Marie Davidson

It is all about the ladies today.  Montreal's Marie Davidson just released her sophomore album "Un Autre Voyage" last week via Holodeck Records, and it's a cold and haunting electronic monster.  Just listen to the pulsing and nervous "Kidnap You in the Desert" below and grab the record here.

Tamaryn

New Zealand dreamy shoegaze act Tamaryn are set to release new album "Cranekiss" on Mexican Summer in August.  First single "Hands All Over Me" is a decidedly synthy affair, but it's lush and gorgeous nonetheless.  Listen below.

Princess Chelsea

Apparently it's all about the Chelseas today.  Here's a dark and dreamy little synth-pop number from New Zealand's Princess Chelsea.  "Too Many People" comes from "The Great Cybernetic Depression" LP due in June on Lil' Chief Records.

Chelsea Wolfe - Iron Moon

We have a new album in the works from everybody's favorite dark goth-folk chanteuse Chelsea Wolfe.  "Abyss" is due in August on Sargent House, but you can listen to the first taste, the metal-leaning "Iron Moon" below.  Hooray!

BOAN

Austin, Texas does not really seem like the kind of city where dark and cold synthesizer tunes could soundtrack your night out on the town, but the folks over at Holodeck Records certainly seem to try.  June will see the release of the "Mentiras" LP from Austin electronic duo BOAN.  A sleek and sexy mix of Cold War aesthetic and electric hum, maybe it will help ease me in to the upcoming 100 degree days just on the horizon.  Listen to the title track below.

Total Babes

Wild and raucous Ohio band Total Babes (which features members of Cloud Nothings) have new album "Heydays" due next month on Wichita, and it's looking to be a bouncy and fun affair.  Take a listen to "Circling," featuring Cloud Nothings main man Dylan Baldi on sax below.

Thee Oh Sees - The Ceiling

San Francisco garage rock troubadours Thee Oh Sees are easily one of my favorite bands out there.  They're also arguably the best live act in the country, so new music from the band is always good news.  Equally good news is when said new music is for a great cause.  Joyful Noise have put together a digital release of 50 bands (and Lil' Bub the cat for some reason) called "50 Bands and a Cat for Indiana Equality" to raise money for LGBT activist groups in Indiana as a response to that state's recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act and all the bullshit that inspired it.  For $25, you can get the download as well as a lathe-cut 7" of one of the songs (your choice).  There are a plethora of great artists contributing music.  Listen to "The Ceiling" from Thee Oh Sees below and check the full list of bands here...and then buy the thing already.

BLVCK CEILING

Dig on this sinister little synth jam from producer/musician BLVCK CEILING.  "Hurt" pulses and oozes, an evil throb to hunt to while wandering dark alleys and neon lit back rooms.  Listen below and grab the cassette here.

Lustre - Blossom

Sweden's one man black metal band Lustre is back with a new album of atmospheric and absolutely beautiful songs on "Blossom" available from Nordvis.  The album is epic and triumphant, the layers of noisy guitar subsiding a bit to let the gorgeous synthesizer take you on a wondrous journey.  It's kind of hard to call this black metal, though the influence is totally there.  It's just too pretty.  Stream the album below and buy it here.

HEALTH - New Coke

Man, it seems like forever since we've gotten new music from LA art noise punks HEALTH, but here's a new single from their upcoming third album "Death Magic."  "New Coke" feels like a haunted club anthem, a sort of death to the new wave raver kids.  Watch the video below and get the album in August from Loma Vista.

Oh, and it would be kind of dickish of me if i didn't warn you about the slow motion vomit at video's end...so, i guess prepare yourself for that.

The Zombi Anthology

Inexcusable!  Somehow i missed that Relapse Records just reissued Zombi's first material from 10 years ago.  "The Zombi Anthology" had previously only been available on a limited CD that the duo put out themselves, but now finds itself on vinyl for the first time.  I have been a huge fan of Steve Moore and Anthony Patera and their numerous side projects ever since 2009 when i heard "Spirit Animal" for the first time.  Much thanks to Shawn Baker for cluing me on to this.  Listen to the horror movie inspired "Sequence 1" below and grab the record here or here.

