Reflections is the second release from Lansing, Michigan-based songwriter David Turel, and his first full length album for Lolipop Records. From the first moments of the album’s opening track “My Giza,” you know you are in for something special – an atmospheric listening experience that will transport you to another place entirely. The organs fade in and begin to slide around in pitch, a vocal soaked in reverb echoing similar pitch slides, before an insistent, pulsing rhythm comes in to drive the song forward. The drums and bass are locked in together perfectly, and everything else floats around them in a purposefully loose sort of way. It’s a brief but…
-
-
New Week, New (Old?) Release: Junk Ranchers’ “86” is 35 years late, and right on time
In today’s world of affordable home recording equipment and easy access to worldwide distribution, it’s easy to forget that music was once extremely difficult to release. Recording in a top-notch, professional studio was cost-prohibitive to many, and before the digital revolution many projects simply did not see the light of day for a variety of reasons. By the 1980’s, things were beginning to change, and indie music was gaining momentum towards its eventual mainstream acceptance. Many “unsigned” bands were beginning to record self-released albums, EPs and singles that rivaled their major label counterparts in quality, even as they labored in obscurity and worked with severely limited budgets. Junk Ranchers were…
-
New Week New Release: Marshmallow Overcoat’s “Wait For Her” b/w “The Marshmallow Theme”
The Marshmallow Overcoat is a band who’s roots go back to the 1980’s Paisley Underground scene, and it’s clear from the first listen of this new 45 RPM single that they’re not new to making this kind of music. Both of these songs have an authentically late 1960’s feel, in the compositional elements of the songwriting as well as the quality of the recording. As the band’s name might suggest, this music brings to mind late 60’s psych-pop such as Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Electric Prunes. Side A, “Wait For Her,” is a delightfully catchy pop tune driven by jangly 12 string guitar and smooth background vocals that sit…