Built on a Weak Spot

By now most have probably realized that I’ve switched over to Wordpress, which is considerably better for this blog. The only downside of the move is that everyone that was subscribed to the blog via a feed will probably need to re-subscribe if you’re looking to still receive updates. Apologies for the inconvenience, I do hope everyone makes the jump and thanks to everyone out there for sticking with me!

It seems Averkiou aren’t the only ones immersing themselves in the sweet sounds of noise-pop/shoegaze in Gainesville, Florida. I recently picked up a copy of Needs Medicines from Nervous Systems and was met with a catchy offering of fuzzy pop songs that captures a lot of the charm that made a lot of similar bands during the 90’s endearing due to some of their imperfections in combination with their enthusiasm. Not exactly sure where it fits in, but there definitely hints of Guided by Voices, Henry’s Dress, etc. to be found here. Those who enjoy quick and to the point noise-pop should definitely give this a try.

Nervous Systems – Sound Effect for Deafening Silence [MP3]

For those interested, Needs Medicines can be obtained through Obscurist Press or Tonevendor. Also SNCL has some copies for those in the UK. Do pick it up if you like what you hear.

It appears that Flowers of the Moon is the official debut for Jeff Suthers’ project Moonspeed, which has been around in some form or another since 2003 or so. I remember hearing songs the Flight Approved website from way back that were pretty interesting and made appearances on a couple fairly limited run discs. This however is the full-fledged album from the band and it’s a welcome addition to the already lengthy number of solid records I’ve heard this year. Suthers along with Shannon Stein have both worked together for a number of years, originally hitting the ground running with the more shoegaze angled Volplane in the mid 90’s then moving on to the incredible but sadly departed Bright Channel throughout a good portion of the 00’s. The next logical step for them was to focus their attention on Moonspeed, which takes a lot of the great traits from both of those bands fleshes them out further by enlisting a much larger cast of musicians. There is eleven to be exact, counting both Suthers and Stein.

What has kept me coming back all the years to the work created by Suthers and his collaborators is their ability to make music that really develops and works within a certain mood. There are few that have done it better than them if you ask me. Bright Channel had a very unsettling coldness to the music that was greatly contrasted by the volume, however with Moonspeed much is subdued and the music paints more of a picture of isolation with the numerous airy melodies that make up the nine tracks on Flowers of the Moon. Whether this ends up being up the release from the band or not, the tracks record of the members involved will be more than enough to follow them to wherever they may end up. It’s worked thus far and Flowers of the Moon leaves me no reason to believe it won’t last.

Moonspeed – Harvest [MP3]

For those interested in picking up Flowers of the Moon, the band has it available through eCrater or CD Baby. No matter, pick this up if you like what you hear and be sure to check out any of the other acts on the Flight Approved roster while you’re at it.

Been looking forward to the second solo outing from Keith Canisius for a couple months now, or at least since I found out it was coming out. Canisius, as some may remember, is part of the amazing Danish dream-pop/shoegaze group Rumskib. In fact their album was just recently featured in my top albums of the decade post, so to say these solo outings come with great expectations is an understatement.

Canisius’ first effort Ferris Wheel Makeout definitely didn’t disappoint when it was released last year, delivering more of the otherworldly dream-pop sounds and melodies that hooked me from the very beginning. Now, just a year later, he has returned with his latest album Waves once again through Quince Records. The record sees Canisius continue in the direction of heavy Cocteau Twins influence, but inching away from some of the more extreme twist and turns melodically while offering up a softer ambient side of things that dominates a number of tracks throughout the album. It’s great to be able to hear him take the already distinct sound that has graced the Rumskib album and his previous solo effort and continue to build upon it. The added textures give it a much smoother feel while still allowing Canisius to interject some of the more extravagant passages that has by this point become sort of a calling card and a mighty good one at that.

While my coverage of such music has certainly waned over the past year or so, and really I have no explanation why, Waves is the sort of album that continually reminds me with each track as to why I fell in love with this sort of music in the first place. Once again, Mr. Canisius has delivered another solid effort.

Keith Canisius – Waves [MP3]

For those interested in picking this up in the USA, it’s available through Tonevendor or Darla. If you’re in the UK Norman Records has you covered. If you like what you hear above, there is much more of it to be found on the album, so definitely pick it up if you’re enjoying it.