Cheatahs

London shoegaze act Cheatahs are releasing their new "Murasaki" EP next month on Wichita.  The title track sounds like blasting off into space, the stars and lights reflecting off of the glass on your astronaut head piece...and then never returning.  Listen below.

Ensemble Economique

Musician and producer Ensemble Economique has been posting some new music to his soundcloud page in the last month...dark and ominous visions, gothic auditory hallucinations.  They are pretty perfect and somber synth jams.  Listen to the Soft Metals assisted "Blossoms in Red" below, and maybe be on the lookout for a record soon.  We'll keep you posted.

Thirst OST

So, Record Store Day has come and gone now, leaving us to sift through some of the less hyped releases, such as a trio of Ozploitation soundtracks from composer Brian May.  Xozmiq Records released the scores to "Patrick," "The Day After Halloween," and "Thirst," Rod Hardy's 1979 vampire film.  All three are moody, and creepy, lush, and wonderful.  Listen to "End Titles" below from "Thirst."

Prurient - Greenpoint

I'm about to spend the rest of my afternoon frying and eating catfish (stoked), so here's a new dark and haunting jam from Prurient's upcoming "Frozen Niagara Falls" LP.  "Greenpoint" is ominous and cold, and has me pumped for the new record.  Listen below and get it in May from Profound Lore.

Bop English at Untapped Austin

I got to go out to the Untapped Festival here in Austin yesterday for some music and a whole lot of beer.  I wish i could say i remembered everything...but there was a whole lot of beer.  The set from Bop English was pretty damn good though, reminding me i need to pick up their debut album.  Here are a couple of pics below.

Spray Paint - Day of the Rope

Austin post punk ruckus-bringers Spray Paint have a new album due in June on Homeless Records.  Take a listen to the propulsive and blistering "Day of the Rope" below and grab the "Punters on a Barge" LP June first.

Crystal Castles - Frail

Well, here's our first taste of Crystal Castles in a post-Alice Glass world...and it sounds like Crystal Castles alright.  Rumors about who is supplying the vocals for the project are running rampant on the web right now, but i'm not even going to speculate on that (it wasn't me).  I'm just going to enjoy the new jam.  Listen to "Frail" below.

The Sandwitches

San Francisco trio The Sandwitches will be releasing their newest, and unfortunately their last, album, "Our Toast," in June on Empty Cellar Records.  That's awesome and a bummer at the same time.  These three ladies have always managed to craft swooning, sexy, and sometimes haunting songs, and while the prospect of a new record is great, i'm sad to see them go.  Check out the aching and ominous "Play it Again Dick" below.

Cat's Eyes - The Duke of Burgundy

Though i have yet to see Peter Strickland's homage to 70's French erotic thrillers, "The Duke of Burgundy," the soundtrack by English/Canadian band Cat's Eyes is an airy and divine piece of psychedelic folk and moodiness.  Drawing inspiration from the soundtracks to the films that "The Duke of Burgundy" riffs on, Cat's Eyes score is beautiful, flowing, hypnotic, and occasionally haunting.  Strickland knows how to pick his scores (see Broadcast and "Berberian Sound Studio"), and this one is lovely.  Grab the record from Caroline International and the band here, and listen to the title track below.

Protomartyr - Blues Festival

Check out the loud and stomping new jam from Detroit's Protomartyr.  "Blues Festival" comes from the forthcoming "A Half of Seven" split 7" with Kelley Deal's R. Ring project.  (Yes, that Kelley Deal.)  She even provides some vocals for Protomartyr's track.  Listen below and grab the record in June on Hardly Art.

Minsk

Here's some crunchy new ominous music from the long dormant Chicago post-metal band Minsk.  The band just released their first album in 6 years, and it's a monster.  Listen to "To the Garish Remembrance of Failure" below and grab "The Crash and The Draw" from Relapse Records.

Flesh for Frankenstein

Claudio Gizzi's scores for Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey's "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula" are getting the reissue treatment from Dagored Records.  That is fantastic news.  I love these films.  I love these soundtracks.  And who doesn't love Udo Kier?  Now if only we could Criterion to reissue the movies on Blu.  Listen to "Frankenstein's Theme" below.

