Dennis

New album: The Mary Veils || Slacker Paint

By / / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

For obvious reasons, far fewer new albums are released in December than in other months, but luckily there is still some notable new work. Most interesting this week imho is Slacker Paint, the debut LP of The Mary Veils. It turns out to be not really a new album, because the American garage rock band self-released it back in 2017. Apparently most music lovers missed that at the time, the album was not even on Discogs yet, but PNKSLM Recordings now shares it with a wider audience. The second full-length album is due for release next year, but let’s dive into this first; there is much to discover in these varied tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New 7″: Night Beats ft. Robert Levon Been || That’s All You Got / Never Look Back

By / / Funk & Soul / Leave a Comment

Interesting to follow how Night Beats slowly but surely changes from a psychedelic / garage rock band into a soulful R&B party. On new single That’s All You Got, the shoegaze-like raw, dark edges have disappeared, exchanged for a polished sound carried by an organ (click here for the video on YouTube, in which founding member Danny Lee Blackwell strolls through an abandoned city). On the B side, screeching guitars predominate, listen below. Both songs are a collaboration with Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, whose biggest hit is applicable to Night Beats’ development: Whatever Happened To My Rock ‘N’ Roll? Blackwell explains: That’s All You Got is a reminder that at the end of the day, we’ll always have the SOUL.” Point taken. The 7″ is out now on Fuzz Club Records. 

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp  || Fuzz Club || Night Beats 

New EP: Messer Chups || New Wave or Surf Wave

By / / Garage Rock / 1 Comment

There are a number of iconic bands that almost everyone seems to be a fan of. Kraftwerk for example. I probably shouldn’t say it, but I don’t feel it. However, if you replace the electronics with guitars, you can hear how strong their work is, but in a style that appeals to me more. That’s exactly what the Russian surf trio Messer Chups did with Kraftwerk’s classic Das Model on their new digital album New Wave or Surf Wave. On this EP you can also hear covers of, among others, Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode) and Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New song: Justin Angelo Morey || (Tell Me) What’s Your Name

By / / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Lead singer, songwriter en multi-instrumentalist Justin Angelo Morey taught himself how to play the guitar, bass, and drums by the age of 12. After a career in a few bands (The Black Hollies, Sunshine & the Rain) and establishing his own chocolate line (J. A. Morey Artisan Chocolates) he is now trying to make it as a solo artist. After digital single I Want Your Love / Waving Hello there last October this is a new fine track from his hand, (Tell Me) What’s Your Name, one that you immediately sing along. Out now through Silent Stereo Records. Why don’t they play such songs on the radio?

‘Anna took your order // You wanted chicken parm // And in that moment // I thought you could be the one’

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New song: TJ Roberts || Boy Without a Band

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

This week Spotify revealed its listst with the most-streamed music around the world this year (you and I listened to other names, right?!), and users gained insight into their personal listening behavior in a so-called Spotify 2020 Wrapped overview. A lot of confusion with just about everyone I know, because why is “Chamber Psych” among the most listened to genres and what the hell is it? Looking at the bands that belong to this genre, we just keep using the category Indie Rock over here. A nice online application is that you can see which new releases have been released within such a genre, and that’s how I just discovered TJ Roberts. His sophomore album Love, Loss & Other Useless Things arrives next week via Rose Parade Recording Company, preceded by the Wilco-like track Boy Without a Band. I like it, but I wonder if Tom and his band-mates realize they’re making Chamber Psych. (Update: the answer to that question is no.)

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Bootchy Temple || In Consummated Bloom

By / / Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Bootchy Temple are Milia Colombani, Sam Roux, Luc Martin, Paul Trigoulet and Martin Meilhan-Bordes. Here is the new album from the French band, featuring 12 songs with dreamy Paisley Underground jangle. Music on which sea horses mate. The LP is out now on Howlin’ Banana Records and Safe In The Rain Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Safe In The Rain Records ‎|| Howlin’ Banana 

New song: Fantastic Mister Zguy || I Want You In My Bed (feat. Th Da Freak)

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Because I sometimes listen to Th Da Freak, Spotify presented me a new track by Fantastic Mister Zguy (a new name for me) featuring the slacker hero in my Release Radar last Friday. After a few spins I still don’t know what to think about it, except that it’s a very catchy song (whoohoo!). The chorus I Want You In My Bed in combination with Margaux Jaudinaud’s not so serious graphics gave me a flashback to a provocative donor recruiting campaign from 10+ years ago, with a photo of an almost naked young woman and the text “Becoming a donor is probably your only chance to get inside her” (don’t ask why I remember that and forget important things). But if you come from France and call yourself Fantastic Mister Zguy or Th Da Freak, you may have qualities that give you more opportunities than that to live up to the song title. 😉

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (no release information about this track available yet)

New single: NewDad || I Don’t Recognise You

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

As far as I know, the Irish alternative-rock band NewDad – none of them can call themselves a dad, not even the girl from the gang – haven’t released a physical release yet, but their previous track Blue already got quite a bit of airplay in the UK. Now they present fifth (digital-only) “single” I Don’t Recognise You, in which dreamy vocals and powerful guitars alternate. The lyrics are quite heavy, but the accompanying video shows what the band stands for: ‘Fun, easy going and desperately trying to sound cooler than we are.’ An EP is said to follow in early 2021, one to look forward to.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The New Madness || After Hours

By / / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Now this is a good way to start the weekend. The New Madness delivers energetic garage / blues rock with punchy riffs, a high-pitched voice and lots of whoohoos. It kind of reminds me of the Cato Salsa Experience, although it has been some time since they were active, but you probably also hear influences like The Black Keys. The debut single Love Sick, my favorite track from the album, was released three and a half years ago and is now bundled with the songs that followed along the way. Berlin-based / Danish-born Bjarke Sørensen wrote the music and lyrics and he’s also responsible for vocals, guitars, synth moog, rhodes, drums, and percussion (yes, there are also some other artists playing along). The LP After Hours is out today through Crunchy Frog.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Permits || Time Permits

By / / Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

What happens if members of The Shifters, Pop Singles, Dag and Chook Race, come together to see what can be made of abandoned songs, left over from each member’s various projects? That’s exactly what Tristan Davies, Tam Matlakowski, Dusty Anastassiou and Rob Remedios did in June 2018, and the result can now be heard. The Melbourne ‘superb-group’ Permits sounds like you would expect from the combination of backgrounds of the band members: ‘a wonky VU-bentism,’ in their own words. Their debut album Time Permits is out today on Tenth Court.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Tenth Court 

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