I think I’ve listened to this debut single from the Olympia, Washington trio Broken Water a dozen or so times now and I am still not quite sure what to say about it other than it’s pretty damn good. Yeah, it kind of sounds like MBV if they were slowed even further down to a molasses like pace, in fact I thought I was playing it at the wrong speed to begin with. However, that’s not the best way to put it really, as there are elements of that cold dingy 80’s gothic post-punk mixed in here and there and the singer sounds so exhausted on these two tracks that I can almost feel the energy being sucked right out of me. Which really isn’t surprising I guess when taking into account that two thirds of the band is made up of members from Sisters, the other member being from Congratulations. Anyone who listened to the Sisters album on Parts Unknown already has an idea as to the type of after hour’s activities that they are channeling. Not too dissimilar from early Sonic Youth records I suppose, which really probably works just as well for Broken Water. Judging by the other tracks they have up on their page, they seem to venture more down that path than the two feature on this single. No matter, take a listen and decide for yourself. I know I’m hooked.

Broken Water – Boyfriend Hole [MP3]

I believe there is a demo CD they are selling that has these two tracks on it along with four others; however don’t hold me to that. Anyone wishing to pick up either the 7-inch or the demo CD can do so over at the Parts Unknown webstore where they still have both available it appears. Enjoy!

You mention the Swirlies enough times and I am bound to listen. That’s just how my mind works. I’m simple like that; you don’t need to go much further. Sure enough Weed Hounds, along with getting heaping amounts of praise all over the web for their recently released demo cassette, have been likened to those legendary Bostonites more than a few times. The comparison seems fitting after getting a chance myself to sit down and listen to the four songs contained within the demo. While probably not as off the wall and experimental as they were, there are definitely some similarities in terms of the lo-fi fuzz worshipping and the boy/girl vocals. There is more to find here though once you dig into it that reveals many more nods and winks to some of indie-rocks finest, from the completely blissed out “In the Afternoon” to the much more straightforward “Save Me from My Lethargy” that oozes with the sort sugary indie-pop goodness that fans of the genre will eat up. As they should since this is some damn good material. These four songs just aren’t enough, but will have to suffice until future releases.

Weed Hounds – Save Me From My Lethargy [MP3]

You can currently purchase the demo over at Crooked Direction, or if you’d prefer, the entire demo is available for download for free from this location. Word has it that they will be releasing a split on Rok Lok here in the future with another great band at the moment Dude Japan. Kind of excited for that one, however in the meantime enjoy the music!

Pretty much anything that features former members of U.S. Maple is going to get my attention and thus since catching wind about Miracle Condition a couple years ago I’ve been waiting to hear some material from the trio, which features Mark Shippy (guitar) and Pat Samson (drums) of the aforementioned U.S. Maple along with Matt Carson (vocals & guitar). Just recently however, the band released the 68 Degrees mini-album through the Tizona label and it features four fresh cuts from the band that was quickly snatched up by these eager ears.

Moving away some from the experimental rough and tumble noise mongering that were attributes of the members’ previous band(s), Miracle Condition takes aim at the dreamy and trance inducing soundscapes of space/psych/shoegaze all sort of rolled onto one nice blue piece of wax. I guess the band sums it up nicely in their own bio applying it with the name of “spacegaze”, which sits just fine with me as I certainly can’t come up with anything better to call it and who would I be to argue with that anyway? As to be expected the experimental/avant background that the members all share never leaves and works its way into Miracle Condition’s music throughout much of the record but acting as sort of a different beast for each members musical proficiencies to be put on display. 68 Degrees is a rewarding sampling of the band and a soothing one at that. Definitely give the track below a listen.

Miracle Condition – Classified Re-Entry Part I [MP3]

For those interested in picking up 68 Degrees then head on over to Chicago Independent where it’s currently available. I don’t know if it’s advertised anywhere, but mine came with a code with an option for an MP3/Lossless download of the album. Be on the lookout of the bands first full-length album on November 24th, which I think is also coming out on Tizona and will likely again be available through Chicago Independent. Keep checking and enjoy!

I remember a couple or so months back seeing that Love of Diagrams had a new single coming out. I thought about buying it at the time, but passed for whatever reason. Looking back, I should have based solely on the strength of the bands ’03 debut Target is You. So here we are in September and the band has just recently unleashed their third album Nowhere Forever in the bands native country of Australia through Remote Control & Unstable Ape Records. Probably on what is my fourth listen to this thing now and I really wish I would have bought that single when it came out as I would have been talking up this record left and right otherwise in the months leading to its release. Nevertheless though, I managed to drop the ball. Thankfully it doesn’t keep me from enjoying what is an absolutely stunning effort from this Melbourne based trio.