Heroin in Tahiti

Experimental outfit Heroin in Tahiti are set to release new album "Sun and Violence" this month on Boring Machines.  Take a listen to "Black Market" below.  It sounds like a lone drifter riding into a strange and desert town where everyone is on acid.  Pre-order the album here.

Nothing cover Nirvana

Last year on Record Store Day, Robotic Empire Records released a tribute to Nirvana's "In Utero" featuring a whole slew of great artists (Thou!).  This year, the label is releasing "Whatever Nevermind," a tribute to the band's 1991 breakout album "Nevermind," also on Record Store Day, and also featuring a bunch of great bands.  Take a listen to Nothing's haunting and desperate take on "Something in the Way" below and be on the lookout for the record next weekend.

Liturgy

"The Ark Work," the latest offering from experimental metal band Liturgy is a complex and confusing mix of ideas and sounds.  I don't even know where to begin.  On top of the barest of black metal skeletons lies a barrage of instruments: bagpipes, synthesized horns, real horns, chanting, IDM beats, strings, and layers of guitar.  Somewhere in the middle is a metal album?  A pop album?  I don't know, but the whole thing has me entranced.  Get the record from Thrill Jockey and listen to "Quetzalcoatl" below.

Carpenter

It's turning out to be a banner year for synth and art collective/label(?) Retro Promenade.  After a trio of stellar "Twin Peaks" themed synthesizer albums, they're back again with "Carpenter," an homage to all things John Carpenter.  20 tracks of Carpenter-inspired haunting synth opuses.  It features jams from Lazerhawk, VHS Glitch, and so many more.  Check out album closer "Ghosts" by Hide & Sequence below and download the whole thing here.  You can also buy the bitchin' print above.

Swans at The Parish

Monday night, i finally got to see Swans, after missing them their last three times through Austin for a whole myriad of reasons.  And let me say this...they are intense.  The atmosphere is loud and doom-filled, like they're summoning the apocalypse.  Awesome stuff.  Check out a couple of pics below.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Somehow i failed to notice that we had a new album from The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion descend upon us last week.  "Freedom Tower" continues the band's awesome and funky fusion of hip-hop, soul, punk, funk, and rockabilly madness, donning the theme of "No Wave Dance Party 2015," an ode to all things New York City.  From the ugly and dingy streets to the shiny pristine towers, the album is a loving homage to a long dead, but somehow still thriving scene.  Get the record from Mom + Pop or from the band, and watch the excellent video for "Do the Get Down" below.

Cold Cave - Nausea, the Earth, and Me

While it has been a few years since we've gotten a proper album from Wes Eisold's Cold Cave, the man/band have released some pretty awesome singles and EP's since then, many of which will be collected on the upcoming "Full Cold Moon" set for release in June on Deathwish Inc.  Listen to the cold, pulsing, and ugly evil-synth majesty of "Nausea, the Earth, and Me" below.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everybody!

Death and Vanilla

Sweden's Death and Vanilla make the kind of dreamy, atmospheric music that could immediately score an art house film or your dreams.  The band's new album "To Where the Wild Things Are" is due in May.  Listen to the beautiful and lush "California Owls" below and pre-order the album here.

Tei Shi

Tei Shi is one of those artists whose name i've come across a thousand times over the last several months, but i never stopped to actually give them a listen.  I guess they were due.  The Brooklyn band's mellow electronic rhythms are enough to send you into a trance, but just bumpy enough to make that ass shake a little bit as well.  Listen to "Basically" below and pre-order the "Verde" EP here.

Blur - There Are Too Many of Us

With Blur's new album "The Magic Whip" looming on the horizon, the band have been teasing with more samples and videos, and thus far, my favorite has to be the downtrodden and melancholy "There Are Too Many of Us."  It feels like the band moving forward, but looking back just the same.  Watch the plain Jane video below and look for the record at the end of the month.

Tarcar

Australian electro-synth duo Tarcar have an excellent cold and melancholy new jam, "Eija," that they contributed to a new compilation from the excellent Berlin-based label Blackest Ever Black.  Listen to the track below and grab "I Can't Give You the Life You Want" from the label.