R.A.D Vinyl

Can Can Heads Kusisessions Vol.2 7”

buy it here: http://www.kissankusi.com/

Can Can Heads are a group from Finland that have been around for just shy of 20 years. Their discography is so lengthy it needs an interpreter. The three tracks they lay down on this 7” are metallic and abrasive noise jazz. The guitars and sax screech while the thin sounding drums blast away. Vocals seem like an after thought but they turn up now and then. “Salmonella River” is the stand out and plays like a surf song that was ripped to shreds and blasted to pieces by a thrashy punk band. The whole endeavor is very lo-fi noise, clashing punk with the jazz avant garde all mixing together to form an enjoyable little 7”.

Falcon Arrow/The Yoleus Split 7”

http://falconarrow.bandcamp.com/

Just wanted to give Falcon Arrow some love here. I had the chance to see them live in Minneapolis over the weekend and snagged a copy of their split 7”. Falcon Arrow are an incredible bass and drums instrumental duo. They make as much noise as any Explosions in the Sky post-rocky fan could ever want except they do it better and with less. Matt Reints is a wizard at bass looping and creates full and compelling songs with a pair of loop pedals. The song on the 7” is similar to their albums and has a 90’s post-punk/noise rock nostalgia feel while managing to have a very positive upbeat vibe rather than the typical melancholy of the genre. check them out…

Silver Ash 7” on Generate Records

buy it here: http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=14766&Product_Count=&Category_Code=

http://www.generaterecords.net/gen17.htm

Silver Ash takes the notion of genre and smashes it to pieces creating music that is free and full of life. The A side of this gorgeous mixed color vinyl is a piece called “deathless” which is a propulsive percussion heavy krautrock meets tribal noise rock affair. The whole track surrounds you like you are bearing witness to an ancient ritual as waves of feedback attack your senses. A chugging distorted guitar keeps you at the edge of your seat until things end rather abruptly. The B side “Lifeboat” keeps the edgy intensity in full force as a droning swarm of electronic noise threatens to strike at any moment. There is a beauty in hanging on for dear life and Silver Ash takes you to that place.

Grace Basement 7” (Eastern Watts)

buy it here: http://www.easternwattsrecords.com/catalog

Another super limited 150 copy release from Eastern Watts comes via Grace Basement which seems to be defunct at this time. Grace Basement was the project of Kevin Buckley co-founder of Eastern Watts Records. “Broke Up Man” is a great swirling mid-tempo folk pop song with a very 70’s am gold vibe reminiscent of acts like Eels or Beck. The B side is packed with two tracks. “Lay on the Wheel, Sweet Sally” has a decidedly alt-country sound with slide guitar and honky-tonk piano. “I’ve Got Some Good News!” ends the record off with a slow acoustic strummer with choral backing vocals adding atmosphere. Grace Basement have a classic feel that they mix with strong song writing. If this is really it for Grace Basement it’s a good way to go out. 

Tooth Ache 7” (Father/Daughter Records)

buy it here: http://fatherdaughterrecords.bigcartel.com/product/tooth-ache-skin-7

It’s hard to pull myself away from this 7” by Tooth Ache long enough to write something about it. Super groovy drum machines kick start “skin” followed by Terry Riley style organ/synth arpeggios that are catchy as hell. The ethereal vocals float through the mix adding melody and depth. For all I know this was written on a basic drum machine and a microkorg synth which are readily available to any musician. It’s the whimsical beauty that takes these standard sounds and turns them into dreamy synth pop. “”Lazarus” takes the groove down a few notches on the tempo creating a crawling ballad with a sick synth bass line as singer Alexandria Hall croons “til the birds come out.” Father/Daughter Records have done an excellent job with the packaging with a stark minimalist design and clear vinyl that matches nicely with this excellent minimalist dream pop. 

Trent Fox & the Tenants-Mess Around EP (Kind Turkey Records)

buy it here: http://www.kindturkeyrecords.com/artists/trentfox

Trent Fox & the Tenants hail from my neck of the woods Milwaukee, WI. They stoke the fires of Milwaukee’s forever popular garage/punk rock scene. They blaze through five tracks full of hooky choruses and plain old nasty fun. They teeter on the edge of collapse and are sure to have basements and bars hopping with excitement. The 7” jacket has a great two color screen print by Zabby of Big Action Records.The burnt edges of the sleeve add a really unique touch.

Greg Ginn & The Taylor Texas Corrugators 7”(Electric Cowbell)

buy it here: http://www.electric-cowbell.com/store.html#gregginn

Greg Ginn is most widely known for his many years with the all important punk rock outfit Black Flag. Here Ginn is seen branching away from his punk roots and exploring much more laid back instrumental grounds. “Freddie” opens the 7” with a Booker T & the MG’s style organ followed by some seriously cool wandering guitar licks. Ginn and company keep things light-hearted and fresh even when they dive deeper into improvisation and experimentation. This 7” is equal parts country, tex-mex psych, soul, and experimental post-rock. It’s great to see Ginn exploring new ground with a great group of musicians.

Blake Mills 7”

Buy it here: http://analogedition.com/

http://analogedition.bigcartel.com/product/blake-mills-hey-lover-winter-song-7

Blake Mills goes big with the double A side 7” and delivers two wonderfully rewarding songs. “Winter Song” is remarkable, gorgeous and heart-wrenching. The first half of the song is Mills singing alone about losing love over an acoustic guitar, drums and some strange sound effects. Mid-song the drum build hits, the guitar is electrified, Mills starts trading off vocals with an angelic sounding female counterpart and the song really starts to soar. The feelings of loss are heavy, emotions run thick, you can feel the tragedy running deep in their bones. It’s a universal story that isn’t so much told, but felt, and Mills puts his pure emotion into “Winter Song.” For his other A side, he goes with an uptempo catchy country/folk pop song “Hey Lover.” It may not pack the emotional punch of “Winter Song” but it will have you singing along and contemplating a brighter side of love. Analog Edition has picked the Blake Mills 7” to be their first release as a label and it is limited to 500 copies so grab one while you still can.

Blake Mills - Hey Lover from Nick Darmstaedter on Vimeo.

Land of Blood and Sunshine 7” (Whoa! Boat Records) 2011

buy it here: http://www.whoaboatrecords.com/lobas

The Land of Blood and Sunshine’s four track ep “Phlegm Realm” is bizarro lo-fi psych at its best. The tracks are difficult to classify or associate with other bands. One could make a case for Woods if Woods were to spend some time in an ancient cave and emerge years later chanting together as if some mystical form of impending doom was on the verge of overtaking them. All four tracks have a sense of urgency and agitation to them caused by the tribal rhythms and chanting group vocals and the perfectly scuzzed up lo-fi recordings. The Land of Blood and Sunshine really deliver something fresh and unique with these tracks. Available on black and orange vinyl.