Tag Archives: California

New songs to listen to this week

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Blitzen Trapper- photo by Leslie Simon

Blitzen Trapper- photo by Leslie Simon

New music to listen to this week- the sun is shining, spring has arrived, and I’m really feeling sunny, dreamy songs with the occasional dance beat to get down to. Here are some of my favorite songs that have been released recently that you should check out:

King of Prussia “Your Work is Magic”- uptempo indie tambourine pop out of Athens, Georgia with unexpected and fantastic horns that remind me of a less political King Khan. Available for stream or download here at Stereogum:
http://www.stereogum.com/1673969/king-of-prussia-your-work-is-magic-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

Yann Tiersen “A Midsummer Evening”- Toy instruments mix with acoustic to create a warped, gorgeous song complete with angelic backing vocals. Psychedelic church.

Medeski, Martin and Wood + Nels Cline “Bonjour Bese”- mixing wild spacey reverb noise with the heavy hitting sounds of MMW is a dream come true. If you don’t like dissonant noise fast forward three minutes (but really you should embrace the noise, it’s beautiful). Exclusively at Esquire here:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/mmw_nels_cline

Alpha Consumer “Ms Positron”- taking cues from 80’s art rock and adding mega fuzzy guitar riffs and catchy hooks, this Minneapolis group has collaborated with everyone from Andrew Bird to Brother Ali and are releasing their new album April 15th.

Thee Oh Sees “The Lens”- yet another awesome track from the upcoming release. Monty Python-esque psychedelic videos that are done well are always a treat.

Allah-Las “Had It All”- california psych pop with a delicate touch and throwback as hell

Chain and the Gang “Devitalize”- some of my favorite garage rock that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Plus, I’m a sucker for really bratty vocals.

Horse Thief “Little Dust”- psych tinged roots rock from Oklahoma City with theatrical fascinating Cameron Neal’s quirky pretty vocals taking the lead.

Driving Mrs. Satan “Hells Bells”- when I got an email about this band and saw “acoustic heavy metal” I put it on thinking I would get a laugh. Instead, I found they have beautiful arrangements, gorgeous vocals, and I like it better than the original.

Mystic Braves new single “Born Without a Heart” sounds hot and frenzied.

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MysticBraves

When seminal 60’s psych band The Zombies personally wants you to open for their Los Angeles show, you are definitely doing something right. This L.A. five piece are in the more positive and bubbly bright psych vein, and formerly went under the name Blackfeet Braves. They sound like the turbulent excitement of a work free hot summer, with blasts of organ and killer cymbal taps keeping the energy going with bumps and turns like you are crashing in the waves. Frontman Julian Ducatenzeiler has a nasally rock and roll voice that sounds great in echoey lo-fi, sounding like what would happen if Bob Dylan got on the bus with the Merry Pranksters. Listen to their new single over at Filter, the album Desert Island comes out April 29th, and check them out at SXSW this year:

http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/media/entry/listen_mystic_braves_release_born_without_a_heart_off_upcoming_record_filte

For comparison, here is them performing the song live as Blackfeet Braves. I prefer the more reckless approach they have going in the newer version, it sounds more dangerous:

Stream the fantastic new Morgan Delt album today

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morgandeltcover

The wait til January 28th has been long for those anticipating Morgan Delt‘s self titled full length album, and we are fortunate to finally get to hear it today streaming over at Hype Machine! Delt became an underground hero when his tape Psychic Death Hole made the rounds of Los Angeles and beyond. Using tape manipulation skills, he creates such a warped sound that sounds like Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band played underwater. So unique and really makes him stand apart from the plethora of psychedelic acts out there now. Listen today, I’ve had “Obstacle Eyes” on repeat for a month:

http://hypem.com/premiere/morgan%20delt

Green Day’s Kerplunk! is the album I’m most thankful for.

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The Westword asked me to write about the album I’m most thankful for, and it was a no-brainer. This album started my obsession with finding new bands, and the reason I created the blog in the first place.

Read it here: Album I’m most thankful for is Green Day Kerplunk!

Crocodiles – “Crimes of Passion” – ALBUM REVIEW

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Crocodiles are great at mixing the beauty of simple pop melodies with the chaos of distortion and fuzz without the music even missing a beat, and their latest release “Crimes of Passion” is even more than I hoped for. “I Like it in the Dark” immediately makes the album takeoff, a funky piano line dropping down into the verse while a tambourine frantically keeps the beat until a ripping guitar solo takes over. Everything is well thought out here and flows perfectly, the whole album is a perfect package. Crocodiles are a well edited garage band, all fat is trimmed and they can really just fall right into a chaotic freakout and pull it right back into the melody like it’s nothing.

Their San Diego roots are very evident, especially in songs like “Teardrop Guitar”, filled with melodic California sounding jangly guitar riffs and dreamy, layered vocals. “Cockroach” brings even more organ to the front, really giving the song that great swirling sound I love in psych music. This album is short and sweet, when I got to the end I was actually surprised it was already over, and already yearning their next album. This band has been steadily gaining steam over the years with consistently great recordings, and I think this album might just put them over the top. Thank you, Crocodiles!

Listen to “Teardrop Guitar” here: “Teardrop Guitar” soundcloud

Foxygen Announce New Tour Dates- and they include Denver!

