hand turn from their other band. “Ride In My Place,” an early listen from the album, which will be released May 1 via Sargent House, is gloomy number that pairs psychedelic and hard rock to create a melodic soundscape.
DOWNLOAD: Arbouretum - New Scarab
When two experts of psych and folk come together, it's usually a tripped-out good time, and that's the case with this new split between Arbouretum and Hush Arbors on Thrill Jockey. "New Scarab" is a straight-to-the-vains psych burner with wailing vocals, muddy low guitars and an eventual workout around screaming guitar sirens going for the center of your skull.
DOWNLOADS: Pond - Fantastic Explosion Of Time + Mystery
(Photo: Ben Hayes)
The crew here is so into Pond that we can hardly wait for their set at our SXSW showcase at the Purevolume House on Thursday! Here's two more tracks from the band's new Beard Wives Denim full-length, which is out now on Modular. "Fantastic Explosion Of Time" is propulsive psychedelia with a high-attitude quotient, while "Mystery" finds the group harmonizing over a shimmering accompaniment and organ drone.
STREAM: Moon Duo - Scars (Sonic Boom Remix)
The brutal, hypnotic minimalism of Moon Duo's Mazes made it one of the best rock releases last year, and the album still has its legs under it with a remix LP on the way. The psyched-out list of collaborators here include Psychic Ills, Purling Hiss, Cave, Gary War and this one – a redo of "Scars" by Sonic Boom (Spaceman 3/Spectrum). The already-great guitar work of the original keeps exploring into a more unknown, watery abyss. Hear more of Mazes Remixed May 8 via Sacred Bones.
STREAM: Pond - Pond In A Park
(Photo: Ben Hayes)
More from Pond very soon, but let's just say that their new album, Beard Wives Denim, is quite fantastic if you're into expansive psychedelic rock. Seriously, today's jam "Pond In A Park" is so warm and scuzzy that I want to take a nap in it while laying on a rock with the sun beating down on me. Their album is out now on Modular Recordings.
