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Top 10 January 29, 2012
Top 10 January 29, 2012
Will Austin – Executive Cabin
Artist, musician and dude-about-town Will Austin has operated on many levels and monikers here in the faded and jaded metropolis of Montreal. His sonic explorations have always remained true to an experimental, progressive ethic while always ringing with sweet moments of subjectivity and heart. His latest EP Isthmus is a wide-band and intimate collection of nocturnal psych/folk awesomeness, evoking at once a beautiful collision of Elliot Smith simplicity, Wooden Wand-esque psychedelic strange-itude and a soupcon of Curtis Mayfield soul.
Ashtray Heart – A Little Bit Goes A Long Way
Local cock-rockers Ashtray Heart may have cribbed their handle from a Captain Beefheart song, but they have more in common with bands like The Stooges and MC5, with maybe some good old AC/DC swagger thrown in for good measure. Crack musicians all, this three piece that seem content with slopping up the floors of the few true-blue rock/punk venues left in the city (long live the Barfly!), and doesn’t tour as much as the rock-deprived masses of Canada deserve (no, CCR tribute bands don’t count.). Unpretentious, dirty and sharp as nails, their new collection of jams One Punch Honeymoon is up for grabs on bandcamp. Grab it!
Jambe – Fuck Toute Pis Fuck Le Reste
Dude from Les Sprates teamed up with buddy from Jesuslesfilles and out came Jambe, a fun, sugary mashup of lo-fi pop punk and electro. I know, that could end up being a very bad thing, but this duo has manage to warp it into a total party. Taste a bit of their candy from an online promo!
Jared Brown – Spilled Juice
Jared Brown comes from Nova Scotia and is now foisting his crazily infectious and hyperactive rock jams on us unsuspecting Quebecians. We’re blessed, as this kid carries the musical DNA of the best of early-90s east coast can-rock. You can hear the Eric’s Trip, the Peter Parkers even a ghost of The Superfriendz in his music. That isn’t to detract from it’s joyous, balls-out idiosyncratic awesomeness, which Jared has in spades. Jump up and down to “Spilled Juice” from his 2011 release Lamb Wars.
Bad Uncle – A Night In The Katacombs
Bad Uncle, Montreal’s gypsy-punk lords have launched a new record, which I’m hoping to get my hands on and tell y’all about soon. The launch was immortalized in all it’s decadent and steamy raucousness by the inimitable film company Mudland Productions for you to witness and wish you were there.
Ranch Ghost – New News
Nashvillian youngsters Ranch Ghost are set to release a 7” on Jeffery Drag, the same Nashville label that put out great recent releases by Pujol and The Electric Dollhouse Groove Buggy last year. This sweet track “New News” is no less high test a tune, carrying a heavy head-nodding beat with shambolic, reverb drenched breakdowns, with a hazy, surfy sheen over the top of it. A great track that deserves it’s place on wax!
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Vulgar, You! – Crystal Fuck
Not much is known about Vulgar, You! relative newcomers to the scuffed up stages of Montreal’s rock dives, but they have a real and awesome strangeness to their sound, a mix of full-tilt rock and ear-fuckingly intense electro. And it slays! Check out a track from their 2011 slammer, Fais Moi Cuire Fais Mois Jouir called “Crystal Fuck”.
Cashier No.9 – Lost at Sea
I like this song, being a bit of a sucker for maudlin seafaring songs. Sounding like a blend of The Waterboys and Animal Collective, Ireland’s Cashier No.9 ’s new ocean going adventure is a salty slice of subtely psych tunesmithing I find compelling. You can stream “Lost At Sea” off Megaphono ’s latest comp of hopeful licensees right now.
Dangerous Ponies – Sea
While we’re on the subject, let’s extend the ocean-y theme for a minute with Philly’s cuddly and strange Dangerous Ponies, who bring to mind Tone Soul Evolution era Apples In Stereo, sharing an infectious, bubbly pop style with a healthy love of cribbing from The Beatles.
Kweysha Seta – Untitled
Outsider Ethiopian disco from Kweysha Seta circa mid 80s to mid 90s. He’s apparently still alive and living on the streets of Addis Abeba, which is sad. The music, however is persistently happy and downright infectious! You can grab the whole tape (dig the cover!) and much more Afro-obscurity lovingly archived over at Awesome Tapes From Africa .