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20130628-141045.jpg photo by cara robbins

After a huge debut album, interesting sxsw shows, and touring with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Wampire, Foxygen is ready to come back as the headliners that they are. The psych folk movement is going strong, but they really nail it the best, there’s something more to this band. Catch them at ACL Festival as well this year, you have two weekends to do so this year like they did with Coachella.

Tour Dates:
07/13/13 Louisville, KY- Forecastle Festival
07/19/13 Chicago, IL- Schubas w/ Gauntlet Hair
07/21/13 Chicago, IL- Pitchfork Music Festival
07/25/13 New York, NY- River Rocks Series @ Pier 84 w/ Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
07/28/13 Milwaukee, WI- Turner Hall
07/29/13 Minneapolis, MN- First Avenue
08/01/13 Vancouver, BC- Biltmore Cabaret
08/02/13 Seattle, WA- Neumos
08/03/13 Happy Valley, OR- Pickathon
08/04/13 Happy Valley, OR- Pickathon
08/25/13 Los Angeles, CA- FYF Fest
09/05/13 Salt Lake City, UT- Twilight Concert Series @ Pioneer Park w/ MGMT
09/20/13 San Francisco, CA- The Independent
09/21/13 San Francisco, CA- The Chapel
09/22/13 Big Sur, CA- Woodsist Festival @ Henry Miller Library
09/24/13 Denver, CO- Bluebird Theatre
09/27/13 Champaign, IL- Pygmalion Festival
09/28/13 Cincinnati, OH- Midpoint Music Festival
09/29/13 Detroit, MI- Majestic Theatre- Burgerama Caravan of Stars
10/01/13 Toronto, ON- The Hoxton
10/02/13 Montreal, QC- Cabaret Du Mile-End
10/03/13 Boston, MA- Paradise
10/04/13 Philadelphia, PA- Union Transfer
10/05/13 Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Festival
10/06/13 Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Festival
10/11/13 Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Festival
10/12/13 Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Festival
10/13/13 Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Festival

Cayucas US Dates and new single!!!

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20130426-153307.jpg photo by leslie loudspeaker

One of my top favorites from SXSW, Cayucas have just announced their US tour dates, and they are playing everywhere! They have also released another single East Coast Girl which is every bit as catchy and beach ready as the others. I listened to this album during our past snowstorms in an effort to force summer, and today it’s sunny, so thank you, Cayucas! Can’t wait for the Denver show on June 22nd, I look forward to shooting the band with more than an iPhone.

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TOUR DATES:
04/30/13 Los Angeles, CA – Origami Vinyl In-store (FREE)
05/09/13 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo w/ Hot as Sun & MT. OSSA

05/17/13 Luxembourg, NL – Food For Your Senses Festival
05/18/13 Amsterdam, NL – Tolhuistuin
05/21/13 London, UK – The Lexington
05/22/13 Manchester, UK – Soup Kitchen
05/23/13 Paris, FR- La Flèche d’Or
05/25/13 Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Barcelona
05/26/13 Barcelona, ES – Primavera Als Parcs

06/06/13 San Diego, CA- Casbah
06/07/13 Santa Ana, CA- Constellation Room
06/09/13 Santa Barbara, CA- Muddy Waters
06/12/13 San Luis Obispo, CA- SLO Brew
06/13/13 San Francisco, CA- Rickshaw Stop
06/15/13 Davis, CA- Sophia’s Thai Kitchen
06/17/13 Portland, OR- Mississippi Studios
06/18/13 Vancouver, BC- Biltmore Cabaret
06/19/13 Seattle, WA- Barboza
06/21/13 Salt Lake City, UT- Kilby Court
06/22/13 Denver, CO- Larimer Lounge
06/24/13 Kansas City, MO- Riot Room
06/25/13 Omaha, NE- Waiting Room
06/28/13 Minneapolis, MN- 7th Street Entry
06/29/13 Chicago, IL- Schubas
06/30/13 Detroit, MI- Magic Stick Lounge
07/01/13 Toronto, ON- The Drake
07/02/13 Montreal, QC- Il Motore
07/03/13 Boston, MA- Great Scott
07/05/13 New York, NY- Mercury Lounge
07/06/13 Montauk, NY- The Surf Lodge
07/07/13 Washington DC- DC9
07/09/13 Atlanta, GA- Masquerade
07/10/13 Birmingham, AL- Bottletree
07/11/13 New Orleans, LA- Circle Bar
07/12/13 Houston, TX- Mango’s
07/13/13 Austin, TX- Red 7
07/14/13 Dallas, TX- Three Links

09/01/13 Salisbury, UK – End of the Road Festival

Coachella 2013 Stream Day 2 -Postal Service tonight!

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20130413-151911.jpg coachella.com

If there is one thing I love, it’s streaming festivals from my own home. Bonnaroo is my fave, being in a time zone ahead of me, but I’ll take what I can get! I’m most amped for the Postal Service reunion and Grizzly Bear tonight.

coachella channel on youtube

Bonus video of Jake Bugg nailing it in front of a ton of people:

“Lightning Bolt” from Coachella

Phish Tour Tickets OBTAINED

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20130328-134353.jpg photo by Andee Kuroda

Besides keeping up with new music, I’m a major Phish fan. Today was a day of Ticketmaster madness, but through Ticketmaster skills and a LOT of kindness from my fellow Phish obsessives, I’m in for Toronto, San Francisco, Tahoe and Hollywood Bowl so far. All I have to worry about is SPAC and Dick’s.

UPDATE in for SPAC and Chicago. Follow my blog this July, will be reporting the kooky scene I adore from the field.