Caddywhompus

Way, way back in 2010, i was in Houston for the Free Press Summer Fest, then a burgeoning music festival, and on a whim caught a blistering performance by a band i had never heard of from Baton Rouge.  And Caddywhompus absolutely slayed it for their small crowd.  I caught them again the next year at the same festival on the same stage as they powered through their mix of punk, indie rock, and angular guitar riffs in tepid 100 degree heat.  Since then, i make it a point to try and catch them whenever they come to central Texas...which hopefully won't be too long from now as the duo have a new album out in April on Inflated Records.  Listen to "Decent" below and get the "Odd Hours" LP here.

Palm

Recalling some of the more psych-tinged sounds of earlier Animal Collective, but adding some really angular guitar licks into the mix, Philly band Palm seem to be carving out their own little niche of off-kilter pop.  New album "Trading Basics" feels naturalistic, but also kind of all over the place, like dirt getting swept up in a dust devil, moving indiscriminately through the desert.  Those angular rhythms never get too mathy, but they keep things from ever descending into downright hippie-dippiness.  Take a listen to "Ankles" below and grab the record here from Inflated Records.