Nowhere Forever almost sounds like a completely different band than what I heard on their first record years back. They’ve abandoned a lot of the more jagged post-punk flavorings and traded them in for a much cleaner melody driven sound that still gives a few nods here and there to Sonic Youth, etc. However, Nowhere Forever has more in common with early 90’s rock oriented and vaguely shoegazey sounding acts like Swervedriver here. There is one band that comes to mind at various moments throughout the album though, I can’t help but think that Love of Diagrams sound a tiny bit like the underrated/underappreciated UK group Bleach from that same period of time. The track “Lookout” and the subtle yet extremely effective shifts in melody really remind me of them, and that’s certainly not a bad thing as I’ve always held that band in high esteem. To wrap it up though, this album rocks and quite an impressive leap for a band that already had one solid album to their credit. Do check out the tune below.

Love of Diagrams – Lookout [MP3]

As of right now Nowhere Forever is only available in Australia, however the band isn’t ruling out a US release in the future. More of a matter of finding a label to handle it I believe, which I beg someone here in the states to do. For the time being though, the album can be purchased through Remote Control Records, or I believe it’s available through iTunes for anyone that would just prefer it digitally. Enjoy!

I can’t believe it’s been just a little over two years ago when I wrote about this album possibly coming out. It was one of my more anticipated albums then and it still was again this year when I found out that The Sky Drops deemed it ready for release. Thankfully this time it has made its way to the masses for purchase on CD through their website or through the myriad of digital methods if you so choose. Either way, Bourgeois Beat is finally out and after the wait and a few listens later it proves to be completely worth it. When they previewed a couple songs or so way back when, it wasn’t really clear in which direction they might be going. At least it seemed that way to me. I really had no idea what this album would sound like at this point, however it’s turned out to be more of a continuation of what was found on their excellent debut EP Clouds for People than I assumed it might. Everything is back here on Bourgeois Beat that made their debut so great, loud shoegazey guitars and melodies galore. They have a wonderful knack of making songs that are beautiful sounding however at the same time serve as crunchy rockers as well, all in a nicely tight wrapped three to four minute package.

The Sky Drops – Truth Is [MP3]

As earlier mentioned, Bourgeois Beat is currently directly from the band through their website or if digital is your thing then you know where to look. Either way, definitely pick this up as it’s fantastic. Those that are overseas, don’t worry as SVC Records has you covered. They’ll be releasing the CD on October 5th, so be sure to keep tabs on that for those of you interested.

I didn’t stumble across Averkiou until earlier this year I think when I sat down to listen to their debut album Throwing Sparks that was released in 08 through Clairecords. Initially I thought they were based in a different country and it was kind of surprising that they were actually a group of guys operating out of Gainesville, Florida. It being one of the last places I would think for a shoegaze band to sprout from. Anyway, this here single recently put out on Sound Study Recordings is two new songs from the band that for the most part keep in line the sort of shoegaze influenced material that spanned the eight tracks on their debut. For those that haven’t heard Averkiou, their sound veers consistently toward the more rockin’ side of things making past bands like Swervedriver or Bailter Space good points of reference I’d say. Although a bit late on hearing these guys, I’m definitely on board for whatever else they decide to put out. Nice solid upbeat stuff here.

Averkiou – Wasted & High [MP3]

Definitely pick this single up through Sound Study if you enjoy what you hear posted above. The single comes in two different color variations for anyone that cares about that sort of thing. Any purchase of the record comes with a download code that contains the two songs on the single along with a third bonus track. So yeah, buy it…that is if you like it obviously. Their debut album is still very much available through Tonevendor as well. Highly recommended.

Back in 2005 Lostmusic Recordings released this seven song EP titled Smoking at Gas Stations from the one man band project The Crack Babies based out of Sweden. During its initial run of very limited copies it sold out and was then offered as a free download, which amassed quite a few of those. However with the aforementioned label now gone and nowhere to download, Odd Box Records has risen to the demand after persistent requests to do another limited run of the album on CD for anyone that missed out the first time. If you’re a big fan of 80’s noise-pop, lo-fi, or just JAMC worship in general then by all means don’t miss out on it again.

The Crack Babies are very much what you think they are, incredibly blown out shoegazy noise. However, on this EP the decibels are driven even further upward landing them in the same area as fellow past limit pushers Skywave. Whether the aesthetics of the record were intentional or not (it was recorded with an extremely low budget), the results greatly work to its advantage. At times the vocals hit a high blown out yet muffled pitch that often reminds me of Scott Cortez’s work under the Astrobrite moniker. Anyway, check out the tune below.

The Crack Babies – Shine [MP3]

For anyone interested in pre-ordering a copy of this re-issued limited run of this EP, then head on over to Odd Box Records to get in on that. I definitely recommend it for anyone that considers themselves a fan of noise-pop or any of the other mentioned artists in this piece. Enjoy!