The Muddy Flowers is the new found folk rock project of Zoology member, Amir Razmjou. His voice resonates with the same sincerity his lo-fi garage recordings suggest, and Muddy Flowers songs stand out among the waves of mediocre folk released over the past years. You can pick up his first EP, Summer Pop Songs, on Psychedelicate Records, or wait for the LP, Winter Lullabies. Come check out his Neutral Milk Hotel inspired jams tonight, at Acrobatics Everyday with Mason Lindahl, Ellie Fortune, and Canyons. Liz Suh of Tan Dollar will be accompanying Amir with vocals tonight as well.
The Muddy Flowers – Shining Violet Hearts
The Muddy Flowers – Hope You’ll Be Okay
Wonder Wheel is Paul Rosales, along with homies Raul Esparza and Anthony Bosque. The sheer amount of music they release, makes it a challenge to pick just a couple of their jams to show you so I have some other ways to scope their songs. Life’s Blood is about to release their newest tape, Succotash Xs, Paul posts a bunch of tracks on the Wonder Wheel Blog, and you can cruise down to Irvine to come see them with me at Acrobatics Everyday with Smith Westerns, Audacity, and Cosmonauts.
Wonder Wheel – How To Slow Down
Wonder Wheel – You Should Have Been My Wife (Daniel Johnston Cover)
“I told the boys I had a touch of thrombophlebitis, blood clots in the veins in my feet, and was afraid about tomorrow’s climb, not that it would hobble me but would get worse when we came down. Morley said ‘Is thrombophlebitis a peculiar rhythm for piss?’”
- Jack Kerouac
Thinking Feller’s Union Local 282 – The Operation
Tonstartssbandht make music about as confusing and out there as their name, but if you listen to their songs enough they seep in. It seems like every song they come out with is completely different from the rest too. You can check out their new album, Dick Nights, here.
Tonstartssbandht – Preston “Great Ass” Imfat
Tonstartssbandht – Black Country
Photo by Nate Miller
I was at 60 Watt Kid’s record release show at the Echo a couple nights ago, with Tearist, Gowns, and Best Coast too. Regrettably, my friends camera broke so I only have this photo from a show at UCI last year. You can get the album from here.
Gowns’ set was simply breathtaking, albeit short. They only played 3 songs. It began with Ezra on the violin, manipulating his live playing with the multitude of pedals in front of him. That droning served as a perfect canvas for Erika’s singing and guitar playing. The song morphed into a sonic masterpiece, one that involved Erika smashing her guitar around a bit at the end. She apologized to it after while tuning. The set ended with a hip hop song. Ezra played music on a keyboard and Erika rapped with the best.
Best Coast went on next, and despite a few issues with the sound at first (the vocals weren’t coming through) played a great set. They played the usual favorites off their 7″ along with a few new songs I hadn’t heard. Bethany pointed out that she and her guitarist, Bobb, had matching guitars. It was planned.
60 Watt Kid came on last, and played some incredible songs. Now with a drummer, their band sounded much more full than I’ve heard it before, and the rhythm added a great new element to their songs. However, it in no way diminished the wonderful interplay between the two original members, Kevin and Derek. They each played and looped parts on guitars and keys, creating sounds I didn’t think possible from just two people. Kevin’s stage antics, once he departed from his instruments and thrashed around the stage with just a microphone, were definitely memorable as well.
If you want to catch 60 Watt Kid for yourself, they’ll be playing the December 12th FMLY show at the Courtyard with Tempo No Tempo and Grooms. Get excited.
60 Watt Kid – We Come From the Bright Side
Best Coast – Angsty
Gowns – Rope
Duchampion is a new band coming out of Wesleyan consisting of Ben Seretan, Will Brant, Jake Nussbaum, and Asa Horvitz. Their music is firmly rooted in irreproachable folk and rock songs, but it expands into their experimental and even, at times, jazzy elements. Their recordings are all field recordings from live shows, but the quality is superb, and an organic live vibe flows throughout the music.
Duchampion – Orange Rooms
Duchampion – Return of the Swamp Thing
Duchampion – Under the Knife
Kurt Vile’s album, Childish Prodigy is full of gems; diamonds of songs he mines from the depths of Americana. The one that keeps on resonating though, listen after listen, is Amplifier.
He nonchalantly drops it near the end of his album, long after the melodies of hits like Overnite Religion have washed over you. It steals your attention from preceding songs, first with a sampled train, which progresses into driving drums that continue throughout the whole song. Those drums, layered with Kurt’s vocal and guitar tones, facilitate the beauty of Amplifier’s wholly organic growth.
Kurt Vile – Amplifier
His Clancyness let their pop songs shine through the haze, instead of the fuzzed out lo-fi recording that seem to have overtaken music lately. It seems rare lately, for vocals to be at the top of a song’s mix; not drowned out by guitars and synthesizers. They use the added emotional resonance of the classic Just Like Honey drum beat in both Ottawa Backfired Soon and Just Like Monday (an homage to the former?)
His Clancyness – Just Like Monday
His Clancyness – Nothing And Nowhere To Go
His Clancyness – Ottawa Backfired Soon
“His ambition seemed to be to write popular music, or bubblegum music. But buddhist bubblegum.”
-Allen Ginsberg
Arthur Russell is on the CANT 7″ here
Arthur Russell – Habit of You
Arthur Russell – Place I Know/Kid Like You
David J. Nightingale
It’s been raining in Irvine lately – which is crazy for this early in October (Thank El Nino for that one) – and a complete A-side from the stagnant impeccable nature of our usual fall weather. So this morning I couldn’t muster enough effort to actually make it to class and stayed at home listening to rainy songs. I want to share some of them with you.
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
Mount Eerie – Voice in Headphones
Animal Collective – Bluish
Little Wings – Light Green Leaves
Led Zeppelin – The Rain Song
And what quite possibly might be my favorite song ever.
Tom Waits – Take It With Me
Aria Jalali manages to retains the synth pop elements of his first ep, Cities vs. Submarines, on the new 12″ Cathedral With No Eyes (pre-order). What is added improves upon that template already laid to manifest itself as a dense, sonically packed experiment in noise.
Both of the ‘Passion of Saint Edmund’ tracks comprising the middle of the album particularly entrap listeners in that mesmerizing daze of sonic depth. But don’t think of Railcars as having gone experimental, Aria still arranges the same danceable pop songs that stick in your head for days.
Catch their live show which adds visuals, indescribable energy, and what appears to be a perennially botched cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries. Here’re some tunes.
Railcars – Passion of Saint Edmund (Miracles)
Railcars – Martyrdom of Saint Edmund (End)
The Cranberries – Dreams
noah’s beat: aria is also keeping a tour diary right here. it was originally going to be kept on fmly, but we couldn’t figure out how to work wordpress on his iphone. next time! and if you have a sec make sure to peep his equally as inspiring project micromagician (‘gospel girls’ = instant classic).
