Alright other bands, it’s time to pack it up and go home. The new Schizophonics album People in The Sky is here. I’m joking (mostly) of course, but there’s no doubt that this new slab of wax is 2019’s most raw, rockin release thus far. The second full length release from San Diego’s Schizophonics, People In The Sky starts off at 11 and doesn’t let go until the closes track ends. We’re talking pure, distilled, in your face rock n roll from start to finish. Distortion, fuzz, searing guitar solos, wild screams….it’s all there and it’s glorious. The album opens with “Something’s Got To Give”, a five and half minute…
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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…
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Another PNW New Release: The Orange Kyte’s “Carousel”
Halloween may be over, but we’ve still got 1 treat for you this week. Vancouver BC’s The Orange Kyte have returned with Carousel, 10 tracks of glorious psyched up lo-fi garage out now on Little Cloud records. Carousel picks up where 2018’s The Orange Kyte Says Yes! left off, with the band’s signature lo-fi dirty garage psych sound and overdriven vocals. Carousel adds in some new grooves however, occasionally veering into post-punk, new wave, and even vaguely powerpop territories. Some of the album’s hippest grooves are the album opener “Masquerade” which is punked up garage cool with tinges of Roxy Music thrown in via the prominent sax, the uber catchy…
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New Release: The Zags’ “The Cliff”
We’re keeping the week rolling with PNW new releases with The Zags’ The Cliff, released last Friday. First of all, dig that album art! I could barely stop staring at it long enough to write this review. The Zags were formed in 2013. Original members and songwriters David Ricardo (guitar-vocals) and Stanton Hall (bass-vocals) added drummer Max Curry for The Cliff, the self proclaimed “(un)pop” trio’s third album. “The Zags’ sound is melody-and-hook-focused, with an emphasis on strong vocals — both lead and harmony. They synthesize decades of pop and rock influences, garnering comparisons to Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Big Star, XTC, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Guided by Voices, and…
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New Week, New Release: The Low Twelve’s “12:02”
This week we’ve got triple the treat and none of the tricks for you with 3 new releases all out of the Pacific Northwest. We’re starting things off with Portland’s The Low Twelve, whose sophomore release 12:02 is out now. The Low Twelve takes its name from an old Masonic term meaning “Twelve Midnight” – an hour many considered to be full of dark omens. The music on their sophomore album, the ambitious 12:02, does indeed evoke an atmosphere of midnight mystery befitting the name, but there is plenty of wild fun to be had on this album as well. Moody opener “Turn out the Lights” invites you in with…
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Album of the week: Leopard Skull’s “Welcome Home”
Out now on Exag Records, Leopard Skull’s Welcome Home is a surprising slab of psychedelia that may just well be one of the best of the year. Expertly produced, beautifully conceptualized, and cleverly written, Welcome Home is one you need to listen to right now. Leopard Skull is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Harm Pauwels (Ghent, BE). With influences ranging from the late Beatles to early Brian Eno and Foxygen, Leopard Skull brings an eclectic psych sound that is both captivating and estranging. With only three songs released in 2014, he was invited to play his debut show at Incubate Showcase Festival (NL). Ever since, Leopard Skull has been continuously…